Well, as of Friday, I ended my first semester of College life. It was a lot of fun, full of ups and downs (Including my laptop breaking on me. Oh, by the way; Guess what I'm using right now?! :D ), but I can't really complain. Given what little I had to go on by stories told to me, I didn't expect much in the way of experiences, but I have to say that I was blown away. It was both easy and challenging. I made friends, I discovered old ones (Hell, my old HS Teacher attends UMD!!!) and really I have to admit; It was a f*cking blast.
Now, I still have things I need to do. I have to decide if the classes I registered for are truly what I want. I have to find out when the next semester actually STARTS, I have to buy books for next semester, etc. But most importantly, I need to find someone who will tell me WHAT THE HELL I NEED TO DO, in order to get both my Teaching Certificate, and get my BA in History and English (Or possibly Literature. I dunno if I can even TAKE Literature as a Second Major. Help me out, anyone? Anyone who might still look at this thing?)
My semester ended on a lower note than I had hoped for, what with my final... Final (Is that even a fecking SENTENCE?) being Math and, let's face it, I suck at Math. Even 080 Math. But before that, I got an ego boost. What I considered one of my worst works ever because it was so incredibly rushed and informal as an essay was praised as one of my best yet BECAUSE it was informal. Nothing feels better to a writer than hearing that someone loves your work, despite its flaws. Someone who can give you advice on how to get rid of those flaws. And hearing that I was one of the best writers in COMP class was a bonus. I know I'm a good writer and all, but I didn't think I was that good!
Anyways, I need to get back to writing the short story I'm writing for the Writing Contest (How many "Writing"s were in that sentence, exactly? Ha ha ha). Maybe I'll post it up here once I'm finished? Hm. Maybe.
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and God Bless you all. Even if Ya'll don't read this anymore.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Music
Now's the time of the year when usually I would put up my favorite Christmas songs, just to get everyone in the mood for the upcoming Holiday. I like that tradition of mine, really I do. But because we won't be able to see each other's blogs or won't bother to care about them much longer, I've put up ALL of the songs listed on ProjectPlaylist for one of my favorite bands of all time; Austrian Death Machine.
They take some getting used to, but their songs are hilarious. Why? Because EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM is based on an ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER line. My Personal favorite is 'GET TO DA CHOPPA!' along with "Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers". So have fun and enjoy the hilarity and AWESOME that is "Austrian Death Machine".
They take some getting used to, but their songs are hilarious. Why? Because EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM is based on an ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER line. My Personal favorite is 'GET TO DA CHOPPA!' along with "Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers". So have fun and enjoy the hilarity and AWESOME that is "Austrian Death Machine".
The Confederacy in Media
Well, while watching the Big Screen Adaptation of "The Dukes of Hazzard", I noticed that the companies that were sponsoring it decided to edit out the Confederate Flag on top of the General Lee the best they could. This brings me to question just what has changed between the old TV Show that was airing (As Reruns, mind you) when I was younger (Read: 9 years old, so 1999-2000) and today when it comes to Censorship?
When I was younger, They didn't try their best to edit that image off of the top of the General because that's what made the General Lee what it was - It was a symbol NOT "Southern Rebellion" or Slavery, but the fun of what being Southern could bring. What living in a small town could give you - Memories.
That's partly why I loved that show. I have memories of coming home and sitting in the floor, doing homework while watching Bo and Luke Duke jump over the countless rivers and chasms in Hazzard county. The hilarious caricatures of Boss Hogg and Roscoe were another part, as was the action scenes. But that's all besides the point.
For some reason, when the Confederacy is mentioned in the Media, it's always as "the bad Guys". Why? Are we still that sore about the whole thing that Anyone from the South is immediately a dumb hick who supports rebellion and hates the government? That the immediate idea of the Confederate States of America is so incredibly hateful that it's better to not think of them as human beings, but as slave-driving, hateful, ignorant devils?
I've seen the south. I've LIVED in the south for Christ's sake! Are people down there racist? Sure they are! But no more so than up here in Michigan! The only difference is that there's MORE racists in the southern states than up here. They're not Gung-Ho, for the most part. Problem is, people view all racists as Cross-Burning, "WHITE POWER!"-thumping, Shotgun-Humping Idjits. Yeah, Idjits.
