Eng 001 Section 09

Soundtrack of My Life

2007-12-07T15:18:00.000-06:00

John Mayer - No Such Thing

For ten years of my childhood I was a dancer. For Susan Carroll Dance Studio, starting at the age of 3, I would go to practice in the traditional pink tights and tutu every Wednesday night and learn different routines. We would dance to a classical ballet song where I would practice my pirouettes and arabesque stance. The graceful and elegant moves then would transition into kick ball changes for our tap routine. We would have to make our shoes fall in rhythm with the tempo of the song. Lastly we would include a jazz or hip-hop routine where anything from Tina Turner to dirty old rap songs was fair game.

The first thing you see in John Mayer’s music video is the set up of lights on the stage, rows of chairs and amplifiers being plugged in for a performance. Just like my recitals, all of this would take place for a dress rehearsal right before the big night. Finally the recital time would come. Lights of all sorts of colors were put up over the stage and all of the chairs were set. Amplifiers, microphones and speakers were plugged in, checked, and then double-checked to be safe. With all of the final preparations coming into place and final touches being checked over, my nerves would rise. I was fitted into my costumes, with my makeup done, cute hair do, and with one final practice I would take the stage to perform the routines I had worked on all year long. “Wednesday 8:30!” My class was called and it was show time.

Black Eyed Peas - Where is the love?

This video talks about terrorism and other forms of hate that are now encompassing our entire world. They sing, “But if you only have love for your own race then you only leave space to discriminate and to discriminate only generates hate and when you hate then you're bound to get irate” The song is saying that all we do is hate each other, when if we would just find love, things would be a lot better.

I walked into my 7th grade English class on, September 11th, and sat down at my usual desk in the back of the room. I looked up to see that we now had a TV in the room. I was now excited at this point because I thought that we were going to do something fun for once instead of writing story after story in our notebooks. The bell rang throughout the halls and I looked around to see a deserted room. Only a few people from the class were there. Confused, I looked at the TV to see the teacher had us watching the news. My eyes squinted to focus on what they were showing. At that moment, with the “LIVE” flashing across the bottom of the screen, I saw the second airplane crash into the remaining Twin Tower.

My teacher stepped in front of our small class. Her eyes were wide with concern and fear. They were starting to water. With a shaky voice and unsteady pulse, she informed us, “We have just been attacked by terrorists.”

Mercy Me - I Can Only Imagine

Every summer my family and I would make the eight-hour, nothing to look at, drive across Nebraska all the way to Fort Collins, Colorado to see my Great Grandparents. My Grandfather always seemed to have gifts for us when we got there. He never failed. His gifts though, always seemed to resemble things he had in his room. He would just walk in there and pick something out right before we arrived. One year he gave me a regular old, light blue baseball hat that said “Colorado” on it.

A few years later, driving up there was for once something I didn’t want to do. The mind-numbing drive seemed even drearier on this occasion, especially with my Colorado hat sitting on my lap for comfort. I was going to my first funeral. It was for my Grandpa. I didn’t even have to walk into the room with his casket before I lost control. I had his hat by my side the whole time though, almost as if he was still there too.

This video makes me think of my grandpa every time I hear the song or see the video. All I have left of him is the hat that he gave me out of his room. Just like looking at a picture of him, all I have to do is look at the hat and immediately I cherish all of the memories with him that I will never forget. Still only wishing though, that I could see him again. “I can only imagine what my eyes will see when your face is before me. I can only imagine”

Alabama - I'm in a Hurry

The lyrics, “I'm in a hurry to get things done. I rush & rush until life's no fun. All I really gotta do is live and die but, I'm in a hurry and don't know why. Don't know why I have to drive so fast my car has nothing to prove. It's not new, but it'll go 0-60 in 5.2, “ describe my day perfectly.

My fifteen year old Subaru got me everywhere in a flash when I was pressed for time, and even when I wasn’t. One day though, I had all these things I needed to do. And not much time to do them. I set out early that afternoon, and made my first stop at a Walgreen’s.

On the way there, all of a sudden there was a car pulling across the road right where mine is. She missed her stop sign and pulling out across the street right in front of me. With a gasp of air I slammed on the breaks immediately pushing them all the way to the floor. Nothing was working though. My wheels had stopped but the car was still moving. The screeching sound echoed through the streets while smoke and a black trail followed behind my car. She was getting closer. I could see her trying to get out of the way but everything was happening so fast. I knew there was nothing else I could do so I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. The next thing I knew I felt something punch me in my face. My eyes opened slowly. All I can see is my air bag taking up my windshield and smoke coming from the car.

I had to be in a hurry.

