Sports

My father has been golfing for a VERY long time, ever since he was in high school. Pretty much all the men on the Smothers side of the family golf to some extent. My dad gets out on the course at least once a week. His golfing day is usually on Sunday. I don't like golfing because I was usually dragged along with him while he golfed. It looks like it could be a fun sport, but I really don't know. Considering how stressed people get when the ball doesn't do what they want it to do, I have mixed feelings about golfing. If I had to pick a sport, it would be martial arts, or maybe boxing. Hand-to-hand sports that emphasize technique interest me. The brutality of boxing turns me away a bit, but it looks like an adrenaline-filled sport, so it couldn't be too bad. I used to take karate up until a couple of years ago. I had to quit because it was eating up a lot of my time, and I didn't have time for schoolwork. I like to get outside and take walks, and maybe go for a swim every once in a while, but I just don't think I'm a very physical person.

My 3 Best Friends

Most people have a lot of friends, and then a best friend. I have 3. I like all of them for different reasons, and each is distinct from the others. I met Adam Herbison in 7th grade, and I've been friends with him ever since. I've known him the longest, but he and I don't always get along. He can be pretty loud, crazy and obnoxious, so this tends to stress me out sometimes. When he takes his medicine, he really doesn't say much at all. He's a guy of extremes, I suppose one could say. Adam is obsessed with anime and parodies of anime, and it's because of the anime that I initially decided to start learning Japanese. I met German Candia my junior year of high school. He was in the flue section with me, and a year below. He's a really fun, talkative, charming guy, not to mention a bit of a womanizer. German has a black belt in taekwando, and he's regularly involved in the school plays at CBHS. I believe he will also be attending here next year. Fun fact: German was born just outside of Mexico City and can speak fluent Spanish. Out of all 3, I probably get along with German the best. And then, there's Bush. Bush Nguyen is an...interesting guy to say the least. Bush is a peaceful guy who likes to relax, but he can be a bit feminine at times. He spends a lot of time playing Touhou on his computer and singing along to anime songs. All the same, Bush is a great friend, and I love hanging out with him. I love these guys, and they help keep me from dying of boredom.

My life thus far

I suppose I should have made this my first blog, but oh well! My full name is Evan James Smothers. I was born in Memphis, but raised in Germantown. My parents divorced when I was 4, so my father lives out in Collierville. Until I was 12, he was a consistent smoker. My dad still dips, but at least he doesn't smoke anymore. I went to Christ the King Lutheran School Kindergarten through 8th grade and I graduated from Christian Brothers High School recently. I have a little brother and a little sister, 5 and 8 years old respectively. I miss both of them a lot ever since I moved out. I currently live in the LLC on campus here. My interests are music, video games (specifically RPGs), cooking, and the study of foreign language. I've barely cooked at all, but its something I really want to do in the future once I have a kitchen to myself. I started taking foreign language study seriously about a year ago with Japanese. I learned all the hiragana and katakana, and self taught quite a bit. Right now, I'm giving Japanese a break in favor of Mandarin Chinese. After I returned from China, I was fascinated with the people and culture. Not many Americans know this, but very few of the Chinese can speak English at all, let alone good English. As a business investment for the future, and out of interest, I decided to start learning Chinese instead. I use a language learning program called Pimsleur, and it's highly effective. I recommend it for language lovers like myself.

Music and Me

Music is not my strongest passion, nor do I devote any great amount of time to it. However, I have been around it my entire life, and it is essentially a part of who I am. Until I was about 5, the only music my mother would ever put on would be the Beatles. That is what I grew up on. My father and uncle were both saxophone players in high school, so I was definetely encouraged to take it up. From the 6th grade until 8th, I played the sax, but never seriously. The school I went to only had 200 students and no band, so I was never motivated to practice, and was given no direction. When I entered high school, I took up the flute under the urging of my band director. I've been playing the flute ever since. I made red band at all west my senior year. I don't practice very much nowadays, but I still play for enjoyment and personal fulfillment. As a musician, I am more of a listener than a performer. Listening to classical music helps me concentrate while I'm doing homework. This past Summer, I got to spend 2 weeks in China because of my music. Last year, I joined an organization called GPAC, short for Germantown Performing Arts Center. It just so happened that the youth symphony orchestra there was having there first international trip to China, and I was lucky enough to have a donor pay for the plane fare. The program is only for high schoolers, so I can't go back, but it is an experience I won't forget anytime soon.