Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne?

The unstated answer of this opening question is no. Auld (old) acquaintances should never be forgotten and should be brought to mind. Auld acquaintances should never be forgotten nor days of auld lang syne. 

As we enter the calendar year that marks my high school graduation (Class of 2022), I have certainly spent a good share of time asking myself this question. No doubt as I part ways from my friends and classmates (some that I have known since second grade), I will be unable to keep in close contact with all of them. Some of them will become just memories, but let them ne'er fade away further lest auld acquaintance be forgot. Let me remember to bring them to mind as each year draws to a close.

This Scottish folk song that is so widely sung is a call to remember. If we sing it, let us follow the lyrical instructions and remember the auld for auld lang syne. "Auld lang syne" literally translates to "old long since," but is more commonly just used to mean "old time's sake."

For auld lang syne, my dear; for auld lang syne, we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet for days of auld lang syne.

Let us all gather with old friends, new friends, family, and loved ones to fondly remember for auld lang syne. Let us disregard our foul memories and actively choose to recall the good--to raise a glass to the triumphs, successes, and to cherish our old and new blessings. 

Happy New Year, everyone.

Generosity: An Encomium Speech

Christmastime is here! It is once again time to gather with our family, celebrate time together, and remember the birth of our Savior. Christmas is also a time of gift giving, a time of gratitude, and a time of great generosity. In my rhetoric class we were assigned to write a praise speech (aka an encomium) on someone who demonstrates great virtue. I chose to highlight the Giving Tree's generosity. As the 25th rapidly approaches, I would like to highlight her generosity again, not merely in what she gave, but her willingness to give anything. As we gather with our families this year, let us be willing to give our time, our love, and yes, maybe a few gifts too. Here is my encomium of the Giving Tree:

    “Once there was a tree and she loved a little boy.” So begins Shel Silverstein’s children’s book entitled The Giving Tree. This story, although illustrated in simple pen drawings, written in large text, and spanning only 52 pages, is hardly for children’s eyes alone. The Giving Tree—the tree herself—though merely a literary device and a plant, is the true example of human virtue. Her generosity exceeds her selfishness, her love eliminates her hate, and her simplicity eradicates her pretentiousness. 

    When the boy first returned to the tree after his youth, he needed money. The Giving Tree gave him apples to sell. Still the tree was happy, for she had thought she made the boy happy. She showed the boy her love and that he could return to her when he needed help. But, generosity can be a dangerous path to walk down.

    When the boy returned to the tree a second time, he needed a house. The Giving Tree gave him branches to build one. Still the tree was happy, for she thought the house would make the boy happy. She gave of her very own branches knowing that she could still simply survive without them and the boy’s need would be fulfilled. Generosity takes from the giver.

    After quite some time, when the boy returned to the tree, he needed to sail far away. The Giving Tree gave him her tree trunk for a boat. Still, the tree was happy… but not really. Her true sacrificial love for the boy was shown through her final generosity. Here she gave away the last thing she could to the boy she had missed so dearly. By giving him a boat, she ensured that she would most likely never see him again. In this way, generosity is a risk.

    The boy returned a fourth and final time. He had nothing to offer and only needed a place to sit. The Giving Tree offered the only thing she had left: a stump to sit and rest. The boy’s final needs were fulfilled and The Giving Tree’s dearest friend now sat with her once more and she also was truly happy. 

    Generosity is a dangerous path to take. Generosity takes from the giver. Generosity is a risk. The Giving Tree showed love in the face of the boy’s hateful abandonment. She showed simplicity in the face of the boy’s pretentious needs. She showed generosity even when it meant that the selfish boy she loved might never return. 

    The Giving Tree’s generosity is more human than our own cracked version of it. Fate smiled upon her perfect generosity and gave her back the boy’s company. Generosity may be dangerous and a risk, but love like that is never overlooked. The Giving Tree was rewarded as well she should be. 

Check out my YouTube Channel! My second annual installment of a BASS-ic Christmas will be available tomorrow (12/24) in my BASS-ic Christmas playlist! 

November's Here, Not Christmas Cheer

Every year, on November 4th at 7:30pm, Christmas music begins playing on 99.9 KEZ. The voice of Andy Williams reverberates through the homes and hearts of the most devout of the holiday vigilantes. He proclaims the start of "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year."

In the year 1621, the colonists and the natives shared a meal to give thanks for the bountiful harvest brought forth by the cooperation of the two peoples. Later, in 1863, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. Since then, in many turkey-lovers' homes, a meal is shared with friends and family to give thanks for our many blessings here.

If you haven't figured it out by my not-so-subtle title, I am not in favor of Christmas music in November. It seems that Christmas just gets earlier every year and somebody needs to keep the Santa-loving, wreath-hanging cheer in check. With the advent of plastic Christmas trees, there is an eternal life span to your living room evergreen and as long as people are willing to pay the electricity bills, why bother taking the lights down? Here's my thought, the longer Christmas commercialism lasts year to year, the less special the holiday actually becomes. The longer the season lasts, the less special the one day is. The longer we draw out the sights and sounds, the less we can appreciate the emotions of being with our family in peace and love. 

Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas, and Christmas music is the peak of greatness. I can only think of one holiday where we can talk about listening to Wham!, Nat King Cole, and Ariana Grande in the same breath. Christmas music transcends genre boundaries. It makes us laugh, cry, and sing along, but at its heart, it is about one single season of the year, unless, of course, you're a musician, in which case, you must prepare for December concerts (the one exception to early Christmas music in my book). 

