The Christianville Spirit: Memory Lane Trip

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

January 25, 2012- TCS # 284

So, as most of you know, My Readers, based on what I’ve written many times in this newsletter, that I like to take drives to places. I love to take drives with My Mom to different places whether it’s up the road to see a new neighborhood, drive down a new road, check out new or changed road signs, or update myself on how a road or area is doing. Of Course, sometimes I like to venture out of the city and see what’s out there, which could be anywhere from a drive out a couple miles and then turn back home, or drive out of the city, up to 3 or 4 Hours. So, My Mom and I usually like to do our drives on Saturday. But, this past Saturday, we took a drive that was long-awaited for me, because the fact that it was 2 hours away and it has to do with our history. You see, back in what I call, “The Jeff Era”(or the time when we were living with Mr. Jeff), we had a Lake House that we would go to every now and then during the summer.  This Lake House was nice because it was in a secluded neighborhood in the country, I mean the nearest major city was Wichita Falls, which was around 30 Miles away. Anyway, in the “Jeff Era,” we had a lot of fun at our Lake House. Among the many things we did; we would go hiking up in the hills, spend a whole day out on the lake in our pontoon boat, and drive a go-kart around the yard and a field across the street. Of Course, Mr. Jeff and Michael loved to fish in the pond that we lived on. I, of course didn’t really like that because it looked gooey. Anyway, at night we would do bonfires and during the 4th of July, we would shoot off fireworks. Anyway, back to the drive, My Mom and I drove back to the lake house to see what it looked like now, since we haven’t seen it since the end of “The Jeff Era.” The First thing I noticed, was the street signs were Green with White Letters, when it used to be White with Black Letters. Of Course, The House itself now looks totally different, for example the new owners built a covered patio at the entrance, they also glass-enclosed the screen porch, that we used to love to sit in when it was really hot. The House’s color is now grey, when it used to be a Dark Green color. After we saw the house, then we went on the route we used to get the pontoon boat to the lake and as we drove along the pond, we were shocked at how dry it was and the main lake itself was really dry too. We drove past the 2 boat ramps that we would use and I walked down the one that we used most of the time, to see how dry it was. It was so dry that I could see the mud at the end of the ramp.  After that, we went back down to the main road, back toward the house and saw the changes again a little more up close but, not too close. We also found that the neighbors that we had across the yard from us were still living there. On one of the streets, we saw something amazing. There were water towers and on the 2nd water tower there were Hawks and Buzzards on every railing, lined up shoulder to shoulder, on the tower as well as on top and surrounding it. My Mom and I were so amazed by it that My Mom even took pictures of them. After that, we drove back out of the neighborhood where they still have someone at the manning the post at the front gate of the neighborhood. They have added more to the church and 2 speed bumps on the main road. My Mom and I wrapped up our drive by stopping at the Dairy Queen that we used to go to on the way home.  Yummy ice cream! All in all, we had a fun time reminiscing about all the fun we had at the lake house.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. We all have “Memory Lane Trips”. Take one and you might be surprised what you’ll find. 

The Christianville Spirit: Christian on Writing

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

January 18, 2012- TCS # 283

So, The subject that I’m going to write about in this week’s newsletter is something that to most people who really know me already know and normal people think, “Your doing this now?.” Anyway, I’m going to write about..well, writing. My Writing in particular, I’m calling this newsletter, “Christian on Writing.” Now, thinking back, I would think that I should have wrote this years ago as an introduction and to warn you about My Style of Writing. You See, I’ve been writing this way since I started writing my newsletter, The Christianville Spirit. I never really noticed the way I wrote because it just flowed naturally and to me, I was and still am, concentrated on the material of the newsletter, not necessarily that it makes sense, Capitols are in place, it’s not a run-on sentence, and punctuation. Of Course, most people think, “Christian, If you know the rules then why don’t you use them?” and I know, for Members of My PTLS Family who are new and don’t know me are concerned if I even know the rules. Now, to help you, I do know the rules, I just choose not to use all of them because to put it kindly, I’m concentrating on what I want to say and what I talking about. Also, sometimes My mind goes faster than my fingers can type. So, to resolve the issue of those rules, I have My Mom help edit the newsletter before it’s released. Of Course, when we’re editing (to the point, that I allow her to edit), My Mom jokingly says things like “Oh, Christian, the capitols!” and “Christian, your an English Professor’s Nightmare.” Now, what the capitol’s part of what My Mom refers to is that I put Capitol Letters on words that shouldn’t be capitalized and shockingly I forget to capitalize the first letter of a sentence sometimes because when I used to write on Microsoft Word, it capitalized the beginning for me. Of Course, again to calm the nerves of PTLS Members, I capitalize words, not because they need to capitalized but, because I somehow feel the need to capitalize the words. Also, It might have been that My Handwriting was and still to this day is, nearly all capitol letters. Actually, it took some time transitioning from my handwriting to a computer, this by the way was in the very beginning of My Newsletter, back when it was an email to My Family. At that time, I wrote in all caps, all the time even when I talked to my friends on IM or Instant Message on AIM. It took My Childhood Friend, Izzy to convince me to stop using all caps because it made it look like I was yelling all the time. Now, I don’t write in all caps anymore unless I’m angry (which is rarely) or I’m trying to put emphasis on something. I want to thank Mrs. Bachman for teaching me so much, I really did learn from you, I just like to write the way I do. All in all, that’s how I feel like writing and I hope it helps in getting to know me better.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Look at the content on the inside, don’t judge the looks on the outside. 

The Christianville Spirit: Those Darn Electronics

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

January 11, 2012- TCS # 282

So, among the cool things that My Mom, My Brother, and I did for Christmas, besides having an “Italian Christmas,” that was a candlelit dinner and playing with one of My Gifts. You See, for years I’ve had an Ipod Touch to play on and by playing on it, I mean I researched things on the internet and listened to Music. Of Course, I never downloaded any games on it because that never interests me. Anyway, for this Christmas, I got an Ipad and I love it now. I’ve gotten many apps, including a Living Earth app that tells the time and weather of a location. Let me tell you though that this Ipad is quite addicting to use, I mean just the Living Earth and now, the Google Earth app is hard enough for me to put it down. Ho Ho! Now, you know, like any young person, I’ve followed the technology a little slower than others but, I followed it. However, there are times when Technology can get in the way. You See, I’ve noticed whenever I’m out with My Mom and Brother, I notice kids and their families playing with their Iphones or Ipod Touch and not talking to each other at all. You know that scene where a family of 3 or 4 are sitting together, 2 parents and 1 or 2 kids, the kids are playing their Apple Devices while the parents talk alone and eat. You Know, I’ve never done that and never will. You See, when I was growing up, we didn’t have any Apple Devices to play on and not talk to my family. In my day, it was that we all sat at the table and talked the whole time, when it came to leaving the table, you had to excuse your self. Believe it or not, I survived very well without electronics, Why? Because we had a trampoline and kids in all directions to play with. I mean, I consider myself quite lucky to have the childhood that I did, with no fences between 4 Yards and a cul-de-sac. Now, I know most kids here in Plano don’t get that kind of childhood but, still. As far as any electronics, what we had was the TV and a Nintendo 64, at times all the Herrick, Barsis, and others wanted to play. Of Course, when we’d go out, we would all sit and talk, and if we were at Joe’s Crab Shack, we would go and play on the playground sometimes for a couple hours, it was awesomely fun. So, of course, I learned my Social Skills pretty easily between 3 Barsi kids and 3 Herrick girls and of course, our trampoline in our backyard. Now, of course, to this day, whenever My Mom, Brother, and I go out, we talk the whole time. And, yes I make sure not to bring my Ipad to the table unless it’s something I really want to show My Mom, other than that, I don’t bring it to the table at home or out. It’s kind of sad to see families that let their kids bring their devices to the dinner table because and it shows how dysfunctional electronics can makes us. I’m saying this because everyone should be able to talk with one another and as My Grandma Honey would probably say, “There’s no one or thing on that device that is more important than Family.” Besides, the best way for PTLS Kids to learn to talk is by imitating those around us who are talking, not texting or playing on a device. All in all, put down those electronics and get back to basics. if your excuse is to use it for entertainment to keep your kids quiet when they’re little, don’t expect them to converse with you when their older. 

