entry 11: Final Blog Reflection

Over the last few weeks I have been posting on this blog for a number of topics that were assigned by my instructor, as well as things I could talk about that relate to me personally. I believe this is one of the coolest assignments a student could ask for because you get to be personal yet professional which makes the writing environment more comfortable than any other I have experienced. I enjoyed this assignment very much because I felt like I was reaching out to the world with my posts which made me really think about what I wanted to write. I found it troubling to come up with an idea for a self-generated topics but once I knew what I wanted to talk about it was all forward progression from there. All in all, Blogging proved to be exiting yet soothing. It was exiting to get my ideas out into the internet as well as expanding my audience to anyone with internet potentially. I found it soothing because I felt no tension when writing. Usually I feel as though my instructor is going to not like something I say or like something I say that I would not have written if I was writing for myself. This project, as well as the class, really gave me that opportunity to write for the purpose of writing and not to get a good grade.

I personally took every post very seriously only because I did not want a future employer to bring up a post that I wasn't trying to be professional with. I also felt like anyone reading my blog would only continue reading if it was serious and interesting which is something I wanted even though I know bot to many people would be checking out this page. I knew not too many people would be looking at my blog, but I still wanted it to sound like a real author wrote it and not a college student.

There was not too much I learned about blogging other than to be professional and real because nobody is going to keep reading if the topics are not interesting and the rhetoric isn't there. I focused a lot of my attention on rhetoric and keeping my topics very in tune with the reader. I learned that signing off and having visual appeal is all another part of keeping the reader engaged in the blog. I also learned the being personal can make the writing easily connectable to others. In the beginning I thought the opposite in that the more personal with the writing you are the less the reader will understand. Really there are people out there who can relate to me personally on any topic I chose to write about.

For the class, I think that it was a very good for getting real world writing experience as well as getting up close and personal with the words being put out. I believe blogging should be an assignment for all students starting from high school just as an easy way to express yourself without having to think about the grading block. There has never been a more comfortable writing environment than the one provided by the blogging experience. If I could change anything about it would have to be the amount of blog posts due at each grading period. I really had to manage time well in order to complete the blogs on time and when it did come down to the wire I noticed my blogs weren't as insightful or meaningful to me or the person reading it. The idea of having a self-generated blog after every topic based blog was nice, yet there could have been a little bit less of the self-generated blogs to maybe cut back on some of the frantic last minute posts.

I think everyone should have some form of personal writing time to get out thoughts and think critically about thoughts running through one’s head. It is healthy to write and the best way to write is when you are comfortable. Try it yourself and see how it makes you feel when you connect with someone in another city or country and can relate to a person you have never met on so many levels. I plan to keep writing in my blog even though the course is over I think it is a healthy way to get out ideas and thoughts that drive the regular person insane. I would say students in particular but I believe everyone should try to have this connection. Try it and let me know what it does for you and if it proves to be as easy for you as it was for me.

Entry 10: Super Smash Bros. Melee

Today I am going to shed light on one of my other passions in life and that is the video game, Super Smash Bros. Melee. This game has become a big part of my life in the past two years for many reasons. I enjoy it for its depth and unlimited potential as a fighting game, and because it also includes all of my favorite Nintendo characters from my youth.

One of my friends, Tyler and I one day stumbled across my old GameCube and decided to pop in my copy of Super Smash Bros. Melee that I had thrown in a box. We instantly fell in love with the feel of the game, and we played for hours and hours that first day. That is what caught our attention, but what snagged it was when another friend of mine, Shawn came over to play with us and he demolished us, smashed us. He was using techniques and moves we had never even thought of. He would hit us once and we would die, it was that simple. But what is more sophisticated is what he was actually doing, he was slurring together button presses and we couldn't keep up. This is when Tyler and I figured out just how deep and intricate this game really was. From that day on Tyler and I have worked to get to the next level, and we did this by countless hours of practice and watching videos of pro players to try and figure out what exactly they do.

One of the players that truly inspired us was, Mango. Considered to be by many the best Super Smash Bros. Melee player of all time, he was fast, he was in your face, and he was cocky about it. His amazingly technical and fast gameplay really opened our eyes and helped us see the potential that this game really has. In particular, Mango was in the last match of a championship game against the most worthy competitor and he styled on him and made him look like Tyler and I against Shawn.

As time passed we became better and better as we pushed each other to that next level, and it wasn’t until our first competitive tournament that we realized that we were better than the average player. We were improving, fast. Then one day Shawn came over to play with us, and we didn’t win but we didn’t get smashed. We put fear into him, and made him realize that if he wanted to still beat us, he is going to need to practice, just like us.  

