Pretty much expected....again...

Wow. I was going to write about something happy in this blog post. I was going to write about how the new school year is going well. I was going to write about how much fun I had at the movie on Friday. I was going to write about how good it was to see my brother visit for the weekend. Heck I was almost going to write about how good the Vikings look at the half of the game today... But of course there is the second half. That dreaded half that's plagued the Vikings since the beginning. When I choked on some water at half time I should've seen the bad omen. Its funny (well not really) but I actually called the loss after the Vikings failed to do anything with their first possession of the second half. But no, I couldn't stop watching, I fell victim to the same mistake that always gets me. That glimmer of hope that swindling slimy conniving two timing double crossing ungrateful glimmer of hope. The Vikes held the lions to a field goal and it looked like we might actually hold onto the lead. Unfortunately they remembered they are a Minnesota sports franchise and decided to commit every penalty, miss every tackle, and drop every pass on their way to blowing a 20 point half time lead in the last minute of the game and losing in overtime. The worst part about it is is that they actually did this EXACT same thing last week and the week before that. Oh well. I should know better. By now it's expected...

P.S. I was going to write about something happy I swear.

Oh Jim Crow...

Its hard to believe that the Jim Crow laws existed in our country for nearly one hundred years not only because of how discriminatory they were but also because of how ridiculous the logic that backed the laws was. Here of some of my favorite examples of the delusional logic of Jim Crow laws:


Law: Juvenile Delinquents: There shall be separate buildings, not nearer than one fourth mile from each other, one for white boys and one for Negro boys. 


Response: Alright I better get my tape measure.


Law: Circus Tickets: All circuses, shows and tent exhibitions, to which the attendance of.more than one race is invited or expected to attend shall provide for the convenience of its patrons not less than two ticket offices with individual sellers, and not less than two entrances to the said performance, with individual ticket takers and receivers, and in the case of outside or tent performances, the said ticket offices shall not be less than twenty-five feet (25) apart.


Response: Well the circus has always been a very serious place. aha aha


Law: The Blind: The board of trustees shall. maintain a separate building. on separate ground for the admission, care, instruction, and support of all blind persons of the colored or black race.


Response: Yea if I was blind I would be concerned about the way the people around me look too.


Law: Intermarriage: The marriage of a white person with a Negro or mulatto, or person who shall have one-eight or more of Negro blood shall be unlawful and void.


Response: 
Lawyer: Your honor this man's mother's father's great uncle's second cousin is only 82.4398 percent white and therefore the marriage should be void.

Law: Prisons: The warden shall see that the white convicts shall have separate apartments for both eating and sleeping from the Negro convicts.


Response:  It's funny how the lawmakers in this time period voted to "improve" the rights of criminals before giving women equal rights. They definitely had their priorities straight.


Law: The state librarian is directed to fit up and maintain a separate place for the use of the colored people who may come to the library for the purpose of reading books or periodicals. 


Response: Wait... people go to libraries to read books?

Pretty much expected....

Wow. I was going to write about something happy in this blog post. I was going to write about how the new school year is going well. I was going to write about how much fun I had at the game on Friday. I was going to write about how good it was to see my sister visit for the weekend. Heck I was almost going to write about how good the Vikings look at the half of the game today... But of course there is the second half. That dreaded half that's plagued the Vikings since the beginning. When I choked on some water at half time I should've seen the bad omen. Its funny (well not really) but I actually called the loss after the Vikings failed to do anything with their first possession of the second half. But no, I couldn't stop watching, I fell victim to the same mistake that always gets me. That glimmer of hope that swindling slimy conniving glimmer of hope. The Vikes intercepted Freeman and it looked like we might actually hold onto the lead. Unfortunately they remembered they are a Minnesota sports franchise and decided to commit every penalty, miss every tackle, and drop every pass on their way to blowing a 17 point half time lead in the last minute of the game. The worst part about it is is that they actually did this EXACT same thing last week. Oh well. I should know better. By now it's expected...

P.S. I was going to write about something happy I swear.

Why I write..

Hmm... writing. Well to be honest when I was younger I never really enjoyed writing at all. I felt like it was useless because, well, if I had something to say I would just say it. But as I got older I realized it's pretty hard to remember everything you have ever wanted to say, so I began to view writing as bearable. Its funny, my mom got me a journal for my 5th birthday and at the time I was visibly upset. And by that I mean I threw a tantrum for about a week. But I have written in that book at least once a year (impressive I know) for the past 12 years. Which brings me back to the main focus of this post, why I write. I have written in that journal because of important sporting events that have happened since I received it like when the Giants beat the Patriots in the 2007 Superbowl despite being 14 point underdogs. I have written in that journal because of important news events like the 35W bridge collapse in 2008. And I have written in that journal because once in a while I just have too much on my mind and need to put it down on paper so I can see and organize my thoughts.

Sherman Alexie and my Narrative

"Superman and Me" was both serious and lighthearted at times.The second half of Sherman's essay had a very dark tone dealing with the discrimination and persecution of Native Americans. Fortunately my experience with reading has not been as dreary. The first half of the essay mainly focuses on how Sherman gained his interest in reading and learned how to read.  I like how Alexie incorporates the thoughts that went through his head when he was first learning how to read. The fact that he took the concept of a paragraph and incorporated into a way of grouping his house and family in their community was really funny and showed the creativity of a child's mind. I'm also going to try to incorporate my old thoughts into my narrative because I think it will help the reader connect with my essay since he or she probably had similar thoughts going through their head when beginning to read. I'll do this by mentioning the fact that the first book I tried to read was called "Blue" and the only reason I picked it up off the shelf in my old house was because I liked the color of the cover...it was blue. Although the way I learned how to read wasn't as unique as Sherman's, I feel like the way he used descriptive words to paint a picture of how the comic book panels looked is something I could use.