James Gooding - Assignment 21

The fact that I had to think for so long to come up with a response just further proves my thinking.

            People in this society don’t think about others. Unfortunately, we all get too caught up in our own lives to think about someone else’s. Somewhere, someone is just hoping to survive through the next day, while I lay in bed worrying about school. I have no idea what it’s really like to starve, and I have no idea what sleeping on the streets in the middle of winter feels like.
            No one ever fixes these humanitarian issues because it’s never at the top of your mind. All we ever think about is work, school, and possessions…things in life of little worth. Hunger and poverty will never be resolved until it is put at the top of people’s minds.
            That being said, I’m going to reveal to you my ideal life plan. I’ll get a music degree at a big school, and put that degree to work by touring with some terrible pop artist (some of those drummers make half a million a year!). I’ll tour for ten years and live off 50k a year, while saving/investing the rest of it. Once those ten years are up, I’ll have a large sum of money that I could just live on for the rest of my life. But that’s not my plan. I’ll put my money and influence towards something that needs it: world poverty. I’ll give up the life of nice cars and big houses so that somewhere I can save people from starving to death.
       

James Gooding - Assignment 20

How to Make the Most of Your Cheap Drums
            Believe it or not, the primary factor in how your drums sound is not the wood, nor the thousands of dollars you shelled out to buy it, it’s the heads you choose to put on it, and properly tuning and dampening. I was gigging with a 400 dollar starter kit for about 4 years before I saved up enough to get a Tama Silverstar. Because of these techniques, I was able to make it work, and actually make it work well.
            The first choice you must make is in the heads. By throwing out the stock heads and investing 50 dollars in some Evans or Remo skins, you instantly bump up the quality of your drums. For warm and deep cuts, I suggest coated heads. For precision and clarity, use clear heads. ALWAYS USE 2 PLY HEADS ON THE TOP HEAD. This will give your drums a beefy sound, as well as let the heads last much longer. For a short, thuddy sound put a 1 ply head on the bottom. If you want resonance, put a 2 ply head on the bottom. I keep 2-ply on my floor toms and they end up sounding like kick drums. For snares, every head company makes a snare-bottom head, which I personally believe is an extremely wise investment as far as durability and tone. Stock heads work, but they are REALLY easy to gash.
            The second step is tuning. You can tune your drums to pretty much any pitch or tone you want, you just need the knowledge to do it. Tightening up your bottom heads allows for a lot more ring to your drums, while loosening them makes the resonance shorter. You can go without bottom heads, but your drums will lose their presence, and adding that layer will allow them to cut on a gig. Your drums will sound more “solid” in their upper register, but they will sound so much deeper and beefier in their lower register. It really depends on what you are going for. Putting on heads should be like replacing a tire, doing all of the lugs diagonally. Start off by getting them all finger tight, and then adjusting slowly from there. As far as snares go, they will not cut AT ALL unless you have the bottom cranked up way tight. This unfortunately makes it easy to break the bottom head.
           The final step is dampening. Don’t underestimate this part, because every great drummer uses this technique. Ringo Starr was noted as the first drummer to use this technique, by taping cloths to his toms to get the sound you hear on the iconic Beatles tune “Come Together.” Using products like drum dots or moon gel cost about 8 dollars for a full set, and they completely change the game of drumming. Not only do they provide extra thud and attack, but they also get rid of nasty overtones that can leak out. They do complete wonders on a snare, just try it out. If you can’t go out and get gel, just take some toilet paper, fold it up, and tape it onto your heads. It should work almost as well. Dampening products are amazing because they are cheaper than a pair of sticks, yet they completely transform your sound.
             Dampening also applies to cymbals. Just lay duct tape on the bottom side of the cymbal, and it should eliminate pesky ringing and add to a drier sound. They do make cymbals that are supposed to do this for you, but they usually run extremely high. When you have a budget of 60 dollars and have to settle for Sabian B8s, duct tape is a blessing from God.
          
              *Snares are by far the hardest thing to influence, so that should be where your money is focused. Every detail, from the flange of the rims to the layers of wood in the shell, has a huge impact on the sound of it. Since your snare sound defines who you are as a drummer, make sure to do some extra research on snare rims, types of wood, size, layering, etc before you make such a crucial purchase. Some snares run as high as 3 grand!!


