Self-Reflective Essay

When I read a piece of writing, particularly some of the blogs in class, I notice the disjointedness of some people’s writing. Many posts do not contain that flow of relating ideas which keep the audience moving through the paper. By the first paragraph, I’ll simply stop reading and move on to a different post. Writing in which people rant and rave about random topics with no apparent reasoning just doesn’t appeal to me unless the writer is someone I know well. If I write something I know others will be reading, I want it to be well thought out, connected, and make some kind of point.

When I first started writing papers for class back in elementary school I always had to spend a lot of time making my papers read well. I expect perfection of myself and want to write effectively even though I don’t like to write. Writing classes in high school required me to make my writing flow by requiring transition sentences from paragraph to paragraph. Though not so obvious, I still do this automatically when I write. For example, the last couple sentences of a paragraph in my Video Breeding Ground post writes, “My boss at Riverside Mortgage uses ‘You Tube’ to keep in contact with other colleagues she works with; so this site is not just for those having fun, but for the business world as well.” The following sentence in the next paragraph connects well saying, “Those in business don’t necessarily have to be in a 9:00 to 5:00 job, however.” While the paragraphs flow together, the story also moves on to the next scene.

But the connection also deals with syntax along with transitions. If the grammar wording doesn’t make sense to the reader, it is harder for them to understand the purpose of that specific point. This is where I like to have other people’s opinions, including teacher’s and peers. The way I work a sentence may be perfectly clear to me but be confusing for anyone else. Occasionally I can overlook some syntactical awkwardness, like in my Observational Essay post, “Whistling an unrecognizable tune, Jorge, or abuelo (grandpa) Jorge as Joe liked to call him, stomped through the hallway toward us carrying more 12”x12” tiles fitted in a box.” I don’t explain the first part well which made it a little confusing to read. Through this class, I improved in writing more coherently and upgraded my word choice, like in my Reflective Essay when I describe myself at a piano recital, “Swinging my sandaled feet that barely touched the gray carpet, I tried to replay the first notes in by head and imagined by small fingers on the white keys.” This was much clearer to read and gave good imagery.

A good essay also requires strong cohesive language that represents the purpose in a captivating way. This is especially hard to do at the end of a paper, but also where it is most critical. Many people, myself included, can compose a great introduction and body, but fall short on summing up the purpose and why it is important. My third post in particular ended very flat and could have had more about the impact of the topic. The last two sentences say, “The viewers also contribute to his communication by posting comments and critiques with an intimacy not available with T.V. or movies. Overall, every voice can be heard with a view or a post.” This contrasted greatly with the conclusion of my most previous rhetorical analysis essay. The last sentences summarize the purpose and the “so what” question in an interesting way which gives a full sense of completion. In the last two sentences I conclude, “Gamers may have been the specific target audience, but its attention grabbing introduction in conjunction with an up beat argument beckons the audience to try its product because of its overall theme. Coke has produced another feel good message that broadcasts their product as the quintessential ingredient to creating the ideal society.” I expect a good conclusion of others and myself because it completes the paper and reminds the reader of the points focused on and its importance.

Altogether I think a solid piece of writing needs to have an introduction, body and conclusion, but what makes people want to read is the content. I like to do fun and interesting introductions that relate well to my specific audience and good supporting examples for the separate points. Colorful imagery and description intertwined throughout really can turn a monotone paper into one that at least won’t put the audience to sleep. This class has given me the opportunity to practice this method and improve my writing as a whole.

Coke Defaces GTA

A cute little polar bear sits in the middle of a pristine white glacier, holding a glass bottled Coca-Cola while sea lions play with a ball in the icy Arctic Ocean. These popular icons have made many appearances in Coca-Cola commercials for several years and characterize the company’s image it wishes to portray. Most of their commercials have been based on the harmonious feel-good themes that make people want to buy their products. Though the polar bear commercials do not deal with one certain aspect of a culture, many of their commercials do including a recent one based on the controversial but popular video game called Grand Theft Auto. Coca-Cola speaks to its gamer audience by incorporating the perfect society as its slogan, “The Coke side of life”, through the abstract idiosyncrasies of this video game.

Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is known for the freedom in playing and its controversial content. The general storyline is about a criminal rising in power by committing all sorts of crimes and completing missions. While those who play the game love it, there have been many who oppose its violent and explicit content. The entertainment industry has continued increasing the violence in movies, T.V., video games, and computer games. Cynthia Carter and C. Kay Weaver say in their book Violence and the Media:

Growing public concerns around the increasingly violent names of computer games grew in the 1990s, arguably culminating in 1999 when a number of journalists writing about the high school massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado noted how one of the shooters, Eric Harris, ‘reconfigured a violent video game called Doom, possibly as a dry run for the deadly shootings’ (Hubbard 1999). (140-1)

While GTA is rated Mature, children will play them anyway, causing violence as the aftermath. Coke’s commercial begins with a hostile car chase, but when the driver steps out of the car and drinks a coke from the convenience store, he starts giving people money and helps out many citizens in the town while a street performer plays a theme song in the back ground.

