Say Gbye 2 txtspeak

Cell phones and anything having to do with them has gotten way out of control over the past few years. I mean those iPhone's are like $500. Who needs all of these options anyways? My first cell phone was purchased at the age of 16. It didn't have a camera, text messaging, or long distance. I didn't want all that stuff, nor could I afford it. Yea, I guess I've never really been "in" with the technology, but thats because I didn't want to get stuck in the same rutt as everyone else. I was trying to graduate and worrying about who was dating who every second of my day wouldn't have gotten me across the stage.

My own parents didn't even get cell phones until a couple years ago. They always knew what I was doing, I only thought it was fair I knew what they were doing every once in a while.

Although teenagers are primarily being targeted as obsessive texters, adults are doing it now too. My mother even text messages now and shes one of the most technically challenged people I know. Now that's crazy! LOL.

"Text messages are much more short and to the point." Really? That is bologna! People text because they are bored and have too much time on their hands. Picking up the phone is so much quicker not to mention the professional aspect of it. Don't get me wrong, I text, but I prefer sticking to proper English and professional e-mails. "Is texting sabotaging younger job seekers?" Until I read this article I hadn't heard anything about it, but I guess it is and it's pretty ridiculous. Any one who can send an e-mail, text, or turn in a resume to their future employer full of textspeak and emoticons all over it needs to seriously reevaluate their lives. Maybe parents shouldn't be buying their children cell phones at the age of 12 and should be baned entirely in schools. G2G! TTYL!

Image source: http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2008/06/04/ba-cell_phones_schools_0498529787.jpg

Going,going, back, back...

Going back to school after three years isn't easy. Most of your basic skills and knowledge seem to fade away. Reading a book, writing an essay, solving a math equation or looking through a microscope are all past memories, usually never missed. But to tell you the truth, I have definitely missed school. I've missed the feeling of pushing yourself past the point of what you know. Who wouldn't want to learn something new everyday and become closer and closer to becoming a success?
I left my hometown Buffalo, NY after graduating high school in 2005 to start my new life with my husband in Florida. My senior year was a difficult time for me so I wasn't ready to start college that fall. My plan was to start in the spring, but god had other plans for me. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew it would be much longer before I started school and that was okay with me. I was going to be a mother! I had the rest of my life to go to school, plus I deserved some time off. The year our son was born and the next year following would take my husband away for weeks at a time leaving me changing diapers and cleaning up toys all day long.

I've thought about going to college everyday for the past two years but knew waiting for the right time would be the best. My son is at a perfect age now and my husband has completed his first deployment. I think my first semester of school would have been a little tough with my husband leaving for Iraq. My mind is in the right place and I am ready to work really hard to get where I want to go. English 111 along with two other courses were mandatory. I didn't have a problem with taking any mandatory classes because they are usually the classes that help get you into that "college mode." I've always loved expressing myself through writing so I wasn't too worried about how well I would do in Eng 111, or even math and biology, it was the time I would have to take away from my family to get my work done that I was worried about. It doesn't take long to get used to a certain way of living and it takes twice as long to get out of it. I've tried to keep myself on a strict schedule for both my future in school and my family. Most of my classes are over by 2 or 3, then I rush home to get all my work done before I have to pick up my son at daycare and my husband walks through the door.

Since it had been so long that I had written a paper or even read a book, I was a little nervous going into Eng 111. I was relieved to find that my professor was fairly young and had quite the personality (pretending to be a student in the class on our first day). I'm not shy when it comes to expressing my feelings so I really enjoyed the group discussions using rhetorical analysis which is something I hadn't learned before and turned out being the most valuable to my learning during this course. It helped me sort out the main ideas of each text, allowed me to think "outside the box" and discover the author's true purpose. Hearing others opinions and point of views during our discussions really had an impact on my experience during this class. It opened my eyes to new perspectives and views on topics that I hadn't regularly discussed. I learned a lot from the other students in the class because we were all so different, or aren't we? I gained something from every assignment we had to do, especially from the presentations which I rather enjoyed. It's kind of a rush, getting up in front of the class and prooving your point through proper research. Each assignment taught me something different about myself that I maybe didn't realize before. I would definitely reccommend this course to new college students.