One of the many definitions of "season" is "a proper or suitable time" and I think America's commercial Christmas exceeds its season. It is my hope that the spirit of Christmas is more than walking into Costco on Halloween and seeing Christmas wreaths (true story). I hope that the love and care we share with one another at Christmas time doesn't stop when we empty our stockings. The peace and the joy we all feel when we make time for family has no season. That is what should be so special about Christmastime. That is what is so special about Thanksgiving as well. So, put up your tree and lights just for December and enjoy the festivities in their season, but don't limit the virtue of family on that one Thursday in November just for a little bit more of Bing Crosby.  

Check out my original Thanksgiving song entitled "Let Us Give Thanks" on my YouTube Channel! (other videos under the playlists tab)

Advertisements Want You To...

What if you did everything advertised to you in a 1 hour network television show? Well, I found out. Every Monday, give or take a few, I watch two CBS sitcoms with my mom - The Neighborhood and Bob Hearts Abishola. This Monday, I also payed attention to the commercials. 

A lot of commercials do not explicitly tell you to do something, but I kept track of the ones that did with interesting results. I broke the instructions into categories and gave some comments on what it would be like to actually follow all of the advertisement commands. 

Vague Instructions:

Discover More (Subaru) - "Can I do that without a Subaru?"

Get Ready For Our New Battery (Energizer Max) - "I am sooooo ready!!!"

Make Every Moment More (FanDuel) - "I am not 21 years of age."

Don't Worry (Reese's) - "Peanut butter cups are the least of my worries."

Be More Like Your Cat (Outstretch) - "Ummm, what?!"

Enjoy the Go with Charmin (Charmin) - "Ummm, what?!"

Personal Instructions:

Smile (Crest) - ✓

Say Thank You to the Sunshine and the Blue Skies (Dignity Health) - ✓

Choose Your Words Carefully (GAP) - "Well, I try my best..."

Call Your Doctor:

Medicine and treatment commercials ask a lot of us. Not only would I be fed up if I actually did everything the commercials told me, but my doctor would be too. Here's just a sampling of what I would have to do:

    Tell my doctor if I have new or worsening chest pain, cough, muscle aches, etc.

    Get tested for tuberculosis 

    Ask my doctor if Ibrance, Cologaurd, or Cosentyx are right for me

My doctor would be so confused...

The Most Time-Consuming Demand:

Watch every episode of The Neighborhood - approximately 1,400 minutes (around 23 hours)

Get Out Your Wallet:

Break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar - $0.88

Try Swiffer WetJet - $25.97

Come in for a soccer ball (Target) - $7.99

Check out Febreze Air Freshener - $4.99

Watch TBS - $35 (subscription for a month)

Get a dozen double-crunch shrimp with any steak (Applebee's) - $14.99 (includes steak)

Download Slotomania - $0.00

Try any of our new dips with our not new bread twists (Domino's) - $7.99

Shop now (Home Goods) - $4.99 (Cheapest item: Dog toy)

Shop our app (Fry's) - $0.15 (Cheapest item: Single jalapeno pepper)

Shop at Olay.com - $2.99 (Cheapest item: Moisturizing hand mask) 

Grand Total for the Hour: $105.94

So, in conclusion, it would have been a money wasting, time consuming, and strange time if I had done all that the commercials wished. I also wonder if companies really want you to "discover more" or to "smile" or if all they really want is for you to use their product to complete those actions. It's curious how ads work sometimes.

 I wish you all the best in making every moment more, remember to say thank you to the sunshine and the blue skies, and try not to be swayed too much by the advertisements you see. 

Simplicity - A Fable

Once upon a time there was a crocodile and a fox. The fox used his crafty speech to catch his mutton and was praised by all the animals for his wily ways. While the crocodile often caught more to eat, he was frequently overlooked. 

“Fox, why do all the animals praise you when you starve more than you eat?” the crocodile asked the fox. “I eat every day and am ignored.”

“I am an entertainer—a master trickster,” the fox responded. “I convince sheep to come to me with sweet talk and eloquent language. You just sit there with your mouth agape waiting for your meals to come to you. Although it works, it bores the onlookers.”

The crocodile was left feeling despondent but determined to hunt the way the fox does. The crocodile went to the owl who taught him grandiose language and eloquence. Then, he went to the other animals and spoke to them.

“I am a changed beast,” the crocodile said. “From now on, I will hunt as the fox does with crafty speech and superb magniloquence.”

The other animals were excited to see the crocodile in action as the fox had not caught a meal for a long while. The crocodile approached a grazing calf and all the animals watched in suspense. The fox chuckled in anticipation of the failure.

“Greetings and salutations. If it at all obliges you, I would be most chuffed if you would peregrinate thither. I promise, I mean you no anguish nor damage,” the crocodile reasoned.

The young calf did not understand the crocodile’s vocabulary, but only saw the fierce form of a predator. So, the calf immediately turned and ran. The fox, already prepared for the calf’s sudden departure, pounced on the poor animal and killed it. The crowd of animals booed his lack of craftiness.

The fox simply responded, “At least I have something to eat,” and walked away.

Sometimes, it is better to achieve simply than fail with eloquence.

Progymnasmata, of which the fable is one, are writing exercises for speech writers and are often read aloud to practice delivering speeches. This year at school, I am taking rhetoric, so in addition to learning the history of speeches, we are practicing our own as we go through these exercises. The second progymnasmata is a narrative. You can check out my narrative here on my YouTube channel!  

Bless You!

The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines "bless you" as an idiomatic phrase "said to someone who has just sneezed." I say, "Move over, Mr. Webster. That makes no sense."

We all sneeze. Most of us say "bless you" to the person who sneezes... even me. However, in recent consideration, it's kind of strange. Giving blessings to someone has sacred origins and now, any time someone spits and sprays snot into the air, we give them our sincerest blessings?! Now, I am all for doing what our culture considers polite; just read my blog about the importance of saying you're welcome. I do think it is equally important, though, to know why we are saying what we consider polite. 

