about 30 hours and counting...

so, i'm sitting at the computer, trying not to stare at the clock as the second hand seems to rotate backwards. my undergraduate career is ending in less than 30 hours and i can't wait. i am so burnt out! Ugghhhh!

the cursor keeps mocking me, blinking at me like it's better than me.
i cover my face with my hands and i sigh into them.
why wasn't i born a more patient person?

i am really ready to write for money. i'm tired of writing for grades and for teachers.
i'm ready to get the hell out of here.
great, that took (officially) six minutes.
damn.

"handlebars' live

i'm sorry if it seems like i'm pushing this band, flobots.
they're sick; really talented musicians & writers.
maybe too talented to make it mainstream, even with such a strong message;
the public, unfortunately, is dumb.
flobots is not pop. their music actually makes one think.
that might be asking too much of america right now.

below is a link to a video of flobots performing handlebars
at the Eagles / Rave Club in Phoenix, AZ, May 31 :

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaAsYRQtlBo.

enjoy.

Rock the Vote link

The other day in class we reviewed MTV's "Rock the Vote" campaign.
This being an election year, our group felt it relevant to include this site in our lesson plan on persuasive advertising.

Below is a link to the "Rock the Vote" home page:

www.rockthevote.com/home

The site is filled with valuable info for the interested voter.

Below is a video from the "Rock the Vote" page that shows a number of artists speaking out politically:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXtuH7-2jqU

This will be a year of major change. Take notice.

since it's my blog

i was thinking...

since it's my blog, i may as well post some of my work.

press / address...do what you will.



Faster


Butterflies and inspiration;
incense and perspiration;
intrigue and mystery,
anxiety and ecstasy.

Wonderland is the place to be;
the place to be and to be seen;
a mecca of lost souls,
Soul-Slingers and Dub-Tribes;
glow sticks, pacifiers, Vicks, and beans;
dub plates and templates and vinyl dreams;
to raga and trance and emcees they dance;
they break & trip & roll & flip
through fate or chance or circumstance,
they thrive with pills & baggy pants;
they're pretty but plastic,
disposable and tragic
like party-pups on short leashes
who chasing trails;
teenyboppers drool like Gilbert Grape,
aging fast and dying young
on the battlefield of breakers.
Sweet lyrics whispered softly,
“gentle night, into the sun,
let's go faster, faster now”;
faster and farther,
today won't end
if we never close our minds again.



Deep Every Time, a Treatise on Transcending the
Present-Perfect, An Ideal State

I.
Definition

The Present-Perfect is an Ideal State,
pure, sublime, not man-made nor made for man;
effluvial in Nature, we can't see,
itself trapped, lost in a mystery.

Via chance, depressants, or stimulants,
at times, man elevates to lofty airs;
he catches a glimpse sent by the divine,
of a foreign world, flawless by design.

The Ideal State exists outside of time;
in this condition, man is man no more;
for the majestic, ethereal plane
knows not of time nor of guilt or of shame.

A world of chaos with limited rules;
the Ideal State is free of all matter;
having no properties to recognize,
it's every thing yet hidden to our eyes.

The Present-Perfect, Cosmos' perfect world;
Human Nature, Man's perfect enemy;
ceaselessly suffering [in itself] a mystery,
man's world is filled with pain and misery.

Man's Imagination is essential
when he transcends his natural world;
the Universe and the Man become one,
now part and parcel of a greater sum.

Supernatural, divine by design,
it is a state that we can't understand;
it exists not; so, if man's to be wise,
he must see himself behind his own eyes.

I've a secret about the Universe;
feeling it's greedy to keep it hidden,
this 'ol Bard's decided to share with you
a prophecy that's absolutely true.

With reality left open to close,
Man is left to himself to make a choice;
the prophecy promises timeless joys,
learn'd simply, listening to this voice.

II.
Transcension

In the darkness, when I close all my eyes,
I can see, shining, a thousand bright stars;
my feet are gently resting on a cloud
and my head remains buried underground.

I remember to breathe, then, to smile;
the Ideal State is deep every time;
I see the turning, fallen leaves of grass
reflecting off the sidewalk's broken glass.

Tonight, it's slippery; ice on the streets;
I think graffiti; thunder's in my heart;
I board an invisible cosmic train
and dance a 'lil slow-jive with my brain.

On the edge, I get deep every time;
in these moments, I can taste my heartbeat;
nothing matters when everything's one
in the bestowed moments of transcension.

