This is going to sound pretty stupid but
what I've really been searching for now
even though I could never in any way afford it...
It's this Fender Strat.
That's like one of the most common guitars in the world.
Even vintage ones are pretty common.
But they still command pretty high prices because of how good they are.
He knows everything there is to know about
Stratocaster, Fender guitars
from 1949 until the present day.
But in 1963 they made a few of them out of mohogany
as opposed to ash (kind of wood)
or alder.
I really want to get one of those
just because they're very bizarre.
Also just amazing sounding.
They're very warm.
He wears really hard to find
t-shirts from the internet
that are hilarious.
You know how normally they describe Strats as sounding
kind of glassy
But this one sounds kind of glassy with
a bit more warmth and a bit more
hair.
A little hairier and fuzzier.
He drives 80 mile a day round-trip
to come to Fairhaven.
I'm very interested in politics.
I think it's interesting.
I always read the paper before I go out in the morning.
But when I come after school I always scan
all the news sites online.
I go to CNN
but that's, you know, a little weird.
Then I always go for the left-wing, right-wing bias.
I go first to Guardian and then to Fox News
and then I figure
whatever the story is it's somewhere in-between that.
I read the 'People's History of the United States."
It's an interesting book.
It's quite a long read, but
worth it in the end.
I actually find it's best if you read it plus some other history books.
It kind of fills in some of the cracks.
It was my sister's actually.
I just decided to pick it up and read it.
Clinton had his...I think he gets off easy in the eyes of history.
his period was very prosperous
on paper at least.
And, I guess he never really officially started that much
in the way of wars
but if you look at it he bombed
what is it, 11 countries?
If you tally it up.
He pushed through the whole Fast-Track NAFTA.
Basically costing thousands and thousands of people in the United States their job.
I have to say it's just the fact
you say, okay, you want to have more benefits in America
in factory A,
Well what they'll do is just fire everyone there
if the succeed
then they'll move the factory down to Mexico.
I mean, it depends on what your opinion of 'best-results' is.
If your 'best-results' is a couple of people owning all the wealth
and a laboring underclass
hey, 'best-results' to you.
The world at large
I'd like it to turn out well.
I'd like to not be royally screwed-over.
So I guess I'm not apathetic in that way.
See I just think people generalize too much.
They say "apathetic, someone who cares, right-wing, left-wing..."
You know, where everything is just
so much more
complex than that.
I think my first book was
an Eric Carr book
I don't remember his name.
It was "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See."
When she was 4 she won this poetry contest with
this famous author
who was kind of like the conductor of the poetry contest.
I was over her house one time
and she had this picture on a wall from it
and it was all the much older women
and Imani at 4 years old
with, like, her poetry.
It was really amazing.
Really metaphorical of how Imani is.
I just took this grammar class with her and
she just basically 'smoked'
Izzy, Zeke, Jared and I.
It was just basically a joke really.
Really shows what her strong points are.
I remember I would memorize the books.
But it would actually work to memorize the books.
And then you'll learn the words separately.
And that's how I learned how to read.
By memorizing and then learning each word.
My parents didn't force me to do that.
I really love to read.
I like this type of book called "Universe."
"Universe" is a comic book but it's history.
They actually give you a hint of what's happening.
And then I can go and read "The Child's History of the World."
And I'll learn, "Oh, I've seen that in this book. Oh, okay, I understand it more."
I like algebra. I'm doing algebra.
Some people gape at me, "You're doing algebra?"
"You're 11!"
Well, I just say, "It doesn't matter how old you are. It just depends whether or not you're ready to take in the information."
I can't do word problems. I've tried.
I've worked really hard.
They don't work for me.
But polynomials work.
I can do polynomials, they're really easy for me.
A cubic binomial.
I know what degree they are.
Say, if it's X to the third power.
That would be a cubic monomial.
Or say if it's X squared minus 2
that would be a quadratic
binomial.
I'm really good at naming what they are.
The kids at Fairhaven
what they're able to do is
when they really want something to happen
it's really on them to make it happen.
Every problem and good thing at Fairhaven
the kids do it.
It's that simple.
You outvote the staff 75 to 9.
Every single kid makes a giant contribution to the entire culture
and so the kids here really wanted a basketball team
that's who made it into a competitive basketball team.
It wasn't that we, me who's an older student
and Dave who coached who is a staff here
got them to do it, it was really on them in a place where
things aren't as scheduled and continuous.
It's really amazing to have kids just be like,
"Yes, we want to have to practice every day."
Driving somewhere to do it for an hour and a half each way.
Is a pretty big commitment in a place like this where
some of them live an hour away.
So they have to get back into the car and drive an hour home.
So the kids really wanted to do it.
He's our favorite coach.
He's such a good coach.
Even though we lost a lot of games.
Hey, next year we'll come back.
There are a few of them who have a decent shot a being very good basketball players.
Fairhaven is so interesting because
In one way or another It can very quickly become
any sort of specialty school for anyone
as far as sports or acting.
anything that requires a lot of discipline.
Basically, when we got her she was a lot fatter
she's gained a lot of muscle here and here and on her haunches
because in dressage the horse needs to come through their back
and sit down on their haunches so that the front of the horse comes up.
I've been riding for
a long time, since when I was 9 or so.
A couple of years ago I got into dressage
which is basically dancing with the horse and
you perform a routine.
I went to this tack shop
because I've been looking for a saddle for my horse
we talked to the people who owned the shop for like
a couple of hours
and they were explaining to us different fits and makes and saddles
and the fact that like when you go into a factory where they make the saddles
the manufacturers will throw you a piece of leather
and if you don't know what kind of leather it is they'll take advantage of you.
I learned a lot and I went during school
cause you can sign out an go places
and then I went and rode my horse
and I've done that several times during the school days
It's just really nice to be able to go and ride
while I'm at school because that's
what I want to be doing
when I get older.
My vision of what I'm going to be doing
after I graduate is
starting a business with breeding horses and training and riding.