That was I, 

Hot wheels and legos

Video games, box TV

A small school with small friends

Park days

Neighborhood friends gathered

For one last go around

Not understanding 

What was to come.

Yes, that was I.

And that was I,

The young kid riding his bike

In an empty neighborhood with the heat of summer

No cares to give,

Nothing but time to waste

In Lincoln, Nebraska — neon clothes, Nike shoes.

There was a tree

Rather what was left of a tree

Who once stood tall 

A life taken away, change

Killing time before change came to me

Yes, that was I.

And that was I,

Responsibilities came with

Growing up isn’t fun

Jobs, School, Relationships

Constant stress, headaches

Wishing to move on

To start a new chapter

Maybe something better?

Yes, that was I.

Author’s note: This is my revised draft of my poem. I feel pretty okay about it, but I’m sure there is room for improvement somewhere. I’d like feedback on whether anything sounds awkward so I can change it. 

I am from backyard summer evenings

From Pontiac’s and Chevrolet’s

I am from the quaint red brick house

Cozy, tight, quiet but loud

I am from dark green grass

Cut long twice a week

I am from timeshares and german heritage

From William and Lori

I am from broken cars and endless projects

From “work hard” and “do your best”

I am from Sunday mornings

messing around

I am from Nebraska, the good life

sauerkraut, steaks

From the hands my father regularly cut

The hard-working back of my mother

Picture books lie in the somber basement

Holding memories which cannot be replaced

Austin Y

English Outline

Gas and Diesel are better than Electric cars

Hello, my name is austin yaeger and today, i will be explaining why gas and diesel burning cars are better than electric cars. Most people, and most of you, drive either a gas or diesel car, so they have to be the best, right? You can’t haul much of anything with an electric car, but you can with gas or diesel cars. In many ways, gas and diesel are better than electric. Then again, electric cars are better than gas and diesel in some ways too. Gas and diesel can both get good gas mileage, but electric smokes them in that category. In general, the cost to buy a gas or diesel car is less than it is to buy an electric car. Also, gas and diesel cars do emit greenhouse gases into the air, and electric cars do not. However, the power plants that produce the electricity emit tons of pollution.

1. Diesel still gets good gas mileage
   1. Most electric cars’ mpg is around 84 mpge, which is very good for getting around town
   2. New diesel cars get around 30-40 mpg, which is pretty good for a diesel burning car
   3. According to Cheryl Knight, author of “Should You Buy a Hybrid, Diesel, or Electric Car?”, says that “One of the biggest disadvantages is finding a recharge point when away from home.” Trying to find a recharge point away from home is sometimes impossible, and can be dangerous when on a road trip.
2. In general, electric cars are more expensive than gas or diesel
   1. Not just buying the car itself, but repairing batteries and other electric car specific parts are expensive
   2. Some electric cars are fairly priced and range around $35,000 dollars. On the other hand, some electric cars can get very expensive to around 80-90,000 dollars.
   3. According to James R. Healey, author of  Electric cars vs. gas cars, says that,”Need expensive accessories. Installing a 240-volt home charger for a plug-in hybrid or electric car — pretty much a practical necessity — runs $1,500 to $3,000.”
3. Gas cars’ emissions are getting less and less
   1. According to John DeCecco, “Gasoline vehicle efficiency is already improving by nearly 4% per year, while emissions from U.S. electric power generation are not even declining by 1% per year.”
   2. Emissions are getting better for both, but the electric cars’ power plants where they get their electricity causes many bad emissions
   3. Looking at the numbers, we would assume that gas cars will one day be as efficient as electric cars
4. Rebuttal #1 – Electric cars are better for the environment
   1. According to John DeCecco, “If you think that electric cars will be needed someday, you first have to greatly cut carbon emissions from power generation.”
   2. The power plants that produce the electricity to charge the cars actually produce a lot of bad emissions that can seriously hurt the environment we all live in. algae blooms = death of all fish in the ocean
   3. The batteries they use in electric cars are actually not very good for the environment, “there should be greater environmental concern about power plants before rushing headlong into electric cars”
5. Rebuttal #2 – Electric cars are cheaper to repair
   1. According to John DeCecco, “To replace a battery pack outside of warranty could cost from $4,000 up. Battery warranties are long but not infinite — 100,000 miles”
   2. “To rebuild a gasoline four-cylinder engine, if that seems a fairer comparison, would cost roughly $2,000, though it could range much higher”
   3. Just because there might be less parts to an electric car, does not mean cheaper. The batteries themselves can cost a fortune to replace or repair.
6. Conclusion – In the end, the positive effects of gas and diesel outweigh the positives of electric. Between gas mileage, price, and emissions, gas and diesel are better than electric. Then again, nothing beats the sound of a big greenhouse gas emitting diesel plowing through the neighborhood. I thank you all for listening to my speech, and i hope you learned a little more about gas, diesel and electric cars.

