It wasn't until May of this year that I decided that I would attend the University of Massachusetts Lowell for college. My final decision was between NYU, Providence College, and Umass Lowell after narrowing out a few other schools. Despite Umass Lowell being my least favorite candidate of the three, I chose it as a result of the relatively low cost combined with the quality of education I would be receiving. Obviously a little bummed out about having to choose Umass Lowell over the other schools, I entered the first few days of school with a slightly pessimistic attitude. After those few days of classes my attitude on attending this school took a dramatic turn. I began to realize that I enjoy it here, and it's not as bad as I initially thought. There were certain perks I obtained from attending here that I wouldn't have had at either of the two other schools. Being so close to home in Lowell, I get to go home whenever I want and spend time with my family whenever I want, while having the freedom of living on my own at college. Looking at it now I'd say I made the right choice, and that I put myself in the right surroundings to succeed in whatever career field I choose to enter. As of right now it is bioinformatics, which is another plus for attending Umass Lowell, since it's an undergraduate program that is very rare at most colleges around the country. The reason being that bioinformatics is usually only offered as a masters degree at most universities to either biology or computer science majors. After telling you my own little scenario, I would have to say that place certainly does shape the development of a college student.
During the application process a high school student has the choice to apply to any school that they desire. They may want to apply there because of the location, quality of academics, certain majors, sports, or the cost of the school. Whatever the reason being, and where ever they apply, each school is going to have it's own unique feel and experience. Whether it's going to be good or bad who knows. The location of the school plays a very dramatic role in how a college student matures and grows into their own person. You can choose to go to a university in either an urban or rural setting. In a rural setting things are laid back and relaxed, as you are mainly confined to the campus of the university. You do meet many students from different parts of the country, and even the world, but you don't actually know anything about the types of things you'd see in different cities in the world. Campus based activities are an enormous part of life on small rural college campuses. Students are engaged inside and outside of the classroom with many clubs and community service activities. Life in urban universities in the United States, or any other country, is very much influenced by the city where the university is located, the size of the city, the cultural life, and the geography. Students have a much wider range of choice when it comes to entertainment, restaurants, food markets, living arrangements and the other parts of everyday life in cities than in rural areas. Going to college in these different types of locations may alter where the student wants to live after they graduate, the values they want to have, and where they want their future job to be. In part with the location of the school, students will be surrounding themselves with different types of people wherever they go, and who they are with all the time will shape who they are as a person. In one school a student might get in with a great crowd of successful students and develop the same qualities and desires as them. While on the opposite end, the student might get in with the wrong crowd at another school and potential ruin their lives. Each school has it's own experience to offer to every enrolled student.
Another major factor of how place shapes a college student is how good and recognizable the quality of education is at the university the student is attending. Depending on how well it is your classes and job outlook may be easier or more difficult than if you went to another school. If you go to a low "tier 2" school, your classes are going to be easier, and although you might have a higher GPA than a student at a middle of the line "tier 1" school, you may not be as qualified or ready for a job in the real world. Going to a better school may require a lot more work, and you may have a lower GPA, but when you get out of it you are more than prepared to tackle most job interviews. Having a lower GPA than accustomed to might lead to the student getting discouraged and not enjoy school like they should. This could lead to the student changing their major and any plans they had prior to attending the university. Also if a school has a better reputation, especially in a major city you are more likely to get linked up with someone who was a graduate of the university, or at least is very fond of what students from the university have to offer.
Each university has it's own cost to attend it. Depending on how much it costs, and if you have to pay for it yourself, you may be working a lot during the school year. The cost is also a limiting factor to where a student will end up attending college. If you have to work throughout college, the workload you receive from class will seem more painful than it really is. On the upside, if you are working while your in school you'll most likely develop a great work ethic and time management as a student. There is no time for you to be lazy so it would be hard to develop that attitude if you want to achieve success in your academics. Students who aren't working my be suspects becoming lazy because they may be used to having a lot of down time on their hands, that when they have to put in work they typically don't want to do it.
Not every school has the same majors to offer to its students just as I had explained in my case. Depending on the various limitations of location, quality, cost and other factors certain majors may not be available to a student. This may cause the student to chose a different career path that they might not know if it makes them happy, or if it's right for them. This may lead to a student finding out if they enjoy something they never thought they would, because where they had to attend forced them to choose something different. College is a very special place where opportunities arise, and you never know what will happen to you.
Place plays a major role in how a student matures in college as well as how they mature as a person for the world outside of the university. Each of the factors I linked above affect one another, and combined shape a college student. Each one of those factors varies from everyone of the 3600 plus higher education universities. At each of the universities there are several experience you will only find at that one school. The people you meet, and your surrounding environment will play a huge role in how you want to shape yourself, what you do, and how you go about everyday of your life. Where you attend college does play a huge factor in how you are molded into a college student, there are many unique wonderful and not so wonderful experiences waiting for you at each one. I know I'm still in the midst of mine now, and I'm happy to say I'm proud of the college student I'm shaping out to be.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Friday, November 30, 2012
UML Honors Night at Costello Arena
Around the first of November I opened up my e-mail to a message from my computing teacher James Canning involving a special night dedicated to all of the honors students who attend the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The e-mail read that Honors Night will be held at Costello Arena during the Women's basketball game where the Riverhawks of Umass Lowell planned to take on the undefeated and defending league champion Stonehill Skyhawks. My initial thought was why Professor Canning was trying to have us fill the arena for the women's game rather than the men's, since the men's team usually draws a much larger crowd. What really sold me was the closing statements "There will be free t-shirts, chicken wings, pizza and drinks!" I love all four of those so why not go support the Lady Riverhawks.
Since the game started at 5:30 I had time to finish all of my homework before heading over to the arena with a couple of my floor mates. It's always extremely comforting to get everything done ahead of time. Once it turned 5 o' clock we began to head out to the game. After being stuck in a heated room since noon, the weather outside felt much worse than it actually was. Walking over the bridge I felt like my fingers and face was going to crack right off, and that the walk was much longer than usual. Upon arrival at the Costello Arena I was probably the happiest person on the entire Eastern C Board. The strife was over.
