Self Reflective Essay

Writing is an extremely beneficial skill, and its reward much outweighs any of the detriment writing numerous papers causes. Writing is not only on paper. Conversations and speeches are writings being spoken from the heart in front of audiences. Seeing that writing is such an integral part of daily life there is an immense need for continued growth. This semester has proved to be an eye opening experience. I have never considered myself as an immaculate writer, but an improving one at that. I feel that I made my greatest forward strides during my junior and senior years of high school. Seeing as it has been a while since taking an English course, especially one at the collegiate level, this course was a learning and refreshing experience.

During the course of the semseter I have read many other student's blogs and papers. I have read some great papers and some mediocre ones. I think that "good writing" is clear and concise. It has good organization and conventions and the word choice is advanced and appropriate for the paper. When I compare my writing to that of other students I would consider myself average. I am striving to one day be able to say that I am above average, but I don't have enough confidence in my writing just yet. However, being able to read other's blogs has demonstrated good ideas and set some examples.

English has never been my favorite subject and because of that I have not always had the most positive attitude towards the class. I have struggled with conventions and through my trials and tribulations I feel that I am getting a better grasp on this component of writing. In addition, my writing in previous years was much like a conversation and lacked tone. I feel that I have better control of that today because of this class. I would also like to focus on being able to develop a more perfected thesis. I have a tendency to write the first thing that comes to mind and not be too willing to change it.

Before this class I had never done any writing for a blog. Since the main component of this class was posting and commenting on blogs I now feel much more confident and proficient with blog usage. Also during the course of the semester I was subjected to different styles of writing which have proved helpful in my other classes at UCD. This class can definitely be accredited for the writing success this semester in my other courses.

Next, my writing has changed over the course of the semester. In the beginning of the semester my blog entries were not very confident or very well written.

When making a comparison between the Comcast page and the newspaper one may think that they are very different. In some aspects they are different, but in many they are very similar. The newspaper can offer a lot of the same news information but in order to find it one must look through the pages to find that particular article.

This was an example from the first post of the semester. I was really unsure of myself as a writer and the median of blog entries was a foreign concept for me. In this next piece I feel that my voice is strong and my writing is confident well articulated.

There was a faint rhythm in the background that could be recognized as Mexican music, entertaining the employees as they worked. I also heard chopping that was most likely associated with the butcher's block in the back dissembling the chicken into desired portions. Beyond the music and rhythmic fall of the blade on the chopping board the hushed conversations of the few customers flowed through the restaurant.

Overall I believe that my writing has much improved over the last semester. I still want to dedicate time to expanding my vocabulary in order to enrich my writing and conversations, as well as work on proper conventional use and strengthening my thesis statement. I feel that my papers have a stong voice and I am proud of that. Nothing is worse than reading a dull paper that involves no emotion.

Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Nowadays black and white photography seems as if it has lost its popularity. Most the photographs and pieces of art that hang on the walls of homes have flamboyant coloring that seems to define the meaning of the artwork. Ansel Adams is a world renowned photographer and is known for his black and white photography. The vast majority of his photography is based out of the national parks in California and New Mexico. Ansel Easton Adams was born in 1902 and died in 1984. He originally wanted to live the life of a concert pianist and then decided to take up photography. He was an avid member of the Sierra Club and an environmentalist. He also really enjoyed hiking and that is when he did all of his photography (Wikipedia). During the course of his life Ansel was responsible for capturing many nature scenes at the height of their beauty; if it weren’t for Ansel we may not have access to such rich and pure nature photographs. Many have tried but they will never have the full capability to mimic any of Ansel’s work. Simplistic value and natural beauty were not meant be toiled with; Ansel uses his photography to demonstrate the necessity to leave nature in its state of origin.
First, we must examine the content of his photography. To the common eye Ansel is selling black and white photography that may appear to be old fashioned and serene. After analyzing Ansel and who he was, the content of his artwork is much more than the serenity that it delivers. Since Ansel was a very dedicated environmentalist and had a profound love for the outdoors, especially hiking, the underlying message becomes much more apparent. Ansel was an advocate for looking and enjoying nature but not touching or altering it in any way. By capturing unique, flawless, and breathtaking scenes on film Ansel was exuding the utmost necessity to omit human intervention and expedition (Wikipedia). If human interference could be eliminated, Ansel felt that he was upholding his duties as an environmentalist (Wikipedia).
Next, for most of the time that Ansel was a photographer the luxury of color print was not available. Once color was available he was semi opposed to its use. “I have done no color of consequence for thirty years! I have a problem with color-I cannot adjust to the limited controls of values and colors. With black and white I feel free and confident of results (Callahan 10)”. Ansel’s lack of confidence with the use of color film forced him to the continued use of black and white photography. If Ansel was uncomfortable with the results of his photography, then his true message was not able to be portrayed to its fullest extent. The complexity of color was not necessary. Ansel was a skilled, expert photographer that used his knowledge and skills to his advantage. Much like nature the unnecessary toiling was not necessary. Ansel eventually published some color photography, however, there a many fewer color prints available.

