Author's Note: I can't say that one of my strengths is writing anecdotes, but I wrote this piece anyways to add some variety and really let my voice come through. This was a fun moment for me and it also has some, not much but some, intellectual level to it. Enjoy.
On December 1, during Language Arts class, Collin and I were engaged in a conversation of how we should make a word. We quickly decided that it should be a synonym for a synonym. Quite clever, eh? So, we started to think of names for our word. We first thought that we should have it start with an "x" or "z" just because those letters are uncommon but pretty nifty. Then somehow, I just pulled out the word "highlander" for no reason and I thought it was pretty good until Collin answered with:
"So our word is going to be a car?" I realized that, "highlander" definetly should not be the name. We kept on thinking for some sophisticated word that sounds shnazzy, so here it is:
hyterosis-noun-a word that has the same meaning as another word but is spelled differently-Synonyms: Synonym
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
The Blind Side Movie Review
Author's Note: I am a movie freak and I like to help other people learn whether or not to go to them. So, as I have previously, I wrote a movie review to inform you of this film.
I recently saw "The Blind Side" with Steve. This movie is a true story about an oversized homeless boy who gets brought in by a rich family. From watching a commercial you would immediately think that it is purely a football movie. However, that is not true. The football part is just a side note in a movie that really helps you appreciate what you have, like a bed and extra clothing.
On a scale of 4 stars I would give it a 3 1/2. This was one of the best movies I have ever seen and I am hoping that I will see it many times in the future. It was a very well made movie and very motivational. The performances were also very good. The main character was in his first movie but acted like he was a seasoned veteran. Also, I am not a huge fan of Sandra Bullock (personally I find her annoying) but she still had an amazing performance and some big name movie critics said that this was her best performance ever.
So, if you are looking for a good movie to see I strongly recommend "The Blind Side" even if you are not a football fan.
I recently saw "The Blind Side" with Steve. This movie is a true story about an oversized homeless boy who gets brought in by a rich family. From watching a commercial you would immediately think that it is purely a football movie. However, that is not true. The football part is just a side note in a movie that really helps you appreciate what you have, like a bed and extra clothing.
On a scale of 4 stars I would give it a 3 1/2. This was one of the best movies I have ever seen and I am hoping that I will see it many times in the future. It was a very well made movie and very motivational. The performances were also very good. The main character was in his first movie but acted like he was a seasoned veteran. Also, I am not a huge fan of Sandra Bullock (personally I find her annoying) but she still had an amazing performance and some big name movie critics said that this was her best performance ever.So, if you are looking for a good movie to see I strongly recommend "The Blind Side" even if you are not a football fan.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Ryan's Thoughts #2: From the Dead
Author's Note: Hello there.
Technically this is a dream I had a while back but it was very odd and to me it felt like it had some truth to it. So here it goes:
I stand there in a graveyard with my family and other families around me. Everybody has tears in their eyes. But their tears are not ones of sadness, but ones of joy. We all look up towards the sky, for this was supposedly the day where heaven would come to earth, and where all of our loved ones that have passed away will come back and live for eternity with the rest of us.
All of a sudden, a ray of light shone on us, and the clouds separated. What occurred next was the most significant thing one could see in their life time. People that were the color of gold floated down from the heavens with their hands spread out like Jesus on the cross. As they touched the ground they embraced their families and everyone was happy. Except for my family.
We had been waiting for my younger brother who had died at a young age (this is kind of freaking me out because I really don't have a little brother). His cause of death was unknown but we were still grief-stricken. So, we waited and waited for him to come down but he never came. That meant only one thing. He wasn't dead (dun dun dun). So, we started to look for him.
We looked and looked but never saw a clue. Until one day, where I spotted a crystal skull in the forest that lies behind my house (I had this dream when that Indiana Jones movie came out so its actually not THAT random). Etched in the top of its head were the words "To find your brother you must find my twin". When I touched the skull, a surge of power shot through my hand, up my arm, into my head, back down to my other arm, down to the hand and back to the skull. It was an everlasting circuit. As this happened, a memory came to me. I don't exactly know where it came from but it told me were the other skull was. It was in a concrete warehouse down in Arizona that apparently had many wooden crates stored inside (see another Indiana Jones reference).
