Diction

A) Cynicism, amidst, spectrum, habitual, effortlessly, inclination, debilitating and strenuous


B)

Elevation: Ornamental, intelligent

Connotaition: imaginative, lyrical

Sound: Melodious, Euphonious

C) Alain De Bottons melodious and ornamental diction uniquely depicts his realistic and sentimental contemplations pertaining to human beings and love.

Me Talk Pretty One Day 125-141

Another snow day. I guess that's cool because I can catch up on the work I have to do. I still need to finish Catfish with Lucy and Ayesha... I'm hoping I can do that this Friday. Then I have to babysit my little cousins over the weekend, we're definitely going to have a VCR marathon. I'm going to pull out the good ones like Quest for Camelot, Pocahontas, Thumbelina, Nemo (not Finding Nemo), The Lion King, Anastasia and The Last Unicorn. At five years old, these movies were my drugs.

City of Angels
Okay, well in this chapter David has one of his old pals from North Carolina come to NYC for a visit. She ask if she can bring in a friend named Bonnie. Well this "Bonnie" ends up being more of a hassle than anything fun. Shes loud, demanding and very very bossy. David wanted to show her NYC through his eyes but she just wanted to go to all the crowded sites. She was caught saying things such as "I flew 500 miles to see NYC and all I got was a milkshake and some damned hash browns, some trip this turned out to be." Finally he just gave up a insisted that she go find the NYC shes looking for because he obliviously doesn't know it.

A Shiner Like A Diamond
One day out of the blue David's dad called to announce the exciting news about David's sister, Amy. Amy was supposedly scheduled to be on the front of a magazine cover about NYC interesting women. Now David's dad has always thought looks were a big deal. Once Amy, his sister, had dressed up in a fat suit when visiting their father. Immediately Mr.Sedaris seemed upset and overwhelmed he even offered to go on a jog with her. In the end she revealed that she was wearing a fat suit and Mr. Sedaris rejoiced.

Okey Dokey Artichokey. Have you heard of that phrase before? My mom used to say it all the time. Shiner Like a Diamond is on my list for top stories I've read by David Sedaris is was really really fun. I enjoyed both chapter though. Had a nice chuckle or two.

MeTalk Pretty One Day 100-124

 Arthur Robins

The Great Leap Forward

In this chapter David talks about his early years back in New York City. He goes on and on about his obsession with nice houses and how living in NYC is a real money drainer. He then proceeds to talk about his crazy jobs such as the time he was an assistant for a woman named Valencia. He did not enjoy working for her... One day she came into her house aka his office with a sign for a missing bird. The birds name was Cheeky and she was planning to catch it with David's help of course. Well that's when David had had enough he wasn't about to go running around the city calling out for a dumb bird named Cheeky. So he quit and took on a job as a mover. He want real fond of this job either but it was better than nothing so he signed himself up. His boss Patrick was a Communist and sometimes would refuse to work for certain clients such as the very wealthy. They rarely moved things of great value around such as Museum artifacts and etc. One time the person they were suppose to help move hadn't even prepared their selves with boxes, instead she had just left everything there for them to load tediously into the ruck. Wouldn't that be fun.

Today's Special
David and his boyfriend Decide to go out to eat because its Hugh's birthday. However David has something against NYC restaurants. He talks about the creative dishes you will find that are almost inedible. Things such as Herb-encrusted medallions of baby artichoke hearts. He lives in SoHo so this is expected I guess. He jokes about ordering a skirt streak with a medley of suffocated peaches dipped in a aspirin sauce to top it off.

Cool. These two chapters where okay, not my favorites but not boring either. I have so much to catch up on since I was sick three days last week. We have a winter storm advisory who knows maybe an extra two hours will do me good. If I don't stay asleep that is.

SNL

Bahahahaha. Ok well I was watching Snl and I thought this skit was really funny. I don't know why but I couldn't stop cracking up. Then again, they can make anything funny. This one  made my day. Well not quite...but close.

Me Talk Pretty One Day 83-100

Well I'm still at home sick which is really lame. Plus my mother won't let me go to Lucy's to finish Catfish on Thursday...which also puts a damper on my day. Maybe I can persuade her. I have a severe case of boredom. Sometimes I just stare at my cats sitting in front of the window, basking in the sun. They have a pretty easy life. Sunbath, eat, sleep, etc... but then again everyday would be like a sick day if I were a cat. Life would be boring.

The Learning Curve
In this short story David mentions his year teaching at a writing workshop and the struggles that emerged. He came in expecting the class to be prepared and maybe even tell him what to do, but that was not the case they just stared blankly ahead at him.The only time he had put into the class itinerary had to do with his cut out maple leafs with their names on them. One student even criticized his smoking habits in which he replied most writers smoke. However that student proceeded to name off writers that did not smoke such as Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters. So the class went on being boring, everyone hoping someone else would break the ice. One student wrote about her previous divorce and titled the paper "I Deserve Another Chance". David gave her his evaluation of her paper in which she disliked. She ended up having a freak attack "Who are you" she asked over and over again almost mocking him. Until he gave up and gave a very honest reply "I'm the only one paid to be in this room".

