In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.

Abraham Lincoln

            Life is an unexpected rollercoaster that we are forced to ride whether we want to or not. Most of us go about our everyday routine with little to no thought on when our ride will eventually halt. As we progress through life, we encounter many different obstacles and experience a variety of situations; We have good times, fun times, sad times, and downright scary times. Each individual goes through and experiences life differently. So, while we are here, we must make the most of what our lives have to offer.

            A lot of times in life, things don’t always go as intended. Many of us try to plot things out in advance so it can go a certain way not realizing that it may not go exactly as planned. On my blog post on the movie What We Do in the Shadows, the scene that I selected is a good example of things going unexpectedly. Although Viago was prepared and placed towels on the floor, he did not expect the blood to come gushing out like it did and making a bigger mess then what he anticipated. We need to understand that in life, occasionally we have absolutely no control of what’s going on. Sometimes all we can do is let the fire rage on and do our best to contain it.

            I view life as one of the greatest art forms there is. When you think about it, life is just one long movie or giant book. Everyone you know and come into contact with are like actors in this movie or characters in the book. Each one having a role in your life or maybe even impacting it in ways you never could have imagined. There are lots of plots and twists around every corner. Our lives are made up of basically every genre there is. Almost everyone goes through each of these genres. And when you pass away, you can pass on this story to those that came after you: children and grandchildren.

            My life in particular thus far has been a steady rollercoaster ride with very few bumps along the way. Although I do consider myself lucky, I feel like my life is very simple with not much excitement occurring. I seldom go outside of my comfort zone. This is evident in my “Christmas Playlist” blog post. Christmas songs are very traditional and I feel like this is characteristic of myself. I like to stick to the basics and not stray too much from the “norm”. So, then I ask myself: Am I really living? Am I really okay with having the same routine every day?

            In life, we shouldn’t always play it safe. We need to step out of that comfort zone and overcome our fears. Many of us fear death and honestly the thought of getting old is a little depressing. But, my belief is that if you truly lived your life to the fullest and dared to take on new adventures and experiences then you shouldn’t need to harbor those fears. It should leave you at peace knowing that you accomplished all if not most of the things you wanted to do.

            We also have to take each day as they come. There will be good days and there will be bad ones, but that shouldn’t stop us from making the most of our lives. Sometimes you have to find humor in the things around you and often times you don’t have to go very far to find it. Just like the artist mentioned in my blog post: Edgardo Carmona. He brazenly placed his sculpture Territorio in a busy downtown area for all to see. When I was photographing that sculpture, I observed a few people, who were also looking at it, laughing and taking enjoyment at the artists sense of humor. It’s the little things like this that make life so much more enjoyable.

The Luncheon of the Boating Party

As I lean upon the rail

My head resting on my head

I gaze upon the cheerful crowd

On the luncheon boat party

I see Madame Goudette

With her terrier Elle

Whom she dares never leave without

I see Monsieur Jean

With his wife Beatrice

Fawning over her secret lover Sebastian

And poor Madame Noel

Such a young and innocent soul

Is not accustomed to all this male attention

As I lean upon the rail

My head resting on my head

I try to drown out all the racket

On the luncheon boat party

           

            The visual piece that I chose for my ekphrasis is ‘The Luncheon of the Boating Party’ by Pierre-Auguste Renoire. The scenery of this painting really reeled me in. It appears that everyone in the painting are so carefree and having a great time together. However, I am drawn to the woman in the back corner leaning on the rail. Her demeanor is as if she’s just sitting back and watching everyone. My ekphrasis is a narration through her eyes and point of view.

She is pointing out a few of the main characters in the painting that jump out at the viewer. For each individual, she provides a little backstory of a piece of their lives. I added a bit of humor to it because her facial expression makes me think of someone who likes to gossip about others. Since the artist’s name is a French name, I tried to give the characters common French names. My ekphrasis makes you look at the picture in a way that maybe you never thought about before.

            The video that I chose is “Three Transitions” by Peter Campus. In the first scene of this video, a Campus walks on screen with his back facing the camera. He then begins cutting into the background but when he’s cutting, it’s an illusion and it appears as if he’s cutting into his back. A hand, presumably the Campus’ hand, protrudes from the cut and as the he sticks his head in his head is also coming out facing the camera. Campus then tapes up the background and walks off. This scene was very well done. When I first watched this, I was very confused and didn’t understand the purpose of this. After watching it a few times, I began to appreciate it a bit. Campus’ technique and ability to create this illusion is very clever. I’ve never seen this done in any tv show or movie that I’ve before.

