Do you know what I hate about blogs?
I hate that I just wrote an entire post on Franzen's "The Comfort Zone" and then the ethernet cable fell out of this laptop I am borrowing and now the whole thing is gone.
I'm too angry to rewrite it.
UGHHHHHHHHHH.
On Franzen's "Comfort Zone"
False Alarm! This post was saved!
I didn't much like "The Comfort Zone" upon initial reading. However, I REALLY liked it after I read it a couple times. I'm not sure exactly why that is the case. I guess it may partially be that it's a rather complex story and it takes a few readings to really appreciate all the different aspects.
My favorite aspect? Definitely the humor. We had to discuss this story in another class I'm in and most of the class said that they didn't like it because it was too dark and not funny. They commented that they liked this Sedaris story more because even though it was a sort of dark subject, he used humor to retell it. I, however, thought Franzen's piece was quite funy in some regards.
One of my favorite parts was the one about Chris Toczko and the spelling bee. One line in particular stood out: "Toczko was annoyingunaware that I, not he, by natural right, was the best student in the class." I guess I can't quite articulate why I love this line, but I really do. I suppose it might just be my sense of humor. I can certainly relate to that line, for one. There's almost always those one or two people who are annoying unaware that they are inferior to you in some way or another. At the same time, it's a ridiculous line. It's a ridiculous thought and Franzen both admits that he thought it, but also throws in a splash of what I take to be sarcasm to also admit that it is ridiculous (even if he really IS the best student in the class and Chris Toczko really SHOULD know that.)
We've all been there, right?
Or is it just me? And him?
I didn't much like "The Comfort Zone" upon initial reading. However, I REALLY liked it after I read it a couple times. I'm not sure exactly why that is the case. I guess it may partially be that it's a rather complex story and it takes a few readings to really appreciate all the different aspects.
My favorite aspect? Definitely the humor. We had to discuss this story in another class I'm in and most of the class said that they didn't like it because it was too dark and not funny. They commented that they liked this Sedaris story more because even though it was a sort of dark subject, he used humor to retell it. I, however, thought Franzen's piece was quite funy in some regards.
One of my favorite parts was the one about Chris Toczko and the spelling bee. One line in particular stood out: "Toczko was annoyingunaware that I, not he, by natural right, was the best student in the class." I guess I can't quite articulate why I love this line, but I really do. I suppose it might just be my sense of humor. I can certainly relate to that line, for one. There's almost always those one or two people who are annoying unaware that they are inferior to you in some way or another. At the same time, it's a ridiculous line. It's a ridiculous thought and Franzen both admits that he thought it, but also throws in a splash of what I take to be sarcasm to also admit that it is ridiculous (even if he really IS the best student in the class and Chris Toczko really SHOULD know that.)
We've all been there, right?
Or is it just me? And him?
Regarding "Against School" and design and typography
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Our class readings for week three in Critical Writing II were "Against School" by John Taylor Gatto and Colter's Way by Sebastian Junger but for this entry, I'm just going to be focusing on "Against School."
I could tell immediately that this essay had some potential because it's title sounded more like a Ramones song than an academic essay. Intriguing, isn't it? However, my hope was soon disappointed when I found that the first Google search result for "Against School Gatto" is the full text of the essay written in Comic Sans font on a salmon colored background (as viewable by the link above). I'm under the impression that nothing great can be written in Comic Sans on a Salmon colored background. It just doesn't happen. It's a strange, unexplained law of the universe.
Hmm. I was going to use this paragraph to dive right into the essay. I would have provided a brief summary and then gave my own thoughts and response to it. However, now I'm suddenly more interested in the presentation of this essay that I just described.
I really did not like the essay that much. Though I primarily agree with the author's thoughts and I very much agree that out school system has some problems, I though the essay was rather poorly written and quite boring. However, now that I think about it, I also REALLY hated the presentation. I hated that poorly used salmon color and I absolutely detest Comic Sans. Seriously, just think of all the utter CRAP you have read in that font in the last decade or so. That has to leave an imprint on your mind.
So now I'm left wondering what I would have thought of Gatto's "Against School" had it been presented in the clean Times New Roman on white of the NYtimes website or perhaps under that slightly flamboyant heading font of the New Yorker website, all nicely formatted, surrounded by links to other interesting sounding essays. Surely it would have at least SLIGHTLY changed my perception of the essay.