Entering the main entrance there was a much bigger line for tickets than I anticipated. There was probably around 400 people standing in line or in the lobby waiting for their tickets to the game. Thank goodness I had a special honors ticket Professor Canning gave me in class that enabled me to skip the wait and enter the stands. Walking to our seats we noticed signs saying "Honors Students and Family this way." so we followed them. Standing right there at the end of the detour was Professor Canning himself shaking hands with everyone who entered, introducing himself, and making them feel at home. After I shook his hand and told me he was happy I showed up, he introduced me to his wife, gave me a free t-shirt, and told me to help myself to some free chicken wings.
It was now time for the game to start and the attendance had risen to around one thousand people. The game began with Stonehill pulling out to a twenty point lead, leaving Lowell confused on how to spark some offense. The whole time Professor Canning was yelling at the referees saying "That was a travel!" and "Where's the foul call!", each time reminding us that he was a former basketball referee. Eventually Lowell's star player and last years league MVP (whose name I do not know) took over the game scoring 21 consecutive points making the half-time differential only 2 points.
At halftime Professor Canning took me and a few other honors computing students to meet some future employers, who used to be his students, along with the man who founded the computer science department at the university, Professor Costello. This turned out to be an even better night than I sought it out to be. Especially since in the second half the game heated up, going down to the last seconds. Lowell ended up losing by five since the Stonehill point gaurd hit a three pointer with 23 seconds left . Despite the loss Lowell played a great game, and you could tell that they were going to be a very dangerous team in the future.
The Honors Night at Costello Arena turned out to be much more than just a gathering to celebrate the accomplishments and hard work of all the honors students attending the university. Here I began to appreciate the university more, and appreciate what I have here along with the opportunities Umass Lowell can create for me. For the most part since I've been here I always had the mentality that is was just a school that's close to home where I live 5 days a week, but now I'm beginning to get a feel for the college experience I thought I was lacking. All in all this was a good night and I'm happy I was able to attend this event. Hopefully there are more like this in my the future.
Since the game started at 5:30 I had time to finish all of my homework before heading over to the arena with a couple of my floor mates. It's always extremely comforting to get everything done ahead of time. Once it turned 5 o' clock we began to head out to the game. After being stuck in a heated room since noon, the weather outside felt much worse than it actually was. Walking over the bridge I felt like my fingers and face was going to crack right off, and that the walk was much longer than usual. Upon arrival at the Costello Arena I was probably the happiest person on the entire Eastern C Board. The strife was over.Entering the main entrance there was a much bigger line for tickets than I anticipated. There was probably around 400 people standing in line or in the lobby waiting for their tickets to the game. Thank goodness I had a special honors ticket Professor Canning gave me in class that enabled me to skip the wait and enter the stands. Walking to our seats we noticed signs saying "Honors Students and Family this way." so we followed them. Standing right there at the end of the detour was Professor Canning himself shaking hands with everyone who entered, introducing himself, and making them feel at home. After I shook his hand and told me he was happy I showed up, he introduced me to his wife, gave me a free t-shirt, and told me to help myself to some free chicken wings.
It was now time for the game to start and the attendance had risen to around one thousand people. The game began with Stonehill pulling out to a twenty point lead, leaving Lowell confused on how to spark some offense. The whole time Professor Canning was yelling at the referees saying "That was a travel!" and "Where's the foul call!", each time reminding us that he was a former basketball referee. Eventually Lowell's star player and last years league MVP (whose name I do not know) took over the game scoring 21 consecutive points making the half-time differential only 2 points.
At halftime Professor Canning took me and a few other honors computing students to meet some future employers, who used to be his students, along with the man who founded the computer science department at the university, Professor Costello. This turned out to be an even better night than I sought it out to be. Especially since in the second half the game heated up, going down to the last seconds. Lowell ended up losing by five since the Stonehill point gaurd hit a three pointer with 23 seconds left . Despite the loss Lowell played a great game, and you could tell that they were going to be a very dangerous team in the future.The Honors Night at Costello Arena turned out to be much more than just a gathering to celebrate the accomplishments and hard work of all the honors students attending the university. Here I began to appreciate the university more, and appreciate what I have here along with the opportunities Umass Lowell can create for me. For the most part since I've been here I always had the mentality that is was just a school that's close to home where I live 5 days a week, but now I'm beginning to get a feel for the college experience I thought I was lacking. All in all this was a good night and I'm happy I was able to attend this event. Hopefully there are more like this in my the future.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
UML vs. Vermont Hockey Game
On Friday October 12th I attended the home opener of the 2012-2013 Ice Hockey Season where the University of Massachusetts Lowell Riverhawks took on the Catamounts of Vermont in Hockey East divisional play. Growing up the only college hockey events I attended were Boston College hockey games and the Beanpot tournament that is hosted at the TD Garden between the four inner city college hockey teams (Boston College, Boston University, Harvard and Northeastern). I've never supported a team other than Boston College and this was going to be a first. Despite attending Umass Lowell I was questionable on if I would actually be cheering for them since I've been a loyal fan of BC for so many years and still am today, attending several hockey games and owning season tickets for their football season. Entering the Tsongas Center I knew that I would enjoy the hockey game, but wasn't sure if I would be as excited as all of the other students.
Coming into the season opener, for the first time in the university's history, the Riverhawks hockey team was ranked 2nd in the Hockey East and 6th in the country. It is an extraordinary accomplishment for this program, since it was only a few decades ago they were dominating Division II. The University has done a wonderful job restoring the fan base that was so lost in Lowell, causing two former minor league AHL hockey teams to be shipped out. Part of the reason why this team is so successful is because they are all this city really has to look forward to outside of work. The players here are treated like professionals and celebrities, and what future NHL prospect could pass that up.
Before this game the Resident Advisers and a couple of clubs hosted a pep rally outside of the Campus Recreation Center giving away shirts and tickets. While I was there I grabbed four tickets, and then called up my parents to ask them if they wanted to come to the game and bring my little sister. With no hesitation my dad said "yeah, ill meet you there an hour before game time". Shockingly after going to over a hundred college and professional hockey games in my lifetime, this was going to be my sisters fist one. She is always being left out of sporting events because my dad has always brought me to them, so this was going to be a great experience for her as well.
