Blog 64

Week of Chaos

What is this week before finals that freaks me out more than anything? Maybe it’s the fact that the grade of the final test could make or break my grade. How can you work so hard throughout the whole quarter, but if you bomb this test, your grade can be shoved down to the letter below. It sucks.

This weekend I’m going home to see my first baby niece, Ava. It’s such a tease to be able to see my niece for the first time for one day, then have to go straight back to school. I cannot wait to see that beautiful little girl. It’s going to be so weird seeing my sister with a baby. I wonder how much her and her husband have changed.

My friends are trying to be the little devil on my shoulder. They’ve been trying to convince me that going out on Thursday is a wonderful idea. Thursday before finals? Horrible idea. Sadly, there’s no angel on my other shoulder to help me out. I’m about to shut off my phone and Facebook account until Friday…or maybe until the end of finals week.  Sounds like the best idea for me.

I also have to pack up half my dorm to send my stuff back Friday. It’s going to feel so weird taking everything out, but I cannot wait to be in my own room this summer. I am done with this whole four person to a room thing. Next year, thankfully, I will only be living with one other girl…probably the most I could take.

Blog 63

I absolutely cannot wait until I go home for the summer. This was my first year here at Ohio State and I completely loved it [especially the homework]. So many lessons learned; so many friendships made. I would not change one thing about this year, other than maybe not start my weekends on Wednesday nights. Even though I am extremely to be home with my family, I could not imagine going to a community college. There are just so many things I would miss if I went to a community college, or even if I were to commute. Just some of the things I would have never learned: how to say no whenever someone asks for money, how to live with very different (than me) people, how to balance school and partying, and what the furries are. Yeah, the first time I saw these people in costumes, I went up and hugged them all…learned my lesson. People aren’t as innocent as you may think they are.

Since Christmas, the only time I have been home was during Spring Break. Next Saturday, I get to go home to see my sister for the first time after she gave birth…and I am so excited to see my first baby niece, Ava. The family keeps sending pictures, but nothing could compare to seeing that precious face. It’s definitely going to be a nice change from college scene, where you are constantly surrounded with people and things to do, to the home scene, where you can get away from everything if you wanted to. I cannot wait. (:

Blog 62

I, like most everyone at this age, am pretty terrified of the future. I think one thing that freaks me out the most is that the grades I get right now determine my place in the future. If you walk into my dorm, the BioSci house, and talk to most the kids on my floor, they will tell you how they will be in Med school in a few years. Thank God I am not going down that road because apparently I would not be accepted to any Med school for the one C that I have received. Yeah, a girl asked me if she’d still be able to make it into Med school if she got a C in Chem this quarter (she has a 4.0). Don’t get me wrong, I love the people on my floor, but they tend to freak out about things that shouldn’t bother them to that extent. If you think about it, which it probably would be better if I didn’t so much, there are so many questions like: (1) How am I going to afford Grad school? (2) Who will I end up marrying? (3) Will I end up marrying? (4) What kind of house will I be living in? (5) Where in the world will I be living? (6) What job will I end up with?

The list goes on and on.  I know everything will work out, but it’s just the thought of how do I get to that place of stability?

Blog 61

One thing in the world that is concerning me is the minute amount of concern for the things that need it the most.  The are tons of issues in the world that should be looked upon in a more serious matter than what the hottest look for summer is. It is a sad thing to think that no one cares about the massacres around the world, but they care about the newest edition of Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Edition. This is not me trying to condemn anyone because we all do it…this is just my sensitive eyes looking at the world. The main reason for this sensitive side is because I have grown up in a church that has taken missionary trips to multiple sites, such as the annual trip to Darfur. Before coming to college, I remember hearing updates from the campsite in Darfur every Sunday. Though these are just a few sites in the world that are in need of help, being exposed these few world issues opens up a new insight on what’s really out there. It’s tough to keep these people in our minds because of how much they don’t affect us. This is the absolute truth: if it does not affect us or our loved ones, we [eventually] overlook the situation. Take the natural disasters that occur every so often. We hear it in the news and see all the relief programs we can donate to, but then it all tends to disappear after a couple weeks. It takes a long time for the nation to fully repair, but we only keep them in our thoughts for a couple weeks.

