Looking at life through new metaphorical glasses

Do you think that becoming a writer has forced you to look at the world differently or to read differently? Example?

Becoming a writer has basically given me some wider, xray glasses to look at the world. Here are some reasons why you would say I am a better writer and have gone through ap comp:

• If people have poor reasoning, I murmur under my breath "logical fallacy"
• My brothers now know when they use logical fallacies and when they use it in an argument against me, before I have time to say anything they yell out "Ya, thats a logical fallacy, ha ha" in a really sarcastic high pitched voice
• I can never look at an emoticon the same way again (I always see it as a slight cop out) and whenever I use them I hesitate before I put it in
• My mind goes through the steps of rhetorical analysis whenever I read through some text, and I always wonder and think about why I am appealed to this writing
• I've found that on more research type papers, I try to use various forms of sentence structure and add various stories at the opening and closing paragraphs to add interest in my paper (I did this for a human anatomy paper)
• I always ask myself why I am appealed to an ad and what make it visually capturing and wonder why they put it in a particular magazine.
• When I watch Giada on food network, whenever she says one of her copius amount of adjectives to describe her food, I always visualize in my mind and think about what that adjective makes me think and feel, which then makes me want to eat the food
• I have stopped (or tried stopping) using the words thing and very to describe various objects
• I can't not do rhetorical analysis when I describe and have to ask myself why people would want to read what I write
• I get excited to edit and slightly stressed out at the fact that there is so much that I could change about my writing to make it kick butt
• I try to find the voice, form, audience and purpose whenever I write
• I wonder what my voice is like in every type of writing (research papers, blogs, the way I talk too, even though its not writing) 

The wonderful ACT

I pull up to the Rockford High school, I've got my comfy clothes on (sweats, uggs, sweatshirt) and my string backpack with my calculator, id, pb and j, confirmation sheet, and 4 pencils, perfectly sharpened.
I walk into the testing room, there are two other Wayzata people oh good, I'm not alone.
"You are now beginning the ACT..." says the proctor, a spanish teacher who can barely pronounce the instructions
The dreaded reading of the already-known instructions starts...
"don't cheat, don't bring alcohol, don't use a pen" seriously? who would be dumb enough to use a pen on a scantron?
"fill out your name in the box provided, fill in the confirmation code. if you don't fill it out correctly you may not get your score back for up to 8 weeks..."
8 weeks?! I can barely wait the typical 3 to see what I get.
"I am now passing out the test booklets. wait while I pass out the test booklets. The test booklets are being passed out now."
Uh oh, I have to go to the bathroom. Maybe I can hold it until the brake...
Nope can't wait that long.
I ask the proctor if I can go to the bathroom before the test starts. Last time I made the mistake of trying to hold it and had to take part of my precious ACT testing time to go relieve myself...TWICE.
I race out and bold down the hallway
I race back to the classroom.
oh good I'm just in time
"You have 1 hour for the english portion..."
One hour?! there are 75 questions! 
It was really the science portion that I was worried about. The last time I took it I got so bored by the end and didn't understand any of it that I just filled in c and put my head down for the last 10 minutes. They should really make the science portion first, considering that by the time you get to the last portion of the test you have no desire to test take any longer and science just happens to be the one that you have to use logical reasoning for, which was totally drained after the first 15 minutes of the test.

english portion with such ferociousness
wow, I'm doing really well, I know like all the answers...what if I get a 36 on this portion? How cool would that be! wait, I should be thinking about the test, I'm only on question 5. But WHAT IF I get a 36!!!! Hey, is this reading a Narrative or a Description mode? wait I probably shouldn't be thinking about modes of writing and analysis. AP comp has gotten the best of my mind...is that a logical fallacy?
Unfortunately that way of thinking did not drift with me as I endured the math, reading and science portions of the test. I ended up accidentally spending about 50 times longer than needed on one simple math problem because I was to lazy to write it out and thought my brain had the capacity to solve it and organize the answer. Needless to say I had to fill in C's in the last portions of the final 3 sections because I ran out of time. Oh well...there's always next time.

