cvs

i have come to realize that cvs is probably one of my favorite places ever. they have anything you can imagine: food, clothes, makeup, medicine, candy, and soo much more. cvs has become my second home. if i am bored, i walk around cvs. if i'm hungry, i buy something from cvs. if i need entertainment, i go to cvs, pick up some magazines and read them in the store.

it's practical, i mean i don't have to spend money to be entertained so how awesome is that?

either way, i appreciate that store. it is so convenient.

this is the most random blog ever, but it was just something that i thought of two seconds ago. hahahaha

bye. 

alone

so my roomie and my neighbor, who happens to be my best friend decided to go home this weekend. so this is the first time i have actually been completely alone at college with no friends! hahah, i mean i do have friends here but they are more like aquaintences, so i dont typically see them as much as "my people"

it's weird that the room is so quiet...it's kind of nice though because i can actually get some work done and not be completely distracted from random comments that my friends like to make. i'm very excited for them to come back though. it feels like i havnt seen them in forever. 

workload

sooo it's the week of halloween and i have SOOOSOSOOO much work due! this is kind of ridiculous.

i am not fan of all my classes having projects, tests, and papers all due around the same time. i guess i work well under pressure though so i shouldnt really be complaining. but either way, it's halloween! comon, hahaha

i still have to modify a few things on my english paper, study for a math test that i am definetly not prepared for, and i have to write and outline and a speech for my comm class. geez laweez. i guess it's my fault for leaving everything last minute. anywhoooo i am currently watching mtv...the hills to be exact. i havnt seen this show in forever.

i forgot how trashy reality television can be. and on top of that, it's not even reality. the people on this show are horrible actors. totally staged. i'm not impressed

doctors

i skipped my classes on friday to go back to potomac because i had to go to a doctors appointment. i have totally forgotten how much i hate going to the doctors. the doctors office is almost as bad as going to the dentist. they always give the same questionare, and i always answer the same as i did last time. on top of that, the physicals are just plain awkward, considering that i got a different doctor than my usual one, so i did not feel as comfortable. along with this, i am not fan of blood. any with my luck, i had to to get my blood drawn. blahh.

they told me i have low blood pressure when i'm standing and sitting down, so i have to go to a cardiologist and get my heart checked out or something.. booooo

vegas

so my best friend alessandra is going to vegas sometime in november to go see her boyfriend. lucky me, i have a free american airlines ticket that i need to use by november 29th. so i will be going with her! i have never been to the west coast. i'm kind of nervous though, i have heard that the people over there are uptight and just plain out crazy with all their partying. so hectic.

i am very excited though, and i know i will be taking ridiculous amounts of pictures, considerin that i'm the biggest papparazzi ha

high school

so today i went back to my high school and helped out with their open house. it was awesome to see all my old teachers and tell the about my life and transitioning to umd. along with gossiping about the latest news in our lives, i pretty much praised all my high school teachers. being at college, i realize how much they helped me and am so appreciative of their guidance in order to prepare me for college. now that i'm here, i really do feel grateful for all that my high school teachers have done for me. i feel so ready for the academics that are in front of me, and know that because of them, i will succeed. 

tired

i am extremely tired at the moment. i went home today and got a chance to hangout with my family again and do laundry. i didnt bring any of my books back home htough, just because of pure laziness and the need for procrastinationsince i've been working hard for my classes.

these next two weeks are going to be crucial. i have a socy exam on thursday, and have to start writing my english paper and speech for my comm class. i need to "pick up my game" and get some work done. 

ummmm, i got my second A in college last week! i'm on a roll. i feel that i'm doing a lot better than how i did in high school.

i love college. 

sick

so i've been feeling pretty sick lately. i've been getting the worst headaches lately when i wake up and in the middle of the day. kind of weird because i normally don't get headaches. i've also been pretty nasily and stuffy. i dont know if its allergies or me still trying to get over the cold i had the first few weeks of school. either way, i'm going to the doctor this friday to get checked out and see if they can get me antibiotics or something. its weird to think that now that i'm in college, i'm learning to take care of myself  and not have my mom around all the time to help me when i'm not feeling too great.

fights

so i witnessed my first real fight this weekend. extremely intense. i was walking with my two best friends one night and saw these two random guys arguing over something i couldnt really understand. all of a sudden one of the guys starts punching the other, causing him to fall to the ground. then, the guy who was beating the other one up moved his leg back and kicked him right in the head! the guy on the ground was knocked unconsious immediately. luckily there was a cop around the corner and arrested the whacko who kicked the guy.

