Lesly's Blog: October 2020

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Entry # 6: Denver, Colorado

Hello again, my last few blogs have been a bit random, I have been trying to use more detail in my writing. Let me know what you think of my last couple of blogs!

Today I want to talk about a trip I had recently gone on. It was a family trip so everyone packed into our mom's car and our adventure began. It was a 12-hour drive, from Phoenix to Denver, we thought a road trip would be fun, as we have never really gone on trips before. I imagined it to be more fun, like this:

In reality, the trip was more like this:

There was a lot of fighting and sleeping for the most part so it was boring, not fun at all. Once we actually got to our destination, it was a trip to remember. When we first got there, it wasn't too much of a difference from the hot Arizona weather, to a Denver winter. I was born in Denver, Colorado so that is why we thought it would be a fun trip, to visit where we used to live, as well as see the snow, since it is winter. We ate at a lot of the old restaurants we used to go to, one was a Chinese restaurant. The shop was very small and we were surprised it was still there, in the same spot. They have this sesame chicken, and it was actually really good, I had never tried it before. It has a very tangy, yet sweet flavor, and the sesame seeds added a nice crunch. It was served with a side of fried rice, which had corn and peas in it, I didn't think it sounded good, but mixed with the sesame chicken, it was very delicious. We also went to a number of other restaurants, but that sesame chicken is something I am craving now that I am back in Phoenix. As for the weather, the snow was actually a lot softer than I thought it would be and it was sparkling, it was very beautiful, but insanely cold, around ten degrees Fahrenheit, the wind made it feel much colder. Here are a few pictures:

The streets were covered and at the same level as the sidewalk, as shown in the second photo. It was a little scary to drive, but in the morning, the city workers were pretty good at scooping the snow out of the road and laying sand down, to give some grip to the roads. The snow wasn't dense enough to make snowballs, but it was still fun to see. Overall the trip included good food, messing around in the snow, and watching Christmas movies with hot chocolate. I love the Christmas season, so this definitely helped me to get into the Christmas spirit! I will see you guys next time!

Sunday, October 18, 2020

Entry #5: Mayhem

Today I want to talk about a commercial I saw the other day. It was very hectic and eye-catching. Here is the link, All State ad . The ad starts out with a guy at the scene of an empty tailgate party, with trash everywhere and a car, smokng and on fire, right outside the stadium. The narrator says" I am your tailgate grill. Your buddy was in such a rush to get to the game, he didn't have time to put me out." Then, it goes to a scene of the fire inside the car next to an industrial size can of lighter fluid, as the narrator describes this stressful scene. The car blows up and the narrator says " if you got cut rate insurance, you could be paying for this yourself. Get an Allstate agent and be better protected from mayhem, like me." The beginning of the ad is meant to give an odd, but realistic example of a hectic situation. Possibly something that the watchers can relate to, then state that All State would cover this kind of an accident. Showing that this insurance company covers everything you might need it for, because they know that accidents happen. The video ends with the signature deep voice asking if you think you are in good hands.

The ad is organized to show how fast accidents can happen, like the explosion, because a grill was left on, it all happened in thirty seconds. The target audience is the average American because it is at a tailgate party and those are basically an essential in America. The video creator wants the person watching to see how fast an accident can go to a catastrophe that you will pay a lot of money for if you have regular insurance. The deeper message is that life happens and no one is perfect, everyone has accidents and people need to prepare for those. We need to get prepare for life with All State, that is how the ad persuades us to buy their insurance. I like how much this ad packs into a thirty second time slot, it is interesting to break down an ad scene by scene to really understand it.

Entry #4: Volunteer Work

Hello, today I wanted to talk about an experience I had while helping my community. I have a scholarship and in order to maintain it for the semester I am required to do community service. It was actually hard to find volunteer work that I could do during Covid-19. After weeks of searching, I finally found a place to volunteer at. I had scheduled to go to St Mary's Food Bank on October 9th for three hours. It was early in the morning, I was excited to help, but also very tired. I got in the building and there were less people than I had expected there to be. The Army National Guard was there, handing out the food to people. I helped to package food sort it into carts so everyone gets a little bit of everything; fruits, meats, milk, and even eggs.

While I was there, the woman next to me started to talk to me and to my suprise she told me she was blind. I was very surprised because she was packaging and sorting the food with no problem and she was even helping me out. She told me about her struggles with being blind and how she does everything differently than me. One thing she told me about was that she uses the noises of the road to know when to cross the street. I thought it was dangerous for her, but she kept saying she can tell if it is safe and that is how she gets around. It really made me think, that she was born blind, yet she still had a better attitude than me, she helps our community all of the time. I was not wanting to go volunteer because I just wanted to sleep in, but this experience really opened my eyes to the struggles of others around me. I am more grateful for what I have and I got a chance to see life through someone else's view. I will definitely be volunteering in the future and if you would also like to help your community you can schedule volunteer time for St Mary's at this link, St Mary's Food Bank

Sunday, October 11, 2020

Entry #3: Explosion of Flavor

Since Coronavirus started, let's be honest, mask breath is a real thing, and it is bad! I will get up in the morning, brush my teeth, get ready, and when I leave and put on my mask to go outside, after a little while all of the trapped breathing starts to smell bad, even though you may have not eaten anything.

This is my solution to this new and reoccurring problem that many of us are facing today. I cannot tell you what it is exactly, but I will bring you through the experience. Go to the store and go up by the cash registers where they have a lot of candy. Look for a silver rectangular box, the lid is originally red and has the brand written in bold letters across the lid, but they have other flavors now, wintergreen, and even a cinnamon flavor, so you can choose your favorite. The rectangular box has an old feel and look to it, it is opened to the left with hinges on the left side. Although it has a very simplistic font and look, it has been around since 1780, so this product may be nostalgic for many people and may bring back childhood memories. As you open the box it makes a clicking sound, as the tin metal slides past the clicking locks and opens. There is an immediate smell of freshness or spice depending on the flavor you chose. The actual product, very small, inside sits on a nice sheet of paper on the bottom of the tin. There are many of them in one container, they usually last me many months, depending on how many I share with others. People always ask when they see the signature red metal box. You grab one, it's quite powdery between your fingers, the white flat circle is about the size of your pinky nail, very small in your hand. They remind me of the soda candy called Bottle Caps, the same size, and texture.

As you place this small circle in your mouth your tongue immediately explodes with flavor. First, you get an intense feeling of cold all over your tongue, then you get an explosion of sweet herbal flavor, zapping your taste buds as you move it around from side to side. It is meant to melt in your mouth, but I get too impatient and chew it sometimes.

This cold sensation and mouthwatering effect only last a minute, leaving you wanting more. Go ahead, there are many more to go around!