Better late, than never. Blog 6

            I have never enjoyed writing, perhaps because I suck at it.  I usually write things down the way that they make sense in my head, but usually make no sense to the reader. So basically all of my first drafts I thought; "fuck yeah, this shit is bad ass." When it really wasn't...at all.  I appreciate all the help with my grammar and overall writing. I learned much more than I thought I would throughout the semester, such as: basic MLA, rhetorical strategies, knowing that everyone else's opinion's matter.  I think in my first paper, the critical review, when I finished it I actually thought my grammar was just fine.  I didn't even look over it for any type of corrections, that's how confident I was.  I even said something in my reflection piece about, "I think my grammar was still good surprisingly after all these years." It's been eight years now since I wrote a paper. So my confidence was slightly...fucked up. The paper was a cluster fuck of different colors of corrections, mostly grammar. It was definitely an eye-opener. I feel I have progressed a great deal, I will definitely not be so cocky when it comes to my future assignment's, and be much more careful when it comes to turning something in without making sure someone else has looked it over and doesn't think it sucks. I still managed to show up everyday to class early, that's one thing I don't have a problem doing lol. I took just the one class over the summer as a way of getting back into the flow of college life. Perhaps I will be more out-spoken in future classes, instead of the quiet observer that I was probably known for. Was a very fun class and I didn't think I would laugh so much each day. Hope everyone has a good summer and maybe see some of you in Sociology, Italian and Weight-lifting class.

Blog Post - 6

Drew Woodside
Professor Bolaski
English 100
31 July 2012
Portfolio Preface
My process of writing, once my Idea has formed, is not exactly brainstorming ideas, but rather just throwing them out on the paper. I just type ideas as they come, they don't even have to be complete sentences. Simple statements that I can go back over and form multiple sentences from. I write with a central point in mind allowing me to find points that correlate to the main topic in various ways. This enables me to find structure in my essays, which, so far that has been a style that I use and has worked for me in each of my writing assignments.
I found that some of the in class discussions provided a great source to pull from while I wrote the three assignments. Specific examples would be when we talked about opinion pieces and what the author used to convey his or her message to their audience. That helped me when choosing the types of rhetorical strategies that I would incorporate into my writing to help express my feelings on certain issues. I really enjoyed the in class discussions that we had before each of our assignments.
"Do you procrastinate?" The real question is who doesn’t. Probably on every essay that I have ever written I have procrastinated; don't ask me why I do it. I always tell myself that I will start on the essay right after it is assigned, but - let's be honest here - I cannot remember the last time I actually started an essay on time. It is just so much easier to put the assignment off till later, why would anyone not procrastinate - it is just so easy to do. It's like being addicted to drugs - which I'm not - and trying to stop; not such an easy task.
I definitely think that writing is both a private and public act. Each form of writing contains its own benefit to the writer. Writing in a public setting allows the writer to have somewhat of a conversation with the world allowing for the expression of ideas to be possible. Writing in private allows for a self reflection and a collection of thoughts. I had an assignment given to me a while ago that asked me to keep a journal of the day’s events. I found this to be beneficial in that it gave me the chance to go over things that I normally would have forgotten about. Also it allowed me to see small advancements in my writing - so I've got that going for me. Sharing my writing with others is a great thing opportunity to get some feedback that could not be done by me. After going over the same article multiple times having another set of eyes look at my work catches things that I would miss. Viewing writing as a "continuing, progressive act that we never quite 'finish' but that can always improve" sort of bothers me because I would like to produce a final piece of mastery but I know that even the smallest part can be revised to improve the paper. This is what I prefer to do instead of completing the assignment, receiving a grade, and moving on to the next task.
I chose to arrange my work chronologically just because it made more sense to me – which is a super lame reason but I just like the organization that is achieved when doing so. Arranging them this way also allowed me to show my progression as a writer from this class. The first essay that I wrote is the one where I received the lowest initial score and the last was the essay where I received the highest. This is the ultimate goal – to see my abilities in English improve throughout the course.

Blog post #6

Blog #6 My process of writting is more will? Just writting it down whatever comes to my head and after all the points that I think is useful and strong. Then go back and read them out loud so i will know which one sounds the strongest and which one is the weakest. This what builds my outline and orangization skills. I do not what until the last minute if your the type of person like me. that is so a bad ideal. With bad grammar I have dude waiting is not a good Ideal. As soon as I get the assignment I'm a the writting center knocking that assignment out. No sir not this one I Need all the help I can get. I do brainstorm because it helps the orangization of the paper or just gets you a feeling that you have main topics that's Strong. And you feel more comfortable withit and then you can began on your paper. And it's easier to correct because you have everything step by step so you won't get lost. I or mostly do is I identify the main points then go into detail by using examples and life experience it gives the paper a little stant on what your topic is about and I'm to the Point sight forward. Writting always needs somebody to have extra pair of eyes, because it helps to see if you are on the right track and sound good and have fragments. Revising is good because you may have a good paper but just need a little more work on it to make t strong and it's good because you may had forgot something important. and have some suggestions. The hardest paper that I felt was not good for me was the first assignment i did not now how to do a review so that was out of my element. But it was good to know how to write one. And the second one was better because it helps you think out of the box and see how people see your writing in a different way with writting in 2nd person and also 3rd person. And the last one was also great because it about what you think and when we had class disscussions It was funny and entertaining. My suggestion is that may be the summer class was funny and long sometimes but over all I think you have all you cookies in order and your smart because you know what your talking about and sometimes if the class gets lost you do know how to explain it when the class is clam down. Overall the class fun and cool and if I had like English more I would take your class for all type of English.

