Natalie Cassello
5 Seconds of Natalie
Below are creative pieces that I have written about five different events or experiences that have had an impact on my life.
Papa Geno
Whenever we used to go on walks downtown, we would always make sure to stop by the barbershop. My grandpa was usually there, cutting someone’s hair and chewing on a cigar. Hudson, Chloe, and I would park our bikes and scooters outside before coming in to stock up on Twizzlers and Dum Dums. I would always grab all the root beer and grape flavors that I could find. While we ate our candy, I would sit and admire the pictures grandpa had hung in front of his chair. I noticed the baby picture of me wearing the pink and white striped dress with my Alfalfa curl and tongue sticking out and one of Hudson wearing a red hat. There is another of my cousin Ben with a wide smile, a second of me drinking a bottle in the playpen, and a couple others that I can’t recall. The opposite wall was lined with black and white posters of men styling different haircuts.
Sounds of the Jungle, Mumble of the City
As a world traveler, you learn to use all of your senses. You see all of the beauty of the landscape and city with your eyes. You taste the delicious, unique food with your mouth. You smell the air, whether it’s filled with car exhaust or freshness, with your nose. You feel the shopping bags, railings, doorknobs, and cutlery with your hands. And of course, you hear with your ears, but do you ever stop and just listen?
I realized that I am not a very good listener because I get bored very easily, but as I lay down ready to go to sleep in my cabin at El Zota Biology Center in the middle of the rainforest of Costa Rica, I opened my ears. I listened to the call of the howler monkeys and the chirping of the poison dart frogs. I fell asleep to the drumming of the rain on the roof.
Room Two-One-Two
Friday, December 12, was our last night as roommates. The residence of room two-one-two, Melissa, River, and I, had become a family. Since it was Friday, it meant it was our favorite holiday, Pancake Movie Night. We did not end up eating until after ten that night, but we enjoyed our delicious nutella and peanut butter smothered breakfast for dinner while we watched one of my favorite movies, Elf.
I remember my first reaction when I saw River was, “Wow! She’s taller than I expected.” When we interviewed with each other earlier in the year, our conversation lasted for over an hour, when it was only supposed to be twenty minutes. She was a very welcoming person and we got along well with each other. The first time I saw Meli, I did not realize that she was in twelfth grade.
Hallelujah for the Stars
My mom always tells me, “I love you to the moon and back times infinity and beyond.” That is one reason why I have always been interested in the stars. They are the most incredible things in this galaxy. I feel like there is something more to the sun, moon, and stars and I always make sure to take note of the sky. However, there are some moments that can’t quite be captured with a camera. Like that beautiful sunset from the top of a mountain reflecting onto the ocean or a perfect crescent moon. I have moments like these all the time. I want to be able to grasp onto these memories forever just so I can show them to others, but there is no way for me to share the images I have stored in my brain. I recall having a lot of these types of moments during my first term at TGS. New Zealand was full of amazing opportunities and natural beauty.
Sail #5
My favorite number is 55. Originally it was five because that was the number on my soccer jersey ever since the Wallingford Tornadoes. It has seemed like a pretty nice digit since then. There are five fingers on a hand and five toes on a foot. I was born on the 25th, which is five squared. My favorite shape is a star, which has five points, and just because I am patriotic, there are 50 stars on the American flag, which is five times ten. Five is the middle number; like I am the middle child. Although I would never refuse a number five jersey, I started to become more attached to the number 11. It is my lucky number. It was one number compiled into the random combination of ink on a fortunate cookie paper after I ate my chicken and broccoli from Panda Express. I see it everywhere now. Like when it is 11:11 and you make a wish. I like when numbers repeat like that. For a while after discovering how lucky the number after ten was, I could not decide whether I liked five or eleven more.
Revenge on the Mistresses: A Biography of the Queen of Olympians
Greek mythology was very extensive and contained hundreds of myths. Out of the stories, about a quarter of them revolved around jealously and of those, most related to Zeus, the ‘King of Gods and Men,’ cheating on his wife, Hera. As the ‘Goddess of Marriage,’ you can see how easily she could get frustrated. Hera is known as the ‘Queen of Olympian Gods,’ ‘Queen of Heaven,’ and the ‘Goddess of Marriage, Childbirth, Kings, and Empire.’ She was born to Cronus, the ‘Titan God of Time,’ and Rhea, the ‘Titan Goddess of Female Fertility, Motherhood, and Generation.’