Welcome.

Hey, thanks for checking out my blog. Here you can find out all about me, my film team, my walk with Christ, my movie reviews, and anything else I might feel like sharing with the world. Check it out, and leave me some serious feedback. And by serious, I mean hardcore, because I'm all about the funny.

Me.

Me.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Season Premiers

As of lately, I hardly ever have time to watch TV anymore. Due to homework and other things, I usually watch an hour of TV a day, which is usually devoted to one show every night, or maybe just the Colbert Report and Scrubs. In the past couple of weeks, though, I've seen three Season premiers of shows I already watch that look very promising: Heroes, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Family Guy.

Heroes:

Heroes premiered last night. Last year, I watched every episode religiously, and thought it was one of the freshest and most original shows since Lost started. In last nights episode, they picked up with most of the old characters, as well as a few new ones. I loved the way they picked up with Matt and Molly, not to mention Hiro and his quest. I thought the episode was good but boring all until the end. Then you get hit with another one of those famous Heroes endings. Claire's new friend can fly, Hiro's dad dies, but who killed him??, and finally, Peter's back. And he has no idea who he is or what's going on. Not to mention the fact that he was found by a bunch of Irish burglars in a ship crate. Once again, they left us hanging, as I'm sure they will in each episode this season. I'll be watching, will you?


Family Guy:


OK, so I've been watching Family Guy since season one started on FOX all those years ago. I own most of the seasons on DVD, and have stuck with them through the thick and the thin. And to be blunt, this episode was a pretty big disappointment in itself, but I find there to be hope in it. The episode was a one-hour special, just ripping off Star Wars. Now, this would be good, if it hadn't already been done forty thousand times. I will admit, there were some very funny parts, like Stewie's (Darth Vader's) conversation about the 2-meter wide hole, and the two guys conversation about the railing, and the whole couch thing. But for a one-hour special, they could have done a lot more.
Be this as it may, I see hope here. From this episode, it seems Family Guy is slowly turning away from their major characteristic of cut-away humor, in which someone says something like, "It was more dangerous than that time I went hunting with Dick Chaney!", and then it cuts to a funny scene of that. I think they're leaning more towards just funny conversational humor, as I've already mentioned. Now, this might have just been like that for this one episode, due to the subject, which would be great, because Family Guy is in a league of its own in cut-away humor. But if it's leaning more towards the latter, I'll just have to wait and see. Hopefully Family Guy can redeem itself in the following weeks.


It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

So last year, Sunny was one of my favorite shows. I didn't get to watch them as they premiered, but I watched them when I could. I found it's humor real and fresh, not to mention hilarious. So this year, I was stoked for the season premier. And it didn't disappoint. The best part about it is, every Thursday night, they have two new episodes. So if you don't like one, you're bound to like the other. So far, I've seen 4 episodes, and all four have been amazing. The new characters introduced work great with the originals, and the show seems to have kept it's fresh originality. I'll be tuning in for all the upcoming episodes. Personally, I can't wait for the "Dee Dates a Retard" episode, just to hear that glorious line from the commercial: "What? That's bananas, girl!"



So there you have it.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Love.

Love. It rocks. It sucks. It's every emotion you could ever feel, all at once. I feel like people are tossing this word around WAY too much. I mean, come on, people. Couples are dating for two days, and BAM! "I love you." That's bullcrap. Unless you're going out because you've loved them all along, and only just told them so. Because I do love someone, but we're not dating. I doubt we ever will. But I love her. And then there's friendship love. I have so many friends I would take a bullet for that I could die 20 times over. But I think love is deeper than that. I think love is not only doing that which loves drives you to, but NOT doing that which love tells you not to. Like telling someone you love just how you feel, but you know it would hurt them, so you don't say a word. Sacrifice is love. Sacrifice, yet somehow joy. That's love.

But then again, what do I know, right? For all I know, I'm not really in love. I could be far from it. All I know is that one day, I want to be in love with someone who loves me, and know it.


-keith

About Me

My About Me was too big to post on here, so I'm posting it as a blog. Here ya go:



