In Class: Sarah Haskins videos

From Sarah Haskins's 1st video:
Claim: Guys are not going to find "hot chicks" by using "normal chick" tactics. Guys need to move their tactics up a level to what happens on TV.
- Makes women seem shallow because you have to get her everything.
- Makes men seem desperate because they'll do anything to get these "hot chicks."

Support: The support she uses is TV commercials, including Burger King, Axe, Bounce, and Febreeze.


Sarah Haskins's 2nd video:
Claim: These TV commercials make young teenagers (13 - 14 year olds) care too much about fashion and the clothes they wear to school. It also makes them grow up to quickly.

Support: TV commercials, including K-Mart, Walmart, and Ecko Shoes.

In Class: Freewrite for Topics

Walk through my life and all things I didn't want to do:
- I wish I didn't have to wake up at 7 or 7:45 (depending on when I hear my alarm)
- I wish I were allowed to have a puppy in my dorm
- I wish I had a break for lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays
- I wish prices at 1873 were lower.
- I wish gas pricies were lower.
- I wish there was more publicity about TCU's club rugby team
- I wish Froggy 5-0 was on time more often.
- I wish freshman could park wherever, instead of by the stadium in a designated freshman lot.
- I wish the showers in suites were cleaner
- I wish concert prices were cheaper, so more people on college-student-budgets could go.

Issues that have provoked disagreement:
- People driving over the speed limits
- People talking on their phones while checking out at a store. (1)
- My parents not understanding what I'm saying.
- My mom only repeating what I just said, instead of helping me to figure it out.
- Whether I should be concerned about money or not.
- My class schedule
- The Air Force shouldn't go to unmanned, Air Combat-esque aircrafts. (2)

My argument:
People talking on their phones while talking on their cell phones while checking out at a store gets annoying. It's rude to the clerk because he or she is doing you a favor and you're just ignoring whatever conversation he or she is trying to have with you. Everyone else doesn't want to hear your conversation, but by talking on your phone, we're forced to eavesdrop. Then people get frustrated by others knowing their information or details of their weekend - just because we were close to them and could hear what they said. Imagine if it were flipped and the clerk was talking on the phone while you were just waiting there to get your stuff.

The other side:
People need to get things done, and sometimes it happens at inopportune times when a person is checking out of a store. It is just a part of the culture now. Sometimes people just need to get things done. Phones are just a part of life and no one thinks anything of it anymore. We can't point fingers at people because we're all guilty of doing it at some point to some degree.

