King of the Ping
Becoming a ping-pong champion may lead to a greater attraction from the opposite sex by the resultant increase in popularity, riches untold, and incredible stamina. The ping-pong player is the ultimate athlete. In this instance, however, ultimate is synonymous with the words coolest, most fit, and just plain sexiest. The ping-pong player: adored by all women, and envied by all men. Becoming a ping-pong champion is a dream not all are capable of dreaming, and even fewer people are capable of reaching that dream.
Think back to high school for a moment. Who was the coolest, the hippest, the grooviest dude in school? Who was the life of all the weekend parties? Who always said all the right things at the right times to all the most beautiful babes? Not the quarterback who could throw a football half a mile. Not the basketball player who could drain that buzzer beater from half court. Not the third baseman who could smack a baseball 420 feet over the center-field fence. No, none of these goofy wannabes could top the president of the Ping-Pong Club, who could spike a lightning-quick ping-pong ball at upwards of 30 miles per hour. The ping-pong champion always had the funniest jokes to tell, and the most gripping stories of near defeat to the Chinese man down the street. Everyone wanted to be the ping-pong champion, but no one wanted to face the humility of defeat after coming to the realization that they didn’t have what it took to become a ping-pong master.
Most children want to grow up to be firefighters, astronauts, or doctors because they want to do something “cool” and make lots of money doing it. It doesn’t take long for them to realize, however, that if they want to do something outrageously exciting with their life and make tons of money doing it, ping-pong is the profession to pursue. Even at a young age, an aspiring ping-pong star can make some quick money by hustling would-be ping-pongers on the streets. And later on down their ping-pong career, hundreds of thousands of dollars can be won in a single ping-pong tournament, and hundreds of thousands more can be made in endorsements. How many doctors are known to have endorsement deals with Nike?
With the quickness of a fox and the endurance of a gazelle, ping-pong players are the most in-shape athletes of them all. In order to be able to hold out in a down-to-the-wire match, a ping-pong champion must follow a very strict workout plan and diet. After starting out the day with a dozen egg whites and a single piece of toast on wheat bread, the athlete then runs half a marathon followed by a very rigorous mile swim using only the butterfly stroke. In order to stay at the top of the game, a ping-pong player has to keep in top physical shape. For lunch they have to eat three heads of lettuce and nothing else. After devouring their delicious lunch, and in order to build up powerful muscles used for that crushing forehand, they have to split logs with an axe for two hours without stopping. Later on, after inhaling their dinner of spinach, three Granny Smith apples and a 20 oz. steak cooked medium rare, they spend an hour continuing their hole being dug to China. This everyday diet and workout regimen will put the ping-pong player in the kind of shape any guy would die for, and any woman would kill for.
Becoming a ping-pong champion would be a dream come true for many seeking fame, fortune, and a hot body. After getting into supreme shape, gaining riches from winning a handful of tournaments, and becoming the coolest cat on the block, the ladies are sure to come running.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Deadline #18, Outline
Thesis statement: Becoming a ping-pong champion may lead to attraction from the opposite sex by the resultant increase in popularity, riches untold, and incredible stamina.
I. Popularity
II. Riches untold
III. Incredible stamina
Conclusion: Becoming a ping-pong champion may lead to attraction from the opposite sex by the resultant increase in popularity, riches untold, and incredible stamina.
I. Popularity
II. Riches untold
III. Incredible stamina
Conclusion: Becoming a ping-pong champion may lead to attraction from the opposite sex by the resultant increase in popularity, riches untold, and incredible stamina.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Deadline #16, Argument Essay
Bonds’ Blunder
If convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice, Barry Bonds’ title of home run champion should be revoked. Barry Bonds is one of the world’s most famous baseball players, and regarded by many as the best baseball player in history – but perhaps regarded by more as the biggest cheater in baseball history. One thing is for certain, however – Barry Bonds has definitely been the most controversial baseball player since 2003. An investigation into the company BALCO, designed “to expose threats to your health and the environment,” led to the unveiling of more than several prominent athletes who had used performance enhancing drugs. This also led to the suspicion that Bonds was knowingly using similar drugs after Victor Conte, founder of BALCO, revealed that Bonds was on his list of famous athletes he frequently worked with.
