Nonfiction Writing - Ryan W.

On a day-to-day basis, I normally don’t curse. At least, I don’t do it explicitly. Out of habit, I usually resort to “frick” or “darn it” as euphemisms for what I really mean. In Champaign, there are a few middle schools that people know about: Franklin, Jefferson, Edison, and Next Generation. Then there’s Countryside, the tiny K-8 school that I went to. Being a private school, there were some weird rules (though I’m sure there were interesting school rules elsewhere as well), such as only being able to go to the bathroom if there were less than two people in your grade in the bathroom. The most influential rule, however, was probably the “no swearing” rule that the administrators implemented in 7th grade.  I remember vividly one day when an administrator came into Core 1 English and took half of our class away to the music room, where they had a talk about behavior. In PE, all the students began discussing the rules that had been outlined in the harsh talk, namely the “ban” on swe...

 What role does procrastination play in your life? I don’t procrastinate much. When I get home after sports or other extracurriculars, I eat dinner and then get straight to work, getting through my homework quickly, taking only short drink breaks in between, or helping my parents with something. Occasionally, I’ll get up and play some ping-pong with my younger brother, or take a ten to twenty minute nap. I usually wrap up all my homework and other activities before ten or eleven, and then get straight to bed for a good night’s rest.  At least that’s what I tell myself. In reality, I procrastinate just as much as any other student. I watch Youtube videos between assignments or “checkpoints” that I assign myself, such as writing one or two paragraphs for an essay. Often, as you might expect, I get drawn down a rabbit hole, clicking on videos, gradually draining my focus until I sit up and realize I’ve been watching highlight reels for half an hour. Then, I’ll reluctantly get...

 Who Would be Your Ideal Celebrity Neighbor? I’m probably the most uncultured person out of all the students at Uni, at least in terms of being able to identify celebrities. For example, while warming up for soccer practice just a few days ago, the conversation shifted to a discussion about actors. My teammates named a few celebrity actors, such as Tom Hanks, Robert Downey Jr, and Meryl Streep. As you’ve probably guessed, I somehow couldn’t connect their names to any movies at all. I even asked if BTS was a boy band or girl band (I’m so sorry). Unfortunately, as somebody who has probably been to a movie theater 4 times in my life and doesn't really pay attention to any culture or celebrity magazines, I only know basketball and soccer players and a few select actors and miscellaneous celebrities who have somehow drifted into my mind.  If I have to be completely honest, I wouldn’t care much if I had a celebrity neighbor as long as they didn’t bother me. Ideally, the celebrit...

 What can older people learn from your generation? Whenever I hear “back in my day,” I automatically associate the phrase with older people reminiscing about their childhood or teenage years. They always have their campfire chats or storytime moments in the family room, spreading their perspective of the magnificent past. However, to put it rather bluntly, I don’t believe their viewpoint is what it’s hyped up to be. Of course, our generation cannot compare our understanding to their wisdom and experience, but we bring plenty to the table.  Older people sometimes criticize us for being too unorganized, rash, or just not leveled-headed in general. While they’re not wrong, they miss out on the point: spontaneity brings out excitement in our lives. We shirk responsibilities in favor of video games or hanging out with friends, saving the pain and suffering for later. Additionally, procrastination brings out an element of uncertainty (although it’s definitely not sustainable) th...

     I’ve often thought about a time in my toddler years when I used to stare at the sun. After being picked up from preschool in the late afternoon, I would sit quietly in the backseat and contemplate my thoughts through the lens of a 4 year old. When I would get bored rather quickly, I would play a little game with myself, staring at the sun and counting to twenty, seeing if I could burn a “cool” orange circle into my eyes when I closed them. If my eyes reflexively closed before I got to my target time, my toddler self would convince my eyes to take a short break and then try again. Other times, I would press on my eyes really hard until I saw a glowing effect on the back of my eyelids. I think at some point, my mom must have realized what I was doing, and would tell me to do eye exercises instead, a series of eye movements she taught me to help relax. She would instruct me to look out the window, but instead of relaxing, I would go back to playing my game with the sun ...