The song, “Give a little love and it’ll all come back to you. You’re gonna be remembered for the things that you say and do.”, outlines its strategy of cause and effect. Once the gangster drank a Coke, he and everyone around him became kinder people. By giving a homeless guy a coat, he will be less needy. By catching a delivery man’s packages, they can be safely delivered and will save the delivery man some grief. The old woman now has her purse back and won’t have to get new credit cards, ID’s, etc… The gangster undoes all the crimes like stealing and assault that could have occurred in the video game. In return, he doesn’t just recover his girlfriend but gains the respect of the whole town.

This illustrates how Coke and its company can impact people’s lives for good. The dooms day prophets’ slogan, “THE END IS NEAR”, is changed to a positive slogan, “GIVE A LITTLE LOVE”, and even the unlikely pairing of Harley riders and cops has camaraderie. It also counters some of the bad and detrimental content in the American media. But in a larger sense, if we drink Coke, the nation will come together in unity where everyone looks out for each other and has a good time. At the ending scene, the town looks like a circus with the trapeze of vehicles and people. And as with any kind of show or production, compromise and team work is required for a good performance and sense of accomplishment. It strips away racial barriers, stereotypes of people like preps, cops, and bikers, and sets them equal as it says in the Declaration of Independence.

Coke’s commercial is using a parody of GTA to boost its own character and demonstrate how people are supposed to act. The beginning of the commercial acts out exactly like the video game with a car zooming through traffic and running things over, but when the driver steps out of the car and drinks a Coke, he instantly changes attitudes from raging gang member to caring citizen while still in the game animation. Coke plays on the violent nature of the video game by creating a character that acts exactly opposite of how he would act in the real game. Instead of hurting and stealing from innocent bystanders to get ahead, he helps them in a cool and caring manner, becoming the winner by making the most friends. This promotes Coke as a good role model by demonstrating its model way of life (from the slogan), and provides a reason to buy their product.

This theme, “Give a little love”, is mostly demonstrated by actions that take place, but the logic of the street performer’s song and the dooms day prophets’ changed signs help the point as well. The sound and action are just emphasizing each other as it leads to the last visual of the Coke logo and slogan on a giant video screen.

The kindness this main character shows to all kinds of people in the city appeals to the audience's pathos. Most people usually get a good feeling when they see kindness and help being shown to others. After the guy exits the convenience store, he gives a preppy boy a Coke, a street performer money, puts out a trash can fire, and saves an old lady's purse. All the people he helps in the city are different. They include older citizens, kids, black, white, cops, and gangsters. At the end of the commercial all these diverse people come together to celebrate their unity through Coke. So Coke aims the commercial both at the video gamers and people of all kinds and places.

While incorporating the popular culture of today, the whole commercial promotes a sense of reform back to American heritage. This is “The Coke side of life”; where people concentrate on doing good things for others, no matter who they are, in order to build a better society. Gamers may have been the specific target audience, but its attention grabbing introduction in conjunction with an upbeat argument beckons the audience to try its product because of its overall theme. Coke has produced another feel good message that broadcasts their product as the quintessential ingredient to creating the ideal society.

Works Cited

Carter, Cynthia and, C. Kay Weaver.Violence and the Media. Buckingham:
OpenUniversityPress, 2003.

A Timeless Movie

One of my all time favorite movies is the Princess Bride. For those who haven’t seen it, the basic plot is about a medieval girl whose love dies, resurrects, and eventually saves her from the evil Prince Humperdinck. It has absolutely everything you could want in a movie and relates to all kinds of audiences. It has the chick flick factor for all those romantic girls who love a good romance. Buttercup is beautiful and Westley is a handsome man. “As you wish.” It has the action for those guy hormones; the sword fight with Inigo and brute strength wrestling with Fezzik. The plot twists are great. Who would have thought up someone to be “mostly dead.” Not only are there the serious, “fire swamps” and “pit of despair”, parts with damsels in distress, but the comedy is what makes me watch this movie over again. The stupid jokes I find hilarious and the characters, like Vizzini are funny without even trying (as I found in the Bonus Features).

But what is so good about the movie is that it is both entertaining and completely appropriate for all ages to watch. It’s not filled with innuendos like so many kids movies seem to be now. The action isn’t overly violent but still exciting enough. It also gives a part to someone atypical like Fezzik the giant, and shows people who are different are still like anyone else. Finally, even in our digitized world, I still often prefer this simple and dated film. It doesn’t have many parts that would make it inconceivable to graphics now. Even the parts that do show its age, to me make it even funnier. I would fully recommend this to anyone and enjoy.

The End

Coming into any writing class is very painful for me, but as it was required, I could not help it. Coming from a school where I’ve done papers for almost every class I have taken, I thought what else is there for me to learn? I had done both twelve pages research papers, compare contrast papers and analysis papers. One thing I’d never done was a blog. In fact, starting our postings I thought I had to do it in an impersonal way, not referring to myself at all. Later, I realized that our Prof. wasn’t actually going to be grading on content and that made it so much easier. Now, I still don’t like doing everything online and I find it a big hassle for the most part because for one of my posts, I tried to make everything the same font but couldn’t get it to work, and thus I got points deducted. If I could have just turned it in by paper, this wouldn’t have happened. But being able to enter hyper links and videos, and format how we like is a pretty cool feature, as is being able to read other people’s posts. The in-class portion, however, was to me a more painful experience with the awkward pauses and questions that no one could really answer, I suppose this happens in most small classes but that doesn’t mean it is any less annoying. But on the whole, the class hasn’t been that bad and I’ve enjoyed reading the other posts. Have a great summer everyone and God Bless You!