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Be your kids’ entertainment, not the give the job to electronics.           

The Christianville Spirit: Happy New Year 2012

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

January 4, 2012- TCS # 281

Hello again, My Readers, and Welcome Back to another exciting year of My Newsletters, to Open Your Eyes, and for your enjoyment. But, first off, Happy New Year! and Welcome to what should be an interesting year of 2012. I believe that 2012 will be an awesome year, maybe filled with a bit of trial but, also, infinite possibilities and great opportunities. Anyway, to start the year of 2012, I’m going to tell you how I celebrate the New Year’s holiday. It starts once I get up at my normal time (which is 2:45 in the afternoon) I watch HLN News every hour to see footage of where the new year is at that time. Also, I check my “World Clock” app on My Ipod Touch to see where, as I say, “Midnight’s location is”. During the day, while I’m watching New Year’s around the world, My Mom and I take down our Christmas Decorations, because in my eyes It’s a sign of the old, past year and I want to go to a New Year. Now, I know those of you who know me are wondering, “Christian, if you love Christmas so much why would you take the decorations down on New Year’s Eve?”. Well, don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas with every thread of me, but, I like to move on to the New Year instead being behind in the old year. Anyway, after that is done I have to at least hear or read Lake Superior State University’s “List of Banned Words for the New Year.” Now, I have to say that this year’s list wasn’t as funny as I expected it to be. One of the words that wasn’t on the list should have been the classic phase from Charlie Sheen, “Winning!” or maybe (and, not to offend anyone), “Rapture” from the Rapture Scare. Anyway, then comes another one of my traditions which is to see the last sunset of the year, because it signifies the end of the year and it’s time to have fun and party. This Year, I got to watch it with My Brother on a hill behind Wal-Mart(there aren’t many hills here in Plano). So, that was really awesome that My Brother and I could do that together. I love bonding time with My Brother. I even hugged him to thank him for doing that for me. After that, we went back home and ate dinner with Two Friends, they ate Crab Legs and I ate Turkey Enchiladas, which were yummy. Later on in the evening, around 9:00 I like to watch “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin‘ Eve” because I like to watch the ball drop in New York City and I do that until the last newscast at 10 (The News is at 10 in Central Time Zone, everywhere else it’s at 11). Following that, is the 2nd half of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin‘ Eve. Now, because of a show called Big D NYE on Dallas‘ ABC Station, they broadcast that until 12:30AM and then they show the second half, when it used to be Dick Clark, The News, and Dick Clark 2nd Half until 11:15 and then, Big D NYE would cut in. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve waited a long time for Dallas to have a New Year’s show but, I don’t want it to take over the 2nd half of Dick Clark. So, the alternative is to watch “Anderson Cooper’s New Year” on CNN, which by the way is equally funny because Kathy Griffin is on there and the look on Anderson Cooper’s face when Kathy Griffin does or says something really funny or not-so-funny, his face is priceless. Anyway, After New York’s New Years’, I then flip back over to “Big D NYE” to watch the countdown of Dallas‘ New Year and it results in an awesome firework show. All in all, I Love New Years! Out with the Old and In with the New! Also, 12 Grapes for good luck will help.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Hope you have a awesome 2012 and let me know what you think of this year’s new tagline, “The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes”        