Rhetorical Blog 4: Second Amendment

Katz, Chelsea
English 10803
Ms. Amanda Irvin
3 November 2009
The Second Amendment
Everyone thinks of Texans and Southerners as being redneck hillbillies who carry around shotguns all the time. That’s not necessarily true, but then there’s only one way that people could get that perception – and that is through the second amendment. If we didn’t have the second amendment protecting our right to bear arms, no one would be legally allowed to carry any type of gun around town or keep one in their home.
A gun is the best way for a person to protect his or her personal property, whether it is their home, land, or well-being. It is an innate feeling to protect what is yours and what is important to you. However if a person breaking into your home has a gun, then whatever you have at hand to protect yourself will do nothing. The only way to stay protected against a gun is to have another gun. Without the protection of a gun, a regular person is a goner if he or she is opposed by a person with a gun. This doesn’t necessarily mean that every person with a gun has the intention of being a criminal or committing a murder.
Of course, since a good number of murders are committed within the home, not owning a gun would decrease the chances of this type of murder occurring. The cartoon strip makes a good point though. “If your [spouse] were attacking you with a handgun […] wouldn’t you want to be in a position to return the fire?” (Common Reading 13). This makes the murder issue more personal because you can put yourself into the victim’s shoes and imagine what that would be like. I personally, would be scared out of my mind if someone – especially someone I knew or that I was related to – threatened me with a gun. And in addition to that, I would definitely want a gun myself to at least have in case I couldn’t talk the gun out of my attacker’s hand.
Although a gun is a nice “safety cushion” to have just in case, it doesn’t cure all of society’s problems. Sure gun control, limiting gun usage to the military and police officers would limit the amount of guns in the country, but that would not stop the crime that has been happening. Criminals who are hell-bent to commit a crime of any kind involving a gun – like a robbery or murder – will get a gun somehow. It doesn’t matter if it is illegal to have a gun, a criminal will get one on the black market illegally. An example of what would happen is present with marijuana. It is illegal, but people still manage to get it somehow. Guns would be the same way because a supplier will undoubtedly be present for a buyer. Besides, why should criminals be afraid to illegally get a gun? They’re already committing a crime that they will get the maximum time for, so why not illegally get a gun while they’re at it.
I can understand, though, why Washington, D.C. would be the place to have a strict gun control policy since that is where a lot of crime happens. Not only is it a crime-ridden place, but it is also where some of the country’s most powerful people, such as the President and First Family and other government officials, live. That goes back to my previous point that having gun control would not stop criminals from getting a gun to commit their crime. If a worse case scenario happened where a government official or the President or a member of the First Family was shot and possibly killed, chaos would erupt throughout the nation. This is what happened when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Although there was a lot of grieving afterwards, at the time there was a lot of running around and screaming.
Along with the right to protect oneself, a person must also have a means of eating. And for some people, that means going hunting, which would entail owning a shotgun. Just think about trying to hunt for deer or boar with a bow and arrow or a slingshot – it wouldn’t work at all and would probably only make, at least the boar, angry. So this is another way that gun control would not be helpful.
The main reason for wanting to have a gun, though, is to protect oneself and property. Nothing is more important to people besides their own personal safety and their personal property. Guns and the second amendment’s guarantee of the right to bear arms is essentially what keeps this country safe and what makes this country what it today, is in contrast to other countries of the world and how the U.S. was in the past.

In Class: Freewrite on "Man in the Irony Mask"

I thought the profile on Stephen Colbert was really good. I really liked it because I have only seen "The Colbert Report" a few times and don't know that much about the man or the show. It was really interesting to read how he decided to take up his style of comedy and what shaped him as a person early in life. I'm sure I couldn't have coped as well as he did if three of my family members died in a tragic plane crash that could've been prevented. And I was impressed to read that he does almost everything in a character besides himself. And making up things in interviews made me laugh because that'd be so easy to do. I think I'll watch "The Colbert Report" more now.

I liked "Man in the Irony Mask" a little better than "Home Girl" because of the information and the subject. Colbert just seems like a more entertaining interviewee. I liked reading it more even though it was longer.

In Class: Freewrite

My favorite part about "Home Girl" was how real she was at home. Like when Hall describes her running conditioner through her daughter's hair and then describes that part of the home. It just made her seem very "normal" instead of a famous singer. I also liked that she would not make a comment about the comparison Hall makes between Badu and Beyonce. To me that showed what a good person she is to have the class to not ruin someone else's parade (so to say). When they talk about how Badu is trying to revamp her area of town, it is exactly like what's going on around my hometown.. only it's not because my town has become like New Orleans - it was just starting to get run down.

In Class: playing with pictures "Johnnie and Zeek"

I think this picture of Johnnie and Zeek is taken out of either Louisiana or New York. The way this picture looks makes me thing that they could work at the Yankee's or Mets' baseball stadium. I feel like they are both content with life judging by the way they're standing and also the hint of smiles on both of their faces. I think it's funny that Johnnie's jacket is so tight on him. It kind of makes me sad though, too, because I don't know if it's because he didn't have money to buy another suit or if he just likes that one too much to replace it after all these years and pounds. I really like Zeek's bike in the picture because it makes it feel more personal. The bag looks like it could possibly be a mail or paper bag. It just makes me feel good. Both guy's overall appearance makes me think they're both pretty awesome guys. I think this picture has a great story behind it. It reminds me of a couple of best friends who work together and live in the same town. I can imagine them grabbing a couple of instruments and sitting on the front porch of a house just jamming with their friends. This is just their usual trip back home from work. They're just two good buddies who hang together and whose families are always together. There is a mischief in Zeek's eyes that makes it seem like they're planning one of those front-porch jam sessions once they make it back home in time for dinner. The black and white hue of the pictures makes it seem old and authentic. It also gave the picture a more "homey" feel to it, and made me feel like I'd met these men before and that this was a picture a relative took of them. The more subdued colors of the picture make it less striking and simpler. The simple look makes it more relateable.

