<p>Here is my last version of my essay. I tried ironing out all the "issues". I'm shooting it off today, so please, if you notice anything disturbing, please reply asap</p>
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Since I was a youngster, I have always been interested in topics that kids and even adults would find inexorably boring, absurd and yucky. My parents were at one time concerned at this unorthodox interest. I remember myself enraged when my dad decided to turn the channel to watch the Portland Jail Blazers (Trail Blazers) when I was glued to the TV watching a documentary on OPB about crabs. I recall myself when I was 8 running around my backyard chasing and collecting bugs for my bug hotel also known as a morgue. This fascination has even got me in trouble. My home use to have bolt action locks; they have been now been banished by my parents. When I was a kid, I would always play with these locks. Everyone in the house would hear this Click..Click ..Click..Click everyday for about 10 min. My younger sister would commonly come up to me asking in her baby voice (we were little kids at that time) Um .. Jahosaphat why are you so weird? While I still find crabs, bugs and bolt-action locks somewhat interesting, I have moved on to a new fascination: The potato.</p>
<p>I am astonished at the various functions a potato can perform. It is arguably one of thee most versatile food product out there! Whenever potato comes into someones mind, they immediately think Uh . Food. The spud is much more! Unlike other foodstuffs, the potato comes in various names such as tubers, spuds and taters. It has been idolized in toys from the fairly simple potato cow to the highly intricate and adaptable Mr. Potato Head. It can be used as an economical, effective and highly organic projectile in spud guns and potato cannons. This food product has also been filmed in animated feature films such as Toy Story and is even the most cost efficient organic battery! The potato has also influenced our culture in some ways as well. The potato has given birth to the highly controversial French fry (Or freedom fry, whatever makes people happy) and the potato chip.</p>
<p>The potato did not inspire me to pursue my goals, spark my ingenuity or inspire me in anyway. I did not find any spiritual meaning, intellectual enlightenment or form a deep bond with potatoes; Ive never met anyone who has nor do I want to be the first. What it did though is make me aware of my unique interest in nearly all fields of sciences and history. It all started when I was about to cook some clam chowder when on the TV a documentary popped up on the History Channel about food, primarily concerning spuds. It covered its significance in Ireland and the development in American culture/eats. While watching this intriguing documentary, my sister came in with a dumbfounded look in her face shaking her head saying something around the lines of, You freak! You are watching a documentary about food! She proceeded to throw (softly) a bag of Fruit Loops at my head laughing hysterically as she left the room. That comment made me think and reflect as I begun to have a long 1 on 1 discussion with my brain. Mr. Brain, you and I have been palls for a long time. We are about the same age and been talking to each other for a considerable amount of time. Dont you find it odd that we both find a documentary concerning a brown vegetable interesting? You and I both know that most people would turn the channel and spend 30 min to watch people eat goat parts than see a documentary about potatoes. Before that, I never gave much thought about my unique sense of interest and its contribution to my personality.</p>
<p>When people see a potato, they see an odd looking brown vegetable. I see a potential toy, an energy source, a crop with the most yield per acre and potato salad. When people see a factory, they see an unsightly building that smells funny. I see investments, capital generation, capital goods, innovation and complexity. I have wanted to know how things work and explore ideas. I have been known as being observant and constantly asking questions. Working for Hewlett Packard, I spent the first 2 weeks continually asking questions of my manager and engineer (assigned to work with me) countless questions ranging from how the test equipment works to projected sales of this unit. One of my greatest pet peeves is using equipment and not having the slightest idea how it works. I am always willing to learn and listen which has helped build my creativeness and my ability imagine; I notice and question what is invisible to many. All of these are key characteristics of my personality.
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