An Ancient yet Current Worldview

Romans 5:2b-4 : Rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

I don't think anyone is actually happy about crises or bad things that happen in their life. I know I'm not. But what I've had a lot of people say is that if those bad things had never happened to them, they would never have experienced the good things that have happened. The trials we face make us into better people and more complex people. What could be the worst thing at a point in your life could end up changing your life in a positive way. In my short 18 years, God has blessed me so much with my family and living in this country, but I know the really hard times are still to come. When I don't think I can handle a decision or crisis, I know he will be there to guide me through. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28,"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest"(NIV). So many people wonder why bad things happen to good people, but I believe that humans are fallen and sinful first of all. Second, for those trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, God wishes to make them stronger and grow closer to him, like the Romans verse I started with. If you're still reading, thank you, and I just want to say that my faith is not blind, but based on the Bible, the historically accurate and inspired Word of God.

Piano Lesson

It Figers

Six sheep, four with their heads up, stand amid scraggly green grass. Three of the sheep look alertly to the left, one stares straight out of the photo, and only the rears of the right two can be seen. Behind them, an old scraped white-washed fence pens them in. Splayed fully in the background is an American flag. Only a tree to the left of it keeps the flag from being the entire background. It is slightly wrinkled, perhaps from a breeze, but it is mostly pulled taut. The bottom front right corner sports the red, white and blue Tommy Hilfiger logo with a phrase below it saying "follow the flock."

Essentially, I think this ad was originally trying to use the classification rhetorical strategy. Tommy Hilfiger is using the flag to broaden their allure to the American audience and not simply an age category. The sheep also add an appeal to animal lovers to those who are suckers for a cute looking animal with an old time flare (by including the fence). This strategy uses both the pathos and ethos appeal. The audience is supposed to feel some type of patriotic feeling, with the historical country background of the fence and sheep. The ads also looks to emote feeling by just having the sheep, for those animal lovers. Another dimension to this ad is Hilfiger aims to boost their character by not showing clothes but their patriotism. In essence they are saying their an American company for the American people.

The little words added to their logo, however, change the message entirely, creating a parody. "Follow the flock" is a phrase meant to back Tommy Hilfiger, implying that the stupid sheep in the ad are the American people (or those that buy their clothes). Instead of a pro American ad, Hilfiger is characterized as a manipulative company herding their patrons wherever they choose to lead them. Americans are thus gullible consumers and will follow an one who will lead, just like the brainless sheep.

Where are the Jeans?

In this ad for Calvin Klein Jeans, the attention is first focused on the woman sitting in the black car to the left. Her bare legs rest outside of the car, and her bare arms drape around the steering wheel and driver's seat. The yellow tank top saying "Calvin Klein Jeans" she's wearing is the focal point. The jean shorts she's wearing can barely be seen. A few accessories highlight the outfit including her rainbow colored bracelet, silver necklace and studded white belt. The next frame shows Calvin Klein Jeans logo superimposed over the empty black car.

The sex appeal used here is a little more subtle than ads with scantily clad women. It's used mostly by the shortness of her shorts and her thin body. Essentially, instead of seeing the jean shorts, her legs are more prominent, making a female audience think that by wearing those shorts her logs will also look that good. I think this is actually a very effective ad because it doesn't reveal too much, yet it also sells the product. Another view would be for guys. She's sitting in a nice looking car which would also attract the male audience into buying into the ad. They may suggest a girl by those shorts as well.

Using the pathos tactic of over-sentimentalization, the ad also enhances its appeal. This ad is supposed to be for Calvin Klein Jeans, however, only a fragment of the model's jean shorts can be seen. They are covered up by her legs, and the fact that she is sitting down. The purpose is for people to want the jeans because of hew the model looks and not because of what her shorts look like.. Besides the logos, the audience wouldn't know what product the ad was trying to sell. But overall, the ad seems effective because of its sex appeal.

Triple Step

The first thing to notice about the picture is that it's a black and white photograph. The people in the picture are probably real. Having black and white takes away the busyness of color and makes you focus on what's happening in the picture and other aspects of the picture. The light plays a very important part in this picture. It highlights or focuses on the man in the picture and moves the woman to an after thought even though she is a larger part of the picture. The light also reveals the movement going on. The black couple is dancing, not posing. It's a live action photo that captures the moment. It's interesting where the photo was taken. the view of the photo is angled upward so a lot of the ceiling is captured where the light beams out in almost a circle. And the woman is a large part of the right side, but the focus is on the man which takes up a smaller portion of the left side of the photo. The man also seems to be doing more the dancing than the woman in this particular shot. And it may be important to notice it's a black couple. By all this, the photographer is probably trying to show how fun dancing is , as the man's face looks really happy. He doesn't look like he's doing anything complicated and the blurry shot makes his moves look easier. Just the act of dancing could make you happy, particularly for black people and those who aren't professionals.

