A group of seven of us were sitting around a table having some coffee talk, when the discussions turned very political, and very social. How it started, I'm not exactly sure, but the topic of mixed marriages and same sex marriages came up. Now I understand that everyone is intitled to their own opinion, and as a writer I always encourage people to stand up for what they believe in. Nevertheless, I appreciate when people share that same ideology with me as well.

Here are the results of the conversation:

• 3/7 of the people in the discussion felt that mixed marriages of any sort are wrong whether it be a bi-racial marriage or a same sex marriage
• 1/7 of the people were for bi-racial/ same sex marriages, with the expection that they should not be able to have children
• 2/7 of the people felt that there was nothing wrong with bi-racial or same sex marriages, yet said that would be upset if their own kid decided to go down this path
• 1/7 of the people felt that there was nothing wrong with a bi-racial or same sex marriage...at all.

If you can't tell by the title of this blog entry, or the fact that I'm writing a blog entry about this topic, I feel very strongly that there is nothing wrong with bi-racial and same sex relationships, whether on a friend or an intimate level.  If you fall in love, you can't help that.  You fall in love with the person, not their gender, their color, nor their ethnicity.  Forming relationships shouldn't come with a set of rules.  People should be able to base their relationships soley on compatability.  

I was very upset by the tone the conversation ended up having.  Person 1 screamed at the top of their lungs that I was brought up wrong for thinking this, and that clearly there was something wrong with me.  They even went as far as to say that if I ever chose this path that I would not be welcomed in their house now that they know how I felt.  Person 2 didn't come out and say it, but it was very obvious that they felt the same.  

Person 3 brought up an interesting question to both Person 1 and 2.  He/she asked: 'If you were dieing by loss of blood or of a failed organ, and your donor was black, would you be ok with that?"  Both responded, "I would rather die."

It has/will always be emotionally difficult for me to listen to such racist comments.  I have a very hard time believing that there are still people in this world that don't believe everyone is equal, and others are superior. I'm writing this entry to let you know that racism still goes on this world, even though some of it may be hidden, and some it might not.  I am not gay, nor am I in a bi-racial relationship, but that doesn't mean that I can't speak out against a wrong that I think our society is committing.  As I stated before, it's not the color, the race, the gender or the ethnicity that you'll fall in love with...it's the person. It's the personality. The look in their eyes.  The way they make you laugh.  It's the person, and it doesn't matter if they are black, white, purple or blue.   

The below are some links that you can check out.  They include a variety of recommended books you can read if you are interested in race and gender relationships.

• http://lilt.ilstu.edu/gmklass/pos334/Default.htm
•  http://www.amazon.com/Great-Books-Homosexuality-Manhood/lm/3CWAK5T31980Y
• I also recommend, the poetry of Langston Hughes (specifically "Mother to Son") and Claude McKay, the short stories of Zora Neal Hurston, "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker, "The Displaced Person" by Flannery O'Connor, and the manifesto of Langston Hughes, "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain."

-Happy reading; Let me know what you think! :)

Yesterday, I went to Kennywood with my family and a couple of friends from school and we decided to try out Kennywood's new ride that has replaced the Gold Rush.  Ghostwood Estate is a pretty sweet ride for all the horror buffs out there, but I must say that I was instantly reminded of The Haunted Mansion at Disney World (a.k.a my favorite ride).  The ride seemed to have def. similarites in the fact that you have an introduction before the ride and what not, but let's be honest with each other.  Nothing can ever top The Haunted Mansion! :)

While standing in line at the 'estate', they are playing creepy music that lures you into the haunting mood.  Before you get into the 4-person buggies, you enter a large, dusty cobwebbed room where Lord Kenneth Ghostwood drops by for a visit.  After his spirit awoke and flew out of his picture above the mantle place, he proceeded to tell us the rules of his mansion, and the horror that has bestowed itself upon the grounds.  Apparently after his death, he wasn't the only one to hang around.  Spirits have invaded the mansion, and it was our job to clear them out with the lazer guns equipped in our buggies.  The spirits all have targets on them, and the more you hit, the more thrilling, chilling, terror you will experience.  Plus getting more points than your friends is always a plus, even though I lost.

