Reflection of the lessons I learned in the 2019 Fall semester.

The fall semester is almost over and final exams are right around the corner. Over the semester I have been able to document the more pleasant parts of my new life in Boone. Moving here from the Eastern Shore has honestly been a stressful experience. I have had to take on many new responsibilities like balancing social time and school work. “Adulting” is a process that I have had to learn since moving here. Many aspects of life that I had never paid attention to are now crucial to my well being.

I've had to adapt to be a successful student at Appalachian State. During my high school career I was unprepared for the massive workload I would face in college. The small school I attended did not provide me with the necessary training to be successful in college. As I look back on my experience in high school I realized that it was much easier than what I face today. In high school I had many teachers who helped me be successful by metaphorically holding my hand. The workload in high school was lite and I rarely had to complete homework. The structured time schedule of high school also kept me on track in completing my work. 

 

When I moved to Boone I was suddenly greeted my a totally new dynamic. Unlike the easy-going vibe of high school, college requires me to be responsible at all times. Professors expect me to complete my work on my own time rather than in class. Much more homework is assigned in college as compared to high school. Extensive research and reading is also required in many college level classes. Not only is the workload much heavier in college, but I also have to manage my time wisely. Socializing is extremely important but it is often outweighed by homework. I have had to learn to make time to complete my work when I would much rather hang out with my friends. 

Overall I feel that the college environment is preparing me for the real world. I am now responsible for myself and every decision I make has an equal reaction. Even though I'm new at this whole “adulting” thing I feel like I'm doing a fine job.

Presentation critique and grant approval

This semester my class was faced with a challenging assignment of proposing our ideas of what could make our community better. These group projects yielded many different results. Many different topics were discussed such as the opioid crisis, homelessness, and safety in schools. After completing and presenting our work we were given a scenario: I am the head chairman on the Watauga County Commissions Board. I have been given the final say on which two proposals will receive a $50,000 grant from the county. 

The idea that stuck out most to me was about an increasing methamphetamine problem in Watauga County. The presenters used surprising, yet terrifying facts about the rising numbers of meth users. They gave a detailed and specific description of the problem. They realized that they face many important facts such as the polices inability to slow the rise in meth due to business opportunities to many impoverished people. They believed that helping users and potential users would help slow the epidemic, save money on police intervention, and save lives. 

The other proposal that caught my attention was about the homeless population in Watauga county. Although the presentation was full of long paragraphs that I couldn't possibly read the information was clearly stated by the presenters. They talked extensively about the issues of homeless shelters, bus routes, and the rampant poverty in the county. I think their proposal would benefit the community.

These two proposals may have won the grant money, but every issue that was brought to attention is equally important. Watauga county needs help in many ways. It takes creativity and compromise to find the solution.     

My most recent purchase: A new mandolin

Sometimes I have a weakness for beautiful and rare instruments. I have a habit of looking at banjos I cannot afford and dreaming about the day when I buy one. When I am not looking at banjos for sale on the internet I look at other bluegrass instruments that I don't know how to play and think, “If I buy one of those and learn to play it, I'll be much more popular at the jams.” Rarely on my lifelong quests for musical machines do I come across an undeniable deal. Once, when I was fourteen, I found a prewar Gibson Mastertone banjo in an antique shop in Hershey Pennsylvania. It was remarkably cheap, but sadly, it was still too expensive for a fourteen year old boy. Another, more recent time, I found a handmade dreadnought guitar, perfect for Bluegrass flatpicking. The solid wood instrument was perfectly crafted by a preacher from Watauga County North Carolina. But again a high quality but decently priced instrument escaped my grasp. By the time I returned to the music store it resided in it was gone, sold to a luckier picker than I. 

This week I was finally able to take advantage of a great deal. I had been talking with a friend of mine about my interest in learning how to play a mandolin. Since the vast majority of the Bluegrass musicians I know in Boone can play the mandolin I thought I should try to practice some. My friend pointed me in the direction of a mandolin that was for sale in Johnson City Tennessee. The instrument that was for sale was by no means the same quality as the two gems I had unearthed earlier in my life, but it wasn't a toy. The retail price of the same model instrument goes today for $400. After talking the seller down a substantial amount I was able to secure this player grade instrument for a low price of $150 even. On Sunday November 10th I drove to Johnson City and picked up the newest member of my ever growing instrument family, an F-style The Loar brand mandolin.