Bonds’ knowledge of taking performance enhancing drugs while employed by the San Francisco Giants should be more than enough to discredit his remarkable accomplishments over the past several years. From his climb up the all-time home run leader board, to his becoming the all-time home run leader and the single season home run leader with a crushing 763 and 73 home runs, respectively, his accomplishments should all be reviewed by, and voided by baseball’s commissioner, Bud Selig. To have a player, held in such high regard with all of his recent accomplishments, knowingly break well-known rules against using performance enhancing drugs, and lying under oath about being ignorant to the fact could be a very painful blow to Major League Baseball. Breaking the rule is bad enough, but lying about it under oath in court makes the case even more serious. Should a liar and a cheater be the source of inspiration and a role model for youngsters pursuing their goals of making it to the big leagues one day? Should a liar and a cheater be given the privilege of calling himself Major League Baseball’s all-time and single season home run champion?
Other athletes have had to cut their careers short and have even been revoked of their medals won at National and Worldwide competitions because of use of performance enhancing drugs, so why shouldn’t the same be said for Bonds? Why shouldn’t Bonds’ unofficial title of home run king be expunged? In fact, why shouldn’t Bonds be removed completely from Major League Baseball’s record books? Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones has plead guilty for her use of a drug called THG while still competing and, as a result, lost millions of dollars in endorsements. Jose Canseco’s career was cut short because of his use of steroids while playing baseball. Track star Eric Thomas had his “championship in the 400-meter hurdles” taken away from him in the World Championships for use of the drug modafinil. Bonds has become a huge disgrace to the sport that is as patriotic as apple pie and Chevrolet. People might ask, “Why would Barry Bonds, that same skinny Barry Bonds who won the Most Valuable Player award in 1990 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and who, at that time, already looked Hall of Fame worthy, want or possibly need to take steroids to try to improve his game?” Good question....
Barry Bonds, just like other athletes in whose footsteps he has followed, should face harsh punishment. To have the newly crowned home run king stripped of his crown, a clear message would be sent out to all athletes and aspiring athletes alike, that using performance enhancing drugs to get ahead will result in accusations; court appearances; revocation of medals, titles and awards; and possibly some jail time. Barry Bonds should not be able to have the luxury of being able to call himself Major League Baseball’s home run champion. However, he still has to be found guilty before we can go snatching up titles and awards.
If convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice, Barry Bonds’ title of home run champion should be revoked. Barry Bonds is one of the world’s most famous baseball players, and regarded by many as the best baseball player in history – but perhaps regarded by more as the biggest cheater in baseball history. One thing is for certain, however – Barry Bonds has definitely been the most controversial baseball player since 2003. An investigation into the company BALCO, designed “to expose threats to your health and the environment,” led to the unveiling of more than several prominent athletes who had used performance enhancing drugs. This also led to the suspicion that Bonds was knowingly using similar drugs after Victor Conte, founder of BALCO, revealed that Bonds was on his list of famous athletes he frequently worked with.
Bonds’ knowledge of taking performance enhancing drugs while employed by the San Francisco Giants should be more than enough to discredit his remarkable accomplishments over the past several years. From his climb up the all-time home run leader board, to his becoming the all-time home run leader and the single season home run leader with a crushing 763 and 73 home runs, respectively, his accomplishments should all be reviewed by, and voided by baseball’s commissioner, Bud Selig. To have a player, held in such high regard with all of his recent accomplishments, knowingly break well-known rules against using performance enhancing drugs, and lying under oath about being ignorant to the fact could be a very painful blow to Major League Baseball. Breaking the rule is bad enough, but lying about it under oath in court makes the case even more serious. Should a liar and a cheater be the source of inspiration and a role model for youngsters pursuing their goals of making it to the big leagues one day? Should a liar and a cheater be given the privilege of calling himself Major League Baseball’s all-time and single season home run champion?
Other athletes have had to cut their careers short and have even been revoked of their medals won at National and Worldwide competitions because of use of performance enhancing drugs, so why shouldn’t the same be said for Bonds? Why shouldn’t Bonds’ unofficial title of home run king be expunged? In fact, why shouldn’t Bonds be removed completely from Major League Baseball’s record books? Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones has plead guilty for her use of a drug called THG while still competing and, as a result, lost millions of dollars in endorsements. Jose Canseco’s career was cut short because of his use of steroids while playing baseball. Track star Eric Thomas had his “championship in the 400-meter hurdles” taken away from him in the World Championships for use of the drug modafinil. Bonds has become a huge disgrace to the sport that is as patriotic as apple pie and Chevrolet. People might ask, “Why would Barry Bonds, that same skinny Barry Bonds who won the Most Valuable Player award in 1990 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and who, at that time, already looked Hall of Fame worthy, want or possibly need to take steroids to try to improve his game?” Good question....