All in all, I really liked the ride because it combined two of my favorite things, ghosts and video games. I felt like I was dropped off in Haunted Mansion with Eddie Murphy trying to prevent the house from swallowing me and my friends alive! It was especially cool when I realized that when you hit some of the target, the monsters and spirits fly and jump out at you! I'll admit, I jumped!  It was def. a hit with me, and with the  younger crowd, considering my little brother and his friends loved it as well!  But for those of you interested in the dark and creepy, I would say to def. give it a shot!

This summer, I found myself rummaging through clearnace sales at Barnes and Noble, and Walden Books for art books, and bibliographies.  I grabbed a couple for reference and quite a few for some light reading.  One artist in particular really grabbed my interest though. Jackson Pollock. (If you don't know his work, PLEASE check it out! He's is astounding!)

After reading about his style and life, I thought that it would be interesting to mirror his methods and try to create a work of art myself.  I threw on an old t-shirt and some basketball shorts and headed outside to my backyard with an arm full of acrylic paint, a handful of paintbrushes and my one slab of canvas.  I set the canvas on the ground, far away from anything (haha), and picked out my colors.  I decided to go with black, blue, red, and yellow (gotta love those primaries).  I then proceeded as such:

1. I decided black was going to be my base, so I took the largest paintbrush I had, and dipped it in.  After this, I stood at a variety of different lengths away from the painting and continued to 'throw' paint at the canvas.
2. After the base color was put down, and I was pleased, I continued to do the same with the other three colors, but just with smaller brushes.
3. At the end of expressing myself, I then dipped my hand in the three colors and added in spots of color on the canvas in areas that I thought were lacking.
4. Now that I was covered in paint from head to toe, I squirted myself off with the hose outside, haha :]

Although this method may seem very unconventional, and incontrollable, it is quite the opposite.  The artist is very much in control because they are placing the paint, and the color on the canvas.  They know/feel when an area is lacking, and therefore take the appropriate steps to fix it.  This method and category of painting is known as gestural abstraction (action painting).

A wonderful reference of this style would be Pollock's piece Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist)

-Oil, enamel, and aluminum paitn on canvas, 7' 3" x 9' 10" / located in the National Gallery of Art, Washington

For those new to the game, Guitar Hero is made to simulate the concert atmosphere for a typical rocker. With tracks ranging from artists such as Disturbed, Pat Benetar, and Slipknot, you're bound to find one of your favorite songs on there to rock out too. The object of the game is to hit the notes on your personal styled guitar in the same coordinates as the song plays. When you hit a certain amount of notes, you get 'star power' and get to throw your guitar up and 'rock out' like Bret Michaels and Journey! Talk about feeling like a rock star! No wonder the game gets addicting! I mean who doesn't want to rock out on stage?

I'll admit that to this day, I still find myself addicted to the game.  I have worked myself up to the expert level, but am no where near as sick as some people are on the game.  For instance, "Through the Fire and Flames" is the hardest level on the game, and there are some people that can play it without missing a note.  Check out this kid and rock on.

First off, I would like to admit that I actually do like waitressing most of the time because I like to think of myself as a people person.  But more so lately, I hate walking into work in the morning.  Not only is the business corupt, but with the current state of the economy, you just can't live working part time as a waitress. 

Due to my arrival back at home, I called my manager and they threw a schedule together for me.  When I looked at what they had given me, I realized I was given four days (which I was more than happy with), but they were all swing shifts.  For those of you that are new to how the business works, a swing shift is in essense a double shift.  Normally a waitress that is part time works a five-6 hour shift of either the breakfast, lunch, or dinner rush.  Well in my case, I would be swinging through lunch and dinner. Big deal right? Why should I be bitter?

