M

When I think of a memory that had a meaning full experience on my life, I can only think of one that has had a monumental effect on me. Last year when I was a senior I was apart of a program called Key Club. Key Club is a community service club that volunteers to do local activities. In September there was a local event called the Special Rodeo. What would take place was we were going to assist with all the activities like horse walking and vending booths. It was a Saturday morning clear blue skies perfect for an outdoor event. When I was going I didn’t think anything special would happen to me but I was soon wrong when an event changed my day. When I arrived to the Honda dealership, that was the host for this event, my friend and I were pretty early.

As we waited around to get let in I called my friend Cathy called me and told me where we were. John and I were supposed to meet her and her friends so we can all stay together because we knew nobody else. Five minutes later it was nine p.m. and they let us into the dealership and john and I instantly met our friends who cut in line so nobody would be lost. To my surprise Cathy brought somebody I had never seen before. Her name was [M] this was the first time I had ever seen her and I instantly grew a liking to her. She had green, blue eyes and long curly hair. Her facial features were exactly allied and to me she was absolutely perfect. She had a cute small nose and a great smile. After we introduced ourselves we split up to do our designated activates. M and I were not together for this but her unique eyes never left my mind. Throughout the day I did many activities like walking horses while the children rode them, and helped paint children’s faces.

After all the fun activities, around twelve the promoters began to pass out lunch. John and I met up with our friend and proceeded to get in line. I stood next to M and began to get to know her; she was a fun girl who had a strange love for pickles. The funny thing was I hated pickles so we joked around about things like that.

As time progressed we all sat around in a circle and ate and my attraction for her grew. I had never felt the way I was feeling for anybody so this was all new. The funny thing was I had just met her. She wasn’t shy either with made things for fun, the whole key club booth all went up to sing karaoke and even though we butchered the song we all had a blast. After we butchered a Jonas Brothers song we all split back up and M and I stayed together. We danced and laughed and we showed mutual likes in simple things. Time flew by so fast that it was already 3 and the rodeo was over. She asked for a ride so I took her home, she lived five minutes from me. When I dropped her off I was too nervous to ask for her number so I passed and waited to talk to her when I got to school on Monday. This was not the last time I saw her, M and I had many great memories, which will be cherished in my heart forever. This memory is one of the most meaningful memories in my adult life so far because M changed my life forever; she was one of the most fun and beautiful girls I had ever met and my time with her was the greatest year i had ever had. Even though this is a very personal story I wouldn’t of changed anything about that day and that event will be forever imprinted in my brain.

Every Night Light

      Every night, wild life is being harmed by the excess amount of light we as a civilization are transmitting while we navigate the dark streets. We might not have thought about the actual amount of damage we are doing to animals that live and hunt during the night. I chose to write about how light pollution is harming animals because living in Baytown there are a great number of light posts, and restaurant signs. I am going to write about how birds and amphibians are harmed by the artificial light. Such as disturbing their flight patterns, sleep patterned and mating problems.

                                      

       I am one of the people that needs to change because some times when I get home late from work I like to go play tennis in my neighborhood which has a built in light system. I feel bad each time I go because while I’m playing I always hear birds which I assume believe that its morning time when its actually ten p.m. I was not aware of how much harm I was actually doing until I watched The City Dark, that movie informed me with a great number of shocking information with made me sad and assumed of what I was doing. Almost every species of animals is harmed by the excess amount of light we are wasting at night.

                                     


         I also find it sad how we as a planet use night time light to symbolize how powerful, and how technologically advanced we are. Not only are we harming animals, we are also wasting a huge amount of energy. I plan on backing up my claim by providing a bunch of research that have a lot of useful information about how bats and birds flight patterns change when they are interrupted by light poles. I’m not only going to use birds, but anfibians as well. I have found an interesting article about how artificial light has decreased the frog population because under these lights male frogs do not make as many mating calls which lowers the amount of males that will end up reproducing with females. I want to do both species because I feel that the more different animals I use in this paper will add more a greater problem that spans to multiple species so hopefully more people will be come aware of this problem. 


                                      


        From the movie I am thinking about using the man who is a light designer in my essay. He is a great inovater who I feel really is making a change for the wildlife. His lights are perfect examples of how he is creating a better place for animals. With his lights shinning down, the birds will not get distracted and keep their flight patterns stable. For my research I have found many great articles on Academic Search Complete. Most of them are about how bats flight patterns have altered during artificial light, and also how they have struggled to follow during migrating seasons. There are many interesting quotes I can choose from, and I am confident I will be able to produce some quality evidence to back up my claim. I am very interested in trying to find alternatives to decreasing the amount of light that is being wasted, and protecting the wild life.


