graf #7

When I think of my teachers a few jump out as shining examples of how to inspire. There are a chosen few who actually still cared enough to engage even the rockiest of young adult minds and Joe Duffin was one of them. One hot and sticky New Jersey Summer day my Public Speaking class sat fanning ourselves with our notebooks. The door swung open and slammed into it's stops. A red headed blur charged into the room with briefcase swinging wide and eyes bright. "Yoo ya ya yaooo yo!" he said with great enthusiasm. He put his briefcase on the desk and sat down deliberately. The locks on his briefcase clicked open loud as thunder in the now silent room, we all stared, mouths agape. He perused his papers as if not aware of the gibberish he spoke and then stood up and gave us a fifteen minute lecture consisting solely of the syllables 'yoo' and 'ya' juxtaposed in infinite combinations. To up the ante a little bit he then passed out pop quizzes written in 'yooya.' We all struggled to grasp what he was getting at while he sat down and motioned for us to get started. Ten minutes of us looking around at eachother and trying to finish the nonsensical quizzes he finally let us off the hook. "The point of this," we listened, rapt, "is to illustrate the importance of tailoring the langauge you use to suit your audience. If you don't they might not understand your message." Then he gave us all an 'A' for the quiz. I will never remember the date the Bastille was stormed or what the formula for sulfuric acid is but I will NEVER forget that day. Now that, I say, is a teacher.

Graf #6

Alright, I think I misunderstood the assignment. Here is another try.

What do you want to write about? Fitness

What do you want to find out about your topic? How to get back the energy I had as a teenager?



What are your questions about the topic?

1. Why at 32, a relatively young age, do I have reduced energy?

2. What changes in my lifestyle are necesary to get my energy back?

3. Can these changes increase my lifespan?

How does it connect to your life?

You plod to the bathroom and try to open your crusty eyes succeeding only in making yourself dizzy with the effort. You open the medicine cabinet and take out the toothpaste hoping maybe the reflection will lie a little this time. No luck, it tells the same story as yesterday, sleep has given you a funny hairstyle and your old and fat. Sighing you begin the routine you go through every morning as you wearily trudge from activity to activity knowing at any time you could probably fall asleep standing up. Is this the way you want to feel?
So how do you fix it?




Give three reasons you like the topic

1. I want to enact a positive change in my life.

2. It seems like others might be interested in finding out as well.

3. I want to teach my son the right habits from the beginning, first I have to know them

Give three ways your life might change if you answer your questions

1. I'll have more time

2. I'll feel better

3. I'll look better

Graf #6

What do you want to write about?
The formation of the State of Israel.

What do you want to find out about your topic?
How the formation of Israel has impacted the world and the current mideast situation.


What are your questions about the topic?

1. How did the settlers gain control of enough land to found Israel in a mainly Arab owned territory?

2. What is the United States connection with Israel?

3. Was (and is) there really a credible threat to Israel and her allies?

How does it connect to your life?
I have personally sailed in defense of my homeland to the middle east during the sanctions against Iraq. This doesn't just connect to me though, I think it is a topic of import to the whole country. This affects us all every time we step up
to the gas pump.

Give three reasons you like the topic

1. I enjoy studying war. The study of war is the study of the history of war and the political failures and reasons that led to it. It is also the easiest way to prevent it.

2. I am a Christian and the foundation of the state of Israel was phrophesied by the bible. I am always interested in studies of the fulfillment of prophesy.

3. The Jewish people and their culture, history, and language is of neverending interest.

Give three ways your life might change if you answer your questions

1. I might have more to talk about with conservatives.

2. I might make more responsible voting decisions based on the candidates views on the situation.

3. I might be able to illuminate others more effectively.

Reaction:

Firstly, these seem a bit overwhelming. The amount of detail and research will definitely be challenging but I am anxious to try. The paper about brewing beer really touched me. This is an issue that really hits right at the heart of the matter. I think I really will take the time to study that paper and it's wonderful language to see what I can take out of it and apply in my life. The Wedding Cake was actually very rewarding. Being a culinary arts student I took quite a bit from it that I can really use. The shooting and wooden boats were informative but did not hold my interest while the paper on Fatherhood seemed to hit on many issues I have in my own past. The author shared a lot of very personal details and showed great courage and honesty. Overall the impression I get from them is that a good one will keep the readers interest and then leave them with something to really think about. Even if it is just when I can start my Oktoberfest brewing.

