Maus

When looking at the cover of this book I was curious; wondering what Maus would hold, how I would like it, what I could learn from it. To be honest I was not any too enthused about reading this whole thing on the beautiful weekend, but once I started I got more and more into it, as I do with most good books.

As I began reading the comic format this book held was a challenge, I would miss boxes and then be lost and have to figure out which one to start over at. But once I was through the first couple pages I became better and I go the hang of it. One of the other challenges of this book was picturing the mice, pigs and cats as actual people. This is such a sad and heartbreaking topic, I was not sure how I felt of it as being made into a comic setting. When I see a book set up as a comic strip I instantly think it will be light hearted and funny, this is not the case for this book. I believe maybe this is the best way for the author to put it in a way that he is comfortable with and made it somewhat easier for him to deal with. Since this tragic event didn’t directly affect me it is hard for me to put it in perspective: how bad things were, what had to be done to survive, the things that had to be sacrificed for safety and the not unsure future you hoped to survive.

Often while reading when I would stop to think about what I had read, I would have to correct the version of the book that I saw in my mind to hold people instead of cartoon figures. I think he did this in such a way that made us realize the Jews were not viewed as people, merely as lowly things. That they were the “low man” on the totem pole so to speak, I believe he also did to this to make it easy to pick out the Poles, the Jew and the Nazis; because to just draw them and hope we could tell the difference would have been a challenge for Speigelman and the readers.

This is one of the most creative ways I have read about Nazi Germany and Holocaust. Most of the time it was in history class with a dry long winded professor or in a novel that sometimes lacked insight. This version is unique, yet challenging in its own way. Since you can see the ‘people’ its easy for me to out them in my head, but it made me think of them as non-human, so then to put faces with characters after I had seen them in the book as mice challenged me.

Another thing about this book was going from past to present. The way he separated this was the lines around the illustration; if they had lines it was part of his fathers’ story, if it was open and had no lines then it was present day while he was speaking with his father.  It made it a bit easier to separate things, in respect to past and present.

My favorite panel in Maus was when Art was talking with his father and step mother and they were all arguing and Art walked away saying he had to go write this conversation down before he forgot it. To me that was a key in making it apparent to us that this was a real man, just like us, not another character in a book. This happened to the ones he loved and cared about. I felt as though those little things that he added into the text were helpful in making us understand how the process went.

 

RunRun Away–

To run away and create a new life; a fresh start, that sure doesn’t sound too bad to me at the moment. To think that I could leave college, leave all the hard “lessons learned”, and things I would do differently in my past and become a different person.

I am not saying that I do not get along with my family, I do, I have no idea where I would be without them. Everyone in my family has strong opinions and beliefs, they are also some of the most stubborn people I know. I believe this is where some of my “qualities” come from. My family is not the normal American family, we are not openly loving, but we love each other just the same. For example I cannot remember the last time I told my parents I loved them, do they know I love them? yes they do. Another thing, I have never witnessed my parents hold hands or be affectionate. Yet it works for them because they have been married for over 25 years…

I don’t regret anything I have done, only the things I did not do. This is my rule to live by. Yet there are thing that I have done that I wish I could change, yet without the invention of the time machine I do not see this happening. I have learned from my mistakes and avoided future mishaps because of them. however the thought of a whole new me and a whole new life… its tempting to say the least.

For the last 19 years I have been Morgan Alexandria Minnicus. I have a lot of words and phrases to describe my personality, the way that I do things, my opinions and so on; but I will just leave you with the fact that I am only beginning to discover who I truly am. I have a sense of what I want to become but have so many years, dreams and obstacles in my future to know for sure. College is the thing that is on my mind the most, putting myself though college, the loans, the grades, the scholarships, what I need to be involved in and the list goes on. Whenever I get started thinking about college and  what I am going to do with my future to pay off that mountain of debt I often panic becuse I have a plan for everything in my life, yet I do not have a solid plan for this yet. I love to travel, and I want to travel while I am young and do not have the ties of a new family and children and a career.  However in order to pay off those loans and such I will have to immediately get a job and start in on working that vicious cycle off. 