Damesha Smith

Amy Bolaski

ENGL 100 1109

28 July 2012

What is your process of “getting to the writing” I just started writing because, if I don’t I won’t started. Do you procrastinate? I try really hard not to procrastinate but sometimes I just need a break and don’t know how to start up again. I don’t like? Do you brainstorm? How?  Yes I brainstorm I try to write an outline because if I don’t I become organization. What do you identify as beneficial (or not) with regard to sharing your writing (with peers, tutors and instructors)? If you share with your peer they can tell you want you need to make your paper better. If you share it with your teacher she can tell you if your paper is good enough and they can tell you if you are missing anything in your paper.  How you do you feel about continuing to revise work rather than turning in writing, getting a grade, and moving on? I love moving on because I don’t believe I’m ever finish fixing my paper. It also help me learn how to fix my mistake.

I learn a lot because I was able review my work and that help me learn how to spot error. There is no special way I arrange my work I just put it on the folder.  I really enjoyed the analyzing the article. I like that you comment because it helps me know if I’m on the write path. If not I can adjust my writing. The workshop helps me learn how to fix grammar.  

You Guys Still Want Some Lectures/Sentence Correction Stuff?

I was making some handouts/lectures on sentence-level construction, editing, strategic punctuation, word choice, etc. etc. I will probably post them here shortly (I'll probably be using them next semester). Not the most exciting thing ever, I know, but if you want any of these materials, feel free to check back from time to time.

I'm going to do a series wherein I rewrite short paragraphs to demonstrate various concepts, methods, and tricks, paragraphs culled anonymously from what I've got. Just a heads up.

Give Daniel Feedback!!!

