Wednesday, November 24th was favorite Thanksgiving ever.
My parents were at a commercial fishing conference in Seattle the week before and decided they might as well fly to Missoula while they were in the neighborhood. They rented a little house on 5th street where the three of us, plus my best friend/roommate, Maria- stayed. Everything about the four day were perfect.
The house was small and cozy. It had squishy rugs and a fireplace. The beds had way more pillows than a person could ever need. The bathroom was clean. There was even frost on the window panes. Since it was blowing, snowing and negative degrees outside, it was the perfect excuse for knitting, drinking tea, and talking with Maria and my mom for hours (This is what we usually do at home most evenings).
On Tuesday night my mom taught Maria and I how to make an apple pie and dinner for that night. The apple pie turned out to be exceptionally delicious (two people told us so).
We celebrated Thanksgiving on Wednesday because my parents were leaving on Thursday. It started with waking up and going out for a morning run with my dad and Maria up near Mount Jumbo. It was the perfect start to a day with lots of eating ahead.
The meal was yet another thing that set this Thanksgiving apart from all the others. There have been some years where I don't even eat the turkey and I just eat all the rolls and mashed potatoes, but this year I couldn't get enough of it. I ate stuffing, turkey, and even some candied yams! My mom and I spent the rest of the evening making turkey soup with the left overs.
Thursday came and was bittersweet. My parents left, but Maria and I had the campus to ourselves-or so it seemed. We watched the Macy's Parade and the dog show that followed while eating our turkey sandwiches. For the past five days we've been eating turkey soup and left over mashed potatoes.
It was by far the most memorable and delicious Thanksgiving holiday yet.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Victorious
“Flactoid Magnus Delterior 360... That sounds fun.” Victoria sat on the weight machine and did what seemed like a million preparations just to pull on some bars. Strap your feet. Adjust the seat. Crank your neck. Straighten your back. All to work an unheard of muscle deep in between the scapulas.
“Four…five…six.” As she was focused straight ahead and counting her repetitions, Victoria’s eyes settled on the two barbell sets in front of her. “seven…eight…nine.” One was empty and shining. “nine…nine…nine.” It was freshly cleaned. “nine…nine…nine” The second was occupied…by a girl. “Nine… am I really only on nine?” Victoria continued until she finished twenty five Flactoid Magnus Delterior things and sat quietly on the seat, still focused ahead, eyeing the girl doing push presses.
“Mamma told me not to come,” she sighed, still staring at the push presser. “ but I just needed to get out of the basement for once.”
Victoria’s mom encouraged her to stay away from the gym and other fitness centers for a few main reasons: One being that the family didn’t have enough hundred dollar bills to spend every month on Flactoid builders, and two being that she knew her daughter wouldn’t be able to handle the other people, because to Victoria they weren’t people, they were competition. Victoria lifted weights in their basement for a good amount of her spare time. The other good amount of spare time was spent sailing on the lake behind her house in the small, seven foot sailboat she’d saved her lawn mowing money to buy when she was sixteen.
So, there she was being silently challenged by this girl doing countless push presses- wait no, she had finished. Now she was adding plate after plate, loading up the barbell. The girl glanced in the mirror in front of her and caught the reflection of Victoria. The two made awkward mirror eye contact. She gave Victoria a smug “beat this” smile and what looked like a mild flex of her bicep as she scrunched her t-shirt sleeves higher onto her shoulder to expose more finely toned arm and lifted the last plate to put on the barbell.
“I can’t take this anymore.” Thought Victoria, and she strolled on over to the shiny barbell. For effect, she also hiked up her sleeves. She didn’t technically look at the nameless competition to her right, but from her peripheral vision she gathered that the current competition was the overhead lift. She focused on sliding plates onto her own barbell. She loved the heavy, metallic sound they made. Victoria naturally put on much more weight than she’d ever overhead squatted before because this was no day to skimp out on lifting.
“I’ll start with ten and then see how many reps I want to do,” she thought. “One, two…nine, ten.” The girl on the right was still squatting away. “Oh, what the heck,” she thought “eleven, twelve…nineteen, twenty.” Then it happened. The nameless competition met the eyes of Victoria as they both dipped down with the barbell held overhead…and smiled. It sparked just enough disgust in Victoria to get to squat number thirty. “Good thing I had my Breakfast of …Champions this …morning,” thought Victoria. She was breathing so hard that even the voice in her head was having trouble finishing sentences. She bounced a glance off the mirror and saw Nameless’s strong form and calm face. “I’m done for” thought Victoria.