I would love to escape, but maybe not forever. I used to run, kicking and screaming from change. I knew in my mind that the new way was probably better, but just the fact that it was new made me dislike it. Over the last three months I have discovered that change can be an amazing thing, but I still am not completely comfortable and acclimated with the whole “change” thing. Going somewhere that I have never been is exhilarating: I want to see the beauty of Spain, the sea in Italy, and the rain forest of South America. But I don’t think I would be happy living permanently in any of those places, just a month or two seeing everything there is to see– and coming back to the place where I am free. Most likely I would go West, once I got back from my travels.  The atmosphere out there is absolutely breath taking, it’s mind freeing.  I love to see the open range pastures and looking across the valleys and hills and not seeing anything except for the landscape for miles and miles. There has always been something about Wyoming and Montana that drew me out there. I do not know if it’s the fields and fields of winter wheat, or the cowboy boots and spurs; regardless, that’s where I want to be. Wild and care free.

I am aware that unlike Chris McCandless I need money to get to the countries that I want to go to. I cannot walk or hitchhike there. So as far as that goes– I will cross that bridge when I get there. And while out West I would love to work on a cattle ranch, but not indoors, I would like to be outside everyday and helping with the cattle, riding the horses or checking fence. What is mind boggling to me is that most people would consider this the most lame and boring thing  in the world. To me its amazing. However I am not a person to sit back and work for other people. I am driven and want to own the ranch, and have other people working for me. So running away from everything I have worked so hard for would be a huge challenge to me.  It would be like training for a marathon and only trying your hardest on mile of it– what was the point of training then? You will never know how well you could have done, if you would have honestly given it your all and failed, that’s one thing, but to not even try, you were bound to fail.

Character–

There  is no such thing as a bad sense of direction, only a good sense of adventure.

I don’t believe there is anything better to describe the vivacious Chris McCandless. The moral aware guy was easy to love according to those who came in contact with him, they were usually not looking for a hitchhiker to pick up, but none the less they saw him, wanted to help and became attached to the young man. Chris’s love for life was obvious.  I think he knew the outcome of his life with teh Alaska Oddesy, but that will never be proven or disproven: for the simple fact that the only person who truly knew that is no longer able to answer it. From what I know of the person John Krakauerhas written about, he is strong willed to a fault and needs to be free to be truly and honestly happy. I do not think it was Chris’s intention to set out into the brutal wilderness and never come back, at least not at first. However my mind goes back and fourth on the idea once I read the last couple of letters he wrote to the friends he met along the way– about how the trip could prove to be fatal and so on. I am not certain if he was planning this or just preparing for the worse. Something about me tells me that maybe Chris had set his mind to this trip, not thought it through and on discipline went through with it, because he wouldn’ t be able to face himself if he didn’t go to Alaska. As I said before, strong willed to a fault.  I also feel that if Chris would have not left the way he did he would have done something more irrational when he returned, or when his parents found out or found him. Understand everything that ever happend in Chris’s life would be impossible, but the things that I have learned thus far have proven that he needed to get away, but could have possibly chosen a better way to go about his adventure.  

 

Zine Project–

The project seems to a fun and new thing for me. I have not decided what the topic of this new adventure should be yet, I am tossing around a few ideas. For example: My 10 Years in 4-H:: My Personality:: How to Show Cattle:: The Seasons:: and possible it could be something that I have not thought about yet. Whatever it is I cant wait to get started, I believe I will put outlines together for the four that I finally decide on, and then see which ones sounds the most fun. All of them will make me learn a little more about myself, which I’m constantly doing, and maybe provide insight to other for the reasons I am the way I am. I think its between the 4-H and Cattle at the moment. They are two of my passions that I do not know where I would be without. In 4-H cattle were my passion. They are now my life, or at least a major part of it. They are the reason I can put myself through college. They are my business. If there is one thing in my life that I am sure about its that cattle and livestock are where my future lays. Whether I make it into Vet school or not, they willbe part of my every day. As far as 4-H goes, it reinforced everything my parents taught me; hard work, honesty, time management, and the harder you work the better prepared you will be.

A fun ending to the blog: one of my heifers is calving at the moment– which means I have another calf on the ground if all goes well!!