Blog 59

The biggest mistakes for me are not things that I have done, but things that I do not do. The only regrets I ever have are not taking opportunities handed to me. Whether it be a relationship with someone I could have made, a scholarship I could have received (if only I had written that essay), or even a job interview I didn’t take. Recently, my dad told me about a pharmacist at Meijer he had run into who he started up a conversation with. After my father brags to the pharmacist about my life (which he does a lot, just like any other father), the pharmacist told him to tell me to come visit him and job shadow him. My direction is heading towards pharmacy and I was excited to here this from my dad, but I never ended up going. I feel like this was an opportunity handed to me that I didn’t take up. Also, I find it a huge mistake when people don’t learn from their mistakes. One of the biggest importances in my life is learning from experiences. Sometimes I consider making mistakes just so that I can have those experiences and then learn from them. You don’t know those lines until you cross them, right? Just like when my girlfriends are talking to a guy that some of our friends dislike. I tell them to keep with it just because if the guy turns out to be a total douchebauge, they can learn what they don’t like in someone and then find a better one next time. I think it’s important especially at this age to learn from mistakes.

Blog 56

Emi

Emi was my best friend from fourth to seventh grade. She lived on the street behind me, so it literally took three minutes to walk to her house. We had an everyday routine: meet at my house to go to the bus stop, go to school, come back to her house, play DDR, eat rice balls, draw, take a walk, go home, and start it all over again. It was perfect. We had so much fun. Her family is made of some of the nicest people I have ever met. She was the one to introduce me to my beloved dance studio. She didn’t know at the time, but she started out my whole dance career. Even now, I am studying for a dance minor here at Ohio State.

Back in seventh grade, I went to visit her extended family in Tokyo and Hamamatsu City, Japan. As a thirteen-year-old, that was definitely an experience. I will always cherish that trip. I learned so much just from leaving my comfort zone and experiencing the life of a different culture. And man, it was definitely a culture shock.

The saddest thing growing up was the fact that a lot of my good friends/neighbors would have to go back to their home country because their visa was going to expire. Not only Emi, but five of my other international friends had to move back. It was especially hard this year to hear about the earthquake and not hear anything from her until a couple days after. It’s been one of the hardest relationships to let go.

Blog 55

My favorite place is on my back porch at dusk in the summertime. It is the most calming thing to sit on the porch swing at night after dinner while my dad smokes his cigar and the pup sits in my lap. Sounds like a very country thing, right? Well add this to the scene: the sun lowering in the sky until the cornstalks hide the light. What makes a sunset so beautiful?  It’s at the perfect time of day, where everything becomes calm and peaceful. The heat is dying down to the perfect temperature and the sky turns to that gorgeous mix of pink, blue, and orange blend. Of course my favorite place would be outside. There is nothing more magical than nature. Also, it is a given that my favorite place would be centered around my home. Home is a place where I can get away from everyone - school, friends, passerbys – and simply relax. There is no other place where I find so much relaxation than at my house. I am very blessed with a family that sticks together through everything. The older I get, the more thankful I become for my family. How funny is it that we take things for granted when we are younger? My back porch overlooks our garden that is absolutely breathtaking. Our garden wraps around the house so that it gives us more privacy, without the ugliness of a fence. Summer is very soon…which means anyone looking for me at 7 pm will be able to find me at my favorite place.

Blog 54

So, I had this sick obsession with my turtle, Chad, as a child. I would take him everywhere I went. I would sneak him into movies, walk him at parks, and I even took him to school once. I loved that animal so much. I saved him after I saw him crossing a busy street. He had no chance.

