Did You Know: Jerry Townsend

I interviewed my dad and I learned a lot of neat tidbits about him.  I did this obviously for the portfolio but then it turned into really nice conversation with my dad. The questions varies from where he was born and his plans for the future.
            Jerry Townsend was born April 15, 1955 in Wellington, Ohio. This was cool because I just assumed he was born in Iowa. Dad’s role model growing up was his mother. His mom or my grandma was the best person I’ve ever known and ever will. He graduated out of Mid Prairie in 1973, Boo Golden Hawks! He had his first kid in 1976 when he was 21. I really, really hope, I don’t have kid anywhere near that age.

My Dad has taken a variety amount of trips such Washington D.C, Boston and Kentucky.

I went with him to Boston, we visited my brother Joey. It was fun We went to the Boston Tea Party and went to Dick’s Bar and Grill.The waitress there was a wise cracking Bostonian.

Dad’s favorite job was bulldozing, I had no idea that knocking stuff down, with big machine would be his favorite job but that makes a lot sense now, in retrospect.  His favorite ride, was his Cadillac. I didn’t expect this because my dad owns a Ford Victoria, Explorer, F150, Tarus  and two other vehicles (Ford Related). I thought for sure it was going to be a Ford vehicle. If you asked dad for his favorite pop, he would tell you Diet Coke. Big shocker, no just kidding he been drinking Diet Coke before I was even thought of as a human being.

If my dad could have a super power it would be flying. This was neat because my dad is a woodsman and a car guy, so asking was more than a left question then you might think. His answer I liked, I wouldn’t go with flying because what happens if you ram into hill going seventy miles per hours, you would be dead immediately. His favorite sports team is the EV bears, stay classy swag dad.

 His favorite pets were the two Saint Benards, Bubba and Sarah. These dogs were the bomb. They were loyal to the tooth and bone, they lived forever, and saved my life on not one but two occasions there are truly anything and everything you could want from a dog. If you ask my father about, what the coolest thing he ever did was. He would tell you that’s there to many to count. I heard that my dad was a stud back in day and I recently saw some of my baby photos and looks like Elvis in the good way.

Dad’s favorite show is Heat of the Knight. I was shell shocked when I heard this, the man watches Gunsmoke about 90% of the time. Dad enjoys going to sales in his free time, going to Duwas  and police auctions, I more of a Ebay man myself. The hardest challenge my Dad had to face was the 80’s farm crash, this was really bad for everyone in Iowa and it cools that my dad was actually a participant in U.S history.

 My dad says that computers are the biggest tech advance in his lifetime. This is probably the most accurate answer he could of given, make sense but I do feel that the internet could give the computer a run for its money (it’s the next chicken and egg situation).   Dad’s worst girlfriend experience is when “his” girl took off for the weekend with a another guy and left him with her kids, lets just say those kids were dropped off at their grandmas, later that weekend. This was by far the most surprising answer of this whole interview and even spawned more curiosity and more questions but those would take up the whole paper.

 I asked Dad who was his favorite president of all time was and he gave the nod to F.D.R.. He is really big into World War II ( his dad served in it) , but I didn’t expect F.D.R. He always talks about how Hoover did a lot of good stuff, but then F.D.R shut them all down. So the F.D.R pick was a wildcard to say at least. The biggest life altering event for my dad was changing professions. I could understand this, college I feel will be mine and it will be fun but scary. Dad’s favorite song “In the Ghetto” by Elvis Presley. This is cool because his moms favorite song would’ve been a Elvis Presley song, so its neat, than an artist made such a big impact on are family.

 I asked Dad how he feels 21^st century America is doing. He said its doing “alright”. This such a my dad answer and love every “Word” of it. Dads advice to young parents is to think before you act. I like to think of this as before you butcher your kids, rethink the situation one more time. Where were you ,when 9/11 happened: in the yellow house and doing laundry. The craziest thing Dad’s ever seen is 9/11.  To get the scoop on 9/11, read my persuasion paper. Dads advice for younger people is to focus on your studies. I must’ve listen to him, to be writing this paper right now. Dad’s plans for the future, is to raise his children and make zillions.  That sounds like a good plan to me.

