Ryan Pinkowski

Ryan Pinkowski and I have acquired quite a friendship over these past few years. I have been lucky enough to be in a few of his classes and got to get a taste of the real Ryan Pinkowski. One time in particular, I recall our law class being told to dress up for a mock draft. On the day of the draft, everyone showed up in formal clothing, except for Ryan. Ryan arrived in a white t-shirt and a pair of short-short cutoff jeans and sneakers. The best part about this was, when he was called to the stand as a witness, he walked up there with pride. This was when I got my first dosage of the Ryan Pinkowski experience. The question that I am supposed to be answering in this blog is, “what does Ryan do in his free time?” I had a hard time trying to figure out this question myself. The one thing that I have realized over these few years is that Ryan seems to be and avid music fan. I can recall many instances in our Law class when Mrs. Suita would have to yell at Ryan to get off of websites and to stop listening to music so he could get his work done. Funny enough, I have frequently heard Mr. Currin say the same things to Ryan in our online publishing class. Plus, in this class, I happen to be the editor of his articles and can’t help but notice that a good amount of his articles have been about music. After piecing together these similar instances, I have come to the conclusion that Ryan Pinkowski probably spends his free time dealing with music in some way. Ryan is a good friend of mine and I have a lot of respect for him and all the good things he does for this school.

Injury

One time when I was playing little league football, I suffered a broken hand and was forced to sit out for a couple of games. I was only in fifth grade when this happened and I was extremely upset because I thought that my season was over. It happened when I was running the football and got tackled with my hand getting stuck between two facemasks. At first, I thought that it was just a bad bruise so I continued to stay in the game. By halftime, the pain had gotten worst and I could barely move my hand and had to watch the rest of the game from the sidelines. Fortunately, we won the game and that made me a little bit happier. After we got done shaking hands, I went home, got changed and my mom took me to the doctors. I was forced to take x-rays and they showed that I had a hairline fracture and that I would have to have a cast put on and that I wouldn’t be able to play for a week. This was good news because I was glad that I would get the chance to play again even though it wouldn’t be at quarterback because of the cast I had to wear. The game that I had to sit out of was against Lake Shore. It was tough to sit out and not be able to play with my team but I was excited to think that next week, I would be back out there. The next game was against CSRA and it was muddy. I had to wrap the cast with an inch thick foam pad to protect myself and other players from being hurt from the cast. It was a good game and we won. It was fun to play again and it is a moment I will never forget.

Blow 3 Look up too

One person that I look up to is Derek Jeter. Derek Jeter is an excellent athlete and an even better person. When Derek grew up, he was faced with adversity while having a white mother and a black father. He was discriminated against and picked on while growing up in Michigan. Never once did Derek ever retaliate or fight back even though this bothered him. Growing up and in high school, Derek always stayed out of trouble and avoided alcohol and drugs. In the classroom, Derek always maintained high grades and was a leader. In professional baseball, Derek grew up and played with the Yankees as a young kid while the rest of the team was mature veterans towards who were towards the end of their careers. When being called up to this team, the club gave him the number 2 which was only given to players with great standards. As a rookie, Derek made an immediate impact with the team. Over the years, Derek has become the official captain of the New York Yankees. He has broken many records and has never hesitated to dedicate his body for the sake of the team. When post-season play comes around, Derek is known to be Mr. Clutch. Whenever big games have gotten close, Derek has always been the one to step up and make a big play in the critical situation. This is one of the biggest reasons why I look up to Derek. When the game is on the line, he is the one who his team turns too to make a play. Not to mention that Derek looks forward to this situations. This shows that he is a true competitor. I have taken this attitude to heart in that when difficult decisions arise, people look to you for answers and that you should want to be the one to make a play when the game is on the line. This is why I look up to Derek Jeter.

Blog 3 Scariest Moment

One time, a friend and I were driving home late at night on a dark and isolated road. It was in the middle of the country and there wasn’t another car on the road. It was around two in the morning and the road was pitch black. When coming around a bend, our headlights showed the back side of an object standing on the wrong side of the road. As we got closer, we could make out that it was an actual person and that the man was standing slightly hunched over, facing the oncoming traffic lane. As we got closer, we were able to see that the man was not moving much but just continued to remain looking forward. While approached the man, we were able to see that he was wearing normal street clothes and still continued to remain motionless. When are vehicle passed him, the man instantly, bolted behind are vehicle almost touching it. I was not able to see the man run behind us, but heard the scream from my passenger who watched the man do this in our rear view mirror. At this point, we were both pretty shocked as to what had just happened and were slight freaked out. When I was reached my house, I thought my trouble were over. While I was talking to my friend on the phone on their way back home, I heard a frantic scream come from the other end of the phone. Frightened, I immediately ran out the door to head to my car because my friend wasn’t answering. Finally, they responded and said that the man who we had seen earlier was standing in the middle of the road and made my friend drive around him, never moving once and forcing my friend to slow down while doing this. We never figured out who the man was or what he was doing. This was probably the scariest thing I have ever had happen to me.

