Memoirs of a Gator

Immersion

2009-03-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

This video is pretty cool. Watch it.

Homage to Queen

2009-02-22T21:37:00.000-08:00

I had to write a 3-4 page response paper for my History of Rock and Roll class, and I thought I may as well post it here since I suck at keeping up my blog. It was a very laid back assignment, so I took it pretty lightly.

In the sweltering summer of 1995, my parents loaded my brother, sister, and eight year old me into our tacky Dodge Caravan for a four-hour drive north from the suburbs of Miami to visit a certain Mr. Mouse in the Orlando area. I was desperately excited for the trip, and probably shot out more “When will we get there”s than my dad could handle. As we got onto the highway, he tossed me a yellow Sony Walkman portable cassette player to keep me quiet, and probably did not understand the ramifications of his simple actions: I had been serendipitously introduced to Queen, one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Before the trip was over, I had memorized the entire “Bohemian Rhapsody” (a feat I still brag about to this day), and had developed a profound liking for classic rock and roll.

For obvious reasons, the group that stuck out the most to me for the first part of our class was the band Queen. Although all of the other bands we covered were important and unique in their own ways, I feel that Queen is one of the most remarkably diverse bands in rock and roll history. Not only was their music creative and different from what most other bands were doing at their time, but their visual style and eclectic performances also gave them an edge that made them stand out.

When I first came across the band’s music at the age of eight, I was attracted to their catchy sound and irresistible beat. Upon a critical revisiting of their music well over a decade later, I am more appreciative of their obviously strong musicianship, and brilliant ability to compose such complex structures. It is also interesting to see how they maneuvered between many diverse musical styles, such as rockabilly, opera, heavy metal, and even disco. Not only were they wildly creative, but they were also very skillful in their technical execution. The harmonies in their songs display their incredible vocal talent along with individual mastery over their instruments. I was also struck by the wide range of lyrical themes, which includes songs about love (“You’re My Best Friend”), to more playful, melodramatic subjects such as bicycles (“Bicycle Race”).

In addition to writing great music and producing creative albums, they also performed exceptionally during concerts and even incorporated their audiences, creating a historically powerful dynamic in their live shows. Although I was not alive to watch any of their live performances with Freddie Mercury, technology has permitted me to get a glimpse of what their shows were like. (Thanks, You Tube.) I was able to watch a recording of the 1985 Live Aid performance in London’s Wembley Stadium, and was amazed at the enthusiasm and showmanship of Freddie Mercury. I was particularly impressed watching him lead the 72,000-member audience in an operatic singing game, and can understand how this performance was voted as “The Greatest Live Gig Ever”.

Although each member of the band played an important role in making Queen a part of rock history, I believe that they would not have been as successful as they were had it not been for Freddie Mercury. Not only did he contribute his famously powerful voice to the band, but he also composed many of their hits, such as “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Don’t Stop Me Now”, and “We Are the Champions”, along with many others. His flamboyant persona also added greatly to the image of the band, and still serves as a big inspiration to many musicians in all genres of music.

Almost 20 years after the demise of Freddie Mercury and the original lineup of Queen, it is amazing to see that their music and influence is still present in my generation’s popular culture. Whether it be thousands of fans at a sporting event singing “We Are the Champions”, or a few over-beveraged youths singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” at a karaoke bar, musical traces of Queen can still be heard around the world today, and will always remain as an important part of rock and roll history.

Why I Am Not a Fan of Twilight

2009-01-30T17:08:00.001-08:00

Before I begin railing against the series, I have to admit something: I was... really into it while I was reading. Yes, I will admit that Meyer's writing style is enticing, and she has a great ability to narrate, but it pretty much ends there.

There are, in my humble opinion, many problems with the Twilight series, including (but not limited to) shallow character development, unrealistic interactions and relationships, overused clichés and tropes, underlying misogynistic themes, and probably the worst ending of any series I have ever encountered.