Big Boy
This stories funny but in a gross way so I will not be going depth. Basically David went to the bathroom and the only Toilet was clogged. He had someone waiting for him to finish up in the bathroom so he had to hurry. In the end he realized a cool new thing about life. The end.


These two chapters were nice and I really enjoyed them I Like the names he picks for the chapters because they usually correspond. The one thing I like about his writing is that even when your not expecting to laugh you laugh. Haha. Just like that.

Me Talk Pretty One Day 60-82

Being sick is not fun. I think I have the flu because my fever will not go down. I'm actually starting to miss school...but I know when I get back I'm going to be bombarded with a bunch of homework. Oh joy. Lets go on to the book.

You can't Kill the Rooster
Another one of my favorites when it comes to David's short stories. I can't go into to much depth because its semi-inappropriate. David basically Talks about his brother, Paul. See Paul has a little bit of a potty mouth (if you want to make a understatement that is). He is a fluent cusser and seems to be most proud of his vulgar talent. To Paul saying the f-bomb is second nature. At first this really ticks off David because when he was growing up in the sedaris house, his parents would flip out if he said one offensive word. Not Paul though, he can cuss his heart out if he truly pleases. Paul has good attributes to though. Like when David's mother died, Paul was there for Mr.Sedaris cussing away.

The Youth in Asia.
In this chapter David talks about the Sedaris many pets. When he was younger they had two collies named Rastus and Duchess.  Rastus took of later on and Duchess grew old until she well...died. So the family bought a new puppy named Madchen however it was hit by a car. So they adopted a new puppy named Madchen II who was ignored for most of her life until she became older and need assistants. After most of the kids had moved out of the house, the parents got Melina the great dane. Now Melina was crazy she chewed up everything but the parents loved her. Sometimes David  even questioned his parents love for the dogs over their own children.

That's all folks. Nice chapters, Youth in Asia was kind of sad. I really enjoy this book and I'm actually almost done with it. Well I have to study so I'm caught up with everything.

Me Talk Pretty One Day 32-59

Genetic Engineering
In this chapter David once again talks a lot about his father and growing up. David's dad is or was supposedly a genius, he even helped make one of the first computers. The author goes on about how Mr. Sedaris may have been smart but when seeking advice he would always give a very lengthy replies. This frustrated David, and at times he would even avoid his dad in fear that a new scientific lesson would be taught. Later on David mentions the family trip they take every year and how his mother and sisters would have tanning competitions. One of his sisters was so good she could even get behind the ears. However once again the whole family would avoid Mr.Sedaris in fear of a lengthy scientific explanation about waves and etc... While David is taking one of his walks he sadly he runs into his dads, who once again is trying to guess how many grains of sand there is on the beach. Davids stuck so he just goes along till some fishermen come by and seem fascinated with his father. He concludes his dad ok if the fishermen seem interested.
Twelve Moments in the Life of the Artist
In this chapter David talks about his art phase and how it got him into a boat load of trouble. He starts off in his early years when his sister Gretchen showed remarkable ability when it came to art. He liked art too, however he wasn't so successful in his drawings . He decided later on that he wanted to be an artist and attended an art school. However this went down hill to and he started using speed while hanging out with an odd crowd. While hanging out with this "crowed" he believed anything could be art, like bloody tissues and more. He later realizes his narcotic ways and decides to put art on hold.

Well, these two chapters weren't as funny as the previous ones but I really enjoy the book especially since its not always the same story line going on You can pick up the book and read about a completely different situation. Sedaris has definitely won my heart.

Brave New Voices

I watched this show on HBO many months ago, however it really impacted me. In Ety we have a poem everyday that one person re-reads aloud. Every time we read these poems Brave New Voices pops back into my head. The young poets in this competition produce stories so mind blowing that shivers run down my back, even after hearing them over and over again.

This girl is amazing.There is so much passion in this poem.

I love this one.

Haha, this one really relates to my generation.

A Saint And A Criminal

I decided to read one of the three minute mini stories from the NPR website. I ended up choosing a tale called A Saint and A Criminal. The man in the story starts off by talking about his father and the joke he makes about a saint and a criminal in a bar. However the dad can't remember the punchline. This really makes the author think because he can't decide weather he would be the saint or the criminal. Later on the dad mentions the man's brother's wife, he talks about her waddleing about, indicting that shes pregnant. Not by the man's brother though. He pleads the man  to spare his brother from hearing this terrible news. Now the brother hasn't always been easy to deal with, when they were younger he sometimes wouldn't even come home after going out and it caused a lot of stress for the family. Well, later on the man and his parents are lead to the scene of an accident, where the brother has driven his car into some strangers living room after hearing the horrible news. Now his brother is in jail but the man describes how for the first time in a long time the brother seems happy again like way he was before the accident and all that tension. My favorite line has to be the last.
"The tiny bird on my tongue is raising its wings. The feathers tickle my throat. I cough. I open my mouth."
http://www.npr.org/2011/02/06/133542373/a-saint-and-a-criminal