The Christianville Spirit: Christian's Year-In-Review 2011

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparks Your Heart

December 28, 2011- TCS # 280

 Ok, Everyone. It’s that time of year again, it’s getting close to New Year's Eve, Watching the ball drop, hearing Lake Superior State’s hilarious “List of Banned Words” and, saying Happy New Year. Now, of course, before we celebrate and yell “Happy New Year!”, I feel it’s a tradition here at The Christianville Spirit to review the past year of 2011. Now, 2011, I have to say, was quite a crazy year both personally and in the news. Of course, we all know that some of this year was quite a struggle for many people but, I know that next year will be even better for us. So, without further a due, this is “Christian’s Year-in-Review 2011.” So, as with any year-in-review, we start in January. So, My Year of 2011 started off great because as I love to know I begin with a clean slate. At the beginning of the year, I started with the change of my Christianville Spirit tag line, I call a subline. My new 7th sub line was “The Spirit that Sparks Your Heart,”  in my newsletters, which by the way, My Brother helped come up with. On January 8, the same day as the Gabrielle Giffords shooting, I got to be a greeter at the Grand Re-Opening of the Courtyard Campus of Collin College, because it was an open house to show everyone the new parts of it that they had been building. On February 1-5, was what I called the “Super Bowl Historic Monster Storm,” in the Dallas area, in which it iced several inches, along with Negative Wind Chills, and on Friday, February 4, it snowed 6 Inches on top of the ice that was already on the ground. By the way, this “Monster Storm” caused My Mom to break her right wrist, because she wanted to take the trash out and just so she could go outside. We had already stayed in our house for a week. Of course, February 12 was Super Bowl 45, right here in Dallas, and it was awesome to have it here. On February 16, I started writing the “My Heros” series which, told of all the people who are heros to me. In the news, this month, President Mubarak of Egypt stepped down on February 16, due to protests now known as the “Arab Spring.”   On March 11, in the news was the Big 9.0 Earthquake in Japan, which caused a tsunami and a radiation disaster. Now, besides, My Mom’s 50th Birthday and the scare of My Uncle Brian’s Heart Attack on March 31, March and April were both a quiet month. In the news, on April 29 was the famous “Royal Wedding” of Prince William and commoner, Kate Middleton, which Everyone around the world was really excited about. In Late April was, in many people’s opinion, “The Tornado that no one will forget,” the EF-5 Tornado that struck Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Alabama. Actually, I saw the destruction later on this year and it was a pretty amazing site. On May 1, in the news, was the moment that Americans were waiting for, The Death of Osama Bin Laden. People in Washington, D.C. went into spontaneous celebration. Of Course, in My World, I was caught up in what I’ll called “The Rapture Scare”; where a preacher thought the rapture was going to happen on May 21, 2011. So, in response, I lived and counted down the last things I was going to do like, the Last Time seeing International Flights coming in at The Airport, the Last Dinner, and the Last Saturday. After the “Rapture Scare,” The STW (Spread the Word to End the Word) Girls, which were 3 College Girls taking a trip across the country teaching people about not using The R-Word (which is so offensive to people with special needs). Of Course, The Reason I called them the STW Girls was because they represented the organization, Spread The Word to End The Word. On the week of June 10-12, was what I called “PTLS Week” because it surrounded the PTLS Gathering in Raleigh, NC, which by the way was Awesome. Of Course, a lot of things came out of going to North Carolina for the PTLS Gathering but, one of the many was that I got to try North Carolinian BBQ and it was great. Finally, on June 30, Fox News Channel’s show, “Glenn Beck” ends it’s TV run. Now, The Month of July was an awesome, but quiet month, because on July 20 I got to met Dr. Jennifer Arnold from TLC’s “The Little Couple,” who by the way is a really nice person and friend, because I was going to go through the PTLS Study at Texas Children’s Hospital. In My World, On August 11 was My 24th Birthday which was an awesome day because I got a homemade book filled with postcards from all 50 States coordinated by My PTLS Aunts, Samantha Pennington and Shelly Jones. On August 2o, was My Uncle Craig’s Wedding to his longtime girlfriend, Kellie. We took a great road trip to Ohio for The Wedding, along the way we met up with My PTLS Aunt Samantha Pennington and the next day, met up with The Suchlands for Breakfast. On August 20, I found out that we have a new PTLS Family Member in one of My Favorite Countries, Norway. In the News, The first ever Hurricane(which was a Category 1) named Hurricane Irene struck New York City with luckily, not to much damage. September in My World was quiet but, in the news, the “Occupy Wall Street” Protests started in New York City on September 27. Also, the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 was on September 11. On October 20, In the News, Dictator Mommar Gaddafi of Libya was killed by rebel anti-Gaddafi forces that were sick of him and how he treated everyone.   Back in My World, on October 26 was My Brother, Michael’s 23rd Birthday and I wrote an awesome tribute to him in this newsletter. Finally, to end October, On October 31, the Palestinian Territory became part of the UN. In November was what I call “The Matching Date of The Year”, 11-11-11 on November 11. Now, this year’s “Matching Date” didn’t come without controversy, for example they closed the pyramids in Egypt to prevent people from doing, let’s just say, not-so-good rituals. The following day, November 12 was an awesome day because I got to meet another famous person, Samantha Brown of the Travel Channel, at the Travel and Adventure Show at the Dallas Convention Center. It was so awesome to get to meet her and she is one of my idols. Of Course, on November 16-20 was The 7th Annual “Christian’s Best Friend’s Festival”. One of the Highlights was on the Introduction of Friends and Michael’s Girlfriend was introduced. My Thanksgiving was awesome because My Grandma Honey and Uncle Brian coming here to Dallas for Thanksgiving, it was awesome to have them here. Now, I have to say that the highlight of Thanksgiving or at least one of them was that Michael’s Girlfriend made a homemade, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie and it was to die for. Of Course, we finally round to December, the month of My Favorite Time of Year. In Early December, I found out 2 years too late that My Friend and First Crush, Lynee died. so, that kind dampened my spirit for a while but, then I was okay. In The News, which I’ve sure that you’ve heard that North Korea’s Dictator, Kim Jong Il died and that I’m sure many are happy about. Now, as I said before this has been a very crazy year with enough Court Trails to make you wonder including Casey Anthony, Dr. Conrad Murray, and Amanda Knox’s trial in Italy. Also, we’ve had crazy stories like Anthony Wiener, Herman Cain, and others. Now, of course the news it may sound a bit negative but, I will tell something in the news, an update if you will. Remember, the story I told you about Rep. Gabrielle Giffords? She was shot in the head on January 8 and people thought that she was going to die or just be severely paralyzed but, as of December she is talking, doing okay, and returning to as much of a normal life as she can. And that, My Readers, I think would be the most heroic story of the news and it is amazing to me how she did that. So, yes, Gabby Giffords, I consider you a Hero of This Year and Our Time. Now, I was going to tell you about My Mom and I lovely candlelit dinner for Christmas which I called an “Italian Christmas” but, I think here is good way to end this year. All in All, We all have heros in the news that we know nothing about but, I think Gabby Giffords is the most amazing hero in the news and she tells us that you can overcome struggle and triumph over it, even if it takes a year.

( For the last time in 2011)

    

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. I hope you have a great year of 2011 and I’ll see you back here for another year of exciting, thought-provoking, and maybe even touching newsletters in 2012. See you then!

The Christianville Spirit: The Spirit of Christmas

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparks Your Heart

December 21, 2011- TCS # 279

OK, My Readers. It’s that time of year again and this time I mean it in the positive way. It’s a time of year that everyone knows, it happens on the last week of November, starting on Thanksgiving Day and lasts until New Year’s Day (though in some locations, like in Europe, it goes until January 6). Anyway, this time is year is known as The Holiday Season which also is my favorite time of the year because I love all the happiness and cheer, the lights, the music, and the children’s giddy excitement for Santa Claus. Now, about Santa Claus, if you asked people what they think of him or if they still believe in him, they’ll give you different answers. Some will say that they believe in him, which by the way I still do. Some will say he’s just a title card to America’s Commercialism and yes, a bit of that is true but, not all of it. And, others of course, will tell you that Santa isn’t real but oh my readers, he is real. You See, Santa isn’t ALL about Gifts but, he’s also GIVING, the Spirit of Giving and The Spirit of Christmas, that’s what makes him Santa. Of Course, if everyone just got gifts for themselves and not give to others, then there wouldn’t be Santa Claus or even Christmas, my favorite time of year. In fact, it would probably be the end of the world for me if that happened. But, here’s what I was thinking for the believers of Santa, we all know that Santa comes magically across the world on one night and when we wake up Christmas Morning, we find presents from Santa to Us. But, remember what I said about The Spirit of Giving?, well here’s my question, what does Santa get for Christmas? Most people will think,“Gee, I don’t know” and us believers would say either “The Gift of Sleep”(from traveling the world in one night), “His Wife, Mrs. Claus”, and “A 6 month Vacation”. And, yes those are all wonderful but, does he get any presents? because that would be weird if The Elves made him something from his Toy Work Shop. So, what does he get for Christmas, generally or from us? In most of Santa Movies I’ve seen, I know that he gets a lot of Santa Letters from kids and on Christmas Morning, he enjoys watching us open our gifts and watch the giddy laugher of kids opening their presents. but, for him, as depicted in the movies, that’s good enough. But, I think that he should get a real present, just like we get from him because remember isn’t all about presents, it’s also about Giving and if your a Christian, there’s also Christ’s Birth and that, My Readers is what Christmas is all about. All in all, for the record, you don’t always have to use “Happy Holidays” and I’ve came up with a greeting that respects everyone, “Merry Christma-Hanu-kwanza” or “Merry Christmas-Hanukah-Kwanza”

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Merry Christmas-Hanukah-Kwanza 

The Christianville Spirit: My Fascination of Airports

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparks Your Heart

December 14, 2011- TCS # 278

The thing that I’m going to write on this week, is something I’ve wanted to write about for a while. As most of you know, I love to Travel and everything about Travel so this is no different. This is about what I’ll call “My Fascination of Airports”. Now, of course, it’s not only the airport itself which can be amazing in it’s own and that’s just many of the fascinations. But, the first Fascination is it’s connections, which airlines do and don’t fly there, and which to use for certain routes. All of this comes from reading countless of logs in the “Airlines and Destinations” section of a Wikipedia article about airports that I’m interested in. Now, the route’s that I love are the many airlines and routes to Oslo-Gardermoen Airport (considering how much I love Norway) and two months ago, the fact of Air France flying from Paris-Charles de Gaulle to Cancun, Mexico. Anyway, on the Oslo front, I could tell you the 4 ways to get from Dallas to Oslo. They are as follows..

