Blog 26: Quote 3

In, “Lonely Hearts” Doyle says, “Well you’re in the big bad city now, where everyone’s a stranger; hidin’ behind walls, keepin’ secrets.” What he means by this is, when you’re in a new place where you know no one, people can keep their true selves a secret and put on a false persona. I find this somewhat ironic, since Doyle is doing just that; not only in this episode, but in all of the episodes to follow until his death. He kept his half demon self a secret from Cordelia, the one he loved. He felt that if she was to ever love him back, that he would have to hide who he truly was. This is something that I find strange, especially since Cordelia is so accepting of Angel. Why wouldn't she also be accepting of Doyle?

I think this is something a lot of us do. While we aren’t hiding a half demon side, we do tend to hide other things. For example, people hide things like drug addictions, diseases, their financial status, their marriage, their children, the fact they live with their parents, and the list goes on and on. Anything that you are ashamed of or think that someone else would look down upon is something you will likely hide. If you cannot accept yourself for who you are, you most likely believe that someone else will not be able to accept the true you either. In some cases this may be true. However, you can only hide these things for so long before the truth comes out and in the end everyone is hurt and disappointed.

Blog 25: Quote 2

In episode two of Angel, “Lonely Hearts” Angel meets Kate at a bar in Los Angeles. Angel is a vampire; being a vampire, Angel is immortal and has been around the world wreaking havoc for hundreds of years. However, what sets him apart from all the rest is that he was cursed by gypsies; cursed with a soul. Because of this Angel is overwhelmed with regret for all the lives he has taken or ruined. This sets the basis for the entire series. Kate is a female Los Angeles police officer.

When they meet in the bar Kate is there after work having a few drinks and looking to make a connection with someone. Angel is there to see if anyone needs his help and ends up having a conversation with Kate. While they are talking, Kate says, “I guess I just, I just have a hard time, you know, trusting people. Male people particularly. A place like this, it’s not like anybody’s gonna come up and show you who they really are. Everybody’s too busy trying to get, whatever it is they’re looking for.”

This is virtually the argument of the episode. In this episode, everyone is lying about who they really are: Angel, Doyle, and worst of all, the burrowing demon. I will get further in depth with each of their stories later. To sum it up Angel is hiding the fact that he is a vampire from Kate, Doyle is hiding his half demon side from Cordelia, and the burrower is hiding inside human bodies to find his next victim. While they all have different reasons for hiding who they really are, some more innocent than others, they are all doing so to get what they want.

Blog 24: Quote 1

I changed my argument; so I thought I should explain what’s going on here. My new argument is that people hide who they are to get what they want. For example, if you want someone to like you, you will likely hide the things you believe to be negative attributes and stress the positive ones.

We’ve all met someone new and thought, this person doesn’t know anything about me; I could literally tell them whatever I want. But, why isn’t who you really are good enough, or interesting enough? We all have things about ourselves that we are ashamed of or something we wish we could change. However, when you are making a first impression, you don’t want that to be apparent. Because we want to make ourselves seem interesting, intelligent, and like we’ve got it going on, we may hide certain attributes or tell a white lie. There has been a significant amount of research done in the field of psychology as to why we feel the need to act in this way. According to Thomas Rodebaugh, Ph.D. “If one assumes that any negative evaluation one receives will be accurate and stem from one’s personal properties, it seems natural to avoid evoking such evaluation, potentially by hiding one’s personal characteristics (91). What he means by this is that if we perceive that showing a certain characteristic or telling someone something about ourselves will result in them judging us in a negative fashion, we tend to stay away from revealing these things about ourselves. No one wants to be looked down on or treated like they are abnormal somehow. This is why people put on a bit of a show the first time you meet them, or even in the beginning of your relationship. Whether the relationship is strictly a friendship, or something more, after you have known that individual for some time, it usually becomes apparent all the negative qualities that they hid away in the beginning.

Rodebaugh, Thomas. "Hiding the Self and Social Anxiety: The Core Extrusion Schema Measure." Cognitive Therapy & Research 33.1 (2009): 90-109. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 28 Jan. 2011.

Blog 23: Conference

Blog 22: Article 5

Last night I read the article, “Evidence-Based Crime Prevention: Conclusions and Directions for a Safer Society.” To be honest I don’t think I am going to use any of the information from this article. I chose it for one of my preliminary sources because at the time I was just reading the title of the article and skimming through it quickly.

