Argument Essay Final Draft

Is Two Better Than Four?

In the sport of motocross, engines stand divided. Similar to other sports such as skateboarding and snowboarding, there are two ways to ride. On a skateboard for example, riders may choose to either ride “goofy” with their right foot facing forward, or “regular” with their left foot facing forward, depending upon what feels the most comfortable to them as an individual. In motocross, there is only one way to stand and ride; however, riders may choose the type of engine they prefer. “Up to forty riders start the race at the same time” (Spalding 12) at over sixty miles per hour, inches away from each other. Riders can hear the great roar of the dirtbikes as they race towards the first turn; some of which being high-pitched two-stroke engines, while the rest are deep-pitched four-stroke engines, for 125cc two-stroke engines have always been allowed to compete along side of 250cc four-stroke motorcycles. Two-stroke engines generally are faster due to the small number of strokes the piston must rotate through in order to complete a combustion cycle. Because of this fact, the 125cc two-stroke is comparable to a 250cc four-stroke engine. Recently in the last two years, however, the AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) has announced that, “both two-stroke and four-stroke motorcycles would be limited to the same maximum displacement” (AMA clarifies proposed Youth racing rule changes for 2007), which means that the bikes will be classified according to the size of their engine, not how fast they truly are. Because of this, 250cc two-strokes are now permitted to race with 250cc four-stroke dirtbikes, giving them an unfair advantage.
The AMA has some reason to do so. With the progression of technology, four stroke engines are becoming more efficient. Two-stroke engines are considered “outdated” technology, as they are worse for the environment, and produce less torque compared to the new four-stroke model engines. “Today, and even more so in the future, significant and simultaneous reductions of emissions and fuel consumption are the key issues in engine combustion” (Arcoumanis, Constantine, and T. Kamimoto 1)). Because of this, many factory brands such as Honda and Suzuki have actually stopped producing two-stroke dirtbikes as of 2007. Accordingly, the AMA was soon faced with a problem, thousands of complaining motorcycle shops that experienced extreme difficulty trying to get rid of the two-stroke motorcycles they had in stock. Everyone was switching to four-strokes and nobody wanted to buy a type of bike that was discontinued. Parts were harder to find, there was no longer any factory contingency paid out to these models, and the bikes were simply slower. The two-stroke days had almost come to an end. To compensate for all of this, the AMA created this new rule. Now that two-stroke are on top once again, everyone wanted to buy the fastest bike they possibly could, and the answer was a 250cc two-stroke. Local shops were able to get rid of their sluggish inventory and everyone was happy, everyone except for the 250cc four-stroke riders.
As stated previously, “The two-stroke engine performs twice as many power strokes per cylinder per revolution. In theory at least, this might be expected to produce twice the performance of an equivalent-size four-stroke engine” (Nunney 8). Four-stroke engines were now to one’s facing the power disadvantage. Utilizing the four sequences of induction, compression, power, and exhaust, rather than the two sequences of induction-compression and power-exhaust, produces a smoother propulsion, but not a faster one (Nunney 2). This is because four-stroke engines take twice the amount of time to complete a single engine cycle. So, when riders choose which type of bike they would like to be on, the are deciding between a two-stroke that is either going really fast in the high-range RPMs (Rotations Per Minute) and “four-stroking” (irregularly firing) at low engine speeds when the piston is operating in the low-range RPMs (Nunney 8), or choosing a four-stroke engine that offers reliable torque at all RPM ranges. This was a fairly difficult decision before the AMA’s new proposal. There were two-stroke lovers who swore on their life that the two-stroke was a better bike, and there were just as many four-stroke lovers who swore the same. In today’s day, however, there is no mystery, a 250cc two-stroke engine clearly outperforms a 250cc four-stroke engine.
The AMA knows this and did what they did just to help get rid of the 250cc two-strokes that would not sell. The AMA was unaware that they were burying themselves in a hole, because everyone wants two-strokes now, and today, they are hard to come by since many popular manufacturers have stopped producing them. Accordingly, the AMA has come out with yet another outrageous rule for competitive racing. They have announced that for the 2009 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, they have “decided not to suggest any immediate changes to the AMA Pro Racing rulebook concerning the 250 Class and the placement of 250cc two-strokes alongside 250cc four-strokes.” (No 250 2-Strokes in AMA MX 250 Class), which means that the new rule only applies to amateur and not professional motocross racing, igniting even more debate.
Through all of this commotion, the manufactures are desperately attempting to improve the four-stroke motorcycles experimenting with such concepts as dual-exhaust and EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection), trying to catch back up with the speedy new two-strokes. Of all the new modifications, EFI is the only option that has shown any signs of long-term improvement, yet every month there is a new article talking about the “next big thing” that will change the world of motocross racing once again. The wait for such a thing still continues…
In the mean time, if you are one of the millions of motocross racers who compete in the amateur 250 classes, you are forced to wait for technology to progress, and desperately hope that daddy doesn’t bring home something like a 125cc two-stroke for Christmas.








Bibliography

Nunney, M. J. Engine Technology 1. Butterworths technician series. London: Butterworth, 1981.

Spalding, Lee-Anne T. Sport Bike Racing. High interest adventures in reading. Vero Beach, FL.: Rourke Pub, 2009.

Arcoumanis, Constantine, and T. Kamimoto. Flow and Combustion in Reciprocating Engines. Berlin: Springer, 2009.

"AMA clarifies proposed Youth racing rule changes for 2007." American Motorcyclist Association (2006): n. pag. Web. 1 Dec 2009. .

"No 250 2-Strokes in AMA MX 250 Class." Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross 4 Mar. 2009 : n. pag. Web. 1 Dec 2009. .

Argument Paper Draft

Is Two Better Than Four?