Being an hour early and receiving the tickets at the pep rally meant that we were some of the first people in the arena, and got to get free Umass Lowell hockey jerseys. We also got to pick are seats because the students section seats are general admission, so we got one right in the corner along the glass. Walking around the arena, the pep band was playing fight songs and singing chants. As people starting piling in and chanting "Umass Lowell!", you could tell that this was going to be one of the most intense atmospheres of the season. It had been six long months since this team got knocked out of the late stages of the NCAA tournament, and the fans wanted another year like that.
With just three minutes to game-time, the announcer began listing the names of the six starters for each team. They announced the away team first, and with every name announced the student section of Umass Lowell said "who cares you suck!" Next came the Umass Lowell team. With every name announced for their team, the student section erupted in a frantic cheer. Finally the last player for Umass was being announced, the Massachusetts Native goaltender Doug Carr. He received not just cheers, but a reception of bowing fans. It was clear that he was the favorite and most accomplished player on the Umass Lowell team. After all of the pre-game ceremonies, it was time for the National Anthem.
Once the puck dropped at the Tsongas Center, the amped crowed added a sense of momentum to the Umass Lowell side. This led to an early first period goal by #12 Josh Holmstrom assisted by #20 Michael Fallon. From that point on the two teams went back and forth, laying massive hits on one another, and missing many close opportunities with the crowd screaming on every shot. With the score still 1-0 heading into the third it appeared that Umass Lowell was going to open the season with a statement win.
Something must have happened in that Vermont locker room during intermission. The Catamounts came out flying, laying big hits, and peppering shots at goaltender Doug Carr. The fatigued Umass Lowell team always looked like they were ready to concede their first goal, and couldn't seem to find an answer to Vermont. Doug Carr largely lived up to his reputation saving 28 shots to this point and keeping the Umass Lowell team up one on the Catamounts. Just halfway through the third they finally conceded that tying goal, and the coach was not happy with the effort he was receiving from his team. Umass Lowell had now been revived too, and began trying to take the lead again. Sadly after getting 8 more shots in the last half of the period they couldn't take home the win.
This game turned out to be much more exciting than I thought it would have been since I never really cared for either team prior to this game. After seeing how thrilling the game was, along with the atmosphere all of the fans provided I can now say I do support Umass Lowell, but Boston College still holds precedence to them. It was a fun event to attend for my family as well, since that was only the second time they saw me since I've been at college. After the game, the university surprised us fans with the first indoor fireworks display ever held at the Tsongas. It was a good ending to a good night.
Before this game the Resident Advisers and a couple of clubs hosted a pep rally outside of the Campus Recreation Center giving away shirts and tickets. While I was there I grabbed four tickets, and then called up my parents to ask them if they wanted to come to the game and bring my little sister. With no hesitation my dad said "yeah, ill meet you there an hour before game time". Shockingly after going to over a hundred college and professional hockey games in my lifetime, this was going to be my sisters fist one. She is always being left out of sporting events because my dad has always brought me to them, so this was going to be a great experience for her as well.
Being an hour early and receiving the tickets at the pep rally meant that we were some of the first people in the arena, and got to get free Umass Lowell hockey jerseys. We also got to pick are seats because the students section seats are general admission, so we got one right in the corner along the glass. Walking around the arena, the pep band was playing fight songs and singing chants. As people starting piling in and chanting "Umass Lowell!", you could tell that this was going to be one of the most intense atmospheres of the season. It had been six long months since this team got knocked out of the late stages of the NCAA tournament, and the fans wanted another year like that.With just three minutes to game-time, the announcer began listing the names of the six starters for each team. They announced the away team first, and with every name announced the student section of Umass Lowell said "who cares you suck!" Next came the Umass Lowell team. With every name announced for their team, the student section erupted in a frantic cheer. Finally the last player for Umass was being announced, the Massachusetts Native goaltender Doug Carr. He received not just cheers, but a reception of bowing fans. It was clear that he was the favorite and most accomplished player on the Umass Lowell team. After all of the pre-game ceremonies, it was time for the National Anthem.
Once the puck dropped at the Tsongas Center, the amped crowed added a sense of momentum to the Umass Lowell side. This led to an early first period goal by #12 Josh Holmstrom assisted by #20 Michael Fallon. From that point on the two teams went back and forth, laying massive hits on one another, and missing many close opportunities with the crowd screaming on every shot. With the score still 1-0 heading into the third it appeared that Umass Lowell was going to open the season with a statement win.
Something must have happened in that Vermont locker room during intermission. The Catamounts came out flying, laying big hits, and peppering shots at goaltender Doug Carr. The fatigued Umass Lowell team always looked like they were ready to concede their first goal, and couldn't seem to find an answer to Vermont. Doug Carr largely lived up to his reputation saving 28 shots to this point and keeping the Umass Lowell team up one on the Catamounts. Just halfway through the third they finally conceded that tying goal, and the coach was not happy with the effort he was receiving from his team. Umass Lowell had now been revived too, and began trying to take the lead again. Sadly after getting 8 more shots in the last half of the period they couldn't take home the win.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Question 1 ( How place shapes Sal Paradise and Micky Ward. )
Both Sal Paradise and Micky Ward are greatly shaped by the places they live in, along with the atmosphere surrounding the places they live. Where they live and the atmosphere around them, plays a vital role in life changing decisions each of them make as they continue to grow and mature throughout their lives. The primary difference between these two characters is that one never leaves the city he was raised in, while the other has multiple places that help shape his life. In "On the Road" the character Sal Paradise is constantly being shaped as a result of always being on the move, and never settling down in one location. On the contrary, in "The Fighter", professional boxer Micky Ward has never left the city of Lowell, which he claims is an important reason to why he had the success in the ring. Regardless of whether they left home or not, each character was molded from both the places and atmospheres they lived in.
The novel "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac follows the narrator Sal Paradise in his long, seemingly endless journey, back and forth across the United States and even into Mexico. In "On the Road" the reader journeys with Sal as he walks, hitches rides, and buys bus tickets across the country while finding friends who will offer him excitement and shelter. Through these trips we experience Sal's alcohol addiction, meeting strangers, small short standing jobs, gaining and losing of friends, and promiscuous behavior. As Sal goes on traveling and becoming even more restless he begins to start maturing and gaining a new perspective on life which eventually molds him into the successful writer and honest husband he was destined to be.
