Brush with the Stars

Doug Pat is his name. He is an architect that graduated from Penn State before I was even born. He is rather successful in architecture and he even designs some cool products. In 11th grade, when I was determining my future, I found his youtube channel that explained the intricacies of architecture. His channel was titled "HowToArchitect" and he had a series that was called "So, you want to be an architect." Certainly, at the time, I wasn't sure, so I began to watch his videos. After a few days, I made up my mind, I wanted to be an architect. And so, Doug Pat became an influence in my life. I continued to watch his videos on architecture and loved every one. He gained the status of celebrity in my book. I sent him a harmless message thanking him for his videos, not really expecting a reply. I got one, though. In fact, I was surprised to find out that he attended Penn State and would be critiquing with the 2nd year architecture students that next week; he wanted to meet up. I was rather ecstatic, but to my disappointment, my critique ran over time and I couldn't find him. I thought I would never meet him.

Sitting in Studio talking to my friends, someone suddenly shouts my name. I look up and there he was, Doug Pat in the flesh. We shook hands and he began to tell me a little about his life and his experiences and gave me some advice. It was a brief encounter, but it will always be in my mind. I met the man who influenced me to begin architecture. To me, he was a bigger celebrity than Brad Pitt.

Young Love

Her name was Gabriella. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She could do no wrong in my eyes. If she ever needed anything, I was there. If someone said something bad about her, I would quickly jump to her defense, whether it was true or not. She had absolutely no blemishes.

She lived in the apartment across from mine. Sometimes I would see her on the balcony with her dad, but I was too afraid to wave. Still, I followed her everywhere. I always wanted to be part of her group. I would do whatever it took. Her beautiful long hair, her corny jokes, and her big brown eyes all made me like her even more. I wondered why all of my other friends didn't feel the same way. They were just stupid. They were too immature, I reasoned.

Nothing ever really happened between me and Gabriella. I was probably a pest to her, actually. It didn't help that she was five years older than me. It also didn't help that I was only ten. But, a boy can dream, can't he?

Yet, she was the first girl that I ever liked. I'll probably always remember her. But looking back, I can see that I was blind. A ten year old would never be able to have a girl like that. She was popular. What was I thinking? Plus, she wasn't what I made her out to be. She was a big jerk, to put it nicely. Sure, she was beautiful, but that's about all she was. Her personality was rather bitter, so perhaps it was for the best that things didn't work out. Nevertheless, Gabriella will always be my first love.

Working On Dialogue

I chose option number 4.

"Four months to live seems like such a short time."

"I know, honey, but you have to look at the bright side of things. Everyone is dying, whether they want to believe it or not. My time just came a littler earlier than everyone else."

"Bailey, you have always been so positive. Why do bad things happen to good people?"

"We have to live with what we are given. Look, there's no reason to have a pity party. At least we know. Now we can enjoy each other while I'm still here. It's better than not knowing. We have four months to have the best time of our lives. Let's go on this cruise and enjoy the time we have left."

"When I bought these tickets, I didn't expect it to be going on such terms. I don't know what I'm going to do without you Bailey."

"Meg, we have been together for forty years. We'll always have the great memories we shared. And they don't have to stop yet. A lot can happen in four months. Why are we wasting time fretting over something that can't be changed? Cheer up, dear. We have great adventures waiting for us."