In the sport of motocross, engines stand divided. Similar to other sports such as skateboarding and snowboarding, there are two ways to ride. On a board, riders may choose to either ride “goofy” with their left foot facing forward, or “regular” with their right foot facing forward depending upon what feels most comfortable to them as an individual. In motocross, there is only one way to stand and ride, however riders may choose the type of engine they prefer. As the starting gate drops and forty riders race for the first corner at over sixty miles per hour, inches away from each other, their heart rate up to around 180 to 190 beats per minute (Spalding 12). Riders can hear the roar of the bikes, some of which being high-pitched two-stroke engines, while the rest are deep-pitched four-stroke engines. According to Sport Bike Racing‘s author, Lee-Anne Spalding, ever since the 1930’s, 125cc two-stroke engines have been allowed to compete along side of 250cc four-stroke motorcycles. Two-stroke engines generally are faster due to the small number of strokes the piston must rotate through in order to complete a combustion cycle. Because of this fact, the 125cc two-stroke is comparable to a 250cc four-stroke engine. Recently in the last two years, however, the AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) has announced that, “both two-stroke and four-stroke motorcycles would be limited to the same maximum displacement” (AMA clarifies proposed Youth racing rule changes for 2007), which means that bikes will be classified according to the size of the engine, not how fast they are. Because of this, 250cc two-strokes are now permitted to race with 250cc four-stroke dirtbikes, giving them an unfair advantage.
The AMA has some reason to do so. With the progression of technology, four stroke engines are becoming more efficient. Two-stroke engines are considered “outdated” technology, as they are worse for the environment, and produce less torque compared to the new four-stroke model engines. Many factory brands such as Honda and Suzuki have actually stopped producing two-stroke dirtbikes as of 2007. Because of this, the AMA was soon faced with a problem, thousands of complaining motorcycle shops that experienced extreme difficulty trying to get rid of the two-stroke motorcycles they had in stock. Everyone was switching to four-strokes and nobody wanted to buy a type of bike that was discontinued. Parts were harder to find, there was no longer any factory contingency paid out to these models, and the bike was simply slower. The two-stroke days had almost come to an end. To compensate for all of this, the AMA created this new rule. Now that two-stroke are on top once again, everyone wanted to buy the fastest bike they possibly could, and the answer was a 250cc two-stroke. Local shops were able to get rid of their sluggish inventory and everyone was happy; everyone except for the 250cc four-stroke riders.
As stated previously, “a two-stroke engine is a combustion engine that completes the thermodynamic cycle in two movements of the piston compared to twice that number for a four-stroke engine” (Heywood 3). Four-stroke engines were now to one’s facing the power disadvantage, for “a four-stroke engine produces a smoother, more reliable, and stronger torque than a two-stroke engine” (Arcoumanis 34), but not faster, because they take twice the amount of time to complete a “thermodynamic cycle”. So, when riders choose which type of bike they would like to be on, the are deciding between a jerky two-stroke that is either going really fast in the high-range RPMs (Rotations per minute) or going really slow, bogging down in the low-range RPMs, or choosing a four-stroke engine that offers reliable torque at all RPM ranges. This was a fairly difficult decision before the AMA’s new proposal. There were two-stroke lovers who swore on their life that it was a faster bike, and there were just as many four-stroke lovers who swore the same. In today’s day, however, there I no mystery, a 250cc two-stroke engine clearly out-performs a 250cc four-stroke engine.
The AMA knows this and did what they did just to help get rid of the 250cc two-strokes that would not sell. The AMA was unaware that they were burying themselves in a hole, because everyone wants two-strokes now and today they are hard to come by since many popular manufacturers have stopped producing them. Accordingly, the AMA has come out with yet another outrageous rule for competitive racing. They have announced that for the 2009 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, they have “decided not to suggest any immediate changes to the AMA Pro Racing rulebook concerning the 250 Class and the placement of 250cc two-strokes alongside 250cc four-strokes.” (No 250 2-Strokes in AMA MX 250 Class). This means that the new rule only applies to amateur and not professional motocross racing, igniting even more debate.
Through all of this commotion, the manufactures are desperately attempting to improve the four-stroke motorcycles experimenting with such concepts as dual-exhaust and EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection), trying to catch back up with the speedy new two-stroke. Of all the new modifications, EFI is the only option that has shown any signs of long-term improvement, yet every month there is a new article talking about the “next big thing”. The wait continues.
In the mean time, if you are a motocross racer who competes in the amateur 250 classes, (over millions of people (Spalding 160)) you are forced to wait for technology to progress, and desperately hope that daddy doesn’t bring home a 125cc two-stroke for Christmas.











Bibliography

Heywood, John B., and Eran Sher. The Two-Stroke Cycle Engine: Its Development, Operation, and Design. Philadelphia, PA: Taylor & Francis, 1999.

Spalding, Lee-Anne T. Sport Bike Racing. High interest adventures in reading. Vero Beach, FL.: Rourke Pub, 2009.

Arcoumanis, Constantine, and T. Kamimoto. Flow and Combustion in Reciprocating Engines. Berlin: Springer, 2009.

"AMA clarifies proposed Youth racing rule changes for 2007." American Motorcyclist Association (2006): n. pag. Web. 1 Dec 2009. .

"No 250 2-Strokes in AMA MX 250 Class." Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross 4 Mar. 2009 : n. pag. Web. 1 Dec 2009. .

Review Draft

The 16GB (gigabyte) second-generation Apple iPod Touch (iTouch) is an mp3 player with a 3.5-inch diagonal widescreen multi-Touch display (www.apple.com). Being able to function basically as a mini-computer, this device has the ability to access wi-fi (wireless-fidelity) networks and surf the internet using its built-in safari software, play and store up to 3,500 songs, 20 hours of video, and 20,000 photos (www.apple.com). It also comes with a built-in speaker and Bluetooth capabilities. This device has revolutionized the mp3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3) market throughout the world through its 85,000+ downloadable applications. No matter what you are trying to do, whether it is playing a game, taking notes in class, or check the performance information for a stock, “There’s an app for that.” (www.apple.com)
I purchased this device about two years ago, and immediately began playing with it and exploring the devices many features. I immediately discovered that the internet provided cannot perform all of the functions that a regular computer can do. For instance, the software is incapable of accessing www.youtube.com from the safari browser. Users must use the provided YouTube application to view online videos. The browser is also incapable of playing online music that may be embedded within someone’s mypace page, for example. Another imperfection that I experienced with my iTouch, was after several weeks, I was unable to utilize any of my applications and every time I would attempt to open one it would unexpectedly close. I was forced to restore my device, which deleted all of my music, movies, and pictures. I then had to resynchronize it, which was very annoying and time consuming. I later bought a new computer (an Apple MacBook Pro) and faced even more difficulty transferring my thousands of music, video, and picture files to my new mac through the device, as you cannot simply transfer music from the device to a computer. It only works one way without purchasing software to do otherwise. Only through utilizing multiple free trials and solutions via yahoo blogs, was I able to finally transfer all of my files.
I still use my iTouch today, almost every day in fact and despite my previous difficulties, I have grown to love it. Through playing with it, I am now able to do so much more with my device. The possibilities are almost endless since apple provides multiple free software updates over the year and new applications are being developed every day. Now that I live on campus at the University of Central Florida, where free wi-fi is provided, I can check my e-mails and use other online functions no matter where I am. I can use it all day without the battery dying, plug it into my car and play music wherever I go, and plug it into my TV (television) at night to watch movies. My dad has even learned to use an iTouch and can do everything from checking his company’s stock info to playing the games that he downloaded. He also has learned to download an instant messaging application and message me wirelessly while he’s out of town during the week staying in hotels. This proved to me that if my dad can use this device, almost anyone can use is. He finds many useful and productive uses for it besides just playing music in his car. My dad is horrible with electronics and asks for help with his computer all the time even if it is performing a task as simple as “copying and pasting”. Despite his computer troubles, he can use this device everyday with little difficulty. This device accordingly appeals to people of all ages as well as those with little technological abilities. People like him, can use this device’s basic functions and applications to fulfill their everyday needs and desires, while people like me, a technological teenager, can utilize the product’s features to their fullest potential.
The device is very personable and a customer can buy the right size iTouch depending on their intended usage. If the individual needs to utilize the device’s basic functions and experience an average taste of each component, then they are looking at spending the starting price of $199.00 for an 8GB iTouch. However if the user intends to store mass media including hours of video and movies and thousands of songs, they can spend up to $399.00 for a 64GB device (www.apple.com). For the average user however, the 8GB version is ideal and is reasonably priced considering its many useful functions and storage room. The iTouch has an amazing battery as well. Its rechargeable lithium-ion battery has a daily life expectancy of thirty hours of audio playback or six hours of video playback. The device itself comes with a one-year warranty from the manufacturer, but is expected to last many years.
Overall, I rate the iTouch as a 9 out of 10. I struggled with it at first, but as I got to play with it more, I learned how to manipulate the iTunes software to my liking and learned how to do my desired actions when I changed computers. After over a year and a half of using the product, I feel I can do almost anything with it. As the times change so does my device as iTunes and myself update it. The iTouch is a great new technology that is very exciting and useful for my and millions of people all around the globe.

