-In the Margins-

Join me...

2006-12-02T10:07:00.000-08:00

Come over here: spero melior.

...

2006-08-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

"Diseases transmitted through water or human waste are the second leading cause od death amond children worldwide, after respitory tract infection. The overall death toll: an estimated 3,900 children every day."

"On current indicators, a chold born in Zambia today has a less chance of survivorship past age 30 that a child born in 1840 in England."

From the Human Development Reports, 2005.

One problem to another.

2006-08-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

It is about $170 more expensive for me to type "My house has a cricket problem" as opposed to "My apartment has roaches."

It all started about three weekends ago when my mother and I came to CoMo to move me into what I thought was going to be a lovely (and cheap!) apartment. Turns out the previous tenant had a roach problem and never reported it. So, the landlords had yet to deal with the problem completely. A week and a few upset phone calls later, I found someone to take over me lease. The landlord was not happy, but neither was I. She can live with roaches if she wants, but I am not cool with that. I am done with roaches problems and now I am on to what my father insists is a cricket problems.

I call them jumping spiders but my dad says they are some breed of crickets. (We are not talking about our friend Jiminy Cricket here. There ones have long spider legs and jump right for your face. They are horrible creatures.) All I know is I do not was them in my house. I hate the idea of coating each crevice of my house with chemicals, but that is indeed what I just finished doing. And tomorrow I will coat the outside with chemicals. Then maybe I will looks for a healthier solution to the problem. But right now I was them gone and I want them gone now!

I have a house. My own little place. (For a year). It is much more expensive than the cramped roach apartment I was going to live in. I guess you get what you pay for. However, the house comes with a sat of problems all its own. The most prominent problem being me feeling too much like an adult and wanting to run home to mommy.

It has occured to me that...

2006-07-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

Did I need more of an explination on the last post?

Surely everyone has read Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake, or at least heard of it. I mean, come on. You knew what I was talking about, right?!?!

The Namesake- the movie.

2006-07-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

Whoa. Actually, my first words when I saw this were: "Shut the fuck up."

Explosions, Lists and Swiss Family Robinson.

2006-07-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

I'm cool with the Fourth of July. Whatever. Blow your shit up, happy birthday America. Yahoo.
I am not okay with:
1) Stupid kids throwing fireworks at my car. While driving. Not okay.
2) My house having what appears to be a panic attack, shaving furiously, from all the explosions in the neighborhood. Crazy. Can houses have panic attacks?
3) Nothing really. But I don't think a list merits being numbered unless there are three or more things.

My lack of blog updating is very characteristic of my summer. I think about it a lot, but nothing ever manifests onto this page. I began the summer with a sort of "list" of things to do. I had a lot of plans for this, it being my last "summer of freedom." Let's evaluate this "last summer of freedom" title...
This is the last summer that I will take the title of "student." I plan on graduating in May, then most likely on to find some ridiculous job. Some really harsh 8-5 job is in store.
I am working this summer- an 8-5 job. A real job.
So, is this really a "last summer of freedom" or is this like, my introduction into life after graduation?
I can imagine life after graduation will differ because I won't be living at home. Therefore I might actually feel like an adult, and not a 16 year old kid. That is besides the point. What I was getting at is the fact that this could very well be "real life." Will I have an 8-5 job, come home tired, and never get anything accomplished? But, who is to say I am not getting anything accomplished. Just because I am not marking things off an arbitrary lists does not mean that my time is spent in vain.
Christ, did I have a point somewhere? I think the points is: I have not "accomplished" a great deal this summer, but I'm okay with that. It seems like I will have the rest of my life to accomplish all the things that plague the list tacked above my desk. Get what I mean?

In other news, I think I am going to rent Swiss Family Robinson. It was one of my favorite movies growing up.

Ahh the Memories, or lack thereof.

2006-06-17T21:48:00.000-07:00

I made a good investment at Target tonight. Passing time with a friend, we came across the board games. I could hardly contain my excitement when I came across Mousetrap. This was my all time favorite game growing up. Then I spotted Don't Break the Ice, which I immediately decided to buy. A lot of good times were had playing Break the Ice. My brother apparently has no recollection of the game, although I know he must have played it, because who else would I have played with?
I decided Don't Break the Ice would be a better purchase. It was $8, as opposed to $14. I also remembered having a lot more fun playing Don't Break the Ice. When I got home, I was reminded why this is.
We had a Don't Break the Ice tournament of sorts, which I'm sure I won. While my brothers were playing, I told my mom about the other games I saw. I told her all about Mousetrap, and said to my brother, "You have to remember that one." Mom chirped in with, "God. That was the one with all the pieces, right?" Now I remember why I don't have a lot of Mouse Trap memories. My mom never let us play. More like never wanted to go through the trouble of putting it together. (Which I now, as a semi-adult can see why should would not want to go through this. I mean, I would be annoyed if some bratty little kid was bugging me to play some ridiculous game.)
If you have any knowledge of Mousetrap, you'll know how much effort it takes to put together. Here is a shot of the board.
See, it's quite the complicated game. You have to maneuver through the course, without getting trapped. Hours upon hours of fun. Or not, depending on the mood of your parents.
In short, I will be going back to target to buy Mousetrap. I'll set the game up, then force my mother to play along. Yeah, that's what I'll do.

Until then, I'll have to settle for this:

{This is also the first time in awhile that I have thought, "I should blog that" then actually went and done it. Quite a momentous occasion.}

Death

2006-05-31T19:42:00.000-07:00

Death is a curious thing.
In two completely unrelated events, death has been at the forefront of my life the past couple of days.

My Great Aunt passed away. She lost her battle with cancer yesterday. I am sad to see her go, but relieved that it happened. She was more than ready to go and she was "tired of being sick." Her late husband and son, I am sure, were waiting for her at the gates.

Recently there was a brutal murder in my hometown. I tried to stay out of the story as it developed on the news, because I did not want to have it in my head. I don't want to think about the horrible things that happened to innocent people. I would prefer to never have known about it. However, the people I work with have been following the events closely. Mostly because the events occurred in the neighborhoods we all call home. In some cases, right around the corner. I will not provide any links to the news story nor will I give specifics as to the events and I hope you don't already know about it. I don't want you to think about it, for your own good.
Everyone is screaming for the death penalty and I am just not sure how I feel about that. (To be honest, I am completely sure how I feel about it, but I have a hard time in this situation justifying why these two people have a right to life. I know how I feel, I just can't explain why I feel this way.)

They both come to the same conclusion: death. I just wish everyone could go in a quiet room holding loves hand.

The heart aches in two completely different ways at the same time. The cry of injustice and the pain of losing a loved one are merged into one.

Oh, there you are blog.

2006-05-28T21:09:00.000-07:00

I think I'm still alive {checks pulse}

I think this blog is still alive {presses ear against monitor}

Ehhh... it's questionable at this point, but I will see what kind of maintenance can be performed to revive -in the margins-.
I am still considering a switch from blogger. I made a wordpress.com account, and I am deciding if I like the features they offer- or more like, if I can live without the features they do not offer.

I am also working, reading a bit, sleeping occasionally, and spending valuable time with Chez the Chihuahua (my dog).

English 4040: Blogging in Theory and Practice Portfolio

2006-05-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

When I entered English 4040: Blogging in Theory and Practice, I had a lot of experience reading blogs. I had quite a few blogs bookmarked that I visited daily. However, my experience writing and maintaining a blog was non-existent.
I told a few of my friends I was in a blogging class and they scoffed at the idea that I had such an easy class. I was also under the assumption that the class would be a breeze. However, as the semester progressed I realized how challenging blogging can be.
I hope to someday consider myself a serious writing, but in the moment I am nothing more than an amateur. This blog has been instrumental in the last few months to help expand my creative muscles. I consider this blog an outlet for my own self expression.
Below are some selections that I feel are exemplary of my blogging. I will highlight the good, but none of the bad or the ugly. (I'll make you work to find those.)

