Hmmm...Should the Past Haunt Us Forever?

Should it? I just got Eminem's greatest hits songs. Everything from "My Name Is" to "White America" (only through 2008, so it's omitting actually most of his best work). I am trying to get myself to start working out in the mornings (could I pick a worse time?) and I needed work out music. Nothing pumps me up more than, well. . . most of Eminem's good music. I say 'good,' because as we all know, he does randomly slip back into the typical rapper (sex, drugs, violence). I came across this article while looking for writing blogs for my online class: copyblogger. In his song "Almost Famous," he depicts his rise to fame from the guy in a wife beater hiding in the corner to the man thankful to be alive (and out of rehab). But, Eminem is permanently attached to who he used to be:

"Now there he goes in Dre's studio cuppin his balls
Screaming the wood off the panelling
And cussing the paint off the walls"

I don't know anyone, really, who loves Eminem through and through. They always bring up his first few albums (I do too). There has formed a serious stereotype attached to those who listen to him. To be honest, most days I feel conflicted about this topic in general. Do people really change? Can they ever get past who they used to be? Eminem, as a person, has done bad things. Rapped about terrible things (killing his wife, for instance). Does that condemn who he has become? 

"Cus I ain't looking back, only forward, this whole spot blowing
Who coulda known he'd grow to be a poet and not know it
And while I'm being poetic let me get historic and raise the bar"

And though he seems to be the only rapper with lyrics that seem to have some meaning (White America, for instance) no one can deny, he tells it like it is. There is no political correct filter in Shady's mind, nor regard for the harm his words might bring.

". . . that's why they put my
Lyrics up under this microscope, searchin' with a fine tooth comb, its like this rope, waitin'
To choke, tightening around my throat, watching me while I write this, like I don't like this,
Nope, all I hear is, lyrics, lyrics, constant controversy, sponsors working 'round the clock, to
Try to stop my concerts early, surely hip-hop was never a problem in Harlem, only in Boston. . ."

One last point to this questionaire post: Eminem knows himself. Notice how I didn't pull from secondary sources? These are his lyrics. Eminem today, knows who he used to be. Maybe he doesn't apologize, but he makes sure we know he is a changed person. When considering who someone is today, should all their past transgressions be pulled out and waved around like a flag? I don't know. Comments?

Video Production 1

Here is the link to my blog for Video Production 1. I just got done with my first movie review, which is only half bad. I lost steam while writing it, which is something that happens a lot when I post on blogs. I'm probably going to have to start writing my reviews out by hand before posting online so there is some kind of feel of congruency.

http://keyvideoproduction1.blogspot.com/

What a day!

This is officially the best example of a great school day.

It began by waking up at 9:30am (sleeping in, yay!) with my hubby and MoMo. John and I went to breakfast at a cute hippie foods place (I had the best muffin I've ever tasted in my life, and John ate a salad) and hung out at a table outside, chatting while the birds sang, the sun streaming through leaves. At noon, he dropped me off at school where I attended my Public Speaking class. My energetic and hilariously fun professor ran around the room "lecturing" (I say with quotes, because her lectures are quite fun, and lecturing doesn't normally involve me laughing, nodding, and speaking out in class). I then spent an hour laying on a bench in between some trees reading A Clash of Kings and listening to the water fountain. It was 75 and sunny today. Is it seriously January? My Northern Minnesota mind is laughing hysterically. Then I went to my first Video Production 1 session. My professor is only a part time teacher at Armstrong because she is a full time teacher at SCAD. And you can tell. My whole semester will be made up of blogging, filming, picture taking, and editing. We'll be doing group projects all semester not just learning the THEORY of directing, producing, editing, and writing-- we'll actually be going out and DOING it. Actually running around Savannah, if need be, on whatever project we have given ourselves. Holy. Crap.

