Cultural #2

For my second blog I have decided to use the "Parade of Lights" as a good source of culture. Every year at the beginning of december my hometown puts on a parade with many floats that are colorfully lit. They start the parade off with a bang as fireworks are set off in a amazing display that get people into a good mood. It is amazing to see tons of people brave the cold weather to watch a bunch of floats. As I stood outside in front of my business with many of my family and friends I enjoyed a cold brew. The town was alive with people and the hushed roar of the hundreds of people talking and laughing filled my ears. This was the first year in many that I did not drive or be suckered into riding on a cold ass float like a big frozen tard. This is a cultural experience that I look forward to every year because of the mass bonding that takes place filling me with the christmas spirit.

Cultural #1

For my first cultural blog I decided to do it on going to see Dane Cook's show Isolated Incident at the I wireless center in Moline. This show was not only hilarious, but a good look into our culture and the goings-on that happen. While waiting for the show to start we waited in a huge line to get a nice ice cold draft beer. It was an amuzing observation to see people paying five bucks for a beer and getting a ton of them. It's funny that in a depression people will still shell out a ton of money for 24 ounces of golden delicious treats just to get the night started and have some fun. During the show the mood of the crowd worked in unison with laughter and overall reaction to jokes. I found it very interesting that people of different types can come together for one night of humor.

Om du slöde bort din tid som översätter denna därefter, är du glad.

So the final blog for the semester, I would hafta say about time. I was starting to run out of shit to talk about. I usually tend to just sit at the keyboard and freetype till I feel like I have enough. Sometimes I get onto a topic that I am adamant about and that can get fun, but most of the time I like my vagueness. I guess I will talk today about video games and why men more than women like them. I grew up at the beginning of the video gaming industry, always kicking ass and loving every minute of it. I always wondered why women didn't like video games, even though the girls my age grew up in the same environment they never got into it. I can't see why not, games contrary to popular belief are quite beneficial to you. They improve hand eye coordination and they also can help boring people develop a sense of imagination. Now the government uses video games to help train today's soldiers which makes for better, smarter and more technologically proficient fighters. The only problem with video games is the fact that when you get the newest, best one, then you can't wait to see what's next. It is a neverending cycle of anticipation and why women don't like them. I think that it's hot when women play video games, I don't know why but there is something about a person of the opposite sex that shares something in common that is largely populated by males. Most people view video gamers as virgins with bad acne, but in my experience I have found that most hardcore gamers are in their 30's and are married. They are pry just using it as a way to escape the monotony of life. I think that video games are a great escape from the boring everyday and now with consoles like the Wii they can be enjoyed by the entire family.

What is the world coming to?*

Have you seen this stuff in the news about muslims in the U.S.A. calling for attacks against Americans? They are standing on the corners and preaching this shit and authorities say they can't do anything because they are protected by rights. WHAT THE FUCK? If they are in our country and calling for attacks then they shouldn't have rights. I don't care who you are, if you wan't to do that shit I think you should be hung from a tree and beaten to death. For all you who think this is harsh or would seek to back these terrorist then I say you get the same. If this shit was in my town they would not be spouting that garbage for long. Rights are for people who want to be in America and now they want to put terrorists in Illinois. The prison in Thomson, IL is where they want to put these terror suspects from Gitmo and the reps for the state say it will bring around 3,000 jobs. I think they were better off not being in the center of the United States and what happens if one escapes or worse, they let one go? Is it just me or is this world just falling apart like a leper? Seriously look at all the shit going on in the world, the weather is crazy for November, everyone has a theory about how the world is going to end in 2012. There's also like a million other things going on that beg the question, "What the fuck?" All this stuff leads me to wonder, what if every thing is just going down the tubes. If you believe in the bible then you would pry say it is the end of days as most of these bible thumpers are. Most people live in ignorance and I wish I could because ignorance truely is bliss.

Still writing the good write.

