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.