Music Review

Since this topic is kinda vague, I'll just review the album that I'm currently listening to. That album is Ready to Die by the Notorious B.I.G. The album starts with the sounds of a woman giving birth and the sound of a heartbeat. A very solid way to begin a album, his birth. The first song is Things done Changed where he raps about how life used to be very good but not everything is going to shit essentially. Biggie's flow is amazing and the way he raps is a style that is all his own. One of the greatest voices for sure. Gimme the Loot is up next, and B.I.G. does some crazy stuff with his voice and it sounds as if there are two different people but its Biggie the entire time. My favorite song off the album I think. His next couple songs are all great, Warning and The What with Method Man are superb. Biggie's most known song, Juicy is the halfway point of the album for me and is a great use of sampling and an amazing narrative. One of the truest songs on the album is Everyday Struggle, where he talks about sells crack but you sympathize with him and even ignore the gangster aspect of his life. Great song. Me and My Bitch is one of the saddest songs, where he raps about his bitch, who is in fact one of the closest people to him and how she get murdered, most likely because of him. Friend of Mine has the greatest line of the entire album "The blunts and brew thang, knockin some Wu-Tang, M.E.T.H. oh shit, look at them lips and them hips on that bitch. " Makes me laugh every time. Suicidal Thoughts is the last song and one of the most messed up of the entire album and closes out the album perfectly. This is a classic record! 

Sports in my Life

Sports have been an important aspect of my life from its beginning. Ever since I was a small child, my dad would take me to go see the Bulls or the Blackhawks and I grew up loving sports. I remember vividly when the Bulls won their last championship in 1998, watching the game with my parents. I remember when the White Sox won it all and of course last years Blackhawks. I have also played sports since I was a kid. I first played baseball and later basketball. While I no longer compete, I love to play with my friends. We get together during the summer and play soccer and during the winter we play football. We also just shoot around and hoop, or play for money sometimes. But sports also bring my family together. I love watching the games with my dad, mom, little brothers, uncles, cousins, and aunts. It brings that sense of unity that we are here gathered to enjoy watching sports. All around in my room there are posters of sports stars, soccer scarves (LIVERPOOL), team posters, and flags. I have many jerseys and hoodies to represent my favorite sports teams. In conclusion, sports have had a huge impact on my life!

Thankful for a classmate(S)

I am thankful for a lot of my classmates but I don’t have all day to talk about them, so ill mention only a couple. The title is for a classmate, but I will break the rules. Greg is my man, I knew him vaguely when I was a wee child, but ever since we started going to the same high school, stuff has been going down. There is no one else that I can just talk about World of Warcraft with, and the s@#! we’ve been through, make this one of my bestest best friends. Plus he is Polish, which is a plus all in itself I think. And it’s too funny when we both forget to do an assignment. Or when we don’t study for Psych. Or when we play Rock Band at his house and I fall asleep during a solo. But I digress. I am also thankful for my close group of friends which consist of Amanda (love her, nothing else can even describe + my House partner), Maggie (crazy lunch buddy who divorced me on facebook.com </3), Hayley (who swears and hits me often) and they are all very dear (weird phrase?) to me. To all those I didn’t name, you know who you are and I am thankful for you too. Especially my homie Tommy.

Defend the Poet

For this entry, we have to defend the poet and the poet in this case is Charles Bukowski. He is the author of Dinosauria, We. This poem is a very grim outlook on our future as a species and what will eventually become of us. He is very harsh when he criticizes our society saying that we elevate fools to become leaders, and who it is cheaper to die than live in a hospital. While we may see this as a little extreme, in almost every case, Bukowski is correct in his writing. Lawyers these days are so expansive, it is not worth it financially to defend yourself, may as well plead guilty (unless you are rich, different story). The hospitals may preserve your life but they will ruin your financials and leave you in debt until you finally do die. His outlook on the future apocalypse is no different than what we see in today’s movies and shows. For example, Walking Dead (A TV show about zombies) or I Am Legends (movie about zombies). All in all, he may have one of the most chilling poems I have ever read, but his work is not stupid, it’s actually really deep. No joke.

King still King?

Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most important people in American history. His action led to equality in this nation after many years of bigotry and hate. But is he still as celebrated today as he should be? It is true that we get a day off of school and some people get out of work, but do we really realize why we get this holiday? In my opinion, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a celebration of a man who rose up and united a nation divided, but that may not be the case for all people. In our current society, I think we take these holidays for granted, not reflecting on why we even have a day off.

In my mind, King is still king. We have all learned of his importance in elementary school and see what his work has done for our nation. But that is not enough. To truly honor this great man, we should do what he would have wanted. To go out and serve others, and not let skin color get in the way of ANYTHING. Equality was his dream, and that is the way to honor this king.