The frist thing I see about the picture is Johnnie and Zeek standing in front of this building, and as well as Zeek's bike. The clothes and the bike make me think that this picture was taken in either Louisiana or a smaller town in New York. From the way they're dressed, I think it was taken somewhere within the years between 1950 and 1970.

This picture is trying to make me feel like I have a relationship with these men. It makes me feel like I've lived down the street from them and their families for all my life. Part of what makes me feel that way is the black and white color and the smiles on their faces. The way they are posing for this makes me feel like they're just really great guys who I actually knows. At the time it was taken, I think the picture appealed to only a black audience, but I think the audience now has grown to include everyone, black and white.I think this picture of Johnnie and Zeek is taken out of either Louisiana or New York. The way this picture looks makes me thing that they could work at the Yankee's or Mets' baseball stadium. I feel like they are both content with life judging by the way they're standing and also the hint of smiles on both of their faces. I think it's funny that Johnnie's jacket is so tight on him. It kind of makes me sad though, too, because I don't know if it's because he didn't have money to buy another suit or if he just likes that one too much to replace it after all these years and pounds. I really like Zeek's bike in the picture because it makes it feel more personal. The bag looks like it could possibly be a mail or paper bag. It just makes me feel good. Both guy's overall appearance makes me think they're both pretty awesome guys. I think this picture has a great story behind it. It reminds me of a couple of best friends who work together and live in the same town. I can imagine them grabbing a couple of instruments and sitting on the front porch of a house just jamming with their friends. This is just their usual trip back home from work. They're just two good buddies who hang together and whose families are always together. There is a mischief in Zeek's eyes that makes it seem like they're planning one of those front-porch jam sessions once they make it back home in time for dinner. The black and white hue of the pictures makes it seem old and authentic. It also gave the picture a more "homey" feel to it, and made me feel like I'd met these men before and that this was a picture a relative took of them. The more subdued colors of the picture make it less striking and simpler. The simple look makes it more relateable.

The frist thing I see about the picture is Johnnie and Zeek standing in front of this building, and as well as Zeek's bike. The clothes and the bike make me think that this picture was taken in either Louisiana or a smaller town in New York. From the way they're dressed, I think it was taken somewhere within the years between 1950 and 1970.

This picture is trying to make me feel like I have a relationship with these men. It makes me feel like I've lived down the street from them and their families for all my life. Part of what makes me feel that way is the black and white color and the smiles on their faces. The way they are posing for this makes me feel like they're just really great guys who I actually knows. At the time it was taken, I think the picture appealed to only a black audience, but I think the audience now has grown to include everyone, black and white.

In Class: Freewrite Generating Ideas for Essay 3

Prompt 1: people I can't forget:

Kercheval - high school VB coach, work ethic
Mrs. Lusby - 10th grade English, both lovers of JE and teaching me to enjoy school reading
Mrs. Carroll - KII and 5th grade, brought me into school (taught me my vowels) and pushed me out of elementary school (teaching me the elements)
Mrs. Daigre - 6th and 7th grade science, and going on trips overseas
Mrs. Hall - 4th grade, tumor
Mrs. Burton - science lab, learning to enjoy animals/science
Mrs. "B"/Coach Klausmeyer - middle school VB/SB coach, work ethic and how to play

In Class: brainstorming for essay 3

Authority List and people associated with it:
knowing who sings country music songs -- people at KILT or 93Q
quoting lines from movies that I've seen multiple times -- Dad
watching A Christmas Story for as much of the 24 hours as possible -- Dad
bringing up movie references in conversations -- Dad
getting through traffic
taking pictures (especially of nature/landscapes) -- Mr. Suprean
remembering songs lyrics (especially country music and '90s music
saving money
knowing what clothes look good on me
keeping secrets
packing a suitcase -- Mom