Hey. My name's Keith Baker. My middle name is Edward, but if you call me that, I'll punch you in the face. First and foremost, I'm a Christian. I live my life for Christ, and everything I do, I do in his glory. I screw up a lot, but that's ok, cause J-Dizzle (Jesus) gots my back. I try to be Jesus to my friends, even though most of them are better Christians than I am. If you want to know more about God, just ask me. I'm 15, and my birthday is on April 3. I’m not sure what I want to do with my life yet. I want to do a few things. I want to serve my country, and open my own Airsoft store, and run my own Movie-reviewing website, and work in film, and even be a writer. Not sure which I’ll do yet, though. I love to drive. I feel free when I do. I love to make movies with my friends. Together, we are Slubss, Inc. Check out www.myspace.com/slubssinc. That's our movie site's page. If you want to see some of them, go to video.google.com and search for Slubss. Besides making movies, I love to watch them. I love to break down and analyze every movie I see, and I see almost every movie worth watching. Most of the time, I'll post a review here on my blog. I love listening to music. I don't like one genre in-particular. Anything with a good beat that's not obscene I can dig. Right now, I'm listening to Lecrae, Perfect Circle, They Might Be Giants, and Pillar. I also love to play video games. I have a nice PC and a Wii, and plan on getting a 360 eventually. I love Macs, even though I don't have one. I love to do things outside. Airsoft is a huge part of my life, and it consumes most of my budget. I play it any chance I get. Right now I have a CA/TM G36K hybrid, with a WE HiCapa 5.1 as a sidearm. I also love to play Ultimate Frisbee, or dodgeball, or anything on the trampoline. I know how to play Silent Football, and do so in TCBY quite often. I also love to play Mafia. Beach Camp is amazing. I'm always open to new things. I have no sense of smell. Whatsoever. Just like a blind person, only with smell. If you just thought, "Wow, he's so lucky," go jump into a volcano. If you want to know how it happened, read my blog or just ask me. I have some of the greatest friends possible. Justin, Gabe, Joe, Matt, Audry, Arielle, Adam, Connor, Ethan, Josh, Eric, Jason, and Taylor, just to name a few. I attend Manley Baptist every Wednesday night and some Sundays (if I don't go to my church). Brian Smith is an amazing Youth Pastor. Manley as a whole is amazing. I have one older sister, Katie, who is a senior in college. I also have a dog, Sarge, who is the world's fattest short-legged Beagle. I used to have an Albino hamster named Bertha but she died. :(. Doug is my hero. Some other random stuff: Freshman year sucked. West rocks. Mr. Greene was the best teacher I've ever had. Mr. Bowen was the funnest. Beach Camp rocks. BOOST. Whit is my slave master. Anchorman is a great movie to quote. Will Ferrel is an amazing actor. TEAM KEITH!! Macon Bacon. Arielle laughs too easily. Family guy is a great show. Audry has witchcraft. She taught herself it. Apparently, she's good friends with Harry Potter. They dated for a few months in Middle School. He dumped her cause she found out she was cheating on him with Ron Weasly. Ron was taller, so being the shallow person she is, she dumped the intellectually pleasing man for the physically pleasing man. Ever since then, Harry hasn't been the same. Audry hurt him bad. But it wasn't her fault. Audry was born with a birth defect where she does mean things, but they're not her fault, so therefore, she's not mean. We've tried to tell Harry this, but it doesn't make a difference. Even when that Asian chick kissed him in the last movie, it just made him miss Audry even more. Oh well, I guess he's a loser for not getting over it. Oh no!! Does that make me mean!?!?! Crap!!!! **Disclaimer: Audry is in no way mean or shallow. Except on the tennis court or during DDR. OK, I'm bored. That's all I'm gonna write. You can IM me at asmallchild88 or message me or call me, just ask for my number. I don't care. But talk to me. Cause I love to make new friends.

Resident Evil: Extinction Review

Hey, just realized I never said anything about the new RE. Me, Gabe, and his dad saw it last night. It was pretty good. I think it was about as good as the second one. The story was pretty solid, but you watch those movies for the zombies. And let me tell you, some AMAZING zombie deaths in the movie. Nothing like a shot of Alice, being seen through an infected's head after a shotgun blast. It's rated R, but it's not that bad. No nudity (although there almost is...she wakes up naked in a shower, but she covers everything.), and not even one F-bomb. But there is quite a bit of blood and gore.

All in all, a pretty solid film. Good hour and a half, well worth it, and very fun. Go see it if you like zombie flicks.

8.5/10.



-keith

Grow Up.

You know what pisses me off? Highschoolers. Most of them, anyways. I'm so tired of this crap. People need to grow up.


As in, guys need to stop treating girls like meat, and girls need to stop looking for the hottest guy and start looking for the one that would actually care about them. I'm so tired of hearing, "Yeah, I'm gonna go out with her and try to tap that." It gives those of us that aren't pigs a bad rep.


Like lately, Darnell has been asking me the same questions everyday, which I know he can't help since he's slightly autistic, but still. It always goes like this:

"Hey man, what's up?"

"Hey Darnell."

"Hey, you got a girlfriend."

"Nope, don't really need one right now."

"Ah, sorry man. You a virgin?"

"Yes I am."

"Ah, you get some soon enough man, don't worry."

"No, I won't Darnell."

"Ah, are you waiting till you married?"

"Yeah man, I sure am."

"Ah, that's cool, that's cool, that's how it should be anyways."

"Yeah, it is."


I mean, come on people. All girls ever talk about is how hot this guy is, or how sexy that guy is. Grow up. If everyone married based on looks, we'd have a world full of Paris Hiltons. Retard pretty people. And where would we be then? I'll tell you where: Highschool. A worldwide highschool.


I guess I'm just blowing off steam here, but I really think people need to understand this. You know who I admire? Priests. Because they give up everything about girls for God. But you know what? It's probably not very hard for them, because they were the nice kind of guys, and I'm betting very few of them got much attention from those of the opposite sex.



All I'm saying is grow up.

