Last Post!

I'm actually kind of sad to see this blog go. Maybe I'll keep posting, even though nobody's going to read it. (Who am I kidding? Nobody even reads it now.) It was a nice way to do assignments though and it saved a lot of trees in the process! Blogs are actually really great. I remember hearing that we were using them and thinking that it was the weirdest thing in the world. Who would use a blog for a class? But hopefully some other teachers catch on!

Anyway, today I gave my Style Study presentation and it basically went terribly. Last night when I made all the little edits that I needed to and SAVED THE POWERPOINT EIGHT HUNDRED TIMES it worked perfectly. But, apparently, things can't go well when I need them to. Up in front of the class, of course, it failed to work. Even though I sent the new, saved, completed version to myself, it didn't work. Thank you, technology. But I think it should be okay. Even though I did talk extremely fast (quickly? I don't know the grammar for this situation.) and had to skip some stuff that shouldn't have even been there (because I cut it out for the final presentation in an effort to stick to the 8 minute time limit, but who knows where the final version of my project is?), so I probably looked unprepared and rushed and just bad. The thing is, I actually LOVE public speaking. I would much rather give a presentation than write an essay. But I guess things don't always go the way you want them to.

WOW. I just looked in "My Documents" and guess what's there? Yep. The project. The exact same file that I emailed myself last night. Except its the real version. The one that I wanted to present. The one that I worked for at least five hours on (honestly, that's not an exaggeration. And that 5 hours is only on the powerpoint part of the project. Let's not even get into how long I spent doing the CRJ's.) Okay, done with the rant now. Moving on. It's over and I can't fix it now. In the words of Emerson (Ralph Waldo, that is):

“Finish each day and be done with it.

You have done what you could;

some blunders and absurdities have crept in;

forget them as soon as you can.

Tomorrow is a new day;

you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit

to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

Imagine if we called Emerson "Ralph". Wouldn't that be weird? Or if we called our teachers by their first names. "Hey, Ashley, I was wondering about the score you gave me on my essay..." We put so much value into names! But I don't really want to get into that right now.

Ever since we started this Style Study project, I've been noticing so much about my own style. I like to use short sentences intermixed with some longer ones. I LOVE commas and dashes, and apparently (I have not spelled that word right once without the help of Spell-Check, though I use it all the time) I also love capitalization and playing with typography (especially color!) It's just fascinating that we can all write in such different ways. I'm simply mind-boggled. If that's even an adjective that makes sense in that context. My mind is boggled. That sounds better.

I just realized how random this blog is. I think that's part of the fun of blogs, though. It's basically just talking to your readers. I suppose I should be directing this at Mrs. Cardona, since she is the required audience. If someone else were to read this, I highly doubt that they would think it was for school. I'm not so much a fan of "formal writing." (I've never understood why the period goes inside the quotes there. I know it's right, but the end of the sentence comes after the quotes, so why does it appear to end prematurely?) I think that blogging is a really easy way to see your own personal style. Since you're allowed to talk naturally and without restraint, you can truly see how your writing looks when you're just allowed to write. I'd like to end with another quote, because I just love them.

“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon - instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.”

Dale Carnegie

(American writer and lecturer about self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking, and interpersonal skills)

Rhetorical Modes - Take Two

I chose to use the first "freewrite" we did - explaining my morning while focusing on structure and form.

Mode #1

4:30. AM.

The alarm screams. I struggle to find the off switch. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. I don’t want to wake up my family.

I sigh and drag myself out of bed. I stumble to the bathroom and brush my teeth. I grab a towel out of the cabinet and shove it in my swim bag.

4:40.

I make it downstairs and turn on every light.

I quickly swallow an energy bar and some milk.

I grab my keys and hike out to my car with my school bag and swim bag and lunch.

4:45.

I arrive at my friend’s house to pick her up.

We drive blearily to the pool. Everything is foggy and the lights are too bright.

5:05.

I park. We grab our bags and trudge through the snow and slush that cover the ground.

We greet our coach, then put on our swim caps and goggles and dive into the water. We finally feel awake.

After Practice

We walk into the locker room, smiling and glad to be done with practice. We wash our hair and begin to get ready for school. We put on our “cute” outfits, apply our makeup, and style our hair. We finish everything off with some perfume to mask the chlorine smell, then plod through the sludge again to return to the car. After we put our bags in the trunk, we drive to school.

Mode #2

1.

The alarm screams. Turn it off. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. Don’t wake up my family.

