Thursday, April 15, 2010
Babel
Recently i saw the film Babel directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. The film follows four stories.
-a married couple on vacation in Morocco.
-A deaf/mute girl in Japan
-A Mexican nanny/maid in America/Mexico
-two Moroccan boys
The film is not in chronological order so it is difficult to put together the pieces of the story but in the end everything is related. The theme of the story is communication.
"the Tower of Babel was not built for the worship and praise of Yahweh, but was instead dedicated to the glory of man, to "make a name" for the builders: "And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." (Genesis 11:4). The Book of Genesis then relates how Yahweh, displeased with the builders' intent, came down and confused their languages and scattered the people throughout the earth (Genesis 11:5-8)."
the film has multiple stories of miscommunication:
-The married couple in Morocco cannot understand what the villagers are saying and vice-versa.
-people who are not handicap cannot understand the deaf/mute girl and this affected the girl emotionally.
-The border patrol officers could not understand the Mexican nanny leading to her *spoiler alert* deportation.
there are other themes in the movie such as stereotypes, selfishness and redemption.
The order of sequences really kept me interested in the film. i would highly suggest this film for anyone who enjoys dramas
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Wake up and smell the coffee, or roll back over and get some more sleep.
The snooze button is your friend. That’s what I always say.
Sure, you could say that waking up early gives you a head start on the day. You could also say that waking up early causes you to miss Law and Order because you are just too tired to stay awake.
I’m not a morning person and probably never will be. But I know that someday I’m going to get a job that requires me to be awake and ready to take on the world before 10 am. Unfortunately for the world, Flagler lets me do my own scheduling and right now I’m not planning on getting into that habit any time soon.
Of course there are some things I could do to help me get up before McDonalds stops serving breakfast. One of the more obvious approaches would be going to bed earlier. That however is near impossible. Right now, it’s 1:17 in the morning and I’m only in the second paragraph of a 600-word paper.
Poor planning? Sure.
Procrastinator? You betcha.
I’m a procrastinator, big deal. So is the rest of the Flagler student body who knows they have a paper due the next morning but also knows that it’s recession night at Madre’s. No one can resist five-dollar fish burritos. I’m just saying I’m not alone.
My average day goes like this:
I hear my alarm go off at 9am. ‘Click’. Snooze button.
9:09am. ‘Click’. Snooze button.
9:18am. I should start thinking about getting up because I know I need to take a shower but this pillow is just so comfortable.
9:21am. Ah shit, I’m going to be late.
As I’m pedaling along on my sweet jet-black beach cruiser I can feel the yawns approaching. I make a quick stop at Carmelo’s to pick up some five-hour energy shots. Three of them should do the trick. I must keep that company in business because I go through these things like it’s my job.
I’m a little late to tennis class but I make up for it with my smooth talk and my ridiculous Andy Roddick like serve. However, it’s hard to fulfill my tennis potential when neither myself nor my partner can get the ball over the net due to lack of sleep and energy.
I’m looking at you Katie Bass.
After tennis I go to my opinion writing class. The topics of conversation are usually quite entertaining so I can push through the yawns and participate in whatever the hell it is we talk about.
Next is script writing and this is where things begin to get a little fuzzy. Mainly because this is when I start to close my eyes.
Why can I not get through Barry Sands script writing class without dozing off?
After being caught sleeping by Mr. Sand himself, I secretively take my first energy shot and feel a boost of life flow through my veins. My day carries on with an advertising class and another energy shot. At this point, I’m feeling pretty good.
My last class is alternative cinema where we just watch American and foreign films. I hardly ever make it through a whole movie without taking a brief catnap. Yet I persevere through the fighting z’s trying to win over my eyelids and quickly down my third and final five-hour energy shot.
I feel nauseous. This stuff cannot be good for me.
Is there something wrong with me? Am I a night owl who sleeps during class and checks my facebook from midnight to 5 am? I know that no one else is awake or online but I still stare at the screen waiting for someone to comment on those ten bumper stickers I just added.
Maybe I do seriously need to reconsider my sleep schedule but it isn’t the easiest thing to do. I’ve attempted to go to bed early after a very long sleep in session that morning. I was quite proud of myself too. I laid in bed for a bit, set my alarm for 9 am and thought about my plans for tomorrow. About two hours later I was tossing and turning, wide-awake still and not even close to having a single dream yet. I tried everything and nothing worked: reading, watching the food network, praying, counting sheep, drinking warm milk, etc.
Maybe sleeping in isn’t such a great idea after all. Maybe I should start going to sleep before the sunrises. Perhaps then I can experience a full nights rest and be completely energized for the day. That way when I wake up I won’t need to hit the snooze button every nine minutes or put my head under my pillow in order to block out the sun.
Either way, there is one thing I’m sure of; I’m never going to watch Paranormal Activity before I go to sleep again. That movie kept me awake for days.
Sure, you could say that waking up early gives you a head start on the day. You could also say that waking up early causes you to miss Law and Order because you are just too tired to stay awake.
I’m not a morning person and probably never will be. But I know that someday I’m going to get a job that requires me to be awake and ready to take on the world before 10 am. Unfortunately for the world, Flagler lets me do my own scheduling and right now I’m not planning on getting into that habit any time soon.
Of course there are some things I could do to help me get up before McDonalds stops serving breakfast. One of the more obvious approaches would be going to bed earlier. That however is near impossible. Right now, it’s 1:17 in the morning and I’m only in the second paragraph of a 600-word paper.
Poor planning? Sure.
Procrastinator? You betcha.
I’m a procrastinator, big deal. So is the rest of the Flagler student body who knows they have a paper due the next morning but also knows that it’s recession night at Madre’s. No one can resist five-dollar fish burritos. I’m just saying I’m not alone.
My average day goes like this:
I hear my alarm go off at 9am. ‘Click’. Snooze button.
9:09am. ‘Click’. Snooze button.
9:18am. I should start thinking about getting up because I know I need to take a shower but this pillow is just so comfortable.
9:21am. Ah shit, I’m going to be late.
As I’m pedaling along on my sweet jet-black beach cruiser I can feel the yawns approaching. I make a quick stop at Carmelo’s to pick up some five-hour energy shots. Three of them should do the trick. I must keep that company in business because I go through these things like it’s my job.
I’m a little late to tennis class but I make up for it with my smooth talk and my ridiculous Andy Roddick like serve. However, it’s hard to fulfill my tennis potential when neither myself nor my partner can get the ball over the net due to lack of sleep and energy.
I’m looking at you Katie Bass.
