1. Explain one or two ways your writing has improved (or not) over the semester. Include a few examples from your posts over time, with analysis and links to the original posts, to illustrate how the improvement(s) happened.
For the second semester only: If you want, you can reflect on improvements you've noticed over just the second semester, the entire year, or even multiple years if you have examples of your writing from the more distant past.
3. Explain one or two ways audience feedback helped you grow over the semester. (It doesn't have to be stuff Sutherland said.)
Have you been tracking your blog's traffic with Google Analytics? If so, you can respond to this prompt using the rich data that Analytics provides: Where is your audience reading from? What are your most popular posts (and why do you think they got the most traffic?) There are lots of possibilities here...
8. How do you like having a blog? How has blogging changed the way you write, the way you think, or the way you think about writing?
Has blogging had any other effects on your life beyond strictly your "school life"? If so, explain.
For the second semester only: Do you plan on continuing to publish writing on your blog this summer, next year, or beyond? If so, what are your writing goals and how will you use your blog in the future?
1. I looked over my blog recently for this assignment, which took a really really long time, and what I noticed was that my writing doesn't sound too terribly different from how it sounded at the beginning of the year. And when I read some of the stuff I had written in my portfolio, it sounded pretty much the same. The only difference I could really tell over the years is that when I was a freshman, I wrote very rigor mortis. I had no style, it felt like I was following a formula, and I'm pretty sure that's actually what I was doing at the time, but I was following it to the letter. My writing just seemed so constricted. Now, I have broken those chains. I don't follow a formula, I have a blog, who needs it (the formula)? Because of this blog I have a developed an independence, a style, and for that I thank you Mr. Sutherland. I can't really show any specific examples because it was a very slow process and it was very subtle as well. The only way I noticed was from looking at a paper from an important time. For example, looking at something from freshman year, then sophomore year, at the beginning of this year then at the end and only then can you see a difference.
That first post was short, and reminded me of the stuff I wrote when I was a freshman, it was a little boring, and didn't really show me I guess would be the best way to describe it. Now my last free blog post, I think it had character, it had a lot of writing in it, even if it wasn't exactly 500 words, and I believe that all of this is because of the blog and the amount of writing in it.
3. I can not say that I have gotten much audience feedback, and I can't say that the feedback I've gotten has helped me grow, but I can say Google analytics is really interesting. It has told me a lot about my site, even some ethically questionable things. It's told me what site's people are visiting my site from. What color they are viewing it in, what their operating system is. It's told me how long they've stayed on my site, what country they live in. It can tell you if they have visited it before, what post they look at. Pretty much the only thing it won't tell you is who they are. My audience mostly consists of people from the bay area and random places in the U.S., but I've gotten a few views from Great Britain, Russia, Turkey, and Sweden. Google analytics could probably tell me how many hairs each person has on their left index finger but that would be morally wrong so it doesn't include it in the report.
It said that my skateboarding vs. cops post was my most popular one. I'm not completely sure why this is, maybe because I have a lot of friends that skate, maybe someone saw it and thought it was a relevant issue and spread the word. I don't know, but I do really like that post, maybe that's why it's the most popular. One of the cool things about that post is that someone that I did not know commented on it, which is always nice. Just to know that someone reads these things always feels pretty good, it doesn't really affect my writing but it gives me more of a sense of purpose, and that motivation is a very good thing, it's probably why I will end up keeping this blog.
8. I still really like having a blog, even though not many people read it. For some reason my myspace music page has almost three times more views and it's only been up for a few months. I guess there's just more traffic on myspace, which is weird because myspace died like a year ago. Blogging has definitely changed the fluidity of my writing, or so I've been told. It would make sense that it has improved in that nature. I've written a ton of stuff this year. I think this will be my 40th post and they've all been at least 300 words, a lot of them are over 300. Even if you don't learn anything, your writing should still improve if you write close to 20,000.
I think now, I think a lot more openly about writing. I can just write, I mean, after writing a few hundred words a bunch of times, it gets easier. I'm also not as scared of writing. I used to hate doing big writing projects and stuff, but now it's a lot easier so I don't stress as much.
My blog hasn't had much of an impact on my life outside of school. I'm thinking over the summer I will put some more time into it, maybe to raise awareness around the music I make sometimes. But it's whatevs, I learned that there are a couple people at school that read my blog sometimes, I found that pretty cool, but it doesn't really affect my life much. But I am going to keep the blog, maybe not this one because, as analytics shows me, I don't get much traffic on this one, but I do have a tumblr with some of my favorite posts on it. And tumblr is geared more towards my age group. Lots of people have been able to make a living off of blogs, hopefully I can kickstart my music career, or I could just have fun with a blog that has no limits.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
The Last Monthly Review
3. What are the weaknesses of this book, in your opinion?
4. How would you describe the author's style of writing? What's your opinion of the style? (You must include a passage or two from the text if you choose this question.)
5. Find out about the author. How did they end up writing this particular book? Is the author's true life reflected in the book in any way(s)?
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is exactly what the title says. It is a series of oral recounting of the Zombie War from many different fictional characters and it was written by author and screenwriter Max Brooks. In this book there is a break-out of a virus that can only be spread from blood or saliva. It envelopes the world and very few of the former 6 billion people on the world are still alive, or rather not undead. The remaining leaders of the remaining nations decide to fight back, and the apocalypse is pretty much overcome.
3. Overall, I would say that this is a very solid book. It gets the reader very involved and can easily make the reader crap their pants, metaphorically speaking. Really the only thing I had a problem with was that there were so many characters, from so many places, and they all sounded very similar. He didn't even give the Texan a southern accent. I think 3rd quarter you gave us that assignment about making a story where someone asks someone for a favor, and we read all those Fitzgerald short stories. The theme was to get characters to have different personalities. Fitzgerald did a great job, Max Brooks, not so well. Even the girls sound like the guys, other than their girl talk.
This is a quote from one of the women in WWZ. If it weren't for "celebrity gossip" and "on the scale every morning," you would never know this was a woman. It seems a bit like he just puts key words and phrases into their dialogue just to distinguish their gender, instead of actually spending the time to develop a characters personality. However, I will cut him a break because their are upwards of twenty characters, and some of them are distinguishable, but not all of them. Another example of this is that their is an Australian character. Do you know how I found out he is Australian? The book said he was. It didn't come across in the dialogue at all. He didn't say mate once! Not a single time! What kind of Australian is that? Although this is a really good book, character development needs work.
4. This book is very unique because of the style it was written in. Basically it is a series of interviews about a world war with the undead. I have never had the experience of reading a book like this. And I have to say that this would be a totally different book without this styles of writing. Although the interviewees do not have much differentiating character traits, the interview-like writing style opens opportunities to tell tales of different countries and cultures. Henceforth, this book doe not suffer from the single point of view writing style that most protagonist based novels share. And that is really what sets this book apart. That fact alone opened up numerous opportunities in the writing of this book.
In any normal novel, the political analysis would all be up to the point of view of the main character. In a typical U.S. military survivor retelling of the same Zombie War tale, he'd be like man, those Russian commies were too brutal on their soldiers. But in this style, you have the opportunity to tell it from the point of view of the jar head and the Russian Official who would say, we did what we had to, or something like that. There was no Russian official interview, only one with a Russian soldier and a Russian priest. And to give a little insight into the Russian psyche, I will quote the priest.
When the Russian army first discovered what they were fighting (the infection), much against the will of their superiors, their was a mutiny. As punishment, the Russian soldiers were put in groups of ten and to exercise their policy of democracy, the soldiers voted on which of the ten was to be killed. The members personally had to execute the member they voted out.
An American or Japanese person would never have that insight into Russian culture. And displayed in other ways throughout the book, the views of many cultures can be represented without the bias of a main character.
5. All I really wanted to know about this topic is why Max Brooks is so obsessed with zombies. He's the author of this book (World War Z), The Zombie Survival Guide, and The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks. The only thing I could find on him that would make him messed up enough to write an apocalyptic zombie book such as this, is that he is the son of Mel Brooks. And while I love Mel Brooks, he is a little crazy. The genetic funny bone seemed to have been passed on to Max as shown by The Zombie Survival Guide, which is pretty funny, and the fact that he was a writer for Saturday Night Live. He is also an actor and voice actor. As I said before, I couldn't find very much information on his personal life. This is the biography on his personal website:
Really? That's all you have to say for yourself? Whatever he really has to say for himself, I don't mind. He seems like a cool person.
4. How would you describe the author's style of writing? What's your opinion of the style? (You must include a passage or two from the text if you choose this question.)
5. Find out about the author. How did they end up writing this particular book? Is the author's true life reflected in the book in any way(s)?
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is exactly what the title says. It is a series of oral recounting of the Zombie War from many different fictional characters and it was written by author and screenwriter Max Brooks. In this book there is a break-out of a virus that can only be spread from blood or saliva. It envelopes the world and very few of the former 6 billion people on the world are still alive, or rather not undead. The remaining leaders of the remaining nations decide to fight back, and the apocalypse is pretty much overcome.
3. Overall, I would say that this is a very solid book. It gets the reader very involved and can easily make the reader crap their pants, metaphorically speaking. Really the only thing I had a problem with was that there were so many characters, from so many places, and they all sounded very similar. He didn't even give the Texan a southern accent. I think 3rd quarter you gave us that assignment about making a story where someone asks someone for a favor, and we read all those Fitzgerald short stories. The theme was to get characters to have different personalities. Fitzgerald did a great job, Max Brooks, not so well. Even the girls sound like the guys, other than their girl talk.
"Yeah, for about five minutes every day: local headlines, sports, celebrity gossip. Why would I want to get depressed by watching TV? I could do that just by stepping on the scale every morning."
This is a quote from one of the women in WWZ. If it weren't for "celebrity gossip" and "on the scale every morning," you would never know this was a woman. It seems a bit like he just puts key words and phrases into their dialogue just to distinguish their gender, instead of actually spending the time to develop a characters personality. However, I will cut him a break because their are upwards of twenty characters, and some of them are distinguishable, but not all of them. Another example of this is that their is an Australian character. Do you know how I found out he is Australian? The book said he was. It didn't come across in the dialogue at all. He didn't say mate once! Not a single time! What kind of Australian is that? Although this is a really good book, character development needs work.
4. This book is very unique because of the style it was written in. Basically it is a series of interviews about a world war with the undead. I have never had the experience of reading a book like this. And I have to say that this would be a totally different book without this styles of writing. Although the interviewees do not have much differentiating character traits, the interview-like writing style opens opportunities to tell tales of different countries and cultures. Henceforth, this book doe not suffer from the single point of view writing style that most protagonist based novels share. And that is really what sets this book apart. That fact alone opened up numerous opportunities in the writing of this book.
In any normal novel, the political analysis would all be up to the point of view of the main character. In a typical U.S. military survivor retelling of the same Zombie War tale, he'd be like man, those Russian commies were too brutal on their soldiers. But in this style, you have the opportunity to tell it from the point of view of the jar head and the Russian Official who would say, we did what we had to, or something like that. There was no Russian official interview, only one with a Russian soldier and a Russian priest. And to give a little insight into the Russian psyche, I will quote the priest.
"To kill your comrade, even in cases as merciful as infection, was too reminiscent of the decimation's. That was the irony of it all. The decimation's had given our armed forces the strength and discipline to do anything we asked of them, anything but that. To ask, or even order, one soldier to kill another was crossing a line that might have sparked another mutiny."
When the Russian army first discovered what they were fighting (the infection), much against the will of their superiors, their was a mutiny. As punishment, the Russian soldiers were put in groups of ten and to exercise their policy of democracy, the soldiers voted on which of the ten was to be killed. The members personally had to execute the member they voted out.
An American or Japanese person would never have that insight into Russian culture. And displayed in other ways throughout the book, the views of many cultures can be represented without the bias of a main character.
5. All I really wanted to know about this topic is why Max Brooks is so obsessed with zombies. He's the author of this book (World War Z), The Zombie Survival Guide, and The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks. The only thing I could find on him that would make him messed up enough to write an apocalyptic zombie book such as this, is that he is the son of Mel Brooks. And while I love Mel Brooks, he is a little crazy. The genetic funny bone seemed to have been passed on to Max as shown by The Zombie Survival Guide, which is pretty funny, and the fact that he was a writer for Saturday Night Live. He is also an actor and voice actor. As I said before, I couldn't find very much information on his personal life. This is the biography on his personal website:
"Max Brooks is the author of the two bestsellers The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z. He has also written for Saturday Night Live, for which he won an Emmy. His new graphic novel The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks will be released in October of 09."