The novel opens up with Sal living at his aunt's apartment in New York, which he finds extremely boring and repetitive with no new experiences to offer him. At that same time Dean Moriarty had just gotten out of another stay in jail and headed east to New York with his newly wedded fiance Marylou, to meet Sal Paradise.While in New York, Dean, Sal, and their other friend Carlo Marx spend several nights out together drinking and talking non-stop. Sal has always dreamed of heading out west, but never actually set out to. Once Dean came, Sal fell in love with his energetic and lively personality, and soon realized that all the excitement that was nonexistent in his life was waiting for him on the road.
Sal's first move west to Colorado, and first move to becoming a different kind of person started out by taking a bus to Chicago which cost him most of his money. Immediately after Sal starts to become a different type of person, more free and full of spirit, willing to do things that are out of the ordinary. Even while laying in his hotel room bed in Des Moines, Sal begins to question where or who he even is. He feels like a brand new person and wants to set off to find out more about himself. After leaving his hotel room, he hitches a ride from a couple of farmers making their way to Los Angeles. The places he stops at and passes excite him and make him lust for more than what he is seeing. The geographical scenery that now surrounds Sal's life creates a sense of parallelism to his personality and emotions. He is now opening up, and seeing all of his dreams and visions come to life right in front of him. Finally when he has traveled halfway across America he states " I am at the dividing line of the East of my youth and the West of my future" meaning there is much more adventures lying ahead.
Once Sal arrives in Denver he doesn't enjoy his time there for too long. The sense of excitement he had from traveling to Denver was missing and he longed for it. This shows that once Sal hit the road, he became addicted to it and restless. He did not want to settle down just yet. His whole childhood had been in New York, but now he always wants to be on the move and continue west. He was starting to become just like Dean, who was a main part of the atmosphere around him. In the novel Dean was always on the move, and constantly making people around him dislike him for his rash decisions He had been married three times, and had such a restless that he kept going back and forth between his first wife Marylou and his second wife Camille, leaving behind his child constantly. Dean hadn't a care in the world for anybody but himself, and never cared what others thought of him. He was a free spirit, but little to Sal's knowledge, in the end this wasn't the life he wanted.
The free spirited and restless atmosphere that Dean created around Sal carried with him throughout the novel. After meeting Dean in New York and seeing his lifestyle, Sal immediatly began West, and created the habit drinking at bars until he was drunk, and hitting on as many waitresses as he could. For instance when Sal hitched a ride with two farmers who were on their way to Los Angeles, Sal and a strange character named Montana Slim got off at a stop in Cheyenne, Wyoming where they went to the local bars. Here Sal and Montana Slim get drunk, and Sal began to unsuccessfully try to pick up a Mexican waiter. Sal then goes onto another where he does pick up a waiter and spends most of his money to have sex with her.
In San Francisco we begin to see Dean's knack of ruining relationships through rash decisions rub off on Sal. While in San Francisco Sal stayed for a while at his friend Remi's apartment. What ruined there relationship was the care free and alcoholic lifestyle Sal had developed from being on the road. On night Remi informed Sal that his stepfather was paying him a visit and he wanted to make a good impression. All Remi simply asked of that night was for Sal to be respectful and don't do anything that would jeopardize his stepfathers view of him. To no surprise Sal showed up drunk and late for dinner with his friend Ed whom he had met while traveling to Colorado. Being used to not having a home and surrounding himself with drunks, spiritual, and free caring people, Sal does not value the aspect of friendship like he once used to. He only idolizes and cherishes his friendship with Dean because of the fun and exciting lifestyle Dean introduced him to.
With no place to stay in California anymore, Sal once again heads to the road to go back east, but this time meets a Mexican woman named Terry. They decide that they're going to stay in Los Angeles together and get a hotel room. This little stint actually turns into a fifteen day long relationship, where the two unsuccessfully plan to go back to New York together. With little money between the two of them, they go back to Terry's brothers house in Sanibal where Sal meets Terry's brother Ricky, friend Ponzo, and son John. While together the couple goes out drinking, and making love in the neighbors barn before Sal decides it is time for him to go back to New York. For the short time he was with Terry, Sal enjoyed having the sense of being a father and a husband, but just as we saw with Dean and his relationships, they don't last long.
Later on in the novel Dean, Marylou, and Sal are driving through Louisiana and Texas, where they get thrown off the side of the rode into some mud by an oncoming drunk driver. After pushing the car out of the mud, the threesomes clothes are soaked and covered in mud. So as a result they decide to drive naked for a while with other cars and truck drivers passing them with shocking facial expressions. Once again we see the care free attitude from living life on the road. There are no consequences and you don't have to worry about your reputation and people judging you. This reason could possibly be why Sal has become the type of person he has on the road.
The last expedition that Sal, Dean, and others embark on is to Mexico. Driving through Gregoria with their headlights broken in the dark, humid, mosquito filled air Sal begins to feel outside of his comfort zone. Judging from his past behaviors who knew he had one on the road? He no longer feels the all embracing humanity with the people he passes like in America, but feels difference while driving by. The ancient looking architecture, and small villages seemed out of the norm for Sal. His whole time on the road, the more he moved the better things seemed to him, but now he's realizing how much home means to him. Later in Mexico City Sal gets a fever so severe he becomes delirious and unconscious. When he awakes Dean tells him that his divorce went through and leaves him to go back to the states. Seeing this made Sal realize that he didn't want to be like Dean after all. He found his meaning of existence in Mexico and realized what he wanted to do, while Dean was still trying to figure it out. In the end Sal ends up confident and in love with the girl of his dreams, while Dean is still lost out on the road.
Being on the road shaped Sal into a more spirited and care free person who took in the habits of sex, drinking, and drugs. Being at home in New York Sal felt that his life was very boring and lacking the excitement he always envisioned being out west. Immediately Sal begins to develop this promiscuous and care free lifestyle sleeping with several women, getting drunk almost every night, and doing things that surrounding people look at in awe. He was always on the move and because of this there was no consequences, and he didn't have to answer to anyone about anything he did. The amount of freedom he had made him mad, and turned him into the restless man he was. If you think about it Sal was not shaped by places but by the fact that he did not even have a place.
