BLOGS ARE CLOSED

Phoenix, AZ and the Red Convertible

I think there are alot of similarities between "This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona" and "The Red Convertible" and I also think that they may have been written in somewhat the same mindset although they are by two completely different authors.

Both are short stories written by native american authors who describe briefly life on a reservation, and deal with two male protagonists along with other characters in a subplot.
In "..Phoenix, Arizona" the relationship between the main characters is more strained at first and then through the event of a relative dying they become closer for a short period of time and then realize that they are very different from each other, but they accept it.
In "The Red Convertible" the relationship between the brothers is very close at first and then begins to fade away as time goes on and one of them comes back from the war a very different person and the other remains the same. The death of Henry breaks them apart and closure does not ever seem to come.

I believe that in a way these stories are parallel although they are headed in different directions.

Los Vendidos and The Boondocks

When I think further about the play "Los Vendidos" I started to be reminded of aspects in the tv cartoon "The Boondocks." Both deal with somewhat taboo racial issues and use humor to get their point across. Suprisingly to many I am an avid fan of "The Boondocks" even though I do not agree with their usage of the "n word." My favorite aspect of the show is one of the characters Huey because he is the "revolutionary" of the show and has very strong op9nions about African-American people and where the race is versus where the race could and should be. Along with his perspectives viewers are also given Huey's younger brother Riley who plays the rolse of more of the typical "Black kid" who swears and has a bad attitude and so forth. I like that the show gives sterotypes within the black culture they also assess these sterotypes and their lack of validity. It is very possible that plays like "Los Vendidos" set the pavement for shows like "The Boondocks."

Anyone that genuinely knows me knows that I am a big fan of Henry David Thoreau, one of my favorite quotes by him is:

As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.

For me this quote means a lot of different things but for one, this quote reminds me of Aristotle's principles of what constitutes ethical behavior, in that according to Aristotle ethical/moral people are those that practice ethical behaviors every day. Thoreau's quote has some of the same ideas in that it is one thing to think of doing something but it is more important to act. Sometimes if I am procrastinating on doing work that I know needs to be done I can think about this quote and it will motivate me to do something productive with my life. One, because I know that i do want to make a difference in my lifetime so before I can actually make that difference I have to go thought a lot of things that I may consider tedious but, that are necessary. Secondly, the quote reminds me that I have to get in the habit of making good habits in order to be the person I feel I need/want to be.
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Sweeney Todd

I don't know how many of you were able to go and see the school's performance of "Sweeney Todd" because the show sold out for all three nights before opening night started! I was able to go opening night and see the musical - considering that I saw it on opening night I did enjoy the show. I had heard a lot of mixed reviews from the cast so when I went to see it, I really did not know what to expect. I had been told that the director was not the best qualified for the job and that many of the cast and crew members were not impressed with her "vision" for the show. It was clear that the director was going for something very close to the more recent Tim Burton, Johnny Depp version of the musical instead of the less dramatic original Broadway version of the musical. Considering that the school's production was similar in costume, make up and scenery to the movie/musical version it almost seemed like a cheap immitation. If I have a choice of watching Ben perform the role of Sweeney versus Johnny Depp, there is no doubt that I would rather watch Johnny Depp, as I'm sure many would agree. Not to say that Ben did not do his best at performing under the circumstances, but, when you put on a play that has become very famous it is dangerous to not change things up. I feel that the production should have taken it's own direction instead of being like a "cover" performance of the movie/musical version.
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3 years from now

Three years from now I see myself graduating from a great University with my degree. I played golf my freshman year and am planning on possibly getting back on the team and get good enough to possibly pursue a career in it. I'm not positive where I will be living or where I'm going to be working. Hopefully all of that will come when my education is complete. I feel, because I am such a hard worker, that I will be very successful no matter what career I chose to be in. I want to be doing something I enjoy more than anything so I changed my major from Business to Criminal Justice. Golf would also be a great career if I get the opportunity. I don't see myself settling down quite yet. I would like to get my career in line, and figure out what I am going to do the rest of my life before getting stirred up in something like a family of my own. Three years from now will be a great time in my life. It will be a time when I am in my prime, but will be the most important time of my life because my choices then will influence me for the rest of my life!

Poem

When I was in high school we were required to create a scrapbook for my senior english class of key events that happened my senior year. I looked through it and noticed a poem I had in there. I don't even remember writing it but it was there so here it is.

Goodbye to the laughs

Goodbye to the tears

Goodbye to the memories 

Of the last four years

Goodbye to the tests

Goodbye to the games

Goodbye to the people

We will never know by name

Goodbye to the teachers

Goodbye to the staff

Goodbye to the people

Who made us laugh

Goodbye to our friends

Goodbye to our foes

Goodbye to the lives

We used to know

Goodbye to this place

Goodbye to this heaven 

Goodbye to the class

Of 2007