Saturday, September 20, 2008

My Dream Life

I've been in my new house for about a month now, and still the boxes are piled high as I slowly sort through all of my "stuff." I've been known to be quite a packrat, and I have recently discovered boxes upon boxes filled with every single paper and assignment from kindergarten through college...ridiculous, I know. While sorting through these boxes (and forcing myself to throw much of it away), I ran across a paper from 8th grade that peaked my interest. This particular paper was entitled "My Dream Life." Now, I must warn you that what you are about to read is utterly pathetic and hilarious and sad, all at once. Here it is...uncensored and unedited...from the eighth-grade mind of MaxAC...
My Dream Life
I have many goals and dreams that I would like to accomplish in my life. Some of them may seem unrealistic, but it never hurts to dream. In this paper I will talk about what I would like to do in the rest of my life.
I plan on attending Penn High School next year [check]. I will go there for four years [check], and I want to do many things there. I want to play wide receiver in football for all four years I'm at Penn [check...also DB]. By the time I am a senior, I would like to be a starter on the varsity team [by junior year, check]. I also want to win a state championship in football while I am at Penn [check], which isn't uncommon for Penn football! Also, I want to play basketball at Penn for all four years I am there [check]. By the time I am a junior or senior, I want to be starting on the varsity basketball team at either point guard or shooting guard [shooting guard, check]. I also want to get straight A's for every year that I am at Penn [check], and I want to earn my high school diploma [check]. During high school I will get a job to save up some money for when I am an adult [haha, nope].
I want to go to a big college like the University of Notre Dame, Indiana University, or Purdue University [nope]. I don't know exactly what college I want to go to, but I want it to be in this part of the country [check]. It doesn't necessarily have to be in Indiana, though. I would like to earn a full-ride basketball scholarship [college was pretty darn close to free] to whatever college I attend because basketball is my favorite sport [that changed], and it is the sport that I am the best at [also changed]. I want to attend college for four years [check] and major in business managing or something similar to that [nope]. While in college I would find a job close to the campus so that I could save up more money for after I graduate [check].
After I graduate I will be in no debt [check] because I got a full-ride scholarship to college. I would move to a large condominium on the Atlantic Ocean in Miami, Florida [From this point on, life gets ridiculous]. There I would work for a year or so as a waiter or something to save up enough money to start my own business. I don't really know what kind of business I will start, though. It would start off small but within a year would grown and become famous nationwide. I would be making millions and millions of dollars a year. Eventually my company would go worldwide.
While living in Miami I would meet a woman, preferably with blonde hair and blue eyes, but I'm not that picky. She would be smart, good looking, and a very nice person. We would date for a couple of years and then we would get engaged. After about another year we would get married. I'd let her plan our wedding and everything because I don't really care as long as we just get married. All our family and friends would come, though.
We would buy a huge ten-story house right on the Atlantic Ocean in Miami. In our house, there would be a gym with four full-court basketball courts. There would also be a full workout gym and an inside and outside olympic size pool. Also, there would be an elevator so we didn't have to walk ten flights of stairs. We would also have our own private beach out by the ocean.
After a few years of being married we would decide to have kids. We would have four kids. First, we would have two boys. Then we would have two girls. I don't have any idea what I would name my kids. I guess I would let my wife decide that. All four of my kids would be very smart. They would also be very talented at many sports.
I would have several cars. First, I would buy a Ford Mustang convertible. Next, I would get a red Porsche. Then I would buy a new bright yellow Volkswagen Beetle for my wife. After that I would get myself a black Mercedes Benz. Next, I would get a big Lincoln Navigator. Also, I would buy a while Ferrari. Then I would get a red Jaguar. I would also have two stretch limousines for special occasions. One would be white, and the other one would be black.
I would take my family on a lot of vacations. We would go to Hawaii for at least two weeks every year. I'd also take my family to Jamaica, the Bahamas, Australia, Paris, Cancun, Switzerland, England, and we would travel to nearly every state across the United States. We would also take cruises all over the world because I would own my own cruise ship. Also, we would frequently go to San Francisco, California because I would own a huge condominium there right on the Pacific Ocean.
I would try my best not to spoil my kids even though I would have enough money to do so. My wife and I would teach our kids Christian morals and values, and we would take our kids to church every week. I would never let them drink alcohol, smoke, do drugs, or anything like that. Since my kids would be very smart they would all go to Harvard and graduate there. When I am about 55 I would retire and turn my business over to my two sons. When I was retired I would buy a Cadillac, and my wife and I would travel all over the world for the rest of our lives. I would want to die at about age eighty because I would not want to be so old that I could not take care of myself and would have to go to a nursing home.
This is my dream life. Like I said earlier, these goals and dreams may seem very unrealistic, but the higher goals you set for yourself the more you will accomplish in life.
Wow...pretty shallow and ugly and pathetic and sickening and American, huh? My question for the few of you who are still reading is this: If you could go back ten years, what piece of wisdom or advice would you give to the 14-year-old MaxAC?

