It's Been Good

It’s hard to believe that we only have 3 more days of Philosophy left. This year has flown by and it’s sort of sad to see it come to an end (this class, not school, because I am so ready for that to end).

Favorite Book We Read: I’d probably have to say One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Although all of the books we discussed were cool, this one was super rad. Way better than the movie, especially because of the hallucinating but lovable narrator.
Favorite Movie We Watched: I don’t think I can even remember all the movies we’ve watched. I really loved Big Night. And I probably learned the most from Food, Inc. And these last three that we’ve watched (Eternal Sunshine, Donnie Darko, and Life is Beautiful) are personal favorites. But let’s not forget BEAT STREET.
Favorite Song We Listened To: Obviously our Yahtzee song. You know…”boom! I hit ya mama”..something like that. But I also liked Das Racist. I don’t remember what else you played us.
Favorite Off Topic Internet Excursion: I have three. Looking up “Cool Story Bro” Vlad. Watching “Babies Eating Lemons”. Listening to slam poetry.
Favorite Class Discussion: There were a lot of good ones. I can’t remember all of them, but I do remember walking out of 6th period really happy or pensive many times. I thought our discussion about the Higgs Boson stuff was great. Blew my mind a little bit.
Favorite Class Activity: Getting extra credit for wearing sweaters in December. Thanks to your motivation, I was super comfortable all winter long and now know how to dress.
Favorite Tech Center Time: Whenever we communicate through our computers in the New Tech Center. Always Hilarious.
Favorite Peeps: Now, I love everyone in this class. But I gotta give a shout out to Annie, Vlad and Jessica. And of course, MC Carthy himself.

There are a lot more moments I should mention and pay homage to, but I can’t remember them right now. By blogspot.com and Philosophy. It’s been an awesome time.

Future Philosophy Kid

Well this is interesting because you won’t have any Philosophy classes next year. But I guess that’s not really the point of this exercise, now is it?

Dear Future Philosophy Student,

Now I know there are rumors around school that Philosophy is a blow off class. And it can be, if you want it to be. But let me tell you, it’s much better when it isn’t. There’s actually a lot to learn out there, you know? So why waste that opportunity?

Especially with a class as broad as Philosophy. It’s just about thought and how we do things and why. It’s just a class discussing life, really. And we all have to deal with life, so why wouldn’t you want to learn some valuable lessons about it?

So pay attention in class. Participate. Say some of your opinions, especially ones that you aren’t sure about, because it’s truly a great feeling when you find something out that might adjust the way you think. And even if you don’t, it’s a helpful to have to defend your beliefs. It can either make them stronger or inspire you to change.

And be open to change. That’s vital in a Philosophy class. What’s the point of talking about thought if you’re not willing to do any of it? Just be as open as you can be, and you’ll get something, I promise.

Be respectful to others, like in any class, because they could be preaching truth, and if you aren’t listening, you could miss something great.

And read all the books. You won’t want to, but do it. No matter what the teacher has you read, you can pull a lot of great things out of it.

And have fun, future philosophy kid. Don’t get too down about the seriousness of it all. The afterlife and our purpose and all that are heavy things, don’t worry if you can’t wrap your head around them.

And value all your time in that class, even if you’re watching Beat Street. (Especially if you’re watching Beat Street…?)

Ch-ch-ch-changes

It’s really crazy how much you can change the way you think in a few years. I mean, you know this MC Carthy, but high school years are formin’ years.

I think I have a lot of the same deep down beliefs as I did when I was a freshman. Like I still believe that people are overwhelmingly good. And of course through more years of experience, I have seen examples against this. But I still believe it. Perhaps even more passionately than I did four years ago. And I hope in four years, I can say the same thing.