After tennis I go to my opinion writing class. The topics of conversation are usually quite entertaining so I can push through the yawns and participate in whatever the hell it is we talk about.
Next is script writing and this is where things begin to get a little fuzzy. Mainly because this is when I start to close my eyes.
Why can I not get through Barry Sands script writing class without dozing off?
After being caught sleeping by Mr. Sand himself, I secretively take my first energy shot and feel a boost of life flow through my veins. My day carries on with an advertising class and another energy shot. At this point, I’m feeling pretty good.
My last class is alternative cinema where we just watch American and foreign films. I hardly ever make it through a whole movie without taking a brief catnap. Yet I persevere through the fighting z’s trying to win over my eyelids and quickly down my third and final five-hour energy shot.
I feel nauseous. This stuff cannot be good for me.
Is there something wrong with me? Am I a night owl who sleeps during class and checks my facebook from midnight to 5 am? I know that no one else is awake or online but I still stare at the screen waiting for someone to comment on those ten bumper stickers I just added.
Maybe I do seriously need to reconsider my sleep schedule but it isn’t the easiest thing to do. I’ve attempted to go to bed early after a very long sleep in session that morning. I was quite proud of myself too. I laid in bed for a bit, set my alarm for 9 am and thought about my plans for tomorrow. About two hours later I was tossing and turning, wide-awake still and not even close to having a single dream yet. I tried everything and nothing worked: reading, watching the food network, praying, counting sheep, drinking warm milk, etc.
Maybe sleeping in isn’t such a great idea after all. Maybe I should start going to sleep before the sunrises. Perhaps then I can experience a full nights rest and be completely energized for the day. That way when I wake up I won’t need to hit the snooze button every nine minutes or put my head under my pillow in order to block out the sun.
Either way, there is one thing I’m sure of; I’m never going to watch Paranormal Activity before I go to sleep again. That movie kept me awake for days.
Magnolia
A few weeks ago my friend suggested the movie Magnolia to me. I'm very open to movie suggestions to i went and rented the film this past weekend. i must say, if you have not seen this film yet, GO RENT IT!
The film starts out with three unusual stories of chance that happened in the 20's, 50's and 90's. next the movie introduces one storyline with nine strangers who in the end are all related in a way.
There are about a million themes in this movie. a lot of the film hits on forgiveness. forgive your dad, forgive your husband, forgive yourself. another theme in the movie is loneliness. a lot of the characters are alone in the film and just want to find love. some can't find it, some have found it but abuse it and others are too scared to love.
the number 82 is hidden throughout the film which refers to Exodus 8:2 "But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs." this is the turning point in the film, towards the end, but still the turning point.
all of the acting was phenomenal, even John C. Reilly(opposite Will Ferrell in Step Brothers) was outstanding. The rest of the all-star cast includes Tom Cruise, William H. Macy, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore and Philip Baker Hall.
There was a shot towards the end where *spoiler alert* an ambulance is turning over on its side and you can see inside the ambulance. medical supplies and people are falling from one side of the vehical to another. wonderful shot.
I would highly suggest renting this film by Paul thomas Anderson who also wrote and directed Boogie Nights, Punch-Drunk Love and There Will Be Blood.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
i was fat and black, now im slim and white.
I was aimlessly flipping through the Sunday edition of the Saint Augustine Record Sports Section when I came across an advertisement that I normally would never bother to look at. For some reason this Jacksonville Weight Loss Program ad caught my eye and I began scanning the page filled with eight people who had participated in the program. They were all standing in a line next to each other with giant smiles of success printed on their faces.
A line drew from each participant to a photo of what they looked like before they began the program. I’ve seen these weight loss ads before on television and I usually ask myself if these stories of great weight loss are true. I end up giving the “actor” and the product the benefit of the doubt and tip my hat even though in the back of my mind I’m sure that bodies have been edited to make them more lean and cut than they really are.
This particular advertisement however, seemed like there was no evidence of editing or Photoshopping. No person in the photo has their shirt off or is wearing a bikini. This advertisement seems to be trying to reach out to the everyday, average Joe six pack and hockey mom. If I were someone trying to lose weight and saw this ad, I may consider signing up for this program. The layout of the ad is very professional and giving examples of people who have completed the program helps the viewer know that it does work.
There is a turn off on this ad that I noticed very early on. When I first started scanning the ad, I was looking at the before and after photos of the participants. The man second from the right is a bald white man who wears glasses named Roger. I followed the line from the top of Rogers’s head that directed me towards his before picture. In the photo, Roger was also bald, wore glasses and was 119 lbs heavier. Congratulations to Roger for losing so much weight.
The only problem with this before photo of Roger is that he was black. After Roger is white. So if I attend this 12-week weight loss class, will my skin color change too? This makes the advertisement and the program look foolish and very unprofessional. I began looking at the ad as if it were a joke and not so much a way to lose weight. This mess up could potentially lose the program more clients than weight.
A line drew from each participant to a photo of what they looked like before they began the program. I’ve seen these weight loss ads before on television and I usually ask myself if these stories of great weight loss are true. I end up giving the “actor” and the product the benefit of the doubt and tip my hat even though in the back of my mind I’m sure that bodies have been edited to make them more lean and cut than they really are.
This particular advertisement however, seemed like there was no evidence of editing or Photoshopping. No person in the photo has their shirt off or is wearing a bikini. This advertisement seems to be trying to reach out to the everyday, average Joe six pack and hockey mom. If I were someone trying to lose weight and saw this ad, I may consider signing up for this program. The layout of the ad is very professional and giving examples of people who have completed the program helps the viewer know that it does work.
There is a turn off on this ad that I noticed very early on. When I first started scanning the ad, I was looking at the before and after photos of the participants. The man second from the right is a bald white man who wears glasses named Roger. I followed the line from the top of Rogers’s head that directed me towards his before picture. In the photo, Roger was also bald, wore glasses and was 119 lbs heavier. Congratulations to Roger for losing so much weight.
The only problem with this before photo of Roger is that he was black. After Roger is white. So if I attend this 12-week weight loss class, will my skin color change too? This makes the advertisement and the program look foolish and very unprofessional. I began looking at the ad as if it were a joke and not so much a way to lose weight. This mess up could potentially lose the program more clients than weight.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
“Give GreenPeace a Chance, Victoria Priester Did.”
Her name is Victoria Priester. Her message is GreenPeace. But what is GreenPeace you ask? Let’s break it down.
Green is a color. Trees are green. Money is green. Kermit is green.
Peace is safety, a quality, a way of life.
