My Advertisement

    My chosen advertisement is dedicated to selling you "Sheex" bedding. The ad is extremely sleek and simple looking; 75% of the magazine page is black, with the rest of it dedicated to a beautiful woman laying within the sheets, and some lines of text describing the "preferred bedding of professional athletes and celebrities. This advertisement came from a Cosmopolitan magazine, borrowed from my lovely girlfriend. The target audience of this magazine is women, say from 18-35, with some younger teenagers in there. There also tends to be "boyfriend" pages and stuff for guys, so I feel safe in saying they hope that men read, or at least glance over, the magazine with their women. Obviously the design, and advertisement as a whole, is geared towards this audience. They sexiness of the ad, the Democracy of Goods appeal, and other factors make it apparent that it was carefully designed for this audience.
    The target audience definitely wants the highest quality sheets for their sexual conquests, and to catch a great night's sleep after a tough day's work. The association between this brand and athletes and celebrities screams to this audience that they need it, because of course they want to live the quality of life these superstars lead. As most advertisements are, this ad is carefully crafted to speak to a particular audience. The 18-35 year old women and men that read Cosmopolitan undoubtedly ache for the perfect bedspread for the eventful, and uneventful, nights that they will spend in their bed.

Elements of an Effective Layout

    Separate from the Democracy of Goods analytical tool, this analytical tool focuses on the technicalities of an advertisement when analyzing it. The analytical tool focuses on the "art" of the advertisement, breaking it down to different elements to judge its effectiveness : balance, proportion, movement, clarity, utility and emphasis. Summed up, it says that judging these different elements individually, then as a whole, will tell you how effective an ad is. This is different from the Democracy of Goods analytical tool, whereas that appeal focused on the method of "wooing" the customer by portraying a product in a certain light. The elements of an effective layout presents a tool that allows you to break an advertisement down into different aspects, analyze them on an individual basis, then decide if all of the elements work together well and effective create an attention-grabbing advertisement.
    After taking an art class and mass media class the previous school year, they help me put these elements into context. However, a couple of these elements are closely related and can be difficult to completley distinguish without a little more research or reading. One of the most important elements must be unity; without every element working together to create one unified advertisement, the advertisement will completley lose effectiveness. It would seem scattered and not flow well, so any consumer would lose interest. The least important element could potentially be proportion. While reading, it just seemed to be something that as a consumer, I wouldn't pay much attention to. However, now that I've read these, I will not be able to look at advertisements without analyzing their elements and affectiveness. How fun.

Democracy of Goods

    The analytical tool discussed is the idea of advertisers portraying a product in a certain light, that the prestigious and socially distinguished use it, and that its a commodity that the average person can afford, too. A clever way of advertising, an advertisement using this method makes luxury seem within everyone's grasp for an affordable price. This method is maximized today; it reminds me of the "bandwagon method" in advertising; everyone is using this or drinking this, so you should too! Except, the democracy of goods is almost like an upgrade on that method. Not just anyone is using it, the wealthy and classy citizens are. And why would I not want to be like them in any way I could, right?
    I haven't chosen an ad to analyze yet (always falling behind in the beginning) but I'm sure it will be an applicable analytical tool. Considering todays economy, people want to feel like they are living the high life in any way possible, so praying upon that mindset and associating products with upperclass will do just the trick.

Advertising

The cell phone advertisement I came across was simplistic and effective. The effectiveness comes through the fact that it only takes a couple of seconds, if that, to understand what the ad is saying. The magazine advertisement is split into half: One side titled "Chaos" shows someones arm full of written notes and things to do all over, with a busy city in the background. The other side is titled "Order", and simply shows a Palm Centro against a plain white background. It is humorous while showcasing the phone in an excellent way. The ad wants me to think this phone will organize my life; considering I have previously owned a Palm Centro, I might've already done what this ad wants me to.
  There wasn't any noticeable factor that I disliked in the ad. It is a simple advertisement that clearly states why you should by the product, and effectively does so.

