Memoir

Michael Vanderhooft

To start off, my dad has been an unemployed pastor for over a year now.  Emden CRC in Renville, minnesota, was the church where he was, but they couldn't afford to keep a full time pastor, so he lost his job.  But the church did allow us to stay in the church parsonage until the end of May.

But throughout the course of the year my dad has interviewed at several churches in Canada and also here in the States, But all of them have turned him down.  But recently he has been offered a one-year internship job at Willmar CRC because their pastor was called to a different church in Iowa.  So as of next Sunday my dad will be an interim pastor at Willmar CRC.  Then we will move into the church's parsonage in early June and we will live there for up to a year or until my dad finds a job at a different church.  But, also if Willmar finds a new pastor we would have two months to move out of the parsonage.  

At the same time though my dad is interviewing at Hope Church in Montevideo.  He had an interview with them last week Sunday and he said that it went really well and that he is very excited about it and hopes that something will become of it.    To be honest I really hope we move there too because that would mean that there would be a possibility that I would be able to go to Central Minnesota Christian School.  But also I would have the chance to meet new people and make even more friends.  It also would be a million times better than moving out of state because I would only live a half hour from friends at this school and that would be great especially if my parents would choose the public school system there.  To be honest again, though, that would be one of the downsides to moving to Montevideo to me.  I really hope that my parents would choose to continue sending me to this school if my dad does get/accept a call to Montevideo.  

But even though God has been working slowly through all of this he has definitely been there.  I can definitely say that I don't want to move though I absolutely hate packing up our house and putting it all into boxes.  On the contrary, though, I know that my dad needs a job and for that to happen we need to move.  So even though I don't want to I know that a move is necessary.

Nitro Cars

By: Michael Vanderhooft

I’m going to compare the different types and styles of nitro RC cars.  I will also compare the different engine sizes and the differences in transmissions and how they affect your RC vehicles performance.  I'll also tell you price differences and some suggestions on beginner cars.

To start off, I’ll tell about my Nitro Car. It is a RedCat buggy with a one-speed transmission, which means that it has one single speed, so it doesn’t shift as you're accelerating, and a 2.67cc single piston engine which can bring the car up to 55 mph or even faster if you have the engine properly tuned.  I really enjoy this car and would recommend it to anyone looking for a first car, but there are even better choices for a first timer.  Such as the RedCat Tornado (which is also a buggy) which has a 2 speed transmission, so it shifts as it is speeding up to lower the rpm’s of the engine so the car can go even faster than a single speed transmission car.  It also has a 3.0cc engine, so it is a little bit bigger, so it can go faster than my model.  But if you are a first timer and don’t want to spend as much the shockwave is a much better price retailing at $159.9 whereas the tornado retails at $199.99.

Buggy cars a great for simple off-roading such as gravel, sand, dirt, or shallow mud, but really aren’t good on grass because their suspension system rides so low and it only has about an inch of clearance.

Another choice would be a drift car, which has the body style of a street car, but they have completely bald tires and are great for driving on streets and parking lots.  They are also great for driving in places with tight corners because they are great for drifting.  Even though I can't speak from personal experience, I have done a lot of research on this car and knowing the brand name I’m sure it’s top quality, this would be the RedCat Lightning which is a drift car with a 2.67cc engine and a two speed transmission and probably maxes out a little over 60 mph.  This car has plenty of power for driving on streets and would be a ton of fun driving on parking lots drifting, or doing donuts.  This car retails at $179.99 but that price is well worth it for what you'll be getting.  I’m sure that there are plenty of different options out there for drift cars but I am just presenting the options I know of and the brand name that I trust.