I told my family and we made quick arrangements to get down there as fast as possible. We landed at an unusual airport the next day. This airport was very futuristic and it had many inventions that we do not have in the modern day. The most notable one was the way we transported. On the white tile ground there were blue lines that lit up. These were each tracks. To get from place to place you hop on a one foot by one foot board that looked like a Wii Fit thing and you just let the board do the rest.
Once we got to the area we needed, we got off and rented a jeep. We hurriedly drove off into the desert for the warehouse and it took about half an hour to get there. We ran out of gas with about a mile and a half to go so we just walked from there.
A half an hour later, we were all parched from the heat, but on the brink of our vision we saw a humongous building so high that you thought that the tip could reach the heavens. Once we got to the building, we became aware of yet another obstacle. The door was on an old rickety porch and was locked up. About five feet to the right there was a bronze key with rust that sat on a stool. You might be thinking how is this an obstacle. It wasn't. What was is the ferocious greyhound that stood in between us and the key. It ran in circles as saliva dripped down from its powerful jaw. We inched forward very slowly, but with even the slightest movement, the hound released a blood-curdling bark. We realized we couldn't do this with just man power. We had to do this with skull power (that was really cheesy but that's what happened). I carefully took out the crystal skull from my back pack and looked for the sun. It was northwest of me which was absolutely perfect. I raised the skull above my head and positioned it correctly. A bright ray shot from skull and hit the greyhound right between the eyes. Its legs wobbled, and three seconds later it was on the ground out cold.
We took the key and inserted it in the keyhole. Fortunately, the key turned and we unlatched the door. As we walked inside each one of us was swallowed by utter awe. In the center of the warehouse was a fifty foot diamond pedestal with the "twin" crystal skull sitting atop it. Also, rotting wooden crates went on forever. There must have been 50,000 crates in warehouse. We raced down the stairs at a reasonable pace, for we wanted to get down quickly, but it would put quite a damper on things if one of us fell through.
When we got down, we opened up the first crate we came to. Documents. The crate was filled with nothing but documents. Oh, wait, there were about ten spiders crawling around them but that isn't very relevant. So, we tried the next crate. Same case. We tried a third one. Same conclusion again. This went on and on and we gave up after looking at about forty five bins. We decided to start looking through the papers to see if there was a clue embedded in them.
It turned out that each paper described a person. Extensive information about each person was on the papers, but there was one little section that caught all of our attention immediately. It was a section entitled 'Where are they now?'. As if by magic it showed where each person, and if they moved locations the words would change, too. Our second discovery was that all the sheets were alphabetized. We started to search for Jacob Richard Hegna (now that part reaaaallllyyyy freaked me out, like a lot).
We searched and searched and searched. It was a tiring procedure but we all knew it was worth it. Then I heard the best sound I could have heard at that time. My sister shouted "I found it!” Our heads shot around as we saw her face bright with joy, and her hand stretching up with wrinkled brown paper. The rest of my family bulleted over to her and looked at the paper. 'Jacob Robert Hegna, 9 years old'. Our eyes scanned the paper looking for the 'Where are they now?' section. One by one, our eyes hit the hallowed words.
Nothing. That is what you heard as we all just stared. It turned out my brother was at Dove Cabins. We all knew the place. It was a camp ground that kids went to for fun. It was located in Wisconsin, but we never went there. Once again we buried to the neck in awe (By the way, there actually is a Dove Cabins in Wisconsin, but I never heard about it before this, so yet again it got really freaky). We quietly left and got to our car and drove home.
Once we got home we got refreshed and rested. But the next morning we were heading to Dove Cabins. The drive took about two hours but those two hours felt like two days. We pulled into a parking lot and got out. We looked for some staff to help us out and eventually we found a Hispanic man named Eduardo. We told him our story and surprisingly he took us seriously. He told us that he may have an idea were Jacob was, because there was no Jacob Hegna registered at the camp. It turns out that there was one bunk that whatever person slept there, they reported to have heard banging in ceiling.
So, we headed over to Cabin 6 and Eduardo led us to a bunk bed labeled 13. All of us just stared up at the ceiling above the bed and think to ourselves "Could this really be?". Eduardo gets some tools from a shed located nearby and he comes back. Within seconds he is cautiously hacking away at the stone. With each collision the anticipation rises. Until finally, we hear a gasp. We look inside through the small hole that has been made, and we see a small eye peering back at us. Eduardo keeps going and more and more is revealed until finally a boy falls down onto the bed that has sat beneath him for three years. The boy looks down at his feet, and back at us, before he is embraced by the most painful bear hug one will ever encounter.
