Childhood

I decided to write this post on the first thing that came to mind - my childhood. I grew up in a very European styled family. My dad, born in England, but having grown up in Paris, made sure that I retained at least some of his European mannerisms. For starters, from the time I could walk, I was enlisted on a soccer team

el capitano

and from the time I could piece thoughts together, my dad made sure I was a die-hard Arsenal fan, as his father was. Apart from soccer being a big part of my childhood, my dad always wanted me to learn some of the culture that he was raised with. He would always speak to me in French, make me watch the news in foreign languages, and last, but most certainly not least, he drilled me on my table manors. The amount of times I must have heard him say, "bring your plate closer to you", or "no elbows on the table", or "don't speak while chewing". 

Reflecting back on all this, I can really appreciate my dad's good intentions through it all. Although it might have been annoying at the time to hear him always point out my little flaws, or insist that we speak in French, I can see why he did it now, and I am thankful for that.

The Winning Blog: Reluctant Habits

After scrolling through the 15 blogs, the one that really caught my eye the most was the one titled Reluctant Habits. This blog is a little different from the others, in that many of the posts are uploaded via audio file through The Bat Segundo Show & Follow Your Ears. These posts also have a written aspect to them, introducing the author, and providing a transcript of the interview. Because the primary source of information on this blog is mp3 links that take up practically no space on the screen, this blog is able to maintain a very modern-esque, minimal blog layout. 

blog layout

modern architecture layout

This sleek look allows me to focus in on the important aspects of the writing without getting too overwhelmed with all of the text. 

Furthermore, the stories this blog reports on, and the style in which they do it, is very appealing to me. Reluctant Habit talk about huge issues, such as our military's nuclear-weapon policy, as well as handgun laws, and use very enticing pictures to drag you in from the start. Personally, I feel as though I learn better with the presence of photos, so I definitely appreciate the stunning images the writers pick as the title pages for their articles.

Apart from all the superior visual aesthetics of this blog, I really like the interplay between voice memos and writing. The interviews are conducted very professionally, and the background information provided in the writing aspects filled me in on everything I needed to know before listening to the interviews. 

Another very impressive feature this blog is in the process of creating is the Modern Library, which essentially is a 1000+ word book review of the top 121 novels of the 20th century, starting from 121 and making its way to numero uno. This is all being done by one man, Edward Champion. Quite the champion indeed. Although extremely ambitious, I feel as though Champion's plan is a very worthwhile one. After reading all these novels, there is no way that Champion does not begin to pick up patterns of great writing and begin to incorporate them into his own writing. The fact that Reluctant Habits has writers such as Edward Champion, who are always thirsting for new knowledge, shows how high its standards are. Every post I read on the blog was uniquely stylistic, yet equally well-thought out and executed. This blog was really something special to me, and I will be sure to check back on it now and again.

How College at UMich has Changed Me...

Being at college is automatically going to have several affects on you as a student, and a human in general. Being at the University of Michigan just exaggerates those affects. Having barely any time to do anything but sleep, eat, work, and party has taught me how to manage my time more affectively. I never thought that I would be able to manage all these different aspects to such an extent, but somehow I am still hanging in here.
    Being in a fraternity here in Michigan has taught me a whole new level of brotherhood. I can now easily say that the kids in my pledge class are some of my closest friends, after just months of knowing them. I love meeting kids from all over, and it really reminds me how different my childhood growing up in NYC was. It's great to get a different perspective on everything and this experience has definitely given me many different outlooks of life. I've always been relatively good at getting to know people, but meeting so many genuinely nice people here has just made that so much easier for me and I'm so happy to be at such a big university where I can meet new people every week who will have an impact on my life.

