Thursday, August 30, 2007

Dinner Time

In this poem for my ENGL 382B (Intermediate Poetry) class, I was asked to use a saying of an "ancestor" in a foreign language and interject it in my poem. I decided to use my gradma's saying "No te llenes tus ojos antes de tu barriga." Before you go asking me for a definition or go out looking for what that means, the poetry provides ample explanation. Here it is for your viewing pleasure, my latest poem, Dinner Time.

Dinner Time
by Luis C. Medina

It’s like she cooks for an army,
eyes grow large and mouths water
as we sit waiting. I don’t want leftovers,
I want everything, now—AHORA!
“No te llenes tus ojos antes de tu barriga.”

That’s grandma’s saying, it means something like
“don’t fill your eyes before your stomach.”
In other words, don’t eat what your stomach can’t handle.
If grandma only understood one thing:
ain’t no arroz con gandules in Carbondale worth a damn.
She looks at me and repeats,
“No te llenes tus ojos antes de tu barriga.”
I’ll ignore it—just like last time
and every time before that.
The next morning I’ll end up regretting it.
I shoulda listened to grandma.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Three Nights In August: 2007

In 2005, Buzz Bissinger released a book called Three Nights In August in which Bissinger covers a crucial three game series between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals in the 2003 season at through the eyes of Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa.

Even though the Cardinals took two-of-three that series, the Cubs revealed some flaws of the Cardinals and only weeks later would take four games of a crucial five game series in Wrigley Field which would be the beginning of the end for the 2003 Cardinals.

Fast forward to 2007 because I see the parallels between this Cubs team and the '03 Cubs, who would go on to win the NL Central and make it all the way to within five outs of their first pennant since 1945.

However, this time the role of the Cardinals is played by the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brew Crew spent over 100 days in first place, but since the injury to star pitcher Ben Sheets who has been out since mid-July, the Brewers have struggled mightily and have fallen out of first place.

The Brewers are a young and exciting team with a bright future ahead of them. A lot of "experts" (i.e. the talking heads at ESPN) made the Brewers a fashionable sleeper team during spring training. And this year, on paper, they have the edge over the Cubs in several positions.

At first base, Prince Fielder is among the leaders in home runs and is outproducing 2005 batting champ Derrek Lee of the Cubs. Brewers third baseman Ryan Braun has 25 home runs in 82 games compared to Cubs All-Star Aramis Ramirez who has 18 in 101 games.

The Brewers have a bit of an edge when it comes to outfield production as well. Their outfield has accounted for 62 home runs while the Cubs outfielders have only 47.

However, I feel that the Cubs hold an edge in the three most important categories.
  • Starting Pitching: The Cubs will throw out their three best pitchers this season: Rich Hill tonight, ace Carlos Zambrano on Wednesday and Ted Lilly on Thursday. The Brewers counter with Jeff Suppan tonight, but have not announced a starter for Wednesday or Thursday.
  • Relief Pitching: White Sox announcer Hawk Harrelson actually gave baseball fans insight when the hiring of Lou Piniella was announced. Hawk, who has seen Piniella work his magic for years in the AL, said that Piniella was a "magician" with the bullpen. Piniella indeed has been a magician balancing the veteran moxy of Bobby Howry and Ryan Dempster and the youthful exuberance of Carlos Marmol, with his mid-90s fastball and K-Rod like filthy slider.
  • Managers: Ned Yost is a good manager, he always gets the most out of his inexperienced teams. But Lou Piniella is going to be a Hall Of Fame manager when his time is done with the Cubs, especially if he can win with teams like this. Piniella took a team on the brink of tanking on June 1 (after the Barrett/Zambrano confrontation) to the brink of an NL Central title with the NL's best record since June 3.
One of the fun things about this season as a Cubs fan is the idea that any of the 25 men on this team can play hero. It leads to exciting and entertaining baseball.

At times, the offense was carried by the unlikely bats of shortstop Ryan Theriot, super-utility man Mark DeRosa, and most recently the hot bat of revived center fielder Jacque Jones. And when Zambrano struggled early this season, the rotation was carried by Hill, Lilly, Jason Marquis and Sean Marshall.

