The Perfect Playlist - Maya Creamer

The perfect playlist for when you're feeling unsure of yourself and need a self-confidence boost:
1) "Who You Are" by Jessie J - This song is a good way to start off the playlist; it reminds you that everybody has bad days, and that "it's OK not to be OK". It also talks about just being who you are, and not letting anything get in the way of who you want to be. The sad, intense feel of the song lends itself well to crying, so you can just get all your emotions out.
2) "Try" by Colbie Caillat - This song is a good choice to follow "Who You Are"; the basic message is similar, that "you don't have to change a single thing" about yourself, because you're perfect just the way you are. It talks about how you don't have to try to fit into other people's idea of who you should be; your real friends will love you and respect you for who you are. Although it is still mellow and fairly slow, it's a lot less sad than "Who You Are", so you can regain your composure.
3) "Glow" by Ella Henderson - This song is a bit more empowering and upbeat, and makes me feel happy. It talks about being a "treasure" that is hidden, waiting for it's chance to "glow"; I relate this to talent or happiness that you are hiding, waiting to show the world and shine. The message is that you will "glow" soon, even if at the moment you are feeling down and like you don't have anything to offer.
4) "Masterpiece" by Jessie J - Now we get to the confident, sassy part of the playlist. This song is very intense, and compares a person's life to the creation of a "masterpiece"; it gets better and better as you have more experiences and add more to it. A masterpiece can't be rushed, and sometimes you "swing and miss" in life, but that's OK. Anyone who doesn't "like your sound"  and tries to pressure you to be perfect can go away, because you are in charge of your own life, and can live it any way you want.
5) "BO$$" by Fifth Harmony (thanks Isabelle!) - This song is all about sass and confidence, and a perfect way to finish the playlist. It's a good reminder that you will be successful, and you should be proud and confident in yourself while you work towards that success and avoid associating with people who can't see how awesome you are.

Perfect Playlist - Amelia Caldwell

This playlist is for those days when you are feeling sad and just want to find music that speaks to you on a personal level. 

1. Constellations - Jack Johnson ~ "Listen to all the translations. Of the stories across the sky. We drew our own constellations." This song reminds me of summer nights when I was younger looking out onto the stars and wondering what it would be like to be up there with them. When I am sad I like to remember the days when I was happy, and this song helps.

2. People Help the People - Birdy (original by Cherry Ghost)  ~ "People help the people. And if you're homesick, give me your hand and I'll hold it." This song helps me to remember that there is still good in the world even in the toughest times.

3. The Funeral- Band of Horses ~ “At every occasion I'll be ready for the funeral.” This one line of the song really speaks to me, especially right now as my Papaw is sick and does not have much time left. I always cried while listening to this song, but now even more so that I have to be ready any day to hear bad news and be ready to go to the funeral.

4. Mad World – Gary Jules ~ “And I find it kind of funny. I find it kind of sad.The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had. I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take. When people run in circles it's a very, very mad world.”  I remember hearing this song used for a dance on the show So You Think You Can Dance. The dance portrayed two people who knew each other in the past and when they meet again one is successful and the other is homeless. I cried when I saw the piece, and ever since then whenever I am sad I listen to this song.

5. You’ll Be in My Heart – Phil Collins (Tarzan soundtrack) ~ “And you’ll be in my heart. Yes you’ll be in my heart. From this day on, now and forever more.”  This song has always been a favorite of mine. I have listened to it on multiple occasions, and whether it be when a dear friend moved away or my best friend’s passing, this song has helped me to be strong through tough times. There will be plenty of other times in the future where I know this song will help me again. 

brandon castillo- the perfect playlist

This would be my perfect playlist after the Louisville Cardinals win the national championship in basketball:
1. "No Fly Zone" by The Slugga Boyz. This song was made a couple years back and is specifically meant for the University of Louisville athletic program. I think that it easily is one of the most relevant song when talking about U of L basketball. It is fun to hear what they say about Kentucky and it is one of my favorite songs about U of L.
2. "Happy (from Despicable Me 2)" by Pharrell Williams. Obviously, after your team wins the national championship, you are going to be in a good mood. This song examplifies being happy after a team win.
3. "Uptown Funk (feat. Bruno Mars)" by Mark Ronson. A party song that is upbeat and fun to listen to. It is positive and will get you in a even better mood than you were when you watched Louisville win its fourth national championship.
4. "Nothin' But a Good Time" by Poison. It is a good time when your team wins the national championship and this song tells it as it is.
5. "U of L Fight Song". How could you leave this song off of your list? This is what it means to be part of Cardinal Nation. The fight song is the heart and soul of any organization and you get to chant along "C-A-R-D-S, Go Cards Go!". How is this not a song on this list?

