What a feeeeeeelin'

Don't you just love it when a song that you have discovered finally makes it onto the radio?

also, my new favorite website:

http://1000awesomethings.com/

There's a she wolf in your closet

My sister recently made me a CD with the Spanish version of "She Wolf" by Shakira, and for some reason, it's waaaay better than the English one. Why? I think that writing or creating something in your native language is always easier than doing so in a foreign one, but I guess that the song just goes to show how much can be lost in translation. When you think about it, the amount of feelings conveyed that have been lost or changed simply by reading a translation of a book or watching a movie with subtitles is immense, and the work viewed or studied takes on a whole new meaning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQxbPRDEg5I

"Somebodies"

”Somebodies” does a very good job of laying out the characters and tone in its pilot; it’s pretty obvious to the audience that the show explores the cultural and racial aspects of a black man trying to graduate from college. Although I am usually not a big fan of sitcoms, I think I liked “Somebodies” because of the Athens backdrop, but to your average viewer, I feel that the show would not be as engaging. I felt that the show played heavily on racial stereotypes and featured only stock characters (I know that most sitcoms do this too, but it doesn’t make any tv show better). The show was humorous, and the episodes did a good job of intertwining multiple story lines.

As far as creating an “arc” goes, a major aspect of “Somebodies” that I really saw as having the potential to be carried throughout multiple seasons was the relationship between Scottie and Diva. Much like the relationship between Ross and Rachel in “Friends”, that between Scottie and Diva could serve as an overarching storyline while remaining simple enough so that each episode could stand alone.

As a whole, the show was funny but didn’t really seem to be about anything all that extraordinary. Jokes based on stereotypes or digs at other characters may be funny, but I felt like the first few episodes didn’t really show me where the show was going.

The Lining is Silver

I ended my freshman year sick as a dog and with nothing to show for myself except for a failed attempt at playing lacrosse, participation in a few book discussions, and a mediocre effort to raise money for UGA HEROs. Yes, my grades were good, I was an honors student, had made friends, had gotten a job and so on and so forth, but all I could focus on was how much more everyone around me was doing. My only plans for the summer were to get my tonsils out (thank you, dorm life), ride my horse, and be a nanny. It was clear to me that I was stuck in a rut, and after two weeks of minding what turned out to be the three most diabolical children in the state of Georgia, I quit, and really had nothing to do. I spent more than a few days of moping about before I resolved to call one of my friend’s mothers and ask if she knew anyone in her business (she owns a location scouting/managing company, produces commercials, and is a stylist) who needed an assistant/someone to perform slave labor, make copies, get coffee, or anything else that would give my summer a sense of purpose. As it turns out, she needed someone fitting that exact description. Although my work was sporadic, I got to see many facets of production process; I went out scouting for locations for a restaurant commercial, assembled wardrobes for catalogue photo shoots, and got to hang out on set with the photographer as he shot for a magazine. All in all, it was exactly what I wanted and needed.

With a renewed sense of motivation, I decided that I would never be bored again (I like to set the bar high, so even if I fail, I kind of win too). So what did I do? My friends and I bought tickets to the world cup in South Africa next year, and I found some study abroad opportunities to justify flying to a different hemisphere just for a few soccer games. I got my horse started on a serious training program, complete with treadmill workouts (not kidding), and I got a new job to pay for it. I spent an inordinate amount of time finding new bands on itunes, the internet, and Pandora radio, and decided that I want to get my music business certificate. I am currently in the process of starting a student group that raises money to build eye camps in rural parts of India as well as provide locals with proper protection from the sun so as to decrease their risk of cataracts and blindness. It may be that all of this newfound enthusiasm will overwhelm me in a few month’s time, but I tend to do best when my schedule is packed.

I know I’ve just thrown a lot of information out into the blogosphere, but each of my entries is going to highlight something that I am interested in. I still don’t know exactly in what direction I want my life to travel, so every one of my posts will explain a little bit about where I’ve come from and where I’m going. Hopefully, you will find my subject matter as intriguing as I do.