Another great option for a Nitro car is a Monster truck style.  These are great for any kind of off roading because of their high suspension and power for driving on grass, gravel, sand, dirt, and mud. Of course once you've mastered driving them they are a ton of fun to jump off of ramps.  Also, don't worry these things have an aluminum chassis and oil filled spring shocks so jumping them won't hurt it at all unless you land nose down.  A great option for a beginner Nitro Monster Truck is the RedCat Volcano which has a 3.0cc engine and has eight oil filled shocks and four wheel drive for top notch jumping and off road performance. This model retails at $229.99 and is an amazing beginner car.  However if it doesn’t provide enough speed for you, you can always purchase the RedCat Caldera which is the same as the Volcano but instead of having single speed transmission it has a two speed to provide just a little bit more speed. Another difference is that instead of having eight tiny oil filled shocks it has four bigger shocks to provide even better performance  for landing your jumps.  But, of course, for having those tiny performance upgrades its retail price is $249.99 vs. $229.99.

So as you can see there are many different options for Nitro cars and different types for different things.  If you are a total beginner at Nitro cars, I would suggest either the shockwave or the Tornado because they are the cheapest you can get for off road cars.  However if you live in a place that your only option for driving is cement, I would suggest a drift car with a two speed transmission for just that little extra boost of speed.  If you are planning on doing a lot of driving on your lawn I would suggest that you go with the monster trucks because they ride pretty high off the ground so it can't get caught up in the grass as easily as the buggy can. I know that I only used RedCat cars in this essay but that is because this is the brand of my car I know that they will give you the top quality for money.

Celebration essay

My Grandpa waterway

    Well to start off I met my Grandpa at... well, at birth, I guess.  He has been a great influence on my life, like how he strives to do his best at work and takes care of his 96-year-old dad.
    To start off, my grandpa has worked a full time job and strived to do his best in them all.  Currently he is in his 60’s and still works full time for Anderson Global.  Car companies such as Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler and Dodge send them their car designs and they help them with the engine designs.  For example, he helped with the designs for the first Dodge Viper but he has also done multiple other cars.  Even though he works his hardest in every job and has worked full time his whole life, he is not a workaholic. and he does his best in it all and works his hardest for God.  He has been a very good example for my life.
    He also takes care of his 96-year-old father who is in an assisted living home and visits him several times a week.  He also takes him out for breakfast every Saturday morning.  Instead of just being the typical child who doesn’t take care of there parents when their old, he is completely opposite and takes care of his father and makes sure he is ok and spends lots of time with him even though he is old and forgetful.
    So as you can see, my Grandpa has been a very strong influence in my life and has inspired me greatly.  I also look up to him a lot because of how he does everything for God, such as in his work and taking care of his father.  He also takes care of his wife and provides a very nice home on a lake for him and his wife. He also strives to have a one on one relationship with his grandkids.

 IPads Vs. MacBooks

Although iPads are great for educational purposes, laptops may offer just as much potential or even more.  For example, iPads are an awkward size and not easily carried around, However you can buy backpacks and bags specially designed for transporting MacBooks to protect them.  

But iPads also have their advantages such as gaming, but that doesn't help with education and could be a distraction to the students.  But ipads also better for text books because you can search through it better and also it is a more convenient size for text books.

MacBooks can match or even beat everything that the iPad has to offer,  such as in taking notes. It is possible on the iPad, But it is a challenging keyboard to master and can be confusing at times.  With a MacBook, however, you have a full keyboard and can type just as fast as you can on a regular desktop computer and overall increase your note taking speed.  Also, MacBooks are much more efficient to write papers on than it is to do with your average paper and pencil.

Another thing is that students take a lot of notes and taking them on an iPad can be very tedious and just be annoying to do with a touch screen keyboard, but with a MacBook, you can take notes even faster than writing speed which would make class time much more efficient.  

Despite their disadvantages, iPads have their advantages, for example, iPads are much better for textbooks and although they're an awkward size they are kind of convenient for carrying around with school books because they are the same shape and size as a text book.

MacBooks are easier for organizing data and keeping it well sorted. With an iPad you have all different kinds of apps that can’t really be sorted in an organized way without consuming your precious time.

IPods in study hall?

    Just imagine for a moment, several student are sitting peacefully in study hall doing their algebra and listening to their ipods without distraction.  But no, our school thinks that it would be too distracting to listen to music while doing homework, when in reality, it's completely the opposite.

