SRTE Thingy

Hey Mrs. S, I filled out the SRTE form. Thanks! Love, Austen :)

Self Evaluation

            This semester I definitely learned a lot about writing and the Penn State arts community and how this community interacts with me every day. As far as writing goes the main thing that has stuck with me through this semester is ethos, pathos, and logos. I was unaware of how much of a role these three elements played in everyday life! Any or all of these elements can be found in any news article, advertisement, or any book that you decide to pick up. I am now consciously aware of when a company or author is trying to grab my attention by using any of these methods and how using these methods could affect my decision making. I also learned about the different types of art forms that are all around me every day.

            I didn’t know that there were so many ways to define art and how the definition of art could apply to so many things. We spent quite a large amount of time attempting to redefine Penn State as an artistic community and this proved to be quite a difficult task. This was hard because there are so many different ways to define art and so many different ways to apply them to Penn State.  Ironically, after the Sandusky scandal Penn State needed really needed a redefinition and luckily (or not so much) for us, we were in the perfect position to do this. Penn State is a thriving artistic community that is much more than just the football team, the Blue Band, or the artworks in the Palmer Museum of Art. Penn State is a community that is made up of people that contribute to its artistic community every day. Penn State is much more than just a place to learn and obtain a degree; it is a place that promotes art. I’ve never talked about art so much in my entire life and I never thought that I would enjoy it as much as I did! I am beyond glad that I was able to take this class and look beyond the “football crazed and drunk” Penn State stereotype.

"Everyone is getting some in this poem! And that's important!"

Before break we were told in class that we would have another author or poet or someone come to our class and do another reading. I’m not sure how, but I didn’t guess that it was going to be our very own instructor! So class that day was even more interesting than it usually is. I learned about a type of poem called a “found poem” and I really enjoyed it. A found poem can be just about anything, and you usually don’t realize that its poetry at first. I never really thought about this being a form of poetry but I actually enjoy it, I think it is very subtle and usually gives a bit of advice or wisdom. I also think that this is one of the purest forms of art because you don’t really know when you’re doing it, it just happens and when you reflect upon it you see the artistic value of it.

            I also enjoyed the story about all the family outings to amusement parks such as Six Flags: Great Adventure and of course the infamous Action Park. I think that this story was so interesting because it was just a normal family out enjoying each other’s company for the day. This is something that gets over shadowed in today’s world because everyone is so worried about their jobs, school, and iPhones. So it was nice to hear about something other than technology and how it’s ruining the world around us. All in all I really enjoyed this reading because we got to hear some of our teacher’s own works and see a little bit more into her life and experiences. I also really liked the poem where everyone was getting some because “that’s important!”

Wawa...nuff said!

Wawa is possibly the greatest convenience store EVER. Period, end of story. It’s better than Sheetz, Turkey Hill, 7-Eleven, or any other imposter you could possibly think of.  I’ve never walked into a Wawa without seeing something that I wanted, because just about everything that you could possibly want can be found in Wawa! Tasty Kakes, candy, chips, coffee, and the best hoagies known to man can be found there. Wawa also has its own brand of iced teas and juices that will drive one’s tastes bud insane! Combine their delightful drinks together with one of their hoagies and you have a little piece of heaven on earth!

Now you might be thinking that you can get any of these things at a Sheetz or Turkey Hill but you’re seriously mistaken. Wawa is like having Wolfgang Puck prepare whatever you buy there as opposed to Apu from the Kwik-E-Mart! You can’t even compare the two! Wawa wins this debate hands down. I personally visit Wawa so often that I know the people that work there and they are all very friendly people. So honestly, what more could you want from a place? They have friendly workers, great service, great quality products, and this all leads to a very loyal fan base! When Wawa becomes a household name (which it will) you’ll know why! Everyone needs to go to Wawa at least once in their life because it is seriously a life changing experience!

*On a side note: Penn State would do well to look into getting a Wawa!

Dave Housely Reading

            I was definitely excited to go to this reading because of all the good things that I heard about Dave Housely. I heard that he was funny and quite entertaining so I knew that this was one of the outside readings that I was going to attend because, honestly everything else sounded a bit boring. When I got to the reading it was obvious that this was going to be a very relaxed and easy going reading. There was music playing and Dave was interacting with everyone, making sure that they had a copy of Barrelhouse Magazine, and just being very friendly.

            The reading itself was also very interesting because the short stories that Dave read were not just average short stories, the characters all had something “special” about them. The last story that Dave read, there was a guy who was missing one of his fingers and was looked upon as though he had a gift because he had the “Jerry Garcia finger.” This was also my favorite story because all of the characters were a little sketchy and I didn’t know where the story was going to go. Overall I really enjoyed this reading because Dave Housely is such a lively person and he’s also a very talented writer. I would attend another one of his readings if he comes back to Penn State and I would also recommend that everyone should try to attend one, or at least read one of his books!

When it falls down, who you gonna call now?