So, there was this one time where I almost drowned in the Pacific Ocean. I was swimming out in Japanese waters when I was thirteen years old and the waves kept getting stronger and stronger. I had no idea that high tide was about to happen because I did not understand the fluid Japanese being spoken over the sound system. So there I was, vulnerable thirteen year old Catherine in her inner tube when all of a sudden, she looks over her shoulder to see a huge wave about to crash down on her. I don’t know if any of you guys have been caught in a wave, but it’s even worse when you are stuck in an inner tube at the same time.

So, as a child, I had these manic reactions whenever someone would try to hold my hand. Whether it be at a store or crossing the street, I would jerk my arm in a certain way that would pop my elbow out of place. There was one time where I was stuck behind a couch (given the fact that I was four) and my brother and sister (given the fact that my sister was 13) were the only ones home. My six year old brother tried to pull me out and my elbow dislocated and I was stuck behind that couch for hours until my parents got home.

Blog 53

FUCK

The word fuck is one looked down upon by many for it’s slanderous uses and inappropriate meaning. However, it is a totally accepted word here on campus. What is it that makes the difference?  Is it just the fact that we are at the age of rebellion and that everyone is much more conservative than us? Most of us wouldn’t use the word in front of adults, especially our parents. It has so many different uses. It can show pain, pleasure, hate, and love. It is give the nicknames of being The F-word. You have probably heard people describing the usage as “Dropping the F-bomb”. I personally find this word interesting because of it’s many uses. I feel like tone is everything when using words. “Cuss words” do not offend me unless they are used in a negative tone.

For example, I’d be totally fine in this situation:

“Holy fuck! You guys are legit!”   (Not my best)

It would be different if someone were calling me “motherfucker” or directing a “fuck you” to me. This is not the only word like this. Any word can be taken offense to when used in a certain way. Please, someone tell me why this word makes someone look bad. I mean, I guess that every society has different levels of what is acceptable to say, but I also feel that America is very easy going on this matter.

The usage of this word can be described in the wonderful Youtube video “Uses of the word FUCK”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzhEt1-qGhk

blog 51

Pharmacy

From botany, to biology, to biochemisty, and finally to pharmacy. I am a first year…and I hope I have finally settled to the right major.  Biology apparently was too vague to find a job. Biochemistry was pushing the limits on my class schedule. I do not know what happened to botany. And pharmacy…involves chemistry, which I love. I still find it extremely challenging, but I am not scared of it. I will take a couple C’s here and there, but I’m also learning how to challenge myself by picking this major. I have always been one of those people to constantly look for a challenge. All throughout high school, I took all the AP classes. That does not mean I got A’s in them, but I figured I might if it is available, I might as well try it. So, pharmacy. Unfortunately, I don’t really know what I have to do to get to that secure pharmacist job, so I just listen and do whatever my advisors tell me to do. Hopefully this pharmacy day and pharmacy research day will help me figure some things out. I have always loved science and I have known since my early high school years that I wanted to follow up on my science courses. So, I took every available science course in high school. Now, I will continue with my chemistry studies because I find it interesting. Not only is it interesting, it comes with money. Ha I know, how greedy right? My dad has always told me to find a nicely-incomed job that you can wake up in the morning without dreading going to work. Being a pharmacist will hopefully be this job.

Blog 50

Chad Urmston

Music is a huge part of my life. Lyrics are the easiest thing I can relate to. Chad Urmston first was the lead singer of a band called Dispatch, then later moving onto a band called State Radio. I feel like you can learn a lot about a person by the music they listen to, in this case, the music they create. Chad sounds like the most beautiful person by his lyrics. I can honestly say that I know absolutely nothing about the man, other than he has a strong stance on peace and equality. From his music, you can feel his love for the world. A main focus of his songs are about war, which tends to be offensive to many, but Chad puts the focus on what goes on within the human mind.

