Journal 8

Andrew Braaksma wrote a very interesting article called “ Some Lessons from the Assembly line,” in Braaksma article he explains how his experience on a subassemblies line has changed the view he has on school versus working hard labor in the plant. Braaksma experience helped him appreciate the education he was receiving at his university and how he holds a higher level of respect for the people who are putting 30 years or more on the plant assembly line. I can see how the hard labor experience changed his outlook on life, I have worked for a job that taught me how to strive for perfection by working hard and going over every detail until I feel it is the best job I can do.

Just like Braaksma I feel that labor work can change the way you strive for perfection.  I used to work for a friend of my fathers who worked in construction. I used to lay tile in bathrooms and kitchens, the first day I worked on a bathroom shower by myself. I spent about 9 hour on this shower before it was done, When I Called the boss in the steps in the shower and looks real closely until he got to the middle tile then he looked at me and said this section of tiles were off and tore the whole wall down. I just stood there in shock at first then it turned into anger, why the hell would he ripe the wall down, no one will notice a couple of tiles off line. I started over this time being even more careful to get it perfect, when I finally called the boss in he looks again I was so scared he tear it down and this time let go. He said it was right this time, when the job was finished he had me by his side the day the owners seen the house for the first time. They get to the tile I did and didn’t pay any attention to it; they did look at the bathtub and sick or even the paint, but nothing about the tile. When we walked out Art turned to me and said that even though they did not notice your work you should strive to perfect everything you do weather it is laying tile or working on cars. This made me feel that to be successful I have to strive to be perfect even if it goes unnoticed  at least you know you did the best you could to exceed perfection.

Journal 7

When Langston Hughes Wrote " Salvation" he was telling uses how he had experienced pear pressure and the impact it had on him. Hughes explained to use how he had missed understood what is aunt meant when she told him Jesus is going to come into his life and he will see and feel him. Since Hughes did not see him he did not want to step up to the alter and except the fact he saw Jesus and had been saved. With his aunt and the rest of the congregation kneeling in front of him praying and the preacher was aggressively preaching to him to stand up and be saved, feeling ashamed he stood up even though he new he did not feel or see Jesus. Just Like Langston Hughes I have been pressured into doing something that did not feel right, but the consequences I dealt with was one I will never forget.

When I was ten my brother had been released from jail and lived with my parents, he was nineteen and about 5/9 190LB, he was basically all muscle and blanketed with gang related tattoo's. Even though I knew he was a bad influence he was my brother, and looked up to him, I remember hearing people tell me how tuff he was and everyone is intimidated by him. I thought it was so cool that people would give him so much respect, and wanted people to talk about me like they did him. One day my brother came to me and said that a guy he knew had taken some parts of his 64 impala and he needed me to get it back, at first I told him no, but after he kept insisting that and pushing me until I gave in. That night we went to this guys house and he ask me to go through the window and get it, I knew it was wrong but I wanted that respect so bad I did it. I climb through the windrow and started unscrewing the trim on the dash when all the sudden a guy came running out of his house screaming. I tried opening the door but it was stuck and my brother I guess being on parole took of running, The guy opened the door and grabbed me and held me on the ground while his girlfriend called the cops. When The cops came  they handcuff me and put me in the police car, then proceeded to get a hold of my father. My father tried to get me to explain why I did it,but he knew just looking at the car. I went to juveniles hall for two days it was the worst two days I ever had everyone was bigger then me. I tried to act tuff but The youngest person in their was maybe fourteen. I was not meant to be in their and found that out the hard way. Luckily the guy did not press charges, I think my father had something to do with it, But I now I was not going back their again. My parents ended up kicking my brother out and he ended up doing more time in jail after that. As for me I learned that I should not care what people think of me, if they really care about me they will like me for who I am not how tuff, or fearless I am. My brother and me are still close I just don't look up to him like I did, and even though I might sound like I blame my brother for what I did and what happen to me, but the  only person I blame is myself  for giving in to what I knew was wrong.  

journal 6

In Charles Fisher " Cell Phones and Social Grace" Charles Talks about the how Cell phones Have taken a toll on modern society, How they have changed people live and their personality. Charles compared the good with the bad on using a cell phones like how we can someone if their is an emergency but can be a distraction when you are operating a vehicle. When it comes to cell phone I just like Charles Fisher comparisons have mixed options.

