Thursday, December 5, 2013

French to English

Hölderlin à la tour

Les oiseaux intermittents
Les champs toujours là en face
Les mots voltigent, reviennent
Le touchent, il tend la main
Et les pose doucement
Les uns à côté des autres
Ils disent des choses très simples
Comme la musique
L’eau est calme
L’ombre de l’oiseau surprend
Les jours sont longs
Comme au début de la vie
À partir d’un moment d’une extrême simpilicité
il ne faut plus espérer

Hölderlin in the tower

Birds    sometimes
the fields    still over there
words go away    come back
touch    he holds out his hand
and puts them down softly
side by side
they say simple things
like music
the water is calm
a bird’s shadow    surprises
the days are long
as once they were
After a moment of extreme simplicity
hope is no longer needed

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Man's Best Friend

As I walk out the garage door I say to myself,
"It's frigid out here!" But they're waiting for  me anyway.
And as my foot hits the gravel I see their fluffy soft ears pop up.
They're happy, I can tell.
Tails wagging, eyes glowing.
I reach out to unlock the latch
And Moxie lets out a friendly bark.
They just can't get out fast enough.
Zoe jumps over Moxie as they exit
Through the gate that has just barely opened
And in all the excitement,
They run right past me.
Moxie makes the turn with no problem.
Zoe is clumsy.
She falls, but just as usual
She pops right back up with a wagging tail.
Trying to pet them is useless.
All I can see are streaks of brown
Darting around at knee-height.
Why do they love me so much?
Just cause I'm a human.
That's what dogs do
And I'm gonna start taking notes.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

The Most Interesting Conversation in the World

              x     /      x     x     /
Hailey: "Yep. I called the shots."
              /   x   /      x  
Ryan: "Not in my town!"
               /    x   /   /     x   /
Hailey: "Oh but I did sweetie."
           x      /    x  /    x      /          x     /   x     x    /  x
Ryan: It's ON! I run this town. They call me the mayor."
                               x       /    x  x     x   /    x / x      x      /      x
Hailey: (Winks) "You're not gonna get re-elected when I'm there."
              x     /   x    x / x        x     /    x      /
Ryan: "There is no election cause I'm in charge!"
              /    x    /       x      /
Hailey: "I'll impeach your ass."
             /   x    /      /      x     /   x/x     /      x        /   x       x
Ryan: "Get it girl. You have no idea who you're dealing with!"
                            x    /  x       /
Hailey: (Laughs) "A goody-good!"
            x   /  x       /       x       /           x      /   /   x    /    x     /    x   /
Ryan: "A goody good who knows what's up! I got people everywhere."
             /     x   /
Hailey: "So do I!!!"
              /   x       x       /    x        /      x        x   /   x    /  x     x   /   x
Ryan: "People where you are... right now. And I got people in Parma."
                /     x  x  /  x     x     x x / x     x      /   x     x      /  x  x     x     /  x /   x    x     /  x      /        x  /
Hailey: "And Mississippi and Alabama and Florida and Germany and California and all the towns around 
  /       x   x    /    x
here and in Moscow."
            /    x    /      /     x     /    x   x   /   x     x       x       /     x        x     /       x  /      x    /
Ryan: "No I mean I've got people in Parma and where you are... and they're aware of you!"
              x      /
Hailey: "Oh yeah?"
            /       x      x  /    x    / x   x    x     /     x     /     /  x  /  x     x     /        x /    x
Ryan: "Oh yeah! If you do anything as small as pick up a pencil, I'll know about it."

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

An Ode to my Fridge By Ryan Rehberg

Plastered with
stickers
of various red
and green.

You represent the
Boise Hawks and
good ol' LC.

Sometimes
you're full.
Water, grapes,
hot pockets and
such.

You definitely
portray my college
lifestyle.
Not too much,
but sometimes
too much of one
thing.

Filled with water
bottles
that I don't even
drink.

You're definitely
not my fridge
from home,
but that's ok.
I don't like all
the food in that
one anyway.

The microwave
sits on top
of you
and it's not
even
plugged in!
Is it comfortable?
I don't know.