Well, due to my workplace's lack of staff, I started working 9/10 hours days, and was called in on my day of, etc.  I was treated like a slave, and felt no sense of appreciation for the hours/help that I was putting in.  My last straw the other day was when a fellow employee threw is fist at me, and then proceeded to throw the food at me through the window.  How does this stuff go on? You got me.  Needless to say, I took of my apron and walked out of the store. Nevertheless, due to my lack of money and want to study abroad next year, I let my manager talk me into coming back for a few days.  Thankfully, I picked up a third job this summer and won't have to spend a lot of time there.

Contrary to the negatives, the relability to the book continues.  Waitressing only pays $2.83 and hour + tips.  NEWS FLASH! With gas being 4 dollars and everything else rising in cost, WE CAN"T LIVE ON THAT! I find it really hard to believe that minimum wage can go up, but ours can't? I think our measly 2.83 should at least go up a dollar or so.  But I also have noticed that because of the pricing of the items these days, that people are tipping as much as they should.  I know personally that I had a table of 5 the other day that left a 3 dollar tip! AH THE HORROR! Plus when you're working 10 hours days, and barely have fifty bucks in your pocket, there is a problem. But I digress.

Does anyone else feel that this is an injustice towards waitresses or is my biased behavior towards the industry just catching up with me after three years?

Here are some quick updates about what I'll be talking about this summer:

1. I've picked up 3 jobs this summer, and already have tons of interesting information and stories to share.

2. Movies Movies Movies!!!

3. Book Reviews for all the bookworms out there (if you're shaking your head, stop denying it)

4. Ideas for the story I'm writing!! - I've been throwing ideas around for years about writing a book, and I've decided that if I don't start at least writing a draft of it now that I'm not going to.  So, I'm trying to write a little bit each day, and I'll keep everyone updated!

On another note, I would like to thank Dr. Jerz for introducing me once again to the blogosphere world. I love it; For those of you that think you'll hate blogging, trust me when I say this, you won't.  It will end up becoming a daily routine and even a stress reliever at some points.

It's really sweet to look back one my freshmen year as a whole at SHU.  I mean I came in here an outspoken, outoing lil chick, but I'm leaving with so much more.  You realy do change when you come to college. I got in touch with my artistic and creative side, and switched my major because of it.  I found amazing friends that I wouldn't trade for the world, and became closer with my friends back home.  Some might say that I became a hippie since I've been at school, and I'll just chuckle and laugh at that comment.  I got in tune with a lot of political and environmental activism, so I can't exactly deny that :)  But the main change I found is in myself as a writer.  I learned how to express myself more clearly, and how to expand on my ideas and views and construct them in a more professional way.  For those of you that love writing, I leave you with this for now:  Now idea is worth wasting.  Write what you know, and write what you feel.  If you stick to you instict, and follow your heart, your writing will reflect your passion.

Below are my past two blog portfolios for Intro. to Literary Study:

• Humor and Sarcasm and Emotion...OH MY! Bring on Portfolio Two
• I would like to make a toast to Portfolio One...Everyone raise your glasses!

Coverage: These entries are one's that I have gone out of my cover, such as English's Clubs events, reminders, etc. Other entiries will include links to our class's homepage, so you can get an idea what the assinment was, and even check it out yourself if the mood strikes you!  In some entries, I have also included links to other websites for research and clarification purposes.

• So You're An English Major...Now What?--Let English Club Help You!: I decided last semester that I wanted the English Club to host an event this Spring to show English Majors (or Creative Writing, Journalism, etc.) what was available to them with their degree.  I planned for Dr. Jerz, Becky Campbell (Director of CareerWorks) and two SHU Alumni to come in and speak to the students about carrer experiences, internship opportunities, and what they could do to improve their resume.
• Event Reminder: BE THERE
• Yo Mama: This is a fun entry that we had to write for class.  We were instructed to go on Urbandictionary.com and teach our professor something *gasp.* Talk about interesting.  It's amazing what you'll learn on that site, not matter how hip you think you already are, haha. If you get offended easy, don't read it. But if you have a good sense of humor... come on in!
• Sarcasm in advice form...I Love It!