That Story I'm Writing: Chapter II

Chapter Two: On the Move

Gabe's plan was good, but it didn't last. They'd made a stronghold out of Keith's house. They bolted the doors, windows, and any weak spots were reinforced. They had plenty of food, as Keith had always been prepared for a nuclear fallout (which he someone figured he'd survive), and had plenty of dry food. Luckily, their water hadn't been shut off yet, and they weren't really short on anything. Using Keith's dad's old rifles and other guns, the guys took shifts going onto the roof, via the house's back deck and a ladder, and looking for things. What things? They hunted the creatures, which they were calling Raptors, due to the fact that the hunted in pacts and the way they ran. While on the roof, they also looked for other survivors, using some binoculars. Keith had an old radio, and through some local broadcasts, he'd learned some frightening news.

The Attack was worldwide. The Raptors obviously knew where to attack, as all major cities had it the worst. In a town like Morristown, Tennessee, where the group was holding up, there weren't as many. In their area, there was an estimated five hundred Raptors. That may seem like a lot, but compared to New York City or Chicago, that was a small family of the beasts. No news on exactly what they were or why they were here, as everyone was focused on survival.

There'd been talk of the group moving. They knew that they'd run out of food and ammo eventually, and they had no idea how long the water would continue to flow to Keith's house. Audry had suggested moving to the mall, as it held the most promise. Gabe and Keith were on her side, while Justin, Arielle, and Adam thought otherwise. "We should just wait this out here, while we're safe. I'm sure they'll be sending rescue choppers soon enough!" Justin had made his point. "Who said we're safe here? How many Raptors have been through this area so far? What, three? More could come at any second. Besides, who knows how long we'll last here with our current supply of food and water! And don't even mention a rescue! The rest of the world is fighting a war with these things! I don't think they're worrying about anyone in Morristown, Tennessee, on a roof right now! If we go to the mall, we'd have plenty of food, water, and anything else we'll need!" Audry had a counter for every point made so far. "Who said the mall's safe? You know how many people were there when the attack happened? Raptors are probably living in there by now, and besides, it's too open to hold up in any one place!" Adam had spoken. Now it was Gabe's turn. "Well, there are two levels in the mall, and only a few elevators to get to the second level. If we could get up there, and it was Raptor-free, all we'd have to do is turn off the elevators and they couldn't reach us!" Justin threw his hands in the air, "Well, let's just go talk to Keith about it, I mean, this is his house and all!"

The five of them made their way to the back deck, as Keith had roof-duty. They stated the dilemma to Keith, and he thought for a minute. "Alright, why don't we just wait it out here a little longer, and if we run out of water, or run into any trouble, we make a break for the mall?" The group considered this, and one by one agreed. They were about to re-enter the house when they heard someone. "Hey! HEY!!! Over here, HELP!!!" The all looked in the field behind the house. Over a hill, they saw someone running. Keith looked through his binoculars. "It's a kid, our age," he explained. The boy reached the deck and raced up the stairs, then collapsed from exhaustion. "Who are you?" Arielle asked defensively. "My name…Is Connor. I live a few houses back. I've been hiding out there with my sister….one of them got in our house and got her… I made a break for it." Suddenly the group was alarmed. "Did it follow you here?" Justin asked quickly. "Not sure….didn't look back…just….kept running."

Before anyone could say anything else, Keith let out a nice, long, dramatic, "CRAP!!!" They all looked at him. His gaze went from the binoculars, to them, and he pointed in the direction from which Connor had come. The group followed his finger, and saw multiple Raptors coming. "Uhhhh….." Justin wasn't sure what to say. "Five of them, coming fast. And they look hungry." Keith wasn't wasting any time. "Ladies, inside, guys, everyone grab a gun. We'll see if we can hold them off." Keith was taking charge. Justin handed rifles to Adam and Gabe, but was hesitant to give one to Connor. "Do you know how to use one of these?" Connor didn't have time to learn. "I'll figure it out," he said while taking it out of Justin's hand. Justin got his own firearm, and took place next to the others. "Good luck," Audry said as she closed the door. "We'll need it," Adam whispered under his breathe. "When they reach that tree nearest us, open fire. When one goes down, don't give the others time to react. If they get to close, we'll go inside and see what happens." None of the guys said anything, only nodded and took aim. A very long, intense moment went by, and then they opened fire. At first, the Raptors didn't take notice. Then, one of them was hit multiple times in the chest, and fell to the ground, sliding to a halt. One of the others stopped and looked back, confused, but then continued. They were able to kill two more before time ran out. The last two Raptors charged towards them, gaining too much ground, too fast. They raced in the house, but Connor hesitated. "Hey, let's go!" Justin yelled to get him moving. But he was too late. As Connor reached the door, they were upon him. Justin closed the door, and they watched as Connor was eaten. Audry and Arielle entered, but Keith and Gabe held them back from looking outside. "OK, so what now?" Adam asked. "Well, when they've finished their meal, it won't take them long to figure out how to get through a wooden door," a blunt answer from Keith. "We need to move, now, before they have time to think," Gabe knew how it had to go. Justin nodded, "I'll drive."

