Year/Semester In Review (Fall 2007)

On the long drive back from SIU’s game against Indiana University in December 2006, I decided to write down a list of things I learned during the fall semester and decided to put it on my blog. In addition, I decided to note highlights, lowlights and other year-in-review stuff.

With that said, it’s that time of year. Let’s take a look at the lessons I learned in the fall semester 2007.

4 THINGS I LEARNED

1. It’s okay to expand your horizons. This semester, I broke one of my golden rules of writing (write what you know), but because of that I feel that my writing is better. I got an ‘A’ in my news writing/reporting class without writing one sports story and an ‘A’ on my poetry portfolio (which you can read online) by writing a majority of my poems about topics other than being a heartbroken college student. That’s impressive if you ask me!
2. Be careful who you fall in love with. There is no escaping the topic of love in my blogs. Consider this lesson learned a public service announcement. Be careful who you fall in love with, because if they don’t love you back then you’re going to be stuck in a situation you do not want to be in, plain and simple. Maybe it’s better just to not fall in love at all; it’d probably eliminate a lot of sleepless nights and other symptoms that come with unrequited love.
3. Money can’t buy me love, but it can buy beer…and that’s good enough. And when unrequited love is just that, there isn’t a better remedy than a cold one. Whether it be Miller, Bud, Coors or other—a six-pack of your favorite brew can solve your problems (at least for one night).
4. Hot, blonde, southern…and usually dumb. Referencing one of my most infamous quotes “Hot, blonde and southern, that’s the way I like ‘em”, I’ve come to the conclusion that “dumb” is the word that should come next in that correlation. For example, Jessica Simpson’s presence caused her boyfriend (Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo) to have his worst game of the year against the Eagles, the Cowboys’ arch-rival. Former hot and blonde southern chick Britney Spears spent most of her summer flashing her cooch to whoever was willing to look. Her little sister, who would have fallen into the category (if she was of age), got herself pregnant at 16!!! And don’t even get me started on Carrie Underwood, who is rumored to be romantically involved with Bears kicker Robbie Gould.
   

3 UP, 3 DOWN (THREE HIGHLIGHTS & THREE LOWLIGHTS OF 2007)

3 UP:

1. The success of my favorite sports teams. SIU’s men’s basketball team won another Missouri Valley Conference title and made its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2002. SIU’s football team made it to the semi-final of the 1-AA playoffs. The Bears kicked off 2007 by beating the New Orleans Saints, clinching their first Super Bowl berth since 1985. The Bulls swept the defending NBA champion Miami Heat out of the playoffs. After a $300 million spending spree which netted a new manager (Lou Piniella) and superstar (Alfonso Soriano), the icing on my 2007 in sports was the Cubs winning the NL Central.
2. Good grades. Finally, I’ve got my priorities in check—and my rising GPA is proof of that. Two A’s, two B’s and one C this semester is the way to kick off my “senior year”.
3. Turning 21. Turning 21 was the overall highlight of 2007. 5 days in Vegas drinking and making it rain with my friends and family was the best thing to happen to me (probably in my life, to this point.)

3 DOWN:

1. When sports teams lose. SIU’s men’s basketball team lost in the MVC championship game to Creighton and lost to Kansas in the Sweet 16 game. SIU’s football team lost in the semi-final game to Delaware. The Bears lost to the Colts in the Super Bowl. The Bulls lost to the Pistons in the second round, and have gotten off to a 9-17 start which has resulted in them firing head coach Scott Skiles. The Cubs were swept by the Diamondbacks in the playoffs.
2. Still single. Despite all of the highlights that occurred in 2007, I’m still single and it’s still a soft spot. I’m not happy being single, but at this point grades are my no. 1 priority and if the right girl happens to come by (again) then I’ll make sure to jump on the opportunity this time.
3. Still jobless. Well, when it comes to writing for a publication at least. Though I do write for the fan site armchairgm.com, I’d like to write for the Daily Egyptian before I graduate SIU.