I can't wait (insert really sarcastic voice)

here are some of the ways you could say I'm a perfectionist

1. I check over simple math problems 3 times
2. I still do addition and subtraction on my calculator to make sure my brain got it right
3. I check skyward 3 times a day
4. I will argue that one point on my test
5. I find joy in organizing my binder
6. I ask too many questions, even though I may already know the answer
7. I am the last one to finish my test because I have reread every question and answer
8. I make sure my handwriting is perfect for my notes
9. I won't move on from a topic until I fully understand it
10. I enjoy organizing the pantry and refrigerator
11. I refuse to go to bed until all my homework is complete
12. If there is a question of health or homework, I choose homework
13. I have to get reassurance that what I'm doing is right (assignment, following directions, etc)
14. sometimes I ask the same question multiple times just to make sure I understand something
15. I get straight A's
16. Life will end If I get an A- or lower
17. I procrastinate
18. I tend to write too much just to make sure my thoughts are fully on paper
19. If there is a way to get above 100%, I will try it
20. If I can't do something just right, I don't do it
21. I will reshovel the driveway to get the edges of snow that were left
22. I've pulled multiple all-nighters for school projects
23. I've sent a research paper to each one of my family members and asked them to make edits
24. I stay after school to ask teachers questions about the subject
25. I like science because there is one and only one perfect answer
26. I like math because there is one and only one perfect answer
27. my fingernails are always perfectly clipped
28. art is frustrating to me because I can't perfectly draw things (and because I take too long)
29. My room has to be clean...always
30. I will frequently organize and reorganize my clothes drawers

the big reveal

1. narration
2. comparison
3. example
4. argument
5. cause/effect-I could see how definition would work as well
6. description

patience-rhetorical modes

1. I wake up at 4 am and chomp at the bit to take a peak downstairs. Christmas morning is here and I have to make sure Santa came. After the clock strikes 6, snow, reindeer, candy canes and elves drive my brain crazy and I race in to share my excitement with my sleeping family. I find my brother wide-awake, calmly reading a book. He’s been up since 4 but didn't want to bother anyone despite his excitement. We obviously know who was given the patience gene in the family

2. Patience is similar, but not completely synonymous to endurance. Patience and endurance both mean to continue or persevere despite strain, suffering, or hardship. However patience is persevering through trials without negativity or anger, about how long you can go without complaining. One can have endurance but still be negative about things, since one can have endurance until they give up. Also, endurance can be both a mental and physical thing, but when speaking of patience, it is more mental

3. A person that displayed a great deal of patience was Ghandi. He had quiet and steady perseverance, and didn't have a bad attitude about his trial, which was to liberate the Indian people from the British. He didn't want the Indian people to fight and instead of giving into the pressures of using force, which would have made the trial end quicker, he had the quality of waiting and went about fighting in a peaceful way, which was fasting and being a great leader. This is patience for what he knew was right-peace.

4. You get more of what you want with patience than with anger. Although this may seem ironic, that by waiting you get more but the impulsivity that comes with anger causes you to get less in the same amount of time. If one shows patience, they will be calmer when it comes to rational thinking and decision-making. They will also seem more mature and have others want to work with them because they can think of the bigger picture and not explode at any point in time.

5. Patience is caused by the ability to see the bigger picture. If one can put themselves in an omniscient view of the situation, and see the past, present and future, they will realize that the present is only a small moment in the scheme of things. Seeing this will allow people to not get angry or irrational and lose their temper and become negative, but rather know that everything will work out. As Jesus said, “my trials will be but a small moment”, pointing out that if he is patient, good times will come again after persecution

6. The toddler looks up at his mother, a dark green permanent marker tight in his hand. The strong chemical smell permeates from what were newly washed white walls, now adorned with swirls, scribbles and circles. She kneels down on the soft, tan carpet, right above the imprints of her son’s feet, and looks into his bright blue eyes. He gazes right at her and softly bows his head as he hands her his weapon, then puts his stubby arms around her neck and gives her a big wet kiss on the lips. 

I'm sorry I bit you

My mom was showing us her journal not too long ago and we came across this gem of a story.

"steve stayed home today and heard commotion in the basement. when he approached and litened, the commotin stopped and he could hear Briana say, "Brenan, I am sorry I bit you." There was a pause, and Brenan (my brother) responded, "Briana, I am sorry I bit you too." Briana said, "are we still friends?" Brenan said, " yeah, we are still friends."