We preach about equality and boast about loving each other equally, that no man is better than another in the Political realm or in the media. Then why is there such a bias against Southerners? What's wrong with you people?
When I was younger, They didn't try their best to edit that image off of the top of the General because that's what made the General Lee what it was - It was a symbol NOT "Southern Rebellion" or Slavery, but the fun of what being Southern could bring. What living in a small town could give you - Memories.
That's partly why I loved that show. I have memories of coming home and sitting in the floor, doing homework while watching Bo and Luke Duke jump over the countless rivers and chasms in Hazzard county. The hilarious caricatures of Boss Hogg and Roscoe were another part, as was the action scenes. But that's all besides the point.
For some reason, when the Confederacy is mentioned in the Media, it's always as "the bad Guys". Why? Are we still that sore about the whole thing that Anyone from the South is immediately a dumb hick who supports rebellion and hates the government? That the immediate idea of the Confederate States of America is so incredibly hateful that it's better to not think of them as human beings, but as slave-driving, hateful, ignorant devils?
I've seen the south. I've LIVED in the south for Christ's sake! Are people down there racist? Sure they are! But no more so than up here in Michigan! The only difference is that there's MORE racists in the southern states than up here. They're not Gung-Ho, for the most part. Problem is, people view all racists as Cross-Burning, "WHITE POWER!"-thumping, Shotgun-Humping Idjits. Yeah, Idjits.
We preach about equality and boast about loving each other equally, that no man is better than another in the Political realm or in the media. Then why is there such a bias against Southerners? What's wrong with you people?
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Lennon/Dimebag
Imagine, All You Need is Love, War Is Over, Revolution, All are amazing songs either written or sung by The man who has influenced me the most; John Lennon.
Cowboys From Hell, Walk, Cat Scratch Fever, all three are songs that a great guitar player played on; Dimebag Darrel.
Today is the anniversary of their deaths. Each was shot by a fan. When Lennon died, the world Cried and New York commemorates his passing with the word "Imagine" in Central Park. When Dimebag died, the Metal world was crushed, and we remember him through his music and through Pantera.
Everyone's had that moment when you heard about someone you cared about dying. Unfortunately, I don't have one for Lennon, but for Dimebag I was listening to Ted Nugent on the radio when I heard it on the News. A one minute spot on the news for a legendary guitarist.
So to remember these greats, I've put up music that I feel captures just who they were. I've colored this Playlist differently to get your attention to it. It'll stay up there for the next three days(Four days total counting today), one to honor each of them and one to honor the families who lost someone.
It might be a bit... odd to hear "Imagine" and "Cowboys From Hell" Playing back to back, but... just do it, so that the memory of Lennon and Dimebag doesn't get lost to the population.
Cowboys From Hell, Walk, Cat Scratch Fever, all three are songs that a great guitar player played on; Dimebag Darrel.
Today is the anniversary of their deaths. Each was shot by a fan. When Lennon died, the world Cried and New York commemorates his passing with the word "Imagine" in Central Park. When Dimebag died, the Metal world was crushed, and we remember him through his music and through Pantera.
Everyone's had that moment when you heard about someone you cared about dying. Unfortunately, I don't have one for Lennon, but for Dimebag I was listening to Ted Nugent on the radio when I heard it on the News. A one minute spot on the news for a legendary guitarist.
So to remember these greats, I've put up music that I feel captures just who they were. I've colored this Playlist differently to get your attention to it. It'll stay up there for the next three days(Four days total counting today), one to honor each of them and one to honor the families who lost someone.
It might be a bit... odd to hear "Imagine" and "Cowboys From Hell" Playing back to back, but... just do it, so that the memory of Lennon and Dimebag doesn't get lost to the population.