Some of my favorite lyrics:

1. “I ain't opposed to seeking justice but you're going about it all wrong”
2. “If you die will I get word that you're gone

Or will I hear it in passing conversation

Will I stop short and, fall to the ground

Distance is short when your hand carries what your eye found”

My love for Chad’s lyrics is so great because he takes his world experiences and is inspired by them to make his music. He writes his song “Camilo” because his friend who was imprisoned because he was a conscientious objector.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pt9ccupIoE

He writes his song “Elias” because of a trip he took in 1994 to Zimbabwe, where he met a gardener named Elias who hoped that his sons, Honest and Manuel, would one day have the opportunity to gain a higher education. Not only did he write about their story, but he started the Elias fund, just from this one man’s story inspiring him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEw7xPPHj1A

Chad is an amazing being. Simply amazing.

Blog 49

One of my favorite things is how I tend to remember most of my dreams from past nights. I still remember ones from when I was little: the one where I was cornered by a gang of wolves and snakes and the one where I was being chased by a half man half pig creature. Yeah, sounds like typical little kid nightmares, right? Sadly, a lot of the dreams I have had recently have to deal with missing exams or sleeping through my alarms. There’s not much substance to them, and they are really the worst kind of dreams because you wake up stressed. Scratch that, the worst kind of dream is where you feel like you are flying, then all of a sudden, you start falling off a cliff and instantly wake up. Basically, I hate any dream that ends with waking me up because I love getting a full night of sleep. My favorite dreams are ones that revolve around my fantasies, like childhood fiction coming true. I have had dreams of Pokémon being real, which are very interesting since I used to be so obsessed with them.  I also like the dream of me riding on Aladdin’s carpet. I probably loved this dream the most because I was with the guy that I was crushing on at the time. Ha I love any kind of dream that is extremely detailed and imaginative…but on a serious note, the number one dream I have had has to be where I was making out with Ryan Reynolds…just saying.

Blog 48

GRASS.

I know, boring right? So what Catherine…grass is everywhere. It’s green… hum really nothing to it. PSH. Well, have you ever sat in a field in the summertime and just watch the clouds and think? Have you ever looked at someone’s lawn and think how soft it looks? I’ve been one of those people who analyze everything. For work breaks, I would spend the whole forty minutes outside in the ravine tearing blades of grass. Please, I hope you consider me a weirdo after reading this. Believe me, I am perfectly okay with it;) I wrote my college acceptance paper on worms for God’s sake. Really, anything about nature fascinates me. Mostly plants, which could be seen by the fact that I wanted to be a botanist since, well forever ago.

Seasonal affective disorder.

You could say I have it. I am just fine with the snow and cold, but I can’t handle the dead plants and naked trees. I would pick nature over city any time, which is weird since I picked a campus smack dab in the middle of a huge city. I guess this is where I found out I have this disorder. The outdoors has nothing for me in the wintertime. This is the most saddening thing for me. Thank God school was wonderful enough to distract me with loads of chemistry studying. Nature is my place of serenity. It’s my site of meditation (which I do practice). For me, keeping a connection between my mind and nature is one of the most important things. It keeps me in balance.

Blog 47

Connor is the boy on every other page in my diary.

There was a boy that I was IN LOVE with as a kid. and by IN LOVE, I mean we swung on his backyard swings everyday after school together. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, which at that age, I considered to be the most striking qualities. Connor was the cutest kid in our elementary and we were best friends. We lived on the same street, so we rode the same bus, went to the same park, and had the same friends. The funny thing was, we were hooked on each other from kindergarten up until freshman year. We were only “official” from fifth to sixth grade, but we continued to share that bond. How deep can a childhood love really be? Ha we have all heard that in our years. I’m not saying anything about depth, but there was definitely a connection. He was my love. He held my hand. He waited for me after school. That was deep enough for me. It was a quiet love, and there was a point where I didn’t want to keep questioning whether he “liked” me or not, so I was the one who moved on when a guy asked me out to the sophomore homecoming dance. The first love will always be stuck in your mind. There’s so many memories that come with that one person, like how they made you feel. As a kid, of course the feelings are very innocent and cute. That’s what I adore about young crushes. They were simple and cute.