Timeliness: These entries were all posted 24 hours before class and they are on a variety of subjects! If you're feeling dangerous, give them a go!

• Ms.Inventor
• The Tongue Twister
• Ancy, Amiable Alliteration
• Honestly, who is walking down that dark, scary alley? This entry is about the importance of setting in a story, because I think that people sometimes forget about its relevance in the end.For example, if the story takes place in Alaska, the conflict of nature and darkness are in effect because naturally Alaska has bad snow storms, and it also goes through a period of darkness for several weeks (like in 30 Days of Night, minus the vampires).

Depth:  The entries are some of my more thought provoking ones.  I really found a deep connection with the topics at hand, and I wanted to share my opinions in a deeper context rather than just writing my initial reaciton.  For anyone that is reading this, I really do appreciate your opinions!  Let me know if you had a similiar opinion, or a completely different one for that matter!

• theSYNTAXofAstoryDOESmatter: This entry recollects on the fact that authors don't just accidently us syntax in their writing.  Most of it is planned out and is put within the poem, story, prose, etc. to convey a message. This particular blog entry is on "Deathfugue."  Read it :)
• This is my kind of book: For those of you that haven't read Ender's Game....you should get on that! It's Feed meets Star Wars, for all of you intergallactic space nerds like me. 
• Ender's Game vs. Stay Alive: This blog entry compares the game that Ender played in his room (with the giant and the drinks) to the movie Stay Alive.  Kill or be killed. Enter at your own risk.
• It's been a long day and I feel like writing: Hm, Guitar Hero meets SHU Alumni and Faculty.  This is a venting piece that I wrote one day.  Think of it like a diary entry.
• Maybe following the light isn't so bad afterall
• Be one with nature: For my Faith, Religion and Society class, I had to go to a tree planting ceremony and it was really cool.  If you're an environmental hippie like myself, you should probably read this. *tttoottttaaalllllyyyy*

Interaction: The entries that are listed below are ones that were so controversial, that I couldn't get people to stop debating on them! haha, no but seriously, these ones exhumed some pretty good topics.

• The Beauty of Freedom of Speech
• Poor, Poor, Ender...You're still my favorite ;)

Discussion Entries: The following links are links to my classmate's blogs entries that I have commented on.  They have some really interesting and thought provoking commentary!  

• http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KatieVann/2008/04/meters_stressed_syllables_etc.html#comments
• http://blogs.setonhill.edu/RichelleDodaro/2008/04/how_are_you_ok_bye.html
• http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChelseaOliver/2008/04/el150_underdog_cheaters_make_m.html#comments
• http://blogs.setonhill.edu/AngelicaGuzzo/2008/04/i_got_itnow.html#comments

After a short speech from Dr. Klaypack, Father Stephen lead us in a religious hymn for the blessing of our world and its people. Afterwards, he blessed the tree and read a very beautiful poem about life in general, and our continuous search for meaning. In addition, other people came up to the tree and read poetry about nature, and inner beauty, and honestly, one couldn't help but to feel a sense of inner peace and self satisfaction. Maybe it's the hippie in me slowly coming out, but I really enjoyed watching the tree be blessed and everyone coming together to admire it's first breathe into the world.

Dr. Klaypack said that a tree is so much more than just a tree; he stated that it was the lungs to our world. If one takes a step back from the rushed lives that we all lead, one can see that a tree is not just a plant, but rather a looking glass into the past, present, and future. A tree tells a story, whether it be from its aging rings, to the color and deterioration of its bark, we can see what it has been through, where it is at, and where it is going. We can look to it for shelter, for peace...for survival. A tree is so much more than just a tree. One just needs to open there eyes and see it for what it really is.

