Sunday, May 3, 2009

Sloppy Joe's Bar

It was a Monday morning.  I went to Sloppy Joe's bar where I met Hem.  Hem was interesting. We talked about our writing.  The non-use of commas is his passion.  He talked non stop about how he dislikes run-on sentences.  At one point I thought it kind of odd.  That's when everything changed.  Maybe it was the drinks.  Something.  All of a sudden I found my self dancing.  Not just any dance.  The Twist.  I was going crazy.  He was enjoying it.  Then the music suddenly changed. He started wailing his arms and legs.  He seemed crazed.  He was different.  His style of writing and dancing.  Nothing I've ever seen before.  It fascinated me.  The Mash-potato is what he called it.  He related his crazy dancing to his writing.  I soon found myself doing the same. Dancing. Writing with out commas.  Maybe it was the amount of alcohol I consumed.  But in some way everything he did and said made sense.  

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Hem and I.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

2/22 Class: Footnotes

I love Footnotes.

Footnotes to me are a way to be super creative while writing.  They let me add in my own ideas, stories and opinions.  You can be as creative as you want in a book note.  You can repeat words, not add punctuation and pretty much disregard the proper forms of writing.  For example, you can stutter in a foot note. As seen in the case of the stuttering aunt. "She said "This is a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a . . . I mean, this is a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a . . . Excuse me." '  It is a creative way to meet your word count in writing.

There are many types of footnotes: biographical notes, geographical identification, describing objects and even comparing and contrasting footnotes.  

When comparing and contrasting in a foot note you can do it is two different ways: point-by-point and subject-by-subject.  Point-by-point allows you to discuss both subjects in one paragraph, while subject-by-subject has separate paragraphs for each subject.  In my opinion the easier and more understandable is the subject-by-subject.  In these types of footnotes you can compare and contrast you subjects by going off on a tangent.

Comparing and Contrasting is also a form of writing.  It is not just done in a foot note and can have foot notes itself in the essay. When comparing subjects you want to say how they are like and contrasting them you discuss how they are different.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Biblography

Huxley, Aldous
2004. The Doors of Perception. New York: Perennial Classics.

De Quincey, Thomas
1907. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater. London: J.M Dent & Sons

Morris, Berman
2006. Dark Ages of America. New York: W.W Norton & co.

King, Stephan
1982. Cujo. NY: Signet

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Steroid Use in Baseball

Steroid use in baseball has become a recent choice of conversational topic lately.  Everyone tuned in to earn about the A-Rod scandal and his former use of steroids.  Throughout out baseball history there has been a use of steroids.  The steroid era has been around since at least 1960s.  "Steroid use will be more common than botox is now." (Cansceco 2 ) Many famous players have fallen to the use of steroids such as Jason Giambi, Bobby Estallea, and Barry Bonds.  Is it time to let steroids into the game? Many claim that they are pressured to be the best or to keep up being the best.  My physical Education teacher brought up a good point.  She said that is if fair to keep these players in the game?  They definitely aren't playing fair, when they have extra juice on their sides.  Also, should the players be allowed into the hall of fame even if they stopped taking steroids? Steroids are dangerous and unhealthy.  As professional athletes I personally feel they should be training on the same normal healthy level as everyone else, with out the use of steroids.

Reference:
Jose Canseco. Juiced. New York: Harper Collins Publishers Inc, 2005.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Sleep and a Healthy Life

Sleep is important for a healthy lifestyle.  It is one of the main components to function properly.  With out sleep your body will become exhausted causing you too feel tired and faint.  This does not help increase your daily performance.  You won't be working you best and you won't be as alert as you need to be.  Sleep is important for your daily performance.  In many cases people need a soft noise to help them fall a sleep.  If you have problems sleeping, white noise1 and sleep hygiene2 can cure them.  Caffeine3 and melatonin4 can also help with sleep problems such as jet lag.  An intake of caffeine during the day can cause your body to be so active that when the day ends you will fall a sleep faster.  The less sleep you get the more prone you will be to getting sick.  Poor sleep can cause health diseases. While you sleep your body recharges itself.  It takes care of your immune system by repairing and recharging its cells and tissue boosting our immunity.  Stress also breaks down your immune system and while you sleep you lower your stress levels leading to a healthier immune system. The common cold5 will be a thing of the past.  Sleeping too little or too much can cause weight gain.  This is epically the case in women.  A lack of sleep causes your body to release hormones that make you hungrier through out the day.  Consuming more calories than you can burn off in daily activities is a big part of weight gain.  Proper hours of sleep will help cut the hunger out of your system thus helping you control your weight.  About 6 or seven hours of sleep a night can help your body in a number of ways.  Maintaining a healthy sleep cycle will ensure you for a better night's rest.

Notes
  1. White noise: random signal; it is also used as a term for "background noise" usually a soft  low pitched noise
  2. Sleep Hygiene: bad sleeping habits such as consuming caffeine before bed time and staying up late and waking up too early (etc.); being not "ready for bed": 
  3. Caffeine: a drug used to enhance daily performance; it wakes up your body and causing your heart rate to beat fast giving you energy
  4. Melatonin: a hormone that is made by the body to keep timing; almost a 24 hour clock that stimulates sleepiness after a certain amount of time.
  5. Common Cold: you know you have the common cold when you get the sniffles, dry throat, a cough and runny nose; it is commonly caused by the breaking down of your immune system; good sleep and vitamin C would help you feel better

References
  1. Archives of Internal Medicine Vol. 169 No. 1. Cohen, Doyle, Alper, Deverts, Turner. January 12, 2009
  2. The America Journal of Clinical Nurtition, Vol. 87, No. 2,310-316. Garcia, Faubel, Munoz, Zuluaga, Banegas, Artalejo. Feb 2008
  3. Journal of Applied Physiology 96: 50-58. Beaumont, Batejat, Beers, Denis, Coste, Doireau, Chauffard, French, Lagarde. 2004
  4. Journal fo Amerian health, Vol. 56, No. 5. Sleep Patterns of College Students at a University.  Forguer, Camden, Gabriau, Johnson
  5. Nephrol Dail Transplant.  Quality of sleep and health-related quality of life in haemodialysis paitents. Iliescu, Coo, McMurray, Meers, Quinn, Singer, Hopman. Jan. 2003

Introduction: Sleep

Sleep is probably the most important bodily aid and it is often a very neglected habit.  The topic of sleep itself is often neglected as well.  The world is ever changing and many people are too busy to spend their time sleeping.  From young to old, people don't get enough sleep to properly function.  This is partly due to the fact that they don't know what is the right amount.  Too much sleep and bring harm as well as too little.  I'm here to introduce the importance of sleep to your body.  To tell you what would and won't happen when you sleep properly.  I believe that sleeping is the only time your body and mind are completely free. Four mind is able to wander and your body is at ease.  While you sleep your body reboots from he the activities you've done throughout the day and gets ready for the next.  It relaxes you and helps you lower your stress level.  Once you've received the right amount of sleep you will realize how your daily performance will increase.  You will have more energy and alertness.  Your body and mind will feel rejuvenated making you a healthy happier person.  This is why I feel sleep is essential to you body and a very important topic.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

My First Blog

I never written a blog before so this is a new experience for me.  I don't have much to say except that I'm not sure what to write about.  Is a blog on a certain topic or is it free writing? I know it doesn't have to be a personal blog so I' guessing it's what ever comes to mind.  I think more people these days have their own blog.  It's fairly a new term that I guess became more frequently used when internet access became a household necessity.  I know if I didn't have the internet I would never have written a blog nor knew what it was.  So as my first blog finishes, I would like to think that I am now an official "Blogger".