tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78523863438961143682024-03-12T19:16:33.781-07:00Late Night RamblingsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07079733430925954060noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852386343896114368.post-35764239278745623112012-10-21T11:02:00.001-07:002012-10-21T11:02:07.962-07:00What 44% Looks Like<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is the original text with all of the long ramblings and passive voice:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">KEY<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: aqua; mso-highlight: aqua;">Passive
Voice/Transitive Verbs</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;">Abstract
Subjects</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: fuchsia; mso-highlight: fuchsia;">Linking
Verbs</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;">During our
class time</span> I <span style="background: aqua; mso-highlight: aqua;">was
introduced</span> to many life narratives, articles, and documentaries, written
and directed by Asian Americans, which described the experiences that different
individuals had. <span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;">Throughout
all of them</span> I noticed a trend: relocation. <span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;">All of these people</span> <span style="background: aqua; mso-highlight: aqua;">were relocated</span> in one form or another, be it being
forcefully uprooted, moved, adopted, detained or interned, exiled, or being put
into slavery, their lives <span style="background: aqua; mso-highlight: aqua;">were
changed</span> because of this relocation. I would like to explore the effects
this movement had on Asian Americans in regards to physical and emotional
stresses, along with how they changed culturally and socially. <span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;">Some of the most horrific
experiences</span> these Asian Americans went through were centered around
their geographical movements, and they were changed as individuals by these
occurrences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Relocation happened for many reasons. Asian Americans <span style="background: aqua; mso-highlight: aqua;">have been forcefully moved and
enslaved</span> because of an invading entity, or <span style="background: aqua; mso-highlight: aqua;">detained and interned</span> out of fear during wartime
situations. They <span style="background: aqua; mso-highlight: aqua;">have been
exiled</span> back to their country of origin for mistakes that would have
meant a slap on the wrist for a natural born citizen, and also <span style="background: aqua; mso-highlight: aqua;">adopted</span> by U.S. families
looking to fill the void in their lives and do their part to help the “less
fortunate”. <span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;">During all of
these processes,</span> different forms of stress occur -- physically and
emotionally -- <span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;">and although
each narrative is different in regards to how these individuals dealt with
their stress</span>, it is none-the-less still there. The most prominent and
easiest to recognize, is physical stress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Physical stress can <span style="background: fuchsia; mso-highlight: fuchsia;">be</span> a very powerful thing and can <span style="background: fuchsia; mso-highlight: fuchsia;">come</span> from many
different stimuli within one’s life. Being relocated for any reason puts
physical stress on an individual. <span style="background-color: lime;">The majority of instances I read about</span>
involved Asian Americans <span style="background-color: magenta;">being forced</span> to pack up and leave their homes and
everything they knew. Through this experience many of them <span style="background: aqua; mso-highlight: aqua;">were forced</span> to work or become
slaves, living under poor conditions and being worked literally to death.
Chanrithy Him’s narrative, <i>When Broken
Glass Floats</i>, highlights her time spent under the Khmer Rouge and how she
underwent massive amounts of physical stress. Once the Khmer Rouge invaded
Cambodia, her family <span style="background: aqua; mso-highlight: aqua;">was
forced</span> to leave their home and relocate to Phnom Penh, where their struggle
to survive began and the slave labor was horrific and never ending. She <span style="background: fuchsia; mso-highlight: fuchsia;">lived</span> off of rations,
barely big enough to feed one or two people, <span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;">which were supposed to feed her entire family</span>, and
worked from dawn to dusk, <span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;">sometimes
longer</span>, every day. They did not have a vehicle for transportation and<span style="background-color: cyan;">
were required</span> to walk everywhere -- <span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;">without the comfort of a pair of shoes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is my revision:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The narratives, articles, and documentaries I looked at
during the semester, written and directed by Asian Americans, all shared a
common theme: relocation. The narrators spoke of their relocation through forceful
uprooting, moving, adoption, detainment or internment, exile, and slavery. I
will explore the effects this movement had on Asian Americans in regards to
physical and emotional stresses, along with how they changed culturally and
socially.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Relocation happened for many reasons. Invading entities
detained and interned Asian Americans, forcing them to become slaves. The
United States also exiled these people for mistakes that a citizen would receive
a slight punishment for, and families adopted children to fill the void in
their lives and do their part to help the “less fortunate”. Physical and
emotional stresses formed because of these processes. The most prominent and
easiest to recognize being physical stress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being relocated for any reason puts physical stress on an
individual. The Asian American’s captors forced families to leave their homes
and become slaves—living under poor conditions and working themselves to death.