Open Topic - best possible superpower combos

As this is an open topic and we can chose what we would like to write about, I've decided to discuss the best possible interplay of 2 different superpowers. I realize I'm probably too old to be doing this but to be honest I've always loved superhero movies, and have often considered, if given the choice, which 2 powers I would pick.
     Most people automatically pick flight, but after much thought, I would go with teleportation rather than flight. With teleportation, one could get all the benefits of flight, and much more. Let me explain. If you wanted to get the experience of flying, you could simply teleport way up into the sky and then let yourself free fall down, without having to fear a possible technical failure. Furthermore, with teleportation, you could get yourself past checkpoints and into tight spaces without being seen by anyone.

     For my second superpower, I would chose invisibility.

 I often think about how interesting it would be to act as a fly in a room and watch over everything, unseen by anyone. Being invisible would allow me to do this, as well as so many other things. I would never feel in any real danger, knowing that at any second I could just disappear and/or teleport away. Having these two together would provide for many interesting activities, such as sneaking into literally any place, unnoticed and being able to escape in a sec.

Growers Growing on Growing

One particular example of a film growing on me that comes to mind is the old western classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The first time I watched this movie, I hated it. My mom really wanted me and my brother to watch it and we watched it all together as a family. I found myself bored within the first 3 minutes. I had to sit through all of it, and I probably complained all the way through it, being the 13 year old that I was. However, recently, I watched this movie at my friend's house on Netflix. I barely remembered any of it when I saw it the second time five years later, but I really enjoyed watching it the second time. It was no longer so much boring as it was relaxing. I found it refreshing to see how different movies used to be back in the day.
I think that what changed between the two viewings was, for starters, my age. Watching this very slow, dragged-out movie as an 18 year old was definitely a very different, more endurable experience than when I was only 13. Also, the fact that I actively chose to watch this movie the second time, rather than it being forced on me, was a huge factor in why I liked it so much more the second time. Finally, watching this movie with friends in a more laid back environment definitely gave the whole experience a much different vibe - one that I embraced more.

sick scene

Although this experience of having something grow on me happens to me frequently, it usually happens with music more. This particular movie was one of the few that I gave another shot, after disliking it so much the first time. Perhaps it is a sign to be more forgiving of first impressions of movies in the future...

End of the story

I really liked the ending of the story - especially the last page.  Leading up to the very end, the story was very action-packed. I think that Adichie did a great job ending on a high note. Although there is a lot of conflict throughout the story, the end ties everything together and hints at what is to come. I really liked how it ends for Kambili in a hopeful manner, because I feel as though she has been oppressed her whole life and deserves a bright future. Thinking back on how tortured her life was and how she even had boiling water poured on her feet by her own father, I was so happy for her. The possibility of a new life in America away from all the hardship and suffering they have faced in Enugu is a very comforting thought for me. I think the last line pretty much sums everything up. “The new rains will come down soon.”

Adichie often uses natural metaphors to hint at larger meanings. And in this case, she is hinting at the new life that Kambili and Mama and Jaja will have.

Possible Essay Topics

Easy: Differences between Aunty Ifeoma and Eugene's parenting, and how that in turn affects how their children act. Aunty Ifeoma's children are raised on love and laughter and turn out very confident and happy. Eugene's children, on the other hand, grow up in constant fear of disappointing their father, and are in turn very scared to do anything on their own, besides from excelling in school and following his religious ideals.

Likely: Focusing in on Kambili and Amaka and contrasting how their different views of religion and their contrasting childhoods affect the way they are. Kambili, on one hand, is too afraid to express herself, while Amaka is constantly laughing and has no problem showing people who she truly is. However, as the novel moves forward, Kambili gets more and more like Amaka, so at the end of this essay it could become more of a comparative essay discussing the ways in which they become similar as Aunty Ifeoma starts to affect Kambili's character.

Risky: Comparing the grandmother in A Good Man Is Hard To Find and Aunty Ifeoma. They are both powerful women who attempt to shape the minds of the children around them. While the Grandmother is constantly disappointed in how the youth acts, Aunty Ifeoma is always urging Eugene's children to break out of their shell and express themselves without fear of failure. Both of these ladies' attempts to change the ways of the youth around them end up in complete disaster and death.