Spandexfannypackman.

I apologize in advance if this is your father. Or anyone else in relation to you. I know you wanted to see who it was that showed up to the car show that I mentioned in my post.



At least he has pretty clean looking shoes, right Rita? :D

Bad Ratings

So I'm not sure how many of you heard about the new show on NBC, Quarterlife. The show started out online with 10 minute episodes. It is supposed to be about this girl who is a writer. She also likes to blog about her life and her friends, according to the LA Times.

Apparently the ratings didn't go over too well. They had a positive feedback from the show online but not so much on TV.

I saw a few previews and made up my mind that I definitely wasn't going to watch it. Who wants to watch a TV show about someone blogging?

I like to read blogs but I don't think I'd watch someone on TV writing one.

*P.S. It just got canceled.

Charlie the Unicorn

Idea of Health

Remember the good old days when you got sick and if it took you a week to recover you weren't screwed? It probably hasn't happened since Junior High. You got to sleep, take copious amounts of medication, and not worry about the homework accumulating because the teachers would excuse what they could and give you a week to make up the rest. Usually, this got you out of quite a few boring P.E. periods.

Now, I don't get sick often, but when I do, watch out! It never fails to be a doozy. The worst part for me is knowing I have to come and give presentations and turn in reports, all the while, infecting poor innocent people right before Spring Break. (I hope I don't get lynched.)

I admit all of this seems bad. Or at least it used to. Now, my life has been put into perspective a bit. My uncle who has cancer lives with us. And all it takes to have him hospitalized is for him to get a cold from one of us. We have flat out been told if he catches the flu it'll probably kill him. If that doesn't make you appreciate the fact the bug you have could be worse, nothing will. So, next time I am sick and I have to go to class throughout it all. I am just going to be grateful I'm not stuck in a hospital bed waiting to die. Alternatives make our lives seem so much better, don't you think?

Workshop Fun

Seems like Monica's going to be leading the design aspect of the workshop tomorrow- Thank you! A few people have asked me about my street sign header, so I wanted to post that link along with some other generators anyone might be interested in exploring. For any of these you can save the image and upload in blogger under Layout> Page Elements> Header or just as a page element if you prefer.

Name your own airline!
Customized chocolate bar
The Writing is on the Chalkboard.
Alphabet Soup
Hollywood Sign (Christine M?)
Lightning words GIF
Pretzel font header
Your name in lights (there is a link under the graphic that says "put this on your blog")

I found most of these on The Generator Blog. Hope this helps someone.

Blogger Workshop

Hey class. I've mastered the header, figured out how to change your background and layout, and somewhat simplified the "Read More" link. Let me know if there is anything else anyone would want me to try to figure out by class tomorrow and I'll work on it.

Au revoir, Workshops (for now at least)

They may not have always been fun foryou, but the workshops have been productive and useful from where I sit. Not only are you learning how to talk intelligently and insightfully about popular criticism and discourse. You're also learning to be better readers of (and so writers about) the everyday world around you.

Patrick's blog mourns the long, slow decline of the indie music world in Ft. Myers. As Katie noted, there's a certain missed-the-party feel to all this, but it seems like maybe that's part of the point in the end?

Rita is, as her title promises, dabbling ... a lil bit of this, lil bit of that sort of thing. At times it feels a bit unfocused, not because dabbling is bad, but because the Florida angle sometimes seems like a stretch (can't people outside of Florida pick up pennies?). But as you noted today, Rita has an off-the-top-of-my-head style that pulls you in by seeming to sweep you up in a conversation that feels like it's been going on for a long time. Which is a good thing, in this case.

Richelle is perfecting a kind of hip-Miss Manners approach to authoritative lessons on style, in this case fashion, often painfully honest but never in bad taste (I do wonder if the blog title could be a bit pithier, though, in keeping with the writing style).

I was skeptical that a blog as wide-open and amorphously defined as Katy's would work, but she's pulling it off in most cases (plus I feel like I'm getting hipper by the post ... or, at any rate, I'm now officially trying to find a use for "yoinked" in my vocabulary).

Michelle seems to be discovering a niche within a much-blogged about topic. And maybe you're right that she needs some cheaper ways to go green, but I really do like those clocks.

Monica is wormholing her way through reality tv, a heroic effort given its ubiquity. I often felt a bit lost, but then I avoid RT at all costs (ok, except for that Bravo interior designer show and Kathy Griffin, whose personal website is really crummily designed, though perhaps that's an intentional reinforcement of the D-list idea?). Anyway, I've really enjoyed learning more about things like Grandma on the Gauntlet, and I don't know who wouldn't be entertained reading about people who are willing to be televised looking like this. I'm not sure I'll ever be any cooler for knowing about this dimension of pop culture (or using yoinked for that matter), but it's much more enjoyable for some of us to read about all this than sit through it on television.

So there's another use for blogging: performing a public service.

See you Thursday, portfolios in hand.

My Morning Revelation

Waking up this morning I realized that I did not feel well. Boo, I hate being sick, especially since it does not happen to me often. Then a thought occurred to me "Hey I can use this time at home to work on my blog!" How fabulous. I know that I have been neglecting my blog and this one but neither is on purpose, I simply just don't know what to write. With the upcoming midterm portfolio I now realize that my neglect my in fact effect my grade. I don't have too much to critique, especially for the class blog. Every day this week has made me worry just a little bit more. This is where good time management skills would come in handy, and while I thought I had them it suddenly appears that I do not. I never thought 15 credit hours would be so demanding. Well now I know for next semester I suppose. 

Slightly OT: Envelope Anxiety

For the past several weeks, I have been trapped in a frantic game of what’s-in-the-mailbox. Every single day I rush to check the mail as soon as I can (sometimes before the mail carrier has even driven away), to search for a certain envelope.

It started last semester. In early November I became a total nutcase, researching grad schools and filing applications. There were GRE scores to submit, transcripts to order (thanks for that ripoff, FGCU), CVs to write, and writing samples to revise, revise, revise.

Once the whole crazy process was finished, I was so relieved. About two solid months of fretting over deadlines and getting letters of recommendation back from my beloved (but busy and distracted) professors was finally over when, the first week of this semester, I put the last envelope in the mail.

I didn’t realize that was the easy part. Maybe a week after the dust settled I started getting antsy. I wanted to know who had received my application, what else I needed to do, and now, when I’m nearing the two-month mark on a few of my earlier apps, whether or not I’ve been accepted.

I can only hope to be distracted until I start hearing things. Thank heavens for Styles and Ways of Blogging. It may help me stay sane.

An Excited Thanks

It is workshopping day for me not only in this class, but in one more class. I enjoy workshopping and I don't know why. Many people have been afraid. I take that back, uncomfortable about dishing out comments on someone's blog and receiving them. For me, I am excited to hear what others have to say. I know you're probably asking me "WHY?” Well, I want to know what I am doing wrong because if nobody ever tells me this or that is bad, I will go on writing crappy stuff until it finally gets rejected harshly somewhere in my life.

I look at criticism as being a necessary tool for writers. The only exception to this rule is the untruthful criticism. Writers should not want to hear only the good stuff and when bad stuff is dished out, they should accept everything with open arms (Even if some people do nick pick to the point of belittling).

Again, I am excited about workshop and how all your criticism is going to help me in the future.

Coping

The instant I realized that my blog was coming under close scrutiny, I panicked. Suddenly, I couldn't write a single thing. I could start it in my head, but when I sat to type it, all my ideas dissipated. It seems a little to ridiculous to me. After all, we are all going through it. Everyone has offered constructive criticism. So, why can't I write? Did anyone else freeze up?

Dirty Lil' Secret

I love Project Runway. It’s one of the few reality shows that I watch weekly. Now it’s down to the nitty gritty with only four designers left standing; Chris, Jillian, Rami and Christian. There will be a face-off between Rami and Chris. Last week a tie resulted as to which one would be leaving the show. The true competition though is between Christian and Jillian. Both are innovators, pushers of the envelope and fast thinkers on their feet. Julian is a creative genius and made a dress out of Twizzlers. Christian has an uncanny flair for high fashion that even I like. I can appreciate their creativity and they love what they do.

I’ve missed our flash blog sessions. They remind me of those off the wall Runway assignments. Flash blogs force us to dig deep into those unconscious mental meanders that we only listen to with half an ear. Those intense flash blogs trains us to unleash the muse. We are forced to think on our “seats” and create something from anything that comes to mind. I wish we were allowed more than five minutes to craft a product. On Runway they get a few hours to work and they go shopping for materials with Tim Gunn.

If Harrison tells us to write something Avant Garde or something with an old Americana flavor I bet we could. Bet we could do it with as much “fierceness” as any of the Runway designers.

I get a giggle thinking of Harrison walking around the classroom saying over our shoulders “Hmmm…Just make it Fabulous.”

