Using a blog to record my writing and supposedly /optionally take over my journal entries has been an intersting experience and I've discovered some pros and cons to this new, more technologically advanced method of writing.
The positive aspects of using the blogs and the wikispace is that I can read what other people write about, thus inspiring some ideas in myself, which is important because I am not used to writing so much about so many different (and often random) things. It is also useful because you are able to leave comments on people's blogs and receive them on your own writing, which can inspire more ideas or better writing on existing pieces. It is also good because it forces you to write better and to proofread everything, which I don't necessarily do when completing a handwritten journal entry. Usually when I write in the journal it is very fast and I generally try simply to follow my thought process in writing as best and fast as I can. On the blog I feel more need to actually strucure the writing and make it readable, since it will be reaching a much wider audinece than my journal ever has or will.
The bad side, and this, mind you, is a very bad side, is that it promotes PROCRASTINATION. This is bad because I've already developed the horrible tendency to be lazy and procrastinate and it's gotten worse as the second semester of my senior year has progressed. But using the blog to do all my english homework is bad because it means that I am connected to the interent. WHich means that I am logged onto AIM and having engaging conversations with several people, am checking my emails and the ever addictive facebook for any comments that make me feel important and popular. it means that instead of focusing on making new posts on my blog or reading my classmates writing, I am watching videos on youtube and downloading new music off itunes, that I am playing solitare and minesweeper rather than doing my homework.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Natto
Reading James' post about how people could have discovered using fat, which is usually very dirty and somewhat repulsive, to make soap and clean things with made me think about something I have long pondered. Who decided that natto was an okay thing to eat?
Seriously. Every year on new years day, we go to my grandma's house and she makes ozoni - mochi soup, and my grandpa and uncle crack open a container of natto, much to the dismay of pretty much everyone within the smelling radius of the slimy, fermented soy beans. I have always wondered how people can eat that with it smelling so foul and looking so rotten, because it actually is rotten, in a way. If I lived in feudal Japan and were presented with something that someone said was food but smelled and looked like natto does, I would have probably refused to have anything to do with it just as I do now. Unless of course I was utterly starving. But anyway, why would somene choose to eat it? How did the first person to eat it know that it wasn't going to make them sick?
In an attempt to answer my own question about the origins of natto and other related info to the natto, I of course went directly to wikipedia. The most reasonable explanation for it is that people were in fact starving and ate the soy beans after several days even though they were fermented. They tasted good to the starving japanese and became a regular part of the japanese diet.
Seriously. Every year on new years day, we go to my grandma's house and she makes ozoni - mochi soup, and my grandpa and uncle crack open a container of natto, much to the dismay of pretty much everyone within the smelling radius of the slimy, fermented soy beans. I have always wondered how people can eat that with it smelling so foul and looking so rotten, because it actually is rotten, in a way. If I lived in feudal Japan and were presented with something that someone said was food but smelled and looked like natto does, I would have probably refused to have anything to do with it just as I do now. Unless of course I was utterly starving. But anyway, why would somene choose to eat it? How did the first person to eat it know that it wasn't going to make them sick?
In an attempt to answer my own question about the origins of natto and other related info to the natto, I of course went directly to wikipedia. The most reasonable explanation for it is that people were in fact starving and ate the soy beans after several days even though they were fermented. They tasted good to the starving japanese and became a regular part of the japanese diet.
Friday, March 9, 2007
significance of holidays
I just watched the movie "For your Consideration", which has Michael Guest and his entire usual crew and is quite hilarious at times. It's about a small film getting all this hype about possible Oscar nominations. The little movie that they are making though, is called "Home for Purim" and is about a southern american jewish family in world war 2 and a dying mother and tensions and sadness with her about her daughter, who she finds out is a lesbian. Anyway, I thought that the title and the emphasis that they place on Purim was super funny. According to my dad (who's jewish, although extremely reform) Purim is like the second least significant holiday on the Jewish calender next to sukkos. This got me to thinking about lots of other holidays that we sort of tend to pump up, commercialize, and overemphasize when they really aren't that important, or we change their meaning.
