Open Letter to Old People

Dear Old People who still drive,

Things have changed since you were a kid. People these days no longer ride in carriages pulled by a horse/horses, nor have to travel at horse and buggy speed. When you are driving on a 45 miles/hour road, you do not drive 15 miles/hour. When you are driving on a 45 miles/hour road you drive 45 miles/hour or faster. That being said, cars themselves are a lot faster than horse and buggies. When you are pulling out of a neighbor hood onto a main road, such as mine onto county road 101, you do not have to wait for a car that is 100 yards away. If you pull out going 10 miles/hour you will not be hit--although I am not giving you permission to go that slow. Believe it or not, there are other people who may be behind you that actually need to be some place.

I am not suggesting that you drive faster, for I know your seeing and hearing and depth perception is poor and I do not hope that you endanger the general public by mistaking a human for a dust cloud--which were more common in your “glory days” because dirt roads were the casual. I am not asking you to stop visiting grandchildren for their golden birthdays or visiting the doctor to check if the Grim Reaper will be coming to your door step soon, for I know these are important.  I am asking rather that you take a taxi or higher a personal driver. You would not have to miss out on your eventful life, and I would not have to be late to every event that I attend. If not for your own sake, at least for mine so I will not have to kill myself.

Sincerely,

Car in a Loft, who will drive over the edge if necessary.

So, I am following a new blog. I hope this one is okay!

http://nicetype.blogspot.com/

Dangling Natures Accreditation: DNA

I do think writing has changed the way I look at the world. To an extent. I have always sort of "written" my life in my head. Now I feel urged to put it in a permanent form as it happens, although that is not always the case. I find other writers more interesting and can now differentiate between writers' tones. I have a lot of writers in my extended family and I wonder if the ability to be a strong writer is partly genetic. I have a step-grandmother who has been working on a novel about her dog for the last decade, shedding flesh and bone to be successful but unfortunately has not. Maybe genetics have cursed her.
 I recently started reading a blog written by my mothers-cousins-wife. She is a writer who has published a few books and I find her tips intriguing, they kind of give insight to the workings of her brain. She knew going into college that she wanted to write and began as a Creative writing major, however, it was not really her thing. "I took a writing workshop class and hated it–there I was, stuck in a room with a bunch of other kids my age, reading each other’s mediocre, melodramatic teenage scribblings.  What was the point?  I didn’t see a lot of learning opportunity there.  Just a lot of backscratching."So, she changed to an English major and now uses books as her main tool for writing when she is stuck, "When I’m feeling at my most frustrated with my own writing–”Why isn’t this clearer?  Why does this part feel boring?  Why can’t I find a better way to say this?”–I pick out a favorite old book, something that’s kept me entranced through countless readings and I read it again and it’s like taking a quick class in How to Make A Book Good." 
There are so many great authors--and so many bad--yet each authors success is accredited to a different experience, exposure and up bringing, (parents?). I don't know if in the future we will ever truly know what makes a great writer, but for not it will just stay a mystery.

I was going to title this, "I did it" until it felt to Dora-ish.

I just finished PSEO this semester at Normandale! I no longer am in Photography, Sociology, and Macroeconomics. The only classes I have until the end of high school's first semester are T.V Production, Yearbook and (obviously) AP Composition. I can now have a life. Maybe I should start volunteering at the Interfaith Outreach center that is a few blocks away from my house. I wanted to do that since it had opened... I just have not had the time... but now! Yeah! I feel so free! Usually right now I would be doing Macro homework. I would read the chapter which would range from 20-30 pages, then do the homework which was 20 multiple choice questions; then take a quiz, which was 10 multiple choice questions; and then answer two discussion questions, one that was based on a video clip and the other on a reading segment in the Macro book. It actually does not seem too bad for one week worth of homework, but it was not fun when every week you procrastinated unitl Sunday to start. I guess Mo Pro kids were not the only ones procrastinating! But I am no longer on that boat. Sucks for Mo Proers. They will be finishing their part three this week. My word to them; have fun.

Why I'm Hispanic.

