Globalization

     I didn't know much about globalization before starting the soccer book in class, and I still am confused about the term.  But globalization is all around us and creates many positive and negative things. 
     Let us start with the positives right?  I'm glad that it exists because it spreads awareness and teaches people about other customs and cultures that exist around the world.  Globalization helps to prevent ignorance and isolation. 
      On more of a personal level, I am so happy that I have had the opportunity to learn about other cultures so I can better portray characters on stage.  The current show that I am in, I play Helena Landless in The Mystery of Edwin Drood and my character is from Ceylon.  Without globalization, I would not have the great henna tatooing, elborate costuming, or a middle-eastern accent. 
     I am still perplexed with the idea that we have the power to communicate with people in China when we reside in America and this communication tool from over seas is key in globalization. 
     I think it is also a good thing that everyone around the world gets the opportunity to have premium goods from where ever they produce that good the best.  I think the politics aspect of globalization is messy but in general we could politically spread this more so that certain countries could have a better government system.  Dictatorships should be non-existent.

So basically yay globalization...I think Foer is being sort of a downer about the subject.

Sports?

     I think it all started when I was a wee tot playing soccer actually, where the soccer ball was bigger than the kid trying to kick it. That probably began my hatred for soccer, I hate playing the game because I'm quite bad at it and there is just too much running involved but love to watch it :)
     Then I had my softball phase. That lasted for a good chunk of my childhood, and I slowly moved from playing in the outfield and picking the dandelions to playing shortstop for the team. One year we even made it to the championships and got to play at Thillens. Exciting stuff. I remember my mom forcing me to go most of the time but when I got pretty good I was happy I took all those embarressing staged photos and long hot summer practices.
     While I was in softball I was also a little dancer. I eventually stopped the softball for dance. I did jazz, ballet, and was excited to be placed in the JR MOVE GROUP class.
     I participated in all intrumeral sports while in grade school, including cheerleading, basketball, and volleyball. These were all fun and games but at one basketball tournament I broke my finger, very tramatic stuff indeed.
     I played on traveling basketball for a couple of years there in grade school mostly because my tiny catholic school consisted of like twenty girls per grade so everyone played. I spent most of my time warming the bench. I was quite frustrated, I didn't understand how the coaches could have their starters picked for fifth grade basketball. I got sick of that and turned my attention to volleyball.
     Phew, I was quite the athlete wasn't I? Well I'm almost done...
     I focused on volleyball and built up my skills on playing usually right side hitter from 5th grade up until sophmore year. I miss volleyball alot, and occasionally I play with a beach league but I stopped playing for school to focus more on acting and because the team of girls worked quite horribly together.
     I love watching the cubs. I'll also turn on the Olympics. I support my friends and family who play sports. I like to make large annoying posters and attempt at screaming in the stands.

yay for WY basketball season startingggggg

Thankful

     I just love our class too much, I'm thankful for everybody in it for such great converstations and what not...there are a couple that stand out that always seem to make my day in some small way or another though.

The list is what follows:
1. Hannah Ray- Long time friends, she's always got my back. Good side convos during, well not class of course, and I am blessed that she is blessed with a beautiful baby brother, that I can play with all of the time when I come over. Yes the many perks of the mid/ray relationship...
2. Rachel Mertel- She is always giving her leftover food to me and doesn't complain when I leave week's old coffee mugs in her car, she still sends me that text asking if I would like a ride to school. She's pretty great.
3. The dream team, or otherwise known as the Thompson Twins. I mean they are almost famous so I'm pretty thankful that I can one day be like 'omg yeah they were in my philosophy class'.
4. Ashanti- She always has great side comments on movies we are watching or heated debates between Kene and Mr. McCarthy, she keeps me entertained.

YAY FOR THANKSGIVING. TURKEYTURKEYTURKEY

Dear Cormac,

     Your poetic writing brought light to a very dismal plotline.  I enjoyed your novel The Road very much sir and I hope to read more of your works.  If I may ask, what got you thinking along the lines of post- epocalyptic?  Did certain people from your life influence the characters you chose for the novel?  Keeping the epocalyptic theme was a bold choice and gave you loads of freedom.  I will also say that this novel is very different from other novels of its kind by simple things, but these simple things made the book stand out.  The syntax and fluidness then choppy structure, all sylistic elements gave your novel an edge.  At least for me, it felt more personal and less depressing because I heard the characters' voices so strongly.  You do have a way with words.
     I am also curious about your background in poetry.  Being a poet myself, I suspect that you've had some background in it.  I would like to know who are inspirational poets that you admire, for I am always looking for new poets to get my hands on. 
     Also, the different characters with varying sences of hope that you brought into the father and son's journey all had specific meaning and I am still a little unclear with some of them.  I would just love to peek around inside your thoughts and notes while writing and editing this piece.  How long did the process take from start to finish?  I hope you are happy with reactions that you've been getting from the public regarding The Road and I await your upcoming books.