Third, even though Ansel lived from 1902 to 1984 the legacy of his photography has much out lived him. His original intention of leaving nature how it is did not die out when Ansel passed. This idea has lived on through many years, and will continue to be an integral part of life. Ansel and his photography obviously made a big impact on many people. Is his honor The Minarets Wilderness in the Inyo National
Forest was renamed the Ansel Adams National Forest in 1984 and in 1985 Mount Ansel Adams was named in Sierra, Nevada (Wikipedia). With these monumental landmarks named after Ansel we know that he made a large impact on society. The younger generations will be exposed to Ansel even though he has passed. There are many members of society today that are avid environmentalists much like Ansel. Many of these people are conducting conservation acts to preserve nature much like some of what we see in Ansel’s photography. For many people they just see Ansel’s photography as interesting and unique and don’t really understand what Ansel was trying to do with his art.
Finally, Ansel also used rhetorical appeals in his art. Both logos and ethos appeals are present. The logos appeal is presented in the fashion of rationality. Ansel was very rational in his attempt to preserve nature. It is a rational thought to want to maintain natural beauty because once it has been altered it is nearly impossible to restore. In Ansel’s case, if an entire portion of untouched land was removed to build houses, the original scenery would be irreplaceable. The ethos appeal is more directly related to ethics and credibility. Ansel was a credible source for preserving nature. Like stated before he was an active member of the Sierra club and he was an environmentalist. In his case he definitely practiced what he preached. For the ethical part of the ethos appeal Ansel was a modest thinker. He wanted people to be able to enjoy nature but don’t change or demolish it. That seems like an attainable goal.
In conclusion, it is important to examine things fully before jumping to a conclusion. I have always been fond of Ansel’s work but it didn’t have very much meaning to me. The natural beauty and the uniqueness of the black and white were attention grabbing, but I never knew what his photography stood for. Finding out the true meaning of something sheds light and knowledge on the viewer. If all things were looked at from a rhetorical perspective it would be interesting how things changed. Ansel was a respected photographer and environmentalist. His legend has stood strong for twenty three years and will continue to persevere in the future.

Works Cited
“Ansel Adams.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 2007. 26 April 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansel_Adams
Callahan, Harry M., Enyeart, James L., Shaefer, John P., and Stillman, Andrea G.. Ansel Adams in Color.
Boston. Little, Brown and Company. 1993.

Free Write: Divorce

These days divorce is more common then peoples' parents actually being together. When is the last time that you met someone and their parents are still together? If they are still married how well do they get along? It seems these days that people are in such a hurry to get married and they don't even truly know who their significant other is. In fact, the divorce rate has been on the rise over the last ten years and forcing more children to grow up in split households. I believe divorce and the way children act are strongly correlated. It seems that most people go into a marriage knowing that if it doesn't work out that divorce is always an option. Instead people should spend more time evaluating if marriage is the right path for their relationship, rather than opting for a divorce later on. I don't really understand how people can take wedding vows and promise to be together with some one until death do them part and for richer or poorer when they have only know the other person for several months. My parents got divorced when I was in forth grade. For me this was one of the most tragic and horrific moments in my life. I remember that I found out that my parents weren't getting along when I found my dad sleeping on the floor in the living room. When I asked him why he told me that he couldn't sleep so he moved to the floor so he wouldn't disrupt my mom. The problems continued to worsen when my mom would not come home for a week at a time and when she was at home she was just getting clothes or doing laundry. When I finally found out that my parents were getting a divorce my dad took me to a Denver Nuggets game and told me there. I will never forget that day. My parents have now been remarried and my mother divorced again. If and when I get married I will definitely think twice so that I don't one day put my children through the same thing my parents put my sister and I through. To this day my parents can't really have a civilized phone conversation let alone be in the same room together. To me this is very ironic. I still don't understand how two people could have come together in holy matrimony and love each other so much and have nothing but hate for each other now!

Free Write: Study Abroad

I think that studying abroad is a great opportunity. It gives you the opportunity to travel to a different country and enjoy the richness of the cultures meanwhile getting an education. I have always wanted to travel to different countries just to get a different experience. I was born and have lived in Colorado my entire life. I have done some travel within the United States but it has not been extensive by any means. I am considering a degree in Spanish so studying abroad would be a great opportunity for me. It would give me a chance to develop and perfect my Spanish and learn
different dialects at the same time. I believe the only way to become proficient in a language is to speak it with native speakers. Speaking in class only gives you so much. For example, I took four years of Spanish in high school and I did really well. When I began speaking with native speakers I realized just how much school did not teach me. The grammar and vocabulary are just a fraction of what it takes to hold a conversation. I have a friend that studied abroad and she told me nothing but great things about her experience. She has now graduated and took an eight month trip to Europe alone. I really think that if she had not tested the waters by studying abroad she may not be on this trip right now.
Finally, I would like to study abroad in either Spain or Costa Rica. I have not decided which or when I will be doing this but I hope that it is soon!

