Sound and Fury

                        This documentary really proved to be a topic of discussion. While I understood both sides of the argument as to whether the implants help, I ultimately agreed with the parents that gave their child the implant. The grandpa of Peter and Chris persuaded me the most of anyone. When talking to his son (Peter), he made the point that deafness, by its nature, is a fault in a bodily function. Humans are meant to hear. If the opportunity to fix this presents itself, why not take the opportunity? Peter argues that this will destroy the chance to know deaf culture. Peter does have a point here, because if the kid is fully immersed in the verbal world, chances are that his developing mind will become used to the outer world.
                      The theory does survive though that the child could get the best of both worlds. Nita brought this idea up when she talked to the other families. She said she wanted her child to be able to experience the deaf world and the verbal world. Nita became scared when one of the families told her that after an implant, children are discouraged from using sign language. Nita did not want her daughter to stop using sign language and "forget" the culture. A respectable point, but it neglects to ponder the full range of possibilities Heather may encounter. With hearing, the world has no limits because the majority of the world can hear. Her own father even mentions that, although he has a great job, he is limited to the heights that he can reach. The trade off remains here. Does he want to make the possibilities endless for his child? Or does he want to "preserve" the deaf culture?
                     With the implant available to everyone, the number of deaf people in the future appears less than ever. The culture may dwindle, but is this a negative, or a blessing? The fact we can reverse a handicap seems in and of itself, a miracle. Almost everyone would agree. Peter and his wife round out the opposition. Peter feels his the culture he has had his entire life may be in danger from the cochlear implant. When a situation is all a person has known his/her whole life, it can be extremely difficult to let go of the situation. There is great reward in a change of situation for his daughter though. She will experience all the opportunities the world has to offer. The trade-off appears to be similar to this. Would her father rather attempt to save a dwindling culture, or allow his daughter all the opportunities the world has to offer?

Irrational Fear

Fear of Spiders

Chad Herbst

Nowhere else in the world would I want to be. I have the covers just the way I want them on my bed, and the rain dancing on the house creates an even more comfortable situation. Then, suddenly, I feel something crawling on my leg. Without even considering destructing my comfortability, I hurdle out of my bed like an olympic athlete. I fire my blankets across the room onto my brother’s bed, hoping selfishly that the spider finds his bed a more suitable home. Arachnophobia at its finest folks. The spider surely meant no harm, and even if it did, a creature the size of a dime would presumably struggle to adequately harm me. Nevertheless, the fact that I could not locate the eight-legged menace meant a migration to another room for my slumber. No chances can be taken when a spider is on the loose. Now if the the arachnid had claimed the ceiling, that would be ok, because one can always keep tabs on a spider up above. But the second the creature ventures in heat’s opposite direction, that is where the line must be drawn. Then there’s always the unfortunate situation where one individual may be summoned by another to eliminate the spider on the ceiling. Such a precise task this is. Stab too fast with the paper towel, and the spider is knocked from the ceiling to the camouflaged floor below. Attack the creature too slow, and it crawls from the paper towel to freedom for another minute. A sport in its own right: Arach-Attack. Whether the sport catches on or not, people in shoes my size only hope that the ones who do play can maybe put a dent in the spider population.

Ad Analysis

The ad from 1976 that I read was in support of Jimmy Carter. He ended up winning this election accumulating over 50% of the popular vote and 297 electoral votes. The message the ad portrayed was that Carter is an honest man who will bring "change" and be more "open" with the people. This is essentially the story that Carter gets across. The past shenanigans of Richard Nixon have lost the people's trust, so the "story" that the ad is that Carter is not like Nixon. The ethos based argument used in this ad has a lot to do with decorum. The people felt after Nixon resigned, that they needed someone in office who they could truly trust. In other words, they needed someone to fit into this role, or to fill this decorum. This ad emphasizes just this. By portraying Carter the they do, the ad makers allow Carter to have the right decorum to fit the job of president. Aside from decorum, the ad also slightly deals with logos. The ad talks up Carter several times on character traits that Nixon proved he did not have. By emphasizing these traits in Carter, it would not make sense why an individual would not want to elect him. Although a stretch, logos does play its cards here. The simplicity of the ad struck me as interesting. Generally, a simple ad needs not ten seconds to wrap up. This ad proved extremely simple the entire time, but it lasted over thirty seconds. That was the only other component that stuck out to me.
The ad about Obama was in support of his doings in the past. It was a response to a Republican ad that must have bashed him. The response must have been sufficient because Obama came out on top that year in the election. The message Obama wishes to get across in the ad is that what the Republicans said is not true. He says in the video that the Republicans took his comments on small businesses "out of context." Obama claims he completely backs these people because of their "sacrifice." Ethos is a big part of Mr. Obama's argument as well. Part of the book's definition of ethos is the "ability to look trustworthy." Obama surely wants to abide by this idea. By setting things straight in this ad, he informs people of the truth while gaining trust. There is a quote in the TYFA book that complements this idea well when it reads, "While logos sweats over its GPA, ethos gets elected class president." In Obama's case, he gets elected the actual president. Other than ethos, I believe the ad exercises logos also. Logos states, "the best resources come from your opponent's mouth." Obama is obviously attacked earlier with his words on small business, but he turns around his opponents words to make it seem as if he had the right idea the whole time. This ad differs greatly from the past one, because the times have changed and campaigning is a whole new animal.

