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Thursday, March 15, 2007
Dear Prospective Reader
My last English class was in 8th grade, which was the last year of school I had. This was a point in my life when I enjoyed writing. I was in a creative writing class and was selected to make a graduation speech. I had multiple pen pals and a column in a statewide newsletter called Dear Josh, where children would send me questions about Tourette syndrome. People accused my parents of writing the posts from me. That was over 10 years ago, since that time I have learned to hate writing. I got out of the habit of writing and my writing skills declined to the point where putting words to paper was a struggle.
I am presently enrolled in Everett Community College for a Computer Science Transfer. I plan to transfer to the UW. I am presently in English 97 to strengthen my English skills. I started this class hating to write and only took it to prepare me for English 101, which is needed for me to transfer. Throughout the quarter I have began to appreciate writing again. I no longer look at it with dread, and I find myself beginning to brainstorm ideas for short stories and poems. My thoughts and ideas that used to be a struggle to put to paper, but they now flow freely. I credit this to an understanding instructor and being forced to write a lot.
My desire with this e-portfolio is to show you my progression as a writer. I will start with the very first thing I have written and end with my most accomplished work so far. I find humor in everything and most of my writing reflects that. I hope you enjoy my writings and feel free to leave feedback and/or suggestions. Writing is a process and any ideas to help me down that path will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Joshua
I am presently enrolled in Everett Community College for a Computer Science Transfer. I plan to transfer to the UW. I am presently in English 97 to strengthen my English skills. I started this class hating to write and only took it to prepare me for English 101, which is needed for me to transfer. Throughout the quarter I have began to appreciate writing again. I no longer look at it with dread, and I find myself beginning to brainstorm ideas for short stories and poems. My thoughts and ideas that used to be a struggle to put to paper, but they now flow freely. I credit this to an understanding instructor and being forced to write a lot.
My desire with this e-portfolio is to show you my progression as a writer. I will start with the very first thing I have written and end with my most accomplished work so far. I find humor in everything and most of my writing reflects that. I hope you enjoy my writings and feel free to leave feedback and/or suggestions. Writing is a process and any ideas to help me down that path will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Joshua
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Introduction to The Trip to Disneyland
This first piece is a writing sample that we had to complete the first day of class. We were required to write for ten minutes in any topic we chose. I titled this piece “The Trip to Disneyland.” I chose this paper because I wanted to show what my writing ability was at when I first started this class. I had a lot of facts about the trip, but there were not many details showing what I experienced. For example, “We spent three days at Disneyland riding the rides and seeing all the shows,” tells you what we did but does not show you. A better was to write it would be “We spend three days walking all over Disneyland in the blistering California sun. The first attraction that we went to was the Tiki Hut. The kids loved watching all the birds singing and the drums booming. They almost jumped out of there skin when the rain god’s thundering voice shook the room.” This example lets you experience the event rather then tell you about it. After much deliberation I decided to leave the story as it was originally written, so that you see how my writing has progressed.
The Trip to Disneyland
A year ago last summer my brother and I took our kids on a trip to California. Over the summer had got laid off and decided to use the free time to take everyone to Disneyland. We loaded up his kids, our mom and my daughter in his van and drove to CA. We spent three days at Disneyland riding the rides and seeing all the shows. Our mother is disabled so we had much shorter lines to wait in. this really made the trip more enjoyable. Instead of waiting over an hour we would only have to wait less then 20 minutes. On the forth day we went to the San Diego Zoo. It’s amazing how much you have to walk there, especially when you have to push a wheelchair. The last day we were there we spend the afternoon at Knott’s Barry Farms and then drove back home.
Introduction to The Last Farewell
This piece is a “skeleton” that was written in the sixth week of class. A “skeleton” is when you take a few sentences, or in our case dialogues, and write a story around them. My dialogue is called, “The Last Farewell.” This is a story of two childhood sweethearts who meet years later and find that their relationship has changes drastically. I picked this piece because I feel it shows my capability of as a writer. An illustration of this is when it says “An anguished look contorts Ernest’s face as he drops her hand to the table. The chair skids across the café in his hurry to stand up.” It is full of emotion and really shows you what is happening.
The Last Farewell
It was a pleasant spring day in London. It had rained early that morning but cleared by midmorning and there was a cool breeze. After spending the morning shopping for flowers Petunia decides to have lunch at her favorite café that is next to the rose gardens. After ordering her meal, she is taken aback to see her childhood sweetheart Ernest walking up the lane.
