Rorschach's Post

RORSCHACH'S JOURNAL: OCTOBER 30th, 2009,
   This is it.  Today, after 20+ years, I have returned.  Many people believe that I died.  Fat chance.  Instead of killing me, all that Osterman did was transport me to the future, probably to show me the assumed Utopian state the world would be in.  I will admit that the world isn't shot to hell, but it is far from the Utopia that every thought it would be.  It is inevitable.  The human race is incapable of living in peace for extended periods of time.  Always, there is an underlying need to be better than everyone.  Of all places though, I don't know why Osterman didn't place me in New York.  He placed me in this remote wasteland.  I tried asking a stranger where we were, all they could mutter was "Otterburne".  Although quaint, it does seem peaceful.  A change from the filth of New York.  I need some serenity in my life.  
   My stomach tells me I need to eat.  I hear that someone known as Jeremy Bergen is out of town.  I'll just use his meal plan.  No one needs to know.


Looking at other posts on this blog, I see that there is a quote of the day and word of the day.  I will not be posting such nonsense.  I am not Jeremy Bergen.  I am Rorschach.

THIS IS IT!: The Adventure Continues

No, I’m not talking about the Michael Jackson movie.  I am simply saying that today is the day that I (among the others in the Applied Improv class) have a legitimate excuse for dressing up in Halloween costumes.  Tonight is the night that six of us are dressing up as the major characters from the Wizard of Oz, including Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West), Dorothy, Toto, Tinman, the Cowardly Lion, and Scarecrow.  I sit here in the main lounge of Bergen, and at the moment Elphaba is being created while the soundtrack of Wicked plays in the background.  Soon (as in after supper), it will be Tinman’s turn, as he is the last one to be immaculately transformed.  Can’t wait because....*music plays* We’re off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz!  

Quote of the day:

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.

   -Joseph Chilton Pearce-

Word of the day: conflate:

\kuhn-FLAYT\ , transitive verb;

1. To bring together; to fuse together; to join or meld.

2. To combine (as two readings of a text) into one whole.

Happy Haul

Today was an adventure.  It was exciting.  It was even more splendid than the day that I ate breakfast and wrote about it in this blog.  No, today was actually special because...I was getting ready for Halloween!  Yup, today I took a special trip to Steinbach and got some materials for making Halloween costumes.  This year I have two costumes.  One of them I am going to be wearing during my Applied Improv class on Thursday night and it shall fit the particular group theme that I will be participating in (which happens to be The Wizard of Oz).  For this I will be dressed as Tinman.  The other costume that I am going to be wearing on the 30^th during the day and to the Halloween party will be a character from the graphic novel and recent film (and when I say recent I mean in the past year) Watchmen.  My costume is Rorschach (if you unfamiliar with this character, just google his name, look at images, and you will see what he looks like).  Getting materials for these two costumes was quite a lot of fun.  I have been a fan of DIY costumes for a long time.  It must be the actor in me. 

On a side note, whilst gathering the many pieces of the puzzle, I happened across an affordable bonus treasure.  Among the Halloween goodies, Canadian Tire was selling some special light bulbs.  So I now have black and orange CFL’s (otherwise known as the twisty bulbs).  I call today’s shopping trip my happy haul.

Quote of the day:

The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.

   -Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878 - 1969)-

Word of the day: stentorian:

\sten-TOR-ee-uhn\ , adjective;

1. Extremely loud.

I Like Free Stuff

So today in my Intro to Communications and Media class, we talked about copyright laws and watched a video detailing the downfalls of current copyright laws and the threat of a new copyright bill similar to an extremely strict one already in place in the United States.  As a creative artist, I, of course, see the importance of having copyright laws in place so that you are properly credited for your work.  However, as a consumer, I agree that some copyright laws are completely stupid and that, in part, copyright laws have led to the block of individual ingenuity and the abuse of consumers’ time and money 

I read an article on the CTV.ca about how the key to online success is to give away your creative and intellectual property for free.  People like to get free stuff.  It serves as great advertising.  Once people are lured in by the free stuff, then they might actually pay for product.  An example was given in the article.  