Chanrithy Him’s narrative, <i>When Broken
Glass Floats</i>, highlights her time spent under the Khmer Rouge and how she
underwent massive amounts of physical stress. The Khmer Rouge invasion led her
family to leave their home and relocate to Phnom Phen, where their slave labor
began. Her family lived off of inadequate rations and worked from dawn to dusk every
day. Their captors provided no transportation—her family relying on shoe-less
feet for mobility.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The original is 437 words and the revised is 245. Reduced the content by 44%. Not bad for a first attempt! Haha.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I missed highlighting anything in my first version, let me know! I kept finding more things to revise during my revision process. I'm not really sure if I like the shortened way better. I have a certain voice and style while writing, and it's hard for me to change that. Sometimes getting right to the point is a good thing, but this paper I wrote was more about getting a message across that would make an impact on the reader and really show them what these people went through during their narratives. The paper itself was about 12 pages long, so this is only a small taste of what was discussed and shared. Still, maybe I just like being long winded and pompous! =P</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07079733430925954060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852386343896114368.post-7700410195866945762012-10-12T20:17:00.003-07:002012-10-12T20:17:50.099-07:00Genesis: Fact or Fiction? (My vote is for the latter choice.)<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is an excerpt from a response I had to write for Mythology class on
the first and second sections of Genesis, <span style="color: red;">the first
book of the Bible</span>. Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Appositive<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0070c0;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Absolute<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: yellow;">Adjectives</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #00b050;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Participles<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;">Active
Voice</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: aqua; mso-highlight: aqua;">Passive
Voice</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: aqua; mso-highlight: aqua;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: aqua; mso-highlight: aqua;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I find it interesting that how the world was created
according to Genesis could be related to the chronological order that the Earth
could have been formed through evolution and the Big Bang; Of course, the
leading differences being a) the existence of a higher being that created Earth
and b) the time frame of how long ago this all happened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God <span style="background-color: lime; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">created</span> the heavens and the Earth can interpret into
the initial Big Bang that formed the universe. Darkness was upon the face of
the deep, meaning Earth was still in the process of forming, and as a very
young planet within our new solar system could not yet sustain life.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God said let there be light,
creating the day and night. The sun had been formed, <span style="color: #00b050;">causing the
gravitational pull of the planets surrounding it</span>, and combined with the
formation of Earth and its own rotation, day and night would occur on our
planet.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dividing the waters from the
waters. Earth settled into orbit at a range that permitted the formation of
atmosphere, <span style="color: #0070c0;">water and air separating</span>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The creation of land, sea, and
vegetation. Within the process of atmosphere being formed, water would not only
remain on the surface of the planet but also enter the atmosphere, <span style="color: #00b050;">creating our clouds, weather, etc. </span>Combined with
the freezing process at the poles of the planet, due to the infrequent and lack
of direct sunlight and warmth from the sun, land would start to appear.
Vegetation formed.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The formation of stars. New stars
form and old stars “die”. Thus is how the universe functions. While our own
solar system was forming, others were also in the process. Our galaxy is a
young one that is still in the process of formation.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Creatures start to form in the
water and air. Well, organisms have to start somewhere. Not a goo that suddenly
some creature crawled out of, but water would logically suffice to create a
compound organism capable of adapting to life both in the air and on land.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Creatures are formed on the land.
