ENG 001: Language & Writing

The Soundtrack of My Life

2007-12-10T13:13:00.000-06:00

Bob Carlisle, “Butterfly Kisses”: This song is a classic father-daughter song. It has really powerful lyrics that can make almost anyone cry, even if you do not even have a kid. I see myself as the little girl through out the story in the lyrics. I used to be daddy’s little girl with “ribbons and curls“, too. As I started to grow up, I “switched them for “perfume and make up”. When he sings “walk beside the pony daddy, if you don’t mind…I know the cake looks funny daddy, but I sure tried”, I see those images from my childhood; I relive them in my mind. The chorus gets me the most emotional, because I remember when I was younger and my dad would read to me before bedtime, and then say goodnight. There is also the part in the song where it is “I hope you don’t mind, but I am only going to kiss you on the cheek this time”, because he is dropping her off with her friends and she is older and more “cool” now. However, now as I listen to it again, I now think of my sister at the wedding part of the song since her recent engagement. And now, I am “trying my wings out in this great big world” now, trying to discover who I am, and who I will become. I could see myself just “standing in the dressing room, just staring at her.” This song will always be an important song for me, and my whole family.

Swizzle Tree, “Marc’s Car”: This video is not the greatest. Since it is a live video, there is a lot of “crowd static” through out the whole video. Swizzletree actually does not have any music videos except for their one or two singles. This is because they are a local band from Omaha, Nebraska. But it does not matter that it does not have a music video, because I chose this song for its lyrics. “I will always be your friend…I will always be your friend, and I’ll be the one standing there, be the one that cares…..memories, memories that last forever”. I love these lyrics and the guitar solo that follows it; it is simply an amazing song, especially to hear it live when you are in a huge crowd of people like I was when I saw them at the first River Riot that was put on by 89.7 the River. This song is all about friendship, your core group of friends that spend all their time together or your true friends, the ones you can name on one hand that will always be there for you in thick and thin no matter what happens. These lyrics are great to sing with a best friend just driving around, because your friend and you both know you are singing it for them. You will never let them down, you will always have their back whenever they need you. This song can help bring friends closer together by making memories at a concert or simply sitting in a basement rocking out to this song like you are at the concert.

Sum 41, “Still Waiting”: Sum 41 is the first rock concert I ever went to…and the first concert I ever crowd surfed at…they are just a very important and meaningful band for me. And even though I could name off a bunch of different songs written by Sum 41, I chose “Still Waiting” to help describe me in my autobiography. I fell in love with this song the second I heard it, because I just felt a deep connection with its lyrics and the meaning behind it. The song starts off with “So am I still waiting, for this world to stop hating…”, which I say all the time because of all the problems and issues in the world like poverty, racism, and segregation. This could even have meaning for less major problems like cliques, rumors, and labels in high school. I simply see myself as a back up singer for them, if you will, wanting to just echo all the important lyrics in the song. “Can’t find a, good reason, can’t find hope to believe in” are the lyrics that follow the first line. It explains that people keep looking for reasons or excuses on why the world is the way it is, or maybe even why people never change. The beat of the music with the lyrics just make the entire song so powerful you want to just listen to it over and over again. This song is a great song to help someone, like me, show others how they feel and what exactly they want to say, even though they are not always sure how to express it.

Nickelback, “Far Away”: I have mixed feelings when it comes to this song. When it first came out, I thought it was just alright. Then it became one of those songs that a person listens to over and over again, because it fits exactly what is going on in your life right then and there. Unfortunately, I was going through a pretty bad time and so I started to despise this song with every fiber of my being. When it came on at work, I would automatically switch to a really bad mood, and no one could figure out why. This song just symbolizes a lot about what was going on in my life for over three years. “This time, this place, misused, mistake…” is the first line of the song. It starts off the story in the video of a man having to leave his girl to fight a forest fire, but in my case it was just about a guy becoming some one else, and leaving me behind. “Too long, too late, who was I to make you wait?” describes how I was feeling while all this was going on in my life. “I love you, I loved you, I miss you, from far away for far too long”-these lyrics were exactly what I was feeling back then. It is the words that you always what to get the courage to say to the other person,, but never can get up enough nerve to say them. “I want it, I need it, I need to hear you say...I love you, and I have loved you all along” is what I wanted him to say; I wanted him to realize how he really felt instead of denying the truth. But it took awhile, in fact, he still hasn’t. He did however, apologize, so we could move on like in the song: “I’ll forgive you, for being away for far too long”. I now look back on this song, and I no longer hate it. It actually helps me remember that things are better than they were back then.

