Archives For June 2012

First Real Broken Bone

June 19, 2012

Yesterday I broke my collarbone biking. You can see how in the video that I have provided in the bottom of this post. But for now you will have to read my explanation. HA! My friends and I went biking one day and he knew of this drop in the river valley near rundle park. We went and looked at it and I thought it was pretty crazy, but I didn’t do it because I had the wrong bike. A few days later I came back with the right bike and after a few (about 20) run-ins, I finally did it. I came up a little too short and bottomed out on my rear suspension, but other than that it was ok. I did it again, but this time I nailed it. Feeling accomplished, we went and rode some other stuff. Yesterday, I wanted to hit it again, so when I got there, I did some more run-ins, and realized it was pretty windy. I’ve had experience with windy jumps and although I’ve come close, I’ve never crashed because of wind up until this point. This drop was one of the biggest free falling drop that I’ve done and it was out in the open so I was exposed to a lot of wind. I timed it to where I thought it had died down a little and started to gain speed for it but right as I was about to take off, I could feel the wind pick up again. When I was in the air, I was blown a little bit to the left and landed on the side of the landing. That caused me to try and correct but I ended up turning too much and went off the trail and almost hit a tree. I was still trying to control myself in the long grass, but I hit something which caused me to go flying off and shoulder-plant into the ground. As I was laying there and trying to answer caleb’s silly questions and comments (“Oh sure, blame it on the wind…”) I realized that I couldn’t bend my knee that easily. I got up and tried moving around and realized that my right collarbone was sticking out more than usual. It hurt a bit, but I was more concerned with my knee. We pushed back up the hill and met a friend at the top and talked for a while before going home. My knee was working fine, so I started to wonder about my shoulder. It hurt quite a bit from just riding home and once we got there, my dad said it was broken and that we should go to the doctor. Long story short, we got it X-rayed and put a sling on it and now I’m just waiting for it to heal so I can go biking!

Here’s the video.

 

This is how you should do it.

This is how you shouldn’t do it.

This is what I look like now…

 

 

Photography Unit 3

June 7, 2012

I was careful not to put the rocks exactly in the middle of the picture. There is good perspective and contrast of how high the top of the cliff is to how low I was. There is more color in the top part which draws your eye to the center or top of the picture.

I like the color in this one and the green really stands out. There is pretty good detail with the water drops on the plant. I was trying to get even weighting on the top and bottom. I also used the rule of thirds and slightly off set the main subject to the right side. The contrast is beautiful.

I used the rule of thirds here to not get the fence or the tree in the middle of the picture. The fence adds a depth of field and also has leading lines. There is a little bit of repetition with the fence but it doesn’t continue all the way through the picture because of the depth of field.

This picture is really top heavy and there is a lot of negative space in the bottom. I was careful not to put the drop in the middle of the picture. I could have but I would have to be a lot closer. The light in the higher left corner makes the adds interest to the back ground and keeps it from being boring.

This picture looks a little confusing because of the canted angle and it has some nice hue. There is some interesting depth of field and contrast change between the trees and bushes close up and far away.

The grass in this picture has nice color and looks good when there are the darker trees around it. It looks like there are layers of the hill sliding down like a summertime avalanche which looks really neat. There is asymmetrical balance because the right part of the picture is heavier or more weighted than the left side.

This one is my favorite because the two trees that are close are really bright and all the other trees that are farther away are pretty dark and it really brings out the color. There is a lot of contrast in this picture.

In this picture the water looks a little like milk running down the rocks. The water draws the eye up to where the water comes down. I felt it appropriate to put the waterfall in the center of the frame instead of on one of the sides.

I felt it was appropriate to put the main object in the middle of the picture because it didn’t look that good if it wasn’t. There is a lot of change in color and contrast between the dandelion and the grass. They eye is drawn to the dandelion which makes it seem to pop out of the picture a little bit.

Modern Christian Hero

June 2, 2012

Assignment: Write about somebody in your life who you know that could be seen as a modern christian hero.