• British Airways: Dallas to London-Heathrow, London to Oslo
• Continental Airlines: Dallas to Newark-Liberty and Newark-Liberty to Oslo
• Air France: Dallas-Atlanta, Atlanta-Paris, Paris-Oslo

So, if you ever want to fly that route, now you know how. Now, when reading the connections of the airport and figuring out different ways to get somewhere, I have phrases for how many connections you have to make to get to your destination. Of Course, we all know that, “Direct Connection” which is easy as pie (which I learned in my figurative language class) but, for example with flying from Dallas to Oslo, there’s usually more than one connection. For one connection, I use the phrase, “One-fer” like the Continental route is “one-fer” because you just have to connect in Newark. The phase I use is for two connections is “two-fer”. An example of that would be Air France or Air Canada flying Dallas to Toronto-Pearson, to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and finally to Oslo. After, “Two-fer” is “three-fer” but, I try not to exceed a “two-fer”, because that’s too long of a trip just to get somewhere. I’m sure, you can tell that I know a lot of the names of the airports which also fascinate me because it tells you about the culture and language of the city or country. Now, I can also tell you the names of the major airports in Europe except for Amsterdam’s which I would rather call, “Amsterdam Airport”. The ones I can tell you are London-Heathrow, Rome-Fiumicino(I call it, Roma-Fiumicino because I like to say, “Rome” in Italian), Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Oslo-Gardermoen, and Stockholm-Arlanda. Of Course, driving on Google Maps Street View to Airports is fascinating to because not only do you get to see the entry signs but, you also get to learn the layout of the Airport and act as if you’re going on a real trip. I think the most fascinating airport is Paris- Charles de Gaulle because of how large and big Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport is. It’s because they have 3 Terminals with Terminal 1 being a work of art and Terminal 2...well, good luck finding where your flight is, because Terminal 2 has separate terminal buildings that are all connected that go from 2A to 2F. Terminal 2G is the only one that doesn’t connect with it’s other sisters of Terminal 2. In fact, in Wikipedia, I read that you have to ride a bus to the other sisters of Terminal 2. So, I’m sure Paris-CDG as they call in shorthand is very confusing but, it is by far, fascinating. Of Course, if you want to see the airport of your dreams, according to Anthony Bourdain, check out Singapore Airport because it has a pool, movies, a media room to watch TV, a spa, and much more. In Fact, Anthony Bourdain says that, “Singapore Airport is worth getting there a couple hours early for.” So, as you can see, Airports are more than just a place that planes fly into and people walk through to get to their destinations. All in all, all Airports are fascinating is one way or another, you just to have to look.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Airports are about Connections, Get Connected!                 

The Christianville Spirit: The Parting of a Friend

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparks Your Heart

December 7, 2011- TCS # 277

So, Last Night, I found out something that struck and shocked me. You See, as I was looking up things on the internet, like the Lauren Scruggs thing, since I thought I went to school with her and because her name sounded familiar. But, when I couldn’t figure it out, I looked in my elementary school yearbook for her picture. Then I asked myself, “I wonder where Lynee is now?” You see, Lynee was one of my very best friends in elementary school. In fact, I had a crush on her. So, I googled her and then, I found something I really didn’t want to believe. It turned out that she died 2 years ago on May 23, 2008, when she was 20. Now, for those of you who don’t know who I’m talking about, I’ve mentioned her before in previous newsletters. You see, back in the great childhood days at Harrington Elementary, I had the biggest crush on Lynee and in fact, it was My First Crush, but I never told her. I would talk and hang out with her at school but, at that time, I wasn’t as Sociable as I am now so, we were just good friends. She and I met in the 4th Grade and she had to move in middle of 5th Grade so, she didn’t get to graduate from elementary school with me. I remember when we had our 5th Grade class picture. I remember now, just from looking at the picture in the yearbook, and I requested that I HAD to sit next to Lynee. I remember the times, while jumping on the trampoline, telling My Brother, Izzy, Alex, as well the Herrick Girls about how much I had a crush on Lynee, and they would playfully shout “Lynee, Lynee, Lynee” and I would blush. After she left Harrington, I was pretty upset about her leaving. Anyway, it was several years later at Jasper Junior High School, sitting in an Aqua Science Class, when role was being called the teacher said, “Lynee Watson” and I thought, “Lynee Watson...?” It took a minute to register in My Head and I looked behind when she said, “Here.” I thought, “Wow, it is her, the girl I crushed on, was my best friend, and went to Harrington with”. So, when I got home, I told My Mom. She asked, “Did she recognize you?” and I told her that I didn’t think so. After getting up the nerve to talk to her days later, I went up to her and told her who I was to jog her memory, and she DID remember. After that, I don’t remember if she was in class anymore, she just disappeared and that was it, I never saw her again. So, I think a couple years ago, I looked her up online and it just gave me her Myspace page but, at that time I wasn’t into Myspace, I was more into IMing friends (by the way, IM means Instant Messaging). So last night when I found out that she had died, it took me by surprise. Of Course, how I found out was that I found an Obituary that said Lynee (middle name) Watson but, the problem was I didn’t know her middle name, however, the picture looked like her. When My Mom saw it, she said that it was her. So, it left me pretty bummed and sad about it because like I said, she was my first crush and she was Very Important to me. What is sadder is that I never told her that I liked her. 

So, when I went to Bed, I said My Prayers and I said, “I Love You, God and I Love You too, Lynee”. So, Now she knows how I felt. All in All, Lynee will be missed a lot.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Never let a moment slip by without telling others that you Like or Love them.

The Christianville Spirit: Thanksgiving 2011

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparks Your Heart

November 30, 2011- TCS # 276

Hello again, My Readers. I hope you had as much of an awesome Thanksgiving as I did. Yes, I had an awesome Thanksgiving; that’s why I didn’t write last week. You See, My Thanksgiving was awesome because of what we’ll call a rare chance. Usually, in our family because of the distance of them living in Atlanta and us being here, we usually go to Atlanta for Thanksgiving or Christmas because The Family is more close by and we can have more people in the family come. But, however there are those glorious once-in-a-blue-moon times when they actually come here to Dallas instead. Also, another special treat to it, was not only was Grandma Honey coming (which usually it’s just her) but, Uncle Brian came as well. Now, the last time that Uncle Brian came to Texas was when My Brother and I were little  and the other time was when My Dad and Mom got married. So, this was his first time in Dallas. Anyway, so they came in on Tuesday Afternoon and once they got here; we hung out, talked, and showed them where My Brother Worked for them to see what it was like. On Wednesday was the fun day (Well, at least for me) because My Brother and I took Uncle Brian on a tour of Downtown Dallas to show him the city and he thought it was really cool. When We toured the city, we showed the major places like Deep Ellum (Uncle Brian is a music guy and My Brother is an art guy, it’s a perfect combination for both of them), The Arts District, Where JFK was shot, JFK Memorial, The West End, and the American Airlines Center. On the tour, He noticed something in Downtown that I just would overlook, he said, “There’s a lot of Construction happening down here” and he’s right, there is a lot of Construction down in Dallas. Of Course, also on Wednesday, Grandma Honey got a massage from Kathy, My Mom’s Business Partner since they do Medical Massage, which made her feel so much better and has kept her out of pain to this day. On Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, we watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and even Miracle on 34th Street (Which I had never seen before) and then, after My Brother and Paula got off from work, they came home and we had dinner. So, we had Thanksgiving dinner with Our Friend, Carol, Michael and His Girlfriend, Grandma Honey, Uncle Brian, and I, it was a lot of fun. I think the highlight of it was that I tried a pie that I’ve never had before called Strawberry Rhubarb Pie homemade because it’s a tradition in Michael’s Girlfriend's Family to make it and she decided to share it with us. Of Course, after dinner, we Skype’d with my Uncle Bruce and Uncle Craig so they could meet Paula.  All in all, I hope you had an awesome Thanksgiving and for My Readers who live in Countries that don’t celebrate it, You were thought of at our table.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Thanksgiving is about giving Thanks. Be Thankful for What You Have.   

