Music Isn't Just Music

I would say that my taste in music has drastically changed throughout the last several years. During middle school, I would listen to a lot of metal and most the music would be music I don't really listen to today. I only listened to a couple bands in middle school whereas now, I listen to a pretty wide variety of bands and genres of music. I enjoy listening to songs that match my mood when before, I listen to a lot of the same type of music.

Part of my friend group listens to the same type of music and the other part does not listen to the same type of music as I do. Although I get along with all my friends, I feel as if I relate much more to the friends that listen to the same music as I do. I can talk more openly with those friends. Music is a very good tool to not only cheer you up but talk about with others.

Without music, my life would be very different and awkward. I listen to any chance I get and make sure to listen to music everyday. Music helps me cheer up and be able to relate to something when I may not have someone to relate to. It also helps me fall asleep at night. I always like to listen to music as I go to sleep that way going to sleep is a lot easier and soothing. Music is all around and thinking of life without it is something I could hardly fathom.

I would not want to be a professional singer because I can not sing well. However, I think being a musician would be cool to be such as a professional drummer or someone who creates great music with instrumental talent. I love making beats and being a drummer and percussionist, I always have. I played percussion in middle school and was ranked third in the city for it, It was something I enjoyed. I don't see myself playing professionally as I grow older but I could see myself having and playing a drumset on the side every once in a while.

Listening to music evokes many feelings and it generally aims at the mood im in or the experiences I've had throughout the day. A lot of people only listen to music that matches their mood and I would definitely say Im one of those people. My mood varies so that means my choice of music does too. Music evokes feelings such as happiness, anger, sadness and much more.

You Choose...

As the clocked ticked down to another weekend of school, we were all excited to jump to the weekend and begin having fun. It was my junior year and I was doing a lot of repeating. Sleep, School, Work. Sleep, School, Work. Over and over until I earned my goal of money. So as school let out that Friday I could feel the satisfaction of having time to myself just like everyone else. I could actually have a social life and some relaxation. Well, a little; and by little let’s just say a couple hours.

Pulling into my driveway I was ecstatic about the weekend even though I knew I had to work later that night. I ran inside my house due to some heavy rain and began relaxing and getting as much of a taste of the weekend as I could get before going to work. I would sit back, eat, listen to music, check social networking sites, play Xbox, and just chill. While it felt good to get away from the busy and productive lifestyle I had been living in, I told myself to leave for work earlier than normal considering the stormy weather outside. After putting on my Steak and Shake uniform on and saying bye to my parents for the night, I walked outside to a sky that was very cloudy and was steadily pouring down rain. Starting my car and leaving my driveway, I was more cautious than usual and drove defensively down the streets. Barely being able to see anything through the windshield of my car I noticed Steak and Shake was on my right and that I needed to start coming to a stop to turn. As I began to press my foot down on the brake I also began to notice I had no control over my vehicle. I could not direct myself or come to a stop easily. Not understanding what is going on, I notice myself heading straight for a huge ditch right beneath the tall and large Steak and Shake sign. With about a thousand different thoughts rushing through my head, I held my foot to the brake hoping I would be okay. Slowly sliding to an really awkward stop, I found my car almost at a 45 degree angle on top of a ditch. Trying not to freak out and make things worse, I took a moment to call my mom and as calmly as I could, explain to her the situation I was in. With my parents hurrying to the scene and me still in this ditch, strangers from all directions came to help me. With the strangers arriving they provide assistance in getting me out of the car and also placed the car in neutral which caused the vehicle to roll down the rest of the ditch and bang against a large metal gutter. Seeing the car roll down and take more damage was not the best site to see, however, seeing myself unharmed was the better part. Standing among random strangers in the pouring rain wearing my Steak and Shake uniform during five o'clock traffic on a Friday, we waited for my parents. When they showed up, they were happy to see me okay and told myself to not worry, carry on, and go to work.

Walking into work with a lot of other things on my mind, I got a couple different responses from coworkers. Either I would get told sorry or just be laughed at. One coworker even told me I was on the radio for the incident. Continuing to work, all I could do is watch outside the windows of the store of some random people assist my parents in pulling my car out of the ditch. After a solid thirty minutes of pulling, I began to see my vehicle be pulled up out of the ditch. Following my workday, I found out the damage to my car was a popped tire, break pads that were completely worn out to nothing, and some scratches on the front end of my car. It was a relief seeing my car being pulled out of the ditch knowing that the event could have been much worse but most of all, the biggest relief was that I was unharmed.

Famous Lines from Famous Books

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

This is from the novel Pride and Prejudice, Chapter I of Volume I, which was published in the year 1813 by the author Jane Austen who lived from 1775 to 1817. This author is also known for other works, including Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park.

This book is about a very rich man by the name of Charles that moves to another town. After moving to this new town, his neighbors are really intrigued, such as a lady named Mrs. Bennet. Mrs. Bennet has a plan to have one of her five daughters marry Charles. Once they meet him, they are all impressed and the oldest daughter forms an attachment. This then causes a conflict between the girls wanting Charles.