           In the second scene, it appears as if Campus is applying cream onto his face. But, each portion of his face that he’s applying this “cream” disappears and underneath is his face again. This particular scene was a little unsettling for me at first because I didn’t know what was going to be underneath that first layer. Also, I feel this scene in a way shows how in society we often have this mask that we wear to cover our true selves and true intentions. Sometimes we can’t be who we want to because of fear of being judged.

            The third and final scene shows Campus holding a piece of paper that has his “reflection” on it. He then takes a match and burns the paper and you just see the paper rapidly burning and his reflection disappearing as it burns. The illusions in all three scenes were all very well done. They leave you scratching your head a bit trying to figure out how the artist is able to do it.

            The scene that I chose to analyze is Act 4 Scene 1. This scene takes place after Gertrude’s confrontation with Hamlet. In this scene, she tells Claudius about what just occurred. She tells him that Hamlet is crazy and that he killed Polonius. Claudius is stunned to hear this. He decides that they have to send Hamlet away to face punishment for his actions. He tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that Hamlet killed Polonius and instructs them to go and find him.

            After viewing the scene, I saw that it mostly agreed with my interpretation. When I was reading the scene, I was unable to detect any other emotion besides Claudius being shocked. After watching the scene, I saw how frantic both Claudius and Gertrude were. Claudius was also filled with anger; shouting as he paced back and forth between rooms. In the staging that I watched they used an actual palace set and, in the room, where Hamlet killed Polonius, there was a pool of blood on the floor where the murder occurred.

            After watching this scene, I see Hamlet as a bit of a psychopath. Most people wouldn’t go as far as to murder an individual if they suspected them of killing their father. At the same time, I see Hamlet as a loving son who is trying to get justice for his father, but in the wrong way. I feel that murder is never alright with the exception of protecting oneself. I chose this scene because I found it very interesting how Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, seems to take Claudius’ side over her own son. She even goes as far as to basically call him crazy.

Night of the Living Dead is often hailed as one of the most influential horror movies. The film starts off with a brother and sister visiting their fathers grave. The atmosphere in the beginning is unnerving to begin with because they’re in a graveyard and theirs loud thunder in the background.  Also, there’s this eerie obnoxiously loud soundtrack that plays in action scenes like when a character is running away or being attacked. As the pair are headed to their car this man, which we later find out is a zombie, attacks them.

The sister manages to get away and reaches a farm house and locks herself in. She is then joined by an African American man who works diligently to barricade the house. Later on, they discover that there are other individuals who were hiding in the basement and they must all try to survive this, unknown to them, zombie attack while overcoming conflict amongst each other. The transition between scenes in this film were pretty bad. They literally just cut from one scene to the next. Also, whenever the African American guy was beating or killing one of the zombies they never actually showed the full scene. They would just show a closeup of his face and upper body with the sound effects.

The next movie, What We Do in the Shadows, is a comedic masterpiece. Within the first five minutes of the movie I was already laughing. This movie is about three vampires who are “flat mates” and are being followed around and recorded by a camera crew to show what the life of a vampire is like. It shows all the crazy and ridiculous situations that these three get into filmed in documentary style. The scene that I think was very effective and really took me aback is the scene where Viago brings the young woman back to the flat to drink her blood.

In that scene he states that drinking human blood is one of the “unfortunate” things about being a vampire. He then goes on to casually say that he likes to basically make his victims feel comfortable by playing nice music and giving them wine since its their last night alive. Afterwards, he proceeds to place newspapers under her feet as he’s asking her about herself and what she does. He then goes on to bite her neck and bright red blood just starts shooting out of it like a fountain. That short scene really impacted me.

I was able to feel two emotions at the same time. First, I felt sadness for the woman because she was describing how she wants to travel and was saving up to go to Spain and London and now she’s dead. Then I was laughing at how Viago was struggling to try to drink the blood from her neck. Then after all is said and done he states that the upside is that he thinks she had a good time which is dark and humorous at the same time.

           Florida. This state filled with fun and sunshine is the theme for my photographs. In the 24 years that I’ve been alive all the happy memories that I’ve made so far have occurred here. This wonderful state has so much to offer: the wonderful weather year-round, fun activities around every corner, and the numerous amounts of beaches there are to choose from. These series of pictures are some of the most notable things that I feel make Florida what it is and what it’s known for. Someone looking at these pictures would be able to conclude that this is Florida .

