ENG 001: Language and Writing

Soundtrack Of My Life

2008-05-07T15:34:00.026-05:00

"List of Demands", by Saul Williams: "My better is better than your better." This quote is stated by Ladainain Tomlinson at the beginning of the video. Throughout this video by Nike there are scenes of famous athletes and kid athletes that are performing a variety of exercises to demonstrate how their "better" is better than their competitors "better". When I was younger my main goal was always to be better than my opponent, no matter what. Between the ages of about five to ten years old the majority of kids that participate in an activity or a sport are doing so because they either want to have fun or because their parents are forcing them to do it. At a Little League baseball game you can always tell which kids are there to have fun and which kids are there because their parents made them go. If you can not tell just look for the kid picking grass, catching bugs or chasing after a piece of cotton blowing in the wind, those are the kids who were forced to go. One type of kid that is a little more difficult to pick out is the kid who is keeping score in their head and is doing everything they can to help their team win the game. That is the kind of kid I was growing up. At my parents house my bedroom and closet are jammed full of trophies, medals, ribbons and plaques from five different sports. All of those pieces of metal, plastic and polyester-cotton blend represent the type of kid I was, which was, a kid with a strong motivation and desire who's "better" was better than his competitors' "better".

"Made To Love" by TobyMac: This video is of TobyMac at the Qwest Center in Omaha performing as a part of the Luis Palau Festival tour that took place last summer. I went to the festival and one of the songs that TobyMac played was "Made To Love". After hearing that song it was then and there that I realized what I was made for. The chorus of the song specifically explains the exact reason I was made. The lyrics say, "I was made to love you, I was made to find you, I was made just for you, Made to adore you, I was made to love, And be loved by you." My parents new that the lyrics were important to me so they had a wooden cross made with the lyrics carved into it. The cross sits on the wall above my bed as if it were a father looking after their child. It protects me and in tough times I look to it for support and guidance to help me through the any difficult situation. The "you" that is talked about in the song is referring to God. When I talk with God I sort of use the wooden cross to represent him and it makes me feel better when I am talking to an object as opposed to nothing. Everybody was placed on earth for their own unique reason but we were all made for the same reason. The reason that I was made was and will always be to love, find, adore, and be loved by God.

"Sirius" by The Alan Parsons Project: It is a Saturday morning in the middle of September. The sky's are clear, it is about 65 degrees and it is time to play some football. Saturday's during the football season is my favorite time of year and the song "Sirius" by The Alan Parsons Project reminds me of the tunnel walk at the Nebraska Cornhusker football games. Every football team comes out to the field but the way Nebraska does it with the high intensity and excitement makes it like nobody else in the country. Sunday through Friday the tunnel has a cold and dark feel to it as it waits patiently for the arrival of Saturday. As game time approaches and the players, some confidently walking with ease as others are going ballistic, leave their locker room they go through a reenergized and excitement-filled tunnel. I can remember my dad coming into my room on game days and telling me to "get ready!" and "get pumped"! I was just like the tunnel in the fact that I would wake up and be sleepy and tired but as game time would get closer and closer I would be out of my seat jumping up and down and hollering like a mad man. The tunnel is full of sounds, such as, fans screaming and cheering for the players as they go by and the echoing of the players' cleats as they walk through the concrete tunnel. Anytime I hear the song "Sirius" whether it be somebody's ring tone on their cell phone or wherever it is coming from I get goosebumps all over my body.

"Jesus Muzik" by Lecrae: In this video Lecrae is driving around in his car and the music that he is playing is Christian hip hop. The song talks about how other rappers rap about things, such as, their clothes, cars, houses, and money which is all just material items. I enjoy music better when the artist is talking about something more important, and to me something that is more important is my faith. Some of the lyrics in the song are, "Ridin wit my top down listenin to this Jesus music", which is what I do in my car. Windows down and sunroof open with Jesus music coming from a car gives others a sense of the person or people in the car. Some people would be embarrassed to be seen in a car with that type of music playing but if that person is not embarrassed and is proud of the music they are playing then they deserve props. Feeling comfortable enough to drive or ride in a vehicle out in public is a brave thing to do because sometimes when people see that they can be offended by it, they might think somebody is "advertising" their religion. When most people hear rap bumping from a car they most likely would think that the rap has cursing in it or is talking about sex, drugs, violence, etc. If they listened to the words of the rap I play in my car they would hear things talking about Jesus, faith, living clean and being a follower of God.

"Happy Birthday" by Flipsyde: When it comes to the topic of abortion I am pro-life. One of the reasons I am pro-life is because that is what my religion believes in, but even if my religion did not believe in pro-life I still would be pro-life because I do not think people have the right to decide whether a child should be born or not. In this song by Flipsyde he talks about how he wishes he would have not agreed with the mother of the child to have an abortion. The lyrics are, "I payed for the murder before they determined the sex, Choosing our life over your life meant your death, And you never got'a chance to even open your eyes." The baby sits in the mother's womb helpless and has done nothing wrong to anyone, so why kill it? If you asked the baby if it would be O.K. with dying would it say yes? Of course not, if it could respond it would say the same things as any normal grown up person. The reason God made it so that women could become pregnant was to reproduce and give birth to the child. It was not to kill the child before it even had a chance to be born. In the song Flipsyde realizes the mistake he made and wishes he could take it all back so that he would be able to celebrate his child's birthday if it were still alive.

"Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince: "Summer summer summertime, time to sit back and unwind." Of the four seasons my favorite one by far is summer. This video by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince switches back and forth between clips of people of all ages enjoying activities that people do during the summertime and DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince sitting in lawn chairs with drinks on a table between them. The chairs and table clips appear that DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince are gliding along on something and are chilling and enjoying the nice weather. The summertime events provide everybody with a feeling of relaxation and usually puts everybody into a more friendly mood. The video shows clips of kids jumping rope, playing basketball, people grilling out, dancing at a get together, and cruising the streets with the top off of their cars. Summertime also can cause people to try and look better than they usually would. Some people go get new clothes, or new shoes, or a new haircut because it seems like the summertime is when everyone wants to impress everyone else. I can not wait for school to be over and summer to be here so I can on vacations and go out to my lake house and every once in awhile just do nothing and be lazy. There is something about warm weather and the sun shinning down makes people forget about the stresses of life and the craziness of everyday life.

"Half Light" by Athlete: This video shows the band Athlete playing in what I think is the middle of the desert and from time to time goes to clips of animals who are always running or flying. The song is about a guy who can not wait to see the girl that he loves again. This song pertains to my life because there is a girl who lives far away so I do not get to see her very often but when I am away from her I can not wait to see her again. One of the animals in the video is a hawk or falcon or something and I feel like out of all the animals in the video it is the one that I can relate to most. I have to fly in order to go see the girl that I like because she lives across the country. When birds fly it seems so effortless as they glide through the sky and I hope that someday it becomes effortless for me to go see her but for that to ever happen that would mean that either her, myself, or both of us would have to move closer to the other person. "So when I see you next we'll make the most of it, Tell the sun to start moving again." These lyrics are important to me because every time I see her I want to do exactly what the lyrics say, "when I see you next we'll make the most of it." I also want to "tell the sun to start moving again." because that means that days are going by which means I am closer to seeing her again.

"I'm Moving On" by Rascal Flatts: "I'm movin' on, At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me, And I know there's no guarantees, but I'm not alone." Leaving for college impacted my life more than anything else so far. I am really close to my parents so it was really difficult for me when it came time to say goodbye to them. I did not want to move on and for things to change but I knew I had to and it was going to be the best thing for me to do. The last thing my parents gave me before I left was a piece of paper that had a prayer typed out for me. That piece of paper has been posted up on my bulletin board since the first day of college and will not come down until I leave. Every time I look at it it reminds me of how much my parents love and care about me and how much they have done for me so far throughout my life. The prayer signifies a new chapter in my life, one that I owe to all of the help and encouragement from my parents otherwise I would have never been able to make it on my own. The first couple of nights at college I would be laying in bed and start thinking about how much I missed my family so I would then go read the prayer and that would always make everything feel so much better.

Least Favorite Music Video

2008-04-26T14:23:00.002-05:00

Currently my least favorite video is the song "Yahhh". The artist of the song is rapper Soulja Boy Tell'em and the song features rapper Arab. Soulja Boy Tell'em and Arab are friends who have making music together since 2003. In the video "Yahhh", Soulja Boy Tell'em talks about fans and other people who are always in his face when he goes out into public. Soulja Boy Tell'em says that he is always being nagged on and just wants people to leave him alone. When he wants somebody to leave him alone he says to them, "Yahhh Trick, Yahhh" which is supposed to mean go away.
This video is my least favorite video right now because it takes zero talent to make it. The lyrics for one make no sense and Soulja Boy Tell'em just repeats saying "Yahhh Trick, Yahhh" over and over again. After hearing the song one time I was completely annoyed by it and do not want to hear it again. What irritates me is that there are people who think this is a good song but those people obviously have no idea what real music sounds like.
In the video there is also a little toy that is supposed to be a replica of Soulja Boy Tell'em and the toy just sits in Soulja Boy Tell'em's back pocket and yells "get out my face" over and over again. Another reason I do not like this video is because Soulja Boy Tell'em yells at his fans to get away from him. That is not how a music artist should treat their fans at all. If a kid comes up to Soulja Boy Tell'em and wants his autograph, Soulja Boy Tell'em should not tell the kid to scram or get lost. It is disrespectful and if he keeps doing it he will start to lose his fans.

