Future 110'ers

Dear Future 110'ers,

I have to say my experience in English 110.01 was very helpful. I had always thought I was a good writer, as high school seemed to prepare me more. However, I feel that throughout this course I learned even more tid-bits about how to become a better writer. Luckily for the course we had an interesting theme, food, which was easy enough to talk about.

I feel throughout the course I learned in specific ways how to become a better writer. Each day in class we focused on a specific part of writing. For example, we spent one class talking about how to make a better opening paragraph. Another class we spent the whole time talking about how to make our thesis statements better and practiced different thesis statements over and over again. I particularly liked one class when we talked about persuasive papers for Commonplace and we spent the whole time debating on different real-life topics. It really showed us that how you persuade someone through different word usage is very important and effective.

There is much advice to be given for success in this class. For one, DO NOT PROCRASTINATE! I know it is very hard not to and I myself am a procrastinator. However when you have an 8 page paper, try to work on it well in advance instead of less than a week beforehand. I'd suggest working on your papers a little bit everyday and it won't seem overwhelming. I'd also strongly suggest going to office hours, if your teacher holds them, because it is here where you'll learn exactly what your teacher expects of you and your paper. I know it made some of my papers so much better just because I spent a half an hour to take the time to sit down with my teacher and talk about my paper. Other than that, I believe you'll get a lot out of this class and it truly will make you a better writer.

Sincerely,

English 110'er

Playing with Food at Summer Camp

Since I was in 5th grade, I'd go to 4-H summer camp for a week each summer. I liked it so much that the past few summers I've been a counselor for my county's week. Ever since I can remember at the end of each week of camp we have what we call 'Kangaroo Court.' During Kangaroo Court each counselor gets accused of something silly that happened during the week. In the end, everyone ends up guilty and we are 'punished' by the campers.

Usually what happens is each cabin is assigned to 'punish' a counselor and they always punish the counselor by bringing substances to put in the counselors' hair so they can perform 'makeovers.' Of these substances, they usually include food. This past summer was one of the worst. The cabin that was assigned to punish me decided to bring chunky peanut butter to put in my hair. I remember that I was trying to get away from all the campers chasing after me with globs of peanut butter in their hands but in the end, they won and I lost. Other yummy things I found in my hair were whipped cream, mouthwash, toothpaste, and mashed bananas.

Afterwords the counselors sprint to the showers to get everything out of their hair and off their bodies. I remember last year I had to shampoo my hair five times just to get everything out. Five times! Sometimes to get everything off easier, some people would go up to the lake and swim in it for a while so once they got to the showers most of it would be off. Even though all of this sounds crazy and kind of gross, it's really alot of fun and a tradition I will miss not being a counselor this summer. This event truly gives meaning to the statement "playing with your food."

Organic Foods website

The name of the website I encountered is called organic.org. It is a website that is trying to promote eating organic foods. This is obvious with their subtitle that says "Organic made easy, life made better."

The first thing I noticed about this website is that it is very colorful using colors such as bright orange, green, and yellow and shows pictures of fresh looking vegetables and healthy looking people and children along with the different articles. These definitely appeal to pathos because when people see the website and the photos it instantly puts a positive thought of organic food into their mind.

The website is also very easy to navigate and most of the articles are simple and to the point. An example of one album title is "Top 10 Reason to Go Organic" and it lists 10 reasons to go organic in bold and has a short but straightforward explanation after each reason. The same kind of format is used on the "Frequently Asked Questions" page with each question being stated then an explanation after. Many of the articles site the USDA National Organic Program, appealing to logos.

One can tell that the website is really trying to persuade the viewer to buy organic foods and products because they even include an organic store finder so one could find an organic store near them. One could even look up a product to see a product review. This website really targets families because it even has a children's section of the website and is trying to convince parents to go organic by educating them about organic products. There's even articles about how to make a budget and how to teach your kids about organic foods, intended to make the transition to eating organic foods easier for a family. The makers of the website obviously want the viewer to become involved with the website by encouraging the viewer to join their newsletters and learn about other organic businesses and organizations. For people that are skeptical about switching to organic foods, there's a page devoted to debunking organic food "myths" that may be lurking around.

The article didn't have much appeal to pathos, but instead used a lot of facts and important information (logos) and appealed to the mind by creating a colorful and positive view of organic foods (pathos).

Overall, the website uses simple, straightforward language that anyone can understand to better understand organic foods.

Most Exciting Meal of the Year

So one of my favorite meals to eat is the French Toast Slam from Denny's Restaurant. Now you may be wondering, "wow that's kind of weird and random, why that?" Well it's not really the meal that makes me like it so much, it's when and where I eat it that makes it special. I only eat it once a year when I go to our family's favorite vacation spot, Williamsburg, VA. We don't even eat at the Denny's in VA, it's actually in a place called Breezewood, PA. The Denny's there is themed as a 50's roadside diner. Inside it has sparkly seats and an authentic feel.It is always bustling with customers and the smell of breakfast food hits you right as you walk in the door. I guess it means alot to me because going to Williamsburg, VA is a family tradition since we've vacationed there every year in July since I can remember. My family is so traditional, so we end up doing the same things there every year including eating at alot of the same restuarants and eating the same meals. But this particular meal means alot to me because when we get to Breezewood, we are about halfway to our destination and we always eat at this Denny's. And I always end up getting the French Toast Slam each time. This meal is with out a doubt delicious, the warm fluffy french toast, melted butter, powdered sugar, and gooey syrup make a delectable combination. However, I think it symbolizes the start of one of my favorite weeks of the year. It symbolizes the start of my family's vacation and one of our own traditions. When I sit eating the French Toast Slam I know I'm in for a good week and I'll make new memories and reminisce old memories at a place I call my second home. While eating at the Denny's in Breezewood, I sit with my family and can't help but become so excited about the week ahead and know by afternoon I'll be in beautiful Williamsburg, VA, a place I think about all the time. I honestly think if I ate the French Toast Slam any other time of the year, it wouldn't taste as good. It just wouldn't be as special. I think this is a good example of how food symbolizes togetherness and how it brings friends and family together. For me, it symbolizes a time for my family and I to start a week together only with each other and nothing else in the way. Eating my French Toast Slam every year is truly the start of a wonderful week.

Campus Food

Hey Guys!!!

So have you guys ever wondered if our campus food is healthy? Like do you think the food they serve at say Marketplace or Mirror Lake or the rpac is good for you? Well I think that all the places on campus to eat are generally healthy with each place having healthy choices to choose from. I really think you could eat healthfully if you tried at each place on campus. For example, if you went to Mirror Lake you could get a chicken sandwich, fruit cup, and a milk and I'd say that would be pretty healthy. Yet you could also go to Mirror Lake and get a cheeseburger, fries, and a sugary soft drink and that would be a different story. I guess on campus they give you the choice as a student to make your decisions on what to eat and whether it's healthy or not. So I was wondering, do you think OSU should try to make the food they serve on campus healthier or keep it the same. I know when some family friends came to visit they noticed at marketplace that it was pretty healthy and were impressed with the foods they served. Whenever my dad asks what I ate that day, he notes that it is pretty healthy and I tend to eat different things on campus. I'd have to say that for the most part OSU dining is pretty healthy, it just depends on what you get and what choices you make. Let me know what you think!!