The Perfect Playlist - Kevin LaZur

An Undesired Morning Commute: Wakin' up is hard to do. For those times where you don't know how to psych yourself up for what's coming.

Deep Cover - Sun Araw

This is supposed to be a somewhat startling way to start the playlist. In my opinion the intro of this song has the same effect as a siren. When you wake up to go to school, and you can't shake the desire to go back to bed, it can feel like a nagging alert that maybe you should have gotten more sleep or done something different in order to be more prepared for the day. The siren means something's not right.

Where is my Mind - Pixies

The first song was really out there, so I think this one is a great transition into something more structured. The pixies are still very weird, but their genre can at least be identified as alternative or maybe grunge (not so much this song). It has a very powerful drum part, and the singing is still on the strange side.

Magic Arrow - Timbre Timbre

For this song I can't help but imagine a confident strut. It's a bit slow and just keeps pressing forward without a sense of urgence. It's a really "cool" sounding song, what with the reverb-heavy guitar and the vocalist that is barely raising his voice. It's progress, like you're on a mission. The last song is mission complete.

Short Change Hero - The Heavy

This song starts with thunder, and it's kinda the climax. This is where, if you're actually having a bad morning, you might begin to come to terms with the day to come. And if not, this is the song where the tension from the weird, confusing songs is alleviated after stepping away from them. Things are turning around.

Stay on the Outside - Whitey

This song has the most rock elements to it. The deliberate writing and the minor key don't have any bit of tension. It swings back and forth, each note reveling in a dark resolution. The heavy bass, low drum, and electronic sounds combined with half-mumbled singing is a little strange, but now it seems perfectly normal compared to the first two songs. Success. The song then changes to double time, and no longer has a bounce to it. The same slow bass line is being played, while the drumbeat and guitar fill in the spaces. The electronics are still present, but they are less significant. This finale is a chaotic end, which is the same way the playlist started. I noticed that the bass line barely changes throughout the entire song, even while the guitar breaks out into the ending solo.

https://open.spotify.com/user/ragekage2/playlist/4SorRHGbiEGBxVc0oJI47i
(Stay on the Outside is only the first 5 minutes of the last song)

spotify:user:ragekage2:playlist:4SorRHGbiEGBxVc0oJI47i
(This can go in the spotify search bar)




Nothing but Facades: (Maybe spelled Façades if you're in the UK) "We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves."


Reaction Formation a defense mechanism defined as the tendency of a repressed wish or feeling to be expressed at a conscious level in a contrasting form.


I should be doing something more productive right now


Mr. Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra

Casey Jones - Grateful Dead

I Got A Name - Jim Croce

The Fishin' Hole - Andy Griffith
Go ahead, snap along

Little Brown Jug - Glenn Miller & his Orchestra
The highlight of this playlist

Little Green Bag - George Baker Selection

Breaking Up is Hard to Do - Niel Sedaka

Changes - David Bowie
A classic, widely known from the Shrek 2 soundtrack

Wouldn't it be Nice - The Beach Boys

Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
Beautiful rendition of a well-known song

Cara Mia Addio - soundtrack from a useless video game

https://open.spotify.com/user/ragekage2/playlist/2c37e5Hm7c12q4tiglKHqq

spotify:user:ragekage2:playlist:2c37e5Hm7c12q4tiglKHqq
(This can go in the spotify search bar)





Truth From Obscurity

"In friendship as well as love, ignorance very often contributes more to our happiness than knowledge does."

I'm so fucking creative

Act I: Hope then Blame
It takes a strong person to deny what's right in front of him. If the truth is undeniable, you create your own. And if the fault can't be yours, it's someone else's.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIepGhI27qp5jOOJqtCTvecgVsHeTmHON

Act II: Guilt and Introspection
What's there to talk about anyway?

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIepGhI27qp60Tkz3h7EWRufk9pzyQrin

Act III: Dreams


https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIepGhI27qp7VUGcQjK5IWRFI-3EI1-6z


Acts I,II, and III (55 songs)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIepGhI27qp6nm8bU1YPKJIXFj20S0fAr


Beneath the Flood 
I done did it again

May 1 2016

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIepGhI27qp7wmC43vQ6nDqBEVVWy7g7r






 

Fictional Character, Fictional Life - Kevin LaZur

The fictional character I would like to be is John McClane from the Die Hard series. McClane is a New York City cop, who just so happens to get thrown into a lot of unfortunate scenarios in which he is the only person capable of stopping the bad guy. He is meant to be a reluctant hero, someone who doesn't enthusiastically jump into the fray, and his innate skill in combat keeps him from being killed, although he gets dangerously close. This makes him an excellent protagonist, as he is constantly frustrating the leader of the evil side.

