Apocalyptic Log #16

Since I had no immediate work to do, I took the opportunity to have a "me" day, which was basically what I do every day except my procrastination could now be called regular relaxing. I am quite stressed about the upcoming exams, mostly because I do not know much. Am I supposed to register manually for each one? How can I do well in my distracting environment? I suppose I will just have to ask when I can, or just wait.

Apocalyptic Log #15

Today was also suspiciously lax, this is getting scary! The lack of stress is making me stressed, I must be missing something. It is bad enough that I am stuck at home with plenty of general work to do, something is amiss here, I just know it. Then again, I am not complaining if it means I can spend more time being perpetually paranoid! Hooray! 

Apocalyptic Log #14

Today was notable for being... peaceful. Aside from this blog, I had little work to do from this class or my biology class. That is unnerving and worrying, there is always work! This peace is too peaceful. Not to mention that my plan to take the Exam next year was thwarted! My teachers must be planning something... 

Apocalyptic Log #13

I AM DYING TO GET OUT OF MY GOSH DARN HOUSE AND SEE OTHER HUMAN BEINGS. Alright, got that out. Today's assignment left me stumped for a long time, mostly because my brain shuts off at 5 p.m these days, but also because I was not familiar with the prompt. Moreso the evidence and what the writer was thinking, so I was blindly filling in blanks based on what I believed followed the writer's mindset. All of the struggling on my behalf makes me wonder if I should just wait until my senior year (if the general public stops being vastly unintelligent by then so the virus dies down) to take the exam. 

Apocalyptic Log #12

Today was simple enough, I did a single assignment that revolved around attacking the prompt to find evidence, though my biggest concern is my habit of doing this work last. I do have a fair amount of work, yes, but most of it could be resolved by a proper sleep schedule and not procrastinating -- both of which are near impossible to regulate these days. I am going crazy in my household, and even crazier over this work. I miss all the other topics we used to do in class... 

Apocalyptic Log #11

Good for me, there was not much to do this particular day. GOOD. I am at my wit's end with rhetorical analysis and everything it stands for. By the end of this week, though, I do feel like I have a better grasp on potentially writing an essay. Finding the situation? I am not too sure on that, but I am certain I only need to practice. 

Apocalyptic Log #10

Golly, today really bested me. Today's assignment was to write a body paragraph, and the prompt at hand was far more confusing than I expected. I understood it as much as I did not, which in itself makes no sense. As a result, I slacked off on the assignment and could not complete it. I feel immensely guilty like I commited a crime! I just could not fathom where to even start with the prompt despite the video provided being more than helpful. Perhaps I can find wisdom tomorrow. 

Apocalyptic Log #9

I believe I am getting a better understanding of the topic, mostly the task of finding out what the author is talking about. My biggest goal is going for a great thesis and a great conclusion, which could easily be obtained by the line of reasoning being understood, but my concern is the time limit of the essay. That is my greatest enemy without a doubt, which is why I should be practicing writing essays analyzing the rhetorical usage of a random passage or two. Will I? Ehh... 

Apocalyptic Log #8

Today's lesson was a bit simple to understand, although it was hard to focus. To be honest, most of my focus is divided between school and college. I recently enrolled into The University of Alabama's early college program before the world went down the gutter, so I have had twice the amount of work than most students. I am getting college credit early and learning valuable information, but at WHAT COST? Oh well, at least I understood the concept of writing a decent conclusion. 

Apocalyptic Log #7

A bit of hope has blossomed now that I feel a bit better in my rhetorical skills, at least in writing a decent thesis. Most likely, my constant worrying impeded my progress, as always. Though I will continue to worry anyway, as always. Today's assignment gave me a mild confidence boost, and I intend to rewatch it whenever I can before the exam approaches. Honestly, I would not be so finicky if I could do a synthesis or argumentative essay instead! Why must it be rhetorical analysis, dear Lord, why!? 