The article was about how we need to choose the crime prevention programs of today based on what has been proven to work, or what they refer to as evidence-based crime prevention. It was more scientific than I would have guessed, and talked about the different ways of scientifically proving if a so called prevention is actually preventing anything or just soaking up our tax dollars. The example they used was the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program in schools that has a very minimal effect.

The article discussed what has been proven to work for children, offenders, victims, and in high crime areas. One of the things I found most interesting was how well increased street lighting works at preventing crime. They reported a 22% decrease in the experimental area compared to the control area. Another thing dealt with in the article, was how getting what does work to be put into action and getting what has failed out of here, is one big political game. They said that convincing the politicians is one of the hardest parts because there is so much else on their plate. While this information was interesting, I don’t believe it will be something I use in my paper.

Welsh, Brandon C., and David P. Farrington. "Evidence-Based Crime Prevention: Conclusions and Directions for a Safer Society." Canadian Journal of Criminology & Criminal Justice 47.2 (2005): 337-354. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 21 Jan. 2011.

Blog 21: Article 4

Today I read "Sexual Violence on the College Campus: A Template for Compliance With Federal Policy." This article related not only to the article I read yesterday but also to the first article I read. The article focused on sexual assault that takes place on college campuses. It discusses the Clery Act and how the National Institute of Justices asses Institutes of Higher Education on their implementation of this act. Before 1988, fewer than four percent of American colleges publically reported the crimes that took place on campus. Now they must, “(1) make public their on-campus crime statistics, (2) publicize prevention and actions designed to respond to crime,(3) institute crime logs, and (4) demonstrate that the rights of victims of sexual assault are preserved.”

Jeanne Clery was a college student in Pennsylvania who was tortured, raped, and murdered in her dorm room in 1986. After this, her parents made sure that campus safety was improved on a national scale. I plan to do further research on the Clery Act for my paper. This article explained to me the contents of The Ohio State University Department of Public Safety’s 2009 Annual Campus Security Report, that I read as article one. I now know why so much information about the university’s crime rates were provided; along with prevention methods and contact information for reporting crimes and for victim support. If I would have known of this document previously to shopping around for a college, it most definitely would have played a major role in my selection.

This article was very informative and provided me not only with information I plan to use in my paper, but also with information I would like to complete further research on.

McMahon, Patricia Pasky. "Sexual Violence on the College Campus: A Template for Compliance With Federal Policy." Journal of American College Health 57.3 (2008): 361-366. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 21 Jan. 2011.

Blog 20: Article 3

Today I read the results of a study, “Rape Myth Beliefs and Bystander Attitudes Among Incoming College Students.” While the article was interesting I’m not sure how much of the information I will be able to use in my paper. The article focused on rape myths and how acceptance of rape myths could correlate to bystander attitudes. The study was done at a northeastern university and surveyed 2,338 incoming freshman.

One of the things that this article introduced me to was the bystander attitude. I have previously heard of the finding that, the more people who are present at the scene of a crime or emergency, the less likely someone is to help. However, I had not thought about incorporating that idea into my paper until after reading this article.

I do plan on using some of the information from this article because it relates the article from my last blog. In my last blog the article I read suggested that women are more fearful of crime because it could lead to rape. This article gives some insight as to why women are fearful of rape. The findings from the survey are that the more accepting a person is of rape myths the less likely they are to intervene as a bystander to a possible rape or a situation that could lead to rape. Therefore, the two have a negative correlation; as acceptance goes up, bystander attitudes go down.

It’s no wonder based on this study, why women are so afraid of being a victim of sexual assault; especially rape. Not only is the act a scary enough concept, but then you find that many people are accepting of rape myths, such as: she’s lying about being raped, she asked for it because she was acting/dressed slutty, he didn’t mean to because he was drunk and didn’t know what he was doing, etc. Also the likelihood that a bystander will step in if they see a woman being taken advantage of is slim.

McMahon, Sarah. "Rape Myth Beliefs and Bystander Attitudes Among Incoming College Students." Journal of American College Health 59.1 (2010): 3-11. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 21 Jan. 2011.

