A letter from September 14th, 2020

Dear Future Me, Rodney Chang Con Voc Eng 1,2 Mr. Jacob P1 09/11/2020 Dear Future Me, I never know how to start letters, especially ones to yourself, so this is my first sentence. And just cause I typed that this is my second sentence. Of course, I know you and I know that you’d never intentionally send a letter to yourself, which means that this has to be graded; it is. That also means that since this is graded in 1 size spacing there's going to be a lot; so go get something to munch on and stop listening to your music. If I tend to drift to random subjects, it’s because I’m using the Mr. Jacobs rubric and I know I'll be doing that a bit. I also realized that I do think all of my opinions are going to change in some way so don’t laugh too hard on the impossible dreams. Now let's get started, the first paragraph wants me to talk about everything that I think and is going on right now. Hope you are proud of me, I started this on time and not the day it’s due :P. Jk, hopefully you have stopped doing that and maybe you’ve made some peace because of it. My current hopes are to be able to go to Miramar Junior College and transfer into SDSU. I also hope to find the confidence to ask out Meghan, you should recognize the name. I was going to do it after I got my license so we could go for a drive maybe, but the Covid-19 Pandemic is currently going down. So if you think you have the patience, I’m ok with waiting till second semester to see if I can do that. 5 months to think about where to go and what to do.Other than that, I’m still trying to decide what I want to do. I hope after college, I can get into the fire academy with the college credits and a possible degree in something. I’ve recently been interested in mechanical engineering. Mostly due to watching a bunch of Micheal Reeves videos on the crazy things he builds. I wanna try to recreate some of the designs that he has built and put more time into the creations that he allowed himself to have. I also hope to find a group of friends I can enjoy always being around. I have a couple friends but some of them are just really passive-aggressive or just straight up mean. I felt like a first grader when I typed that lol. I've been working out for almost a month and a half now, so my build is steadily growing. I’m also just growing in terms of height now so that’s pretty cool. Only thing that bothers me is having to adjust the barbell height everytime I work out, because my family is shorter. Oh yea, I still complain about everything. That’s one of the biggest things I’ve noticed about recently; I just complain about every little thing. I got it from mom, so hopefully future self, you’ve grown the **** up and aren’t doing that anymore. My only concerns right now are to turn all my work in on time and to turn it in as excellent work. That means not playing Skyrim for 2-3 hours during flex time and finishing my work. I’m trying to work that habit into my daily schedule so nothing is ever turned in late. Recently, I’ve been thinking about what hobbies I can get interested in. I tend to get bored from just reading books and playing games. I’m trying to see what individual activities that might keep my interest, until I get bored again. I’m just like a dog chasing a car, I wouldn't ever know what to do If I caught one. When writing this letter, I’m doing it on my first desktop computer. At the black desk that we’ve had in the 4 other homes we’ve had. A recurring question keeps coming up, why do we keep getting leased homes/apartments? Hopefully you’ve had enough knowledge to answer that question, or maybe your still just as stupid. This year is my senior year of Scripps Ranch Highschool, which is unfortunate to be going on during the Covid-19 Pandemic. But, something like this happened almost 100 years ago, and people didn’t even have iphones (skull emoji). Still staying at the house near Evergold. Room is pretty bare still, just a fan and that weird-flat lamp in the corner, a hamper for a night stand, the bookshelf on the opposite corner of the fan and a flat-lamp. And, not to forget, the same mattress and bed frame from 10 years ago. Hopefully you got a new bed, maybe a queen size; I’m almost the height to start to grow out of this twin size bed. Remember the dogs, Mia and Kody. They are doing good, currently they have become lazy dogs; where both have started to show some gray hairs near their muzzles. It’s been almost 7 years with Kody now; at this rate, I suspect he may pass in the near 3-4. Mia is still as active as ever, so she’s probably in the prime of her life. Still have the same chores, mostly ones that I have to do like laundry, watch liam (little brother, age 3), wash the dishes, etc. My favorite book would either have to be Farenheit 451 or What If? (I really recommend looking at What If?, by Randall Munroe; It's a great book Mr. Jacob). I Also just started reading Cat's Cradle, it's an interesting book, but then again I got bored by the 16th chapter. Recently, since the date was given, you should know it was our birthday. We have just turned 18. If i could tell you one thing about what it feels like to be 18, it’s to say that nothing has changed from being 17. Although I get a little more free time by myself and more privacy, I feel like being 18 is more of a quota then a title. As a birthday gift from my parents to me, They decided I could get a longboard. Now for the past 1-2 years, I’ve wanted a board. Not really just a board, but to learn how to use one. I’m not real big into tricks but I do very much enjoy chilling out and cruising around parks. It’s very nice to have the breeze in your face and not have to worry about anything. It could also just be something I do on the regular; after I’ve finished class, I could meet up with Pius or Alex at the park and we could board for a bit. Alex recently said that he knows great cruising places, so until the board comes in the mail, I have yet to wonder what could be the places he talks about. Speaking of Alex, recently I’ve been able to connect with him more. Also just met Jayden and Ian; who’v I’ve heard in Alex’s stories. Especially going to the park and playing card games. Nothing illegal like poker or black jack, just one of those nerd games, Magic the Gathering. They