WE ALL SURVIVED!!

I sit here at my kitchen table with my bowl of oatmeal, some fruit and a yogurt feeling prepared and ready for this exam. Although I am happy school is coming to a close for the year I will admit I am going to miss Lit. Theory classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I thoroughly enjoyed this class and walk away knowledgeable as a critical thinker! I was a little nervous walking out of class the first day not knowing what I was getting myself into however, WE ALL SURVIVED!! Congrats!!
Good luck on the exam and have a wonderful summer!!

Vanessa :)

it does not surprise me..

I really enjoyed yesterday’s class. The media is a topic I have always found particularly interesting however it rattles my brain to think about how much media is involved and has influenced my life. I have never really thought of the fact that I live in two worlds...the post literal and the literal. These worlds are so completely different and therefore I give us all credit for being able to handle both. The media is most certainly consequential!! I have a cousin who writes me letters once or twice a month filling me in on life. She is 12 years old and most definitely is an avid texter and is constantly on msn. Therefore, it does not surprise me when she writes things like...

U r the best btw.
Luv u cuz.
Wat u been up 2?
It was ez
And here are some new ones to I have never seen before but thought you were pretty funny!
2G4U= to good for you
AMOF= as a matter of fact
AYS= are you serious?
AYTMTB= and your telling me this because
BTDT= be there done that
CRBT= crying really big tears

This most definitely renders language less formal!

to all the kids who survived the 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!!

yesterday in class we discussed just how much things have changed over the years thanks to modernization. this made me think of an e-mail that my mom fowarded to me last week. it is actually really funny!...

i hope you enjoy!

No matter what our kids and the new generation think about us,

WE ARE AWESOME !!!!OUR LIFE IS LIVING PROOF !!!! To Those of Us Born 1930 - 1979
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.
As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes
Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes made with Lard, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank FLAV-OR- AID made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight. WHY?
Because we were always outside playing....that's why!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on..
No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were OKAY.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem
We did not have Play stations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms.
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand and no one would call child services to report abuse.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment.
Imagine that!! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. What can kids today do besides push buttons..

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.
If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.
While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it ?

The quote of the month is by Jay Leno:
'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'

I sit here shaking my head...

With a thousand different emotions running through my head right now… I had to blog! I just finished watching Boys Don’t Cry and I now sit here appalled and rather disgusted. I don’t want to ruin it for those of you who will be watching the screening tomorrow, so I will keep my comments to a minimal. I have never watched something of “this kind” before however after watching this movie I know exactly why. I had a difficult time seeing what took place and I guess you could say I got a “wake-up call” by witnessing the reality that transgendered people face on a regular basis. There were a few particular parts that I turned away and chose not to watch. It makes me sick to my stomach to think that our society consists of people that actually perform these sorts of acts on another just because they are different from the norm. This has always been a topic that I have I really difficult time understanding anything other then that "its wrong". It horrifies me to even think that something like this could happen to my friends who are not transgendered, but who are gay. I still just sit here shaking my head not knowing what to think...

Lady Gaga...is she a man?

Today we discussed the disconnect between sex and gender. As we went through different examples Lady Gaga came to mind. She is known for her outrageous costumes, song lyrics and performances that leave people shocked...on many occasions she has crossed boundaries. I was over at a friend’s house with a group of people this past summer and was told that there was proof that Lady Gaga was a hermaphrodite. I didn’t believe this at first until good old youtube provided this video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnTO-57FTfs

pay close attention to...0:18

I still sit here unsure as to whether or not I believe this...

What do you think?

two conflicts being compared

I have talked to a couple people in the class and all of us seem to agree that writing Assignment #7 was rather enjoyable. Unfolding this metaphor was interesting and also gave me the opportunity to learn a little bit more about the game of chess...my dad has already challenged me to a game but I told him I need a little more practice before I take on the pro..

