Retro Records

In the town of Bloomsburg, PA, a little record store by the name of Endless Records lies in the heart of the small community. Co-owners Nick McGaw and his wife Emily Weisgerber sit at the entrance while playing Zepedo. Across from them, a wall of buttons, push pins, and free used books line the cork board. Next to that, a wide variety of records from Marvin Gaye, Silk Sonic, Led Zeppelin, and Lianne La Havas wait patiently for customers to purchase them.

Inspired by the closing of the old record store Muggiez, Nick and Emily decided to open Endless Records in 2010. Since then, different music lovers would gather or order their very own vinyl. Sometimes customers would order or request an odd selection and combination from the record shop. One time a customer requested a rock and roll album plus a R&B album which surprised Emily.

“A customer asked for a Metallic and Lionel Richie album. This just showed the wide range of interest in music some people have” explained Emily. “Another customer requested a Morgan Wallen and Rockwell album. You know ‘I feel like someone’s watching me type…” she sang.

I shook my head and we both laughed. “I don’t think I ever heard of that song” I said.

She then continued her description of the variety of customers they would enter the shop. Children as young as 12 would discover their own variety of music and other children would accompany their music-loving parents and be introduced to a potential new passion. The only times they could not assist customers is when they ask for today’s music, specifically Hip-Hop.

“Because artists would use social media as one of the main avenues to get their music out there, it is unlikely that we carry their songs on vinyl" explained Nick. 

Because there is more revenue in streaming, young Hip-Hop artists would stream their music on social media and would not press it on vinyl. So, if a customer were to ask for it, they would not have.

"I have never played music on the machine thingy, what music would you recommend for someone looking to start" I inquired.

"Well, it all depends on the genre of music you listen to..." Emily answered, "For newcomers I would suggest playing James Brown or Patti LaBelle on the turntables" she amusingly said. "Records would sometimes come in the form of compilations. People can listen to different artists and discover new music that way. It's similar to a playlist."

"Wow! That's pretty cool" I exclaimed. "What era or decade would you say was the best time for music?"

"I would say that the 70s was the best time for vinyl music" Emily said.

"It's hard to argue with that answer. Most records were pressed in that era" Nick explained.

He then continued comparing different bands from the 70s and I kindly nodded as he went into detail about Bill Withers and Kurtis Mayfield. As he detailed each decade of music, even introducing Zepedo whose bass player is from Dinosaur Junior, I thought that I should invest into some vinyl records. He brought my attention back by mentioning Motown. Amazed by their intense knowledge of music, I thanked them for their time and perused the large collection or records they had in their shop. 

Time to Chill

 Ding, walking in and looking around the small but cozy shop, greeting the employees. "Cool cow"

"Cow outside means we're open," expresses the cashier in a white apron.

"So you guys bring the cow in every night?" asks a guy in all black.

"Yes we do" the cashier answers.

"Is it not too heavy? How many people does it take?" asks the guy in astonishment. 

"It's not heavy at all. It only takes two people, one at the front and one at the back." she says with confidence.

Such a small shop with such a big personality. Brennan's Big Chill is a shop down the street from Bloomsburg University, located at 232 Iron St, Bloomsburg, PA. With flavors rotating every day (except for the classics of course) there's always a new taste to try. It's a small homie shop with a few tables for people to sit and enjoy their ice cream. As you walk in, to the right there is a window where you and just see the cows behind and a turkey and groundhog decoration stating "closed for the season" with dates on when the season starts.

 To the left on the white wall the is a painting of a penguin and a polar bear eating ice cream together with "Big Chill" beside them. The shop serves ice cream, Italian ice, root beer floats, milkshakes, and more. With classics like cookies n' cream and ones with funky names like bedazzled, which is peanut cups in raspberry ice cream, the rotating new flavors are always a surprise.

The staff is super friendly with their big smiles and "welcome" whenever someone walks in the shop, they can make you feel very welcomed to be there. Opened and established in 2004 by Debbie and Brain Brennan, this shop has been make original ice cream recipes that everyone loves. They have produced over 200 ice cream varieties and are still producing more. This shop is definitely a favorite chill spot for the summer in Bloomsburg.

Why Swim for Bloomsburg U?

    Stepping into the main entrance of Nelson fieldhouse on upper campus at Bloomsburg University if you veer off to the right you will come to the natatorium where Bloomsburg university's swim team is located. Strolling the hall many awards and action shots of past and present swimmers are visible. The smell of chlorine hits the nostrils before the door is cracked open. Coming by the many banners indicating hall of fame athletes and the trophy for being the winner of the PSAC conference captures the eye. Opening the door a big scoreboard and timing system where results are shown to your left. Then the main attraction is the 6-lane pool with nice-looking starting blocks and flags. The coach's and assistant coaches' offices are to the right. Decorated with knick-knacks, fancy drawings, and pictures.

    You meet Stu Marvin very tall man dressed in khaki shorts and a red Bloomsburg swim shirt, head coach, and Hall of Fame swimmer of Bloomsburg University. Through my interaction, I have gathered that the team is very relaxed, more than approachable, and understanding of the individual so that the passion for the sport is still strong, rather than just focusing solely on winning and being the best. Stu recounts a time when he reached out to a competitive adversary from Kutztown University to help with his 200 freestyle named Ed Fleury. Ed would tell Stu to change the pacing of his swim, taking it out a little faster. Eventually, both went to the National Championship back in the late 70s. The team still holds some of these practices and values to this very day where they make friends from other teams and push look to have good sportsmanship. 

