The new hustle and bustle

Gutterson's piece was disturbing. I grew up in a traditional neighborhood, too old to have all the restricting laws. All the houses in my suburb were different, with different races, class, cars, pools/no pools and so on. However, I have been aware of mini-cities like this all my life. My hometown, Nashville, is one of the fastest growing cities in the US. Definitely top 10.

The idea that "Green Valley" is a verb is true. The people with power built this subdivision and therefore implaced certain rules and regulations that they felt were important. Then people who needed a new house and agreed with them moved in. I dont see anything wrong with this. People of accordance minds have been living togethor for all of human history: they were called ghetos in the past and subdivisions now. Some new regulations are house size and design, attendance to the local country club, and not talking bad about the area.

Gutterson uses as condecending tone. He talks about it in terms of a corporation, which now-a-days has an automatically bad connotation. He also really upplays the couple not wanting their name known during the interview. He misses the fact that people choose to live in such places because it brings them happines.

I believe that some suburbs are safe while some arent just as some places in a city are safe while others arent. One of my giant pet peeves is when people are cut and dry, black and white, about things that are complex. when choosing a home, look for the evidence. Crime rate, rate of expansion, local areas. i grew up in a suburb 15 min from the heart of downtown and was completely safe and happy. i have seen the sprawling cities of identical houses and felt safe driving through.

back in nashville

1) knowledge
2) confidence
3) acceptance


nashville is home. i know it. it knows me. plain and simple really. as soon as i enter the city limits i feel like i know where i am. i see sights that spark memories, hear noises that remind me of funny stories. knowing where i am makes me feel confident. i run that place. i know what should be happening and where. and because i know where i am and am confident of myself i feel accepted.

Lady in Red

what makes a woman hot?
so im a total geek/scientist. on that level, genetics comes into effect. why do men usually like the large brested, wide hips? well, in tribal times it was a sign of fertility. wide hips means the woman can bare children more readily. large breasts are possibly a sign of increased milk production. also for survival, a long leged woman would be able to outrun potential predators. these ideas of the cliche woman can be traced back through our heritage.

but on a personal level, some traits definitely stick out. for me, hair is important. not really color, but how well it fits a persons personality. lips are sexy. a fit body is important because id like to respect someone who respects their body. i love legs

obviously these are all just physical components

Read between the lines

Need to know:
palin is from the North.
Two different parties
Hilary is not a huge supporter of Barack since she ran against him
Palin is conservative religious
Hilary worked really hard to be president
Mccane is really old and could die "one heartbeat"

In order for that sketch to be funny, you have to have some sort of background in politics. You need to know that Hilary was a democratic candidate that was beaten by Obama. The two women there were from two different parties and therefore have opposite views on several key issues. You need to know the type of campaign race Hilary ran: uphill and with lots of opposition. Palin is from a small town in Alaska and was probably chosen to counter Mccanes incredible age. And because he is so old, there is a good chance of Palin becoming President if the two are elected.

He's a lady

If i were to wake up as the opposite gender, to become a female, i would flip out. Obviously the first thing I would do would be to explore my new body. creepy no? But what the hell else would you do with it? After the initial shock wore off....and that would probably take a good few hours, I'd perform several social experiments. I'd dress both sluty and conservatively and judge the reactions i get. I'd get a speeding ticket and see if I could get out of it. the rumor of the couch in the girls restroom has always intrigued me, making the myth a definite must for me. I'd see if women percieve the worlddifferent than I do: smell, taste, touch, sight. For some reason hearing would probably be the same.
I would watch a cheesy Chick-flick to see if I could now experience the hormone rush that causes girls to reach for the nearest box of tissues.
Maybe my taste in music would change. Maybe the sight of a baby or puppy would make me piercingly scream AWWWWWW.
I would test the stereotypes

Do you believe in Centaurs?

audience: ut students and would be scholars.
Tone: satirical
Persuasion: not to believe everything you see/read
All three rhetorical strategies are used

