For my final assignment this week, I chose to do “Emotional Lyrics” from the DS106 Assignment Bank. I really wanted to do this assignment because music has always been a big part of my life, and something that brings me great joy. Because of this, I decided “happiness” would be the emotion I’d use to pick the songs I’s like to share. However, “euphoria” and “joy” and close descriptors of this feeling as well. One thing I’d like to point out about this assignment is how hard it is to pick just three songs to talk about. As I said, music is something that makes me extremely happy and has a tendency to inspire me or put me in a creative mindset. Going off of that, I decided to pick three songs I always go to whenever I’m trying to get something done and just want to have fun. “Kyrie” Lyrics and Songfacts! “Self Control” Lyrics and Songfacts! “Jeopardy” Lyrics and Songfacts! One thing you might notice about each of these songs is that they’re from the ’80s. I know a lot of songs from ’80s and can say with absolute certainty it’s my favorite decade for music. I tend to be open to all genres from all decades, but the ’80s is my comfort zone full of songs that make me happy for simply existing. The first song I posted was “Kyrie” by Mr. Mister. If you haven’t heard this song, please go give it a listen! Like I mentioned in my Tweet, the opening lyrics in this song are in Greek. “Kyrie Eleison” means “Lord, have mercy.” The song is beautiful and sounds almost like a prayer without the context, however with that context it gets a deeper meaning. My mother used to play this song when I was a kid because it was big back in the ’80s when she worked as a DJ in an after-hours bar. We had it on vinyl, but sadly the record got displaced and we can no longer find it. This doesn’t stop me from loving the song, and it always puts me in a good mood whenever I hear it! The second song I included was “Self Control” by Laura Branigan. If anyone reading this doesn’t know who Laura Branigan is, I’d suggest looking up her more well-known song of ’80s fame “Gloria.” This song, however, is my favorite. In the words of Laura herself, “The song was about losing your self-control to the night or to someone.” However the lyrics themselves aren’t what elicit such happiness and joy from me. It’s her voice. Laura Branigan has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard. If you ever have a chance to see an interview she did you’ll notice she seems a bit quiet and shy. Her singing voice is completely different from that, because she can really hit the high notes in her performances. This song is also one of the first I remember actually knowing all the lyrics to as a kid, even if I didn’t fully understand the meaning behind them. The final song I chose was “Jeopardy” by The Greg Kihn Band. For anyone unfamiliar with the song, no, it is not a reference to the show. “Jeopardy” is really nothing more than a feel-good catchy tune with a video that has more hidden meaning than the actual song lyrics. But this song makes me extremely happy. Like, get-up-and-dance and let-me-sing-at-the-top-of-my-lungs happy. I hear it and I cannot stay still. I really cannot describe why it makes me feel that way, other than the fact that the song just radiates that emotion for me. Greg Kihn has other songs that I like, such as “The Breakup Song,” but this is the one that just does it for me. All in all, these songs are really just a few out of dozens that make me feel this way. However, my goal was to find the songs that not only make me happy, but inspired as well. Since our theme for this class is Bob Ross, I wanted to share some of the songs I listen to that get me out of that dark place and make me want to stand up and do something. They’re joyful and inspiring, which is something I think Bob Ross would appreciate.

For this assignment I decided to do something a bit challenging and poetic. The assignment I chose was “A Story In Alphabet” from the DS106 Assignment Bank, which has you create a story using every letter of the alphabet in order. I wanted to take is a step further by creating a poem. I was inspired by artwork I have seen for the Persian poem “The Conference of the Birds.” I wanted to make a simple descriptive poem that included as many birds as possible with words describing them. However, choosing this assignment made that process even harder since I had to use the letters of the alphabet in order. The hard part was finding words that fit the birds I had chosen descriptively, however I think I managed just fine. To complete this assignment, I used Wikipedia’s List of Birds by Common Name page and the Scrabble Player’s Dictionary to find descriptive words by using their letter search. I wanted to use a variety of birds and even thought of switching the order of description and bird every couple lines, but decided not to so I wouldn’t break the flow of the poem. Please, give the finished project a read and tell me what you think in a comment down below! Albatrosses beckon, Cockatoos dance, Eagles fly, Guineas hide, Ibises jibe, Kookaburras loom, Magpies nag, Orioles preen, Quails roost, Sparrows twitter, Umbrellabirds vibe, Woodpeckers xeric, Yellowheads zigzag

After exploring the DS106 Assignment Bank, I decided to try my hand at the “Poem Parody” assignment. The poem I chose to parody was Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death – (479)”, which I have included in the right-hand column below, while my parody version is located in the left-hand column below. Though my parody turned out to be more morbid than I originally intended, I still wanted to share it since the theme of Dickinson’s original poem is death and I pretty much turned her poem into a narrative about a husband abandoning his family. Not exactly humorous at first glance, but I do find something ironic about “Death” turning into “Jeff” and leaving his wife and kids… I know my sense of humor is a little odd! Please let me know what you think by commenting below! Parody Because I would not stop for Jeff–He refused to stop for me –This Marriage held by just Ourselves –And Jealousy. We wearily fell– He had no tasteAnd I had put awayMy labor and my love too,For His Discourtesy– He passed the School, where our Children stroveAt Recess – in the Ring –He passed the City with posthaste – He passed the Waning Moon –Or rather – He passed Us –The Kids drew shivering in the evening Chill –For only Gossamer, my Gown –He took my Tippet – my only Chattel – He paused before a House that seemedA Swelling of the Ground –The Moon was scarcely visible –Our Love – in the Ground – Since then – ’tis Decades Past – and yetFeels shorter than the DayI first surmised my Husband’s LeftWere all but Detached– Original Because I could not stop for Death –He kindly stopped for me –The Carriage held but just Ourselves –And Immortality. We slowly drove – He knew no hasteAnd I had put awayMy labor and my leisure too,For His Civility – We passed the School, where Children stroveAt Recess – in the Ring –We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –We passed the Setting Sun – Or rather – He passed Us –The Dews drew quivering and Chill –For only Gossamer, my Gown –My Tippet – only Tulle – We paused before a House that seemedA Swelling of the Ground –The Roof was scarcely visible –The Cornice – in the Ground – Since then – ’tis Centuries – and yetFeels shorter than the DayI first surmised the Horses’ HeadsWere toward Eternity –