A Step Forward

My initial impression of this picture was that it is from another era. It wasn't just the black and white, but the way the male dancer was dressed and how many people in the audience were dressed. In present times, many of the people would be wearing ball gowns to these type of events or at least more fancy than what I see. The dancer's would also have more flashy attire. I think this because it looks like a dance competition. The one couple performs on the dance floor while the judges are off to the side critiquing them. I love to watch dancing shows and the competitions on PBS. This picture definitely looks older than the shows today. Another point is that this picture looks like a live action photograph. Both the man and woman dancing looks a little blurry in parts. The man's legs don't even look solid and the woman's arm are also blurred. Since it is not all that focused. The picture in general just makes me feel happy. The man is smiling and looking like he's having fun. Is that's the Twist he's doing? Even though I wasn't born in this era it makes me feel like remembering fun times I had as a child when I danced through the house to 50's and 60's music on the cassettes and turntable. This ballroom kind of dancing is coming back though, especially with all the shows on T.V.

A Step Back

Curved streams of light beams down from bulbs on the very high ceiling of a ballroom in this black and white photograph. A black couple dances in the spotlight though the woman is much bigger and more blurry than the male dancing partner. She is wearing a dark halter dress and up swept hair.The gray scale hues make the woman a shadow almost in the foreground, but her partner is clearly seen in the mid ground. Light reflects off his slicked back black hair and suit shoulder pads as he dances to the left of his partner. His mustache covered mouth is opened wide with a wide smile showing his teeth. The white crisp shirt contrasts with his tie and suit coat. His legs are bent as he dances on his toes, but they are extremely blurry, like the woman's hands. Beneath his feet and short black shadow splays on the otherwise completely white light splashed floor. The audience watches the couple dancing from the background. It looks like they are observing in two different levels. Directly to the man's left, on the dance floor level, a blond haired girl, with the only light colored shirt noticeable among the women in the audience, watches the dancing, though I can't tell if she's seated or standing. Above her are a couple of men in suits, white shirts and ties. A white sign above the men and behind the dancing man's head clearly says, "CESAR" but the rest is too blurry to make out. To the right of the woman, a man in the floor level of the audience is bending over. Above and behind him more people stand facing the dancing couple.

Reflective Essay: Living Scared

It was my turn next. Though ten other beginners had to perform before me, I was forced to sit in the cushioned straight back chair and listen to them all. Thoughts about my piece, a simplified version of The Entertainer, whirled through my head as I stared down at the Piano Recital program. Swinging my sandaled feet that barely touched the gray carpet, I tried to replay the first notes in my head and imagined my small fingers on the white keys. Instead, a dark void blanketed my memory. As if my heart hadn’t been pounding hard enough, it now reverberated through my chest and up to my ears. Panic set in just as the five year old Asian boy in his pressed white collared shirt finished his final cadence and bowed at the audience’s applause. At my name being called, I slipped off the chair and walked stiffly, almost detached, to the piano and sat on the bench. For the twentieth time I wiped sweaty, shaking hands along my plain black skirt, then raised them above the keyboard. The piece started fine, at least the first four measures. The black void returned, and all I could do was return to my seat, humiliated.

Even at a young age, the plague of a tight stomach, wet palms, and runaway heartbeat accompanied all of my attempts at performance. Never could I perform as well as I practiced. This became the standard for every piece I played. Learn the notes. Practice it so much it’s memorized, and then botch it when playing for a crowd. An obvious answer would be stage fright; being scared of what others think and afraid of screwing up. This is certainly a major cause of not doing the best possible. Nerves overcome the body and cause shaking and slippery hands. The fingers can’t hit the correct key. Three keys are played instead of one, and it throws off your focus so that you forget what comes next.

The problem is that I know I can play better, but the audience watching me doesn’t. Often times people’s fears come through in strange situations, and others don’t know how to react to them. Many end up thinking you are stupid or less intelligent than you are. They give you strange looks of pity and frustration when in reality, expressing yourself is the problem, not your brain. This is why I usually avoid people’s eyes when I make mistakes during a performance or become flustered in front of a crowd.


My nervousness in playing piano bled through into public speaking. Years later, in my ninth grade Speech class the same symptoms would haunt me the whole morning leading up my speech. The clenched innards, soaked palms and racing blood would prelude to forgetting the entire speech. But this time I was graded on my performance, so going back to my seat unfinished was not an option. Standing in front of the fifteen other classmates staring at me and at their desks, I looked in the corner of the room until any words came to my mind. Eventually finishing my speech, the only good comment by my teacher could make was “nice recovery.”

