homework complete..movie time!

I just finished reading and commenting on my assigned essays. I definitely enjoyed these better than the last ones I read. I think that is because I could follow an "example essay" better than a descriptive one, and probably because I could relate to most of the examples used. I really like reading other students essays. I think it helps me, by giving me a perspective on different ways to write and take on the next topic. Now that I have finished all of my homework and assignments, I am going to watch Sunshine Cleaning, one of my friends recommended it...I will let everyone know if it is good!

Essay #2 Writing with Example

Lindsey Mitchell
Ms. Sharon Aiken
English 1101
September 24, 2009
Each Family Has Its Distinctive Lifestyle
Culturally, socially, religiously and many others, are ways that make all families different from other ones. I’ve always heard that no two people are exactly alike. Wouldn’t that be true for families also, since people make them up? It’s definitely true. Take any two families you know, even your own and compare it to another, you will find many differences.
Lifestyle is really key in defining variations in families. Differences that come to my mind are, the way a family dresses, where a family goes on vacation, or what a family thinks is a healthy meal. I see my family’s lifestyle best, when I compare it to any other family, it doesn’t matter if we are related or if I don’t know them at all. There is really no way to measure what kind of lifestyle a family has or how good it is, it’s just their own and it’s very different from any other one.
I didn’t realize until probably about middle school that every family wasn’t like mine. Spending the night away from home is a very good way to experience another family’s way of life. The first time I spent the night away from home was probably at one of my cousin’s house, even though they are “family”, I still didn’t live with them. I didn’t know that their dog wasn’t supposed to go outside, my dog loves the outside and running around! I guess my dog didn’t cost four hundred and fifty dollars either. At dinnertime, some families join hands when they pray, in my family we just simple say the blessing without holding hands, and some families don’t do it all. It could be a habit, or laziness, or that they are just really hungry and don’t think they could wait another moment.
A television show that demonstrates my point exactly is “Yes, Dear”. If you have ever watched this show in the afternoon, you should know what I am referring to. If not, this is a quick overview: Greg and Kim own a home with the luxury of having a guest house in the backyard. Kim’s sister Kristine, her husband Jimmy, and their two boys live in the guest house. I would say that they just sleep in the guest house and spend most of their time in the main house with Greg, Kim, and their two children. Even though these two families are related and live together, they have very different lifestyles. Greg and Kim are always trying to teach their children manners and values, while Jimmy and Kristine don’t really do much parenting. It usually shows them at the dinner table, and Greg and Kim always tell their children to eat all of their vegetables or they don’t get dessert. Jimmy and Kristine don’t really enforce rules so their kids get to eat dessert either way. That just shows that families also have different rules, values, and morals.
Another way I think shows a family’s lifestyle is in what they eat. It’s really interesting to me, going to someone’s house and seeing what they serve together as a meal. Just the other day we had friends over and my mom ordered a pizza. When we sat down to eat, we offered our guests applesauce. Everybody thought it was really strange that we ate applesauce with pizza, but we have always done that and everybody in my family likes it. I know my family and every other family probably does odd things every day, like having breakfast for supper, but it’s what we are used to and it’s just our life. I think if every family had the same rules, dressed the same, and ate the same things for dinner, there would be no variety in the world and everybody would be very boring. When I think about my family compared to other families, I usually think about other American families and never really think about what kind of lifestyles families in foreign countries have. It would probably be very shocking for me, but fascinating to see how they live in other parts of the world, and I could probably write a whole book of those differences. I will end though, thinking about my family and what quirky things we do or say, habits that have formed, and why I wouldn’t want to live any other way!

Writing, Revising, and Finishing my essay.

The greatest challenge with my essay was probably writing the first paragraph. I've always had difficulty beginning essays or even stories that I already know how they begin. After I wrote the first paragraph, I went back and made changes until I was satisfied. Then the rest of the essay just came with the memories of the trip.

I really enjoyed reading other essays, because it was interesting and it helped me with my own paper. They were all very different and written from various perspectives. When I commented, I tried to comment on what was assigned and what needed improvement, if any, and then I would tell them what I liked about their writing. All of the essays I read were very interesting and I learned something from each one.