Another one my family loves to bring up is when I was 2 and we flew in to visit my aunt. My mom and aunt were making dinner one night and I came in to ask for something. When my mom said no I layed down on the kitchen floor and turned myself around and around with my heels. My mom and aunt stared at me for a while, then my aunt turned to my mom and said, "when did that happen?" My mom loves to remind me how early my temper tantrums started and that I shouldn't be having them at 16 (I of course don't...she just thinks I do)

Finally, another funny story is during easter (around the same time as above story, I was 2). I had all my easter candy but my mom told me throughout the day, "No chocolate until after dinner!" When dinner was ready everyone sat down at the table, but I was missing. They called and called my name until they opened the bathroom door. They found me sitting on the tile floor, my legs straddling my cauldron of candy, and chocolate wrappers spewed all over the place. My face, hands and body were covered in chocolate. But when they walked in, the first thing I said was, "I'm not eating chocolate!"
I'm such a good liar

visually visual argument

agent: this is created by a person who is opposed to pat downs in the airport. He/she is opposed because it takes away their privacy when so many hands are touching private places. It was probably done by a woman because women are probably more sensitive to pat downs as they have more "private places" on their body and thus feel violated very quickly. Plus it is usually women that are sexually assaulted so this may remind them of feeling like they are having a similar experience.
act: The argument is that airport pat downs are too invasive and they take away peoples freedom of privacy. also, this could argue that women are more helpless than men because the photographer didn't use a man for this depiction. This is because society sees women as being more helpless than men and it would be more visually stirring if there was a woman being inapropriately handled rather than a man who usually is more masculine and strong.
agency: The agent is simply a picture, without words or sounds or other graphics. This is because the reader can confidently assume, without the use of words, that this woman feels helpless and violated, and that words would just detract from the power of the picture.
scene: the picture was taken for those anyone that goes through security at an airport (anybody that flies). it is probably more specifically for those people that have had an experience with pat downs or have to be pat down every time they pass through security because they have something like a metal knee that sets off the alarms every time. It is probably also more for women because even though some may never have had a sexual assault encounter they can sympathize with the women in the picture better than men could.
purpose: the purpose is to show that pat downs are too invasive and inapropriate and take away your freedom of privacy and should not be used anymore. It also shows how devalued women are in society and that they probably feel the most violated in said pat downs.
This picture is powerful because it shows how helpless people, especially women can feel when they are being patted down. she is being pulled apart in all directions which puts her in a more helpless position, as she a person could touch any part of her body. Also, the black background adds a feeling of despair and hoplessness, like you are being thrust into a black hole and don't have the ability to get out, or stop the pat down process. The use of mulitple hands shows in one image that there is no "private place" anymore, that they can feel free to touch the breasts, underneath the clothes and in the genital area. also, the hands are shown in a claw-like position, adding to the fact that the person doesn't matter because they are not handling her kindly but rather clawing and pinching and pulling. The smeared mascara on her face shows that she has been crying because she feels so helpless and like there the pat down is a violation of her body. The fact that she is looking up toward some light is depicts her disgust because she can't even look at the security people when they pat her down and there is no point in arguing with them because they are the ones in control. this brings up the social norm that women are not dominate and they have no power. It is usually in a relationship that this is the case but it shows that they have a very degraded role in society if they are even a minority to the security at the airport. Also, the fact that she is looking to a light indicates that she wants to have this end as quick as possible and she is looking to brighter and happier times to get her through this experience. The bluntness of the image reminds the audience of sexual assault and forces the person to believe that these pat downs are basically legal sexual assault.

words I commmonnnlllyyy misssspellll

some words that I misspell frequently are:

-words that have back to back letters like commit or embarrass
-definitely (the i's and e's could be interchangable throughout the entire word)
-words with au or ei/ie such as restaurant (just typing that word right now I misspelled it 3 times)
-words that could start like pre or per like perservere
-I just learned how to spell parallel correctly
-words that could be spelled with a c or an s like exercise
-basically those words that could be spelt with multiple different letters to still have the same sound (like replacing c with s or c with k, etc)

I actually think spell check does a pretty good job at checking misspelled words and poor phrases. I know a lot of times I will leave out commas or maybe forget to add a semicolon, but I much of the time when I check what spellcheck has to say, they are usually correct. It gets frustrating when they say I spelt my own name wrong however. And I don't know about anybody elses computer but mine does tell me when I use the wrong "there or their". Now, I'm not saying that I blindly just click change when I am reviewing my work with spell check, because some of the time they do get it wrong, but most of the time they correct the little mistakes that I forget. The computer will make guesses based on what the word that you wrote sounds like and if you have the beginning letters basically the same

Uniform spelling is necessary for accurate communication because some people in different areas pronounce things differently, so if we all just made up how we felt it should sound, what may sound accurate to one person in Minnesota may not sound accurate in England or even Mississippi. for example, if we say pass the malk (milk) in minnesota, someone in Mississippi may do what spell check does and make a guess of what your saying based on words that it actually knows, so it may think you are saying malt instead of milk.

misspellings in company names like in froot loops or kleenex make the company more memorable because we have the normal way to spell things so engraved in our minds. We are going to remember businesses like Toys R Us because of the R rather than if they said are. Because if they just said are then we would file it into the part of the brain the blindly reads signs and ads, but its not until something is odd or different that we move from the subconcious brain to the concious (I just spelt both of those words wrong...wow).

