A lot has happened this weekend. I came really close to breaking the 200 mark bowling Saturday night. It was
the very last came, and I had bowled nothing but strikes and spares over the first nine frames, and I only
needed a strike or a nine followed by a spare and some pins and I would have had it easily. But nooooo. I bowl
awesome for nine frames in a row, and then I completely screw up the very last frame. So, I botched my 200 run
- I figured I would have instead at least broken my high score of 186. But nooooo. I tied it! I didn't fall
just short, I didn't barely break it, but I tied it! Gah, horrible luck. Oh well, maybe next time.
AP Exams and baseball shall be taking their toll the next couple of weeks. I barely got a five on my Calculus
practice exam last week, and I assume that because Statistics should be easier, that I got a five on
my Statistics practice exam as well. This week I have baseball practice or a baseball game every
afternoon, so I pray that I don't have any mandatory Calculus or Statistics AP studies or anything like that.
Oh, and did I mention I have to have Brave New World read in a couple weeks? Wish me luck. :-)
Saturday, April 29, 2000
Six Flags was a blast. I got about five hours of sleep Thursday night, and combining that with eight hours of
walking around and riding roller coasters ... man was I exhausted last night. But, that's no matter. I'm
bowling tonight and the next three Saturdays regardless of mental or physical health (unless some extremes are
met which provides an inability to bowl). I don't expect tonight to be the night for breaking 200, but things
happen. As long as I break it before I graduate, I'll be happy.
Thursday, April 27, 2000
Happy birthday Katie Lindsley!
I just wanted to say that. That's about the only real reason I have to update my page today. I have an AP Exam
in about half an hour and an all day trip to Six Flags tomorrow! The Statistics exam should be easy (comparing
to the Calculus exam I took Monday, and I got a five...), so I'm actually kinda anxious about it. And I'm
definitely excited about the Six Flags trip. See (for those of you who don't attend my school), it's one of
those special things where we get to go in before the gates actually open because it is a school trip,
therefore there are NO lines and we can ride whatever we want with virtually no wait. It's awesome! :-) Well,
I have things to collect for my exam and a few things to pack for my trip, so I'll see you again shortly
before my Saturday night bowling trip! Good day, sirs.
Wednesday, April 26, 2000
Today I add a new beautiful face to my little collection, that of my best friend's
step-father's daughter's mother's sister's daughter (which makes us absolutely nothing) Rachel. Few of you
know her, and for those of you that don't, let's just say she's loads of fun to be around! I don't have much
more to say, I have baseball practice to attend. And yes, Rachel, I do my best to do something to this
page once a day. As you can see, I often miss a day or several at a time, but for the most part ... blah, I
have to go!
Tuesday, April 25, 2000
Monday I had an AP Calculus Exam and baseball practice. Tuesday I had to "see" about getting a job. Wednesday
I have baseball practice. Thursday I have an AP Statistics Exam. Friday I have a Six Flags trip and baseball
practice. Needless to say, I'm booked. I've made an important decision with my Saturdays: from now until
graduation (May 27), I am bowling every Saturday night in hopes of bowling a 200 game before I graduate. I
don't care who my company is each night, as long as I have someone by my side who has as much fun with it as I
do and would love to stand by me when I finally do break 200.
Now I have a favor to ask anyone who feels like helping me out. If anyone has a copy of the book Brave New
World, I would appreciate it if you would allow me to borrow it... My copy was printed in 1949 and after I
let Zach borrow it it came back in pieces (binding unglued, glue dried up, or something - each page was its
own piece). Either way, it is not in readable form, and I would like a copy to read without buying it if
possible. And with that, I leave you with this final thought:
In todays culture, a culture of the now, a culture of the disposable and renewable, we often forget that one's
life is irreplaceable, and valuable. Death gives life value by giving it finity; a deadly paradox. It destroys
the very element it adds value to. We are all touched by death, and should learn its important lesson;
physical life is valuable because it is finite. We live so that we may die; we die so that others may live. So
be sure that the things you live for are worth dying for. And good night.
Monday, April 24, 2000
School is back. Yuck. I just finished with a three hour and fifteen minute practice AP Exam for BC
calculus. I have a practice AP Exam for Statistics coming up Thursday. I have to go in and work my first day
at a new job some day this week around all these exams and baseball practice (and games beginning next week).