Lee Ann Womack, “I Hope You Dance” :This song was one of my favorites as a kid, because I was a dancer for a good eight or nine years. My old dance teacher made us practice turns to this song while it was on repeat over and over again just because she loved it so much. But that is not why I love it; I love it for its lyrics. She just sings to her daughter in the music video, looking out for her. My sister and I have the same type of relationship, because we look out for each other. It is more than just being sisters. The lyrics are telling us “I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,……I hope you dance, I hope you dance…………I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean……when one door closes, I hold one more open…….give faith the fighting chance, so you when you get the chance to sit it out or dance….DANCE” These lyrics are partially about dancing, about not being one of those people that just sit at a table while others are dancing around and having fun, but that is not all what it is about. It is about living life. She hopes her daughter never loses her ambitions and passions in life. She doesn’t want them to just give up on life after one failure keep going on. Don’t give up on your dreams. Keep on dancing and living your life. Have no regrets.

Madina Lake, “Here I Stand”: This band is not very well known. Or at least they weren’t until they opened up for Linkin Park this past summer. I remember seeing them in May, before anyone even knew who they were at this little venue in Papillion, Nebraska, called the Rock. It was amazing. It was one of those concerts where there was only twenty other people if that, but you are still rocking out to it, because the music is so damn good. They came out after and gave all of us hugs, pictures, and autographs. It is just great feeling to know that you had a great night of live music with only twenty other people-that is it. “Here I stand, all alone, tonight,….I wish I was anyone but me.” These lyrics show independence, and growing up. It never came out of my CD player in my car for almost the entire month before graduation. It is just addictive, like the song “Island in the Sun” by Weezer. “I wish I was strong enough to breathe, without you, in my life….” explains about that one person that won’t get out of your head no matter what you do. It means they are meant to stay in your life, if you can’t get them out of your head. “There are others like us” is what they have written off and on through out the entire video. They do this to show that no matter how you are feeling or what you are thinking, there is someone else who is just like you. You are not alone.

Kelly Clarkson, “Never Again”: I think you all can figure out why I chose this music video for one of my autobiographical videos. It is about a guy cheating on a girl. She does not want him back, but she does not wish him well with the next girl he has either. She wants to make sure he knows that he made a mistake though, and it is something he will always regret. It is basically a power song for women just like “Man I Feel Like A Woman” by Shania Train or Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats”. And even though those songs are great power songs too that I could have used, but I chose “Never Again”. The video just made the song even better. It shows how she was good to him, and he messed up anyway. Then it transitions into her messing with his mind. When he drives or is in the airport, she just will not get out of his head. He starts going crazy, like when he is kissing his new girl and opens his eyes it is Kelly again. “Never again will I hear you, never again will I miss you, Never again will I fall to you, Never…..and Never again will I kiss you, never again will I love you, Never!” She is feeling empowered and tells the cheater off, which is a great feeling to have. “Does it hurt to know I’ll never be there, bet it sucks to see my face everywhere, it was you who chose to end it like you did…” She gets to shove it back in his face for treating her so badly. I have done the same kind of thing with my personal experience. It is great to have closure.

Boys Like Girls, “The Great Escape”: I love this song, I always have and always will. It is just a great song to drive around to. Whether you are by yourself alone in the car rockin’ out to it and having a blast until you are at a red light and the other people at the light look at you. I find it funny, others are embarrassed for some reason. Then there are the times when you are with a group of people having a blast on a road trip or just simply driving around aimlessly just messing around being goofy and what not. “Throw it away, forget yesterday, we’ll make the great escape…” simply explains what I say when I just want to forget about something crappy going on in my life whether it is about a bad test or stupid friend, I just get out of it and drive around. “Tonight will change our lives…..we won’t give up the fight, we will scream out at the top of our lungs….” It just makes me happy. I look forward before going out with friends, because it becomes a night full of endless memories. I have screamed this song out at the top of my lungs a few times with friends. The first time I actually lost my voice, because of it. But it was worth it, because I will never forget that night. The first time my mom heard it on the radio she came running to my room to tell me to listen to it, because she thought of me when she heard it since she knows how much I like to drive around and just bop around to music either by myself or with a bunch of my friends.

Spice Girls!!!

2007-11-18T21:39:00.000-06:00

I can not remember the first music video I have seen, but I do remember a music video from when I was a kid. I was not a fan of any of the boy bands like Nsync or Backstreet Boys. But I was a fan of the Spice Girls. All the different outfits and platform shoes. I just loved it. And of course, when they came out with Spice World the movie. The video I remember the most from them is “Say You’ll Be There”. It is just a really catchy tune, and the choreography in the video is actually pretty amusing. Back when I was a kid I thought this video was so cool. Now I can not for the life of me remember why. I think it was because they were all supposedly different characters. They all had like superhero names. But not as I watch the music video again, I just think it is completely horrible and it a entire waste of money. Other videos that I remembered by them was “Mama”, “Stop”, “2 Become 1”, and “Wannabe”. “Say You’ll Be There” is just the one I remember the most from all of them for some reason. I think it is because of the car in the music video. I also love Scary Spice’s (Melanie B) outfit the most. I just thought it just brought out her personality and it showed that she did not care what others thought. She dressed for her, no matter what anyone else thought. Not that I went out and got me a leopard outfit or anything, but I think you understand my point. They are now reunited, and are getting ready for a reunion tour. I am excited for that, and I am totally going if they come to Omaha. haha

David Hasselhoff: Singer, Why?

