Music

Music is something we come into contact with everyday. There are all kinds of different genres of music in the world such as rap, hip-hop, rock, metal, pop, indie, folk, country, alternative, punk, orchestra, opera, classic and many others. When it comes to my music choice, I like just about everything. There are of course some songs that I prefer than others, but I will listen to remotely any genre as long as the meaning is decent. Others may listen to specific songs or genres because of the beat, or how the song makes them feel intellectually.

Since I have lived with my grandparents for a majority of my life, classic rock or just anything from the 50's and 60's is something I really enjoy. When I listen to the classics I feel as if I'm reliving in an era in which my grandparents grew up in. I've always loved the scenery from the 50's and 60's in such a way that I almost envy those who had the privilege of growing up in that time period. The cars are fascinating and the way everyone seemed to get along is just amazing. The way someone could walk out of their house and become successful in any type of business they wanted to form is mind-blowing. A few of my favorite classic artists are of the following: Dion and the Belmonts, Wilson Pickett, Canned Heat, CCR (Clearance Clearwater Revival), Greg Kihn Band, KC & the Sunshine Band, the Doors, and many, many others. Nothing can beat the classics.

If you were to ride in my car and go through my music you would find almost every genre of music except for opera, I'm just not a fan of it. I tend to steer away from the new generation of music as well because of some of the meanings or foul language used in the content. That does not mean that I don't listen to some of the newer music though, as there are plenty of new stuff I enjoy listening to.

When it comes to music I feel that some songs are very relatable. There are some songs that can instantly change my mood within a few seconds. A sad song will usually bring back memories I have had in the past, which sometimes creates a sense of sadness within me. Other songs that are more up-tempo tend to bring a feeling of happiness and energy in me. Music can be a huge role in fixing a broken person or just giving someone something to relate to. There are quotes all over the world stating that music saves lives and I truly believe that. The way music has impacted my life in such a way proves to me that music can help or hurt those who listen to the content. It all depends on how one conceives the meaning.

I love discovering music that I've never heard before and jamming out in my car as I drive down the road. I know I'm not the only one who will sing along in the car at the top of my lungs as if I'm on stage without a microphone. Music will forever be a part of my life and I hope the new artists continue to create content worth listening to.

Can you guess the game?

It's the year 2077, and my family is doing great. We just had our son a few months ago, and he seems to be growing well. I'm glad I was able to finish my military term so I could come home to spend time with my family. My housekeeper has been a blessing to me, as he has never spoken a foul term and has been a wonderful helper with my son while I was away.

 My wife, wow, she's as beautiful as ever. Her dark brown hair cascading like a waterfall down to the tip of her shoulders. Her eyes as alluring as chilled ice on a bright winter morning. The 10+ years of our marriage have certainly done her well. I can't believe how lucky of a guy I am. Living in a world like the one we live in today, I'm beyond thankful to have her by my side. The way she looks at me and our son tells me everything I need to know about her. It's heartwarming knowing that I can always count on her to be here for me.

My son started crying; the housekeeper went to check on him. Hopefully everything is all right. I should probably go check up on him to see if he needs any help.

Hmm, looks like he's still crying. Would you look at that, all it took was spinning the thing that hangs over his crib to sooth him. If I had spinning rockets over my head I'd probably shut up too. 

My wife is calling for me, may as well see what she needs.

Apparently, there was a man at the door. Turned out to be a Vault Tech Rep, go figure. He told me there was a spot open for my family in Vault 111, although, I don't know why I'd ever need to be going in there. I figured, oh, well, may as well sign up anyway. It certainly wouldn't hurt anything, right?

The television set switched over to a breaking news station, so my wife and I, along with the housekeeper, gathered around to see what was going on. A nuclear bomb was about to be let off in the acts of war. It was at that moment I knew I had made the right decision signing my family up for that spot in the vault. My wife grabbed our son, and we headed out the door and ran to the vault, located less than a mile through the woods. There were military men along the path to the vault, which wasn't a bad idea since there were hundreds of people rushing to the vault. When we arrived at the gate, a man dressed in a Corporal uniform checked off our names and brought us through, It was a shame seeing all of the non-selected citizens gathered outside of the gate being denied access to the vault for safety. Just as we reached the vault entrance, in the distance, the nuclear explosion went off. The way the explosion looked as we descended deep into the earth was horrific. Almost as if the world was coming to an end.