Favorite Video

2008-04-23T16:18:00.005-05:00

My Dougie VideoCurrently my favorite music video is by the artist Lil' Wil. Lil' Wil is a rap/hip hop artist from Dallas, Texas. The name of the song is called "My Dougie". It is Lil' Wil's first single on his upcoming debut album. Most of you probably do not know what "My Dougie" means and to be honest I did not know what it meant when I first heard the song either. "My Dougie" is another way of talking about someone's swag or swagger. It can also mean to have cool or hip style.
In the early 1980's an artist by the name of Doug E. Fresh had a dance called the "Doug E. Fresh". In Lil' Wil's music video he combines the "Doug E. Fresh" dance with the Dallas Boogie, a.k.a. the D-Town Boogie. The song features another rapper named Lil' Spain and the song is produced by Big E. In the original remix of the song the rapidly growing popular rap artist Soulja Boy is featured in it.
How you do the "My Dougie" dance is very simple actually. Even if you do not have any dancing abilities at all I guarantee anybody can do the "My Dougie" dance. All you have to do is slide your hands alongside your hand and you alternate back and forth between your right and left hands. While you are doing this you need to have a swagger or cockiness about yourself. In the song there is a part where the lyrics are, "fly then a mu*fucka", and when it says that you are supposed to flap your arms up and down as if you were flying.
I know some of you probably think this is the dumbest video you have ever seen and I can not completely disagree with you. The lyrics are not very good and I still am not sure what is being talked about in the song sometimes but I like it because it has a catchy beat and I think it is funny.

NBA Playoffs

2008-04-20T13:53:00.004-05:00

The NBA (National Basketball Association) Playoffs started yesterday, April 29th, 2008. I am the type of fan that does not watch the NBA during the season very often because the games are not nearly as exciting as they are during the playoffs. The games during the regular season are much less interesting and I do not like to watch them as much because I do not think that the players are trying nearly as hard in regular season games. When playoff time comes though I rarely miss a game. I am actually watching the Los Angeles Lakers play against the Denver Nuggetts while I am typing this blog.
One reason that this years NBA playoffs are going to be the best that I have ever seen is because of the pairity in the western conference. The western conference is so close that during the regular season there was nine different teams that were the number one team in the western conference at one point or another during the regular season. Each of the match-ups in the western conference are so evenly match that there is no clear cut team that everyone agrees is going to win. In my personal opinion I think that the Los Angeles Lakers are going to win the western conference because they have the best players in the league in Kobe Bryant and several key role players who all know what they need to do to be successful in the playoffs.
In the eastern conference there are two teams that most everybody thinks is going to win and those two teams are the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons. The Boston Celtics have had the best record in the NBA the entire season and during the last offseason they added Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen which have given them the extra talent to win an NBA championship.
I also enjoy the NBA playoffs because I do a fantasy game during the NBA playoffs. I pick a different player each day during the playoffs that I think is going to have a good game that day. The trick is I can only pick that player once throughout the entire playoffs, so I must choose wisely. Playing a fantasy game is a great way to be more involved in the playoffs and it also makes you that much more interested in all of the games.

NAIA Rankings

2008-04-17T17:13:00.002-05:00

The NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) men's and women's top 25 tennis rankings come out every two weeks. The most recent top 25 rankings came out on April 16th and did not include the Nebraska Wesleyan men's tennis team. In my opinion I think that Nebraska Wesleyan should be apart of the top 25 rankings.
My first argument is that we are currently and have been ranked number one in our region since March 17th, which is a month ago to the day. Another reason I think that the Nebraska Wesleyan men's tennis team should be ranked in the top 25 is because of our records, both conference and overall. Our overall record is currently 11-5 and our conference record is 4-0. What is significant about our conference record is that we have beaten each conference opponent 9-0 which makes us a perfect 36-0 in conference matches so far this season.
Of the teams that are ranked in the top 25 rankings there are seven teams that have fewer wins than us and there are nine teams that have more losses than we do. I think that the people who come up with the rankings are punishing are team because the other teams in our conference are not very good, except for Sioux Falls. I believe that if we had the same record and were in a different conference that was better then the people who come up with the top 25 rankings would look at us differently and put us in the top 25.
To make up for our weak conference we try to schedule teams that are traditionally stronger teams. This year we played one NCAA division one team and three NCAA division two teams. We have not yet played the division one teams but we have played all three of the division two teams and we beat two out of the three.

Health Care Political Cartoon

2008-04-08T12:46:00.015-05:00

The issue of health care reform is said to have emerged as one of the most important topics in the 2008 presidential election. There are several reasons as to why the issue has demanded so much attention and those reasons are undeniable. According to The Commonwealth Fund, which is a private foundation that is working towards a higher performance health system, they say that in 2006 47 million Americans were unemployed. That is 8.6 million more Americans since 2000. Even with information such as this, the majority of the country does not think that neither the Republican nor the Democratic candidates' have come up with a solid solution to solve the health care issues. The visual text displays the, I do not really care attitude, by having both the donkey and the elephant answering the question very nonchalantly.

When the reader originally looks at the picture they may notice how both the donkey and the elephant have boxes drawn around them. The fact that the donkey and the elephant are separated from each other is an example of a compare and contrast paradigm. What is unique about this cartoon is that even though the donkey and the elephant are divided they consequently share an opinion that is very similar to one another's. The idea that they both share the same view is contradictory to the title of the illustration. The title reads, "The differences between the presidential candidates' health care plans", and what the author is saying is that the candidates' plans are not exact but are comparable to each other. Another slight difference between the donkey and the elephant is that the donkey says, "don't get sick" and the elephant says, "don't get sicker". The syntactic difference between the two is that when the donkey says "sick", he is telling us not to get sick which is something we can not control. The elephant on the other hand is saying "sicker" and the key to that word is the "er" which is telling us to not get any sicker than we already are and that is something that is controllable.

