“Made it Ma! Top of the world!”

“Look at me now. I’m getting paper!”

“I’m livin’ in the 21^st century, doin’ something mean to it.

Do it better than anybody ya ever seen do it

Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it

I guess every superhero needs his theme music”

“I might be too strung out on compliments, overdose on confidence,” but you know what? I did college, and I did it well. I went in as a youngster and came out a star! Came out a Plastics Engineer! So I’m going to gloat about it. “Get off of my cloud!” Sorry I’m not sorry!

Now that I’ve publicly acknowledged how awesome I am…again, it’s time to be serious. I’m a man, an educated man, but I didn’t get this far on cheap laughs and good looks.

Teaching is a noble profession, a profession that overworks and under pays. Early mornings and late nights. Without our professors and teachers the world would be an uneducated and ignorant place (seems obvious, redundant and self-explanatory, but I’m still saying it). These men and woman don’t get the recognition they deserve. So I hope this blog has provided you with a new found or increased appreciation for the educators of not just America, but the world.

This is my formal and sincere thank you to all my teachers, professors and faculty members. From elementary school to middle school to Westford Academy to UMass Lowell and beyond. Plain and simple, I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am today without all of you. Thank you.

Thank you to all of my family and friends. When you look back on the most memorable moments in your life, were you alone? Life is better with company and I am fortunate to have shared so many amazing moments and created lasting memories with you all. Let the good times roll!

Lastly, I’m taking this opportunity to thank everyone that has been born and anyone that will ever be born. So, if I left anyone out…you know who you are.

I want to leave you all with this thought. I used to tell someone who is really important to me about missed opportunities. Every day, every minute, every second, every moment has the potential to change your life, whether the result is good or bad, it’s undoubtedly bettering yourself as a person. Don’t let a chance at anything slip away.

Carpe Diem.

It could be meeting someone new, taking a different class, learning a skill, or even something as minor as just looking or listening. Because you never know what’s going to come of it and it could honestly have the most substantial impact on your entire life.

“Don’t be afraid to care.”

I can honestly say every person I’ve come in contact with the last 22 years has changed my life; every last individual has made an impact. College is one of the most amazing opportunities I have had the good fortune to partake in at this point in my life. Embrace it, cherish it, enjoy it, live for the moment, live for right now, because before you can realize, it will have passed, and you most certainly don’t want to miss it.

Dream On

Anything Is Possible

Don’t Stop Believin’

Go Riverhawks!

And from the bottom of my heart,

Thank You

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened!” -Dr. Seuss

Every Hero Has A Journey

“If you make yourself more than just a man…”

Every Journey Has An End

“If you devote yourself to an ideal, than you become something else entirely…

A legend Mr. Peraner…A Legend!”

“Jared has to come back…”

“What if he doesn’t exist anymore?”

“He must…HE MUST!”

One last week, One last class, One last hoorah. Last, but not least. It seems as though we are all in a rush to get to the end and yet we’re all shocked at how fast the end arrived. But none-the-less…

Let’s dance the last dance!

Final papers, final exams, final presentations, the final push to the Grand Finale. It’s so close you can almost taste it! And don’t feed me that *Bird Noise* that “the *Bird Noise* you give went that way” or that “zero *Bird Noise* were given.” Earning a top notch grade feels a *Bird Noise* of a lot better than a *Bird Noise* one. (Ya I’m censoring myself a lot right now, big woop want to fight about it?).

Regardless of whether or not you have the mindset that you have a job lined up, or all you have to do is pass each class and you’ll graduate, you’re not fooling anyone.  Everyone wants to do well in school whether it “matters” or not (Let’s be honest getting a better grade than anyone in your class makes you feel “like a boss”).

Oh and I’m sorry, I thought this was America! You should be thanking your lucky stars (all 50 of them) that you have the opportunity to get an education and receive a college degree. No matter the school, no matter the cost!

And for those of you not graduating, hahahahaha, just kidding! But not really. No but seriously, don’t mail it in during finals week or check-out early, it’s an easy way to find yourself in a hole that you’ll spend the next three years (or more) trying to pull yourself out of. Instead of going into more detail I will shamelessly plug myself one last time.

For more information refer to first chapter of my Pulitzer Prize winning (pending) saga/blog/novel and while you’re at it just read my blog in its entirety because I’m not sure if anything else you ever read in your lifetime will amount to it.

But I digress…

We have all worked way too hard for way too long to just drop the ball and piss it all away in the homestretch. So put your best foot forward and like I said last semester “end on a high note” (No pun intended. I know what you’re thinking).