FAVORITES

QUOTES:

• “Plies is a useful tool…” In an interview with Vibe magazine, rapper Plies explained his intriguing nickname by allegedly saying, “Plies is a tool. You can use it to put the squeeze on things, like I'm doing to these niggas in the rap game. I got the squeeze on them real tight, they feeling the pressure, or you can use it to pull things out….It also a word you can use in terms of things goin' on in yo life, ya dig. You may hear something I say and say that it plies to me. Plies straight to me."
• “I’m a man, I’m 40.” In response to a newspaper article, Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy went on a tirade in defense of the student-athlete featured in the said article. Enjoy one of the best sports tirades of 2007.
• 
  
• “Love is blind, and she’s retarded.” That quote comes from my roommate Steve, and if there’s one thing I learned this semester (that I didn’t mention above) is that you have to attribute your sources (ask SIU President Glenn Poshard). And really, there is no need to explain this quote because it can stand on its own (and because I don’t remember the reference behind it).

MUSIC ARTIST: Rappers Lil’ Wayne and Andre 3000 get some consideration, mostly because of their hot verses in guest roles (see Wayne’s verse in DJ Khaled’s ‘We Takin’ Over’ and Fat Joe’s ‘Make It Rain Remix’ and Andre’s verses in Lloyd’s ‘You Remix’, DJ Unk’s ‘Walk it Out Remix’, Rich Boy’s ‘Throw Some D’s Remix’ and Outkast’s newest song ‘The Art of Storytellin’ Pt. 4).

However, the artist of the year goes to T-Pain. Pain’s vocals (enhanced with a vocoder) were found on a slew of hit singles, including two off his best-selling album “Epiphany.” His guest spots on Chris Brown’s “Kiss Kiss”, Baby Bash’s “Cyclone”, DJ Khaled’s “I’m So Hood”, Plies’ “Shawty”, DJ Unk’s “2 Step Remix”, Flo-Rida’s “Low (Apple Bottom Jeans)” and Kanye West’s “Good Life” made those songs hits and guaranteed that you would hear his voice at least once whenever you went to the club.

And, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that his use of the vocoder inspired Snoop Dogg to use it in his new single “Sensual Seduction” and Lil’ Wayne to use it in his verse on Shawty Lo’s “Dey Know Remix”.

ALBUMS: Jay-Z’s “American Gangster”, Kanye West’s “Graduation”, Timbaland’s “Timbaland Presents: Shock Value”, DJ Khaled’s “We The Best”, Maroon 5’s “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long” and Chamillionaire’s “Ultimate Victory.”

MOVIE: The Simpson’s Movie

SONGS: Rihanna/Ne-yo’s “Hate That I Love You” gets half of my vote because it just sums up so much. The other half of my vote goes to Kanye West’s “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”, which I think is word-for-word, the best rap song of 2007. One punch-line after another, Kanye puts his best foot forward in this piece which tackles so many topics; you have to listen to it for yourself just to get a grasp of the concept.

UNANSWERED QUESTION OF THE YEAR: “What is Britney doing with her life?” –Mike Patrick, ESPN.

After Alabama kicked a field goal to get a lead in overtime, ESPN’s Mike Patrick decided to ask the fateful question “What is Britney doing with her life?” Check out the whole thing here.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

That's it for 2007. It was a great year (minus the failures) and I have a good feeling (stop me if you've heard this before) that bigger and better things are to come next year.

I'd like to close with this: Dear Carrie....DATE ME!!!!!!!!!

;-)

:-)

If I Could Be Santa

I was inspired by this piece and thought to myself, "If I could be Santa, what would I get for my friends and family?" It's Christmas Day, so it's time to answer my own question.

First, please do not be offended if I do not mention you by name, I don't know what I'd get for each of you individually. For those of you who I don't mention by name, I wish that I could give you all that you want, and $1,000 cash for the holiday season.

FOR MY FRIENDS:

I wish I could get my roommate Steven an endless supply of milk, so he can have his own endless supply while the rest of the apartment splits the normal gallon that we get.