The biggest thing that turned me off about this series was the ending. No, ALL the endings. I feel like I never got a proper ending from any of them. She shot 0 for 4. I kept thinking, "Ok, this one wasn't that great, but the last book will probably have something good"... I couldn't be more WRONG. She sets up an epic battle with the world’s most dangerous vampires and werewolves in a secluded forest clearing, and after about 40 pages of cheesy dialogue, the bad guys exit stage left, and they all repugnantly live happily ever after… in just 7 pages.

It was the equivalent of Harry Potter politely asking Voldemort to put down his wand, Frodo telling Sauron to stop looking at him and leave him alone, Luke Skywalker inviting Darth Vader to play hopscotch… and they do. It was the most anticlimactic ending for any story I have ever read. I sped through 4 books, adding up to 2,379 pages for NOTHING? What a climax killer! (There’s a crass metaphor I could insert here, but I’ll leave that up to you and your imagination to figure out.)

The vampires came from all around the world and had incredible super powers; I was so excited to see them put to use, but instead, they all walk away without lifting a finger. What a gyp! Even a battle where all the good guys survive is preferable to a nonexistent battle.

As for the character development, I understand that Bella was purposefully drafted to be a “hollow placeholder” so she can be a kind of “every[wo]man” for readers to project their own personalities onto, but that just further proves that Twilight is merely a pulp fiction series, and has minimal literary merit. People are fascinated with these books because they want to be Bella. They want to find their Edward Cullen. It just tickles people’s ears and throws in suspense to keep them reading, and this is precisely why I strongly disagree with those who say that Twilight is on par with Harry Potter. (For those who say it’s better, well, I think they are completely delusional and lack the ability to provide any intelligent literary judgment.)

J.K. Rowling wove together a brilliantly intricate plot with incredibly complex characters (eg. Severus Snape), created an entire wizarding culture down to the minutest detail, and implemented countless classical allusions to mythologies from all kinds of historical cultures. Also, she had the BALLS to kill some of her characters.

Stephenie Meyer’s story is filled with textbook clichés: new girl goes to school and feels like an outsider, but is so pretty that every girl wants to be her and every guy wants to be insi... Well, you get the point. As for Edward, he is the most gorgeous guy in the universe who hates everyone but falls in love with her instantly, and in spite of his douche-baggery, she falls in love with him too… Seriously? Not to mention the progress of their relationship is just as unrealistically perfect and cheesy, which gives young readers the WRONG impression of what true love really is.

Speaking of impression, the underlying message of this story is misogynistic and misleading. Once the two characters fall in love, nothing else matters. Bella forgets about school, forgoes all ambitions to do anything productive with her life, and becomes unhealthily obsessed and sickeningly reliant on Edward. She even becomes borderline suicidal when he leaves her, and latches onto another guy, falsely leading him on in the process.I could go on forever discussing how this story can be potentially damaging to the psyches of its young, impressionable readers, but my post is already long, and this video says it all much more eloquently than I ever can:

One other criticism I have about Meyer is her attempt to rewrite the story from Edward's perspective in her unfinished novel Midnight Sun. I read all of the script that is available, and although I think she drafts a more interesting Edward, I find it extremely inconsistent with the Edward in Twilight. In her first series, Edward is portrayed as a moral, chivalrous vampire who would never hurt a fly on his own accord. In Midnight Sun, he is selfish and violent, only holding back as to not upset Carlisle, the vampire leading his coven (or family)...

Unless... maybe Meyer was trying to show her readers how incredibly delusional Bella had become, and how enfatuation causes you to create false, unrealistic images of people in your mind? Hmm, now there's an idea!

Anyway, as much as I would love to continue ragging on Twilight, I’m not so sure that anyone has enough interest or a wide enough attention span to get this far into the entry. For those who HAVE gotten this far I extend a big thank you/congratulations. I hope this was somewhat enlightening and informational. I am open to and encourage dialogue and discussion about the book and/or my criticism. (I’m an English major, this is what I do)

Alright, Alright, I'm Back

2009-01-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

It's been a long while since I've posted anything, mainly because A. I have been ridiculously busy with school, work and life, and B. because nobody really reads this thing, anyway. But I'll (hopefully) be posting more frequently. Why? No reason in particular. Just a whim.