Good Posts

Gabriel García Márquez

A good portion of the beginning of the class was devoted to defining a blog and pointing out the "tools" of blogging, including links, pictures, quotes, etc. This post utilizes links, it contains a picture, there is a block quote, and it even engaged a passerby to comment. This post is not particularly earth shattering and I don't feel like it showcases some of my best writing. However, it exists on the list because of the tools it uses.

Teens and Blogging

Teens and Blogging post. I spent a lot of time in the production of this particular post, but that is not exactly why I am drawing attention to it. For my blogging class, we were assigned to "Blogging in the News" presentations. The two topics I had in mind were blogging and censorship in China and Teen Blogging. I am glad I picked teen blogging, because not only did I learn a lot, but the class really engaged in some good discussion. This posts really showcases my sentiments when it comes to blogs. I feel that blogs can be instrumental tools in self expression.

Sylvia Plath

Slyvia Plath post. I sat down to create this post while I was doing a little Plath research. I enjoy this post more for the developmental process. I sat down to write this post while I was in the middle of my Plath research. As I was writing, and flipping through internet pages, I came across this quote.

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.
In class that week, was had been discussing the perils of self censorship. A lot of times when I am posting I fear that the content of my posts does not merit mention on my blog. I don't know, maybe it doesn't, but I always try and put it out there anyway. Try is the key word here. My thoughts have been the victim of censorship many times. I think Plath addresses the issue quite nicely in the quote above. This blog is an instrument of my own self expression, and as Plath says, everything in life is with writing about.

Mmmmmm-Mangoes

This post does not deliver any information pertinent to world news. It contains no pictures and no links. It does however, I feel, show some of my best writing. I took something as simple as the difficulty of eating a mango and spit out something that I can be proud of. Althought I do take a larger audience into consideration, I am most concerned with pleasing myself when I write. This blog is something that I am proud of, and I feel like this posts exemplifies this fact.

Comments

Another part of this portfolio is showcasing out existence in a "network."
A comment that I will highlight is my comment on My First Attempt's post, My Drug of Choice. His post was about finding a good coffee shop in Columbia. I suggest a place to check out and gave my thought on Starbucks invading downtown Columbia.
Another comment was on the class blog for our blogging anonymously discussion. The post was Why transparency. The discussion was how we felt about people blogging anonymously and the benefits of doing it. My thought are documented here.

Final Thoughts

The posts highlighted are only a beginning. As I have stated before, I plan on continuing this blog and I hope as time progresses so will the quality of my blog. Thanks for reading, and be sure to return in the future.

Lovely lovely ad

2006-05-02T18:39:00.000-07:00

Hah, I love it. Not because I love Mac and hate PC (although I do love Mac), but because it is entirely too cute.

Artemio Cruz

2006-04-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

I just finished The Death of Artemio Cruz for my History of Mexico class. I also finished writing a paper about post-revolutionary Mexico, using the book as a source.

It has been surprisingly rare in the past four years that my personal reading list and my class reading list merge. I take that back. They have merged, but that is only because I took the class solely because they were reading something I wanted to read. This instance was accidental. Pleasantly accidental. I had planned on, someday, reading some Carlos Fuentes, and it just so happened that I had to read him my History of Mexico class. What a lovely coincidence.

Despite the fact that I am positive I missed out on some major plot points, I really enjoyed The Death of Artemio Cruz. The basic plot of the novel was Artemio Cruz, one of the most powerful men in Mexico, on his deathbed, sort of has his life flash before his eyes. It dealt primarily with Artemio's involvement in the revolution, and the perils of post-revolutionary Mexico.

The book was rough to follow because Fuentes told the story backwards. (You remember the movie Momento? Yeah, it was in that style.) You don't find out some of the major character's identity until the last quarter of the novel. But like I said, the confusion did not deter from Fuentes' wonderful writing. I might even someday subject myself to Terra Nostra, which I have heard is ten times more confusing than The Death of Artemio Cruz.

"Born Into Cellblocks"

2006-04-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

I came across another nice article in the May/June Mother Jones.

"Born Into Cellblocks " Photo Essay byPenny De Los Santos and Text By Charles Bowden

The article talks about a penitentiary in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. The description of the prison is surprising and terrifying. The images are striking. The reality behind them is even more striking.

Beneath this gore, women and children muddle on, some in Mexican jails. Incarceration, like law, is a bit different in Mexico. Conjugal visits are permitted; small children younger than six can be locked up with their moms; and men and women peddle goods and themselves within the walls in order to survive. Mexican prisons often do not provide grub. I've stood in line with family members who toted a weekÃ’s supply of food on visiting day, seen women reel out of cells in disarray after their weekly intercourse sessions with their men. Drugs are commonplace inside the walls, as are gangs. Money can buy anything. For years the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has complained about the posh quarters given to major drug players and how they continue to do business without interference while theoretically being under lock and key.

The story included a photo essay. View it here. Here is one of the images.

Mmmmm-Mangoes.

2006-04-29T22:08:00.000-07:00

I discovered my love for mangoes about a year ago. There is a nice fruit place on the Westside in Kansas City that my aunt frequents. She took me one night, and forced a piece of a mango down my throat. (I had a previous misconception that I hated mangoes.) Turns out, mangoes are lovely. Turns out, my aunt did not get any of het mango slices.

This all leads to the problems I have encountered while eating mangoes. Have you ever attempted this? Bought a mango at the store (when they are on sale of course), and tried to peel and eat it. It's rough. There is some sort of seed in the center, I think anyways, but the area surrounding the seed of just as rough. You can't cut a mango. And I won't even get into the peril I faced while picking a mango at the grocery store.

I've consulted books and internet sites for tips on mango cutting and eating. None of those tips have been any help to me. So, I am craving mango right now. There is one sitting on my kitchen counter. Then I remembered a short story I read last semester.

"The Upside-downness of the World as it Unfolds" from Out on Main Street by Shani Mootoo.

Two girls, my sister Sharda and I, nine and ten years old, ignore the dead fly cemetery and grab the mangoes first, each cheek held up to the mouth, teeth sunk into the golden flesh, yellow creamy juice slipping down the corner of a mouth and running in a crooked egg-yellow rivulet down the finger, down the palm, down the arm to drip off the elbow.

So, problem solved.
I am going to go peel my mango and sink my teeth into it.

One of the many problems solved with books.

Imogen Heap

2006-04-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

I am not sure how Imogen Heap made her way into my iTunes, but I like her nonetheless.
"Speak for Yourself" is a part of my "good things" playlist that I listen to everyday.
My mother has a habit of belting out songs when I call her. "Say Goodnight and Go" is her latest conquest. Yes, my mom is much cooler than your mom.

So, to cut to the chase, I was flipping channels last night. I came across what I believe was Jay Leno. (on NBC, right before Conan) I don't normally watch Leno, but I was mesmerized by the character that was performing. I was not even listening to the song becuase I was more mesmerized by her beautiful computer.

Then, I heard those familiar lyrics...

Why d'ya have to be so cute?
It's impossible to ignore you
Must you make me laugh so much
It's bad enough we get along so well
Say goodnight and go

So, as it turns out, the odd woman was Imogen Heap. I didn't realize she as a one woman show. Furthermore, I didn't know she was/is a part of Frou Frou, who I also adore.