Perhaps, in general, I would have felt the same way about it. Or maybe, I would not have gotten that feeling that it was somehow poorly written, even though I can't quite explain why. Perhaps, in a setting like NYtimes or the New Yorker, I would have though it was silly and pretentious and I would wonder where they get these people.
I guess what I'm saying is that I have absolutely no ability to take things out of context and view them for what they are. I'm also a sucker for good design and if people are able to manipulate me because of that, good for them! I deserve to be manipulated!
I could tell immediately that this essay had some potential because it's title sounded more like a Ramones song than an academic essay. Intriguing, isn't it? However, my hope was soon disappointed when I found that the first Google search result for "Against School Gatto" is the full text of the essay written in Comic Sans font on a salmon colored background (as viewable by the link above). I'm under the impression that nothing great can be written in Comic Sans on a Salmon colored background. It just doesn't happen. It's a strange, unexplained law of the universe.
Hmm. I was going to use this paragraph to dive right into the essay. I would have provided a brief summary and then gave my own thoughts and response to it. However, now I'm suddenly more interested in the presentation of this essay that I just described.
I really did not like the essay that much. Though I primarily agree with the author's thoughts and I very much agree that out school system has some problems, I though the essay was rather poorly written and quite boring. However, now that I think about it, I also REALLY hated the presentation. I hated that poorly used salmon color and I absolutely detest Comic Sans. Seriously, just think of all the utter CRAP you have read in that font in the last decade or so. That has to leave an imprint on your mind.
So now I'm left wondering what I would have thought of Gatto's "Against School" had it been presented in the clean Times New Roman on white of the NYtimes website or perhaps under that slightly flamboyant heading font of the New Yorker website, all nicely formatted, surrounded by links to other interesting sounding essays. Surely it would have at least SLIGHTLY changed my perception of the essay.
Perhaps, in general, I would have felt the same way about it. Or maybe, I would not have gotten that feeling that it was somehow poorly written, even though I can't quite explain why. Perhaps, in a setting like NYtimes or the New Yorker, I would have though it was silly and pretentious and I would wonder where they get these people.
I guess what I'm saying is that I have absolutely no ability to take things out of context and view them for what they are. I'm also a sucker for good design and if people are able to manipulate me because of that, good for them! I deserve to be manipulated!
Regarding "Me Talk Pretty One Day"
Monday, November 8, 2010
It is my understanding that the 'assignment' for this blog project is to respond in some way to readings we do in class. This post will be in response to David Sedaris' essay, 'Me Talk Pretty One Day.'
An 'appropriate' response is kind of difficult to come up with because I've already done multiple responses to this essay, each in different forms and now I feel obligated to blog or journal or whatever with some original content. I guess that might be a problem with a lot of these blog entries.
Well, at the risk of sounding like the super negative person that I probably am, I feel like David Sedaris is kind of overrated. I know? How pretentious and annoying does that make me sound?
I mean, I do like him. I hadn't read much of his writings until recently (well, I still haven't read 'much' of his stuff) but I had heard him on the radio quite a bit. And he's funny, I suppose. And I tend to like that kind of self-deprecating humor that he seems to employ. In short, I like him. But I feel like America REALLY TOTALLY COMPLETELY OBSESSIVELY loves him right now, and I'm not sure why.
After at least some very small amount of thought, I've decided there are a few options here.
Exactly! Well said, Stuff White People Like.
An 'appropriate' response is kind of difficult to come up with because I've already done multiple responses to this essay, each in different forms and now I feel obligated to blog or journal or whatever with some original content. I guess that might be a problem with a lot of these blog entries.
Well, at the risk of sounding like the super negative person that I probably am, I feel like David Sedaris is kind of overrated. I know? How pretentious and annoying does that make me sound?
I mean, I do like him. I hadn't read much of his writings until recently (well, I still haven't read 'much' of his stuff) but I had heard him on the radio quite a bit. And he's funny, I suppose. And I tend to like that kind of self-deprecating humor that he seems to employ. In short, I like him. But I feel like America REALLY TOTALLY COMPLETELY OBSESSIVELY loves him right now, and I'm not sure why.
