ENG 001: Language & Writing

My Video Montage

2007-12-08T18:42:00.000-06:00

C & C Music Factory, Things That Make You Go Hmm, the video shows the band dancing in front of a white background with black cogs and figures turning and dancing in the foreground. It's an interesting visual, so simple, so creative. The words are equally simple yet creative. THe singer goes through different situations that are a little shady. He was just "sitting by the fireplace, drinking cocoa on a bearskin rug" When his girlfriend's best friend comes in and tries to seduce him. Hmm. Then his best friend comes to stay with him and his wife, "months went by and she got big, we were having a child and I got another gig." "The time had come (for the baby down to the scene)It looked like Jay and I couldn't believe before my eyes in the delivery room." Hmm. The song continues in much the same way... making listeners go hmm. The song always reminds me about the first cassette tape I heard. It didn't have a case to it, my sister was always losing the cases. It looked like a normal cassette tape small, black, thick, tape on the inside and two holes to crank the tape through. It was lettered with white letters. I wasn't allowed to go into my sister's room for anything. I snuck in and swiped her cassettes, the song intriqued me and I decided to listen to this song first. It caused me to go hmm at almost everything. I know it sounds corny, but then again so is the song.

One Week by the Barenaked Ladies, a song about a couple fighting. It will take them a week before they end up reconciling their differences. "Three days since the living room we realized were both to blame, but what could we do? Yesterday you just smiled at me, cause itll still be two days till we say were sorry." The video shows the band running around in a Marie Antoinette like world; which really reminds me of "A Tale of Two Cities." It makes almost no sense when compared to the lyrics. The song has appeared in many films the actors always try to say the rapping part that starts "Chickety china the chinese chicken, have a drum stick and your brain stops ticking, watching X-Files with no lights on" that's the part they all make it to, after that they just sort of trail off. It seems the characters are usually driving around in a car with a group of friends. It reminds me of when my sister and I would go to the pool. She drove a '90 Sunbird which I later inherited. The air conditioner barely worked. She had a stuffed Garfield window cling in the back window that always slipped off. We would take my best friend Whitney along and when that part would come up in the song we would try and sing along. We'd get to that same place and trail off like those in the movies. Eventually we learned other parts and would join in when we could understand the words.

When Shaggy came out with "It Wasn't Me" and "Angel" it was played all over the radio. "It Wasn't Me" was kind of an up beat song, a little dirty which is why I chose "Angel" over it. The video shows Shaggy torn between an angel and a devil so to speak. The angel is his girlfriend and the devil is his temptation. The lyrics are talking about how his girlfriend is an angel and is "closer than his peeps". Shaggy realizes how good he has it with his girlfriend and in the end it was all a dream. The chorus is sung by Rayvon. His voice has a smooth sound and is contrasted by Shaggy's deep raspy voice buring the rapped verses. This all has nothing to do with my memory of the song. When I was in 6th grade our basketball team would listen to this and "It Wasn't Me" in our lockerroom. The room was large with concrete walls. Was carpeted with a drain in the middle of the room. Despite the carpet the floor was surprisingly hard. The song echoed all around the room. Thng would almost seep into our bodies and pump us up. An odd choice for a bunch of twelve year olds. It wasn't about the lyrics or what it stood for, it was about the beat.

Semi-charmed Kind of Life by Third Eye Blind. "I want something else to get me through this semi-charmed kind of life." The video takes the viewer on a sort of home movie road trip. The band looks like they really enjoy hanging out and are genuine friends. The lyrics show a kind of frustration with where their life is at the moment. Life was better before everything got so complicated. They're on a search to get back to where life was easier and familiar. "How do I get myself back to, the place where you said, I want something else to get me through this, semi-charmed kind of life. I want something else, I'm not listening when you say, good-bye." Unfortunately it's not that easy. They refuse to take no for an answer and continue to try to make their life like it was. This takes me back to my freshman year of high school. My friends and I driving in my old Sunbird jamming out to 107.3. The smell of heat and pine tree air fresheners filled the interior. The sun had faded her cherry red paint job to a Campbell's tomato soup-like color. We would pack all the girls in my class into that tiny car. We would ramp it over dips in the streets around our small town without a care in the world. Life was easier when we were younger but there's no way we could get back to those times.