Once inside the vault, we received full body suits. They were blue with a small amount of yellow detailing on the sides along with a yellow 111 on the back stamped in-between the shoulder blades. Everyone was wearing one except for the scientists that were standing around; they were wearing long, white lab coats. As we were escorted into what were called "living chambers," I noticed we would be here for a very long time. Instead of the living chambers being what you had expected, they were these giant, dull pods. The scientists called them Cryo Chambers. They were made to freeze your body completely just enough to where your heart beat reached its lowest possible beat that way you could still remain alive. We walked to the end of the room, and I got inside the pod to the left. My wife and son were placed in the pod directly across from me. I could see them through the glass. How I wish this would have never became a reality. Our family was perfect. The pods locked shut, and I was no longer able to comprehend anything. My eyes closed and I fell into a deep sleep.

A Separated Family

There are many people out there that live in a separated household as I do, and from experience I can say that sometimes it isn't the greatest thing in the world. My parents split up when I was three months old.

When I was 4 years old, my mom and I moved to Tampa, Florida. Since I was so young, I don't really remember a whole lot from my out of state living, but from what I do remember, I hated it. We lived on a horse ranch in which I had my first horse, Silver. I probably don't seem much of the "country living" type, but I definitely have the experience of that lifestyle. Right before my 5th birthday in April, we moved back to Cambridge, Ohio. My mom became very ill, so I moved in with my dad's parents since they were the only relative I have that were financially stable. Even though I lived with my dad's parents, he still never came around to see me much. I'd get the occasional "hi" and he would come around for the holidays.

Growing up with parents who are split up can get hard sometimes, especially when you see happy families that still remain intact. Every day I wonder what it would be like today if my parents had remained a couple, but on most days I wouldn't want them to be together. The reason for that is because my mom went on to have my brother, Jake. My dad got married to my step-mom, Tonya, and they had 3 children together along with already bringing along my step-brother. From my parents splitting up I received 3 brothers and 2 sisters. If they hadn't split up when I was younger, who knows if I would ever have any siblings. The only good thing I can make up of not having an intact family is that I am able to have more siblings than the average family.

To this day I still live with my grandparents, when I'm not living on campus. They have been more than a blessing to me as I have grown into a person I would never have become if I had lived under my mom or dad's roof. I have grown accustomed to the old, classy customs along with the modern. My grandparents taught me to value things in a way I never would have imagined. All-in-all, living in a world where separated families is somewhat common is not always a bad things. Sometimes it works out for the better in my case, but I know there are people out there who have things much harder than I do.

Post Little League baseball

When I was 13 years old, I joined the Babe Ruth league which played their games on the high-school baseball field. I had never stepped foot on a field so large, and I was still small compared to everyone else. I was roughly only 5'0", maybe even shorter. We played on the same team as 14 year old's who were twice our size. I thought I would be terrified at stepping up to the plate against some of the pitchers who could double my pitching speed. As the year went on, I was never thrown out running to first base. To me, that was a major accomplishment. I made the 13 year old All-Star team in my first year playing in the Babe Ruth league; however, the same coaches that coached the Little League All-Star teams were once again the coaches. If you read my last post, you'd already know what happened during my All-Star stretch, I sat the bench. I watched my team win and lost from the dugout, only stepping onto the field to hear my name called and to occasionally play in an inning or 2. My family was beyond angry at the coaches for putting kids in that they thought I was a much better player than. At 13 years old, the only thought that ran through my head was that I was on the team and I enjoyed being there even though at times I was upset from not playing. As the great John Fogerty sang, put me in coach, I'm ready to play.

In what would be my last season of playing baseball in my career, I had a breakthrough season. I batted over .600 on the season with having multiple games of going 5-5. I once again was never thrown out running to first base. I had hit my first home run; however, the ball went foul. I never hit the ball over the fence after that. At the end of the season, I received a call from coach Joey Adamik. He said over the phone that he was the All-Star coach for the season and he wanted to have me on the team. Hearing that a different person was becoming the coach gave me hope, and that hope became a reality for me, I started every game playing left field and batting 3rd in the lineup. In our state tournament I batted over .800 and received several game balls. I had coaches and parents from other teams approach me after the games telling me how great I was on the field. We lost the championship by one run in a story that I could tell in a post all by its lonesome.