Blog 46

There really are not many things that frustrate me, but there is definitely one that stands out, especially at this age. One of my greatest pet peeves is when I give someone a compliment and they do not take it. Being a girl, I understand that we are self-conscience about literally everything about ourselves, but if I give you a compliment, you better take it. It is a shot at whoever gives you the compliment. This is how it usually goes down:

Me: Oh my god Becky, your hair looks amazing today!

Becky: Ugh, do NOT even joke with me Cat. I look like someone literally took a shit on my head.

(Dramatized situation)

Okay. I don’t know about the guys, but girls, you know you have all done this. I can admit that I have done this, but there was a point where last year, I learned better. I learned this lesson from my last boyfriend: Confidence is key. Confidence is beautiful. It’s amazing what you learn from relationships. It is an ugly thing to constantly knock yourself down like that, especially the beautiful girls. Honest to God, I have a friend who is a shorter version of Megan Fox. This description instantly gives you the idea that she’s gorgeous, right? The only downfall: when you give her ANY type of compliment, she turns it down. WHY? I am going out of my way to tell you that you look beautiful. You know you are gorgeous, I know you are gorgeous, why don’t you just take it and believe it?

Blog 45

My most memorable and inspirational trip had to be my trip to Japan with my friend and her family, but since I already wrote about that I will talk about the next one on the list. My family never really went on those annual summer vacations like all my friends since it was hard to gather all the siblings up at the same time. There was one vacation to Gatlinburg, Tennessee that we took that I found absolutely amazing. I was about twelve at the time and I remember on the way down, we kept passing places that were very touristy and commercialized. Right before getting to Gatlinburg, we passed through Pigeon Forge, which if you have ever visited Pigeon Forge, you would know why I was disgusted with the thought of staying there (given the fact that I like country better than city). The town is literally one long street of cheesy tourist attractions. It was funny to cross the line into Gatlinburg because it was like going from straight tourism to gorgeous scenery. I consider myself to be very connected with nature, so I was absolutely in love with this place. My favorite part of the vacation had to be being outside hiking. We spent everyday in the mountains, just enjoying the outdoors. Risk takers would probably find me extremely boring. I’m extremely laid-back (not lazy!) and I don’t particularly like rushing down a steep mountain on a snowboard or being caught in a wave on a surfboard. I’ll stick to hiking and fishing. I hope to go back to Tennessee here soon. Maybe by myself this time.

Blog 43

My favorite present has to be my first and only laptop I have ever received. I got my wonderful HP Pavilion laptop about two years ago. There is nothing else that I use more than my laptop. In high school, due to the fact that we barely ever had any homework,  I used to spend about three hours a night in my bedroom, laying on my bed with my laptop, simply searching for new music on iTunes. Don’t get me wrong or anything, I love socializing, but I also love the time I have alone. Every night I had the routine of relaxing and having my own “me” time. This is a hard transition with college because there are always people surrounding me. I literally take my laptop everywhere I go. Whether it is the library, a coffee shop, or a friend’s apartment. I think it is just a thing that all of my friends are aware of. We all know to bring our laptops whenever we get together. We can always have fun watching dumb YouTube videos or looking at ridiculous posts on Tumblr. There’s something amazing about looking up whatever your mind reaches to at 2:00 am. A lot of the times, I search for dance videos that inspire my choreographer’s mind or poetry that makes me think “outside the box”. I find a great satisfaction from finding an artist on iTunes that is not considered mainstream and has amazing lyrics. Thank you HP. You have helped me become a thinker.

