F!n@l R3v!sion…?

“Wanna drive the corvette?” Those were the words that voiced my dad’s solution to teaching me how to drive a manual transmission. It was on this day that my dad set in stone my future addiction to high speed, high performance vehicles. Since that day I have owned a whole stable of cars, some shitty some cool, but regardless of there physical ability I have beaten and driven every single one of them to its limit, sometimes resulting in its death. Regardless of the car I love the feeling of driving cars, the sense of freedom it gives me is unmatched by anything else. I don’t mean driving to the grocery store and back, but a passionate drive; driving as one with the car. It is the one activity I love doing more than anything and it is these events in my past that have sealed my fate as a motorhead.

Obtaining triple digit speeds is a feeling like no other feeling. Adrenaline pumps through your body, saturating your brain and twisting your vision into a streaming tunnel. Taking a car to its physical limit is one of my passions. Since i was a child I wanted to be a race car driver. I have had a fascination with cars ever since i could talk. the primary culprit in feeding my high octane fire was my father.  before i even obtained my license my father made true one of my dreams. my father owns a 350 horsepower, v8 powered, american legend; a corvette. while my dad saw it as a wicked tool to teach his son how to drive a manual transmission, the event would lead to much more. ever since that day i have been a passionate driver. i love the feeling of being one with a high performance vehicle, or any vehicle for that matter. i love pushing a car to its physical limits, unleashing its inner beast, unleashing my inner beast.

my knuckles turn white as i grip the steering wheel;  reigns on my iron horse. my other hand holds the shift knob; my whip, used to lash more speed out of my steed at will. my feet carefully rest upon the pedals; spurs ready to extract the power within. ever since i recieved my license i have loved speed. not senseless speed like most of the brainless sixteen year old kids liked. i desired more; finess, skill, passion. i desired, no, needed the feeling obtained from driving a vehicle to its absolute limit. exhausting its every ability. but this was not a need of mine by nature. it was like an addiction, fed by events throughout my life. my father is by nature a motor head. while most other kids were learning to drive in their parents mini vans and commuter cars, the story was very different for me. “wanna drive the vette?” these words are seldom heard by a sixteen year old and my answer was obvious. i believe this was the day that truly set in stone my need for speed. a need that could only be fulfilled with high performance vehicles. i can still vividly remember the first time my dad let me pilot one of his faster cars alone. 

100 mph; the turbocharger propelled the trans am faster and faster like the turbine engine of an airplane. the whine of the turbo and roar of the exhaust filled the cabin of the car. 120 mph; my vision narrowed in on the road ahead; the objects alongside the road dissappeared in a blur of color like an abstract painting. 130 mph; my adrenaline levels skyrocketed, almost making time stand still. 140; this was the last time i looked down at the speedometer. losing focus at this point could be fatal. i was running out of road fast, a sharp ninety degree turn lay ahead. tearing my foot from the throttle, i eased into the brakes. the high performace carbon brake pads bit into the twelve inch, slotted, racing rotors like a pitbull tearing into steak. the deceleration was flawless, the immense stopping power felt like i had hit a brick wall. the four point harness held my body tight, fighting the g forces. it was all over. i sat there letting my adrenaline levels reach equilibrium once againim. a chill went down my back. im not quite sure what the maximum speed that i obtained was exactly, but it was the fastest i had ever traveled by car.

