Whenever I think of snow sevral words come to mind such as: wet, cold, crunchy, slushy, dirty, and sparkly. I remember countless snow days from elementary school, when my brother and I were stuck at home for a few days, causing our parents to wish for school to reopen. Another memory is sledding with my family and friends at the park, and almost running into little kids at the bottom of the hill. Instead of moving out of the way, they would stand there in shock as the sled would zoom down the hill to where they were standing, almost hitting them, until their parents would intervene and quickly pick them up. At least they were not squashed into the snow, like many little kids before them. A good snowfall is not complete without snowmen, and my brother and I decided to construct the most massive snowman we had built in our short lives. Snow will always melt, so when the weather started to warm up, my mom bet my brother and I that it would melt in a few days. We decided to take the challenge, not to win the quarter, but to prove that our mom wasn't always right about everything. As the days went by, all the snow melted, but not our snowman. It was funny to watch our snowman gradually shrink, until it was extremely deformed, but still intact to our mom's dismay. Eventually, after two weeks we could not recognize our malformed snowman, but at least he somehow managed not to melt. Our mom was a good sport about it, and called off the bet. My brother and I got our quarters, and the right to gloat for the rest of that winter.
Snow is not always the same every time it falls. Sometimes, it can be great packing snow, perfect for building snomwen and forts, or making snowballs to pummel my family and friends with. This type of snow makes a crunching sound when it is walked on. Other times, it is powdery, and easily falls apart in your hands, and under your feet. Powdery snow looks the prettiest when it has been on the gound for a few days, and sparkles in the sunlight. Snow is not always pretty, especially if it has been around for a few weeks, picking up dirt on the side of the road, eventually becoming a slushy mess. My family, friends, and I can always tell when snow is coming because the air has a crisp, clean smell. The sky will look almost completely white, with a hint of gray before the snow would start to fall. The feeling of anticipation that I experienced as a child when I would see this sky from the window in elementary school, and the first snowflakes of the season would start to fall, still makes me feel the same way. Thoughts about Christmas and Christmas break, snow days, and sledding would run through my head, until the school felt like a prison that was keeping me from the fluffy flakes, and all the fun they brought with them.
Sometimes, more snow will fall than the weather man predicts, which is always a good thing. The first year we brought home Champ, our brown and white Chihuahua, he could not wait to go outside and explore the strange white invader on our lawn. Our new puppy ran after my brother and I, but due to his small size of two pounds at the time, he fell into the deep snow. Suppressing our laughter, my brother and I waited for a minute to see what Champ would do next. First, a curly brown tail appeared from under the snow, and then his head emerged. Champ then proceeded to run around the yard like a maniac, constantly falling under the snow, to then emerge and start all over again. Now Champ is eight, and he is slowing down a bit, but he still acts like a puppy every year when the snow returns, for him to enjoy along with us. Besides our dog enjoying the snow, my brother and I will always find ways to annoy each other with it. For example, my brother and I will always try to throw a snowball at each other, when one of us is not paying attention. The resulting snowball fight is always hectic, with wet snowballs making a loud, slushy, thwacking sound as they hit not only each other, but the house, the mailbox, the car, and anything that gets in the way fo the crossfire. Sometimes, a snowball would hit me so hard in the face, that I could taste the bland, watery, cold, snowball in my mouth.
