Christmas Songs

I absolute love Christmas. It is my favorite Holiday, and I am so glad that it's finally Christmas season. One of the best parts of the Holidays is listening to Christmas songs. They are so pleasant and are so fun. Personally, my favorite Christmas songs are usually the slower ones. I love listening to great singers sing such beautiful songs. My very favorite is "O Holy Night". I always get chills when I hear this song, not only because of the lyrics, but also because of the notes that one needs to hit while singing this song. It's incredible. Another one of my favorites is "Christmas Shoes" because it tells such a sad story. It's about a boy who wants to buy shoes for his dying mother, but doesn't have enough money. I almost tear up every time I hear it. Whether it's "Grandma got run over by a Reindeer" or "Silent Night", Christmas carols always put a smile on my face, and warmth in my heart.

Black Friday vs. Boxing Day

Being a Canadian, I had never experienced Black Friday until I came to school in Memphis. Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year in America. It is the day after Thanksgiving, and the sales are unreal. Stores open at ridiculous hours of the morning, and people camp out overnight and crash the doors when the stores open. In Canada, we have the same thing, but instead it's called Boxing Day. Boxing Day takes place on the day after Christmas. It's interesting when these two holidays take place. Black Friday takes place when Christmas season officially starts, therefore you can find great deals to buy Christmas gifts, whereas Boxing Day takes place the day after Christmas, therefore you can spend all the money that you got for Christmas. Personally I like Boxing Day better because there is nothing more exciting than getting a bunch of gift cards and money for Christmas and knowing that you can go out the very next day and get great deals. I might just have this bias because I have experiance Boxing Day for my whole life. I now get the best of both worlds because I am in America on Black Friday, and go home for Christmas. What a delight.

Road Trip

For Thanksgiving, I went to Michigan with 3 of my roommates. The drive to Michigan takes about 11 hours, not including stops. For some reason, I've always loved road trips. Most people use them to sleep, and dread the time they have to spend in the car, but personally I really like them. Rarely do I sleep on road trips, I'd rather stay awake, keep others in the car company, listen to music, find new radio stations along the way, and observe the changing scenery. When someone says they are going to be in a car for 11 hours it is usually thought of as absurd, but it didn't even seem that long to me. When I was driving, everyone else was usually asleep. I find serenity in listening to calming music while driving down an empty highway, with a bunch of peaceful passengers in the car. I definitely can tell why so many songs talk about driving in a car and feeling serene (ex. Lost Highway by Bon Jovi, At Full Speed by Jack's Mannequin, Fast Car by Tracy Chapman etc.). So Although most people can't wait for the trip to be over, I quite enjoy the quality hours in the car on a road trip.

The end is Bittersweet

Last Friday, we lost out first round of NCAA's which ended our season. It still hasn't completely hit me yet. Our team went through so many struggles and triumphs this year, and to think that it's all over is surreal. We were all hoping to make it further in the tournament this year, so it was disappointing to make it to the same place that we have the last 2 years. Since August 4, I have played soccer every single day (even 3 times a day during preseason), so that fact that I will not have soccer until January is crazy. It's such a huge part of my life, and I feel like something is missing without it. Although I am sad, it is also a good thing because I have been missing a lot of class and now I have time to catch up and get ready for finals. I guess for a month I get to see what it's like to be a normal college student.

Remember the Titans

My all time favorite sports movie is definitely "Remember the Titans". I just recently watched it, and it reminded me of how much I love it. My team watched it on our way to the NCAA tournament, and we all felt motivated after watching it. This movie is awesome because it not only deals with the competition in sports, but also the problem of race. It is an underdog story, but not the typical one you usually see. It is so powerful because at the time this movie took place, race was a huge issue. These boys became teammates, and no longer cared about race. They all felt like a family, and therefore didn't even notice that race was an issue. I think I can really relate to this after being on the Memphis woman's soccer team. Our team is honestly like a family, and I could never imagine discriminating against anyone. We are all equals and I would stand up for any one of them in any situation. This movie reiterates the unity of team, and being on a team like that, I understand how phenomenal it is.

Red Cups at Starbucks

Every year I look forward to when the cups at Starbucks turn red. This sounds very silly, but it has a lot of meaning to me. Around Christmas time, Starbucks always change all their cups to red. I feel like this is the moment that I really realize that Christmas season is on its way. Every year, I go to Starbucks at the beginning of November in anticipation that the red cups will be out. Sometimes it takes me a couple visits, but when I go there and the red cups are out, I get ecstatic. I take this as my cue to start being in "Christmas mode". I usually start listening to Christmas music, think about Christmas shopping, and start making my Christmas list. Although it sounds dumb, its kind of like a reminder to me that Christmas is coming.