It's time for the big boys to step up and carry this team through September and possibly to its first playoff appearance since 2003.

Alfonso Soriano returns tonight after 22 days on the disabled list with a torn quad, which softens the blow of the possible return of Cub-killer Ben Sheets to the Brewers rotation.

Soriano, Lee & Ramirez must put up the numbers Cubs fans were accustomed to the last few years to stay on top of this division and have a shot at their first pennant since 1945 and first World's Championship since 1908.

There's only one more analogy I can draw from this, and that is one from the hit TV show The Soprano's. It's like when Tony Soprano empties out a round of ammo on a victim, then his nephew Christopher would put one bullet in the guys head, then cut scene.

This weekend, Barry Bonds and the San Francisco played the role of Tony by sweeping the Brewers back to .500. By winning this series by either winning two-of-three (or even sweeping!) the Cubs could play the role of Christopher---marking the beginning of the demise of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Let's Go Cubbies!

"It's Gonna Happen"
(Maybe)

Friday, August 24, 2007

Grandma's Purse

This is my first poem I've written this semester. It's not really an original piece by myself. My first assignment was to take a piece of prose writing given to me by my teacher and turn it into a poem by cutting out superfluous words and things I didn't like. I highlight portions that I liked and re-arranged the structure. And this is what i came up with. I hope you enjoy the first of what will be many works of poetry this semester.

Grandma’s Purse
by Luis C. Medina

This majestic purse once hung on a proud arm
for thirty years filled with hair combs, lemon drops
and a pocketbook with nickels for smiling children who said please.
It is now just an ornament. Its pea-green exterior worn
from being gripped and hugged, purse loops
hanging onto dignity, gold clasp too difficult
for knotted hands to open. Now the purse is empty,
it has not seen outside the nursing home in many years

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Setting Some Goals For This Semester

NOTE: This is part three of my three blog series. Parts one and two discussed my first three days of school. Tonight, part three reveals some goals I have for this semester.

My, how time flies. Now that I think of it, I can't believe I'm in my fourth year here at SIU. It seems as if it was just yesterday that Carbondale was like a foreign land to me. Full of people with strange accents and a special breed of people who claimed to be part of something called "Cardinal Nation."

All jokes aside, Carbondale is now a second home to me and those people with strange accents hold a special place in my heart (lol.)

It's still a bit mind boggling how so much has changed since 2004. And I'm still here in Carbondale.

Heck, it's mind boggling to think how much things have changed from last year to this.

I just wanna go on record, saying the following:
  • I am a changed man from last year. I feel as if I have matured and grown from last year and I feel good about it. I believe that my mind and my heart is in a better place than it was last year. I've put a lot of my own issues behind me in an effort to move forward with my life. And as of now, I am 100% happier than I was a year ago. A happy Lu benefits everyone, not just myself. It benefits everyone around me as well.
Now, since that is out of my system I can go on and reveal some of my goals for this semester. My goals are as follows:
  1. Let's start with the education part, seeing that education is my top priority (not named Chicago Cubs baseball) as of right now. My first goal is to not miss any classes. It's easy to skip class when you don't want to go, or when the weather is bad, etc. But last year proved to me that my grades were better in classes I attended every day. Perfect attendance would be the first step in a successful semester.
  2. Another goal I have which pertains to my education has to do with my poems. I'd like to write less depressing poetry. And really, I wouldn't call my poetry "depressing." I had a lot of bottled up emotions last year and poetry was the best way of expressing myself. With that said, I'd like to expand my poetic horizons. I have a laundry list of topics (most of which aren't depressing) that I wasn't able to write about this summer due to my bout with writer's block. I've got my first poem coming soon here to this blog, so stay tuned.
  3. Something I don't want to do is drink away my semester. I've been down that road, and in retrospect it wasn't worth it. It felt worth it at the time, but I've just come to realize that I missed out on so much by being hung up on certain issues. Those days are (hopefully) behind me.
  4. I'd like to keep my priorities in line. I've had issues in the past few years when it comes to prioritizing. This year, I'm making a promise to myself to keep my priorities in check and keeping what is most important to me in focus. Prioritizing correctly could be another key to having a successful semester.
  5. As of now, I am still jobless and as long as that continues, one of my priorities must be budgeting. I want to be able to run on a tighter budget. Really, what I would like to do is a better job of budgeting my money until I get a job or until winter break when I (hopefully) get my job back at Z-Frank Chevrolet. I don't need to be spending my money carelessly, whether it be on partying or on unnecessary items.
  6. Ooh, here's an obvious goal GET A JOB!
  7. On to non-educational goals. I'd like to make Friday cleaning days and Saturday mornings laundry days. I want to do a better job of keeping my room manageable and keep my laundry (somewhat) in check.
  8. I want to eat healthier and smarter. As my grandmother would say "No te llenes tus ojos ante de la barriga." Something like that loosely translates into don't eat more than your stomach can handle. On top of that I want to drink more water and apple juice cuz that stuff is healthy for me. Oh and late night junk meals are no good for me, seeing that just helps me gain weight. As I say that now, I'm super hungry!
Wow, I think that's it (for now.) Thanks for reading my blogs. I guess another one of my goals should have been to be a better blog writer. Oh well, there's always next semester.

