Product Review: The ZooMed Daylight Blue Reptile Bulb

People all over the world often turn to reptiles as a source of easy pet ownership. When, after all, was the last time you had to walk a snake, lizard, or tortoise? Arguably, the best beginner pet is the Russian tortoise, as they are particularly hardy and easy to care for, and have wonderful personalities. Russians, which are naturally found in Afghanistan, Northern Pakistan, North Eastern Iran, North Western China, and Kazakhstan, are adapted to an arid desert habitat, and so they require specific types of food, humidity levels, and heat levels. (The Russian Tortoise)

Performing Prose Exercise: Positioning Readers

I was standing in line at the Jamba Juice, passing time before class. I walked up, ordered, and paid. Then I turned around and stepped back to wait. They walked by, turning around to stare – apparently my white t-shirt and floral shorts were some kind of provocative. I made eye contact unintentionally. Just the day before my mother had encouraged me to be friendlier, to smile. So I did, awkwardly. Never before has a smile been a mistake, but this day it was. He came back for me, invading my space, forcing me to shake his hand. “You’re beautiful.” He said. I replied with quiet words of thanks, not sure what else to do. As a slight introvert, I don’t talk to strangers much, especially not strange leering men. He leaned towards me, pushing for me to talk to him, making me more uncomfortable by the minute. “You are beautiful” and “Will you buy me a smoothie?” were his go-to lines. He repeated them over, and over, almost as though it were a song, while running his hands through his dark brown hair that matched his chocolate skin. I did my best to rebuff him. “Thanks,” I said again. “My boyfriend tells me that every day.” He continued, and finally got to me, and I began to snap. “No, I wont buy you a smoothie. I work too hard for my money to spend on someone who has enough.” He was unfazed, he chuckled, he didn’t care. The last few minutes were a blur, but I think I remember finally letting the words “Go away” pass my lips in a whisper. He responded, for the first time in that long five minutes, the way I wanted him to, only, not. He declared that I was rude, and a bitch, and walked away clearly offended, griping to his friend about “women these days.” Because I forced myself into his personal space, because I asked him uncomfortable questions. Because, clearly, I am a bitch.

Writing this passage brought up a lot of feelings, and it was important to me to convey them to the audience. First, I did not refer to him by name, or by a descriptive pronoun. I considered using “the man” or “the boy” but I felt they gave him too much. In the moment that this happened, he was a “he” – something other, something threatening and scary. I gave details about his behavior and appearance slowly, only as they became relevant to the story. I think this highlights how foreign he was to me, because he presented himself in a predatory manner rather than as a fellow human. The main emotion I wanted the reader to experience was the feeling of being trapped. I was waiting for a smoothie I paid for, so I felt like I couldn’t just walk away. In another situation I probably would have. I referenced physical and social footings only as they became important. It began with physical footing, and social was developed later on. I also used direct quotes, which gives the reader further insight into the related social footing.

All in the Golden Afternoon: Commonplace Book

      Below is the opening poem for Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.  This poem has long been one of my favorites, as it accomplishes several things through beautifully woven stylistic language. First, it tells a story. It is a gloriously romanticized story that evokes a sense of wonder and a certain old world charm. Second, it identifies a possible explanation for the origins of the famous tale, which is most interesting because, generally, not many details are known. This is Lewis Carroll identifying the story of creation, if you will, in his own words. It may perhaps reflect an exaggerated version of events, but, either way, it adds another dimension to an already multidimensional tale.

A Brief History of Myself as a Writer, Part Two

       This is Part Two in a series of far too long posts. For background information, please view Part One first.

       I entered university as a very excited but extraordinary naive hospitality management student. My writing didn't improve much that first year, and instead, something rather unfortunate happened, something that completely changed the way I thought about myself as a writer. 

A Brief History of Myself as a Writer, Part One.

       My parents, bless their hearts, read to me every night from the moment I was born. Every night. At the time I had no recognition of the impact this  would have, but I now know that it, and my resultant love and obsession with reading, had an incredible influence on who I am today. Every detail of my life is directly related to reading, writing, and language as a whole. I get good grades because my parents read to me. I work as a tutor, and know the grammar rules, because my parents read to me. I am articulate and do well in interviews because my parents read to me. I am a writer because my parents read to me.

My style varies greatly, primarily based on topic. I adore blogging, and using a relaxed, informal tone, which is primarily what you’ll find in this exercise, but I also have great passion for formal writing, especially when it is a discussion or analysis of history. I’d like to explore my journey as a writer through a discussion of a few samples, and it is my hope that you have a chance to experience both of my writing voices as they are. Due to length, my ramblings and explorations will be split into a series of posts. The first part will focus on high school, while the second will address my years in university. 

Time Management for Students

       

       Time management is, currently, far too popular among bloggers, especially the mommy bloggers. There are posts for "Gen Y-ers," posts for students, posts for workers... I even found a post on how to "kick your time management habit" because, you know, time management is totally a bad thing. The one factor these posts have in common is claiming that their steps are 'essential' to your life, but really these steps aren't really anything new. Yes, I know I should prioritize. Yes, I know I need to set goals. Yes I know I need to prevent distractions (ahem, technology, we're looking at you...) But I also know that none of these so-called tips ever work for me.