Brian’s Bucket List

For me, my “Bucket List” is not composed of little things like bungee jumping or skydiving. In my life I am more concerned about accomplishing larger goals. The goal I am currently working on is to graduate in four years from SJSU with a major in Kinesiology. The reason I am doing this is so I can become a hockey coach or physical education teacher. The reason for the coaching job would be to travel the world because I love seeing new places.

As far as my personal life goes, I would like to marry someone that makes me happy because it will make the relationship so much easier to handle. I would like to get married by the time I’m 28 so I can start a family by the time I’m 30. I also want a good dog that can protect the family and also be a loving pet. Eventually I would like to live on a farm with a couple horses because I have always wanted a big piece of land and horses to ride.

My overall life goal is to pass on something to my children and/ or kids I coach or teach that will be useful in their lives. I have had many influencial people in my life that I will never forget and I want people to think of me like that when I die. Like one of my favorite singers, Randy Travis says: “It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it’s what you leave behind you when you go.”

Brian’s 2nd MUSE Workshop (Dec. 2nd)

What is animation analyzation? Well it is a made up term, but Justin and David (the leaders of the workshop) told us that it is an important way to look at todays cartoons. They began the workshop by telling us about a philosopher from 1804 named Immanuel Kant, who questioned the thought of ethics. He began to question people’s morality and where it comes from.

We took this question into mind when we watched a Simpsons episode where Homer is tempted to cheat on his wife with a a very attractive co-worker that is interested in him. At the end he desides to stay with his wife because he knows it is the right thing to do.

After this we were asked if there was a difference between catergorical imperitive and the Golden Rule. We answered saying that they were different because the golden rule is just acting in ways you would like to be treated which may not always be the right thing to do unlike catergorical imperitive. All in all this was a great workshop.

Brian’s Third Study Tip

For this last study tip I am going to suggest one thing: do not be a slacker. As a student you will have to do group projects no matter what your major is or what class you are taking. If you need to do a project, just get it done and help out your partners. If you wait to the last minute to do it you will be too stressed to sleep at night and it is the worst feeling in the world. When the time comes for a group project just step up and be a leader. Your group members will look up to you if you do this.

Brian’s Fourth Music List:Freestyle!

Best Dance Song: “Sandstorm” by Darude- The reason this is the best dance song is because it has an incredibly fast tempo that is literally impossible not to dance to.

Best Make-Out Song: “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye- This song is incredibly sexy so I listed it under this catergory.

Best Slow Dance Song: “Unanswered Prayers” by Garth Brooks- This song is really good for slow dancing with someone because it is very romantic and will swoon the ladies for sure.

Worst Song to Drive To: “Devil Went Down to Georgia” by The Charlie Daniels Band- This song will make you speed. I guaruntee this!

Most Patriotic Song: “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” by Toby Keith- I don’t care if you do not like country…after this song you will be proud to be an American! (If you’re American)

Brian is Interpreting Lyrics

For this particular assignment, I chose “Hotel California” by The Eagles because it is one of the most controversial songs when it come to lyrical meaning. When you first listen to this song, it appears they are singing about a traveler that stays at a hotel that is very tempting to him because of it’s lavish style. Although the hotel looks appealing, it later haunts the traveler to the point where he is trapped forever. This is a good story to make a song about, but this song is so much better because nobody is certain as to what the song actually means. In my theology class in high school, we analyzed this song for an entire class period because there were various possible interpretations that nobody could agree on.

The way I interpret this song is mainly based off of a heaven and hell comparison. At the beginning of the song, they say “I saw a shimmering light. My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim, I had to stop for the night.” I think this line symbolizes death because then they describe a symbolic heaven and hell temptation saying: “There she stood in the doorway, I heard the mission bell” (heaven) “I was thinking to myself this could be heaven or this could be hell.” After this they describe how everything at the “hotel” appears so beautiful and fancy when in reality it is all deceiving him. Now he cannot escape this hell that he has chosen.

I believe this song is one of the best ever written because it allows the listeners to interpret it anyway they want and it only means what they want it to mean. For me, this song means that I must not be tempted by material desires or else I will be trapped in a material world and it will eventually kill me.