School is corrupting my mind

school is corrupting my mind. I guess this can be a good thing, or it may not. it also may or may not be a bad thing that this particular class is making me crazy. Here are a few examples how...

-I probably checked skyward 15 times this weekend to see if the multiple choice grades were up...
-My mind is only thinking in terms of analysis, proposals and logical fallacies
-My brother spent what should have been his homework time writing a proposal of how homework should not continue because it is a total waste of time and doesn't allow you to get enough sleep. He's in third grade. All I could think about was if he included all aspects of a proposal and how ironic that he was writing one just like I had to do the other day.
-Whenever I am watching a show or listening to an ad, I always think, "what rhetorical device are they using and how is it persuading me?" I have to continually test my mind to make sure I still remember how to analyze correctly
-I have been accusing everyone about how their reasoning is a logical fallacy. I have told my brothers multiple times, told my parents, and even accused a doctor of fallicious reasoning. Needless to say that the last two weren't necessarily happy at my newfound knowledge (especially the doctor who stopped the argument right there because she couldn't think of anything else to say)
-I have been noticing logical fallacies in ads as well

all i can think about is analyzing analyzing analyzing. It's driving me crazy. It's like that really annoying song that gets stuck in your head the entire day... oh ya, I have also been seeing how many times people say "really" and if it adds or detracts to their sentence.


Oh ya... this is totally off topic to my blog theme but the other day I heard a radio add from trader joes saying that we should give out frozen spaghetti and meatballs for a halloween treat, instead of candy. He was actually serious about it! What has this world come to.

Fast Food Nation Review

You may think that the Big Mac you ate for lunch today is only going to affect your hips, but think again. Eric Schlosser shows that the fast food industry not only tips the scale for customers, but has in fact changed the world. From the way land is settled to the competition of agriculture, Scholser gives a detailed account of every aspect of the world that the fast food industry has stuck their greasy fingers in. If you think this will be another one of those books that ultimately persuades the reader to not step foot in another McDonalds again because they have learned how much saturated fat is in some fries, this isn't the book for you. Scholsser doesn't even delve into the topic of obesity until the very end. Rather, he mainly talks about what you don't immediately think about when you walk order your food. How did those fries got on your plate? why do they taste the way they do? Who made them?

Don't expect your assumptions to be met about how bad fast food is, as because Schlosser never comes out and actually says its bad. You will learn about the hard-working risen-from-nothing farmers who work tirelessly to create wholesome, delicious foods for the consumer. You will feel the connection they have with their food, and realize that fast food isn't made in a factory (sort of). You may even gain an appreciation and awe at how smart fast food companies like McDonalds are.

Having said that, don't expect an epiphany of how fast food is actually healthy for you, because its not. You will learn about the horrors of labor unions, the frightening scenes of meatpacking, the terrible robberies in resturaunts, and the pain that is inflicted upon farmers do to the empowerment of these large fast food companies.

McDonalds isn't the only restaurant you will learn about. You will learn how that store actually pioneered the boom of the fast food industry and learn about other restaurants clever tactics to market and get people to eat.

You will realize that fast food has been playing with the world for the past 70 years. It has globalized the world for its own personal benefit of sales. Now you can eat the same food in Japan that you can in Germany, and unfortunately it is pushing aside the traits that made every country unique.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that has ever eaten at a fast food restaurant. Before opening the bood I thought I would never want to sink my teeth into a Mcanything ever again. But despite my distaste for some of the companies practices, I ultimately got a better appreciation of how smart these companies are and how dedicated the farmers are to produce the best food for you and me.

Halloween memories

Here are a few of my Halloween memories

• In 3rd grade, I lived in Utah. This was the only halloween that I had experienced when it was snowing. IT WAS AWESOME and cold. I remember I was a witch and when I took my had off there was about 2 inches of snow piled on it. And then when we came home my grandma and mom had made soup in some bread bowls. YUM. I also remember my grandpa counting how many trick-or-treaters we got.
• I think it was that same Halloween that I tried putting fake blood in my mouth. It was in this pill-like-thing and you were supposed to break it open in your mouth. What they failed to say on the package was that it was the most bitter and repulsive taste I have ever experienced. I spent the next ten minutes spitting out fake blood into the sink.
• We always have a halloween party at our church. and instead of trick-or-treating we do trunk-or-treating where we walk around to everyones car trunk and get candy. Then afterwords we have a chili cookoff. Well, my friends mom had saved me a deliciously moist pumpkin frosted sugar coated cupcake. I was eating it when all the sudden one of the girls at church started talking to me and all the sudden purposely smashed the cupcake in my face. It fell to the ground frosting side down. Who does that? ya people say they are going to stuff things in your face but do they ever actually do it so you can't eat the food? no. I didn't know whether to cry or tell my parents, or get angry. Luckily people from church saw her do it and guilted tripped her and made her feel really bad for what she did. Then she bought me 6 cupcakes. so it all worked out.
• When Halloween falls on a sunday, my family chooses not to go trick-or-treating for religious purposes. But let me tell you that it is a lot more fun receiving the candy than handing it out. I don't know why parents like doing that.