Following the trend stated previously, evolution would dictate creatures
spreading from water to land as environments changed and needs could only be
met through means not available within the current atmosphere, <span style="color: yellow;">aquatic and limiting</span>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lastly, there is the creation of
man. Chronologically, this still follows the trend of evolution. The main
belief being that we descended from apes through many stages, but ultimately we
arrived as men in the world after other beasts were formed.</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not exactly sure what to write for my commenter this week. It's been an excessively long week and my brain is shot. I'm going to go back to destroying <i>The Book Thief</i> and see how that works out for me. (Don't worry, I'm not really destroying it. Just drawing all over it and painting on the pages. Ha.)</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07079733430925954060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852386343896114368.post-73336731194822219882012-10-05T07:53:00.000-07:002012-10-05T07:53:05.894-07:00What is Faith? (Baby, don't smite me. Don't smite me, no more.)<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a little something I had to write up for my Mythology class this semester:<span style="color: lime;"> The take-home portion of my midterm!</span> Hooray!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>KEY</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Participles</span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Absolutes</span></div>
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Appositives</span></div>
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<span style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adjectives</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: lime;">Being an Atheist</span>, I often dismiss
the fact that faith can be a real and powerful thing to individuals. My “lack
of faith” tends to render me blind to the complexities of beliefs and how
important they can be to an individual’s life. <span style="color: red;">During the course thus far</span>, I
have come to realize that faith in a creator, or creators, is an important and
everyday aspect to the lives and cultures of the characters and people in our
texts—<span style="color: lime;">both the civilizations of the time, and the authors who wrote down their
most important words</span>. These belief systems provided them with many answers, <span style="color: cyan;">helpful, familiar, and important</span>, to bring understanding to the world around them and a sense of unity as a
community or group (something that can still be seen within our society today),
and, through the fashioning of intricate stories, passed on knowledge from one
generation to the next as a source of education about both their faith and their
world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The idea of faith seemed to rule the
lives of these people and cultures to an extent that, when they sought out
knowledge to answer the unknown, they looked toward their belief systems for an
explanation. This supernatural search for an answer can be found most
prominently within the texts that we read earlier on in the semester—<span style="color: lime;">the Native
American creation myths and genesis</span>. <span style="color: red;">Focusing on the answer to a question that
describes the origins of not only people but the world itself</span>, could be labeled
the most popular unknown both to ancient civilizations and current day
religious types and scientists. Each story has a common element: <span style="color: lime;">a creator</span>. Be
it a god, goddess, supernatural being or creature, or even a seemingly
scientific event, each group depended (and still depends) heavily on their
belief systems or faith to answer this question.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To begin with the most well-known
version of creation, our own Christian views, we are presented with a singular
God that “created the heaven and the earth”—<span style="color: lime;">night and day, earth, water and
sky, plants, creatures of the sea, air and land, and lastly humans</span> (Genesis 1).
The Shakti creation myth we read is a good compliment to the Christian view
through the use of a single being creating everything, but they choose a woman
instead of as “man”. Their creator is “she who holds the Universe in her womb,
/ source of all creative energies, / Maha Devi who conceives / and bears and
nourishes / all that exists” (Shakti 487). Each of these stories also has a strong
sense of a reward system. Obeying or pleasing these beings brings about good
fortune to the worshipers, which could provide success in both life and death,
and help create a strong set of rules and/or morals for the community.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Skipping ahead a bit so you don't have to read a novel...)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What all of these creation stories
have in common is the deep rooted dependence on their faith. They used familiar
and comfortable ideas to explain the unknown and help bring order to chaos, <span style="color: yellow;">their community being the source of inspiration for the familiar</span>.
These stories gave them something to bind them together as a community, and
provided a way to pass this knowledge on to future generations. The same still
holds true today. Personally, my lack of faith is defined by my beliefs. I do
not believe in a God, but I do believe in other things such as science and
karma.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Post Script:</b> Well, I apparently love appositives. Haha. I'm not surprised. They seem to have a little more creative give when I'm writing. Perhaps a little more creative freedom. Anyway, let me know if I've gotten anything wrong! It's a lot harder for me to spot these things when I'm not writing the sentences right then and there.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07079733430925954060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852386343896114368.post-88865088937318022642012-09-29T17:30:00.001-07:002012-09-29T17:30:21.401-07:00Atheism and Boners in Church<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I am currently working on the first chapter of a Young
Adult Novel for Engl 325, so the following is my attempt at progress toward its
completion. <b>BE WARNED: Adult language and sexual innuendos are prominent in this excerpt.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Drip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Drip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Drip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Blackness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">No, consciousness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Drip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Drip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Head throbbing. Liquid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Drip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Blood? Sweat? It <i>is</i>
hot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Or am I cold?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Drip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Drip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Drip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I don’t know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Drip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Drip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Fading…falling…No!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Stay awake!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Scream for help. Yell, shout, do SOMETHING!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Drip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Move.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Drip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Drip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Fade…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Drip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Drip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Drop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Blackness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">₪<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> It’s Sunday.
My favorite day of the week. The day my mother dresses me in <i>her</i> idea of my Sunday best and escorts
me through the threshold of a building that should burn me alive<b>—SAVING GRACE CHURCH</b>. I don’t believe
in God anymore. It was swell when I was a child, but the swelling’s gone down.
