Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Homework reading...

Here's the link for "The Importance of Being Hated" by Chuck Klosterman. He's funny. Pay special attention to his sense of style and how he goes about explaining his concepts.

Music Geek

I would have to say that I am a music geek. Usually people would wait for songs to come out on the radio or something, but I sit and wait for them to leak on the internet. When I say leak, it means when a producer or dj puts the rapper or singer's music out before he or she wants it to be out. I go to blog sites to find the latest scoop on new music, and I stay up all night waiting for that one song, just so I can say I heard it first. I probably don't hear them first anyway, but hey I'm not going to change my mindset now. I guess you can call me the "Steve Erkel" of music. I don't just listen to hip hop or R&B music, its sort of a variety. My ipod is full of music that people haven't even heard yet, but I will be glad to share. I love music, because it is a form of expression. It has alot of emotion in it, and I'm an expressive guy, I guess. So what I'm a music geek tell the world.

What I am "geeky" at

I was in yearbook my junior and senior year of high school and would have to say that's what I was "geeky" at. I always found myself running around school getting quotes for the yearbook or taking pictures. My senior year I fully dedicated myself to yearbook as editor-in-chief. I don't think I enjoyed the class as much as I did the year before since I wasn't writing as much copy, but I had to make sure everyone else was doing what they needed to be doing. I remember there were plenty of days I would stay after school until 7:00 and even one time until 8:30. We would get our work done before a big deadline and entertained ourselves at the same time. I truly enjoyed being in yearbook and I loved everything about it. I felt like a huge nerd when the book came out reading everything and pointing out all the mistakes that we made or things we did well. I could tell you every small mistake or big mistake in our yearbooks the past two years that students who didn't take the class or maybe were even in the class didn't notice. My computer skills were better after the class from working on word, Adobe Indesign. and even photoshop a few times. Every summer before the class started we would go to yearbook camp. I would tell people were I was going for the weekend and they would find it funny asking me if it was anything like band camp. I didn't care whether they found it funny or not because I knew when I went I would enjoy myself and learn a lot from all the different workshops.

Music

I will admit that there are many things that make me a geek. Just recently my friends have started to notice how geeky I truly am. In the 90's and early 2000's everyone was into pop music. NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, and other artists were quite the craze. Well, most people grew up and moved on to more mature music and other artists became popular. I however never stopped loving these groups. Almost everyday I need to rock out to some oldschool music. Whether I am in the car or in my room NSYNC, Britney Spears, O Town, or Mariah Carey will be blaring from the speakers of my computer. The most recently played songs on my iTunes contains songs like Gone, I Want it That Way, All the Small Things, I Want You Back, and many more. I try to cover up my secret obsession with songs by artists such as Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, and others. Listening to the pop songs is very geeky, I know. However, I konw that I'm not the only one still listening to these songs. If I play a song in front of others everyone knows the words. By the time the chorus starts almost everyone else listening starts to sing along. Don't deny it, you know you all love some oldschool pop songs too!

I am a Geek for Sports and Music

I do not necessarily like to watch sports on TV or in the stands, I have to play them. I love to be outside and run around in the grass or dirt, whichever. Feeling the breeze on my face and the sun on my skin, is so relaxing. The strategy of all different kinds of sports is the fun and entertaining part. I love football for the aggression and the grass stains. Also trying to decide which play is best for any situation is fun too. I LOVE softball, because I played it in high school and middle school, and I know the rules and object of the game the best. It is fun to hit a neon yellow ball as hard as you can and see how far it goes, then run as fast as your legs can carry you. Soccer it just plain fun, tiring, and has a lot of tricks and turns. it is always really exciting when you finally get a rainbow kick or a bicycle kick for the first time! Tennis is an great workout and an easy way to get a tan. It is fun to try and get and ace past your opponet.

Music is my other passion. I cannot sing very well, and I cannot play an instrument, but I am drawn the echo of the sound waves that turn out to be a great song. I like pretty much anythign and everything, Broadway, rap, country, folk, rock and classic rock, oldies, opera. That is everything I think. i have songs on my ipod by artists that no one has ever heard of. The funny thing about my ipod is whenever people are listening to it, atleast 5 times they say, "oh my god I love this song", or "wow I forgot about that song." I am nerdy enough about songs that if I hear one in a resturant or in a commercial, i wirte down the lyrics and look it up.

I love sports and music they actually coordinate pretty well too. Normally I listen to my favorite song of the moment before playing a game to get me in the right mood to do well.

What am I geeked out about???

What am I geeked out about??? I have so many things that come to mind it’s so hard to pick just one. I must say since it’s that time of year I will say FOOTBALL. I love the game and of course I’m a Carolina Panther fan. I started watching football when I was about 10 years old. My parents were 49er fans and I followed their lead. I remember watching Joe Montana, one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. I remember having a little crush on him because he looked cute in his uniform. When Joe got hurt it broke my heart. I remember like it was yesterday, the 49er were playing the Giants, who was not playing very nice. Joe got hit many times but that last time ended his career with the 49er. He tried to come back after healing but he was not the same. So you should know how I feel about the Giants, I hate them with a passion along with the Cowboys, but that’s another story.
I have a new team now, 49ers will be my #1 team forever but you know I have to pull for my home team. My favorite player with the Panthers is Steven Smith (Smitty). This man is awesome to watch and Sunday was a prime example of why. This man can make plays happen on the field. Smith is so small compared to the other players but he packs a mean punch. I call him the Mugsy Bogues of football. I also like Muhsin Muhammad who also showed his butt off Sunday against the Falcons. Carolina has two great wide receivers but the quarterback is another story. Jack Dalhomme is one of my least favorite players on the team. He needs to go play for the Giants; this shows how much he means to me. If Carolina would invest in Brady or one of the Manning boys we might have a few Super Bowl rings.
The love that I have for football has rubbed off on my boys. I have a 10 year old who’s about 5’6” and weighs 155lbs and he plays football for the Finley Road Falcons. He plays nose guard on defense and left guard on offence. He says he wants to be a professional football player when he grows up. I also have a 6 year old who is just a little old thing and he thinks he’s the best one on the field when they play football in the neighborhood; he’s not old enough to play for a team yet. I always comes home and tells me how he be juking the boys out and scoring all the touchdowns in the game. Next year he will be old enough to play and I’m looking forward to seeing him get knocked on his butt a few times.
Football is an interesting sport; it keeps my attention and is the only sport I can sit down and watch all day long. I don’t know to many women who can sit and watch football all day long, my husband is a very lucky man. He will never hear me tell him to turn the TV when football is on, I don’t care if it’s college or professional I can watch it all day. Below is the websites for my favorite teams, 49ers and Panthers.
http://www.sf49ers.com/home.php
http://www.panthers.com/IntroPage1.aspx

GEEKED OVER SHOES

I have an extreme obsession with shoes. I actually own 136 pairs. Yes, I've actually counted. I recently gave away 96 pairs of shoes only so I could replenish my stock. Let's just say I made a young girl ecstatic that day! My shoes consist of many varieties and mostly have heels. I'm vertically challenged! However, I have options for all types of weather and seasons. The most expensive pair only cost me $140.00. That was a bargain! And bargain is my middle name. I am always in search of a deal. That is why I own so many. I continue to find great deals so the purchases are a must. :) I hate to say that I have regretfully passed my passion onto my son and now I suffer from the same. My purchases for myself have become fewer and far between because my son needs, wants, JUST HAS TO HAVE lots of shoes. We compromise and take turns. I feel as if our shoes define our personality in ways. My son has to wear uniforms to school. He and the children are dressed the same everyday with the exception of their shoes. The only individuality that separates them from the rest. So, I allow him to have more than one pair for school versus my school days of one pair were for school only. His shoes describe him. Shoes make statements and tell you things about a person. Not only do they take you places, they tell you where you've been.

So, if I ever go bankrupt, it will be because I overindulged while shoe shopping.