During my freshman year in 2012, I "threw my arm out", or better known as tearing my UCL ligament. I would need surgery to fully recover to play baseball again; however, I never had the surgery completed. My baseball career ended and I would no longer have the joy of strapping on my cleats and spreading eye black across my face before a game again. I now play on my church league softball team playing second base so I don't have to throw much. I bat first since I overrun anyone who stands on base before. In this past season I had hit 7 home runs, none of which had gone over the fence. If I was ever given the chance to play baseball again, I would do so in a heartbeat, but for now I am enjoying life outside of sports in which I am able to spend time with my family rather than attending practices. My baseball playing days are over, but the memories will forever remain in my mind and the love for the game will always be held in my heart.

My Little League career

In the spring of 2004 when I was 7 years old, I stepped onto the baseball field for the first time. I had never previously played T-ball and I didn't play soccer until the fall of that year, so being on a team was new to me. I was the shy kid that rarely spoke a word, and to this day I still somewhat live up to that. During my first year of playing baseball I was the kid who, if the ball was hit to, you would pray to yourself that I would finally make a play. If a fly ball was hit to me I would stick my arm out and cower behind my glove in hopes that I would catch it. My batting was just as bad as I could barely hit the ball out of the infield.

Over the summer after the season ended, my cousins and I spent most of our days practicing baseball. My dad, whom I never lived with, would take my siblings and I out to the baseball fields for batting practice. He didn't do it that often, but when he did I was thankful for the time I was actually able to spend with him. The following year when I was 8 years old, I was arguably the best player on my team. It was my last year of coach pitch and that was the year I had hit my first home run. Of course, it was coach pitch so getting the perfect pitch was almost given 90% of the time. It was my second year playing baseball, and it was the first year I had made the Cambridge All-Stars. Since the other kids had more experience, and their dads were the coaches, I sat the bench for most of the post season.

My first year of kid pitch came the next year in which I played for the coach I would be coached by until I reached the Babe Ruth league, Jimmy Sylvis. Aside from the Fox family, my soccer coaches, Jimmy was the best coach I have ever had. He never quite cared for winning as much as he wanted to provide a fun learning atmosphere for the game of baseball. Ever kid sat the bench, even his own. For the next 2 years of kid pitch I made the All-stars, but I was never in the game for more than an inning. It angered my family, and sometimes I ever became overzealous at the fact that I never played, but I loved the fact that I was at least selected to be on the team.

When I was 11 years old, I didn't make the All-Star team, even after a decent year. Instead, a local dad decided to create a pick-up team for the kids who didn't make the original All-Star team that he thought deserved that opportunity. Our team was known as the Cambridge Connection. Out of all of my All-Star teams, and even my regular season teams, this team was the one I had the most fun on. I met Zac Blair, a kid who I still call one of my best friends today, on this team. I played behind the plate most games, and when I wasn't catching I was pitching.

When I was 12 years old, I had the best year of my life in Little League. I averaged 1 home run a game over a span of 10 games. I was arguably one of the top 3 pitchers in our small league, and I had one of the best batting averages. In my last Little League regular season game I went 4-4 with my last at in my career being a home run over the left field fence. After the game, a coach came up to me and told me that they weren't supposed to tell anyone yet, but I had made the All-Star team once again. During this All-Star run I sat the bench for a majority of the games; however, I was used a closing pitcher. When we went to districts, we were in the losing bracket trailing 14-1 in the 4th inning. The coach decided to bring me in off of the bench to pitch and our team seemed to spark. We came back at the end of the 6th inning to win the game 15-14. The following game we were losing 4-2, and in the 5th inning the coach once again decided to bring me in to pitch. There was one man out and one man on first base. I threw 1 pitch and my teammate, Terry Neff, caught the ball at first base on a line drive and stepped on 1st base forcing a double play. In the next inning, we came out onto the field winning the game 5-4. The first batter got on base from my first pitch in which I hit him with. The next batter was struck out with 3 straight pitches. The last batter of the game came to the plate and I threw what would be my last pitch of the tournament. He hit the ball on the ground toward the shortstop and we forced yet again another double play. In the Mount Vernon newspaper I made the front page for my spectacular comeback and my 6 pitch miracle, The following game we played Mount Vernon in the championship in which we were mercied and I was only able to play in half of an inning. My Little League career ended in this tournament, and I look back now seeing what my granddad likes to call as nepotism. The coaches' kids were the ones to start every game regardless of their skill. Could things have turned out differently if those who deserved to play were given the chance? That's something I ask myself every day. Regardless of the whole nepotism term, Little League baseball was one of the most memorable activities I have ever participated in, and I will be forever grateful for the coaches I had that helped me grow to become the man I am becoming today.