The Onion Article

Throughout the article they make a lot of good points; the problem: who is telling the truth?

Well we will probably never know, but for the most part we need to believe and see what we think is right. There is a million different ways to interpret the film, we all have different ideas and opinions; and I think that maybe the reason the movie is so well liked, but so controversial.

The terms Billy Mitchell uses are at times very humorous- due to the fact that he is so full of himself you feel embarrassed for him. However arrogant he is I do believe that in some scenes he was set up. Others, well, the tone of his voice was enough to see that he is not always the Saint he paints himself to be. The first time going through the interview I tried to be impartial; the second I tried to see it from his point of view.

I tried to put myself in those big shoes and see how I would handle these situations if need be. I thought about how his kids were not in the film. Why is this? Possible he didn’t want his kids involved because if the movie was bad- he didn’t want them to be drug down by the stigma. Could it be that kids didn’t want to be in it? Or is it that Billy didn’t want them to be criticized for anything? It’s hard to tell the reason, but whatever it is, it’s hard to tell what kind of family man he is.

As for the reason he was ‘made’ to look bad: did he do, or perhaps say something that would upset the directors? Was there something behind the scenes that we were never aware of. [This would be very easy to keep concealed, since we will never have access to the whole film.] I have to admit that making him look like the bad guy is probably the easiest part of their career. Reviewing the scenes in the film that the interview was referring to, it is hard to separate the truth from lies, and editing from “the way it is.” Which is actually the way it should be; if we could tell every part the movie was edited; it would make for one long movie.

When I was watching the film clips posted with the article it was easy to see how it would be hard to deal with Mr. Awesome. I think he is very similar to Billy Mitchell, if it is even possible- maybe a bit more arrogant. It would also be understandable why you would need to keep a close eye on him, he comes off as a crazy guy! However this article was a good opportunity to take the time to break down some specific scenes, and try to figure out which part to believe and which are completely in the air- and we will just have to go with what we choose to believe.

The Onion Atricle

Throughout the article they make a lot of good points; the problem: who is telling the truth?
Well we will probably never know, but for the most part we need to believe and see what we think is right. There is a million different ways to interpret the film, we all have different ideas and opinions; and I think that maybe the reason the movie is so well liked, but so controversial.
The terms Billy Mitchell uses are at times very humorous- due to the fact that he is so full of himself you feel embarrassed for him. However arrogant he is I do believe that in some scenes he was set up. Others, well, the tone of his voice was enough to see that he is not always the Saint he paints himself to be. The first time going through the interview I tried to be impartial; the second I tried to see it from his point of view.
I tried to put myself in those big shoes and see how I would handle these situations if need be. I thought about how his kids were not in the film. Why is this? Possible he didn’t want his kids involved because if the movie was bad- he didn’t want them to be drug down by the stigma. Could it be that kids didn’t want to be in it? Or is it that Billy didn’t want them to be criticized for anything? It’s hard to tell the reason, but whatever it is, it’s hard to tell what kind of family man he is.
As for the reason he was ‘made’ to look bad: did he do, or perhaps say something that would upset the directors? Was there something behind the scenes that we were never aware of. [This would be very easy to keep concealed, since we will never have access to the whole film.] I have to admit that making him look like the bad guy is probably the easiest part of their career. Reviewing the scenes in the film that the interview was referring to, it is hard to separate the truth from lies, and editing from “the way it is.” Which is actually the way it should be; if we could tell every part the movie was edited; it would make for one long movie.
When I was watching the film clips posted with the article it was easy to see how it would be hard to deal with Mr. Awesome. I think he is very similar to Billy Mitchell, if it is even possible- maybe a bit more arrogant. It would also be understandable why you would need to keep a close eye on him, he comes off as a crazy guy! However this article was a good opportunity to take the time to break down some specific scenes, and try to figure out which part to believe and which are completely in the air- and we will just have to go with what we choose to believe.

Lifes Movies

I have always been a firm believer on the fact that there is at least one song to describe your life, whats happening in your life, what mood your in or how you generally feel about life. I also happen to believe there are movies for different moods and times in your life as well.

