You Were Meant For Amazing Things...

Dear piquant readers,

So I had a small child poop in the pool I was guarding at and may I just say that IT IS ABOUT DANG TIME. I've been praying for an incident of this manner to occur since pool season started.

You see, if someone defecates in the pool I get to close it for anywhere from 3 hours to the rest of the day. The time of today's unfortunate fecal leakage was about 4:30 and we got to close for the rest of the day. In case you're wondering: No, this blog post is not going to go into vivid detail about someone's solid bodily wastes.

The fact of the matter was that I was sitting in an empty pool and the only company I had was the company of my own thoughts.

Anyone who has read some of my earliest posts might be thinking "oh great... here we go."

I'm proud to say I think I've finally developed a consistently positive outlook on life. It took a lot of work. The saying "bad habits die hard" is not to be underestimated. For the longest time I felt like I was fighting the Hydra. For those of you that aren't quite on the same level of geek as I am: The Hydra is a monster from Greek mythology. It had a multitude of heads, and every time you severed a head more heads would grow in its place.

If I recall the heads are quite serpentine. As in they're like snakes. I. HATE. SNAKES. If I could eliminate one animal from the world it would be mosquitos first, and snakes after that.

I mean... there isn't a many headed mosquito that I know of. If there is, please let me know.

The Hydra was a fearsome monster. It was so strong that Hercules couldn't kill it alone. So he brought along his nephew, Iolaus, to help him.

I spent a long time battling my own thoughts alone. They were things I didn't want to share. After a while though, those thoughts begin to make one feel helpless. They make you feel worthless.

Luckily I had a lot of Iolauses that, whether they know it or not, aided me in overcoming my Hydra.

A very good friend of mine made a video once, that talked about how it's a gift to have someone in your life who believes in you.

I'm so lucky to have friends all over the state of Missouri who truly believe in me. They know my goals and dreams and they push me to achieve them. It's seriously the most satisfying feeling.

Now I want to pass on that message: If you have goals and dreams you need to chase after them. Find something that gives your existence purpose. There are people in your life that believe in you. I believe in you. Go out and change the world, because God knows it doesn't need to stay the way it is.

Also, if you ever feel a little down, I would like to recommend you give this song a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePg7sDbwBzc

There's a line that says, simply: "You were meant for amazing things." This song seriously makes me want to go and change the world.

Here's hoping all of your dreams come true. Stay real, everyone!

Tyler

It Feels Like A Perfect Night to Dress Up Like Hipsters...

I hope the title isn't misleading. This post has nothing to do with Taylor Swift's lyrical genius (it's okay you can laugh. She probably won't read this. But, Taylor, if you are reading this please use my full name in your next album. I'm poor and going to be in college).

Unless you count the fact that my new Macbook that I'm writing this on is considered a "hipster computer" as relevant. And then I guess, by some small degree, the title is (still not at all) topical. Let me go grab my beanie hat, drug rug sweater, and fake glasses before I write anymore. #HipsterStatus

*insert rough segue here*

This summer has been quite the learning experience for me so far. For example: I got to learn what "debt" is. I've always lived in a tiny bubble when it comes to money. If I didn't have the cash for something I couldn't  have it. But that's apparently not how college works. Now if you don't have the cash (unless God or the American Lottery decides to bless you sometime in the near future or you are pre-blessed by your socioeconomic status) apparently you can make some total stranger pay for it! They call it a "loan." I don't know what that is, but it sounds easy *insert cheesy audience laughter from a bad 80's sitcom that is consistently played on Nick at Nite here*.

Now when I was faced with the whole debt thing I could have reacted in a number of ways:

I could have broken down and sobbed (I've been told when I cry I look like Kim Kardashian).

I could have robbed a bank (tempting, but Criminal Minds has taught me that this would probably end with me getting killed).

I could have gone "Incredible Hulk" and flipped my advisors table (she probably would have been able to take me in a fight anyways).

Or I could grit my teeth, except the fact that I'm going to have to work this off in the future, and not worry about it.

As much as I wish I could turn into a giant green monster, I decided that the last of the above options would be the best one.