Extra Credit

I went to see David Lynch's film Inland Empire at the Myan Theatre. I had never been to Myan before and I must admit the idea of having a bar and a movie theater together is quite genius. Needless to say the bar would have come in very handy for seeing this movie if I were not driving. While I was in line, a couple in front of me was asking the clerk how the new David Lynch movie was, and he kind of tilted his head and said it was ok and that everyone that came out of the movie seemed to be quite confused. Hearing this comment made me a little nervous because I knew I had to write a paper on the movie after I saw it. Once I got into the theater and found my seat I realized that it was quite uncomfortable and I was going to have to sit through a three hour movie in these circumstances. My knees were crushed into the seat in front of me because there was not leg room. Good thing the theater was only about half full and no one was sitting in front of me or I would have been in trouble. When the previews started I realized the movies were from directors, actors, and producers that I had never heard of before. Now for the movie. The movie began and it looked as if it were filmed a while ago and perhaps with some one's own camcorder. It was not what I was accustomed to seeing in the theatres. The movie started with a scene in French and I was worried. I thought I was going to have to read subtitles for three hours with the idea that I wasn't going to understand the movie anyway. The beginning started with a prostitute scene and a girl crying. The movie seemed rather uneventful until the old lady came and introduced herself as the younger lady's new neighbor. They were talking and the butler went and fetched them some tea. They then began talking about the role that the younger lady was going to be playing in the play. It then appeared as if she had a weird deja vu and from that point on in the movie I was totally lost. Then next day, the lady went to play rehearsal and her and the other actor were reciting their lines to each other and they heard a noise and the man actor went looking through the set to see if he could figure out what the noise was. After that I had a really hard time distinguishing between the scenes when they were acting and when they weren't. Then it seemed that the scenes were switching between the lady having time with her husband and having time with the other actor. I was trying to focus and figure things out but by this time I think that all hope was lost. Then it got even more weird. When the main actress was in the new house a bunch of prostitute girls started singing and dancing and acting very strangely. I am not sure what this was all about. Then the main actress was talking to a therapist type person and the scenes kept changing and going back to the crying girl in the beginning. By this time half of the people in the theater had left and as I looked around I realized that another four or five people were sleeping. I feel that I misunderstood a major part in the movie and that is why I didn't have any idea what was going on. I think that part of the reason that I didn't understand this movie is because I have never been exposed to this style of film before and I have no background information on David Lynch's past works. Next time if I have to see a movie like this I will definitely do a bit of research before I go and see the movie.

Free Write

Will and Grace is one one of my favorite TV programs. I originally started watching Will and Grace with my family when I was in high school. We would always make nachos and watch TV as a family on Thursday nights and Will and Grace was one of the programs that we really liked. It is really funny and it seems to be a little more real life than some of the other programs. More than anything the one factor that brought my attention to this program is it's comedic value. You can almost count on laughing every time that you watch it. When watching a TV program or movie you always see the actors at their best. This particular clip is bloopers of Will and Grace and they are really funny. Since you only see the actors and actresses at their best it is fun to see them make mistakes and to see they are real people and not acting machines. I once saw an interview with the cast of Will and Grace and the actors are completly different in real life than they are on the show. Their roles are played so well on the show that it is hard to believe that they are any different in real life. Jack and Karen are my favorite characters. The two of them together make a classic pair. The bantering and mockery are priceless and always leave me in stiches. If you haven't seen this program I would highly recommend it. It is quite unfortunate that this program does not air on NBC any more but the reruns are still available for yor viewing pleasure. It seems to me that all of the old school stuff is the best and the newer artists or TV programs are claimed to be better be critics but I still enjoy the old school music over the new artists today. The same can hold true for TV programs. Will and Grace and Friends are to two programs that I was most fond of. Now the only way that I can enjoy these programs are through repeats. Don't get me wrong the repeats are still enjoyable but the suspense from week to week to find out what was going to happen between the charcters is much missed.

You Tube

">

Adbusters

Joe Camel is known world wide and has always been associated with Camel cigarettes. He has always been know to be cool and his coolness is always in conjunction with a cigarette. Perfect pair right, coolness, sex appeal and cigarettes? Apparently not! This ad shows Joe and his comrades checked in for chemotherapy due to the cancer they got from the cigarettes that they advertised for so many years. This ad contains the same old Joe but he doesn't look so great. He has dark circles around his eyes, he is hooked up to an IV and the familiar lettering used to spell out Joe Camel now spells out Joe Chemo. The ever so appealing popular status is now being demonstrated in this ad as a habit that is not so appealing. This ad is affective because now that the indestructable image of Joe Camel and been reduced to a cancer suffering patient perhaps more people will pay attention. The surgeon general's warning that is printed on the side of each pack is not visual proof that something serious could and probably will happen. Now that people have been subjected to the mascot of the cigarette brand having health problems, maybe people will stop and think before they light up their next cigarette!