The use of a visual text to support and express an opinion is a widely used technique. If it is used intelligently and is able to convey its opinion to the audience it can also be very effective. The political cartoon pictured above shows the views of the Republican and Democratic parties regarding health care plans. With the use of rhetorical appeals such as ethos, pathos, and logos the author communicates to the reader that neither political party really has a firm stance on the issue of what to do about health care.

The author of this visual text uses ethos by having both the donkey and the elephant dressed in nice suits. The fact that the two characters are dressed in suits makes the reader naturally pay more attention to them. As a society we are more inclined to focus on someone or something that is more professional appealing. If the donkey and elephant were dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt the audience would not tend to believe the political statement as much as if they are in nice and professional suits. The body language of both the donkey and the elephant also reveals the candidates' attitudes towards the health care plan issue. They both are smoking cigar's, have their eye lids closed, have one leg crossed over the other, are leaning to one side, the donkey is whistling and the elephant is yawning. A good looking suit is known to be worn by people who have some amount of wealth, a job that requires them to wear a suit, and by high profile people. If you walked down the sidewalk and the person that passed you on your left was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt and the person that passes you on your right side was wearing a suit your senses would make you turn your head to the right and look at the person with the suit. People as a whole are more interested in people that are wealthy which is why our eyes are drawn to the person with the suit. The fact that the donkey and elephant are wearing suits can also tell the reader that they are not worried about health care problems because they are financial well off. The donkey and elephant are both politicians and if someone is a politician they are going to have an above average income which allows them to not have to be concerned about health care issues.

Pathos is shown by the way the elephant and the donkey's portray their feelings in the political cartoon. Their facial expressions show what many American people believe how the presidential candidates feel about health care which is they think we are screwed either way. The presidential candidates obviously would not ever say that but because non of them have been able to figure out health care plans yet the American people have no reason to think that anything will change now.

It is ironic that the political cartoon is about health care and the donkey and elephant are smoking cigars. Cigars are obviously harmful to the body and can lead to several different types of cancers and diseases. Some of the types of cancers it can cause are cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx, gullet (esophagus) and lung, and can also lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The fact that the donkey and elephant are participating in an act that is harmful to them can lead the reader to believe that they more than likely, do not have to worry about the health care situation.

Logos is the final rhetorical appeal used in the political cartoon. The donkey and the elephant's argument is that they are not sure what to do about health care or they do not know what to do about health care. Their relaxed and laid back personality is trying to make the audience believe that they should not worry about health care anymore. The cartoon is saying that the presidential candidates do not appear to be overly worried about health care so neither should you.

Presidential Candidates

2008-03-30T21:56:00.004-05:00

The presidential candidate that i selected is Barack Obama. The issue that Barack Obama has expressed his opinion about that I have chosen to rhetorically break down is the issue of illegal immigration.
Barack Obama uses the rhetorical strategy of "process" when speaking about illegal immigration. Barack Obama says, "I support the idea to add additional personal, infrastructure and technology on the border and at our ports of entry." Barack Obama says that if we do that then it will help preserve the integrity of our borders, which is the second step of the process. The first step was adding additional personal, infrastructure and technology on our border and at our ports of entry and the second part is it will help preserve our borders.
You can also say that Barack Obama used the rhetorical strategy of "cause and effect" when referring to protecting our borders. The cause would be "adding additional personal, infrastructure and technology on the border and at our ports". The effect would be "preserving the integrity of our borders."
Barack Obama used the rhetorical strategy "illustration" when talking about his views on illegal immigration. Barack Obama has "introduced amendments to put greater emphasis on keeping immigrant families together". The illustration comes into play when he makes the move to introduce amendments which show that he truly wants to improve the illegal immigration issue. Another time that Barack Obama uses the rhetorical strategy of "process" is when he is talking about having illegal immigrants come out of the shadows. What he means by that is he wants the illegal immigrants to stop hiding and become a legal American citizen the correct way. The process Barack Obama says that illegal immigrants should go through is to first "fine good standing, undocumented immigrants, then have them learn English, and then go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become a citizen."
Another way that Barack Obama implements the rhetorical strategy of "cause and effect" into his reasons on how to help our illegal immigration problem is to work with Mexico. The way that Barack Obama says that we should do this is by "doing more to improve the economic development in Mexico" which is going to be the cause. The effect of that cause will be a "decrease in illegal immigration." Barack Obama thinks that if the people of the United States of America can help improve the economic development of Mexico then there will be more job opportunities for unemployed people in their own country. The result would be fewer illegal immigrants coming to the United States of America and working for someone illegally up here. It will also prevent legal citizens from having a job taken away from them because an illegal immigrant will agree to work for a lower than minimum wage.
Barack Obama also uses the rhetorical strategy of "description". When he is talking about having increased border patrol he explains what he means by that. Barack Obama says, "strong border enforcement means border surveillance, border patrols. It also means we are tracking who gets visa's and who is overstaying visa's."

