Assignment 23: Perfect Playlist- Haley Longworth

The perfect playlist for a happy day :)

1.) Bloom by The Paper Kites- The song sounds so beautiful. It is very soothing and will definitely relieve any stress you have kept stored inside. It makes me feel like I'm sitting in a field of flowers with a smile on my face and the wind blowing through my hair on a warm spring day.
2.) Happy by Pharrell Williams- If you have somehow forgotten that you're happy, this song will not fail to remind you. I do admit it doesn't make complete sense, but when you're happy it just doesn't bother you that much.
3.) I Will Wait- Mumford and Sons- It is such an upbeat song with a good message. I really enjoy listening to it when I'm happy because of the folksy sound that makes me feel like summer.
4.) Winter Wonderland by Michael Buble- I prefer this song around Christmas time, but I had to include it because of how happy it makes me feel in the winter. I hear the song come on and can't stop myself from singing.
5.) Unconditionally by Katy Perry- I just love the way this song sounds and the beat it has. I feel like dancing around in my room and singing along. I also really like Katy Perry.

#18 Rhoman James

High School- Win a state championship in football and track Make as much money as possible Make as many life long connections as possible Get all A's senior year Have a fun mentoring project Make Ms. Moses, Mrs James College- Do plenty of mentoring opportunities Study abroad in many hispanic countries Be completely fluent in spanish Get a phD in Psychiatry Create a business in which i can make money from for the rest of my life Before I die- Watch the olympics in person Get a loyal, beautiful wife (Ms Moses) Make 2 Million dollars Have a huge house in Florida or somewhere on a beach Actually, I want to have 2 wives that love eachother and love me too, so we live together and have a big family.

#23 Rhoman James

Perfect Playlist This playlist can only be characterized as the “turn up” playlist. If you are ever about to have a fun and eventful night and you want to, as the kids say, “turn up” listen to these songs! Party in the USA-Miley Cyrus In this song, it is telling everybody to party. This was the pre-turn up Miley Cyrus so this song is a good song to prepare you to turn up for the night. It is an energy inspiring song, and it also gives a good sense of patriotism. 23-Miley Cyrus This song is from the post-turn up Miley Cyrus. If you are white, and you want to feel a sense of blackness for the night, this song is ideal. Best of Both Worlds-Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana This song describes the two worlds of Miley Cyrus. There is the Disney channel Miley…then there is the twerking Miley. If you are good during the day, and a party monster in the night, this is the song for you The Climb-Miley Cyrus This song is the most inspiring song I have ever heard. It makes you realize your goals and makes you pursue them. It is honestly just a good song which I personally love. The ChaCha Slide-(who knows) This song is a good song to kick off some exercise for the night. There can’t be “turn up” without a large amount of movement. This simple dance will warm up your muscles for an eventful night

#22 Rhoman James

If I could be any fictional character, I think I would choose to be Spongebob. The main reason why I would choose spongebob is because he always does what makes him happy without worrying about what someone says about him. Obviously so many people in Bikini Bottom hate on spongebob. Some people say he’s too happy. Some people just hate on him because of his job, but in the end, he always ends up happy and smiling. Even in one episode when his breath stunk, and he thought that he was ugly, he ended up standing on the top of his house with Patrick yelling “I’m ugly and I’m proud, I’m ugly and I’m proud!” He is really telling us that no matter what we do, we need to be proud of what we do. That is why if I could be any fictional character I would be spongebob.

#21 Rhoman James

Right now somewhere in the universe, someone is going through an experience that they will remember forever. Some of them will have great memories, but some are experiencing something that will terrify them for a lifetime. Some are gaining someone who will never leave their life, but some are losing someone who has always been in their life. Some are making a decision that will propel their life and career forward, but some are making a mistake that will plummet their life straight to the bottom. It’s crazy to think about, but there is probably someone right now who is listening to the same song I am listening to and someone who is thinking the same thing I am. What is even crazier to think about, there is probably a guy somewhere that would be my best friend in every aspect, and there are also girls that I will never meet that would love me!

