Double Feature: The Dark Knight and Pineapple Express

Last fall, I believe sometime in November, I attended a double feature night on Campus. The event was an early showing of the two movies, The Dark Knight and Pineapple Express. The movies were not yet released on DVD and theatres were no longer showing them, so I went with a group of friends to the double feature night. I had really liked the Dark Knight when I saw it the first time in theatres over the summer and I had also heard from numerous people that Pineapple was pretty funny and that I would like it if I were to see it. So, we decided to go. That night, our group got to the Capen Auditorium in Edwards Hall, where the movies were being shown, and found seats in the upper balcony to the left. The entire place was completely packed! There were so many people there, that they had to turn some people away and could not let everyone who wanted to attend in the auditorium.
The atmosphere was really fun and upbeat. Everyone was excited about the two movies and before they began there was a loud excited buzz of conversations discussing the movies that were about to start. Then, the lights dimmed and students awaiting the movies cheered for the event. A UPB director made some announcements about upcoming events and then the movie began to play. After the Dark Knight was finished, they turned on the lights and let some more people in to fill the seats of those who left after the first movie. After about a 15 minute break allowing for people to get concessions, the second movie, Pineapple Express Began.
The event taught me that the UPB always have new and exciting events going on all of the time. I hadn’t realized how many on-campus events the UPB organized. The UPB director spoke, as I mentioned before, at the beginning of the event, announced a lot of upcoming events that were fun and exciting to me as a college student. For instance, I am really excited about going to The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Secondhand Serenade concert that is at the Bone Student Center next Thursday.

Practice Makes Perfect

So, as I may have mentioned in my first blog entry, I really enjoy music and everything about it. Whether I am just listening to it and singing along on the radio, or making it myself, I love it. I really love to sing, I played the flute for four years in my high school’s symphonic and marching band, and I was always really involved with the theatre department’s musical productions. More recently though, I have started to teach myself to play the guitar. I am not really any good at all yet, to be completely honest, but I love to try. It is a fun and entertaining way to express one’s self. Eventually though, I think that with much more practice and dedication I will improve immensely.
The other night, I actually took a break from studying and actually practiced the guitar. My friend Steve came to my dorm after he got out of his band practice around 10pm, and he gave me tips and pointers on what I was doing wrong and what I could be doing better. Then, he began to teach me to play the song “anyone else but you” that is in the movie Juno. It is the song that Juno and Bleaker play and sing at the end of the movie. (If you have ever seen the movie, I’m sure that you know the song) And, we also played “Hallelujah.” This song has many versions by a wide variety of artists including Kate Voegele and Jeff Buckley. However, the songs are simple enough that I am able to play them somewhat. Mainly though, they both help me learn to strum better. They also serve as a good way to practice and improve on switching from one chord to the next. The songs have also taught me new chords that I didn’t know before. In other words, the songs will after much practice, help me to improve the basic skills that one needs to play the guitar well. So, thanks to the help from my friend Steve, I am well on my way to improving.

Rule Number One: Quit School

If I were given the cost of tuition for four years at Illinois State University, and the rule that I have to quit school and go out and spend the money, I would first and foremost, spend the money on the costs to start my own photography business. I would love to be a freelance photographer. I could take family photos, senior pictures, photograph weddings and so on. Therefore, I would spend the money on getting the state of the art equipment and other business necessities. I would need a few great digital cameras, photo editing programs, lights, and props. Then, I would need to buy a space or building for my business. And I would also need to purchase business supplies such as computers, prints for advertising and etc. After purchasing all of the necessary equipment, I would then spend the money on advertising for my business to get my name out there as being reliable and good. I would have to get personal training through other professional photographers. And then, a good amount of the money would have to go towards something to live off of until my business took off and was successful and profitable.
After spending the money on starting my own photography business, I would use the remainder of the money, if there was any, to travel the world with my family and friends. There are so many places that I would like to see and visit before I die. For instance, my dream vacation would be going to Italy. I would love to visit Italy and all its beauties. I think that Italy would be a beautiful place to photograph and capture. This scenic place would be the first place on my list to visit.
Overall, I think that it is safe to say that given the option, I would be a photographer if I was given the rule to quit school. I would definitely start my own business and do what I love to do, and be a photographer.