Rhetorical Analysis of Commercial

2008-03-14T18:16:00.003-05:00

The first rhetorical strategy i noticed in the commercial i chose was pathos. The commercials main purpose, other than to promote their company's cars, was to focus on making their audience laugh. The part where the man in the commercial ends up getting his privates frozen to his car and is unable to disconnect them is supposed to make the audience laugh. Another part during the commercial where humor is used is when the second guy comes into the commercial and is walking to his car he waves to the man who has his junk stuck to his car. The guy with his privates that are frozen to the car nonchalantly waves back to the second guy and acts as if there was nothing wrong.
The rhetorical strategy of cause and effect is also used in this commercial. The car company is trying to convince you that their cars which have hands-free cards which open and start your car without a key is better than owning a car that requires a regular key. The cause is that if your key slot on the driver side door freezes over and you do not have a hands-free card then the effect will be that you will not be able to get into your car.
Another rhetorical strategy used in the commercial is compare and contrast. If you have a car made by Renault then you will not ever have to worry about not being able to get into your car. The contrast is if you have a different car that is not Renault then if you do have a problem getting into your car you will not have a hands-free card to let you in.
The rhetorical strategy of an example is also in the commercial. The example is if you can not get into your car you do not have to worry about it if you have a Renault car with a hands-free card.

Television Commercial

2008-03-12T22:33:00.002-05:00

A man who looks like his age is probably somewhere between late 30's to early 40's is the first thing I see when the commercial starts. He is white skinned with short brown hair and is wearing light gray mittens, a metal gray winter jacket, and a white turtleneck that is underneath his metal gray winter jacket. The outside temperature must be very cold because there is snow on the ground and i can hear the crunching sound his feet makes when he walks on the hard packed snow. Another clue that tells me it is cold is that you can see a white mist come out of the man's mouth when he takes a breath. The man walks to the driver side door of his car and pulls out his car key to unlock the door. He makes a grunting noise as he bends down over to unlock the car. He tries to insert the key into the key slot to unlock the door but the key slot is frozen shut. The man jiggles the key trying desperately to unlock the door but is still unable to. His first attempt to unlock the door is by blowing hot air on the key slot but still no luck. Before his second attempt he scans the area to make sure nobody is around and when he decides the coast is clear he unzips his pants and pees on the key slot in hopes that the warm pee will unfreeze the key slot so he will be able to unlock his door. After he is finished taking a piss he tries to back away from the door but comes to find out that his privates are frozen to the car door. As he is trying to pull disconnect himself from the door a man who is walking to his car waves to the man who is an unfortunate situation. The man walking to his car is on the opposite side of the car so he is not able to see what the troubled man is dealing with. The guy with the situation pretends like nothing is wrong and friendly waves back. The man who waves first gets in his car and drives away as the other man continues to try and disconnect himself from his vehicle. Now it has cut to a different screen where the text says "Hands-Free Card Opens and Starts Without a Key". It is a French commercial that is advertising Renault automobiles.

Zaireeka Reflection

2008-03-09T21:14:00.004-05:00

The Zaireeka simultaneous listening party was one of the more interesting experiences I have ever been apart of. At the beginning I had no clue what was going on because I had not known about the background information about the Flaming Lips that Professor Ware had posted on blackboard that we were supposed to read before we went to that class.
Something that I remember well from that experience was how ridiculously relaxing some of the songs were. I can not remember which tracks exactly were the ones that I thought were super smooth and relaxing but some of them just put me right to sleep. At one point when I was sleeping I remember Professor Ware asking me a question as he walked by. I think he asked if I was having a good nap but I am not sure.
So what was up with Kody's stereo? I remember him trying to fix something and he kept messing with stuff on in the back of the stereo. Sometimes it did not sound like his stereo was playing or maybe his tape just was not playing anything at that moment.
There was one of the songs where at one point during it it sounded like a swarm of pissed off bee's that were buzzing all around and I remember getting super annoyed at that time.
When the "experience" was finally over I can remember being really glad that it was time to go after listening to somewhat strange music for the past hour and a half, or however long it was that we listened to it, but I also recall thinking that it must have taken a lot of time and creativity to put something like that together.
That class will be something that I never will forget because it was so out of the ordinary and because I had not ever experienced anything similar to that before.

Zaireeka Observation

2008-03-05T11:51:00.007-06:00

I am in room 208 in the Old Main building on the Nebraska Wesleyan University campus. I am sitting on a carpeted floor and am leaning against the desk at the front of the classroom. All of my classmates are sitting on the floor as well and we are sitting in circular shape.
I did not know there was some background information about the Flaming Lips' LP on blackboard so I am pretty confused on what is going on right now. There is some really weird music being played from four separate stereo systems that are placed in the four corners of the room.
Each stereo just said a different track number which was pretty sweet.
On the projector screen is a YouTube video of a member of Flaming Lips who is explaining what the people operating the stereo's need to be doing. Professor Ware stops the video each time the screen displays the title of the song that is currently playing. The title of the song that is being played right now is track number four, "A Machine in India". This music is causing me to become very sleepy, I am going to lay down for a little bit.
What the hell is that sound? It sounds like a colony of pissed off bee's. Wow that is an extremely obnoxious noise.
I kind of like the song that is playing right now. It is track number six and it is titled "The Train Runs Over The Camel But Is Derailed By The Gnat". That is a very interesting title for the name of a song, I wonder what it is supposed to mean?
Well that was definitely an experience I have and probably will not ever encounter again in my life but I am kind of glad I got the chance to do so.

