So it's sunday and I have absolutely nothing to do. I've been sitting in my room just doing random things for about three hours now. My roommate has been furiously studying since about 9 am...I don't know for sure because I got up at 12:30. We both just stayed in last night and watched Romeo+Juliet (the good one with Leo DiCaprio) and ate chocolate and just acted like girls. It was quit refreshing from the usual frat party and such. This weekend my boyfriend came in town so that was kind of exciting. We didn't get to hang out a lot because he was here with his soccer team and they mostyl had to stay with the team. But it was nice to see him. I woke up yesterday morning at 6 after getting in at 4:30 to go to his house and help his mom set up a brunch for his soccer team. It was the most amazing brunch. There were about 75 people there and there was tons of food. So that was fun. And now I won't see him for about 2 weeks, until fall break.
So I don't really have anything at all to write about. I was just bored and realized I'm about 4 blogs behind and I figured I would write something. I've got a little bit of homework I could be doing but I'll get around to it later. Oh I forgot my clothes downstairs...I should go get those so somebody doesn't steal them.
Ok I'm back. I think my roommate is becoming delirious by now. She's been studying for like 6 hours or something. I'm glad I finished all my homework Thursday. So do you like my purple font? I decided to mix things up. I have like chronic boredness right now. I'm so ADD but I have like nothing to do until 7 o'clock when I go to work. So Angie (my roommate) made this birthday cake for her friend who's birthday was Friday. Well they didn't even try to hang out with her on Friday so she hasn't given them the cake yet. I think we should eat it but she says no. I mean it's two days after the fact and her friend hasn't even tried to come over or hang out with her at all...not even to get their presents. So I say they don't deserve it and we should just eat it. Am I right?
So tomorrow is October. I like October. So many good things happen in October. It finally starts to get cooler for one. Fall is my favorite season because it's not too cold but it's not hot anymore. And living in Memphis we only have about one day of fall becauswe it goes directly from sweltering hot to freezing cold. But October normally changes into fallish weather and I'm excited for that. Then we have fall break in October and that's pretty exciting. Except for the fact that it's really lame and we only get two days out of school because they placed it on the weekend. But that is about 4 and a half days with no school. Then the best part of October is Halloween for sure. I think halloween is my favorite holiday (besides my birthday) because I love to dress up in costumes. I don't know what it is about getting to be something that you're not, but I find it exhilerating. Meg said in class one day that she has never been trick-or-treating. I almost fell out of my chair when she said that. How can you be 18 years old and never have been trick-or-treating. That almost makes me want to cry for her. She said her parents wouldn't let her. Well now you're in college Meg so fuck your parents and go trick-or-treating! So needless to say I'm pretty excited about it being October. Plus it's another month closer to being my birthday...just two more to go.
I guess that's about it. I really have absolutely nothing to say. I might go do my Italian homework now. Or not. Who knows. See you Tuesday.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Self-Eval
The process I used to write my textual analysis paper was not complicated. I read the article first and made some small notes. Then I procrastinated for about a day. When I was finally ready to write my paper, I read the article again to refresh my memory. Then I thought about what the paper’s requirements were and wrote s thesis. From there I just wrote the paper. I thought about all the tools that the author used to write her essay and I found them in the story and wrote about them. It wasn’t too bad from there, just staying on the topic.
I did progress as a writer. It was much easier for me to not think about technical rules like “don’t use ‘I’ in your paper.” That helped me a lot. It made me focus on what the paper was supposed to be about. I think I did a good job writing about what we were assigned to focus on. I changed as a reader because now I know how important an author’s words can be. Now I’ll pay more attention to the little details. I don’t know that I changed so much as a person. Maybe just that it made me think of things differently.
Next time I write a paper I’ll first try not to procrastinate so long. Other than that I just want to focus on writing the paper to the appropriate length without repeating myself or going off subject.
I did progress as a writer. It was much easier for me to not think about technical rules like “don’t use ‘I’ in your paper.” That helped me a lot. It made me focus on what the paper was supposed to be about. I think I did a good job writing about what we were assigned to focus on. I changed as a reader because now I know how important an author’s words can be. Now I’ll pay more attention to the little details. I don’t know that I changed so much as a person. Maybe just that it made me think of things differently.
Next time I write a paper I’ll first try not to procrastinate so long. Other than that I just want to focus on writing the paper to the appropriate length without repeating myself or going off subject.
You're black, I'm white. So what?
When I writing my paper about Audre Lorde's essay "The Fourth of July", I started talking to my roommate Angie. I really got into the story and started thinking about it. As you know if you've read my previous blogs, my boyfriend is black. I told Angie that I couldn't imagine not being able to go out to eat with my boyfriend because of the color of his skin. I probably wouldn't have been able to even date my boyfriend back then, much less go out in public with him.
My roommate Angie has dated black guys before too so we were both kind of on the same page. I think that if I had grown up back in the 40s and 50s when blacks were not accepted, I would've been a rebel. I would've had black friends and I would have dated black guys. I'd like to think I would have done that. Then I started to think that it really wasn't that long ago. My own mom grew up in segregated schools. It's just so hard for me to fathom. I can't imagine all the things that went on during the civil rights movement. We've never had anything like that happen close to us during our lifetime. The biggest thing we'll remember when we're older is September 11 and that wasn't even here at home.
I don't really have a point to this blog entry, it's just something that I couldn't stop thinking about. It's one of those things where you can learn everything about it but never know what it really felt like. I know things aren't perfect now, but I'm glad I grew up in a time where it was more acceptable to date people of a different race. I don't see skin color and I hope one day everyone can feel like that.
My roommate Angie has dated black guys before too so we were both kind of on the same page. I think that if I had grown up back in the 40s and 50s when blacks were not accepted, I would've been a rebel. I would've had black friends and I would have dated black guys. I'd like to think I would have done that. Then I started to think that it really wasn't that long ago. My own mom grew up in segregated schools. It's just so hard for me to fathom. I can't imagine all the things that went on during the civil rights movement. We've never had anything like that happen close to us during our lifetime. The biggest thing we'll remember when we're older is September 11 and that wasn't even here at home.
I don't really have a point to this blog entry, it's just something that I couldn't stop thinking about. It's one of those things where you can learn everything about it but never know what it really felt like. I know things aren't perfect now, but I'm glad I grew up in a time where it was more acceptable to date people of a different race. I don't see skin color and I hope one day everyone can feel like that.
3:21 (The "Walking" Essay)
I don’t know what to write. This is weird. I’m sitting on a bench by that big clock next to Wilder Tower. The clock that is eternally stuck on 3:21. It’s kind of cold, but it’s that cold where you aren’t cold enough for a jacket but cold enough to make you uncomfortable. The bench is wet. I’ll probably have a wet spot on the back of my pants when I get up.
The only thing that’s really on my mind right now is my boyfriend coming in town tonight. I don’t know if I’ll get to see him until tomorrow though, but I’m still excited. We’ve been dating for a year and two months and it’s so weird to be apart for so long when the whole time we’ve been dating, we saw each other every day.
The train just interrupted my train of thought. LOL-train of thought.
Now there’s a girl sitting on the bench next to me. She’s talking really loudly on the phone and she’s rather obnoxious. I don’t think I’m really affecting the environment much…but she sure is. I’m just sitting here, being quiet, minding my own business. The most I could be doing is occupying this bench therefore keeping someone else from sitting down. But this girl on her phone…she’s affecting the environment. I’m trying to sit here and think and the only thing I can hear is “ugh she so damn nasty” and things of the sort.