But a lot of my thinking has changed and shifted throughout high school. I used to idolize a lot of people. Some my friends, some people I had just seen around school. I used to think that because of the way that they dressed or because of stories I had heard about them or because they listened to cool music and didn’t have curfews and could have co-ed sleepovers that they were the coolest things that I had ever been close to. But always, always, after I got to know these idols and gods of my underclassman years, I realized that they were just regular, ol’ people. Not that they weren’t cool anymore, or that they were bad. Just that they had problems too, just like the rest of us. And said things that I didn’t agree with and did things they regretted. I think that was a big change of thinking for me. It got me to understand who I really wanted to be. Not to get all Seventeen magazine, but along with this I learned…well, there’s no better way to say it, how to love myself. And oh, OH, is that so important. I think if people would just love themselves, half the world’s issues would fall apart.

Maybe.

Anyway. I’m sure glad I realized that and changed how I was. I’m much happier now, and what else matters?

Surrounded by CUCKOOS

I think a lot of people around me are crazy. At school, at home, at work. The people around me are straight up insane sometimes. But that’s probably because I’m crazy too, and I chose to surround myself with similar people. Probably, right?

It’s nice to be crazy in a group of likewise cuckoo people. It feels freeing, right? It makes you feel like a kid, like a goof, happy, excited, all those bright emotions. But it sucks to be surrounded by insane people when you’re being right minded.

For instance, my old manager at work was crazy. She had this very plastic smile (very similar to the Big Nurse actually…) and was super passive aggressive and I think she was probably a robot. Heartless, soulless, the whole thing. Think I’m being mean? Oh, I wish you could meet her. You’d see.

Like this one time, an employee who had been working there for three years quit and sent her this hilariously mean and true text message about how terrible she was and unprofessional and oozed fake-ness and was the least genuine person he had ever met. And she comes in for her shift half an hour after he sent it with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on her face. It looked painful, I’m not kidding. And she squeezed out a very high pitched “HeeeeelloooooOOO” at me and my coworker. Wondering if we knew what had happened, trying to evaluate the situation and see if she could keep herself from being screwed over. Eh. It still gives me the shivers.

When the people around you are like that crazy manager or Nurse Ratched or any wrong type of insane authority like that, it’s the worst. It’s enough to drive YOU crazy. But when you’re surrounded by people at the same level of fun crazy as you (like all the patients on the ward), oh well, it’s just the bees knees.

Together

I like to be on my own every now and again. I like to have lazy mornings in the house to myself where I drink coffee and watch really bad TV, some shows I’m so ashamed of I won’t even mention them here. And I like to enjoy a train ride by myself. You get the idea. However, most of the time, I love to be with people.

I just really like being with my family and friends and their families. It’s one of the best feelings.

Like whenever I go to my best friend’s house. She has a really close family who loves to eat (they’re Italian sorta, it’s a long story, not important). My favorite memories are of us around the table, cracking jokes at each other and doing all those things that families do. You know, they’re one of those families that yell a lot and sometimes say things that they regret, but overwhelmingly just love each other. It’s a great feeling to be with them.

And there’s my family, of course. We’re kind of similar to my best friend’s, actually. We can get into fights and really dislike each other at times. But most of the time, especially since we’ve all gotten older and are less teenage angsty, we have a lot of fun together. Not doing anything special (outings together actually seem to cause more spats…), but just sitting and talking, watchin’ a movie, just being with each other.

So yeah, “together” or togetherness is a great feeling. Sometimes it’s nice to get time by yourself, but I prefer to be around the people I love. Any day of the week.

Alone

I’m not really a religious person. I was raised Lutheran but, against my parents best efforts, I have fallen away from the church. I’m not saying I don’t believe in God necessarily. I believe there is some greater force. I just don’t believe in church. I think it’s a good place if you want a community, but it is not a factor of your life that saves you. It does not decide your fate.

I’ve thought about this a lot after the recent death of my Aunt.

She was a devout Catholic in every way. She went to church every week. I’m not kidding. Even when she and her sister would come up from Texas to visit us, they would find the nearest Catholic church and go to mass by themselves. About two years ago she found out she had cancer. She had lived a full life and spent a lot of time doing the things she loved, but she was scared of death and kept praying. About a month ago, she passed away while my parents were on a flight out to see her.

