Shock value

Muse, April 28, 2008

I am a shocker.  I like to shock people.  I love to see the surprised, doomed look on people's faces when the unexpected comes.  I have a few accomplices in my war on the mundane.  Coleton sings in Calculus, Suzanna eats bugs and Spencer, well Spencer just disappears during group photos.  But what motivates us besides the immediate pained expression?

Is it the joy of the moment, the fact that no one, including ourselves, knows what is coming next or is it fear?

I really settle with the later.  I, no everyone, fears.  We all crave the acceptance from someone and surprise is just a way of grasping for a little signal, a laugh or a smile.

So next time I surprise you withe something equally random, be prepared and share the love.

Everyday I dream

Muse, April 28, 2008

I dream.  I really do.  I can't even tell if this is a problem or not.  I just drift off, lose focus and disappear into my own reality.  It's actually pretty fun, who else can go "save (insert female here), save the world" besides Link or Hiro?

Unfortunately reality does not support such fantastic dreams.  Reality is stuck, unchanging.  Kinda creates a boring world right?

Hah, now there I have you.  this world is anything but boring.  I can't even breathe for more than 10 minutes without randomly stumbling somewhere I do not belong.  So what's the real point of TV, books, comics, video games and movies?  Obviously it's an escape from reality, but with reality just as painful and exciting as what people can dream up, why settle for nothing less than both?

As the crow flies

Muse, April 3, 2008

Recently while driving to Night of the Stars the inhabitants of my Astro Van described me as lost.  Now I've driven downtown before, but I don;t know the street names or general location of anything besides the Courthouse, Chukchansi Park and the Hospital.  I find my way mostly by memory and area recognition.  I knew exactly where I was, but not where I was going.

But here's where the conflict lies.  I had to fight a basic carnal instinct of males everywhere.  I asked for directions.  I admit it, I failed my maile brethren everywhere.  I confess it will be a long road of recovery but I am sure I will be able to pick my pride out of the dirt and dust it off.

I could have printed directions off of Google, Fresno Christian could have better advertised the locale of the event (we had trouble finding the dining place even though I knew where the Wilson theater is) or I could have driven with more knowledgeable companions.  Being under the influence of testosterone pretty much removed all of these options.

Luckily I had my handy dandy cell phone.  I called and I got, well, I got nothing.  My admission of failure was met with little to no help.  I don't blame my dad, but he's a lot like I am.  He had to be there and see the streets, buildings and hobos.

Eventually I found it.  I made the turn, looked over my shoulder and saw the glorious sun setting over a parking spot across from Wilson Theater.  So next time you know exactly where you are but no idea where you are going, don't worry.  Eventually the destination will be found.

The end is just beginning

Muse, April 1st, 2008

Night of the Stars is over.  The awards have been doled out and the seniors actually did well for themselves with five trophies this year.  Being so involved with this year's production definitely cut down on my homework and free time, but I thought it would get easier now that it's over.

Unfortunately it seems that this last big push won't end till May 23.  I would really love to have less stress but most of my workload and problems stem from school-related activities.  Our journalism competition ends Friday and I have a hardcopy deadline on Friday along with the next piece of our senior project.  On top of all of that I have yet to start my SlickRock competition commercial which is due on Thursday.

Not to sound arrogant, I have really brought all of this down on myself, but I know that other students have the same problems right now.  For seniors college is looming, for other students sports and extracurricular activities and on top of everything finals will appear quickly and suddenly.

I don't want less work.  All of the things I need to do are necessary, but the last thing I need is more.  I am sure I could organize everything in a tight schedule so that I get everything done on time, but where would the fun in that be?

Movie woes

Muse, March 20, 2008

Fresno Christian has an annual tradition that really, lets just say, it forces a courageous few into a week of hell.  I would name those at fault, but I really have no idea who they are.

I know that Night of the Stars was moved back a couple months to give everyone more time to work on their movie, but the reality is that it did not happen.  Every year the movies get put off till the last minute.  That is just how this whole movie thing works.

We have passionate people, but no one is getting paid.  This is a highschool production of big budget films.  The sophomores are remaking Forest Gump which won 6 Oscars and earned 667 million dollars worldwide.  The juniors are remaking Back to the Future which grossed 416 million dollars.

With such big undertakings someone is sure to fail, but the point really isn't an amazing movie.  The point is to make fools of ourselves.

