I have always been fascinated with what people do on a daily basis. For me, this stems from growing up in the YouTube generation and being obsessed with watching daily vloggers like Alisha Marie and The Shaytards. What I get out of watching people vlog their lives is the opportunity to discover possible ways to improve my own. I look at it through the lens of: What is a daily action that someone else does that I’m not currently doing but could potentially benefit myself as well? I decided to interview Brennan Clegg, a sophomore here at TLU majoring in Music Education, along with serving as a Resident Assistant to get a glimpse into his daily life.

I know all too well that I struggle to get out of bed sometimes, especially when I think about the day I have ahead. Class, homework, work, and being a part of organizations can all pile up and make it difficult to even want to get out of bed in the morning. Brennan is quite literally “built different” from most. His perspective on a long day is, “I personally just have a very strong-willed mentality.  I must get through it, and things must get done. It helps that I also do not think of my responsibilities as an option, but rather a task that is not negotiable.” I do admire Brennan’s strong will, something that I would love to have more of myself.

On the contrary, something a lot of students can relate to is what Brennan does in his free time. “The chance that I do get any free time I enjoy playing chess because it’s a classic game, and of course Block Blast as well.” His own personal high score on Block Blast is 193,306, which puts my score of 52,366 to shame. I can relate to his sentiment about the chance of even having any possible free time. When I went home last week to visit my parents my dad asked me, “So do you have any free time?” I hesitantly said “Yes…”. He then asked me what I do in my free time, like if I started any new shows, hobbies, or books. I had to unfortunately respond with that in any free time I am either sleeping, eating, studying, or doom scrolling. Perhaps even the occasional game of Block Blast.

As a former member of my high school’s color guard (the one that’s with the band, not the ROTC one), I’ve spent my fair share of time around band kids and the band hall. Our rehearsals for marching season included long hours starting a few weeks after summer break, all the way into mid-November for most bands. I would say that most band kids could average 40 hours a week related to band activities. Brennan would know that it’s no exception with his band practice starting in the afternoon daily. Most people who have never played an instrument before might not realize how much practice they must put in. “People don’t often get how essential it really is to practice. I need to practice at least an hour a day by myself, but really it needs to be more like two hours if I want to see change and be successful.” Practicing is essential and key to maintaining the required standard of sound to be a part of the TLU band. This is one of those moments where we can see Brennans mentality of being “built different”, and good at self-motivating.

Being a part of the band and playing saxophone is both a hobby and a responsibility for Brennan, but that’s not his only responsibility. He is also an RA for Seguin Hall. One of his duties as an RA includes getting to know his residents and talking with them. His other main duty is letting residents back into their dorms after getting locked out, which happens frequently. “Residents lock themselves out often. Possibly the worst time I got a message that a resident was locked out was last semester, during my jury for band (a mini recital which is performed for the faculty that determines if you are allowed to re-enroll).” It’s safe to say that the responsibilities as an RA don’t stop or wait for you.

Being able to interview Brennan reminded me why I have always been interested in watching how others live their daily lives, whether through YouTube vlogs or real-life conversations. After learning about Brennan’s daily routine, I can better understand the mindset that allows someone to manage such a full schedule along with such rigor. From practicing his saxophone for hours to fulfilling his responsibilities as a Resident Assistant, Brennan approaches his day with a level of determination that many people, including myself can admire.