the way the car sat, its aggressive stance and sloping sporty shape, told you it ached for speed. it was built with one purpose in mind; performance. the wide z rated tires wrapped around le mans style eighteen inch wheels connected connected it to the pavement. the sport tune suspension made sharp turns and slaloms look like childs play. a 3.8 liter, turbocharged motor lived beneath the hood. i stood back admiring the car, a true performance vision come true. i looked at my dad, a big grin sat on his face. he reached in his pocket and tossed the keys to me. before us lied about a  mile stretch of perfectly paved, perfectly straight road. the car almost seemed to being eyeing up the road with the same vicious intent as i was. i crawled into the cockpit and started the motor. the engine had a low tone, stealthy exhaust, one that hid the power within from the outside world. i looked at my dad once more and he gave me a look like “why are still sitting there?” so i turned my attention to the runway in front of me. i spooled the turbo, the motor reached 3500 rpm, the exhaust like a panther growling before the killing strike. i released the brake. the acceleration was intense; a feeling like the first decent of a roller coaster. i could here the turbo whistling like the turbine engine of a jet. the road in front of me seemed to stretch out before me; a side effect of the adrenaline pumping through my veins, speeding up my heart and developing tunnel vision. the surrounding countryside became nothing more than an abstract painting. a quick glance at the speedometer told me i had already broken the 120 mph mark in about on quarter mile. my focus returned to the road, my foot remained planted on the throttle, and my hands were locked to the steering wheel in a death grip. a second glance down showed the 140 mph mark; the fastest i had ever traveled in a car. i looked back to the road and saw it. my road was coming to an end and ahead sat a wicked ninety degree turn. my foot instinctually jumped to the brake, laying in to it with as much pressure as i could without locking the brakes. the twelve inch rotors and carbon brakes knew the drill. the car decelerated as if it had just hit a lake. my body wanted to fly forward, stopped by the harness holding me in. the tunnel i seemed to be in widened and my surroundings became solid again. my ride came to a halt faster than it had begun. i sat there recovering from the adrenaline surge, the turn in the road sat only a mere sixty feet away. the car was back at idle, as though it had only been on a stroll through the park. i had felt what the beast was capable of and i was satisfied.

 

B@1!

Hmmm…. what did i learn this semester in school. Well i didnt learn much about anyone im going to school with i wouldnt call myself an outgoing person. I dont even know whar LARC stands for and ive been here for a few semesters. i guess thats not really saying much about my perception of my surroundings. so i suppose the majority of what i have learned has come from my classes. i definitely learned more than a few things in comp 1. when i first signed up for eng 121, i thought to myself  “oh great, english”. im not a huge fan of english but thats from a noun, verb, conjunction,  blah blah, point of view. but comp 1 wasnt too bad. i never really did any writing in my free time but whenever i write i enjoy it a little bit. sometimes i like writing, sometimes i dont. its a love/hate relationship. anyways i learned that, ya, i like to write sometimes. ill admit it got a little draining at times but overall i enjoyed it. the a/p, passive voice stuff did help me a lot when i began to notice it in my writing.

but writing techniques and my own voice and enjoyment of writing werent the only things i learned. the content that we covered in class al0ng the way was very interesting too. at the beginning of class when we covered martin luther king and the civil rights movement, i learned a lot. and i can always get into to discussions like the ones that we got into about plato, and all that philosophy stuff. the renewable energy videos and the last essay. all of it was very interesting. i didnt expect to like the english class as much as i did to be honest. im never too stoked to take part in core classes. they are usuallly the hardest and well, most boring. but again, this did not reign true in this class. i am definitely walking away with a higher respect for writing and reading the writings of other authors. in the future i dont know how much writing ill actually do in my spare time, but i will definitely have a few more tools in my writing arsenal to play with.

 

::BA10:~FIRE!!!

     Without it there is nothing on earth. It is the giver of life and light to all things big and small on earth. It has been the most worshipped object in history. Cavemen in prehistoric times, the Incas, Mayans, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, every race, sex, religion and age, have all basked in its glory. Since the dawn of time man has revered it, lived for it and by it, sang it, depicted it, loved it, feared it. It feeds every plant and warms every creature. It has gone by many names; too many to list entirely. Apollo, Helios, Inti, Ra; the list goes on. It is no secret what “it” is. The Sun, that behemoth titan of scorching fire and gas that is the center of our galaxy and existence.

     Sitting a mere 92,960,000 miles away from Earth rests the Sun. Only a mere 8 minute and 19 second trip; were you in possession of a vessel that could obtain light speed. The sun could ingest 1,300,000 earths were it able to eat.

