Steven Sanchez, Jr.

Would You Rather have restricted freedom and no crime or unrestricted freedom with massive rates of crime?

I’m not going to lie. This question is way to serious for my mood and mindset right now. I know the last few have been pretty light-hearted, so I guess it is only fair (just a reminder, I don’t pick these myself. They come from a daily question generat0r).

I’m going to go with restricted freedom with no crime. Sounds almost a bit utopia-like, but I’m okay with that. One can imagine a crime-free, happy-go-lucky world, right?

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Alas, that’s my answer for the would you rather. It has been forever since I’ve blogged. I don’t like it, to be honest. It is hard for me to find time and sit down with my laptop and write. Life was definitely a lot easier back in Nashville. My blog was one of the things I looked forward to in the day.

This year’s been different, so far. My first week was rough. Really rough. Emotionally, Mentally, Physically.

Things have picked up. I’m happy to know that others have gone through some of the same trials as I. In speaking with friends, one said it perfectly. It made perfect sense to me, “I came in thinking last year was going to be the same as last. That I was going to feel the same way, think the same way, act the same…”

That friend and I have both gone through a lot lately and changed. Speaking for myself, this summer definitely changed me. And it happened for a reason. My venture to Nashville happened way to easily. It was right. It was meant to happen. Now I’m just figuring out what I was to get of that.

Lately, Africa has been on my heart. A lot. I want to go this next summer. I’m thinking for a few weeks. So, I’m thinking that the independence I gained in Nashville was part of God’s preparation for my upcoming life journeys.

It’s been a different year for sure. I’m still adjusting. Things are picking up extremely quickly. And, thus is life in a [very small] nutshell.

I am not sure what number we’re on. I noticed last week that my numbering was wrong. And I’ve yet to fix it. I will.

However, today’s question states:

Would you rather be so famous and adored that you are always bothered by fans OR be famous but hated that no one talks or approaches you?

Gahh. This is tough indeed. I thrive on being loved and adored. But to be so famous so that everybody and their mom knows me? Well, to be completely honest, that is one of my goals in life. I want to be known. But I want to be known in a good way, known for making a positive difference somewhere, somehow. But, to be always bothered by fans? Blegh. It would get tiresome.

I really do have sympathy for celebrities today. Paparazzi and reporters are always hounding them. Just let these people live their lives. That’s just my stand point, though.

I would not want to be hated, either. Although if I were, and nobody would approach me, it gives me leeway to do whatever I may please. I can act out however I like. Say whatever I want. It is almost liberating. But it is equally lonely.

Of these choices, I would have to say that I would rather be so famous and adored by others that I was always bothered by fans. And alas, now I am eager to hear what you have to say on this one. I really do enjoy reading the different viewpoints that come from everybody. Happy Wednesday!

It’s that time of the week again! I’m not going to waste any time. Today’s question asks:

Would you rather have your skin change into vibrant colors according to your emotional state (e.g. red for anger, blue for sadness) or wildly and uncontrollably flail your arms around whenever you walk?

On thissss one, I think I’m going to choose the vibrant colors. Mostly just because it sounds cool. Emotions would be very apparent, but how cool is it that your skin changes color? Haha. Now I’m wondering if it would have any effect on my tattoos. I don’t think so, they would probably just become more/less vibrant depending on what color my skin would be.

I didn’t choose the second option – mostly because it was uncontrollable. I can just imagine walking around with my arms going crazy. Shoot – I’ve hit a kid in the head swinging my keys around when I did have control. I’m just imagining how much damage I’d do with my arms and no control! It’s kind of funny actually, but yeah.

So, how about you? Be like the horse of many colors on the Wizard of Oz? Or be crazy-flaily arms person?

haha, this question was ridiculous…

Welp. I am back home in California. This summer has flown by. I was out of it for my first day or so back. I kinda felt like I was a part of the Chronicles of Narnia. I felt like I had left and was in Nashville for a really long time, but when I came back home, it felt like I had returned to the same time. As if nothing had happened. It was really quite trippy.

Alas, though, it is good to be back. It was really nice to see my parents and family and everybody again. Well, I haven’t seen everybody, but almost everybody. At the airport, as I was making my way down to baggage claim, there were my parents standing — my mom taking pictures of me as I came down the escalator. We waited for a while to get my luggage, and made our way back to Riverdale. We got home close to 2am. I am adjusting back to California time a lot easier and quicker than I thought I would. Except yesterday. I felt kinda gross all day, and the lag hit me. But I’d like to say that now I’m good to go.