Blog 42

I never thought my teenage job would influence my life to such an extreme. Because of this job, I am now a caffeine freak. And by caffeine freak, I mean a person who wakes up, drinks a cup of coffee, goes to class, grabs another cup, studies for a couple hours, and finally orders a doppio espresso. Let me tell you this: caffeine is not supposed to be a major part of your diet. However, I love my job. I am a barista at a Dayton area’s gourmet coffee shop, Boston Stoker. Since the company is small, most of the workers know each other. There are only ten locations, with two being in the Dayton Airport. I love my caffeine freak family because we are all a bunch of crazy people, thrown into a shop with an unlimited amount of caffeine. It gets pretty interesting. On my “last” day of work (before I left for college), my boss chased me down the store spraying whip cream at me. I also love the owner of the store, Don Dean. His is the definition of the coolest older man ever. You’ll see him walk in and put up a sign that says “Hippies always welcome” or give you gift cards to restaurants for the holidays. Another thing I love about this job is my regulars. Since we have a Winan’s and a Starbucks in the same town (my town is small), a lot of people would go there rather than our coffee shop, but there are many people that I have had multiple long conversations with after my shift because they’re such dedicated customers. Some of my favorites are the cops. The cops always come in pairs, and always have hilarious stories to tell from their shifts. Since my father works for the city, I’ll tell him to yell at the cops for picking on me (just to mess with them). I love my job…I should be able to even call it that. I would consider it messing around for money.

Blog 41

I am absolutely obsessed with learning about different cultures. For this blog, I want to pick one my favorite cultures that I know about: Japanese culture. I guess I would have to let you in on my “geek” side. I was obsessed with everything anime, including Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, and the amazing Pokemon. When I was younger, all of my best friends were Japanese, and that’s because I grew up on a street surrounded by Japanese families. The hardest thing about these friendships were when the families had to move to a different job or move back to Japan because their Visa was about to expire. When I was thirteen, I went with my best friend and her family to Japan to visit their family. That was the only time I have ever gone out of the country and I thought it was the most amazing thing ever. I remember when the plane landed, I looked out the window and saw such a different environment. The culture is absolutely beautiful. I never knew Japan was so big on their shrines and gardens. Those gardens were miraculously beautiful, with tons of little shrines all over the place and koi fish in the ponds. It’s funny that when I entered Japan, a lady at the airport slightly bowed her head and said welcome, but when I was entering America, the lady at the airport did not give me anything more than a grunt. I hope to visit their again soon.

Blog 40

The family member I want to write about is my older and only sister. Her name is Megan Oak and to say the least, she’s amazing. My sister just gave birth to her first child, a beautiful girl named Ava Nicole Dever, last Wednesday. It is still weird for me to comprehend that my sister’s last name is Dever now…and now she has a baby?! Growing up with her was perfect because she was a wonderful role model for me. The best thing is that there was never competition between any of my siblings. I can honestly say I have always wished the best for my sister (and my brother of course!), and I hope she feels very blessed with her life as a second grade teacher. Last summer, I visited her down in North Carolina with my mother and we went to see her classroom. It was so perfect and organized…she has always been so OCD with organizing things. I admire her for this. I also admire her for her practicality. My parents have always called me a princess in a teasing manner because I’m the baby of the family. Please don’t assume by this that I act like I think I actually am a princess, but I will definitely carry the act if they start throwing the name out there. Anyways, my sister is simple and practical. It is an amazing skill to have and I wish I had it. Overall, I love my sister and I hope she remains on the path she’s going down because if so, she’ll continue to have a wonderful life and a wonderful family.