"Blurred Lines" Response

This was an entertaining subject to read about. Everyone knows the song "Blurred Lines", so it allows for a seemingly universal medium to debate through. Both articles brought forth worthy arguments that made it tough on the reader to choose a side. I was slightly swayed prior to the articles, and I have stayed put in terms of how I feel about the song. While "Blurred Lines" may be rather inappropriate in terms of its content, I do believe the song is relatively harmless, and not as evil as some subjects make it out to be.
The article by Jennifer Lai discussed whether the summer tune was a "rape anthem." Lai disagreed with this statement for several reasons, but possibly the best reason can be found in the words that escape Pharrell's mouth. Lai references how Pharrell sings in the background constantly, "I know you want it." No surprise, critics hear this and immediately get the wrong idea. Lai does make a valid point about this statement. She states,"Yes, "I know you want it" could be said by a rapist—but so could “Do you want to go to a movie tonight?”" This was an idea I had not really considered until after Lai mentioned it. Lai also compared this song to other R&B works in today's music industry. While the lyrics of the song are seriously questionable, they seem harmless in comparison to some of today's lyrics. Lai feels similar, and she explains this when she states, "I've listened to the song a few hundred times (yeah, I like it, and I don't find it any more offensive than other R&B songs), and I really can't imagine it depicting anything more than a flirtatious scenario in which a cocky guy (we all know the type) teases a girl who's flirting back (she's hugging him and grabbing at him)." A song like this makes me realize the inconsistency of critics these days. Maybe because "Blurred Lines" was so popular, but many other offensive and inappropriate songs stand in the top fifty also. From time to time, you may hear a critic rip on some new popular song about its content, but it appears "Blurred Lines" has been the ultimate magnet in attracting critics. Tricia Romano does a fine job revealing some obvious reasons why many show opposition to the number one song of this past summer. Romano states early on about the obvious problems, "Not surprisingly the combination of the lyrics and the video’s nudity has irked some female music fans." I entirely agree with this statement. The nature of the song is bound not to work in accordance with everyone's morals. Romano brings this basis of opposition to light various times in her article. She implements a direct quote from Robin Thicke that works in her favor immensely. The quote reads, "“We pretty much wanted to take all the taboos of what you’re not supposed to do—bestiality, you know, injecting a girl in her bum with a five-foot syringe—I just wanted to break every rule of things you’re not supposed to do and make people realize how silly some of these rules are.”" After a quote like this, the author has to do little to persuade at all. The logic just does not appear to be there in Thicke's quote. No rhyme or reason really resounds for the events in which he mentions. While these events might "break every rule", they are surely not as bad as other works and lyrics as Lai mentioned earlier. Both authors bring up great points about the subject, but the turning point for me was the quote by XOJane's Grace Rasumus. The statement by this subject reads, "these lyrics seem more like temptation after a lame relationship as opposed to impending sexual assault." This quote sums up how I feel about this topic of debate. While some see the song as a sexual misdemeanor, it seems more of a parody, or "lame relationship" than anything.

"Alaska" by James A. Michener

Alaska lives on as a land that few Americans get a chance to experience. So vast and beautiful it is, but so remote at the same time. A land whose history has changed the whole world, Alaska's mystic history reveals itself in the book "Alaska" by James A. Michener. The book is broken up into a collection of stories that collectively amount to well over 900 pages of pure history. The first story is the most historically accurate, and the one that I read. Trofim Zhdanko, the main character, is a convict in Russia during the early 1700's. Zhdanko faces a death sentence, but is confronted by Peter the Great the night before his execution. Peter the Great and Zhdanko have a friendly history, and they work out a deal before the night ends. The agreement involves Zhdanko, among others, traveling the unknown lands of Alaska. The man in charge of the expedition, Vitus Bering, and Trofim Zhdanko lead the adventure through Alaska, which involves various discoveries and factual events. The true nature of the story just leads an expanded excitement for what comes next.