The person who I have chosen as a modern day Christian hero is my uncle, Harvey Stuart, because his ministry with the indigenous missionaries to the North American church. He is a missionary for I.N.N (International Needs Network) who now lives in Lynden, Washington. He and his wife lived in Slovakia for a year where he taught English in order to teach people about God. He lived in Morocco for a year and tried to get a school going. He goes to different countries every few years, but what he mostly does now is he organizes meetings in North American churches and schools for indigenous missionaries from countries like Zambia, Egypt, and Ghana to speak and perform. He travels with them as they raise awareness about the state in which their country is in and to raise funds for their ministries. He has come to our house numerous times to stay for a few days while they present to the local churches and schools. The people he brings over are always really interesting and some are school children to represent their school. I see him as a hero because he has respect for these people and their cultures and he wants to help educate the North American church to help support the indigenous people’s goals.

Assignment: Write a Cause and Effect Paragraph on Unit 5 in History.

The Cannibals accepted John Paton after he dug a well and provided them with water. They had previously been drinking dirty water and they were getting sick. He dug the well and gave the people all the water they wanted. When the villagers asked how he did it, he said that God gave them water and that they should thank God. The village leader said that none of the other gods they worshiped did such a thing for them and asked if John would preach a sermon to them on the well the next Sabbath day. When the day came, the chief gave a short speech to encourage the people to listen to John. That day, many idols were rounded up and burned as the people changed their minds about thinking that what John said was lies.

Assignment: Write a Classification Paragraph on Unit 1 in history.

From Popes, to Kings, to common people, Saints in the middle ages faced people criticizing them and wanted to them to stop what they were doing and go as far as killing them to make them stop. Some of them like Elizabeth of Hungary and Francis of Assisi, were rich people and went against what the people in their kingdoms said and helped the poor and listened to what Got told them to do. Others like John Huss died because they wouldn’t stop preaching the truth and the Good News to people. They all had the same goal in mind, but had to achieve it in different ways because of the different time and the different people and leaders.

From royalty, to popes, to common people, saints in the middle ages were often persecuted. Some saints were disrespected or even killed for what they believed. Duchess Elizabeth of Hungary and Sir Francis of Assisi were rich and ignored the people who harassed them and helped the poor and listened to what Got told them to do. Others, like Bernard of Clairvaux, were disrespected by their families, but also were able to reach out and changed many lives. Unfortunately, others like John Huss were burned at the stake because they wouldn’t stop preaching the truth and the Good News to the people. These Saints all had the same goal in mind, but achieved it in different ways because of the different times in history, countries and leaders. Although the middle ages was a very hard time for Christians, there were times where their ministries thrived and changed a lot of lives.

 

 

Cue For Treason

June 2, 2012

Assignment: Write a Historical Fiction book report on Cue for Treason

Cue For Treason Book Report


He was running from a man that would never give up; running to escape prison or even death. The 267 page book, Cue For Treason, was written by Geoffrey Trease in 1940 and was published by Blackwell. I read the online version of this historical fiction from the University of Toronto archives. Reviewing the plot, characterization of Peter, and the things that I learned, we can conclude if this is a good book to read.

This is the story of very determined young man who would save the Queen’s life. Peter Brownwigg, a 14 year old boy, who lived in Cumberland, England at the end of the 16th century, was involved in a protest against a ruthless leader, Sir Philip Morton, who wanted to kill the Queen. During the protest, he threw a rock at Sir Morton and left behind a clue that could identify him. Peter ran from his village to escape the consequences of throwing a rock at a ruthless leader. He joined an acting group that preformed Shakespeare and used it as a way to hide from Sir Morton. Another “boy”, Kit, also joined the group to run from Sir Morton for different reasons. Amazingly enough, Peter, Kit, and the acting group tricked Sir Morton into thinking they were soldiers and brought Sir Morton and his men to justice.