1. My grandma is from Mexico
2. I call my grandma abueleta
3. I greet people with an "hola" more often than a "hello"
4. My skin is considered tan
5. I eat black beans
6. I have taken three years of Spanish at school
7. I spoke Spanish with foreigners on multiple accounts
8. I know how to make myself tacos
9. My mom speaks fluent Spanish
10. I vacation to Mexico more often than any other country (except the U.S)
11. I have conversations with my abueleta is Spanish
12. I subscribe to Spanish podcasts
13. I made a video in Spanish
14. I listen to Spanish music
15. I go to Chipotle on pretty much a weekly basis
16. I am Facebook friends with someone named Pilo
17. I am Facebook friends with someone named Carlota
18. My sisters name means "mine" in Spanish
19. I have had three foreign exchange students from Mexico
20. My favorite food is a toastada
21. I befriended a girl from Spain
22. I will live in a Spanish speaking country for at least a year at one point in my life
23. I like the warmth
24. I have brown eyes and darker hair
25. I look "ethnic"
26. I dance to Salsa music
27. I can roll my r's
28. I own jewelry from multiple Spanish speaking countries
29. I want to learn how to latin dance
30. The only accent I can sort of perfect is a Spanish one.

Rhetorical Modes: Theses are the ones I intended to use.

1. Narration
2. Definition
3. Example
4. Compare/Contrast
5. Classification
6. Process Analysis

Really? I'm trying to be thankful here.

*Begins in sisters room, the rest of my family is bunched together in my living room and kitchen, feasting on everything they come into contact with.

Me: Mia (my sister), I am hungary.

Mia: Good luck.


* I open my sisters door, keeping my head down. I must avoid eye contact. One step. Two step. Three step...... Ten step. Please God, just let me get a piece of Pumpkin pie. Please. I have conquered the hallway, the kitchen is within steps. Almost there. Five quick steps, I'm in the kitchen. Okay, now just grab a plate, and grab a slice and then run back too....


CAHHHREENAHH!

Damn it. So close.

Me: Oh hey, Marcella! I didn't know you were here...

*My crazy aunt Marcella was holding a turkey leg in one hand. There was grease from the turkey's skin dripping down her face.

Hold down the puke!


Marcella: Ohh!! Haha, I thought you were avoiding me!

Me: Heh...No! That's crazy.

Yeah I was.

Marcella: Haha! I thought so! Now come give me a kissssy!!

Really God? Really?

Rhetorical Modes

1.
Ba-boom...Ba-boom..Ba-BOOM, BA-BOOM! BA-BOOM! My heart accelerated. You could hear it beating from an arms-length away. My legs strode one after another whisking through the humid air. I looked back at the other runners; multiple feet away, and then forward and the finish line; inches from my toes. WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! The crowd cheered. "SNAP""SNAP" "SNAP," flashes were in my face. I continued running. My legs could not stop. A wide grin stretched across my face, exposing every single tooth in my mouth.

2. 
Happy. It is an adjective. 1. Showing or feeling pleasure or contentment. Satisfied with the quality or standard of.  "Jemma came home looking happy with a smile on her face." Happy.


3. 
Bob Marely once said, "Don't worry, Be Happy." A wise man he is. Bob Marley did not receive an education or abide to the cultural norms of a high-stress, capitalist society. Marley pursued his passion for music and stayed a happy soul, while inspiring others to do the same. 


4. 
Happiness and jolliness are similar because they are both states of pleasure, however they are not the same. To be happy you do not have to show an outward sign of pleasure however to be jolly you have to be cheerful, which requires the outward appearance. Think reminiscing about a fond memory for happy and think Santa Claus for jolly. 


5. 
Happy!! Puppy dog lick in the face. Ice cream cake, gift you really want--and get, ace a test, GET INTO COLLEGE! Balls-to-the-wall? No. Too intense. Endorphins floating across synapses? Yes! Like, Legit.


6. 
Recipe for Happiness:
1. Set oven to 69 degrees Celsius.
2. Add a cup and a half of Modern Family, five cups of taking photos in Minneapolis, two cups of rock climbing, two cups of biking through the woods, and one table spoon of kisses from a furry friend. 
3. mix it all together with a cinnamon stick and cook for 11 minutes and 11 second.
4. Make a wish.
5. Remove with tongs made from king sized candy bars. 
6. Cool for exactly one minute. 
7. Eat up. It should be all smiles within ten seconds of first bite. 

