"I finally did it!"

I am sitting cross-legged on the gym mat floor. To my left is the wall painted like the American flag, and on the other side is a giant mirror. Directly in front of me is a table with a few candles, a pile of small rocks, and an incense burner. Thankfully it masks the smell of the SUBWAY on the other side of the wall.

    I am in the middle of the first row of many, maybe six or seven rows of three going down the gym. The rest of them who I see are barely older than twelve, some of them younger. Some of them are relaxed like me, but not many. Most of them are screwing around with the candles in front of them and making jokes. Don't get me wrong, I love jokes. But when it gets annoying and a bit disruptive, part of me says "Just don't get involved." But when they say something I actually find funny, I look over my shoulder to them and laugh or comment lightly.
    In front of each of us is a small plate with a little round candle, and for each of us, our Black Belts. To just look at mine and be that close to it is amazing. I have to grip my knees tightly just to resist grabbing it.

 At six, one of the instructors lights the other small candles laid out at the edges of the gym, and the ones in front of the other instructors sitting in front of the table. There are seven of them in a row, and Mr Morgan is in the middle, sort of facing me. The lights then go out, and the music player under the table (covered by white tablecloth) is playing a narration apparently by Haeng Ung Lee, the Eternal Grandmaster.

    My row of three is supposed to walk up to the instructors and we light our own candles by holding them to the instructors'. I light mine using Mr Morgan's, and I can feel my pulse pounding inside my head as I do it. It takes me a few tries and am sort of afraid I'll drop out or that it will go out before I go back to my spot. But when I sit back down with the lit candle, I am relieved.

   When it is over, Mr Morgan tells us to blow out our candles, and after a few moments, the first boy on my left is brought up to the front with his Black Belt. He takes his Red-Black Belt off and Mr Morgan ties on the black one. He says the boy's name, everyone claps, and then he shakes the instructors' hands before...

I am called up. Mr Morgan whispers a few congratulations to me while he ties on the belt, and asks if I'm gonna end up running the Pottstown school. Since I might as well, I say yes and then he says it to Mr Wolfel, one of the owners.

"First Degree Black Belt, Mr. Derek Bartlett."
   There is clapping, I shake a few hands, and I walk back to my spot. From a distance or up close, the Black Belts look bigger than colors belts, and that's cause they are. They're thicker by about half an inch, and maybe twice as long so you have to wrap it around once and then knot it. Mr Morgan tied it on very tightly around my stomach above my waist where I normally tie my belt on, so it takes me a minute to get used to that.
   One one end of my belt, my name DEREK BARTLETT is written in gold letters. On the other end I think it says "American Taekwondo Association" in Korean. When I watch the other kids get their (First Degree, and some others getting their Second Degree) Black Belts, I can't help but smile and help cheer them on. 'Cause that's what they need, motivation and encouragement.









  After we are all given our belts, Mr Morgan walks around giving each of us a stone. Not like any stone I have ever seen. I focus on the one in my hand, feeling it smoother than almost anything I've touched, and it has cracks in different places. Mr Morgan goes on to explain how it symbolizes the whole path we each took, learning Taekwondo. There have been smooth spots along the way and some rough ones, he says. And I couldn't agree with him more. But most of the stone is smooth, which is the way I have viewed it. Some rough spots, but it is worth it overall. The candles, we keep as well.

    Finally able to wear the belt that I have seen hanging on a wall in the lobby for nearly three years, it feels amazing (despite the fact that it's squeezing my stomach right now, lol). I've come this far, working hard. Here's my prize, and my ability to keep going with my training. I FINALLY DID IT! I'M A BLACK BELT NOW!

Black Belt Testing Part I and II

PART I: The Fitness and Knowledge Test

It was nerve-wracking just getting there 'cause it was on a Thursday I had to miss one of my evening classes at Mont Co to get there. Thankfully I can always make it up later. Anyway, I had my uniform and gear bag in my mom's car so we could go straight to the Exeter school straight from campus. When we got there and I was able to change into my white uniform, the test(s) started in the gym/studio.