pull out some amazing new cards, things that literally can't change the atmosphere of everyone around you. A lot of the time during the games, it’s me trying to understand how to use my cards and trying to understand just a little bit about my opponent’s hand. Of course, this adds to my knowledge and to have a basic understanding of what someone else’s deck does is the base to understanding how to play against it. As school has just started, wrestling season will technically be starting soon. Now, I don't check the wrestling group chat because it’s one of the most negative, intoxicating group chats I’ve ever been in. That being said, If they were to send important information about wrestling tryouts, I would never know. With that in mind, I went through the messages recently to see if there was anything important. With the half I spent looking through that I chatted, I found nothing of use. Instead, it was mostly seniors from last year being pieces of ****, naming newdies as slackers and the chill kids that weren't always interested in the sport, getting flamed for no reason. Seeing how I was never the best on the team, if I were to defend someone, I would get unnecessarily flamed for no reason. That’s why part of me loves the sport, but ******* demises the people that it creates. If I had any advice to you Mr. Jacob, make the kid play soccer or basketball or rugby. Wrestling keeps you in shape but you still become sour even if you do the right thing. As I’m writing this, which is at different intervals, I’m staying at my Mom’s house. I would prefer to live with my Dad but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it would be risky and unsafe to work/live near my father. He owns the L&L BBQ in Sport Arena. The place is not the safest but there's plenty of government buildings in the area: police stations, fire houses, etc. There’s also a security guard or two that wonders in the parking lot that's in front of the shop and around the Petco that's behind the shop as well. My dad, to my knowledge, lives alone. So, I could see how boring it can be. I do miss him and seeing him rarely, due to the pandemic, does have a toll. My mom’s house is quite the opposite. I live with my Mom, who has married my step dad. My step dad and my Mom have been together for almost 17 years now. They married 5 years ago and two years after they married, had another kid. My step brother, Liam, is currently in his terrible 3’s. And my god, can it be really terrible. I do have another brother, or to be precise, my twin brother Grant. He is an interesting one to be honest. He is, at heart, the nicest, most driven individual. When our mind spaces are in the right place, we will get things done with efficiency and precision. I think we inherited that mind set from both our stepdad and our dad. This idea that “work is done first, play may come after”. It is in this ideology we have gotten to where we are. But, when we are not focused on the task at hand, or a ****** space of mind, we will get nothing done. Instead, we’ll goof off until it’s too late. So it’s been challenging in the past to get work in on time and or done correct. Along living with us in my mom’s house, are our two chihuahua-mix dogs. The boy is Kody and the girl is Mia. Both were found at the pound at one point, have very obvious signs of PTSD or something along those lines. They both have habits of taking more food than what they need and hiding any human food they can’t consume at the moment of finding it. They will eat trash, if not seen by anyone or the bathroom doors are open. They also get scared of any machines that are loud; but then again I think all dogs bark at that. Mr. Jacob, if you have any pets and they came from the pound, I do hope that you never let them go; as to think that they might deal with the same thing they possibly went through is a hard thought to think of. Of course, just by hearing you talk on zoom, I do believe that you’d never do such a thing, which I admire. Also, I’m only adding this cause you emphasized it on the zoom call, I’ve and three girlfriends. Two lasted longer than a month, but no longer than three. I do cherish the things I’ve learned from them, but they also stop me from making peace with myself. If I’m being honest, I’m too hesitant to ask out anyone bacause I don’t know what else I’ll **** up. I do **** up alot but dont we all… I was born in San Diego, California, and I’ve lived there all my life so far. My dad side is hawaiin, so I was almost born in Hawaii. One time we were in Hawaii, My dad was driving around with my Grant and I and we came across the apartment that my mom and dad were thinking of buying to start our family there. To think what my life would be if I grew up where my father did; I’d probably know some pigeon and or some more hawaiian slang. As far as anything goes, I’m very sheltered. I have yet to see the harsh realities of the people in hawaii. I see it every now and then but mostly, when I’m in hawaii, I go fishing in an ocean reef or catching lizards in my grandpa’s little garden. My dad’s parent’s and my aunt all live in hawaii. My aunt, Aunty Lisa, is married to a brilliant man and they both have a really shy and sweet girl. If I had to be honest, she’s probably my favorite little cousin. As far as trips go, I've been to four states in the country, and twice to Canada. Canada trips are some of the greatest trips I’ve been on. A part of my stepdad’s family lives in Canada, a very religious yet funny group. Very strict about family is everything; since recently in the last five years, three family members have passed due to cancer in various spots on their body. Two believed God would protect them and let the cancer grow at a spontaneous rate so the chemotherapy hadn’t had enough time to be effective against the cancer cells. Even though I’m not a believer of God, I do hope that they find a place in heaven, as I’ve heard that their lives when they were younger, were very treacherous and tough. My current friends, the ones I’ll have convos with, are Pius, Ximena, Alex, and recently Sherlyn. Sherlyn was my seat partner last year for history. We used to comply with each other's assignments because we would then decide who slept and who kept watch. It was a daily ritual that at one point towards