I wish I could give my other roommate Marcus all of my knowledge of sports video games. That includes (but is not limited to) recruiting for NCAA College Basketball games, trades for MLB games and how to blow out opponents by 10 or more runs in MLB The Show.

I wish I could give Kristin and her baby Leium the gift of a healthy and happy holiday season, and beyond.

I wish I could give my buddy Mike Carter the Chicago Bulls play-by-play job. Mike has been a great friend to me and deserves to land his dream job.

I wish I could give Steve Schucker the gift of being Mr. Carter's partner as his color commentator, if only just because I know it'd be the most entertaining broadcast in sports.

I wish I could give my cousin Tony enough time off to take a trip to Carbondale and make his yearly visit. In fact, I wish I could do that for all of my friends.

And finally, I wish I could give all of my friends in college their diplomas and a high-paying job as soon as they graduate.

FOR MY FAMILY:

I wish I could give my mother the pay raise she rightfully deserves. There is no one that does more with less and she deserves more than I can give.

I wish I could give my father a sample of all that I have written this semester, so he can maybe comprehend all of the work I'm doing at SIU.

I wish I could give Roy an endless supply of Coca-Cola, so we don't run out of it when we're getting "All Jacked up!"

I wish I could have two clones. One to spend time with each of my grandmothers, each of whom adore me.

FOR MY FAVORITE SPORTS TEAMS:

I wish I could give the Chicago Cubs the gift of a new owner that would be accountable for the team and would do anything to bring a winner to a fan base dying for a championship. Enter stage left, Mark Cuban.

I wish I could give the Chicago Bears an offense that puts points on the board. That includes a game-breaking running back, a big play wide receiver, an offensive line that isn't offensive and a quarterback with Brett Favre's rocket arm, Peyton Manning's accuracy and Tom Brady's smarts. Ooh, and an offensive coordinator that isn't stuck in the mid '90s.

I wish I could give the Chicago Bulls a new coach and an elite player—unfortunately, the duo that I have in mind for that gift are in Los Angeles.

I wish I could give the Southern Illinois Salukis football team a coach that will carry on the tradition that Jerry Kill started.

I wish I could give the Southern Illinois Salukis basketball team the ultimate motivational speech so they can turn around this 5-5 start and turn it into another Missouri Valley Conference championship and another trip to the NCAA Tournament.

That's all for tonight, folks. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Welcome to the enemies list, NIU

After hiring Southern Illinois University’s football coach Jerry Kill to the same position, Northern Illinois University joins my enemies list (university edition).

This comes less than a week after Kill lead the Salukis to the FCS semifinals and within three points of the championship game. Kill will inherit a mess at NIU. The Huskies are coming off a 10 loss season; of course one of their losses came at the hands of Kill and the Salukis.

All is not lost for Kill who will get a substantial raise at NIU, not to mention the top-notch facilities that come with a D-1 football program (including a new stadium). Coach Kill will also receive some great health benefits, which SIU fans can appreciate especially knowing about his health history.

Coach Kill will also get the (well deserved) full attention of the athletics department because NIU is definitely a football school unlike SIU, which is considered to be a basketball school.

Still, it doesn’t stop me from putting NIU on the list. They were already on my “un-happy list” for putting me on a waiting list for entrance to their university, which is fine by me because SIU has much more going on in the journalism department than NIU ever will.

And honestly, if it wasn’t for its proximity to the Chicagoland area, NIU would be nothing but cement in the middle of a cornfield. And don’t even think about saying Carbondale is the same because technically, SIU is in the middle of a national forest.

There are so many reasons that coach Kill should have stayed a Saluki. He built this program into a perennial championship contender that has produced productive NFL players such as Baltimore Ravens linebacker Bart Scott and New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs.

At one point, the SIU football program was on the brink of being eliminated before Kill came to town and turned around the Saluki football program.

I have two concerns about Kill’s hiring at NIU.

My primary concern is the Salukis. Where do they go from there? Athletic director Mario Moccia said that there will be a nationwide search for Kill’s replacement, though I have no clue where SIU would start. It was a much easier transition for the basketball team when Bruce Weber’s top assistants Matt Painter (who since has moved on to Purdue) and Chris Lowery stepped in after Weber left for the University of Illinois.