Blog 19: Article 2

Today I read the article, "Explaining Fear of Crime as Fear of Rape Among College Females: An Examination of Multiple Campuses in the United States." The article talked about both men and women. For their research they circulated a survey to three, four year universities in different regions of the United States. The survey measured, on a scale of one to ten, how afraid the students were of being victims of certain crimes. The results are well documented in organized charts. The article also has information from past studies. It is a convenient source that not only has current information, but information from the past which will allow me to do a little comparing and contrasting.

One of the interesting findings from the article is that women fear crime more so than men. However, men are more likely to be the victim of a crime. The article suggests that women’s higher overall fear of being a victim of crime is because they feel it could lead to rape. Therefore, fear of crime could be described as fear of rape. The end of article talks about policies and programs that have been implemented on college campuses across the nation in an attempt to make them safer.

This article relates to my paper very well. There is a lot of information that I will be able to pull from the article itself as well as the charts. Not only does the article discuss both men and women, but I also like the fact that they are college students. Another good thing about the article is that it discusses multiple crimes and talks about statistics from other well known studies that have been conducted in the past.

Dobbs, Rhonda R., Courtney A. Waid, and Tara O'Connor Shelley. "Explaining Fear of Crime as Fear of Rape Among College Females: An Examination of Multiple Campuses in the United States." International Journal of Social Inquiry 2.2 (2009): 105-122. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 22 Jan. 2011.

Blog 18: Article 1

Today I chose to read The Ohio State University Department of Public Safety’s 2009 Annual Campus Security Report. I chose this as a potential source because in my paper I would like to focus in on college students rather than the general population. I thought it best to start at home and then compare the results with other universities around the country.

After reading the report I found some good information. First of all, the mere fact that our university, as well as other universities, has a department of public safety says a lot. It means that safety is a big issue. Here is a quote from the report, “Your safety is our concern. It also must be your concern. As a university, we work very hard to prevent crime, fire, accidents and illness, but nothing we do is as important as what you do – and, in some cases, don’t do” (Department of Public Safety). This quote says it all. While they are here to protect us, we must also protect ourselves.

Another great thing about this article is the charts. The charts show crime statistics from 2007, 2008, and 2009. The report has a lot of helpful information. It explains the measures they go to, to keep us safe. It also provides you with contact information for various places to call depending on your emergency as well as some phone numbers for resources that are available to help those in need. The report also contains some helpful tips for keeping yourself from falling victim to crime. This is all information that I plan on using in my paper. It basically encompasses all the information I want to cover in one source.

Department of Public Safety. "Annual Campus Security Report." The Ohio State University Department of Public Safety. The Ohio State University, 2009. Web. 21 Jan. 2011. http://dps.osu.edu/campus_safety/Annual_Security_Fire_Safety_Report.pdf.

Blog 17: Preliminary Research

I want to conduct research to find scholarly information about crimes such as: rape, abuse, and murder, and how to prevent being a victim of these crimes. I would like to find statistical information about what types of crimes college students in particularly are victims of. I hope to find what makes a person vulnerable to being a victim and what types of locations the crimes happen in. After doing that research, I would like to follow up with research on some select cases that experts have studied and outline them in my project.

Once I have all the doom and gloom research over with, I want to do some research in how prevent yourself from falling victims to the types of crimes I plan to research. I hope to find information from experts or even from past victims that have spoken up about their experience. I expect to find a lot of information on how drugs and alcohol can plan a role in being a victim.

I hope to find some good information to inform my audience of the dangers that lurk around every corner because ignorance is not bliss. I also would like to find some prevention methods and plans of action if something like this would happen to you. Knowledge is power. I feel like college students are mostly interested in having a good time and so they seem to forget that others could have very bad intentions.

In my preliminary research I found several possible sources:

Department of Public Safety. "Annual Campus Security Report." The Ohio State University Department of Public Safety. The Ohio State University, 2009. Web. 21 Jan. 2011. http://dps.osu.edu/campus_safety/Annual_Security_Fire_Safety_Report.pdf.

Dobbs, Rhonda R., Courtney A. Waid, and Tara O'Connor Shelley. "Explaining Fear of Crime as Fear of Rape Among College Females: An Examination of Multiple Campuses in the United States." International Journal of Social Inquiry 2.2 (2009): 105-122. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 22 Jan. 2011.