Technically this is a dream I had a while back but it was very odd and to me it felt like it had some truth to it. So here it goes:All of a sudden, a ray of light shone on us, and the clouds separated. What occurred next was the most significant thing one could see in their life time. People that were the color of gold floated down from the heavens with their hands spread out like Jesus on the cross. As they touched the ground they embraced their families and everyone was happy. Except for my family.
We had been waiting for my younger brother who had died at a young age (this is kind of freaking me out because I really don't have a little brother). His cause of death was unknown but we were still grief-stricken. So, we waited and waited for him to come down but he never came. That meant only one thing. He wasn't dead (dun dun dun). So, we started to look for him.
We looked and looked but never saw a clue. Until one day, where I spotted a crystal skull in the forest that lies behind my house (I had this dream when that Indiana Jones movie came out so its actually not THAT random). Etched in the top of its head were the words "To find your brother you must find my twin". When I touched the skull, a surge of power shot through my hand, up my arm, into my head, back down to my other arm, down to the hand and back to the skull. It was an everlasting circuit. As this happened, a memory came to me. I don't exactly know where it came from but it told me were the other skull was. It was in a concrete warehouse down in Arizona that apparently had many wooden crates stored inside (see another Indiana Jones reference).
I told my family and we made quick arrangements to get down there as fast as possible. We landed at an unusual airport the next day. This airport was very futuristic and it had many inventions that we do not have in the modern day. The most notable one was the way we transported. On the white tile ground there were blue lines that lit up. These were each tracks. To get from place to place you hop on a one foot by one foot board that looked like a Wii Fit thing and you just let the board do the rest.
Once we got to the area we needed, we got off and rented a jeep. We hurriedly drove off into the desert for the warehouse and it took about half an hour to get there. We ran out of gas with about a mile and a half to go so we just walked from there.
A half an hour later, we were all parched from the heat, but on the brink of our vision we saw a humongous building so high that you thought that the tip could reach the heavens. Once we got to the building, we became aware of yet another obstacle. The door was on an old rickety porch and was locked up. About five feet to the right there was a bronze key with rust that sat on a stool. You might be thinking how is this an obstacle. It wasn't. What was is the ferocious greyhound that stood in between us and the key. It ran in circles as saliva dripped down from its powerful jaw. We inched forward very slowly, but with even the slightest movement, the hound released a blood-curdling bark. We realized we couldn't do this with just man power. We had to do this with skull power (that was really cheesy but that's what happened). I carefully took out the crystal skull from my back pack and looked for the sun. It was northwest of me which was absolutely perfect. I raised the skull above my head and positioned it correctly. A bright ray shot from skull and hit the greyhound right between the eyes. Its legs wobbled, and three seconds later it was on the ground out cold.
We took the key and inserted it in the keyhole. Fortunately, the key turned and we unlatched the door. As we walked inside each one of us was swallowed by utter awe. In the center of the warehouse was a fifty foot diamond pedestal with the "twin" crystal skull sitting atop it. Also, rotting wooden crates went on forever. There must have been 50,000 crates in warehouse. We raced down the stairs at a reasonable pace, for we wanted to get down quickly, but it would put quite a damper on things if one of us fell through.
When we got down, we opened up the first crate we came to. Documents. The crate was filled with nothing but documents. Oh, wait, there were about ten spiders crawling around them but that isn't very relevant. So, we tried the next crate. Same case. We tried a third one. Same conclusion again. This went on and on and we gave up after looking at about forty five bins. We decided to start looking through the papers to see if there was a clue embedded in them.
It turned out that each paper described a person. Extensive information about each person was on the papers, but there was one little section that caught all of our attention immediately. It was a section entitled 'Where are they now?'. As if by magic it showed where each person, and if they moved locations the words would change, too. Our second discovery was that all the sheets were alphabetized. We started to search for Jacob Richard Hegna (now that part reaaaallllyyyy freaked me out, like a lot).