The phrase "bless you" as a response to sneezing originated all the way back in the dark ages, when the plague ran rampant through Europe. As sneezing was a symptom of the plague, Pope Gregory I held the belief that blessing someone after they sneezed would protect them from further contracting the disease. Other accounts date the origins of the idiom back even further to ancient superstition. Whether it be one's own soul or an evil spirit exiting the body, pronouncing blessing was a way to protect the one who sneezed and everyone around him. No matter which origin story you think is more correct, I don't know anyone who says "bless you" with that much religious conviction.

If you look at other languages, some of their idiomatic phrases to the sneezing make a whole lot more sense. Here are a few ways other people respond to a sneeze along with their literal translations:

Gesundheit (Germany): "Health"

Salud (Chile): "Health"

Sănătate (Romania): "Good Health"

Viva (Portugal): "Live!"

Naz Drowie (Poland): "For health"

Afya (East Africa): "Health"

Obviously, there are some weirder idioms out there, similar to the ancient superstitions or based in cultural superstitions. "Health" makes sense, though. It seems like a casual "I hope you get better" if you are hoping they don't catch a cold or a "Stop sneezing on me when you might be sick" if you are addressing a person you don't know.  

All in all, its interesting to know the origins of such a common phrase and maybe to make fun of it a little bit, but such a common idiom is not likely to go away. If I said "Health!" to anyone that sneezed, I'd get a lot of funny looks and maybe a slap in the face if I kept doing it. Consider changing the normal up sometimes, though. Throw a "gesundheit" or a "salud" into the mix when someone is sneezing over and over again. It is important to be polite and give your well wishes to the nose-tickled, but still sometimes I will think about the strange ways superstition and religion still play a role in our everyday expressions. 

This week, I also published a performance video of True Colors over on my YouTube channel! It's great to be on Fall Break!

Peanut Butter

Is there such thing as "too much of a good thing?" Several people have asked this question before, and most health articles claim that, "Even nutritious food can be too much of a good thing if you eat it in too large a quantity or too often" (Chicago Tribune, 2015). But, let's say, hypothetically, you chose one food to be a component of all your meals. Hypothetically, you would just do it for one day to avoid any potential health hazards while still hypothetically seeing whether or not you were sick of that food that you hypothetically love by the end of this very hypothetical day. Well, I have done the hypothetical.

Now, I love peanut butter. First "invented" in 1895, this creamy (or crunchy) spread has become a staple in pantries and refrigerators all across the globe. I thought that it was surely a versatile enough food to withstand this day-long test. It pairs well with fruits, vegetables, chocolate, and of course, jelly, so I was sure to get my daily nutrition, all the while pairing a variety of foods with the delicious peanut spread. Let me walk you through my culinary day.

I don't often stray from a small bowl of cereal for breakfast, but I thoroughly enjoyed my toasted English muffin with peanut butter in the morning. It was this early that I made my first realization: my jaw was going to be sore from eating sticky peanut butter all day. For lunch, I made myself a classic PB&J sandwich with a side of green apples and celery, both with peanut butter. I also had a side of the peanut butter filled pretzels that you can get at Costco (they are very good). It was at lunch when I made my second realization of the day: peanut butter is very filling. I wound up not finishing half of my sandwich. For the same reason, I opted out of an afternoon snack which brought me to dinner.

There are not a lot of options to incorporate peanut butter into a normal dinner, so I had a salad from Salad and Go, but I did make sure to get the Thai Peanut Dressing to keep peanut butter in my meal. While peanut butter was still a predominant flavor, I found myself relieved to have a crunchy and flavorful salad to pair with the taste of the dressing. For dessert, I brought peanut butter back in full force with a peanut butter banana fudge milkshake with crushed Butterfingers as a garnish. That was good. My final realization of the day was that that pairing anything with ice cream covers any aversion. 

Even with such a yummy and versatile food as peanut butter is, I did think it was a little much for a single day. Because of my sore jaw, my full stomach, and my temporary aversion to peanut butter (when not with ice cream), I did steer clear from it the following few days, but ultimately, I rediscovered my liking for it on toast, sandwiches, apples, celery, and salad, and in milkshakes and pretzel nuggets... just not all in one day. 

Check out my YouTube Channel! This Tuesday, I posted the Vocal Evolution of Caleb Gottry... 

Box Canyon Chipmunks

The feud between two brothers is a story that has continually echoed throughout history: Cain vs Abel, Romulus vs Remus, King Richard vs Prince John, Thor vs Loki, Prince Harry vs Prince William, and, of course, Peyton vs Eli Manning. There is one rivalry, however, that has formed something great—greater even than the hatred between the brothers. Having seen Russell, Otis, and their canyon in person, I simply had to tell their story, "The Fable of the Box Canyon Chipmunks." 

Many thousands of years before Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo set foot on the California Coast, huge and majestic mountains filled the land around the Salton Sea. The weather was tempestuous here, so the land was largely uninhabited. The mountain foliage, however, provided a home for several scurries of chipmunks. At the base of one of the mountains was a large tree and dwelling there inside was a rather malnourished scurry of chipmunks. The winds from the Salton Sea had changed in the recent years and food was becoming scarce.

There were two brothers in the scurry, named Russell and Otis. Russell was wiser than his younger brother Otis. He foraged to feed the plenty, not only himself as Otis did. Russell was contented with little while Otis was dissatisfied even with much. It was not long until the food scarcity caused animosity between the brothers. Otis was becoming more and more frustrated with how the food was being divided among the scurry, leaving him with only a mere morsel.