Gooding $1000 Drum Budget

$300 – Snare
$110 – (2) Toms
$100 – Kick Drum
$350 – Cymbals (hi hat, ride, crash)
$80 – Hardware
$60 – Accessories (heads, dampeners)How

Henry Macfarlan- Assignment 22

If I could be any fictional character from any work i have seen I would be Luke Skywalker  from star wars.  I would be him because he has superpowers and a spaceship.  In the universe he lives in there is a multitude of advanced technology that you would be able to take advantage of.  You could fly around in a spaceship or have a new bionic arm.  Not only is the world he lives in cool, he also has superpowers.  He uses the force to essentially give him super powers which he uses to go on adventures.  He can do anything he wants as he hold large influence and, their is no opposition to stop him.  He defeats his only competition and ends his conflict at the end of star wars return of the jedi, thus there is no one around to limit him or restrict him from doing anything, he is the most power full person in the universe, who leads a large group of people who would blindly follow him, he has superpowers, and has a lightsaber which he can use to cut through anything.  So he essentially is living the life, with no one to tell him otherwise.

Henry Macfarlan- Assignment 21

Somewhere in the universe there are entire societies full of conscious beings, that are going about their business just like us.  There may be many groups of beings completely unaware that there is other life in the universe just as we are.  Somewhere in the universe there may be another living being writing about the same thing, speculating about the universe.  The universe is so vast and broad, that it would be far from absurd to speculate that anything we could even guess is happening, is actually occurring somewhere.  The universe is infinite, that means that there are an infinite number of possibilities of things to be happening.  This becomes even more true when we consider the possibility of parallel universes.  If we include this theory in our speculation of the happening of the universe, then the probability of literally anything happening increases.  Under this logic, the entire plot of star wars could be playing out somewhere in the universe and we would have no idea

henry macfarlan assignment 20

how to shoot a soccer ball.  First set the ball about a step away from you, plant your non dominant foot just behind the ball and to  the side.  if you are right footed this will be your left, and vise versa.  then keep this leg straight, swing through with your tow pointed to the ground and ankle locked, swing through the ball.  like an swing, golf, baseball, etc swinging through and follow through after striking the ball is the most important.  If your stop swing after the first contact with the ball. So swing  your leg and foot all the way through the ball and land on the foot you struck the ball with.  You will want to strike the ball with your dominant foot.  Then after the swinging through land on this foot, it will be your dominant foot, this will feel awkward at first, as it is a slightly unnatural position, and will require practice and repetition.  Like anything that may feel awkward but is correct, with repetition and practice it will become natural and eventually will no longer feel strange but rather become a habit.

Assignment 20: Sabrina Lozada

One thing that I enjoy is playing my instrument. Granted it is not something you can just pick up and master, unless you are some prodigy child. For most people it takes time to develop proficiency. 

Step One: Pick an instrument you really like. If you choose an instrument you do not have an interest for, then you won't get far with it. 

Step Two: Take time to learn the notes on your instrument, counts, and your clef. You cannot play an instrument without knowing the basics. 

Step Three: Make time in your schedule to practice. As a beginner you should spend between 15-30 minutes each practice "slot" you have. You should not exceed more that 30 minutes because the time after that won't be as useful. You should practice 2-3 times a week. 

Step Four: As you begin to gradually improve you should increase the difficulty of the music you play because the wrong level of music will discourage you from wanting to play. 

Optional: If you really wanted to you could get private lessons to help guide you through the process.

Assignment 21- Usha Adhikari

Somewhere in the universe…

…Someone just took their first breath.

…Someone just took their last breath.

…Someone is crying.

…Someone is laughing.

…Someone is solving their math homework.

…Someone is procrastinating on their homework.

…Someone is eating.

…Someone is ordering pizza.

…Something is existing outside the earth.

…Someone is celebrating their birthday.

…Someone is drunk.

…Someone is walking their dog.

…Someone is on their way to cure cancer.

…Someone is killing someone else.

…Someone is dancing.

…Someone is saving a life.

…Someone is painting.