Anyway, I just finished reading O Pioneers! (1913) by Willa Cather for my American Literature 2 class, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it (no spoilers, I promise). Her writing style is eloquent and clever, but never over the top and always entertaining. This is one of the very few assigned books that I ended up liking. No, loving.

She creates beautiful images that don't run on unnecessarily, and implements literary allusions for the educated mind to pick up on. (Had it not been for my professor, I never would have picked up on any of them.) Her characters are well-developed, yet still maintain an element of mystery that leaves you with questions to theorize on. Also, the plot was pretty amazing.

I'm also reading Thomas Mann's Nobel Prize-winning novel The Magic Mountain (1924). It's so bad, I think I'm going to leave that rant for a whole other post. I had to stop reading Rob Bell's Sex God because of school, and I'm starting Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises (1926) this weekend.

And I promise to write that Twilight bash post!

Retraction!

2008-08-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

I take back all the good things I said about Twilight. Stephenie Meyer managed to completely ruin her "epic" story. A more detailed rant coming soon!

It certainly was a Dark Knight...

2008-07-18T07:50:00.000-07:00

I went to the midnight showing of Dark Knight this morning and I was wowed beyond words. The story was unbelievably dark and seemed much more realistic than Batman Begins. The acting was all around incredible. ALL of the characters were 100% believable. Also, the action sequences were way more clear than they were in the first movie. They weren't all perfect, and at times slightly confusing, but they were still a huge improvement. I give it a 9.8 out of 10 because it wasn't perfect, but it blew my socks off. I think the last time I rated a movie this high was Return of the King.

As most had anticipated, Heath Ledger gave the performance of his life. It is probably one of the best performances I have ever seen by anyone ever. He stole the show, is definitely taking the Oscar, and it's certainly not just because of his untimely death. I have not been scared of a villain like this since I was a little girl! I'm even surprised I didn't have nightmares.

Even with Heath aside, the acting was still fantastic. Christian Bale, Aaron Echkart, and Maggie Gyllenhaal (who was way better than Katie Holmes!) gave great performances as well. I also have to give some props to director Christopher Nolan who, in my opinion, has gotten so much better since Batman Begins.

Overall, I was more than impressed with the movie, and want to see it again soon.

Reviews on Recent Entertainment

2008-07-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

I'm not in the mood to write full reviews of all the books I've been reading, movies I've been watching, and video games I've been playing, but I'll give a few words on each of them.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski: This book is absolute genius, and is the most insane book in existence. It perfectly represents Post Modernism in both form and content. The story is frightening and exciting, but I must warn that it contains some adult content. (I had no idea what I was getting into.) Certain parts were difficult to get through, but it was worth it in the end. I might write a better post on this later.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams: Quite possibly the funniest fiction book I have ever read. I'm not a huge fan of science fiction, but I fell in love with this book after the very first page. It's humor is witty, ironic, dry, and often dark. For some reason I pictured the guys from Shawn of the Dead as the main characters. I'm currently reading the second book, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, and it is just as good.

Lost Boy by Greg Laurie: After publishing 30 books, Laurie finally got around to writing an autobiography. It was a quick, easy read. Very encouraging to see that absolutely no one is beyond God's reach!

The Barbarian Way by Erwin Raphael McManus: I'm not gonna lie, I'm not even half way through and I hate it. It makes Christianity seem unintelligent and barbaric (hence the title). I feel as if he is saying there is no need to sit down and think your faith through. There are also some sketchy interpretations of scripture. I'll probably finish it since it's so short, but I don't think my opinion will change much.

The Happening by M. Night Shyamalan: I think the story's concept is very original: the only thing scarier than people killing people is people killing themselves. But I feel like something was missing. Some scenes were brilliant, such as the ladder scene (which was in my head for days), and the gun scene was pretty cool, too, but it just wasn't all that great for me. Not to mention, Mark Wahlberg's acting was surprisingly TERRIBLE. Overall, I give it a 6.5.

