The End of the Beginning

I can't believe that my first semester of college is already over. It feels like just yesterday I was in high school, performing in Phantom of the Opera my junior year, or going to Europe almost 9 months ago, or even graduating, which was over 6 months ago. Where on earth does the time go?

I think a lot of people had a lot to adjust to when they came to college. They found a freedom that they've never experienced before, which is both a good and bad thing. Partying and drinking is something that college students love to do, since they've always had mom and dad there to tell them not to. At the same time, a lot of people won't even make it to their second semester, let alone sophomore year, since they don't know how to handle this freedom or balance responsibilities with friends. I don't think this is the case with me. Since the end of my junior year, I haven't had anyone telling me what to do or what not to do. My mom moved a half hour away with her husband, and then my dad moved a half hour away in the other direction, so I was travelling between the two places and sometimes staying at the house alone that I grew up in. So when I came to college, it didn't really feel much different for me.

I did, however, develop much better study habits. In high school, I graduated with high honors without studying at all. Now that I'm in here, I'm sure I could pass by doing that, but I don't want to just get by. I want to do the absolute best I can, and I want to be successful in life. I can't do that by doing what I did in high school; I've realized that now. I've also realized that Penn State is not for me. I don't think I fit in here very well, since I don't usually go to parties, and because I've never been to a Penn State game (yes, I know). Coming here has made me realize that I really don't want to go to college just for a social life. I want to get an education that will help me be successful and will help me be the best person I possibly can be. My first semester here has shown me that Penn State is not the right fit for me, which is why I have filled out transfer applications for next year.

Although I know I don't really belong here, I'm glad that I made the mistake of coming to this school. It has helped me grow as both a student and as an individual. I now know what to look for in a school, and I know that I need to find a school less focused on partying and more focused on studying. Overall, I have definitely seen a change in myself for the better this semester. I think seeing so many people being irresponsible has made me into a more responsible and focused person, and I'm so thankful that Penn State has given me the opportunity to become that person.

Brave

Directors: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell
Writers: Brenda Chapman (Story & Screenplay), Mark Andrews (Screenplay), Steve Purcell (Screenplay), Irene Mecchi (Screenplay)
Starring the Voices of: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters
Length: 93 min
Released: 2012

Brave is one of the newest films by Disney-Pixar animations released over the summer. My nine year old sister, Cheyenne, went to see it with my mother and LOVED it, and told me it was definitely something I should see. When I saw the trailer, I could understand why Cheyenne would like it so much; the main character, Merida, reminded me a lot of her. Her crazy hair even looked just like my sisters (except it was a crazy reddish orange color instead of brown). My mom also told me it was worth watching. Finally, about a month ago, I saw it. 

The opening scene begins with a young Scottish princess, Merida, celebrating her birthday. While her mother (the queen) is very prim and proper and wants Merida to be that way as well, her father is a fun-loving, easy-going king who gives her a bow and arrow. Merida starts playing around with it, and wanders into the woods. She eventually returns to the clearing with her family, but a bear had followed her. The king, known for being the best bear hunter in the nation, takes on the beast, and saves the day. He loses his leg in the process, though. 

The movie then fast forwards to about ten years later. The queen has become much more strict with Merida, wanting her to be the perfect, lady-like princess. Merida, however, has become a skilled archer and wants to live her life the way she chooses. She also now has three brothers, who are complete trouble-makers (her mother doesn't care too much how they act, which makes Merida somewhat jealous). Within a few minutes, the king announces that they will be holding a contest with the three other clans with whom they are allied, and the winner of this contest will be Merida's future husband. The princess chooses for the contest to be one of archery. Two of the boys do terribly, and one, probably by chance, hits the bull's eye. Merida, being the defiant young girl that she is, decided she was not going to have this, and took her bow and arrow to shoot the targets herself. She hits every target perfectly, even splitting the one arrow that hit the target down the middle. 