The first time I heard the word “peace” was probably in a John Lennon song. I remember sitting on my living room floor, helping my father clean underneath the TV stand as we listened to something that, to me, probably didn’t satisfy his working needs. He reached for one of his albums (to this day, I still don’t know what album it was). What he played was a song that I hadn’t heard but I recognized the voice of the singer. My father is a Beatles fan; therefore I knew a Beatle voice when I heard it.
I started to hear the lines “Every bodies talking about Bagism, Shagism.”
Honestly, I don’t know what most of the words in the song mean but I do understand the chorus. “All we are saying is give peace a chance.”
It’s sort of hard to misinterpret that.
The first time I remembering seeing peace, however, was in the Disney film “Pocahontas”. We all remember Pocahontas. An Indian and a soldier bring peace to a war between two different cultures.
Or at least as the Disney story goes.
The peace that Pocahontas showed was immeasurable. All she did was for her home and from her heart. Pocahontas is friends with a raccoon and a giant tree named ‘Grandmother Willow”. She risks her life to protect not just these two but her whole land, the land that she loves.
I’m not at all saying Victoria is Pocahontas or John Lennon. However, her successful efforts of bringing a club that support such action resemble these peaceful leaders.
“Ultimately our goal is to educate and organize. We hope to educate our peers about current environmental atrocities and organize people into a coherent movement who can make the changes needed to help the planet” Priester said about the club. “We were hoping to establish a proactive club that was more centered on a grassroots effort to change the current political climate.”
GreenPeace isn’t just here at Flagler College.
“Today, we have grown from a small group of dedicated activists to an international organization with offices in more than 30 countries” said a spokesperson on the GreenPeace website. “But our spirit and our mission remain the same. Our fight to save the planet has grown more serious – the threat of global warming, destruction of ancient forests, deterioration of our oceans, and the threat of a nuclear disaster loom large.”
As I talked to Priester about GreenPeace, I saw the passion in her eyes. Through the long hours planning meetings and activities; passed the massive amount of patience she put up with during the long struggle to get the GreenPeace club SGA approved, Priester has shown her deep love for not just the club, but for the planet. She has proved that GreenPeace isn’t just a club, it is a job and something that she is willing to fight for.
Priesters actions in the fight to start GreenPeace have not gone unnoticed. The club currently holds meetings weekly, attended by students with similar beliefs to Priester.
“One discontent person may be small and quiet, but when people assemble and come together as one voice, it is hard to ignore” said Priester.
After such success in setting up a meaningful and important club, I don’t think Victoria or GreenPeace will be ignored again.
Work Cited.
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/about
Victoria Priester interview
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocahontas_(1995_film)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give_Peace_a_Chance
Green is a color. Trees are green. Money is green. Kermit is green.
Peace is safety, a quality, a way of life.
The first time I heard the word “peace” was probably in a John Lennon song. I remember sitting on my living room floor, helping my father clean underneath the TV stand as we listened to something that, to me, probably didn’t satisfy his working needs. He reached for one of his albums (to this day, I still don’t know what album it was). What he played was a song that I hadn’t heard but I recognized the voice of the singer. My father is a Beatles fan; therefore I knew a Beatle voice when I heard it.
I started to hear the lines “Every bodies talking about Bagism, Shagism.”
Honestly, I don’t know what most of the words in the song mean but I do understand the chorus. “All we are saying is give peace a chance.”
It’s sort of hard to misinterpret that.
The first time I remembering seeing peace, however, was in the Disney film “Pocahontas”. We all remember Pocahontas. An Indian and a soldier bring peace to a war between two different cultures.
Or at least as the Disney story goes.
The peace that Pocahontas showed was immeasurable. All she did was for her home and from her heart. Pocahontas is friends with a raccoon and a giant tree named ‘Grandmother Willow”. She risks her life to protect not just these two but her whole land, the land that she loves.
I’m not at all saying Victoria is Pocahontas or John Lennon. However, her successful efforts of bringing a club that support such action resemble these peaceful leaders.
“Ultimately our goal is to educate and organize. We hope to educate our peers about current environmental atrocities and organize people into a coherent movement who can make the changes needed to help the planet” Priester said about the club. “We were hoping to establish a proactive club that was more centered on a grassroots effort to change the current political climate.”
GreenPeace isn’t just here at Flagler College.
“Today, we have grown from a small group of dedicated activists to an international organization with offices in more than 30 countries” said a spokesperson on the GreenPeace website. “But our spirit and our mission remain the same. Our fight to save the planet has grown more serious – the threat of global warming, destruction of ancient forests, deterioration of our oceans, and the threat of a nuclear disaster loom large.”
As I talked to Priester about GreenPeace, I saw the passion in her eyes. Through the long hours planning meetings and activities; passed the massive amount of patience she put up with during the long struggle to get the GreenPeace club SGA approved, Priester has shown her deep love for not just the club, but for the planet. She has proved that GreenPeace isn’t just a club, it is a job and something that she is willing to fight for.
Priesters actions in the fight to start GreenPeace have not gone unnoticed. The club currently holds meetings weekly, attended by students with similar beliefs to Priester.
“One discontent person may be small and quiet, but when people assemble and come together as one voice, it is hard to ignore” said Priester.
After such success in setting up a meaningful and important club, I don’t think Victoria or GreenPeace will be ignored again.
Work Cited.
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/about
Victoria Priester interview
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocahontas_(1995_film)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give_Peace_a_Chance
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
a tiger belongs on the course, not in a cage.
at certain times of the year, there some things you can expect to hear/see/read/talk about in sports that you are just tired of hearing about.
will brett favre retire or not?
was conseco/sosa/mcguire/bonds/celemns/rameriz/ortiz/etc (wow, there are a lot of guys who cheat huh?) on steriods?
how many games will the Knicks lose before they fire their coach?
Federer or Nadal?
every year it is the same shit but now, we finally got something new to stick our noses in and quite frankly, i was over it before it even started.
Tiger "pants around his ankles" Woods made his way to the tabloids late last year with allegations of him whoring around with waitresses, models and even a porn star. I hate that i know all that because honestly, its none of my business. it isn't anyones business but the Woods family.
i know I'm not the first person to rant about how i don't care what Tiger does off the course but after his "first official interview since the car accident" on ESPN, i just needed to say, Tiger needs to play some damn golf and fast. People are so quick to write off an athlete for what he did off the field but someone who KNOWINGLY injects them self with illegal substances can still be allowed in the Hall of Fame (for God sake let Pete Rose in!!!! I'm glad i got that off my chest). someone please explain this.
either way, Tiger, if you're reading this, i hope things work out for you but get back to what makes you happy and makes me happy. play some freaking golf.
will brett favre retire or not?
was conseco/sosa/mcguire/bonds/celemns/rameriz/ortiz/etc (wow, there are a lot of guys who cheat huh?) on steriods?
how many games will the Knicks lose before they fire their coach?