Kung Fu Panda: I took my little sister to see it with two of her friends and I absolutely loved it. Jack Black always makes for a good laugh, but I was mostly impressed with the animation. I did NOT expect such great quality! I think the best scene was where the villain (can't remember his name, I watched it two weeks ago) escapes from prison. The actions scenes were SO well done.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix video game on PS2: Lots of fun for HP fans. My only complaint is that there isn't enough dueling with death eaters. Voldemort was fun to beat, but I wish there was more fighting! Most of the game is spent running around Hogwarts, and briefly around Grimauld Place, completing tasks for Dumbledore's Army. One thing I really liked was that they unveil secret interviews with the actors and actresses from the movies when you score enough points. It was a nice break from reading. : )

Kingdom Hearts video game on PS2: I'm no where near being finished with this game, but I love it so far. It just gets frustrating sometimes when you're not sure what to do, but I suppose you can use Google for that. ; )

Rowling Writes a Prequel

2008-06-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

J.K. Rowling wrote a fun little "prequel" (if you even want to call it that) to the Harry Potter series to sell for charity. It is absolutely meaningless to the series, but a fun little story nonetheless. She wrote it on a note card by hand, so it was hard to read. I found transcript online, but it's illegal, or something. Here's a link to the card.

Geeking Out

2008-06-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

Alright, I confess. I actually read a vampire romance novel. But not just one, though, I read three of them! In three days, too! Ugh, I am a hopeless geek.

My mom had asked me a while ago to check out Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series to make sure my sister wasn't reading anything inappropriate. I shrugged off her nagging and made what I thought would be an empty promise to pick one up when my semester was over...

So there I was, a few months later surfing the net at around 1 A.M. when I ran into the Twilight trailer. It looked... intriguing. So I scampered over to my sisters room and picked up the first one to see what all the hullabaloo was about... and all the hullabaloo kept me up til 6 in the morning.

I devoured all three 600+ page novels in three days. I hadn't been this excited to read since Harry Potter.

The story is not as intricate nor as exciting as Rowling's, and being a romance story narated by a teenage girl, it is more of a chic series, but I have to admit that I got into them way more than I expected. I'm not one to obsess over cheesy romances, but Meyers had me hooked. I mean, I'm not 100% ecstatic about everything in the books. There were parts of the plot that frustrated me, especially in the 3rd book, and often times the main character's personality seems kind of ridiculous and annoying, but I'm nitpicking. It is interesting, though, that Meyers books each have a different theme on love: finding love, losing love, and choosing love.

The second and third books of the series are called New Moon and Eclipse, and the final part of the series, Breaking Dawn, comes out August 2nd. (I'm going to pre-order mine tomorrow.) The movie, which stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, who played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, opens December 12th. Here's the trailer. I'm not so sure about Stewart, who is playing the lead role of Bella, but I think Pattinson will be an incredible Edward. He seems to fit the part exactly.

All this to say, I have a new guilty pleasure. I needed a break from the dense stuff I was reading before, anyway. (Mere Christianity and House of Leaves)

This was way too much fun...

2008-06-06T13:34:00.000-07:00

It's a Mario synthesizer.. Check it out!

A Day Full of C.S. Lewis

2008-05-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

I FINALLY went to see Prince Caspian tonight with my sister, and I absolutely loved it. I went in with low expectations since a lot of friends had told me it was "alright," and "slow in the beginning," but I was totally misguided! I liked it much better than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I give it an 8.5 out of 10. The writing and special effects were never cheesy, the fight scenes were wonderfully choreographed, and Regina Spektor was a nice surprise at the end! It's also great to see the actors and actresses develop. I feel that they were much more believable in this film.

Anyway, before I took my little trip to the cinema, I spent the day pouring through C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity. Although I had heard most of it before, and already believe pretty much all of its claims, it had me rethinking some basic principles in a different light that brought me to a deeper understanding of them. It has definitely brought valuable illumination.

Here is one of the passages I found myself meditating on for a while:

"...free will is what made evil possible. Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having. A world of automata - of creatures that worked like machines - would hardly be worth creating. The happiness which God designs for His higher creatures is the happiness of being freely, voluntarily united to Him and to each other in an ecstasy of love and delight compared with which the most rapturous love between a man and a woman on this earth is mere milk and water. And for that they must be free. Of course, God knew what would happen if they used their freedom the wrong way: apparently He thought it worth the risk."