“Hello, Petunia,” Ernest says while flourishing a bow, “lovely day for a stroll, is it not?” While gazing into her deep brown eyes, he asked, “That is a nice hat, is it new?”
“Hi Ernest,” Petunia whispers while she tries to repress emotions she thought long dead. “It is a pleasant morning,” she replies while offerings Ernest her hand. “I just bought it this morning. Thank you for noticing.” While kissing her hand, he slowly sits down next to her. “What are you doing back in London?” Petunia inquires while vainly trying to untangle her hand from his.
“All the beauty of Paris is meaningless when my heart is here in London,” Ernest says looking deeply in to Petunia’s eye. Shaken by this sudden confession of love, Petunia turns away, unable to witness the passion in Ernest’s eyes.
“You have been away for such a long time and I thought you were never coming back again,” Petunia says, while plucking the petals from a nearby rose.
“Those words were spoken in anger. I never meant to hurt you,” cries Ernest
“I guess you haven’t heard,” confesses Petunia as she crumples the petals and scatters them across the ground, “I married your brother.” A look of great anguish contorts Ernest’s face as he drops her had to the table. In his hurry to stand up, Ernest sends the chair skidding across the café and crashing into another table, spilling the drinks.
“How could you,” he shouts over his shoulder as he storms off with tears falling down his cheek. “I loved you!”
“I’m so sorry, but I thought you were never coming back,” Petunia sobs. Unfortunately it was of no avail for he had already turned the corner. Deep in her heart, she knew that was the last she would ever see of Ernest.
“Hello, Petunia,” Ernest says while flourishing a bow, “lovely day for a stroll, is it not?” While gazing into her deep brown eyes, he asked, “That is a nice hat, is it new?”
“Hi Ernest,” Petunia whispers while she tries to repress emotions she thought long dead. “It is a pleasant morning,” she replies while offerings Ernest her hand. “I just bought it this morning. Thank you for noticing.” While kissing her hand, he slowly sits down next to her. “What are you doing back in London?” Petunia inquires while vainly trying to untangle her hand from his.
“All the beauty of Paris is meaningless when my heart is here in London,” Ernest says looking deeply in to Petunia’s eye. Shaken by this sudden confession of love, Petunia turns away, unable to witness the passion in Ernest’s eyes.
“You have been away for such a long time and I thought you were never coming back again,” Petunia says, while plucking the petals from a nearby rose.
“Those words were spoken in anger. I never meant to hurt you,” cries Ernest
“I guess you haven’t heard,” confesses Petunia as she crumples the petals and scatters them across the ground, “I married your brother.” A look of great anguish contorts Ernest’s face as he drops her had to the table. In his hurry to stand up, Ernest sends the chair skidding across the café and crashing into another table, spilling the drinks.
“How could you,” he shouts over his shoulder as he storms off with tears falling down his cheek. “I loved you!”
“I’m so sorry, but I thought you were never coming back,” Petunia sobs. Unfortunately it was of no avail for he had already turned the corner. Deep in her heart, she knew that was the last she would ever see of Ernest.
Introduction to The Car Was a Mess
“The Car Was a Mess”is a descriptive paragraph where we had to “show not tell.” “Show not tell” is where I describe something so well that you do not need me to actually say it. I feel that this story is so describes the car so well that it will make your skin crawl. A good example of this is, “As I shoved the papers out of the way to sit down I saw numerous stains and an assortment of candy bars melted on the seat. Using one of the stores adds as a seat cover I carefully sat down and realized that my feet are stuck to the floor board.” This gives you an idea of just how messy the car was without saying the car was a mess.
The Car Was a Mess
My friend and I carpool to college everyday, and one day I made the mistake of letting him drive. When I walked up to the car, the first thing I noticed was the large mound, of what appeared to be clothes, pizza boxes and the occasional fast food drink cup, that covered the entire back seat.
I opened the passenger door and out toppled a pile of old junk mail, various grocery stores adds, and other objects that I did not want to look at close enough to identify. As I shoved the papers out of the way to sit down I uncovered numerous stains and an assortment of candy bars melted into the seat. I grabbed one of the outdated adds to use as a seat cover, before sitting down.
Once seated, I realized that my feet are stuck to the floor board. I close the door while squeezing myself between the door and the mound of old, moldy clothing next to me, but as I closed the door, the handle came off in my hand. Spending ten minutes working the handle back on the door, I begin to noticed the stench of rotten fish coming from somewhere under the driver’s seat.
