Error of our ways or ways of our error?

After reading the first few paragraphs of The Phenomenology of Error, I thought it was dull and a bit dry in parts. I understand why we read this piece but felt that it complicated a somewhat straightforward idea by trying to oversimplify the point. Yes, it is important to understand what error is and even though it's difficult to pinpoint an overall consensus among everyone on what error really is, it is also important to understand and maybe even cater to one's audience. If they do not notice, understand, or even care then the error(s) in the writing as Williams demonstrated with excerpts from White and Orwell, are not so crucial. On the other hand, if one is checking for grammatical errors then, of course, it is important to be spot on with usage but again that cannot be done easily if everyone disagrees with what is error and what is not. I felt that this piece did not have to be so long or need every single example that was used to make his intent understood. I found his examples like "Can't nobody tell what be happening four year from now." to be funny at first but as he kept using more of them, it just became redundant (kind of like my post) and just made it more to read.

Electronic Writing

I have blogged on and off since 2005 and, fairly recently, in 11011 last spring. It wouldn't be too far of a stretch to say that in the last 10 years, I haven't gone more than 10 days without writing electronically. AOL instant messenger, email, Xanga, Myspace, Facebook, text messages, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint...All of those things I've used quite frequently at some point in the past or present.

I have written substantially more electronically than I have on paper, and spend more time writing electronically. Since high school, my main reason for pen-and-paper has been to write down my homework in a planner, make a to do list on a Post-it Note, or answer questions on loose leaf for homework assignments. I do prefer checking things off of a list with a pen because I physically have to cross it off the list and I feel more accomplished than if I just highlighted the word and pressed strike-through. Other than that, typing is the way to go for me. It looks cleaner, is more eco-friendly, and it's harder to lose things when they're on my computer or phone.

Writing electronically speeds up the writing process for me sometimes. If you don't like something you write, you just delete it. No messing with erasers or crossing it out. Although, I also edit as I go when I'm typing something out, which sometimes takes longer because you're not writing as much. Pen-and-paper isn't as good of a medium for editing as you go because there's just not enough space (at least with my large hand-writing). As far as getting my ideas down, I have the same thoughts whether it's pen-and-paper or typing it out. I guess I just use electronic writing more because I can't get away from it, and a lot of times, am required to use it.

John's Sideburns

Alyssa Brown
John Abersold
Lindsey Todorov
Ike Andrews

Someone who can’t grow facial hair or a stalker

Someone trying to make money off him because they believe he’ll be famous. Someone who needs his hair for a voodoo doll. Someone trying to make a fake beard, mustache or chest hair.

Half-Empty Mouth Wash

1. One possibility is a person who mistook it for an unopened bottle. Or, a person with low income and bad oral hygiene. Possibly a person just looking to help him out, or to do it for the thrill. Then again, it could have been an underage alcoholic.

2. It probably sold because people wanted to help him out. People may have bought it to brag that they have an item of this mans life.

The first item we looked at was the half-empty bottle of mouthwash. We assumed that the type of person that bought the mouthwash was most likely already following the website and wanted to be a part of the project. The buyer was probably intrigued by it because they thought it was a funny piece of memoribilia.

The T-4 Super and 50 photographs

a. We think that an art teacher could have bought this item for the photographs.
b. Some high school art teachers collect random photos or objects for students to use for projects. Since this camera came with 50 photos, this could appeal to the teacher.

all my life for sale item

We chose the $25 bill and 3 photocopies of it. We think the kind of person that bought this item was a random old guy who likes collecting bills and coins. We believe it sold because there weren't many of them made and they were never circulated so its a very unique piece of art. This guy must have a whole room devoted to his hobby and has many books filled with coins from all over the world and different time periods.

By: Bailey A. and Vince A.

All My Life for Sale - Mark's Christmas Gift

This item is simply an unopened present. Why would someone want to buy something and not even know what it really is?

Perhaps the person who bought this was a lonely person who didn't have family or friends around. This person just really wanted a present for Christmas that would be a surprise, and not something that they picked out and bought for himself.

Or, maybe the person who bought this was crunched for time and needed a present to take to a White Elephant gift exchange at work or another Christmas party. He didn't care what was inside it or how crappy it was because he didn't care about the person he was giving it to.

Why did something as random as this sell?

It sold because it was random. Some people just like having random things and think it's fun. Even if it was given to someone that the buyer cared about, he could explain the story behind the gift. I'm sure it would have been unforgettable.

