zdsmith's Xanga

Monday, July 13, 2009

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:47:03 GMT

"So i'll let you go
I'll set you free
And when you see what you need to see
When you find you come back to me "

This summer has been interesting. I haven't seen people nearly as much as I thought I would be. I donno. I feel like this summer has been pretty productive because I've been working for what seems like forever. 8-3 Tues-Saturday, every week, since a week after I got home. I wish I could put the money towards school but rather I am putting it towards Drum Corps. Yeah, this summer has been interesting.. I don't really know what to think of a whole lot of different things..Haha, who knows. I hardly know what I'm talking about. Heh..

Later Days,

Zach

Monday, March 09, 2009

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 08:40:07 GMT

I just made an entire update on my iPhone and I just accidentally deleted it.. Nngh

Being sick as a dog is terrible, but im actually glad that it's over spring beak so that I'm not missing that many classes.

Later days,

Zach

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 06:52:08 GMT

I gotta go gotta go gotta go before I do something stupid I gotta go
Gotta go gotta go gotta go before I do something lame

I'm officially going to work on being less loud.

Later Days,
Zach

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 04:40:43 GMT

"She held his head against her collarbone. And even though he felt pitiful and ridiculous, he didn't want it to end, because he knew the absence of her would hurt more than any breakup ever could."

Christmas (eve) is here! And that means that New Years is right around the corner, and that also means that school is around the corner too!

Not going to lie, as much as I know I have a lot of work on my hands this semester I'm actually somewhat excited to go back to school. Yeah... weird, huh?

I really do miss updating this thing, but I get here to start typing and then I just ADD... Oh well. One of these days I'll get around to it.

Time to start thinking of New Year Resolutions!

Later Days,
Zach

Gragh

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 16:02:58 GMT

I thought I deleted that last entry. Oh well....

Will update soon

Later Days,

Zach

Monday, November 10, 2008

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 06:52:39 GMT

I think I may be clinically depressed, so if I've snapped at you. Sorry.

Later Days
Zach

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:44:11 GMT

Tonight an unbelievable and unprecedented thing happened that will be remembered for years to come. An African-American man was elected to the highest office in the United States of America. Be Democrat, Republican, Independent, Green, or Andy Barr, you cannot deny the significance that this has for the communal feelings of the United States.

Tonight I watched every moment of election coverage that I could. I put off trumpet, I put off Aural Skills, and I basically put off everything, but as soon as it was announced that Barack Obama won the election I could not contain my excitement. I ran out of my room yelling and screaming, hugging all of my floormates as I saw them come by. I ran down to our first floor and celebrated with more of my friends. But nothing compares to when I walked outside to the mob of Northern Illinois students, teachers, pedestrians, and people who were just happy for the victory. We chanted on an on. I can confidentially say that I Have never hugged so many random people in my life. But then, when I got really into it, I started chanting "O-BA-MA". Low and behold everyone around me started chanting and soon we had the entire crowd going.

The only thing that was more enjoyable was running down Lucinda Avenue with Richie, Maureen, and co cheering at the top of my lungs with so many other NIU students. This is truly a defining moment in history, and we now all need to come together and fix the peril that this country is currently facing.

Please, to all Obama supporters, please welcome McCain fans with open arms and be willing to compromise, and please to the McCain fans, please help us come together as one American people and propel this nation forward.

Yes, we can.

Forward, together forward.

This is something that I found on Digg and it really hit me deep.

Titled: I didn't vote today

I have a confession to make.

I did not vote for Barack Obama today.

I've openly supported Obama since March. But I didn't vote for him today.

I wanted to vote for Ronald Woods. He was my algebra teacher at Clark Junior High in East St. Louis, IL. He died 15 years ago when his truck skidded head-first into a utility pole. He spent many a day teaching us many things besides the Pythagorean Theorem. He taught us about Medgar Evers, Ralph Abernathy, John Lewis and many other civil rights figures who get lost in the shadow cast by Martin Luther King, Jr.

But I didn't vote for Mr. Woods.

I wanted to vote for Willie Mae Cross. She owned and operated Crossroads Preparatory Academy for almost 30 years, educating and empowering thousands of kids before her death in 2003. I was her first student. She gave me my first job, teaching chess and math concepts to kids in grades K-4 in her summer program. She was always there for advice, cheer and consolation. Ms. Cross, in her own way, taught me more about walking in faith than anyone else I ever knew.

But I didn't vote for Ms. Cross.

I wanted to vote for Arthur Mells Jackson, Sr. and Jr. Jackson Senior was a Latin professor. He has a gifted school named for him in my hometown. Jackson Junior was the pre-eminent physician in my hometown for over 30 years. He has a heliport named for him at a hospital in my hometown. They were my great-grandfather and great-uncle, respectively.

But I didn't vote for Prof. Jackson or Dr. Jackson.

I wanted to vote for A.B. Palmer. She was a leading civil rights figure in Shreveport, Louisiana, where my mother grew up and where I still have dozens of family members. She was a strong-willed woman who earned the grudging respect of the town's leaders because she never, ever backed down from anyone and always gave better than she got. She lived to the ripe old age of 99, and has a community center named for her in Shreveport.

But I didn't vote for Mrs. Palmer.

I wanted to vote for these people, who did not live to see a day where a Black man would appear on their ballots on a crisp November morning.

In the end, though, I realized that I could not vote for them any more than I could vote for Obama himself.

So who did I vote for?

No one.

I didn't vote. Not for President, anyway.

Oh, I went to the voting booth. I signed, was given my stub, and was walked over to a voting machine. I cast votes for statewide races and a state referendum on water and sewer improvements.

I stood there, and I thought about all of these people, who influenced my life so greatly. But I didn't vote for who would be the 44th President of the United States.

When my ballot was complete, except for the top line, I finally decided who I was going to vote for - and then decided to let him vote for me. I reached down, picked him up, and told him to find Obama's name on the screen and touch it.

And so it came to pass that Alexander Reed, age 5, read the voting screen, found the right candidate, touched his name, and actually cast a vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Oh, the vote will be recorded as mine. But I didn't cast it.

Then again, the person who actually pressed the Obama box and the red "vote" button was the person I was really voting for all along.

It made the months of donating, phonebanking, canvassing, door hanger distributing, sign posting, blogging, arguing and persuading so much sweeter.

So, no, I didn't vote for Barack Obama. I voted for a boy who now has every reason to believe he, too, can grow up to be anything he wants...even President.

Congrats America, and congrats especially to Mr. Barack Hussein Obama on being the 44th President of the United States.

Congrats America

Later Days,
Zach

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:35:04 GMT

So I'm extremely excited about tomorrow. I cannot wait to vote, and I cannot wait to watch all the election coverage. I'm going to the Trident to get enough food to last me the day and then I'm just chillin'. It's gonna be awesome.

Later Days,
Zach

Monday, November 03, 2008

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 07:47:01 GMT

Just keep on truckin'.

Thanks Bellof

Later Days,
Zach

Ugh

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:38:22 GMT

Screw this, I just want to go home. I want to take a year off, work at a job, make some money, and then start this all over again.

Later Days,
Zach