Blog 39

For my screw ups with grammar usage, I would have to say the dreadful semicolons have to be at the top of the list. I do not know what it is, but I have always felt like a failure with grammar usage. This is probably because none of my elementary, junior high, or high school teachers ever really focused on it. This is the same explanation I gave my mom every time I got my ACT score back and the English was the lowest score. I swear, the English department in my schools focused solely on reading comprehension. The first time I have ever even used a semicolon in one of my papers is in this class. This year…that is something I should be embarrassed about. I have got to be doing something wrong if I never use them at all. Leslie probably taught me more about grammar in one day than what I have learned in my whole life. Let’s see, apparently these are the times you are supposed to include the dreadful semi-colon: “Use a semicolon in place of a period to separate two sentences where the conjunction has been left out…Use the semicolon to separate units of a series when one or more of the units contain commas…Use the semicolon between two sentences joined by a coordinating conjunction when one or more commas appear in the first sentence.” So yeah, I never use it; however, I will hopefully learn how to use this for future papers. See, I am already learning;)

Blog 38

Hooking your audience can sometimes be a daunting task. Throughout the years, I have been told to start the paper with a question or an interesting quote. I want to hook my readers by displaying examples that are very easy to relate to. In much of my blogs, I have included examples such as multiple celebrities that have had dramatic changes in their lives. Everyone in our generation has heard of Hilary Duff and Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana). They may not know what has happened in these celebrities’ lives, but they at least know of their existence because of media constantly revolving around them. Another way I want to hook my readers is to use a colorful vocabulary and keep the writing away from being called “a desert on paper” (aka a dry mess). During last class, we pondered the difference between a very dry paper and a paper that had a little more juice to it.  The first paper was very dry and not relatable by many means. There were things left in the air, such as that baseball quote. It was boring and I could barely keep my attention when reading it. Hopefully I will be able to incorporate more of the techniques from the second paper. I think the hypothetical situation blog that we wrote would either be a good way to start or to end the paper. I think a lot can be pulled from that blog to enthuse the audience to stick to the article.

Whose a better role model- Playboy Bunny Miley Cyrus or DUI Lindsay Lohan? Both of these celebrities started off as Disney Channel stars, but now they both have grown up and have left that stage behind them. Parents are outrages to see this happen. You know why? Because they know how much media affects our beliefs and decisions and they don’t want their precious, Hannah Montana obsessed six year old to grow up to live as a special kind of bunny.

Blog 37-Personal Anecdote

I can easily connect with the topic of media manipulation, as everyone else can. Even though college has slowed down my television consumption by, well probably by 95%, I am still engulfed in media on the computer for the majority of the day. I am still well-connected with the world and it’s influences. I can also see the trends of the people I pass by. I see all of the Sperry’s and North Face jackets. If a guy’s wearing a rainbow poncho while holding an umbrella with bunnies on it, I can guarantee this guy is going to be judged as a weirdo. I understand there’s a norm to any society, but I feel like media takes too much of a hold on it. Most of the judgments given off by us are kept in our mind, but the media releases the negativity to the world. Personally, I would not want to be a cause of a bad change in someone because of my judgments. I find it peaceful to keep an open mind rather than be clouded with the negativity on the news. I end up changing the news most of the time because the majority of what’s being broadcasted is full of the daily corruption in the area. One of my personal experiences has to be seeing one of the cast members from The Real World at McFadden’s. He is known for being the crazy drunk on the reality (“un-reality” to me) television show. At McFadden’s, Adam was on top of the bar the entire time pouring shots into the mouths of the dancers below.  This is highly expected behavior because that is how we saw him in the show. It would be a disappointment to everyone if he fell from that reputation and just roamed the bar like everyone else. Just like if you were going to pay to see a Lady Gaga concert; you would be disappointed if she came out in regular clothes while she at on a stool and sang. Poor lady, because of media, we now question if she is a hermaphrodite.

