Helvetica

Helvetica is evil. She walks around like she owns the whole world. Helvetica has long, straight, fiery red hair that falls to the middle of her back. Her eyes are green, and they could easily pierce right through you. Her skin; pale. Pale as snow. She seems to get everything she wants. She can't be wrong. If you enter a conversation including Helvetica, you'd better be careful. She will tear you apart verbally. There is nothing special about Helvetica, she just knows how to manipulate people she is surrounded by. I pity the fool that believes in her fake first impression. She'll make you think she's trustworthy, but the next day, she will leave you in the dust. One time, Helvetica was watching the Philadelphia Flyers game, and demanded that everyone who was not sporting apparel from the flyers to leave the room, because "they couldn't be real fans if they weren't even wearing flyers gear". I mean seriously. Isn't she lovely?

Helvetica is an only child. God forbid she had siblings to actually share things with. Both of her parents are doctors, making it very easy for her to gain access to monetary needs. Needs of hers include: cruises (1 every season, 3 per year), manicures and pedicures, a new trashy coach purse to go a long with her bebe wardrobe, flyers gear, and any other thing her dear heart desires. She has an opinion for everything. Be prepared to be challenged by her with everything you say.

Some choose to stand up for themselves, only to find that they have lost a few friends due to things that Helvetica has told them. If you sit at Helvetica’s lunch table, you’d better be prepared to play by her rules. Those rules being, you can’t eat more than a salad in front of anyone, you can only dress down one day of the week (and it better not be Friday), always pink on Mondays, and you must always be on Helvetica’s side in an argument. Oh, and if you go close to her ex-boyfriend (whom she broke up with 2 years ago), be ready to have your head torn off.

Helvetica is not someone to pursue. You are better off by simply never crossing paths with her in the first place. Once you start with Helvetica, it is nearly impossible to stop.

A Modest Proposal

A Modest Proposal

Jonathan Swift's, 'A Modest Proposal' is otherwise known as, 'A Modest Proposal for preventing the children of Poor People in Ireland from Being a Burden to Their Parents or Country and for Making them Beneficial to the Public.'
Swift wrote the proposal in 1729, during the potato famine in Ireland. There were problems with overpopulation, poverty, crime, and on top of everything, Ireland was under the bloody rule of Great Britain.
Swift decided to write this proposal in a satirical way, making subtle stabs at the British government and policies. Not only did he mock the British rule, he sarcastically poked fun of the views on the heartless attitudes towards the poor population in Ireland. All of Ireland's problems were being blames on the poor, including the entire famine of the country.
Swift's 'idea' to make everything better was to have parents fatten up their babies by age one, making them incredibly delectable meats that could either be stewed, roasted, baked, or broiled. Swift even made economic projections that had the parents selling their babies to the landlords and owners of Ireland, selling them for money so that they wouldnt grow up to be an upsetting member of the commonwealth. Swift even included a few recipes for the meats to be sold.

While he was absolutely being satirical in his ideas, some had a hard time believing swift was kidding. The soul purpose of the proposal was to make light of the situation, including mocking the ways of the British Rule.
"For this kind of commodity will not bear exportation, and flesh being of too tender a consistence, to admit a long continuance in salt, although perhaps I could name a country, which would be glad to eat up our whole nation without it." Swift included this in his proposal to do just that.


While I would have a hard time understanding this proposal if it were not for having previous knowledge of the background of it all, I still enjoy reading it. I think that it has a lot of influence on modern day including acts from Saturday night live.

Questions for proposal

1. What is the importance of education before kindergarten?
2. What do most children learn in preschool?
3. Why do some children enter into elementary school more advanced than others?
4. Does the 'No child left behind law' apply to pre school students?
5. Are pre schoolers learning too much about creativity and not enough logic?
6. Should there be laws pertaining to a certain curriculum that pre-school teachers must follow?
7. Are there pre schools that do teach logic i.e. simple arithemetic, if so, statistics showing how those children did as they moved into more years of school?
8. Show solution: prove that it is easier to learn something at younger age i.e. language, math.

Critical Evaluation-- E.C. social network

Questions for Critical Evaluation Presentations

- What is the purpose of the review (ie: consider timeliness, audience, exigence, etc)?

The purpose of this review is to simply give an evaluation on a new movie that was released this past year regarding one of the biggest "items" to come into this society; facebook. The audience is anyone willing to listen, or anyone interested in seeing the movie.

Is the merit for the review established? If so, what is it?

Yes, the merit of the review would be to review the movie.

- Who is the audience for this review? How can you tell?

The audience would be anyone interested in seeing the movie. It's only about the movie, nothing else.

