My experience in my last english class was a very good one. We did a variety of things besides just writing papers. We mostly learned about rhetoric. We learned rhetoric by once a week somebody would bring in an argument that they found, and we would talk about it as a class.
Along with learning about rhetoric, I also learned how to write better. I used to not be a very good at writing a paper at all. I can tell that this class has helped out my writing. Even though we only had to write four papers the whole year, they were suppose to be well written papers.
Writing a blog once a week also helped me with my writing skills. Even though these blogs are only graded on completeness, I still tried writing as well as I possibly could. The more practice the better.
I am really glad that I had the professor that I had. I had a lot of fun in the class, and I was interested in english. That is saying a lot because english is my worst subject in school, and I usually don't enjoy it. This english class was different though. We just did not talk about english.
Thank you Azor for a good semester! I am really glad that you were my professor.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
How Hard is it to Move Over?
This past Sunday, one of my brothers made his first communion, and I had to usher for the mass. There where eighteen children making their first communion that day, and one of my jobs being an usher is to seat as many people in the pews so they don't have to stand the entire mass. I came to realize that people do not like to move down in the pews to make more room. Some people need their specific amount of room, and if moving down would minimize their space, they wouldn't.
I had one lady with three younger kids that needed a seat, and there was plenty of room in one pew, but there where six other men in it already that did not want to move down. There was more than enough room to fit all four of them in the pew, but they only made enough room for two of her kids to sit down. She had to stand the whole mass while hanging on to one child.
These men where very selfish. They really irratated me. I asked them more than once to move down more, but they just moved down another inch or so each time I asked them. They could not move down that extra two feet because they all needed room to keep their legs apart. It is just not men though that have this problem. Also there where women that had to keep their purses on the pew, instead of putting them on the ground. In each spot where a purse was, one person could be sitting there. I did not know when a purse became more important than a human.
This all happened in a church! Shouldn't people be thinking about helping out others and being kind while in the presence of Jesus? I guess not. They can't even think about others for that one of hour out of the whole entire week. After that one hour they can become selfish again and just care about themselves, but it should not be that way in a church. These people have to get their priorities straightened out.
I had one lady with three younger kids that needed a seat, and there was plenty of room in one pew, but there where six other men in it already that did not want to move down. There was more than enough room to fit all four of them in the pew, but they only made enough room for two of her kids to sit down. She had to stand the whole mass while hanging on to one child.
These men where very selfish. They really irratated me. I asked them more than once to move down more, but they just moved down another inch or so each time I asked them. They could not move down that extra two feet because they all needed room to keep their legs apart. It is just not men though that have this problem. Also there where women that had to keep their purses on the pew, instead of putting them on the ground. In each spot where a purse was, one person could be sitting there. I did not know when a purse became more important than a human.
This all happened in a church! Shouldn't people be thinking about helping out others and being kind while in the presence of Jesus? I guess not. They can't even think about others for that one of hour out of the whole entire week. After that one hour they can become selfish again and just care about themselves, but it should not be that way in a church. These people have to get their priorities straightened out.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
DMV's Need to Hire
My nineteenth birthday was about a month ago, and that weekend I had to go renew my driver's license. The only place to go was the DMV. Each time I go to the DMV, I have a problem, and this visit just added on to the list.
I got to the DMV and filled out a form to renew my driver's license. Next I had to get a number, so I get called up to the desk when my number is up. On the wall there is a counter that shows what number they are taking care of. There were seven people that where before me. For those seven people, I had to wait around forty-five minutes until they finally got to my number. When they got to my number, they skipped right over it and went to the next. After the person after me was done, I went up to the desk and told them they skipped my number. The lady got mad me, and it was not even my fault. They were the one's that skipped my number. How is that my fault? I did not want to ask her that though. I finally was done, and I noticed that I was there for an hour and fifteen minutes just to renew my license. That was crazy. I should not be wasting that much time to get something that simple done.
The DMV has to improve. I believe there should be more people working. The DMV I went to, had only 4 people working, and one left to go give someone else their driving exam. There are way to many people that come into the DMV to only have three people working the desk. That is why it takes so long to get one simple problem taken care of.