Really? That's all you have to say for yourself? Whatever he really has to say for himself, I don't mind. He seems like a cool person.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Lit Circle Letter 3
The final section of the book World War Z, is a little disappointing, I have to admit. They are mostly little boring short stories about life after the war. There were a few good stories at the beginning of the section but after that its just blah, blah, blah. I understand there's not much you can do to end a book like this but the stories could be a little longer than two pages.
Well, I guess that's not fair to say. After re-looking at the section I realized that the boring little short stories were under the section labeled "Goodbye's". But that section really detracts from the overall awesomeness of this book. Other than that part I would say I was very pleased with this book. I read it in about a week, which is pretty impressive by my standards, especially because it is about three hundred and fifty pages. I read a book I would actually like to read since the last Harry Potter book, so if I read a book that fast, you know it's good.
At the beginning, the author seemed to have a pretty bleak outlook on life. There was so much death and panic and suicide. There was deception and misconceived politics. But in this section I think the author showed his true outlook on life and society, there were still sad parts, but it looked like the world was healing its wounds. And he still accurately portrayed the mind of the political machine.
"Hope. I'm not kidding, the town was actually named Hope.
They say the brass chose it because of the terrain, clear and open with the desert in front and the mountains in back. Perfect, they said, for and open engagement, and that the name had nothing to do with it. Right."
This is a quote about the location of the first American offensive in World War Z. And I think that's exactly how politicians would react. They would give the people hope precisely by beating the zombies in a town called Hope. Real life situations are portrayed well, except for the zombies, but other than that, I think this is exactly how the Z War would be.
Well, I guess that's not fair to say. After re-looking at the section I realized that the boring little short stories were under the section labeled "Goodbye's". But that section really detracts from the overall awesomeness of this book. Other than that part I would say I was very pleased with this book. I read it in about a week, which is pretty impressive by my standards, especially because it is about three hundred and fifty pages. I read a book I would actually like to read since the last Harry Potter book, so if I read a book that fast, you know it's good.
At the beginning, the author seemed to have a pretty bleak outlook on life. There was so much death and panic and suicide. There was deception and misconceived politics. But in this section I think the author showed his true outlook on life and society, there were still sad parts, but it looked like the world was healing its wounds. And he still accurately portrayed the mind of the political machine.
"Hope. I'm not kidding, the town was actually named Hope.
They say the brass chose it because of the terrain, clear and open with the desert in front and the mountains in back. Perfect, they said, for and open engagement, and that the name had nothing to do with it. Right."
This is a quote about the location of the first American offensive in World War Z. And I think that's exactly how politicians would react. They would give the people hope precisely by beating the zombies in a town called Hope. Real life situations are portrayed well, except for the zombies, but other than that, I think this is exactly how the Z War would be.
Hippies
From a few years ago, until recently, I wasn't very fond of the group labeled as hippies. There are a few reasons. My dad is kind of one, and he can be a little annoying sometimes. A lot of them aren't exactly the most hygienic types. And there are a few who think they know everything about the world, especially politics. But after watching the movie Taking Woodstock, much of that becomes forgivable. "Hippies" re the most loving and down to earth people on the planet. And how they are labeled is a product of it. They shouldn't be labeled, just because there are people that don't believe in the normal rules of society, doesn't mean they should be put into a group. Did you know that at Woodstock, there were hundreds of thousands of people, close to, if not a million. And there wasn't a single recorded act of violence.
There's a reason a lot of them do drugs, and that's to experience the world how they think it should be. And the music they listen to is good for their trips I guess. Maybe it's just because they want to follow the crowd but, I don't think so. Anything goes, because they're world is just so awesome. You're gender, your ethnicity, nothing matters. The reason they're all for protecting the environment is that they love the world, other than the people that inhabit it who are trying to destroy it. Which is probably why most of them are so liberal, liberals tend to want to take care of the world, and want people to have more freedom to do what they want.
So please people, don't be an Eric Cartman. Don't hate hippies,the only reason they're a group is because they aren't part of any group. As always, I'm probably just talking out of my ass. Maybe they are a group. Maybe some of them aren't loving people, they just put on a mask to fit in with the crowd. Maybe that's the reason why there isn't rarely a hippy who will call themselves one. But I think it's because they don't identify as a group, they just are. Think about this, do you know any wannabe hippies? I don't, I think a hipster is the closest thing to that, but most of them are just assholes that ride around on fixies and don't want to be associated with real hippies, if there is such a thing. So yeah, that's all I got on the subject, later. (In honor of them, before this point, there were 420 words)
There's a reason a lot of them do drugs, and that's to experience the world how they think it should be. And the music they listen to is good for their trips I guess. Maybe it's just because they want to follow the crowd but, I don't think so. Anything goes, because they're world is just so awesome. You're gender, your ethnicity, nothing matters. The reason they're all for protecting the environment is that they love the world, other than the people that inhabit it who are trying to destroy it. Which is probably why most of them are so liberal, liberals tend to want to take care of the world, and want people to have more freedom to do what they want.
So please people, don't be an Eric Cartman. Don't hate hippies,the only reason they're a group is because they aren't part of any group. As always, I'm probably just talking out of my ass. Maybe they are a group. Maybe some of them aren't loving people, they just put on a mask to fit in with the crowd. Maybe that's the reason why there isn't rarely a hippy who will call themselves one. But I think it's because they don't identify as a group, they just are. Think about this, do you know any wannabe hippies? I don't, I think a hipster is the closest thing to that, but most of them are just assholes that ride around on fixies and don't want to be associated with real hippies, if there is such a thing. So yeah, that's all I got on the subject, later. (In honor of them, before this point, there were 420 words)
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Lit Circle Letter 2
In this second section of the book, the tide starts to turn in favor of the human's (the live ones). Throughout this section there are tales of heartache, the limits of human endurance, the return of faith in humanity, and other corny crap, no pun intended. Films are created to raise spirits, communities are built, companies are constructed, and the new military is resupplied. The world finally goes back on the attack at the end of this section.
"The man didn't shout, didn't try to restore order. He just kept going in that calm, firm tone that I don't think any world leader has since been able to duplicate. He even thanked his "fellow delegates' for their 'valued opinions' and admitted that, from a purely military perspective, there was no reason to 'push our luck.' We'd fought the living dead to a stalemate and, eventually, future generations might be able to reinhabit the planet with little or no physical danger. Yes, our defensive strategies had saved the human race, but what about the human spirit?... We had to prove to ourselves that we could do it, and leave that proof as this war's greatest monument. The long, hard road back to humanity, or the regressive ennui of Earth's once-proud primates. That was the choice, and it had to be made now"
This was the president speaking in front of the remaining world leaders and I feel, it very well exemplifies what would have to be done to really save the human race. Not just save it, but return it to it's original splendor.I think the authors point in this passage is the great epidemics may not kill all of us, but if we have lost faith in our own species, we might as well be dead.
This section was definitely my favorite section of the book, there was the most action, the most plot. Juicier characters and stories. This first part of the book was basically just how it started, a lot of chaos; people running through the streets with the undead, and specific isolated incidents. But in the second section, more unravels on the toll this war has taken on the world. It's even noticeable in the air, the ashes of people and cities. and it's way better than the end, which is just a bunch of really short stories about life after the zombies (spoiler alert).
There are longer stories in this section, with more emotion in them. Emotion drawn out from watching the hopelessness of people just trying to survive. And then there's the other side; new practical weapons being created, little communities surviving sieges of undead without a scratch, and the overall, somewhat improved spirit in the surviving humans. It's all very enthralling, and it's all very good.
"The man didn't shout, didn't try to restore order. He just kept going in that calm, firm tone that I don't think any world leader has since been able to duplicate. He even thanked his "fellow delegates' for their 'valued opinions' and admitted that, from a purely military perspective, there was no reason to 'push our luck.' We'd fought the living dead to a stalemate and, eventually, future generations might be able to reinhabit the planet with little or no physical danger. Yes, our defensive strategies had saved the human race, but what about the human spirit?... We had to prove to ourselves that we could do it, and leave that proof as this war's greatest monument. The long, hard road back to humanity, or the regressive ennui of Earth's once-proud primates. That was the choice, and it had to be made now"
This was the president speaking in front of the remaining world leaders and I feel, it very well exemplifies what would have to be done to really save the human race. Not just save it, but return it to it's original splendor.I think the authors point in this passage is the great epidemics may not kill all of us, but if we have lost faith in our own species, we might as well be dead.
This section was definitely my favorite section of the book, there was the most action, the most plot. Juicier characters and stories. This first part of the book was basically just how it started, a lot of chaos; people running through the streets with the undead, and specific isolated incidents. But in the second section, more unravels on the toll this war has taken on the world. It's even noticeable in the air, the ashes of people and cities. and it's way better than the end, which is just a bunch of really short stories about life after the zombies (spoiler alert).
There are longer stories in this section, with more emotion in them. Emotion drawn out from watching the hopelessness of people just trying to survive. And then there's the other side; new practical weapons being created, little communities surviving sieges of undead without a scratch, and the overall, somewhat improved spirit in the surviving humans. It's all very enthralling, and it's all very good.
The Rules of Love
1. What rules dictate relationships today?
I don't think there are any set rules, rules can vary drastically depending on where you are. And even if there were rules here, they would be broken quite often. And the rules I believe in are obviously invalid, so I'm not sure if I can answer this question well. But I will say what I think the general rules are for my culture.
* Thou shalt have only one partner
* Thou shalt have sex before leaving high school
* Thou shalt have to make the person interested in you work to be in a relationship
* And if you are not interested in a person anymore, but they're still into you, thou shalt take six more months and a really shitty relationship to end it.
2. Name a situation in which the rules have clearly been violated. In other words, what are things "nice girls" just don't do? What are things "nice guys" just don't do?
* When A girl/guy has two or more people "sharing them", that's a violation, and gross, Christina (cough cough)
That's the only serious situation I can think of.
3.What are the possible consequences for breaking these rules?
* If you have more than one partner, thou shalt be labeled a slut or "fucked up"
* If you are still a virgin, you're bad with girls
* If you don't make them work, the consequences will be, thou shalt have a clingy bf/gf
* And if you're not interested in a person and you break it off immediately, absolutely nothing bad will happen.
4. Where do these rules come from? Who "invented" them and who enforces them?
We probably get it from the last generation, not necessarily our parents but the people that control the media. I know that probably has the biggest impact on our rules. Dating shows, music, anything on MTv, I guess that's where we get it from. And the "enforcers", they're the people the rules apply to.
I don't think there are any set rules, rules can vary drastically depending on where you are. And even if there were rules here, they would be broken quite often. And the rules I believe in are obviously invalid, so I'm not sure if I can answer this question well. But I will say what I think the general rules are for my culture.
* Thou shalt have only one partner
* Thou shalt have sex before leaving high school
* Thou shalt have to make the person interested in you work to be in a relationship
* And if you are not interested in a person anymore, but they're still into you, thou shalt take six more months and a really shitty relationship to end it.
2. Name a situation in which the rules have clearly been violated. In other words, what are things "nice girls" just don't do? What are things "nice guys" just don't do?
* When A girl/guy has two or more people "sharing them", that's a violation, and gross, Christina (cough cough)
That's the only serious situation I can think of.
3.What are the possible consequences for breaking these rules?
* If you have more than one partner, thou shalt be labeled a slut or "fucked up"
* If you are still a virgin, you're bad with girls
* If you don't make them work, the consequences will be, thou shalt have a clingy bf/gf
* And if you're not interested in a person and you break it off immediately, absolutely nothing bad will happen.
4. Where do these rules come from? Who "invented" them and who enforces them?
We probably get it from the last generation, not necessarily our parents but the people that control the media. I know that probably has the biggest impact on our rules. Dating shows, music, anything on MTv, I guess that's where we get it from. And the "enforcers", they're the people the rules apply to.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Skating 3
Last week I said that beating the crap out of yourself in order to land a trick was worth it. It is worth it if you can actually land the trick after beating the shit out of yourself. Unfortunately if you land wrong, roll your ankle, and because of it, you get a second degree sprain, I don't think it is at all worth it. First of all because you can't possibly land the trick. Secondly, it causes you 2 to 4 weeks of pain. Thirdly, walking around on crutches sucks. On another note it is the reason why this blog post is late and also the reason why my lit circle letter will be late.