Believe

Agent: Carina Lofgren

Act: A homeless man stands outside of a Nicolette Mall department store in Minneapolis. He holds a small bag were he keeps the money that passer-bys give him. Besides him are his things--water, a cane and a bag full of his possessions. My argument is that even in a wealthy, first-world country, poverty exists. The contrast between the homeless man and the store front--that previews high-class merchandise--is so extreme, yet is an hidden norm of society.  

Agency: One design element that makes the photo stronger is the ad in the store front that says, "believe. Having the freedom to be successful is an offer that the United States prides itself on, and the ad sells that  by saying, "hey if you believe you can be happy, successful and beautiful (like the models), you can--just buy our product." But the homeless man is standing on the outside, in the cold. The homeless man is so close to the people who are happy, successful and beautiful, but indeed he is the polar opposite. 

Audience: This happened, as mentioned earlier, in the Nicolette Mall area near the Minneapolis Convention Center. I was there for a journalism convention. 

Purpose: To be honest, when I fist snapped this photo I was not paying attention to the background--at least consciously. My original intent was to capture the scene of the Nicolette Mall area--an assignment for a photography class at the Journalism convention, however, after analyzing my own photograph, the purpose changed. Now the purpose is to show the very poor living standards that exist even in a first-world country such as the United States. 

x2-119: Secret Code

National Geographic airs content that people who seek to understand the world find interesting. This show depicts varied values and beliefs of our globe by documenting different places internationally. Anything relating to the sciences—social, psychological, physical, chemical, environmental—National Geographic has it. People are curious about the things they do not know, so National Geographic attracts a large and varied audience.

                However, aside from the fact that people watch National Geographic because it reflects society’s interests it may still implement an effect on society values. For example, the show Lockdown—which shows the inside workings of prisons—may in some way ‘glorify’ committing crimes. Violent-inclined people who watch Lockdown may want to be bad ass like the prisoners in the show and go commit a crime. The fact that media thinks criminals are worthy of being publicized, is a change in values itself. This may teach society that committing crimes will get them noticed.

Fuze bottle: It radiates Godliness

I had a really good blog post idea, but then I forgot

I am not sure if it was a dream or reality, but I had a really good idea for a blog post. I just cannot remember. Oh well, instead I can talk about Fuze because it is currently right in front of my face. This particular one is strawberry melon. Nummy. Too bad it is all gone. I hate it when I tilt my head back and position the bottle at a ninety degree angle to pour the Fuze into my mouth only to have nothing come out. Unfortunately, it happens all to often. A little secret I have learned though is to fill the Fuze bottle with water afterward. The water mixes with the residue of the original Fuze and then produces a second Fuze, free! It is just a little more deluded.

Halloween Memories: They all happened somewhere along the line...

H-Hanging with the friend. So cliche, but so Halloween. Parties, trick-or-treating (even in ninth grade... were cool), and scary movies--AHH!

A-Ate my heart away. Literally, all the candy I ate will probably send me into a premature cardiac arrest.

L-Lions and tigers and bears, Oh my!

L- Late nights, trading my skittles for my sister's Recess.

O-Oh, those Jack-O-lanterns. I'm pretty sure I cut myself multiple times with carving knives.

W-Witch costume and about two years old. The only memory left of this is a photo of me and my brother siting pre-tricker-or-treating at our dining room table. I don't really know what he was, but he had a green face.

E-EEEKK! THAT BLOODY FACE LOOKS LEGIT! Please don't kill me...

E-Eating some more candy. I will not be sleeping tonight. Not with these levels of sugar in my blood.

N-No more. Please. I will up-chuck if I take one more bite. But... it is right there. And it's delicious.... *CHOMP*.
Oh Lord.
*run to bathroom*
... Don't think I'll be going to school tomorrow.

