The Who Dat Superbowl

Did anyone watch the Superbowl yesterday? I will begin by saying that I think it was a heck of a game (keep reading if your not into sports, the majority of this post does not deal with the game itself). The difference between winning and loosing came down to the first and only turnover in the game. It was also riddled with exciting fourth down conversions and just overall solid football. It was an added bonus that I was able to watch the game without too much riding on the outcome, as I have no strong feelings for either the Saints or the Colts (nonetheless congratulations on the win New Orleans). But I would like to also analyze, as so many (maybe too many) do, the peripherals of the game itself.

I am one to watch the Superbowl for the football, but many watch it for the commercials and the halftime show. In that realm, both were disappointing. At halftime The Who came out and preformed some of their greatest songs including a personal favorite "We Won't Get Fooled Again", but honestly they were really a disappointment. Their performance seemed to lack energy and well, they seemed worn-out. The Superbowl half time show, since the Janet Jackson exposure incident (her boob was on TV), has been dominated by classic bands such as the Rolling Stones and The Who. I don't believe this is right. The Superbowl is an experience highlighting our current culture. This includes the popular sport of football surrounded by adds of peoples favorite products and artists. The halftime show should be preformed by a current pop artist band, despite the fact that the Who is and will always be better than Rihanna.

Finally, the commercials. The commercials were terrible. Sure the Doritos shock collar and the Bud Light plane wreck lacked true creativity, but a good amount of them reinforced misogynistic values that fight against equality for women. The Levi's commercial highlights this by claiming it is time for men to wear the pants again, implying women have taken power and that needs to end. Flo TV also followed stereotypical models of gender roles portraying men as tough guys who always watch sports and women as annoying shoppers who care about nothing more then getting the most beautiful dress on the rack. Go Daddy showed a complete disregard for anything women have to offer outside of a hot body with commercials that had scantily dressed women getting even more scandalous as time went on. My only response to this is...really? Feel free to waste millions of dollars campaigning for your product during the Superbowl with uncreative and lame commercials but do not go on and perpetuate sexist messages that continue to plague our society with a perverse view on what and who women are.

But again, for me it is about the football and I enjoyed that!

Back Porch Livin'

Over the last century there has been a social shift causing gatherings to move from occurring on the front porch to the back porch. This can be seen through a number of facets. The first being architecture. Looking at houses built in the late 1800s, early 1900s, one will typically find the house equipped with a nice front porch ample for a party or nice evening get together. Moving into the 1950s, as the great migration into suburbia occurred, houses began to lack this very important feature. Entertainment also reflects this shift. On T.V. bar-b-ques typically take place in the back yard , with a closed set of friends. Compare that image to photos from the turn of the century and one may notice a difference, as these photos are ever so often of families on the front porch. The cause of this, to me, is unknown. Was it a change that architects pushed to save costs on not having to build a front porch, is it directly related to moving closer together into suburbia or is it just that we, as a society, are agoraphobic? Does anyone have a hypothesis they would like to share? Despite the reasoning I am not a fan of this shift. If you have any ideas, let me know!

The greatest PLACE on Earth!

The concept of a "sense of place" is still relatively new to me. The idea was first proposed to me two years ago in a Geography class at Northern Arizona University (Thanks Dr. Kennedy!). At the time I did not fully understand what it meant, as I had never felt a overwhelming attachment to Tucson, where I was born and raised. I missed Tucson when I left it, but I missed it solely because of my friends and family. Upon moving to Spokane I now more fully understand the importance of "place". I miss Flagstaff and I miss it for a number of reasons. I miss my friends there but I also miss the place. I miss the small town feel. I miss Late for the Train, AZ bikes and other local businesses. I miss buffalo park and other hiking trails. For the past couple nights my dreams have been about hiking along Wet Beaver Creek with Tamie and Russel, Cathedral Rock with Rebbecca and Eli and S.P. Crater with Nick. The images of the trail more vivid than I can believe.
The attachment to the landscape and culture I have for Flagstaff is another reason cities must strive to stay small and avoid a phoenix-like structure. I did not feel a strong attachment to Tucson because it is, for the most part, generic. Chains, that you can find across the United States and the world, dominate business. Hiking trails and wilderness are miles away and are only accessible by driving a minimum of thirty or so minutes. Spokane seems to have this same syndrome, although I have only been around here for two weeks.
The point is, as many of you already know, it is important to support local business and preserve nature and wildlife. It is important to limit big business and the expansion of cities. If we refuse to do these things not only will the planet become unsustainable but it wont be worth sustaining. A true sense of place is important to find and live.

My first few days teaching

Well, I have completed my first week in the classroom. This past week has been observation, which, as it turns out is a little boring. Luckily, next week I begin working hands-on with the kids and will begin actually teaching lessons the week after that. Nonetheless, I have been placed with a pretty cool cooperating teacher whom I believe will help create a positive experience for me. I teach three classes of world history, one class of honors world history and a class called AVID with at-risk youth. All the students I work with are freshman. The kids overall seem pretty cool. The school is full of socioeconomic diversity with rich and poor kids from good and bad families, which makes it interesting. That is really all I have about the classroom right now, but I am enjoying the experience and will update as I can. Hope all is well with everyone!

My first few days in Washington

Moving from Flagstaff, AZ to Spokane, WA, as it turns out, is a pretty big deal for me. I have never lived outside Arizona, and I really do love Flagstaff and the people that live there, so my transfer up north has been a little difficult. Nonetheless, it has been fun and I look forward to what comes next. I arrived in Spokane on Monday, after an 18 hour drive, to be greeted by my aunt and uncle, with whom I will be residing for the next four months while I student teach. Their house is beautiful as it is set directly across from the Episcopal cathedral and overlooks downtown. Spokane is really a pretty beautiful town, and it has been great getting to spend time with my aunt and uncle. So far we have walked around Spokane, gone to a Gonzaga basketball game and have watched numerous bowl games including the disappointing Holiday and Rose Bowl. It has been a good experience so far and I look forward to begin teaching on Monday. In the future I will attempt to post pictures of where I live along with the cathdral and school where I will be teaching, but until then happy new year! I am going to take a walk in the park.

Blog Justification

The first thing I feel I must do is explain why I have created a blog. Many of you know I despise social networking sites such as bookface and myface, and in the past have included blogs in the same categorical realm. I no longer endorse the statements I have made previously linking these two types of sites. Times have changed (I mean one can now rightfully end a sentance with a preposition without justfied repercussions of scolding and mockery from peers and co-workers) and so have I. Nonetheless, Please forgive me if I have wronged or offended you inthe past to fulfil my quest to rid the world of all things online as I now engage in one of the most hip and up-to-date activities known as "blogging". Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy reading my blog, if you so choose to do, and have a good day!