So, check out the lovely video below, via YouTube. It from Imogen Heap's performance on Letterman, which was not the one I saw, but they look pretty similar.

(And look, Imogen Heap has a blog! It appears she is taking "a break" from it right now, but maybe she'll come back someday.)

Changes

2006-04-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

After a hectic two days of papers, all I am left with is a tremendous headache. No, I am not going to complain, but I am going to dose up on Advil when I get off work.

I plan on devoting a large amount of time this weekend to cleaning up this blog. (as well as sleeping and/or sitting on the couch) I want to make this blog beautiful for a few reasons...
a) I do plan on keeping this blog running. I will, most likely, have a very eloquent post about my intentions for this blog, later in the week.
b) I made a banner. It was rough. I think it looks ridiculous right now. I am going to try and make it pretty.
c) I have planned on making a lot of changes to my blog, and what a better time to do it than right before it will be graded.

So... enjoy the disgruntled state my blog will be in over the weekend. I know I will.

"Encounters with the Torturer"

2006-04-28T14:51:00.000-07:00

Mother Jones has a nice article in the May/June issued about about a victim of Pinochet's dirty wars. The article, Encounters with the Torturer, tells the story of Hector Salgado and his mission to confront members of Pinochet's military that participated in his torture. He has been going door to door, to confront these men, equipped with a tie cam. (He and his wife plan on making a documentary from their encounters with these men.)

Perhaps that fact that Michelle Bachelet, Chile's new president, is herself a torture victim of Pinochet's dirty wars, is a sign that justice will be granted. Or even better yet, that fact the Pinochet (the man behind Chile's 17 year dictatorship) will be facing courts for human rights abuses is an ever better sign that justice will be served.
For a more comprehensive look at Pinochet's history, check out his BBC profile.
Furthermore, while we are discussing Pinochet, did you know that the United States backed the military junta that overthrew Allende and brought Pinochet to power?

You should read the article, it is pretty heart wrenching. What is even worse is that fact that Salgado is only one of the 35,000 who claim to have been victims of torture during Chile's 17 year dictatorship. All you can really hope for now is that Pinochet will be brought to trial, and justice will be served.

Portfolio in progress

2006-04-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

This is a draft.

Good Blog posts:
I really like my McCullers post, because I really like Carson McCullers.

In terms of utilizing "tools" of the trade, check out my Gabriel Garcia Marquez post. Lookie there, I have a picture, useful links, block quote, and it even sparked comment from and outside blogger.

Teens and Blogging post. I spent a lot of time in the production of this particular post, but that is not the only reason attention should be drawn to it. The post sparked some great in class discussion.

Slyvia Plath post. I sat down to create this post while I was doing a little Plath research. I enjoy this post more for the developmental process.

Here is my Lack of Supervision post.

As you can see, this really was a draft. I am not done. In fact, I have barely started.

A little Quote

2006-04-25T05:21:00.000-07:00

He then learns that going down into the secrets of his own mind he has descended into the secrets of all minds. In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts; they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty.
Emerson

I've had this quote sitting in my posts to edit for awhile now. I don't remember where I ran across it, but I catalogued it as worth mentioning on my blog. (Because I am very selective)
It has been sitting in my to edit box because I can't quite put my finger on what I want to say about it. Read it.
You read it, right? I feel like it says volumes in itself, and maybe it doesn't need me beating it with a stick. I tried to beat it, but I guess I haven't found the right stick. We battled for the past 20 minutes, but nothing is coming out in coherent thought. So, what the hell. Here is my incoherent though that comes when I read the quote:

Bridging the gap between author and reader.
The pang of the familiar when a novel is read.
Being fused to a novel so much so that I could have sworn it was reciting the tale of my life.
Astonishment in the creative process.
Walking across pages and finding myself in familiar territory.
The contentment I feel when I read.

Mapping McCullers

2006-04-20T10:52:00.000-07:00

Tuesday in class we talked about mapping networks.
We were asked to map something we learned- map the path, or the network, or whatever, of how is reached us.
I am pretty sure I got this whole mapping thing right. So, here is a map.

My map displays how Carson McCullers and her lovely writing came to me.
I first read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter senior year of high school. A guy I used to work with (Serge) told me I had to read it. So I did. (I admit, I only read like half of it. But I loved it nonetheless.)
Last year my friend (Ashley) recited me a passage from The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and I remembered why I love Carson McCuller's writing. So, she reminded me about McCullers. I was ever more captivated by her copy of Carson McCullers: Complete Novels.
So I bought one and I enjoyed The Heart is a Lonely Hunter from start to finish.
I will be enjoying The Ballad of the Sad Cafe this summer.
Oh, and I passed on word of McCullers on to my friend Corie. That's why she's there on the end.

Help.

2006-04-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

I seem to have misplaced something here. Spring. I know it is around here somewhere. {lifts up the couch cushions}
Maybe it got mixed up in the massive amount of sweat that was rolling off my head today. (Lovely image, I know.) Or maybe it is floating up around the polar ice caps. Does George W have it detained in Guantanamo Bay? No, I bet Saddam has it hiding in one of his undiscovered underground palaces.
All I really know is that its gone.
I feel like I had a solid grasp on it for a few days, then winter came back with a vengeance and kicked its ass. Now summer seems to be beating hell out of everyone.
So, if anyone has any tips, let me know. Or if you see Spring hiding under a rock in Central Europe, tell him to pay a visit to CoMo. Tell him Amy is looking for him, and she is pissed.

The lack of supervision.

2006-04-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

Something I was thinking about during class discussion and reading for class was the problems that can be associated with the lack of authority on the "web."

I can see the problem occurring on two levels, pertaining to two different aspects of the internet experience.
1) Who is to say what I am reading is fact? I feel like I am learning new things via the internet every day. It concerns me to think that the person behind this information might not know what the hell he is talking about. (This also pertains to problem two, but we'll get to that later.) I sometimes feel like I should prelude posts with a declaration of my own lack of knowledge. I am not an expert on any of the subjects I post on. I am not really an expert on anything. But then again, what constitutes and expert? Will my degree automatically make me an expert on English and Latin American Studies? What about a masters? No. I guess I might need to go all the way and shoot for a doctorate. So in this respect, this lack of authority can be a good thing. There seem to be equal footing on the web. I can appear to be as knowledgeable as a distinguished professor. It really all comes down to presentation and personal taste. If you are able to draw a reader in, and convince them you have knowledge, then someone might take you word as having more authority than a more knowledgeable person, who was not able to draw them in. But... what if I am a master at the art of deception....

2) Who is to say anyone is really who they say they are on the internet? What agency is out there to confirm my identity? I appear to be a person named Amy, who is taking a class titled Blogging in Theory and Practice. However, how is Suzie and California going to know that I really am Amy, and that this class even exists.* I could have created both of these blogs. I could be taking on fourteen different identities and created a little world all my own. Bad example? Yes, I know. The point is, this ability of the internet to connect people on different sides of the globe has some drawbacks. Let's say I created a different example, one that had more risk attached. Think of one yourself. Do you see the risk involved? Yes, you do. Chances are you were plenty aware of this before I made this ever to eloquent post. That in itself shows the attention put on the matter.

So that is what worked itself into my head in the discussion of authority on the web. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you at least read it.

* It's okay Suzie, I swear I really am Amy.

It's April

2006-04-12T20:55:00.000-07:00

April 12th to be exact.
April is National Poetry Month.

Going Blind
She sat just like the others at the table.
But on second glance, she seemed to hold her cup
a little differently as she picked it up.
She smiled once. It was almost painful.