Going to this ceremony made me reflect on a piece by Annie Dillard that I read for my American Literature class titled Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Dillard can be compared to Emerson and Thoreau’s style of writing, for she focuses on the beauty of nature, and our ability to see a budding flower, rather than just a boring stem erupting from the earth. One quote in particular in Dillard’s piece really stood out to me. She states, “But the artificial obvious is hard to see. My eyes account for less than one percent of the weight of my head; I'm bony and dense; I see what I expect. I once spent a full three minutes looking at a bullfrog that was so unexpectedly large I couldn’t see it even though a dozen enthusiastic campers were outing directions. Finally I asked, "What color am I looking for?" and a fellow said, "Green." When at last I picked out the frog, I saw what painters are up against: the thing wasn't green at all, but the color of wet hickory bark (Annie Dillard 3019)."

While I was at the ceremony, I really tried to focus on the inner sight that she speaks of in her piece. I think that we as a society miss a lot of what is going on around us because we don’t take the time the appreciate small miracles and the intricacies of nature. The ceremony really put Dillard’s words into perspective and it was absolutely beautiful to see her thoughts and experiences come to life at the university.

(For further information about the concept of sight, see my blog entry on Annie Dillard)

I really enjoyed this play, despite my initial reaction to when I picked up the book.  I know that they say that you should never judge a book by it's cover...BUT, I'll admit that I did.  Technicially, it wasn't the cover though, it was the title.  When I saw that it was titled W;t initial reaction was "Oh God...It's a play about punctuation! WHAT NEXT!" I was honestly anticipating another Truss gone wild with punctuation book, but I digress!

I loved this play because I think that it teaches you a lot about life and your identity. When Vivian found out she had Cancer, I think that she took it a lot better than most people would (maybe because she had a PH.D. in Donne's poetry, and was surrounded by death all the time). She even had a sarcastic, but good, sense of humor about all the treatment plans and pain that she was going to endure in the next several weeks.

I liked that she tried to stay positive throughout the play, despite her lack of visitors, and uncaring doctors. Ethan stated in his blog entry that 'it's sad that after all the reader learned about Vivian, [that] she is reduced to a code.' Personally, I disagree with. For starters, to the doctors, Vivian was always a code to Jason.  She was merely a human guinea pig that endured experiements and treatment plans that the doctor's were going to add to their researched endeavors.  I especially hated when Jason would routinely (is that a word?) ask Vivian how she was feeling, and then not even care about her response.  It is human nature to say well, fine, ok... but I think it was obvious to see that she was in both mental, and physical pain.  Finding out she had cancer didn't destroy her, but rather made her grow as a person.  It caused her to reflect on her life experiences, and accept her faults and failures.  She came to peace with herself, and with her soon to be death. So she wasn't just a 'NO CODE.' As I wrote in my reflection, 'That's just medical terminology for they have come to pieace with death, and are ready to accept it.'

Now after stating that, I feel like I have to make one more comment to justify human nature.  I'm a firm believer that there is good (even if it is a little) in everyone.  I think that everyone has their moments, and that from something bad, can come something good. 

Code Team:

-It's a doctor fuck up (excuse mine and Edson's french)

-What is he, a resident?

-Got us up here on a DNR

-Called a code on a no-code?

Jason: Oh, God (Edson 85)

Right before this scenario, Jason screams "SHE'S RESEARCH!" I think that at this point in the play, the audience can see the true intentions that Jason had for Vivian, and that she was always just a experiment to him.  She wasn't his past teacher, she wasn't his friend, and she wasn't a scared patient, dieing from an incurable disease. BUT, there is hope for humanity, because after he verbally announces this, it is like a light bulb goes off in his head and he questions his actions.  It's almost like he didn't want to admit to himself that was happening, and after he said it, he constantly repeats, 'Oh God' several times. He realizes his wrong doings, and because of that, he will hopefully become a better doctor, and a better person.  Who knows, maybe the key to curing cancer is spending time with the patients, learning from them, and listening to what is happening to them as a person, not a guinea pig.  Maybe to cure cancer, all we need is to believe, and give that little bit of hope that will ease the pain and suffering.

