Fast Paced Learning

I drive home about 4 times a week to work. My home is about an hour away. I drive through Westfield, on the pike, and through Pittsfield. I choose to observe people while they drive. I thought it would be a pretty good idea seeing as how that’s all I do is drive. Not only that but I lost my license before and I am an aggressive driver so I thought observing other peoples driving habits would help me understand why I drive the way I do.

Driving through Westfield is very different than driving through my hometown. There are potholes everywhere. The roads are a complete mess. I noticed that people are extremely impatient in Westfield. It doesn’t seem like there is a good flow in traffic or a good system of getting places. At one of the bridges truck drivers have to drive around in this detour type thing. That kind of seems like an inconvenience to me. The positioning of the lights seems kind of stupid and unnecessary to me. At one of the lights when you go straight you have a flashing yellow light giving you the right of way. Although the people turning right have a flashing red light. People automatically alternate with who goes, the person going straight then the person going right. Then of course its my turn and the jerk that I am I don’t let the person turning right go I just stay right on the person in front of me and get mad when people let others go. That is the way that I am used to driving. It is weird to actually see people in Westfield compromising with each other.

By the time I get to the pike I am usually annoyed with all the drivers and traffic that held me back for the past twenty minutes. It doesn’t end there though. I notice that when people are preparing to get onto the pike they drive really slow then try to speed up with people that are going at least what seems to be 90 miles per hour. This also annoys and frustrates me. As I get onto the pike I set my cruise control at 75. I notice that there is more of a pattern on the pike. There are what seem to be these unwritten rules that everyone knows and abides by most of the time. The pike is far more organized that city driving. The slow people stay to the right. If you’re in the left lane and someone is behind you you better pull over to the right quick or they get real mad. When traffic merges from the right people usually pull over into the left lane. These are all things that I notice people doing every time I drive home or back to school and they are things that even I do.

By the time I get off the pike I am so sick of driving and I still have about twenty minutes of small towns to go through until I get to Pittsfield. Pittsfield is where you will find some of the most aggressive drivers. Everyone is in such a hurry for nothing. Then we get the people from New York that doesn’t know how to drive. I get to Pittsfield and I am also swerving to avoid potholes. I remember this one time when I didn’t have my license (I still drove) someone from the lane turning right automatically just decided to go straight into my lane which would have caused an accident if I wasn’t paying attention. Since then I notice this more frequently only now I have my license and can beep and flip them off. This is what everyone does in Pittsfield. Everyone runs those red lights after about a minute of it turning red. Everybody is just so inconsiderate which is what I think led to my aggressive driving habits.

All three of the main places in which I drive are very different from each other. Drivers in Westfield seem more respectful and nicer to everyone. The pike is organized and in uniform. Pittsfield drivers are so aggressive it’s just annoying. Driving in these three different settings has allowed me to adapt to different types of driving habits and behaviors.

heaven wherever i look

Paul Moses

English 101

3/20/08

Prof. Meek

Heaven Wherever I Look

The four seasons rotate like the circle of life all around the world. Some environments are affected more so then others. Similar to humans lives, we go through stages physically and mental. Walker Pond in Lakeville, Florida did not experience the seasons transforming the wild life. As the bright sun rises it seems like it’s my own personal alarm clock. Every summer morning one of the brightest stars in the universe shines right into my window at eight o’clock, screaming with its yellow rays. Telling me to get up and hit the lake. No matter what happens throughout the year that may get me upset or stressed out I always know the beautiful Walker pond will be waiting for my arrival every summer morning. It is so much easier to hop out of bed with a smile from ear to ear when I know the joy and relaxation that awaits me. When you can spend a whole day with nothing but a pair of basketball shorts on its hard not to be completely at peace.

As I walk through my grandparent’s backyard I feel the thick green grass gently tickle the souls of my feet. With a bag of sunflower seeds in one hand and a cooler of Gatorade in the other I see my fishing pole and tackle box waiting for me in the neon orange canoe. Like the focal point of a painting, no matter how long you look at the beautiful pond your eyes will always be drawn to the bright orange canoe. I lift the heavy canoe from the grass and gently place it in the water like placing a sleeping baby in its crib. The dark blue water ripples away from the canoe gently yet rapidly. When I step into the canoe I feel the cold plastic on my feet as I wobble back and forth like trying to balance on a skateboard. As I push off from the dock I go soaring into the water as if I was floating on the clouds. The clear baby blue sky is completely empty except the blinding yellow sun beaming down onto my bare chest. The gentle wind cools my body as it whistles through the trees surrounding the pond.