John McClane is a great character, because he's an everyman who never asks for trouble. I would like to be McClane because he uses what he has, and uses his off-the-cuff skills to take out goons one by one. Die Hard isn't a movie where the hero mows down hoards of henchmen, while preventing himself from getting seriously injured, to eventually fight the powerful boss. In this movie, the hero is beat down with the never ending supply of bad guys. When he reaches the leader, I think all of that conflict makes it even more intense when he's finally worked his way all the way to the top of the bad-guy ladder.

McClane improvises a lot of his actions against the countless enemies he has to face. He doesn't necessarily outsmart anyone, he mainly uses the element of surprise to hit them with something they wouldn't expect. This is what makes him cool and realistic, because he takes what he sees in this crappy situation he would prefer not to be in, and uses it against those who put him there. His maverick spirit even justifies his use of corny catchprases. He grits his teeth and fights back, while staying whimsical and witty.

The Perfect Playlist- Max Kaufman

For my playlist I'm choosing to do a playlist for zombie killing. Now I realize that this is a quite narrow topic to establish an official playlist for, however I am sure that there would be a good amount of musical relevance retained if instead of zombie killing you perhaps chose to get rid of a wasp nest or some other perilous task.

1: Oo De Lally by: Roger Miller- You might recognize this song from Disney's rendition of Robin Hood. This is a generally cheery song that would be a tasteful way to commence your zombie killing due to the contrast that it will create with your actions.

2: Catch Hell Blues by: The White Stripes- This is a perfect fit for the next song in line seeing as its slide guitar is reminiscent of an old timey blues that fits well with the first song. Along with this the power behind the tastefully minimal drumming is outstanding.

3: Suck My Kiss by: The Red Hot Chili Peppers- The intensity of your battle increases, so must your rockin' tunes! This song is an obvious first choice for its intensity generated from enthusiastic drummer Chad Smith, and thick grunge thanks to the very talented Flea. While this song is every-bit heavy enough to invigorate someone in an apocalyptic situation, but its slow tempo allows for a more climactic song to follow it.

4: The Immigrant Song by: Led Zeppelin- I could not have made this playlist and not included at least one Zeppelin song. The Immigrant Song especially captures the "we will conquer" vibe that will be much needed in the climax of your epic battle. Jimmy Page and John Paul Johns hammering out a powerful root progression along with Robert Plant doing what he does best (wailing like the rock god he is) sets the perfect tone.

5: Fell In Love With A Girl by: The White Stripes- This song is great to end your fight, it would serve as a great victory dance for your ears. It's catchy, it's fast, but not to dark, this allows for a clean transfer to the relative tranquility you will now experience due to the death of the zombies.

The Perfect Playlist- James Jones

Rap Playlist (specifically songs that are fun to rap along with)

Slow Jamzzz- Kanye West, Jamie Fox, and Twista 

This song is good for any time but when I want to actually go along and try to keep up with the lyrics, because when the song speeds up you get to hear, and Twista is great. He’s an amazingly fast rapper who I’ve liked to listen to since I was nine years old, and my love for Twista started with this song. It also helps that I know every lyric in the song.  Also it references good r&b artists ie: Luther Vandross, Minnie Ripperton and Marvin Gaye. This song is the first on the list because who doesn't love this song? I mean come on, it's great. 

Taking Off- Clipping

Daveed Diggs, the mc of this group, is incredible, he’s a great rapper and an even better lyricist (fun fact he’s a graduate of Brown University.) The tempo of the rapping changes a lot in this song, from fast but possible to keep up with, to too much to keep me from slurring a lot if I try. This song is second because well you can't start with something this hard to keep up with but you don't want end with it either. 

Somethin’ they Don’t Know- Clipping ft. Hellfyre Club   

This song features more of Daveed Diggs greatness as well as some interesting lyrics from some members of the Hellfyre Club. Anything that includes Daveed Diggs is generally fun to rap along with.

New Slaves- Kanye West

Even though Kanye West is a silly man who is easy to make fun of at times he can make good music, and this is a good example of that in my opinion. This song and the one before are interchangeable for the order of the song, they are both where they are because they are more up tempo and loud sounds. 

Coffee and Tobacco- Knowmads (Tom Pepe and Jesse Judd) ft. Chev 

This is basically a good laid back song, the chorus is fairly simple and easy to remember and rap along with and it’s a pretty good song. A nice laid back song doesn’t even have to be that good to be enjoyable but I think this song is pretty good. It’s a good song for driving too. This is at the end because it's laid back and calm and that's generally a good way to end a list. 

