Author Archives: jfreedman13

Papa Glasses (Jeff Freedman’s Post)

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I’m sitting in my living room working on a paper on my laptop while my Mom is cleaning the house.  While she’s cleaning a shelf she accidentally knocks over a pair of glasses.  Without hesitating I move quickly and grab the pair of glasses.  I check really quickly to make sure the glasses weren’t damaged.  My Mom takes the glasses and puts them back in their proper place, but it’s already returned memories good and bad.

 

The glasses belonged to my grandfather on my Mom’s side of the family.  We called him Papa Glasses because when I was little I thought grandpa sounded too normal so I wanted a special name for him.  Him and my grandmother had a huge part in raising me when I was little.  My Mom and Dad both worked, so during the day my grandparents would usually keep an eye on me.  My grandfather was very loving and he always had a big smile on his face whenever he saw me.  He would always be at the head of the table at family gatherings and he always enjoyed good food.  Sadly, he passed away during the summer before my senior year of high school.  It was one of the worse times in my life because junior year had been rough for various reasons and then instead of getting better, things got worse in a way I couldn’t imagine.  Seeing my family go through such a trying time was rough and all the milestone moments I had in senior year didn’t feel complete without my grandfather.  Although there are plenty of memories and photos, his pair of glasses may be one of the things he left behind I am happy to have.  After all his glasses were part of his nickname.

 

As I finish my paper, I take a second look at the glasses on the shelf.  Although I may just be reminiscing, I can’t help but feel as if the glasses have a certain power to them.  I feel that looking into them I can see memories I had with my grandfather playing out before me.  All the times he visited my house and we’d all watch movies together.  All the times I sat with him at Coney Island in the evening asking him about his youth and talking about good foods.  It cuts off before the bad memories come.  Makes sense, considering he would go through hell if it meant his family would be safe.  What I would give for one more dinner with him around.

Fresh Paint – Jeffrey Freedman

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 Ever wonder what it would be like to see Arab musicians play with Indian musicians?   How about a Kenyan musician playing with a musician from Denmark?  All of these crazy combinations are a reality thanks to the OneBeat program.

The NY Times article “A United Nations of Music” by Larry Rohter talks about the OneBeat program, sponsored by the Feds.  It brings together 32 musicians from 21 countries on 5 continents to write, produce, and record original music together before bringing it to American audiences.  The program allows for musicians from different countries to experience new forms of music they may have never heard before.  They can introduce their music to others to create new music and add the musical influences of others to their own music.

One of the major benefits of this program aside from the interchanging of different types of music is that it helps establish bonds between different cultures from around the world.   The bonds the musicians form with each other can continue even after the program ends.  The musicians can also take things they learn from other cultures and introduce it to their own cultures back home. It is basically a creative form of international diplomacy and cultural diffusion.

Seeing as how this program seems to successfully allow for cultures to share with one another, do you think similar programs could be as effective?  Could programs with international artists, students, chefs and other jobs produce similar results?  Could more programs like these have a serious impact on change for the better within the world?

Past, Present, Future

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It’s strange to think about all the changes we go through in life.  Sure we know some are bound to happen, and some catch us off guard.  Even once they’ve occurred, just trying to comprehend how we went from point A to point B sometimes can truly astound us.  I know that from the day I was born to now I have undergone numerous changes.  I’ve attempted things I never thought I would do when I was younger, and I’ve also made my fair share of mistakes.  From day one till now, however, it’s all these successes and mistakes that contribute to who I am.

This is the place I was born and raised, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.  Even though I dorm at the moment I frequently return to visit family and get my fill of the good local food.  This picture happens to show the pier area around Bay Ridge.  It is one of the few things in my life that no matter what happens hasn’t really changed.  It’s always been one of my favorite spots to hang with friends or just take a nice long walk with some music.  It’s especially nice when you can get a glimpse of the full moon while also looking at the city skyline.

This is my former high school Brooklyn Tech.  While there was elementary and junior high school, I feel nothing that significant happened to me until high school.  Was my school building a bit old? Yes.  Were there times when I thought the workload was a bit much? Yes.  Even so, my high school prepared me for college and it was during high school I met some of my closest friends for life, realized my love for music, and overall changed into a more social/better person.  When I look back at my four years of Brooklyn Tech I’m sure I’ll have a few frowns here and there, but I know there will be mostly smiles.

While I may be attending a school known for its business program, my passion is music.  I enjoy singing and writing song lyrics and I want to learn guitar.  My dream job is to form a successful band and tour the world.  My main role model for music is Shawn Milke, the singer/guitarist of Alesana.  Like me he was an honors student and got into college on a full tuition scholarship.  Like him, I want to share my music and the lyrics I write with the world.  I want people to be able to relate to the words I sing and hopefully through my music I can help some people through the struggles in life and help change the world for the better.

At this point in time, I don’t really know what the future will hold.  I’m lucky enough to have the majority of my closest friends from H.S stay in NYC and I’ve made lots of new friends as well.  I imagine a lot is going to happen in my life throughout my four years of college.  For now I’m keeping an open mind and hoping for the best of whatever changes may come my way in the future.

Hola Soy Jeff

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My name is Jeffrey Freedman, but I prefer Jeff.

My hometown(or neighborhood I should say) is Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.  It’s a nice neighborhood with lots of great food.  I went to Christa Mcauliffe for jhs and Brooklyn Tech for H.S.

Although I am planning to major in economics at Baruch, my dream job is to be a touring rock singer.  I like metal/hard rock, specifically a genre called post-hardcore/metalcore.  Some of my favorite bands include Alesana, Memphis May Fire, Pierce the Veil, Avenged Sevenfold, A Day to Remember, Mayday Parade,etc…  Aside from singing I write lyrics and I’m working on learning guitar.

Some random facts about me include that I am 3/4 Mexican-American and 1/4 Russian-American. My fave colors are black and red, I like skull designs a lot, and I generally just like hanging out with friends.

The majority of my close friends from hs stayed in NYC and I’ve made a lot of new friends at Baruch, so I’m excited for what the future holds.