Masquerade!

 

To all the social elite, a charity Masquerade is being held to benefit the less fortunate. Come enjoy a night of music, delicious and exotic food from distant lands, and meet the charity owners so you may better understand what it is you are donating your hard earned money to. I promise that only the best and most deserving of charities will be in attendance of this event. This event is invitation only.

 Come dressed in your best formal attire and a superb mask to hide your identity. Where is the fun if there is no intrigue? We expect to see the most intricate and astounding masks. Do not forget that the dress code is formal attire, we expect everyone to be wearing their best attire for the photographers. Since we do assume that many of you would like to remember this night, I am sure some of you would not mind getting your photo taken for the local papers. We are also pleased to say that we are going to have some very famous names attending our party.  

All that is asked of you is that you bring a generous donation for the marvelous charities presenting themselves at this great party. After all, we are holding this masquerade to raise money and awareness for the select charities attending. However, that does not mean we cannot have fun while doing so. 

 We will be hosting this festive celebration at our family estate. The entire estate will be open to the party and the delectable food will be served in the main dining room. There will be the best entertainers money can afford and the halls will be filled with such sweet and enticing melodies, you will be hardly able to resist their siren like call.

The food will appeal to your bolder and curious tastes, such as spicy cuisine from India or the exotic miracle fruit which turns the sour to savory sweet. Perhaps try the tangy flavor of mangosteen, we certainly will be serving a dish to appeal to all pallets. The party will begin at 7 p.m. and will end around 11.We hope to see you tonight, this certainly will be the party you do not want to miss.     

Damn Attention Seekers

 Dear Attention Seekers:

 I've become so fed up you being so desperate for the limelight. Honestly, I will never understand why you feel that you only have any self worth when all eyes are on you. I find you both baffling and infuriating when you try so hard to have everyone's attention on you. Also, you really humiliate yourself when they try so hard and end up making a fool of yourself, perhaps a hard lesson learned. What seems to be the defining trait of you attention hungry idiots is your desperation to do anything to put you in the center of attention, whether that means through lies to place them on top or doing completely crazy and plain stupid things. Perhaps all attention seekers need some serious help if you feel the need to constantly be the center of attention.

  You always mimic whatever the current trend is or do completely outlandish actions. You take on the most current trend just so you can say you did it first, which you didn't. Then you have the nerve to talk down to others who aren't as "hip" as you. As if that wasn't enough, you act like a damn fool for attention. Claiming you are being unique. That's just insulting to those who are truly unique in such ways.

  Then you constantly post on Facebook about how upset or depressed they are. Now, I understand Facebook is a place where we all talk about our lives but some people are just doing it for attention. When you post a very cryptic or passive aggressive status update and not explain the whole situation, you're asking for attention. This method is sad and just annoying. If you have a problem and want it solved there is such a thing as actually talking to someone. Doesn't sound too hard does it?

  Don't even get me started on how you guys get SO jealous of people. So what, you expect everyone to be fawning all over you every single second of the day? The second someone else gets even a glimmer of attention you become so consumed by your envy that you're willing to do whatever it takes to get back in the spotlight. Even if that means being rude and loud towards other people. Guess you like whatever attention you can get, even if that means you lose respect from other people.

  Perhaps everything else might be forgivable, if you attention seeking fools wouldn't lie or try to sabotage others. So what if someone else gets the lead role in the play, at least you're apart of it. I get it, some attention is great sometimes. Still, that doesn't give you the right to hurt other people just so you can get it. I mean that is just pathetic. Plus, that just makes you seem untrustworthy and petty.

  I don't think it would be hard for you attention seekers to talk to someone and figure out why you are so desperate for the spotlight. If you just dug down deep to the root of your problems, perhaps you wouldn't be so annoying. You could tackle the problem and then you wouldn't be so eager for everyone's approval and attention. The only approval that should truly matter to you is your own and the people that really matter to you. Perhaps then you wouldn't be so desperate to impress or grab people's attention. Maybe if you attention seekers just tone things down a bit, perhaps people wouldn't be so frustrated with them.

