I recommend that you listen to the song and read the lyrics first.

Lyrics:

[Hook]
Even the sun goes down, heroes eventually die
Horoscopes often lie, and sometimes “y”
Nothin’ is for sure, nothin’ is for certain, nothin’ lasts forever
But until they close the curtain, it’s him and I: Aquemini

[Verse 1: Big Boi]
Now is the time to get on like Spike Lee said, “Get on the Bus”
Go get your work and keep your beeper chirpin’ it’s a must
Is you on that dust or cornstarch, familiar with that smack man
The music is like that green stuff provided to you by sack man
Pacman, how in the fuck do you think we gon’ do that man?
Ridin’ round Old National on 18’s without no gat man
I’m strapped man and ready to bust on any nigga like that man
Me and my nigga we roll together like Batman and Robin
We prayed together through hard times and swung hard when it was fitting
But now we tappin’ the brakes from all them corners that we be bending
In Volkswagens and Bonnevilles, Chevrolets and Coupe de Villes
If you ain’t got no rims nigga don’t get no wood grain steering wheel
For real, you can go on chill out and still build, let your paper stack
Instead of going into overkill pay your fuckin’ beeper bill, bitch

[Hook]
Even the sun goes down, heroes eventually die
Horoscopes often lie, and sometimes “y”
Nothin’ is for sure, nothin’ is for certain, nothin’ lasts forever
But until they close the curtain, it’s him and I: Aquemini

[Verse 2: André 3000]
Twice upon a time there was a boy who died
And lived happily ever after, but that’s another chapter
Live from home of the brave with dirty dollars
And beauty parlors and baby bottles and bowling ball Impalas
And street scholars that’s majoring in culinary arts
You know, how to work bread, cheese and dough
From scratch but see the catch is you can get caught
Know what ya selling, what you bought so cut that big talk
Let’s walk to the bridge now meet me halfway
Now you may see some children dead off in the pathway
It’s them poor babies walkin’ slowly to the candy lady
It’s lookin’ bad, need some hope, like the words ‘maybe’, ‘if’, or ‘probably’
More than a hobby, when my turntables get wobbly they don’t fall
I’m sorry y’all, I often drift, I’m talking gift
So when it comes you never look the horse inside its grill
Of course you know I feel like the bearer of bad news
Don’t want to be it but it’s needed so what have you
Now question: is every nigga with dreads for the cause?
Is every nigga with golds for the fall? Naw
So don’t get caught up in appearance
It’s Outkast’s Aquemini, another black experience

[Hook]
Even the sun goes down, heroes eventually die
Horoscopes often lie, and sometimes “y”
Nothin’ is for sure, nothin’ is for certain, nothin’ lasts forever
But until they close the curtain, it’s him and I: Aquemini

[Verse 3: Big Boi]
The name is Big Boi, Daddy Fat Saxxx
The nigga that like them Cadillacs
I stay down with these streets
Cause these streets is where my folks at
Better know that, some say we pro-black, boy we professional
We missed a lot of church so the music is our confessional
Get off the testicles and the nut sacks
You bust a rhyme we bust back
Get get back for real niggas that’s out here tryin’ to spit facts
You hear dat can’t come near dat maybe you need to quit
Because Aquemini is Aquarius and Gemini runnin’ shit like this
Yea yea yea yea

[Verse 4: André 3000]
My mind warps and bends, floats the wind, count to ten
Meet the twin André Ben, welcome to the lion’s den
Original skin many men comprehend
I extend myself so you go out and tell a friend
Sin all depends on what you believing in
Faith is what you make it, that’s the hardest shit since MC Ren
Alien can blend right on in with your kin
Look again, cause I swear I spot one every now and then
It’s happening again, wish I could tell you when
André, this is André, y’all are just gon’ have to make amends

[Hook]
Even the sun goes down, heroes eventually die
Horoscopes often lie, and sometimes “y”
Nothin’ is for sure, nothin’ is for certain, nothin’ lasts forever
But until they close the curtain, it’s him and I: Aquemini

[Skit: André 3000]
Master: Finally, Igor! We’ve done it, we’ve done it!
Igor: Yes, master! Yes, master!
Master: Igor, we’ve done it!
Unison: Uh-oh
(Woman Screaming)

Topic: Meaning of Life

We all have ridden a bike in some point of our lives. We all have different reasons on doing so, different meanings. Some of us have used a bike before with the means to commute to some place, others have used a bike with the means to get some exercise in. The point is, that we all have had different means in doing so. However my presentation today isn’t about the reason why people ride bikes, but the bigger picture here; the concept of meaning. I am going to try my best in explaining meaning, the importance of it, how each and every one of our lives has meaning to it, and what we can do about it.