New Radicals, "Someday We'll Know." I had a bit of a New Radicals phase early in high school. Their music had a newer feel that I had never heard before. Their lyrics pose questions about life and society. The name of the album I had was "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too". "Someday We'll Know" gave me a lot of comfort that even though life is complicated someday it will all be clear. The lyrics pose questions that we don't know, may never know. Like "Did the captain of the Titanic cry?" "Whatever happened to Amelia Earhart? Who holds the stars up in the sky? and Is true love once in a lifetime?" The questions start off really broad and abstract but eventually narrow to "Why aren't you here with me?". He finds comfort in the fact that someday we'll have the answers to all the questions we've ever had, including the impossible ones. The song always brings me back to nights sitting on my roof with the stars shining little pinpricks of light. I would sit out there at the tail end of summer and listen to the CD over and over. It really made me put things into perspective. I no longer felt that all the high school drama was the end of my life.

California, Phantom Planet. A simple song by a group of kids from California, about California, jump started Phantom Planet's career and became the theme song for one of the most popular television shows of all time. The OC used the group's song and made it their trademark. The show caught fire and OC hysteria began. It was extremely short lived, only four seasons, but put the characters on the map and Phantom Planet on the airwaves. The video almost mimicks the lives of the characters in the show. They eat at fast food restaurants, laugh and goof off with each other, there's not the drama of the show but there's the friendship and comradery. Every time I hear the song I think of Wednesday (then Thursday after it got moved) nights sitting in front of the TV awaiting the jaw dropping drama to unfold. It was a prime time soap opera but I was fascinated and never missed an episode. I own the box set on DVD and watch it frequently. California is played before each episode and I always go back to the original air date and how much I loved the show. Phantom Planet is rarely heard on the radio anymore but it will be forever linked to The OC and that snapshot in television history.

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen has never really made much sense to me. I don't know why it's called Bohemian Rhapsody and I'm not even completely sure what it's supposed to be about. In the beginning Freddie Mercury is talking about him killing a man, an how he killed him. Later the song gets much more upbeat and opera like. ink part of the lyrics are even in German. It's almost as if he goes a bit crazy and is struggling with what his fate will be after he is convicted. The song then slows again and "Nothing really matters". The video is easier to understand. Queen is shown on a stage through most of the video. The lights in the background of all different colors glaring on the band like they were performing a concert but no one is in the audience. The lights remind me of the homecoming and prom dances when the DJ would play this song. Somehow it became like "the" song of our high school. Every year we would all stand and sway in a circle to the music and at the part where the beat picks up the seniors would get into the middle and head bang. It was just understood that it was only for the seniors and the underclassmen would get to when they were seniors. No dance was the same without it.

T-Pain - Bartender (feat. Akon)
Uploaded by yardie4life

Bartender by T-Pain featuring Akon is a slower song with a nice steady beat that is associated with dance clubs. It's about a guy who falls in love with the female bartender. The video takes place in a bar with blue and red lighting. The bar is packed with people dancing. Even though he's not a drinker or a smoker he goes up to the bartender and has her pour some drinks for them. Obviously I'm not twenty-one so I've never been in a bar like this. But, whenever I hear this song I think of this summer and the parties I went to at my friend's house. He built a bar in his basement and has rope lights hung around the ceiling. The rope is maybe an inch in diameter with red, white and blue lights. It gives the basement the same soft, dimly lit look that the bar in the video has. The rope lights are the only lights down there so it's kind of hard to see where you're going. There are always people packed in and dancing. The song still gets played on the radio a lot and always makes me think of those parties.

Chop Suey

2007-11-16T16:50:00.000-06:00

Chop Suey - Click here for this week’s top video clips
The first music video I've ever seen is Chop Suey by System of a Down. I remember I was at my friend's house for the weekend and on Saturday morning we woke up and turned on MTV. This was before all the reality shows. We were maybe 7 or 8. We went about our business, she hated watching TV and I didn't have cable. All I wanted to do was watch cable. Anyway, I don't remember exactly what we were doing, probably playing The Sims, or Rollercoaster Tycoon. We got hungry and walked by the living room to get to the kitchen. Well this music video came on and we were intrigued. We stood there and watched the entire video. I remember thinking it was the weirdest and freakiest thing I'd ever seen. I had never seen anyone with that many tatoos before. Plus how they all morph in and out of each other, that freaked me out. I knew I had heard the song before but I had no idea that's what they looked like.

For years, whenever I heard that song, or anything else by System of a Down for that matter, I would picture them morphing in and out of each other. It left quite an impact on me I guess. After looking at it again I remember exactly how I felt that day. In fact, it still kind of weirds me out. I don't really know why they chose to make the video quite like that. Oh well, to each his or her own.

I have a different friend who is absolutly obsessed with System of a Down. I've come to really like there music through her and now am not quite as weirded out by the band itself. Still, creepy videos.