She left. Now it’s just me again. Well, and that guy with the long hair (I forgot his name) is sitting on a bench across from me. Well damn it now he left. So now I’m really by myself again.
I kind of feel like I’m always by myself. I have friends, I have a boyfriend, I have a family; but I still feel by myself. My friends are al from different walks of life and I don’t fit in to any of them. My boyfriend doesn’t always appreciate me. I don’t like all of my family and I don’t feel close to them. So I don’t know. I’m alone in the world. I’m sitting here with tons of people walking around me, but I’m just here, not making any difference.
I’ve still got twenty minutes and I’ve already written more than a page. My friend Alysia just came over and is now sitting with me. Her response when I told her what I was doing was “that’s weird.” Oh and here’s Daniel and Jenn. I see Monique sitting over on a bench too.
I’ve gotten so off the subject now. I don’t know if I said anything related to the topic we were to write about. But now I’ve run out of time so I’m going to leave my bench and the clock that still says 3:21 and go back to class.
The only thing that’s really on my mind right now is my boyfriend coming in town tonight. I don’t know if I’ll get to see him until tomorrow though, but I’m still excited. We’ve been dating for a year and two months and it’s so weird to be apart for so long when the whole time we’ve been dating, we saw each other every day.
The train just interrupted my train of thought. LOL-train of thought.
Now there’s a girl sitting on the bench next to me. She’s talking really loudly on the phone and she’s rather obnoxious. I don’t think I’m really affecting the environment much…but she sure is. I’m just sitting here, being quiet, minding my own business. The most I could be doing is occupying this bench therefore keeping someone else from sitting down. But this girl on her phone…she’s affecting the environment. I’m trying to sit here and think and the only thing I can hear is “ugh she so damn nasty” and things of the sort.
She left. Now it’s just me again. Well, and that guy with the long hair (I forgot his name) is sitting on a bench across from me. Well damn it now he left. So now I’m really by myself again.
I kind of feel like I’m always by myself. I have friends, I have a boyfriend, I have a family; but I still feel by myself. My friends are al from different walks of life and I don’t fit in to any of them. My boyfriend doesn’t always appreciate me. I don’t like all of my family and I don’t feel close to them. So I don’t know. I’m alone in the world. I’m sitting here with tons of people walking around me, but I’m just here, not making any difference.
I’ve still got twenty minutes and I’ve already written more than a page. My friend Alysia just came over and is now sitting with me. Her response when I told her what I was doing was “that’s weird.” Oh and here’s Daniel and Jenn. I see Monique sitting over on a bench too.
I’ve gotten so off the subject now. I don’t know if I said anything related to the topic we were to write about. But now I’ve run out of time so I’m going to leave my bench and the clock that still says 3:21 and go back to class.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
My Paper!
Audre Lorde uses text, tone, and symbolism to describe her first experience of injustice as a child in her essay “The Fourth of July.” Lorde develops the theme of her ignorance of injustice throughout the essay which turns to anger in the end. Lorde uses so many descriptive words in her writing to pull the theme together. You may not realize what she’s trying to get at but in the end you understand. Another thing that helps in reading this essay is knowing the background of the author and the time period of which the story takes place. Lorde doesn’t just come right out and tell you things so it’s helpful to know ahead of time. The article is about a childhood memory of Lorde’s where her family goes on vacation. You find out as you read that it is 1947 and Audre Lorde and her family are black. This plays a very important role in analyzing Lorde’s theme. Other than Lorde’s word choice, her tone factors into the theme as well. Reading the essay, you get the impression that Lorde’s family is very happy and content because of the tone Lorde uses. But as she learns more about the truths of the world, you can see her tone change throughout the story.
As I was reading this essay, a few things stood out to me. First, Lorde’s choice of words. In the beginning of the essay her family was taking a train to Washington, D.C. She describes in detail all the food that her mother has packed for them to eat. At this point in the story we don’t know what year it is or that her family is black. So when she described the food with such vivid colors: “brown bread”, “green pepper”, “violently yellow iced cakes” (Lorde 1), we don’t think anything of it. We then learn the truth of her heritage and the year and now we know what kind of things are happening to them in that time. Towards the end of her essay, Lorde recalls her family going into an ice cream shop and being refused service because they were black. You can tell that she hasn’t really been exposed to injustice that much because of the way she reacts. After this you can tell something has changed by Lorde’s word choice. Whereas in the beginning she used lots of colors to describe things, now she refers to everything as “white”. Everything she describes in the last paragraph of the essay is white. These words play an important part in interpreting the theme. When Lorde uses colors in her descriptions she is still naïve about the injustices that exist in the world. She is happy and expresses that through cheerful, colorful words. However, once she experiences injustice firsthand for the first time, she really gets an understanding of how the world works and is no longer naïve. It is then that she refers to everything as white. She is no longer happy or cheerful. It makes it seem like white is evil; it’s a bad color associated with the bad memory.
Another tool that Lorde uses to make us understand her theme is her tone. The tone throughout this essay changes and that’s how we know what the theme is. The tone that Lorde uses is very similar to the way she uses the colors in her word choice. In the beginning of the essay her tone starts out innocent and somewhat care-free. She is happy and young and ignorant to the world around her. The reason Lorde is so care-free and naïve is because her parents have sheltered her and her sisters all their lives. They don’t want them to know that people treat them differently because they are black. When they are on the way to Washington, D.C., they do not stop at the Liberty Bell. I think it’s because her parents don’t view the monument as a sign of liberty and freedom. After all, people didn’t treat them equally and that is what that monument was supposed to stand for. But Lorde didn’t know that. Her parents hid it from them. Another example is when Audre wants to eat in the dining car but her mother’s reply is that “the dining car food always cost too much money and besides, you never could tell whose hands had been playing all over the food, nor where those same hands had been just before” (Lorde 2). But what her mother really wasn’t saying was that blacks were not allowed on dining cars in 1947. Lorde and her sisters didn’t know that though, so they were still content and happy in their world. The tone of the essay changes, however, at the end of the essay. The incident at the ice cream shop opened Lorde’s eyes to a cruel world she had never seen before because of her parents. After leaving the ice cream shop, Lorde is filled with rage and doesn’t understand why her parents aren’t doing anything. Little did she know this was something her parents had been hiding from them their whole lives. Up until this moment the tone of the essay is so light and happy. After this incident though, the tone changes to one of anger. Lorde’s eyes had finally been opened to the unfair world around her. This sets the tone for the rest of the essay.
Not only do tone and word choice play a part in understanding the theme, but symbolism is also an important tool used. There are a lot of instances in the essay where Lorde uses symbolism to help us understand the situation, instead of just coming right out and saying so. When Lorde says “my parents did not approve of sunglasses” (Lorde 3); it opens up for something deeper than just the simple statement it seems like. By not allowing sunglasses, the girls had to squint because of the bright sun to see things. Her parents were keeping them from seeing things as fully as they would have been seen.
Looking at the monuments in such light and heat, Lorde said “I spent the afternoon squinting up at monuments to freedom and past presidencies and democracy, wondering
why the light and heat were both so much stronger in Washington, D.C., than back home in New York City” (Lorde3). This is such a strong example of symbolism. It’s like Lorde knows or senses that the injustice was more prevalent in the South. That’s why she had never witnessed it back home in New York City. It also symbolized that everything there was lighter or “whiter” than at home. At the end of the essay, Lorde says how she remembered everything about Washington, D.C. as being white. That is how he would always remember Washington, D.C. and that vacation. Symbols are such a clever way to express what she meant without just saying it.