You say we aren't motivated? I beg to differ

I have always been motivated. I've never really had the problem of not wanting to do well in school or just not caring about my grades (even though sometimes I wish I was a little less stressed over them). I have attributed this motivation two a combination of a couple of things: my parents and family members, the school environment that I am in, my teachers, my own fear of not being doing something important in life.
-My parents and family members are a huge influence in my motivation because they have a genuine interest in my schooling and are always helping me find new ways to excel and learn more. Basically they take time to be involved.
-The school environment that I am in keeps me motivated because their is an increasing amount of competition for top spots in schools or scholarships. There are so many above average people at Wayzata that they are constantly pushing me to do better or else I won't get a scholarship or into that college. If there were more below average people at WHS, why would I need to push myself at all? Plus Wayzata offers so many different opportunities to excel and so many different classes and after school activities, how could you not be motivated?
-teachers are soooo important because they get a student interested in the subject that they are learning. I have been fortunate to have awesome teachers. But the really great ones are the ones that are so in love with the subject that they make you want to learn more out of class. to give an example I have had some amazing science/biology teachers that make me really grasp the topic being taught and has made me want to go into medecine when I get older. If kids don't have teachers that get them excited about learning and about school, why would they want to go to school? Why would they want to keep learning a boring subject. Great teachers help make a seemingly boring topic turn fascinating.
-I also think just the way that I am is what keeps me motivated. I want to actually do something in life and make a profound impact on something. Plus my perfectionist personality won't let me settle for mediocrity. Some people aren't born with this trait unfortunately and can settle for average.

these are the arguments to the movie and readings:

2 mm: American students have less motivation in school than foreign students do and because of it we are falling behind in world rankings

I just wanna be average: motivation is dependent upon the environment that you are in and the teachers you have to motivate and teach you

blame it on the students: failure in the classroom is due to student lack of motivation.

My overall point is that our parents in america have already made it. they are well off and have provided a comfortable environment for us. The parents in foreign countries though, had to go through the pain of making it and still may be struggling. This is why they push their own kids to do better and work harder, because they know what is like to not have common luxuries. Plus, since our parents are already living comfortably, they don't want us to have to deal with "making it", so they don't push us and give us whatever we want. This is a common cycle. one generation works hard to make it. the next one then becomes spoiled because they are used to common luxuries and don't work hard, then their own kids (next generation) have to work hard again. So the next asian generation could quite possibly become less motivated like we are right now. who knows. So, yes, all the arguments to the three things we have read and watched are true to an extent, just on a different part in the cycle

2 Million minutes: It is true that American students tend to have less of a desire toward school. You know that saying you don't know what you have until you don't have it? This applies for American students. They don't know what it is like to have the fear of if they don't succeed in school they may not survive. they most often will have parents to fall back on. And because of this lack of need to "make it" in the world, they create a lack of motivation, and a fall in world rankings. Most americans don't understand the idea of competition because they think that america is number 1 and no one can top that.

I just wanna be average: This idea of needing good teachers and being in a good environment IS important. As shown in 2 mm, the asian families are fully submerged in their kids schooling and won't let them settle for less. They know what it is like to not have the privilege of schooling. We as americans don't know what that is like and therefore live in an environment where it is not essential to go to school because you can make a livelihood in other areas. Plus, as in my example, you do need good teachers to succeed because they are the ones that will spark that fire for you to enjoy a subject which will make you want to learn about it more.

blame it on the students: this idea of failure in classes is partly due to student lack of motivation. But the lack of motivation comes from the fact that parents aren't pushing them to try or work hard. It has to stem from somewhere. Plus, if all schools had great mind-blowing teachers, then there wouldn't be this problem of lack of motivation, so the lack of motivation can be helped by teachers, BUT there needs to be a change in the home environment and school environment of the students.