Barry Bonds, just like other athletes in whose footsteps he has followed, should face harsh punishment. To have the newly crowned home run king stripped of his crown, a clear message would be sent out to all athletes and aspiring athletes alike, that using performance enhancing drugs to get ahead will result in accusations; court appearances; revocation of medals, titles and awards; and possibly some jail time. Barry Bonds should not be able to have the luxury of being able to call himself Major League Baseball’s home run champion. However, he still has to be found guilty before we can go snatching up titles and awards.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Deadline #11, Two Paragraphs
1. A classification essay takes several different objects or subjects, and groups them into different categories. These different objects or subjects are grouped according to the qualities and the characteristics they share, or don’t share. Classification essays are nice for categorizing subjects, but categorizing too many subjects should be avoided.
2.
• “During the silent picture era, movie studios produced three main categories of films.” The fact that the author states that there are three main categories defines the essay as a classification-type essay.
• The topic sentence for the first body paragraph is, “Western films were very popular due to a number of factors.” The topic sentence for the second body paragraph is, “Another category of the film story line was the slapstick comedy.” The topic sentence for the last body paragraph is, “Romance films by far were the most popular due to several factors.”
• I think the author uses great examples to enhance her classification. The author uses names of directors, actresses, and even the titles of certain silent films, which is pretty impressive.
• The author’s use of transitions in this essay are kind of lacking, although he/she does use one transition to move fairly nicely from the second paragraph to the third paragraph. The transition used at the beginning of the third paragraph is, “Another,” which does the job, but seems a little bit choppy.
2.
• “During the silent picture era, movie studios produced three main categories of films.” The fact that the author states that there are three main categories defines the essay as a classification-type essay.
• The topic sentence for the first body paragraph is, “Western films were very popular due to a number of factors.” The topic sentence for the second body paragraph is, “Another category of the film story line was the slapstick comedy.” The topic sentence for the last body paragraph is, “Romance films by far were the most popular due to several factors.”
• I think the author uses great examples to enhance her classification. The author uses names of directors, actresses, and even the titles of certain silent films, which is pretty impressive.
• The author’s use of transitions in this essay are kind of lacking, although he/she does use one transition to move fairly nicely from the second paragraph to the third paragraph. The transition used at the beginning of the third paragraph is, “Another,” which does the job, but seems a little bit choppy.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Deadline #10, C/C Rough Draft
High school and the college life are like night and day. They’re poles apart. High school is like junior varsity, and college is like finally making it to the big varsity game. Even though high school and college are only months apart from one another, and are only one step apart from each other in the education process, they are nothing alike. In high school, the teachers tell you what to do and when to do it, whereas college professors expect their students to be responsible enough to do the work on their own. High school teachers make connections more on a personal level with their students, and college professors oftentimes do not even know their students names. And, obviously, one of the most important differences of high school and college is the expenses.
All throughout high school, students are told exactly what to do by their teachers. They are told what assignments need to be done, how they are to be done, and when they are supposed to be done. And if they aren’t done just how the teacher says to do it? Students then face consequences from detention to parent conferences. In college, however, a student is counted on to be responsible enough to do all the assignments that are assigned on time, and to the teachers’ expectations. If a student doesn’t do the assignments assigned on time in college, the only consequence is a bad grade. And thank heavens. Getting calls home for not doing homework can really become a pain.
Also, high school teachers tend to make more of a connection with their students. Because the class sizes tend to be smaller, the teachers in high school can get to know their students on more of a personal level. In some students’ cases, this also means that the teachers get to know the parents a little better too. On the flip side, college professors have bigger classes and have a harder time getting to know their students. Many college courses have upwards of a hundred people, so it can be pretty difficult for a professor to get to know each one of their students. For the student that feels like they need to be the center of attention, this sucks. But for the student that likes to lay low and not really be noticed or make a scene, this is the best.
