Three Things You Probably Don't Know about Me:

Below I share a list of my interests: a movie I love, a book that moves me, a man that inspires me.  I wrote about these things in Mr. Lewenstein's class. Under each paragraph, I've include a video.  Enjoy. 

1. A Movie I Love:

Everyone knows Spiderman, but few people know the Spider Woman.  I love the movie Kiss of the Spider Woman. When two men are thrown together in an Argentine prison cell, it doesn’t look good.  Complete opposites, one is a flaming homosexual while the other is a rebel intellectual.  Although they seem have little respect for one other, over time they learn they have a need for each other.  After all, they have no freedom, comfort, or hope – all they have is each other.  These two guys are trapped in their prison cell.  They exchange stories to make the time pass.  You never know what is real and what is a dream. The first time I saw it, I didn’t understand it.  The second time, it was even more confusing.  It’s sad.  It’s weird.  It’s great!

2. I Love English Class!

I know. I know.  You will think I'm weird.  I often hear my friends say in class, "Why are we reading this?"  That's when I know the book is going to be good. Others may see no connection between our assigned books to what happens in real life. But, that's what makes English Class great.  It makes our world bigger! This is where I got turned on to Evelyn Waugh's The Loved One.  It's a book that makes you think what you want to do with your life: Dennis is a young British poet who lives in L.A, and he hates it.   He writes phony consolation cards for a pet semetary, and  all of his friends are alcoholics.   When  his despondent roommate hangs  himself in their apartment,  he’s entrusted with the dead body.  In this way, he  meets a young woman at a mortuary who prepares corpses for public display before they are embalmed. Dennis is smart enough to know Aimee is a dreamer and a lunatic, but  he’s still dumb enough to fall in love.  He thinks she will be different, but after all, they both work in an industry where there are no surprises - everything turns  out the same way.  I probably shouldn't say this, but I just about fall asleep in all my other classes. The teachers shove standardized information down your throat. English teachers care more about you than the others.    They want to open your eyes to new possibilities.

3.  I Share Something in Common with Kobe Bryant:

Kobe grew up around basketballs.  His father was an NBA player.  I grew up around books.  My father was a college professor.  Both us knew from early on what we wanted to do with our lives.  He was going to play.  I'm going to write.  Kobe was born  under a star – his father played for the Philadelphia 76ers.   As a child Kobe moved to Italy when his father continued his career in Europe.  Here, watching his father,  he learned the value of tough physical play and teamwork.   By the time he returned to play Philadelphia high school basketball, he was already superstar.    His dominant  skills permitted him to  go straight to the NBA where he has now won four rings with the Lakers.  A fifth ring he wears symbolizes his marriage to his Mexican wife Vanessa.    Beyond his all-time greatness,  Kobe has clearly mastered the “crossover” like no one else.  This is what I think: You have to have a dream.  I know Kobe had his, and I have mine.  But from him, I draw inspiration.  He shows us all that dreaming is not enough.  You have to be determined and stay determined to reach your goals.  It's about hard work. 

Angelina Jolie: Defiance and Compassion

    This was very cool assignment.  In English 009, we read the memoir Girl, Interrupted with Mr.  Lewenstein.  We learned to look at mental illness in a compassionate way.  Reading the book inspired me to see the film.  Seeing the film inspired me to read more about Angelina Jolie.  She is a strong and compassionate woman.  I could see now why someone would tattoo her image on his/her skin. 

  

     I know Angelina Jolie from the film Girl, Interrupted.  I watched it for Winona Ryder, but Angelina stole the show with her brilliant portrayal of a beautiful, clever, and charismatic sociopath committed to a mental hospital for her violent behavior. Winona had the name and the experience, but Angelina walked away with the Oscar.  

    This tattoo may show Angelina’s  off-screen look.  Maybe it is a portrait of her taken backstage at an awards ceremony.  Although she will always be one of our most beautiful Hollywood stars, she is also earning acclaim for her work behind the camera.   She is one of few famous starlets to achieve success as a major motion picture director.  In this tattoo, if you look into her eyes, I think you will see a glint of defiance. Angelina has always refused to be typecast or stereotyped as just another beautiful face.  I’ve read of her leadership in charity and human rights causes.  She may be becoming as famous for her philanthropic activities as her films.  

    For me, her real stardom comes from making her own decisions and taking her own road.  I probably will never get a tattoo, but this image of Angelina represents two important qualities I will always aspire to:  defiance and compassion.

Taylor Swift and Sparks Fly in Motorcycle on the Sea of Tranquility

I wrote this one for Mr. Lewenstein's class after we read Motorcycle on the Sea of Tranquility. It was a about a young Latina who had to develop her own sense of courage and direction.  Like, all on her own.  When I listen to Taylor Swift's music, I hear the same type of challenge.  Taylor knows...

Book Out of My Past - Kiss of the Spiderwoman

When Mr. Lewenstein asked us to share a postive reading experience,

I thought of Kiss of the Spiderwoman.