Unfortunately, these feeling were not isolated to particular instances where I was in the spotlight. Many fears are shown in specific only specific occasions like in front of huge crowds, but fears often enter into life at the most inopportune times. Throughout high school, they spilled over to daily activities like ordering food at restaurants and paying for my purchases at stores. My first time paying at Barnes & Noble I got change out of my purse and tried counting it out to give to the cashier, but I blanked out and had forgotten how to count. I floundered around until finally asking the cashier (who was looking at me strangely) to count the change for me. It wasn’t as if I was stupid. Math was actually one of my better subjects in high school, but the pressure I put myself under made me unable to function in this every day situation. And though many people share my fear of public speaking and performing in front of peers, the every day nerves may perhaps only apply to some like myself. While society is required to make it easier for the physically handicapped or disabled, the individual is left to cope with his internal short comings, such as phobias, by himself. Acute nervousness can’t be truly cured by medicine unlike common ailments. This makes me think that this may be some kind of a phobia. There may be a name for it somewhere, though I don’t know what. To give an extreme example, the movie “What About Bob?” characterizes a man, Bob, who won’t touch door knobs, who carries Kleenex with him everywhere, and who is scared of absolutely everything.

Many people never get over their fears whether it’s tangible or not, like the common arachnophobia and claustrophobia. But some fears experienced enough times often causes the fear to lessen, if not disappear altogether. At a Vietnamese restaurant with my older sister about four years ago, I decided to try and conquer my fear of attention by ordering for the both of us. The Asian waiter wearing a white collared shirt came by to take the order, and I was fully prepared to give him answer. My same symptoms came up, and to say the least my attempt failed. My sister ended up ordering for us, but the important step of facing that fear still brought me closer to overcoming it.

As the years go by, the symptoms keep diminishing though they never go away completely. This nervousness is a part of me that may always be there, but I will never stop facing it, especially as it’s unavoidable. The occupation I am pursuing, piano performance, brings out the irony of my situation. At one point I thought I could never get over my fear and would never be able to perform well in front of others. I have obviously been changing and with experience as well as new approaches to it, I can gain confidence in my ability. Last summer, I entered a piano competition expecting to play far below my level. I was pleasantly surprised to find that as I started my Bach in front of the judges, I was able play my best despite the rise of my nerves.

Steamboat Haven

A three hour drive west of Denver, depending on the traffic, lives the beautiful mountain town of Steamboat Springs. Ever since I was born, my family has vacationed in or near Steamboat Springs at all times of year. Unlike many ski towns, Steamboat has numerous activities to do besides winter sports.


Since Steamboat lies in the large Yampa Valley, it had room to spread out and become a full functioning city with the benefits of the surrounding Rocky Mountains. Yes, you can go skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, etc..., but it has beautiful hiking and biking trails around the Flat Tops, the back country, and practically in their backyard. Still Water is one of the specific spots my family has frequented. In the summer, the red paintbrush and other flowers in all colors of the rainbow splash the hillsides along the trails. A roaring crystal clear stream dodges through pine trees and over massive boulders spraying my pant legs. Every so often, actually about every minute, I needed to swat away swarms of mosquitoes. We would finish a day with fishing at the reservoir, and if we were lucky, have caught a few Brooke Trout to fry for dinner back at the cabin. But the best thing was feeling close to God through his creation and the peace it brought.

The other place in Steamboat that sticks in my mind is the Strawberry Park Hot Springs. After driving past Strawberry Park and a steep drive up a mountain, we parked and made the small journey down toward the natural wonder. A natural spa, the spring provides three pools from 104 degrees F to 150 degrees F in an intimate and secluded area. The experience is definitely worth the $10.00 entry fee.

Though the Hot Spring is a luxury, so many other activities can be enjoyed for free. These were just a couple activities I've enjoyed and continue to enjoy in Steamboat Springs and I recommend a trip up there for to anyone. It's truly a beautiful place to visit.

The Shadow

Nick Blue runs quickly from a mob of bullies late Friday afternoon. His quick legs carry him far from his predators as he runs along the graffiti tagged concrete walls. He doesn’t know that his chasers have now dropped off, but what scared them were not Nick’s quick legs. The lowering sun has cast a sinister shadow behind him. Four times as large as Blue, the shadow’s pointy ears and teeth relate to Nick’s scared reaction and hidden feelings deep inside himself. The bottle and cigarette his shadow carries show the taunting he undergoes daily, and the struggle to refuse every time.

This shadow is what scares the bullies away, this alter character inside Blue that wants to come out, but is kept at bay by his running away. The grayscale coloration also enhances the aura of the dark and light battling against each other amidst the grays of life. But the lurking shadow is the center and focal point, not Nick. Its sheer size, devilish look and contrasting pure ebony color blares out of the photo. At the same time, Nick is feeling this shadow lurking over him, urging him to turn around and give in, for he is a force to be reckoned with.

Even in the brightness of day, the darkness still abides in the shadows waiting for night to fall. Nick is never free of the burden and must carry his shadow with him till he finds a way to leave it on someone else, someone without a shadow that will take it off his back.

Why Not Art?

“We make money not art” is the sarcastic title to a blog written primarily by Regime Debatty, a European involved with art. At first glance, this title made me think that this blog was focused on business or some other field that deals with money. My second glance disproved my first assumption and gave me a new impression. The writer, Regime, must have a sense of humor to have named the title what she did, and she must really love art. But looking at her profile from the About Us tab, I saw that a couple others contribute to the blog of articles and interactive links.