The science behind this is based on faith;
to the truths at hand, pay close attention;
the secret, nay, the key to transcension
is universal law through the heavens.

Inside floating clouds, sky-bound cumulus,
between symbiotic subatomics;
we feel, caress our seeking hearts,
breaths of eternal deep; transcension starts.

The real world disappears fading away;
a bridge connects the contrasting Natures;
we step slowly from sidewalk to sunbeam
and wander between a cloud and a dream.

To escape the mortal chains that bind us,
Man must Windex his doors of perception;
to visualize this great enigma,
we let shine our radiant charisma.

His secret now shared, the Bard will resign
to his ancient, immortal tapestry;
you possess the power and energy,
the source and the heart, Creativity.

III.
Conclusion

We are kept hidden by Human Nature
from secrets that constantly surround us;
from the darkest depths of lamentation,
our souls seek their emancipation.

Through silent meditation, we find peace;
our minds drift off to a far away place,
eternally gnawing on a free high
and dancing on thy fearful symmetry.

We are granted moments of perfection,
elusive visions of another sphere;
when perception becomes reality,
we are lost in benign finality.

We can put pretty tablets on our tongues,
as we taste the sun and then drink the moon;
chemical stimulation is one way,
to step outside time and escape today.

By grasping the world in a grain of sand,
or by leaving footprints on the ceiling,
or by humbling ourselves and kneeling,
we experience that joyous feeling.

Call me a prophet if I speak the truth;
call me a child if I'm innocent;
paint me Romantic with your gentle brush
as I shake and quiver with every touch.

We can walk on water with balanced grace,
and sojourn the shores of serenity;
Creativity is the guiding light,
all ablaze in the obsidian night.

With lessons learn'd, and the secrets shared,
the Present-Perfect is yours to transcend;
in the Ideal State, it's deep every time,
free yourself of the shackles of your mind.

Capture the spontaneous overflow;
recall emotions from tranquility;
Imagination is the divine key
to transcending our reality.


okay, that's enough for now.
let me know what you think.
or just let it sink in.

my upcoming interview trip

i wanted to write tonight a bit about my interview trip scheduled to begin shortly after the workshop ends. i spent the month between the end of spring semester and the beginning of this class applying to jobs on http://www.careerbuilder.com/ and connected with nearly ten companies that want to interview me for sports marketing / promoting / advertising / copy writing / tech writing jobs from florida and virginia to california (we're not going west, yet).

july 4th weekend will be spent moving my stuff into storage near my folks' house in atlanta. after that, my dad was thinking about hitting the north florida gigs. i have intereted companies in jacksonville and orlando. the real trip (when mom joins us on the road) begins in charleston at a job fair july 15. we'll hit the fair and the beach while we're there. the fair is being hosted by a marriot on the coast. after charleston, i have three companies in raleigh to meet with. i'm supposed to call them when i'm in charleston to schedule a time to meet. i'm expecting to see one or two on friday, the 18th, and then do the other one on monday, the 21st. over the weekend, i figure my parents and i would check out the area. i'm looking forward to seeing durham and the unc and duke campuses. i've watched their sports teams for a long time. there is also a company in charlotte that wants an interview. this company works with child protection services in some fashion; this could be the most fulfilling opportunity. from there, the last stop is virginia beach, with a sports marketing firm that has already called me twice, so they are very interested.
i'm just ready to get school over with (next week) and then hit the road. this is the next two years of my life i'm planning, at least. it's big and i'm a little nervous about it.
i just don't want to make a wrong decision. i'm glad i have my dad there to support me. he's going to be a big help.

National Writing Project

i have listed a link below to the national writing project, as i am currently participating in this summer's workshop at gsw and am having an amazing time (i'm not just saying that becuase i graduate in four days) :