2007-11-12T01:25:00.001-06:00

So there are a lot, and I do mean A LOT, of music videos that are horrible. There are many music videos that should never have been made. There are the hair bands from the 1980s, the modern rockers that just do weird creepy things like Slipknot or Marilyn Manson. Then there is the sappy love ballads from the ‘70s and ‘80s. But the “artists”, if that is what you want to call them, that are the worst are actors (good or bad) that try to be singers. Most people would think of William Shatner after my last statement, but I do not think of him as much as David Hasselhoff. I do not have a clue why he thought he needed to become an artist. But nevertheless he did, and an atrocious one at that-at least in my opinion. He is the painful ballads under his belt in “Wings of Tenderness” and “Looking for Freedom”. He also has the classic song from his show Knightrider, called “Our First Night Together: It is a humorous video with eighty’s outfits and permed hair. Even more odd, is the “Pingu Dance Rap” where there is just a penguin rapping with Hasselhoff’s voice. As weird or crazy all of these videos are, I chose none of them. And I almost chose "Limbo Dance", too but I did not. I chose “Hooked on a Feeling”, which is actually not that bad of a song originally, but Hasselhoff’s version is just a hideous piece of work. It has his cocky personality like he is Rico Suave, but not only that. There are horrible green screens, and special effects. There are unusual choices of wardrobe for Hasselhoff that ranges from a full fur coat to a suit. I have no clue why he thought this would be a good video, but for some reason it was made still. Oh well, just another video to watch and mock joyfully.

Writing Project 2: Omaha

2007-11-11T16:21:00.000-06:00

“Omaha” is a music video written by the Counting Crows. This video does not have any famous people in it, or any one at all for that matter, not even any of the band members. It does not have the redundant back up dancers, or band members in black leather pants. It does, however, show various images from around Omaha. The video improves the song, makes it more powerful to the audience. The music video “Omaha” is about making people think about their hometown, and what it exactly means to them.
It shows pictures of the Missouri River down by Eppley Airfield, the airport in Omaha. It has a few pictures of trains at the Union Pacific train station downtown. There are also various shots of the Old Market, the historic part of downtown Omaha. It has brick streets, horse and carriages, nice little shops. It is an amazing place to just walk around at. It has the best homemade ice cream at Ted & Wally’s, which is also a locally owned business that promotes local and underground bands; it is really cool to just sit there and listen to music on the weekends.
The video also has a lot of landscape scenes. There are some of lakes, neighborhoods, plains, and corn, lots of corn. In addition to the landscape images, this video also has a lot of weather-related pictures. It shows Omaha all covered in beautiful snow. There are snows all over the buildings downtown, covering all the parked cars in a white blanket.
It shows drivers driving on busy Dodge street in the snow, too. It has a great picture of Memorial Park, which is located by the University of Nebraska-Omaha. It shows the sign to the University of Nebraska-Omaha, as well as the buildings, also. It shows almost all the places of Omaha that a person should think of when they are asked about Omaha.
The Counting Crows became a band in 1994. They proved that rock and rock was not dead after the late 1980s. Their influences are R.E.M., The Band, and specifically Van Morrison. They have a famous singles are “Doctor Jones” and “Accidentally in Love” which is from the soundtrack of Shrek 2.
The video “Omaha” that I chose shows a few rhetoric strategies. The first one is illustration, because it shows how it can impact a person’s life. It is a perfect example of “home”. Readers can see all the different parts of Omaha. They all can identify with at least one of the images of the city. These pictures remind them of something from back home, wherever that may be. It jogs their memory to something personal, something that hit close to home for each and every person. It is an extremely effective music video.
“Omaha” by the Counting Crows has a different meaning to every single person that sees it. Not only people that are actually from Omaha, but anyone that is no longer living where they grew up: home. The Counting Crows use the rhetoric strategy of narration in their music video. They lyrics tell a story. They talk about an old man, walking on water, walking all over me.
This music video could be even more to a person than just that. “Omaha” also shows the rhetorical strategy of division. It can totally be a part of a larger scheme. This means that while I think the video is just about your feelings towards your hometown, it could be more than that for some one else. If some one else listens to how the lyrics fit in with the images, it could indicate an enormous plethora of other different meanings. One reader could think that its meaning is something completely different than another reader.
Analogy is the fourth strategy used in the video “Omaha”. It is not used in the image part of the video, but in the lyrics of the song. “Omaha somewhere in the middle of America, …” I think the analogy for these lyrics are talking about your hometown-like it is the center of you like Omaha is in the center of the United States. It is what matters the most to you, deep down. Which again, is a range of numerous things for the readers.
Some readers may completely disagree, people from small towns or huge cities may not have any connection with the “Omaha” video. Those readers may just see the video as a bunch of random images that do not mean anything to them, that do not have any effect on them at all. All of the readers should be able to connect in someway or another to this music video, but who knows? Maybe some people do not, that would be a shame.
Out of the three well known rhetorical appeals, pathos is the significant one that stands out in the “Omaha” music video. It is about the emotions that overcome a person; it is very sentimental for people. It makes them think of extremely emotional memories. Some may be sad where others are heart-warming and joyful. It is about what appeals to the audience of the video. They become receptive to the video, and think about how the artist’s message is connected to them on a personal level
Ethos is another on of the rhetorical appeals that is in the “Omaha“ music video. It is connected to the main appeal of pathos through the nostalgia of the video-the reminiscence of home and being homesick in general. The empathy the music video has to each reader is part of this as well. It shows the compassion and understanding of the “home-y” feel that is through out the entire video.
Logos is not strongly used in this music video “Omaha”. But it is used a little bit in the lyrics of the song, if you pay attention to the words during the chorus: “Omaha, somewhere in middle America, get right to the heart of matters, it is the heart that matters more…” This shows the philosophy part of logos. It describes the values of a person’s life, their viewpoint or way of life. It is the logical reason behind the lyrics in this song through out the music video.
The video has several images of Omaha. It shows at least one image for everyone person to connect with, to find home in. One person could connect with the images of Old Market, and its several attractions. Another person could connect with the Missouri River down by the Eppley Airport, remembering their favorite trip. Another person could be connected with the image of Memorial Park, since it is a famous place go sledding at, with all of it covered in snow, as it is in the image during the music video.
“Omaha” is about making people think about their hometown, and what it really means to them. It makes people think of what they miss from home, what childhood memories they will never forget from home. Whether they go back for every holiday, or have not gone back in years, it is still their home. It will always be a part of them, no matter how far away they are from it now. It will always have meaning. It will always have a place in your heart.