We were unable to do Daniel's workshop because we ran out of time. He was really hoping for some feedback. Will gave him some . . . anyone else equal to the task? Interesting paper. Take a look: Daniel Ceballos Professor Bolaski English 100 23 July 2012 It’s More Than Just Medicine: Pass it on Ever since 1996 when California and other states succeeded in making cannabis legal for medical purposes, we have seen this never ending debate that gets old and repetitive. The conversation seems to center only about the medical and recreational use, but not anything else. How many times have we heard that cannabis eases pain better than addictive FDA approved crap? Or that its safer than tobacco, alcohol, aspirin, caffeine, or even sugar? Recent polls indicate that 74% of Americans support the use of cannabis for medical purposes (Mason-Dixon). However, the urgency to fully liberate this plant to reap all of its revolutionary benefits falls short. This is due to the lack of education and awareness among critics and even self-proclaimed ‘stoners’ as to how much a single plant can affect our society in the areas of health, environment, politics, economy, and even religion. The use of cannabis to relieve symptoms like pain, nausea, and lack of appetite associated with going through cancer is common knowledge and something that is reported on and talked about a great deal. But what about using the cannabis plant to cure the actual cancer? Ask Rick Simpson, a man who claims to have found the cure for cancer using a concentrated hemp-oil extract that is orally ingested in a 3-6 month treatment to eliminate or shrink cancerous tumors, the documentary called Run From the Cure: A Rick Simpson Story goes into great detail. A plant that yields cancer medicine and can be easily grown in your backyard really puts a damper on the huge cancer fighting industry where more people are making a living off of cancer than people dying from it. Studies to back up these, perhaps outrageous claims, have been virtually impossible in the United States due to the fact that cannabis is still listed as a Schedule 1 controlled substance with no medical value according to the federal government. In 1974 The National Institute of Health funded a study at the Medical College of Virginia in expectation to find evidence that marijuana damages the immune system, but to their shocking disbelief, found that THC shrunk tumors and slowed the growth of three types of cancer in laboratory mice -- lung, breast, and a virus-induced leukemia. Studies after that were coincidentally discontinued in the United States and it wasn’t until 26 years later when a study out of Madrid replicated results that THC shrinks and kills cancer tumors. This Madrid study was ignored by all major newspapers in the U.S. and only reported once on the Associated Press news wire. It seems that new research about cannabis isn’t something that the American media or government want the public to be aware of. It is actually pretty sad that still to this day people still believe so much disinformation like the old myth that cannabis kills brain cells, when in fact research has never shown that it does, and some studies point to the exact opposite -- that it grows them (Saskatchewan). Another use that rarely, if ever, enters public debate when discussing the legality of cannabis is the fact that it is the single most nutritious and complete source of food on the face of the earth. Despite the fact that it is illegal to grow in the United States and most of the world the hemp seed contains every single vitamin and mineral needed by the human body. It has all of the essential amino acids, and it is the best plant-based source for complete protein in a form that is easy to digest. The ratio of omega 3 and omega 6 is ideal for human nutrition and no other seed compares to the hemp seed, not even flax. Even vegetarians are mostly unaware that the hemp seed easily replaces meat in terms of protein. It contains high amounts of fiber, high amounts of fatty acids, and vitamin E. Basically there is nothing more nutritious in the world, yet places like Africa and other third world countries where people are starving, aren’t allowed to grow this crop that easily grows on every continent even through droughts. Every child’s dream and desire to “end world hunger” could easily be achieved with the cannabis plant. But because people are so uninformed and unaware, there isn’t enough being done to make this happen. Critics of medical marijuana or just cannabis in general tend to bring up children and young people as an excuse not to explore the benefits of the plant as if they care about their well being. Whether it’s for recreational or medical use the ultimate fear is that kids will end up toking the reefer. A lot of concern coming from uninformed teachers and parents yet you don't ever hear campaigns against the drugs that are systematically prescribed to children when they get diagnosed with ADD/ADHD or depression. Even for kids, a cannabis cookie or toast with cannabutter is much better alternative to treating those conditions than those highly addictive, destructive pills that resemble legal crystal meth. Here is a list of drugs that can be prescribed by any doctor that have horrible side effects, and are more dangerous than cannabis: ritalin, adderall, morphine, oxycontin, ambien, vicodin, methadone, percocet, valium, xanax, and many more. It's ironic that cannabis smokers get labeled as ‘lazy people’ but what do you call adults that have lived long lives yet they are still clueless about the most beneficial plant known to humanity? Critics and mainstream health practitioners are usually against the smoked method of medicating because of the supposed risks to the lungs that come with the inhalation of cannabis smoke. This is strange because inhalable methods of medication are used to treat asthma and a form of inhalable insulin is being created for diabetes patients. Although its true, cannabis can be smoked through a water pipe, eaten or even vaporized to minimize the amounts of smoke; it's worth taking note that since 1997 there have been numerous studies that show no direct link between cannabis use and cancer “Smoking cannabis, even long-term, is not positively associated with increased incidence of lung-cancer” (University of San Diego, 2006). One of the most outspoken and prominent advocate for hemp was the late Jack Herer, the most authoritative record of cannabis history and conspiracy was his book The Emperor Wears No Clothes in which he claims “Marijuana smoke effectively dilates the airways of the lungs, the bronchi, opening them to allow more oxygen into the lungs. It is also the best natural dilator of the tiny airways of the lungs, the bronchial tubes—making cannabis the best overall bronchial dilator for 80% of the population (the remaining 20% sometimes show minor negative reactions).” So if smoking is so terrible one has to wonder why so many people claim to have cured their asthma by simply smoking cannabis. It is shocking that any type of smoke can achieve that. It seems that since the 1920’s a world wide conspiracy has been put into effect to rid the cannabis plant out of our society and culture in order to make way for an oil-based economy where synthetic man made products are preferred. Everything that oil can do, the cannabis plant can do better. It seems that the difference is how many people would enrich themselves in a hemp-based economy (anyone that can farm hemp) compared to the very few that have an oil field and the means to slurp it out of the ground. Perhaps classism in America would be dramatically different and the gap between rich and poor a lot smaller. So what about pollution and this “green revolution” we always hear about? Can it even happen without hemp? Many think global warming is a hoax because it's still debatable whether human beings are directly causing it. Regardless, our cities grow every year, more cars pollute the air, and plastic continues to be the biggest source of pollution. In fact there is plastic island out in the Pacific that is 7 times bigger than Texas that eventually gets eaten by plankton and therefore recycled back into our food supply -- we eat our own trash. Cities are starting to ban grocery bags but is that the real solution? Plastic made from hemp is biodegradable and ideal for grocery bags, water bottles, etc. The first car made by Henry Ford was, “grown from the soil”, completely made out of hemp and intended to run on it aswell. The benefits of using hemp for fuel are tremendous, for one it’s renewable, shortages would be non existent. It can be obtained domestically without having to invade every oil-rich country out there. When medical marijuana and the economy enter the conversation tax revenues from medical clinics to cover shortfalls in budgets are usually talked about a great deal. But if the cannabis plant was completely liberated for all uses, could big pharma and big oil really survive? The top industries in America that produce synthetic goods could see a ‘grass roots’ competitor to their corporate ways. Would certain companies adapt? Could we eventually, instead of Wal-Mart, see a Hemp-Mart where everything is made out of American hemp not imported junk from China? Another way our society would be affected by the complete liberation of the cannabis plant would be religion. For a long time the religious right has and continues to reject the cannabis plant for any purpose and even demonizes it claiming that the government knows best and that the laws of the land are put in place by God (except when it comes to laws that grant gay people any civil rights of course.) Ironically most Christian conservatives that are asking for a smaller government didn’t mind Reagan's War on Drugs or the horrendous consequences that came of it that we are still putting up with up to this day.. The shocking part about this is that it's nearly impossible finding a pastor, priest, or any clergy that supports the use of the cannabis plant for religious use despite the overwhelming evidence that suggests that early Christianity was centered around a holy oil that according to the book of Exodus 30:20-23 contains large amounts of cannabis flowering tops in its recipe. Although mistranslated as ‘calamus’ Sula Benet makes an excellent case in her book Early Diffusions and Folk Uses of Hemp (1967) that the word kaneh-bosm actually refers to cannabis and was widely used in early Jewish rites. In an article written by Chris Bennett titled “Christians & Pot: A High Holy History” He states, “Although largely regarded as a recent phenomenon, our current controversy over the use of cannabis had its counterpart in the formative years of the Christian religion, when the ancient sect that would later become the all-powerful Roman Catholic Church was challenged by other Christian groups, now collectively known as the Gnostics. As we can see through their rediscovered texts, the Gnostics believed that much of their own spiritual experience came through the use of the keneh bosem–enriched holy oil. Additionally, the Gnostics openly criticized the Roman Catholic Church for the ritual of baptism, which they considered a mere placebo with no spiritual effect.” This means that the Jesus Christ of the bible was perhaps using the enlightening and healing properties of the cannabis plant to heal the sick and perform miracles. Bennett continues to elaborate by pointing out that “What we perceive as being "high" or "stoned" the ancients called "possessed by the Spirit of the Lord."” The “born again” mentality originates from the “fire baptism” that is obtained when one is drenched in this anointed oil to become “one with God.” It could be possible that according to the teachings of Christ, in order to become a Christian, one has to perform this lost sacrament. If this were to be accepted as common knowledge, mainstream christianity would have a tough time explaining all these years of undeserved demonization toward the cannabis plant and its advocates. Which is why it's much easier for corporate christians to just ignore such claims although they hold a lot of credible evidence. What is obviously needed in this country and throughout the world is a Cannabis-Hemp Liberation Movement. Based on the idea that education is power, all that has to be done is learn more about this plant and let the evidence fall where it may. Critics are usually concerned and confused with misinformation. Given all the evidence, it would be hard to believe that anyone in their right mind would deny all the benefits the cannabis plant has to offer. No other drug, plant, or medicine comes close to being natures panacea like the cannabis plant does. At this point it takes a vision to imagine a world where the cannabis plant is used to its full potential. It is our duty to demand changes to legislation to allow more research. Spread awareness about what we know now in a methodical way to bring about a beneficial change to a needed society quickly and urgently.