So to take my mind off of things, I keep reminding myself that I have a school-sponsored field trip (meaning
no absences counted) to Six Flags this Friday (wahoo!). And making me happier still, here's a picture of my
lovely friend Michelle. Very nice picture, despite my presence.
Sunday, April 23, 2000
And then, my friends, Spring Break 2000 came to an end. This has been one of the best weeks of my life by far,
and for just less than $100. Mike and I spent all but one day together, and just had a blast. Bethany decided
to join us about half the time (definitely a good choice), and despite the fact that she chooses Mikes little
sister over us, her company was very much enjoyed. Anyone that was in Idaho was missed sorely, and I'm sure
time will be made up for in the coming days. Hey, I have an idea... Go to that message
board thingy and tell the world what you did over your spring break.
Friday, April 21, 2000
Spring break has been well worth its time. I had all my homework done by Tuesday afternoon, making the six
remaining days stress free! Woohoo! Now how many of you were smart enough to do that? I'll be honest with you.
I've never done homework early like that in my life, but man... what a feeling knowing that it's all done and
I have no school to worry about for six whole days! I've spent virtually my entire spring break with my best
friend Mike, and about half of it with my other best friend Zach (who was out of town the first couple days).
We've spent time with Brandy and Bethany and Jennifer and Sabrina ... and I've enjoyed myself just as much as
I would have at the beach, but I've spent far less money and I have just as much sun on my back!
And what's a fun weekend without bowling? I didn't feel extremely great last weekend when I bowled, due to my
legs feeling like they wanted to snap at the hamstrings. This week my legs are fine (I think), but I have
sunburned shoulders... I don't expect that to be a problem by tomorrow night, and if it is, I plan to ignore
it. So who's going bowling? Anyone that cares, Mike Farinelli and I are planning to meet at the Burger King
Russell at 8:00pm to make sure everyone can get on base - so be there or be at the bowling alley by 9:00 (Why
do I waste my time putting this on my web page? I guess it just fills space...)
And now, I leave you with a picture of Mike and some beautiful young lady whom I've only had the pleasure of
meeting once - briefly - whatever. Her name is Ellen. :-)
Sunday, April 16, 2000
Well, as usual, 200 wasn't threatened at the bowling alley, though this time I believe I actually have a valid
excuse. I strained a muscle in my leg early in the night, and I still broke 150, meaning had I had full
control of my leg and no pain causing me to "go easy" all night, I believe I would have come a little closer
to threatening 200 (though still not quite reaching it, for the bowling gods just won't have it yet). I can
also blame Megan and Scott, whom I made it blatantly clear to be my good luck charms, whom decided not to go
at the very last minute without even calling to let me know so I had to go across town and get my car just to
get on base and arrive five minutes late and be rushed in the early going thus injuring my leg. And yes I like
run-on sentences.
Aside from all that, Bethany, Mike and I have had a blast the last two days, and will probably continue to for
the next week or so. Ah, I love spring break. It's so well timed. And though I need to do homework and need to
get a job, I'll likely wait. Okay, it's late at night and I'm thoroughly exhausted and I miss you Dalila! So
good night. :-)
Saturday, April 15, 2000
After months of hard work and training, I still have yet to break 200, and I believe I have finally found the
problem. I'm trying to devote too many activities to my afternoon on the day of the game. Well, I realized
this after I overslept and missed Scott's soccer game (man, I actually wanted to go this time too), so
I may just be using it as a possible excuse, but I'm feeling something good in my arm today. I'm not sore, I'm
not tired - I'm ready to knock down 200 pins. Unfortunately it will be without my bro Zach, but all of my best
games have been in his absence ... interesting. Well I believe I have six hours to sit back, relax, and
prepare myself and my arm for the big night. You ready Mike?
Friday, April 14, 2000
Spring Break. Oh, how I and so many others have longed to hear those words. Let's hear them again: Spring
Break. Yes!!! It wasn't a trick! Spring Break is really here! Ok, Paul, get a grip on yourself. Let's see.