Bon Jovi!!!

2007-11-10T20:38:00.000-06:00

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One of my favorite music videos from the more recent ones anyway, is Jon Bon Jovi’s new song , “You Want Make A Memory”. I have always been a fan of Bon Jovi in general; my older sister still makes fun of me, but I do not even care. I am a loyal fan. I did not get to go to his concert when he was in Omaha last year, unfortunately, but one of my employers got to go and called me during one of his many great songs, so I was happy. Some of his fans have not liked him as much since he switched to more country tunes like when he does the song “Who Says You Can’t Go Home?” But I always defended him by saying he always said he was a cowboy at heart jokingly, because of the song “Dead or Alive”. Anyway, I love his most recent single, because it is a great love song. But I did not fall in love with the song, I fell in love with the video. It is a great song to just sit with your loved one with or slow dance. This is, because it tells a story of a husband and wife. It is just a great music video, because it describes this whole relationship and its story with out any dialogue. You can see how he feels about her through every song he sings. You see how she misses him as well when she is looking through their wedding album. All you need is the song and its lyrics to understand. Plus Bon Jovi is just the classic “pretty boy rocker”, and he is still gorgeous after how many years. The ending to this music video is very powerful, too. It shows that during the whole video when he was watching her get ready, and trying to talk to her, he was not really there. She walks right through him, and you can tell by the look on her face that she is having a hard time moving on as well. There are not a lot of songs like that anymore.

Wells Fargo ATM, Drywall anyone?

2007-10-17T17:21:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, October 16, there was an attempted robbery. A burglar had a goal to steal money from a Wells Fargo ATM, a little after midnight. But he did not have a “regular” plan like other criminals. Most criminals have a set plan; or at least have a back up team of something of the sorts. He did not just go right through the front door. He actually did something quite odd. He broke into the business next door, the Multicultural Center, which is off twenty sixth and O Street. After breaking into the building next door, he cut threw the drywall to get to the ATM. What kind of person does that? I mean who thinks of something like that? I think it is completely ridiculous. The officer that was assigned this case, Officer Kacky Finnell (yes that is his real name) said that they pried open the multicultural center’s front doors to get it. The burglar fled after an alarm sounded at around midnight. Thankfully, the burglar never got into the ATM. But he did, however, cause over five hundred dollars worth of damage. They may even have to restore the entire wall since the burglar had cut through the drywall. I wrote about this article because I thought it was extremely random. Plus I figured that no one else would probably write about this, let alone read it so I thought I would inform everyone of this humorous attempted crime. We were supposed to write about an issue relating to Lincoln, or at least Nebraska. This article is directly connected to Lincoln, as one of the issues-or at least I think so. For one, it happened downtown, which is where a lot of people walk around daily. Plus, it is near the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, which is not comforting to me since I have friends that go there. And even though we all would like to think, or hope, that all the college students are asleep in their dorm rooms by midnight, a lot of them are still going around having fun. So this attempted crime makes me nervous. If this guy is so crazy to cut through drywall, what else is he capable of? It just makes me nervous, but let’s hope for the best.