Knight, Cheryl. “Should You Buy a Hybrid, Diesel, or Electric Car?” YourMechanic Advice, 2 May 2016, www.yourmechanic.com/article/should-you-buy-a-hybrid-diesel-or-electric-car-by-cheryl-knight.

James R., Healey and TODAY USA. “Electric Cars Vs. Gas Cars.” USA Today, n.d. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,cookie,cpid&custid=nebstlib&db=f6h&AN=J0E124353845113.

Austin Yaeger
Mrs. Wiederich
English 2
11 April 2018
My Grandpa
During our class, we’ve been discussing adversity. We’ve seen adversity through novels that we read. From the book I read called, The curious incident of the dog in the nighttime, I saw how the main character had a couple adversities. I saw how he had to deal with autism and many family problems. I noticed how the main character didn’t let those adversities hold him back from what he wanted to do. In my life, I also have a couple of adversities, but not anything major compared to what Christopher had to deal with.
In my life, I have faced adversities and so has everyone else. My adversity is that I’ve never had the “Grandpa” experience. Before I was born, my grandpa on my mom’s side past away. Although my grandpa on my dads side is still alive, (as far as I know), I’ve never met him. From what I’ve heard, he isn’t a good man at all. He would abuse my dad and his brothers and sister. He would yell at people because of his temper. One of the many stories my dad has about him is that he was watching TV, when all of a sudden a newborn kitten walked in front of him. He decided to take his anger out on the kitten so he kicked the kitten across the room and broke its neck. All in all, he wasn’t the ideal person to be around. On the other hand, my grandpa on my mom’s side was the complete opposite.
He was a God fearing man who cared for his family. He had a love for music that wasn’t comparable. He played the accordion for others in his band and owned his own music store. At the store, him and his wife, my grandma, would give lessons. He would give accordion lessons and my grandma would teach people how to play piano. My grandpa would always make people smile and laugh whenever he could.
Unfortunately, he died before I was born. He died in late nineteen ninety nine, just a couple months before my sister was born. Everyone that knew him was touched by him and his love for music. My mom says that “You couldn’t go anywhere without Dad seeing someone he knew.”
In my life, this adversity doesn’t directly effect me. Sure it’s sad he died, but I can’t spend my life being sad. I’ve learned to get over the fact that I’m never going to see him until I go to heaven, so I’ve changed my mindset from being sad he’s gone, to being excited to finally get to meet him one day. Now I’ve never had the “Grandpa experience” either. Some people have a different idea of what that is, but my idea of it is having your grandpa teach you helpful tips or do fun activities outdoors with him. I don’t think my grandpa was ever the outdoorsman, but I could’ve learned a lot about music from him. Today, I play the trumpet in my high school band. I kind of enjoy playing it and push myself to hit higher notes and play at different paces.
What I’ve learned from this adversity is to not live life with a bad attitude. Don’t think about the downs you’ve had but rather focus on the future and what will come next. I’ve learned to overcome adversities by not thinking negatively about them. Even though it may be hard to overcome, try your best. I also learned to be confident in yourself. Don’t think of yourself with a bad mindset and don’t let other people push you around, but instead, stand up to them. Trust in yourself, but more importantly, put all your trust in God.
God has a plan for all of us and knows what each and every one of us deal with and will deal with later on in our lives. We can’t live our lives with our heads down. We all have a purpose and a calling to do. God calls every single one of his people to go out and preach the word to others who choose not to believe or just don’t know at all. When we focus on our adversities too much, we tend to stray further and further away from the goal that God set for us.

Author’s Note-
This text is in the final draft form. I don’t know what else to add or if I should delete anything. I kinda like the part when I talk about my two grandpas because it shows the adversity just that much more. I need help with most of this piece and how to make certain parts of it better; like run on sentences or things like that. I also want feedback on if I have short and choppy sentences, because I’m not sure if I have them.

In this article, the author is talking about how we all need to pitch in and help the homeless. She emphasizes that we might be homeless one day, and that we should help those who already are. “Not long afterward, homelessness “hit home” for me when, for more than a year and a half, drug and alcohol abuse left my uncle without a place to call his own.” This quote is really good because the author saw what true homelessness is like and she finally realized that homeless people need our help. I will most likely use this magazine article in my paper because she makes a lot of good points that could hopefully benefit my paper as a whole.

In this article, the author talks about The 3 W’s of homelessness in America. The 3 W’s are who, why and where. I won’t go in depth on each, but that is what they are. “In other words, you learn to deal with hardship by having the right attitude. It’s one of the biggest things I’ve taken away from this whole experience.” I like this quote and the whole magazine because the author actually went through being homeless and it’s a first person experience. I will probably use this article in my paper because it shows what being homeless is like and what the people go through, through a first person perspective; which might help my paper.

