Suits and Ties

     If I had control over what uniforms students had to wear, I would decree that the official uniform would consist of a three piece black suit, a pair of shined black dress shoes, a flat cap, and a brightly colored neon necktie. I believe the suits would create a styled, formal, respectable environment that would help students focus and look their best. The black dress shoes would instill a sense of discipline in the students, as there would be consequences for not shining them, and there would be the added bonus of getting to hear that stylish clicking sound when all of the students walk down the halls. The flat caps would bring a cultured, old time feel to the overall style of the uniforms, and would match the suits well. Finally, the neon ties would add a dash of irregularity and non-conformity into the whole mix. The bright neon color would stand out well against the black suit, and would draw further attention to the magnificent uniforms.

Money

     Again, again, and again I am stuffed in and out of the pockets of strangers, only seeing the light of day, or any light for that matter, for a few faint seconds before I am forcibly tucked away into depth unknown. I suppose it's better than being trapped in that dark metal dungeon, crushed between countless numbers of my companions. I swore I'd never go back to that prison, but then again, nothing is ever my choice. I can only hope I'm traded from kind hands to kind hands, ones that won't tear or bend me, but that would be a miracle. Instead, I always seem to encounter sweaty grimey hands that toss and bend and squander me away on useless materialistic goods. I had thought that people would have much more respect for the first president of the United States.

Magic Phone

     If there could be such a thing as a magical smartphone, there would be an unlimited amount of possibilities for  magical apps that could be made. However, some there would still have to be some apps on the more "basic" end of things that would be on the phone by default. One such app could be a remote control that allows the phone's user to control time, albeit in a very limited fashion to avoid problems. It would include the ability to slow, stop, or speed up time as the user wishes, but would not allow time travel backwards. Instead of sending the user to the past, the remote would rewind everything, including the user, to avoid the unexplored dangers and paradoxes of true time travel. Another app that would come stock on the phone could be an app identical to Google Maps, but with a few tweaks. The app would have a totally detailed, three dimensional map of the world, and would allow the user to select any location and instantly be transported there, using the magical properties of the phone; this would allow free exploration of different places and the world as a whole, and could be used to get anywhere cost free. Lastly, an app that would come stock on a magical smartphone could be a game app that puts the user of the phone into any television show, video game, or movie, but it would all be in the user's head. This app would allow any user to pass the time in an engaging and entertaining way, but would eliminate any danger of getting hurt since none of it would be real; it would simply be a way to tap into the user's imagination, harness its power, and bring it to life in a way that daydreaming could never hope to do.

Family Feast

     If I were to open a restaurant, I would design a menu based around around fresh, unique, homecooked meals that have stuck out to me for various reasons, the foremost being their taste. The restaurant would preferably be a casual diner mixed with a grill for the large array of meat centered meals. To start, there would be three signature dishes, each based around a certain meat or fish. The first dish would be a steak coated in specially cooked mushrooms and sautéed onions with a unique family glave overtop, finished by a variety of herbs and spices to give the meal some extra flavor. The second dish would be a large cut of salmon stuffed down the center with a crab cake seafood medley, served with soft and fresh garlic biscuits. The third and final signature dish would be a porkchop with a cut in the center to make room for a hearty stuffing of bacon, chedder, peppers, and a personal selection of vegetables to toss in as well. Each dish would also be served with a combination of fries, biscuits, or assorted vegetables. The customer would also be able to buy a pass to use the salad bar in lieu of one of their sides. For dessert, a large selection of personally crafted baked goods and handmade ice creams would be available to order, to complete the whole 'local homestyle restaurant' feel.

Tranquility

     First and foremost, my music, or most any music for that matter, can easily lift my mind of some of the burdens it bears. Music has the ability to alter moods and thoughts quite unlike anything else known to man. It's capable of temporarily lifting reality away while simultaneously keeping things just as grounded as usual. Walking along to a beat, or having a song that completes a scene or moment simply cannot be emulated by anything else. Songs I'm familiar with are especially good at taking my mind off of other things, bringing my thoughts to that of the composition of the music, how good it sounds, and the memories that I have associated with said music. Tying in with this, my guitar can bring me a great sense of comfort as well. My guitar allows me to further get in touch with music, as nothing quite compares to being able to create and play music.

     As expected, my home and family are great sources of comfort, as is my bed. Due to familiarity and a sense of belonging, both the house and my kin place me in a tranquil state, provided I'm not quarrelling with my sister. I've lived in my current home since I was about five, and thus I'm quite accustomed to both the house itself and the neighborhood. My family is also quite calm, and there's only the occasional fight between my younger brother and sister. Other than that, the serene environment and acquaintance with my surroundings makes my home a model of tranquility.

I Am From

     I am from shadows and silence

A quiet existence of willing compliance

I am from the backdrop

Invisible in a snapshot

All while remaining in plain sight

     Even despite my height

I can avoid the light

Why by loud and bright and trite

When you can instead indite,

Let your mind take flight!