Entry 9: Pink Slime

Americans should really consider if the convenience and low price is worth the dangerous side effects that the meat could have on your children. One controversial topic, is schools including a mix that contains … Schools meat contains "30 percent all beef and 70 percent" of the controversial mixture. This is alarming to me because it is unsure what is even in the beef mixture at this point. So why would we even consider feeding it to the youth.

It has been found that fast food restaurant, McDonalds has been using a "pink slime" substitute in there meat.This substitute contains Ammonia Hydroxide and as described in the video as the leftover cuts from the animal. As alarming as it sounds, thanks to the efforts of celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver who managed to rally enough attention on the subject of Ammonia Hydroxide. This caused McDonalds to remove the chemical from their meat. People are considering putting this pink goop into the meat of our children's lunch.

  I believe we should be taking as much care of the children and the average American. I think Fast-food chains should have a Sin Tax on beef that has any chemicals or percentages of beef to make it more expensive than other healthier options like a homemade sandwich. In order for change to occur, we the people have to make a difference in the choices we make when considering what to eat

Entry 8: Organic Foods

Have you ever wondered where the meat in your local grocery stores comes from? Ever thought about how they make your burgers at fast food joint? How about when it comes out so fast and you know it's not fresh. Do we even care that our burgers are sitting under heat lamps until we pull up, or that we have tomatoes in season all year? Parents should be looking out for what their children are eating and if we don't know where it's coming from how will we ever know if it is safe to eat.

Today if you go to the supermarket you will see signs for organic sprinkled throughout the store on various products. Most of the time it will cost more and probably not be the same color you are used to, but what is important is where it came from. That is why I will always reach for the organic option on the shelves. Whether it be applesauce or beef I believe the organic choice is the better one when you consider all the chemicals and additives that are finding themselves very comfortable in industrialized food

I understand the people who are living on low wages and have a whole family to support. I have been there myself where my mom didn't have enough to pay bills let alone buy food for us to eat. When we discovered better ways of eating though we always made the effort to do so even if it meant we were only getting veggies. If that meant sacrificing chips and soda then so be it. We were looking to have a better, healthier life and the best way to do that is to watch what you eat. So it is possible to eat like this it just might not be as salty or as full of sugar but it is what your body needs in order to function properly.

The change has to start at home. If everyone had a garden like in WWII, fresh untouched, and chemical free veggies would be just outside the back door. What really needs to change in our supermarkets is the need for local food that supports the small businesses around us. Because the more you support that farmer, the easier it will be for him to drop prices. As well as, expand to make the product more accessible. Shelves in the supermarket should be cluttered with organic and natural whole foods. The days of cheap processing and preservatives are over. We need to shift the light in a positive direction and I think that direction is organic. 

Entry 7: Fresh

After watching the film Fresh by Ana Sophia Joanes I felt about what I really wanted to be putting into my body. I never wanted to start a garden more in my life. This weekend I actually started a garden that my mother and I will be taking care of this time of year. It’s nothing to live off of because you need meat and grain but it makes for amazing vegetables like kale, tomatoes, onions, and carrots. This video connected with me because I enjoy planting and gardening but it is another activity my mom and I can do where we both get something out of it.

Her tone was a little sad and depressing but she gets more joyous towards the end when talking about the way people are starting to transition into a new way of getting food. That could be feeding cattle, or starting up a garden. Just keeping the food you eat natural and organic is so much better for you than eating out at a local fast food. It is especially important to have parents feeding their growing kids healthy food and not crap that has been processed and handled but ten different people; pulled through the grime and cooked on a nasty grill that hasn't been cleaned for god knows how long.

This documentary has made me realize that it is possible to eat healthy and still have good food. Also, it is worth spending the extra money because you are getting what you pay for. If you have a garden going you can save on what you grow. Local farmers markets are the best place to find good healthy food.

My personal opinion of the film is it has many alternatives to bad eating habits. These come in handy when you go into the supermarket and see the perfectly white symmetrical eggs, with a shiny glisten from the bleach used to make it white. These come in handy when you go into the supermarket and see the perfectly white symmetrical eggs, with a shiny glisten from the bleach used to make it white. I think the film did a good job of showing the reality of the current food industry. After watching it I had a change of heart in what I wanted to be putting into my body. 

People should share this information and this message should be all over the news. It matters that Americans see this and understand how wrong they are treating themselves. Farmers markets should be on every corner instead of a couple every few miles. It only takes a couple of stores to turn a community around and start eating healthy.  