And when they finished and it was time to stand
and slowly, as chance selected them, they left
and moved through many rooms (they talked and laughed),
I saw her. She was moving far behind

the others, absorbed, like someone who will soon
have to sing before a large assembly;
upon her eyes, which were radiant with joy,
light played as on the surface of a pool.

She followed slowly, taking a long time,
as though there were some obstacle in the way;
and yet: as though, once it was overcome,
she would be beyond all walking, and would fly.

Rainer Maria Rilke

I am just beginning some of Rilke's poetry. I adore Letters to a Young Poet.
There will be more to come on Rilke, but right now all I have to say is good night.

Network and Grid

2006-04-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

In class today we discussed Networks and Grids.

My Professor compared an Art Deco doorknob with Chicago's Millennium Park. The doorknob being an example of grid, and the park being an example of network.

Something I thought that was interesting about Millennium Park is that it used to belong to the Illinois Central Railroad. Railroads fit right into this "grid" idea that Mark C. Taylor discusses in the reading for today.
If I am grasping his idea correctly, railroads are a great example of grid. They transport a product from point A to point B. They symbolize the Industrial society that Taylor associates with grid. As this industrial era came to an end, the importance of railroad also came to an end. I don't know much about Illinois Central Railroad, but I am assuming it fizzled away like most railroad lines in the United States.
Here comes the emergence of the network. As concluded in class, the Millennium Park represents network because of the lack of balance, the lack of clean cut edges, etc. I think it is significant that this symbol of network was created in a space that was left vacant with the end of the industrial revolution- the dwindle away of the "grid." If you want to know a bit more about the history of Millennium Park, check here.
That is what sparked my interest in the reading and class discussion. I hope it has caught onto the point somewhere.

Well lookie there..

2006-04-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

I was scouring through some of my old posts, and I discovered a comment I didn't know existed. It was from my Gabriel Garcia Marquez post, from a fellow named Jon.

So this raises a couple of questions/issues:
1)How can I make correct accents? I knew I was making the accent wrong but I did it anyways, because I didn't know how to make it correctly. I just used what my keyboard offered. I know I could probably have spend the past three minutes looking this up, but I am lazy. So... does anyone want to deliver the cure directly to me?
2)What is protocol? Would it be odd to respond to a comment four months later? I wish I had a blogger etiquette book or something. (FYI- I will not be responding, because there is nothing to respond to. I am just saying... in general... at what point in time does a comment fizzle away.)
3)Look at that! Someone read my blog! Hah. Now this was before I installed the site meter... but I wonder how he found my post. Maybe someone else is as obsessed with Technorati as I am.

Why I love The Believer Magazine

2006-04-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

If you have not heard of The Believer, I highly recommend you purchase a copy from your local bookstore. It will be worth it.

From the "Sedartives" advice column:

Dear Sedartives,
I'm a happily married man, but lately one of my golfing buddies, Jerome (not his real name), has been acting a bit peculiar around me: holding the door open for me, picking up the bar tab, and looking at me in, well, a way that makes me feel kind of weird. Jerome isn't married and hasn't had a girlfriend since I can remember. I can tell sometimes that Jerome has something he wants to tell me. My question is, when Jerome and I have secret sex in the hourly motel, who should pay for the room?
Jim (not my real name)
Houston, Tex.

Dear Jim,
You are so lucky that I went to etiquette school. The penetrator pays for the motel.
Sarah*

It gets funnier in some spots, incredibly interesting in others, and sometimes too smart for me to comprehend.

*From the March Issue of The Believer magazine. Go buy a copy. Now.

Tags and Del.icio.us and Whatnot

2006-04-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

Here goes.
Tags. It's kind of a bummer that blogger doesn't have a function that allows you to tag entries according to category. On a mission to implement tags into my blog, I found you can set up tags through your del.icio.us account. I found several different ways of going this. In the midst of using one person's directions, I stumbled upon a much easier way here. The creation of my tags was through no creative genius of my own- I simply followed the directions given, then passed them on to you.

Step One: Set up a del.icio.us account. Click to register.
Step Two: Bookmarking the tag link. Go to this page. Control click (right click for PC) on the link, and bookmark the link. If you are in firefox (and I hope you are), choose to save it to the bookmark toolbar.

Step Three: Control click on the link we just created and scroll down to properties. Scroll over to the right quote a ways until you see the http://del.icio.us/tedernst. Change tedernst to your del.icio.us user name. Done? Good.

Step Four: Make a post. If you are posting about Rats invading Texas, maybe you want to tag "rats" and "texas." While you are creating this post, click on the bookmark we created and put in rats texas. With a space between each word and without and. Now, publish your post.

Step Five: Do as the link instructs you and copy the text of your post.

And we're done! (notice my categories below.)

EDIT: I forgot the most important part- tagging the post in del.icio.us.
Step Six: View the post you just created- only the post, not your whole website. Copy the link. Go to your del.icio.us site and click on post. Paste the url, put in your entry title as the description, then tag the site with the same tags you used when you made the post. There, now we are really done.

(If anyone stumbles upon this and realizes I have done something wrong, made it too complicated, left something out, etc. please please please notify me.)

Categories: class, tags, technology

This is merely a test...

2006-04-03T17:55:00.000-07:00

So, I have a technology presentation tomorrow in my blogging class. So, how can we enhance our blogs? Let's create tags.

So, now I am testing this out. The first few steps were easy enough (they always are), but now I might be lost. I am testing it out here.

We'll see...

Categories: class, tags, technology

Capote

2006-03-30T11:45:00.000-08:00

I saw Capote last night. I must say that going into it I knew nothing about Capote or In Cold Blood. I thought it was a superb movie and I thought Hoffman was great- and so did other apparently. About ten minutes into the movie I told my friend, "The way he is acting right now is pissing me off. I think I would have hated Capote." Not the acting of Hoffman, but the actual personality attributed to Capote. Even if he was a cocky prick, the movie was great. That is my grand analysis- great movie critic, huh?

Furthermore, my friend was explaining some background for me before the movie started. She was talking about Harper Lee and how her and Capote were friends growing up. I promptly stopped her there and said, "Harper Lee was a woman." I am ashamed, I really am. I should probably delete that, but I won't. It's not that I thought she was a man. The gender questions just never crossed my mind. Oh well.
My friend explained that it's rumored that the character of Dill in To Kill a Mockingbird was based loosely off of Capote. With that image, throughout the movie I kept imagining Capote as this little kid:

Craving...

2006-03-27T20:37:00.000-08:00

I've got a craving...a craving for some YA lit. '

I have a little brother who is a freshman in high school. His school has this AR reading program- the students have to have so many AR points per semester as part of their English grade. So, he is being forced to read.
...
Good thing- how could him reading be bad?
Bad thing- I feel like I have to constrict his reading list. Not all books have AR tests yet, so he is constricted to only AR books during the school year.
Yes, I plan on controlling his academics as long as a possibly can. Yes, I am being sarcastic... but only a little.

The point... YA lit. I am craving YA lit. This might permanently fix me into the nerd category, not that I mind, but I remember the days in high school when I would stay up until 2 a.m. finishing a book. (I also think that blogging about young adult literature when I think I should be 'woohoo' Spring Breaking right now will put me in that nerd category.) I miss those days.
My brother and I made our first,I am sure of many, Spring break trip to the bookstore and picked up Go Ask Alice and Speak. I might have to indulge in one of these books sometime this week, for old times sake.
Sounds like a perfect Spring Break plan to me.

Just hanging out...