Beauty Myth: Book Review

  In The Beauty Myth, Naomi Wolf intends to persuade and convince the audience of mostly middle-aged women that women are (and always have been) undermined and unappreciated in society. Wolf is a woman, giving her credibility for the audience, but she is so dramatic that we cannot respect her opinions after the first sentence. She argues that “The Beauty Myth” dictates women’s lives, but is only convincing for those who believed it in the first place. Wolf’s book is perfect for somebody who wants their original views to be articulated, but is overbearing and unnecessary for anybody who is reading the book with an open mind. Wolf quickly becomes harsh, critical, and demanding of women instead of supportive or even realistic. We, as teenage girls, expected to be convinced but instead felt chastised, like we should believe something about ourselves that we do not. We are aware that America is materialistic, we are aware that girls are often not confident, and we are aware men desire beautiful women, but Wolf was too forceful to take seriously. We didn’t learn any great values, or form any opinions, aside from the unanimous agreement that we won’t be reading this book again.

2 Million Minutes, I Just wanna be Average, and For Once Blame the Students

1: 2 Million Minutes.
First of all, if Harvard thinks the United States it going to be okay, we will be okay--unless the research was complied by an international student... then we're screwed. And second, I believe being well-rounded is a lot more important than being a slave to academics. Isn't the point of getting a good education to get a good job and make a lot of money so you can have a high quality life? But if you spend all of your time working to be successful, you will not be able to appreciate the things you have thus making life unfulfilling. Teens in China think the freedom American teens have is like a dream. It's is unfortunate for teens in India and China that they are discouraged to live their life freely and pursue their actual interests.
2: I Just wanna be Average
I agree with Rose that education does have it's flaws. For example, my brother was in special ed for behavioral problems throughout grade school. Like Rose, my brother was an educationally capable person--he was in advanced math in fifth grade--but they assumed that because he was in special ed that he was incapable. At one point the special ed department was given a substitute test to take instead of the MCA. My brother found the test to be extremely easy along with the majority of his class. However, he was a little upset at the school's underestimation of his knowledge. One day my brother and his friend were talking about the test and my mom overheard. My mom, who along with other special ed kids parents had no idea this was done, was so outraged that she called the school and fought until the class was allowed to take the actual MCA test. Most of the class passed.
     This is only one story, semi-similar to Rose's, but improvements in education can always be used.
3. For Once blame the Students
I was gone for the last part of class Friday, so unfortunately I did not receive this essay but I think I can pretty much assume what it is about: students are responsible for their grades. And yes, this is true to a point. However this does not take into account the different backgrounds from which students come from. It is proven that higher income students generally do better in school than lower income students. This is most likely because higher income students have the resources available to succeed while lower income students may not. A student living in a family that is struggling to survive may be responsible for things like making money or taking care of sibling giving them a disadvantage to well off student who can afford to have the free-time to do homework. This also does not take into account the educational support each student receives. Some students may have grown up without an emphasis on education or maybe their parents just don't care.

A free write is ironic.

This is called a free write, yet it is constricting me from doing things that I would do if I didn't have to free write. Basically, this free write is taking up my free time. I usually overuse the word ironic, but in this case I think I am using it appropriately.

Speaking of free time, I wish I was my brother. At lest for a week. This is how his day goes: Wake up at about 10:00 a.m., work on his car to make it "super sick", skype with the girlfriend who is living in London because of college, play xbox while listening to sappy music, and then go to the U of M Jewish Fraternity house for games of beer pong and "I don't remember putting that there". I don't want you to get the wrong idea here, I don't like cars, fancy my brother's girlfriend, play xbox or do drugs of any sort but I would appreciate a week of freedom. Does that make me lazy?

P.S.
This makes my brother look like a class A douchebag, but he really is not. I may have overstated his actual free time just a tad. He does have a job. Rene, if you read this... Love you!

Heeeeey-O-bama!

Listen to me List Like a Good Student.

OBAMA. The guy who happens to be our president. He gave a speech to students, it was called the "back to school speech," and I just so happened to take notes on the way he spoke. So listen close...