Cell phone leads to Ticket

Okay. So, yesterday I had a small run in with the campus police. I was just minding my own business on my way to the gym, when those flashy lights pulled up behind me. I thought, “Oh, great. Just what I need,” (okay there were some curse words too, but I’ll leave those out). Okay. Fine. The officer was justified in pulling me over; I had not come to a complete stop at the stop sign. I wasn’t mad at the police officer, I was mad at myself. I mean, I saw the cop car, but I was too busy talking on my cell phone to process the information: That is an officer of the law; you should probably be coming to a complete stop here. Anyhow, it got me thinking about how many similar situations and accidents are caused because of cell phones. I try not to text and drive, but I do know a lot of people who think they’ve got this skill “mastered.” I wonder how much more dangerous the roads have become since the invention of the cell-phone, and the now popular text messaging?

Portfolios

I really hate critiquing myself because it ultimately comes down to this... you are your worst critic, right?

The midterm portfolios have been interesting. It has been tough to critique myself from the beginning up until now. I think that most of us are still getting into the groove of things and trying to keep up with four or more blogs; in which time has been the worst of it.

I do however think that the workshops have been a great added value to have before we turn in our portfolios. We essentially get to utilize the criticism that maybe we didn’t see before and incorporate these critiques into some of the issues for our portfolios.

Do any of you have any other added tips for Midterm Portfolios?

without oxygen.

The air conditioning is broken. I am sitting in my apartment without any air flow. I'm not really sure how I am functioning with next to no oxygen. While contemplating this, my thought process (randomly) brought me to thinking of how blogs have gotten to be a big deal. Not only am I enrolled in a blogging class offered at my university, but it is beginning to permeate my brain. I was halfway paying attention to a conversation between two of my friends last night, when they started discussing workout routines. That's when Hayley said, "I think I am going to start jogging." The last few letters of "--ogging" must have caught my attention and I responded. "Blogging? Really? I didn't know you would like to do that." Cue the confused looks in response to my words.

The internet sensation has become a staple to everyday life, almost as important as having the air on in your apartment. When I returned home today to realize the air conditioning issue, the thought actually ran through my mind, "I would rather the air be out than the internet."

What Kind Words May Do

This morning I had time to do two things at once: sipping an espresso and reading a magazine/newspaper. The magazine at play was the current issue of the Rolling Stones, and the article, written by Nicole Frehsée, was about the Flyleaf, group that seems having sold one million copies of Flyleaf.

The article reported that Lacey Mosley, the band’s singer, has had a hectic past. When Mosley was still a teenager, she was a drinker and a drug user. She hated everyone and she ended up having many problems in school, until, after a fight with her grandmother, she entered a church.

Frehsée reports Mosley saying, “The deacon took me by the arm and said, ‘God knows your pain, and he wants to take it from you.’ I felt something happen in me, and I had to listen.”

Most probably, the deacon saved Mosley’s life. Is it not wonderful? I am not a very religious person, but if I imagine myself in Mosley’s shoes, I would melt at hearing the poetic statement. But what if he just said something like, “Oh poor thing, Mrs. Mosley, believe in God, would you?” Both statements contain, more or less, the same meaning. It is just that the language used is different. The idea may be, in both statements, a great idea, but the first statement – that is, the original – is certainly more effective than the latter I made up. The deacon, crafting the idea about believing in God, saved the singer’s life, perhaps. Maybe he saved other people as well.

If I think about it... he could save me too.

Fast Food Knowledge

This semester is the first time I have been able to access the internet from where I live. On most days I wake up and log online, overjoyed with the knowledge that I can find the answer to anything my brain can think up.
I can look up Cold War factoids, I can discover new authors and poets, I can do anything.

But as soon as I sign online, some childish impulse rears its head, and I end up on You-Tube typing in obscure bands and watching old videos. Hours later it's too late to do what I originally intended and I walk away from the computer heavy and groggy, not remembering anything I looked at.Even when I do manage to find a site that interests me, I soon forget much of what I've read about.

Maybe I'm just old fashioned but I find a book to be ultimately more fulfilling than reading content online. A book is real,it has weight and has been stamped with the printed word. You can see and read the printed words on the page-and for whatever reason those words seem to have more of an impact than words on a screen.

On Hating Blogger

See my previous post (immediately below) for one of my biggest problems with Blogger. Adding offset quotations effectively ruined the text formatting for the rest of my post. I know it's still readable, but my closing lines look too much like the quotation above, which doesn't look enough like the first paragraphs. Does anyone else have this problem when using the " button?

NOTE: The problem may be with my browser. If the formatting appears normal in your browser, please disregard my whining. Thank you.

Punch and Judy

"The Living Blog: Apocalypse" succeeds in every way it can. The acting is convincing, the plot is intriguing, and the apocalyptic video montages are impressive and powerful. Dr. Brock, Taylor, and Katelyn provide a moving triad of psychological action that manages to totally enthrall, despite the shiny distraction of Brock's spot-lit baldness.

For all of its theatrical genius, "The Living Blog" is marred almost irreparably by the obnoxious and grating antics of Punch and Judy. The pair rudely invade the foreground a total of four times, accompanied by an entourage of tuneless singing jesters that belongs in some horrific rendition of "Barney and Friends in the Sixteenth Century." It's tasteless. It's annoying. This is the point, however. According to the program:

Punch and Judy assault the performance in ways that reflect a user's experience of almost any commercially-based webpage. [They] are the nagging adds that compete for your attention.

The night I attended, there was no competition. By the fourth ridiculous Punch and Judy skit I was torn between heckling the puppeteers and walking out of the theater. It was overkill. The play's conclusion, however, was devastating and genuinely surprising; it was just enough to make suffering through Punch and his pitiful minstrels worthwhile.

Thursday's workshop blogs

Up first, Barbara. The writing is natural and self-assured here, so much so that I left wishing for more trenchant insights ... for MORE, period. You all agreed the Busch Gardens post was effective (save for the "Bush" problem). I agreee, but not only because puke stories can be entertaining. Additionally, this post creatively used personal experience to ask a really interesting question about when pleasures (in this case, drinking and thrill seeking) collide. I hope we can look forward to more in this line.

Brandon joins the busy world of game blogs, focusing on a more theoretical or abstract engagement with the conceptual dimension of games. I wish the posts weren't so often jumpers, but the level of engagement here ranges from impressive to heroic.

Heather seems to be on the right track pushing into the depths of lyrics and song styles without losing a sense of whimsicality.

Rachel likes to live on the edge, and clearly knows how to sharpen the point. Meanwhile, Anna seems to be interested in the "as others see you" angle of multicultural American life. Some of the generalizations puzzle me (for instance, where all these Americans obsessed with grammar and why don't they sign up for my courses?). But we could all do with more reminders that assumptions about the other can be tricky and fraught.

Finally the Craft Punk. Whoever said reading this blog is like being able to craft vicariously was exactly right. I have no desire to ever make my own head, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading the Craft Punk's account of said project. I don’t ever want to craft but I know now why someone else might. Oh dearie me, indeed.

Workshop homestretch

Workshops are some of the most difficult things to do well. We started off uncommonly strong so it's inevitable there would be some unevenness, given enough time. Thursday's workshops were mostly effective and insightful.

Now, however, may be a good time to reinforce the concept of balance and perspective. Pointing out grammatical errors is absolutely NOT off limits. "Readability" (as in, "it's ungrammatical but I can still figure out what he's saying") is not enough (if that were the standard, there would be no need for toddlers to master more than basic babble). Instead, ask: Is it well written in ways that serve the blog's aims and audience: both stylistically and mechanically, aesthetically and formally? For workshops, the question is where to you place the brunt of your emphasis. Unless grammatical problems are prohibitive, they're probably not the best use of your limited workshop time. Comment briefly and move on.

Tone, of course, is also key. Workshops in a group setting work best when comments are addressed to the room generally, not to the person directly. Keep the focus on the writing and ideas, not the writer or personalities involved. And as you all have been doing in most cases, invite feedback and remember that workshops are to some extent subjective. There could be other ways to do somethng. Your workshops have been most successful when you all cordially disagree with one another about what best practices may or may not include for a particular blog. Insofar as the exceptions so far have been rare, carry on.

The Heat Is On

Several times a week I smile at the window that displays the fine words, “Your blog post published successfully!” It's a sign of satisfaction for some and a relief of making a deadline for others. We all know what it feels like to be bloggers by now.

When we began workshopping I thought it would be a rather interesting experience. To my surprise though, I've felt like some have really become too nit-picky. I understand that this is an advanced English course, but we are not talking about writing novels, we are discussing blogs. Yes, point out the grammar problems. Point out the misspelled words and the fragments of sentences, but don't criticize someone for their style unless it really is a problem and their readability is at stake. If you don't care for someones layout, suggest they do something else with it rather than say it “just doesn't work.” Yesterday Rachel brought up the point that Brandon's new layout had problems and that his old one might have worked better. This is a positive suggestion.