Check out www.shoemetro.com for some great Ebay deals. :)

Geeked up on SPONGEBOB

I am the biggest Spongebob fanatic in the world. My room back home is Spongebob all around. I have a huge stuffed spongebob in my dorm room now along with his bestfriend gary. I wake up and watch spongebob then my roommate wakes up and looks over at me laughing wondering why im still watching spongebob. My bed spread is spongebob, i have the slippers with his face on it. I think he is the best animation in the world. For my graduation party, My bestfriend got me a spongebob ice cream cake and I actually took lots of pictures of it before I cut it.. We have every episode there is out there its ridiculous I know. I know the word sto almost every episode lol. It is by far my favorite tv show in the world. The Mall of America in Minnesota has an amusement park in it called nickelodian universe and there are spongebob rides there that I just love to get on. If I could, I would just watch it all day everyday.

Shoes Galore!!

I am the biggest geek about shoes! Any kind of shoe all kinds of shoes! i can find something cute about the ugliest shoe you can find!!! well not that geeky about shoes but its pretty close. Although I love love love all types of shoes, my favorite are sneakers!!! I like the old school hip hop meets skaterboy look!!! Just lots of weird colors and styles...i want to go shopping now! Anyways I love shoes sooo much that I have shoes with nothing to wear with them. I go to the mall a lot..well i did before i came to this very nice, beautiful, really really expensive school...but everytime I went shopping i would buy two to three pair of shoes and nothing to wear with it. so now i am stuck with all these shoes!! and i cant sell them because i have become emotionally attached to all of my sneakers and their boxes!!! I love chucks (that's converse), pastries, vans, guess, timberland, adidas, and nikes! When I was younger or before I got a job and my parents were paying for my school clothes, I would only get one pair of shoes and all the other kids at school would have three different pairs for the whole week. No matter what color I was wearing on top, I always wore my blue and white nikes! When i got that first paycheck, i went crazy buying. There it is..J'AIME LES CHAUSSURES!

I am a Clothing geek

Despite how absolutely pointless it is I know a lot about clothes. I am a sure it will not really do anything for me in my life and I am sure that I have not had the slightest care about my appearance, how ever I know a lot about fashion. Most of it is gobbly gook. However I know a lot of new and up coming designers such as Hamish Morrow who is still in his first decade of being a profit making designer. Of course I know the classic designers too, like Missoni. Missoni is known for their intricate pattern work, however since a new generation of the Missoni family is taking over new ideas are starting to get into play. Such as their new perfume. I love the history of the designers. The way that Christian Louboutin got his trade mark red soles is because after completing his first pair of heels he thought they needed something extra. So he grabbed his secretaries red nail polish and painted the bottom red. Now everyone copies him and he became a successful and famous shoe designer. I just get so interested in what is always going on. There are always new shapes and colors and patterns to be seen. It never gets boring. When I find my self being bored I will pick up a magazine and just dissect it. I will look at every word and every picture. There is just so much stuff that I love wrapped up in this nice little package called design.

Monday, September 29, 2008

What I am Geeky About!!

If I had to choose one thing that I am geeky about besides art, movies, the internet, and RPs, it would be books. I am completely obsessed with reading books. My interests lie more in the gothic type stories, such as vampires or werewolves. Pretty much any type of urban fantasy fiction will catch my eye, though. Some of my favorite authors include Stephanie Meyer, Garth Nix, Libba Bray, Laurell K. Hamilton, Tamora Pierce, and Gail Carson Levine. Each of these authors has written series that I just fell in love with at the beginning and could not put the book down. Most of the books that I read by them are ones that I will re-read over and over, and still enjoy the book as if it is the first time I am reading it. When I am done reading a book, I sometimes research for illustrations of scenes or of characters to see how others picture them. If I do not do that, I will end up sketching how I think they should look in my own book. Essentially, that is what I am studying to become: an Illustrator. Reading sparks the passion in me to pursue such a tedious career. When I find a new book, I am on a natural high. I get more excited about good books than I do going to a fair or a concert. It is almost sad but so very true. Sadly, I had to leave most of my books at home. I went through and picked out the ones I knew I could not come to college without. For example, I could not come without Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series or Libba Bray’s A Great and Terrible Beauty trilogy. Currently, I am working my way through Garth Nix’s Sabriel trilogy for possibly the fourth time. It has been years since I last re-read the books so I decided to read them again. Books are my passion and I eventually want to write my own novels.

What I am geeky about

I would have to say that because of who I am and how I work that there is not really one thing in particular that I am geeky about. I like a challenge, almost any and everything that puts forth a challenge I have to try. But if I had to choose my favorite thing to do it would have to be rock climbing. When I was younger, I lived in Massachusetts, tons of mountains. This is where I first learned how to rock climb. All growing up I climbed over literally pretty much everything that I could or was allowed to. But my friends lived up in the mountains, like you looked out their back door and there they were. Well I went to spend the weekend with them and my friend's older brother was going rock climbing and asked if we wanted to go. I was hesitant at first but once I started I couldn't get enough. So needless to say I was over their house alot after that. Once I moved to Charleston, where there are no mountains, I was upset because I thought that I was never going to be able to rock climb again. But thats not the case. I met a friend and was invited to her birthday party and guess what it entailed, yup rock climbing. I was exstatic, I had found a place where I could climb. Almost every weekend after that I was at this store climbing the wall. Though it was not as good as the real thing it was still fun. I had continued to go to this store but not as often up until I moved on to campus. I have seen the climbing wall here but I have yet to try it out. I will get there eventually though.

NPR Story

http://www.thisibelieve.org/dsp_ShowEssay.php?uid=39318&topessays=2&start=0

This story was about a teenager who has dyslexia. When he was in elementary school he was not able to be in a regular public school so he was transferred to a specialty school for language processing disorders and there he learned how to read. But the story starts off talking about how he can solve a rubiks cube, and in the end he compares the challenge of figuring out the rubiks cube to his challenge with dyslexia

My obsession

My true love or passion would have to be racing just like the other two in our class. I am addicted to motors and speed. I race dirt bikes every Sunday in North Carolina and it is my drug. I have so much fun doing it and I don’t think I will ever get bored with it. I am just now getting into cars and I love mine. I own a 2003 Saab 93 convertible. I don’t know much about cars like I do with dirt bikes but I am definitely trying to learn as much as I can. I really wish there was an auto mechanics course here so I could learn as much as possible. If anyone can show me a thing or two, I will be glad to pay attention and learn. I love going fast because it is my idea of an adrenaline rush. If flying through trees and through the air on a dirt bike is not a rush for you then I don’t know what would be. So I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a geek but more of a motor head. My dad was the person that got me into dirt bikes because he raced as a child and now he is reliving his youth through me and I can’t thank him enough.

Video Games!

I would have to say that I am geeky about video games but not all just some. Play me in the Super Mario Carts or Super Mario Brawl and Melee and I am pretty good. I play RPGs and have played all the Final Fantasy games. I also have played and beaten a lot of the metroids. I like to play the old arcade games and I'm pretty good at those to. I would like to think that i can pick up any game by just playing it once or twice but i do not know. I am also pretty good at strategy games and many other types but I would have to say that I am well rounded in my video gaming. I also like to play online because although playing against computers is fun nothing can be the same as playing against another person. It gets boring beating the computer over and over again but when you play a person everything changes because a person can be unpredictable and can do thing that computers would never do. So if I can get the chance to play against a person it would a whole lot better than playing the computer. So as you can see I am quite the geek when it comes to video games.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

What am I a geek about?

After my last blog entry I believe the answer to this question should be obvious. If my favorite artist is J.K. Rowling, then I have to say that I am geeky about Harry Potter. I know, it doesn't seem right for me to use nearly the same subject for two blog entries, but it is positively the one thing that I am most geeky about. I have not read the series only once, or twice, or three times even. I have read all seven of them at least four times, the earlier books I read a few more times than the later ones. I think I have read HP and The Sorcerer's Stone about eight times without skipping a word or a page. I know these books like the alphabet.
If you were to grab a HP book, open it up and flip to a random page, and say the first few words of a sentence in the middle of the page, I can sometimes finish the sentence almost word for word. And if I can't do that, I can at least tell you exactly what is happening in the scene. It is actually a bit ridiculous, I admit, but you must know that I started reading them when I was about 10 years old and I had to wait year after year for the series to finish being published. I was 20 before the last book came out, so the story stuck with me through an entire decade. Hence my obsession. But at least I can say that I am not the only one. Why else would Rowling be richer even than the British Royal Crown?!?!