This is why this year the seniors picked Clue, well, it really isn't, but Clue is a movie that most people haven't seen even though it will be easily recognizable.  Our cast is under very little pressure to preform like the actors and actresses in the original.  Unfortunately, this does not give them the inherent ability to act, but it's jut a NOTS movie so I'm not worried.

What really worries me is the fact that our movie must be done by Wednesday and we are no where near done filming.

Peer pressure

Muse, March 14, 2008

A lot of this post will be in response to Suzanna Quiring's post When Titanic meets As the World Turns.  The majority of her post centered around the idea that boyfriend and girlfriend relationships in high school are next to meaningless.

On one hand I agree, the potential for these relationships to last through college is very slim.  Not impossible, but college does things to people and usually the couple will not attend the same college.  College plus a long distance relationship does not equal smooth sailing.

But on the other hand, the peer pressure caused by relationships is mostly self inflicted.  I really do not desire a girlfriend right now.  Highschool, preparing for college, NOTS and my friends consume my life.  I can hardly find time to do my math homework much less make time for a serious relationship.

I have removed myself from this self-infliction by acquiring a certain mindset.  Suzanna says that "A boyfriend or girlfriend makes us feel accepted and appreciated," but I don't think this is healthy or even necessary.  Relationships drive lives and if acceptance and appreciation can not be found from those around us something is wrong.

Now does this mean if someone came along that I would immediately turn them down?  No, because relationships drive my life deliberate thought would have to be put into this.

My speech in AcaDec definitely helped me understand a piece of this.  If we as humans are so prone to assume that people can read our minds how can we hope to have a successful relationship?  Communication is key and being able to communicate well only comes from practice.  Now, I am not advocating dating so that people can get "practice" in for marriage, but having healthy relationships with many people is necessary.

This is where I agree with Suzanna, dating for the title of boyfriend or girlfriend or anything like that is a waste of both parties time.  However, I have many meaningless relationships with people that I have never dated.  I'd list some but I don't want to make these people cry.

Nots

Muse, March 12, 2008

Night of the Stars is coming up and the seniors still haven't started filming.  I admit, this is somewhat my fault, but the reality is that seniors are stinking busy.

No matter who I turn to for acting, everyone is busy and so I fear that we might not have a movie this year.  No, I lie, we will, but it may not be as pretty or timely as we had hoped.  If worse comes to worse we will just show the actual movie.  No, I lie again.  We'll watch something way more exciting, like The Lord of the Rings or Stardust.

And so, I am sure everyone will be surprised that fateful Saturday night because absolutely no one knows what is going on.

Thank you teachers

Muse, March 1o, 2008

Working for The Feather has taught me many things, some unimportant, others life changing.  One of the big things I have gained sitting next to our editor-in-chief is a certain sort of empathy.  I can now say with some authority that being an English teacher is extremely difficult and the same goes for all sorts of teaching.

How do you grade a paper or assignment correctly without coming across harsh and demanding?  How do you effectively deal with someone who is extremely ignorant but thinks they can do everything?

The answer to these questions can only be learned through experience and wisdom.  So thank you teachers for putting up with ignorance and bad attitudes to teach the teachable and even those who adamantly refuse to admit that they want to be at school.  And unfortunately, just because I am bringing this subject up does not mean I am not included in this "list of ignorance."

Muse

During my stay on The Feather staff as Layout and Design Editor my senior year I took up a blog titled Muse.  I am going to attempt to transfer these blogs over to this blog one by one.  Maybe I'll get through all of them today.

March 7, 2008

Beginnings

Blogging, a combination of a journal and a published work.

So a little about the title and the category.  A muse is a mythological spirit/god that gives people ideas for creative art.  There are muses for music, painting, writing and acting.  The works.  It's also a band.  Musing though, is deep concentrated thought on a topic or subject.  We'll see if that actually happens, if I can stay on one topic for very long.  Beginnings on the other hand connotes a dawn, a birth and the creation of something new.

It is the beginning and even though we or I are halfway through the school year, this is the beginning of a wonderfully eccentric blog.  Expect nothing and you will receive much.

I've heard that I'm supposed to ask questions and search for responses to my blog but really, I don't care.  I will be overjoyed if I get responses but the fact of the matter is that this is not for a grade or for anyone reading this.

I don't yet know what this is for but by the end, I am sure something interesting and hopefully life changing will have happened, either that or terribly excruciating.