First: The knowledge test. They had two-page packets separated by thick binders so no one could see each others'. I was relieved to find out it was a written test instead of being asked the questions right then and there, 'cause you gotta answer in about a second. This time I could think a little. I was worried I had gotten about two of them wrong, but when I got it back, it was a hundred percent! :)

Second: The fitness test. There were five stations set up, each one being watched by a Black Belt, and they were all different. We were each supposed to carry a small piece of paper that the Black Belt at each station could write down how many of each exercise we did. The first station was crunches, which I liked. Now, the second was pushups. You had to go down low enough to make a pad squeak, or it didn't count as one. So i did about twenty-three, very painfully. The third station was punches on a pad, which I didn't mind except I was close to worn out and my knuckles were getting sore. No bruising or anything, though. The next station was kicks, and I was really getting worn out there. The last one was punches and kicks on a bag, and by the time I was done I was beat. Literally, when I had to slide myself over a few feet to move the line when more students went through the stations, I had to drag myself and then I'd fall in a heap. I'm so glad the rest of us were sitting instead of standing. The muscle pain was gone but I literally felt like a heap, my limbs little more than noodles and my head full of rocks.

After that we did a twenty-minute workout, and then we were dismissed after being told that the hard part was over. You have no idea how thirsty I was.


PART II: The Test

I didn't have college the next day (Friday) except in the morning, so I wouldn't have to miss anything. This time, my stomach was knotting for hours 'cause of the nerves, but I was thankful to just get it all over with. Ok, so here's how it went. Me and my parents go to the rec center where my other belt tests have been, and it was SO hot! I'm not joking, it was boiling and there were four giant fans set up. The only ay to get cooled off was to stand in front of one of them, or go downstairs to the basement where it was a bit chilly. At six when all the recommended Black Belts like me (and not to mention first, second and third degree Black Belts) were there, we were all lined up and then we all were put in a corner with our gear bags and the two wooden boards we were each given. They had our names written on them in black marker (they spelled mine wrong on one of them! It said Derrick B. instead) to not get mixed up, thank god.

The Black Belt tested, and it took a while cause there would be six of them on the floor at a time. Eventually, me and the other Red-Blacks tested for form and self-defense. When that was over, we all got our sparring gear on, which got us even MORE hot and sweaty. I was relieved when I finally got to spar against one of my friends from the Exeter school (I go to the Pottstown school, but in the summer last year I went to the Exeter for a while), 'cause I didn't wanna sit and stand around in line anymore.

We were dismissed from sparring and then the Black Belt tested for their board-breaks, which of course, involved real wooden boards. Me and the others sat on the floor watching, and for a bunch of the Black Belts, we clapped (and stomped, that "We Will Rock You" beat, which at one point I started by stomping with my feet and clapping) and cheered when the boards were successfully broken.

Finally, it was my turn. I handed the boards to both holders, readied myself, and then, CRACK! I split the first board clean through with my right forearm, and then I went to the other one to kick. Unfortunately I couldn't break it. But the cool thing is, those of us who couldn't break were given another chance after were were all done. So when I finally got to go again, my right foot shot straight through the wood, something I had never guessed would be possible for me.

I had never sweated that much in my life. We don't get our new belts until some ceremony on Thursday, and thankfully we don't need our weapons/gear bags. It's at six, ("Of all days of the week, WHY THURSDAY?!") so I will need to make that up, too. It shouldn't be too hard. Plus, the hard part is over, so I'm ready.

First Day of College at Mont Co.

    When I got in the car this morning with my heavy backpack, I was nervous about starting college because I was afraid of how much different it would be from high school. But now, the reality is that so far it's not that difficult to get by, unless you have a massive schedule, which I don't.

Starting
    I went into the art building, trying to keep up my confidence. hardly anyone was there, but the classroom I was supposed to go to was unlocked and I was the first student there, for Introduction to Theater. I put my backpack in a chair and waited outside the room for class to start, and more students came every few minutes or so until 8:40. When class finally started, there were about a dozen of us and a few of us showed up late. I didn't know anyone there except a girl named Leyna who gave a tour of campus during orientation. It was interesting to get to know some of the other students and the teacher, Krista Apple ("Just call me Krista," she said) who was really nice. After a bit of a lecture, she had us imagine a world atlas on the floor and stand on it, at the points where our family tree goes. I just picked New York since I was born in Syracuse. Some of the other students mentioned their family trees going back to Ireland, Africa, and one girl saying she was related to Pocahontas. I mentioned my relation to Captain Miles Standish, and Krista ended up mentioning our ancestors probably met or something, that got us all laughing a little. Then we stood on part of the "map" that our favorite stories were. I picked Europe cause Middle Earth was meant to be a type of world similar to that as far as I've heard.

After First Class
    During the ten-minute break between classes, (I left my backpack and denim jacket in the room 'cause my next class was in there) I ran into Tim Gallagher (my 12th grade English teacher Joe's brother) and told him about the movies I had my teacher in, and he laughed a lot at that. Looks like those two will have something to talk about later, huh? :) I also saw some of my friends from high school, which really made me feel good.
    My study skills class was ok. First we each filled out a sheet that had stuff like "three words that describe you" or "name an experience that changed your life" and "where do you see yourself in ten years?" It wasn't exactly boring but not that cool. At least it's something else useful if not as interesting. I don't know, maybe it will help.