The DMV should look into hiring people; people who do look happy to be working there. The people that I had experiences with at the DMV never had a smile on their faces. They all seemed like they were mad about something. When workers don't have a smile on, it brings down the whole place. I should not blame the workers though, because I would not have a smile on my face if I had to spend 8 or more hours a day at the DMV. To make it worse, they are there every day!
I would just like it if I did not have to spend so much time the DMV. They should have people in and right back out again. Nobody wants to waste their whole day in the DMV just for something simple that has to be taken care of. All the DMV has to do is hire one, or maybe two more people, and that would make the place run that much better.
I got to the DMV and filled out a form to renew my driver's license. Next I had to get a number, so I get called up to the desk when my number is up. On the wall there is a counter that shows what number they are taking care of. There were seven people that where before me. For those seven people, I had to wait around forty-five minutes until they finally got to my number. When they got to my number, they skipped right over it and went to the next. After the person after me was done, I went up to the desk and told them they skipped my number. The lady got mad me, and it was not even my fault. They were the one's that skipped my number. How is that my fault? I did not want to ask her that though. I finally was done, and I noticed that I was there for an hour and fifteen minutes just to renew my license. That was crazy. I should not be wasting that much time to get something that simple done.
The DMV has to improve. I believe there should be more people working. The DMV I went to, had only 4 people working, and one left to go give someone else their driving exam. There are way to many people that come into the DMV to only have three people working the desk. That is why it takes so long to get one simple problem taken care of.
The DMV should look into hiring people; people who do look happy to be working there. The people that I had experiences with at the DMV never had a smile on their faces. They all seemed like they were mad about something. When workers don't have a smile on, it brings down the whole place. I should not blame the workers though, because I would not have a smile on my face if I had to spend 8 or more hours a day at the DMV. To make it worse, they are there every day!
I would just like it if I did not have to spend so much time the DMV. They should have people in and right back out again. Nobody wants to waste their whole day in the DMV just for something simple that has to be taken care of. All the DMV has to do is hire one, or maybe two more people, and that would make the place run that much better.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
How Hard is Golfing?
My roommate and I had an argument a couple days ago on if golf should be considered a sport. He thought that it should not be because he thought it was an easy sport, even though he has never played before. I thought that it is easily the toughest or at least in the top 3 of the toughest sports to be played. There are many reasons why golf should be considered one of the hardest sports to play.
The first reason I told my roommate was that you first have to hit the ball straight if you want to be at least somewhat successful. It is a lot harder than what it sounds like. The whole body has to be perfectly aligned in order to hit the ball straight. If its not, then either it goes way left or way right, or it goes straight if you are lucky.
The second reason why golf is such a hard sport is because once you drive the ball off the tee, you have to be able to hit the ball off of the ground. You have to hit the ball just right because if you don't, you will hit grass and dirt farther than the ball. Along with that, you have to know how far you can hit each club. After that, you have to be able to hit the ball in an area that is called the green. The green varies in size, but it still takes practice in order to land the ball on the green close to the pin.
The final reason why golf is one of the hardest sports to play is because you have to be able to putt a ball that has a diameter of 1.68 inches into a hole that has a diameter of 4.25 inches. To make it even more diffucult, the greens are not flat. Some have hills, some are slower than others, and most of them slat one way or another.
This is my fourth year golfing now, and I still can improve in all areas of golfing. Even though I golf at least once a week during the summer, I average around a 44 or 45 through 9 holes. Golfing could be the hardest sport to play, but their are arguments about how all other sports are just as difficult.
The first reason I told my roommate was that you first have to hit the ball straight if you want to be at least somewhat successful. It is a lot harder than what it sounds like. The whole body has to be perfectly aligned in order to hit the ball straight. If its not, then either it goes way left or way right, or it goes straight if you are lucky.
The second reason why golf is such a hard sport is because once you drive the ball off the tee, you have to be able to hit the ball off of the ground. You have to hit the ball just right because if you don't, you will hit grass and dirt farther than the ball. Along with that, you have to know how far you can hit each club. After that, you have to be able to hit the ball in an area that is called the green. The green varies in size, but it still takes practice in order to land the ball on the green close to the pin.