Now, This obviously does not apply to every person in america and every person in the foreign countries. Take like 95% of Wayzata students. We have motivation that comes from within us, from great teachers, and the safe but competing environment we live in. So this blanket statement of nobody in America having motivation is false, otherwise our country would be in BIG trouble.

What really annoys me/my pet peeves

Wow. It's kind of hilarious that we are writing about this because lately when I am driving me and my brother to and from school I rant about everything and everyone that annoys me and all the pet peeves that I have. Probably to prevent me from punching someone when something comes up

1. People chewing. especially with their mouths open. But when It is dead quiet in a room and I can hear you chewing (even if you mouth is closed), it drives me crazy. My brother will always walk up behind me and look at what I'm doing while chewing right in my ear. I literally want to rip his head off and shove the thing he is eating in his ears. He also chews with his mouth open at the dinner table. but it doesn't matter how many times I tell him to stop. He always wonders why I am giving him the death stare at while eating. There's also this guy that I sit next to in one of my classes that will suck on something or chew some type of candy when we are taking a quiz. All I can hear is chomp, chomp, slirp, slirp, askldhteh, dashglewj. I have thought about just walking right out of the class or getting earplugs
2. Even when I watch some people chew but can't hear it, its super annoying. I can't really put my finger on which types of people make annoying chewers but they all overexaggerate the motion. disgusting.
3. people that raise their hand in class and then start their comment by saying, "I have a question!" and then asking it. Why are you saying that when you are just going to ask it anyway?! or if they apologize for asking a question or commenting. why do that when you are not really sorry. If you were actually sorry you wouldn't have said it in the first place
4. People that talk in baby voices to everyone. I'm not a baby, you don't have to sugarcoat your words.
5. People that use logical fallacies in an argument. me, "why do you think microsoft is better than apple?" annoying person: "because apple sucks and steve jobs isn't creative!" me: why is that car better than this one?" annoying person: "because it just IS!" seriously people, if you are going to be so ignorant as to come up with that as your reasoning, you are never going to be right.
6. People that are close-minded. This includes stark right-wing and left-wing people. When I ask them to explain their point of view, and they give me a logical fallacy. then I give them a legit fact and explain my reasoning, and they give me the same logical fallacy as a response. 
7. snoring. don't even try to disrupt my sleep, I get cranky.
8. when people repeat the same thing over and over again. my brother does this to get across his point. I always say, "stop, I understood it the first time, you don't have to say it 10 more times"
9. when people talk in a stupid voice because they are embarrassed or something. My brother does this and it's not going to make me get you any less embarrassed, so just stop, talk in a normal adult voice.
10. people that don't cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough or they put their arm up but it doesn't cover their line of fire at all
11. stop lights that aren't equal in how long you get a green light
12. when two people raise their hands to answer a question and one person gets called and they give the answer. However the other person keeps their hand raised. When the teacher calls on them they say, "I had the same answer as the first guy." Why leave your hand up?
13. People that don't know anything but act like they do. I can't take this one and usually keep asking them questions until they say, I don't know or reply with a logical fallacy. 

Why golf IS a sport, and why its the hardest one

While trying to come up with something to write about for this post, I racked my brain to try to think of something that really made me tick. While admiring the beautiful weather and thinking I should be golfing rather than reading APUSH, I realized how annoying it is when people say that golf isn't a sport. I would like to blow those people out of the water and say that not only is it a sport, it is the hardest one out there.
Did she just say that golf was the most difficult sport?? Yes. I did.
To see exactly what a "sport was" (since its a farely broad topic), I looked up the defintion. A sport is an athletic activity that requires skill or physical prowess, and involves competition. For all of those golf haters, go out and try hitting a club and see if you can get even par. The reason why you are being so ignorant is because YOU HAVE NO SKILL TO HIT A BALL WITH A CLUB. and you are thus embarrased. Many people think that you don't need any fitness for golf, as they see their fat old grandpas going to the course. Sure, golf can be played by the out of shape, but the best ones need to have strong muscles to swing the club faster and thus have the ball hit farther, and straighter. Right now I'm on a program to increase my swing speed from 95 mph to 115. This involves a lot of weight lifting and stretching. The reason I'm doing this? Because right now I'm not hitting it far enough, and I'm too weak to keep my swing on plane to hit it straight.
That brings up another point. Practice. We golfers have to practice multiple different aspects of the game. This includes making sure our swing is on line, make sure we are putting accurately, having a good feel for chipping, and being mentally prepared for getting that quadruple on the 17 hole. For those other measly sports, they practice one thing, they either throw or run in football, they either throw or catch in baseball, they all just have to work on the fundamentals and what can carry them through the game is that fire underneath their buttocks or the passion and determination that is created when they get angry or are behind.
Golfers can't fall back on that luxury. Our golf outcome is not determined by equal skill and fire or determination. We have to have 20 percent skill and 80 percent mind strength. For other sports, if your team is behind you can get angry, become determined, and work harder because of the anger. When we are hitting hozzle rockets, shanking the ball, or duck hooking it we can't get angry. We have to retain a positive outlook and keep our cool. If we don't, we might as well just walk off the course right there. THAT, is what makes this sport so difficult, we can't get to emotional over the round or else it will mess with our mind and it will mess up our swings. Even the tiniest change in swing can be the difference between hitting it in the fairway or in the water.
Yes, I am slightly biased. But for those people that say that golf isn't a sport, I would just like to point out that that some of the most athletic people play (ei tiger woods). On top of that we walk about 5 miles per 18 holes. Plus, the reason why you are hatin is because you have no skill or mind composure and basically, stink at golf.