Apocalyptic Log #6

I wish I could say I understand how to find the rhetorical situation, but I am still struggling with the concept. Exigence, context, subject, I do not understand how to "find" it. My teacher gave some helpful advice, but it is still hard to grasp completely. It is greatly grating on my nerves, mostly because the primary reason I cannot understand is due to my inactive mind. Working from home is not effective for me at all, I need to be in a school environment. At least there I could purchase snacks and understand the concept. Hah, maybe that it was my mind is numb, because I need snacks! 

Apocalyptic Log #5

My frustration is starting to grow, I still cannot fully grasp what rhetorical situation is no matter how it is explained. The assignment today did not really help at all, which makes me feel rather dimwitted. I suppose I should rewatch the videos I received, hopefully that will provide insight. 

Apocalyptic Log #4

Today's assignment centered around writing an introduction for a rhetorical analysis, and I had more trouble with it than I expected. I believe that my difficulty mostly stemmed from my brain being more "inactive" these days, making focusing practically impossible. There was also the fact that I was unsure how to phrase the introduction, and it made me frustrated. Online classes are not the same as going to school, I cannot focus whatsoever. Surprisingly, I miss the days in class where my mind did not constantly wander. Well, not as much as it does at home. 

Apocalyptic Log #3

I am finding it difficult to wake up in time for "classes" ever since my sleep schedule became abysmal throughout this quarantine. Staying up until six in the morning has become the norm for me, and that surely puts a challenge down. On a brighter note, the start of school will curb my self-destructive habit of staying up for no reason. In regards to today's work, I am pleased to say that I completed it all, even though it was hard to really focus on what I was doing. Everything is different from being in physical class where I must be focused, and I fear the new environment will stunt my ability to understand what I am looking at. Maybe if I go back over each assignment, I can get a good feel for everything... 

Apocalyptic Log #2

I have nearly died multiple times since my last post. I fear I may not survive for much longer... not when my supply of snacks is so detrimentally low. To top it all off, school has commenced once more. I can already tell it will be a long ride... Today, I completed my first assignment of the "quarter",which I could have done better on, and also learned that the AP English Exam will be focused on rhetorical analysis. I was admittedly greatly displeased to hear that, since rhetorical analysis is similar to coffee, and I do not like coffee. It will certainly be a challenge, but so long as I am allowed to do a practice run, I have faith that I may do a good job before this pandemic drives mad. 

Apocalyptic Log #1

It has been some time since I saw another human besides my parents. I am going mad. Sergeant Wright used to sell Little Bites, but without them, I may lose my sanity. I also have a surplus of homework; just thinking about it makes my blood run cold. I have not been doing much since my quarantine from school, what am I supposed to do, go outside? But I suppose it feels nice to do things at my own pace at home. Will I likely procrastinate on everything I must do? Absolutely. It is a terrible habit. Honestly, I would probably be in a better mood if I did not receive the most homework I received in my life, but how can I be upset? My curriculum must continue! Let us hope the disease does not get to me before I finish it all. I only wish... I could tell my husband and children... how much I love them... 

Absent

Unfortunately, I dead, so I could not attend class today.

A Free Day, Except I Slept

It is hard to have a definitive opinion when my mind was practically unconscious at the time, but I certainly enjoyed the relaxation of today. I could still hear my classmates' chatter even though my mind was asleep, and it makes me content when they're at ease. Aside from that, I simply enjoyed the rare moment to put my head down!

ACT

All juniors took the ACT today, and it sucked the life out of me. That is it. I have perished and am partaking in apple juice with Jesus. I would ask for wine, but I am too young.

Multicultural Education in the Gosh Darn Classroom

I am about exhausted of hearing the word "cultural" at this point, but that is how the crumble cookies I suppose. At least the assignment itself was not torture, the class stole some computers and hopped on AVL to do some research classes; we were in groups, and only my group had the topic mentioned in the title. As always, my level of interest I had rivaled that of my desire to eat vegetables, and I despise vegetables. Nevertheless, the assignment was not horrible, though I wish we could go over a topic I am actually interested in for once!