Fictional Character - Jasa Harris

If I could be any fictional character I would be Eliza Thornberry. Even though she’s a nerd and stuff she has the most amazing power ever as she can talk to animals! She gets to travel around the world with her family and her chimpanzee in this RV that transforms into a boat like floatie whenever it enters the water. I’ve always wanted an RV to just travel everywhere in. And she just gets to go on all these adventures and communicate with every animal she encounters. I would love to talk to turtles, giraffes, zebras and other animals and know how they think and how they see things.  Also, Eliza scuba dives. I would love to swim with fish and dolphins too.  Also her little brother, Donnie, is the most adorable thing. And on top of that she’s really smart and she has this huge secret she can’t tell anybody so she has a double life. I just think everything about her life is amazing, a great family, a huge secret, she gets to travel the world and she always seems to have fun. 

Assignment 23: Perfect Playlist Zac Byrd

Playlist to listen to in the morning to get you going for the rest of the day.

Whoopin’ Blues by Nicholas Payton:

This song is more of a New Orleans style song.  It’s a blues so it has a fun feel to it with syncopated rhythms throughout.  It starts the playlist off with a catchy melody and it is not a too fast and overbearing song.

Flying Home by the Tonight Show Band:

This is one of my favorite songs of all time.  It was originally played by Lionel Hampton and Illinois Jacquet which is where the melody originated from.  It adds a more smooth jazz feel to the playlist.  This song really builds up towards the end and has a great improvisation section in the middle featuring Doc Severinsen.  It helps lead into the busiest piece of the playlist.

928 Horn Jam by Trombone Shorty:

This song is only 55 seconds long but is a continuous loud, New Orleans style song that really gets you pumped up.  It’s very busy throughout the entire band and offers many different rhymic layers.  Its in the middle because it adds a spark in the middle due to its different style and organizational structure compared to the other tunes. 

Antropology by Dizzy Gillespe:

This song is a classic.  There have been big band versions of this made but it’s in my playlist as a combo.  It calms me down a little bit and is right before a really upbeat song.  It sounds a little different than the others because it is so much older than them. 

Rippin’ and Runnin’ by the Big Phat Band:

This is a great upbeat song.  What made me put this last is its solo section.  The sax that plays the solo goes kind of crazy in the middle of the solo section.  It’s a very difficult solo and is completely made up.  The song has a lot of syncopated rhythms which makes it fun to listen too.  It varies a lot and has interjections continuously from all of the different sections in the band.  It ends with a bang and gets me excited before the day even starts.

#21 Right Now-Rachel Hart

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe is having the time of their life. They’re playing with their children or cuddling puppies. Somewhere a parent is taking the opportunity to teach their children a valuable lesson from “when they were kid”. Someone is winning a competition they have trained their entire life for and loving the feeling of relief and accomplishment. Somewhere a child is cuddled up next to a dog, who is their only best friend. Someone is dancing the night away no matter how foolish they look. Somewhere a wife is enjoying every moment she has with her husband before he leaves for deployment.  A child is enjoying their first trip to the happiest place on Earth. Somewhere a child is running like they haven’t a care in the world. Someone is having the time of their life simply enjoying a piece of chocolate cake after getting an A on their physics test. Somewhere someone is having the time of their life.

#22 Fictional Character-Rachel Hart

If I could choose to be any character, I would have to choose to be Princess Mia Thermopolis from Princess Diaries. Discovering you’re a princess in high school? Count me in! I would love to leave all of the homework and tests behind to rule my own country. Rather than worry with teachers, I would be worrying with dignitaries and princes.  All of that aside, she is a humble princess who doesn’t let royalty go to her head. She still sees the importance in helping others and would rather walk with children in a parade then ride in a fancy car. When forced with the decision to marry or forfeit the thrown, she is powerful enough to stand up and proclaim that she will rule by herself. In her position, I would love to be the power and strong queen she is. Besides, princess life rules over high school life any day.

Fictional character- Hans Stromberg

Tony Stark. Hands down. Who wouldn't want to be a genius who could make a suit that could fly and blow crap up. I mean, that's the dream. It would kinda suck that I would have a Palladium heart but o well, you have to give a little if you want to be able to fly. I would also have Stark Industries, which would make billions of dollars because everyone wants to buy my awesome weapons of mass destruction. To add even further, I would spit mad game because who wouldn't want to get nasty with Tony Stark. Another perk is that not only the ladies would love me, put also everyone because I defend this awesome country from weird robots, aliens and terrorists. I also have some pretty "fly" friends in the Avengers who i kick butt with.(suck it.) I also am a super genius who is smarter than even D-Steve. I would be able to be smarter than anyone in physics, chemistry and mathematics which i would put to use in my awesome defenses and weapons. So pretty much, I would have everything I could ever want.   