The Heavenly Man

2008-05-29T21:06:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading a book that was recommended to me called "The Heavenly Man," which is about one of the first Chinese underground church leaders who goes by the name of Brother Yun, and I must say that as a result my faith has grown immensely.

I've been a Christian and have grown up around the church since I was very young, and I've read and heard some incredible testimonies, but no other testimony has caused my faith to grow as much as Brother Yun's.

When China became a Communist country in 1949, all missionaries were deported, churches were forced to close, and thousands of Chinese pastors were sent to prison. Although the situation for the Christian church seemed hopeless, God reached and raised unsaved men to become leaders, such as Brother Yun, through dreams and visions, and protected them with countless miracles, enabling them to continue to spread the gospel throughout China. In 1950, there was an estimated 1 million Protestant believers in China. Today, there are an estimated 100 million, although this statistic is probably short of reality since so many practice in secret.

In his book, Yun shares stories about the imprisonments, persecution, and gut-wrenching torture he endured from the Chinese government, but he also shares about how God's grace and mercy carried him through it all. He also gives incredible insight on the state of the Chinese church and the rest of the world, as well as what he feels God's purpose is through all of the suffering that still continues on to this day.

I highly recommend it to anyone, especially those interested in missions. Also, here is a link to the organization he works with.

Movie Reviews

2008-05-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

I've been watching some films and I thought I'd blog my thoughts on them.

The Atonement: Super depressing... but a great film. Props to the director of photography; every shot was absolutely STUNNING. It definitely should have won more Academy Awards than it did. The soundtrack was fabulous as well, especially how they incorporated the typewriting sounds.

Across the Universe: It was... entertaining. I actually liked some of the new song versions better than the actual originals. (Blasphemous?) I definitely think it was over-rated, but I still liked it. I think.

Indiana Jones: As a true Cuban would say, "TREMENDO PAQUETE!" Although any TRUE Indy fan, as I consider myself to be, should expect it to be over the top, I think it was probably a little bit TOO ridiculous for my taste. The writing and acting were typical of an Indy film, but the plot was too much for me. Overall it was entertaining, and I will probably see it again if my friends go watch it, but I liked the older ones better. I DID enjoy Shia, though! : )

I Laugh At Myself

2008-05-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

Over the last few days I've realized that I laugh at myself when I do stupid things.

For example, a few days ago I was warming up something in the microwave, and it blew up. It took forever to clean, but I was laughing at myself the whole time.

Also, I went to my best friend's house today so we could scrapbook together, and when I got home my gigantic bag of supplies ripped and my stuff was all over the floor of my drive way. Instead of getting annoyed and kicking my tire, I started cracking up.

My point is, I'm glad I can laugh at myself. It is SUCH a great way to live.

Ladies Retreat 2008

2008-05-18T11:31:00.001-07:00

I had an AWESOME time at the women's retreat this weekend, and I rediscovered one of my favorite verses.

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."
-Ecclesiastes 3:11

The theme was "To Everything There is a Season," taken from Ecclesiastes 3. What a great reminder that even our dry seasons have a purpose, and thankfully they won't last forever!

It was also wicked awesome spending time with my girlfriends. It's been a while since we had last gotten together. : )

Weekly Colbert: Classic Emmy's Moment

2008-05-14T10:17:00.000-07:00

I donated my body to Medicine...

2008-05-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

While I was still alive! And I'm never doing it again. I got paid $250 to go to the UM School of Medicine to be a Standard Patient for the second year competency exams. NOT FUN.

The first half of the day wasn't too bad. They gave me a case to memorize, and then seven or eight students interviewed me to try and diagnose me correctly. My case? I was an anemic 35 year old running a computer business from my home.... with SEVEN children. I got quite a few interesting reactions, haha!

Then the second part of the day were the physical exams, and let me tell you, if I have to have another cardiac, pulmonary, or abdominal exam again anytime soon, I'm going to hurt someone. I didn't even know about this part when I agreed to it! In two days I had 46 physical exams done to me. I'm just glad it's over...