Of course there are religions, like Buddhism, that gives meaning to life and death, such as reincarnation, where after we die our souls take on another entity. Christianity also gives meaning to life, they claim that we are on this earth to serve God and spread His word. But if you don’t believe in these things then you probably have trouble knowing your purpose on earth, if you’ve ever thought about it. Or you just don’t want to know. I am Christian, however I believe there is a greater, more personal purpose for me on earth.

The problem that people have when figuring out life is that it can get really complicated, however it doesn’t have to be.There are three simple steps of life, birth, stuff in between, then death. Here is an example of this, from my favorite show Rick and Morty. *show video*

So let’s go through the steps of life here of Mr. Meeseeks. Step one, birth: Mr. Meeseeks was born out of the Meeseeks Box with a push of a button. Step two: Mr. Meeseeks fulfills the request that he was given. Step three: he “explodes.” And that’s it! His life is complete from birth to death. But this begs the question, what is our purpose? Are we just another version of Mr. Meeseeks that has only a single reason to live? This is an example of simplification, something that we covered in this class a few weeks ago, because step two of life is more complex than this.

It turns out that meaning itself is found in three human activities: Communication, Understanding, and Service. Meaning is found through the communication of others because through this we share our stories and experiences of our lives with each other. The deeper the connection, the more meaning. Communication can also consist of discovery, like going to a country you’ve never been to before. This is exciting and thrilling, something that seems to give meaning. Meaning is found through understanding. This is about the pleasure that can be felt whenever we correct confusion and puzzlement about ourselves or the world. Lastly meaning is found through service. We get a sense of satisfaction like no other when we help others. Making a difference to someone else gives meaning to ourselves.

So if this isn’t enough meaning to life then all I can tell you is that life can mean as much as you want it to. The meaning of life isn’t objective, rather relative. By that I mean we take charge of our own lives, and our futures are in our own hands. So might as well make the most out of it while we can. Give your own life some meaning. What Benny said on his talk, do something that you’re afraid to do. Make meaning out of your own life. Thank you.

Topic: Meaning of Life

• Introduction
  • Bikes relate to meaning
  • Not about the means of why people ride bikes
  • Rather the concept of meaning itself
• Main Point 1
  • Religion
    • Buddhism
    • Christianity
  • Greater, more personal meaning

• The three steps of life
  • Life is easily overcomplicated
  • Life in three steps
  • Video
• Video Analysis
  • Steps 1-3, And that’s it!
  • Begs the question
  • This is oversimplification

• Three activities
  • Meaning is to be found in three activities in particular:
    • Communication
    • Understanding
    • Service
  • Do these things
• Conclusion
  • If that’s not meaning to life…
  • All I can tell you
  • Take charge…
  • Quote Benny

Sources:

• http://www.thebookoflife.org/the-meaning-of-life/

For class yesterday we met outside, at the Gleeson Plaza to participate in the Cyclecide Heavy Pedal Bike Rodeo. I found it to be a very fun experience. The man had a somewhat brief talk to us about his experiences, and about his bicycles. All of the bikes looked really fun to ride so I decided to do so. The first one I rode was the hinge bike, which wasn’t the most challenging, however was hard to turn. I also rode the small bike, which was very easy, the tall bike, and the reverse bike. It was a very fun day and I am glad we had the experience.

Armstrong in “Cycles of Lies: The Fall of Lance Armstrong” by Macur represents a situation of bargain-rhetoric that Booth talks about in “Judging Rhetoric.” His actions reflect those of someone with high achievement, goals, and determination. However, Armstrong’s intentions say something else. His intentions are formed in order to reach such a goal, but those intentions are amoral. Armstrong’s success is the result of him doping, an unfair advantage over his competitors. His means to success and the immorality of such means do not share a common ground benefitting Tygart nor his other competitors, but himself.

I believe I did well on this speech. Out of my three speeches, I would put this one at second best at the least. I memorized pretty much everything I needed to, covered all the points that I was aiming for, and had continuous flow throughout the entire speech. I also didn’t even need to use my notes which I had with me. I did visit the Speaking Center a day prior, where I was able to work on this speech. Overall, I am satisfied with my presentation, giving me the momentum for the next one.