Assignment 23: the perfect playlist

A Blast From the Past

"High Fidelity" (2000) was a film that was remarkably ahead of its time. The film tells the story of Rob Gordon, a washed-up music junkie (played by the fantastic John Cusack) who spends his days creating perfect 5 song playlists. There's his playlist for his worst break up ever, his playlist of the top 5 soul tracks released between 1955 and 1965, and his playlist for his ex-girlfriend's dad's funeral.

Today, thanks to Limewire, iTunes, the "genius" Itunes feature, and Pandora, creating a "perfect" playlist has never been easier.

On the other hand, Rob probably would be appalled by the slapdash way some of us throw together any group of songs above a certain tempo before we head to the gym, or take all those below a certain tempo and thoughtlessly label it “chillaxxx.” As Rob forewarned, “The making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art. Many do’s and don’ts. You’re using someone else’s poetry to express how you feel. This is a delicate thing.”

So for this blog assignment, create a "perfect" playlist for something. It could be your perfect playlist to listen to at the gym (boring!), perfect playlist for a rainy day, perfect playlist for anything. . . be as creative as you can. Once you have chosen a topic, select 5 tracks for this playlist, noting the song and artist, and write a few sentences explaining why you chose this song, what this song adds to your playlist, why you put it where you did, and how it works with the other songs you selected to create a cohesive perfect playlist.

If you want link it to a spotify playlist and share a link.

Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, April 13th at 11:59 pm

(Last day to turn in make up assignments 21-23)

entry courtesy John Cowgill

Assignment 18 Bucket List Hannah Pauley

High School:
finish a successful mentoring project; volunteer at the Humane Society; crush the patriarchy; participate in Go Green Club projects; convert an outsider to veganism ; grow vegetables in my backyard
College:
climb a mountain; go to an old movie festival; learn to bellydance; befriend and expose a corrupt company or politician; learn to garden; be in a carnival; learn wilderness survival skills; become a crazed forester; learn botany; sell a professional piece of artwork; dress up as a santaman
Life:
hold the record for the most dogs ever petted by one person; visit India and ride an elephant; visit Venice and be serenaded with "That's Amore" by a strange, mustached man; play an extra in an independent movie about gay marriages; avoid furries at all cost; visit San Francisco; visit Mexico; visit Denver; visit Washington state; visit Maine; visit Oregon; hike the entire Appalachian Trail; help build or create something for a local community;

The most important item on my high school bucket list is the completion of a successful mentoring project. If I can work with plants, this project could help me start addressing the "gardening" and "botany" items in my bucket list. In doing so, I'd get to explore the beautiful, intricate and fascinating world of the flora in a way that is hands-on and similar to a professional internship.
The most important item on my college bucket list is selling a professional piece of artwork. I don't know if I will pursue an artistic career, but if I could sell a piece of refined artwork or be commissioned in a professional way, it would bring me joy and money, and what more does a girl need? It would also give me a taste of what it'd be like to be an illustrator or artist for a living, which would be neat-o.
The most important item on my life bucket list is to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. It sounds crazy, but I'd do it in chunks--a little Appalachia here, a little Appalachia there... I know it'd be difficult, but with the proper gear and knowledge, and some prior hiking/backpacking/outdoors-ing experience, I think I could get through it if I wanted to--and I do. 

I am a Jack, but oh if I could be The Joker- Blog # 22 Fictional Characters

I would be the Joker

Why?

 Because he’s The Joker.

He whimsically blows up hospitals, terrorizes Gotham, and asks the same questions over and over again. Why so serious? And Do you wanna know how I got these scars?

But why? Why does he do what he does? Why is he obsessed with a grown man that dresses up like a bat? Partially because he want too, and partially because he needs to.

Every villain needs to be able to kill and steal his way to the top, the joker villians with style though.  Whether he’s burning a pile of money with a rat accountant on it, or doing an awesome magic trick (I still don’t know where that pencil with) the Joker is ruthlessly cool about it. His ability to do whatever he wants without moral or legal repercussions is admirable at least, but what drives him? What makes him so mad.