One day, he approached his brother, loudly complaining about his hunger, claiming that he deserved all that he had foraged for himself. Russell, knowing his brother well, knew that he could not dissuade his brother's selfishness and decided to teach Otis a lesson. He told Otis that he could keep all that he foraged for himself, but that he would not receive his share from what the rest of the scurry foraged. Otis agreed to this deal, not believing his good luck.

The next morning, when the chipmunks gathered, Russell sent Otis to the eastern trees where he knew that he would not find food. When the chipmunks returned in the evening to divide the food and eat, Otis returned empty handed. This continued for several days and Otis's strength and resolution started to fade. On the fifth day, Russell approached his brother to tell him the truth and invite him to forage with the scurry again. When Otis heard the truth, he was far from apologetic. He flew into a rage and moved to attack his brother. Russell ran. And ran. And kept running.

As the foliage diminished on the great mountains, many of the scurries left the area around the Salton Sea. Russell, however, stayed, because he knew the land very well and could better evade his faster brother. Over several centuries the chipmunk brothers began wearing down the great mountains. Although the members of their scurry had long passed, each brother was fueled to live and to run—

Otis by his hate and Russell by his fear. Eventually, the paths that the brothers had run eroded the great mountains into a beautiful canyon. Now, we can drive through the home of the feuding chipmunks, just off the I-10 on Box Canyon Drive. And if you're lucky, you might see Russell dash across the road in front of you and you just might see his brother, Otis run across as well, forever holding the old grudge.

Check out my YouTube Channel! This Tuesday, I posted a new One Minute Cover of Layla and Why Georgia.

The Muppet Movie is a True Classic

I do not think it is a stretch of the imagination to say that most everyone knows who Kermit the Frog is. I also do not think it is a stretch of the imagination to say that most every drummer drew some inspiration from Animal. Of course, we are talking about the Muppets, a group with a funny bear, a karate chopping pig, the most famous frog in existence, and whatever Gonzo is. Now, Kermit and his band of friends are well known for their show, simply called The Muppet Show, where celebrities like Alice Cooper, Elton John, and Julie Andrews all made guest appearances. Since the shows start in 1976 and even after the show went off-air in 1981, the Muppet franchise has released several movies staring this green icon and all of his goofy groupies. However, the first of these movies, The Muppet Movie still stands out among the crowd as a wonderful work of cinema for all ages. Here are some of my reasons why The Muppet Movie is and will always be a true classic.

• A smart opening scene

The movie starts with the whole Muppet gang, even those who don't ever appear in the movie again until the very end, waiting to watch The Muppet Movie which tells of how they all got together and made it to Hollywood (the same movie we watch as the audience). This actually makes more sense than just seeing the movie unfold, especially seeing that the gang had been together on the show for three years already when the movie was released. This also gave anyone's favorite Muppet some screen time and the infamous "guys in the balcony" something to make fun of.

• Terrific music

It would not be a full list of accomplishments if I did not mention the thought provoking, fun, and heartwarming music of Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher. "Rainbow Connection," Kermit's opening song was an instant classic for its catchy tune and simple lyrical depth. However, other songs like the upbeat "Moving Right Along" and the heartwarming "I'm Going Back There Someday" also have audiences across the world humming along with the puppets.

• Puns

No matter what age you are, you can't help but chuckle at the quips, irony, and puns hidden (or sometimes not so hidden) in every scene. Whether it's the heckling of Statler and Waldorf, Kermit admitting to himself that he has no idea what Gonzo is, Fozzie getting his license through a correspondence course, or any of the many one line puns throughout the movie, The Muppet Movie gets high points for comedy in my book.

• Cameo actors and Jim Henson

Through Jim Henson's amazing voice acting and puppetry, many of the Muppets were truly brought to life, including the only amphibian to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and an honorary doctorate, Kermit the Frog. The Muppet Movie also features short scenes from notable actors like Richard Pryor, Orson Welles, Carol Kayne, James Coburn, and Steve Martin. 

• Unexpected defeat of the protagonist

Of course, beloved Kermit cannot be defeated by the evil Doc Hopper, but even though the scene where they confront sets up Doc Hopper's repentance from his evil ways, his defeat is far from this possibly Hallmark-y ending. (I don't want to spoil it beyond that if by some chance, you have not watched The Muppet Movie for yourself.)

• A driving plot and an ending that makes sure no one is left behind

Even with all of the puns and appearances of celebrities in small breakaway scenes, the driving plot of the movie is consistently present with antagonist Hopper always pursuing the Muppets and Kermit and his new friends always looking forward to their careers in Hollywood. Also, when the movie screening finishes, Sweetums tears through the movie screen finally catching up to the Muppet gang so he can join them in their career in Hollywood.

These are just some of the things that make The Muppet Movie great. If you have not watched it, I would highly recommend it and if you have not watched it in a while, maybe you want to re-watch it and laugh all over again at Kermit and his band of friends. Also, who's your favorite Muppet and why? Comment below! My favorite is Rowlph the Dog. He is devoted to piano and is calm when confronted with problems. He also has a dry humor that cracks me up. 

Check out my YouTube Channel! This Tuesday I posted a mashup of "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran and "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty. Click here to watch or find it under the playlist tab on my channel.

Breaking News

I broke my finger in seventh grade. How? Well, it was pretty uneventful, so I decided to come up with some more interesting scenarios. With headlines and short summaries for each instance, this is "Breaking News."

Arizona Native Wrestles with Bobcat

Caleb Gottry, a 17-year-old from Gilbert spends three hours fighting with a bobcat. Gottry breaks a finger. The bobcat meets its end.

HS Baseball Prospect Ruins Chances to Play in Big Leagues

Senior Caleb Gottry breaks his finger in warm-ups moments before his big game and likely recruitment. 

Lawsuit Over a Broken Finger

Budget Transportation Airport Taxi Service facing a suit from the Gottry family over a slammed car door and a broken finger.