I really enjoyed Lorde’s essay. The way she used word choice, tone, and symbolism made the story come alive to the reader. I really like the way that Lorde really never says anything straight up; you kind of have to read between the lines to get the symbolism. For those of us who didn’t grow up in that time period, or have never dealt with racial injustice, it might be hard for us to understand what Lorde went through. But through her words, her text, we feel what she felt. We understand the anger she felt when she discovered things weren’t as they seemed. I also like the abrupt change in the tone of the essay. All of a sudden the story had a whole new meaning. I really enjoyed analyzing this text because it was written so well with really interesting choice of words and other tools that Lorde used.
As I was reading this essay, a few things stood out to me. First, Lorde’s choice of words. In the beginning of the essay her family was taking a train to Washington, D.C. She describes in detail all the food that her mother has packed for them to eat. At this point in the story we don’t know what year it is or that her family is black. So when she described the food with such vivid colors: “brown bread”, “green pepper”, “violently yellow iced cakes” (Lorde 1), we don’t think anything of it. We then learn the truth of her heritage and the year and now we know what kind of things are happening to them in that time. Towards the end of her essay, Lorde recalls her family going into an ice cream shop and being refused service because they were black. You can tell that she hasn’t really been exposed to injustice that much because of the way she reacts. After this you can tell something has changed by Lorde’s word choice. Whereas in the beginning she used lots of colors to describe things, now she refers to everything as “white”. Everything she describes in the last paragraph of the essay is white. These words play an important part in interpreting the theme. When Lorde uses colors in her descriptions she is still naïve about the injustices that exist in the world. She is happy and expresses that through cheerful, colorful words. However, once she experiences injustice firsthand for the first time, she really gets an understanding of how the world works and is no longer naïve. It is then that she refers to everything as white. She is no longer happy or cheerful. It makes it seem like white is evil; it’s a bad color associated with the bad memory.
Another tool that Lorde uses to make us understand her theme is her tone. The tone throughout this essay changes and that’s how we know what the theme is. The tone that Lorde uses is very similar to the way she uses the colors in her word choice. In the beginning of the essay her tone starts out innocent and somewhat care-free. She is happy and young and ignorant to the world around her. The reason Lorde is so care-free and naïve is because her parents have sheltered her and her sisters all their lives. They don’t want them to know that people treat them differently because they are black. When they are on the way to Washington, D.C., they do not stop at the Liberty Bell. I think it’s because her parents don’t view the monument as a sign of liberty and freedom. After all, people didn’t treat them equally and that is what that monument was supposed to stand for. But Lorde didn’t know that. Her parents hid it from them. Another example is when Audre wants to eat in the dining car but her mother’s reply is that “the dining car food always cost too much money and besides, you never could tell whose hands had been playing all over the food, nor where those same hands had been just before” (Lorde 2). But what her mother really wasn’t saying was that blacks were not allowed on dining cars in 1947. Lorde and her sisters didn’t know that though, so they were still content and happy in their world. The tone of the essay changes, however, at the end of the essay. The incident at the ice cream shop opened Lorde’s eyes to a cruel world she had never seen before because of her parents. After leaving the ice cream shop, Lorde is filled with rage and doesn’t understand why her parents aren’t doing anything. Little did she know this was something her parents had been hiding from them their whole lives. Up until this moment the tone of the essay is so light and happy. After this incident though, the tone changes to one of anger. Lorde’s eyes had finally been opened to the unfair world around her. This sets the tone for the rest of the essay.
Not only do tone and word choice play a part in understanding the theme, but symbolism is also an important tool used. There are a lot of instances in the essay where Lorde uses symbolism to help us understand the situation, instead of just coming right out and saying so. When Lorde says “my parents did not approve of sunglasses” (Lorde 3); it opens up for something deeper than just the simple statement it seems like. By not allowing sunglasses, the girls had to squint because of the bright sun to see things. Her parents were keeping them from seeing things as fully as they would have been seen.
Looking at the monuments in such light and heat, Lorde said “I spent the afternoon squinting up at monuments to freedom and past presidencies and democracy, wondering
why the light and heat were both so much stronger in Washington, D.C., than back home in New York City” (Lorde3). This is such a strong example of symbolism. It’s like Lorde knows or senses that the injustice was more prevalent in the South. That’s why she had never witnessed it back home in New York City. It also symbolized that everything there was lighter or “whiter” than at home. At the end of the essay, Lorde says how she remembered everything about Washington, D.C. as being white. That is how he would always remember Washington, D.C. and that vacation. Symbols are such a clever way to express what she meant without just saying it.
I really enjoyed Lorde’s essay. The way she used word choice, tone, and symbolism made the story come alive to the reader. I really like the way that Lorde really never says anything straight up; you kind of have to read between the lines to get the symbolism. For those of us who didn’t grow up in that time period, or have never dealt with racial injustice, it might be hard for us to understand what Lorde went through. But through her words, her text, we feel what she felt. We understand the anger she felt when she discovered things weren’t as they seemed. I also like the abrupt change in the tone of the essay. All of a sudden the story had a whole new meaning. I really enjoyed analyzing this text because it was written so well with really interesting choice of words and other tools that Lorde used.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Little Things
article 1: http://www.slate.com/id/2173911/fr/flyout
article 2: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119012955962931134.html?mod=health_home_stories
These two articles both deal with health issues. The second article is about a recall done on Dole salad mix. There have been so many recalls on food lately. Last year with the big spinach scare, the whole Taco Bell thing, now salad mix has been found with E. coli. It's hard to know when food is safe to eat. It's really a scary thing if you think about it. You go to the grocery store and buy produce which you would think would be healthy and turns out it has E. coli and you die from it or get extremely sick. How scary is that?
Article 1 isn't about a recall or food tainted with bacteria. It's actually talking about a study that scientists have done to prove that foods and drinks with additives are causing children to have symptoms similar to those of ADHD. The study tested 300 children and gave them two drinks: one with additives and one without. The study showed that when the children drank the juice with additives, they had more hyperactivity. I'm thinking duh! the juice with the additives has sugar whereas the other one does not. Hello! obviously if a kid has a lot of sugar they are going to be more hyper than if they didn't. I don't think that is rocket science.
The two articles really don't have much in common. But then again when you look at it, it shows how important little things can be. Little decisions affect your daily life. A small bag of salad mix, a little bottle of juice...They all have major affects on your life. It's important to think about what you are consuming and what you are putting into your body.
article 2: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119012955962931134.html?mod=health_home_stories
These two articles both deal with health issues. The second article is about a recall done on Dole salad mix. There have been so many recalls on food lately. Last year with the big spinach scare, the whole Taco Bell thing, now salad mix has been found with E. coli. It's hard to know when food is safe to eat. It's really a scary thing if you think about it. You go to the grocery store and buy produce which you would think would be healthy and turns out it has E. coli and you die from it or get extremely sick. How scary is that?
Article 1 isn't about a recall or food tainted with bacteria. It's actually talking about a study that scientists have done to prove that foods and drinks with additives are causing children to have symptoms similar to those of ADHD. The study tested 300 children and gave them two drinks: one with additives and one without. The study showed that when the children drank the juice with additives, they had more hyperactivity. I'm thinking duh! the juice with the additives has sugar whereas the other one does not. Hello! obviously if a kid has a lot of sugar they are going to be more hyper than if they didn't. I don't think that is rocket science.