“The Finals are about a test of wills.”-Bill Laimbeer

Next, the epic conclusion, to the Jared Peraner legend…

“Dreamer, you know you are a dreamer…I said dreamer, you’re nothing but a dreamer!”

Nobody wakes up in the morning, gets up on the wrong side of the bed and thinks “I want to be average today.” Nobody sits in class and daydreams about a mediocre life. And “In an Absolut World” you won’t find yourself in last place.

“If I could see something…If I could be someone...If I could do something… If I could do anything…”

From the get-go the people most important in my life told me I could be anything I wanted to be. That they would do everything and anything in their power to give me the same opportunities as everybody else. If I really, truly wanted to do something, I could try.

“Well can you do something out of this world?”

I can damn well give it a shot. It’s lame, it’s cliché, it’s over-done, it’s over-written, and it’s over-played. It’s called the American Dream. Freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility through hard work. In James Truslow Adams' definition of the American Dream he states, “life should be richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. It’s written in the Declaration of independence, “All men (and women) are created equal!”

The word richer doesn’t need to be associated with $$$, being highly ranked or upper-class doesn’t mean you’ve achieved the American Dream. When you work hard and eventually find yourself exactly where you wanted to be, whether it’s the job you have, the goals you’ve accomplished, or the people you’re surrounded by, then you have achieved the American Dream.  LIFE is “richer and fuller,” not necessarily you’re wallet.

Elementary school, middle school and high school are the same for everyone. But colleges are that chance, that opportunity for each of us to part ways and walk our own line. Whether it’s UMass Lowell, or any other college or university, it provides us that chance to be the person we dream about. Engineers, nurses, doctors, lawyers, teachers, writers, editors,  we can all do something out of this world. I hope that all of you graduating with me this spring are one step closer to achieving your American Dream.

As for my American Dream, it’s simple. I want to be able to give the people most important to me the same opportunities that I had. Everyone deserves a chance to chase their dreams. I understand this is real life, and not everything works out according to plan, but you can’t be afraid to fail, you have to take a leap of faith, or find yourself filled with regret.

"All I ask of you is one thing: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism — it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard, and you’re kind, amazing things will happen."- Conan O'Brien

The International Plastics Showcase, the crème de la crème of the plastics industry, the big boy dance, NPE 2012. The Orange County Convention Center, located in Orlando Florida, creates an almost Taj Mahal-like feel. The building is of shear (stress/rate/strain?) monstrosity and has this mind boggling aura to it. You walk in through the doors of the west building and the feeling and site can only be compared to that of the children walking into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory (with the Jurassic Park theme song playing in the background).

“Come with me and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination!”

Let’s just say if you’re in any way, shape or form part of the plastics industry and you are not at NPE…you’re wrong. There is a never ending abyss, I’m talking yards upon yards of companies presenting the latest and greatest the industry has to offer. What’s taught in the classroom barely scratches the surface that is Plastics Engineering. So here’s a nickel’s worth of free advice I don’t need back, Go to NPE!

“If you want to view paradise, simply look around and you will.

Anything you want to do it. Want to change the world? There’s nothing to it.”

Words will not do this trade show justice. The knowledge contained within the walls of that building was immeasurable. Plastics are Universal and the Identifying components of our world today. People out there actually think plastics have a negative impact on the world. A single ban on plastics would be a crime against humanity. Imagine even 1 single plastics component missing on the plane taking us to and from Orlando.

However, the most rewarding part of a truly memorable weekend, was the time spent with my classmates. Some of us have been in class together for almost 4 years now. Our hands are full 8 days a week, and sometimes things just slip through our fingers and shatter our well being. We spend immense amounts of time in Ball-Hall day-in and day-out is so we can (hopefully) see the benefits of all our hard work. We’ve learned to work with each other. We fall back on one another and trust they’ll catch us. We hope that they won’t let us fall behind, or leave us in a cloud of smoke, or even lying alone face first on the floor.  In the end, we are all in this together and the bettering of the world is our common bond. If we lose that, we might never make it.

Seeing my fellow students stand closely side-by-side-by-side-by-side to present their research made me proud. I know we can all "Do Some Good" (shameless plug) in this world.

It’s a shame we’ll have to wait 3 years for this monumental event to come around again, but I only have two words in regards to that.

VEGAS BABY!

An interview wouldn’t be an interview without being asked, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” I was asked this question in almost every one of my college interviews senior year of high school.

That was Fall of 2007, now it’s Spring 2012, almost five years later. So did I give the “right” answer?