Kahoot

At last, we played my favourite classroom game, Kahoot! Whether or not we played it because a fair amount of students or because it was preemptive is not important, I am only glad we did not take a test or anything of the sort. My beloved teacher has a habit of doing that on days where a test should not even be a thought! Due to a "Baby Dance" today, which was some sort of shoutout to premature babies or something even though I doubt anyone remembered the true reason, I got out of class early and had a blast simply sitting in the bleachers as I always do. My biggest satisfaction is my victory of both Kahoot games, which is the greatest achievement of my life for sure. Surely my existence is complete.

Last Time I Checked, Tom Brady Will Not Help Me Graduate

Surprisingly, the day involved an activity instead of work that makes me want to gouge out my eyes. In short, we were put in groups and assigned a current event to analyze in a KWL chart. Most of the events, such as Tom Brady and whatever business he is up to, and Nathaniel Woods' situation, were topics I did not know much, if not nothing, about. While Nathaniel and the other topic of the Corona virus was crucial to know, the rest was not interesting to me. In all honesty, most current events I know nothing about because I do not watch the news or pay attention. I am too busy for that, woe is me. But in the end, the day was an interactive experience, and that is what matters.

So It Turns Out A Bibliography Is Not The Study of Biblical Times

Like the title somewhat suggests, the class dove headfirst into writing bibliographies without drowning. I was a bit hesitant at first, it sounded complex and high leveled, but my fears were unfounded in the end! The process was easy to understand and to complete, to my delight. While I personally think it is not very important in the grand scheme and is simply extra work, I can see its usefulness and why writers create them. Apparently I would not have been taught how to write a bibliography in college, so I am glad to know now! Also, if anyone wondered if I truly believed bibliography was the study of something Biblical related, those thoughts are correct. I surely did!

More Prompts and Evidence Finding? Oh Boy

By no means do I intend to ridicule my teacher, but I was utterly bored today and I was dying to lay my head down. Like usual, we dove back into a prompt and worked on establishing claims, as well as evidence. I found myself growing frustrated when it came down to the commentary portion on a particular piece of "evidence". I use quotations because I did not see how the quote helped at all as evidence to the claim, subsequently making it hard to explain the evidence. It certainly did not help that I was detrimentally exhausted the entire day. Oh well, there is always a chance for an engaging day tomorrow.

Here We Go Again

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and today was that end -- school is back in session. Heavens no! Anywho, class was no different than it usually is, and I had the pleasure of going over an AP writing prompt from 2008. Truly a relic of history. It was admittedly hard to focus because I had little interest in the assignment at hand and we were reviewing skills we already learned, though at least I did not die of boredom this time around. Perhaps my disinterest is actually confidence in my writing ability? Hmm, likely not, I was simply disinterested.

A Lenient Day

I am glad to say that today is one of my favourites, as we did not do much, only listening to the last few presentations and doing a book activity. I received pointers on my essay I did last week or so, which I will take into consideration; I have the habit of trying too hard to embellish things without realizing it, and it can lead to tangents. Once my next essay rolls around, I believe I will be confident! But regarding today as a whole, it was more relaxing. Thank goodness.

More Presentations

There is not much to say about this day, only presentations took up the class and I was beyond bored. Listening to presentations in general is a tedious thing, but hearing anything I have little interest in is torture. I must say that the only fun I gained from the entire ordeal is making my PowerPoint -- everything else was such a bore. But that is to be expected, so I am not too upset; I am grateful to at least learn something new.

Presentation Day, Hooray

Did I ever mention the project Mr. Rease assigned to us regarding finding information about a country's culture? If I did not, well tough cookies. Today was the day to present, and I was quite surprised to discover I did well with a pass! My normal problem of talking fast did pose a difficulty because my dialect is hard to understand. The fact that I was nervous only worsened it, making my speech faster. It is hard to understand what I am saying in general, so I am not too surprised, but I do wonder why I speak so fast and why I find it difficult to articulate my words. Not to mention my occasional habit of stuttering. Well, it matters little to me, I made an A, hooray!