I believe I have come to appreciate school so much more than I would have three years ago because of the life I have built for myself. I have been living on my own for four years now and have taken on the incredible role as a mother for almost three years. If living on your own, getting married, and becoming a mother doesn't teach a young women responsibility and appreciation for life than I don't know what does. I am proud of what I have accomplished so far and can't wait to see how much I am capable of doing.

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

I couldn't imagine waking up to find myself transformed into a bug. I always try to make the best of everything, but how can any good come of this? Being different is one thing, we are all different, not one of us is exactly the same, but at least every one shares things in common. There may be thousands of people in the world that share your same hair and eye color, weight and height. But if you suddenly become a human in a bug's body, odds are you're the only one of your kind, and that can't be an easy life.

Gregor Samsa awakes late one morning to find he has been transformed into a giant cockroach. Instead of looking at the overall problem like a normal person would, Gregor's main concern is loosing his job, primarily because even though he dislikes his job, it is his life. Since the collapse of his father's business five years prior, resulting in their family's debt, and the poor health of his mother, Gregor is the main provider for the family which in a sense makes him proud. Gregor's presence at work is so important that when he doesn't show up, his boss comes to his house demanding an explanation for his absence. As days go by, the more Gregor is seen the worse the situation becomes, ultimately resulting in his sad, painful death.

In Gregor's case, "make the best of it" isn't going to cut it. When things go wrong in your life, turning to your family or those who mean the most to you usually seems most logical. But not much about this story makes logical sense. A human turning into an enormous slimy cockroach? I think every one handles the situation as well as they could. Although, the situation may have been more stable if Gregor were appreciated the way he should have been from the beginning for supporting his family. Gregor's family seemed to love him but couldn't bear looking at him or having him in the same room as them, which is understandable. He was taken for granted and in the end his family realized how must their lives would change once he was gone. I just wish he wasn't "squashed like a bug."
Image source: http://www.jewcy.com/files/images/metamorphosis2.img_assist_custom.gif

"Super Gag me"

Morgan Spurlock's 2004 documentary "Super Size me" is the cure for any one's fast food cravings. This man chooses to go on a McDonald's binge for 30 days to show the affects their food will have on his overall health. First of all, who wants to do that? I would rather die. I mean he almost did, the doctors had to beg him to stop contaminating his body with those "poisons". Gaining 10 lbs. in one week isn't good for any one's health. I got the point of the documentary and give Morgan much credit for doing it, but is he crazy? I know he was trying to convince McDonald's to make a change but they are just like any other business in America; as long as their making money off millions of people, their going to continue doing what it is they do. No matter how many Americans become obese, there will still be McDonald's and they will always have loyal fans. But why can't fast food industries make their foods just a little bit healthier? And I'm not talking about those salads that contain as much calories as a cheeseburger.

According to http://www.truthinlabeling.org/, Processed Free Glutamic Acid (MSG), which is used by many food and beverage companies, is a harmful neurotoxin and excitotoxin that leads to and/or worsens many health problems ranging from headaches, migraines, mood change, nausea, pains in joints/bones, sleep disorders, chronic post nasal drip, heart irregularities and excessive perspiration to Asthma, ADD, Depression, Obesity and many more. It is also implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Lou Gehrig`s (ALS), Parkinson`s and Alzheimer`s.

Life has become so fast pace for some people that stopping at a McDonald's, Wendy's or Burger King becomes routine. I mean every ones gotta eat right? But it doesn't have to be and shouldn't be a large french fry and big mac everyday for lunch. Anyone in their right mind knows that, and that's just my point. If you eat fast food everyday, you're out of your mind. If you care about your body you will respect it by eating nutritional foods and working out regularly. And if you don't respect your body, you will end up unhealthy and overweight. McDonald's is not forcing any of us to eat their food. If you are overweight because you haven't taken care of yourself, then no one is to blame but yourself. What about cars, desk jobs, and t.v.'s? Whatever happened to riding a bike, walking to the store thats a quarter mile away or going to the park instead of sitting on the couch watching t.v?What about my 16 year old, 230 lb. brother in law who plays video games for like ten hours a day? Aren't all these things contributing factors to obesity too?

Although Morgan's documentary didn't result in much improvement with the fast food industries, he was able to help public schools improve their lunches and hopefully had an impact on many people's lives. So if McDonald's corporations don't want to be responsible for the harms they are causing to our bodies than we must. We are responsible for what we put in our bodies, not what some fast food dump in selling at every street corner.