Federer or Nadal?
every year it is the same shit but now, we finally got something new to stick our noses in and quite frankly, i was over it before it even started.
Tiger "pants around his ankles" Woods made his way to the tabloids late last year with allegations of him whoring around with waitresses, models and even a porn star. I hate that i know all that because honestly, its none of my business. it isn't anyones business but the Woods family.
i know I'm not the first person to rant about how i don't care what Tiger does off the course but after his "first official interview since the car accident" on ESPN, i just needed to say, Tiger needs to play some damn golf and fast. People are so quick to write off an athlete for what he did off the field but someone who KNOWINGLY injects them self with illegal substances can still be allowed in the Hall of Fame (for God sake let Pete Rose in!!!! I'm glad i got that off my chest). someone please explain this.
either way, Tiger, if you're reading this, i hope things work out for you but get back to what makes you happy and makes me happy. play some freaking golf.
I love Glee
Yes, that's right. I love the hit TV show Glee.
Glee is a show about a high school Glee club that has recently been shunned by the rest of the school body, including most faculty. The club started out with just outcast kids including a stutterer, a handicap, an obvious in the closet, a large black girl and a brown noser. The club is headed for disaster in the beginning until a few football players and cheerleaders decide to join Glee.
this makes for an abundance of conflict between the members of the group, the "haters" and anyone else against the club.
the show is filled with life lessons, reality checks and some unforgettable one-liners and rants. my personal favorites are those made by the cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester, played by Jane Lynch and Kurt Hummel,played by Chris Colfer. these two bring the humor for sure. Whether its Kurt throwing in his two cents about fashion and boys or Sylvester rant to the Glee coach (Will Schuester played by Matthew Morrison) about how he and Glee club will never amount to her and her success.
Most of the actors are what they call in showbiz, a "triple threat", meaning they can act, sing and dance. and when they do what they do, they kill at it. it really is a great show filled with comedy, romance and drama.
pretty much the perfect chic show and dammit, i love it.
Glee is a show about a high school Glee club that has recently been shunned by the rest of the school body, including most faculty. The club started out with just outcast kids including a stutterer, a handicap, an obvious in the closet, a large black girl and a brown noser. The club is headed for disaster in the beginning until a few football players and cheerleaders decide to join Glee.
this makes for an abundance of conflict between the members of the group, the "haters" and anyone else against the club.
the show is filled with life lessons, reality checks and some unforgettable one-liners and rants. my personal favorites are those made by the cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester, played by Jane Lynch and Kurt Hummel,played by Chris Colfer. these two bring the humor for sure. Whether its Kurt throwing in his two cents about fashion and boys or Sylvester rant to the Glee coach (Will Schuester played by Matthew Morrison) about how he and Glee club will never amount to her and her success.
Most of the actors are what they call in showbiz, a "triple threat", meaning they can act, sing and dance. and when they do what they do, they kill at it. it really is a great show filled with comedy, romance and drama.
pretty much the perfect chic show and dammit, i love it.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Corn is made for eating, not for jokes (get it? I’m so funny.)
Working at a restaurant is easy. If anyone tells you otherwise, they must have been working at Chuck E. Cheese.
The job is simple: greet the customer, take the order, run the food, drop the bill and bus the table. There really is nothing else to get into about that. However, not taking away from the easy task of serving tables, there are some odd customers. Most customers I get are relatively nice and relaxed when they come to eat at the restaurant I work at. I get the occasional rude person who makes the meal worse for everyone, including me.
But there is something that never fails, no matter what type of customer I’m waiting on. At some point in the exchange of words between myself and the people at the table, an awful, pointless, corny joke is said and I am stuck in an awkward, uncomfortable silence with a very important decision to make; to laugh or not to laugh, that is the question.
Never, at anytime should a waiter, under any circumstances make a customer feel stupid. If I insult this customer by not laughing when he asks me for the winning lottery tickets it will poorly affect the tip this customer leaves. I’m a broke college student so I put on my best smile and with a fake laugh I reply, “If I knew those, I wouldn’t be here.”
Boom, nailed it.
Now he is honestly laughing and I am 100% fake laughing just to make sure this customer thinks he should be doing stand up comedy shows. But he shouldn’t and I shouldn’t give him the satisfaction of thinking that. But damnit, I need a huge tip and I’ll do whatever it takes, I’ll sink to the lowest of the lows to make my money.
(Insert dirty joke here)
I don’t know what it is with customers who think that I haven’t heard it all before and that the “joke” they are telling me is original. Maybe it’s to impress whoever is at the table. Or maybe they think that my life must suck because I’m a waiter and the only thing that will make me smile is when they say after I drop off the bill, “Oh, I thought you were paying for us.”
I’m not and I never will.
I’m not bitter towards my customers either, there are some really sweet, kind folks that I have waited on and they have honestly made me laugh just by being their selves. I try to be that way when I go out to eat but unfortunately, I have found I am who I despise.
An annoying, corny joke telling customer. Dun Dun Dun
Just the other day, my girlfriend Brittany and I went out to eat. When the waiter greeted us I responded, “No habla inglse.” The waiter looked at me with a look I made so often. The look of, “You have got to be kidding me. Out of all the customers to sit in my section, I get the foreign couple. What did I do to deserve this? There goes my tip.”
After I let him know that was the only Spanish I knew, he did what every server is trained to do in this situation, fake laugh your ass off (flyao if you’re texting). And I must say, he fake laughed like an Academy Award winner. He even threw in a few tears of laughter. I felt great about it too. I left him a nice, fat tip and continued making corny jokes.
After dinner, Brittany and walked over to Starbucks for some coffee. After we ordered and the lady behind the counter was handing me my change, I threw in what I thought was a belly buster.
“Thanks a latte.”
Unlike my excellent audience at the restaurant, the cashier looked at me, smirked and walked away. I was heart broken. That was one of my best coffee jokes ever and it was the most appropriate time to use it and I got totally denied.
WTF coffee lady?
As I looked at Brittany for some support on my awesome sense of humor, she looked at me dead in the eyes and said something that may have changed my life forever.
She said, “You’re stupid.”
WTF girlfriend?
That’s when I realized I’m no better than my customers who drive me crazy with corny jokes. I’m just as bad as them and I need to change. No more “thanks a latte” or “I’m sorry, I left my wallet in my other mocha jean-o’s.” No more asking the waiter “Is the cook killing the cow back there” or “Can you get me a wheel barrel? I’m too full to walk.”