"Free" begins with an example from the British comedy troupe Monty Python. Last year, the surviving members launched their own channel on YouTube. It was a reaction to unauthorized clips of their work appearing on the popular video website.

The Monty Python channel provided high-quality versions of the group's skits, viewable for free. In exchange, the comedians asked viewers to buy their DVDs, movies and TV shows "to soften our pain and disgust at being ripped off all these years," they quipped.

The result? On Amazon.com, sales of Monty Python DVDs rose 23,000 per cent over the next three months.

 Even if you give away most of your property, the money that you make from the property that you sell can be substantial because of the traffic generated from people wanting free stuff.  Also, as is well discovered, advertising can make you a lot of money when placed in the right traffic stream.  (Microsoft, you don't have the monopoly anymore.  Change your methods of overcharging for things in an age where super-successful Google is giving away their intellectual property for FREE!)

Quote of the day:

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

   -Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)-

Word of the day: punctilious:

\puhnk-TIL-ee-uhs\ , adjective:

1. Strictly attentive to the details of form in action or conduct; precise; exact in the smallest particulars.

Victory to the Underdog

After this weekend, the horror movie franchise is seeing a change in the kind of horror that people want to see.  Somehow, the Saw franchise has made enough money to justify making six movies in six years, frequently released around Halloween.  The style of horror that it appeals to is the shock of blood and gore.  However, this year, an independent, microbudget horror film has outshone the best efforts of the big-budget gore-fest of Saw VI.  It’s called Paranormal Activity.  It has been described as the scariest film in a while and plays with traditional suspense and tension, rather than in-your-face shock and horror.  This movie intrigues me because of the phenomenal success it has had from a marketing campaign of basic word-of-mouth.  It opened with a limited release, but the demand to see it was there, so it opened with a full release.  Produced with a budget of $15 000, and the box office tickets coming in at about $62.5 million, it has received a HUGE profit margin.  I want to go see it just to see what all the fuss is about.  (source article from CNN: http://bit.ly/1O722z)

I also noticed today another article on CNN today.  Dr. Greco, if you haven’t already heard about this, I figured it would interest you.  Headline: Morrissey treated in hospital after collapse - http://bit.ly/4tsOLC) 

Quote of the day:

Here's something to think about: How come you never see a headline like 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?

   -Jay Leno (1950 - )-

Word of the day: loquacious:

\loh-KWAY-shuhs\ , adjective:

1. Very talkative.

2. Full of excessive talk; wordy.

Man-Made Wonder

Tonight, I took my girlfriend out on a date and we did something that I have wanted to do for a while now (no, not that!).  We went for a walk in Winnipeg around Portage and Main.  I’ve always thought that it one of the more beautiful parts of Winnipeg due to the architecture, but I have always experienced it from a car that zooms through the intersection too fast.  It was nice to be able to take in all of the architecture of that part of the city.  To be able to walk among such majestic buildings seems almost surreal, especially the Bank of Montreal building with its ancient pillar structure and the statue of the Unknown Soldier guarding the entrance.  The best part of that part of the date was that it was free, as there is free parking a short way away in the Forks, which is also a nice place to walk around in when it is not incredibly busy.  All in all, it was a pleasant evening.

Quote of the day:

Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death.

   -Harold Wilson (1916 - 1995)-

Word of the day: galumph:

\guh-LUHM(P)F\ , intransitive verb:

1. To move in a clumsy manner or with a heavy tread.

BILLY MAYS HERE.....

Today, I had no idea what to write about this morning.  I was completely stumped.  Then lunchtime came along and there my blog topic of the day simply sprung to life.  The conversation around the table sprung up to the idea of Billy Mays and Vince the Sham Wow/Slap Chop guy, and the technique of the in-your-face yell-and-sell approach.  Both have infomercials that are very aggressive in their selling.  We then figured that, truthfully, they were actually holding back at how much their products could do.  Sham Wow does more than soak up 20 times its weight in liquid.  That’s why it is very dangerous to leave it sitting around somewhere, because if you drop it on some papers, your car keys, your furniture, or your pet, the Sham Wow just sucks it right up until you wring it out again.  It’s the same thing with Billy Mays’ Mighty Putty.  It is more powerful than he advertises (for liability reasons).  I feel confident that you should be able to hang up an entire shelf full of your 100 collectible china plates using only Mighty Putty.  I also think that, with enough funding to buy Mighty Putty in mass quantities, you could actually build your home using only Mighty Putty.  The public needs to know that Billy Mays and Vince are holding back with their claims on their infomercials.  The answer to the world’s problems are in the palms of their hands (well, not Mr. Mays because he has passed on) and they are being selfish by keeping these secrets to themselves.  I’ll show them.  I’ll show them all!