We searched and searched and searched. It was a tiring procedure but we all knew it was worth it. Then I heard the best sound I could have heard at that time. My sister shouted "I found it!” Our heads shot around as we saw her face bright with joy, and her hand stretching up with wrinkled brown paper. The rest of my family bulleted over to her and looked at the paper. 'Jacob Robert Hegna, 9 years old'. Our eyes scanned the paper looking for the 'Where are they now?' section. One by one, our eyes hit the hallowed words.
Nothing. That is what you heard as we all just stared. It turned out my brother was at Dove Cabins. We all knew the place. It was a camp ground that kids went to for fun. It was located in Wisconsin, but we never went there. Once again we buried to the neck in awe (By the way, there actually is a Dove Cabins in Wisconsin, but I never heard about it before this, so yet again it got really freaky). We quietly left and got to our car and drove home.
Once we got home we got refreshed and rested. But the next morning we were heading to Dove Cabins. The drive took about two hours but those two hours felt like two days. We pulled into a parking lot and got out. We looked for some staff to help us out and eventually we found a Hispanic man named Eduardo. We told him our story and surprisingly he took us seriously. He told us that he may have an idea were Jacob was, because there was no Jacob Hegna registered at the camp. It turns out that there was one bunk that whatever person slept there, they reported to have heard banging in ceiling.
So, we headed over to Cabin 6 and Eduardo led us to a bunk bed labeled 13. All of us just stared up at the ceiling above the bed and think to ourselves "Could this really be?". Eduardo gets some tools from a shed located nearby and he comes back. Within seconds he is cautiously hacking away at the stone. With each collision the anticipation rises. Until finally, we hear a gasp. We look inside through the small hole that has been made, and we see a small eye peering back at us. Eduardo keeps going and more and more is revealed until finally a boy falls down onto the bed that has sat beneath him for three years. The boy looks down at his feet, and back at us, before he is embraced by the most painful bear hug one will ever encounter.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The Lonely Tree
Author's Note: This was a poem that was derived from a stream of consciousness about recess. It symbolizes more than just trees having a boring life, it symbolizes those people that are in the background. If you find this topic interesting and would like to see another post, go to Brad Wahlgren's blog, also know as "The Blog of Wahlgren" and read the "Wallpaper" post. It is very cool. You may need to follow it but here is the web address anyways:
http://bradwahlgren.blogspot.com/2010/02/wallpaper.html
I stand here by myself for
years,
years,
years,
I wish to do with my life
something,
something,
something
As the kids rush by I wish to
run,
run,
run
Deja Vu overwhelmes me
forever,
forever,
forever
And all I have ever thought is
if only,
if only,
if only
http://bradwahlgren.blogspot.com/2010/02/wallpaper.html
I stand here by myself for
years,
years,
years,
I wish to do with my life
something,
something,
something
As the kids rush by I wish to
run,
run,
run
Deja Vu overwhelmes me
forever,
forever,
forever
And all I have ever thought is
if only,
if only,
if only
Monday, November 9, 2009
John F. Kennedy Poem
Author's Note: I wrote this poem for a 6th grade project I did on John F. Kennedy and I really liked it so I thought it would be fun to put that in here. If you don't already know some background on him a quick run down was that John F. Kennedy may have been the best president if he didn't get assassinated early in his time in office. I hope you enjoy.
Some people may have doubted him at first thought
But that was not how he would be taught.
For he was not anybody out of the lot;
He was the one to bring Camelot.
It is such a terrible thought
That peace fell to the ground with just one shot.
R.I.P. John Fitzgerald Kennedy
(1917-1963)
Some people may have doubted him at first thought
But that was not how he would be taught.
For he was not anybody out of the lot;
He was the one to bring Camelot.
It is such a terrible thought
That peace fell to the ground with just one shot.
R.I.P. John Fitzgerald Kennedy
(1917-1963)
Saturday, October 31, 2009
This Is It Movie Review
Author's Note: I have always been a fan of Michael Jackson's music, so I was intrigued to see this movie. Also, I knew that many people were kind of on the line on if they want to see "This is It" so I decided to write this movie review to give people a bit more background knowledge of the movie.
"This Is It" is a movie that is a tribute to the musical phenom Michael Jackson and his tour entitled "This Is It". The tour never happened due to Michael's death but there still was a good amount of film from the rehearsels.
Overall, I would say that the movie is a bit slow moving and repetitive, but is a great tribute and I would give it 2 1/2 stars out of 4. I recommend this movie to all lovers of Michael Jackson's music and all lovers of music.