ACT Prep Day

I feel a bittersweet victory today; on one hand, I did not have to go to 4th block for its entirety, but on the other hand, I had to work with MATH. Truly the bane of my existence. Although I was glad to be with my peers, I was immensely bored; I still paid attention to what was being spoken, however, and tried to understand what I was working with. Like most instances, I struggled, but I was able to solve a few problems I initially wanted to give up on! I can tell right now that my problem is time; I spend too much time on each problem trying to understand what on earth is going on. This is why math is evil INCARNATE. At least I am identifying my areas of struggle. Will I actually try to work on them? Ehhhh.

What Can I Say, It Is Essay Day

The entire class was comprised of a "test day" of sorts where we finally had to write an argumentative essay. Of course, I was given a ridiculous prompt that was hard to really gather evidence for since I had to pull it from thin air, but I put something together! Is it good? I do not know. But I finished. I am at least glad Mr. Rease stop torturing us for now and let us have the rest of the day off. I do not get paid enough for this!

Claims and Evidence

Today, the class went over that prompt I complained about yesterday and determined if the claims and evidence were sound using a fame or shame score. The results... could have been better. I made a good claim, but apparently the evidence has to be right afterwards or it is not correct. Which... honestly makes sense, but I shall be upset anyway because I made a mistake and that is clearly the rational choice! I am glad to take that notion of evidence into account, of course! The day was one of the better ones this week, possibly because most of the class decided to disappear into the abyss before 4th block. As I say, the less the merrier, and today was a merrier day.

Be Careful Of Flowers, You May Be Shot

Worry not about the title, no flowers (that the world knows of) can shoot a person with a bullet, but it would be interesting if it did exist. Anywho, the reason for the title leads into what I had to do today, which was research some interesting customs of Italy. I learned that upon being invited to a dinner, it is polite and customary to bring a gift: chocolates, pastries, or flowers. But bringing the wrong flower in terms of symbolism, such as a flower that stands for immense hatred or death (an example would be Monkshood), is very disrespectful! That little activity was admittedly fun since I learned something about Italy, as well as other countries from my classmates. The last ten minutes were less than pleasant considering Mr. Rease had the nerve to forsake us and give a prompt before the end of the day. A traitorous, unforgivable act!

Culture

Discussing culture and diversity was the main agenda today, and considering I care very little about the concept of culture itself, I was bored out of my mind. Culture is such a bore to me, I cannot explain why but discussing it is such a mute point in my brain. I understand that culture is crucial, yada yada, it is important to know one's roots, blah blah, but does that matter at this specific instant? Perhaps it does, but it certainly does not to me. The only highlight of the day was watching a video where people from other countries practically insulted American culture into the ground. I was both offended and amused, a great combination!

Another Test and a Project, Wish I Could Object

Due to the class' less than dignified scores on Friday, we were given the chance to take a new one and hope we did not bomb it as well. I appreciate the gesture wholeheartedly. Afterwards, we discussed culture and the seven themed that accompanied it, with the project following not too long after. Our assignment has us researching the culture of a country and detailing it in a PowerPoint or poster, which has the chance for fun; however, I was more than upset that we could not choose our own countries, as I desperately wanted Japan. Alas, someone else got my dream country. I at least got Italy, a country I like for both its beauty and the opportunity to make memes of their affiliation with pasta. While I can understand that letting the students choose their country may result in repeated countries showcased or the easy route being taken by choosing to do American culture, I still am not satisfied with the method! But oh well, what can I do? Ho del lavoro da sbrigare!

Test Day

Golly gosh, golly gee, today was test day; it was a multiple choice passage that certainly humbled me considering I bombed it. A failure. An embarrassment to the family name, I am. On the bright side, I have another chance on Monday, so I have not become too much of a disappointment to my lineage. I was incredibly displeased with my results, which goes to show that I read the question without reading the question. My paranoia of running out of time interferes with my thinking and leads me to make easily avoidable mistakes. Hmm, surely it is my teacher's fault for assigning it, that is why I failed, yes!

Should a Man and Mother Have a Nurturing Relationship?

Today, we went over a prompt which discussed the question above, and I personally disagree with it. A man has no obligation to take care of his mother after he is an adult, she brought him into the world and he is simply the byproduct. Also, what if the mother is anything but motherly? Should the man still nurture her? Blood ties do not equate to true family, only the bonds that are made, at least to me. Mr. Rease challenged us to talk to our mothers about what we discussed today, but I would rather not; I would like to not be backslapped.