Peter Brownwigg was normal looking 14 year old boy, but he wasn’t afraid to stand for what he believed. He was of average build, and could swim, climb and run like any other boy. When he set his mind to something, nobody could talk him out of it. For example, he and his family were trapped inside their house and his father told him to wait inside. He wanted to escape through a window and go get help and his father couldn’t talk him out of it. He didn’t respect authority of Sir Morton and his men. He once got free from a man who was taking him prisoner and knocked him out with a rock to escape from him. He didn’t show respect to anyone who was against the Queen.

This book made me realize three things that I never knew before. I learned that actors were only suppose to be male in this time period, and that surprised me. I also learned that it didn’t matter how old you were, the punishment was the same. There was no “easy out” if you were young. The last thing I learned from reading this book was that villages stood up for each other and it was like the whole village was a big family. I wish it was still like that in our world today.

Having looked at the plot, Peter’s character, and the things I learned, I have determined that it is a good book to read. It is full of adventure, doesn’t have dry, boring sections, and there are surprising turns in the story. Peter’s character of integrity makes this book appealing. It’s fun to learn about history in this way. If one likes historical fiction, this is an exceptional book to read.

Durer Book Report

June 2, 2012

Assignment: Write a biography book report on Durer.

 

There once was a man of many talents. The book, The story of Albrech Durer, written by Joyce McPherson tells the story of a man’s life in 110 pages. He was a man who lived as an artist from May 21 1471 to April 6th 1528. This version was written in 2001 and was published by Greenleaf Books, LLC. This essay shows a bit about his life, his art, and what we can learn from him.

Albrech Durer was an artist who lived in Germany. His father was a goldsmith and at a young age, Albrech Durer, because skilled at working with gold. Later on in life, he was an apprentice for other artists. He did paintings as well as engravings, woodcuts, drawings, and he also wrote several books. He was a talented man.

The main point in this book was tell the story of Albrech Durer, not only about his life, but also his paintings. Albrech Durer was good at drawing and painting what he saw, but he was also good at putting the visions in his mind into drawings. He was a Christian and that was shown in some of his work. One of his drawings showed how he thought the Apocalypse was described in the Bible which he called, Knight, Death, and the Devil. In this drawing he couldn’t see it happening in real life. It had to come from what he imagined in his head.

The story of Albrech Durer is the story of a man who traveled around, painting, drawing, engraving, woodcutting, and writing. He was an extraordinary man and was sometimes called “the Appelles of his day”. He was well known, but surprisingly quite humble and wasn’t arrogant like some other artists. No matter how talented one is, one can still be humble.

The story of Albrech Durer, tells the story of Durer’s life, his art, and what we can learn from him. He was skilled at a young age, and kept on getting better at what he did as he got older. He had a good imagination and was very good at putting those images from his mind onto paper. He was very talented, but also humble in his work. Although I don’t like reading about artists or about this time period, if one likes to read biographies about artists, this is a good one to read.

Men of Iron

June 2, 2012

Date Assigned: Sept 19

Topic: Write a five paragraph comparison essay exploring the following: Myles falworth can be seen as a picture of your typical hero in every way.

Here I have for you, an overview of how smart, stubborn and brave Myles Farworth was in the book Men Of Iron.


In the biggest stadium, the ground shakes as the crowds roar. A young man prepares for his first joust. A joust against a much older, and experienced opponent. Will he bring pride to his country, or will his dreams of being a highly esteemed and well respected knight be shattered to pieces? Here I have for you, an overview of a knight, Myles Farworth and how smart, stubborn and brave this knight was in the book Men Of Iron.

Myles was smart in that he always wanted to make the right choice and to do the right thing no matter what he had to do or what happened. He didn’t always do the right thing and it got him in trouble and even got him hurt sometimes. But I think he was smarter or wiser than the average fellow.

He also was very persistent or stubborn in that he sometimes didn’t do what his elders told him to do. They couldn’t make him do it, so he didn’t. And when he wanted people to do something, he wouldn’t stop unless they did what he wanted. In the book, he was dueling against another guy who he worked and lived with. Myles hurt his opponent quite badly but the opponent didn’t want to give up. Myles didn’t let him walk away unless the opponent surrendered to him. This was a good and bad characteristic of him.