…Someone is writing their dissertation.

…Someone is writing a Facebook post.

…Someone is cramming, last-minute for a test.

…Someone is earning their PHD.

…Someone just started their first job.

…Someone just got fired.

…Someone is in a fight.

…Someone is gambling.

…Someone is baking a wedding cake.

…Seomone is getting married.

… and you?Well you are someone in this universe, scrolling through Academy English 2016-17 2^nd hour blogs, reading this. 

Assignment 20: Usha Adhikari

How to be a rebel:

1.       Start up your computer.

2.       Login to your computer.

3.       Open your internet browser app.

4.       Go to blogger.com or find another way to get to google blogs.

5.       Sign into your google blog account.

6.       Pull up a blog post assignment, read it, hit “new post” and begin to type your response.

At this point, you are probably very confused. You have followed the steps and you don’t understand where this is going. Well my friend, patience is a virtue. And to be quite frank this sentence was written to distract you. Haha. Got you.

7.       When finishing writing your blog instead of writing 150 words, write 149. Just like this one. Bam. You’ve become a rebel. Just like me. You can thank me later.

Don’t read the next line.

Look at you, you’ve already gotten good at this whole rebellion thing. 

Assignment 20: Naylan James

So you want to learn how to play FIFA? You've come to the right person. I've been playing FIFA on Xbox since 2012, and have recently reached new heights. When one thinks of "goats," they think "lebron - basketball, Brady - football, naylan - FIFA." The first thing you need to learn is how to shoot. Hold that red "B" button down just the right amount (trust me you'll know what the right amount is) and then let that thang fly. Sadly, when you're not as good as me, it's not as simple as this. You have to get the ball up to the goal first, right? To pass you have to use "A" and "Y". A is for the amateurs who like straightforward, no-movement passes. Y is for those of us who consider football the "beautiful game." Watch as you lead your star skipper right down the side, setting up a beautiful cross (with the "X" button.) Eventually, you'll have to learn skills, but for now, just get used to movement and all that easy stuff.

Colton Warner- Assignment 21

Right now somewhere in the universe, a boy inches his way up an aged magnolia tree. Each stem passed, he takes greater caution and weighs the perils below. Warm spring rays of sun seep through the leaf coverage closer to him, reflecting patches of the dirt-stained khaki shorts and the soft blood marks that never seem to matter anymore. He looks up and down and around at the green, yellow, brown flavors of the perennial structure, and he glimpses upon the etchings and engravings. They seem familiar and infinite. As he keeps climbing, the leaves erode into a wide landscape. It was different than the last time and maybe was even changing now with a soft breeze and the sounds of construction approaching. But here, he in this enduring tree, he feels stable and known. After minutes on top, he gently lowers back through the kaleidoscope and reaches the wet ground. He paces away.

Assignment 23: the perfect playlist

A Blast From the Past

"High Fidelity" (2000) was a film that was remarkably ahead of its time. The film tells the story of Rob Gordon, a washed-up music junkie (played by the fantastic John Cusack) who spends his days creating perfect 5 song playlists. There's his playlist for his worst break up ever, his playlist of the top 5 soul tracks released between 1955 and 1965, and his playlist for his ex-girlfriend's dad's funeral.

Today, thanks to Spotify,  Limewire, iTunes, the "genius" Itunes feature, and Pandora, creating a "perfect" playlist has never been easier.

On the other hand, Rob probably would be appalled by the slapdash way some of us throw together any group of songs above a certain tempo before we head to the gym, or take all those below a certain tempo and thoughtlessly label it “chillaxxx.” As Rob forewarned, “The making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art. Many do’s and don’ts. You’re using someone else’s poetry to express how you feel. This is a delicate thing.”

So for this blog assignment, create a "perfect" playlist for something. It could be your perfect playlist to listen to at the gym (boring!), perfect playlist for a rainy day, perfect playlist for anything. . . be as creative as you can. Once you have chosen a topic, select 5-10 tracks for this playlist, noting the song and artist, and write a few sentences explaining why you chose this song, what this song adds to your playlist, why you put it where you did, and how it works with the other songs you selected to create a cohesive perfect playlist.