The Christianville Spirit: Meeting Samantha Brown/Best Friends Festival

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparks Your Heart

November 16, 2011- TCS # 275

So, a Couple Weeks ago, I saw a commercial on TV about something I’ve never heard of before and with someone awesome in it. The funny thing about this event was about something I had mentioned weeks before. Weeks before I went the event called The Travel and Adventure Show, Anthony Bourdain was going be in town for a talk. I wasn’t sure about going to see him but, as I told My Mom, “If Samantha Brown came to town and did something like that, I would definitely go”. Well, it turned that she was going to present at The Travel and Adventure Show on the Saturday after 11-11-11 here in Dallas. So, I researched it and it told me she was going to there around 12:15PM at the Dallas Convention Center. I found out that she was going to talk about her adventures in travel and what she learned then, she would have a meet and greet afterwords. Well, Sign Me Up! Anyway, My Mom and I drove down there, while trying to avoid the “Occupy” people, we got a bit lost because we didn’t know where they were and we wanted to avoid them. Anyway, so we got there and we got to see her, Samantha Brown, LIVE! Now, I have to say, the fact of meeting 2 celebrities in a Calendar Year is quite amazing but, it’s a different feeling seeing them on Television versus Live. You See, the thing about seeing them on TV is that you think, “Oh, I’m never going on meet them in Real Life” or “Just because their on TV, doesn’t mean their real”. Well, I’ll tell you, these people are Real. Of Course, the fact of meeting the one and only, Samantha Brown is quite big and yes, it was Awesome! What makes Samantha Brown so important is that she is funny to watch and listen to. I mean, as I told her, “I started watching her when I discovered The Travel Channel.” At the time when I discovered it, I found the show, Great Hotels and later on, Passport to Europe. When I was watching her talk, she said some pretty funny things and yes, I even learned stuff from her. One of the things I learned from her was what she called, “The 3 Things she Never Leaves home without”. The First thing on her list was Ear Plugs and as she says, “Not the fancy ones” because at one time she had noise-canceling headphones and they got stolen. So, she says to bring the small soft ones because, “No One will steal used earplugs”. The next thing on her list was a small rubber exercise ball and you lay on it and let them roll up and down your back, she says that it helps you quite a bit. The final thing on her list is Peanut Butter and she says that you can never go wrong with Peanut Butter because it goes with everything. Of Course, when traveling, to start conversations with locals, you make them Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches because first of all, it’s a great conversation starter and it’ll help show them what Americans eat and in return they’ll show you what they eat. Samantha Brown says that, “The rest of The World doesn’t know Peanut Better and Jelly like us Americans do” so, she says to share them with The World and yes, they’ll think it’s sounds disgusting but, they’ll like it and in a way, that’s a payback for eating something disgusting of their culture so, Everyone Wins and no one is insulted. Anyway, I want to thank Samantha Brown for being so kind to take time to talk with me, Take my Picture, and acknowledge me when I ran into her at the hotel. I really appreciate her kindness. 

On another note, Today began the beginning of what I call, the 7th Annual Christian’s Best Friends Festival which is my way on honoring my friends both special and the ones that I made this year. The following people were introduced at The Presentation of Friends and Friends made this year at The Best Friends‘ Festival..

• New PTLS Family Members
• Aunt Samantha and Aunt Shelly
• Aunt Christina
• Michael and I’s Friend, Spencer
• Michael’s Friend, Cass
• Samantha Brown
• Dr. Jen Arnold

       All in all, Meeting Samantha Brown was really awesome and yes, she is nice as she says she is

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Make Friends and Celebrate The Ones You Have

The Christianville Spirit: Memorable Dates

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparks Your Heart

November 9, 2011- TCS # 274

So, I’m sure that you have noticed that a Special Date is coming up, 11-11-11 or what I call, “The Matching Date of The Year.” I call it that because it shows the Month, the Day, and the Year matching. This “Matching” has been happening since 2001, some of them were 1-1-1, 3-3-3(God’s Number), 6-6-6 (Satan’s Number), 9-9-9 and so on. And, it goes all the way to 12-12-12 in 2012. However, to many people, this year’s 11-11-11 brings a lot of Thought and Concern. You See, it has a lot of meaning to different people. for example Some People see it as the luckiest day of the year (which by the way, casinos are craving for), Some see it as Warning of something to come (like something to do with 2012 or The Rapture), and yes that does include those who think The Rapture could occur between now and 11-11-11. Of Course, the reason on that is because the bible scripture, Revelation 11:11. Anyway, there is No Doubt though that something is going to happen because it has the number 11 in it. Now, Why do I say that?, Because, believe it or not, it’s true. You See, according to Numerologists, the number 11 is one of the strongest numbers in the system, that and they also say that big events happen on the 11th of the month. The Most Famous example used is 9/11, The Attacks were on September 11, The First flight to strike the Twin Towers was Flight 11, the Twin Towers like an 11. Other things related to it, the following words have 11 letters in it; New York City has 11 Letters, Afghanistan has 11, and The Pentagon has 11 Letters. A Final Example of 11 is that The President of Egypt was taken down on March 11 of 2011. Now, Of Course, I don’t mean to scare you but, I have to say that the stuff I wrote above is actually quite fascinating. By The Way, if you’d like to know, I found this from someone who called The Glenn Beck Radio Program named “Gary The Numbers Guy” who was warning about 11-11-11 and provided the evidence about the things that happened on the 11th of each month. Anyway, that’s how I found the information about all this. All in All, all of this information is quite fascinating and it’s not just a Coincidence because Everything Happens for A Reason.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Dates can be important to people for many different reasons, take note of it. 

The Christianville Spirit: Why We Have Children

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparks Your Heart

November 2, 2011- TCS # 273

You Know, Those moments that drive you crazy?, like on an airplane and you have Babies surrounding you crying. Yea, you’ve been there and so has everyone else. Of Course, The Mother’s not doing anything to help (and, believe me there are ways to help, without kicking them off the plane). Anyway, you have so much frustration that you ask, “Why do We (or They) have Children?!?”. Now, I know some of you are thinking, “Christian, Why would you think of asking an absurd question like that?”. Well, because it actually has meaning to it. Now, of course being a child myself, I can tell you that their are some people who don’t like children and some that would rather have their animals as their children because as those people  say, “their easier to take care of”. Now, I’m going to focus on not the part of having children but, the part of what they bring to us. So, here’s my list on the epic question, “Why do we have Children?”