Although never specifically specified, the Joker’s backstory is one of tragedy. He lost a wife and child; he failed as a comedian; and he failed a heist, which left him a mutilated monster. To make it worse his life literally goes down the drain in a matter of hours, 24 to be exact. After so much tragedy any normal human would snap just as he did right? That’s what the joker aims to prove when he terrorizes batman and Gotham. He even succeeds at eventually making the bat snap to some degree or other. But The Joker is nothing without Batman, and he knows it. He often idolizes batman for “completing” him. To the Joker, Batman is his pair. He embodies chaos and mayhem while batman embodies order and Justice. They are a perfect for each other in the way that Batman can’t kill the Joker out of cold blood because it would put him above the law, and the Joker can’t kill The Batman because “He is just too much fun.”

In the end I wouldn’t want to be the Joker for all the stuff I have written above, I would want to be the Joker because it would be fun. This is why anybody should want to be the joker and it’s why the Joker wants to be the Joker. There is no rhyme or reason behind what he does so why should there be any rhyme or reason to who he is? 

Fictional Character- Chelsea Southworth

Let me preface by saying this is an extremely difficult choice, and said choice could easily changes in a week or two.


If I could be any fictional character, I would be Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Rightful Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons.

Reason number one is the insanely long list of awesome titles.

But really, though, Dany is an amazing character. She was born to rule (princess, last of her bloodline, married to a warlord-king...yeah, it was inevitable), but is determined that as a queen she will be loved and respected rather than hated and feared. Her ruthlessness, cunning, and battle prowess are rivaled only by her compassion, determination, and sincerity. This girl walked into her husband's funeral pyre and walked out without a burn in sight but with three baby dragons clinging to her like she was their mother. This girl freed a slave army and killed the masters on principle- and the army still follows her willingly, the people calling mhysa (mother) to her as she passes. This girl is planning to fly across the Narrow Sea, take down the Usurper king that holds her throne, and rule the Seven Kingdoms as is her right.

And did I mention that this girl is 14?

Right Now- Chelsea Southworth

At this very moment, a girl is becoming smaller. Whether quieting her voice because only bossy women speak loudly, keeping her views to herself because only bitchy women have opinions, or literally becoming smaller, starving and shrinking her body because only skinny women are attractive, she is turning herself into something less than what she is meant to be. This girl is realizing that society couldn't care less about her mind; if she doesn't have that perfect body- the one that doesn't exist outside of photoshopped magazine pages- then she is worthless. This girl turns on the TV and sees bikini-clad models eating hamburgers on the beach in between shows where there are more nonhuman speaking characters than there are women. This girl goes to the movie theater and sees a strong, confident hero driving the story and saving his beautiful damsel in distress. This girl looks anywhere and sees that she is not enough, nor will she ever be.

This girl could be one of the 78% who are unhappy with their bodies by age 17.

This girl could be one of the 65% of US females that suffer from an eating disorder.

Because she believes she is not valuable, this girl could be the 1 in 4 who experiences teen dating violence or the 1 in 4 who is abused by a partner in their lifetime.

Because of rape culture and societal conditioning, this girl could be the 1 in 6 who survives rape or attempted rape by a man who thinks it's an okay thing to.

Because of the society we live in, this girl could take her own life because she thinks is not enough.

#22 Fictional Character Haley Longworth

If I could be any fictional character, I would be Hermoine Granger. As long as I can remember I have been a fan of the Harry Potter series, and have always admired Hermoine. She was able to befriend the best people at Hogwarts and keep Harry and Ron in line, she was a very talented witch, she was brave, studious, pretty, and the girl who played her is awesome too! No matter what she always stood by Ron and Harry no matter how dangerous or frightening, and you could always count on her to figure out the solution to any problem. One of my favorite parts of the series is in the Dealthly Hallows when her and Harry travel to so many remote places and have to find the horcruxes. Those moments were so spontaneous and unpredictable! Overall, Hermoine is the awesome fictional character that I would want to be because of her many characteristics.

Assignment 23: Perfect Playlist Karl Werner

Playlist for Chilling and Reflecting on Your Life Solemnly and Bit Sadly

Song #1) I Miss You by Blink-182
Blink-182 is one of my all time favorite bands. This song, in my opinion, is their greatest work. This song is very abstract and each listener can interpret it in their own way. Its lyrics and its tune is remorseful, mourning, and melancholy. It relaxes and saddens the listener. Its lines are also out of the box and paint interesting images in your head. You can fit them to almost anything troubling you've been through in life.