She never really drank in her life. She never took drugs, never sinned if she could help it. Not that these actions constitute a full, satisfying life. I just mean to show that she lived the life of a devout Catholic. But in the end, she died before she was ready.

I don’t think this means that God doesn’t exist. Or that he wasn’t there for her. I believe she was happy most of the time. But I can’t help but wonder if she felt alone in the end. I wonder if she looked around her and up at her God and thought about all the effort she put into being a good Catholic her entire life, and thought she was being left alone. I don’t know.

I like to end blogs on a high note, but sometimes you can’t.

Love This Earth

There are so many things that we as young folks, as people of Chicago, as people of the world, can do to help save the earth.

For starters, we can adjust the way we transport ourselves. I know it’s super nice to just drive somewhere, instead of hassling with sometimes unreliable CTA and always unreliable Chicago weather. But really, in a place like Chicago, where there is a train or bus to everywhere, it should be a crime to drive a car instead of taking the CTA. This change not only helps the environment (less fuel, yada yada, you know the deal), but it has sooo many personally advantages. For instance, public transportation is cheap compared to gas prices. And no more worrying about where to park! And there’s always good people watching on public transportation, let’s not forget that.

Or we could just start biking and walking more. That would be even better.

Another thing that I’ve heard can really help the environment by drastically reducing carbon emissions is becoming a vegetarian. A few years ago, my sister became a vegetarian for this very reason. I told her I didn’t think I could ever give up meat, so she broke it down for me. Really, the vast majority of emissions come from the transportation of meat, especially red meat. So, she said, if you even cut back on eating red meat, you’ll take a pretty big bite out of emissions. Rad.

And of course there are more things! Don’t buy bottled water! Recycle! Turn off lights after you leave a room! Come on! Show the love!

INVISIBLE

I really liked Invisible Man.

It was unlike any other book I’ve read in school, especially one focusing on racism. The approach that Ralph Ellison uses to expose America’s race issues was unique and will stick with me. His use of imagery and creative storytelling truly makes Invisible Man special.

The part about the paint factory, for instance. That was a really creative and complex way to look at racial tensions. It was intense, I’m not going to lie. Ellison sure does like to create crazy characters (check that alliteration, look at my education at work), like the main characters supervisor at the factory. He was angry and scary and crazy, buuuut he helped Ellison get across his point.

Ellison was a smart dude. He was extremely innovative and I think this book should be more popular than it is.

My only complaint about this book is that we didn’t get enough time to work with it. Invisible Man was a very thick book, literally and with its vast and complex messages, and we hardly had two weeks to work with it. I feel like there’s a lot more we could’ve gotten from it if we had a chance to discuss it as a class, especially because its one of your favorites, so I’m sure you have a lot to say about it. Oh well. I guess we can come back to it if we have time.

Book = Cool = Book in t9

I like books. Lots of books. It’s hard to choose just one to suggest.

I really like Kevin Coval’s slingshots (a hip-hop poetica). It’s a compilation of Coval’s slam poetry pieces. His work varies in subject matter. A lot of it focuses on his childhood and the reflections he has on past experiences. Other poems focus on his urban life, from his street corner stores to women he’s met in the city, and even ones about Chicago herself. Coval has a really interesting style of writing that keeps the reader captivated. He also lays out his poems into a very unique format on the page. You can tell a lot of time went into what words were important to emphasize and how a line’s meaning can change just by how it’s manipulated when printed. But hands down, the best thing about this book is the content and writing itself. Coval touches upon a lot of important, universal ideas in an unusual way, feeding the reader line after line of vital mental sustenance. If you haven’t already read this book, especially living in Chicago, do. It’s grand.

Another book that just sticks out in my mind is Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. I haven’t read this book in almost 4 years. My best friend gave it to me in 8th grade because she loved it. Don’t misunderstand me, though, it definitely isn’t an 8th grade reading level book. Although the language is easy to follow, Illusions struggles with the ideas of life, death, and reality. I think it’s one of those books that you can get more out of every time you read it. I bet I would think a lot more complexly into it if I were to read it now (which I probably should). And again, if it still stands out in my mind from so many years ago, there must be something to it.