The only positive outcome of this unfortunate event is that I can get an elevator key and I don't have to deal with all the retarded people that stand in the middle of the halls. Other than that this sucks. I can't go out, can't skate, can't do very much at all except sit. Which, as you probably know, is really boring. Luckily it doesn't hurt as much as it did Thursday and Friday night, the pain could be almost unbearable when I didn't have ice on it and pain killers in my system. But that's the kind of stuff you have to deal with if you want to skateboard, after a high ankle sprain, a fractured wrist, a broken and dislocated elbow, and now this second degree ankle sprain, I'm starting to wonder if it's all worth it.
I know it might seem odd that I'm just now starting to wonder, but I think about it every time I seriously injure myself, and I always end up skating again. Because it's fun, a lot of my friends do it, and it's challenging. You're always relentlessly trying to improve your abilities when you skate and most of the time you get a lot of fun and good times out of it. It's only the worst case scenarios that put a drag on things, like right now. My legs cramping from me having to elevate it. And I'm typing an English assignment in the middle of a beautiful Saturday, when I could be skating or playing music, or just chillin' with my friends. But no, I'm stuck here, and I have to look after my dying cat. Which also sucks! My cat is dying to put a cherry on top of this disgusting, deformed cake.
It's kinda cool having room service and not having to clean up after myself much, but I still do a lot of stuff myself, which is never very easy, especially trying to get things from downstairs into my room. But I have a pretty sweet setup, I have "elevation stations", as I like to call them, in all then places I normally sit or lay down. Still, I'd rather not have to go through all this, but as I said, it's the price I have to pay for skating.
The only positive outcome of this unfortunate event is that I can get an elevator key and I don't have to deal with all the retarded people that stand in the middle of the halls. Other than that this sucks. I can't go out, can't skate, can't do very much at all except sit. Which, as you probably know, is really boring. Luckily it doesn't hurt as much as it did Thursday and Friday night, the pain could be almost unbearable when I didn't have ice on it and pain killers in my system. But that's the kind of stuff you have to deal with if you want to skateboard, after a high ankle sprain, a fractured wrist, a broken and dislocated elbow, and now this second degree ankle sprain, I'm starting to wonder if it's all worth it.
I know it might seem odd that I'm just now starting to wonder, but I think about it every time I seriously injure myself, and I always end up skating again. Because it's fun, a lot of my friends do it, and it's challenging. You're always relentlessly trying to improve your abilities when you skate and most of the time you get a lot of fun and good times out of it. It's only the worst case scenarios that put a drag on things, like right now. My legs cramping from me having to elevate it. And I'm typing an English assignment in the middle of a beautiful Saturday, when I could be skating or playing music, or just chillin' with my friends. But no, I'm stuck here, and I have to look after my dying cat. Which also sucks! My cat is dying to put a cherry on top of this disgusting, deformed cake.
It's kinda cool having room service and not having to clean up after myself much, but I still do a lot of stuff myself, which is never very easy, especially trying to get things from downstairs into my room. But I have a pretty sweet setup, I have "elevation stations", as I like to call them, in all then places I normally sit or lay down. Still, I'd rather not have to go through all this, but as I said, it's the price I have to pay for skating.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Lit Circle Letter 1: World War Z
The book I'm reading this month is called World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, written by Max Brooks, the author of The Zombie Survival Guide. But the only factor these two books have in common is zombies. World War Z is definitely not as funny, but it's not trying to be, it's a serious book. I like the way it was written, it's like a bunch of interviews with people who survived the war.
The only problem with this is a lot of the characters sound the same, if it weren't for this, I think it would be very easy to mistake this for a non-fictional book, however scary that may be. Other than the characters I enjoy this book a lot, there's some humor but it can be pretty depressing, and it'll keep you up past any normal hour, it can be pretty scary.
This goes to show the disorganization and despair everybody faced in this book, and all of it seems exactly how a government would act. They wouldn't give people that weren't major assets any resources, they wouldn't inform the public until it was too late, they would lie and bicker with other nations and within their own, all of this occurring while humans fight their extinction. And that's exactly what Brooks writes about.
So far this has been a pretty good book, it gets the adrenaline pumping, accurately represents politics, and makes you sleep with your light on. Other than the small variations in the character's persona's, I would say this is a good, solid book. Definitely one of the best in the zombie business.
The only problem with this is a lot of the characters sound the same, if it weren't for this, I think it would be very easy to mistake this for a non-fictional book, however scary that may be. Other than the characters I enjoy this book a lot, there's some humor but it can be pretty depressing, and it'll keep you up past any normal hour, it can be pretty scary.
"None of us were set up for this, we weren't trained for it, weren't equipped... Where was the riot gear they promised us, the shields, the armor, where was the water cannon? our orders were to 'process' all evacuees... But where were the goddamn sniffer dogs? How are you supposed to check for infection without dogs?"
This goes to show the disorganization and despair everybody faced in this book, and all of it seems exactly how a government would act. They wouldn't give people that weren't major assets any resources, they wouldn't inform the public until it was too late, they would lie and bicker with other nations and within their own, all of this occurring while humans fight their extinction. And that's exactly what Brooks writes about.
So far this has been a pretty good book, it gets the adrenaline pumping, accurately represents politics, and makes you sleep with your light on. Other than the small variations in the character's persona's, I would say this is a good, solid book. Definitely one of the best in the zombie business.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Skating, Number 2!!!!!!!!
I know, its been a long time since I did a skating post but I think it is finally time. This post has been brought on by a revelation I just had after a hard day of skating. I have a fairly large squishy bruise on both sides of both my knee's, my shins are an entirely different color from all the bruises, and as I'm typing this, my hand hurts from yet another bruise. On top of that, my board is pretty beat up. I have razor tail that could slice diamonds, a few layers on my nose got smashed pretty good, and my griptape looks like a piece of swiss cheese.
Why is this do you ask? So I could heel-flip a five stair. Now if that doesn't sound like an amazing accomplishment, you would be correct, it isn't. I'm probably not even the first person to have heel-flipped that particular five stair. But you know what, it was totally worth it. There isn't anything else I can think of, where the only two outcomes are pain, or success. And I embrace the pain, I used it as a motivator. After what was probably my fiftieth try, after I had stuck the landing but still fallen, I said to myself, "you have to land this, otherwise all this pain and damage will have been for nothing, visualize it, kick hard, keep your weight centered and don't be a pussy." Low and behold, the next few moments consisted of pop, catch, land, and thank gawd, I rolled away.
The satisfaction combined with the adrenaline rush of still being in one piece is not a feeling easily encompassed and it can't be beat. After you've torn holes in your jeans (and knees), after destroying your shoes, board, and health, there is no better feeling than rolling away from your hardest task of the day. And that my friends is the epitome of skateboarding.
P.S. I know this isn't exactly 500 words but I don't have much else to say, except why do cops still hate skaters so much? Seriously, get over it.
Why is this do you ask? So I could heel-flip a five stair. Now if that doesn't sound like an amazing accomplishment, you would be correct, it isn't. I'm probably not even the first person to have heel-flipped that particular five stair. But you know what, it was totally worth it. There isn't anything else I can think of, where the only two outcomes are pain, or success. And I embrace the pain, I used it as a motivator. After what was probably my fiftieth try, after I had stuck the landing but still fallen, I said to myself, "you have to land this, otherwise all this pain and damage will have been for nothing, visualize it, kick hard, keep your weight centered and don't be a pussy." Low and behold, the next few moments consisted of pop, catch, land, and thank gawd, I rolled away.
The satisfaction combined with the adrenaline rush of still being in one piece is not a feeling easily encompassed and it can't be beat. After you've torn holes in your jeans (and knees), after destroying your shoes, board, and health, there is no better feeling than rolling away from your hardest task of the day. And that my friends is the epitome of skateboarding.
P.S. I know this isn't exactly 500 words but I don't have much else to say, except why do cops still hate skaters so much? Seriously, get over it.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Monthly Review 2
The Forever War is a gripping science fiction novel that masks strong themes of the Vietnam War. In this novel a man named William Mandella is the protagonist. He is drafted into the army for his intelligence and shipped into space to fight an unknown enemy, and because they go through time when they go really fast through space the universe ages much faster than they do. And when he returns the world is no longer as it once was. So he reenlists. He goes through several more battles with his girlfriend and they go to a planet that is not as hostile as earth but they have to go back into the army but are separated and because of the time differences his girlfriend will be dead long before he returns, if he even returns. But all in all this is a great book.
1. What was the author's purpose(s) in writing this book, and how can you tell? How well was this purpose achieved?
I believe that the authors purpose in writing this book was to spread knowledge about a subject that everyone was scared to talk about, Vietnam. In fact I'm positive, he said so himself in the intro to the book. But nevertheless, that was his purpose and the fact that that message still gets through to my generation 30 years later, is pretty impressive.
One way I can tell this is his purpose is he said so himself, but ignoring that fact, there are themes throughout the book. First of all, the title The Forever War is representative of the Vietnam War since that was the U.S.'s longest war. And in the beginning, not knowing what the enemy looked like, or even if you could kill them in the same ways. In their first engagement the humans slaughter the enemy because they didn't know what to do.
The main character Mandela has the author's name, Haldeman, in it if you get rid of the H and turn alde into "dela" and then swap that and "man", and Haldeman is a Vietnam vet. When he returned to his home, the world seemed alien to him, the economy was a lot worse, the speech had changed, it was much more dangerous, it was one third homosexual. Drastic changes like these are changes that veterans would experience when they returned home. With this and the overall treatment of the soldiers, you can't help but see the similarities to the Vietnam War.
2. For what audience(s) is this book intended, and how can you tell? (In other words, for whom would you recommend this book?)
This book was probably intended for the Veterans of the Vietnam war, because it definitely wasn't for any other people during that time, because no one wanted to talk about it. Hardly anyone would even publish the book because it was so controversial. But writing such a timeless novel as this, he probably knew that younger generations would like this book as well. It stays current, if I had no idea that this book was written in the 70s, I would've thought it was a brand new book. It just has that feel to it.
As I said in the last letter, anyone who is old enough to read this (maturity-wise probably like 14 or 15) should definitely read this book. It's pretty awesome. Also anyone who has read Brave New World might like this book as there are similar themes and the author even writes "O brave new world" and uses words like "conditioning" to describe human behavioral modification. And there is an lot of sex in this book, as is in Brave New World, hence the recommended maturity age. But, yeah, otherwise it's good, so read this book, fer sherrrrrrrr.
5. Find out about the author. How did they end up writing this particular book? Is the author's true life reflected in the book in any way(s)?
The author is a winner of the Hugo and Nebula awards, basically this book is the more modern day Great Gatsby of science fiction, or really any genre for that matter. Seriously, it's hella good. Haldeman is a veteran of the Vietnam war, which explains the underlying themes and purpose of writing this book. And he has written a great sci fi book every other year since his first book (this book), The Forever War. He was, or maybe still is, I'm not sure yet, a creative writing professor at MIT, and has taught some of todays greats in the science fiction genre.
The authors life is reflected in many ways throughout the book, starting with the main characters name. As I said earlier, it's the same as the authors, if you switch the letters around and get rid of the "H". Also, the main characters girlfriend's name is Margay Potter. Haldeman's wife's name is Mary Gay and her maiden name is Potter. Plus, Haldeman is as I said, a Vietnam vet, and this book is basically the Vietnam War with science fiction slapped on top of it, so this book is basically his experience in the war. Much like F. Scott Fitzgerald relating his life in the Great Gatsby. Which makes it seem like the modern day Great Gatsby. Like I may have mentioned before. Basically, this authors life is reflected in the book, but subtly as any good author does.
As I said. This is an amazing book, I wouldn't hyave changed it if I could, except for the physics, because it is more or less perfect. Haldeman did a really superb job of writing this book. A romantic subplot, an impactful war, and a universe that is changing around the main character. It really doesn't get any better than this.
1. What was the author's purpose(s) in writing this book, and how can you tell? How well was this purpose achieved?
I believe that the authors purpose in writing this book was to spread knowledge about a subject that everyone was scared to talk about, Vietnam. In fact I'm positive, he said so himself in the intro to the book. But nevertheless, that was his purpose and the fact that that message still gets through to my generation 30 years later, is pretty impressive.
One way I can tell this is his purpose is he said so himself, but ignoring that fact, there are themes throughout the book. First of all, the title The Forever War is representative of the Vietnam War since that was the U.S.'s longest war. And in the beginning, not knowing what the enemy looked like, or even if you could kill them in the same ways. In their first engagement the humans slaughter the enemy because they didn't know what to do.
