Three Sisters

I was amazed by this play. When I was sitting in the theatre, waiting for the play to start, I was wondering how they could possibly act towards all four sides of the audience at once, but there wasn't a problem at all. It seemed incredibly natural for them to have people all around them. There was only one time when I saw someone actually trying to be seen by all four sides, the rest of the time it was a natural thing.

The costumes and the props were great, though sometimes it seemed they were crudely put together. (like the beds). The broken bed was somewhat of a distraction because instead of paying attention to the audience, I was constatly wondering if the bed was going to fall apart.

The acting was really really well done. Everything from being happy and laughing to sad and cring seemed very real. We could really get a sense of what was going on with these characters and how they were feeling. There were some parts where they forgot or missed a few lines, but if I hadn't just read the play a few days before I wouldn't have a clue. They stumbled a bit around the missed lines but didn't trip up very bad.

This play wasn't one that perticulary iterested me, though I beleive they made it very interesting. All in all, I was very impressed by the play, especially the talent of the actors and actresses.

Name Story-Unedited

She sat on the edge of the bathtub, looking at everything but the white stick clutched in her hands. Her eyes wondered across the tiled floor and up the floral wallpaper. She noticed the stains on the floor and the old paint on the baseboards, everything but the answer on the pregnancy test.

“Everything okay in there? Leigh asked, knocking nervously on the door.

“Umm… Yah.” She said standing up to open the door.

She was a wreck when he put his arm around her. “Well…?” He questioned.

“I can’t look! You do it!” She said pushing the test towards him. He held her hands in his and turned them over. They both saw it at the same time, the two little, life changing, pink lines.

She burst into tears and he stood in shock. He knew he should comfort her, but didn’t know how to, or even what to say. They stood in silence for quite a while before falling asleep in silence.

She woke up from a dreamless sleep. Before opening her eyes, she could feel Leigh playing with her hair and his other arm wrapped tightly around her.

“Good morning.” He said, kissing her softly. “I’ve been thinking babe…”

“Stop!” She said. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Let me finish babe.” He said softly. “I’ve been thinking we could keep it. If you want to, we could do this. We could be parents.”

Secretly she was thrilled, she was ready for a baby. But he wasn’t. She tried to argue with him, saying they couldn’t be parents. But he convinced her it would be okay. He promised they’d make it.

Months began to pass and her stomach started to grow. They planned for the baby, decorated the nursery, and argued about the name quite often.

Things seemed perfect, until month seven.

Leigh didn’t come home from work one night. She became worried and started to call up his friends and coworkers. After midnight, he stumbled in drunk.

She ran to him, asking him if he was okay, checking for injuries. He drunkenly pushed her away and told her he didn’t want her. He didn’t want anything to do with her or her child. She went to bed tearfully, but knew it was the alcohol talking.

In the morning, she made Leigh coffee and sat on the chair opposite him until he woke up.

“Babe?” She asked cautiously when he started to wake. “Babe, you awake?”

He rolled over and faced away from her. “I want you to leave.” He said.

“W..what?”

“I know what you’re up to and I want you to leave.”

“What I..I’m up to?” She asked.

He sat up and stared at her, with a look that could scare away even the bravest of people. “You did this on purpose!” He yelled. “You wanted this to happen! You wanted to ruin our lives with a baby!”

She was crying now, afraid of him and afraid of what he was saying. “But y..you…you wanted t..to do this. You said we could.”

He turned away from her again and said, “Just leave.”

She left for a few weeks, stayed with a few friends. Not a day went by when she didn’t think of him, and think of their mistake that was growing inside of her.

Back in their apartment, he knew he’d made the biggest mistake in his life, but he didn’t know how to fix it, so he did nothing.

He finally decided to try and fix it. He went to her and apologized and made up for all he said to her. “The worst thing I’ve ever done in my life was leaving you, leaving our child. I’m here for you, I love you.”

A month later, they had their first child, Christopher. He was born healthy and happy. When he was six months old, she got pregnant for a second time.

Unfortunately, a fire broke out in their house Leigh ran to save Christopher and died of his burns. Christopher also suffered severe burns, which placed him in the hospital. He remained there for the next eight months.

On October 6^th, 1989, Christopher passed away. The very next day, October 7^th, 1989, the second baby was born. Linda, the mother, sat alone on the hospital bed with the new baby.

“I will call you Christie Leigh.” She said. “I’ll be your family, and you’ll be mine.”

Orchestra

I should have written this last night after the concert, but being sick has pushed back all my plans a bit...