In this article, the author speaks about the unemployment rates for people who are homeless. The article talks about how homeless people looking for jobs and experiencing mental illnesses do not mix very well. It’s almost impossible to get a job when you are in that situation. “Unemployment among homeless people as been estimated to be around 80-90%.” This number is crazy, and I think employers should give the homeless more of a chance at getting jobs. In my paper, I am definitely going to use this source the most because it gives great examples about what I want to write about. This article is also decently long, so I’m hoping that I’ll get tons of valuable information from it.

In this article, the author talks about how homelessness in America still remains as a public health issue. In the article, the author also talks about how mental illnesses can impact the homeless greatly. “Poor health is simultaneously a cause and consequence of homelessness.” This quote is very true because medical bills can add up quickly, resulting in homelessness. Mental health can also cause homelessness because some businesses won’t hire people with mental health problems because they can’t work as well. In my paper, I will definitely be using this article a lot because it supports my points that I want to make.

In this article, John Baranski talks about how he homeless people in America are actually shaping America. It helps us understand more of what life is like as a homeless person. “Citizen Hobo makes a significant contribution to our understanding of homelessness and domesticity in the century after the civil war.” This quote shows what the author is trying to say in the article. “Mostly young, single, and male, these hobos by necessity and choice hopped the rails in search of seasonal jobs and relief, using their wits, each other, and labor as their primary means of survival.” I like this quote because it shows how the men that were homeless, were homeless on purpose. These men wanted to find better, so they left everything in search of new. Times have changed now and it’s harder to come by money and many other necessities. I like this source a lot, but I might not end up using it very much because it mainly talks about back in the day and not modern times.

Austin Yaeger
Mrs. Jank
English 2
December 19, 2017

Note to reader: This is my final draft of my creative writing story. I’ve written a rough draft, and have revised it about 3 times. The rough draft was very rough and needed a lot of help. I changed many things and now I’ve come to this. I really liked writing it, and I hope you enjoy reading it.