2007-11-14T20:14:00.000-06:00

One of the worst videos, in my opinion, is Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice. First of all, not that great of a rapper. Second of all, lose the sweatshit buddy you're in a video you need to upgrade your wardrobe. I don't really get the point of the video, what's he trying to tell us? He likes dancing in abandoned warehouses? Great, good to know, I'm sure America's youth will be flocking to them to hold dance parties there. Was that their post prom party? And were those five guys the only ones invited? What was with the tuxes?

I'm not the only one who dislikes this video. It was awarded a spot on Boston.com's worst videos ever. Not an easy feat. Mr. Ice is among the ranks of Shaquille O'Neil, David Hasselhoff, and Eddie Murphy. I was even contemplating putting Armi and Danny's "I Wanna Love You Tender" on this blog but I thought that'd be a little too much torture for one day.

What's even more awful than Vanilla's horrible video is that the song is still played at virtually every wedding, homecoming, or prom. Whenever I hear it I go back to my high school gym where we danced at arms length and had chaperones eyeing out every mood. Good times, good times.... in the famous words of Wayne Campbell, "Cha Right".

Ok Go

2007-11-11T19:39:00.000-06:00

I had a hard time coming up with my favorite music video. I don't watch many. So I typed "music videos" in to You Tube and the first one on the list was "Here it goes again" by Ok Go. This is an awesome video not to mention an awesome song. It's so peppy and up-beat it just makes you want to jump on a treadmill yourself. This video made national news and the country was in awe of their skill. Lots of people have tried to copy it on You Tube. None were as good as the original, however.

That had to have taken a long time to choreograph. First of all the treadmills had to be going at the same speed, then they all had to coordinate with each other and the treadmills. I wonder how long it took to master and if anyone fell off at any time. There have been many treadmill accidents and those guys looked like they were asking for one.

One time two of my friends and I were messing around on my mom's treadmill. We were rolling pillows down it and then riding it into the pillows. All was going smoothly until I went down and lost my balance on the landing. I leaned back and the treadmill scraped my back for a few seconds until I could get away from it. For a few weeks I had a wicked burn on my back. It healed into three small scars but it hurt really badly. I never messed around on the treadmill again.

2007-11-11T17:19:00.000-06:00

Hundreds of teens dressed in their best emo attire crowd into a dimly lit Sioux Falls exhibit hall. A room much too large for this function. The stage is set with lights of every color, amps, guitars, pianos, drums, microphones, and a variety of instruments that look like they don’t belong at an indie rock concert. The house lights go off and the stage lights burn brighter causing the crowd to hush. Finally he and his band emerge from the partition meant to act as a backstage. The crowd screams and yells as Conor Oberst, the lead singer and song writer for Bright Eyes, steps toward the microphone.

This Omaha native has racked up a number of fans across the nation with his cryptic lyrics and shaky voice. These trademarks have awarded him the title of the next Bob Dylan. He has spoken out about politics, religion, love, heartbreak, drug use, and depression; taking a radical stance on almost everything. Oberst presents his arguments in a poetic, metaphorical way forcing his audience to really think about the lyrics. Though Oberst has many thought provoking songs and videos, one music video in particular grabbed my interest, Four Winds.

In the video, Oberst is shown with his band performing a concert. The video is in black and white giving it an old, simple feel. The concert is held in a tent for what appears to be a patriotic celebration based on the decoration. The band is dressed in suits. They’re trying to make a good impression on the audience. The crowd is made up of many different types of people; cowboys are standing next to skin heads. This is the general population, those causing civilization to fall. Partway through the song, the crowd gets upset. They don’t want to hear about the fall of civilization; more importantly, they don’t want to hear they are a part of the downfall. Oberst appears to be nervous but he continues, he wants to make his point heard. The crowd begins to throw garbage, and popcorn. As the music swells during the repeated line “she breaks”, the amount of trash being thrown increases until the violin solo. The lights go down when Oberst talks about himself and what he did to make peace with it all. Everything begins to slow down during this reflection, almost as if it’s a dream. Again, at the end of the song when the music swells and “she breaks, she caves” is being sung the garbage increases until the song finishes and the band rushes off stage.

The song is basically about the fall of civilization as we know it. The first stanza is saying many have died trying to protect our social class system. The second, talks about a Mexican girl painted with fifteen cans of spray paint. This symbolizes our nation reaching maturity as fifteen is the age where a Mexican girl reaches womanhood. “She’s standing in the ashes at the end of the world/ Four winds blowing through her hair”, four winds is a reference to Ezekiel 37 where God blows the four winds into dead bones and they come to life. Meaning the four winds are bringing about a rejuvenation. The chorus is saying that when our country is gone (great Satan or whore of Babylon, which are what some countries call us) civilization won’t be able to continue and we’ll fall.

