Curb Appeal

We are currently working towards improving the curb appeal of the front of our house/the front porch. Our house is a rust- and white-colored brick that is meant to look like it was once painted white and the paint is chipping off. The rest of our house is cheap white vinyl siding. (We will have to deal with that later.)

The windows are oak so you cannot see cute white window panes or mullions. The windows just look dark and black, and all you can see is the black screens. The windows also do not have shutters. We already removed the cheap white plastic porch railing, and it already looks 100 times better than it did before, but it is still not great.

We went with a green wood stain for the shutters my dad made out of cedar. In addition, we bought a porch swing that we are about to paint/stain and install, and we also bought planters to put on the front porch to put flowers in. Hopefully the house will have a bit more curb appeal after we do these things.

Weird Idea for Backyard

I know this sounds absolutely crazy or strange or odd or weird or ridiculous or whatever, but I would like to have my dad built an outhouse or composting toilet in our backyard. We have a cabin in the woods, but if you want to spend the night in it, you have to walk out and up the pathway to the house and go inside to use the restrooms. This is very inconvienient. It would also be nice to have one because my mom spends a lot of time outside gardening, so it is inconvient for her to drop everything she is doing to go inside the house to go to the bathroom. Also, I have to admit that I love little European stone cottages, and this is my excuse to build something out of stone since we cannot reface our brick house and cheap, white, vinyl siding.

Here's my theory: People use Port-a-Potty's when they are at outdoor events and construction workers use them when builing houses or buildings, etc. The thing I have against Port-a-Poty's is that they are ugly and blue and blastic. The other thing is that outhouses are now illegal, I think. Except my grandma still has one at her house, but she lives in the middle of nowhere and it's been there since the house was built, probably in the mid to late 1800s.

 So why not have a Port-a-Potty that is built of stone? The only reason they are normally built of cheap blue plastic is because it is cheap and light weight, and most of all, "portable" (hence the name, "Port-a-Potty"). But I would not want ours to be portable. I want the function of a Port-a-Potty, which is basically a composting toilet, but I want it to be attractive. I want it to look like a little European stone cottage, only smaller. It would look nice, it would be legal, and it would be functional. We could really use one outside because of the cabin. That way I will be satisfied because I will have something cute and made of stone and it will perhaps make our place look more european. It would also be really unique. NO ONE else would have one.

Or a composting toilet would be fine as well. But you get the point. Something that is not an outhouse, but more like a really sophisticated and attractive Port-a-Potty or something like that.
Actually, come to think of it, it is kind of like those outdoor public restrooms at public parks. Those must be composting toilets, because they do not flush, and they are not Port-a-Potty's.

Here are some photos of the stone I like and the European/English stone cottage look that I like:







 So you get the idea. There are hundreds of other photos that I could probably find and post for you to see, but I will just post these for now, even though they are not the very best ever.

(Word Count: 499)

The other thing I want to talk about today is dining rooms. We have a formal living room in the entrance of our house, but right now we are using it as a music room and just a place to sit down in quiet or to seat guests who come over to our house. But personally, I am torn between keeping it as a living room or turning it into an incredible dining room.

It is a very large room, with tall colonial windows that reach almost to the wood floors we recently put in. The room has a very old look about it, somewhat colonial. There is a piano and a Beethoven statue by the windows. There are also a lot of my dad's paintings on display in addition to a secretary and a small white painted antique desk that my dad refurbished.

If I went with making it a dining room, I think I would want to keep the antique look about it and find a table that goes with the time period. I am thinking a Jacobean table, or maybe even Italian Renaissance or Gothic. The only problem is that these tables are either very rare or extremely expensive. I also want a really long table that seats LOTS of guests, like in castles. Here are some of my ideas:

For Your Eyes Only

For Your Eyes Only

Keep me from sharing your letters to me,

Words you wrote just for me

Not for anyone else to see.

Write something lame. Say something dull, dumb, or mundane.

Be trite, and I might resist

The urge to splurge with your verbal gifts.

Send me your letters, still,

But make them boring, if you will.

I cannot help myself, otherwise,

From treating your letters like a prize.

I never thought you’d mind at all

If I shared your words on my Facebook wall.

I only wanted the world to see

the wonderful things you write to me.

You don’t just say “I walked the dog;” you tell me first about the fog,

The shine of rain-wet city streets,

The funny people that you meet.

Were those words so very private?

Speak to me, still, of chores and weather,

And I’ll try to be better at hiding each letter

Like pearls in a treasure chest.

Maine Coon Needs a Home

Our family seems to be having way more trouble with animals than the average person lately. Not only is our thirteen-year-old dog Bailey dying as I am typing this, but we have an extra cat in the house that needs to go, too (except not by means of death, of course).