Ahh, back again for another week of writing and how far I have come this semester. I really like the ad analysis paper that we have. I think that in a way it was a useful exercise, espcially if you are one to be subconsiously influenced. The only problem I have with this writing unit is the fact that now I can't watch a stupid commercial without analyzing everything that I see. It can be quite taxing if you work in an environment surrounded by advertising. I think that with this exercise I am one step closer to writing more efficiently and with a wider view of my surrounding world. This ad analysis actually gave me a little insight into how a work of literature is viewed by a consumer. I am currently writing a plot outline for a video game developer that I hope will be used and made into a game. Using the structural knowledge I have learned through these writing assignments I believe that I am becoming a more confident and outgoing writer. Even though I have always found myself to be more of a verbal person, I like the fact that I am rounding that out with being an effective writer. Not too many weeks left in the semester and I am intrigued to see what will become of my writing in the final weeks of this class.

Getting Offended is for Losers!

So I was watching South Park on Comedy Central the other day and was remarking how offensive they are. If you haven't noticed, I think that South Park is pry one of the most offensive show on t.v. and thats what makes it awesome. They are not afraid to make fun of all the stupid crap in the world and they also convey their opinion on social and political issues. For example one of the latest episodes pokes fun at all the dead celebrities, the ghost hunter shows and toddler pageants. I mean, they didn't even wait long after Michael Jackson was dead to make an episode making fun of him. They push the limit of moral boundries and then take it to another level. They also show all of the recently deceased celebrities and depict them as all going to hell. Then they show Michael Jackson dressing up as a little white girl for a beauty pageant and show how horrible all the mothers of the little girls are. What makes this an interesting topic is the fact that they do this every season and get away with more offensive and immoral issues each time. Thats why this show is one of the greatest shows ever, for one reason I cannot be offended. I think that everything is funny and you can make fun of anything without feeling guilty. If religious people saw this episode showing loved famous people going to hell they would be so offended and would get mad. I think that is one thing that the creators of South Park are going for, they are playing the general public for fools. The public get all flustered and angry when they are shown something that offends them that they don't even realize that that was the point all along. I think it's funny to piss people off and they get all mad when in reality it's so stupid to get pissed off and offended. I will give you an example from my own life, when I see something like violent killing or mutilation I laugh. Not because I think it's funny, but because that's just how I deal with it. You might think it's weird, but it is my way of dealing with it and I could care less if people are pissed about it. For example I went to see Passion of the Christ with a couple friends, the theatre was full of old people and when it got to the part with the Roman soldier whipping him I was like oh my god and laughed. You should have seen all these people look at my friends and myself in disgust. Although I wasn't laughing at the prospect of Jesus getting a beating, I was just dealing with it the same as I always do. That and I think that most of the stuff in the bible is made up by a corrupt group of religious extremists to control the populance. How many of you who read that last sentence were offended? See it's a prime example that just because I don't get offended by what most people do then people in turn are offended by that. It's the short end of the stick, but thats why I don't get offended because life is to short to get mad at everything that people say. I think that I have only just scratched the surface of the underlying message that a prime time show like South Park is trying to say. I think that you get the jist of it, that being offended is pointless and if any of you were offended by this post then I would like to hear your complaintes although it will bear no weight in changing my mind I still offer fair input.

Back to the writing board again.

Hmmm, what to write about for this week's blog assignment. I would go into detail about how my writing has improved and how I think that I am growing together with my inner writer. However, that would be blowing smoke up your ass and I would hate to lie more than I already do. It's only been two weeks since my last blog on writing and I think that I am just keeping with that pace. Since then I have written a travel essay, a couple blogs and a few random quips here and there. I don't think that that little bit of writing has broadened my skills as a writer by much. Sure the travel essay was something new and was an interesting piece that I can add to my writing portfolio. I enjoy writing, but the truth of it is that I need a refresher and the chance to bone my skills up. I want to be a movie director and I have written many scenes and filmed more than I can remeber.
I need the writing skills to sharpen my ability to write better dialogue and scene descriptions, as well as plot outlines. These are skills that are nessesary to a budding director and therefore will only help and not hinder me. The only problem with writing a blog about my writing is the fact that after awhile the words turn into mindless dribble and the reader gets a little lost, if not confused. This has always been a problem when I write, or do anything at all. I have a tendency to get bored very easily and then I am just putting filler on the page and not writing anything of value or depth. The nice thing about making movies as opposed to writing for me is the fact that I never get bored behind the camera. I usually don't write much of the scenes that I film down on paper because I am an improvisational director and everything is thought out as I film. This in some way is like writing, but really fast and very sporadic.
Truth is, I have more trouble writing because I want to put every detail on the page and that can get a little overwhelming sometimes and ends up in a crazy jumble of bullshit that no one understands. Most would say this is where the revision process comes to play, but I hate revising. If I can't get it right the first time, then I get bored and become uninterested and that in itself is the most difficult aspect of my writing.