Blog 2 Caped Crusader

October 30th was a cold night in the town of Alden. It was a windy night and leaves were blowing from left to right across the gloomy streets. It was late and the town appeared to be empty minus a few lonely cars passing by every couple of minutes. On the corner of Crittenden and Broadway stood Alden’s Crusader, Nathan Bailey. Dressed in a cape and tights, he intimidated any villain who tried to disrupt the peaceful town of Alden. While on his nightly watch, he saw a car pull into the Sunoco gas station. This was a car that Nate has never seen before and he thought that it was peculiar for a car to be out this late at night. The doors of the car opened and four men dressed in black jumped out of the vehicle. Nate noticed that they had Halloween masks on and felt that a robbery may be brewing. Instantly, Nathan got up from the bench and in a heroic effort, raced across the street without looking. While being caught up in the moment, Nathan lost focus and ran into a parked car. The caped crusader was dazed and had lied on the grown for a moment until he was able to collect his thoughts. By this time, the men who were robbing the store had taken the money and were already pulling out of the gas station. Nathan knew that time needed to capture these bandits was running out. He jumped in his Nissian and began in his pursuit of the suspects. Driving at high speeds, Nathan knew that these were no ordinary criminals. Just about when Nathan was able to get close to them, they made a quick left turn which left Nathan with no time to adjust and lead him to drive STRAIGHT THROUGH A GARAGE DOOR! Trapped in this collapsing garage, Nathan stepped out of the vehicle and watched the bandits speed away. Nathan did not know if he would ever be able to recover from this incident ever.

Blog 1 Nate Boss?

“Is Nate Bailey the boss,” a question which is asked commonly throughout the hallways of Alden High School. What does it take to be a “Boss?” Does Nathan have what it takes to be called a “Boss?” According to the Urban Dictionary, a boss is someone who is “Incredibly Awesome; miraculous; great.” Personally, I don’t know if Nate has what it takes yet. Although Nathan hasn’t hesitated to tell people that he is the Boss, I just don’t know if he has earned the title yet. When I ask Nate why he thinks he is the boss, he just says “I Just Am.” One time, I recall being at asked by one of his friends from another school if people in Alden really call Nate the Boss. Although it was hard for me to crush Nathan’s ego, I had to inform them that the only one that refers to Nate as the Boss is himself. To Nathan’s defense, he has made great strides over the past few months in earing the reputation as the boss. I have started to hear people throughout school refer to him as the boss but never were they able to say it without bursting out laughing. For me, a lot has to happen in order for me to call him the boss. By that I mean, the only way I will ever call him the boss is if in some miraculous way, I will literally being working for him in which then I could honestly call him my boss. Until that day, Nate will never be the Bo$$.

Blog 1 Favorite Songs

When thinking about my favorite song, I have a hard time just thinking of one. There are so many songs that I have really enjoyed listening too. One of the more recent songs like to listen to has to be “Right Above It” by Lil Wayne. I just recently heard this song for the first time the other day and really liked the beat to it. One song that I heard a while ago was “2012” by Jay Sean featuring Nicki Minaj. This is just one of those songs that always seem to put me in a good mood whenever I listen to it. One song that always makes me and my friends laugh whenever we listen to it is “Teach Me How to Dougie” by California Swag District. We always crack up when we hear it because it usually ends up with one of us trying to pull off the dance that goes with it and not being able to perform as good as the California Swag District does it. Another song that is like this for us is “Pretty Boy Swag” by Soulja Boy. The combination of the lyrics and the beat just seem to put everyone in the dancing mood. When I play football, I love being able to listen to “Thunderstruck” by ACDC before games. This is in my opinion one of the greatest pump- up songs of all time and really gets me ready to play. As you can see, these are just a few of my favorite songs that I like listening too.

Blog 2 Favorite Class

The best class in the world has to be online publishing. I love online publishing for many reasons. First reason is because I get to spend my entire 80 minutes next to Nate Bailey. Nate Bailey is so much fun to be around and he and I share many laughs together. Also, many of my other friends are in this class and make it a relaxing environment to be in. The next reason has to be because my brother is in the class and carries all my papers for me in his folder so I can usually come to class not having to worry about whether or not I forgot anything. The projects we do in class are enjoyable because we are usually on our own and have plenty of time to get them finished. The blogs that we are assigned to do are always on fun topics and make for good conversation during class discussion. Our articles that we are assigned to write about are always on subjects that we choose and usually are things that we can all relate too. Most of the articles are about events that take place in school and they get a lot of student’s recognition for good things they have done. Mr. Currin always does a great job of keeping the class loose and keeping everyone involved which makes me look forward to coming to class every day. Online publishing is my favorite class and I am thankful that I decided to take it because I have a ton of fun in it and I feel that it has made me a better writer.