The Ban on Fighting in Schools Should Be Reinforced

Two high school students fight in a public school and leave with broken bones and a lifelong grudge.

Teen "Superman" Stops a Bullet

17-year-old Caleb Gottry breaks a finger as he thrusts his hand in front of a speeding bullet. The bullet's target, 42-year-old Albert Peterson, pays Gottry's hospital bills in full.

Consequences of Illegal Fireworks

An aerial firework malfunction leads to broken fingers and second degree burns for Arizona teen.

Tourist Falls Off Edge of Grand Canyon and Survives

High school senior Caleb Gottry falls off the edge, breaks his finger on the way down, and miraculously lands on a sun shade at the canyon bottom that cushions his fall. 

Dangerous New Chemical Dissolves Bones

An incidental discovery at a chemistry summer camp, Oxipolychlorinated Asbestos dissolves finger bones. Hear an unfortunate victim's story.

Never Hammer Your Finger Again

After creator Caleb Gottry hammered his own finger, he created the iHammer with built-in safety features. 

Choir Kid Fractures Finger 

Opening the metal backstage door at Chandler Center, the door handle and wall smash together with Caleb Gottry's finger in between.... but that's not as fun of a story to tell.

Check out my YouTube Channel! I posted a fun video this Tuesday called "Monday Night Foosball."

Journey

The goal of geocaching is to find the container (the cache) at the coordinates the app leads you to. Last week, I went geocaching in Baltimore... and never found the cache itself. "Wait!" I hear you say. "You went walking across Baltimore in the icky summer humidity and you didn't even find what you were looking for?!" Yup. I did. So why am remembering this with a smile? 

After a delicious lunch at Nando's PERi PERi (I highly recommend the kebabs), we started the half-mile trek to the location of the cache. We could see the bay just past the next road over. Tall masts seemed to scrape the sky as the sun steadily scorched our skin. 

The bay was out of sight as soon as we entered the alley of tall apartments. All the doors were brightly colored and friendly against the dull brick buildings. The quintessential cellar access doors on the ground prompted my mom start singing the children's song: "Slide down my rain barrel / Into my cellar door / And we'll be jolly friends / Forever more, more, more." 

I looked up, shading my eyes from the suns light and the name of the street caught my eye. Then, we met the hound of Shakespeare Street. It threw itself at its front window, clearly upset by the strength of the glass between him and us. The mailman we passed by next had no doubt seen the frightening hound plenty of times and seemed unfazed by its animated aggression. A narrow plot of land kept the headstone of a figure past. Old moss from decades past clung to the large stone. Exiting the alley neighborhood, I could see the bay again and the pop up shops on the boardwalk. 

We were nearly there. We passed a shop named Duck Duck Goose and after another block or so, we arrived at the location the geocache had led us to: a secret garden. Tucked between two large buildings, we never would've found it unless we had been led there. An apple tree grew against the brick and thrived among purple flowers. The sun beamed a spotlight on the center of the garden and the rest was shaded by the buildings surrounding it.

So, why was I remembering this with a smile? Honestly, I don't know if finding the cache would've added much to the journey. The colors of natural flowers and painted doors, the sound of an animate hound and the silence of one long dead, the bright sun over the bay and the shade in a secret garden: this perfect balance of things newly found and discovered couldn't have fit in any geocaching container. 

Check out my YouTube channel! This Tuesday, I posted new One Minute Covers of This Old Guitar and Home. If you are interested in viewing videos you may have missed, you can find all my videos here.

Encomium of Polyphemus

This is kind of a throwback blog for me. Below is a one-day writing assignment that I did for my Great Books class. An encomium is a speech or piece of writing that praises someone who maybe doesn't get praised often. We read "The Odyssey" last fall and I think the cyclops deserves some praise after getting a bad review from Odysseus. This is my encomium:

   

    The cover is not the book, even when the cover is a man-eating monster. To take a single glimpse of a single being in a single society favored greatly by all the gods and define the being as just an obstacle is callous. Monsters are Odysseus’s obstacles, yes, but the one-eyed giant Polyphemus, the Cyclops, is not a monster in being, even if he is in form. Thus, he cannot be defined as just Odysseus’s second obstacle and first failure. Looking to the gods who hold all power and to cunning Odysseus, brash and deceiving, I vindicate blind Polyphemus from his own reputation as the monstrous obstacle he is not. His father is Poseidon, a god forever yearning for justice in battles and life. Polyphemus too has this virtue.

    The gods who never die bless the land of the Cyclops, fulfilling always the never fading trust of her inhabitants. Though they do not fear the gods as the mortals do, perhaps the trust and faith in their power is greater principled. The land flourishes for these lonesome creatures caring for their livestock, Polyphemus, lacking a wife and children, perhaps the loneliest of all. Yet, he governs himself peacefully among the creatures on the island, caring carefully for each of his rams, even as they are already blessed by the gods, able to know them by touch alone in his blindness. In a community known by Odysseus and his crew as not caring for any neighbor, the one who does care for their neighbor as their friend is praiseworthy. As Polyphemus cried out in pain, his neighbors called to him asking of his ailment and the one-eyed giant could call back ‘friends’ in his time of greatest need, though duped by Odysseus he was. The cheese-eating, wine-loving Polyphemus cannot be blamed for his fearful acts of violence or his hideous appearance. Instead, he must be praised for his gentleness to his creatures in all his power and his neighborliness in all his desire to be in solitude. 

