Blog Assignment #3

For my exploratory essay, I wanted to take a closer look at Japanese culture, as it's always been a big interest of mine. A fact that surprised me was that they are completely comfortable with pornography. It just shocked me. They have pornographic material on streets without worrying about kids seeing it. I was also blown away by the fact that J-Pop music is said to be so similar and mainstream, but completely unique at the same time. I still want to know more about the varieties of Japanese noodles. I would plenty of different types of noodles, but I wanted to find a little more of the history. The most memorable thing I read was that Miso soup, a personal favorite of mine, is made with soya beans, and then is made into "miso paste". What I really want to teach someone about this subject is just how creative and different their culture is from ours. It was enlightening to me, so I would assume it would be enlightening to others.

Blog Assignment #2

It was March 17th, 1941. I just moved to New York City. I never thought it would be so different from back home in Macon, Georgia. I felt really out of place when I got here, so head over to a clothing store to blend in with the cityfolk. Almost as soon as I walked in, the owner took one look at me, and said "You're not from around here, are ya boy?". "How can you tell? You don't know me!" I exclaimed. "Cause of those rags you're wearin', and how friggin small you are!" he barked back. I felt stupid and just put my head down and walked through the store. I found some suited clothes: a dark coat, a nice suit, and some black shoes. Lucky me I worked enough on the farm back home to afford clothes like this. Finally, I felt like I could blend in to this crazy town, at least some what. I've always been really small for my age, and I never understood why. All my friends back home were inches, even feet taller than me. It never made sense to me. I was always teased for it though, and couldn't really do anything about it. That's why I moved up here, so I could get a fresh start and get out of that hick-ass town. It's about noon by now, and I'm trying to find somewhere hiring; I need to find a job before I can even think about living here. As I'm walking down 11th ave., I see her. She was beautiful, and was just like me it seemed. She was small, just like me to my amazement. I nervously walked over to her and said "Uhh..Hi! I'm J-Jack. Jack Farmer. Nice to um-meet you!". She looked at me and started to laugh. "I'm Sandra. Take it easy!" she replied "I'm goin' to get somethin' to eat, wanna join me?". I started to calm down, and said "S-Sure!" As we walked down 11th, we saw a photographer standing in the middle of the street. She was looking at us. She stopped us as we walked by and said "I'm Diane. Would you two mind me taking a picture of you? Sandra and looked at each other and seemed to agree at the same time. Diane got in position, and had the two of us just stand as we were, but to have me put my arm around Sandra. I was excited. It really felt like love at first sight. I began to imagine us together and it made me very happy. Just before the picture was taken, Sandra looked down at the floor and the smile disappeared from her face. SNAP! The picture was taken. Diane thanked both of us and walked away. I looked at Sandra and asked "What's wrong?". She looked at me, then ran away as fast as she could. I had never been so confused before. What caused her to do this? Was it something I did? To this day, I don't know, and I don't think I ever will. I never saw Sandra again, but that Diane went on to be a famous photographer. I saw some of her work in a magazine, and sure enough, there was the picture of me and Sandra. I couldn't believe it. I'll never forget that day. The day my life changed forever.

Blog Assignment #1

1. I agree with Mr. King's point of view because it all just makes perfect sense to me. The fact that "we're all insane in some ways" just speaks out to me. People in society try make it seem like they're completely normal, but really they have all the same weird habits that someone considered "weird" or "crazy" would have. I think people should be able to embrace their weird habits without having to be judged by people who are playing pretend with their life. To me, normal is just word. There is no normal. We all have our quarks and habits that make us human. People who say they don't have anything wrong with them, well they're either lying or they're in denial. Either one, not good.

2. Since my brother loves horror movies so much, I can come up with a pretty big list. There's A Nightmare on Elm Street, A Nightmare on Elm Street: A New Nightmare, Friday the 13th, Night of the Living Dead, Re-Animator, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Halloween, The Exorcist, The Ring, Diary of the Dead, The Candyman, Thirteen Ghosts, Killer Clowns from Outer Space, Devil Bat, Scream, Shawn of the Dead, Zombieland, Black Christmas, Freddy Vs. Jason, Jason X, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Grudge. These movies seem to be appealing to people because they give a thrill. Like sky diving, or base jumping, horror movies give people a cheap thrill that causes them to jump, scream, or cry. I'm not the biggest horror movie fan, so i don't really understand the hype for them, but I'm sure it satisfies people's inner craziness. I guess people need it, and it's what keeps us from going crazy.

3. I think what he means by the statement "As long as you keep the gators fed" is that you have to keep your inner craziness occupied with horror movies and thrills for your body and mind. When you do things that thrill your mind, it keeps you satisfied. You won't need to preform your "crazy quarks" as much if you will. That's probably why the bungee jumping and the horror movie business is so popular. It's keeps people preoccupied with thrills and excitement, so your mind can be at ease. So yes, I think Mr. King's argument has credibility and I feel that he is absolutely right.