First and foremost, I'd like to point out that the only things I have to compare this concert to are public school band concerts and the symphony orcehestra in Denver.

My first thought was that the concert lacked a level of formality that I had expected from such an event. Mostly because of the actions of the people in the symphony. For some reason, it seems that guys are held to a much higher standard than girls when it comes to dress. Some of the girls weren't dressed anywhere near the suits the guys wore. Also, as much as I love shaggy hair, if you're performing in an event like this, comb it down. And the people who couldn't cross their legs and were slouching the whole time really stood out next to the more "professional" looking people.

One more quick rant...the audience didn't seem very "professional" either. The girl next to me, the one who was clapping randomly, wouldn't stop texting ever. Also the women in from of me was kniting. Really? These people have spent countless hours working on perfecting the music for this concert. Don't they deserve a better audience? And the people who left early? I'd just want to ask them why, especially those in our class who left... Maybe they didn't know it was intermission...?

Now on to the actual concert and not my ranting. The first peice of music didn't really strike me as anything special. While it wasn't bad, I didn't think it was great either, just kinda vanilla... But then again, it was being played with renound musicians work, so comparing it to these might not be quite fair. Also, I don't really get why the soloists went down on that elevator/stage thing. It seems like you wouldn't want your soloists to be disapearing from sight, it kind of takes away from the impact, not to mention it just felt kind of wierd. It seemed like they just wanted to use the elevator but didn't really think it threw that much.

The second peice of music was my favorite. I think this might just be because the soloist came and talked to us. The thing that amazed me was that she didn't really just have "a" solo, but pretty much played solo parts through the entire peice, which was quite long. I have to say, I really liked her dress... At first she seemed nervous, kind of swaying back and forth like she would pass out of somthing. Then I realized you could preactically see the music flowing in and out of her because she just knew it so well, even the parts that she didn't play. I also think that her telling us more about the music and the meanings behind the different parts really helped quite a bit.

The third peice was interesting. There were some parts I found myself getting really bored (the cold medicine was making it hard to pay attention anyways though...) and some parts where I felt kinda like it was a movie set with a huge grand symphony playing.

I don't really feel comfortable critiqing the music, as I don't really know how to play anything. It sounded great though, and was a million times better than anything I could have done.

Composing a Symphony

Tchaikovsky's simile of the creative process is my favorite thus far. I'll take a few seconds to describe this. He says "the germ of future composition comes suddenly and unexpectedly. If the soil is ready...it takes root with extraodrinary force and rapidity shoots up through the earth... and, finally, blossoms." He goes on to say "The great difficulty is that the germ must appear at a favorable moment."

To describe the process itself, he says he gets an immeasurable sense of bliss when he gets a new idea, forgets everything and behaves like a madman, thoughts flow incredibly fast, until interrupted by something. Then it can be difficult to regain this creative flow.

As an art student (in high school) I can identify with this process completely. Like I said, it's my favorite description I've heard.

Lastly, I have to point out the ironicness of the fact that he said, "To you, and you alone, I gladly describe all the details of the creative process...." When there are so many who have read this.

Creativity in education

This article was interesting to me because it brought back quite a few thoughts reguarding my own personal education. From the very beginning of the paper, I liked "the sheer volume of facts to be digested by the students of today" made me laugh. There are so many things we learned (and relearned throughout the years), it's interesting to think that this volume of information is why there wasn't time for creativity.

"The result has been a generation of technicians rather than visionaries." I only have one thing that I would like to say about this, and that is that I agree.

There are a few things I'd like to add reguarding the ideas about what creatvity in education "should" be. The things that stick out to me include
(1) thinking or behaving imaginatively in a purposeful way to generate somthing original and of value. (My thoughts: does one need to create somthing "original or of value" to be creative?)
(2) Having a creative classroom means that the teacher takes risks on a daily basis and encourages the students to do the same. (My thoughts: creative classrooms shouldn't be just about taking riskes, there is much more to it than that. Not to mention, taking risks on a daily basis could be harmful to teacher or student. Also, students wouldn't learn importance of being cautious if they took risks ALL the time.)
(3) A school system that recognizes that learning is natural, and a love of learning is normal (My thoughts: I beleive this is incredibly important. I think if kids learn early on to like school/learning they will do so much better in life. I base this conclusion on my eight cousins, the two who learned to like learning previous to attending school have done much better and actually enjoy school.)
(4) values questions above answers, creativity above fact, individuality above uniformity, and excellence above standardized performance. (My thoughts: It's hard to imagine a class that values creativity above fact and questions above answers. It reminds me of one class that I took in high school. It was a history class but the teacher didn't beleive in memorizing dates and such, but instead in remembering concepts and ideas. Tests wern't typical history tests, but intead covered ideas and such. Also, another way this sits with me was about excellence above standardized performance. I'm not exactly proud of this but I've never strived for excellence in school, but seem to know exactly what to do to acheive a solid 3.7 gpa, but never work any harder than necessacary. If the school had recognized excellence rather than expecting only normal performance, I may have gotten more out of school other than only floating along.)

