observation

After observing the Rosemont Avenue Sheetz, it puts into perspective how variety of people come and go from this gas station. Is it a place just for the locals, or a place for people from a far as well? As I pulled into the gas station and parked my car under the giant red and yellow tent like overhang and opened my door, I immediately smelled gas and oil. I decided to take a seat on a greasy feeling red bench sitting out front of the propane tanks. I felt dirty sitting there, around people smoking, coughing, and eating the greasy breakfast meals made.

Looked like a bunch of locals at first, then I saw one car from Virginia, then another from North Carolina. I asked myself, what are they doing all the way in Maryland? Then I realized rt. 15 is a frequently used highway that connects to many other major interstates. These people could have been taking a vacation, or just on travel for work. Sheetz is directly off the exit, which makes for easy access for gas, snacks, drinks, and even lunch.

Cop cars were in and out like clockwork in the short amount of time I spent on the bench. In the thirty minutes I spent observing, I must have seen at least ten cop cars; not to mention a couple undercover cops as well. One would leave, and two more would show up. Three came in the one instance. Sheetz seemed to be the police station to pick up coffee and donuts.

Having knowing some of the people who work for the city, I was waiting on seeing some fellow friends of the family I knew come pulling in. Sure enough the workers were on their lunch break and all headed right to Sheetz. My dad's old friend came walking up, dirt up to his shoulders, body odor a cold could not even block out, to give me a big hug and “Hows the Fam?” They ordered their lunches, and came out to sit on the red benches right beside me. Laughing and carrying on, it was their time away from work to relax and enjoy themselves during the work day.

As I wrapped up my observations, I sat back not to observe any more, but to think about what I just looked at. It was amazing how many different people walked in and out of the door. Even more fascinating how many of the guests who stopped by just paid for their gas using a credit card without leaving the vicinity outside of their vehicle. Neighbors next door, Customers down the street and across down, even travelers from a distant city, all stop at this what I thought was a normal Sheetz on Rosemont Avenue for various reasons.

models staying skinny

When looking at this photo it jumped out and said, "every day models."  I thought this because models are always trying to stay skinny to look good.  They will do anything to not gain weight and stay as small as possible; even when its obviously not the right thing to do.

To me this is a very controversial picture.  I can not stand it when people worry so much about how they look and how much they weigh.  There is way more to life than worrying about that.  Then you have the people who look up to these models and how they look and want to be just like them.  You see it in the news everyday, more models or celebrities being addicted to some type of drug and the tabloids explaining how skinny they have gotten.  To think that people look up to these celebs and models makes me sick.  If anything, the celebrities and models should be looking up to the everyday people who do not worry about appearance and just do the right thing and make a difference in the world; for those are the real heroes of society. 

I understand that everyone wants to try to look their best, but to what extent?  Is it really that important to be able to fit in a size 0, that you have to turn to something like drugs to make it happen?  Or starving yourself?  I personally feel its foolish, along with many of my peers.  If you are that worried about the way you look, and want to try to do something about it, then do it the right way.  Looking up to these models and acting as they do, is not going to get you anywhere good in life.  

Models might disagree and say they have no choice but to do what it takes to stay skinny, and to that i still say, there is a right way to go about it.  I just hope one day we can all realize this, and take one step into becoming a better society as a whole.

Recalling an Experience

Recalling memories is not always a good thing. Certain memories are better off trying to be forgotten. The night of December 6, 2006, I felt my world come crashing down, and every terrible emotions I had bottled up came storming out. One of my best friends, Dustin Muse, and his little sister, Courtney Muse, were killed in a car accident while heading to their fathers house for a birthday dinner.
Sitting at my computer that evening, chatting with some friends on line, I got a message from a friend that read, “Is this seriously true?” Still not knowing I was confused and never responded. I then received a phone call from one of my other close friends who told me the bad news. Before he finished, the phone had dropped on the floor, and everything went silent. I was in shock, and shut out everything for five minutes. Feeling nothing, I was confused, and had no idea what to do. I was in disbelief and unsure of what to do next. When I told my dad he was at a loss of words for me, which never happens.
I got in my car, and just started driving with tears flooding my face. With no destination in mind, a friend called me, and everyone met up with each other. For the first twenty minutes we were together, you could hear the wind blow, and the bugs buzzing, no one was talking. Finally someone shouted out “Is this real?” and at that point everyone lost it. Sitting there holding friends, crying, at a loss for words to say, I could not take it. I got in my car again, and drove for hours listening to music, thinking about Dustin and our childhood together.
I woke up the next morning, with the hopes it was all a dream until I checked my phone and a friend texted me with a message letting me know we were all meeting at the parking lot at school. I showed up in my pj's and we all sat there for a half an hour. A couple words here and there, but stayed quiet for the most part. We finally go into school, and walking down the hallway felt like a ghost town, there was no noise, no one conversing, and no groups of friends standing around. At that point we did not want to be there anymore, so we decided to take the day off, and spend the day together. Aside from the terrible news, it was one of the greatest days ever. Spending a whole day together with 20 of our closest friends, was much needed.
As much as I dread the day of December 6th coming around each year, some good came out of that date. It brought our whole school and whole community together. I hate how it had to come with such tragedy from one of my best friends, but if anyone could bring everyone together, it would be Dustin. I hope to never have to experience the terrible emotions that came out that evening and never feel my world come crashing down like that again. If I do have to, I hope I can bring out some good like I have with this memory. You'll always be in my heart Dustin and Courtney. Never forgotten.

Bumper Sticker Philosophy

If I had to follow a philosophy that best fit with my life, it would be "Everything Happens for A Reason." I feel very strongly about that saying for many reasons. Mainly because at first I never understood it basically because things were happening in my life I could not begin to understand.

I had one of my best friends and his little sister taken away from me when they were killed in a car accident in 2006. I had friends and family telling me for months and months after the accident that everything happens for a reason. I still just could not fathom why this could ever be explained.

Then I had another friend about two years later be put into a coma for many months due to a car accident. Once again I never understood why this was happening. Then it hit me, and everything was happening for a reason. People were put on earth for certain reasons and are taken away when they have fullfilled there purpose.

Dustin and Courtney passing was a way to bring my friends, my family, and I all closer together. Because there for a while I was distant from my friends, and even my family.This tragedy brought everyone closer together, not just between the people we already were close to, but to others in the community as well. It's a real let down when I think that a tragedy of that magnitude had to happen to make everyone realize what is important.

I will always love him and his sister. I think about them everyday...