The basketball program has one of the nation’s most notable coaching trees which starts with Weber and branches off with Painter and Lowery. It is a coaching tree that could branch out more if top-notch assistants Rodney Watson and former Saluki star Brad Korn are offered D-1 jobs.

I digress. Next concern.

What if he is unable to revitalize the Huskies? I don’t doubt that he can, his body of work at SIU can speak for itself. However, it’s a different ballgame recruiting D-1 talent, especially up north where he will be battling Ron Zook and the Fighting Illini for the top recruits. What if his health gets in the way of his coaching or recruiting?

If somehow Kill fails, all you will hear from the pundits up north is that Kill was a terrible hire who was out of his league at a D-1 school. However, all of southern Illinois will know about how coach Kill saved a program that was nearly wiped off the map.

And really, why leave SIU? The Salukis lost two games in 2007. The Huskies won two. Besides, the Saluki is a much cooler dog than a Huskie.

For your entertainment, the enemies list (university edition):

1. Duke University men’s basketball. I’m a big North Carolina fan. Had it not been for cost, I would have attended UNC-Chapel Hill instead of SIU. Both have top journalism programs.
2. Ohio State University football. I’m also a big fan of Michigan football, mostly because it seemed like they were on TV every week and winning big games. It’s called a rivalry, and they’re at the top of the list.
3. University of Illinois basketball. They took Bruce Weber from SIU, which started three consecutive years of SIU having a different head coach. They also will not play SIU’s men’s team, and really have no reason not to.

Poem #17: We, The People

We, The People

We feared
the end was coming.
It never came.
We believed
The stories you told
of a better world.
We waited
for change.
It never came.
We failed.
It won't happen again.


Finally, we've come to the end of my fall 2007 poetry portfolio. In my opinion, there is so much to like about "We, The People" I don't know where to start.

First, to explain the assignment. This assignment calls for a poem of parallel structures. The best way to construct a poem of parallel structures is to use repetition.

As for the poem itself, I used repetition with phrases that start with "We..." because I feel that repetition is one of the most powerful tools a poet could use.

I also liked writing this poem because it was a different type of poem for me. One of the things I've learned this semester is that you can't always write about being a heartbroken college student (hint: that year end list is coming soon).

So with this poem I decided to jump on the Bush-bashing bandwagon in a subtle way. And it's really not "Bush-bashing", it's meant to be an analysis of how I feel about the government as a whole.

Also, I like how this poem can be applied to things other than politics. If you use your imagination, you can apply the concepts and ideas of this poem to other things in life.

But I'll let you, the reader. Interpret for yourself.

Thanks for reading!

BREAKING NEWS: Cubs sign outfielder Kosuke Fukudome

The Chicago Cubs and Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome have reached an agreement to bring him to the North Side of Chicago. Details of the contract have yet to be disclosed but the deal is reportedly worth $48 million or $50-$56 million over four years, depending on your source.

This comes the same day that Fukudome announced his intentions to “accept the challenge” of playing in the major leagues. He had spent the last nine years playing for the Chunichi Dragons where he lead them to their first Japan championship in 52 years while posting a .305 career batting average and .397 on-base percentage.

Fukudome had been fielding offers from the Dragons and the Yomiuri Giants, who are comparable to the Yankees of Japan before choosing to come to the major leagues where he was rumored to have drawn interest from the Cubs, White Sox, Padres, Giants and Rangers.

Fukudome, the Cubs top off-season priority, is the type of player that satisfies both the new school and old school philosophies of the Cubs organization.

From all accounts, Fukudome is a legit five-tool outfielder who is fundamentally sound in all facets of the game. In addition, Fukudome is the left-handed hitting on-base machine that was lacking from a right-handed heavy, free-swinging line-up. He could see time in the second, fourth, fifth and sixth spots in the order. Manager Lou Piniella described him as a mix of Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui.