Nicole

Defending the Poet

     Yes Bukowski is a tad bit depressing, but nonetheless he speaks a whole lotta truth.  From the beginning in born into this he refers to the state humans are born into, this being a sinful nature.  And all the things he talks about, nobody can really say that the statement is false, for as elevators breaking and political landscapes dissolving are real things that have happened somewhere, not only a perspective.
     Then he speaks about how we are dealing with all of this.  He claims we are dying and being muted by these things, this this, the dinosaur we all are...? Anyway, so we experience these unjust things in our society today and we adapt by, usually, being passive.  Or maybe it is not being passive so much as it is we just do not know how to confront these huge earthly problems, so we fall to becoming mute and blind to them. 
     I also find it very interesting that he writes made inhuman by this.  It struck me. My view of the phrase was to say that most assume deep down all humans are good and programmed to do right, but that our this has changed how we function.  And now, we know how to decieve better than we know how to help out. I partly agree, but I think, all in all, that he leaves most of this piece open to interpretation so anyone can look at it and agree with some part of it.  Towards the end, most would accuse a very extremist outlook but I think that we can still believe in hope in our race while acknowledging the fact that one day trees will die, all vegetation will die along with the other radical things he proclaims.

A Direction the Class Needs

     Dear class- I'm off visiting college, have fun with this one.

     In my opinion, there are many things wrong with our current classes, material taught, etc...but at the same time in the United States we are very fortunate to be recieving such quality education.  So take into account, I say this with gratitude.
     I think about half of my teachers that I have had in the past have shown notable amounts of laziness.  At first, a student might say, thats great...less work for us.  But this is almost never the case.  The teachers don't care about really teaching their students, they are now just working for a dealine, meeting a chapter requirement.  I think students have stopped caring about actually learning and instead focusing on recieving a high letter grade because teachers have crammed more material into their lessons.  We are missing depth in our high school classes.  I want to come out of a class and actually feel like I learned something.  I want to do more assignments in class with the teacher there to answer my questions on brand new material that we're covering...not coming home to loads of homework that I do not fully understand because the material was crammed into a 45 minute class period. I want an end to busy work.  I want my teachers this year to cut some slack in the homework department so I can focus on getting myself into college.
     I believe that if we can cut the bullshit out of the classroom setting, students would be more apt to engage themselves in what is being taught.

THE END

Mother-Daughter, Mother-Son, Father-Daughter, Father-Son

     Mother-daughter relationships, especially through the teen years, can be challenging.  Historically speaking also, they usually are challenging.  I feel like mothers and daughters are either at each other's throats or the best of friends.  Hope for the best, but regardless mothers are supposed to teach the fundametals of being a woman to their daughters.  They are supposed to show compassion, understanding, and independence while supporting their husbands.  It is an important relationship to continue improving on.
     Mother-Son relationships, through my experience, are usually playful ones.  The mother gets to experience raising another gender from her own and it is experimental in the beginning.  A little boy's wants and needs are very different from a girl's perspective.  Even though I don't know a lot about this relationship, I know that it is important for the son to learn about the more emotional side of growing up and listening to his heart, and mothers tend to show more of this than fathers.  But again, sometimes fathers are the more emotional ones, so...

     Father-daughter relationships are special.  The dads usually spoil their little girls and are very protective.  They see their daughters as innocent and fragile and see to it that their job be nuturing her in a manly way.  I think when dads don't know how to emotionally attach to their daughters, that is when the materialistic spoiling comes into play.  The daughter warms the dads heart and believes he can do anything.  Very cute.
     Father and son are meant to be. They get to guy-bond and do things like fishing and have the safe sex talk.  Fathers get to start off their sentences with, "Well, son when I was your age..." Fathers get to teach their sons from experience and the sons have a greater respect for their father because he can relate.

:) yay family