-Pearl, Kylie, Keisha

Selling My Life Away

While looking at the page, a few items struck our attention:

The Handmade Book: someone who was reminiscing about the past, remembering something that they lived through or wants to learn more about the past would probably buy this object. Piecing together a past that they might or might not have lived through.
“Because someone was trying to keep a token of their time.”
“This was something that was homemade… you get a sense of who [Freyer] is.”
Maybe someone would buy this because it could help the buyer relate to someone else in the world. "I think it would be cool to buy the book... to look at it."


The picture- Truthfully, I (Jen) would buy all of the pictures he sold because I collect things like that, trying to piece together a past of someone who I don’t know. Maybe someone would buy this because they want to tell a story, one that might relate to their life or might be a fantasy of what they wish they had.
The buyer did teach photography at Hamilton College, so that is one key reason to buy a photo- whether good or bad, "to motivate themselves and others" or to learn from mistakes

All my Life for Sale

I really enjoyed reading this article because it Freyer narrates through his hardships and how he overcame them. I feel that his problem with wanting to keep and store everything that seemed sentimental to him is probably one of the hardest things to fix. For instance, I still have my first report card filled with all A's from the 7th grade in my room, which now would be seen as corny. I feel as if it's not just a memory but also a token of proof to myself that I had done so well. I never thought a piece of paper could mean so much to me, so I understand where Freyer is coming from; however I am no where near the level that he was on about keeping stuff.

Freyer selling all of his belongings that he felt he didn't need anymore shows character because he realizes that he had been doing the same thing for so long but after reflection he decided it's time to move on, and almost in a way start a new life. I would go on to argue that Freyer broke a social norm which would be that anyone like him could never give anything away. It takes a strong person to realize change and also just look at things through memory rather then a tangible good in his hand.

Identity was shown in Freyer's article because he made a website due to everyone doing .com businesses at the time. I feel an example of someone finding their identity would be Freyer. He didn't just have wittingly go through his belonging and give them away, but rather reflected on each and every one of them to see how it played a role in his life and growing up. I feel that someone who reflects on anything from the past to see how it changed them is a perfect example of identity and internal experiences. One could even go on to say it makes you wiser to do such.

All My Life for Sale

When I first started to read this story all that I thought was that this guy just wanted to hawk his stuff in an attempt to get rich. The idea that all of his friends were making money with basic web designs inspired him to try and do the same, out of greed in my opinion. But I feel as though he actually grew through this whole experience when he saw how much things in his life were actually worth to other people. When he talks about the toaster burning other peoples toast the same that it did his, I think he may have actually been missing his toaster. When you look at your life from a monetary prospective you can see how much things that basically have no value are worth.

This show really reminded me of my house and made me think about starting something similar. I wouldnt consider myself a hoarder, but as I read this I came to realize how cluttered my desk and room really are. I found that this story speaks to almost everybody because almost everyone holds on to things that are basically useless to them, but yet they cant rid themselves of. Im glad that he got his life more together and got some money in the process, I think I could use the same trick to make a quick buck to be honest.

All my life for sale

After reading John Freyer's "All My Life for Sale", I feel that I can compare a lot of the things he is saying to myself. When he mentions that instead of seeing the things in his apartment as objects and instead memories, I feel the same way when I’m trying to get rid of things. It makes the process harder because you start remembering the place you bought them, when you bought them, who you were with when you bought them and what you were doing.

Also while reading the selection, it reminded me of the show “Hoarders”. The people on that show have a serious case of what John went through, in that they don’t want to get rid of their things because of the strong memories attached. For example, if someone had belongings from a spouse or other family member that they were close to, it would be extremely difficult for them to let go of that object because of the memories.

Aside from the objects, I was surprised at the number of people who welcomed John into their homes. The acceptance people have others surprises me sometimes, not that it’s a bad thing. Especially when Freyer was talking about the September 11^th attacks and how some people posted to his blog worried about him because they knew he was in New York City, that’s just awesome.

Stuff

Coincidentally, I viewed the same George Carlin video around the same week that classes started this semester. He is one of my favorite comedians, along with others like Bill Hicks. This clip and “All of My Life for Sale” are some good ways to think about how material objects affect our identity, and prepare for the first paper.

My favorite section in Freyer’s story is the recollection of him selling his toaster, and discovering that parting from this item would change him subtlety—he would stop eating toast. It is funny and insignificant, but creates the argument that ‘stuff’ permits us to do things we otherwise couldn’t. The notion that it changes who we are is still debatable.