Goo Goo Dolls - Sympathy

Sometimes things happen that make us wish there were a redo button. If only that were possible…

It was a big day. State championship soccer game. The winner of this game took it all. Not a big deal right? In the song, the lyrics say, “I’m killing myself from the inside out and now my heads been filled with doubt.” Could I really do this? The other team is good, can I be better? The worst thoughts of doubt were running through my mind and I was begging for them to stop.

After ninety minutes of intense soccer the whistle blew. The score was tied at zero. Shoot out time. The keepers reported to their boxes. Five players from each team reported to the penalty kick line to take their shots. We made it through the first five and the score was still tied. The next five made the detrimental treck to that crucial PK line. Our sixth player set the ball, got the “go ahead” whistle and shot the ball. Upper ninety. Great shot by her- Even greater save by the keeper. Their sixth player steps up and places her ball. The whistle is blown and her shot goes bottom corner, with a diving save from our keeper. Like a broken record, the same scene repeats itself through the next set of five players.

We get to the eleventh player- the last player able to shoot. They finally made their shot; it slipped right through our goalie’s fingers. Our shot soared high over the cross bar and landed behind the goal. They had won. As they ran off the field in triumph, my dream of being champion went right along with them.

Nelly - Number One

According to Nelly, “Two is not a winner.” This didn’t help my mentality when I stepped onto the field in the same position I was in exactly one year later from our detrimental loss. We were playing the same team, same field, same rivalry. This time their championship was at steak, along with our humility. We weren’t going to lose again. We were going to be the state champions.

As we took the field my heard was pounding. Those same doubtful thoughts were starting to come back and circulate through my mind. Somehow I had to shake them off and concentrate on what I needed to do. The ball was placed in the center, positions taken, and the whistle blown. Now, it was all or nothing.

We never slowed down for the ninety minutes running up and down the field. The grass would crunch under our feet and stay imprinted throughout the whole game. Finally our chance had come. We had a breakaway up the flank of the field. Taken all the way to the corner, our outside midfielder beat her defender with a flawless Maradona. Her strike crossed the ball to the back far post. In slow motion we all watched he ball soar through the air. Then, a smile just came across my face because I knew exactly what was about to happen. Our forward was there waiting. She anticipated and timed her run with the position of the ball. With three big steps then a huge leap she struck the ball with her forehead. It drilled into the back of the net; the keeper never saw it coming.

We now, are number one.

Fort Minor - Remember the Name

My soccer experience this past season can be summed up by the percentage lyrics in this song. With my white jersey, too short to even tuck in, and black shorts, so long they are rolled over at the waistband four times, I would walk into Abel Stadium before every game. Our coach would make the steep jaunt up the stadium stairs to the press box. With a flip of a switch, the loud speakers would crackle, then blares our song to provoke our game faces.

“Ten percent luck” is on your side to win the 50/50 balls against your opponent. “Twenty percent skill” comes into play when luck can do no more. All of the practices pay off in the game when your skill is higher than the other player. Your will must be stronger than your skill. “Fifteen percent concentrated power of will” enables you to get the ball even when luck and skill aren’t in the cards for you that time. You have to enjoy what you are doing though and “five percent pleasure” allows you to keep going when you’re tired, because it’s what you love to do. Pain feels good later because another “fifteen percent pain” is needed to get the rewards you want. All of the 120’s and 6-sided monster sprints and long practices pay off in the long run. This all leads to the pride of being a player and playing for the things that matter. This gives you pride and gives your opponent a one hundred percent reason to remember the name. Nebraska Wesleyan.

Kanye West - Welcome to the Good Life

There is a part in the video and lyrics where Kanye goes through and talks about all of these different places, like LA or Atlanta, and how great they are. His good life consists of lots of money, nice cars, and a carefree lifestyle. This good life vision though, is not the same for everyone.

Traveling to Santiago, Chile last winter I saw things that would not be considered the good life. The cars and “money piling up” shown in the video do not exist there for the most part. We were picked up in a rusty dark green van that was our transportation for the next two weeks. Our first couple turns out of the airport brought our van through local neighborhoods. The houses were on steep and winding hills. The structure of the houses tilted with the slant of the hill. Boards were falling off of the sidings and holes were found in windows, walls, and ceilings. Once out of the neighborhood our van turned onto a local street. Through the musty windows we could see people sitting on the sidewalk. They were all dirty and dressed in raggedy clothes muffled from grease and grime. Night was starting to set in and our vehicle continued to pass more and more people similar to this. Some were lucky enough to have a mattress to sleep on that sidewalk with. Others curled up in the corner in the smallest ball they could possibly get into, hoping that would be enough warmth for the night.

