"Hardest Class of My Life" Index

Argument
  Everything's an Argument..12
  Types of Arguments..14
  My Argument for this class..17
Bitzer
  Why I cringe at this name..25
  See Rhetoric..some odd number later
Blogs
  Yeah, Write..28
  A New Ending..31
  That's right, that's me..33
  Blog Project..34
Essays
  50 Essays..37
  Revisions..39
  Story of my life..44
Ethos
  Trust..46
  Build it..47
Humor
  Parody..50
  Sardonic..53
  Arguments..56
  Har har har..59
Logical Fallacies
  Types..60
  Emotional..63
  They really work, really..66
Orwell
  Understanding..69
  He actually makes sense..71
  Composition hero..75
Rhetoric
  If I hear this word again..79
  I will cry..81

Style

  You get to choose this..92

  So use it!..95
Tone
  Types..99
  Summary..103
Writing
  Tools..110
  See every before topic..1-1000000

 

The Tipping Point

I was pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed reading this book. I thought that the entire thing would be boring facts put together to make a point, but the way it was written actually brought me to want to continue reading. Gladwell uses many different examples that I can personally relate to. For example, he used "Blue's Clues" as an example which is a show that I watched when I was young. The fact that he relates to this show makes me feel like I am his target audience for this book, like this book was written for me to read. But not only does he include examples like this, he has little exercises throughout the book. At one point he tells the reader to count how many people he knew from the list of names given. With this he makes a point, but he also keeps the reader's mind active. This, I believe, was a very effective strategy, and I recommend the book. It gives reason to situations that people know are there, but have never considered in detail. This books explains these situations in an entertaining way.

Letter to young self

Dear little Alex,
I guess I could start with a how are you, but technically I guess I alreAdy know that, good right? It's well actually, you'll learn that soon enough though. You grew up to be a pretty greT person, really just a wonderful, charming, perfect girl. Ha! Joke, but you really have grown up and I'm proud. You always promised yourself to respect your parents, love them, and never be one of those teenagers who is so rude to their parents. Iso far, you've kept your promise. Last thing, treasure every single trip gaga brings you on. I am going on my last trip with her in the summer and I regret just accepting trips from her and not being as grateful as I could. You know what I mean.
Love you!
Older Alex

Process Analysis

           For my ACT tutoring, I am supposed to read magazines like “The Week” and “Newsweek”. Previously, I had been thinking about the crisis of mortgages and the housing market because of how popular the crisis is becoming, but I came across an article called “America underwater” in one of my magazines. That sparked some thought, so I went to talk to my parents about the topic. Although I do not have any first-hand experience, I decided that the solution could be easy: don’t let desire get the best of you and buy a house that simply exceeds your realistic price range. It has become a problem that people think that they can afford a house because it may only be slightly above their price limit, but they usually end up putting it up for sale, getting a foreclosure, or not even being able to finish the construction. My argument is that homebuyers should figure out what a realistic price limit is before investing in a house. They should not exceed the limit because when they spend more than they can afford and a bad situation arises, they can no longer maintain this price.  The audience for my argument includes those who are looking to buy a house.

            My strategy is to begin my argument with nice houses that many people would desire to own, but realistically cannot afford. Initially I planned on including homes that an average income can afford, but in the end I only have pictures of exquisite houses. My idea is that if I show the extreme situations, like very nice houses and foreclosures, then my point will be more obvious. For the first section I included photos of outside a house and the insides as well. I include the inside because it includes the situation of someone purchasing a normal house and filling it with exquisite merchandise. I found the most impressive house and opened the slideshow with it, and then I formatted the pictures so that there was a pattern between outdoor shots and indoor shots. I also added a picture of an expensive looking neighborhood to show that location of the house also has an affect on the price. In the second half I went directly to foreclosure as an extreme, yet increasingly common outcome. The last picture in the second half of the argument is shinny and gold, which is appealing and catches the eye. I make a pattern by switching off between foreclosure, for-sale, and half built pictures. I also include two cartoon pictures that show the correspondence between money and housing, which I find very effective because they show the direct correlation and make my argument more evident. I complete the slideshow with one rhetorical question and one final sentence. The question pulls together the first half of the pictures and questions whether this is realistically affordable. The last sentence is speaking to those who answer no to the question, which are most people. This is a powerful sentence that concludes the purpose of the argument in three, short words.