Thinking about the toaster, I remembered a video I recently watched that I feel ties into these ideas well. The video describes a man’s attempt to build a toaster from scratch, and concludes that without the help of the rest of society, creating a toaster is nearly impossible. So if creating the things in our worlds requires a civilization, and the things in the world actually define who we are, then social forces do have a direct effect on our identity . . . that is, if the first two arguments are irrefutable.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ODzO7Lz_pw

I found myself at a disagreement to the context of the “Shitty First Drafts” article. As I’ve said in an earlier post, I often find there is little I want to edit in my writing, or that I don’t know how to go back through and make it better. So at the end of the article when it asks, “From what Lamott has to say, is writing a first draft more about the product or the process?” for me, it is the product. If I did go about and write papers more carefree, I would not be sure if I could go back and make it suffice. I see a work of writing as a more holistic effort, rather than a form that is built piece by piece.

All my Stuff

I listened to all my stuff, and I didn't find it all that funny. I think that what he was saying is true, but I wasn't impressed with it. I do remember a situation I experienced that was similar to that was when one time I went on vacation to Orlando, Florida. While we were there our relatives in West Palm Beach wanted us to go down and visit them, so we packed our "stuff" and went down to stay with them for a few days. While we were there they wanted to take us to the gulf side of the florida coast so we packed again and went there. I couldn't help but think of this when I was listening to the sound clip. The only thing that I was expecting to hear from him that he didn't say was when you come back from vacation, you end up bring more stuff back then what you came with.

All My Life For Sale

All My Things For Sale:

It sounded kind of scary for him to stay at strangers' houses, but it sounds like the buyers and
readers of his posts are genuine and caring people. Probably quite similar to him. It's also crazy
he happened to be in NYC for 9/11.

A Place For My Stuff:

Being a college student, you eventually realize that you don't have extra money to spend on all of that "stuff" you think you need. The other day, I was at Drugmart, and there was a hands-free soap dispenser on sale for 6 bucks(you know, you wave your hand in front of it, and the soap pumps out magically), and I almost bought it. I was being rational that day, I guess. First off, I definitely didn't need it because I've got plenty of soap dispensers back home, even though they're not all cool and high-tech. Secondly, I live in a dorm for 2/3 of the year... wouldn't make any sense to have it either. It's cool that Carlin took a reality of the everyday, and turned it into something funny.

Shitty First Drafts:

When I first started reading "Shitty First Drafts", literally, this was my first thought: "Dude, this is awesome!" Haha because it's so true.

I definitely can get anxiety about writing. At the start of any assignment, I am a perfectionist. It's all or nothing with me. Go big or go home. I'm dreamin' big and want everything to go smoothly and be well-thought out. But then, I start the assignment. If the ideas are not going so well to begin with, I go from being a perfectionist to being a procrastinator. Which then, if I'm not careful, can turn me into an underachiever because I don't make the time to even write the paper.

I think Anne Lamott's bottom line is to get over our fear and anxiety of writing sh*tty drafts, and to just go ahead and write those sh*tty drafts. Then, we can actually write something like what we envisioned we would write. Hearing this come from a person whose written 6 novels, I think I'll take her advice.

(I'm just going to pretend like today is Monday because I ever so confidently looked at week 2 instead of week 3 for the blogging schedule this week)

All my life for sale

Reading Freyer's All My Life for Sale, I wasn't really sure if I sympathized with Freyer in the beginning of the story. When the story started, it basically seemed like Freyer really wanted to get rich one way or another. He talked about how all of his friends were making loads of money in the dot-com boom, and he felt like he was missing out. As I continued reading though, I ended up enjoying his story. I know, personally, I wouldn't choose to sell off every one of my personal items simply so that it would match up with a domain name, but to each his own. It's an interesting concept to see what the people who bought his items were like in real life. I've always sold off items like he did at garage sales thinking they were just junk I didn't need anymore, but obviously the person buying them intended to make good use out of them. Overall, it was an original idea and an interesting story, but I don't know how profound of a thing it is to invite yourself to other people's homes to see how they're using something you sold them off of ebay, but maybe I'm being a little cynical. That said, I did still enjoy the story.

A Place For My S*** For All My Life

Reading All My Life For Sale, made me think about how today we hoard items whether they are near and dear to our hearts or not. I feel like Freyer wasn't happy with his life but only because he thought New York would make him happier than being in Iowa. All of his friends were making cash money building websites and he was stuck in the middle of nowhere but as soon as someone offered him a huge pay check for the rights to this story he was completely content to stay in Iowa.