Car nut

LaTesha, you are one who shares my same passion. For I am a speed freak/geek aslo. I love burning the tires off of any rear-wheel drive car or truck. I love to drift around the apex. I love the spool up turbos and hear the shap blow-off valve or hear the whine of a supercharger resonate my soul. I love fast cars. I have owned an '86 Monte Carlo with a 350 and a '90 nissan 240sx. Last week I got in a street-race driving my friends '06 mazdaspeed 3 against a srt-4 neon and two volkswagon jetta vr4's. The Neon was a tie but I creamed the Jettas. I challenge you to a race, LaTesha, any day! Wow, I just saw a frickin' Ferrari as I was typing this! And a '03 Supercharged Mustang Cobra SVT! A fifth-gen camaro roared by my window that sounded like it had a nasty cam' in it! NICE!

Pino

Italian artist, Pino Daeni, paints the human figure with an array of vibrant colors and intense highlights. His works are painted manily in the mediterrainian were he grew up. He was trained in Italy at the Art institute of Bari, and later at Milan’s Academy of Brera and has established himself as a great painter in the United States. Being a painter myself, Pino influeces and inspires alot f my major paintings. Although I focus more on the face, I still try to use his methods and techniques to create beautiful art.

Nezabyte

Racing Geek

This was a hard blog for me to do because I couldn’t think of anything that I’m a geek about that isn’t quiet normal. I did come to a conclusion that I’m a geek about racing. Being that I’m a female, I love racing! Back at home my friends and I race four wheelers, dirt bikes, cars, motorcycles every Saturday and Sunday. And of course, I’m the only girl. It doesn’t bother me being the only girl at the race track and the only girl beating dudes in racing! I’ve been to races ever since I was nine years old. I started racing a year and a half ago. In all I’ve won six races. I’m proud of my six wins because people from every part of my area with really nice cars and motors come to the track to set up races. I know most of the techniques in racing and I’m always learning something new. At first my parents didn’t like the idea of me going to races or racing because it is really dangerous. When they saw figured out that I loved racing they began to accept it. I understand the risks that I’m taking with racing but I find it being something that releases a lot of stress. I have my personal four wheeler and dirt bike. My goal is to have a race car built only for the track! Many may say I’m crazy but now I can say that I’m a geek for racing!

Hidden Object Games

I love to play hidden object games that I download from the internet. Hidden object games set up different scenes and locations and give the player(s) a list of objects to find in a specific amount of time. During this summer, my mom and I became addicted to playing hidden object games together. We have played almost all the ones we could possibly find on the internet. All summer, it was a challenge for either one of us to find a new game to play that night. We would get so into them, then the free trial would expire, and we would be so upset! We would search and search for the objects before time ran out. Some of the games would ask to find multiples of an object, and we would always find all but one, and it was so frustrating! Also, some of the games featured mini games between levels such as puzzles or matching. Mom always let me play the mini games. We found that we were not as successful playing alone, because we each always saw different objects. I guess that is an example of the saying ‘two minds are better than one.’ Our favorite games are the Little Shop of Treasures (2, City Lights, and Road Trip). These games feature really vivid graphics and wild scenes. These games were a fun way for Mom and I to spend time together.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Science and Running Geek

I LOVE science! It's my favorite subject and has been for quite a few years. I love all types of science classes and I did pretty well in the ones I took. Maybe that's why I like science so much.
My favorite ones were the microbiology and zoology classes I took my senior year in high school.

In microbiology, we focused on learning all about bacteria, viruses, and fungi. I thought it was neat to learn about all the types of microorganisms and use the microscopes to see them. I learned SO much in that class, unfortunately it was only one semester. :( I learned that not all microorganisms are harmful. There are a lot that do really good things. We wouldn't have yogurt if it weren't for bacteria. The class really opened my eyes to all of the things around me, good and bad. I was also paranoid for a while, worried I was going to catch all of these diseases or conditions that we'd learned about. But it was really fun. I guess I'm a geek for that. I don't think many people found it quite as fascinating as I did. I would have loved to have that class all day, instead of just 50 minutes.

In zoology, we learned about all different phyla of the animal kingdom, like crustaceans, cephalopods, and aves, for example. I learned a lot about animals! It was fascinating. We even got to go to the Atlanta Aquarium! It was sooo cool. I got to see and touch some pretty neat things. My favorite were the sharks and sting rays. I also enjoyed seeing the whales, polar bears, and penguins. I learned lots of things I didn't already know about animals, like mussels, scallops, clams, and oysters move using a muscular foot. Squid can change colors violently and rapidly under attack, or when they're angry. Who knew squid had feelings?! They change from white to red very quickly. It's very neat to watch. I thought only chameleons changed colors, but I was wrong. It was so neat to learn interesting facts about so many different types of animals out there. I hope I will remember those facts for a long time.

I also enjoyed my chemistry class in high school. At first, I was really bad at it, but then I really worked at it and ended up doing well and enjoying it. It's good I enjoyed it because I am currently taking chem 105/107 and I have to take 3 more chemistry classes for my major, which is nutrition. But I'm passionate about science and even if it's hard, that only makes me try harder. I also try so hard because I enjoy doing it. I'm not a math person, but science is my forte. I feel like it's (science-in general) what I was meant to do, hints the nutrition major.

My mom jokes about how much I like it, but she's right. I even asked her for advice for this assignment and she told me to write about zoology and cephalopods! She knows how much I was into it when I took that class. She called me a walking encyclopedia. It was just funny to hear. I'm such a geek about science. Who knows that much about or remembers that much about science, especially about animals and microorganisms and elements too? And who actually likes it that much? Just the other day I was rattling off stuff I was doing in my chemistry class to a friend and she looked at me like "What in the world are you talking about? I don't remember that stuff!".

I am also a geek about running. I love to run. I ran cross country for four years and long distance track for two years. I don't run for Winthrop, but I miss it a lot! I love going to meets and talking about running and actually running, obviously. It was such a big part of my life for so long, I can't get rid of it. I even plan to go to my high school team's state meet in Columbia in November. That's how dedicated I am to the sport. I'm such a geek about it. I would talk about the meets and our times and such to my non-runner friends and they never knew what I was talking about, like p.r.'s and splits and such. That's when it became apparent: I was a running nerd, someone who actually likes to run. Our team gets up at 6:30 every morning in the summer to practice and everyday afterschool when school started. It was pretty much a year round thing, especially if we ran track. It is intense and not for people who don't love it. We are all geeks, but we share that special bond together.

Wow this is really long. That's how much of a geek I am.

I am a Sims2 geek

My special geek ability happens to be playing the Sims2 on my computer. I have acquired all the expansion and stuff packs that they have made before switching to Sims3 in April of next year. Sims2 is a RPG ( Role Playing Game) in which you create a family give them a name and a pet, if you wish. Then you are giving a certain amount of money. From this you can build your own house or buy one and raise your family. You are meant to find a job, raise kids, get older, and eventually die. Or, if they suffer too much from either not eating to drowning in a pool, then the grim reaper comes and gets you, leaving your family to grieve in your absence. You also have to eat, bathe, exercise, sleep, and have fun like you do in real life.You can essentially get enough stuff and play your own life on a computer. You can go on date and go to college as well. www.thesims2.com has a lot of good information on every expansion/stuff pack as well as the base game itself. If you aren't careful you can be addicted to it like i am.

Friday, September 26, 2008

ARGs

My little personal geekery involves—to no one’s surprise—an intersection between writing and technology. This niche is known as the ARG, or alternate reality game. An alternate reality game is essentially a game where the narrative is very important, and it uses real world interactions to develop the story. Here’s a link to the Wikipedia entry definition for ARGs, which is surprisingly good.

Here’s how it works. You might see a curious looking billboard with a website address on it. You go to the website, enter some personal information, and receive an e-mail from an anonymous person. The e-mail gets you interested in a conspiracy being conducted by the government, and, suddenly, you’re spending a lot of time investigating this false corporation, who happens to have a real Facebook account. The whole experience challenges your very perception of what is real, and what is play. And play is important. Play defines so much of our identities. According to one researcher of ludology, Jane McGonigal, “Games are serious. Some people dismiss them as "pointless," but they are blind to the power of pointlessness. The power of games is in their intrinsic pleasure. The nature of games is not to point. The nature of games is to experience. And experiences can be extraordinarily powerful things” (McGonigal).

