Tuesday, May 7, 2013

blog 13

The poem that I like the best was "my papas waltz" which brought back many memories of my younger days some of them very unpleasant memories but a lot of good memories of my father who left this world to early.
The poem that I liked the least was "ode on a Grecian urn" that poem went into to much detail on a insignificant item that he could only enjoy.
My favorite short story was the story to build a fire written Jack London whose read many times in my past.
My least favorite short story was the hungry artist which again went into too much detail about things that were not important except for the people that were there.
Death of a sales man is a good story to work as a group discussion and also if the play was acted out it would be easier to understand.
Both of these movies are a necessary items for group discussion and I feel we would gain more knowledge if we focused on these items instead of the poems.
yes, watching the videos helps those students that are visual learners because students are becoming more visual learners.
My favorite in-class activity was when we had visiting professors come to the class because it provide us a different view of the material that we were learning.
I found that 40 poems was a bit too much for a literature class that has so much material to cover.
small group discussion were a valuable learning lesson and they did not have to present to be a learning stimuli.
No, the best items for this class would be more visiting instructors giving different views about the poems, short stories and plays.
The blog entries are a good idea for traditional students but the non-traditional students find no help in it.
The one enjoyed the most was on the death of a sales man because it gave many different views of the story.
The one I enjoyed the least was the one about Facebook which I found boring and gained very little knowledge.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Biffs letter to his kids

      I am writing this letter to let my children know the kind of grandfather that they never got to know. He was a traveling salesman that loved his wife and boys and dedicated his life to his job to ensure they had everything that they needed. Having said this, he was gone a lot in our lives. Grandma did most disciplining and raising of Happy and myself over the years as we were growing up. Grandpa always tried to make it home for the weekends.  When we went to school, he always tried to make it to the school functions. Not that grandpa was perfect in any way, as I was to find out in the last part of my senior year.
      He taught Happy and myself to be self reliant and taught us how to do repairs on household items, automotive repairs and especially additions to the house and repairs to the house. All of this taught us to be responsible adolescents and leaders in the sports programs, if I would have graduated, I would have had a college degree.
        The one fault that ran not only through the family, and grandpa as well, was too much pride. We all used pride to hide behind when we failed, and this was the big reason why your grandfather is not here today. It was because of this fault that he felt it was better to take his own life, rather than let his family know he had failed in life and his job, his dementia also affected this decision.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

diary

Diary entry past,
Willie just left today this morning 700 mile route. I have not yet got the boys up and off to school and I'm sitting here in my quite house drinking a cup of coffee and writing in my diary. From the way that the sun is coming up it looks like it is going to be a nice day. I think I'll work this morning in the kitchen cleaning the cupboards and doing the dishes. Then, this afternoon I'll sit on the front porch and darn Willies pants and shirt until the boys come home. Then, I will make them a snack and then, I'll chase them outside to play and start making dinner for the three of us.

Diary entry present,
Willie is still asleep upstairs. His dementia is getting worse and Beff and Happy are home again neither one of them are married or have a job. This makes me very depressed I wish the boys would settle down to a wife and good job. Sure wish the boys could help us with some money. The bills are starting to piling up Willie says he fixes things and I have to wait for him to leave to get actually fixed. I am also starting to worry about Willie because I think he is considering suicide. The car accidents are happening to often and I found a hose behind the fuse box and some new plumbing on the natural gas hot water heater.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

lottery

     A person is walking down the street in front of an elementary school when an individual starts shooting at the children in the playground. Do you put yourself in the line of fire to save the children or do you just keep going and not look back? Is this a commentary on the short story the lottery or is it totally different. We are talking about putting your life at risk for another instead of stoning. I would say that they are similar due to the fact that there is always someone in the community that would be willing to sacrifice for the greater of good of the community.
       In the story the Lottery there are many different cliques amongst the community. Some of those cliques would be willing to walk on past the event that is going on and would not be willing to sacrifice their life for someone else but their are other cliques that would stop and help out that person who is being stoned to death. There is always two groups of people out there in the world. The first clique can possibly be described as the families that moved away and the other clique be represented by the ladies who picked up the large rocks.   
       Which clique would you belong to? Would be you willing to give your life for the greater good or would you be the one that would keep on going and ignore everyone else's needs. Lets hope that this decision never has to be made in actuality but there are many video games that have been invented with this purpose in mind and the military has done a lot of training with this in mind. So which would you be?