The job is simple: greet the customer, take the order, run the food, drop the bill and bus the table. There really is nothing else to get into about that. However, not taking away from the easy task of serving tables, there are some odd customers. Most customers I get are relatively nice and relaxed when they come to eat at the restaurant I work at. I get the occasional rude person who makes the meal worse for everyone, including me.
But there is something that never fails, no matter what type of customer I’m waiting on. At some point in the exchange of words between myself and the people at the table, an awful, pointless, corny joke is said and I am stuck in an awkward, uncomfortable silence with a very important decision to make; to laugh or not to laugh, that is the question.
Never, at anytime should a waiter, under any circumstances make a customer feel stupid. If I insult this customer by not laughing when he asks me for the winning lottery tickets it will poorly affect the tip this customer leaves. I’m a broke college student so I put on my best smile and with a fake laugh I reply, “If I knew those, I wouldn’t be here.”
Boom, nailed it.
Now he is honestly laughing and I am 100% fake laughing just to make sure this customer thinks he should be doing stand up comedy shows. But he shouldn’t and I shouldn’t give him the satisfaction of thinking that. But damnit, I need a huge tip and I’ll do whatever it takes, I’ll sink to the lowest of the lows to make my money.
(Insert dirty joke here)
I don’t know what it is with customers who think that I haven’t heard it all before and that the “joke” they are telling me is original. Maybe it’s to impress whoever is at the table. Or maybe they think that my life must suck because I’m a waiter and the only thing that will make me smile is when they say after I drop off the bill, “Oh, I thought you were paying for us.”
I’m not and I never will.
I’m not bitter towards my customers either, there are some really sweet, kind folks that I have waited on and they have honestly made me laugh just by being their selves. I try to be that way when I go out to eat but unfortunately, I have found I am who I despise.
An annoying, corny joke telling customer. Dun Dun Dun
Just the other day, my girlfriend Brittany and I went out to eat. When the waiter greeted us I responded, “No habla inglse.” The waiter looked at me with a look I made so often. The look of, “You have got to be kidding me. Out of all the customers to sit in my section, I get the foreign couple. What did I do to deserve this? There goes my tip.”
After I let him know that was the only Spanish I knew, he did what every server is trained to do in this situation, fake laugh your ass off (flyao if you’re texting). And I must say, he fake laughed like an Academy Award winner. He even threw in a few tears of laughter. I felt great about it too. I left him a nice, fat tip and continued making corny jokes.
After dinner, Brittany and walked over to Starbucks for some coffee. After we ordered and the lady behind the counter was handing me my change, I threw in what I thought was a belly buster.
“Thanks a latte.”
Unlike my excellent audience at the restaurant, the cashier looked at me, smirked and walked away. I was heart broken. That was one of my best coffee jokes ever and it was the most appropriate time to use it and I got totally denied.
WTF coffee lady?
As I looked at Brittany for some support on my awesome sense of humor, she looked at me dead in the eyes and said something that may have changed my life forever.
She said, “You’re stupid.”
WTF girlfriend?
That’s when I realized I’m no better than my customers who drive me crazy with corny jokes. I’m just as bad as them and I need to change. No more “thanks a latte” or “I’m sorry, I left my wallet in my other mocha jean-o’s.” No more asking the waiter “Is the cook killing the cow back there” or “Can you get me a wheel barrel? I’m too full to walk.”
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
what's that smell? oh, it's my lip.
It happened about ten months ago. I remember it very clearly. My older sister was at work and my mom was out running errands. I volunteered to baby-sit my two and a half year old nephew, Riley, for the time being. He had been going through a Lion King phase so we watched the movie one full time and we were on our second viewing when things started to get interesting. Riley was sitting on my lap, nestled around my arms. I remember watching Simba try to out run to a stampede when I felt a warm liquid on my hands. I thought it must be sweat because it was summer and there’s nothing else it could possibly be, right?
Wrong.
I took a closer look at what had made my hand so damp and as I pulled my palm closer to my face I began to smell what it was. It unfortunately was not sweat. Both of my hands were covered in baby poop and I had no idea what to do. So I did what any inexperienced guy with a baby who just pooped everywhere would do.
I cussed. Not at Riley, just said bad words out loud because I didn’t know what else to say or do.
I decided that I had to take this mess out of the living room, away from leather couches and an innocent dog nose. As I carried Riley into my sister’s bedroom where the changing table is, I was exposed to the malodorous bag of baby waste around my nephew. I could literally see the steam seeping out of the diaper.
Now, I had never changed a baby’s diaper before so performing that act was going to be an adventure in itself. Riley is a great kid and I think he knew that I was having trouble with the whole situation, so instead of playing it cool and trying to help me, he was kicking and screaming and crying because he wanted to watch “Simba!”
I’m strong though and I don’t give into tears, even if they are coming from a child who can’t put a two-word sentence together. I laid Riley down on the changing table and prepared myself for one of the biggest challenges in any adult’s life.
I was going to change that dirty diaper.
I don’t want you to think that this was your normal diaper with baby poop in it. I’m talking Taco Bell bean burrito worthy coming out the sides of this kids onesie. I thought back to cartoons where the characters put a cloths pin over their nose when they smell something bad and that’s exactly what I felt like doing. This bomb that was dropped was nuclear.
As the clueless uncle that I am, I start to examine this onesie and contemplate a plan to disarm this stink bomb without getting anymore baby poop on me. I carefully tried to undress Riley by detaching on of the bottom snaps of the onesie.
Well, apparently I am not cut out for the bomb squad because that thing literally detonated in my face. As I yanked one of the snaps off, little pieces of baby poop flew towards my face. I remember it happening in slow motion. I tried to dodge the particles of feces Matrix style but my efforts unfortunately fell short as a flying piece of turd landed on my upper lip.
Like I said earlier, this was no ordinary turd. My sister must have been feeding this kid nothing but hot pockets and raisins. I was no longer cussing for fear that if I opened my mouth, the poop would go into ninja mode and at first chance, attack my taste buds. I could feel the warmth of the liquidy discharge inching closer and closer to my closed mouth.
I suddenly felt my stomach race to my throat and I began to dry heave for what seemed to be a lifetime. With my arms straight out, I carried Riley into the bathroom so I could disinfect my face and wait for my mom to get home and take care of the now TWO infants in the house.
As I pathetically and dramatically tried to handle the situation, Riley had the nerve to continue to scream for Simba. It took all of me to not wipe some of his poop on his face and see how he liked it. However, that would mean getting poop on my fingers and that just isn’t going to fly.