the end of the year, was one sided on my part. After my parents found out about me failing math and Chem, I made it true to myself that I wouldn't keep asking for help and would do my work. When she saw me doing work in class for the first time in forever, she became more relaxed every now and then, asking questions she didn’t want to answer in her own words. So in the end, it’s basically a win win. Sorry Aunty Grace but Noah is my favorite boy cousin; I do feel as if the more we get older, I'll be able to understand more of Noah and Aunty Lisa’s little girl. When that comes, my favoritism will fall onto Noah due to we are both immature boys. Rodney, Me, I, when you read this next part, you should realize this paragraph was done for credit, but has interesting ideals that I have currently right now. I’m more than convinced that when you read this paragraph that you’ll think i’m wrong or out of line; basically a different thought process then you have now. This was intentional. As an english student, I believe my strengths have to be being able to read a book that was assigned in class, and still enjoy it enough to know what’s going on at all times. This usually means that I will read ahead and will always go back to spots in the book I don't understand. I usually try to look up meanings behind certain points in the book and see what other people might think on what it means. Having these different stand points on the same subject can be useful when debating in class on what things mean. Most of the time I’ll say my most interesting idea on the subject but doesn’t actually mean what it really is in the book. Usually in that case, it’s because we haven’t finished the book or understood the author's message on why they wrote that specific book. My specific goals are two things: one, to complete all work efficiently, and two, to turn it in on time and or for full credit. I don’t know what kinds of writing I like. That is a new question I guess I’ll be trying to answer for the rest of the year. Maybe this class helps show me that? I hope to see this work is seen as over the top, I do plan on trying to complete work like this as it might, just might, give me cushion room in the class. I think a good writer is someone who teaches their honest truth on what they believe in. Even if it’s considered outrageous and could make governments fall, that just means they did a good job at convincing others that he/she is a good writer. If that isn’t a “good” answer, then just as a pier, that question is questioning itself on what one may think “good” is. If I’d have to think of myself as a good writer, it would be that I wouldn’t be a good writer. The only reason I can type so much of this, is because the topic at hand is a letter to myself in the future. It is also a grade I very much care about. So, by making my goals true, I am putting some of my best work possible. If you think it’s good, well then I’ve now convinced, though my ideals, that I may be a good writer… Only the grade will justify that comment. But if this gets a bad grade, I’m just gonna have to assume I’m a **** writer :P. I only really create writing if I have too; I never go write out what’s on my mind or what’s interesting until told so. If I did, then people would know what I think about, and that to me, is a weird thought. I usually will read anything that interests me or I read just out of boredom. I like fantasy books where the main character is either unstoppable or will grow to be unstoppable. Like Kylar, from The Way of the Shadows; which is a great book, I recommend you check it out. If I could label a book excellent, it has to be The Last Apprentice. That book was the first book to ever make me interested in what fantasy books were all about. The series that's connected to that book is also really amazing, and then it falls off at book 9-11. Then, the last two books, 12 and 13, do a real good job of ending the series. My biggest interest in the future is to get into MiraMar Junior College. I plan to learn there for two years and then try to transfer into SDSU. There I will hopefully learn what interested me. I will then use the new degree to apply for the Fire Academy. I do want to be a FireFighter, since it’s a job that’s very tough. In California currently, the heat from the summer and global warming has made the plants dry. Stupid people, which there is vast amount of them, carelessly set fire somewhere and now it’s spread to an outrageous amount of California. My moms family-friends have recently been evacuated due to fires spreading and getting too close to their home. This is one of the most unfortunate things I’ve heard recently. Hopefully, the Fire stops spreading before it gets down south or we will be next. Aside from all the things that are going terrible, I do look forward to the end of Covid-19. The protocols we are being told to use are a real pain and can stop even basic plans like going outside to hang out with friends. I'm currently dreading looking at this computer, I have a headache and I want to get off of it and go lay down. But honestly, I’m dreading becoming responsible for all my bills as an 18 year old. Especially the car bills. I also dread global warming. It’s very obvious that it’s taken a toll on the planet by destroying things that were present hundreds of years ago. The planet is changing rapidly and soon, I do think, that water levels will rise dramatically. Thus seeing this as a problem, I do plan on trying to keep the planet as clean as possible and support anything on recycling things that may destroy our planet. If we can’t get to Mars for a little bit, then this planet is all we have. As far as me, I’m getting there I think. I think I’m at a great peace of mind for the moment, or until I get too bored I look for someone else's compassion. For right now, I think I’m set and everything around me seems to be opening up little by little. My dad always emphasized patience. He said “patience will get you far in this world, but acting after you've patiently waited will make the waiting worth while”. And so I wait for another interest to spark, for then I will act for my cause and will and hopefully make it worthwhile. To the bests of hopes and desires and if you don’t have a girlfriend, get one, Rodney L. Chang