Hopefully I'll be able to succeed at all of my goals this semester. In the end, it's all up to me....and I don't think I'd rather have it any other way.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

The First Day Of School: Part Two

NOTE: This is part two of a three part blog. Part one discussed my first day of school. Part two discusses days two and three. Part three, I will divulge my goals for this semester (among other things.)

As the saying goes, "Rome wasn't built in a day." After the first day of classes, I was a nervous wreck, to say the least. I thought everything would be impossible and had no idea how I was going to get through this week, let alone this semester.

Thankfully, there are 15 weeks in a semester!

However, the best thing to happen was the sun rising the next day. Day two of classes wasn't as intense as the first day. Big difference between four consecutive classes between 10 a.m. and 2:50 p.m. and two classes from 10 a.m. 'til 11:50 p.m.

I had my third journalism class, this one (JRNL 311- News Writing & Reporting) looks like it will be my favorite of the journalism classes. This one is taught by Bill Recktenwald, former reporter and writer for the Chicago Tribune. Looks like I'll get a lot of writing done in this class, which bodes well for me.

Prof. Recktenwald also introduced me to the NAHJ (National Association of Hispanic Journalists) and the wonders of that organization. I'd like to join and probably will within a few days. He told me they are having a big event in Chicago this July, which is almost like a job fair. That could be the first big step towards a productive future.

I'm not necessarily excited about my ZOOL 115 class. I'm not a big fan of science, but the class doesn't seem too off-the-wall difficult. I'd be happy with a grade of C in this class.

All in all, today I'm feeling a lot better than I did on Monday. I feel more relaxed and a bit more confident about what I can do this semester. I just need to stay focused and keep my priorities in check, and I think the rest will just fall into place.

COMING TOMORROW: I will set my goals for this semester. Things I want to do, how I'll prioritize, etc. I'm looking forward to what could/should be a very productive semester.

Monday, August 20, 2007

The First Day Of School: Part One

NOTE: This is part one of a three-part blog series. Today, I talk about August 20, 2007--the first day of school.

I've been doing this going on four years, you would think I'd be ready for it. But for the first time, I felt as if I was unprepared for the first day of school. It was a strange feeling to say the least. I just felt as if I was not ready (mentally) for school to start.

This weekend didn't help much either. It wasn't as good as I thought it would be. Friday night was a waste, thanks to Lt. Dan's Legs a.k.a. the worst cover band in the history of Pinch Penny Pub. They had me wishing I was back in Wrigleyville, especially after paying a $4 cover.