The biggest difference in many students’ minds is the expenses. High school is basically expense free. Minus, of course, the trips out to lunch. And lost books. But other than that, high school is pretty much expense-free. High school seems so blissful compared to college. The years spent in high school seem worry-free, because of the College is a completely different story though. In college, there are so many things to be paid for. Books need to be paid for, taking the classes themselves need to be paid for, food needs to be paid for, and a place to live needs to be paid for. And typically, the general allowance dealt out by parents is cut because the student is now “on their own,” so students also now need money for wide-ranging weekend purposes and dates.
It’s funny how the perception of high school and college seem to be so similar. The fact remains that, while students are getting prepared for college their entire lives through elementary school, junior high or middle school, and high school, the typical student isn’t ever completely ready for college. A student may be academically ready for the change, but the social change from high school to college is something that students always have to get used to. From changes in teacher behavior to changes in the expenses of school, students always have some getting used to.
All throughout high school, students are told exactly what to do by their teachers. They are told what assignments need to be done, how they are to be done, and when they are supposed to be done. And if they aren’t done just how the teacher says to do it? Students then face consequences from detention to parent conferences. In college, however, a student is counted on to be responsible enough to do all the assignments that are assigned on time, and to the teachers’ expectations. If a student doesn’t do the assignments assigned on time in college, the only consequence is a bad grade. And thank heavens. Getting calls home for not doing homework can really become a pain.
Also, high school teachers tend to make more of a connection with their students. Because the class sizes tend to be smaller, the teachers in high school can get to know their students on more of a personal level. In some students’ cases, this also means that the teachers get to know the parents a little better too. On the flip side, college professors have bigger classes and have a harder time getting to know their students. Many college courses have upwards of a hundred people, so it can be pretty difficult for a professor to get to know each one of their students. For the student that feels like they need to be the center of attention, this sucks. But for the student that likes to lay low and not really be noticed or make a scene, this is the best.
The biggest difference in many students’ minds is the expenses. High school is basically expense free. Minus, of course, the trips out to lunch. And lost books. But other than that, high school is pretty much expense-free. High school seems so blissful compared to college. The years spent in high school seem worry-free, because of the College is a completely different story though. In college, there are so many things to be paid for. Books need to be paid for, taking the classes themselves need to be paid for, food needs to be paid for, and a place to live needs to be paid for. And typically, the general allowance dealt out by parents is cut because the student is now “on their own,” so students also now need money for wide-ranging weekend purposes and dates.
It’s funny how the perception of high school and college seem to be so similar. The fact remains that, while students are getting prepared for college their entire lives through elementary school, junior high or middle school, and high school, the typical student isn’t ever completely ready for college. A student may be academically ready for the change, but the social change from high school to college is something that students always have to get used to. From changes in teacher behavior to changes in the expenses of school, students always have some getting used to.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Deadline #9, Outline
Thesis: College and high school, despite being only twelve months apart from each other and simply the next step in the schooling process, are very different from one another.
I. College is more independent study, whereas high school is much stricter. Teachers tell you what to do and when to do it in high school.
II. College professors oftentimes do not know their students names. High school teachers make a connection with their students like most other college professors wouldn’t.
III. College is the first time a student needs to worry about expenses, unless they previously went to a private school.
Conclusion: College and high school, despite being only twelve months apart from each other and simple the next step in the schooling process, are very different from one another.
I. College is more independent study, whereas high school is much stricter. Teachers tell you what to do and when to do it in high school.
II. College professors oftentimes do not know their students names. High school teachers make a connection with their students like most other college professors wouldn’t.
III. College is the first time a student needs to worry about expenses, unless they previously went to a private school.
Conclusion: College and high school, despite being only twelve months apart from each other and simple the next step in the schooling process, are very different from one another.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Deadline #8, Com / Con
• Compare and contrast essays explain either similarities or differences between two people, places, objects, or ideas in order to explain or clarify one or the other. One way to organize a comparison and/or a contrast essay is the block or thought-grouped method. Another method of organizing a comparison and/or a contrast essay is the point-by-point or alternating method.
•
1. The thesis of this essay is the last sentence in the opening paragraph, which states, “There are two main types of men in the world: the committer and the non-committer.”
2. This essay is organized in a block pattern.
3. I think the author uses excellent examples to point out the differences between the two types of men. The examples the author uses are funny and seem to be pretty relatively accurate.
4. The author only uses a couple transitions (unlike and however) to help the reader move back and forth between the discussions of the two types of men. Other than that, the author simply jumps from the one type of man to the other.
5. The tone of the author in this essay was playful. The author pointed out the stereotypical features of two types of men in a sort of silly way.