Quality Stuff Right Here

You know what's a quality movie that I had forgotten about until a few weeks ago? The Land Before Time.

I grew up on this movie, and its numerous sequels (although sadly, I can not say that I've seen all thirteen of them). It was good to me in my youth and like most children's movies, is still entertaining now.

The Land Before Time is such a great movie because it appeals to so many audience groups. There are, of course, the children. This movie is educational, giving a bit of information about dinosaurs. It also contains many important themes, like loyalty, respect, and determination. But perhaps most importantly, The Land Before Time features almost exclusively young characters. I don't remember exactly, but I imagine it was nice as a child to see such strong, hilarious, lovable, little kids in a movie, even if they were animated dinosaurs.

There are also strong racial and social themes present in The Land Before Time. My siblings and I were shocked when we realized this, since none of us remembered that aspect of it from our childhood. But the writers made their message pretty clear. Once Littlefoot (the main dinosaur, a "long neck") asked his mother why he couldn't play with another little dinosaur (Cera, a "three-horn"), and she openly replied "we all stick to our own kinds...because we're different. It's always been that way". I almost started laughing at how blatant this message was, but I suppose it's an important one to get out, especially to little kids.

So parents love it, kids love it, and on a slightly more comical note, stoners love it. Seriously. My brother told me he read this long forum online about the drug innuendos in the movie. My siblings and I watched it with that in mind, and I'm not going to lie, a lot of what he was pointing out made sense. But in my opinion, that doesn't at all take away from the movie, just adds another level of complexity to it.

The Land Before Time. Quality. If you haven't seen it, no matter who you are, do.

Tika, My Darling

I was trying to think of an artist I really love. One who inspires me and moves me and all that. A few names popped into my head, but none of them seemed right. After thinking about it, I realized that the artists who most inspire me are usually my friends.

Let’s take my friend Tika.

She’s a goofy free spirit. She’s in my photography class and doesn’t see herself as much of an artist. But I, of course, disagree. Tika creates some of the most beautiful and creative pictures I have ever seen. They make me think, smile, and want to go out and create something too (an effect I think all good art has).

I know there has been a debate about whether or not photography is really art. I know it is. And to anyone who disagrees, I’d like to show them some of Tika’s pictures. She has a real talent for creating a surrealist image just using a camera. Let’s take the photo above. It’s of her cousin and his girlfriend I think. Every time I look at it, I smile. It communicates the silliness and lightness of a relationship, and subtly a deeper and more complex feeling about love. To me anyway. But even without the emotional aspect, this picture is just really cool. It’s beautiful, with colors and textures that are out of this world. I want to have this hanging in my bedroom.

And this one. Again, she did not edit this image, just captured it with her camera. AND it’s a self-portrait. Now, if that’s not artistic talent, I just don’t know what is.

Tika, while being a great friend and an amazing human, is also a superb artist. She makes me feel good and I want to own everything she creates.

Fight...For your Right...

I think the theme of this blog, “We Have the Right”, is an important idea to keep in mind during this next Philosophy of Art Unit. As we figured out in class, it is near impossible to really answer the question “What is and is not art?”, and that’s understandable. People have been debating about their opinions on this topic for ages. I think it’s more beneficial to not try to put restrictions on what is considered art, but rather discuss what makes something “good” or “bad” art. Remember, we have the right to dislike or love any art we want.

For instance, let’s look at that portrait of Elvis we were making fun of earlier. I do not like this painting. I do not think it is good art. It elicits no emotion out of me, neither positive nor negative, and does not inspire me to even discuss it. HOWEVER. This is art. Someone had a vision and created this Elvis. Perhaps in the context of their work, it means more than what I see. But that doesn’t really matter, to me at least. I don’t like it, but I accept that it could totally move someone, or even blow their mind.

