Final Blog Reflection

When I began this blog I felt somewhat overwhelmed by how much writing it looked like I was going to be doing. But as the days went on I gradually found myself having an easier time writing than the previous entry. Honestly my first blog was a bit of a train wreck, I found myself stopping every other sentence and going back to make small corrections, or to change the way I worded a sentence, but now I just keep typing and the words really come out. I have also noticed that my vernacular has improved, there were times when I would struggle to find the right word to put in a sentence, but now the sentences just flow right out of my fingertips and into my posts. I always dreaded English as a subject to take in school, I always felt it was too much writing, but I think my problem was that I felt I was good enough at writing that I didn’t need to change anything about it. After writing all of these journal entries I realized how much my creativity in writing has come along. At first I would take my topic idea and think about it before I began writing, thinking about what I should say and what I shouldn’t, but eventually I would look at my idea, and just start reliving my past and everything that makes me who I am and the topic would pretty much write itself. When this blog first started I did somewhat dread having to write every day, but honestly now after doing it I actually somewhat enjoy it. I discovered that I miss my childhood, as I am sure many other people do as well, but that I am also looking forward to finishing school and starting a whole new adventure. What I do know is that with my career in writing movies and screenplays starts to happen, I will have a lot of good experience in writing without hesitation and not worrying about how it will turn out, because I know if I write from my heart and what I believe, then whatever I write will be a great read.

Can television (or videogames) influence your behavior? How? 3-2-11

This topic is up for so much debate lately that it is impossible to really understand what is going on in the world. So many people blame violent acts on video games or television but I really feel that the majority of the issues lay with the neglect of the parents. If the parents were around enough to teach their children the difference between what they see and television and what is acceptable in real life instead of complaining when their child does something bad then I feel the world would be a much happier place. My parents raised me well enough to teach me that the violence I see on television shows is all just acting and that it is meant for entertainment purposes. The same goes for the video games I played, my parents always sat in on a new game that I picked up to make sure that it was appropriate for me or that they knew that I understood that the game was meant to be played and not brought into real life. That to me is the real issue nowadays, too many parents ignore what their children are doing and pretend that they will grow up to be normal children, but when there is nobody to tell them what is right or wrong then they are left to their own devices and to decide for themselves what is really right or wrong. Now I am not saying that video games or violent movies make a child more violent, but when their minds are developing and all they see is violence then they are thinking violence is the right thing to do, but if their parents would just step in and teach them what is right and what is unacceptable behavior then I think nobody would have any complaints about what games we play or what shows we watch.

Where would you prefer to be right now--mountains, desert, or beach--and why? 3-1-11

I would prefer to be on a coastal hillside in Tuscany, Italy. I have always loved the architecture and lifestyle of Italy and I wish that someday I am able to visit there and even live there for a period of time. Just the fact that people get around by horses more than cars in some places makes it so peaceful, miles from your nearest neighbors and nothing but vineyards as far as you can see, golden hillsides waving in the wind and friendly people everywhere. My parents are big wine enthusiasts and they will be going on a wine cruise next year all over Italy’s coastlines and seeing the culture first hand. I am hoping that I can raise enough money to go with them as I have such a passion for seeing Italy and understanding it’s culture. I have even begun learning Italian in hopes that someday I may be able to visit Italy and have a conversation with the locals. Their cuisine is also one of my favorites, I love Italian food because it has so many rich flavors and so many different recipes to choose from, and some of my favorite chefs are Italian as well. To me going to Italy would be one of the most fun things to do in my lifetime. If I never get to go I will be heartbroken but it will not stop me from building a house that looks like a Tuscan villa. The architecture is just to calming and spectacular that I just wish I could live there all year long. For now I am stuck looking up pictures and videos online of Italy, I would love the opportunity to film a movie there as well, the countryside is just so beautiful that I think it would be a great set for any type of film.