First Music Video

2007-11-14T14:33:00.000-06:00

The first music video I have ever seen was Hit Me Baby One More Time by Brittany Spears. It actually may not have been the first music video I have ever seen because I really do not have idea what that video is. I figure though that this video is close enough because it is the oldest video one that I remember watching. The Brittany Spears, N’Sync and Backstreet Boys era was around the same time when I started to get into and actually watch music videos. I figured I could pick one from either of them and it would be close to the first video I have ever seen.

When I was younger I loved watching MTV and all of the music videos on TRL. For a long time my mom wouldn’t let me watch MTV so when she finally gave in I went nuts. I was always up to date on which the best videos were and what new songs and videos were coming out. I know, kind of embarrassing. I was young though; everyone was obsessed with that kind of stuff. I hope so at least…

I like this video because it’s a catchy song. Everyone knows at least the refrain to this song or has at least heard of Brittany Spears. She looks so innocent and sweet in the video which is another reason I probably liked it when I was younger. I remember first watching it and thinking it was so great. I thought the dancing was amazing and her outfits were so cool and all this kind of stuff. Looking back at it years later though, you can tell how old the video actually is. The dancing isn’t too great at all, there really aren’t to many special effects and her clothes are somewhat out of date.

Worst Music Video

2007-11-13T22:41:00.000-06:00

This music video just came out recently. It’s not so much the actual video I hate because it doesn’t surprise me at all. Of course Brittany Spears would be dancing around on a pole right? I don’t like it though because of her situation. She has two kids now that she needs to worry about, take care of, and be a good role model to. Dancing around the in outfit she has on does not constitute a good role model at all. In the news and everything you hear how she is not doing well at all.

I think I have heard that she may be on drugs, she is drinking a lot, and just really not taking good care of herself at all. It shows in the music video. Music videos are supposed to have the special effects to make her look her best. She is supposed to look flawless and perfect. She doesn’t though. You can tell in that video that she is so much different that what she used to be. If it shows through in a music video how do you think it looks in everyday life? She is creating an even worse reputation for herself than she already has and she is doing all of this in front of her two very young children.Besides the fact of all of that it is just a bad music video in general. It is not creative or special in any way. There is a pole, some special lights, and not even challenging dance moves. If Brittany is trying to make a comeback with her career, you would think that she would do something different and create an actually good video.

Welcome to the Good Life

2007-11-11T22:02:00.000-06:00

This music video is a lot different from all other music videos so that is why I chose it as my favorite. I love how animated it is. I love how everything is in black and white but then all of a sudden burst of color come out when they sing or when the hands come up. They do so many things in the background of this video that it is interesting the whole time. With all of the words they say coming up on the screen and they play on words that they do is so cool.
It’s such an abstract, different and fun video. I really like the part where he puts the sunglasses on and the words are coming up on the lenses or just when he is singing the refrain and the words come out of his mouth.

I like this song anyway. Its fun and has a good message. It has some rap in it but also regular singing. I love Kanye West and T-Pain a lot too so that helps. My favorite part of the song is when T-pain has is verse right at the very end. The video ends so simply too which makes it even better. It’s such a complex video with a lot going on that that simple ending really ties everything together. It also is crazy to think about the technology required to do a video like this. Its all computer generated and that’s really cool to think about. They probably shot this whole video without anything and then went back later and added all of this other stuff. Shows you how far technology has come and the amazing things we can do on computers. You have the two singers on the screen and they are able to change the background and have things go over the, and change the color and all these other things.

2007-11-11T20:08:00.000-06:00

Nebraska Cornhusker football fans have a reputation for being loyal, true, and slightly obsessive. When you have a team with a history like the cornhuskers though, why wouldn’t someone love to show their support? A team that has five national titles and is usually ranked in the top twenty every year deserves to have a strong fan base. There is no reason to believe though that other sports fans do not behave in the same way. Nebraska fans may just carry the burden of their dedication being confused with obsession.

The sea of red fills Memorial Stadium every game for when the team performs their infamous tunnel walk. You have those true fans that wake up on game day pumped and ready to go. They turn on their radio for the 6:30am broadcasts that are already on air about the game. Every seat is sold in the stadium for a cold four-hour game in the middle of October. When you’re a Nebraska fan though the weather is not an issue. When you see that big red “N” something switches and a sense of pride washes over you.

The ethos that surrounds the “N” icon for the Cornhuskers is a main source for the commitment of the fans. When the icon for the team is shown fans feel fulfillment because they know they are part of a legend for Nebraska. People all over don’t have toothbrushes, toilet seat covers, rugs, t-shirts, flags and dishes decorated with N’s for no reason. The character of the logo brings about the character of the team, which the fans associate with respect, courage and discipline. The ethos brings up goodwill and credibility, which the fans also see from this icon. They count on this team to always be around and to be successful, season in and out.