Hotel Indoor Pool

2008-03-04T22:13:00.003-06:00

Drew Placek
2/26/2007
English Language and Writing
Rough Draft

Comfort Inn Suites Hotel, located on 4231 Industrial Avenue, Lincoln, NE 68504, sitting at a table in the back corner of the indoor pool room is my current location. Right now I am sitting in one of those outdoor pool chairs that’s frame is made out of some sort of hard material and the seat and backrest part are made of rubber strips. This chair’s rubber strips alternate between the colors turquoise and white. The table I am sitting at has a circular shape and has a metal frame that is painted white. The table top is made of glass and in the middle of the glass top there is a circular shaped hole that is about 3 inches in diameter. Placed in the hole is the shaft of a large umbrella that shades the whole table.
It reeks of chlorine and is extremely humid in here right now. On the other side of the room there is a man and a women making out in a hot tub/spa. They are both Caucasians and their age looks to be in their early to middle 30’s. The man has on a forest green swimsuit and has a tattoo on his upper right back. I am not sure what the tattoo is supposed to be but it seems to be some kind of a bowl with something in it. One of his physical features, which is something I have not seen since I went caving in Arkansas, is the bullet hairstyle. The bullet hairstyle is a combination between bald and a mullet. The man is bald on the top of his head and has a long mullet on the back of his head. He also has a wicked long goatee that comes to a sharp point at the end of it and has two loop earrings on his right ear and one on his left. The women he is with is wearing a brown two piece swimsuit. She has short brown hair that she has pulled up into a ponytail. The women has several ear piercing on both of her ears and also has her noise pierced. Right now they are talking to each other but I can not hear what they are saying because of a loud fan that is behind me and the jets in the hot tub/spa are on. It is much quieter now because the jets in the hot tub have turned off.
There are black colored sprinkler heads all across the white colored ceiling. I am curious as to why they there? Incase the water catches fire?
The man is now trying to do handstands in the hot tub/spa as the women is trying to push him over. I am guessing that they have been drinking a little but can not be exactly sure. The man and women are now getting out of the hot tub and it is now apparent that they are both out of shape. As they dry off and put on their flip-flops the man puts on a pair of very large and really dorky looking glasses.
I am now about to ask the man and women if they would not mind answering a few questions I have.
Me: Where are you guys from?
Couple: Seward, NE
Me: What brings you to Lincoln?
Couple: Just felt like staying here a couple of nights.
Me: Why did you pick this hotel?
Couple: One reason is because it has a hot tub and pool. Another is because I am 6ft. 8in. and most hotels do not have rooms that accommodate men my height.
Me: How much did the rooms cost?
Couple: $55.00 a night for a king sized room.
There are green, white lettered, square shaped signs all over the walls. They vary in size from about the size of a text book to about the size of a table in the cafeteria. The one next to me on my left says “There is no lifeguard on duty.” When has there ever been a lifeguard on duty at a hotel indoor pool? Never! Another sign says that “Alcoholic beverages are not permitted in the pool room.” I wonder what the reason is for that? Alcoholic beverages are permitted everywhere else in a hotel, why not in the indoor pool room?
There is a drinking fountain that is across the pool from me and it is making me pretty thirsty. Another sign says “ Children under the age of 16 must not use the pool without an adult in attendance.” Next to that there is a sign that says “No glass containers allowed in the pool room”.
I find the markings on the floor very interesting. Starting with the first marking closest to me says 3ft. 0in., the next marking says 3ft. 3in., then 4ft. 0in., and finally on the other end it says 3ft. 6in. So according to the floor markings the pool starts shallow at one end and gradually gets deeper and deeper until about ¾ of the way across the pool. At that point the pool then starts to decrease in depth. I have never seen a pool that has its deepest point not at one of the ends.
Now enters a women in a black one piece swimsuit with black medium length hair and appears to be in her middle to late 40’s. She is wearing shoes and socks and has a light brown purse strapped around her shoulder. She must not have packed sandals because otherwise she would not be wearing shoes and socks. She is swimming laps, the backstroke to be specific. I do not know a whole lot about swimming but it seems like her form is good and makes me think she has probably swam competitively before.
There is a white phone with an extra long cord on the wall and a sign above it says “Incase of an emergency call 911”. Is this sign really necessary? Who else is someone going to call, their grandma?
There are five pots with that have dead plants in them that are hanging from the ceiling and there are two little trees, probably fake, at each end of the room.
I faintly hear country music but I do not have any idea where it is coming from. I am not a big fan of country music. I do not understand why county music singers feel the need to change their voices when they sing, it almost irritates me.
This chair is really starting to become uncomfortable. I think the rubber strips are making imprints on my butt.
There is a clock on the wall but I can not read the time because the clock’s glass is all fogged up because it is so humid in here.
There is a large sign next to the hot tub titled “Spa Regulations”.
1) No person is permitted to use the spa without first taking a warm water shower, using soap.
(First of all, nobody actually does that. Secondly, how would you enforce that? Thirdly, I like how they felt it was necessary to add the word “water” in front of shower, like there is some other type of shower people take.)
2) Pregnant women, elderly persons, and persons suffering from heart disease, diabetes, or high or low blood pressure should not enter the spa/hot tub without first prior medical consultation and permission from their doctor.
3) Do not use the spa/hot tub while under the influence of alcohol, tranquillizers, or other drugs that cause drowziness or that raise or lower blood pressure.
They misspelled the word drowziness, it is actually spelled drowsiness.
4) Do not use at water temperature greater than 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees C).
5) Do not use alone.
(The women in the black one piece swimsuit is breaking rule number five right now.)
6) Unsupervised use by children under the age of 16 is prohibited.
7) Enter and exit slowly.
8) Observe reasonable time limits (that is 10-15 minutes), then leave the water and cool down before another brief stay.
(How do they know the person is going to come back for a brief stay?)
9) Long exposure may result in nausea, dizziness, or fainting.
10) Keep breakable objects out of the area.
(I wonder what objects people are bringing into a spa/ hot tub?)
11) Maximum patron load is 8 persons.
(What does the word “patron” mean?)
A painting on the wall looks pretty funky. It is one of those paintings that is random colors everywhere the picture can be whatever you want it to be.
A security camera in the corner of the ceiling with a red flashing light on it. There is a rack of towels near the door. I am curious as to why some are white and others are tan.
A do it yourself life preserver thing on the wall. I have always wondered how that saves somebody’s life? If someone is drowning at the bottom of the pool how are they going to get up to the life preserver that’s floating on top of the water?
There are several long board shaped things hanging from the ceiling and they have a jagged surface. I have no idea what they are or what their purpose is.
At each of the tables there is an umbrella shading the table. I am inside a building, what are the umbrellas shading me from?
It is getting really warm in here, I am going to leave now. I just stepped on some blue toy on my way out.
Being at a hotel indoor pool reminds me of a comedian named Darren Streblow. He’s a Christian comedian who does not curse in his stand ups and has a bit that talks about his interests and one of them is going to hotel indoor pools and hanging out at them. He is the reason I decided to make my observation location a hotel indoor pool.