The colors that engulf the pond compete for my attention, at the same time they blend together to make the most beautiful natural collage on earth. The dark blue water gleaming in my eyes coordinates with the bright green shrubbery and trees that seem to help keep the water in its bed. The trees stretch as far as the eyes can see into the light blue sky that acts as the cover to my utopia, only letting the good in and letting nothing leave. The sun reaches higher and higher in the sky like it knows to nurture and give life to every inch of walker pond. From the gloomy brown and grey snapping turtles corner, to the middle of the water where the silver bellied bass jump into the air to catch a afternoon snack. I take in all the great sights of the pond but there is so much more. The drag of my line rapidly clicking because in has a fourteen inch bass on the hook, the different calls of the birds looking for some food, and the leaves on the trees being blown in every direction. All I can taste is the ranch flavoring from the seeds and the ice cold fruit punch Gatorade hitting my pallet and cooling my whole throat.

Like the change of seasons everyone experiences the different parts of life. When I’m at Walker Pond the environment is not affected by the seasons because it is always perfect. Whoever enters the confines of the pond feels invincible, like they can live happily forever. Walker Pond As the sun begins to set the skyline develops a pinkish hue, I head back disappointed the day is over yet satisfied with how the day went. The air chills; I look over the pond standing on the dock with goose bumps all over my chest. I think to myself, I will be back again real soon.

last minute work

do you ever get the feeling when you have 20 minutes untill class and you have something important like homework or an essay due and you havent even started it yet? you whip it out and when your teacher gets it, they look at it and think that either A) it was obviously done five minutes ago and im not even going to accept this, or B) this has very good insight/ put time and effort into this deserves a check plus. How abot studying for a test? do you study all week or do you study the night before? I think that depending on what type of person you are, you either crack under pressure, or you use the pressure to your advantage.
I am the type that uses the pressure to my advantage. When i am on a tight time schedule, i find that i do my best work. this is especially true when studying for a test. In some cases , people study a week in advance for a test and usually they tend to remember information better then someone who studies the night before. I dont remember crap if i study one thing a night. BY the next day, ive already forgotten it. However, if i study the night before its like i remember reading the exact page in the book and i visualize what i read. i find that if i do homework right before class i get it done in much better quality. my handwriting is clearer and it works out more perfectly. although i do like to get work done i do take my time on it. It is difficult to tell wether my work was done yesterday or an hour or two before class started. although i usually dont have to worry about getting things done on time, there is the occasional fault that i stay up all night and do not get anything done or even if i do sleep i wake up late or something like that. anything like that makes me want to get it done faster and for some reason it always comes out better
I recently played in a pool tournament. before that day i was playing rather poorly and didnt think i woukdve done well. when i woke up that day i went downstairs and i played my best and it turned out to be the best i have ever done and my and my friend finished second. it is funny how some people will just fall to pieces when it comes to things like game tournaments. while they do worse, i do better.

the 'fins.