Fictional Character, Fictional Life- James Jones

         It's very hard to pick just one character that I would like to live as, but one that would be pretty cool is Professor Farnsworth form Futurama. He's a 200 year old man who owns his own business and is also an inventor. It would be awesome to see the world that far in the future considering their vehicles are so advanced that they run on dark matter, meaning that the world runs on very loose logic which is fun. And having access to all of the amazing inventions Farnsworth has created would open up a world of things to explore. Sure he's crazy and a little senile, but he's also a genius who has a time machine and access to the alternate dimensions. And it would be pretty fun to be the crazy old guy at the office who no one can really dislike even though he's the cause of a lot of issues.

Fictional Character, Fictional Life- Max Kaufman

If I were a fictional character, I think that I would be Roger from American Dad. As an alien, Roger has no responsibilities and nothing to lose. He has a family that, while it might be dysfunctional, provides for him, he even has the entire attic all to himself. Lets face it, Roger has it made, all he does is just chill on the daily, never needing to lift a finger. He is able to take part in any nefarious activity of his choice, as long as he has a wig on. Imagine it, being able to take part in all of the adventurous and exiting things in life minus any consequence at all. To me this sounds glorious, to live a life of excitement, drama, danger, and still be able to come home to a cozy little nook situated above the family that houses me and, for the most part, provides for me all the amenities needed.

Right Now- Max Kaufman

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe, another piece of the past is destroyed. An important issue we must face as the next generation of people on earth is the preservation of the past. Everyday a piece of old technology is discounted as being inferior; technology that should be preserved as precious mementos. Things like phonographs, typewriters, and fountain pens are slowly becoming relics of the past. I think that these things must be preserved so that they can be appreciated for the beautiful devices they are. For example the Hammond Organ is a beautiful instrument that both is a work of art, and a wonder of engineering. It provided plenty of fuel to the jazz movement and helped form the music we listen to today. The only of its kind, these organs manipulated an astounding number of physics concepts to create a unique tone that greatly shaped the music scene. So why is it that majority of people you ask have no clue that this instrument exists? It is a terrible crime to not honor the technology of the past.

The Perfect Playlist- Isabelle Rinker

As I just finished writing my previous blog post about my admiration for Olivia Benson, I decided to go along the theme of female empowerment and create a playlist for when you're feeling fierce a'f.

"Bad Girls"- M.I.A. || The beat of this song can easily pump you up and prepare you for a busy day. It's all about female empowerment.

"BO$$"- Fifth Harmony || "C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T, that's me I'm confident." From the sassy beat to 5H's fantastic vocals, this song can also pump you up for a day of school, a presentation, or a sports event.

"Clique"- Kanye West || Now this song is more about empowering a group of people (clique) rather than an individual, but nonetheless, the message of empowerment is still brought across.

"Only"- Nicki Minaj || "When I walk in, sit up straight," says Minaj in this song. She truly shows that she is the boss through her lyrics. *WARNING- a bit explicit.

"7/11"- Beyonce || I couldn't leave Beyonce off this list. She is the queen, and any song by Her Majesty will suffice to make you feel "fierce a'f". But I put "7/11" on my list because the beat is fantastic, and I cannot stop myself from doing a sassy dance whenever I hear this jam.

Fictional Character, Fictional Life- Isabelle Rinker

If I could be any fictional character, it would most likely be Olivia Benson (as portrayed by Mariska Hargitay) from Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Criminal justice has always interested me, and therefore, this TV show is quite intriguing to me. Even though I currently have no plans of becoming a cop  in the future, Olivia Benson is such a powerful female character (not to mention, she's gorgeous). To put it simply, she's badass. Detective Benson stands for a just cause, which is defending the rights of rape victims. She loves her job, and throughout the series, is determined to earn promotions by going above and beyond her expectations. She definitely lives an inspiring life, and represents female empowerment, something I feel quite passionate about. She works tremendously hard to be respected at the same level as her male counterpart, Detective Stabler, and eventually is promoted to Detective 1st Grade.

Right Now- James Jones

          At this very moment somewhere in the universe there is another sixteen year old kid who is thinking about how much is going on in the world. Thinking about how is life is so big to him, and realizing how many people there are knowing that there lives are so big to them, and not knowing why or how any of it even happens. When you think about, the fact that anything ever occurs or exists is weird, because it's totally random. It's a weird thing to think about but it blows your mind. I often think about how weird or confusing it is that life is even a thing considering I have no idea why, and it's weird to think that somewhere out there another kid is thinking "why???" And somewhere else in the universe some one else is probably typing a somewhat random blog-post and thinking, "any one that reads is going to be quite confused because it's just that random."