This act of defiance infuriates her mother to the extent of throwing her bow into a fireplace, to which Merida responds by ripping a family tapestry down the middle so that she and her mother are separated. The princess then takes her horse and runs away. She eventually stumbles upon a witch, and asks for a potion to change her mother in order to change her fate. She gets the potion in the form of a cake, and returns home to give it to her mother. The queen eats it and, at first, nothing happens. But after some time, Merida and her mother are in the queen's room, and all of a sudden the queen turns into a bear. They escape from the castle (not being seen by the king who would kill the bear if he saw it) and set out to find the witch to fix this. They stumble across the witch's house, but she is gone. They find out, though, that they have until sunset the in two days time to change the queen back or she will stay a bear forever. Over the course of the next day, the bond between Merida and her mother eventually begins to heal itself. The queen also begins to become more bear-like; she is much less uptight. Merida figures out that she needs to fix the tapestry in order to save her mother, and once she does, the curse is lifted. 

Ultimately, this was not a typical Disney-Pixar love story; it was about the broken relationship between a girl and her mother. It was an incredibly touching film that told us that, no matter how bad things may seem, family will always be there for you, especially your mother. I can definitely relate to this, as I'm sure just about anyone else can. We've all had our fights and mishaps with our moms, but at the end of the day, my mom is the person I can always go to when I need someone to be there for me. 

University Choir Fall Concert

On November 11, the University Choir, along with the Penn State Altoona Choir, had its annual concert. I am privileged to be a part of this group. As well as the University Choir, I am also a member of a smaller chamber choir called Sine Nomine (which literally means 'without a name'). Both of these groups did an awesome job during the concert. Everyone seemed to be on the ball, which is always a good thing when you're performing in front of an audience. Looking back, I can't think of anything that went horribly wrong to the extent that it sticks out in my head, which is also a great thing.

The only bad thing was the horrible dresses that we had to wear. I got a size six, thinking I'd play it safe. Well, that dress could have fit a whale. It was about four inches too long, and fit like a size ten. So, to fix this, I went to Wal Mart and got hemming tape. I hemmed the bottom up, so it was the right length (and as difficult as that was since there was so much material, I think I did a pretty swell job). Then came the part when I had to take it in without a needle or thread. I tried using safety pins, but you could see them too much. Then I used black Sharpie to try to make them blend in. That didn't work because it rubbed off right away. Finally I ended up using the hemming tape, which looked like glue, and ended up coming undone during the concert. Oh well!

This concert was awesome; there was so much talent and it was a lot of fun! I'm so glad I joined the University Choir, and I can't wait until our next concert.

In the Red and Brown Water

In the Red and Brown Water was about a girl named Oya who had two men fall for her. One was Shango, the one that she loved, and the other was Ogun, who Oya settled for. Throughout the play, you can tell that Oya is madly in love with Shango, but Shango didn't want to just settle for her, even though he loved her back. He always found other women, and eventually went into the military. When he went into the military, Oya decided that the love of Ogun would be enough to keep her happy. Throughout the story, Shango comes in and out, and Oya always wants to be with him. By the end of the play, Oya, who wants a child but cannot have one, finds out that Shango has gotten someone else pregnant. In her despair, she cuts off her ear and gives it to him. The play then goes into a song and ends.

I think that the most important thing about Oya's journey was that she settled for Ogun, even though she loved Shango. She didn't love Ogun, but she wanted love badly enough that she would stay with him even if she loved someone else. I think this was a bad mistake on her part; if she had just found someone entirely different than Shango or Ogun, she could have been happy, maybe had a child, and kept her ear. But I suppose this is just how the story goes. She never really achieved true happiness, since she was left with neither Ogun (who she had eventually ended things with) nor Shango (who had gotten someone else pregnant), and had no child, what she wanted the entire play.