• They teach us that It is okay to cry to something
• They bring us the lighter and cuter side of Halloween as opposed the scary side with Adults
• They tell us that it’s okay to release your imagination without ridicule
• Their Smiles around The Holiday Season; anxiously awaiting Santa Claus to come, brings us, what we call “Christmas Spirit” and they know all about it.
• They let us adults become kids sometimes. Now, of course doing it all the time make you look immature or weird. But, it’s okay to do it every once in a while  
• They teach us to slow down a bit and stop and “Smell The Roses”. Meaning stop and enjoy what is in front of you
• They’ll let you join them to watch their shows like “Spongebob Squarepants” and laugh along with it
• and, Finally, it’s okay to go see a Disney Movie because it’ll teach both you and them about the finer things in life.

You Know, when I was growing up; now that I think about it. Whenever I’d watch a show like Rugrats on Nickelodeon, how they would interpret Adults was as Boring Business People and they ran all over the place in Rush of Life. Well, I guess that’s a big reason why we have children, to slow us down. All in All, the next time, “The Airplane Baby” episode happens, remember those those things and if all else, figure out a way to help them without frustrating the poor mother.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Enjoy the Children that you have. You can both learn from each other.        

The Christianville Spirit: In My Brother, Michael's Honor

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparks Your Heart

October 27, 2011- TCS # 272

So, I’m sure that a lot of You, My lovely readers were thinking last night, “Where is Christian’s Newsletter?” because it usually is released on Wednesday and it hasn’t come out. Well, first off sorry for the late release but, yesterday was My Brother, Michael’s birthday and I wanted to celebrate with him. So, in honor of My Brother, I’m going to write about him. I guess it’s my way of wishing him Happy Birthday other than a Birthday Card (which I got him also). You See, My Brother, Michael has been my brother since October 26 of 1988 and I’ve loved it ever since. Now, yes My Brother drives me a little crazy sometimes but, that’s normal. It’s called “Brotherly Love”, it’s the best love you can get from a man without going overboard. So, Here’s something I didn’t think about until now. Last Night I was watching a recording of Erin Burnett OutFront on CNN, She interviewed someone who did a study about siblings, apparently Siblings are the most influential people of your life and here’s the shocker; Even more than Your Parents or Friends. At first, when I heard that I didn’t believe it because I thought your parents were the most influential but, it’s your siblings. I remember one time when I was younger, we were driving the road in San Antonio when I saw a nice neighborhood entrance that had Live Oak Trees that had good trucks for Pictures and I told My Dad, “I wanted to take pictures of Me and My “Beautiful Brother” so, we turned around and we stopped to take pictures; They actually turned out pretty great. Now, at that time My Brother didn’t really want to take pictures, he just wanted to get home and play video games. Of Course, now that My Brother and I have grown older he and I are both very proud of each other. My Brother is so proud that he can help explain about me and PTLS to as he knows about it and here’s the toucher for me, he calls it by name. Of Course, sometimes when I mention a PTLS Family Members‘ Name, he forgets sometimes and asks “Who’s that?”. Then, My Mom or I have reminder him who they are. To show how proud I am of My Brother, in The City of Christianville, I even named a major street in downtown after him called W. Michael St. and I’ve made it the street where people hang out and there’s entertainment. Another showing of how proud I am of him is that he made me a shirt for My Birthday with a drawing of how he depicted me and I wear it quite often. Sometimes, I even show it to some of his friends to see what they think and they think it’s awesome. For some reason, however the only problem is that I commonly misspell his as “Micheal” instead of “Michael”. All in all, I had an awesome by My Brother last night and I wouldn’t trade him for The World, he is AWESOME!

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. A relationship with Your Sibling is very influential. Cherish it!   

The Christianville Spirit: My Thoughts on Anti-Bulling

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparks Your Heart

October 19, 2011- TCS # 271

So, My Readers, I’m going to Write to You about a View that I have about something. This is about getting along with and making Friends. You See, with most people with Special Needs, there is an issue about Staring at or feeling uneasy about talking to us people with Special Needs, Disabilities, or “Intellectual Disabilities”. I heard something a couple days ago, that they said on CNN as a preview to Anderson Cooper’s Anti-Bullying Campaign and they said that people bully because they think, “Someone who is different is Scary”. Now, even I can understand that with others with Special Needs but, that’s because (that least for me), I would be most afraid of offending that person by something I say or If I want to discuss what Special Needs they have. Of Course, considering that people were nicer in My Day, I really didn’t have any issues making or having friends. After My Mom explained to them about what I had (which at that time was just known as Dup17p11.2) and they wanted to play and hang out with me. I mean, Our Neighbors that lived next to us when we lived at Mr. Jeff’s House or now known as Our Childhood Friends, one of them offered to beat up a kid who was bullying in 5th Grade. Now, as far as the bullying front goes, I’ve only been bullied once by kids in the 5th Grade and they kept throwing spit balls at me. As a Young Adult, I still have many of same friends and ones that I had since High School. Of Course, the new ones I make like hanging out with me and I’m thankful to My Brother also helping his friends understand me because they like to hang out with me when they come over to jam with My Brother. As My Mom says, however, I do a good job ignoring those people who don’t understand me. Usually, I do that only if people don’t understand me, don’t try to understand me, or lean over to My Mom and ask, “What did he say?” instead of asking me to repeat myself. I mean, I don’t feel like I should waste my time with People who don’t understand, so I just shut down and ignore them. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do make good friends and I talk to them often. When I was Young, I didn’t understand what was going on because I always saw the good in People and I didn’t see the Bad. Now, that I’m a Young Adult, I still see the good in people because it’s the way My Brain is wired and it’s not really my choice. However, If I did have the choice I would stay the same. However, I’m also aware of the bad people of The World and People being bullied and it bothers me. I’m also unfortunately aware of all the mean words against people including those with Special Needs which is used often. But, I don’t want you to think that I do so. All in all, Just because people have gotten meaner since My Day doesn’t mean that you should be Mine also.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Just because your child has Special Needs doesn’t mean that they see the Negative in Everyone. You’d be surprised to see that they don’t see the evil in People.       