2006-03-23T17:11:00.000-08:00

While most are rushing around this week studying for midterms, failing midterms, acing midterms, and packing for grand trips, I've just been... hanging out. It has been the most unproductive week of my life, and I kinda like it. I do feel for those who are swamped this week, I was pretty bust a week or so ago.
I don't know why I am blogging about it. I guess because I have nothing more pertinent to talk about since, as stated above, I have done nothing this week.

So, on that note, back to reading library blogs and listening to Belle and Sebastian.

What Should I Read Next?

2006-03-21T18:31:00.000-08:00

So, what do you think I should read next Whatshouldireadnext.com?
I really enjoyed The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers...

According to whatshouldireadnext.com, I would enjoy:

Let me make it clear, I don't have shortage of books to read. I have plenty of books to occupy my time, I just thought I would throw the site out there. You can register for the site, and it will give you "more accurate suggestions." I have not register, and I am trying not to. That is just what I need, more books to line my walls. Actually, I probably do. Guess I should go register...

Redesign: part II.

2006-03-18T08:08:00.000-08:00

I made this analogy for my friend last night:
Me: "Me trying to redesign my blog is like.... a blind person feeling their way through a room. Like, they can't see, but they can feel- all of their other senses are working on overdrive. I don't really know CSS..."
Friend: "CSS?"
Me: "Cascading Style Sheet... it's like... I dunno... the code you design web pages with. Don't ask questions. Anyways... I don't know CSS, I don't know what I'm doing when I change things on my template. I figure with a lot of trial and error, I'll eventually produce something acceptable."
Friend: ...

I don't really know what I'm doing right now, but I think I'll get it right eventually.
Another thing that is troubling me is the fact that on my computer, the background colors is a nice yellow. On the computer next to me (the computer at work) the color is a really intense piss yellow. Whatever.

Redesign: part I

2006-03-17T15:41:00.000-08:00

Why yes, I am in the middle of a redesign. Thank you for asking.

I am currently lining up colors, to see what meshes in a lovely fashion.

Take deep breaths and you won't feel a thing, I promise.

I think I might hate Blogger.

2006-03-17T06:13:00.000-08:00

So what is the point of posting when I can't even view my freaking blog. I am "Forbidden" to access my blog on this server- whatever. I tried to reload the page about 150 times. Still "forbidden." Whenever I am not "forbidden," my blog is "under maintenance."

I am not sure why I need to see my blog- I know what's there. I just like to check up on it, like a small child. What if it rolled into it's face and it does not have enough arm strength to make a move? I wouldn't want it to suffocate to death. I need to keep an eye on it is all.

What I am getting at is... I think I might hate blogger. I am not sure yet though.
Or maybe I am just extremely annoyed and I am mistaking it for hate.

Abu Ghraib

2006-03-15T15:15:00.000-08:00

I read an interesting article in the New York Times at work yesterday. I am not sure if anyone else came across it, but I thought I would throw it out there to be read.

Let's recall the prison abuse photo scandal- we should all remember this- the Abu Ghraib scandal. I am also sure we all remember this infamous picture:

*

The article I read (the one you should also read) was about the above man, Ali Shalal Qaissi. The article tells the story of how he was unjustly imprisoned, and the torture he faced while imprisoned in Abu Ghraib. His story, which is just one of many, is an enormous tragedy and I recommend all read it.

* Picture taken from Mother Jones.

va-va-voice

2006-03-14T12:54:00.000-08:00

Voice.
We talked about voice today in class.
We read about voice for class today.

I'm thinking about voice. About my own voice. About the voices of others.
So, this is what is sticking in my mind and begging to be unleashed.

For me, great voice is when I can feel personality in the writing. It is perfected when I can hear the writer in my head, telling me the story I am reading. This act takes real talent.

I am going to try and get this next bit out with as least complication as possible, for your sake and mine.
I think a potential problem for blogs (or, in general, the virtual world) is that you can't hear what you read. A big part of blogging, whether it fits a definition or not, is intertwining your life with a larger subject.
This intertwining is most often accompanied by a short anecdote or story. In this piece of writing, it can be problematic that a person can't hear the context in which the author is speaking. This is where voice, ideally, comes in to whisk the reader in the right direction. I want to feel the sarcasm, anger, regret, nostalgia, etc. when I am reading a blog. If you have great voice, the reader will ideally be able to feel the context in which you are writing your anecdote and the page will ooze with your personality.
Does that make any sense whatsoever? The thoughs are still somewhat scrambled in my head, so I think they maye have come out a little disjointed.

Blogging is like telling a story. In order to draw in an audience, you have to be able to show them, not just simply tell them. You want your reader to feel what you are feeling- to be able to stand in your shoes.

WWSPD?

2006-03-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

I am really itching to get my hands on some Sylvia Plath. I have heard a lot of great things about her, and I am pretty excited to read her.
From what I gather, The Bell Jar would be the best to start with, and I plan on trying to get into something over the weekend. (I am open to suggestions to better starting places in the Plath journey.)
I am getting through The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and I definitely don't want to rush myself. As mentioned before, I think McCullers is lovely. I can't say enough for Lonely Hunter... However, this post is about Plath, not McCullers, so I will stop oozing of her loveliness.

Sylvia Plath. Right
So, in preparation for soon to be reading her, I have been scouring through some biographical information. For those who didn't know, she took her life at the age of 30 by gassing herself in her kitchen. (Her apartment was, conicidently, once the apartment of W.B. Yeats. Great minds live alike.) When the Nanny arrived, she found the kids (Plath had two children) chilly, since Plath opened the windows- obviosly not the kitchen windows- for ventilation. (via Wikipedia) Well that was considerate of her, not to take the children down with her. (Yes, that was my first thought when I read that bit.) There were obviously other noteworthy events in her life, but this is the one I chose to throw up here.

So, the next step in my preparation was to check out some Plath Quotes. I chose the first google entry, to see what Plath had to say about life. The first quote listed definitely caught my eye.

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.

So, this was screaming blog entry. In class Tuesday, my professor expressed concern that we were doing too much self censoring with our blogs. Affirmative- and as it turns out, I am not alone in my self censoring, apparently there are plenty of us who partake in this horrific act. I mean, even Sylvia Plath was concerned about us and our future blogging life.
I think the quote speak for itself here. So, with the concern of stunting creative growth, the next time you delete your words, think to yourself, "WWSPD." (What Would Sylvia Plath Do?)

"Blog Like"

2006-03-07T05:22:00.000-08:00

My Professor asked us to reflect on our blog thus far, to pull a nice post or two and to do the same for our classmates blogs. So here it is...

My Blog:
I would have to say, the post I am most proud of was my "Teens and Blogging" post. I put a lot of time and thought into this post- yes, mostly because it was also for a class presentation. This post was most "blog-like" because of my use of links, then the reflection of the links, and meshed it all together in a nice little post. I took more time than usual with this post and pulled in a few different resources- very "blog-like." Too bad I don't have a picture in there, and it would be oozing with blogness.

Classmates...
I think The Hamster's Wheel post on Where's Waldo was exceptional. I really like most of his posts. They always manage to be really engaging and funny at the same time. I think this post in particular was good because he took Waldo and presented him in a way that most can relate. Plus, I mean, he managed to make Waldo philosophical. That takes skill.
Another blog that I really enjoy is A Melange. I will highlight her 43 Pages post, in which she declared the "topic" for her blog. I think this is why her blog is so great- she manages to stick with her theme, and her posts are always intriguing. It is a great idea for a blog. A friend of mind who reads my blog even comments that she really enjoyed read a melange.

This is not to say that my other classmates blogs aren't exceptional or that don't have some exceptional posts. I enjoy reading most all of them, and I think people are creating some great blogs.

a peculiar note

2006-03-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

I know I posted like ten minutes ago, but I have a funny weekend moment that did not fall under the category of my eventful day. (No, I am not apologizing for posting too much.)