Monday I visited campus – to take care of financial aid and stuff, and as I saw a few people I actually got overwhelmed and almost couldn’t handle it. It was really weird! I guess I had got used to it being just Dave and I wherever we went, and then to be at FPU and so many people were coming up to me and saying hi and asking how my summer was, and all the phone calls – it was insane! I mean I am really thankful to be so loved, but it was just overwhelming for me. I think I’m good now – all though even today my people intake was in small doses. The real test will be on Friday when we gather for Leadership Retreat.

I have missed being away from home, but equally miss being in Nashville. Going away this summer was a real treat for me. I am extremely thankful to have been blessed with that opportunity.

Now, for our would you rather question:

Would you rather try to elude an angry bull for 5 minutes, inside a 100×100 ft. enclosure, by running and dodging or try to elude the bull just once by standing there and making a sweep with a red cape like a true matador?

This one is fun. I’ve actually had experience with this one! I was raised into the Portuguese culture, and being in that culture you get exposed to tons and tons of amazing food, and just an awesome culture with fun and interesting traditions. One of these are Portuguese Bloodless Bullfights. I’ve been going to these since I’ve been young.

At these bullfights, we were invited as kids to run in the pen with a large bull calf (this is the equivalent of a grown man and a grown bull). But it was so much fun running around in the pen dodging the bull and seeing how close you can get to it. It was always a competition amongst friends to see who can get the closest to the bull. Almost like in Finding Nemo, “I touched the butt!”

Now, I’ve also had the opportunity to see an awesomely talented matador swing his red cape in front of the bull. That guy was insanely good. He knew how to put on a good show. I don’t know if it takes mad talent or courage or a mixture of the both to be as good as he was, but he was good.

I’m going to have to go with running and dodging the angry bull. I had so much fun doing that as a child. I imagine it wold have the same sense of fun dealing with a full grown bull, but I don’t care. I’m going to pretend it was in the old days when I was young and it was only a calf.

How about you? What would you do? The button’s down there, and hopefully you know the routine by now.

So, before I realized that today was WYRW, my mind was all over the place. I didn’t write yesterday. I completely forgot, to be honest. Then today, I was at a loss for words. I didn’t know what to write about. It was especially odd – because I had so much on my mind, yet no words were coming through to type out. Then, I remembered about today – which gave me some guidance! Today’s question…

Would You Rather be the limousine driver for a movie star or the bus driver for a rock band?

Ha! This one is a fun one! My initial response is leaning toward bus driver for a rock band. Mostly because that is likely to be a lot more fun and more entertaining. However, with the added entertainment, it is probably likely to have a higher danger risk.

However, with the movie star – I would think that I would be able to have a better relationship with the one person instead of a whole band. From this point, I guess that it would depend on who the band/star is. Also, in comparing the two different vehicles – bus vs. limo – I’m guessing they would both have their own difficulties in maneuvering.

Now I am getting too technical. I’m scratching the bus driver. I would rather be a limo driver for a movie star. Limos are more classy. The ruckus of a band would be fun at first, but I imagine I would get tired of it. So, there we have it. I would rather be a limo driver for a movie star.

Now it is your turn! If you’re new to my blog, welcome! But, to all, feel free to leave a comment and create some discussion below to let me and others know what you would rather do.

Would you rather be unable to stand up for yourself or never know when to back down?

This week – another more serious question. Yet again, it continues to stop me in my tracks and really make me think. I’m thinking about experiences I’ve had in the past where I’ve dealt with the issue of wishing I would have spoken up, or wishing I had bit my tongue. A lot of these instances occurred this past year during my presidency at FPU and dealing with so much unnecessary drama. However, I don’t want to get into that. Maybe that will be another blog idea. It would be real juicy. Ha, I just may.

One thing that I have definitely struggled with for a long time, and have been working towards, is the ability to speak up for myself – or to speak my mind. I think for this question, though. I would definitely have to choose the ‘never know when to back down’ option. This is mostly because being able to speak my mind all the time is a trait I desire to have. With this trait, I imagine I would hurt feelings and say hurtful things in getting my point across. But that is where the beauty of forgiveness comes in. Also, maturity. Being able to discuss things through as mature adults, without letting past things hurt a relationship.

So that’s where I stand. The button is below, where do you stand on this question?

Howdy! Happy Hump-Day. Today is an interesting Wednesday, albeit a good-interesting. All morning (and night) it has been raining, and the temperature has been low. Right now it is 68°F outside and raining. It isn’t an ugly rain, though. It is a pleasant, steady rain. It is really kind of refreshing. I’m sitting here in the office, and it is nice to look out the huge glass windows that cover half the building and watch the rain. However, all this moisture has been driving my allergies a bit crazy. I need to get some allergy meds.