He is an athletic outfielder with a strong throwing arm who can play all three outfield positions, which could prove to be important seeing how Piniella likes to mix-and-match line-ups.

Fukudome will likely be used primarily in right field, possibly giving the Cubs their first prime-time right fielder since Sammy Sosa famously quit on Cubdom when he walked out during the final game of the 2004 season.

The signing is without risk though, especially when taking into consideration his last season in Japan was cut short because of right elbow surgery that removed bone chips from his elbow.

What is it with the Cubs and guys with arm surgeries? I digress.

It is also worth noting that Fukudome is truly untested in the Major Leagues, despite playing against Major League-talent in the World Baseball Classic.

Another issue that may come up is Fukudome’s stamina. He has never had to take part of the rigors of a 162 game schedule, let alone the disproportionate amount of day games the Cubs play.

The biggest issue could be the transition period that Fukudome will be going through in his rookie year. He will be adjusting to a new league, playing against better competition, in front of bigger crowds, with new teammates. Not to mention the question of whether or not his offensive numbers will translate from Japan ball to big league ball.

Regardless, for the second straight off-season the Cubs get their man, signing a top-flight free-agent in his prime.

Poem #16: It's Over

It's Over

My open ear listened
to your closed-minded thoughts
and my ideas went ignored.
Unwelcome words I spoke
were shredded strands of failure.
I'm through with you.



"It's Over" is one of two poems that I consider to be "closing statements" of my Fall 2007 poetry portfolio. It was derived from a poem that I wrote last year called, called "Down, Not Out."

When I wrote the original poem, I was going through a rough time in my life where I felt like I was being manipulated, so I wrote a poem describing how I felt about the situation at the time.

However, this assignment asked for me to write a different type of piece. It was meant to be an emulation of Robert Frost's "tell it like it is" style by using simple words and "saying what you mean" in blunt statements.

I tried to keep it short and simple, in fact, "It's Over", which consists of six lines is a much simpler form of "Down, Not Out" which consisted of 11 lines.

Basically for this poem I took what I liked and kept it. I thought those lines were the most powerful, and since I couldn't find anything as powerful to end with, I used the line "I'm through with you" to end it.

I think the thing I like most about this piece is the change of the ending, which seems to coincide with the changes I have gone since I wrote that poem.

I hope you can enjoy and appreciate this piece.

Poem #15: Scholastic Sestina

Scholastic Sestina

In my dorm, across the hall, live two girls.
Tomorrow marks the first day of school.
I hope they are in some of my classes.
I hope this year I get some good teachers
that do not make me buy a lot of books.
My goal for this year is to get good grades.

I know I have to work hard for good grades.
I must not get distracted by these girls.
I hope my teachers do not use their books
or assign work on the first day of school.
Knowing my luck, I'll have crappy teachers
who give homework in all of my classes.

I would rather not go to my classes,
but that would lead me to getting bad grades.
I would get no sympathy from teachers,
and being dumb does not impress the girls.
I really do not want to go to school
tomorrow, or pay for expensive books.

Eventually, I'll buy my school books
and take them to all of my classes.
Now, I really do want to go to school,
because I want to get really good grades.
After classes, I will talk to the girls,
after I do work assigned by teachers.

I have homework to do, thanks to teachers.
Unfortunately I don't have my books.
Maybe I will ask one of the cute girls
even though they are not in my classes.
This year I really need to get good grades,
I cannot afford to drop out of school.

You know what, I will not drop out of school.
Maybe I will suck up to my teachers
in an attempt to get some better grades.
Or maybe I will read all of my books
and study hard for all of my classes.
Or maybe I will party with those girls.

School would be much more fun without the books,
teachers, or having to go to classes.
Grades are important, but so are the girls.



One of the most challenging poems I had to write all semester was the sestina. Sestinas consists of six six-line stanzas and a concluding tercet. All-in-all it is a 39-line poem.

In addition, when writing the sestina you use the same set of six words ends the lines of each of the six-line stanzas, but in a different order each time. Then, number the first stanza's lines 123456, then the words ending the second stanza's lines appear in the order 615243, then 364125, then 532614, then 451362, and finally 246531.