This week, for soem reason i decided to write about the miami dolphins. Im not gonna lie they my favorite NFL team. Growing up it was fine because they were, well actually good. But its been pretty funny these past few years living in massachusetts where the Patriots have been real good lately. Which it wasnt like at all as a little kid. Ever since Dan Marino lft its almost felt like its been a rebuiling stage for the dolphins. After Marino retired the only decent facet on the team was its defense, it was sick. Fast corners in Madison and Surtain, good safety in Brock Marion. A nice front seven led by Jason Taylor , Zach Thomas and big Tim Bowens. So the focus on rebuilding went to the offense. And the dolphins drafted good talent in 2nd rd picks they had in Chris Chambers and Randy McMichael. But having a quaterback like Jay Fielder wasnt cutting it. There was one year when Lamar Smith had an outstanding year at running back, but he wasnt going to do that again at his age. So they made a big move to get Ricky Williams from the Saints. His first year as a 'fin was a record setting. He was something special, and something the dolpphins offense hadnt seen in years, it now seemed they were well rounded on booth sides of the ball. But the QB's had just were not cutting it, in Fieldler or Feely. And they let go
madison and surtain on defense wich left huge holes in the secondary. But then the worst thing ever happened. In the middle of his career, Rick Williams retired. He pulled a Barry Sanders! He wad goin to be nasty! But hey i guess he was some trouble with his drug tests and such. Thats when everything basically collapsed. Nothing went right after that. They tried differnt quaterbacks like Ray Lucas and A.J Feely but it didnt work. After a bad season they drafted
running back Roni Brown, who has turned out to be realy good. But the QB spot just wasnt working still. They went out on a limb and Got Daunte Culpepper off an injured season, he hurt his knee bad, and QB Joey Harrington who never had a shot in detroit. Daunte was definately rushed into the game, and didnt finish the season. They let Randy McMichael go, and Joey Harrington didnt really do much. So theylet them both go next season, and got another injured Vet at QB Trent Green. And signed hard hitting pro bowl Free agent LB Joey Porter. Going into the 07-08 season it was obviously going to be a rebuilding season. But i dont think people thought it would be this bad. Trent Green got hurt, another concusion, in like the 3rd game. And Ronni Brown got hurt too, i believe in 6th or 7th game, and at the time he was leading the NFL in rushing yards. Mid-season they traded thier wide out Chris Chambers to the Chargers. It was 14 weeks into the season until they even got thier first win. This year was just wacky. having almost not won a single game, oh man, it woulda been weird having been the only franchise ever to go undefeated, and also have a nonwinning season too. OH BOY, i forgot to mention that whole shenanigans with Nick Saban. OH well. The season led to the firing of head coach Cam Cameron, and the hiring of bill Parcells. His first big move was getting rid of Zach Thomas. It was hard seeing him go, because he was with the 'fins so long and is hall of fame worthy. But now they have the first pick in this upcoming draft, im wondering what they may do, draft a QB in Matt Ryan or what. only time will tell.

Remembering the Super Bowl

“This year belongs to the Wildcats.” That was the headline that was published in the regional newspaper. From the very first practice in early July, we knew it was going to be true. This truly was going to be our year. I’d say this headline was backed up by not only me, but also the other twenty four seniors. We were predicted to be the best football team our high school has ever seen or would ever see.
We were coming off a season with a Vocational Superbowl victory over Worcester Tech, an 11-1 record, being ranked the 27th best high school football team in the state, and having the 12th highest scoring team in the entire state of Massachusetts averaging thirty six points a game. On top of all of these stats, we also had nine out of eleven starters coming back from the previous year, and five out of eleven returning for the offense.
Dominating each and every game and team we played on both sides of the ball; we finished off the regular season undefeated at 11-0 and ranked 7th in the state in scoring. We had made it into the Division 3 playoffs for the first time in school history, and were ranked as the number two seed.
In the semi-final game we were set to play the 3rd seeded team Arlington Catholic. Out of all the semi-final games played in all of the divisions, the Boston Globe said that our game was supposed to be the best matched game. This was because both teams were in the top ten for scoring, so we knew we were in for a shoot out. Just as predicted, it indeed was a shootout with the final score of 48-46 in our favor.
So there we were only five days later, in the biggest game of our lives; playing for the Division 3 Super Bowl. Players, coaches, students, faculty, parents, and even all the fifteen communities that go to the school seemed to be ready for this moment ever since the very first play of the very first game. There we stood; me and my fellow captains staring into the faces of the opposing Medfield High captains just waiting to see our destiny by the simple flip of a coin.
The game started out just like any other. We stopped them with the slightest of ease, and got the ball on a three and out. We knew they had scouted us well because on their first defensive play they rushed all eleven guys on a blitz. So the very next play we faked a run and threw a lob pass that went all the way 70 yards for a touchdown.
At halftime we were up 16-12. Feeling good, but at the same time, knew not to expect the game to get any easier. The whole third quarter of the game seemed to slow down and be more fundamental. There was only one score the entire 3rd quarter. This was Medfield’s first lead of the game coming from a touchdown to go ahead 18-16.
The fourth quarter started, and we had the ball first. After the first play, we knew what to do as it went for twenty yards. Our game plan was to waste as much time as humanly possible, and then score with very little time left. This plan didn’t work as flawlessly as we thought. We scored with five minutes left and made the game 22-18; leaving them way too much time on the game clock for them to score. And that’s exactly what happened.
2:24. That’s how much time we had left to work with on the game clock. We had just let up the go ahead score to make the game 26-22.
This was when I was blind-sided. Coach looked us all in the eye and said, “Ok guys, this is your game now, you are the leaders of this team, you have proven it day in and day out ever since the very first day of practice. What do you think we should do to win this game?”
I will never forget what happened next. I remember it so clearly how as soon as his words floated from his mouth into our ears how everything became silent. It was as if there wasn’t a crowd of 10,000 screaming fans only twenty feet from us. Everything just went silent. It wasn’t as if the five of us captains didn’t know what to do; it was more like we were just so extremely shocked as to what we had just heard come out of his mouth. None of us knew what to say to this; we were all dumbfounded.
This is when I stepped up and looked coach in the eyes and said, “Coach, I know that I’m not alone when I say this, but I will do ANYTHING in my power to win this game. I know for a fact that before this game is over that I won’t be the same as going in. I will give my body for my teammates. That is what we are going to do to win this game.” Saying this came as a surprise even to me, but I knew that my words struck a cord with him and the rest of the players just as his did to us. I knew this because everyone’s attitudes quickly changed from fearful to fearless.
We were like men possessed. After the kick return e had started on our own 15, and from there we marched down the field as if there were no opposing team in front of us. That was until we hit their thirty yard line. To stop us from proceeding any farther, the Medfield coach called a time out to cool us off, and when we got back on the field they lined up in the strangest formation I have ever seen.
Their defensive linemen were lined up where the linebackers would have normally, and the linebackers we a yard deeper then the D-Linemen. It was if they were trying to make a human wall five yards from us. Seeing this I knew nothing good was going to come from this play. The ball was snapped, and I was on my way charging at them with a full head of steam, and as soon as I and the rest of the offensive line got to their human wall they all dropped down and tried to take us out by our knees.
Noticing too late, I fell for the trap, and was immediately taken to the ground. I was in the worst pain of my life, but I didn’t care. I hobbled my way back to the huddle and listen for the next play. I found out after the game that I had hyper-extended my knee, and torn a ligament.
Coach then tried sending in a sophomore to replace me; because he saw that I was hurt, but I just laughed as he came running towards the huddle to replace me. I yelled to him, “Don’t you dare come to this huddle. Turn right around, and get the hell off the field. I’m not coming out!” He froze where he stood, shocked at what I had just said. He froze for a second, as if struck with rigimortous, and just stared at me. Noticing how serious I really was he slowly proceeded his way off the field.
The very next we another first down, and we were now on their sixteen yard line with 26 seconds left in the game, and with only one time out left to use. The first play was a dropped pass on the 5 yard line. The next two were also dropped, but were tipped up into the air first by their defense. It all came down to this one last play. Both teams lined up; the ball was snapped; us linemen held steady; the defense thought we were running the ball so they blitzed. A perfect pass was thrown to the end zone…… and the ball was dropped!!!!
The biggest game of our lives was lost with only 13 seconds left.