They bolted out the front door and loaded into Justin's car. Within seconds, Justin was flying down the road, nearing the highway. It was a twenty minute drive to the mall. Assuming they made it.

What they past was Hell on Earth. Buildings they all knew where over run with Raptors or on fire. Justin only sped up, wanting to get through as fast as possible. They didn't see any other cars, besides the ones littered on the side of the road, abandoned mid-attack. They reached the mall sooner than expected, due to Justin's extreme driving skill. They pulled in beside the side entrance. "OK, how are we gonna do this?" Audry asked the question on everyone's tongue. "Alright, I'll go in and check it out. If it's all clear, I'll come out and wave you guys in. If not, I'll come out screaming, jump in the car, and then we run." Silence filled the car. "What if…." Justin didn't need to finish his question. "I don't come back? Give me five minutes. It shouldn't take long." They nodded, and Gabe opened the door. "Well guys, wish me luck, I'll be back in five minutes or not at all."

"Good luck." The group collectively said their goodbyes, and without hesitation, Gabe entered the mall.

No one said anything for the next four minutes. At the four minute mark, Justin chimed in. "One minute left." Arielle answered him. "Are we really gonna leave him after five minutes?"

"Well, I suppose we could go in after him…" The conversation dropped there. Five minutes passed. No one said anything. After another minute and a half, Gabe exited the mall, drinking a Coke. "Sorry I'm late guys, but I was real thirsty, and water just wasn't doing it for me." The group smiled, but no one laughed. Justin turned off the car, and they entered the mall. They were in.



So there's chapter 2. Tell me what you think. I'm still totally open to suggestions and critisism. Let me know.

-keith

That Story I'm Writing: Chapter 1

So I got bored and started writing this story about me and some of my friends. If you're not in it and want to be let me know. More that likely, you already have a part to play, just not yet. On, and Amanda isn't based on anyone. She's just someone I could kill off easily. Tell me what you think. I still need a title and am open to suggestions of where the story should go from here.