speech to analyze

the speech that I am analyzing is the speech is from the movie we are marshall

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758794/quotes

http://thebestten.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/the-best-inspiring-pre-game-speeches-from-sports-movies/

Obama's Back to School Speech

• Picked a largely minority school to show that minority has a power in the US
• Had only minority people sitting behind him, for same reason as above
• Person introducting him is black, same reason as above
• greeted everyone with a down to earth ,"Hey!"-ethos, talks in everyday informal voice
• Waved and pointed directly at people-ethos, makes people thing they are important
• Directly talked about the girl that introduced him-ethos
• smiled directly at the principal-ethos
• Looked at everyone in the audience throughout his speech
• culture reference to Facebook, Twitter, ethos
• Doesn't beat around the bush about economy
• keeps mentioning that the kids are the future of the country, and that the country will have its best days in the future.
• He always ends his sentences in a lower voice, stops kind of abruptly
• doesn't use many metaphors, says to "color outside the line" though
• is very specific about examples he gives, talks about future jobs like artists, scientists, and in the beginning he mentions sports, music, and theatre
• Gives a personal story about he wasn't the best and perfect student
• His hands are constantly moving, not a lot, but they aren't by his sides
• Brings his story about ethics and applies it to now, how he uses that specific class in his job
• says he believes that students have the power to do many things, multiple times
• talks about the smart students that will go to a four year college and become scientists, but also talks about the ones that could only go to community college, gives both reassurance if they just work at it.
• repeats the saying ," you need to continue your education after college."
• he states facts about students that go to college and that they will need more than a degree for jobs in the future-creates ethos, logos
• lots of if, then statements to make his point very clear
• keeps motivating students by saying that he believes in them and that it all begins with expecting big things for yourself
• he starts new ideas by saying a counterargument or "what the students may think", but then he clarifies and goes into detail
• talks about himself as a dad and as the president, shows ethos, bringing himself dow to the level of his audience
• repeats the phrase ,"You'll be the ones..." and points directly at the audience
• gives people the feeling of need for their ideas ,"America needs young people now. Your country is depending on you."
• gives direct examples of students who have excelled: Will kim, Amy Chow.
• Keeps pausing during the Amy Chow cancer research story to emphasize and lengthen out story.
• very clean cut, formal suit-ethos
• doesn't use big words or hard to understand metaphors, brings diction to the level of his audience

My shock of America

Dear diary,

Today was my first day back in America. I have been living in Africa doing religious work with my family. The church said we were the best people for the job because we have African blood in us and look like them. I haven't been in the US for 10 whole years! I was so excited to go back to my normal life again.
When we first landed in Georgia, Daddy wanted to treat us to a burger (we hadn't gotten one since we left). We walk into Burger Bonanza and the waitress says, "you can't come in here, white only." What? we just want a burger. We go to the next burger joint. same thing. only whites. Do they even feed black people anymore? we decide that its too much hassle so we will just go home. The conductor says there is no more space on the train. we see the entire first compartment wide open. Why can't we sit there? only white people can sit there. The colored box is full. How is this fair at all? We pay just as much as they pay. So we end up having to walk 5 miles back home. by the time we get back it is 11 pm and i have school the next day, so I'm going to be exausted. Maybe tomorrow will be better i thought. it wasn't. I forgot my textbook at home. So i asked if I could borrow Sarah's book (white). She was so taken back by the question that I was sent to the principals office for disrupting the piece. Come to find out we can't share textbooks anymore. MY TEXTBOOK AND HERS ARE THE SAME THING! Do they think we have some contagious disease on us? We are just like them but with a different skin color.
I want to go back and live in Africa again. Even though I though I would never say that, I don't know how I could be treated like this for more than a day. It makes my tummy hurt to think that the White people think we are monsters. Different than them.