Well, to be honest, I guess I am exaggerating a bit. It wasn't SO bad. I just got deathly bored by the end of the day. It's not easy being poked and prodded from 8 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon by a bunch of nervous book worms.

Oh, the things a college kid will do to pay their rent. : /

Colbert Clip Tuesday

2008-05-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

I know I posted a clip yesterday, but he ended the show in sheer BRILLIANCE last night. I was laughing so loud my dad came to see what all the raucous was about. (The walls in my house are surprisingly thin.)

In the 305!

2008-05-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

I got home safely, weeeee!

It was a smooth drive home..... Aside from almost getting side swiped twice, and not to mention some guy who was at a complete stop on the highway (?) cut me off while I was doing 80. But for a 5 hour ride I guess that's not TOO bad.

Anyway, I have so many thoughts to blog, but I have a tremendous headache at the moment, I have to get up at 5AM, and Colbert is on in a couple minutes. Speaking of Colbert, I'll leave a clip since this post is so weak.

Homeward Bound!

2008-05-01T23:12:00.000-07:00

So after packing and cleaning for about 7 hours today, I am ready for the drive home... In my friend's dad's Mercedes Benz... Let's pray that I drive safely, huh? :X It's a little nerve-racking, but I'm sure I'll be fine. There shouldn't be much traffic, and I like driving anyway. Also, my parents didn't have to come pick me up with all my stuff, which avoids a hassle and saves money.

Speaking of saving money, I've gotten two text messages in the last few days about a gas strike tomorrow. It claims that the government will lose 60 billion dollars if we don't buy gas... Really, people? Where's the logic in this? People will fill up their tanks the day before or after to prepare or compensate for a day without filling their tanks, which means the oil industry will be getting their money either way...

A more logical thing to do would be to propose riding bikes, walking, or using public transportation, and my guess is that most people are NOT willing to do so, especially now in the summer heat. And for the record, it's not even "Uncle Sam" that is making money off of gas prices, it's the oil companies. (However, it can be argued that some big wigs in our government are heavily involved in the oil industry, namely our Commander-in-Chief.)

But my point is, if you want to do something intelligent, do so intelligently.

"Stranded in a fog of words..."

2008-04-30T23:21:00.000-07:00

I'm too tired to write a post in my normal, elegant prose (hah), so I'll just make a list again.

1. I don't have to go to work anymore this week..... YESSSSS!

2. Feist was on Colbert Monday night, and she was FABULOUS. She played an acoustic version of "I Feel It All," which is my new favorite song of hers. I learned how to play it today and it's fun. : D (Nothing special, though. Just Drop D and some power chords.) Here's a video of her performance:

3. I bought a fish eye macro lens on Amazon for pretty cheap, and I can't wait to play with it! ^_^

4. I got Apple's Aperture program FOR FREE for attending a talk given by Bill Frakes (Sports Illustrated photographer who is AMAZING) at UF. I edit my photos on Photoshop, but I think I'll be making the switch to Aperture pretty soon. You can control SO much more.

5. I can't believe how quickly these two semesters went by. : 0

6. I'm getting new carpet in my apartment this summer! I'M SO EXCITED!!!

7. Packing tomorrow is going to SUCK. : /

Colbert Clip[s] Tuesday!

2008-04-28T22:23:00.000-07:00

This is probably the greatest moment in Colbert Report history. Bill O'Reilly and Colbert went on each other's shows.... And guess who got pwned both times!

Bill: "Is it hard being you?"

Stephen: "It's hard for me to BE you."

Stephen: "You know what I hate about people who criticize you? They criticize what you say but they never give you credit for how loud you say it... or how long you say it."

"Waiting on the world to change..."

2008-04-24T21:57:00.000-07:00

I am in shock right now. : (

Three of my guy friends who live in Gainesville were robbed in their apartment last night by four guys wielding two guns. Two weekends ago, my friend who lives downstairs had his sliding glass door smashed and his apartment got broken into as well, and the very next day my other friend who lives in the same complex found a drunken stranger in his apartment going through his refrigerator. Last week, I read in the paper that a guy got arrested in the complex next to mine for breaking into cars.