Summary

 Veganism provides countless benefits to a person's overall health, and aims to prevent environmental destruction and animal cruelty. The normal American-diet is a main cause for the degregation of our health, environmental destruction AND animal exploitation. Vegetarian diets eliminate eating most meat, but still support dairy and other animal products, therefore adding to environmental destruction and animal cruelty. Only the Vegan diet aids in providing a better world for us to live in, preserving our planet, and treating animals with the equality they deserve. Veganism eliminates many harmful fats, salts, sugars and other not-so-nutritious ingredients by avoiding all animal products. By avoiding these animal products, the diet thereby avoids supporting large-scale factory farms that mistreat and exploit animals, and that pollute and destroy our land. Veganism is the starting line to living consciously on this Earth.

Works Cited

Works Cited

"Disturbing Facts on Factory Farming & Food Safety." Organic Consumers Association. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <http://www.organicconsumers.org/toxic/factoryfarm.cfm>.

"Environmental Destruction." Vegan Outreach | Working to End Cruelty to Animals. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/environment.html>.

"Factory Farms." Vegan Outreach | Working to End Cruelty to Animals. Vegan Outreach. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/animals.html>.

"Facts about Pollution from Livestock Farms." Natural Resources Defense Council – The Earth’s Best Defense | NRDC. 13 Jan. 2011. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/ffarms.asp>.

Livestocks Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options. Rep. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2006. Web. 23 Oct. 2011. <ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a0701e/a0701e03.pdf>.

"New Study Explodes Myth About Vegetarian Diet." PCRM: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. 1 Aug. 2004. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <http://www.pcrm.org/search/?cid=1037>.

"Oprah Winfrey and Dietary Guidelines Highlight Benefits of Vegan Diet." PCRM: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <http://www.pcrm.org/search/?cid=2471>.

Vegan Action. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <http://www.vegan.org/>.

"Vegetarian Foods: Powerful for Health." PCRM: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. PCRM. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <http://www.pcrm.org/search/?cid=248>.

Style

The "Approach to Style" section proved to be of great help. One of the early suggestions, to revise and rewrite, is a major suggestion I need to implement into my writing. It is a scary thing to go through a freshly written paper of your own, critquing and analyzing. I don't want to see all of my flaws, right?However, it is an extremely necessary component of writing. Another suggestion that I catch myself breaking often is avoiding the use of qualifiers. I seem to use them very often, in pretty much all of my writing; it's rather annoying. I'll type them out, notice them, then have to reword my sentences. It is one of those suggestions that is intuitive, but it doesn't hurt at all to have a constant reminder. Overwriting and explaining too much are two other suggestions that I am guilty of, and plan to pay special attention to when writing the persuasive paper.
  The suggestions to not explain too much can be counterintuitive. One might think that he needs to explain in depth to avoid any chance of misunderstanding. However, in over explaining a thought, or a scene, one can in turn create misunderstanding. Not overwriting is another potentially counterintuitive suggestion. The more the merrier, right? In this instance, not so much. It's all too easy to get carried away on the keyboard; it's an instant transfer from a person's mind, to a person's paper. The author gave a great example of overwriting, and was spot-on when he said it comes off egotistical. Appearing full of myself isn't a component I want in my writing.
  These suggestions will be in the front of my mind while writing this paper, with the book at my side. Also, extra close scrutiny will be implemented when revising. Every bit I've read in this book has helped tremendously.
 

Letter from Birmingham Jail

 Martin Luther King Jr. writes with such passion and eloquence, his words and motive soak into the heart with ease. In his Letters from Birmingham Jail, King describes the immediate action needed to end the oppression of Black-Americans. Although his letter is addressed to his "fellow clergymen", his voice is meant to be heard by all.
  His tone throughout could very easily be a condescending one; however, King is much more classy than this. Every sentence is thoughtfully worded, carefully examined, and packs a punch. He consistently references well-known philosophers and religious figures, such as Socrates, St. Augustine, Martin Luther, and even Jesus himself.  He uses their powerful words to support his cause effectively. King is also careful to never directly attack, or insult, the fellow clergyman this letter is being written to. He critiques them, advises them, and scrutinizes them, but never crosses the line in the process.
  Many times throughout his letters, King makes claims that hit the reader on a fundamental level of moral righteousness. "One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty." Poking holes in unjust laws and actions, prodding others to take stands against the immoralities is a constant theme throughout.
  Examples of logical fallacies are utilized to King's advantage, and are not so easily seen due to his careful wording. "We had no alternative except to prepare for direct action", a quote seen on page 156, is one example of a fallacy I found. However, after examining the logical fallacies sheet, I can't pin my finger on the fallacy correlating to this quotation. What do you think? Another; "...law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and that when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress." I found this one to be similar to the slippery slope fallacy, although his words seem spot-on (in my opinion).
  He steadily utilizes all three appeals; logos, ethos, and pathos. They are very visible throughout, and very effective in getting his points across to the audience. An example I saw of a logos appeal was on page 160, where the paragraph starts "Sometimes a law is just on its face and unjust in its application," then following in sound logical examples. Another, "Lamentably, it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily." A more ethos example I remember is him asking was on page 166. Although this seemingly is a either-or logical fallacy, I found in it great moral appeal: "Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?" Painting these as the only two options, it is effective in raising moral questions within the reader.
  Reading these passionate words from such a level-headed leader will undoubtedly be a great example for writing our persuasive paper. I couldn't have imagined a greater person to learn from, with regards to writing persuasively. I will have King in mind throughout my essay writing, referring to his wise choice of words, and careful contemplation.
 