The novel "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac follows the narrator Sal Paradise in his long, seemingly endless journey, back and forth across the United States and even into Mexico. In "On the Road" the reader journeys with Sal as he walks, hitches rides, and buys bus tickets across the country while finding friends who will offer him excitement and shelter. Through these trips we experience Sal's alcohol addiction, meeting strangers, small short standing jobs, gaining and losing of friends, and promiscuous behavior. As Sal goes on traveling and becoming even more restless he begins to start maturing and gaining a new perspective on life which eventually molds him into the successful writer and honest husband he was destined to be.
The novel opens up with Sal living at his aunt's apartment in New York, which he finds extremely boring and repetitive with no new experiences to offer him. At that same time Dean Moriarty had just gotten out of another stay in jail and headed east to New York with his newly wedded fiance Marylou, to meet Sal Paradise.While in New York, Dean, Sal, and their other friend Carlo Marx spend several nights out together drinking and talking non-stop. Sal has always dreamed of heading out west, but never actually set out to. Once Dean came, Sal fell in love with his energetic and lively personality, and soon realized that all the excitement that was nonexistent in his life was waiting for him on the road.
Sal's first move west to Colorado, and first move to becoming a different kind of person started out by taking a bus to Chicago which cost him most of his money. Immediately after Sal starts to become a different type of person, more free and full of spirit, willing to do things that are out of the ordinary. Even while laying in his hotel room bed in Des Moines, Sal begins to question where or who he even is. He feels like a brand new person and wants to set off to find out more about himself. After leaving his hotel room, he hitches a ride from a couple of farmers making their way to Los Angeles. The places he stops at and passes excite him and make him lust for more than what he is seeing. The geographical scenery that now surrounds Sal's life creates a sense of parallelism to his personality and emotions. He is now opening up, and seeing all of his dreams and visions come to life right in front of him. Finally when he has traveled halfway across America he states " I am at the dividing line of the East of my youth and the West of my future" meaning there is much more adventures lying ahead.
Once Sal arrives in Denver he doesn't enjoy his time there for too long. The sense of excitement he had from traveling to Denver was missing and he longed for it. This shows that once Sal hit the road, he became addicted to it and restless. He did not want to settle down just yet. His whole childhood had been in New York, but now he always wants to be on the move and continue west. He was starting to become just like Dean, who was a main part of the atmosphere around him. In the novel Dean was always on the move, and constantly making people around him dislike him for his rash decisions He had been married three times, and had such a restless that he kept going back and forth between his first wife Marylou and his second wife Camille, leaving behind his child constantly. Dean hadn't a care in the world for anybody but himself, and never cared what others thought of him. He was a free spirit, but little to Sal's knowledge, in the end this wasn't the life he wanted.
The free spirited and restless atmosphere that Dean created around Sal carried with him throughout the novel. After meeting Dean in New York and seeing his lifestyle, Sal immediatly began West, and created the habit drinking at bars until he was drunk, and hitting on as many waitresses as he could. For instance when Sal hitched a ride with two farmers who were on their way to Los Angeles, Sal and a strange character named Montana Slim got off at a stop in Cheyenne, Wyoming where they went to the local bars. Here Sal and Montana Slim get drunk, and Sal began to unsuccessfully try to pick up a Mexican waiter. Sal then goes onto another where he does pick up a waiter and spends most of his money to have sex with her.
In San Francisco we begin to see Dean's knack of ruining relationships through rash decisions rub off on Sal. While in San Francisco Sal stayed for a while at his friend Remi's apartment. What ruined there relationship was the care free and alcoholic lifestyle Sal had developed from being on the road. On night Remi informed Sal that his stepfather was paying him a visit and he wanted to make a good impression. All Remi simply asked of that night was for Sal to be respectful and don't do anything that would jeopardize his stepfathers view of him. To no surprise Sal showed up drunk and late for dinner with his friend Ed whom he had met while traveling to Colorado. Being used to not having a home and surrounding himself with drunks, spiritual, and free caring people, Sal does not value the aspect of friendship like he once used to. He only idolizes and cherishes his friendship with Dean because of the fun and exciting lifestyle Dean introduced him to.
With no place to stay in California anymore, Sal once again heads to the road to go back east, but this time meets a Mexican woman named Terry. They decide that they're going to stay in Los Angeles together and get a hotel room. This little stint actually turns into a fifteen day long relationship, where the two unsuccessfully plan to go back to New York together. With little money between the two of them, they go back to Terry's brothers house in Sanibal where Sal meets Terry's brother Ricky, friend Ponzo, and son John. While together the couple goes out drinking, and making love in the neighbors barn before Sal decides it is time for him to go back to New York. For the short time he was with Terry, Sal enjoyed having the sense of being a father and a husband, but just as we saw with Dean and his relationships, they don't last long.
Later on in the novel Dean, Marylou, and Sal are driving through Louisiana and Texas, where they get thrown off the side of the rode into some mud by an oncoming drunk driver. After pushing the car out of the mud, the threesomes clothes are soaked and covered in mud. So as a result they decide to drive naked for a while with other cars and truck drivers passing them with shocking facial expressions. Once again we see the care free attitude from living life on the road. There are no consequences and you don't have to worry about your reputation and people judging you. This reason could possibly be why Sal has become the type of person he has on the road.
The last expedition that Sal, Dean, and others embark on is to Mexico. Driving through Gregoria with their headlights broken in the dark, humid, mosquito filled air Sal begins to feel outside of his comfort zone. Judging from his past behaviors who knew he had one on the road? He no longer feels the all embracing humanity with the people he passes like in America, but feels difference while driving by. The ancient looking architecture, and small villages seemed out of the norm for Sal. His whole time on the road, the more he moved the better things seemed to him, but now he's realizing how much home means to him. Later in Mexico City Sal gets a fever so severe he becomes delirious and unconscious. When he awakes Dean tells him that his divorce went through and leaves him to go back to the states. Seeing this made Sal realize that he didn't want to be like Dean after all. He found his meaning of existence in Mexico and realized what he wanted to do, while Dean was still trying to figure it out. In the end Sal ends up confident and in love with the girl of his dreams, while Dean is still lost out on the road.