Then create that list in Spotify (if possible) and share the link.

In all honesty this is my way to crowd source interesting music so don't be a dolt and make a joke list please.

Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, March 26th at 11:59 pm

May 14th is the last day to make up blogs 23-26

entry inspired by John Cowgill

Assignment 22: Claire Telfer

A show that I fell upon freshman year was the ultimate rite of passage for teenage girls: Gossip Girl. Although it wasn't the most intellectually stimulating show, it was a glimpse into the world of the Upper East side in Manhattan. Out of all the characters on the show, I would want to be Serena van der Woodsen because she seemed the least cunning and manipulative. She was sophisticated in how she dressed and where she lived, and even though she was an upper class girl, she wasn't shallow enough to only see people for their money. She was a reformed bad girl, and had attempted to right her wrongs by going to away from the city to work on herself. She was also cultured and spent months abroad when she lived in France with her best friend for the summer. The defining characteristics of her personality were her ability to see the best in people and her willingness to forgive. On top of it all, she was intelligent, and she had her eyes set on the Ivy League.

Assignment 21: Claire Telfer

Right now, somewhere in the universe, a girl is sitting in the darkness of a field, untouched by light pollution of the human race. She lies among the tall grass in shorts and a hoodie-it's oddly warm for March there-while the grass tickles her bare legs. Her hair is splayed out behind her, long and blonde and newly dyed. She's alone, but not lonely, as there are millions of stars above her, twinkling and fading right before her eyes. She drove here in her Jeep and wandered off the beaten path to find a spot to think about life for a moment. She had a fight with her best friend a few hours before due to the fact that they're drifting apart even though they promised they wouldn't. She came here to mull over the dreams and the memories shared over the years, and the times they've experienced together. Even if this is the end of a chapter, they're bonded together forever in these memories that can't be erased. The girl feels the inevitability of a loss of friendship, yet she feels oddly serene about this. She knows that even though she's going through this right now, somewhere in the universe, someone else is too.

Assignment 22: Charlotte Kessinger

If i could place myself in any other fictional human I would be Edward Cullen from Twilight. I really wish that I could be a vampire. I would be Edward Cullen because he lives a pretty normal life with a huge secret. He goes to school like a normal person and nobody knows he is a vampire. However, at night he hunts for his prey. They are mysterious and dark and their eyes are also very pretty. live two complexly different lives like this is so mysterious and appealing to me because I could live two extremely different lives- one normal and one supernatural. I sometimes wonder if vampires are real and I just do not know about it. It would be interesting to be bitten by a vampire and go through the process of changing into one. Hopefully that doesn't happen to me, but it also would not be the worst thing.

Assignment 21: Charlotte Kessinger

The universe is so vast my tiny brain cannot even comprehend it. Somewhere far away on a planet unknown to Earth things in comprehensive are occurring. Maybe these things (we don't even know what they are because our concept of things is unable to even phantom them) are studying Earth wondering what the heck are we doing with ourselves. Maybe they have senses we are unable to even imagine. These people on this unknown planet could be so different from us that we do not have the knowledge and ability to even imagine. They may be living in a different type of air composed of unknown substances and exist in a completely different environment, living so differently from us yet we are all in the same universe. While I am sitting here writing my blogs for school, they may not even know school exists yet may be doing something I do not know exists.

Assignment 20: Charlotte Kessinger

How to...
How to win a track race specifically the 1600/one mile.
1. You must prepare yourself mentally and want to win. The one thing that many physically prepared people do is lose to their own selves. You have to believe in your ability and have to want to win.
2. Once you've prepared your mind, you must train your body. Run at least 5 days a week. To have a well rounded training plan include an easy recovery day, a long run where you increase your mileage, two speed work days where you do shorter harder faster repeats of distances such as 300m, 400m, 600m or 800m and a day with a mix sprints and repeats.
3. Prepare for at least 4 weeks prior to racing.
4. Leading up to race day, you must eat enough healthy foods to allow your body to work hard and recover.
5. On race day, wake up at a normal time, eat toast and peanut butter and relax your mind.
6. At the place of the race, warm yourself up by running at least 800m. Stretch yourself, keep yourself loose.
7. Once it is time to race, find someone to stick with and pace with.
8. Lap 2 and 3 are extremely important to push hard on as everyone is tired of sprinting lap 1. Most people lose their race here, so now this is where you win it. Once lap three is over give it your all on the last lap. Don't hold back you are almost done.
9. If you follow this list, you may not finish first but you are sure to reach a personal record of effort and time.