This book would surely appeal to anyone who enjoys adventure. Michener takes these factual characters and events and essentially retells what history has already told us. The catch here is that Michener adds his story telling ways to the text. This skill allows the reader to get lost in the text without even knowing they are essentially reading the equivalent of a terrific history text book. I now know so much more not only about Alaska's history, but Russia's as well. It was a terrific read that captivated me from the moment I caught sight of the first word.

I wouldn't generally grab a book off the shelf that was purely about history, but I now realize that it might not be a terrible idea. The historical aspect allowed me to be more informed about history while thoroughly enjoying the text. In the end "Alaska" by James A. Michener proved to be a special piece of literature that not only brought to light the past, but the joy a good read can give.

"In Darwin's Footsteps" Blog

"In Darwin's Footsteps" by Jonathan Weiner fooled me in terms of its content. Weiner makes a case for the work of the Grants (Peter and Rosemary). The essay follows a chronological order that makes the reader realize the true significance of the Grants. The Grants were able to make their groundbreaking discoveries because of two variables-- the island and Big Bird.
Daphne Major served as the island that would propel the Grants to their finest discoveries. The island was different from the Galapogas Islands, where Darwin did his research, in several ways. The Galapogas Islands were many and vast. Daphne Major was as Weiner puts it best, "big enough to support many hundreds of finches, but small enough that the Grants and their students and assistants could band and recognize and measure almost every bird." This aspect was key in their many discoveries, as their time was also much more extended from Darwin's. Darwin spent only five weeks in the Galapogas Islands, enough time for plenty of discoveries, but not a lifetime's worth. The Grant's have been in close contact with the Daphne Major since 1973. Time was also on their side, which proved to be pivotal because of the true power of evolution. Darwin was the first to bring forth many of these ideas of evolution and survival of the fittest, but he failed to entirely recognize the power of evolution. This is where the Grants surfaced on their island as real physical changes occurred over the generations of birds. The Grants were able to refine these ideas when a single hybrid finch arrived on the island, Big Bird as they called him.
This bird had several physical advantages over the average finches on the island. The author sums up his superiority best when he states, " Big Bird became a patriarch. He lived 13 years, a long time for one of Darwin's finches. His children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren all sang his song, and they were clannish." The population flourished over the years as the new birds became acclimated to Daphne Major. The Grants were present this whole time on this little island that allowed tremendous research to be done. The author states about the Grant's success, "The Grants have won just about every award in their field, including the prestigious 2009 Kyoto Prize in Basic Science." Weiner adds a snippet in the article after this that shows their is no category for evolution for the Nobel Prize. This tugs at the assumption that Weiner believes they would have won this award as well.
The case for the Grant's work surely presents itself greatly, even in comparison to the work of Darwin. The island and Big Bird proved to be two components that led the Grants to a world of international recognition. Darwin has universal recognition, but the work of the Grants may well be on its way to that very same title.

Hitler and Putin: A Tale of Two Authoritarians

This essay covered various topics, led primarily by the comparison of Hitler to Putin and the status of democracy. The author juggles the two topics creating an act that coherently works to prove the author's opinion. The piece of writing does a superb job dispersing the information throughout the essay allowing the facts to run parallel with the ideas at the points in the essay.
Not many people would make the comparison of Hitler and Putin because people feel we are well removed from the time period in which Nazis made a run at world at world dominance. The author of this article thinks otherwise as he presents several instances in which Hitler and Putin are similar. The author states about how both came of diminished societies and imposed their will, "The real lesson is that dictatorships, especially fascist dictatorships built on the ruins of collapsed empires, are prone to do bad things, such as engage in imperialistic ways." The author is not completely blind in his remarks, as he is correct in saying that both have emerged as rulers after "the ruins of collapsed empires." The "imperialistic ways" part also begs for attention as recent actions of Russia would prove this author correct. Taking the Crimea and attempting to snatch part of Ukraine both ring alarms of imperialism. The author also connects the two when writing both the rulers "constructed regimes that may justifiably be called fascist." Hitler had his whole government on board the regime. Although Putin may not have his whole government on board, he has his knock off of the KGB that allows  him essentially total control. These two men shared various qualities, and their distaste for democracy surely was one of them.
The author focused the second half of the essay on the democracy, and the distinct advantages democracies have. The ability to evade war arises as one of the primary advantages that democracies offer. The author compares this to a dictatorship by saying, "Dictators are more prone to war precisely because they can manipulate public opinion and ruthlessly pursue whatever warped visions they have without much resistance from institutions and elites." The author favors obviously favors democracy, but does not praise it as some may. This apparent because of the famous quote from Winston Churchill that he uses. Churchill stated, "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others." A truly genius quote it is, because it captures the true superiority of democracy without calling it the perfect society.
When the essay was all finished, the juggling act would prove to be a success. The comparison of Hitler and Putin, and the status of democracy would both help the writer's opinion form a greater hold of the reader's mind.