Break Time
    After my two classes were done, I went to the other building into the cafeteria to take a break and eat lunch. Not many people were in there so I ate a little and went to the library so I could read the amount I was supposed to for my study skills class.
    After I finished reading, I went back to the cafeteria to find it mostly crowded, which I was relieved to see. In fact I took my theatre book out and read the first chapter there. See, the problem I have a lot when I read assigned stuff like this is I have a ton of racket going on inside my head and I have to block it out with "real noise." So I sat down at a table and read before eating more and socializing.

Social Life
    I did quite a bit of socializing. In fact, at the table right next to mine sat a costumed girl in red white and blue polka dots who gave me a flyer for the drama club when I asked "What up with the dots?" I looked it over and thought it was interesting. I saw Leyna and two other students (Scott and Sharii, I think) who were dressed like Vikings walking around the cafe handing out flyers as well. And apparently the Viking garb is in spirit for the How to Train Your Dragon live show that has been out for a while and I've been dying to see it. On the flyer it said that they're going to see it on the fifteenth, so that sounds like a lot of fun. Anyway, I signed up for the drama club (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and the students nearby seemed happy about that, giving me a lot of positive comments about it saying we have fun, and I think they are planning a 24-hour lock-in which sounds awesome. I'll have to see how it goes after the first club meeting.

(PS) I asked Sharii if anyone from the club has ever thought to bring a camera and make a short film, and the others seemed to like that idea. Not confirmed of course, but it's a possibility that would make sense, being surrounded by actors.

WISH ME LUCK!! :D

Archery Upgrades

Since it's been getting cooler bit by bit these last few days, I've found more time to go outside (in the evening, too hot during the day) and shoot my recurve bow. I also went to Dick's Sporting Goods and got a few upgrades, mostly meaning my gear.

First, there's this. My new quiver, designed on the inside to keep arrows from falling out, and it has a screw-on lid. The whole thing is made of two tubes, one of which you can adjust to fit any arrow length. This will come in handy someday when I have a longbow, because I will need arrows that are both longer and heavier.

 

Two new arrows that I bought because I was missing a few. But hey, archers replace their arrows all the time.  A word of advice. Get bright colored arrows like these when you can, because there is a smaller chance of losing them if you are shooting on a grassy lawn like I always am (there aren't any archery ranges I know of nearby, and my three acres are big enough)

New arm-guard, and the only comfortable one I have ever seen. It fits like a glove, feels like a sock, and actually covers my arm unlike the strip of leather I've strapped to my arm (and get a bad itch) several times before.

 

Look closely at this, and tell me what you see...













HA! Seriously though, I hit the tree by accident. See, I shoot at a hay bale with a target spray-painted onto it, and somehow the arrow skipped off the top and sort of jumped out of the way into the tree. Crazy, huh? That this is a way-out-of-the-way tree, about thirty feet away from the target. And as you can probably tell, I couldn't resist taking a few pictures.




I also taught my mom how to shoot yesterday. The day before, she said she wanted to learn how, and I let her use my first bow with three of my longest arrows. I watched the technique and all the little details, which make the biggest difference when shooting arrows. I've never taught anyone how to shoot before, so this is definitely something new. As it gets cooler out, I'll be shooting more often and getting more practice in.

Getting Outside to Shoot

Kind of ironic that in the summer I am not into going outside, well because its too hot out. But today is different. Today was actually a good day to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. About time, too.
I picked up my recurve bow and walked down the street, maybe a mile (I've never exactly measured it) to hang out with my twelve year old cousin Caius for the afternoon. he had his compound bow, which has a fierce draw weight.

    After I got there, we set down the bows and arrows to go for a joy ride in the truck that is still in good enough condition despite it being over thirty years old.I'm telling ya, Caius can really drive that thing. going fast, over bumps (just in the gigantic yard, duh), etc until finishing after a few minutes.

    After getting out of the truck, we shot our bows, aimed at a hay bale positioned in the yard. the only problem was that a couple times his cat Rocket would walk nearby and Caius had to get him to leave. But I'd say we're doing better. I picked up a way to aim and hold the bow by seeing THE HUNGER GAMES and from watching the Olympic archers with my uncle in New York. I held the end of the arrow to my jaw with the bowstring next to my nose, positioning the arrow point exactly where I wanted it to land. After releasing it, it came out as a pretty good shot. Now all I need is more practice.