Blog 36

Suppose everyone took all the bullshit thrown at us by the media seriously. What if everyone actually thought that aliens existed because of the false UFO pictures posted in magazines? What if society based their political opinions on the campaigners’ commercials? Even better, our children would grow up to be the next Snooki or Miley Cyrus. This world would be full of idiots who could not even pick apart what is real from what is fake. We would be shunning the celebrities that TMZ and E! have been tearing apart over and over throughout the years. The beauty of the human mind would be dissolving because of the incapability of making individual conclusions. The lives of those being picked on would end up living to their reputation, such as Lindsay Lohan being an alcoholic criminal and Chris Brown being a woman abuser. They would have no job, no loved ones, and they would be banished from society. But the thing is, no one actually knows the whole story unless they are a part of it. It is like someone trying to give you relationship advice, even though they could not possibly know the whole story.  Political positions would be handed to the ill-prepared because people only listened to how the “other side” is a horrible person who will lead the country to the ground.  This hypothetical situation leads to everyone hating on those being exposed. The world is full of enough hate and corruption as it is…let’s just add to it by believing the bogus stories given to us by the media.

Blog 35

My purpose to my Commonplace paper is to influence the audience to not base their thought processes and decisions on what media says. It could be said that my paper’s topic is ironic since I will be trying to influence the audience to not listen to the media’s influences. Throughout the paper, I will hit on the topics that we can all examine and relate to, such as the hits against celebrities, criminals, and people you pass everyday. I will also analyze the commercials that affect the way we feel upon different things like politicians and abused animals. I find it important to analyze the affects because it becomes unfair when we judge others by unreliable sources. These judgments can change a person in negative ways, like celebrities that have grown up with paparazzi hunting after them wherever they go. The media’s influence does not limit it’s correlation to only the celebrities, but it also affects our decisions and reputations. We grew up in a generation that is consumed by highly dramatic television shows, such as Jersey Shore and The Real World, and this has the capability of showing teens this is how you are supposed to act. I like this topic because it relates to our age where we start to make our own beliefs, set apart from the beliefs that we have gotten from our parents’ minds. It is an important thing to separate the information handed to us by it’s credibility to create better beliefs and conclusions.

Blog 34

Making media manipulation my paper’s topic will give the audience an understanding that the material in the paper is credible because it is very easy to see what the media does to society. It is very obvious that things influence us, such as family and friends, and one of the biggest of these things is media. Media forces us to feel certain ways. Take the animal commercials, featuring Sarah McLaughlin. You get about two minutes of depressing images of abused animals thrown at you. How does this commercial influence it’s audience to think? Either people will instantly be saddened…or they will change the channel because they can’t handle the poor, innocent kittens in casts. I also have to work on how to “put myself” on the page. This area seems somewhat confusing. The way I am thinking about compelling people is to write a paper that everyone can relate to. You know how comedians are especially funny when they tell jokes that you relate to? This is what I am going to try to do. Creating a relationship between the audience and the author is an easy way to hook the reader. I find this a good tactic because I am a horrible reader. If a book does not grab my attention within fifty pages, it is hard for me to even try to get through the book. This is probably the reason why I only read books that have been highly recommended to me. So, hopefully I will be able to hook the reader with my attitude towards the propaganda given off by the media.

Blog 33

The topic of the day is RELEVANCY. Manipulation from the media is relevant in each of our lives. They manipulate how we talk, how we dress, and how we judge others. If I were to walk down the street, I could make instant judgments on the clothes of everyone I pass. Tonight was a perfect example of this…high street is full of different characters. Now, these judgments are influenced by the visual factor initially, such as what fashions I have encountered in the newest Cosmo or watched on Fashion Police. Now, I will be very defensive in saying how I have a very open mind with my judgments, and I will instantly judge anyone who tries to tell me they do NOT judge. I encountered this type of person at a house…last night. Some guy tries to tell me he does not judge others.  I laughed in his face and said he’s full of crap. Everyone judges. It’s normal. Do you think people are going to judge you in a better manner if you tell them you do not judge others? Okay, enough with this repetition of this word, right? All I am saying is that this happens all day and every day. The biggest thing we have to deal with media is the miscommunication to the audience because of the way they present the material. Because of the fear of someone judging us badly, we turn to the media to tell us what to wear and how to present ourselves.