•
1. The thesis of this essay is the last sentence in the opening paragraph, which states, “There are two main types of men in the world: the committer and the non-committer.”
2. This essay is organized in a block pattern.
3. I think the author uses excellent examples to point out the differences between the two types of men. The examples the author uses are funny and seem to be pretty relatively accurate.
4. The author only uses a couple transitions (unlike and however) to help the reader move back and forth between the discussions of the two types of men. Other than that, the author simply jumps from the one type of man to the other.
5. The tone of the author in this essay was playful. The author pointed out the stereotypical features of two types of men in a sort of silly way.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Deadline #7, Point of View
Public schools ought to require their students to wear uniforms. Being subjected to many prejudices already, students shouldn’t have to deal with the prejudice of what kinds of clothes to wear… or not wear. If all students wore uniforms, they wouldn’t be faced with the prejudice that goes along with wearing expensive designer clothes, or wearing second hand clothes that went out of style when Mr. Adams was a student in school. Another benefit of mandatory school uniforms is the anonymity of economic status. Safety is another big reason uniforms should be required at school. Today, it can be dangerous to wear the wrong colors or accessories such as bandannas. Gang members have taken such offense at an innocent student’s clothing as to injure or even kill the unsuspecting student because of their choice of attire. If school uniforms were instituted, students wouldn’t have to make that frantic last minute dash to find something “cool” to wear for school. There also wouldn’t be such a pressure to “fit in” as far as clothing was concerned because students would know exactly what they would wear on any given day, enabling them to know without a doubt that they would look like they “belonged.” Logically, making school uniforms mandatory would solve many problems facing students concerning what to wear to school.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Deadline 6, Narrative Draft
The Foolishness of Feigning a Felony
My record was as clean as clean could be. It looked like that was all going to change that chilly December night, however. It all started out with me and six of my friends stuffing our bored selves with Taco Bell and talking about our favorite show on MTV, “Jackass.” It was at this point that one of us got the bright idea to reenact one of our favorite pranks from the show. We would tie up one of our friends, throw him in the trunk of one our cars, and let him pop out at a major intersection, making it look like he had been kidnapped. Well, it sounded funny to a bunch of seventeen year old kids, looking for a little excitement and a good laugh. Little did we know we would get a lot more than that little bit of excitement we were hoping for. We would soon realize that faking a kidnapping is a true act of idiocy.
Within five minutes of the idea being presented at Taco Bell, we had Brad stripped down to his boxers, tied up and gagged. This was going to be hilarious. When we pulled up to the light at McKellips and Gilbert there had to have been at least a million people in attendance for our little hoax. There were bleachers, if I remember correctly, that were just built on the sides of the road that were filled to capacity. Children were on the edge of their seats. There were even popcorn and cotton candy vendors selling what they could before the practical joke went down.
When it seemed like the intersection couldn’t contain any more cars or people, the trunk was popped. Brad came bursting out of the trunk, struggling against the ropes and mustering up a pretty good “help,” despite the duct tape on his mouth. He went running across the intersection in nothing but some dirty boxers that looked like he had been wearing for more than a week, a strip of duct tape, and some rope. It was a pretty convincing show he put on, but not convincing enough. So. Tim and I jumped out of the car, screaming at Brad to get back in the trunk, “Or else!” If our audience didn’t believe Brad’s performance alone, the show Tim and I put on was Broadway-worthy. All traffic stopped. The only noises that could be heard were the screams of me and Tim chasing Brad into a nearby neighborhood. And the sirens.
This was about the time that we realized our little prank might not have been very smart. We turned to see the police officer pull over the car we had just emerged from and we nearly got run over by our getaway car, driven by another friend. Almost immediately after hopping in our getaway car, a police helicopter was hovering above us with its spotlight on us. At this point we knew we were idiots. Within another two minutes there was another police helicopter hanging over us with its spotlight right on us. The light from those two spotlights was enough to make me think the sun had decided to come up a little earlier than usual. If having two police helicopters balancing above us wasn’t gut-wrenching enough, we turned around in our seats to see that we had a train of eight police cars closely following us. At the exact same time, all eight cars flipped on their lights and sirens, informing us of our need to pull over immediately. The people in this neighborhood must have either thought that this was their moment to make a cameo appearance on COPS, or that the circus was rolling through town, because all that noise and all those lights attracted every living soul within a five mile radius.