The final reason why golf is one of the hardest sports to play is because you have to be able to putt a ball that has a diameter of 1.68 inches into a hole that has a diameter of 4.25 inches. To make it even more diffucult, the greens are not flat. Some have hills, some are slower than others, and most of them slat one way or another.
This is my fourth year golfing now, and I still can improve in all areas of golfing. Even though I golf at least once a week during the summer, I average around a 44 or 45 through 9 holes. Golfing could be the hardest sport to play, but their are arguments about how all other sports are just as difficult.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Gallardo Helps Himself Out
The Brewers got lucky with their first win of the season. They only had 4 runs on only 6 hits, and all 4 of their runs came with 2 outs. Along with the poor offense, they had 2 errors in the game too. If they keep playing ball like this, they might not even make it to 50 wins on the year.
Last night Mike Cameron hit a solo home run and then Yovani Gallardo had a three run home run. Before Gallardo came up with two outs, Jason Kendall bats before him. The Giants intentially walked Kendall to put baserunners on first and second with two outs with the pitcher coming up. Gallardo was down in 1-2 in the count and got a high fastball, and hit a huge home run. The home run made up the difference in the game because the final score was 4-2.
Gallardo also pitched great last night. He pitched 6 and 2/3 innings and only allowed 2 runs. He struck out 6 and only walked 2 batters. He looked great on the mound and after he got control of his breaking ball, he was lights out.
I think that the Brewers will do good this year, and will make another playoff push. They have to improve their pitching, but Gallardo is a big part of it. If he pitches like he did last night, he will be great for the Brewers.
Last night Mike Cameron hit a solo home run and then Yovani Gallardo had a three run home run. Before Gallardo came up with two outs, Jason Kendall bats before him. The Giants intentially walked Kendall to put baserunners on first and second with two outs with the pitcher coming up. Gallardo was down in 1-2 in the count and got a high fastball, and hit a huge home run. The home run made up the difference in the game because the final score was 4-2.
Gallardo also pitched great last night. He pitched 6 and 2/3 innings and only allowed 2 runs. He struck out 6 and only walked 2 batters. He looked great on the mound and after he got control of his breaking ball, he was lights out.
I think that the Brewers will do good this year, and will make another playoff push. They have to improve their pitching, but Gallardo is a big part of it. If he pitches like he did last night, he will be great for the Brewers.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Brewers Prediction
I think that the Brewers will make another push for the playoffs this year even though they lost their two best pitchers, Ben Sheets and C.C Sabathia. They have gained some pitching though to help them out. They got Trevor Hoffman, a future hall of famer, for their closing pitcher, and Brandon Looper to help them out in their starting rotation.
Some pitchers will have to step up more in order for them to do well. Manny Parra has to pitch like he did in the middle of the season last year when he was dominating most hitters. Also Dave Bush needs to have a break out year. Last year was a big step up for him from the previous year.
Not only does the pitching need to do well, but their batting needs to be more consistent this year. Last year they went through long slumps where they could not hit the broad side of the barn, and then they had a week where they scored six or more runs per game. Everybody has to do their job this year, play up to their potential, and the Brewers could be seeing themselves back into the postseason for the second straight year.
Some pitchers will have to step up more in order for them to do well. Manny Parra has to pitch like he did in the middle of the season last year when he was dominating most hitters. Also Dave Bush needs to have a break out year. Last year was a big step up for him from the previous year.
Not only does the pitching need to do well, but their batting needs to be more consistent this year. Last year they went through long slumps where they could not hit the broad side of the barn, and then they had a week where they scored six or more runs per game. Everybody has to do their job this year, play up to their potential, and the Brewers could be seeing themselves back into the postseason for the second straight year.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
My Predictions For Men's Final Four
This year's NCAA tournament has not had as many upsets as the last tournaments have had. Three out of the four number one teams got to the final four this year. Louisville, the number one seed lost in the elite eight to a very good number 2 seed, Michigan State. The number one seeds have gotten a couple of scares in this tournament, but in the end they won.
