Smell
The sense of smell is very important to me. Smell can describe my life, and tell a story. It brings back memories and lets me recognize people and things. It also, helps me to remember my parents back at home. Like I know when people are coming over, because my house smells like cleaning products, from my mom cleaning frantically for our guests. My dad always smells like cut grass and gasoline after he mows the lawn. I can remember the exact smell of my mom’s perfume she puts on every morning, before she goes to school, where she teaches.
Smell also helps me to know things. Like when my practice jersey needs to be washed, I can smell the awful stench of sweat. In volleyball season last year, my knee pads smelled so horrible that my teammates refused to stand by me in huddles. I knew it was time to buy new ones. My brother plays basketball for hours in our backyard at our basketball court, and when he comes in he smells like sweat and the outside. I know that smell.
Smell is an important sense, without smell, you cannot taste. I would never know when my mother cooks my favorite meal of cheesy mashed potatoes. I would never taste the cheesy and the mushy sweet mashed potatoes. On birthdays, I would never smell the burning candle wax from birthday cakes. Smell is important to me.
Road Trip
When I bit into the crunchy, chewy, sweet chocolate Twix bar. I suddenly was brought back to my childhood. For 12 years of my life I was in competitive gymnastics. But living in Towanda, Pa. The closest gym was an hour and a half away. The schedule was very demanding, every day out of the summer I would have two practices 8am-2pm and 6pm-9pm. During the school year every-night after school and my parents would drive me the hour and a half to make my 5pm-9:30pm practice for 12 straight years. The only way I could make it on time was to stop at a gas station or drive through somewhere. Stopping at gas stations for your meal, is not exactly “good”. I found myself eating a hot-dog and chips almost every night for dinner. But, I always made sure to grab a Twix. It was my favorite candy bar all that time, and it reminds me of how I spent my life on road trips with my parents. I was never closer to my parents then I was at this time in my life, and they sacrificed so much time and money for me… I am so grateful.
No Mold will take Blue Cheese from me!
The first bite is so juicy and tender, until it hits my tongue and a fire begins to take over my tongue and mouth. I reach for my water leaving BBQ sauce all over the glass. The second bite is just as good and leaves me looking at my other 11, not waiting to bite into them as well. The tender meat, seasoned to perfection and smothered in BBQ sauce, dipped into the greatest invention to mankind, Blue Cheese. The process goes fast, and it’s not long before I am leaning back in my seat with a smile of satisfaction and a full stomach. Wings are a very important part of my life. My friends go out to the best bar in town, PJ’s, for wing’s at least twice a week. At any parties or if we are just watching a game on TV, there are always PJ’s wings. Just thinking of them is enough to make my mouth water and stomach growl. To all you vegetarians out there your really, missing out. The question is what is a flavor that I like? What better flavor then what makes PJ’s Wings so incredible, their homemade blue cheese.
According to an online dictionary, blue cheese is cheese having veins of greenish-blue mold. It sounds delicious doesn’t it? Britannica online says that blue cheeses may be soft and creamy or crumbly in texture, with a characteristically sharp, piquant flavor; they are often quite salty but should not be overly so, nor bitter. To me blue cheese is a very creamy, rich taste. It has a moment of sharpness that seems to dissipate in your mouth. But that’s not what you’re wondering now is it? You’re still stuck on one thing, the mold.
The mold, in the blue cheese, during the three to six months of ripening, grows both in small, irregular, natural openings in the cheese and in machine-made perforations. Then it is cooled and ripened to perfection. Mold is a common thing in food… in fact there is living bacteria in a lot of dairy products. That’s how milk is converted into yogurt, buttermilk, and cheeses. Other bacteria have been used in pickled products, sauerkraut, and olives. Bacteria and mold is in what we eat, so there really is no harm to it. Besides, no mold will stop me from eating my wings with blue cheese!
Sources
Life behind her eyes
Alexia’s heart pounded as she entered the court room. She could feel as everyone’s eyes pierced her judging her, like tiny pricks of a needle. She wished so badly to run away, and hide back in her cell. But, there was no hiding, there was no getting away. Cameras flashed rapidly as she sat down and whispers sprang from around the room. She did not dare to look up from her feet, for fear they’d all see that she was guilty.
“Alexia… “, his voice sounded distant inside her head. But she could still see his eyes, his beautiful blue eyes, and his tan tattoo covered muscles as he handed her a glass of lemonade. They sat together on the hammock that faced the beautiful beach before them. They sipped on lemonade as they rocked back and forth watching the waves crash one by one. She could see him smile out of the corner of her eye as he watched her. She could almost feel how much he cared for her through his gaze. She turned and smiled back at him and kissed him on his cheek.