                                      

Fade into Darkness

            Ian Cheney’s comment about the night sky and how we are built to move closer to the campfire is a very interesting statement. I do feel the same way he does, light does make things safer, and I also feel most people feel the same way. Throughout my neighborhood almost every single house has an automatic light that comes on at night time to guard their door. I feel that light makes people feel safer because people are able to see their full surroundings. In the Video The City Dark, a lady was saying how the light made her feel safe because she could see everything clearly. This is a very common statement because you hardly ever see anybody jogging around the block at night time. I also believe it has something to do with evolution because since the beginning of man we have always had light, weather it is from fire or more recently electricity. 

                                                                  

            Caveman and past ancestors used fire to cook food and even keep warm, so that can be a reason why we have genetically evolved to need some sort of light. The most interesting thing about this statement is the argument about more crime at night. I do believe there is more crime at night because people are able to dress up in dark colors and blend in with the dark night. The dark colors give criminals the motivation to do things at night because they know it will be hard to spot them. I can also argue that light does prevent crime because there are very few crimes committed during the day. Criminals know that if they try anything during the day they have a better chance at getting caught because people are able to see them, and cops are patrolling.


                                                     
                                           
            Going back to my earlier statement the bright lights in front of our garages at night time help keep us safe because if any of our neighbors are up they can help watch our house for us, and point out any abnormalities. The night skies are beautiful but also dangerous. Our ancestors feared the night not only because of the cold but also because of predators, such as large animals. Growing up I use to be scared of the dark, it’s almost instinctual to fear what you cannot see. The thought of a boogie man was imprinted in my mind and I always had to use a night light just so I could see what was in my room.
            

        In some cases light can cause harm, especially to animals. Even though we as people see comfort in light, a lot of animals are still not use to powerful light projection. In a lot of the animals the light throws off their sleeping patterns. Even though we are the alpha males we still need to care and protect the animals that are not gifted like us. Producing less light in some rural areas will help the animal species. Ian Cheney’s response about the night sky to me is a 100 percent accurate, I do feel that it is genetically imprinted in our bodies to fear the night and feel comfort in the bright light, but as a community we need to have consideration for every other animal we share this planet with. The dark night can be scary and as my mother use to say “nothing good happens at night it only causes trouble”. 

The Wonders Above

Growing up I’ve always had a fascination with space, the most interesting thing about it is its endless size. When I was just nine years old I received a telescope for my birthday. The telescope was a cheap no name brand but was very powerful for what my father had paid for. Since I lived in Houston it was not always clear skies, due to air, and light pollution, but I explored the skies regularly. The clarity of the moon and stars varied from day to day. Also around that same age period I was a part of the Boy Scouts of America. We took many camping trips across Texas and they were all unique.

The one trip I can remember is when my group went to Yellowstone National park. The trips were very vivid in my mind because my father brought my new telescope along. My love for space actually came from going on the Boy Scout camping trips and looking up at the clear starry night.

The trip took place on a Saturday night, and our scout leader, Mr. Ed was very thrilled to explain what we would be doing while we were camping out. I didn’t very much care for what he was saying while we were on our way to the park, all I could wait for was for him to point out the constellations and stars, it was a common thing he would do every trip. The night began with normal camping activities such as making smores and "scary" ghost stories, which were actually sometimes pretty frightening. I was very glad my dad came along because he had brought the telescope for my friends and I to use. After my camp leader finished with the stories, he began to tell us about the stars. My heart began to race because I had loved to listen to his stories about the stars and everything that had to do with the planets.  I was also excited because I had never used my telescope with a night sky so clear.

As I gazed up at the clear black and shiny sky I saw something that caught my eye. I screamed for my dad to come look and I pointed at a shooting star. As my father and I watched he began to set up the telescope. The shooting star was a beautiful light that danced across the sky, I watched in awe as I told my dad to hurry up. My entire squad began to shout "OOOHHHS" and AAAHHHSS". Before I knew it the meteorite was gone and the telescope still wasn’t set up. Disappointed I sat by the camp fire thinking about how much cooler it would of been if I had used the telescope to examine the meteorite. My father was cheering me up by telling me "it is alright" and "next time we would catch it”. Even Mr. Ed was cheering me up by telling me something magical was fixing to happen.