McMahon, Sarah. "Rape Myth Beliefs and Bystander Attitudes Among Incoming College Students." Journal of American College Health 59.1 (2010): 3-11. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 21 Jan. 2011.

McMahon, Patricia Pasky. "Sexual Violence on the College Campus: A Template for Compliance With Federal Policy." Journal of American College Health 57.3 (2008): 361-366. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 21 Jan. 2011.

Welsh, Brandon C., and David P. Farrington. "Evidence-Based Crime Prevention: Conclusions and Directions for a Safer Society." Canadian Journal of Criminology & Criminal Justice 47.2 (2005): 337-354. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 21 Jan. 2011.

Blog 16: Prospectus

I plan to write my analytical research paper based on episode two of Angel, “Lonely Hearts.” By that I mean, I plan to write about the underlying theme in the episode. In “Lonely Hearts” I feel the writers were trying to say that there are a lot of bad people in the world and that there would be a lot less victims if we were a little more selective with whom we chose to trust. I think that this is especially true for the younger generations, like college students, for example.

I feel like my generation thinks, “It will never happen to me.” Then, when it does we are all shocked and upset by it. Maybe if we were better educated on what has happened in the past we wouldn’t continue to make the same mistakes. Therefore, I would like to put together a piece that explains the dangers of the real world; especially the bar scene. I could look up select circumstances that have been well documented about crimes and statistics of rape, abuse, or even murder. This way, people can understand that things like that happened more often than they think. Then, once they realize this is the reality of the world we live in, I would like to research prevention methods. This way people can go out with a piece of mind and not be blindsided by some creep.

My research question will be: What makes this world such a dangerous place, and is there anything we can do?

My thesis statement is: We would be a lot safer if we were educated on the dangers of the world and how to prevent them.

Blog 15: Ending a Sentence with a Preposition

Can you end a sentence with a preposition? I have always heard that it’s a big no, no. The thing is I hear people do it all the time, and I know I do it without even thinking about it. For example, What channel is the game on? or Who are you going with? Should I actually be saying things like, On what channel is the game? or With whom are you going? I know these sentences are grammatically correct. But, come on! Who talks like that? Even though you are speaking correctly people look at you like you’re a crazy person.

So, I did a little research on the topic. First off, “A preposition is a word that creates a relationship between other words”(Grammar Girl.) From what I can remember from high school, a preposition’s job is to tell you about the noun; it tells you the when or where. Some examples of when are: before, during, and after. Some example of where are: above, on, and over.

According to Grammar Girl, it’s ok to end your sentence with a proposition as long as the proposition isn’t extraneous. If the sentence doesn’t make sense without having the preposition at the end, leave it. She also gave a few examples of when it’s not ok. If the preposition at the end of your sentence can be dropped and the sentence still makes sense, then drop it (Grammar Girl). No one likes redundancy.

All in all, ending your sentence with a preposition isn’t forbidden, as you may have heard. There are certain times when it’s ok and when it’s not; it’s all a matter of using your head.

Works Cited

Girl, Grammar. "Ending a Sentence With a Preposition." Quick and Dirty Tips. Mignon Fogarty, Inc. and Macmillan Holdings, LLC. , 3 Aug. 2007. Web. 18 Jan. 2011. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ending-prepositions.aspx.

Blog 14: Episode for Analysis

The episode of Angel that I have selected for my Episode Analysis is the second episode, “Lonely Hearts.” I came to this decision because I feel that this episode has a connection to a real life situation that I would be able to find information on. In this episode all the lonely people of Los Angeles are trying to “make a connection.” This phrase was repeated multiple times throughout the episode. It was said by the good guys, the bad guys, and men and women alike. Everyone wanted to connect.

This is just like real life, in that, the human is a social animal. We don’t like to be alone; we are all searching for someone to fill a void within us. Depending on who you are, you could be looking to hook up for the night or you could be looking for something more. Either way, if you’re lonely, it’s easy to fall for someone if they are paying attention to you and maybe throwing a few compliments your way. This is where things get tricky. While we would like to believe that everyone has good intentions, the reality is that some people are out to harm others. What makes it all even more difficult is being able to differentiate between good and bad people, as the bad ones can put on a pretty good show. In “Lonely Hearts” one of the cops even confesses that it can be hard to tell who the bad guy really is; and that’s her job!