Now North Carolina plays Villanova, and Michigan State plays Connecticut. I believe that Villanova is going to beat North Carolina. I think that Villanova will win because they played in a tougher conference all year, and they have proved that they can beat good teams. In the elite eight, Villanova beat Duke by 23 points. Duke was a very good team, and Villanova just took care of business and crushed them in all aspects of the game.
I also think that Michigan State will beat Connecticut. I believe that Michigan State will win because they have a great point guard that is quick and can also shoot the ball. Along with that, everybody on their team that plays can score. The last reason I give Michigan State the win is because Tom Izzo is their coach, and he has been to the final four with Michigan State more than three times since the year 2000.
So the championship game is between Villanova and Michigan State, and I think that Michigan State will win this game also. It is going to be a very evenly matched game, but the Spartans will pull it out in the end because of their defense. Defenses do win championships.
The final four games are going to be quite good. I am going to be watching both of them, along with the championship game. They are both on this coming Saturday, 4/4. Michigan State and Connecticut play first starting at 6:07 Eastern, and the next game is following, both on CBS.
Now North Carolina plays Villanova, and Michigan State plays Connecticut. I believe that Villanova is going to beat North Carolina. I think that Villanova will win because they played in a tougher conference all year, and they have proved that they can beat good teams. In the elite eight, Villanova beat Duke by 23 points. Duke was a very good team, and Villanova just took care of business and crushed them in all aspects of the game.
I also think that Michigan State will beat Connecticut. I believe that Michigan State will win because they have a great point guard that is quick and can also shoot the ball. Along with that, everybody on their team that plays can score. The last reason I give Michigan State the win is because Tom Izzo is their coach, and he has been to the final four with Michigan State more than three times since the year 2000.
So the championship game is between Villanova and Michigan State, and I think that Michigan State will win this game also. It is going to be a very evenly matched game, but the Spartans will pull it out in the end because of their defense. Defenses do win championships.
The final four games are going to be quite good. I am going to be watching both of them, along with the championship game. They are both on this coming Saturday, 4/4. Michigan State and Connecticut play first starting at 6:07 Eastern, and the next game is following, both on CBS.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
A Close Call
A couple of days ago, an asteroid flew right on by Earth called DD45. This has been one of the more closer calls that we have witnessed in quite some time. Most people don't even realize how close DD45 was to Earth, and how much damage it could have potentially caused.
The asteroid was approximately 48,800 miles from Earth. That is one-fifth of the distance from Earth to the Moon, and twice the height of some of our telecommunicator satellites. If DD45 would of struck the Earth, it might have done as much damage as the asteroid that hit Siberia in 1908. That asteroid wiped out nearly 800 square feet of forests. I also heard that it could have been as big as 1000 nuclear bombs going off!
My question is, why was this story not taken very seriously. I did not even hear the story off of the news, I heard it from my Grandpa. It was only in the news for a single day. After that, there has been nothing said since. With such a big impact on people's lives, I would have thought that more people would of been worrying about it.
There is one lesson that we can take from this, and that is live everyday to the fullest. No one ever knows when they are going to die, or when something catastrophic, like DD45 plummeting into Earth, is going to happen. God is the only one that has control over what is going to happen next.
If I would have known about the asteroid the day that it was close to Earth, I would not even know what to do. People have to be ready for everything and anything to happen. We don't know what is going to happen to our planet next. Tomorrow a massive earthquake could strike, a volcano could erupt, or any other natural disaster can occur. We have to be ready for anything and just live our lives to its fullest potential.
The asteroid was approximately 48,800 miles from Earth. That is one-fifth of the distance from Earth to the Moon, and twice the height of some of our telecommunicator satellites. If DD45 would of struck the Earth, it might have done as much damage as the asteroid that hit Siberia in 1908. That asteroid wiped out nearly 800 square feet of forests. I also heard that it could have been as big as 1000 nuclear bombs going off!