LTDL was a band of white guys, a hot white girl (that couldn't sing) and a token black guy (whose lone highlight was his rendition of The Way You Move by Outkast's Big Boi.) Even with that highlight, it couldn't overshadow him being unable to hit the JT high note on My Love, practically ruining the night before it even started. Saturday's Cubs victory over the Cards was the highlight of a day I spent mostly in bed.

The weekend came and went, but I still felt as if I could use another few days for rest and preparation, instead the show must go on.

And it did.

I had four classes today and was on campus from 10 a.m. 'til nearly 3 p.m., and I was definitely not prepared to do that. I did most of it on an empty stomach (something I will try to avoid) because I'd love to avoid eating junk food and McDonald's (save the grilled chicken sandwiches) at all costs.

At the end of the day, I felt like I usually do after the first day: overwhelmed. Call it the first day jitters, but during each class I thought to myself the following:
  • I can't believe I'm in this class
  • How am I gonna escape with at least a C in this class
  • This is going to be impossible. I can't do this. I'm over my head.
But as Jay-Z says, "Difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week." But that's how I always feel after the first day of class, it's inexplicable really. I just feel overwhelmed...and to think, I still have 4 more days of classes this week...and then 14 more weeks of class. If you think about that all at once, you can't help but to feel the gloom and doom.

But that's why I've decided to follow the cliche "take things one day at a time." It keeps me focused on short term goals, while keeping in line with my long term aspirations.

Overall, I can't complain about my first day of classes. My JRNL 335 (Graphic Communications) class seems interesting, potentially giving me a different point of view of my potential career in journalism. It helps knowing a few of my classmates from previous encounters. It also helps knowing my teacher is a Cubs fan (lol).

My poetry class worries me a little bit. I know you're thinking, "poetry shouldn't give you any issues" but as of now, I'm a bit worried. My concerns are as follows:
  • What will the writing guidelines be.
  • How will I be critiqued by a class of 10 students?
  • How will the class be carried out in comparison to my previous poetry classes?
  • How does the "new & improved Lu" top the poetry from the last two semesters?
  • When will my writer's block end?
I guess those questions will have to answer themselves eventually.

My JRNL 332 (Journalism Law) class worries me the most. It seems as if that class has the heaviest work load, and case law can be difficult (from what I remember from high school.) I've heard great things about the class, but as much as I value a great learning experience I'd like to graduate within a year and a half (or so.)

That's it for now, good night from Carbondale.

Coming tomorrow: Part two covers the second day of classes.
Coming Wednesday: Goals for this semester.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

My Top 25 Songs From This Summer

Well, I'm back in Carbondale and that means the following:

  • School is about to start
  • Summer's over


And while that sucks, to lighten the mood I've come up with the 25 best songs from this summer (in no particular order).


