How does Outliers connect to MY life?

            Outliers was a very mysterious and quite connectable book. Gladwell describes the differences that can connect to my life, and the lives of many others. These connections are the outliers in our lives. These outliers are the differences that make us unique and noticeable. An outlier is something that is situated away or that is markedly different from others of the sample or related body.

A connection to my life is when my mom went through her pregnancy. During the beginning years of my parents’ marriage, they were sure they wanted to have children. At this time, my mother didn’t know that she carried a genetic disease called a translocation. When my mom got pregnant for the first time, my parents were very excited for the life of their new child. My parents bought clothes, diapers, and even created a nursery during the first two months of the pregnancy. About two and a half months in, my mother experienced the most tragic incident that could’ve ever happened. She miscarried her first child. This experience made her feel like an outlier. The knowledge that she might not be able to have kids, frightened and made her very angry. She felt different than all of her other friends, and she was jealous of how their pregnancies’ were healthy and going normal. Her outlier feelings made her become sad and alone. Luckily, she came out of these feelings and tried again to have a baby. My parents but everything in the past, and hoped for the best. At this time she still didn’t know about her translocation. My mom became pregnant again, and became very aware and fearful to endanger the baby. She stayed inside and incubated the carrier of the unknown disease. Again, the baby miscarried, and my mom felt beaten. She was an outlier; she wasn’t able to have children. She saw other mothers and families holding and loving their children, but she wasn’t able to have her dream. She felt different and some what unique compared to others. Her thoughts of maybe she wasn’t supposed to have children. Well, she wanted to accomplish her dream, and she knew that she was going to. She then sought genetic counseling. She found out that her number 3 and 18 chromosomes translocated. This means that when the baby started to develop, the translocation halted the growth and prevented the baby from developing. The doctor said that she most likely wasn’t able to hold a pregnancy and that she should stop trying. Well, against the doctors words, my parents did try again, and the pregnancy worked. No miscarriages or outlier feelings. She felt proud and showed off her stomach. She was told that her pregnancy was healthy and that although the baby carried the translocation, it didn’t affect his growth.

My mom then conquered her inner outlier, and created me. Her outlier was that she wasn’t able to have a baby. She felt alone, and sad, but her outlier turned for the better, and showed that maybe being an outlier can show you the better things in life and to never give up.

        I can also connect to the 10,000 hour rule. When I started playing guitar, I found it to be quite difficult. I knew that practice was key, and that I needed to try and work very hard to achieve the ability that I wanted to. “The Beatles ended up traveling to Hamburg five times between 1960 and the end of 1962. On the first trip they played 106 nights, five or more hours a night. On their second trip, they played 92 times."  (49) This shows and connects to me by saying that much practice is needed to achieve a talent at something you want to be good at. The Beatles practiced everyday for multiple hours, and although I didn’t practice for 4-5 hours a day, I did try to be the best at what my teacher was teaching me. I tried to achieve my goal of practicing daily. “We played seven nights a week. At first we played almost nonstop till twelve-thirty, when it closed, but as we got better the crowds stayed till two most mornings.”(49) This shows pure dedication in The Beatles’ passion. They wanted to become the best they possibly could, so they played long nights and practiced every day. Although I never played 10,000 hours, I did always try my best, and wanted to be the best I possibly could. I can relate to The Beetles because they always tried their hardest, and worked long hours to be the best. “We got better and got more confidence. We couldn’t help it with all the experience playing all night long.” (49) As I became better with guitar, I also became more confident, and wanted to play longer and longer. Although I never became the best, I improved my guitar skills greatly. When I started in April of 2002 I barley knew how to hold the guitar, but at the end of June 2008, I knew how to read sheet music, and play by ear! Learning guitar taught me that practice is much needed, and that the skills needed to be perfect take a lot of time. The time needed to become perfect does take 10,000 hours. These hours are consumed with large amounts of hard work and dedication that are needed to achieve your best ability.
            Another part of Outliers that I can relate to is flight of Avianca 052. As a child, I was very timid, and lacked courage. I rarely talked in school, and was a little unsocial. This related to the story when Klotz didn’t use strong enough words to express their point. “ATC: And Avianca zero-five-two heavy, ah, I’m gonna bring you about fifteen miles northeast and then turn you back onto the approach. Is that okay with you and your fuel?
Klotz: I guess so. Thank you very much.” (199) When Klotz said I guess so, this indicated that he isn’t positive and isn’t sure about the situation. He didn’t want to stand up the ATC and say that they needed to land now, and there was no time to waste. He wasn’t bold enough to speak up, and command because the JFK ATC’s are known to be rude. “The thing you have to understand about that crash,” Ratwatte said “is that New York air traffic controllers are famous for being rude, aggressive and bullying.” (200)  This tells us that to an immigrant, speaking up to a foreign person can be very intimidating. As a child, I was very much independent probably as a result of being an only child. I grew and learned how to talk to people over time, but from a young age, I had a problem of speaking to strangers, adults, or anyone intimidating. Intimidating people are very difficult to speak to. Speaking to an unknown person, who obviously has a harsh reputation, is very scary, and is hard to get the point across. I do agree that the captain should’ve spoken up, but I also do agree that speaking to new people is also very difficult!
            Being an Outlier accompanies everyone’s lives. Everyone is an outlier in some way. An Outlier is someone that is different. Is different bad? Uniqueness is what people noticeable. Being noticed is much easier when standing out of the crowd. Being ordinary isn’t very much fun. Standing out makes you be remembered. An outlier is a difference from others. This can apply to almost any circumstance. An outlier is neither good nor bad. Being an outlier shows that differences are what makes humans recognizable. Similarities are noticed, but uniqueness is embraced.
           