"This Is It" is a movie that is a tribute to the musical phenom Michael Jackson and his tour entitled "This Is It". The tour never happened due to Michael's death but there still was a good amount of film from the rehearsels.
My thoughts that it was an interesting thing to see because all we ever see are his music videos and songs. We never get to see what goes on behind the scenes and what goes into bringing each song to absolute perfection. I got a sense of appreciation for all of the hard work that happens.
This film also captures that attitudes and personalities of Michael and his co-workers. Michael is a complete perfectionist and he is very specific in how things are done, because he has a vision of what needs to happen. Kenny Ortega, the director of the feature and a big part in bringing the concert shows together, is a huge suck up and makes sure things are the way Michael wants it. It's actually quite comical.
Overall, I would say that the movie is a bit slow moving and repetitive, but is a great tribute and I would give it 2 1/2 stars out of 4. I recommend this movie to all lovers of Michael Jackson's music and all lovers of music.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Favorites
Author's Note: This is a little section where you can see some of my favorite things.
Food:
Books:
1. The Name of This Book is Secret (Pseudonymous Bosch)
2. The Giver (Lois Lowry)
3. The View from Saturday (E.L. Koingsburg)
2. The Breakfast Club
3. Land of the Lost
Food:1. Chicken Noodle Soup
2. Bacon Cheeseburgers
3. Pasta
Drinks:
1. Root Beer
2. Green Monster
3. Green Izze
Books:
1. The Name of This Book is Secret (Pseudonymous Bosch)
2. The Giver (Lois Lowry)
3. The View from Saturday (E.L. Koingsburg)Movies:
1. Love Guru2. The Breakfast Club
3. Land of the Lost
Airplanes
Author's Note: I am not the biggest fan of airplane rides, so I wrote this poem to express my mixed emotions about it. I actually wrote this on a plane on my dad's laptop so the experience was very fresh in my mind. I hope you can relate to this and have fun reading it.
You wake up early in the morn'
With anticipation bubbling inside
You get ready for the fun
To take you away to somewhere new
As you get to the airport security is endless
And your neck gets sore from the strenuous lifting
But finally you make it to the gate
And you sit and wait and wait and wait
You're finally on and you get to your seat
You stare out the window, at the scene you'll be leaving
And think to yourself
"What could possibly happen?"
The engine roars alive
And you start down the runway
Adrenaline pumping your veins
As you take off into the sky
You go up and up
And see the world go minute
Gasping silently at the beautiful sight
Atop the world you feel at peace
The clouds surround you
And you look at the scene
A beautiful one that you only see in a picture
You stare and stare at perfection for what seems to be a never ending moment
As you rise above the clouds
You wonder
About this, about that
About life as we know it
You continue on and you start to get bored
You think
"Why can't I just be home?"
You stare out the windows and count the seconds
The pain starts in your ears
An ever burning pain
That make you wince greatly
You chew some gum to help subside the pain, but that never helps
Your starting to go down
But the pain does the inverse
Rising and rising
You plead for mercy but none comes your way
Finally you land
When the pain is almost unbearable
You can't wait to get off
Into open air
You get up and get your bags
You power walk down the aisle
Only feet away
From the open air
Finally your free
At last, at last!
With good and bad memories
From the airplane ride
You wake up early in the morn'
With anticipation bubbling inside
You get ready for the fun
To take you away to somewhere new
As you get to the airport security is endless
And your neck gets sore from the strenuous lifting
But finally you make it to the gate
And you sit and wait and wait and wait
You're finally on and you get to your seat
You stare out the window, at the scene you'll be leaving
And think to yourself
"What could possibly happen?"
The engine roars alive
And you start down the runway
Adrenaline pumping your veins
As you take off into the sky
You go up and up
And see the world go minute
Gasping silently at the beautiful sight
Atop the world you feel at peace
The clouds surround you
And you look at the scene
A beautiful one that you only see in a picture
You stare and stare at perfection for what seems to be a never ending moment
As you rise above the clouds
You wonder
About this, about that
About life as we know it
You continue on and you start to get bored
You think
"Why can't I just be home?"