Okay, so it seems far fetched, but with the newer developments in technology, companies are trying to find new, more immersive, ways of telling a story to their audiences. The ways that they are going about telling those stories are amazingly creative. Remember, a book was new technology at one point. People reacted against the printing press and clutched their scrolls tightly, fighting progress. Likewise, film was also a new form of storytelling at one point, and it has changed our cultural worldviews. So, if you have ten minutes, can talk to your computer without seeming like a dork, and have a cell phone on you, try out an alternate reality game made for the upcoming movie, Eagle Eye, here. Enjoy!

McGonigal, Jane. "a minor statement on avant gaming." 18 August 2005. Avant Game. 26 September 2008. <http://avantgame.blogspot.com/2005/08/minor-statement-on-avant-gaming.html>.

Such a History Geek!

Geek: n, 2. One accomplished in scientific or technical pursuits but regarded as socially inept. When given this assignment, I was a bit skeptical of the use of the word “geek.” I asked myself, “Would being an aficionado about something really make you a geek?” With the help of the American Heritage Dictionary, I was able to think of ways in which I can meet the definition of a geek at times. While I have many interests and can talk a little too long on several subjects, history is definitely something I can be a geek about.
Though it probably isn’t nice, I’m going to point fingers at my parents. It is their fault I am so enamored by history! Of course, my dad had to fall in love with a house nearly a century old. And what can be expected when you’re homeschooled by a cheesy mom who loves to take field trips? As a kid I remember visiting these places: 3 museums in the Columbia area more than once, the Woodrow Wilson home, the Juliette Gordon Low(founder of Girl Scouts) home, various historic places in Charleston, several plantations, old battlefields, and several places in historic Aiken. To be sure there are more, my brain just can’t retrieve them all! Add to it all the fact that family movie night generally consisted of an old movie or a movie about some historical era. From the get-go I was destined to become a history geek.
So how am I fulfilling my destiny today? When I visited my cousin in Charleston this summer, I succumbed to my geeky-ness by excitedly suggesting that we go see the Hunley. Wouldn’t it be awesome to see this really old submarine that they found in the ocean not too long ago?! I mean, they even found old coins and stuff in there! You may be thinking, “YEAH! Why don’t I just shoot myself so I don’t have to go through that torture?” Needless to say, we never did see the Hunley. To bring it home, one of the main reasons I came to Winthrop was its history. It also never fails that I think about visiting historic Brattonsville, or Cowpens, or some other place noted on an Interstate sign while I’m rolling in my VW. Have I fulfilled the definition of a geek yet? I could probably expound….

Geek Out!

Class, this time the blog post is all about you. I want you to give me 200 words or so about something that you "geek out" about, meaning something that you really like and know a lot about that isn't quite normal. We’re all nerds in our own way. You may know every statistic for a professional baseball player, or you might know a lot about how boats work, or you might have collected every Star Wars collector card in the known universe. Explain this unique interest of yours to me and the rest of the class. I'll post one too, probably about something extra nerdy. Get to it.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

NPR Story.

Hey guys.

I want you to listen to one "This I Believe" audio-essay for homework. Here's an example from Loudon Wainwright. He's cool, and he talks about the writing process. You can find another one at http://www.thisibelieve.org/. Post the link to the other essay that you listened to in the comments section of this post. Thanks.
Mr. B.

Monday, September 15, 2008

REGISTER TO VOTE






IF YOU HAVEN'T REGISTERED, DO SO NOW! YOUR FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS.

Friday, September 12, 2008

A little style for you on my special day...

Hey class! Today is my birthday, so I'm giving all of you a prize, kind of like Bilbo Baggins did on his birthday! Here's the link to The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. Treasure it!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Golden Descriptions...Class on 9/9

So, remember how we had the nouns, and we had to describe them? I ended up having the sheet that said "The Crown of a Queen."


There two descriptions that I absolutely loved, and I thought I would share with the class:

1) glistens like dew on a window after a fresh rain

2) Burger King $1 Whopper Jr. with cheese

Favorite Artist

The genre of country music is my preferred selection of music. I do not have one country music artist in particular to call my favorite; however, I have many favorites. Some examples are Tracy Lawrence, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney and many more. Singing is a true talent and an art within its self. It is also a quality I do not possess. :)

In my opinion, the root of country music stems from heart and soul. The artists
mentioned above sing their songs with much emotion and their songs tell stories. Their lyrics paint vivid pictures to relate to the stories. The stories stem from love and babies to divorces and death and songs about our freedom! Regardless, the stories are all instances we as humans face or have faced whether affected individually or personally through a friend or family member. It’s easily related to real life scenarios so often you find yourself IN their story.

Music is a style of expression and also a great escape. While I find it entertaining, I also find it emotional. It’s not depressing, as some would describe. It is REAL. Martina McBride sings a song called “In my Daughter’s Eyes,” that I find absolutely moving to me. Her lyrics describe an event I recently experienced. Her song truly inspires me.

In summation, country music artists have an unbelievable amount of talent. I find it incredible to put life’s stories in song.


http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/martinamcbride/inmydaughterseyes.html

"In My Daughter's Eyes"
In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me
gives me strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand
around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about
It's hangin' on when your heart has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light It's in my daugter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see
how happy she made me
For I'll be there In my daughter's eyes

[Thanks to leann7_77@hotmail.com for these lyrics]

Favorite Artist

Choosing just one person as my favorite artist is extremely difficult. I listen to everything thing from classical and opera to hip hop and rock, i even like Broadway show tunes. I cannot narrow it down to one but i can narrow it to a few.

I love Matt Nathanson, for his soft sound, simple but relevant lyrics, and his humor. His songs have a soft, sort of typical guy guitar sound, but its his lyrics that draw you in. They almost paint a picture and show rather than tell. I love his songs "Still" and "Wedding Dress", they are amazing. I never get tiered of listening to them.

I will be honest, as nerdy and ridiculous as it is I am I huge Broadway fan. I love almost all of the the shows for different reasons, but at the moment I just cannot get Legally Blonde the Musical out of my head, or off my playlist. Laura Bell Bundy who plays Elle Woods is amazing in her own right but she just captures the the character of Elle Woods and runs with it. She is such an amazing singer, her vioce and range is incredible. It still atoundes me to watch her hit an extremly high, un-godly note after doing a complex dance and sing for 2 minutes straight. I love the songs "Positive", "Chip on my Shoulder", "So Much Better" and "Legally Blonde". The upbeat sound and the cute, girly lyrics are what make the show. Of course it is fun to listen to but even better to watch, with the whole ensamble together performing, it is just amazing. The whole show is just fun.

Aside from those, I like Kate Voegle, recently featured on One Tree Hill. She is a new up and coming artist who has a unique and interestign voice. Her sound is very much pop-rock kind of sound, but some of her songs and lyrics she writes herself so thats really awesome.

My favorite artist......



My favorite artists are two people who happened to be married. They are Christo and Jeanne-Claude. They are my favorite artists, because they do something so simple but so amazing. They practice environmental and installation art, but they call their work wrapping. I know you're wondering what wrapping is, so I will tell you. Wrapping is taking a cloth and completely covering a building, landscape, or anything else environmental. Their reason for doing this is to bring the beauty of the world and its oldest buildings back to reality. They have wrapped rivers, buildings, islands, and plains. One of the most famous creation the two did was when they wrapped and old building called the Riechastag in Berlin. They placed a big cloth on the building completely covering it. Here is a picture of the Riechastag in Berlin.







