School Daze: Grade Seven

Day 290

This had to be the worst school year I had while growing up. I was spoiled when I attended Sifton Elementary school. I had great friends and great teachers which was missing for the most part when I went to Junior High.

During the sixth grade we were visited by the three main Junior High schools recruiting sixth graders to attend there respective schools. I had a choice between Killarney, Balwin and Steele Heights. And I made the unfortunate decision to attend Killarney. This has to go down as one of the worst decisions I have ever made in life. I honestly don't know why I chose Killarney. None of my friends decided to go there and my sister went there and hated it. So I have no clue why I decided to go there.

Their mascot was a Leprechaun. It really should have been Lucifer.

Killarney was not fun at all. While there were a few bright spots, they were rare and didn't last very long. I have already blogged about some of the experiences I had.

I didn't know anyone in my class except for this girl that was in my class the year before and we were not friends. I hate to say this now that I am older but we didn't like her because she smelled and dressed in rags. I should have been nicer to her but honestly it was a relief when she was picked on since they were picking on her and not me. I didn't make any fast friends but I was fortunate to help this new guy with his homework. Rob turned into one of the cool guys and because I helped him with his homework I was not picked on as much.

There was Shelley. She was friends with some of the cool people (Rob's girlfriend) that ran our school and she liked me. I didn't really like her in return but I did like the meager protection my relationship with her offered. It protected me from quite a few altercations.

There was also the time when I was framed and almost killed for trying to be accepted. Most of the days I spent at Killarney I was in fear. Waiting for something bad to happen and typically something would. I was bullied most of the times and I didn't get along with many of my teachers. My grades suffered big time and I was failing most of my subjects. I just was not happy.

I did have a few good teachers, Miss Spicer and Mrs. Evans were always there to lend a hand and smile at me. If it wasn't for those teachers I would have probably died. But at least I wouldn't fear hell since I was already attending Killarney.

That is me on the left in my favorite Van Halen jersey. That was my only picture in the yearbook. I missed school pictures that year.

One of the few bright spots at Killarney was riding the bus to school. I would catch the bus and I would sit by this girl named Debbie. She was a couple of years older than I was but she remembered me from Sifton. So every time I would get on the bus she would move her school bag so I could sit down. If the bus was really crowded she would let me sit on her lap. Yeah, I took my small victories when I could!

My mom knew that I was not having a great time at Killarney. My mom worked at the Diet Center (which was across the street and down the block from my school) and I used to stop by every once in awhile to visit during my lunch hour. I remember fondly one day she told me not to go back to school. I didn't go back that afternoon and we went out and got lunch and mom took me to some comic book shops. Mom could always tell when I needed a break.

I even remember what comics I got when I went out with mom. This one was my favorite. It gave sneak peaks of upcoming titles.

Killarney had a Science Fair which I told my parents about the night before. We stood up way into the wee hours of the morning making a project. I chose the planet Mars and we made a very cool paper mache planet while my dad built a stand and poster boards. I got an A on the project. Good thing my family was there to help me.
I will say that Killareny was a place where I had some "firsts". Killarney is where I had my first major fist fight. It was at the Clairview Bus Station. This kid named Tyler was really picking on me and I had enough. I swung and punched him in the back of his head knocking him on his knees. He got up and quickly turned to me and went insane. He knocked me down and grabbed the back of my head and pounded it into the concrete multiple times. A couple of adults pulled him off of me and I caught the bus as normal. I was so full of adrenaline that I didn't notice the blood and cuts on my head. One kid saw that I was bleeding and asked what happened and I told him. This kid (who I didn't know) was friends with Rob and he gathered a few guys and they beat the crap out of Tyler. They really did a number on him. Looking back I feel bad that he really took a beating but that was life in the 7th grade. Better him than me, you do what you have to do to survive.

Killarney was also the first place where I was offered drugs. Across the street was a Mac's (like a 7-11 store) and we used to go over there during lunch. It was there I was offered hash. I politely said "no" and he asked if there was anything else I would like to try. I said "no" and moved on. Most of the kids in my class smoked and I tried my first cigarette. Funny thing about that is I didn't know you breathed in the smoke into your lungs. I did not inhale. I just drew the smoke into my mouth and blew it out.

Killarney was also the first time that I kissed a girl. It was on the last day of school and I kissed her on the cheek. Her name was Lori and she moved in halfway through the year. She was very cute and she made friends with cool kids and she liked me. So once again I got more protection but this time I had someone I liked on my arm. So at least my last month of the seventh grade was mostly peaceful. I pulled my grades up enough to pass the seventh grade.

But then I got some bittersweet news. The sweet news was that was my last year at Killarney. The bad news was that I was moving to another country!

School Daze: The Bully

Day 242

I was bullied in school quite a bit, especially grades 7-9. Those grades were absolutely hell for me and part of me doesn't even want to cover those years in this blog. When grade 10 rolled around I was surrounded by good friends and most of those bullies that bullied me had either matured a bit or moved on to other things.

Remember what happened to this bully?

In the 11th grade I managed to fight off my last bully for good. For some unknown reason this stupid kid with his stupid permed hair started to pick on me. I did my best to ignore him but he just kept on going. I remember during the winter he would always tackle me and throw me in the snow. This constantly went on and I just learned to deal with it. It was humiliating that I was in the 11th grade and I was being bullied by this preppy sophomore. So I decided to fight back.

This unfortunately worked both ways. He liked that I would fight back, it made him more sneaky in catching me off guard. But when I got the better of him all it did was make him mad and the incidents felt like they doubled.

So I took the initiative. I was walking through the Student Center and I spotted him walking towards the steel doors to get inside. I knew that if he saw me I would get harassed so I decided to get him before he got me. I ran to the steel doors and timed opening them perfectly. He was about to grab the handles and open the door when I tossed the door open hard.