CHAPATAR ANALISIS FOR GREAT VICTORY!!! (A worthy analysis of a Chapter)
Chapter 4 in Writing Analytically was an interesting read. It was about reading, oddly enough. In the chapter, various forms of reading were covered. That is to say, techniques and ways to get more out of the words on the page were covered. For example, the chapter spoke about how to understand the passages and paragraphs, you have to understand the words and their meanings, and THINK about how and why a word was used. Beyond this, the chapter gave ways to further your understanding of a reading by outlining things such as Passage-Based Freewriting, Summarization (Hey, Lookit!), and paraphrasing.
The point to these techniques is stated fairly early on in the chapter. To understand the material, you have to write about and re-read the material. To do that you have to read it until you can talk about the material without going back to it to make sure your facts are straight. An interesting way of doing things to say the least. All in all, the chapter was a good read (Ironically), and definitely helped me to think about just how deep I get into the things I read (And by extension, the things I write).
The point to these techniques is stated fairly early on in the chapter. To understand the material, you have to write about and re-read the material. To do that you have to read it until you can talk about the material without going back to it to make sure your facts are straight. An interesting way of doing things to say the least. All in all, the chapter was a good read (Ironically), and definitely helped me to think about just how deep I get into the things I read (And by extension, the things I write).
Four Freedoms of FDR
We must take note when looking at any speech from any period of history of the political and international events surrounding it. When President Roosevelt made his famous speech in 1941 (Almost a year before he would deliver yet another speech to Congress regarding the attack on Pearl Harbor), America was still Isolationist. She was still helping the Allies by sending supplies and the like via the Lend/Lease program, but was not actively supporting any side by sending soldiers across the Atlantic Ocean to what was viewed as a "European War" and a "European Problem". This situation spawned FDR's speech on the Four Freedoms to try and rally the American populace to the Allies' Cause.
He talks in this speech about freedom of Speech, of Religion, from want, and from Fear. He is appealing to everyone's basic instincts and feelings. We all want to be able to worship whomever/whatever we wish, say whatever we wish, never need anything, and never be afraid. In his speech, FDR claims that the Axis powers will make sure we are afraid, that we cannot speak against them, that we cannot worship Xenu, and we shall all be skin and bones should they control the world.
Overall, I think the speech did it's job. It made it easier for people to accept the idea of going to war, even though they weren't ready to attack anyone just yet. The populace was in a nice, happy middle ground between wanting war and not wanting to help.
He talks in this speech about freedom of Speech, of Religion, from want, and from Fear. He is appealing to everyone's basic instincts and feelings. We all want to be able to worship whomever/whatever we wish, say whatever we wish, never need anything, and never be afraid. In his speech, FDR claims that the Axis powers will make sure we are afraid, that we cannot speak against them, that we cannot worship Xenu, and we shall all be skin and bones should they control the world.
Overall, I think the speech did it's job. It made it easier for people to accept the idea of going to war, even though they weren't ready to attack anyone just yet. The populace was in a nice, happy middle ground between wanting war and not wanting to help.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
The Expendables
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, I THINK I JUST DIED AND WENT TO ACTION FLICK HEAVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, so the plot is simple in this movie -.... Okay, so I don't know the plot, WHO NEEDS ONE!? Let's just rip a few things from IMDB, okay?
Directed by
Sylvester Stallone
Writing credits
(WGA)
Dave Callaham (screenplay) (as David Callaham)
Sylvester Stallone (screenplay)
Dave Callaham (story) (as David Callaham)
STARRING!!
Sylvester Stallone
Jason Statham
Jet Li
Dolph Lundgren
Eric Roberts
Randy Couture
Steve Austin
David Zayas
Giselle Itié
Terry Crews
Mickey Rourke
Bruce Willis
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Brittany Murphy
Danny Trejo
Charisma Carpenter
Gary Daniels
THERE IS NO WAY IN HEAVEN OR HELL THAT THIS MOVIE CAN SUCK!! SLY STALLONE, AHNOLD, AND BRUCE WILLIS ALL IN THE SAME MOVIE?! DEAR GOD, THIS IS AMAZING!
And now, without FURTHER ADO!... THE TRAILER FOR THE EXPENDABLES!
Okay, so the plot is simple in this movie -.... Okay, so I don't know the plot, WHO NEEDS ONE!? Let's just rip a few things from IMDB, okay?