I will be discussing Cycling Comics.

Cycling Comics are simply comics that you see from a comic book or like a magazine, but with bicycles in them. Comics have been around since the 1800s, about the same time period as bicycles have. They are very simple, yet very captivating to readers. They do this because Cycling Comics, or comics in general, have certain elements which gives them the ability to attract an audience, or gain an audience’s attention in order for the audience to keep reading them. For example, this comic has these elements, such as some sort of character, words, captions, title, etc. Today I am going to go into specific aspects that makes a good comic.

So, what makes a good comic?

• Not Boring! – a good comic has to be able to entertain an audience and keep, that attention, and never lose it. If someone becomes uninterested in a comic, then that comic has failed at being a comic, because what is a comic supposed to do? Entertain.
• Character/Story Development – some comics, such as ones in comic books can have a long story about some character and could possibly lead to subsequent comics, like superhero comics. Comics that are in magazines also can have some short story about some character as well.
• Emotional – the concept of comics are very similar to those of actual reading books, in the sense that they both can make the reader feel a certain way. Just like how a horror book can make the reader frightened or scared, a comic can make you feel some emotion too.
• Relatable – an audience enjoys a story or environment where they can picture themselves in; a place where they can put themselves into perspective of the character.
• Visuals – comics have the advantage of being able to look however they want to. This can consist of having different colors, images, panels/borders. Visuals are an easy way to get an audience’s attention, and comics heavily utilize them.
• Funny! – of course a comic has to be funny. It’s literally called a comic. Everyone likes to laugh.

I will view a few examples of Cycling Comics and how they attract the audience.

Cycling to Work:

• Explanation – this comic is about the benefits of biking to work. It Shows four instances of this; *read them*.
• Compare/Contrast Reality – this comic is about a fictional character going through fictional events in the real world. The captions *read them* are all things that can apply to you, but are about this character. It depicts a juxtaposition of what’s real and not real in order to create a sense of imagination from the reader. It allows the reader to utilize their imagination.
• Visuals!! – the author, David Walker, uses his own style for this comic. Very simple, no color, no panels. Many comics will have panels to show scene-per-scene but Walker doesn’t use them here.

Tour de France:

• Explanation – this comic is a parody about the Tour de France bike race, from the spectator’s view. It also uses certain elements to entertain the audience.
• Not Boring! – one of them being that it is not boring; it keeps the reader occupied with all six steps with a caption and visuals for each.
• Character/Story Development – one thing this comic in particular does well is tell some sort of storyline. There is a character here, however it is static and doesn’t really do anything nor undergo some sort of change or development. The story, however, does develop, explicitly having a start, some middle, and an end.
• Comedy! – and of course comedy. This comic has elements of comedy in each frame as well as the entire comic itself

That concludes my presentation on Cycling Comics. Thank you.

Topic: Biking Comics

• Introduction
• Main point1

• So, what makes a good comic?

• Not Boring!
• Character/Story Development
• Emotional
• Relatable
• Visuals
• Funny!
• Transition

• Cycling to Work:

• Explanation
• Compare/Contrast Reality
• Visuals!!

• Tour de France:

• Explanation
• Not Boring!
• Character/Story Development
• Comedy!

• Conclusion

Sources:

• http://cyclingcartoons.com/
• http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Great-Comic

Today I went to the Speaking Center for some help on my speech about Cycling Comics. I already had everything ready, however I went in anyway for any polishing that needed to be done. My instructor Vanikaa Keswani helped me with certain aspects of my speech such as structure, and punctuation. I left the Speaking Center with a better understanding of the format of a speech in general, so I implemented such into my speech. 

The relationship between individual and team is that each individual must work not only for their individual purpose, but also for the other individuals. A team is a group of individuals working for each other. This is the beauty of what a team is.
A time where I was on a team is when I ran cross country in high school. During the cross country season, me and my team would mostly train together. We would not train together all the time because sometimes individual training would be best for this sport. When we do run together, we would always support each other. We would make sure that each runner would stay with the group and not lag behind. During our races we would cheer for each other, going to different points on the trail so that we can cheer for them multiple times. A time when I sacrificed my own benefit for my team is when I dropped down to JV for a race. This was so that I can help JV’s time and position.