Mission Two
It was the second, and final time we had to go to Iraq. I always had a love – hate relationship with that place. Our first trip wasn’t very successful because some Iraqi soldiers just had to flank us and we had to haul out of there. The first trip there was fun… at first. I got a couple decent long range kills and so did my buddies. I also made a new friend on that mission and his name was Paul. Paul was twenty two years old and I was twenty three, so we were pretty close in age. Paul joined the marines at the same time with me and we were always in the same squad, but we never talked. We started talking about life, war, guns, and many other ‘guy’ things. We slowly became friends and Paul became my right hand man, which was my spotter. My spotter was my best friend, just because he sat by me for three days straight scouting out enemies and trying find where to go next. During the first trip, we learned a lot more about what war was like, and what soldiers really had to deal with. Our main goal was to take an outpost on a hill in the northwestern corner of Iraq. We were almost there when we got ambushed from the south. The soon to be second trip will be the same goal. Take out the main outpost, kill the terrorists and save the refugees or anyone else that needs help. Our deploy date is September third, which is in five days.
Five days later
The day had finally come where we were heading off to Iraq. Our officer woke us all up at 0400, pronounced ‘oh four hundred’, a fancy name for 4:00am, and we packed up everything and hopped in the humvees, which is just another name for a hummer. We headed to the airport to take off and threw all of our stuff in the plane. I had to take a quick stop to throw up just from all the butterflies in my stomach. As we boarded the plane, one of my other friends said to me, “Wake up, this is only the beginning.” I already knew that but I didn’t want to tell him that and make him feel bad, so I kept it to myself.
We flew from San Diego to some weird small airport in Iraq. The landing was very rough, as our pilot was a newby. I had to give him crap for it because my bag unzipped and all of my clothes and supplies were scattered. We unloaded all of our stuff and headed to base camp. We arrived in Iraq time, which was around 2000, so when we arrived, we dropped our stuff and crashed. We woke up around 0400 again to start the mission. Our goal was to not make the same mistakes as last time, but to capitalize on what we did wrong. As a team, we need to make sure we are more stealthy, which is why I think we got flanked and lost us the first mission.
I think we walked a solid twenty miles by the time we reached our destination. The team and I were face to face with a giant hill. The hill was lined with trees, even though the hill was at a seventy degree angle. There were many shrubs and bushes, but the odd thing was they were all brown, even though the other hills were green. I didn’t think much of it while I was there, but now that I look back on it, it’s really strange. The hill was about two hundred feet tall and let’s just say I was not prepared to climb it. As we slowly made the incline up, we always had two navigators and two spotters telling us where things were. As we were climbing, we reached about halfway up the hill, and one of the spotters abruptly stopped and said, “Stop! East, halfway down the mountain.” We were headed north up the hill, so all eleven of us turned our heads to the right, almost in perfect sync. It turned out it was just a goat on a rock, but I can see how a spur of the moment situation, it could be anything. As we made it three fourths of the way up, no one was really paying attention to the east anymore. The others were looking up the hill to see how much further we were from the top. I decided to look eastward and saw even more goats. I didn’t think more of it, but a little further up the hill were four or five herders. They were holding something in their hands. I couldn’t tell if they were guns or staffs, so I quietly, but at the same time loudly, “East! With something in their hands!”
Again, all of my squads’ heads turned and all of our bodies dropped. I was praying to God they didn’t see us. One of the spotters pulled out his spotting scope and got a visual on them. Two of the four had guns, which looked like AK-47s, the typical weapon used by Iraqi’s. We tried to hunker down best we could and crawl up the mountain without them noticing. The hill was very steep, which made the climb so much more enjoyable (sarcasm). We accomplished that goal and made it all the way up without them noticing. At the top, we pointed out the town that we had to take over. We spotted about fifteen Iraqi soldiers with weapons.
“North about fifteen soldiers, all carryi-“
Those were the last words my friend said to me, as he was shot, directly in the head. My best friend, laying on the brown grass, motionless. Blood sprinkled and coming from his head. My ears were ringing and I couldn’t hear anything. I quickly rushed over to him, but my team yelled at me to stay down. My ears blocked the yelling out and instead, yelled back for a medic. It was too late. It was from a sniper, but the location was unknown. We looked everywhere, but being careful at the same time. One of the members called in air support and everything alike. No one knows why he called it in, but I’m sure glad he did; because we needed it. About a minute later, we were surrounded by Iraqi soldiers, but had the high ground. Shots coming all around us, no where to go. My worst nightmare was this. We sat for about thirty minutes, letting them waste all of their ammunition. Our thought was if they have no more ammo, they become defenseless. The soldiers then stopped shooting, which was very odd. We thought they ran out of ammo.
Then, out of the quietness of the day, came the very distinct sound of an A10 warthog, “BRRRRRRRRRRTT”. (look it up it sounds awesome)
My squad new that noise from anywhere; The sound of freedom. The sound of four thousand two hundred bullets a minute. I knew now that we had backup, but I knew it wasn’t over. We couldn’t rely fully on just air support, we had to rely on ourselves too. As the enemies were distracted, we rolled down the hill; quite literally. The fastest way down was rolling, because of how steep it was. We reached the bottom and didn’t care to wipe the dirt off or clean up. We didn’t have time for that. We needed to complete our mission. We charged the town, while air support gunned down the big stuff. As the soldiers were distracted, we cleared out the town. We checked each and every house for refugees or anyone else that needed help. Rodney, one of my other good friends, called for a helicopter to come pick us up, which is exactly what happened. The chopper came about thirty minutes later. When the helicopter was landing, there was so much dust flying that no one could see. Eventually, we all loaded on the the helicopter and we all escaped, except for Paul. Paul was only twenty two years old, married and had a child on the way. I couldn’t stop thinking of it. It killed me inside that I saw him get shot and how I couldn’t do anything to help. I kept thinking to myself of a way I could’ve saved him, but I knew deep down that I had no chance.
After the, what felt like forever and a day, drive, we finally arrived back at the same airport we landed at. We all piled in and the pilot booked it all the way back to San Diego. I’m pretty sure we were all knocked out as soon as we hit the seats because no one knew nor remembered the flight back. When we arrived at the airport at the base, I grabbed all my bags and items from my room and gave my last goodbyes to the place I called home for nine long years. I yanked my wad of keys out of my pocket and spammed the unlock button, waiting for the horn to honk. I hopped in my Ford F-350 and stuck the key into the ignition. The sound of the massive power stoke firing up mixed with the turbo winding was the most satisfying thing I’ve heard in a long time. I slowly drove out of the parking lot and got on the interstate back to my house. When I rolled up to my house, my wife was waiting outside with a big sign and everything of the sorts. My dog, Nickel, also waiting very patiently next to her side, just like I taught him. I slammed the shifter into park and let out a deep sigh and thought to myself, “It’s good to be back.” But I knew that it wasn’t all good for everyone. I instantly thought about Paul’s family and everyone that knew him, and my feelings suddenly changed to deep sorrow. I also thought about his son, and how he will never be able to see, or know, how great of a father he would have had.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9

Authors Note – This is the final draft of my creative writing piece. I really like this piece because I like to write in non fiction. I really like this story because it shows the struggles of war and what soldiers have to deal with. Some struggles with this piece were trying to find the right words for the right situations. For this piece, I would like you to tell me if I used certain words too many times. I also want to know if my sentences flow easy or if they are too short. All in all, I’m really happy with my writing and I hoped you enjoyed it too.