Blog 3 Favorite Meal

My best meal ever would have to be the penne pasta at Chef’s restaurant in Buffalo, NY. At this restaurant, they always start you off with a fresh roll of bread and a variety of dipping sauces and an ice cold glass of water. For an appetizer, I ordered a dish of calamari which went well with the home-made bread. The calamari also came with a side of marinara sauce which had a nice kick to it. I also was able to try some of my brother’s garlic toast which was covered with melted mozzarella cheese and left me wishing we had ordered more. For my entrée, I ordered the “Spano Special” which was a penne pasta topped with a delicious red sauce. The sauce itself was extremely sweet and really made the meal. It came in just the perfect size and made me think about whether or not I wanted to order another portion of it. For dessert, I ordered a slice of cheesecake which was covered with cherries and I also ordered one cannoli for the ride home. The dessert was delicious and left me stuffed. I also ordered a coffee which went great with the sweet taste and topped off an extraordinary dinner. This was by far one of the best meals I have ever had and I always look to go back and have it again whenever I get the chance too. Everything I have ever tasted at Chef’s restaurant has been delicious and that is the reason why it is was of my favorite restaurant now.

Blog 1 Friday Night Lights

Friday Night Lights is probably my favorite movie of all time. This movie is about the 1988 Permian Panthers high school football team in the state of Texas. This movie is about how serious high school football is taken in the state of Texas.
In this movie, high school football is the one thing that the town revolves around. The kids in this movie are born and raised to be football players. Football is superior to academics and parents care more about their boys succeeding in football than school. The stadiums are enormous and the media attention is always on these seventeen year old kids. On game days, the entire town shuts down in preparation for the teams’ game.
At the beginning of the season, the team is projected to win the state championship. The pressure put on the boys from the town is incredible and the players know that anything less than a state championship is unacceptable. I love this movie because it relates to areas that I am familiar in. For example, the entire movie relates to young boys bonding together and facing up against incredible odds and becoming young men in the process. While being a high school football player myself, I can relate to what these men went through in the movie. This movie taught me a lot about what it takes to be a good teammate and how to enjoy high school while it lasts.

Blog 2 Coach Carter

The movie Coach Carter is one of my favorite movies of all time. This movie is about an undisciplined high school basketball team in a poor neighborhood of Richmond, CA. In this movie, Samuel L. Jackson comes in as the new coach who is a stickler about discipline and demands the boys respect before they can play. With Richmond being a rough neighborhood, many boys resent Coach Carter and end up quitting the team. The boys who do stick with end up becoming gentlemen rather than thugs and learn what its’ like to become a team and a family. This movie was very inspirational for me because it was a great example of how all different kinds of people can come together and become something great. It also was a good example of how sports can be so beneficial in a young athlete’s life. In one part of the movie, Cruz, one of the players that quit the team was involved in a shooting and watched his cousin get killed. This showed Cruz that if he didn’t change his ways, he would end up like his cousin. This part of the movie made me grateful for all that I have and lucky to have grown up in such a safe environment. Not to mention, it opened my eyes to the fact that shootings and tragedies actually take place like this and that I should be thankful for how lucky I am.

Blog 3 Remember the Titans

One of my favorite movies of all time is Remember the Titans. This movie is about a high school football team in Virginia that integrates with an all-black high school. This movie takes place when segregation was coming to an end and schools started combining. This movie shows the struggles of how difficult life was back then when everything was segregated. It shows what these young men had to overcome in order to be a team. Most of the players on this team came from families in which were very prejudice and had strong feelings of hatred against the other race. These men were able to bond together despite what others thought and became a team and a family. This movie was very inspirational for me because it taught me how to be a good teammate and how important football can be to a young man and a community. Also, in one part of the movie, an All-American linebacker is paralyzed and never gets to walk again. With the team gathering around him, he was able to move on with his life and stay positive about what he had to live with. This made me realize that sometimes life isn’t always fair and to never take things for granted. I thought that this was a great moving and was very inspirational.

Blog 3 interview

In my interview with Caitlin Whelchel, I was able to learn a little bit more about her. The first question I asked her was how she liked high school. She responded by saying that high school was pretty cool but she is scared about fast it is going by and how it is almost over. I can relate with her on this because I am in shock that at this time next year, I will be done with high school and in college. The next question I asked her was if she was involved in any extracurricular activities. She said that she was planning on being a part of the high school play this year as long as her schedule allowed it. After that, I asked her what her plans were after high school was over. She wasn’t quite sure yet because it depended on whether or not she decided on going to Colorado for college or staying in New York for college. Following this, I proceeded to ask her what she planned on doing for the rest of her life involving the work field. She hopes to find a job as being a director or a cook one day. The last question I asked her was what sorts of activities she enjoyed. She said that she enjoys singing and making art work and that her favorite types of music were alternative and screamo. I really enjoyed the opportunity to interview Caitlin and enjoyed learning more about her.