The questions that swirl in my brain (free response writing)

Questions. Why do I ask so many questions? If anybody ever wanted to know what I am thinking, its probably a question that a) just popped into my head b) I'm trying to solve or understand, or c) I am wondering why I am asking. I decided to write a list of some questions that have been on my mind today.

• Why do we have to learn history? I am asking this purely as a philosophical question. I love learning about history. But you can't really expound on that field and do something off of it like say math. with math you can become a doctor, engineer, accountant. Sure, people say that we learn it so that we don't make the same mistakes as before. But do we really look back on the past to prevent us from future decisions. If people looked to the past for answers then we would have had much less wars. Everyone says they know that with wars comes death, sadness and heartache. SO WHY DO WE KEEP DOING IT?? 
• Why do people only like to eat good food, and not just healthy food? If they say it's for the taste, then why don't we just keep chewing the food forever. If you keep chewing the taste will always be in your mouth. Someone told me that we don't keep chewing because we like the sensation of the food going down our throat. I'm not sure if I believe that but you could try it and see.
• Why does everyone want to look skinny? Being fat used to signify that you were wealthy and could afford to feed yourself good food. How come that changed?
• Why do people not like to talk about poop? everyone does it, it happens, and its a natural thing. end of story.
• What is it about music that makes people want to listen to it so much?
• Why, even though I have been burned by it so many times before, I still manage to procrastinate time after time? Each time after I turned in a project that I have procrastinated, I always tell myself that I am not going to procrastinate anymore. Yet, the part of my brain that remembers pain is obviously not functioning.
•  why do I want to listen to christmas music all year long?
• Who cleans the dentist's teeth?
• Why do the people that create the definitions for words use the word in the definition that they are defining?

These are just a couple of questions that I can think of right now. I'm going to have to find someone to help me answer all of those.

Why I write

This question really made me think. It seems like I have to do a lot of that now that school has started. well when it all boils down to it, there are three reasons why I write: because of my mom, because of living in different places, and because of the strong desire to be famous (somehow).
My mom was one of those people that since a scooter had wheels, she was going to make me wear a helmet. She didn't care what "most people" do, she was going to do what she thought was right. And that included making me do summer reports on various subjects. Yes, over the summer (starting around 2nd grade), she would give me an animal to research and I would have to write a paper about it. I thought this was normal so I guess that's why I did it for so long hehe. But because she started me writing at such a young age, now I don't fully dread sitting down and making words make sense on paper. So, I write because I don't hate it.
Another reason why I write is because I have moved around so much. I was born in virginia, moved to england, then netherlands, then utah, now here. all before 4th grade.Since I moved around so much I have had to entertain myself and have been the person I have known by far the most (other than my parents). because of this, and because of how I was born, I am an introverted person. Being an introvert gives me a lot of time to have my own thoughts constantly swirling around in my peanut brain and eventually, they will get on paper. So I write because I have lots of ideas to write about.
I also write because I have the selfish goal of becoming famous in some way possible. I've had a story that I have been coming up with (ideas from my introverted brain and from a dream once, super weird I know). However the reason why I would actually write it down would be to try to get it published and be famous like JK Rowling. So, I write because I want people to know me.
If I had the motivation to sit down for three hours in front of a computer and type a story, I would, but unfortunately I have the patience of a toddler. But when it all comes down to it, I write because I want other people to understand the jumbled up thoughts I have in my brain, because they can't  "read me" because I'm very much introverted.

What I will take from Alexie's piece

This is my first ever blogging experience! From the piece "superman and me", I really enjoyed the fact that he didn't use any over the top hard to understand words. it was all easy to understand and interesting to learn about him. I think I will also write about the time that I first started to love reading. I think he and I share the experience of going through a reading frenzy and always needed something to be reading. I liked how Alexie took us through his thought process when learning how to read the comic book and I think I will try to imitate that. Plus his organization of the narrative is that he kind of went through his whole life with this one idea and story. he started with when he was young and first learned how to read and then went to when he was in school and then finished with how he is an adult writer now helping other kids love to read. Finally, I really enjoyed how he started the narrative with his background and where he came from because that let me know him better as a person and helped to understand the reasons for him reading (because he was close to his dad and his dad had lots of books). I am going to try to imitate this "my life in reading" organization and also try to give a little background to the story and where I was at the time and why the story was even able to take place.