We hear about it time and time again, in the paper or on the evening news, someone went out and never came home. By then it’s usually too late; the bad guys win again. All this is enough to make you want to become a hermit! But, that’s not the solution. I believe what the writer of this episode was trying to say is, it’s a dangerous world out there, but that doesn’t mean we should lock ourselves up and never come out. What we need to do is take caution when it comes to who it is we trust.

The argument: The world is a dangerous place, don't be naive.

Blog 13: “Hero”

In episode nine of Angel, “Hero” Doyle got the chance to be the hero. There was a family of half-breeds that were being hunted by The Scourge, and Doyle who is also a half-breed could relate. The Scourge had even taken the lives of some of Doyle’s family. In this episode Doyle sacrifices his life to save all the half-breeds, including Angel, and Cordelia, from the Beacon. The Beacon is a device that vaporizes anything with “inferior” human blood running through its veins.

I found it interesting that this is the episode I happened to watch on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Reverend King stood up for what he believed in, gave a voice to the oppressed, and sacrificed his life to better the world we share. In Doyle’s case, he believed that The Scourge was oppressing the half-breeds and he helped them the best he could and in the end sacrificed his life. I have so much respect for Martin Luther King, Jr. and for Doyle’s character. It takes a strong person to stand up and fight for your beliefs, especially when they aren't shared by the majority.

Another parallel in the episode to real life is genocide. The Scourge considered themselves to be superior beings compared to the inferior half-breeds and humans. They made it their mission to cleanse the Earth of all those with mixed blood. This isn’t something that’s made up for good television. This is real life. It’s happened in the past, we’ve all heard the horror stories of The Holocaust. The sad thing is that to this day it continues, mainly in Africa, to my knowledge.

It breaks my heart that people can still feel this way about other people. After reading the history books and learning from them we shouldn’t be repeating this behavior. We are supposed to be progressing, not regressing. People are people, no matter their race, religion, etc. Thank God for the Marin Luther King Junior’s of the world, thank God for the Allies, and thank God for anyone who fights against the evils in this world.

Blog 12: “I Will Remember You”

Episode eight of Angel, “I Will Remember You” was all about sacrifice. What happens is Buffy comes to town and they get attacked by a demon who has blood that is regenerative. While fighting Angel gets cut and then when he stabs the demon some of its blood gets in Angel’s wound and mixes with his. After the mixing of their blood Angel’s heart begins to beat and he has been given back his mortal life. Now that Angel is human, he and Buffy can finally be together like they have always dreamed of. Later, Angel discovers how hard it is to fight as a human and that the end of days is coming and the slayer will die. He believes that if he sacrifices his new life and goes back to being a vampire with a soul that he could save his true love.

He sacrificed his life, full of the human pleasures that he has been long deprived of just for the possibility that it will save Buffy’s life. Everyday people make sacrifices for those that they love. They see a movie they don’t want to see, go to a restaurant they don't like, or even move half way across the world to be with the one they love. But it’s not every day that someone gives up their life for another. To do this you truly have to care about the other person more than yourself which is hard for a human with a naturally selfish nature. I can’t imagine being in a situation like that; whether I was the one sacrificing or vice versa. It is truly the ultimate sacrifice.

Blog 11: “The Bachelor Party”

The seventh episode of Angel, “The Bachelor Party” was about love, old and new. Cordelia went on a date with a rich guy and found that she needs more than money to fall in love. Angel was reminded of Buffy by an old photograph. But most of all, Doyle’s wife returned. This was a total shock because he doesn’t wear a wedding ring and seems all wrapped up in Cordelia. Apparently, they got married young and were very much in love, but when they started to have problems she took off and found someone new.

This episode dealt with a lot of different aspects of love. Trying to find someone to love, trying to forget someone you love, and trying to accept the fact that the person you love has found someone else. These are things that almost everyone goes through at a certain point in life.

When you’re trying to find someone to love there are many things you look for:  physical attraction, personality, common interests, etc. Once you find that person, if something goes wrong it’s very hard to move on and forget them. But the hardest thing of all has to be dealing with the fact that the person you love has moved on. It means they have replaced you and found someone new to share their love and life with. I believe the only way to truly be ok with it is by moving on as well.

Love is complicated, can sometimes get messy, or even break your heart. But nothing beats being in love.