Brian’s Presentation on a Moment That Changed Rock N’ Roll History

For my moment that changed rock n’ roll history I chose the death of Elvis Presley because his career was a huge contribution to rock n’ roll and changed it forever.

Brian is Talking About Drugs

For this topic it will be hard for me to relate to drugs used by college students because I have never used drugs in my life and I never plan to. I see the results and side effects of drugs all around me and I am never tempted to destroy my body. The same goes for alcohol. I have personally witnessed alcohol destroying the lives of loved ones and friends that I had once looked up to. It has never sounded amusing or benificial to me, so I have never tried them. Obviously cigarettes are not considered drugs, but they are just as bad for you and really have no benefits. That is why I lose a little respect for smokers when I find out.

As far as energy drinks go, they are really bad for your body as well, but they are not necessarily deadly. Sure they can cause health problems, but you can counter them with excersise or good diet. Energy drinks are what I am tempted by most and use the most because they really help me when I have a lot of homework that takes me the entire night to finish. I am personally satisfied with my ability to stay strong with my decisions not to use drugs or alcohol because it would be very easy for me to start if I wanted to.

Brian’s Interview With a Senior

For this assignment, there was nobody more perfect for a senior interview than my own brother, Michael. He is a senior here at San Jose State and he gave me very good advice to pass along to freshmen. He told me that the most important thing for freshmen to do when they are picking classes is to meet with an adviser to help them pick classes. He did not do this his first year and ended up taking classes that counted for nothing. This resulted in him having to take almost double the units he wanted for the next two years, making his college experience very stressful. When I asked him what he would have done differently he said “take more classes.” He says this because he had to stay for an extra year due to his poor advising freshman year.

When I asked my brother how college was different than he expected, he told me that it was actually easier than he thought. He never changed his major thoughout college because his classes were so easy and fun that he never wanted to change majors. He told me that if you feel you need to change majors than you should, but if not, just stick it out because it will get easier for you.

Brian’s 1st Non Muse Event:Jazz Live!

For my non muse event, I went to the Jazz Live concert in the Music Building at SJSU on September 30th. There were four men in the group, two of which who were music teachers at SJSU. There was a saxophone player, drummer, pianist, and bassist that performed. They also answered questions about their performance after they played each song, which was very interesting. This was a great event because they were very good and they influenced me to start listening to some jazz. I have my ticket to the concert to prove that I went.

Brian’s 2nd Music Memory

For this particular assignment I decided to interview my parents who are both over 50 years of age. I interview my dad first, who is a musician himself and probably nothing more than music. He has typically been a rock kind of guy for his whole life, but he also has liked a little country in his lifetime too. He told me that he went to his first concert when he was 12 years old, where he saw “The Byrds”. He said that it was this concert that made him want to start his own band because he saw how much the crowd loved them. Most of the other concerts he attended were later in his life when he stopped playing in a band. He really likes Jimmy Buffet, who he has seen in concert about 8 times. He has also been to a couple country concerts with me where we saw Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, and Kenny Chesney.

When I interviewed my mom, I was surprised at some of her answers. She said when she was younger, she mainly listened to motown growing up because she had 7 older syblings, some of which that were already in high school. She liked the Supremes, Jackson 5, and Stevie Wonder. She didn’t go to any concerts until she was older because she was really involved with her education and career. Now she likes country music because of my sister, who listened to nothing but country since she was 5. She has gone to all of the same country concerts as my dad because they always go together. She also likes gospel music because she is very religious.

From these interviews I realized that my musical influences have mainly come from my dad because I was mainly into rock when I was younger but now I mostly like country because I have been around it for my entire life. I really enjoy going to concerts because they are really loud and fun, but I always want to play guitar after concerts because that would be the greatest job in the world. Recently however, I have gotten into reggae because my brother introduced me to a band called, Rebelution, who has some of the coolest beats and melodies that I’ve ever heard. Also, reggae makes me really relaxed when I am stressed out about school or other responsibilities. I noticed out of these interviews and my own tastes in music that my family only likes music where the lyrics can be understood. Neither my parents or I like rap or hip hop because the lyrics are mostly nonsense and morally pointless. I think that there is really no point in making music that doesn’t bring up emotions for it’s listeners because that is what music is designed to do. I think that is why my musical patterns are similar to my parent’s.