Friday, December 10, 2010

Blog 10 IMHO 2

1) Fletcherize
2) http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/
3) The two extra months at sea gave him an insight into a great business, and he had the time to fletcherize  his ideas.  -Elbert Hubbard
4) to chew slowly and thoroughly- verb
5)I had to fletchrize my steak so it did not get stuck in throat as I swallowed it.

Even though this story does not have anything to do with the big news like a fire in Union City, the prises in gasoline rising (once again) or even health. This piece gets me fired up for many different reasons. One is it does not give women the credit they deserve and should get. It has to deal with sports, any type of sports that is. For this piece it is about the Penn State Behrend Lions men's basketball team. I am very happy they are finally getting a few articles in the local newspaper since season started. They even get on the front page of the local Erie Times News of the sports section and half of the front page of the Behrend Beacon. It was not just one article, it has been multiple articles in both newspapers.

I understand the Lady Lions basketball team's record is only 4-3 and the men stand with an undefeated record at 7-0, but when it comes to women in sports they do not get the publicity they deserve. When it is dealing with any men's sport like basketball (NBA, National Basketball Association) you hear all about Lebron James or Kobe Bryant, but you do not hear about the Diana Taurasi or Lisa Leslie of the WNBA. If you hear about baseball you hear about Derek Jeter or Albert Pujols, but do you hear about Jenny Finch or Crystal Bustos? Rarely ever. Those two women have won gold medals for USA in the Olympics for softball. In rare form do you ever hear about a star athletic female over a male. Coming from a females perspective, it gets very frustrating always reading about the male athletes.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Fish Out of Water

1) Eke

2) http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday

3) When the PRI unites around a candidate and the two opposition parties divide the rest of the vote, the ruling party can usually eke out a victory.  - Mary Beth Sheridan

4) To gain or supplement with great effort or difficulty

5) As his other two competitors swapped places, Billy managed to eke out a small lead.

It was one of the weirdest, most awkward, yet one of the funnest places I have been to in a very long time. As we sat there at work deciding on where we wanted to go out and have fun for the night, one of my co-workers shouted out, "Let's go to Zone." Zone is a gay bar here in Erie. I kind of chuckled when it was shouted out, but with everyone going I thought it would be a good time. We quickly hurried home and got ready to go out and have a good night. I called my boyfriend on the phone and asked him if he wanted to go. He basically laughed in my face, but said he would love to go.

As we parked our cars and walked closer to the double glass doors, it was an experience I knew I would never forget. Holding my boyfriends hand tighter than ever as we were walking through the doors, the first thing I noticed was a creepy old lady checking every one's ID's. Moments later with a drink in my hand and the lights dimmed really low, we walked out on to the dance floor and started dancing. As gay topless men danced all around us, one of them pulled me close to him and started dancing. He was the best dancer I have ever danced with. After hours of dancing and talking with all these people, I had one of the greatest nights of my life.

Going into the Zone, I never expected to have so much fun, nor did I ever expect to feel so comfortable there. Whether they are straight, gay, lesbian, homosexual or transgender, you can have one of the best times in your life. You should never judge a book by it's cover because that's what I did at first. After actually having an experience like that I think it changed my perspective on many people. Not saying I judged homosexuals in a bad way, but it is sad to say it took an assignment like this to make me not judge people the way I use to.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

IMHO #1

1) Snollygoster
2) http://www.rateitall.com/i-887328-snollygoster-a-shrewd-unprincipled-person-especially-a-politician.aspx
3) "Eliot Spitzer, notorious snollygoster, replied to allegations...." -irishgit
4) A shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician.
5) Many people say Dick Cheney is a snollygoster that can not be trusted.

