Friday, Nov. 15, 1991
1. Today I am Buying Pop-Corn!
2. It is Good!
3. it is So Buttery!
4. I hope There is Pop-Corn Next Week.
*bongo drum*
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
People In My Classes Who Bother Me
- The freshman who thinks that he's still in a high school class of 20 students and he can be “cute” and joke around with the professor in the middle of a lecture. You are not in high school anymore. You are not the center of the world anymore. You are in a university lecture hall with 200 other students. Stop trying to stand out and be friends with the teacher.
- The older lady who has gone back to college now that her kids are out of the house. I don't have a problem with these ladies in general... My own mother is one of them. I'm irritated by the ones that apparently think the class is just like having lunch with friends or Good News Minute in Relief Society. In one class recently we were talking about the slave trade in the early American colonies. Our token fortysomething raised her hand in the middle of lecture and said, “You know, I remember when 'Roots' came out and it was just such a realistic depiction of slavery. It was just so awful the things these people went through...” That was the comment. Sure, none of it was untrue. But it added literally nothing to the discussion. Nobody learned anything from what she said. She didn't ask a question. It was barely even relevant.
That same lady also commented during a lecture about the early native peoples of North America. When the Four Corners area was mentioned, she raised her hand and told us all how when her son was on a mission someone told him how someone they know heard that President Hinckley said once that he'll never visit the Four Corners because that's where the Gadianton Robbers lived. It was kind of hilarious because the professor even called it out, asking if she was sure it was for real or just Mission Gossip. She, of course, swore up and down that it was true.
- The guy who comes in 15 minutes late and sits in the center of the front row. Since the door is at the front of the room, he's facing the class as he walks in and always has this stupid grin on his face as he looks at us, as if he's joining his peeps in someone's basement to watch a movie or something. He raises his hand about 15 times a class and always has the stupidest questions or jokes that add nothing to the lecture. Nobody thinks he's funny, but he always feels the need to pipe up.
- The hefty gentleman with BO who always sat next to me for some reason- in both of the classes we happened to have together.
- The girl who was a Middle East studies major and always felt the need to say so. I had like three different classes with her, one of which was a course about Islam. From the way she talked, it sometimes seemed like she thought she was a better authority than the professor. I swear, half of her comments started with “Well, I'm a Middle East studies major, so...” or "I actually study Arabic, and actually..."
- The guy in my Art History class who thinks that every work of art is supposed to symbolize genitalia. He sounded like he was trying to sound really smart (“This work seems almost Freudian with the tower in the middle there...”), but everybody just thought he had a dirty mind, or maybe he thought that by finding wieners in art and mentioning Freud would impress the professor. It was kinda funny seeing the prof try to respectfully disagree.
- The young parent that brings their baby to class. Thankfully, this doesn't happen very often and I'm quite sure most student-parents don't do this except in extreme circumstances where they don't have a choice. It's just that a university class is no place for a baby. I love babies, but not when I'm trying to pay attention in class and the kid is crying or goo-gooing. Paying attention is hard enough without that racket, and especially when all you want to do is hold the baby and pinch his chubby cheeks. Have some respect, you little punk.
- The older lady who has gone back to college now that her kids are out of the house. I don't have a problem with these ladies in general... My own mother is one of them. I'm irritated by the ones that apparently think the class is just like having lunch with friends or Good News Minute in Relief Society. In one class recently we were talking about the slave trade in the early American colonies. Our token fortysomething raised her hand in the middle of lecture and said, “You know, I remember when 'Roots' came out and it was just such a realistic depiction of slavery. It was just so awful the things these people went through...” That was the comment. Sure, none of it was untrue. But it added literally nothing to the discussion. Nobody learned anything from what she said. She didn't ask a question. It was barely even relevant.
That same lady also commented during a lecture about the early native peoples of North America. When the Four Corners area was mentioned, she raised her hand and told us all how when her son was on a mission someone told him how someone they know heard that President Hinckley said once that he'll never visit the Four Corners because that's where the Gadianton Robbers lived. It was kind of hilarious because the professor even called it out, asking if she was sure it was for real or just Mission Gossip. She, of course, swore up and down that it was true.
- The guy who comes in 15 minutes late and sits in the center of the front row. Since the door is at the front of the room, he's facing the class as he walks in and always has this stupid grin on his face as he looks at us, as if he's joining his peeps in someone's basement to watch a movie or something. He raises his hand about 15 times a class and always has the stupidest questions or jokes that add nothing to the lecture. Nobody thinks he's funny, but he always feels the need to pipe up.
- The hefty gentleman with BO who always sat next to me for some reason- in both of the classes we happened to have together.