           

            I chose this music because it does not have lyrics and all of the dynamic beats land on important parts in the slideshow. Also, a single note that is held constant emphasizes the transition between expensive houses and the horrible outcomes. String instruments are used in the song, which I find is more effective in moving the emotions in an observer. This is because of the elegance of the sound and the softness of the piece. It projects a feeling of hopefulness. I chose not to include lyrics in the music because of the seriousness of the situation and the fact that there are few songs written about this situation. I did not chose a pop song because my audience is not the younger population, but adults who may not listen to popular music. If I chose a song with lyrics it may direct the attention more to the music instead of the music being in the background. Also, if the music was more light-hearted, then it would decrease the seriousness of the situation. In the beginning of the slideshow the notes are a little more up beat and lively, which I hope gets the audience interested in the houses and in the slideshow. During the second part the notes become more staccato bringing on a more serious emotion. At the end, the notes are long and drawn out which emphasizes the question and statement. My hope is that as the music changes so do the emotions of the audience. 

And that's that!

http://www.badgermls.com/images/RedBadgerMLSHouseForSaleSign.JPG

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=foreclosure&num=10&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&biw=1024&bih=684&tbm=isch&tbnid=BLDbTSkRAkj1pM:&imgrefurl=http://foreclosureskingmanaz.com/&docid=2rdoubUzCYAPvM&imgurl=http://foreclosureskingmanaz.com/images/foreclosure_notice.jpg&w=849&h=566&ei=60fxTtHVGOPd0QGJn_n8Cg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=221&sig=111197245217712965255&sqi=2&page=1&tbn

h=125&tbnw=187&start=0&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0&tx=158&ty=88

http://www.signcreations.com/images/forclosure2.JPG

http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/feverpitched/feverpitched1108/feverpitched110800110/10418220-home-for-sale-real-estate-sign-in-front-of-new-house.jpg

http://i.usatoday.net/money/_photos/2011/09/21/Home-sales-jump-as-investors-swoop-in-6LDEED0-x-large.jpg

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/the-condoist/assets_c/2010/11/HouseUnderConstruction-thumb-640xauto-255535.jpg

http://articles.homegarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/20-year-plan.jpg

http://www.trustkb.com/images/Mansions10.jpg

http://blog.lakesregionhome.com/files/2009/12/25-colby-court.JPG

http://www.pachd.com/free-images/new-york/new-york-11.jpg

http://www.real-estate-cary.com/Images/N_Raleigh2/Springdale-Estates-House.jpg

http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/6/1/2/0/ar127233532002164.jpg

http://www.nachi.org/images06/misc-photos/new3mistakes_001.jpg

http://jasgrace.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/neighborhood-street_jpg.jpg

http://www.ianmarshall.com/files/Atlanta_Mansions_over_1million.jpg

http://adventuresofzoocookie.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/interior.jpg

Visual Argument Video - Housing Crisis



Dear Winter Break

Dear Winter Break,

You have saved my life. I needed the long hours of staying in bed just because I could. I needed the late movie nights with my little brother because we had nothing to we awake for the next day. I needed the time to catch up on from my increased slacking in the weeks before you came. I needed the time to read my books that I wouldn't get tested on the next day. I needed the dinner times with my family where we could have time to talk about anything and everything. Now that I have that all done, I am ready to return to life, all refreshed and ready to go!