No matter what the price is for gas, high or low, people are always going to purchase it. In order to get from A to B we have to put fuel in our vehicles. You might see a few people here or there walking or riding a bike to get to where they need to go, but it is very rare. People are so lazy they will always drive their vehicles. The oil companies know this, so they can raise the price when need be. One subject matter that bothers me, as well as many other people, is the price of gas on the rise. In the Erie Times News, on October 16, 2010, published an article stating, "Erie Region Gasoline Prices Flirt With $3 a gallon." The price of gas has not been over $3 a gallon since October 2008. Last year at this time gas was $2.49 a gallon.

It is not only outrageous that the price of gas is on the rise, but it is frustrating. Being a college student and living off campus, it is very hard to put gas in my car. Not only do I have my own bills to pay, go to school, play basketball, and work, I have to be able to keep gas in my car to get from each place. When it is nice outside it is not hard for me to get on a bicycle and ride from place to place, but when you live in Erie, only about 3 months out of the year can you actually ride a bike due to weather. I am sure I am not the only one frustrated with this issue, but like many other issues in the Erie area, there is nothing we can do to lower the price of gas. I guess we just have to suck it up and for me, be a broke college student for two more years.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Blog 7 NPR

1) Unabashed
2)http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=130356030&m=130376902
3) "There was something so unabashed about that record." (Justin Timberlake)
4) Not disconcerted or embarrassed; poised.
5) When I got pants in front of my entire team, I was so unabashed I just pulled my shorts back up and kept playing.

When you go into an interview you have to know a little bit of the background for who you are going to be talking with. If it is an athlete, look you should try to look up how old they were when they started. What got them into the sport. If they are a singer, Who or what inspired them to sing? When did they start singing? Did they write their own lyrics or make their own beat? If they are an actor, who got them into acting? At what age did they start acting? Did they have to take any acting classes to get them to where they are now? There are numerous things you should probably look into before you start an interview with a certain person.

After listening to the NPR program Fresh Air when Justin Timberlake was interviewed about the new movie The Social Network, and looking at it from the perspective of an interviewee, it gives you a better understanding on how to interview someone. Not only do you have to ask the person you are interviewing certain questions about their life or the event going on at that point in time, but you have to know when the right moment is to kindly and quickly interrupt them to ask another question, only if they are focused on the previous one for too long. When Timberlake was asked how he became so funny and if he ever did anything to make his parents laugh, he said he used to dress up in different costumes. Right there it gives you the best opportunity to interrupt and ask who he dressed up as.  It was still dealing with the main question, but yet stopped him from pro-longing his first response. It stopped him from boring the listeners. After listening to the interview, it helped to get a better understanding on how to interview the right way. By not letting the interviewer ramble on and on and let them get the point across on what they were actually being interviewed for from the get go. When you interview someone you definitely have to look into somewhat of their background and how they got to the point where they are at now. You also have to have your questions already prepared and they have to stay on topic so you do not ramble on about something completely different. This interview was very well put together and thought out before it actually happened. Now that makes a good interview.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

#6 Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

1) Jobbernowl
2) http://www.rateitall.com/t-21159-weirduncommon-words.aspx
3) a stupid person
4) The girl was a jobbernowlwhen she confronted the "retard" about, so called, calling her a "nigger."

As I sit on the hill on my ten year old holey Redskins blanket with a cappuccino in hand, I watched the most beautiful, pinkish- orange, sunset I have ever seen. With the cool breeze blowing through my hair, I thought to myself, "This is true art, this is what makes life so precious."

When writing a scene, you have to be able to put the reader in the characters place. To get them to feel what the character is feeling. To see what the character sees. When Z.Z. Packer tells a story you can feel what the character feels. See what the character sees. "She sat down cross-legged on a sleeping bag, an embittered Buddha eyes glimmering acrylic black," Packer states.

Her writing is not only philosophical, but it is life. She doesn't write about how great life is or how perfect, but she writes the truth. She writes about the life of a black (a "nigger"), a "retard," a homeless man, and even an amputee. They are not stories to have pity on each of the characters, but stories to get the facts out there about the truths of life.