Sincerely,
Andrew Mas

 

A Very Interesting Reading

   Dan Josefson Gave much insight during the reading of his new book, "That's Not A Feeling". The passages he chose proved to be interesting and memorable. However, there was one that also tugged at your heart strings. Where the main character, Benjamen, was left by his parents at a boarding school by his parents.He was tricked by his parents into attending the school. Josefson also discussed what had inspired him to write this novel. The The reading was very compelling and easily persuaded me to purchase a copy of the book. 

   While I found the content of the reading attention-grabbing, the tone of the reader was anything but that. His voice seemed very monotone. On top of that he also acted somewhat shy. I understand that readings aren't a roller coaster ride. Still, a little energy and speaking with more confidence always helps. However, as someone once told me, writers prefer to let their work speak for itself, and what a tale josefson's work tells.

  Josefson's process is one of hard work and dedication. Writing the book took a total of six years to finish. After many revisions he finally had what he felt was right and worked to get it published. However, in this novel, Josefson stated that his style differed very much from his first novel that he wrote.

  Like most writers, Josefson drew inspiration from his personal experience. He worked as a teacher at a boarding school for a few years. While it wasn't exactly the same as the school in his novel, there were similar elements. I feel when a person uses their own experiences it enhances the content of their work.

  I found the reading to be worthwhile and am glad i attended. The passages both showcased elements of comedy and some drama. These elements certainly caught the attention of the audience. After each passage, Josefson left everyone eager to know what came happened next. His Q&A gave much insight to his process and what drove him to getting where he is today. Josefson seems like a good person with a great talent. I believe that many people will buy his latest novel, "That's Not A Feeling". I know that after the reading, i was eager to go purchase a copy of the novel. Josefson will definitely have readers on the look out for his next piece of work.

Work Cited

Josefson, Dan "That's Not A Feeling" reading, Nassau Community College Library, Garden City, NY. 29 October 2014

  

Where I stand on digital vs print

   Print has long been the "go-to" resource. However, print had far more limitations than any other resource. As time passed a new resource became available, digital. As Dan Blank stated in his article, "Digital Is Better Than Print", digital has more potential than print.

 Digital is becoming the "go-to" resource. Being able to go through all relevant media speeds up research. As stated in the article, "back when libraries were the sole repositories of information... always found the process of information retrieval arduous and disappointing" (Blank). Also people are feeling more comfortable with digital resources. Now if someone wanted to find out a historical event that took place five hundred years ago, they would just have to type it into a search engine. Even in schools, digital resources are being used for many study projects. As Dan Blank stated in his article, people are starting to see digital resources become involved in their everyday life. 

 Print takes up space while digital is more compact. A large space would be needed to hold hundreds of print copies. However, on a digital device, it is possible to look up current events, weather, or public transit information. Using digital is faster and simpler than print.

 Print consumes hundred of of trees to produce newspapers. Newspapers are extremely short lived, "Just look at the trash bins at Penn station in New York by 9:30 a.m.; they are flowing with current day's paper" (Blank). Digital may consume energy, however, it is less wasteful. Having content on the internet makes it available to everyone in the world at once. A single digital copy can last forever.

 Digital has many attributes that prove its worth. It requires less resources and outputs less waste than print. Digital can be shaped for any problem. Anyone can access digital resources. Also, anyone can contribute to digital resources. Though digital may not fully replace print anytime soon, it has proven itself to be more useful and more green than print. People will become more inclined to use digital resources in the coming times. 

  Sources:

Blank, Dan "why Digital Is Better Than Print" I feel fine: how I learned to stop worrying and love the web.danblank.com.n.p.5 august 2000.web.http://danblank.com/blog/2009/08/05/why-digital-is-better-than-print/

Welcome Post

Hello all,

This is my first blog and already I find this kinda interesting, even though I don't know the first thing about blogs or what to post. But, it's still an interesting way to learn and teach a class. Anyways, My first assignment is complete for class.