The main character Mandela has the author's name, Haldeman, in it if you get rid of the H and turn alde into "dela" and then swap that and "man", and Haldeman is a Vietnam vet. When he returned to his home, the world seemed alien to him, the economy was a lot worse, the speech had changed, it was much more dangerous, it was one third homosexual. Drastic changes like these are changes that veterans would experience when they returned home. With this and the overall treatment of the soldiers, you can't help but see the similarities to the Vietnam War.
2. For what audience(s) is this book intended, and how can you tell? (In other words, for whom would you recommend this book?)
This book was probably intended for the Veterans of the Vietnam war, because it definitely wasn't for any other people during that time, because no one wanted to talk about it. Hardly anyone would even publish the book because it was so controversial. But writing such a timeless novel as this, he probably knew that younger generations would like this book as well. It stays current, if I had no idea that this book was written in the 70s, I would've thought it was a brand new book. It just has that feel to it.
As I said in the last letter, anyone who is old enough to read this (maturity-wise probably like 14 or 15) should definitely read this book. It's pretty awesome. Also anyone who has read Brave New World might like this book as there are similar themes and the author even writes "O brave new world" and uses words like "conditioning" to describe human behavioral modification. And there is an lot of sex in this book, as is in Brave New World, hence the recommended maturity age. But, yeah, otherwise it's good, so read this book, fer sherrrrrrrr.
5. Find out about the author. How did they end up writing this particular book? Is the author's true life reflected in the book in any way(s)?
The author is a winner of the Hugo and Nebula awards, basically this book is the more modern day Great Gatsby of science fiction, or really any genre for that matter. Seriously, it's hella good. Haldeman is a veteran of the Vietnam war, which explains the underlying themes and purpose of writing this book. And he has written a great sci fi book every other year since his first book (this book), The Forever War. He was, or maybe still is, I'm not sure yet, a creative writing professor at MIT, and has taught some of todays greats in the science fiction genre.
The authors life is reflected in many ways throughout the book, starting with the main characters name. As I said earlier, it's the same as the authors, if you switch the letters around and get rid of the "H". Also, the main characters girlfriend's name is Margay Potter. Haldeman's wife's name is Mary Gay and her maiden name is Potter. Plus, Haldeman is as I said, a Vietnam vet, and this book is basically the Vietnam War with science fiction slapped on top of it, so this book is basically his experience in the war. Much like F. Scott Fitzgerald relating his life in the Great Gatsby. Which makes it seem like the modern day Great Gatsby. Like I may have mentioned before. Basically, this authors life is reflected in the book, but subtly as any good author does.
As I said. This is an amazing book, I wouldn't hyave changed it if I could, except for the physics, because it is more or less perfect. Haldeman did a really superb job of writing this book. A romantic subplot, an impactful war, and a universe that is changing around the main character. It really doesn't get any better than this.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
lit cirlce letter 3
Now that I have read this book all the way through, I have to say this is now my favorite book ever. The way it is written alone just makes it such a good book. The descriptions are pretty good, and he writes with a great flow. The themes he uses also kick ass because this can either be interpreted as a science fiction novel or a synopsis of the Vietnam War.
The plot of the book is great as well. There is so much darkness and unhappiness throughout the book but it still manages to have an upbringing and awesome ending. This is probably the only novel I would consider reading again. I'm really glad I bought it. Its just such an amazing book.
It has the perfect amount of maturity in it too. It isn't too gory most of the time and it isn't overly sexual like brave new world, although Haldmen does use a lot of themes from that book. Such as saying o brave new world, using conditioning to describe behavior modification, and the clone society at the end. But I digress... this novel is completely awesome and EVERYONE should read it at some point.
The plot of the book is great as well. There is so much darkness and unhappiness throughout the book but it still manages to have an upbringing and awesome ending. This is probably the only novel I would consider reading again. I'm really glad I bought it. Its just such an amazing book.
It has the perfect amount of maturity in it too. It isn't too gory most of the time and it isn't overly sexual like brave new world, although Haldmen does use a lot of themes from that book. Such as saying o brave new world, using conditioning to describe behavior modification, and the clone society at the end. But I digress... this novel is completely awesome and EVERYONE should read it at some point.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Justice
However little justice there is in this world, there is one thing you can rely on, and that's Justice. Doesn't make any sense I know, unless you are familiar with the band, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. Justice is, in my opinion, the best electronic duo ever conceived. There is no possible way you can't like them. If you are from the age of the disco... you will like them. If you are of my generation you will like them. If you are a hermit who has lived there entire life isolated from music and people, you will most definitely like them. They don't have a single bad original, remix, or mix. They can appeal to almost any person and apply all elements of music to their and still come out with a totally unique, yet electronica-ish song. And it just makes you want to move.
Get their album Cross (ignore the stupid adds). I don't care if you have to slaughter a thousand puppies, you wont regret it when you here this album. The employ everything from timpani's to a horn section. Every song features all different kinds of bases, including a punchy, probably slapped, string bass that gives it its somewhat disco-y sound. They even have a song, Valentine, that's sounds like Ratatat based their music off of, kinda. I found their complete discography and it's just an absolute delight. It has a version of D.A.N.C.E. on there called the Benny Blanco mix and it features Mos Def and Spank Rock, the song is amazing! And I made a mix with it with a few other songs
D.A.N.C.E. is probably their most current sounding song and it came out years ago, and still pretty much everyone I've showed it too has fallen in love with the band , plus the music video kicks ass. My only complaint about them is they don't really have any of the t-shirts readily available, watch the video and you'll know. And, unlike most really good bands, they're still together, and the new stuff on their MySpace doesn't disappoint. Their creativity flows like the Mississippi, except their music is waaay cooler than that river.
One of he cooler thing about them is how mixable they are. Anyone can take a Justice song and remix and make it their own, easily. I don't know what it is about them but for a long while they have been my favorite band. And they really need to start touring again because I need to see them live before I die. Their live mixes can be even better than the originals, which is pretty impressive.
Get their album Cross (ignore the stupid adds). I don't care if you have to slaughter a thousand puppies, you wont regret it when you here this album. The employ everything from timpani's to a horn section. Every song features all different kinds of bases, including a punchy, probably slapped, string bass that gives it its somewhat disco-y sound. They even have a song, Valentine, that's sounds like Ratatat based their music off of, kinda. I found their complete discography and it's just an absolute delight. It has a version of D.A.N.C.E. on there called the Benny Blanco mix and it features Mos Def and Spank Rock, the song is amazing! And I made a mix with it with a few other songs
D.A.N.C.E. is probably their most current sounding song and it came out years ago, and still pretty much everyone I've showed it too has fallen in love with the band , plus the music video kicks ass. My only complaint about them is they don't really have any of the t-shirts readily available, watch the video and you'll know. And, unlike most really good bands, they're still together, and the new stuff on their MySpace doesn't disappoint. Their creativity flows like the Mississippi, except their music is waaay cooler than that river.
One of he cooler thing about them is how mixable they are. Anyone can take a Justice song and remix and make it their own, easily. I don't know what it is about them but for a long while they have been my favorite band. And they really need to start touring again because I need to see them live before I die. Their live mixes can be even better than the originals, which is pretty impressive.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Lit Circle Letters 1-2
The Forever War is probably now one of my favorite books that I've read. It's really good and the parallels to war, Vietnam in specific, are unprecedented. This book also sounds like it could've been written yesterday. It's so timeless, its hard to remember that it was written in the 70s. I've never found a book that's been so old yet could be so current. With Brave New World I could tell it was older, but this one, it definitely stays current. The only thing that confuses me about this is the "physics". I've been told that they are made up, which frankly, makes a lot of sense, because they don't make any. And I think it detracts from the glory of this novel. No ones going to understand it anyways why include it, to take up space?
Other than that this book is brilliant. Basically what happens in the first section is an introduction into the world of war in the 1990s and it isn't pretty. Only half the people survive through the training. I don't know if that's what it was in 'Nam, but I hope it wasn't. And then They land on one of the enemies planets and have the first encounter with the Taurans in which there are many similarities to Vietnam. It was a very gory and disturbing battle. Its this way with most of the book for that matter. There's lots of sex, lots of gory descriptions in the way people were killed or injured. But that's part of what makes this an awesome book. I can also see why almost no one, during the time period he wrote it, would publish it. It has very controversial and, as I said, disturbing content.
In this second section, the soldiers are traveling to the next world and are attacked by the enemy, one third of the soldiers are instantly killed and lots more die and get injured, so they return to Earth. The rest of the section is basically about the different world they returned to. One third of the population is gay, there is a universal currency, lots of people are unemployed, and very violent. The deaths of most the main characters families bring them to reenlist as trainers on the moon, but they get swindled and shipped back out into space.
It must have seemed like a different world to the vets returning from the Vietnam war, it probably didn't help the characters out that they had only aged two years when the world had aged 25. Which was something I didn't get, more of the made-up physics. And the fact that the army put them back into space seemed like just the kind of swindling that the army would've done back in the day (the nonfictional 70s). That's all I really have to report so far. This is a great book so far. It's got love, sex, violence, drugs, the works. I would for sure recommend this to anyone 14 and up, because there are some pretty mature subjects. So far I'd give it an A, it's not nearly as weird as the last book I read.
Other than that this book is brilliant. Basically what happens in the first section is an introduction into the world of war in the 1990s and it isn't pretty. Only half the people survive through the training. I don't know if that's what it was in 'Nam, but I hope it wasn't. And then They land on one of the enemies planets and have the first encounter with the Taurans in which there are many similarities to Vietnam. It was a very gory and disturbing battle. Its this way with most of the book for that matter. There's lots of sex, lots of gory descriptions in the way people were killed or injured. But that's part of what makes this an awesome book. I can also see why almost no one, during the time period he wrote it, would publish it. It has very controversial and, as I said, disturbing content.
In this second section, the soldiers are traveling to the next world and are attacked by the enemy, one third of the soldiers are instantly killed and lots more die and get injured, so they return to Earth. The rest of the section is basically about the different world they returned to. One third of the population is gay, there is a universal currency, lots of people are unemployed, and very violent. The deaths of most the main characters families bring them to reenlist as trainers on the moon, but they get swindled and shipped back out into space.
It must have seemed like a different world to the vets returning from the Vietnam war, it probably didn't help the characters out that they had only aged two years when the world had aged 25. Which was something I didn't get, more of the made-up physics. And the fact that the army put them back into space seemed like just the kind of swindling that the army would've done back in the day (the nonfictional 70s). That's all I really have to report so far. This is a great book so far. It's got love, sex, violence, drugs, the works. I would for sure recommend this to anyone 14 and up, because there are some pretty mature subjects. So far I'd give it an A, it's not nearly as weird as the last book I read.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
3rd Statement of Purpose
What are my current goals as a writer? Mostly to get better. What that necessarily constitutes is the important part. I really would like to be able to flow with my writing and stay formal, but I can't seem to be able to flow that well in essays in other subjects. I think that would be cool. Another thing I would like to do is not wine as much. Most of my posts are blah, blah, blah, this is stupid. blah, blah, blah this sucks. I would like to break that habit a little more often.
I would also like to blog more often, because there are seldom other grades in the English class and my grade always suffers when I miss one. I think the key to this is doing it early in the week instead of Friday because I'm usually out Friday and can't find time to do it. So I will try hard to finish them on block days and if I don't I will finish them after school on that day. But that shouldn't be too hard of a problem to fix permanently.
Another thing that I would like to do is to focus less on music. And I know I've said this before but I can never seem to come up with anything decent when it is time to write except for stuff in regards to music. I guess I need to get more experience in other area's in order to know more stuff about them that I fell like I should express in my blog. Of course, it may be much simpler than that. Maybe I am just meant to write, play, and talk about music.
As much as I would like to write about other stuff, I think I will just stick with whatever pops (I almost wrote poops) into my head first, because that seems to work for me when I actually get around to doing my blog posts. Unfortunately (or maybe not) that always seems to be music because I love it so much. Naturally, I would like my writing ability to better as I progress. And I've been told that it has been getting better and I believe that is because of the amount we are usually writing for your class, as I stated would help in my first statement of purpose.
I know this one's a bit short but I'm really tires and as usual for the weekends, I am somewhat pressed for time.
I would also like to blog more often, because there are seldom other grades in the English class and my grade always suffers when I miss one. I think the key to this is doing it early in the week instead of Friday because I'm usually out Friday and can't find time to do it. So I will try hard to finish them on block days and if I don't I will finish them after school on that day. But that shouldn't be too hard of a problem to fix permanently.