My life as a soccer player

       When I was 7 years old, I fell in love with the game of soccer. I wasn't the greatest player starting out, but I at least tried. I played on a team where I met Paul Van Horn, a current Muskie soccer player. I was the kid who ran around the field not knowing what it was I was supposed to be doing. I'm sure plenty of the parents got a kick out of watching me play.

       When I was 9 years old, my grandmother missed the sign ups for soccer, so my aunt Kim signed me up while we were away. Apparently Kim thought I was 10, so she signed me up for the u-10 league instead of the league I was originally supposed to be in. When I showed up for practice on the first day, I noticed I was considerably smaller than everyone else on the team. My coaches knew I was younger, but they had noticed something in me that stood out from any other player they had on their team, I had the will to want to succeed even at a young age. My coaches were Tracy and J.R. Fox. They were the first real coaches I had had on any sports team I participated on.

      The next year I found myself reunited on the same team as Paul once again. The coach had put me in as goalie, which was a position I thought I would love to play. Not one game did I go out of that position. At the end of the season, the Fireballs and I were led to an undefeated season.

       My final year in the Eosay league in Cambridge, Ohio came when I was in the 6th grade. The team I was on consisted of two of my cousins, one of my neighbors, and a kid who would end up being one of my best friends to this day. Unlike the previous year, my team didn't have the leisure of going undefeated, but it was still a very memorable year.

       7th grade seemed to come and go quickly, so I don't remember a whole lot from that particular time span. I wasn't the best player on the team, and I certainly wasn't the worst on the team either. I didn't play a whole lot since the 8th graders took up a majority of the starting positions. We didn't have a very good record at the end of the season, but I enjoyed every moment I had on the field,

       On the first day of my 8th grade practice, our team had a vote on who would become the captain and co-captain of the team. I was elected as the team captain, and I was also given the position of a center forward (striker), which I hadn't played much in any point of my soccer career. As the year went on, I had a spectacular season, arguably the best I had ever had. There are many stories I could talk about from my 8th grade season, but that could be condensed into a full post itself. At the end of the season we had went 2-15 and I made 36 goals, a middle school season record, with at least double that in shots on goal; however, we gave up more than twice the amount of goals we had scored as a team. At the middle school level, we were able to take a spot in the playoff bracket, but of course we had the last seed. In the playoffs, I scored 5 goals and had one assist, which led to a total of 6 team goals. We won the playoffs against Noble County in overtime in which I scored the game winner in the first 20 seconds.

       When freshman year came, I tore a muscle in my calf which sidelined me for the entire season. For my sophomore and junior year I spend most of the time recovering and strengthening my legs as my injury kept coming back and never fully healed. When my senior season came, I was finally able to play again. I was elected co-captain next to a good friend of mine, Jesse Kuthy. I came back with a fire in me that couldn't be put out, even by the most ruthless of teams. I played defense during most of the games and was put in at forward for the remaining 2 minutes of each game since I was able to speed my way past the opposing defense. Halfway through the season our goalie was injured with a broken arm. We didn't have anyone on the team who had any previous experience at goalie, so I offered to train for the position. I spent the next week taking shots. I would often stay an extra hour after practice with the coach to work on my goalie skills to help prepare myself for the upcoming games. On my 5th game as goalie, we played against Dover. In the beginning of the game, they played a little more rough than the average team. The forwards would step on my hands and crashed into me after taking a shot on goal in hopes of not drawing a card or a whistle. Lucky for them, they got away with everything. During the second half, one of their forwards broke free from our defenders  and proceeding to attack the goal. In a 1v1 situation, I ran towards him and threw my body down over the ball; however, I wasn't able to easily get away. The forward stepped onto my side applying all of his body weight. He then fell on top of me, landing on my shoulder. As I laid on the ground in pain, the medical staff ran out onto the field to assist me. I was escorted to the hospital as I wasn't able to breathe. It turned out I had a  dislocated shoulder along with one of my ribs being dislocated just millimeters from my lungs. At that moment I thought to myself, this would be the end of my season.