Workshops are meant to be helpful to the writer. I have yet to be workshopped or present a workshop, but I know that as I sat in class on several occasions I felt like the blogger was being attacked in a way. The mood in this class is normally somewhat relaxed, and we should try to keep it that way.

An Interesting Read

A case of writers block on Tuesday found me sitting on the floor in front of my bookshelf trying to straighten the darn thing. Even thinking optimistically, it was an impossible task, as the bookshelf is much too small for my massive collection of books.

Sorting through the tall stacks of texts in search of the bookshelf, I found several brand-spanking-new tomes that I had received for Christmas: never been opened, still with that crisp, new book smell.

As I perused them, flipping through the stiff new pages, I wondered momentarily why I hadn’t cracked them open yet. I’m a bit psycho about always having new reading material around, and I’m usually in the middle of two or three books at any given time.

So why did these oh-so-tempting books remain unread?

The answer is that I’ve got plenty of interesting reading right at my fingertips. I find myself clicking through the class blogs when I have free time rather than settling down with a novel of my own. And oh, the variety! I’m not stuck with the nine-hundred plus pages of Dickens or Clavell, I can look at whatever I feel like: entertainment news, music, fashion, sports, even crafts. Now if I could just get better at commenting on all of them!

Bravo to you all for the fine work! Thank you all for being so engaging and interesting that I’ve forgotten to miss my books.

Work Shopping From A More Technical Angle

Help! So I would love if we could do a workshop on the more technical side of our blogs. Everyone has helped me so much with ideas just talking out side of class and I think a workshop format would really help me and anyone else with questions.

For instants all those cool things like posting u-tube videos, adding an option for emailing at the bottom of your post, hit counters, and so many other things that I’m sure I could figure out but am just too blond to comprehend.

Please. Your thoughts and comments would be greatly appreciated, especially since we would have to pull this together by next Thursday.

Workshops

Is it just me or do the workshops seem to be getting jabby? By jabby I mean one person will say something pertaining to another's blog and the person under critique returns a barely collected calm response. But I know what said person under critique wants to really say, they want to say: (insert churlish deprecating remark here).

Don't get me wrong, I love it. I find the whole thing interesting, especially when people in class defend or go against the critiques of the presenting groups.

I just find it funny that the first workshop was a very polite-the training wheels are on-affair. But since then all the workshops after have been progressively more vocal, which I find to be a good thing.

Creating headers...

I'm not the most technologically savvy person out there, so if I can do it, anyone can.

I just spent a few minutes playing around on paint (yes paint, the more basic image creating/editing program EVER) with an image, altering the size to what I estimated was about right for a header. Then I threw some text on it and saved the image.

THEN, I went to layout on the dashboard screen and clicked edit next to the header frame.
I uploaded my image,
checked "instead of title and description" under placement,
checked "shrink to fit,"
and clicked "save changes."
DONE.

It's not the most sophisticated header ever, but I made it, not Blogger, and I am damn proud.

Tickets Please

I forgot to post my review of The Living Blog. My sweetie and I attended the Sunday matinee show and I’m glad we did.

Taylor you were fabulous. I felt your character’s disdain, disgust and abject pain as you described a horrific tour of duty. I wanted to hug you and smack the crap out of the headshrinker that just wasn’t getting it. (How much satisfaction did you get tossing Brock around? Come on you can tell us.) The play was riveting even if there were parts that left me scratching my head in bemused confusion. (Who was that tiny nymph?) The way Brock’s character spoke to the female lead (I can’t remember her name) reminded me of every male boss I’d had that treated me like a blathering idiot. (Yeah I wanted to smack him really bad.) I did like how her character grew stronger and more confident until she was the one in power, the one in charge and Brock’s character cowered at her feet.

Punch and Judy’s show was a bit of sly comical genius. I for one love any and all digs at the expense of our fearless leader (“fool me can’t get fooled again” Ha!) The commentary hidden within the laughs of those skits was very timely and well done.

The play had me thinking and feeling long after I’d left the campus. I wish I could see a recording of it so I can analyze it in greater detail.

Jim Brock’s performance was a surprising delight to witness.

For those of you who didn’t get to see Living Blog you missed a good show.

It feels so good!

Our two classes that we get to miss for no explained reason is great. But here is my problem: I’m set on a schedule for my blog. I am not sure if anyone has noticed (looking at comments, or lack thereof on my blog, I’d say not a lot have) that I pretty much post Monday through Thursday. Those are the days where I have a little bit of time to do a little bit of posting and thinking.

Tomorrow is Thursday. I can’t post tomorrow. My boyfriend’s parents are coming into town so I’ve decided to skip class for once. I am a little upset I’m going to miss the workshops though. No lie.

Getting back to my point, what can I do about posting? Well, I’ve already written a post for tomorrow. That’s my secret. It feels so good to just copy and paste that post into the compose screen and hit Publish. I’m not sure if you’ve ever tried it yet. But let me tell you, it is a feeling of satisfaction. If I had enough time I’d write all of my posts for the rest of the semester at once.
If you haven’t done it yet you should at least try it!

Copy, Paste, Publish…(it even sounds good)

Just Words

In blogs, words are important and sometimes powerful. Words can be the thing that brings a reader back to your blog. While workshopping during these couple of weeks, spoken words have been important because it has helped to capture the class attention and has evoked comments. It is not from one spoken word, but from a few spoken words.

Below is a video of Cedric the Entertainer stating a poem he wrote about the spoken word, words that first had to be written. It really got me thinking. Tell me what you think.

Required reading for anyone with a blog:

http://maddox.xmission.com/c.cgi?u=banish

If you consider the content critically, you can really learn a lot about what separates good blogging from bad blogging.

Note: Maddox hates the world, so don't allow his opinions or crass humor to offend you. Take it as vulgar, constructive criticism.

Regarding semicolons

Quick: what's the rule for using semicolons properly? If you don't know (and you should), and if you can't find your Transitive Vampire, try the NYC Subway.

Update: Via Andrew Sullivan, don't miss the Semicolon Appreciation Society.

There’s a New Disease!!

Is there such a thing called selective reading? You know something like selective hearing. I know it sounds funny, but I am serious. Some people reading this post will probably look over it because they don’t like the title. That is selective reading. They may also skip the title and look for key words in a post. That is selective reading.

If you don’t believe me, think of the last time you read every post in this blog. That is probably never because you began reading a post and half way through it you decide to stop reading it. I know it might sound crazy, but I believe selective reading is real and just has not been diagnosed. I also believe everyone has symptoms of this disease. So the next time you cruise through a blog, try to medicate your selective reading disease by reading the whole post.

Very much appreciated

I'm looking forward to the day where I can proudly own a blog with no faults. It seems that there is always something that you don't quite see yourself.

Hopefully more days like today will help me get there. I'll now make a strong effort to make sure my posts from this day forward are easily understood by the clueless sports fan.

It was tough to stand up there and critique a classmate so closely while they are sitting right in front of you, but I actually really appreciated the experience. It wasn't nearly as difficult as I had anticipated and I wasn't completely embarrassed as I feared may happen.

Good work today Tiffany and Anthony. I'll surely be an avid reader of your blogs for the remainder of the season. Whoops, semester.

Post-workshop roundup

Another solid workshop today.

Tiffany has managed to speak with authority and verve to outsiders about tattooing but without playing the aw-shucks card that rings so false so fast (and tattooed dog bellies is definitely my Lesson for the Week). Anthony has a take-no-prisoners style, which – as you all noted – can be alienating at times, but it seems fitting to the blood-sport sensibility of gaming. And his ability to treat popular and more specialized topics helps offset the tendency toward wormholing.

I agree with the general consensus that Todd's writing about poetry manages to bring us as his readers up to his insightful and mostly graceful level (sometimes, I do think the prose gets a little, uhm, viscous). It's no small feat to make poetry accessible and (gasp!) fun for the masses.

Confession: I'm not a sports guy (quelle surprise!), and I was prepared to struggle with Mike's blog. But Mike seems to get what most sports commentators never learned: how to convey what excites him about sports so that the rest of us can understand. I thought his commentary about That Pass was super smart: I don't know a full-court press from a zamboni but yeah ... I get what makes this pass good. And finally, Kim gives us the view from other side of the well. Kim's blog makes the ins and outs of bartending accessible and doesn't take itself so seriously that we feel like it's a work to read about her job.

Roud Round three, Thursday.

What's your name again?