- How does the author evaluate this particular subject? That is: how is the piece structured? Does he/she use compare and contrast? Narrative techniques? Descriptive examples? Close reading/critical analysis?)

opinions, sarcasm, comparison

- Point out the kinds of descriptive adjectives and phrases the author uses that help to convey his/her opinion, in addition to the more outright value statements. How do these benefit the piece? Do they hurt or help the ethos of the piece?

“The Social Network,” directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, rushes through a coruscating series of exhilarations and desolations, triumphs and betrayals, and ends with what feels like darkness closing in on an isolated soul." This just really hit me. I'm not sure if I like it , though. I've seen this movie, and while it does evoke feelings, nothing quite as dark as this is ever portrayed. It just didn't match the genre.

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2010/10/04/101004crat_atlarge_denby#ixzz1GVLsqQxM

I could not open the link- What criteria is this author using to evalute his/her subject? How can you tell?

- Do you agree with the review? Why or why not? What was convincing/unconvincing about the review?

Pretzel Comparison

Rold Gold Honey Wheat Braided Twists
These are very different from the regular design of the pretzel. I'm not sure where the original "braid" of a pretzeld came from, but it's pretty standard today. I happen to like the pretzel sticks more than the traditional fold. They're easier to consume, and I like that the aren't cliche. They are of a lighter color than normal pretzels, and have more character. The salt is not as visible, for the background color is lighter, thus blending in with the salt.

The "regular" pretzel.
This design is obviously one for the ages, for it has sustained its design for a VERY long time. It is safe to say that the standard shape of a pretzel will ever change. While it's design has nothing to do with the way it should be consumed, it still holds a pretty significant part in the meaning on a pretzel.


One is not better than the other, and it is a matter of opinion.

Journal No. 5

"Curiosity: if you don't have it, leave, go do something else. If you DO have it, that's not enough. Patience. You need patience."

-Gay Talese

I thought this was a very interesting quote. It's so true, in so many ways. Not just in interviewing, but in life. Everything is sparked by curiosity. You need to be curious in order to care about anything, or you wouldn't give that particular thing the time of day. Why do people interview others, and spend day after day, hour after hour, even year after year following someone or something just to write about it, and document it? Curiosity. Something a long the way sparked an interest in the writer's imagination.

Gay Talese talks about curiosity creating the urge to interview and write about people. After curiosity, you need patience. You cannot rush things or you won't get the real results. Background. You also need background and understanding to understand everything about the person. Talese even says in the interview that he would take up to two years sometimes to fully understand someone and to be able to write about them.

Trust. You must allow the person to trust you. This also takes time. Buy the time. While it may cost you in the end, it is worth the final product being everything it can be.

Another interesting fact is that sometime the best stories are of the people you would never expect; the loser in the corner, the farmer's son, the black man living in the 1960's. It doesn't always have to be about the celebrity, or the top-of-the-charts singer.

Frank Sinatra has a Cold

Harbrace Questions:

01. Yes, the subject is one of the most interesting people of his time. Everyone was interested in Frank Sinatra.

02. It offered a different perspective of his life. It wasn't about some celebrity living in the limelight, it was instead about his struggle with stardom.

03. Yes, Talese explains why Sinatra continues singing.

04. As many sources as he could, including Sinatra himself.

05. Yes, it asks the readers to look at Sinatra as a real human being, instead of just a famous singer.

S-h-i-t Drafts

I really enjoyed Lamott's piece about "shitty rough drafts". That is my kind of writing. Sarcastic, humorous, but in the same breath sticking to the point, and getting her point across.

3. From what Lamott has to say, is writing a first draft more about the product or the process? Do you agree in regard to your own first drafts? Explain.

I will use Question 3 to guide in my response to this.

I believe that writing a first draft is ultimately about the final product-- or else why would you be doing it in the first place? With that said, I also think that it is just as much about the process. You are not going to get to that final product, or achieve that goal without going through the process of writing various drafts. Even if it means that first draft is literally a few jumbled words or phrases jotted down to get your ideas out.

I could relate to almost everything in this reading. Every single person is different-- even when it comes to writing. So, there will be those who can write something perfectly the first time, just how they want it. Then, there's the people that rely on those shitty rough drafts and sketches in order to achieve their product. For me, personally, I think I need that rough draft. My thoughts pour out so quickly. There's no way I could organize all of my thoughts on the first try. Just to relate it to the memoir assignment- it is important for me to make a Rough Draft, not only to get a good grade, but to make sure I explain all of the events in my mind the way I need them to look in order to convey that message to the reader.

This reading illuminated the idea that it is perfectly okay to need a shitty first draft. I love that a well known writer worded that into a piece. So many people do it, so it should be more recognized, and I'm glad that she did.