Comedian, More Like "Come End Me"

Although the events of today were filled with the NHS ceremony finally arriving, I was able to slither my way back into my 4th block. As much as I did not miss it, I missed it. Mr. Rease had it too easy, not having the honour of hearing my quips from the back of the room! Today was the start of another prompt which, surprise, I find difficult. But the prompt itself is simple, I can understand that, it is just the task of finding claims and evidence on said prompt. I can find evidence on many topics with research, but most of the prompts lately require me to dig up evidence from my own mind and experiences; that is the problem. At least I recognized where I am mostly struggling at, so that is progress! I think.

My Concern Levels Are Growing

I had important business to attend to with the National Honor Society, which took up my entire 3rd block, 4th block, and well after school ended. This equates to many missed days in my 4th block most of all, and I am worried my grade will drop as a result. That cannot happen, my grades are my lifeline! I do intend on remaining in school instead of going home after the NHS ceremony tomorrow to make up for lost time; I only hope I have not missed too much of import. If I have, I will take the next available flight to Wuhan, China.

I Was Swiped Out Of My Class A Bit Too Conveniently

Before the end of 3rd block, I, along with many other students, were called out and told to report to the driver's ed class. I was indeed curious, and hoping for something edible if I am honest, but it was revealed to be an ACT class orchestrated by Mr. Sanderson. Was I a bit disappointed? Slightly, but I will use this chance to increase my scores of course. The entire class took up 2nd lunch wave and 4th block, so I have little clue about the lesson taught in class today. From what I heard, it is another inane prompt asking some insipid question about the relationship of two things that does not even need to be considered together. Do these AP people have a life? Come on!

ACT With Mac D's

I never experienced the class today because I was quickly called out to the front office, courtesy of none other than my principal. I was curious considering few of the other "smart kids" were called too -- maybe I was in trouble? Not that I do anything that warrants a punishment, other than occasionally sneaking a snack in whenever I am digesting myself. Thankfully, there was a reward awaiting me instead
I, along with about seven others, were apparently recognized for the work we do during Intervention, and the principal rewarded us by buying McDonald's then and there and letting us eat in the library. I was a bit peeved this happened right after I finished lunch and was fairly full, but that still did not stop me from seizing my opportunity. I ate even more and I have no regrets. I truly appreciate what the principal did for us -- maybe I will get a reward for doing twice as much!

Deduction and Seduct- Induction

At last, I began a topic that was not broad, did not require positions, and did not force me to connect two things into a relationship for writing's sake. The lesson was about deductive and inductive reasoning, and while I had heard of them, I did not know the difference so it made me glad to learn about it! The activity that followed was difficult, but only because I did not know how to explain how I knew a premise was invalid or valid in an educated sense. Some of the claims in the activity were hilariously ridiculous, such as the insane leap that because God is love, love is blind, and Ray Charles was blind, Ray Charles is God. That just... that threw me for a loop. The entire day threw me for a loop.

I Ate Two Cupcakes

The class started back with the prompt I recently complained about, the one about ownership and sense of self, and I was dismayed just as last time. I am honestly unsure as to what I am supposed to be even arguing. Thankfully, the Honor Roll ceremony (which I forgot was today) gave me a chance to escape that hellish class. A short reprieve, yes, but a welcome one nonetheless.

My Purpose

I am not sure what my purpose is. Self-identity was the main focus of class today, but I felt left out despite my out of context yet humourous interjections. I simply drift through life in a sheltered bubble, telling myself that when I enter college then I'll have a chance to be happy. A destructive way of thinking, but it keeps me going. I do have a slight belief in my purpose that stems from my eagerness to assist others. Many people assume I'm not from Alabama because of my polite, apparently formal, dialect and give me praise for treating them with proper respect. Is that so rare in adolescents here? Seeing the smiles of people, even those I am impartial to, fill me with joy, especially when I am the cause of it. I want to spread friendliness and affection to many people. watch their faces light up, and give them hope that the world is not so consumed by indifference. However, that is difficult now. I am too tired, too self-depreciating, too cynical. It upsets me that I have an unnatural sense of love boiling within me along with a perpetual cauldron of self-hatred, pessimistic views, and sorrow. How does that even add up? But I pray. I pray that one day, one day, I find the happiness I need to confidently spread my endearment to others. Not just find it, but also gain the will to live in order to actually fight for my findings. It does not matter how many times I find that day if I am too deep in my desire to permanently sleep to grab happiness.