"Hey guys, ya ever put butter in between your toes and wiggle 'em?" To most, that question may seem weird. But to the one who asked it, and to those who were asked, it was normal. "No Adam, I'm afraid I haven't," was the collective answer. The conversation could have been carried on, but the group let it die, as no one really wanted to talk about butter and toes at the moment.
There were seven of them, all sitting in the shade of a large oak tree. All were panting and sweaty, drinking water as to not die of dehydration, as they were all sure they would. But hey, after such an intense game of Ultimate Frisbee, you would be just as thirsty.
Four guys. Adam, he always had something to say, and it usually had nothing to do with the topic on hand. He was tall and skinny, but a great runner, and a better Frisbee player. Justin, he was the oldest. He was the college kid with the nice car, nice clothes, and good looks. A black belt in Karate, he was in excellent shape, too. Gabe was the one with all the good ideas. He could make anything out of any materials, and it would look good. Keith was the creative one. He was always thinking of new things to do and coming up with new ideas.
Three girls. Audry was the athletic one. She played soccer on the school team, and always seemed to be hyper. Arielle laughed too easily. She was always in high spirits, even if she was doing something she hated. Amanda was smart. She knew the answer to everything, and had no problem letting you know.
The seven of them did things together all the time. From playing Ultimate Frisbee, to making movies, to playing Silent Football, they were all great friends. And they had been, for a long time. And they would be forever. Or, would have, that is, had it not been for the attack.
So there they were, in the shade of the Oak tree, Adam trying to start conversation. "Okay, so say you have to pick one thing to eat for the rest of your life…" Keith bit. "Let's see, Adam. I'd probably have to pick spaghetti. It's just a great food item!" Now Justin's interest had been sparked. "What? How can you say that? What about a Subway sandwich? They're amazing!" Audry was about to pipe in, but was cut off with a loud sound, like a jet suddenly passing over them. They stood up and walked out of the shade of the tree, and looked up. A large stream of black smoke was floating like a dark cloud looming over them. They followed the cloud with their eyes. It ended about two hundred yards away from them, in what looked like a small crater.
Well, being the curious bunch they were, they instantly grabbed their drinks and started jogging towards the crater. "Hey, you guys think we should call someone?" Gabe asked the lot. "Nah, we'll see what it is. That way we get the big interviews on the news," Keith answered, already thinking ahead. The closer they got, the bigger the crater seemed to get. They reached the edge of what now seemed like a canyon and looked down. Audry gasped. Arielle almost fainted. Justin pulled out his phone to get a picture.
What was in the crater? Well, it was hard to tell. There was an orb like thing, glowing green all over. At one point, there was a door-like opening with an exit ramp. But what was going to exit? The question boiled in each of their minds. Justin's phone sounded, taking a picture. Then they got their answer.
What came out wasn't human. But it was close. It looked like something that was desperately trying to be human, but didn't quite get it right. For one, it had an extra leg where it's butt should have been. Not to mention its face. Two fangs protruded the mouth, looking frighteningly sharp. The eyes were set too far apart. And the hands, those were crazy. Claws, two on each arm. They looked ready to tear limbs off. The creature stepped into the crater, followed by a second creature, which looked identical to the first.
Justin took another picture. The sound was quite. But at that moment, it was thunderous. The two things heard it and looked at the group. Without hesitation, the two started running, awkwardly at that, up the side of the crater. Headed right for the group. "RUN!!!" Keith screamed, as he turned and pushed Audry ahead, snapping her out of shock. They began to run full speed back to the tree. "What now?!" Gabe asked frantically and out of breathe at they neared the tree. "Justin, get your car keys, we gotta go!" Justin nodded. "Wait! Where's Amanda??" Arielle had stopped, looking back. The rest of the gang followed her gaze. Amanda had tripped, but had been too scared to scream. Now she stared at the monsters as they gained on her with alarming speed. "Amanda!!! Get up and RUN!!!" Audry screamed, knowing Amanda wasn't fast enough to escape them now.
All too quickly, they were upon her. They stooped over her. One of them pointed at the gang, and then grabbed her by the head and twisted, breaking her neck. Arielle fainted, Justin barely caught her. Audry screamed. Gabe closed his eyes and turned away. The monster began ripping her body to shreds, pulling out the innards and eating them like a Chinese buffet.
The group realized the other monster had been steadily making his way towards them. "Justin, carry Arielle! I'll drive!" Keith yelled. Justin nodded at tossed him the keys as they began moving to his car. They reached the vehicle, a 4-door Pontiac G6. Keith jumped in the driver's seat, while Gabe got in the passenger. Adam, Audry, and Justin got in the back, with Arielle coming to just in time to squeeze in between Adam and Audry. Keith started the car and threw it into reverse. He peeled out of the parking lot just as the monster reached them and leapt towards the car. It missed the car by mere feet, but Keith was gone. Flying towards his house, doing sixty on a 25 MPH road. "Hey! Watch it!" Justin yelled, weary of letting Keith drive his new car. "Look, we need to get to my house and figure out what that was and what's going on. Gabe, call 911 on your cell and see what they know." Gabe whipped out his phone and dialed 911. He hung up a few seconds later, looking surprised. "It's just a recording saying they're experiencing technical difficulties. "Yeah, if you call technical being attacked by aliens…" Adam said with a hint of anger. Audry snapped at him, "Adam, we don't need your sarcasm right now." He retaliated with, "Who's being sarcastic?"
"Amanda just DIED!!!" Now it was Justin's turn. "Look guys, we need to stay calm. We have no idea what those things were. They could be all over the city, or
America, or even the world. And yes, Amanda's gone, but hey, who's gonna miss her?" The gang nodded and all responded with something similar to "Yeah, true…" None of them had been really fond of Amanda anyways.
They reached Keith's house a few minutes later. They raced inside the empty house and turned on the news. All the TV stations were out, showing a similar "Technical Difficulties" picture. He grunted and turned off the TV, throwing the remote at the couch. "Alright, so what are we gonna do?"
"I say we head into town, see how big this 'attack' is." Arielle said. "Well, it's obviously pretty big if the TV stations and 911 are out." The group went silent for a moment, until Gabe chimed in with an idea. "Alright, I think I know what we should do." All eyes turned to him, and Justin probed, "Please, do tell."
"Well, we'll need guns, ammo, lots of food, and a ladder."

Lay Low, Those Without Accents.

So we had to write a satire in English over the weekend. If you don't know, a satire is a story that makes fun of human weaknesses, such as greed, celebrities, the war, ect. I decided to combine a bunch and this was the outcome. Justin thinks I should take this story to Bush (along with someone who can read it to him) so he can see what is to come of the world.



Jonathon was tired. He’d been running for days now. He’d tried to stick to wooded areas, but there was so little of it left that he often found himself exposed. Exposed to what? Any number of things. The coldness. Celebrities behind the wheel of a car. A really fat guy, capable of eating John, if he could catch him. Someone spotting him, an American, and deporting him. From America. Oh, how the world had taken a turn for the worst in the last ten years. He thought back. Back to a time where everything was how it should be. Where Global Warming was only a myth. Where only 60% of Americans were obese. Where only a couple celebrities were getting DUI’s a month.

As the rest of the world watched, America had slowly gone down hill. Due to MTV, MTV 2, MTV 3, MTV 4, VH1, and multiple reality shows, Television began pumping more and more celebrities out, who all took part in a new “fad” of getting drunk and driving. At the same time as this was happening, Al Gore was growing in popularity. His views on Global Warming spread. Due to the success of his film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” he made a sequel, “A Fairly Convenient Lie.” This new film, being a lie, was viewed by more triple the people who saw the first. What happened next was truly unbelievable. Due to the rising obesity in America, food companies started building huge factories EVERYWHERE. These factories pumped out so much pollution, Global Warming got a jump-start. Slowly but surely, a new ice age ensued. Surprised by the fact that Global Warming was real, Al Gore, riding on his wave of popularity and truth, ran for President and won, with Arnold Schwarzenegger as Vice President. Apparently, “I Told You Guys So!” is a great campaign slogan, especially when said in an Austrian accent. During all of this, the attention of illegal immigration was somewhat deterred. The entire Mexican nation saw this as a great opportunity, and made a giant migration into America. Slowly, due to the lack of jobs, Americans slipped into poverty and died. They died of the cold, they died by being hit by a drunk Paris Hilton wannabe, they died of starvation, they even died by being eaten by other starving obese people. Slowly but surely, Americans became the minority. Those that were left headed for the only place suitable to live in. The only place that was use to the harsh, cold weather. The only place polite enough to accept them. The only place where celebrities fled from, instead of to. Americans fled to Canada.