Today I came to class short of breath and no patience. I was running around since 9 a.m. taking my boyfriends roommate, Tommy, to the Naples Urgent Care because he didn’t feel well. After sitting in a germ infested room with about 15 other patients for 3 hours we finally left. On my way to class I dropped off his prescriptions and planned on picking them up after our class.

After attending class in my PJ’s, I rushed back to Publix to get the prescriptions. I told the lady behind the counter Tommy's name. She couldn’t find it; His last name is italian and I wasn't about to attempt the spelling. Then she came across it. Only instead of it saying “Tommy” it said “Tammy.”

How bizarre.

Don’t get me wrong. I do understand that doctor’s handwritings aren’t the greatest. BUT if you are a pharmacist and you are filling a prescription for a particular individual I would assume you would know the difference between “Tommy” and “Tammy.”

I get it that people make mistakes but this could be a huge mistake for someone who isn’t supposed to make mistakes. Yeah, no one is perfect but pharmacists are supposed to go over things again and again to make sure there aren’t any mistakes. I guess I should be thankful it wasn’t a life threatening mistake.

After all, my grandmother still writes “Mitchelle” on my birthday cards instead of “Michelle.” And I can’t tell you how many times people have called me “Michael.”

Say no to quizzes!

This is a petition to maintain our current record of zero quizzes. My reasoning is simple. I have talked to numerous people who have been busting their butts doing the reading and their blogging. Many of them aren’t good at quizzes. It’s feasible that those who read could end up as bad off as those who didn’t. Quizzes won’t motivate those who aren’t doing the readings and they could screw over those who are.

It’s enough that those who fail to do the homework will not pick up any helpful tips on blogging from the readings. Those who do the assigned work will obviously benefit from the information contained therein. The more we are exposed to that type of writing the easier it is to mimic.

A third factor, is the adult factor. It’s a senior English class. So, it’s safe to assume that everyone in the class is at least eighteen. That means, it is time that people quit looking over our shoulder and let us succeed or fail on our own merits. Either we will find a way to do the homework amidst our schedules jammed with work, kids, elderly parents, ill relatives, and our hobbies, or we won’t. Emergencies arise and we’re adults who know how to prioritize or need to learn how. Babysitting us is not going to help us learn that life skill.

SIGN YOUR NAME USING THE COMMENT BUTTON IF YOU ARE WITH ME! WRITE NO TO QUIZZES! IT’S THE JOY OF A DEMOCRACY.

Blogs: Respectable AND legitimate

That's the verdict of one contributor at DailyKos, anyway. The post goes on for some time, but it's worth skimming, especially for the link to that 2005 Jay Rosen article on blogging.

HOORAH

I have a new-found respect for those of you who presented on Thursday. I’ve spent all day going through my assigned blog, and it’s tough answering some of the questions on the worksheet. It’s difficult to balance the positive with the negative, and even more so to offer valid ways for the author to improve. I won’t lie, I thought I would be able to get through the handout in an hour or so, and yet here it is at 6:30 and I’m still wading through it; trying to produce the most cohesive answers possible because I would want someone to do the same for me. Since I had only glazed over the handout prior to the first workshop, I didn’t really appreciate the time and effort that went into making the presentations as productive as they were, and I just wanted to give you all a HOORAH for doing such an outstanding job, and given my new-found perspective I can only hope that my group will do as well.

Too Little Time

I sometimes feel that four blogs or more is tough to keep up with. This class is by far my toughest class because of all the work, readings, and presentations. However, please don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy all that this class is made up of. I just wish I had more time to devote to it. It's funny how I will sit in front of the computer and ponder as to what I'm going to blog about this time. I almost feel as though I am being forced to blog rather than it just coming naturally. I suppose with time it will get easier. I am just so impatient and want it to all come together now. Anyway, do any of you feel a little frustrated as well or am I the only one?

Aftermath of the First Workshop

I enjoyed the first workshop! Both groups did a good job in interpreting and looking closely at their assigned blogs. Both groups were confident in talking about their peers’ blogs. That means they spent some time thinking of them. I loved Dr. Harrison’s insight because his words were more those of a friend than those of a teacher. Then, his prose is always enlightening, an enjoyment, from the first sound to the last!

In this class, I was looking for (some) humanity – feelings, emotions, thoughts, ideas, everything intangible related to the human experience – for I don’t find it very often in America. (Please, don’t get me wrong, but Americans are very self-absorbed and recluse in their own world and mine is not meant to be a critique, it is only a short – and somehow shallow – analysis of the American people). But I found it among you folk! Yes I did, and I am pleased, and it is refreshing because for a few years only silence surrounded me (given the lack of communication between two different culture, mine and yours).

I am discovering that yes I can still talk, share, and I can… write. I am discovering that I am not lost anymore. Perhaps, from now on, I will put down my roots in this land. I am happy. And you can see, mine is more a confession than a simple post. It is more a stream of consciousness than a thoughtful response to the first workshop.

The Need to Spice It Up

Posting frequently is one thing, but spicing up your blog is another. I attempt to be conversational in my blog, but for some reason I feel besides the words, the blog isn’t spicy enough. I’m not talking about recipes or highlighting the background in flames, I’m talking about adding pictures. Each time I add a picture I end up deleting it. I feel like it takes too much from what I just wrote.

This week on my personal blog, I decided to add a picture to space it up and break up just words. Do I feel accomplished? Nope, I realized that the picture does not match the rest of my blog background. So I then thought about my background choice. Can I change the color to make it spicy? The answer I came up with was… no.

I finally decided the best thing to do is do what I love. I am not a person who enjoys pictures on my blog. I like the writing, but every once in a while there might be a reason to incorporate a picture into one of my entries. So I would like some advice from the readers of this blog, how do you spice up your blog?

Breaking the Comment Crust

I admit it. I am much more likely to post a comment on a post that has already accumulated at least one other. It somehow seems less intrusive, critical, and deferent to add a clever little quip beneath several others than to initiate a comment thread myself. I don't want to seem like I am pointedly proclaiming my involvement in the class. Thus a casual little blurb with an exclamation point seems more natural than the multiple paragraphs of commentary that often take their place as comment #1. Some of you may have noticed this trend: a huge response sits on the top and each successive comment is a little shorter, a little cuter, and a little less coherent.

What am I afraid of? Seeming overzealous? Why can't I just break the crust confidently and obliterate the blank stare of "0 comments," giving it infinitely more?

Propagandize This!

Something has been bothering me since last Tuesday's class. I'm not sure whether it was the parade of political blogs we were forced to read, the liberal slants we were encouraged to idolize, or the way Dr. Harrison rhapsodized Ezra Klein's bombastic gushing over Barack Obama that irked me so, but the latter was most unsettling.

It just seemed out of place. After a lengthy discussion of the differences between recounting, reacting, and engaging, we (as a class) determined that the best blogs engage. They treat on a particular subject with incision and depth, incorporating other opinions, examples, references, and resources to stimulate an online discussion of their topic with the internet world.

Harrison cited the second paragraph of Klein's post as a perfect example of engagement. In it he waxes poetic about Obama's skill as an orator. Search the words yourselves. Nowhere in the post does Klein step one foot outside his own opinion. It is well written, and tactically so; despite his own subjective praises he manages to use the first person only once - "I've". This is rhetorically deceiving. It tricks us into thinking we are seeing facts. But even if we were, how would even that be engaging? Does Harrison really believe this to be exemplary of the best blogging practices, or is it just a cheap way to indoctrinate us with pro-Obama hogwash? Am I stimulating an online discussion with all of these question marks?
?????

Thoughts From a Daily Poster

After reading Morgan’s latest post and hearing people express amazement at my daily posts in workshop this week, I started thinking about how I manage it. Sometimes, I don’t. I do think that my topic makes frequent posts easier, since there is always something new going on to talk about. Everyone else’s blogs really amaze me—most of you have to pull your topics almost completely from your own heads, which has to be pretty difficult.

I think my blogroll has made me more efficient. Since entertainment news was already something that interested me, I used to waste a lot of time looking for it. Now that I have a handful of websites that catch most of what I want to talk about, I spend way less time trying to find stuff to post about.

I also keep a word document on my computer of ideas for posts. I’ll just write a quick paragraph about something when an idea strikes me. These are the things I can put up on days when there is nothing new going on that I want to talk about. That’s probably been the most helpful thing for me, a stockpile of posts that aren’t time-sensitive and can be used on the days that I either have no time to find something new or there’s nothing new to find.

Comment Deficiency

Its nearing 3 a.m., and I have no idea why I am still awake. So rather than waste my time on Myspace or lay (or is it lie... I never can remember) awake listening to the frogs who have taken up residence near my pool, I decide to blog. Posting to my blog was easy, and from there I decided to get acquainted with the writings of some of my classmates. I will admit to slacking on comments. Sometimes, I have every intention of commenting on your blogs, I promise, but I worry that it will be too fluffy or bland. Anyway- tonight I successfully commented to at least half a dozen, and I can really say that I am thoroughly enjoying all the blogs that I have read.