    On my walk back home I ran into my friend Hali on the road and chatted for awhile. It always feels good to see my high school friends, which I am hoping to do a bunch of times this year and after.

    A few hours after getting home I decided to practice some more since it was getting cool enough in the evening. So I picked up my stuff and walked out into my own yard, shooting the same way at the hay bale I spray-painted a black and orange target onto last Halloween. I'm definitely getting better, but again I just need more practice. Now that I actually know how to aim a bow, I don't have to do as much experimenting as I have since I was sixteen. And hopefully it'll keep getting cooler over the next few weeks and I can get outside more without dying of the heat.

    Another good sign is I'm actually getting some muscle pain in both my arms and little bruises on my fingers. Normally wouldn't sound like good news, but it means I'm doing it right. So all I need left is practice

Freshman Orientation and Summer 2012 Movies

I'm putting my flash-drive and journal memoirs away for now, at least until I start my college freshman year at Mont Co. But I guess I can use my blog to update on the cool stuff. Its kind of odd that right after I stop updating my 'journal', the cooler stuff starts to happen.

For instance, I went to freshman orientation and found one of my friends from elementary/middle school who I haven't seen since! I hung out with him most of the time while paying as much attention as I could to what the professors were saying, but it's not easy to when the lectures go on and on, you know? I stuck around for a small campus tour afterward despite it being two small buildings, since I figure it'd be better to have a feel for the place in advance.

Last week I went with my family of four to see THE HUNGER GAMES at the $2 Carmike Cinemas, it being my fourth time seeing it an my dad's first (he never read the books like me, my mom and sister did). A few days later, I went by myself to the new Carmike in Pottsgrove to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3: DOG DAYS, and you'll never guess what... NO ONE WAS THERE (except for maybe two employees hangin' around)! I had the lobby and auditorium to myself until a few more people showed up. And what happened about halfway through the movie, well... The power went out! Yeah, the screen blinked, the lights dimmed and brightened up, and then an employee came in and said they'd have it working again. I could hear the rain pound and the thunder outside. Thankfully it got fixed.

Also, for a few days now me and my cousin Caius have been working on preproduction of a movie called JINXFLINGER, about two wizards. We just started writing the script and I've been working on my costume. I need to measure Caius before I can do his, so I have to wait. Both of us are gonna star, direct and edit this movie, which is exciting since we wan this one to be over an hour. I bet this'll be our best film yet, and we've made quite a few already.

My first time in New York City

Last night I got back from a New York trip with my mom and big sister to see THE LION KING. I kept a notebook in my pocket the whole way and kept track of as much as possible. We took a bunch of pictures as well. To make my blog a bit more interesting I decided to put what I wrote in my notebook. It came out near eleven pages but that thing is small. So I can't tell how long it is, but either way, why not?


6/23/12

7:18 AM
We just got to the 'bus stop' about 40 minutes early. We've been listening to THE LION KING soundtrack on the way here. Well, not the whole way. Kaitlin turned on the radio first thing, and it was somehow on the 'Asia' station. A song called "Heat of the Moment" blared on, and we spent the time laughing, pointing and cocking our heads. The song had played in the episode of SUPERNATURAL we just watched last night, so "What are the odds?" I said.

7:31 AM
We just went through (what used to be) an old diner for bus tickets and are in some blank and ancient waiting room. Bit by bit people come in, and there are only 3 benches and 1 small candy machine in a corner. The room isn't 'big' but its big enough to hold more benches for people to sit on. More people are coming in as well. I just hope it doesn't get too crowded and the bus doesn't run late.

8:11 AM
Three buses pulled in: 1 for Philly, 2 for NYC. We got on the big bus, me sitting at the window with Kaitlin next to me and mom opposite. Its chilly now but it's supposed to be about 85 later. So, I like it.

9:31 AM
After passing so many trees and plain roads, we're on highways surrounded by construction, dumpy abandoned buildings and we've been on bridges. Mom pointed in my direction and I looked out the window. "That's incredible." I said, seeing an amazing view of New York City, just minutes away. So many tall buildings, more than i can count. God knows I'm gonna have plenty of stories to tell after today. New Jersey train is visible, parallel to the bus. I think that's the train my friend Hannah went to NYC in before. I'll have to mention it.

9:53 AM
The bus stopped in a parking garage darker than the tunnel we just got out of. After getting off, we walked through a station that looked mostly like an underground mall.