Now when she drags me toward the pulpit, I can feel the laser beams emanating
from the eyes of Jesus Christ himself, blaring down on the top of my head in an
attempt to ensure the safety of my immortal—and eternally damned—soul.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> My
obvious lack of belief in something imaginary scares the shit out of my mother,
<b>ALTHOUGH</b> she’d never use that sort
of derogatory smut to define fecal matter herself. She’d be more likely to just
give me <i>that look</i> (Yeah. Exactly.) and
tell me that all good people go to church so God can tell us what to do with
our lives. I mean, who wouldn't want to have some imaginary “whatever” planning
out every aspect of your life?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> As
we make our way through the lobby filled with other sheep, I see her, <b>THAT BEAUTIFUL GODDESS MEGHAN LARSON</b>,
and think of how much hotter she’d be if she didn't have the mental disability
of believing in God. Seriously. <b>WHEN YOU’RE
GRACED WITH LONG LEGS, A PERFECT SMILE, AND A MAGNIFICENT ASS, IT’S HARD TO
UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WOULD WANT TO FUCK UP YOUR LIFE BY BELIEVING IN A STORY
WRITTEN BY A BUNCH OF DRUNKEN HIPPIES.</b> We pass her and the smell is intoxicating<b>: FRESH STRAWBERRIES MIXED WITH A HINT OF
RAINFALL</b>. It has become the only thing I look forward to during the week. I
am invisible to her the other six days, but Sunday she always makes it a point
to smile at me as my senses overload causing the half chub in my pants to
become hard to hide. <i>God damn khakis.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Standing
next to her is Jason <b>(A COMPLETE AND
TOTAL DOUCHE) WHO</b> manages to help confirm my theory that all worshipers of
Christ are bat-shit crazy. He’s the kind of person that is born again around
adults and the son of Satan when he thinks no one’s looking, <b>WHOSE</b> breath and eyes should be a dead giveaway,
but his parents always seem to look the other way—turn the other cheek, if you
really want to be a jack ass about it. Ha.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(This next sentence is more of an afterthought for a
paragraph or two later.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The rest of the service becomes a blur, <b>AS</b> it is invaded by the scent of
freshness tinted with citrus.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Dear Commenter,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The sentence that starts out "Standing next to her is Jason" is giving me a bit of trouble. I can't decide whether I should put a comma after the parenthetical or leave it as is. What do you think? Otherwise, comment on whatever you want! =)</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07079733430925954060noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852386343896114368.post-10449922687400105242012-09-21T16:33:00.003-07:002012-09-21T16:34:30.385-07:00FANBOYS...Not just for female pop groups anymore.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once again I am faced with the question of what I have learned, <b>BUT</b> I would rather speak about what I've attempted to learn. I am still struggling with parts of sentences, but I feel that my knowledge has grown. <b>BECAUSE</b> Barbara highlighted the verbs within the sentences we had created on Tuesday, everything seems a little clearer for me now. It is easier for me to recognize a linking verb now because I finally understand that what comes after it is directly related to describing the subject. <b>ALTHOUGH</b> intransitive verbs have always come a little more easily for me, given they have the capability to complete the sentence without the use of an object or clause, I didn't know their actual name. I guess that's something else I've been attempting to learn this week--keeping track of all the vocabulary associated with the parts of a sentence. Some things I still have trouble remembering on a regular basis are adverbs (those scare me), particles, prepositions, and prepositional phrases. I hope to one day successfully have those down and to never ever EVER forget them!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I lied. I do want to talk about what I've learned. Haha.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had never really thought about what young children go through while learning to write, <b>OR</b> the impact one person (their teacher) could have on their progress. <b>Since</b> we started reading the article on Dora, I've thought a lot about what Dora must have been feeling herself. What could possibly be working its way through the mind of a 5-7 year old as they move from one stage to the next in the writing process? How receptive are they to verbal and visual tools and cues given to them during this transitioning period? Does anyone ever really stop improving their writing? These questions kept popping into my mind while reading, causing me to think about the learning process from the other side. I don't remember my own learning process, <b>BUT</b> just thinking outside of the box could help me understand what future students are going through. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've learned that thinking outside of the box can be a great thing when your goal in life is to teach others.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One last thing I learned this week that more or less left me giggling is that acronyms can be hilarious. FANBOYS and AAAWWUBBIS is probably one of the funniest things I've come across this semester in any of my classes, <b>AND</b> I'm reading both Beowolf and The Iliad. There's comic gold in both of those works. I don't expect to remember the words associated with AAAWWUBBIS, <b>BUT</b> I will always remember that it creates a subordinate clause (and then giggle at how funny it sounds).