 

BA8

     In unregulated free market capitalism, trade is in no way regulated or controlled by the government. Supply and demand is controlled by the market; prices are determined between buyers and sellers. One of the dangers that arises from this type of market is monopolies. With unregulated trade, a company that becomes powerful enough gains the ability to buy out all competition. Competition between companies produces better products at lower prices. Once one company controls that product, they are free to price as they see fit. Such a situation would be detrimental if the product was considered necessary. Once prices grew to certain levels many would not be able to afford the product.

     What role should the government have in preventing the collapse of certain free markets? If they are referred to as free, the government has no right in interfering. The collapse of a market does not mean it will disappear. Companies come and go. Once the government lends its hand to one market, it had better be ready to do the same for others if need be. I believe that free market capitalism is the best economical choice. There is room for improvement, though.

 

((:B:A:6:))

My Best Friend

     What up Jay bwoy, what are you up to? Sick. Yeah I just got off work. It was alright, kinda slow. I just hate catering to people. Yeah, I have to    pretend like I care about what they say. I do have to adimit that ive gotten pretty good at it though; it sure helps with sales. I have to change my voice though, because I really wouldnt sell shit otherwise. I have to read the customer and then mirror them. It sucks when its some dousch wibbler. Know what I mean? If I talked to them like I talk to you Id get slapped or fired, then Id be screwed. I gotta slip into, like, an alternate persona. Ive gotten so used to switching between all the voices its like second nature now.

My Mom

     Hey mom, how are you? Ya I just got off work.

 

|||Ba5|||

     I’ve watched the video a hundred times, my first birthday. I look like I want to get out of there more than anything. My cousin is trying to steal the glory, my grandma and aunts are way too excited and then finally I am saved by my dad as he swoops me up and we head out to the garage.

     On my first birthday my father decided it would be a good idea to buy me a 1970 Chevy Nova with a big block in it, talk about a present. But this was only the beginning. I was still shitting in diapers the first time I was exposed to street racing. I can’t say that I personally recall the situations but my dad sure loves telling me the stories countless times. If you haven’t guessed already I grew up in a culture soaked in high octane gasoline. I went everywhere that involved cars with my dad. The junk yard, swap meets, car shows. My dad was and is a devoted car enthusiast.

     My dad is the proud owner of ten different muscle cars, ranging from empty shells to national show winning garage queens featured in national magazines. All throughout my childhood my days involved eating, sleeping, and living cars. And thats before I could even drive. But it is the day that I could drive that I remember most vividly. While my friends were learning how to drive for the first time in commuter cars and family four doors, I was gifted with another option.

    ”Wanna drive the corvette?” Those were the words that voiced my dad’s solution to teaching me how to drive a manual transmission. It was on this day that my dad set in stone my future addiction to high speed, high performance vehicles. Since that day I have owned a whole stable of cars, some shitty some cool, but regardless of there physical ability I have beaten and driven every single one of them to its limit, sometimes resulting in its death. Regardless of the car I love the feeling of driving cars, the sense of freedom it gives me is unmatched by anything else. I don’t mean driving to the grocery store and back, but a passionate drive; driving as one with the car. It is the one activity I love doing more than anything and it is these events in my past that have sealed my fate as a motorhead.

 

–{[[[Paper 1]]]}–

     What would America be like today without the Emancipation Proclamation? What would America be like today without the Civil Rights movements? What would America be like if race still separated the nation as it has in the past? Would America be the great nation that it is today if its people permitted an issue so unjust and ignorant as the color of ones skin to hinder its progress as a whole, like a stick in the spokes of a wheel? No. Granted, a lot has changed since the days of segregation, race is still  issue in America. An issue that must be realized and addressed if America is to continue progress towards unity. We must focus on what we have learned and continue to learn from the experiences of the African American community and make them the lessons and experiences of everyone in America, so that we as a country can be one great nation rather than a divided one.

     Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the most famous, if not the most famous, activists in the Civil Rights Movement. But he was much more than just an activist, he was a leader. One of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen. He gave  African American people and white people hope during a time when the our nation was but a broken puzzle, pieces strewn about, separated from the whole by laws of segregation and hate. It was this message of hope that kept the spirits of the oppressed afloat, in a sea of unjust laws born from a cesspool of hatred. He brought people from different areas of the country together to act as one and to take action against this hatred with direct but non violent action. For peace and tolerance are the greatest enemies of violence and hate. It was this message of hope and the results of direct non-violent action that brought people together and began to, slowly but surely, rebuild the puzzle of justice in America.

     In his “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. reflects on the past and the trials of African Americans. He also tells of the present situation in America at the time. The inequality and the violent eclipse cast upon the African American people. But his speech is not about the past or even so much about the present. It is about the future. A future that King portrays vividly to his listeners to ignite their emotions and feelings. To ignite a belief. To ignite a flame of hope to spread into the future. He tells of a future where whites and blacks live together harmoniously. A future where America stands together, united as a people, rather than a broken nation. Where the words of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence reign true for all Americans alike, blind to the physical differences of different people. Blind, just as justice should be. A future for America that can only be achieved through the continued trials and efforts of its people now. That justice and equality can no longer wait to shine on America and that this was not just a dream but a reality to be realized. That freedom would finally ring across America as a whole.

     The writings and speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. prove to us that change is possible. Through his words, millions of people realized hope and a sense of unity and a way to use these things to fight for justice and equality while retaining dignity and avoiding falling victim to the same fallacies of their oppressors. That change can be reached when we believe in it and as long as we do not stand idly by and watch without action, like statues, but take into our own hands the situation so that we my mold out of it justice for all. But this change is only possible together.

     Change. Change is a word that has been heard a lot lately. Most recently in the presidential election. Change has been President Barack Obama’s slogan since he began running and is defined as making the form or nature of something different from what it is or would be if left alone.

     It is no surprise that the election of President Barack Obama is a historic moment in America’s history. Obama is the first African American to be elected president of the United States of America on top of many other racial achievements that he had made previously in his political career. His election has proven to us that change can happen in this country. Change that has crumbled a deeply rooted racial barrier. The election of the first African American president will bring many more great changes to our nation.

     In “A More Perfect Union”, President Obama’s speech, he talks briefly of his background as a child of a black man and a white woman. And how the issue of race surfaced its head during the political campaigns for presidency. Then he talks about the statements Reverend Wright made about race and how they are not productive to the progress of unity. Because that is what President Obama sees as one of the chains still holding this country down. Racism. He acknowledges that race is still an issue in this country. That blacks are still being discriminated against, after all this time, and that some whites feel punished for a crime that that they had no hand in and that these beliefs are continuing to bind the legs of progress for this country. Race is taking away from the bigger picture. It is taking away from education, health, the future and its generations, because it continues to create a sense of “me” and “you” rather than “us” so that we can focus on the issues that effect the whole nation. We must continue the march started by the ones before us so that change can be made towards a more perfect union.

     President Obama and Martin Luther King, Jr. both share very similar views on racism. King knew that the country could not grow if it remained divided by race just as President Obama knows. They both talked about the rights immortalized by the Constitution. Rights that were denied to people, and continue to be denied to people, that they are addressed to. Both Obama and King recognized the importance of children. That they are the future and that racism can not continue into their generation and the generations after them or it will be a forever disabling cycle. That racism diverts our eyes from the real issues, especially in politics and positions of power. But even in the midst of hate around him, Martin Luther King, Jr. loved America and knew racism had to be abolished, just as slavery, if the country was to progress as the great nation he knew it could be and it is that love for his country and those beliefs that President Barack Obama shares with King. President Obama knows that it is of the utmost importance to continue the efforts to do away with racism to perfect our union.

   America and all of its people, all of us, have the groundwork for a perfect union laid before us. But it is a long road that we are on and we can not continue to let racism weigh us down. How long can we remain on the same road before we run out of gas? The end of that road is not the end of our journey, but it is a road we must complete if we are to reach our final destination.