Paul Fell, a local cartoonist, seems to agree about the importance of that logo. He drew an editorial cartoon that features a man on top of his house. With his red Husker shirt on and an ecstatic grin on his face, he is carefully painting a red Nebraska “N” on his chimney. As you look down, you notice the man standing on his roof that has that same icon stretched all the way across it. This time though, the word Huskers is written in script on top of that “N”. All seven windows on this man’s house have the Nebraska logo painted on them. Lastly, this whole husker tribute is shown on a matching red painted house. He uses the Nebraska logo as a focal point of his cartoon. He knows the importance that is has with the fan base so he uses that to help his argument. Just incase his readers don’t get his message from the drawing, underneath his cartoon outside of the picture Fell leaves you with the words, “Having just one room in the house dedicated to the Huskers is not enough for some of us.”

Fell moved to Nebraska when he was young to play college football and be an art major. He then became a high school art teacher and football coach. After graduating, he turned to be the editorial cartoonist and newsroom artist at the former Lincoln (NE) Journal newspaper. That position was soon eliminated so he started his own freelance business about the Cornhusker state that has grown so much on him.

Because of his background, Fell is able to use a great deal of Ethos in all of his Husker and Nebraska based cartoons. He is a credible source because he has lived in the Nebraska for many years, has attended the University, has played football and is a Cornhusker fan himself. Ethos is an appeal of your character and relies on that for the argument. This helps him too because with his sense of humor from being a cartoonist, people trust him and his judgment. He makes them laugh so they are drawn to him. This makes what he says easier to believe. His cartoons make fun of or play off of certain Husker topics that are important to the team. This one for example was based on the Husker fans and making fun of their obsession for the team.

Fell uses a sense of pathos through humor in this cartoon as well. His freelance business is based in Lincoln so the audiences that he is directing his cartoons to are mainly Husker fans. He uses very exaggerated humor to connect with the love of the sport for most of his readers. Husker fans read his editorials and can relate to the analogies, metaphors and points that he is making in his cartoons. With this cartoon for example, he is making the point that some Husker fans are a little obsessed and then furthers that to use the analogy that one room dedicated to them is not enough so therefore we decorate the whole house. This is very embellished but still witty enough for his readers to relate to and catch his humor.

To help so the readers really understand the argument he is trying to get across, Fell uses four main rhetorical strategies; narration, illustration, cause and effect, and classification. He puts narration at the bottom of the page, which makes the cartoon a little clearer. The words, “ Having just one room in the house dedicated to the Huskers is not enough for some of us,” leaves no confusion or room for the mind to wander. Without it we would just see a house with a bunch of Husker logos. Most people would just think that this person likes the Huskers a lot so they decided to paint their house this way. With his narration though we understand that the inside of his house also looks this same way with Husker décor everywhere, therefore showing his obsession for the team.

He could also just tell you that he thinks Husker fans are very dedicated to the team but instead he provides a his illustration along with the words of how some are over dedicated. This makes his point stronger and puts a visual of the cartoon in people’s minds to go along with what he is saying. Because of his illustration they see exactly what a Husker fan is and how dedicated they truly are- like painting their entire house.

The cause and effect strategy is shown with the cause of being a Husker fan linked with the effect of being very dedicated and having a Nebraska dominant house. Even though that may be a stretched effect of being a Husker fan, he is exaggerating what fans really are like. Because someone is a Husker fan they have Husker memorabilia and have a least one room in the house, if not more, dedicated to the team.

The last rhetorical argument that he is making is classification or division. He is using this to classify the degree to which Nebraska fans are passionate about their team. This fits into the large picture because on a Saturday in Nebraska all shops and restaurants are empty because everyone is watching the game. Even those shops and restaurants pay their respects to the Huskers with memorabilia and signs. Basically he is making the point that this football team takes over most Nebraska citizens and fans because of how dedicated they are. Whether it’s revolving your whole day around the game or decorating your whole house, Husker fans are on their own level.

There is nothing wrong to being dedicated and committed to something. To be focused and to love one thing gives you something to look forward to and call your own. This might not be the case for Nebraska Husker football fans. They may take their love for the team a little too far. These fans may not have full houses covered in Nebraska N’s, but there is not limit to how far they will go to show their dedication.

Works Cited:
1. Paul Fell Cartoons by Paul Fell
Silversmith Productions
Copy right 2007
http://www.paulfellcartoons.com/bio.html
accessed on 11/11/07

Schools in Hospitals

2007-10-21T20:44:00.000-05:00

At the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, along with thousands of other hospitals across the nation, a new program is being implemented to add schooling to a child’s hospital stay. At the Nebraska Medical Center for example there is one teacher that will tutor students from the age of five to the age of eighteen. One hour she will be teaching algebra and the next teaching colors and shapes. There are some patients though that cannot leave their bed so they are taught with her right next to them. Others, who are healthy enough to leave, will go to a special classroom they have located on the 6th floor of the hospital.