More people/topics I could write about:
Kerch living on her farm -- Kerch
Kerch coaching with someone she's known since his junior year of high school -- Kerch and Briscoe
Frogs for Fair Trade -- Ricky Anderson
teaching math, coaching a middle school volleyball team, raising a puppy, and living with a police officer -- Jamie

The person I think might fit this essay best: Kerch

Freewrite about Kerch:
Kerch (short for Kercheval) is the varsity volleyball and softball coach at my high school. At St. Agnes Academy, she is a living legend in terms of that everyone at the school knows her and respects her. She has been coaching for God-knows how many years. She's the picture that is next to the words "hard worker" and "strive" in my brain's version of a dictionary. She never stops until she gets her teams as near to perfection as it is physically possible. However, this is not the only thing I admire about her. For as long as I can remember, she has shared her coaching title with her trusty sidekick, Briscoe. Together they are a coaching powerhouse that makes for a great team.

In Class: end of essay 2 Freewrite

I am pretty much done with the paper part of essay 2. I just need to read through it one more time and see if there are any glaring mistakes that I missed all the other times. I added some transitions last night, so that helps with my workload tonight. I have to get scans of the pages in books that I used because I just thought about that last night when I thought about turning the books back into the library. So I will see if the scanner on my printer will do it, so I don't have to leave the comfort of my room. I was ecstatic to see my grade on essay 1, so I'm hoping to do just as well with essay 2. I'm glad that I changed my topic this time, though, because I found a lot of new things about the dollar bill that I didn't know. I also learned some personal information about my grandma's friends, just by what my topic was. I also got to see different types of money throughout the world. I was surprised by the end of the essay and actually changed my opinion.

In Class: Freewrite

I woke up at 7:45 thi morning because i kept hitting "snooze" on my alarm. I think that all that matters, though, is that i got to class on time! I stayed up late last night doing the double-paned page for our sources. i basically didn't have much time to myself this weekend except for part of saturday (when i had to watch TCU beat Clemson!). I changed topics on saturday also, so i needed to go to the library, bu as I said, I didn't have much time to myself here on campus. So i never actually made it to the library (it creeps me out at night, so i didn't go last night). that's where i'll be spending a lot of time today though, because i have a few book sources that i need to look at for information. it is going to be a bad week though, because i don't think the 1st draft of this essay will come easily. it'll probably be another late night wednesday.

In Class: Essay 2 Free Write

My topic right now is concerned with how accurate the Mayan calendar with the Mayan's predictions of future events, as compared with actual events. I've always wondered about the Mayan's predictions and if they're actually true. I would also go into their acheivements in astronomy to show how that affects their predictions. I thought about this right after class on Thursday and thought it would be an interesting thing to learn about since nearly everyone has heard of their predictions (especially the apacalypse in 2012).

Research Question: How accurate is the Mayan calendar with the Mayan's predictions of future events, as compared with actual events of today?
Answer: They have an accurate calendar with 365 days in the year, but they have 13 months instead of 12. I remember hearing that they've been right about their ideas on space. Besides that, I really don't know how accurate the Mayans were/are, so I'm hoping to find that out. I'm also looking forward to reading what other people have to say to refute the so-called apacalyptic prediction.

This question is a big one in today's culture because a lot of people believe the Mayan's predictions. It would be a good thing for people to find out if these predictions are worth holding as truth and fate or if they should be disregarded as trivial thoughts of a stone-age civilization. It will be beneficial to me to find this out because I have always been interested in it. Every now and then, there has been a type of conspiracy article on Yahoo about the predictions and I find those fascinating! Although it sometimes scares me, the mysteries of previous civilizations and the unknown appeals to me.