10:59 AM
Ok. Now that I've settled, I can recount following events. After getting out of the station, we came out to a large crowded street, buildings so high that just looking at the tops made me dizzy. Amazed, I took a bunch of video clips with the camera. We walked through Times Square and into a a huge three-story M+M store. There was a lot of themes merchandise, and tall glass tubes holding SO MANY colors of the candy. The tubes ran up to the third (and smallest) floor. I took a picture from there to show how high up we were. After walking out, we went across the street to a Hershey store. Now, what got my attention were the huge $40 Hershey bars, "world's largest." After going with Kaitlin to a music store called Colony, and settling by a large fountain while mom and Kaitlin ate bagels, I looked around wondering "What next?" The city is amazing and there's so much to see. I don't know what to do next.

12:12 PM
Ok, right after that stop, we walked down the street till we came to a huge toy store called FA-O-Schwartz. It, on the inside, was enormous. After walking past the huge stuffed animals, a small set of steps led to a wide assortment of candy, including boxes of NERDS the size of cereal boxes and fish-bowl style containers of stuff like rock candy and Starbursts. On the next floor, there was a shelf of Harry Potter stuff like LEGOs and scarves. nearby, HUNGER GAMES figures, dog tags and shirts. Just less than 20 feet away was a hallway filled with stuffed animals of all sizes, and past it was a section with different types of rocks. Some of those rocks even went on necklaces. Past that, it was the best. The big floor piano that you play with your feet is, as I've just found out, where Big was filmed with Tom Hanks. Walking by it led to a while section of LEGOs. I recognized and pointed out most of them, and saw the new Lord of the Rings sets. "When the video game comes out, that's all I'll be doing for days." I said. After we headed out, it seemed like we'd been in there forever. Just a short way down the street came Central Park, where I sit and write now.

1:47 PM
After resting on a bench, we wandered the park. And let me tell ya, the rocks are AWESOME! It was more like a small mountain, with a dirt trail around it. Mom and Kaitlin to the easy way and went up the trail. I climbed up the jagged side and then down the other after meeting them at the top. Later, we took pictures on a stone bridge above a big pond, and made it down the trail to an even bigger rock! Yeah, I looked at the sides and found one just hard enough to challenge me. Once I got to the top, Kaitlin took a few pictures and I took another tricky way down the rock. We left after getting water and lemonade (Kaitlin) and walking to a McDonald's. Unfortunately, it was way crowded and we only had a half hour left before the show. So we got our food to go and high-tailed it. We got to the theater and stood in the shade, eating as much as possible.. We didn't finish (at least I didn't) but then after chucking the rest, we walked in and took pictures of the posters. Ahead was a wide set of doors where bags were checked, and then two escalators with a wide set of velvet-covered stairs. We ran up the stairs. MUCH FASTER. After using the restroom fast, I was tempted to take pictures of the decor, but I didn't want to risk it before the show. Me, mom and Kaitlin went into the theatre through a nearby door, found our seats and settled. The curtain has a cool design on it, and we got some good seats on the ground floor (other section of seats suspended above).

3:25 PM
So far, the show is breathtaking. For the first song I was lightly crying, it was so good. Its so cool seeing all the African detail and culture, the props, and pretty much everything else is amazing, almost too amazing. The stampede scene was made intense, and the funny characters like hyenas were done perfectly. When Act 1 was over, me, mom and Kaitlin went to the souvenir stand and got two yellow t-shirts (big lion symbol) and went back to our seats. What I seriously can't wait for is to see how the second half looks. 

6:10 PM
Ok, back up to Act 2. It was an amazing spectacle. There were all kinds of stage effects to make stuff like lightning flashes and clouds looked realistic. It was a bummer to have it end, but we gave a good standing ovation when the cast gave their bows. After the show, we went past the counters, took pictures of the displays and then left the building. It took me a minute or so to get used to the sunlight after being in a dark theatre, but it was nice and breezy out so it wasn't too hard. By Kaitlin's suggestion we wet to Cold Stone, and she recommended to me ice cream with peanut butter and crushed REESE'S CUPS. It was delicious for my first order at any Cold Stone. I didn't finish it, though. Hey, it filled me up quickly. After ice cream, we went back to the station, "Goodbye New York City," Kaitlin said. Well, we had time to kill, so we looked around in a bookstore, Kaitlin got a smoothie, and now we're here, waiting with a bunch of other people to get on the bus.

6:54 PM
We're finally on the bus, its moving and we're going home. Its still light out, but it won't be when i get through all the videos and photos at home.


After going through all the photos and videos, cutting them together with music from the show, I was able to make this in less than 24 hours.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Van1WQHcho&list=UU5U6Kg2xlQShMi9aHr87OJw&index=1&feature=plcp