My Favorite Artist- you can laugh if you like





I became a fan of fiction books when I was thirteen and in the eigth grade. I am not ashamed to admit that my favorite artists are childrens book writers. J.K. Rowling's: Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone was the first book over 200 pages that I ever read, and I have since read it over eight times. (That's right, I said 8, not a typo) I have read the other books several times as well. In fact, I have the audio books recorded on iTunes on my laptop just in case I want to relax and listen to a chapter or two every now and again. I know what you are thinking, "Wow, that's a bit much!" but I just really like the story. Rowling just has a way of taking the reader and dropping them into this other world that is both similar to our own, and underneath it is all so totally different, and as you read book after book she actually makes you want to believe there is something so mystical and interesting in this world, even if you can't be a part of it. That's what the story did for me anyway; it made a boring and dangerous world look absolutely filled with excitement and adventure around every corner. The countless references to ancient mythology and sorcery alone make it an interesting read. Rowling makes her own interpretations of the way magic could work. She quite literally invented an entire world seperate from our own, filled with everything from magical wands, to flying brooms, to invisible train platforms, to three-headed dogs and dragons! Just this whole world full of mythology and magical beasts and everything else that makes a fantastic story. Since the eighth grade I have read a good many fiction novels, but J.K. Rowling has so far been my favorite artist.
William Norton

Monday, September 8, 2008

My Favorite Artist

To be honest, my favorite artist changes from time to time. Ranging from Seether to Three Days Grace and Amy Brown. Currently, my fascination has been with the work of Victoria Frances. She is a Gothic artist that I discovered on a poster in a Spencer's store. What I like particularly about her works is the attention to detail she puts into her drawings.

For example in the first picture, she paid special attention to the eyes and added such a realistic vibe to it. The composition is also visually balanced with the way she positioned the heaviest portion into the top half of the image and then placed the spider in the lower left corner.



Another one of my favorites is the image below. One of my favorite animals happens to be cats so the feline vibe that comes off of this picture attracts me the most. Not only is the Venetian mask- which is something else I adore- is cat-like, but so are her eyes. The luminosity of the irises is like that of a cat's eyes. Another thing that catches my eye is how she made the mask stand out so much from the picture. The corset and the background are similar in colors but the mask is vibrant and playful. It is like she wanted to draw attention to the face, particularly the eyes.

What am I geeked out about???

What am I geeked out about??? I have so many things that come to mind it’s so hard to pick just one. I must say since it’s that time of year I will say FOOTBALL. I love the game and of course I’m a Carolina Panther fan. I started watching football when I was about 10 years old. My parents were 49er fans and I followed their lead. I remember watching Joe Montana, one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. I remember having a little crush on him because he looked cute in his uniform. When Joe got hurt it broke my heart. I remember like it was yesterday, the 49er were playing the Giants, who was not playing very nice. Joe got hit many times but that last time ended his career with the 49er. He tried to come back after healing but he was not the same. So you should know how I feel about the Giants, I hate them with a passion along with the Cowboys, but that’s another story.
I have a new team now, 49ers will be my #1 team forever but you know I have to pull for my home team. My favorite player with the Panthers is Steven Smith (Smitty). This man is awesome to watch and Sunday was a prime example of why. This man can make plays happen on the field. Smith is so small compared to the other players but he packs a mean punch. I call him the Mugsy Bogues of football. I also like Muhsin Muhammad who also showed his butt off Sunday against the Falcons. Carolina has two great wide receivers but the quarterback is another story. Jack Dalhomme is one of my least favorite players on the team. He needs to go play for the Giants; this shows how much he means to me. If Carolina would invest in Brady or one of the Manning boys we might have a few Super Bowl rings.
The love that I have for football has rubbed off on my boys. I have a 10 year old who’s about 5’6” and weighs 155lbs and he plays football for the Finley Road Falcons. He plays nose guard on defense and left guard on offence. He says he wants to be a professional football player when he grows up. I also have a 6 year old who is just a little old thing and he thinks he’s the best one on the field when they play football in the neighborhood; he’s not old enough to play for a team yet. I always comes home and tells me how he be juking the boys out and scoring all the touchdowns in the game. Next year he will be old enough to play and I’m looking forward to seeing him get knocked on his butt a few times.
Football is an interesting sport; it keeps my attention and is the only sport I can sit down and watch all day long. I don’t know to many women who can sit and watch football all day long, my husband is a very lucky man. He will never hear me tell him to turn the TV when football is on, I don’t care if it’s college or professional I can watch it all day. Below is the websites for my favorite teams, 49ers and Panthers.
http://www.sf49ers.com/home.php
http://www.panthers.com/IntroPage1.aspx

What am I geeked out about???

What am I geeked out about??? I have so many things that come to mind it’s so hard to pick just one. I must say since it’s that time of year I will say FOOTBALL. I love the game and of course I’m a Carolina Panther fan. I started watching football when I was about 10 years old. My parents were 49er fans and I followed their lead. I remember watching Joe Montana, one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. I remember having a little crush on him because he looked cute in his uniform. When Joe got hurt it broke my heart. I remember like it was yesterday, the 49er were playing the Giants, who was not playing very nice. Joe got hit many times but that last time ended his career with the 49er. He tried to come back after healing but he was not the same. So you should know how I feel about the Giants, I hate them with a passion along with the Cowboys, but that’s another story.
I have a new team now, 49ers will be my #1 team forever but you know I have to pull for my home team. My favorite player with the Panthers is Steven Smith (Smitty). This man is awesome to watch and Sunday was a prime example of why. This man can make plays happen on the field. Smith is so small compared to the other players but he packs a mean punch. I call him the Mugsy Bogues of football. I also like Muhsin Muhammad who also showed his butt off Sunday against the Falcons. Carolina has two great wide receivers but the quarterback is another story. Jack Dalhomme is one of my least favorite players on the team. He needs to go play for the Giants; this shows how much he means to me. If Carolina would invest in Brady or one of the Manning boys we might have a few Super Bowl rings.
The love that I have for football has rubbed off on my boys. I have a 10 year old who’s about 5’6” and weighs 155lbs and he plays football for the Finley Road Falcons. He plays nose guard on defense and left guard on offence. He says he wants to be a professional football player when he grows up. I also have a 6 year old who is just a little old thing and he thinks he’s the best one on the field when they play football in the neighborhood; he’s not old enough to play for a team yet. I always comes home and tells me how he be juking the boys out and scoring all the touchdowns in the game. Next year he will be old enough to play and I’m looking forward to seeing him get knocked on his butt a few times.
Football is an interesting sport; it keeps my attention and is the only sport I can sit down and watch all day long. I don’t know to many women who can sit and watch football all day long, my husband is a very lucky man. He will never hear me tell him to turn the TV when football is on, I don’t care if it’s college or professional I can watch it all day.

http://www.panthers.com/IntroPage1.aspx

What am I geeked out about???

What am I geeked out about??? I have so many things that come to mind it’s so hard to pick just one. I must say since it’s that time of year I will say FOOTBALL. I love the game and of course I’m a Carolina Panther fan. I started watching football when I was about 10 years old. My parents were 49er fans and I followed their lead. I remember watching Joe Montana, one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. I remember having a little crush on him because he looked cute in his uniform. When Joe got hurt it broke my heart. I remember like it was yesterday, the 49er were playing the Giants, who was not playing very nice. Joe got hit many times but that last time ended his career with the 49er. He tried to come back after healing but he was not the same. So you should know how I feel about the Giants, I hate them with a passion along with the Cowboys, but that’s another story.
I have a new team now, 49ers will be my #1 team forever but you know I have to pull for my home team. My favorite player with the Panthers is Steven Smith (Smitty). This man is awesome to watch and Sunday was a prime example of why. This man can make plays happen on the field. Smith is so small compared to the other players but he packs a mean punch. I call him the Mugsy Bogues of football. I also like Muhsin Muhammad who also showed his butt off Sunday against the Falcons. Carolina has two great wide receivers but the quarterback is another story. Jack Dalhomme is one of my least favorite players on the team. He needs to go play for the Giants; this shows how much he means to me. If Carolina would invest in Brady or one of the Manning boys we might have a few Super Bowl rings.
The love that I have for football has rubbed off on my boys. I have a 10 year old who’s about 5’6” and weighs 155lbs and he plays football for the Finley Road Falcons. He plays nose guard on defense and left guard on offence. He says he wants to be a professional football player when he grows up. I also have a 6 year old who is just a little old thing and he thinks he’s the best one on the field when they play football in the neighborhood; he’s not old enough to play for a team yet. I always comes home and tells me how he be juking the boys out and scoring all the touchdowns in the game. Next year he will be old enough to play and I’m looking forward to seeing him get knocked on his butt a few times.
Football is an interesting sport; it keeps my attention and is the only sport I can sit down and watch all day long. I don’t know to many women who can sit and watch football all day long, my husband is a very lucky man. He will never hear me tell him to turn the TV when football is on, I don’t care if it’s college or professional I can watch it all day. Below is the websites for my favorite teams, 49ers and Panthers.
http://www.sf49ers.com/home.php
http://www.panthers.com/IntroPage1.aspx

What am I geeked out about???