My question is, why was this story not taken very seriously. I did not even hear the story off of the news, I heard it from my Grandpa. It was only in the news for a single day. After that, there has been nothing said since. With such a big impact on people's lives, I would have thought that more people would of been worrying about it.
There is one lesson that we can take from this, and that is live everyday to the fullest. No one ever knows when they are going to die, or when something catastrophic, like DD45 plummeting into Earth, is going to happen. God is the only one that has control over what is going to happen next.
If I would have known about the asteroid the day that it was close to Earth, I would not even know what to do. People have to be ready for everything and anything to happen. We don't know what is going to happen to our planet next. Tomorrow a massive earthquake could strike, a volcano could erupt, or any other natural disaster can occur. We have to be ready for anything and just live our lives to its fullest potential.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Professional Pay Cuts
Everybody realizes that our economy is down right now besides one group of people, and that is professional atheletes. Professional athletes are making millions of dollars each year, while more and more people are getting laid off. They should really stop caring about their salaries, and start looking at the bigger picture.
I think professional athletes should either be taking a pay cut, or be donating more of their money. They don't need to be spending their money on a 2 million dollar house for a family of five, that could house a family of twenty. Even though that would help out the economy, charity organizations would really appreciate any kind of donation that they recieve.
It is really bad when you hear about professional athletes turning down multi-million dollar contracts because they think they deserve more. They should just be thankful that they have a so called job, that can support their family.
Manny Ramierz is an excellent example of not being thankful for what he has. Last week, or the week before, he turned down a contract offer where he would make forty-five million in two years. He thought that he is worth more than that. That is just rediculous. Anybody could retire with one tenth of the contract that he turned down.
I feel that professional athletes should take some sort of pay cut, or donate more of their money. Any professional has enough money, that they could donate at least some. None of them should be going broke, unless they can't make it a year with more than a million dollars in their budget. If they can't, there is something seriously wrong.
I think professional athletes should either be taking a pay cut, or be donating more of their money. They don't need to be spending their money on a 2 million dollar house for a family of five, that could house a family of twenty. Even though that would help out the economy, charity organizations would really appreciate any kind of donation that they recieve.
It is really bad when you hear about professional athletes turning down multi-million dollar contracts because they think they deserve more. They should just be thankful that they have a so called job, that can support their family.
Manny Ramierz is an excellent example of not being thankful for what he has. Last week, or the week before, he turned down a contract offer where he would make forty-five million in two years. He thought that he is worth more than that. That is just rediculous. Anybody could retire with one tenth of the contract that he turned down.
I feel that professional athletes should take some sort of pay cut, or donate more of their money. Any professional has enough money, that they could donate at least some. None of them should be going broke, unless they can't make it a year with more than a million dollars in their budget. If they can't, there is something seriously wrong.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The New Era of Comedy
Comedy has really gone through a transformation. I feel that the change that happened is not a change for the good of things. There are many bad perceptions that young age groups get from watch the new comedy shows.
There used to be the Brady Bunch and other shows like the Flintstones. They were really good to watch and laugh as a family. Then comedy changed, and the Simpsons became a hit. People thought it was funny to have a drunken dad that goes around choking his son and yelling at his family all the time.
After the Simpsons came the show South Park. They beat the world record for the most swear words in an animated show. The estimation of swear words was 399. If the show ran for a full 30 minutes, without advertisements, that would be around 13 swear words a minute in the episode. Most shows are around 20 minutes, so they averaged 20 swear words a minute. That is one every 3 seconds.
The new comedy episodes are teaching nothing to the younger age groups, except how to disrespect and hurt others. Shows like South Park and Simpsons should be put on television stations that younger age groups usually do not watch. This kind of comedy should be targeting adults rather than the age group they are going for now.
Soon all shows and advertisements are going to have swearing and other sorts of vulgar footage that should not be on television unless only adults watch. Kids should not be hearing swear words at that young of age because when they hear a word over and over, they start to using the words. I really hope that comedy will not advance any farther than what they are at now, and hopefully they will start cutting down on the inappropriate words and footage on televisioin episodes.