Love,
The tired student

Valerie

New Years Resolution

 So my friend Rachel and I decided to go to a yoga class because we thought it would bring on good karma for us. Right? The whole time the instructor was talking about having New Years resolutions and how we should be thinking about them and setting our mind to them. I heard that people are saying that you shouldn't set them this year, because so many people fail their resolutions I assume? But common. Even if you have a resolution for one day and you fail the next, that's one day more than if you didn't set it!  But if you really want it to happen, tell everyone. Brag about it, obsess about it, because if you go to sleep thinking about it and wake up thinking about it, guess what. It will happen! Go figure. So why on earth wouldn't you set a new year resolution? Or two even?? Try or die trying, agreed? I have like ten, but I am going to eat healthier, not like diet, more veggies. Go to any doctor and they will tell you that if you want to lose weight or become healthier...fruits and veggies. That's it. It's not rocket science people. Not that I want to lose weight necessarily, but I want to be healthy, look healthy, feel healthy. ALSO, this  year is the year that Alex Milow makes it to everything on time. No more leaving my house 2 minutes before I am supposed to be somewhere. Even though I haven't gotten a speeding ticket, I have just been one lucky girl because I book it everywhere I need to be. Only because I am late for everything! But not this year people, I am going to be 10 minutes...5 minutes early for everything, got it? good. Last thing I want to share is that I was laying in bed trying to go to sleep after all of the hoo ha early this morning with Rach, and we talked about just random things we were thankful for for a good hour and a half. I just want to say that I am so thankful for my parents who don't smoke, they aren't alcoholics, they are together, and I think that they are the coolest people on earth. I spent my New Years with them! I live in an amazing house, it's beautiful, warm, and I have the most wonderful bed. There is nobody in this world like my neighbors. They are one of a kind and I am SO lucky to have them in my life! They're crazy, that about sums it up. I have a wonderful life, and I seem to forget it sometimes. I didn't even realize that I was making someone's night last night until he told me how grateful he was to be able to spend time with normal (I'd call it insane, but they could mean the same) family and friends, especially around the holidays.
I had such a great time last night with my parents; Rachel and her boyfriend Ben, whom I've known since forever; my boyfriend, Jordan; Wendy and her two girls (neighbors); and Lisa, Todd, and his two kids (loud, loud neighbors). Happy New Years!!

So please enjoy this horrid video that I am completely going to regret putting on my blog. Ignore the background singers and focus on the amazing singer to the left!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kCfrvFzevN4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

http://youtu.be/kCfrvFzevN4

...One of these should work to pull up the idea I believe, otherwise I will post it in one second! Enjoy this humiliation!

Risk

In order to get anywhere successful in life I believe one should take risks. There are times, of course, when one should not take risks, but for the most part a person is always risking something. They could be risking judgement, penalty, criticism, etc. Not all of the outcomes are bad though, there is the desired chance of success, persuasion, or change. People need to take risks in order to make a change in the world, or in order to be successful. This does not mean that one should risk not doing their homework for a week hoping that teachers will stop assigning it, that's not going to happen. The reasoning behind the risk has to be somewhat...reasonable. A good example is investing in a business that you are not positive will take off. But along with these extremes comes every day risks. We make risks like driving every day, or going on an airplane, or talking to a new person you've never met. These are all risks, but you wouldn't really be able to live if you didn't take them.

Powerful Images

I was reading my blog for the project and she linked the most powerful images of the year. I just had to share! Some of these are actually insane, I love them. My dad and I looked at them together and some of them are extremely sad, funny, interesting, or just completely insane!
Some of my favorites are number 7, I think it is honestly hilarious. She's getting sprayed in the face with pepper sprain, just look at it! How could you not chuckle a little bit when you see this?
I just started at number 8 for like 3 minutes straight. Can you even imagine? I can't even say anything about it, i'm just shocked every time I see it.
Oh my! I can't even believe number 10! I didn't even know that was possible!
My dad got a huge kick out of number 16, serves them right huh?
Number 18 is my favorite. It makes me think of the end of the world, I am speechless when I see it. IT'S INSANE!!
Okay the rest are pretty great too but number 18 is my favorite beyond favorite. I made it my desktop background.

The Lady With the Stroller

"Two more blocks. Two more, two more, two moooore. Two more blocks and we will be opening the doors to cushioned chairs surrounding a blazing fire that will thaw out the tips of my toes." This runs through my head as I wait for the symbol to change from a big orange hand signaling me to stay on my current side of the road, to the skinny, white man informing me that it might be safe to walk. "Now if only she doesn't wake up, then I'd call this a pretty successful trip to the coffee shop."