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/pride-and-prejudice/book-summary.html

 Review By Lauren Johnson

Format:Paperback

"Elizabeth Bennett is one of five unmarried daughters in the Bennett household and Mrs. Bennett is looking to change that. When wealthy bachelor, Mr. Bingley, arrives in town the opportunity arrives and Mrs. Bennett pounces matching him with her eldest daughter Jane. Meanwhile, Mr. Darcy notices what is afoot and has some words with second in line Miss Elizabeth Bennett before striking up an unlikely attraction. As romance takes hold, drama unfolds.

A beautifully well written classic for the romantic at heart. I had to read this book in high school and it was simply inspirational. Elizabeth is a well-rounded character displaying the flaws of having prejudices against Mr. Darcy who on the other hand has too much pride for his own good. The banter between the two is wonderful to read and quite witty."

 

http://www.amazon.com/Pride-Prejudice-Norton-Critical-Editions/dp/0393976041

 

I feel like I would like some of this book and dislike it. I feel somewhat interested on what the ending will be like between all the choices Charles has to choose from. Other than that, I'd probably dislike the story because it sounds like a drama filled book will would be boring, bland, and cause me to be uninterested.

"Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue, I have had my vision."  

This is from the novel To The Lighthouse, which was published in the year 1989 by the author Virginia Wolf who lived from 1882 to 1941. This author is also known for other works, including The Waves and A Room of One's Own.

To The Lighthouse is a book split into three different sections. The beginning describes a family known as the Ramsay family. It also talks about the family vacationing to Scotland for the summer. The day after arriving they want to go to this lighthouse but are prevented to do so by weather and other characters they meet. Section two talks about the war going on with a narrator. The third section of the book talks about them actually reaching the lighthouse and them doing what they set out to do.

 

http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/13-fiction/1062-to-the-lighthouse-woolf

 

By William Krischke

Format: Paperback

"I've discovered a little secret to reading Virginia Woolf -- it takes time. It is practically impossible to read this book in little ten-minute spots, while watching television or babysitting. Don't try it; you'll end up not liking it. It needs your time. Give it an hour with no interruptions. Get a bag of pistachios and read. Unplug the phone, turn off the TV. Read and don't stop. Then you'll discover the joy of Virginia Woolf -- for while her prose is tough, it is haunting, beautiful, and real. Once you've settled into it, you'll discover a wonderful book, a tale of everyday life lived. Both intensely personal and incredibly universal, this book is life itself. So, you want the real review. Alright, it's the story of a beach house, where reside the Ramseys and their various friends. Mrs. Ramsey is a goddess and nearly everyone worships her. This is more fun to read than it sounds. Lily Briscoe is a painter trying to figure out what she sees and what she loves. There is a brutal twist in the middle, and the rest of the book is coping with that. No, I won't tell you what it is. Go read the book. It's great. It's about beauty, about the incredible tragedy of time passing, about art and the world, about love and marriage, about people. It's not only a book about life, it is a book of life itself."

http://www.amazon.com/Lighthouse-Virginia-Woolf/dp/1907523588

Sounds fairly interesting with the different sections of the book. The lighthouse and the significance of it makes me somewhat curious. It also sounds interesting that there was a war going on in Scotland. That could provide action and some dramatic writing that keeps you from putting the book down.

Maya Angelou

Maya's work celebrates "the universal human power to triumph over adversity." I know for a fact that I personally have that power. I say so because I have had personal experiences that have shown me that I can overcome adversity. I believe everyone in the world has the ability of overcoming adversity, however, many don't have the desire or will power to triumph. Throughout my life, I've notice time after time of people overcoming their own adversities. I have even overcame my own. It's all around. My most recent time I've noticed having this power would be this year and playing on the football team. Two years ago, I injured my knee pretty bad. The doctor told me my femur, the longest bone in the body, collided with my knee cap, one of the smaller ones. They also told me my knee cap was not smooth but exactly like sand paper. So as you could imagine, it is and was painful and you could agree it would set you back. I choose to keep playing and not give up. I was put into physical therapy where, it honestly didn't have much effect. I didn't see results. Still, I kept pushing through because I'm not a quitter. Battling this injury for two years, I made it to my last year of football being a senior. I got very close to backing out on multiple occasions but I never did. With all the setbacks and pain I went through I decided I was almost through and set out to finish just like I did. With football over, it was a huge relief knowing how much I overcame. I may not have been my best or even have got to play as much as wanted because of the injury but I'm happy I stayed through to the end. To this day my knee bothers me but nothing like it did during football, and I don't regret any decisions I made.

Maya Angelou often has a "total recall" of the events of her life. I would say I'm one of those people. I have had a great memory ever since I was a child, it could possibly be a photographic memory, not sure. The period in my life I remember fondly would have to be middle school. I loved middle school because of all the friends I had and of the memories we made while growing up there. The beginning of my high school years seem to be a time in my life where it is fuzzy or not much to remember. I recall many memories but I recall the sad ones to stick out more than others whether I like it or not. The sad stories of my grandparents being hospitalized are ones that I could talk about more vividly. Maybe because they left a greater impact on me and lasted longer than happier memories. Personally, I really enjoy memories and talking about them to other people. It's great for socializing and could possibly make more memories in itself.