There used to be the Brady Bunch and other shows like the Flintstones. They were really good to watch and laugh as a family. Then comedy changed, and the Simpsons became a hit. People thought it was funny to have a drunken dad that goes around choking his son and yelling at his family all the time.
After the Simpsons came the show South Park. They beat the world record for the most swear words in an animated show. The estimation of swear words was 399. If the show ran for a full 30 minutes, without advertisements, that would be around 13 swear words a minute in the episode. Most shows are around 20 minutes, so they averaged 20 swear words a minute. That is one every 3 seconds.
The new comedy episodes are teaching nothing to the younger age groups, except how to disrespect and hurt others. Shows like South Park and Simpsons should be put on television stations that younger age groups usually do not watch. This kind of comedy should be targeting adults rather than the age group they are going for now.
Soon all shows and advertisements are going to have swearing and other sorts of vulgar footage that should not be on television unless only adults watch. Kids should not be hearing swear words at that young of age because when they hear a word over and over, they start to using the words. I really hope that comedy will not advance any farther than what they are at now, and hopefully they will start cutting down on the inappropriate words and footage on televisioin episodes.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
A League of Superstars
The last time I watched a NBA game, I came to realize that one player can make quite a significant difference for a team. The NBA is a mostly a league of superstars. You do not hear about anybody playing great defense and grabbed nine rebounds in a game, unless they led the team in scoring that night, or if that person was already well known.
For example, the game I was watching the last game between the Cavaliers and the Lakers. Before this game was even played, sport analysts were talking about two people. Any guesses? Kobe and Lebron. In the end the Lakers beat the Cavaliers. The following day all I heard was how Kobe compared to Lebron. They did not talk about any other player besides them two.
Another example is when Kobe Bryant played against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. That night he scored 61 points and broke a record at Madison Square Garden, most points scored by a single player at New York. Everybody was chanting MVP, and it was not even at LA. Everybody just looks at how much he scored, and that was 61, but what else did he do? Not a whole lot. He did not grab a single rebound and only had three assists. A player like Kobe can easily get more than three assists a game with all the double teams he draws.
My last example is the Cleveland Cavaliers. Nobody knew who they were, unless you lived in Ohio. When Cleveland drafted Lebron James, it put them on the map. To this day everybody knows about the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Lebron James. Lebron has lead the Cavaliers to the playoffs many times and got them to the NBA Championship game numerous times. He is a superstar, and he shows it by dominating every game.
The NBA has to turn their status around, no defense and more scoring, otherwise; the number of people that watch the NBA are going to drop becasue everybody will be watching college hoops instead. Whoever wants to win the next NBA Finals will be playing as one team, and not as individuals. In this era of basketball, no one has ever won a NBA championship without some help. Cleveland found that out and so did the Lakers.
For example, the game I was watching the last game between the Cavaliers and the Lakers. Before this game was even played, sport analysts were talking about two people. Any guesses? Kobe and Lebron. In the end the Lakers beat the Cavaliers. The following day all I heard was how Kobe compared to Lebron. They did not talk about any other player besides them two.
Another example is when Kobe Bryant played against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. That night he scored 61 points and broke a record at Madison Square Garden, most points scored by a single player at New York. Everybody was chanting MVP, and it was not even at LA. Everybody just looks at how much he scored, and that was 61, but what else did he do? Not a whole lot. He did not grab a single rebound and only had three assists. A player like Kobe can easily get more than three assists a game with all the double teams he draws.
My last example is the Cleveland Cavaliers. Nobody knew who they were, unless you lived in Ohio. When Cleveland drafted Lebron James, it put them on the map. To this day everybody knows about the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Lebron James. Lebron has lead the Cavaliers to the playoffs many times and got them to the NBA Championship game numerous times. He is a superstar, and he shows it by dominating every game.
The NBA has to turn their status around, no defense and more scoring, otherwise; the number of people that watch the NBA are going to drop becasue everybody will be watching college hoops instead. Whoever wants to win the next NBA Finals will be playing as one team, and not as individuals. In this era of basketball, no one has ever won a NBA championship without some help. Cleveland found that out and so did the Lakers.
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