To start, lets stick with the Jewish theme we got going here. Chanukah is another one of those holidays (Purim was only made out to be a big deal in the movie... apparently only real hardcore orthodox jews celebrate it with the whole shebang and everything nowadays). Now don't get me wrong. Chanukah is a pretty significant holiday on their calender - the celebration of lights! - and maybe not as big as passover, or roshashona, but it's still big. But it's much bigger here in america now than it traditionally has been. And I think it's because of Christmas. Chanukah generally falls around the same time as christmas does, although it varies from year to year because the jewish calender is lunar based, but because it is within the holiday season it is made to be a bigger commercial holiday. For example, before, kids never really received presents every night of chanukah, but might get a little bit of gelt, or gold coins. Nowadays, thanks to commercialization and our capitalistic society, chanukah is like christmas for jews.
Then there's halloween. Once a pagan holiday, now halloween is an excuse to buy loads of candy. For children to dress up as their favorite character from tv, movies, or whatever, and for adults to spend tons of money on extravagant costumes for various parties. without candy companies and party stores, halloween would probably not be perverted if you will to what it is now. it would probably be a much more low key, religious holiday as it once was.
And an upcoming holiday is Easter. I'm sure that the holiday that is supposed to celebrate the resurrection was not intended to be focused on bunnies and eggs, and pastel colors and marshmellow and chocolate candies and dying eggs into pretty colors.
To start, lets stick with the Jewish theme we got going here. Chanukah is another one of those holidays (Purim was only made out to be a big deal in the movie... apparently only real hardcore orthodox jews celebrate it with the whole shebang and everything nowadays). Now don't get me wrong. Chanukah is a pretty significant holiday on their calender - the celebration of lights! - and maybe not as big as passover, or roshashona, but it's still big. But it's much bigger here in america now than it traditionally has been. And I think it's because of Christmas. Chanukah generally falls around the same time as christmas does, although it varies from year to year because the jewish calender is lunar based, but because it is within the holiday season it is made to be a bigger commercial holiday. For example, before, kids never really received presents every night of chanukah, but might get a little bit of gelt, or gold coins. Nowadays, thanks to commercialization and our capitalistic society, chanukah is like christmas for jews.
Then there's halloween. Once a pagan holiday, now halloween is an excuse to buy loads of candy. For children to dress up as their favorite character from tv, movies, or whatever, and for adults to spend tons of money on extravagant costumes for various parties. without candy companies and party stores, halloween would probably not be perverted if you will to what it is now. it would probably be a much more low key, religious holiday as it once was.
And an upcoming holiday is Easter. I'm sure that the holiday that is supposed to celebrate the resurrection was not intended to be focused on bunnies and eggs, and pastel colors and marshmellow and chocolate candies and dying eggs into pretty colors.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Early Morning Surprise
From the corner of the room, a scratching. Like a mouse or rat, quitely walking past or across a piece of cardboard, their nails with the pressure of their small bodies descretely sliding over the smooth surface. That quiet scratching normally would not be heard. But because it is four in the morning and no one else is up but me because I have a calc. test today, I can hear it.
And I think it is a mouse, which is slightly disturbing in its own right, but I also think that it is in the attic or something. Somewhere where I won't have to actually see the creature, or deal with it. So because it doesn't seem like a serious threat to me, I try to ignore it, and then the sound stopped. But then it returns, only upped by two or three notches of volume, and I know that whatever it is, it is in my room, behind some pieces of cardstock (which had been pieces of art carefully crafted more than two years ago in foundation art) in the corner between my dresser and the hot-pink wall.
Really hoping not to find anything at all but afraid and almost sure that I will, I stand atop my chair, cautiously peering over the art into the dark gap between it and the wall. Two long antennae (maybe three inches) slowly and methodically wave to greet my gaze. A roach. A huge cockroach. It is crawling up the back of my art and now stops to rest near the top, so that the top of it's head, the two front legs, and the antennae can be seen. I cringe. At the thought that this roach has invaded my space, and that now it is coming out of wherever it had been hiding, and could now start flying around the room, landing all over everything, getting lost and impossible to kill, or just start antagonizing me. I hate roaches. I realize that they will not do me much harm, but something about them, is just so.... disgusting. the way their antennae twitch, the strange texture of their wings - shiny but almost veiny, and crunchy if you were to break it - and their legs with the little hairs on them, and their plump but thin and fragile bodies beneath the wings, and all the beginnings of the legs beneath the body, and how if any part of the body besides the wings get dismembered, they continue to twitch anyway..... disgusting.