But, at the same moment as this weak thought entered her mind, she heard the inspiring intro to her favorite pumpup song “Eye of the Tiger” come over the radio. Her energy returned as she remembered scenes from Rocky IV where Rocky beats Ivan Drago. She hit forty five overhead squats with who knows how many pounds towering above her.
Nameless’s elbows weakened.
Forty Six squats.
Nameless’s serene face broke into a grimace.
Forty seven squats.
Nameless let out a groan.
Forty eight squats.
Victoria thought about how much she liked Rocky’s sweatshirt in the beginning of Apollo Creed’s match. “I should get myself a half-zip sweatshirt,” she thought.
Forty nine squats.
Nameless’s barbell met the ground.
Fifty squats.
Victoria’s barbell hit the ground. Nameless was sitting on the ground. Victoria silently put her plates away, grabbed her jacket, and headed for the door. She never entered a gym again. “Living up to my name is so demanding,” she thought as she walked out the door.
Note: the name Victoria means winner or conqueror.
I read A& P by John Updike and Stillwater. I also read the beginnings of a few others. Both stories were pretty entertaining. I don't know if either of them heavily influenced my writing, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did and I am just unaware of it. My story wasn't really an imitation of any of the stories I read, but they definitely inspired me to be creative.
“Four…five…six.” As she was focused straight ahead and counting her repetitions, Victoria’s eyes settled on the two barbell sets in front of her. “seven…eight…nine.” One was empty and shining. “nine…nine…nine.” It was freshly cleaned. “nine…nine…nine” The second was occupied…by a girl. “Nine… am I really only on nine?” Victoria continued until she finished twenty five Flactoid Magnus Delterior things and sat quietly on the seat, still focused ahead, eyeing the girl doing push presses.
“Mamma told me not to come,” she sighed, still staring at the push presser. “ but I just needed to get out of the basement for once.”
Victoria’s mom encouraged her to stay away from the gym and other fitness centers for a few main reasons: One being that the family didn’t have enough hundred dollar bills to spend every month on Flactoid builders, and two being that she knew her daughter wouldn’t be able to handle the other people, because to Victoria they weren’t people, they were competition. Victoria lifted weights in their basement for a good amount of her spare time. The other good amount of spare time was spent sailing on the lake behind her house in the small, seven foot sailboat she’d saved her lawn mowing money to buy when she was sixteen.
So, there she was being silently challenged by this girl doing countless push presses- wait no, she had finished. Now she was adding plate after plate, loading up the barbell. The girl glanced in the mirror in front of her and caught the reflection of Victoria. The two made awkward mirror eye contact. She gave Victoria a smug “beat this” smile and what looked like a mild flex of her bicep as she scrunched her t-shirt sleeves higher onto her shoulder to expose more finely toned arm and lifted the last plate to put on the barbell.
“I can’t take this anymore.” Thought Victoria, and she strolled on over to the shiny barbell. For effect, she also hiked up her sleeves. She didn’t technically look at the nameless competition to her right, but from her peripheral vision she gathered that the current competition was the overhead lift. She focused on sliding plates onto her own barbell. She loved the heavy, metallic sound they made. Victoria naturally put on much more weight than she’d ever overhead squatted before because this was no day to skimp out on lifting.
“I’ll start with ten and then see how many reps I want to do,” she thought. “One, two…nine, ten.” The girl on the right was still squatting away. “Oh, what the heck,” she thought “eleven, twelve…nineteen, twenty.” Then it happened. The nameless competition met the eyes of Victoria as they both dipped down with the barbell held overhead…and smiled. It sparked just enough disgust in Victoria to get to squat number thirty. “Good thing I had my Breakfast of …Champions this …morning,” thought Victoria. She was breathing so hard that even the voice in her head was having trouble finishing sentences. She bounced a glance off the mirror and saw Nameless’s strong form and calm face. “I’m done for” thought Victoria.