    Another key value Stu told me is your responsibility you are responsible for yourself, when the competition comes it's not about the coach or anyone else it is just you. The person is motivated to work hard and take more accountability for themselves the coach will only help so much. Wanting to learn more I conversate with 5th-year senior Matt Marvin also tall and dressed like he is ready to lift also with the big perk of being the coach's son he tells me the biggest focus on the team would be "looking out for each other constantly having each other back". From mental health, to practice, and even helping out with school you can always come to your team for help. 

Figure 1 

    Moving on from there, the individualization and prioritization of self are also present in the workouts. Most workouts are designed for the betterment of the swimmer. Matt (Figure 1) would tell me less yardage is done to help make "us fined tuned machines". It is not the norm in most programs as most stick to lots of yardage. Starting at 7,8, or 9 am you have a lift lasting an hour. Later in the afternoon, you have a choice of 1,3, and 5pm practices to make sure you get your classes in. The yardage that is done can be over four to five thousand yards. The short practices focus on techniques to make the individual better. "You have to want to do it, you have to be self-directed" is what Stu tells me when it comes to workouts. The off-season will show this as mentioned by the Stu kids will lift and do a little bit of swimming to stay in shape and be ready to go for the preseason. I turn my eyes during the interview, I see swimmers in the water competing with each other racing in practice, and making an effort. Stu would tell me he designs sets that help you to fail to encourage learning and improvement. Sometimes to learn, you have to fail looking back and reflecting can help enhance the swim and make significant changes.  

 

Figure 2 

This lesson can be enhanced through the principle of hard work in practice leading to better swims, Matt mentions the team loves to use the phrase "respect the brand". Using this a lot at meets and in big events as the team is proud of their accomplishments. The men's swim team has been the most successful in Bloomsburg for the last few years earns you a big reputation that you have to uphold. Many runner-up trophies and a PSAC title winner (Figure 2) tend to leave a big mark on the university. The men's and women's teams have a huge commitment that is very rare with most teams spanning many years of awards and honors. The men and women are stacked against the PSAC conference that holds 18 teams. Both men's and women's teams are stacked highly getting better each year. The women hope to achieve a PSAC title while the men look to eventually reclaim the title after failing to do so last season. 

   

 If hard work in the pool was not enough for you to be convinced, the team works hard in the classroom and outside the classroom. The team's overall GPAs last semester were high with a 3.50 Women's team GPA and 3.23 Men's team GPA (Figure 3). This includes 22 men and women making the Dean's List for the last semester. 

Figure 3

Charity is also very important to Bloomsburg swimming many members look to contribute wherever possible a big event that the team contributed to last year was the chipping and repainting of the Bloomsburg Park pool (Figure 4). Matt mentioned many other examples: working at Bocche bash, helping in the local soup kitchen, and teaching kids how to swim. This year the team is looking to improve on their generosity by working more community service hours and giving back to their community. 

Figure 4

    So, why Bloomsburg? The commitment to one's self and team spirit is there with this team they seem to have their heads on their shoulders and are really looking to better themselves and the community around them. The coach is dedicated to his team and passionate about making you the individual better while also relaxing and getting to know everyone individually. As for the team itself, it is passion and something they love doing the team does not seem to falter they have big goals and are hungry for more. The drive to swim this team has and work harder makes this shows what it means to swim for Bloomsburg.

    

    

Calm and Casual

    Spinning on his navy Nike running shoes Dr. Foley turns to face the class, looking over his students from beyond his clear colored square glasses he gives them a smile. He lays his bag down on the floor and turns on the projector to a powerpoint on one tab, and a movie clip on another. As he prepares to teach his eleven am U.S. History course he flippantly asks "Anyone do anything fun over the weekend?". Dr. Foley stands taller than most, and keeps his salt and pepper hair combed neatly to one side. He usually wears an odd colored button up, such as his navy blue with white spots that has the look of a clear starry night, as well as

various colored dress pants. One such dress shirt can be seen in the photo to the right, beneath the sweater he chooses to wear on brisk mornings. Dr. Foley is very much a casual teacher. As he teaches his class he meanders around the front of the room, sometimes from right to left, going behind his desk, or in front of it, every once in a while pausing to casually lean his back on the wall, all while his hands rest relaxed in his pockets. Occasionally Dr. Foley will even roll about the room while on his white swivel chair, scooting around much like an ancy five year old would.

    Dr. Foley, as he paces, gives his students his version of a lecture, which involves many more questions and interjections from his students than the usual lecture. He tops all of his lectures off from a clip of a relevant movie. Analyzing films that take place throughout history to see "how problematic" as he puts it, is one of his favorite hobbies. This particular day he plays a clip from Lincoln, explaining how it shows the tension of the time, but also the things the movie does incorrectly. After this class Dr. Foley will jump right into teaching the same course again at noon, after which he will take a short lunch break, where he normally eats a sandwich, before welcoming students into his office hours. 

