The Internet is For Porn

We’re always taught not to talk to strangers, and the horrors of chat rooms and Internet predators are engraved in our heads from the age we start using computers.  One day, I went into a chat room for one of my favorite bands, The Maine.  I had no clue what to expect, but the nicest group of people welcomed me.  We’re not all the same age or race and we come from places like the United States, the Netherlands, Germany and Canada.

            It’s been a year since I first went in that chat room, and I still talk to everyone everyday.  Our conversations don’t center on the band that brought us together, but also our personal lives, school, family troubles and so much more.  This group of people probably knows more about me then people I see on a daily basis and for that I am so grateful.

            We may not all have the chance to see each other at some point in our lives, but to us that doesn’t matter, we’re happy just being able to talk to each other on a daily basis.  Text messages, video chats, and other forms of communication have helped us form our own little misfit family.  If I had never entered the chat room that day, I would never have met the best people to enter my life in the past year and eventually we will all have the chance to meet.  For some of us, that may occur sooner than others, but we have The Maine to thank for all of this.  The Internet can be a dangerous place if you misuse it, but it has helped me open up to these girls in ways I never thought possible, all because of a chat room and our mutual love for one band.

Word Count: 300

Point:  You don't need to see someone on a regular basis in order to call them your best friends.

My love/hate relationship with English classes

In tenth grade, I had a teacher that didn’t like teaching high school students.  I watched her scream in student’s faces and throw things across the room.  Unfortunately, my experience with her was slowly spiraling downwards and it reached an ultimate low when she accused me of plagiarism.  I had no interest in the book we read so my work was not my best, but I’d always been good at writing papers.  When she handed back our papers, she could not believe that it was my own work and since then I’ve tended to strongly dislike English classes. 

Word Count: 98

Oddly enough, my best experience was when taking English 100 here at UMBC.  Professor Dunnigan was an odd man but he knew how to get the students involved in our discussions, and the topics for our papers were interesting to analyze and write about.  I’ve never liked being told what to read, but the books we were expected to read were just as interesting as the lectures we had to sit through.  One class with Professor Dunnigan changed the way my entire high school career had shaped my hatred for English classes and the books we were forced to read.

Word Count: 100

I Want To Impact The World, But Can't Do It Alone

            Amanda Moore

           WC: 282

            Music is an important part of everyone’s life, whether you believe it or not.  We all know we’re guilty of singing along with the radio, no matter how tone-deaf we may be.   I’m one of those people who has their headphones in their ears at all times, whether I’m just walking to class or relaxing after a long day.  Music has the power to create or change moods in a person.  I’ve had some rough times in the past, but music has been the one constant throughout my entire life. 

            My family says I used to learn commercial jingles quicker then the things I was being taught in school.  Like all other musical pieces, they were catchy and they got stuck in your head quickly. This experience of my childhood has stuck with me, and even today there is constantly a song in my head. 

To me, music is a saving grace, that one thing that is always there for you.  There have been a few bands in my life that have had a tremendous affect on the way I look at myself, the main one being The Rocket Summer, as well as Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin.  Songs for when you’re happy, upset or even angry, music can pick you out of a funk or help you cope with those angry thoughts brewing inside you.  I believe in the power and impact of music.  It has the power to change the world if we just listen, the power to heal emotional wounds or just as an escape from reality for just a small moment.  Music can be a powerful thing, if we just give it the chance to do its work.

Belief:  I believe in music, in its power to heal and its ability to impact the world, if we just give it a little help.

Generation Social Network

     If I were to name our generation, I would pick Generation Social Network.  Our generation has become so reliant on the Internet in every aspect of our lives that it has blurred the line between private and public.  We feel that we need to share every aspect of every day, and nothing is kept to ourselves.  Our generation relies heavily on social networking sites and feels that we have a right to know everything about everyone.  Without sites such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter, our generation would be a little more private and a little less nosy. 

WC: 97

A Community Landmark [Final]

          Walk through the doors into a 1950’s diner setting with constant noise and motion.  You’ve just walked through the doors of a business full of history, community and tradition.  Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington, DC is home to a landmark known for it’s famous chili, a place that holds a special meaning to the neighborhood it resides in.

            Opened in 1958, Ben’s has been a large staple in the neighborhood for over 50 years and has kept the neighborhood alive throughout many trials and tribulations over the years.  Ben’s has also had its share of blessings like visits by celebrities.

            Faithful regulars, as well as tourists have kept business booming to this day.  Ben’s is the place to visit when attending a concert at local venue, 9:30 Club.  At all days during the week, there is a line stretching out the door of the eatery since Ben’s is open until 11pm on it’s earliest days.  Ben’s also offers options for vegetarians, and I can attest that it has the best vegetarian chili I’ve ever tasted.

            Ben’s Chili Bowl has been a popular eatery in the community for a long period of time and has become an anchor of the neighborhood.  A neighborhood that’s been beat down by troubles and is redefining itself thanks to this marvelous location on U Street that will always be the same place it began as, the same recipes, the same bar stools, the same love and support of everyone that steps through it’s doors.

WC: 249

A Community Landmark

Walk through the doors into a 1950’s diner setting with constant noise and people moving, a place that’s always crowded.  You’ve just walked through the doors of a business full of history, community and tradition.  Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington, DC is home to a landmark known for it’s famous chili, a landmark that is special to the neighborhood it resides in.

            Opened in 1958, Ben’s has been a large staple in the neighborhood for over 50 years and has kept the area alive throughout the 1968 riots and the creation of the metro.  Ben’s has had its share of blessings like visits by Bill Cosby and Barack Obama throwing business into the limelight.  Faithful regulars, as well as tourists have kept Ben’s business booming to this day.