Review Criteria

Four criteria up for review:

-Price

-Ease of Manipulation

-Life Expectancy

-Usefulness to the Individual



Price)

How much the individual wants to spend depends on their intended usage of the product. If the individual needs to utilize the

device’s basic functions and experience an average taste of each component, then they are looking at spending the starting

price of $199.00 for an 8GB (Gigabyte) iTouch. However if the user intends to store mass media including hours of video and

movies and thousands of songs, they can spend up to $399.00 for a 64GB device (www.apple.com). For the average user

however, the 8GB version is ideal and is reasonably priced considering its many useful functions and storage room.


Ease of Manipulation)

With a 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen 
Multi-Touch display (www.apple.com), voice-recognition software, and a built-in

speaker, the iTouch is very easy to manipulate whether you are technically savvy or a basic user. Even if the screen becomes

scratched or cracked it is still able to function properly and display HD (High Definition) quality images at 480-by-320-pixel

resolution at 163 pixels per inch (www.apple.com).


Life Expectancy)

Its rechargeable lithium-ion battery has a daily life expectancy of thirty hours of audio playback or six hours of video

playback. The device itself comes with a one-year warranty from the manufacturer, but is expected to last many years. I

myself, have had my 16GB iTouch for two years and it still works flawlessly.


Usefulness to the Individual)

This item can do so many different things simultaneously that virtually anybody can find a use for it. Teenagers can use it

to listen to music, play games, take notes in class, store their contacts, and share photos, and professional graduates can

check e-mails, synchronize their calendar, use its built-in

calculator, look at this week’s weather forecast, and check the performance information for their stock. Because it is capable

of doing so many things for so many people, it may be considered a very useful device no matter who you are and what your

intended usage is.

Audience Analysis

The Apple iPod Touch (iTouch) appeals to people of all ages and skill –levels through its technological advancements and

simple manipulation. With such features as a touch screen and the ability to recognize voice commands, this item may be

useful and fun for your little brother as well as your grandma. Simply put, if one knows what they are doing, this item may

serve a mini-computer; yet if one struggles with handling new technology, they may still be able to utilize its basic functions.

This so-called “mp3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3) player” not only has the ability to play music, but can also play movies and

TV shows, display photos, surf the internet via a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) network, control iTunes, play videos from YouTube,

check your e-mail, display local, regional, national, and world maps, has Bluetooth capabilities, etc. Accordingly, people

coming from many diverse areas of interest are attracted to this device because of its broad capabilities. This item can do so

many different things simultaneously that virtually anybody can find a use for it. Teenagers can use it to listen to music, play

games, take notes in class, store their contacts, and share photos, and professional graduates can check e-mails, synchronize

their calendar, use its built-in calculator, look at this week’s weather forecast, and check the performance information for their

stock.

Since people of all interests, ages, and skill-levels are attracted to this product, I have a rather large audience that would

be interested in my review. My review would consider what is most important to them, it’s value to them as an individual;

starting at $199.00, this device is well worth its cost. Considering the average “mp3 player” sells for approximately $50.00

and the average computer sells for approximately $500.00, the combination of the two in a miniature size for only $199.00 is

without doubt a reasonable price. The fact that it can do so many things in so many different areas with new downloadable

applications coming out every day, this product is ideal for anyone with two hands.

My audience’s social needs include the ability to communicate. Because this product is capable of sharing photos and

other documents with comparable devices via Bluetooth, and can play multiplayer games with other iTouch users within a

proximate area, individuals may easily communicate with peers.

My audience would like to know this device’s abilities with relation to them, or in other words, how this product can help

them perform everyday functions. This is specific to the individual andm ay influence their purchase decision. To not know

this information would hurt my audience and turn them away from a future purchase because they would not be away of it

broad usefulness. To help keep up with the changing times, this product offers them monthly software updates to fix bugs

and improve software. It also offers detailed descriptions of applications, including screen-shots, before the individual makes

a purchase and provides thirty-second previews of songs before committing to purchase a song.

This product may make its users have more fun and be more productive. It can help individuals in school, at home, and in

the workplace. It can help someone express themselves as who they are and help them to become who they want to be.

Review Topic

I wil be reviewing the Apple IPod Touch

Commentary Final Draft

Tolerance can make you a successful millionaire, for it is central to success. Tolerance is the essence of dealing with common problems. It is crucial in the workplace and it is the basis of individuals' everyday lives. I personally have a very strange roommate and face the struggle of tolerance everyday. He's messy and leaves his stuff and dishes everywhere, he's the biggest nerd I've ever met, he plays the keyboard and sings simultaneously every day (which is just odd), he sings so loud in the shower that it wakes me up in the morning even though he's on the compete other side of the apartment, and I'm pretty sure he's gay. He has told me and my other fellow roommates that when he was in high school he did not know whether he was gay or straight and had many homosexual thoughts. He's a really nice guy don't get me wrong, but he is very weird. Whenever we have people over, all he can talk about is these "Skyflakes" which is some type of cracker that isn't salted, and he just raves about them, exclaiming how, "They go great with jam and jelly". What an odd was to start a conversation. While the other two roommates and I buy real food for the apartment, this is all he buys. It's as if he doesn't know how to live on his own. He was obviously very protected growing up and now he doesn't have mommy to buy him real food and follow him around picking up his messes.