You stare out the windows and count the seconds
The pain starts in your ears
An ever burning pain
That make you wince greatly
You chew some gum to help subside the pain, but that never helps
Your starting to go down
But the pain does the inverse
Rising and rising
You plead for mercy but none comes your way
Finally you land
When the pain is almost unbearable
You can't wait to get off
Into open air
You get up and get your bags
You power walk down the aisle
Only feet away
From the open air
Finally your free
At last, at last!
With good and bad memories
From the airplane ride
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Beatles
Author's Note: In Forensics, we had to write a speech to give to the class about something to do with history. I took a look at my knowledge of the past and my interests in the past and decided that I wanted to write about this very influential band. I hope you enjoy this piece and learn some new things about the one and only "Beatles".
Depression and sadness was a common behavior in the England areas and in many other regions of the world, too. This was, because of the Vietnam War that was taking place in the world’s midst. The world needed somebody, something, to pick up its spirits and propel it into a happier place. If only someone knew it would be a band called the Beatles.
John Lennon, James Paul McCartney, James Harrison, and Richard Starkley (also known as Ringo Starr) were average kids growing up in the distraught town of Liverpool. Liverpool was located in England and was hit hard by the bombings of the war. There were virtually total strangers and it seems nothing more than fate brought them together. This is how it happened.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney both played in Skiffle groups which were unsophisticated bands that played a mix of jazz, rock, and folk. John was in a band that called themselves John and the Quarrymen. Paul then introduced John to George Harrison, a guitarist two years younger but was very talented, and he soon became a member. To finish off the group, there was Stu Sutcliffe, John’s friend from art college, and Pete Best. At this time, Ringo Starr was performing at many of the same events for a band called Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.
But they could not stay together as Stu died and the band decided to get rid of Pete Best. Then they decided that they would like to introduce Ringo Starr into the Beatles. Even though the Beatles welcomed Ringo, the fans did not always do the same. “Pete forever, Ringo never” could sometimes be heard and concerts and other events the Beatles were at.
Later, fighting and controversy started to get in between the band but they became a very popular band in Europe. Their success elevated as they headed into America. It became very big news when they landed at Kennedy Airport and then were on Ed Sulliven. They were so popular sometimes females would actually faint at the Beatles concerts. At the last American concert you could barely even hear the music being played because the crowd was so loud.
They made to movies entitled A Hard Day’s Night and Help. These were both very popular. Then when John Lennon made a comment about how he thought that they were more popular then Jesus, protests were made, and records were burnt. This chipped into the Beatles popularity and caused some serious issues. These issues came through in their 1966 album called “Revolver” which had a little bit more of a somber tone to it.
Unfortunately, the Beatles got involved with drugs and other things and their next two albums were not as soft as the previous ones. Songs on the new albums included “Yellow Submarine” which was a childish cartoon, but had powerful political references woven into it. They also came out with the song “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band” which suited the attitude of the world perfectly.
The Beatles then came out with the song “All You Need is Love” and changed the mood in their songs again. “All You Need is Love” was actually the first world satellite broadcast to be shown in across the globe.
In 1968, John’s girlfriend, Yoko Ono, became a great influence on the Beatles but not always in a good way. Much of the fighting in the songs was in result of Yoko’s participation in group decision making.
The Beatles later came out with maybe their most famous album “Abbey Road” and a couple of other albums but that didn’t stop Paul from leaving them. The band quickly broke apart and went on their own paths.
That was the end of the road for them but they definitely left a huge footprint on the music business and on the world.
Depression and sadness was a common behavior in the England areas and in many other regions of the world, too. This was, because of the Vietnam War that was taking place in the world’s midst. The world needed somebody, something, to pick up its spirits and propel it into a happier place. If only someone knew it would be a band called the Beatles.
John Lennon, James Paul McCartney, James Harrison, and Richard Starkley (also known as Ringo Starr) were average kids growing up in the distraught town of Liverpool. Liverpool was located in England and was hit hard by the bombings of the war. There were virtually total strangers and it seems nothing more than fate brought them together. This is how it happened.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney both played in Skiffle groups which were unsophisticated bands that played a mix of jazz, rock, and folk. John was in a band that called themselves John and the Quarrymen. Paul then introduced John to George Harrison, a guitarist two years younger but was very talented, and he soon became a member. To finish off the group, there was Stu Sutcliffe, John’s friend from art college, and Pete Best. At this time, Ringo Starr was performing at many of the same events for a band called Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.
