what came first, movies or misery...in this case a movie that caused misery

The movie High Fidelity to me was a big dud. I feel like it was a movie about nothing, we watched a man fall over girls who "played him" I did not find it entertaining really at all. I might have been looking at this too close minded, after the first few minutes I kind of stopped paying attention. If you have ever seen the show Seinfield you know what I am talking about....it's a movie about "nothing". There were so many different plot twists the director could have taken but to me it seemed like he just took the boring way out.

In a way I could see how this movie could be entertaining to a certain crowd but it was not my cup of tea. The whole grunge 90's look, I wasn't feeling it. I feel that the main character was a loser that probably many men could associate with. Just the fact that we could see how he had not changed over the course of all of the "girls" in his life proves my theory. He owns an old vinyl store which no one even comes into and when they do they are insulted. I do understand it. Nor do i understand the fashion statements that the three men who worked in the shop were trying to make.

One thing I can say that I did not totally hate was some of the music in the film. I enjoyed a few of the tracks and Crimson & Clover was stuck in my head for the rest of the day. So props to the person who created the sound track. Other than that I thought the overall out look of the movie was so dull and boring, the colors were blah and nothing really stood out to me as memorable. I was wondering at the beginning of the film why I had never heard of it before, and then it became obvious after the first day we had watched it. I was absent the second day in class when the movie continued so unfortunatly I did not get to see the ending but I talked to a few of my classmates and they gave me an overall synopsis and the general comment was, "well you didnt miss much". I felt the comedy in this film to be average, not laugh out loud funny. I expected a little bit more out of Jack Black but I am assuming this was one of his earlier roles so he was still adjusting.

Overall I do not think I would recommend this movie to any of my friends or for that matter would I care to watch the ending to see what happens. Next time lets watch Gone With the Wind, atleast that is four hours of something worth seeing.

SuperPower Post

Last night was a weird night and I think that the fruit at Schilleter made me sick or something because I had some serious trouble falling asleep. I crawled into bed at about 1:30 after three long and boring hourse of western civ and poly sci homework. After getting into bed of course I was wide awake and my mind kept racing and if that was not enough I had the weirdest dream. It was one of those dreams where you think your dreaming but you are not 100% sure. I do not exactly remember all of it because my alarm for my eight a.m. class went off and basically reset my brain. I hopped out of bed to take a shower and with one blink of my eyes I had already taken a shower, gotten dressed and brushed my teeth. I stared at the clock thinking it was broken because it only said 7:05 and I woke up at 7. I began to think about what could of possibly happened, so I checked the back of the clock and sure enough it was fully functioning and even my phone had said the correct time. I was not quite to sure what was going on so I figured I would go to Schilleter and get some breakfast because my mind was playing tricks on me. Sitting bymyself in Schilleter I took a bite of an apple, one of the apples from the same pile that I had ate the night before. At that point my brain felt like it was going to explode and I wished I was at home in Maryland and I blinked my eyes and sure enough I was sitting at my kitchen table back home. I could hear my Mom and Dad talking in the other room and in fear of them freaking out I wished I was back at school. Sure enough I blinked and I was back in my dorm room and by this time I was freaking out. My roomate Jamie was still asleep and I woke her up and tried to explain what was going on and at first she thought I was making it all up and just kidding. But I took her hand and wished that we were in the Florida Keys and we opened our eyes to the wonderful white sandy beach and the Gulf Coast. I think she almost fainted because she sat down and put her face in her hands. I sat down next to her and said, "I know exaclty how you feel." She replied, "No way THIS IS AWESOME." Her reaction was not exactly what I was expecting but I was thankful she was not freaking out. We both swore we would never tell anyone about my amazing super fast powers.

I became quick witted and fast to act. My mind works at warp speed. From my perspective, everyone else is living in slow motion. I began to get so much done, people have accused you of not sleeping. I was definitely not a couch potato, and I feel a bit crazy if you're not busy doing something. The best part of my ability is that I can turn it off and on, so I do not always have to live in fast mode but it is great to have.

Favorite Song

This is probably going to be one of the hardest assignments ever, and no its not supposed to be 6 to 10 pages long nor does it need 5 sources. Just the fact to have to choose a favorite song is hard enough. I love music, there is not an hour in my life in which a song or lyric is running through my head. I actually had to purchase two ipods because I did not want to have to delete songs from one or the other.

But my favorite song of all time is one that I could play over and over and never get tired of. It is one that my father and I used to sing when I was little and still to this very day break out spontaneously in song. Whenever we would have a party at our house this song would be played atleast once if not twice. Everyone would dance with those whom they loved and of course I danced with my Daddy. This song is very nostalgic and I used listen to it so much that even my best friend Kelsey has learned to love it. Now I just listen to it every now and then when I want to reminisce about good times from the past about be close to the ones I love when they can not be here. The song appears in the movie Animal House and I think that is where my Dad first heard it but I am not exaclty sure.

The song is by Otis Day and it is called Shama-lama-ding-dong.