My day trip home

2007-10-17T01:24:00.000-05:00

I went back home today for one reason, at least I thought it was for just one reason-a doctor’s appointment. But that is not true. I got one of my best friends to come get me so we got to catch up and update each other about what has been going on in our daily lives-the good and the not so good. We took the “scenic” route back to Omaha, which consisted of going through all of Millard, a suburb of Omaha. Then we decided to surprise my dad and visit him at his work, Hy-Vee, since it is quite close to my friend’s dorm. That was when I ran into someone from high school- a blast from the past. It wasn’t the good kind; it was very awkward. Then, I had all these images flashing in my head of every time I had used to hang out with this person like how they do it in the movies; it was so weird! After that awkward encounter, we ventured on to our next plan where I had another déjà vu, you could say. It was kind of creepy, all of this just happening all at once. I am not sure how to explain it exactly. But after all that, my friend took me out to Village Inn, because she knows my love of pancakes! Then I got to go home and spend time with my puppy and my mom. I got a home cooked dinner, which my sister and her future husband came over for so I got to see them, too. It was really nice, until I realized I had to leave and come back to school. On the Brightside, however, I did get to drive my car back and crank my tunes which is one of my favorite hobbies that I have missed since going away to school, seriously-I wasn’t homesick the first few weeks, I was just “car” sick.

Chicken Pot Pie: Samonella?

2007-10-10T16:33:00.000-05:00

I read an article about Con Agra from the Lincoln Journal Star. They chose to voluntarily shut down their plant in Missouri, because it is the plant the makes all their chicken pot pies. They shut it down due to salmonella concerns. Health officials said the pot pies could be linked to over 130 cases of salmonella in thirty states. Omaha workers from the Con Agra headquarters are telling people not to eat the chicken or turkey pot pies until these government investigations inquiries are sustained. Even though the officials from Con Agra told everyone if the pot pies were cooked properly, then they will be fine to eat. Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Missouri are the top three states of salmonella cases as of now. Senior citizens and young children are most prone to it, because of their weak immune systems. Even though there are over 600 deaths a year due to salmonella, there has been no deaths linked to these pot pies. This is not the first time Con Agra had had salmonella problems. Last year they had to recall all their peanut butter, because of a different type of salmonella outbreak. This bad peanut butter resulted in over six hundred deaths in forty seven states! They finally reissued it this past August. They are still fighting law suits from it; Con Agra is trying to prevent this from happening again. They are not recalling the pot pies yet though. They are, however, supplying customers with refunds if they would like them. The most important concern for Con Agra is reissuing new cooking instructions to help prevent bad health cases. It is a major problem if you cook the pot pies in the microwave, especially because some microwaves are not as strong as others. They are planning on adding instructions for high voltage microwaves and low voltage microwaves. Since microwaves are already tricky on how to tell if your food is done or not, Con Agra also added that the pot pies should be perfectly fine when you see steam come out of them.

Centennial Hall

2007-10-08T16:56:00.000-05:00

I live in Centennial Hall. At first, I did not think I would like it. For one, it was not the dorm I was planning on having. I was actually told by a faculty member that my already chosen roommate and I were assured a dorm room at a different hall. However, that did not ever happen. My roommate and I decided to make the best of a bad situation. Until we found out we were not on the first or even second floor. Moving day was especially exhilarating let me tell you. Actually, I moved in the evening before everyone else. It was kind of weird, because the only other people on campus besides the Peer Assistants were athletes and they were gone at their practices. It was good for me though; that way I already felt the whole “on my own” emotion the first night away at college. Anyhow, since Nebraska Wesleyan University just loves stairs so much, moving got really old, really fast. I actually organized an assembly line of people so everyone, including me, would only have to have one flight of stairs to climb. After the numerous loads or personal items, I started to get settled in. Then it was dinner time so my parents took me out to Olive Garden for dinner. I got the Chicken Parmesan, just like always; it is my favorite. After we got done eating, we went and got a few essential groceries, basically just to get some milk. I love milk! I go through almost a whole gallon a week back home in the great city of Omaha. I actually have not been able to go back home yet to see my family and friends. I am looking forward to that. I am now extremely happy with where I live. Centennial is a nice residence hall; we are the only dorm that has pods. Pods are little living areas we all hang out in. It makes it more homey, because we all know each other a lot better now.