    Finding fault in the hero Odysseus may not be easy to do, remembering his crew mates snatched up by the man-eating Cyclops, but we must justly do so in order to properly celebrate Polyphemus. Odysseus sees a monster that looks by his eyes to be cruel and disabling and he turns into that cruel beast in heart, deceiving and disabling them in vaunting laughter. His curious spirit drives him and his crew into Polyphemus’s dwelling: intruders and thieves. They do not deserve the mortal hospitality they beg for and do not receive. Polyphemus knows not of their customs, but Polyphemus knows what is his and what is not theirs. Thus he yearns for justice. Yet, he does not enact immediate justice. Indeed, he does eat one of Odysseus’s men, but they are food to him, making this action almost normal in an odd sense. The most praiseworthy action of the man-eating creature is his dedication to listen to Odysseus. This action, meeting the warrior halfway in his demands for gifts, leads him down a road to be deceived. The deceiver who deceives the one who does not know deceit is wicked; Odysseus is the deceiving one. Praise the one who seeks to enact fair judgement and not the one who seeks to avoid it! This is a way to liberate Polyphemus from the reputation Odysseus spread. 

    How can one call Polyphemus a lawless brute? He is governed by his own laws; he is gentle, trusting, and just. How can one say Polyphemus’s actions were monstrous and evil? He extended grace to a trespasser, listening to only be deceived. Ultimately, how can one call Polyphemus an obstacle? He is a being with his own life, ruined in part by Odysseus. He is lonesome but happy and far from an obstacle; he is praiseworthy. 

Check out another throwback to school on my YouTube channel! Posted just this Tuesday, it's a fun (and funny) video of my Rube Goldberg Physics Project. 

Inspired By Durango, CO

Last week, I spent some time in a cabin in Durango, CO. I took several pictures of the majesty of the mountains and the trees, but mostly I enjoyed being able to see that same majesty in person looking out the windows, hiking in the forest, or sitting on the back porch. Since it's been a while since my last poetry blog, I decided to try my hand once again at the art. Inspired by the views in the Durango mountains, I wrote a Villanelle. If you are curious about the form of Villanelle poetry, check out my blog post, "Poetry Part I." 

wandering

By Caleb Gottry

When dusty shoes once trekked down mountain paths,

As he walked side by side with family—

Preserved in words and pictures: this he hath.

Aloft, just like the towering champion of Gath,

The trees around provide a canopy,

When dusty shoes once trekked down mountain paths.

The storm clouds threaten to unleash their wrath.

But some stray further irrationally. 

Preserved in words and pictures: this he hath.

The leaves and ants are crushed in aftermath

And yet why dwell on such inanities,

When dusty shoes once trekked down mountain paths?

On forest floor: dead limbs like snakes or snaths

And on the far horizon: fantasies—

Preserved in words and pictures: this he hath.

Now back to cabin and protective lath,

Remembering this time so happily—

When dusty shoes once trekked down mountain paths.

Preserved in words and pictures: this he hath.

Check out my YouTube channel! I posted a new video on Tuesday. With the Durango Mountains as my backdrop, I recorded a full version of Avi Kaplan's Standing By. Take a listen here!

Memorize This.

A brief overview

    I am in no way an expert on memory, but I have been told and have seen, especially after taking drama this past semester at school, that I have built on a strong aptitude for memorization. Now, memorization is a very broad topic. Necessarily, it applies to theater and poetry, but I think the skill of memorization manifests itself in other areas of education as
well. This is not meant to give all the answers but is simply some tips, tricks, and methods to think about if you want to try a new approach to memorization as it appears in education.

Play to your strengths (Recitation)

    Memorizing a monologue, a poem, or lines for a play is a daunting task to be sure, but if you can find the right method, it can get easier. According to educational literature, there are three main learning styles or preferences: visual learners, auditory learners, and kinesthetic learners. For visual learners, some tips might be to read the text several times, but also to watch the play or poem performed by a reputable person or group. I myself am a primarily auditory learner and to memorize, I record myself reciting the passage and then I listen to it on loop while I do my chores or go for a walk. Finally, for kinesthetic learners, it might be helpful to first prepare what motions you plan to do when you recite (for a stage play, this is called "blocking") and practice the words along with the actions. Once you find a method that seems to work well, stick with it! 

Think about it (Spelling)

    The English language is weird. Just look at the word "weird" and that rule we all know, "I before E except after C or when sounds like A as in neighbor or weigh." I hate to break it to you, but W is not C and weird does not have an A sound. There are certain things in spelling that you just have to remember, but a lot of things you can just sound out instead. I don't need to remember how to spell "dog" if I remember what letters make those sounds. As I started learning Greek this past year (Greek has a different alphabet), I once again had to learn how to spell. Knowing what letters sound like and thinking words through will definitely give you a head start, but for those strange exceptions, just know that the more you use it correctly, the easier it will be to remember how to spell it. Here are some more specific tips if you want to take a look. So, keep a journal, read books, and if you really want to remember how to spell "weird," write a story about an alien species and describe everything that is weird about them (then send it to me!). 

Do it again (Mathematics)

    Think about the nearest grocery store to your house (or the one you most regularly go to). For drivers and non-drivers alike, I'm fairly certain that if dropped off at that grocery store, you would be able to get home. You have traveled there and back so many times that driving, walking or biking there is almost second nature. There are certain things that we have to memorize that are best done through repetition. Both examples above require a degree of repetition, but the most clear example of this type of memorizing is mathematics, specifically arithmetic. Times tables, addition, subtraction, and division are all second nature by the time we are taking derivatives in calculus because we have used those skills so many times. It takes repetition and practice, but then they are very second nature, just like commuting to the grocery store. 

The idea for this blog was submitted by one of the readers. Thank you! 

Check out my YouTube channel (videos under the "playlists" tab)! Just this Tuesday, I posted my One Minute Covers of Fast Car and We Are Going To Be Friends. 