Why I looked to my right, I don't know, but maybe if I hadn't the man would have spotted a different victim to stare down until they forged over some cash. He had long, greasy hair that I assume used to be dreadlocks, and ragged clothes. Either he had a very rough night, or he was homeless. As I tried to ignore him, I felt his stare pierce through me and my baby. "Please stop looking at her!" I thought, but didn't dare say incase he took it as a challenge. I wondered why all of the others waiting to cross the street were looking away, very obviously pretending to be oblivious to the current situation. Thanks my fellow citizens.

I quickly grabbed my purse and searched for the one thing I hoped would stop making him look at my baby that way. Lipstick tossed to the right, address book to the left, handkerchief...I was wondering where that went, ah. My wallet. The color of the pink roses would usually remind me of the purchases I make on the objects that make me happy. Instead I was grabbing it in hopes of ridding of the man who was as still as a statue, piercing my child with his gaze. I frantically pulled the thin piece of paper and held it out for the man to take.

When he snached it from my hand and went on his way, my heartbeat slowed and my grip released it deathly hold on the stroller. For what seemed like an hour, the symbol changed and I quickly went on my way to the coffee shop, frazzled from the rush of adrenaline.

Revealed!

1. Definition
2. Compare/Contrast
3. Narration
4. Process Analysis
5. Cause and Effect
6. Argument

Happiness

Happiness is one of the most wonderful feelings in the world. It is what someone feels at the highest moments of his or her lives. Even if something horrible is happening, happiness makes one forget the trouble and feel joy for that moment. It can be the result of one of your actions, or the actions of another. Happiness is being pleased with something, someone, or some event. It is a feeling that people need in their lives, at least at some point, to make them have a joyful life, or even a livable life really. Everyone needs happiness, and everyone is able to feel happiness if they want it. 

Happiness is like the feeling one gets on Christmas morning if they celebrate Christmas. Or when one meets someone they love, like a family member, after an extended period of time. Happiness is like being a little kid and having no worries. It's like traveling to a place you have been waiting to visit all of your life. It's like being with the one's you love, doing the things you enjoy. Happiness can be found in great things, as well as small. Happiness is being as far away from sadness, even for a moment.

This weekend has been one of the best weekends of my life, one where I have been happy with my life and my family and friends. I went up to my cabin with my two brother, mom, dad, and dog. We left on Wednesday and arrived back home only a couple minutes ago. My grandma and her husband, who are from North Dakota, came on Thursday and left this morning as well. We did absolutely nothing except watch movies, play games, and sit by the fire. We talked and laughed and everyone was simply happy. 

It doesn't take a winning ticket to the lottery, or a big promotion at a job, happiness can be found in the simple things in life. Although these things would just as well make a person happy, sitting with family and enjoying dinner can cause happiness easily. As long as a person allows for himself to have a good time, and enjoys the company around him, he will feel happiness. It is really easy if you surround yourself with others who are happy, it's like something contagious, if one person is happy, others will be too. 

If one surrounds himself with people who are very happy with their lives and express it in a pleasing, or not annoying way, then he will eventually find himself just as happy. If he surrounds himself with people who see the glass half empty, then he will also see the glass half empty, and therefore will most likely not feel happiness, or at least not as much as in the other scenario.

When someone feels happiness, they live a better life. This is because they enjoy the things they do and people they are surrounded by, and as a result simply enjoy living more. If you enjoy living, then life is better. If you are not happy, people will not want to be around you, there won't be things in life to live for really, and your life will not be even close to as pleasurable as one who is happy. It's a fact, you can't live a good life without being happy.

Holiday Season

The traditions assignment really got me thinking about the holiday season, and to be completely honest, I was about to jump out of my chair I was so excited. And NOW it's snowing. I can't even believe that it's almost Christmas time again! For me, it is absolutely the most wonderful time of the year. I would take the snowy, snowmobiling weather over any 80 degree beach. But not just the weather, because believe me, I am not one of those people who actually like the freezing wind that nearly slashes your face open when it hits you, but only because it means that Christmas is almost here. And even if you don't celebrate Christmas, the entire season is the most wonderful experience. Everyone is happy. Everyone is helping, and giving, and receiving, and it is just the best time ever. I love Christmas. I love the season of Christmas. And I love being able to snowmobile, sled, four-wheel, and so on during this time. I AM SO EXCITED!

