I'll Take It As a Sign: Sweet Serendipity

I have always known one thing for certain: I am a dreamer. It’s not that I live in a world of fantasy, or even that I am impractical or unrealistic. I just try to have an open mind and hope that everything will turn out for the best. I am in love with serendiptous moments, because I believe the best things happen on accident. They aren't forced or planned, they just happen. But sometimes I get frustrated when I don't know where things or going or how to get where I want to be. I just want simple things to turn out well.

Like for instance, it would be great if I could sit down and write an essay with confidence. I love to write. So that clearly isn’t the problem. And I can see how far I have come since my first essay in second grade on rhinos. I could sit and analyze why I struggle writing with confidence until I have written an entire analysis paper on myself. But it would be much easier to simply tell you the only thing I know for certain about my writing: it is reflective of my personality. Sometimes I struggle to find my voice, just like how I sometimes struggle to find out about myself. I hate answering questions about how I would describe myself and what I like to do. Most of the time, I struggle to answer them because I don’t know how to describe myself or what I like to do. I just am this way. And I just do stuff.

I have weird quirks and sometimes I talk too much. Sometimes I say too little. I love being around people and laughing with my friends until I think I am going to cry. But I also love to be myself and write about everything. I write down funny things people say and keep them in my quote book. This is where I keep things that make me happy or make me think. Some of the things in my quote book make me hopeful for the future and what it has in store for me. I have no idea where I am going to end up or how I am going to get there. But at the moment I am more focused on figuring things out that are right in front of me. I need to know which way to turn right now.

When I sit down to write a paper I need all of my resources in front of me. For my rhetorical analysis essay I laid everything out on my desk and gathered my materials. The pages of the marked up article sat side by side with my CRJ in my notebook on the right side, so I could add to it. I had highlighters, markers, G2 Pens (the only kind of pen I will use for homework), a glass of ice water, my iPod (just in case I couldn’t tune out my obnoxiously loud family), and a hair binder. As I stared at the blinking cursor on the empty document, I thought about which way I wanted my paper to go. At the beginning of everything I write I think of where I want it to go and then try to get there. But sometimes I am limiting myself. I’ve realized that there is no one way in writing. There is a million different ways it could turn out and sometimes that is freighting, but most of the time it is exciting. With writing I can really get in the zone and tune the rest of the world out. It isn’t like math where I can get distracted and end up doing something else because I am so bored with trying to solve for the freaking X. In writing I get to control the outcome. If I got to choose the value of X, maybe I would like math more (but probably not).

In the end, no matter what grade I end up getting on a paper, if I feel get about how the paper turned out, then I was successful. Sometimes I stress out about whether or not other people will like my writing because in the words of Ms. Prokott, I don’t want people to think I have an Ugly Baby. But I’ve realized the writing process is hard and it’s messy and sometimes you end up having an Ugly Baby. Thankfully in writing you don’t have to be born with the genetics to produce a beautifully formed paragraph. You just have to keep writing. No matter what direction your writing is going in, you have to keep going if you ever want to get anywhere. I've learned it's okay to be a dreamer and hope for the best because in the end, you'll always end up where you are supposed to be. Somtimes you just have to set out without a destination and rely on serendipity.

Ask Me If I Like Cheese

Clearly guys and girls think differently. The problem is this can lead to awkward social situations when we try to interact. We both have different interpretations of what our interactions should be like. Guys want simple. Direct. To the point. Girls want to think out every last detail until there is perfect flow.

This can cause girls to get a bit antsy when guys don’t keep up with what we are thinking. Marie Digby expresses this feeling in her song “Stupid for You” saying “The proper thing to do is for me to act like a lady and wait for you to make the first move. But I don’t think you’re getting the point that it’s you that I want.” She recognizes that the lady like thing for her to do is to wait for him to do something. But let’s face it. That could take a lifetime.

Teddy Geiger seems to get this in his song “For You I Will (Confidence).” He talks about mustering up the confidence to tell the girl he likes her. Teddy sings, “Forgive me if I stutter from all the clutter in my head.” He shows us that it isn’t always easy from their end, but he is also putting himself out there by saying “I’m gonna muster every ounce of confidence I have. For you I will.”