Unofficial Calvin Klein Ad

This is supposed to be an advertisement of jeans. However, her undergarment is more attention grabbing and you can barely see the jeans that are supposed to be advertised. About the only thing that this ad is advertising is sex appeal. Apparently if you buy and wear these jeans they must be worn unbuttoned and only with a bra to be sexy. I suppose that this ad is effective at grabbing peoples' attention and getting them to think if they wear these jeans they will be sexy like this young lady. However, I think that the attention grabbing tactics used in this ad are more geared towards men. Seeing this ad and being a women does not make me want to buy these jeans. In fact it makes me want to turn the page. I think that this ad is inappropriate because once again you can' even see the item that is being advertised and is the unbuttoning of the pants and the absent shirt necessary. You would think that if Calvin Klein was trying to sell jeans he would try and put a little more focus on the actual jeans! I believe that he was using a pathos effect in this ad. He made people think a certain way about people who wear these jeans, therefore, the jeans themselves were not a necessity.

Elements Of The Photograph

There were several different elements that my photograph included. The picture was black and white and the subjects in the photo seemed to be of an organized fashion. The children were all aligned in a row and the picture was probably taken from the teachers perspective, seeing that the photographer was directly in front of the class. In addition all of the children seemed to be girls. All of the elements combined gives this photograph meaning. I believe this photograph to describe the social classes and the expectations of genders. These messages are conveyed because the girls and boys are seperated in school. Because of the seperation different expectations are carried out. I highly doubt that the boys in the all boys school are getting the same exposure and being taught the same things. Since the boys and girls and taught different things they are obviously going to live different lives.

Kids These Days

Without reading the caption that went with the photo my description was pretty accurate. The children were attending a choir class and they happen to be in England.
I chose this particular photo because it reminded me a lot of my youger years. I have quite vivid recollections of my elementary music class. It was a time the children were permitted to make "noise". When I was little I had several toys that made noise but my parents were bothered by them and I was only allowed to play with these toys at certain times or outside. The second reason that I chose this photograph had to do with the little girl in the middle of the picture. She caught my attention because she reminded me of how we see most kids these days, trying to get attention by being obnoxious. Parents seem to be so busy these days that kids get away with almost anything. I know that when I was a child my parents spent the vast majority of their teaching time showing us that attention getting behaviors were not permitted and thay we must always mind our manners and be respectful. It seems that these values have gone by the way side and parents don't teach their children the same values that I was taught as a child. Finally, I chose this picture because it shows you the simple times and the innocence of your younger years. Sometimes I wish that life was as simple as sitting in music class with my undergarments exposed and not caring about a thing and just waiting for my day to end so that I could go home and have milk and cookies and play with my friends!

Rosalind Solomon

This photo is from the Foley Gallery and the author is Rosalind Solomon.

It looks to me that the children may be participating in a choir class or something of the sort. All I know is their mouths are all wide open and I am sure producing a lot of noise. It also appears that there is some lettering on the chalkboard behind them in a foreign language. Not only are the children seemingly talking, shouting, or singing out of turn it is in a language that you and I probably do not understand. The one little girl in the center seems to be the most obnoxious, maybe that is why no one is sitting next to her. Also, the little girl with her hands folded is sitting with her legs open so that her undergarments are being exposed. The one child next to the undergarment girl seems to be bored out of her mind or upset.

Reflective Essay: The Life In The Seat Of A Drunk Driver

Darting down the highway going 75 to 80 miles per hour near the 38th Avenue exit on I-25, I tried switching lanes and lost control of my car. I smashed into the cement highway divider and was immediately knocked unconscious. I was awoken by a police officer standing next to my crushed and smoking 2003 Hyundai Tiburon. When I came to, the smoke in the interior of my car was so thick that it burnt with every breath that I took, and it appeared so thick that it could have been cut with a knife. From the impact the airbags had deployed releasing a strong gun powder odor. My rear view mirror was sitting on the passenger seat beside me, the glove compartment was hanging on by a mere thread, and all of my personal belongings had been thrown through out the car, looking much like a tornado had struck it. The police officer asked me. "Are you okay?" I replied, "I think so." Then his next question was the one that was going to decide my fate, "How much did you drink tonight because you reek of booze?" At this point I was still trying to figure out where I was and what was going to happen. "I am not really sure, a few shots and some mixed drinks" I said. He then added, "You are lucky that you are not hurt worse, but because your accident is so bad you are going to be spending the night in the hospital instead of in detox. Wait here for the ambulance while I talk to the other officers." I am now viewed through the eyes of society as a criminal. To me criminals are people who commit murders or robberies. I didn't commit a murder but there was a high chance that someone else could have been involved. I thank my lucky stars that no one else was involved and I didn't hurt myself worse. This accident was my life wake up call. I knew that after the accident there was no excuse for me not to get my life together. I didn't really know how or what was going to happen, but I knew that changes had to be made immediately.