Then and Now

Ian Kampersol

Professor Meek

English Composition I

February 21, 2008

Then and Now,

When I was in elementary school, I was a very shy kid; I would sit in the corner of the lunch room by myself and eat my sandwiches and crackers in silence. I was always getting picked on by all the other kids because I was so much bigger then my classmates. I was about 5’7 and I weighed two hundred pounds in 6^th grade. Due to my size I was always being picked on by a specific group of kids. These kids would taunt me daily and put me in a bad mood for the day. Occasionally I would get physical and start fights. Like a wrestler in a caged fight, I would pick kids up and throw them down because of my anger towards them. Due to my actions, I would always be the only one who got into trouble when a teacher interrupted and I would constantly be sent to the principal’s office Overall, I was helpless as a bird without feathers and I wanted to change.

Back then, I never talked to the other kids except a select few who I did like. It was tough for me because every single day at recess I would go out and play soccer or basketball and it would be someone who I was playing with would grab the ball and hold onto it, or when I had the ball, they would purposely try to take me on and start hitting me instead of trying to get the ball. This angered me and throughout elementary school, I wish I could have done something to change all of this abuse. I had gone to the teachers but they were useless and never did anything helpful other then talk to them. The principal and I were worst enemies already. I needed help, I needed support I even needed my dad to come into school some days and question the administration why I was getting treated so badly. I was desperate for help. I was praying for something; anything at all would happen so that I could fight through all of this mess. I felt like I was the only one most of the time. I believed my peers when they said I was fat and worthless. I really started to get down on myself. There was no way out; or so I thought. It didn’t take long but that event I was always praying for would be sooner then later.

My personality shifted within a single night. I have a cousin who I always looked up to because he was older, bigger, and stronger then me. I wanted to be just like him one day. This particular night he was over visiting my family and we had our usual wrestling match. I lost as expected but in the meantime, though all my sweating and panting, I realized something. If I was so much bigger and stronger then all of the other kids in my class, why don’t I use my size to my advantage? I mean, I am stronger and bulkier then everyone else, I shouldn’t cower away from them when they gang up on me, I should stand my ground and show them that being bigger is better. I know I’m the best at basketball in my school after all, so why don’t I just show them who I am. Im not weaker, Im bigger, stronger, and Im better then them.