Tonight, I noticed something that made me a little disappointed. Apparently, I'm not the only one slacking on comments. There are a few blogs that have many great posts, but very few comments.

Why aren't we commenting on our classmates' blogs? I am planning on discussing this when my group presents on Tuesday, so I thought I might give you all a heads up. Is it because we can't relate to some of the other blogs? Is it because we are afraid of what to say, or how it might be interpreted? Or are we just being lazy and not getting through the roll like we should?

Food for thought- and yes, you will be quizzed on Tuesday. Have a nice weekend.

Stop! iPod Time!

After reading Christine's post about her iPod and talking about it with others, I really wanted to see what my iPod had to say about myself. I haven't used my iPod in probably a year, so it took me a while to find it. Once I did I began to browse, and it brought back some strange memories. I haven't updated it in probably 18+ months, so all the music was pretty old, but I found myself listening to these jams for a couple of hours. As I scrolled through I jammed out to Britney Spears, Madonna, Janes Addiction and Mike Jones. I came to one band in particular that I just had to stop and laugh at. The Spice Girls. How cool was that? I had totally forgot that at one point in my life (a very long time ago, of course) I really wanted to be Sporty Spice when I grew up.

To me, music can really tell a story about who someone is. If a picture is worth a thousand words, an iPod list may be worth a million. IPods can tell a story about the evolution of a person based on their musical preferences. You may see me crusin' around campus in my car listening to Ludacris or 2Pac, but deep down inside you now know that all I really want is to “zig a zag ah.”

Habits

I was truly inspired by our workshop the other day in class.

I will now post every day (fingers crossed).

Well, perhaps not. But Christine’s daily post were a true inspiration. And taking a closer look at every ones blogs helped give me some other good ideas for my posting habits.

Speaking of habits, lifehack.org had an interesting post, “18 tricks to make new habits stick”. A habit sticks after a month. So they say.

So my theory: it you can post every day for 30 days your home free for the rest of semester (though that's like the rest of the semester, oh well, I tried)

Rave Reviews

Being the theatre aficionado and staunch FGCU theatre department supporter that I am,
I was at the Black Box Wednesday evening for opening night of “The Living Blog.”

What do I have to say about it? Four words:

You need to go.

Yes, you. Look at your calendars, pick out a date, and go. Barry Cavin has really outdone himself on this one.

“The Living Blog” is a marvelous bit of brain candy: startlingly literary in all of its symbols and references to the book of Revelation. Cavin utilizes puppetry and video montage interspersed with live performance to form an unconventional and poignant work that calls attention to immediate political and global issues, satirizes the choices of some of America’s political figures, and lofts a rather hefty question at the audience: Is it possible for us to change the world?

It’s not exactly your ordinary night at the theatre.

Be prepared to think. Be prepared to laugh. Be prepared to be mystified, and, at times, slightly uncomfortable. Be prepared to possibly make plans to see it again: half of it went over my head I’m sure.

And finally, because I’m the curious sort, be prepared to let me, and the class, know what you thought of it.

I eagerly await your opinions!

Begging for Tips

I enjoy going to restaurants. I like sitting down for dinner and somebody else taking care what I need. The best part is no clean up. Wouldn’t you agree? So after it’s all said and done, I tip and I tip really well. I feel that when someone is running around and is trying to do whatever they can to make you happy, this is a wonderful service and they deserve a big fat tip.

One thing I don’t understand though is how waiting in line at Subway or Moe’s constitutes for a tip? I really feel as if it is more of a begging effort then a service. I also feel that carry out services are a little bit of the same way and I am tired of looking like a bad guy because I don’t tip a good 20%. I mean what is this world coming to? It seems as if everyone has their hands out wanting more. Well I am sorry, but what about the rest of the world that works and makes the same amount of money. You don’t see a tip box at the DMV or the Bank tellers at Bank of America. I am tired of feeling obligated to tip at places that aren’t making $2.13 and hour.

The whole reason why I go to fast food places is because I don’t have to worry about being waited on or tipping. Wouldn't you agree?

valid evaluation.

Both groups that presented today did a really good job work shopping. Not that I am biased since I was part of one half of today's presentation. :) I would just like to point out a concern of mine for the presentations to come. Judging from some feedback today I felt it was important to mention this again.

****Be completely familiar with the blog you are responsible for reading.

We are all open to constructive criticism, but I am aware of some participants receiving confusing critiques. A problem with a blog was a lack of hyperlinks, which contradicted their group's presentation comment on their ample amount of hyperlinks on the same blog. It leads me to believe that some aren't as familiar with the blog they are critiquing as they should be, which takes credibility away from any other analysis.

So for everyone's sake, make your workshop count! Know your stuff! These workshops should be useful for everyone. :)

All you need is: a credit card?

I am all for spending a day rejoicing in an emotion often viewed as the most powerful in the universe. There is just one tiny problem. I don't feel that Valentine's Day adequately does so. It has become a commercialized free for all limited to two things: love between couples and expensive, thoughtless gifts.

I'm not denying that romantic love is an important aspect of love. But it is just that, an aspect. There are many other kinds of love that are equally important. Have you ever tried to find a card for friends and relatives for Valentines Day? It is not as easy as you would think. Sure, one or two located after a long search is likely. But the odds that the card will adequately express your sentiments is less so..

Then, there is the price of flowers and chocolate in February. It does not cost $50 dollars for a dozen roses at any other time. It's nuts! Poor men fork over hundreds when something less expensive, but personalized would do. Every year, I think it could be the year where people wake-up to the deficiency's of the holiday, and begin to celebrate it as it should be. There is hope that people might discover a more meaningful way to celebrate, with more individuals than just their significant other.

Mostly dazzling

I've just spent some time doing my homework for today's class, and have been mostly dazzled by the work many of you are doing.

Patrick already alluded to this haunting image that Eugenia posted recently, but it's worth mentioning again (she really has an eye for capturing powerful moments without overplaying her hand and slipping into sentimentality or absurdism, which I gather must be much more difficult to do than it appears). Meagan and Morgan, meanwhile, are smartly (and sometimes playfully) mining their workaday lives for insights into our orrdinary world and everyday selves. I often imagine scenarios that account for students' absences from class, but Lisa (aka Subversive Sistah) has given me perhaps the most vivid one yet: sitting in a Lehigh Acres smoothie bar with a flat tire (plus, thanks to the post's title, I've been singing Madonna's "Who's that Girl" all morning now). And Christine is rapidly proving that it's still possible to write interestingly about ubiquitous topics like pop culture and entertainment (and I still heart Christine's blog title).

Perhaps the most rewarding part of this latest spin through some of your blogging is seeing how gracefully many of you are managing to make class assignments and homework look natural ... as though it's just another day at work in the blogosphere. I realize the schedule you're on with the syllabus can seem regimented and artificial for a medium that thrives on the spontaneous and what one might call an off-the-top-of-my-headism - styles that can be sabotaged if they're forced too hard, I know. But sometimes the prose that seems the most effortless is actually the "gift of screws," as Dickinson (in a slightly different context) described the difficult process of distilling thoughts into words.

If you find yourself chafing at this or that part of the classwork, take it as a sign that you're being pushed out of your comfort zones - an inevitability for all of us who have yet to attain the status of The Perfect Writer. And since you know the torture won't last forever, you can use the pressure productively, safe in knowledge that this too shall pass but that when it does you'll probably be a better blogger (and writer in general) for the discomfort.

Stripper Talk

Regardless of all the bitching some of us are doing about blogging and writing in general, it seems that the more we do it, the easier the process is getting. Am I alone in thinking this? Here we are at week six and I’m sure many of us are more comfortable facing our blogs than we used to be. I’m not talking about the deciding on what to write. That can still be a challenge. But once we have something in mind it should be simple (simpler?) for us to open a Word document and fill that white space. Okay sometimes it’s not. Sometimes I feel myself holding back and playing it safe. Sometimes I’m more concerned with what the reader will think of me rather than what they will think about what I’ve written. That’s ego isn’t it? Should ego be a part of the writing process? A trip to the bookcase and a visit to Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones helped shed some light.

[page 36] Let go of everything when you write, and try at a simple beginning with simple words to express what you have inside. It won't begin smoothly. Allow yourself to be awkward. You are stripping yourself. You are exposing your life, not how your ego would like to see you represented, but how you are as a human being.

Serious words for all of us to reflect on perhaps. Or do you think it’s a load of bunk? Where should we put our ego when we are writing? Is ego such an intrinsic part of us that it comes through no matter how we try to strip ourselves of it?

Where are you, Dr. Harrison?