My already small bladder got even smaller when four of the police officers approached our car with their guns drawn, screaming at us to get out of the car with our hands in the air. We all got out and proceeded to get yelled at more by all sixteen of the police officers when we recounted our version of the “kidnapping.” After the police officers had called off the news helicopters, we had to sit out on the cold curb for an hour while the police officers lectured us one by one, until all those that needed to vent their anger had vented. Despite our stupidity, the police surprisingly found a little humor in our little stunt, after they had cooled down a bit, of course. My record remained as clean as clean could be, however, we definitely learned an important lesson that night: faking a felony is not something to joke around about.
My record was as clean as clean could be. It looked like that was all going to change that chilly December night, however. It all started out with me and six of my friends stuffing our bored selves with Taco Bell and talking about our favorite show on MTV, “Jackass.” It was at this point that one of us got the bright idea to reenact one of our favorite pranks from the show. We would tie up one of our friends, throw him in the trunk of one our cars, and let him pop out at a major intersection, making it look like he had been kidnapped. Well, it sounded funny to a bunch of seventeen year old kids, looking for a little excitement and a good laugh. Little did we know we would get a lot more than that little bit of excitement we were hoping for. We would soon realize that faking a kidnapping is a true act of idiocy.
Within five minutes of the idea being presented at Taco Bell, we had Brad stripped down to his boxers, tied up and gagged. This was going to be hilarious. When we pulled up to the light at McKellips and Gilbert there had to have been at least a million people in attendance for our little hoax. There were bleachers, if I remember correctly, that were just built on the sides of the road that were filled to capacity. Children were on the edge of their seats. There were even popcorn and cotton candy vendors selling what they could before the practical joke went down.
When it seemed like the intersection couldn’t contain any more cars or people, the trunk was popped. Brad came bursting out of the trunk, struggling against the ropes and mustering up a pretty good “help,” despite the duct tape on his mouth. He went running across the intersection in nothing but some dirty boxers that looked like he had been wearing for more than a week, a strip of duct tape, and some rope. It was a pretty convincing show he put on, but not convincing enough. So. Tim and I jumped out of the car, screaming at Brad to get back in the trunk, “Or else!” If our audience didn’t believe Brad’s performance alone, the show Tim and I put on was Broadway-worthy. All traffic stopped. The only noises that could be heard were the screams of me and Tim chasing Brad into a nearby neighborhood. And the sirens.
This was about the time that we realized our little prank might not have been very smart. We turned to see the police officer pull over the car we had just emerged from and we nearly got run over by our getaway car, driven by another friend. Almost immediately after hopping in our getaway car, a police helicopter was hovering above us with its spotlight on us. At this point we knew we were idiots. Within another two minutes there was another police helicopter hanging over us with its spotlight right on us. The light from those two spotlights was enough to make me think the sun had decided to come up a little earlier than usual. If having two police helicopters balancing above us wasn’t gut-wrenching enough, we turned around in our seats to see that we had a train of eight police cars closely following us. At the exact same time, all eight cars flipped on their lights and sirens, informing us of our need to pull over immediately. The people in this neighborhood must have either thought that this was their moment to make a cameo appearance on COPS, or that the circus was rolling through town, because all that noise and all those lights attracted every living soul within a five mile radius.
My already small bladder got even smaller when four of the police officers approached our car with their guns drawn, screaming at us to get out of the car with our hands in the air. We all got out and proceeded to get yelled at more by all sixteen of the police officers when we recounted our version of the “kidnapping.” After the police officers had called off the news helicopters, we had to sit out on the cold curb for an hour while the police officers lectured us one by one, until all those that needed to vent their anger had vented. Despite our stupidity, the police surprisingly found a little humor in our little stunt, after they had cooled down a bit, of course. My record remained as clean as clean could be, however, we definitely learned an important lesson that night: faking a felony is not something to joke around about.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Deadline #4
1.
• A narrative essay tells a story in chronological order.
• Narrative essays are organized in chronological order.
• Transitional words and phrases display the chronological order of the narrative essay.
• Some common transitional words and phrases used in narrative essays are: next, then, later, after that, and finally.
2.
• The opening paragraph creates an interest that makes me want to keep reading because the figurative language she uses describing her as a baby is entertaining and amusing.
• The thesis of the essay is that everyone has beauty that is waiting to be shown to the world, and the girl in this essay was helped by her father to realize the beauty she possessed.
