Cultural Opportunity: ICC Art Exhibit

Culture is all about the customs and philosophies of a group of people. A big part of culture is expression in the form of art. Whether it be abstract, portraits, clay work, or simple drawings, art is considered beautiful and luxurious in almost all cultures. At Illinois Central College, we are fortunate enough to have an art department full of talented artists. When visiting ICC’s art exhibits, one can find paintings of distorted portraits, nature, and colorful, psychedelic abstract pieces. The distorted portraits were works created by the students of themselves in a twisted point of view. Facial features were exaggerated and faces were stretched or contorted. The pieces more directed towards nature were of rocks and sticks. These paintings were mainly brown. My favorite piece in the exhibit was entitled “Blue.” This piece was a portrait of a beautiful girl with full lips and crazy-colorful hair. The whole piece was done in blue but her hair was blue along with pretty much every color of the rainbow. It made me want to go home and dye my hair just like that. Another piece I enjoyed was called “Loop” and it consisted of a bunch of loops and swirls of different colors. I truly enjoyed the art exhibit and am proud to say that I go to the same school as many of those artists.

Cultural Opportunity: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Are you ready for one crazy trip? And not just a roadtrip, but a trip of the mind. Well then you better “buy the ticket [and] take the ride!” In the movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a journalist named Raoul Duke and his lawyer Dr. Gonzo take a trip of a lifetime from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. With a trunk full of any drug you can think of, the two prepare to take a wacky journey through the desert, their minds, and ultimately come out with some the craziest experiences of their lifetimes. This movie is all about the drug culture of the 1960s and 1970s. The men are constantly dropping acid, smoking weed, and taking all sorts of other uppers and downers. Their crazy drug-induced antics make for a quirky laugh-out-loud comedy. Overall I thought the movie was very interesting and I felt that Johnny Depp (Duke) and Benicio Del Toro (Gonzo) made a very crazy duo. But in the end the only thing I really remember are the crazy trips resulting from “too much too much too much” drugs and the music of Jefferson Airplane playing while Dr. Gonzo attempts suicide in the bathroom. I think the movie says a lot about American culture though. American society has dealt with the war on drugs for what seems like forever. But in the end, America isn’t really winning, the drugs are. No matter how many laws are established against drugs, people are still going to do them and create new drugs to experiment with. I mean, the guys even stay in a hotel full of cops while taking all of these illegal narcotics and not once do they get caught. I think the movie is a good source of wicked comedy for people who don’t mind being exposed to the drug culture. But if you are against such cultures, I don’t recommend seeing the movie.

The Big Finale

So this is it. The final blog. What to write about?...I suppose I could just write about my Film Analysis, considering that is where the majority of my focus has been lately.
For my Cultural Film Analysis, I am writing about the movie Into the Wild. The movie is about Christopher McCandles, a college graduate who, in the early 1990s, abandoned his old life in favor of the Alaskan wilderness. Chris, later renaming himself Alexander Supertramp, took off, burning his cash, his social security card, and dumping his car. Along his 2 year journey to Alaska, Alex encountered many different people across America. Jan and Rainey, a hippie couple, invite Alex to stay with them for a while. They all become very close and Alex ends up saving their relationship. Alex also encounters Ron, an ex army man who, still mourning the death of his family, has become couped up and full of fear. The two bond tremendously and they both teach each other about life and facing inner demons. Alex survives in the wilderness for a good while. Ultimately, he begins to starve and turns to plants for nutrition. He accidentally ingests a poisonous plant and ends up dying. Although tragic, the story makes you want to get away from society and be one with nature. The film makes me look at life in a whole new way. I can relate to Christopher Alex Supertramp McCandles. We both have had struggles with our family and our place in society.
I hope to really kick ass on this paper. I absolutely adore this movie and am VERY passionate about the topic of self-discovery and true happiness, which are the bases of my paper. I really want to end the semester with a bang. Hoepfully I'll get an A on this paper. I plan on working super fuckin hard on it! =D