Myles was really brave and wasn’t afraid to except a challenge, even if he new he couldn’t defeat that challenge. There were a times where his friends would have to stop him from doing something that would get him seriously injured, or even killed. It seemed as though he wasn’t afraid of anything. Even though he sometimes really was.

And that was how I think Myles Farworth was smart, persistent, brave and a hero in the book Men Of Iron. In the story, he went through a lot of good times, and hard times. He worked and trained hard to become a knight. All the work paid off and he defeated the older and more experienced knight.

A Musician’s Journey

June 1, 2012

Back in 2006, my two friends and I could play instruments, and one of them could sing. We made up a song called “The Woodchuck Song”. It was basically just our singer yelling “How much would could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?”. It sounded pretty good to us and to our families, but unfortunately we moved away from them that summer and couldn’t do it anymore. When we came back to visit in 2010, my friend, the singer, and I sat down and wrote an actual song with lyrics that didn’t just include things about rodents and had actual structure and guitar chords. That’s when we realized we were really good. The next summer, I moved back to Edmonton and we wrote our second song which was even better and started playing them in his basement.

I started taking piano lessons when I was 3 and I played for quite a few years until I was 9 or 10. We got a drum set when I was 5 and I took lessons until I was 10 but I still continued to play and I’ve never stopped. I got an electric guitar when I was around 11 and took lessons for a month at a music store then I took online lessons called Jamplay for the rest of the school year and taught myself from there. I haven’t taken lessons for a while but still use the online every once in awhile if I can’t figure something out.

What I wanted to do with this project was to write and record a whole song with instruments and vocals. I wanted to have at least two guitars, drums, and some keyboard. I didn’t really plan it out. We just were playing the chords and writing the music and the basic idea seemed to come together in an afternoon. I did most of the writing in my friend’s basement in a tiny room with all the instruments. I did the recording at my home by myself. The vocals came after all the tracks were laid down. Even without a plan, the results were astounding.

I had fun with creating the music and also recording it and playing with the different sounds I would get from placing the mic in different places. Writing the lyrics was also interesting. I also learned that it is ALWAYS a good idea to use a metronome when recording music. It makes it much easier when recording multiple instruments and vocals. I didn’t use one on the first version of the song that I recorded and it was off beat in some places. I remembered to use one on the second version of the song so it is almost all on beat.

I started using a program called Garageband that can record music at a camp in Texas so I was already familiar with it. I didn’t really get into any of the effects because they were a little complicated. I recorded the main guitar first. After that came the rhythm guitar, the drums, and finally the keyboard and vocals when my friend came over. I had to do the drums on the keyboard since the real drums wouldn’t record well with just one mic. Once we got a good mic, I had to try and figure out how to use it and what the different settings did. After I figured it all out, it was pretty easy to record and it sounded really good compared to the mic on my laptop which is what I used for the first recording.

I had quite a few problems. When I did the first version of the song, I was using the mic built in on my computer. It wasn’t that bad, but there was a lot of background noise from the furnace in our basements and it wasn’t as good quality as the song recorded on a higher quality mic. The new mic, called the Yeti, also didn’t record as much background noise as the one on my laptop. It was also tricky working with GarageBand and getting used to all the different effects that there are. It is hard to start recording in the middle of the song if you took a break or something like that. There is a delay on the time that you press the record button and when it actually starts recording and the music kicks in.

Also, I went to school for the second semester so that limited how much time I could spend on the recording. I didn’t really do much work on it after the day when we did the vocals. I think it sounded alright and it didn’t need much adjustment.

We had an opportunity to play for Capilooza http://www.capilano.org/capilooza-2012/ which is a fundraiser for a Haitian orphanage put on by our church. We jumped at the opportunity to play in front a crowd of more than 4 people. There were only two of us and we needed at least four to have all the instruments that would make it sound good. I got my brother to play drums and a leader at our church to play bass and it ended up working out pretty good.