• The narration in this essay begins at the very beginning, starting with the very first sentence.
• The author describes herself as a baby using phrases like, “Michelin tire legs” and “two chins,” and describes her legs as a young woman in the awkward stages of puberty as “colonial columns.”
• These descriptions contribute a lot to the essay. It was the comical phrases used to describe herself as a baby that kept me interested in the essay, and the description of her legs helps to portray the awkwardness and ugly duckling-like features of a young woman going through puberty.
• A narrative essay tells a story in chronological order.
• Narrative essays are organized in chronological order.
• Transitional words and phrases display the chronological order of the narrative essay.
• Some common transitional words and phrases used in narrative essays are: next, then, later, after that, and finally.
2.
• The opening paragraph creates an interest that makes me want to keep reading because the figurative language she uses describing her as a baby is entertaining and amusing.
• The thesis of the essay is that everyone has beauty that is waiting to be shown to the world, and the girl in this essay was helped by her father to realize the beauty she possessed.
• The narration in this essay begins at the very beginning, starting with the very first sentence.
• The author describes herself as a baby using phrases like, “Michelin tire legs” and “two chins,” and describes her legs as a young woman in the awkward stages of puberty as “colonial columns.”
• These descriptions contribute a lot to the essay. It was the comical phrases used to describe herself as a baby that kept me interested in the essay, and the description of her legs helps to portray the awkwardness and ugly duckling-like features of a young woman going through puberty.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Deadline #3, Hunt
1.
• devoncadams@gmail.com
• IMPORTANT NOTE: Students are responsible for all information in the syllabus and for the college policies included in the college catalogue and the student handbook.
• The first page notes that, since this is a distance course and we aren’t in a traditional classroom setting, we need to display self-motivation in getting our assignments completed and on time.
• The highest grade you can receive on a paper with sentence structure errors is a C.
• The serious sentence structure errors named in the criteria for an A paper are fragments, sentence splices, etc.
• The withdrawal policy is as follows: If you do not submit any work for over a two deadline period (generally two weeks), the instructor reserves the right to withdraw the student from the course.
• The penalty for a late paper is no credit, unless the teacher is notified of the late completion of the paper ahead of time.
• The maximum number of essays that can be submitted in any given week is 3?
• The phone number to call to get technical help is the MCC Help Desk, at (480) 461-7217.
• The last date that assignments will be accepted at the end of the semester is December 5.
• devoncadams@gmail.com
• IMPORTANT NOTE: Students are responsible for all information in the syllabus and for the college policies included in the college catalogue and the student handbook.
• The first page notes that, since this is a distance course and we aren’t in a traditional classroom setting, we need to display self-motivation in getting our assignments completed and on time.
• The highest grade you can receive on a paper with sentence structure errors is a C.
• The serious sentence structure errors named in the criteria for an A paper are fragments, sentence splices, etc.
• The withdrawal policy is as follows: If you do not submit any work for over a two deadline period (generally two weeks), the instructor reserves the right to withdraw the student from the course.
• The penalty for a late paper is no credit, unless the teacher is notified of the late completion of the paper ahead of time.
• The maximum number of essays that can be submitted in any given week is 3?
• The phone number to call to get technical help is the MCC Help Desk, at (480) 461-7217.
• The last date that assignments will be accepted at the end of the semester is December 5.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Deadline #2: Paragraphs
Questions:
1. I think that sentence one is the topic sentence of this paragraph.
2. The subject expressed in the topic sentence is that Arizona is not the desert wasteland that most people think of when they think of this hot but diversely environmental state. It is, in fact, a state full of different environments attractive to different people with different activities in mind or lifestyles.
3. The attitude expressed in the topic sentence is one of defense or even pride for the state of Arizona.
4. There are three subtopic sentences in the paragraph.
5. Sentences two, seven and twelve are the subtopic sentences in the paragraph.
6. Sentence seventeen, which reads, “Contrary to what some people believe, Arizona is not one vast and dry wasteland; it has climates and elevations that would suit almost anyone’s preferences, unless one desires a day at the seashore,” is the concluding sentence of the paragraph.
7. The concluding sentence serves to give the paragraph a sense of finality by restating the topic sentence and tying all that was said within the three other subtopics together into one final sentence.