Alexia rose from her seat as the judge entered, she felt dizzy maybe from her nerves, or maybe from the heat of her large orange jumpsuit. She jumped as her lawyer laid his strong hand on her shoulder. She could feel his breathe hot on her ear as whispered into it. But, she could not make out the words. She glanced behind her and spotted his family. His mother looked a lot older and very tired, not half as beautiful as she remembered. Brady’s father stood next to her, clutching her hand, he seemed to be in another world. His eyes never left straight in front of him.
She could make out the house through the cloud of dust kicking up from the tires of Brady’s truck. “You nervous babe?” he yelled over the roar of the engine and noise from rocks hitting the exterior of the vehicle. How could she not be nervous, as the giant three story beach front home lay spread out before her? Her heart pounded, as he came to halt in front of this enormous blue and white home. On the porch stood his parents, with smiles as wide as the ocean itself. “Here we go,” he said to her and gave her leg a friendly pat. She opened her door and was greeted by a beautiful blonde haired green eyed, bombshell. With her long summer dress flapping in the wind and her tan body looked flawless and her hug was gentle and fragile. She was an absolute dream. Her husband looked just like Brady and his hug was strong and he laughed and whispered,”we couldn’t wait to meet you Alexia.” They were perfect, so far from what she’d grown up with.
“The defense would like to call Ramon Dimitri to the stand,” the defense lawyer bellowed out. Alexia’s heart jumped. Ramon entered through the back of the courtroom. She hadn’t seen him in nearly a year. His dark skin and harsh lines on his face seemed even stronger than before. His presence sent an automatic chill through the room as his large body scuffled down the aisle towards his seat next to the judge. He looked at her and almost snarled, and all the life went out of her as they stared into each other’s eyes.
“zZZZZ zZZZZ zZZZZ,” Alexia’s cell phone vibrated from deep within her purse. She struggled to locate it then noticed the caller ID… Big D. They hadn’t talked in months since they’d broken up and she was afraid to answer. But something inside her compelled her to. “How you been baby,” said a deep voice,”I miss you,” he continued. Alexia paused for a moment, she thought of Brady waiting for her back at their beach cottage. “We should go get coffee,” slipped from her lips before she could pull them back inside. The second he entered that coffee shop she regretted it, because the butterflies entered her stomach again. What was it about this man that made her feel this way? They talked for almost an hour and she left him with a peck on the cheek. But he didn’t leave her for weeks, she kept thinking about him over and over, and she realized she wanted to meet him again.
“… So your saying the defendant, proposed to leave her fiancé so you two could be together again?” The lawyer questioned Ramon. He nodded, “She said she’d do whatever it takes.” “I didn’t know that meant stabbing him to death,” he continued. Alexia’s lawyer shot up and objected to this. Alexia wanted to break down and cry. Why was love so complicated she thought. How could she have loved two men so much?
“Baby is something wrong,” Brody questioned her as they ate dinner one night. “I’m fine,” she murmured. Concern was all over Brady’s face, but he chose not to push the issue. Alexia had been acting funny for a while and the closer they seemed to get to the wedding the stranger she acted. They ate slowly then suddenly she thrust her fork across the room and broke out into tears. “I can’t do this,” she screamed, “I can’t marry you. You don’t know me you don’t know who I am okay! You don’t know my past what I’ve been through. You deserve someone perfect, someone like your mother.” She dropped to her knees and began to shake. “I did crack all through middle school and highschool, and my father used to abuse me, and my brother didn’t have a heart attack he overdosed. You don’t know me okay!” Brady was in shock, why hadn’t she told him this before. He just wanted to scoop her up in his arms and make all this go away. Never had he loved her more than right now. Alexia shook with anger and sadness, why had she told him that. She stood up and saw his face, his caring eyes and strong arms. She didn’t deserve him but she wished she did. He started to walk towards her, and extended his arm. She knocked it away, he came closer and closer. She didn’t want him to touch her. She didn’t want him to make her feel better. She reached behind her, her hand hit something long and sharp. She clutched the knife and thought about ending her misery right then. But, then something inside her something deep within, made her do the exact opposite. The last thing she remembered was Brady falling to the ground clutching the knife to his chest.
“We find the defendant guilty,” was the last thing she heard in that courtroom. She watched as Brady’s parents hugged and cried, she wanted to cry too. She loved him she really did. As they pushed her into her cell, she looked at the picture on the wall. Brady and she looked so happy walking on the beach. It just goes to show that there is so much more, that lies within a photo. So much more then meets the eye.