- The girl who was a Middle East studies major and always felt the need to say so. I had like three different classes with her, one of which was a course about Islam. From the way she talked, it sometimes seemed like she thought she was a better authority than the professor. I swear, half of her comments started with “Well, I'm a Middle East studies major, so...” or "I actually study Arabic, and actually..."
- The guy in my Art History class who thinks that every work of art is supposed to symbolize genitalia. He sounded like he was trying to sound really smart (“This work seems almost Freudian with the tower in the middle there...”), but everybody just thought he had a dirty mind, or maybe he thought that by finding wieners in art and mentioning Freud would impress the professor. It was kinda funny seeing the prof try to respectfully disagree.
- The young parent that brings their baby to class. Thankfully, this doesn't happen very often and I'm quite sure most student-parents don't do this except in extreme circumstances where they don't have a choice. It's just that a university class is no place for a baby. I love babies, but not when I'm trying to pay attention in class and the kid is crying or goo-gooing. Paying attention is hard enough without that racket, and especially when all you want to do is hold the baby and pinch his chubby cheeks. Have some respect, you little punk.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
A Profound Philosophical Post.
Since today is Star Wars Day, and I friggin love Star Wars, I suppose I should say a few words about it. I'm watching A New Hope right now, and I'm thinking of what made this whole thing so popular and successful. I think I've come up with a few ideas. And while there are plenty of things about Star Wars that contribute to its awesomeness, a few main ones have a greater effect than the others. And it was by neglecting these things that George Lucas managed to make the prequels suck.
My first instinct is to credit the concept. The mythology of the Star Wars universe is original and interesting. But there are plenty of sci-fi/fantasy stories that have interesting concepts, some skillfully executed, others not so much. The weapons, scenery, characters, and other stuff are cool, but that doesn't explain the popularity the first movie managed to start. Plenty of movies could have interesting stuff, but something made people drawn to this.
Star Wars is a story about spaceships and aliens. Adventures in Space! But it doesn't throw that in your face. You see all these other movies and TV shows that are all, “LOOK! It's SCIENCE FICTIOOOOON!” They are aware of their sci-fi identity, and they stick to it. But Star Wars doesn't treat itself like a sci-fi story. Rather, it uses other genres to tell a story about things that happen to take place in space.
Think about it. Star Wars has it all. Swordfighting. Magic. Pirates. Gangsters. Aerial dogfighting. Romance. Tribes of primitive jungle natives. Gunslingers. Spies. Knights. A prophet in the wilderness. Religion. A princess in jeopardy. An evil empire fighting a rebellion. Politics. You could tag dozens of different stories in each of these genres. But Star Wars manages to put them all in the same story, and yet you don't even notice them. Other attempts to mash up different genres can easily be obvious and poorly handled. Firefly is well done, but it's a clear mix of space and western genres. In Star Wars, you don't even notice.
Another part of the whole not being too sci-fi self-aware is that it doesn't make a big deal about the sci-fi-ness. In Star Trek, they tend to be all, “Look you guys, it's a Holo-Deck! Isn't this tricorder cool? I have a laser gun!” The other shows tend to show off how cool stuff is and use the futuristic setting as a blank check to solve problems and fill plot holes. In Star Wars, they bring you into a world that still has a lot of the same problems ours does, it just happens to have different technology and stuff.
Now, the problem is that George Lucas didn't seem to have a real awareness of the secret to his own success. The prequels suck. Not because the story was bad, but because Lucas put more of a priority on the things that made other stories mediocre. They're all about “Look at this cool thing! Now look at this cool thing! It's SCIENCE FICTIOOOOON!” It was like he wanted to sell toys more than tell an interesting story. They tried to add to the mix of genres, throwing in racing, gladiators, and ground battles, but it wasn't as seamless as before. The podracing wasn't really necessary... the plot could have moved a different, more interesting way. But more merchandise could be made with podracing.
The original movies were rugged and real-feeling. That made them relatable. It was easier to feel like a part of them. The prequels were crisp and shiny, making them fun to look at, but not really deep. It's kind of like the difference between the girl who bleaches her hair, gets a boob job and wears nothing but pink, thinking that's all it takes to get a guy and the girl who actually has personality, interests, and passions. Sure, the first one might be good-looking, but you pick the second one because there is more to what a person is looking for than looks. The prequels are good for mindless entertainment, but the original movies are the kind you take home to Mom.
My first instinct is to credit the concept. The mythology of the Star Wars universe is original and interesting. But there are plenty of sci-fi/fantasy stories that have interesting concepts, some skillfully executed, others not so much. The weapons, scenery, characters, and other stuff are cool, but that doesn't explain the popularity the first movie managed to start. Plenty of movies could have interesting stuff, but something made people drawn to this.