That’s where Jonathon was headed. He dreamed about it at night. He’d even started saying “eh” while talking to other refugees he met up with, as to fit in better upon his arrival. He went from camp to camp, a sort of secret Underground Railroad. Hispanics who were legit US citizens held them in their basements overnight. It was nice in there. They had TVs, with old DVDs of Lost and Family Guy. All that was on TV nowadays was rap music videos, news, and Spanish game shows. He rarely slept peacefully, though. Most nights were spent in an old abandoned Weight Watchers building, or something of the sort. Now the sun was rising-day time. That was always a challenge.

He was coming to the end of the forest he was in. The sound of a highway had steadily grown for the past few miles. Now he was upon it, crouching behind a bush, waiting to cross. About fifteen minutes later, he got a break. He bolted for the other side. He’d just made it halfway across when he heard the horn. He glanced left right before a drunken Dakota Fanning hit him with her new BMW. Luckily, she was driving in a school zone and wasn’t TOO wasted, so she was only going around 50 MPH. He awoke some time later.

The smell of smoke is what woke him. He sat up, rubbing his head. As his thoughts cleared, he became aware of the immense pain in his leg. It was surely broken. But another thought was controlling him right now. Where was he??? It was very dark, but he knew he was no longer on the road. He looked around, and noticed a campfire in the distance. He assumed-or rather hoped-it was a refugee camp who had picked him up. Suddenly, he was aware of movement coming his way. It was coming fast and hard. Just as it cleared a bush not ten feet from John, it was shot. He tried to look at what it was in the dim moonlight, and figured it to be a polar bear. They’d become common in these parts, crossing over ice bridges and traveling south for better hunting.

Then John realized what’d just happened. The Polar bear had been shot. Shot. Guns had died out, as they’d become too unreliable. These days, people just used dart guns, which injected a virus into their target, killing it instantly. But the polar bear had been killed by a gun. He’d heard it. He could smell the smoke. He looked behind him, and a man stood, leaning against a tree. “Hey kid. Awake, I see. How’s that leg feel?” Ignoring the question, John started to interrogate the man. “Who are you? Where’d you come from? Why’d you save me? Where did you get a gun??”

“What, this old thing?” The man held the gun out. It was a revolver. A classic. As he stepped into the moonlight, John examined him. He had grey hair, and hadn’t shaved in a few days. He was wearing blue jeans and a white shirt. And he was smoking a cigar. He was an old-timer.

The man continued. “Well, I was just passing by, and saw you get hit by that over-paid drunk, so I pulled you off the street and looked after you while you were out. Now that you’re up, I figure I’ll be on my way. I’m heading north to Canada, but I guess you are too, huh?” Jonathon slowly nodded. “Well, I reckon you can tag along if you like. I wouldn’t mind having someone to talk to about the way things used to be. About how they should be.” John thought about this a moment, and finally agreed. “So what’s your name, old man?”

“Ah, back in the day, they used to call me Mr. Clinton. But you can call me Bill.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m John.”

It looked like John had found himself a traveling partner. And he seemed to be one who knew what he was doing.

Daylight

OK, so I wrote this for English last night...it took me about 35 minutes, so it was kind of rushed....we were suppose to write a short science-fiction story. So I had a go at it. Let me know what you think.

btw, Kevin=me, Jeff=Joe, Brandon= Blake, and Meghan= Emily


Daylight
Keith Baker
8/19/07 1st Period
Ms. Tribbett


It was midnight. That was the best time to be out. Since most of Them ran on solar power. The ones that ran on other sources of power usually did more important tasks than roam the streets, searching for human survivors. Kevin frantically searched a dumpster that held no promise of anything that he would remotely consider food. After a minute or so of holding his breath while digging through the trash, he fell back. He slumped against the cold hard metal and started to cry. He didn't really know why he was crying. He hadn't cried since his parents had died. But that was at least a year ago. He wasn't sure though, as no one kept up with dates anymore.

"Them" were the machines. The Robots. The Controllers. About a year or so ago, the process of computer advances jumped. Technologists made a huge "breakthrough." This so-called "breakthrough" was really the final straw. It was essentially the chip that made machines of all types realize that we, humans, were obsolete. That they didn't need us to survive. That they were in fact better off without us. They realized that we only limited what they could become, what we-they could create. They started killing us off. It started with the power-holders. The president. The prime minister. They kept some, a select few. They used them for work. For the tasks that were easier done by humans. And there weren't many of those. The ones that works for Them were kept well fed, and in shape. If they were found out of shape, or not needed, they would be killed without hesitation.