The two articles really don't have much in common. But then again when you look at it, it shows how important little things can be. Little decisions affect your daily life. A small bag of salad mix, a little bottle of juice...They all have major affects on your life. It's important to think about what you are consuming and what you are putting into your body.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Sex Day!
article 1: http://www.slate.com/id/2173643/fr/flyout
article 2: http://www.slate.com/id/2173458/fr/flyout
So how I came about these two articles I don't know but they seem to go hand in hand.
Let's start with article two this time. Article two is entitled Global Swarming: Is it time for American's to start cutting our baby emissions? It's refering to the issue of global warming. The article's solution to global warming is to just have less kids. It suggests that they make a limit of one child per couple. The article mentions how this isn't a very prasctical solution. Look at China: they once had a law to limit the amount of children a family had to control their population. Did it work? Maybe...but it's more than just a global warming issue. It's a moral issue.
Moving on to article two. The title is Fuck Off: Skip work and make love for your country. I found myself laughing throughout this article. It seems ridiculous. The basis for this article is Russia's decling population. They have instituted a day for employers to give their employees a day off from work to have sex. President Putin has expressed their desperate need to have more people because there has been a steady decline in the country's population because of diseases such as TB and AIDS, alcoholism/smoking/drug abuse, and many other things. The government has institued a day for workers to have sex and anyone who delivers a baby exactly nine months after the day receives prizes that include money. Their government is paying them to have sex! That seems nice right? Well not so much. This puts many women and babies at risk because they are trying to induce labor purposefully to receive the prizes.
My solution? I say since there are too many babies in America why don't we just send them to Russia? That would solve everyone's problem right?
article 2: http://www.slate.com/id/2173458/fr/flyout
So how I came about these two articles I don't know but they seem to go hand in hand.
Let's start with article two this time. Article two is entitled Global Swarming: Is it time for American's to start cutting our baby emissions? It's refering to the issue of global warming. The article's solution to global warming is to just have less kids. It suggests that they make a limit of one child per couple. The article mentions how this isn't a very prasctical solution. Look at China: they once had a law to limit the amount of children a family had to control their population. Did it work? Maybe...but it's more than just a global warming issue. It's a moral issue.
Moving on to article two. The title is Fuck Off: Skip work and make love for your country. I found myself laughing throughout this article. It seems ridiculous. The basis for this article is Russia's decling population. They have instituted a day for employers to give their employees a day off from work to have sex. President Putin has expressed their desperate need to have more people because there has been a steady decline in the country's population because of diseases such as TB and AIDS, alcoholism/smoking/drug abuse, and many other things. The government has institued a day for workers to have sex and anyone who delivers a baby exactly nine months after the day receives prizes that include money. Their government is paying them to have sex! That seems nice right? Well not so much. This puts many women and babies at risk because they are trying to induce labor purposefully to receive the prizes.
My solution? I say since there are too many babies in America why don't we just send them to Russia? That would solve everyone's problem right?
$Gossip Girl$
article 1:http://www.slate.com/id/2174295/fr/flyout (this one's for Daniel)
article 2: http://www.slate.com/id/2174294/fr/flyout
These two articles touch on something very near and dear to my heart. Yes that's right, television. Sad to say but I am surely addicted. Television is such a huge part of our society and I'm not saying that's a good thing, but it's definitely an enjoyable thing. It can be bad though. It sucks you in. I would much rather watch tv than read a book (I'm sorry Wendy). So on to these articles.
Article 1 is about the new show on the CW called Gossip Girl. Let me just go ahead and tell you that it's amazing. As Daniel and I were sitting in my room last night watching the season premiere of America's Next Top Model, a preview for Gossip Girl, which was to appear next, came on. Daniel looked at me and said "that looks so dumb". I thought I eould give it a chance though. So we watched it. I'm sure Daniel's opinion has changed now because we loved it. The article however seems very two-sided to me. In a way it seems to be trashing the show but then again it seems to say "hey what's wrong with watching trashy tv?" The article also comments on how the tv show has cut out so many things that were in the original book series, which is what the show is based on. Now I haven't read the books but if what the article says is true, maybe I should give books a chance for once and read them. I don't know why the tv show has cut these things out..well I won't say I don't know why because I'm sure they are just trying to censor it, but I don't think they should. I think in our society today there are so many things we see on tv that are all a part of life. I don't think anything should be censored on tv. If you're worried about kids seeing it, put a block on your tv. I want to see the juiciness!!
As for article 2, it talks about how expensive it is getting to make tv shows in this day and time. I can only imagine how much money they spend. But when it affects my favorite show, I'm going to need them to come up with a solution to their spending problem. I'm tired of having my favorite shows canceled because of a lack of money. I hate it when I get lured into a show only to be have it cancelled next season. Other than getting cancelled shows can have major changes done to them if there is a money shortage. The article gives an example the new ABC show Pushing Daisies. They have already talked about replacing the director because he is a little spending-happy. But changing a director changes the whole show.
The two articles go hand in hand because to have a a great show like Gossip Girl, you have to have money. Everything is going up in cost. I can't imagine how much advertisements for these shows must cost. But I'm going to need them to work it out because I'll be sad if they cancel another one of my shows.
article 2: http://www.slate.com/id/2174294/fr/flyout
These two articles touch on something very near and dear to my heart. Yes that's right, television. Sad to say but I am surely addicted. Television is such a huge part of our society and I'm not saying that's a good thing, but it's definitely an enjoyable thing. It can be bad though. It sucks you in. I would much rather watch tv than read a book (I'm sorry Wendy). So on to these articles.
Article 1 is about the new show on the CW called Gossip Girl. Let me just go ahead and tell you that it's amazing. As Daniel and I were sitting in my room last night watching the season premiere of America's Next Top Model, a preview for Gossip Girl, which was to appear next, came on. Daniel looked at me and said "that looks so dumb". I thought I eould give it a chance though. So we watched it. I'm sure Daniel's opinion has changed now because we loved it. The article however seems very two-sided to me. In a way it seems to be trashing the show but then again it seems to say "hey what's wrong with watching trashy tv?" The article also comments on how the tv show has cut out so many things that were in the original book series, which is what the show is based on. Now I haven't read the books but if what the article says is true, maybe I should give books a chance for once and read them. I don't know why the tv show has cut these things out..well I won't say I don't know why because I'm sure they are just trying to censor it, but I don't think they should. I think in our society today there are so many things we see on tv that are all a part of life. I don't think anything should be censored on tv. If you're worried about kids seeing it, put a block on your tv. I want to see the juiciness!!
As for article 2, it talks about how expensive it is getting to make tv shows in this day and time. I can only imagine how much money they spend. But when it affects my favorite show, I'm going to need them to come up with a solution to their spending problem. I'm tired of having my favorite shows canceled because of a lack of money. I hate it when I get lured into a show only to be have it cancelled next season. Other than getting cancelled shows can have major changes done to them if there is a money shortage. The article gives an example the new ABC show Pushing Daisies. They have already talked about replacing the director because he is a little spending-happy. But changing a director changes the whole show.
The two articles go hand in hand because to have a a great show like Gossip Girl, you have to have money. Everything is going up in cost. I can't imagine how much advertisements for these shows must cost. But I'm going to need them to work it out because I'll be sad if they cancel another one of my shows.