The class blog is taking shape… we are more involved in the discussion topic of the moment. It is what we are saying in class these days. We write more than we did in the earliest days of class. I am noticing it too; maybe that is good… But I miss the lines of our professor! Why Dr. Harrison doesn’t “participate” in our discussions? He writes many interesting fine lines, but it seems he does not reserve any for us.

Abandoned in the wild,
a blind fowl, and I
don’t know how to fly

I actually enjoy the flashblogs… to an extent.

Now I know that most of the class seems to dread them, based on posts I have read, but I often have trouble coming up with a topic to write about and having Dr. Harrison just blurt one out helps me to think up new ideas. Im not saying that I like reading them out loud, in fact when he asks us to read them I sink down in my chair a bit, hoping (did I use that in the right context?) to become invisible. “Please don’t pick me” is what my brain screams. It’s not that I don’t like talking in front of people, I have no problem with that, but when I have to read something I have written I get a little nervous. I would much rather just store them away for safe keeping and grading.

 

Each new flash blog brings out a new idea in me. They give me something to start with, and what a relief that is. I think Dr. Harrison said that he is better at endings than beginnings… well I feel the same way about my writing. It’s hard to start, but easy to finish.

 

Bring on the flash blogs!

Sir, as a blogging class, you have made me slightly disinterested in blogging.

I wasn't expecting more than the "glorified composition" class you openly admitted to being. Instead, you're the giggling blonde who turned the phrase "dumbed down" into a blogging course. My first class blog entry was meant to be innocuous fun shoveled through by my disdain for the rigid class requirements. That complaint took off from his shift because "complete disinterest for this course" just clocked in for work. I'll continue to coax some well-written entries out from my bumper, but don't be shocked if you smell something funny.

Writing under torture: spare me the flash blog

I do not know exactly why we spend time writing flash blogs, and why Dr. Harrison tortures us with it. For a writer, the act of writing comes through the spontaneous need to express an idea and/or thought.

On Tuesday, I imagined myself in a situation in which I was forced to write. A torture! Fortunately, we are in a country when authors can write when they want to, so why yet do we need to write flash blogs?

Creation is and should always be a free act. During my last flash-blog-trip, I tried to write, but my fingers did not want to move. I commanded them to go, fast, go, fast, but they were just paralyzed. They screamed “WE REFUSE!” and went to sleep...

The Narcissist's Toolbox: Writing to Read (Yourself)

There is perhaps an exaggerated amount of credence lent to the classic literary adage "read much to write well" - so much that it seems absurd to consider it in reverse. Why not write to read you own work? Why not relish your own use of the pen and delight in its creation? If you publish a post reluctantly or with self-loathing, why post at all? Of course, I wouldn't dream of demoting the importance of reading others' writing; this is a more practical tool and must come before all others. But we cannot neglect our own taste, and who better than ourselves to write what we enjoy?

As English majors, we try to wield language cleverly and creatively, not just to explicate but to entertain. Why not masturbate while we're about the business? It is very much within our grasp to entertain ourselves. Just imagine stumbling upon your own writing one day, in a blog or a book or a magazine. Do you read it? Do you love it?

I am the first to admit to loving my own writing, and then rearing from it in revulsion several months later when I revisit earlier pages. At times I find my old style and sensibility to be completely devoid of both. But this is a good thing. It is a way of charting my maturation as a writer, the evolution of my taste, and the future of my improvement.

Oxford Town, Oxford Town...

Recently Eugenia posted a picture in her blog that featured a colored and white sign above the Port Charlotte train depot; needless to say the post elicits a strong reaction.Seeing a post such as that is important. Not for any feel good reason, but that is exactly what sets this post apart from the other blogs I've seen that seem to freewheel in humor and witty sarcasm. The fact that a blog can be used for something else besides personal reflection is something that I'd somewhat forgotten about.


There is something to be said for content that takes the reader out of his or her comfort zone.

Wake Up! They’re Performers

Reading the class blog, I came across a post that made me stop and think. The post titled “Popular Music Contains References to Drugs.” It got me thinking about the late nights I sat up watching men who don’t listen to rap music judge the content saying it promotes violence. The writer of the post wrote:

“Does a performer have a responsibility to the public in terms of content?And if not, what about that content when it comes to youth? I know the above questions seem very boring and vanilla, but Bono would certainly have something to say about this.”

I have something to say. I believe performers do not have a responsibility to the public in terms of content because they are performers. Hint on the word performers. They are there to entertain who ever pays for their services. If you don’t like what you’re hearing or seeing, then don’t buy it or change the channel. You say it’s hard? It isn't that hard because it is like going to the movies; If you know a movie has obscenities throughout it and you don’t agree, then you don’t pay your money to see it.

Okay so all of a sudden rap is contributing to youth and their behaviors. Bull crap, their parents are allowing them to go out and buy explicit CD’s with their allowance money and allowing them to tune into the late night uncut videos. Children can be censored; I guess it comes down to the parent and what they have taught their child. Children should know it is not true and it’s coming from a performer only performing for an audience to make money. Once people and parents realize they are only performers, I believe society will be okay.

No More Copouts

Audience changes everything.

I love posting to my Blog. Honestly I do. But I’ve fallen into a kind of complacency that my readership will also understand the difficulties, hard work and time that goes in to every entry. Therefore they would have a healthy respect for skipped days, copout posts, a few grammar issues, etc. but when you suddenly have a “real” audience your perspective changes drastically.

To night my dad asked for the URL to my Blog. Okay, no problems there. Only later did I see he’d sent it to one of the families close friends who keeps up with a blog of his own. It was then I started thinking about outside readers. Perhaps I should have thought about that sooner, but it just never really struck me till now.

What would he think about it? Would he comment? Would he expect a new post everyday?
These were the types of questions that haunted me. So I’ve been reinvigorated to be more conscious of my audience and try not to torture the few I have.

Screamer

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Sorry, had to get that out, while it may be typed here, I assure you it was audible because my roommate just came in to make sure I hadn’t been shot. This scream was elicited by my frustration at trying to balance life. Like many of you, I’m a student taking 18 credits, working thirty hours a week, and trying to fulfill my service learning requirement before graduation (God willing). In past semesters I’ve been able to do my reading during the weekdays, while pushing paper writing and exam preparations to twenty hours in the library on weekends. Yet, this blogging class doesn’t fit neatly into my previously successful plan. I find that if I try to stock pile entries, any post after number 2.5 invariably turns to crap. This inevitable crapiness forces me to try and keep up with posting throughout the week. I know that updating a blog throughout the week is ideal, but I’m yet to nail down a system that really works for me. Then, when you throw juggling the class blog with my blog into the mix, the migraine really begins to take hold. I often find that I am neglecting the class blog because for some reason I feel that my blog takes precedent (Yes, I know this is not the case). Perhaps I’ll go make another list now of all things I should be doing, but never seem to get to. Well, here’s to balancing: Ahhhhhhhhh! Screaming helps.

Jail Bait Valentine.

TODD BURSZTYN’S “VALENTINES DAY ANGST”
The Valentine's Day Massacre approacheth like a deck of cards, and red hearts play the part of arrows from an ancient firing squad. Eros looses a volley of misandry into the hordes of dumbfounded men who must surprise, woo, and romance or be shunned for a brief eternity. Women are very demanding when it comes to this faux holiday, and threaten to unleash their scorn upon he who doesn't satisfy, which is frustrating for us guys who know that Valentine's Day is more about profiteering rituals than love-making. Oh sure, it's a day for couples to show their appreciation for one another, but when affection is measured quantitatively, guys begin to sweat.

Valentines Day is a waste of a perfectly good day in February. It is martyred by roses and expensive chocolates, for no apparent reason. I actually found out how Valentines Day even started, and it added more cynicism to my already present Valentines hatred that I obviously share with another person in this class. Long story short, St. Valentine was some guy who wrote this chick a letter from jail. Yes, he was in jail. Way to go, society and Hallmark. At the end of his letters that declared his undying love for her, he signed, “Your Valentine.” Which really isn’t anything special, since his name was Valentine. Plus, he was in jail, so what else is there to do but write people letters? So, this amazing situation is what has caused complete isles in stores to be dominated by red and pink crap for people in relationships to buy eachother. I don’t want to be a bitter Betty, but I’m not going to try very hard to not be.

Living Blog

Blogs are everywhere. I never paid them much attention before this year and now I keep bumping into them all over the place. I notice more of them turning up when I go surfing. I’m reading blogs, leaving comments on blogs and attempting to write them myself. I thought our S&W’s class was so special too, being the first of its kind offered at FGCU. Learning the art and craft of blogs right? Seems our theater department has one upped us in the Blogosphere. The premise sounds intriguing and a bit timely for us merry band right about now don’t you think? I believe I’ll grab my sweetie or maybe a girlfriend and go check out Barry Cavin’s newest performance piece at our Black Box. Any of you care to join me Friday night? If nothing else maybe I can get another blog out of it.