In some of the blogs, which occasionally seem more like article to me, I have noticed the subject matter is not based on a person’s day or even random topics put in here or there. The
focal point is artwork of all kinds, like paintings, pictures, and sculptures. But the artwork also extends to other genres and medium. The blog titled “Interview with Angelo Vermeulen” is an interview, obviously, with a video game designer. It focuses on the artistic point of view for how rooms and towns should be viewed, where to work in the 3D aspects, etc… Other entries consist of one or two pictures, usually very unusual and eye-catching, and a caption. An interesting one is of two models wearing strange, furry animal masks in “Next winter you won’t see me without.”

All these artistic blogs can be accessed or found in the hot pink search bar containing the site’s title. Like our blogs, this one exhibits a two column format with the entries on the left side and links in addition to various other items on the right side. The entries contain a vast amount of pictures, with would be characteristic of an artsy blog, and many internal links to relating information and sites. The tabs at the beginning have the typical date and author, but it also has a button for the category that the entry would be classified as. Also, the blog uses a light, textured background with dark colored text for good readability.

The right side contains a conglomerate of items. A link is connected to the profile instead of having a picture up front. An add for new sponsors and add by Google hanging along the right side. Other small, mini sections include “Latest Interviews”, “Coverage”, “From the Cellar” (old blogs), and other random links that don’t have a title. Finally, the “Categories” section consists of all the different subjects that the blogs fit into.

My blog is quite different in many aspects. Besides pictures in the entries, a centered blog and profile section, nothing else is there. But I think that a plain, clean-cut look is refreshing since we are bombarded with all types of advertisements daily. The entries are what people want to see, at least for my blog, and that’s what they get, nothing extra. However, a few additions could be made. Links to the top would be useful as well as a Share button. I think the only other thing I would add are some links to sites that I like and want others to enjoy as well.

Observational Essay: Tiling Through History

A block away from the intersection of Auraria Pkwy and Speer Blvd. stands a historical six story building dating back to the 1920’s. Though once a warehouse, it now contains residential lofts in its upper floors, and after its final restoration, the bottom floor will hold luxury offices. It’s now 7:00 a.m. and the construction inside has slowly begun for the day.

“The important thing is to wear rubber globes when dealing with the mud or else the moisture will be sucked out of your hands and won’t come off for a week,” said Joe, one of the workers showing me the details of laying tile inside the future break room. I noticed clumpy, white mud-stained jeans hanging off his thin frame. He looked to be around twenty years old with dark stubble, a little shorter than his hair, filling in around his face. Laying tile is a lot more complicated than simply slapping tiles in some mud on the ground. This was an art, or so he said. It all begins with the look you want. This particular construction site would be high class, and no cheap tile could be laid in a fancy business loft. That’s why they chose travertine, an expensive, half in thick stone tile with a marbled cream color that felt rough and porous to my fingers. “The more expensive they are, the easier they can break,” Joe said to me, “and also the harder to lay.” His young brow wrinkled in concentration as he surveyed the slope of the floor and angles of the walls where the final tiles would lay running up to the ragged carpet covered hard wood floors. Only the early morning glare from a couple of nearby windows lit the smallish, rectangular room. It wasn’t dark enough for the make-shift work lamp hanging from the ceiling pipes to be plugged in.

Cross-legged on the floor, I turned my attention back on Joe, who was rising up off his knees. From his mouth came a strange sound like he was calling to someone, “Jooorgeee.” I heard a return call just barely over the Spanish music playing from the mud splattered boom box beneath the window. Whistling an unrecognizable tune, Jorge, or abuelo (grandpa) Jorge as Joe liked to call him, stomped through the hallway toward us carrying more 12”x 12” tiles fitted in a box. “Hola!” he called to me as his aged brown eyes crinkled up into smile. Apparently, Jorge could speak no English, but by the waving of hands toward a bucket and a few Spanish words interspersed, I gathered Joe had run out of mud and needed to make more.

While Joe and Abuelo Jorge concoct the mud, a mixture of dry concrete and water, in a white bucket and cut the remaining tile to fit the edges, another worker tiles in the men’s bathroom. Deciding to watch him, I walked down the long hallway surrounded by unfinished offices and noticed square support beams twice the size of my waist cinched by metal clamps and long copper pipes protruding from the newly painted drywall. They must have been an original part of the building and necessary for the restoration. I could feel the air of a portable fan blowing away dust and smell wiffs of paint as I headed away from the hall and to the bathroom. A large, light skinned man with dark curly hair crouched on his heals laying smaller, 31/2 square inch travertine tiles on the wall. Little pieces of cardboard and plastic cross spacers stick between the tile, keeping them from sliding out of place. “Mornings are generally the slowest time of day, we’re all kinda asleep still, but that changes after our nine o’clock break time,” Byron shouts my way, his goatee full of white dust. “But here’s a lesson on this tile. It came from those floor tiles from where you were just at, but these have been tumbled. Not fast mind you, but slow so the edges can smooth out and dents form on the surface without breaking the tile into pieces. It gives them character.” It looked as though his short tile lesson was over, and he hunched over his work again.