Ugly Poetry Prompt

The Ogres

The Ogres
Green, fat, and sedentary
The fat ones eat mice
throw the bones to the floor
a compost pile grows and grows
Their lives consumed with dirt
Being the dirtiest possible
Mud baths and skunk perfumes
Consume their lives
The Ogres live their lives
Death comes as a priveledge
The dirt
The stench
The filth
All ordinary for the green monsters
Their ears
Small craters
Wax drips from them
Their eyes, black with depth
Never ending filth
Their ugliness
Deep within their soul
No way of getting it out
The ugly
A curse
The Orgres

Microfiction: The clock struck one

The clock struck one. There was only 2 hours left. In the back of my mind I knew it could never be done. My task; to steal La Joconde, better known as The Mona Lisa. My destiny was chosen, and I had no choice. I needed to retrieve La Joconde or else my life would come to a halt. I was blackmailed into stealing this masterpiece because of a previous reward that I never returned. I was told that if I hadn't retrieved the piece that I would, and will be hunted down, and killed. This thought sent shivers down my spine. The thought of not knowing my death frightened me.

The time had arrived. I stood face to face with the world wide celebrity. Inside le Musée du Louvre were guards that were obviously armed and not afraid to use their weapons if the circumstances arrived. I thought about my fastest escape route. An emergency exit on the right and left, but guards stood their post in front of these doors. The only other route was to walk with her out the front door. My decision was made up. I grabbed Mona and jolted to the right exit which was closest to the street. I kicked the switch blade out of my heel and stabbed the guard in his right thigh. He immediately fell to the floor, and yelled for backup. Before the next guard could get to the door, the alarms had locked the door and I was out. Down the stairs and into the street I went. My hood covered my sweaty head and Mona was covered in a portfolio style bag. The sirens became louder and louder, the cops were on the road now. I blended in with the crowd, and didn’t attract any attention. When the cop cars passed by me, my heart rate dropped tremendously. A large relief was off my shoulders, but I still had to get La Joconde to my blackmailer. Street corner after street corner, I eventually arrived at La Rue de Partir. I reached his building with 15 minutes to spare. I repaid my debt, and out I went; alive and breathing. My life was spared, but I still had to leave France without being recognized. I accomplished the un-accomplishable. I stole The Mona Lisa

TU Tuesday- Editorial

Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.

http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Young-drivers-safety-2398131.php

After reading the article on yound drivers safety, I now understand why driving laws are put in place. These laws can be "harsh" but are created for a reason! Connecticuts young drivers laws are now proven to be effective! The article says, "The number of crashes in which 16- or 17-year old drivers were identified as a contributing factor was down 28 percent in 2009." 28 percent is quite a difference! These laws indicate that a driver that hasn't had their license for at least six months cannot drive another individual in the car. I can see that these laws have prevented accidents and maybe even deaths! Although they may be "inconvenient," they are there for a one and only one reason; to prevent injury and accidents. Childrens may rebel against these laws, but the article says "Parents, obviously, are the first line of defense in making the restrictions effective -- and in protecting their children's well-being." This means that the parents have to be responsible enough to enforce these laws. I think these laws are effective, meaningful, and strict.

My T-Shirt Vote

I vote for the t-shirt "It'll set you free." pg.4
If I win, I would like peanut butter please!

Creative Contest I Blog

picture gotten from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower

Q=Queensland Heeler

Breed Description-Courageous, tireless, robust, compact working dog. The dog is agile, well-muscled, powerful and determined while working. The length of the body is a little longer than it is tall. The tail is held moderately low hanging at a slight curve. The front legs are straight, strong, round bone, extending to the feet. The feet are round and the toes are short. The skull is broad is slightly curved between the ears, flattening to a slight but definite stop. The ears are wide-set, moderate in size, and pricked when alert. The nose is black. The dark brown, medium-sized eyes are oval in shape.


Appearance/Size-Height: Males 17-20 inches (43-51cm) Females 17-19 inches (43-48cm)
Weight: Males 32-35 pounds (15-16kg) Females 30-35 pounds (14-16kg)


Diet-Omnivore, Would be fine eating any store bought bagged food, as well as canned. The supplement of oil in their food will help emliminate hot spots.


Temperament-The Australian Cattle Dog is a loyal, brave, hardworking, herding breed. One of the most intelligent breeds, they are not the kind of dog to lay around the living room all day or live happily in the backyard with only a 15 minute walk. They need much more exercise than that and something to occupy their mind daily or they will become bored, leading to serious behavior problems. They need action in their life and will do best with a job. This alert dog is excellent in the obedience ring and will excel in agility and herding trials.


Shedding-The short-haired, weather-resistant coat needs little care and is very easy to groom. Just comb and brush with a firm bristle brush, and bathe only when necessary. This breed tends to shed their coats once or twice per year. Their coat doesn't shed very often.


Health/Allergies/Vaccines-Life expectancy of 12-15 years. They are prone to hot spots, which can be managed with adding an oil to their food. They are prone to hip dysplasia, and PRA. Regular shots and rabies vaccines are a must if the dog will be outdoors often.


Information and Picture taken from : http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/australiancattledog.htm 

Creativity Breeds Creativity

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/741114/spray_paint_art_1/

Small Poetry Prompt

Drusillas Eye

Deep black
Forceful in expression
Scared to make contact

Drus' small eye
Not like the other
The other seems large and healthy
But this eye is very small
So small..I hardly believe she can see
Her wondering and mysterious eye
Follows you wherever you walk
Its small pupil reaches the colorful skin
All black
No color
No destinct shape
No ability

Drus small eye
Stuck on her body
Unable of its control
My fish, Drusillas, Eye