  1. Ayo Technology by 50 Cent (featuring Justin Timberlake & Timbaland). Timbo drops another hot beat that will be blazing clubs shortly. JT comes hard with a solid hook. 50 still comes up short lyrically, but its an improvement from the crap he put on his last album.
  2. Bartender by T-Pain (featuring Akon). I guess falling in love with a stripper didn't last long, so he's moved on to the bartender. Another catchy hook with Akon's verse is a nice complement to Teddy P.
  3. A Bay Bay by Hurricane Chris. A Bay Bay is a certified club and ride banger, not to mention pick-up line for drunk fools like me. Unfortunately for Hurricane Chris, it has hip-hop one-hit wonder written all over it. I don't see Chris in the rap game for long, but the remix (which features hip-hop heavyweights Jadakiss & The Game) should keep him in the spotlight for a minute. Did you know this song is dedicated to his DJ, DJ Bay Bay?
  4. Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston. Produced by JR Rotem, whose previous claim to fame was f*cking Britney Spears "tractor style", Beautiful Girls has summer smash written all over it. It's got a sample of an old school song (Ben E. King's Stand By Me), an infectious chorus, and words of truth. Kingston will probably find himself singing a lot of hooks in the near future.
  5. Because of You Official Remix by Ne-Yo (featuring Kanye West). The difference between the original and the remix of the title track of his second album is Kanye West's hot verse that opens the track.
  6. Can't Tell Me Nothing by Kanye West. The first of two top-25 singles, Can't Tell Me Nothing is one of Kanye's best works, ever. 'Ye meshes a soulful sample, Young Jeezy ad-libs and the best lyrical work word-for-word for a smash hip-hop hit. I can't wait 'til his album comes out September 11th!
  7. Get It Shawty Remix by Lloyd (featuring Lil' Wayne, Big Boi & Chamillionaire). Wayne, Big Boi & Cham spit hot fire on the remix to Lloyd's second single from his album Street Love.
  8. Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne. I feel really guilty about liking this song, because I know I shouldn't. But there's a lot to like: aggressive sound, catchy chorus…oh and Avril. The music video raises the value of this song.
  9. Hey There, Delilah by The Plain White T's. A few weeks ago, Delilah was the 1 song in the country. Still, it's one of my favorite songs from this summer because of the pure emotion displayed by the lead singer, Tom and his acoustic guitar.
  10. I Told You So by Keith Urban. One of two country songs on my top-25 list, Urban really drives the point home with strong lyrics. Non-country fans could appreciate this song as well.
  11. Int'l Players Anthem Remix by UGK (featuring Outkast & Three 6 Mafia). Players Anthem, is one of my top five songs from this summer. It's got a good sound (beat-wise) and lyrically as well. It is exactly what I would expect from three of the best hip-hop groups in history. Outkast's Andre 3000 steals the show with his opening verse.
  12. Lil' L.O.V.E. by Bone Thugs & Harmony (featuring Mariah Carey, Bow Wow & Jermaine Dupri). This track from Bone's latest release Strength & Loyalty sounds like a classic BTNH track. JD drops a hot beat in which Krayzie & Layzie bone spit hot fire. Bow Wow holds his own, while the sexy Mariah Carey provides the hook and some kick ass vocals.
  13. Make Me Better by Fabolous (featuring Ne-Yo). Another hot track produced by Timbaland, who has produced the most hits in the last two years combined with the soulful sounds of Ne-Yo and Mr. F-a-b-o has his biggest mainstream radio hit since Can't Deny It.
  14. Makes Me Wonder by Maroon 5. This is the first single from their second album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long, and it is a certified hit. The pop/rock/funk-ish feel from this song highlight Adam Levine's lyrics.
  15. Online by Brad Paisley. Another country song that has mainstream appeal. Paisley portrays the life of a boy who becomes someone he's not (and someone he wishes he could be) because of the Internet. This song is VERY likeable.
  16. Party Like A Rock Star Remix by Da Shop Boyz (featuring Lil' Wayne, Jim Jones & Chamillionaire). Rock Star is another hip-hop track with one-hit wonder symptoms. Lyrically, Da Shop Boyz are weak, but are helped with an hot beat and infectious chorus. Lil' Wayne & Chamillionaire spit tight verses, while Jim Jones continues to get by with lyrics because of his swagger.
  17. Pop, Lock & Drop It Remix by Huey (featuring Bow Wow & T-Pain). Sighs, another certified club banging one-hit wonder. Huey leaves much to be desired lyrically and Bow Wow is less than impressive on his verse. T-Pain "better known as Teddy Pendazdoun" delivers one of the hottest verses of the summer on the remix.
  18. Same Girl Remix by R. Kelly & Usher (featuring T-Pain). Teddy P. provides a third angle on the remix of the hit duet which stars Kells and Usher. Kells also drops a new verse, freestyle and switches up on the beat. A classic R. Kelly remix.
  19. Stronger by Kanye West. The second of Mr. West's singles, Stronger has more mainstream appeal than Can't Tell Me Nothing. While it draws comparisons to Gold Digger, Stronger stands on its own as a hit thanks to 'Ye's lyrics and production which samples Daft Punk's Better, Harder, Faster, Stronger. The video also kicks ass too.
  20. Umbrella Remix by Rihanna (featuring Jay-Z & Chris Brown). I'm not sure which song was played more this summer by top-40 radio stations: this or Party Like A Rock Star. It seemed as if every radio station on the dial played Umbrella every hour on the hour. Chris Brown saves the monotony with a verse of his own on the remix, salvaging the worth of what might go down as the 1 most requested song of this year.
  21. Wall To Wall by Chris Brown. Chris stands on his own with his a top-25 hit of his own. Top-notch production (by Scott Storch?) makes this song an instant club smash.
  22. The Way I Are by Timbaland (featuring Keri Wilson & D.O.E.). Up-tempo beat, distorted lyrics and Timbaland…where have we heard this before? Some call it Sexy Back: 2007 without a catch phrase that will be overused. I call it a broke man's love song. One of my favorite songs of this year from one of the best album's of the year, Timbaland Presents: Shock Value.
  23. We Takin' Over by DJ Khaled (featuring Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Baby & Lil' Wayne). Khaled has a 1 hip-hop hit with help from an all-star cast. Lil' Wayne steals the show with one of his best verses ever.
  24. White Girl Remix by Young Jeezy (featuring Lil' Wayne, Fabolous & Rick Ross). Upon hearing this song, two things come to my mind. One, this is the year of the remix. Two, how many euphemisms can you have for cocaine? Not enough, according to these guys. Lil' Wayne and Fabolous provide hot verses with references to Lindsay Lohan and her habits. That's my girl!
  25. Wipe Me Down by Lil' Boosie (featuring Webbie & Foxx). This is another hot hip-hop club track with classic club lyrics that talk about girls, cars and drinking. I'm calling it now, Wipe Me Down is the new Make It Rain. Mark my words.


