Memior Readings

Us and Them

I liked this story, I could connect with the main character by wanting to understand an others point of view and I could understand how the Tomkeys wanted a close relationship with each other. I'm an only child; we have always had at least four televisions in our house. I can get easily frustrated when I observe my parents habit of sitting in separate rooms glued to the screen all afternoon. I grew up never having family activities, the most exciting thing I ever had involved family reunions or cookouts my grandmother would throw. Between the three of us, we rarely did anything. We did have an occasional visit to Media Play and Books A Million accompanied by dinner and maybe a movie. After Media Play became bankrupt, those outings stopped. So television became priority to my family, not to mention it was the tv that allowed my dad to find Grace and Truth Ministries. I was 100% set on never bringing one tv into my house, when I became an adult. I thought that would be the way to keep my family close. Then overtime it has become less and less of a sure thing.

There is the issue of feeling alienated, when everyone catches the inside joke on what happened on the newest episode of House and you're left standing there with a blank expression on your face. There are positive impacts of tv too, such as the more informative channels. I could spend hours learning new things from the History Channel. I love The Universe and How It's Made. I like Discovery Channel and Animal Planet too. I also realized that every remote has an off button. We all have the capability to just never sit and flip channels all night.

So the idea of "Us and Them" to me allows people to see how tv can destroy a family's relationship. We could all be sitting in the same room, but the tv will leave us to explore things independently. Just as his mother Shhed him as he tried to speak.

Mick Jagger Wants Me

This was a great story as well. I've always wondered how someone can turn so crazed at meeting a star. I've never felt that wild crave and ecstatic feeling when getting close to someone famous. I can't wrap my head around the behavior of girls passing out and pissing on themselves at a Beatles concert. I tried to imagine meeting my most favorite band or even attending a concert, I don't see me acting that way. I had the same fascinations as Susie, meeting an artist in a more ideal situation than begging for an autograph.

It reminds me of a concert I went to in May of my sophomore year. It was the annul Craw Fish Boil at Riverfront Park. The weather did not look so welcoming, but I wasn't about to let that stop me from seeing a gorgeous man named Jacoby Shaddix. Ha it was an odd time of my life, but I fell in love with his lyrics. By the first band, Fuel, it began raining. They had to stop, due to electrical hazards. Then the rain rapidly grew into a tremendous angry storm who threw hail at me and my friend. It was a bit chaotic at first. The ice cold feeling of the rain combined with the stinging of the hail and thunder that shook the ground you walked made you a little nervous. Everyone scrambled to seek shelter. What was nerve-racking is the fencing that was around he entire park, we made us feel like trapped animals in a ferocious storm. I grabbed my friends hand, whose contacts were fogging up, and guided her to an exit one guy had made himself by pushing over the temporary fence. There were small archways to locked doors on first avenue that everyone crowded under. The smell of alcohol and smoke replaced the fresh rain scent of the storm. After the rain died down people began walking aimlessly around waiting to hear about whether they the concert will continue. Most bands canceled. It was left to Hinder and Papa Roach to decide whether they were going to play. Most people left, only the hardcore fans stayed. Since so many left I was able to grab a spot in the very front of the stage. To make the story short, both bands came and played. what made me heart melt was them performing acoustically. I will never forget that night. The bond of the fans and the dedication those artists have fro their fans was indescribable.