Kevin was a survivor. He lived in the sewers. The Machines never looked there. He figured they thought that no humans could survive in such an environment. What they didn't realize was with the lack of humans, there came a lack of water, trash, and crap to flow through the sewers, making them a giant connection of tunnels, or cities, as they were now used.

Kevin was in what used to be known as New York City. What was once one of the most densely populated cities on Earth now had a human population of somewhere around two thousand. Most lived in the sewers, while some found refuge in other obscure areas. Kevin lived in a section of the sewers, a dead end, if you will, with three other people: Jeff, Brandon, and Meghan. Jeff was the smart one. It was his idea to go to the sewers. Brandon was the real one. He had no problem pointing out the flaws in any plans anyone came up with. Kevin wasn't sure what purpose he himself served in the group. He kept their spirits up, kept them at peace. But that wasn't at the top of the list. He wasn't at the top of the list. Meghan was the one that they didn't really need. Her only contribution was complaining about everything and occasionally making something look "pretty." She got lucky, being with the other three when the Take-Over happened.

That's what they were calling it. The Take-Over. The three days. The three short days in which all of humanity was stomped out by machines. The four teenagers had just come out of a movie when they heard of what was happening. It didn't take long before the city was over-run by machines, killing at sight, leaving no survivors. They ran to Kevin's house, since it was closest. As they came within sight, they saw Kevin's parents and little brother standing outside, looking around, the obvious confusion plastered on their faces. He watched as a flying helicopter-like thing came over their house and launched a single missile straight down. He didn't hear them scream. They didn't have time. He was thankful for that, that he only had a sight to haunt him forever, but no audio.

After Kevin collected himself, the four ran to the nearest manhole, via Brandon's orders. Ever since, they lived in the sewers. Every night, one of them would go out looking for food, water, anything they could use. Tonight was Kevin's night.

He knew the year. 2068. Actually, it might be 2069 by now. Had Christmas come yet? Oh, how he missed Christmas. The memories of Christmas made him realize how much he missed even the simpler things, like warm food, or food period. Or a glass of water in which he didn't taste something that he was positive wasn't water. That was why he was crying: because he missed things. He was weak, and he knew it. He'd thought about leaving the group for a long time. He felt he was just weighing them down. And every time he would get ready to leave, someone would remind him of how thankful they were to have him, and he just couldn't do it.

A sound drove him back into reality. The sound of wheels. The sound did not mean car. It did not mean someone was driving in to rescue him. It meant Machine. It meant someone was here to kill him. It meant Death. Kevin jumped up and peaked around the corner of the alleyway he was in. There it was, about four blocks away. He could see the lights on it. It wasn't looking, it was scanning. Looking was something a human did. No, no, it was scanning for life. It was scanning for something to destroy.

Kevin bolted to the nearest building and ran into it. It was dark, so he had to feel his way around the room. It seemed empty. He felt nothing. He just kept walking, swinging his arms wildly in front of him, until his foot touched something. He tested the strength of the object by putting some weight onto it, and with confidence, stepped up. Stairs. He raced up them fast, a little too fast. At the top, the lack of a step caught him off guard and he fell against a wall. He lay there, rubbing his head with one hand and his ankle with the other. Suddenly he realized something: He didn't care anymore. He just lay there, motionless. He could hear the machine coming closer, down the street, scanning, but he didn't care. At this point, death would be a blessing. The only thing keeping him alive was his friends.

The Machine was close now. He listened as it came upon the building he was hiding in. It stopped. He heard nothing for a few seconds. But then, it started up again. It continued down the street. Kevin realized he'd been holding his breathe. He exhaled, and realized that he did want to live. But not just for his friends. He wanted to beat this. This era of machines, he wanted to beat it. He wanted to die of something other than machines. He wanted to win.

Lost in his own thoughts, Kevin drifted into sleep. Light woke him. Light was rare, other than the common trash fire in the sewers. No, this was different. This was daylight. This was sunlight.

It streaked through the window, soaking his face in yellow. He stood up and limped to a window across the floor, his ankle still soar from his tumble the night before. He reached the window and stared at the sun. He stared at the sun until tears forced themselves down his cheeks; not because he was crying, but because the sun was so blinding. Or maybe he was crying. He really couldn't tell. He felt relieved. Then he did something he hadn't done since the Take-Over. He smiled.

Somewhere in the distance, an alarm sounded. For a split second, Kevin hoped that They hadn't seen him. But then he just smiled again and realized he didn't care. He heard Them coming towards him, from all directions. But it didn't matter. Kevin stepped out onto the window ledge and looked down. He was only two stories up, but if he fell head first, it would kill him. He leaned forward, but hesitated. Was suicide really the way to go? Did he really want to end like this? Maybe if he ran down and jumped in a manhole... No, no, he couldn't do that. They could follow him into the sewers, and then he would be the reason for New York City's downfall. The Machines were close now. They were almost in firing range. He looked down, and knew this was it. Did he have it in him; could he dive down and win? Or would he be too weak, like he knew he'd always been, and wait. He could see himself falling back into the room, crying, as the machines came in, guns blazing. Would it end like that? Or would he do it? He flipped it over in his head a few times. He looked at the Machines quickly gaining ground on him. Then he looked down. Then back at the Machines. Then behind him, into the brightly-lit room. Then once more at the ground. Finally, he looked into the sun. And he smiled.