Here are the lyrics:

If I searched this whole wide world I’d never, never, never find me a girl who’d love me the way that u do Cuz u shama lama In the rama lama ding dong Baby, u put the ooh my my (oh, oh, oh, oh) back into my smile child Hey! That is why, that is why You are my shooby dooby doo You put the shama lama, ding dong You put the ooh my my (oh, oh, oh, oh) back into my smile child That is why, that is why You are my shooby dooby doo And I love, this love we share Its stronger then the other no one else can compare stronger then the highest mountain and the deepest sea Hey! u put the shama lama In the rama lama ding dong Baby, u put the ooh my my (oh, oh, oh, oh) back into my smile child Hey! That is why, that is why u are my shooby dooby doo shama lama, in the rama lama ding dong, baby u put the ooh my my (oh, oh, oh, oh) back into my smile child that is why, that is why u are my shooby dooby doo

Autobiography of my life

Grow up? What? Why do that?

Memorable Image

To choose the most memorable image I have ever seen is very difficult because our whole lives are surrounded by images. The instant we turn on a television we are blinded my company ads, or in magazines or even when we are driving down the road with images on billboards. Some of the images that came to mind when you first mentioned this assignment was the image of September 11th 2001 or the first tornado I ever witnessed. But the one image that is sticking out most in my mind right now is that of which I saw in a movie. I do not know if you have ever seen the movie Love Actually but in the beginning credits it explains love through an image. This image is of Heathrow Airport, right at the gates when people are arriving and you seen the facial expressions of the loved ones who are back from their trips. This representation of love sticks in the back of my mind, whenever I think of true love that is what I think of.

There are no signs of hatred or disdain to see these people again just pure happiness that they have returned. This can be expressed in a video form as it is in the movie or a picture form. When I envision the picture form I think of a father and daughter. The daughter has just returned from some sort of trip and you see her walk out of the terminal and the flash of her face when she sees her father again just warms your heart. If you were to guess what would happen next in a series of photos I would think it would be the daughter dropping all of her things and running to jump in the arms of her father to hug him. I think this image of love will always live with me because of my values in life and what I perceive love to be. If you haven’t seen the movie I recommend it, it’s a great story of how love lives all around us and we are sometimes too busy or preoccupied to see it.

Recommendation Blog

Imagine that it is a special occasion and you would like to take your girlfriend out for an elegant high class meal and you are unsure wear to go. All the places here in Clemson you have been to and none of them really are that great anyways. My recommendation would be to take her to Ruth Chris steak house and there is one conveniently located in Colombia South Carolina. But if you ever get the chance to visit Maryland I would recommend the Annapolis location because this restaurant is located in the heart of downtown right along the inner harbor and the sunsets are breathtaking. Matched with the scenery and mouth watering cuisine it’s to die for.

The food here is phenomenal it is inventive and confident. One of my favorite appetizers is the fried calamari, they use an Asian based sauce paired with the lightly fried batter; it melts in your mouth. If seafood is not your food of choice you can never go wrong with a steak here, they are cooked exactly how you want them and the plate comes straight out of the kitchen sizzling. They feature a buffalo ribeye with a crunchy blue cheese crust that you will not be able to get enough of. Along with the steak you they have an abundant menu of sides you can choose from. My choice would be the garlic mashed potatoes and the asparagus. Just thinking about this food is making me hungry. After you have finished dinner make sure you have saved room for dessert. The crème brulee here is a classic Creole egg custard topped with fresh berries it is definitely not something you want to pass up. If you fancy an after dinner drink they have an extensive wine list with a highly qualified sommelier who pairs wines with meals.

Granted this restaurant is quite pricey it is well worth the trip, the dining staff is amazingly polite and they are there to cater to you. They also conveniently have a website where you can make a reservation, peruse the menu and find the restaurants that are in the closest vicinity to you. If you do ever head up to the Ruth Chris in Annapolis make sure you tell them you know the Ricker family and they will be sure to take care of you. As Ruth Fertel herself one said, “Life is too short to eat anywhere else.”

Movie Movie Movie

I love to watch movies, I would actually watch movies rather than watching television shows. Over the years I have come fond of many different movies some of my favorites are the classics such as The Sandlot, Hook, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Steel Magnolias, Scarface, The Godfather, Pelican Brief, The American President and Armageddon. Recent movies have not really caught my eye, I feel that the producers are trying too hard to impress us and they end up over doing it. Some of the recent movies I have seen are Definitely Maybe, America Gangster and Alvin and the Chipmunks. I have to say out of those my favorite one was American Gangster. Denzel Washington is one of my favorite actors and in this movie he plays the main character of Frank Lucas who becomes the leader of the New York mafia/drug world. Right off the bat in the beginning of this movie Ridley Scott the director draws you in with death in the very first scene. For the rest of the movie the NYPD and the FBI are trying to crack down and find Lucas who has rose from a family of nothing to a multi-millionaire drug lord. Granted it was a long movie but I just could not get enough of it. Something about the underlying scandal, the lies and cheating kept me on the edge of my seat.