My mom had originally bought him at the pound because she saw him sitting in his cage that was too small for him and saw that he was not happy. He was confined to a cage that he could barely move in. He had been there for three months, and it seemed nobody had any interest in bringing him home as their pet. He was a mean looking cat, but he was half-price, and Mom sort of took pity on him, I guess. (Apparently, he also reminded my mom of our previous dog, Bailey's brother, Blaise.) Granted, she did this against my dad's will and my will. We did not even know she did it until she came to pick me up from school and I saw a vicious-looking cat staring at me from the back seat of the car.

Back to the point, though. We are now trying to get rid of him. He is not friendly, he does not like other cats (or dogs, for that matter). He does not like much attention to speak of. He either hides out all day by himself, or he is in the kitchen opening cupboard doors looking for canned catfood. (I forgot to mention this cat was three years old when my mom brought him home from the pound, and he had been neutered, implying that he had an owner who either died or abandoned him. But one thing we do know is that this cat was spoiled and was served Fancy Feast for every meal of the day.)

He simply needs to go. He sheds all the time, my family is most likely allergic to him, and he scratches and claws at furniture and fights with our other cat all the time. (Well, according to my mom, it is completely the fault of our other cat. Supposedly, he is the one who initiates all the fights.) Either way, he must go. He needs a new home (although I'm sure that after reading this post, no one will want him). But either way, if you are looking for a beautiful maine coon cat who likes to keep to himself and does not want to live with other animals, he may be a great match for you. He is very quiet, and he meows like a baby and like a girl, which does not fit with his overall looks. He looks mean, but he is really very sweet. He is simply stressed out living around a cat who is constantly trying to fight with him. So if you know of anyone looking for a maine coon, just let me know.

(Word Count: 494)

Our Dog Bailey

Just when I thought our thirteen-year-old female collie dog would live forever, she had another one of her episodes two nights ago and it is still going on today. Her breathing is rapid and irregular, as is her heart beat. She continues to have a rattling cough that will not go away. She did not eat anything at all yesterday, except for the bite or two of Mongolian beef and steamed rice that I somehow managed to get her to swallow. When she finally does drink water, she seems extremeley thirsty, but it is harted to get her started in the first place. She has no appetite. She will not eat her food unless you hold it up for her the entire duration of her meal. She cannot walk anymore, as of last night. She did not leave the house once yesterday, let alone even the small room she was in, to get up and go to the bathroom and/or to eat. When we did get her outside, my dad had to carrie her like a baby and when he sat her down on the grass, she fell. We tried this multiple times, and each time she would fall. She could not even squat to go to the bathroom. Her back legs just kept giving out. I eventually convinced my dad to carry her in and put her on the sofa (something he would NEVER do if this dog were not dying). It seemed to put her at ease ever so slightly, but she still was having trouble breathing. Not to mention, she peed on the sofa. Dad did not even seem that mad. I was in shock. Normally, my dad would be so angry I that would not have words to describe it. But not this time. He remained calm.

As bedtime approached, my dad said she had to go sleep out in the garage because our dog Bailey is afraid of storms and will keep my dad up all night otherwise. Bailey has always walked up to the mailbox every morning with my dad to get the mail, even when she seems like she's at death's door. But today, when I asked him if she did, he said no. This was it. The day that she stops walking up to the mailbox with dad every morning. The day she can no longer get up and walk by herself. The day she can no longer control her bodily functions. The day she officially loses her appetite. This is it. Today or tomorrow, we will have to bring her to the vet to be put down. Her quality of life is no good anymore. To be honest, it hasn't been for awhile. But I think we have been selfish trying to keep her around for so long since her brother did not too long ago. He was put down on my sister's golden birthday, July 19th. So we could either put her down today, or we could wait until tomorrow, the 19th of April, and ironically, my mom's birthday. I guess at least it would be fair this way for my sister, and at least it will not be my mom's golden birthday. We'll see. I hope she's still alive when I come home from school today.

(Word Count: 550)

Silly Blogging Requirements...NOT my idea!

This is just a reminder to everyone who (does not) read my blogs--I would not be writing them if it were not for a grade in an AP Language and Composition class. These blog posts are required and I personally hate writing them. Why should everyone else in the world care what I think or have to say?

I am a private person. I enjoy my privacy. I do not enjoy sharing all of my thoughts and feelings with everyone else in the world/for all to see. There is a reason that I do not have a Twitter account. There is a reason why I do not post status on Facebook.

I am only writing these blogs because they are required for class in school. Each week we are required to post three blog posts, accumulating a total of 1200 words. It really seems like a silly requirement to me. I think it would be more reasonable if you just plain had to have 1200 words. But the fact that we have to have three posts is a different story. What happens when you write one blog that already adds up to 1200 words? Or two of posts combined equal 1200 words? Then you are writing a low-quality post just for the sake of having a third post.