While writing this paper the movie Avatar came to mind. This conflict between the Canadian government and the Inuit people can be compared to the conflict between humans and the Avatars. The entire movie focuses on the humans attempt to take over the land that the Avatars have made and call home. They have created their own culture far away from anything else and were forced out of it. The Inuit people are experiencing somewhat of the same thing. They were put on Arctic and have transformed this land into their own culture; however, the government is trying to take control. It is a difficult situation... one side is extremely upset while the other side doesn’t seem to care. I am unsure as to how this issue between the government and the Inuit people will unfold...

the blind side

I had a chance to see the movie “The Blind Side” earlier this week. For those of you that have seen it, I’m sure you will agree that it is a “must see”. Everything discussed in class yesterday reminded me of this movie. Racism is most certainly visible throughout, as a homeless African- American man is taken in by an upper class white family. People would stare, gossip, and make racist comments without even realizing they were doing it. They seemed to act as though it was okay... that there was no harm in what they were doing. This made me frustrated and upset. I could not imagine what it would be like to be in that man’s position. I try to think of the ways in which I would have dealt the situation; however, my mind draws a blank. I would not even know where to begin...my first instinct would be to run.

I thought it was coincidence that Dr. Pound had mentioned the well known saying...“sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” because this too was used throughout the movie... I think it’s hard for people understand how much a single word can effect an individual’s life...

If you get a chance, go see this movie!

i can't survive!!!

One of my friends called me yesterday in a panic. I was startled at first because she seemed extremely upset and I had no idea why. Being the concerned friend that I am I asked what was wrong? This was her response…

VANESSA I AM FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW! I LOST MY PHONE AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE IT IS. I HAVE LOOKED EVERYWHERE; MY WHOLE LIFE IS ON MY PHONE. FRIK, I CAN’T SURVIVE WITHOUT IT! PLEASE COME HELP ME.

I was immediately relieved to find that nothing “serious” was wrong. I laughed at the situation and told her we would find it, however, also mentioned that she was a Cyborg. She was obviously confused by the term but after a brief definition she understood the concept and most certainly agreed. She was interested in the concept and we continued on with the topic. Our conversation ended with us questioning how "real" or "natural" we really are. We are influenced and rely on technology so much its almost scary... do you think one day the world will only consist of robots? imagine.

I had to laugh again later on that day when I found a particular reoccurring imagine in 99.9% of the pictures posted on facebook. Cell phones are literally attached to people hips, and if you take a few moments to creep at the latest photos, you too will see exactly what I mean.

PS. my friend did eventually find her phone... she will survive :)

This Frustrates Me!

An interesting point was brought up in class yesterday. 80% of Wal-Mart employees are women; however, 80% of the managing positions are occupied by men. This made me think of another situation that occurred at my work a couple of months ago. Upon receiving a new manager I didn’t know what to expect, the only thing that I had been told by my fellow co-workers was that he was good looking. When I first met him, I have to admit I was extremely surprised. Despite the fact that he was very attractive, he was young... 24 years young to be exact and he had noted later on that he previously was a Wal-Mart employee. I was surprised by this considering I knew another co-worker of mine had applied for the job and had previously held this exact position at another store location. The only difference was... she was female!

Still too this day my other co-workers and I discuss the situation especially when my manager comes into work “not feeling well” (that is just his excuse for being hung over). I still don’t understand why a more experienced and qualified women did not get the job... this frustrates me!

a situation occured the other day at work...

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had a fantastic holiday and a great New Years! It was nice to see some of my fellow classmates over the break in some rather unexpected places...


Anyhow... a situation occurred the other day at work. I was approached by a gentleman from across the hall that clearly saw that I was busy and in a scramble. He then came over and asked, ARE YOU OVER WORKED AND UNDER PAID? .... my answer... MOST DEFINITELY!!!
Following this conversation I immediately found a scrap piece of paper and wrote this down. I thought this was a coincidence considering we had discussed the ideas of exploitation before the break. I was caught off guard by the fact that someone noticed that I was clearly being exploited. I have to admit however, that such a question would not have the same impact had we not discussed this in class. This situation made me ask again... why do I go to work? But the answer seems simple to me... I enjoy my job and I love the people I work with. I will admit I do complain ever now and again after a long days work however, the idea of quitting has never crossed my mind.

I guess I that would mean I am okay with the idea if being exploited?