Eyezz Closed Poem
The light in his hazel eyes when he looks at me
Those three words that i miss so much
The Burberry cologne he always wears
The chocolate he gave me on Valentine’s Day
So alone now that he is gone
I wonder if he misses me too
Random Picture
The air was cold as the sun descended behind the mountains. Snow littered the ground, and snuck into the boots of the towns people, leaving their toes numb. The clock in the square struck eight, and people continued to stomp there way into town. After all no one wanted to miss the holiday festivities. The restraunt on the corner was vacant, as people flooded into the church. It was hot inside from the bodies that crammed together not wanting to miss out on the town tradition. At last the mayor rose up from his seat and climbed to the front. All was silent except a baby crying somewhere in the back, and the occasional cough. It brought chills to your spine as the slow hum of music arose from the people. There is nothing quite like the day that the town sings, it’s the most beautiful day of all.
Where are you going in the cold weather? They are going to the town celebration.
Plato
Plato’s story “The Allegory of the Cave” is about people who live in caves, who have never seen the outside world or know it exists. These cave people think what they see is the reality when in fact there is so much more. The outsiders wonder if a cave person was to see what was really out there if they would want to go back to the cave, or not. This story brings me back to what I am going through here at college.
I come from a small town with a graduating class of around a hundred kids, so coming to IUP where there are 14,000 students is quite a shock. Since coming to college here in Indiana I have found that this is so far from the world I have known my whole life. People are everywhere, and there are few familiar faces amongst the thousands. There is always something going on, and privacy is scarce. It feels as though my whole world has changed.
In Plato’s story the outsiders questioned whether the cave persons would return to the cave or live in this “new world”. In a way I am going through that same thing, I love this school and town. But the world I have known my whole life is far away and now I am trying to find comfort here with new people and a new life. I miss my family, and friends but I think that as a “cave person” I would stay in the world where my eyes are now being opened, so I can see life in new ways.
The senses
I could see the lights and hear the people stir as I walked out of that locker room. Instead of my usual cleats or game shoes, instead on my feet were high heels. But, still the same my heart was pounding in my chest, like never before. This was the biggest day in the whole year in Towanda, Pa. The scoreboard showed that we were crushing our opponents. This brought a smile to my face. My brother held on to my arm as we approached the field, a shiver ran up and down my spine. I couldn’t help but notice thousands of eyes were on us.
It wasn’t until we reached the edge of the end zone that I could hear the band playing our entrance music. My friends behind me were nervous I could see it in their faces. It was hard to cross the field in my heels and long black dress. It was even harder not to shake from the cold air that whipped at our faces. I searched frantically for my family, but I saw no one. Then I heard it, the announcer bellowed “Taylor Ferguson escorted by her brother Jordan Ferguson. Taylor is captain of the basketball, volleyball, and softball teams. She is class president, in student council, and SADD.” As we crossed the field I clutched to my brothers arm, the lights illuminated the field, it was so beautiful.
All of my friends lined up beside me, together we made up the 2006 Homecoming Court, the entire town was there to see us, and it was the most amazing feeling of my life. It tops the two state championship games I’ve played in by far and I was equally as nervous. I didn’t win queen but my best friend did, and it didn’t really matter to me. I was one of the five junior girls voted on by the whole school and it was just an honor to represent the black night pride on this beautiful night. I remember as we walked off the field how relieved I felt as people rushed me with flowers. I looked up to the sky and spotted snowflakes beginning to fall down. I could feel my mom’s tears on my shoulder as she embraced me with a hug. It was the perfect moment and I’ll never forget it as long as I lived.
For me to write this story through my senses I could not pin down just one sense to base the story around. For me that would be impossible, because all of my senses experienced this special moment in my life. For the story to be told to its fullest potential, I would have to right about them all.
What is I?
What is I is the question and to answer the question you must understand that I is not who you are on the outside but more or less who you are on the inside. I is what makes up your person, your thoughts, and emotions. Not what you see when you look in the mirror. Today more people spend time thinking about living life to the fullest, and go through life trying to get the most out of it. They don’t realize there is so much more to them then meets the eye.
Hayao Kawai wrote of an old Buddhist story he heard as a child, he wrote of a story of two goblins that ripped off a traveler’s arms and replaced them with a corpse’s. The traveler then went to a monk for advice to see if he was still really living or not. The monk told him that many foolish people believe that their bodies are the one thing living but in reality it is made up of many various things that come together o form the one thing that is yourself. This story showed that I is not who you are as you walk around here on earth. But, more who is inside you allowing you to walk and talk and live on earth.
What is I can be answered. It can be explained simply by stretching your mind and seeing that the things you do and who you are is not what you have done. I is much more than that. I is what makes up your personality, makes you walk a certain way, learn a certain way. I is what makes you feel emotion and react to different situations. People think that it is themselves but really its not. So the answer is simply, I is what makes you who you are, not who you are.