When I scan through the channels on TV I don’t usually stop at a movie I have seen before, I like to watch new things and find new favorites. However there are movies that I will stop at with a big smile on my face to watch. Sweet Home Alabama is one of those movies for me. It is one of the most “non-feminine” chick flicks there is in my opinion. (If that’s possible.) I mean there  is the perfectly good looking southern man that chases storms and puts rods into the sand for lightening to hit and a beautiful woman… I think that’s manly.

A quick overview for the movies for those who have not seen it:  Mel leaves to go to new York to make something of herself she leaves her first love, her husband, behind. Because she couldn’t stay there after an unplanned pregnancy turned to a miscarriage; there were too many bad memories. When she left to be a fashion designer she had no idea if she could make it, turns out she did. Though while she was gone Jake did something with his life too, those rods in the sand that were struck with lightening would create these beautiful glass figures. He started a business to sell those and glass wear; he made something of himself too.

That movies is so eye opening, it contains so many hidden and deep messages. People fall in love, people change and people grow. The sad part about these things is people try to be someone they are not when they fall in love because they believe that if the other person truly knows who they are, they will no longer love them. This is the reason I believe people fall out of love: after so long the person no longer tries to be “someone other than them self” that they have been the whole time; and the other person has learned to love the person they were not. Love can be such a huge tangled mess.  It is a tad upsetting to me, I wish people would understand that if they were themselves they would find the perfect person to love them, because that person would love the real them for who they are. However there are a lot of things people need to learn on their own, otherwise they would never truly learn anything.

Sweet Home Alabama is the kind of love story that makes you want to run out and find the love of your life and never let them go. The ironic thing is: she has to leave in order to understand exactly what she had and wants. This is a life lesson in so many ways. I have always tried not to take the good, and even bad parts of my life for granted, but sometimes you do not realize you are until that something is gone. You have to let the bad times in with the good because if you didn’t you will not be able to completely understand how amazing the good times truly are. Everyone in this world has scars and everyone has been hurt. That is what makes us who we are; yes there are most definitely things that I wish I would have never had to go through, but I wouldn’t be exactly who I am today if I wouldn’t have gone though them and survived.

My life is crazy and hectic, amazing and tragic, and I would not have it any other way. I love my life. Yes I have made “mistakes” but I believe that they are not bad things, I learned a lot, and for that I am thankful. I believe the worst things in life comes from regrets, and if you chose not to learn from your mistakes.

I think everyone writes a story in their head, not all will be Best Sellers, but everyone needs to be the main character and the author at the same time; its your life, who knows you better than you- so shouldn’t you be the one you’re writing about?

Simangus

TaTs

The ancient art of Tattoo…

Now they are just a part of the every day sight on the street, they are no rarer than a driver on a cell phone or someone listening to an ipod. It is odd to think that they once were a symbol of class and in  a different era they were a symbol of someone who was unaccepted by society. Today moms go with their children and on top of that they get one in the seat right next to them: can you imagine doing that 50 years ago? Yeah Right!

I have often thought about tattoos, but they are not for me. I like the majority of thing in my life to stay the same, but I like to be able to rearrange the things that I feel need moving. However, there are certain things I would like to put on my body as a symbol of who I truly am. Granted I do not know who I am completely, I know what I  am now, and that’s all that counts. For example: I am a Scorpio, I love dragonflies, cattle are my life, my family and friends mean the world to me, I have lost someone I love and the list goes on. These things will forever be a part of my life. Nothing on this earth will ever change that; these are things that I have come to love and accept about myself.  They have helped make me who I am.

As far as where I would put a tattoo I have a lot of different ideas. I think a saying of the wrist is often neat, but hard to conceal. The ankle is overrated, and much too painful. The arm… not my thing. However on the underside of teh upper-bicep is easily hidden and yet unique in my opinion. There is always the option of the lower back… nah, I would always be thinking, man I can’t believe I paid to put something on my body that everyone can see and I can’t even move it! So I think the wrist or the on the underside of your bicep.

If I did go with the under-arm-tattoo I think I would get a dragonfly, they have always inspired me, and I continously think they are astounding! Being on the underside of my arm would keep this captivating creature close to my heart wherever I go, I will never be alone, and it will be a reminder of something I love is always close to me heart. I also came to this conclusion because a cow would look rather akward under there!