For my end lines I used "girls", "school", "classes", "teachers", "books" and "grades." I used some of my college experiences and feelings as inspiration for this piece.

I know it's long, but it is fun to read and it was fun to write.

Assignment #14: Haiku

Falling

The colored leaves fall
to the ground. Just like I do
after a few drinks.


Snow Day

Unwrinkled white sheets
covering all you can see.
Call it a snow day.


Sunshine Will Come

The cold is now gone
eventually snow melts.
Sunshine will come soon.


School's Out!

Put your pencils down
hand in your tests as you leave.
School's out for summer!

SENRYU

I.
Attempting to spread
stupid, unfounded rumors.
Beware of the truth.

II.
Obscene desires.
Excessive love for others.
Jonesing for a kiss.

III.
Loves me, loves me not.
I learn from a children's game
unrequited love.


In today's segment of poetry, enjoy the treat of haiku. And yes, the plural of haiku is indeed haiku. They are fun to write because of what goes into a haiku, such as implementing elements of the natural world.

To appease my professor I wrote four haiku describing each of the four seasons, with a twist.

As an added bonus, I've added four senryu. Senryu are poems that are in the 5-7-5 haiku form, but are about human nature instead of the natural world. And yes, they do not have titles because senryu poems do not have traditional

I hope you enjoy these works.

Poem #13: Guys I Know

Guys I Know

I know a man whose name is JackCracker.
He insists you don't call him that,
be reminded he was the one who shotBuck.
He lives with his brothers JackFlap and JackLumber
who rollbank all day. Their boyTom eats stringham
and fishjelly all day in his manchair.
His friend BillyHill claims to be a mindmaster,
While his cousin BillDuck stays out late
drinking shots of manscotch at the tenderbar.
His friend DaleGlen sings for a wagonband
called Devildare. He goes by the stage name, warmLuke.
You can find them all if you rideover a stonemile
to a town called FortFrank.


This was one of the most fun poems i've had to write this semester. This piece was inspired by the Jabberwocky poem. *I'll link it at the bottom of the page.*

The assignment, called Sense and Non-Sense, called for the writer to turn around compound words and use them in a poem.

See if you can find them and make sense of this piece of non-sense.

*http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/jabber/jabberwocky.html

Poem #12: Foolish Princess

Foolish Princess

Behind designer frames is a woman
with a heavily make up face,
wearing an expensive dress and stilettos,
dismissing suitors with a wave of her hand.
Wanting someone rich and handsome,
refusing to settle for less.

Until the day a wrinkle appeared
and her beauty began to fade;
Her prince finally arrived
to take her hand in marriage.
At the wedding, she smiled at her groom.
Handsome as ever, he smiled back.

On their honeymoon, she noticed a change.
His teeth were suddenly long and sharp,
his smile became a nasty snarl,
and he sprouted horns and a tail.
In bed he pulled out his pitchfork, it was too late
for the princess. She married the devil.


As this semester winds down, this semester's portfolio continues to do the same. This poem is based on and inspired by a Puerto Rican folktale about a rich princess who rejects a lot of good men, and when she finally finds her special someone, he turns out to be the devil.

It sounded like something that I could turn into a poem and I did. In this piece, I really wanted to tell the story in a condensed form with some modern additions such as stilettos.

The original piece had this in two 10 line stanzas, but after revision I changed it to three six-line stanzas. (Yes, 6-6-6...though I didn't do it on purpose).

Poem #11: At The Breakfast Table

At The Breakfast Table

Corrupt politicians on TV,
wishing I could change the channel.
“Where’s the remote?”

How did Friday night turn
into Monday morning?
My phone rings—who cares
breakfast is ready.

It’s a text from my ex.
We haven’t spoken since
she did you know what,
with you know who.

She wants to reconcile.
At breakfast I reconsider
dating a cheater.



This was one of the assignments I truly enjoyed. The assignment was to take a piece of prose or a prose poem that you have written in the past and break up the poem with line breaks.