And then there’s Keith Haring. If you don’t know already, I love this guy. Almost every piece of art I’ve seen by him has moved me, affected me in some way. But his style is simple. He doesn’t use the techniques gone over in a fine arts class. Some people, because of this or other reasons, don’t consider Keith Haring’s work art, or they call it “bad” art. But I love it. I don’t agree with possible critics, but I have to accept their opinion on it. Because they, along with everyone, have the right to call something fantastic or garbage.

HAPPY BIRHTDAY M.C. CARTHY

You have to want to laugh on your birthday, right?
This video will make your LIFE. And I figured, since it's your birthday, why not bring it back to babies?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yHejN1korE
http://www.maniacworld.com/babies-eating-lemons.html

It's babies eating lemons for the first time. So good.
If you've never seen this, you're welcome.

And if you look at this at school and can't get to Youtube, this is what you have to look forward to:

X is Known

The Autobiography of Malcolm X has made a lot of things known to me.

It was really interesting to discover the lifestyle of a Harlem hustler. I, not surprisingly, know very little about the hustler lifestyle, so most of the information X presented in the first few chapters was completely new to me. I found myself sort of fascinated by a lot of it. The hustlers of Harlem were very intelligent with their schemes. For instance, when X’s brother sells knock-off goods as if they were stolen, so people buy them quickly while giving him a profit. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not condoning this dishonest behavior. But it is a unique way to make something out of a bad situation.

It was also informative to hear about the secret undergrounds of Harlem, especially sexually. It really made me think, how much of that is still true today? We hear about Congressmen or other people in powerful positions getting caught in a scandal of sorts all the time. But what percentage of people actually gets caught in situations like that? Is there still a lively underground scene today? I don’t think it should really matter what people, whether they have power or not, do in their free time. It would be interesting to know though.

And of course, The Autobiography of Malcolm X makes a lot of other things known in his book. I learned almost everything I know about the Nation of Islam from this book. I learned about a different take on the creation theory. But I think a really important lesson X proves through the telling of his life story is how you control your own life. X was put in terrible circumstances, but educated himself and turned into an intelligent and powerful man. Sure is inspirational.

X Marks the Spot

Before opening this book, I had never really heard anything about Malcolm X. But I quickly found out what an interesting life he led. He had a lot of opinions, some of which I agreed with, some of which I did not.

For instance, I do think that in Malcolm's society, and even our own, there was a terrible cycle that allowed certain people to remain in power and while never giving others a reasonable opportunity to make it. The family social worker and Malcolm's grade school teacher not only kept an opportunity to succeed from him, but they struggled to keep him away from one. In instances like this, I agree with Malcolm when he says they (the white people keepin’ him down) were the enemy, and that it was important for him to point out who they were. Malcolm certainly led a hard life, and for him to be able to self reflect as much as he does in his autobiography is great. This enables him to spread some really important truths.

However, there were some things he mentions in his book that I did not, at all, agree with. For instance, it’s was obviously difficult to read page after page about what “devils” all white people are. I understand that he has a change of heart towards the end of the book, but currently, I don’t agree with him. I understand what he was trying to accomplish with this generalization, but I still think it was right. Also, I think that all of his claims about women are almost laughable. The idea that women are by nature weaker than men, and therefore need and search for a strong man to keep them in check is ridiculous. I feel so passionately against it, that it almost takes away from the book.

But overall, I think Malcolm X, on most issues, hits the spot.

Boogie, Boogie

One of my current favorite songs is “Voodoo Lady” by Ween.

I really, really love this song. It is weird, catchy, and stays in my head for about a day after I listen to it. Because I’m writing this review, I’ll probably be humming this until Friday. But that’s ok.

“Voodoo Lady” opens with this great percussion. The kind of thing you would imagine going on in the background of a tribal dance. It sets the tone for the whole song and makes it really easy, and fun, to move your body to. And then there’s a deep voice repeating “Boogie, Boogie, Boogie, Boogie”. This is a little goofy at first, but it is mostly just awesome and fun to sing with. Then a guitar comes in. It is a simple enough lick, and it just repeats itself, but the melody of it is really catchy and adds to the energetic feel of the song.