My only worry is just this: group projects. This is actually a required class for Theater majors. There is only one other English major in there with me, who is focusing on Film Studies as a part of her Communications degree, so it's required for her too. I think I'm the only one there because it sounded fun. And every student who spoke in class sounded...well... like a theater major. My coworker, Jessica, who is also a theater major, knows exactly what I'm talking about. She doesn't like the other people in her major either. Ha. It's hard to describe exactly what is so unattractive about this group in particular. It could be the inability to understand when it is appropriate to interrupt in class (and saying things in ways that suggest even though they desire to work Broadway, they have no actual people skills)...or maybe it's because no one seemed to understand the simplest requests of our professor. I think most of the 2 hour class was spent with our VERY patient professor repeating instructions several times over.  But anyway, aside from the students, the assignments are brilliant. There are supposed to be 15 people in the class, and because we are going to be working in groups, we have to pitch our work to see who has the best ideas for assignments. The first pitch I have to do is for a documentary assignment. I'm going to try selling the idea of following John's editors and their story: they just started up their own magazine. Their launch party is next Saturday (which is going to be so amazing, I can't wait to report on it). I'm going to take a camera (hopefully my boss will let me use a camera from work, my own digital isn't working) and photograph the party. Not only do they have a number of local bands performing, there will be an art show, hoopers and fire poi (you know those guys who light sticks on fire and do crazy tricks with them? Yeah. That's those guys.). Not to mention the free food and the selling of the first edition of their magazine. I'll talk more about it later as I work on the assignment.

I've never been so excited for school. Not only do I have a blog in my Video Productions class, but I had to make one for my Freelance Writing and Publishing class. I have to think up a theme for that one. I considered 'technology in the classroom,' but for each post (there will be three) I have to do interviews with professionals...and I think calling up an old high school teacher is considered more 'available' than 'appropriate.' For example, if I did a cooking theme, I'd try to call up Paula Dean's restaurant here in Savannah and see if I could talk to their chef. Or Paula herself. I'd do that if I didn't hate cooking so much. Food I love. Cooking, not so much.

I've never been so excited, and I've never felt more inspired. Through my classes today I kept hearing the words "be creative, don't just do something because it will get you by." And my brain ran with it. My first informal speech in Speech Communications is talking about three personal things I bring to class. The first thing I thought of was my pencil--I'd talk about the hundreds of lives its created, a mother like no other (it's pushed out lead like hundreds of children on to paper). Should be fun, though nerve wracking. I hate public speaking.

I'll post more as the semester progresses, and include links once I get the other two blogs going. I hope things just keep getting better!

Damn you, Literary Theory.

An idea hit me a few months back and I was hoping for some feedback, despite it being the product of too much literary theory studying:

I wonder if anyone has ever written a paper on the potential metaphoric meaning behind 'rock, paper, scissors.' As I dallied across the internet the other day, I spied a picture of a chalk board that questioned why paper always beats rock (it was supposed to be a joke, but I took it way too seriously)--what's it supposed to do, wrap itself around the rock and hope it wins?

The first thing that popped into my head was: "Don't be so literal." Perhaps my literary theory class is going to my head, but:

If you were going to think about this game symbolically, why not make this game one of war? After all, whoever wins the game usually wins a prize, and what is more of a prize than land, treasure, political power, ect?  So, as I lay in bed pondering the damage my lit theory class has done to my thought process, I wrote out the symbolism of this age old game.

Rock, obviously, would stand for sheer power or physical force. This could mean a military--army, navy, air force, what have you. Rock is normally viewed as a material of nature that seems impenetrable (time and weathering aside). When I think of rock, I think of castles, strongholds, and the men behind the rock--the fighting force.

Paper then, would stand for knowledge. The weight of words and the power in language is immense. It can do so much more damage than physical force. Words can inspire people, give them ideas, hope, the courage to stand up and do what is necessary whether for good or bad. Words can also bring down reputations, destroy paradigms. Bliss should not be found in ignorance, but in the knowledge handed down or discovered by others.

Scissors represents the control the powerful have over those words. I consider China's restriction on their internet, USA's WW2 propaganda, or Russia's 'Pravda.' One hopes that truth will out, but this is not always the case.

In essence, Rock beats scissors (armies can take down deceitful regimes), scissors beats paper (powerful governmental figures can control the output of certain knowledge), and paper beats rock (words, even those unaccepted by their government, can hold more power over armies; the right words in the hands of the people can inspire a coup).

Anyway, let me know what you think. I wonder when this 'game' originated.
Of course, to write a paper you'd have to think of several good (and consistent) examples, explore more into the history of each section, ect. But still, make for a fun one, I think.