Star Wars is a story about spaceships and aliens. Adventures in Space! But it doesn't throw that in your face. You see all these other movies and TV shows that are all, “LOOK! It's SCIENCE FICTIOOOOON!” They are aware of their sci-fi identity, and they stick to it. But Star Wars doesn't treat itself like a sci-fi story. Rather, it uses other genres to tell a story about things that happen to take place in space.
Think about it. Star Wars has it all. Swordfighting. Magic. Pirates. Gangsters. Aerial dogfighting. Romance. Tribes of primitive jungle natives. Gunslingers. Spies. Knights. A prophet in the wilderness. Religion. A princess in jeopardy. An evil empire fighting a rebellion. Politics. You could tag dozens of different stories in each of these genres. But Star Wars manages to put them all in the same story, and yet you don't even notice them. Other attempts to mash up different genres can easily be obvious and poorly handled. Firefly is well done, but it's a clear mix of space and western genres. In Star Wars, you don't even notice.
Another part of the whole not being too sci-fi self-aware is that it doesn't make a big deal about the sci-fi-ness. In Star Trek, they tend to be all, “Look you guys, it's a Holo-Deck! Isn't this tricorder cool? I have a laser gun!” The other shows tend to show off how cool stuff is and use the futuristic setting as a blank check to solve problems and fill plot holes. In Star Wars, they bring you into a world that still has a lot of the same problems ours does, it just happens to have different technology and stuff.
Now, the problem is that George Lucas didn't seem to have a real awareness of the secret to his own success. The prequels suck. Not because the story was bad, but because Lucas put more of a priority on the things that made other stories mediocre. They're all about “Look at this cool thing! Now look at this cool thing! It's SCIENCE FICTIOOOOON!” It was like he wanted to sell toys more than tell an interesting story. They tried to add to the mix of genres, throwing in racing, gladiators, and ground battles, but it wasn't as seamless as before. The podracing wasn't really necessary... the plot could have moved a different, more interesting way. But more merchandise could be made with podracing.
The original movies were rugged and real-feeling. That made them relatable. It was easier to feel like a part of them. The prequels were crisp and shiny, making them fun to look at, but not really deep. It's kind of like the difference between the girl who bleaches her hair, gets a boob job and wears nothing but pink, thinking that's all it takes to get a guy and the girl who actually has personality, interests, and passions. Sure, the first one might be good-looking, but you pick the second one because there is more to what a person is looking for than looks. The prequels are good for mindless entertainment, but the original movies are the kind you take home to Mom.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
#2
Jan. 7, 1992
Ther's A Kind of Shape
That isn't qiet A triangle.
it is called A Parimyd.
They Are 3 Triangles
Pute Together.
they are in egypt.
that is Wher Mummys come
From.
*bongo drum*
Ther's A Kind of Shape
That isn't qiet A triangle.
it is called A Parimyd.
They Are 3 Triangles
Pute Together.
they are in egypt.
that is Wher Mummys come
From.
*bongo drum*
Saturday, April 10, 2010
You are Welcome to Snap Enthusiastically.
Have you ever seen William Shatner reading quotes from Sarah Palin as poetry? It's hilarious. I'd post a link to a video, but my work computer has YouTube blocked. I'm not sure why...
Anyway, I recently acquired a large store of archaeological artifacts from my childhood. One such artifact is my school journal from first grade. This is some righteous stuff, man. I think it works great as some far out indie poetry. So here's the first of a series of entries comprising some wicked sick poems. I will do my best to preserve all of the spelling, capitalizations and punctuation. In this one, the last word is supposed to be underlined, but Blogger apparently doesn't believe in underlining things.
Jan. 30, 1992
Cars, Trucks, and Vans, Have
Lots of Parts to them.
there are Wheels, Windows,
Doors, Seats, A Stearing
Wheel, And electricity
*bongo drum*
Anyway, I recently acquired a large store of archaeological artifacts from my childhood. One such artifact is my school journal from first grade. This is some righteous stuff, man. I think it works great as some far out indie poetry. So here's the first of a series of entries comprising some wicked sick poems. I will do my best to preserve all of the spelling, capitalizations and punctuation. In this one, the last word is supposed to be underlined, but Blogger apparently doesn't believe in underlining things.
Jan. 30, 1992
Cars, Trucks, and Vans, Have
Lots of Parts to them.
there are Wheels, Windows,
Doors, Seats, A Stearing
Wheel, And electricity
*bongo drum*
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