Drag myself out of bed. Stumble to the bathroom and brush my teeth. Grab a towel out of the cabinet and shove it in my swim bag.

2.

Go downstairs and turn on the lights.

Quickly eat an energy bar and some milk.

Grab my keys and hike out to the car with my school bag and swim bag and lunch.

3.

Pick up Elana.

Drive to the pool. Try to ignore the brightness of the lights and the fog clouding the windshield.

4.

Park. Grab our bags and slosh inside.

Say “hi” to Tom, then put on our swim caps and goggles and dive into the water. Actually wake up.

5.

Walk into the locker room, smiling and glad to be done with practice. Wash our hair and begin to get ready for school. Put on our “cute” outfits, apply our makeup, and style our hair. Finally, put on some perfume to mask the chlorine smell, then plod through the sludge again to return to the car. Put our bags in the trunk and drive to school.

This assignment was harder than the other one, so sorry if they're harder to guess!

Sandwich Convention!

So I promised my friends that I would blog about Sandwich Convention, so here it is. Maybe we should start a Sandwich Convention Blog where we can post ideas for sandwiches and keep everyone updated on what we eat every Friday at lunch!

So what is Sandwich Convention?

Every Friday, during 1st and 3rd lunches, a group of girls all trade sandwiches. (Those of you who have seen us doing this might be wondering what it is. Now you know.) I'm in the 3rd lunch one. There are 6 of us. We each make a sandwich and then divide it into 6 parts, so we all get 1/6 of 6 different sandwiches. But the sandwiches can't just be normal sandwiches. They have to be creative!

Sample Sandwiches

In the past we've had:

• Trail Mix Sandwich - peanut butter on whole wheat bread with craisins, cheerios, granola, almonds, and chocolate chips
• Breakfast Sandwich - lemon poppyseed muffins with cream cheese and strawberries
• Spaghetti Sandwich - a bagel with marinara sauce, cheese, and spaghetti
• Taco Sandwich + Noodles - a tortilla with salsa, cheese, and noodles
• Random Sandwich - a pita pocket with dried mangoes inside topped with chocolate

How long does it last?

We've been doing Sandwich Convention since second semester last year. It's really fun and it makes lunch a little bit more interesting. Plus, school lunch on Friday is never that good. We're going to switch lunches soon (sad) but we hope to continue the tradition in our new lunches!

Rhetorical Modes Answers

1. Division of Analysis

2. Narration

3. Definition

4. Comparison/Contrast

5. Cause & Effect

6. Description

7. Process Analysis

8. Argument/Persuasion

9. Example

10. Classification

Rhetorical Modes - IMAGINATION!.

1. Imagination, though most think it includes only the mind, actually includes much more than that. It involves, of course, thinking. But it also includes the heart and even the soul. What you imagine is based on what your heart desires. Have you ever noticed that when you want something, you tend to dream (both during the day and while actually sleeping) about it? Imagination is a product of both your heart and mind.

2. The other day in APUSH, I was bored. Don't get me wrong, I love learning about the economy of the 1890's, but I felt like fifteen minutes would have sufficed, as opposed to an entire hour. I began to daydream. As usual, it started with a boy. I imagined the guy of my dreams magically showing up at my doorstep one day with flowers. That thought made me think of my wedding day. Where would I be, and what would I be wearing? I began designing my ideal gown in my head, then thought about what life would be like if I were a famous fashion designer. Where would I live? My imagination managed to carry me far in to the future and miles away from APUSH.

3. Imagination is what happens when the mind is allowed to wander. Fanciful thoughts of things that aren't occurring and don't exist are born. Things are pretended and entire worlds can be made up. It is accessible to everyone, but some people have a harder time escaping reality into their imaginations.

4. Imagination is not reality. It's as simple as that. When you see something you don't like, you can pretend that it's something else. Anything can happen in your imagination - you can fly, walk on water, rule the work, or eat lunch with Thomas Edison. In reality, it's pretty impossible to fly, walk on water, rule the world, or eat any meal with someone dead.

5. Imagination is a result of boredom, exposure to a problem, or desire. When we have nothing to do, we tend to imagine anything to escape the boredom. When we see a problem, we try to figure out a solution. And when we want something, we can picture ourselves with the outcome we like. We see what the results would be and how we would achieve the end we want.