My friend jumped in the driver’s seat completely ignoring the half eaten hamburger that he just sat on. It took him three tries to get the car started, and the car gave off a horrendous screeching noise that came from somewhere under the hood. We started down the highway to the college when I began to realize that the windows were not fogged up but were coated with dirt and grim.
This trip was the longest twenty minutes of my life. The car shook the whole way, and I think we lost some parts along the way. We managed to make it to college and back home with out dying from his driving or from whatever was crawling around in the back seat. I then decided the from now on I would do all the driving.
I opened the passenger door and out toppled a pile of old junk mail, various grocery stores adds, and other objects that I did not want to look at close enough to identify. As I shoved the papers out of the way to sit down I uncovered numerous stains and an assortment of candy bars melted into the seat. I grabbed one of the outdated adds to use as a seat cover, before sitting down.
Once seated, I realized that my feet are stuck to the floor board. I close the door while squeezing myself between the door and the mound of old, moldy clothing next to me, but as I closed the door, the handle came off in my hand. Spending ten minutes working the handle back on the door, I begin to noticed the stench of rotten fish coming from somewhere under the driver’s seat.
My friend jumped in the driver’s seat completely ignoring the half eaten hamburger that he just sat on. It took him three tries to get the car started, and the car gave off a horrendous screeching noise that came from somewhere under the hood. We started down the highway to the college when I began to realize that the windows were not fogged up but were coated with dirt and grim.
This trip was the longest twenty minutes of my life. The car shook the whole way, and I think we lost some parts along the way. We managed to make it to college and back home with out dying from his driving or from whatever was crawling around in the back seat. I then decided the from now on I would do all the driving.
Introduction to Impressing The Girls
For my fourth piece I chose a blog entry it was written the first week of February. It was a free write, so we could write about anything. I titled it, “Impressing the Girls.” I was always trying to impress any cute girls that I came across. It didn’t always end the way I planed, and this is one of those times. This piece really shows my writing style, humorous and descriptive. An example of this is, “There I lay, tangled in the bike watching the clouds roll by. While in the background I hear hysterical laughter with the occasional request if I was still alive,” and, “On the inside I knew this was going to hurt. The girls became ecstatic and stated whistling and cheering me on. I turned my head to bask in the glory.” I like to make people laugh and this piece reflects that. Just a warning, I do not recommend drink anything before reading it, you do not want it shooting out of your nose.
Impressing The Girls
I was always ready and willing to impress the girls, and I would use any means necessary to accomplish. For example stunts, sports, or just plain stupidity.
On a nice sunny day while riding my bike, I saw a house that had about 4 very cute girls on the roof sunbathing. I was too shy to talk to them and that was too easy. Thinking quickly before I reached their house, I had the bright idea to impress them with my mad riding skills. I had moments to plan my routine. Riding with no hands, I figured, wasn't challenging enough, and riding on one wheel did not meet my personal standards of impressing either. I then had the brilliant idea to combine the tricks, because that was sure to get me all of their phone numbers.
I came down the street in a high gear to make sure I had enough speed. Girls like speed right? As I came up to the promising location, I went to work. First I pulled the bike up onto one wheel. That got their attention. While I had all the girls captivated I commenced the second phase of my plan. Dropping my hands to my sides I rode past the house. On the outside I was calm, as if this was an everyday occurrence. On the inside I knew this was going to hurt, but the girls became ecstatic and stated whistling and cheering me on, so I did not care. I lifted my head in their direction to bask in the glory, but to my horror, when I turned around again I was heading straight for a parked car. I did not have enough time to brake, and did not want to damage the car.
I took the only option left available to me, a controlled crash. I dropped the front wheel down even though it was at the wrong angle. This made the bike flip forward and me along with it. There I lay, tangled in the bike watching the clouds roll by. While in the background I heard hysterical laughter with the occasional request if I was still alive. At this point I was so embarrassed that I wish I had died, but alas the only thing I seriously hurt was my pride. To their concerns I offered a weak thumbs up. This brought a few cheers but was quickly drowned out by laughter. Picking up my bike, that now had a bent front wheel, I haphazardly rode home. It wasn’t until later that day I realized that I had forgotten something very important, the phone numbers. I learned a valuable lesson that day, next time I will just go up and talk to them.
On a nice sunny day while riding my bike, I saw a house that had about 4 very cute girls on the roof sunbathing. I was too shy to talk to them and that was too easy. Thinking quickly before I reached their house, I had the bright idea to impress them with my mad riding skills. I had moments to plan my routine. Riding with no hands, I figured, wasn't challenging enough, and riding on one wheel did not meet my personal standards of impressing either. I then had the brilliant idea to combine the tricks, because that was sure to get me all of their phone numbers.