Rhetorical Blog: "Tattoo Crazy" and "We Proudly Brew"

Chelsea Katz

Ms. Amanda Irvin

22 September 2009

English 10803 – rhetorical blog #2

Tattoos and Coffee

The essay “Tattoo Crazy” by Lori Gangi was not at all what I was expecting when I first read the title. I knew it would be dealing with tattoos, but I didn’t think it would be more than just facts and figures. The figures used were very interesting, though, because I never really thought about how many people stereotype and make generalizations based on just some ink. The background was interesting too, because I always think of tattooing as something that started around the late 19^th Century or around then – not around 3000 B.C. (25). The historical details about tattooing give it more legitimacy than I had thought. I used to think that tattoos were just a part of a recent cultural fashion trend, but knowing its background will make me think more about what a tattoo means. When I think about a time in history when tattoos were prominent and discrimination followed, I think of the Holocaust during WWII. Jews who were taken to the concentration camps were “tattooed” or “branded” with a number to identify them, and this is how the SS officers knew who was a Jew. This is an extreme example of tattooing and discrimination because of it. The meaning behind tattoos is like hearing a life story from someone, so it’s interesting to know that the author has tattoos and got them for meaning instead of on a drunk dare (26). I would be interested in knowing the meanings behind her tattoos. The fact that the author has tattoos also gives her more credibility since she knows what goes into tattoos.

Although all tattoos have meaning, the question posed is still true; if I were a parent, I would probably think twice about having a tattooed person baby-sit my kids, unless I knew the person very well (25). I can understand, though, why so many professions and employers discriminate against tattooed people, even though it is wrong to do so (26-27). Their businesses have a reputation to uphold with clients, and they don’t want to lose customers because of people’s generalized stereotyped thinking towards tattooed people. This does not make discrimination right, but it does make it understandable from a business point of view. It is good to hear that some cities, such as a few in California, are trying to stop the problem by passing laws prohibiting this sort of discrimination (27). It’s sad to think that so many qualified people are not given proper jobs because of their tattoos, which could have very special, personal meanings to the people that have them. People should be given a fair chance no matter what the circumstances. People do have the right to express themselves through most any means, including on their body, and if tattooing is the way to express themselves, then that is their decision.

I believe one reason “everybody and their mother and their goldfish” has tattoos is because they want to look and be like their favorite celebrity or sports star (28). Now that Hollywood stars, such as Angelina Jolie, are so public with their tattoos, people want to copy them, and the same applies with famous sports figures. It’s part of the society that we live in today.

In the essay “We Proudly Brew Starbucks Coffee” by Ellen Parker, there are some classic observations and some claims that Starbucks does not make public. It had some good points and information though that I really liked. I never knew that the Starbucks name was taken from the first-mate in Moby Dick (31). It makes sense, though, since the company did open its first store in Seattle and its “mascot” is a mermaid. And Ellen makes some good observations about why Starbucks does such good business; it’s the common meeting place (32). Everyone knows where a Starbucks is around them, and it has a good ambiance that supports both casual and business meetings. And as people continue to frequent a specific store, they start to form friendships with the employees and customers, thus becoming part of the “community” (31).

Starbucks has always been known as a company of good morals, so it’s interesting to hear the claims of them fighting against Ethiopia (33). They do have a press release though, that includes that Starbucks is planning on having 100% free trade coffee by the year 2012. So it seems to me that the Ethiopia incident was simply a bump in the road for the company in terms of its commitment to moral practices. Although I will agree with Ellen that the Ethiopia incident was not something you’d expect Starbucks to do. And even if they were slipping in their social justice ways, this would not detract from another point Ellen makes about it being a comforting sight (34). Even in a new place, there is usually a Starbucks a few blocks away and the same “community” everyone has grown used to. When I think of Starbucks like that, it almost seems like it’s this generation’s McDonald’s. Ellen did make a very good point that I will remember next time I get something from Starbucks: all of the stuffy businessmen and women behind that one cup.

These essays have given me a fairly good basis on how to formulate my own discovery essay. I am still a little unsure as to how I will write it, though, because neither of these essays sounded like a research paper. They were both actually really interesting and had personal details to which I could relate. From these essays I have learned to see tattoos and Starbucks in different ways. I will now think about the meanings behind people’s tattoos and try not to judge them based on their ink. I will also now always think about the people behind the Starbucks cup that made it possible for me to enjoy it, including the businesspeople and the farmers.