www.nwp.org

{this is taken directly from the nwp web page}

About NWP
The National Writing Project (NWP) is a professional development network that serves teachers of writing at all grade levels, primary through university, and in all subjects. The mission of the NWP is to improve student achievement by improving the teaching of writing and improving learning in the nation’s schools.
A Network of University-Based Sites
The nearly 200 local sites that make up the NWP network are hosted by universities and colleges. Co-directed by faculty from the local university and from K–12 schools, local sites serve all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Sites work in partnership with area school districts to offer high-quality professional development programs for educators. NWP continues to add new sites each year, with the goal of placing a writing project site within reach of every teacher in America. The network now includes two associated international sites.
A Successful Model Customized for Local Needs
NWP sites share a national program model, adhering to a set of shared principles and practices for teachers’ professional development, and offering programs that are common across the network. In addition to developing a leadership cadre of local teachers (called “teacher-consultants”) through invitational summer institutes, NWP sites design and deliver customized inservice programs for local schools, districts, and higher education institutions, and they provide a diverse array of continuing education and research opportunities for teachers at all levels.
National research studies have confirmed significant gains in writing performance among students of teachers who have participated in NWP programs.
The NWP is the only federally funded program that focuses on the teaching of writing. Support for the NWP is provided by the U.S. Department of Education, foundations, corporations, universities, and K-12 schools.
NWP Core Principles
The core principles at the foundation of NWP’s national program model are:
Teachers at every level—from kindergarten through college—are the agents of reform; universities and schools are ideal partners for investing in that reform through professional development.
Writing can and should be taught, not just assigned, at every grade level. Professional development programs should provide opportunities for teachers to work together to understand the full spectrum of writing development across grades and across subject areas.
Knowledge about the teaching of writing comes from many sources: theory and research, the analysis of practice, and the experience of writing. Effective professional development programs provide frequent and ongoing opportunities for teachers to write and to examine theory, research, and practice together systematically.
There is no single right approach to teaching writing; however, some practices prove to be more effective than others. A reflective and informed community of practice is in the best position to design and develop comprehensive writing programs.
Teachers who are well informed and effective in their practice can be successful teachers of other teachers as well as partners in educational research, development, and implementation. Collectively, teacher-leaders are our greatest resource for educational reform.

check out the rest of the web site when you get a minute.
i've also included a link to the georgia southwestern state web page. i won't go on about how great the school is and what a great decision it was for me to come here (it was, by the way); if you have any questions or comments, just write me back.

www.gsw.edu

link to 'flobots' website

today, i played a track by the new band, flobots, as the prompt for our morning journal session at the summer workshop. the class (of teachers) listened to handlebars and then wrote for 10-15 minutes about either how they've previously used music in their classes or about their own reaction to the song itself; some wrote poetry about childhood that was really good. in fact, i wrote a short poem that retold the story of me falling off my bike when i was 9 or 10.
flobots is a dynamic, powerful new group that has a truly unique sound, mixing social-conscious hip-hop with elements of blues and jazz; imagine 'cake' (from the late 90's) with mc's. below is a link to their homepage:

www.flobots.com

check these kids out. they have the creativity of the beatles, the spirit of dylan & morrison, and the raw power of rage against the machine fused into an inspiring mix of music and politics.

Today's almost over

Today was our group's day to present. Thankfully, it's almost over. Four more days. Four more days until I'm done. God grant me the serenity...almost there.

i have to be doing something

well, i've been icing down my foot like the good doctor said and the swelling has decreased immensely. i've also been keeping it elevated and i think that has helped too.

i'm going a bit stir cray but i am fortunate to posess a multitude of electronic devices that can capture my attention. i completed the first season of nba live 08 on dynasty mode with sacramento (having restructured the roster, traded for josh smith, and drafted nasty 6'11 sf and 6'7 sg rookies, both with excellent potential); i have moved to my computer desk. i am anxious to tool around with the new webcam i bought. i made a short mock music video of me listening to a track by underworld ('beautiful burnout'), as i recorded myself listening. i was hoping to save the video and then play it back, syncing it up with the music. i still haven't figured out how to save video. the photo captures are easy.

i imagine i can use this new tool for the projects we have to complete for the writing project.
the webcam came with software that i have installed but haven't played with. it's an hp photoshop program that can really do a lot.

as noted, i have some experiencing to do with my new software, all the while listening to my favorite tracks on my mp3 player. god bless technology.

:sasha

So, I'm kind of nervous

This is my first time blogging;
this is new to me and seems strange.
I have Myspace and Facebook pages but I don't blog;
I've published poetry, to connect and get a response, but that's it.

So, here I am;
my palms are sweaty, my thoughts are racing;
I'm not even sure what to write.
I take baby steps into the blogosphere like it was a deep, dark cave.
In this web, my thoughts are captured;
they are saved, shared, and processed.

We are connected, at once, personal and interactive.
A digital community, plugging away at our keypads.
Type on, electronic world; I'm still going to hold my nose.
A one, and a two, and a...

Wow, that wasn't so bad.
Not sure what all the fuss was about.