But the low down on tile came from Joe as he returned to his former room. “You see, we have to clean the floor good before smoothing down the tile, and this trowel here with the prongs on two sides and flat bottom spreads the mud. The prongs form cornrows in the mud to keep the air and moisture from breaking the tile once it’s set. And there’s a secret term rarely used I’m going to share with you. It’s called surfing. When the tile too high above the others, stand gently on the tile to push it down and level. It’s still wet, so you have to be careful” said Joe.

After explaining the process to me, Byron yelled through the maze of walls and offices announcing that it was 9:00 a.m. and time for a break. Their supervisor, Mike Neary finally showed up for the day bringing his usual snacks of sprinkled cake doughnuts, milk and coffee. He stood about 6’3”, jean overalls encasing his paunch. While a couple others kept working, most workers, including myself, walked through the hallway, around the messy reception area filled with brushes and trash cans, and up the stairs to his office. Not the typical office, an unfinished bathroom stood to the right side of the stairs and a black refrigerator filled with week old leftovers to the other. Straight ahead his desk held family vacation photos and adjacent to it was his floor planning. Byron and Joe cracked jokes about how Mike spends all his time on useless drawings and claims he has to slave over them night and day. They all just laugh about it as if this happens every day.

Though it’s time for the guys to head back to work, Mike agrees to talk with me about the history and restoration of this building they’ve been working on. I’ve heard from Byron and Joe that Mike actually loves to talk about the history because he has been researching it for the past year. Sure enough, his eyes light behind his square glasses as he tells me about how this building was involved in a feud in the 20’s, and now how important it is to keep the building’s spirit among the new construction. Between the original green and white speckled brick, the protruding infrastructure, beautiful tiling and dedication, he will definitely reach his goal.

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Saved to Last

Going to school in Downtown Denver exposes students, especially those from small town, to new and historical types of buildings and atmospheres. Some might not know the historical background of this town or in particular, how the old buildings are restored and modernized to fit their new purposes. All over Downtown, restaurants and businesses show the character of their history, and my observational essay will be focusing on the new construction of a commercial loft inside a historical building, once a manufacturing plant.

While I can’t actually see the whole process of the restoration and new construction, the contractor there can give background information on what it was like and how they go about constructing the new with the old. I will be specifically watching how they lay tile and the process that goes into it. This may not sound exciting, but tile has a great history in the arts and are still great contributors to the beauty of the buildings and homes we live in from roofs to elaborate mosaic colors, ceiling, and bathrooms. Maybe I will acquire some ideas in the event that I should have to lay my own tile.

The activity related to tiling is, of course, construction. Some people have maybe volunteered for Habit for Humanity so they would have some experience in that area, but I am sure many don’t. I wish to delve into the type of work force that constructs buildings and what that environment is really like. On the scene construction workers will be working, but more is involved than just carrying out orders. Plans and decisions must be made by architects and designers who must find a balance between layout and eye appeal. Finally, these elements must join to fit the character of the building already in place. A lot of work must go in to reach a satisfactory product that will hopefully last for another historical period.

I love to learn how things work, and seeing first hand what is involved with the restoring and rebuilding process would be very interesting to me and hopefully to you, the reader. This kind of construction is different than new construction in that the infrastructure has already been built and the workers must work around it. The building I will be observing is additionally different as it is a commercial loft with residential lofts in the upper stories. To learn more about loft construction go here.

Apartments and lofts are similar in some aspects, but lofts are usually much larger, more expensive, and were originally developed from historical buildings with high ceilings. They have a certain feel and character that make them unique. I wish to learn more about the layouts and other details that distinguish the commercial and residential lofts from other historical buildings in the area, and even the history of this particular loft building.

A Dog's Opinion

Before You Tube existed, my brothers would love to try out their movie making abilities. Back then, we still had the full video cassette camcorders; its bulky and heavy handling not quite reaching the smoothness of today's digital camcorders. They loved to make spoofs on current or classic movies. The movie the Blair Witch Project became the Tunnel Rat Project. Scary movies like Jason were a given as well as the art of clay animation. Our whole family loved watching them, but I am sure other people's opinions would have been appreciated. Now, websites like You Tube exist where anyone can post videos and have others critique them. This website and others like it have created a nation/worldwide platform for the everyday citizen to contribute their opinions and beliefs.

A person's beliefs don't always have to be portrayed as something serious or religious. It can be also about what one enjoys doing, their passions and cultures to name a few. The video "Scottie Tails: My Date with Barney, the First Dog" from You Tube for example, is a comedic portrayal of Kenzie, a Scottie dog trying to set up a date with the First dog, with most of the clip occurring at his home table. While totally fictional, this video clip reveals the creator’s passion for their dog and perhaps leaning toward a political view since the date is with the First dog, George Bush’s dog in the clip.

Looking deeper into the making of the clip reveals how the message and comedy came across as it did. Being completely fictional, the clip was heavily edited. Scottie barked through the whole story with subtitles providing the translation. In certain parts Scottie was made to look as if he was typing and talking on the phone. But the fact that Scottie can’t do those things made the clip even more entertaining. Even for those who are not dog nor animal lovers this clip would be entertaining because the dog was personified as a human and relatable.