On reading Shitty First Drafts, I found it reassuring when she talked about how even the greatest writers have difficulty with writing. It takes a lot of pressure off knowing that a writer you admire has bad days when it comes to writing and its even better to know that they too get embarrassed about their work.

Listening to A Place for My Stuff, made me laugh a lot. I didn't only laugh because of the way he said the things he said but also because they were true in the most ridiculous manner possible. People accumulate things and then need nooks and crannies to shove them in. This even holds true when they go away from their nooks and crannies. I found that even though these readings were all inter-related in some way I enjoyed them for the reasons that kept them different.

All My Life For Sale

It's interesting to think about what it would be like to sell everything you own.  I do think most people attach their identities to their possessions to some degree (and to a high degree in middle class America), so it would be a stripping down of the self to sell almost all you own. I know some people who are dependent on material things so much that I don't think they know who they really are, or who they would be without being able to lean on their stuff.  It would have a devastating effect on the mind of someone like that to no longer have that crutch.

Other than that, I thought it was a decent read, and I liked the item entries.  His writing was a little bit dry to read, but I might be interested in checking out some of the rest of the book.  I could see it being more compelling than the introduction.

A place for my stuff

After looking at the readings I chose to listen to the audio portion of it first. Even though Carlin was trying to make his little sketch about “stuff” as comical as he could, the truth of the matter is it is all true. Your whole life you find yourself buying “stuff” and spending all your money on it that you earn. Whether it is stuff that you need or stuff that you want, it all is as he puts it, just “stuff”. I enjoyed listening to how he said the only reason you have a house is mainly to put all your stuff in it so you have room for all of your things and then when you leave you lock it up so that no one is able to steal your stuff. After reading the article about Freyer and all of his stuff the beginning made me think about the south park episode and the real show that deals with hoarding. It is just about people who cant let go of they things that they have and what they have collected over the years. When people do this kind of thing it makes it very hard to be organized and neat. Personally I am not a complete neat freak but I do like having things pretty organized and looking somewhat neat. So I try not to be the type of person that clings on to everything I have and keep it forever. Growing up I actually liked having garage sales and getting rid of the useless items and toys that I no longer needed. Im not saying that a person should get rid of everything because I feel that some things are meant to be kept, but a lot of things in our life we just need to get rid of and move on.

All My Life For Sale

At first when I first started reading the selection on Freyer auctioning off all of his stuff I almost thought that this man must be crazy for just selling everything he owns! But, as I read on it made alot more sense because I can deffinately connect with Freyer alot when he says "I have always been the type of person who holds on to things-who saves objects that are obviously broken, with the hope that I will be able to use them in a project or eventually even get them fixed." When I read this my first thought was of myself, just possibly not to the extent of Freyer. I can't help it, whether it's broken, old, useless or my clothes I just feel that if I get rid of whatever the object is that someday I may need it/want it, or it could be useful.

His story did turn out to be very interesting. He left for three months and realized that he acquired more things than he had left behind and decided that it was just too much. He felt that if he sold off all of his extra stuff that he did not need he would not be tied down.

Freyer's idea to sell off all of his stuff turned out to be an awesome project. He valued his things so he left a little story with all of the things he posted to sell. Then he became interested in where his things were going and who the owners were. I think that it is awesome that he made selling his stuff so personal and basically went on an adventure traveling to meet the people he had sold his stuff to and was so interested in their story of how they used what they had bought off of him.

Personally I think what Freyer did was awesome. Myself I feel that I have way too much stuff than I will ever know what to use it for. It really made me think of all the stuff that I have and how much better I would probably feel if I could get rid of alot of my stuff.

writing process

Its true that our mind is moving faster than our mouths can get ideas out, or in the writing aspect, our mind is working faster than our fingers can type. When i'm first assigned a writing project, i'll admit i get excited... like REALLY excited. my mind starts blowing up with ideas and i feel like i have to get them on paper as fast as i can in fear that i'll forget these awesome ideas. So typically, as soon as the class where the paper was assigned is over, i race back to my computer and immediately pull up Word. And i sit at my desk, unmoved, undisturbed until the paper is complete. I don't bother with outlines or note cards or any other unnecessary step before i start letting my emotions flow onto the paper.