My amazingly late (and awesome) final blog post.

Writing has always been my forte. I'm not entirely sure what process, if any, there really is to any of it though. I suppose I'm one of those creative types that requires inspiration. Even sick and disturbing inspiration (more motivation?), such as the massacre at The Dark Knight Rises. I have a lot of opinions on multiple topics, and I'm sure I could have mustered up various masterpieces to fulfill the assignment. But of course, at midnight on the day our opinion piece was due, psychopath James Holmes decided to brutally murder twelve people and shoot fifty-eight others...less than twenty miles from the place I was born and raised. Maybe that's the type of inspiration I'm talking about. I don't know.

I placed the articles I wrote in chronological order, with the opinion piece at the front of my portfolio. I felt it was my strongest piece of writing throughout the course, and I definitely had a personal connection to it as well. Aside from that, I felt that I became more comfortable with each writing assignment. I have been out of school for the past four years, and although I won't argue that a lot of this comes easy to me, it was extremely difficult trying to balance two six-week courses, two jobs, and a Pilates instructor training program. In the end, I learned to sacrifice time from my less urgent responsibilities, and made sure to find time to "chillax". No, I don't mean relax. If you haven't tried to "chillax" before, you really better get on that.

In terms of brainstorming, I don't find it necessary because my brain is always storming with genius ideas. Ha. In all seriousness though, I find myself to be one of those people who will literally sit staring at a damn blank screen for hours and then suddenly bust out 2 pages in less than 20 minutes. It's a little bit of insanity mixed with a sprinkle of genius. I definitely do try to structure my writing around a main point (essentially a thesis); even if it is not blatantly defined, I maintain that focused idea in my head throughout the writing process.