Beaches

            This picture was taken last year when I went on a trip to Sarasota and visited Siesta Key Beach. It was a really beautiful beach and I had an amazing time. While I was there, I met a really nice retired Sheriffs officer from New York. Him and his wife saw me and my friends struggling to get our umbrella in the sand (we didn’t brink a shovel) and he just came over with his shovel and dug a hole for us. That goes to show the positive energy and kind people you can run into in sunny Florida beaches.

Publix

            If you ask a few Floridians where the best place to go grocery shopping is, their answer will most likely be the same; Publix. This is no surprise since the Publix originated right here in Florida. They have amazing deals and coupons every day and the staff and customer service are unmatched…well maybe except with Chic Fil A. Their deli department has one of the best chicken and subs I’ve ever had.

Weather

            This picture I took in my convertible with the top down while waiting in the parking lot for my mother to finish shopping. I remember this day vividly because the weather was just perfect; It wasn’t too hot and it wasn’t too cold. The sun wasn’t out and there was a light cool breeze blowing so I didn’t need to turn on my AC. It felt a little like paradise.

Palm Trees

            This picture is of the palm trees in my front yard. When driving around Florida, you can spot these trees almost everywhere. They are a staple to the Florida lifestyle. Palm trees give you a tropical feel like you’re on vacation which is what Florida is pretty much known for being; a vacation destination.

Hurricanes

            It’s a known fact that Florida is home to hurricanes. This last picture is of my backyard and was taken last year after hurricane Irma struck. This is the second major hurricane that I’ve been in since living in Florida; the first was hurricane Charlie. Irma was by far the worst for me because we were without power for 8 days and I was absolutely miserable.

            To me, Christmas is the best holiday and happiest time of the year. Being with family and friends, and opening gifts on Christmas morning make it such a festive occasion. One of the things I look forward to this time is the music. Christmas music is almost always upbeat and joyful which is perfect since this time of year can be stressful with all the gift shopping and wrapping that needs to be done. Just walking into a store and hearing the Christmas music I just can’t help but sing along.

Mariah Carey- All I Want For Christmas Is You

            This first song, All I Want for Christmas is You the Mariah Carey version is a Christmas classic. When I think of Christmas songs, this is the first song that comes to mind. The opening of the song starts out with what sounds like one of those old wind up music boxes and a slow-paced beat. This is then followed by a fast tempo from a piano and the sound of bells which carries on throughout the rest of the song. Although this song has a positive beat, the lyrics appear to say otherwise. This song talks about a lonely woman who just wants her lover back home for Christmas which is kind of a sad scenario. But you don’t really realize this because of the cheerful and fast tempo.

Run-DMC-Christmas In Hollis

            Christmas in Hollis by Run-DMC is my top Christmas hip hop song. It starts off with the familiar sound of bells and then it goes into a short-remixed version of “Jingle Bells”. Throughout this song, you hear various classic Christmas songs like Frosty the Snowman and Joy to the World but with a heavy beat behind them, which is characteristic for a lot of hip hop songs. This song makes you want to get down and dance.

John Lee Hooker – Blues for Christmas

            Now, I’m not really into blues music but John Lee Hookers’ Blues for Christmas is a pretty catchy song. It has that traditional blues soulful feeling and tempo. I find it interesting that the title of the song is called Blues for Christmas and the lyrics are literally depressing. Even though it’s a Christmas song, it has a somber tone to it.

Father Christmas -The Kinks

            Father Christmas by The Kinks is a funny rock song that always makes me chuckle a bit when I hear the lyrics. The beginning of the song goes from sweet innocent bells ringing with a piano in the background to an electric guitar and drums. This song has a lightweight and carefree mood which is how you should feel during Christmas and life in general. I just find it hilarious that this song talks about beating up Santa if he doesn’t give them money for Christmas.  

Vince Guaraldi Trio – Christmas Is Coming

            Next on my list is Vince Guaraldis’ Christmas is Coming instrumental. This piece is one of the songs featured in ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’. The melody has a smooth jazz feel to it. All the different instruments playing go so well together. Although there are no lyrics in this, it still gives off a very relaxing feeling.

Michael Bublé – Holly Jolly Christmas 

            The last song I’ll be mentioning is Holly Jolly Christmas the Michael Bublé version. This song has a lot of different versions, like many other Christmas songs, but this version is the catchiest to me. When listening to this I have the urge to snap my fingers along to the tune. I love the steady beat of the drum in the background and the guitar solo at the end finishes up the song nicely. This song is definitely reminiscent of the Christmas spirit.

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            The day arrived when my parents and I were making the long journey from New York to our new home in Florida. We were going on a one day voyage all the way down south. I was seven years old at the time and excited to embark on this new adventure. The night before, I could hardly sleep due to how eager I was for this trip. So, it’s no surprise that I was exhausted the morning of our departure.