Some kids that get really sick miss so much school that its almost impossible for them to catch up. I go on vacation and think its torture to make up a week of school. Some of these kids miss months or even up to a whole year. Having schooling available for them helps so they cant keep up and aren’t so overwhelmed when they get back into the swing of things. Also, having to go to school everyday helps them to take their mind off of why they are in the hospital and give them something else to try to accomplish and learn.

These students still are missing out on the once in a lifetime opportunities that you only get in school. Such things include the butterflies of the first day, prom, and football games. The teacher at the Nebraska Medical Center tries to recreate these events for her students to the best of her abilities. These kids that are stuck in the hospital need to be able to still live a normal life as they can. This helps them to do so. I think it in some ways can keep them happier too, which in turn would keep them healthier to some extent.

Best Weekend Gone Wrong

2007-10-16T14:54:00.000-05:00

I had been waiting for this weekend for a long time. The anticipation of it was almost driving me crazy the entire week. I was pumped and ready for one of the best weekends yet this year. Or so I thought…

Saturday night we had a game against Mount Marty. We knew this was going to be an easy game so we were all pumped to rack up the goals and have some fun. I walked away from that game with two goals, which for me, is amazing.

Just when I start to really believe things cant possibly get any better, I jinx myself and the weekend takes a turn for the worse. I was excited to go out that night because we had a full night of things we could do and they all sounded like a good time. Nothing special arose from the night though and I ended up back at my dorm early and ready for bed. Still though I didn’t let this phase me. In the morning I was leaving for Rockhurst University in Kansas City to see my boyfriend, whom I haven’t seen in a few weeks. I figured a good nights sleep would do me good.

I get up in the morning and get in the car ready to go. It’s still dark when I leave because I wanted to get an early start. I pull out of campus and am almost to the interstate. Feeling thirsty I take a drink of the juice I brought with me and spill it all down the front of my white shirt. Great.

About two hours later into the drive, I’m listening to my music and making good time. All of a sudden I see lights flashing behind me. Wonderful. A police officer pulls me over and eventually leaves me with a $133.00 speeding ticket.

Still all distraught about my ticket I finally make it to Kansas City. The interstate there is weird though and of course, I get off on the wrong exit. So there I am lost trying to get directions from friends to get me to where they are. The rest of the day hanging out with them was fun but then when it came time to leave again I didn’t want to go. I couldn’t find the ramp to get back onto the interstate. Then when I finally did I missed the exit to get back to Lincoln. I spent ¾ of the ride sleeping at the wheel. I finally made it back to Omaha where I was too tired and too frustrated to make the trip back to Lincoln. I got home crawled into bed and went to sleep, just wanting the day to be over with.

Local Story- A boy in Omaha

2007-10-12T14:23:00.000-05:00

I remember the days when I attended Westside Middle School. The kids were fun, teachers were nice, history class was long, and math class was even longer. There were times of course when I would fly through a math class and be so happy for once that I understood exactly what was going on. Then those days would come where I would sit in my desk and hope to hear one word coming out of the teacher’s mouth that I actually understood. Westside Middle School eighth grader Aaron Calderon never has days like that.

Aaron is an eighth grader who goes to honors pre-calculus class at Westside High School every other day. He has always been so advanced in his schoolwork that this really isn’t that big of a deal to him. He took the ACT last year and scored a 32 out of 36. When he was 4 years old he could read and understand negative numbers. That is some gift.

In my opinion, Aaron has the greatest gift of all. Intelligence. He truly can do anything he sets his mind to. No one in his life will ever doubt if he is smart enough to do something. The countless hours most students spend on homework and stressing out about tests is probably barely anything for him.

In the article it says that Aaron is still a normal kid and doesn’t get bullied at all. He still has his normal friends and loves to do normal kid stuff like going out to eat and playing video games on the weekend. It still is a very different life he has though and I cant help but wondering how this does effect him. Is he a different person because of this? If he weren’t so brilliant would he have the same friends? Would he still posses the same personality or same ambitions and motivation? Even though his intelligence is a blessing, could it sometimes be a small curse in disguise? I’m sure in the future Aaron would say no to that question when he is graduating from a prestigious college, landing a great job right away, and living the good life.

Free Write

2007-10-10T21:17:00.000-05:00

I always thought I was relatively easygoing. There wasn’t ever much that would bother me. There are things people would say or things people would do that I wouldn’t like, but they still never managed to get under my skin. Even if there was anything that ever truly bothered me, I have always been too reserved to do anything about it. People could generally borrow my things and I wouldn’t mind at all. The choices they made and things they did with their time was their business so why would I let it bother me? That was before I came to college.

