Best of Craigslist..

So I was searching over Craigslist to find the funniest thing I could. I came across some very interesting items like a spaceship, a CATBUS, which, is a van that looks like a cat and a vagina couch. These are all very funny but there was one ad I found to be outright hilarious. It was for a family of plastic pink yard flamingos. The person selling them says that they are the momma, daddy and babies but the mother has a bullet hole. That is funny itself but what I found to be the most amusing thing about the ad was what he wanted in return for the flamingos. The seller is asking for a good dog, a weed-eater or any kind of unopened alcohol.

The entire ad was quite amusing and if you were in class with me today you probably heard me laughing at these items. I love Craigslist for the wonderfully amusing posts and the ability to actually sell and buy what I am looking for.

Link to ad:
http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/cos/646113248.html

Once in a great while..

After viewing Once, I felt oddly jealous. The film, while a little slow compared to Hollywood films, was actually quite moving. I felt like I could have been the main character through his journey of a small period in his life. There are times where I feel that I need to get out more and just be in touch with the world because I am missing out on the people that could indeed change my life. The film was very good in the way it presented itself to be a true to life story about a man and his trials. Spanning a short while in his life, the main character manages to find what seems to be love in an unusual place, to later find that he really loves his ex girlfriend. I loved it and the music was, while not my everyday thing, quite good.

I find that the use of films in class is a very useful tool. It helps to see them to gain a better perspective on what it is we are supposed to write about in our paper. They provide good examples of what is looked for. I found them helpful when writing my papers because I was able to reflect back upon the film, which, pertained to a particular paper and use the style and information to apply it to my work.(awkward sentence..) Last night I even was able to point out an episode of the Simpson's that would have worked well in out advertisement portion of class. It reminded me of the Office and I think that since I can compare these I found I was better able to remember more from the films to apply to my writing.

Children's Laughter

As a child I played with a great deal of things. With my sister I played with action figures, mostly Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, while she played with Barbie dolls. We would create little societies and call what we did "Little People". I also love to play with my bicycle quite a lot. During the winter when the weather was crumby, and I hate winter, I would play on my Nintendo Entertainment System. This held quite a big portion of my attention even throughout the year. I also loved to play with matchbox cars. I had about 100 of those little things and would bring them over to my best friends house and we would sit there and just drive around for hours and hours.

The one thing I did, however, play with the most was Lego building blocks. I would create things for hours and have friends come over with their Lego sets and we would build, imagine and play. This was quite a wonderful time in my life. I think it has reflected onto who I am today because I still love to invent, imagine and build things. The matchbox cars held a place in my world as well. I now have a great interest in vehicles of all sorts and love to work on them to make them unique to me. This trait I have is most likely a result of the years playing with Legos and matchbox cars.

Feast Your Eyes on This!

There is one television show currently airing that I would recommend everyone take a look at. The show is called Dexter. It is about a homicide detective who has an uncanny ability to get into the mindset of the person he is trying to catch. The reason he is able to do this is because he, himself, is a killer. Throughout an episode he sympathizes with the killer and is able to understand why and how they do what the do. It is really quite interesting to see through the eyes of a killer stalking other killers and trying to bring them to justice. Although, during an episode, Dexter seems to allude to the fact that he wants to, or may kill. He has let other killers off with a warning, while befriending them, in hopes that they will change, only to have them kill again.

Hook, Line and Sucker..

Advertising is quite awful. Blasting images and sounds at the viewer/listener in hopes that it will persuade them to buy their product. I heard recently (unknown source) that the advertising companies realize that it really doesn't work so well. I guess the ads where a new product is shown are fine but when companies like Coke and Budweiser keep putting ads out there, I think that is lame. The freakin world already knows that your product exists, why can't you leave well enough alone?

They even put product placement in t.v., movies and video games! I already paid for the movie or game but now I have to watch your ads cross my path while I'm trying to escape and entertain myself? I think that's where it should stay out but like I said, advertising for a new product or service is quite alright, just leave it out of my movies and games.

Obama v. King

Comparing the two texts, one by Obama and one by King Jr., I've found many good and bad points from each. On one hand there are many modern views of racism brought to the table by Obama. This makes things much easier to understand for the people who were not around in Kings' day. He also brought up points about how we are all, in a way, racist, not just the whites or just the blacks. There are hardships that we all face from the prejudices of each other and Obama does well by pointing this out. He says that America is in a racial stalemate. There really is only one flaw I could identify (I read through it quickly), and this was the fact that he could possibly be saying all of this as a tactic in his campaign. I know he has a good deal of personal feelings involved but by including this speech during his race to the White House, he has weakened the grip that this subject could take.

King on the other hand was well written. He has quite a large vocabulary and it may be intimidating or just simply not understandable to some people. I'm not quite sure if this is just a sign of the time he came from or more of the fact that he was actually very well educated. King was in the middle of a revolution of sorts and the text reflects this. It is more aimed at the beginnings of racial movement rather than Obamas' progression of it. One downfall about Kings' letter is that he is mainly speaking to one person and is only supporting the viewpoint from black eyes. I find it hard to relate to the man because he seems to come off as rather prejudiced or racist himself against the white community.

Both men have a really great understanding of racism and are very intelligent as both texts imply. Obama would certainly be a bigger influence in the American society today, simply because his views and ideas are modernized and attack problems concerning America today, rather than a number of years ago like Kings' ideas for his own time.

What's in a Family?