Whatever happened to quality vs. quantity? If these blog posts are supposed to represent our writing skills as AP students, why require multiple posts each week if they will not be quality? And you may argue then, "Well why don't you put effort into all three of them and make sure all of them are high quality and well-written?". The answer is simple. We only have so many things on our mind that we feel are important enough to write about. We should not write about meaningless things just for the sake of words. Instead, we should put forth our very best effort into one or two masterpieces.

Think about it this way. Are famous bloggers required to post a certain number of blog posts each week, and a certain number of words? No. I don't think so.

Real bloggers write only when they feel like it. Only when they have something great to talk about. And they are famous! Some of the best blogs are the ones that are short and sweet; straight to the point. No nonsense.

It is silly for AP students to use filler words and make their blogs as wordy as possible, just in order to fulfill a requirement of 1200 words per week. In fact, I am on a rant and I am guilty of it myself--right now, in this very moment, in this very blog post.

I think it is more important to think about quality vs. quantity when it comes to many things, but especially in blogging for an AP Language and Composition class. It is silly to have a required number of posts and word count each week. It is also unfair to make students write things that the whole public can see, and future employers will someday see. Something that will be on the internet forever, for all the world to see.

I honestly would much rather be writing papers each week...I think.

(Word Count: 623)

P.S. If you look above and see that I posted my word count in parenthisis, there it is. It is required. And I still have to write two more blogs, whether I want to or not. Whether I have anything to say or not. Even if this blog totaled up to enough words. Oh well. Looks like I will be up late again Sunday night, blogging until I barely reach 1200 words.

School Vocabulary Always Comes Back to Haunt You

Remember when you had to do those red Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop books in middle school and high school? It seems as though everyone despised them. Every week we would have to complete a unit that consisted of multiple pages of filling in the blank (completing the sentence), synonyms, antonyms, choosing the right word, and that one at the end that was similar to reading comprehension. Rarely did people take this task seriously. Perhaps this is why these words are coming back to haunt us.

Last night I was thinking about how I would be taking the Iowa Assessments in vocabulary, and I though it would be a good idea to review some vocabulary words since I had saved all my red Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop books from years past. I had the hardest time trying to find them, since my mom had gone through and organized all my old school papers, books, etc. I finally found it on a bookshelf later that evening.

Before testing, I glanced through some of the words in the book so that I could refresh my memory in case any of the same words word be used on the Iowa Tests. Sure enough, quite a few of them were. I guess this goes to show how important learning and studying those vocabulary words are. They will always come back to haunt you.

I sure am glad I took vocabulary seriously and that I saved all my old vocab books from previous years.It really did come in handy.

(Word Count: 259)

Ad Analysis

Ad Analysis

The ad shown below is an ad I used as an analysis in my AP Language and Composition class. We were supposed to analyze the ad and see what kinds of things the advertisers used to appeal to the reader in the magazine. Here are some of the things that I observed:

#1: The advertisers are using a play on words with the word "stems". Now, this part may get complicated and tricky to understand, because this is not the identical ad that I had found in the Glamour magazine. It is similar, but it is missing the part that says "formulated with Raspberry Stem Cell Technology".

This is a play on words because when it says "Youth Stems from Origins", "Stems" is being used as a verb, implying that looking young/youthful comes from (stems from) using this anti-aging cream/product called "Origins". Yet, at the same time, they used the word stems in "formulated with Raspberry Stem Cell Technology".

#2: Another connection to that phrase is the fact that the add pictures fresh red raspberries. Raspberries also provide a burst of vibrant color for the otherwise colorless ad, and raspberries are also known for their anti-aging properties, a result of antioxidants in the berries, which prevent damage to the skin from free radicals.

#3: The marketers are establishing ethos when they say "The truth is nothing can permanently erase wrinkles." The advertisers are admitting/acknowledging the fact that you cannot stop the aging process, but you can at least slow it down or prevent it from worsening. This makes them look like better people for telling the truth about anti-aging products.

#4: Another way they establish ethos is encouraging the reader to read the reviews of women who have already used and rated their product. This shows how confident they are in the quality and effectiveness of their product. Reviews usually show both the good and the bad in the product. Some will give rave reviews, others will only give the product one star out of five. But this company is so sure that their product will work that they believe the good reviews will outweigh the bad.

#5: This company makes the claim that you will see results within four weeks of using this product. It says "83% showed an improvement in the appearance of lines and wrinkles in just 4 weeks." This would also be an example of logos, because they are using reasoning/logic to persuade the reader to buy the product.