To Blog or Not To Blog?

I would've never thought I would create my own blog until this semester. I actually liked blogging because it gave me a place to get my thoughts out freely without being judged. At first, I was a little more reserved with my thoughts. After the first couple blog posts, I didn't hold anything back. Blogging is a cool way to get out what you want to say to the world. I liked this experience and I will be doing more blogging in the future.

30 Days in San Francisco

The Pursuit of Happyness

"The Pursuit of Happyness", directed by Gabriele Muccino is one of the best movies I've ever seen. I would have to give this movie 5 stars. I picked this movie because I can relate to the theme of perseverance and struggle in the movie. This film is a drama genre. There are many different messages throughout the film, but the one that stood out to me the most is if you want success or happiness in life, you have to work for it. Another message from the film is that if you have a vision of what you want to do with your life, stay focused on that vision and don't let anyone stray you away from it. The thing I like most about this films style is the many scenes of pain and struggle like the scene where Chris Gardner and his son have to sleep in a Metro station bathroom. I have lived in poverty my whole life so I can relate to things like that the most. Watching this movie, it kind of felt like the director was speaking to me. My favorite quote from this movie would have to be from the scene when Chris Gardner is playing basketball with his son Christopher. Chris Gardner says to his son, "Hey. Don't ever let somebody tell you you can't do something. Not even me. All right? You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do somethin themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin, go get it. Period." I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes inspiring films!

Car Tunes

I picked this cartoon and one from What Matters in America on pg. 51. Both cartoons have humor in them. In the cartoon above, the cartoonist is referring to the secret service sex scandal that happened in Colombia. In the cartoon on pg. 51, the cartoonist is showing how what you put on Facebook or online will always be there. The cartoon above has President Obama in the center and the cartoon on pg. 51 doesn't have any political references. I would've posted the picture of the cartoon on pg. 51 but I couldn't find it on the Internet.

Tyrell

Tyrell by Coe Booth, was published by PUSH in 2007. This story lets you experience what a life in extreme poverty would be like. The main character is a young African-American boy named Tyrell. Tyrell is living with his Mother and his younger Brother Troy in the Bennett Motel in Bronxwood because there isn't anymore room for their family in the shelter. As Tyrell struggles with trying to stay out of jail, he is faced with many hard decisions of survival.

I read what this book was going to be about and was immediately interested because I can relate to Tyrell. Living in poverty isn't fun for anyone but a lot of people have to do it. I can understand what it feels like to be trapped and have no way out. Tyrell feels the same way throughout the book. Tyrell's mom wants him to start selling weed so he can get their family an apartment. The thing I liked the most about Tyrell is he stood up for his freedom. He saw his Dad go to prison and he didn't want to end up like him.

"I gotta do something. I wanna go somewhere, but I don't got nowhere to go." (23) This quote stood out to me because when I was growing up in a dysfunctional family I felt the same way. I would leave for hours until it got dark and come home and go right to sleep. I knew I had nowhere to go but I would leave anyway walking the streets.

"Then I open the door and we get outta the cab. I stand out there for a couple seconds looking round at them eight buildings and, man, I gotta say, it feel good coming back home to the projects. Where I belong." (310) These are the last three sentences of the book. I don't think there could be a better ending. I can also relate to this quote because I feel most comfortable in my hometown. I can drive by a house and remember going to a crazy party there. Or drive by a liquor store and remember a fight that happened in the parking lot. I think it's all about the memories. Wherever you have the most memories is where you will feel most comfortable.

I would highly recommend buying Tyrell by Coe Booth. No matter what background you come from, rich or poor, you will appreciate this book. I think if you've had to struggle in life, you will appreciate this book even more. I give this book five stars and two thumbs up! Eventually we all have to sit down and immerse ourselves in a really good book. The time is now. Go buy Tyrell and support this brilliant author Coe Booth!

Musical Memories

Music is more than sounds coming through a set of speakers. Music brings people together and also can bring back many happy memories. In this clip, Henry is given a set of headphones and an iPod. Henry lights up when the music turns on and he immediately starts to sing and dance. Someone asked Henry what his favorite song was when he was young. Henry started singing the song like he had just heard it yesterday. Some people don't realize how powerful music is. Music has the power to bring people to life. It's amazing how your mind can be gone, but yet some how you can remember your favorite song when you were sixteen.

You Decide

I thought the “You Decide” experience went very well. My partner and I had the same opinions on the images so the process went smoothly. At first we thought the picture should be the on the homepage because it didn’t have that much violent content. We read the information about violent video games and how they can numb people to killing. “You Decide” asked us again if we thought the image should be on the homepage and we said no. When we were asked for the final time, we came to the conclusion that the image wasn’t that violent and we said yes.

Video games are a form of art because video game production involves the creative process. People put thought behind the certain images they want to project. Long hours are spent on creating video games with high quality graphics. My partner and I didn’t think any images were offensive or objectionable. It wasn’t difficult for us to decide if the image belonged on the homepage. The quote about the Columbine shooters kind of swayed our decision. We think that video games are purely entertainment. The problem is some parents decide to buy violent video games for their children that are too mature for them to play. If you are an adult you know the difference between fantasy and reality.