Another thing that I would like to do is to focus less on music. And I know I've said this before but I can never seem to come up with anything decent when it is time to write except for stuff in regards to music. I guess I need to get more experience in other area's in order to know more stuff about them that I fell like I should express in my blog. Of course, it may be much simpler than that. Maybe I am just meant to write, play, and talk about music.
As much as I would like to write about other stuff, I think I will just stick with whatever pops (I almost wrote poops) into my head first, because that seems to work for me when I actually get around to doing my blog posts. Unfortunately (or maybe not) that always seems to be music because I love it so much. Naturally, I would like my writing ability to better as I progress. And I've been told that it has been getting better and I believe that is because of the amount we are usually writing for your class, as I stated would help in my first statement of purpose.
I know this one's a bit short but I'm really tires and as usual for the weekends, I am somewhat pressed for time.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Monthly Book Review #1
Brave New World is a novel by Aldous Huxley. It was written in 1931 and published in 1932 (during the Great Depression). It is fictitious and the general premise is that humans are all born in labs and conditioned to be leaders or workers in their sleep.
In Brave New World the basic synopsis is that there is this guy named Bernard who is like almost all other people, born in a lab and conditioned to be what the Director's want them to be in their sleep. Bernard doesn't really fit in, because he is odd, he is at the risk of being shipped off to an island. In order so save his career he brings back a savage that is a Director's son. This particular Director is Bernard's "prosecutor", he quits and Bernard is free to stay where he is. The savage, who is a naturally born person, doesn't adjust well to this strange place. He and Bernard are eventually sent off to different places and the savage elects to be isolated. I think this is a thrilling and oddly captivating book tat I would recommend to really anyone who has somewhat matured.
2. For what audience(s) is this book intended, and how can you tell? (In other words, for whom would you recommend this book?)
I believe that really anyone from high school on till death should find this book to be a damn good and interesting read. There are many, many, strange and adventurous themes carried within th depths of its pages. But I believe the people that will truly enjoy this book are people that find something wrong in society today and society throughout time. People who have felt like they don't belong, more specifically, people who think they're the only people that don't belong. But there are people that feel like they don't belong in the world we live in, and therefore they are not alone, they do belong (just with people who feel like they don't belong).
People who feel like there can never be a perfect place, a perfect way to run things might get a kick out of this book, people who enjoy freaky things and equally scary ideas, will definitely love this book. People who like sex, lots of sex, will probably be very happy with this (large) aspect of the book.I liked this book, it was, as I've said, a scary yet truly enchanting novel. So ,if you happen to be like me, however rare this is, you'll probably like, and at the same time, not know what to think of this book.
All in all, I think as long as you aren't opposed to listening to controversial ideals and are old enough to tolerate a lot of talk of "erotic play". If you're old enough to handle the concepts of death and sexual themes, as well as the theme of what I think is "dehumanization", you will probably enjoy this book.
3. What are the weaknesses of this book, in your opinion?
The major weakness of this book is for suuure the ending. I didn't like the ending at all. It wasn't the plot, I understood what happened, it just seemed like it wrote it really, really fast, because he had to make a deadline and forgot to make a better one. Another thing that confused me is that if the Controller is this all powerful/wise person, why wouldn't he send John somewhere completely isolated? I mean, if he's close to a city someone's bound to see him as they fly over or something. I get the authors point that he doesn't fit in anywhere, but it just doesn't fit right. Even if he hadn't moved John farther away, I thought people were conditioned not to like being out in the countryside, why were those people that first spotted him out there?
I really wish I could ask the author if he rushed the ending. It just ended so abruptly and the last chapters setting changed so quickly, without even a decent heads up. It was just like, I'm flying, okay now I'm in the countryside at a lighthouse. Seriously? And why a lighthouse? Aren't tall objects easy to spot? Did John pick the spot? Did Mustapha pick the spot? If John picked the spot and truly wanted to be alone, why the hell did he pick that lighthouse instead of some private island or something like that?
Anyways, that was definitively the weakest part of the novel. Nothing else really stuck out out me. So all in all, compared to most movies this was a relatively sensible read.
8. Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth.
Bernard Marx was the character that interested me the most. Sadly, I identify with him more than I do with any of the other characters except I'm not that conceited or that much of a tool in general. What I find interesting about him is that he seems to be one of three people in the book that find something funny with their Brave New World. But what I like about him is that he is a very modern (as in right now) person. I could see a person like Bernard living in our world, I do see people like Bernard living in our world. People that will curse the world they live in when they are unhappy and when they gain their popularity they will fight to the bone to keep it, and along the way usually loose what little dignity they had.
Bernard is definitely one of those people. Forgive more of my slang but he is a complete tool. He's easily manipulated and when he becomes popular he loses interest in the little things about society that tickle him the wrong way. He stopped his conversations with John and Helmholtz and then he of course went back to them when he lost his popularity (which was only based on the savage, John). I find him interesting because he is a well developed and relevant to people living in our modern age.
In Brave New World the basic synopsis is that there is this guy named Bernard who is like almost all other people, born in a lab and conditioned to be what the Director's want them to be in their sleep. Bernard doesn't really fit in, because he is odd, he is at the risk of being shipped off to an island. In order so save his career he brings back a savage that is a Director's son. This particular Director is Bernard's "prosecutor", he quits and Bernard is free to stay where he is. The savage, who is a naturally born person, doesn't adjust well to this strange place. He and Bernard are eventually sent off to different places and the savage elects to be isolated. I think this is a thrilling and oddly captivating book tat I would recommend to really anyone who has somewhat matured.
2. For what audience(s) is this book intended, and how can you tell? (In other words, for whom would you recommend this book?)
I believe that really anyone from high school on till death should find this book to be a damn good and interesting read. There are many, many, strange and adventurous themes carried within th depths of its pages. But I believe the people that will truly enjoy this book are people that find something wrong in society today and society throughout time. People who have felt like they don't belong, more specifically, people who think they're the only people that don't belong. But there are people that feel like they don't belong in the world we live in, and therefore they are not alone, they do belong (just with people who feel like they don't belong).
People who feel like there can never be a perfect place, a perfect way to run things might get a kick out of this book, people who enjoy freaky things and equally scary ideas, will definitely love this book. People who like sex, lots of sex, will probably be very happy with this (large) aspect of the book.I liked this book, it was, as I've said, a scary yet truly enchanting novel. So ,if you happen to be like me, however rare this is, you'll probably like, and at the same time, not know what to think of this book.
All in all, I think as long as you aren't opposed to listening to controversial ideals and are old enough to tolerate a lot of talk of "erotic play". If you're old enough to handle the concepts of death and sexual themes, as well as the theme of what I think is "dehumanization", you will probably enjoy this book.
3. What are the weaknesses of this book, in your opinion?
The major weakness of this book is for suuure the ending. I didn't like the ending at all. It wasn't the plot, I understood what happened, it just seemed like it wrote it really, really fast, because he had to make a deadline and forgot to make a better one. Another thing that confused me is that if the Controller is this all powerful/wise person, why wouldn't he send John somewhere completely isolated? I mean, if he's close to a city someone's bound to see him as they fly over or something. I get the authors point that he doesn't fit in anywhere, but it just doesn't fit right. Even if he hadn't moved John farther away, I thought people were conditioned not to like being out in the countryside, why were those people that first spotted him out there?
I really wish I could ask the author if he rushed the ending. It just ended so abruptly and the last chapters setting changed so quickly, without even a decent heads up. It was just like, I'm flying, okay now I'm in the countryside at a lighthouse. Seriously? And why a lighthouse? Aren't tall objects easy to spot? Did John pick the spot? Did Mustapha pick the spot? If John picked the spot and truly wanted to be alone, why the hell did he pick that lighthouse instead of some private island or something like that?
Anyways, that was definitively the weakest part of the novel. Nothing else really stuck out out me. So all in all, compared to most movies this was a relatively sensible read.
8. Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth.
Bernard Marx was the character that interested me the most. Sadly, I identify with him more than I do with any of the other characters except I'm not that conceited or that much of a tool in general. What I find interesting about him is that he seems to be one of three people in the book that find something funny with their Brave New World. But what I like about him is that he is a very modern (as in right now) person. I could see a person like Bernard living in our world, I do see people like Bernard living in our world. People that will curse the world they live in when they are unhappy and when they gain their popularity they will fight to the bone to keep it, and along the way usually loose what little dignity they had.
Bernard is definitely one of those people. Forgive more of my slang but he is a complete tool. He's easily manipulated and when he becomes popular he loses interest in the little things about society that tickle him the wrong way. He stopped his conversations with John and Helmholtz and then he of course went back to them when he lost his popularity (which was only based on the savage, John). I find him interesting because he is a well developed and relevant to people living in our modern age.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Book Letter 3
The ending confused me a little. It wasn't the plot, I understood what happened, it just seemed like it wrote it really, really fast, because he had to make a deadline and forgot to make a better one. Another thing that confused me is that if the Controller is this all powerful/wise person, why wouldn't he send John somewhere completely isolated? I mean, if he's close to a city someone's bound to find him. I get the authors point that he doesn't fit in anywhere, but it just doesn't seem right. Even if he hadn't moved John farther away, I thought people were conditioned not to like being out in the countryside. Whatever, I'll save it for the monthly review.
I don't know of much else to say that I already haven't or I'm saving for the monthly review. It was a good book, it was freaky and scarily close to a possible reality, especially for the time period it was written during. Their were well developed characters, who by some odd means out grew some of their conditioning one way or another. It was a very scary alternate reality. I was thinking about doing this for the monthly review of the book (as well as a very brief summary of the answers):
2. For what audience(s) is this book intended, and how can you tell? (In other words, for whom would you recommend this book?):
Anyone really, but in particular people who find something wrong with society
3. What are the weaknesses of this book, in your opinion:
The ending
8. Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth:
Bernard
I don't know of much else to say that I already haven't or I'm saving for the monthly review. It was a good book, it was freaky and scarily close to a possible reality, especially for the time period it was written during. Their were well developed characters, who by some odd means out grew some of their conditioning one way or another. It was a very scary alternate reality. I was thinking about doing this for the monthly review of the book (as well as a very brief summary of the answers):
2. For what audience(s) is this book intended, and how can you tell? (In other words, for whom would you recommend this book?):
Anyone really, but in particular people who find something wrong with society
3. What are the weaknesses of this book, in your opinion:
The ending
8. Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth:
Bernard
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Book Letter 2
In this section the "Savage" is fully enveloped in the "civilized" culture, and it's too much for him to take and him along with Bernard and Helmholtz are sent to islands, at least Bernard and Helmholtz are going to be. I don't know about John. They still haven't said how Bernard and Helmholtz came to be oddballs, and I don't think they will, but they should be much happier on their islands among other people that don't fit in with the rest of society. The character Mustapha Mond is fully introduced and him and Bernard start a very intriguing conversation about religion and other aspects of society and happiness and history, this definitely clears up why the civilization is the way it is.
I can't really see where this civilization is similar to ours, but I could see this actually happening, I mean, the premise is totally believable. The things I do notice that are similar is the materialism, when somethings old, you don't fix it, you throw it away. Fairly true today. The people these days aren't as promiscuous as they are in the book, but I know a lot of people wish it was that way. A major difference would be the lack of solidarity in this society. Everything is done in public, I guess they're conditioned to have no shame as well.
There are really too many differences with this culture to mention, but I think I covered most of the similarities. Here's one more. There are loners, people who don't fit in, who believe that there is something greater than themselves and their society. Which I believe is one of the most important similarities, it provides a sliver of hope that this very strange way of life could be altered so as not to be so controlling. Which is what Bernard, John, and Helmholtz are after, and maybe by the end of the book things will change.
I can't really see where this civilization is similar to ours, but I could see this actually happening, I mean, the premise is totally believable. The things I do notice that are similar is the materialism, when somethings old, you don't fix it, you throw it away. Fairly true today. The people these days aren't as promiscuous as they are in the book, but I know a lot of people wish it was that way. A major difference would be the lack of solidarity in this society. Everything is done in public, I guess they're conditioned to have no shame as well.
There are really too many differences with this culture to mention, but I think I covered most of the similarities. Here's one more. There are loners, people who don't fit in, who believe that there is something greater than themselves and their society. Which I believe is one of the most important similarities, it provides a sliver of hope that this very strange way of life could be altered so as not to be so controlling. Which is what Bernard, John, and Helmholtz are after, and maybe by the end of the book things will change.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Book Letter
I find this book to be very strange, yet still incredibly interesting. The erotic play between little children is just a tiny bit creepy. And it isn’t only among the adolescents and children. It’s among everyone, there’s a constant stream of sex and talk of sex coming out of this book. And it’s all seemingly second nature to these “people”. Another thing I find odd is the Bernard Marx character. He’s the only person in the story to have old-fashioned human emotions. He seems to be one of the only people to be unhappy with their “utopia”. The reason behind this will probably be revealed later in the story, but until then, it remains a mystery to me.