Here is what I have to say about it: 

"Life can trap you in a sticky spider web."

 I just couldn't put this book down....

Two Truths and One Lie - Told in Colors

On the first day of class, Mr. Lewenstein asked us to write down three paragraphs about ourselves.  TWO of them had to be true.  ONE of them had to be a lie.  After 20 minutes, we exchanged our papers with classmates to read.  Here are my three paragraphs.  I wrote about 'houses" in my life.  I like them all, but one of them is B.S.

BLUE: Recently, I went with my family to visit family in Mexico City.   My mother loves art, so she took me to the Frida Kahlo museum in Coyoacan.  This is the famous “Blue House” where she lived with  her husband and legendary painter, Diego Rivera.  It’s a popular tourist destination.  I believe a national government agency has preserved the house so you can get the sense of their life and genius.  Diego has his studio on one end where he created his murals.  Frida has her studio upstairs.  You can still see samples of their original artwork hanging on the walls. My favorite part of the museum was the kitchen.  The colors are beautiful.   Frida loved to cook.  Diego loved to eat.  This is what my mother said to me: “You can still feel the love in the air.” 

PINK:  In Mexicali, we once lived in a pink house.  Or, maybe I should say that we lived in a house that was once painted pink.  My mother loved the color.  She always said the bright colors found everywhere in Mexico – in the markets, the food, the clothes, etc. – are more than just a cultural tradition; they are the reflection of the warm and lively people.  But my father hated the color.  He was lively in another way.  He was a machista. There was no way he would live in a pink house, but every time he tried to paint the house in his favorite color, green,  the pink would eventually seep back through. The color looked like vomit.  It made him so angry.  He thought the house was haunted.  In the end, we packed up and moved.

WHITE: When I was high-school age, I lived in New York City.  I played saxophone in our school jazz band. We were good.  We played jazz, blues, classical music – we were so good, we were invited to play at the White House.   On a weekend in February, we took the Amtrak down to Washington D.C.   We stayed in a motel outside of town and took a bus in for the day of the event. On Saturday night, we played “New York, New York,” inside the East Wing of the White House.  We met the President’s Marine Band.  They were all dressed in scarlet jackets.  Afterwards, Michelle Obama gave each and every one of us a hug.  How cool was that?  I’ll never forget it.  She told me she would never forget it either; then she told me to go to college.  Here I am.

Tortilla Soundtrack Selection - "Coyote" by Joni Mitchell

In English 1A, we read T.C. Boyle's The Tortilla Curtain.  As soon as we finished, Mr. Lewenstein asked us to contribute a song to our class soundtrack to represent a scene from the novel. We were asked to make our own choices.  We made our own connections.  Below, I write about Joni Mitchell.

Joni Mitchell was once known as the Queen of the Canyon.  She developed and refined  much of her songwriting genius  in L.A.’s Laurel Canyon in the Sixties.  Who knows?   That might not be too far away from The Tortilla Curtain’s Blanco Arroyo.   Midway through the novel, I can hear Joni singing the perfect song  in the background where America finds herself alone in the woods.  In the shadows, America  goes face to face with a wild coyote and doesn't budge.

Joni’s song?  It’s called “Coyote,” of course:  “No regrets Coyote…We just come from different sets of circumstances…”  I believe Joni feels a deep love for the coyote’s  restless, creative soul.  They both journey this Earth for their freedom. They are both survivors.   Likewise, America seems to connect the novel to the forces of nature. I mean her name itself represents the ground that everyone stands on. America’s dark skin, her jet black hair, and her tiny frame are all reminiscent of her Indian heritage.  In many Indian cultures, children are introduced to the elements at a very early age, so they develop more of a respect for nature, and less of a fear.   From the first time we see her in the novel walking along the Pacific Coast Highway, we know she feels part of it.  

“There’s no comprehending…Just how close to the bone and the skin and the eyes…And the lips you can get..” sings Joni.  “And feel so alone.”  Joni knows something about surviving harsh realities.  So does America. So I love the scene where America is sitting there all by herself in the shadows of the woods. It must be both frustrating and frightening . She’s tired and hungry and hurt, and she hears something but she doesn’t know what. It’s kind of like a dream, but it’s real – she’s staring face to face with a coyote. And instead of screaming or panicking, “she looked at that coyote so long and so hard that she began to hallucinate, to imagine herself inside those eyes looking out…”

The sky is blue, the leaves are green, and the coyotes eyes look like they are made of yellow glass.  Joni.  America.  The coyote.  They are soul sisters. They are kindred spirits in a harsh world.

Tattoo Analysis - Amy Winehouse

In English 110, Mr. Lewenstein asked us to write about tattoos.  He gave us the freedom to explore an idea or subject that captured our interest.   Amy Winehouse had fourteen tattoos before she died. Each of them told a story.  Her life was short but passionate.  For my class essay, I'm choosing to write about the "pocket tattoo" situated above her left breast.  I read she tried to have it removed right before she overdosed.  It was the one she regretted.  It expressed her love to her ex-husband.