Blog 10: “Sense & Sensitivity”

In the sixth episode of Angel, “Sense & Sensitivity” the Los Angeles Police Department is forced to undergo sensitivity training. This is because the last criminal they captured, Little Tony, has a good lawyer. His lawyer is from Wolfram & Hart, which seems to be where all the bad guys are getting their lawyers. This law firm seems to deal with a lot of supernatural clients. They hired a man who basically put a spell on all the cops, to do the sensitivity training. When all the cops start breaking down and crying and fighting with each other they forget who the bad guys are. One of the cops even lets all the inmates free because he feels badly for them.

In this episode you see the full spectrum of emotions. Just like in real life there are people who are too hard or too soft. Very few people know exactly how to deal with their emotions properly. One thing I noticed was how they were using “pop psychology” by referring to their childhood and talking about things their mothers or fathers did to mess them up in the head. While I agree somewhat with the fact that the way your parents treated you in your formative years has an impact on how you deal with your emotions, I also believe that if you are unhappy with the way you are that you can change.

Just because you have always been a certain way doesn’t mean you’re stuck that way. You can break free from the old you, even if you need a little help doing so. Don’t blame your parents your whole life for the way you are. Take control of your life and change your ways.

Blog 9: “Rm w/a Vu”

In episode five of Angel, “Rm w/a Vu” Cordelia moves into a new apartment. It seems perfect until she discovers that it’s haunted by a ghost that wants her to either get out or die. After a little research they found that the ghost is an old woman who is very unhappy because her son wanted to leave her and run off with a girl she disapproved of. As it turns out, to keep him from doing so she bricked him into a wall to die and then had a heart attack and died herself.

I think this is a lot of parent’s worst nightmare. Not bricking their child into a wall and then dying because that is highly unlikely. What is much more likely is your child whom you love so much and have worked very hard to raise will end up with someone you don’t approve of. Many parents don’t like their daughter’s boyfriend because he is bad influence or their son’s girlfriend because she is promiscuous. Or at least that’s what the parent’s impression is, but they don’t know them the way you do.

They say “Mother knows best.” However, this isn’t always the case. While it’s good to listen to what your parents have to say, at the end of the day it’s your decision who you want to be with. After all you're the one, not your parents, that has to go home to that person everyday. Therefore, the only one who needs to be head over heels in love with them is you and as long as you’re happy your parents should also be happy.

Blog 8: “High School Is Hell”

First off, I don’t know about everyone else but I found high school to be rather enjoyable. Then again, I didn’t attend Sunnydale High School. After reading this article I’m somewhat surprised at how often we, as a society, have used metaphors in entertainment. In a way it opened my eyes.

Personally, I feel after watching any television show you can say, “Yeah, I can relate to that.” I think that’s because whether the show is reality or fiction we are all faced with the same issues. I have been watching the series Angel. So far in all my blogs I have been tying what happened in each episode to real world experiences. Obviously we don’t have to deal with demons, vampires, and other monsters in the real world but there are people that can cause just as much trouble. Without realizing I have been dissecting the metaphors used in Angel.

Going back to the article, it uses three seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to prove its point. While thorough, it was a little much; especially for someone who has never seen a single episode. However, it most definitely proved the point that we use metaphors to address common themes in life. But what if it’s not all as philosophical as we think? What if the writers are just trying to put an interesting spin on reality? For the most part we all have to go through the same trials and tribulations in life. So, coming home and watching it on television without any of Hollywood's magic wouldn’t be very entertaining.

I myself have never picked apart a scene, episode, or series to the extent this article did. Don’t get me wrong I pick up on a few things the writers slip in but mostly I’m watching TV for entertainment, to escape from real life. That’s some irony for you right there. When I think I’m escaping reality I’m really just getting lost in a metaphorical reality created by Hollywood. I guess that simply means they're doing their job.

Blog 7: “I Fall to Pieces”

In the fourth episode of Angel, “I Fall to Pieces” there was a woman that was being stalked who needed Angel’s help. However, this wasn’t your typical stalker. The man was a surgeon and could perform “psychic surgery.” Basically that means he could detach parts of himself and guide them to where he wanted them to go. After that he could reattach them with ease. The woman he was stalking had been a patient of his and they had only gone out for drinks once. How could he become so wrapped up in her and want to be with her so badly when he hardly even knew her?

