Reflection #5

 So when it came to this reflection I cheated a little bit. I decided to have this talk with my dad. Now before you judge me for cheating, let me explain to you the relationship my dad and I have. Giving some insight on how my family works may allow you to understand why I believe this conversation was both successful and necessary.

My parents have been married twenty three years. How they have done it, I have no idea. They have been to hell and back during their marriage. Whether it was trouble with bills, or raising two kids, they have seemed to come out on top. My parents goal in life was to give their kids a better life than they had. Trust me, they have completed this goal and have gone above and beyond. In order to do this, both my parents have had full-time jobs. My dad drives an hour and half to work everyday and then an hour and a half home when the day is done. Because of this, we have not had the strongest relationship. My mom was the taxi driver for us when we were kids. She went to every sports event, every play, every concert. If Dad couldn't go, I wasn't surprised. Growing up, I didn't understand why Dad couldn't be at everything, but now, at the age of twenty I get it.

In case you haven't heard me bitching in class about my car situation, here it is. Three weeks ago it was so cold that I couldn’t even unlock my car. Finally when the lock unthawed, the car wouldn't start. My mom was supposed to come down that weekend anyway, but she brought my dad with her too. This was the first time my dad has been down to Monmouth since I moved in freshman year. Dad came with a new battery and the tools to change it. I was more than grateful. My car worked again and I didn't have to worry about borrowing someone else's car to get to work. Last Saturday, on my way home form work, my headlights went out. I called my mom and arranged to come home the following Saturday in order to get them fixed. This plan would work perfectly, until all four of my tires were slashed. My dad took off a day of work to come down on Wednesday in order to set me up with new tires. When, I went home this weekend, he battled with my car for a total of nine hours in order to fix my headlights. Because of him I now have a functioning car.

Yesterday when he was working in the garage, I decided to go out there and see how the progress was coming. He said he has gotten real close to no where. We began talking about the passed week and the crap that has hit the fan lately. This is when I told him how grateful I was to have him. I let him know that although I might not seem so thankful, that I really am. I appreciate everything that he has done and he has dropped the things he needed to do to help me out. This is something that I know his parents would have never done.

After having this conversation with my dad, he thanked me and happily got back to work on my car. It felt really great to tell him how I felt because it is something that I have never done. Earlier today, I got a call from him. He just wanted to know how the drive went. He asked if the headlights worked still. He also told me that the dipstick to my transmission fluid was broken and that he ordered one to be sent to the O'Reilly's here in Monmouth. This is something that did not have to be done, but my dad did it anyway, just to make sure I was safe.

Throughout growing up, my parents have no longer been annoying or pushy. They have been my saviors. Although my family doesn't express it very often, we would be no where without each other.    

Reflection #4

Part 1: Getting off of work is the best part of my day.  As I drive home I think about the plans for the evening. I proceed to park my car and walk to my dorm. I'm getting ready for the night, when I get a call from a very close friend   She states that there is a man standing by my car with a knife in his hand.  I immediately take off running toward the parking lot.  My car is now in sight but I do not see anyone near it.  I slow down to a jog, and then to a walk.  The sound of rustling is heard.  I slowly creep to the passenger side of my car and see two men wrestling.  I recognize one of them.  It's Superman!  In shock I whisper,"....Superman." I then notice that two of the tires on my car are slashed. Superman had come to stop this menace.  He turns to look at me, keeping the man pinned down with ease.  "Young Lady, I caught this man in the act.  I will have him thrown in jail. Unfortunately, he already got to two of your tires." Superman grabs the man by the back of his shirt and begins to bound over the buildings of Monmouth. I see that Superman has dropped an envelope that contains three hundred dollars.  There is a note inside it that reads, "I hope this covers the cost.  Be safe out there."  Superman had done it again...and this time it was for my benefit.  

Part 2: One point in my life where I experienced nostalgia was this summer, while I was a camp staff member. During camp, we were not allowed to have our cellphones on us. This cut off most contact we had with our family and the rest of the outside world. I longed to talk to my mother. She is the person in my family that I am the closest to. She gives me advice and just informs me about what is happening in our house. Without this contact, I did not know about anything that was going on with our family. My mom is the tie between me and my family while I am away. This tells me that I should begin to get closer to my dad and brother so that they can inform me about events that are happening around them, instead of my mom telling me all the news.

Reflection #3

 Ahh...a blog that can be about anything....this will be fun! First I'd like to say that I have a post on here called “Superhero Related Things.” I update it every once in a while with memes and various things I find on pinterest so you might want to check that out!

Okay so back to the actual assignment. For this particular reflection, I would like to talk about the Silver Age. We did a reading in class by Grant Morrison and he explained the in's and out's of superheroes during this age. I think that this section was one of the most interesting that we have read so far. This particular made superheroes seem very real. The topics that were introduced in this era are very raw. Since Dr. Fredric Wertham analyzed every move that superheroes made, it made the comics seem more of a taboo. Sexuality and drugs were now engrained in these stories. I think this adds depth to the characters and creates a more interesting adventure. Now, the fact that parents spoke about this does not surprise me. What does surprise me is that the writers even thought of these ideas. The fifties are very stereotypically clean-cut and innocent. Just think of Leave It to Beaver. That's the typical family back then. Of course the code authority comes in and shuts down all the fun. I like that some writers still produced their comics without the seal. Nothing like sticking it to the man.

As the comics with drugs and sexuality hit the stand during this period, writers were also developing superhero families. It seems as though the writers were trying to balance the good and the bad. During this era people in Superman's life began to have there own comics. Lois Lane and the Pal Jimmy Olsen were establish comic stars at this time. The kicker with Jimmy is that he is a cross-dresser. This, again, creates a little more edge to the story. At this time cross-dressing was probably thought to be a strange action. Writer break down those stereotypes with Jimmy because he cross-dresses in order to perform good. This to me is an awesome way to teach kids that something that maybe “strange” is actually good.

I think that it is ironic that writers were involving drugs in their stories but also introduced families in the same era. The writers tried to make the superheroes easier to relate to by giving them families and a home life. In my opinion, comics really flourished in this time. They had secret identities, and they came across many different types of problems. This made the comics far better than the early ones. A more developed story turns out to be a more interesting one.