~*The "UA"*~

Okay, I know the title sounds kind of funny, but a lot of local people seem to call The University of Alabama "the UA". It really tickles me when I tell someone that I attend the University of Alabama, and they respond "What 'the UA'?". But the that is not the main focus of my blog. I just thought that was funny, so I used it as the title. When I got ready to write this blog, I had a lot of different things in mind, but they all revolved around the same topic -- all the things that UA has to offer. When most people think of UA, they think "ROLL TIDE", which is not a bad thing. But it can be a bad thing if that's all they think of us. So the more that I'm here at UA, the more I realize why I chose UA. It is so...entertaining-- I guess you could say. It has definitely kept me busy ever since I got here. There is so much to do and so much to be done here. I am recently discovering how wonderful the theatre department here is. I must say that when I signed up for TH 114 I did not know what I was in for, and after the first day I was like "Oh my god, I have to go to six plays!" But after going to see the production of Mystery of Irma Vep, I must say that I am thoroughly amazed. I didn't know anything about the play itself, but the fact that there was only two guys successfully playing eight characters was amazing to me. So I don't think that having to see six productions will be as bad as I thought it would be. Other than the theatre department, I've also just recently visited the Paul W. Bryant Museum. If I could sum up the museum in one word, it would be "WOW!!". It goes through all the years that Paul Bryant was the coach, and it also tells of the other coaches before and after him. The museum also houses a lot of different antique things, such as the original football uniform, old footballs, and even Paul Bryant's desk. I like the old things, but I must say that my favorite part of the museum is the crystal Paul Bryant hat! IT IS SO CUTE! (I know that's sounds really girly considering that we're talking about a football coach's hat, but I mean...I am a girl, ya know!) If someone was to ask me what I learned from the museum, I would tell them "everything about the legacy of Alabama football" because to be honest I didn't know much about Alabama football when I went into the museum. I had often heard that Alabama was known for football, but I did not know how deeply rooted in football UA was. I guess I never really knew because I'm really not into football, and no one ever really cared to tell me because it was something that was understood. Like 2 + 2= 4...Alabama=football! But in general, I must say that the museum wasn't just about learning stuff about football it was about learning the pride behind the pride of "ROLL TIDE"!! So in conclusion if I was asked what my favorite place on campus was, I would say "Give me time! I haven't found it, yet!"

~*Trained In*~

Did you grow up in an area where there was train traffic? I know that sounds a little weird, but you know what I mean. Were there trains near were you grew up? Well, there were trains near where I grew up! I grew up playing on a railroad track that is directly in front of my grandmother's house. I know you're wondering what's the point here. But the point I'm trying to get at is that trains seem to be a big part of the southern culture. (To be honest, I don't know if there are many, or any for that matter, in the northern region. So that is why I am speaking of the south.) I enjoy hearing the sound of the train at my grandmother's house, and I often reminisce of those days when I hear the sound of the train in my dorm room. Even though I adore trains, I don't think I would like to be surrounded by them. And that my friend is the focus of my blog today: "Trained In". I'm borrowing the title from the documentary made by UA's own, Allison Bragg and Kevin Garrison. Bragg and Garrison were enrolled in the "Documenting Justice" class at UA. Also, the documentary was featured in the Sidewalk Film Festival. The documentary featured the citizens of a city near Birmingham, called Collegeville, that has about 20 train tracks running through it. The residents are pretty used to it; even though, it is a pain in the butt to live around. It becomes such a hassle because the trains sometimes sits there for hours at a time making it hard to get from one place to another in a reasonable amount of time. Also, some people have died or lost a limb trying to climb across the train instead of waiting. I found out about this documentary because we watched it in EN 101 last semester, and I didn't think it hit home until the other day. I was thinking about how excited I am to go home this weekend, and my train of thought led me to my grandmother's house, which in turn led me to this documentary again. I thought of all the times my grandmother would tell us to be careful and always watch out for trains as we played on the railroad tracks. So this documentary definetely hit home for me. I was saddened by it as I watched it. And the fact that this has been going on for years without a resolution was the most shocking part. I still don't understand how the city council or any other form of government can sit here and allow this to happen. I would do the whole "call to action" thing, but I don't really know what kind of actions should be taken in this situation. So my call to action is: Think about this situation and what you would do in this situation. Until next time....toodles!