My Final Blog: For English 101:

 I have really learned a great experience with this course and I have learned many new things. I enjoyed working with my group members from the Emerald group and I appreciate all the feedback that they gave me on my PDR’S. The group projects were lots of fun and that is something that I would really enjoy to do in my other course’s next semester. I had a lot of fun writing in my blog and this one thing that I never knew how to do. I am not going to lie, there were some tough things for the last minute and my work really began to pile up. This was the first time that I took all of my classes directly online so I was still new at the use of many things.  This class has really taught me what to look forward to in the future when I am taking harder classes. I enjoyed English class, but I know that I could have done a lot better if I did everything ahead of time and if I would have been ahead of myself. I guess we are always learning something new and this was one for me.  

Even after I finish this course I will still continue writing in my blog on improving my writing skills. Writing is an enjoyable thing as long as you can enjoy what you are writing about. Sometimes I had difficult moments trying to understand what I had to actually write about. The more I began to understand the material and the reading, and then I was able to proceed with a better understanding. This class has also taught me more about responsibility and how important it is to get things done on time. Due to my lack at some points, I missed the due dates of some assignments and lost large amount of credit. For my future class I will be sure to stay ahead of the work and not allow procrastination to come into place. Procrastination is a horrible thing and I must do my very best to become free of it. I do not have any regrets from taking this course because if anything it has made me stronger when it comes to my writing and reading. I want to thank Professor Jennifer Gross for all of her help with this course and the knowledge that she has helped me gain as a student. I also want to thank all of my classmates who gave me feedback on my assignments including my blog. Good luck to you all in the future and with the remaining of this course.

 I would also like to wish Professor Jennifer Gross, the best and I hope that she has a fast and safe recovery. I just received the news that she is in the hospital, but I am not exactly sure about what has happened. I want you to know that all of your student’s are here for you and we all are wishing you well. Get well soon, Professor Jennifer Gross.

Week 15 Blog

           This English 101 course has taught me many things that I did not know about writing and communication. One thing that I never really knew how to do was blogging. I always heard people talking about it, but I never looked into it. Blogging has taught me how to post my thoughts and also respond to others as well. This is definitely something that I will continue to do even when the semester for this course is over. I enjoyed reading all of my fellow classmates blog entries and the different things that they talked about. This was a great opportunity for me to get to know others better and allow them to get to know me too. As for a result in my writing improvements, I have improved a little more and realized many things that I have been doing wrong with my essays and MLA formatting. I definitely know more now then I did before I started this course. I have received great feedback by my instructor and my classmates as well. Their feedback has helped me see things that I was doing wrong and what I needed to focus more on. I really liked the group work assignments because it taught me how to do teamwork without having to even communicate verbally. All of the group assignments were very successful for me. Although at some points not all the group members were participating, but as the days went by things were more together. I would like to have future group assignments in my classes for next semester.
        The one thing that gave me the most trouble was getting all of my reading assignments finished. Online classes are still very new to me and there are still many things with working online that I am learning. I know that as time progresses I will develop much more as an online student and I will be much more successful with getting work in on time. I have enjoyed writing essays, but I have a tendency of getting my words rambled to much. One thing that I must get more focused on is keeping my essays more organized and no jump from one thing to another. I have great ideas, but my wording sometimes doesn’t fit into the right places. It was nice reading all of my group member’s essay’s and having the opportunity to give them some feedback on improvements. I also read some papers that were so good, that it seemed as if they had nothing that needed to be fixed at all. Overall I really enjoyed this class, but I wish that I could have done a lot better on some things that I did not so well on. I enjoyed working with my group members and Professor Jennifer Gross has really done a great job on setting up all the assignments for blackboard. She has also done a really great job on all her effort to give feedback when I really needed it. I look forward to taking everything that this class has taught me and putting all of it to use to further my education.