What am I geeked out about??? I have so many things that come to mind it’s so hard to pick just one. I must say since it’s that time of year I will say FOOTBALL. I love the game and of course I’m a Carolina Panther fan. I started watching football when I was about 10 years old. My parents were 49er fans and I followed their lead. I remember watching Joe Montana, one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. I remember having a little crush on him because he looked cute in his uniform. When Joe got hurt it broke my heart. I remember like it was yesterday, the 49er were playing the Giants, who was not playing very nice. Joe got hit many times but that last time ended his career with the 49er. He tried to come back after healing but he was not the same. So you should know how I feel about the Giants, I hate them with a passion along with the Cowboys, but that’s another story.
I have a new team now, 49ers will be my #1 team forever but you know I have to pull for my home team. My favorite player with the Panthers is Steven Smith (Smitty). This man is awesome to watch and Sunday was a prime example of why. This man can make plays happen on the field. Smith is so small compared to the other players but he packs a mean punch. I call him the Mugsy Bogues of football. I also like Muhsin Muhammad who also showed his butt off Sunday against the Falcons. Carolina has two great wide receivers but the quarterback is another story. Jack Dalhomme is one of my least favorite players on the team. He needs to go play for the Giants; this shows how much he means to me. If Carolina would invest in Brady or one of the Manning boys we might have a few Super Bowl rings.
The love that I have for football has rubbed off on my boys. I have a 10 year old who’s about 5’6” and weighs 155lbs and he plays football for the Finley Road Falcons. He plays nose guard on defense and left guard on offence. He says he wants to be a professional football player when he grows up. I also have a 6 year old who is just a little old thing and he thinks he’s the best one on the field when they play football in the neighborhood; he’s not old enough to play for a team yet. I always comes home and tells me how he be juking the boys out and scoring all the touchdowns in the game. Next year he will be old enough to play and I’m looking forward to seeing him get knocked on his butt a few times.
Football is an interesting sport; it keeps my attention and is the only sport I can sit down and watch all day long. I don’t know to many women who can sit and watch football all day long, my husband is a very lucky man. He will never hear me tell him to turn the TV when football is on, I don’t care if it’s college or professional I can watch it all day. Below is the websites for my favorite teams, 49ers and Panthers.
http://www.sf49ers.com/home.php
http://www.panthers.com/IntroPage1.aspx

What am I geeked out about???

What am I geeked out about??? I have so many things that come to mind it’s so hard to pick just one. I must say since it’s that time of year I will say FOOTBALL. I love the game and of course I’m a Carolina Panther fan. I started watching football when I was about 10 years old. My parents were 49er fans and I followed their lead. I remember watching Joe Montana, one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. I remember having a little crush on him because he looked cute in his uniform. When Joe got hurt it broke my heart. I remember like it was yesterday, the 49er were playing the Giants, who was not playing very nice. Joe got hit many times but that last time ended his career with the 49er. He tried to come back after healing but he was not the same. So you should know how I feel about the Giants, I hate them with a passion along with the Cowboys, but that’s another story.
I have a new team now, 49ers will be my #1 team forever but you know I have to pull for my home team. My favorite player with the Panthers is Steven Smith (Smitty). This man is awesome to watch and Sunday was a prime example of why. This man can make plays happen on the field. Smith is so small compared to the other players but he packs a mean punch. I call him the Mugsy Bogues of football. I also like Muhsin Muhammad who also showed his butt off Sunday against the Falcons. Carolina has two great wide receivers but the quarterback is another story. Jack Dalhomme is one of my least favorite players on the team. He needs to go play for the Giants; this shows how much he means to me. If Carolina would invest in Brady or one of the Manning boys we might have a few Super Bowl rings.
The love that I have for football has rubbed off on my boys. I have a 10 year old who’s about 5’6” and weighs 155lbs and he plays football for the Finley Road Falcons. He plays nose guard on defense and left guard on offence. He says he wants to be a professional football player when he grows up. I also have a 6 year old who is just a little old thing and he thinks he’s the best one on the field when they play football in the neighborhood; he’s not old enough to play for a team yet. I always comes home and tells me how he be juking the boys out and scoring all the touchdowns in the game. Next year he will be old enough to play and I’m looking forward to seeing him get knocked on his butt a few times.
Football is an interesting sport; it keeps my attention and is the only sport I can sit down and watch all day long. I don’t know to many women who can sit and watch football all day long, my husband is a very lucky man. He will never hear me tell him to turn the TV when football is on, I don’t care if it’s college or professional I can watch it all day. Below is the websites for my favorite teams, 49ers and Panthers.
http://www.sf49ers.com/home.php
http://www.panthers.com/IntroPage1.aspx

What am I geeked out about???

What am I geeked out about??? I have so many things that come to mind it’s so hard to pick just one. I must say since it’s that time of year I will say FOOTBALL. I love the game and of course I’m a Carolina Panther fan. I started watching football when I was about 10 years old. My parents were 49er fans and I followed their lead. I remember watching Joe Montana, one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. I remember having a little crush on him because he looked cute in his uniform. When Joe got hurt it broke my heart. I remember like it was yesterday, the 49er were playing the Giants, who was not playing very nice. Joe got hit many times but that last time ended his career with the 49er. He tried to come back after healing but he was not the same. So you should know how I feel about the Giants, I hate them with a passion along with the Cowboys, but that’s another story.
I have a new team now, 49ers will be my #1 team forever but you know I have to pull for my home team. My favorite player with the Panthers is Steven Smith (Smitty). This man is awesome to watch and Sunday was a prime example of why. This man can make plays happen on the field. Smith is so small compared to the other players but he packs a mean punch. I call him the Mugsy Bogues of football. I also like Muhsin Muhammad who also showed his butt off Sunday against the Falcons. Carolina has two great wide receivers but the quarterback is another story. Jack Dalhomme is one of my least favorite players on the team. He needs to go play for the Giants; this shows how much he means to me. If Carolina would invest in Brady or one of the Manning boys we might have a few Super Bowl rings.
The love that I have for football has rubbed off on my boys. I have a 10 year old who’s about 5’6” and weighs 155lbs and he plays football for the Finley Road Falcons. He plays nose guard on defense and left guard on offence. He says he wants to be a professional football player when he grows up. I also have a 6 year old who is just a little old thing and he thinks he’s the best one on the field when they play football in the neighborhood; he’s not old enough to play for a team yet. I always comes home and tells me how he be juking the boys out and scoring all the touchdowns in the game. Next year he will be old enough to play and I’m looking forward to seeing him get knocked on his butt a few times.
Football is an interesting sport; it keeps my attention and is the only sport I can sit down and watch all day long. I don’t know to many women who can sit and watch football all day long, my husband is a very lucky man. He will never hear me tell him to turn the TV when football is on, I don’t care if it’s college or professional I can watch it all day. Below is the websites for my favorite teams, 49ers and Panthers.
http://www.sf49ers.com/home.php
http://www.panthers.com/IntroPage1.aspx