Speaking of the writing process, I am a firm believer that it is in fact a "continuing, progressive act", due simply to the fact that many of us write the same way we speak. We all know that in various conversations (particularly those of major significance) we always go back and try to think of how and why we could phrase certain aspects differently in order to best make our point. Writing is no different; to assume that it is would truly be taking away the potential your writing has to be excellent. Therefore, continuing to revise a work before turning it in is essential to developing the ability to best phrase certain ideas, and of course the most effective way of that phrasing tying in to support the main point of the writing piece, no matter what the genre. The process of going through the first two papers, and especially with workshopping my rhetorical analysis, definitely allowed me to master my writing abilities once again. The majority of comments I received during the workshop on my paper were immensely helpful. (A special thanks to Will for the red pen loveliness and B+ grade. But Daniel's "Lightsaber of Approval" was so much better. And of course, our wonderful professor's careful critique of my writing; in terms of clarity, passive voice, and verb choices, I feel more prepared than ever before to continue on into the magical world of MiraCosta College.) Not to imply I'm anywhere close to mastery, perhaps that's the wrong word. Maybe awesomeness? Sheer epic? Anyways.

I'm truly afraid to go here. But I'm going there.

Where's here? (there?)

EVERYWHERE?

My favorite class moments...

*Me bringing cookies. Those things were damn delicious.

*Almost every day. I very rarely have said this about a class, but it really became one of my favorite places to be this summer. Which I suppose is a very good thing, because being somewhere four days a week for six weeks would be damn awful if you couldn't stand it.

To the trained eye, you will notice I've gone on a bit of a tangent. Perhaps (whether intentional or not) this is an allusion to the progression of our beloved English 100 course. HOWEVER, I have assuredly made my points. You have all learned something. You have all had a few laughs. Your quality of life has improved. You look better naked...well...maybe not that far of a stretch. Class is over, right? So technically this can be more inappropriate...? Because class discussions never...ever...included anything remotely inappropriate.

;)

^ The entire point of that pretty pink paragraph was to inform all of you how fucking lucky you all are. (OH NO. Profanity.) What other college level course could you take in which you hone writing (and reading, if you were doing what you were supposed to...) skills, but immensely enjoy doing so? It's the best $200 I ever spent; the fact that it will help me get into UCLA doesn't hurt either. I will genuinely miss this class. Have an incredible summer everyone. And remember...

BE AWESOME.

Oh...and I suppose you can add me on Facebook if your heart so desires. Except for Will. Because of that damn red pen. MORE AWESOMENESS.

I Am Number Six

This class was probably the most interesting college class I have taken so far and I will always remember it. At first I wasn’t pleased to be taking an English class over the summer, one of the subjects I hate the most, but when we started workshops it didn’t suck so much coming to class. The random side conversations, people arguing with others, and everyone making fun of Bryan (even though he is smarter than half our class for getting college credits while in high school, just saying). This class has taught me a lot about writing and even more about what to look for when reviewing my writing.

At the start of the class I just thought I was going to be another boring English class where they try to cram the same stupid grammar rules into my head. Even though we only had three major papers and some blog post throughout the whole class I waited last minute every week to assure I would be up till 3am on a Saturday night. And every time I felt completely prepared and knew all I wanted to say, it never came out the way I wanted nor was it as long as it needed to be. I never felt that great about what I had written, even while work shopping others I thought to myself how much better their writing was then mine and the many things I could do to improve.

The very first time we got a paper back (the review just in case some of you have already forgotten) I think Professor Bolaski wrote more side notes than I had information. But it wasn’t just hey this isn’t that great here is your grade, F--, it was suggestions, corrections, and many many ways I could improve. I think that was the best part about the class, that we didn’t just write something one time and called it a day we continued to look at it and at others to find ways to become better. My writing has slightly improved since the start of the class but my ability to realize what problems I am making has improved tenfold since we started just six weeks ago.

Overall it was a great experience that has made me a better writer and reader. I will miss these days especially because the classes at Cal Poly are so boring and nobody I mean not a single soul talks in any of my classes. Feel free to add me on Facebook, search Addison Bernal and hopefully you recognize my face. Just a heads up if you feel the desire to add me I do post my opinion about everything, if you hated my paper we work shopped it just might be best you stay away from the Facebook. But I do love a good argument and will honestly stay online until I feel that I have won or there is no possible way for me to win (not very often do I feel like I lost). Thank you all for being a part of my summer and making this worthwhile. I hope you all the best of luck in all of your endeavors, and when in doubt just think WWSD (What. Would. Spider-man. Do?) I am not too big on Batman

Blog Number Six

I remember walking in to the first day of English class (late, because Will, I, and some others were in the wrong class), I though to myself, fun, school during the summer. I usually work during the summer, but this summer I decided to stay home, and relax- I mean go to school. I am a procrastinator, but mostly because I am working, going to school and being a mom. This summer to me was different though, I decided that since I was not working, I was going to take more time to focus on school work.

Everything I turned in I worked on it two or three days before (even if this meant sleeping at two in the morning) the due date. Of the three big assignments we had, the first paper was the most difficult. Mostly because I really do not read reviews about anything, if somebody recommends it, I buy it. It was very interesting to write a Critical Review about a film, I had never done it, but it was a nice experience to have done so. The Rhetorical Analysis was my strongest paper; I believe because all I had to do was analyze the strategies the author was using to appeal to the reader.