Today is about eighty gazillion peoples' birthdays, my parents 22nd anniversary (whom are now divorced), and
the first day of a late Spring Break 2000 for my high school. Early, late, whenever... it's here and that's
all I care about at this particular instant! I'm kicking off my break in an expected way - tomorrow night I go
bowling! Sunday till Sunday, however, I have no idea where I shall be, why I will be there, how I will get
there or what I will do there. However, I will be there. :-)
Wednesday, April 12, 2000
Newsflash: my usual address for this page, mccord.penix.net, bit the dust
in a bad way last week. But have no fear, it shall return. In the mean time, live with my backup site at
www.8op.com/jpm (which has always been there) until I tell you
the other has returned. Due to the inconvenience of lost email that the crash caused, I shall no longer use
the email address "mccord@penix.net" ... instead, please use
jpmccord2@att.net to email me on. It's the only direct
way to email me anyway, so I hope that makes life easier for all of us!
I bet you guys are really tired of that Mark Twain quote I've had up there for about two weeks now. Well, fear
no more, I have returned and replaced it. I'd love to fill your greedy little minds with absent minded crap,
and believe me I shall again in the near future, but right now I have homework to do. That, and I'm trying to
figure out why MARLA PARKER chooses to be so repulsively invious and stubborn. I've tried nearly every angle
possible: subtle, straight-forward, nice, mean... Blah. I'm getting sick of it. I'd hate to be forced to
believe that she really is the bitch people tell me she is, because fortunately not everyone agrees with that
and I was hoping maybe I would be one of them. Likely, that won't be the case; but at least I know I've tried,
and she's digging her own hole. Oh well, the rest of you have a wonderful day.
Friday, April 7, 2000
There once was a band called Nazareth who had a singer who sang like a rabid dog in desperate need of a leg to
chew on. That Creed, another band with a biblically related name, should also have a singer with such an
approach suggests that hard-rock spirituality is meant to unleash the beast within and that God likes dogs,
which if you notice spelled backwards...oh never mind. Human Clay is solid hard rock - the kind that
whenever you hear something quiet and spooky, you know it will soon be followed by something loud and
aggressive. They don't kowtow to trends: no gratuitous hip-hop beats, just workingman rock from guys who - no
matter what they say to the contrary - sound an incredible amount like the northwest grunge bands filtered
through an East Coast metal thing. Even the ballad "With Arms Wide Open" about becoming a father has a
strident heaviness. Now just imagine these guys trampling through church pews. Yikes!
Man, what the hell is this guy talking about? He's just bitter because he can't play a guitar like that... If
any of you actually agree with the above comments about the band Creed, please
let me know so I can put you back in your place - or just prove you wrong.
Thursday, April 6, 2000
Zach and I have always thought alike, acted alike, enjoyed the same activities, made similar grades in school,
etc. so on and so forth. Well, one day about four years ago, Zach, a few others, and I were sitting in his
living room eating breakfast when all of a sudden - out of absolutely nowhere - no music in the background; we
weren't even looking at each other - we both started singing the same song at the same verse at the same time.
We'll never forget it... 9:15am in Zach's living room, and we belt out "Meet me at the coffee shop..." an old
Red Hot Chili Peppers' song. If it were a new song, I guess I would understand. But it was OLD, and there was
absolutely no plausible explanation for BOTH OF US even knowing the song, much less singing it out loud like
that. Everyone in the room just looked at us, we shouted "whoa!!" and the TUMOR was born.
The tumor, however, wasn't really explained until last year. After many, many similar outbursts of the same
lyric over and over again, we decided something was definitely connecting our brains, to which we realized it
could only be one thing: We are connected by a communal brain tumor. We "share" a brain tumor which allows
thoughts to be transferred back and forth just before we think them, therefore we occasionally do something
really cool in unison. It allows our like behavior and similar thinking processes, and explains them quite
well. And get this - IT'S CONTAGIOUS. Michael, Kyla, and Jane-Marie are among the "victims" (for lack of a
better word) so far, and though there are more, the force is strongest in them, so they are all I shall name.
Wednesday, April 5, 2000
Well, she gaw darn gone and done it - Jenny has finally surpassed the legal drinking age barrier. Now she
doesn't have to be careful about who sees her drink. Not that she's a raging alcoholic or anything. She
actually rarely drinks these days, which I find hard to believe sometimes. She's actually focused on school
and doing well. She's graduating this winter from Georgia Southern among the top of her class - she rocks. :-)
In other news, I had a blast night with our guys and girls at Scott's Sweet Sixteen Celebration last night. I
hope you guys do something cool like that for my birthday (*cough*hint*cough*July 18*cough*) ... I mean, being
in the middle of summer (*cough*July 18*cough*) no one ever remembers. Get this - as long as I
have lived in Warner Robins (TEN YEARS), I have never seen more than ONE friend outside of my family on any
given birthday. No one ever remembers, nor do they care too. So I'm counting on you guys to make this very
LAST (and only) birthday of mine with you guys memorable. I love you, too!
