Hello 371

Yes, I've reduced you all to a number. Class number 371, to be more specific. By senior year, any 'first day' jitters have far been done away with, and I'm left more with a general curiosity about who hides behind the screens of our classroom.

I generally sit in the front row, next to Sicily and another classmate, who, by his browsing trends I assume to have a relatively short attention span. I don't know your name yet, but give me time : )
Isn't it odd how almost all of us revert to the same seating patterns after that initial day of class? If I sat in the back row would it throw off Kelsey's chi? Or would anyone even notice a simple brunettes' shift of space?

I suppose I'm ahead of myself.

 I'm Lea, a double major in Environmental Study and English Writing, though those are just words that will roll over you. I spent a large portion of my time in South America, studying a river system in Patagonia facing severe environmental degradation due to Goliath, HidroAysen, an international mega-corporation pushing to construct five hydroelectric dams on the most powerful and most ancestral rivers in Chile.

This, and other water rights issues, dominate my mindset 97 percent of the time.

The remaining three percent of capacity seems to love doing extreme sports on horses, travel, red rock, tea and Edward Abbey, mountaintops, indelicate things, and the way the sun feels on my skin as it filters through the fingers of a Pine still draped in Montana dawn.

Ask me anything, I'm an open book.

The Walking Dead: other repetitious patterns in literature ROUGH DRAFT

Contrasting The Simpson's Treehouse of Horror and The Walking Dead t.v. series at first seemed... unconventional, to say the least. Being a fan of neither show, nor particularly keen on the latter's subject material, I can't say I held high hopes. As with most things though, I was pleasantly surprised.

The Walking Dead:
- Follows classical trends of Joseph Cambell's the Hero's Journey
     Rick; protagonist, sheriff, ---> "hero"
     Laurie; wife, mother, ---> "damsel in distress" (important to note she is the only female character we are introduced to in this episode)
     Shane: adulterer, protector, ---> "villain"



Important to note that the whole series will probably follow this ark, though each individual episode can see some crossover and continues building on the reoccurring themes. Can we imagine this picture to be anything but a circle?

2nd episode: would it be considered looting? Questioning of morals, Rick "don't think those rules apply anymore, do you?" Tug-o-war between tradition and modernity
binary between right and wrong, good and evil, us and the other? brings into question the very idea of our humanity, (id from dead zombie, crossing his chest saying oh mios dios, still reaching out for human connection or explaination higher than ones self) where are the boundaries of this new world? Capacity for forgiveness (handcuff and key on rooftop, racism)

The Simpsons:
[seems to] follow creative writing's 'story telling curve' in three mini-episodes
Lot's of parody and surprising number of literary references (ex: Hitchcock, Shakespeare, Night of the Living Dead, Nightmare on Elm Street, Creature from the Black Lagoon)