Sonny’s Blues
1. Sonny’s Blues is told from the point of view of his older brother. He is a major character in the story, and writes in the first person. Because the narrator is a main character in the story, you really see the emotion and feelings that the characters have. Also, we feel towards Sunny the way that the narrator does. At the beginning of the story, we are confused and we don’t get why he chose drugs. You almost find yourself questioning Sunny just as much as the narrator is. By the end of the story, when the brother goes and listens to Sunny play, the reader also feels like he or she now understand Sunny and what he went through.
2. The oldest brother is a teacher. This suggests that he wants to help children, and guide them in the right direction. I think that this is directly related to his brother, and the fact that he was not able to guide him in the right direction. He feels because he lost his brother, he needs to try and help other young boys get their lives on track.
3. The story would be completely different if Sonny told it. We would not wonder about Sunny, but would know how he was feeling. It wouldn’t really be about the realization at the end of how music related to Sonny’s life, but would be more like an autobiography describing his drug addiction. We would not be left in suspense at all about his situation. Also, the brother would not have been a major part of this story, because the point of the story is Sonny and is drug addiction.
4. The narrator writes his brother when his daughter, Gracie, dies. I believe he feels that he lost someone in his family, and doesn’t want to lose someone who could be a part of his life. He writes him to try and reconnect with him and regain their relationship, and in a way, save him.
5. The narrator’s mother asks him to take care of Sonny, and look out for him. Initially, the narrator does not do this because he loses contact with him and lets him get lost in the world of drugs. Eventually, he does keep this promise but making an effort to try and get Sonny back on his feet and to understand and beat the addiction.
6. They are very happy names. They make me think of a perfect family who calls their parents Momma and Daddy, and a son that is bright and happy, named Sonny. I think these were chosen to juxtapose the actually situation. This family is from the perfect family, and Sonny is far from a bright and happy character. It shows the reader that you can’t judge a book by its cover.
7. The last four paragraphs to me were the most inspiring part of the whole story. Throughout the whole story, the brother didn’t understand music the way Sonny did. He couldn’t see the serenity, or meaning it brought to Sonny. While he is playing, the brother witnesses the struggles Sonny has been going through his whole life. His rises, falls, and complications all come out in the playing of his music. He goes through moments of happiness, stress, insecurity, and nervousness all in one set of music. It can be called the “Sonny Blue’s” because it is a story of his life, and all the misfortunes along with it. This music has become its own because by listening to it one can relate each part to a portion of his life.


A Worn Path
1. The point of view in this story is from a narrator that partially all knowing, and partially objective. The narrator can describe Phoenix’s hallucinations, but cannot see into any other characters. Also, the narrator is not a character in the story, but is just someone telling the story.
2. The old woman could be named Phoenix because a Phoenix is a bird in mythology. A fire will occur, and the old phoenix will reduce to ashes and a new phoenix will be born after the flame. This can parallel the relationship the old lady has with her grandson and how she feels about the circle of life.
3. The meshing of Phoenix’s hallucinations with real life helps create a more vivid picture of the Phoenix, and also give the reader the opportunity to use their own imagination to see what is real and what is make believe. It also makes the reader somewhat confused, just as the grandma is, and kind of puts the reader in the characters shoes and makes you feel the same way that she does.
4. The white people in the story believe that she is crazy. They are nice to her, but think that she is out of her mind. This may show the time it was taken place because black people were not respected. They are nice to her because she is old, but do not care about her of respect her the way they would a white woman.
5. She admires that the dog is fearless. It appears to be scared of no one. This tells the reader that courage is a quality that Phoenix greatly appreciates, and wishes she had this quality.
6. I believe that his has more meaning than just a vivid picture of the lady. I believe that the idea that she is in armor can reflect the fact that she closes herself off the other people, and does not let anyone into the real her. The way she is positioned may be paralleled to the fact that she has almost given up, or has been defeated. These two images gives a reader a better understanding Phoenix and who she really is.
Word Count: 969

This week we are going to the Conference tournament for soccer. Our team had a little bit of a rollercoaster season. For the past two years we won regular season and now we are ranked 3rd going into the season. We seem as though we are underdogs to win, but if you were a member on our team, you’d know that we have just as much chance to win as anyone else. Everything now is do or die. We lose, We go home, one mistake, our season is over. From here on in, it’s Darwin’s theory. Surivial of the fittest, and the weak no longer have a season to play.