I am upset and a little embarrassed that I couldn’t change my nephews diaper and I’m a disappointed in myself for not being able to help him out when he needed me. I guess it isn’t completely his fault that his poop damaged all feeling I had in my upper lip. But I can say, that I would never say ‘no’ to babysitting that little guy even if it meant taking a bullet of poop to the face.
Wrong.
I took a closer look at what had made my hand so damp and as I pulled my palm closer to my face I began to smell what it was. It unfortunately was not sweat. Both of my hands were covered in baby poop and I had no idea what to do. So I did what any inexperienced guy with a baby who just pooped everywhere would do.
I cussed. Not at Riley, just said bad words out loud because I didn’t know what else to say or do.
I decided that I had to take this mess out of the living room, away from leather couches and an innocent dog nose. As I carried Riley into my sister’s bedroom where the changing table is, I was exposed to the malodorous bag of baby waste around my nephew. I could literally see the steam seeping out of the diaper.
Now, I had never changed a baby’s diaper before so performing that act was going to be an adventure in itself. Riley is a great kid and I think he knew that I was having trouble with the whole situation, so instead of playing it cool and trying to help me, he was kicking and screaming and crying because he wanted to watch “Simba!”
I’m strong though and I don’t give into tears, even if they are coming from a child who can’t put a two-word sentence together. I laid Riley down on the changing table and prepared myself for one of the biggest challenges in any adult’s life.
I was going to change that dirty diaper.
I don’t want you to think that this was your normal diaper with baby poop in it. I’m talking Taco Bell bean burrito worthy coming out the sides of this kids onesie. I thought back to cartoons where the characters put a cloths pin over their nose when they smell something bad and that’s exactly what I felt like doing. This bomb that was dropped was nuclear.
As the clueless uncle that I am, I start to examine this onesie and contemplate a plan to disarm this stink bomb without getting anymore baby poop on me. I carefully tried to undress Riley by detaching on of the bottom snaps of the onesie.
Well, apparently I am not cut out for the bomb squad because that thing literally detonated in my face. As I yanked one of the snaps off, little pieces of baby poop flew towards my face. I remember it happening in slow motion. I tried to dodge the particles of feces Matrix style but my efforts unfortunately fell short as a flying piece of turd landed on my upper lip.
Like I said earlier, this was no ordinary turd. My sister must have been feeding this kid nothing but hot pockets and raisins. I was no longer cussing for fear that if I opened my mouth, the poop would go into ninja mode and at first chance, attack my taste buds. I could feel the warmth of the liquidy discharge inching closer and closer to my closed mouth.
I suddenly felt my stomach race to my throat and I began to dry heave for what seemed to be a lifetime. With my arms straight out, I carried Riley into the bathroom so I could disinfect my face and wait for my mom to get home and take care of the now TWO infants in the house.
As I pathetically and dramatically tried to handle the situation, Riley had the nerve to continue to scream for Simba. It took all of me to not wipe some of his poop on his face and see how he liked it. However, that would mean getting poop on my fingers and that just isn’t going to fly.
I am upset and a little embarrassed that I couldn’t change my nephews diaper and I’m a disappointed in myself for not being able to help him out when he needed me. I guess it isn’t completely his fault that his poop damaged all feeling I had in my upper lip. But I can say, that I would never say ‘no’ to babysitting that little guy even if it meant taking a bullet of poop to the face.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
To Show or Not To Show? That Is The Question.
During this super bowl, a lot of questionable commercials aired on national television. That got me thinking and I started paying more attention to what was being shown. Unfortunately we live in a time where sex sells and business’ notices this. I’m not saying I’m one to complain about skimpy clothing but I think that there is a time and a place for such advertisements. However, it’s not just advertisements that are crossing the line. Television shows are pushing it when it comes to keeping things clean and family friendly. I don’t know, call me old fashion but I just don’t understand why production companies feel the need to force inappropriate and offensive hints towards us. Remember back in the day when Ricky and Lucy Ricardo slept in separate beds on I Love Lucy? Now, I’m not saying that T.V. shows need to be that way again but is it necessary to show a couple having sex? I think we all know it’s going to happen anyway. But I digress. It isn’t all commercials and it doesn’t happen all the time but there are occasions when advertisements go too far.
Television programming has gotten a lot right lately and especially with time slots and scheduling. Shows like Jerry Springer and Judge Judy are aired during school hours so that kids are exposed to explicit language and actions. But in the evening after the kids are home from school there are shows that the parents like to watch such as CSI and Criminal Minds that are just too graphic for kids. Sure the kids don’t have to watch but some kids are privileged/spoiled enough to get a TV in their room so they watch whatever they want. That could bring up a whole different conversation on parental control but let’s not get into that.
Just the other day, I was at my parent’s house watching the Winter Olympics. I wasn’t paying much attention to the television because my 3-year-old nephew was in the room and I was trying to keep him occupied so my mom could finish cooking dinner without any distractions. However, the next story I heard caught my attention and I turned my eyes to the screen to see a video played repeatedly of 21-year-old luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili sail off the track and slam into a steel pole at speeds higher than 85mph. Pictures were also shown of paramedics giving the olympian mouth to mouth as blood dripped down the paramedics hands. NBC showed a young mans death on national television. Over and over again. My 3-year-old nephew saw someone die for the first time. Sure, he’s too young to remember or even know what happened but he still saw it. I guess that’s one of the reasons why I think censorship needs to be taken a little more seriously. According to an article on www.seattlepi.com , 67.5 millions viewers watched the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. So I think its safe to say that at least 1 million people saw Nodar Kumaritashvili death this weekend. They put a delay on other big events and award shows. Can’t they put a delay on the Olympics to censor out things like someones death?
On www.ucla.edu , several studies conducted by UCLA "have found that children may become ‘immune’ to the horror of violence; gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems; imitate the violence they observe on television; and identify with certain characters, victims and/or victimizers". I mean, I watch violent shows and play violent video games but I don’t feel any more violent. But it’s different for kids. According to www.ridgenet.org , “television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and behavior in children. Unfortunately, much of today’s television programming is violent.”
It’s up to the networks and the parents to recognize the dangers these kids face when exposed to this kind of behavior at such an early age. Hopefully censorship on not just television but all media outlets can be used more and what is being aired more closely monitored.