After that night, I went to bed with a new sense of who I was. That night I learned a lot about myself. I learned who I was and who I should be. I was a lot stronger then I was giving myself credit for. I was a changed kid. The next day at recess while playing soccer, someone kicked the soccer ball at my head. Normally, I would have gotten angry at that point but I was thinking well let’s play on. Shortly after, the same kid fired the ball at my head again and I walked up to him, looked him straight into his eyes and said in my threatening tone “you better stop that or else.” He replied “or else what?” with a snicker. I told him “hit me again and find out.” After that incident we continued play for awhile longer. Nevertheless, it was not long before he tested my patience for the last time and as soon as he got the ball, he shot it right at my face and hit me square in the nose. I was done. I couldn’t take it any longer. All this time of planning to get back at him and his group would end now. Like a star that was about to burst and a steam engine that was overheating, I ran over to him up to him and clobbered him in the side of his head forcing him to fall on the cold bitter ground. I stood over him and said “that’s what’s going to happen. If you were smart, I wouldn’t do that again.” From that day on I was a new person. Like a fight scene in a jail movie, I was instantly respected by all of my peers. My enemies tried to make good with me so they wouldn’t suffer the same fate. Even the teachers tried to not be so rude to me. Even though I was quiet, I packed quite a powerful punch.

I believe that the reason I changed was because I was tired of everyone picking on

me. I wanted just to be respected and not being made fun of. I wanted to go through a full day without having to worry about someone breathing down my neck every two minutes. I don’t know exactly what helped me change but I think it was when I thought about my cousin, I felt his strength and power and I wanted to be just like him when I grew up.

I see now that because of my actions I gained the respect of my peers and I was much happier. I still picture those days when id be sitting away from everyone else talking to myself and eating my ice cream. I would rather now sit with many people in a group rather then have to confine myself away from society.

Hyper Extended final

John Britt
Hyper Extended

Disappointments are outcomes that don’t live up to our expectations. They are often caused by events that are out of our control. The reality is that we don’t always get what we hope for. These experiences help us grow and make us stronger. Twisting my ankle turned into that experience for me. I completely set my mind on wrestling prior to the start of the season. I began to lift at the gym, go for runs, and change my diet for the first time in my life. I removed the several snack foods from my kitchen, and what I ate became something that I thought about on a day to day basis. When ordering food I thought about what might be best nutrition for me instead of just the best tasting. As time passed I could see small changes in myself. All of this only got me even more excited for the upcoming season even if it was just a couple of pounds I lost on the scale. So when I hyper extended my ankle it hurt more than just my foot.
The day that I twisted my ankle was pretty ordinary, and I was not expecting a lot to happen. It was fairly normal day, I had a little bit of breakfast and rushed to get to school. I was tired with a slight headache, and went through a normal day of classes. When it was time for practice I had my usual troubles with some of the drills since I was relatively new to the sport. My head felt as light as a balloon as went through the warm-up. I knew the rest of practice was going to be rough. I pushed through the excises and drills as best I could and didn’t complain. I was glad that I had the opportunity to wrestle. As the practice dragged on I grew more and more tired. My body was burning like the red hot embers on the bottom of a fire . When I had to pick an opponent to wrestle I ended up with Nate who had about 25 pounds on me and a couple of inches. Its not like I hadn’t wrestled bigger guys but trying to do so tired and dehydrated isn’t fun. He must have been feeling tired to since it wasn’t a very skilled or quick match. I don’t remember exactly how it happened except that he was on top and somehow sat on my ankle with my toes still planted in the ground. I immediately regretted not pulling my foot out sooner. The pain shot through my foot, and a nauseous feeling grew in my stomach. I then hopped to the sideline and worried that it was over. I remember sitting and waiting for practice to finish and hoping that it wasn’t to serious.
When I went to the Doctors office on that dark and muggy day I sat and waited anxiously to find out if I would be able to wrestle again, though knowing I probably wouldn’t be able to. He came and confirmed that I wouldn’t be able to wrestle. My hopes for the season were over. No one could change that I wouldn’t be able to contribute competition wise. It was disappointing that I wasn’t wrestling but I learned that I had to move on, and trust that it would heal in time for volleyball.