This is interesting

Watch as the clouds kiss the blue sky round and round. 

They fall and they rise and they swing but also surprise

As they weave through the mesh of the grayness that will

Foretell the fall of a hot heavy shower from its throat.

The downpour ends with the signs to ruin rocks, softly saying like

The whisper and the whimsy of the wise men of the age.

They whisper of cool hope like the sharp curving of a polynomial

Or the yell of a teacher with her lecture of “IMPORTANCE”

Watch the mud dry and thicken through time and toughening. 

Watch as bruised egos say “I will recover” but only frogs croak

And the dogs bruise ears with incessant sharp shrills and shrieking

But they all watch the clouds kiss the blue sky round and round.

Reflection

The English 1102 class was overall a good class.  I thought that looking through dramas, although it was a tad slow at first, proved helpful and interesting, since I had never analyzed any other dramas besides Shakespeare.  I would have liked to learn more about Shakespeare and break down one of his plays.  Death of a Salesman I thought was bland, to be honest.  But, other than that, the dramas were something new and enjoyable
Something that surprised me were these Guided Readings.  I do not mind writing them, but the time as to which they are do is very inconvenient since I typically have high school till 3:15 and then some sort of practice till 5:30.  But, conceptually they are very helpful, as they forced me to analyze the literature. 
The formalist writing was a good idea, in my opinion.  I have never had to come up with my own ideas, and although it was challenging, I proved to myself that I could write an original paper completely independent of outside resources.  This was a task that I had never done while in high school. 
All in all the class was very helpful in grasping concepts of literature.  I'm happy I took the course.

A poem, or more like a song. But that still counts.

A Simple Melody

You know,
The Beatles had it right.
Just a simple touch
On the hand for a night
Is quite alright.

Nothing more and none less,
Holding by moonlight
we can hope for the best
singing with a piano accompany.

With a guitar on my fingers
I won't strive for love.
But I will play till blisters come,
Until its beauty encompasses me.

With Cohen I'll chant the word
Hallelujah, till I have none left.
Cause I will be happier than a bird
In flight.  With yours and mine.

Sing along with me.
And hold my hand.
Before this night ends. 

Hypocrisy

I face hypocrisy often, with "friends."  These friends parade around acting like they are my friend.  They carry conversations with me, talk to me about issues they are dealing with, and other typical things friends do.  But then, to other people, they talk down about me or others whom they refer to as friends.  Or, they do the opposite approach.  To my face, the person treats me horribly by either ignoring me or saying derogatory things to my face.  But, afterward, the same person will come to later, begging me to help them with some school assignment.  These two situations both occur at least twice a week to me, or around me with other groups of friends.  It has forced me to beg the question, "Are they really my friends, and if so, why do they do this?"  Either way, there is not much time to wonder.  In two months, there will be no more worries about friends or times to worry about these friends.  Graduation, please come soon.  

Writing about anything

Writing about anything is quite difficult.  Thinking of a topic is quite tedious and stressful, because its seems impossible to find a topic that is appropriate, yet detailed enough to be able to write three hundred words about it.  Once the topic is found, then the writing process begins.  At once the writer wonders again whether the topic is appropriate for the class, and, once that doubt subsides, they try to write as fast as they can in an attempt to finish the assignment as soon as possible.  They furiously type, for about the length of a tweet (that is 140 characters).  Once that point is reached, all the sudden the high schooler/college student has to start becoming creative.  Many begin the circular process of circumlocution, while others seem to ramble until they hit the three hundred word mark, usually ending with a different point then they began.  Then, once they are done, it is never proofread, unless the paper is a large percentage of the final grade.  It is submitted and forgotten.  So, writing about anything proves difficult, tedious, confusing, and then eventually forgotten.  But, it is a fantastic way to engage the mind.  

Troy Maxson and the Question of Racism

Troy Maxson is not racist to whites.  He deals with the experiences that he has just like every other African American in his day.  However, he is jealous of the progress of the white man within his company.  Slavery had just ended, and the former slaves were still not equal with whites in society.  He almost seems to be racist toward his own, as he supports thee blacks to be loaders and not drivers of trucks.  At the same time, he aspires to be a driver, just like every other African American.  He just wants to make something for himself and his family.  His father was never great but merely a farmer.  He wants to change his legacy, and become someone.  That is why he is jealous of the whites, but not racists.  He simply desires what they have: chances at greatness.  

Fasting: Good or Bad?

Is there something so wrong with fasting? I would like your comments on it, but for now I will give you mine. As long as it is for the right reasons I am completely ok with it. I am fasting right now, for religious reasons. I believe it will strengthen my relationship with God, and it already has. For the people who fast for nutritional and weight-loss reasons, I strongly advise you to stop. Fasting only slows your metabolism greatly, and causes malnutrition. And, once you begin eating again, your body quite literally goes into storage mode. It begins to store the food you eat as fat, because of the low metabolism. Your body thinks you are going to lack food again, so it prepares itself to experience malnutrition. Now, this can be good in a survival situation, but in a society where food is plentiful, it is quite detrimental. Now, if you want to practice self-control, then fasting can be excellent. But it must be done only for a short time. Fasting can help you learn to control yourself, and can give you control over your body. It strengthens our ability to resist cravings for foods, as I have experienced. And, if you can learn to apply the mental techniques learned to resist food, you can resist other things that may be detrimental to your health. It may even assist you in eating healthier. The bottom line: only fast for a short time, as it is hard on your body, and do not fast for inappropriate reasons. Keep in mind that this is my opinion. I am not forcing it upon you, but I may be enlightening you. And I'd love for you to enlighten me. Tell me what you think.