8. There are transition words and phrases in sentences seven, eleven, twelve, sixteen and seventeen.
9. In addition, used in sentence sixteen, is a group of words used as a transition in this paragraph.
10. The first sentence of a paragraph should be indented because the beginning of a new paragraph represents the beginning of a new idea. If you’re moving on to a new idea, the way to clarify that is by beginning a new paragraph and indenting that first sentence.
Paragraph
Christmas is, without a doubt, the best holiday amongst the vast selection of holidays out there. Sure there’s Valentine’s Day to eat chocolate and receive roses from that special someone, Easter to hunt for eggs enclosing miniature goodies, Father’s Day to go golfing, Mother’s Day to spend time with that perfect soul that brought you into this great world, and Halloween to dress up like a complete idiot and collect candy from complete strangers. Then there are also those holidays that are just nonsense. Pointless to even have them listed on the calendar. Among these holidays, if they can even be called holidays, are St. Patrick’s Day, Lincoln’s Birthday, and Groundhog Day. Work generally isn’t taken off these “holidays” and no gifts are given on these days (unless you consider a pinch a gift for not wearing green, or unless your name is Lincoln). Christmas, however, is the day of celebration. Christmas is the time to give. Christmas is the time to celebrate the life of perhaps the most unique individual to ever walk the face of the earth. Christmas is the time for families to get together to provide donations to charities, give gifts to the less fortunate, and help shelter the homeless. Christmas is the time to make snow angels. Christmas is, without a doubt, the best holiday of the year.
1. I think that sentence one is the topic sentence of this paragraph.
2. The subject expressed in the topic sentence is that Arizona is not the desert wasteland that most people think of when they think of this hot but diversely environmental state. It is, in fact, a state full of different environments attractive to different people with different activities in mind or lifestyles.
3. The attitude expressed in the topic sentence is one of defense or even pride for the state of Arizona.
4. There are three subtopic sentences in the paragraph.
5. Sentences two, seven and twelve are the subtopic sentences in the paragraph.
6. Sentence seventeen, which reads, “Contrary to what some people believe, Arizona is not one vast and dry wasteland; it has climates and elevations that would suit almost anyone’s preferences, unless one desires a day at the seashore,” is the concluding sentence of the paragraph.
7. The concluding sentence serves to give the paragraph a sense of finality by restating the topic sentence and tying all that was said within the three other subtopics together into one final sentence.
8. There are transition words and phrases in sentences seven, eleven, twelve, sixteen and seventeen.
9. In addition, used in sentence sixteen, is a group of words used as a transition in this paragraph.
10. The first sentence of a paragraph should be indented because the beginning of a new paragraph represents the beginning of a new idea. If you’re moving on to a new idea, the way to clarify that is by beginning a new paragraph and indenting that first sentence.
Paragraph
Christmas is, without a doubt, the best holiday amongst the vast selection of holidays out there. Sure there’s Valentine’s Day to eat chocolate and receive roses from that special someone, Easter to hunt for eggs enclosing miniature goodies, Father’s Day to go golfing, Mother’s Day to spend time with that perfect soul that brought you into this great world, and Halloween to dress up like a complete idiot and collect candy from complete strangers. Then there are also those holidays that are just nonsense. Pointless to even have them listed on the calendar. Among these holidays, if they can even be called holidays, are St. Patrick’s Day, Lincoln’s Birthday, and Groundhog Day. Work generally isn’t taken off these “holidays” and no gifts are given on these days (unless you consider a pinch a gift for not wearing green, or unless your name is Lincoln). Christmas, however, is the day of celebration. Christmas is the time to give. Christmas is the time to celebrate the life of perhaps the most unique individual to ever walk the face of the earth. Christmas is the time for families to get together to provide donations to charities, give gifts to the less fortunate, and help shelter the homeless. Christmas is the time to make snow angels. Christmas is, without a doubt, the best holiday of the year.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Deadline #1, Introduction
I am going to school to become an anesthesiologist, which is what I've wanted to be for the last four years now. I broke my nose playing basketball in 8th grade and needed to have surgery on it to break it back into place. It being my first surgery, I was pretty nervous; however, the anesthesiologist I had reassured me that everything was going to be perfectly fine. I loved the comfort he made me feel going into this scary surgery, and knowing I've wanted to go into the medical field all my life, this experience helped me to realize that anesthesiology is what I want to do. I'm looking forward to this class and hope that I can become a better writer. I would also love to develop a skill on how to delve deeper into and appreciate different types of literature. I look forward to the class and I apologize for such a late response.
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