Workshop Anyone?

I am not sure how you all feel about the workshops, but I am just going to let it out. I feel that it is hard for me to point out other people’s faults or praise them for something I haven’t yet mastered. As I read these blogs I find that I appreciate each and every one. I do realize that this is a great exercise to help one another understand blogging better, but why do we have to do this in front of everyone? I feel that if we do this in front of class then we are singling out each blogger and pointing out their faults. I don’t mind if someone is going to give me corrective criticism, but why not in groups? Please don’t take this in the wrong way, I just think it may not end up being corrective criticism in the end and actually end up hurting some people’s feelings. Either way I'm going to do what I have to do, but please let me know how you all feel...

Help me, please!

Stubborn and independent don't begin to cover my personality. Unfortunately for me, in this class those traits have done me a disservice. I am well aware that I have waited until the last minute, but I had been hoping persistance, experimentation, and sheer dumb luck would help me discover my answers. Five weeks later... So, now I am desperately hoping someone can explain to me in a very straightforward way, how, to connect my blog to other peoples. I would also like to separate the blogs I enjoy from the blogs related to me subject area. Is that possible?

Blogarships?

Blogs seem to be coming up all the time now that I’m taking a class on them. Case in point: I open up my e-mail this afternoon and find that I have a new e-mail from FastWeb. The latest scholarship they’ve found for me? Keeping a blog—for a shot at winning $1,000 towards my college education.

You know blogging is really hitting its stride when people are organizing scholarships around it.

Write for You

I’m in an advanced fiction writing class with a few of you. I have to turn in my 10-page short story tomorrow and I’m nervous. After reading a handful of ones turned in before mine I realized that I was very critical in critiquing them. I wish I wasn’t. Now I’m nervous that I’m going to get torn apart. But isn’t getting torn apart going to make me a better writer? Or is it going to make me bitter?

Even writing on this blog makes me cringe. I mostly write about the readings because either half of the class didn’t read what was assigned and won’t read my post or the other half really doesn’t have much to say about the readings.

Writing about something personal is a lot harder than I expected it to be. This short story is my own creation. I worked really hard on the story and I hope people will enjoy it and not be too hard on me.

But if they are then why should I care? I should take the comments that they say and try to make myself a better writer. I shouldn’t take offense to what other people say if it disagrees with my opinions. I shouldn’t take it personal.

Therefore:

“Keep in mind that the person to write for is yourself. Tell the story that you most desperately want to read.”- Susan Isaacs

It's just another day

There are quite a few people who share a common opinion when it comes to Valentine’s Day. The great fourteenth of February, the day Cupid fires arrows all over the place. Love is in the air, everywhere. Or so they say. To me, and these other people, it is just another day.

What is the point to declaring one day the day of love? Isn’t every day supposed to be a day of love?

The whole concept really baffles my mind. It may be because I am single. It may be because I don’t have anyone to share the day with, but even when I did, I didn’t appreciate it. My ex-girlfriend would always want to prepare things in advance for Valentine’s day. There has to be a special outing that evening, everything has to be perfect. She always expected something nice, and I always delivered, but it was more because of the pressure the day puts on me than anything.

So this Thursday, when you are around the one(s) you love, make it a point to remind them how much you care everyday, not just that one.

Happy Valentine’s Day everybody.

Popular Music Contains References...to Drugs!

I came across this article by Reuters which has discovered that popular music contains many a drug reference with rap in the lead and country a close second.

It is a strange article that doesn’t really accomplish anything, and I only post it in here because it raises a similar question to one I asked in my blog: Does a performer have a responsibility to the public in terms of content?
And if not, what about that content when it comes to youth?

I know the above questions seem very boring and vanilla, but Bono would certainly have something to say about this.

What if...

My mom and her side of the family are fiercely Republican. On the flip side, my father is a democrat. Oddly enough, this election period has been interesting because my oh-so-Republican relatives have stated that they like Obama and are even considering voting for him should he win the democratic spot. This came as quite the surprise. Enough of one that I have idly been paying a bit more attention than usual which has led to a little speculation on my part.


Both Hillary and Obama seem to spend more time attacking the Republican candidates than each other. In fact, at times their cordial, civil behavior, seems to cross over into down right friendly. I am not looking for cutthroat politics. So it doesn’t upset me, but I started thinking that if they were running mates they would be unstoppable. Hillary would win most women votes and Obama would land much of the minorities. Together, they could accumulate approximately seventy percent of the voting publics favorable opinion. The only problem is pride. These candidates are running for president not vice-president. IF one of them would settle slightly they could both win.

"Focus the Nation" Neglects Important Fact: Ethanol Kills Babies!

As a reluctant part-time environmentalist and full-time skeptic, I was somewhat nauseated by the zealous congregation of eco-activists, tree huggers, and general hippies that I found trolling about the "Focus the Nation" event. The milieu was puzzling and a bit psychedelic, as I passed in a daze between sets of dreadlocks, pictures of polar bears, pictures of dreadlocked polar bears, and the occasional well-dressed man who wished to say with his necktie something deeper than "live green or die."

I sat in on a seminar, in the front, wearing a derisive smirk. Swarms of students and staff methodically unleashed "success" stories about their conversion to biofuels and (more disturbingly) their conversion of other students to the green regime. Many of these self-proclaimed "free thinkers" were intent upon absolute and uncompromising ec0-assimilation, in which eco-friendly citizens revel in communal prosperity while conservative infidels pay in fines and jail time for their carelessness.

One week later a Princeton study was released, detailing the negative effects of the green effort. Apparently harvesting biofuels drastically increases carbon emissions and, in effect, is destroying the world at a more rapid rate than those nasty fossil fuels everyone has been worried about. Oops. I guess someone forgot to read their Merton.

Focus the Nation on Global Warming

I’m not sure as to how many of you attended Focus the Nation on Global Warming seminar here at FGCU, but this national teach-in brought in the crowds. It also helped shed some light as to what our government is doing to preserve the world our children will soon be living in. The professors spoke about how the goal is to cut 80 percent of the current levels of pollution by 2050. They also explained the way this is going to happen is by getting industrialized countries to lower their greenhouse gas contribution by 2% every year for the next 40 years. This is to hold the global warming rate at about 3-4 degrees Fahrenheit.

It was interesting how the students responded at the end. I really appreciated one students view about where and how we spend our money can affect what is imported and exported. This made me realize I really should be aware and research what I spend my money on. All of us can make a difference, but we each have a choice to make, do we open our eyes to reality and gain the knowledge needed to help save our planet or do we just keep living life as though nothing is really happening.

I am doing my part and researching what I purchase even if it is looking on the back of an item. I’m not going to spend my money to make other people rich who aren’t eco friendly. After all, knowledge is power.

Not Boxer's blog book

Speaking of blog reading material from Boxer's article, I got a book from the library called "No one cares what you had for lunch: 100 ideas for your blog" by Margaret Mason. Mason's suggestions were diverting but applicable mainly to very general blogs, leaning towards the Museum of Me. Her ideas are worth reading as part of blogging culture. One of the entries discussed a blog called "Cringe" that posted old diary entries and notes from high school. A worthy notion, but I don't think I could work it into my craft blog. On the other hand, the "What are you wearing" prompt could be a valid addition to any blog, regardless of its focus, because that question, dear reader, is seldom OT.

Trolls Rejoice!

As an internet trolling legend, I’m honored to see my entertainingly-educational sport is now protected by the First Amendment. Fine, call “grasping the basics of human psychology” juvenile. Trolls have given you hilarious suicides and changed American history. If I was half the troll Jesus Christ was, I wouldn’t need this blog to become a real-life trolling legend.

If that statement made you angry, raise your hand. If the obvious trolls wring your neck, what chance do you have against Ann Coulter or the The Flat Earth Society? But there’s no shame in being trolled if you're new to the game. Next time, just consider a fact-checking run before e-mailing your State Senator about his new “Israel-Bombing Policy”.

When you take up trolling, you always assume every day is the day your house will be firebombed. But in fairness, who hasn’t been the victim of a firebombing? Trolling the internets may be dangerous, but someone needs to lead the cause. The greatest country in the world now says I can do that without repercussion.

Maybe A Little Farther Off The Radar Would Be Better

Speaking of titling a post, and those immensely long and obnoxious head lines used by the tabloids, Totally Not Crazy caught my attention for just this reason.

My favorite:

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Replaced by 20-Block Long Internet Ad Banner, Apparently

Or perhaps:

Paris Hilton And I Are Practically Best Friends Now

Needless to say the sarcastic and sardonic tone was more than enough to draw me in. He neatly sums up the plight of his most devoted followers, describing himself by aking:

“Do you secretly believe you are a raging psychopath, but also maintain it's the
rest of the world that's got a problem? This site might just be for
you!”

