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Thursday, December 23, 2010

The Demon Data Sheet

Normally I would not have any problem with or even complain about a data sheet.  I am not one of those complainers, "Oh my God, I was up all night working no my data sheet."  Nor am I Jillian or Thomas whose data sheets are usually somewhere around thirty pages.  Mine have never hit the twenties, but somehow I manage.  Yeah, usually I just do my data sheet, turn it in, and get it back.  As opposed to deliberate over it, complain about it, do some of it, complain about it to some more people, do some more, turn it in, complain, get it back, and then complain.  I mean, yeah I guess there might be a gripe or two, but nothing serious.  However, this time things have changed, things are different with this one.  A data sheet over winter break? You have got to be kidding me.  I will admit, I was pissed, still am.  I will do it though.  I will have to.  However, it is the biggest nuisance I have in my life right now, which I suppose is actually a good thing.  This data sheet will drastically reduce my time that I would much rather put into other things, like: sleeping, eating, gaming, going to Lifetime, loafing around, enjoying the holiday festivities, spending time with my girlfriend who is home from college that I do not get to see a lot, hanging out with my friends, peace of mind, and just everyday activities that will have to be cut down.  I could choose to not do it I suppose and wait until the week break is over.  But that will not happen of course, that would serve as an even worse situation than the one I am in now.  Someway or another, I am sure that I will survive this cruel and unusual punishment.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

The "Like" Factor

It has come to my attention that several people in the class of AP English 12 have come to say the word "like" quite frequently in discussion.  I now notice it every time someone talks, almost as if I was looking for someone to use the word.  A couple days ago I made a tally as to how many times people in the class say like (Even Ms. Serensky), the grand total came out as roughly 56, and that day the discussion only lasted for half a period.  Then when I talked I tried to take note of how many times I said "like," and I will admit it proved as a more difficult task than I thought not to use the word.  However, I do not necessarily believe that one cannot use the word "like" at all, but it remains the frequency as to which one uses the word which proves as a nuisance.  Since some people in the class say it far more than others (This I have noted, one person said like 24 times in the day I tallied which was almost half of what the class as a whole said) I have wondered if the saying of "like" is infectious.  If one person, or a couple people, say "like" far more than some of the other people in the class do, then will the other people start to say it more as well?  Well, I could not really note this since I would have to have started at the beginning of AP English of junior year in order to produce exact results.  However, I believe that correlation can be made.  I must say that I am very surprised that so many people in AP English 12 say "like" a multitude of times throughout the discussion.  I personally believe that it makes for a weaker argument, speech, or talk in general and I am going to try to stop saying it as much as I have. 

Friday, December 17, 2010

State of Mind

I found myself in a tight situation.  I was sweating, unsure of what to do.  Time was running out and the bomb threatened to blow up the entire building.  I woke up.  The clock read six-forty A.M.  Only a dream I thought.  Except it reflected last nights reading.  I took Chief Bromdens place.  I jumped into the shower trying to remember the dream before it slippled from the vastness of my half-concious state of mind.  Wierd, I thought.  But then again I remembered that I had read last nights reading right before bed, the freshness of it still in mind mind as I went off to sleep.  The end of the book rattled me a bit.  I did not quite expect for it to turn out the way that it did.  It had nothing to do with the fact that Billy died, or the Big Nurse, or even the party.  The dream must have reflected my unsettled thoughts on McMurphy's death.  I admit I resented Bromden for killing McMurphy but I understand the motive behind it.  He wanted to free McMurphy from the life of a vegetable and  thwart the nurses' final attempt in regaining her power.  Yes, that part made sense; but why then, did it still bother me?  It must have had to do with tthe way he thrashed around before he died, and the emptiness of everything after his life departed from his body.  It did not seem right to me that they could give him a labotomy for his behavioral problems.  The prisons take care of that.  But then again, he must have known what he was in for when he attempted to kill the Big Nurse.  Still, it felt unsettling.  However, I dismissed it largely pushing it to the back of my mind, surprsied that the end of the book affected me so much.  I turned of the water and got out of the shower, letting it linger in my mind for a little longer, until my complete state of conciousness took over my drowsy state of mind.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

That One Guy

I personally thought that the sub we had in class on Friday proved especially odd.  I walked into the room and the lights were on, and I did not at all like this change in scenery.  I did not like his mannerisms either: the way he walked, carried himself, spoke, you could tell he was kind of cocky (I guess I am just a hard person to please as well).  When Alex and Thomas said that he resembled Dwight from "The Office" he responded, "Oh, I get that a lot," and then preceded to quote the office.  However, I do not really think that being compared to Dwight serves as much of a compliment.  Similarly, I heard that he also asked the other class the definition of situational irony.  This especially surprised me.  I cannot really believe that he has gone through college and high school without knowing basic literary knowledge.  Although I guess this does not surprise me that much, for when he subbed Spanish for a little bit I heard that he remarked, "Oh, calculus? I was never very good at that.  I had to take it several times in college."  It also annoyed me that during the discussion, he talked more than everyone else.  Asking people to explain the most basic things and interrupting the discussion after each person talked.  The way he acted as if he had read the book held as somewhat of a nuisance as well, but really he had only read a chapter or two in words class.  Similarly, I heard he proved as an inefficient teacher in that class as well.  I do not really know what prompted this person to want to sub classes, but I do hope that he does not ever hold a teaching position based on what I have seen from him so far.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Yum Bacon