Be Healthy
article 1: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119031468354034206.html?mod=health_home_stories
article 2: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119020873012232400.html?mod=health_home_stories
These two articles, both from the online Wall Street Journal, focus on health issues that are affecting us today. The first article talks about a number of students on a high school band trip who contracted TB from their bus driver. The bus company was sued and ordered to pay 5.25 million dollars to those who contracted the disease. TB is not a very common illness these days but still a very serious one. The bus company had not kept up with the physicals of their drivers and because of it they suffered greatly.
The second article is about the lack of people getting flu shots this season. People may think the flu is just a really bad cold but it is much more serious than that. The illness is especially harmful to those under the age of 5 and those over the age of 50. I can tell you from personal experience that you want to get your flu shot ASAP! last year I got the flu and it was the worst two weeks of my life. No I was not in any grave danger, but as a result I lost quite a bit of weight which I wasn't big to begin with, and I also missed out on a lot of things during school. No one wants to get the flu, I can promise you that.
These two articles together focus on the importance of our health and how if you don't keep up with all the vaccinations you could be greatly affected. If only the bus company had checked up on their drivers' medical records, if the students had kept up with their TB vaccinations, if people made sure to get their flu shots every year, etc. then we would be much better off.
I definitely think that the bus company is to blame because the driver was showing symptoms of the illness while on the trip and had a family history of the illness. But I also think the school system who sent the students on this trip should have checked up on their medical records to be sure they had had their vaccinations. If both parties had been a little more careful, none of this would have happened. The bus company would be 5.25 million dollars richer and the students would not have this illness which could possibly affect them for the rest of their lives.
As for the small number of people who get their flu shots. I think that is totally a personal issue. It was my fault for not getting my flu shot last year. And if you get the flu, it's your fault for not taking the 30 minutes out of your day to get a shot.
Basically keep track of your medical record, get your shots. And if you are around someone who is coughing a lot...move away.
article 2: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119020873012232400.html?mod=health_home_stories
These two articles, both from the online Wall Street Journal, focus on health issues that are affecting us today. The first article talks about a number of students on a high school band trip who contracted TB from their bus driver. The bus company was sued and ordered to pay 5.25 million dollars to those who contracted the disease. TB is not a very common illness these days but still a very serious one. The bus company had not kept up with the physicals of their drivers and because of it they suffered greatly.
The second article is about the lack of people getting flu shots this season. People may think the flu is just a really bad cold but it is much more serious than that. The illness is especially harmful to those under the age of 5 and those over the age of 50. I can tell you from personal experience that you want to get your flu shot ASAP! last year I got the flu and it was the worst two weeks of my life. No I was not in any grave danger, but as a result I lost quite a bit of weight which I wasn't big to begin with, and I also missed out on a lot of things during school. No one wants to get the flu, I can promise you that.
These two articles together focus on the importance of our health and how if you don't keep up with all the vaccinations you could be greatly affected. If only the bus company had checked up on their drivers' medical records, if the students had kept up with their TB vaccinations, if people made sure to get their flu shots every year, etc. then we would be much better off.
I definitely think that the bus company is to blame because the driver was showing symptoms of the illness while on the trip and had a family history of the illness. But I also think the school system who sent the students on this trip should have checked up on their medical records to be sure they had had their vaccinations. If both parties had been a little more careful, none of this would have happened. The bus company would be 5.25 million dollars richer and the students would not have this illness which could possibly affect them for the rest of their lives.
As for the small number of people who get their flu shots. I think that is totally a personal issue. It was my fault for not getting my flu shot last year. And if you get the flu, it's your fault for not taking the 30 minutes out of your day to get a shot.
Basically keep track of your medical record, get your shots. And if you are around someone who is coughing a lot...move away.
Prime Directive
Reading this article I was somewhat confused on what the author was trying to get across. I still am not quite sure what the meaning behind this story was. I began to somewhat understand some of what he was talking about when he got to the part about Abu Ghraib.
I think the idea of the man and woman portraying Graner and England is dispicable. They were basically making a joke of the disgusting things they did to the prisoners in Iraq. It's people like Graner and England that make people in other countries think that Americans are animals. I think that's what Griffith was sort of getting at. Is that we all have that in us. He didn't even realize what he was doing until the next day when he saw the picture and felt sick with guilt.
Griffith seemed to be kind of a loner in the story or somewhat of a pessimist because he didn't really talk to anyone. He purposely kept to himself at the parties for the most part and didn't participate in the group activities. I didn't see how this played into the whole meaning of the story until he got to the part about Graner and England. I think he didn't realize what he was doing when he took the picture because he hadn't been socializing. The next thing he knew he was taking part in a sick joke. I didn't really get much out of this article other than it's a shame how some people represent America as a whole. Because unlike Griffith who thought we were all represented, I think it's the kind of thing where a few people mess things up for everyone else. I don't think everyone in America is like that. That's about all I really got.
I think the idea of the man and woman portraying Graner and England is dispicable. They were basically making a joke of the disgusting things they did to the prisoners in Iraq. It's people like Graner and England that make people in other countries think that Americans are animals. I think that's what Griffith was sort of getting at. Is that we all have that in us. He didn't even realize what he was doing until the next day when he saw the picture and felt sick with guilt.
Griffith seemed to be kind of a loner in the story or somewhat of a pessimist because he didn't really talk to anyone. He purposely kept to himself at the parties for the most part and didn't participate in the group activities. I didn't see how this played into the whole meaning of the story until he got to the part about Graner and England. I think he didn't realize what he was doing when he took the picture because he hadn't been socializing. The next thing he knew he was taking part in a sick joke. I didn't really get much out of this article other than it's a shame how some people represent America as a whole. Because unlike Griffith who thought we were all represented, I think it's the kind of thing where a few people mess things up for everyone else. I don't think everyone in America is like that. That's about all I really got.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Sorority stereotype
So my roommate went through sorority recruitment last week. I've never been the girl that was the sorority "type" so I decided not to go through rush. Not to mention how expensive it is. I was happy for my roommate, who is one of my best friendsw, but at the same time I wondered if she would be different after she joined a sorority. Everyone knows the stereotypes that go along with being in a sorority. We've all seen Legally Blonde and movies like it that show how dumb and snotty and shallow sorority girls are. So I figured, well there goes my best friend. Once she joins the sorority she's going to ditch me for her sorority and she's going to be a shallow bitch.
Well Thursday she invited me to go out with her and her sorority sisters. So I went, as skeptical as I was. I knew as soon as I walked in the door they would look at me and think I'm a bitch or something because I'm not in their sorority and they won't talk to me and I will be soooo bored. But to my surprise as soon as we walked in I was greeted by a crazy fun girl who seemed so glad to have me there even though she had never met me, and all the rest of the girls were nice too. I was kind of like huh? This isn't how it works. Why aren't they snobby? Why don't I hate them?
They've already invited me back to events with them and they made me feel like one of them even though I'm not even in their sorority. It totally changed the way I looked at them. And I've alwayd been the kind of girl who hated the sorority type-dumb blonde-ditzy girls. But they were not like that at all. It's crazy but I guess you really can't judge a book by it's cover, to be completely trite.