Solitude is a constant fight

One that keeps many up at night
Woe is those of such a plight
Searching seeking stumbling in fright
Who truly knows them outright?

     I bother not with such concerns
Attention is not what my mind yearns
Eventually it always returns
To a thought that never burns

     The thought of being alone
For when I am not well known
I can escape the monotonous drone of the phone
And ponder upon things unknown

     To be alone is not a curse
It often is quite the inverse
There are many things much worse
Sometimes, silence can immerse,
And allow us to traverse
Our world around us

 I, am from solitude

Look't All Those Chickens

     If I was presented with a horse, a cow, and a dozen chickens, then was told to pick a single one, I would choose the twelve chickens. Twelve chickens are more valuable when compared to a cow or a horse due to their variety of uses. For one, provided the chickens are of mixed gender, they could be induced to breed for more chickens. The extra surplus of chickens could then be used as both currency and food. After breeding enough chickens, they could be used to barter and I would be able to acquire a horse and cow anyways. Chickens are also good for both their meat and their eggs, and a dozen eggs a day could easily keep me fed for a long while. The extra chickens acquired from breeding the first dozen would provide me with plenty of meat as well, and would be a replinishing source of food so long as I keep some of the adult chickens to breed. Both eggs and chicken meat are delicious, and with all of the additional benefits, I find the chickens to be the most valuable animal out of the three presented.

Stew, Ew

     The most disgusting thing I've ever consumed was something so simple that it didn't even look all that repugnant, but was so sickening to the point where I almost vomited immediately after eating it. The vile concoction in question was a cup full of hot steaming beef stew mixed with a blue raspberry drink mix meant for water. An old friend offered this abomination to me after thoroughly mixing it beforehand, and challenged me to down the cup. I, being the absolute genius that I am, decided to accept his challenge, which soon became  a choice that I would regret for years to come. Luckily, for a single moment, my senses partly returned to me and I thought it best to only drink a little of the cup, not the whole thing in one go. Without thinking any further, I downed a quick gulp of the mixture, and was greeted by a revolting taste that I can only describe as such; Imagine a local hobo gathering up makeshift pots and pans out of the garbage, starting a fire, and creating a beef stew out whatever he could find on the street. Then, once the stew was finished, he decides to add in a super sour powder that completely conflicts with the "beef stew's" taste and mixes the two ingredients together until they're one in the same.

     The taste of the mixture wasn't the only thing that was sickening about it, however. The thing that truly got to me was the texture of the stew. The powder added some dry and rough spots atop the stew, and the stew itself had the texture that vomit does after eating four ears of corn. Needless to say, the texture and flavor mixed together made for one of the most revolting things I've ever had the misfortune of eating, and is so far the only "food" that has made me throw up from eating it.

Never Again

     If there was anything I'd never do again, it would be repeating a statement that I made in my middle school years, one that brought me plenty of trials for three years. The statement in question was a simple, innocent, but absolute declaration: "I will eat anything," so long as it was actual food. Tying in with this, I would also like to note that I won't ever accept the challenges brought to me by others trying to test my dedication to my assertion. I consider myself a man of my word, and after making the mistake of uttering such a sentence, I made it my goal to hold true to what I had said. Needless to say, just about everyone that knew me or heard my statement took it as a challenge, and immediately set out to create some twisted concoctions for me to consume. Many of the results were disgusting, and quite a few people were subject to my wrath after presenting me with something so repugnant to the point where I refused to consume it. The last concoction I tried before giving up on my declaration was a cup of beef stew mixed with blueberry flavoring powder for a water bottle. The flavors and texture clashed so badly to the point where I refused to eat more than a few tablespoons, as even that nearly made me lose the contents of my stomach. After that, I decided it would be best to retract my statement and stick to normal, well made food instead of the sick mixtures people were all to eager to provide me with.

Selling School

     Let me first start by saying the only type of school that anyone would ever want to rent for any given reason is a college, simply due to the massive amount of space and equipment such a rental would include. I suppose if someone really wanted to rent a college, in this case LCCC, it should cost as much as a full day of classes would cost, for each day of rental. This might raise a certain quandary, however; Wouldn't this be pricey? Who would have to ability to pay for such a fee? For one, anyone looking to rent a college or school would be someone who has the money to do such a thing, as it isn't a common request. For two, I believe this payment plan, though pricey, is at least plausible as a college campus such as LCCC's isn't small, there is a lot to pay for.  That's not even to mention all of the resources present on the campus for use. There are a variety of labs, classrooms, shops, lounging areas, and computers everywhere, more than any one party could ever use. Plus, the fee would ensure that the campus would be devoid of other people aside from the renter's party and the college's staff. Paying for people to be gone and out of your hair sure sounds like it's worth a high price to me! Meals wouldn't be included in such a plan, however, as the college needs the profit to purchase more food, and the price of renting the entire college already seems somewhat cheap. Regardless, it's highly doubtful anyone would want to rent the campus, unless it's a big business, because who wants to go back to school on a day that you don't have to actually go to school? Not this guy, I will tell you that.