    Dr. Foley is a new professor at Bloomsburg through the Frederick Douglas Institute, moving from the University of Virginia to teach this year. UVA is the school where he got his PHD, through a PHD fellowship program, after working for his undergraduate degree in Oregon. This was actually Dr. Foley’s second attempt at an undergraduate degree, his first right out of high school ended after he dropped out. Being a first year student within the Foley family, he found himself unready to become an adult and turned to alcoholism. Coming out of college as a drop out in his early twenties he described himself as “unhoused and dying of alcoholism”. After some time he decided to go straight and “I have been 15 years sober now” he claimed, after being sober for a few years he jumped into a sales/marketing job. “I saw that all these people around me who had degrees weren’t as smart as I was, and it motivated me to go back and finish my bachelors degree.” After his bachelors he applied to the PHD fellowship previously mentioned. Dr. Foley focussed on the Carceral State for his PHD, a video leading to quick dive into what the Carceral state is can be found here.

    Since moving to Bloom Dr. Foley has set up his office on the second floor of the Arts and Administration building. Upon entering his office the first thing a person would notice is dim lighting in the room. Dr. Foley always leaves the lights off, but the shades on the window up, which allows for natural light to spew in, this gives the room a warm feeling and a disarming dimness to it. Much like his classroom his office is very much plain. There are very few objects of color in the room, one notable thing is a bowl of candy he keeps on his desk in a sky blue ceramic bowl. It rests in the same position each week, like a dog sitting patiently for it’s owner to give it a walk. This bowl hasn’t had the contents changed in a long while, the same few AirHeads and Starbursts remain laying haphazardly in the container. Another key detail to this small room is the bastion-like coat rack resting in the corner almost behind the door. When sitting in the gray plastic chairs on their little cushioned seat this large wooden rack looms over you in a menacing way, almost like a feral animal waiting to strike. Next to the looming rack stands Dr. Foley’s neatly organized bookshelf, it sports nearly eighty to ninety books standing at attention. Each rests leaning on the book to its right, with the very last
book on each shelf leaning diagonally like a support beam to hold the rest up. Dr. Foley reads a wide variety of books, such as things from W.E.B. Du Bois on slavery, all they way to books on Marxism. This neat, yet casual room fit the mold of the person who resides in it very well.

    Dr. Foley during one of his classes, while waiting for some students to catch up with notes, pulled a white raised plastic chair to the front of the room. He smirked and chuckled a bit, and remarked “You know, I had a nightmare the other night. I was sitting on this chair right up here in front of yall, and I fell off the chair. All of yall just sat there and laughed and nobody helped me up.” He smirked and chuckled, “I’m sure one of you guys would help me up if that really happened.” The class shared a quick laugh at the casual little joke, while Dr. Foley went back to pacing with his hands in his pocket preparing to pick back up the lesson.
    The casual flow and banter that Dr. Foley encourages is one of the reasons his students like him so much, one student remarked “[Dr. Foley is] a very charismatic and laid back teacher.” This bond between student and teacher is one Dr. Foley appreciates deeply. “The best thing about teaching? Well it’s a two way tie for me, one is getting to see people light up.” Dr. Foley described that seeing a student become inspired, or learn something that truly intrigues them is one of the greatest feelings as a teacher. “The other is seeing improvement in students, in class with grades for students who don’t necessarily find history as their best subject, but also just in general.” As such Dr. Foley is a very accepting and welcoming teacher. During one of his classes a student arrived nearly seven minutes late, and many have witnessed the wrath of teachers for even being moments late, however Dr. Foley just smiled and dismissed their apology explaining that it was no big deal. He quickly told the student where they were in the notes, and what they had missed.

     Taking pride in his work Dr. Foley enjoys teaching as much as learning. “Having students who have no prior knowledge of the things I am teaching them, I love to hear their perspective, those minds are a blank slate and are the most creative.” He claimed that he learns more from his students than he could ever teach them. Dr. Foley truly attempts to reach out to all his students, and ensure success in all of them, making hima very approachable and friendly professor at Bloomsburg. Whenever a person is looking to take a history course, make sure you keep your eyes open for Dr. Foley, he is excited to meet and get to know as many students as possible, and is even open to help out in other areas however he can.

A Day With Kiwis

Have you ever wondered where all the fruit that comes to your table comes from, what process it has to go through?

It may not be something you think about often, but it's important and interesting to know where these foods that are part of our lives come from. Kiwi Berry Organics is an agricultural property located at 145 Pipon Rd Danville, PA. This wonderful farm will dazzle you with its beautiful landscaping filled with a seemingly endless amount of kiwi trees. The warehouse has a large entrance that is used for loading and unloading product, and to the left of the entrance is the maintenance tools area, In the center of the warehouse is the packing line where all of the product is packed, on the right side is the lobby and the coolers that are used to store the product, the lobby has a few chairs to wait in before entering the office, the office is in the back where you can meet the owner of the place.

David J. Jackson has been in business for 9 years and his goal has always been to provide his customers with the highest quality products and the best possible treatment, "For me the customer will always come first, because thanks to all the people who support me I have been able to grow my business" David has created a company with a great atmosphere of respect and kindness among all those who work there, he likes to talk a lot with the people who come to the place and always give new and old customers kiwi to taste.