Most students I know find it much harder to concentrate without music because music helps them tune out background noise.  Students who have nothing to do in study hall can be loud and obnoxious, distracting everyone from their work, but with iPods, that problem would be solved. You could just simply start up some music and not be able to hear them at all, and concentrate on your work.  Then students with nothing to do would be able to pass the time by listening to music instead of being loud and distracting others.  And personally, I can concentrate much better while listening to music and find it much easier to complete my work without distraction.

Besides, as long as students aren’t playing games on the ipod and just have it for music to help them concentrate, why does school not allow them?  Are they just trying to show their authority, or are they afraid of students listening to inappropriate music?  Are they afraid of us having it too loud so everyone can hear it?  That’s why I think that along with the privilege of having ipods we would also need rules along with them,  such as, you can’t have it loud enough for others to hear it, no playing games, and you can only have the ipod for music.  

Also, if school is afraid of students listening to inappropriate music I personally think that that is the students’ choice and as long as they have it quiet enough for no one else to hear that that is really a very big problem.  Besides even if school didn’t allow them to listen to “inappropriate” music what’s going to stop them from listening to it outside of school?  I think that if that is the only reason why they wouldn't allow iPods in study hall, that is a very close-minded view and that the school board should reconsider their decision because students will still listen to that genre of music outside of school.

So as you can see, allowing iPods in study hall has many more positive aspects than negative.  I sincerely hope that the school board will reconsider their decision because I believe that it would benefit the students greatly.  I also think that I would be able to get a lot more accomplished if I could listen to music in study hall.

The Hunger games

The Hunger Games

In the fictional thriller The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins we see the strictly controlled lives of the people in the 12 districts of the country Panem which lies on the ruins of North America.  Their over controlling capitol makes them live under harsh laws and threatens to punish them by death if they refuse to obey.  Every year the capitol forces each district to give one boy and one girl during the Reaping between the age of 12 and 18 to be brought to an arena and fight to the death to entertain the people of the capitol.  But it is also supposed to remind the districts of the “Dark Days” when they tried to overthrow the capitol and district 13 was destroyed.

    The story follows the life of 16-year-old  Katniss Everdeen who lives in District 12 which is in the Appalachian mountains and is known for coal mining and she has no respect for the law.  She illegally hunts everyday because she has to provide for her little sister Prim and mother ever since her father died in a coal mining accident.  She hunts with her best friend Gale Hawthorn everyday whose father died in the same mining accident and had to take up providing for his family at a young age.  
    At this years Reaping, Prim Everdeen was chosen to be a tribute, but her older sister Katniss bravely takes her place to be put into the arena.  Then, for the boy tribute Peeta Mellark is chosen, who is the baker’s son.  Peeta was very strong and broad from all of his years working in the bakery lifting heavy baking pans and carrying wood to the fires for the ovens.
    After the reaping Katniss and Peeta were brought into the Capitol building where their family and friends could come to say goodbye.  Then they were loaded onto a train that brought them to the capitol which is just on the west side of the rocky mountains.  It is a several days journey to the capitol and while aboard the train Katniss has to be cleaned and beautified for the public.
    Once Katniss and Peeta got to the capitol they immediately began training in a gym.  There were different stations where you could practice different skills such as, archery, survival, camouflage and others that would help benefit you in the arena.  But they could also have private training lessons with their training instructor who won the games about 25 years ago.
    Peeta and Katniss do choose to train together and they remain this way all the way up to the beginning of the games.  After a few days of training the tributes have to meet privately with the game makers to show them their skills and then they rate them from 1 to 12 with 12 being the best.  Katniss ends shooting an arrow up into the balcony of the game makers because they were all drunk and not paying attention to her.  She shot an arrow straight through an apple and pinned it to the wall and it actually ended up impressing the game makers and she got an 11.
    Then the games began and Katniss ended up getting a bag from the center of the arena where they put everything so the tributes have to fight violently and almost half of the tributes die right in the beginning . After days of running and hiding in the woods the game makers announce to the players that you can team up with your district partner and both can win.
    But when Katniss finds Peeta he is badly wounded but he finally got better and they end up being in the last three tributes along with a fierce boy named Cato.  So then they go in search of him and kill him but then after he is dead the game makers announce that their rules have changed and only one tribute can win.  But you’ll have to read the book to find out how it ends.
Critique:  I really enjoyed the book because it was an easy read but it was also a really good story line.  I would suggest this book for you to read, it is always action packed and very hard to put down.  I can guarantee that you would enjoy this book .  It is a very strange but intents story and keeps you engaged throughout the whole story.