Ouch!
You're pretty
hot in the back.
I thought fridges
were supposed
to be cold.

Oh well.
I don't use you much.
But you hold
my Hot Pockets,
and that's what a
college
kid needs.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

A & P vs. Bartleby

Herman's Bartleby the Scrivener and John Updike's A & P both portray the relationship between managers and employees differently. For example, it can be seen in A & P that the main character leaves the hard work of telling the girls that they are not appropriately dressed to his manager. This illustrates the way employees within a company care more and more about their jobs the further they move up on the work chain. "Then everybody's luck begins to run out. Lengel comes in from haggling with a truck full of cabbages on the lot and is about to scuttle into that door marked MANAGER behind which he hides all day when the girls touch his eye." He doesn't care and he's not about to do anything about the girls until the manager comes around. He just enjoys the fact that some girls came in in bikinis. Bartleby the Scrivener portrays more of a relationship of mutual respect (although the employees don't always respect their boss). He is much more involved and keeps an eye out on the group while doing his own work rather than having to step up and do the tough work for them. This is most likely the case because his employees are not 19 year old kids as in A & P. I think this shows the difference between a temporary workplace vs. a workplace for adults who are trying to support themselves.

Bartleby the Scrivener and A & P both involve different kinds of ideas of productivity. Both have laid-back approaches, but they do show differences. Bartleby is laid-back in the way that the workers are most likely there for longer than a temporary period of time and there isn't much of a rush in the profession. "This appeal to my fellow-feeling was hardly to be resisted. At all events, I saw that go he would not. So I made up my mind to let him stay, resolving, nevertheless, to see to it, that during the afternoon he had to do with my less important papers." The manager here instead of getting angry decides to take a creative approach and rearrange the workload. A & P doesn't show much productivity at all, especially from the lower employees. The manager has to actually leave his current task to go tell the girls what the deal is. He doesn't expect the workers, who are both around the age of 19 and most likely don't care much about their job, to do anything beyond what's in the job description. The ideas portrayed of productivity show the different expectations at different kinds of jobs.


Going along with what was said above, the different kinds of work in Bartleby and A & P are valued differently by the individuals involved. For example, as stated before, the boys working in the store in A & P don't seem to value the image of the company much. This is evident in the fact that they don't do anything regarding the situation other than stare at the girls involved. The manager " is about to scuttle into that door marked MANAGER behind which he hides all day when the girls touch his eye" and he has to come over and deal with it himself. Had he not been there at that very moment most likely nothing would have been done. Bartleby, on the other hand, shows that the individuals involved in the company value their work and what goes on at the workplace. Nippers and Turkey are quite offended by Bartleby's unwillingness to help out and go out of their way to express this displeasure. Granted, this may have only been the case because his unproductivity was causing them more work, but that's a different story. The values of individuals in each workplace can be seen in who steps up for what when the stories are compared.


(I read both of these stories online so I have no page numbers)



Thursday, September 19, 2013

A & P

The first thing I would examine as a feminist criticism of “A & P” is the incredibly small amount of words that the females actually say. The entire story is basically one male’s thoughts about the situation (which mainly consists of ogling, but I’ll cover that more later). Even when the time comes for the girls to speak up they talk very little compared to the other males who speak. The conversation is basically a one-sided argument with the male character asserting himself in a way that gives little leeway to the females’ argument.
The second thing is the Sammy’s thinking on the situation. Basically the only thing he does is judge how they look and stare at them the whole time. He does offer some compliments on Queene’s body, but even then the attitude is still a disdainful one in that it demeans the worth of women to nothing more than how they look.
The statement that really irked me the most was what he said about “women with six children and varicose veins mapping their legs.” This is basically Sammy saying that it is ok for young, pretty girls to walk around in clothes that cover nothing but their privates but other women should have to put on clothes because we don’t want to see that. If I had to pick out the most belittling comment in the whole entire story this would be it hands-down.