He says that once some old friends came to visit him with their little son and he welcomed them with a great euphoria "Hello, how are you, it's been a long time" while hugging them a little tightly "it's a pleasure to see you again" with a little nostalgia and happiness.

"It's good to see you too," replied the couple with the same joy.

"And who is this little guy," asked David with a big smile on his face?

"He's Cameron, say hello son," said the mother, "he's a friend of the family".

David asked them in a helpful manner "would you like to try what we harvested this morning" and the excited couple answered "yes, it's been a long time since we've had kiwi".then Davis went to get some fresh kiwis and gave them to the boy but he looked disgusted when he saw the kiwi.

David with a curious tone asked him "do you like kiwifruit", and the boy with his head shaking sideways said no. David replied "how will you know if you like it if you don't try it" with a little encouragement so that the boy would change his mind.

Then the boy bit into the kiwi with a bit of disgust, and then with a very surprised look he looked at his parents and the parents asked him "do you like it", and the boy with a smile moved his head up and down.

Then David happily said to the child "See, you just had to try it, I'm so glad you liked it", and that's one of the reasons why he likes this job, to generate emotions with the things he does, to create more smiles with his product and to keep improving every day.

Beyond being an exotic fruit like the kiwi, you will be surprised to know that its process is similar to that of other fruits; To begin with, all the workers report at 7:00 a.m. to start the day, those who are in charge of cutting the kiwi from the trees have to wear comfortable clothes that give them more freedom of movement to be able to cut better and it is also recommended that they wear a cap or hat because they have to spend 6 to 8 hours under the sun to cut the kiwi and a pair of gloves to avoid mistreating the kiwi, and when they are equipped they proceed to go with baskets for harvesting.

To know if a kiwi is in perfect condition you must check if it is ripe, if it has black spots or any strange deformation, and after verifying that the fruit is in perfect condition proceed to gently remove the fruit from the branch and then put it in the basket, as it fills your basket.

Then there is a person who is in charge of transporting the collected kiwifruit with a forklift to the warehouse where the packing process begins. 5 that is filled with 25 to 30 kiwis approximately, it takes 12 of these to fill a box and 156 boxes are needed to fill the pallet that is used to load the truck that will be responsible for distributing the kiwifruit and so is the whole process that passes the kiwi to get to your table, is similar to other fruits but for this farm is something more special, is a lifestyle that daily workers strive every day to give you the best possible quality in their kiwifruit.

The Silence of Knowledge

    

    Towards the end of the quad if you are upon lower campus or the first sight you see as you drive into the campus this bulwark of a building standing over the quad and creates the gates to enter the campus. As you cross towards the entrance of the building there is two shinning tiffany windows standing above the entrance with names of Truth, and Virtue. Walking through the front door the light whiff of coffee catches the nose from the next door star bucks connected to the library through the gathering place. Stepping through two wooden posts that look like metal detectors stepping forward towards the stairs on the right is a large clock made of books with their titles stating the number on the clock.

    The first floor spreads out with clumps of chairs intersecting large tables for groups to converse, while around the first middle pillar is 4 computers set like a compass in their formation. Across from them on the other central pillar is two large 4 bin printers. While I was watching the room looking for the details I wanted to convey I watched a member from the circulation desk get asked a question stand up head over to the printers and swiftly rip it apart the printer pull out three papers that were folded like an accordian and swiftly reassembles the printer as the print job continues to finish what the student had queued. All throughout the first floor there is this subtle and low murmur of groups and friends talking, with the quiet air you can hear the clacking of keys on the computers around the room occasionally you can hear the beep of a barcode reader from the ID scanner and the circulation desk barcode reader. Heading further into the depths of the library on the first floor there is large filing cabinets full of hundreds of thousands of a thing called microfiche which is a super compressed image that needs a special machine that uses a microscope to enlarge the image. Right next to the region of microfiche in the back depths of the first floor of the library there is large pull out cabinets with microfilm a larger version of microfiche but stored on small reels of film. 

    Ascending up to the second floor of the Andruss Library towards the left is a large open area with the two Tiffany windows, which when I was talking to Mrs. Linda Lapp who is the night shift manager mentioned the Tiffany windows followed all three libraries, it use to be over in the student service center which was the library when she went to bloom. Around the second floor front area there are scattered tables all around and rooms full of dampened sound from people inside the study rooms discussing their group projects and class material. Off to the right side of the wide open room there is massive shelves with crack wheel handles for compact shelving and on the other side of the room study rooms litter the sides of the walls with a large table and TVs to collaborate on projects. Leaving the left side of the second floor there is large stacks intersected by the current magazines dividing the reference collection and the Juvenile and curriculum collection. Far off to the right side of the main shelving on the second floor is the government documents collection.

                                                             "Truth"

                                                             "Virtue"


    Moving up towards the third floor the distinct smell of older books hits you as the start of the general collection begins. While interviewing the night shift manager she looked up on their system that there is over 450,000 books within their entire general collection which takes up the third and fourth floors.  Towards the left is two large square group study rooms open to the draft of the room, with a few extra study rooms around them. With one office of the provost of the university tucked away towards the back left side. On the other side there are massive stacks of books, and computer desks surround like sharks to their prey around the stacks of books. Within the stacks holds endless events, history, and knowledge occasionally you can find a few students littered about searching for the right book for their research or just to read a topic they are interested in. 

