Beast in Disguise

DUE: Monday, 4/3 @ 7.30 AM.

In The Call of the Wild, we've seen Buck start to develop from being a pampered, adored pet into being an uncivilized, instinctive beast. He's stolen food, he's been in ferocious altercations with both men and animals that have ended in bloodshed and even death. So, he's come a long way. Which leads to the question, "How do you think you would do if humankind suddenly descended into an uncivilized, primal state?" Imagine, if you will, that there's been some sort of terrible disaster (nuclear holocaust, devastating flood, catastrophic earthquake, etc. etc.). There is no longer any technology that works, there is no governmental structure, no working medical services, etc. etc. We do have weapons (obviously, they'd still be laying around), and if you are willing to loot and pillage, you can get food and whatnot from any buildings that are left standing. Would you be able to defend yourself? Your family? What would your survival strategy be? If you had to, would you be able to kill someone else to protect yourself or someone you love? Would you be a leader, or a follower?

As for me...
I think that I'd probably be in trouble at first, but only at first. I'd spend a few days just being furious that the disaster had happened in the first place. Then there would probably be some shock, and a lot of crying on the outside, and I'd have to get over that. I'm pretty fit physically (overall), so I think I could handle myself in struggles. I'd be so angry that I'd use that fury to protect myself and others. That's another thing; I'd be competely consumed with protecting the people that I love. This could be my immediate family, extended family, and any body else who happened to be around that mattered to me. My strategy would be to stay as close to them as possible every single second, and I'd definitely have to be the leader or else I wouldn't be able to function. I don't take orders well in situations like that, or in general. I'd stick with my family and definitely heinously murder anyone who threatened them. I honestly don't think that I'd have any issues with that if it came down to it. I'm not sure what that says about me...it's not like I'd go on a killing rampage for the fun of it...but if someone hurt someone I loved...well then I'd have to handle business. Being fairly strong for a female would come in handy (except if I had to fight some massive body-builder woman), and being a fairly fast runner would also be good unless Marion Jones (fastest woman alive) was messing with me. I'd try to make friends with the people who were physically more dominant that me. I'm pretty smart, so I think I'd be able to figure out how to get food and stuff. I'd try robbing some grocery stores first, and then I could hunt and fish. I'd also dig stuff out of gardens. So, on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest survival rate and 1 being the lowest, I think I'd be like an 8.

Creedence Credo Revival

DUE: 3/27 @ 7.30 AM.

(Ok, there used to be a band called "Creedence Clearwater Revival," and you have to know that to understand how witty my post title is.)

We talked about Jack London's "credo" today. To refresh your memory, here's a portion of it:

"I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze
than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow,
than a sleepy and permanent planet."

This was London's basic stance on how to live life. He felt like a full life was what we should strive for, instead of a long one. These words were his, to use a cliche (overused phrase), "key to life." What's yours? How would you answer someone if they asked you, "How do you live your life?" What do you try to do? What do you want for yourself? What matters most?

You know, of course, there is no wrong way to do this (other than not to do it at all). To fancy it up a bit, you could respond in poetic form. (That'd be nice-and some of you will enjoy the challenge, and I adore you for that.) You could work hard at your language and your diction, and use nice similes and metaphors and imagery. Jack London's credo smacks of paralellism (he repeats "I would rather...").

Credo de Grooms ("de" means "of" in French...I think)
As for me, I try to do the best I can in every situation to make sure that the least amount of people feel the least amount of hurt. I try to make sure that the people I love know that I love them, and that the people I need know that I need them. I try to make sure that they know, if they need me, or if they don't, I'm there anyway....just in case.

Haiku Heaven (I know that's corny, but I couldn't resist.)

DUE: Monday, March 20 @ 7.30 AM.

Spring and summer are my favorite seasons. It didn't used to be that way. When I was younger, I loved the fall and winter most of all. It was only because I hated the heat so bad. I couldn't stand to sweat, and I used to swear that when I was older I was going to move to Maine because I couldn't stand all that hotness. Now though, and I'm not sure why, I look forward to the spring and even the summer, even the sweltering temperatures. I rather like them. You know how heat makes stuff clean...I feel like I'm cleansing myself or something...who knows.

Anyway, haiku is a fun thing. It's a poem, a really really short one, that's three lines long. The first line has 5 syllables, the second one has 7, and the third one has 5 again. You've done this before; I'm sure.

Haikus tend to be seasonal. That is, they tend to be written about nature. For this post, I want you to write a haiku about your favorite season. Haikus are one of my favorite types of poetry, because it is so simple. It's like one snapshot image of something you think really symbolizes that season.

An example:

My yellow t-shirt,
against my tan shoulder blades,
as my legs push on.

See, now that, to me, is summer time itself. Me, running, and I am oh just soooo tanned. Oh yeah...good times all around. That's the stuff.

I'm excited about reading these.

Movie Mania

Since Sunday was Oscar night, let's talk about movies this week. This post will have two parts. First, what's the best movie you've ever seen and WHY was it the best? Second, what's the worst movie you've ever seen and...guess...just guess...WHY was it the worst?

Best: That's hard to say, because there are so many. Forrest Gump is right up there at the top because the main character is so original; he really drives that movie. I also think that Crash (which won Best Picture the other night) was an amazing movie that had an important social backdrop. Walk the Line...also incredible due to the performances of Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. I truly could go on and on.

Worst: That's also hard to say, because there have been many. I'm going to go with the entire Austin Powers series as a whole, because he's just ridiculous with his teeth and all. I can't handle it. It tries too hard to be funny, and it just ends up being vulgar more often than it's amusing.