If there's one thing I'm good at it's Spongebob trivia. If there's one thing I'm GREAT at it's worrying. I've gone most of my life worrying about things that I really shouldn't have wasted my time on (I already have grey hairs!).

But I asked myself this, and I challenge you to ask yourself the same question when you find yourself worrying about something: Is it worth it? Will you worrying about whatever it is that's bothering you help you fix the problem? Is it productive? If the answer is yes: Keep on worrying. Fix the problem. If the answer is no: DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. JUST FIX IT.

This post was really to alleviate my boredom and share my latest epiphany... and to make a joke about Taylor Swift...

I'm done now. Thanks for reading!

Tyler Hannsz Solo *insert another laugh from another cheesy sitcom here*

The Chronicles of Narnia (and by Narnia I mean MASC)...

The week of MASC's Summer Leadership Workshop in Fulton, Missouri is quite honestly the most chaotic week I think I've ever experienced. The week of MASC's Summer Leadership Workshop in Fulton, Missouri as a Junior Counselor (JC) was the most satisfyingly chaotic week of my life.

I was blessed enough to get to spend 7 days with 52 of the most outgoing, crazy, fun, and supportive people in the whole world. Over those 7 days we each got to watch 637 of the state's best leaders grow as a person and develop their leadership skills. I don't think I've ever been happier in my entire life than during this past week.

I was lucky enough to get to spend time with Council E this past week. Watching them grow together and form bonds was magical. They became a team and a family. They became important to each other. They overcame obstacles, had fun, shared laughs, and created memories. They experienced the Magic of Fulton.

In the same way that council E bonded, the JCs for camp also bonded. I don't think I will ever find a group of people that I trust more than the JCs for the 2013 MASC Summer Leadership Workshop. They all seem to enjoy a good poop joke. They're all outgoing and helpful. They mean the world to me, and I miss them terribly.

I think I understand how the Pevensie children felt in the Chronicles of Narnia felt. They went to this amazing land and had adventures that changed their lives. Then they had to go home. They had to leave all of their friends behind and return to normal lives with normal people in a normal world.

That's kind of what leaving Fulton felt like... minus the talking animals, deadly battles, and potentially lethal plot-line. Fulton was an amazing land and the week was a life changing journey. Eventually it was over and we had to go home. Most of our friends live across the state and we had to go back to a life full of people who don't really understand why our week was the single best week of our lives.

There are a few differences, though. Yes, we had to go home. But some of our friends are still nearby. Yes, a lot of our friends live across the state. But we don't have to use a magical wardrobe to go see them. We just need gas money and the time to make the drive. People might not understand why MASC changed our lives, but we can show them. We can ooze gusto because that's our job.

 We are the ones who are supposed to give Gusto to the people who haven't experienced it yet.

We are the ones who are supposed to step up and give a helping hand when times are hard.

We are the ones who are supposed to help change and better the world.

And we can do all of these things together. We might be separated by distance and time, but distance and time are a small issue that can be easily overcome.

I will never forget this past week. It has left an impression in my memories that is far too deep to ever fade away. There's a famous saying that goes "It's not goodbye. It's I'll see you later." Google couldn't tell me where it was from (which was shocking), but I think it's a good quote to hold on to.

We might not be together physically anymore, but emotionally we're all connected, and we WILL see each other again.

Regina Spektor says it best in her song "The Call" with the lyrics "Let your memories grow stronger and stronger, 'til they're before your eyes. They'll come back when it's over. No need to say goodbye." I know in my heart we'll see each other again. So I refuse to say goodbye, because goodbye feels permanent. So I'll say this:

See you later, MASC.

I'm Such A Teal...

If you read my post about the colors of leadership then I'm hoping this title rings a bell. If you haven't, I implore that you read it before continuing on. And because I'm such a nice person, I'll include a link to it:

http://thelifeofanotejew.blogspot.com/2013/02/i-see-world-in-colors-of-leadership.html

Moving on.

Today was my StuCo banquet. As in my last event with the Liberty High School Student Council. EVER. Now, most people know me as a musical person. That one unathletic kid who plays the viola and recently joined choir. I'm going to let you in on a secret, though: StuCo is what turned me into who I am today.

Music made me a disciplined, patient, and slightly competitive person. And that's great.