Tuesday, April 4, 2000
Happy birthday Scott! Everyone bid him joy and happiness for the celebration of his "sweet sixteen" years on
this oddly shaped planet. Below is the "man" mentioned above alongside his lovely significant other (and one
of the bestest friends I've ever had, by the way), Megan. Worship them. They are your worshipees. (Oooh I made
up a word..) And while we're on the topic of birthdays and worshipees, my sister hits the legal age tomorrow.
That's right, Jenny turns 21. Worship that.
Monday, April 3, 2000
Thanks to Scott, who happens to be turning 16 tomorrow (applause is appropriate), for the "story" that I am
about to share with you. It's a moral story, so please don't read ahead. It should only take you a minute or
so ... if that. And oh yeah, Monday sucked. I was exhausted and all my muscles were sore. Ick.
There was a fly buzzing around a barn one day when he happened on a pile of fresh horse manure. Due to the
fact that it had been hours since his last meal, he flew down and began to eat. He ate and ate and ate.
Finally, he decided he had eaten enough and tried to fly away. He had eaten too much though, and could not get
off the ground. As he looked around wondering what to do now, he spotted a pitchfork leaning up against the
wall. He climbed to the top of the handle and jumped off, thinking that once he got airborne, he would be able
to take flight. Unfortunately, he was wrong and dropped like a rock, splatting when he hit the floor dead.
The moral to this story is: Never fly off the handle when you know you're full of shit.
Sunday, April 2, 2000
And so ends one of the best weekends of my life. Many of my friends were in Washington, D.C. or New York City
while I was stuck here in Warner Robins, yet as my luck would have it, I was blessed with the wonderful
Hendrix/Yanosy family for a weekend. Four movies, three CDs, two hours of bowling, and one new job later, I
feel like I've accomplished more this weekend with so little effort that it's almost too good to be true. I
don't feel like boring any of you with details, but if you haven't seen or heard of the movie The
Skulls, go see it! It's awesome... Man, weekends like that happen once every few years. Geez, now I'm
gonna have to wait a while for the next one. Ah well, pop Creed into my CD player, sit back and relax, and
everything will be all right...
Saturday, April 1, 2000
At first, I was going to write a really cool story about how I was tired of this web page and how the work is
taking a toll on me and how it's causing me to stay on the computer too much, affecting my grades ... in short
I was going to "close the web page." Then I figured, eh, April Fool's jokes are for kiddies, at least lame
jokes like that, so I decided instead to enlighten you with the history of April Fool's Day. I know many of
you don't care, but it's interesting nonetheless.
In sixteenth-century France (pre-Gregorian France), the start of the new year was observed on or about the
time of Spring Equinox (actually March 21, but the new year was considered to be April 1). It's confusing, for
some references say that the new year was celebrated for eight days beginning March 25 and ending April 1, but
it makes me wonder about March 21 through April 1 ... the 12 days of Easter ... hmm. Maybe the legend was
misconstrued along the way and there really never was any "12 days of Christmas" but this, the 12 days of
Easter and the New Year. Just a thought.
Anyway, the new year was celebrated in much the same way as it is today with parties and dancing into the late
hours of the night. In the early 1560s, Pope Gregory and King Charles IV introduced a new calendar (the
Gregorian Calendar) to the Christian world, and by this calendar the new year fell on January 1. There were
some people, however, who hadn't heard, didn't believe, or didn't want to conform to the change in the date,
so they continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1. Others played tricks on them and called them "April
fools." They sent them on a "fool's errand" or tried to make them believe that something false was true, hence
the tradition that has followed and evolved and made April Fools' Day what it has become.
The "fools' errands" we play on people are practical jokes. Putting salt in the sugar bowl (or vice versa),
screaming "your shoe's untied," setting clocks an hour or two off so someone shows up at the wrong place at
the wrong time - or both. Some practical jokes are kept up the whole day before the victim realizes what day
it is. Most April Fool jokes are in good fun and not meant to harm anyone. The most clever April Fool joke is
the one where everyone laughs, especially the person upon whom the joke is played.