Some say Z.Z. Packer's book "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere" is just "minority fiction." All these stories are just stories and not true ways of life, but they are real. There are real people with stories like these. We as human beings and all equal in every way shape or form, need to realize this. Packer is a phenomenal writer that gets the point across, but also is over looked by some. Not because of her style of writing, but because her "minority fiction."

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Blog 5 Music Review

1) Cataglottism
2) http://www.rateitall.com/i-887352-cataglottism-kissing-with-the-tongue.aspx
3) "I don't mind a little cataglottism."
4) Kissing with the tongue
5) It was a huge turn off when my blind date tried cataglottism the first time we ever met.

It may not be the number one song on the charts, but "Love The Way You Lie," sang by rapper Eminem featuring star performer Rihanna, is a song that, hands down, gets the point across. Anyone who actually listens to it and takes in the words of the song, will get a better understanding of what it is all about.

The song is meant for people to understand there is domestic violence going on in the world today. We as women have to take it upon ourselves to get out of such abusive relationships. The song is about two people who fall in love, but as time goes by they start to resent each other more than ever. For some reason they can never separate. Even after he abuses her time and time again, she keeps coming back to him. Later on he tells her if she leaves again he will "tie her to the bed and set this house on fire."

It is a very powerful song, that Rihanna completely understands, as she just got out of an abusive relationship with Chris Brown. This song is so compelling in every way. Just the sounds that make up the music is phenomenal. Even though a guitar, keyboard, and drums are played throughout the song, the way the piano is played is what actually makes up most of the music. When the instruments get more intense throughout the song, it brings out the true meaning of how domestic violence is not in anyway shape or form something that should be happening in a relationship. This song has a strong effect on many women in the world today. It is a song that makes them realize if they do not get out of the abusive relationship soon, it could cost them their life.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

What Makes it News?

1) cachinnation
2) http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/gswithenbank/unuwords.htm
3) Loud or hysterical laughter
4) The entire basketball team went into a cachinnation after Amy tripped and fell over her own two feet during a game.

I first heard about this on the news, but I later found it after searching online for an article. The article I chose to write about is "Obama supports 'the right' for ground zero mosque," by Pauline Jelinek. This definitely caught my eye because I completely disagree with President Obama on this matter. I understand that America is a free country and everyone should get equal rights, but the Muslims trying to build a church near ground zero is not right. Everyone has their own opinion and may say I am wrong for even saying this, but it should not happen. I am not racist at all, so please do not think that. It just doesn't seem right to me or to the people who lost their life and the family members who lost their loved ones to let Muslims, the people who crashed the airplanes into the World Trade Centers, build a church right by ground zero. To me, it seems as if they are mocking Americans in a way. Why do they have to build the church so close to ground zero? Why can't the Muslims build a church 5 miles away?

This is a huge discussion throughout America. Therefore, it is localized throughout the United States. There are different ways to get this story localized if it is not already. Facebook is such a huge social website, you could honestly make a group saying, "Protest the building of the Muslim church near ground zero" and I guarantee it will end up on local news if alot of people join the group. Different news stations go through facebook for various news throughout the area. If they really wanted to figure out a story, they could go on and read different people's status' and find out exactly when, where and to who something happened to.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Blog 3, Fly on the Wall

1) Fample
2) http://listverse.com/2007/11/25/another-25-words-you-dont-know/
3) To feed a child
4) As I was babysitting my one year old niece, she got very fussy so I had to fample her. (If you do not know the definition of this word, it sounds really bad hearing the sentence before knowing the definition.)

After working a long 33 hour, three day weekend, it was very hard to go outside to sit and observe the life of Erie. Instead, I actually got to realize who some people really are and how they act in public whether they are rich or "trashy" looking. I got to see this through the eyes of Sam's Club. It was the busiest weekend in Sam's Club history. As hundreds of people walked through the entrance door, you got to see all different races, classes, and every age you can possibly think of come through those doors.