Now that I have a roommate things are completely different. I still feel like I am the same extremely tolerant person as before, but it just seems like now a days my patients run really short. There really isn’t a distinct reason as to why I should feel this way. There is nothing extremely bothering that my roommate has done or does that would make me feel this way, but I still do.

I know I am not the only person who feels this way either. Sure there are those people who come to college, get assigned their random roommate and on a great coincidence end up being best friends. There still is something though, about having your space drastically reduced and not having a place that is all your own. It made me realize how much I took for granted when I lived at home. Now I get mad or annoyed when she leaves her shoes by my bed, or eats some of my food, or turns on a movie that I don’t really want to watch. These trivial things get under my skin when they really shouldn’t. I worry that this experience is in some ways changing the way I am, but I am really having a hard time helping it.

2007-10-06T14:13:00.000-05:00

On my way to the Lincoln Children's Zoo, it seemed as though everybody was in a hurry. I've noticed this time and time again. It seems as though everyone is running a race to get to their destination faster than everyone else. As I look into other cars, I see the familiar scene of people talking away on their cell phones, or sending emails on their blackberries. All of these people seem to be completely oblivious to all of their surroundings. People drive by at supersonic speeds in the biggest cars they could possibly find. At these times, it seems as though people are more prepared for a demolition derby than a simple commute to wherever they are trying to go. As these people get more and more obsessed with getting where they want to be, people begin honking their horns. As this is going on I can't imagine how any place, especially a zoo, can provide any peace from this hectic society. The Lincoln Children’s Zoo in fact though, was a nice and refreshing change from the bigger, louder, more expensive and more technologic things society seems to prefer today.
I pulled up to a dainty white building splattered with spots of pink. Huge trees created a comfortable shadow from the midday sun. Little paw prints of different animals stamped in orange and green lead me from the parking lot to the front entrance. Pots of flowers and rows of plants greeted me as I walked in showing off so many colors it was almost overwhelming. I started to get the feeling I was walking into a preschool instead of a zoo. Before I can make it to the gate a big yellow arrow stops me saying, “Watch Your Step.” I follow the arrow down its pole and come across clunky, charcoal colored, yet rusted train tracks. This must take guests around on an outskirts tour of the zoo. Treating it like it was a street I look to my left to make sure its safe to cross. The tracks seem to get swallowed by all of the trees and all to soon they veer off so I couldn’t see where they went. Looking over to my right is the train, sitting there waiting for more guests to arrive so it can do its job. The small red and white-stripped painted train almost blinds me from its reflection off the sun. The six red benches look as if they were brand new, so clean and shiny it was almost like they were begging you to sit on them.
I entered the zoo after paying the $6.42 admission fee. There are so many trees shading the entrance trail your eyes have to adjust to the dark shade they provide. Small leaves and plants still cover the ground, causing you crunch right through them on your way in. A small white sign, dulled from the sun, wind and rain stops me and Welcomes me to the Lincoln Children’s Zoo and says to the left is, “This way for fun.” The neat and organized trail bends off to the left then curves around to an opening where I can see the sun shining through the trees.
After passing through the clearing, the whiff of animals that the wind brings up to my nose reminds me that I truly am in a zoo. In front of me stands a bridge, almost looking like a little playground for kids. I walk into the area switching from pavement to woodchip, dirt and hay concocted ground. Standing under the light brown bridge with the sun shining through the spaces between the boards, I look around to see where that distinct smell is coming from. Llamas are off sleeping in the corner, their brown fur so thick is almost looks like dread locks. I decide then and there I wasn’t going over to their pen from hearing before they have a nag for spitting. All of a sudden a shadow is cast over me from on top of the bridge. I look up immediately to see a little goat passing right over walking to the other side of the petting zoo. He struts along making not much noise at all on the wood, eventually coming over to the fence by me to see if I am nice enough to feed him. His awkward stage made me laugh, as his ears were too big for his little frame yet his horns were barely peaking out of his head. It was almost like his ears didn’t get the memo that they have to wait for the rest of his body to grow too.
This deserted looking exhibit all of a sudden catches my eye off to the right so I walk up to the cage. The sign on the fence reads Reindeer. I scan my sights along the edge of the red and brown rusted fence and up the back looking for this so called reindeer. In Christmas stories and on TV you always see these reindeer and in my mind they are big animals that would need a lot of space; this pen suggested differently. There were two in the far back corner eating random, dry leaves while lying in the sun. One looks up from his meal and stares right in our direction. Slowly he makes his way over to our side of the fence. He comes closer into view and I can see his brown and white hair mixes together in certain places so it almost appears gray. His frosted white hooves make the click clack sound on the pavement as he approaches the fence. I reach over and touch the soft brown velvet that covers his antlers. The edge of his antler towards his ear is starting to tear as he is shedding the velvet. He is standing so close that some of his fur is sticking through the holes in the fence. Then, with me standing there oblivious to what was about to happen, his legs get farther apart. In that moment, with him standing as close to me as he can possible get, he starts to pee. I booked it as far away from that cage as fast as I possibly could, but at the same time, couldn’t help looking back and wondering if he did that on purpose.