Fictional Character, Fictional Life - Sam Flomenhoft

Out of all the characters I've watched or read about, if I could be any one of them it would be iron man. He's not invincible and he doesn't have any powers, but he's got a sweet life. He's, in his own words, "a billionaire playboy", and uncommon and pretty awesome combination. On top of that he's a genius who can pretty much build anything he would want and what he can't build in his laboratory, he can buy with his billions of dollars. Even without superpowers, he's a superhero with a dopes suit that flies, protects him from bad guys, and kicks butt in battle. If his life wasn't already perfect, he doesn't even have to hide is identity because he came out that he was iron man shortly after putting on the suit and finally, he has an attractive wife. Basically he has the best life of all the super heros or of any character I've encountered thus far, making him my first choice by far.

Right now - Sam Flomenhoft

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe, there is a teenage alien throwing a fit over being grounded from his hovercar. "It's just not fair," he's saying, "I was only going three hundred selims per rouh, only a hundred over the limit. The APPD (Alien Planet Police Force) really shouldn't have pulled me over." Yet he will still be grounded for a month (which is forty five days on his planet) and he will have to find rides to all the local hovercar races. On top of it, his streetracing career, which was just taking off, is temporarily suspended, which will cause him to fall in the rankings and he'll have to boost it back up when he gets back. It'll be more of a hassle for the parents too, he argues, but they don't listen. They're going to have to teach their son responsibility before he gets his craft back. Good thing he was grounded too because at the very next street race and astroid landed and killed two of the eight drivers, one of whom would've been this very alien, had his parents not grounded him from the hovercar.

How to - Sam Flomenhoft

How to post an Instagram picture

The first step to posting a picture on instagram, or insta as the kids are calling it, is to take an insta-quality photo. While this might sound easy, it is in fact one of the hardest steps of the process. There are many different parts that factor into whether a picture is insta-quality or not. First and foremost is the lighting. Can you see enough of the subject, most likely you or you and friends, that it shows off the good features, but does it hide enough that you can't see the bad ones. On one hand, a fuzzy photo with bad resolution could confuse people as to what is in the picture, on the other hand, too much high definition and you could see to many of your pimples. Therefore, the perfect resolution and visibility is key.
Next, you have to make sure you look good in the picture. Is your hair perfect? Does your smile make you look like a normal human being? Is your fit "on point"? Do you look too fat? You need to consider all of these questions and more when deciding if the photo is in fact insta-quality.
Continuing the process, you either need to edit the photo, or get someone to edit it for you. This goes along with the lighting to help accentuate what you want your followers to see, and hide what you don't want them to see. I personally am not a quality editor and resort to asking the better known ones, Caroline Totty or Emily Chavez usually.
Now that you have the photo ready its time to post. Make sure to come up with a clever caption for maximum likes but if you're creativity is low, just go with something basic, it's okay. Making use of the location as a second caption for humor is an option, but don't do it on too many of your pictures or it becomes overused and unfunnny. There's also always the option of using the actual location, which I only advise if there is beautiful scenery (i.e. Red River Gorge).
After hopefully developing a clever and fitting caption, and possibly a location too, you're completely done and ready to upload it for the viewing of your followers. All that's left to do is sit back and watch your like game get stronger by the second.

Assignment 23: the perfect playlist

A Blast From the Past

"High Fidelity" (2000) was a film that was remarkably ahead of its time. The film tells the story of Rob Gordon, a washed-up music junkie (played by the fantastic John Cusack) who spends his days creating perfect 5 song playlists. There's his playlist for his worst break up ever, his playlist of the top 5 soul tracks released between 1955 and 1965, and his playlist for his ex-girlfriend's dad's funeral.

Today, thanks to Spotify,  Limewire, iTunes, the "genius" Itunes feature, and Pandora, creating a "perfect" playlist has never been easier.

On the other hand, Rob probably would be appalled by the slapdash way some of us throw together any group of songs above a certain tempo before we head to the gym, or take all those below a certain tempo and thoughtlessly label it “chillaxxx.” As Rob forewarned, “The making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art. Many do’s and don’ts. You’re using someone else’s poetry to express how you feel. This is a delicate thing.”

So for this blog assignment, create a "perfect" playlist for something. It could be your perfect playlist to listen to at the gym (boring!), perfect playlist for a rainy day, perfect playlist for anything. . . be as creative as you can. Once you have chosen a topic, select 5 tracks for this playlist, noting the song and artist, and write a few sentences explaining why you chose this song, what this song adds to your playlist, why you put it where you did, and how it works with the other songs you selected to create a cohesive perfect playlist.

If you want link it to a spotify playlist and share a link.

Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, April 12th at 11:59 pm

(Last day to turn in make up assignments 21-23)

entry inspired by John Cowgill

Fictional character- Eliza Jane Schaeffer

This one is easy. If I were any fictional character, I would without a doubt be Hermoine. First of all, that would mean that I would live at Hogwarts, and I can't even begin to tell you how much I want Hogwarts to be real. I have dreams about it sometimes. Second of all, it is very clear that Hermoine is the brains behind Harry Potter. He may get all the glory, but she is the voice of reason. There would be no Harry Potter without Hermoine Granger, and I would rather be the one doing the grunt work than the one getting the glory. I would feel too guilty. And finally, I practically am Hermoine Granger already, so the transition would be pretty easy. I reread the Harry Potter books when I'm stressed (which is a lot), and I see myself so much in the parts about Hermoine. She doesn't believe in copying homework because then you don't learn the material and she always raises her hand in class and she doesn't like breaking rules. That's me in a nutshell. She also is very passionate about injustice (as am I) but I think her whole SPEW movement was silly. She was trying to help people that didn't want to helped, which I do not believe in. 

Fictional Character, Fictional Life - Maya Creamer

If I could be any fictional character, I would be Jo March from Little Women. Her life isn't easy; her family is poor, she often has to help her mother take care of the house while her father is away at various teaching jobs, and her sister Beth passes away while she is still a young woman. But despite all of these hardships and the simple life they lead, Jo and her family are happy, and love each other dearly. They appreciate everything they have, and savor every moment together. In the novel, Jo discovers who she is; she learns that being boyish and having a hard time figuring out what she wants is fine, and she embraces this and doesn't let it hold her back. She eventually falls in love, and everything turns out alright. I also think it would be cool to live in the mid-1800's, when the United States was filled with pioneering spirit, and life was much simpler. I think that today, with so many things to do and see, we lose our appreciation of just how meaningful our relationships with those we love really are, and we forget to be thankful for the life we are given. The March family hasn't forgotten to see the beauty of life, and to be content with the way things are.

Fictional Character, Fictional Life - Adrian Wyllie

For me, finding a character that I would want to be is difficult. Sure, everyone would want to go on a magic carpet ride, but I have always looked at the parts not shown in the book, the life away from the story. It's hard to find a good character. For me, adventure is something I can only dream of having, anything from the norm upsets me. I would never be able to go out and save the world. I would rather take no hand, take no side, and watch. I would rather laugh than fight. But I know I would defend myself if I had to. For this I choose a character that is different than the norm. I choose an entity called the Excession, from the book of the same name, which inadvertently created the very war it came to see. And when it was attacked, it responded with universe destroying power. But it ultimately learns that it should never show itself, and always watch from the outside, because some things that could happen should never happen. Most of these aspects I claim to this entity are my own conjecture around the behaviors it exhibits in the book, but I see things the way I want to. So does the Excession. Both of us share many similarities, some forced upon us, others through our own mistakes. But the main difference is, I am out here, and it is bound by the chains of the ink on a page and the minds who read it.

Fictional Character, Fictional Life - Amelia Caldwell

If I had to choose a fictional character to be I would be Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games trilogy. I find the character very brave and confident. She is selfless and does not think about her own safety, but of the safety of those around her. As soon as her sister's name is called in the reaping she volunteers to take her place. I want to be selfless and brave and confident. Katniss is a character who will do anything to survive and help the people she loves most survive. When I read the books in middle school I loved her from the beginning. Me and my friends took on our obsession a little too seriously because we all wore our hair in a braid every day for at least a month. I was inspired by her character, wanting to grow up to be as brave as this fictional character. I would want to be Katniss Everdeen because I want to be brave, confident, and selfless.

Fictional Character, Fictional Life- Tapan Darji

Out of all the fictional characters, I would be Hal Mikkelson from the Brotherband Chronicles by John Flanagan. I would want to be Hal because he is a very smart person. He built his reputation through his creativity and bravery. I like him because he is different from the others in his home country of Skandia because while he was born there his mom is not a Skandianm, but an Arulean. He was taunted by his peers until he saved his country's most prized jewel. I also like him for the fact that he was not only an outcast, but also an underdog who wins the brotherband competition with other outcasts. I would want to be Hal for his exciting and interesting life.  I like his bravery, compassion, leadership skills, and integrity. Hal is the skirl of a wolfship that he built by himself. He is a leader, planer, and inventor. He leads his shipmates on the sea, plans strategies of attack, and inventors new things that helps his comrades. I like the fact that he cares about crew and makes sure they are safe.

fictional character, fictional life brandon castillo

If I got to pick any fictional character to be, I would be Harry Potter. I would love to be Harry Potter because he was "the chosen one" and if we're honest, that would be pretty awesome! He also lives in the magical world of Hogwarts and the wizard world. It is obviously an amazing place as millions of people go to Universal in real life to get a glimpse at the world of Harry Potter, imagine living in that every day. I think just being able to do magic in the first place would be so cool. There are so many aspects of life that would be better with magic, anywhere to being lazy and getting something with a flick of the wrist to pulling a great prank on a friend. Also, Harry inherited the magical cloak that made him invisible and got that cool math that showed him where everyone went in Hogwarts. He was also, eventually, a captain of the Gryffindor quidditch  team. He had two awesome friends and even married his best friend's sister. He had a great family and is a legend in his world.