The Christianville Spirit: How to Become an Honorary Local

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparks Your Heart

October 12, 2011- TCS # 270

So, I was watching this show on The History Channel called Around The World in 80 Ways, it’s about these Americans who travel The World using 80 ways in Transportation like a Zip-Line or Monster Truck. Anyway, on the show Last Sunday, there was one point of the show where their walking down the street of Rio De Janeiro, asking in English, “Do you know a Good Restaurant?”, “Do You speak English?” and most people answered “No” or didn’t know what they were saying. After a couple tries, one of guys says something along the lines of “Speak Spanish because they speak it here” and the other guy responds “This is Brazil, They speak Portuguese”. Anyway, I thought about that part of the show, late that night and I thought, “Learn or at least TRY to speak the Language!”. So, I going to tell you what I think in what I’ll call “How to Become an Honorary Local”. The first thing is the Language of The Country or to us Americans, known as the “Language Barrier”. Learning the Language can accomplished to two ways, You can earn extra points with the locals if you learn The Language and have a conversation. Now, of Course that is harder than it looks to learn a whole new language and you don’t have to learn the whole thing if you don’t want to. But, know enough to have a good conversation and that is the most you can do to impress them. The next way is the easier way and it shows that at least your trying to learn the Language, which in turn will impress the locals. You know those Language Guidebooks they have at the book store, you should get one to help you speak the language because can that help. Of Course, there are other options including your own iPod or iPad(I have the iTranslate app), There’s Google Translate, and finally, having a Personal Translator come with You. But, it doesn’t matter what method you use as long as you Try to speak it and it’ll impress them as well as show Respect towards their country and them. Of Course, luckily in some countries in The World like in certain places in Europe do speak English but, more as a second language and their language first. In that situation, because you don’t know if they speak English, talk to them in the national language and then, ask in their language if they speak English. Now, the only problem with trying to speak a language and how to find the right way to say something is pronunciation of the word or phrase. So, My advice is to the do the best you can or it helps to say “How do You Say...”. In Spanish (because it’s the language I hear the most) it’s “Como se dice’...”. So, the next thing to become an Honorary Local is often overlooked and can get you in Trouble, considering how certain places feel around Americans. Now, any Lady reader will jump at this one, it’s mostly Looking and Dressing like them. Of Course, to Women that means Shopping! And to Men, well what can you do. However, though (both Men and Women) it’s for a good cause. Now, looking like a Local is no easy feat because it requires more research on the country that your going to and figuring out what they wear. The general rule of packing of what to wear, is wear nothing that makes you look American, including; Tennis Shoes, T-shirts, anything with the American Flag (by the way, that’s not a good thing for me because I have many of them), or anything that makes you stand out. Now, because they may or may not sell the clothes that locals where in that country, you wear comfy clothes to get there and then, find Local Clothes at The Airport or a store once you settle in at The Hotel. After you’ve done the Language and Clothes, then comes the fun part and that is Join In with the traditions of where your at or also People Watch to see how Locals behave and Imitate them (without making fun of or mocking them). The final thing deals when it comes to Eating and that is pretty easy, Just watch those around you how they eat and eat like them. Now, why am I telling you this? Because in some countries, they can tell that your a tourist or not from around by the way you eat. All in All here, The Most Important thing is to have some respect toward the country of where your at and it’s people.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. When in a new country, do what the Locals do.               

The Christianville Spirit: My Thoughts on Halloween

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparks Your Heart

October 5, 2011-TCS # 269

So, As most of you know, it’s that time of year again. Now, usually I write that during the Holiday Season but, this time I mean Halloween which is My Least Favorite time of year. You See, I’ve always had some kind of dislike of the holiday known as Halloween, even when I was younger but, I hate it more now than I did. There are several things that I don’t like about it. First, the scariness of it, like for example, Haunted Houses, Anything with Blood in it, and stuff that it seems like it came out of a Horror Movie. Next, the thing that bugs me the most, Costumes. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind seeing the cute ones of Children and I can see their face. But, I don’t like the Masks, any kind of Mask; Scary Ones, That Scream Mask that bleeds(that by the way, makes me sick), Alien Masks, and any other kind of Mask. I don’t like Masks because I like to see the persons face, I mean it’s weird when your used to talking to a person’s face, instead your talking to a Mask or when someone says, “Talk to The Hand”, I’d rather not talk to a Hand. Now, because I told you this, I should tell you that I did do it when I was a Child but, I didn’t really comprehend how much I hate Halloween now than when I was younger. I can tell you that the only thing I like about Halloween is the candy, especially the Caramel Candy Corn. My Mom would always say, when I asked “Why do we have Halloween?”, She would say, “It was to celebrate the Fall Harvest but, I think that Satan got a hold of it and made it scary”. I think one of the reason I don’t like Halloween more now Vs. When I was Younger is because Halloween was a little more innocent then. Now, It’s more scarier than it was. Now, believe it or not, I do have a Favorite Halloween Memory (even I don’t like Halloween) from when I was Younger. You See, My Brother, The Barsi Kids(Mr. Jeff’s Kids),The Herricks and I were one of the lucky children of Plano because we could run through four yards without running into a fence and we lived on a cul-de-sac. So one year, We decided to have a Halloween Block Party on our Cul-de-sac. After it was all set up, we ate dinner at the table on the cul-de-sac then, they assigned one of the parents to take a group of us kids to go Trick-or-Treating. After we went Trick-or-Treating, we went back to the party, we hung out for a while, and then we went back inside. However, that was a fun Halloween. All in all, try to remember that not everyone likes Halloween, it can be a scary thing especially for those who can’t express themselves.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Try to step into others ‘ Shoes. You might see a different world.         

The Christianville Spirit: The Way My Mind Works

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparks Your Heart

September 28, 2011- TCS # 268

So, I know that You may think that what I’m going to about write on This Week is really weird but, this is what I like to do. You See, As I’ve told you before, I “Cyber Travel” on Google Maps’ Street View and I can “Drive” on it for Days or Hours on end. So, I thought I would explain the science of how My Mind works when I do it. Usually, the first thing I do is decide where I want to go, Do I just want to see an Airport?, Cross an International Border? (like Mexico or Canada back to The US; or, drive across borders in Europe), “Go on Vacation?” like driving through Cancun and seeing the turquoise water of The Caribbean. Another one would driving along The French Rivera from Italy; There are many places that I could go but, I go where ever Street View is available. To give you an Example, I’ll write to you as if I’m driving on it. This is based on an actual trip I did with a little twist. So, I start in a chosen town and land on a street in a chosen neighborhood. Let’s say the location is a town south of Fredrikstad, Norway. So, I start driving in a beautiful neighborhood in the woods and then, I drive on a National Highway getting to E-18(or sometimes, I call it, E-highway 18). Once I get to E-18 (while looking at the front and back of the road signs along the way), I read the sign, E-18 south: GØteburg and Swedish Border or E-18 north: Oslo, I take the south exit. I drive down the road looking at all the surroundings of the last 20 Kilometers of Norway, “The Happiest Country in The World”. Once I get near the border I get off shortly and look around at the last exit going south and first exit going north of Norway. Then, I get on E-18 south to continue to Sweden; I read the signs and talk to myself about them or read them in a Scandinavian Accent. Like, there’s a Toll Booth when leaving Norway going into Sweden and the sign says it cost NOK 20 (talking to myself I say, “NOK means Norwegian Krone”) which by the way is the currency of Norway. Anyway, as I cross into Sweden, I look back and read the sign that says “Norway” in Norwegian and Sami; And, I read it how Norwegians pronounce it, “Nor-gae” or “Norge” in Swedish. After driving a couple Kilometers I do what I call “Skipping Around” where I get out of Street View and scan the Google Maps to get to another area like seeing the Signs of GÖteburg (or Gothenburg in English), skip some more to Malmö and drive across the Öresund Bridge into Denmark (Danmark in Danish) then, I get off what is now, E-20 and drive to Copenhagen Airport. After driving to Copenhagen Airport, I fly to Newark, NJ on Continental Airlines and then fly to Dallas/Fort Worth International (or D/FW Airport to locals in Dallas) and do what I call “Reintroducing Myself to America”. So, I say the speed sign, Interstate Sign, US Highway Sign, and State Highway/Route and I say the following “Miles per Hour(Because I came from Kilometers an Hour), American Interstates (like Interstate 35 or I-35), United States Highways (like US 75), and US State of Texas, Texas State Highway (like State Highway 121)”. Finally, I drive into Grapevine which is north of D/FW Airport on 121 to Bass Pro Road and drive to end of the road. At the end of the road, is what I call a “Transfer Station”, where a helicopter picks me up and takes me to another “Transfer Station” near my house and I drive home once I land at the “Transfer Station.” By the way, I imagine the “Transfer Station” as way of getting somewhere really quickly. Finally, I drive home and do what I call “Killing The Trip”(which is when I move on and go on another trip). Anyway, I hope this gives you an idea of what is going on in my head when I Cyber Travel. All in all, I take wonderful imaginary trips around The World with the help of Google Maps and Street View.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Enjoy the World around You, Take an imaginary trip somewhere.