    The smallest of the floors is on top of them all the fourth floor has no left front room, just the large unyielding stacks of books and bound periodicals. surrounded by study rooms and a quite zone the sound of silence is pierce by the hinge of a door, the subtle step of a shoe, the clacking of a keyboard, or even the occasional squeak of a cart full of books ready to be reshelved upon the stacks. Towards the far end of the fourth floor stacks is a few shelves of massive oversize books, as large as a human torso some of these massive oversize books were thin and long. Finishing through the large final half of the collection tucked away towards the very back area is the specialized software quiet area.

    Descending the stairs the light steps down each one can be heard all the way down. Towards the first floor the faint smell of coffee comes back as the sound of discussions picks back up with the murmurs and laughs being interlaid with sound and life, seeing the large clock just by the stairs as across from the stairs is the circulation desk. Walking through the large wooden posts with the tender quietness of a place to learn, study, meet friends, and get work for classes done with peace in mind.

More Than Just Staff

 The Kehr Union building is well known at Bloomsburg University. It draws students over for many reasons. One reason is the late night wings, which has students of all years in a line which snakes around the lounge or the games room where the boisterous laughter and sound of pool balls clanking can be heard from the hall. No one place in Kehr is similar to another but they all have one thing in common, the staff. Most of the time the sound of the staff talking and laughing with each other can be heard throughout the lounge. Behind the welcome desk they sit nonchalantly with each other. Other times they march in groups around the building doing rounds. "Rounds is a wonderful tour of the building, usually with a partner" one staff member said with a deceitful smile when he said wonderful. This tour takes them to places most students don't know exist from down below the building where the sounds of machines echo throughout to high above the ballroom where they can get a birds eye view. 

                                                                        (fig 2)

The welcome desk, which is just a hop skip and a jump from the husky lounge is where they mainly reside. A giant table with three barriers due to Covid and a handful of chairs (see fig 2). A beautiful row of pictures of each staff member sit on the outside of the desk. The staff usually do homework or talk and sometimes answer questions. Students come up with just one question in mind "Where's the bathroom". "We get that a lot", one staff member chuckled. In between sitting there and talking the staff also do what they call "sets". Sets are setting up areas of the building for events. Many times while the staff  is relaxing a handful of students meander to some seats and talk about their day or this new person they met. One staff member told a story where they had just come back from rounds and they saw two people making out in the lounge. The staff member was taken aback and politely asked the people to chill out or leave. 

  

(fig 3)

The most popular area that the KUOSI operate is the games room. Directly to the right is a staff member that checks the IDs to make sure everyone going in is a student. Once  past them the front desk is usually the next stop where another person sits in front of a horde of different board games and video games(see fig 3). Many nervous freshman mosey to the desk to spy something they fancy. This is not the main event though, the most common thing asked for is pool balls. At the back of the room is a string of pool tables eagerly waiting to be played on. Each night all groups of people come in to play pool to the point where there is more students than tables. Just walking past the games room a cascade of sound hits you, from laughter to the clanking of pool balls to the beat of a famous pop song from the 2000s emitting from Just Dance. "It gets poppin". One staff member remarked while nodding. During rush hours in the games room the person behind the desk for most of the night is frantically grabbing pool balls and helping the many students who want to get on the Wii, barely having time to sit down. The sign in staff member has an easier job but sometimes they'll get a new student who will just walks past them and they staff have to yell for them. "It happens more than you'd think", they noted slowly.  

(fig 4)

The biggest and the hardest place that KUOSI staff operate at is the ballroom. Located at the 4th floor of Kehr, the ballroom houses the biggest events KUOSI has to offer. Every event there is made by the sweat of the staff. The staff walk into the ballroom to do a set as bright eyed and hopeful, they leave with heads down with sweat. The events there are like no other. The 90's night for example has music thumbing out into the hallway, a horde of students at the door waiting to be checked in, piping hot food that makes you salivate. The staff jump in and out of costumes navigating between groups of people(see fig 4). "It's hotter than you'd think in here" one staff member remarked while drenched. The staff members sometimes have to be 4 different mascots. This doesn't stop them though, as the doors slide open it's showtime. They jump out flailing their arms and hyping up the crowd. Foxy the Fox seems to be a crowd favorite because the ballroom erupts when they come out. 

KUOSI staff may not be the reason most people go to Kehr, but the staff do their best to make sure any student who needs help or is just looking to get away gets help. Vibing at the welcome desk to sliding food on peoples plates, they do it all. "It's the most interesting place I've worked at" a staff member announced with a smile. The staff do everything to make sure tomorrow is not the same as today.

A Journey to Topsfield, Maine.

            Maine is Ranked the 15th most beautiful state according to thrillist. At first sight as you cross the state line into Maine it seems just like any other state but, what hides in the forests is the sights of a lifetime.

        Topsfield is in the northern part of Maine being about a half hour away from the border to Canada. There is a wide variety of things to do in Maine. I stayed in a cabin along East Musquash Lake. It took a total of 13.5 hours to drive to the cabin from Elysburg Pa. It was around 10:30 pm when I left my house.