We all know that centaurs are mythological creatures that don't exist. But, we all take what a museum and/or scientist says as fact. Conflict arises when the two clash as ethos and logos are blended together. Let's face it, the damn thing looks real. Stained horse and human bones look the same. The vertebra align. The skull is even convincing. Rocks and dirt inside the exhibit make it look fresh out of the ground while the wood/glass cover makes it look legit. As it is staged in a well-known university, and in a library for that mater, ethos is thrown at the reader. Why would a museum lie to me? Hell, even our pathos is tested since we all deep down want to believe in things bigger than us.
But then we find out it's not real. We feel used and joked on, humiliated in our nieve approach. However, from all this turmoil a solid message arises: Don't believe all you see and read. Instantly the logos fires the synapses in our brain causing us to think and wonder. We look around the room, wondering what else might be a lie; our eyes become fine tooth combs. And as they make their way back to the "centaur", a new sense of respect is found: we our now true scholars...

Back to Nashville

Dear Arthur,
Last weekend I went home for the holiday. After a good drive back, in which you killed me in a race, it felt great to see my family again. Laura is doing great, though she says she misses the hell out of me. Mom is the same as always. She did prepare a lot of food for me, which was much appreciated. Dad has taken the change best of all, like i knew he would, and continues with his life. I could learn a lot from that.
I saw Katy again on Friday night. She and I are thinking about starting a relationship again; for better or worse only time will tell. At least that night was great. I took her to Red Caboose park, which is quickly becoming our date place, and told her of all the crazy shit we have been getting into here at UT.
I slept like a baby in my own bed Friday night.
Saturday was all about catching up on mindless tasks in my life. I got a haircut, groceries, and other stupid things like that. But the tasks were followed by a great night at the hookah bar and then another night with Katy. Over all, Labor day was quite restful.






Dear Grandma,
I went back to Nashville for Labor Day weekend; Mom said that she was missing me terribly. But it was also a good chance for me to take care of some errands, like a new haircut, and to further my good byes with close friends. After an easy drive down, I had dinner with Mom, Dad, and Laura. I e-mailed Mom a menu of food to cook while I was down there and she delivered perfectly. In fact, Dad smoked TWO chickens and Mom made all the home-style sides you could ask for. We caught up and chatted for a few hours on the back porch. After that, I slept like a log in my own bed. It felt nice to be back home, but on the same page I can"t wait to be back in UT!

The Cracked Egg

Observations:
1st video: male narrator. shorter/to the point. simple and deep. butter skillet thats hot, egg dropped right in.
2nd video: female pop star. actually visible in video. agressive. calls attention to more than just brain.

"Drugs fry your brain" is the clear and simple meaning of the first video. This is something we all know, something prevalent deep inside our head. This video forces us to cope with the reality of drug use, a very ethos driven statement. The audience intended was probably an older one. An aspect I really enjoyed in this video is the use of the skillet. Hot butter is shown boiling; everyone associates butter in a skillet with a great meal to follow. It's very aluring and tempting: like drugs. However, the introduction of your brain as an egg really pushed the point across.

The second video was more over the top. Although the message was clear, it was too in your face. The emotional appeal was too strong and actually pushed me away from the PSA. The use of a teen celebrity is obviously a ploy to make younger audiences pay attention, specifically younger girls. If the comercial had been left at its high point, the smashing of the egg, it's message would have been clear and more accesible. The violence and destruction that followed merelly reflected on the culture at that time:nothing to be proud of.

The New World

Observation:
yellow repeating background
two blue figures on stilts
well balanced ppl on stilts
girls in background boys in front

The purpose of this picture, and of the Beijing Olympics, is to show China's future. The yellow background of girls in traditional Chinease dress show China's cultural past. The blue, stilted figures show the future: China is leaping into the modern world faster than anyone else. The balance the two men have shows how carefull China is being in its endeavors. The yellow may represent a stagnant, infected country; the blue washes over it like cool medicine. It is also important to note simply how grandiose and extravegant the ceremony is. China put on a great show, and I definitely think it made the World notice.

#2 pencil

Observing:
long and slender
worn down eraser
lead makes noise
soothing green color
worn-down cover
made by BIC
clear plastic cover

Infering:
It has been used a lot. It has corrected many mistakes. It has been handled/dropped. It is massed produced. It will need lead soon.

First Blog

So it begins...