 

..ooOO))B.A.4.((OOoo..

Background noise. That is a big part of my writing process. I find that i have an easier time ignoring something to think about another thing, rather than concentrating just on the latter. This includes some t.v., people, whatever. I don’t have a particular time of day that is my favorite tiem of day to write…I do like to eat and drink because I take various breaks as I write i like to think about and re read what is that I am writing. I also break because I dont like typing for long periods of time and my hand cramps if im writing by hand. I do enjoy reading when I am drunk as I have recently done for one of the assignments, BA1 which everyoen that read it for the most part liked it. I think it adds a little more character.

Introduction Practice

     Blah, blah, blah! It’s just a faint and distant buzz in the background as I toss ideas back and forth between me and myself inside of my head. I stand there silent, their attempts to communicate with me compare to explaining quantum physics to your two month old Border Collie. Me and myself can now see the owner of this buzzing noise through my eyes and they don’t look pleased with my lack of an answer so they divert my body away from them. For me and myself have just concieved an undeniably good idea and must transfer it to paper.

     What if the best idea you have ever heard came from the just barely readable writings of twenty year old drunken college student. Though this may seem like the plot from a cheesy teen movie to you, I thikn it tooo be possible. Anything is posisblle, they say. Even thoug it is pretty unlikerllly I will atempt to do so because, yes, that drunken styudent is I and ,that is how I like to wirte.

My writing process may be a little unorthodox, but drinking makes everything a little more fun, including writing.

Drinking alcoholic beverages alters the way a persons brain. The person can not think clearly because the alcohol flows through the person’s brain impairing their ability to do certain tasks.

     I do not like being told what to write. When being told what to write, especially in class, I tend to over analyze what it is that I am writing and I don’t always follow my usual style. The over-analysis causes my writing to be a little bland.

     On the other hand when I am in my element, and I am not bound by the chains of structured education, my writing has a better flow. A more fast paced flow. The ideas I have in my head transfer to the paper much quicker.

 

_::(((B.A.3)))::_

     Dylan’s Blowin’ In the Wind was a very powerful song.  The song portrayed the many events of the time through metaphors, not by putting them right in front of you. It portrays the hardships of one group and by doing so, portrays another group and their actions of turning a blind eye. To me the song really asks the question “how long?”. How long can these things go on. Dylan knew that those events and the way that things were at the time couldn’t last because of their nature. I believe that by the way Dylan is presenting these questions he is really telling the listener exactly that, that they wouldn’t last.

     Bob Dylan’s Only A Pawn in Their Game is a song about the assassination of Medgar Evers who was a civil rights activist in Mississippi. This song, though about a specific event, really touches on the deeply seeded beliefs and hate of whites in the south at the time. The song tells how the killer in this case is “only a pawn in their game”. How the hate pounded into this person is to blame for the event and that these events are used in the advancement of politicians in the South at the time.

     Both of the songs by Dylan are very powerful in the messages they tell. In Blowin’ In the Wind Dylan uses metaphors to tell of the events. In Only A Pawn In Their Game Dylan tells a specific story and touches on a specific subject. Both songs are a protest to the long exercised actions of the times and can both be applied for current and future events.

 

\\\{(BA2)}///

I think for the most part my writing is fast. When I begin typing I know what I’m what point I am trying to get across and I move to it quickly. Sometimes too quickly. I don’t want people to read my writing and at the end have them wondering what it is they just read. I want to develop depth in my writing, add elements that make the reader think a little when they are reading but not stress their brain. Too much thinking is bad. I believe that I use metaphors and adjectives well and my sentences are structured ok, but I would like to polish these aspects up a bit. You can never have too much figurative language in your writing, unless it fogs up the point. Another thing I want to work on is just writing more often. I don’t write too much but when I do I enjoy it and it was nice reading my BA1 comments and seeing that, for the most part, people liked my writing. That was refreshing.