.....I wrote this on Saturday night, I know I have no life, but I realized I didn't post it until right now. Great.

The Rhetoric of Communication

The different messages people send out may not be recognized by the person, but when looking at the situation from a different perspective, a message can be perceived as very rude even though it may not have been meant to be rude. A couple examples include:

• When a businessperson leaves a restaurant table to answer a page, he may think that he is doing his work and it's okay, but really the message is that work is more important than the person you are at the restaurant with, and that means that the person is not very important at all.
• A doctor leaving the table to answer a page is an excusable act, but it also puts a damper on the night considering the doctor now has to leave and the dinner is ruined. 
• An answering machine that cuts off after 30 seconds is basically saying, say something quickly because by the time you hit 30 seconds, I probably will be tuned out anyways. It gives off a message that you have better things to be doing than hearing from the person leaving the message.
• When a telephone solicitor mispronounces my name I instantly know that what they are about to talk about in completely unimportant, and usually I'll just hang up. But the message they are portraying is that they don't care enough to figure out how to pronounce your name, they don't even know you at all, and they really don't give a crap but only want slash need to get paid.
• When a fax is marked "Urgent", a person instantly feels a rush of most likely dread, anxiety, and anticipation.  At the same time, the situation is probably not as urgent as one may think, otherwise the sender of the message would say what happened straight up.

These are some examples of what your message can give off, even if you don't mean to. This is how technology has changed us and how a message is perceived.

Babysitting Horrors

Babysitting is the easiest way to make money. And if you agree with this statement then I am very sorry to be the one to tell you that you are completely wrong. Actually I take that back, you are completely wrong and I really don't mind shoving it down your throat, so you know get to enjoy as I enlighten you about my night last night. 

I get inside and I am welcomed by their stupid, loud dog trying to bite my hand off. This dog is pretty small, but if I had the choice, I would throw it out the back window. Then the parents come downstairs and the seven year old Adam, who is too cute for words but is a little devil, informs me that his dad was naked upstairs and he saw his "pee-pee". He used a couple of other words I won't share, but you can imagine the awkward silence that followed that comment. They were out the door within the minute. 

The next couple of hours went pretty well, I got yelled at for making PB&J's on wheat bread, and for making them turn off the TV and play with me, but other than those few things, it went pretty well. That is, until bedtime started.

Every single babysitter knows the difficulty of putting little kids to sleep because you really aren't allowed to yell at them or spank them or argue other threats that the parents of the children can, so we have to resort to the significantly less effective threats like calling their parents or not coming back again. Those are the best i've come up with, and they usually do squat. 

So last night Adam and Annie (the two seven year old twins), started out the night by fighting over who gets the iPad in bed. They are supposed to switch every night, but it seems that every single time I go over there, they simply can't remember who had it the night before. Right. So we all agreed to flip a coin. Annie won. That meant hell for the next hour and ten minutes. I knew that if Adam didn't get the iPad then he would make a much bigger fuss, but I didn't predict this big.

Let's recap:

He started by running for the iPad, punching and kicking Annie on the way. As she was sitting on the ground crying as I pried the little devil off her, Jacob (the third kid who's older and can put himself to sleep, thank God), sat on the stairs and cheered them on. Adam had the iPad so I had to get that from him, Annie was still crying. Adam was screaming at me how it wasn't fair at all, when really, it was pretty fair. I sent Annie up with the iPad and Adam to bed, which I knew was not going to happen. After a whole lot of yelling and threatening, I read him a book and he was in bed. Finally. But when I got downstairs and just unloaded my backpack, Adam comes down the stairs. You have GOT to be kidding me. Long story short, he had a headache, so I went upstairs and rubbed his back, he argued with me about sleep until two minutes later he couldn't even get out another word, and soon enough he was snoring. Oh happy day. 

The parents came home and of coursed asked, "How were the kids?"....I said good. That's the lie of the year.