Image source: http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/movie/super_size/05.jpg

Revised diagnostic essay

Unconditional Love

One of the most unforgettable love stories of this decade on film is "The Notebook," directed by Nick Cassavetes, which was released in June 2004. It is based on the “Best selling” novel by Nicholas Sparks, published in 1995. The Notebook was inspired by the unforgettable love story that belonged to Nicholas’s wife‘s grandparents. This is a story of the enduring power of love between a man and women that lasts for over 70 years. Love is proven to be an everlasting feeling that is strong enough to create miracles.

The story begins in the first-person with an 80-year old man(James Garner) reading to an old women (Gena Rowlands) from a worn notebook, the story of a young couple‘s love that was proven to be stronger than any disapproval or separation. Later in the story, we realize that the man is Noah and the woman is Allie. Allie is suffering from Alzheimer’s and only knows Noah as the man who reads to her, not the man whom she has shared her life with for over 60 years. Every now and then, Allie's memory comes back and she is able to relive the memories of the story. When Allie remembers, the short moments her and Noah have together are precious. After 60 years, you can see that Noah’s love for Allie hasn’t changed, by the way he holds her hand and the light that appears in his eyes when he has her back in his arms.

In the 1940’s as teenagers, Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) and Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams) met at a carnival in a southern town of NC. Noah didn’t know much about Allie, but when he saw her, he knew he had to have her. Noah’s excitement and charm quickly stole the city girl’s heart. Their magical summer romance quickly turned into first love. They fought all the time, rarely agreed on anything and challenged each other everyday, but they were crazy about one another. When Allie’s upper-class folks found out how serious she and the poor country boy were, they told her she was not to see him anymore. “He’s just not suitable for you, baby,” (Cassavetes) said her father. Allie was forced to go back to the big city for school and Noah, still working at the lumber yard, writes 365 letters throughout the next year to Allie but gets no response. Just after writing his final goodbye letter, the draft takes him into WWII. When Noah returns home a few years later, he is able to buy the old plantation home and plans to restore it just the way Allie pictured it, in hopes that she‘ll come back into his life. Meanwhile, "Allie was surprised how quickly she fell in love with Lon Hammond. He was handsome, smart, funny, sophisticated, and charming. He also came from old Southern money and was fabulously wealthy" (Cassavetes). Lon asked Allie to marry him and she said yes! But she couldn‘t understand why at that very moment, Noah’s face came to mind. While trying on her wedding dress, she sees Noah’s picture in the paper next to the beautifully restored home and realizes she must confront her past in order to shape her hopes and dreams for the future. When they reunite after seven years, the couple of days they share together are passionate. Noah to Allie: "I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day" (Cassavetes). Allie is now faced with the toughest decision. Does she follow her heart and marry her soul mate, or the man of class order?

The character I would become from this story is young Allie Hamilton. It is so easy for me to wrap myself around this character because I have been through many similar experiences. It is hard for me to think of anything I would do differently as this character because I wouldn’t want it to have an affect on the outcome of the story. When I think of myself as Allie, there is only one thing that I would have done differently, and that is to have written to Noah instead of waiting to hear from him. It wasn’t Noah’s fault that Allie didn’t receive the letters so there wasn’t anything else that he could have done, but Allie didn’t try to do anything. When they reunite after seven years, Allie explodes with anger and questions as to why he didn’t write her. If it wasn’t over for her and she still wanted to be with him, why would she put herself through the pain and misery of not knowing whether they could have been? I guess we can only wonder if the outcome would have been different if they did keep in touch and didn’t face the separation. All I know is, if their love never failed after all those years apart, who is to say that it wouldn’t have been as strong if they had stayed together? In the end, Allie knows their meant to be together and shes not going to push him away again. I couldn’t have been happier with the ending of the story!

The reason why this story has touched me so deeply is because my true life love story is so comparable. I fell head over heels for my now husband Ryan at the age of 17. We met through a mutual friend and although we didn’t have much in common it was obvious there was something drawing us closer. I was going through a hard time at home and he became my shoulder to lean on. We spent that entire summer hand in hand, young and falling in love. As time went on, it became clear that we were raised much different and our families were also very different, just as Noah and Allie‘s. As a result, we knew we would face challenges along the way and it would either make or break us. I thought things could only get better, little did I know they were about to pull a U-turn.