Rhetorical Analysis 2

The Article that I chose to analyze correlates to child labor, the topic for my second paper. This document was taken from the EBSCO HOST Database from the University of Maryland Library Research Port. 

Article: US Child Labor Violations in the Retail and Service Industires: Findings From a National Survey of Working Adolescents.

Authors: Rauscher, Kimberly

                   Runyan, Carol W.

                   Schulman, Michael D.

                   Bowling, J. Michael

When reading the first few paragraphs of the document, I noted that this article immediately used all three rhetorical appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. In general, the article involves the research and practice of individuals who went to go look at the working conditions of children in the labor workforce. Because of the fact that the article uses research, the article uses the logos appeal to attract it's readers. Logos appeals use factual data and statistics. The article therefore mentions various percentages of the numbers of children who work past the latest hours allowed on a school night, along with the percentage of how many researchers reported work permit violations. Using this type of appeal is effective, in that, the authors have informed opinions and evidence that come from the scientific research of experts and authorities. The knowledge of the topic captivates the audience and convinces them that the information is significant.

The second appeal used in this article is the ethos appeal. The ethos appeal gives extensive credibility to the author as well. The authors have developed their ethos in this article by being extremely formal. In that, remarkable vocabulary is used when explaining the demography of adolescents in various age groups that are employed. The authors also manage to bold certain words in order to emphasize the importance and embed the idea in the audience's mind. Writing in this manner allows the intended audience to truly believe what the authors are saying. It allows them to respect what the writer has to say and take it into consideration.

Lastly, the pathos appeal is also used. The pathos appeal uses vivid language and descriptions in order to evoke an emotional response from the audience. In this article, the writers explain the hazardous conditions that children in the work force have to work in. The article states the children work too many hours which lead them to a deprivation of a decent education. Along with this, the document emphasizes that the injuries acquired in their work accounts for the death in adolescents. This information given makes the audience sympathetic towards the child labor issue. It convinces the reader that change has to happen and there must be a resolution to the problem.

As a result of the reading, I have determined that the intended audience of this piece are those who regulate working conditions and those who make laws involving child labor and children's rights. 

 

high school reunion

so my two best friends from high school came to visit me this weekend. colleen took a bus down here from fordham in new york, and madeleine flew down from miami of ohio. i cannot explain how happy i was. i am having the time of my life meeting new people, but it's so great to have a chance to catch up and reunite with your best friends from high school. what i love about our reunions is that it's as if we continued where we left off, as if we were never separated in the first place. i showed colleen and madeleine around campus and they loved it. they thought the mall was beautiful and that maryland was just so green and spirited (with the amount of people who was outside enjoying the fabulous day).

i took them to the shwayze concert with me, so they got to enjoy a good concert as well. 

on top of that, we took soooo many pictures. it's really ridiculous how much memory was used in the camera card haha. anywhoo, i was pretty sad when they left this morning to go back to school, but i know that now i can look forward to our next reunion and think about how much fun we had at this one :D

shwayze concert

the other concert i attended this weekend was the shwayze concert at santa fe. you all probably think that i am obsessed with concerts or something...but its just the fact that i work for them and get free tickets, so why not take advantage and use them? plus i can get any of my friends in for free sometimes.

anyways, back to shwayze. first of all, i have no idea who shwayze is. i found out that i knew exactly one song from him, but i definetly did not connect his music and his face. anywho, everybody has made such a big deal that he was coming to a tiny bar in college park, so i decided to go. 