I think this is something a lot of people do. You may have a few good times with a person and misread their feelings for you. It can be very disappointing if that person doesn’t feel the same way you do. Everyone feels the need to be loved; to have someone to care for and have that same someone care for you as well. It’s never good when feelings aren’t mutual. It can be heartbreaking. Not only do you not have a chance to take the relationship to the next level but it may even ruin your current relationship.

However, what everyone must remember is that there are people out there for you; people who will love you just as much as you love them. Don’t cheat yourself by chasing after someone who doesn’t love you back. The man in this episode of Angel was literally falling apart in order to be with the woman he thought he loved when he should’ve just walked away from the situation and continued his search for his true love.

Blog 6: “In the Dark”

In episode 3 of Angel, “In the Dark,” Angel is presented with the Gem of Amarra. His fellow vampire Spike found it back in Sunnydale, where Buffy the Vampire Slayer is set. Buffy managed to get a hold of it and had a mutual friend make the delivery. With the Gem of Amarra a vampire is not only immortal, but invincible. It allows them to walk out in the daylight and nothing can kill them, not even a wooden stake through the heart. You might think that this would make any vampire ecstatic. Angel however, did not seem very excited about it. He actually took the ring straight down to the sewers and hid it away.

My first thought was, “For the love of God man, put the ring on and go see the sun shine for the first time in hundreds of years!” When he instead buried the ring down in the sewers, I was puzzled. Then I realized he must feel undeserving of such freedom and the happiness it would bring to him. Sometimes in life we will receive something and feel like we don’t deserve it or that it’s too lavish of a gift. The difference is that I know very few people who would react in the way Angel did. Who would turn away from such a wonderful opportunity? For example, if you got a job offer you felt someone else was better qualified for would you turn it down? What if a relative left you a lump sum of money, would you feel unworthy? Or what if you got a grade you thought was too good to be true? Would you tell the instructor, “Thanks but no thanks, I didn’t work hard enough to earn such a high mark.”?

I can almost guarantee that most everyone would take the job, the money, and the grade. They would tell themselves it was a wonderful opportunity, fortune smiling upon them, good karma, luck, etc. At the end of the episode Angel destroys the ring completely. Could you and would you do the same?

Blog 5: “Lonely Hearts”

In episode two, “Lonely Hearts” of Angel it was all about making a connection. It all started when Doyle got one of his visions that something bad would happen at a bar that night. So, the team headed out to the bar in his vision, D’Oblique. This bar, like any bar, was full of lonely people hoping to meet someone and make a connection. Some are just looking to hook up while others want something more.

The “something bad” that Doyle had envisioned was a demon that transferred from body to body, mostly after it got its prey in bed, leaving the old body an empty shell. Now, we don’t exactly have to worry about a demon when we go out on the town hoping to meet someone special. However, that doesn’t mean there aren't bad people out there that want to hurt you. Whether it be physically or emotionally.

Just to get one thing straight right now, I’m not saying everyone is bad. Actually, I would say the majority of people are good. They just aren’t the ones you hear about on the evening news. The hard part is being able differentiate the good from the bad. This may not sound hard, but bad people are better actors than you may think.

The moral of the story is to be open minded when meeting new people, just to be cautious at the same time. College is nothing but putting yourself out there and meeting new people. A lot of the people we meet in college will be good friends, maybe even friends for life. Or if you're lucky you may even find "the one." The meaning of this blog isn’t to scare anyone into locking themselves in their dorms. It’s just to remind everyone to be careful with who they leave a party with or who they give their personal information to. Remember to have a good time out there, just be wary of any shady characters.

Blog 4: “City of”

The first episode, “City of” of Angel is like the first episode of any show. They give you some background and introduce the who, what, when, and where. The main characters are Angel: the vampire with a soul, Doyle: the half human half demon, and Cordelia: the all human want to be actress. For those of us that didn’t watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Cordelia both carried over from that show.

Being a vampire, Angel is immortal and has been around the world wreaking havoc for hundreds of years. However, what sets him apart from all the rest is that he was cursed by gypsies. Cursed with a soul. Because of this Angel is overwhelmed with regret for all the lives he has taken or ruined. This sets the basis for the entire series. Angel is set in modern day Los Angeles, California, mostly in an old hotel that he lives and runs his business out of. The only time he really leaves is at night to go kill bad guys or if necessary during the day through the sewers.