WORK CITED
http://www.ridgenet.org/szaflik/tvrating.htm
http://www.ucla.edu/curree…ne/violence/iiid.htm
www.seattlepi.com
Television programming has gotten a lot right lately and especially with time slots and scheduling. Shows like Jerry Springer and Judge Judy are aired during school hours so that kids are exposed to explicit language and actions. But in the evening after the kids are home from school there are shows that the parents like to watch such as CSI and Criminal Minds that are just too graphic for kids. Sure the kids don’t have to watch but some kids are privileged/spoiled enough to get a TV in their room so they watch whatever they want. That could bring up a whole different conversation on parental control but let’s not get into that.
Just the other day, I was at my parent’s house watching the Winter Olympics. I wasn’t paying much attention to the television because my 3-year-old nephew was in the room and I was trying to keep him occupied so my mom could finish cooking dinner without any distractions. However, the next story I heard caught my attention and I turned my eyes to the screen to see a video played repeatedly of 21-year-old luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili sail off the track and slam into a steel pole at speeds higher than 85mph. Pictures were also shown of paramedics giving the olympian mouth to mouth as blood dripped down the paramedics hands. NBC showed a young mans death on national television. Over and over again. My 3-year-old nephew saw someone die for the first time. Sure, he’s too young to remember or even know what happened but he still saw it. I guess that’s one of the reasons why I think censorship needs to be taken a little more seriously. According to an article on www.seattlepi.com , 67.5 millions viewers watched the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. So I think its safe to say that at least 1 million people saw Nodar Kumaritashvili death this weekend. They put a delay on other big events and award shows. Can’t they put a delay on the Olympics to censor out things like someones death?
On www.ucla.edu , several studies conducted by UCLA "have found that children may become ‘immune’ to the horror of violence; gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems; imitate the violence they observe on television; and identify with certain characters, victims and/or victimizers". I mean, I watch violent shows and play violent video games but I don’t feel any more violent. But it’s different for kids. According to www.ridgenet.org , “television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and behavior in children. Unfortunately, much of today’s television programming is violent.”
It’s up to the networks and the parents to recognize the dangers these kids face when exposed to this kind of behavior at such an early age. Hopefully censorship on not just television but all media outlets can be used more and what is being aired more closely monitored.
WORK CITED
http://www.ridgenet.org/szaflik/tvrating.htm
http://www.ucla.edu/curree…ne/violence/iiid.htm
www.seattlepi.com
Monday, February 8, 2010
legion can go to hell
i never thought i would say this but i wish i would have seen Dear John this weekend. no, its not because i have a man crush on Channing Tatum or i read the novel and wanted to see the film adaptation of it. i was actually next in line to buy tickets for the late showing of it friday night when the selfish s.o.b. in front of us bought the last tickets.
what happened next is disturbing. i wouldn't wish it upon anyone.
since Dear John was sold out, my girlfriend and i instead bought tickets for the movie Legion. this is a story about how God gave up hope on humanity and sent his army of angels to kill everyone. BUT WAIT! an angel named Michael dare stand against God and fight along side the humans?! not too shabby i thought...at first.
the movie was filled with less than mediocre acting and some of the worst dialogue i've ever heard. i couldn't tell if this was a serious movie or if i should laugh(which i ended up doing for the last 45 minutes of the movie).
after the movie was over and i stopped punching myself in the face, i continually cursed the heavens, hoping, praying an angel would come down and fight by my side as i tried to get my money back for that horrible attempt of a movie.
there is no way God gave Sony Pictures permission to use him in this film.
what happened next is disturbing. i wouldn't wish it upon anyone.
since Dear John was sold out, my girlfriend and i instead bought tickets for the movie Legion. this is a story about how God gave up hope on humanity and sent his army of angels to kill everyone. BUT WAIT! an angel named Michael dare stand against God and fight along side the humans?! not too shabby i thought...at first.
the movie was filled with less than mediocre acting and some of the worst dialogue i've ever heard. i couldn't tell if this was a serious movie or if i should laugh(which i ended up doing for the last 45 minutes of the movie).
after the movie was over and i stopped punching myself in the face, i continually cursed the heavens, hoping, praying an angel would come down and fight by my side as i tried to get my money back for that horrible attempt of a movie.
there is no way God gave Sony Pictures permission to use him in this film.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Internet: Love It Now. Fear It Later.
The Internet: Love It Now. Fear It Later.
Bo Culkeen
Project #1
Audience: College Students, social networking users.
The audience should care because it affects their future.
649 words
In the last couple years, social network sites such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter have blown up. Everyone is using them now and quite frankly, I’m scared. These sites are ways for users to voice their opinion on any matter they chose whether it makes sense or not. Even these blogs are ways for loud mouths to spit out their meaningless and pointless rants (don’t look at me, this is an assignment). But before you get too carried away with yourself and post that really sexy photo of you in a mini skirt doing a keg stand while the guy holding you up has his other hand on a bong, you might want to consider the future and what it has in store for you.
Jobs are not easy to come by now days. So wouldn’t you want to make it as easy as possible for you to get hired? Employers are not only looking at your resume and your college degree; they are checking your profile picture and your latest Tweet. They are checking what kind of comments you leave on your friend’s wall and how you spend your weekends. And it doesn’t stop there. It isn’t just jobs that are creeping on Facebook pages. Colleges are sneaking peaks at what students are doing when they aren’t in class.
I remember when I first started at Flagler College, I was advised by a lot of students to not put up any pictures of me with alcohol. Not only was I underage, I lived on campus and Flagler is a dry campus so alcohol is a big no no. It’s even more important for athletes because if they are caught drinking during the season, they can be suspended for multiple games. Colleges are also checking your Facebook.com page when you apply for school.
Erika Scoliere, a 20 year old college student at the University of Dayton in Ohio has been in trouble with the law before for underage drinking. So when she was violating her regular basis check-ins, authorities turned to their trusty and loyal friend Facebook.com for some answers. There they found pictures of Scoliere drinking tequila and passing out. Now she has to where an alcohol monitor.
Sucks to be her. Maybe if she wasn’t such an idiot and just checked in with authorities. But no, she allowed a photo with the caption, “Ten minutes later, Erika passed out in my bed. Ha. Ha. Ha”. But back to the point. It is very important to be careful with what you put on the internet.
Scoliere isn’t the only moron who has herself to blame. Medical School Deans conducted a search and found medical students posting information on patients, requesting patients to be friends and a mass of profanity. Oh but it gets worse. In a search on Youtube.com, a video was found of medical students pulling a prank using a dead body. How stupid could someone be? I thought it was understood you don’t mess with the dead but if you do, don’t put it on the Internet.
"I watched it and I definitely cringed,” said Katherine Chretien of The Washington, D.C., VA Medical Center. “It undermines the credibility of our profession."