</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07079733430925954060noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852386343896114368.post-28416755989297390622012-09-15T13:11:00.000-07:002012-09-15T13:11:15.574-07:00Drawing the Short Straw<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once again, there are a couple things that have been learned this past week, even though I, <b>MYSELF</b>, was not present for half of our class-week. Completely separate from things learned in class, I realize once again that:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-xBaLdayDN3qEjUE-HioNuwb7CO4ZWAAVoluagAElKyNLBjwvH0m-3EF_VwMqJEvvRxi_vGlimkOVPvnRGzHK1XLr2mxaeL1kYZLACXI8kC4T1vd6bZDdh9aTl5uwCyCaMCNWs8roA/s1600/Sick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-xBaLdayDN3qEjUE-HioNuwb7CO4ZWAAVoluagAElKyNLBjwvH0m-3EF_VwMqJEvvRxi_vGlimkOVPvnRGzHK1XLr2mxaeL1kYZLACXI8kC4T1vd6bZDdh9aTl5uwCyCaMCNWs8roA/s320/Sick.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I believe that meme is befitting of how I felt for the majority of the week (and some of the week before).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Moving on, I've also come to realize that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing when it comes to parts of a sentence. <b>BETWEEN YOU AND ME</b>, it's something that, if I managed to learn the parts in the past, I don't remember now. During class on Thursday I couldn't even get through the first page of the newspaper when we were set free to work on our own. That's just sad. Seriously.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm hoping to improve my knowledge and be able to distinguish the different parts of a sentence some day. It's something that I will need to focus on and work toward over the next few years as I come closer to becoming a teacher. I want to be able to recognize where students are going wrong and explain to them why. That's very important: being able to explain <i><u>why</u></i>. It's easy to point out mistakes to someone, especially mistakes in their writing, but it's often hard to tell them why it's wrong. It's hard to be able to tell them how to fix it and why that way is correct while the other one is wrong. I want to have that knowledge so I can have a stockpile of ways to explain things to future students. Only saying something is wrong doesn't help them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll admit that it's hard to come up with new things to say that weren't said in my blog last week. That being the case, I'm going to leave you with an excerpt from something I had read for my English 370 class that still seeps into my mind. I don't find it beautiful for it's mood, but rather it's ownership.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Full of grief, I make this poem about myself, my own fate. I have the right to say what miseries I have endured since I grew up, new or old--never greater than now. Endlessly I have suffered the wretchedness of exile." -The Wife's Lament</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07079733430925954060noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852386343896114368.post-89424869199969820732012-09-07T11:42:00.000-07:002012-09-07T11:42:52.591-07:00Handy-Capable: What I've Learned and Possibly Un-Learned<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Learning has always been something that I’ve enjoyed, so
it’s not far-fetched to say that I’ve gained a significant amount of knowledge
within the short 3 weeks we’ve been in class. I’ll admit that some of it has
been a refresher of concepts and ideas that I’ve already come in contact with,
but there are still things that I’ve picked up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most recently, I’ve discovered that if the subject is
right I enjoy academic reading. Our article on Dora is something that I’ve
enjoyed picking apart as I’ve gone through it. ITS CONTENTS HAVE GRASPED MY
MIND IN A WAY THAT I HAVEN’T EXPERIENCED PREVIOUSLY WHILE READING A
NON-FICTIONAL TEXT. Usually I find myself dozing off while reading text book
type literature because it just couldn’t hold my interest. I’m glad to have
learned that grammar actually captures my attention and causes me to want to
read more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I HAD NEVER KNOWN THE PROCESS YOUNG CHILDREN (AND SOME
ADULTS) GO THROUGH WHILE LEARNING TO WRITE; TAKING ON A GRUELING PROCESS THAT
WILL ONE DAY, AFTER MANY ATTEMPTS, FAILURES, AND SUCCESSES, BECOME THEIRS. I
HAD NEVER READ ABOUT A CHILD WHOSE EXPERIENCE DREW ME IN, REGARDLESS OF BEING A
FICTIONAL STUDENT BROUGHT TO LIFE THROUGH THE CONGLOMERATION OF MANY DIFFERENT
CHILDREN, AND HELP ME THINK IN MANY NEW AND DIFFERENT WAYS ABOUT TEACHING AND
THE LEARNING PROCESS. I don’t personally remember my own learning process when
discovering the function of periods and word separation, but I’m hopeful that
my own teacher was as helpful as the one Dora had the pleasure of studying
under.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’VE COME TO REALIZE THAT MY OWN INTERPRETATION OF TEXT
AND HOW IT SHOULD BE PUNCTUATED CAN BE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN YOURS. Thanks
to Cordeiro, I can feel better about the freedom I have with my writing because
“effective punctuation, like effective writing, is the result of good judgment,
not of one’s ability to follow so-called rules of good punctuation or writing”
(111-112). AS A STUDENT, I’VE ALWAYS BEEN FAIRLY LIBERAL WITH MY PUNCTUATION,
USUALLY GOING BY GUT INSTINCT FOR PLACEMENT INSTEAD OF WHERE A RULE DICTATES I
SHOULD PLACE A COMMA OR PERIOD; AS A TEACHER, I WILL BE ABLE TO ALLOW MY
STUDENTS THE SAME PRIVILEGE. They’ll be able to explore and develop their own
knowledge and writing style, and feel good about their progress knowing they’re
allowed to make mistakes or take creative liberties.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am hopeful that I will continue to build knowledge in
this class, developing a solid approach to handling grammatical situations with
my future students, and learn more about the process of development in writing.