In the movie She’s the Man, Viola (who is pretending to be her brother Sebastian) shows her roommate, Duke, how to interact with girls by giving him a “pretend” situation. She tells him that he can talk to her about anything, and if they have chemistry it will just flow. (See we like flow!) So she gives him a fake situation.

Viola: Ask me if I like cheese.

Duke: Um, ok. Do you uh like cheese?

Viola: Why yes I do, my favorite’s Gouda.

 

It seems like the silliest conversation starter. But it doesn’t matter, because it shows that when there is chemistry there it really does just flow. Later when Duke uses this line on another girl, she flat out ignores his question. This is because she wasn’t interested in Duke, she was interested in Sebastian (who is actually Viola).

Colbie Calliat says, “Sometimes the only things words do is get in the way. Sometimes the easiest things are the hardest to say” in her song “What I Wanted To Say.” In Jason Mraz and Tristan Prettyman’s “Shy That Way,” they talk about these shy moments. Tristan says, “Though I may not know the right things to say, I’ll get it out to you one day.” Like I said, we think differently, but when we really want to say something, we find a way. 

Things That Really Make My Clock Tick

There are some things that make me really impatient. I feel irritated and frustrated when I'm around these people. They really make my clock tick. 

• Overly judgmental people
• People that constantly complain
• When people don't say what they mean
• When people don't mean what they say
•  People that believe the world will end if they don't get an A
• When people make an awkward situation worse by saying "That was awkward..." (Yeah, we all know it was awkward)
• People that purposely make you feel stupid
• People that lie straight to your face even after you find out the truth
• When people generalize Americans as lazy and unmotivated
• When people don't try in school and then complain about their grades (The assignment is marked as an F because you didn't do it, not because the world hates you.)
• When people argue to earn back a single point
• When someone expects you to say something, but you expect them to say something, so nothing gets said. 

F*** This Bullshit, I Don't Wanna Be A Common Joe

The first time I saw Two Million Minutes, it had a great impact on me. It inspired me to work as hard as I could to ensure a great future for myself. So naturally I dropped Honors Communications a week later...? While English had always been my favorite, I wanted to succeed. Up until my second semester of my sophomore year, I believed that the only way I was going to succeed was if I went into math and science. I mean look at the Indian and Asian students in Two Million Minutes. Math and Science were their life.

 My decision to drop Honors Comm was impacted by my belief that math and science were going to be more important to me in the long run. Even then I knew that was a lie. I have thought about it over and over again since the day I switched. At the time I felt like a complete failure. I felt like the kids they described in “For Once, Blame the Student,” that lacked ambition and motivation.  Academically, I think I made the wrong decision. Personally, I think I made the best decision of my life.

I ended up getting a B+ and a B in math; grades that would have caused the Asian boy in Two Million Minutes to crawl up in a ball in his room. But I had one of the most inspirational math teachers I had ever had in my life. I wasn’t aware one could teach about math and life in the same course. My Communications teacher, Mrs. McIlmoyle, was one of the most incredible story tellers I had ever met in my life.

They were teachers that inspired me change not how high the bar was set, but where the bar was set. I have always cared about school. (Take that Patrick Welsh, this time you can’t “Blame it on the student.”)  I have always had the motivation, but I lacked the understanding of what it takes to get somewhere in life. I should be honest: I am not sure I know where I am going to end up in life. But like Mike Rose, “I Don’t Just Wanna Be Average,” and I have come a long way. He describes many people in “I Just Wanna Be Average” that really didn’t give a shit in Voc. Ed. This reminds me of some of the kids in my regular Comm class. Like Mike, I thought "Fuck this Bullshit, I don't wanna be a Common Joe." Ok maybe I didn't use those words, but I had similar frustrations. Maybe we were in the wrong place at the time, but in both situations I feel it was necessary for where we ended up.

As also shown in “I Just Wanna be Average,” teachers can sometimes be as big of role models as parents. We do spend Two Million Minutes with you guys…. That is enough to impact us and I don’t think Patrick Welsh takes that in to account. Two Million Minutes only speaks with the students and the parents. We NEVER once hear from their teachers. Don’t you think that says something? Teachers spend hours and hours out of their day to shape who we become, academically and sometimes otherwise.