Third Grade Bio - Revisited

In third grade at Archway Chandler, the class was split into partners. We were assigned to gather information about one another and to write a short biography. This is the biography that Jerod Folden wrote about me:

CALEB'S LIFE by Jerod Folden 

    Caleb Joshua Gottry is a friend of mine. He is named after Caleb in the Bible who did good. Caleb's nickname is Smiley Guy because he smiles all the time. His eye color is blue, he wears braces, his hair color is blond, and he is about 4 feet tall. He was born in 2004 at 10:30 in the morning. He lives in Gilbert. 

 

    Caleb's sister is Emily. She is 11 years old. His mom is named Amy and his dad is named Joshua. They are both music teachers. He has no pets now, but used to have a fish that had no name (and that died). He also had a millipede that had a name which Caleb doesn't remember. He wants a pet monkey named Swinger to play with. He likes monkeys because they are active.

    Caleb's favorites are the colors red, blue, and black, meatball subs, How to Train Your Dragon, basketball, drama, and Star Wars. His dislikes are the color white and cooked veggies. His most prized possession is a pottery painting of a turtle. It's his prized possession because it's cute and it reminds him of his grandma. 

    Caleb wants to be a detective when he grows up. he wants to be a detective because his uncle is and because he wants to save people from getting hurt, being accused, or getting robbed. If he could go anywhere, Caleb would go to Africa because he likes monkeys and elephants. If he could do anything at all, he would talk to all of the animals in the world. He wants to invent a rocket that can survive a black hole so he could study it. That's Caleb! 

 

Alright, so those of you who know me now and didn't know me then might be a little confused. Granted, this is a small window into the past, but a lot of things have changed. Let me dive into this more specifically. 

First of all, I know that Jerod and I were not great friends back in third grade so I'm guessing that first line was given to us as part of the assignment. Most of the first paragraph remains true. I am no longer four feet tall (phew) and I don't have braces any more. I also haven't heard "Smiley Guy" for a while and it was more of a familial name, but I've still never really had a nickname in the traditional sense. 

My family is represented accurately in the second paragraph (no, my sister is not 11 anymore, but you can do the math). The description of my pet history is kind of depressing and I don't know how I didn't know the name of the millipede then and yet I do now. His name was Feelers. After getting the opportunity to foster a dog for a while this year, I can say that I would love to have a dog at some point in my life again. Taking care of a monkey seems like a lot of work... even more than taking care of a dog.

My favorite color is blue. How can you have more than one favorite color? Favorite food: Enchiladas, though I still do love a good meatball sub. I remember really liking the How To Train Your Dragon series, but I'd have trouble picking a favorite book or series today. Three great reads are If You're Reading This by Trent Reedy, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway and The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis (listed in no particular order). Some of my other likes are choir, drama, church activities and service, biking, disk golf, guitar, and still Star Wars. I don't know why I didn't like the color white, but I don't have anything against it now--same goes for cooked veggies, although I'm not a fan of peas. Otherwise, I don't like the things most people don't like: headaches, traffic, going to the dentist, great books with terrible endings, an overly full email inbox, etc. If I had to pick a most prized possession it would be somewhere in my guitar corner in my room. I still have that pottery turtle that I painted with my grandma on a shelf though.

Nothing in the fourth paragraph is true about my ambitions anymore. Being a detective seems like a stressful job, just based on who you're dealing with, the mental requirement, and the importance of the job. Also, my uncle is a forest ranger. As far as Africa goes, I would like to stay right where I am, with friends and family all around me, a familiar place, great food, mild winters, and lots of pool time in the summer. Next, I would hope that if I could do anything, I would chose a nobler end than talking to animals. Finally, going into space sounds extremely frightening and dangerous and studying a black hole sounds very scientific which is not my favorite subject in school. While I may not be able to come back here after college and I doubt I will ever have the ability to “do anything,” I do still have ambitions. For college I am looking at a variety of schools in Arizona, Colorado, California, and Texas, so I can be close to home and/or family. I will likely be pursuing a degree in journalism and I will go wherever that takes me in life, be it sports, business, entertainment, governmental, or in another area.

Well, that was certainly an interesting dive into my then and now. I'll have to revisit this in ten years to see how it all panned out. Thanks for reading and as Jerod said, "That's Caleb!".

Check out my YouTube channel! I posted new videos on Tuesday: A fun Original Rap, and another One Minute Cover.

Exciting Announcement!

Hello! I know that I have not shared this blog far and wide, but to those of you who do read it, thank you! I also hope you have enjoyed my meager ramblings, half-witted stories, and hopefully a few words or phrases of small profundity. If you do not know, I started this blog in the early stages of quarantine partly as something to do with my time, but also as a way to hone my craft of writing as I pursue journalism. 

This summer, I plan to post blogs and videos on a regularly scheduled basis here and on my YouTube channel (under the playlists tab). Every Tuesday, I will be posting a fun edited video or a couple more one-minute covers. Two new one-minute covers have already been posted on my YouTube channel if you would like to check those out. Every Thursday (starting today), I will post a blog. These blogs, as always, will be on a variety of topics and interests. Next week I will be looking back at a third grade biography.

Also, I do appreciate feedback on my blog! It is very easy on my end to go into the blog and change things on a post, so if you think something doesn't read quite right or you notice I am missing a comma, feel free to let me know! If you have general feedback on the way I approached an idea or if you have another idea for a blog I could write, I'd love to hear that from you as well. As I've said, this is for me to practice the craft of writing, so I am always looking to improve as well as try different approaches. I look forward to this summer!

Trapped and Bugged

It was a battle of epic proportions, reminiscent of the old man versus the fish and Captain Ahab versus Moby Dick. One small difference, however, was this: there was no fish. There was just a fly. And while I am no old man, his principles of hard work and not taking the easy way out aligned with my own. This fly was not leaving my home. It was trapped and I was bugged. 