Music Sampling

         Creativity in music is changing everyday and many people see creativeness in different ways. I would consider sampling somewhat creative because creativity works in so many different ways. For someone to take a portion of one sound of music and put it into another, seem pretty creative in a different way. It takes a lot of effort to learn how to do things like this because working with digital computers is not something just anyone can do. Now with today’s generation people are always looking for something new and different. I consider sampling something okay to be done because I am sure that I listen to many song’s containing sampling or portions of other songs. This does have a tendency to stray away from originality and take uniqueness out of music. Having instrumental beats being put digitally into a song is something very different, but it is nice to have that actual instruments played in the song, not added to it. This is what makes the music less natural and more computerized. Although there are some song’s that don’t show a difference. It does tale a lot more talent for a musician to sing a song that is their’s and have acustic instruments along with it. Sampling is kind of like taking pieces of other’s creative art work or drawings and adding it into your own. Then after finishing that piece of artwork, you say it is your own. It would be considered your own piece because you put it together from different pieces of work into one. It is like putting five other artist’s work into one and calling it your very own piece.
         There are some hip hop artists that are not using sampling in their music. Rappers like Timbarland and Dr. Dre are keeping all of their music original. They are not adding any digital instruments and they are “keeping it real”. Many hip hop artists have been acused of sampling and they want other’s to know that they are not one of them. I am not against sampling, but it is always nice to keep things original. If that is what artists are choosing to do then who are they hurting. It is not like they are completely stealing the music from the song writers. The song writers are getting paid for selling these samples to the musicians that will be singing the song.
             I am sure that many of us go on everyday listening to songs that have had sampling done to them. The thing is that it is just being done like there is nothing wrong with it. Things have changed a lot in music and unfortunately with all of this new technology happening more and more. Things will just continue to be less and less original. The thing is that if the consumer’s are still showing interest in the music, it is being liked and money is being made than, who really is complaining. Music is music and it will it will always continue to change, but we must not forget where the true roots of music came from. Sampling or not I really don’t mind. If the song has a good meaning and a nice beat then it is fine with me. Although originality always makes everything seem and sound much better

Week 13 on Research Paper

                 My research paper is taking lots of time, but I am learning so much in the process. Writing an essay takes lots of understanding on what it is that you are writing about. I am doing all my research to cover every angle because I do not want to be wrong on any of my facts. The topic that I decided to write about is on Madonna and her Pepsi endorsement deal gone bad. This is the very first time that I had heard about this endorsement when I was looking for a topic to write about. There are many things about this topic that I did not know. The song that appeared in the Pepsi commercial was “ Like a Prayer” and I always recall listening to this song, but it never really occurred to me what the song was about. I just never took the time to research about it. This paper is teaching me many things that are going to help with my future paper’s as well. I will also be more aware of the meanings of song’s that I am listening to. I still need some more supporting facts to back up the reason’s why Pepsi cancelled Madonna’s endorsement deal. I also need to give my beginning paragraph a stronger opening, so that I can grab my audience and really get them to want to continue reading what I have to say. I will continue researching on more facts and evidence to support my paper. I will write a couple of beginning paragraph’s and them in one at a time to see which one fits best. I need one that will really grab’s my attention and the reader’s as well.
                The areas that are really giving me trouble are my transitioning from paragraph to paragraph. I tend to go into my next paragraph with things that don’t blend right with my previous paragraph. What I need to do is blend them and not change so drastically from me talking about one thing to something completely opposite that doesn’t even relate to the previous paragraph. Organization is my number one concern in writing a great essay. When everything becomes unorganized than everything becomes very difficult to understand and all the hard work researching is mixed up. Ways to overcome these obstacles and see that I am doing a good job would be to categorize all of my different ideas and match them in the right places. Also before I finish my final paper, I am going to visit a tutor at the college and get some final proof reading done. I will take in any advice that sounds useful and I really look forward on this essay being an outstanding one. I will put my very best effort into it and I hope to continue learning many more things on writing a good essay that I didn’t know. I look forward to any advice that anyone might have for me and I will give any that I can to help as well.