The difference between teaching creativity and teaching for creativity. In my personal experience, my teachers taught creativity but rarely did they teach for creativity.

The quote about the kindergartener failing art because he refused to color inside the lines shocked and angered me because who can forcing a kid to color inside the lines help anyone? I remember when my cousin Rebekah's other grandparents wouldn't let her color anymore because she couldn't stay in the lines and didn't use the "right" colors. I found this to be so angering. Rebekah and I often colored together and I taught her more about art then most kids twice her age knew. For someone to tell her she couldn't color because she didn't do it "right" made me angry.

To sum up the rest of the writing, I beleive that if I had kids I would want them to be raised in this kind of creative education environment.

Harpers

My first thoughts are: holy cow that was long. Towards the end, it was definitly loosing my attention. However, I do have to say it was much easier reading than previous things. However, I do have quite a bit to day about it. Starting with part I: As lite entertainment for bored college students. I though this was mildly funny, thinking of liberal education as lite entertainment. I think it greatly sums up his ideas though.

His first point that caught my attention was "I don't teach to amuse, to divert, or even, for that matter, to be merely interesting...I want some of them to say that they've been changed by the course." This sparked a thought that I've never given a second glance. I have long why teachers teach, even back in elemetary school. I remember being quite young and wondering why some teachers even wanted to teach because it seemed that they had no will to be there. However, I have never really thought about what teachers wish to get out of class.

The author beleives that americans are "devoted to consumption and entertainment" and they lack a passion to learn. I can relate this to myself, I feel that I am in college/school in general to gain a degree, but not because I actually want to learn.

There were many points about how most "students seem desperate to blend in, to look right" and that "this is a culture tensely committed to a laid-back norm." I would agree with this, it seems today that even those who wish to be indiviuals or unique emminate a perticular style. They are trying to be different from the norm by fitting in with an exisiting group, for example goths. They wish to be different by fitting into this preexisting group, thus trying to blend in.

Another point that resonated with me was "it's my generation of parents who sheltered these students, kept them away from the hard knocks of everyday life, making them cautious and over fragile, who demaded that their teachers, from grade school on, flatter them endlessly so that the kids are shocked if their college profs don't reflexively suck up to them." I can empathize with both sides of this. On one side, obviously I was raised by these "overprotective" parents. However, my parents never expected my teachers to coddle me, they expected me to earn my teacher's approval. This means that I see those students around me in class who are guinuely shocked when teacher's don't spoil them. Personally, I think these people need to grow up.

I think it was interesting that he said that universities are constantly upgrading and updating their schools to attract the "best" which he defines as the smartest and richest. Considering the examples were new dorms and gyms, and UNC has done both of these in the past year alone, it was interesting to contemplate if they were doing this just to attract the richer students.

Also, somthing else that I haven't thought much of was how the humanities majors are becoming increasingly less popular, therefore they are softening their grades and relaxing requirements in order to attract more students. This made me wonder if the less popular degrees really are "easier" to obtain. And does this really attract people to these majors?
_________________________________________

While the author makes a great number of other valuable and interesting points, we're going to skip on to II. As a weapon in the hands of the restless poor. Personally, I found this to be less relevent to me, and therefore less interesting... but it contained valid points none the less.

The author created a type of school in responce to a prisonor's belief that the "moral life of downtown" was the problem and that "no one could step out of the panicking circumstance of poverty directly into the public world." I think this is best explained by his speech given at the beginning of the class. This was "You've been cheated," I said. "Rich people learn the humanities; you didn't. The humanitites are a foundation for getting along in the world, for thinking, for learning..." He went on to say how humanities will make you rich, but in terms of life, not money. Also, they paid the student's subway fare, took care of their kids, fed them, but in exchange, they would make them think harder than ever before.

A final thought on this reading was the very end, when it showed that the school worked fantastically. Most of the grads were in college, the rest working full time.



