Horizon’s Outreach Editor Deb Toresso talks with host Brandon T. Bisceglia about the growth of her cleaning business and her personal gowth as a writer.
An online supplement to Horizons, the student newspaper of Housatonic Community College.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Waiting for a Happy Ending
By Stephanie Mallozzi
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Learning to wait for the right person can teach you a lot about life.
Conveniently placed on my small night stand is my cell phone. The radio waves seem to be keeping me awake at night. There it is, just gawking at me without ringing, singing, or even vibrating. The “Battery Charging” screen is all I see.
Here I am, waiting. I’m waiting for that phone to do something. Maybe I’m waiting for my life to begin, and love is that missing piece to the jigsaw puzzle. I’m independent, right? I steal another quick glance of my phone.
There was one summer in particular when all I did was wait. I had no choice in the matter. My boyfriend was fighting in Iraq. I waited by the mailbox that whole summer for letters from him. The summer dwindled away, and he came home in the fall. Like the flowers of the summer, our love story wilted away with the autumn air. It was like I was cast as “girlfriend” in a love story. There I was, halfway through the script, and the script was just blank pages. I needed to move on, find a glimmer of hope.
There are so many shades of waiting. I was in a relationship that was on and off for a very long time. I was always waiting for less disappointment, the person I met years back. I never found that person again, but I decided that I couldn’t wait for things that just weren’t going to happen.
What is there to say about waiting? There are countless things to be said about waiting, actually. Good things supposedly come to those who wait. Waiting isn‘t something entirely new. Whether we’re waiting for a commercial to end, or a relationship to finally work, it’s not usually something we enjoy. See, when we are “waiting” for something bad to come along, all of a sudden we call it living.
Me? Well, I thought I was waiting for Prince Charming, but maybe that’s a bit hopeless. I’m going to be honest, I think about it sometimes. You know, seeing Prince Charming on his white horse ride toward me, in the forest. There I am frolicking and singing with the woodland creatures on a white and red checkered picnic blanket. Our eyes meet. Suddenly Etta James’ “At Last” magically playing in the background; maybe even some wind blowing in my hair. We meet and fall and love, a happy ending. Back here in reality, there is no wind blowing in my hair, but I’m still waiting for my happy ending.
It’s a strange sensation to wake up one morning and realize that I was waiting for something that never existed. All the obvious thoughts pop into my head, time being the most relevant. I feel like I have wasted time waiting around. It’s disenchanting to know that I have wasted my time on some kind of modern day version of a fairytale. This story doesn’t have a happy ending because it was never a fairytale to begin with. I think about what I would do if I didn’t “waste my time”, and when it comes down to it I would get up and live life the way I do every other day.
Maybe I’m not really waiting. This is life. There’s no waiting. Life is happening all around. Maybe I’m arrogant to think I’m really waiting, like this moment isn’t good enough for me because it’s not perfect. Maybe now has the potential to be worth the wait, if we give it a fighting chance. I don’t think that’s a fair philosophy to have - to wait until life is magical, and to just make it magical or whatever life is supposed to be.
It’s funny when it’s 12 AM and you are waiting for an IM, text, call, something to make you feel like your life is moving in a direction. It seems as a society we’re so afraid of being stagnant for a little while - even if it is just to look at the scenery. Here we are, jealous of five-year-olds because they get to play fun games. Kids know how to live in the moment. See, this whole waiting thing has to be a “grown up” problem, because five-year-olds wouldn’t put up with it.
When does it all stop?
Sometimes it just doesn’t stop. Sometimes waiting becomes this kind of relative term. Sometimes there are things that we never got to say, or people we never got to love. Sometimes life gives us situations where waiting isn’t an option. Where waiting doesn’t exist. In this reality, everything is black and white. The waiting is silenced. That kind of waiting is forever. Life doesn’t wait for anyone. In turn I’m not going to sit here and wait for life to begin. It’s already happening.
It’s funny when it’s 12 AM and you are waiting for an IM, text, call, something to make you feel like your life is moving in a direction. It seems as a society we’re so afraid of being stagnant for a little while - even if it is just to look at the scenery. Here we are, jealous of five-year-olds because they get to play fun games. Kids know how to live in the moment. See, this whole waiting thing has to be a “grown up” problem, because five-year-olds wouldn’t put up with it.
When does it all stop?
Sometimes it just doesn’t stop. Sometimes waiting becomes this kind of relative term. Sometimes there are things that we never got to say, or people we never got to love. Sometimes life gives us situations where waiting isn’t an option. Where waiting doesn’t exist. In this reality, everything is black and white. The waiting is silenced. That kind of waiting is forever. Life doesn’t wait for anyone. In turn I’m not going to sit here and wait for life to begin. It’s already happening.
