God Gave Me A Voice Because He Wanted Me To Speak

There's a lot anyone could say about themselves. Some more than others. And certainly I understand that I enjoy hearing the echoes of my own voice but that beside the point, I am not only forced to speak about myself I am delightfully encouraged. Encouraged by what the 'World of Warcraft' nerds call a "Noob" to the profession of teaching. Evelyn McDonnoll is just a small glass of water with a badass tattoo on her left arm and you know that when she puts the pen to the paper her words come like fire. Comparatively, we are trivial commas in her illustrious narrative that she's been piecing together since she picked up the pen but here is my attempt to turn that comma into a sentence.

When someone says explain who you are I take a look at who is asking me that question and if they actually know how to answer that about themselves. Its a hard thing to really put together. I know who I was and I have an idea about how I got here which might seem like a more appropriate answer. My parents named me Michael after my grandfather who's life dream was to start his own newspaper in the boonies of Wisconsin. Being the guy that he was, he didn't let anything get in the way of that. He built his own house and lived off of the Green Bay Packers, playing his tuba at the local pub (even though he was never invited to), and the small newspaper that he loved. I know that really has nothing to do with me but at the same time it has everything to do with me. My mother grew up watching a man love the simple things in life and living out his dream. I've grown up trying to fit into that same impression.

So fast forward to this class and I've got to admit that I came in here with a blank slate (or at least one that was full and fell in the snow). I'm interested in saying things. Usually things that lead to something else and that doesn't always end up being the case but thats the intention. In the back of my mind I want to stop the superficial banality that takes over the film school promising fame, money, and artistic treasures. But I'm not always certain that I should live in that world. Journalism to me is a way of saying what you want to say about issues that you want to talk about or nonetheless people should know about. Communication is at its peak in the history of us and yet at times it seems likes its dying in certain areas (as emo as that sounds). I bring a voice and a pen and I think thats all I really can say. Do I hope that I learn the craft of journalism? Sure I do, but I'd rather spark a waning intensity and bring it back to life. I want it to be so alive that I dance. So lets fuckin' dance.