Twenty minutes later I finally understood why Mr. Ed chose this specific Saturday to go on this trip. As I looked up I saw multiple rows of lights shoot across the sky, multiple meteorites glowed and caught the attention of everybody. I was witnessing a meteor shower and I had my telescope to examine every rock. At first I thought it was a good idea to use the telescope but my father warned me not to look at it because they are too bright. I was disappointed again but I had a better understanding of why. The show lasted for a couple of minutes but it was a magical experience. After it was over Mr. Ed showed us different stars that I viewed with my father. This experience is important because it was one of the few quality times I was able to share with my father and I viewed the stars with my great telescope.

Comparison

Two poems that interested me the most were “Ever After” by Joyce Sutphen and “Variation of the word Sleep” by Margaret Atwood. I choose these poems because they had very similar ideas. While reading both these poems I was able to fully understand how much love the authors have for the individual they are describing. The authors describe their love in many different ways.

                Both of the stories are centered on their loved one and the process of love.  In "Ever After" the story is about her ex. She talks about how she feels now and the decay of her relationship. The poem is about everything they use to be. Throughout the story the author brings up the idea how there is no more “us” and how much love she still has. I feel the author is reminiscing on the past because she brings up the past memory of their hands clasped on the knife as they cut the wedding cake. The wedding cake slice signifies unity and I feel she used that imagery to reference the love topic. I also believe the cake imagry is used last to symbolize how she missed her loved one and is obvioulsly hurt. I also think there is a lot of space and lack of communication between them because the author says “what am I to you now that you are no longer what you used to be to me?”  This poem is mostly about the fear she faces from losing her loved one, and the end of a relationship.

The other poem Variation of the word Sleep is also about love, but it’s more of an obsessive type. The poem is about how the author wants to be everything to her lover.  The author is passionate to her lover and expresses how necessary he wants to feel.  She is obviously in love and has a strange way of expressing it. Both of these poems have a strange way of expressing love, but the topic is still the same. These two poems can also coexist with each other because I feel “Variations of the word Sleep could be the first state of love. Like falling in love because all you think about is your lover. This poem can definitely fit in that category. Whereas “Ever After” can be the end of a loving relationship where one member still has feelings and spends there time thinking about what life you to be like. “Ever After” also seems sadder just based on how she expresses her feelings. So I believe it can be incorporated in ending a good relationship. 

Unusual Circumstances

The poem that grasped my attention was “Reading: Winter” by C.K. Williams. It didn’t make me angry, but I was for sure confused. The poem starts out with a man indecisively trying to put on a car jack. It is clearly cold and the narrator is watching him do it. Many mishaps happen while the man is trying to change the tire. First it’s the coldest it has ever been, and he has no idea what the parts of the car are. The poem is odd because toward the end the man just stops to read? The author never states if the car gets fixed or not, and it can’t be inferred because the man isn’t too sure how to even change a tire. I’m assuming that the man is on a blocked road. I believe this because it says there are multiple cars that have skid behind him, so there might have been a wreck. 

 This poem also confused me because there wasn’t really any story to it and it just changes so fast. The last sentence to me is what threw me off and made me second guess what the author was writing about. To really be honest I didn’t fully understand what the story was about. I feel the author expressed his/her ideas in a confusing manner because I think the poem can be freely interoperated. I am also assuming the author wrote this poem in this manner because it would keep the audience confused or wanting more. I have expressed earlier how this made me feel confused, but I believe this is a writing style many poets use. There have been multiple poems that have left me stunned. While reading this poem I wasn’t sure if it really happened or just a random idea. The only thing that could have falsified it was the bizarre weather. Since we live in Texas it’s hard to imagine anything below 21 degrees.

   Maybe the author uses a newspaper to show the realization of the poem. The man with the jack must have been stressed out so I feel the paper was a way to bring him back to sanity. There is nothing else to me that the news paper can do for him; maybe it’s a coping mechanism.  While I am writing this blog I keep rereading the story and I still find myself confused no matter how many perspective I try and visualize it.  If I can ask a question the question would be what does the news paper actually symbolize?  I would also ask what the true meaning of this poem is. Even though I am still confused, I feel I have plotted down several ideas that will eventually lead me to the correct solution.  A lot of the poems I choose to write about I feel can be dissected more so than others, but I also feel that sometimes I may over complicate things. This poem “Reading: Winter” is one of those where I feel can be discussed to find the deeper meaning.  

Love Comparison

The two poems I chose to write about are “Hate Poem” by  Julie Sheehan and “A Monorhyme for the shower” by Dick Davis. These poems are both about a relationship and have the same theme but approach the topic very differently. One  thing that is similar between the two is that they both are filled with memories of a loved one.