Getting out of the truck and getting a deep breath of the crisp fall air felt amazing. There was only one main road for miles upon miles. (See Pic 1.) It felt like a home away from home. The people were very pleasant and nobody was rude. The only bad thing about being in that remote part of Maine was the cell service. If you would get two bars you were lucky.

Pic.1

                      The lake was behind the cabin and I headed towards the dock before I drug my heels into the sandy ground. There was something on the dock and it was really big. It was a spider the size of the palm of my hand. (See Pic. 2) I walked cautiously onto the dock trying not to startle the brown creature.  I crunched the spider underneath my shoe and it was like stepping on a potato chip. The man who we rented the cabin from walked towards us and was smiling at me. His voice was calm and he seemed very knowledgeable. He chuckled, “ That's the best thing to do with those fishing spiders.” “I remember growing up and for some darn reason I went to pick one up”, the man exclaimed. “It bit my finger and I ran back inside to my mother and she said that I would be fine in a few days but I learned my lesson,” he said softly. “My name is Joe by the way,” as he held his hand out for my dad to shake it. 

I then was looking across the lake trying to find the other side but it seemed to stretch out for miles.  As the sun was setting that night I wanted to get a picture of the sunset over the lake. I remember that there are black bears in Maine so I was observant of my surroundings. I got onto the dock and saw the prettiest sunset I've ever seen. It was yellow and the yellow faded into orange and into the light red on the west side of the lake while the east side was turning a deep blue as the night sky rose with stars dotting the night shining in the night like a light hitting diamonds. (See pic 3.)

pic.3

                    The next morning we ate french toast with Joe and his wife Ramona in their beautiful log cabin. The living room walls were lined with all kinds of animal mounts ranging from a squirrel to a moose the size of a bus. As I was looking around Joe came over and started asking me if i knew what all of those animals were. "Of course I know," I said with excitement in my voice. Joe softly asked, "Ever see a bull moose that big". I shook my head and he continued. "I was around 20 or so and we were fur trapping and I heard this moose crashing through the woods." "I then saw that moose standing about 100 yards away and I decided to shoot it," he said as he was finishing his breakfast.

                    During that week long visit I went fishing, swimming, and hunting for a black bear. I shot my first one and it was around 230lbs. I remember looking down at my phone and then back up from the tree stand and there he was. I later learned that black bear will walk on on rocks and moss to avoid making noise from the sticks or the crunching leaves that lined the forest floor. The worst part was dragging the bear about a mile or so back to the truck so we could then butcher it back at camp. (See pic 4.)

pic.4

                   I remember waking up that Friday thinking how is this week over already. I did not want to leave this beautiful state. I ended up sleeping on the way home but, one thing I won't ever forget is the smell of the crisp autumn air.

A Trip To Railside Beverage

Figure 1

      Located on 544 Ferry Street in Danville Pa, there stands an old rustic building compiled of a seemingly endless array of red brick. As one reaches the front door, they are blinded by bright neon signs hanging from the office windows. They read "Bud Light", "Yuengling", "Goose Island" and, of course, the flashing open sign that seems to welcome the customers, which can be seen in Figure 1.

    As customers walk through the front door, they trigger a motion sensor, "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" and in a blink of an eye, they are greeted by an employee. Jim, who is the manager of Railside Beverage, usually appears from the office door with a red Alabama football tee-shirt along with a "Roll Tide" hat to greet everyone with a big smile and a "How can I help you today sir/mamn". Jim is a tall and built man, highlighting his previous years as a professional weightlifter. 

    "When I'm in this store, only two things matter, beer, and football!" Jim chuckled. "I hope to make everyone's day better by helping them find the perfect drink, I know I enjoy sitting, watching the game, and cracking open a cold one. I'm just happy to help people get to that bliss." 

    As customers check out the abundant amount of beer in the saleroom, Jim never fails to find something in common with them.  "Alabama needs to do better. No way we can lose again!" he says to a man wearing an Eagles shirt. Even though the customer had no signs he was an Alabama fan, Jim remembered this detail from a conversation long ago and made the customer feel seen. 

Figure 2

Figure 3 

    The showroom floor, as seen in Figure 2, has pallets of Miller Light, Keystone Light, and Coors Light stacked as high as the eye can see. As customers make their way to the left side of the store, they will see shelves jammed packed with craft beers: IPAs, sours, domestics, and many more options that seem to be endless (Figure 3). This section is the most vibrant corner of the whole store, With bright colors and fun designs, these drinks are created to catch a glance. If a customer finds their way to this section, they will almost always pick a drink because "It looks cool!" as this corner seems to be the gathering point for customers to converse about what beer to try next. 

     That's just all the warm beer customers can choose from. As customers wander up to the massive refrigerators, they are met with even more options of beer: ciders, malts, domestics, spiked teas, and more. If any questions arise during their browsing, such as "Is this good?" or "Where are the Vizzys?", Jim used his sixth sense and appears, practically begging to satisfy his customers, as he's always trying to make everyone happy.