I glance at my phone out of the corner of my eye. No calls, but it’s okay. I don’t need an ending to be happy. I’m going to let you in on a little secret: this is just the beginning, and there aren’t any rules that say that the beginning can’t be happy too. Happy: that's all it has to be, regardless of what chapter of life it is.
My Life in 3-D
By Peter Glagowski
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
What it's like to grow up a gamer.
My life hasn’t been characterized by much more than Video Games. Since I was four years old I’ve had a controller in my hand. I may have even been born with one. Not all of my experiences with games are positive, but starting at such a young age has shaped the way my character has developed over the years.
Ever since I started preschool I had a very active imagination. Thoughts of playing Super Mario Bros. would crop up in my head during recess. I would dig little holes and jump them, set up obstacles for me to clear and even create little sand creatures for me to jump on. I wanted video games to be real.
Come kindergarten, I was even more engaged in games. Having just purchased a Super Nintendo, my mind was even more hooked. The graphical technology powering this new system was so much more advanced to me. This was like heaven: staring at a television screen with life-like technology filling my mind with wondrous images. I saw people connecting fists and kicks with each other and I knew that I had to be a part of that. I found ways to supplement my imagination. Action figures would have all-out brawls when I got my hands on them.
Lego blocks also allowed me to build towering infernos like the creatures I saw in my games. I would stack those blocks to the ceiling, it seemed, and then send them crashing to the floor. My stray hands would sometimes even connect with other kids, though I never meant for that. Having my head filled with such impressive thoughts often made me a singular child.
My early life with video games has allowed me to expand my intelligence. Since video games had fairly low budgets and little to no production values back in the early 90s, I spent a lot of time reading text. Old-school games are notorious for having a lot of on-screen text, so I was never absent from reading.
While grammatical errors were never really apparent to me, I would sound out words that confused me at a young age. I would ask my mother what they were and I would spend time in class asking the teacher correct ways to spell words. This led me to have a better understanding of grammar than most kids my age.
As technology advanced, so did my thoughts. Seeing true 3-D for the first time was like a dream come true. Nothing had ever seemed more realistic to me before. When I would dream at night it would be about Mario in 3-D. I was taken to different kinds of worlds without ever leaving my home.
More recent trends in gaming have shifted into modern warfare. Games like Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon and Call of Duty all show a hyper realistic and more modern approach to shooters. The games also bring you into the world of being in a tactical squad without any of the real danger. These types of games have shaped my thoughts and views towards the Armed Forces. While I may not approve of our occupation in Iraq, I have the utmost respect for people who choose to give their lives for their country.
The rapid growth of the Internet put gaming on websites for anyone to view. Being so ecstatic about gaming made me run to these websites the first chance I got. Since these websites are a form of journalism, video games have led me to my current major.
Continuing games gives me the payoff of exploration. Since my mind has grown through schooling and previous games, I have an urge to visit places. My mind has changed to a more visual style and gaming takes you to far off lands. Through gaming I have traveled to the far ends of the galaxy, been to ancient Greece and Rome and even through Hell.
Video gaming has had some negative effects on me, though. For one, I’m still relatively shy. I tend to not engage in conversations with people or try to look for friendships. The prospect of failing scares me, and that is definitely something learned from gaming. Gaming gives you a continue or a restart, but life only offers one chance.
Another negative effect of gaming has been my growth as an adult. A lot of my actions are still childish, even if my thoughts aren’t. I’ve never had a relationship with a woman because I spend my time in front of televisions. Despite not having a previous relationship, my thoughts about women are very chivalrous. Many video games are about saving a woman you barely know and they show no sexually explicit content after you do, so my thinking is similarly linked to that.
The future of games seems to be going back to basics. Old-school is new again and nothing could be better for me. I can finally relive my childhood with a more focused view. This will also allow me to reanalyze myself and try to fix any blemishes that may be present in my character. Games have gotten more mature over the years and that certainly can be paralleled with my growth.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Continuum 3 - HCC Club Day
February 11th was club day at HCC, a chance for students to get involved in various student-sponsored activities and groups. Co-Editor in Chief Victor Rios brings us this report from the sidelines.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Continuum 2 - A Chat with Student Senate Vice President Lillie Nguyen
Student Lillie Nguyen discusses her plans as the newly elected vice president of the Student Senate, her involvement with HCC’s Women’s Center, and her love for neuroscience with host Brandon T. Bisceglia.
Continuum 1 - An Interview with New Co-Editor in Chief, Victor Rios
Horizons new co-editor in chief, Victor Rios, discusses his foray into journalism and his views on the college newspaper business with host Brandon T. Bisceglia.
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