First Entry of 2009...Wow, lol

Dang, this is my first entry of 09. A little late aren't we? Lol. Maybe I will only update when important things happen. Like things I want to remember, not just the every day stuff. Which I like doing every once in a while but it gets a little boring to write and read. But this whole upcoming week is important because we are starting our new semester in school. I think the last one went really well. I am gonna miss everyone though, especially these guys:
(Click to Enlarge)


Hmmm, yeah it's gonna be a bummer without them. Oh well, hopefully I will see them other times throughout the semester.

So my classes are going to be:
Health/Success
English 2 Honors
Algebra 2 Honors
Speech

Not necessarily in that order because I don't have my schedule yet but something like that.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot the point of this update. This weekend we went on our Polar Bear campout. Well, THEY went Friday night. I kinda wimped out and came Saturday Morning. HEY, I wasn't the only one. It got down to 9 degrees! HOLY CRAP! That's the coldest it has been in 4 years here. I bet our guys froze their butts off!

So I got there around 8:30AM Saturday morning. Reagan was supposed to come in at that time too. I got there and unloaded my stuff at camp and my mom left. Of course, I went through the much expected "you finally decided to show up" stuff from the guys and leaders, lol. Of course they were only joking around. About 10 minutes later it was time for the SPL meeting and my assistant, Reagan, still wasn't there. He was bringing our tent so I was starting to get a little nervous, lol. I got Brian to come with me, actually he wanted to. On our way there we saw Reagan and his bro pull up so I felt better, lol. By the time I got back from the meeting they already had our tent set up. I put my stuff in and then made sure everyone had their Class A's on for the Flag ceremony and got down there.

They told us about what was planned for the day and then gave us a HUGE break until after lunch. We just kind of went back to camp, chilled by the fire, drank hot chocolate, the usual. Then we had sandwiches for lunch. I found out we missed the 1PM SPL meeting because we were eating. We told one of the leaders and he told us to go talk to Brenda, the camp leader lady. So we nervously went up there and told her we missed the meeting. She was like "I NOTICED!". Then she said there were only 5 troops that came anyways out of like 17, lol. She told us about where we were supposed to meet for the first missions and what we were going to do. So we took the info back to camp and made sure each of the patrols had all the equipment they needed packed up and ready to go.

We walked across the camp road to another large, empty field. There, they divided us up into 2 groups, ones talking photography, and ones taking fingerprinting. I went with some of my guys to photography. There, they split uus up once again. Half went to Mission one and the other half stayed at photography, then we switched off. We went to the mission first. It was "Diffuse the Bomb". The guy leading it was using a funny terrorist accent, lol. The group in front of us messed up the bomb by pulling the wires out when they were only supposed to push the buttons so we had to wait until it was fixed. After 10 minutes of not solving it, they blew up, haha. Then it was our turn. Guess what? We diffused it in 1 minute 29 seconds. BOOYAAAHH! We figured out how to do it and then tried it again and did it in less than 30, but that didn't count.

Then we switched over to the merit badge. It wasn't that great because the guy leading it said he had just been told 15 minutes ago that he was gonna be doing it. He just went over the requirements and let us take pictures. He told us some stuff though so he had to know some about photography. We have to make a collage and label the photos on it and show it to our SM. Sound familiar? Oh wait..maybe not. For our Spanish exam we had to make a photo collage in the same way.

After that we went to one other station but our other patrol/group had already done it so we skipped it and went back to camp. I think we just hung out there until dinner which was hamburgers. My patrol cooked ours over the fire and it was yummy.

Then we had another SPL meeting. We discussed RISK and the missions later that night. Then they got the captains ready to play.

So we went out in the big field again and found a random country to stand in. Like last time, it was boring. We decided to get our troop back together and then kind of walk away to the bathrooms until it was over lol. I don't like that game because if you are captured, you have to go by yourself with a group of strangers for the whole time. After that we started off on the missions. The first one was a laser maze type thing but only 3 people could do it. The next was an orienteering course. Which...we sucked at, lol. We even had one of the cool leaders with us. He taught us how to read the compass and stuff, more like retaught us, and then fallowed along with our guides. I have always thought a pace was 2 full steps, which is the way our troop has been taught. Even the leader though that, but i guess not because we were supposed to go 210 paces at the beginning and at 150 we were stopped for going WAY too far. I'm not gonna run through the whole thing but basically, we did really bad, mainly from over thinking stuff and changing our minds when we were right the first time. We got a 6 out of 20, lol.