StuCo, though... StuCo made me passionate, spontaneous, caring, organized, happy, loyal, timely, crazy (in a good way), friendly (sort of), outgoing, excited, empathetic, harmonious, negotiable, serene, calm, and a million other things. The result of 5 years of blood (I've bled for StuCo on a number of occasions), sweat (it's quite the workout), and tears (manly tears) with some of the most outgoing people (both my StuCo family at home and my MASC family in Fulton) have molded me into a person that, after a lot of soul searching over the past year, I've decided I kind of like.

As a Sophomore on StuCo I was the little kid. I was a small person in a big school and I wasn't too outgoing. I did what I had to to get by. I didn't join Student Council again because I wanted to make a difference. I joined Student Council because I had done it before and it was something familiar. Sophomore year was also the year that I had mono. I wasn't at school very often (I missed 1 out of every 9 or 10 days on average) and I didn't go to a whole lot of events. The events I did go to were fun, though.

As a Junior representative on StuCo I had to put my nose to the grind stone. There was one dreadful word that makes all Juniors on StuCo cringe: Prom. Prom is your job junior year. And dang if it isn't a stressful one. Your whole goal is to throw a dance that the senior class will never forget. It wasn't necessarily fun at first... but then I went to the Missouri Association of Student Councils State Convention.Wow. My eyes were opened. I had heard of MASC before, but I didn't know exactly how amazing it was.

MASC is crazy, loud, exciting, a rush, fun, insane, familial. MASC is home to me. Some of my favorite people in the whole world are people that I met at MASC. Once the festivities of prom (and I use the term "festivities" lightly) were over, I was off to MASC's Summer Workshop in Fulton, Missouri. It was part of the requirements for my newly acquired office (Student Body Vice-Presient... holla!) StuCo camp was literally the best week of my life... and I'll be surprised if I ever have a week that can top it.

Senior year StuCo. I'm the vice-president of the whole Liberty High School student body (granted I ran unopposed...). I have HUGE shoes to fill and a new calendar to maintain. Memories of camp with Family K (my camp council) are still very much vibrant and running through my head. I am now one of the people in charge on StuCo, instead of being one of the people being told what to do. The 2012-2013 StuCo is by far my absolute favorite. It's a year of firsts (our first StuCo lock-in, our first Stu-Co banquet, etc.). We hit the ground running, and the hard work didn't stop until today when our final banquet was over. I teared up a little bit, I'll admit. This year StuCo was emotionally exhausting in the best way possible. I've never been more proud than I was this year when I watched all of my StuCo family develop both as a group and as individuals. What's more is that I got to see my MASC family again at Winter Energizer during the Martin Luther King weekend. This year was a year full of group success and individual success. Group success because our StuCo bonded, we put on 3 killer dances, a ton of community service projects and we had fun doing it. Individual succcess because I managed to tackle Spike-It-Up without having a conniption and I get to go back to MASC Summer Workshop as a junior counselor, which I currently consider my biggest life accomplishment (even ranked over finishing 8th in the state on viola).

I don't think there's a thing about high school that I will miss more than StuCo. I wish I could be a part of it forever, but that chapter of my life is finished and it's time to pass on the torch. I love every single person on StuCo more than I can describe with words, and I can't wait to see them tackle challenges that life throws them and climb mountains that stand in their way. I am so indescribably proud of the StuCo that I was blessed enough to be a part of for 3 years, and knowing that my time with them is done kills me.

It may seem selfish, but I hope that in some way I managed to immortalize myself in Student Council. I hope the class of 2013 StuCo members managed to do something that will forever be remembered by every StuCo that comes after ours.

I hope we made a difference.

Graduating with Spongebob Squarepants

I had to write a graduation speech for Comm. Arts... Enjoy.

Throughout my life, I have had many learning experiences. For example: It’s never a good idea to drink apple juice right after you brush your teeth (for the record, I hate orange juice). Fedoras will never be in style. It’s perfectly okay to wait to do an assignment until the night before it’s due. If you have to choose between doing your school work and getting on Twitter… well 4000 tweets later and you should be able to admit that you have a problem. My name is Tyler and I am a tweet-a-holic. If you would like to sponsor me please let me know. If you leave a Lego on the floor and step on it, you will be in pain. Likewise, if you leave a Lego on the floor and your parents step on it you will be grounded.