Diagram

2008-02-24T13:40:00.005-06:00

I was the one who labeled this diagram in class so I am not quite sure if my labeling is exactly correct. The first diagram on top looks like some sort of a vault at a bank. At first glance I thought the figure in the upper middle part of the image was an image of a peep hole with an eye looking at me. After taking in the whole picture though I then figured out that it is actually a dial that rotates either clockwise or counterclockwise. The dial also has several numbers and lines on it that help indicate how far to turn the dial to put in the correct combination code. When you acquire the right combination code you are then allowed access into the vault. On the right side of the image there are three rectangular figures that are labeled as "Hinges". These three hinges help let you know that what you are looking at is a door and that it opens from left to right. The hinges being on the outside of the door also help you confirm that the door will open towards you and no away from you. The object in the middle left of the diagram represents a handle. The handle is used to open the vault door once the correct combination has been entered.
The second diagram is a telephone booth. On the top of the phone booth there is what looks to be an umbrella with electricity hovering around it. The labeled object on the left side of the diagram is a door that folds together when opened. Every telephone booth needs a phone book which is the item laying on top of the counter. To make a phone call you have to push square buttons with numbers on them that are the same as the telephone number you wish to dial. The most important part of a telephone booth is the telephone. Without the telephone you wouldn't be able to talk or hear the person on the other end of the line.

5 Cassette Tapes

2008-02-20T15:28:00.010-06:00

1) Sean Kingston by Sean Kingston
2)Exclusive by Chris Brown
3)The Cool by Lupe Fiasco
4)After The Music Stops by Lecrae
5)13 Letters by 116 Clique

A deserted island or an empty well? I am definitely going to have to go with the deserted island over some dark, damp, and smelly well. Also, who would not want their own personal island where they could do whatever they wanted? Now that I have decided I where I am going to be stranded it is time to make some critical decisions. What five albums do I want to listen to for the rest of my life? My favorite type of music is rap/hip hop and that is why four of my five selections are just that and my other choice was a pop/rock album. I chose Sean Kingston's first album, which is self-titled Sean Kingston, because I like the sound variety of his songs. Some artists, especially rap artists, can a lot of times have an album where every song on it sounds very similar and all they do is change the lyrics. I chose the album Exclusive by Chris Brown because sometimes everybody just feels like dancing and this album has some great rhythmic dance tracks. I just started listening to Lupe Fiasco about a month ago and am now a big fan of his music. I chose Lupe Fiasco's second album titled The Cool, simply because I can not stop listening to it. I still have not been able to put my finger on it but I can not figure out why I like his music. If I had to give a reason as to why I picked that album it would be because of the smooth rhythmic feeling I get from Lupe Fiasco's songs. I chose the album After The Music Stops by Lecrae because I prefer clean rap and Lecrae is a Christian Rap artist who does not use any swearing in his music. Finally, I chose the album 13 Letters by 116 Clique, who is a group of Christian Rappers also, for the same reason I chose Lecrae's album After The Music Stops, and that is because I enjoy good, clean rap.