Internet Piracy

      Internet piracy is a very fast growing issue. Many people no longer go to the music store to buy the latest album out. Instead they can just access online from many different downloading sources. It is good for some people because not everyone can afford to pay thirteen to fifteen dollars for a music album. Piracy is a term used for illegal coping of a music album or a movie copyright. The many people that are doing the copies to make and extra buck are risking a lot. Some of them even go to movie theater and film the movie from there. Other’s will just wait for it to come out on DVD and they will just make multiple copies. I don’t think it should be considered illegal if people are doing it for their own personal use. As for music, there are different options. The consumer can simply download it from many different internet sources like youtube and some other‘s. It is also more convenient for the consumer because they can just download the music they want in the convenience of their home. If they are doing it to make money then that is a different story. It can be labeled as illegal.       Being able to stop piracy is a big maybe. There are so many people doing it and so many more supporting them by purchasing so many copies. Stopping them is going to be very difficult. Think about it. Would you go and pay twenty dollars for a movie when you can buy the same exact one for only three dollars. Probably not. Now with today’s economy and prices sky rocketing, there are so many people that don’t have the extra money to by the latest album or newest movie that is out there. It is considered a privilege and food is more of a necessity. It is a want against a need. As for many music and movie industries the idea of trying to stop piracy is going to be a tough one. This is one of the biggest ongoing issues and I think that there is a larger majority for piracy than actually against it.
      The people that are most likely going to take the biggest lose in this whole ordeal is going to be the music industry. The reason why I say the music industry is because they are the one’s who are selling the products and not making as much as they should. The musicians are still getting their music out there and they are still being loved by their fans. The consumers are not loosing either because if anything they are just getting the things they really like for an extremely better bargain. Such as music albums and movies. This is a situation where unfortunately someone always looses and in this case it is going to be the music industry because they are not going to sell as many copies as expected. They should still be happy that their products are being liked and the musicians, actors, and actresses are still getting the spotlight. Without the consumer celebrities wouldn’t be where they are today.

American Idol

A T.V show that appeals to many individuals is called American Idol. This show gets many people pumped up to try out and then it really gets them down when they don’t make it. It lowers their self esteem and gives them false hope. This is a shoe that I don’t find very educational, but it is known most for entertaining Americans. The first couple of sessions were okay, until the judges became more and harsh to the contestants. This is one show that should not remain on T.V. because it is very wrong. At one time there was a woman that got so hurt by the show and what the judges said to her that she committed suicide. I know that this is very controversial because many people might disagree, but in my opinion this show should be removed from television. Many people are drawn to a show by all the entertaining aspects of it and some people are very entertained. They enjoy seeing other’s  make complete fools of themselves and them get rejected.

I will admit that I did watch the shows a couple of times and I did get a little entertained, but after a while I saw more details and realized it was wrong. Instead of putting people down for their singing and giving them false hope when they can not sing at all. The judges should let the people know the truth from the beginning and the ones with potential should get further help on what they want to pursue.  I would really like to see this show get canceled and save many hurt people from getting emotionally hurt or disappointed, but the reality is that it will succeed on the television.

The reason that it will succeed and not get cancelled is because not everyone has sympathy they rather be entertained. I would get more entertained watching something like the Simpson’s. It is not educating but at least it it’s not hurting real people. I think that people get so distracted by the entertainment of the show and they don’t look at the negative side of the show. I think that the worst thing to do is for the judges to lie to them and tell them that they can sing when they really can not. I think that instead of the judges telling the contestants that the are horrible singers, they should give them  a little hope to cheer them up instead of making them cry.

American Idol has been on television for a long time and I can only imagine how many people that were rejected by the judges felt very unhappy with themselves. I think that if only many people would see what I see, they would think very different about the program. I’m sure that a lot of contestants that were denied on American Idol had talent and they should get another chance. The judges should have a little compassion and remember if you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all.

“ Gangsta Rap”

  Out of all the gangster rap music video’s out there I decided to watch one by Lil’ Wayne. He is one artist that really goes beyond many limits in his music. In Lil’ Wayne’s music video’s and song’s he portrays a lot of drug use, sexual content, and violent language. One music video that I recently watched by Lil Wayne was called "We steady mobbin". This video had a lot of explicit language and verbal abuse towards women and people in general. In his music video he raps about it being okay to do drug‘s, killing people, and a lot of sexual language. He also brags about how much money he has and how big his house is.
   In parts of the song he raps about what he would do with another mans girlfriend. He says how he will use her to kill and steal for him and then murder her and send her back to the guy. Lil Wayne throws his hands up, flipping off the camera in the music video and cursing in every other word. He really goes overboard by all the dirty language he use’s. I do not find any sort of talent in music like this. I find it more disturbing and grotesque. Many rappers are singing about things that young teens shouldn't be listening to. A music video like Lil Wayne’s does not send a good message to the viewers. I think words like these in a song, are not good influence on teenagers or even older ages that don't know better. I am not saying that all rap music is bad, but when I watched this music video by Lil Wayne I really did not see anything good coming out of this song.
   Then towards the end of the music video he smokes marijuana. When Lil Wayne’s fan’s watch his music video "We steady mobbin" what good does he think they will be getting out of it. Does he stop for a minute a realize what he is rapping about is really not right. I think it is more about the money and what sells. He does not really care and I think the only thing that crosses his mind is the fame and money. This may make the person watching think that it's ok what the rapper is saying and they may feel that it is okay for them to do as they see. Rapper Lil’ Wayne shows in his music video that it is easy to make money by dealing drugs and that he can get away with what ever it is that he wants. I think that rappers that rap in explicit language and put drug usage in their music video’s, should think twice about the negative impact they could have on their fans. Lil Wayne is portraying drugs, killings, sexual content, and gang related things. After I watched this music video and listened to the words, I realized how important it is to know what you are actually listening to before you start singing to the lyrics.
　