Society today is all about bigger, better, and faster things. The more expensive and technologic it is, the better. The bigger the cars, houses and louder music always reign over everything else. Even the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha follows this trend. The park itself and the buildings are huge, it’s loud from all f the people, and they keep expanding adding the latest technology. What happened to wanting a small, quiet and peaceful experience instead of one that is going to leave you drained at the end of the day? The Lincoln Zoo was tranquil and organized. I walked in knowing exactly where I needed to go, there was no need to get out a map and figure out where each exhibit was. I didn’t have to battle chaotic crowds or stressed out moms. Our society today is straying farther and farther away from the more personal feel that things like the Lincoln Zoo give you. Sometimes there is no need for all of the extra baggage that people now are always craving. Sometimes, less is more. Sure you might have to battle obnoxious reindeer and goofy goats, but it’s only a small price to pay.

Nebraska Video.

2007-09-21T13:37:00.000-05:00

Whenever someone hears the word tornado, Nebraska among other things is what first comes to mind. The Midwest is well known for their weird weather conditions and freaky tornado sightings and touches.
I went to Westgate Elementary. In 1967, so years before I was there, a huge tornado swept through Omaha.It went right past my neighborhood and headed straight for the school I would attend in the future. The school was completely destroyed and so it was rebuilt from the ground up. Now, the new renovation has an underground tornado shelter, which still has yet to be used for real. All schools hear the tornado sirens go off and all of the students head to the bathroom or to a far off corner of the classroom away from the windows. I bet it feels real safe. I on the other hand, got to go down to a basement with everyone from the school and wait out the storm.
Through the 7 years I was there I was only down in that shelter once. Once was enough though. The sirens went off and the whole school headed down there. Since we were all so young the teachers couldn’t leave us to just sit there and wait it out. There were many kids crying and very worried for what was going to happen. For three hours down in that shelter we sang songs, played games and did anything to keep our minds off the storm. It was then that I played the longest game of telephone ever in the history of telephone.
If you have lived in Nebraska you would know that tornados hardly ever actually touch the ground. (Knock on wood) This was the case here too. The weather was bad though. When we got out we went outside to see our school looking very different than it had that same morning. Trees were all over the neighborhood; everything was wet, blown over and damaged.

2007-09-19T17:48:00.000-05:00

Today was the big day. Wesleyan’s arch rival school Doane was playing the women’s soccer team today-at home. Tensions were high and endorphins were wild. I walked up to the Weary Center and grabbed the door with my sweaty palms. I had been part of big games before but this one was different. As I get closer to the locker room I can hear a lot of noise coming from inside. Our boom box is cranked up as high as it can go to match the enthusiasm all of us had for the game.
The locker room is insane. Girls are putting on the uniform, some are dancing and some are kicking a soccer ball around. Some are laughing and having a good time, others have complete looks of concentration on their faces. The smell of old soccer gear mixed with perfume fills the room. I get greeted as soon as I walk in but then immediately join them in getting ready.
We get all settled in and the coach comes in for her pre-game speech. We all come in close and sit in a circle around her paying real close attention. She looks nervous. Excited nervous though. She’s ready for us to play and ready for us to do what we know we can do. She scribbles all over the dry erase board our starting line up and then draws a big number 17 with an “x” through it. That girl is to not touch the ball.
We march out on the field to our warm up song and before we know it the game in underway. The smell of rain is in the air but it’s the absolute perfect weather for a soccer game. At least we though it was the perfect weather. A flash of light followed by a loud boom streaked across the sky and decided for us that this game, and Doane’s fate, would be decided another day.

Cornhusker Stadium

2007-09-14T13:20:00.000-05:00

It was the state finals for High school football. Playing was Westside vs. Kearny and it was held at Memorial Stadium. Everyone was so psyched for the drive to Lincoln and to see the stadium but I didn’t get why. It had to be that they were just excited to see the game. I had been to plenty of stadiums before. They were all the same. There’s no way this stadium could be any different.
When we got this assignment I knew right away where I wanted to go. I remember seeing the Memorial Stadium for the first time that day and I loved it. I was so surprised because it was nothing that I had expected. This way I figured I’m in Lincoln already; why not go back there again.
Driving up to it from the road reminded me of how big it is. I walked up to the entrance with the press box and stared up building. The glass windows stretched almost the whole length and right above them were the words “Memorial Stadium” accompanied by to big red N’s. My favorite part, something I failed to notice in my first visit was a message inscribed into one of the stones. “Not the victory but the action; not the goal but the game; in the deed the glory"

Inside the stadium now was more vast than I thought it would be. Looking right onto the field I saw the big N right in the middle of the two-tone turf. Following the field all the way down is the huge video screen so everyone in the enormous stadium can see the game. Your eyes follow the seats all the way around until you get to your left and you see the tunnel where all of the players come out. Coming back and going to your right is a huge stone guard wall that has all of the national and confrence titles along with all-americans inscribed on it.