Song #2) Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright
This song is one of the best songs in the Shrek movie series. Which is saying something, as all the songs in those movies are great. This song is similar to I Miss You in that its lyrics can apply to anyone and anything and that it is calming in a sad sort of way. It causes you to sadly reflect on your life.

Song #3) Man on the Moon by Kid Cudi
This song switches it up a bit and gives the playlist a more urban and hip-hoppy vibe. It calms you and depresses you at the same time (aka all of Cudder's songs). This song gives the playlist a bit of a different flavor while also bringing about sad self-reflection.

Song #4) Fix You by Coldplay
This song is on the list because it is one of Coldplay's best songs to me. It is simple buy powerful. It is sad and revolves around shortcomings and sufferings of someone, but it isn't completely depressing. It continues on with the slow and introspective theme of the playlist, but brings the mood up a bit.

Song #5) Marching On by OneRepublic
This song ends the playlist because its musical tone is similar to the other songs on this playlist and also OneRepublic is spectacular. However, this song is more upbeat and its lyrics are uplifting and meaningful. After all these depressing songs, this song lifts you up and brings your self-reflection and chilling to a positive and upbeat ending while delivering catchy lines and an enjoyable tune.

Right Now- Jasa Harris

At this moment, somewhere in the universe someone is trying to extreme coupon and they’re probably failing. They’re sitting somewhere in front of the TV just watching in awe as someone else is getting 500 dollars’ worth of groceries and toiletries for like 5 dollars, and they’re trying to find the right coupons on the internet, in their newspaper, just everywhere. They’re trying to figure out when certain stores have double coupon day and when certain items are on sale. They don’t realize how much time actually goes into extreme couponing because it looks so easy. Then they finally decide to actually go to the store and see how well they’ve been doing and end up spending like 100 dollars for a 110 dollars’ worth of stuff.  And finally after a while they just get tired of all the work that goes into extreme couponing and take a break. Also they get annoyed at the fact that all of the extreme couponers spend at least 6 hours in one store- that is ridiculous. 

Assignment 22 Fictional Character-Zac Byrd

I would be Scooby Doo! Why else? He’s a talking dog that finds himself in the most dangerous situations.  And then wiggles himself out of those situations every time, helping to catch a criminal along the way.  He travels the world in a van with his friends without having to pay for anything.  He gets to eat as much as he wants and stays in great shape.  He has an owner who loves to be with him and has had him since he was a pup.  He has gotten to meet the Harlem globetrotters and has won many prizes like build your own roller coaster contests.  He has fun wherever he goes and even though he gets into bad situations he has friends to help him through.  It would be really fun to be Scooby because he’s such a ladies dog and has a very successful life.

Assignment 22: Fictional Character, Fictional Life

Out of all of the books, all of the movies, and all of the television shows you have watched, consider your favorite characters. Then, answer the following:

If you could be any fictional character, who would you be and why?

Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, March 23th at 11:59 pm

Right now- Hans Stromberg

At this moment, somewhere in the universe the university of Kentucky basketball team is crying themselves to sleep. After a 20 point whooping at Florida the cats are asking themselves where they went wrong. What happened to the perfect season these young guns were supposed to have? Now, with 9 losses they are thinking of what could of been. What if they pulled out a victory against Michigan State early in the season, would that confidence fuel the cats into a flawless season? Anyway, back to reality, the cats now have to go back to the state of Florida to play the SEC tournament, looking at potential rematches with teams that they lost twice to. (Arkansas and Florida) The sweet taste of redemption and payback must drive this young team as they practice this week. These youngbloods have to have a short memory and need to stay out of social media this week. Haters gonna hate, the state of Kentucky doesn't take well to bad basketball. I still believe in the chances of this team reaching the final four, the question is do they believe. If they don't believe, an early exit is inevitable in the NCAA tournament this march. As the tears are reaching the pillow and the cats get some sleep i sure hope they are going to dream of lifting that SEC championship trophy and cutting down the nets.

( Shout out to Eastern Kentucky for winning their conference tournament and punching their ticket to the big dance.)