I was with my brother Saturday night, when he said, "Yeah, I read your blog."
I had a classic 'dear caught in headlights' moment when my head shot up and I said, "My blog? Where did you hear about my blog." I felt like I had been caught stealing, and I am not sure why. I suddenly realized that I was the one who told him about it, and about the class, and even gave him the site. Oops- that I didn't remember, not that I told him about it. Although I do tend to hesitate before I tell people I have a blog. I am currently flopping around whether or not I should leak the link to my mother and aunt (not that I only have one aunt, but only one who would be techno-savy or interested enough to click a link and read this.)

I am not quite sure what possessed me to freak out upon hearing that he had read my blog, but I did. And this is what I want to know. Why did I shy away when I was essentially, caught with my blog? Why does anyone shy away when being caught with a blog? How is a person able to express things on the internet that they can't express in face to face social settings?

What A Day

2006-03-06T18:42:00.000-08:00

Let it be known that I am an incredibly indecisive person. I spent an hour in JcPenny's picking out sheets and I think I called my mom about 7 times. Yes, I called my mom. I find it hard to make even minor decisions, such as what to eat for dinner, without consulting my mother for a little direction. So, like I said, I am indecisive.

With this in mind, let's take a gander at what I accomplished today...
1) Looked at seven prospective apartments and managed, somehow, to pick one I liked the best.
2) Signed a lease for an apartment for next year- which cost me a $415 security deposit. So much for a savings account, who needs it at 21.
3) Met with my advisor to fill out a Course Proposal for studying abroad this summer.
4) Hung out with a friend that was visiting from KC. (okay, this was not grueling by any means, but it took a large portion of my day, so I thought I would throw it in.)
5) Received an e-mail informing me that I had been accepted for the Summer '06 study abroad program in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Lovely. (I am not under the impression that they were going to reject me, or anyone else for that matter, but I for some reason was worried.)

So, this may not be a lot for the average person, but it was a lot for me. (I still have a ways to go in terms of checking things off my to do list, since I didn't get any real work for classes done today.)

This whole "being indecisive" thing comes into play with a)I signed a lease binding me to an apartment without asking for a minute to think, then running into the other room to call me mom and b) Telling my advisor that, "No no, I don't really want to graduate in December, even though I can" (the extra semester will be vital in delaying the decision of what the hell I am going to do with the rest of my life.)

So, I made an incredibly important decision today. I got a lot accomplished today. Maybe someone could pat me on the back? I think that might be all I'm looking for.

House Blogs

2006-03-05T11:08:00.000-08:00

I am reading The New York Times Magazine at work, and I stumbled across a nice little article, about blogs and home renovation.
The article talks about blogging and house renovation. Another genre of blogs, possibly? I think so.
The reporter briefly talks about the lure of renovation.

I'm fascinated by the renovation blogs, not so much because I'm overly charmed by grit or dexterity, or because I enjoy watching the wholesomely can-do get theirs, but because the best renovation blogs reveal so much about our efforts to attain the virtues associated with a leisured class: stability, repose and a continuity with the past. In contemporary America, we don't inherit the family seat, like Scarlett O'Haraor some old English grandee. We buy houses, and in buying houses, we inherit leftovers from other people's personal histories, from the ticky-tack accretions of their bad taste to their tuba mouthpieces.

He makes some interesting observations here. He also, in the article, connects this desire to buy and old house and fix it up with 18th and 19th century British novels. I like how it all passes through the continuum of time. (Did that make sense?) Couples are buy house older that they are, then gutting them and makes them a thing of the present, all the while they are using computers to log their experience. It is like pulling the past into the future with a giant rope- plenty of resistance on the part of the hosue, but equally determined homeowners. I dunno, just a thought.

The articles links to House In Progress, which I visited, and you should too. Go, now. Did you notice the giant link bar on the right. Looks like house blogging is quite the phenomenon, and it also looks like I will no be getting much homework done today.

Widgets!

2006-03-03T17:29:00.000-08:00

I have been doing a bit of "blog reflection" and I decided that I need to step up the contents of my blog. I'll try and post on more interesting/meaningful things. Until then...
Widgets! If these are not reason enough to switch to Mac, then I don't know what is.

{This is where I would have inserted a picture of my own widgets, but I hate blogger, and it won't upload my photo. I will try it again later.}

Here is an explanation of widgets, and here is the Apple Store, since I am sure you will be wooed and want to buy one.
I came across these widgets last week. They have been very helpful in stress reduction. I have the ball, and the sketcher. If is is not apparent from the page, note that: a) you can throw the ball. It bounces across your screen, pretty fast, and sometimes you can throw it off screen and lose it. b) Yes, you shake the sketched to erase. All kinds of nostalgia. I showed my roommate and she is not incredibly jealous. (She does not have Tiger 10.4, and thus can not have widgets.)

Widgets: Just another small reason who I love Macs.

Teens and Blogging

2006-03-01T21:15:00.000-08:00

To discuss the topic of teen blogging, without getting into a debate on what a blog actually is, I think we should simplify things by saying there are many different genres of blogs, as Jill Walker does here. Not to stereotype all teen blogs, but a majority of teen blogs fall under a confessional diary. So, we can say that this teen confessional is one of many genres of blogs. However, we should not limit all blogs created by teens as diaries.
A BBC news article, US Youths use internet to create, hails blogs and the internet as an outlet for teens to artistically express themselves. This article also mentions the importance of blogs to teens in maintaining relationships.

While debates around blogging in the adult online world centre around citizen reporting and journalism, teenage bloggers are much more concerned about using them to maintain and form relationships with peers.

Blogs can be an outlet for a shy teen to express themselves, or for an artistic teen to post their work. However, the controversy of teen blogging does not come into play here. One issue of teen blogging is revealing too much information via blogs.
In a July BBC news article, Teenagers reach out via weblogs, the issue of teens giving out too much information is addressed. There is always a threat of internet predators and with blogs, teens are more likely to reveal geographical information about themselves.
A January Washington Post article, Teens' bold blogs alarm area schools, discusses the problems schools face with student blogging. In Fairfax County, public schools have sent home informational flyers to parents, and holding information sessions. There has also been strict parameters set on the use of school computers for things not school related. However, the schools would have no way to regulate home computer use. The article also mentioned an New Jersey Catholic school that has banned their students from using some of these sites outside of school also. The cases this Washington Post article discusses are only a few of the many cases. As the popularity of teen blogging grows, schools are faced with the problem of how to deal with these sites. Obviously, first amendment protections come into play. But in cases of student threatening students or teachers, schools are just in punishing students.
As the popularity of teen blogging grows, so will the consequences. It is really a matter of using your resources wisely. I think a lot of teens forget that they are posting something on a public forum that can be accessed by anyone.

McCullers

2006-02-27T18:06:00.000-08:00

I was booming in January- devouring books left and right. February? Not so much.

In the spirit of picking up my reading pace, I pulled one off the shelf over the weekend. I have never been one to re-read books. My theory has always been that there are too many books to be re-reading stuff. I broke that rule this year by re-reading The Catcher in the Rye in January and I am breaking it again with The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.
I read Lonely Hunter in high school, but I don't feel like I really read it. So I am doing it again, and loving every minute of it so far. It is hard to expresses how this book makes me feel- McCullers does wonders expressing human emotion and weaving intense relationships.

I know only a few key points about McCullers's life- one being that The Heart is a Lonely Hunter was her first book and she published it at 23. (Makes me think I might still have hope.) So, I was scouring this site, reading a bit more on her life. Two points I loved...