Well Thursday she invited me to go out with her and her sorority sisters. So I went, as skeptical as I was. I knew as soon as I walked in the door they would look at me and think I'm a bitch or something because I'm not in their sorority and they won't talk to me and I will be soooo bored. But to my surprise as soon as we walked in I was greeted by a crazy fun girl who seemed so glad to have me there even though she had never met me, and all the rest of the girls were nice too. I was kind of like huh? This isn't how it works. Why aren't they snobby? Why don't I hate them?
They've already invited me back to events with them and they made me feel like one of them even though I'm not even in their sorority. It totally changed the way I looked at them. And I've alwayd been the kind of girl who hated the sorority type-dumb blonde-ditzy girls. But they were not like that at all. It's crazy but I guess you really can't judge a book by it's cover, to be completely trite.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Theme- The Family
Preface
The theme of our group is family, but I wanted to think outside the box so the group decided to write a story incorporating our experiences and ideas.
“The Family”
The back door of a tidy middle class home slammed shut.
“Oops! Sorry mom. I didn’t mean to do that,” said Peter.
“Oh, Peter. You are something. I’ve made some homemade cookies for you. And don’t forget to do your homework,” said Mrs. Ramses.
“Mom, I’m sixteen,” says Peter.
She smiles and ponders on how fast her only son has grown up. A couple of hours later Peter walks into the kitchen and grabs a cookie.
“Hey mom, I’m going over to John’s to hang out,” said Peter.
“Okay, be home by dinner time,” replied Peter’s mother.
Peter walks over to Sina’s home to find his other friends Heidi and Rita there also. However, instead of finding his friends laughing and joking with each other as they normally do, they were mellow and frustrated.
“What’s going on guys?” Peter asks confused.
“Oh, it’s just our families. We’re so irritated with them,” replied Heidi.
“If it’s okay for me to ask, what’s wrong?” said Peter.
“Well, I’ll start first,” said Heidi.
I just started dating a wonderful guy this past Sunday. He's absolutely great! My mom and most of my family think he's pretty cool, but my dad and his father aren't too happy about his ethnic background. He's half Mexican, half white. My dad and his father are very against interracial relationships. Not only that but also my mother is very controlling. She tries to control most parts of my life. Thus, she doesn't want me to take any risks and follow my heart right now and start a long relationship. We know we don't really have the time and money to do so. We weren't planning to make this relationship serious right away because we are still in high school. My sister said that we should wait until at least after college and then to feel free to do as we please. My mother cannot control me no matter how hard she tries. She holds the fact that she still pays for all my belongings as leverage.
“That’s real unfortunate,” said Peter.
“No, that’s not as bad as my story,” said Rita.
My family works like if my mom says something, it goes. We might as well not ask my dad anything because all he says is "asks your mother". And if she isn't home, well we are just out of luck. My mom is being really strict. I think my mother is so strict because she grew up in a family with conservative parents in the Navy. Who knows? But she always has rules and more rules. Call me when you get there, call me when you leave, call me if things change are her most common phrases. I don’t know why I don’t just put my cell phone on speaker so she can pretend like she is with me all day. I hate it when she would ask me how my day was or anything else because her words are meaningless because she doe not show affection. Her rules are really ridiculous, especially being in high school and still having to call my friends’ parents when I went to their house. My brother and sisters area always my saving grace whenever my mom drives me crazy at the end. We have gotten really close lately since they always have some sort of elderly advice for me.
Recently, I started dating my boyfriend who is black. I didn't really know how that would go over with my parents. I knew my grandparents would freak out but my parents aren't really as old-fashioned. Well, when my boyfriend came to pick me up for our first date, he walked in the door. Immediately, you could feel the temperature of the room reach the freezing point. My mother at the time was trying to be polite, but it was obvious from her facial expressions that she was bewildered. After that she tried to change my mind and mention things like "maybe you should date someone that's the same color as you". Though, I ignored everything she said. I wasn't going to let color affect the way I felt about someone. She tells my grandparents everything, but she didn't tell them I had a black boyfriend. She seemed ashamed. When she told people about him, she would refer to him as my "friend".
“Phew, that was long, but it’s true. I feel all bottled up and ready to explode,” said Rita.
“I see where you are coming from Rita, but my mom is trying to persuade me what college to attend, what field of studies I should major in, and what occupation I will have,” said Sina.
Being of Persian heritage, I daily encounter the ins and outs of the Persian culture and way of thinking. Persian people are very proud, elegant, and also lazy (who isn’t and the Chinese don’t count). For some reason, having “Dr.” preceding their name or “Mohandis” (which is Farsi for Engineer) gives Persians a sense of accomplishment. However, my mom has a prejudice against engineers, mainly since she is one and so is my father. She always complains that they are too many engineers in the family and not enough doctors. Then she gives me this look of khodahyah, oh my god, I’m going to take you out of my will if you don’t become an orthopedic surgeon. This really bothers me. Oh and I almost forgot to tell everyone about the guilt trap my mom tries to play on me by saying doctors help people so they are automatically going to heaven, which is really a naïve perspective.
Although she has a point that I learn by memorizing information better than working with theories and concepts, I still prefer engineering. I have to admit to that one. Another point that she keeps bringing up is my ability to comprehend material very easily without having to delve too much time into one subject. I hate myself now; truly I would make a great doctor. So that’s the million dollar question, why don’t I just become a doctor.
First of all, I don’t like blood. I might be able to get use to it, but come on who likes to cut other people and then sew them back together. If you think about it, medicine has not really changed. Well ok it’s changed but the basics are still there. The doctor cuts up the patient, takes out what the problem is, fixes the problem, and then puts everything back together like a puzzle. It’s a gruesome depiction but it gets the job done.
“I’m sorry to hear you all are having trouble with your families. You know my parents are relaxed about those kinds of situations,” Peter explains. My parents know that in the end I’ll have to make my choices and their job is to give me advice along the way and support me through the process.”
“I think we can all agree on that one,” said Sina.
“Yeah, thanks Confucius,” said Rita.
THE END
The concept of family is what has brought civilization from the Babylonians to the present. Without a sense of family, humans lose the ability to function. No matter how dysfunctional a family is or is not does not matter; at the end of the day when you’re sick, tired, and demoralized, you can go to your family and talk things over. Additionally, this is for all teenagers, we as offspring from our parents are in a literal sense part of them as they are a part of us. The genes from our parents made us; the blood, nutrients, and bodily functions of our mother all helped to create a child. And to say that they don’t know what they are talking about is absurd, our parents care for us or they would have never put us on the production line. They are trying to make sure “we” don’t make the mistakes they made. They are only trying to help us, so listen.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Familia
So I suppose I'm running a few blog posts behind. I posted my list and now it's time for my story. My group's Wendy minutes (as Daniel calls them) ran out so we didn't choose a point of interest on my list. But they kind of all fit in together so I'm just going to write a collaboration of thew points. Our group's common theme was "Family".
So a little background on my family might help you all. Growing up I lived with my dad, my mom, and my big brother Alex. I also have two half-sisters from my dad's previous marriage but they are a bit older: one is 35 and the other is like 40 I think. My family works like if my mom says something it goes. We might as well not ask my dad anything because all he would say is "ask your mother". And if she wasn't home, well we were just out of luck. My mom was really strict. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she grew up with in a Navy family with very conservative parents. Who knows. But I always had rules. Rules on top of rules. "Call me when you get there, call me when you leave, call me if things change". Why don't I just put you on speaker phone and you can pretend like you're with me all night? I mean really. So needless to say once I was in high school and I was the only child left at home, I was getting pretty sick of all the rules.