Who or what has had a strong influence in your life? 2-28-11

My parents have been a strong influence in my life for as long as I can remember, they have always supported me in everything I have ever done. When I started skateboarding they bought me my first skateboard and took me to all the skate parks, when I started riding bikes they bought me my first bike and hauled it everywhere for me. When I started filmmaking they bought me my first camera and eventually sent me to school to learn more about it. They didn’t always support me in the way of being over encouraging but more financially encouraging with everything I wanted to do, I think if there was anything I ever wanted to try they were there to back me up and making sure I got to explore my passions. It was a great childhood growing up and I am glad they always supported me. They always taught me the differences of right and wrong, they taught me how to be a gentleman and to be polite to others, they taught me self control and self restraint. They have always been a positive force in my life even if at times I felt like they were being mean to me. I realize now that they did some of the things they did for my own good, sometimes they let me fall to learn that I needed to get back up, but other times they knew some things weren’t right and stopped me from getting hurt. Although they aren’t overly encouraging they do encourage me in their own ways. They always take the time to watch what I have learned or done with what I wanted to do, and they always gave me positive feedback. Throughout my life my parents have always been a driving force in who I was going to become and they still are to this day.

Why do you think some people take advantage of others? 2-27-11

I believe that in this day and age the unfair prosper and the honest and hardworking people get left behind, but that isn’t going to stop me from being an honest, hardworking person. People take a lot of shortcuts to get ahead in life lately and that is because the people that employ them have usually done the same thing. It is a pretty vicious cycle but unfortunately most people today have made their careers by being unfair or taking advantage of someone, and if that way of life works then why would anyone want to stop taking advantage of people to get themselves a head start? What is sad is that most people let themselves be taken advantage of, sometimes they know it, other times they are completely oblivious. But those who notice it usually let others take advantage of them because they feel like they are their friends and that it is the only way they feel better about themselves. I have had many people take advantage of me before, mostly because I am way too nice to people and I am way too forgiving as well. I give too many people too many opportunities to make things up to me but I always end up getting taken advantage of, but I feel that being a good person now will be rewarding later in life when there is something I really want or need. Unfortunately this is how the world is going to be until we can somehow get back to a way of life that is more about respect and less about getting ahead by any means necessary, and I don’t see how that will be possible as long as there are dishonest people in the world taking advantage of nice, hardworking, honest people who are just trying to make their own way, the right way.

Why is exercise important to someone your age? 2-26-11

Personally I believe exercise is important to everyone at every age, but at my age right now it really seems that exercising at this age is all about shaping your body into what you want to look like for the rest of your life, being this young and able to lift as much weight or build as much endurance as you can really makes a difference on how your life is going to go once you get too old to maintain certain exercises, but say you build up a lot of endurance swimming, as long as you keep that endurance then for the rest of your life swimming will be easy. When I was attending classes on campus I was using the gym every single day to stay in shape, it is really important to stay healthy and active because as you become older it is harder to get yourself back to a certain kind of shape you wish you could be in. When I was younger I had more energy than I knew what to do with, and I wish I would have began exercising instead of just running in circles in the backyard, now I am having to work harder to get the shape I want but it is still much easier than how it will be in another ten years. I have noticed that if I run a lot then I build up a good endurance level and it is always easier to run the next time, but if I stop running for a week then I feel like all the hard work I did is gone and I have to start over, endurance is the hardest thing to keep up, so if you aren’t dedicated to exercise then it will be hard to keep a healthy lifestyle.

When are you happiest? 2-25-11

When I am looking through my camera lens at someone acting out a scene we wrote days before I become so happy that I completely forget about everything else. The main reason I came to school at Ozarks Technical Community College was to pursue a career in filmmaking, something about creating a memorable film from scratch makes me extremely happy and I do it as often as I can. The first film I really ever remember making that wasn’t just goofing around was called “The Briefcase”. One weekend two of my friends came over to stay for a couple days and we decided to make a movie while we were all at the house. Basically the first half of the movie we made up as we went along, my friend Mike was delivering a briefcase to my friend Bob, when suddenly Bob shot Mike and stole the briefcase. We actually filmed the second half of the film the night before and the next morning we planned out what we wanted to put before it because it didn’t make a lot of sense at the time. The movie ended up being around seven minutes long and in that entire movie there was only one line of dialogue. That to me I think has been the hardest part of making a movie. Writing dialogue is a little tougher to me than conveying a story, I could make an entire movie without saying a single word, it might not make sense to everybody but to some they can understand what happens. So after that I started writing more dialogue in my movies and trying to convey more emotion, but it is tough when none of your friends have any acting experience. To me making a movie with my friends makes me the happiest.