Also, here at the office, the elderly man I spoke of a while back (I can’t remember what I named him…) is back. He was the one who sat on all of the comfy chairs in rotation. He hasn’t been in here since the day I wrote about him. So, it brought a smile to my face to see him in here again. Ha, to be honest, I even took a picture of him today. I don’t know if I want to post it tho. It is kind of stalker-ish, actually now that I think of it. Never mind, I’m deleting the pic. Haha.

I don’t know what it is. I’m saying it’s the rain. It is just really making the office feel super homey today. I like it. All of the familiar faces were working today, too. Especially because the past few days, it has been subs, or people that normally work the later-afternoon shifts that I don’t normally see.

Yesterday I didn’t write. During the morning, I was trying to fix up my laptop. I’ve been facing some issues with it. Been getting a lot of stop-error messages. So I was doing some driver updates and what not. Then in the second half of the day, I went and did a photo session with Dave. We are starting to work on promoting him out here. I’ve created a myspace music page for him. I have the layout done, now I just need some pictures of him. I feel really good about the pictures I got of him. I’m really becoming happy with my photography. It makes me happy. I’ve only edited a few of the pictures, but they will be up  online soon.

It was fun, we went downtown to take his pictures. I was walking around with both cameras strapped on me, and I had my bag. As people walked by, it was fun to see their expressions. I mean, I looked pretty legit. I’m not gonna lie. Especially when we went onto the bridge, there were some high-school aged girls trying to do a photoshoot too. Simply said: we put them to shame.

But alas, without any further ado, today’s question:

Would You Rather wind surf on shark-inhabited waters or hang glide over a forest fire?

Haha, this question made me laugh. But again – another tough choice! I’ve never been either wind surfing or hang gliding. So I would probably suck at both. Lately Dave and I have been watching this show about freak accidents that people have experienced. Actually, we stopped watching it. Dave can’t handle the blood. But half of the incidents were related to shark bites/attacks. I am a fan of keeping all of my appendages safe and unharmed and unmarked, because I’m pretty sure that I would fall into the water if I chose the wind surfing option.

I’ve made my decision. I’m going to choose the hang gliding option. Here is my reasoning. I’m going to be gliding above the fiery forest. Now, I’m gonna get all scientific on ya. Heat rises. So, granted my hang glider is made of heat-resistant material, I’m gonna pitch the air-balloon theory. An air balloon uses hot air to keep it afloat. Similar to that, I will use the hot air to keep me higher and safely above the fires. Then once I glide over the rest of the fires, the air will cool, and I will come to a (hopefully safe) landing.

There you have it. Now, once again – I invite you to use the ‘comment’ link below and discuss what you would rather do!

I come to you today introducing a new series of blog posts. I will call them “Would You Rather Wednesdays”. The inspiration for these came from my good friend Ashley’s blog. Every Wednesday she does “Wish List Wednesdays”. Now I didn’t mean to copy the same day of the week she did on purpose, but when I was scheming ideas of what I could do on a weekly basis, I thought ‘would you rather’ questions would be fun. Then, ‘would you rather’ just sounded best in front of Wednesday. Hence, Would You Rather Wednesdays.

To begin this series, I am going to post this question:

((Also, to keep the questions random, I am pulling them from a website that has daily WYR questions. This way it keeps it fresh and unexpected))

“Would You Rather live in a simpler time without electricity, plumbing, or cure for disease or… live in a polluted, overcrowded future without disease or famine?”

I’m not going to lie. I hoped my first question would have been more fun and lighthearted than this one.

Anywho. This question is tough. I love me some simplicity, but I equally love my technology. I’m honestly stumped on this one. Right now, I’m sitting, thinking about myself in each scenario alone. Then I recalled some camping trips I’ve been on when trying to imagine a simpler, electricity, plumbing-free lifestyle. I just realized this: it doesn’t matter your situation, but what does matter is the people you surround yourself with. I’ve got some great memories from those trips.

Now I’ve averted myself from an answer. This is a tough one! I just sat staring at the screen for a good couple of minutes, but I think I’ve come up with an answer. Call me materialistic, but I’m going to have to choose the second option. The pollution issue is fixable, just a matter of organizing people. The overcrowding could be an issue, but liveable. No disease and no famine – that’s pretty legit. It really isn’t that dark of a mental image when compared to the initial one created upon the first time reading the question.

Now: I present this question to you. I invite you to use the “add comment” link at the bottom of my blog and share some of your thoughts and feedback.

Happy Wednedsay!