In Class: Anything and Everything Free Write

This morning I woke up 20 minutes late because I stayed up until 3:30 stuying for my journalism adn math tests today. I thought that Essay 1 went really well once I got a topic that was good and I could effectively write about.

And yesterday turned out to be a semi-okay day after a terrible start in that I found out that someone stole all of my Nike shorts that were in the dryer. Two other things that were in the dryer were folded on top of the washing machine, but my shorts were gone. I was so mad because it's like I just lost/they just stole $100.

But back to the tests, I'm super scared for them because they're my first tests in college. And since one is in journalism, which is my major, if I fail it, than I'll feel like a failure in journalims adn probably think abotu switching majors even though I love to write. It's all about the history of mass communication.

Adn then I have another 2 tests on Monday taht I'm just as equally scared about - especially astronomy. I'm scared for that just because it's only 6 questions long and all short-answer. And also that my astronomy teacher in high school let us use notes on teh test. Speech I'm not too scared, but we shall see.

In Class: Thoughts and Questions about Essay 1

For this first essay, I'm nervous about if my subject is good. I don't know if I have enough detail from the event to write for 5-7 pages. I know that almost all stories have that much within them, but it happened so long ago. I wonder if I will have to choose a different subject mid-way through writing on the subject I have now. It happened in kindergarten, but I remember it to this day, so I'm hoping that's a good sign. I don't think that my friend will be mad that I'm writing about herand this event. We sometimes still laugh about it when I see her. That's the first memory I have of her. Now that I keep thinking about it, I'm kind of making myself think that I will have enough material. I mean I'm still nervous for how it will turn out though. I always get nervous when writing personal essays.

And the only question I have right now is how well it will turn out and how hard it will be graded.

In Class: Random Freewrite

I went to bed at 2 o'clock last night to finish reading the journalism reading. I actually stayed awake to finish it, somehow, because I had free-trade coffee in the afternoon (3:30) at the free-trade meeting. Free-trade coffee is the best coffee because it helps teh farmers. But because of how late I stayed up, I woke up 20 minutes late this mornign. I heard my alarm and turned it off, since it did actually wake me up. But hten I turned around and set my phone alarm for 5 minutes later, and ended up not hearing/feeling that and therefore woke up 20 minutes later. I was just lucky to ahve woken up when I did, because otherwise I might have over-slept class, whcih would NOT have been a good thing. I got ready in almost-record-time. But I had my usual Pop-Tart breakfast and apple juice/water. Adn spekaing of Pop-Tarts, I need to go to Albertson's today to get more Pop-Tarts. I don't have time to go to the BLUU to get breakfast because I can't get up early enough to do so. I also need to get milk there because I'm starting to feel milk withdrawls. But I still got here pretty much on time, not quite a minute after the church bells rang 8 o'clock.

Rhetorical Blog: "Blake Stone"

“The Biography of Blake Stone” by Jeramey Kraatz is nothing what I expected. I thought it would be about a real person, such as the author’s relative or the author himself. The story is about an 11-year-old boy who joins an AOL chat room and creates an alternate version of himself to have some online fun. The reason for Jeramey Kraatz creating a perfect alter ego hits home, though, because most people at 11 years old are uncomfortable with how they are in real life. In this sense, it makes the story a little more relatable because almost every kid wants to be the real-life “Prince Charming” or “Cinderella” while in middle school. This is especially true for boys who are going through puberty and have changing voices. Going online is the simplest way for “pubescent boys” to create their perfect selves, and Kraatz just took advantage of the opportunity (Kraatz 3).

When I was first reading the description of Blake Stone, I imagined the most beautiful man. The man Kraatz created as Blake is the type of man that every girl wishes to find - he is the man of myths and dreams. The description made it so I could actually picture Blake Stone in my mind (3). Of course, I never thought that I would need to imagine this perfect man in the form of an online creation. Although it is in an online format, the ballroom seems like a beautiful, elegant place taken straight out of a modern-day fairy tale. From the gardens below to the chandelier above, the detailed descriptions make it come alive (4). As the narrative continues and the characters start talking, it makes it seem like we, as readers, are there in the chat room interacting. All of the flirting, dancing, singing, and chatting is right there for us all to read. Just by reading the conversations Blake had with these women in the chat room, I felt like I knew what they wanted, even if I don’t approve of what they were doing on a chat room geared towards kids.

