Family Interview

This Thanksgiving weekend I decided it would be interesting to interview all four of my grandparents about their education.  I wanted to see what school was like in the 40's and 50's.  I asked about their high school and college experiences. 

Me: What high school did you go to? Was it large or small?
(Father's Mother) Claire Stuart: Westminster, in Atlanta, GA, it was a private school.  (Interestingly, it is the same school my aunt Glenn Hilliard attended, on the other side of the family.)
(Father's Father) Gene Stuart: I went to Plant High School in Tampa, Florida.  It was a medium sized public school.
(Mother's Mother) Heather Hilliard: I went to TL Hannah, in Anderson, SC; it was a small public school.
(Mother's Father) Glenn Hilliard: Belton High School, a very small public school, near Anderson, SC.

Me: What was your favorite subject?
CS: I loved French, and in fact received the state French award.
GS: Math.
HH: I liked history the most.
GH: English was my favorite subject.

Me: What sports did you do?
CS: Girls weren't allowed to do sports. (laughs)
GS:  I played football, offensive right guard.
HH: The only girls sport was basketball, so that is what I played.
GH: I played basketball for my school.

Me: What arts did you do?
CS: Well, I was president of the drama club.
GS: I didn't do any arts.
HH: I didn't do any arts.
GH: I played the trumpet in the high school band.

Me: What was your first car? 
CS: I had a Lincoln convertible.  It was a really nice car then!!
GS: My first car was a 1946 Hudson that I bought for $50, and sold for $35.
HH: I had a yellow car, I don't remember the name.
GH: I bought a Nash Rambler for $300.

Me: What college did you attend?
CS: I went to Sweet Briar for two years, then went to UNC.
GS: I went to Duke.
HH: I went to Clemson.
GH: I attended Clemson.

Me: What did you do after you graduated from college?
CS: I worked in Grady Hospital in the psychiatric ward.
GS: I became a naval officer.
HH: I was a flight attendant for Delta airlines.
GH: I went to law school at George Washington University.

Me: If you could go back and redo high school, would you?
CS: No, too much drama.
GS: Yes, I would have more fun.
HH: Yes, I would read more and have more fun.
GH: No, I would not.

I am so fortunate to have all four of my grandparents still alive!  They are such great people, and all are still happily married.  Having a good family is one thing I am definitely thankful for. I am pleased to say that I have a great family that is always looking out for me.  It was fun to be able to hear about their high school and college experiences, and to get to know them better.

Forrest Gump

I recently had the pleasure of watching the movie Forrest Gump for the first time. It was an amazing movie, and is now one of my favorites.  It has such a unique plot, and it is so different than any other movie I have ever seen.  One way it is different is that it is a full story of the protagonist's whole life, unlike many other movies where it just shows a snapshot in time.  I loved the longevity of the plot unfolding as the movie develops.


Forrest Gump also showed some particularly difficult experiences, such as the war in Vietnam, that relayed how harsh reality can be, and how many people suffered and died in that war.  Another particularly difficult experience was that Forrest was not like the other children, and he was discriminated against because of his disability.  The movie showed how challenging life can be if one is different.  Forest is able to take these experiences, that could be horrible, and make the best of them.  He show's how to live life to the fullest no matter what a person has to overcome.

Forrest Gump is about making the best of one's life.  But, it is also a story of love.  Jenny loves Forrest despite his disabilities, and she helps him to gain trust and respect.  The relationship between Jenny and Forrest is interesting, for it feels as if their stories are meant to come together.  Jenny is a hippie protesting the Vietnam war, while Forrest is fighting for it.  Yet, they are able to love one another despite their differences.  Forrest also teaches about forgiveness in love.  Jenny leaves Forrest to go with the hippies, and Forrest is left behind at home.  However, they find each other again, and he still loves her.

Forrest Gump is an amazing epic film about love and life.  Forrest has many struggles throughout his life, and this movie teaches the audience to be happy for what we have.

Benardin Presentation

Yesterday, I went to see a presentation on the USC campus lead by Martin Doblmeier, who was talking about his documentary, Benardin, that was originally screened in 1998, which was going to be featured that night on the South Carolina ETV channel.  The intent of the presentation was to discuss religious topics, along with ethical and moral dimensions. He had clearly completed a course on religious studies, for he seemed very smart, and knew information to a great extent on the topic.  He discussed some good points on his religious belief system, along with some movie-making strategies.  He told why he wanted to write religious films, how a movie was filmed "behind the scenes," and told the story of Gandhi, when he tried to overthrow and kill Adolf Hitler, which I found slightly off topic, yet very interesting.  I did not really know about Gandhi; I had heard the name before, but the way Doblmeier told the story made me understand what he was trying to do, and why he was so well known and important.  However, Doblmeier did not seem to hit all the expected points to have a well thought out opinion on his religious views.  He had clearly not prepared for his lecture prior to the presentation.  He focused a great deal on the USC religious studies students, and that made the lecture confusing, because he went off on topics that the Hammond students did not know about.  When someone asked him a question, it was answered  indirectly.  He seemed like a very intelligent man, who knew what he was talking about in the religion department.  He was definitely a successful filmmaker, and his presentation made me more interested in the filmmaking industry.  I look forward to hearing about more of his films in the future.

Special Scarlett

If a person knows me, they probably have heard of my horse, Special Scarlett, known at the barn as "Scarlett".  Scarlett is a sorrel (light brown) colored, 15 hand (5 feet tall), Quarter Horse reining mare (female).  We have been a pair since last summer when my coach made me ride her.

When she first came to the barn, Scarlett was crazy.  She would buck whenever any one rode her, and everyone was afraid of her.  No one wanted to get on her.  Even two horse women together could not lunge her without almost being kicked. My mom was told that she should not let me ride that animal.  I begged and begged my mom until she gave in.  I just knew Scarlett would never hurt me.  She would gallop off with other people and even bite them, but not me.  Since I was basically the only one that could or wanted to ride her, I started training her. 

She has changed so much since the first time we met.  She is very sensitive to my cues now, when before she would kick out or be very stubborn every time I got on her.  She also used to run away from me when I came to get her, but now she will come up to me when I call, and she will follow me around like a puppy.  She knows me and she knows I adore her.

If this horse is so obedient, so sweet, then why do people call her a "trash can mare?"  True, she is not a perfect species of a quarter horse.   Yes, she has a strange lope; yes, she is not a stereotypical reining horse; yes, she gets hyper too easily; but to me she is the most beautiful, most perfect horse out there.  And, it's my belief that matters. 

Because I love her too much, I know many things about her.  My "baby" hates all men, Rio the horse, loud noises, lunging, going slow, lead changes and being bridled. She loves peppermints, grain mixed with water, energy bars, Jelly Beans, reining, going fast, being groomed, and hay.

I have only ridden her in a show a few times, and we have done pretty well. I am really excited to see how we will do in these upcoming months.  I have a show next weekend, so I hope we do well in our classes!

I love this insane, sweet horse named Scarlett.