The third stanza says that major religious writings (Bible, Torah, Qu‘ran) have their handicaps and if we forget about them we’ll be better off. Yet, Ivy League schools continue to study them. The fourth stanza is saying that as our civilization unravels countries don’t matter, it will cross “property lines”. The fifth stanza is referencing a Yeats poem called The Second Coming which states, “And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?”. Oberst is saying that when mankind falls a new age will come. Also, our hearts have been filled with the “empty space” our morality, or lack there of, has created and we break.

The sixth stanza shows Oberst’s search for meaning. He travels to Cassadaga, Florida (a city of psychics and mediums) to speak to a medium who says he better be ready for the end. In the seventh, Oberst heads to South Dakota where the Lakota Indians were massacred on their way to Omaha. Also, some Native Americans believe that the Black Hills are the spiritual center of the world. He stands his ground and makes his peace and is ready for the end of civilization. “Four winds leveling the pines” means changes are already occurring. Oberst finishes out the song with the chorus, stressing the lines “she breaks, she caves” to really drive his point home.

Oberst is making a strong argument for his case. The song’s lyrics portray the world to be a completely messed up place and that it’s been that way for years. He references the Bible and the Yeats poem to give his argument support and credibility. He uses black and white which is thought of as being old, genuine, authentic. The band itself and the Saddle Creek recording label give the video and song credibility. He even likens himself to the prophet Ezekiel, he’s bringing a message to the world.

Most of this text is using logos to sway the audience. He makes a point to say how people have died to protect what we have; yet it doesn’t make a difference because civilization has basically been crumbling upon itself since it started. The video also rationalizes that even though the downfall is imminent, we don’t want to hear it; therefore, nothing will be done about it and civilization will continue to whither away. He also alludes to the Bible’s predictions of the end of the world and of civilization.

Oberst also uses pathos. When he uses words like, “great Satan”, and, “whore of Babylon”, to describe our country, he gets his listeners to feel upset or possibly the immorality he is trying to convey. When he uses lines like, “she breaks”, we feel bad for the little Mexican girl (civilization) and want to ease her burden. The line “it’s knocking over fences crossing property lines/ four winds cry until it comes” makes the audience feel scared and intimidated by the fast approaching disaster Oberst says will occur.

Pathos is definitely the strongest appeal used in the entire text. It jumps out quickly whereas the audience has to interpret the core meaning of the song to even be aware of the logos and ethos. He gets the audience to feel sorry for him while the crowd throws garbage at him and shows us his emotions to what is happening. Through the passion in Oberst’s voice, people feel what he feels whether they think the same way or not.

A major flaw in Oberst’s argument is that he uses so many metaphors that the audience has a hard time deciphering what he’s trying to say. At first listen, the song sounds like a bunch of double talk. To get at the argument one has to listen to it over and over again. That’s a bit ineffective especially if the audience only has the opportunity to hear it once.

Ultimately the argument is ineffective because of the difficulty of understanding it. Maybe that’s why he’s not big on the pop charts or rather not on them at all. However, once the meaning is spelled out Oberst’s argument becomes much stronger.

2007-10-17T16:10:00.000-05:00

Filming began for a new Jim Carrey movie in Lincoln Saturday. The city went all out, making sure the fountain outside the capital was on, allowing filming of the Nebraska-Oklahoma game, and hiring out UNL students as production assistants. The university plans to look at the script to make sure they nor the state were being portrayed in an unflattering manner. Carrey wasn’t actually in Nebraska; in fact he may never be. These were just initial shots before filming actually began. The movie is said to come out in 2009.

I don’t know if the university has the authority to tell the film makers that they can’t portray Nebraska in an unflattering way. Yes, I’ve seen the stereotypical portrayals of down home, simple farmers who speak with a drawl. I don’t particularly like it because that’s not how it is here. But do we really have the right to say, “If you make fun of us we’re not going to let you film.”?

The article said nothing about whether or not we, as a state, were being made fun of. They did, however, say the reason Carrey’s character was in Nebraska was because he said “yes” to the airline worker. The movie, called “Yes Man” is about a recently divorced man who has decided to say “yes” to every question. Hopefully he’s not asked if Nebraska is full of hicks.
I’m not exactly sure how I feel about the movie coming to Lincoln. It’s cool that a movie will be shot here but I’m always worried about how the state will come across to others. There’s one family guy episode that shows Stewie in a Nebraska diner and the only thing people have to talk about is corn. It’s kind of funny but I don’t want the nation to think that’s the way it actually is. Hopefully this new movie will be kinder to our image.