Taken in Broad day light

       “I'm going on a walk!,” Bryan yelled to his Mom who was sitting downstairs on the couch as he threw on shoes and jacket and stumbled out the door.  He wasn't sure where he was going, he just needed to get out of the house after being cooped up in it for the past three hours playing video games.
       After contemplating on where to go, he started down towards the grocery store thinking that he might buy himself a pop or something.  He was just strolling down the street humming to himself when he heard a voice whisper from behind a nearby car say “GO”.  Suddenly two large men jumped from behind the car and smashed its front wind shield with a giant brick.  Then they suddenly grabbed him and then forced him to take some brief case by shoving it into his hands,They pulled a brief case that was identical to the one that they handed him out of the passenger seat of the car.  They violently threw Bryan into the car along with the case they forced him to take, and before he knew it they were in a yellow corvette. 
       Just as they were speeding away three men in black suits came sprinting up and two of them started shooting at the tail end of the corvette.  The third one came and grabbed Bryan and said to the others “Don't worry, they didn't get it” as he held up the brief case in his hands.  The other two men came up and held him up between them as the other man came up to him and said “You shouldn't of gotten yourself into all this.” He took his gun and clubbed Bryan over the head with the handle.  Then Bryan fell too the ground unconscious, then the three men dragged his limp body into a nearby van.
   Then the leader of the three men, who had knocked Bryan out, said “Let me see the case”.  As he opened it he cussed and said “ This was a decoy case, it’s empty you morons I can’t believe I brought you two along on this job. Do you know what this means?, My boss will have all of us killed if we don't get that back!”  “Let’s bring him to the warehouse and wait until he wakes up.”
       So they drove up to a big warehouse and drove the van around back and then dragged Bryan's limp body out of the back and then locked him into an old shipping crate.  After a couple of hours Bryan dragged himself off of the floor and held his throbbing head trying to recall what had happened.  Just then he heard voices outside, “The boss said that he must of been planting the decoy when we drove up, and when his partners realized that we were there, they took off without him.
       Bryan then realized that he was mistaken to be one of the thiefs and that was why they were holding him captive. The two men opened the crates doors and said, “Somebody wants to see you,” they dragged him into the building and to a small room into the basement that was dimly lit with one bulb.  They tied him into a chair as the shadow of a man came out of one of the shadowy corners.  “Answer all of our questions and well let you go free, now where did your partners go?” 
    “This is a mistake” Bryan responded frantically.   “I wasn't with those men, I was just on a walk when they suddenly jumped out and they used me as bait i swear!”  “Just cooperate and this will be easy now tell me where did they go!” 
    “I'm telling the truth” Bryan yelled “I don't even know what was in the case I was just walking down to buy a drink when this all happened I swear.”
     ”Ya right kid how much are they paying you to keep your mouth shut? Well its not enough cause well get you to tell us, bring him to the crate we’ll get information from him no matter what it takes!” the man angrily barked.
    So then the two grabbed him and drug him to the crate and locked it shut.  After a couple of hours of sitting there Bryan heard the men coming back.  Suddenly the door slammed opened and all three men entered and the leader had a pistol which he held out in one hand and yelled, “Now tell me where they went or I’ll kill you!”  “I was just on a walk when I got caught up in all of this I swear” Bryan screamed.  the man then man slowly pulled back the trigger and then there was a loud bang, and a thud could be heard outside the crate of Bryan's lifeless body falling to the ground. After that the men took a small plane that they had in the warehouse and flew away to a small island in the Pacific Ocean and were never seen again.  Several day later the police found the body but they could solve the mystery and Bryan's family remained clueless to what had happened for the rest of their days.