Quote of the day:

I shall never be ashamed of citing a bad author if the line is good.

   -Seneca (5 BC - 65 AD)-

Word of the day: aesthete:

\ES-theet\ , noun:

1. One having or affecting great sensitivity to beauty, as in art or nature.

I'm Sleepy

As I sit here at my computer while writing my blog at this somewhat late hour, I can feel the fatigue that has been gathered throughout the day.  Thinking and learning at a college level is exhausting sometimes.  When I lived at home, I would sometimes take sleep for granted.  When you live with your parents and they go to bed before midnight, it feels weird staying up too late after they go to bed.  However, staying up in dorm all night long is not as big of a deal.  This does mean that you need to disciple yourself sometimes in getting to bed at a decent hour so that you don’t sleep the day away in the morning.  As a third year college student, I am quite familiar with the effects of sleep deprivation.  Not that much fun.  My functioning powers are somewhat lessened during the day if I did not get enough sleep the night before.  Not that I need an abnormal amount of sleep, but I find it is really hard to stay rested sometimes.  Oh well, that’s what I get when I sign up for a full-course load, extracurriculars, struggle with procrastination, and still try to interact with friends.  It was only when I came to college did I realize that you actually had to schedule sleep and it was not something that you could take for granted.

Quote of the day:

If it weren't for my lawyer, I'd still be in prison. It went a lot faster with two people digging.

   -Joe Martin, Mister Boffo-

Word of the day: scuttlebutt:

\SKUHT-l-buht\ , noun:

1. A drinking fountain on a ship.

2. A cask on a ship that contains the day's supply of drinking water.

3. Informal. Gossip; rumor.

Local Television

In the past year or so, we have been informed of the danger of losing local television due to the cable companies charging us for their programming and yet not giving that money to the stations that they are providing.  Now that doesn’t seem fair at all.  So for the past while, there have been campaigns to save local television that, to my understanding, have been fairly successful.  It would be a shame if we lost local programming, because then we would likely lose local news (either that or local news would change, not for the better).  For as long as I can remember, my household watched CTV news.  The attitude and format of the local Winnipeg station is something I have grown accustomed to.  I was reading CTV.ca this morning, and I read a story about a U of M student was stabbed on campus.  The student did not die and apparently is in stable condition.  You would not get stories like this on a national news broadcast.  It is not relevant enough to the whole of Canada.  Local stations also seem to actually cover stories relevant to the people of the community, instead of running their own agenda.  (That is not to say that they don’t have their own angle.  After all, they are media.)  I would genuinely miss local news programming if it was not around all of a sudden.  Alright, that’s all I have to say about this as I grow aware of the fact that I have inevitably just given a plug for local CTV news.  Oh well.

Quote of the day:

When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package.

   -John Ruskin (1819 - 1900)-

Word of the day: milieu:

\meel-YUH; meel-YOO\ , noun:

1. Environment; setting.

Art Collide With Reality

In recent years, more and more films are being filmed in Winnipeg.  It is good for the economy and the art community of Winnipeg.  Our neighbours from the south like to come here because production costs are cheaper, so it’s a win-win situation.  It is evident that Winnipeg is becoming a big contributor to Hollywood North (which is the name for the major film community of Canada).  However, a local news story (retrieved from ctv.ca) showed that art and reality sometimes collide when there is not ample communication between the two. 

            

Two men have just robbed a bank. 

They are covered in blood and are racing through the streets with a van full of guns

That's the scene two actors were in the middle of playing when they were surrounded by real Winnipeg police officers with real guns.