Logical Fallacies

My three fallacies:

   Either-or: "The entire planet must adopt a Vegan diet, or the human race will continue to suffer."
           -This paints an extreme picture that either every single person switches to the Vegan diet, or our lives will be miserable. Obviously, this not the case. If the human race switched to a Vegan diet, many health/environmental issues might be solved; but violence, war, prejudice, ignorance, mental illness, habitat destruction, etc. etc. would still exist. Adopting a Vegan diet would not end all suffering.

  Slippery Slope: "If we stop eating all animal products, as Vegan's persist, millions upon millions of wild animals will trample through the land."
          - The statement above implies that being Vegan would inevitably lead to this highly unlikely scenario. That is similar to saying if we only eat meat and no plant-based food, wild plants will grow thousands of feet tall and block the sun; a very unlikely outcome. This statement is set up to make veganism sound outrageous, so one reading would easily disregard that position.

  Oversimplification: "No one would get heart disease if every person was a Vegan."
          - Being vegan may greatly reduce your chances for heart disease and other illnesses, but many other factors play into this. Lack of physical fitness, smoking, drinking, and numerous factors all play a part in causing heart disease. This 'oversimplification' implies being Vegan is the solution. However, this is not the case, as many factors play into it.

Topic!

  In a country seemingly designed for complete carnivores, devoting oneself to eating no sort of animal product is a mountainous task. People living the Vegan lifestyle will certainly back up that statement; they must carefully plan meals each day, and be very informed on what is allowed, and not allowed, to eat. Vegan's choose to eat only foods that come from the earth. What does that entail? Well, it literally means no meat of any kind (no chicken, fish, red meat) and no dairy of any kind (no milk, no cheese, no egg). This is a completley plant-based diet.
  Numerous reasons exist for why people switch to this lifestyle of consumption. Due to the industrializaton of how animals are raised for food, many find themselves disgusted with this process, wanting no part in supporting the mistreatment, unfairness, and mutualization of animal livestock. With two-thirds of the country being obese, many see Veganism as the solution. In fact, so many diseases that exist in our world today could be avoided by simply ridding ourselves of animal products in our diet. Other reasons include the unneccessary environmental waste and destruction that is a product of our meat-based diet; twice as much water is used supporting this diet than would be a less-intensive meat diet.
 When presented with the idea of Veganism, people often say, "Oh man, meat is half of my diet. There is no way I could live without meat." The truth is that you can, and you'd be much better off. What goes into your so-called "meat" will surprise you, and disgust you. As Einstein was quoted saying, "Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet". Whether for the switch to Vegetarian or Vegan, a critical look at America's food system today will reveal atrocities that cannot go ignored.
  The benefits are countless, the negative consequences few. This foreign concept of Veganism deserves to be presented and examined. It is time to once again become conscious eaters; we have strayed far from knowing what we are putting inside our body.