During the performance, I was compelled most by the performance of Aunt Elegua, the godmother of Oya. My roommate who was on the stage crew of this show told me that behind stage she was very quiet and polite; whereas on stage she was powerful and took control of the stage. I find this to be amazing; from her performance I'd believe that she was always outgoing and funny. I was impressed by her performance to begin with, but as soon as my roommate told me this, I was even more blown away.

I absolutely loved this show, maybe just because I'm a theater/ musical person. However, I do have a few critiques. First of all, it was very crude at points. It was funny and necessary at some parts of the show, but I think they went overboard with it a lot. They said words in there that I wouldn't even say during every day life, let alone on stage. The other major critique that I have was only something that I have because my roommate was on the stage crew. She told me after the play that there was a huge underlying message within the story line that was never once mentioned by anyone at the show: the characters were all African gods, and everything in the story was based on African mythology. How was I supposed to know this? How was anyone supposed to know this? Every single character in the play was some sort of god, and their personality int the play was based upon which god or goddess they were. Oya, for instance, was the goddess of the wind. This is why she "ran like the wind", or was referenced to the wind at other parts. She and the woman that Shango got pregnant were both actually married to Shango in the African mythology. The two were both very jealous of each other. When the other wife got pregnant, Oya was desperate to get the love of Shango over the other wife. The pregnant wife found out about her desperation, and told her that if she cut off a part of her ear and gave it to Shango in his soup, he'd fall in love with her and she'd be able to produce a child for him as well. However, this was completely untrue; if she did this he would stop loving her. This is why, after she gives him her ear at the end of the play, he just walks away without trying to help her. If all of this had been in the program, I think I could have understood and enjoyed the show a bit more.

I have seen a countless amount of live shows, and I've been in a few as well, and this was definitely... different than any other I've seen. I really liked it though. I was expecting more music and singing, but I think that the amount that they had was perfect for the show. They had just enough to enhance the overall show, but not so much that it became a musical. Even though it was somewhat strange at parts, I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who is interested, and I will be seeing the rest of the trilogy.

Scream 2

Director: Wes Craven
Writers: Keven Williamson
Starring: Neve Campbell, Elise Neal, Liev Schreiber, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Jerry O'Connell, Jamie Kennedy
Length: 120 min
Released: 1997

Scream 2 is one of the many sequels in the oh-so-popular series, Scream, that began in the 1990s about a psychotic serial killer named Ghostface.

I remember going out to trick-or-treat for Halloween when I was really young, seeing about 75% of all the trick-or-treaters dressed in some sort of Scream costume. Even I, who had never seen the movies, dressed up in the Scream mask a few years in a row. This is why, when I got the opportunity to go out and see Scream 2, I had to do it. However, I probably shouldn't have watched it 15 years too late.

The movie itself has a typical plot to it; a guy in a mask who continuously makes anonymous phone calls, then kills whoever the unlucky person is that answers. On top of the cliche story line, the acting and effects were mediocre at best. The movie begins in a movie theater with a couple seeing Stab, which is based on the the events of first Scream movie. Everyone in the audience is dressed up in the Ghostface costume, so when the real killer appears, no one notices that he completely mutilates a woman in the audience (after cutting up her boyfriend in the bathroom). The woman dramatically acted out her death in front of the movie screen in the theater, and the scene ends. It doesn't take long to figure out that Sydney (Neve Campbell), who survived the killings of the last movie, will be the new target. Ghostface, though, is ready to kill whoever he comes across in the process of getting to her. Eventually, after about ten more gory, dramatic deaths and a long, drawn-out search for the killer, Ghostface reaches Sydney, and she kills him.

Overall, this movie had a predictable plot, too much over dramatization, and was somewhat disappointing to watch after remembering the hype about it when I was younger. However, I don't regret seeing it. It's one of those movies that, although it wasn't horrifying like it was intended to be, it was really entertaining. There were parts of the movie that may have been scary twenty years ago, but just make you laugh now. At some points, the audience was actually bursting into laughter because of how terrible the effects were or how bad the acting was. There was also a ghetto black guy, who was supposed to be a comic relief character (not that this movie really needed one) who was hysterical.