I also hope that eventually it won’t take me hours on end to figure out a way
to incorporate our patterns of the week. Writers block certainly set in this
time. Haha.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">COMMENTER: What are your thoughts on punctuation? Do you
usually try to follow the rules or your instincts? Do you typically like a lot
of punctuation or as little as possible? Are you scared of lengthy sentences
with multiple clauses? Feel free to answer any, all, or none of these. Just
figured I’d give you a good topic to comment about. =)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07079733430925954060noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852386343896114368.post-65938480903675160862012-08-24T15:33:00.002-07:002012-08-29T12:34:32.819-07:00This is why I'm still in school...Grammar and Mechanics<br />
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I’ve always thought myself to have a decent literacy when it
comes to grammar, punctuation, and spelling. They are very important to me and
hold a special place in my heart and mind. But, like everyone else, I am not
perfect. Hell, I missed 7 points during that grammar “quiz” we took the other
day.</div>
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I guess the main issue I have is the semicolon. I’ve never
known how to use it, and I’ve never bothered to learn how/when it is
appropriate. The semicolon is like the “end” of the game <i>Portal</i>. You think it’s over, but you’re really only half way done. Everything
leading up to it IS EASY, METHODICAL, CALCULATED [Pattern: 3+ word list with no commas]. But once I get to a spot I
believe a semicolon should go, I instead change the entire structure of the
sentence (sometimes even the entire paragraph) to avoid using it completely. I
find it sad that at the age of 25 I still don’t know how to properly use this
mark of punctuation.</div>
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<br /></div>
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You had said yesterday that the structure surrounding the
use of a semicolon looks like this:</div>
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"General statement; detailed statement."</div>
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Off hand, I don’t have any personal examples from my writing
due to my habit of avoiding semicolons like the plague. Honestly, I just really
don’t know what I could write as an example sentence other than what I just
have. This is exactly why I would thoroughly enjoy learning about the many uses
of the semicolon and the contexts in which it is appropriate.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Something else I need to work on is learning and memorizing
the different parts of speech. It’s not often I am able to sit down with
someone and discuss things like this, so they never have the opportunity to
stick in my mind. I can remember noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, and adjective,
but the others always find a way to escape my memory. I believe it would be
very beneficial to be able to look at a sentence with a student and really
explain what’s going on so that they’ll understand writing better.</div>
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For example: Jonny is my best friend.</div>
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I want to be able to say, “Oh! There’s the noun and the
verb! We can substitute ‘Johnny’ for ‘he’ (a pronoun) here since you’ve used
his name in the last sentence.” That to me would be great and would help
improve my own writing too.</div>
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Lastly, I believe that working on sentence structure is a
must for me as a writer. I have always been prone to compound and complex sentences.
I just love using them, but I do it too often. My sentences end up being very
lengthy and drawn out because I always try to cram as much information, or
artistic freedom, and possible into each one. Most of my sentences within this
blog most likely follow this trend.</div>
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Here’s an example of an extremely long and drawn out
sentence I wrote during my English 351 class last Spring:</div>
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“Ripples blossomed outward from the toes of his boots,
disrupting the clear image of his face, turning it into something disfigured
and ugly -- barely recognizable in the gleam of sunlight reflecting off of the
waves’ crests.”</div>
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I realize now, after reading further into that prompt, that
I should also work on sentence variation as well. I have an entire paragraph
that, although was part of an artistic piece of writing, used one clause
sentences throughout. No sentence variation at all. As a writer, I’m not famous
enough to get away with that yet. Haha.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07079733430925954060noreply@blogger.com4