Question #4 in M&C p 147

     Many teenagers look up to and even admire Eminem because most of them can relate to his life. Most of the time is because their lives are very similar. It is very important that songs are “reality based” because people should know the truth about things and that everything in life is not just one big fairy tale. In many ways teenager’s feel that the hard time’s Eminem faced with his parent is what they have gone through as well. The young girl’s wished for a father like him that would love them in the way that he loves his girls.
    When I listen to music most of the time I want a majority of it to be real life things or to somewhat relate to a part of me. It does not all have to be one hundred percent true, but it is makes you feel more connected to the song when it is. Eminem’s young audience of followers were proud of him for “ keeping it real” because many artist didn’t have the same strong will to rap or say how they really felt about something. If they did then it was nothing compared to the way he told his stories through his music.
    I am not one to admire a person that sings or in his case rap’s about killing his wife and raping his mother because a person like that needs some kind of help. It does take a lot to let those kind of things out and I see why he has a large crowd of supporters for his music, but some things are not right. I do admire the love that he shows for his two daughter’s and that he lets the whole world know how much he loves them. What about one day when his girl’s realize what he is rapping about. Will they still love him or will the bond be separated. If he really and deeply loves them he will put aside the angry and disturbing words that he says about his ex-wife and his mother.
    There is nothing wrong with expressing how you feel towards something or letting your feelings out for the whole world to hear. At the same time there is a limit for everything and when it come to fantasizing about rape or murder then it is a major concern. This is what younger kids are listening to then it could be a problem. He does express who he is and what he has been through, but some things really draw the line. It is the reality that goes on in his life so I suppose it is the best way for him to let out his feelings and thoughts. Although many things are not right in life and we wish for it to be more like a fairy tale, but it is reality. Reality based lyrics are the most common way for a majority of people to relate to everyday music.

Social Power and Music

      Words say one thing and movement of the body says another. The similarities between the two is communication. You can say something that can be hurtful to another, but when you make your body to the rhythm it is completely a different story. As Beatrice Aaronson puts it, “rhythm becomes the stuff of intuition and the eraser of differences. This is very true because everyone becomes one when music plays and feet begin to move. Music and the different instruments bring a bond between many different races and cultures. People that may have nothing at all in common could suddenly feel a connection on the dance floor. Some people may be richer, smarter, or even stronger that others.
     By talking to people and learning about their skills may make you feel some what less of a person. As for the dance floor it is a whole other world. No one is talking to each other, telling them that they have more money than them or a better job. They are moving to the beat and all enjoying themselves. They are all becoming one with the music. Music and dance definitely have there separation from social power. Nobody is influencing their belief or infority on each other.
    When the music plays it allows you to let go and forget about your problems. The music and instruments are not telling you how to act or what to do or even judging you. It is allowing you to express your freedom to dance how you want to and with who you want to. It is not saying “hey you can’t dance to my music because you don’t own a company”. Rich or poor dancing is a freedom that is not yet taken away from anyone. Words are definitely instruments that can bring upon a complete change, anger, rage, discrimination, and even intimidation. Sometimes things that you say to another person can have a tremendous impact on their life and ways. The only thing that is see as a problem is what kind of songs are being played on that dance floor.
     I understand that music can put everyone’s differences aside and bring them together, but doesn’t it also depend on the kind music that is being played. Instrumental music with no words ideal in other’s coming together dancing. Then again what if certain songs are being played have a bit of social power and instrumental separation. Some songs can have foul language that can offend others or even just be a bit too racist. Those songs may draw certain people away from the dance floor.
    Most of the time when people are dancing and having a really good time it is mainly the rhythm and instruments in the songs that gets them moving. Sometimes many of the words don’t really catch their attention. I am more for the fact that rhythm and dance do not have a extreme connection with social power. Music tends to take you away from the words of separation, social power, and the feeling of not belonging. You do not have to fit into anyone’s category. You can allow the music to fit into your category.

