We made it through the flight.

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And boy, are my arms tired. Not really, but everything else in my body is pretty exhausted. We arrived in New Orleans at 5:30am this morning (3:30am California time) and went to the hotel to have breakfast. Then we went to Jean Lafitte National Historic Park around 8am and walked the trail, saw a handful of alligators like it was no big deal, and continued on our way.

After the park, around noon, we went to lunch and hung out with–HARRY SHEARER. Apparently, not everyone has seen This Is Spinal Tapp, but I have, and I was pretty excited. He gave us a whole talk about his documentary that he made which discussed the whole situation during Katrina and many mistakes that were made by various groups which led to ridiculous problems. As if that wasn’t enough excitement for the day, we then went and hung out in the French Quarter for a few hours, until dinner at an amazing BBQ restaurant. Now it’s 8:00pm and the remaining few of us still alive and awake are going to see a jazz band at Rock’n’Roll Bowl. 

It’s also pouring down rain with thunder and lightning. 

It’s awesome. 

Follow our hashtag #whereberush on social media to tag along on our pirate adventures ?

This is only DAY ONE people. Day one. 

 President Rush in his Mardi Gras mask

16/3/2016

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Es war meinen ersten Tag in New Orleans und ich war so müde, dass ich bei Abendessen geschlafen hab. Und das war nur sechs Uhr… Oops. Aber New Orleans sind richtig toll und ich bin aufgeregt hier zu sein :)

Jean Lafitte

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First day of the trip visiting Jean Lafitte National Park. We saw a lot of aligators and snakes.

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Day 1 3/17/16

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Today we flew out of LAX in to NOLA and did some really cool things, first we went to Jean Lafiette National Park and saw 3 species of snakes, multiple alligators, frogs and learns native vegetation in the area. Next we had po boy sandwiches and I had alligator for he first time next we went to the Frenchman street and walked around enjoying live music, culture and art. We than visited a local BBQ joint called The Joint, this was some of the best brisket I have ever had. Today was a true learning experience and I had so much fun soaking up culture, nature and local cuisine.   

Bayou tour 

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 This is a vascular plant that floats on the water in the swamps and bayous, it had small string like roots. The swamps and bayous are thick with big trees, but as you go down the coast, these areas turn into marshes that are more open. 

Made it to New Orleans!

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The NOLA class made it to New Orleans in one piece. And we brought President Rush with us! 

#whereberush 

   

Decisions…Decisions

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March 16, 2016
Decisions. Digital image. Oynx Truth. Oynx Truth, 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2016. .

Decisions. Digital image. Oynx Truth. Oynx Truth, 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2016. <http://www.onyxtruth.com/2014/12/31/decisions/>.

Hi everyone,

Hope your week is off to a good start! In my last post I had mentioned how my group and I arrived at our group inquiry topic. However, if  you were not able to read my last post and have no idea what I am talking about,  it is okay I will fill you in :)

Our group had initially decided to research the topic of “baby talk”. In which, we arrived at this topic by first being interested in why parents refer to their children as food. For example when parents say, ” You are so cute I just want to eat you” or ” your cheeks are so chubby I just want to bite them”. As we discussed this topic further we had decided, “yes this topic sounds cool and interesting”.  However, even though we were able to find three interdisciplinary lenses to examine this topic through we could not find a valid issue to resolve. Therefore, we switched our topic to the use of “baby talk” (also know as nurturing talk) and how this affects a child’s speech development. In which, we wanted to focus the development of child’s speech from infancy to the age of five.We had planned on examining this topic through the following interdisciplinary lenses, health science, psychology and sociology.  Through these lenses we were going to analyze the hormone that triggers women to nurture their children by using “baby talk”, the psychology behind why people are inclined to talk their child as a “baby”, and lastly how does “baby talk” impact a child’s social  behavior and their speech development.

This topic was a great idea however, after researching the topic our search was yielding limited information. This past Monday, we began discussing our topic more in which, it then evolved into another topic. During our search for the use of “baby talk” we kept on finding results about the use of “baby talk” being used in nursing homes for the elderly. We then found an article of nurturing talk being used in relationships. In which, we decided, “okay maybe we can discuss the use of baby talk in these two scenarios”. However, we again came across the hurdle of not being able to find source available on CI’s databases.

 

Do you know your medications?

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So the assignment is to discuss medications with our family and friends, to see exactly how well they know their medications.  My mom is very aware of her medications and supplements that she takes. She takes a number of daily vitamins such as vitamin D, vitamin C, ferrous sulfate and vitamin B12 in addition to cranberry supplements for her urinary tract. She educates herself on how it’s affecting and benefiting her body, when to take it during the day, and the safe amount she should be taking. She is a person who always takes the consult from the pharmacologists every time she has a prescription and will call me to discuss it with me.  She was recently on Nitrofurantoin or macrobid.  She was very on top of the reportable symptoms and really paid attention to the side effects.  She is anemic, so she was aware that she may feel more fatigued than the normal person due to her anemia and a drug that induces fatigue itself as well as worsening anemia.  She asked her physician and I about what SJS was.  My mom is a patient that wants to understand what is happening to her body and the medications she takes which in return causes better outcomes.

Is it Creative Habit or Rhetoric? 2.0

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On the topic of rhetoric it is everywhere. Rhetoric is on our social media pages, our favorite movies, and even in the way we speak or dress.