But, at the same moment as this weak thought entered her mind, she heard the inspiring intro to her favorite pumpup song “Eye of the Tiger” come over the radio. Her energy returned as she remembered scenes from Rocky IV where Rocky beats Ivan Drago. She hit forty five overhead squats with who knows how many pounds towering above her.
Nameless’s elbows weakened.
Forty Six squats.
Nameless’s serene face broke into a grimace.
Forty seven squats.
Nameless let out a groan.
Forty eight squats.
Victoria thought about how much she liked Rocky’s sweatshirt in the beginning of Apollo Creed’s match. “I should get myself a half-zip sweatshirt,” she thought.
Forty nine squats.
Nameless’s barbell met the ground.
Fifty squats.
Victoria’s barbell hit the ground. Nameless was sitting on the ground. Victoria silently put her plates away, grabbed her jacket, and headed for the door. She never entered a gym again. “Living up to my name is so demanding,” she thought as she walked out the door.
Note: the name Victoria means winner or conqueror.
I read A& P by John Updike and Stillwater. I also read the beginnings of a few others. Both stories were pretty entertaining. I don't know if either of them heavily influenced my writing, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did and I am just unaware of it. My story wasn't really an imitation of any of the stories I read, but they definitely inspired me to be creative.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Cathedral
Raymond Carver uses the metaphor of blindness to say that sight isn't how you see the things that matter. I liked this metaphor and I think it is so true. The husband was skeptical and judgemental of Robert for the majority of the story, yet when his wife fell asleep and he started talking to Robert, he was intrigued. By the end, Robert had the husband describing a cathedral and even drawing one with his eyes closed. The story finishes with the husband being perfectly content to not open his eyes again. This is because he found that he could truly see and feel things when he couldn't see anything at all. I think if we were to close our eyes or just shut out some distractions, we would begin to see the things that really matter.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
5 Suggestions for Your Writing...
Journal: I've never considered writing a hobby of mine, or really a forte, but I've kept a journal everyday since 6th grade. Having a journal has kept me writing- especially during the summers when you don't want to think about anything that is related to academics. I never dread it because I get to write about me, my day, and things that interest me. There's no guidelines for journaling. You're completely free to write about as little or as much as you want. It is also interesting to go back and read your old journals because 1). you are forced to remember all the little memories you'd otherwise have forgotten years ago and 2). you can see how you've improved as a writer.
Plan: An outline or some sort of blueprint is necessary. It sounds time consuming, yet after you've completed an outline, you just have to fill in the cracks with complete sentences and thoughts. It aids you in staying on track and not wandering off on tangents. Plan your piece before you write, and stick to your plan.
Goal: I find that when I try to write without a goal, I am very unsatisfied and confused with my work at the beginning, middle, and end of the writing process. Feeling aimless and without a purpose is never right- not even in writing. It is difficult for your audience to follow your writing when they aren't quite sure if its even going anywhere. Pick a goal or point you'd like to convey or discover by the end of your piece.
Read: I almost feel unqualified to use this as one of my tips because I don't read enough. But, I know from the few times that I have read in the past few years, it is inspiring and gives you many ideas for your own writing. Despite what others may say, I don't think it matters what genre of books you read. A classic novel may lead you to use a more diverse vocabulary, but a children's book can be very inspiring for ideas and voice.
Time: Set aside time to write. Some people may "write well under pressure" and in turn procrastinate until the night before a due date, but I think if they were to spend more relaxed time on their piece they would write even better. Try to get away from distractions, or finish other things that would otherwise be nagging while you write. If getting started is the hardest part, set a time limit like fifteen minutes to write. When you reach the fifteen minute mark, chances are you won't want to stop.
Plan: An outline or some sort of blueprint is necessary. It sounds time consuming, yet after you've completed an outline, you just have to fill in the cracks with complete sentences and thoughts. It aids you in staying on track and not wandering off on tangents. Plan your piece before you write, and stick to your plan.
Goal: I find that when I try to write without a goal, I am very unsatisfied and confused with my work at the beginning, middle, and end of the writing process. Feeling aimless and without a purpose is never right- not even in writing. It is difficult for your audience to follow your writing when they aren't quite sure if its even going anywhere. Pick a goal or point you'd like to convey or discover by the end of your piece.