When I was in High School I decided to enroll in AP English. I remember having the hardest time understanding my professor (bless his heart), I did not know why?  he had us find rhetorical strategies. I think back and see that what he was explaining was not so difficult. I learned to identify the different strategies authors use to convey their reader. Now, when I read article, I can catch myself saying, “He is using verbal irony.” I also enjoyed learning about colons and dashes in writing; I did not know you could use them in casual and professional writing. During this summer class, I learned that No exclamations are necessary in writing unless you are trying to Yell!

English 100, plus the extra credit of 50 points, pushed me to go to the Writing Center. I was only supposed to go five times, but I went more like seven. The Writing Center staffs do help students a lot, they helped me brainstorm, and prepare my paragraph structure, for the writing assignments.

I am leaving this class knowing that I learned an amount of great writing skills. I learned effective strategies for writing. I learned to focus on writing in present tense, rather than past-present. I also learned that looking up words in a thesaurus to make my writing sound more professional does not work, because sometimes readers do not know what it means, unless they look in the dictionary, and it also makes my writing sound weird. This class was beyond fun, and hilarious, this class made my summer, it will be missed.

Help Revising, Non-Sequitur City

As I finish up commentary on a few last opinion pieces (oh, yes, still doing that and not yet onto the portfolios), I wanted to let you know that I'm more than happy to help you revise something further if need be. Sometimes students use papers as writing samples for Honors, getting into other programs, universities, etc. If you want to further hone something you wrote in this class, let me know and I'd be happy to do it. If you want or need help with something in the future, please don't hesitate. A lot of you will take 201 or 202 very soon and, while I would certainly encourage you to work on things with whomever you take, I'd be happy to help you with a thesis statement, whatever. I'm not teaching 201 again until the spring and, while I really, really hope to see some of you in Lit 120 this fall and/or 201 in the spring, I know many of you will be taking one of the 200-levels this fall (and you enjoy that 10-15 page research paper that comes with it!) Whether I see you again in a class or not - if you can handle my general disorganization (it's getting better every semester -- swear!), thank you. For your work, your humor, your ever-improving ability to rip on one another. I had a great time. Hopefully you, you know, learned something along the way, too.

Blog 6 again?

I was under the impression that if we included the preface in our portfolio we  didn't need to post the blog, but I see so many blog 6 posts I figured I'd rather be safe than sorry.  If nothing else, maybe someone will get some entertainment out of it.

     Generally speaking, whenever I start a new paper, first I have to stare blankly at the computer screen for at least 20 minutes, which is immediately followed by a good round of cursing and complaining about how I dislike having to do whatever it is I was sitting down to do.  This bout of ranting sometimes takes place in multitude of rooms as I pace around my apartment flailing manically due to the fact that I’m actually frustrated that my past addictions have made it difficult for me to concentrate and focus. I take a breath, I sit back down, typing out the first thoughts on the subject to pop into my head, whether they are complete thoughts or not.  Sometimes it’s just a word, sometimes it’s a phrase or song lyrics.  Then I realize that I need some more coffee.  I drink a pot of coffee every single day.  When I’m doing schoolwork I sometimes drink twice that amount.

     I save the document and close the program.  After my initial thoughts are down, I don’t look at the actual paper again for a day or so.  During this time I’m constantly brainstorming.  It doesn’t matter if I’m watching a movie, playing on Facebook, or surfing at Warm Waters, I’m rolling the paper around in my skull.  I’ve always done things like this in a similar manor, when I was young, I thought I was procrastinating, mainly because my folks and teachers growing up told me that’s what it was.  I didn’t realize that I need to walk away and do other things sometimes as part of my creative process.  I do this with studio art as well.

     The chicken or the egg: The first two papers in this class I knew the direction I wanted to take and the point I wanted to make.  The last one, the opinion piece, wasn’t so easy.  I started with the text and general ideas about a wide topic.  I couldn’t quite nail down where I was going or what exactly I was trying to say.  I got that light bulb moment for my focal point by watching a zombie movie.

     Having worked on-air as a radio personality, I understand that I have a dry sense of humor most of the time and it tends to get a tad snarky sometimes.  While in class Thursday work shopping the sanctity of marriage paper (I’m still flabbergasted that he chose that topic), I had to watch my words very carefully, while making sure my opinion was known.  “Are you saying children are better off in an orphanage than with gay adoptive parents?” and “Even though his paper indicates that a single mother doesn’t have a chance at raising a child without a father, he couldn’t have possibly meant to say such a thing, it just reads that way.”  (Those are paraphrased at best.)  I don’t enjoy writing bland technical instructions like I had to do when I was in the Corps; I enjoy throwing in my thoughts and opinions.  I dug throwing my musical tastes into the opinion piece.  I’ve never quoted Black flag or the Beastie Boys for an essay before now, and it made me smile to do so.  I still need work on comma placement and transitions, but I’m better off now than when I started the class.  Being present for every workshop helped out, because it’s easier to see our own flaws in other people before we can see them in ourselves.