Reading the story and watching the news clip, it was clear that Winnipeg police force were actually on the search for a real suspect who had robbed a TD bank with a gun and a small box which was claimed to be a bomb.  However, once the film crew produced film permits and explained the situation, the police backed off.  No hard feelings as a result of the interruption.  Everyone was just doing their job, but they just got in the way of each other.  Good job Winnipeg police force for taking control of a suspicious situation and good job to the film crew and the actors for making the scene realistic.  (here is the story from ctv.ca http://bit.ly/4j3j5m)

Quote of the day: 

A magician pulls rabbits out of hats. An experimental psychologist pulls habits out of rats.

   -Anonymous-

Word of the day: fugacious:

\fyoo-GAY-shuhs\ , adjective:

1. Lasting but a short time; fleeting.

Is the Queen of England Off Her Rocker?

Today, the late hour of my blog is not actually due to things of more importance getting in the way (other than perhaps sleeping in until 12 this morning), but rather it is due to the lack of inspiration of blogging I had today.  I decided to scour through CNN.com and even cbc.ca, but nothing was catching my eye, even for a class-credit daily blog.  At least until something absolutely atrocious caught my eye.  The site I was looking at was a news partner of CNN.com.  The headline under the international section and read “British Royal Family Concerned After Queen Elizabeth II Beheads 7 Tourists”.  Apparently the queen hasn’t been acting like herself lately and the royal family is concerned.  I exclaimed in shock at first and then I burst out laughing.  I was not at all concerned because my source was none other than theonion.com, a well rounded and often convincing spoof news sites that makes up news.  Hilarious because sometimes they are relatively convincing in their presentation but eventually just get ridiculous in their facts, even though they still presented in the same, straight-faced, this-is-real-news fashion.  (here is the link for the article http://bit.ly/4vbKvc)

Quote of the day:

Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.

   -Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900), Lady Windermere's Fan, 1892, Act III-

Word of the day: redolent:

\RED-uh-luhnt\ , adjective:

1. Having or exuding fragrance; scented; aromatic.

2. Full of fragrance; odorous; smelling (usually used with 'of' or 'with').

3. Serving to bring to mind; evocative; suggestive; reminiscent (usually used with 'of' or 'with').

Anne Frank Has Been Found...On Film!

Ah, yet another day of blogging.  In the search on my regular source for blog inspiration, CNN.com, a particular article caught my attention: “Anne Frank has Channel on YouTube”.  As of recently, Anne Frank has been on my mind because Providence College Theatre Department is presenting The Diary of Anne Frank for the full-length production, so this caught my attention and I immediately had to check it out.  Turns out, the Anne Frank Museum posted rare footage (supposedly the only video footage of Anne) on their channel on YouTube.  All it is is a video of Anne Frank looking out a window towards the street.  Nothing too spectacular I suppose and details of the video are not clear but it is somewhat fascinating because it is believable to be Anne Frank and supposedly the only video footage of her. 

Overall, I think that the “news” story is over-hyped because: 1) The video on YouTube was posted last month so the “news” element of this story is not really current; and 2) The detail of the video is not really clear and the not much happens.  If the video was just posted by CNN and not the Anne Frank Museum channel, I don’t know if I would even believe the footage because it is just too vague in my eyes.  It was just be too easy to take footage from the 1940’s and find a little girl that looks like Anne.  According to the official video description, this was verifiably her as the couple that was getting married lived on the same floor of the same building of the Frank’s when this was filmed in 1941.

Quote of the day:

Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.

   -Bill Watterson (1958 - ), cartoonist, "Calvin and Hobbes"-

Word of the day: fetor:

\FEE-tuhr; FEE-tor\ , noun:

1. A strong, offensive smell; stench.

Thoughts Running Through My Mind

Once again, in regards to my blog-writing routine, I am doing things a little differently.  Instead of writing my daily entry in the middle of the day, I have decided to post-pone it until the end of the clock day, not because of procrastination, but because of other commitments that required more immediate attention.  This is kind of messing me up because my noggin is not in a blog writing space.  All I can think of is things I need to do for tomorrow (which is usually a pretty substantial list), contemplating things I should do to delay the need to sleep, and how much I want to watch the next episode of How I Met Your Mother.

