As you see this bobble-head in front of you, you may wonder how this man with gold chains and a mohawk could describe me at all. To that I will say ‘more than you’d like to know’. I, like Mr. T, am an individual. Both of us have multiple sides which make us unique. Everyone knows of Mr. T’s tough side, but few know of the man who gave all his gold to charity when he got cancer and is deeply religious. Overall, I have not had any life-changing events, but I will try to describe why I am who I am.
     As some of you already know, I am quite a creative and unique guy (or crazy according to some…). I endlessly think about different ways to accomplish things. In high school spanish classes, for example, most of my presentations and skits were about either Mr. T, Dracula, anthrax, or a combination of those. I dare any of you to find another sobe drinking conservative violinist who has a website about Mr. T, listens to alternative and classical music, loves dance dance revolution (but dislikes most dancing) and plays classic video games on a regular basis. My creativity is my outlet and I would probably become a grumpy, angry man without it.
     Another important trait of mine is that I’m overly analytical- both of myself and of other things. I often analyze every move I make several times before I actually do it. This usually prevents me from making large mistakes, but gets rather annoying when I don’t do something because of the 1% doubt in my mind. I believe my analytical nature is partly caused by my growing up so fast, both mentally and physically. For example, I had to shave occasionally in my later grade school years and I was regularly labeled as withdrawn since I did not typically rant as much as my other classmates. In 8th grade, for example, I was asked if I wished to leave my honors English class because I “didn’t seem to be enjoying it.” Even though I often appear off-the-wall, I’m usually quite mature on the inside. Since I spend more time observing than ranting, I can usually understand much of what people go through. I can tell which things are really important and which are not. Also, I almost NEVER lash out. It is a Herculean task to make me angry. Only recently has it seemed like my peers can look at things in the same ways I can.
     Overall, I am more similar to Mr. T than one may think. We both do what we think is right and have outrageous exteriors that belie our vulnerable innards. We both can be strong, sentimental, comedic and intelligent at the same time. My ridiculous mix of traits is what makes me myself. Sometimes they’re good and sometimes they’re bad, but that’s the way I like it.