Blog 6

Even though this was my first class since I graduated high school in 2000, I enjoyed this class very much.  I definitely learned a lot because I considered my writing to be simple. I like the topics that we had to choose from for our assignments, because they called for nothing less than interesting writing.  The assignment I absolutely dreaded the most was the rhetorical analysis.  However, I did learn something with this piece, and that was that there is more to writing than just simply writing.  I will admit I am a procrastinator and not necessarily by choice.  I would wait because I am bad with writing my thoughts down and going back later to figure out what I was trying to say.  On the opinion piece (somewhere in the middle and about 1:30 AM) I found myself nodding off and decided that “…dddddddddddddddd…” was very appropriate for my paper. Six pages later, I woke up and told myself that from now on I will start my assignments ASAP, instead of ALAP.

From the many workshops that we did in class, I felt that my writing level was subpar.  I had to step it up, so with the help of the Instructor comments, the workshops, and the visits to the Writing Center, I am able to put together a better written article.  The fact that I am a procrastinator didn’t help my problem, but it did help me remember points I wanted to make because they were fresh. Another thing that took a lot of the pressure off was not having to turn in a final draft on the assigned due date. Though I worked hard on the first drafts of all my papers, it was nice to know that I had a chance at a better grade, especially since I know my writing needs work. I am definitely a more confident writer having gone through this class.  Thanks Amy and the 11:20 AM English 100 class

Preface (Blog Post 6)

This was a great class. The people in this class were amazing, funny... and everyday I looked forward to going. I am so thankful I had the chance to be in such an entertaining class. It is way different than high school. Of course I expected that, but I thought it was going to be a scary experience. But it was the opposite of everything I had in mind. So thank you for making my first college class ever a great one!

I can't even begin to list how many new things I learned in English 100. Before this class, I was not confident in writing at all. I have never had strong reading/writing skills. I am one of those people that wrote "And then, then this, and finally," but now, I feel that I can formulate a much better essay than I could before. The papers we wrote in this class were very interesting, and different from anything I've wrote before. My favorite would definitely have to be the opinion piece. I was able to put all that I learned from the previous papers into the opinion piece, and I was very happy with the outcome of it. The workshops were very helpful, so I hope whatever English course I take next uses it as well. Not only did the workshop on my own paper help, but workshopping other papers and listening to what others had to say about someone else's paper did as well. The comments/suggestions from the class and the teacher helped me realize how much I needed to improve in writing, and the revisions made me notice all the mistakes that I thought were correct! I will for sure apply all that I had learned in this class for in the future. Thank you so much everyone, and of course, thank you very much Amy!

Blog 6

       This was by far the best english class I've had. I liked how the focus was on composition, and wasn't grammar or syntax based, but was more about idea flow. I think I have the MLA format memorized after several papers, but I'm sure there are still plenty of errors in my writing. The class worked well because everyone got along, even when very edgy subjects were being workshopped. Everyone brought a little of their energy to the table, and it made for lively workshopping.
        The workshopping was my favorite part of the class. It's too bad it was only a six week class, it really flew by. I would have like to have had another paper workshopped, but I learned alot from all the feedback I recieved. It was tough to follow everyones revisions without completely rewriting the paper, but I think I accomplished it. Although my reading skills have always been strong, I always felt my writng was weak and not up to it's full potential. Also when writing, I tend to use language like I would when directly talking with a person. I learned in this class that writing can be alot more strategic than regular speech, and that larger more advanced techniques are necessary to convey ideas clearly. Beyond that there are tone choices to make almost any topic discussable without offending most readers. There is no doubt my writing skills can be improved upon, but I look forward to working on that in future english classes.

Blog 6

Blog 6

I learned a lot in this class and it didn’t put such a huge damper on my summer break like I thought it would. The main papers weren’t all that terrible and actually kind of fun. The rhetorical analysis was the most challenging for me but I learned a lot about recognizing rhetorical strategies. The order in which they were assigned was also ideal. By the time I got to the opinion piece I felt more confident than when I began to write the review. My process of writing was a bit weird due to my work schedule, what I ended up doing was writing in chunks. I would begin to write as much as I could at night until I got really tired and passed out, then in the morning I would go back and continue. I found that to be pretty effective. I am probably going to use AXES in the future, very helpful.

I thought the tentative grade system that allows for revision is perfect for an English class. I am extremely happy I got a teacher that does this. I recommend everyone to go to RateMyProfessor and give Amy all the kudos she deserves. Great class.
Workshopping was cool specially when we got to the opinion pieces, lots of good topics.
I am still doing revisions on my draft and since we didn’t have time to workshop my paper. After getting 1 revision (from Will) I thought it would have been great to get everyone's thoughts or ideas. I know Bryan wanted to read it so heres a link to it if you feel like reading it and sending me feedback. (sdc137@yahoo.com)

Apropos for this class . . .