It is now nearly the end of September, and that familiar feeling of anticipation of the first snowfall, and Christmas, is slowly approaching. Like an old friend, the snow will always come back every year, bringing all the familiar sounds, and memorie with it. Snow is definately unique, with so many different appearances, uses, and textures. It can be crunchy, packing snow, that will always be good for building things, or beautiful powdery snow, that falls apart when touched. Snow can be cold, and slushy, making anyone with to get back into their warm house quickly. The clean, crisp smell that the next snowfall brings, always makes the feeling of anticipation for that possibility of a snow day grow. The thwacking sound a fresh snowball makes against your opponent in a snowball fight, makes anyone feel like a kid. When a snowball hits me in the face, and the cold, bland taste of the snow fills my mouth, my bother better duck for cover. I can always count on the snow to be that fun, unique, familiar thing to appear every winter, that everyone will enjoy.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Ode to Cheese
I have always believed that the great thing about cheese is that so many different things can be done with it. For example, it can be sprinkled on pizza, soup, tacos, and many other types of food. Cheese is the perfect complement to any sandwich, obviously like the classic Grilled Cheese, or you can add some variety by putting it on a chicken, roast beef, or turkey sandwich. Cheese is the most common thing that comes to mind when I think about snack foods like Cheetos, Baked Lays Sour Cream and Cheddar potatoe chips, cheddar flavored popcorn, or what I always reach for at a baseball game, nachos. Cheese can also be added to baked potatoes directly from the warm oven, when it begins to melt deep into the crevaces of the potatoe. Cheese is the main ingredient in many types of foods, like macaroni and cheese, or potatoe soup. A lot of people like to sprinkle cheese on chili, or eat cheese with crackers. Parmesian cheese is usually added to Italian food, to give it that cheesy bite everyone loves. A salad is a great way to start any meal, especially with a huge mound of cheese on top of the lettuce.
Cheese can come in many different forms, like cottage cheese, cream cheese, and goat cheese. The flavors of cheese are endless, but some are PepperJack, Colby, Bleu Cheese, Cheddar, Swiss, Munster, White Cheese, and Limburger. Some types of cheese have holes like Swiss, while others are aged for a better flavor, like Bleu Cheese. PepperJack, Colby, Cheddar, Munster, Swiss, and White Cheese all have a rich, creamy texture, while Limburger smells awful. Personally, I think that Bleu Cheese has a disgusting flavor, but some people love it. I found this out the hard way when I ordered the Cobb Salad at Bob Evans. I forgot to ask them to reomove the Bleu Cheese from the salad, like I always do. When the waitress brought my salad to the table, I quickly noticed the blue, moldy, stinky, cubes on my lettuce. It was extremely difficult to pick them out of my salad, and unfortunately I missed a few pieces. I took a big bite of lettuce, tomatoe, and chicken, without realizing that a small chunk of the smelly cheese had made its way to my fork. The taste was awful, like warm vomit, an extremely nasty sensation to my tastebuds. At least other types of cheese taste much better, like PepperJack, which tends to be very spicy. This cheese is the perfect complement for a plate of nachos, or melted, and served as a zesty dip. Cottage cheese is usually a sidedish in a meal, while cream cheese tends to appear in desserts, like Cheesecake. Cheese can also be added to chili dogs as a topping, or as a cheese sauce to many different dishes. Some cheeses are soft and squishy when touched, liquidy, or firm. Parmesian is an especially firm cheese, that must be grated when added to certain dishes, or when used as a topping. White Cheese is usually added to certain ethnic foods, to add an element of creaminess.
I always enjoy it when my mom makes potatoe soup, especially since the broth is a cheese sauce. She always makes it for my family and I, especially in the fall and winter months. It has a creamy cheesy flavor, but the potatoes add an interesting bite to the soup. We can not make potatoe soup every night, so when my brother and I want to know what is for dinner, sometimes my mom will suggest a Grilled Cheese. Unfortunatly, she loves this warm, melty, sandwich so much, that she tends to overly suggest this, which only makes my brother and I groan after a while. She simply says that she loves Grilled Cheese, and she does not realize that she brings it up that often. Cheese was not always involved with my favorite foods, but it did teach me to enjoy broccoli more when I was little. My mom would melt American Cheese on the detestable green menace, but I eventually learned to like it without this complement. Another fond memory of cheese involves my brown and white Chihuahua, Champ. Every dog loves cheese, but whenever the word is said in my house, Champ will look toward the kitchen. What began this love affair, was when I decided to train Champ when he was a puppy with cheese, because he seemed to like it, and he would learn the behaviors like sit, stay, and come, more easily. Unfortunatley, now every time he hears us say cheese, or if we begin to eat anything with cheese on it, Champ will come running, and will stare longinly at our forks, sacrificing his dignity, until he gets that well-earned bite.