How I Write...

Every time I write I write in the same spot, on the same computer, with the same pair of knit socks. If you know I am writing and you need to find me, I will be sitting in my bed on the third floor of my house looking over a big swamp, half blocked by a tree that envelopes the lower half of my window. I am always under the comforter, but never under the sheet...it's just too much. Actually, to be honest, I have no idea why I don't go under the sheets, but they just bother me and by the end are usually at the bottom of my bed anyways. I always wear my favorite pair of socks that i'm not really sure can be considered socks. More like knit slippers that go up to my mid-calf. I got them from my Auntie Cindy as a gift a while ago and I remember thinking, wow socks? Cool auntie...but look at it now, they are my favorite pair! Anyways, enough with the socks, I also write on my laptop and only on my laptop. There are actually many reasons for this, mainly because I can't take our desktop computer to my bed, but also because I know my laptop. I know how hard I have to press down to type out a word. I know that when the computer gets so hot that I can feel it on my legs that it's time to give it a rest. And I know the size of the screen and how the words fit to it, I just know my computer and how I want whatever i'm writing to look when I finish.
Unlike most people, I don't exactly need complete silence. I assume this is because I have two brothers and my parents are really loud and obnoxious usually, so I don't really have the option of quiet. BUT when I start my paper or whatever i'm writing, I try to get things as quiet as possible. It's just the beginning that always throws me off. There I need quiet. Oddly, I can never write with music playing. If it's classical with no words and I don't know the song, then I can. But if it's a song that I know, has lyrics, or a melody that is repeating slash I recognize it, then no way jose am I going to be able to concentrate long enough to write even half of a sentence.
So basically I followed every single one of these  to get ready for writing my paper. I started with writing out a rough draft that basically sucked. As I went through my paper writing draft after draft I had different people proof read it and give me corrections. I always have my mom be the first to proof read, then I don't let her see it until the very last proof read. By the end she said it turned into a completely different paper. Success. I love proof reading my papers and thinking about one thing, then reading through the entire paper and changing everything that has to do with that rule. I loved it! Am I a nerd that way? yes. Do I care? nope.

How Safe is Downtown?

    How safe do you think downtown really is? The question could be answered in so many different ways depending on the circumstances of course, but in this post I am going to be talking about my circumstances and my experience from last night. Trust me, they are worth talking about.
    Let me give you a small recap of my night. My friend Shannon and I went to see the Scottish Ballet at the Orpheum by ourselves and it ended at 10:40 PM. The Orpheum is located on Hennepin and 9th street, unfortunately we parked on Marquette and 6th. So we were dressed up in high heels that were way to high, skirts, and I personally think we looked pretty good. So did many men on the streets on our walk home.
    Everybody knows who I'm talking about when I talk about these guys right? The ones that come out of the alleys (we looked in one and I almost screamed), the ones that wear their pants to the ground, the ones that have never taken a grammar class in their lives, and of course the ones that make rude and inappropriate comments to young girls in skirts. These are the kind of people I am wondering about. I kept wondering to myself last night if these guys were just talking the talk or if they would actually try to touch me. I'm sure in the end it's probably all harassment, but at the time there was no way I was about to risk it.
   Shannon told me that she heard from someone that you should walk with your head down when you pass those people. So we did that, and I just looked up what you should do if something happens. If they speak to you, walk away and ignore them. Did that. If they follow, get into an entrance of a building that looks safe. The problem with this is that we were looking for entrances and there were very few, or they were closed buildings. Also, always try to find a group of people to walk with. We definitely did that and got some very strange looks and comments, but we felt much safer. If they try to grab you run, point a gun at you run, chase after you...run faster. But remember, high heels. There was no running for us. We could do this sort of gallopy looking thing, but if we were being chased, it would be a good night to be the bad guy.
   In the end we got to the car safely, and to be honest the comments did boost our egos a bit, but for future reference I just won't be wearing the clothing I was in downtown Minneapolis at 10:40 PM with my tall, blonde, sixteen year old best friend anymore, because we are bound to get captured and raped. I just know it.  And also, every single one of the solutions I looked up are common sense. So if you are put in this situation, keep your head down, don't talk to strangers, and if anything happens, by all means run your little heart out! Swell travels to you all.