Those students deserve to be expelled. Good luck getting a job anywhere sickos.
I don’t think anything should be posted that you don’t want your grandmother to see. Its that simple.
The middle finger isnt funny, why take a picture of you doing it?
If I want to see a half naked girl, I don’t want to go on to Facebook.com, I’ll just watch re-runs of Baywatch.
Weed is illegal. Until it isn’t, why would you put up photos online of you smoking it?
However, there are dumb people out there and there will always be dumb people. So for those dumb and dumbers out there, try making your profile private, for your futures sake.
Work Cited
· http://adminprofessional.ca/post/Will-Facebook-Prevent-You-From-Getting-the-Job.aspx
· http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32972597/ns/health-health_care/
· http://chicagoist.com/2009/06/04/facebook_pic_lands_underage_drinker.php
Bo Culkeen
Project #1
Audience: College Students, social networking users.
The audience should care because it affects their future.
649 words
In the last couple years, social network sites such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter have blown up. Everyone is using them now and quite frankly, I’m scared. These sites are ways for users to voice their opinion on any matter they chose whether it makes sense or not. Even these blogs are ways for loud mouths to spit out their meaningless and pointless rants (don’t look at me, this is an assignment). But before you get too carried away with yourself and post that really sexy photo of you in a mini skirt doing a keg stand while the guy holding you up has his other hand on a bong, you might want to consider the future and what it has in store for you.
Jobs are not easy to come by now days. So wouldn’t you want to make it as easy as possible for you to get hired? Employers are not only looking at your resume and your college degree; they are checking your profile picture and your latest Tweet. They are checking what kind of comments you leave on your friend’s wall and how you spend your weekends. And it doesn’t stop there. It isn’t just jobs that are creeping on Facebook pages. Colleges are sneaking peaks at what students are doing when they aren’t in class.
I remember when I first started at Flagler College, I was advised by a lot of students to not put up any pictures of me with alcohol. Not only was I underage, I lived on campus and Flagler is a dry campus so alcohol is a big no no. It’s even more important for athletes because if they are caught drinking during the season, they can be suspended for multiple games. Colleges are also checking your Facebook.com page when you apply for school.
Erika Scoliere, a 20 year old college student at the University of Dayton in Ohio has been in trouble with the law before for underage drinking. So when she was violating her regular basis check-ins, authorities turned to their trusty and loyal friend Facebook.com for some answers. There they found pictures of Scoliere drinking tequila and passing out. Now she has to where an alcohol monitor.
Sucks to be her. Maybe if she wasn’t such an idiot and just checked in with authorities. But no, she allowed a photo with the caption, “Ten minutes later, Erika passed out in my bed. Ha. Ha. Ha”. But back to the point. It is very important to be careful with what you put on the internet.
Scoliere isn’t the only moron who has herself to blame. Medical School Deans conducted a search and found medical students posting information on patients, requesting patients to be friends and a mass of profanity. Oh but it gets worse. In a search on Youtube.com, a video was found of medical students pulling a prank using a dead body. How stupid could someone be? I thought it was understood you don’t mess with the dead but if you do, don’t put it on the Internet.
"I watched it and I definitely cringed,” said Katherine Chretien of The Washington, D.C., VA Medical Center. “It undermines the credibility of our profession."
Those students deserve to be expelled. Good luck getting a job anywhere sickos.
I don’t think anything should be posted that you don’t want your grandmother to see. Its that simple.
The middle finger isnt funny, why take a picture of you doing it?
If I want to see a half naked girl, I don’t want to go on to Facebook.com, I’ll just watch re-runs of Baywatch.
Weed is illegal. Until it isn’t, why would you put up photos online of you smoking it?
However, there are dumb people out there and there will always be dumb people. So for those dumb and dumbers out there, try making your profile private, for your futures sake.
Work Cited
· http://adminprofessional.ca/post/Will-Facebook-Prevent-You-From-Getting-the-Job.aspx
· http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32972597/ns/health-health_care/
· http://chicagoist.com/2009/06/04/facebook_pic_lands_underage_drinker.php
Monday, January 25, 2010
Demons and Vampires
So this weekend I saw the movie Paranormal Activity. It is about this couple who is trying to catch a demon that has been following the girl, Katie, since she was 8 years old. That was my first problem with this movie. YOU DON'T CATCH A DEMON! You get a specialist in your house to get that thing out of there as soon as possible. If you try to mess with a demon, that demon will kill you. that's it. Throughout the movie, i found myself asking this couple if they had ever seen the movie The Exorcist? Or any horror movie for that matter? They did everything you aren't supposed to do. yet, i was still scared to the point where i laid in bed for three hours hoping that when i opened my eyes (which was every 30 seconds)there wouldn't be a figure standing next to my bed, watching me sleep, ready to enter my body and take control of my soul. every shadow from a tree branch or set of headlights that drove by were borderline horrifying. granted, I'm a wuss and i don't handle scary movies well but i overall give Paranormal Activity an A rating and not just for scaring the shit out of me. The movie was all shot in a home video style and the story always had my attention. the director turned the simple action of just turning on a light in a distant room or the sound of footsteps in the dark into unexplained happenings. i personally would never watch this movie again because i don't feel like crying myself to sleep again but it definitely deserves a first look for those daring enough.
I also bought Vampire Weekends long awaited follow up album Contra. i wouldn't say that this album is amazing or is even better than VW's first album but i would say that i am not disappointed at all. the band stuck to what the fans wanted to hear and it seems to be working. Contra reached No. 1 on the Billboard album chart and its no surprise. people can't get enough of these easy going indie-rockers and I'm completely on board. i highly suggest checking out the band if you haven't already and take a listen to their tunes Holiday, Horchata, and Cousins. those are my personal favorites so far.they included a slower song on this new album called I Think You're A Contra which i am slowly falling in love with. the lead singers voice is much softer than I've heard and it is just a very relaxing song to listen to. The album is Contra, check it out.
I also bought Vampire Weekends long awaited follow up album Contra. i wouldn't say that this album is amazing or is even better than VW's first album but i would say that i am not disappointed at all. the band stuck to what the fans wanted to hear and it seems to be working. Contra reached No. 1 on the Billboard album chart and its no surprise. people can't get enough of these easy going indie-rockers and I'm completely on board. i highly suggest checking out the band if you haven't already and take a listen to their tunes Holiday, Horchata, and Cousins. those are my personal favorites so far.they included a slower song on this new album called I Think You're A Contra which i am slowly falling in love with. the lead singers voice is much softer than I've heard and it is just a very relaxing song to listen to. The album is Contra, check it out.
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