It's the end of the world as we know it. Or is it?

So I'm sure all of you have heard of the theories of the end of the world. The question that remains in the back of all our minds is, are they true or just the product of human imagination. I have read alot of the Nostrodomus predictions, most of them are just dribble and cryptic. I have read revelations in the bible, and even though I don't believe that the bible has much useful material, I think that there is some interesting things in it. The Mayan calender ends on December 21, 2012 and most people think that this date is when the world will end. How do we know, maybe they just got bored with continuing the calender for over a thousand years and said "that's enough." What about the scientific explanation about the alignment of the planets to a certain point in our galaxy that only happens once in 54,000 years. This explanation dictates that the polarity of the earth will be reversed, possible making all of our electronics useless. If this happens then it is possible that the Nostrodomus prediction of man going back to sticks and stones could be fulfilled. All of these theories and predictions are fun to entertain and even for some of us exciting, there is still the theory that aliens will come to our aid in the waning years of the earths life. Though this theory sounds like a bunch of bullshit to some people, it is the same as all the others. Truth is, we don't know if any of this is going to happen, if at all. I however would like to hear what everyone thinks on this subject and for people who want a challenge here is the test on your observational skills. Watch the movie "Knowing" with Nick Cage and tell me what the underlying message is in that movie. I will give you a hint, it's a theory that is well known to a select group of people, and the movie secretly gives hints to an actual theory. If you figure it out then you are well versed and open minded. If not then don't worry cuz your safe in your little box.

Writing the 6th week.

So I have been thrown back into the mix of writing again. I haven't done this much writing ever in my life and I think that it is really stepping up my game. This newfound love of writing couldn't have come at a better time in my life. I started to write a couple books, started meaning I just sit on the couch and watch t.v. till I can get up the gusto to write. Seems that when I get done with homework my mind does not want to work and I can't blame it. I think that typing out these blogs is a real challenge for me, not the ones about random discussion topics, but the ones on myself as a writer. I could just sum it up in a paragraph or so and be done with it, unfortunately I do not get the luxury of doing that. This is why it is a challenge, I am not complaining, merely stating that I am having my writing witt tested. I think that in the long run these exercises will help me to become a better writer, or so I hope. I do tend to dissapoint myself alot and arguing with the other voices in my head about what to type out is somewhat of a burden at times. One part of me wants to write about myself and the other doesn't, making these little exercises tougher and therefore more rewarding if I am successful in conveying myself as a competent writer. Right now, my writing is all off the top of my head, spontaneous wording is how I like to roll. Some people have to stop and think of what to write and I can just sit at a computer and type till I think it looks good enough to use. The downside of this is the fact that I never like what I have typed and perfectionism starts to rear it's ugly head and bite me. So in all I would say that my writing is coming into it's own and starting to show some potential. Over the next few weeks I guess it will be determined whether or not my writing will rank up there with the big dogs, or be stuck down in the bottom layer of literary ingenuity.

I hated G.W. Bush before it was cool.