I got my first cell phone about a year ago, Before that I despised everyone that owned a cell phone. I hated when they would talk on it at the movies, or especially when people would talk on the phone when they were driving there car this would make me so made I would tell my girl friend that they should higher secret drivers to catch people on the phone and give them a ticket. When I was in high school people would talk on there cell phones all the time, I would ask them  who they they are talking to and they said their friend in class, now I don't think that as the purpose they got the cell phone. On the other hand since I got my cell phone it has made my life a little easier, If I forgot to order something for the restaurant I can call just about were ever I am at or My son is sick at school and need to go to the doctor the school can get ahold of me. I think even though their is a lot of bad thing that go along with having a cell phone we must treat it like a driver licences it is a privilege not a right. We have to be responsible when using it and must be aware of the risk we are taking when using it irresponsibly. 

journal 5

In Darkness at noon, Harold Krents talks about how the disabled were treated different when it came to things like getting a job, or asking for assistance at an airport. Now this took place in 1970s so there were not many laws preventing the people from discriminating against the disabled. Harold explains how people would not only treat him like he was blind, but also deaf even though he would answer all their questions when they ask.
     I think that Harold Krents wrote this to tell people that even though the disable have limitations to what they can do they are not completely useless.When I was younger my mother was disabled and we would go shopping we would have to push her around in a wheelchair, and even through it did not bother her when people would stare at her, it used to drive me crazy I would look at the person and say what the fuck you looking at don't you have something better to do then stare at other people. My mother would tell me to settle down it don't bother her, I never could understand why it did not bother her maybe she like to think she was so attractive people would have to stare, I really don't know. When my mother and I were at home she would tell me that she would do anything thing to just walk though a store without the wheelchair or dive me to school. Now that I think about it is was not the disability that bothered her it was the limitations to what she could do, like I can get up everyday and really have no limitation to what I wanted to do, I could walk a mile and she couldn't. I remember Right before she passed away she ask here doctor if she could start physical therapy, he told her it would not help here situation, after about six months of water therapy one night she told my father and me she wanted to go shopping and when we got to the store she walked in grab a basket and walked through the whole store, on the way home she started crying at that moment I realized that for about thirty minutes it was like all here limitations were gone.

What So Bad About Being So-So?

In Lisa Wilson's "What So Bad About Being So-So?", Lisa talks about how She is playing the piano and her kid walks in and tell her she is not very good, but she did not care, cause she enjoyed playing the piano badly. Lisa also talks about how little league sports are more about winning then about the kids having fun.

I think that Lisa Wilson Wrote this, Because she was trying to explain how people today are more competitive than ever, we will try to master everything we do instead of just doing it because we enjoy it and don't care whether they are good at it or not. Lisa also talked about how kids are playing sport and are more focused on winning then just having fun, I have two feeling about this, one having fun should be the most important thing, on the other hand we also much teach our kids while they are young how to deal with failure and how to bounce back from it. When I was younger I started writing poetry, one day in class a teacher read my note book and told me I needed to work on my writing, I told him that I do it for fun and not for everyone else. I still write poetry even though I might not be good at it, but no one reads it because it is for me to escape from the stress of daily life.

Stuff is Not Salvation

Anna Quindlen "Stuff is Not Salvation" to me is explaining how people are showing there success in life by there bisections. It also talks about how people end up not appreciating what they have and would put them self in bigger financial debt to get more things they do not need. Anna solution for this problem is for people to learn to appreciate what they already have.

When I read this paper a few people came to mind that reminded me of these things that she was talking about, first there was my brother who to me is one very selfish person who would put his own needs above anyone else, But after reading it a few times I started thinking of myself for awhile my girlfriend and I have been trying to save money and we always find a way to spend it and it is usually on stuff we don't need and because of this we have a habit of buying stuff for my son that he really does not appreciate. My son got to the point were he became very destructive with his toys, so one day we took all his toys away and gave him one toy he could pick out a day. This seems to be working cause he is less destructive and we have been able to save a little money. This does not solve my problem of me useless spending I always find thing I want to start doing like spending three hundred dollars on air soft guns I only used once. The guns have been sitting in my closet for almost a year. This is why I have to learn that the thing I want are not the thing I need.

journal 2

I believe when Amy tan was writing "Fish Cheeks" she was tyring to express to people the importance of  respecting who we are and were we came from. We are human being and are different in our own way but all experience the same situations. Now I have experienced a situation were I was embarrassed of a situation, but it is a little different from Amy's. When I was growing up my Mother was very sick, so sick that her body reflected here struggle if you get the picture, Because of this I never brought any body over to meet my parents for the fear they would judge me for my family situation. Please understand I was young and at the time cared what people thought about me. So in high school I was dating a girl who was friends with my neighbor across the street, one day she was visiting my neighbor and realized that the apartment across the street was mine. She came over to say hi. By the time my father went to the back yard were I was to tell me she was here she was already in my mothers room talking to her. I was embarrassed at the time because I thought she would have ill thoughts about me and my family. When I finally came in the house I could here my mother and this girl laughing.  she came out and told me she just loved my mother and that she had a great personality, in fact she never sad one thing about my mother condition.  I learned some very valuable lessons on this day, one Im an idiot for being ashamed of my mother and have a lot of growing up to do and two not all people look at use from the outside their is no reason to be ashamed of any situation you are in.