Before this event I had had some close calls and they only seemed to make an impact for a short amount of time. Sooner or later I fell back into the same routine and those close calls became a subject of laughter during my drinking escapades. I always knew that my time was coming and that I needed to get myself under control before I had to pay serious consequences. Unfortunately, I was not strong enough to do this on an individual basis. All of my friends that I hung out with were drinkers and I did not know how to separate myself. If I didn't go with them they would give me a hard time until I did go with them or get mad that I was not hanging out with them. This should have been a clear indication that they were not true friends. Upon accepting the concept that my friends were nothing more that acquaintances or "drinking buddies" I became really depressed. I felt like I was alone and all of the time and effort put in to maintain the friendships was a waste. However, on the other hand I realized that it was a blessing in disguise. If I were to continue to hang out with those "friends" all the time, chances are that I would still be making the same stupid decisions that got me into trouble in the first place.

My quality of life during my drinking year was almost non existent. Waking up feeling groggy and sick from the hangovers made it impossible for me to do anything besides go to work. With that, my work performance was less than stellar and my attitude was atrocious. I was miserable, there was so much outside pressure to go back to school and get a real job that I just drank my sorrows away. Now I am in school and working towards starting my career. I have become a more proactive person and less of a procrastinator. Not to mention I have saved tremendous amounts of money by not blowing it at the bar every night. It's a great feeling to be able to right my wrongs and make positive strides in my life. I wouldn't go back to my drinking days for all the money in the world. Looking back, I have no idea how I did it and why I put so much energy into something so detrimental for my life.

It has been nine months since my accident and I now realize that this is single handedly the best thing that could have happened to me. It happened at an opportune time and for a great reason. I was on the edge, teetering back and forth, about to lose complete control of my life, and BAM I was knocked back into control. I am so very thankful that my situation was not worse. I could have encountered a different side to the legal system if someone else was involved. Additionally, I could have taken my own life and not be able to write this paper right now. Don't get me wrong, the punishments and emotional ups and downs that I have encountered thus far have not been easy and I am dealing with and uphill battle everyday , but I would much rather be around to talk about my experience and how it has changed me rather than be behind bars for the rest of my life or not have a life at all.

English Bulldogs

Did you know that the broader a bulldog's head the more prized they are? Kind of odd because with humans, someone with an enormous head usually gets made fun of. I think that bulldogs are the most adorable dogs ever. Bulldogs are very affectionate and great for apartment life. They area laid back and don't need a whole lot of activity but they need a lot of attention. Even though they are even tempered they are quite courageous when in comes to guarding and protecting. When thinking about buying a bulldog some things that should be taken into consideration include: cost and health problems. Bulldogs usually cost around $1,000.00 but that all depends on the breeder and the reputation. Also, these cute little guys have quite a list of health problems. They have narrow wind pipes and are very susceptible to breathing problems. They don't have very good eye sight, they are very sensitive to heat, and they have been know for hip and knee problems as well as some skin infections. They also have a very active digestive system so they can be a little stinky!! Poor guys, they can't help if they have to pass gas! These cute creatures are broad and squatty, they only stand 12 to 16 inches and weigh between 40 and 50 pounds. Also, bulldogs only live to be about 8 years old. I still adore bulldogs, but after doing a little bit of research I am not sure if I still want one. Maybe I will just get a calender.

El Capitan

This is a photo of El Capitan that was captured by Ansel Adams in the National Park Sytem . This is a classical piece and a great example of Ansel's work. His works can typically be indentified by the black and white nature scenes. Ansel was born in 1902 and died in 1984. While all of his works are colorless the senses that come out of the pages when you are looking at them are quite colorful. I can hear the water crashing into the river below making a loud but peaceful sound. I can imagine the sky is blue and clear with barely any clouds in sight. Maybe a falcon or an eagle soaring peacefully in the sky and birds chirping while pearched in their tree top nests. The serenity and the marvel of the this photo makes me want to take a deep breath, hold it in, and slowly exhale while taking in all of the beauty that nature has to offer. If every day we could take a moment to enjoy our the luxuries that the outdoors have to offer the hustle and bustle wouldn't seem so bad.

Blogs you aren't reading

In my opinion there may be a reason why this particular blog is on the list of "Best Blogs 2006 That (Maybe) You Aren't Reading". I must be honest, when I first got to this site I scrolled through it and thought to myself that I must have some how made a mistake. So I left the site and tried it again. The content of this site is organized in such a manner that it seems that the user must take a prerequisite course to understand what is going on in this blog. There is no direct connection between the items and what will be found on this site. On the left hand side there is what appears to be an index, which it is, but not only for entries on this site. On the second half of the "index" there is a long list of shortcuts to other blogs. After randomly selecting one, I previewed the site and found that this guy was writing about his road trip, after scrolling through five or six of his other blogs, I found some entries that had to do with literary works. Literary works whether they are films, poems, or books especially dealing with politics seems to be the focal point of this site. However, the focal point was somewhat hidden. In some sites the focal point can be figured out from the web address or even through the title of the site. In this case I actually had to read into the first couple of articles to figure it out. The lack clarity may be related to the fact that this particular site is only meant to appeal to a select group of people. It may be possible that I am not of the select interest group meant for this blog. Also, the form of how this blog was constructed was rather abstract. I would personally have to say that this site is not very visually appealing. There are some graphics that make it a little more appealing. But in all honesty the dullness of the colors is a direct connection to the content. The most attention grabbing detail that I found was on the index tab half way down in between the index and the blog directory and it is a flashing image that talks about every 3.6 seconds someone dies from hunger. Seeing that the focal point of this site is more directed towards literary works and how they are related to politics, and one of the only things that I got fr0m this site was a cartoonized image about hunger does not speak too strongly for the structure of this blog.