When I went back to my blog, I had only one comment. It was kind of frustrating to have spent time reading and thoughtfully commenting on others and not have received anything back to help me. Although, when I turned my rough draft in, we got them back with comments and corrections from the teacher. So I took her suggestions and revised my paper from those. When I was finished, I was pretty satisfied with my final draft.

My thoughts on college...

Well, my college experience so far has been a pretty good one. I've taken tests, taken notes, and written a essay. I know it's going to be a lot more work and it's only going to get harder. I got my math test back and I had made a 70 on it...well it is passing but I wanted a little better than that! I guess that gives me incentive to do better next time and spend more time on homework and studying! My U.S History class consists of a lot of reading...and that is something that I'm not too good at..I can read..I just don't like to read in huge amounts! Though, if I want to do better on my next test, I will have to read and study more! It takes mistakes and trying things though to figure out how much effort and time you have to put into it! It makes everything better when I think about: no friday class!! Enjoy the weekend(:

Descriptive Essay..Rough Draft

First Family Camping Trip

As my dad loaded the back of our old, red, Ford Explorer, my mom was shouting off essentials that we should have packed for our camping trip, but may have forgotten. When we were finally loaded in and the back was stacked so high that we couldn’t see to back out, with: tents, sleeping bags, and all the necessities needed for a successful camping trip, we were on our way. As we proceeded west down the highway we were getting closer and closer to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt State Park.

When we arrived after a quick, two hour trip, we followed the winding road to pick out our perfect camp site. After a little evaluating of the flatness of the ground, the fire pit, and the accessibility of the bath house, we had found it: number thirty-two, our home for the next three days. We backed the car up and started to unload all of our things and equipment. It took a little while, but after we had fought with the tent and made a trek to the bathhouse, we all plopped down and enjoyed the great view of the lake right beside our campsite. The rest didn’t last long though, we had to gather wood, build a fire, and make dinner before it got too dark. Deciding what to eat is a struggle for my family if we are home or away from home, the decision was finally made on grilled hotdogs, baked beans, and chips. After we had all pitched in to help prepare the meal, it was time to eat. There was large, cement, picnic-style table where we ate our meals, the benches were pretty hard and uncomfortable, so we covered them with two quilts that ride around in the back of my mom’s SUV. That was a big mistake! Apparently, quilts that are made by your great grandmother should not be used as table covers, and are probably worth a lot of money; as we were informed by two elderly couples who were passing by in their RV. After we finished eating and put our “valuable, antique seat covers” back in the car, we decided to go on a walk around the lake. It was a small lake with a few ducks and birds that lived nearby. The campground wasn’t very crowded, but it was interesting to see what the other campers were doing and how they were living outside. When we got back, we all needed to go take showers and get ready to go to bed. We gathered everything together that we needed and walked to the bathhouse. It was pretty small and only had two showers, luckily there were not that many people camping at the same time as us, so we pretty much had it to ourselves. When I was finally in my tent and laying down, I realized it wasn’t that uncomfortable and I was pretty tired so I fell right asleep to the sound of a faint crackling fire and distant crickets.

The next morning, breakfast was kind of the same routine as what we had done to prepare dinner. The air smelled of coffee and fires that had smoldered all night. It wasn’t long until my sister and I had gathered more wood and started up another fire for breakfast. Our campsite looked pretty clean and organized; we kept things in the car that we weren’t using at the time and the rest in our tent. My mom tied a piece of string between two trees to hang our bath and dish towels on. I thought it was pretty ingenious, and it worked just like a clothesline.

The only surprise we had on the trip was a visit from a nearby raccoon. It slowly wondered up to our campsite and sniffed and pawed at the ground. It wasn’t extremely big or small in size, just a normal raccoon that was minding its own business. We were really in its habitat, so we took a few pictures and left it alone. It scampered away after a few minutes and our trip was near the end. It felt good to be going home and to be in a house again, but once in a while I think it is good for everybody to be a little closer to nature and the outside world.