Live Music!!

Live Music!!

A gem in what I consider a somewhat boring city, Paradigm Coffee Shop provides a wonderful environment to relax while supporting local musicians and opening many minds. Being 45 minutes away from where I live, I don't get to Paradigm as often as I would like, but when I do it never disappoints. The drinks and scene are fantastic, but what I love about it is the music. Live music always seems to be able to bring people together, even the most unlikely people. I especially like the fact that they have some very talented musicians that come and play, many of whom return time and time again. I've found much of the music to be folky and mostly acoustic, which I think fits nicely there and provides a change from what a lot of people hear about their daily lives. I went this Saturday to see The Brothers Burn Mountain and was as impressed as I always am to see them play. The energy they create is like none other and they are definitely one of my favorite local bands that I always look forward to seeing. I would recommend going to see them to anybody and everybody, because even if you don't like they type of music that they play, the experience itself is like none other. The brothers perform amazingly well live and have some very intense 'bongo jams' throughout the performance. Along with the tried and true musicians that keep coming back, it seems that every couple weeks there will be a new band or performer that I haven't seen yet, which is always fun to check out something new. Unfortunately there aren't too many shops that host events like this, but if you're willing to travel to Port Washington, there are a couple places there in which you can find live music. Smith Brothers Coffee Shop as well as a restaurant on the lakefront have bands and open mic nights on occasion, which are always fun to check out. Getting out and supporting local musicians and artists is not only helpful, but it can be a wonderful experience. I find that there's hardly anything more relaxing than going out at the end of the week, or any day for that matter, and sitting back to enjoy some live music up close and personal, and meeting all sorts of great people. If you didn't know about these places, I suggest you look into them, and at least go check it out sometime, you won't be disappointed.

American Values

I had a writing promt from my American Literature class, so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and write it early and have my blog post done as well. It's not a very interesting read, but there were quite a few guidelines to meet that killed some of the freedom of writing it.

Unique but United

          When America won independence in 1776, its founding fathers believed in freedom, justice, rights, and hard work. These values are still alive today, and can be attributed to America's prosperity and strength. A new nation brought immigrants with different religions, beliefs, cultures, and languages all looking to build a life in this new land. Although there was much diversity, it was the united mentality of working to achieve something bigger that kept people together.

          There is no one right way to describe what an American is... they come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, with their own languages, religions, and morals. To try and label an American as one certain thing, is essentially, to contradict the true meaning of what it is to be an American. America is about being diverse, with the freedom to live as you choose so long as you respect the rights of others. It is this approach of living mostly in peace with one another that unites this country. An American is whatever they want to be... with hard work and determination, they determine how best to live up to their definition.

          American citizenship grants you a number of privileges that many people could only dream of. United States citizens have the right to speak as they wish, practice their religion, write, petition, bear arms, and organize a militia just to name a few. As these are the rights America was founded on, exercising these rights is essential to maintaining them. Without the initiative to put your rights to use, you may as well not have them at all. A large part of what it means to be an American is to acknowledge that your rights are privileges and to exercise them and stand up to anything that may compromise them.

          Your rights come with, not only a responsibility to take advantage of what you have, but to have a willingness to fight for them. Nationalism can have negative connotations, but when used in moderation and for the right reasons, it ultimately strengthens a country. Loyalty is what keeps a country united, and in order to have rights and freedoms, loyalty is indispensible. In order to preserve what we love, we must defend it.

          Americans cannot be defined by any basic characteristics, but by their actions and sense of unity. Without unity and the sense of duty to defend what we have, we never would have been able to make it this far. This country is a place of diversity and freedom, which shines through into the souls and values of the American citizen.

           

It's that time of year again...

This is my least favorite time of year, with nothing to look forward to except spring break, it's hard to keep motivated. To make matters worse, my spring break for high school isn't until April. It's the time of the year where all the students lose their motivation, me included, and the teachers pile on more than ever to keep on pace for the year. My freshman and sophomore year weren't all that bad and I kept busy all year round and kept my grades up, but now that I'm in the second semester of junior year I just can't seem to summon up the will power to do anything productive. This could just be due to the collective attitude of not wanting to do anything at school, but for me it's been due mainly to the fact that I've bitten off a bit more than I can chew. I have to juggle a full day at high school, then run up to UW Sheboygan which leaves me getting home around 9 o clock on Mondays and Wednesdays. That's a fourteen hour school day! In addition, on days that I don't have to go to the campus I go straight to work from school, leaving me with little time as well. I haven't had a day off in months, and quite honestly, it's taking a toll. This was a usual week, and I've been able to manage it well, as it keeps me busy but also gives me some time to do what I want. Unfortunately I've been hit with multiple other jobs to do lately as well. I've been house sitting for 10 days now and despite the fact that it's a gorgeous house, it's nearly impossible to get anything done. Taking care of all the animals and chores, and running back and forth from the house to my house, and to school and work has left me totally burnt out and putting ridiculous amounts into my gas tank each couple days. Not only that, but they have a computer that's too slow to do anything on so anytime I need to use the computer I have to drive 20 minutes and come home. It's just these little individual things that are really getting to me the past couple weeks,  and I think it's about time for a break.

Well, that seems like enough ranting for one day but now I have the blog post to check off my list of things to do and I can go run back to the other house. I suppose my  argument for this is that the time of transition between winter and spring is god-awful and that it's going to be hard to make it through this time around.