Something I Really Can't Live Without: The Inhaler

Another asthma attack? Oh no, where is my inhaler I say to myself as I feel my chest tightening each second. It is such a scary experience that is never looked forward to, but sadly it happens. Although, it seems as though each attack was worse than the last, each time my inhaler has saved me from the painful misery of barely being able to breathe and coughing until my head throbs with pain. I always seem to find my inhaler at the right time, just before the terrifying symptoms worsen. I cannot even begin to think how many times my inhaler has rescued me from some tough breathing situations. In the past, there have been situations in which the asthma attack was so severe that my life was nearly taken. But somehow that little red canister finds its way into my hands and I find myself eagerly pumping the canister in order to inhale this medicine that sends a world of relief throughout my chest. It really is amazing how fast it can relieve such anguish with just two puffs, and leave me feeling as if nothing severe just happened. Overall, this little red canister is so crucial to my everyday functioning, and anytime I am without it I feel as though I am naked. Without this red canister that carries "200 inhalations" I would be a different person. I wouldn't be able to participate in such demanding sports or engage myself in strenuous exercise, which is a main part of my life now. A life without sports is bad enough, but not having an inhaler would make life almost unbearable. Through a sociological lense, the inhaler can be seen as part of the "age of convenience" we're currently in. The inhaler is so compact, small, and requires little effort to use which is what Americans look for these days.

Wallet

What would I do without my wallet? My wallet is such an essential part of my life. My wallet contains many plastic cards including the most important one: the debit card. Having this leather wallet is such a huge responsibility. Worrying about losing it, or having it stolen is enough but also worrying about money management adds on to the burden. How could such a small item yield such a big responsibility? Well, honestly I do not mind the huge responsibility that comes with owning a wallet. Having a wallet shows my growing independence from my parents. Having this leathery wallet shows that I able able to manage my money responsibly, and spend it when necessary. Through a sociological lense, others would see why people are so careful and particular about their wallets because money is hard to come by in the difficult times we're enduring at this time. They would understand why people are becoming frugal and less willing to spend their hard earned money.

Running In Circles: Track?

Yes, running in a 400 meter circle is quite fun, right? Well, for the most part it is intense and thrilling, but some might ask how can I do this every year and not get sick of it. The truth is that I really just love the sport, and yes track and field is actually a sport. My love for this sport comes from my extremely competitive personality. I simply don't like losing at all. Although, much of the student body thinks that this sport is boring and easy, they have no idea how difficult and demanding it actually is. Day in and day out, constantly training your body to run faster and more efficiently is a difficult task that takes much dedication and effort. Running outside in rain, snow, sleet, and heat waves sounds completely ridiculous to many, but to know that you are getting ahead of the competiton is instant gratification and drives me to continue everyday. Getting through the hardest weight training and plyometric sessions leaves me very satsified knowing that if I got through that who says I can't get through the next one. It comes to a point where your body is so fatigued that it's hard to even walk or better yet flex a muscle without grimacing in pain. It is amazing though, seeing how far I can push myself. It is safe to say that no other sport that I've partcipated in has worked me so hard and left me so sore. At times, the intense workouts and running leave me wondering why I put myself through this, but then again to see yourself improve and run faster than your opponents is pretty awesome.

Blackberry 8800

How would I live without my phone, is the question many of us ask every so often. How would I keep myself entertained after doing all the norms of the day? How would I connect to the world? How would I know that all is well with others at end of my world? I have to keep up with my score of games, I have keep it near me just in case of an emergency are some of the things we'll say as we imagine our lives without this innovative device. We are becoming increasingly dependent on cellular devices as these small and sleek devices are multi-functional gadgets that help in our day-to-day tasks. With the release of latest models, we can now keep ourselves updated with the latest information. Mobile phones are becoming mini computers being it that they are now able to send messages and photo images, access the internet and email, play music, games and lots more. We had not thought in our wildest dreams that mobile phones would come with so many advanced functionalities and features. These small gadgets have become an integral part of our lives, meeting the ever-growing expectations of the customers. Although, many of us will mention our cell phones as one of our things we carry, I think my cell phone is a relfection of my personality. I do not like to be disconnected from the people I care about most, and my phone allows me to keep close contact with these people. My Blackberry is key part of my life, and there's not a day that it is not on me. Not only does my Blackberry keep me close to the people I care about, it keeps me in touch with the quickly revolving world. I am able to dial whomevers number I please and engage in a conversation for how ever long I want, while checking the news or even playing brickbreaker. Through a sociological lense, my cell phone usage can be justified because it shows my need to stay in contact with friends and family. The cell phone allows me to do this with ease, which is goes back to how our country now lives in an "age of convenience."

My iPod

I remember my first silver 4gb iPod I received for Christmas in 2005. Since then, I've become an avid iPod/music listener. The iPod is such a noticeable device because it is a sleek, finely crafted electronic that is easily identified by the classic white earbuds. My iPod is constantly with me, and is a huge part of my life. It doesn't matter if its either working out, relaxing, running, or doing chores, those white earbuds fill my ears with music that basically puts me in another world. To me, the iPod is a way of escaping and drowning out our thoughts. In our modern day society, there is so much going on each day that you are mentally and physically tired by the end of the day. When the end of the day reaches, you are so apt to just plug your ears and "tune out" all of the worries and troubles you may have encountered. Scrolling up and down my iPod, having complete control of my next desired song to soothe me and put my mind at ease is what I look forward to everyday. It has become a daily routine plugging my earbuds in and enjoying the one thing I can control throughout the day. We live in a world now in which everyone is looking to have control over things, but obviously we cannot have control over everything around us. The iPod is one of the few things that you can have complete control over each and everyday. It is a huge part of our society especially for the teenage crowd. The iPod provides a sense of instant peace at mind and also gives us instant gratification. Americans are always looking for something to be "instant", we even find nowadays that even foods have now become "instant". This directly ties in with how Americans now have little patience and always want something "immediately". No one would rather wait until they got home, or wait until they got into their car to listen to music, we want our music to easily accessable. An archaeologist or an anthropologist examining this oddly shaped electronic might view it as some sort of a isolating device. This device clearly shows others that you have no interest in them, so in a way it can be viewed as being very effective.

Things I Carry: Car

Having a car, for teenagers, is the first big step towards adulthood. I remember counting down the days until I received my car because I was so anxious for that sense of freedom that some of my peers already had. Now with a car, I have many freedoms such as being able to hang out with friends more often, driving myself to school, driving to and from practices, games, meets, and even occassionally getting food for myself. The freedom is amazing, and to me, having a car is like having the world in the palm of your hands. Now that I see how much of an impact having a car is, I would find it extremely difficult to give up my car and go back to the days where I had little freedom. It is safe to say that having a car has drastically changed my life for the better. Although, a car brings much freedom to my life there are many restrictions that come along with it. Now I do not have to worry about paying for gas, insurance, or even regular maintenance now, but I realize that at some point these will all eventually catch up with me. So, even with me having a car, I am still somewhat reliant on my parents. From an environmentalist lense,