Black Friday

So as we all know, Thanksgiving is next week. YAY! Turkey, football, family, good times...But that also means that the day after is the most dreaded day in retail: Black Friday! Awesome sales bring out the crowds and the ugly. This year is the first time I've ever had to do anything related to blitz. I work at Staples and I'll probably be a cashier. I've been told that we get to work at 6 a.m. and there are lines all the way out the door and around the store. I am definitely not looking forward to this. People are crazy when it comes to good deals. In fact, people have had stuff stolen from them, people have gotten violent over gifts, and some unfortunate people even get killed for the sales. Now is that what Christmas is about? Beating the shit out of each other for the best price on gifts? I thought Christmas was supposed to bring out the peaceful and giving sides of people. But apparently, and especially in today's economy, sales are more important than being a good person. So I say protest Black Friday and wait until the last minute to get your gifts!!! =P

Write Now

Man, I haven't had any motivation to write my ad analysis. So far I've only got one paragraph done. I've just got so many ideas rolling around in my head that I don't even know where to begin. Plus, I've had other homework to do and I worked all weekend. I also think I'm starting to get kind of burned out with writing. I guess I just need to get over it though. I just can't seem to find my muse for this paper. Most likely I'll sit down tonight around 8 or 9 and write the entire paper. But I'll make it work. I always do. I also have to write a one page paper for my history class. We watched part of Gladiator the other day and now we have to write about the history discrepancies. But we only watched an hour and fifteen minutes of the movie. And I don't know that much about Rome. So I'm going to have to do some research for that and write it tonight as well.

Kids these days...

With constant inventions of new and exciting technology, kids of today are getting more and more lazy. It's gotten to the point where it's rare to see a kid climbing a tree or riding his bike down the street. Instead, they are inside, on the couch, playing on their computers, cell phones, or those damn DS'. My little cousin is 8 years old and just about every time I see her she is playing on one of those things. Along with her lack of exercise, and shitty McDonald's diet, she has gained so much weight in the last 2 years. It's gotten to the point where she can hardly keep up with her friends when playing and she even has a double chin. I know it sounds mean, but it's the truth. Yeah I was kind of chubby when I was a kid, but I was always running around outside with my friends and all the other kids in the neighborhood. We skated, played ball, played hide and seek, and were always getting into trouble. We weren't inside on the computer or watching tv, we were out having fun and living the normal life of a child. So what I'm trying to say here is that kids today need to get out more. Even if it's just an hour a day, kids need to get out, run around, and stretch their legs. Otherwise, every kid in America is going to end up like my cousin and even worse like the 1000s of obese kids in our country. I'll admit, I love my technology, but there's nothing better than giong to Macnaughton park up the road and taking a good hike. =]

In school vs Out of school writing

First off I just want to say that I feel like I'm going to repeating myself alot throughout this blog, but here it goes.
I write a lot both in school and outside of school. For school I write lots and lots of papers and I take notes every day. When it comes to writing papers for school, I tend to be very serious. I like to brainstorm and get my thoughts in order and then just simply go at it. Sometimes I’ll write some rough drafts out on paper, but recently I’ve just been mostly typing. I type and type until I can’t do it anymore. Writing on the computer allows me access to more tools such as the thesaurus, which I use a lot. If I feel like I’m repeating myself over and over again, I’ll look for alternative words. That way, my readers won’t get bored and my teacher won’t put tons of red marks all over my paper. When I write outside of school, like my poetry for example, I ALWAYS write on notebook paper. Usually I’ll get one or two ideas, jot them down, and then ideas will come at me from every direction. Anything can become inspiration for my personal writing. Also, if I end up saying the same things a lot, I just go with it. Because that’s how I feel. When my writing is just for my eyes, I say whatever I want and don’t have to worry about being formal. Also, I need motivation some times to write papers for school. When I’m writing for myself though, I just do it whenever. Something will usually spark my interest and then I’ll just write forever. When I’m taking notes in school, I see it as something that I simply have to do. I don’t think about it, I just listen and write. I don’t really mind taking notes. It gives me something to do and I know it will be useful later. Papers aren’t always horrible, but I tend to put them off until the last minute because I’d rather do other things. But writing for me is anything but a chore. It’s something I enjoy and I feel better about myself after I get my personal thoughts out.