There also seems to be an underlying thought or emotion bubbling up inside these people that they themselves cannot explain. I think it may be the same reason that Bernard and Helmholtz have their little conversations, and why Bernard is so unhappy with and appalled at the society he lives in. When he talks to Lenina about these thoughts she feels them to but covers it by telling him not to talk about it and has some soma to get her mind off of it. So everyone feels it, but they’ve been taught to fear it or cover the emotions. In fact, they’re supposed to take one whenever they feel bad or unhappy, only burying the issues present and creating another strange thing about Brave New World.
There also seems to be an underlying thought or emotion bubbling up inside these people that they themselves cannot explain. I think it may be the same reason that Bernard and Helmholtz have their little conversations, and why Bernard is so unhappy with and appalled at the society he lives in. When he talks to Lenina about these thoughts she feels them to but covers it by telling him not to talk about it and has some soma to get her mind off of it. So everyone feels it, but they’ve been taught to fear it or cover the emotions. In fact, they’re supposed to take one whenever they feel bad or unhappy, only burying the issues present and creating another strange thing about Brave New World.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
BitTorrent and Copywrite
I'm sick of artist complaining that they don't make money anymore because people download music for free. Truthfully, they probably loose a lot of money due to free downloading but if they're famous, who cares? They already get paid bagillions of dollars. And if you're and artist struggling to get by, people aren't going to buy your music anyway. If they can get it for free you're going to get more publicity and make money at shows, so can it whiny artists. Plus, if I really like an artist and think they deserve my money, I'll go buy their CD. Which I guess is a dying breed because of the bit torrent craze, I don't think so, I buy more CD's now that I can download free music. And when I have iTunes money, I'll spend all of it fast. I have no problem with buying music and I assume most people are the same way, I just use Bit Torrent and Limewire to expand my musical horizon, which is always encompassing more and more artists that I now have the chance to buy music from. Therefore, these are very beneficiary programs, for everyone, artists can become more popular, if they deserve it, and the listeners don't have to spend money.
So really it's a win win situation. And again for those big artists, most of the bank in the biz for you is coming from ticket sales, and with an expanded fan-base because of DOWNLOADED MUSIC!!!! the amount of people going to concerts must be increasing. So yeah, and how permanent are CD's? They aren't. One scratch that's big enough and that music is gone forever. If you download it, as long as your hard-drive doesn't crash you still have the music and even if it does, you can just download it again, for free! So really though, free music definitely should not be unlawful. Movies on the other hand, I can understand, but that's a totally different story. To the record companies and artists, I'm sorry if you can't buy a luxurious jet and have to get a smaller one because of downloaded music, but for the good of the people, let it be.
So really it's a win win situation. And again for those big artists, most of the bank in the biz for you is coming from ticket sales, and with an expanded fan-base because of DOWNLOADED MUSIC!!!! the amount of people going to concerts must be increasing. So yeah, and how permanent are CD's? They aren't. One scratch that's big enough and that music is gone forever. If you download it, as long as your hard-drive doesn't crash you still have the music and even if it does, you can just download it again, for free! So really though, free music definitely should not be unlawful. Movies on the other hand, I can understand, but that's a totally different story. To the record companies and artists, I'm sorry if you can't buy a luxurious jet and have to get a smaller one because of downloaded music, but for the good of the people, let it be.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Teenagers
In the words of Gerard Way, "Teenagers scare the living shit out of me". There can not be a quote with more truth than that one. We are very scary, not only to adults but we scare the living shit out of myself too, if that makes any sense. The clicks we form, the rights of passage we have to go through to be accepted, it is, in every definition of the word, scary. Now, I know that this does not pertain fully to music, skateboarding, or education in specific, but there are elements of all of those that create the horror that is the teenager! (que scary music).
First element, music. Music has always played a major role in shaping youth. Think about rap today, if it wasn't around, there prolly wouldn't be as many gangs and violence today. Hip-Hop and rap are what made it cool really. I have nothing against hip-hop that has a good message and some intricacy, but the "gangster-rap" is just stupid really. But I digress, music affects fashion, it even affects our actions. It is a very powerful tool and the messages that are sent out can be used very easily to control our malleable youth.
Skateboarding hasn't had that much of an effect, except for creating new clicks and maybe more hatred toward today's youth from cops. So I won't delve into it anymore, it is definitely still a factor. I would say that the most dangerous element that has created today's youth is the educational system. Not so much what we learn, but just being in school, surrounded by other people your age. Being in this situation forces people to be in groups. I mean, its not like everyone can be friends, human beings have always tended to stay in groups.
Think way, way back, before civilization. Being in groups payed off, it offered more protection. A predator is much less likely to attack a group of something, than something that's by itself. And think of who you would let in that group, only the strongest and the people you like. Now that is very much true today. Clicks usually consist of similar people, and if you don't really fit in with anyone there you find a different group, which is always scary. And if you're like me and don't really like most of the groups. You find a different group of groups. Getting back to the school aspect, schools are groups in their own. People from Alameda, even if they hate each other, they still have some similarities. Those similarities are usually similarities not shared with people from say, Encinal. And it doesn't stop their, oh no. All teenagers in the city of Alameda can be considered a group, and we all have stuff in common that kids from Oakland don't have. And the same can be true for states and countries and even worlds, talk about clicky. It all makes for a very scary place and if "teenagers scar the living shit out of" you. think what we'll do when were the adults.
First element, music. Music has always played a major role in shaping youth. Think about rap today, if it wasn't around, there prolly wouldn't be as many gangs and violence today. Hip-Hop and rap are what made it cool really. I have nothing against hip-hop that has a good message and some intricacy, but the "gangster-rap" is just stupid really. But I digress, music affects fashion, it even affects our actions. It is a very powerful tool and the messages that are sent out can be used very easily to control our malleable youth.
Skateboarding hasn't had that much of an effect, except for creating new clicks and maybe more hatred toward today's youth from cops. So I won't delve into it anymore, it is definitely still a factor. I would say that the most dangerous element that has created today's youth is the educational system. Not so much what we learn, but just being in school, surrounded by other people your age. Being in this situation forces people to be in groups. I mean, its not like everyone can be friends, human beings have always tended to stay in groups.
Think way, way back, before civilization. Being in groups payed off, it offered more protection. A predator is much less likely to attack a group of something, than something that's by itself. And think of who you would let in that group, only the strongest and the people you like. Now that is very much true today. Clicks usually consist of similar people, and if you don't really fit in with anyone there you find a different group, which is always scary. And if you're like me and don't really like most of the groups. You find a different group of groups. Getting back to the school aspect, schools are groups in their own. People from Alameda, even if they hate each other, they still have some similarities. Those similarities are usually similarities not shared with people from say, Encinal. And it doesn't stop their, oh no. All teenagers in the city of Alameda can be considered a group, and we all have stuff in common that kids from Oakland don't have. And the same can be true for states and countries and even worlds, talk about clicky. It all makes for a very scary place and if "teenagers scar the living shit out of" you. think what we'll do when were the adults.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Super Duper Hardcore
The hardcore/emo genre had been getting a bad rep in recent times and for good reason. The record labels are pushing them out like a waterfall moves water. It's a bit ridiculous, and there isn't much deviation within this genre, all the bands are starting to blend together. But there is hope, there are a few bands that break this worn formula. Armor for Sleep was much more than your average emo band. They had meaningful lyrics; cascading, and at the same time, elegantly simple guitar riffs. And a sound that has a darker tint to it but not overdone as is with most hardcore bands. I wrote that in the past tense because, unfortunately, they broke up.
Escape the Fate is another great example, they came into the picture right when this movement was getting started, but they still rein over the genre. At least they did before the lead singer and lead guitarist were kicked out, they're still different from the pack but definitely not as good. The rest of this paragraph I will refer to them before the line-up change. They have advance riffs in both guitar and drums. Most of their songs sound different, a trait which most post-hardcore/screamo bands don't seem to posses. They don't overdue the screaming and the lead singer has an amazing voice. They're superbeastly-awesome.
Their is a way to have a good hardcore band its just that really none of them feel like being original, I guess. So what's the deal with napkins? Just kidding, the record labels need to dam their river and only put the best of the best on their labels, so please do us all a favor and give this genre back its good name.
Escape the Fate is another great example, they came into the picture right when this movement was getting started, but they still rein over the genre. At least they did before the lead singer and lead guitarist were kicked out, they're still different from the pack but definitely not as good. The rest of this paragraph I will refer to them before the line-up change. They have advance riffs in both guitar and drums. Most of their songs sound different, a trait which most post-hardcore/screamo bands don't seem to posses. They don't overdue the screaming and the lead singer has an amazing voice. They're superbeastly-awesome.
Their is a way to have a good hardcore band its just that really none of them feel like being original, I guess. So what's the deal with napkins? Just kidding, the record labels need to dam their river and only put the best of the best on their labels, so please do us all a favor and give this genre back its good name.
May Day Rendition Rough Draft
On a foggy Sunday morning, on the outskirts of the city, A man named Doug was driving what looked to be a Mercedes. It actually was but it was in desperate need of repair. Doug was frantically pulling out all the loose ends on his suit, but it was just making it look more ratty. He pulled to a squieking halt outside of a house that looked almost as bad as his car did.
Hey Grant, long time no see, he said to himself while practicing what used to be a well rehearsed and bright smile, his smile was just another thing that had faded. No, that would never get me through the front door. He sat in his car rehearsing his lines for another five minutes before he gathered the courage to talk to him. When he got to the door he knocked, composed himself, and tried to seem calm. The door opened a crack.
"Hey Grant lo-" the door was abruptly shut in his face. "Hey, Come one Grant!" he exclaimed, pounding on the door. "I drove all the way across the country to talk to you." The level of distress in his voice was enough for him to merit another crack of the door.
"What," said Grant bluntly.
"I came to say I was sorry, what I did is imprinted on my conscience."
"I'm flattered, you're forgiven," he said with a more than noticeable undertow of sarcasm. "Now go away!"
He tried to slam the door shut again but Doug stepped in front of it. Not a good move on his part, but he did get in on account of his cracked ribs. Grant dragged the whimpering Doug onto his couch and went into his fridge.
"Here," Grant threw the icepack at Doug's face, he caught it but reeled in pain when he lifted his arms.
"Ow," said Doug "reminds me of senior year homecoming."
Grant couldn't help but reminisce. Doug was on the varsity football team, Grant didn't play any sports but him and Doug played a game with a couple other people after the game. Somehow Grant tackled Doug, and broke two of his ribs. Doug spent the rest of the night in a wheelchair trying to pick up chicks with it for Grant. It didn't work well for Grant but for Doug it worked miraculously.
"That was hilarious, but once again, you took the girl." Grants smile quickly faded at the thought.
"I'm sorry! I've lost it, gone off the deep end. I'm suffering from insomnia, I'm schizophrenic, neurotic, all because of what I did and I feel terrible for it."
"Why the hell should I forgive you, give me one good reason."
"Well, I'll give you a few. One, I drove all the way here from California. Two, you probably broke my ribs again with your door."
"You stepped in front of it!"
"Three..." His mind had already wandered to the scar still prominent on his right cheek. " Well we both know what three is."
"You deserved it."
"I guess so..."
"No, no guessing. You know how hard it is for me to get a girl, and this one really liked me, she was perfect. But you couldn't be satisfied with every other girl in the f-ing entire state, no, you needed mine and no one can resist your stupid f-ing charm."
Doug was immediately regretful of the scar he had given him 5 years ago on the night he had learned of his friends betrayal. His effort to drink himself to death was interrupted by Doug, so Grant broke the bottle and slashed his face.
"I hoped you were just drunk. But I guess you would've done similarly without the drinking. I guess I'm done here."
"Can you get the door?"
"I don't think so."
As Grant opened the door he felt sorry for his washed-up friend, he wanted to say something but he was tongue-tied. All that was left of Doug in Grant's quiet, lonely, house was another missed opportunity.
On a foggy Sunday morning, on the outskirts of the city, A man named Doug was driving what looked to be a Mercedes. It actually was but it was in desperate need of repair. Doug was frantically pulling out all the loose ends on his suit, but it was just making it look more ratty. He pulled to a squieking halt outside of a house that looked almost as bad as his car did.