I came down the street in a high gear to make sure I had enough speed. Girls like speed right? As I came up to the promising location, I went to work. First I pulled the bike up onto one wheel. That got their attention. While I had all the girls captivated I commenced the second phase of my plan. Dropping my hands to my sides I rode past the house. On the outside I was calm, as if this was an everyday occurrence. On the inside I knew this was going to hurt, but the girls became ecstatic and stated whistling and cheering me on, so I did not care. I lifted my head in their direction to bask in the glory, but to my horror, when I turned around again I was heading straight for a parked car. I did not have enough time to brake, and did not want to damage the car.
I took the only option left available to me, a controlled crash. I dropped the front wheel down even though it was at the wrong angle. This made the bike flip forward and me along with it. There I lay, tangled in the bike watching the clouds roll by. While in the background I heard hysterical laughter with the occasional request if I was still alive. At this point I was so embarrassed that I wish I had died, but alas the only thing I seriously hurt was my pride. To their concerns I offered a weak thumbs up. This brought a few cheers but was quickly drowned out by laughter. Picking up my bike, that now had a bent front wheel, I haphazardly rode home. It wasn’t until later that day I realized that I had forgotten something very important, the phone numbers. I learned a valuable lesson that day, next time I will just go up and talk to them.
Introduction to Treasure Hunting
The paper that shows my writing ability the best would have to be my final Major Writing Assignment (MWA). It is a process paper I called, “Treasure Hunting.” It is the process to finding merchandise at a swap meet. This piece started as a journal entry and through revising and suggestions by others became a three page essay. Some excerpts from my essay are, “You might find some good deals, but you are more likely to need a Tetanus shot after picking through the junk. The second seller to watch out for has all new merchandise.” This is a good example of my descriptive writing. Also, “The first thing you need to do is plan the trip. You want to make a budget, so you will know how much money you can spend,” shows part of the process to successfully find treasures at a swap meet. This is my final piece and I hope you can see my progression from a small plain paragraph to a process essay.
Treasure Hunting
Shopping at a swap meet can be a treasure hunt if you know what to look for. A swap meet is like a large garage sale in one place. In some states they can be over a square mile in size. To fully enjoy shopping you must plan ahead, or you may end up spending too much money on something that you do not need. If you follow some basic guidelines, you will find shopping at swap meets to be an enjoyable experience.
The first thing you need to do is plan the trip. You want to make a budget, so you will know how much money you can spend. A budget will help when it comes time to bargaining with the seller. A good pair of shoes helps to keep your feet from getting sore. It is important to have plenty to drink, especially in hotter climates. Often there are concession stands at the larger swap meets, but the prices are outrageous. Many swap meets give out maps or have maps online so you can plan what areas you want to visit. Make sure you pace yourself because it is amazing how much walking you can do at a swap meet.
The most important thing to remember is what type of vendors, the people selling products, to look for. There are two types of vendors that you should stay away from. The first is the person that has piles of rusted rubbish sitting on tarps. This individual brought boxes of worthless stuff that his wife made him take out of the garage. You might find some good deals, but you are more likely to need a Tetanus shot after picking through the junk. The second seller to watch out for has all new merchandise. Their job is to sell the products, and the only reason they are out there is to make money. All items were bought really cheap and marked up exponentially. Knowing what your budget is will help you walk by this person without being tempted to get something shiny and new. The person that will have those hidden treasures is somewhere between the two. They will have the products organized and laid out nicely. The stuff won’t be new, but it will be clean.
The key to finding “diamonds in the rough” is to keep you eyes open and know what you are looking at. If you do not know what something is, just put it back. You need to look at the items closely to check for dents, rust, and even pieces glued back on. This is why it is important to know what you are looking at. Make sure that the merchandise is something you can use, and you are not just buying it for the “wow” factor. The “wow” factor is when you see something and think, “Wow, I really want that.” Many people buy something because it looks nice, but they get home and find that it was not what they expected. A good example of this is my brothers petrified cactus lamp, which has been in storage for over ten years.