Leave me a comment below!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Reality Football vs. Fantasy Football: Week 2

This past weekend in Reality Football...

Da Bears blow a two-touchdown lead to Carolina and lose their All-Pro return specialist, Devin Hester, to injury. Yikes...

Golden Tate and the Golden Domers blow past long-time rival Michigan 35-17. GO IRISH!!! 

This past weekend in Fantasy Football...

MaxAC bounces back, dominating in 2 of his 3 leagues. His one loss, however, came in ugly fashion and was unfortunately in his favorite and longest-running (7 years) league.

Bottom Line After Week 2:

An all-around decent week on both fronts, but with ND's big win over Michigan, Reality Football gets the nod for the second week in a row.

Reality Football: 2
Fantasy Football: 0

Monday, September 15, 2008

Persecution in India

Several months back, I introduced you to Sreejan, a young believer that I met in India. Sreejan lives in the province of Orissa, a place where I have been told there is great persecution of Christians. Recently, the following letter was passed onto me from a pastor in Orissa:

RESPECTED SIR,
GREETINGS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY IN THE MATCHLESS NAME OF THE LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

      SIR,PLEASE PRAY FOR THE ORISSA BECAUSE THIS TIME ALL THE RSS,BAJARANG DAL AND BISPAHINDU PARISADA BEATING CHRISTIAN PEOPLE AND BREAKING THE CHURCHES AND ALSO BURNING THE CHURCHES IN ORISSA STATE.  

      THE NOCSLET SHOOTED TO LAKHAMONAND PUJARI BUT THE ORISSA RSS AND BAJARANG DAL AND BISPAHINDUPARISAD MADE STRIK IN ORISSA STATE AND BURNT ALL THE CHURCHES AND HOUSES OF THE CHRISTIAN PEOPLE THEY THINKING CHRISTIAN PEOPLE KILLED HIM.

      IN GAJAPATHI DISTRICT THEY WENT SOME VILLAGES AND BROKEN THE CHURCHES AND BURNED THE CHURCHES ALSO BURNED THE HOUSES OF CHRISTIAN PEOPLE. 

      ANY HOW THEY NOT ATTACKED US NEITHER BURNED OUR CHURCH OR HOUSES,BY THE GRACE OF GOD NOW WE ARE VERY FINE AND DOING THE GOD'S WORK IN OUR AREA WHERE THE GOSPEL IS NOT REACHED THERE WE REACHING CHRIST.

      PERSECUTION IS GOING ON IN ORISSA ALSO THE GOD'S WORK GOING ON IN ORISSA STATE. PLEASE PRAY FOR ORISSA AND FOR OUR MINISTRY TO BE GROW.
                                    THANKING YOU  
                                    YOUR BRO,P.C.BANTU

Pardon the broken English, but the message is clear! Our brothers and sisters in Christ in India are in need of our prayers. In just 10 short days that I spent with the believers in India they captured my heart. Each month I still receive an email from a pastor there who is praying for me, for my ministry, and for the church in America. I am always so humbled that they remember us in their prayers. How, then, can we abandon them in their time of greatest need?! Please, join me in prayer for the church in Orissa.

Pray for Brother Sreejan and other believers from Orissa.

Pray for the future of India, the children who are also greatly 
affected by these attacks.

Pray for the pastors in India, and specifically for those in Orissa who are facing great trials and persecution at this time.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Reality Football vs. Fantasy Football

This past weekend in Reality Football...

Da Bears are back, baby!!! My team that had lost its swagger last year has found it once again, relying on its smothering defense and a less-than-flashy but effective offense.

A win was just within reach for my Fighting Irish. Even if it was against one of the worst NCAA Div. 1 teams, A WIN IS A WIN!!!

This past weekend in Fantasy Football...

MaxAC starts the season a whopping 0-3, getting it handed to him in two leagues, and barely missing the sweet taste of victory in another league.

Bottom Line After Week 1:

Reality Football: 1
Fantasy Football: 0

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

After six days and five nights in the Big Apple, Teddy, Jordan, and I returned home yesterday. Our journey home went something like this:
  • walked several blocks from our hotel in Lower Manhattan to the subway station
  • rode the subway downtown to Madison Square
  • took the train for the nearly two-hour trip from Downtown Manhattan to Long Island
  • rode the bus from the Ronkonkoma train station to the Long Island Airport
  • flew in an airplane from Long Island to Chicago
  • rode in a car back to my new home at 809 33rd St.
One day...six modes of transportation!!!

All in all, we had a GREAT trip. Check back in for some pics and stories in the near future!