Graf #5

It is a standard bowling pin. You might find eleven other pins like it in any bowling alley in America but instead this one sits alone on my mantle. It is a trophy of sorts from the insanity of my youth. I was once a regular at a bar called Brewsters. I spent many nights there and much money that I didn't have. My three amigos, John, Matt, Anchor and I would raise havoc there every time we had the chance. One night they shut down Karaoke early and our drunken crew wandered into the bowling alley attached to the bar to find a bathroom. The bowling alley had been closed for hours and was empty with noone to watch it. The bartenders next door were busy with their thirsty customers. We were off at the races. We spent an hour bowling every ball in the place down the lanes and the bar actually closed while we were busy wreaking awful mischief on the bowling alley. In my stupor it seemed like a good idea to bowl myself down a lane and I learned that although they are slippery to the shoes they give you, the lanes actually have great traction. I got a running start and threw myself hard onto the floor, realizing my mistake immediately. I moved approximately zero inches very quickly. Undaunted I crawled on my hands and knees and grabbed one of the pins, using it to smash down the others I stood like a conquering hero brandishing a war club. Then I fell down because I forgot that the lane was slippery to my leather soled shoes. I snuck that pin out shoved in my pants looking like the victim of a pornographic accident and kept it as a trophy. Since then it has been with me. Not because of the craziness of that night or the many that followed but because I used it to destroy a bottle of rum. One night, lying drunk and despairing in my dirty, unfurnished apartment I said 'enough.' I stood on shaky legs and wobbled to the kitchen, kicking aside the empty bottles and the rotten food containers. I picked up the pin lying on the floor next to the sink and I swung hard at the object of my wrath. The bottle smashed into a million pieces and sprayed dark, sticky rum like blood onto all the white walls. I fell on the floor cut in many places and decided that my karmic debt was finally paid. The destruction of that bottle became a symbolic act to me and allowed me to finally gain control of my life. After the wasted years and the suicidal self-pity I was freed from a life of walking regret by the simple smashing of a bottle in a fit of defiance. I defied my pain, my past, and the memories that held me in sway with their stinging bite. I became a man that day and I owe it all to a simple bowling pin.

Graf #4

I have a big scar on my chest from when my first girlfriend stabbed me. It's not the only knife wound she left me with. I have a great tolerance for strong drink from years at sea and a fondness for 'colorful' langauge. My body is covered, inside and out, with lessons and reminders of the destructive nature of pride. Mine was the angstridden existence of the young man and I knew many complex and engaging people. I was once complex. I have since forsaken it as inconvienent. I grew simple instead of growing up. Now I like simple food and drink. A hunk of beef and dark beer. I like simple toys. A Craftsman woodsplitting maul. I keep it in case I ever get a wood stove. I like simple faith. I keep a Bible in every room of my house in case someone needs it, although I don't have even one first aid kit. I like a simple life like my life with my family.

Graf #3

This is in inventory of my tools in the kitchen. It spans the top drawer, and the two bottom cabinets as well as much of the counters.

Drawer

- complete set of barbecue tools
- One pronged pasta spoon
- One baster with gravy stains
- two sets of measuring cups, one black and one white, Only one connected with the original ring.
- One set of tongs with a retaining ring.
- one set of salas tongs with white handles
- one candy thermometer
- two sets of measuring spoons with only one connected to the original ring and one black, one white.
- on broken winchester camping chef's knife missing a large portion of the tip.
- One potato peeler
- one butter brush and several unusable brushes with various things growing on them
- one dough cutter
- seven odd large spoons ranging from ladel to large wooden spoon with slats.
- one set of cutter molds for biscuits, cookies, and other medallion shaped baked goods
- one set of pictures of my son, Matthew
- three mismatched sets of beaters and dough hooks for my various mixers.
- one cheese grater that smells constantly of garlic
- one wine key
- one can opener
- one rolling pin with the handles removed so it rolls more easily
- one refrigerator magnet bottle opener
- one small maglight flashlight
- three spatulas, two metal and one plastic
- one pizza cutter
- one tool to easily remove the skin of an orange
- one knife stone with medium and soft edge stones
- one ceramic blade sharpener with Ergonomic handle
- two large salad spoons
- one large fork
- set of shishkabobs
- many corn holders
- coring tool
- melon baller
- small mesh strainer for sauces
- two potato mashers of different size, one large with a zig zag steel blade and one small with small holes on a flattening plate
- seasonal cookie cutters from Halloween and Christmas
- Birthday candles
- Cigarette lighter