I am definitely going to approach the rough draft differently this time, and not stress when something is not perfect. Before, I would try very hard to get it right on the first try. By the time I would go to finish the final product, I would barely change anything with the exception to grammar and spelling.

Memoirs, not of a Geisha.

Funny How much this actually means...

After reading Denise Grollmus' (also, my English teacher) memoir of her experiences on tour with The Black Key's and her boyfriend, I noticed many elements of which a powerful memoir should include. From the unique and powerful descriptions of what really was, to the actual experiences in which can pull on one's heartstrings, Denise 'hits the nail on the head' of what a memoir should be.

The key element of a memoir that really impressed me in this particular memoir, was the dialogue she chose to use. While shocking, and vulgar, it really allowed me to understand the circumstance, and scene of the "grungy london basement music"...that's what I'm going to call it.

I am sensing some sarcasm in this dialogue here, but at the same time it's what really was

"Blow," answered Har Mar.

"Nobody does cocaine," I said. "It's so '80s."

"That's why I like it," he said.

Also, while recalling a woman she had met, this particular quote really takes everything she wanted to tell the audience about, and wraps it into one quote:

These are my old stomping grounds," she said. "I blew John Bonham in a room upstairs. Keith Moon fucked me with a banana and licked Marmite out of my hair."

I love it. It's so real. I really would love to be able to discuss my most interesting moments, not leaving behind any details. The spacing on this blog is really bothering me, I'm not sure how to fix it.

Another characteristic she uses from Harbrace, is significant experiences. What she choe to share with the audience (and judging by the fact that it was in SCENE, an alternative scene magazine, she was aiming at those who are aware of The Black Keys, The Bright Eyes, and those kinds of bands. However, I believe this story has more meaning than to simply get out information of the tour. I think it had to do with life as we know it, how Home really isn't just where your love is. It's where you are comfortable. It's where you can be yourself. It's where everything you know and love is a phone call away, and you can meet your friend at a coffee shop. Denise found that upon return. She was home in Ohio.

But anyways, Significant experiences are important because they give the purpose, in my opinion. What experiences are you going to take into account that will really get the point of the story across? THose are significant.

Pathos is most certainly present, for I was able to connect in many ways throughout the memoir. The emotions are everywhere.

* I just want to say I know who the Black Keys are and most of the bands that were mentioned in this memoir. I thought it was more interesting because of that...

1.11.2011

This is new to me. Thinking about it now, I have never exactly assessed my writing, for every time I have written something; it was never on the subject of my own writing. Thinking in terms of my strong points, I would say that I tend to do well in creative writing, random prompts, poetry, and descriptive writing. I despise writing term papers, lab reports, and informational essays. They're boring. I just can't get into it. I love looking at a picture such as this one:

and writing something random about it. The colors, the randomness of it all; it just inspires me to write. I would choose writing over math and science any day of the week. I believe that writing above all, is the most important skill to learn. It is the first thing someone notices about you. How well you are able to communicate speaks volumes. This all right now, me writing, is reminding me of one of my weaknesses when it comes to writing; organization. My thoughts spill out ten times as fast as I can type, so things are usually pretty scattered. That might be why I choose to write creative pieces and poetry, because there really are no rules for those. If it's truly your own thoughts, I don't think there is a need for format.

Grammer and punctuation: Well, I don't really know what to say about those. I tend to pay more attention to those issues in formal writings.

Another weakness of mine would be finishing strong in a paper. I will have great initial thoughts, but I will get to a certain point and have a hard time finishing the required amount of words. Just like I am struggling right now to reach 500...

Also, I'm not exactly sure how formal this blog has to be. Should I not be talking in first person? Oh, that reminds me of another weakness; agreeing tenses. I forget sometimes whether or not I am speaking in the past or present. That sometimes gets me into trouble.

Other random things that inspire me:

• radiohead songs http://www.greenplastic.com/lyrics/
• Anything by The Fray
• Songs that make me cry: Ungodly Hour by The Fray, Drops of Jupiter by Train, Back to December by Taylor Swift

Emotions evoke the best writing that will come out of me. Falling in love makes me sit for hours just reading lyrics; usually it ends in a headache or a heavy feeling in my chest. More times than not, I am never exactly "inspired" to write anything, instead I would just find a perfect lyric or paint something. There is always that rare occasion, however, that will actually make me write something. The hate part of the Love Hate relationship between me and writing, comes from High School. I just remember dreading those countless amounts of useless papers I had to write- except for my senior year. We wrote satires on anything we wanted; I, of course made fun of MLA format. Oh, that's another thing; MLA. I absolutely despise writing in that format. There are way too many rules. It's not even fun. I feel like I can't write any thoughts.

Well, I have just reached 526 words, well now it's more. Until the next blog...