You may find it odd how I chose a poem titled “Hate Poem” to showcase a story about love. Once it is explained there will be a better understanding of where I’m coming from. There are always two sides to any story, so somebody can look at this literally and see that the author has true hatred for the man she is talking about. But there is so much more to the poem. In the poem “Hate Poem” the author expresses how everything she does shows her hate for an ex, I’m assuming. From saying “good morning”, to flicking her wrist there is hate in everything she does. To me it seems the author hates herself for not being able to get over her past partner.  It seems like every little thing brings back old memories so he tries to change his emotions toward her old feelings. The story is a love poem because everything the author does arouses a pleasant memory from her past that he tries to suppress by telling herself she hates it. This poem is very unique because it contradicts itself and I feel can be used for different themes.   Toward the end of the poem the author expresses how she can never get enough of her “hatred” for that person.  So its another piece of evidence to support my analysis, because not too many people enjoy the love of hate. Unless the person is some kind of dark demented individual, so “Hate Poem” can be inferred that it is actually a story about love. Or I can be completely over analyzing it because some women can actually compress hate and continuously show it.

Another love poem worth blogging about is “A Monorhyme for the Shower”.  Just like the poem from earlier this one is also about love. Instead of having to decode this poem it is actually literal. This poem is about the beauty of the author’s companion. In the poem the lady is taking a shower while the author is watching. While he is watching, the author is lost in thought of things that have happened while they were a younger couple. He also explains how beautiful she still is. I assume he is also talking about how her breasts arouse him. “The movement of that buoyant pair is like a spell to make me swear” ( 107). Another reason why this poem is about love is because the author is clearly in love. I enjoyed this poem because it rhymed a lot, and it made the poem sound romantic. I really don’t understand why he is watching her shower, but I guess he must be in love. The poems were both unique and I enjoyed how they portrayed  love.

180 more

Throughout the book 180 more, there are many unique poems, ranging from love, to being born. To me the most interesting poem was Boulevard Du Montparnasse by Mary Jo Salter. The story is about the author who sees a couple in a door way in Paris. She describes how beautiful they were.  I don’t understand how the last sentence the author elaborates how if either person were to ever love a different person there beauty wouldn’t be the same. I think this poem has a meaning to the author. To me it almost feels like she was in a relationship that was great, and she is using this couple in Paris to symbolize what she had. 

Also I think she is portraying how beautiful a relationship between a man and a woman is. This poem is also confusing to me because I’m not too sure to think about it literally or figuratively. A lot of poems we discussed as a class had a greater meaning than I was able to grasp.

I chose this poem because it had to do with love. I feel that love poems are easily the most relatable poems ever written. When the author was talking about the beauty of the couple it is easy to grasp a realistic image. Even though I find the last sentence confusing, I still believe it’s the best line. I interpret that line as the individuals being meant for each other, and if they would to ever break up they would never have the same type of love. This poem also stood out to me because it takes place in Paris, which is proclaimed the “city of love”, so it adds a deeper reality of the poem.

Boulevard Du Montparnasse was a great poem and I feel it also was one of the most interesting. The way the author described the situation of the couple and the real beauty of the relationship was entertaining. I’m looking forward to reading more love related poems, they truly are the definition of poetry.

Stitches, By David Small

In the book Stitches, by David Small, an aspect about the book that grasped my attention were the  surprises and refrences to different stories. For example when I found out the mother was lesbian. Through the whole story there wasn’t any mention or corresponding events that would even give that impression. I also found it awkward how David found his mother in bed with the family friend Mrs. Davis. Throughout Stitches Betty is a very cold woman, who don’t verbally express her emotions.

 Instead David portrays her as always giving sharp stares to simulate her anger. After finishing the story I figured out that most of Betty’s anger isn’t David’s entire fault. To me I felt that she was angry with herself for not being able to express and show who she really was. I still feel that it was wrong for the mother to take the anger she has for herself out on David.

I also found it weird how David used the rabbit from Alice and Wonderland to symbolize his therapist. After discussing it with my fellow peers I realized that he used the rabbit because the therapists enlighten David, as did the Rabbit with Alice. The rabbit helped David realize that his mother didn’t love him. Another way the author uses Alice and Wonderland is through escape. Numerous times David finds comport in his drawings and he even illustrates himself actually going inside a piece of paper into stomach shaped storage where his drawings were waiting for him. 