1930: Upon her return from a visit to her aunt and uncle, she drops the use of Lula from her double name. She decides to become a concert pianist and begins piano lessons with Mrs. Albert S. J. Tucker.
1932: As a senior in high school, she suffers from rheumatic fever, which is thought later to have contributed to her crippling strokes in life. She announces to her friend Helen Jackson that she has decided to become a writer instead of a concert pianist.

I like how the author of this biography expresses this shift as if it were the easiest thing in the world. "She announces to her friend Helen Jackson that she has decided..." And bam- new life direction? I really doubt the transition was a smooth as this. I am inspired now to read more on McCuller's life now- which will most likely add another book to my heaping pile.

I will leave you with a lovely quote from The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. The passage is from the beginning of the book- a drunk man speaking to a deaf mute.

"There are those who know and those who don't know. And for every ten thousand who don't know there's only one who knows. That's the miracle of all time- the fact that these millions know so much but don't know this."

blogging and journalism

2006-02-26T11:06:00.000-08:00

So... this blog-journalism relationship.
What I enjoy the most about this exchange is that someone else can do the work for me. I was just reading largeheartedboy- a lovely blog that I try to read regularly- when this occurred to me.
One of the things he does with his blog is provides a plethera of links to interesting articles and tidbits. It just so happens that his music tastes overlap mine, so it is interesting to check out his site for good music news.
This is a prime example of how blogging and journalism can go hand in hand.

the political post

2006-02-24T20:15:00.000-08:00

I really despise that I have to make this post, but it has been bothering me for awhile now. So here goes.... I guess...

I am Catholic. I am liberal.
The two can co-exist. I am not sure at what point in time a shift occurred where if a person is a Christian, they are pinned Republican. Seriously- I would like to know how this transition came- it would be a really interesting and informative read. (I am a huge hypocrite in that fact that I pretty often assume this. When I find a blog on religion, I vaguely assume this person is a conservative- and begin to look for evidence to back this up, or dispute.)
I don't know if anyone else out there is as obsessed with these facts as I am, but when I visit a blog, that is one of the first things I look for. Well, it is more about political affiliation for me. I don't want to spend too much time reading conservative propaganda, but I am cool with liberal propaganda. (hypocrite much?)
So... as mentioned above, I am Catholic. I really liked a classmates post last week about religion- even more so, I like the comments it sparked, even though I was not a participant in these. "Once a Catholic, always a Catholic" is a phrase my mother utilizes quite often. Don't make any mistake- I am not Catholic because I have to be. The Catholic church fascinates me to no end and it had very much always been a part of my life. But I just want to make completely clear- I am not one of those Catholics. Would it be awkward of me to say I try not to bring politics into religion? Yes, I think it would- because it seems that everything is political these days. I will say however, I don't let two issues decide my political beliefs. And for that matter- I don't side up with most Catholics on these two issues. I am not going to delve any further, because I think I have already gone further than I intended to go with this post.
I just wanted to make my political beliefs known, just in case there are people like me out there that look for this sort of thing when they read a blog. I considered linking to dailykos, since that is an easy way to spot a liberal. I decided to post instead.
So, its out there and you can do what you would like with it.

something different?

2006-02-23T13:10:00.000-08:00

In no chronological order, did you know...

1) The Franciscans were brought to the Americas in the 1500s with the task of helping to convert the natives to Catholicism.
2) Upon the arrival of the Franciscans, Cortes kneeled and kissed their feet.
2.a)The natives had immediate respect for the Franciscans.
3) When the Spanish arrived to the Americas, they began speaking to the natives.
3.a)The native responded, "uic athan."
3.b)This translated as "What do you speak, I don't understand."
3.c) The Spaniards named the place Yucatan.
4) Ribeiro in Portuguese is pronounced Hibero.
5) Some natives continued to practice their religions, despite attempts to convert them to Catholicism.
5.a) In continuing their practices, they sometimes sacrificed children.
5.b) Before colonization, children were not sacrificed- grown men were.
5.c) Sacrifice and death in battle were the only ways to have a happy afterlife.
6) I am an International Studies major.
6.a) My focus is Latin America.

{If anyone finds any of these facts to be false, please inform me-- seeing as how I am currently writing a paper on most of them.}

del.icio.us

2006-02-18T09:07:00.000-08:00

In class on Thursday, my professor introduced us to an amazing site. del.icio.us.
For those who aren't aware of del.icio.us- it is like having your bookmarks on the web. You can tag things, and browse other people's bookmarks.
I had heard about del.icio.us before, but like most things I come across, I scribbled it down on a piece of paper, and vowed to return to the site, and see what it was all about later. Like most things I come across, it got lost in my ever growing stack of things to do, and things to look up. So, after class I looked into del.icio.us. I check it out, opened an account, and began to tag things. I might be jumping to conclusions, but I think del.icio.us will be a new obsession.
The things I really love about it is that you can see other people that have linked to a site that you have linked to. You can see all del.icio.us users who are essentially, interested in the same things you are interested in.
It is really an awesome tool, and I highly recommend checking it out. Once you have made your account, check out the Help page, and you'll find a lovely blog integration section. You can add a links roll to your sidebar and viola- everyone can see your del.icio.us links.

books books books

2006-02-17T07:41:00.000-08:00

I can' stop buying books. Last Christmas there was some sort of warehouse books sale back home. Tons of books, at 75%, plus half off of the final purchase. Really, it was nonsense. I spent something like $60 and bought a ton of books. Here is a little sampling of the enormous pile.

Thanks to this book sale, enormous reading loads set by professors, and many other impulse buys at book stores, I have managed to acquire quite the library. I never sell books back, they always go thrown up on the shelf. My books shelf is not one of those shelves that are half full of books, and then littered with knick-nacks. No, my book shelf is packed to the max, and then has a pile of books sitting in front of it.

Some people collect stamps, I collect books. I am not coining it a healthy obsession, but it's there nonetheless. I guess the way I see it is... If someday I were freezing to death, I could easily warm myself for a decade by burning my books. Or most likely I would just die, because I don't think I would be able to inflict harm on my books.

where does the time go...

2006-02-16T09:27:00.000-08:00

After reading the intro to blogs posts at the beginning of class, one thing that stuck out to me was making time to blog. Most of the articles stressed that a good blogger need to be sure they have ample time to blog. I didn't think this would ever arise as a problem for me. I spend way too much time on the internet, and way too much time reading other people's blogs, so of course I would have plenty of time for blogging. I think I dismissed the fact that some coherent and knowledgeable thought needs to go into a blog post. I have started several posts and ended them quickly, because I realized I had no idea what on earth I was talking about. Discussion of anonymous blogging has also caused a heavy amount of self censoring.
With short stories to write, a roommate having an appendix removed, driving to Jeff City to pick up my little brother from the train, and now entertaining my little brother for the rest of the week, my blogging time has been cut plenty short. Not only have I not had time to read others blogs, but I certainly have not had the time to post a substantial entry. I vow to make it up. I vow to create more 'blog time' in my life. I am going to push to get a few more posts in through the week, and I swear I will have more to say in the future. This post has really been for my own validation more than any readers I might have. It is more of an apology to myself than to anyone else.

Better Late Than Never...

2006-02-10T09:31:00.000-08:00

I was supposed to post last week about three exemplary blogs. Well.. a week later, I am getting around to that task.

Apartment Therapy
This is a blog devoted to "Helping people to make their apartments better places to live." I introduced my roommate to this blog about a year ago, and we have both been avid readers since. It is basically a blog aimed at good home design. I am a stickler for good design, which is the main reason why this post is so late. I spent most of my weekend trying to learn a few basics of CSS. Bad design makes me cringe.