Sammy’s attitude is clearly one that says women are worth nothing except their bodies. He never, at any point, regards the female mind as part of a woman’s worth other than when he says, “Poor kids, I began to feel sorry for them, they couldn’t help it.” This is Sammy inferring that the girls can’t even understand why everybody is reacting. He doesn’t see that maybe the girls realize the situation they’re in but have certain circumstances that made them have to walk into the store in their bikinis.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Mrs. Mallard Closed Her Account

Mrs. Mallard
Brently just left for his business trip! Time to get wild.
10:00am Sept. 16
     2 people like this
Comments:
10:05am Josephine- heyyyyyyy girl! finna be a great night!!!

Mrs. Mallard
Miss you Brent Boy... It's been great having a bit of free time but please come home soon.
3:47am Sept. 17

Mrs. Mallard
 my head...
11:56am Sept. 17
Comments:
12:10pm Josephine- ditto

Brently Mallard closed his account

Mrs. Mallard
Never could have imagined that this would happen. Sometimes life sucker punches you out of nowhere but this is over the top.
3:22pm Sept. 17
Comments:
3:23pm Sept. 17 Laurie- We love you honey! Keep your head up. Words can't describe how much my heart aches for you right now.
     View 13 more comments

Mrs. Mallard
3:30pm Sept. 17
     24 people like this

Mrs. Mallard
The accident that took my hubby.
3:33 Sept. 17
Comments:
4:15pm Richard- O.o

Mrs. Mallard
Don't talk to me right now
3:35pm Sept. 17

Mrs. Mallard
Seriously, I just want to be left alone!!!!
3:36pm Sept. 17
Comments:
3:36pm Sept. 17 Josephine- your gonna make yourself sick!!!!!
3:67pm Sept. 17 Troll- *you're
     10 people like this comment

Mrs. Mallard
"Free! Body and soul free!"
3:45pm Sept. 17
     4 people like this

Brently Mallard reopened his account

Brently Mallard----->Mrs. Mallard
wut?
3:56pm Sept. 17

Mrs. Mallard closed her account



Thursday, September 12, 2013

Orientation

So this is where you'll park your car when you show up. Make sure you park in this section- otherwise the Ballard Insurance people will throw a major fit and complain to me that you're taking customer parking spaces. ...as if they even have any customers. I don't care for those guys much, so please don't give me a reason to have to deal with them.

Once you get here, this is the break room. These lockers are for you guys to use so pick one and put your stuff in it or put your stuff on the table. In here we've got a microwave for you to use for your lunch and there's paper plates and some plastic forks and knives in that top locker up there. Right over here we've got the time off slips. If you ever need to request time off I'll need you to fill this sheet out and bring it to me yourself. Make sure you give it to me, because there's a very good chance it will get lost on my desk or disappear if you give it to one of the other managers.

I'm not sure if you're a smoker or not, but if you do like to smoke be sure to go over to the parking lot. The owners used to let people smoke out behind the dumpster back there but for some reason they don't like that anymore. Don't ask me why. Ugh. And definitely don't be smoking in the bathrooms or in the break room. That's a sure way to get written up.

As far as what to wear, here's your uniform. We usually make people tuck in their shirts, but keep this on the down-low: I really don't care either way. I think it's pretty goofy personally. Be sure to wear closed-toed shoes, and always wear jeans or cargo shorts. They're great for working. I prefer darker colors myself because stains don't show up so easily.

Really, really watch what you say and who you say it around. You'll figure out pretty quickly who you can joke with. Not trying to be offensive or anything, but the girls are the ones you've gotta watch out for. Rumors spread like wildfire here and it can get out of hand very quickly. If you want my advice, I'd say that the best way to stay out of trouble is to not associate yourself with it. That's how I do it.

Over here is where you'll be washing cars. Vacuuming them, to be more specific. I'll show you how to do it in a minute. That girl there is our greeter. She's the one who meets the cars as they pull in and sells the car washes. You'll check out what she writes on the ticket that will be on the dashboard to see what service we'll be doing for the wash. And I seriously suggest that you pay attention to what Chelsea says. She's been here seven years and can be a bit snappy at times, but I promise she knows what she's talking about. Don't take it too personally if she gets angry- just take her advice.