As I walked the sales floor, in my right ear I hear the crinkle of a case of gatorade breaking open. I look down the fifty foot aisle and see a ten year old boy, with a faded black Pittsburgh Steelers hoodie on, Nike shoes that were so old the sole of the shoe flapped as he walked, and pants on that were puke green and as tight as can be, crack open an eight ounce gatorade and chug the entire bottle and throw it on the ground. After he threw it down he ran up the main aisle to catch up with his mom and six other siblings. I walk over to the bottle and pick it up to throw away and notice out of the corner of my eye a lady, with her hair done like it was her prom night, pearl earrings, a pearl necklace, and a yellow sun dress with orange flowers on it, walking up to the front end with a receipt in one hand while pushing a cart full of tires. I call back to the tire department to find out the lady already took the tires she purchased out of the back door and is now going towards the front door with two tires she did not purchase. As the lady walked up the main aisle to the front door, I went the back way by the mattresses to beat her up there. When she came to the exit door I asked if I could see her receipt and since I noticed she purchased them in the back I had to verify with the tire department she bought them back there. As I go turn to walk away, the lady literally sprinted out of the door, leaving the cart full of tires behind.

More went on throughout my weekend that made me realize who some of the people in the Erie area really are. Whether they dressed as if they were going to church or if they were still in their Scooby-Doo pajamas, anyone may be the next person to steal something from the store. After actually sitting there and observing these things throughout my weekend, I got to see a whole new view through the eyes of Sam's Club.

Blog 2, Your Favorite Writing

1) Franch
2) http://listverse.com/2007/11/25/another-25-words-you-dont-know/
3) To eat greedily.
4) I was so hungry I started to franch my food in front of my family.

To be perfectly honest, good writing to me may not be the definition of good writing to you. Good writing to me is an article or a book that actually interests me and does not lose my attention after reading the first line. That will most likely be something sports related. I do not do much reading book wise, but I will be the first to say the Washington Redskins article explaining how they beat the Dallas Cowboys, is a better article than the article talking about Barack Obama. I am not saying the article about Obama is not good writing, it is just something that will not keep my focus like the Redskins article will.

The article that I found as good writing is, "Home Field Advantage" by Kate McDermott. It is an article about Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder and talks about his life and his love for the team before and after he bought them. In the article Snyder goes into full detail about going to his first Redskins game with his dad when he was six years old. He talks about how walking into the stadium, while holding his dads hand, he was absolutely blown away by the noise and the whole deal about being in the Redskins stadium. The article goes on just talking about the love he has for the Redskins.

This is good writing to me because it caught my interest and I have a true passion for the Washington Redskins as does owner Dan Snyder.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Word # 1

1) Beek; verb

2) http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday

3) "Galen, you and the lads go beek yourselves by fireside." Deborah MacGillivray, One Snowy Knight

4)  1. To bask or warm in the sunshine or before a fire.
     2. (Of wood) to season by exposure to heat.

5) My friends and I went to Lake Erie this summer to beek and enjoy the refreshing water.

Monday, August 30, 2010

About me

My name is Kimberly Pol. I am the youngest of five girls. I have six nieces and a nephew that should be arriving around October 30th, but I will believe that when I see it. I have a very close family. I would do anything for any of them. I am a die hard Washington Redskins fan. Everytime I have a little extra money, I buy something Redskins. I graduated in 2006 from Collegiate Academy here in Erie. I went into the marines after high school, but got honorably discharged shortly after. When I got out of the service I started working two jobs. I was a tire specialist at Sam's Club in the morning and a manager at Chick-Fil-A at night. About six months after working at Chick-Fil-A, I lost one of my sisters tragically in a car accident by a drunk driver. I decided to go back to school to try to keep my mind off things after the accident. I applyed to Penn State Behrend because it was close to home and I could play my two favorite sports, softball and basketball. I played both sports my freshman year, then later decided to only play basketball. I am now a junior and a communications major. After I graduate I will be going into the police academy to later become a local police officer here in Erie.