After that we went to another rescue type mission but it was already 11 and our guys were tired and everyone was waiting forever asnd it just got cold and boring. So a group left before the 3rd one. Actually according to the time we were supposed to be on our 5th mission at that time but it was really screwed up. Anyways, a lot of us stayed behind and continued on. That 3rd mission was boring. We went in the woods to rescue some spy agent who had crashed into the woods with a broken wrist. WTF? Lol. We had to use a gps to find the spot we were supposed to take the hurt guy.

We went to the next mission but only 5 of our guys could go through. And it took them more than 20 minutes to go over the instructions with them. So the leaders let me, Reagan, and Alex H. go. The leaders were tired too lol. So me and Reagan went back to camp, set around the fire for a little bit and then got ready for bed. His little bro was already in the tent sleeping. He sleeps through a lot. He got pushed in his sleeping bag and Reagan even put his toboggan on his head while he was sleeping!

Reagan woke me up in the morning because a lot of the guys were up and it was sleeting/freezing rain/ whatever u want to call little round balls of ice falling from the sky. Packing up was boring, cold, and miserable like always. But we finally got it done. We planned to go to chapel and award ceremony but they announced at 9:30 after we were packed that it would start at 11 so we were like no way, we are out of here, lol.

When we got to the scout hut we set up the tables and unloaded the trailer. Then we set up stuff for sandwiches and the leaders were making some kind of rice and chicken stew. I called my parents and ate while i waited for them to get there. The rice was good, but i got it before it was done cooking so it was cold, lol. In a little bit my mom showed up and we headed home.

Once i got home i got straight in the shower and soon after took a 3 hour nap. And I'm STILL tired. Hopefully I'll catch up on my sleep tonight. We are off tomorrow but I have a dentist appointment early.

I guess I will close here. I 'm talking to Jake now but everyone have a GREAT night and until next time, have an awesome...couple days! :p Jake have fun on your trip.

Clifton

Rolling in the New Year

Hey guys,

Whatsup? It's been a great Holiday break and I'm not ready to go back to school. Today I uploaded a video I have been working on since around Christmas. It is a look back at all the important things in 2008:


Yeah, I know the singing isn't my best. I was so rushed to get it out in time because I just had a few days to record, film, and edit it. The editing didn't turn out as good as I planned because when I imported it using my new software, i couldn't edit it in my old. So I had to do the ENTIRE project in unfamiliar software. VERY BAD IDEA! So yeah, sorry if the editing isn't up to par with my usual style. I had to cut 40 minutes of green screen footage down to 4 min. Then I had to go back and add the background and position each individual green screen shot. Oh well, hope you like it.

I'm gonna do like last year and make a list of things I want to accomplish in 2009. But first, here is my list from last year. Let's see if I lived up to my goals:


Get all A's on final report card
YEP!

Exempt my exams
YEP!

Get my Permit
YEP!

Start looking for a job
Lol, no. I'm not old enough!

Make new friends
Duh! I had to at a new school (this is before I knew I would switch)

Build better relationships with my really close friends
...I've kind of lost good relationships with people at my old school. And one of my best friends moved away. So, I can't really say I completed that. Unless you mean online and with Jake, then YES! ;)

Save Money
Hahaha....No

Exercise more
You're kidding right? NO!

Eat less junk food
I guess I sorta did this....Sorta.

Do good in "Smellin' Coffee"
I think so!

Get over my mild stage fright
Lol, I like how I said "mild" and yes, I am over it!

Pray everyday by myself (not including school)
Well, I kind of let myself down on that one. I have actually been praying less than when I was in a Christian School. I haven't really thought about it until. Dang! Sorry Jesus! I mean I have prayed, but not as often as I used to. I do sometimes at night if I go to bed kind of early. :(

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Ok, so time for REALISTIC goals for next year:

1. Become a Partner on YouTube.
2. Create at least 20 parodies over the year.
3. Get over 2,000 Subscribers.
4. Get good grades next semester (and First semester, 11th Grade).
5. Share my faith every opertunity available at school.
6. Be more outgoing, and not so shy around strangers.
7. Find a good charity to sponsor after I get a job and donate regularly.
8. Get a job.
9. Get my Drivers License.
10. Find a way to share Christ's love through my videos (without being forceful)
11. Find a way to sneak over to Jake's house and hideout in his Attic.

Haha, JK about that last one. Btw, Jake I wanted to let you know I'm still alive. Sorry I didn't write you yesterday. I didn't realize editing would be an all day process. I guess instead of writing you I'll include it in this entry. Thank you so much for being my friend this year. Well and the year before but I think this year we have grown closer than we ever were before. Sure, we had a few mishaps and even some arguments but we always ended up getting back together. Hopefully our friendship will grow even stronger in 2009, if that's possible, haha. You are my Online BFF and you will always be. I love you (like a brother) dude! :)

Well I'm having the craving for a scary movie so I'm gonna go look one up. I'll make sure to catch the ball drop too!