Start off by scrubbing the bugs off of the grill and the windshield. There's sponges in those two buckets there and brushes to use if there aren't that many bugs. After you've done that, scrub the rims with the brushes in these smaller buckets here. That'll be all for you on the outside of the car for now. Grab the vacuum and start with the floor mats. Once you've vacuumed them, put them on the seat and vacuum the floor. Be sure to get the seat after the floor as well. After that, move the seat forward and do the back seat. Stuff to remember: be sure to empty trash bags, vacuum out the cupholders and door pockets, and don't forget the trunk. After you've finished that, push the side mirrors in. Be aware of whether they're manual or if there's a button on the inside to fold them in. On a side note, don't vacuum up change or receipts. That's a surefire way to get us yelled at by a customer. The last thing on the checklist is to make sure the windows are up. Not many things get under the customers' skin than their car coming out sopping wet on the inside because of a window down when it went through the wash.

Don't worry about driving the cars up to the tunnel for a few days. We'll have the more experienced guys do that until you're ready.

Last thing, just hang tight until we give you a lunch. There's no set time every day so you'll just get it whenever we get a chance. Also, if it's a slow day we might ask if anybody feels like going home and if you feel like it you're more than welcome to take off. If you want there's also the option to take a second lunch.

That's about all I've got for you. If you need me I'll most likely be up front drying off cars or in the office where I got your uniform. Nice meeting you bud- good luck today.

Peace.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Southern Grotesque

I think that one of the biggest directions literature can go to be grotesque is to show a hint of hope, whether small or large, and then crush it. "A Good Man is Hard to Find" doesn't start out the way you would expect something labeled grotesque to start. It seems like a semi-happy situation. The family is going on a trip and is having minor quarrels over where to go, as any regular family does. The first time somebody reads the story they are most likely unaware of the amount of foreshadowing going on (e.g. all of the mentions of The Misfit and them ending up dead, etc.). Unlike most short stories, this one fails to make clear what the real conflict is supposed to be, leaving the reader to question what the point is. This creates tension, making the reader edgy and wondering what direction the story is going to go. Are they going to have a good trip? Are they going to find the "Good Man?" Is some sort of disaster going to happen? Most people, I assume, would hope for the first two and subconsciously ignore the possibility of the third question. More tension is created when they run into The Misfit, and more questions arise. Is he the good man? Is he going to help them? Is he completely crazy? Again, I think most people secretly hope for the first couple of options. The grotesqueness, I feel, is brought about when the ever-so-growing hope of the story ending in finding the good man is made evident to be lost when they are all shot to death.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Lottery

In Shirley Jackson's, "The Lottery," one theme is Man's ability (and need) to rationalise generally unacceptable actions. This sounds a little bit to me like a movie I saw recently. The movie was called "The Purge," which was about an era of future government where every crime, including murder, was made legal for a period of 12 hours. It supposedly was meant to keep crime rates down by allowing people to "purge" all their anger. I thought the movie was a messed up concept, and I don't think much more about this story either but I think it paints a small picture of each of our lives. Just like the movie, the people seem to view the one extremely messed up thing that they do every year to be a completely normal thing. It really makes me wonder how many horrible things we do on a daily basis that we just throw under the rug because it is "tradition" and it is rationalized to us.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Pics that describe me!