Death of a Salesman Casting

Casting for Death of a Salesman would be so, if I were casting director:

Sean Connery would play Willy Loman.  He is a great choice for this role because Willy feels like he has not made a difference, and he feels like he can never make a difference.  Also, Willy is an older man who has been through the process of raising a family, and Connery's appearance would display such an experience.

Robert Downey, Jr. would play Biff.  Downey plays confusing characters remarkably well, and throughout the first Act Biff seems confused about himself; he continually seeks to find the truth within himself and who he really is.  Downey's erratic roles such as Sherlock Holmes and Iron Man would allow him the ability to play Biff remarkably well.

Jason Bateman would play Happy.  His annoying personality throughout his movies would grant him the ability to play this static character.  He seems to be forced to live in his brother's shadow, and because of that situation he never seems to come to the realization that he is his own person.  Thus, Bateman would easily play Happy because he cannot really act out change in his characters well.

Bonnie Hunt would play Linda.  She is very motherly and attempts to keep the peace throughout the first act.  Hunt, who plays the mother in Cheaper by the Dozen, keeps the peace within the family throughout the entire movie. 

An American Dream... Or Is it Just Learning to Dream American?

The American Dream...  This label for the typical middle class American lifestyle came about during the years of industrialization and the accumulation of immigrants throughout America.  Foreigners came to find a better life, and to create for themselves a legacy and to be proud of what they have done.  The American Dream was to live a satisfying life.  It was not to be a glamorous life, but a simple existence with self sufficiency in mind.
Now, the dream has changed.  The stereotypical dream is very grandiose now, filled with visions of grandeur and wealth.  It is no longer the desire for sufficiency in shelter, food, and lifestyle.  The American dream is for power and wealth. Everybody wants to be popular and known.
There is very little variance between each individual's American dream.  Everybody wants to be greater than what they are now.  For most, that means acquiring wealth and power.  For few, it means to make a difference.  But for all, it means to prove themselves  and show the world that they are great.  

Nana's Cheesecake

A particular food experience... I would have to say that my Nana's cheesecake classifies as a unique experience pertaining to my family's eating.  It is not so much the actual cheesecake that is the center of the experience though. 
Every year my family makes time to go visit my grandparent's house, whether it be for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or another random holiday.  They live in this monstrous lodge, filled with millions of dollars worth of taxidermy: bears, bison, elk, and buffalo are among the species present.  It is all hardwoods and tile, and has a very open floor plan.  The living room, music room, dining room, kitchen, and living room are all connected in a modern way, with traditional architecture.  The end result is a beautiful house.  There are many memories that make their home there, but what always accompanies every experience is Nana's cheesecake.  This delicious dessert is made every year, and every time we come to my grandparents'.  It is simply a traditional cheesecake, served with strawberries and a strawberry sauce.  The food connects the entire experience at the lodge, and the entire family (including myself) finds themselves sitting together at the dinner table, laughing and joking with each other; all the while we are eating a slice of decadent cheesecake.

Hot fish

I went to P.F. Chang's recently, and ordered a spectacular dish whose name escapes me at the moment. It was "Something Something, Hot Fish." But, the dish was fantastic. It had some veggies in it: cabbage, snow peas, onions, and carrots. All of these were probably locally grown, at least in the United States. The peas I am sure were pre-frozen, as well as the carrots. But the onions and cabbage tasted incredibly fresh, leading me to the conclusion that they were probably fresh, possibly from a local farmer's market. The sauce accompanying the dish was an oriental sauce, and quite spicy. I am not sure what the ingredients would be in the sauce, as I do not have great knowledge of the Asian countries. And the fish was cod, and was spectacularly cooked. I could not even taste any "fish." it did not smell like fish, nor did it taste quite like it. The texture told me what it was, yet it's flavor was outstanding: the mix of sweet and spicy was perfectly balanced and smooth. The fish was probably from either the Mississippi river, or the Gulf of Mexico. Obviously this is not a completely Oriental dish, as all the ingredients are undoubtedly manufactured/grown in America or around it. But, it shows that an amazing, yet foreign meal can be created from local ingredients. You don't have to be within that country or region to taste its spectacular dishes. Just find a great restaurant, with good ingredients, and be daring. You never know what you might find delightful, and maybe even inspiring. After all, that is the reason that food network was created: to inspire and motivate people all over the nation to expand their palate and find amazing dishes. P.F. Chang's allowed me to do that, with "Something Something, Hot Fish."

OK.  So this is my first post.  I'm testing out Portlandia right now. In case you are wondering (which I doubt), it is a super indie TV show with an odd set of characteristics, like... Well nevermind.  I assume that this "blogging" outside of classroom necessity is frowned upon by most within the modern high school culture.  But, as for now, I have this for educational purposes.  Blogging is also exceptionally egocentric, but maybe I do need to focus on me, for now.  Maybe I will tell of that later.  Anyways, this whole large paragraph filled with ramblings is now over.