I do not usually like movies that are like this, but it felt like I was in the movie. It felt as if I was part of the scandal and the lies. I also liked how this was based on a true story; it opened my eyes to what the “real world” was like. I feel that throughout my whole life I have lived under a rock and been so sheltered that to me it is hard to believe that things like this were really taking place in the world. This movie impressed me so much that I even recommended it to my grandmother to watch it and come to find out she enjoyed watching it as well. As the movie came to an end I was sad because I did not want Denzel Washington to be caught I wanted the story to continue to unravel but the bad guy always needs to go down in the end. Overall I liked this movie and I would recommend it to anyone, I feel that people of all interest can watch this film and see into a part of history that the majority of us are not a part of. Another thing I liked about this movie was the music, the main performer was JayZ and I have to say he is one of my favorite rappers. T.I. also had a small secondary role in this movie. I liked the fact that there were not many well known actors in this movie besides Washington and Crowe and still the movie was a hit.

Remember When

I am a sucker for remember whens, I am the type of person who dwells to much on the past and tends to over look the future. I like to think back to the times when I was little and relish on how simple life really was back then and how much I constantly took it for granted. Remember when getting high meant swinging as high as you could at the playground, not hitting a joint. Remeber when the worst thing you could get from a boy was cooties and now its aids. Remeber when war was a card game that you played with no intention to harm any one else. Remember when the Chicago Bulls were the best team ever and the players then were real and they took part in no dog fighting. Remember the long summer nights spent catching fireflies and playing tag until dusk, not drinking your self crazy with hopes of surviving till sunrise.
Do you remeber wearing your new shoes on the first day of school? Now kids in schools carry guns. Remember when 5 dollars seemed like a million and six was just plain crazy! How much i would kill to have decisions were made by going 'eeny-meeny-miney-moe'. Remeber when race issue ment arguing about who ran the fastest not what color someone was. Remember when there was a birthday party at a roller rink in the 6th grade and a chance to skate as a couple at was like winning the lottery. Remember when your best friend moving away was the saddest day of your life. It seems to me like the kids these days are growing up to fast. They need to stay kids as long as they can. They need to experience the sort of 'Never never land' lifestyle that Walt Disney created. Just in writing this it has brought back so many memories to my childhood that are impossible to forget.The past is always great, it is what has made you into who you are today. Where would you be without those summer nights or the times spent playing war and not living in one. The only good thing about the future is that it is in our hands, we can make it what we want. Yeah memories last forever but the future is just a memory we havent created yet.





I think Eve 6 says it best..."Here's to the nights

We felt alive

Here's to the tears

You knew you'd cry

Here's to goodbye

Tomorrow's gonna come too soon

Too soon"

Academic Integrity Pledge

I swear on my honor that the work contained within is my own......
Overall I think that these words are pretty self explanatory and I was not 100% sure about why we had to create our own considering Clemson already has one. I got confused with this assignment because the according to our syllabus the assignment was to create our own pledge and we needed to have some sort of citations in there in MLA format Yet in the class you had us under the impression that we just had to react to the already standing pledge so I think that there was a little miss communication on that front. Also in regards to the MLA you said we did not need to worry about that so again I was a bit confused. For the future I think it would be more helpful if you stick to one plan. In addition to that when we would ask questions they were not fully answered in regards to the assignment so my confusion could be detrimental to our overall outcome.
Overall I think that the academic integrity pledge is a very good idea to help keep the honor system in the back of our heads as we complete our college career. I think that our pledge needs to be stressed more just because it is hard to always be honest when we are completing work all of the time. I think that it could be displayed more or posters and what not could be created to always have it in the back of the student’s minds. I am not too quite sure about the ramifications that occur when the pledge is broken so maybe more information about that could help to sort of “scare” the urge to be dishonest out of the students.

Then & Now

My first day of college was January 9th 2008 and since then I have realized a lot of things about Clemson that I was not aware of when I started here. I had been dreading this day to leave my family and branch out to be on my own, but now being about 3 weeks into the semester I am still alive and surviving fine on my own. I thought that all of my classes were going to be incredibly hard and challenging me every single day. Don't get me wrong they are difficult but not to the extent into which i was anticipating. I seem to be holding down my own okay for now. I also have realized that I am not alone and that there are other people here who were as nervous as I was on my first day. I have come to learn to just take the days one at a time.

The Beginning ♥

So far so good in this class I have no complaints....yet! When I was told I needed to sign up for an English Lab I was not exactly sure why. Frankly, I'm still not too sure why. One of my expectations throughout this class will be to have it challenge me. To make me think and make me work towards something for a betterment of myself. My expectation will be learning the reason why the English Department here at Clemson felt the need for me to take this class. I mean it is a one hour a week to supplement the other 3 hrs I spend in "real" English Class. I am still sorta fuzzy on why we are here?

I do not exactly know what to comment on considering we have not done much granted this is the third time I have been in here but o well. I am kind of anticipating the "sound track" of my life assignment. It seems like something I would enjoy doing. I listen to all music and when I say all music that is exactly what I mean. To the point that when people flip through my I-pod they laugh because it will go from Frank Sinatra, to Lil Wayne, to High school Musical to Papa Roach to Britney and the list goes on and on. Music is something that I enjoy. So that will be interesting. Other than that so far this class does not seem to terribly daunting so we will see how it ends up.