An old subject of controversy was brought back to life during a dicussion I had with a friend today. I thought it would be interesting to see how many people out there have an opinion on this matter. The controversy was over the september 11th terrorist attacks, or as I like to call it, the bush is a doushe conspiracy theory. Although it is not a theory it is fact in my opinion and I would like to know your own views on this forgotton subject. In 2001 I was awakened by a phone call from my dad, he was telling me that we were being attacked. The first thing that came to my head was the movie "Red Dawn" with the late patrick swayze. As I, like many people, were glued to the t.v. for hours, I witnessed firsthand the historic events as they played out in real time.
I watched the second plane crash into the second tower and continued to watch as people were jumping from the buildings to the streets below. This horrible sight was unbelivable to watch, and to think that I was around to witness one of the biggest events in our history. As I watched the towers start to fall I noticed something, there were little explosions that ran up the building before they began to fall. Even as I watched them fall I couldn't help but think it looked an aweful lot like a planned demoliton of a building. In the following years, after we went to Afghanistan and then Iraq, I had done all kinds of reseach into the conspiracy theory. How the Bush administration were responsible for the september 11th attacks and not terrorists. I have watched many documentaries on the events of that fateful day and I belive that as sick as it sounds, our own government is responsible for attacking our own country to get us to go to war and take the oil from these countries.
It is so sad that so many people have to die for peoples greed. What's even more sad is the fact that we are in part responsible, we take advantage of being able to cruise around and buy big gas guzzling vehicles. We don't relize that tons of people lose their lives in the pursuit of fossil fuels. I'm not saying I don't like the ease of being able to get gas and cruise when I like, if I can afford it. It is because of this demand that contributed in part to the events of september 11th. Most people like to shoot these claims of a conspiracy down, partly because they are ignorant and narrow minded. I think it's because deep down we don't want to admit that our government could do such an atrocious thing. Bush is like a messy child, he came in a fucked everything up and left our economy and morale in shambles and left.
Now that he is gone, Obama is expected to clean up after his mess. I think that instead of fighting terrorists in some other country, we should fight the ones in this country first. It is because of the actions of our government that our society is on the verge of collapse and soon we will be a third world country, worthless and self loathing. I know this was on the verge of a rant, but if you are one of the people who belive that september 11th was terrorists, then I invite you to visit these websites. (zeitgeist.com and loosechange.com) these are only a few of the sites that you can find some very incriminating evidence of the conspiracy. If you would like to debate this with me, then you better bring your A game.

Another View of Myself as a Writer.

Over the past few weeks I have noticed a huge difference in the way I used to write and the way I write now. I used to just get the point out and that was all there was to my writing. There wasn't alot of depth and I didn't go into alot of detail about a great many things. Now I am starting to find myself through my writing. I have not found my writing to be anything of value or even worth my time over the years. This was a big problem when I started my first year of college this fall. Now as the weeks accumulate I am finding out that my writing is starting to peak out from the shadow of vagueness. When I sit down in front of the computer now I am able to bring more of the writer out in me. I am able to put more effort into my writing and at the same time get my view out and on the page. In the following weeks I am very anxious to see how my writing will change and how it will be filled with a more descriptive aspect of myself as an up and coming writer. Maybe with a little more time and alot more conviction I will be able to shine through the canopy of my previous writing and onto a new landscape of creativeness. Coming out of the cocoon of lazy writing and emerging into the world as a beautiful butterfly of words.

Don't wake up till you stop dreaming.

This week I would like to address a growing interest and controversy involving dreams. This may seem like a weird subject to some people, being as most folk just pass dreams off as something that happens when you sleep. If you are wondering why I chose this subject I will tell you it was because of some recent dreams I have had and all the time spent pondering their meanings. I will discuss my theory on what happens during the R.E.M. stage of sleep. For those of you who don’t know, R.E.M. stands for rapid eye movement, not the band which by the way is awesome. My theory about what happens when you go into this deep stage of sleep is that your mind wanders from your body. To be more clear, I would say that your soul in essence travels from your body to a safe zone where it is free to create anything.

Now this does sound weird, but dreams are one of the most beautiful and creative art form that the body can produce. I believe that the more creative and open minded you are, the crazier the dreams and thus the more satisfying, if you can remember them when you wake up. A couple weeks ago I splurged on one of those memory foam pillows and it was one of the best purchases I have made in awhile. Since that day I have consistently had really long dreams, I mean freaking long. I have never dreamt like that in my life, they are super long and are different every day. Now since then, I have actually tried to categorize my dreams and make some sense of them, if any could be had. Dreams have been read and interpreted since ancient times, and although we have lost that connection to our spiritual self in today’s society, I believe people are more open than they were even 15 years ago. I noticed that in some of my dreams, they revolved around events and thoughts that I had had during the day. Others were random happenings and a crazy mix of things I most likely wouldn’t normally think of when I am in a conscious state.

Anyways I have theories on everything and I have about ten different ones for dreams, but what I really want out of this blog is for you, the reader, to tell me what you think of dreams and their meanings. Tell me what your interpretations on dreams are, if you think they are nothing, I would be curious to know why. If you have a new outlook on them, or have just had some cool dreams that you would like to share I would be happy to hear them. I hope with this you can widen your view of your minds eye.

Me, Myself and I as a writer.