I revise as i go. theres no rough draft, second draft, final draft in my process. I'll write a sentence and not move on until its perfectly worded how i want it. I consider this process a gift, however i have no sympathy for those who are just awful at writing, i cant wrap my brain around the thought of someone spending hours upon hours on a paper only to type their name so far on the document. Most of these people, keep in mind, can talk your ear off on a daily basis, but to not have an opinion or viewpoint about any given topic and be able to write your thoughts down, i just dont get it.

Needless-to-say, my writing isn't much of a writing process, i just write.

allmystuffforsale dot-com

After reading the article about Allmystuffforsale.com, John Freyer really made me think about our society. We work to spend, but what are we spending it on? I'm all for vacations and activities that can add to our memory of the life we spent here on earth. But what about all the 'stuff' we buy? Clothes, shoes, and various other objects... don't get me wrong, i'm all for people wearing clothes but i can't help but wonder why we buy just to spend. Just the other day i bought an all-purpose microfiber towel. Sure, i did need a hand towel for my bathroom, but i already had one. But this new towel, it was pink and i didn't already have a pink towel. Why was I compelled to buy something i already had? I think, as Americans, we are all some level of hoarders. We buy because we have the money (or don't have the money) without really having the need. John Freyer had an awesome idea, not only was he de-cluttering his house, he was de-cluttering his life. He has inspired me to do the same, and yes, i do still plan on spending to get the latest gadgets and clothes but maybe i should make it a rule that i must get rid of something before i can buy something new?

Reflection on my Writing Process

Whenever I have to write something I always make sure I know what type of paper it is. For example whether it be a persuasive paper, research, proposal, etc.... I usually always check to see if preliminary research needs to be completed before writing the paper successfully. If there is any research that needs to be completed I usually try and get that done in reasonable time to allow me time to set up my paper and brainstorm on how to go about writing it. I have had problems starting a paper because I don't know what to write first, but over time I have come to realize I just put down for my introduction what comes to mind, because I feel that if you have a justified thesis, body paragraphs, and most importantly a conclusion, you can in fact change the introduction to correlate with the paper. Before typing an actual paper and after I have completed the research I always make sure I know what I will cite and I cite it before I type the paper so I don't forget to put correct citations in, to prevent plagiarism.

Stuff

John Freyer is one brave guy. I don’t think I could ever do what he did. I am very attached to all my things not only because I bought them with hard earned money but because they have their own story behind them. What he did was very interesting and it is amazing how much money he managed to make form selling his “junk”. As I look around my apartment now, there isn’t any thing I’d be willing to sell. I feel like all my things are a part of me now. They were given to me by someone significant or have a memory attached to them. Although I feel like getting rid of some things would give me somewhat of a relief because like Freyer I too feel like I have a lot of stuff that is purely useless, I just think it would be too hard to part with. My mom calls me a pack rat because I save everything but I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing. I think the fact that Freyer started this thing during the big .com boom had to do with his great success. Also the fact that he created his own site helped too. His own site made it more interesting and gave his reasons and story. This probably helped to draw people in and keep track of what they bought and in touch with them. Overall I enjoyed reading about Freyer and his story of the journey of his possessions and him.

All My Life For Sale

I found John Freyer's article "All My Life For Sale" to be very interesting. Freyer first decides to sell his unnecessary possessions so that he could leave Iowa and make his way back to New York City. As he began to sell these possessions he began to think about how these possessions effected him and where they came from. As he progressed he began to sell them he would add descriptions and photos. Freyer then thought about the dot com boom that was occurring at the time and decided that he would start a website that would help him sell the stuff that he did not want anymore. The only web site name that was available was allmylifeforsale.com.

As Freyer thought about the website and began to put his items up for sale, he began to wonder if he was living up to the name of his website. If he were to back up his website he would literally have to sell all of his possessions. He cataloged everything that he owned, all 600 items, and put them up for sale on his website. As people began buying these items he began to ask for updates on all of his own possessions that he sold. The people who responded talked to him about the objects and what they meant to him. He proceeded to ask his clients if he could actually visit them and see how the objects were put to use. He traveled across the country to these houses that would take him in and allowed him to look at the objects.

Freyer thought of the objects that he owned to be unnecessary in the beginning of his project. I think that as he began to sell his stuff that he realized that they actually meant something to him and that overall they defined him as a person and that they told his life's story. Freyer became fascinated how much these items had meant to him and how much they meant to other people after they were sold. I know that my possessions are very important to me. I don't know how I would survive without them and I feel that Freyer wanted to see how it would feel to be stripped of his possessions and prove to himself that they don't control him.