To Be Rewrite

To ride or not to ride - that is the question.
Whether it is worth it to tack up
and endure the pain
or to crawl under blankets and skip practice
to be lazy, to slack - no more
and by taking a rest day to say I deserve
a break and take it easy for a day
an off day would be nice.
To wallow and laze - oh, to laze - perhaps
lose some time.  Ah, but here is the problem.
For if I don't ride, we will have lost a whole day.
I will have gained pounds and not progress
so I must choose -- I have no choice
but to throw on the tack and heave myself up.
Who else would deal with the load,
the pressure, the expectation to perform,
the dry arena, the jolt of adrenaline at the gunshot,
the shock of moving muscle -
when I could be curled up on the couch not racing?
Who could deal with self-competition, to shoulder the pressure, to take time to properly prepare -
but the fear of failure, which could come at any
turn, urges me to get up anyway and ride.

Antigone Reflection

This whole process and project was fun and entertaining to watch.  Most of my knowledge of the justice system comes from the few episodes of law-based TV shows I have watched, so watching and listening to people my age discuss Antigone as if we really were in a court room was exciting.  When we first received the project, most people in the class seemed pretty confused, as there were no definite rules or clear argument set.  Once the directors and other characters in charge began to make decisions, we were finally able to start the process and work towards a solution.  This project really magnified who the leaders in the class are, as these people were the ones making definite decisions and helping make the court system run smoothly.  I also liked the freedom within this project to pick a part that I was comfortable with.  I am not a fan of acting or speaking in front of people formally, so doing the written work for a character was perfect for me.  Perhaps for future classes doing this project, it may be beneficial to start with a purpose behind the trial and make that known before each individual character begins to prepare, and to also state the purpose of the trial clearly to the jury at the beginning of the trial.  Obviously, this play was rigged so Antigone would be charged innocent, but I feel that both sides of the issue did a fantastic job of arguing their cases and appealing to the jury and judges.  Once the initial kinks were worked out in the dress rehearsal, the process seemed to go pretty smoothly on performance day.  One thing I really appreciate about this class is that although we can fight and argue in an academic setting, we still support one another and help each other to improve for next time.