Individuals may struggle to tolerate their roommates based upon many common issues. Issues such as drug and alcohol use, cleanliness, conflicting values, morals, and habits depending upon the way in which the individual was raised, and many others that may include noise, sleeping times, partying, homosexuality, pets, invasion of privacy, etc. Since tolerance is vital to overcoming obstacles in everyday life, learning to deal with something as simple as a "strange" roommate is key to learning the basic skills of tolerance; for with tolerance comes concentration and the ability to focus on what is at task, whether that task be studying for a class, making an important counter-argument at a press conference, or simply attempting to fall asleep. Learning to deal with a "strange" roommate may teach you how crucial tolerance is in everyday life trough it's endless number of applications.

I started asking around on our floor and it seems as if almost every room has at least one person that is considered to be a problem. However, “compromising is important whenever people are living together. Living together involves blending multiple lives and lifestyles. You and your roommates may be very similar or very different” (http://education-portal.com); and while this isn't a huge pissue, there is a lot of kids that have a real problem with their roommates. For instance, my friend Alaina Woolsey has roommates that have "kegger" parties almost every night and keep her up until about three in the morning. She actually just transferred out of her apartment into my building at the Towers, which got me thinking; how many room transfers are related to roommate issues? To research this I contacted the Housing and Residence Life here at UCF. They have reported that in order to get a room transfer, one must first speak with a residence life staff member and if the transfer is related to a roommate issue, they will conduct a meeting with the proper authorities in order to attempt to resolve the issue before issuing a transfer. My friend Matt Young has reported to me a similar problem, for he lives in Lake Claire and has to share a room with someone. He tells me his roommate is a huge "pot-head" who is always smoking in the room and acting like an idiot when he gets high. Poor Matt requested for a transfer, but didn't get it. He didn't want to rat the kid out and get him in trouble with the campus police, he just didn't want to have to live and sleep ten feet away from him. Accordingly, he complained saying that they were just having general issues and arguing a lot about disagreements. They said that arguments weren't enough to get a transfer and that he was stuck to deal with it. This also got me questioning how many room transfers are related to drug and alcohol usage...I interviewed one of the Resident Assistant’s (R.A.’s) in my building. According to Jeffrey, drug and alcohol use is never an issue because in most living areas, drugs and alcohol are not allowed, nor tolerated. There have been no reported cases or any sort of statistics that he has heard of.

I also began asking around in my classes to the students to see if they liked their roommates, how things were working out, etc. I found that the major problem that people had with their roommates wasn't drug and alcohol abuse, but was cleanliness. Some people (like Gabe) love to leave dishes in the sink and always say, "Oh I'll get it later." while the large majority of the student population had conflicting values and likes to keep their area tidy. This generally resulted in some sort of conflict. However, according to Jeffrey of Tower 1 at UCF, the have been no statistics describing this sort of discrepancy between fellow roommates.

Jeffrey quoted that there have been no statistics or history with either of these problems; therefore they cannot be a common issue among roommates. While they may still occur, they are never reported, fearing they may attract the attention of the campus police and would have a larger problem than simply struggling to deal with another human being. Drug and alcohol abuse in apartments they do not allow is may be a serious offense.

I then called my mom to ask if she had any roommate issues when she was in college. She told me, "Of course I did, but I learned to deal with it." which made me assume that with experience, dealing with people you don't get along with becomes easier. Accordingly, younger age groups would have the most problems with their roommates, as they have had the least experience dealing with this issue. Yet, five minutes later, she was telling me how there's a new receptionist at her work that she can't stand. This told me that as people age, they learn how to deal with certain individuals, but when a new problematic individual appears, they face an entire new problem. This showed me that tolerance is a universal issue among all age groups that does not have one single solution to it, for tolerating different individuals requires different techniques. To contradict however, Jeffrey stated that older individuals are more tolerant because they are more used to living independently on their own. I therefore agreed to disagree and decided to stay “on the fence”, for I can find ties to both sides of the argument.

I have thus come to the realization that there are many roommate problems that exist within almost every situation. However, just because there are minor issues, there are not necessarily major problems. Everybody is different, and there is no central problem that exists among roommates other than individuals struggling to learn the basic skills of tolerance. I believe that older individuals are better equipped with these skills because they have been around the independent living environment longer and have more experience with simplifying and solving problems. Through my research, I have found that roommate issues are rarely related to drug and alcohol use, for no cases within the Orlando area have been reported. It may have been the problem, but a different excuse was admitted, such as in Matt Young’s case. Living with everyday annoyances coming from roommates may quickly teach tolerance as one may quickly learn how to deal with everyday annoyances. College students that live in an apartment also live within a democracy; hopefully everybody fulfills his or her commitment.




Bibliography

Doyle, Jeffrey. Personal Interview by Austin Thomas. 19 Oct
2009.

Woolsey, Alaina. Personal Interview by Austin Thomas. 01 Oct
2009.

Young, Matthew. Personal Interview by Austin Thomas. 09 Oct
2009.

Housing and Residence. Orlando, FL: 1997-2009 University of Central Florida, 2008.

"Tips for Living with a College Roommate." Education-Portal.com (2007): n. pag. Web.
19 Oct 2009.
College_Roommate.html>.