Maud Newton
As I mentioned in a previous post, I used to be pretty engulfed in literary blogs. Maud Newton's blog is one I frequented. Her posts sometimes rely on the reader being as informed as she is on all things literary, so I sometimes get lost. However... ocassionally I do comprehend what she is talking about, so I continue to read. If you ever need a few hundred hours of entertainment, check out her huge links page.

The Elegant Variation
This is a blog I stumbled onto recently. I scoured his archives, to see if I missed anything incredibly interesting. And I did! He posted in a topic I posted on (along with the rest of literary community I am sure) which was the supposed retirement of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I liked that he had linked an article I had not seen yet. It is nice to get others perspective on an issue.

focus amy, focus.

2006-02-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

I guess I should have declared some sort of focus for this blog.
As you may have gathered from my Gabriel Garcìa Màrquez post, this blog will lean toward the literary. I'm an English major, and that's what I do. I read , I write, and I love it. (Side note- just because I am an English major, does not mean I am going to grammatically correct 100% of the time- I mean, who is?- or really even 80% of the time. I will try not to make a complete fool of myself though.)
So, literary focus. It's the whole creative process that goes into a book, or any type of creation for that matter, that really intrigues me. I am just as fascinated by the lives of writes as I am with their actual books. I immensely enjoy knowing odd and interesting facts about the lives of writers.
The only problem I have with this being a “literary blog” is that it kind of makes me crazy. I use to be really into the consumption of literary blogs. I was obsessive about reading them, and what they most often resulted in was the creation of a massive list of books I need to read, and things I need to look up. It was quite tedious, and I could never keep up with myself.
I am going to do my best with keeping up with my own ambitions with this blog- and I guarantee that I will lose focus sometimes. I guarantee my mind will wander, and thus will my blog.

gabriel garcìa màrquez

2006-01-31T12:13:00.000-08:00

"The year 2005 was the first in my life when I did not write a single line," the 78-year-old author was quoted as saying in Sunday's edition of the Barcelona-based daily La Vanguardia.

"I haven't sat before a computer. And besides, I have no prospect or prospects to do it. I had never stopped writing, this is the first year in my life I haven't done any writing," he said.- Via ABC news.

It seems to me an odd thing... to just stop writing. To have enough power over your own actions, to be able to just cease them. Writing has taken such a firm hold on my life, that I can't imagine a time when I will be able to cease writing. I am not in any way shape or form comparing myself to Gabriel Garcìa Màrquez. His accomplishments are too astounding to even being to compare against my blank slate. His writing is more vivid and imaginative than mine have ever been, and most likely will ever be.

Gabriel Garcìa Màrquez has made quite a mark on the literary world. His impact does not stop there though... he has done wonders for Latin American culture. Màrquez' writing helped to break a cycle of reproducing writing styles of Europe that had been present in Latin America since colonization. He helped to bring Latin America on the map in terms of global cultural influence, since writers around the world now study, admire, and reproduce his style. For me... there is so much power in the name "Gabriel Garcìa Màrquez." When you start a whole literary movement, I guess your name should carry some weight.

Kerouac.

2006-01-30T13:49:00.000-08:00

Jack Kerouac wrote On the Road in twenty days while under the influence of Benzedrine. He sat down, and wrote in an unedited spontaneous prose. His work was composed on 12 foot scrolls of paper.
When I think of this- 'writing without ceasing' comes to mind. It takes a lot of talent to engage yourself in this manner- or maybe I feel this way because I have such a hard time spitting out a piece of work. It's the constant self criticism that gets me- not self criticism in a destructive way, but more like constantly second guessing myself. Things sound a certain way when they are flowing through my upstairs, and they don't always come out the same way through my hands. This results on constant deleting and rewriting- and these fancy computer contraptions allow for this quite nicely. I try to take up a pen and paper as much as possible. Since you can still see through a line through lines scratched through words. This was I can document my error- but I doubt anything I spit out in ‘spontaneous prose’ will match up to On the Road.
This is the book that is taking up most of my attention at the moment. While the rest of the United States was watching the State of the Union, I was engrossed in Kerouac.

Are you the most important reader?

2006-01-26T12:46:00.000-08:00

I think at the base of a good blog- a well written and interesting blog, a blog that a person finds themselves returning to- there needs to be a spark ignited by the writer. Poor writing reflects on a lack of interest by the writer. If you don't care about something, then you will most likely not put effort forth the effort needed to make your writing worthwhile. Mark Bernstein puts it quite nicely in “10 Tips on Writing the Living Web” in Tip 1: Write for a Reason.

If you don’t really care, don’t write. If you are a student and everybody is talking about exams and papers and you simply don’t care, let it be. If your job bores you, it will bore us. (If you despise your job with a rich, enduring passion, that’s another thing entirely!) Write for yourself; you are, in the end, your most important reader.

Very true, you are the most important reader- but I think it is hard to discontinue the audience. I find it difficult to detach myself from an audience when writing. I am always hyper sensitive to who will be reading and what they will think of what they are reading. I see this as something that needs to be addressed, and I will do my best to work on it. I don't want this site to turn into something I am forced to do for a grade. I want it to reflect me and my ambitions- because believe me, I am full of ambitions- maybe to full.

Blogs Blogs Blogs.

2006-01-24T14:41:00.000-08:00

At the start of this class, I have a lot of jumbled thought about blogs, and the Internet in general. In a geeky way... I think 'virtual life' is fascinating. It's bizarre (but bizarre can be a good thing, depending on your viewpoint) that a person can have a whole life existing on the Internet. I don't mean to sound disconcerted with the real world, but I think that the Internet needs to be explored and studied as a medium that has a great impact on 'real life.' (And I know, it has been, and continues to be studied- with proof being the existence of this class.)

With that said- even if it was more complicated that I anticipated- I see blogs as a new medium for social interaction- or maybe new is not the world, maybe increasingly important medium is better said. This idea begins at what falls under the definition of a "blog." I see blogs as a medium for interaction between a person and what interests them. Different things interest different people and this stems from what a person interacts with every day. But there is always the underlying question of what subject matter merits the term blog, and when to draw the line between blog and journal. This is why I think blogs are so interesting, because there is no all-powerful force that monitors and categorizes. I like how the world of blogs is left to personal interpretation, and does not exclude.

Mirroring real world social interactions, it seems that virtual interactions would classify and categorize all on their own. This may be reading in too far... but I think this leaves potential for "virtual clicks." Or maybe a better term would be communities. It seems that blogs lead to the development of virtual communities that may mirror real world communities- like our class, and our blog- but what is fascinating about the Internet, is that these connections do not have to mirror the real world, they can exist only on a virtual level.

Upon entering this class, I had a lot of interaction reading blogs, but not a lot on making blogs. As I am sure you have gathered from the above rambling, I am excited to study blogs as a form of social interaction.

A note: This post was written with my English 4040 class in mind for an audience. On the slim chance that a stranger wanders onto my blog- they should note that I am taking a course on blogs, which has resulted in the creation of this blog.

2006-01-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

"Blogging 101" by Anton Zuiker
This is an interesting and informative article on the history and basics of blogs. If you have never has interactions with blogs or blogging, this is the place to start.

"There is a Blog in Your Future" by Rebecca Blood
This article is a sort of know all for who would considering blogging, why they would consider this activity, and how they should go about starting a blog and keeping time for it. It categorizing bloggers into a few broad caregories and aims to provide motivation for blogging.

"The Art of Blogging" by George Siemens
This is also a sort of all knowing into to blogs. It goes through the definition, and goes into how to go about creating a blog.