When Opinion Matters

Luckily I have the perfect example of my opinion mattering.
  This past weekend my girlfriend, three of my great friends, and me, all flew down to Los Angeles to attend the most epic concert of all time. It was the largest single-headling DJ event of all time (an estimated 26,000 people), and ended DJ Tiesto's Club Life: College Tour; as DJ Tiesto said, we changed history that night. We flew down on Friday morning and roamed around all day, then followed suit on Saturday until the concert. We have been to Tiesto concerts before, so with that experience and knowing that there were 3 opening DJ's, we figured we wouldn't even get try to get there until a few hours in.
  I agreed with everyone that Tiesto wouldn't be coming on for a long time after the event started. However, we put lots of money, time and effort into getting to this concert; I didn't want to take the risk of missing this history-making concert. I decided to convince everyone to leave an hour earlier than we originally planned for the concert. Once we got there, we saw the constant flow of hundreds of people just like us piling in. After waiting in line, emptying our pockets, and being patted down (luckily for this type of event, people know coming in that this will occur) we got into the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.
  We head over to the top of the stands, and see thousands and thousands of people raving and dancing. The lightshow was non-stop crazy instense: the music boomed louder than at any concert I had ever previously witnessed. After using the bathroom and buying some waters, we head down to the general admission floor. We get right in the middle of the madness, as we love to do. Within minutes, the last opening DJ gets off stage, and DJ Tiesto comes on! It was perfect timing; had we left when we originally planned, we would've showed up halfway into his show that we traveled over 1500 miles to see. My opinion mattered.
  After dancing all night, meeting countless interesting people, and celebrating life to the fullest, we were pooped upon arrival at our hotel. We planned on spending the entire next morning at Redondo Beach, before catching our 3:35 flight out of LAX. I have much experience with waking up all of these guys, who were currently passed out in my hotel; I knew waking them up in the morning would not be an easy task, especially after a night like that. 8:30am came around, and I forced everyone to wake up. The morning went slowly, but we were all up and about. They wanted to sleep that extra few hours, but I knew that wasn't the way to end our stay in L.A.
  Once everyone was ready, we called our taxi, checked out of our hotel, and headed to the beach. Let me tell you; there couldn't have been a more perfect way to end this crazy journey of ours, together, than relaxing on the beach all morning. After plopping down our luggage within sight, we headed to the shoreline. The majestic sound of crashing waves filled our eardrums. As we sat along the coast, we let the breeze flowing from the ocean fill our nostrils; a smell we shared together. The waves crashed, and we heard them together. The sun's warmth surrounded us, and we felt it together. We sparked the joints, and tasted them together. We gazed upon the endless Pacific Ocean, looking to where the sky and water become one; we saw this beauty, together. We laughed at the heavenly joy life has to offer, together.
  My opinion mattered.

Muddiest Point

   This assignment is pretty straight forward. No guidelines are unclear, though it is a little tricky to pick a topic. You gave a very good example of what the topic should be (X out of A-Z), and what it shouldn't be (for or against abortion), so I clearly understand it. I just don't have the slightest clue as to what I will choose as my own topic; a little more thought must go into our topic, as opposed to being for or against a moral dilemma. Now that is not to say that I'm against giving effort and having deep thought, rather I'm just stating a fact.
    An appropriate amount of time has been given to us before the rough draft is due, so I wouldn't change that factor. However, I would potentially argue that although much logic is invovled in "selling" whatever we choose, bringing morals into play is a strong component. Mainly in the sense that touching on morals, moral obligations, etc. hits deep down in many people, and gets them emotionally invovled. I will certainly follow the guidelines; it just takes a conscious effort to eliminate emotional and moral reasoning, especially when there is much passion and attachment with a certain topic.
  The only thing I can potentially think that would make this assignment easier is if we were assigned certain boundaries for our topic. For example, we have to pick a certain basketball team and persuade others why they are the best. Now, this is only easier because we wouldn't have such a wide array of options, and wouldn't have to spend much time pondering our topic. Easier in a way, however it would not be near as fun to write about, because we would not feel as strongly about the assigned topic. Plus it would be very limiting, and esepcially lame if someone knew nothing about the topic choice.
    The assignment was put into very simple and easy to understand terms. I have no questions at this point. I might later have a question if I am unsure of whether my topic is within the guidelines. Until then, au revoir.

"A Morsel from the Garden of Eden"

The first sentences are simplisitic in nature, which is perfect to start the story off and grab the readers attention. After pulling you in, the author then describes the basic scenario. Only the significant facts are presented, and many visuals are created by the author. Most memorable is when the grandpa laid eyes upon the cart full of goodies. The excitement within the man was well described by the author. There is no specific section of important dialogue, but there is dialogue throughout that helps set the scene. This story is easy to follow, and easily relatable to someone who helps take care of their grandparents. The conclusion completely ties the story together, and ends it with the humorous vibe that was apparent throughout. This story shows that the simplest of things can bring infinite joy to an individual; they only need to take time to appreciate what is in front of them.