Five years ago I answered that question saying that I plan to have graduated a major university with a mechanical engineering degree. I would keep the momentum and continue straight onto graduate school to complete my master’s degree. I felt that if I took a break to go work full time, I would never find or make the time to go back to school. If I were to find a job I would want it to be more hands-on. I always knew I didn’t want to be a business major. I didn't want to be someone who wears a shirt and tie to work. I didn't want to sit behind a desk, in front of a computer, everyday from 9 to 5. What I did know was that I wanted to travel.

This spring I will graduate from UMass Lowell with a Plastics Engineering Degree. I will most likely not be continuing directly onto graduate school because I will be working for Nypro, a company that plans to have me enter an eighteen month to two year management training program. This program will send me to the far ends of the world for extended periods of time mentoring various co-workers on various projects. Nypro is said to have two paths, one technical, and one business. While I’ll have a technical degree, I was hired by the Consumer and Electronics department for business (So yes, I sold out, 18 year old me would look upon 22 year old me with shame).

I dress business casual to work (nice pants, but no tie, so 18 year old me can breathe easy about that) I have my own office and I do have those days where I spend it behind a desk in front of a computer screen. I also have days where I’m hands-on, down on the floor working with heavy machinery. But, the best part is the travel, I’ve never left the country before, and over the next few years I will go months at a time without touching American soil. Don’t get me wrong, I love the US of A, but there’s a world out there just begging to be discovered by me.

So I guess I was both “right” and “wrong” about where I saw myself today. And you know what? I’m okay with it. I’m better than okay with it. Everything seems to be in its right place and if there isn’t anything broken, then there’s no need to fix it.

So I ask you this. Where did YOU see yourself today, five years ago? And an even better question. Where do you see yourself five years from today? (Don’t say doin your…)

“Make no mistake, moving is living.”

Even though it’s just a Pepsi ad and to you may not
seem to carry any significance, it did for me. I think it’s a simple,
but important reminder that we can all “Do Some Good” in this world.

“A span of life is nothing. But the man who lives that span, he is
something. He can fill that tiny span with meaning, so its quality is
immeasurable though its quantity may be insignificant.” -The Chosen

Is what I say after a lot of moments that have happened since I became a blogger. With Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, Google Plus, forums and other blogs, the world is becoming less and less private. It’s even gotten to the point where your pet can have a social network account.

People are constantly voicing their opinions via the internet. Even I am guilty of it (Exhibit A: This Awesome Blog). BUT, this is America, and we have this document (you may have heard of it) called the Constitution. It has 27 Amendments, and the first 10 of those amendments are known as the Bill of Rights, and the first of those rights encompasses freedom of speech. So in conclusion we as American’s can say What. Ever. The. *Bird Noise* We. Want. (U-S-A! U-S-A!) This lack of privacy is a two way street though. Someone says something we react. We judge people based on what we see on the internet. I’m guilty of it and you’re guilty of it!

Don’t judge a book by its cover, because it’s the internet. We know employers, friends, family and strangers are looking at us 25/8, so naturally we make sure to make ourselves look our best, the rest of the world doesn’t know what goes on behind closed doors (unless you share it on the internet).

Side note.

This is why I don’t use a GPS. Remember the days when you had a destination and you had to figure out on your own how to get there? You would jump in the car and have a relative idea of where you were headed, but you would figure it out as you got closer. Then on the way you would become lost and stumble upon this amazing diner with the world’s best pie (c’mon everybody loves pie). Had you been using your GPS, he or she (don’t deny it, you refer to your GPS as a gender specific being) would have led you right past that diner, and you the driver would never have been the wiser to its existence. The art of getting lost is…well lost.

It’s the same with the internet. We can look up everything and anything with the click of a mouse, without even leaving our seat, heck without even putting on pants! Nothing is a mystery anymore, nothing is a secret and nothing is a surprise.

“The internet’s not written in pencil, it’s written in ink.”

The beginning of the end. The final chapter. The epic conclusion to the undergrad student legend. It all starts tomorrow morning at 10:00AM.

Rewind, a lot has happened since I last spoke (wrote, blogged…you get the idea). Over the All-Star break I accepted a position at Nypro Inc. where I will be working in the consumer and electronics department. It’s an internship right now, with promise of turning into a full time position upon graduation. For old times’ sake let’s summarize the interview process:

Company: Nypro Inc.

