Soundtrack Prompt

Build Me Up Buttercup – The Foundations
A Kiss To Build a Dream On – Louis Armstrong
With A Little Help From My Friends – The Beatles
Piano Man – Billy Joel
Brown-Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
Old Time Rock & Roll – Bob Seger
I’m No Superman – Lazlo Bane
Here Comes The Sun – The Beatles
Forever Young – Rod Stewart

• Why are these songs important to you? How or where did you first encounter them? (Through a friend? The radio, television, the Internet, or magazine?)

Most of these songs are songs that are important to me because I remember them from my childhood. Many are songs that my parents listened to often. A few of these songs are just songs that I like and have a good meaning and relate to me.

• What does your mix say about who you are? How much do your musical choices reflect your sense of self and the subcultures you belong to?

My mix says that I am a person who likes older music. I am somewhat nostalgic, especially when away from home. I once searched for “As Time Goes By” sung by Jimmy Durante, simply because my parents listen to it very often.

• What would people learn about you by listening to your mix? What wouldn’t they be able to learn about you?

They would probably learn very little about me specifically. They would probably be able to see that I was not very much of a partier and that friends were very important to me.

• What does your mix indicate about your connection to something larger? How is it a reflection of the larger culture?

My mix doesn’t really connect me to anything larger. I suppose “I’m No Superman” connects me to fans of the TV show Scrubs which could be considered a group. I would interpret my mix and think that I am not really part of any one group. I have ties to many different cultures or groups.

• How well did you do making inferences based on your classmate’s list of songs? What did you get right? Wrong? Explain.

I am not sure how well I did making inferences because we did not reveal who we were. I do not know whose mix I had read. I think that I got most of it right though.

Narrative

While the teacher lectured, I stared out the window as my eyes began to feel heavy and my head began to drop. I tried to concentrate on what she was saying and I closed my eyes for one second. Before I knew it, seconds turned into minutes and I was hiking through an arid mountain landscape with burnt trees all around me, as I hiked upward. As I looked around, I had a strange feeling of familiarity. I was at the Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico. This area was known as Ponil Canyon where, years before, blazing fires had torn through the area, desiccating the aged evergreens. Shrubs and saplings covered the landscape and filled in spaces between charred trunks and burnt timber.
As I thought about how amazing the view was, I came to the realization that I was completely alone in a very treacherous landscape. “Where is my crew?!” I thought. I looked down from the precipice, but was unable to spot any signs of people in the canyon. I felt my muscles tighten as I began to grasp just how serious the situation was. I knew that panicking would not solve anything and fighting the urge to give in to despair, I attempted to think clearly. I dropped my pack and began to search for the gear necessary to survive in these conditions. I seemed to be missing matches, a knife, and a bear-bag. My water supply was dangerously low, at slightly over one liter. Finding water was the most important task. I decided that hiking onward would be the best plan. There must be a site nearby.
Step after step, I trudged onward, up the trail. I was relieved to find the terrain leveling off, making for easier hiking. My elation turned to dread as I looked to the sky. Dark clouds were rolling toward my location, moving very quickly. Thunder pounded as they billowed in my direction. Storms could be very dangerous at these altitudes and I quickened my pace, hoping to find a site to get water nearby. The weather could be here far before I was ready for it.
I was nearly running by now. My shirt rubbed awkwardly on my body and stuck in many places. It was damp all over and completely saturated in the back, where my pack trapped the moisture. I could feel the pressure of my pack rubbing hard on a single point on my shoulders. A blister would surely form there soon. Just as the trail took a sharp turn left, I tripped over a rock and lunged forward. As I started to pick myself up, there was a loud rattling noise near my head. I froze. I directed my gaze toward the sound, making sure to keep as still as possible. The rattlesnake was aimed directly at me! I began to slowly inch backwards. Suddenly a rock beneath my hand moved and I fell down toward the rattler! The snake shot forward and bit into my left shoulder! I screamed only to realize that I was now back in the classroom. The girl next to me had just tapped on my left shoulder as she passed the attendance sheet to me. Judging by the look on her face I must have nearly jumped out of my seat and what had been a scream was turned into a high-pitched squeak. I laughed along with her and thanked her for waking me up before the teacher noticed. I looked up just as the minute hand hit the ten and yawned loudly. It had been a very interesting class period.

Intro

My name is James Andritsch. I'm a freshmen at UW-Eau Claire and I'm a microbiology major. I was originally a biochemistry/molecular biology major, but I don't like chem that much so I switched. I'm from Hartford, Wisconsin and I attended Hartford Union High School. I have two brothers who are five years older than me and also twins. They are both married and one has a son that was born last year. One graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a degree in civil engineering and the other is still attending UW-Platteville trying for the same degree. I have many interests but I mostly just like to be outdoors with a good group of friends. I absolutely love backpacking and canoeing. I am really missing summer right now. I like reading, but haven't really read anything in a long time. I joined APO, which is a national coed service fraternity on campus. I always have a blast whenever we get together for events. It's such a great group of people. I absolutely hate writing...so yeah...this class should be..uh...interesting.