Thursday, March 14, 2013

faux facebook account



Charlotte
rough day today felt depressed may be this house
John
there she goes again nothing is wrong with her accept in her mind
Mark
I agree it is all in her mind
Charlotte
took my medicine today still not well. waiting for help
Charlotte
worked in the garden today and it is a very quite place to work
John
I am glad you took you medicine and worked in the garden it will help your depression
Mark
I agree
Charlotte
the room at the top floor of the house has had many different changes over the years from nursery to a gym and now our room so depressing.
John
you need to exercise and get plenty of fresh air as long as you are able and try to eat a healthy lunch.
Charlotte
our room has flamboyant wallpaper and has patches all over the room and the color is a very revolting and unclean yellow.
John
I am willing to change  the color of the room and add safety features
Charlotte
Have been reading articles from this website
www.mddprescriptionoption.com/

Thursday, March 7, 2013

boy


Boy

Wash the car on Saturday and vacuum it on Sunday. This is after you have gone to service. Do not sing the songs that you learned at the corral on the way to services. Go to school during the week unless it’s summer than mow the lawn and rake the grass. Then in the evenings water the lawn. On Tuesday, wash the outside of the windows and sweep the sidewalks and make sure you wear a hat you do not what to get a sunburn or cancer.  Then clean your room and take your clothes to the laundry room and hide your magazines, you know how mom is about those magazines. On Wednesday, chop and stack the fire wood so that by winter we will have enough for the winter then sweep and clean up the mess and do not break the handle in the axe. Thursday, help mom in the morning hoe the garden and water the flowers, check on the cattle, the chickens and make sure the feeders are full. They have water to drink and do not lick the salt lick you do not know where the cows mouth has been. Friday, work the sale at the corral and stay away from the men you drink too much and fight with each other, always remember to be nice to the ladies and greet them with respect.  Remember Friday night is bath night, so try to get there early the water the cleanest then. Go the dance on Friday night but stay away from the forward girls and the girls you don’t like and do not get in fights over those forward girls. If you are going to smoke make it cigars and do it outside so mom doesn’t smell it on your clothes.  Do not drink too much, you have work to do on Saturday. Remember the golden rule everything you do is a representation of the family name so keep your word don’t shirks your responsibilities and respect your elders.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

dialogue

Two brothers sitting in a local pub discussing the local football team over a glass of beer and a chess board. One brother said to the other that the local football team was looking for a new head coach and the other brother said that he was not interested in the job. The first brother said why not you were the star wide recevier when we went to college in the early 80s. The second brother said no I still can't do it because of the years sitting in the pub drinking and not focusing on my health. The first brother said thats ok the current head coach has been here with you for the  last year. The second brother said you are correct you should get out there and coach the team. The two brothers finished their beers and their chess game and wheeled their wheel chairs out the door and headed towards the street which lead to the local nursing home, where they lived and they had the same room.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

test prep #2

personification
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZHKsTN2lc4

what is a personification?
A. a statement that on the surface that it possibly cannot be true
B. a use of language that is elevated
C. a word that invokes a range of additional meanings
D. a type of metaphor in which human characterisics are to given to something inanitmate, animal or abstract.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

review for test

Onomatopoeia
Here is a youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1b5kCvVBo8
Is a term referring to the use of a word that resembles the sound it denotes?
A. simile
B. metaphor
C. onomatopoeia
D. oxymoron