Fictional Character, Fictional Life - Emily Salamanca

If I had to be any fictional character, I'd be Seychelles from Hetalia. I would be her for nostalgic reasons as well as because she is such an under-developed character that I feel that I can interpret her in many ways. For one, she speaks both French and English (as well as a mix known as Kreol) and this ability has always been a dream of mine. Similarly, on a naïve level, she is also just a personable and beautiful human who also represent a gorgeous country. For nostalgic reasons, I would be her because I have a favorite character that I chose in 7th grade and I'm not going to abandon a character I have always loved. Seychelles also represents my love of the show in general, as well as my love of history. It seems like a lot to be linked, but in my mind, everything I aim to be in sort of wrapped in this vague, underdeveloped background character. Plus, I don't want to be the main character, I want to be the background girl who hangs out in a beach and occasionally comes in to say a few funny criticisms.

Right Now- Isabelle Rinker

Right now, a nasty rumor is being spread about a teenage girl, and she is really letting it get to her. It's getting to her so much, that she doesn't want to go to school and face her classmates. She doesn't want to deal with the pain of being laughed at, or hear whispers as she walks down the halls. She wonders what everyone is thinking of her, and wants to crawl into a fetal position on her bed and cry for days straight.

But at the same time, right now, a nasty rumor is being spread about a different teenage girl. One who realizes that her worth is not defined by what others say. Tomorrow, despite said rumor, she will go to school. She knows her classmates will snicker and whisper to each other as she walks down the hall, and yet she will walk down the hallway with her head held high, remembering the words of Mohadesa Najumi: "The woman who does not require validation from anyone is the most feared individual on the planet."

Right Now- Josh Strange

Right now, the sun is shining through the window. Right now, it's 80 degrees and there's a clear forecast for today.  Right now, there's excitement for tomorrow.  Unfortunately, it's not my window the sun is shining through, that 80 degrees is probably in Florida, and to be all honest I'm not all too excited to show back up to school tomorrow.
Right now, I look around the corner, and I have a snack.  I walk out of my pantry, and there's a couch, where I can procrastinate all I want to on these blog posts and watch endless Netflix for the next months. Right now, someone else may not even have a place to sleep.  I hate saying it this way, because everyone knows that. But what if it was someone you knew. What if it was your friend that didn't have a place to sleep, or a place to eat? Right now, there are places where it's not just one or two friends starving, it's groups of people.  Being a lazy American, right now it appears as if I can do nothing about it.  But right now, I'm trying to keep perspective, and know how privileged I am to live in the US and go to school in such a nice area.

Assignment 21 - Right Now - Gates Sweeney

Right now, as I sit here at my nice expensive computer with the excessively large screen, with an overpriced phone and a fully clothed body, I begin to think about why I have these things. Furthermore why do I feel like I need them? You probably can relate if you're reading this, you're either on your overly priced phone or your computer, which may be incredibly slow, but you still have one. Are we lucky to have these things, or would you give your personal or family success the credit? If you think realistically, it is clear that it could be either one.
There are people born into this world with a "silver spoon" in their mouths, as well as people that are born with nothing but dirt and polluted air. Both sides have the select few people that completely flip their lives around. Poor to rich, and rich to poor. So can you really blame success, or luck?
If you were to look at Africa as a whole right at this very moment, sickness, exhaustion, pollution, and more is everywhere. The whole nine yards of negativity. These people in particular, are most definitely unlucky. They are unable to go to school. They are unable to make money. They are unable to leave. There is almost no way out. Right now, in America, you have everything you need to be successful, or highly impoverished. In America, "unlucky" doesn't cut it 90% of the time because in reality you can pick yourself up and be successful through work.
Right now, as Americans, as kids of our generation, we need to look at what we have and what others don't have. We are projected to be the laziest, most unsuccessful generation ever to have existed, lets make sure that doesn't happen.

Assignment 20 - Gates Sweeney

For this assignment, I'm going to explain how to write in HTML, similar to my last post, but on a much more simplified level. The most important part of an HTML document are its tags. Anything you see on the page with "< >" around it is a tag. To demonstrate this among other things, I will use Codepen as a tool to show how HTML converts into a web page.

CSS code stands for Custom Style Sheets, which allow you to change shapes and colors and sizes all through parameters. Here's an example of how CSS and Javascript was implemented into this fun Daft Punk soundboard.

See the Pen #DaftPunKonsole by Michael Wingate Sweeney (@gatesweeney) on CodePen.