Another recurring theme of thoughts running through my head at the moment is the film I am creating for my Media Practicum.  It is a film that I will describe as being loosely based on the Star Wars universe.  I have borrowed various themes, concepts, and lots of the cool powers (like force powers and lightsabers!).  Otherwise, I am doing what I can to make it my own, like the soundtrack for instance.  Instead of stealing from the films’ orchestral soundtracks (other than an opening sequence in which I am basically spoofing the opening crawl from every Star Wars movie), I have decided to compile a soundtrack from songs not usually found in films of this type.  In addition to including songs from my music library that I feel contribute to the theme and tone of the film at certain moments, I also am aspiring to get some music composed by a friend of mine, which again will not be the standard epic orchestral pieces. 

Anyways, that was running through my head because I just happened to be listening to one of the artists from the potential playlist of the film (as well as being simply inspired by the project recently).  I hope to keep you posted throughout the semester as per the status of the pre-production and (hopefully!) production of the time-investing project.

Quote of the day:

Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain.

   -Lily Tomlin (1939 - )

Word of the day: pukka:

\PUHK-uh\ , adjective:

1. Authentic; genuine.

2. Superior; first-class.

Doing Things A Little Differently

 I chose to do something a little different today.  As evidenced by my last blog post, I don’t always get the time to eat breakfast before I go to an 8:30 class.  So thus, I was able to grab some breakfast after my class.  No big change is that I had a waffle (with butter and syrup), and my ritualistic milk and orange juice.  However, something I did change was that I made a bagel with cream cheese today.  I know, I know, you’re probably thinking “Woo hoo, this is super exciting”.  I agree, in a broader context of my day, this is not terribly exciting.  The main part that I have decided to change with my blog writing today is the environment in which I write it.  Instead of writing in my room as per usual, I have chosen to write it whilst I have my breakfast.  (This is due to both the novelty of doing so, and the need to multitask in order to get more things done.)

Speaking of work environments, I tried to do some homework at home this week, in which I was only semi-successful.  Apart from the things that people are usually thankful for, I realized how thankful I really was for a quiet work environment.  Being Thanksgiving weekend, my house was full of noise and busyness.  The chance to do some homework came sparingly, especially when the motivation to work hard did not come easily due to the novelty of being back at home for the holidays.  Not that anyone was being noisier than usual; my family was just living their lives.  At the same time, I was also thankful for going home instead of staying here to do homework.  I knew that I needed that time away from campus and southern Manitoba.  I don’t get the chance to leave campus very often, so it was nice to get away and hang out with people from home.

And since I didn’t get a chance to post this on the weekend due to limited internet availability, Happy Belated Thanksgiving everyone!

Quote of the day:

I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception.

   -Groucho Marx (1890 - 1977)-

Word of the day: triskaidekaphobia:

\tris-ky-dek-uh-FOH-bee-uh\ , noun:

1. Fear or a phobia concerning the number 13.

A Great Adventure

In class today, we were asked to partake in a writing assignment that we would post on our blog.  Today’s class was about journalism and for our assignment, we were asked to partake in Participant Observation.  We left class for 45 minutes and were told to go out, observe, and interact with the activities of Providence College at 9:30 on Wednesday morning.  This is the journey of my encounters as I left the classroom that fateful morning:

I walked out of the classroom and into the long corridor of classrooms.  I knew I was about to embark on a great adventure, despite knowing that the actions themselves would be quite mediocre.  I was quite hungry because I had not eaten breakfast before coming to class, so I was quite grateful for the extra-long break that we had been given.  However, before I went off on that adventure, I figured that I would go and check my mail.  On my way down the stairs, I took notice of the posters in the stairwell that I saw every day.  I did not linger because the posters do not change significantly enough for me to have to stop and read them.  When I did make it to the mail room, I only received partial disappointment, because although I did not receive mail like people always hope when they walk in, I was not actually expecting any.