Chat rooms were so prominent in the ‘90s, similar to social networking websites are now, that it doesn’t come as a surprise that an 11-year-old boy in Odessa would join one to break the monotony of middle school life (3). It’s the conversations on the chat room that make it different from most others that boys join. On this “Masquerade Ball” chat room, Kraatz found self-confidence through Blake’s online interactions with these women (4). When “CalendarGAL” kissing Blake on the cheek makes Jeramey feel better, the chat room becomes more than a way to waste time (6). At that moment, it becomes something of a therapy session for Jeramey to become comfortable with his “pudgy, changing body” because he sees Blake as the online version of himself (3). Instead of having real social interaction with his peers talking about sports, Jeramey develops self-confidence by garnering affection from these women online. Chat room interactions seem normal at the time this took place, but to Jeramey, it was like turning into another person who was confident and secure with himself and what he could do.

After reading everything about Blake Stone, I started to recognize some problems that go on every day online. The first thing I noticed was that Jeramey was in the kids’ section of AOL, which is a place that is designed to be safe for pre-teens to have well-regulated and monitored fun. The fact that he was able to jump into a chat room filled with older people who are using it as a way to find legitimate relationships contradicts it being in the kids’ area. Jeramey’s story of Blake and “CalendarGAL” is like all the stories parents warn their kids about when telling them not talk to strangers online. This type of thing happens all too often when boys and girls are online and become easy targets for older women and men to form friendships and try to translate that into actual relationships. The underlying meaning of Jeramey’s essay is about how you should never think the person online is really who they say. If nothing terrible happens, such as stalking or harassment, then it sometimes ends up in disappointment. Although I doubt Jeramey thought he had a chance with a 32-year-old nurse from Georgia, he probably did think that she truly liked him and that is what gave him that self-confidence. When “CalendarGAL” broke down in an email to Blake about how she wanted a real relationship, Jeramey realized that this was not just a game for whoever was the real face behind the screen name (8). The woman who was known as “CalendarGAL” thought Blake was indeed a 22-year-old man who looked as handsome in real life as he did online, and a man who would not want anything to do with “an overweight 30-something woman” (8). This shows yet another problem with chat rooms and social networking sites. They can break people’s hearts and self-esteem by seeming so much like real life.

In Class: Authority List

Things I'm an authority on:

1. knowing who sings country music songs
2. quoting lines from movies that I've seen multiple times
3. watching A Christmas Story for as much of the 24 hours as possible
4. bringing up movie references in conversations
5. getting through traffic
6. taking pictures (especially of nature/landscapes)
7. remembering songs lyrics (especially country music and '90s music)
8. saving money
9. knowing what clothes look good on me
10. keeping secrets
11. packing a suitcase

# 2:

I always watch movies with my dad and we are both huge movie- and TV-buffs. And if it's a movie that we like a lot, we'll watch it over and over again. Most good movies never get old, so we'll continue to watch them. Some of these movies are A Christmas Story, the Back to the Future trilogy, Must Love Dogs, and other random movies. So after watching a movie so many times, it starts to just stick in my head. Once this happens, I find myself referencing lines from those movies without even noticing it. And sometimes, we'll even throw in a few lines from TV shows, such as Seinfeld. Some of the most used lines are "Seinfeld, four," "No soup for you!", and "It stetched all the way to Terahooch." What makes this funny is that my dad and I understand the significance of these lines and references, but not many other people do. A lot of people have seen these movies and TV shows, but not as much as we have. This makes for a lot of inside jokes between my dad and I because it makes sense to us. It is a special connection I have with him and not many others.