                There are a lot of lessons I learned in my childhood, but some of the most important lessons came from my childhood hero… Spongebob Squarepants. This little sponge practically defined the meaning of life. Without Spongebob I never would have learned that the best time to wear a striped sweater is, conveniently, all the time! The Krusty Krab pizza is indeed the pizza for both you and me and mayonnaise is not an instrument*mind blown gesture.* But there are five very important lessons that Spongebob and company taught me that have been able get me through high school:

1.       Pursue your goals with enthusiasm. When Spongebob and Patrick wanted to be entrepreneurs did they let anything get in their way? No. They sold their chocolate bars with their eyes on a prize: Fancy living. Nothing could stop. If you have a goal don’t let anything stop you from going after it. Former football coach and motivational speaker Lou Holtz once said: ““If you're bored with life, if you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things, you don't have enough goals.” High School has taught me that life is much more enjoyable if you wake up every day and tell yourself, like Spongebob, “I’m ready.”

2.      

       You don’t have to be what everyone expects you to be. My spirit animal, Gary the Snail, once said: “Meow…” I’ll just let that sink in. We live in a society where people want to turn you into something. There’s no rule that says you have to let them. If Sandy Cheeks conformed to society would she be living in a dome underwater? No. She’s a squirrel. Coincidentally she’s also a woman who is a rocket scientist and a karate master. Spongebob and company taught me that it’s perfectly okay to be an un-athletic male in a society obsessed with sports. Perfectly fine. Not one thing is wrong with that scenario. Everyone has the right to be the person that they want to be. Except for Jack the Ripper.

3.     

            Don’t take things for granted. The world is not obligated to hand you your life on a silver platter. If you expect the world to be spoon fed to you, you are sorely mistaken. If you expect life to be spoon fed to you while saying “open the tunnel, here comes the train!” you are sorely immature… and still mistaken. The fact is that sometimes your neighbor / co-worker annoys you. They like to sing songs and interrupt your clarinet playing. They’re kind of loud and obnoxious. But when you find out that they might have swallowed an explosive pie you realize you took that person for granted. You are going to miss that person. While we might not realize it now, there are things about high school that we are going to miss. It varies from person to person. Don’t wait to appreciate the things you have until after they’ve ingested an explosive pie.

4.    

             Your friends are important. Every Spongebob needs a Patrick. Who else is going to go Jellyfishing with you? Who else will blow bubbles with you? Once upon a time Spongebob asked Patrick “What do you normally do when I’m gone?” To which Patrick replied “Wait for you to get back.” That’s beautiful. If there’s one thing that Spongebob taught me that has helped me survive the occasionally hellish world of public high school, it’s that you should be able to lean on your friends. More importantly you should be able to have fun with your friends. High school was a lot easier when you were having fun.

5.    

            If you have a passion you need to go for it.  Squidward plays his clarinet. Sandy is a rocket scientist karate master. Mr. Krabs is a cheapskate. Spongebob does karate, fry cooking, jelly fishing, the occasional song, laughing, nose-fluteplaying, weight lifting when he had those blow up muscle arm things that I wish I had, driving (kind of), and his love for Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. Everyone minus Lindsay Lohan has the right to be passionate about something (as long as that passion isn’t collecting your nail clippings, streaking, veganism, or a dedication to bad personal hygiene). If you love it go for it. If you want it you need to go out and get it, because good things don’t come to those who wait. Good things come to people who get off their butts and chase after them… unless you count excessive amounts of cholesterol as a “good thing.” Then by all means, sit there and wait.

 High school is a government mandate that occasionally drives you crazy… just like sales tax. However, unlike taxes, high school was, hopefully, good for you and a learning experience. Hopefully you will walk across that stage, diploma in hand (unless you didn’t pay those parking tickets or library fines) and feel like you have accomplished something. As young adults I think that sometimes we forget that this is the end of a chapter, and the novel of our lives is still very much in the beginning part of the story. The best part is that you’re the author. Write the story that you would want to tell (and try not to base it off of the life of Amanda Bynes or Charlie Sheen). There’s a whole world out there that you haven’t seen yet. So as the random pirate picture on the wall would say… are ya’ ready kids?