"Once More to the Lake"

The introduction paragraph sets up the scene perfectly. He talks about his summer in 1904 at this camp on the lake, then sets the tone for his return, presently, with his son. The main focus of the story, in my opinion, are the sensory details of what the author experiences at this lake. Apparently important from the beginning, this lake holds dear memories for the author, and he wants nothing more to relive his youth and make new memories with his son. E.B. White gets down to very specific and minor details about everything his 5 senses gather. From the smell of wet wood in the mornings, to eyeing a family of menos swimming, to feeling the dusty paths on his feet. White engulfs any reader with his descriptive details. Not much dialogue is quoted, but it isn't necessary for this particular essay. Very apparent is how White's memories (and newly created memories) here have shaped his life, and who he is today. Any reader who's ever been camping, or spent time around a lake, can easily relate to the bliss experience by White. The conclusion is a stern ending, almost shocking. Not being what I expected at all, it serves well to conclude this memorable experience.

Diving into Personal Narratives

 The first paragraph, or introduction, does a good job at setting the tone for the essay "Me Talk Pretty One Day". I could already tell that it would be an offbeat and humorous essay. The next paragraph is also important for the introduction, giving you a few more important details about the story. Sedaris includes only details relevant to the story and creating an image in the readers mind. Details throughout the story make the reader feel they are sitting in the class with all of these students, being scolded and mocked by the teacher. I felt as if I was in the same boat as the author and other classmates, not understanding what was being said to me but feeling shameful for what was said. Sedaris makes good use of quoting others for emphasis, especially the French teacher. Seeing the teacher's full insults brought an authentic humor to the story. The story is well organized, and easily relatable. It just so happens I'm currently enrolled in a French 101 class, but luckily it isn't quite like this one. Sedaris does an excellent job at explaining the signifigance of all occurences within the story, tying it together perfectly in the conclusion. Through all the embarassment and scolding brought about by the teacher, Sedaris actually learned to understand French.

Sentence Variety

         Anxious to get to the shoe store, Sam got in her car and drove to the mall. Upon arrival she bought a pair of boots and a shoeshine kit. Afterwards, Sam went to the food court where she bought a burrito with onions and peppers on it.  She ate the burrito, then saw a cute boy over at the pretzel stand. The boy looked at Sam which in turn made her blush. The boy walked over to Sam, who said hi, causing the boy to wrinkle up his nose. Confused, Sam said hi again. Now gagging, the boy walked away leaving Sam shocked. Realizing she had bad breath, Sam ran to the bathroom and cried. She put on her new boots, shined them, and walked out of the bathroom. Now confident, Sam found the boy and told him he needed manners. Sam kicked him using her new boots and the boy fell to the ground. She walked away directly out of the mall.

Mechanics

I'll start off by saying that this chapter in Elements of Style is, and will be, extremely useful. When revising my paper, it will be a perfect reference chapter for fine-tuning.
  Although multiple principles are weak points of mine, using successions of loose sentences is one of the weakest. I also need to improve my skills in omitting useless words. With a little work, these principles will easily be added into my writing. Not only can I work on these as I'm writing a paper, but even more so when I am revising. Using an active voice and positive forms are other principles I will focus on when writing my next paper.
  Ironically, this entire chapter seems to be a list of principles that I've been lacking in my writing. Therefore, this is a great opportunity to advance my writing skills. While writing my summary paper, I did very well keeping to one tense. Admittedly, this is only because you made it a point that we did so.
  When going through the revision process, these principles should be easily noticeable if absent. With Elements of Style by my side, the revision work will be more successful and efficient.

Summary Revision Checklist

1. What is the thesis statement? Is it an accurate reflection of the author’s thesis statement? Is it stated in your own words? How could you refine it to be more clear
and concise?

 My thesis statement accurately reflects the original authors, in my own words, and it has been refined multiple times to be very clear.

2. How is the essay introduced? Do you mention the article’s title, author, purpose and

audience? Does it clearly set the tone for the paper and accurately reflect what is
discussed therein? Could it be improved?

