Well not much to report over here except that I’m sick. And this could not have come at a worse time because I have a very important audition this Saturday and I need a voice...which is failing me as we speak. Also I have finals to worry about, so not too good. Hopefully whatever this is goes away...and soon.
Today my grandmother, a few friends of mine, and me went down to Petsmart for their annual adoption day. There were tons of dogs and cats there. It was a zoo. As my grandmother and I were walking around we came across a 1-year old lab mix named Sasha. She was all curled up in the back of her cage with a said look on her face. When we came nearer and put our hands into the cage to pet her she pulled away. Sasha was probably the saddest dog in the bunch. She didn’t bark or wag her tail or anything. She just sat there. When we read her backstory it said that she had been moved around since she was a puppy and that she was for a time very depressed because she was separated from her best friend Jenna (another dog). When we took her out for a walk, she immediately pulled us all of the way to the grass and then sat down and rolled in it. When we started walking her around we noticed that she walked with her tail between her legs and she was very skittish. I felt so sorry for her and I begged for my grandmother to adopt her. Now my grandmother’s backstory is basically this: every pet that I ever picked up and brought home completely destroyed her house and antiques. So of course she said no way. I had tried many times before to get her to adopt shelter dogs but she always said no. This time I felt things were different because she really bonded with this dog. It was just the way she looked at the dog and the way that the dog looked with her...it was just perfect, it was right. My friends felt the same way so we all crowded around her and told her what I perfect picture it was. She gave us all a look and then, as always, said no way. So, as all kids do, we continued to tell her what a good dog Sasha was and how she was perfect for our family. Finally she broke down and adopted Sasha. We will be taking her to her new home on Thursday. Hopefully we can get that tail of her’s to start wagging and turn her frown upside down.
Tonight I can’t really write my usual long winded blogs because I have an aesthetics project that is due tomorrow and my group is planning on being together until 6:00 in the a.m. Oh joy. Well, I guess it’s just another group meeting that lasts until the break of dawn with a class at 9:00 a.m. So if anyone says that “theater people” don’t do anything they are so WRONG. We do a lot more than most majors. Theater is a 24/7 major. No joke.
I feel that throughout this course I have learned a great deal and it has been a very successful semester. Even if I quite don’t understand what every single course goal means I feel that I have been taken extensively through them all. Some of the goals that I feel the most comfortable with are the understanding of “how persuasive visual and verbal texts are composed for different audiences and different purposes,” taking “responsibility for your own progress,” and developing “the ability to work well with others on composing tasks. Also my personal favorite “compose texts in various media using solid logic, claims, evidence, creativity, and audience awareness.” Some of the goals that I’m still struggling to understand are understanding “that persuasion-both visual and verbal-is integral to reading and composing” and integrating “primary and secondary research as appropriate to the rhetorical situation.”
Last night I went to the movies to see “Kick-Ass.” I wasn’t too excited at first because I assumed that this was going to be just another movie poking fun at the life of superheroes, kind of like a “Scary Movie” type of deal. I also assumed that the graphics would be corny and that the acting would be less than stellar. Boy was I wrong. “Kick-Ass” is a must see movie! This is definitely not a kid’s movie by ANY means. This movie is very bloody, very violent, and the choreography in the fight scenes are amazing to witness. Kick-Ass himself is kind of a wuss throughout the film but 11-year old Mindy (better known as Hit Girl) really kicks some serious butt for her age. She puts Angelina Jolie’s character Laura Croft to shame. This girl can do it all: she can flip knives without breaking a sweat, she can fire a gun like a sharpshooter, and she cusses like a sailor. She is so bad-ass that she has film critic Roger Ebert’s pannies all up in a bunch. He gave the film two thumbs down just because of how violent Hit Girl’s character is. To give you some idea of how Hit Girl operates here’s an example: she has just watched her father crush an evil mobster inside of a car with some sort of car crusher (kind of a gory sight with a gush of blood splattering all over the windows) and all she has to say is “What a douche.” All-in-all “Kick-Ass” is an amazing movie that has a little bit for everyone and is not what you’d expect. It makes the guys go wild and the girl’s feel more empowered than ever (thanks to Hit Girl). It was so good that in my theater people were literally clapping in their seats. No joke. Also “Kick-Ass” leaves the audience with a message: If you, a normal human-being, wants to become a vigilante in your own hometown, be prepared to see some pretty scary stuff as well as be prepared... to get your ass kicked.
Not really much to report tonight. I’m just hanging out in my dorm room watching South Park which by the way is amazing. I absolutely love this show and I’m sure that most of the people who have access to this show would agree with me. My roommate, boyfriend, and I watch it all the time and laugh each and every time despite that fact that we seen all of these episodes at least a dozen time. South Park really has a way of putting certain people, events, and ideas in their places. Nothing and nobody is really safe from South Park. I like Matt Stone and Trey Parker stand up for what they believe in and never let up when the going gets tough. Personally I’m waiting for a Miley Cyrus episode. Get her guys! PLEASE. :-}
Today I watched the movie “The Blind Side” and I was blown away not only by Sandra Bullock’s portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy, but by this extraordinary true story as well. The story of how this family took in an uneducated young man from the projects and gave him a home is truly remarkable. They took this young man, known by most as “Big Mike,” in with no questions asked and no expectations. It takes extraordinary and brave people to open up their homes to complete strangers and the Tuohy’s were definitely those type of people. My favorite part of the movie was when Leigh Anne was setting up a bedroom for Michael and Michael makes the comment that he has never had one before. Leigh Anne then responds by saying, “You mean your own bedroom?”. Mike replies, “No...a bed.” That scene really blew me away. To think that for almost 17 years of his life he never once had a bed of his own. And I can’t go on talking about this movie without touching base on the amazing performance made by Sandra Bullock. I have seen many of Bullock’s films and I must say that her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy is a far cry from her portrayal as goofy agent Gracie Hart from “Miss Congeniality.” The character of Leigh Anne Tuohy is a woman who is hard headed and won’t quit until she gets what she wants. Bullock gives an extraordinary performance and its no wonder that she received an Oscar for her role in “The Blind Side.” I’m glad that she reconsidered taking on this role because this role was definitely made for her. “The Blind Side” is a wonderful and inspiring movie and as Sandra Bullock said in her Oscar speech gives credit to the “moms that take care of the babies and the children no matter where they come from. These moms and parents never get thanked.” I LOVED this movie and I hope that many people will take the time to sit down and watch it because it truly is a wonderful and inspiring movie. This movie hits a personal note with me because there was a mother out there who took me out of a bad situation and gave me a chance to make something out of myself. Without her I would have never had had the opportunities that I have today. Thanks Mom.
