The Perfect Party

Ashley McKay

Professor Rau

Eng-101-MD

December 14, 2014

            So man, were at the perfect party ever man.  Mother Earth totally granted us to walk on her beautiful body, gracing us with this far out field. We are here to celebrate this magical day with totally rad free spirits. Mother Earth knows what we are about today, granting us with divine weather and beautiful people.

            We are all here today to be laid back smoking the greens around the fire pit. We got some lovely people here swayin and dancing, listening to these fine people strumming on their guitars. These fine people graced us with their presence bringing their musical talents today. Strummin their guitars and totally jammin out. This righteous music is totally magical. The vibes here are radical man.

Today is all about peace, love, and enjoying each other. Hang lose my friend and toke some of that good stuff. Sip on some that sweet brew, because we don’t have any stress today.

 Everyone came up today in their unreal woodie’ s bringing the love today. We have no bad vibes man. We only need our spirits, pot, awesome munchies and love today man. If you need to scarf down some sweet munchies feel free my dude. The munchies are all a part of the day my dude

 The only dress code we got is no dress code. Don’t let today's whack society define your threads. Come as you are flower child because we refuse to conform to the squares.

            We will always live in today because we are not bound to time. Only time we gotta peal out is when the Pigs swing by. No worries dude, this is a totally awesome spot, hidden away from the constraints of society no one is gonna ruin this outta sight party.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Words.

Dear Terrible Mannered People:

Having good manners used to be valuable in this country. Saying please, thank you, and excuse me, were kind words that go you where you wanted to be. Now, you people choose to ignore each other, look past one another and keep your mouths shut. You are all annoying entitled people. You are all the worst people I have ever met!

When we cross paths in a tight isle, I will move… if you say excuse me. Although, if you don’t I will continue to ignore you. I’m not being rude, you are. Saying “excuse me, may I pass through,” would NOT kill you. It would do you a lot better than not saying anything at all.

If I don’t see you, don’t grab at the peppers in front of me. Instead, please let me know that you’re trying to reach for the fresh vegetables as well. I can make both our lives more pleasant when you and I communicate. We are all trying to get in and out of Trader Joe’s as smoothly as possible. I shouldn't have to say “sorry” for parking my cart in front of me while I get some yummy asparagus because you are impatient. You should ask me to “can you please move over so I too can reach the asparagus”.

When you ask me to get something for you, I have no problem doing it. Just and thank you at the end. It would get you a lot further than acting like you’re entitled to my services. Having bad manners leaves others in a bad mood.

When I hold the door open for you, don’t just ignore me please. I hold the door open for you because it is polite. Saying thank you is a great way to make my day better. I could just let the door shut behind me but my Mother taught me to be kind to others. I’m sure your mother taught you the same. Instead of be nasty say thank you.

Excuse, please, and thank you, are some of my favorite words. Using them excessively will never happen. Being polite will never go out of style in my book, so please, don’t let it go out of style in yours!

I hope to hear those amazing manners soon!

Your annoyed polite friend,

Ashley

http://www.wikihow.com/Have-Good-Manners

http://www.mtstcil.org/skills/manners-intro.html

Lets Talk About Feelings

Ashley

Professor Rau

Eng 101-MD

            On the second floor of the library, on the right side, all the way in the back was where I went to listen to Dan Josefson read passages from his novel That’s Not a Feeling. The book was about a teen getting left at a troubled teen’s boarding school. Josefson doesn't explain why he was there leaving me to wonder why the teen got sent there in the first place.  Overall the the reading was worthwhile.

            The audience was attentive and looking directly at the Jofeson. This must have made him a bit nervous, because he began in a low tone and a shaky voice. That surprised me because we were mainly a group of young college students there for our class. Josefson first talking about himself and what the book was generally about.  After he finished, he started to read the three passages that he chosen for us.

            The first passage that Josefson read was about the main character, Benjamin. Benjamin was going on a tour of a boarding school that he and his parents were looking into. He finds out that he wasn't on a tour at all and that his parents had enrolled him into the school abandoning him there while on his tour.