I wonder what would happen if all the roaches in the world were to die. Or simply disappear from the face of the earth. Because sometimes, when I am being selfish and hating the roaches in their grossness and the way that they're not actually afraid of you and will run straight for you after you've tried to kill them with Code 3 or Raid, I wish that that would actually happen.
And I think it is a mouse, which is slightly disturbing in its own right, but I also think that it is in the attic or something. Somewhere where I won't have to actually see the creature, or deal with it. So because it doesn't seem like a serious threat to me, I try to ignore it, and then the sound stopped. But then it returns, only upped by two or three notches of volume, and I know that whatever it is, it is in my room, behind some pieces of cardstock (which had been pieces of art carefully crafted more than two years ago in foundation art) in the corner between my dresser and the hot-pink wall.
Really hoping not to find anything at all but afraid and almost sure that I will, I stand atop my chair, cautiously peering over the art into the dark gap between it and the wall. Two long antennae (maybe three inches) slowly and methodically wave to greet my gaze. A roach. A huge cockroach. It is crawling up the back of my art and now stops to rest near the top, so that the top of it's head, the two front legs, and the antennae can be seen. I cringe. At the thought that this roach has invaded my space, and that now it is coming out of wherever it had been hiding, and could now start flying around the room, landing all over everything, getting lost and impossible to kill, or just start antagonizing me. I hate roaches. I realize that they will not do me much harm, but something about them, is just so.... disgusting. the way their antennae twitch, the strange texture of their wings - shiny but almost veiny, and crunchy if you were to break it - and their legs with the little hairs on them, and their plump but thin and fragile bodies beneath the wings, and all the beginnings of the legs beneath the body, and how if any part of the body besides the wings get dismembered, they continue to twitch anyway..... disgusting.
I wonder what would happen if all the roaches in the world were to die. Or simply disappear from the face of the earth. Because sometimes, when I am being selfish and hating the roaches in their grossness and the way that they're not actually afraid of you and will run straight for you after you've tried to kill them with Code 3 or Raid, I wish that that would actually happen.
Monday, March 5, 2007
Trust
I feel so great when people entrust me with their secrets, or something special to them; their trust. Like somehow, I have been accepted by them and proven to them that I am worthy. That as a person, I am important, and that the bond of trust we share adds significance and meaning into my life.
There is a girl, who I've seen every sunday for the past year, and also quite often during sophomore year. I never really knew her until a month ago, but she is so nice; she just has this ability to put you at ease and be happier than you were two minutes before. Shortly after we actually hung out together for the first time (complaining about school, the food where we were, and listening to her ipod) and talking several times on aim, she asked if I was "anti", to which I replied, "anti what?'. She wanted to know if I was against gay people.
I most certainly am not against them. Although I know people who "know" that homosexuals are going to hell and often try to argue their point with me, I know actual people who are gay. And I know them as people, and that I love them because of their personalities. (And also, there is that whole biological explanation and how people don't generally chose to be gay - it's genetic, and that it is probably in our genetics in the first place as a natural way to keep down the population. ) Anyway, so she tells me that she is gay.
I told her then, that that was cool, that i'm not anti, and that i have friends and relatives who are too, so everything is cool. I think she was trying to figure out if I would continue to accept her now that I knew there was this element of "different" about her, and was happy to find that of course, I accept her. In fact, I think I respect her more as a person, simply because she has come out and accepted herself in a society which, while more accepting now than, say fifty years ago, still sometimes associates homosexuality with a bit of stigma. And I also respect her because she has to deal with parents (hers' and her girlfriend's) who hate that they are gay, and won't even let them be together if they can help it, which means they can't see each other outside of school, ever. I admire her for dealing with that. And I feel good that she wanted to share that part of herself with me. She asked if i knew, before she told me. I kind of thought about it; i wasn't surprised when she told me. She said that she tries to hide it from some people but is more open with it with people she likes and feels comfortable with. Which in this case, was me. She put her trust in me to be accepting. And I trust her for that.