Hey Grant, long time no see, he said to himself while practicing what used to be a well rehearsed and bright smile, his smile was just another thing that had faded. No, that would never get me through the front door. He sat in his car rehearsing his lines for another five minutes before he gathered the courage to talk to him. When he got to the door he knocked, composed himself, and tried to seem calm. The door opened a crack.
"Hey Grant lo-" the door was abruptly shut in his face. "Hey, Come one Grant!" he exclaimed, pounding on the door. "I drove all the way across the country to talk to you." The level of distress in his voice was enough for him to merit another crack of the door.
"What," said Grant bluntly.
"I came to say I was sorry, what I did is imprinted on my conscience."
"I'm flattered, you're forgiven," he said with a more than noticeable undertow of sarcasm. "Now go away!"
He tried to slam the door shut again but Doug stepped in front of it. Not a good move on his part, but he did get in on account of his cracked ribs. Grant dragged the whimpering Doug onto his couch and went into his fridge.
"Here," Grant threw the icepack at Doug's face, he caught it but reeled in pain when he lifted his arms.
"Ow," said Doug "reminds me of senior year homecoming."
Grant couldn't help but reminisce. Doug was on the varsity football team, Grant didn't play any sports but him and Doug played a game with a couple other people after the game. Somehow Grant tackled Doug, and broke two of his ribs. Doug spent the rest of the night in a wheelchair trying to pick up chicks with it for Grant. It didn't work well for Grant but for Doug it worked miraculously.
"That was hilarious, but once again, you took the girl." Grants smile quickly faded at the thought.
"I'm sorry! I've lost it, gone off the deep end. I'm suffering from insomnia, I'm schizophrenic, neurotic, all because of what I did and I feel terrible for it."
"Why the hell should I forgive you, give me one good reason."
"Well, I'll give you a few. One, I drove all the way here from California. Two, you probably broke my ribs again with your door."
"You stepped in front of it!"
"Three..." His mind had already wandered to the scar still prominent on his right cheek. " Well we both know what three is."
"You deserved it."
"I guess so..."
"No, no guessing. You know how hard it is for me to get a girl, and this one really liked me, she was perfect. But you couldn't be satisfied with every other girl in the f-ing entire state, no, you needed mine and no one can resist your stupid f-ing charm."
Doug was immediately regretful of the scar he had given him 5 years ago on the night he had learned of his friends betrayal. His effort to drink himself to death was interrupted by Doug, so Grant broke the bottle and slashed his face.
"I hoped you were just drunk. But I guess you would've done similarly without the drinking. I guess I'm done here."
"Can you get the door?"
"I don't think so."
As Grant opened the door he felt sorry for his washed-up friend, he wanted to say something but he was tongue-tied. All that was left of Doug in Grant's quiet, lonely, house was another missed opportunity.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Fitzgerald Mini-Dialogue
The character I'm going to examine is Pat Hobby from The Homes of the Stars. Judging by the first line he says, he sounds like he isn't very formal, and by the way he says he's in the pictures you can tell that that would be what he boasts about when he hits the clubs. And that seems like just the kind of person he would be with his apparent alcoholism. His alcoholic need also explains why we would trolley this couple around Hollywood and use the money he was paid in advance on booze. He seems very proud of the fact that he's a writer, even a washed up one, he mentions it on more than one occasion.
He also seems like he has some experience in lying, judging by the "cover-up" of why he isn't writing a picture when he's giving them the tour. Although, he isn't very good at it. He seems to be a very proud person, which is interesting considering the situation he's in, " The "Hello, Pat," rang confidently in their ears." I think he has a very strong sense of false accomplishment. All of his flaws and lying inevitably lead to him getting into even more trouble.
He also seems like he has some experience in lying, judging by the "cover-up" of why he isn't writing a picture when he's giving them the tour. Although, he isn't very good at it. He seems to be a very proud person, which is interesting considering the situation he's in, " The "Hello, Pat," rang confidently in their ears." I think he has a very strong sense of false accomplishment. All of his flaws and lying inevitably lead to him getting into even more trouble.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
12:06
Right now it's February 14th,2919, 12:06 am, if time is even relevant. I have some questions that desperately need answers. We have so many problems but we just need to forget them for a minute and figure this out so that we can live a life of purpose.
To me. it's always seemed like there was more to life than just having a good time. I know it's a worn out question but exactly what is our purpose? Why are we imperfect? Is it because a life of perfection would act as a prison? Nothing wrong or imperfect would mean everything stays constant, life would have no point. Was this done on purpose?
What is sleep? Why do we dream? Why do we need sleep to function, what is it about sleep that recharges our brain? Why is it relevant? What is relevance? Why is that relevant? Why does pain have to be such an unpleasant feeling? Maybe because if we somehow changed it, it would drastically change who we are, and what we are (whatever we are) works, so why would it change? If it did what would happen? Could we lose our conscience, what makes us human? How did our conscience even develop? What is or was its purpose? Do other animals have it? What if they do? What if EVERYTHING IS A LIE? Just a mask pulled over our faces. Exactly what the hell are we?
To me. it's always seemed like there was more to life than just having a good time. I know it's a worn out question but exactly what is our purpose? Why are we imperfect? Is it because a life of perfection would act as a prison? Nothing wrong or imperfect would mean everything stays constant, life would have no point. Was this done on purpose?
What is sleep? Why do we dream? Why do we need sleep to function, what is it about sleep that recharges our brain? Why is it relevant? What is relevance? Why is that relevant? Why does pain have to be such an unpleasant feeling? Maybe because if we somehow changed it, it would drastically change who we are, and what we are (whatever we are) works, so why would it change? If it did what would happen? Could we lose our conscience, what makes us human? How did our conscience even develop? What is or was its purpose? Do other animals have it? What if they do? What if EVERYTHING IS A LIE? Just a mask pulled over our faces. Exactly what the hell are we?
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Pandora Radio
Pandora radio is probably one of the most useful musical discovery tools i have found in a long time. Even as I write this, I am using it to find new artists and build up my library. What I'm guessing Pandora does is analyzes the artists, songs, or albums that you like and looks for similar traits in other bands. As soon as I get all my music back on iTunes I can really just downpour music into it, because every time i listen to Pandora, I find at least 10 new, great, bands.
Pandora is the path to musical discovery, they may not have many indie bands, but they don't just spew out mainstream like every other radio that isn't on Sirius. There is a very large collection of music in their library and every band has a bio, written by an All Music Guide editor, and they usually have all of their albums, and almost all of those albums have a description, also written by an All Music Guide editor. It must have taken them a looooooong time for them to be able to launch this site because there is such a plethora of artists and their music.
One of the only problems I have with it is that it won't recognize the time period of the music you like nor the specific genre, only the traits characterized in the bands music. My other main complaint is the adds that pop up after every few songs and that there is a song skip limit, otherwise it's golden. Until something better than this surfaces, I would recommend this to anyone looking to find new music.
Pandora is the path to musical discovery, they may not have many indie bands, but they don't just spew out mainstream like every other radio that isn't on Sirius. There is a very large collection of music in their library and every band has a bio, written by an All Music Guide editor, and they usually have all of their albums, and almost all of those albums have a description, also written by an All Music Guide editor. It must have taken them a looooooong time for them to be able to launch this site because there is such a plethora of artists and their music.
One of the only problems I have with it is that it won't recognize the time period of the music you like nor the specific genre, only the traits characterized in the bands music. My other main complaint is the adds that pop up after every few songs and that there is a song skip limit, otherwise it's golden. Until something better than this surfaces, I would recommend this to anyone looking to find new music.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Skateboarding and Cops
Many people know about the age long rivalry between skaters and cops, but why does it exist? I'm not completely sure but I'll do my best to figure it out in this blog. I think it started in the 70's because of the skaters such as those in "Lord's of Dogtown", who were generally unlawful and harbored resentment for authority figures. And it's totally understandable that the police would take a disliking to this breed of skater. But as time progresses, their resentment still exists, and although some skateboarders are unlawful, most are not. And it's unfair that cops pick on us all the time when a lot of us really don't deserve it.
Their are so many police brutality videos when their are police officers that unnecessarily single out skateboarders. There's one titled "Go Skateboarding Day". Even before the video starts there's a picture of a cop on top of a 12 year old kid who was just skating on the street, choking him. At this point I guess the cameras catch up and the aforementioned kid is in handcuffs. The officer then tries to grab everyone watching that has a board. He ends up tackling a girl, arresting her, and two other guys when they weren't resisting.
The most frequent opening line for the cops/ person kicking you out is always "does this look like a skate park to you?" Well obviously it isn't a skate park if we are getting kicked out. Unfortunately most people live like 6 miles from a local skate park so were else are we supposed to skate? In every video I've seen it's always been the cops that start it, or at least throw the first punch. The typical setting for these ugly conflicts is there's a few people skating, obviously a person filming, in a place they aren't really supposed to. Then a rent-a-cop shows up, since he thinks he is the law, he starts hassling the skaters they get in a fist fight and then one of them backs down (usually the cop). This unnecessary resentment is probably what keeps it going on both sides. Skaters don't like cops because cops don't like skaters and vice-versa. It's a vicious circle that doesn't make anyone happy. I don't know what can be done to end it. There are some nice police officers, but there definitely aren't enough.
Their are so many police brutality videos when their are police officers that unnecessarily single out skateboarders. There's one titled "Go Skateboarding Day". Even before the video starts there's a picture of a cop on top of a 12 year old kid who was just skating on the street, choking him. At this point I guess the cameras catch up and the aforementioned kid is in handcuffs. The officer then tries to grab everyone watching that has a board. He ends up tackling a girl, arresting her, and two other guys when they weren't resisting.
The most frequent opening line for the cops/ person kicking you out is always "does this look like a skate park to you?" Well obviously it isn't a skate park if we are getting kicked out. Unfortunately most people live like 6 miles from a local skate park so were else are we supposed to skate? In every video I've seen it's always been the cops that start it, or at least throw the first punch. The typical setting for these ugly conflicts is there's a few people skating, obviously a person filming, in a place they aren't really supposed to. Then a rent-a-cop shows up, since he thinks he is the law, he starts hassling the skaters they get in a fist fight and then one of them backs down (usually the cop). This unnecessary resentment is probably what keeps it going on both sides. Skaters don't like cops because cops don't like skaters and vice-versa. It's a vicious circle that doesn't make anyone happy. I don't know what can be done to end it. There are some nice police officers, but there definitely aren't enough.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
English Final
2. Choose one of your posts. (Your favorite? Your least favorite? The one that surprises you the most when you reread it? Any one you want to pick.) Analyze it in detail, with quotes etc.
For this question I'm picking my first and, unfortunately, only skateboarding post. It's definitely the one that surprises me the most when I read it. Not that it's particularly good or bad. I guess it's just because of the last paragraph that I was really surprised. Anyways, now I will commence my analysis.
The first paragraph was controlled but there was definitely an undertow of frustration and desperation. "They keep coming up with new ways to stop skaters from doing what they love. Thousands of skate stoppers are installed every day and with ever increasing numbers, there's just not very much to go around." When I was writing this, I had just heard about the article in it. And it's understandably frustrating for a skater.
The next paragraph is very calm and full of hope for the skating community "But skating can't, and won't, be silenced... "There are way too many of us to be silenced, we might not all get along but we all have a similar cause.", until the article is introduced, then skating hearts should break. "A Calgary high school has banned skateboards from the property, upsetting hundreds of students...". I know Catholic schools are much more uptight than public schools but this is seriously a case of discrimination. And if I were a skateboarder at that school, I would try to take it to court, because that is seriously messed up, but I digress.
The last paragraph is really why I chose this post for this question. In the last sentence specifically, I dropped the f-bomb and dropped it on "the establishment", which isn't really my mentality. I actually fit it in twice in the same paragraph, I've done that before but not in school writing, or really writing in general. In this last paragraph frustration and anger resurface, in one flowing malcontented paragraph. I'm actually very please at how well this paragraph flowed. No matter how frightening this post was, I liked it. I dug up some dirt on the dark side of skateboarding and wrote with passion, at some parts a little too much passion, but still, it was pretty good.
8. How do you like having a blog? How has blogging changed the way you write, the way you think, or the way you think about writing?
I actually really like having a blog. Having a school blog encouraged me to have a just-for-funzies blog, which I started a couple weeks ago. I already have a follower on that one and it isn't myself! Having a blog is great because you can really put yourself out there. You can advertise whatever you want. Your emotions, your products, feelings, everything, and anyone can see them. If you want to be noticed, this is the way to do it. My one follower is a through-and-through musician, who's music is on my Ipod, small world right? Just an example of the connections and success that come from having a blog. And it has changed my writing.