Renaissance

     What comes to your mind when you hear the word "gardening?" Do you think of seeding the earth with various forms of vegetation and caring for it until new life sprouts from the previously vacant soil? Such a thought was in my mind when I signed up for a small gardening project for both extra credit and the chance to lend a hand to the campus. However, when I was led out to the garden with a large group of my peers, I found that we were to do the opposite of what I had in mind; we were to tear an old garden apart to make room for a replacement. After looking the small plot over, I understood the task we were given; although some flowers still remained, the land was overrun with tall grass and weeds, trumping the elegance of the still remaining flowers. With forty minutes to spare and a plethora of idle hands ready to work, we all set out to clear the garden.

     The work itself wasn't particularly hard, even though we were only given a small supply of gloves and two plastic tools. Within the forty minutes we were given, we managed to tear out a large portion of the garden. At the very least, we had managed to fill ten garbage bags with unwanted vegetation, and had made a noticeable difference to the small garden. The experience itself was also quite entertaining, and provided me with a chance to interact with my friends while simultaneously assisting the community. Everyone present picked out the bright flowers dotted throughout the garden and made use of them in one way or another. Many people wore them in their hair, or bagged them up to take home as a decoration or present. I picked out a small group of dark pink and white flowers that matched well with my shirt and tucked them into my front pocket, simply to have them there. After all was said and done, the group of students that helped clear the garden posed near the garden for a picture before heading off to grab their possessions. By the time we had finished, the school day was nearly over, and we were ready to head home to wash the smell of the flora off of ourselves.

     Now, all I can do is sit back and watch the garden begin its rejuvenation, eagerly awaiting new life to sprout once more from the newly upturned soil.

Bottle o' Recollection

     If there was an invention that allowed you to take a memory and bottle it up so it would forever be stored, fresh as the day you stored it, I would choose to bottle up the memory of my sixteenth birthday party.

     To give some background, it had been a long while since I had a proper party to celebrate my birthday, and on Friday I was asked by my mother if I would care for any sort of celebration on Saturday. Despite such short notice, I thought some form of a party would be fun, and my first thought was to go bowling. It had been a long while since I had gone bowling, and I found myself longing for a little bit of fun on the lanes. By the end of the day, my mother and I secured a section of a local bowling alley, the American Slovak Club, and planned to grab some pizza, soft drinks, and sweets for refreshments. This particular bowling alley meant a lot to me, as the business had sponsored my minor league baseball team. I played for the team for two years, and on the first year we were the runners-up in the championship game, but by the next year we were the champions. My father had also worked at the Slovak Club's bowling alley when he was a teenager, and most of the people there would recognize me and him.

     So, after securing the lanes, I invited five of my good friends the day beforehand. Luckily, everyone I invited was able to make it. The party itself was hilarious, as not a single one of my friends bowled much, if at all, before this. What ensued was a series of falls, gutter balls, amusingly bad approaches, and general nonsense. In the end the bowling went over well, and we got three games in before heading back to my house for an "after party." We kicked it off by swimming until it was pitch black outside, then went inside play video games and engage in more general nonsense before we all passed out. Overall, for a last minute, barely planned, quickly thrown together party, everything went better than I expected, and ended up being one of the best times I've had in a long while.

Musical Crusade

     Something I consider myself to be evangelical about is music, more specifically the music and bands I enjoy listening to. Such bands include The Black Keys, Bon Jovi, Green Day, and Breaking Benjamin, to name a few. My favorite genres of music are rock and alternative, but I also appreciate a variety of other styles of music; these other musical styles include electronic, indie, blues, jazz, hard rock, and metal. My least favorite genres of music are rap and country, due to their self-repeating style, generic rhythms, and often meaningless lyrics. Granted, there are some country and rap songs that I do enjoy, and I do not shun these genres. Rather, I simply dislike a majority of the music. 

     Tangents and likes aside, I love advocating new music to others around me, and I especially love being able to teach others about music. My father was a drummer who played in a variety of bands around this area, and he inspired me to learn to play an instrument myself and listen to older music. I found a taste for older rock 'n' roll, and I started to take guitar lessons so I could play music as well. Learning about music and how to play it taught me many things, and I enjoy sharing these discoveries with others. This new knowledge has helped shape my understanding, appreciation, and love of music. 

     Music is an interesting and vast art that provides near limitless possibilities for different arrangements, and it plays a huge role in almost all of our lives. Music can speak to people and bring them to a state of equanimity; it can evoke emotion and stimulate the imagination quite unlike anything else in this world, and it is one of the most remarkable constructs that we as humans have ever created.