Annie and the Bell

(Annie taking a bath)

The door bell rings and you can only assume that sooner or later you'll here the clomping of paws up the basement stairs as if a stampede had just erupted in the house. This mixed in with the loud clinging of tags from old rabies shots and more makes a song that defines Annie's dramatic entrances.She hustles up the stairs as if shes the greeter at Walmart that's late to her job. The door opens and you immediately feel sorry for the visitor, knowing what's about to occur. She leaps over to the new comer without any hesitation, assuming her job is to inspect... that she has the final word. So far the situations A-okay until the chubaka growl is unleashed and the squirming finally takes place. She wiggles around the visitor while shaking her behind like a secret ritual almost as if shes hazing them into our house, nodding her head back and fourth with a off beat rhythm only she understands. Then, out of the blue, shes calm. Looking about, wondering why we keep yelling her name like we're crazy, as if we just performed her narcotic act. 



Me Talk Pretty One Day. 1-31

Every time I look at the cover of this book I have an urge to say the title out loud as if it were a question. Don't ask me why it's just the first thing that pops in my mind. So the new book I'm reading is called Me Talk Pretty One Day by the well known David Sedaris. The first time I ever came across the name David Sedaris was in my Adv Scenes class. A girl by the name of Molly Zweig had brought a book in of his for her read aloud assessment. It was hilarious in a morbidly witty kind of way. The book was Holidays on Ice, she could only read a small part of it because of time issues, but in that crunch of time the book was able to grab my attention. I'm assuming from already reading a couple of chapters of Me Talk Pretty One Day, That David tends to tell stories about everyday life through his perspective and let me tell you his perspective is pretty darn funny. Since his chapters are broken down into different stories involving his life I'm going to set the passages up differently.

Go Carolina
So far this has to be one of my favorite chapters. I've only read three but its definitely on top. It talks about Davids on going speech problems he had as a child. He struggled with the letter S. Sadly I can relate I struggled with the letter S too, however he blames his speech issues on his homosexuality claiming that only "boys like him" go to speech therapy and that officials such as his speech therapist  are on the watch out 24/7 looking for there next victim (this is all satirical). He goes on to talk about his struggle with the letter S and his overall banishment of the evil S by avoiding it all together. He would say things such as correct instead of yes and  please became with your kind permission. He goes on talking about is hatred for the speech therapist until later on when it is their last session she decides to throw a quaint little part. While the two man party is going on David realizes shes more easy going then he originally thought. A very funny moment (maybe my favorite so far) happens while they are exchanging mindless banter. She asked if he received any presents over the holiday and he of course avoiding his S's he replies "Well, I usually remain here and open a gift from my family." She then precedes to ask if he only opens one gift. He answers "maybe eight or nine." "Never six or seven?" She questions. He of course retorts "rarely". Of course David Sedaris is a genius and like we all know, retelling a joke  isn't as funny as it was the first time.

Giant Dreams, Midget Abilities
 This story has a lot to do with his father a brainy engineer, who has a little taste for Jazz and the Blues, maybe more like an obsession with it. David talks about how his childhood consisted of listening to Jazz and his father passion for jazz music. He even mentions how his fathers parents, "the Greek immigrants" who despised Jazz music, so in a way Jazz was his fathers form of rebellion. He later talks about his fathers crazy idea that had to do with his children all playing musical instruments, now this idea would not be so crazy had the children picked up the instruments on the whim of their own free will. No, Instead David comes home one day to discover a guitar lying in his room. He pleads his dad to allow him to skip out on lessons but after his father basically pushes him out of the car in front of the guitar store he decides to play along. A midget by the name of Mister Mancini  was his tutor . The first thing Mr.M tells Davis to do is name his Guitar after a female. At this point David becomes uncomfortable because of his non-interest when it came to females...he names it Joan. Later on he confesses to Mr.M that he doesn't enjoy playing the guitar and sings Oscar Meyer wiener with his guitar, sadly Mr.M kicks him out saying he doesn't roll that way.

Wow since I had five test today I basically had know homework, so I could really focus on my blog for awhile. So far this is the one book that I've really enjoyed writing about in my blog and its only the first entry. Geez, (there's a interjection for you ladies and gentlemen) I'm off have do a couple of minor task before play rehearsal.

The Office

Love this show. I'm going to miss Steve Carell. He was one of the best character on the show. He's was great... I also love some of the movies he's in such as Dan in Real Life and Little Miss Sunshine.Going to miss you Steve, well at least  seeing you on The Office.

This Never Gets Old.

Well at least for me.