            We arrived at the Greyhound bus station early that morning since this was going to be an over twenty-four-hour trip. We checked in, loaded up our bags, boarded the bus and off we headed down to sunny Florida. I adamantly wanted to sit by the window so I can view the changes in scenery as we were traveling from state to state.  A few hours into the ride, my eyelids got heavy and I dozed off due to lack of sleep the previous night. When I awoke it was around noon and we were still on the road not surprisingly.

            As the trip went on I gradually started to get really bored. There wasn’t much a seven-year-old could do to entertain themselves. Eventually, I had the urge to empty my bladder. So, I let my parents know and headed off to the back of the bus towards the restroom. Once I finished goofing off in the bathroom I grabbed the door handle and went to open the door. My heart dropped; The door wouldn’t open.

            I started pulling and tugging on the door trying to get it open but it just wouldn’t open. I looked around for a lock to try to unlock it but there was none in sight. Panicking I started banging on the door and yelling for help. On the other side of the door, I could hear people trying to get the door open and talking to me. After about 10 minutes, which felt like an eternity, I figured out in order to unlock the bathroom door you first have to turn the light off. Finally, I was free. I shamefully walked back to my seat and never used that restroom for the remainder of the trip.

When I was one-and-twenty

       I heard a wise man say,

“Give crowns and pounds and guineas

       But not your heart away;

Give pearls away and rubies

       But keep your fancy free.”

But I was one-and-twenty,

       No use to talk to me.


When I was one-and-twenty

       I heard him say again,

“The heart out of the bosom

       Was never given in vain;

’Tis paid with sighs a plenty

       And sold for endless rue.”

And I am two-and-twenty,

       And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.

By: A. E. Housman

The narrator of this poem is a twenty-two-year-old and he writes about the advice he received from a mentor about love when he was twenty-one. In the first four lines, he is telling how when he was twenty-one someone, presumably, with more knowledge and experience, told him “Give crowns and pounds and guineas but not your heart away” (Housman). Upon further research, I found that “guineas” was a British gold coin back in the 1600s and “pounds” are the currency in Britain. So, in this line the narrator is saying that his mentor told him he can give crowns, gold, and money away but not his heart.

            The next two lines reads “Give pearls away and rubies but keep your fancy free” (Housman). The mentor is telling him that you can give away expensive jewelry, but don’t get too attached. When we’re young we sometimes tend to fall in love easily and rush to make commitments that we’re not necessarily ready to make. He then goes on to say “But I was one-and-twenty, no use to talk to me” (Housman). Young people often don’t listen to the advice of their elders and think they know better. So here he’s saying that since he’s twenty-one and young there’s no point telling him these things.

            “I heard him say again, the heart out of the bosom was never given in vain; Tis paid with sighs a plenty and sold for endless rue” (Housman). In these lines, the narrator received another piece of advice stating that when you give your heart away you end up paying the price and regret it endlessly. “And I am two-and-twenty, and oh, ‘tis true, ‘tis true” (Housman). In these last two sentences, the narrator is now twenty-two and realizes that the mentor was right after all. The author uses consonance in a few lines: “free” “me” and “rue” “true”. Ultimately, the theme of this poem is to listen to your elders and those who have more experience then you; It can prevent you from getting hurt.

My home is someplace that I enjoy being in each and every day. It’s not a vast luxurious mansion but the space and design are perfect for me and my family. The floor-plan of the house is an open layout which makes the interior appear considerably larger than it actually is.  Immediately when you walk through the front door you are greeted with the formal living room on the left and the formal dining room on the right. There’s no wall to separate these two spaces which makes entertaining during the holidays a very enjoyable time.

            When you make your way past the formal living and dining room, the kitchen is to your right and the family room and breakfast nook is directly in front of you. There’s a large sliding glass door that makes up the back wall which brings in a lot of natural light and brightens the room up. Again, the kitchen has that open concept which I love because I can prepare my food while watching my favorite shows or a movie. Although the space is open, it feels cramped and claustrophobic due to the amount of furniture that my mother has decorated the house with. Nonetheless, it still feels homey and radiant with all the light coming in from the windows throughout.

            Another space that I enjoy being in is my older cousins’ house. In terms of being open its almost the same as my house. Unlike my house though, it feels much airier and brighter because of the minimal furniture in her house. There is so much space there that you can literally run around without any problems. I like both spaces almost equally because I love homes and places that are open and have minimal walls. I feel a sense of security and control being able to see everything that’s going on around me.