Behind the Inhaler Pt. 13

I'm writing my blog early this week because I have Speech and Debate all weekend. Lucky for me it's Gahanna's own tournament so I don't have to wake up at four to catch a bus to Cleveland!

I've always enjoyed the winter time. Personally I find that everyone tends to be more nice around the holiday times. Another reason why I love the winter is because my outdoor allergies die with the first full snow/frost. All I have to worry about in the winter is indoor allergies, and my increased chance of catching the flu, phenomena, or bronchitis which are all potentially fatal to someone with respiratory issues like myself.  Last year I lucked out! It was the first year I didn't contract a double sinus infection which for someone like me means hospitalization and months of illness because I'm allergic to the antibiotics. Instead I showed all the signs of a brain tumor/cancer...haha turns out my liver was doing something funky (they determined this after I had a forty five minute waterfall of a nose bleed and had emergency blood work done). I hope this year I can stay relatively healthy!

Another reason why I love winter is the weather. I love the snow, I love being bundled up and warm with cold around me (if that makes any sense), and I love just sitting with a cup of coffee and reading/playing in the snow. I've always been into reading. I love throwing myself into an emotionally gripping book. I think I get this from my father. My house is full of books and winter just sets the perfect mood to read. I remember once when I was in first grade our math assignment was to count all the books in our house. I came in with a number close to 1,000 maybe even over. My teacher gave me an incomplete saying that "no one has 1,000 books in their house," I went home crying to my mom who had to call the teacher and explain to her that we basically have a library in my dads study. Books offer a temporary escape from reality that I love.

One other winter activity that I love is extreme sledding. What is extreme sledding? Well thanks for wondering! My best-friend Martha and I love to temp danger...and our lives. Most of the time what we do seems pretty white trash...haha but it really is an amazing time. Extreme sledding is when we attach a sled/tube to the back of her Mule (not like the animal, but the 4 wheel drive all terrain work car) and go at it 35MPH in the back fields. This is pretty extreme, most of the time we end up half passed out in the field. We usually end up with many bruises but it's all in good fun.

This is the mule.

Martha is ready to extreme sled...haha we both looked so white trash!

These are how this post ties into class this week. These are the complete, leather bound works of Poe, Christie, and Doyle. I love reading these and other complete works my dad owns in his collection. I have to say Poe is my favorite. My favorite poem being "Alone."


From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view. 
-Poe 

Part of my dads collection...haha what you can't see is the wall on the right, my room, the basement, and the boxes under my dads bed.