Once you find a treasure, ask the seller if they would hold on to it for you. You may just find the same thing for less money and in better condition somewhere else. If the seller does not want to hold on to it for you, it is not a good idea to buy anything from them anyways. They usually are not the type to bargain, and you will find better prices elsewhere. When you are sure that you want to buy it, you are ready to barter. You should always make sure you have enough money to pay the asking price, just in case the seller will not lower it. Bartering is more of an art than a process, and some people are better at it then others. A good starting point is around half the asking price, but with expensive items you should start at 60-70% of the asking price. Usually the seller will decline, but that is ok. Remember the seller is trying to make money, so do not expect them to just give their merchandise away. Bargaining really depends on the situation. Some sellers love to bargain and will keep working the deal until you are both satisfied, yet other want the asking price and will not take anything less.
Once the sale is completed, stick around and talk to the seller. They know who has quality products, and may be able to help you find anything else your looking for. Also, they may be able to locate any unusual items you may be wanting. If you are not careful, you may run out of room for all you stuff. Then you might find yourself selling treasures at the same swap meet where you bought them.
When you are done treasure hunting make sure, you enjoy your “booty” and brag about how cheap it was. Swap meets have new dealers and products all the time, so you will want to come back again and again. As long as you plan ahead of time, you will find going to the swap meet an enjoyable occasion. You might even find yourself going just to look around and not even buying anything.
The first thing you need to do is plan the trip. You want to make a budget, so you will know how much money you can spend. A budget will help when it comes time to bargaining with the seller. A good pair of shoes helps to keep your feet from getting sore. It is important to have plenty to drink, especially in hotter climates. Often there are concession stands at the larger swap meets, but the prices are outrageous. Many swap meets give out maps or have maps online so you can plan what areas you want to visit. Make sure you pace yourself because it is amazing how much walking you can do at a swap meet.
The most important thing to remember is what type of vendors, the people selling products, to look for. There are two types of vendors that you should stay away from. The first is the person that has piles of rusted rubbish sitting on tarps. This individual brought boxes of worthless stuff that his wife made him take out of the garage. You might find some good deals, but you are more likely to need a Tetanus shot after picking through the junk. The second seller to watch out for has all new merchandise. Their job is to sell the products, and the only reason they are out there is to make money. All items were bought really cheap and marked up exponentially. Knowing what your budget is will help you walk by this person without being tempted to get something shiny and new. The person that will have those hidden treasures is somewhere between the two. They will have the products organized and laid out nicely. The stuff won’t be new, but it will be clean.
The key to finding “diamonds in the rough” is to keep you eyes open and know what you are looking at. If you do not know what something is, just put it back. You need to look at the items closely to check for dents, rust, and even pieces glued back on. This is why it is important to know what you are looking at. Make sure that the merchandise is something you can use, and you are not just buying it for the “wow” factor. The “wow” factor is when you see something and think, “Wow, I really want that.” Many people buy something because it looks nice, but they get home and find that it was not what they expected. A good example of this is my brothers petrified cactus lamp, which has been in storage for over ten years.
Once you find a treasure, ask the seller if they would hold on to it for you. You may just find the same thing for less money and in better condition somewhere else. If the seller does not want to hold on to it for you, it is not a good idea to buy anything from them anyways. They usually are not the type to bargain, and you will find better prices elsewhere. When you are sure that you want to buy it, you are ready to barter. You should always make sure you have enough money to pay the asking price, just in case the seller will not lower it. Bartering is more of an art than a process, and some people are better at it then others. A good starting point is around half the asking price, but with expensive items you should start at 60-70% of the asking price. Usually the seller will decline, but that is ok. Remember the seller is trying to make money, so do not expect them to just give their merchandise away. Bargaining really depends on the situation. Some sellers love to bargain and will keep working the deal until you are both satisfied, yet other want the asking price and will not take anything less.
Once the sale is completed, stick around and talk to the seller. They know who has quality products, and may be able to help you find anything else your looking for. Also, they may be able to locate any unusual items you may be wanting. If you are not careful, you may run out of room for all you stuff. Then you might find yourself selling treasures at the same swap meet where you bought them.
When you are done treasure hunting make sure, you enjoy your “booty” and brag about how cheap it was. Swap meets have new dealers and products all the time, so you will want to come back again and again. As long as you plan ahead of time, you will find going to the swap meet an enjoyable occasion. You might even find yourself going just to look around and not even buying anything.
Conclusion
Thank you for taking the time to read my E-Portfolio. I hope you enjoyed my stories and were able to see my progression as a writer. I will be taking English 98 next quarter, and I look forward to improving my writing abilities. My goal is to be accomplished enough to have articles in newsprint again. Any feedback you may have will be greatly appreciated.
Joshua
Joshua
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