Now that I’ve shared the basics and some background I’ll discuss something a little deeper. Angel’s character is very complex. As any hundred-some year old being would be. He feels an overpowering desire to seek redemption. Which begs the question, who is he trying to prove himself to? Himself? A higher power? While all other vampires are soulless beings and go straight to hell does Angel somehow have a chance to redeem himself and not be just another hellbound vampire? Only time will tell.

Blog 3: “The Train Job” revisited

In episode two of Firefly, “The Train Job” I feel as though the main focus was placed on Mal deciding to return the stolen medical supplies. Something that I found interesting that may have been easily overlooked was the role of the Sheriff of Paradiso. Not only was he the one who informed Mal of what had been stolen, but also why the town needed those supplies and how long they had been waiting for them. Without knowing this Mal would’ve never had the chance to feel compassion for the sickly people of Paradiso and he would’ve never returned the goods.

I was also impressed with the Sheriff’s ability to forgive and forget. Originally when he was talking to Mal and Zoe he said if he got a hold of the thieves he would throw them down into the mines and let them die of the same disease ailing the people of the town. However, when he caught Mal and Zoe trying to sneak back into town to return what they had taken he seemed more thankful than vengeful. Not everyone would have been so forgiving.

I remember the surprise on Mal’s and Zoe’s faces as they rode through what looked like a mining area on the all terrain vehicle with the medical supplies in tow and the Sheriff and his officers came out from behind their hiding places as if they had anticipated their arrival. The Sheriff could have been true to his word right there and then and threw them both down into the mines. Mal and Zoe got very lucky that they were dealing with such a forgiving person and not someone merely seeking revenge.

Blog 2: “The Train Job”

I just finished watching the second Episode of Firefly, “The Train Job.” As I lye here looking back and thinking it over, the thing that stands out the most for me doesn’t have much to do with the actual storyline or even with the moral of the story. In fact, it has to do more with the setting. Just as the “cowboys” settled the American West or the “new frontier” the “space cowboys” in Firefly are settling the “final frontier,” outer space. The contrast between the futuristic characteristics side by side with the classic western characteristics worked surprisingly well. There were space ships, high tech computers, and digital windows. But, there was also what seemed like a saloon, a town sheriff, and old guns that didn’t seem to belong in that century. Somehow it all managed to work together without seeming too out of the ordinary.

Anyone who has seen a classic Western with John Wayne or Clint Eastwood must have found it just as funny as I did that a television show that is set in the future and was made in modern times still chose to use the cheesy gunfire sound when we now have much more realistic sound bites.

Another strong similarity between this Sci-Fi flick and a Western is the fact that in this particular episode, the crew’s mission was to rob a train. This takes me back to a movie from way back in the day, The Great Train Robbery. I believe it was actually the first true film in the Western genre.

If you had told me prior to today, “Science Fiction and Westerns can be very similar.” I imagine I would have had a good laugh and said something to the effect of, “Yeah right! They are total polar opposites!” Funny thing is, I would be eating my words right about now.

Blog 1: Introduction

My name is Alexandria Kornja and I am 18 years old. I have blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. I’m from Mechanicsburg, Ohio and now live in Columbus, Ohio and attend The Ohio State University. I am currently undecided but I’m leaning toward a human development and family science major. I was very active in high school. I was in Art Club, Science Club, and Spanish Club. I was also class president and president of the National Honor Society. I graduated as the Salutatorian of my class. I very much enjoy art. I like to paint, draw, and take photographs. I also like watching football, hockey, and baseball. I love candles, pizza, and staying in my pajamas all day. However, I also like getting all done up and going out every once in awhile. I have terrible allergies. I have to take a pill everyday and get a shot once a week. I wear contacts or glasses depending on the day. I have been dating a guy from my hometown for over a year now and things are going well. My parents got divorced when I was 4. I have always lived with my mom and visited my dad in Columbus, Ohio every other weekend and for some holidays. My mom got remarried when I was 10 and I got a loving stepdad and stepsister. We all lived together outside of town in a two story white house on a few acres of land. We have two dogs and some cats. Well, that’s me in a nutshell!