Being on the road shaped Sal into a more spirited and care free person who took in the habits of sex, drinking, and drugs. Being at home in New York Sal felt that his life was very boring and lacking the excitement he always envisioned being out west. Immediately Sal begins to develop this promiscuous and care free lifestyle sleeping with several women, getting drunk almost every night, and doing things that surrounding people look at in awe. He was always on the move and because of this there was no consequences, and he didn't have to answer to anyone about anything he did. The amount of freedom he had made him mad, and turned him into the restless man he was. If you think about it Sal was not shaped by places but by the fact that he did not even have a place.
The movie "The Fighter" is based on the life of professional boxer and Lowell, Massachusetts native Micky "Irish" Ward. This movie covers several important aspects of Micky's life from his boxing career to his life back home in Lowell. "The Fighter" doesn't just display the hardships Micky Ward faced as a professional boxer trying to make a name for himself, but also the hardships he dealt with at home, and the hardships the city of Lowell was facing since the decline of the Industrial Revolution. Micky Ward places much of his success on the fact that he did come from Lowell, and how the place he lived helped shape him into the champion he is today.
Growing up in the city of Lowell, Micky Ward was faced with a rough lifestyle. The city of Lowell was filled with drugs, crime, and poor conditions all of which Micky had to deal with. In "The Fighter" Micky's brother Dicky was a very talented and successful boxer who knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard in an HBO fight, but had his career fall apart from cocaine addiction. Dicky had also been getting arrested several times, which put stress on Micky. In this movie Micky's two main concerns are his family and the city of Lowell, which he eventually has to pick between. He knew that if he ever wanted to make a name for himself he'd have to leave his mother from being his manager and brother as his trainer. Although Micky knew that this would cause conflict between his new staff and his family, he emphasizes the fact that he needs both of them in order to achieve his success.
Growing up in Lowell in tough neighborhoods helped make Micky the successful boxer he was. Without the rough neighborhoods and violence in the city he grew up in he would have never had to be as tough as he was. Especially with his father absent from his life, and his brother always being in and out of jail Micky had to take over the role as the man of the house. As a result of this Micky was very mature for his age, and had to be mentally and physically tough enough to deal with his family's situation.
From staying in Lowell all of his life Micky found a sense of pride from where he came from and became emotionally attached to the city. It was partially for this reason that Micky kept on fighting and pushing his limits to put Lowell back on the map. He wanted to finally bring something positive back to Lowell to take its focus away from drugs and crime. In between one of the rounds how much Lowell means to Micky is dramatically emphasized. It is when Dicky grabs Micky and says "Are you like me? Was it just good enough to fight Sugar Ray? Never had to win, did I? You gotta do more in there. You gotta win a title. For you, for me, for Lowell." This shows how crucial of a role the city of Lowell ,and all of the believers in Lowell were to get him to the point where he was fighting for the World Championship.
In the end because Micky chose to stay in Lowell he became a much tougher person which translated into his toughness in the ring. As a result of his father being absent and his brother never being there to help out the family from being in and out of jail Micky matured and toughened at a young age. His deep connection with Lowell fueled the fight in him while he was in and out of the ring. Growing up he thought about how miserable of a place it was, but seeing how important it was to the success of his boxing career made him realize just how special Lowell actually was. Growing up in a city like that gave him something to fight for and he knew that. If he had grown up in New York City like Sal who knows how successful Micky would have been, he wouldn't have much to fight for. That city is full of success and opportunity to get away from bad conditions. Without the background of growing up in a place like Lowell Micky may have never been shaped into the successful world champion boxer he became.
Growing up in Lowell in tough neighborhoods helped make Micky the successful boxer he was. Without the rough neighborhoods and violence in the city he grew up in he would have never had to be as tough as he was. Especially with his father absent from his life, and his brother always being in and out of jail Micky had to take over the role as the man of the house. As a result of this Micky was very mature for his age, and had to be mentally and physically tough enough to deal with his family's situation.
From staying in Lowell all of his life Micky found a sense of pride from where he came from and became emotionally attached to the city. It was partially for this reason that Micky kept on fighting and pushing his limits to put Lowell back on the map. He wanted to finally bring something positive back to Lowell to take its focus away from drugs and crime. In between one of the rounds how much Lowell means to Micky is dramatically emphasized. It is when Dicky grabs Micky and says "Are you like me? Was it just good enough to fight Sugar Ray? Never had to win, did I? You gotta do more in there. You gotta win a title. For you, for me, for Lowell." This shows how crucial of a role the city of Lowell ,and all of the believers in Lowell were to get him to the point where he was fighting for the World Championship.
In the end because Micky chose to stay in Lowell he became a much tougher person which translated into his toughness in the ring. As a result of his father being absent and his brother never being there to help out the family from being in and out of jail Micky matured and toughened at a young age. His deep connection with Lowell fueled the fight in him while he was in and out of the ring. Growing up he thought about how miserable of a place it was, but seeing how important it was to the success of his boxing career made him realize just how special Lowell actually was. Growing up in a city like that gave him something to fight for and he knew that. If he had grown up in New York City like Sal who knows how successful Micky would have been, he wouldn't have much to fight for. That city is full of success and opportunity to get away from bad conditions. Without the background of growing up in a place like Lowell Micky may have never been shaped into the successful world champion boxer he became.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Emerging Technologies Building Opens
A few weeks back in October, the new building that had been causing North Campus to be lit up a handful of colors every night was finally ready to make its mark on history. It had been thirty long years since a new building has been added to the university, and it seems much worth the wait now that the 80 million dollar Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center was ready to be opened to students and faculty alike. The building is four stories tall, with shiny rectangular glass windows to give it a futuristic feel. This building features classrooms, laboratories, and high-tech clean rooms that will all serve as a research and educational hub for the university. This is the first in a line of many new advancements Chancellor Meehan has planned to add to the Umass Lowell.
