assignment 16: Horray for Hollywood Vincent Pisacano

Christopher Nolan is a phenomenal director. two movies that he has directed that i thoroughly enjoyed are The Dark Knight and the Dark Knight Rises. there has been much controversy over which is the better movie. while most would say the Dark Knight trumps the Dark Knight Rises, i respectfully disagree with this popular notion. The Dark Knight has better acting, especially that of the villain. the role of the joker was played so well its almost unbelievable. but the dark knight rises still doesnt fall short, the acting is still amazing, and i personally love the villian Bane. but as for the stories, i just think The Dark Knight rises is a better plot. i was much more emotionally attached to the Dark Knight Rises. for example when Bruce Wayne must climb out of the prison pit with all the prisoners chanting him on. incredibly powerful scenes like this are what give Christopher Nolan's films an emotional appeal, and especially in the Dark Knight rises.

Assignment 22- David chen

Most authors write fiction books that have the same basic plot structure. Its always the main character overcoming some seemingly insurmountable obstacle and defeating the bad guy with all odds stacked against them. I wouldn't want to be that person having to go through so much trauma and drama to achieve a goal bigger than oneself. Instead of Harry Potter, make me a side character like Ron. Doing less earns you less but I'd be pretty content with coming out on top and not having to get all the crap dumped on me and having to turn to others to sift through the garbage. Even though, probably some day later I'll change my mind since I am not set in stone in this.

Fictional Character, Fictional Life - Weiran Liu

      If I could be any fictional character I think I would choose to be Bartimaeus. In middle school I came across this character when reading the trilogy (I recently reread the prequel to the series which could be a reason why I am picking him). He is a djinn , in other words a spirit of relative strength and wit. But it’s not the ability to shape shift and use magic that appeals to me the most. He lives indefinitely and works (at first he describes his work as being enslaved) alongside rulers of some of the greatest civilizations throughout history. It would be incredibly amazing to see all of those kingdoms, structures, and people at their prime. Aside from the time spent on earth, he also has an escape in the “Other Place” which sometimes I wish I could have when all the stresses of daily life hit me. He doesn’t necessarily have an easy-going life, but always employs wit to outsmart his opponents. Being Bartimaeus would be living the life of a character which gets to experience all aspects of life – beauties of cultures and natural wonders, companionship, hard work, sorrows and hardships, etc. – while having the added benefit of magic and flying, which on its own is pretty great.

Assignment 22: Sloan Warner

Though there is a long list of fictional characters who I would like to be, if I had to choose one, it would probably be Harvey Specter from the TV show Suits. There are quite a few reasons why I would like to be Harvey. First of all, he gets all of the babes on the TV show (keep in mind, there are many attractive girls on the show). Secondly, Harvey is able to get out of every situation ever presented to him. When there is a roadblock, he finds a way around it at all costs. If the world was in danger of being hit by a giant meteor, I honestly think Harvey could prevent it from hitting us. Moreover, he holds friendships close to his heart and will help them whenever, wherever at all cost.  He is the ultimate stand-up gentleman who I aspire to be and living the attractive lifestyle I aspire to live.

Assignment 21: Sloan Warner

As humans, we are almost always thinking about ourselves. What am I going to do next? When is MY next meal? When you are always thinking about yourself, it can be a little mind-blowing to take a few steps back and realize that you aren't the only person on this planet, much less this universe. People are completing their day on the other side of the earth from where you are sleeping. There are close to 8 billion humans on this planet who all have their own minds and lives. Somewhere on this planet, there is a child in Africa whose mother died of Ebola and doesn't know when their next meal will be. Somewhere else, there is a millionaire who just retired and is resting back on their newly purchased yacht and enjoying life. This goes to show that life is not fair, but that discussion is for another snowy day. What I mean is that everything happening on Earth is minuscule in terms of our universe. In the end, everything you do and accomplish will be something that happened on some tiny planet.

Assignment 22: Fictional Character, Fictional Life- Alex Cooper

Because I am reading the Harry Potter series right now I decided I would want to be Hermione Granger. I think it would be really cool to be her because she is incredibly smart and her best friends Harry and Ron, who are also in Gryffindor house with her, are always by her side no matter what. I also think it would be really cool to be able to do magic. Another thing that makes me want to be Hermione is I would get to go to Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry, which sounds way cooler than Henry Clay High School. Reading about all the adventures Hermione, Ron, and Harry have had at school makes it sound like a really fun place to be and learn magic. I think I would have a really great time being Hermione and going on adventures and solving mysteries with my two best friends Ron and Harry.

Assignment 21: Right Now- Alex Cooper

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe all kinds of amazing and unbelievable things are happening. Lives being started, lives ending, dreams coming true, things being discovered, things being destroyed, and the list goes on and on. But one thing we don’t think about that is definitely going on is people living their lives. Everyone is going through their life day to day just like we are and we take it for granted. We need to realize how good we have it compared to other beings in this universe, and when you think about how much we take for granted on such a large scale it really is astounding. Everyone around us has to deal with their own challenges and obstacles placed in their path, so instead of us all thinking how bad we have it, let’s try to think how good our lives really are. Look on the bright side!

Assignment 20: How to - Alex Cooper

How to make the perfect peanut butter and sugar sandwich. Now I know some have you have probably never heard of such a delicacy as the one I am speaking of but when you see there is no jelly to have with the peanut butter you have to improvise. First you must get the tools you will need for the process a paper towel, a knife, a spoon, bread, peanut butter, and sugar. Now that you have all that ready you get two pieces of bread, or three if you want a triple decker, and lay them on the paper towel on a hard flat surface like the kitchen counter for example. You then put peanut butter on one side of each piece of bread and using the knife spread it as thick or thin as you want. Now you spoon out the sugar on to the peanut butter making sure it is evenly spread. And to finish the sandwich off you have to quickly and carefully flip one piece of bread on to the other to make sure a minimal amount of sugar falls off. Your sandwich is now ready to be eaten and I recommend a glass of milk to accompany it.