Project 1: Panera Bread

2007-10-07T23:29:00.000-05:00

At first, I did not think that Panera Bread would be very intriguing to anyone. I then I thought, anything can be interesting if you look at it long enough. Panera Bread is an extremely appealing place site, not only for its atmosphere, but for its variety of food diversity of people.
During my first observation, I realized that there was not much to observe. I felt like the subject was a bit inadequate. I did not really look beyond the physical features of the establishment toward its true value. It was a standard building with four simple walls just like any other. There were tables, booths, and high tables with bar stools, but that was not all there was. The walls have many vibrant colors written all over them. The employees not only have matching uniforms, but also joyful faces. Then there are also the diverse group of customers from many different backgrounds. I also figured out my first visit was not very successful, because I went with a group of friends. I realized I should not do that in the future. So I did not bring a bunch of friends with me during my other observations. When friends were with me, there were too many distractions; I could not even focus.
In my observations, I realized that there is really more to a place than just the actual physical contents of the building. This is a great example of the metaphor, do not judge a book by its cover. It is the people who come and spend time there. At Panera, there are multitudes of people from various age groups all with different personalities. There are numerous young adults there at all times; they are unfortunately already all coffee addicts getting their large café mocha or iced caramel latte. There were middle aged women sitting and chatting about anything and everything for hours on end. There were mothers there with children that met up with fathers for some quality family dinner time. At one observation, there were business lunches going on all around me. The meeting room was always full of some group or organizational meeting about something important.

I liked watching all the different people that came in and out of Panera Bread. Whether they were the ones that came and went as quick as lightning or the ones that stayed for hours talking on end. It just showed how everyone is different, and everyone has their own individual schedule that they live everyday. It was easy to tell who the regulars were from those people who did not visit Panera Bread very often.
Most people have seen the inside of a Panera Bread a few times. Many people fail to notice certain things that make Panera Bread what truly unique. Not only does Panera Bread have a nice atmosphere, it has distinctive aromas. Actually, it has incredible smells! In the air, there is always the smell of bread baking enticing all the customers to want more than just the cup of coffee or bagel that they came in for. Not only that, but they also have cookies, muffins, and scones looking as appetizing as ever through the thin translucent glass cases. Then, there is my personal favorite smell of Panera Bread-the soups. I love going to Panera Bread in the winter months, because every day you can walk in and discover a new whiff of a tempting and mouth-watering soup. My favorite is the broccoli cheddar soup with asiago cheese bread ; it is particularly scrumptious in my book. In addition, they have the strong sharp smell of brewing coffee. This smell does not matter much to me as I do not like coffee. My mother and sister, however, very much enjoy the smell of coffee beans roasting as do quite a lot of my friends as well.
In addition to all the smells and scenery of Panera Bread, there are sounds as well. There is the hustle and bustle of the workers all doing their jobs while using teamwork to get all the orders done in quickly and efficiently. Then there is the little boy asking his mother for a chocolate chip muffie, which differs from a muffin as it is only the top part of a muffin, while his older sister is playing with her own cellular phone. There are the sounds of middle aged businessmen and women in the meeting room talking about all their business issues, and things they have to get done by deadlines.
As I sat in Panera Bread, trying to observe anything and everything,, I started thinking about other restaurants that are similar to as well as ones that differ from to Panera Bread. At first, I thought of Starbucks coffee shops. They are very similar since they both sell pastries and coffee cakes besides all the specialty coffee drinks. Both establishments see study groups or just groups of friends sitting for hours on end talking and enjoying one another‘s company. I enjoy sitting at either place, but for some reason I get a better feeling at Panera Bread. The Starbucks coffee shops are more for quiet studying or gatherings, at least in my opinion. Whereas Panera Bread is more social, it always has more people buzzing about. On all my observation visits, I never once walked into a Panera Bread to find it to be as quiet as much as Starbucks typically are.
After comparing Panera to a similar business like Starbucks, I started thinking outside the box. What about fast food restaurants, like McDonald’s for example. This fast food joint is very simple an incomplex to contrast with Panera Bread. They sell very different types of food. McDonald’s food is way more greasier. Even though Panera Bread’s soups are delicious, they are not very healthy either. On the other hand, McDonald’s now features healthier items on their menu like their salads.
Food is not the only significant difference between the two-the people in each establishment are different. Not just the customers, but also the employees at McDonald’s are younger and usually less educated. This makes me think that Panera Bread a classier place to go to than McDonald’s. Do certain establishments cater to certain groups? If so, what what kinds of people are they and who gets to decide which people fit into each group? These questions are subjective and do not necessarily have a wrong or right answer.
Both of these businesses have things in common. The main similarity that I noticed, besides the obvious fact of they all sell food, is that they all offer free Hi-FI wireless internet. Although some may not even recognize this fact or think it matters, it matters to myself and a good deal of people. It matters to many college students, so I think this is a great marketing plan for the businesses. I expect they get a huge profit from all the college students that but their products while they stay for hours studying for a test or writing a paper. By having free wireless internet, you get people to stay longer, which allows people to keep buying more coffee to stay alert or buying one more bagel or pastry to tie them over until they are done with their task.
As you now can realize, no matter where you are at, if you look hard enough and think long enough, you can observe a lot more than you might expect at first. I now notice that I observe people and places a lot more than I used to. It is very remarkable what you can discover while simply observing. Panera Bread is one appealing place, but who knows what else you can find or notice when you go to even more places of business. I am looking forward to going to new places and observing many cultures of different places.

