General Update

Most prominent news to date: Saturday I became the proud owner of a brand new 16GB iPhone. This comes with much joy and some random negativities. The joy -- This phone is of course something I've been wanting for a very long time, and there's something really exciting to me about knowing that I can connect to the internet anywhere - at school, a restaurant, in the car. Also, it significantly reduces pocket space. I've now combined my iPod and phone into one thing that is smaller than my previous phone. I got to give my old iPod Touch to Erin. (I really like giving people stuff, it's just one of those things.) The the random negativities -- I want to express my excitement to others without it coming off as bragging, which is pretty much impossible. So, I always feel bad after talking about it, but I guess I just shouldn't talk about it...I don't know. Also, having the constant internet connection makes it feel like I am dependent and should go join an IA group (Internetters Anonymous).

Anyway, I had two other vivid dreams since my last post that both involved really bright colored flowers that I've never seen before that I immediately had the urge to pick. These dreams have prompted me to put a pen and paper at the head of my bed, but alas, no dreams since the pen and paper have gone into place.

Last weekend I attended Cheer Banquet with Erin and VASE (I have no idea what it stands for, but it's an art competition) I entered a photo and a mixed media piece of mine. They both got 4s (which is good) but neither of them went to state. I think my drawing and painting teacher entered me into division 3 instead of division 4 (which I should've been in) illegally...she told me I'd definitely go to state if she did... hmm... shady business. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to putting together my AP art portfolio.

Finally, I'm going to start trying to put together an actual website at zachhorst.com, that should prove to be interesting, but I'm not sure how much time I'll have, what with all the nonsense I have to be doing for my research paper over the next few weeks. I swear Mrs Clarke is trying to kill us.

PS: I've been feeling really pessimistic lately, I don't know what's up.

A B Yes!

Tonight ABS was really great.

This is saying something. Usually, I'm not all that excited about going to it, but this week it was really good! It was a lot smaller than it usually is, but it was like, all the people that care were there, so there wasn't any of the awkwardness that there usually is, and I was just really into it tonight. Also, there were only two senior guys, so we went with the junior guys, which was also cool, because they care so much more than most of the guys in our usual small group.

On another note, I now have a legit graphics editing program! This is amazing news! Woohoo! I may have to hook back up my 'bamboo fun' Wacom nonsense (:

I've been having really vivid, weird dreams lately. Last night was about a wedding. The night before was about hurricanes and Shindig, and the night before that there were two; one was about San Antonio, old neighbors, and moving, and the other one was about a mansion. (The mansion is a recurring setting for dreams of mine. But usually it's someone else's mansion, this time it was my family's house? weird.)

Later!

Zach

Just Some Thoughts

I think that many of the problems of high school could be solved if it started an hour later, or even just 30 minutes. I personally would be more awake during the school day and more likely to do other things than just roll out of bed and go to school. It would allow students more time to eat breakfast, which always helps. I was just thinking about this the other day.

Also, I've noticed lately that I'm more likely to not do anything I need to do than I am to do some of the things I have to do to completion while leaving other things unfinished. It may seem unreasonable, but that's just how it usually ends up working. 

This seems really cliche (never mind pessimistic), but I've seen plenty of clouds without silver linings. (Literally and metaphorically).

Erin, Marissa and I went to some thrift stores today and walmart (wait, I already said thrift stores) and it was really exciting. I got a cool shirt for some record label I've never heard of and a leather belt that is monogrammed on the back "C. J. C." haha. It also has eagles and trees and I'm really excited about it. Then we went to see Comedy Sportz which was ridiculously amazing. I'm actually mad that I didn't know about it until this year, otherwise I completely would have tried out for it a long time ago.

Reinvention

People keep randomly asking me if they can pray for me, and I keep not knowing what to say. And since most of those people read my blog, here is what you can do:

Reading Marissa's blog made me realize that I really need to reinvent myself. Or rather, I need to do a whole bunch of things that I need God's help with, and I would appreciate it if you would pray for me.

Thank You,

Zach

Something Read and Something Written

I read this today:

"Lady, better a sculptor far

Chiselled those curves you smudge and mar,

And God did more than lipstick can

To justify your mouth to man."

I thought it was interesting and well written.

Now to write something with that cool rhyming scheme:

The Satellite

Floating out forgotten in Space

There is a wayward satellite

With no regard to Time or place

It's seen many an elusive sight

Galaxies that are colliding

White dwarves in endless night

The Pleiades' glow, always shining

Nebulae that hide planets and stars

Meteors between are diving

This neglected mass of metal parts,

Now caught by unforgiving gravity,

From it's leisurely stroll departs

Breaking through the sparse canopy,

The planet's atmosphere, a dent is made

In the heart of unknown land, swampy

Creatures venture out of the shade

No human ever knows.

 

Letting You Know

I am a shameless Book Cover judger.

I am probably about 75% more likely to pick up a book or check out a CD on iTunes if it has a cover that is visually stimulating.

Dante Alighieri Knows What's Up

I can't bring myself to do everything that I need to be doing right now. It's just not happening. Maybe I need a job. Maybe I need some medicine. Maybe I'm going about this in all the wrong ways.

In other news, I'm reading The Inferno right now and apparently in the original Italian, the rhyming style was aba bcb cdc ded efe... and so on. I want to write something using that pattern. We'll see.

I was watching The Biggest Loser this evening and decided it's only good for my self-esteem intil about two of three episodes from the finale when all the formerly-obese people get lower BMI's than me. It's like, while I'm sitting here weighing the same I've weighed for a while, they're out there losing my entire body weight in fat. haha.

On a slightly related note, I'm considering starting to run. The Moore Elementary track seems reasonable.

I wish I could be humble. It always makes me mad when people are down on themselves for stupid reasons, so I say to myself, "Okay, Zach. Don't be like that. You need to be sure of yourself so that someone is." There are just so many people who hate themselves, or are always so critical, I feel like I have to be confident, or else everything will be depressing all the time. But it's hard to be confident without being arrogant. And we all know where I fall on that scale.

Finally, I'm really enjoying The Message Remix translation of the Bible lately. I know that it's only like 163% less 'accurate' than the ESV, but I pay so much more attention to what I'm reading and retain it more when I read the message. Especially the Psalms. They are always so beautiful in the message version. What ho! The poetry is poetic! Forgive my sarcasm, I really think a person should find the translation that they can read and understand the best, then stick with it. I'm sure the writer of the NKJV is somewhere feeling a disturbance in the force.

"In simple humility, let our gardener, God, Landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life." from James 1:19 (The Message)