Read: I almost feel unqualified to use this as one of my tips because I don't read enough. But, I know from the few times that I have read in the past few years, it is inspiring and gives you many ideas for your own writing. Despite what others may say, I don't think it matters what genre of books you read. A classic novel may lead you to use a more diverse vocabulary, but a children's book can be very inspiring for ideas and voice.
Time: Set aside time to write. Some people may "write well under pressure" and in turn procrastinate until the night before a due date, but I think if they were to spend more relaxed time on their piece they would write even better. Try to get away from distractions, or finish other things that would otherwise be nagging while you write. If getting started is the hardest part, set a time limit like fifteen minutes to write. When you reach the fifteen minute mark, chances are you won't want to stop.
Monday, October 18, 2010
2 truths and a lie... with a food theme
1. My dad was the track coach for my high school. Every year he'd have the distance team over to our house for the annual pancake run. It was a Saturday morning event. After a nice morning run we'd return home to my mom cooking her famous whole grain pancakes. There was an ongoing record of the male and female who could eat the most of these large pancakes. The previous female record was 11. I ate 17, and it has yet to be broken again.
2. Every February there is a festival in Anchorage, Alaska called Fur Rondy. There are lots of events and competitions for people to participate in and spectate. I was a spectator for 17 years of the Annual Moose Burger Eating contest. When I was eighteen I entered. It was very last minute and I wasn't expecting to participate, so I had eaten a 6 inch meatball sub for lunch only 2 hours earlier. I placed third in the women's adult division eating 7 moose burgers. The winner had 10.
3. My sister had a giant tub of Double Bubble gum that had been sitting in her room for over a year. Instead of throwing it away, my best friend and I told her we would take care of it. While watching a movie we chewed the gum, constantly eating more pieces. We finished the tub of Bubble gum with 66 pieces in each of our mouths.
2. Every February there is a festival in Anchorage, Alaska called Fur Rondy. There are lots of events and competitions for people to participate in and spectate. I was a spectator for 17 years of the Annual Moose Burger Eating contest. When I was eighteen I entered. It was very last minute and I wasn't expecting to participate, so I had eaten a 6 inch meatball sub for lunch only 2 hours earlier. I placed third in the women's adult division eating 7 moose burgers. The winner had 10.
3. My sister had a giant tub of Double Bubble gum that had been sitting in her room for over a year. Instead of throwing it away, my best friend and I told her we would take care of it. While watching a movie we chewed the gum, constantly eating more pieces. We finished the tub of Bubble gum with 66 pieces in each of our mouths.
Monday, October 11, 2010
"Have you tried turning it off and on again?"
Roy, Moss, and Jen work in the basement.
Roy and Moss fix computers.
Jen is their department head.
She doesn't know anything about computers.
The IT Crowd is a British comedy. The episodes are all lighthearted and usually involve awkward moments, miscommunication, and good one liners. Roy is a Welsh man who is sarcastic and consistently uses the phrase "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" when he gets calls about computer problems. Moss is a text book nerd complete with the thick rimmed glasses, plaid button up shirt and tie, and clueless-ness about females. In all four seasons I've seen, he's never smiled or laughed, yet he's one of the funniest characters on the show. Jen is a red head who would like to someday move up to higher, more important floor rather than work in the basement. The IT Crowd is continually shafted and never gets "appreciation parties" thrown for them. Most of the show is set in their office, but occasionally it shifts to show the personal life of the characters.
The IT Crowd is the first show I've ever wanted to watch regularly. I've never been the type to have a show that I watch weekly, but I would watch the IT Crowd. I've been hooked since the first episode.
Roy and Moss fix computers.
Jen is their department head.
She doesn't know anything about computers.
The IT Crowd is a British comedy. The episodes are all lighthearted and usually involve awkward moments, miscommunication, and good one liners. Roy is a Welsh man who is sarcastic and consistently uses the phrase "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" when he gets calls about computer problems. Moss is a text book nerd complete with the thick rimmed glasses, plaid button up shirt and tie, and clueless-ness about females. In all four seasons I've seen, he's never smiled or laughed, yet he's one of the funniest characters on the show. Jen is a red head who would like to someday move up to higher, more important floor rather than work in the basement. The IT Crowd is continually shafted and never gets "appreciation parties" thrown for them. Most of the show is set in their office, but occasionally it shifts to show the personal life of the characters.
