Freedom: This I believe essay

I believe in freedom. I think everyone should be free to experience the world in their own way, free from the prejudices and preconceptions of another person. I think we should all get the ability to travel, in order to expand our horizons and understand each other better. But not everybody has the confidence to travel. That confidence is something I regrettably lack. I don’t really have any memories to help illustrate my beliefs to the world. Most of my memories come from me playing video games. To me, that was a chance to see into a world that I had never seen before and interact and affect it. I remember the time I shouted after managing to beat Bowser for the first time in Super Mario 64, as though I had manged to win a medal or finish a triathalon. I remember the rush I felt as I completed puzzle after puzzle in Legend of Zelda: Orarina of time. I remember that I actually cried after seeing one of my favorite characters die in a cutscene in Final Fantasy. It felt almost like a stab to the heart, to see a person I had gotten to know and care for go out so finitely. That’s how involved I was in the world of video games. I am trying to get out into the world, to free myself from my chair and see beyond the world of gaming if for but a little. But in the end, I am in love with freedom. To see beyond the supposedly boring, mundane reality and look upon the world with bright fresh eyes and appreciate everything about it. Freedom may be the only thing I definitely believe in, but I’ll take it anyway.

Place Matter Essay: Preserving the past memories of those who showed most bravery

I do not travel often. I am usually prone to staying at home to enjoy the world aroundme, looking up things through my computer if I wish to find something. Thus to contemplate on a place that I believe should be preserved is not easy to figure out. But there is one place that is fairly close to my heart; The Arlington National cemetery in Washington D.C. The Arlington National cemetery is a major part of our culture, as it contains the bodies and memories of those who gave their lives to ensure the existence of our culture to this day. Many of the brave men and women who died so that we could enjoy the freedom to express our cultural beliefs and practices can be found in this place. To honor the memories of the many loved ones that have gone before us is something that should be preserved with all our might. As for me, why I care so mightily about the place is because my beloved grandmother is buried there along with my grandfather, and I want to ensure a place for her remains to rest in peace and so I can revisit her in the future as a reminder of the things our predeccessors have done in service for their country.

Place Matter Essay draft

I do not travel often. I am usually prone to staying at home to enjoy the world aroundme, looking up things through my computer if I wish to find something. Thus to contemplate on a place that I believe should be preserved is not easy to figure out. But there is one place that is fairly close to my heart; The Arlington National cemetery. The Arlington National cemetery is a major part of our culture, as it contains the bodies and memories of those who gave their lives to ensure the existence of our culture to this day. Many of the brave men and women who died so that we could enjoy the freedom to express our cultural beliefs and practices can be found in this place. To honor the memories of the many loved ones that have gone before us is something that should be preserved with all our might. As for me, why I care so mightily about the place is because my beloved grandmother is buried there along with my grandfather, and I want to ensure a place for her remains to rest in peace and so I can revisit her in the future as a reminder of the things our predeccessors have done in service for their country.

Blog 4 aka Revision of Blog 3

As I look at the fashion choices present in the Skipjack, I am left to ponder the relevance and meaning behind what those choices. Because it is apparent that most of these people did not pick certain items of clothing simply to feel comfortable or to protect themselves from the elements. No, there is a deeper meaning to the clothing styles many of these students choose to wear. Their styles signifies what one thinks about themselves and how they want others to see themselves. Oten times, the fashion choices of a generation shapes how they will be remembered years from now, and more importantly how they will remember themselves. No more so is this present than when looking at the fashion choices of young adults. As a volitale group that is prone to change and alter themselves into anything that distinguishes themselves from the rest of society outside, it is interesting to take a look back at yesteryear to see the culture that pervades and compare it to ours. Take for example, the pictures present in the Skipjack yearbook. At a glance, practically all the girls can be seen wearing a skirt, unlike today where jeans are the norm. Most of the guys can be seen wearing a similar combover hair style, pulled to the left out of ones face. Yet, even here I can sense that there is an underlying culture. For instance , in one picture in the Skipjack, I saw two men standing side by side. One was neatly dressed in a stripped shirt, while the other man was wearing an open jacket. If it were only that, I would never be able to guess what kind of people they are. But what I focused on was the body lanugage. The man in the stripped shirt looked downward and inward, while the man in the jacket was open and smiling. Obviously, it shows just what kind of person was in and which one wasn’t. So, clothing is an important part of a generations’ identity, because it says far more about the peoples of its generation than they realize.

Blog #3: Clothing makes the man. Or in this case, the Generation.

As I look at the old styles of the youth present in the Skipjack, I am left to ponder about what those styles mean. Because it is apparent that people generally do not wear certain clothing simply to feel comfortable or to protect themselves from the elements. No, there is a deeper meaning to the clothes one chooses to wear. The style signifies what one thinks about themselves and how they want others to see themselves. Oten times, the fashion choices of a generation shapes how they will be remembered by others years from now, and how they will remember themselves. None more so is this present than when looking at the fashion senses of teenagers and young adults. A volitale group that is easy to change and fit into any sort of thing that distinguishes themselves from the rest of the world. When looking through the Skipjack yearbook, one can see a world almost completely different from ours. Practically all the girls can be seen wearing a skirt, unlike today where jeans are the norm. Most of the guys can be seen wearing a similar combover hair style, unlike today where hair styles can be completely different from person to person. Yet, even here I can somehow sense that there is an underlying culture that helps people distinguish between one another based upon nothing but their clothes. When I looked upon the 21st page of the UMBC Skipjack yearbook, I noticed a picture where two guys stood side by side. One was wearing a prim and proper stripped shirt prominently displayed for all to see, while the other was wearing an open jacket. The stripped shirted man looked down upon the ground, while the open shirted man looked upon the camera with a smile. And that’s when my mind told me that the stripped shirted man was a “nerd” and the open jacket man was a “party-goer”. So, clothing is an important part of a generations’ identity, because it says far more about the peoples of its generation than they realize.

Memories of Pixels

In my lifetime, I have always loved video games. The sounds of the synthesized music filled my ears, and all the wonderful visuals are engrained into my head forevermore. I can perform the motion to fire a haodoken in Street Fighter, even in my sleep. But there is one thing about video games that I especially love. The ability to play with your friends. I don’t have a specific moment in time to describe this event. It’s the same way you would go over to your friend’s house to watch a football game or play in the backyard. But all the same, I remember them fondly. One time, me and my friend managed to lag one video game so hard it crashed. We joked afterwards that our expert skills made the game gave up. Another time, we managed to finish a run in Halo by punching everything. Another time, I managed to get the last kill in Super Smash Bros within the last second of the match, and me and my friends all cheered in joy at the sudden turn of events. So, maybe you’re asking yourselves what was the point of this blog? Simple, really. The thing I love most about video games is the memories of being with my friends. That’s all. Just thought I‘d share something special I hold dear to myself.

My name is Max Speigel, and I’m a man who loves stories. All sorts of stories interest me. I love the way everything flows together in a coherent and understandable fashion. I love seeing all the various twists and angles to the ways one can view a series of events. I love thinking of the many posibilities to the outcomes of so many stories. I have so much fun writing and reading all the wonderful stories life has to offer. I often look to video games for their intersting stories (not to mention the gameplay) and apparently many others have as well. In many ways, life is one big story that we are all participating in. We just don’t always see ourselves as an important character. But we are. We just need to find the right publisher to get our story out there.