In Class: Free Write about Ballenger

Writing as inquiry gives us more perspective on ideas that we may not have known. We write to find out more about ourselves and find our strengths and weaknesses. By the time we have finished prewriting, main writing, and rewriting, we know waht we need to improve. I have to be honest though, I briefly read the chapter, but I don't think I retained much of it. That said, I'm not sure if my idea of "writing as inquiry" is correct. It sounds fun though actually because it makes it sound like as you write, you find out more things. I like to write, so it would be fun to learn while writing. And I'm planning on re-reading the chapter, so I can get the actual definition and idea of writing as inquiry. Again, this is just a thought of what I assume writing as inquiry means.

All About Me

Hi there! I'm Chelsea Katz and a freshman at TCU, studying news/ed journalism as of this time. I'm from Richmond, Texas, which is a fairly small town outside of Houston that most people don't know exists. Also, just as a little clarification, I am not related to the Katz's Deli restaurants in Houston and New York.

I like writing, so I was a kind of excited about coming into this class knowing there would be a lot of writing. And this is my first time to ever use a blog, so I'm already getting something out of the class!

I took a huge college tour during the summer before my senior year going to 6 different states, including Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and Texas (of course). I finally decided to come to TCU after following one of my friends around campus, and falling in love with the campus. Of all the places I visited, I felt most comfortable here at TCU.

If I were made Chancellor of TCU, the first thing I would change would be the amount of places to eat on campus. Although there are a lot of places that accept FrogBucks, we have to travel off-campus to get there. And I know that the BLUU and 1873 have a lot of options, but it would still be nice to have more places to go to for meals.

As for classroom details, I believe a good teacher is one that not only teaches his/her students but also inspires students to continue with their dreams and aspirations - whether the class is in that line of work or not. As for students, a good student is one that doesn't take a class as a joke. A good student tries his/her best for all classes.

If I could have dinner with any three people, it would be a hard decision to narrow it down to only three people. However, if I had to choose, I would pick Michael Jackson, Charlotte Bronte, and Oprah Winfrey. The reason I would choose Michael Jackson is to find out just what kind of person he really was in private. All of the mystery and controversy that surrounded him throughout his life would make for such an interesting conversation, and I have always wondered what rumors are true and which ones are just rumors. Also I would love to attempt to learn some of his signature dances. I would choose Charlotte Bronte because she is the author of my favorite book, Jane Eyre. She would also have such a different perspective on life, during the 19th century, than I have now in the 21st century. I've also been interested in how much her life paralleled her books, so I would love to talk with her about that. Then I would choose Oprah because she is one of the most powerful people in the world. She has the classic "rags-to-riches" story and those types of stories fascinate me. Also, I want to know just how it feels from her perspective to be so powerful.

The three things that I'd like you to know about me might not be that interesting, but here it goes. First, I was the volleyball manager in high school for all four years - all because I wasn't good enough to make the freshman team. It worked though because I was just as much a part of the team as the players. A second thing is that I was in the band in high school and played the clarinet. Between this and volleyball, during fall with volleyball and football games, I was at school from 7 in the morning to sometimes midnight. And although it was high school band, we never marched on the field during half-time. And the last thing you should know about me is that I love country music and everything that goes along with it. I even prefer the rural countryside to the city. That isn't all, but it's enough for now.

Now I need to know about all of you. One thing I'd like to know is where you're from, and if you're from the Houston-area, what high school you attended. Another thing is your favorite book because everyone likes something different - even those who like Twilight are entitled. And lastly, what your favorite sport is, either to play or watch.

As for the course, I did not just choose to take it because it's required. I like to write and as a journalism major it wouldn't be smart to not take this course. I hope this class will include fun writing, instead of the usual research papers everyone is used to from high school. It makes it a little more fun already because we're writing on blogs instead of in a Word document. Speaking of writing, I write a lot every day. I send at least one text message every day and sometimes even a few emails. I also still write thank-you letters to people because it is so much more personal and everyone likes getting a letter in the mail. But my writing doesn't stop there. I try to get out my frustration or bad energy through poetry. That kind of writing serves as my release from whatever is bothering me. I usually feel pretty confident about my writing. The only time I'm apprehensive is when I don't know much at all about the subject or it's a blind-prompt.

I have read and understand the terms of the syllabus.