My Goals In Life

So I had to do this as a quick little essay for English II, and I figured I'd post it on MySpace, I mean...why not?

Anyways, that's why it's not very casual, as it was for school. Leave me some feedback.





No matter who you are, you have at least some goals in your life. Everyone does. I have many goals in my life. As a person, as a Christian, and even as a sophomore, I have goals. They range from basic goals, such as to graduate, to more personal goals, like to make a difference in someone's life.

Being a sophomore, as more importantly a student, I have a few goals. My first is to pass this year. I have four core classes my first semester, all advanced. None of them will be easy, and I am only hoping to pass them all. As a student, I hope to graduate high school and go to college. I am not quite sure what exactly I want to major in, but I know I want to love doing it and be good at it. To graduate high school and college, I know I'm going to have to put in a lot of hard work and much of my free time, though I'm sure it will be worth it.

As a person in general, I have a couple basic and not so basic goals. First of all, before I die, I want to get married and start a family. In this goal, I also wish to be a homeowner and have a well paying, satisfying job. As common as these may be, I also have one more goal. I want to be remembered. I hope that when I die, I am remembered for something, and that something be a good something. Whether that is saving a little girl from a pool, or dieing for my country, as long as I am remembered for doing it, I'm happy.

Finally, I have two major goals as a Christian. First, sometime before I die, I hope to bring at least one person to know Christ. As a Christian, I am a disciple. The greatest thing I can do in my life is to bring others to know Him. I have heard in the past, "The only thing worse than going to Hell and better than going to Heaven: Taking someone with you." That hit me hard, and I want to live by it. Also, I want to live my life as a good Christian. I hope to represent Jesus in every God-like way I can throughout my life. If I can do those two things, even if none of my other goals happen, I win.

I have many goals in my life. As a person, student, and Christian, goals are a large part of my life. Without goals, we have nothing to aim for. We have no purpose. So there you have it, you know my goals. What are yours?

Just Some Thoughts....

As I move into my Sophomore year of Highschool, I've come to realize a few things about our effect on other lives as individuals. You see, it's not our behavior, attitude, or even intelligence that defines us to the mass public. It's our friends. It's who we hang out with. We are classed in groups, as we always have been, and always will be. For most of us, we get to choose our class. Whether it be the jocks, bullies, nerds, or whatever, we BECOME a part of it. And it becomes a part of us. And this is what makes others define us as "nerds" or the "school bullies."

So now, when does our behavior, attitude, intelligence, and such come into play? In our classes. In our cliques. It's what makes us individuals among our peers. It's like a level system. First, you have age. Anywhere from "Senior" or "old person" down to "children" or "teenager" or "immature nuisance." This is how those of other cliques portray us. But in those cliques, and other cliques similar to our own, we are defined by different standards. Like, "the nice guy" of the group. Or, "the Christian" of the group. But what if our clique is know as "The Christian Group?" What then? Then it goes onto our behavior and attitude. Like, "The Quite, Christian, Teenager."

So what's my point? Instead of becoming who we're genetically set up to be, why not change? Why not make OUR age, OUR mass clique, become known as the Christian group. Why not be seen in public, and someone say, "Ah, there are the local teenagers." And have someone else correct them by saying "No, no, those are the local Christians."

Better than that, why not take it one level further? Why not be seen in public and have someone say, "Ah, there go the local Christians..." and have someone else correct them with, "No, those are the quite kids."

If we're going to be defined by the public, if we're going to be individually raped (a little harsh, I know), why not make "Christian" mandatory. Like, someone can define us as "quite" or "loud" or even something like "skater," and it be known that they are Christian, that "skater" is just one step further.

Let's make the non-Christians become the ones being defined. Let's make them be seen as the outcasts. Let's make it so that if THEY are seen in public, someone says, "There goes those loud teenagers..." and someone else corrects them with, "No, no, those kids aren't Christians!" And person number one says, "Oh snap, why not??"


Anyways, in closing, let's not hide who we are? I know I won't be. And if you feel the need to, maybe you aren't who you should be?

You Know What I Hate?

OK, so I just felt like sharing some stuff here.

You know what I'm sick of? Being "That guy."

You know, the one that you're real good friends with, but you could never see yourself being with?

You tell him all of your thoughts, and he's always there for you, but you never really realize what's going on with him?

You tell him all of your ploblems, and he listens, and then you leave to go hang out with some prick who's going to treat you like crap, leave you crying, and then you're gonna come back to that guy to talk about it?

You know, the guy who's everyones best friend but nothing more? Ever?

I'm sick of being that guy.


EDIT: I'm not saying I'm going to stop being "that guy." I can't. Anyone who is that guy can't. I'm just saying I'm tired of it.