            I first heard about the Penn State scandal one Saturday as I sat on my computer browsing AOL, looking for a way to pass the time. As I scrolled through the tabs I saw a headline that read “Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal” or something to that effect. So naturally because I’m Penn State student, I found the link simply irresistible. The story that I read was quite vague and needed to be read over a few times before I actually understood what was going on but once I had, I didn’t really think twice about it. I had absolutely no idea of the drama and mayhem that was about to ensue. After this story broke nationwide it was obvious that all hell was about to break loose in State College and it did; twice. People were rioting in the streets, screaming, chanting, cursing, and destroying damn near everything in sight. It was complete pandemonium. But what many people on the outside don’t understand is how invested and enormous the sense of pride that goes along with Penn State.

            Author and editor Dave Housely may have shown the best examples of what it is truly like to like in State College and become absorbed in the Penn State tradition. Housely recalls two different stories about how his young son would reply “Penn State!” anytime he heard someone say “we are.” What is most amazing about this is that Housely and his wife never taught their son the traditional Penn State call and response, simply being around the university and people that care so much about it he picked up on it. This is the true Penn State. Though what happened will never be forgotten, people around the nation need to realize that Penn State is much bigger than Sandusky and all the others that neglected to report this.

            As the more and more details of Sandusky’s atrocious escapades became available, it was obvious that the Penn State community had been forever changed. We are…no longer Penn State. We are…the joke of a nation. We are…dealing with the consequences of the actions of a few very irresponsible ADULTS. We are…in ruins.

            It is blatantly obvious that what went on with this entire ordeal/cover up was no mistake. A few very immature and careless men held the name of the school and its football program above the safety and well being of numerous innocent children. And for what reason? It’s likely that no one will ever truly know. Besides the fact that so many young boys had their childhoods ruined by Sandusky and are scarred for life, the next biggest issue is that of the students. It’s true that many of Penn State’s students went and acted out after the firing of Joe Paterno, but it was only because they cared and felt hurt as well. Though this was not the correct way to react, it is understandable because almost 40,000 students will be affected by this entire scandal. This could turn out to be very detrimental to our futures! What everyone needs to understand is that we the students should not be punished for Sandusky. We had absolutely nothing to do with anything that went on. We did not commit a crime, we did not inappropriately deal with the situation, and we should not be punished.

            Unfortunately in the society that we live in, we will be judged for being Penn Staters and loving our school to what could be considered a fault. The students and faculty here have always been Penn State proud and will probably always be Penn State proud, and that kind of dedication will be what gets this university through this time of uncertainty. Again, Dave Housely says it best, “This is how it goes around here. These kids puke in our streets and urinate in the bushes. They are terrible pedestrians and can be worse neighbors. Then they go and do something like raise 10 million dollars (last year alone) to support pediatric cancer patients.” This is the Penn State that people need to see, we’re not perfect but we damn sure try.

Dave Housely Article http://www.barrelhousemag.com/?p=1692

Kiss Me, Kate!

Watching a musical is not how I usually spend my Saturday afternoons, especially when it means getting up before noon to get ready. But this turned out to be a worthwhile experience. I’ve been to quite a few plays and even a musical on Broadway and I tend to enjoy them as long as they aren’t Shakespeare. Before we arrived at the theater I was unaware that this musical was actually a remake of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew or that it was even a musical! I was a little confused at first when everyone started singing, so it was very different from what I expected. Typically I don’t enjoy theater performances because they usually don’t keep my attention and I feel like I’m on the verge of a deep sleep, but the musical-theater genre was very different.

Aside from the small seats and a little leg room, I really have no complaints about this musical/play. The music was very lively, the actors all had amazing voices, and the story was actually pretty funny. I was pleasantly surprised by this genre because it wasn’t at all what I expected to be. I honestly wouldn’t mind going to see a few more productions that are in the musical-theater genre. To go along with this musical theme, two of my favorite musicals are Hairspray and Chicago. I was actually fortunate enough to see the actual Hairspray musical on Broadway! It was a remarkable experience simply because it’s Broadway! But other than Hairspray and Chicago I have not seen many musicals but I am definitely open to seeing more. Compared to these two classic musicals, I thought that Kiss Me, Kate did a decent job compared to these two “mega musicals.”

I have never actually read Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, but I have heard about. Other than actually hearing of the title, I have no idea what the play itself is about but I think that Kiss Me, Kate did a great job of blending together Shakespeare’s play and its own interpretation of it. It was obvious when the scenes from Taming of the Shrew were being portrayed because the actors donned medieval clothing and used some of the actual language. Still this play, unlike actual Shakespeare plays, was very easy to understand and follow. It was entertaining and even had an adorable (but predictable) love story, so there was something for everyone.

My favorite part of this experience was definitely the adult humor that they threw into the play every once in awhile. If you weren’t listening closely then you were most likely going to miss it. I also thought the two “thugs” that showed up during the middle of the play were hilarious. They added a different kind of humor to the play because they were so clueless and simple minded, whereas all the other characters were clearly more intelligent. I also liked the fact that it was a play within a play within a play! I have honestly never heard of anything like that! Overall, this musical/play was very interesting, funny. I didn’t think I was going to enjoy it but I’m that I went into it open minded because I ended up finding an aspect of theater that I didn’t know existed!