There is a girl, who I've seen every sunday for the past year, and also quite often during sophomore year. I never really knew her until a month ago, but she is so nice; she just has this ability to put you at ease and be happier than you were two minutes before. Shortly after we actually hung out together for the first time (complaining about school, the food where we were, and listening to her ipod) and talking several times on aim, she asked if I was "anti", to which I replied, "anti what?'. She wanted to know if I was against gay people.
I most certainly am not against them. Although I know people who "know" that homosexuals are going to hell and often try to argue their point with me, I know actual people who are gay. And I know them as people, and that I love them because of their personalities. (And also, there is that whole biological explanation and how people don't generally chose to be gay - it's genetic, and that it is probably in our genetics in the first place as a natural way to keep down the population. ) Anyway, so she tells me that she is gay.
I told her then, that that was cool, that i'm not anti, and that i have friends and relatives who are too, so everything is cool. I think she was trying to figure out if I would continue to accept her now that I knew there was this element of "different" about her, and was happy to find that of course, I accept her. In fact, I think I respect her more as a person, simply because she has come out and accepted herself in a society which, while more accepting now than, say fifty years ago, still sometimes associates homosexuality with a bit of stigma. And I also respect her because she has to deal with parents (hers' and her girlfriend's) who hate that they are gay, and won't even let them be together if they can help it, which means they can't see each other outside of school, ever. I admire her for dealing with that. And I feel good that she wanted to share that part of herself with me. She asked if i knew, before she told me. I kind of thought about it; i wasn't surprised when she told me. She said that she tries to hide it from some people but is more open with it with people she likes and feels comfortable with. Which in this case, was me. She put her trust in me to be accepting. And I trust her for that.
Interesting Personality
I met an interesting person once. Well, obviously I've met many interesting people over the course of my life and I anticipate meeting many more. But for some reason, I was reminded of this boy today, possibly because I heard another boy, probably about the same age, speaking as though he were a three-year old for a semi-extended period of time. This boy was annoyed that his mother was unable to pick him up and take him home until later, and consequently, he was whining in that sort of "it's not fai-yer... I want to go ho-me" whiny cadence, and complaining to anyone who'd listen
The boy who I met before was almost exactly like this. Everything had to be what he wanted at that moment. He used his parents' credit card to go shopping and spend hundreds of dollars on each excursion, he'd get people to drive him out to lunch where he'd get some gourmet lunch and coffee drink at least once or twice a week. He was very self-indulgent. And sometimes he'd be fun to have around because he could be very funny. In a way, he was like a local boy version of a valley girl, which proved at times to be hilarious. But other times, I could actually get a headache just from listening to him talk for ten minutes. He had an interesting personality.
What causes people to behave in this manner? As i think about it, I'v concluded that it probably has much to do with how one is raised and what types of behavior are deemed acceptable. If as a young child, whining got him everything he wanted and no real limits were ever set, this pattern of behavior could have carried on until the present day, or whenever they discover that that particular method of getting what they want no longer works.
The boy who I met before was almost exactly like this. Everything had to be what he wanted at that moment. He used his parents' credit card to go shopping and spend hundreds of dollars on each excursion, he'd get people to drive him out to lunch where he'd get some gourmet lunch and coffee drink at least once or twice a week. He was very self-indulgent. And sometimes he'd be fun to have around because he could be very funny. In a way, he was like a local boy version of a valley girl, which proved at times to be hilarious. But other times, I could actually get a headache just from listening to him talk for ten minutes. He had an interesting personality.
What causes people to behave in this manner? As i think about it, I'v concluded that it probably has much to do with how one is raised and what types of behavior are deemed acceptable. If as a young child, whining got him everything he wanted and no real limits were ever set, this pattern of behavior could have carried on until the present day, or whenever they discover that that particular method of getting what they want no longer works.