Cheese is the perfect compliment to any meal, and still continues to be. It is very versatile because it comes in so many forms, textures, and flavors. There is a type of cheese for everyone, in any flavor that they prefer. For some this could be Bleu Cheese, Pepprejack, or Swiss. Others prefer the sharpness that Parmesian has to offer to our favorite Italian dishes, like Spaghetti. Not only have the different forms, flavors, and types of cheese made cooking easier, they can make even the most picky eater finish his vegetables. For example, whenever I did not want to eat my broccoli, my mom would just melt some cheese on top. The creaminess of the cheese overpowered the nasty taste of the broccoli. It always amazes me how much people will go crazy for cheese, but my dog will take this even further. Champ will ignore his dog food if anyone is eating cheese, or any food with cheese at the kitchen table. Eventually, his persistance pays off, and he will get a bite, especially because his "cute look" works every time. He will stare up at you with his big brown eyes, until you feed him. From the many different uses, forms, tastes, and smells, to the happiness most people experience when they eat it, cheese will always be the perfect choice for any meal, or sidedish.
Cheese can come in many different forms, like cottage cheese, cream cheese, and goat cheese. The flavors of cheese are endless, but some are PepperJack, Colby, Bleu Cheese, Cheddar, Swiss, Munster, White Cheese, and Limburger. Some types of cheese have holes like Swiss, while others are aged for a better flavor, like Bleu Cheese. PepperJack, Colby, Cheddar, Munster, Swiss, and White Cheese all have a rich, creamy texture, while Limburger smells awful. Personally, I think that Bleu Cheese has a disgusting flavor, but some people love it. I found this out the hard way when I ordered the Cobb Salad at Bob Evans. I forgot to ask them to reomove the Bleu Cheese from the salad, like I always do. When the waitress brought my salad to the table, I quickly noticed the blue, moldy, stinky, cubes on my lettuce. It was extremely difficult to pick them out of my salad, and unfortunately I missed a few pieces. I took a big bite of lettuce, tomatoe, and chicken, without realizing that a small chunk of the smelly cheese had made its way to my fork. The taste was awful, like warm vomit, an extremely nasty sensation to my tastebuds. At least other types of cheese taste much better, like PepperJack, which tends to be very spicy. This cheese is the perfect complement for a plate of nachos, or melted, and served as a zesty dip. Cottage cheese is usually a sidedish in a meal, while cream cheese tends to appear in desserts, like Cheesecake. Cheese can also be added to chili dogs as a topping, or as a cheese sauce to many different dishes. Some cheeses are soft and squishy when touched, liquidy, or firm. Parmesian is an especially firm cheese, that must be grated when added to certain dishes, or when used as a topping. White Cheese is usually added to certain ethnic foods, to add an element of creaminess.
I always enjoy it when my mom makes potatoe soup, especially since the broth is a cheese sauce. She always makes it for my family and I, especially in the fall and winter months. It has a creamy cheesy flavor, but the potatoes add an interesting bite to the soup. We can not make potatoe soup every night, so when my brother and I want to know what is for dinner, sometimes my mom will suggest a Grilled Cheese. Unfortunatly, she loves this warm, melty, sandwich so much, that she tends to overly suggest this, which only makes my brother and I groan after a while. She simply says that she loves Grilled Cheese, and she does not realize that she brings it up that often. Cheese was not always involved with my favorite foods, but it did teach me to enjoy broccoli more when I was little. My mom would melt American Cheese on the detestable green menace, but I eventually learned to like it without this complement. Another fond memory of cheese involves my brown and white Chihuahua, Champ. Every dog loves cheese, but whenever the word is said in my house, Champ will look toward the kitchen. What began this love affair, was when I decided to train Champ when he was a puppy with cheese, because he seemed to like it, and he would learn the behaviors like sit, stay, and come, more easily. Unfortunatley, now every time he hears us say cheese, or if we begin to eat anything with cheese on it, Champ will come running, and will stare longinly at our forks, sacrificing his dignity, until he gets that well-earned bite.