Granted the raging psychopath part may not be for me, but I can definitely relate to the part about rest of the world having the problem. Granted there are only 31 of these close followers who are loyal enough to have joined the authors Facebook group. Yes, I suckered in and joined the group to.



No, wait TO. We did just discus this in class the other day something about ending your prose with a preposition? Of course now that I am trying to be a conscious writer by pay attention (It really helps if you at least re-read your post before you hit publish) and carefully clean up my sentences, I can’t remember if we should or shouldn’t end with to.

But I’m safe. According to the Lousy Linguist prepositions don’t count. Unfortunately for Totally Not Crazy a primary opportunity was afforded by his hectic prose to be among the few with preposition censorship. Luckily I’m pretty far off the radar and I think it will go over looked this time at least.

The Acceptable Title

After class yesterday I found myself attempting to title a post. It was not easy considering the presentation I listened to earlier in the day and Dr. Harrison’s examples of a good title. I began making a list with writing down everything that popped in my head regardless of how stupid or not catchy it sounded. After several minutes I finally decided on one, but left with the feeling that it was not good enough.

The same goes for this post. What will I name it after it is finished? I thought about leaving it blank, but I don’t think Dr. Harrison will approve. Then I thought about naming it “Not Titled,” but that would not have been acceptable either. So I came up with the current title. I know it is not acceptable either, but it made me laugh.

So through all the titling, I realized that titling should not be easy because it basically sums up a post. If it is too simple, the post may be overlooked and if it is too catchy, it might not live up to the post or relate to the topic. So I pledge here and now to think about titling as a way to showcase my post by being simple, but witty. I don’t know if I can do what I pledge, but I will try.

Supermarket Titles

One of my favorite blogs to read as I research the latest entertainment news for my own blog is Defamer. There is not always a lot of news I would actually post on. They frequently cover the personal lives of celebrities and I don’t really do that. What I really love about the site, is the way they write their titles.

Defamer breaks the K.I.S.S. rule we discussed in class today. Their titles often run more than a single line and are not catchy or easy-to-remember. They’re more like the headlines you see on the tabloids when you check out at the grocery store (Bat Boy Escapes from Missouri Holding Cell to Reunite with his Son!). My scrolls through Defamer are like waiting in line at the supermarket. I get some interesting celebrity news, in a short format, with a humorous twist.

Here are some of my favorite recent examples:

“Vast left-wing conspiracy nearly prevents Elizabeth Hasselbeck’s voice from being heard on super Tuesday”

“Taking a cue from J-Lo, a tight lipped Angelina waits for water to break before revealing the big twins surprise”

“’Moment of Truth’ creepily obsessed with dudes who stuff their shorts”

“Corey Haim is back, ready to make amends, and still has enough money to pay for an ad in Variety begging for work”

“Eric Dane goes public with courageous fight against McLip malignancy”

You Amble…

Coincidentally, I looked at my shoe’s this morning and thought, “man, my shoe’s are really dirty”. Then I thought, "Heck, who cares?" They’re only shoes, right? We’ll as we blog and I try to think of something intelligent to say about shoe’s, I find myself thinking about how people walk. This has always intrigued me. Everyone has their own little canter, jaunt, amble, saunter, to them. And I’ve always wondered if there was anything significant about how one walks. Could it tie you to your social status? To how intelligent you are? Perhaps even to how soon you learned to walk? I don’t know. But I think it would make an interesting study, because we all know that, like how you talk, your clothes can easily classify you, and your shoes are no exception. So dirty shoes or not, I've alway wondered could your walk classify you?

I'll be Watching

Most of my life I’ve been an observer and a watcher. It started in New York City as a subway and bus rider. I’d watch people. How they interacted with one another or how they didn’t. It fascinated me to observe people’s behavior. Some people will put on a show when they know others are watching. Some people do a certain pulling into themselves if they suspect eyes upon them. Then there are other watchers like myself. Our eyes may meet then return to the action around us. I developed a technique of pretending to be asleep while watching or wearing very dark sunglasses and acting as if gazing into space. Thus the watcher is invisible to those being watched. From behind my pretense I could view human behavior safely. I witnessed battle of wills between mother and child, arguments of friends, the budding of romances. I’ve caught men rubbing their lower bodies against terrified and humiliated women on a crowded subway. This role of watcher set me apart from those I observed. I could watch life as it unfolded without doing anything to change the outcome. I felt a great kinship with the Marvel character the Watcher. He too observed but never interfered; eventually though that changed.

Nowadays I have to transport myself and my observation habits have fallen to the wayside. Part of the reason for taking this blogging class is to put myself back into the role. I’m just not quite sure how. Perhaps like the Watcher I will violate my past rule of non-interference and try to change the outcome of things through blogging.

There's No "Bitch" In Biscuit!

The other day a classmate and I took the 25 minute journey from campus to KFC to feast on some fried goodness. After about five or six minutes of deliberation we ordered and drove up to the next window. Once we drove the 20 yards to the window we realized we forgot to order extra biscuits. Because the biscuits are probably the most delicious part of the meal, my fellow classmate decided that we needed to add more to our order. To our surprise the lady at the window refused to add biscuits to our order. At first we thought she was kidding, but kidding she was not! Just as we were about to pay and drive around one more time to order extra biscuits, she gave in and let us order four more.

The point I'm trying to make isn't that I really like biscuits; but that the smallest, effortless thing was, in this instance, frowned upon. I was not rude to this woman at all. There was no explanation for not wanting to help me. It really makes me think of society as a whole. People are becoming less and less helpful from generation to generation. Smiling at someone is no longer an act of kindness, but a look of mischief, and that in itself makes me kind of sad.

Too much does not work in this case

Several days after entering this class and being introduced to what blogging is, I had a conversation with another student about how much information should be disclosed to the reader of her blog. I put that conversation aside until I started reading Blood’s Chapter 7 titled Living Online where she discussed maintaining your privacy and others. I began to ask myself, how much is too much to disclose to your readers?

In the conversation, the student expressed how she doesn’t like talking about her life to people she doesn’t know. She does not want to disclose information about her life that could lead to an unsafe lifestyle. I know for this class, many participates will not disclose personal information such as an address or anything along those lines, but they may find themselves giving out small pieces of information without realizing it. This may include where you like to hang out on a regular basis or where you work.

Sometimes I have to catch myself and erase half of my entry due to the fact I disclosed too much about myself or the people I come in contact with. I want my readers to get to know them like I do, but I have come to realize it is too much information. So the next time you decide to publish a post, look through it and make sure you have not disclosed too much information for your sakes and the people you’re referencing on your blog.

Totally Might Be Crazy

My name is Tiffany Logan, and I am completely infatuated with the unexpected. I love to ignore expectations and visions and assumptions. I play football in high heels. I wear pink clothes and pedicured toes and argue with the boys about why I believe Tony Romo is one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL. I teach a children’s Sunday School class with my two tattoos and eight piercings. It is my personal goal to shock and amaze people I meet. I enjoy the surprised looks and the raised eyebrows. I love to write because it allows me to express the many opinions I have. I’m a bit of a control freak, and my therapist thinks I need an anxiety screening. Ha. She should talk to me while I’m driving. My mother thinks I’m unusual, but I remind her it’s genetic.

I am fascinated by people.

I love to sit and watch people when they don’t know it. I read the stories narrated by their expressions. The comedies, the tragedies, the sappy love stories. I always have been a sucker for sappy love stories. And then I wonder. What kind of story am I telling? Am I on Oprah’s “to read” list? Or am I the type of reading that people pick up only when they are suffering from insomnia…

Thou Shalt Not Assume

"So, how are you doing?"

Dr. Harrison’s question to the class today about the ‘blogging experience’ had me feeling a tad sheepish.

Not that I haven’t been doing my work; I’ve been dutifully blogging away for the past couple of weeks: researching, surfing the Web, commenting away, revising, rewriting, and reading, reading, reading, ad nauseam.

I guess I never anticipated that I’d like it so much.

Is that odd? It feels strange to me, I’ll admit it. There’s this little part of my brain that keeps protesting: ‘It’s classwork! You shouldn’t like to do classwork! You’re going to turn into that nerdy kid with the pocket protector who reads their textbooks for fun!"

Sorry brain, it’s not like I expected to like it. It just happened. Somewhere between my mental freak-out on the first day of class (Four blog posts a week?!) and right now: POOF. I like blogging.

Remember that adage on assumption?

Yeah. Me too.

Serves me right, I guess. That’s the last time I’ll judge the class by its syllabus. It’s another friendly little reminder from the gods that you never really know how you’ll like something until you actually do it, because your mind, in these cases, is usually an idiot.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some textbooks to peruse.