On my way out of the school, I carried my bag and my sweater, but I quickly realized that I should have actually worn my sweater, because the temperature of the air was a little bit too chilly for my liking.  As I entered the Student Life Center, I placed my bag and my sweater down on the floor so that I could go for breakfast (yum, breakfast!)  I noticed that a lot of my classmates were already in the Student Life Center (makes sense as I was the last one to leave the classroom).  I observed them observing.  Again, I did not linger because I was craving the morning sustenance of breakfast.

I checked my name of the list, and headed to my first stop: beverages!  Enthusiastically grabbing two cups, I filled one up with milk and one up with orange juice.  There is just something about orange juice to me that just says “breakfast”.  Before I was able to get a tray and head over to the foods, I was confronted by Allan, a friend of mine, and he asked me why I wasn’t in class.  I retaliated by saying that I was on my break.  (There was not actually a conflict.  He just asked a simple question, because of a logical confusion.)  After that, I had my eye on making a waffle, so I made a waffle.  Gathering the necessary things needed to eat the waffle while I let it cook for the two minutes needed (like cutlery, a plate, the tray, packets of butter, and syrup), I anticipated my first bite. 

My waffle was done and I went down and sat down with some people, two of which were also partaking in the same assignment that I was doing, Andrew and Clint.  Other people I sat beside were Miriam Gadreau, Jessica (my girlfriend) and the aforementioned Allan.  Conversation ensued, to the point where we were talking about what kind of German words that people around the table knew.  Since there were a number of German ancestry people at the table (two in particular that I am related to, Allan and Andrew Bergen), there were quite a few words, although none of us were anywhere close to fluent. 

Now that the plate in front of me was vacant (except for the syrup, but I decided not to slurp that up),  I decided it was time to vacate the table and exit the premises and go in search of other adventures.  Turns out, it was almost time to head back to class anyway, so my path was clear.  I headed back to class with my stomach no longer growling and empty and my sense of adventure stimulated but also satisfied.

If you think that my story was rather mediocre and over-hyped, I recommend that you try going on a similar adventure yourself.  On the surface it might seem like nothing special, but it is more action-packed and exciting than you realize. 


Quote of the day:
Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.
   -Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)-


Word of the day: foofaraw:
\FOO-fuh-raw\ , noun:
1. Excessive or flashy ornamentation or decoration.
2. A fuss over a matter of little importance.

Important Digital Era Scientists Recognized

As I scour CNN.com this morning to try and find something of interest and value to myself to blog about, one thing pops into the foreground of my attention.  “3 Win Nobel in physics for digital devices.”  As I read this, I thought to myself, “Wow, what on earth kind of digital devices would be so revolutionary that their creators would receive the Nobel Prize?”  So I decide to look into the winning digital devices.  When I read it, I do not at all disagree with the choice of granting the prestigious prize to the scientists that initiated the breakthroughs of FIBRE OPTICS and DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY.  I figured that that is kind of a big deal.

I shouldn’t have to remind you that these technologies are strongly present in today’s technologies, but let’s just take a brief look at the uses of fibre optics.

• Medical
  Used as light guides, imaging tools and also as lasers for surgeries
• Defence/Government
  Used as hydrophones for seismic and SONAR uses, as wiring in aircraft, submarines and other vehicles and also for field networking
• Data Storage
  Used for data transmission
• Telecommunications
  Fibre is laid and used for transmitting and receiving purposes
• Networking
  Used to connect users and servers in a variety of network settings and help increase the speed and accuracy of data transmission
• Industrial/Commercial
  Used for imaging in hard to reach areas, as wiring where EMI is an issue, as sensory devices to make temperature, pressure and other measurements, and as wiring in automobiles and in industrial settings
• Broadcast/CATV
  Broadcast/cable companies are using fibre optic cables for wiring CATV, HDTV, internet, video on-demand and other applications. 

(taken from http://www.timbercon.com/Uses-of-Fiber-Optic-Cables/)

And to find a digital camera, all you have to do is take a look at your cell phone, your webcam, or your good ol’ point-and-shoot.  I know I sure appreciate not having to develop film anymore, and I am also quite a fan of digital photography and manipulation.  (WOOT PHOTOSHOP!) 