Walking to class the morning of the grand opening of the Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center I remember questioning if the ceremony would even take place, since it was planned outside and the rain had not stopped falling for the past two days. Luckily by the time I made my way over after my computing class the rain had held up, and the sun was just peaking through the clouds in the sky. i managed to find a spot standing right behind the bleachers facing the building. The weather was still brisk and contained a slight breeze that brought a chill through your body. The first thing I noticed upon arrival was a huge banner that read "Where Ingenuity meets Industry." This building would be where students cooperate with leading technology industries to help make the future of our society better through scientific research and education. 
At the ceremony there were several leaders and political figures from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts including Chancellor Meehan, Governor Deval Patrick, and Congresswoman of the 5th district of Massachusetts Niki Tsongas. Speech after speech people went up and explained the importance of having a building like this on campus. Not only did it create around 150 jobs to build it, but it also helps companies create jobs by working with future employees here on campus. The one speech that stuck out to me the most was Julie Chen's, where she said that students here in bio-medical and chemical engineering will be working with the government to do research and create military vests that will release medicine into the bloodstream once penetrated, healing the soldier's who wear it. Not only did this stick out to me because it sounds extremely interesting, but because of how far this school has come. Who knew that the small public university a few miles from my house would be able to accomplish so much. I'm truly happy that I picked this university over the others I got into.
After the ceremony, Deval Patrick and others cut the ribbon to officially declare the Emerging Technology and Innovation Center open. After they lead the way into the building, there was food, cake, and refreshments on the first floor for everybody to take. So I went straight for the cake. After I ate I got to tour the building with a few of my friends. Walking through the building there were a lot of empty labs for different kinds of sciences and engineering. There were a couple of volunteer upperclassman giving brief introductions to each of the labs, and explaining what kids of research would be taking place in them, along with what they're currently working on. It was pretty exciting seeing and hearing all of these things in the labs, especially since I am going to be in there working one day contributing the this very community. Going to see this grand opening really interested me because I am attending school for bioinformatics, and am going to be working a lot with computers and pharmaceutics. Seeing just what lies ahead for me made me want to work even harder just to achieve my goal.
During the speeches at the ceremony Chancellor Meehan announced that the Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center was not the only expansion Umass Lowell will be adding the university within the next few years. The University of Massachusetts Lowell is growing rapidly and getting more involved with the city of Lowell, and the state of Massachusetts. For example there will be new business and nursing buildings on South Campus, along with University Crossings right at the corner of the bridge on East Campus. The University is continually growing and rising in the college rankings, and is becoming very important helping advance the economy in this region of the United States, just as retired senator Steve Panagiotakos stated in his speech. It is incredible how far this university has come in the past decade, and now I'm part of it. I cant wait to see what's in store for me.Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Andre Dubus III Talk
On Wednesday October 24th, Andre Dubus III held a discussion at O'Leary 222 on South Campus at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Andre Dubus III is an accomplished local writer who grew up in the city of Haverhill not too far from my hometown of Methuen. His essays and novels have earned him several national awards. For instance his novel "House of Sand and Fog" was a finalist for the National Book Award, selected to be in Oprah's Book Club, and was a New York Times #1 bestseller. Some of his works were also featured in "The Best American Essays of 1994". Dubus was also awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship which is awarded to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year the foundation receives between 3,500 and 4,000 applications but only accepts around 200. Andre Dubus III is now a full time faculty member at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and just recently in 2011 has written a memoir called "Townie."
The discussion Andre Dubus III was holding at O'Leary 222 was about his recently written memoir "Townie." Heading into the auditorium I was hoping that this wouldn't take long to be over. To my surprise the longer I was there listening to him, the longer I wanted to stay there and listen to him. He was much different in person than I thought he would be, especially since he didn't act like your average university professor. He spoke to us students, and also other professors who attended, the same as he would to anyone he's known for a while. I suppose that this could be because we already know his life story from reading the "Townie", and that made him feel comfortable being honest towards us.
Once he began speaking I quickly realized that the discussion he planned on having wasn't just about his book, but about life. It was a discussion to grow and connect with people who grew up in the same area, under the same conditions regardless of age or status. He started by reading a passage from the book and talking about it for a brief moment. Ironically, immediately after talking about his book, he explained how much he hates book tours and can very easily grow tired of hearing himself speak and try to be a salesman.This is when I became engaged in everything he was talking about.
One thing that Andre Dubus taught me was that even though he is an established award winning writer and a university professor, that doesn't necessarily mean that he is successful. He told us that success isn't what many of us think it is. It is not about doing something just for the money, and doing things you know you will get recognized for. Being successful is about doing something that your good at that makes you happy. He said "some people who make a lot of money try to tell themselves they're happy because they walk around with a bigger paycheck than everyone else, when really they wish they could be doing something else." He then followed that by saying "if you don't do what you love you will be dead before your dead", and that message really stuck to me. I thought about that with my own major and realized that I made the right choice. I'm happy with what I'm doing for a career path.
Dubus made us know that writing was the correct choice for him. He told us that writing a novel is like planting a seed; you start it but you don't know whats going to come out of it. Dubus claims that when he began writing this book he had no intention of including any of his family members in it, until he took it to a publisher where they asked. Surprisingly the whole book ended up being about his family, and to my surprise again he said that writing about his family was the hardest part.
Andre Dubus talked about how this book almost had not come into existence because he didn't want it to affect anybody in his family's lives. He asked the question to himself "am I trying to hurt anybody by writing this" and the only way he'd write it is if he answered no to that question. He was scared to approach each member of his family about the book after word had gotten out and was shocked by the reactions he got from his brother, sisters, and mother. Writing about his brother's suicidal thoughts and attempts he thought that his brother would never speak to him again. Very humorously he said his brother only asked that it be put in the end of the book that he's not a screw up anymore. His sister on the other hand is proud of Andre for writing but refuses to read it so she wont have to remember. The biggest shock came from his mother. He said when he approached his mother about it he was driving her in his truck, and his stomach was tied in knots. Then suddenly she grabbed his wrist and said "dont you dare not write this story because of me", and followed by saying "I'm too old to give a crap anyway." Andre was telling us this because he wanted to share a big moment in his life so that we'd feel more comfortable talking about ours.