       A day after my injury I went to practice, but I wasn't dressed to participate. As a captain I had to be there to help motivate my teammates. Two days of practice had passed by, and I felt useless. I had to find a way to get out onto the field and finish my senior year. Game day came and I begged my coach to put me onto the field regardless of my injury. After minutes of arguing, he decided to place me on the field in my usual defensive position. It was very apparent that I wasn't fully myself, but that didn't stop me from successfully defending and giving all that I had left in the tank to fulfill my aspirations. After that game everyone spoke of me as the kid who had heart. One who never gave up even when all odds were against me.

       During my senior night we played against the Bishop Rosecrans. We were losing 9-0 in the second half with 4:00 left in the game when my coach called my name. He sent me to play left wing, or left forward. Adam Fox carried the ball down the right side of the field, eventually crossing the ball to the center to Tyler Carpenetti. T-Carp (as we called him) missed the ball, so the ball continued to roll in front of the goal. As I battled the defender, I broke free and sprinted toward the goal. I slid on the ground on my left side with my right foot forward making contact with the ball. After I had stood up, my teammates were running toward me and the crowd was going wild with bells and screaming. My first goal of my high school career had come on my senior night in front of the entire town. We may have lost that game pretty badly, but it will forever be remembered by my teammates and I as one of the greatest moments we have ever had on the soccer field. After the game, as a team we felt as if we had conquered the world. Not one person mentioned that we had lost.

       Soccer will forever be one of my favorite sports. Nothing has given me more ambition and motivation than my teammates had given me. We weren't just teammates, we were family. We were with each other every step of the way since we were kids. An experience like the ones I had had in my Soccer playing days will be hard to match. Every day I wish I could still be out on the field with everyone just one last time. 

Life changed by Technology

When I was born in 1997, there wasn't a huge demand or want for anything having to do with technology. Very few people had a cell phone and most of the computers that were inside of citizen's homes were very slow do to dial up connection. Over the years; however, technology has become a necessity in every day life.

During my toddler years I didn't sit inside on a gaming console or a computer unless it was for a punishment or if it was raining outside. Every day I would be outside playing with my friends or riding my bike. Technology was very uncommon in my early years for every day life.

As I grew older, I began to enjoy sitting down some nights and playing the Nintendo 64 with my friends. Pac-Man, Super Mario, and Mortal Combat were the few games we enjoyed playing. It became something we would do quite often, but if it was nice outside we weren't sitting indoors. At this time, almost every adult had a cell phone, but even teenagers didn't have them when I was growing up, at least not yet.

A few years later the console age started to reach a peak. Sony and Microsoft developed the Playstation and the Xbox. My friends and I began to stay indoors a lot more to play games with one another rather than going outside. Teenagers began carrying around flip-phones, which were the coolest thing at the time. Every younger kid wanted a cell phone like their older siblings or their parents. Texting was just starting to become a worldwide thing, but it was difficult for some since the cell phones still contained the number dial keypad. In the early to mid 2000's, cell phone companies, such as Samsung, came out with cell phones that slid up with a full "qwerty" keyboard to make texting easier for everyone. It wasn't until I was in the 6th grade when I received my first cell phone. At the time, I felt as if I was in a whole new class of people.

Around 2010, touch screens began to rule the cell phone kingdom and apps were becoming to take over. People could now use social media and play games on their cell phones. Many hours were spent each day looking down at cell phones, which in turn leads to less face-to-face communication. When I go out to eat I look around and always see people looking down at their phones as if the presence of others is non-existing. On the holidays when my family meets at my grandparents house I have to wait for the person I want to interact with to look up from their phone before they will have a conversation with me. As I walk around the college campus I see everyone looking down at their phones when you pass them instead of giving the occasional "hello" to one another.

What started off as a great thing for our generation is now slowly beginning to destroy our every day interactions. Soon the majority of the population will have a hard time speaking to others in public and eventually one-on-one interactions will die out. So turn off the phone every now and then, and embrace what's around you. Pull your head out of the fantasy world and live a little bit.