Ryan told me he would be leaving in just two weeks to join the Navy. I had no idea what was going to happen but I was obviously devastated. Before leaving, he told me that it wasn’t over and in the end we would be together. Letters were our only way of keeping in touch for the next two months. After those two long and painful months, Ryan was stationed in Florida. Our lives were going in complete opposite directions that it seemed impossible for us to understand what each other were going through. On top of not being able to see the love of my life, I was still going through a really hard time at home and was barely hanging onto my High School Diploma. Ryan and I saw each other twice throughout the next five months and he was able to make it home to be my prince charming at the senior prom. It was an amazing weekend that I didn‘t want to end. What made it so amazing is that Ryan made it clear that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me by asking me to marry him.

After my graduation, I moved to Florida and said “I Do.” Our families were shocked. I think we were even a little shocked, but sometimes you have to take a chance in order to follow your heart. Our son was born one year later and that became our real test. Ryan was going through some of the toughest training courses in the Navy which sent him away often for weeks at a time leaving me at home with a newborn. I had only a few friends in the area and no family within 500 miles. To sum up my life in one word would be, depressing. The past two years of our relationship has been heart wrenching, but I believe that everything happens for a reason and this was just another one of god’s plans to prove that our love was strong enough to make it through. One year ago we almost lost hope. I moved to Buffalo, NY with the baby to be around support of my family and in hopes of “finding myself.” I began working full-time as a server, moved into my own apartment and most importantly, gained confidence through becoming a young independent women. I recently moved back into our VA home. My husband will be home from his seven month deployment in Iraq in less than two weeks and words cannot describe how anxious I am to start this new life as a family again.

My marriage has been everything aside of perfect, but what marriage is? Nothing in life is easy and you have to work at everything you want in order to be successful. Following your heart, taking chances and making mistakes are all part of life. Separation does make the heart grow fonder. I know that my husband and I will be blessed through sharing that special gift of everlasting, unconditional love with one another for the rest of our lives, just as Noah and Allie did, because of everything we have been through. I have had my heart broken and I know it won’t be the last, but the strong ones always make it through the stormy weather. This story is truly remarkable and I know it will forever be in my heart.

MOVIE CLIPS

Love Story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omtKkWeFYyU

Fight scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJOcKJNGGCE

Kissing scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNKrCuPGtzY

What do you want Allie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww1WvFZzv4A

Noah's letter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJFPLuCdtGI

IMAGE: http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/GLO/FLM60018~The-Notebook-Posters.jpg

First draft diagnostic essay

"The Notebook"

The movie The Notebook, released in June 2004 is based on the “Best selling” novel by Nicholas Sparks, published in 1995. The Notebook was inspired by the unforgettable love story that belonged to Nicholas’s wife‘s grandparents. This is a story of the enduring power of love between a man and women that lasts for over 70 years. Love is proven to be an everlasting feeling that is strong enough to create miracles.

The story begins in the first-person with an 80-year old man(James Garner) reading to an old women(Gena Rowlands) from a worn notebook, a story of a young couple‘s love that was proven to be stronger than any disapproval or separation. Later in the story we realize that the man is Noah and the woman is Allie. Allie is suffering from Alzheimer’s and only knows Noah as the man who reads to her, but every now and then her memory comes back and she is able to relive the memories of the story. When Allie remembers, the short moments her and Noah have together are precious. After 60 years, you can see that Noah’s love for Allie hasn’t changed by the way he holds her hand and the light that appears in his eyes when he has her back in his arms.

In the 1940’s, as teenagers, Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) and Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams) met at a carnival, in a southern town of NC. They didn’t know much about each other but when Noah saw Allie, he knew he had to have her. Noah’s excitement and charm quickly stole the city girl’s heart. Their magical summer romance quickly turned into first love. They fought all the time, rarely agreed on anything and challenged each other everyday, but they were crazy about one another. When Allie’s upper-class folks found out how serious she and the poor country boy were, they told her she was not to see him anymore. “He’s just not suitable for you, baby,” said her father. Allie was forced to go back to the big city for school and Noah, still working at the lumber yard, writes 365 letters throughout the next year to Allie, but gets no response. Just after writing his final goodbye letter, the draft takes him into WWII. When Noah returns home a few years later, he is able to buy the old plantation and plans to restore it just the way Allie pictured it, in hopes that she‘ll come back into his life. Meanwhile, (narrator): "Allie was surprised how quickly she fell in love with Lon Hammond. He was handsome, smart, funny, sophisticated, and charming. He also came from old Southern money and was fabulously wealthy." Lon asked Allie to marry him and she said yes, but couldn‘t understand why, at that very moment, Noah’s face came to mind. While trying on her wedding dress, she sees Noah’s picture in the paper next to the beautiful home he restored. Allie realizes she must confront her past in order to shape her hopes and dreams for the future. When they reunite after seven years, the couple of days they share together are passionate. Noah (to Allie): "I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day." Allie is now faced with the toughest decision. Does she follow her heart and marry her soul mate, or the man of class order?