The boys are back in town

So I just recently bought the new Alice in Chains CD Black Gives Way to Blue. This album is fucking awesome. Even without Layne Staley, the CD blows my mind. The songs are some of the heaviest Alice in Chains has ever come out with. I love that the single “Check My Brain” has a heavy riff and yet it still has the same ‘ol Alice in Chains flavor. They still have great harmonies and a grungy rock ‘n roll feel. “A Looking in View” is probably the heaviest song on the album. The beginning riff just makes you want to thrash and throw down. Also, as a fan of acoustic music, I truly enjoy number four on the album, “Your Decision.” The simple chord progression and clear, beautiful vocals make it one of my favorites on the CD. I’ve even started learning how to play it on guitar. The last song with the title of the album is what I feel an ode to the late Layne Staley. He was a one-of-a-kind vocalist with true talent and an unfortunate end. The song pays tribute to him and gives the message that no matter how much they move on, Alice in Chains will always remember Staley. I mean without him, they may not have even reached the level of fame they have achieved. But this album proves that even with a new singer, they can still be as badass as ever.

case study: writing for other classes vs. writing for english

So far this semester, I’ve only written papers for English and one recently for my Jazz class. For my jazz paper, I had to be a reporter for Time magazine and write about the life of Louis Armstrong. For this paper I simply stated lots of facts about Louis and discussed how he changed the face off jazz. My writing for English is much more personal. I can be myself more and put more of myself into my English papers. When I think about the other papers I will have to write this semester, like the history paper I have coming up, I expect my writing to be very formal. For my history paper I have to pick a historical document and write about how it came to be and what it was for and all that good stuff. I’m not really looking forward to this paper. I think it will be pretty boring and I don’t think I’ll be able to put much of myself into it. It will still be my style, but a very formal version of it. I’ve really enjoyed the personal and creative freedom I’ve had thus far in English 110. Oddly enough, my writing has been less formal than the stuff I did in high school. And I’m really digging that aspect of English. When I’m writing papers for English, I am able to brainstorm and put my own original thoughts into it. Whereas for jazz and history, I mainly just take notes and turn them into my own words. Of course I can put my own perspective into those papers, but English papers are sort of special in a way. When I have a good topic that I’m passionate about, I can pour myself into the paper. But if I’m not into what I’m writing, it isn’t as good.

Cultural Opportunity: Down Concert

This past Friday I went and saw one of my favorite bands in concert: Down. Most people haven't really heard of them before. The lead singer is Phil Anselmo and the bass player is Rex Brown, both from Pantera. This was the 3rd time I've seen these guys and it was their best show yet! I rocked out the entire time and had a fucking blast!

During the show, they played many of my favorite songs: New Orleans is a Dying Whore, Stone the Crows, The Seed, Lifer, and Temptation's Wings.

New Orleans is a Dying Whore is probably their most badass song in my opinion. The guys of Down are from New Orleans and because of Hurricane Katrina, they never played the song at their shows. That is, until Friday! When the song came on, my brother and I freaked out! This song deals with the not-so-pretty side of the city. With lyrics like "...straight to the street run, no bar room virgin, double vision - cocaine, to a whore house of pain..." you can begin to understand the sort of things the guys were involved with in their home town. Other lyrics include "Mob world politics, so broke it can't fix, trapped in a time zone, there's no place like home..." But even with words like that, the song also shows that no matter what, these guys love New Orleans.

Stone the Crows would have to be one of my favorite Down songs. The beautiful riff is what makes the song. But let’s take a deeper look into the slightly depressing words of the tune. “A bout of deep depression. Can't seem to move it forward…I never died before. Can't live what happened yesterday…No one can share this hurt that is mine, mine, mine…No matter how I try, no matter what I say, I'm blamed, I'm Shamed, I'm judged unfairly.” Back in 2004, when Dimebag Darrel, Pantera’s guitarist, was murdered, many people blamed Phil for what happened. These lyrics demonstrate the hurt and pain that Phil dealt with during those hard times. But lyrics like “You too have died before. I'm not as stoned as yesterday. I never stoned the crow, stoned the crow no, no…” show that he has been able to work through the pain.