I tend to think of myself as a perfectionist when I write. The only problem is that as perfect as my writing has to be, there is usually a mistake somewhere. I love to write, but it becomes such a chore because I can write a paragraph, then I will have to erase it because I don't like one sentence. Even when I text, I write with proper grammar and puntuation and I HATE to abbreviate things if I don't have to. My writing always starts out frantic and hard to follow, but after all the revising the story starts to come together and make sense.

When I write I like to use my immense imagination and creative prowess to write stories that make you wish you could live in the world that I have created. I mean isn't that what all writers want, to suck you into the story so you lose track of time and your awarness to all that happens around you? When I am told what to write and how to write it, I think that it should be easy because I am being told exactly how to do an assignment. Though I think it sounds easy, my brain won't allow me to just sit down and write. I stare at the computer or piece of paper for long periods of time and drool. It's like my brain just want's to be stubborn and not make it an easy and quick process.

Though this is frustrating, I still find a way to get all my thoughts out and wrote down. I am a writer that only likes to write about the same stuff that I like to read. For example, I like to read fantasy books with lots of violence and so that's what I like to write about. You won't see me write about murder/mystery because I am not interested nor do I care about stories like this. I try to look at my writing from a third person perspective and analyze my style, so that I might be able to improve upon it. My goal for my writing is to be able to write and publish a book that millions enjoy and apply to their writing. I don't like to dream small and I don't like to write dull.

Last House on the Left

I just watched the new DVD release of the 1972 horror, suspense thriller remake" The Last House on the Left." Even though it was director Dennis Lliadis' first real major motion picture I thought he did a pretty good job of bringing this movie together. He used alot of standard angle shots but still, you could get a sense of his style. The problem I had with his behind the camera prowess, was the fact that he had a few too many drawn out scenes. One scene in particular was the rape scene in the woods. I know it was meant to get the audience angry at the main villain and instill hatred, thus making the audience want blood, still, it was a little much. Though the script did have a pretty decent death in store for the main bad guy, it was an unnecessary evil.

I know that these kind of movies are made to have a seemingly impossible escape from the situations the victims are put in. I would still like to see a smart victim who doesn't do something stupid to put their life in danger. For example, when the main victims first meet the villains of the story in a seedy motel room, they know their life is in danger and one girl hits a bad guy and runs into the bathroom to try to escape. She is successful in getting into the bathroom and she sees a cop driving outside. Instead of breaking the window she just bangs on it screaming with a cell phone in her hand. I mean give me a break, throw the damn phone through the window and then yell.

Now I know that most of you out there would say that if she was able to get the cops attention, then the movie would most likely end there. I see this point and I would say "Whatever." Because if that were the case then I wouldn't have had to waste 114 minutes of my time. So if you are not a fan of this genre or don't have the stomach for some controversial scenes, then this movie is not for you. If you are a fan of this kind of movie, then it is worth at least one viewing. Every movie is worth watching once, because every movie is like a painting in the fact no two are ever alike.

Letter of Intro.

INTRODUCING MYSELF

August 25, 2009


Ms. Stephanie Guedet Scott
Professor
Illinois Central College


Dear Ms. Scott:


The purpose of this letter is to give you a little insight into my world and hopefully provide you with an interesting view of my life. I was born in 1983 and was raised in the small town of Minonk. My family and friends are the largest part of my life and I have recently become the proud father of a beautiful baby girl. Since I was young the one thing I wanted was to be a movie director and after many years of working in a factory, I have finally started to work towards that dream. My personal goals for this semester include, maintaining a perfect grade point average and making sure my experiences are well absorbed.


Much of my time as of late is spent with my daughter, although I still find time to do the things I love. My ideal night on the town includes going to the movies, there is nothing like the smell of popcorn and the comforting feeling of being surrounded by the light and sound of a major motion picture. After the movie I’m off to IBC in downtown Normal for a bunch of games of pool and a few beers. Wait, maybe that’s the other way around. Much of my life is devoted to comedy, I literally can’t go one minute without saying something funny or thinking of something amusing.
Although I enjoy a good night out, most of my time is spent running my business in my hometown.

For the last two years I have owned and operated a Martial Arts School. I guess you could say I’m on the physical end of teaching. It’s amazing to watch a student learn from you, then observe them using the techniques to better themselves. I hope in the years to come I can use all of my past experiences to make my dream of Directing come to fruition. If there are any other questions about myself you would like to know I would be happy to answer them.


Sincerely,



Derick M. Jackson


DMJ