One of her points was about how catelogs and college websites use to have pictures of professors in classrooms and now they are all of students living without adults around and a resort life style. These are some pics from UNC's website.

Pantoum: I hope you know

I hope you know that I love you
Forever yours I’ll be
We've struggled in the past, but
A happy ending awaits us still

Forever yours I’ll be
We haven’t had the easiest time but
A happy ending awaits us still
Because you restored my faith

We haven’t had the easiest time but
When we met, it was love at first sight
Because you restored my faith
That love can be enough

When we met, It was love at first sight
You showed me a new world and made be believe
That love can be enough
Strong enough to overcome all

You showed me a new world and made me believe
I was important,
Strong enough to overcome all
We were meant to be

I was important,
I was yours and you were mine
We were meant to be
Nothing could come between us

I was yours and you were mine
Together, we could accomplish anything
Nothing could come between us
We created a new home, a new life

Together, we could accomplish anything
We were inseparable
We created a new home, a new life
But we rushed

We were inseparable
Stuck together
But we rushed
Built our house before the foundation was solid

Stuck together
Reality hit, we’d
Built our house before the foundation was solid
And it came crashing down

Reality hit, we’d
Rushed into this
And it came crashing down
Neither of us were ready

Rushed into this
Unprepared were we
Neither of us were ready
To commit, to care for another

Unprepared were we
You wanted to be free, not
To commit, to care for another
I was lost, hurt and confused

You wanted to be free, not
To love me
I was lost, hurt and confused
When you told me to leave

To love me
It was too much
When you told me to leave
You shoved me back into the world alone

It was too much
I couldn’t handle the pain, the loss
You shoved me back into the world alone
And I became lost in the dark

I couldn’t handle the pain, the loss
Days bleed into weeks
And I became lost in the dark
I thought about you and cried myself to sleep

Days bleed into weeks
I’d lost my will to carry on
I thought about you and cried myself to sleep
Nothing mattered anymore, No one understood

I’d lost my will to carry on
I was told that time would heal all, but I didn’t believe it
Nothing mattered anymore, No one understood
I floated on in a deep fog

I was told that time would heal all, but I didn’t believe it
Time went on
I floated on in a deep fog
And eventually things started to look up

Time went on
I started to get out of bed again
And eventually things started to look up
I met new friends, found a new job

I started to get out of bed again
The fog was fading and sunshine coming back
I met new friends, found a new job
But there was still something missing

The fog was fading and the sunshine coming back
Life was worth living again
But there was still something missing
You still found your way into my dreams

Life was worth living again
I never forgot you
You still found your way into my dreams
My heart was still yours

I never forgot you
Even after meeting other guys
My heart was still yours
Even though I knew you’d never come back

Even after meeting other guys
I dreamed of the day you’d call
Even though I knew you’d never come back
I still love you

I dreamed of the day you’d call
How I longed to hear you say
I still love you
Time went by without a word

How I longed to hear you say
You wanted me back
Time went by without a word
Then I couldn’t believe what I was hearing

You wanted my back
You loved me still
Then I couldn’t believe what I was hearing
On the phone when you called me that day

You loved me still
My heart was about to burst
On the phone when you called me that day
I couldn’t stop laughing, couldn’t stop crying

My heart was about to burst
Every emotion pulsed through my body
I couldn’t stop laughing, couldn’t stop crying
You’d come back to me

Every emotion rushed through my body
I was ecstatic, yet livid with anger
You’d come back to me
I didn’t know what to do, what to think

I was ecstatic, yet livid with anger
You’d hurt me more than ever before
I didn’t know what do to, what to think
Trust was lost, and it’s not earned back easily

You’d hurt me more than ever before
What would stop you from leaving again?
Trust was lost, and it’s not earned back easily
My head told me to run, but my heart wanted you badly

What would stop you from leaving again?
You promised to stay and make things right
My head told me to run, but my heart wanted you badly
Even through all of the anger, my love was still strong

You promised to stay and make things right
I agreed to give you a second chance
Even through all of the anger, my love was still strong
We were always meant to be together

I agreed to give you a second chance
Neither of us take this lightly
We were always meant to be together
But starting over isn’t going to be easy

Neither of us take this lightly
We shared our feelings about the past
But starting over isn’t going to be easy
Neither of us are going to giving up

We shared our feelings about the past
It will take a long time to forgive
Neither of us are going to giving up
Our happy ending is still out there

It will take a long time to forgive
We’ve struggled in the past, but
Our happy ending is still out there
I hope you know how much I love you