My Favorite Artist

My favorite artist by far is Kirk Franklin, a gospel artist. This man has an anointing on his life to write some of the best inspirational music I’ve ever heard. One song that stands out to me is “Imagine Me” which I have attached at the end of this blog. When you listen to this song think about where you are in your life and how far you have come. The words flow so well “imagine me, loving what I see when the mirror looks at me cause I, I imagine me”. This is saying that when you look in the mirror you love what you see because you’re looking at yourself the way God is looking at you. Another phrase I like is “being strong and not letting people bring me down, you want get that joy this time around” this one phrase in the song is powerful to me. It’s saying be strong, don’t be so weak that you will allow people to tear you down every chance they get, let them know that they will not still your joy. This song has touched in so many different areas in my life that I thought I would share it with you guys. I have much respect for Kirk Franklin because he has had a hard life growing up and in ministry, but he still keeps pushing on. He also gives his all in his writing, you can tell that it’s personal and that his feelings come out in every word he writes. He writes to capture the younger generations attention, which is needed in this day and time. If people would listen to the words and apply them to their own lives then they would gain a new found respect for the artist that he is. He has a way of ministering to me when I’m in low places in my life. When I’m having a bad day or just feeling down at times I would put in one of his CD’s and it would change my whole demeanor. I love all kinds of music, but you can’t top music that has powerful meanings behind it and Kirk Franklin is an artist that puts that meaning in music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL6vw5xI0Bg

Artist

One's favorite artist could be a number of things; an artist is a musician, a painter, a photographer, etc. When I think of an artist, a musician is the first thing that comes to mind. I love listening to all different types of music. The music that I listen to usually depends on what kind of mood I'm in at the time. For each type of music that I listen to, I guess I have certain artists that I will tend to listen to the most. My favorite rapper right now is Lil Wayne. I just bought his cd not too long ago and I'm obsessed with it. When I'm with my friends and I want to get hyper or just dance, I usually put on some weezy. I like Wayne because he's not like other rappers out there. He has his own style. When I listen to country, I like to listen to Garth Brooks. I know this is kind of random. How can I be obsessed with Weezy and like Garth Brooks? Like I said, I will listen to anything. Both of my parents have listened to country my whole life. When I listen to Garth, I think of my dad. He just recently got sick, so anything that reminds me of my dad I guess you could say means a lot to me now. Garth Brooks has an amazing voice, which is very rare these days. Not many people can actually sing. I love other artists too. There's so many it's hard to just pick one that you think is your favorite. I could say someone is my favorite now, and then hear a song tomorrow that I really like and change my mind right after listening to it. Chris Brown, Ludacris, Panic!, Dashboard, and so many more come to mind when I think of my favorites. For now I don't just have one, and I'm sure that will never change.

My favorite artist

When I think of who my favorite artist might be rock comes to mind. My favorite genre of music is different from that of the genre my favorite artist would fall under. My two favorite bands would be Aerosmith and the Beatles. One of my favorite things Aerosmith has done was a collaboration with Run DMC. I have been to one Aerosmith concert where I am from originally, Rochester, NY. I don't think I have been to a concert better than that. Although Aerosmith went through a rough time in the past, they really cleaned up and concentrated on their music rather than the obstacles that come along with stardom. Unfortunately, the Beatles were before my time, but I still love listening to their music. For anyone else who is a Beatles fan I would recommend the movie Across the Universe. It was really different from some movies I've seen but that soundtrack is one of my favorites. I think both bands have made huge impacts on music today and possibly in any genre. I also am a huge Goo Goo Dolls fan. I have also seen them in concert back in Myrtle Beach last summer at the House of Blues. There are lyrics to one song that just captivate me. I honestly could listen to this song forever. I could probably spend hours listening to songs by any three of these bands. I am not sure why I like bands over one solo artist. Anyone who knows me can tell you almost every cd I own has one song by them on it. My senior quote came from my favorite song by the Goo Goo Dolls: live like you mean it, love til you feel it, it's all that we need in our lives. 

Favorite Artist

My favorite type of artists would have to be musicians and people who play and sing music.
I do not have a particularly favorite musician or band because I like so many different types of music. But if I had to chose I would say that Louis Armstrong is ranked at the top. I like his music because, well I really can not explain it, it makes me feel like the world is alright while I am listening to it. Louis Armstrong's music is inspiring to tell people that it could be a wonderful world if we just try to make it that way and I believe that is why I like his music. Even though bad things happen we always have the chance to change it. Louis Armstrong's music gives hope that there is something better in what what looks like a hopeless situation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRqJUtqDrbM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHtVJhu5QtE

Who is your favorite artist?

My favorite artist would have to be M.C. Escher. Art has always been a fascination for me. I love to draw, paint, build, etc. In all of Escher's art work there is this almost comforting sense of confusion. He shows that in everyday objects there are always questions. That is the same for me. I am always questioning why or how. But also, to me at least, life is almost a maze that can't ever really be completed without some sort of obstacle. Like in Escher's Relativity lithograph there are upside down stair cases with people walking on them and sideways doors. I think that this is a very good portrayal of life. But its not only this picture that shows this. In his picture Ascending and Descending there are stairs on the top of a castle and one group looks like they are going down and the others look like they are going up, but really the stairs are going around in a square, they never really end. I think this shows his thoughts on the monotany in life, its the same things over and over again. I can't say that any one piece of his artwork is my favorite, they are all amazing and have so much detail that it makes you wonder exactly what he was thinking when he did them In general M.C. Escher had a very unique but true outlook on life that is very similar to mine, and his artwork is just cool.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Favorite Artist(s)

Okay so I've never really had a favorite artist. It's always been the hard questions for me. You know, like when someone asks who your favorite actor is. Well during Welcome Week here at Winthrop, Chapter 6 came to sing for us as a cultural event. I thought it was awesome! Chapter 6, has some of you don't know, is and a'cappella group. This means they use no instruments only their voices. The interesting thing was, I didn't think I was going to like them because I like listening to the beat of the music, but the harmony of their voices seemed to take the place of that. My two favorite songs was "Ode to Krispy Kreme" and "The Wizard of Oz Medley"! Those songs made me laugh so hard! I could almost smell the donuts during the "Ode to Krispy Kreme". My favorite part of "The Wizard of Oz Medley" is when John played the witch and the others threw water on him for the part of the witch melting. It was hilarious!

What I liked the most about listening to them is how amazing it is to hear their voices together. It will send chills up your spine. I was asking myself the question while listening to them, "How did they find each other?" They are perfect together. I really wanted to stay afterward to ask them questions, but I was so tired from laughing. They made their performance a comedy just by enjoying themselves up on stage. That is what I believe a good artist is. It's like a good athlete is being able to enjoy themselves on the field. Their jobs aren't just work. I really admire that. My hope for myself is that I don't end up hating my job.

I do encourage anyone who hasn't heard or watched them perform, to visit their website
http://www.chapter6.com/ . I do understand that some people do not like this kind of music, but you may surprise yourself. I know I did!

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Diego Velázquez


I first came across Diego Velázquez in my Spanish IV class where we studied many different Spanish artists. I took an immediate attraction to his works because of their realism and regalness. Diego Velázquez lived in the 16th century when Baroque was a style of art that dominated Europe. Strong contrasts of light and dark and realistic portrayals characterize the Baroque style. Velázquez was a premier Baroque artist. His technique with brushstrokes is quite unique. Close up, the brushstrokes resemble a jumble of crisscrosses, but far away, they present a clean, sharp image. King Philipe IV appointed Velázquez as the court painter; therefore, most of Velázquez’s paintings were royal portraits.

Las Meñinas (The Maids of Honor) is one of Velázquez’s most famous paintings. This painting is also my favorite artwork. Las Meñinas is an intriguing painting because it contains two paintings in one. In one interpretation, the subject is the Infanta Margarita, the daughter of King Philipe IV, and her ladies in waiting. The second interpretation is that the subject is really Velázquez. He painted himself on the left side behind a large easel. He appears to be painting a portrait of the King and Queen (as indicated by their image reflected in a mirror behind the easel). Therefore, the King and Queen are standing in the same position as the viewers of this masterpiece. The duel interpretations of Las Meñinas fascinate me because this is strikingly different than any other painting at this time. Therefore, Velázquez’s creativeness and realism make him my favorite artist.

Friday, September 5, 2008

My Favorite Artist


I would also say that it's hard to pick just one artist. There are so many musicians and painters that I like. My favorite painter is Jackson Pollock, hands down. I really like his style. He uses layers and layers of thick acrylic paint in his pieces. He uses thick globs of paint to get texture and color. Often, he also throws in bits of stuff with the paint, such as screws, dried pieces of paint, etc. All of his work is abstract, which is my favorite type of art. I enjoy looking at his work; it's impressive. He also uses huge canvases to paint on. Most of his paintings dwarf many other paintings I've seen. If his pieces weren't thousands of dollars, I would love to own one. I don't think I would ever get tired of looking at it. The little streaks of different colors all over and the many different textures, in just one piece even, really stick out to me. I love how asymmetrical abstract pieces look. They aren't all so perfect looking like symmetrical ones. I guess I just like when things are just a little off-center, but artfully done. It makes them more interesting to me. They're unique. Jackson Pollock's pieces appeal to the senses; mostly sight, but touch too, if you were allowed to touch his work, because it has so much texture.