Racing

2007-10-17T01:40:00.000-05:00

I thought this video was hilarious because school buses have the connotation of being safe. Here they are being anything but. Also, when you think of racing, you think of streamlined, aerodynamic, and small. The school bus is large, bulky, and awkward; not to mention it’s turns which are hardly on a dime.

This has made me think quite a bit about racing. I’ve only been to two races in my lifetime. Neither were professional. There’s a sort of tense excitement in the air. People wait around for their favorite event or their favorite driver. This isn’t a place for talking. The cars roar around the track like a lion on attack. The short track is the most confusing to watch. The cars get muddled up with each other making it difficult to keep track of whose in first. But when the results come in and your favorite driver is announced the winner, there’s no mistaking your own excitement.

My favorite races to watch are the ones that are really close. At the most recent race I’ve been to, McCool Junction Speedway, one of the drivers started in 11 place out of 12 cars. With each lap he went high on turn one and cut down low for turn two, he stayed low on turn three and shot up on turn four. He passed at least one car per lap and was working his way to first place. I had been bored until this race, the last race of the evening. I had to know how it turned out. With only four laps to go, the driver was in first place with an outstanding lead. Suddenly, a car behind him spun out into the infield. The caution flag went up allowing the other cars to catch up with him. The car in second was determined to regain first place as he had been leading all night.

Finally the caution was over, the second place driver overtook the lead. I was disappointed and hoped my new favorite driver would finish out on top. In turn three with two laps to go my driver regained first, but by turn two with only one lap to go the other driver was leading. My driver didn’t stray from his pattern. On turn three he stayed low and shot into first as he took the high side on turn four. He was winning but the other driver was very close behind. It was a photo finish but my favorite driver took home the gold. This event turned me into a local race fan and I can’t wait to get back to the track.

Cell Phones

2007-10-14T17:51:00.000-05:00

In this day and age land lines are becoming obsolete. No one wants to pay for both a cell phone and a land line. Many people are simply using their cell phones for their calling needs. There has been a sharp increase in the number of active cell numbers in Nebraska and experts believe that number will continue to rise.

My sister and brother-in-law only use their cell phones. This seems to be working for them pretty well although it is a little inconvenient to wait for the phone’s battery to charge every few days. If my mom knew how to use a cell phone my house wouldn’t have a land line either.

Parents are buying a cell phone for their kids at younger and younger ages. Is it a good idea for so many kids to have cell phones? I personally say no. I don’t think kids need cell phones until they begin going out alone where there wouldn’t be a phone they could use. I went to New York once and saw kids around the age of twelve with cell phones. They shouldn’t be out on their own at twelve so what do they need a cell phone for? I didn’t have one until I turned sixteen.

Once cell phones were a luxury, only for movie stars and business men. Now cell phones are in the hands of grandmothers, children, and soccer moms. They are on every street corner, in every house, and in the pockets of every student. They are everywhere and the number is steadily growing. Instead of talking in person people communicate through text messages and phone calls.

Free Write

2007-10-09T09:52:00.000-05:00

Since this is a free write, I choose to freely write in the comfort of my own dorm room. This is because I really need to continue studying, and it just takes so long to go anywhere in this town. My hometown is only 330 strong so it really only takes 3 minutes to go from one end to the other.... walking.

My high school was also extremely small. We were unified with a town fifteen miles away that was only slightyly bigger than us on account of their senior citizen population. The school's class sizes; however, were quite a bit smaller than us. My class in Bruning was about fifteen depending on who moved in or out that year. The class from Davenport was only five. Together we made Bruning-Davenport Unified School District, or BDUSD for short.

Despite our small size (my graduating class was 21 with two foreign exchange students), we were pretty good at sports. Up until my junior year, both boys and girls basketball made it to state every year. From the time we unified, our football team won one more game per year until we won State my junior year. Last year we made playoffs but were eliminated before state. And our volleyball team.... was our only losing team.

Not only was our sports teams pretty amazing, but our Speech and Drama team were awesome. In my high school career alone, we had two district runners up, one state runner up, and one state championship in One Act. In speech we had one state runner up, and three consecutive state championships. We're kind of a big deal.

Despite all the politics and drama, I really enjoyed going to a small school. We all knew each other extremely well. I knew if I needed someone to pull me out of a ditch there were at least 20 people willing to do it. There was also a very strong support system. I knew my classmates parents and my teachers really well. I would often go into their classroom just to talk to them about nothing in particular. I make fun of my small school a lot, but I know I wouldn't trade it for anything.

The Mall

2007-10-06T19:08:00.000-05:00

There’s just something about the mall. Something about the neon signs, something about the perfectly set up display windows, something about the smell of new clothes. The mall just has a certain vibrance that makes us madly dash through it’s doors and hallways. But do we ever stop and really look at it? Are we all in such a hurry that we miss the subtle essence of the mall- the people inside?