Assignment 19 - Gates Sweeney

The best piece of advice that I have ever received came from a Web developer I met while working along side him at my uncles office. He told me a way to memorize HTML tags, and how to order them correctly to keep your code organized. I don't want to bore anyone with the long spiel about computer code, but here's an example of HTML code mixed with JavaScript.

See the Pen Canvas Ribbon by Michael Wingate Sweeney (@gatesweeney) on CodePen.

Assignment 18 - Gates

Aside from the obvious and important goals such as "get into a good college", and "maintain a solid GPA", my number one for my High School bucket list at Henry Clay would be to partake in an actual food fight. I know that sounds extremely childish and ridiculous since I could have written something like "save someone's life using the Heimlich maneuver", but ever since I was young I have always wanted to hear someone scream "FOOD FIGHT" and be engulfed in edible warfare.

In College, I would really like to study computer science, and make many life long memories, but my #1 for my bucket list would be to call someone a "freshman" my senior year. Not really sure why I have always wanted to, just something about it seems empowering. 

Lastly, other than having a life that I can look back on and be content, I would like to learn how to pick a lock, not for bad reasons, but because it can be a very useful skill.

Right Now - Kevin LaZur

Right now, there are too many things that could possibly be happening. Since the prompt says "in this very universe", I unfortunately can't talk about the nonsensical events that could be happening in any of the infinite places in the galaxy. Because there are so many people on this earth, the things that are happening right now in our realm of simple reality could be happening at any other given time by any other person. The likelihood that this event would happen depends on how much you want to generalize.

Let's say RIGHT NOW someone just shot someone out of cold blood. To look at it specifically, we could say that right now an older man just shot a younger woman. This is well within reason. Let's say that NOW 50 year old man shot a 25 year old woman 2 times with a 44 magnum in the dark. I still don't doubt it.

Ok now imagine that now a 6'7" 50 year old man, who is bald and has a long, unkempt beard, pulls a magnum on a 5'10" 25 year old woman, who has medium-long blonde hair, and is wearing bright red lipstick. He now confidently pronounces the phrase "It's your lucky night, pumpkin. You've met the man of your dreams." He now shoots. The bullet hits square between the eyes. Now, after he dramatically blows the smoke off of his revolver, he delivers the finishing line. "Turns out it was a nightmare".

I don't think that the last scenario is happening on our planet, and even if there are humans on some random planet somewhere in our universe, I doubt they have the same resources as to manufacture firearms, and I highly doubt that if they did they would name their weapons the same as earthly humans.

I'm not sure if over-specifying was a sarcastic attempt at admitting there's no way I can know what is going right now on our earth, or if I'm just saying whatever comes to mind, but the point is that someone definitely shot someone out of cold blood by the time I finished that example.

Assignment 22: Fictional Character, Fictional Life

Out of all of the books, all of the movies, and all of the television shows you have watched, consider your favorite characters. Then, answer the following:

If you could be any fictional character, who would you be and why?

Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, March 15th at 11:59 pm

Right Now - Maya Creamer

       At this very moment, somewhere in the universe, a family gathers in a hospital room, spending their last moment with a loved one about to pass away. They smile as they remember all the memories they have shared; they cry as they think about their future without a very important person. As they gather around the frail body lying in bed, fading away, they wish for just one more day, a few more moments with the person they love so much. They have so much more love to share; why must they say goodbye now?
       At this very moment, somewhere in the universe, a family gathers in a hospital room, celebrating the birth of a new baby. They smile as they think of all the memories they will make with this new tiny human; they cry with the joy of being blessed with such a beautiful, healthy addition to their family. As they gather around the mother holding her new child, they are thankful to have gotten their wish after so many months, so many years of waiting. They are so happy; how will they show this baby just how much they are loved?
       At this very moment, somewhere in the universe, someone is saying goodbye for the last time, and someone is saying hello for the first time. Someone is grieving, someone is celebrating. Someone is making a wish, and someone's wish has just been granted. The universe has lost one soul, but gained another.

Right Now- Tapan Darji

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe it is Monday morning and people are waiting up getting ready for work and school in the South Pacific. Around the world Real Madrid fans are watching their team play. In London Chelsea players and their fans are celebrating their Capital One Cup victory against Tottenham Hotspurs. The English cricket team are waking up from a nightmare angry about their terrible performance against Sri Lanka in their Cricket World group match against them. Juniors across the state are currently studying for the ACT on Tuesday. Other students like me are doing homework. Right now people are reading things, watching television, and working. SMU and their fans are crying about their loss to the University of Connecticut moments ago. Right now people are dying. Teachers are planning on what they are going to do with their students tomorrow. Wisconsin's big man Frank the tank just hit a three pointer against Michigan State.