I know I’m not the only American who cares. Our high schools are filled with students loading up on AP classes and devoting their life to getting into a respectable college. There are students in our AP Comp class that spend their ENTIRE day in AP Classes. I wouldn’t call that slacking… Maybe we aren’t spending every last second studying like the Asian and Indian students. But we are living our lives. With only short amount of time on this Earth we are striving to make an impact on this world, while enjoying the time we have here. 

Blogging, Unicycling, and Other Extreme Sports

In a world driven by thrill, we have become very hard to please. People want bigger, better, faster, stronger. We want new toys to excite and entertain us, whether we are five or forty five. The time for innovation and creativity is now. In the last half of a century we have stimulated the desire to create, design, and entertain.

We seek to please. Those who are labeled “People Pleasers” are often seeking to create their own self pleasure with a less direct route of fulfillment. In the business of entertaining this is a very vital concept. Entertainers are meant to bring joy to the audience, but in doing so they are bringing joy to themselves. Arenas, fields, and stadiums are filled with eager sports fans looking to enjoy a game. They are also filled with athletes with their own agenda.

The internet has become a well-known medium for the notion of self pleasure. It is one of biggest, if not the biggest, innovations by mankind. This has created a whole new source of entertainment, as well as a new place for entertainers to perform. The online world of entertainment has created new rhetoric that has become familiar to most people, whether you are a frequent user of the internet or a seldom browser. We have created new verbs such as, “Google it,” or “I just Tweeted…” Social networking has replaced, “Call me,” with “Facebook me.”  We are all familiar with, “Youtubers,” or frequent users of Youtube and those who upload videos. “Bloggers” are those who use blogs as a form of communication. Bloggers seek pleasure in writing about their interests, and reading the most notable blogs. They wish to entertain at the risk of going to the extremes to scream, “READ ME!”

Youtube is the epitome of online pleasure. It is filled with videos of people singing, attempting comedy, showing off their talents, and teaching others how to do what they do best. Every Youtuber is seeking to outshine the other. This is because we are aware that people want bigger, better, faster, stronger. We verge on extreme trying to fulfill our growing desires. Youtube is filled with videos of epic motocross crashes, 360˚ spins on snowboards, and even unicyclers showing off their street skills. Everyone wants their moment to shine, because we all believe we are extremely entertaining. 

Back to School Speech

Obama's speech was to encourage students to make the most of their time in school to create a better future. Several times he brings up the idea that "children are the future." His argument is strong when he puts in young people's minds that they have the ability to affect the future. He uses ethos in the very beginning of his speech in his acknowledgements. Right away he shows you his character when he acknowledges people like the principle and recognizes the high school as one of the best in the nation.

One of the first things I noticed was his pacing. Obama is a very slow but steady speaker. He makes frequent but brief pauses and his speed reflects the tone of his message. His tone is very sincere and friendly. This is a friendly encouragement opposed to a serious message about a topic such as war. This means his facial expressions and body language are more relaxed. His posture is very strong and confident.

Obama uses many gestures while he is speaking. He talks with his hands, and he uses them to emphasize certain points. I noticed he uses lists followed by further explanation. This helps people to organize the information in their minds and understand what he is saying.

He uses logos to tell young people that they can make a difference now and in the future. With this he uses logical appeals to show us what we can do to better the world now. He uses specific examples of young people that have done good deeds and have already been positively affecting society. This is used to encourage other young people to do the same by showing that it is possible. It is as if he is saying, "They have done it, therefore, you can do it too."

One of his examples is about a girl who helped with cancer research. There are people who actually work in cancer research that want to work with her. In his example he uses pathos because of the subject matter. It tugs at your emotions and makes you want to be able to make the same kind of difference. This is also an appeal to your ethics because it shows young people are capable of such things. You feel like you have an obligation to try to improve socitey as well.

At the end of his speech Obama says, "Your country is depending on you." He is using ethos because this is the center of the his argument, and he is telling young people that they should do well because the whole country is depending on them. This is revealing his motives for the speech. It also puts pressure on young people to do well in school because "we are the future." The implication is that if we succeed in school we will succeed in life, and we will have a better nation.