My family originally consisted of a nice group of four. My mother, father, sister and obviously myself were the original members of the Cook household. Now my parents are divorced and both have remarried which has added a considerable amount of people to the group of people I call family. The divorce happened when I was 12. Both parents remarried within a couple of years and now I have one full-blooded sister, one half-sister from my mother and my step-father and seven new step-brothers and sisters!

I moved with my father at fifteen years old to New Richmond, WI where I graduated and got to know my step-mother, Rita, through the years. This was pretty fortunate because when my dad passed away from a heart attack in 2005, I was living with them at the time. I was able to help Rita through the troubles and she in turn helped me.

I still talk with my mother but usually once a month or so on the telephone and I see her only a few times a year. I don't know my step-siblings all too well but I've grown accustomed to them and when I see them we have a pretty good time. they range in age from 12 to 36. This lends to some interesting conversations, fun and games at the family events. I've grown to learn and love my family regardless of blood or marriage relation.

Argumentative synthesis..

Well, I have to be honest. I've been sick for a week and I haven't thought of a solid topic. There aren't really any concerns on my part other than finding an appropriate topic but I know I will do fine with that. I am feeling much better lately so I will be able to go ahead and proceed with everything I need to.

Fuck Milk. Got Pot?

After viewing the film Go Further, I feel that there is much to be learned by humans. I've been witnessing a change in the eating habits of people where they are moving away from chemically grown foods and eating strictly organic. This is also following a trend in fuels where we are trying to find a replacement source for oil. The film touches on these subjects and tries to convince the audience that "green" is better. The use of star power from Hollywood actors and musical artists makes this point have an even greater effect on someones opinion. If (big star) does it than it must be right. If I had not already been trying my hand at the "green" life, I would probably see the film a little differently. It is quite effective with the messages it is sending, maybe not the whole pot issue as it seems counterproductive to the issue at hand, but looking beyond that one characters personality and watching how he changed from his experience makes the film actually strong.

What's in a name?

My name, was, for the longest time, George. Well, this is what my father wanted to call me. So, while i was in my mothers womb, she started calling me her little "Spenny". Her cutesy version of Spencer. It later developed into Spencer John which, obviously, later both my parents agreed to name me. According to www.behindthename.com, Spencer means "dispenser of provisions". I've known this meaning since I was a child but it holds no relevance to who I am or why I was named Spencer. It just kind of "fell" into place and is just supposed to be what it is.

What about the library...

I learned, while at the campus library this past Monday, that there are quite a few different areas to go to if I would like to find something to read. There were multiple forms of information available including standard texts, newspaper, magazines, journals and E-books. I found that I could access the database that the library contains, along with what they can get for me from other locations, from home via the internet if I so choose.

Now a concern I may still have is I am not entirely sure about what it is I am to write about. I have a specific topic nailed down but, alas, no real understanding of what is being asked of me. I understand this is to be somewhat of just an informative paper but it was explained to me that I am not to make it sound like an encyclopedia. What on earth is an informative paper that doesn't sound like that? Its all information, all the facts, laid out for you and you make your own assumptions. Well, I guess I'll just have to ask and find out now.

Fed Up With the Frigid

When the weather outside is indeed frightful, such as the recent below zero temperatures, this greatly affects my daily routine. First off, I take the bus to get to campus instead of walking because I live three blocks away. I already started to get sick, as in a cold, from the first day of below zero temps. Because of this the bus was greatly important to me. So important, in fact, that I missed the bus one day and did not attend school for fear of getting even sicker. Also, obviously, I have to wear a hat and some sort of hand covering. When I need to go to the store or donate plasma, I need to start my car about ten to fifteen minutes prior to leaving because I do not want the engine to crack due to uneven temperature increase. I generally avoid the outdoors at all costs and this inactivity turns me into quite the hermit once the cold strikes. Heck, I don't even like it when it snows or drops below 40 degrees! This makes me very anti-social for about four to six months of the year.

Song Writing

So here I am, supposed to write about a particular song that has meaning to me. I, for one, can not pick any one song in particular because they are all unique and share a place in my heart to strike up different qualities of my emotions. Now because I am a good sport, I will choose one song that brings a tear to my eye yet it also makes me smile. The song I speak of is "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood. The song in particular is not what makes me sad, it is the meaning behind it.

When I was younger, my father used to have a side job as a karaoke DJ. He used to sing all the time at home and on occasion I would tag along to a bar or party where he was putting on a show. "Bad to the Bone" was his self made theme song. His name is Brad, so when it came time to perform he would sing this song and replace the word bad with Brad.

My father passed away in October of 2005 and since then I have always had a little bit of sadness creep into me whenever I hear this song. Everything is not all bad because I also think of him and remember all the fun we had while he was around. I am grateful that this song was quite popular in its time and still remains to be played today so I can think back to the good times I had with my dear old dad.

Every once in a while when I actually trek out to a bar where they have karaoke, I will sing this song in his name. I also replace the word bad with Brad to tribute a wonderful man with a great song.

My Most Favorite Place

Running through the years of memories in my mind, from places I have been, concludes that nowhere I have been stands out with any significance. I can say, although this is supposed to be favorite places, is that I despise one place for certain that I have been to. This place is a horrible place of monochromatic concrete slab. The people that inhabit this place are all here for one reason or another by upsetting the system. Dining in this hell, is more off-putting than trying to clean up a mess from a night of blacked-out binge drinking. Sleeping here accounts for restless nights, attributed from a slim pad of foam to rest upon while a bright light shines in your eyes through each second of sleepless misery. If you haven't figured out where my least favorite place on earth is, then I shall tell you now. This place is jail. I highly advise anyone reading this to avoid this place of misery at all costs.