Wednesday 19 February 2014

Quick Write 3- New Beginnings



As I look at this image I think to myself what can you change? What can any of us change in our everyday lives. And the answers are endless. There isn't a thing about you you can't change. An example of personal and outward change I can think of from the past year would be in football. My team suffered heavy losses the last year. 0-7 to be exact. So knowing I had a captain's spot on the team I took it upon myself to better myself mentally and physically in the off season. I knew I couldn't force the team to change, it wasn't about that. It was about making myself a machine that had one goal for the season. Win. Now by win go don't mean defeat others. I mean triumph personally, so that at the end of the day I could look in the mirror and say I was proud. I spent the summer working out by running and lifting weights, I tried to eat as clean as I could, and everyday saw change flying throughout the door. As the season started, I made it a job to bond with my quarterback Jonny so that the center-qb relationship was the strongest on the team. We hung out together, worked out together and generally just talked, so that when it came to game time we could be a fully functioning wrecking ball on the field. My new beginning came with our first loss of this season. I played a couple of games up to that point with a similar mentality to the one I had previously had. So when we were beat by Steinbach my shock was a familiar one. And I asked myself, why did I not feel proud? Why didn't I feel as though I had done my job 100%? Then I realized that I kept thinking about what I could do to make me proud, instead of thinking about how I could help my team find a sense of pride in itself. I changed, I made it so that everyone on the team in one way or another belonged to a brotherhood, they were a family, and with that mentality we took that season by storm, making it to Semi finals. The seniors took the field that game with the mentality of brotherhood that day, but there were those who felt as though they had won the day just by being there. It was a relapse. And the point I'm trying to make is if you're going to change. Don't try, just do. But don't let yourself change back.

-Ben

Quick Write- The Reversed Order



They heard. Good! Now they were all running towards the door with excitement! Sensing the anticipation my fellows had, I stepped back as they swarmed the package.
"Let's take it to the kitchen!" One yelled.
"The Kitchen!!!!" it was a chorus of echoes through the halls. They shuffled into the dimly lit kitchen and began the process of cooking and edge thallus eating the human. I walked away to my chair and sat and watched as the commotion stirred to an all time high. It was funny to watch, how ferrocious we got about food. We eat and eat, but we never take a moment to appreciate the animal who gave up its life for our meal. I mean we eat to live and it dies to feed. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a vegetarian, I just think  it's funny that we never appreciate the fagility of life. As I sat I noticed out of the corner of my eye a flash, and then one of the younger ones, from upstairs, ran at the human flesh, slow cooking in the fire, and jumped on it and started chewing, and then there were 30, 40, 50! Too many to count all crammed into one little space trying desperately to get some food. I guess that why they call it a coop. We are chickens after all and if we see something one of us wants, we flock to it. Oh well, it was a nice dream. Packaged humans, chickens being superior. I guess I'll never know that feeling, back to corn for me.

-A Short Story by Ben McMahon

Quick Write- Which Door?

Of all the 6 doors on the screen I'm torn between Bag End and 221B Baker Street. I've always loved both LOTR and other Tolkein works, but also the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and ridiculously brilliant albeit goofy detective Sherlock Holmes. I suppose I'll list reasons for both and come up with a final answer. 
In regards to Bag End. I feel as though I'd rather step out than into it. You see nothing fun ever happened in the Shire, it was only when Bilbo or Frodo left their happy hobbit hole that they were met with adventure. It is a fantastic world that I wish I could have been in, but alas! No such luck. Adventure action and chaos, all followed bt a happy ending! 221B Baker on the other hand is buzzing with activity every day even and when Sherlock and Watson are home, it's a tad bit more relatable, because it's closer to the time period of my life, especially if you look at the modern adaptation. It's a wild ride everyday, so I don't know whether or not I would choose Bag End or 221 B Baker Street. But I would probably go Bag End ;)

-Ben