As for taking information from this blog and incorporating it in to my own, I would not. The only thing that I would take from this site to incorporate into my own would be the more extensive use of graphics. I don't want people visiting my blog and thinking how terribly boring and uninformative it is. I would like them to be interested and want to stay long enough to understand the focus of my blog, and not be utterly lost and feel like they entered the wrong web address.

Observational Essay: How Rico Is Your Pollo?

South bound on the 5200 block of Federal I see an orange and white sign that says "Rico Pollo", I had never entered this establishment, so I decided to take a gander. In literal translation rico pollo means rich chicken, but a more appropriate meaning in this case is delicious chicken.

Pulling into the semi occupied parking lot there was a Hispanic man in his late forties leaning against the window near the entrance. He was wearing a tattered, worn in, blue winter jacket and a red baseball cap with yellow writing that read "Rocky's Auto". He was smoking what looked like a re-fry cigarette and it was obvious that he was begging for money. He politely asked "Hablas espanol?" I replied "Si." He then continued "Puedo lavar tus ventanas?" I kindly told him "Si, por favor." He wanted to wash my car windows for money are a agreed. In exchange for the wash I handed him three dollars and proceeded to enter. Standing in between the doors of a double door entrance I watched as he took his spray bottle, with a 409 label, and wash my windows and take a dry towel hanging from his back pocket to dry them. After the man finished I turned around to open the second door and I was faced with a neon green sign that read "no checks no credit cards".

Upon entering I was greeted with a savory breeze that smelled of grilling chicken. The employees behind the counter were dressed in orange and black polo shirts with "Rico Pollo" embroidered on the left side. Along with the shirt, the employees were also wearing an orange hat that was inscribed with "Rico Pollo". There were three employees visible in the foreground, but by the chatter in the background in was obvious there were more people in the back. Off to the side was a man in a white button down, recently pressed shirt with blue slacks writing on his clipboard. The industrial sized thermometer in his left hand led me to believe he was a health inspector.

As I looked up I encountered a slightly disorganized black and white menu. The entrees didn't seem to be grouped or in any kind of chronological order. There were some items that were repeated in different areas of the menu and there were pieces of paper hanging from the menu offering possible specials. After scanning the menu for several minutes I asked the lady "me das un cuarto de pollo blanco y una soda de la macina por favor." The quarter chicken meal included a side of rice and beans, grilled green onions, a fresh roasted jalapeno pepper, and piping hot corn tortillas. I took my cup and my receipt and proceeded to get a soda. Posted on soda machine was a note written in Spanish "ayudenos mantener el restaurant limpio por favor." In English the staff was asking the clients to help keep the restaurant clean. To the left of the soda fountain there was a refrigerator with sliding glass doors and inside were rows of bottled sodas ranging from apple and grapefruit to sparkling mineral water and sangria.

There were approximately twenty tables, evenly placed, around the restaurant. All of them had a wooden tabletop that was light in color and marred in different places. Some had words etched in the top and others were just scratched and dented. The table was paired with a brightly colored orange, hard plastic, booth style seat. After choosing a table I noticed the different decorations on the wall. The walls were white and covered with random mumbo jumbo. On one wall was a gigantic, authentic, blue sombrero that was covered with white lace-like design. On the walls adjacent to the sombrero there were violins and guitars hanging and underneath them were stacks of high chairs crammed into the corners.

There was a faint rhythm in the background that could be recognized as Mexican music, entertaining the employees as they worked. I also heard chopping that was most likely associated with the butcher's block in the back dissembling the chicken into desired portions. Beyond the music and rhythmic fall of the blade on the chopping board the hushed conversations of the few customers flowed through the restaurant. The occupants ranged from a couple, to a family of five, to several single guys in grungy work attire stopping by to grab food to go.

I received my plate and the aromas grew stronger. The juicy chicken was steaming and all of the smells mixed together were screaming "EAT ME!" The plate and the presentation were simple, all plastic. But the tastes were beyond simple. The chicken had a dry rub of Mexican spices giving the chicken a more complex flavor than grilled chicken alone. The taste that makes your mouth water and turns on all of your taste buds making you yearn to take the next bit. The plate was accompanied by a side of green sauce that had tiny black specs throughout, probably small bits of skin left on the chili from the roasting process. The sauce had a delicious garlic and jalapeno flavor, but the jalapeno flavor seemed to be a powerful and potent. The corn tortillas were a perfect addition to the plate because they could serve as a neutralizer to calm the burning sensation that the sauce produced. Throughout the meal the pile of dirty, crumpled napkins began to grow, by the end of the meal the pile had grown to a mere mountain containing at least ten napkins. Once I had finished, I gathered the soiled napkins and placed them on top of my empty plate and scanned the room for a trash receptacle. Upon discovery, I realized the swinging door of the bin had the original lettering of "Thank You" scratched off and was replaced by "Basura" which is Spanish for trash. I deposited my trash, gathered my things and proceeded to leave. While going back through the double door entrance, I noticed some local Spanish newspapers placed on the ground free for taking. I passed them by and left through the second of the series of doors. The gentleman who was once outside washing windows had now disappeared and I was on my way to finish the rest of my day.