Assignment 2: Lincoln Video Blog

2007-09-23T23:30:00.001-05:00

My video clip is on Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. I have never seen someone die before. I have never had to witness someone literally dying right in front of me. It is not a good feeling having to watch someone die. I can not really even explain it really. It gives me a mix of emotions. I mean I have seen it in the movies, just like everyone else. But that is not at all the same! The worst part of the video was when the assassin was just standing behind him. When I watched that part of the video clip, I had goose bumps all the way down my spine. It made me feel paranoid, I even looked behind me immediately after. I do realize that sounds ridiculous, but it was true. It was just disturbing. Once the people around him noticed he got shot, and they tried to help in that was the moment I felt it in my stomach- gut retching sadness. I felt helpess, because obviously there was nothing I could do but still, it was very sad. It really hit me, because I do not like watching someone in pain or who is dying. That is the reason I am majoring in athletic training, because I do not like to watch people in pain. I want to be able to help them. I have also been a lifeguard for over three years, all year round. This, once again, proves that I can not just watch someone feeling or looking distressed. I have to be able to get up out of my chair and fix the problem. I also went to a funeral on Saturday. I won’t go into the whole story, but that really made me think-it could have been me. I would never think it would though. I bet Abe felt the same way.

Assingment 1: Observational & Reflective Essay topic

2007-09-19T13:29:00.001-05:00

For this assignment, I chose downtown Lincoln as my place. I think this will be a good topic for my observational and reflective essay. This is because there is so much to all take in down town. You can view so much. It has so much to see. There are numerous museums, art galleries, and other tourist attractions. There are stores, hotels, and business buildings. There are famous buildings like Memorial Stadium, the State Capitol, the Pershing Center, or the Courthouse. At night, it changes into bright neon lights that say OPEN, Tattoos, or Bud Light. There is a place for everyone. Of course, there is more to down town than the buildings. The people of Lincoln are always walking the streets of Lincoln. I see all the young adults walking to their classes at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I see older adults, being in the real world, rushing down the streets for an important meeting or a business lunch. This image reminds me of The Apprentice, since they are all in business attire. There are also people walking the streets with friends and family supporting the Huskers, too. Some are celebrating a win or trying to forget about a loss; while others just like the whole feel of the down town atmosphere. Seeing is not all there is to down town, however. The smells and sounds of down town Lincoln help you take it all in as well. I hear music spilling out of bars. I hear groups of people cheering and laughing together. I smell all the varieties of food pouring out of the numerous restaurants that are downtown: Old Chicago, Buffalo Wild Wings, Jimmy John’s, and a bunch more. All in all, I think this will be a good topic for me, because I won’t get bored, and there are many possibilities in the great down town area of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Assignment 2:

2007-09-14T14:19:00.001-05:00

The building that I chose for this assignment was Memorial Stadium at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It’s the home of the Huskers. I have not visited this stadium that often. In fact, I can count the number of times I have been there on one hand. The first time I went was a memory I will never forget. I went to the game on September 11th my sophomore year of high school with my friend. A that time, I was not a Husker fan at all really-both my parents grew up in Iowa so they don’t really like the Huskers all that much. Anyway, we went to the game and got these special programs, and the friend that took me had no idea why we had received them. (Her family were season ticket holders so they all thought it was a bit odd.) But we didn’t have to wait to long to find out. At halftime, all the fans were asked to lift up their “pamphlet” and flip it over to the backside. Once everyone had done so, it was a beautiful sight to see. We had made the American flag throughout the entire stadium. It was amazing! Whoever thought of that is a genius. I was apart of one of the red stripes. I don’t know why exactly, but I felt extremely patriotic at that moment. In fact, it might have been the only time I have really had that feeling. It was bizarre in a way. I can’t really explain it. The only other times I have been there is just walking right by it while on the campus, whether it was visiting friends or what not. When I went back to revisit it this past week, I immediately thought of that game, with the “human flag” we had created. It made me smile. I was happy to know that somehow, that brought all the fans together (even fans of the opposing team) in unison; we were all affected in one way or another by the 9/11 tragedy, and we were there for each other-even for people we really didn’t know. That was just comforting in a way.