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

howl imitation


Looking back at the younger generation is

 Like looking at a spring flower bed

Many have bloomed with beautiful

 Flowers of red, yellow and white

Many still are in their buds of green

 And a few have wilted and died

All around the beautiful flowers is

The warm black soil with its many attributes

There are of course the weeds and drugs

 Of misfortune that rear their heads

The bugs of despair in the form of

Alcohol and smoke that chew on their leaves

Most of them still become the beautiful adults

 Of summer with all their flaws

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

imagery poem

wrecking
sliding across the double yellow
watch out for the ditch

Monday, February 4, 2013

sestina


The Religious Leader

# Stanza 1
we have cherished the honor
we expect the integrity
we all have courage
we all expect trust
we are one large happy family
all because of faith
# Stanza 2
many great leaders have used  faith
they all have a higher honor
because of the aspect of family
and the expectation of integrity
they have earned our trust
because of their courage
# Stanza 3
some have died because of courage
they all had a strong faith
in the name of trust
and the promise of honor
and integrity
they left their family
# Stanza 4
we all need family
to support our courage
and strenghten our integrity
and our faith
to keep our honor
we need the trust
# Stanza 5
you can fell the trust
in the family
there will always be honor
when you have courage
and a strong faith
with integrity
# Stanza 6
with all of the integrity
you can build trust
that will support the faith
and the family
through the courage
and the promise of  honor
# Envoi (includes two keywords per line!)
the integrity of the family
has built the trust and courage
of the leaders of the faith and the people's  honor

Thursday, January 31, 2013

ode to a tree


Ode to a Tree

There it stands in the January snow

Its limbs bare and clean

Waiting for the coming of the spring show

Now it’s April time for the color green

The flowers will be a reading to bloom

Awaiting the bees of June and July

The flowers will be show your look

As the flowers fade you will need a groom

The wind will make the blooms have a fly

This will show the other treasure: the fruit book

 

In the October sun the leaves began to fall

The friends of your beauty will take a peek

Many will take an admiration of your color wall

Your beauty will only show you are meek

As the weather begins to take a chill

            You will begin to lose that splendor

            Your branches will become bare

            One will know it is not your will

            However, all will still know your grander

            The weather will change to make this fair

            As the circle completes you will once again fit the bill

           

 

 

 

Now in December we’re back to the snow

 The bare limbs await the return of spring

Monday, January 28, 2013

litany


You are the peanut butter and the Jam,

the brandy  and the brandy snifter.

You are the fog on the lake

and snow on the mountain.

You are the bib on the baby,

and the robins of the spring.

However, you are not sun in the sky,

moon and stars,

or bees in the hive.

And you are certainly not center of my universe.

There is just no way that you are the most important thing in my life.

It is possible that you are the cows in the feed lot,

maybe even the seagulls on the wire,

but you are not even close

to being the rose in the rose garden.

And a quick look in the mirror will show

that you are neither he tools on the work bench  nor the car in the garage. 

It might interest you to know,

speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,

that I am the sound of the children in the hallway of the school.

I also happen to be the fireworks in the sky,

toilet paper going down the toilet

and the basket of fruit on the dining room table.

I am also the _light in the parking lot

and the _old women sitting on the porch.

But don't worry, I'm not the peanut butter and the jam.

You are still the peanut butter and the jam.

You will always be the peanut butter and the jam,

not to mention the  brandy  and--somehow--the  brandy snifter.

 

 

Thursday, January 24, 2013

intro

Hi my name is Greg Nau and I am from a small town on the camas prairie, that if you blinked you would miss it because its population is 145 and the name of it is Ferdinand, Idaho. My pastimes are hunting,fishing and my favorite pastime is spending time with my two grandchildern.
I spent 24 years in the United States Armed Forces and was able to see many different foreign different countries with my family.
I am currently in my fourth year and in a five year program studying business management. When I graduate in December 2014 I am going to start my own handyman business.