Then a goofy voice comes in, telling about a “Voodoo Lady” who “drive[s] [him] crazy with that boogie, oogie, oogie, oogie, oogie, oogie, oogie, oogie”. The lyrics and sound of the singer’s voice make it even more weird, but also great. The stylized way that he sings in makes it super fun to sing along. And the lyrics mainly repeat themselves, so it’s easy to do, too.

Dispersed in the song are a really sweet guitar solo and a strange few seconds of…well I don’t really know what. A very weird, I suppose synth solo? You have to hear it to understand it I think. This is my least favorite part of the song, however it really fits with the unique style of the tune. But soon enough the guitar comes back in, and you finish the song singing the repeated “boogie, boogie”.

Overall, it’s a really fun song. Upsettingly, a lot of the other stuff I’ve heard by Ween is…not the same as “Voodoo Lady”. Experimental, I guess you’d have to say. But I don’t really care. I’ll have a great time with this song any day of the week.

This has GOT to mean something

A lot of things in my life seem too good to be true. I have to believe that they must mean something.

For instance, my best friend was the first friend I ever made at Whitney Young. That has to mean something, right? I was a shy incoming 7th grader from a suburban religious school and she was a weird (but excellent) incoming 7th grader from a Chicago public school. But she had really cool, black and blue striped socks, and I told her so. She said thanks. I’d like to say that we’ve been friends ever since, but that’s not necessarily true. In the past, we went through dips in our relationship where we seemed to fall to just acquaintances. But we’re so similar, even if we wanted to, we couldn’t stop being best friends. If you read this, know that you my girl.

And yeah, I have to get sappy about my boo, Zack. Our birthdays are a day apart! December 17th and 18th. AND his brother’s and his girlfriend’s are a day apart too, on our HALF-birthdays, June 17th and 18th, with the brothers’ on the 17th and the girlfriends’ on 18th. Weird, right? That has to mean something. The first real conversation we ever had was two Decembers ago. My best friend (see paragraph above) made me a heart shaped, chocolate cake with rainbow sprinkles the day before my birthday. Needless to say, it looked delicious. He approached me from the back of the class room. I, thinking he was nice and a cutie patootie, offered him a piece of cake. He said thank you, and that it was the first birthday cake he had had all day. He stared at him awkwardly. He informed me that it was his birthday. I freaked out. And with good reason. What a strange coincidence…or something with some meaning.

And furthermore, it’s gotta mean something that these two people get along exceedingly well with each other. But who knows. It could all just be a really cute coincidence.

Ultimate Recipe - Chicken and Seafood Jambalaya

My dad makes this every year on New Year’s Day. Super delicious.

Seasonings:
Bay Leaves, salt, ground red pepper, dried oregano leaves, white pepper, black pepper, dried thyme leaves

Meats:
Ham, Smoked Sausage, Chicken, Shrimp
Veggies:

Chopped onions, chopped celery, chopped green bell peppers, garlic, chopped tomatoes, shopped green onions, canned tomato sauce
Plus seafood stock and rice.

Combine Seasonings. Sauté ham and sausage. Add onions, celery, bell peppers. Sauté, then add chicken. Raise heat, reduce heat. Add seasonings and garlic. Cook. Add tomatoes, then tomato sauce. Stir in stock and bring to a boil. Stir in green onions and cook. Add rice and shrimp. Stir well. Remove from heat. Transfer to pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350° until rice is tender, but still a bit crunchy. Remove bay leaves and serve immediately.

So good.

Winter Poem

This is the last straw.
For years
children have infected my ear drums
yelling and asking questions and complaining
but this.
America,
you have gone too far.
Encouraging little devils to ring my doorbell
and yell to me what they've deemed songs.
Carolers assaulting my doorstep
waging warfare with off-key and
amelodic stories.
This is unconstitutional.
You say I have the right to pursue happiness
but how can I when 4 foot monsters
shake their mitten-ed paws at me
and demand me to listen.
This is it.
I'm staging a rebellion.
Children
Beware.
I am your Wicked Witch of the West side and this time
I have your red shoes.
Children
Be prepared.
Someone's coming to town
but it ain't Santa.