Commentary Draft

Tolerance can make you a successful millionaire. It is central to success; it is the essence of dealing with common problems; it is crucial in the workplace; and it is the basis of individuals' everyday lives. One common phenomenon that I have observed at UCF (the University of Central Florida) is individuals struggling to deal with "strange" roommates. Individuals may struggle to tolerate their roommates based upon many common issues. Issues such as drug and alcohol use, cleanliness, conflicting values, morals, and habits depending upon the way in which the individual was raised, and many others that may include noise, sleeping times, partying, homosexuality, pets, invasion of privacy, etc. Since tolerance is vital to overcoming obstacles in everyday life, learning to deal with something as simple as a "strange" roommate is key to learning the basic skills of tolerance; for with tolerance comes concentration and the ability to focus on what is at task, whether that task be studying for a class, making an important counter-argument at a press conference, or simply attempting to fall asleep. Learning to deal with a "strange" roommate may teach you how crucial tolerance is in everyday life trough it's endless number of applications.
I, personally have a very strange roommate. He's messy and leaves his stuff and dishes everywhere, he's the biggest nerd I've ever met, he plays the keyboard and sings simultaneously every day (which is just odd), he sings so loud in the shower that it wakes me up in the morning even though he's on the compete other side of the apartment, and I'm pretty sure he's gay. He has told me and my other fellow roommates that when he was in high school he did not know whether he was gay or straight and had many homosexual thoughts. He's a really nice guy don't get me wrong, but he is very weird. Whenever we have people over, all he can talk about is these "Skyflakes" which is some type of cracker that isn't salted, and he just raves about them, exclaiming how, "They go great with jam and jelly". What an odd was to start a conversation. While the other two roommates and I buy real food for the apartment, this is all he buys. It's as if he doesn't know how to live on his own. He was obviously very protected growing up and now he doesn't have mommy to buy him real food and follow him around picking up his messes.
I started asking around on our floor and it seems as if almost every room has at least one person that is considered to be a problem. However, “compromising is important whenever people are living together. Living together involves blending multiple lives and lifestyles. You and your roommates may be very similar or very different” (http://education-portal.com). While this isn't a huge problem, there's a lot of kids that have a real problem with their roommates. For instance, my friend Alaina Woolsey has roommates that have "kegger" parties almost every night and keep her up until about three in the morning. She actually just transferred out of her apartment into my building at the Towers, which got me thinking; how many room transfers are related to roommate issues? To research this I contacted the Housing and Residence Life here at UCF. They have reported that in order to get a room transfer, one must first speak with a residence life staff member and if the transfer is related to a roommate issue, they will conduct a meeting with the proper authorities in order to attempt to resolve the issue before issuing a transfer. My friend Matt Young has reported to me a similar problem. He lives in Lake Claire and has to share a room with someone. He tells me his roommate is a huge "pot-head" who is always smoking in the room and acting like an idiot when he gets high. Poor Matt requested for a transfer, but didn't get it. He didn't want to rat the kid out and get him in trouble with the campus police, he just didn't want to have to live and sleep ten feet away from him. So he complained saying that they were just having general issues and arguing a lot about disagreements. They said that arguments weren't enough to get a transfer and that he was stuck to deal with it. This also got me questioning how many room transfers are related to drug and alcohol usage...I interviewed one of the Resident Assistant’s (R.A.’s) in my building. According to Jeffrey, drug and alcohol use is never an issue because in most living areas, drugs and alcohol are not allowed, nor tolerated. There have been no reported cases or any sort of statistics that he has heard of.

I also began asking around in my classes to the students to see if they liked their roommates, how things were working out, etc. I found that the major problem that people had with their roommates wasn't drug and alcohol abuse, but was cleanliness. Some people (like Gabe) love to leave dishes in the sink and always say, "Oh I'll get it later." while the large majority of the student population had conflicting values and likes to keep their area tidy. This generally resulted in some sort of conflict. However, according to Jeffrey of Tower 1 at UCF, the have been no statistics describing this sort of discrepancy between fellow roommates.

To continue my research, I called my mom to ask if she had any roommate issues when she was in college. She told me, "Of course I did, but I learned to deal with it." which made me assume that with experience, dealing with people you don't get along with becomes easier. Accordingly, younger age groups would have the most problems with their roommates, as they have had the least experience dealing with this issue. Yet, five minutes later, she was telling me how there's a new receptionist at her work that she can't stand. This told me that as people age, they learn how to deal with certain individuals, but when a new problematic individual appears, they face an entire new problem. This showed me that tolerance is a universal issue among all age groups that does not have one single solution to it, for tolerating different individuals requires different techniques. To contradict however, Jeffrey stated that older individuals are more tolerant because they are more used to living independently on their own. I therefore agreed to disagree and decided to stay “on the fence”, for I can find ties to both sides of the argument.

To conclude, I have come to the realization that there are many roommate problems that exist within almost every situation. However, just because there are problems, there are not necessarily major issues. Everybody is different and there is no central problem rather than individuals struggling to learn the basic skills of tolerance. I believe that older individuals are better equipped with these skills because they have been around the independent living environment longer and have more experience with simplifying and solving problems. Through my research I have found that roommate issues are rarely related to drug and alcohol use, for no cases within the Orlando area have been reported. It may have been the problem, but a different excuse was admitted, such as in Matt Young’s case. Most kids have the same attitude about it, drugs are bad and they should not be brought into a home. Living with everyday annoyances coming from roommates quickly teaches tolerance, for college students live within a democracy. Hopefully everybody fulfills their commitment.


























Bibliography
Doyle, Jeffrey. Personal Interview by Austin Thomas. 19 Oct
2009.

Housing and Residence. Orlando, FL: 1997-2009 University of Central Florida, 2008.

"Tips for Living with a College Roommate." Education-Portal.com (2007): n. pag. Web.
19 Oct 2009. College_Roommate.html>.

Castleberry

Commentary Thesis Paragraph (Introduction)

Tolerance can make you a successful millionaire. Tolerance is central to success; tolerance is the essence of dealing with common problems; tolerance is crucial in the workplace; and tolerance is the basis of individuals' everyday lives. One common phenomenon that I have observed at UCF (the University of Central Florida) is individuals struggling to tolerate "strange" roommates. Individuals may struggle to tolerate their roommates based upon many common issues. Issues such as drug and alcohol use, cleanliness, conflicting values, morals, and habits depending upon the way in which the individual was raised, and many others that may include noise, sleeping times, partying, homosexuality, pets, invasion of privacy, etc. Since tolerance is vital to overcoming obstacles in everyday life, learning to deal with something as simple as a "strange" roommate is key to learning the basic skills of tolerance; for with tolerance comes concentration and the ability ti focus on what is at task, whether that task be studying for a class, making an important counter-argument at a press conference, or simply attempting to fall asleep. Learning to deal with a "strange" roommate may teach you how crucial tolerance is in everyday life trough it's endless number of applications.

Commentary Outline

1. To craft my commentary, I will start by introducing my thesis, that tolerance is the basis of dealing with "strange" roommates.


2. I will then go on to discuss roommates (relating to the basis of tolerance) and ask if there is a central issue among roommate problems and elaborate on many common issues that have been recorded, such as:

"Drug and Alcohol Use (Including Tobacco Products)" - Arguments between users and non-users.

"Cleanliness" - Conflicting morals, values, and habits depending upon how the individual was raised. Does having siblings have an effect on tolerance to cleanliness issues?

"Other Issues" - Noise levels, partying, sleeping hours, homosexuality, invasion of privacy, pets, etc.


3. I will then discuss room transfers and introduce statistics concerning how many are related to tolerating roommate issues.


4. Then, I will argue whether or not older individuals are beter at tolerating others than younger individuals are. I will comment that on one side, older individuals have more experience dealing with tolerance; but on the other side, tolerance skills are unique depending upon the individual that you are attempting to tolerate. Therefore, older individuals would have no significant advantage since each circumstance is greatly diverse.