Randomly selected words

Words:
addicted,ban,casualty,dissolve,elastic,filthy,ginger,hip,incentive,jury,knockout, jacket,memorize,nor,overall,painting,quiche,remorse,screw,tackle,unsteady,vile,weird,xray,yolk,zucchini

Addiction is a chronic disorder proposed to be precipitated by a combination of genetic, biological/pharmacological and social factors. International Environmental Groups Reject Japanese Waste Colonialism: Calls for Rejection of Japan Economic Partnership Agreements1-18-07 U.S. Deaths Confirmed By The DoD: 3097 In biology, to dissolve means to separate liquids from solids to gases. That eventually turns into evaporation. That means that dissolving is the complete cycle of science. Elastic Connections Worldwide Home Page Ten minutes into Because I Said So, I shit my pants. Ginger is used extensively as a spice in cuisines throughout the world You've got questions; we've got answers In economics, an incentive is any factor (financial or non-financial) that provides a motive for a particular course of action, or counts as a reason for preferring one choice to the alternatives. A jury is a sworn body of persons convened to render a rational, impartial verdict and a finding of fact on a legal question officially submitted to them, or to set a penalty or judgment in a jury trial of a court of law. TWO DOLLAR TUESDAY'S. Have you played America's hottest puzzle? A military veteran goes on a journey into the future, where he can foresee his death and is left with questions that could save his life and those he loves. (more) (view trailer) What did you learn in high school. the eponymous founder-king of Norway in Norse mythology. An overall is a type of garment which usually used as protective clothing when working, but they have sometimes been items of fashion, especially in the 1990s. Painting taken literally is the practice of applying color to a surface (support) such as paper, canvas, wood, glass, or other. Quiche Lorraine is perhaps the most common variety. Remorse is an emotional expression of personal regret -- that is, the emotion felt by the injurer after he or she has injured. A screw is a shaft with a helical groove or thread formed on its surface. Living so far away from the store and having not dealt with them before, I was a little apprehensive.
Not firm, solid, or securely in place; unstable. An adjective meaning "morally low; base; despicable": If you want unlimited access to the finest selection of Weird Sites, Pictures, Sounds, and lots more, I invite you to join our Members Only section. XRay is a free XML editing enviroment. Should have an online profile (eg. friendster, multiply, flickr). Zucchini (Zoo-Keen-Ee) (US, Australian, and Canadian English) or courgette (New Zealand and British English) is a small summer marrow or squash, also commonly called Italian squash.

Where the paper begins. . .

During the brainstorming process for our observational essay in class, there was one certain subject that everyone seemed to be interested in. Even though I am currently an active member in this particular position, I feel that it would be insightful for me to take a step back and write and share with others my experience and possibly use this as an introspection to further my career. I am choosing to write about kitchen operations and the "daily life" at Johnny Carinos . I once was on the opposite side of the kitchen working as a server. I remember being so intrigued at how the cooks seemed to be so "good" and how the kitchen seemed to be so "big, hot, and scary". My cooking experience began as a Sunday ritual. My friend and I were the opening servers and I would beg the manager on duty to let me cook. Seeing the he despised the idea of being in the kitchen he would cordially agree. After many burns and accidental mishaps, the management finally decided to give me a shot. I was over joyed at this momentous occasion. They threw me into the mix on a Friday night for the very first time. I was literally shaking from angst and nerves. This will be the main emphasis to my paper. I want to write about my first night on "the line". This paper will be geared to fellow students and other visitors to my blog. Seeing that I got such a positive reaction to writing about the kitchen and what it is like to be a cook. I want to provide the viewers with the processes of the Johnny Carinos way, and give them a description of what it is like to be on the other side. Like I said before I want to share my experiences with others and I think that it will also help me look at things for the future. My ultimate goal is to one day have a catering business, or something of the sort, of my own. I expect that the readers will be entertained when they learn all of what goes on in the kitchen and what it is like. For me, I think that I will have a good time telling my story. Once the words are on paper I hope for it to read like an exciting "story" with lots of twists and turns. Some websites that may prove to useful are: www.carinos.com, www.chefwear.com, and www.diccionarios.com. This sites will include information relative to the restaurant, the uniforms, and the translations that I had to learn in order to fully understand what was going on in my surroundings.