I think blogging has definitely added more personality to it. Although, that isn't great for formal righting, because now I throw more slang and phrases that express me. In retrospect that's not all that bad. I guess I right a lot lighter and more from the heart now. Not really lighter, more freely would be a better way to describe it. I will just write and write, then when I'm done I'll go back and thin it and get rid of stupid mistakes, most of the time. I've realized recently that I make a lot fewer mistakes when I write nowadays and I think that's because we write in such multitude in your class. Which is pretty cool.
I wouldn't say having a blog changes the way I think, but it has changed the way I put my thoughts into words. It's a good stress reliever in that way, I can put whatever I want out there and not have to keep it all pent up inside. I just put it all out there, and it feels good, even if no one reads it.
10. Where do you get your ideas for blog post topics? What inspires you to write?
My ideas for blog topics come from the things I love. Music, skating, and whining about what's wrong with society. I love music, with a passion. I believe that the rest of my life will revolve around it. It's always easy to fall back on a subject that I know through-and-through. Skating is not always that easy to write about because there's not much to write about that people who don't skate would care about. But it is my blog so I guess that doesn't really matter. Before I say anything else, I should mention how I choose stuff to write about for my blog. First, I open up Google docs. Then I come up with a title (This is the most important step). I go over the topics I chose for my Statement of Purpose and pick the first one that pops out immediately, and that choice is almost always under the music category. I'd like to change that in the near future, but for now I have to do this final.And finally I write it and correct it.
As for inspiration, that's easy. I am inspired to write by all the people up top. For instance, in music, all the professional musicians and even some of the indie ones. In skating, the pros' and ams' that run it. As for education, mainly the people that run it: teachers, staff, board of directors, etc. But I wouldn't say the educational system inspires me in the way it should. It mainly inspires me to talk about what I don't like about it. And, unfortunately I haven''t talked much about that because I love music and skating so much. It's very paradoxical but, I survive, and I write.
For this question I'm picking my first and, unfortunately, only skateboarding post. It's definitely the one that surprises me the most when I read it. Not that it's particularly good or bad. I guess it's just because of the last paragraph that I was really surprised. Anyways, now I will commence my analysis.
The first paragraph was controlled but there was definitely an undertow of frustration and desperation. "They keep coming up with new ways to stop skaters from doing what they love. Thousands of skate stoppers are installed every day and with ever increasing numbers, there's just not very much to go around." When I was writing this, I had just heard about the article in it. And it's understandably frustrating for a skater.
The next paragraph is very calm and full of hope for the skating community "But skating can't, and won't, be silenced... "There are way too many of us to be silenced, we might not all get along but we all have a similar cause.", until the article is introduced, then skating hearts should break. "A Calgary high school has banned skateboards from the property, upsetting hundreds of students...". I know Catholic schools are much more uptight than public schools but this is seriously a case of discrimination. And if I were a skateboarder at that school, I would try to take it to court, because that is seriously messed up, but I digress.
The last paragraph is really why I chose this post for this question. In the last sentence specifically, I dropped the f-bomb and dropped it on "the establishment", which isn't really my mentality. I actually fit it in twice in the same paragraph, I've done that before but not in school writing, or really writing in general. In this last paragraph frustration and anger resurface, in one flowing malcontented paragraph. I'm actually very please at how well this paragraph flowed. No matter how frightening this post was, I liked it. I dug up some dirt on the dark side of skateboarding and wrote with passion, at some parts a little too much passion, but still, it was pretty good.
8. How do you like having a blog? How has blogging changed the way you write, the way you think, or the way you think about writing?
I actually really like having a blog. Having a school blog encouraged me to have a just-for-funzies blog, which I started a couple weeks ago. I already have a follower on that one and it isn't myself! Having a blog is great because you can really put yourself out there. You can advertise whatever you want. Your emotions, your products, feelings, everything, and anyone can see them. If you want to be noticed, this is the way to do it. My one follower is a through-and-through musician, who's music is on my Ipod, small world right? Just an example of the connections and success that come from having a blog. And it has changed my writing.
I think blogging has definitely added more personality to it. Although, that isn't great for formal righting, because now I throw more slang and phrases that express me. In retrospect that's not all that bad. I guess I right a lot lighter and more from the heart now. Not really lighter, more freely would be a better way to describe it. I will just write and write, then when I'm done I'll go back and thin it and get rid of stupid mistakes, most of the time. I've realized recently that I make a lot fewer mistakes when I write nowadays and I think that's because we write in such multitude in your class. Which is pretty cool.
I wouldn't say having a blog changes the way I think, but it has changed the way I put my thoughts into words. It's a good stress reliever in that way, I can put whatever I want out there and not have to keep it all pent up inside. I just put it all out there, and it feels good, even if no one reads it.
10. Where do you get your ideas for blog post topics? What inspires you to write?
My ideas for blog topics come from the things I love. Music, skating, and whining about what's wrong with society. I love music, with a passion. I believe that the rest of my life will revolve around it. It's always easy to fall back on a subject that I know through-and-through. Skating is not always that easy to write about because there's not much to write about that people who don't skate would care about. But it is my blog so I guess that doesn't really matter. Before I say anything else, I should mention how I choose stuff to write about for my blog. First, I open up Google docs. Then I come up with a title (This is the most important step). I go over the topics I chose for my Statement of Purpose and pick the first one that pops out immediately, and that choice is almost always under the music category. I'd like to change that in the near future, but for now I have to do this final.And finally I write it and correct it.
As for inspiration, that's easy. I am inspired to write by all the people up top. For instance, in music, all the professional musicians and even some of the indie ones. In skating, the pros' and ams' that run it. As for education, mainly the people that run it: teachers, staff, board of directors, etc. But I wouldn't say the educational system inspires me in the way it should. It mainly inspires me to talk about what I don't like about it. And, unfortunately I haven''t talked much about that because I love music and skating so much. It's very paradoxical but, I survive, and I write.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
View On Writing Groups
I don't really know what to expect from this group writing project thing. It could be helpful and fun but it could also be the exact opposite. I never get serious writers block and if I do get a little, it doesn't last long. Figuring out what to write about is pretty easy for me to do as well. I'm not trying to sound narcissistic, but I don't need much help in those aspects. I think some constructive criticism would probably do some good. I could definitely help other people. I could collaborate with them to create new post ideas, help them edit, all that good stuff. Although I'm not always the greatest explainer, trying never hurts.
I think it would be a good idea to work with friends along with people who write about similar subjects. With friends, you're not afraid to point out their flaws in writing and all around more comfortable. Working with people of the same writing genre is also a good idea because there would be cumulative understanding about the subject within the group. Some good guidelines would be: 1) Don't be an ass. 2) Do your work. The first one takes care of a lot of them but to name a couple, be nice when criticizing and help people who need it. Well, that's my perspective on this, take it or leave it.
I think it would be a good idea to work with friends along with people who write about similar subjects. With friends, you're not afraid to point out their flaws in writing and all around more comfortable. Working with people of the same writing genre is also a good idea because there would be cumulative understanding about the subject within the group. Some good guidelines would be: 1) Don't be an ass. 2) Do your work. The first one takes care of a lot of them but to name a couple, be nice when criticizing and help people who need it. Well, that's my perspective on this, take it or leave it.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Hella Indie
Now I'm not as big of a fan of Indie music genre as some of my friends, but I like several Indie bands. It's my understanding that Indie is short for independent artists, but my colleges inform me that it is much more than that, it's a "lifestyle". I've also been told "if you can't sing for shit and you're in a band, you're indie." I guess the indie that everyone else imagines is different than mine. What I think they think is indie is bands like Okay, that have very strange vocals and little dinky guitar riffs and clappy drums 'n stuff. I prefer good music, I mean, I don't know about everyone else but that's the kind of music I like. As long as it's good, I don't care if it's mainstream or from the dark, dark depths of the indie garage.
What I further cannot comprehend is there are mainstream bands that are indie. Pardon my French but what the fuck? How is Metric indie? They are signed, labeled, and playing shows at BFD (Live 105.3). And Radiohead, according to myspace the last time I looked, is the most popular indie band. What??? If that isn't an oxymoron I don't know what is. I'm probably just talking out of my ass here but does anyone else get what I'm saying? I feel like I'm on an island here.
Bands like Mike Falzone and the Peppermint Trick that are totally independent but have good vocals, and good guitar, and bass, drums, synth and whatever else I can totally listen to. But if you're listening to a really shitty indie band or "mainstream-indie" bands like Metric just to seem indie, then go jump off a cliff or rid the world of your stupidity in some other way. Remember, there's nothing wrong with good music, but don't listen to anything to appeal to a certain crowd, it just makes you look like an ass.
What I further cannot comprehend is there are mainstream bands that are indie. Pardon my French but what the fuck? How is Metric indie? They are signed, labeled, and playing shows at BFD (Live 105.3). And Radiohead, according to myspace the last time I looked, is the most popular indie band. What??? If that isn't an oxymoron I don't know what is. I'm probably just talking out of my ass here but does anyone else get what I'm saying? I feel like I'm on an island here.
Bands like Mike Falzone and the Peppermint Trick that are totally independent but have good vocals, and good guitar, and bass, drums, synth and whatever else I can totally listen to. But if you're listening to a really shitty indie band or "mainstream-indie" bands like Metric just to seem indie, then go jump off a cliff or rid the world of your stupidity in some other way. Remember, there's nothing wrong with good music, but don't listen to anything to appeal to a certain crowd, it just makes you look like an ass.
New Stuff
Two pretty big bands(fan base-wise) recently put new CD's. One I was pretty happy with, the other was pretty disappointing. I'm talking, of course, about Muse and 30 Seconds to Mars. If you like these bands and you aren't just into popular music, you know which one is a disappointment. If you happen to be one of those types, The Resistance is basically a big sell out, it's definitely not the Muse I fell in love with. It sounds way to pop-y and like it was meant for everyone to listen to, and I feel they lost some of their identity as a band. On the other hand, This Is War, by 30 Seconds to Mars, was a good album. Sure it was meant for a bit wider audience, but they advanced and expanded without losing their sound.
When I heard the first single for The Resistance, I was not very impressed. The Uprising sounded like a huge Marilyn Manson knock off. It has huge drums and bass and not as much guitar as the Muse I know experimented with. The keyboard was not traditional muse piano, it was some warbly synth thing. And there was clapping involved! How much cornier can you get.I thought, well maybe they had this depth-less, catchy, song to bring people into the album, this was not the case. The album is littered by all this new heavy drums shit and was totally unlike them, I was a bit shocked. I kept trying to tell myself this is just moving forward, but it never sat well with me, I'm sorry.
Now 30 Second's, they did a very good job. Their single (Kings and Queens), at least I think it was a single, anyways it was the most popular song off the album and had a video and all that jazz, was a good song and the video was pretty amazing. It sounded just a bit like U2, nahhh, it actually sounded very much like a U2 song but it really worked for them, and they put their own influence on it. I could tell it was a 30 Seconds to Mars song before he started singing. This Is War and Night of the Hunter went more back to their roots but with more of a major (as in the key) and brighter sound. All in all it was a pretty good album, nothing disappointing and some good songs. One thing I found odd was the children's choir in the backround of each song.
When I heard the first single for The Resistance, I was not very impressed. The Uprising sounded like a huge Marilyn Manson knock off. It has huge drums and bass and not as much guitar as the Muse I know experimented with. The keyboard was not traditional muse piano, it was some warbly synth thing. And there was clapping involved! How much cornier can you get.I thought, well maybe they had this depth-less, catchy, song to bring people into the album, this was not the case. The album is littered by all this new heavy drums shit and was totally unlike them, I was a bit shocked. I kept trying to tell myself this is just moving forward, but it never sat well with me, I'm sorry.
Now 30 Second's, they did a very good job. Their single (Kings and Queens), at least I think it was a single, anyways it was the most popular song off the album and had a video and all that jazz, was a good song and the video was pretty amazing. It sounded just a bit like U2, nahhh, it actually sounded very much like a U2 song but it really worked for them, and they put their own influence on it. I could tell it was a 30 Seconds to Mars song before he started singing. This Is War and Night of the Hunter went more back to their roots but with more of a major (as in the key) and brighter sound. All in all it was a pretty good album, nothing disappointing and some good songs. One thing I found odd was the children's choir in the backround of each song.
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