5. I will conclude by making ties back to tolerance and stressing the importance of tolerance skills within the workplace and everyday life. I will also comment that individuals learn the majority of these skills while attending a college or university and dealing with issues such as dealing with "strange" roommates.


*I plan to embed in my commentary many various facts, statistics, and quotes that I will gain from my research as well as from my interview with the R.A.'s (Resident Assistants) in my apartment building.

...and obviously I will include my works cited page as well.




*avoid using words such as "is, was, were, being, are, etc."

Revise and Sequenced Questions

Subject - Dealing with strange roommates.


1) How many students that live either on or off-campus have a problem with one of their fellow roommates?


2) Is there a common issue among these problems? A bigger picture than minor annoyances here and there?


3) How often is the issue related to drug and alcohol use (including tobacco products)? Is the argument always between a user and a non-user?


4)Do roommate issues occur more often within a certain age group? Are younger individuals less tolerant than older ones?


5) How many room transfers are related to a roommate issue?



Connecting the dots draws the big picture: Tolerance is the basis of roommate issues, and is one of the most important things that you may learn within a college atmosphere. As you age, your tolerance for others increases.

Commentary Letter

Dear, Austin Frizzell,

How are things back in Bradenton? I haven't been back in a while; have I missed out on anything good? Orlando is awesome; I go out almost 5 nights a week with Jimmy, Ryan, Matt, and Kayla. It's so fun...everything except for my calc 2 class, which is absolute hell.
Actually, I do have one more problem; I have the strangest roommate. He's messy and leaves his stuff and dishes everywhere, he's the biggest nerd I've ever met, he plays the keyboard and sings simultaneously every day (which is just odd), he sings so loud in the shower that it wakes me up in the morning even though he's on the compete other side of the apartment, and I'm pretty he's gay. He's a really nice guy don't get me wrong, but he is very weird. Whenever we have people over, all he can talk about is these "Skyflakes" which is some type of cracker that isn't salted, and he just raves about them, exclaiming how, "They go great with jam and jelly". What a weird was to start a conversation. While the other two roommates and I buy real food for the apartment, this is all he buys. It's as if he doesn't know how to live on his own. He was obviously very protected growing up and now he doesn't have mommy to buy him real food and follow him around picking up his messes.
I started asking around on our floor and it seems as if almost every room has at least one person that is considered to be a problem. While this isn't a huge problem, there's a lot of kids that have a real problem with their roommates. For instance, Alaina has roommates that have "kegger" parties almost every night and keep her up until about three in the morning. She actually just transferred out of her apartment into my building at the Towers, which got me thinking; How many room transfers are related to roommate issues? Matt has a similar problem. He lives in Lake Claire and has to share a room with someone. He tells me his roommate is a huge "pot-head" who is always smoking in the room and acting like an idiot when he gets high. Poor Matt requested for a transfer, but didn't get it. He didn't want to rat the kid out and get him in trouble with the campus police, he just didn't want to have to live and sleep ten feet away from him. So he complained saying that they were just having general issues and arguing a lot about disagreements. They said that arguments weren't enough to get a transfer and that he was stuck to deal with it. This also got me questioning how many room transfers are related to drug and alcohol usage...
I began asking around in my classes to the students to see if they liked their roommates, how things were working out, etc. I found that the major problem that people had with their roommates wasn't drug and alcohol abuse, but was cleanliness. Some people (like Gabe) love to leave dishes in the sink and always say, "Oh I'll get it later." while the large majority of the student population had conflicting values and likes to keep their area tidy. This generally resulted in some sort of conflict.
To continue my research, I called my mom to ask if she had any roommate issues when she was in college. She told me, "Of course I did, but I learned to deal with it." which made me assume that with experience, dealing with people you don't get along with becomes easier. Accordingly, younger age groups would have the most problems with their roommates, as they have had the least experience dealing with this issue. Yet, five minutes later, she was telling me how there's a new receptionist at her work that she can't stand. This told me that as people age, they learn how to deal with certain individuals, but when a new problematic individual appears, they face an entire new problem. This showed me that tolerance is a universal issue among all age groups that does not have one single solution to it, for tolerating different individuals requires different techniques.
Anyway, I don't want to bore you with my problems. I'm exaggerating a lot anyway, because I love college so far and there are plenty roommates that could be a lot worse...I could be stuck with some thief or in Matt's case some "pot-head", so I'm thankful. Hope you're doing well man, keep me up to date with everything and how you're liking MTI.

See you at Thanksgiving buddy, Austin

Commentary Questions and Interview Answers

Subject - Dealing with strange roommates.

1) How many individuals have a problem with one of their fellow roommates?
Jade -65%
Austin -80%

2) How many room transfers are related to roommate issues?
Jade -80%
Austin -75%

3) Is there a common issue?
Jade -Cleanliness
Austin -Drugs, cleanliness, or attitude

4) How often is the issue related to drug and alcohol use?
Jade -12%
Austin -40%

5)Do roommate issues occur more often within a certain age group?
Jade -Younger adults, because they have less experience dealing with tolerance.
Austin -Younger adults, because Older age groups would have had past experiences with dealing with roommates and have found ways to deal with it.




Interview Questions:

a) How do you know what you know?
Jade -I don't know anything, I live with my parents.
Austin -Because I have a strange roommate and have made plenty of observations.

b) Who are you to the subject?
Jade -An individual who does not have any roommates.
Austin -An individual who is currently dealing with a strange roommate and has plenty of friends facing the same issue.

c) How is this event connected with others?
Jade -A business aspect; learning to deal with people later in life that you will not get along with, but be forced to work with.
Austin -Moving past life's barriers; things that you must overcome in order to move forward in your life and career.

d) What if things were different?
Jade -There wouldn't be a problem.
Austin -People would miss out on an important lesson on tolerance.

e) Why is this important?
Jade -It teaches the basis of tolerance and its importance in everyday life.
Austin -This is the basis of tolerance. Learning to deal with people that you do not like is probably the greatest thing that having a strange roommate can teach you.

Commentary Assignment

Invention Process

1)
1. Dealing with strange roommates
2. Students vs. textbooks and the Campus Bookstore
3. The retro-sunglasses trend


2)

As I am awakened by a protruding sound through the walls of my 10’X12’ apartment, I struggle to open my eyes. I manage to find my surroundings and stand up out of bed, following the noise to the outskirts of my bedroom. I hear singing, but where is it coming from? Half-awake, I continue to follow the hallway into the kitchen where the noise is heard more vividly. I realize that it is one of my roommates singing in the shower; more like shouting, I would say. I stand in awe, pondering why my roommate would be doing this, does he have no respect for others and not think that his voice may wake up his neighbors? He is the only one awake in the apartment, and with 3 other roommates to consider, why is he making such noise at eight in the morning? I was in shock and dismay.