Everyone have a great New Years and "Good Luck in '09!"

3..2...1....HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Clifton

Have I Given Up?

If there are any readers out there (that I haven't kept in contact with in other ways) then I sincerely appologize for not giving you guys an update in weeks. A lot of my time has been dedicated to schoolwork, videos, and talking with friends online. I have a Vlog that you can subscribe to at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/SlythPersonal

I try to update as much as possible along with extra stuff not on my main channel. I am not giving up on my journal, I just am finding less time to keep you updated as often as I would like. The more popular I become on YouTube, the more time I have to dedicate to my videos to keep my fans happy. And it's something I really enjoy doing. YouTube is my other life right now. And I look at it as a way to practice for my career intentions in the future. I hope you understand.

I will still try to update as much as possible, but I don't want to consider this blog a priority. I put my online friends (Mainly Jake) and my videos above anything else online. Of course I like to keep the world updated on my life, along with my future self. But I consider videos another way to record my life, the creativity side.

So yeah, just wanted to throw this quick update out there. I hope EVERYONE out there has a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I surely plan on updating before New Years with my goals for 2009. I will recheck my goals from last year and see what I achieved.

Jake, I haven't heard from you in a few days buddy. I hope everything is going ok with you over there. I know the holidays are a busy time for you, and I hope they are going great! Merry Christmas Bro!

Good Night to all, and to all a....Yeah!
Clifton

The Point of No Return

10 Days in the dark. MY BAD!

This past week or so has been CRAZY busy. I really had a good time though. Our plays on Thursday and Friday of last week went fantastic. I was really pleased with my performance. This class has tought me a lot. Saturday we went to Charlotte to work on the Operation Christmas Child workshop. It was so cool to inspect the boxes and help stuff them with extra stuff. I just thought it was cool knowing that the next person to look inside that box after me would be a kid that may only recieve this one gift all year or posibly all their lives. I am definitely doing my own box next year.

So, I'm sick! Wednesday I woke up with a really bad sore throat, Thursday I had a runny nose, and today was both combined. Not to mention the medicine I took this morning "may cause drawsiness". I felt like crap in my first two blocks. Oh well, hope I get over it soon.

We have to do a monologue for Drama on Monday. I took mine from Hello, Dolly. I had one from another play picked out but I like this one better. Yesterday and today we worked on blocking it. I hope I'm ready for it on Monday. We also had to do a Resume. We had to list all the plays we have been in since 8th grade. That was pretty cool to make. We also had to list "special skills" so i put singing, jazz and irish step dancing. At the end of class today (fun class, we laughed so hard with no reason at all!) we were talking about spongebob and mrs. Daniels was grading our papers and called out my name really loud and said "CLIFTON! You can do Irish Step dancing?!?". Everybody tried to get me to do it but i didn't, lol. I only know a little bit (from old school) and I didn't want to look stupid, lol.

We watched a movie on earthquakes in Southern California in Science class. Pretty scary stuff.

Jake, are you okay there little buddy? lol. Haven't heard from you in a few days. Write soon!

I took some of that medicine again and I'm starting to get weak and sleepy. I guess I'll close here. I will probably have a new video up tomorrow so i'll try to update then. Everyone have a great night, especially you Jake!

CLIFTON

Happy 27th!

Happy Birthday Britney Spears! Haha, that's the best way I could think of to open the entry :p I just downloaded your new album online on Limewire! ;)

Sorry I haven't updated in like a week. My break was pretty busy with Thanksgiving and stuff. By the way that went good in case you were wondering.

Our play is Thursday and Friday and I'm really excited about it. We have a dress rehearsal tomorrow during class so I get to wear my PJs! Lol. Tomorrow will be my first time running the lights on my own. I'm kind of scared because I'm unsure about one part in the first play. Hopefully I won't miss my cue. I don't want to dissappoint Mrs. Daniels. Other than that 1 part I think I have it down.

Saturday I'm gonna work with my partners (yes, we have another person with us now) on our trrbuchet project. We still haven't started :( I'm not gonna get into that now but I would have liked to start last weekend.

Oh I made a preview trailer for my new parody coming out Friday!


I can't wait to release it!

I know this entry is short but I just wanted to fill you in on whatsup. I'll try to update Saturday after Operation Christmas Child. I won't be able to until then unfortunately. But after this week my schedule should go back to normal.

Everyone have a great night! Especially you Jake. I haven't really heard from you in a couple days so write when you can! NIGHT!

CLIFTON

Pucks for Scouts

Howdy!