This task was quite easy, seeing that I already had a prose poem in my back pocket.

I used "Monday Morning Phone Call" as my piece to break up (no pun intended). I found it difficult, at first, to break up the prose because each word meant so much to me.

So what I did to break it up was take statements that I felt did the most for the prose poem and use those and separate them with line breaks.

I think now the poem is easier to read and is better because of the line breaks. I think the content is more clear and the points that I really wanted to jump out at the reader actually do so.

Well, at least that's what I think

BREAKING NEWS: Stephen A. Smith Hates The First Amendment

Pardon the interruption: I'd like to take a break from posting my poetry to address something that has been bothering me all day.

It seems to me that ESPN's Stephen A. Smith hates the following things:

• The Internet
  
• The First Amendment

In a recent interview, Smith had this to say about the internet:

"And when you look at the internet business, what’s dangerous about it is that people who are clearly unqualified get to disseminate their piece to the masses. I respect the journalism industry, and the fact of the matter is ...someone with no training should not be allowed to have any kind of format whatsoever to disseminate to the masses to the level which they can. They are not trained. Not experts."

When I read that, I was in complete shock. Not really, Stephen A. Smith is nothing more than a loudmouth who gets paid to say dumb things on the ESPN family of networks.

Now that I've got that out of the way, I'd like to break down what he said.

First, I'd like to address the idea of "people who are clearly unqualified get to disseminate their piece to the masses."

I wonder if Stephen A. ever learned about the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, which states:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press..."

How does Stephen A. ignore the First Amendment, after all, it is the same amendment that allows him to speak and write what he wants.

But wait, there's more!

"Someone with no training should not be allowed to have any kind of format whatsoever to disseminate to the masses to the level which they can."

Thankfully, I am in training because I am a journalism major at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, which is one of the best journalism schools in the country. It boasts the award winning student newspaper, the Daily Egyptian.

But seriously, just because I'm a professional (yet) doesn't make what I have to say valid?

And really, how am I supposed to reach out to the masses without putting my work out there? It's the ultimate catch-22 and I've been there before. Last year I was not hired to work for a Cubs blog because of my lack of experience.

How can I get experience when no one will hire me because I have no experience.

I digress. Next topic.

"They are not trained. Not experts."

Does that mean that the fans that call into your radio show shouldn't be calling because they are not experts? I didn't think so.

Furthermore, I'd like to reference Stephen A.'s cameo in Chris Rock's movie I Think I Love My Wife. According to Stephen A.'s logic, he should have never been close to the, seeing that he is not a professional actor.

Maybe Stephen A. hates the internet because of sites like this, that criticize guys like him. Maybe he hates the internet because there are guys out there with opinions and beliefs that are different than his. Maybe he hates the internet because there are guys like me on sites like this that will one day take his job.

Maybe he hates guys like me who don't have to scream just to get a point across.

In closing, I'd like to finally welcome Stephen A. to the United States of America. A country that allows you to say what you want, when you want as long as you are not slanderous or libelous.*

And always remember: just because you're loud, it doesn't make you right!



*Thank you JRNL-332 (Journalism Law) for teaching me something!

Poem #10: My Hate For Valentine's Day

My Hate For Valentine's Day

I hate the colors red and pink, I do.
They bring me to despise this winter day.
You ask me what is love, I have no clue.
It's one day out the year I feel this way.

Flowers and chocolates being exchanged
he spent so much, I can't believe my eyes.
I really mean it, he dropped major change,
must be the price to get between her thighs.

I do not want to hear another song
about love on my way to class.
This guy singing could not be more wrong,
whoever wrote this crap can kiss my ass!

Please excuse me, I have just one last whine:
screw you true love, I hate you Valentine!


Yes, this is a reposting of a poem I did last year. I wrote this around Valentine's Day of 2007 (as if you couldn't tell) and was inspired by the pure frustrations that come over me that time of year. There is nothing like expressing your true feelings without having to pay for a doctor.