 The essay is introduced by presenting a very brief background of the author and essay, creating the setting for when it was written. The title, author, purpose and audience are clearly stated. Pertaining to improvement, this student has done his best.

3. What are the main points of the summary? How do you recognize them? Do you

leave out minor points and repetitive points for emphasis? Most importantly, do you
leave out your own opinion, feelings or conclusions on the subject of the article?

 Main points can be clearly recognized if one has read the actual essay. Most minor and repetitive points have been left out, along with my own opinions and conclusions. Anything otherwise is purely nonintentional, and proper self-critique has been implemented, which is necessary to ensure fewer mistakes.

4. How is the essay organized? Does it follow the organization of the original article?

What transitions do you use? Think of some additional possibilities for more logical
organization.

 The summary essay is organized in the same fashion as the original essay, with minor variations throughout.

5. After your reading, can you say the thesis statement accurately reflects the topic and

focus of the essay? How is the essay concluded? What technique do you employ in
the conclusion? How is that effective or not?

 The thesis statement accurately reflects the topic and focus, and is concluded in the same fashion as the original. You can be the judge if my choice of technique was effective, or not.

6. Make sure to fix any major grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors.

 Done.

7. Is the sentence structure varied and interesting? Do you have any weak, overly

wordy, awkward, or confusing sentences? Does the essay strive to use active, direct,
present tense verbs?

 Any overly wordy sentences have been reduced, with no awkward or confusing sentences when self-reviewing. The essay uses the correct active & present tense verbs, with interesting sentence structure.

8. Were the textual passages (quotes and paraphrases) well-chosen? Remember you

should try avoiding direct quotations when writing a summary.

 Quotes and paraphrases were carefully chosen. There is one instance of an almost direct quotation, but in the end I decided it was a necessary element to the paper, a utterly important quote that describes to the best of its ability the situation of students described in this essay.

9. Is the essay written in third-person? Are all instances of first- and second-person

removed from the piece?

 Yes, and yes.

10. Is the draft two to three (2-3) pages typed, double-spaced? Are all the margins oneinch

(1”)?

 That they are.

Blog #4, "College Pressures"

Many great things come along with being a college student; but just as many pressures and stressors tag along as well. The first college "blow" I took was the realization that I would not be going to Kansas University, as I had always dreamed. At first, it was kind of a bummer. Though, I soon realized that my parents were doing the best they possibly could for me, and I learned to appreciate everything they do to help me journey through the college life. They have been very gracious the past 2 years or so of college, paying for over half of the costs, while pulling out student loans for the rest. The idea of being locked in the system of debt right as I finish up college is a little shocking, but there was really no other choice, as for most people these days.
  At first glance in retrospect, it doesn't seem that my college life has had as many pressures as one would assume. Peer pressure and parental pressure haven't really been there for me. My parents care infinitely about how well I do in school, and want nothing less than the best for me, but I've never felt real pressure from them. No matter how a semester turns out, they are happy that I got what I got, and no worse. Now, I don't get particularly bad grades, so that might explain why they never put much pressure on me. I try to give them as many A's as possible for their hard-earned money they spend on furthering my education.
  Since I started college, I have never really had a job during the school year (only during the summers). I lived at home the first two years, so much expenses were paid for, on top of my allowance I received. There was a point last semester where I got a one month temporary job, working easily over 30 hours a week. I know there are people out there that do way more than that, but nonetheless it was difficult to balance everything. I feel fortunate to have dipped my toe in the waters of having a job during the school year, mainly because I now have no choice. I moved into an apartment and now must learn to start supporting myself, while doing school. My parents are paying my rent and a little extra, but that leaves multiple other bills on top of groceries. It will be quite the adventure.
  The only way to deal with pressures is to conquer them as they come, one at a time. I will continue to learn and grow, bettering myself, and equiping myself for the future.
 