Word Count: 110

On November 8, 2009, the Lady Tiger’s won our third straight Conference USA Championship. We played against UCF in the final, a team who was ranked 8th in the country. We were the complete underdogs going into the game, even though we were the defending champions. The TV announcers didn’t believe we could do it, the other teams in the conference didn’t believe we could do it, but we sure did. Not only did we beat them, we killed them. We blew them out 3-0, and it felt so awesome. We are currently the only team in C-USA to win three championships in a row. Our team has overcome so much this season, and I’m so proud of everything that we’ve accomplished.

Word Count: 122

In class we discussed Flannery O’Connor’s story “Revelation”. I always find it interesting to see what other people’s opinions are on stories. Our teacher really enjoyed this story, where as I did not. We analyzed different meanings in this story and also compared it to her other stories. The main character in this story could be compared to the grandmother in “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. We really thoroughly talked about the theme of the differences of generations. I noticed this right off the bat when I read this story, because it’s something that also pertains to everyday life. There is always that gap between generations. Stereotypes from both points of view are always given. For example, as a member of the young generation I am stereotyped to be lazy, ungrateful, and a free loader. I hate this stereotype because I am an extremely hard worker and don’t take many things for granted. It’s interesting how this story was written so long ago, yet there was still the gap between generations.

For one of my outside events, I attended the poetry reading at the Otherlands Coffee Shop. I loved the experience! I have never been to a poetry reading before and didn’t really know what to expect. I do enjoy poetry, but some poetry I have a hard time understanding. I saw 4 different poets recite their poetry. The first poet was very similar to what I would expect at a poetry reading. His poems were very deep, and most of them I didn’t understand. When I looked around, many other people appeared to really appreciate them, so I figured that I just wasn’t connecting with his work. Two of the other poets were very good. I didn’t have a difficult time understanding and enjoying their poetry. The poet who read his work third was unreal. I found myself laughing during the whole time he was up there, and even on my way home. I thought his style was brilliant, and he captivated the whole audience. His poems were extremely random, but so hilarious. My favorite was the one about the “Avocado colored toilet”. He started off his reading with this one. He wrote a poem about putting an “Avocado colored toilet” in the back of a persons truck, and although this sounds very questionable, it was awesome. The way he read his poems and so much animation and excitement. If I were to read them on paper, I would have not gotten the same effect. This experience made me realize that presentation is so important. When I compare the third poet to the first poet this became really evident. The first poet spoke quietly into the microphone, had his arms crossed, and was very timid. The third poet didn’t need the microphone because he was so loud, put emphasis on certain words, and used many hand gestures. Maybe the reason that I didn’t enjoy the first poet wasn’t because of this poetry, but because of the presentation. He didn’t engage me, where as I couldn’t get enough of the third reader. The main experience I learned at this poetry reading was the critical difference in style of poetry and presentation. I realized that I personally enjoy a very animated, funny style of poetry and presentation. I learned presentation is so important, and even if something is not excellent, a great presentation can change that.

The Twelve Angry Jurors

For one of my outside events I went to see the play “The Twelve Angry Jurors” put on by the University of Memphis Theatre department. I very much enjoyed the play, and thought that it was very well done. The play was about a murder trial where a boy is being convicted of killing his father. At the beginning, all the jurors except for one think that the boy is guilty. After continually discussing, the whole jury changes their opinion to not guilty. The idea of the story was very interesting, but I thought that the play was a little slow, and a little too long. They dragged out some part, and some things were very repetitive. The play made me put myself in the shoes of a juror. At the beginning of the case, I would have voted the boy guilty. After listening to all the arguments, I no longer believed that the boy killed his father. It really showed me how irrational we are at making decisions. A boy’s life was at stake, and almost every jury member didn’t think twice about putting up his or her hand. As human beings, we don’t analyze things deep enough. On the surface, the boy seemed guilty, but when dug deeper, it was pretty clear that he wasn’t. For example, when the old man who testified in court said that he saw the boy run out of his house everyone just assumed that was true. When they measured out the distance and timed him walking, it was very clear that it did not take the amount of time that he said, and in fact his statement was very false. As humans, I think that we may be too trusting. All humans make mistakes; it’s a part of whom we are. In this case, the jury can’t just believe that the man saw the boy run out of the stairwell, or believe the women saw the boy out of the window, we need to take in to account that humans make mistakes. I also enjoyed the different characters in this play. They were all very unique, and brought something different to the story. I thoroughly disliked the racist Southern lady. She made me very angry because she was so close-minded and so racist. Overall, this play was well worth my time, and showed me a lot about life and human nature.