After at least some very small amount of thought, I've decided there are a few options here.
- I'm totally off in my perception that everybody is super in love with this guy. This is a very likely option.
- It's just a matter of the right place at the right time type of a thing. I mean, since I admit myself that him and his work are very likable, it's not hard to see how a bit of the right exposure could really make him mega-popular.
- He's just really 'accessible'. It really doesn't take a lot of effort to read his work and it immediately pays off by being funny. Additionally, he's not limited with the type of audience that might be interested in him. He doesn't write in some obscure style that would limit him to only fans of that obscure style, he just... I don't know... writes.
I just skimmed his wikipedia page because I really don't know much about him. This part was particularly interesting:
While working a string of odd jobs across Raleigh, Chicago and New York City, Sedaris was discovered reading his diary (which he has kept since 1977) in a Chicago club by radio host Ira Glass, who asked Sedaris to appear on his weekly local program The Wild Room.[19] Sedaris later said, "I owe everything to Ira....My life just changed completely, like someone waved a magic wand."
Can you imagine? I guess Ira Glass is to wealthy-ish, educated, 'socially conscious' people as Oprah is to housewives and soccer moms. Everything he touches turns to gold.
Anyway, that's a really cool fairy-tale/movie-ish story. And I like it. And I wonder what would have happened if he hadn't been 'discovered' reading his diary (who the hell reads their diary in public, really?) Probably nothing.
Sometimes I think I should spend more time hanging out in hipster pubs waiting to be discovered.
And, lastly, I'll conclude with this other page I stumbled across through a series of time-wasting/link-clicking. It's a 'Stuff White People Like' page on David Sedaris. Here's what they have to say on David Sedaris:
His stuff is kind of funny, but white people go crazy and will pay hundreds of dollars to hear him read from his own book. Let me say that again, they will pay money to see someone read from a book they have already read. They know the jokes are coming, they know the punch lines, but they feel the need to hear the author actually say it.
White people universally love David Sedaris. So if they ever ask you “who are you favorite authors?” you should always reply “David Sedaris.” They will instantly launch into a story about how much they love his work, and the conversation will go from there, and you don’t have to talk about books any more.
It is also safer than saying Jonathan Franzen, Dave Eggers, or Shakespeare. White people are very divided on these authors and might actually ask you questions about why you like them. Stick with David Sedaris, you can’t lose! If they do you press you, just say “I read a lot, and I never laugh out loud from a writer, but Sedaris is just brilliant.”
Obligatory Stage Setting
I'm Katie.
I'm in a course entitled Critical Writing II at the University of Montana. It makes me wonder about Critical Writing I. No word on the existence of such a class thus far.
Honestly, I think the whole thing is a little ridiculous. To graduate, I have to take a 'lower division writing course' and there seems to be very, very few of these courses, at least that I am eligible for. So I just did a search and this 'Critical Writing II' was literally the only one that I was eligible and would fit into my schedule, so I enrolled. I really didn't know what it was, but I knew I wanted to graduate.
As the course progressed, I realized that it's essentially the very same class as this other class I was obligated to take during my freshman year. It was basically English 101 and it was really, really awful. It was super basic (like basically the same content from my English class in seventh grade, only in seventh grade it was at least free) and not even remotely engaging. I absolutely hated it and I did really poorly. The instructor was just some grad student who was clearly not too psyched to be teaching a bunch of people who didn't want to be taught anyway, and I have a feeling he was nursing some dreams of becoming some kind of prolific poet and teaching English 101 at University of Montana was NOT on the road to that goal. He kind of depressed me, to be honest. And I probably depressed him too.
The content if Critical Writing II is so similar that I'm starting to think it's some kind of scam with the University of Montana so that they can get more money.
At least, however, Critical Writing II is better functionally (and I'm not just saying that because I'm under the impression that my course instructor is obligated to read this blog at the end of the semester.) The readings in this course are usually relevant in some way (unlike in the English 101 class) and it's online so I can do the work when I have time and I don't have to commute across town to be on campus. And I know a lot of people disagree with this feeling, but I really think that the discussions (always required in these kinds of courses) are a lot more... I don't know, engaging and useful when courses are online. People just say the stupidest crap in on-campus classes just because they know they get extra points for letting some sort of words - any words - tumble out of their mouth. Also, have you ever noticed that the most vocal people in discussion classes tend to be the most annoying? I guess I'm just a bitter and judgmental person, but I've totally found a trend that the people who say the most have the least amount to actually say.