WHAT IS GOING ON IN GAINESVILLE??????

My roommates and I are looking into getting an alarm system, and I'm advising them to each have their own weapon in their room. (I have one already.)

It's so scary when it happens so close.

This might sound crazy, but sometimes at night while I'm in bed, I'll imagine someone breaking in, and think about what I would do. It's sad, but I think it's necessary in order to be prepared just in case something does happen, God forbid.

We live in such a sad world. I was watching the news the other day and I had to turn it off within 5 minutes because I was getting depressed.

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed Review

2008-04-23T22:47:00.000-07:00

I went to watch Ben Stein's "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" tonight with some friends, and I am completely overwhelmed with thoughts about the film. It was so provocative that my friends and I, in spite of how late it was, sat down to discuss it for more than an hour. If you have not seen this film, I highly recommend it. Atheist, Agnostic, Theist, whatever you may be. Although Stein himself is a declared theist, and there was bias evident in the production, I think it has potential to spark some great dialogue.

Before I make my statements about the film, I want to admit that yes, as a Christian I am biased, but by the same token, someone who would argue from the Neo-Darwinist perspective would be biased as well. However, I find it interesting that one of the film's points is that if we all just admit our biases, it would allow a more reasonable atmosphere for honest, quality dialogue. That statement may sound naive and illogical, but if you watch the film I think you would understand it a bit more.

When I went in to watch the film, I expected a documentary full of ruthless, biased journalism tactics, but hoped to at least learn a little bit more about the Intelligent Design Theory. I was misled. Surprisingly enough, I felt as if I heard more from the Secular Humanist perspective, and I was additionally impressed to hear from a scientist who converted from Christianity to Darwinism! Any theist who tackles that in their presentation gets major points in my book.

Anyway, I will admit that there is some bad to go along with the good. Throughout the film, he incorporates elaborate montages, mixing images of Nazi and Communist Germany to parallel the idea of the Secular Humanists in Academia suppressing freedom of speech among Intelligent Design scientists. Although as a Christian I do feel this is a viable comparison, I can also see how the adversary would argue that it is overwhelmingly exaggerative and demonizing. However, in his comparison he is not trying to suggest that Secular Humanists are mass murderers, but rather expose their intolerance of Intelligent Design Theorists, and how they "build a wall" to suppress this alternative explanation from being taught, researched, written about, etc.

The argument about how biased Stein's film tactics are could go on forever, but as a student of both film AND journalism (YES, I'm playing that card), I have to say that it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to be objective when reporting on something, ESPECIALLY through the film medium. Any great director will use high content images to tell his story, and I think Stein did a fantastic job. Being completely unbiased in reporting is not feasible, especially concerning something so integral to one's philosophy, but I feel that Ben Stein managed an incredible feat in comparison with someone like, oh, I don't know, Michael Moore?

There is so much to say about this film, but if I keep going I'll never stop. I'll probably write it all down in my journal before I go to bed tonight, and when I watch it again next week I'll probably find even more things to write about. If you'd like to talk about it with me, by all means contact me! I'd love to discuss it further.

Colbert and Legend

2008-04-22T21:46:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start a new weekly blog segment where I post a Colbert video. I thought I would start it off with one of my all time favorites.

Pelle Pellegrino Time!

2008-04-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

This is Frak. He is WAY cool. Check out his blog! : )

Random thoughts from the last few days...

2008-04-22T00:05:00.000-07:00

1. I'm amazed at how God can use total strangers on the other side of the country to speak to me.

2. I'm definitely a giver. I'd rather spend hours crafting thoughtful gifts than receive them.

3. Jim bought the ring to propose to Pam! It was definitely a "squeeful" episode of The Office this week.... Oh, and Michael Scott is a jerk. But at least he's funny.

4. I don't know how I am going to get everything done in the next two days.

5. I frequently wonder how I'm going to get stuff done, and I always do. No matter how many times this occurs, I will still be doubtful of my capabilities.

