Vast Hell

For me, my vast hell would have to be new york city. I think that i have a passionate hatred for Manhattan. There is not one reason i would like to live in the city except for job opportunity. Even so, it would take a lot to make me work there. I can not stand all of the noise, strange people, smelly air, and traffic. One cannot even sleep in an apartment without hearing constant sirens, people yelling, and car horns at all hours of the night. In addition everything is much more expensive than anywhere else. A young professional will end up spending over half of their salary on rent alone. You try taking a walk and get approached by a smelly homeless person begging for change. You then step in the remnants of a persons dog feces. Then you try crossing the street and almost get plowed over by a crazy taxi driver. I drive into manhattan and almost smash into a deliverman who thinks he owns the road on his bicycle. There is not one aspect of manattan that i like and could care less if i ever go there again.

Looking For Alaska thoughts

I greatly enjoyed reading the book Looking For Alaska by John Green. The book was about a group of high school juniors in a private boarding school in Alabama. They fill their days smoking secretly, playing pranks, drinking alcohol, and spending time with members of the opposite gender. If you are searching for a fun and entertaining book that is relaxing to read i highly suggest looking into this book.

Looking For Alaska

Personal Thoughts

After reading the story A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, I began to think about my own personal values and beliefs. This thinking was sparked by what i believe was the mans determination and will to survive. I think that this "angel" who was an old, dirty, decrepid creature really had a ton of hope to survive his ordeals. His lonesome body just layed around in a chicken coop. This made me realize the importance of hope and how I value it. Hope is what makes one hold on and wait for something to happen. This is how I view it. This feeling enables one to how a level of patience that is required to make it through a tough time.

Another topic that i can relate to from this story is the value of caring for others and doing good deeds. This can be associated with religion as well. I feel that everybody should do nice things for people when they need help. I feel that as a species we should focus on helping each other rather than hurting one another. This angel helped the family out by making them transform from poor people to wealthy people. If Pelayo and Elisenda did not respect the old man, none of this would have been given to them.

Out "sick"

Ever since I became old enough to join my father, grandfather, and older brothers to go hunting with them in the Catskills I always looked forward to one particular day each year. This was the monday in mid November in which the deer season opened. It would start off as a normal weekend going upstate. We leave home friday night and enjoy two full days upstate. Instead of going home sunday night after dinner we would stay an extra day. This day is the first day of hunting deer since the year before. This means everybody is anxious and enthusiastic about hunting.
We pack up all of our gear and load a few ATV's onto the trailer. We haul it behind our big SUV to my great uncles large property 20 minutes away. Here we meet up with several other family members and friends. A large dinner is enjoyed after many long conversations and we go to bed earlier than usual. Alarms start blasting around 4:30 am. I think of how damn tired I am. Everybody groggily dresses in warm layers and heavy insulated blaze orange pants and jackets. We eat a quick breakfast and walk outside into the frosty below freezing morning. ATV's are started up and begin disappear up the mountain or through the fields of blackness after wishing eachother "goodluck". We all sit in our predetermined tree stands scattered throughout the several hundred acre property.
Sitting in silence I think of how cold I am and hope that the tree stand I am sitting in does not crash to the ground with the next gust of wind. I listen and watch animals going by and occasionally fall asleep in the hard, cold chair. I hear the occasional distinct sound of a gunshot in the distance and think how another deer was harvested at that moment. I think of where I would be in school, listening to which interesting and entertaining teacher. I continue to sit for hours at a time sometimes waiting for a nice buck to step into view. I contemplate what is better, freezing in the middle of the woods or being warm in school. Definitly hunting any day.

Looking For Alaska: Map Poem

Miles sits with Colonel on a hard swing.
The hot Alabama air makes his shirt stick to him.
Just ahead is a beach and lake.
Cigarette smoke lingers in the air, his throat burns
and he begins to cough.
The sun is going down and the bugs come out.


He felt sad when his parents pulled away.
There he was, alone in his dorm room.
Finally his roomate arrives, short and muscular.
He is smart, a smoker, and a veteran at the school.
He makes miles feel scrawny and tall.
Colonel's friend named Alaska is attractive and curvy.
Miles tries hard to be funny and cool.

How to Wash your Car Properly

First, realize that this is not very fun. Also consider the $20.00 you are saving. This is why you chose to do it. Start by spraying the entire car down, preferably out of the sun. Once all dirt and grime is off, fill a bucket with water and car soap. Begin scrubbing the paint with a soft cloth or sponge. Do not press too hard as it could cause scratches. Be sure to start from the top as the bottom is usually much dirtier. The last thing your wash is the wheels. You may want to use a seperate rag for this as they often have a lot of black brake dust on them. After the entire car is soapy, begin to rinse. Deliver a misty spray so that the soap will rinse faster. Be sure to spray under the car to rinse off any road salt as it rusts metal. Now you begin to dry the car. Use either a chamois cloth or another absorbant material that is designed for cars. As you dry, wring the water off of the cloth. Drying prevents ugly water marks which develop when water dries on the paints surface.
If you are really serious you can now clean the cars interior. Use glass cleaner on all windows and morrors. Remove the floor mats and shake them out on the ground. There will be loose sand and wrappers under them so you may want to vacuum as well. Wipe down the dash and instrument panel with a armarol wipe to remove dust and create a nice shine. Make sure there is no garbage or last months McDonald's fries under the seats. Wipe down the seats also with an interior spray. Now you can put everything back together and enjoy a clean, fresh smelling vehicle.