Assignment 20- Colton Warner

How to hike like a baller-

Pondering my expertises, I was surprised to remember how few things I am an expert in, but I can hike (a fairly simple task), so here we go. Hiking is like walking (see: philip's entry) but with a twist- there is more terrain and interesting outdoor obstacles. Before anything else, prepare for your hike extensively. Know your route, have maps, research weather, times, detours, elevations changes, think about wildlife, remember snacks, and make emergency plans. Also tell someone where you are going so your parents can find your when you're taken by backwoods cannibals. 

One quote that stuck in my mind regarding hiking and the outdoors is the primary rule of hiking. "Rule #1 of the trail- Always look hot." (If the animals aren't swooning for you, you are a piece of trash). In other words, don't look like an unorganized schmo. 

Next step, take the correct steps. Sometimes taking shorter steps at a slower, more controlled pace can make for fewer stops and more sustainable, easy hiking. Also when you hike up hill, remember to extend your knees and essentially lock them- it takes off 30% of the stress on your thighs (disclaimer: may not be 30 but it does work.) 

Lastly, have a good time out there folks, breathe that fresh air, congratulate yourself after a tough hill, play weird games while walking for hours, and take short regular breaks. There's such a sense of accomplishment when you complete a hike, and hiking really isn't that hard, so it's a win-win.

Assignment 22: Shelby Amato

Okay there is no way that my response to this is original or creative but who cares because Hermione Granger is the best answer to this question. She can do magic. She is a badass because of said magic and also some hand to hand combat skills and also crazy knowledge levels. If I were to become Hermione Granger, I would:
1. Look like Emma Watson
2. Be able to do magic
3. Be much much smarter than I currently am
4. Attend Hogwarts
5. Fight actual evil forces
6. Survive a war without losing too many friends or family and grow old and have children with the love of my life that I met when I was 12
7. Be able to do magic and live in a place where magic is a thing
8. Fight things
9. Do magic
10. Possess a wand with which to do magic and also ride a dragon

So my position of this is super clear: I would most likely kill someone to become Hermione Granger which is an awful thing to say but I'd only kill like a very bad person because moral issues with killing people but also Hermione Granger. I really like Harry Potter.

11. Magic

Assignment 21: Shelby Amato

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe dew collects on an expanse of uncut grass. A cold breeze rustles the tall fields and the pale yellow morning light  begins to dawn on a new day in an endless string of days. The grass is chilled by wet and cold. Small insects move slowly among the tips of green. The dirt is warm and soft, but dry. The morning is quiet: the chirping of birds is distant, the breeze is soft, there are no people, there are no machines, and the world feels still. The morning is pale: the grass is a light green, the sky is a light yellow, the dirt is a light brown, the dew is clear, and the world feels timeless. The land is so flat that the grass is an ocean, the horizon is the edge of the earth, the sky is the universe. Though the darkness has been ushered away, the cold has stiffened nature and it has yet to wake up.

Assignment 20: Shelby Amato

How to win an argument.


Step one: Be correct. This is important. If you're wrong, you will have difficulty winning, though of course it's not impossible (see: every politician ever). Do your research and edit your opinion accordingly; since there is no real "right or wrong", being correct has more to do with having an informed opinion- if you do not possess one, do not bother.

Step two: Be brave. If you do not appear to hold confidence in your argument, your opponents will tear it apart. Even if you're not totally courageous, acting like you are puts a lot more weight into what you're saying. Also, intimidating people can go a long way into defeating them.

Step 3: Be calm. Confident does not mean aggressive or violent. If you remain calm and collected you have more chance of thinking straight and remaining convincing. Again, this can also intimidate your opponents.


If you do those three things, you can win the argument. I can't speak to further detail because everyone has different argumentation style, but those are the three consistencies among all great debaters, politicians, and anyone just trying to persuade someone else.