Blog 6

This class was easily the most entertaining college level English class I have ever taken. Do we go on workshop topic tangents? Yes. Is it common for someones ego to broken down and their name dragged through the mud even before the first break? Yes. Can the class easily morph into a yelling contest about arbitrary pop culture references from the 80s and 90s for the majority of the time? Yes. Will someone totally rip on Bryan everyday no matter what comes out of his mouth (even if his intentions were profound?) YOU BETTER DAMN WELL BELIEVE IT!
I have to admit, when I saw our plan for the class at the beginning of the semester I thought to myself "Wow! This entire class has instantly turned into six weeks of wasted bullshit!" Now I can't help but feel more mature as a writer since I finally see the true value of the blogs, workshops and reflections. Above all else, I am glad we conducted the workshops as a class, rather than just being broken up like cattle and prodded to be silent while reviewing three other students work. I have to also admit that although I wanted to learn, I am the king of conversational tangents. In the end, I think that's what made this class fresh no matter how many days in a row I had to lay my eyes on the same damn faces.No offense.


But I digress...


My writing, although still flawed, has improved by leaps and bounds since these last three fortnights. I have to admit that I came in wanting to change my correct use of rhetorical strategies and diction, not to mention when to have a serious tone and when to switch to a passive. My biggest concerns were my list impulsive writing processes and planning ...To quote an odd song I heard on the radio called Stress by the band Jim's Big Ego: 


I'm Addicted to stress
that's the way that i get things done
if I'm not under pressure then i sleep too long
and i hang around like a bum
i think I'm going nowhere and that makes me nervous

Well, at least the first two sentences apply to my writing process specifically (although I concur with the rest). For my writing process as it was, I am a daydreamer of sorts. When I hear about an assignment I will come back to the idea and play with it at least four to five times that day before even realizing it. By the time I get to writing a paper (usually the night before), I already have the topic points down in my head. However, I realized in this class that I never followed through with my idea. I can tell you the WHAT, but I always assumed the reader knew WHY( which is truly the more interesting side to any argument). Also, as you've seen with my Community review and my workshop, the diction usually is reminiscent of the story of Icarus (if you don't get that then just picture crashing and burning or just simply an epic fail). It wasn't until I got to the opinion piece that I realized how much planing these reports effected my reasoning. It's a funny story actually, I wrote three opinion pieces on three separate topics. This was since the first was a six page rant to why not to vote for Mitt Romney and the second being a four page rant on why President Obama needs to grow a pair. From what I learned through the entire experience here are a few tips that I would impart on a writer who struggles like me to not to have his work read as if I yelled into a tape recorder over a long weekend and instantly transcribed it (and yes that was a run-on.)

1) Use the AXES model when in doubt. You can clean up the flow after you have your idea on the paper.

2) Don't write the report from beginning to end if you seem all over the place and have to structure. What I did was write each  paragraph in word pad and made sure it could support itself independently before inserting it into Google docs. I saved the intro and then the conclusion until the end so I can tie them in together way easier and keep the same idea  in mind (it has a tendency to wander)

3) Read Read Read. I would say the best part writing was identifying reports that had an element that worked really well and working that into my report. I know for the opinion piece I read at least 50 articles. I actually printed out and wrote on a dozen to identify underlying themes that I should address in the paper.

4) I actually start with two extra sources and one extra topic sentence so that I can simply take the weakest one and cut it rather than racking my brain on how to polish a turd so to speak.

5) Framing. Actually the most joyful part of writing and a great tool in life is knowing how to spin things. Take a fact and make it your bitch. Refuting a morons idea gives me great pleasure no matter what time of day it is.

Other than that it's just small things. Not procrastinating, Having someone read the report out loud so you can take a pulse of the flow and diction, try not to write after heavy drinking or using illegal substances (trust me, something you think up might actually sound genius but it's probably the hallucinogens talking). Simple stuff really.

In retrospect, the class blew by so fast I can still remember our first day of class together. Now that it's over I can hopefully strive to find a balance between my inner-Steve, my inner-Jim and my inner-Will. I would let out my inner-Roxy more often but I think I'll just make people cry...I kid, I kid (Triumph)

I'd love to say I will see you guys next semester but I actually live in downtown San Diego and honestly there was no summer school there due to the sheer amount budget cuts. Plus, I don't have a Facebook. I swore it off since the days of MySpace drama (oh how old I am). But I will do you guys one better - My phone number.

It's (619)777-6911. 

No Really. 

That's not a made up number. 

If you find yourself down south call me or text me. I really think the class should go get a drink sometime (for some of you non-alcoholic), we could meet halfway - like Solana Beach or something. Just an idea. Run with it.

 It's been great hanging out and talking life for the last six week but it's time for us to finally enjoy the small amount of summer we have left...won't keep you waiting. 


Oh, and be well...