Tuesday, September 28, 2010

What Scares Me?

Growing up was an interesting time for me. I definately wasn't the most put-together kid around. I have a humor that is all my own and that frightens me. The only people in the world that truly understand my humor are my parents. They are my best friends and I can joke about anything with them. My biggest fear is losing them. They are my anchors to the ground and they are what I get out of bed for every morning.

I really can't say what I would do if I lost them. It would not be something that anyone would want to hear. They are my life and I can't even imagine living without them. If I had lost my parents, I don't think I would able to go on with my life. They mean that much to me.

If someone asked me what my biggest fear was, I would tell them that losing my parents was on top of my very short list. I am not afraid of things like heights or spiders or even death. I fear losing my parents. There isn't a lot that I can say about this particular fear, but it is one that keeps me up at night.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Metaphorically Speaking...

For me, writing is like building a house out of Lincoln Logs.

You need an idea. A blueprint of what you want to create.

For both a house and your writing, a strong foundation needs to be set.

When you first begin, it looks like nothing. An unpromising slate. You have trouble getting started. It takes some elbow grease and willpower. Your imagination is key.

But once you find your rhythm, you cannot be stopped. The words flow from your mouth and the only thing you are looking for is that feeling of accomplishment. You have to set up the framework and go from there.

Start from the ground up. Ease into it and take your time. Be accurate and inspect your craftsmanship.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Made in USA

"How can it be, visitors must wonder. How can the richest country in the world look like this?"

http://www.paulgraham.com/usa.html

The essay Made in USA by Paul Graham asks this very question. It was written for the Japanese edition of Hackers & Painters. It trues to explain why Americans make some things well and other things not so well.

American is all about efficiency. Compared to most of Europe, the United States is somewhat, slightly trashy. According to Graham, it may not be a coincidence. America is impatient. If something has to be done, it will be done. It doesn't matter how it turns out; it only matters whether you get it done or not. Looking at the architecture in Europe compared to ours, it is obvious we don't take the time for beauty. We build for need and not for art.

Check out Nike...its explains it all. How? Just Do It!

Lies We Tell Kids

Everyone lies. It is human nature and nothing can be done about it. In this essay by Paul Graham, the truth behind the lies is revealed.

http://www.paulgraham.com/lies.html

"We were all lied to as kids, and some of the lies we were told still affect us. By studying the ways adults lie to kids, we may be able to clear our heads of lies we were told." Graham has taken on the challenge of figuring out we lie to kids. Is it because we were lied to? Because telling a lie is sometimes easier than telling the truth? Or because we just don't know the answers to all the questions?

According to Graham, the main reason we lie is to protect. To protect our children from the world out there. Protect them from the knowledge of sex or drugs or even their identity.

What do we lie about though? Most frequently it is the following...

1) Peace
2) Sex (and Drugs)
3) Innocence
4) Death
5) Identity
6) Authority
7) School

When I think if lying, the first thing that pops into my head is Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny (sorry if just crushed your dreams AO) It is a known fact that your parents pretend to be these two heros. It is passed down from their parents and their childhood. The lie is passed down through the generations.

When you think of lies we are told, what pops into your head first?

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Drinking. A Love Story by Caroline Knapp

It is crippling. Drinking I mean. About fifteen million Americans are ruled by alcoholism a year. That is a ton of booze hounds! But wait...

Is booze hounds politically correct? I think not. How did this "name" come to be? Alcoholics do not choose their lives. Sometimes they just can't control it anymore. Drinking is their release and comfort. It is often used as a prescription for a cure. Why should they be treated as if they were mutts?

All of these questions are answered in the novel Drinking. A Love Story by Caroline Knapp. It is her memoir, recounting her days with the weight of a 7 and 7 on her shoulders. It explains why she became an alcoholic and what it did to her and everyone around her.

Throughout the entire novel, Knapp speaks in first person. I realize it is a memoir but it was still pretty damn powerful. I felt like I was reading her diary. She spoke of family and work and sex with such truth. Her words were raw and her stories were real.

Caroline didn't tell anyone she was an alcoholic. She was a successful journalist living in New York and hid her addiction perfectly. She would sneak off from family gatherings and say she needed to use the little girls room; except every time she took a detour to her purse and took a swig of whatever booze she happened to have at that time.

This is just the beginning of her trickery. Over time, she would find new things to do and new ways to sneak a shot.

This memoir details the struggle with not only the addiction but life itself and how to deal with it. I found this memoir to be one of the best I have read. I always thought that overcoming an addiction to alcohol was simple if you worked for it. I never realized how confining it is. I never realized that most alcoholics hide behind the drinks because it acts like armor to intruding emotions. Drinking. A Love Story really opened my eyes and has helped me understand the truth behind the addiction.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

I really don't care what you think Mary!

So this is the second time that I have read this essay and I have to say that it is every bit as horrifying as I remember. Could anyone else understand half of the things she was attempting to say? Her sentences would go on forever...and then some. I honestly had to read each sentence at least three times in order to fully put it together. I forgot most of the things she said anyway by the end of the essay. This is for you Kunkle ;) just one more time when I get to rag on BLOODY MARY!

I just have to say that I really dislike this woman. She is everything that you wouldn't want to be. I may be off my rocker, which happens quite a bit due to the fact that I have ADHD and twitch spastically at times, but I am pretty sure that she was saying that women are dependent on men. Did anyone else get this hint? She spoke of women in such a terrible and degrading manner. It killed me to read this.

In the first paragraph she said, and I quote, "...woman are not allowed to have sufficient strenght of mind to acquire what really deserves the name of virtue." Excuse me? Where does this lady get off on saying such a thing? Who died and made her the Queen B? (B stands for something that I believe you all know but I am not allowed? to say if you catch my drift) I mean I agree with the idea that women can be somewhat difficult but to outright say that men are allowed to complain because of the follies and caprices of our sex is just plain disrespectful. Whose side are you on missy!?

And around page 10 she starts to talk about how woman was created from and for man. She gets into the story of Adam and Eve and blah blah blah. The bottom line is simple Mary. You are wrong when you say that woman was created to do man's pleasure. Women were made from a man's rib, not from his head to be superior, not from his feet to be walked on, but from his side to be equal. And thats all I have to say to you miss Wollstonecraft.

Friday, July 23, 2010

But I don't wanna read another page!

I don't think that "stupid" is the right word. I see it more along the lines of just plain lazy.

Google has made us lazy in so many ways. We have become so accustomed to just logging on to our computer, typing in google.com, and searching for whatever it is we want to find. No one uses books anymore. No one goes to museums. It's all on the internet now.

How many students have been assigned a book to read for class and have actually read it? There are a select few out there who actually read the novel but I can bet that most of the kids out there have searched the title of the book on the internet and have somehow come across sparknotes.com. What a great invention...

All the internet is is just a million and one pages of quick reviews. I think that we have been brainwashed into thinking that if an essay has more than one or two pages, then it is a waste of our time. We just want to get things done quickly and efficiently. After a few paragraphs, we get bored and just stop reading. What the hell is going on? Because of Google and the millions of other fact sights, we have become so lazy that we cannot even get through a two page essay. Lets's be honest here...