This was written during the time of my life where every poem I wrote could be categorized under "Poems of a heartbroken college student." This year though, I've tried to expand from that.

I made a few minor changes, such as punctuation. Other than that, I have no new insight to add here.

Enjoy pure frustration and borderline depression formulated in a poem.

Poem #9: Monday Morning Phone Call

Monday Morning Phone Call

Some story on television about corrupt politicians…wishing I could change the channel…wondering where is the darn remote? Trying to piece together what happened this weekend. Not sure how Friday night turned into Monday morning. The phone rings, but I do not care. I do not take phone calls while I eat. It is a message from my ex. I found this odd, because we have not spoken…not since she did you know what, with you know who. In the message, she said some things she knew would make me smile. I think she wants to reconcile. The reason I had to leave her is because I did not want to date a cheater. And as nice as it was between her thighs, I no longer wanted to put up with her lies. I decided not to return the call.



Look, I'm posting these poems in the same order as they are in my portfolio. I'm doing in hopes that people will see my work as the story I try to portray through the order that they are in.

So it's only coincidental that I posted the "Ma's Margarita" poem on Friday and the "Monday Morning Phone Call" poem this morning.

'Phone Call' is in the form of a prose poem. And despite the fact that prose and poetry are opposites, poetry in prose form is basically poetry in paragraph form. I enjoy writing prose poetry because it is a lot like writing a short story.

When writing in traditional poetic forms, I use a lot of fragments in my work. However, in prose poetry, I generally try to use prose poetry.

If you've read my work before, you know that you have seen this piece in the past. I cut out a lot of unnecessary words and tried to tighten up the story by taking out elements of poetry that I thought took away from the poem.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This poem is part two of "The Georgia Series," which is a series of poems revolving around a girl named 'Meg.' The series is yet to be completed.

Poem #8: Annemarie

Annemarie

I'll never find another you
with hair so soft and eyes so blue.

Now you're gone, I don't know what to do.
I'll never find another you.

Not knowing where you are, wishing you were here.
Knowing you made me better when you were near.

Wondering why you aren't here with me;
Guess you wanted to be free.
I no longer control you, Annemarie.


This is my rendition of a blues poem, and it was one of the more difficult assignments from this semester. I have my issues writing a blues poem because I find emulating the classic blues style and trying to capture the voice of blues poetry, so instead I try to write from one of the topics seen a lot in blues poetry, heartbreak.

This falls under the category "write what you know" and know one knows heartbreak like I do. So since I didn't capture the blues voice, I added other elements of poetry to enhance my work such as rhyme and the use of couplets and a tercet to end my poem.

In the future, I would like to work with this poem and extend it by giving more of a description of "Annemarie." Because if I can describe "Annemarie" to a better extent, then I can really capture how much of a heart breaker she really is.

Author's note: The original title and name used in this piece was "Majorie," and the poem was inspired by a character from the former ABC television show "What About Brian?" which I jokingly claimed was based off my life. Her character was the inspiration behind this piece.

Poem #7: Grandma's Purse

Grandma's Purse

A majestic purse once hung on a proud arm
for thirty years. Filled with hair combs, lemon drops
and a pocketbook full of nickels for smiling children
who said please. It is now just an ornament.
Its pea-green exterior, worn from being gripped and hugged;
and 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.


Grandma's Purse was the first poem I wrote for my ENGL 382 class. The assignment for this piece was to make a poem (with line breaks) out of a piece of prose writing. It was a bit of a challenge, seeing that it was the first assignment. What I tried to do was take out anything that I thought took away from the poem. I cut out superfluous (unnecessary) words and re-arranged some lines to create this piece.

This poem was one of the more controversial ones I've written. A lot of the people who read this poem thought that I killed off Grandma at the end. I'd like to go on the record and say that was NOT my intention.

I know that in this country, senior citizens get ignored once their pocketbooks go dry and I think that's wrong. That's what I was trying to say. Not that Grandma was dead, but that Grandma was now poor and no one loves you when your poor.

But I can't be held accountable for what the readers think. That's why I love writing poetry!