I hit him square in the face with the door. The force knocked him to the floor and he immediately grasped his nose which was spitting out gobs of blood. He got up angrily and looked like he was going to tackle me when my friend came from behind me laughing and said "You want Matt to give you more than that?" I stood my ground and stared him down silently. He backed off and went to the bathroom.

I have to admit that I feared for my life for the rest of the day but I never saw or heard him. And I never had to deal with him again. I had a couple of classes with him and he was still a bit of a jerkhole but he never touched me again.

Sometimes you just have to take a stand. Like Marty's dad did to Biff in Back to the Future.

From the Soapbox: Religion, Politics and Respect

Day 220

It has been said that you should NOT to talk to friends and family about religion and politics. I had an experience not so long ago that definitely makes this point completely true and valid.

So instead of following this advice, I am going to talk (blog) about religion and politics. But first let me tell you what happened to me just a few weeks ago.

I was sitting and chatting with some people that I know. And the subject turned to politics. I minored in Political Science and I don't mind discussing politics with people. But this conversation turned ugly rather quickly and quickly spiraled out of control. This person hurled volley after volley of insults and made everyone else quite uncomfortable. It just kept going, no matter how noticeably uncomfortable we all were. And I couldn't stand it any longer.

This person obviously hates our President. But that wasn't the problem. Everyone has a right to believe what they want. You can say that you don't like him and that you do not agree with the current state of affairs. I have no problem discussing things like that. But instead, she lost every valid point she was trying to make by name calling. She called him something like "Butt Aroma" instead of Barack Obama. And then she called him the Anti-Christ.

Ash will save the day!

And this is where I have a problem. Name calling and hurling insults does nothing to help your cause. This person had previously made some valid points, some with which I could agree on. But because of her venom and putrid hatred and disrespect she lost me. And finally I had had enough and I had to say something. And this was not because we obviously differed on our opinions. This was because of her disrespect. Name calling just makes her look stupid and uneducated. If that is really how you feel that is fine. But have some respect for other people and have respect for those you are speaking with.

So I called her out warning her that what she is saying was extremely offensive but I don't think she got the message. She thought it was because I disagreed with her position, if she would have just listened she would have realized that I agree with some of her points. It was the way she presented her beliefs that I took offense at. So I told her that she should be careful with how she voices her opinions and words. I told her that it was wrong to name call and was being disrespectful.

And now for the religious perspective. If you are going to label someone as an Anti-Christ you must be Christian. And I know she is Christian and I think that offended me even more. But aren't Christians taught not to be judgemental? Aren't they taught to love their neighbors and to bless their enemies? So I called her out on this too. I told her it was wrong to judge this way and that she would be judged the exact same way, that she would be condemned just like she condemns others. Her reply was that while she is in hell, she would be with Barack and all the Democrats. So she knew what she was doing was wrong but she was so caught up in the hate that she didn't care.

I will share a little of my beliefs here. I believe that we are all children of God. Everyone that has been on the Earth, everyone that is on the Earth and everyone that will come is a child of God. Calling someone an Anti-Christ is something that is extremely judgemental and very disrespectful.

I served an LDS mission to New York and I remember being asked this question. "If you were arrested for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?"

Now I am not saying that we should all agree. The only way that things can improve is by opposing views getting together and discussing points in a mature and respectful manner. You can say all you want that these laws are stupid and wrong. No matter what your religious persuasion is, when you attack someone personally, you are crossing the line. A line that I won't tolerate.

I am glad that I stood up to this person. I normally am not confrontational but something had to be said. I will defend anyone regardless of what party they support. I have called out both democrats and republicans when they have crossed this line.

I called out a former Mayor of Salt Lake City when he berated President Bush. Politically, I agreed with every thing he said but he was so disrespectful and so rude that he nullified every point he made. So I sent him an e-mail about it and called him out even though I agreed with his points. I just didn't agree with the way he presented himself.

So if you want to talk, let's talk. But let's also be reasonable and respectful. I am not perfect, I can be critical and can be rude at times. And if I am, call me out. I shouldn't be acting like that. I was taught to love my neighbors (even my dad's neighbor that tailgated me) and I try my hardest but on occasion I need a little kick in the butt to remind me.

Go Blackhawks!

Day 218

Crap! I was just in the middle of writing today's blog when I thought maybe I should check to see if I already shared this story. And sure enough, I already have. RATS! Now I have to think of something else.

Kristy and Logan are out on vacation with her parents for the rest of the week and already I kinda miss them. I was going to go but I will be gone most of the week next week when I go to Girl's Camp and I didn't want to miss going to work two weeks in a row.

So you would think that with all the extra time on my hands and no interruptions while blogging that I could come up with some sort of topic. But it just ain't happening today.

So I think I am going to take the day off from having an official blog. Besides I have a ton of things that I need to do today. I just got back from a church meeting and I will have another one here in a half an hour. And then it is church where I am going to teach the primary (children) again. And then I will cook me a nice meal and watch the Stanley Cup playoffs tonight.

It's too bad that hockey is not that big here in the States. At least most of the Stanley Cup games are on TV. I wish I had the Versus Network, I would have been able to watch almost ALL of the playoff games. The Stanley Cup is between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers. Both teams have not won the Cup in at least 25 years. I am going with the Blackhawks only because I hate the Flyers and the reason why I hate the Flyers is because of one nasty player from years past. Yes, I still hold a grudge. I do admit that he was quite the goalie but he also was a bully. During the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals with my beloved Edmonton Oilers, he would slash and hit Oiler players on their legs leaving large welts and bruises. He also slashed one player so bad that he got an eight-game suspension for the start of the new season.



And that is why I am voting for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Yes, I am petty.