The Christianville Spirit: People and Animals in Distress

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparks Your Heart

September 21, 2011- TCS # 267

So, This Week I’m going to tell you something that is Personal to me, Something that bothers me. I think I need to write about this because it’ll help you greater understand me. The thing that bothers me is called Humans and Animals in Distress; For Example, People screaming because they’re in danger, about to die, or stuck in something like a capsule or anything. Another Example would be Animals making noises because they’re hurt or being taken. It’s why I don’t see Action or Horror Movies because that stuff just doesn’t interest me. Most of My Life, I’ve felt this way about it; As I describe it now I “feel what Other People are feeling”. If I see Adults, Children, or  a Baby that is crying I feel what they’re feeling and it upsets me. Feeling what Others feel at times to me can become an annoyance. However, it is a blessing because if someone who is Sad talks to me about how they feel, I can relate to them. I think the first time I saw a person distress I think was watching a show on Nickelodeon called Are You Afraid of The Dark? And this kid had a dream of walking in a graveyard and he fell into a wooden coffin and the coffin closed, he banged on the wood while being buried alive and then, the dream ended. By the way, this show in My Day (being the 90’s) was Rated TV-Y7 and I must have been around that age when I saw it. Another Time was watching the Movie, Hook (Again, a Movie that was in my day) in the beginning when the guy is shoved into the treasure chest and then, he is saying,“Help” and medal things are being dropped in. I should mention that at the time, it was a kids movie. As far as Animals in distress go; I hate watching them be stolen from the owner, or just hearing Animals whine and being killed for food. The worst example was on Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations on the Puerto Rico episode where they have a Roast in the forest and Anthony is seen carrying The Animal in a bag, while squirming and making the noise that the animal makes then, later he shoves a spear in it. All in All, Having PTLS makes me very sensitive to how People and Animals feel. 

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Be more Sensitive to how People feel and They’ll appreciate You.      

The Christianville Spirit: When The World Stopped Turning

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparks Your Heart

September 14, 2011- TCS # 266

So, As most of You know, This past Sunday was September 11th, but, this year’s “9/11 Anniversary” is different than ones in the years before. This Year was different because it’s been exactly 10 Years since 9/11 happened, which makes My own Memory of it stronger because it was a decade ago. So, with Allen Jackson’s Song Where were You when The World Stopped Turning playing in my head when I think about My Memories of The Day. Now, I’m writing this because I have a better understanding of the events of 9/11 because, as I told My Mom, I was too immature to understand it. So, hear it goes; It started as a normal Tuesday Morning, it was a school day and I was in 8th Grade. I remember this because one of My Crushes named Ali was in that classroom. Anyway, it was a day of the usual routine, of getting ready for school, while Good Morning America was playing on TV. Then, we drove off to school listening to KISS-FM (which at that time, was clean music and clean comedy). Anyway, so right after class started at Rice Middle School in Mrs. Parker’s Class, the principal said something that still rings in my head every year, “Attention: Teachers and Students, I’m sure that you have heard about what’s happened in New York...” The Teacher’s aids behind me started talking about it saying something like, “Oh!, I heard about that!”, The Principal continued “...Teachers, You may turn on your TV and watch it for a couple minutes then, You should continue with Class”. Now, Fortunately and Unfortunately we had a TV in the room but, we didn’t turn it on and watch. Luckily, we didn’t do so because I was already scared by the announcement and what I see of it now, I’m very thankful because it would have scarred me for life. Anyway, I continued on with my day, not really knowing much about what was happening. Then, late in the day, I walked into My Technology Class (which, by the way, at that time was one of My Favorite Classes) and I saw what was on TV. On the TV, there was smoke rising out of New York City but, nothing was there. After class started, the teacher turned the TV off and we played at My Favorite Module (Weather and Aviation) which was playing The Flight Simulator where I could fly around places and see the skylines. Anyway, when I got home, I finally got a chance to see what happened and I was shocked at it. After seeing all that, I wondered what was going to happen next and what would we do about it. At that time I thought we were just going to go to War but, there were a lot of scared people including My Mom and me . Anyway, that is My Story of where I was on September 11, 2001 (also known as 9/11) and All in all, I will never forget what happened or where I was when it happened. Will you? 

   

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Cherish each Day and Love Everyone. Because those who perished on 9/11 were so loved by so many

The Christianville Spirit: The Most Welcoming Countries to those with Special Needs

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparks Your Heart

September 7, 2011- TCS # 265

So, as most of you know, I’m what I call a Geography Lover; So, it shouldn’t be a surprise when I write what I’m going to tell you. You See, being a Geography Lover also means (at least for me) that you like statistics about a country’s progress, developing, and how it treats it’s citizens. I enjoy Stats just like most men enjoy Stats about  Baseball or Football. But, the Stats I like are more like, which country’s people are happiest, the most developed, most peaceful, and now for My own reference, The Countries that are most receptive to People with Special Needs. Now, I know that the word, “Receptive” is the statistical term for it, but there’s something about that word that I don’t like because to me it sounds like that country is forced to like or are paid to be interviewed for the list to say “yes” to being “Receptive” to People with Special Needs so they get a good rating. So, I would like more, the word “Kind or Welcoming” to us. Anyway, This list that I found as a Gallup Interview that interviewed around 100 people in 112 countries, came up with a list of Countries that are The Most Welcoming to People with Special Needs. Now, I bet your asking “Why should I (The Reader) or You (Christian) care about that?” Well, I care because it gives me many ideas. You See, If I ever wanted to visit or move to another country for something different, I’d want to know if that country would be for My Benefit and how well they would handle or take to me. Most Parents with anyone with Special Needs should at least take a look at the list to see the country your visiting, moving to, or living in think about People with Special Needs. This is important because as a parent or child, you’ll want to know how easy or hard it is to get a job; how general people will accept you; How the doctors will treat you or if your diagnosed with something, label you; and, lastly, how people will handle you, if you have a problem you need the answer to. Of Course, For those in a wheelchair, it’s even more important because how high (which is good on the list) or low on the list the country is tells you how the accessibility is for that area and good luck if you are in low accessibility country. As a person with Special Needs, I want to feel included and accepted in the society. I shouldn’t have to live in a Place that doesn’t accept me, care about me, or makes it difficult to live in peace and in happiness. Even in My own Country, I have to struggle with this sometimes. So, I compared My Favorite Countries to those on the list, I found that My Favorite Country, Norway didn’t even make the list which really frustrated me because it’s the best country.    The first on the list was The Netherlands, followed by Germany, Austria, United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark/Sweden(tied), Ireland, and The US in that order. All in all,  It’s Important how people are treated in societies around the world, especially those with Special Needs.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Be part of The Solution not The Problem. Welcome Everyone to your society.