 Any day that I’ve stepped foot in Ben’s, even weekdays, there has been a line out the door.  It’s a regular eatery for concertgoers after shows at the local venue due to being open until 11pm on it’s earliest days.

            Ben’s Chili Bowl has been a popular eatery in the community for a long period of time.  It has managed to stay open despite hardships, and has become the anchor of this neighborhood.  A neighborhood that’s been beat down by troubles and is redefining itself thanks to this marvelous location on U Street that will always be the same place it began as, the same recipes, the same bar stools, the same love and support of everyone that steps through it’s doors.

The Powerful Influence of the Music Scene

Cue scene, you’re at a typical pop-punk concert, a genre consisting of bands like The Maine, All Time Low, Blink 182 and many others.  The band takes the stage, most members wearing v-necks, skinny jeans, plaid button-ups or brands such as Glamour Kills.  Now look at the crowd, this seems to be the typical ‘uniform’ of the fans as well as the band.  Whatever your relationship, music has a powerful influence over the people that choose to have it in their lives, more of an influence then we want to believe, but if we take a step back and examine our culture, the influence on the fashion styles of today is clearly evident.

Bands in this scene don’t fit into one category when it comes to age or appearance.  From older to younger bands, it’s easy to see that they all tend to wear the same type of clothes whether it be onstage or off.  But this music genre doesn’t just affect the concertgoers who engulf themselves in it, but also the extreme sports that link themselves to music.

BMX riders and skateboarders are another social group that has been affected by the music genre they associate with.  Bam Margera used to wear the clothes typical of the older pop-punk scene, but has now changed his appearance to accommodate the changing trends of the music and skateboarding industry.

Blink 182 circa 2010

Blink 182 circa 1997

Take a look at many of the pop-punk bands a few years ago.  With the changing times their appearances have changed as well to include the clothes we now see very predominately in our society.  From high school to adulthood, we continue to see v-necks, skinny jeans and a growing population of other clothes that are most popular onstage.  It is hard to understand why the fashion scene has changed so much over the years, but the appearance of our culture has followed the change in the appearance of this increasingly popular pop-punk music scene.  

WC: 325

The Powerful Influence of the Music Scene

            

The Maine [Phoenix, AZ]
National Touring Band.

Victory by Revenge [Howard County, MD]
Predominantly local band.

      







        V-necks, skinny jeans, plaid, specific brands, they’re all a growing trend in the fashion of all generations, regardless of their age or gender.  The 1960’s were a time when tight jeans were okay for both guys and girls, but with the change in the popular music of the time, came those clothes that were acceptable for each gender.  Skinny jeans and v-necks weren’t okay for guys, but with the increasing popularity of the pop-punk music scene, came a new acceptable trend for males of our culture.

            Cue scene, you’re at a typical ‘pop-punk’ concert, a genre consisting of bands such as The Maine, All Time Low, We the Kings, Blink 182, as well as many others.  The band takes the stage, most of them wearing the clothing mentioned above, but when you look at the crowd, it seems to be the typical ‘uniform’ of them as well.  Music has a powerful influence over the people that choose to have it in their lives.  Whether you’re starting a band and look up to bands already in the scene, or if you’re a fan, you tend to want to be like those bands in most aspects.

            Take a look at the clothes of our culture; from high school to adulthood, you continue to see v-necks, skinny jeans and a growing population of plaid button-ups and certain brands that popular bands wear, such as Glamour Kills and Snake & Suits.  No one knows why these trends have come back full force, but with the growing scene of the pop-punk genre, it without a doubt has something to do with it.  The growing number of boys in bands wearing skinny jeans has made it acceptable for ‘normal’ boys to wear, and even though everyone judges, in their heads there is no reason that it is not an okay thing for them to wear.  Music has more of an influence on our lives then we want to believe, but if you take a step back and examine our culture, you can clearly see the influence on the fashion styles of today.

WC: 349

"Where words fail, music speaks" - Hans Christian Andersen

Text is something comprised of a series of marks or sounds inscribed or arranged on some surface that creates a meaning for a specific group, person or audience.  Something that makes no sense to you could make perfect sense to someone else.  When I think of reading, I don’t just think of books or poetry, I think of another form of literature, lyrics.  Music has been a huge staple in my life since a young age, and even though I only thought it was catchy at age 13, those lyrics still showed some emotion.  There are lyrics for every type of emotion, whatever mood I’m feeling, I have something I can listen to that will give me a solace from life; Something Corporate when I’m feeling down, Ke$ha when I want to dance, and that random playlist when I’m mad at the world.  While using your imagination is generally a good thing, for me it gives a false sense of reality.  Music allows for that creativity without the torment of it never coming true, if you listen to the right music that is.  When you go to a concert, you don’t have to imagine the emotion, or create your own world.  You’re thrown into the best possible experience you could ask for, the writer singing his words to you while putting on the best show possible.  Music has given me the chance to make new friends and create many new memories in my life, something books haven’t given me.

WC: 249

This may not be real life, but it's my life.

My name’s Amanda Moore, I’m 20 years young and from Millersville, Maryland.  I’m in my 3^rd year at UMBC and spent the first 2 years planning for something I no longer have any interest in.  I grew up in a single parent household, attending the public schools of Anne Arundel County and have spent the past 4 years working at Fieldstone Animal Inn.  I’ve been a pescatarian for the past 6.5 years and have constantly put up with ridicule for these actions.  I’m constantly looking for concerts to go to because the thrills of watching your favorite band perform live is something that can’t be replicated and I also have a passion for concert photography.  I’ve learned that you can’t be afraid of judgment because it’s a major part of our society; you just need to be yourself and live your life the way you want too.

Word Count: 147

<- That is an example of my concert photography.