The Great Zip-Line

When I was younger, my brother and I would stay at my grandmother’s house during the summer while my father worked. Most of the time my cousin Ivan was also with us because his parents worked also.  One summer day, when I was eight, we all decided to build something. Being young we had no idea how to use any tools, so we just used things we knew. The great thing about my grandmother’s house was she had a garage full of any and everything… you name it and it was there. From gardening tools, to boxes of used clothes, and even toys! In front of her house there were two massive trees, they were evenly lined up about 50 feet from each other. That summer day we had a great idea, we decided to build a zip line. 

After a quick scan in my grandparents garage we found a thick strand of rope and for the trolley we had the brilliant idea of using an old rusty hanger. Our plan was simple, find sturdy branches on each tree and securely tie the rope to the branches. It was easier said than done. My brother, cousin and I had one important question. How were we going to get up the massive tree? There were no branches that were close to the ground so my brother was chosen to climb the tree. Ivan and I locked our hands and lifted my brother so he was able to grab a sturdy branch. When we figured he was high enough we threw up the rope for him to tie to the tree. After he had a secure knot he ascended down and jumped out. Hoping the rope would reach the other side, we began to walk to the other tree. For some odd reason the rope was the perfect length and my brother went up to attached it to a sturdy branch. The Zip line was almost as tall as a one story house and it was as tight as a guitar sting.

After flicking the rope a couple of times with a broom, we declared it safe for transportation. I was truly mesmerized because it looked like it would actually work. Knowing that Ivan and I were much bigger, we elected my brother to be the test dummy. After minutes of trying to persuading my brother to try it, he finally gave in. With the rusty hanger in his hand, Ivan and I helped my brother up the tree. I could sense he was nervous, I shouted out some reassuring words. The usual “everything will be fine” and” It’s gonna be fun”. After taking a deep breath he placed the hanger on the rope and leaped off the tree. I remember this part clearly like as it was yesterday. The rope snapped and he fell to the floor. It has to be one of the funniest things I have ever seen. His body looked like one of the stiff manikin from the department stores. Frozen with fear, Alex, my brother, fell feet first. My cousin and I busted out laughing and I almost cried. Alex got up brushed the grass from his pants and began laughing with us.

At that moment all three of us felt like we had built something that was far superior to anything we had done before. Even though it didn’t work we all felt accomplished. To this day all three of us still laugh about it and sometimes we even discuss trying building it again.

The Great Race

I cannot recall the exact year but I can remember what happened. It was a week after Christmas for sure because my brother and I had received brand new bikes. Mine was a maroon colored mongoose bike with black handlebars. As for my brother he received a dark blue mongoose. My brother and I were at my grandparent’s house, which is where we kept our bikes because at that time my mother was living in a tiny apartment so there was no room for them.

It was a bright, hot sunny day when my brother and I decided to go out and take our new bikes for a ride. These bikes were our first ones without training wheels. My dad had taught us how to ride them a week prior so my brother and I felt comfortable using the bike. My brother and I felt like big kids because we didn’t have to use the dreaded baby training wheels anymore. After a couple of drives around the block I decided to race my brother. As I was soon to realize a lot of negative things happen when I come up with ideas. My brother, a year younger than me, agreed to race. The rules were simple; the first one back to our grandparents’ house was the winner. If I can remember correctly, we were only about a hundred yards away from her house. My brother and I were lined up equally to an old beaten up trash can left on the road. We did the usual countdown 3,2,1 and GO! As we took off I remember going pretty fast, things in my peripheral vision quickly faded as I zoomed down the street. Being fairly new to two wheel driving my brother and I were not able to keep the bike going steadily straight. As we got closer to the house, I was able to see our father outside watching the “great race”. My brother and I were equally fast so we were going to tie the race, as I took a glance at him I noticed he was losing control. His bike ran right into me and we both flew off as if we jumped off a swing set. As I hit the pavement, a shot of pain rushed through out my body. Being young I began to cry. Crying seemed like the only thing that would stop the aching. I looked at my elbows and noticed they were covered in blood as were my knees. I looked at my brother who was a couple of feet away from me. He was out cold. My father who was luckily outside ran to him and I limped. As we approached him we saw a puddle of blood near his leg. My father slowly turned him over because he was faced down. What I saw would be burned in my mind forever. His leg was cut open from his knee to half of his leg. I saw a white surface which I was soon able to understand was his bone. My dad in shock called 911 and within ten minutes they were at the house. My brother had to receive twenty stitches. After we left the hospital my brother had to be on crutches for a couple of weeks while his leg recovered. He is fine now and his leg healed great.

This memory will be in my mind for the rest of my life because I feel that it’s my fault. If I would of never had asked to race I would of never had witnessed that horrific event. I also remember this because seeing my brother’s femur was the worst thing I had ever seen at that point.