My mind begins to wander towards questioning his upbringing. He is the messiest out of all of us; his room is a pig-sty, he leaves a trail of dishes behind him, buys crackers and candy rather than meals, is not social with the rest of us, and now he is making so much noise that it wakes me from the other side of the apartment. Does this reflect how he was raised? Did his mother pick up after him, buy and make his food, and not teach him the manners demanded when living with three others. Apparently, because now that she is absent, he does not know how to live.

I begin to wonder how many others are facing my same dilemma. How common are strange and disrespectful roommates? The more I questioned the idea, the more I began to ask my peers. I quickly found that this is a very common predicament. I began to listen to conversations that went on among our apartment building’s floor, and quickly found that I should be thankful that I only have one strange roommate, for there are plenty of rooms on my floor that inhabit 4 individuals that do not get along at all. The volume of the problem began to drown the volume of my roommate’s protruding voice. This was a much larger and shared problem that I had imagined, for almost everyone had to deal with a “weird” roommate.

You are taught many things during your first year of college, and I found that tolerance is one of the most importance.

Memo

September 15th, 2009

Dear Ms. (Almost Dr.) Moody,
Based on the feedback that I received from Jade, I have concluded that I need to utilize more detail in the middle-conclusion of my memoir. She suggested that I describe my backyard, garage, and size of the fire more vividly. This told me that she had some trouble understanding the scenery and what was going on in the story. To Fix this, I plan on describing in detail, the surroundings of my garage, including what types of things were in there and what it looked like from my view (e.g. color, size, etc.). I also plan to describe the scenery in my back yard. Everything was looked at from a different perspective when I was that age and that size and I want to be able to express how it appeared through my youthful eyes to the reader. Jade also recommended that I describe more thoroughly the size and rapidity of the flame as it grew into a "raging fire", and I plan on doing so.
And finally, she noticed something that I had done accidentally; I used exposition to describe that I was a sort of mischievous child. She used that to guess how I was going to respond to finding the box of matches, that I was going to play with them and start a fire. I hope to successfully expand on this exposition to craft elements of foreshadowing into my memoir. Once I complete these tasks, my memoir will encompass strong visuals that will help the reader visualize my anecdote's significance.
-Austin Thomas

Memoir Final Draft

Core Assignment 1 – The Memoir

Drafting Process

It was the fall of 1999. The Y2K scares of the New Millennium were just around the corner. Bill Clinton was President, and Lance Armstrong had just earned his first Tour de France victory. Yet, the most the small town of Bradenton, Florida had to worry about was a head-lice outbreak at my local elementary school. I was in third grade. An eight-year-old full of questions and adventure, I was sitting cross-legged in Ms. Julie’s class, waiting for the clock to hit 3:00 p.m. so I could go home and play. My grandma was coming into town that day and I was very excited to see her, for she only visited from North Carolina two or three times a year. Grandma was loaded, and gave us a $100.00 check for our birthday and Christmas, which basically were the only times we saw her; but, she was also fun. She was an over-weight woman who was (and still is) full of laughter. I remember we would always tell her that she wasn’t fat but that she was pleasantly plump, and she would always laugh hysterically. She has the type of laugh that makes you laugh when you hear it, which ignites a vicious cycle of tears and cringed faces. But I couldn’t enjoy any of this, for I was stuck listening to Ms. Julie.

The principal of our school was standing beside Ms. Julie as they preached the seriousness of this head-lice outbreak to my third grade class. There were only ten minutes left of school - I knew this because I was counting down. I could already see my mom sitting outside the window in her car, waiting to pick me up, but I was stuck behind closed doors learning about lice that I didn’t even have.

The principal’s name was Janice Mattina, a playful, yet strict woman in her mid-forties who was proud to have embedded the “Montessori Method” into her school, The Center for Education. This meant that every child could work at his/her own pace and either fall behind or excel. I hated my “Montessori school”. It was a school that ranged from a toddler program up through eighth grade, and still consisted of only two hundred or so students. I found out at a very young age, that the school didn’t make very much money off the tuition costs from the minimal student population. Accordingly, Janice could not afford to hire very many teachers, and the teachers that the school had were forced to teach multiple subjects. This non-specialized system of teaching resulted in me becoming mediocre in every field of study; and I wasn't even one of the students that "fell behind". I hated the majority of my teachers due to frustration in my subjects, and asking questions that couldn’t be answered. Being resentful, I would even refuse to come in from recess; kicking, punching, and screaming at whoever would make any disciplinary attempt. I became a sort of rebel, fighting the power of my government and sticking it to "the man". Janice was "the man" and easily fell into one of these categories, especially since she used the tuition money to buy her multiple Mercedes, rather than better our school. And right now she was standing before me telling us how we need to live our lives, how to wash our hair, and how to safely play with our friends without becoming contaminated.

She said, “I’m sending home with you a very fine comb that is designed to remove lice from your hair, along with a flyer that tells your parents all about our little talk that we had today.” Ms. Julie quickly added, “This is a very serious matter and you guys need to be responsible. Make sure that you give these to your mom and dad.” They handed the papers and combs out to us and I was finally free to go. I rushed out of the glass doors and into the parking lot to my mom’s car. I quickly jumped in, excited to finally be out of school, and we headed home. My mom and I went through the usual, “How was your day at school?” and “Boring as usual! I hate my school.” speech until we finally got home.

My grandma’s car was in the driveway and she was already inside having a drink with my dad. Before the car was all the way in the garage, I unlocked my door, opened it and jumped out. I always rode on the right hand side of the car in the back seat for a reason, so I could do just this. I was right-handed and could quickly jump out of my mom’s car before she had time to protest my actions. I was a very smart kid. I pulled open the back door of my house, left it open, and ran for grandma. I jumped into her arms with all my might and gave her a “bear-hug”, squeezing her as tightly as I could. She almost fell over. She repeated the same lecture that I had just received from my mom about school, asking how it was and how I needed to be respectful to my teachers because they were only trying to help me. “I pay a lot of money for you kids to go to that school, and you need to pay attention, okay?”, she exclaimed. At this point, I was in autopilot and instinctively responded, “Yes grandma, I will.” She noted, “All right, now there’s a good boy. I love you so much honey, now run off and play while me and your dad have a drink.” Excited again, I responded, “Okay grandma, I love you too.” and I ran outside to play. I was back in the garage again, and my mom was just now coming in through the back door. As I ran by her, I unenthusiastically commented, “Oh yeah, here’s some lice thing Janice gave us at school. She told me to give it to you.” I moved on to find something to do.

