Cover Songs

Teenage Dream- Katy Perry

Teenage Dream (Cover)- Boyce Avenue

Writing an Oral History

 Before this assignment and the readings that correlated with it, I had no idea what an oral history was. This Oral History assignment was a paper I enjoyed working on which surprised me. I liked doing the interview process and coming up with questions. I also had fun listening to my interviewee's stories. The process helped me think of questions on the fly while interviewing. This assignment showed me that researching can be kind of fun and creative.

Meal Time

I spent most of my day in the kitchen.  First, I mixed together the salt, flour, water, and egg.  I turn it out onto the counter and kneaded it.  The dough is cool and slightly squishy.  It sticks to my fingers.  I role it out and cut the dough into even strips then lay them out to dry on a paper towel.  Next, I preheat my oven and pull a ham out of my fridge.  I place it into a baking pan and coat it in honey, pineapple juice, and brown sugar.  I massage the mixture around on the ham.  It is a gritty, sticky sensation.  I hear the oven ding, indicating that it is preheated.  I open the oven door; heat crawls from the oven.  I slide the pan containing the ham into the toasty oven.  I grab some potatoes and begin to peel them.  Once that's done, I  boil a pot of water.  I work on other tasks in my kitchen.  About an hour later, I hear my mom's car pull into the driveway.  Perfect timing -- dinner was just about ready.  I set the table.  The oven dings, once again, this time indicating that the ham was cooked.  The smell of the sweet ham fills the house.  Zane arrives.  I let my mother cut the ham, but I make the plates: ham, glazed carrots, homemade noodles, and mashed potatoes.  We sit and begin to feast.  The pink ham is very sweet and juicy, the noodles are buttery and tender, the mashed potatoes are creamy and delicious, and the orange carrots are sweet and crispy.  And that was my Easter holiday feast.

This is how I rewrote my partner's story:

The young woman walked into the room where her family was congregated.  Today was a special day for the family -- it was the 50th wedding anniversary of the young woman's grandmother and grandfather.  The many family members conversed and laughed, sharing stories as they enjoyed the delicious mexican feast that lay before them.  There were no empty spaces on the tables covered with crisp white table clothes -- where there wasn't a plate or dish, calla lilies filled in any barren spot.  Even an outsider could feel the love and closeness this family shared.  

My Reaction to Villanueva

I liked the essay "An American of Color".  I thought it was interesting how the author switched the style of writing between personal/casual to academic to third person.  It kept my attention that way.  As for the exercise, I found it to be a little bit difficult to rewrite Villanueva's first three paragraphs into academic writing because it is talking about memories.

Villanueva's Essay

This is a rewrite of an excerpt from an essay written by Victor Villanueva entitled "An American of Color."  I am changing the first three paragraphs of Villanueva's essay to be more academic.

          Growing up, I was different than other children.  For example, I clearly remember when I was three years old.  I recall my furniture less living room in Brooklyn, New York.  I can also remember Mrs. Ashell, my Jewish neighbor.  I can also call to mind when I was age four; I was the youngest person walking on the street to John Lee's laundry service to visit.

An excerpt from Villanueva's original essay:
          "If the mode of entry is voluntary, then the numbers entering would not be great enough to cause a threat to the majority.  Should race become a factor, the numbers can be legally controlled."
This way sounds more casual:
          If entry into the country is voluntary, the minority would not outweigh the majority.  If race was a factor, the numbers could be controlled.

"Writing"

Girl: Mrs. Anderson wants us to write about three things I love... Well I love flowers...  I love my mommy... I love ponies... And candy and cake.  Mmm cake.

Boy in the back row: Mrs. Anderson wants us to write about three things I love...  I love trucks...  I definitely don't like girls!  They have cooties.  I love going fishing with dad...  Oh! And pie.  Mmm pie.

This image inspired me to think of a boy and girl child and their thoughts at such a young age.  I wanted to show how boys and girls seem to be opposites when young.

The Purpose of this Blog

Dear Readers,
As you may know, each and every single blog has its own subject matter that runs the blog.  My blog will consist of not one in particular theme.  I envision this blog to be a place where I can post my thoughts,  a place I can post articles that reflect my interests, and a place I can post events in my life that are intriguing.    With that, I hope this blog can entertain and inspire you.
-Kayla