Essay: “ Negatively Portrayed”

     The most recent musician in the genre of pop that has been negatively portrayed is Mile y Cyrus. She has been for the younger crowd and they have really grown to love her. Just up until not to long ago many critics have been condemning her for minor issues. Thing’s that Lady Gaga did and no one would even say anything. On Miley Cyrus's eighteenth birthday she celebrated she smoked a hookah pipe with some kind of herb non-harmful. The media went crazy and parents refused their kids to listen to her music. Everyone that made a big deal really blew it out of the water. She is over eighteen years old and as long as it is not illegal she has the right to do what she chooses.
There are many musicians that have done wrong things, but the media ignores what they want to. As for Miley Cyrus , I think that many people were always so use to seeing her do shows for the younger audience and they were done very innocent. She is growing up and she wants to do the things that she enjoys and dress the way she chooses. If the media is unhappy with her ways then they don't have to listen to her, but they shouldn't condemn her either. The things she does are extremely innocent compared to Lady Gaga. Many people will talk good about her before they say something nice about Miley Cyrus. I guess it's because Lady Gaga must pay more money to the companies that are airing and distributing her music.
We have musicians that are negatively condemned by the media and then we have musicians that need to be negatively mentioned through the media. Musicians do need a chance to express who they are and what they want to sing about. There is nothing wrong with expressing yourself through the music or clothing you wear, but to a certain extent. When musicians begin to be grotesque in ways that are embarrassing then that is when the media should begin to worry. I am not against the media speaking the truth, but I am against musician Miley Cyrus being negatively portrayed. Just because she wants to grow and do things that express herself. The public media should support Miley Cyrus because by condemning her isn’t going to make things better it may even make her become rebellious.
Sometimes what the media does is make people think that they are doing wrong and they then feel less confident in themselves. The media must learn that just because a musician such as Miley Cyrus is not what they want her to be does not mean they should degrade her for minor reasons. Every individual might do something that is not a hundred percent correct, but we are all learning in life and we need the one’s that are looking out for us to help us make better decisions in life. Negative portrayal is not always the best way to react towards others.

Parental Advisory

                Should everyone who enjoys listening to explicit lyrics be responsible for what they purchase without a parental advisory label or should this be the responsibility of the record companies to advise the buyers. The responsibility for the parental advisory labels should be completely up to the record companies. It is their job to make sure that under age children are not purchasing inappropriate music without their parent’s approval. I am not saying that it is the record companies fault if the underage audience gets a hold of the music through other sources, but it should be their responsibility for the selling of albums in stores. They need to advise people of the content in the music before it is purchase. If a parent see’s that their child wants an album and they have no idea of what kind of music it is.
      I know that when I was younger and if I had a parental advisory album without my fathers permission then I was in big trouble. I would get grounded and the album would be thrown in the trash. I look back at it know and realize that my father did it for my own good. If I had children I would definitely not want them exposed to inappropriate music at a young age. There is a time for everything and they will have their’s when the time is right for things that they want to hear. With the parental advisory label on the album they will be able to see what their child is buying.
    Any young person under the legal age should not be able to purchase explicit music without an adult‘s permission. Although if they really want an explicit album they will find a way to get it. Now days with the internet kids have access to all kinds of music. The intensions of many young kids now days is that when they want something they will find a way to get it. Some music today is not getting the proper parental advisory labels on them that it should have. One example that I fell is not properly labeled is Lady Gaga. I am not a music critic, but there are many songs from her that I really feel are inappropriate for young audiences. There are songs of hers that young children should not listen to due to the inappropriate things that she does and says. I know that all music has its own meaning, but at the same time a lot of music today is really lacking quality. Some artist’s are just trying to sell anything to make money. The music industry will release any music regardless of the quality. As long as it makes them money then it is just fine for them.
      Unfortunately with that young teenager’s and parent’s have to deal with the consequences. While the parent’s are trying to teach their children the proper morals, they then have inappropriate music teaching them otherwise. Even if the parental advisory labels do not stop underage children from purchasing certain music it will at least limit them to some sources of getting the music. The record labels must realize how important the parental advisory labels are to many people because I am sure that if they have young children of their own then they are not going to want them listening to inappropriate music either.

Negative Influence Music has on the Youth.......