when i got there, santa fe was packed. people were all sweaty and buying drinks for themselves/squishing eachother to be closest to the stage.

shwayze finally came on and i managed to make my way up to the front next to the stage. not only did he come sing right in front of me, but he grabbed my hand while i was taking a video and i caught it on camera! hahaha a big deal for some people but i was kind of neutral.

all in all, good music, and a good night. 

concerts

This weekend, i was able to attend two incredible concerts at santa fe cafe. on friday, a band called the mahoney brothers played as a beatles cover band/tribute. the concert started at about eleven and was a sold out show. the band members came on stage wearing dark blue suits, and wigs that suited each character. Ringo, George, John, and Paul came alive again right in front of me. although their costumes were very exaggerated, in that their hair did not look real at all and they had pounds of makeup on, they did a good job of "trying" to be the band. they even bobbed their heads and had the same guitar movements as the beatles used to do when they would perform.

the crowd seemed to enjoy them completely. loud cheers were heard, along with the audience singing along to every song that they played. it was nice to take some time to hear some excellent oldies music from such a significant band. i wish i would have witnessed their time of fame because i definitly would have been considered a "groupie." it was a great night. the only unfortunate thing is that i have not been able to get "we all live in a yellow submarine" out of my head since friday.

Beyonce American Express Commercial

The advertisers for the commercial in which Beyonce Knowles promotes the American Express Card uses both the ethos and pathos appeal. Considering the fact that the maker of this advertisement chose Beyonce as a spokesperson for their product, the ethos appeal is used.  In that, this appeal gives credibility to the person making the argument.  The ethos appeal is ethical. It allows individuals to to believe the people whom they most respect. Because Beyonce is a well known singer, individuals tend to "follow" their favorite celebrities whom they admire. Using Beyonce in particular as a spokesperson for the commercial is valid; her many fans therefore are most likely to get an American Express card just to be more like her. Along with this, Beyonce is known for her beauty and "down to earth" personality in this commercial, making the product more attractive. This leads us into the other appeal being used in the commercial.

The pathos appeal is also used in this commercial. This emotional appeal means persuading by appealing to the reader's sentiments. In the media, Beyonce is depicted as being those celebrities who seems to only care about her money and glamour. However, the commercial views another side of her. Beyonce is shown as an extremely busy woman who has no time for herself. Her tone in the commercial sounds gentle and concerning, due to her constantly trying to find a break from the chaos in her life and time to buy the boomerang for her nephew. Therefore, the commercial allows the audience to sympathize the fact that she does not really have a "normal" life. Due to this, another intended audience apart from Beyonce's fans are the typical people who devote their lives to their careers and do not have time to shop for themselves or other people. 

The overall argument seems to be an argument which convinces busy individuals to use American Express when shopping online in their hectic lives. This claim is implied at the end of the commercial when Beyonce is finally able to purchase the boomerang for her nephew. This positioning of the claim is not very significant though; this is mainly because the American Express card is not explained enough. There is only one short sentence in which a background voice asks the audience if they use a card they trust. However, this does not emphasize the importance of why American Express is better than other versions of credit cards to use to shop online. Although Beyonce does states that she does not have  time to waste, or time to worry (which is why she is a "card member"), the advertiser could have further highlighted the significance of the card.  

home

my thursday at home was excellent. i had a wonderful dinner...steak and mashed potatoes. yum

i also got to go to montgomery mall and buy some new clothes. wooopp

uhhhh i don't really know what to talk about right now. 

i am extremely tired..didnt get much sleep last night. i have so much homework to do, and i have to study for a math test later. i hate math, it's my worst subject.

my neighbor and i had lunch at plato's diner today. it was delicious. i reccomend the salmon souvlaki salad hahaha so if any of you go there, get that.

my roomie went home for the weekend so i have the room all to myself. although i like my "quiet" time, it's kind of lonely! so i'm excited for when she'll be home.

ummmmmmmmmm. thats all i got haha