My brother and one of my sisters were kind of my saving grace whenever my mom would drive me crazy. I'm really close to both of them so they always had advice for me. My mom was never the kind of mom that I would tell things to. I hated it when she would ask me how my day was or pretty much ask me anything because I pretty much just hated talking to her. I never tried to sound like a bitch to her, it just came out that way because I was so annoyed. We fought all the damn time. No matter what we were doing, we would end up fighting. Her rules were really ridiculous especially me being like a senior in high school and she still felt the need to call people's parents when I went to their house. Just stupid things like that...I could go on to name all the dumb and ridiculous rules, but that might take a while.
My dad...well I wouldn't really say we're close because we don't really talk about anything but we get along really well. Much better than my mother and I. My dad knew that I was responsible and smart and so he never felt the need to place restrictions on me. But he never stood up for me against my mom. I mean he's my parent too...I never understood why he couldn't make the rules. It kind of sucked. Because he would tell me that he thought my moms rules were ridiculous and she should trust me more, considering I had never done anything to break her trust, but yet he would never say that to her. So I just had to go along with her dumb rules.
Once my senior year hit, I was pretty much just through with her rules. I told myself I pretty much just didn't care what she said anymore. So I did pretty much what I wanted. If she said no, then I would yell at her until she would just break down and pretty much cry and then I just left. She always called my grandmother and cried to her and told her whatever happened. Then I would wait for my grandmother to call me or send me a letter saying how I should appreciate my mom because she does a lot for me and blah blah blah. I stopped answering calls from my grandmother because she kept trying to make me feel bad but she didn't understand what it was like to live under her rules. My grandparents are very conservative and Baptist and my grandmother lectures me all the time on things that don't really apply to my moral/belief system. So whenever she would cal me I would just say ok and try to bite my tongue.
Last summer I started dating my boyfriend who is black. I didn't really know how that would go over with my parents. I knew my grandparents would freak but my parents aren't really as old-fashioned as they are so I wasn't quite sure how they would react. Well when my boyfriend came to pick me up for our first date and he walked in the door (and my parents didn't know he was black before this point) you could tell that my mom was thinking "what the fuck?!" while at the same time trying to be polite. After that she tried to change my mind and mention things like "maybe you should date someone that's the same color as you". But I pretty much ignored everything she said. I wasn't going to let color affect the way I felt about someone. She tells my grandparents everything, but she didn't tell them that. It was like she was ashamed. When she told people about him she would refer to him as my "friend". So needless to say that didn't make us any closer. Eventually she got over it, I mean I've been with my boyfriend for over a year now and I mean she never really says anything about it.
I think over time just all of her rules and ridiculousness just pushed me away to the point where I don't even want to talk to her anymore unless I have to. Even when I try to go out with her for a nice lunch or movie or something and try to have a nice time with her, we end up fighting. Thank God I don't live with her anymore. But I don't think I'll ever be able to be friends with my mom. I will never confide in her. I will never tell her about things in my life besides the basic necessary things for her to know. It's kind of sad. Because most of my friends are really close to their moms and they tell them everything and half of them go out clubbing and drinking with their moms and I just think "I would never ever be on that leverl with my mom". My brother used to not like my mom either but since he moved out he's found it easier to talk to her. But I know I'll never be like that. I just can not stand the woman.
So I guess my story isn't really depressing. I didn't have a "hsrd-knock life" by any means....nothing to feel sorry about. But that's just how I feel about it. Sorry it was so long. I think my typing/internet grammar has improved to Wendy standards...I hope anyways.
So a little background on my family might help you all. Growing up I lived with my dad, my mom, and my big brother Alex. I also have two half-sisters from my dad's previous marriage but they are a bit older: one is 35 and the other is like 40 I think. My family works like if my mom says something it goes. We might as well not ask my dad anything because all he would say is "ask your mother". And if she wasn't home, well we were just out of luck. My mom was really strict. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she grew up with in a Navy family with very conservative parents. Who knows. But I always had rules. Rules on top of rules. "Call me when you get there, call me when you leave, call me if things change". Why don't I just put you on speaker phone and you can pretend like you're with me all night? I mean really. So needless to say once I was in high school and I was the only child left at home, I was getting pretty sick of all the rules.
My brother and one of my sisters were kind of my saving grace whenever my mom would drive me crazy. I'm really close to both of them so they always had advice for me. My mom was never the kind of mom that I would tell things to. I hated it when she would ask me how my day was or pretty much ask me anything because I pretty much just hated talking to her. I never tried to sound like a bitch to her, it just came out that way because I was so annoyed. We fought all the damn time. No matter what we were doing, we would end up fighting. Her rules were really ridiculous especially me being like a senior in high school and she still felt the need to call people's parents when I went to their house. Just stupid things like that...I could go on to name all the dumb and ridiculous rules, but that might take a while.
My dad...well I wouldn't really say we're close because we don't really talk about anything but we get along really well. Much better than my mother and I. My dad knew that I was responsible and smart and so he never felt the need to place restrictions on me. But he never stood up for me against my mom. I mean he's my parent too...I never understood why he couldn't make the rules. It kind of sucked. Because he would tell me that he thought my moms rules were ridiculous and she should trust me more, considering I had never done anything to break her trust, but yet he would never say that to her. So I just had to go along with her dumb rules.
Once my senior year hit, I was pretty much just through with her rules. I told myself I pretty much just didn't care what she said anymore. So I did pretty much what I wanted. If she said no, then I would yell at her until she would just break down and pretty much cry and then I just left. She always called my grandmother and cried to her and told her whatever happened. Then I would wait for my grandmother to call me or send me a letter saying how I should appreciate my mom because she does a lot for me and blah blah blah. I stopped answering calls from my grandmother because she kept trying to make me feel bad but she didn't understand what it was like to live under her rules. My grandparents are very conservative and Baptist and my grandmother lectures me all the time on things that don't really apply to my moral/belief system. So whenever she would cal me I would just say ok and try to bite my tongue.
Last summer I started dating my boyfriend who is black. I didn't really know how that would go over with my parents. I knew my grandparents would freak but my parents aren't really as old-fashioned as they are so I wasn't quite sure how they would react. Well when my boyfriend came to pick me up for our first date and he walked in the door (and my parents didn't know he was black before this point) you could tell that my mom was thinking "what the fuck?!" while at the same time trying to be polite. After that she tried to change my mind and mention things like "maybe you should date someone that's the same color as you". But I pretty much ignored everything she said. I wasn't going to let color affect the way I felt about someone. She tells my grandparents everything, but she didn't tell them that. It was like she was ashamed. When she told people about him she would refer to him as my "friend". So needless to say that didn't make us any closer. Eventually she got over it, I mean I've been with my boyfriend for over a year now and I mean she never really says anything about it.
I think over time just all of her rules and ridiculousness just pushed me away to the point where I don't even want to talk to her anymore unless I have to. Even when I try to go out with her for a nice lunch or movie or something and try to have a nice time with her, we end up fighting. Thank God I don't live with her anymore. But I don't think I'll ever be able to be friends with my mom. I will never confide in her. I will never tell her about things in my life besides the basic necessary things for her to know. It's kind of sad. Because most of my friends are really close to their moms and they tell them everything and half of them go out clubbing and drinking with their moms and I just think "I would never ever be on that leverl with my mom". My brother used to not like my mom either but since he moved out he's found it easier to talk to her. But I know I'll never be like that. I just can not stand the woman.