"If Men Could Menstruate" Blog

"If Men Could Menstruate" by Gloria Steinem took a radical approach in this article that centered how society is apparently catered to men. Steinem obviously feels strongly that even in today's age, men still have the upper hand in society. She brings up several examples by comparing what the world would be like if men menstruated. Some of these examples are plausible, while others are over the top.
Early on in the article after the introductory paragraphs, Steinem writes about men menstruating, "Men would brag about how long and how much." No doubt presides that some men would, just as some women may brag about special features in their lives, but to throw every man in this category would be prejudiced. Steinem may have been better off incorporating the word "some" before "Men" to dodge an obvious prejudice idea. After Steinem throws this idea out there, she proceeds to let her mind run free with possibilities that might occur. This is reasonable to let the imagination go to work, but Steinem includes a whole page of these self-thought-of scenarios. There comes a point where the reader has to question the rationale for this abundance of information. It essentially transforms from an informational utopia to an attack on men, and how the world is not just for women. Steinem does not come out and directly say, "The world is unfair for women", but she uses her examples to steadily attempt to prove that the world is unfair for women because of men. A fine example of this idea arises when Steinem writes, "Medical schools would limit women's entry ("they might faint at the sight of blood")." This is simply a preconceived idea that Steinem holds in her mind assuming the worst in men, and failing to recognize that a truly genuine man may hold a higher up job at the Medical school. Unfortunately, according to Steinem, this man would be a pain even if he was the most sincere man ever, because she states later on, "For instance, here's an idea for theorists and logicians: if women are supposed to be less rational and more emotional at the beginning of our menstrual cycle when the female hormone is at its lowest level, then why isn't it logical to say that, in those few days, women behave the most like the way men behave all month long?" Let's leave further improvisation up
to the reader, but Steinem wrote this, so it can be assumed she means it.
Steinem's article encompasses much that may appeal to women, and not to men, but who's to decide right and wrong? No one person deserves this power for it is His power.

"The Great Lawsuit" Blog

"The Great Lawsuit" by Margaret Fuller proved to be an intriguing piece, even in today's age. The main ideas that presided in the text were bold exclamations for the times. Fuller fought on behalf of women, that they be treated as equals to men. She did not come right out and exclaim this, but she rather constructed this idea with an array of well-crafted paragraphs that worked together to produce the final product-- a profound argument for women's rights. Countless instances distanced themselves from others as greater argumentative tools in the text.
The end of the first paragraph brings forth an interesting scenario when the writing reads, "But if woman be,
indeed, the weaker party, she ought to have legal protection, which would make such oppression impossible." This is an extremely valid idea when the topic is logically approached. Men tend to attain stronger physiques than women may, but this doesn't mean that the two can't have tools that even the playing field. Those "tools" in this instance would be the legal protection that Fuller speaks of in the text. This appears necessary because oppression could easily be forced upon women if they haven't any defense at their expense. Fuller creates a plausible idea with this use of words, but she slyly brings forth a call to action in the second paragraph. This is so when confronting the last sentence in the paragraph that states, "Knowing this, can we wonder that many reformers think that measures are not likely to be taken in behalf of women, unless their wishes could be publicly represented by women!" Before this statement Fuller explains the relationship most men have with women in their lives. She concludes that the only way real change will accumulate is if determined women lead the movement. This arises as a pivotal point the writing because it serves as starting point for a process that Fuller hopes will arrive sooner than later. Fuller's call to action here surely inspired women similar to her with a drive for change, but not the men of the world and legislators. This is apparent from the last line in the third to last paragraph that reads, " The lover, the poet, the artist, are likely to view her nobly. The father and the philosopher have some chance of liberality; the man of the
world, the legislator for expediency, none." An interesting light to put society under, but it does serve its purpose in terms of making Fuller look like the "good guy." In America today and presumably back then, there is a widespread distaste for legislators and many of those attached to the category of men of the world. By making it clear that these are the people who oppose equality, she creates a sense that the "bad guys" are those stalling equality. Fuller uses several techniques in her writing here, but by shining the light differently on this topic, an alternative view is readily created in an easily likable sense.
Fuller approaches this delicate topic exceedingly well considering the circumstances of her time. She describes and explains her views rather than attacking the customs immediately. This is what makes this piece of literature so moving and relative in time that admitted a great divide among sexes.

"Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

The internet plays such a pivotal role in everyday life that it can sometimes be forgotten that negative ramifications do come about after extensive use. "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" by Nicholas Carr attacks this idea by pointing out the potential negatives, but also the potential and proven positives. This unique idea for a paper is complemented extremely well by the "back and forth" approach taken to see if the internet does more good than bad. Carr does not reveal his ultimate personal beliefs on the topic, but he merely sounds his "skepticism" for the effects of the large database, that is Google.
The potential negatives arose as heavy point of interest for the paper because negatives can often times appear nonexistent when using a database that obeys one's every command. There presents several instances in the paper where the potential negatives are sold well. The first is in the context of how searching for information has made us expect the information to be immediate and easy to find. The text from this section reads, "Once I was a Scuba Diver in a sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski." This analogy effectively breaks down this idea allowing people to easily grasp the writer's idea. The idea also makes sense, because the information now that we want emerges much easier than it may have in the past. Similar to this idea, the writer proceeds later on to explain how reading long pieces of text has become increasingly hard. A fine pinnacle of this concept occurs in the paper when quoting Bruce Friedman, who blogs often about the medical aspect of internet use, who states, "I now have almost totally lost the ability to read and absorb a longish article on the web or in print." Friedman then carries on by proclaiming, "I can't read War and Peace anymore." This materializes as one example only, but Carr claims at the end of the paragraph that a multitude of his colleagues have faced similar challenges. While these two examples effectively translate the possible negative effects of extensive web use, Carr counters with positive conclusions that also come about as a result of internet use.
The positives that follow can presumably help in not only keeping you on the fence about the topic, but also ensuring that Carr himself is seen as someone who is on the fence. The most effective attention grabbing concept that stuck out surfaces when the writer states, " ... we may well be reading more than we did in the 1970s or 1980s, when television was our medium of choice." This very conclusion must be beneficial to our minds in some way. Although it may be beneficial, Carr clarifies that the style in which we read now is different than in the past. This in turn generates a different style of thinking that we encounter. The style might not arise as the ideal standard of reading that experts agree, but it nevertheless disproves the fact that we do read more today than in the past. Another encouraging objective surfaces when the author writes about Google. The positive that is to come of this is the seemingly positive intentions that the company has. When quoting the company, Carr writes, " The company has declared its mission is to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." The intentions of this ideal seem the have a whole heart approach. Now granted, many variables could go wrong in this doing, but the initial idea appears one that can be acceptable to most.

"The Ethics Of Living Jim Crow" by Richard Wright

"The Ethics of Living Jim Crow" by Richard Wright shows the point of view from an African-American's standpoint very well. Often times when revisiting the mistreatment of African-Americans in the past, the task is handled by a "neutral" party. This idea is satisfactory, but it fails to exhibit the emotional components that can tag along to the subject. This autobiographical sketch exemplifies the emotional attachments that are forgotten regularly when recollecting the past. The part where the woman is brutally beaten by the men who insist their bills arises as a scene that could be rather difficult to deal with. The writing reads, "After a few

minutes, I heard shrill screams coming from the rear of the store. Later the woman stumbled out, bleeding, crying, and holding her stomach." Wright knows he can do nothing about the incident without risking his own life. Although a brutal beating as this should entail consequences upon the beaters, Wright is left with no decision but to hold his emotions inside.
On the contrary to this emotionally evident scene, another event occurs in his life that perspires no emotion emphasizing the "neutral" ground well. This includes the event where he bikes to deliver his packages in a white neighborhood at night. The text reads, ""Get down and put up your hands!" the policemen ordered. I did. They climbed out of the car, guns drawn, faces set, and advanced slowly. "Keep still!" they ordered." In many writings the narrator surely would explain his or her feelings on the situation from their personal standpoint. This writing does not in this particular instance incorporate an emotional component to deepen the reader's intelligence of the scenario. However, it's highly suspect that Richard Wright intended this style of writing for this piece. The reason for this conjecture appears because of the informative style of the writing. Persuasion is absent for the most part, which further makes a case for the informative matter in the piece.
This informative component stands visible to any reader who encounters this writing. It's what makes this recollection of events in words so moving. Wright never retaliates, in his mind, or physically. The reader understandably feels bad for Wright because of this style, and this is why the style works 