But they could not stay together as Stu died and the band decided to get rid of Pete Best. Then they decided that they would like to introduce Ringo Starr into the Beatles. Even though the Beatles welcomed Ringo, the fans did not always do the same. “Pete forever, Ringo never” could sometimes be heard and concerts and other events the Beatles were at.
Later, fighting and controversy started to get in between the band but they became a very popular band in Europe. Their success elevated as they headed into America. It became very big news when they landed at Kennedy Airport and then were on Ed Sulliven. They were so popular sometimes females would actually faint at the Beatles concerts. At the last American concert you could barely even hear the music being played because the crowd was so loud.
They made to movies entitled A Hard Day’s Night and Help. These were both very popular. Then when John Lennon made a comment about how he thought that they were more popular then Jesus, protests were made, and records were burnt. This chipped into the Beatles popularity and caused some serious issues. These issues came through in their 1966 album called “Revolver” which had a little bit more of a somber tone to it.
Unfortunately, the Beatles got involved with drugs and other things and their next two albums were not as soft as the previous ones. Songs on the new albums included “Yellow Submarine” which was a childish cartoon, but had powerful political references woven into it. They also came out with the song “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band” which suited the attitude of the world perfectly.
The Beatles then came out with the song “All You Need is Love” and changed the mood in their songs again. “All You Need is Love” was actually the first world satellite broadcast to be shown in across the globe.
In 1968, John’s girlfriend, Yoko Ono, became a great influence on the Beatles but not always in a good way. Much of the fighting in the songs was in result of Yoko’s participation in group decision making.
The Beatles later came out with maybe their most famous album “Abbey Road” and a couple of other albums but that didn’t stop Paul from leaving them. The band quickly broke apart and went on their own paths.
That was the end of the road for them but they definitely left a huge footprint on the music business and on the world.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Favorite Quotes
Author's Note: These are my favorite quotes.
Favorite Quote:
"Do not go gently into the good night, rage, rage, against the dying of the light."Favorite Quote:
~Dylan Thomas
"The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways- I to die, and you to live. Which is better, God only knows."
~Socrates
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
~Michael Jordan
"If winning doesn't matter, why do we keep score?"
~Vince Lombardi
"All a writer can ever choose to write is his own experiences,"
~Truman Capote"An unexamined life, is a life not worth living,"
~Socrates
"Vote for Pedro,"
~Napolean Dynamite
"Tigers love pepper... They hate cinnamon"
~Alan Garner
"It's where I keep all my things. Get a lot of compliments on this. Plus it's not a purse, it's called a satchel. Indiana Jones wears one."
~Alan Garner
"Oh, you know what? Next week's no good for me... The Jonas Brothers are in town. But any week after that, it's totally fine."
~Alan Garner
"Doc, none of us could remember anything from last night. Remember?"
~Alan Garner
"And we're the three best friends that anyone could have!"
~Alan Garner
"There is a jungle cat in the bathroom!"
~Alan Garner
"Classic"
~Alan Garner
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Ryan's Thoughts #1: Is Mr. Rogers Being a Good Neighbor? Well You Think So Because That's What He Says
Author's Note: Hi, in my brain many things go on. To the average person they would not make sense. Usually they don't even make sense to me. But anyways I was thinking that it would be fun to blog about what I am thinking. So, here it goes. My first ever edition of Ryan's Thoughts...
When we all grew up, we did four things. Eat, sleep, dispose of "waste", and watch Disney movies/PBS. The first three were very essential things. Yet as it turns out the last one seems to be quite important. I mean we learn life lessons with those shows. For example, Mr. Rogers shows us how to be nice and other cool things like a slide whistle. That Count Dracula guy from Sesame Street taught us how to count. With Bambi, I honestly don't exactly know what it taught me but I do know it taught me something. This isn't PBS or Disney, but for me, I got good at math from playing Yu Gi Oh cards. Sad but true. Can you see how all these things are important in life?
Now, that was only half of what I was thinking. My messed up, slightly psycopathic brain turned that into this...
I was thinking that if they were teaching children things, wouldn't they be able to mold there brains into what Disney or PBS wanted them to be. In an odd way they are both almost as powerful as the US Government. It is kind of creepy if you think about it.So, that is my view on children's television and I would like to thank you for listening. Reading for that matter.
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