As we grow up many of us have a hard time fitting in. Most of the time we allow music to place us in certain groups and talk to only certain people. As for people that listen to rap may not like the ones that listen to country. They begin to categorize who they talk to and judge others based on the music that they listen to. They single people out and begin to bully them because that individual is not just like them. Then that can lead to many other bad things. I am not blaming all music for negatively influencing the youth, but a lot of it is to blame.
As rap has been a negative influence on a lot of people, others have a way of not letting it even get to them. In rap music they talk a lot about drugs, sex, and violence. As a strong individual I know that certain music is not something that will ever make me change who I want to be or stop me from succeeding in life. Although for younger individuals it may be harder for them to understand what is better for them and what is something they should stay away from. They may not know how to say no or make there own decisions for what they want. Many young adults have a stronger will then others. Some of them are able to decide there own paths and others are letting music choose for them. If there favorite singer is singing about something that is not right for them to do then they may think it is okay to do.
One rapper that is being criticized about his music is Lil’ Wayne. He is talking bad about women and degrading them in his music. This is something that can really affect young men and the way they treat women. There behavior can become violent towards others and they may not think it is wrong because the one person they idolize is doing the same. This is something that really needs to change with the music today and it may even make a difference on the behavior of our youth today.

"Passion for Music"

Many of us are extremely passionate about our music and need it everyday, but we also have many other things that we love. Things that we do everyday that we are passionate about. As Alan Bloom portrays individuals and music it seems that he labels us all the same. The last that I checked I have opposite likes of what others I know like. I think for myself and I don’t like to be categorized as being like everyone else. We aren’t all the same and we like many other things “alien” to music. When I say we, I am referring to other around me or people that I have encountered. Bloom says that we only have a passion for music and nothing else. What happen to the word “unique” or when we are taught that it is good to be different and think for ourselves. Bloom is definitely contradictive about us being ourselves and having a passion for more than just music. How many of you love music as much as your career or being with your loved ones. I love music, but I also love and have a passion for cooking. Especially baking that is my ultimate favorite, but I can’t bake without my music playing. I also have a passion for old cars and sports cars. I have been around them just as long as I have listened to music. As for my sister, she loves music and has the largest music library I know. That is not the only thing she is passionate about. She loves being in the kitchen and coming up with new recipes every time. She also loves fashion and shopping makes her really happy. For Bloom to say our only likes and passions are music, I think he has an overgeneralization of people. He is thinking as if we are all the same and as if were nothing more than puppets. We just listen to music and nothing else. Ho do explain my little brother’s obsession for rock music. He loves rock and is crazy about the band “Avenged Sevenfold.” That is not his only like though, he really admires and collects any James Dean memorabilia. He is always finding something new and different to enjoy. When Bloom says that when we listen to our music it has no relation to family, church, or school. I feel that he is way out of place. I disagree with his opinion because when I listen to certain songs it makes me think about my family and how much they mean to me. When I listen to some country songs, they are very religious and they relate to church. When my family and I have barbeques together we always listen to music music. We play songs that everyone likes and it always makes the moment a lot more special. How could Alan Bloom say what we listen to has no relation towards everyday things that go on in our lives. What I listen to is mostly a reflection on past things or recent things in my life. We are all very passionate about music, but I know for myself and others around me, our likes vary in many different ways.

"Speaking Without Words"

There are so many ways to express yourself to others and not only verbally. I can not relate to Mr. Dara as he communicates through playing music with his guest’s, but I can compare some other forms of communication that I experience. When I am with my family, one of our major forms of communicating is when we are cooking together. We see how each other cooks different and we express ourselves through the different foods we cook. We are also always learning from each other through our cooking. By tasting what one another makes and showing them how much we like their cooking by how much we eat. I don’t even need to tell my older sister how good her cooking is because the way I eat her food she already knows. She reads me like a book when she wants feed back. We hardly ever have left over’s. Another thing, have you ever seen the way Argentineans communicate, sometimes all that you can ever get out of the conversation besides the word “Che” is their hand gestures. In my family, it seems like most of the talking is done with their hands. I’ll admit it is contagious because it is something that has already got me doing. One time I heard an Argentinean say, “If you were to tie an Argentineans hands behind his back, then you will not get a conversation out of him.” That is one statement that is so true. Another way that my sister and I really communicate is through shopping. We love shopping together so much that, it is mostly body language and we can hardly get a word in. Like trying on cloths, getting a thumbs up on certain things because we get so caught up in our shopping that we the words don‘t come out. By the end of the day we tell each other how happy we are to have one another. I then think to myself, we didn’t even have to do much coversating to have such a good time. We simply showed how much fun we have with each other. Also singing together is another thing that we are always doing. My sisters and I sing in the car all the time. We begin to start singing and the trip is over and none of us got a word in, but we all had a blast. We communicated through the music and it is as if the music did all the speaking to one another, without us having to tell each other anything. Our dancing also tells things to each other, especially when we are just fooling around. We make each other laugh and we didn’t have to say anything. There are so many ways to communicate and most of us are doing it everyday without words. Many times our actions tend to speak louder than words. I am not in a relationship, but I do know that when you kiss that special someone it can say so much. By that touch on the lips, it may have told them more then what you could have said in words. I rather show someone how I feel about them, then tell them. I am always communicating through so many different ways and I try to always show what I mean more, than say it