1. He starts out enthusiastic, confidant, and smiley. That's right students, we make him happy. He gets excited for us.
2. After thanking the school and what not, he makes pop culture references to facebook and twitter making himself more relatable to the "back to school" crowd or audience. Like seriously, what high schooler does not have a facebook?
3. After he relates to the audience he gains credibility and then moves into more serious topics such as; grades, economic problems, and planning for the future.
4. Obama also uses his own experiences as a student in order to relate to current students. Believe it or not, even Obama was normal high school boy at one point.
5. Then he started to preach to the audience about how going to college is super important and that the U.S is now 16th in the world for college rates. After hearing this, I found it ironic that he chose the school he did to give the speech at because that schools graduation and college acceptance rate was 100%. Maybe he should of been preaching at a school that actually had SOME failing students.
6. Obama appropriately used a bunch of hand gestures for emphasis. He did not go overboard and prance around the stage like a fairy. He was very professional.
7. He also used other students experiences, like the 16 year old who found light being capable of killing cancer cells. He added this information to show the capabilities that students have within.
8. Lastly, he ends the speech looking directly at his audience. He does not look down as his script, like he did many times earlier in the speech, he maintains direct eye contact with the crowd. This makes his closing statements to the audience stronger.

OMG, I can't believe this really happened! Our world was just awful and this makes me cry.

Law: Intermarriage: The marriage of a person of Caucasian blood with a Negro, Mongolian, Malay, or Hindu shall be null and void. (Arizona)

This seems familiar. Hmmm... Oh yeah right, it is kind of like gay marriage laws. Its funny how things change. Or don't.

The Blind: The board of trustees shall. maintain a separate building. on separate ground for the admission, care, instruction, and support of all blind persons of the colored or black race. (Louisiana)

Alexis used this law first, but as she was reading her blog response to me I could not help but think of the Dave Chapelle mini-episodes about the blind-racist-black man. Chapelle's character would sit on his porch and spit out racist comment after racist comment while being oblivious to the fact that he himself was a black man.

Sampling cheese at Grass Roots Gourmet!

Kudos to my photographer friend Annie for documenting our trip to the market!

Midtown Global Market

I went to the Midtown Global Market today for the first time in my life with three others and a camera, working on a video to be featured on an upcoming Advisory show. The camera was a pass for free food from restaurants that were more than happy to have publicity. Grass Roots Gourmet gave us samples of Gouda Cheese and some kind of beefy goodness that you would expect to eat in Spain. Grand Italian Ice gave us Strawberry, Chocolate and Vanilla custard along with Margarita, Orange and Lemon Italian Ice. I'm no foodie, but it was freaking delicious! Then we went to Safari Express, an East African restaurant that specializes in camel burgers. Although originally I was a little timid to try a camel burger, the first bite led me to realize that this lean meat was actually better than regular beefy burgers. Last and in this case least, we went to Salty Tart. Yes, Salty Tart is a bakery run by an award winning pastry chef and the chocolate chip cookie, and key lime and fig milk bread tarts made us salivate like dogs, but the rudeness of the employees totally turned me off. When we first arrived to the bakery, the man who appeared to be something like a shift-supervisor grumbled, "This better not take a long time, I have a lot of things to do. Anyway, weren't you supposed to be here earlier?". Umm... no, I had called and talked to the owner Michelle Gayer earlier in the week and sent her an email in which she complied to the 3 p.m. meeting time. It was not until I threatened that we could find another restaurant to feature that he finally gave us our sweets (although he yelled at us to sample them away from the restaurant). However, in all, the Midtown Global Market is a great place to go and have good time. You can experience new cultures, choose from a market of food options and find a new quirky outfit that most likely none of your friends will have. I went there to inform people about its greatness, and came back more convinced myself.

Why I Write

I never go home and say, I feel like writing. Well yes, occasionally it happens. I feel overwhelmed, my mind is in a clutter of thoughts and I should be doing a thousand different things, but instead I pick up and pencil and paper and just write. I let it flow.

I actually do enjoy writing, it is just I am not a very patient person. It is the same thing with drawing or painting. These things are time consuming, and unfortunately my lust over a great idea usually fades before I can finish or even start a project. However a reason I really enjoy writing class is because I am forced to write. Is that weird? I guess it sort of is. But needing to finish something that I will be punished for if I don't do, really is the kick in the butt I need.

What up dawg?

The inspiration for my paper due tomorrow, although it is already finished

Alexie’s essay gave me a better understanding of the type of paper we were supposed to compose. I was a tad flustered in the beginning because the range of writting possibilities made my mind explode. However, after reading Alexie’s  I was able to filter my thoughts and narrow down essay ideas to an amount that was countable on my fingers. Now done and satisfied with my essay, I find comfort in the fact that I can enjoy my Thursday night in relaxation.

P.S

My essay is about a spider poem.