Sorry I haven't updated in a few days. I've been...busy (LAZY!). Normally, I'd update on each day I missed, but I'm gonna cut it down to this weekend.

Saturday:
We had a class at church for the guys in our troop and 1 other troop working on "Disability Awareness". The instructor was from the other troop. We went around the room and asked people if they had any disabilities. He counted glasses as them but other than that there were a couple kids with ADHD, one with Diabetes, and ummmm allergies. Haha. When he got to me he kind of hesitated and I was like "my arm". he kind of looked at me and said yeah and moved on. Hold up, he kind of skipped right over me. The others he asked questions and stuff but he just kind of moved right on. OK THEN! Haha, what's even funnier was the next thing he talked about was being comfortable with people with disabilities. Hmmm, i think he needs to learn himself :p But after that we got to shoot and go get a basketball in a wheelchair. Word of advice: Don't try to roll a wheel chair using one arm, you will just go in circles. Lol, I used my feet.

When we got home I waited up and watched YouTube live. It was pretty cool, although I got lied to by Youtube!:


Link to message:
http://i33.tinypic.com/i1myqh.jpg

GRRRRRRZ! Still no apologies. WHATEVER!

OOOOH, I talked to one of my BFFs..... JAKE! We chatted for a while and it was wicked awesome! So is he!

SUNDAY:
Today we continued our Disability Merit Badge work. However.... this time it was FUN! We (scouts) met at the church at about 12PM and then headed out to Pineville, NC. There we ate a quick lunch and then rode over to the TRAIN STATION! coooooool! I've never rode a train before. We parked our bus (after running over a curb. THANKS TODD!). When we went to get our tickets I put in a 20 dollar bill (the tickets were 1.50 round trip) and it spit out like 18 gold coins., DUDE! I gave 5 of them to my scout master for a 5 dollar bill. We were all laughing when they kept coming out. I had never seen the gold dollars. They look really cool. Except... they don't say "In God We Trust". WOW! That's a first. :(

Anyways, the train ride was so cool and fun. Then we met at the "Time Warner Cable Arena" and were given a tour of the accesibility for handicap fans. Wow, there were lots of stuff for them. We also toured the private suites and it was so cool! I felt like a VIP!

Then we went to our seats and watched the game. It was a little boring except for the fights and the cheerleaders next to us. Then, one dude came over to us with 2 cheerleaders and told us we were the fans of the day. The camera turned on us and we were on the big screen. Then they made us start to cheer for the team. Haha, it was so cool. Except it was weird that hundreds of people were watching us embarass ourselves, lol. Oh well, two hot cheerleaders were sitting behind me so it's all good :)

After the game we rode the train back to where we parked. DUDE! The train was packed full of people! I almost fell over when the train started to move. Todd had to catch me, lol. I wasn't the only one though. After that we ate at Arby's for supper then headed home.

The trip was a lot of fun. So I went to my first hockey game and rode my first train/lightrail in one trip. I love Charlotte, although I'd hate to live there. Too much crime. But I love big, busy cities.

I have pics of the trip but I probably won't share them because I don't feel like editing the scout uniforms to make them unidentifiable. JAKE, I'll email some to you as soon as I'm done with this entry.

Well, that's it for this entry. Sorry it's so short, well, not really. Anyways, I'll try to write/vlog later this week. Only 2 school days, WOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!

Love ya!
Clifton

Scouting For Food - 2008

First VLOG!

I'M STILL HERE

Yep! No time for an entry tonight but I wanted to make sure you guys knew I was ok :) Crap, now back to my history homework :( I'll update tomorrow!

President Barack Obama!

CONGRATULATIONS PRESIDENT OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Yay, my candidate won!!!!!!!

This is a quick entry. I just wanted to express my excitement, haha. So I can say I've been in the same room as our president, the first black president of the United States. Haha, what an awesome story to tell my kids.

Quote from January 24th, 2008

We went on our first field trip since seventh grade. Went to hear one of senator Obama's speeches. He is one of the presidential candidates in the United States for 2008. I am neither republican nor democrat. I am not that much of a politics guy. I don't really follow it that much. But it was cool to actually see a guy who could be the next president. We got a really good view too. We were in the back of the room to start with but my friends and i snuck to the middle. It was a cool speech even though he put down President Bush a lot. And when he was getting ready to come out the whole crowd started chanting "Fired Up! Ready To Go!". I guess that's his slogan or something. It was fun! If you ever get the chance to go to one of these speeches, please go! I thought it would be boring but it was really exciting!

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Oh yeah... here is my vid:


Haha, hopefully that lightens up your mood if you were a McCain supporter :)

Everyone have a great night, especially you Jake. I hope scouts was a blast!

Loveeeeeeeeeee,
Clifton