If you're looking for a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat thriller, or a movie that keeps you up at night, this is definitely not for you. If you want a movie that is unintentionally funny, a little bit gory, and is somewhat predictable, I'd highly recommend Scream 2. 

Arboretum!

I had no idea that this thing called the Arboretum even existed before last week, and I didn't what to expect when told that we needed to meet there. It was really cold, I was lost, and I wasn't going to make it to class on time since I had just come from work, so I almost turned around and took an excused absence day. I'm glad I didn't, though. The Arboretum is a really beautiful place with so many different things to look at. It's quiet and it makes you just stop and think for a minute about what you're missing out when you live life on fast forward.

While there, I saw so many different types of flowers and plants that I've never seen before, or didn't expect to see up here at Penn State. For example, there was this huge tropical elephant ear type plant that you'd see in places with temperatures similar to Florida... I have no idea how they even grow here! I'd be interested to find out how they deal with those types of plants during the winter.

Although it's not too uncommon, I found the sunflower field really interesting to look at (even though a lot of them were wilted). There was one area of the sunflower field that was right next to a pathway, and in the distance there was absolutely nothing. Just field. It was really inviting and peaceful. It reminded me of a scene from an old movie like The Man On the Moon, or something like that.

They were also building a rose garden in the front end of the Arboretum; I'm anxious to see how that will turn out. With all the other beautiful things that they have there, I'm sure that it will be an amazing part of the whole place, and will add a nice touch; like the icing on the cake!

I definitely will have to go back to this place again; it was a really relaxing experience. I'm really glad that our English class took the field trip to see it! Even though it's only a five minute walk from my dorm, there's no way I would have heard about it otherwise. Next time I want to just get away from all the hustle and bustle of State College, I will keep the Arboretum in mind.

On Friday, September 7, our English class visited the Palmer Museum of Art. There were a lot of pieces in the Palmer that really drew me in, but the one I chose to write about is  The Brook in Winter by William Francis Taylor. This piece does not have a date, but the artist lived between 1883- 1970, so it was done during those years at some point.

This piece was painted from oil on the canvas. It is a serene and simple painting of a creek in the woods with show surrounding it on the ground. There are many trees on either side, along with some bushes. It is bright, as if it were taking place during the day. Although you can tell by just looking at it that the landscape is cold, the mood is warm. It seems inviting to look at; not a cold, depressing winter scene. That may be why I was drawn to it, he made a really beautiful piece of art out of something that would normally be considered bleak and uninviting. 

I don't believe this piece has any political ties. I think the artist simply saw a beautiful, serene area in the woods, and wanted to be able to share that moment with the people who viewed his art. Since there isn't a date, I can't say anything about the time it was created as far as the year. I can, however, say that it was done on a cold, winter day. The snow had already fallen when the piece was created, it was just lying on the ground, so it was probably incredibly quiet and calming, which is the exact mood that the artist conveyed. 

The emotional ties to this are peaceful, calming, serene, tranquil anything like that. When you look at it, you feel as if you're in the artist's place you see the same stillness that he felt while he was there. I am not a person who needs to be moving all the time to be happy; I enjoy sitting down every once in a while and just enjoying the view. This is probably why it connected to me the way it did. If I had the opportunity to go to that place and take the whole scene in, I definitely would. 

William Francis Taylor, the artist, was a professional artist known for is paintings of the Delaware River. He was credible and well- known for his landscape paintings. He paints to show the beauty of nature in all of his paintings, not to make any claims, though, including in this one. I don't think that this piece is trying to prove a point or make any claims at all. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the visit to the Palmer. I like looking at different types of art and seeing all the different styles and moods that the artists portray. I also liked the garden right outside of the museum; it's very relaxing! I definitely will be going back soon.