6. I can't WAIT to get back into my photography this summer. : D

7. I should never be allowed into a Michael's craft store with any form of currency.

8. Stephen T. Colbert is HOTT, and I don't understand why my roommates disagree. <3

9. "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is set on you, because he trusts you." Isaiah 26:3

"I love technology." -Kip Dynamite

2008-04-21T01:23:00.000-07:00

You Tube is a blessing and a curse.... It is also the reason why I don't finish writing my final papers until 4:30 in the morning.

Goodnight!

A look in the Pensieve....

2008-04-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

For some reason, this is one of my favorite pictures from my trip to China. The boy is from the primitive tribal village of Napo, I wish I knew his name, and he and I had a very interesting exchange.

As the adults were putting on their show, he came and sat next to me, and was obviously curious about my camera. I'm pretty sure it was the first time he had ever seen or touched one. (Like I said, it was a primitive village.) Although I'm normally hesitant to let people, especially kids, play with my Rebel, I started showing him how it worked, and was delighted with his reaction the first time he saw himself on the LCD screen. It was like magic* to him!

As I let him press his dirty face against the view-finder and run his snotty hands on the buttons, I started thinking about the incredible opportunity I was blessed with. It blew my mind that I was on the other side of the globe from all that I knew life to be, exploring a world I never knew existed.

We had arrived at the village around midnight the day before, and it was such a surreal experience for me. I was almost in tears from the excitement. There were no lights outside, but the full moon exposed enough of the mountains and forest for me to be awestruck with the beauty of a part of creation I never thought I'd see. These women in black costumes who looked like Sally Fields' The Flying Nun came out from their wooden shacks to greet us, and I was euphoric.

This verse came to my mind: "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of you heart." (Ps 37:4) God keeps his promises, even if it means flying you to the other side of the world and driving you through hundreds of miles of mountainous terrain. At that moment, I was reminded of what I was put here for. I found my calling.

Sometimes I wonder about what the little boy is doing, and I'll say a prayer for him. I wonder what he'll grow up to be, what his favorite color is, how many baths he's taken since I last saw him... I'm sure he won't remember our little exchange, and I doubt I'll ever see him again (unless we happen to visit the same village if I go back next summer?), but I don't think I'll ever forget those few moments of exchanged smiles, lack of verbal communication, and kiddish laughter.

*Photogro!

"Half of what I say is meaningless..." -the Beatles

2008-04-18T22:33:00.000-07:00

Hooray! Blog post number one!

I must say, though, I'm a little bit disappointed with the set up. All the good URL names are taken, and most of the people who have them don't even post anything. I tried a bunch of Potter, Beatles, and Colbert references, but they were all unavailable. I had to go generic and use my name and a number. How uncreative.... Oh well. I suppose I'll live.

So I started flirting with the blog idea a few weeks ago when I met Diablo Cody (She's awesome!). She came to speak at UF and told us that she was discovered through her blog, and from there she went on to publish a book and write an Academy Award winning screenplay. (If you haven't seen Juno yet, please do yourself the favor.)

However, I'm not exactly writing this to "get discovered." As a mater of fact, having people read this is just an added bonus. I'm really doing it for myself, so I can document all my crazy (and not so crazy) thoughts and adventures. I've had countless instances where I'll have an interesting experience, conversation, or inner dialogue about something and think, "I should really write this down." And I never do.

So here's to change!

I figure it's also a great way to stay fresh on my writing. (As if I don't get enough as an English major?)

I don't have a set topic, but I imagine these are some of the things I will be blogging about:

Spirituality

Current News

Entertainment (i.e., Movies and Music)

Education

Politics (VERY rarely)

My Travels

Past Experiences

Humorous Instances

My Dreams (I could probably start a separate blog with those! They're nuts!)

Photography (I'll probably post some of my work)

Graphic Design (Ditto)

Book Reviews

Astronomy

University of Florida Stuff (Go Gators!)

You Tube Videos

The Colbert Report

The Office

The Shield

Harry Potter

The Beatles

My Quirks and Obsessions

And, of course, stuff that pisses me off.

I've been really fickle in the past concerning personal blogs, but I'm hoping this one will stay up.

Ciao until next time!