Practicing for the fundraiser was a little difficult and I couldn’t make all the practices. I missed the first one so my friend and my brother had to teach our bass player the chords and notes that I wrote. They did pretty well, though, and they played all the songs except one which they couldn’t figure out. We practiced three or four times at our house with everyone except the bass player and three times on the stage at our church with everybody.

Even though it was hard at some points, I learned some things. I learned how to use the new Yeti microphone and use GarageBand more effectively. I got better at making up my own beats and riffs on the guitar and drums instead of playing music that somebody already wrote. It’s sometimes hard to come up with new music when there is already so much out there. You have to be careful not to copy someone else’s music. You can also use the same chords and progressions just as long as you don’t copy the words or beat of the song. I also learned a bit about poetry and songwriting and how some words fit to make a good rhyme and how some don’t. My friend and I would write the lyrics together when we had the time, and emailed each other when we had a good idea.

My band and I played at Capilooza and played three of the songs that we had written and two cover songs. We used all of our own amps, guitars, and drums. We brought all the stuff to the church early for sound check and to see how everything was going to work out. There were quite a few other bands there too so we got a little feeling of what it would be like before we even got on stage. We set up and played three songs to let the sound guy see how loud everything should be. We finished, got all our stuff off the stage and went home until when we were supposed to be playing.

Our equipment was already at the church so we drove there and listened to the other bands before us. The bands were slower and not that exciting at the beginning but they were nice to listen to. When it was our turn, we set up quickly and started playing. I was quite impressed on how we did and how everything worked out. My mom and dad each had a video recorder and we got some good footage. We also had a Gopro camera set up on stage so it would get us from the same position all through the time we were playing. It was the first time we played in front of a big audience. There were about 200 people there and I was surprised that I wasn’t scared. After we were done, I just wanted to play more, and so I did.

A few days later we got to play again at a Battle of The Bands at a local high school atrium in front of about 25 people. It was set up by a music store, Axe music, but we didn’t get to use our own amps and guitars. There were a few problems with the guitars and sound and I don’t think it was nearly as good as when we played at the church but it was still not bad. My mom was recording with a mic on an iphone and my dad had the video camera. I had fun doing both and we got some good videos to show from it. We helped pack up the equipment and it was pretty neat stuff, but I wish we could have used our own amps. The ones they had were restricting and didn’t have much adjustment.

Here are the three original songs that we played at Battle of The Bands and Capalooza.

The song we wrote summer 2010 is called “Here We Go Again”. (Click on link to go to song and lyrics)

The song I recorded is called “Save Me

Our newest song which we played at Capalooza is called, “Worlds Apart

The fun just doesn’t stop here. Hopefully there will be more opportunities to play at different places and get our music out there. Who knows, maybe we’ll get to tour around someday and get paid to play music. To get there is a long road and we probably need to start by getting some more official band members.

Worlds Apart

June 1, 2012

Worlds Apart lyrics
Written by Jared Boyle, Levi Harapnuik

She walked away tonight, how come we always fight?
Now I’m wondering if she’ll really go
She made a tragedy out of our destiny
Now she’s left me and I’m all alone

A thousand miles I ran, just to hold your hand
I gave you all I had it wasn’t enough.
We’re running out of time, It’s time to make this right
We never should have tried, we’re two worlds apart.

A dagger to my chest, because your latest guest
It seems that you and him are more than friends
You made a fool of me, you’ve made a mess of things
Now I’m thinking this is how it ends

A thousand miles I ran, just to hold your hand
I gave you all I had it wasn’t enough.
We’re running out of time, It’s time to make this right
We never should have tried, we’re two worlds apart.

A thousand miles I ran, just to hold your hand
I gave you all I had it wasn’t enough.
We’re running out of time, It’s time to make this right
We never should have tried, we’re two worlds apart.

We’re two worlds apart.