The part of Andre's discussion that grabbed my attention most was when he said "I'm surprised my father even got into the book", when the majority of what he wrote about was his father and how he was never there for him. Andre explained how if his father wasn't dead he would have never written this book. While writing it he remembered how much his dad meant to him after all of the hurt and misery he had put him through. He told us that "memory is obstructed to what's important to us" and what was the most important to him was his father. That's why the book became sort of like a father-son story, where almost the entire book was a conversation he never had with his father. Again he claimed that he wouldn't have written the book if he thought it would hurt one of his family members, and that by writing it he didn't want to damage his father's works and relationships.
For the majority of the discussion students were allowed to ask Andre questions, and I picked up on that when answering them Andre usually referenced to his father without knowing. He told us how writing was his way of life because that's what connected him with his father and what he always loved to do."Art is a way of transferring feeling from the writer to the reading" is a quote that Dubus kept emphasized when talking about his memoir.
Sadly I had to leave this discussion a few minutes early for one of my night classes on North Campus. The last thing I heard Andre Dubus say was "Do the best you can do, not the best you know how to do." What he meant by saying this is that do the best you can do, don't just do what you know you can do. Go beyond what you think your limits are, and surprise yourself just like he did with his memoir "Townie". I really got a lot out of hearing Andre Dubus III speak, and it was interesting hearing a college professor/author approach his audience the way he did. I'm definitely going to the next talk Dubus has on campus.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Kerouac Literary Festival
From October 10th to October 14th of every year Lowell hosts the annual Kerouac Literary Festival. During the five days that the festival was in town I had the privilege to attend two events. The "Beat Generation" play on Saturday night at the Merrimack Repertory Theater and the "Sunset on Jacks Bridge" on University Ave right outside North Campus Sunday evening. Jack Kerouac is an author and poet native to the city of Lowell and is highly recognized for novels such as "On the Road", "Dr. Sax", and "Big Sur". His style of writing was unique and spontaneous, covering a wide variety of subjects that include spirituality, Buddhism, sex, drugs, jazz, poverty and travel. He along with two other men, William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, are credited with starting the "Beat Generation", which ultimately led to the Hippie Movement. Despite helping establish the Hippie Generation Kerouac opposed some of their radical political values. Sadly Jack Kerouac died in 1969 at 49 years old from internal bleeding due to long term alcohol abuse. Now we have this wonderful festival to commemorate him.During the weekend of the Kerouac Literary Festival I went home, which means I had to drive back to Lowell for the play. In the downtown area of Lowell there is absolutely no parking within reasonable proximity to the theater unless you get there an hour early. The neat thing about going to see the "Beat Generation" was that this was it's world premiere, and I got to be in attendance for it. Not many people have heard of this play, or heard of it as one of Kerouac's works. The reason for this is that the "Beat Generation" was found and published in 2004 despite being written by Kerouac over sixty years ago. Approaching the entrance of the theater I noticed that most of the attendees were of seniority, and were probably affected directly by several pieces of Kerouac's work. Who knows, maybe many of them even knew Jack on personal level, and helped engage in the start of the beat generation.
Walking into the theater the only topic being discussed was Jack Kerouac, and how admirable his works of art were. I soon realized that what captured all of these peoples imagination and hearts was how controversial his writing was, whether it was through his syntax or the subject of his writing. There was not one person who strayed from that subject of conversion...perhaps except for me. Hearing how emphatic they were speaking about him and his works made me question how my generation had wandered so far from literature. These people cherished Kerouac's works, read them willingly, and took all they could out of it. I can confidentially say that if students today were not required to read certain books for class, then the majority of them would have read "Holes" as their last book back in 7th grade. Experiencing this at the play really encouraged me to find a book that I thoroughly enjoy.
When the play began I was a little excited to see what Jack Kerouac was all about. One of the actors hopped up on stage revealed to us that we were going to be one of the eight audiences who would witness the "Beat Generation" for the very first time. Apparently when Kerouac wrote this play, publishers forced it away and made Kerouac lock it his drawer, and to never mention it again. They said it was too much like "On the Road" so it wasn't worth being published and made into a theatrical production. Since the actors only had four days to prepare for the play instead of the usual four months, they let us know that they would constantly be carrying the scripts around with them. I thought that this would take away from the overall experience and quality of the play, but surprisingly it didn't. The actors only glanced at the script, recited the line, and executed it without any pauses or mistakes.As the story line of the play progressed I can see how publishers could have denied publication of this play because it was too similar to "On the Road". There were some noticeably different features to each one too though. The "Beat Generation" was about a group of friends from the 1950's who were gamblers and alcoholics. These men also struggled financially but believed that they could change their fortune in the very near future. Their plan was to go to the horse track everyday, gamble away their money, and earning more than they ever thought possible. As you may have already guessed, this plan did not work well and they didn't make nearly enough to get them out of debt. After this they carried on with their lives as they always did, with no motive, just alcohol and gambling. Towards the end of the play the group meets a Bishop, and begin to question what the real meaning of life is and the true meaning of their existence on Earth. Just like in "On the Road", the characters are spiritually lost in the world and go on with each day trying to gain wealth and raise their social status.
While I was there a few people read their favorite pieces and lines of Jack's literature, then said a few prayers about him. Once everything that wanted to be said was said, everybody was given a white flower to throw over the bridge in remembrance of Jack. As we launched the flowers into the river everyone yelled "for Jack!" or "Jack Kerouac!". Almost immediately after all the flowers had been thrown I saw a watermelon go flying over the fence, exploding on the rocks in the river. Apparently a character in one of Jack's books actually throws a watermelon over that exact bridge.
The most interesting part of the tribute on the bridge was meeting a man named Larry Myers. Larry claims that he knew Jack, and is very good friends with the family still. Supposedly Jack's brother in law from California is extremely wealthy and is paying Larry to write a story about Jack for a good chunk of money. Although this does seem true I have yet to research if Larry is actually a published author. I will try to find some time to check that out soon.
Overall my experience at the Kerouac Literary Festival was an interesting one. It was very unique to see one of Kerouac's plays on its world premiere after being locked away in his drawer for over sixty years. I learned a lot about what times were like back in the 1950's, and how much Jack still means to the city of Lowell. The experience's I gained from this excursion have also helped me rediscover the joy of reading. I've actually started to read "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt not too long ago. It's hard to believe that some things Jack wrote about that changed the way people viewed literature throughout the world happened on the very streets outside my dorm.
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