Figure 4

As customers decide on what beer their buying, they make their way down the handmade ramp that leads to the office by the front door. The office door is white with paint chipping off it as it looks like an old farmhouse door. (Figure 4) As the door opens it's very squeaky and also sets off the “ding dong”. The two doors are close in proximity. The office where customers pay is surprisingly clean for a building that has been around for decades. There is not a trace of dirt on the floor and the counter is shiny and smells of lemons. There is an overall smell of cleanliness in this space. If shopping for beer sparks an appetite in his patrons, Jim also has an assortment of snacks available for purchase where customers pay. While checking customers out Jim continues always making small talk with every customer and shows off how much knowledge he has of them. When the customer leaves the store,  the “ding dong” plays again as they walk through the parking lot to get to their car. All that's left is Jim standing there with a big smile on his face waiting for the next customer to greet!

     

The BU Store

"What's always really important to me is for people to understand that we are a nonprofit, and that there is no big scary corporation somewhere that is like taking student's money." assured Laura Heger, the BU Store manager. Created as a nonprofit organization, the BU Store could give back to the campus and students of BU. Bloomsburg University's student government, called the CGA (Community Government Association), owns the beloved convenient store. This shop sits peacefully in Soltz Hall, in the campus of Bloomsburg University. 

Beyond the BU Store's wide entrance, customers encounter crowded tables cluttered with merchandise filling up the space. The well-lit room, setting a sense of comfort. Looking down, the floor presents multiple patterns of different shades of light grey carpets and glossy brown woods. Upbeat sounds of music play through the speakers surrounding the store.

Left corner

In the back left corner, a medium-sized sign reading "Grab & Go" in black letters clings on a painted white brick wall, displaying the line of fridges and rows full of many foods available to students in need of a swift purchase. "We try to keep an assortment of products here, especially necessities." Laura informs.

To the right of the store, customers encounter rows of neatly cluttered tables full of apparel. Tall mannequins nicely dressed in Bloomsburg merchandise, creating a real look to the clothing. Shades of maroon and gold merchandise dominated the space. "They love coming here and shop for clothes. They don't always love shopping here for books" exclaimed Laura presenting a gleaming smile following a laugh. Other merchandise including clay shaded maroon mugs, striped socks, colored beanie hats, and school backpacks with Bloomsburg scripted in the material can be found surrounding the area. 

Center Store

Walking beyond the bookshelves full of books, proceeding to a hallway, Laura Heger's office is discovered as the first door on the left. Laura, sitting with dark brown hair with bangs covering her forehead and glasses that perfectly match her outfit. She wears a kind smile, both smiling with her eyes and her lips. Dressed in a dark brown shirt with wide sectioned vertical black stripes and over it a black cardigan. Laura started working at the shop, nine and a half years ago, in accounting. Presenting a warming smile she states, "Honestly, I love books. So when I saw the position, I applied `for it because I knew accounting and books." Laura later got promoted as the store manager. Being the person in charge of all aspects of the store, Laura stands as a devoted woman. 

Laura Heger

Students can buy school supplies at the BU Store as well as food and clothing. Upon the right back corner, sits shelves filled with notebook paper, different shades of folders, black inked pens and wooden pencils. Students calmly walk down the qued line, cashiers greet customers with a cheerful, 

"Hello, how are you today."

"I am good how are you?" customers reply granting a grin.

 
Seeing students wearing maroon "Bloomsburg" sweatshirts, while their backpack hangs off their back. During the busy hours, students and family members clutter the area, chatting as a whole.

Everyday, the store gets more supplies, "Most of our clothing and stuff like that, we get from like FedEx and UPS. They come in every single day." Laura explains. Professors submit what textbooks they want their classes to have, and the store gets and supplies them to students in need. Some of the professors do not see the need to submit but recommend the books for you to get on your own. Simply, they either forgot to submit or they knew what they were doing. Students are given the option to pick a used or new book. Most people get used because of the fact that it is cheaper. Other skeptical people want new, in fear of not liking what the last owner wrote or the condition it is in.

On Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, customers can swing by between 7:45am to 7pm. Fridays, the store is open between the hours of 7:45am to 4:30pm. Saturdays they open 11am, close at 5pm, and finally on Sundays, they open from 12pm to 4pm. Doors are proudly open to everyone, just come in between the right times.

Jaleinda's Kitchen

    It's a calm Tuesday evening in the JKA apartments, laughter and the clatter of pans can be heard from the hallways of the third floor. The smell of seasoned chicken, lime, and onions fill the air, while small bowls of cheese, lettuce, and sauce are being spread across the gray countertop in the kitchen. Yes you guessed it, it is Taco night! Taco Tuesday is a serious holiday in our household. One of my roommates, Jaleinda Thompson, always prepares a feast for my friends and I. As we sit around the living room, laptops in hand working on our assignments, laughing and talking amongst each other, the sound of Spanish music can be heard in the background. "Okay chicas, dig in!" Jaleinda shouts as she puts out napkins and plates. One by one we all scurry to the kitchen to prepare our tacos. Our mouths watering at the sight and smell of the delicious food, we all sang and created our tacos. Hard shells and soft shells are seen on a warm pan in the center of the table, while small clear bowls of cilantro, cut up lime, diced tomatoes, chopped onions, shredded lettuce, and bottles of mild taco sauce surround the counter. 