The character I would become from this story is young Allie Hamilton. It is so easy for me to wrap myself around this character because I have been through many
similar experiences. It is hard for me to think of anything I would do differently as this character because I wouldn’t want it to have an impact on the outcome of the story. When I think of myself as Allie, there is only one thing that I would have done
differently, and that is to have written to Noah instead of waiting to hear from him. It wasn’t Noah’s fault that Allie didn’t receive the letters so there wasn’t anything else that he could have done, but Allie didn’t try to do anything. When they reunite after seven years, Allie explodes with anger and questions as to why he didn’t write her. If it wasn’t over for her and she still wanted to be with him, why would she put herself through the pain and misery of not knowing whether they could have been? I guess we can only wonder if the outcome would have been different if they did keep in touch and didn’t face the separation. All I know is, if their love never failed after all those years apart, then who is to say that it wouldn’t have stayed the same if they had kept in touch all along. They were meant to be together and I couldn’t have been happier with the ending of the story.

The reason why this story has touched me so deeply is because my true life love story is so comparable. I fell head over heels for my now husband Ryan at the age of 17. We met through a mutual friend and even though we didn’t have much in common it was obvious that there was something drawing us closer. I was going through a hard time at home and he became my shoulder to lean on. We spent that entire summer hand in hand, young and falling in love. As time went on it became clear that we were raised much different and our families were also very different, just as Noah and Allie‘s. As a result, we knew we would face challenges along the way and it would either make, or break us. I thought things could only get better, but they were about to pull a U-turn.

Ryan told me he would be leaving in just two weeks to join the Navy. I had no idea what was going to happen but I was devastated. Before leaving, he told me that it wasn’t over and in the end we would be together. Letters were our only way of keeping in touch for the next two months. After those two long and painful months, Ryan was stationed in Florida. Our lives were going in complete opposite directions that it seemed impossible for us to understand what each other were going through. On top of not being able to see the love of my life, I was still going through a really hard time at home and was barely hanging onto my High School Diploma. Ryan and I saw each other twice throughout the next five months and he was able to make it home to be my prince charming at the senior prom. It was an amazing weekend that I didn‘t want to end. What made it so amazing is that Ryan made it clear that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me by asking me to marry him.

After my graduation, I moved to Florida and said “I Do.” Our families were shocked. I think we were even a little shocked, but sometimes you have to take a chance in order to follow your heart. Our son was born one year later and that became our real test. Ryan was going through some of the toughest training courses in the Navy which sent him away often for weeks at a time leaving me at home with a newborn. I had only a few friends in the area and no family within 500 miles. To sum up my life in one word would be, depressing. The past two years of our relationship has been heart wrenching, but I believe that everything happens for a reason and this was just another one of god’s plans to prove that our love was strong enough to make it through. One year ago we almost lost hope. I moved to Buffalo, NY with the baby to be around support of my family and in hopes of “finding myself.” I began working full-time as a server, moved into my own apartment and most importantly, gained independence through becoming a young confident women. I recently moved back into our VA home. My husband will be home from his seven month deployment in Iraq in less than two weeks and words cannot describe how anxious I am to start this new life as a family again.

My marriage has been everything aside of perfect, but what marriage is? Nothing in life is easy and you have to work at everything you want in order to be successful. Following your heart, taking chances and making mistakes are all part of life. Separation does make the heart grow fonder. I know that my husband and I will be blessed by sharing that special gift of everlasting, unconditional love with one another for the rest of our lives, just as Noah and Allie did, because of everything we have been through. I have had my heart broken and I know it won’t be the last, but the strong ones always make it through the stormy weather. This story is truly remarkable and I know it will forever be in my heart.