That's it, that's my list. Do you agree? Disagree? Is there anything I left out? Tell me.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Maybe It's Not Gonna Happen

It was only six days ago when the Cubs took over sole possession of first place by one percentage point by virtue of their 5-4 victory over the Phillies. It was the high point of the season for the Cubs, who were at one point 8.5 games out of first place and looked like a lifeless team.

Unfortunately, I missed the last inning of what was arguably the most important game (to date) of the 2007 season. So it's quite possible that I missed the only time the Cubs were in first place all year.

That's because since the 5-4 win over the Phils, the Cubs are 1-5 since (including tonights loss in Houston) and have since moved back into second place behind the Milwaukee Brewers. And things don't look to be getting any easier.

The starting pitching isn't going deep into games. The bullpen is over worked. The offense isn't showing up. And to top it all off, they lost Alfonso Soriano to a quad injury that will keep him out of the Cubs line-up for about four weeks.

It looks like the ugly heads of billy goats, black cats and Bartmans are rearing their ugly heads again. Jay Mariotti says I shouldn't worry. But I'm a Cubs fan, I was born worried.

Times like these help confirm my belief that being a Cubs fan is like being in a toxic relationship. It's a love/hate kinda deal. A roller coaster ride full of teases, heartbreak and everything in between.

But sometimes it is more than that. Each victory puts the Cubs one step closer to their first division title and playoff appearance since 2003. Each loss puts the Cubs one step closer to celebrating 100 years of futility.

The victories, no matter how difficult they come by, make my day. The losses are agonizing and seemingly kill the mood. That's the life of a Cubs fan.

Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe, okay. I'm definitely overreacting....maybe. Thankfully, the Brewers are playing just as poorly as the Cubs are. Each team has had a chance to put distance between each other, but neither has capitalized.

If they can somehow make it through August within a shouting distance of first place or even the Wild Card, this could be a September to remember. Or another classic collapse.

The last time a Chicago baseball team made post season noise, it was in 2005 in which Chicago sports columnists dubbed "Soxtober."

Now that I think of it, "Soxtober" coincided with the lowest point of my college life and it has taken a long time to recover from that. The Cubs winning a division title could signify a complete turn around.

Or it could be another meaningless moment in Cub-dumb.

Who knows? Who cares? My rant is done. Maybe it could still happen, but if the Cubs keep playing like this, it won't.