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My best characteristics are, by far, my intelligence and my wit. I am quite the opposite of my mom. I actually get these characteristics, and most other things, from my dad. I am very good at recalling useless information. I can also take any situation and add humor to it. I like to think my humor is tasteful. I know when to use it, and when not to use it. My mom takes advantage of my smarts a lot. She, being a college student, is always asking me questions about her work. Mind you, she carries a 4.0. Actually, I’m holding a 4.0. There was one time I recall her asking me how to spell “college”. I replied, “Ask your teacher. Aren’t you in preschool yet?”

This past weekend, I hung out with a couple of friends whom I have not seen since our high school graduation. We ended up watching both the Hangover, and the Hangover 2. Despite the fact that we are almost adults, we built a fort with the couch, some chairs, and a bunch of blankets. We made the most amazing brownies before we headed off to the mall. Again, being the childish adults that we are, we played hide and seek throughout the entire mall. It was a blast. After the mall, we went back to my house and watched some old cartoons in the fort. A couple people stayed the night, while others had to go. In the morning, we all went to a diner down the road and had breakfast. By the time noon rolled around, everybody had gone. Some went back to college, others went back home with their family. It was by far the best weekend I have had in a long time.

If there were one thing I could change about the world, it would be to make it less judgmental by getting rid of stereotypes. There are so many other issues that could be worked out if we start seeing people for who they are, instead of seeing them how the rest of society sees them. “Black people are a drain on our economy because they don’t work, and they go on welfare just because,” “People from Mexico are here illegally and are stealing all of our jobs,” “The gay people cause AIDS, and they will be a negative influence on our children,” and “He’s Irish, so he must be an alcoholic,” are just some of the stereotypes around. There are so many more and they’re terrible. People automatically hate certain people just because of their race, sexual orientation, nationality, among other things. I’m not necessarily proposing world peace. People have the right to dislike others, but not just because society tells them they should.

My favorite type of music is definitely Rock. There are so many different types of Rock, like Classic Rock, Punk Rock, Alternative, Indie, Power Pop, and so much more. My favorite type of rock is Punk, followed by Alternative, and then followed by Classic Rock. Since I was a baby, my dad had me listening to “the Good Stuff,” and I’m still listening to it. The songs may get old, but the message never will. A few of my favorite bands are Metallica, Shinedown, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, 30 Seconds to Mars, Blink 182, and Underoath. Mind you, those are just some of the bands I listen to. I also like other music genres, but nothing can compare to good ol’ Rock. I like listening to Techno (which is totally different from Dubstep), Pop, some Jazz, and even Rap. The one genre of music I don’t particularly like is Country. While there are a few songs I have been known to listen to, most of it doesn’t interest me. The overall sound of Country music seems to annoy me. The words are alright, but the music itself doesn’t appeal to me. It doesn’t speak to me in the way Rock does.

I have never traveled too far from home. I have only ever been out of state once. I went to Scranton, PA with my friend. There was no reason behind it going. It was all just for fun. That wasn’t the farthest I’ve been, though. The farthest I’ve been away from home was almost 200 miles when I went to Niagara Falls. I went with my mom, her boyfriend, and my little cousin. We go on vacation every summer, and since my mom has an unhealthy fascination with waterfalls, we decided to visit Niagara Falls. It was the best camping trip, ever. We got to see the falls, of course, but we did so much more on top of it. We went on the boat that brought us almost under the falls. Of course, I couldn’t see much. There were a lot of people in my way, and go figure, they were all giants. We also went to a marine zoo, which was pretty cool. The most memorable thing we did, however, was watch the fireworks over the falls. It was beautiful.

If I was to get a $1000 shopping spree, it would only be logical to spend it all at Best Buy. I definitely classify myself as a nerd, so I would go straight for the electronics. For the past month or so, I have been wanting to get some sort of e-book reader. If I had the money, I would get a Nook Simple Touch. Either an iPad or a Playstation 3 would probably be somewhere in the mix. Since my cell phone is through Virgin Mobile, I would spend the rest of the money, that is, if there’s any left, by putting airtime on my cell phone.

This past weekend was a sad one. I had to say goodbye to my girlfriend as she was leaving to go study abroad. It was a very emotional time as we will have to go for several months without seeing each other. However, that was the end of the weekend. The days previous, were much more lighthearted. My girlfriend and I went to the zoo, even though it was cold out. It was worth it, as there weren’t nearly as many people there as in the summertime which was nice. All in all, it was a pretty good weekend. I wouldn’t trade it.

If I could change one thing about the world, I would change the length of a week. As a culture, Americans are incredibly stressed out. We’re constantly working, often more than 40 hours a week at jobs that most of us don’t even enjoy doing. People who are overworked are under a lot of stress, and they take that stress out on the people around them. I am convinced that if people had a longer weekend, people would be a lot happier. That is more time to do the things to actually enjoy. More time to spend with the people you love. Fewer poorly thought out, rushed decisions.

My favorite music is classical music. That isn’t to say that I don’t like more modern rock and some rap. I do like all those too, but I always come back to classical music. I find it peaceful, exciting, and exceedingly complex. The ways that different tones from oboes and violins and trumpets meld together into this beautiful tapestry of sound is amazing. I am really amazed at the talent involved in the creation of beautiful symphonies. My least favorite kind of music is Electronic music. It’s possible that I just don’t understand it well enough, but I find it to be far too repetitive to be enjoyable.

The farthest from home that I have ever traveled was to Germany. I am from Pennsylvania, USA so central Europe was quite a trip. I went because I love German culture, German food, and the German language. It was excited to be able to practice my abilities as a German speaker, while taking in all the breathtaking architecture and sights. Many of the buildings in cities like Berlin or Munich are older than the United States itself, so it is really neat to be able to stand inside of them and appreciate the intricate details in their design.