All around me people are walking, sitting, talking, eating, with shopping bags hooked onto their arms. Mothers with sons, husbands with wives, teenagers with their friends; all here with the same purpose- to shop. They are the life blood of the mall.

I’ve decided to observe this life blood. The shoppers and the workers. I’ve chosen the food court as my perch. The most people are gathered here and from this point I can see down the longest corridor.

The smell of food from several different restaurants mingles with the cleaning solution. Not all the that appetizing but I haven’t eaten all day. Chicken is being grilled, teriyaki sauce wafts over persuading me to try a sample. As people rush by I can smell the warm cookies and scorching cups of coffee in their hands. I can scarcely smell freshly baked bread from Subway. It’s calling me.

I walk to the counter and decide on one of their personal pan pizzas. I take my place in line behind a middle aged couple and the woman’s mother. The mother is apparently hard of hearing because her daughter speaks to her rather loudly and slowly. The daughter turns to me and asks, “Do you know what you want? We might take awhile so you could go ahead of us if you’d like.”

“Oh no, I’m in no hurry. Take your time.” I replied. While I wait, I watch the frail, elderly woman focus her eyes on the lighted menu board. Her daughter appears to be in a hurry, she begins reading the menu to her mother in a loud, apprehensive tone. The mother decides on a turkey breast sandwich and very slowly decides on her toppings. By the sound of the worker’s voice, I can tell she’s getting a little impatient as well. I can’t exactly blame her, it’s around noon so the food court is very busy.

I sit down with my pizza and begin watching. A family is walking towards my table. The daughter and son are teenagers, probably about fifteen or sixteen. The girl has shopping bags from American Eagle, The Buckle, and Aeropostal; more than the boy who has a lonely Steve and Barry’s bag. Not a big surprise. They look very embarrassed to be seen with their parents. Two sets of identically blue eyes are darting around the mall to make sure non of their friends are around.

I remember those days. My sister was way worse than I was though. On Sundays we would go out to eat. My sister hated it. She was scared to death her friends would see her and think she was lame for hanging out with her family. My parents would always say, “They know you have parents.” She would even duck in the car when we’d drive through town. To make her mad, my parents would drive as slow as possible.

“Cheeseburger no pickles,” brings me out of my thoughts. Several fast food places are busily making food. I can hear the clang of spatulas hitting grills, the stressed out voices of those making food. Large, burly security guards are walking by. They look at me, stare in fact. Their walkie-talkies mumble some type of order. They turn around and leave. Maybe someone is stealing something. I know some people who have shoplifted. Some on purpose, some on accident.

One of my friends actually stole a water purifier from Walmart. In the self checkout lane he put a pack of gum over the bar code so it read the price of the gum instead of the purifier. The employees saw him pass the purifier over the scanner but he only paid for the gum. He feels horrible now. Now there are no self checkouts in the Walmart on twenty-seventh street. Too many people have discovered the trick.

A mop bucket rolls by, I notice a janitor I’ve seen many times. She’s been here for years. She takes her job very seriously. She cleans off the tables before the person dining has time to finish their last bite. She watches me like a hawk. I’m sure she wonders why I’m sitting here writing in a notebook. In fact, lots of people are staring at me. I guess it is a little weird that I’m sitting here writing in a notebook.

I glance around the mall and see a guy with spiky hair and a pink striped shirt skipping in place. Why was he skipping? You may ask. Well I can’t tell you for sure. Perhaps he was bored. Perhaps he was meeting someone in person for the first time and said, “You’ll know me because I’ll be the one wearing a pink shirt and skipping,” maybe he just likes to skip.

I sit for awhile longer, watching people in business suits scurry by on their lunch break. Maybe they have to get little Suzy a Halloween costume, maybe Johnnie needs new shoes, maybe Sally needs a skirt for a fall concert. They fit these things into their busy schedules, they could be at a nice restaurant eating a delicious meal for their break; but no, they grab a granola bar out of the vending machine and shop for others.

The mall is filled with people of different shapes, sizes, and colors. They all have a different reason for being there, but unite to give the mall life and vibrance. No, it’s not the neon signs, display windows, or new clothes that gives the mall it’s essence; it’s the people inside.

Senator Chambers

2007-09-22T18:23:00.000-05:00

Senator Ernie Chambers took out a lawsuit against God. He claims God has made terroristic threats, caused mass murders, and laughed about all the mayhem he’s committed. Chambers claims the reason for the lawsuit is to show that anyone can take out a lawsuit on anyone else no matter how ridiculous the claim. I think he made his point.