Interviews: 1 (On-Site)

Follow Up with thank you notes: YES

Job Offer: YES

Notes: Yeah we poppin’ champagne like we won a championship game

That’s it. 1 interview. 1 job. Boom Roasted! As you can imagine, this go around was significantly better than last spring. Going into tomorrow and the rest of my final semester knowing I could have a full time job after I graduate makes me feel like I’m no longer “Under Pressure” (shameless plug…again). For you new comers to my blog, catch up on my life story here: Prelude

In order to continue my internship/part time work during the semester at Nypro I took a course, The Short Story, during the winter session. Unfortunately they weren’t offering Architecture with Prof. Theodore Mosby, so that had to do. The course allowed me to free up some time and finish my Arts and Humanities requirement. To make a long story short…story (yeah I just did that) “I’m awesome!”

Fast forward to present day. Like last semester and every semester since the dawn of…the semester, tomorrow will follow this script:

“Hi and welcome to _______. My name is professor_______. Please take a few minutes to read over the syllabus and feel free to ask any questions…Any questions?...Alright, well have a good day.”

Last semester of the season, can’t hold anything back now.

“Hello Boys (and girls) I’m baaaaaack!”

Yeah, it’s remarks like this that clutter my newsfeed during the month of December. December is certainly the month of countdowns. The countdown to the end of the semester, the countdown to my BIRTHDAY, the countdown to Chrismahanukwanzakah and the countdown to the New Year.

Back to finals though. Without a doubt, this is one of the most stressful times of the semester. If there was any time to be “under pressure” (shameless plug) this is the week. This is the week people decide to go to the library for once. This is the week where coffee and energy drink sales skyrocket. This is the week you find freshman in panic because they spent the last five weeks playing Modern Warfare 3, Uncharted 3 and Skyrim, and didn’t go to class so now they have to try and learn a semesters worth of material in a few days (good luck). This is the week where (some) seniors “just don’t care anymore because after this last final I am done with finals FOREVER!” (not this guy). It’s definitely an emotional week.

My routine consists of the following. I’m going to collect all my materials, head to north with 23 ounces of Arnold Palmer and find the deepest, darkest, loneliest, corner of the library. I’m going to sit down, put my big noise canceling headphones on and sit there until midnight. I’m going to go over everything I have learned this semester and I swear if you disturb me with meaningless *bird noise*, it will be the last time you disturb anyone. When the clock strikes midnight on this Cinderella story, I’m going to close my books, pack up my belongings, make haste back to my room and retire. Simply put, if you don’t know it by midnight (assuming you started at a half decent hour, not 11:00PM), you’re not going to know it ever.

Nice try, better luck next year.

Good luck to everyone one on their finals! Don’t “mail it in” this week, give it the old college try! End the semester on a high note!

In 1981 a song you might recognize titled “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie was released. I was listening to this song recently and I thought how I naturally related it to my life thus far. 

“Pressure, pushing down on me, pressing down on you no man ask for.”

There’s no two ways about it life is full of pressure. Pressures we don’t ask for. The pressure to do well in school. The pressure to eat right, exercise and be healthy. The pressure to be thin. The pressure to fit in. The pressure to fulfill the American dream by being successful.

For me it’s senior year. My fellow students and I feel the pressure to graduate. The pressure to get a full time job. The pressure of interviewing for that job. The pressure of being accepted into grad school and more.

“Under pressure…splits a family in two, puts people on streets.”

Everyone is trying to “Keep up with the Jones’,” (not the Kardashians) today. Pressures to make ends meet, to raise children right, and to maintain a loving relationship, can all lead to divorce, splitting families apart.  People cave under pressure, give up and wind up with nothing.

“It's the terror of knowing, what this world is about. Watching some good friends screaming 'Let me out'! Pray tomorrow gets me higher.”

It’s a complex world out there, and after graduation I’ll be facing it head on. I’ll have more responsibilities than ever before. I imagine during at least one point during your life someone you knew was under so much pressure about one thing that they were just begging for it to be over. I think a common example amongst college students is public speaking. You sit at your desk waiting for your turn. You think about the presentation and start to feel nervous and anxious. Then you feel the pressure because you want to do well and receive a high grade. Finally, you reach the tipping point where you say to yourself “let’s just get it over with already!” In the end though, you hope that it is all worth your while. Dealing with all the pressures in hopes that tomorrow you will be better off because of it.

"This is ourselves, under pressure."