I was standing alone in the garage moving in circles, looking for something to play with. For some reason, none of my usual toys and sports paraphernalia were good enough today. I began to move towards the other side of the garage where my dad kept his tools. I walked along the counter, which was as tall as I was, until I came upon the grill, where I found a book of matches. I leaned forward onto my "tippie-toes" and was barely able to grasp them with the very tips of my fingers. I stood flat and held them in my hand, full of curiosity. My whole life, I had learned through trial and error, and I decided to play with the matches, not thinking twice about it. I walked along the worn grassy path to my back yard very slowly, studying the contents of this new toy. It was a white box and on the outside it read “Congratulations Bruce and Cheri”, as if it were from a wedding. I assumed they were my parents' friends and that it was very old, considering the faded color and beaten shape that it was in. I continued to wander along staring at what lay in my hands before me until I was hidden away behind my father's barn. Florida was in the middle of a very long drought and it didn’t take me long to find a nice, dry, brown patch of grass. I opened the book and pulled out one of the remaining ten matches that were left and struck it against the grain so that it lit. I had seen people light a match before and knew how it was done. Crouching down on my knees, I threw the match into the dry patch of grass and within seconds, I soon learned that I was a pyromaniac. One after another, I struck a match and threw it into the grass until there were no matches left. It started as a small, weak flare, but once the wind caught the bright red and flames, the fire began to quickly expand. Before I knew it, I had successfully created a raging fire, of which I was very proud. Knowing that I needed a quick getaway, I sprinted back into the house and towards my room. Before I could make it there, my grandma called, “Austin, will you come here please?” I knew I was in trouble and slowly walked into the living room where she was sitting in a chair waiting for me. She pulled out the very fine comb and paper that I had given my mom and said, “I want to check your head for lice.” Relieved, I walked over and sat on her knee as she began to run her fingers and the comb through my hair.

Within a few seconds, she put each of her hands on my shoulders and turned me towards her. She looked at me and very seriously asked, “Austin, why does your hair smell like smoke?”

Invention Process

Invention Process

Part One)

•1991 Birth

•1992 Hurricane Andrew

•1993 Bill Clinton is elected President of the United States

•1994 Death of former President Richard Nixon

•1995 O.J. Simpson is found not guilty of double murder

•1996 Bill Clinton wins his second term for presidency

•1997 Death of Princess Diana of Wales

•1998 New York Yankees Win the World Series

•1999 Lance Armstrong wins his first Tour De France

•2000 Y2K Concerns

•2001 Attacks on the World Trade Center

•2002 The Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City, Utah

•2003 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers win Super Bowl XXXVII

•2004 Death of Christopher Reeve

•2005 Hurricane Katrina

•2006 The Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii are released

•2007 Virginia Tech Massacre

•2008 Barack Obama is elected President of the United States

•2009 Present

Sources:

http://www.historycentral.com/dates/

http://www.worldeventsguide.com/

http://www.cnn.com/

Part Two)

1. Death of Close Friend Joshua Timothy Persichilli: July 16^th, 2006

2. When I won my first motocross race: 2004

3. When I set my back yard on fire: 1998

Part Three)

1. This personal memoir would focus on the death of my close friend Josh Persichilli. He died 3 days after his 14^th birthday in a motocross race in Waldo, FL. His accident occurred during the “Florida Motocross Series”, which was my first 125cc C class championship series; I was 7^th place in the points standings. It happened the first lap of the race and I was right behind him when he crashed. This occurred during the first of a two-race format; the race was immediately halted once the severity of the crash became clear, but was later restarted. I forfeited the restarted first race as well as the second race.

2. This memory would be about my very first motocross race ever. I heard about racing from one of my father’s friends whose son raced in Dade City, FL and decided that it was something I was interested in. I was a young daredevil who wanted to go high and fast, and convinced my dad to take me there to ride the motocross school in the morning and attend the races that night. During the morning school I was taught the basics of body positioning and skills and then the rain began to pour. It was my first race as well as my first mud race. I was the only rider to make it across the finish line.

3. When I was in elementary school, there was a lice outbreak at my school and the administrators encouraged parents to routinely check their children’s head for lice. After school one day, I went home and jumped into the arms of my grandma, who was visiting from North Carolina. Once my grandma and my parents started into a conversation, I ventured off into the garage. I came upon a packet of matches by my father’s grill and soon found that I was a pyromaniac. I made my way towards my back yard where I came upon a dry patch of grass and decided to test my fire-making abilities. The entire back yard was soon on fire. I ran back inside my house acting as if nothing had happened. My grandma told me to come to her immediately; she wanted to check my hair for lice. She quickly commented that my head smelled of smoke and I was soon in trouble.

Part Four)

1. The death of a close friend impacted my life in an enormous way. It was the first of three that I was forced to endure. It taught me to cherish the one’s that I love; it taught me to live for the moment and to never think twice about doing something; it taught me to reach out for every opportunity and to try my best experience what others do not get the chance to; it taught me the value of family; it taught me the value of friends; it taught me the importance of life. When I sit on the starting line for a race, I no longer pray for victory, but for safety. I turn to my opponents next to me and wish them good luck. I try my hardest in school so that I may have a bright future, one that Josh never had the chance to experience. His life was taken from him, and if mine may be taken from me, I would like to be able to think that I “went out swinging”.

2. My very first race taught me the value of hard work, guts, and determination. I learned that day that if you work hard and listen, absorbing as much information as you can, then you have a greater chance of success. That day I paid attention to every word in the morning motocross school, and held onto what I had learned until later that night when I was able to regurgitate it. It was something I was passionate about it, which I learned is crucial when attempting to retain information. I learned that there is so much more to a learning process than just memorization, and that you have to care about what you are hearing in order to learn it. I realized what I love doing and what I have to do in order to do it well. Most importantly, however, I learned that this race reflected a larger picture. The lessons that I learned that day were not only applicable in motocross, but could be utilized in life. Utilizing all of my resources and retaining all of my given information in my personal race for the checkered flag. This is also known as the pursuit of happiness. This is also known as life.

3. This childish anecdote serves as a simple memory that other’s may easily relate to. This reflects the childish ways that punishment forces away through maturity. This taught me the simplest of all life’s lessons, the workings of karma. If you do bad things, bad things will happen to you; and if you do good things, good things will come your way. This led me to understand the principles of religion and how I needed to live my life. This lesson gave me desire for a good karma, which could only come from living a healthy, courteous, and hard-working lifestyle. To this very day I work and live on the principles of karma, and my grandmother and parents are finally proud of their once trouble-starting child.