Chambers has done some crazy things but I think this tops it all. How is God supposed to pay whatever the court may reward him? How is God supposed to hire a lawyer? How is anyone supposed to subpoena God? I think Chambers could have picked an easier target to make his point.

He is right about ridiculous lawsuits though. Like the girl who sued McDonalds for becoming obese. Lately people have been suing over any and every wrong doing. No one wants to take responsibility for their own actions. No, it couldn’t be my fault for eating at McDonalds three meals a day every day, it must be Micky D’s fault for putting too much sugar in their food.

I think lately in our society people are too quick to blame others. None of us wants anything to be our fault. Gone are the days where the “buck stops here”. However outrageous Chambers’ lawsuit is it has made us stop and think. Yes, suing God is pretty ridiculous, but then again so is suing a lawyer for using the word rape in a trial. If not at God, where will it end?

B Dubb's

2007-09-19T16:16:00.000-05:00

As soon as I step through the door I’m hit with the amazing aroma of honey mustard, parmesan, garlic, teriyaki, chicken, and spiced potato wedges. Mmm, tonight’s going to be a good night. TV’s of every shape and size line the walls broadcasting every sport imaginable. People are sitting at their tables and the low rabble of their voices drowns out the sounds of the various pop songs playing over the speakers.

We walk right by the hostess, some of our friends are already here. We zig-zag through tables, booths, and waitresses picking up bits of conversations here and there. Finally, towards the back we see our group. A hand goes up signaling our seats. Everyone else has already ordered, we’re a little late. I slide into the cushy booth right next to my friend.

We signal the waitress, there’s no need to look at a menu; you’d have to be stupid not to order 40 cent wings on wing night. We put in our orders and now we wait. Since we’re a large group I know I won’t be eating in the very near future so I settle in and start people watching. A stocky man resembling George Castanza from Seinfeld walks by carrying a plump baby dressed in pink. I notice a couple on what appears to be their first date. Both fidget a bit in their seat and dart their eyes around the room. Both smile a lot and I can scarcely hear nervous laughter. All I could think of was how incredibly difficult it is to look attractive while eating chicken wings.

Finally, our wings arrive. I pick up one slimy little wing with the utmost care (in the beginning I always try to keep my fingers clean but in the end it doesn’t matter). I jut my teeth out as far as they’ll go trying not to get any sauce on my face. I peel off a crunchy layer of skin. The taste of parmesan garlic explodes into my mouth. One of the best combinations I’ve ever had. I love wing night at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Walmart

2007-09-16T17:21:00.000-05:00

Walmart is the source for quite a bit of controversy for a lot of people. There are two types of people, those who love Walmart and those who hate it. There isn’t much of an in between. Those who love it adore their “always low prices” and the convenience of having a supermarket, pharmacy, and department store all under one roof. The frequent buy one get one deals and toys on every shelf appeal to busy, stressed out moms who desperately need to get their errands done before Jr. gets cranky. They are open around the clock just in case little Sally gets a sore throat around 1 AM or you get a hankering for Reese’s Peanut Buttercup Ice Cream at 11 PM.

Then there are those who hate Walmart. When a Super Walmart goes up, small businesses go down taking there service with a smile with them. The little guy can’t compete with Walmart’s prices and eventually has to close up shop and become a greeter for the very company that ran them out of business. By rolling back prices they roll over the competition slowly building their monopoly on the backs of Mom and Pop shops across America.

I say, there are both up and downsides to this tyrannical monster. I would love to protest Walmart, speak out about what they’re doing to family owned grocery stores, pharmacies, and clothing boutiques. I am; however, a college student. I appreciate the low prices and around the clock service. I realize I’m feeding the beast and I fear someday the beast will eliminate the rest of the competition and drive up prices higher than we’ve seen them before. In the meantime; however, I’m going to get my shampoo, Cheetos, Mountain Dew, Tylenol, and flip-flops all at the same store because it’s so gosh darn convenient.

Article Response

2007-09-11T11:51:00.001-05:00

I chose the article titled “Fairbury police arrest 20-year-old in slashing” because Fairbury is relatively close to my hometown. My mom grew up 15 miles from there and attended high school in Fairbury. Both my parents attended Fairbury Junior College and my cousins now go to middle school and high school in Fairbury. In fact I was just there this past weekend.

From what my parents have told me, Fairbury used to be a quiet, peaceful town. The biggest case of crime and vandalism was when my mom stole a hen from a local chicken farm, snuck it into the movie theater, and let it go half-way through the movie. However, this has all changed. Meth labs have sprung up all over town bringing in paranoid junkies who will steal, kill, and destroy property while they’re high.