Food
Generally, I am a trusting person. When I go to a resturant, I never even think to question to food i'm presented with, unless the resturant is sort of sketchy looking - you know the type; with dirty floors, greasy countertops, greasy workers, and a strange scent. At home I don't question the integrity of food either, because obviously food at home is prepared by someone at home, ie myself or a family member, and i trust them and myself with safe food preparation whole-heartedly. But sometimes, what if something bad has happened to or is in the food you eat and think is perfectly fine?
You don't actually usually know where your food has been or what it has gone through or how old it really is before it gets to your plate and into your system. In AP environmental we had a whole unit of nutrition and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and now we are learning about pesticides. I find it really interesting, because I've never thought much about it. GMOs are often used to increase good qualities and decrease bad qualities in crops or livestock, but no research yet can show whether there will be tremedous affects of this on human health and the environment as well. And pesticides - they are sprayed on plants (although not as much now due to restrictions) to eliminate bugs, but ultimately end up being consumed by us, and in great enough quantities have a negative effect on our health. Unless the produce that you buy has a USDA organic label on it, who knows what chemicals and gene splicing are part of your salad.
In AP euro, we've been reading Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London, and in it, the main character describes in detail the innerworkings of a hotel cafeteria, which are to say the least, completely disgusting. If a health inspector were to inspect this particular hotel, they would be put out of business immediately. Things fall on the floor and are picked up, wiped off, re-plated and served. Waiters spit in the soup, and assistant cooks sweat drops onto the food. What if this was actually happening behind the scenes at places that I eat at?
We went grocery shopping and bought some fruits and vegetables, since we have none at my house right now, and also a big piece of salmon, for dinner. We got home and my mother started putting everything into the fridge except the salmon, which she began to prepare. Soon, I could see her, suspiciously inspecting it, smelling it. I smelled it too. It was as if someone took a beautiful piece of salmon, and magically aged it a week without changing its appearance. That's how it smelled. like it should have just been tossed into the garbage. or more specifically, like the tray the salmon comes on after its been in the garbage can for a little while - faint, but distinctively unpleasant. My mother called the store, and they will take it back and we wont consume it. I guess sometimes you can tell if something is unfit to eat without that much thought or speculation.
You don't actually usually know where your food has been or what it has gone through or how old it really is before it gets to your plate and into your system. In AP environmental we had a whole unit of nutrition and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and now we are learning about pesticides. I find it really interesting, because I've never thought much about it. GMOs are often used to increase good qualities and decrease bad qualities in crops or livestock, but no research yet can show whether there will be tremedous affects of this on human health and the environment as well. And pesticides - they are sprayed on plants (although not as much now due to restrictions) to eliminate bugs, but ultimately end up being consumed by us, and in great enough quantities have a negative effect on our health. Unless the produce that you buy has a USDA organic label on it, who knows what chemicals and gene splicing are part of your salad.
In AP euro, we've been reading Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London, and in it, the main character describes in detail the innerworkings of a hotel cafeteria, which are to say the least, completely disgusting. If a health inspector were to inspect this particular hotel, they would be put out of business immediately. Things fall on the floor and are picked up, wiped off, re-plated and served. Waiters spit in the soup, and assistant cooks sweat drops onto the food. What if this was actually happening behind the scenes at places that I eat at?
We went grocery shopping and bought some fruits and vegetables, since we have none at my house right now, and also a big piece of salmon, for dinner. We got home and my mother started putting everything into the fridge except the salmon, which she began to prepare. Soon, I could see her, suspiciously inspecting it, smelling it. I smelled it too. It was as if someone took a beautiful piece of salmon, and magically aged it a week without changing its appearance. That's how it smelled. like it should have just been tossed into the garbage. or more specifically, like the tray the salmon comes on after its been in the garbage can for a little while - faint, but distinctively unpleasant. My mother called the store, and they will take it back and we wont consume it. I guess sometimes you can tell if something is unfit to eat without that much thought or speculation.
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