The IT Crowd is the first show I've ever wanted to watch regularly. I've never been the type to have a show that I watch weekly, but I would watch the IT Crowd. I've been hooked since the first episode.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Opinion Editorials
After reading the assigned pages in the Curious Writer and then looking for those things in my first Op-Ed article, I was extremely impressed with the writing of The Seat Not Taken on nytimes.com. This author observed, tested, and then claimed that we are not rid of our judgement on skin color. John Wideman, the author, is a colored man who rides the train from New York City to Providence, RI twice a week and he has noticed that no one tends to take the seat next to him. I went through all the logical fallacies listed in the book and I couldn't find a fault in his argument. He obviously is aware that his prediction can't be scientifically proven, but he uses logos to explain that his seat is just as good as the others. He doesn't have an odor, he doesn't have a threatening look, or anything else that is different from the other people on the train with open seats. He states that the only difference between his open seat and the other open seats is that he is colored and they are not. His last sentence is a grand example of ethos. He indicates that he felt the need to speak out about his findings and he closes with "Posters in the train, the station, the subway warn: if you see something, say something."
For my second Op-Ed I found one quite a bit different to the one above. WPA: Waste of a Precious Afternoon persuaded me with the use of ethos. Joseph Pavlish started his article talking about things he'd personally like to be doing on a weekend. He brought up great things, things I'd like to do too. But, he followed it up with the discouraging reality that he had to take the Writing Proficiency Assessment. Because I don't know much about the WPA (in fact, I've never heard of it) I went into the article indifferent to his opinion. His argument did a good job of swaying me into thinking that the WPA is unnecessary and doesn't do a good job of pushing students to do their best or of testing their writing efficiency. I liked how Pavlish made a claim, he gave his reasons for his claim, and then he gave evidence. I enjoyed reading this article.
I looked hard for logical fallacies in Facebook, I just can't quit you but I failed to find any. I don't know if I'm failing to see them in the articles I read or if I am reading good fallacy-free articles. This particular article is pretty well explained in the title. The author, Meghan Daum, writes about something almost everybody can relate to: Facebook. I think her writing is a good example of "suspending judgement." As her article progresses she discovers more and more why she can't seem to delete her Facebook. Everybody knows about Facebook. It is not a new and exciting subject. Therefore, to draw in the audience's attention and make her article seem worth reading she used ethos. Meghan came along side every other Facebook owner and brought up things she had in common with us. Then, she continued to show how Facebook has become more than just something fun, it has become almost a requirement for society.
nytimes.com
montanakaimin.com
latimes.com
For my second Op-Ed I found one quite a bit different to the one above. WPA: Waste of a Precious Afternoon persuaded me with the use of ethos. Joseph Pavlish started his article talking about things he'd personally like to be doing on a weekend. He brought up great things, things I'd like to do too. But, he followed it up with the discouraging reality that he had to take the Writing Proficiency Assessment. Because I don't know much about the WPA (in fact, I've never heard of it) I went into the article indifferent to his opinion. His argument did a good job of swaying me into thinking that the WPA is unnecessary and doesn't do a good job of pushing students to do their best or of testing their writing efficiency. I liked how Pavlish made a claim, he gave his reasons for his claim, and then he gave evidence. I enjoyed reading this article.
I looked hard for logical fallacies in Facebook, I just can't quit you but I failed to find any. I don't know if I'm failing to see them in the articles I read or if I am reading good fallacy-free articles. This particular article is pretty well explained in the title. The author, Meghan Daum, writes about something almost everybody can relate to: Facebook. I think her writing is a good example of "suspending judgement." As her article progresses she discovers more and more why she can't seem to delete her Facebook. Everybody knows about Facebook. It is not a new and exciting subject. Therefore, to draw in the audience's attention and make her article seem worth reading she used ethos. Meghan came along side every other Facebook owner and brought up things she had in common with us. Then, she continued to show how Facebook has become more than just something fun, it has become almost a requirement for society.
nytimes.com
montanakaimin.com
latimes.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)