The story then follows Benjamin and his time at the school.  He moves onto the next passage, which he describes to be the “worst English class possible,” The students are there with a sub and the passage explains how the class becomes unruly. Lastly, Josefson reads us a monologue. Here the Head master is speaking to the students at their “Cartoon brunch”. Whatever he had fallen ill with has caused him to be confused and angry at the students. Each passage shows how the school was beginning to unravel and how chaos was starting to instill. The organization of the school wasn't the best, but as the headmaster got sick, the students of the school began to be more unruly.

            The vocabulary and the style of his reading intrigued me, during the readings I noticed the way he was speaking. When he finished the readings I asked him about his style of writing. He explained that consistency was key during his writing. He used medium length sentences and paragraphs to get his point across. He also tried not to use too many extremes in his writing in order to make the book understandable.

            I found this reading to be extremely interesting. Having dealt with a sister who always got in trouble and skipped school, I found myself relating to the book a little. I liked the sarcastic tone that popped up and I enjoyed the characters that were mentioned in the passages. I think that this book would be great for young adults however, with the vocabulary that was used, this book was definitely meant be for adults.  The reading was worthwhile and I would suggest people go see him speak and even buy the book!

Work Cited:

Josefon, Dan. “That’s Not a feeling.” Nassau Community College, Library, Garden City NY. 29 October 2014.

Paper trail or Paperless?

 Digital has become the main way for people to connect and find out information. In “Why Digital is Better than Print,” Dan Blank explains why digital is taking over and how it is beneficial people today. Blank understands today’s society and represents why people choose technology over print. Choosing digital over print is the best way to get information today.

            “Just Google it,” is a common term that people use so often today. People reach for their phones to learn and find information on the spot. Without smartphones people would have so many unanswered questions. As Blank explains, “our lives have become more focused on information and media in the past few decades, the web has been an amazing tool to integrate the many data streams,” people have become used to the idea of having knowledge on the go, the ability to be able to look up whatever they want, and post and blog whenever they want.

            Technology takes up less space. We have more room in our backpacks and hands than we used to. No more folding up a newspaper and sticking in between an arm to save room while walking from destination to destination day. “When you are crowded onto a train next to thousands of other people, the tactile aspect of newspapers actually becomes a hindrance” (Blank). People used to have to weave their way through packed public transportations trying not to disturb the commuters reading their newspapers and magazines. Now people are able to move about more freely without the fear of bumping into someone.

            In this new digital era, the idea of being ecofriendly has taken over. Just like people using reusable water bottles more people are switching to digital forms of technology in order to save the trees. There is less impact on the environment when people use their technology for their go to newspaper.  Blank explains, “the inherent waste is not as evident, as millions of copies of a single piece of content can be replicated and spread across the world in moments” (Blank).

            As any book obsessed person would know, the worst feeling in the world is leaving a book at home, while on a long commute. With the digital media today, forgetting a book is irrelevant. Book readers whip out their e-readers, tablets or phones and they can find a book in to seconds on the internet and entertain themselves that way. The idea of reading on a tablet was once not ideal; however, people are becoming more interested in the idea of having all your books in one tiny spot.

             People have become so reliant on technology. Technology has created an easier way of life for everyone. It has created the constant ability of having something to do at all times. People can check their social media, answer calls, use their email, check the weather, and even catch up on the latest news. In today’s society, people would be lost without their digital world.

Why Digital is Better Than Print by Dan Blank

Work Cited:

Blank, Dan. “Why Digital Is Better Than Print.” I Feel Fine: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Web. danblank.com. n. p. 5 August 2000. web. [ October 29, 2014]

Welcome to my blog!

Good Morning all,
This is my first blog for ENG-101-MD. Part of our assignments are to write blogs. Although I have my own personal blogs, this is the first time I'm writing for a class. I think this is a very interesting way of learning and teaching. My first assignment is now complete complete!
-Ashley