Though I love Jackson Pollock's work, I also enjoy the musician Ingrid Michaelson. It's a tough choice because I like so many musicians, but Ingrid is my favorite. Her music is so chill and soothing. It's kind of like Jack Johnson, to give you all some kind of reference if you've never heard of her before. I love her voice the most. That's what really got me interested in her after I heard one of her songs. Her voice is different and just so pretty and comforting. Her songs are pretty happy and upbeat, even if they're about sad subjects, the beats are so perky. Her music makes you want to keep listening. I own most of her songs, even though she only has 30 or so because she is a fairly new artist. I discovered a new song of hers when I went to her concert back in June and I just bought it on itunes the other day. It's called "Be OK". Everyone should look it up. It's very upbeat. It should make you smile or maybe dance. :) As I was saying, I went to her concert and she talked between songs and she was so funny and just seemed like the most awesome person. I wanted to meet her. Although I didn't get to meet her, Ingrid was even better in person than I ever expected. She definitely exceeded my expectations. Because of her amazing music and her awesome personality, she is my favorite artist. Her music really makes me glad I have the ability to hear.

Favorite artist.

I cannot pick one specific musician to be my favorite artist. I like so many different songs and musician’s that it would be impossible for me to choose just one. Every different musician has their own style and type of music. It amazes me how certain musicians can sing a song about every situation in life. I feel all these different emotions and I feel alone when I do but then I can play a song that talks about the same situation that I am in and it makes me feel better knowing other people have felt the same way and they have gotten through it. Although I can’t pick one musician I can name a couple. I love Eminem also because he has the courage and nerve to say whatever he wants and I admire that because there are a lot of times where I don’t have the courage to say what I want to say. Another artist I admire or a group of artists would be the band Staind. They play a lot of inspirational music to me and have a lot of songs that describe how I feel. Sorry I couldn’t pick just one artist because just one doesn’t describe the way I feel, It takes all of them put together to create music to me.

Favorite Artist

Now, this may seem a little unorthodox to most people but my favorite artist happens to be Eminem. I know I must be crazy to think somebody that vulgar and cruel could be my favorite artist. Yes, in some of his songs he talks about killing people and using the restroom while on the phone; However, he does say that all this is for fun because he enjoys what he does it is not necessarily what he believes in doing. In fact his very first quote of his song Criminal says "A lot of people ask me stupid *explicit* questions. A lot of people think that.. what i say on records or what i talk about on a record, that i actually do in real life or that i believe in it or if i say that, i wanna kill somebody, that.. I'm actually gonna do it or that i believe in it Well, if you believe that then I'll kill you." This is a powerful lyric to me because he is trying to disprove everything bad that the media says. Everybody believes that he is going to go shoot somebody or that he doesn't believe in this or that just because he bad mouths it in his songs. While a handful of his songs are just for fun, most of his songs do have true meaning at their base, but most cant see past the media to look at Eminem for who he is as a person just doing what he loves to do.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Favorite Artist

One of my favorite artists is Alicia Keys. She may not have any artwork on display, but to me, her music is a masterpiece. She is a R&B artist whose songs have a lot of meaning. Alicia Keys sings about real life situations and many I can relate to. What makes her great is that from listening to her voice and seeing her perform, I can tell that she puts her soul into each of her songs. Writing her own songs also makes her great. Whenever I listening carefully to her songs I can actually see what is going on because she uses so much imagery and details. Her voice is so amazing and her music is so soothing. In her song "If I Aint Got You", she mentioned how many people would need three dozen roses to show that their mate really love them. Alicia Keys goes very deep into her songs and it forces me to think about life in general. To sum things up, her music is wonderful and that's why she is one of my favorite artists.

René Magritte

(To model an example for you guys, here is one of my favorite artists.)

Rene Magritte was a painter who liked to play with your head. He’s dead now, but when he was alive he found ways to use everyday imagery to challenge common conceptions about life, meaning, and identity. The first time I saw one of Magritte’s paintings, I felt as though I couldn’t stop my mind from grinding. His razor sharp wit and clever meanings found their way into my brain through my eyes. At first, his paintings seemed dull, bland, and full of dead space. For example, my favorite Magritte painting, The Treachery of Images, pretty much only consists of two browns, a dark brown bear brown, and a burlap sack brown, with a tinge of black for emphasis. It seems boring at first glance; however, as my first glimpse lingered for a moment on the image, I gently tapped at a nearby friend’s hairy forearms and asked if I was seeing the image correctly. The paradox of what I was seeing challenged my conception of language, of identity, and of meaning itself. Ultimately, Magritte found a way to make his deceptively plain visuals appeal to more than just his audience’s eyes. Here are a few examples of Magritte’s smart work:

The Treachery of Images, the text reads, "This is not a pipe."















The Son of Man

















The Human Condition

Another blog entry...

All right, you need a second prompt, so here you go.

On the calendar, it says that you should blog about your favorite artist, and what they do that makes them your favorite. You are still going to do that, but I want you to really describe this artist or their work. Make observations about what it is that they do that makes them so great. Talk about how they appeal to the senses. Give me 200 words. If they paint, throw in a picture. If they play music, add a (legal) link to one of their songs. There are all kinds of artists, some use words, others use guitars, others use paint. Pick one, and describe them for us.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Thesis tips

Hey gang. I found these thesis tips from the Springfield Township High School Library website. It's good advice, so I posted it here for a little extra guidance. I may post other supplemental information or interesting tidbits here from time to time so check back! Guess what? You can post helpful information here for your classmates too!

Attributes of a good thesis:

  • It should be contestable, proposing an arguable point with which people could reasonably disagree. A strong thesis is provocative; it takes a stand and justifies the discussion you will present.
  • It tackles a subject that could be adequately covered in the format of the project assigned.
  • It is specific and focused. A strong thesis proves a point without discussing “everything about …” Instead of music, think "American jazz in the 1930s" and your argument about it.
  • It clearly asserts your own conclusion based on evidence. Note: Be flexible. The evidence may lead you to a conclusion you didn't think you'd reach. It is perfectly okay to change your thesis!
  • It provides the reader with a map to guide him/her through your work.
  • It anticipates and refutes the counter-arguments
  • It avoids vague language (like "it seems").
  • It avoids the first person. ("I believe," "In my opinion")
  • It's not a question.
  • It should pass the So what? or Who cares? test (Would your most honest friend ask why he should care or respond with "but everyone knows that"?) For instance, "people should avoid driving under the influence of alcohol," would be unlikely to evoke any opposition.
Simple equations for a thesis might look something like this:

Specific topic + Attitude/Angle/Argument = Thesis
What you plan to argue + How you plan to argue it = Thesis


How do you know if you've got a solid tentative thesis?
Try these five tests:
  • Does the thesis inspire a reasonable reader to ask, "How?" or Why?"
  • Would a reasonable reader NOT respond with "Duh!" or "So what?" or "Gee, no kidding!" or "Who cares?"
  • Does the thesis avoid general phrasing and/or sweeping words such as "all" or "none" or "every"?
  • Does the thesis lead the reader toward the topic sentences (the subtopics needed to prove the thesis)?
  • Can the thesis be adequately developed in the required length of the paper or project?

If you cannot answer "YES" to these questions, what changes must you make in order for your thesis to pass these tests?

Monday, September 1, 2008

Leaving home

Usually when you ask someone about leaving home, they would say they are sad. I was kind of ready, because this step would show if I could take care of myself. I think 18 years of preparation from my parents were good enough, so I can honestly say I am cool about the move. With this move I get a fresh start, meet new people, and learn new things. I just think of this move as a long vacation, with a few minor adjustments. I'm glad I came to Winthrop University, and i'm proud to call it my new home.