Just When I Thought I Was Safe, The Universe Said, "Psych"

I must say, I was very displeased once I learned we would be doing another prompt with a ridiculous premise and unclear question we had to answer. Well, it was ridiculous and unclear to me. I could not give a rat's bottom about the views of ownership, how on earth does it tie in to sense of safe? Golly, can I not just argue on a position, not some random relationship? It was the exact same thing with the certainty and doubt fiasco, and that does not tickle my fancy. But I must get my practice somewhere, so I must as well try to focus on the prompt and understand it. Will this sentiment stop me from complaining about this again tomorrow? No, it will certainly not. Tune in the next day, my venting will probably last all week folks!

What On Earth Did I Walk Into

I returned to my beloved 4th block and heard about an apparent pop quiz the teacher gave out that was exceedingly difficult. While it was nice to see Mr. Rease(s) again, I certainly did not want to complete the multiple choice abomination - I hate coming into a class where I am behind! Though admittedly, it was not all that bad. Well, the passage was not, but the answers to some of the questions? Wack! The wackiest wack to wack this wacky earth! I do not understand how some of the answers even possibly made sense, but I suppose that is my inexperience at play in the end. We will apparently be doing these surprise assessments every week, so let us see if I ever improve!

The Teacher Is Back, But I Surely Am Not

I got an early dismissal before the second lunch wave, so I have little means of reflecting on a day I did not experience. Hopefully the class did not go right back to that prompt, ahahah! Ahaha. Ha.

Where Is My Birthday Present

While my teacher is out living the dream, or something like that, I was stuck with that ridiculous prompt again. I had to create more body paragraphs, but to be honest, I just... wrote things. I had no idea what I was writing, I just wanted to get the insipid task over with. Well, that was my day in class. On the bright side, today is my birthday! The world knows what happens when one turns seventeen. That is right, I can now commit tax fraud!

If I Had The Choice of Eating a Vegetable or Dying Instantly, I'd Choose Death

Apologizes for the random title, my teacher is not here today so a unanimous decision by I and I was to be random. The only assignment was to create a body paragraph around the prompt I oh so despise, and afterwards I simply started on Ms. Schemensky's neverending homework while contemplating my life choices.

AP Exam Scoring

Today, I was relieved the attention turned away ever so slightly from the certainty and doubt fiasco and focused on the rubric for the AP Exam writing section. Although it was from 2012, it still held valuable information. I was tasked with reading previous student's essays and evaluating how they would be scored if I were the scorer. Some were... less than adequate, but the one that scored an 8 gives me hope that I could aim that high! Or at least get a 6.

Here We Go Again

The class leapt back into that wretched topic of doubt and certainty again, and like the last few days, I had little to say. However, I was not so peeved this time, because I was able to provide "evidence" from my own experience, and my wife was here as well. I am always happier when she is here. Although I still want to burn the prompt to the ground, desecrate its grave, and curse its name, it was still a valuable experience that I need help with indirect essay prompts.

Doubt and Certainty

I was rather displeased with today's proceedings - my best friend, person-I-would-marry-if-I-was-homosexual, got an early dismissal, so I was alone. Along with that, we were still on that doubt and certainty malarkey, the topic I dislike with an irritated passion. It is confusing and I do not understand what I am meant to do. It did not help when I had to watch random videos and magically pluck sentences that would be helpful for my "evidence" with my "claims" in my "position" regarding certainty and doubt. It just makes no sense to me! I want nothing more to do with this inane prompt anymore, but unfortunately, I know the class will be dragged back into it tomorrow. Forgive me if I sound more irritable than a crab in an apple, that would probably be because I am.

