Category: Opinion

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to travel down to Daytona Beach in Florida to watch the Daytona 400 NASCAR race.  Held at the same venue as the famed Daytona 500, this event is 100 miles shorter, and hosted at night.  The race attracts over 75,000 people, and unlike the 500, most of them are local to the area.  As a result, a much higher percentage of race-goers drove to the track rather than flew.  This made things difficult when it came to grabbing dinner after the race.

The checkered flag was taken at 11:46 PM after the race had gone to overtime.  We stuck around for roughly 25 minutes to watch the post-race events, then made our way to the car.  Being past midnight at that point, most dinner establishments were long past closed.  After a bit of looking through as we sat in traffic, we found a Buc-ee’s located just 4 miles from the Speedway that we set our sights on.  The drive from our parking spot to the gas station took about 40 minutes, and once we arrived the place was packed.  Being right off I-95 and one of the few places still open we knew it would be busy, but when we arrived there were already thousands of people getting gas or pursuing the store.  It was my first time ever at a Buc-ees, and I would be judging the store under the harshest of conditions.

Upon entering it was clear that they had anticipated the rush and had brought their A-game. 

Photo Credits: David Zalubowski/AP

Every part of that store ran like a well-oiled machine, which was instantly clear as we walked in and saw the cashiers making quick work of the line that was hundreds of people long. 

The store was virtually shoulder to shoulder the whole way through, but I made my way to the center in hopes of obtaining their famed brisket sandwich.  When I reached the station what I saw was nothing short of amazing.  The way the food station ran was almost like a performance, with everything running flawlessly.  In just 10 minutes of finding a space in the mass horde of people, I was able to obtain the three sandwiches for my group and make my way to the checkout.  All-in-all, my total time in the store was less than 25 minutes.

     So after just this one experience, I buy into the hype for Buc-ees.  It seems odd to have brand loyalty to a gas station, but once you visit it for the first time it all makes sense.  

This past Monday, October 21, Voices held an event spotlighting Dr. Monica Debro, a speaker, author, and certified mental health coach. Her narrative was to encourage others to embrace
their authentic selves regardless of their past and to overcome the troubles of being S.A.D. (stress, anxiety, and depression), welcoming a brighter future. Sharing her personal journey, she detailed troubles with domestic violence, brokenness, and suicide which made her message even more sincere. I may not speak for everyone but myself when I say that she definitely captivated ears.

Going deeper into her presentation titled “Rewriting the Script”, she challenged us to think about our thoughts and what’s in our hearts. Self-talk, the way in which we talk to ourselves, is very important in determining what we really believe about our identity. The negative things we say about ourselves do nothing but bring us down. It is a terrible habit and is the opposite of self-love.

Isn’t it enough that we already deal with the negative words that others have to say about us?

However, when it comes to speaking about other people, it’s far easier for us to say positive things about them. So why not ourselves? Why not tell yourself ‘I am loved, I am important, I am worthy’? Why continue to stone yourself? Put down those stones
because you have enough of them to build a wall and that’s something you don’t need. You don’t need isolation when you already feel deeply cast out. In a time like that, you need someone
you can trust to confide in. Someone to help steer you straight so you’re not like a reckless driver on the road. Yet, the most impactful person who has the power to turn it all around is you. It is your choice to stop tearing yourself down and you must decide.
Will I continue on with harming or participate in my healing? Nobody can do it for you. You need to “love yourself to life” as she stated.

To conclude, the auditorium may not have been filled, but she certainly filled the room with her spirit. Being actively engaged with the audience, she prompted us to speak positive affirmations and to repeat them loudly. Asking questions and giving gift cards to those who answered. But most of all, her transparency and vulnerability lit up the room. It was a beautiful and encouraging message, well worth the 50-minute lecture.

  Just this past Saturday was the third annual WagenFest, held by an organization called WOLFSGART. A little meetup of a collection of some of the most easily identifiable vehicles ever made! On Saturday, October 12,I had just woken up and today was laundry day, but on the way to the laundromat, a sign caught my eye! That sign said, “Wagen-Fest 2024” with the date stated as today. While I’m not the hugest car guy, I still knew I had to check it out, since Hudson Crossing park is so close by. So on the way back into Schuylerville after laundry I walked down the little gulch, and headed into the event. At the opening there was a setup of small tables, with merchandise such as shirts, stickers, and keychains (I bought a sticker, pictured below), and beyond that were the main attractions! The most memorable of which being the classic vans, as well as the cute little beetles! Generally I would see maybe 1 VW van every few months, but here there were 10+, and that was only when I was there. Nearly all of the participants were friendly and excited to have someone to talk to about their beautiful vehicles, and towards the latter half of the event I was able to speak with the event organizers Anthony, Lasey, and Stella Fitzsimmons. Who brought their very own car to the event for display too, a 1961 all original pastel blue beetle, shown front and center below. 

    From friendly vendors to cool cars, I’d say I had a pretty good time, but I really don’t feel like the event had nearly any promotion prior to the day of; living close by, and passing by the venue nearly every day, I would’ve expected to have know this was going on prior to the day of, but there was no signage, and no notice freely available to me. So in future iterations I’d like to see a little more effort go into generating hype around the event, as well as maybe a few more vendors there. Which seems entirely possible given the size of the main field in the park. If you’d like to find more on them, and their events you can search up either Wolfsgart, or WagenFest on social media.

     Overwatch 2 is the sequel to the smash-hit game from 2016, Overwatch. It was a team-oriented game which heavily relied on team coherency and communication. This was in order for players to be successful in climbing the ranks and building their skills. In 2022, the original game shut down. In its place came Overwatch 2 the anticlimactic sequel, which players had too high of expectations for. 

    Overwatch 2 brought a lot of new updates, such as new characters, new maps, new game modes, and new cosmetics. However, with the new updates, some old features were removed as well. Features such as loot boxes, game cards, and medals. One of the most critical changes that came with Overwatch 2, was the addition of a Battle Pass.

  Battle Passes have been added to many games as rewards for players to receive as they play the game more. Battle Pass rewards would include character skins, in-game currency, and more. 

We are now on the 13th Season and the 13th Battle Pass of Overwatch 2, both of which are leaving players indifferent with the changes of this new update. As of October 15, 2024, Season 13 brought character ability changes, a new ‘mythic skin’ and map reworks. While many people are happy that a character famous for being overpowered was finally debuffed, or ‘nerfed,’ many were confused as to why some changes existed. 

    “I would rather eat soup with a fork than play the newest update,” one of many avid Overwatch 2 players, Richard Weatherly says. Richard was disappointed with the changes that came with this new update. “They nerfed my favorite character, I’m very upset,” An anonymous former ESports team captain for Overwatch 2, states. 

     This update has left many upset, most confused, and very few satisfied. Blizzard Entertainment, the studio that created Overwatch 2, has nothing to say at this time about the recent backlash they have received in light of the changes.