Rough Week but Fall break is right around the Corner

This week has been one of those weeks where it feels like the whole world is coming down on top of me. If I didn`t have the support of my family I don`t know if I would make it here. My classes seem so hard, and I never get a break in any of them. I know I`m going to make through this semester but I wish would just get a little easier. To be honest if I didn`t have my grandmother I probably would thrown in the towel by now. She calls and talks to me all the time. When I`m ready to quite and get out of here, she always pulls me back and assures me that I am going to make it. My parents also have been great about my transition to college life. Although I am fixing to be twenty, I still admit that I am a momma`s boy. I`m not going to lie: I miss my mom so much. Whenever I get to see her, it seems like all my problems go away, and I know everything is going to be alright. I can`t wait for fall break when I get to go back home finally and see everybody. I`ll get to see my friends I haven`t seen in months and most importantly my family. My family is very special to me and any chance I get to see them I am going to take. If I have learned anything since I moved up here, it is that I`m kind of a homebody. The expression, "Home is where the heart is," says it all.

My family came up for the football game this weekend. I really enjoyed seeing them it seems like I never get to see my family anymore. Although they are only here for a few short hours does me good to see them. It gives me piece of mind to see them doing well. Also, other things to look forward to this week is my psychology exam. I just love sitting in my dorm studying for it all weekend. I feel like it was what I was meant to do. Just a little sarcasm for everyone. Sometimes I have to insert a little humor every once in a while to keep myself going. That`s one of the strategies I`ve developed since I have been here. I tend to joke about everything. I guess it helps me keep my sanity. Well I look forward to talking again real soon and for everyone who feels like there is too much going on in there life, just pop a joke every once in a while

This Week

This last week in English has been really interesting for me. I`ve never had an English class where we got to watch movies or movie trailers of really cool movies. Before this class I never would stop and really think about all the symbolism and rhetoric that goes into creating not just visual works of art but literary works as well. Although, I had never before seen some of the movies that we watched the trailers, I still feel I got a lot out of the discussion we had in class on them. I never before realized how a simple song, type of lighting, or simply a sequence of images from a movie could influence me so much. Especially the background music that we found in Lord of the Rings as well as the movie that depicted drug addiction in the most violent of fashions. Its weird how we associated certain sounds and images to particular events or actions.

Also this week, we received our topics for our next paper. I`m not really sure how to do it but I`m going to try and turn something decent in on Thursday. My week is packed, though, I`ve got exams this next week and finding time to right six pages is going to tough. I hope I have some spark of inspiration and it all comes together. Oh, well at least this is just the rough draft and maybe between now and the final due date I`ll have an "A" paper.

Home

I went home this weekend after being away for almost a month. I`ve never been away for such a long time. When I started getting close to home everything felt really weird, but everything looked the same and everybody seemed the same. For some reason I just couldn`t get over how different I felt. I ran into some friends, who probably will never be able to escape Somerville. I felt bad for them even though they are some of the most content people I`ve ever met. I try to tell them that theirs more out there, and college is a great way to get ahead in life. However, they never seem to listen to me and they still live their simple, happy lives in small town Somerville. I wish I could be as content as they are. It seems like they don`t worry about anything and life is just trip and they`re along for the ride. I envy them but then again I`m glad I am here getting an education and experiencing independence without all of the independent aspects like paying my own bills. Well, I have to head back to school tomorrow and all my home work is waiting on me. Man I love six hour drive back to school doesn`t everybody.

My input on Children of Men

In the movie Children of Men, the background to me seemed like the main most consistent element to the film. In the movie, the world is made infertile and with a less than a hundred years to survive it reverts back to a savage uncultured world. However, the only country to survive and still have some since of government is England.. I agree with Zizek`s idea of why England is the only country to remain standing. All other major countries at this time depend on their constitutions to keep them in order, and they must refer to them in almost all decisions that affect the country. Yet, England a country so deep seeded in traditions that it doesn`t require a constitution or any other documents to hold it together. I liked the movie in how it uses the gray and decaying cities to not only symbolize the dying of civilization but mankind as well. Throughout the entire movie, every scene takes place during a battle of some sort, which I thought was the main focus of the film. I also agreed with Zizek very much on the scene with the politician. The man who is supposed be running this country is obviously dwelling in the past and would rather not even think about the present much less the future. This is where I can relate to Zizek in that I believe this character is very symbolic of today`s western cultures.

It seems that countries such as America because we don`t have these deep seeded traditions it seems that America tries to appease everybody and eventually stands for nothing in which the result is its collapse as the citizens realize they have nothing to look forward to in the future. The government has become so involved in the individual lives of the people and is spreading itself so thin that one day it will collapse as the movie Children of Men predicts. All people think about is there own personal comfort and do not mind how the achievement of their comfort affects the other people around them. It seems that these people stand for nothing. The example Zizek gives is the Muslims over in the middle east are willing to sacrifice everything for a unified belief, but all western cultures are interested in is satisfying their own personal comforts and willing to take these insignificant issues before the government when obviously there are more important issues to be taken care of.

Turning in my paper

I just turned in my first major paper of the year.  Actually it`s the first major paper of my college career.  I`m not really nervous about it but I do hope I get a good grade and can move on to the next.  In high school writing papers was so awful to me.  I could do it but I hated every minute of it.  In college, though, it`s really not that bad in fact I have grown to enjoy it actually.  I get to pick my own topics to write about, if I need any help or extra ideas, I just go to the writing center and they sit down and talk about my paper and what I can do to improve it.  The University really does care about it`s students.  There is help for anyone who needs it.  This really helps someone like me.  In high school, everything was so easy and everything fit into my little world.  However, when I came to college, it rocked my world.  My bubble was popped and I didn`t like one bit.  Now that I`ve gotten used to it though I rather enjoy being somewhat independent, making my own decisions.  It makes the rewards of doing well that much sweeter.  However, I do miss home. I miss my and my friends and my parents.  I really miss grandparents but I talk to them every once in while so it`s not that bad.  At least my family is really good about coming to football games, so I can see them on weekends every few weeks.

Today

What`s up. I`m sitting in class after just emailing my rhetorical analysis paper to my English instructor.  I got into class and found out that it`s been canceled for today, so now I`m just thinking about the weekend and all the studying I have to do.  Next week is going to be awful, I have a Calculus test on Monday and a Chemistry test on Wednesday.  I guess I know what I`m going to be doing this weekend.  Don`t you just love it when the weekend gets here and all there is to look forward to is studying for test the next week.  Well, I guess there`s nothing to do but grin and bare it.

On a lighter note, I don`t really have any other classes today or tomorrow, so my week is over.  I`m looking forward to the football game this weekend even though it is against Forida and we don`t have quarterback.  It looks like it`s going to be another long football season this year, but I still love the the Vols and love to watch them play.  In one of my classes the freshman receiver Marcelas Teague, who committed to Florida but changed to UT at the last minute, is also there.  Its cool being in class with an actual football player, who could definitely play in the NFL someday.  Well, I`m fixing to sign off now. I have my last class for the day and am looking forward to getting it over.  So until next time. Peace.