My Musical Library

In my musical library I have some country, r&b, soul, alternative rock, and oldies. After going through my list I see that I have more r&b and oldies by the artists Toni Braxton, Isley Brothers, Marvin Gaye, and The Temptations. Over the past five years my taste in music has changed a lot. When I was in high school I was more of a follower when it came to music. When I was hanging around all the guys in my class, then I would listen to more rap and hip hop. Like Tupac, Ja Rule and others. I thought that i had to listen to what everybody else listened to. Then when I realized that in order to be more of myself and find who I really am. That is when I began to listen to music that made me feel. Music that made me happy, sad, and relaxed. I didn't really find that until about three years ago. Now I really have all the music that expresses who I am as an individual. My library is very unique because it has a great mix of different things.
It is true that you do listen to more romantic music when you are in a relationship or in love. Who doesn't listen to romantic music when they are in love. It makes you feel so happy. Well until you are no longer together, then it could just rip you apart to listen to the same music. I have had a big crush on a guy for about three years, but I don't know if he knows. I will listen to the music that makes me think of him. Music that he may have played for me and music that we listened to together. When ever I listen to the Isley Brothers I think of him. That is mostly why I listen to them, but I really enjoyed every moment with him and that's why listening to the music makes me so happy. I have also found myself through my music and I have been really happy. This is the music that I really feel comfortably with and the music that reveals who I really am. As I look into the past I realize that I did not give myself a big variety of music to explore. I kind of kept the doors closed and did'nt really listen to different things. I will not just stick to one type of music. I am always listening to different things and seeing what else is out there. I am always looking to learn something new in my music and my music library is always growing.

Music and How it has influenced me

As a child you would always sing along to the radio to the music your mom or dad put on. For me it was the music my mom and I would always listen to. She loved listening to George Michaels, Toni Braxton, and Earth, Wind & Fire. I loved listening to the music with her as we were on our way to the super market. I’ll never forget the day when I realized that our days of singing in the car were over and we would never go to the super market together ever again. My mom had walked out the door, leaving all nine of her children just standing there with uncertainty and not knowing why she was leaving them. My father was there for us and our mother was nowhere to be found. Why? Why was she saying good-bye. Did that mean that all those fun times of us singing together in the car were over. I did not want to believe that this was really happening, my mother was really gone. How could she, how could a mother that loved us so much just leave us in a heartbeat. I would turn on the radio and play the songs that we used to listen to together. I missed her so much and I felt that the only way to really feel like she was still there was to hold on to one of her t-shirts and listen to the music. It has been eleven years since my mother had left us and every once in awhile I will listen to the songs that we shared together. Those songs saved a part of me. They kept a piece of her still with me. If it was not for the music that I listened to, it probably would have been a lot harder to deal with her leaving. Music has influenced me in so many ways. It has made me realize that you can loose so much in a blink of an eye, but many things can still be saved through the music. You must appreciate every single moment in time because once it is gone all you have is memory. Music is like that mother you ran to when you fell and hurt yourself. It always has its ways of making everything better. I look at life in ways that I would have never imagined. If I hadn’t listened to certain music, then this experience would probably not excist. Music allows you to go anywhere that you want to go. Sometimes my favorite places to go in my music are back to my childhood. When there wasn’t a worry in the world. Where the world seemed like there was nothing bad in it. When grandma and grandpa’s house was the best place to go. Now all that I have are my memories and music to help me get through most of them. I don’t know what I would do without music. It has impacted my life so much, but then again if I never knew about it would it have changed my life in other ways.