(Here’s the CNN article about the 3 Nobel Prize-winning scientists http://bit.ly/ZV4Z6) 

Quote of the Day:

The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.

   -Elbert Hubbard (1856 - 1915)-

Word of the Day: burgeon:

\BUR-juhn\ , verb:

1. To grow or develop quickly; flourish.

2. To begin to grow or blossom.

transitive verb:

1. To put forth, as buds.

noun:

1. A bud; sprout.

A New Distraction

Ah, here I am back writing at the blog after the hiatus brought along by the assignment of last week’s Writing for the Media class.  What have I been up to?  Well, I have started watching the first season of “How I Met Your Mother”.  I must say, that is an addicting show, not because of a compelling serial plotline, but because of the quality of the show.  The humour isn’t over your head, but it’s not completely stupid either.  I also find this show quite original (as original as a sitcom can be I suppose).  It revolves around a guy named Ted who is telling his children in the year 2030 about how he met their mother.  Most of the show is about Ted when is in his later twenties and living with one of his best friends, Marshall, who is engaged to Lilly, and Ted also hangs out with lady’s man Barney (Neil Patrick Harris!) and Robin, the woman he thought was “the one” but now they are just friends with an awkward romantic tension between them (a situation which I tend to refer to typical to Ross and Rachel from “Friends”).  All of this is current where I am now in the middle of season 1.  Some spoilers were released to me as to what happens and I know that some things change.  I will not release those here just in case I have peaked your interest of the show and I don’t want to ruin anything.

Nevertheless, this wonderful television program and provides yet another distraction for me to procrastinate with.  However, I am okay with this because I can do it simultaneously with other distractions that I do daily, like Facebook.  Once again, I can hear another episode calling my name.  What are the chances that I will be able to multi-task that while doing homework?  I am pretty optimistic.

Quote of the day: 

I have not lost my mind - it's backed up on disk somewhere.

   -Unknown-

Word of the day: esurient:

\ih-SUR-ee-uhnt; -ZUR-\ , adjective:

1. Hungry; greedy.

Bigger Word Count to Fulfill - No Problem!

Today we were challenged to write an extra amount from the 100 words per day that we were originally asked to do.  We were asked to write 250 to 300 words.  I chuckled to myself a little bit because I regularly write that much on this blog.  I write that much because when I get started on a topic, I don’t like to wrap up until I am finished with all I need to say about what I have decided to talk about on any particular day.

We were asked to try and follow the rules of writing as outlined in the textbook today.  My launching off point is combined with my reporting in which I do not know what I am going to write about so I scour through CNN.com for material to blog about.  When I focus, I usually decide to discuss things that happened to me in the past day or two, or if I decide to write about something on the internet, I try to put the thing I saw in context and then write commentary on that thing that I saw.  When I limber up, I like to sit in my comfy office chair in my room (its nothing special, but my bum has grown to love it) and I am a fan of having a beverage handy and/or having something to eat (I just had a bowl of Cheerios for example).  Then I go about the writing itself, which usually doesn’t take a lot of time (unless I really have lots to say about it).  Something that I usually lack in when it comes to the writing process is the rewriting and the copyediting.  When I write, I usually like to step back from what I’ve written and decide that it’s good because I got the work done (at least when it comes to papers).  When it comes to creative writing however, I do tend to rewrite and it takes me a while to finally decide that I like what I have written.  When it comes to copyediting, again I use it more when it comes to creative writing rather than academic paper writing.  Possibly it’s the thought that I just want to get the academic papers done while I tend to put great pride into my creative writing.  I wish to write for many years to come, whether as a hobby or something I get paid to do.

Oh my, would you look at that word count.  Once again, my fingers have danced around the keyboard and produced a written product much bigger than anticipated.  Oh well, I guess I had something to say.

Quote of the day:

From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put

   -Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)-

Word of the day: gaucherie:

\goh-shuh-REE\ , noun:

1. A socially awkward or tactless act.

2. Lack of tact; boorishness; awkwardness.