Amarit Thai

Amarit Thai is a nice sit-down Thai place. It was very neat, clean, and almost empty at 3 p.m. It was pretty quiet, except for the pop music (“All I Wanna Do” by Sheryl Crow was a high light) playing through the speakers. The table’s had vibrant green plants around them, which definitely brightened our dining experience. The service was great. The staff was very attentive, refilling our water glasses often. They cracked a few jokes with us, but did not go out of their way to do so, adding to the chill environment of the place.

I ordered the Fresh Spring Rolls. They were delicious. Maybe not the best Spring Rolls I’ve ever had, but they were quite good. They were a medley of fried tofu, carrots, and other delicious vegetables wrapped in rice paper, topped with a tangy sauce, carrots, bean sprouts and red peppers. The flavors all blended very well together, especially after I started distributing the toppings onto each bite. There was also a nice contrast of temperature in the rolls, the warm fried tofu complimenting the chilled vegetables. There was also a nice variety of texture in the dish, from the crisp rice paper, to the crunchy vegetables, to the softer tofu. I would have preferred it with less sauce, but it was still a great overall dish.

I’m not sure if I would go to Amarit Thai again. The environment and food were good, but not fabulous. I think if I was every in the neighborhood hungry for Thai, Amarit’s would be the place to go, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to return.

King = King?

I’m honestly still undecided about this issue. On the one hand, I’m glad we still acknowledge Dr. King every year. I think that the day doesn’t only symbolize a unity between blacks, but between all Americans. Even though many of us didn’t think about Dr. King last Monday, I still believe it’s important for us to take a day off. It’s unusual for students to get a random Monday off, and I think the extent of the holiday helps it make an impact.

However, I think that it’s about time for us to start learning about and paying tribute to other people who have contributed to human rights. All I ever knew about W. E. B. Dubois was a short description of him I needed to know for an APUSH quiz last year, which I have since forgotten. I would know nothing about Harvey Milk if Sean Penn hadn’t starred in a movie about him. And even with a Hollywood movie, how many still don’t know about him?

I think that it’s time for us to start learning about the people who sacrificed so much to help the world we live in. Of course this is necessary for Black History, but I think it is only fair for us to extend our knowledge to people who have fought for Womens’, Gay, Latino, Irish, Workers’, American Rights.

If I Only Were a Shoe

After a lot of discussion and back and forth between my friends this morning, we finally decided what shoes we would be, if we were to become shoes. My friend Kiera would be a suede work boot. My friend Tika would be an intricate, yet comfortable, hippie sandal. And me? It was obvious.

If I were a shoe, I would be a fuzzy slipper.

Besides the obvious reasons (my fluffy hair and the fact that my skin tends to feel like rabbit’s fur), I think I have many of the qualities of a fuzzy slipper. Sometimes I look really goofy, but the people who like me prefer that I look goofy. Have you ever met a true slipper lover who doesn’t prefer a luscious bunny to a plain red shoe? Of course not, it’s unheard of. Also, I really like to be comfortable. My favorite part of the day, especially in these winter months, is going home, taking my shoes off, and wrapping myself in a snuggly blanket. Maybe this isn’t the most exciting thing in the world, but I’m not claiming I’m a stiletto, am I? No. Although plain, this is purely fuzzy slipper behavior. And as my friend Kiera insists, I make the people I care about feel warm and comfortable too. “Fuzzy slippers make me feel cozy, and you make me feel loved”, says Kiera, ’10. How precious. My other friend, Tika, adds that although I would be quite soft and snuggly as a shoe, I would have a rubber sole. “ ‘Cause you have a backbone”, she says. Aw. I’ve never heard something that cute.

So, I think it’s pretty undeniable now that if I were ever reincarnated as a form of footwear, I would look a little something like the image attached to this post.