On my wrist I would love to have the saying “Love Life” in my favorite colors, but my  friend has this done and I think she is the one and only girl in the world that can pull it off. If I did go with the wrist (which after much deliberation can be concealed with a chunky bracelet or watch, that are in style at the moment, but would leave me with an obstical in the future if I felt it needed to be hidden) I believe that I could get a saying that moved me, and that would not go “out of style” for me.  I have not found a saying to date that moves me and could fit on my wrist.  So when and if I do that will be a possible place to put it, so I will never forget it.

So I believe my vote is the green-blue-teal-yellow dragonfly on the underside my upper arm.

Simangus-

“Quoting,” Parahprasing and Sumarizing…

In the essay we were asked to read there were many good points. He used the line “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.”

 I believe this is the part of the essay I agree with the most. Children and young adults alike throw away an education thinking they do not, and will not need it. They could not be more wrong. As an adult I understand just how important it is not only to attend school, but to LEARN from it. Being young is great, there is so much fun, so much to do and learn its amazing. However there is no way kids can comprehend how important school is to their future, I know I didn’t understand the huge impact until I was a Sophomore in High School. Of course I had always done well in school, I could not imagine how kids that were never at school could keep up! If I missed one class I felt like I had not been there for the whole year, and it was hard to catch up.

I do not totally agree with Roger Sipher but he makes many good points. Schools are too often used for day care centers and for the kids who do not want to learn.  However this is not the point I am agruing, I do believe the quote he used was a very strong and direct set of words.

 

Simangus

4-H: One of My Subcultures

Growing up where I am from everyone knows what 4-H is and what it means to people.

To some it means those 5 a.m. morning chores, dedication, and hard work. To others it’s a week of hanging out with friends, water fights, and amazing Fair Food. For me its both, and I love every minute!

When asked to write on the topic of a personal subculture its hard for me to decide, because everything that I do is something meaning full to me, so I’m try not to discriminate against my other subcultures. I am involved in a lot of things, I stay busy because I have never been one to sit around and let the world pass me by. That is largely due to the fact that I grew up on a farm, and it comes first. SOO in order to keep my grades up, show livestock, compete in sports, be involved as an officer in organizations, have somewhat of a social life, and manage to get a couple hours of rest in there somewhere… I had to be able to manage my time. [Which is now paying off quite nice in college.]

But so many of those I owe to 4-H and my family. Looking back I have a lot of amazing memories of the ten years I spent in 4-H. My friends and I still talk about stuff that we did at the county fair, we have tons of goofy pictures and even more embarassing stories! It’s one of those things you don’t know where you would be if you missed out on it. Yes some mornings I could have stayed in bed and enjoyed it, but then when I finally drug myself out to the barn; it was always worth it to see the sunrise and know you have a head start on your day.

There were many things that I learned in 4-H that I didn’t know I was learning: like how to deal with people in all kinds of situtations, how to react when the whole county is watching you, how to walk in heels, and how to deal when your predicted outcome is quite different.

There are all kinds of people in this world, and there will always be at least one person who is a challenge to work with.There will always be someone watching your every move when you live in a small community. There is always room to improve on your posture.  No matter what you do in life once in a while its not going to go how you had hoped.

So all these things are are what I have greatly improved on. Of course there were other things along the way, that helped me in my process, like other clubs, offices held and my family. I also was encouraged to participate in the Carroll County Queen Contest. My competitive side said go for it and i did just that.  Me being from the country everyone just smiled when they found out I was in it, but I just smiled when they placed the First Runner-Up ribbon around me and the crown on my head. There is more than a nice smile to the contest; there are applications, interviews and the on stage part [that's what everyone else sees.]  I was happy for my friend when she was Queen, but I always gave her a hard time about having more experience, [she had done it the year before and was in the court.]

However its just another example  of friendship. That’s where friendships are started, and I still have most of my friends from all my 4-H years.  Writing this makes me realize how much I will miss this great organization and how I encourage all young people to get involved.

SIMANGUS–

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