Writers as Readers

8.  My favorite book would have to be Holes. I really enjoyed the book at a younger age because of the characters in the book as well as the challenges they were forced to go to. In life, you will have many challenges and adversity to withstand so I liked how the author made a inspirational book for all audiences and made it easy to read for everyone. I also liked the movie just as well as the book, I've just always enjoyed the book from a young age.

7.  The first book I remember reading in my childhood would be green eggs and ham by Dr. Seuss. I remembered it being the first I read because of all the rhyming and the pictures in the book. The rhyming made it sort of repetitive which made me remember it a lot more than other books.

5.  I haven't had many books where I was exciting to read page after page. Well, I don't read many books to begin with, however, I was excited to read more and more of a book called First Shot. First Shot was a story of a high school boy trying to unravel the mystery of his mom's murder while his father is the prime suspect. I found myself wanting to read more and more because I really liked the main characters humor and I also liked the mystery and intensity the author brought into the story. One of the few books I can say I couldn't put down.

1.  When it comes to reading, I need a really quiet environment to focus on my book that way I don't get distracted. When I get distracted, I find myself constantly re-reading the same passage over and over. A nice quiet environment is really all I need, however, if I have a comfortable chair to sit in with a possible footrest, that can contribute to good reading as well.

9.  When I finished reading Holes, I was happy because both Stanley and Zero made it back to the camp after surviving the desert. It was inspiring to me considering how they overcame a bunch of adversity and end up benefiting a lot more than they did when they arrived at the camp which was put in place to do the opposite. It made me happy seeing the good people have good things happen to them, such as Zero, who had nothing.

Day Dream

Day Dream

7th Grade. Middle School. A time for fun, stressless life. Wrong. I will always remember that time and year my football teamate Tanner passed away.

The year started off great. New experiences with middle school, no stress, happiness, and just enjoying life. I really enjoyed the moments with my classmates, for we all got along and knew each other well. I also enjoyed the game of football. 7th grade was the first taste my teamates and I got from competitive football. As for what my thoughts were, there was nothing else like it. The intensity, bonding, and fun moments made it special. It was definitely something to remember. Just like Tanner, a person to remember.



Tanner. Age 12

Tanner was a very outgoing kid that was always looking for ways to make others smile and he generally did because he was really easy to get along with. He was always nice and was good at the things he did. I knew Tanner early in middle school because we had band as well as football together. We got along and were friends but I remember we would pick on each other and it would go a little farther than it should. Friday was one of those days. I recall Tanner getting picked on by other classmates and I too joined in too, more in a jokingly manner, but I did. Tanner took it more seriously than I planned and it turned out to be the last time I would ever talk to him.

As the routinely relaxing and fun weekend died down, we returned to school Monday. That Monday morning the entire school got informed by teachers regarding Tanners unexpected death. Just one day after picking on Tanner, he passed away. My classmates and I were told that Tanner casually went to take a nap on the couch on Saturday and during that time, he had an angerism in his sleep. He never woke up. After hearing about the tragedy, the school was in shock and left to think of the loss. I couldn't believe it and I couldn't believe I was rude the last time I socialized with him. It made me regret all the words I said and basically made me feel like a horrible person. The football team then set out to play our next game in honor of him so that Tuesday, we did just that. We shutout the competition and got Tanner that one last win. Immiately after the game the whole team and most of the school attended his funeral. It was a very sad and vivid memory that I'll always keep in my head.

As daily life continued, we keep Tanner in our thoughts and minds. It was sad to see him go but he taught us a lesson. To be thankful for everyone in your life for any day could be the last day you ever see them again. I've appreciated the close ones in my life ever since.

I am Poem

Luke Sparks
Mrs. Fraser
Creative Writing
4 January 2013

I am...

a son, the youngest of three, and born in a small town in southern Missouri by the name of Poplar Bluff.

a brother, priveleged to be related to such great siblings, who has followed fairly close in the footsteps of my brothers.

a child at heart, who doesn't want to grow up quite so fast, who is carefree, and that has always enjoyed playing games and laughning.

a student, which has got along with their school life nicely, with more than exceptional academic grades all throughout my career in school.

an athlete, player of football for 6 years, that will never forget the memories of playing the sport of football, and also enjoys playing golf on the side.

a fan, supporter of the New England Patriots since the age of 5, with items and decorations of the Patriots all around me.

a competitor, in everything I am apart of no matter what it is, who dislikes losing a lot.

a friend, always looking to make others laugh and smile, always trying to help those around me.

a gamer, who has loved playing video games since my childhood, who still enjoys playing games to this day.

a hard worker, employer or cook of Steak and Shake for one year, with motivation to do successful things in the future.

a collector, of money, NFL jerseys, music, and games.

I am...

candy, fruit snacks, sour and chewy, white chocolate.

organized with all my belongings, somewhat of neat freak at times.

quiet at first, a lot more talkative once I am known better.

I am...

dirty blonde, longer for a male, soft, always worried about the appearance.

lean, average height, fairly skinny with some athleticism.