I found out a lot of neat stuff my about my dad. This went from being a assignment to really cool conversation. I can thank portfolio for giving memories.

My High School Career Freshman-Junior

People there are approximately 222 school days left for the Juniors.  Seventeen hundred class periods and 79,000 minutes how will you spend them. As I ask myself that question, I yet challenge myself to a another. What have I done with my high school career up until now? 

            My freshman year was the da bomb dignity. I played football and survived the up-down crazed season. Then I got on the  A honor roll and all that jazz. I did track what has always been the most fun sport to participate in.  I think could write whole circle essay on just my ninety meter dash or my sixteen hundred meter marathon that felt like it would never end. My parents divorced freshman year and it was basically world war 3 between them , as a result my Xbox stayed at my mom’s house but my dad had custody and she had me every other weekend so my Xbox time was very limited and the internet was always down.  I did have one shining light and that was the Student council election of freshman year, I won and have won reelection ever since (we need to keep this up so vote TOWNSEND 2014).

            My Sophomore year was a lot rougher just because of summer. During the summer I had a gun pulled on me. I feel like I never fully recovered and football didnt really work out that year I think I only got to the first padded practice and Coach Mcculley kept saying “If don’t you  want to be here 100% than get out”. I guess I wasnt just in football mood that year. Then , I tried speech where I was the lame-o weatherman and that went over as well as that sentence just described. I also ran did track and that went over ok but nothing really great happen.

My junior year  has gone over better but as I get closer and closer to the end , I feel more and more of just a “loser”. Sure I have a job at a grocery store but i-ve-I have failed at just about everything else this year. I failed at the school play , I didn’t even attempt football, but I am participating in golf but I have not  even gone to a practice and I got a 2 in speech in both competitions.  

            I have decided I am tired of being some fat scrub that doesn’t do anything I am going to get gym membership over in ‘burg, cut mountain dew out of my diet. Go to weight lifting and go out for football. I want to be successful and not go down as some fat nerd that did not do anything in my high school. 

            So what have I done. I have had my up and downs.  The downs my parents divorce freshman year or not playing xbox on a daily basis (third quarter).  The ups include winning my student council election or losing that epic ninety meter dash. High school has been one hell of a show and I want to finish it off with a bang.

My College Plan and Career

Have you planned your college yet? Today the Kirkwood recruiter came to our school and talked about the programs they were offering and went into detail about some of the grants what I am eligible for. It was a really big eye opener that in five more quarters of school I will be in the “real” world. So, I asked myself throughout the day do I have plan for living on my own or where am I going to live or am I going to have a roommate.

Where I am going to live is one thought weighing on my mind. I’m thinking that I could live in a dorm, and I want a roommate. I dont really want some party crazy person, I would more like a gamer or someone I have common interests with. So I don’t want to have to deal with some jerk. Also living in campus housing I would live closer to Kirkwood. Don’t worry; I’m not going to retire the cop car.

This paragraph is just about everything being foreign in college. Now I have been going to English Valleys high school/elementary since 1998 when I was 2 years old , back then, but if you don’t believe me , Cathy will back me up, the original librarian . That means that basically other than a few trips out of state, I have never experienced anything different than “Bearica” and going into whole another town, a huge city, its little hard to stomach. I am sure I can adapt but it still a scary thought. Now I’m excited to get in some student groups and maybe get a job at GameStop. Maybe just meet new people in general. At the same time I’m going to miss my friends and my family.

My classes at Kirkwood, now even though I really am excited to learn about computer coding. I really have no idea what it’s about or even how to do it, but I will not let that deter my confidence feel it going to be a language like Spanish where it is something Ive never studied before but instead of being really bad at it like Spanish I will astronomically try harder to learn coding. I think coding is ten times cooler than Spanish. With coding I could create a virtual world where in Spanish I can sort of talk to a Spanish person.

Am I ready for college? Im more certain after writing this paper. It’s got the planning juices in my head flowing. I really hope everything works out for me and my fellow students as we march into this battle what they call college. It’s a really crazy thought but in little over a year I wont be a EV student anymore.