Blog #3, "University Days"

I had a Microeconomics class my sophomore year, which started off very interesting. The professor was great, and I had a couple of buddies in there. However, the testing schedule was something I did not like. Not only was there only two tests plus a final, each test was less than 15 questions long. Although each question could contain any number sub-questions, it was still very short, which meant if you didn't know how to one problem that contained sub-questions A-G, your test score was sure to be awful. The first test I nailed, and got an A. I had been taking excellent notes, and actually focused in the classroom. Unfortunately, my motivation did not hold up. The information got more dull, and the second section had much more information to cover. The second test came around. I wasn't nearly as prepared as the first before studying, and on top of that, I didn't do enough solid studying. I knew a good amount of the answers on the test, but there were a few questions with many sub-questions that I didn't have the slightest clue how to answer. That came back a D or F, no surprise to me. So for the final, I busted my ass.  I currently had a C in the class, but could potentially bring that to a B if I did well enough on the final. I had high hopes, believed in myself, studied hard, and....ended up still having that C when the class was all through. Bummer.
  Luckily for me, what grade I get in a single college class is completely irrelevant to the important things in life.

Blog Post #2, "On Keeping a Notebook"

Almost every person I know has a Facebook, Twitter, or blog. What are one of the top things people love about these sites? Sharing things about themselves. Aside from Facebook and Twitter, however, blogs/diary keeping can be, and often is, much more than a narcisstic individual wanting everyone to read every thought that ever floated through their brain.
  When Didion talks about a diary helping one "keep in touch", I grasp what she means. Not only can a diary be a good outlet (though I don't feel this is enough healthy release on its own), but it has the potential to lead one to much self-discovery. As a person is writing, they can release their emotions, while at the same time seeing through the emotions to the bigger picture, that could even lead to a profound insight into their soul's inner-depths. However, that is an extreme, and can't be expected to happen every journal entry a person might have.
  I don't have a blog, diary, or even a Twitter. It just so happens that I bought a little journal yesterday, but it is not meant to keep a daily record of my life. It is meant more for a creative outlet, whether I feel like making a doodle, jotting down a quote or passage that resonates with me, and little odds and ends. I do have a Facebook, which I probably check a little less often than the average college student. Being on Facebook is more about connecting with others, to me, than sharing things about myself. I can't speak for everyone, though. There are certainly people that shout "hey, look at everything I'm doing, every second!" Still, Facebook is meant for a different purpose.
  Blogs give us the same freedom to write, express, and learn just as a diary does. The obvious difference is that a blog can easily be accessed by others (unlike a private journal meant for your eyes only), intended for others to read on a regular basis. That being said, writing in a blog could become more about what others have to say and think, rather than purely for ones own benefit. I have a feeling that if I kept a blog and diary simelanteously, my blog would start skewing from the original purpose of being an outlet (though it still would be partially that), and be directed more for an audience, than myself.
  Nonetheless, blogs and other social media forms can allow deeper insight into others than one would normally receive. With millions of blogs out there, we can gain a view of the world from many different perspectives than our own.

About Me

Let me tell you a little bit about myself, a little late:

  My full name is Kenneth Lee Yates, though I go by Kenny. I have lived in Topeka for my entire life, am a Junior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sociology (possibly double majoring), and I recently moved into an apartment with my girlfriend and two good friends (which is going fantastic). My interests vary widely; I love attending concerts, watching documentaries, playing ping-pong, and being in nature (whether it is camping, hiking, exploring, or just relaxing). In the previous years I have come to seek risky activities for entertainment. Last summer I went skydiving and plan to again in the near future. I recently went hitch-hiking for my first time, and jumped off a 40-50 foot high bridge into the creek (no worries, everyone ended up quite alright, maybe a little sore). Eventually, as I continue to do extreme activities, I'd like to continue exploring new possibilities including bungee jumping and base jumping, and further down the line, acquire my certified skydiving license. After I recieve my Bachelors Degree I plan to devote all my time and effort to ridding myself of college debt (which is my only debt), leaving me free from the system for the time being. I will maximize this opportunity by living my years to the fullest, exploring, traveling, couch surfing, vagabonding, and about anything you can think of, with my girlfriend whom I have been with for about 3 years give or take. She is a 19, absolutely loving and selfless, and a Vegan, which I only mention because it affects my daily life (in a very positive way).
  Sometime in this mess, I will acquire my Masters Degree. I see schooling as beneficial, but for furthering my knowledge just for the sake of furthering myself mentally, not for jump-starting a career that I'll be locked in for the rest of my life. I'm not too sure what I'd like to do job wise later in life, but I easily envision myself being an activist of some sort, a counselor, but who knows. When it comes time to settle down a bit, I'll figure that out.
  As for this semester, I have high hopes, and am looking forward to the English 300 class!