    As we gather in the living room, each of us takes a seat on the blue couch, two brown chairs, and the white furry bean bag. Only the sound of the crunching of tacos are heard as we enjoy our meal. My two other roommates as well as our friends came up with the bright idea that Jaleinda should start selling her platters. No other person on campus sells cultured platters and who wouldn't appreciate a good home cooked meal? As time went by Jaleinda created her own small business known as Jaleinda's Kitchen. She has made a series of platters like birria tacos, rice and chicken, steak and mash potatoes, chicken alfredo, pasta, and more. She has received over 40 customers and her business just keeps growing. 

    When asked where her passion for cooking came from, Jaleinda exclaims with a smile on her face, "my mother has taught me how to cook when I was younger, I've cooked our meals for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, it has always been my comfort hobby." Before every platter Jaleinda makes, she puts on music using the blue J flip speaker, washes her hands over the steel sink, and hums in a light pitched voice as she prepares her ingredients. Her attire while cooking has always been the same, curly light brown hair in a ponytail with a variety of different color exercise shorts with a tank top. Jaleinda has a weekly menu where you have the choice between two different dishes. The price always depends on the items on the menu, but generally range from $12 to $20.

    Jaleinda's work space is always organized, after every meal she prepares, she washes each dish, cleans the counters, puts away her ingredients in the brown cabinets above the stove, and organizes her leftovers in the fridge. Her availability is from Monday to Thursday, "As in every Spanish household, my kitchen is closed on weekends" Jaleinda chuckles. Till this day, Jaleinda has not received a bad review on her cooking. Her prices are reasonable and she always makes sure to put a generous amount in her platters, so that every customer can have leftovers for another day. She wraps each dish in aluminum foil and in glitter lettering writes down the name of the customer. Deliveries in our apartment suite are always free as our roommates love to help deliver. However, customers outside of the JKA apartments have to pay a fee of $3 for us to travel and deliver to them. 

    When asking the public so far what has their favorite meal been, Jaleinda states " I would have to say my birria tacos have definitely been my favorite meal to make as well as my best selling meal." On a good day she gets a total of 20 orders and starts preparing from 8 am until 6pm where each meal is

ready to be delivered. Each week, she makes a poll on Instagram where she connects with her customers and posts 2 options of what they would like the next week's menu to be. Jaleinda reminisces about how much her business has grown. 

    "To think I started out with just making food for our girl's nights in the apartment to now having wonderful random people eat my food is amazing. I am very grateful for this opportunity and so proud of how I have put myself out there." Jaleinda cries. 

    

    Jaleinda Thompson hopes to inspire other people throughout campus to put themselves out there and do what they love. "There will always be people who want to see you fail or don't want to support you because their friends don't want to, but there are also great people in this school that will support you no matter what and will do everything in their power to see you grow and flourish. Do not give up on your dreams, it is only the beginning." Jaleinda states.

    

    

    

"Daddy Sang Bass"

 My whole life I looked up to hardworking cowboys since I was kid . I admired how they could do almost anything with enough hard work. However in this world only one person  has earned my respect and trust since the day of my birth. That man is my Father. I have collected some interview material pertaining to who I have chosen to write my blog about. With the turn of the knob  from the back door I knew my father was home. Like I was once again a kid I rushed to see him. The air smelled of sweat, manure, and feed. Although disgusting to some to me it smelled like home. My father always was a hard worker. Always had dirt around his crows feet and a nice

sunburned complexion that complemented his silver hair. When he finally sat down after taking his jacket and baseball cap off I asked if I could interview him about his job. At first he refused as he thought it was a waste of his time but relented when I offered my assistance with the horses. The next day my father brought me around the horses for the first time since I was a kid. The large stable sat perfectly parallel to the old ranch house as if the horses were keeping an I on my father. I walked in and was greeted with the familiar smell of Horse poop that could knock you flat with one sniff. I followed my father as he turned left into the office where he was keeping the horse feed at the time and proceeded to give me a bucket to scoop up some feed and deliver it to a hungry patron. As I approached one of the horses I felt a little uneasy as I did when I was a child but shrugged it off when I realized I am not that little kid anymore. I opened the first horse's gate and backed him with my left hand. Immediately to my right I noticed his feed bucket and poured him his food. I then did the same for three more horses while also giving them hay to snack on. I asked my father if he knew any of their names. He knew them all by heart, even their breeds. I then began the interview process by asking him how long he has been ranching. In which he told me he has been doing this since he was knee high to a grasshopper. As we continued the interview he had asked me to saddle up and we began to ride the freshly fed horses down the dirt road that led to the ranch house. The next question I asked him was how long has he been riding a horse and how useful of a skill has it turned out to be? “ I've been riding horses since my dad taught me when I was a little younger than your age and it is a great experience for those who have never done it before and when ever I need one they let me on their back no matter what”. My father then detoured across the field to take a look at the rotting fence. My father spoke “You know when I was your age I fell off my first horse. I was riding with my father the same as us right now when a little garter snake spooked the horse and threw me like I was nothing”. I remember that story he told it so many times before but I just let him tell it every time to humor him.  We proceeded to knock down the rotting fence using sledgehammers. One little wind up over my shoulder always does the trick especially when the wood is already hanging off the decrepit fence. After a long day my father and I drove back home listening to “daddy sang bass” by Johnny Cash and I realized how much I respect that man.