Directed by
Sylvester Stallone
Writing credits
(WGA)
Dave Callaham (screenplay) (as David Callaham)
Sylvester Stallone (screenplay)
Dave Callaham (story) (as David Callaham)
STARRING!!
Sylvester Stallone
Jason Statham
Jet Li
Dolph Lundgren
Eric Roberts
Randy Couture
Steve Austin
David Zayas
Giselle Itié
Terry Crews
Mickey Rourke
Bruce Willis
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Brittany Murphy
Danny Trejo
Charisma Carpenter
Gary Daniels
THERE IS NO WAY IN HEAVEN OR HELL THAT THIS MOVIE CAN SUCK!! SLY STALLONE, AHNOLD, AND BRUCE WILLIS ALL IN THE SAME MOVIE?! DEAR GOD, THIS IS AMAZING!
And now, without FURTHER ADO!... THE TRAILER FOR THE EXPENDABLES!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Schindler's List
What can be said about "Schindler's List" that hasn't already been said by countless movie critics and others? Especially when contrasting the movie to the book "Oskar Schindler: The Untold Account of his Life, Wartime Activities, and the True Story behind The List". For starters, it is of no surprise to anyone that the movie is exceptional and is viewed as a very good depiction of Oskar Schindler. This is because of Mr. Spielberg's directing and Liam Neeson's acting for the most part. HOWEVER, while Spielberg's film is a great one, we can point out some stark contrasts (Ironic, since the entire movie is in Black and White and shows the contrasting qualities of traditional Nazis and Oskar Schindler) between the book and the film.
For example, the book notes that Schindler was a businessman first and foremost, and we see this in the movie as well, but to a lesser extent. More specifically towards the end, when Schindler breaks down crying over the dead Jews he couldn't save. From the book, we can tell that this man was, quite frankly, a hard ass. He was a jerk, a womanizer, a drinker, he didn't care about other people. Sure, his conscience takes over for a time and he begins to save Jews' lives by employing them (Employment which is much more peaceful and kind in the movie than in the book), but not for some 'holier than thou' purpose of self-sacrifice and nobility. No, We can assume and indeed the book does tell us that Oskar Schindler hired these Jews because they worked cheap, did their Jobs, he hated the SS, they were diligent workers, and he hated the SS.
So while the scene of Liam Neeson as Oskar Schinlder weeping over those whom he couldn't save is moving and very compelling to watch, the guy wasn't some sort of Superman. If anything, he saved the Jews out of an Obligation to simple Decency and to basically resist the SS and Gestapo's power because they treated him like utter Schisse.
For example, the book notes that Schindler was a businessman first and foremost, and we see this in the movie as well, but to a lesser extent. More specifically towards the end, when Schindler breaks down crying over the dead Jews he couldn't save. From the book, we can tell that this man was, quite frankly, a hard ass. He was a jerk, a womanizer, a drinker, he didn't care about other people. Sure, his conscience takes over for a time and he begins to save Jews' lives by employing them (Employment which is much more peaceful and kind in the movie than in the book), but not for some 'holier than thou' purpose of self-sacrifice and nobility. No, We can assume and indeed the book does tell us that Oskar Schindler hired these Jews because they worked cheap, did their Jobs, he hated the SS, they were diligent workers, and he hated the SS.
So while the scene of Liam Neeson as Oskar Schinlder weeping over those whom he couldn't save is moving and very compelling to watch, the guy wasn't some sort of Superman. If anything, he saved the Jews out of an Obligation to simple Decency and to basically resist the SS and Gestapo's power because they treated him like utter Schisse.
Kick-Ass
Well, this applies to the old post I made a while ago on how Detroit needs it's own Superhero. You know, the one where I listed off things you'd need to be a vigilante Caped Crusader?
Well, it seems there was a Comic book based on this idea, and now it's being turned into a movie staring McLovin and Nick Cage!
Ladies and Gents, I present to you - KICK-ASS!
Well, it seems there was a Comic book based on this idea, and now it's being turned into a movie staring McLovin and Nick Cage!
Ladies and Gents, I present to you - KICK-ASS!
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