In this essay the writer turns his attention to home, taking a close look at his apartment. He doesn't just stay indoors, however, but wanders the neighborhood that in fact is part of his sense of home. Interestingly, the revision makes numerous "local" changes in word choice as the writer tries to say more accurately just what he means. This process can go on draft after draft, as this version and its revision suggest.

My Sweet Home

(early draft)

The shimmer exerted by the sun shone straight onto the tall and enormous urban structure stood on the corner of Second Street and Arlington Avenue. The reflections from the shiny beams glare off the bright glasses and stung my eyes like millions of hair-thinned needless trying to penetrate my eyeballs. Using my rather large and clumsy hand to block off the sunshine, I can now make out the two bold-faced words engraved on the right-side of the entrance door to the building. The two engraved words clearly read, Arlington Towers. There is no misprint in those engraved words. Arlington Towers, located at One Hundred North Arlington Avenue, is the place I called home. Yep! Arlington Towers is my home, sweet home.

Arlington Towers is one of the many prestigious condominiums located in Reno, Nevada. It is a twenty-three story high modernized building. The edifice itself is located next to the Truck River - the only river that runs through this desert-like town. Across street from this gigantic modern structure is an old Catholic church named after St. Thomas Aquinas. Occasionally, the church bell will ring several times. The sound of the bell will disturb the peaceful neighborhood and remind the rest of the world its existence. Every Sunday, this holy place is filled with hundreds of people who came to listen to the God. The crowd will bring liveliness to this quiet neighborhood and disturbs the peace once again.

Between the bank of the river and the condominium lies a green paradise, which people refer to as Wingsfield Park. The park took a brand new face in recent reconstruction after it was completely destroyed by the Nineteen-Ninety-Seven flood. The reconstruction made it more captive than ever before. The park is covered mostly by green grass and green pine trees. Every time I laid my eyes upon it, it gives me a special feeling - a feeling of being in an outworld, a feeling of being in a paradise.

During the winter, the ice-skating rank in the park will attract hundreds of people and tourists. Occasionally, I would step into the ice skating rank and show off my skills. While gliding on the thin ice, I would breathe in the cold, refreshing air, listening to the sounds of laughter=s, and enjoying the company of nature. During the summer, the outdoor theater in the park provides non-stop entertainment week by week. Once in a while, I would stop by the theater and enjoy the outdoor weather as well as the plays and the performing orchestras. I would carefully listen to the tone of the music play by the performers and tries to blend it with the tone of the breeze to create a symphony of nature and orchestra.

Once in a while, I would take a stroke in the morning along the trail next to the Truckee River. While stroking along the river, I would constantly breathe in the morning air and enjoy the freshness it provides it provides. I would listen to the sounds of the birds. The sweet tones of the birds made me feel like a hiker who is traveling through a grassland somewhere in Scotland. The morning breeze brushing against my skin made me feel refreshing as well as energetic. While moving along the river, I would sometimes stop and look at the drifting water and listen to the sound of the stream abrading against everything in its path. When I listen cautiously, the stream seems to be playing some sort of symphony in a tone only the river and the nature understands.

After exploring the outdoor nature, it is time to step into a different world. It is time to enter the inside of the towering edifice. Only I step into the condominium, I felt as if I walked into a different world. Everything looks different from the outdoor. I felt I am surrounded by modern technology. There are three modern Ahigh-tech@ elevators with mirror walls located in the lobby. The lobby itself looks like a typical lobby of a five-star hotel with mirror walls on every side of the building. Once I enter the elevator, I can simply press a button indicating my destination and the elevator will take me there in a short period of time. Sometimes, I can not resist myself to take a quick glimpse at the mirrors and flex my arms to show the masculine side of me.

Residents occupy the condominium from the fourth floor up to the twenty-third floor. Fourth floor is the so-called recreational area. On the same floor there is a laundry room. Occasionally, I will hear the roaming sound of the laundry machine and spot an old person sitting beside it and waiting with great patience. I wonder sometimes that if someday I will become that old person. I wonder what my life will be by then. On the fourth floor there is also a pool house and a weight room. Often times when I am overwhelmed by boredom, I would open up the dark and gloomy pool house and starting shooting pool. While other times, I would step into the weight room to strengthen my physical ability as well as my physical fitness.

In comparison to the pool house, the weight room is full of sunshine and brightness. In the weight room, everything seems to be out of place. Jump ropes are dangling off bench bars. Dum-bells are all over the floor in a distorted order. Weight plates are arranged in an irregular pattern on the floor with the dark, clumsy dum-bells. The entire place looks like a jungle. In the mist of such disorder and chaos, there is a boom-box always is in the right place and in the right position. It is a small and rectangular-shaped black object. Do not let the size of this object to fool you. The sound coming out of this thing is deafening. I always turn on the tone while working out. The louder the tone, the stronger I get.

Just moving up one floor, I can reach my final destination - my condo. I live on the fifth floor in unit I of the condominium. It is often refer to as apartment 5-I. The condo is rather small in comparison of other units, but it is large enough to fit three of us u my parents and me. This place is where I eat, where I sleep, where I watch television, where I do my homework, and where I enjoy my spare time. This place is the center of my life. This place is where I spend most of my time rather than school. This is the place I called home - the inseparable domain of my life.

Looking out the window from my bedroom, the view of distant mountains and urban townhouses look like a vivid background painting. The edges of the mountains and the horizon of the sky seem to be merging as one. The remote townhouses are sitting very still on the hills. Clouds seem to be only few yards from touching these modern wood blocks. Hawks are soaring freely in the limitless navy sky without any restraints. On the remote free way, cars are traveling in and out of this gamblers= town. This system of transportation reminds me of the dynamic motion chemical particles at an equilibrium stage, in which the inflow and the outflow of the particles are naturally balanced.

Sometimes it is a luxury to sit on my soft, comfy couch and appreciate the beauty of the view through my bedroom. I feel relax and ease while looking at this exquisite artwork done by the nature. At the same instance, I feel as if I am an art critic who is taking pleasure from, as well as criticizing, the artistic designs and patterns of this anonomous painting. Unfortunately, this view only last till dusk. The view becomes more attractive when the sun gradually descends behind those distant mountains, but soon it, too, vanishes with the diminishing sunlight. When darkness devours the outdoor world, dullness also takes over my room. Once again, I am trapped in a ho-hum world, and the only escape is through a modern technology called television.

I am a type of person who enjoys sunshine and outdoor activities. I feel very lucky and fortunate living in a quiet and peaceful community with great nature surroundings. I feel free of sins and guilt every time I look upon the holy church. I derive joy from the ice-skating rank in the winter. I enjoy the performing orchestras during the summertime. I love the refreshing morning breeze and the singing birds. I love jogging along the river and listening to the symphony of nature. I love where I live. I love my neighborhood. I love my home, sweet home.