September 11th Memorials

2007-09-11T22:38:00.000-05:00

I was sitting today flipping through the channels and I saw the movie United 93 was on. I had never seen it so I decided I would give it a shot see what it was like. It was at the part where the plane is being hijacked. All of the passengers are freaking out and wondering what is going on. At this point I had to change the channel. I’ve watched war movies before which are just as true as this and they didn’t bother me, but for some reason I couldn’t watch this movie. It was too real.
Yesterday two memorials for the 9/11 attacks were put up. One is in downtown Omaha and the other is in Grand Island. The steel sculpture in Omaha stands 16 feet tall. It is people’s hands forming a sphere, representing the earth, with the Twin Towers next to it. Angel’s wings hold the Twin Towers up showing they “aspire to heaven.”
The Grand Island structure is a 350lb beam with over 1,000 signatures of policemen, firefighters and veterans.
It's crazy to me how something that happened 6 years ago can still seem so real as if it happened last week. We are still picking up the pieces and rebuilding our nation from what happened that day. It shows how strong of a nation we are though, that we can come back strong but still take time to mourn the ones who lost their lives.

James Bridges, who represented Woodmen at the ceremony, said people should honor not only those who lost their lives on 9/11 but also those who serve in law enforcement and the military.
"All of these are America's heroes," he said.

2007-09-09T18:29:00.000-05:00

It was really interesting for me to see how the phone has progressed over the years to get to where it is today. The telephone museum was nothing like I thought it would be.
One of the first phones used in the 1800s weighed 10.5lbs! The old movie favorites “Candlestick Phones” were next on the tour. These phones were made of nickel and cost $8.00 in 1895. Eventually these phones were made cheaper when they switched to using brass instead of nickel. If you lived in a well off family, in 1900, you started to have phones. Vanity phones started to come out and be popular in hotel lobbies and train stations. You now see phone booths and pay phones in restaurants, gas stations, outside and most other public places. In 1905 though they were only found in a drug store in Kansas. Of course there have just been more and more advances since then. You have your spin to dial phones, the phones with cords, phone without the cords and then the first cell phones.
Last year I went to pick up my brother from school. He was in the 6th grade at Westgate Elementary. As all of the kids walked, over half of them pulled out cell phones to see where their rides are. These kids are barely old enough to remember their own phone number. Now, the coolest thing is to have a cell phone that’s really thin but has the Internet, email, music, games and anything else you can imagine. The first phone weighed ten and a half pounds, now they weigh less than a pound. People used to have to sit and operate the phones 24 hours a day. Computers take care of a lot of the work today. This museum visit was interesting just to see how far we have come in such a short amount of time.

Post I: Discourse Surrounding the Essay

2007-09-04T06:39:00.000-05:00

” The difference is like that between a golf ball in the air and the swing of the golfer that propelled it; the flight of a struck ball varies but the swing tends to always be the same. An essay is a golf swing…” by Ian Frazier

When I was younger and told to write an essay it was nothing like what this quote is explaining. This quote is proposing that all essays come out different because of the writer. Each writer has different experiences to back up the essay and make it their own. The experiences may be the same or similar, but the way the writer took those experiences and benefited from them makes the essays different.
My thought of an essay was always that there was a right an wrong. This is suggesting otherwise though. In my past learning, you had a beginning, middle and end. In the introduction you had a thesis, statement of organization and hook. Your body had to outline your statement of organization paragraph by paragraph and the thesis had to stay true throughout the entire piece. Then when you got to your conclusion you must summarize your points and not forget to tie it back to your hook. It also used to be my understanding that essays were more formal. If you wanted to get creative then you wrote a short story, memoir or poem. Essays stick to the facts. Guess I was wrong.
This quote makes complete sense to me. If I am trying to write about something, something that happened to me that is really sticking in my mind I have to start out the right way in order to finish the right way. It would be very hard to complete an essay on something that I don’t feel strongly about. Every writer has to have certain knowledge and passion about what they are writing about. They need to know where they want to take their ideas and how they want to present them. That’s what makes it a consistent golf swing. Every writer is also different. Adding their personality and creative touch makes each flight of the struck golf ball different.

Post 1: Test Post

2007-08-30T09:37:00.000-05:00

First Post.