Amen.

So after that I came back around six or so, and got myself ready to go to English Club's second event.  It went really well.  All of our speakers were  fantastic. Karissa Kilgore spoke about her struggles as a free lance writer, but then told us all the cool advantages there are to it.  She gets to make her own scheduling, do her work in her pjs (hahaha) and basically be her own boss.  Diana Geleski then spoke to us about how much internet and website programing in general has helped her advance her English Degree. I'm not going to lie, but that kinda scared me, because let's just say that I'm pretty retarded when it comes to technology.  I mean if I didn't have my boyfriend, who is going to be an mechanical engineer, to teach me all the ups and downs and inside outs of computers and funky devices, I would be totally lost.  This makes me think that maybe taking Writing for the Internet  or some basic computer programming courses wouldn't be such a bad idea if they are going to benefit me in the long run.

So I got back to the dorm room about 9:30ish and decided that now that my day was completely over (not to mention that I couldn't even think about starting homework yet), I engulfed myself in guitar hero with my future roomies (love you girls). I don't know what it is about that game that entices me, but wow.  It might have to do with my slight addiction to video games or the fact that I have a secret desire to be a rock star (hahahahaha) but when my life gets stressful, there is nothing like sitting down and playing a fake guitar to make you feel awesome. I guess the point of this random blog entry is the following:

1. Dr. Jerz has got me completely addicted to blogging, and I'm finding out that it isn't so bad after all.

2. Writing is my stress reliever.

3. Guitar Hero is awesome and I wanted to share it with the world.

4. Mostly, I think I'm just becoming addicted to blogging.

Peace.

I really felt bad for Ender in the end.  He is who is he is because of all of the pain and suffering he has gone through.  He was brain washed from the get-go, and became so used to killing, that now he has slowly adapated and became a part of him.  I think it's safe to say that he finally found who he was, even if it's not the person that he wanted to be in the end. (Angela basically said everything that I wanted too, haha so check out her blog!)

Keep in mind though, living with pain isn't always a bad thing.  The strongest people sometimes are who they are because of the pain that they have dealt with.  Just because bad things have happened in one's life doesn't mean that they can't use it as a learning experience and grow from their suffering. 

(I have a really good story about how pain makes you grow as a person, but it's really personal, so I don't want to put it on here unless I know people want it here. So if you want to hear it, let me know and I'll either say it in class, or I'll edit it and put it in here)

homepage

Ah free verse.  My all time favorite form of poetry.  I love being able to speak my mind freely, create my own rules, and completely run away from the confines of iambic pentameter.  To me, free verse is so much more free and expressive because someone can say exactly what's on their minds, without trying to fit in into the 14 lines of a sonnet, or 10 syllables in a line. 

Here is a free verse poem that I wrote for class:

"Sometimes they were funny things.  Sometimes exciting ones, and he had to be quick to stay alive.  He had lots of deaths, but that was OK, games were like that, you died a lot until you got the hang of it (Card, 62)."

Ender's game can be comparied to Stay Alive. Ender played his game at his study desk in his room, trying to outsmart the entities of those inside it.  He battled lanscapes and giants, and was forced to pick his poision, literally.  Unfortunatley, he always picked wrong and always died a gruesome death.  One time, when the giant told him to pick his poison, he kicked it over, and attacked the giant by digging out his eyes. Live or die. You or them. Who are you going to pick?

In Stay Alive, there are certain similiarities to Ender's game.If you play, you die.  For instance: science fiction turned to realism, the theme of death and the ability to conquer. Stay Alive is based off of a video game to which one battles the depths of hell.  Each character is equipped with a weapon of choice as they aim to kill the evil bitch, I mean witch, and her demonic dead zombie children.  The only catch is if you die in the game, you die in real life. For example, if you die in a torture room stabbed in the throat with sheers, be prepared to die when you find that your bedroom has been turned into a midevil torture room.  There are similiarites in the game but the extreme is obviously the difference.

Watch your back