A big part in movies and clips on You Tube in general is making the impossible possible. With the editing that can be done on standard PC’s, making videos has become much easier for many people. That these videos can be posted on the web by anyone makes it a genre completely separate from T.V. or movies. Having videos made by average people provides a level relatable to others while still allowing anonymity. And these clips don’t have to be good or long, which makes it easy to share with others.

In a way, You Tube videos can be thought of as kind of communication. They are free, accessible and universal depending on the video. People are able to share their personal voice to the world or just to the few who choose to view the video. The viewers also contribute to this communication by posting comments and critiques with an intimacy not available with T.V. or movies. Overall, every voice can be heard with a view or a post.

Video Breeding Ground

Some websites on the internet have a specific audience who they are aiming their site towards. For scientific papers, only scientists in the same field would understand the paper thus that is their audience. Performer’s sites aim for their fans, and a college website speaks to students, teachers, and alumni. All have a way of talking, a jargon that only people interested in the topic would know. These sites, however, are not universal. They speak to only a select group. While these sites are needed www.youtube.com fits another mold entirely.

Like My Space and even search engines in general, You Tube is a site for people in all cultures, backgrounds and nationalities, as long as they speak English. It relates to the young, middle aged, and older generations. You Tube in for anyone who likes to see videos of all kinds, and all who enjoy making them as well. I have found music videos of Patsy Cline, Roger Whitaker, and other older singers that my mom loves, and she is in her fifties. My boss at Riverside Mortgage uses You Tube to keep in contact with other colleagues she works with. So this site is not just for those having fun, but for the business world as well.

Those in business don’t necessarily have to be in a 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. job, however. Plenty of people who display videos on You Tube are trying to showcase their talents for the minute possibility of being discovered and hired for a job. Looking through some of the videos myself, I have seen young children playing musical instruments and numerous wannabe singers. Some have actually been noticed, whether they are extremely good or extremely bad. What matters is if they can stand out. Some who stand out are actually serious about making it in the movie industry. I have heard of a few success stories, people receiving contracts. This is no surprise since the numbers of videos presently on You Tube are probably in the hundred thousands or more.

These videos are currently being produced and watched all over the world and in all time zones. Many people have events, pastimes, and lives which they want to share with the world for some odd reason, and those who have the means i.e. cameras, computer software, knowledge to so this, will. I am part of the other crowd who enjoys watching the videos but do not feel so inclined to share or spend time making them. I can’t say that it is a particular good use of my time, but for others it can be required and educational, depending on what you choose to watch.

Whatever people watch or include in the videos this site is meant to bring all kinds of people together, give opportunities, and perhaps create some change in the creator’s pockets. As so many videos exist on You Tube, it would be very hard to miss the message. People can interpret this site in any way they want as there are no particular guidelines on how to use it. It is a site for lovers of many forms of media and subjects and contains a vast amount of treasures and junk alike. I personally think some of the most viewed videos are worst, but that is for you to decide.

Form Equals Function

The internet has fostered a world wide community of people via a monitor screen. From blogs and chat rooms, to daily news and celebrity updates, a whole life can be spent at the computer. To begin a mock day in a novelist’s life, he wakes up and accesses his email to receive any updates before work. Since he works at home, he researches a topic. His internet research takes a minimal half hour because the conventions of the websites he visits have become second nature to him. He know exactly how the sites display the information he needs and where to go for the next step. The internet may be unfathomably large but it has a generic web format and a new writing style that stabalizes the system.

Every website on the internet has a similar format and conventions with each other. The popular website www.youtube.com, for example, contains the expected title and home page icon on the tip left corner of the site. What this site also has in common with other sites are a search bar to type in a topic to look up, and tabs for searching by different classifications. Like other websites, a personal account can be established where a username and password must be provided. All members or prospective members can get help for their account or on the site by the links on the top right of the screen. The message or purpose of the site is usually very obvious and grabs the onlooker’s attention. In this particular website, You Tube introduces itself by displaying a product of the site, member’s personal videos. Most websites have pictures, and You Tube is no exception. However, its pictures are especially useful since they are just still photographs of the videos. These videos can be accessed by one of the most common conventions of websites, the blue, underlined hyperlink. No unconventional items exist on this website which makes it easy to navigate and similar to other website’s formats, yet it has an inviting quality.

The internet form of writing also leads to less formal writing. Having someone’s writing published into a book or magazine requires a lot of work, talent and connections. Even when the work is published it is possible not many will read it. But with the internet, anyone can publish their writing no matter how bad it is, and possibly have a lot of people read it. This can be done in the form of a blog. Any thought, feeling, note or announcement can be posted for friends, family, and total strangers to see. This even differs from other websites in that websites generally have one theme and blogs can be totally random. Game scores and poetry could be on the same post. This structured writing format has morphed into informal, unpredictable blogs by way of the internet.

Millions around the world have attached themselves to these new styles of communication whether by websites, blogs or even just email. It has given humans a way of contacting others who were impossible before the internet. The way websites and writing have been tools to broaden people’s minds. But as to making life easier, that could be questioned, unless you want to spend a whole day in front of a screen.