Please Help!

I am doing a project for statistics and I need as many people to participate as possible. Anyone who is willing to take a brief 10 question survey on food related topics, your time would be greatly appreciated. Click here to be taken to the survey. Thank you all in advance.

LGBT History Month

Finals Week (and Tribute)

Well, finals week is finally here. I know that I have not blogged in 5-ever, but vlogging and other school work has seemed to take its toll on my time. It is still so hard for me to imagine that I only have 3 partial days  of school left, and then I am going to be a junior. And as much as I am going to love the break from work, I am so sad that my 10th grade year is coming to an end. This school year has been extremely hard for me, and it feels good to say that I have made it. I have made it through think and thin, and thinner yet. This year I have experienced loss, tragedy, and hardships beyond belief. I made the biggest and bravest decision of my life to "come out of the closet", and I couldn't be prouder of myself. I have seen my best friend suffer since the day he was told that he had cancer. I have been through hell and back so to speak, and I have made it. It is hard for me to even talk about this school year without getting emotional, because it was so bittersweet. I definitely wouldn't have made it through without the small moments of joy that made me keep trying.

This leads me to the tribute part of this blog. As I have said, this year was extremely difficult, and I would like to thank the person who has helped me the most, my English teacher Mrs. Jenkins. Whether she realizes it or not, she has made a monumental impact on my life, one that words couldn't begin to describe. To start off, she has helped me through my whole coming out process. After learning about my coming out, she spent a whole period talking to me about staying strong through it, and how she would be there for me if I ever needed anyone. That brings me to tears just thinking about it, because without my mom or my sisters, I would have no one who could truly help me. It amazes me that a teacher is willing to do so much for a student, even when they have no obligation to do so. Many teachers are there for their students 42 minutes a day, and then they are done. Mrs. Jenkins goes above and beyond anything that she is required to do, just out of the passion she has for her students. In fact, she has been a tutor for my friend Cory as he has been battling his cancer. She is the reason that he is going to be able to graduate with our class. Mrs. Jenkins has a poster in her room that says, "I call my students 'my kids' because in our year together they aren't just kids on my class list, they become a part of my heart." This poster could not be any more true for her. She takes her job to a level that I have never seen any other teacher go. Her lessons throughout the year are not just for an English class, but they are lessons that can be applied in the real world, and can make us all better people. She has made a tribute video for our class, and gave an uplifting speech based off the poem "The Lost Generation". I honestly had the hardest time trying to hold back the tears. She is literally one of the greatest teachers I have ever had, and it is hard to picture English class without her. Mrs Jenkins, You have touched my heart and changed my life in a way that you may never know. And I am honored to say that you were my teacher, and I can't wait to have you again as a senior, at my request. I have had the greatest year with you, and  it is hard for me to believe that it is over.

Vlog Dog Schmog

In English class, we have again taken on a project in which we initiate ourselves to reach an outcome, using the concept of 20 %. The idea of 20% time is that you spend on self motivated learning. For my project, I have decided to take on vlogging. Vlogging is the idea of making video blogs rather than just typing them out. I have uploaded two videos so far, and I have four more weeks left for my project. Because I have actually grown an interest for making vlogs, I might maintain my YouTube channel even after the project deadline. My channel name on YouTube is "ever so creatively" BrandonVlogsYou. All three of my videos can be found below. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe over on YouTube.

Interview with Stef Lo

Vlog #1- Introduction

Vlog #2- Coming Out Story 

This Game is Flapping Ridiculous

As many people are probably well aware of, a new game has made its short lived entrance into the app store. This game is called Flappy Birds. And it has managed to make its way onto the cell phones, tablets, and many other iDevices of many young people. This game has been one of the most addictive games to come into the app store in quite a while. Although many games are fun, this game is highly addictive. This game has led to the murder of a 17 year old by his 16 year old brother, over a low score. The developer of the game has also received death threats for taking the game out of the app store. Devices that are already equipped with Flappy Birds are selling online for ridiculous amounts of money. Still, I am not going to let this game get the better of me. I vow not to play it for hours at a time, nonstop....Besides, it is highly unlikely that I can beat my high score of 315...

Updates

This post is just to let some of my readers know that I have updated a few of my older posts. I have added to my list of favorite movies and TV shows, and am working on compiling a list of my favorite books.

Outrage 6- Teen Receives Death Threats

The story that I just read is something horrific that I cannot even begin to fathom. A teen in Minnesota recently received two anonymous death threats for his sexuality. The original story can be found on the PFLAG Facebook page or TheGailyGrind website here. Below is a link to the video that led to these violent threats and a copy of the message. **WARNING** Some of the words used are vulgar, and the situations presented are not suitable for everyone.

The Video

After reading the letter, you can see why this would upset me. I have reached out to the teen in hopes of giving him a positive message to hang in there. Hopefully I can be kept up to date as to if the students who wrote this letter get caught. It absolutely sickens me that people can be so ignorant, intolerant, and hateful. It is situations like this who make me want to lose faith in humanity. People should never treat another human being like this. It is uncalled for. Words can't describe how much this upsets me. It is not gay people who are hurting society, it is people like this who have nothing but hate in their heart. I can only hope that things get better for Ryan, and hopefully we can stay in touch.