My Bucket List...

So for Comm. Arts we had to make a bucket list... and here's what I came up with.

Please. Enjoy.

15. Learn to play the cello, piano, violin, oboe, clarinet, and french horn. Just because.

14. Perform Bruckner's 8th Symphony. Just because the finale is my favorite thing ever.

13. Perform Mahler's 8th Symphony. It's perfection for the ears.

12. Be in a Jenna Marbles video. She's sarcastic. I'm sarcastic. YouTube would explode from the sarcasm.

11. Meet (Marry) Jennifer Lawrence. Shes basically flawless.

10. See Paramore, Muse, and Mumford & Sons in concert. They're simply my favorite bands.

9. Catch a fish. Never done it. I've been fishing multiple times.

8. Learn to play the Bruch violin concerto and the Dvorak cello concerto. They're my favorite concerti ever.

7. Obtain doctorates in psychology and viola performance. Just so I can be "Dr. Hannsz."

6. Use said psych degree to better the world. Even if it's just one person's world.

5. Go back to MASC camp. Check.

4. Be on Chelsea Lately. But really. You'd watch it.

3. Tell Amanda Bynes and Lindsay Lohan to get their s*** together. Just to be able to say that I did it.

2. Be on the SNL weekend update. I love political humor.

1. Take friends to Boston and Rhode Island. I want to go back SO BAD.

Anticipation...

If my senior year of high school was the mile run that I'm forced to suffer through in gym, this portion of the year would be what I like to call "The last stretch." It's that part of the mile where athletically challenged kids (Such as myself) are super winded, have a stitch in their side, but you know if you don't finish everyone will laugh at you. 

My trick to actually finishing the mile before class is over, though, is to envision the satisfaction finishing the run will bring. So that's how I'm going to power through the last month of school (and there really is only a month left of my high school career): I'm going to envision all of the fun I'm going to have this summer, and if I overcome the obstacle that is senioritis I will have earned the right to have a great summer. 

Things I am looking forward to this summer:

1. Life guarding. Is that weird? I'm looking forward to working. I mean... "working." I think I have the best possible summer job. Sit there, get a tan, get paid. The hard part of my job so far? I had to sit there in the rain once. I have to check the chemicals in the pool. I clean the bathroom on occasion. I mean, as long as nobody starts drowning it's pretty easy (so don't get any ideas, Woodneath residents). The best part of this summer is probably the fact that I'm friends with a majority of the people at my pool this summer. Oh, and the money.

2. Royal's games. So this weekend I learned that, SURPRISE, you can go to sporting events and have fun if you're in good company. Who knew? I for sure want to go back. It's a good opportunity to just relax and enjoy myself, and we all totally deserve to relax and enjoy ourselves after the stresses of high school are put behind us.

3. Worlds of Fun... I hope. Rollercoasters really bring out my inner adrenaline junky, and I promised myself that there were a few people who were going to get over their fear of amusement park rides whether they liked it or not. Challenge accepted.

4. My final two youth symphony concerts. Youth symphony is a life changing program that helps anyone and everyone evolve as a musician, and I'm going to cherish these last two concerts. I don't know what I'll do with my Sundays after June.

5. My senior recital. People don't appreciate the dedication and discipline it takes to be a musician. This is my chance to show everyone what I've been working on for the past 7 and a half years. 

6. Potentially MASC camp? That has yet to be determined, but I'm going to cross my fingers and hold my breath and say a quick prayer that I can go back one more time. 

7. Spending time with friends. Whether it's at the pool, or sitting around a fire in someone's driveway, I'm going to cherish the time I get to spend with people this summer. I go off to big boy school in a few months, and a lot of us will be parting ways very soon. Who am I kidding? I'm going to be a hot mess on move-in day. Someone's going to have to hold me. 

I'm not sure what the future holds in store for me, but I'm going to hold my head high and hope for a good summer. This is the final stretch of the race, and I plan on finishing strong. 

Have a great rest of your weekend everyone!

-- Tyler