I’m not saying the Meth addicts are the only ones doing any crime, I’m sure there are some very docile junkies. However, the rise in crime of some Meth addicts has almost opened a door to everyone ever considering breaking the law. It’s almost become the norm in Fairbury. In the past three years I can remember two murders and many thefts in and around Fairbury. This is no where near the crime rate in larger cities but for a relatively small town like Fairbury it’s outrageous. It hasn’t gotten to the point where it’s unsafe to walk the streets along at night but it’s steadily becoming more unnerving.

It makes me somewhat nervous for my cousins who go to school in Fairbury. I wonder if they’ll fall into a group of friends that will decide it’s cool to steal stuff. Maybe they’ll be pressured into trying Meth or maybe someone tripped out on Meth will decide to hurt them in some way. Who knows? Maybe the crime rate will drop and I won’t have to worry about it. Let’s hope.

Response to the Roller-Skating Museum

2007-09-06T12:11:00.001-05:00

I went to the National Roller-skating museum. Apparently it’s not just an activity for birthday parties. As soon as I opened the front door I saw a case full of trophies and memorabilia. The walls were lined with posters of champion skaters from all over the world. Before stepping into the actual museum visitors had to walk through a golden hallway sporting plaques of hall of fame coaches and athletes. Once inside the museum visitors were bombarded with case after case of skating memorabilia. They told the story of how skating was developed, improved, and grew into its international grandeur of today.

The story began with the first roller-skate developed in the late 1800s. From there it followed the various styles, shapes, colors, and wheel alignments of the ever evolving roller-skate. Posters depicting roller-skating competitions and skates in pop culture covered every wall. I was reminded of the hand-me-down Minnie Mouse roller-skates I once had. I used to wear them all the time. I’d skate to the living room to watch TV, then to the refrigerator for a quick snack, and finally up the stairs to my room. Eventually I begged my parents for rollerblades. I live on a farm and smooth concrete is a rarity out there. I had no where to rollerblade, my mom would no longer let me skate in the house, if only I had known of the off-road rollerblades shown in the museum. I could have skated on any surface but probably not very quickly as the blades weighed seven pounds each.

I saw cases with sequined outfits, trophies with skates and skaters on them, and skating dolls and toys I remember from when I was little. I was so amazed by all the artifacts they were able to gather. They even had a sequined outfit Tara Lipinski wore as a girl in roller-skating competitions.

At first I thought this assignment was going to be completely ridiculous. I didn’t care about roller-skates and I really didn’t think a museum in Lincoln would have anything worth seeing. After going I realized it’s not so bad, I learned something new about roller-skates. Besides, there are worse ways to spend an hour.

Essay Analysis

2007-09-01T14:25:00.000-05:00

“As there is no standard human type who writes essays, so is there no standard
essay; no set style, length, or subject. But what does unite almost all
successful essays, no matter how divergent the subject, is that a strong
personal presence is felt behind them. This is so even if the essayist never
comes out to tell you his view of the matter being discussed, never attempts
directly to assert his personality, never even slips into the first person
singular. Without that strong personal presence, the essay doesn’t quite exist;
it becomes an article, a piece, or some other indefinable verbal construction.
Even when the subject seems a distant and impersonal one, the self of the writer
is in good part what the essay is about. “
-Joseph Epstein in “No Standard
Essay”

Epstein‘s “No Standard Essay” is a huge victory for all high school students everywhere. Students are shoved into the set five paragraph mold, suffocating in normalcy. There’s no room for creativity or experimentation. Each essay is exactly like the one before and exactly like the one after. There’s no way to tell one from another. This makes it easy to grade. The essay is either a clear right, or a clear wrong with no room for error. Students across America are slowly losing their creativity, their voice, their passion, their own thoughts and ideas.

If only these teachers had read this passage. It’s clear that no person is the same as any other, even twins have different personality traits, why then should all essays be the same? What many high school essays lack is that sense of the author. A reader should be able to know the authors personality, ideas, views, and values just from reading the text. The author should be present in every word on the page. That’s not to say the author needs to blatantly announce how they feel about every topic. It’s in the words they use, the way they shape and form their thoughts, the way they lead the reader.

Without that voice, that personal touch only the author can give, the essay turns into a factory made mold. It becomes uninteresting and heartless. How is the reader supposed to connect with the piece? Readers want to feel the essay is speaking to them personally. Like the piece was written for him or her alone. The author’s voice gives the essay a soul, a heartbeat, a breath. Suddenly it’s not just an essay anymore; it’s a living breathing part of the author himself. This is, without a doubt, the most important part of the essay.

Test Post

2007-08-31T14:30:00.000-05:00

First post for ENG 001: Section 7.