Entry 6: Matched or traditional grip?

All throughout junior high I was so happy to get into high school to get onto drum line and do super cool rolls and tricks that would make people go nuts! During my time in junior high I played on this old snare that was in horrible shape and I would bang on that with all my might, trying to make things sound decent for when I transitioned to high school drum line. Unfortunately for me all I knew how to do was push sticks hard into the snare to make it almost buzz.

 When I took my first lessons the summer of my eighth grade year, I was introduced to a new way of playing. Because I knew what I wanted to play in high school, my drum teacher Brett was totally on board and exited to get me working on my hand technique. What I didn't know was that it was going to take a lot more time then I was anticipating.

What I ended up learning the first day was a new way to hold the drum sticks that was going to be the requirement for kids on snare line. I knew if I wanted to make it I would have to be very effective at this new grip so I took hours of my day in the beginning just working on rudiments and cadences with my new grip style. I eventually became more comfortable playing like this then I was with what is called matched grip.

I had come up with some conclusions as to why one might use one or the other and I had heard some reasons why you might use traditional. For instance I heard back in the day when they had tilted drums it was easier to play traditional. Not until recently did I actually do some research to find out what would be best for me now that I am out of drum line and mostly play set.

I found…

Traditional Grip: it is easier to produce a double or multiple bounce with the left in this grip, because the weight of the hand is mostly under the stick and this allows the response to happen easily. This is only true for a right handed person. Also, it is easier to cross over when playing multiple drums or cymbals, because one hand holds from underneath the stick while the other is over the top and this means there is less interference as the hands cross over each other. Furthermore, it must be remembered that when the drum set came about the traditional grip was it and the drum set is set up for it. That is why some drummers now play the Hi Hat with the left hand (matched grip), so they can avoid crossing the sticks and get more power on the snare. This is a non-issue with traditional grip. Another advantage of traditional grip is that it allows you to tilt your snare drum toward the mounted toms and shortens the distance allowing for quicker changes.

The downside of traditional grip is that is takes longer to develop so that both hands have equal strength and endurance. With traditional grip, your left hand has less reach so if you have an extensive set up it can prove prohibitive

Matched grip: It is easier to develop strength, power and endurance and is easier to facilitate reaching around a large set up. The downside is that, because of the many more muscles involved is takes longer to learn left hand subtlety on graces notes and multiple bounce patterns. It is also harder to cross over in playing multiple surfaces.

After this I came to the conclusion that I was just going to play whatever felt more comfortable at the time since I can do both quite effectively now. If you are looking for advice and you are going into high school I would get really good at traditional. If you are looking to strictly play on the drum set I would just work on the matched to get your fills going faster and stronger without worrying about hand technique so much.

Entry 5: Wall E Realization of Reality

After watching a video such as this, which was just a small clip from a great movie, one begins to think about where our society is going with all of the easy-to-do technology. The video portrays a future culture of big, immobile, and ignorant people who only do as the screens in front of them tell them to do. This makes me personally want to get up off the computer and go run a lap around the block because I feel lazy watching it.

The part from the video that really hit home for me was when the two men were talking on a video call to one another and then it pans out and the guy he is talking to in the call is sliding along right next him. They can’t even turn to one another for communication or interactive purposes that make us human. When basic communication is limited to the people we are friends online with and not those who we interact with in real life, there is little to no reason to get out of bed in the morning.

This technological world we live in is nice and convenient for the most part but this video is showing what it could be like if we continue down this path of destruction. Today we still have live interaction with seen at work or at school, yet we do have ways of communicating technologically in today's society try to stay active and slim. This is relevant to today culture because there are games and social media that keep people from seeing the light of day for weeks at a time.

Something you see in the video that is similar to what you see today is the fashion trends that everyone follows once it is announced or seen. Everyone switches to the blue jumpsuit with the touch of a button and without considering their own opinion. Something else that is similar is how everyone follows the same path every day without looking up to see what’s happening around. The woman in the video was amazed to see the lights and buildings behind the hologram screen. You might see people droning on at work or driving to school as a part of the regular week routine. People get stuck in their ruts and don't look for different ways of doing things that make the "routine" very boring and tiresome. this in turn makes for a very bland, crabby, and loveless individual.

So when you are droning on in the cyber web, going to work, or at school try to mix things up ride a bike to school or work or get off that computer you have logged countless hours on and take a walk around the block and enjoy the fresh air and the nature all around us. Even in the city there is life outside or the rut. YOU just have to climb out.