"Talk of the Town" Blog

I found "Talk of the Town" to be an extremely intriguing piece of literature. Fitting would be the perfect word for describing the topic in context to the due date. A day where we remember our independence  and praise our country may have felt a little less patriotic after reading the two articles. The two approaches from the two varying authors appeared appropriate because the first article by John Updike served as a precursor to a topic that would be further broken down in the second article by Susan Sontag.
The article by Updike took a story telling approach to explaining the tragedy. His own experiences were put forth to inform the reader of his personal experiences and feelings. This idea exercises steadily in the line where the text reads, "We knew we had just witnessed thousands of deaths; we clung to each
other as if we ourselves were falling." Updike does a polished job of explaining the events without being subjective. He appears to flirt with being subjective later in the reading, but only brings up a neutral idea which states, " American freedom of motion, one of our prides, has taken a hit. Can we afford the
openness that lets future kamikaze pilots, say, enroll in Florida flying schools?" The article works as more of an informative article than a persuasive piece, but it gives way to another article that embodies the word subjective majestically.
Sontag's article surely differs from Updike's. The personal beliefs of Sontag on the topic shine brightly. The first paragraph boldly displays some truths about the event and the reaction of the U.S officials. Sontag disagrees with how the officials go about mending the situation. Sontag goes as far to say, "... whatever may be said of the perpetrators of Tuesday's slaughter, they were not cowards." Sontag's statement may hold some truth, but to proclaim this shortly after the happening is to transform grievances into angry people pointing their fingers at Sontag. It can appear that Sontag only wanted to rock the boat, but a statement later clears the air on why Sontag would proclaim these beliefs in such an unstable environment. The section of the article reads, "Let's by all means grieve together. But let's not be stupid together. A few shreds of historical awareness might help us understand what has just happened, and what may continue to happen." In essence this recollection of the articles attempts to ease the reader's tension and explain the entire intent of the article; an article that showed the second side of the situation, an idea America still has to improve upon.

Introduction Post

                Hey, I'm Chad Herbst. How's it going fellow AP Composition students? I'd imagine your summer was going pretty well, and then you received the unfortunate email from Mr. Kunkle informing you that there was summer work to be done. I'm no genius with vocabulary, but I'd assume we can all deem the usage of unfortunate in the last sentence as acceptable. Three other areas I find exceedingly acceptable in my life would rank accordingly: family, vacations, and sports.
               Spending time with my family proves never to be a waste of time. Whether that time spent be with my brother (Nick), my parents, cousins, aunts and uncles, or grandparents, a dull moment rarely arises in these instances. Much of this reason derives from the sheer competition that runs throughout the Herbst family. From cribbage against my grandma, to basketball against my dad, you can bet intense defines the situation justly. While I embrace the competitive nature of my family, I also look forward to simply hanging out with my family. Catching up with extended family is never something that is done in one sitting, but rather on a weekend spent, let's say, at grandpa and grandma's house. These weekends definitely prove time and time again to be extremely enjoyable. Enjoyable can also describe how I feel about vacations.
              I've always loved traveling, especially to tropical areas that encompass beaches. I've been to beaches on the Pacific, Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexico, and I've loved every one of them. One of the most intriguing aspects that the oceans present are the towering waves that crash into the shore. These waves can provide for a plethora of entertainment in the form of body-surfing, boogey boarding, and actual surfing. Because I rarely get to partake in these activities, it makes them all the more fascinating for me when I venture to the beach. Although not all of my vacations are to the beach, I tend to favor the travels there more so than other destinations. When I cannot be at the beach on vacation, I spend the bulk of my time dealing with sports.
             Football, basketball, and baseball surface during the school year as the sports I participate in through the school. I love to play these sports because they keep me active and allow me to spend time with my friends while we work toward a common goal. If it were up to me, I would probably play all the sports that we have the resources for, but I just don't have the time. This doesn't stop me from playing tennis and golf for fun in the summers and participating in all the water sports you could name. Skiing and snowboarding in the winter prove to also be extremely entertaining. Sports heavily intrigue me, and always will, because they act as a nice release from everyday life, and they keep you moving and exercising.
            Thanks for tuning in to this look into the life of Chad Herbst! I hope you know a little more about me than you did when you started reading!