Assignment 1:

2007-09-12T17:39:00.000-05:00

The article I found on the Omaha-World Herald website that I chose to write about is “Runner hit by van is expected to heal.” I chose this one, because the headline grabbed my attention. I thought it was kind of odd. I can not believe that a fifteen year-old kid was hit by a mini-van! I actually think it is sort of ironic that it was a Dodge Caravan though, since it is a “Dodge.” I was also astonished to read that it was a cross country runner from Burke High School, because that is where I went to high school. Although it is normal for a senior to not know freshman, especially since the school had a good two thousand teenagers, I think I knew her. I do not know her all that well, but I know who she is, because I was a student athletic trainer last year. The main sport I covered was football, so I probably didn’t see her really all that much. I got ice for her or taped her ankle a few times though. I am relieved to hear she is going to recover okay. I can not imagine what that must of felt like. I have been in a few car accidents, but I would imagine this is quite different. Also, I hope the other six runners don’t feel guilty about it. They shouldn’t blame themselves just because they decided to cross the street in a spot that they normally do not cross at. The only thing I don’t understand is why they wouldn’t check the street before they cross it. I mean come on it’s Omaha, people are crazy drivers there. If you can drive in Omaha, you can drive anywhere. The same thing goes for running in Omaha. In Lincoln cars actually stops for people, which I am still not used to actually.

Post 2: The Telephone Museum

2007-09-09T19:45:00.001-05:00

After visiting the Frank H. Woods Telephone Museum, I realized how much technology has changed in just the last century. Think about something, how many phones in your house are cordless? Do you even own a regular phone from a decade ago? Maybe you are one of the people who do not even have a landline anymore. All you have is your cellular telephone. Now think about cellular phones, how many different sizes and features have companies created in just the last few years? The advancement of technology is mind blowing! When the telephone was first invented, it was just the corkboard. When I saw this display in the museum, it reminded me of Morse code transmitters. It took up a whole desk just to talk to someone else. It probably weighed at least a good fifteen pounds, too. They went from a heavy drop down transmitter to the coin-operated phone booths to desk vanities to the landline phones we have now. And in addition to cordless phones today, we also have Bluetooth and hands-free cellular phones. It is just so remarkable how often the technology has increased over time. They also had Frank H. Woods’ actual desk and chair that he used in his office. It was cool seeing the replica of his office. The museum staff were also very friendly, and offered to answer any questions we had. My favorite part of the museum was when they had all the different varieties of telephones. They had numerous solid colors. They had a see-through phone where you can see how everything inside is connected to make it work; I actually had one of those phones when I was little in my house. I thought it was the coolest thing back then. They also had fun character themed phones like Snoopy and Gumby. They even had a teddy bear one that moved its mouth when the person you were talking too would talk back to you. I actually thought that one was kind of creepy.

Post 1: Discourse Surrounding the Essay

2007-09-03T23:44:00.000-05:00

Post I: Discourse Surrounding the Essay

“Essay writing is not about facts, although the essay may contain facts. Essay writing is about transcribing the often convoluted process of thought, leaving your own brand of breadcrumbs in the forest so that those who want to can find their way to your door.”
- Lauren Slater in "Why Essays Confuse People

What is essay writing about exactly? This is not a simple question. Some may be able to answer this question instantly, some however, may never find the precise words to explain it. I agree with the above Robert Antwan quote. Writing an essay is not about the facts. It does not matter how many facts or statistics you have in your essay. It only matters how powerful of quotes they are. You only need a few significant quotes for a paper. I actually think having numerous quotes is overdone. It makes the essay to boring, which makes it a “monotone paper” when you have to read it to the point where you have to reread what you have already read a couple times just to comprehend it. When he used the analogy of “leaving your own brand of breadcrumbs” I found it rather insightful. It made me realize that every time you write a paper you have a chance to make a difference. You can voice your own opinion for everyone to see. It is just at their fingertips. The readers can get to know you through your essays. I actually believe that reading a friend or relative’s paper may even be capable of teaching you something about someone close to you. Maybe even something that you did not even know before if you had not of read their writings. It is easier to write things down sometimes. I am glad that there is no standard for writing an essay as well. There is not a set length or style, you can just write about what you want to write about, at least in a personal essay. When Atwan finishes it with “so that those who want to can find their way to your door,” leaves the readers with a message that there are many possibilities of meeting new people through their essay writing, too. The opportunities are perhaps endless.

Test Post

2007-08-31T14:30:00.000-05:00

First post for Eng 001: Section 7.