 

I find it so amazing to see how the topic of rhetoric goes on to create a triangular form.

 

This starts off with a topic that the author is trying to be persuaded upon the audience. Through the author or illustrator’s point of view, one will be able better understand how to go on with the reading.

 

 

With the start of a new semester I took a giant step into taking a class that would be entirely outside of my comfort zone.

 

So here it is imagine myself , a biochemistry major, taking Performing Arts 101. This class is completely out of left field and completely out of my comfort zone its almost like learning a foregin language. I had enrolled in this class with the intent that this was a dance class and that we would be dancing.

 

Here is a small tip just as a forwarnig to all those who plan to enroll; when entering this class no it is not a dance class this is more of an evolution of theater arts (yes, I found this to be a great disappointment.)

 

In Performing Arts we are currently reading a book called, “The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life” by Twyla Tharp. This book as a whole is to expand ones views on ones thinking to the best of ones ability.

 

Although this book is an assigned reading for performing arts it does includes more rhetoric then any other book. This book would be a shame not to use in for ways of explaining rhetoric.

 

 

Giving this book a bit of background Twyla Tharp is botha famous dancer and choreographer. She created her own dance company choegrafed broadway plays such as, The Times They Are A-Changin, and even won not one but two Emmy’s.

 

The book she was written to help form creative thinking. The Creative Habit was also written to give a better understanding of why we do certain things in our daily lives and consider them a comfort without noticing.

 

In her first chapter called “I Walk Into a White Room” from Tharps own personal experience. She explains that shows must always go on no matter how big or small the situation that the world will not stop for anyone.

 

She speaks from the point of view of a choreographer and discusses how there is a ladder effect on just missing one show. Tharp also speaks of the effects that amounts to everyone going negative in making money that day of not practicing or preforming.

 

 

The next chapter discusses rituals and they are not always doing everything at the same time every single day.

 

A ritual is not always daily and it can happen at any point of the day, sometimes at various times of the day.

 

For example, Twala goes on to discuss how she knows a chef who cannot start his day until he tends to his herbs and spices.

 

This is some people feel there comfort and when this was said I immediately went through my day trying to figure out what my daily ritual was and if it stands out to other people.

 

Twala is right everyone has a ritual whether it be big or small there is something that is done daily that would throw off ones day if it was not done daily.

 

This book would not be assigned to a dance class unless it was trying to get us to consider thinking a certain way.

 

I believe that Twyla Tharp’s book has me slowly becoming more of a creative thinker.

 

She even has me thinking I will become this famous performer which probably will not happen – but she has me thinking that I will.

 

Maybe through this book I will push myself out of my comfort zone.

How I Say They Say “They Say, I Say”

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Now, I am not one to agree with templates or methodical writing; in fact, I’d be the first to protest such a suggestion. However, after reading They Say, I Say, an argumentative text for such a style, I have to pay a certain homage to how well they say – or utilize, rather – the they say, I say style. Authors Cathy Birkenstein and Gerald Graff construct a convincing argument for the use of templates via the style of (essentially) templates. It’s quite ingenious, really. While it could be argued that the templates are inconsequential to the quality of writing within the book – and I would love to argue that – the real respect is in how the book is written.

In his essay “How to Read Like a Writer” Mike Bunn suggests that there are two ways to read: to read for information within the text, and to read for understanding in regard to how the text is written (Bunn 75). With respect to the latter, They Say, I Say is masterfully presented. Bunn remarks on multiple things to be conscious of when reading a given text like a writer, but there are two things to note that are ubiquitous throughout each step: the author’s purpose and their intended audience (Bunn 76-78). For Birkenstein and Graff, this is clearly to convince the audience (primarily college students and their professors) to write by their method via the practice of templates. The reason I distinguish Birkenstein and Graffs’ method and their templates as two different things is because they are two different things; however, it is in the way that they present this argument – and how they do it so well – that melds these two separate things seemingly into one. They real beauty is that their methodology in writing is the very methodology they’re advocating (it’s very effective).

The preface of the book is a prime example of the “they say/I say” method being argued throughout the text. In approximately a dozen pages Birkenstein and Graff effectively use most – if not all – of the “they say/I say” method. In the preface they cover what their peers and opposing arguments have to say and why they wrote the book (Birkenstein and Graff 19-21), summarize both the argument’s points and theirs (30), do not merely suggest the argument’s stance but also understand it (31-32, 78), and emphasize the importance of their method and suggested mode of practice (templates) (92-94). I find there to be a certain onus to acknowledge what has effectively been done to persuade the reader to abide by their method; furthermore, to see the usefulness of templates and how they are integral to aptly utilizing reading like a writer and writing what one has read. Ultimately, that is what both They Say, I Say and “How to Read Like a Writer” suggest: to critically think upon how a text is written and to utilize useful tricks in one’s own writing (of course, when said tricks are appropriate to the context of what is being written). The way both texts express this point is just so cheeky that it’s brilliant.

Works Cited

Bunn, Mike. “How to Read Like a Writer.” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. Ed. Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemliansky. Vol. 1. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor P, 2010. 71-86. Writing Spaces. Web. 15 March 2016.

Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. New York: W.W. Norton, 2014.