The Paris Opera House

Watching the video of the Paris Opera House actually got me really excited because The Phantom of the Opera is one of my favorite movies. Unfortunately, until this moment I never put two and two together to realize what the theatre in the movie was. The story of the chandelier falling from the ceiling is a great but tragic story. The colors in the paintings on the circular ceiling, the attention to detail on the front of the building but even thoroughly throughout the entire monstrosity that is the Paris Opera House.

Madama Butterfly

After watching the Madama Butterfly opera i felt an array of emotions. It's a sad but beautiful love story between a woman and a man, a woman and her daughter, and a woman and herself. Madama Butterfly is something of a phoenix woman. When the sailer returns and takes their baby she's so heartbroken, so empty, that she rips herself apart until theirs nothing left but her bones in bits and pieces. With a new day came a new Madama Butterfly, out of the pieces came a beautiful and more vibrant butterfly than the beginning of the film, and from that came again Madama Butterfly.

September 11, 2001

I was only in second grade, so I never felt the initial shock of what had actually happened. Growing up only 45 minutes outside the city, our family was deeply disturbed by the attacks on the World Trade Center. I remember being sent home from school early that day- everybody was. It was weird though, because even though I lived up the hill from school, I had to wait until my mom came and picked me up to go home. All the adults were distraught and on edge, and they wouldn't really explain anything to us since we were so young. Not like we would understand what had happened, but it would've helped to hear that everything was going to be okay. It's heartbreaking to think anybody could commit such a terrible crime on purpose, but as we are one, we will never forget.

Notre Dame, Paris

The stained glass windows in the church are really something to marvel at. The use of color and the smallest pieces of glass assorted between the panes must have the most beautiful reflection when the sun shines through. The detail in the faces on the outer arches of the doorways is so matriculate you would think they were real. While some are more pleasant than others, it takes a real artist to carve stone like that.

Colosseum

The colosseum, a roman structure used for "celebrating, sports events, and bloodshed" is a massive structure built in 70AD and over half still stands today. The outer south wall, having been destroyed in an earthquake, is gone completely, but it almost makes the place so much cooler. Instead of it being an enclosed oval, it's half open so you can see south from the north side. It's an iconic place of history, and a must see if you're ever in Rome!

Greek Theatre

The photograph is of a traditional Greek amphitheater from the early AD period. It was the ideal setting for plays and performances alike with the stage in the center and all rows of seating on an incline so there's no bad seat in the house. Even though traditional theaters today have a slight curve in the audience around the stage, they're not as circular as you see here. It looks as if the seating has been restored, and although the backdrop is in ruin, it's a beautiful sight to see.

Philosophy of Technology

Seeing how far we've come with technology, it's hard to have someone hate the concept of it. When you can build a machine that's capable of anything, you've only just scratched the surface of endless possibilities. However, with such advancement comes dangers. To some it's perceived that technology has had a negative impact on todays society.
Distinguishing between the philosophy of science and the philosophy of technology isn't an easy task either. A good way to distinguish between the two is to think, "science concerns itself with what is, whereas technology concerns itself with what is to be". 

Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling"

After having read the piece on wrestling, I continue to stand behind my views of wrestling being absolutely barbaric. In the piece, the differences between wrestling and boxing are compared by their techniques and reactions from the crowd. Wrestling is done for the pure enjoyment, in todays sense is completely staged, and yet still the routine seems to be at random. With boxing you can predict an outcome- you can bet on the winner. It would seem that wrestling does not have the luxury. In the piece it was stated that "America wrestling represents a sort of mythological fight between Good and Evil".  Wrestling is literally two people (or more) put inside of a ring to fight for the sole pleasure of onlookers.

Sunshine enthusiast. Smile aficionado. 

Taking life a day at a time and praying I don't get left behind.

I excel in putting words together to help an audience feel emotion. 

I enjoy the experience to learn and the opportunity to share.

So give me sunshine, a smile, and a pen and imagination is on paper.