I guess some of the same is true in the online discussions, but at least people have a bit more time to really think about what they're saying and they can edit their responses before posting them. That's something you really can't do with verbal communication, unfortunately.
Anyway, I started doing really badly in this Critical Writing course, like basically just missing a bunch of assignments. I'm kind of a terrible student and I certainly blame myself for my failures, but I also blame other things too. For one, the whole system needs an overhaul in my opinion. And also, I'm just really busy this semester. I'm in this animation course that I would love to devote all my time too. It seriously takes so much time (though I'm even failing at that) and I'm also trying to pick up as many extra shifts at work as possible. It's kind of a catch 22 type of a deal because I keep trying to pick up more shifts so I can afford school, but then I start failing because I spend all my time working and not so much time actually doing school work.
So basically, that's where this blog comes in. We had the option to start a blog regarding the coursework for extra credit. And now I'm in need of that extra credit. So now I have a blog.
And now you know.
I'm in a course entitled Critical Writing II at the University of Montana. It makes me wonder about Critical Writing I. No word on the existence of such a class thus far.
Honestly, I think the whole thing is a little ridiculous. To graduate, I have to take a 'lower division writing course' and there seems to be very, very few of these courses, at least that I am eligible for. So I just did a search and this 'Critical Writing II' was literally the only one that I was eligible and would fit into my schedule, so I enrolled. I really didn't know what it was, but I knew I wanted to graduate.
As the course progressed, I realized that it's essentially the very same class as this other class I was obligated to take during my freshman year. It was basically English 101 and it was really, really awful. It was super basic (like basically the same content from my English class in seventh grade, only in seventh grade it was at least free) and not even remotely engaging. I absolutely hated it and I did really poorly. The instructor was just some grad student who was clearly not too psyched to be teaching a bunch of people who didn't want to be taught anyway, and I have a feeling he was nursing some dreams of becoming some kind of prolific poet and teaching English 101 at University of Montana was NOT on the road to that goal. He kind of depressed me, to be honest. And I probably depressed him too.
The content if Critical Writing II is so similar that I'm starting to think it's some kind of scam with the University of Montana so that they can get more money.
At least, however, Critical Writing II is better functionally (and I'm not just saying that because I'm under the impression that my course instructor is obligated to read this blog at the end of the semester.) The readings in this course are usually relevant in some way (unlike in the English 101 class) and it's online so I can do the work when I have time and I don't have to commute across town to be on campus. And I know a lot of people disagree with this feeling, but I really think that the discussions (always required in these kinds of courses) are a lot more... I don't know, engaging and useful when courses are online. People just say the stupidest crap in on-campus classes just because they know they get extra points for letting some sort of words - any words - tumble out of their mouth. Also, have you ever noticed that the most vocal people in discussion classes tend to be the most annoying? I guess I'm just a bitter and judgmental person, but I've totally found a trend that the people who say the most have the least amount to actually say.
I guess some of the same is true in the online discussions, but at least people have a bit more time to really think about what they're saying and they can edit their responses before posting them. That's something you really can't do with verbal communication, unfortunately.
Anyway, I started doing really badly in this Critical Writing course, like basically just missing a bunch of assignments. I'm kind of a terrible student and I certainly blame myself for my failures, but I also blame other things too. For one, the whole system needs an overhaul in my opinion. And also, I'm just really busy this semester. I'm in this animation course that I would love to devote all my time too. It seriously takes so much time (though I'm even failing at that) and I'm also trying to pick up as many extra shifts at work as possible. It's kind of a catch 22 type of a deal because I keep trying to pick up more shifts so I can afford school, but then I start failing because I spend all my time working and not so much time actually doing school work.
So basically, that's where this blog comes in. We had the option to start a blog regarding the coursework for extra credit. And now I'm in need of that extra credit. So now I have a blog.
And now you know.
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