So I guess my story isn't really depressing. I didn't have a "hsrd-knock life" by any means....nothing to feel sorry about. But that's just how I feel about it. Sorry it was so long. I think my typing/internet grammar has improved to Wendy standards...I hope anyways.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
my list
My group decided our common ground was family/family issues. So here's my list!
~conservative grandparents ("true love waits" speech)
~fights with mother
~mother tried to change relationship (with my boyfriend....we're "not the same color")
~mom makes gay rules
~dad is reasonable...A.K.A. kool as shit
~i'm the baby-all the focus on me
~don't get along with mom
~dad doesn't stick up for me
~don't feel close to family (with exception of a few members)
~i'm not the favorite
~conservative grandparents ("true love waits" speech)
~fights with mother
~mother tried to change relationship (with my boyfriend....we're "not the same color")
~mom makes gay rules
~dad is reasonable...A.K.A. kool as shit
~i'm the baby-all the focus on me
~don't get along with mom
~dad doesn't stick up for me
~don't feel close to family (with exception of a few members)
~i'm not the favorite
Corporate=Hell
so i didn't get a chance to write yesterday so i'll post two today and hopefully that will make up for missing yesterday. The reason I didn't get a chance to write yesterday is because I was working. I tried though. I took my laptop to work with me but my wireless connection wouldn't work for some reason. and I didn't get off work until 3 am so as you can imagine I was a bit tired when i got home...not really in a blogging mood. I love my new job though. I recently started working at Young Avenue Deli in midtown at the corner of Cooper and Young. If you've never been there it's a bar/restaurant/pool playing place/listen to kool bands place....but it's awesome. I've always waited tables but I've never worked at an independant place before. I've always worked at corporate restaurants. Which kindof gets me to what I was thinking about when i started writing.
Corporate restaurants. They suck. T.G.I. Friday's, O'Charley's, RED ROBIN....all corporate. Has anyone ever seen Office Space? That's what i think of when I think of corporate restaurants. Chochkeys (sp?)...the place where Jennifer Aniston worked in the movie where she had to have so many pieces of "flare". It's totally like that. I worked at Red Robin this past summer. There are so many rules that there are rules on top of rules. Uniforms to the way we wear our hair to the way we greet a customer. I felt like a robot when i talked to customers. and i could hear them getting bored with me going on and on with "thank you for choosing Red Robin...have you ever dined with us? no? well here are all of our sandwiches, burgers, drinks, appetizers, salads, entrees, soups, and desserts....and don't forget we serve bottomless french fries....are you ready to order?" it was just so long and annoying.....i wanted to slap myself in the face sometimes. I just don't understand why businesses feel they have to dictate ever detail to impress the customer. Customers just want pleasant, efficient service. They don't need all the bullshit. How many people are really offended by my nose ring? that's right I couldn't wear that. I just don't think corportions go about things right. Take my new job for instance. I can wear whatever I want, I can sit down if I'm not busy which is completely out of the question at Red Robin, and all the while my customers are still being served. Even with my noe ring in! GASP!
My point is that corporations like Red Robin say they are all about their "people" meaning the employees. But when they force so many rules on us, it just makes things miserable and forces people to quit. Everyone I knew from Red Robin just about has quit. Whereas at my new job the people who work there have been there for years. It's because there aren't so many miniscule details and rules. I mean really....when you go to a restaurant do you care what color your server's shoelaces are? Or whether or not they have a goutee? I don't. I just care if they are polite and bring me my food.
(I tried to do better on the punctuations and paragraphs Wendy.....hope that helps)
Corporate restaurants. They suck. T.G.I. Friday's, O'Charley's, RED ROBIN....all corporate. Has anyone ever seen Office Space? That's what i think of when I think of corporate restaurants. Chochkeys (sp?)...the place where Jennifer Aniston worked in the movie where she had to have so many pieces of "flare". It's totally like that. I worked at Red Robin this past summer. There are so many rules that there are rules on top of rules. Uniforms to the way we wear our hair to the way we greet a customer. I felt like a robot when i talked to customers. and i could hear them getting bored with me going on and on with "thank you for choosing Red Robin...have you ever dined with us? no? well here are all of our sandwiches, burgers, drinks, appetizers, salads, entrees, soups, and desserts....and don't forget we serve bottomless french fries....are you ready to order?" it was just so long and annoying.....i wanted to slap myself in the face sometimes. I just don't understand why businesses feel they have to dictate ever detail to impress the customer. Customers just want pleasant, efficient service. They don't need all the bullshit. How many people are really offended by my nose ring? that's right I couldn't wear that. I just don't think corportions go about things right. Take my new job for instance. I can wear whatever I want, I can sit down if I'm not busy which is completely out of the question at Red Robin, and all the while my customers are still being served. Even with my noe ring in! GASP!
My point is that corporations like Red Robin say they are all about their "people" meaning the employees. But when they force so many rules on us, it just makes things miserable and forces people to quit. Everyone I knew from Red Robin just about has quit. Whereas at my new job the people who work there have been there for years. It's because there aren't so many miniscule details and rules. I mean really....when you go to a restaurant do you care what color your server's shoelaces are? Or whether or not they have a goutee? I don't. I just care if they are polite and bring me my food.
(I tried to do better on the punctuations and paragraphs Wendy.....hope that helps)
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Sicko
yay our first blog. i hope this doesnt reflect on my grammar skills at all because i dont like using punctuation marks or capital letters or anything of the sort when im on the internet but i promise i know how to use them...sorry wendy. ive just spent thirty minutes trying to find a new background for these blog things but every one that i try to use says it cant read the code or something lame like that. well to the point of this entry...i read an article in the new yorker about our country's medicare/insurance policies. if you follow this website you can read the article...http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2007/07/23/070723taco_talk_gawande. the author starts by talking about the documentary movie "sicko" by michael moore. he said how he didnt like his other movies and is pretty straight forward about how much he doesnt like michael moore. but then he goes on to comment on the movie "sicko" which he seems to actually agree with somewhat. the movie basically talks about how insurance companies in our country deny people coverage or charge them a lot for coverage. its hard to believe that this is a problem in our country. america is supposed to be like the best country but why cant we solve problems like this and other countries can? so many other countries have free health systems...why dont we? in the article is describes a few of the scenarios in michael moore's movie such as a 79 year old man who picks up trash at a store to pay for the medications for he and his wife. after i read that i really started thinking thats pitiful. shouldnt 79 year old people be retired and relaxing....not picking up trash in a parking lot? its so hard to comprehend why something like a free health care system cant be established in our country. and im more on the side of michaels moore but then again it must be a hard thing to think of a solution for...like im sure its hard for the politicians to make decisions about this. i watched john edwards on cspan the other night on his road to the white house campaign and he spoke about issues such as health care and it seemed like he had things all figured out. but if they were all figured out why wouldnt this be an easy thing to accomplish? i dont know. i dont know how to fix it but i just know its sad to think that people in our country cant get the coverage they need but if u were in cuba it would be free. but yeah thats how i feel about that. as far as tone in the article you can tell the how the author feels about the subject. although he contradicts himself a couple times but for the most part you can see his view. diction...he uses some vivid words to describe michael moore and i think that shows his use of diction....kind of like wanda sykes and the red states. as far as structure i think of it as informal because he shows his own views a lot instead of being indifferent to the subject. sp yeah thats what i thought about the article. im done now.
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