The Seed is all about marijuana. The very first line of the song says “Smoke up, do what you must do, wake up, inhale the earth grown fumes.” The rest of the song talks about all the marijuana grown around the world and “the perfection of the seed.”

Lifer is a song that Phil always dedicates to the late Dimebag Darrel. With lyrics like “free at last” and “I’m standing way on the other side,” it’s obvious what this song represents: Just because Dimebag is gone, his legend and spirit live on. He’s a Lifer.

Temptation’s Wings is a very heavy song that deals with Phil’s addiction to heroin and several other drugs. “I feel the pressure it lightens” expresses the pain of addiction. The entire chorus talks about how he pretty much gave his life to drugs: “I gave my life to reason, so now I'm watching my life go, my wit is falling apart, I can't shake temptations wings.” The final verse gives the heartbreaking details of his struggle: “I bury my head with frustration and I look at others and wonder why I'm feeding my cancer. A broken vision that stole my sight.”

Overall, the lyrics of Phil Anselmo and the other members of Down show a wide range of writing abilities and experiences. These guys put their hearts and souls into their music, and the lyrics perfectly demonstrate this.

Keep on Rocking!

Case Study #2: Physical

Like I’ve said many times, I write constantly. I take notes at school, I write papers, I write poetry, and I usually doodle little ideas that pop into my head every now and then. But when I’m actually sitting down to write, there has to be a certain atmosphere in order to get the best out of what I’m writing. For example, when I write poetry, I love being in my room. I usually have plenty of light, and I tend to curl up either on my couch or on my bed. My big journal is where I keep the majority of my poetry, songs, and letters that I write to myself. For the most part I use pens. Pens just seem to help my racing thoughts come out on paper faster. I also tend to write very fast. And when I really get into it and I’m writing crazy-fast, you can usually see my hunched over my notebook with my nose practically against the paper. For some reason this helps me get into it more, I suppose. But then sometimes I’ll pause and think, “why the hell am I so damn close to the paper?” Then after a few moments, you’ll find me once again all up in my notebook. I’m not totally sure why I do this, but I guess it helps right? A lot of my best poetry and lyrics come about when I write late at night. I can remember late summer nights at 2 or 3 in the morning when I’m laying in bed with one light on just going at it. And if it really starts to get good, I’ll grab my guitar and try to put music to my words. But if it’s just a simple paper that I’m writing, I like to have plenty of light. I also don’t like staying up late to write papers for school. I guess I don’t feel that school should take up that much of my time…

Open Discussion #2

I've probably been sitting here for about 10 minutes thinking about what to write for open discussion. So I started to go through my comments and Stephanie suggested that I put up some poetry. And I noticed that Chad put up some of his lyrics so I've decided to give him some moral support.


I figured I'd put one of my more odd pieces up. I ususally don't write in this style but I really like how this one turned out.



Burning inside
desire lurking
pain subsides
Wisdom bestowed
ignorance thwarted
Revolution begins
Calm replaces hysteria
riots soon dissipate
anger fades
ecstasy replaced
Senses heightened
mind drifts and melts
Losing faith
gaining perspective
knowledge grows
power enhanced
weakness shot down
Bullets of love
floral memories
Joining the birds
the sky a safe haven
virtue, trust, grace
Soaring.

Entry #2: Myself as a Writer

Every single day of my life I write. Whether it’s taking notes at school, writing poetry, taking a message at work, texting a friend, or writing a list of groceries, a pen is constantly in my hand. Each form of writing is different, therefore you get a different sense of me for each type. For notes in school, I jot down the important things. I also tend to abbreviate and write very sloppy. When I’m writing an essay or paragraph for class, my writing is very formal. I spell everything out perfectly and make sure to explain myself thoroughly. When I write poetry I am able to express myself the best. Poetry is the most creative form of writing that I can compose. My vocabulary tends to be very expansive and graphic. When writing poetry or songs for me, I can be myself the most. Therefore, I use my every day language, which may not always be appropriate. I also use a lot of metaphors. Poetry is beautiful and I have my best writing experiences during those sessions of creativity. When taking messages at work, my writing is simple and precise. I write down only a few words. Messages show the least amount of skill that I have as a writer. When texting friends and family, that’s where my writing is at its worst. I spell things wrong, I use computer jargon, and I rarely use correct punctuation and grammar. The vast differences in all of these forms of writing show my range of skills as a writer, both good and bad.