Cheese is the perfect compliment to any meal, and still continues to be. It is very versatile because it comes in so many forms, textures, and flavors. There is a type of cheese for everyone, in any flavor that they prefer. For some this could be Bleu Cheese, Pepprejack, or Swiss. Others prefer the sharpness that Parmesian has to offer to our favorite Italian dishes, like Spaghetti. Not only have the different forms, flavors, and types of cheese made cooking easier, they can make even the most picky eater finish his vegetables. For example, whenever I did not want to eat my broccoli, my mom would just melt some cheese on top. The creaminess of the cheese overpowered the nasty taste of the broccoli. It always amazes me how much people will go crazy for cheese, but my dog will take this even further. Champ will ignore his dog food if anyone is eating cheese, or any food with cheese at the kitchen table. Eventually, his persistance pays off, and he will get a bite, especially because his "cute look" works every time. He will stare up at you with his big brown eyes, until you feed him. From the many different uses, forms, tastes, and smells, to the happiness most people experience when they eat it, cheese will always be the perfect choice for any meal, or sidedish.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Conquering the Coasters
My friends and I have just graduated from high school, and now, a few days later, our class is reuniting for a trip to Cedar Point for the day. I am very excited to ride everything, and have some fun with my friends. It is my friend Terrie's first time riding a huge roller coaster, because she has told me in the past that she is terrified of heights. I did manage to talk her into riding the Raptor, and reassured her that it is not a very bad ride, and that she will have fun. While we were waiting in line to get on the ride, Terrie said that she wanted to not back out and try the ride. She also mentioned that if she did not like the ride, at least she would not wonder in the future if the ride was fun, and if she missed out on a great experience. I think that it is brave of her to conquer her fear of heights, and try something new. She may love the ride, and want to ride more roller coasters in the future. If she does not like the ride, at least she will know not to ride it again.
Terrie looked nervous when she sat down on the ride with Emily, and Holli, but I think she will enjoy it. Lauren, Stephanie, and I gave them a reassuring thumbs up and watched as the ride started to inch forward, and make its way slowly up to the first drop. After their car plunged downward at the top of the first hill, it was our turn to start the ride. All the speed, twists, and turns gave everyone such a huge adrenaline rush, that we were suprised when it was over so quickly. Holli, Emily, and Terrie, now safely on the ground, met us at the exit gate. Terrie was very excited, and said that she loved the ride and had a lot of fun. She said that the only bad part of the ride was when their car reached the top of the first hill, and the park below them looked so small. I told her that she was going to enjoy the ride, and being nervous was ridiculous in the first place. I was happy that she was able to enjoy herself, and that she did not change her mind about going on the ride at the last minute.
It was interesting the change that Terrie went through after riding the Raptor. She was relieved like everyone else, but she was more excited to ride other things than she would have been, if she would have not rode that first ride. She told me that she wanted to start out with something somewhat intense, but not something that would ruin roller coasters for her entirely. This made me think about the Raptor, because it is intense at first, but then the ride mellows out and becomes more fun, and less scary. It was also conveniently located at the beginning of the park. Obviously it was a good choice, because Terrie wanted to continue to try new rides throughout the day. She did disagree with me about some rides, like the Wicked Twister and the Gemini, but she did ride everything else that we went on as the day progressed. I think that it is a good idea not to push other people to try something new right away, but to at least invite them to think about it.