Nebraska Football Recruiting

2008-02-17T21:15:00.009-06:00

The Nebraska Huskers football team is a huge passion of mine. My family has had season tickets my whole life so I have been able to go to a good number of games. My first game that I went to was when I was three years old and since then I have been in love with Nebraska football. During the off season I really enjoy keeping up to date on all of the incoming class of recruits. This year according to Rivals.com, which is one of the major high school recruiting services in the country, Nebraska is ranked in the top 30 for recruiting classes. Scouts.com is another major high school recruiting service and they have Nebraska ranked as the number 21 best recruiting class in the nation. I personally think that this years recruiting class for Nebraska is going to turn out to be very solid. With a total of 28 recruits, 14 on offense and 14 on defense, that gives Nebraska great balance. Earlier in the off season Nebraska had a lot of highly touted commits who decided to decommit after the firing of Bill Callahan and the hiring of Bo Pelini. Some of the more highly touted Nebraska commits were quarterback Blaine Gabbert, running back Jonas Gray, and offensive linemen Bryce Givens, Dan Hoch, and Trevor Robinson. Even though we lost some amazing prospects , I think Nebraska still did a very fine job at picking up some late commits. I also think the Nebraska coaching staff was able to fill a couple of openings at key positions, especially on defense. Led by Nebraska's top two defensive recruits Will Compton and David Whitmore and with Bo Pelini's great defensive schemes, the Nebraska "Blackshirts" will be back to normal dominance in a couple of years.

Feb. 14th Writing Assignment

2008-02-14T17:57:00.005-06:00

"Spiderman was the coolest guy on the planet." How can anybody actually think Spiderman is the coolest guy on the planet? He can not even fly, if you can not fly then there is no way you can possibly be the coolest guy on the planet. I am not saying it would not be cool to be able to shoot out webs from you wrist and jump from building to building, but if that is all you have to offer as a super hero then that just is not going to cut it. If you want to talk about the coolest guys on the planet then I am going to have to say it has to be Captain Planet. The was so cool that he didn't ever have to inflict pain on the bad guys to take them down. He was able to do so instead by using his intelligence and unbelievable strength instead. Another reason as to why Captain Planet was so cool was because everything he did would in some shape or form help out the environment. Captain Planet is like the ultimate superhero because he not only was always able to defeat the bad guy but at the same time was able to keep the world safe from harmful things such as, toxic wastes, smog, acid rain, and other pollutants.

Ghost Ride It by Mistah FAB

2008-02-10T22:04:00.000-06:00

"Ghost Ride It" by Mistah FAB is definitely one of the more unique videos I have ever seen before. It is a rap/hip-hop song that is a spin off of the forever popular "Ghost Busters" theme song. The main idea of the video is for Mistah FAB to explain to white people on how to, as it says in the lyrics, "Let me give you a 101 on how to ghost ride". For those of you who do not know what the term "ghost ride your whip" means, I will explain. Your "whip" is referring to one's car and "ghost riding" is referring to when the driver puts the car in drive and lets it slowly roll down the street. As this is occurring the driver and the passengers get out of the moving vehicle and begin to dance along side and/or on top of the car. Now the car is moving down the street with no one behind the wheel and that is why it is called "ghost riding", because it is insinuating that a ghost is driving the car. One of reasons I like this video is because it is pretty funny and entertaining. There is one part of the video where Mistah FAB is talking in front of a group of people, which I think are supposed to be the "ghost riding" class, and some dorky white guy with glasses, a bow tie, and suspenders stands up and asks Mistah FAB "What's ghost riding?" in a really funny and nerdy voice. Something else I thought was pretty sweet about the video was when there were a bunch of people who were riding in a awesome and customized yellow bus. It is definitely the only bus I have and most likely will ever see with rims and hydraulics on it. Overall the song is quite catchy and the video is entertaining.

Quotation

2008-01-31T14:28:00.000-06:00

Not every voice a great soliloquy makes, atruth at odds with the education of amny an American writer, with the education of this American of aparent, for instance, may acquire an intangible authority, even without being memorably angry or funny or possessing a beguiling equanimity. He cares; therefore, if he has tinkered enough with his words, we do too. -Edward Hoagland.

I found this quote to be interesting because I am not exactly sure what it is trying to explain. I think the main idea of Edward Hoagland's quote is that he is saying, if a writer or author of a piece of writing takes the time to change any of the words then it is considered to be an essay. In the beginning of the quote it also states that not every essay is going to be well-written, but non the less it is still an essay. I find it intriguing that the quote states that an American writer can become famous without characteristics that are evident in most popular and well-known people. Some of those characteristics are memorably angry, funny or being deceivingly calm about life in general. Even without those qualities you can be a successful writer as long as you care about the your pieces of writing. If what Edward Hoagland is stating that all you have to do is care about a piece of writing then it came make you a well-known author; then in theory if a five year old child writes a story about his life so far then he could become famous if he truly cares about his piece of writing.
This title of this quote is called The "Who cares?" Factor and I think I now know what that means. I think the point that Edward Hoagland is trying to get across is that anyone who takes the time to go over and revise and revise again over their own paper can create a well done piece of writing as long as they care about it. If someone writes something though and they edit and revise their paper it does not matter how many times they do it because if they do not care about the paper than the chances of the writing being successful is slim to none.

Test Post

2008-01-24T14:27:00.000-06:00

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