So here is a nickels worth of free advice for you all, don’t succumb to the pressures. Don’t let them run your life. Don’t be afraid to fail. Failures can lead to successes. Homer Hickam, a former NASA engineer, built rockets with his friends in high school. He wrote about it in his book called “Rocket Boys, later adapted into the film “October Sky” (rearrange the letters from Rocket Boys and you’ll get October Sky) Homer and his friends failed over and over…and over until they built a successful rocket. So, if at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.

“Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard, and you’re kind, amazing things will happen."- Conan O'Brien

Before I get into today’s blog, I want to apologize to all the readers out there, I know you’ve all been waiting patiently for my next post, checking this page on a weekly, daily, maybe even hourly basis in anticipation of my next post. I won’t lie to you all, I’m a struggling writer/engineer now and even the best hitters in the game have slumps. But America loves a comeback story, so consider this the second coming of my blog. But before I rock this blog “I want to dedicate it to my father, he was a roofer so Dad if you’re up there…”

They say laughter is the best medicine and I know when I’m looking for a good laugh watching Seinfeld, Cheers, The King of Queens, How I Met Your Mother or Arrested Development always hit the spot (or should I say funny bone). Butt of all jokes (see what I did there!?) One liners are my favorite, Rodney Dangerfield, Stewart Francis and Jay London are by far my favorites. Here are some samples:

• I met this girl, she told me to come over there’s nobody home, I went over and there was nobody home.
• I bought a book about hair loss, but the pages kept falling out.
• I quit my job at the helium factory, I refuse to be spoken to in that tone.
• I went out with a girl who does the weather, we talked up a storm.
• If I agreed with you we’d both be wrong.
• My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-* bird noise.
• Did you know it was a year ago today?
• I’m not an actor, but I play one on TV.
• The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
• I used to be indecisive. Now I’m not sure.
• I told my old man I wanted to go to the Zoo, he said if they want you they’ll come and get you.
• He died two years later. He was crushed by a piano. His funeral was very low key. B flat, but I can’t leave you on that note.
• People laughed when I said I’d become a comedian. Well, they’re not laughing now!

Hopefully a few of those made you laugh. That’s it for this week, but don’t fret, I'll be back next week with yet another blog.

You don't need a parachute to sky dive once, but you do need a parachute to sky dive twice

So here we are, Halloween weekend! Naturally, you’ve spent the last month watching Hocus Pocus, Halloween Town and It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (If you haven’t heard or seen any of these then you should have a serious talk with your parents and ask what the *bird noise* they were thinking when they raised you). Either yesterday or today you will have carved your pumpkin and no matter how many other carvings you see this weekend, you’ll consider your own the best. You spent the first 25 days of October trying to think of what to be this weekend and then it hit you that you actually need to come up with something so you panic because, let’s face it, no one wants to see you as yourself.

You’ll spend roughly the next ten days eating the left over candy from trick-or-treating, or steal your siblings when he or she isn’t looking. Then afterwards feel disgusted with yourself and want to eat better and exercise more. Only problem is Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away, so you’ll wait and start after Thanksgiving break. Then you’ll mull it over and think to yourself, “you know what, Christmas is only a few weeks away so I’ll just wait until after New Years.”

AMERICA

As for myself, I’m going to dress up as a student this Halloween and spend October 31 in my night class from 6:00-9:00. Isn’t an education truly the best treat of all? (I’m fluent in sarcasm)

“It’s a full moon tonight. That’s when all the weirdos are out.”

I feel as though we've gone astray from the focus of this blog, which is me. So today I’m going to redirect the blog and talk about one of my favorite pastimes, film.  The film industry plays such a major roll (get it like a roll of film!?) in our culture. I say film because we are talking about more than just movies, television is film as well.  Films are the subjects of conversation, methods of communication, and forms of inspiration. Characters we see on screen play a role and they then serve as role models for some of us. Some characters, the exact opposite. Film brings people together:

Jared Peraner is a student, an engineer, a role model, a brother and friend to all. He completes voyages across the Merrimack River daily leading to the general student body awareness of his presence on North Campus. The results of his daily voyages and efforts to establish a strong presence in the Plastics Department have initiated continuous progress for the student body as a whole as they learn, develop and prepare for the “Real World.”

As you can see Chris and I have a lot in common, we’ve made several voyages across bodies of water, and have had substantial impacts on our separate communities. So in a sense, I’m enjoying this long weekend because of all my hard work and effort. So should it not be called Peraner Day weekend? Or even Peraner-Columbus Day weekend, OR EVEN Columbus-Peraner Day Weekend (respecting the order of the alphabet).

How about we all just enjoy this long weekend, especially all you engineers out there who work so hard day in and day out.

“By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination.”-Christopher Columbus