It all began in my parents’ room as the small beast buzzed past each of our heads, its tiny wings beating together to alert us of its presence. I grabbed a magazine to swat the fly lest it continue to bother us. The fly evaded my clumsy swipes and quickly left the room disappearing from my view. I thought that that was the end of it. It was not. The winged creature reappeared in my own room determined to bug me further. 

The fly alighted, for the first time that I saw, on my window blinds. In its position, it was safe from my magazine vengeance, but not from me. I whipped my blinds close and the small beast buzzed against the wooden slates, unable to get out. I gave the blinds a few whacks and the buzzing stopped. I vainly thought that that was the end of it. Again it was not. I reopened my blinds and the winged creature flew out with surprising speed away from my window and out of my room.

I went in pursuit and found the buzzing critter hovering by the door to the garage, assuredly the place where it had entered. The fly was trying to flee its impending doom, but I would not fold to its hopes for surrender after it had already disturbed our peace. It was a challenge now. I would not take the easy way out. I was in pursuit of my own Moby Dick. I swiped at the tiny beast until it fled back to my own room. I knew that that was not the end of it.

If the fly was the fish I was in pursuit of, it was only then that I hooked it. My blinds were opened so I could better find the winged creature, my fan was turned off so I could hear its beating wings, and my door was closed. We were both trapped and I was still bugged and determined. I swiped the magazine through the air when I caught a glimpse or heard its buzz come near but all in vain. I needed the brute to land. At first, I saw none of its landings. Every time I lost the visual, the buzzing ceased and I knew the bug had stopped to sit and to rest, but I could not find it.  Slowly, however, my fly-tracking skills increased and I saw its every motion. After nearly 20 minutes, I knew that the end was coming. It was. 

The small, buzzing beast alighted three times in front of my eyes before it met its end. Twice it landed on a soft surface and sank into my bed and pillow to avoid the fatal blow of the magazine. The third time, though, it sat on my wall in the top corner of my room. That was the end of the poor creature's final flight. I whispered my congratulations on a battle well fought and with a small hop smacked the magazine onto the fly and wall. I disposed of the small and ill-starred mortal being in my trash can. My boat had returned to shore as it were and I joined my family for dinner. 

Ah... Seltzer Water

I have been drinking sparkling water at every lunch consistently since eighth grade and it has quickly become my most favorite drink and proves to be a great alternative to sugar loaded sodas. After tasting these six brands several times based on when they went on sale or whether we were shopping at Costco of Fry's, I have developed an ordered list from my favorite down. I hope you enjoy reading it and I would encourage you to go out and try some seltzer water for yourself!

                                                1. LaCroix Curate

Flavor of Choice: Cerise Limon (Cherry Lime)

LaCroix Curate is far and away my favorite sparkling water. Its dual flavor mix gives it a nice sweetness without being overpowering in every sip. Like all the sparkling waters on this list, it is free of any sugar, calories, or sodium. A 24 count variety pack usually retails for $8.99 at Costco, but especially when it goes on sale, LaCroix's Curate line is a good way to go for any sparkling water connoisseur.

2. LaCroix

Flavor of Choice: Pamplemousse (Grapefruit)

One of the most well known brand names of sparkling water, I believe LaCroix lives up to expectations. Out of the flavors I've tried from LaCroix's arsenal, I am impressed by the subtlety of the flavor that is present in every sip. It also holds its flavor and sparkle for a fairly long time. A 24 count variety pack usually retails for $6.39 at Costco and the three flavors in the pack change based on the season.

3. Kirkland Sparkling Water

Flavor of Choice: Lemon

This might be surprising to see a generic brand of sparkling water earning the bronze, but Kirkland's line of seltzer, in an attempt to profit from the overlap between people who shop at Costco and people who drink sparkling water, is the best imitation of the LaCroix brand. Its three flavors (lemon, lime, and grapefruit) capture the citric acidity and delightful sparkle of any high level seltzer, for a fraction of the cost, at $7.49 for a 32 count variety pack. 

4. Bubly Sparkling Water

Flavor of Choice: Blackberry

Even though this is one of the most popular sparkling water brands on the market, my main issue with Bubly is the truly too overpowering flavor. Unlike the first three, I find it a little bit more difficult to drink a full can in one sitting, despite the nice sparkle and large variety of flavor choices. A 12 count single flavor pack retails at Fry's for $5.75.

5. Belle Vie Sparkling Water

Flavor of Choice: Grapefruit

From the newly opening convenience store, Aldi, in Chandler, this off-brand sparkling water was hard to rank in how it compares to the Kroger brand. I have to say, it was very close, but Belle Vie took the slight lead to Kroger because of its crispness upon opening and solid flavor (though still faintly present). All in all, I would recommend it as a grocery store seltzer if an Aldi is close to you and it comes in at a very affordable $2.99 for 12 cans.

6. Kroger Seltzer

Flavor of Choice: Mandarin Orange

Coming in at #6 on this list is Kroger's brand seltzer, definitely a knock off generic brand, but a decent alternative, especially when it's not directly compared to higher level seltzers. There are many flavors to choose from including dual flavors and they all do taste uniquely different. My main complaint is that it tends to start tasting flat much faster than its competitors. A 12 count single flavor pack retails for just $2.79 at Fry's. 

7. Aha Sparkling Water

Flavor of Choice: Orange+Grapefruit

A low level name brand, Aha sparkling water is dead last on my list for a couple reasons. With all dual flavors, one would think that the drink would be very flavorful, but instead it is hard to pinpoint specific flavors and it tends to taste a little bitter. The citrus flavors are slightly better than the others because citrus tends to work best with the bubbles. An 8 count single flavor pack retails for $3.99 at Fry's.