Unfortunatley, after the ride everyone felt a little sick, so we had to take a break for a while. Terrie told me that even though she was not feeling well, it was worth it to experience something new and exciting. She even rode the Cork Screw, Disaster Transport, and the Iron Dragon before we left the park for the day. Those rides are not as intense as the Raptor, but at least Terrie found some roller coasters she liked. Terrie also rode the Mine Ride, but she liked that coaster to begin with. It was fun when Lauren, Stephanie, and Terrie pretended that the ride was scary by screaming sarcastically that they were going to die at the top of the first small hill. Terrie told me that the day was a great experience, and she thanked me for talking her into riding the Raptor. She told me that if she had not tried the Raptor, she would have only rode the Mine Ride, and missed out on the other fun rides that Cedar Point has. It was great that I was able to support my friend, and encourage her to try something new, even though it was hard to convince her to ride anything a week before the trip.
Terrie looked nervous when she sat down on the ride with Emily, and Holli, but I think she will enjoy it. Lauren, Stephanie, and I gave them a reassuring thumbs up and watched as the ride started to inch forward, and make its way slowly up to the first drop. After their car plunged downward at the top of the first hill, it was our turn to start the ride. All the speed, twists, and turns gave everyone such a huge adrenaline rush, that we were suprised when it was over so quickly. Holli, Emily, and Terrie, now safely on the ground, met us at the exit gate. Terrie was very excited, and said that she loved the ride and had a lot of fun. She said that the only bad part of the ride was when their car reached the top of the first hill, and the park below them looked so small. I told her that she was going to enjoy the ride, and being nervous was ridiculous in the first place. I was happy that she was able to enjoy herself, and that she did not change her mind about going on the ride at the last minute.
It was interesting the change that Terrie went through after riding the Raptor. She was relieved like everyone else, but she was more excited to ride other things than she would have been, if she would have not rode that first ride. She told me that she wanted to start out with something somewhat intense, but not something that would ruin roller coasters for her entirely. This made me think about the Raptor, because it is intense at first, but then the ride mellows out and becomes more fun, and less scary. It was also conveniently located at the beginning of the park. Obviously it was a good choice, because Terrie wanted to continue to try new rides throughout the day. She did disagree with me about some rides, like the Wicked Twister and the Gemini, but she did ride everything else that we went on as the day progressed. I think that it is a good idea not to push other people to try something new right away, but to at least invite them to think about it.
Unfortunatley, after the ride everyone felt a little sick, so we had to take a break for a while. Terrie told me that even though she was not feeling well, it was worth it to experience something new and exciting. She even rode the Cork Screw, Disaster Transport, and the Iron Dragon before we left the park for the day. Those rides are not as intense as the Raptor, but at least Terrie found some roller coasters she liked. Terrie also rode the Mine Ride, but she liked that coaster to begin with. It was fun when Lauren, Stephanie, and Terrie pretended that the ride was scary by screaming sarcastically that they were going to die at the top of the first small hill. Terrie told me that the day was a great experience, and she thanked me for talking her into riding the Raptor. She told me that if she had not tried the Raptor, she would have only rode the Mine Ride, and missed out on the other fun rides that Cedar Point has. It was great that I was able to support my friend, and encourage her to try something new, even though it was hard to convince her to ride anything a week before the trip.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Swimming, Gaming, and the Torture of Punishment
My best friend, Maria, called me and asked if I wanted to go swimming at her house the next day. Naturally, I called her back and said that I thought that was a good idea. After I arrived at Maria's house the next day, we sat outside in her backyard, and tanned for a while. Eventually, the extreme heat of the summer afternoon sun was slowly burning our skin, so we decided that it was time to get in the pool. This repeated pattern of tanning, and getting in and out of the pool, lasted until sundown. Toward the end of the day, Maria's younger sister, Vicotria, and I were in the pool. Maria soon joined us, when a very interesting conversation started. Victoria started to ask Maria and I if she was a "deep" person. This normal conversation soon turned into a ridiculous argument, when Maria's definition of a "deep" person, and mine differed from Victoria's. Maria and I came to the conclusion that Victoria was not a "deep" person, and that the conversation was entirely stupid in the first place. Victoria was not really mad at us, but it was hilarious hearing her description of a "deep" person, when it conflicted with her personality.