Cabinets
- two large saucepans, one black metal and one burnished aluminum
- one extra large saucepan and lobsterpot burnished aluminum
- three medium saucepans one burnished aluminum and two black metal
- two small saucepans of black metal
- three skillets, non-stick
- one skillet aliminum not non-stick
- tops to all saucepans, half glass and half aluminum
- Blooming onion maker
- silver blender goblet and professional grade blended
- George Foreman Grill
- Cuisinart Small 4 cup chopper and food processor
- Cover to a Fry Daddy long gone in the trip to Maine from New Jersey
- 200+ piece set of Betty Crocker pastry tips and bags with letter stencils and icing knives
- 6 cake pans
- 4 muffin pans, 2 of 12 muffin capacity and 2 of 6 muffin capacity
- 3 lasagna pans small, medium and large
- two non-stick loaf pans
- one 16" round pizza pan
- one hand mixer
- one broken hand mizer
- my beloved Sunbeam large mixer that resembles a jet engine with two silver bowls

Counters:

-one spice rack with salt,pepper,oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, parsley, sage, all-spice, nutmeg, chervil, chive, lemon-pepper, sea-salt, cream of tartar, cinnamon, garlic salt, paprika, cumin and curry
- one black toaster oven
- one black microwave oven
- one toaster
- one knife set, Farberware with serrated edges
- one knife set for school with high quality steel chopper and cheap boning, filleting, paring, and scaling knives set in non-matching knife block
- three knife blocks
- three cutting boards: one of bamboo and two of plastic for meat, vegetables and fruits, and herbs and garlic respectively
- two cherished cast iron skillets, one large and one small; both lovingly rubbed with olive oil many times a week until they are shiny

This kitchen says that's it's owner, obviously not a person of means, has sacrificed much financially to have the right tools. This kitchen is full of many tools that one might find in a professional kitchen. It might indicate that the owner is obsessed with all things culinary. One would expect to find many cookbooks stacked in this kitchen and one would not be dissapointed with the caution that the cookbooks might actually be scattered throughout every room in the house. The used quality of these items suggests that the owner disdains anything purchased merely for show in the kitchen and reveres old and well-worn reliable tools of the trade. Seems the owner loves a dogeared copy of a musty smelling paperback for it's lived in and loved condition more than a brand new and still stiff in the binding hardback with that new-book smell. He probably never throws anything away, each item is meticulously cared for and maintained suggesting these tools are loved greatly. If this kitchen says anything it echoes the sentiment of Mr. Montgomery Scott, Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise. "The right tool for the right job."

Graf #2

A thousand times you told me, Miss May, that you were wasting your time with pathetic little 'wierdos' like me. 'That's O.K.' you said, "somebody has to empty the garbage." Eventually, I gave up and believed you. I decided your class would be better spent in dreams. One boring drone was indistinguishable from the next so one might as well just drift off. Asleep I at least had a 50/50 chance of enjoying your class. Then the drone became a scream. Roused from my revery very irreverently I started at the heavily blemished and unpleasant face suddenly so close to mine. She panted, flushed with barely contained rage, and waved a pudgy fist. Waddling back to her desk she sat back heavily on her massive haunches, her comicly overstressed chair groaning in protest. Her beady blue eyes spit lightning and she pointed a finger screaming "the next words out of my mouth are gonna be 'get out!' Get out!" A large woman but a small person. A tiny bully won again. I skulked down to the office happy to be out of the witch's cauldron.

Graf #1

My trusted hands are much larger than I think they should be. They have so many oven and knife scars that they might be the surface of the moon to the unknowing observer. My knuckles are mishapen and overgrown for all the abuse they doled out during my rough and tumble days as a sailor and drunkard. My hands have travelled more than almost any person I went to school with. The index fingers are twisted inward and slightly crooked at the tip. I have the lived in, comfortable, confident hands of a workman. They have earned me a living and saved my life again and again. They have reliably held, at one time or another, everything I have ever held dear in this world. I fondly recall that my son was in these hands only moments after he entered this world and he was safe then as they always keep him. Safe in my trusted hands.