"That's Something to be Proud of"

So I was driving home tonight wondering what I was going to write my out of class blog about when one of my favorite country songs came on the radio. I figured, why not, it is by Montgomery Gentry and it is called "That's Something to be Proud of." I like this song so much because it goes to prove my point to my dad. He seems to think that all country music is bad but I have to disagree. My biggest argument is that country music is better than any rap music but he always throws back that rap is not music therefore it does not count according to him. This argument is all fun and games but I still like to prove my point that even country music has some good songs. Anyway, this song is about how you can be proud of your accomplishments even if they do not give you fame or money. The song starts out telling how the grandfather use to tell stories about his life and how things such as fighting in a war and surviving is something you can be proud of. It also goes on to tell about how finding love and creating a family is something to work for and enjoy. Most songs today are about human desire and self indulgence where as this song is about being happy with who you are, even if it is a small, simple, and humble life. I really like the group Montgomery Gentry, their songs and sound.

Monday Night Jihad

This week I have been reading my independent novel a lot to catch up on the pages that need to be read. Although it sounds like it is work, I actually really enjoy this book and wish I had more time to devote to reading it. Anyway, as I have been reading it has been getting more and more interesting and the plot has started to build towards the climax. Tuesday night I think I must have read at least 50 pages or more because I hit one of those spots where you cannot put the book down, but it was not the climax, yet. Basically up until that point it had been background information and getting to know the characters. I have decided that I really like the main character, Riley Covington, because he is an ex Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) man that is playing Pro football for the Colorado Mustangs. His character is not only military but he is also a Christian, which makes me wish he was real, but that is beside the point. Riley is a man of integrity and leadership, when he was a part of AFSOC he held the rank of Second Lieutenant and led his own special ops team. He not only has the ability to lead but his men respect him and are willing to follow him, both military and football players alike. The text itself is easy reading and understandable but the author uses mystery to set it off a little. For example, some chapters or segments will be narrated by an unknown person and this allows the author to reveal some information that the good guys do not know yet. It is a great technique for suspense writing, in my opinion, because it keeps the reader wondering but also allows them to know more about what it going to happen. It makes me want to shout into the book what was just revealed to me so that nothing bad will happen to the good guys. I really enjoy this book and cannot wait to finish it and continue on to the sequel.

"Everyday Use"

For my mini book club I read and presented the short story "Everyday Use." The first time I read it, I thought 'well this seems semi-normal and uncomplicated' but as I read it again and then discussed it in class, I became aware of some topics and ideas that had not occurred to me. One of the questions that bugged me a lot was 'why did Dee change her name?', I just could not figure it out. Even during some of the discussions I could not come up with anything more than a logical guess. It wasn't until Stephanie joined my group did it make sense; she mentioned that the name probably belonged to a Muslim group or society that believes in finding your true African roots, not those of a slave family heritage. Once that idea was planted in my mind the rest of the story really started to make sense. Then I was able to piece together all my other questions, like why did Dee want the churn top, the dasher, and the quilts. Dee's behavior and idea's were those of this group, she basically wanted to take the stuff to show off to her new society and say "look where I came from." Thinking over the story and then discussing it several times with different people helped broaden and deepen my understanding of the story. One thing that I liked to ask, during the discussions,was "what do you think the theme was?" and honestly I got many different opinions and ideas, from things like 'home will always be there' to 'life doesn't always give you what your want' even though when I first read it I thought that it was like a prodigal child who did not completely learn the lesson. I very much enjoyed the story, before and after the discussions, and my favorite part was the ending. I cold not help but smile when I read the last few paragraphs, the fact that the uneducated mother stood up to her college educated, know it all daughter and told her that she could not have what she wanted and that the quilts belonged to Maggie, her sister, who was not use to getting what she wanted. I am glad I was able to read and discuss such an interesting story.

My thoughts on the movie The Spirit

I rented the movie The Spirit because I have always liked the comic book style movies. In my opinion, the movie was good although there were some things about it that either confused me or I did not like. But first some background on the film, the setting was very interesting to me because it was set in Central City and the time period, in my guess, was around the 1920's or 1930's. There is a big gangster feel to the movie and the way it was created adds a comic book feeling to it. The film makers used a combination of digital and real life filming and a black and white color base to create the comic book look. Although it is classified as an action/adventure, among other things, I thought there was a bit of comedy in it, there are many times throughout the movie that made me laugh, like the Spirit's attention to women. The one thing I really liked about the movie was the old detective style it used; the movie was narrated by the Spirit in the old monologue style, so that he says everything, even what he is thinking. One thing that confused me was the character of Death, she was called Lorelei, and she always seemed to be waiting for the Spirit but he would refuse her or say something like "it is not that time yet." Another thing that confused me was the background story of the Spirit, he seemed to have a long lost love, or rather two, but then his character dies and comes back to life (somehow) but he hides his identity from those he loves. I just did not understand why he would do that. Back to the parts I did like, I enjoyed the mystery of it all and the fact that there was some mystery behind the hero of the story that even he is trying to figure out. Overall I enjoyed watching it but I would probably not put it over 25 on my favorites list.