This will make you smile! : )

">" border="0" alt="" />

My my how the world is expanding. Videos are not just on TV or in the theater anymore, they can be found on the Internet. I personally had no idea all of the stuff the Internet dad to offer. In my search for a video I realized how vast the selection is. There is everything from political puns to video game movies. The clip that I chose is relatively simple but brought a smile to my face. The main focus of this video is the baby in the high chair. While this video clip doesn't contain much more than the child in it's chair and a parent in the background making noises, it sends out a message. It brings you back to all of those fond childhood memories that you have. The child's hysterical laughter fave me a warm feeling that I used to get when I was a child or during a course of good old genuine laughter. It makes me wish that I could get so much pleasure and enjoyment out of the simple things in life. I realize that noises like those may not be pleasurable to an adult, but if you stop and think about what the world has come to, you will understand. The people of the world today have become so engulfed in the riches and the materialistic principles that the simple aspects of life are over looked and considered dull.

The "warm fuzzies" that this clip delivers to it's readers are important. It makes it's readers take a stop back and realize how good genuine laughter makes ones soul feel complete. Laughter is a healthy human process. According to http://marriage.about.com/ laughter helps reduce stress and tension, reduces your blood pressure, and many other beneficial things. If something as simple as a daily dose of laughter can boost health you would think that people would laugh all of the time. Shoot, many people would save a lot of money on prescriptions,counseling, and chiropractors or massage therapists. Like stated before the clip was simple but after viewing it you have to admit that you do feel better. Maybe the old saying " an apple a day keeps the doctor away" should be changed to "a good laugh a day keeps the doctor away".

How important are the 5 W's?

When searching the Internet there are millions of sites to choose from. Some are specialized and will only appeal to a certain group of people with specific needs. Others are more generalized and will appeal to a broader more generalized population of Internet users. I believe that http://www.comcast.net/ to be a site that is more generalized.

First of all, the generalization of this site makes it appealing to almost anyone that can use the Internet. However, it is probably a bit more appealing to subscribers of Comcast vs. non-subscribers. With so many options, it may contain the answer, but if not found at this particular site it can possibly be a good beginning to their search. If someone in particular was looking to research, this may not be the site. Typically, research sites tend to be a little more specialized. Secondly, this sire contains a vast amount of general information. It contains news information from what is going on in politics to Hollywood. Also, it contains magazine type information ranging from fashion to how couples meet/ The user may choose to look up information on cars, finances, entertainment such as movies, TV, or music, kids games or even travel. Thirdly, this site is considered a current sire. Meaning the information found here will have to do with current events, current styles, or "what's hot" if you will. Historic information or past fads will not be available here. The only older information that may be found here includes old statements if you are a Comcast subscriber and old pictures or videos if you have them saved. Next, the information here is most directly related to the United States. It contains war information and other current international events. However, the other information that this site contains is probably not a relevant to someone is China as it is to someone in the United States. Finally, the main purpose of this site is to inform. In the particular case it is acting like a web-based newspaper or possibly a tabloid.

However, because this site is considered to be generalized there is room for confusion. Because most of the information is most relevant in the United States does not mean that it will not pertain to someone in China. But if they misconstrue the articles or content this may make way for a possible misconception. As with all sites location, religion, language and many other factors can play a role into the interpretation of what you read of hear.

In conclusion, no matter where you are we all have access to the same information on the world wide web. So take in to account the who, what, when, where and whys of a site before the true meaning of the site gets misinterpreted.

It's Comcastic. . .

Have you considered what the Internet has brought to you in it's mere twenty year existence? Imagine the world being less informed and everyday tasks such as looking for a car or paying bills a lot more difficult. One site, in particular, has a multitude of these web based tools to offer. The Comcast page can offer almost anything one can ask for. With one click on http://www.comcast.net/ you can learn about world news and all of the latest celebrity gossip with a slide show of pictures and subtitles. If that is not what interests you all of the tabs on the left of the screen will take you anywhere you want. If you simply want to manage your Comcast account, you can do that as well. Furthermore, the Comcast page offers a tab for the Latino population. Just another example of how Comcast is extending it's range to broaden it's reader variation.

When making a comparison between the Comcast page and the newspaper one may think that they are very different. In some aspects they are different, but in many they are very similar. The newspaper can offer a lot of the same news information but in order to find it one must look through the pages to find that particular article. On Comcast there is a nifty search bar where you can enter what you would like to read about and search for in in that manner. Or, the very helpful tool bar on the left, kind of like an index, can be used to navigate your search as well. Thirdly, glance at the main body of the page and look at the compressed, yet descriptive, blogs about the inner lying stories, and make you selection through those.

On the other hand, when implying differences there are many as well. In my opinion I feel that the Comcast page is more interesting than the newspaper. When a reader is choosing a story or article to read sometimes a title as an attention grabber is just not enough. Of course, the newspaper has pictures and includes attention grabbing photos, but most of the newspaper is just text. On the Comcast page there are more pictures and the continually moving slide show in the center of the page is the main attraction. For me, that is what captures my attention and makes me want to read more articles. Another difference would also be the content of the newspaper vs. Comcast. As already mentioned Comcast is multi-functional and not just text based. In addition, you can listen to the radio, send or read emails, look at photos, or even watch a video. All of which are features that the newspaper does not offer alone.

In conclusion, the Internet is a huge integral part of many peoples' daily lives'. Who knows, maybe one day the Internet will take the place of printed text.