Boy

Don't just throw all the laundry in the wash at the same time. At least separate the whites and reds, then clean out the lint sheet in the drier. That is all you need to know about laundry; Keep your area tidy. a messy room is a turn off to the ladies and it makes it a lot harder to find what you need. Learn how to use the microwave. It's a great asset and you can be VERY creative with how you use it. Don't use it too much though; you'll get sick of that cup of noodles crap really fast. Go get McD's, order pizza, or take a nice girl out to a nice restaurant and eat something nice. Beware: you can't eat like this all the time. Get some fruit or vegetables so you don't have a heart attack at 30; Those napkins are there for a reason; USE THEM! Also, a great way to get around doing those annoying dishes is to go get some paper plates and bowls and plastic utensils. Be sure to have some nice silverware and plates around somewhere though; they come in handy when a girl comes over; Don't curse. Swearing never made anybody look any more intelligent. Just remember this: if you must use strong language, the key is TIMING; Always open the door for the ladies. Yes they want equal rights and all, but that doesn't mean common decency doesn't exist anymore. And when did a guy ever look good by just ignoring a girl? Don't ignore anybody. Give your attention to the kid who needs a friend. That feeling of superiority you get when you leave somebody out only leads to bitterness in the long run. People will respond to you a LOT better if you treat everyone like equals, and you'll feel better about yourself too! Always respect your elders. Sure, it may not seem like they've earned that respect, but you'll go a lot further by yielding respect to those in authority. Someday you'll realize how dumb it really is to rebel just for the sake of rebelling; Don't cheat. Cutting corners only takes away from YOU. I am going to push you beyond your limits. Others will too. When they do, it is for your own good because they see something in you that is more than what you see; Learn not to judge people; the amount of people that you think you know and the amount that you actually know is a big difference. Get to know everybody you encounter. Nothing feels worse than waking up one day and realizing you don't actually know anybody; If a girl becomes the object of your affection, you must remember that she is the only one; Also, remember that girls are not objects; If you have to offer criticism, don't just put the blame on other people. Assume responsibility for what you are responsible for, and then ask nicely if the problem can be fixed; Don't criticize what can't be changed. It doesn't do anybody any good to hear about what is wrong with them when they can't change it; If somebody criticizes you, learn to realize that you are different than what you are being criticized for. You are not a horrible person just because you messed up; If somebody makes you angry, use that energy to do something good. Anger that gets suppressed leads to anxiety. Anxiety can be your ally if you learn how to use it.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

40 things about me

  1. My greatest asset is my friendliness.
  2. The nicest thing I ever did for anyone was I gave somebody who needed it a hug.
  3. The nicest thing anyone ever did for me was give me a job when I was very very broke.
  4. One question I have about life is "where is Heaven".
  5. One thing I've always wondered about is God.
  6. My teachers last year will tell you that I am extremely outgoing.
  7. My friends will tell you that I am very understanding.
  8. People like me because I'm outgoing.
  9. One thing most people don't know about me is that I am not as confident as I seem.
  10. I am an expert on wiffle ball.
  11. I want to know more about my friends.
  12. When I am 60, I will still be very very very happy.
  13. Five years from now, I will be on the same crazy adventure I'm on now.
  14. When I want to, I have the ability to be very compassionate.
  15. A famous person I admire is Michael Jordan because underneath it all I know he is still human.
  16. The bravest thing I ever did was quit baseball.
  17. I have trouble dealing with leaving what is familiar.
  18. I appreciate it when teachers get to know me personally.
  19. I am proud of my calves.
  20. I like wiffle ball because it's like baseball but more chill.
  21. I really need to start sleeping more.
  22. My favorite class is psychology because I'm interested in how people think.
  23. My friends make me laugh when they look at me funny.
  24. My pet peeve is fingerprints.
  25. When I am sad I go longboarding.
  26. The most stressful thing in my life is making decisions.
  27. The most influential person in my life is Jesus because I think the reason is obvious.
  28. If I had one hundred dollars, I would go on a rafting trip.
  29. I am named for _________. I have no idea what this question means
  30. It was easy to learn Ultimate Frisbee because I love it.
  31. It is difficult to learn why girls think the way they do.
  32. I have no regrets about quitting baseball.
  33. I regret quitting football. 
  34. A friend once showed me how to throw a frisbee.
  35. I like country music, particularly these songs: Angel Eyes, Springsteen, and Cruise.
  36. My favorite color is blue.
  37. One dish I can cook well is cup of noodles.
  38. My favorite place on earth is my rock by the Snake River.
  39. What is a mistake that taught you a lesson? What did you learn? I jumped to conclusions about people and made some judgments that came back to bite me. I learned to learn to see more than just the surface on people.
  40. What is an obstacle you face in completing this class? How can you, your classmates, and your teacher help you get around it? I have a lot of trouble doing homework. I think I can get around this by doing my homework in groups to make it more fun and get a set time to do it.