Today I went home and I ate a pound of bacon.  You might be asking what at all this has to do with English class.  Well, they do not really share a common relation, except for the way I analyzed the bacon, incorporating AP English  into my life.  First I attempted how to figure out how to open the package, opening the plastic part proved a lot harder than I thought.  I then realized that I should just cut it open with a knife, clearly indirectly characterizing my keen wit and creative genius, or my simple brutality, of course.  Also, I think most can agree that bacon, serves as a man's food (just kidding but not really only sort of?) and therefore acts a synecdoche for manliness.  Therefore that indirectly characterizes my actions of cooking bacon as manly, thus making me more of a man.  Similarly, I cooked the bacon to perfection, even Rory agreed, which creates ethos for my outstanding abilities as a culinary force in the kitchen.  Also, as I was getting rid of the grease I burned myself, letting off a string of vulgar obscenities.  My mom asked me if I was ok.  All I could think of was, wow pathos (sympathy) and no I am in a lot of pain.  Later, as I headed back from the gym I realized that it had not proved the best idea to eat a pound of bacon and then immediately go workout.  This serves to indirectly characterize my rash judgment, which I found myself contemplating and regretting on my way home.  But, do I regret it? No, not at all.  My arteries might, but I feel fine now, and bacon tastes so good.  Too good to give up.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

I Disagree

Most of the times in class discussions, I find that many people talk aimlessly just for the sake of talking, just to get those discussion points.  I mean lets be honest, we have all done it, myself included.  Sometimes I walk out of the room at the end of the period and think, wow what happened today in that class? I feel almost as if some discussions end up having no point at all.  Everyone just tries to get their two-cents in.  Every couple times a class someone will bring up a really good point, or someone will ask a question (I know this has happened to me) and the next person to talk will completely ignore them just to say something off topic, something that seems a little pointless to what someone had just talked about, only to get those discussion points in.  Sometimes when I feel as though this has happened excessively, or just for my own entertainment, I will randomly look at everyone in the class and think about who I want to argue with on that given day.  Usually the people who get talked more get picked more, or those who I hold a secret grudge against (just kidding).  But there really exists no pattern as to which how I choose people. Sometimes I just find so much entertainment in arguing with others and watching that stunned look on their faces.  Sometimes I will even get loud and boisterous for effect as well.  I am actually surprised more people do not do this, even now that some people have known that I have done this arguing thing for a while.  I urge people to give arguing a try, as it would make for a much more entertaining class.  (Also, as if one could not tell, the fact that I tend to argue a lot holds as the main theme of my blog)

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Bobbie Jo "Rambo" Serensky

Alex Kreger and I had a casual chat about last nights homework, the information on healthcare, the author and insanity, commenting (jokingly of course) that after an in class essay we should have at least gotten a break from the grueling and tedius amount of homework we do each night.  Finally, I said that's it, I'm pissed that we had to do this, and it was past my bedtime so it makes sense that I was acting in a higly unreasonable manner.  I told him that I would confront Ms. Serensky tomorrow and that I would bring a trident in to class that we would (as Carolyn might say) have an epic duel.  I am not serious about this, and I did not bring in a trident, and only brought in the paper I worked on.  However, I caught myself wondering how this might go down.  Alex mentioned that Ms. Serensky of course has a gun under her desk or something and would just pull it out and shoot me and go on teaching like nothing happened.  Although, I thought that she would accept my challenge to duel, I'm sure she would not want to sit there while someone threatend her with a trident in her face.  The duel would commence on her terms, after school in the junior lot, she would show up on a horse in a suit of armor, an uzi in one hand and a battle-axe in the other with two double barrel shotguns on her back. And I would only have my trident.  She would get of her horse and I would find myself ducking behind cars as she shot at me.  Luckily, I cannot see Ms. Serensky as that good of  a shot (no offense) and we would duel, trident to battle-axe.  Eventually, my trident would snap and I would fall to the ground.  She stands over me, flourishing her axe, and after cutting off my arms and legs, she lectures me about English, for two hours and forces me to write an essay (somehow, maybe ill put the pen in my mouth), and then she kills me (battle axe to the head).  For whatever reason, I just cannot see myself winning against her, or killing her in general, she actually has a fairly kind heart (no sarcasm, I swear), and if I killed her I would never hear anymore "Dear diary" entries.  I do not really know why I thought about this, but it did entertain me.