Eventually, my brother and I had to find ways to occupy our ample time over the long summer vacation. Naturally, we found the easiest solution: video games. One of our favorite games is called Super Smash Brothers Brawl, the latest game in the Super Smash Brothers series. One late night in July, I found a new way to defeat my brother's character faster in the brawl. First, I lured my brother close to the edge of the stage we were fighting on, by not moving my character. This fooled my brother into thinking that I was not paying attention, when in reality he was falling right into my trap. As my brother took the bait and ran toward my character on the screen, I sprung into action . I jumped at the last second, which resulted in my brother running off the edge of the stage, where my character had been innocently standing a moment before. Then, I tilted my control stick down, and had my character grab the ledge that my brother now so desperately needed to make it back on the stage. My brother fell to his death, because I would not let go of the ledge. The result was a well deserved point for me, and the fun of teasing my younger brother for the rest of the evening. He did eventually get me back, but that's the fun of the game.
My brother and I had the most horrible fight this summer. We fought so badly, that we did not speak to each other for a month of our summer vacation. Looking back, I really can't remember what we were fighting about. I asked my brother what we did fight about, and even he couldn't remember, so it must not have been very important. He agrees with me that we were both very immature, to fight about something for so long, that did not even matter. We do remember how boring it was being grounded in our rooms, with nothing to do but stare at the wall. We couldn't play video games, go outside, talk to friends, or do anything fun. Our schedule was to sit in our rooms, stare at the wall, eat, and go to bed for four long weeks. Finally, our parents decided that we had suffered enough, and lifted the punishment to our great relief. The funny thing was, that my parents could not remember all the details from the fight, or the main reason why we were grounded. I believe that my brother and I learned our lesson, at least until next time, when our parents will probably catch us fighting about something else.
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Eventually, my brother and I had to find ways to occupy our ample time over the long summer vacation. Naturally, we found the easiest solution: video games. One of our favorite games is called Super Smash Brothers Brawl, the latest game in the Super Smash Brothers series. One late night in July, I found a new way to defeat my brother's character faster in the brawl. First, I lured my brother close to the edge of the stage we were fighting on, by not moving my character. This fooled my brother into thinking that I was not paying attention, when in reality he was falling right into my trap. As my brother took the bait and ran toward my character on the screen, I sprung into action . I jumped at the last second, which resulted in my brother running off the edge of the stage, where my character had been innocently standing a moment before. Then, I tilted my control stick down, and had my character grab the ledge that my brother now so desperately needed to make it back on the stage. My brother fell to his death, because I would not let go of the ledge. The result was a well deserved point for me, and the fun of teasing my younger brother for the rest of the evening. He did eventually get me back, but that's the fun of the game.
My brother and I had the most horrible fight this summer. We fought so badly, that we did not speak to each other for a month of our summer vacation. Looking back, I really can't remember what we were fighting about. I asked my brother what we did fight about, and even he couldn't remember, so it must not have been very important. He agrees with me that we were both very immature, to fight about something for so long, that did not even matter. We do remember how boring it was being grounded in our rooms, with nothing to do but stare at the wall. We couldn't play video games, go outside, talk to friends, or do anything fun. Our schedule was to sit in our rooms, stare at the wall, eat, and go to bed for four long weeks. Finally, our parents decided that we had suffered enough, and lifted the punishment to our great relief. The funny thing was, that my parents could not remember all the details from the fight, or the main reason why we were grounded. I believe that my brother and I learned our lesson, at least until next time, when our parents will probably catch us fighting about something else.
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