Certainty and Doubt

With the day altered due to the "Raider Schedule" for juniors, the class was shorter than it normally would be -- that was good. I had the chance to go over an AP prompt where I had to choose a position about the relationship between certainty and doubt. The directions were definitely strange, and I still cannot grasp what exactly the prompt is asking of me, especially with the provided quotes not helping me much. It probably does, but I certainly cannot figure it out. I am grateful to be exposed to it, however, because now I have the knowledge that a prompt I receive may be more abstract than direct.

Four Corners

Due to the fact that a junior meeting was scheduled, the class (thankfully) did not do anything serious. Instead, we played Four Corners where each corner was a level of agreement from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The teacher asked questions and I had to stand at my position. Unfortunately, I did not find it very fun, probably because of the questions; they were topics that I had no interest for. On the bright side, listening to everyone's position was definitely fun, especially on the topic regarding teenagers thirteen to seventeen being allowed to choose their own body modifications such as tattoos or piercings. That was certainly a wild ride. As mentioned before, a meeting took place, so class was cut short. Good!

The Fallacies Have Broken My Knees!

Lies and poor choices continued today as the class read more about fallacies in my favourite informative book, Thank you for arguing (by Jay Heinrichs). I like the way the author includes the reader in the text using tasteful and humorous informal writing. Some new fallacies were introduced to me today, such as appealing to absurdity and the unit fallacy, and it amazes me how easily it is to be fooled by them all. As a gullible and pitifully oblivious person, I have probably fallen victim to fallacies since birth, though since most were given by my parents, it was not as though I had any choice in using proper rhetorical techniques to deflect them. Well, I could, but I like having my behind intact. Anywho, the chapter I read reminded me of how much I love rhetorical situations and proper arguing skills! On a completely random note, my teacher said that vodka was completely healthy and I should drink every day now. Who knew?

Fallacies Can Break My Knees

Yesterday, I learned about fallacies, techniques that can hamper an effective argument. Some of the definitions felt spot on to certain methods I and many others unconsciously use in daily speech, so it was rather interesting to hear about! Today, the class split into groups to make a skit that had one of the fallacies in it somehow. As fun as it was to watch everyone make a fool of themselves, I included, it did not really help me understand how to pinpoint specific fallacies any better; the skits were inane and ridiculous, so I could not figure out specifically what each group did without having choices provided. It was just a luck of the draw that I was able to guess which one was used, that plus eliminating choices I actually knew was not the answer. I really hope we have more activities with fallacies to understand them as well as have more fun with them.

Being Smart? Being Talented? IT IS OVERATED!

I am the smart child. The gifted child. The golden star of my family. Ever since elementary, I prided myself in being "smart", in having straight A's, in receiving points for good behaviour, in being the best. I excel in my classes, I rival my classmates with a superb performance, I truly am a smart child. Failure is not an option, no one can beat me, I will not allow it. Not being the best means absolute failure - and failure is unintelligent. That is what I believed wholeheartedly. It pulsed through my veins and was my reason to live. Without the praise of my teachers and friends, without the knowledge that I have a higher grade than anyone else, I was nothing. But after watching a TED Talk that discussed being the "smart kid", I may have a different view. The video seemed to talk directly to me, hitting points that I could relate to and reflect on. I push myself too hard, I hold such high values on things that will not matter in a few years. Watching that video made me realize something, my obsession with perfection, talent, and intelligence will ultimately ruin my life. I can succeed without driving myself insane.

The Boys Are Back In Class

Unlike most of my peers, I actually missed school, or rather, the routine it gave me through my days. I did not miss the urge to sleep in class. At least today was not so trying; the day started off with a semester evaluation with the teacher asking various questions. It allowed me to reflect on what I enjoyed, as well as remember I have a terrible memory. Good times. Afterwards, my eyes were opened and the eyes of those eyes were opened after I watched a TED Talk that, when summed up, explains how intelligence and talent does not correlate to success -- it is made through effort. Also pure luck,but  I will not go into that. The video did make me feel a bit better about myself and pinpoint some key causes of my anxieties, so I appreciate showing. Here is to a neat semester! Hopefully.