6. The little boy sat alone in his backyard, swinging on his playset. His face, however, was engaged in conversation. He sprung up and began to run around, chasing his imaginary friend in a lively game of tag. There was a grin on his face as wide as the ocean, and his eyes were alive with joy. The boy stopped to tell his friend something, a secret that nobody else would ever know. The soft whisper of his voice was carried away by the cool autumn breeze, and the boy's cheeks flushed as he giggled about the secret. His eyes grew wide as his friend asked a question, and he ran away, resuming their unfinished game of tag.

7. To imagine, you simply have to think. You have to see things that aren't necessarily real. First, picture something in your head. You can try to think of something you want to happen, something that is going to happen, or something that you want to create. Anything you want. Then, let your mind go. Don't restrict your thoughts. Allow them to take you away from reality.

8. We need to learn, in today's times, to appreciate our capacity for imagination. In our world, we don't often stop to appreciate the astounding capabilities that we, as humans, have. We are able to escape reality and see things in whatever way we want to. But all we do is try to succeed. We don't stop to think why we want success. What will it actually accomplish for us? In just answering these simple questions, we are utilizing our imagination, which is a beautiful thing.

9. Imagination occurs every day in our lives. We can see a problem and formulate a solution. If we're hungry, we think about the perfect brownie. If we see a homeless person on the street, we picture ourselves going home and bringing back a blanket to donate. We can also imagine stories. J.K. Rowling had to envision the world of Harry Potter, and Shakespeare invented the circumstances for Romeo & Juliet.

10. Imagination. It can be viewed from many different angles. Those who struggle with it tend to see imagination as frivolous wishful thinking. Those who use their minds to escape from the unpleasant realities of life see it as a way to find some solace and happiness.

Declaration of the Rights of Teenagers

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one portion of the family of man to assume a position different from that which they have hitherto occupied, but one to which the laws of nature and of God entitle them, a respect to mankind requires that they declare the causes that impel them to such a course.

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all people are endowed with certain inalienable rights including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Prudence will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes, but when a long train of abuses and usurpations evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their duty to throw off such government. Such has been the patient sufferance of teenagers under the adults serving as government.

The history of youth is a history of repeated injuries on the part of adult toward adolescent, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over him. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

They have never permitted the adolescent to remain out of the home past a certain hour, even after he has proven his responsibility.

They have deemed the adolescent lazy when he tries to recuperate from a hard week involving school, extracurricular activities, and social events.

They have refused to give permission to the adolescent for certain activities which would allow for the pursuit of happiness.

They have required the adolescent to attend certain functions which have taken away time from his own needs.

They have seen the adolescent as ignorant or immature, though he understands the limitations of his youth.

They have yelled at the adolescent as they would never yell at a peer.

They have submitted the adolescent to manual labor, commonly referred to as chores, under the pretense that they are superior simply due to advanced age.

Now, in view of the unjust treatments above mentioned and because adolescents do feel themselves oppressed and fraudulently deprived of their most sacred rights, we insist that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of the United States.

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman is a comic book superhero. She has super-speed, super-strength, and is able to fly. In the television series, Wonder Woman is portrayed by Lynda Carter. But Wonder Woman has had no real impact on my life. I don’t know which villains she fights or even what she stands for. My Wonder Woman is my aunt, Linda Carter.

These two women share more than just a name. They are both superheroes. My aunt doesn’t wear a leotard and cannot fly. She is paralyzed from the waist down because of a sledding accident and lives alone. And yet my aunt is one of the most amazing people I know. She’s always overjoyed to see my family and loves to buy us presents. Linda doesn’t allow herself to wallow in self-pity. She keeps her head up and continues to enjoy life.

The most inspiring thing about my aunt is her perseverance. Though her legs were rendered virtually useless, she has been in physical therapy ever since it occurred, meeting with her trainer at least three times a week. During the meetings, my aunt stretches and stands on crutches. She’s been doing these exercises for almost thirty years and hasn’t made much progress. If I were in her position, I probably would have given up by now. But Linda hasn’t. She’s continued to work and improve, however small the improvements seem to be. Now she is able to walk across a room with her crutches.

My aunt’s recovery has been a difficult journey, but she has still managed to maintain her positive outlook on life. Even though she’s technically “handicapped,” my aunt continues to live life to the fullest. Recently, she bought an Audi convertible. It’s a struggle to fit her wheelchair in the back, but she still loves the car even more than she expected.

My aunt has taught me that I need to accept life’s challenges and see how they can be opportunities to grow. Through all of the struggles that I will face, I need to keep living and taking full advantage of life’s opportunities. Even if they require great effort, I need to learn from all of my experiences and keep moving forward.