One Love

What is the most important thing to you? Some may say family and friends. Others may say their significant other or maybe even their job. While these are all very important things to me, the most essential part of my life would have to be music. Whether it’s rock ‘n roll, reggae, jam bands, pop music, jazz, etc, music makes my world go ‘round.
I enjoy listening to the heaviest heavy metal and even the most mellow folk music known to man. Despite these extremes, musical genres all have one thing in common: the ability to make people listen. I listen to music all the time. When I’m getting ready for school in the morning, driving in my car, or even listening to the imaginary radio in my head, I am constantly jamming to the beats.
Music has the ability to do what no person or drug can. When I’m sad, I listen to music. When I’m angry, I turn on the stereo. When I need to relax, I kick back and put in my ear buds. If I could, I’d listen to music damn near every second of my day. Even when I don’t have the radio blaring, you can find me sitting on my couch jamming on my acoustic guitar.
Music is in my blood and my soul. Not only does it keep me sane, but it has kept me alive. When my dad died in 2005, the main thing besides family and friends that kept me going was music. If it weren’t for the music I had access to, I may not be here today. Losing a parent leaves a hole in your heart. But by listening to and creating music, I have been able to slowly fill that gap. Music has been around forever, and without it, I, and many others, would be lost.

Letter of Introduction

August 25, 2009

Jordan McNeely

Dear Stephanie,

As you can see, my name is Jordan. I am 18 years old. I was born in Landstuhl, Germany. My dad was in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed there when my brother and I were born. When I was 3 years old my family and I moved to Las Vegas where we lived for six years. After 3rd grade, we moved to Arkansas. After my father died in 2005, my mom, my brother, and I moved to Pekin. I currently live in North Pekin, but not for much longer. In the next month or so my mom, her boyfriend, and I will be moving into a new house in the Pekin area.

I graduated from Pekin Community High School with a 3.4 GPA. My major is currently undeclared but I am thinking about becoming a pharmacist. My two main goals this semester are to figure out my major and choose the university I will transfer to after my two years at ICC. I love music and writing so it would be nice to choose a major that involves those two elements. Also, I would love to live in San Francisco, California. I spent a week there over the summer and fell in love with it. Perhaps I will transfer to a college in the bay area.

I currently work at Staples in Pekin. I have been there for about two months so far and I really like it. Let’s just say that it is a lot better than the last two jobs I’ve had: Pizza Hut and Little Caesar’s. Never again will I work in fast food.

Like I mentioned, I absolutely love music. In fact, I would probably die without it. My favorite bands include Umphrey’s McGee, Incubus, Slightly Stoopid, Down, and Pantera. I listen to all types of music. Pretty much anything unique, funky, heavy, or groovy can satisfy my ears. I even play guitar and sing in my spare time. I also write my own songs and poetry.

My favorite movie is Dazed and Confused. I also love Twilight, Lords of Dogtown, Transformers, and several others. A few of my favorite actors include Denzel Washington, Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogan, and Drew Barrymore.

Some of my favorite foods are chicken and dumplings, pasta, bread, cereal, and chocolate. Pretty much anything with chicken and carbs sounds good to me. I’ve always been a picky eater but my tastes have changed over the years.

When I’m not working or going to school, I love to hang out with friends and family. My two best friends are Tara and Janelle. Tara is my cousin and we were born 11 months apart. We are more like sisters than anything. I met Janelle my sophomore year of high school and we have been friends ever since. I am also very close with my mom, my brother, and my new sister-in-law. Without all of these people, my life and myself would not be the same.

So there you have it. That is pretty much me in a nutshell. Thank you for reading a little bit about me.

Sincerely,



Jordan McNeely