If everyone stopped, life would be great

If everyone could simply do as I say, the world would be a much better place. I wouldn't get annoyed and want to smack some people across the face, and I know I am not the only one who agrees with some of these. Follow these easy steps, and make my life happier:

1. Stop apologizing for every single thing you do. You ask what the homework is? "Ok i'm sorry!!"...why? It literally took me 5 seconds to tell you what it was.
2. If you raise your hand in class to correct the teacher if he/she says something is due the next day and it's Friday...everyone knows what they mean. Don't be annoying.
3. Ew. Please don't suck up your snot. Walk the 10 steps to get a tissue. It's gross.
4. You can stop taking pictures of yourselves in the school bathrooms...is that even sanitary? The lighting sucks, so it's not a good picture anyways. So you can go ahead and stop at anytime now.
5. If you don't make words that you mean to be adjectives not into them. It's two little letters guys. L and Y.
6. PDA in school...you know what I am talking about.
7. If you smoke, well just don't. But if you do, don't walk with a cigarette in your hand, because every single person behind you gets to suck in your smoke. It's disgusting!

If you follow these 7 steps, life will already be a little better. Anything else, I can basically laugh about, but these really bother me. So let's have a good day and not be annoying!

Structure and Sadness

I went to a show tonight at the Walker Art Center. I just crawled in bed and decided that I needed to write a blog...now. I can't get it off my mind, it was wonderful!

Basically, the story is about the bridge in West Gate that collapsed in 1970. I didn't know this before the show, which I'm pretty glad about because it slowly came together throughout the show. For the record, it's  choreographed by Lucy Guerin, so snaps for Lucy!...excuse my Legally Blonde reference.

When thStructure and Sadnesse show started, the first thing I thought was, "oh great, I bet it's going to be as sucky as that last show"...not that i'm going to name names or anything, that'd be plain cruel. The whole show started with a man who danced with a piece of ply wood basically... it sounds as dumb as it was, excuse my criticizing. BUT in the shows defense, it got much better and is definitely top of my list.

After the man did a cool trick and left, the show began. bum bum buuum....picture this: three guys, three girls, surrounded my piles of different sized ply wood. Choreographically they are grabbing stacks and setting them up to stand like dominoes sort of. It took me a while to figure out what they were doing, but it was truly amazing. They were doing this for a good 15 minutes, but my mind never wandered. Emotional music was play (can I get some Pathos please?), and in pairs, the dancers would come out and do a contemporary phrase.

At this point, I still had no idea what this piece was really about, and the set up was getting so high on one side that they brought in a15 ft ladder to keep on stacking. Everything was choreographed so beautifully!  Then the story started to come together. A long metal board and a small object holding the middle were assembled as the dancers teeter-tottered on either side. Four of them were on it, and at one point a guy goes under it and it collapses.

Let me quickly recap the rest: They tipped on bored over, the smallest which was like a half a foot big, while the largest was like 4 feet big. Then they just crashed down. It was breathtaking. Next there's a woman who sets up a table with the ply wood and is singing along to a new, upbeat music. In the background the two girls are on another bridge made of the metal and two small latters, Then a news  report goes over the speakers about the bridge collapse. They do a little dance, they make it as the guys are "ghosts", and the ending left me speechless.

All of the dancers were laying on the ground in a straight line and a metal board is placed over them, and the woman who was singing before, walks across it as the lights go out. This portrays the death of these people by the bridge, and the lights go out before we see if the woman made it across the "bridge".

Or at least that's what I thought about. Sorry for the never ending post, but I recommend this show, it's wonderful and makes you think. You get to see the emotions one may feel when they come across a situation like this. People's husbands and brothers die, but no one can ever know the deep pain endless you were put in the position of someone who lost a loved one. This piece makes you think about these things with a new mind, by not only hearing, but seeing the emotions that are connected to these words.

Think about it for a while.

P.S. if this link works, it's not the same people I saw, and it's much better in person.  www.youtube.com