I've always dragged my feet when it came to writing and generally disliked any English class I've taken. But, English 15 was a pleasant surprise and actually got me involved and let me write about things I wanted to. It actually got me to enjoy the writing and build upon my writing skills. The variety of opinions kept classes very interesting and helped motivate me to get up for an 8am class. The assignments also got me to look at art more closely. I've never really been an art guy but I grew to enjoy it. I'm actually planning on going to a few museums over the summer that I wouldn't have otherwise. Overall I really enjoyed myself and may even take an English class as a gen ed at some point since I'm no longer anti-English class.
Responses:
http://georgenelson11.blogspot.com/2012/03/3-ways-to-fix-what-broken-at-this.html
http://alexbentz.blogspot.com/2012/04/one-down-three-to-go.html?showComment=1335713149277#c2296887479315439404
http://meeten3.blogspot.com/2012/04/harry-potter-review.html?showComment=1335714152196#c5856273464388548097
SRTE DONE
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Cultural Event #2
On March 24th I went to the Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour by Cirque du Soleil at the Bryce Jordan Center. I have been to Cirque shows before so i had an idea of what to expect but this show threw me off a bit.
The opening was very video oriented which I didn't really care for as Cirque shows are know for their acrobatics/dancing, not videos. This was followed by a bit about Neverland Ranch and some audio from Michael Jackson about kids. I found this to be very odd since Jackson had fought legal battles regarding sexual abuse of kids in the 90's. This portion of the show lasted maybe fifteen minutes if that. The rest of the show was amazing though.
The songs were well chosen as most were huge hits from either Michael or the Jackson 5. One of my favorite bits was "ABC" where the performers all were wearing giant afros and late sixties clothes. Each song had their own unique performance which was quite a feat since most songs were melded into one another, instead of playing each one completely.
The show ended in typical Cirque fashion with all the performers coming out to take a bow. But, afterwards one performer dramatically put on the one glove and all the lights went to it. It was so bright you couldn't look directly at it. Overall it was a great performance although the beginning caught me off guard.
The opening was very video oriented which I didn't really care for as Cirque shows are know for their acrobatics/dancing, not videos. This was followed by a bit about Neverland Ranch and some audio from Michael Jackson about kids. I found this to be very odd since Jackson had fought legal battles regarding sexual abuse of kids in the 90's. This portion of the show lasted maybe fifteen minutes if that. The rest of the show was amazing though.
The songs were well chosen as most were huge hits from either Michael or the Jackson 5. One of my favorite bits was "ABC" where the performers all were wearing giant afros and late sixties clothes. Each song had their own unique performance which was quite a feat since most songs were melded into one another, instead of playing each one completely.
The show ended in typical Cirque fashion with all the performers coming out to take a bow. But, afterwards one performer dramatically put on the one glove and all the lights went to it. It was so bright you couldn't look directly at it. Overall it was a great performance although the beginning caught me off guard.
Cultural Event #1
Back on February 4th I had the pleasure of attending the Lady Antebellum Concert at the Bryce Jordan Center. I don't listen to much country music so I wasn't really familiar with their work but knew that they have a huge following. I had no idea they were about to blow me away.
I actually was more excited to see the opening act, hoping that Darius Rucker would play some stuff from his Hootie and the Blowfish days. He did not disappoint. It may as well have been his concert with the way he rocked the house. After starting his set with some of his popular country songs he threw in some of the best Hootie songs my favorite being "I Only Wanna Be With You". The quality of his performance gave the feel that he wasn't the opening act, just part one of what was to come.
Thompson Squared was up next. I had never heard of them, so having no idea of what to expect I was pleasantly surprised. Although their performance wasn't as good as Darius Rucker's they were still really good.
Finally Lady A came out and they blew me away. They played mostly their hits which were much better live than on the radio. But my favorite part of the entire show was when Darius Rucker and Thompson Squared joined Lady A on stage and they all sang "Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith. It seemed like the selection took the crowd by surprise and they loved it. Lady A put on one of the best concerts I've been to on par with the Eagles or Elton John.
I actually was more excited to see the opening act, hoping that Darius Rucker would play some stuff from his Hootie and the Blowfish days. He did not disappoint. It may as well have been his concert with the way he rocked the house. After starting his set with some of his popular country songs he threw in some of the best Hootie songs my favorite being "I Only Wanna Be With You". The quality of his performance gave the feel that he wasn't the opening act, just part one of what was to come.
Thompson Squared was up next. I had never heard of them, so having no idea of what to expect I was pleasantly surprised. Although their performance wasn't as good as Darius Rucker's they were still really good.
Finally Lady A came out and they blew me away. They played mostly their hits which were much better live than on the radio. But my favorite part of the entire show was when Darius Rucker and Thompson Squared joined Lady A on stage and they all sang "Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith. It seemed like the selection took the crowd by surprise and they loved it. Lady A put on one of the best concerts I've been to on par with the Eagles or Elton John.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Boots on the Ground by Dusk: A Review
Millions of kids dream of someday playing professional sports, yet very few ever achieve this dream. If you were one of the lucky ones to get there would you give it up for something you believed in? The book “Boots on the Ground by Dusk” follows such a person. Although a biography, it is the single most moving story I have ever read. Written by his mother, it follows the life of Pat Tillman from childhood through college and on to the NFL. He was offered a multimillion dollar deal to play safety for the Arizona Cardinals but walked away from it to join the Army Rangers along with his brother after 9/11. His personal sense of patriotism and wanting to do more than just play a game are refreshing in this materialistic word in which we live. His story was big news back in 2004 but not for all the positive contributions he made to the world this one was far more tragic.
Pat Tillman was a real American hero, proud of where he came from and willing to do what he felt was right despite what others may have thought. As a young man playing in the NFL he left the fame and money that so many dream of for the belief he was going to help protect our United States from a foreign threat. He left his wife and young child behind for his ideals. He is a man every American should seek to emulate.
When I first read this book I already knew who Pat Tillman was and his story. But I wasn’t prepared for the roller coaster I was about to go on when I opened the cover. I couldn’t make it five pages without tears streaming down my face. His mother tells the entire story with vivid imagery and really opens up so you feel her pain. “Boots on the Ground by Dusk” is one of my favorite books despite making me cry every time I read it. It’s a two thumbs up must read.
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