Evan Wynn
English
Professor Meek
03/04/08
Observation of the Soul Food Dinner
For my observation I had trouble trying to decide what I was going to observe, and who I was going to observe. I finally decided that I was going to go to the soul food dinner in Scanlon hall. This was an event set up by the student support services office. I thought that this would be a real good event to go to because there would be a lot of people there that I could take notes on. Now that I knew what I was going to observe everything seemed to fit in to place.
When I first walked into the door I saw everyone was sitting down in their seats waiting for the food to be ready. The atmosphere was real light and friendly. I was really surprised to see how many people actually showed up for the soul food dinner. After I went over to the table where I had to pay 5 dollars to get in and be served food I myself looked for a seat. There were more than fifteen big round tables set up in the place that it was being held at. At every table there was a center piece of flowers.
The people in the room ranged from freshman to upper classmen to teachers, and other types of educators. I became I part of the environment of people in the event. Instead of me just sitting back and observing I became an active participant in this social group of people. I knew a lot of the people who were there already so it seemed only right for me to become part of the social climate that was going on. The soul food dinner seemed like a family reunion of sorts. Everyone was there to support each other, and to show that they cared.
There was no animosity towards anyone. When I did see someone that I didn’t know they were friendly and made sure that they introduced themselves to me.
I did notice small clicks though were certain people would hang out together. I noticed all the people who were doing poetry readings sat together. I also noticed all of the people who were receiving scholarships where sitting in close vicinity of each other. This could have been because that is how it was supposed to be set up, or maybe that is just how the students wanted to sit with. Another thing that I noticed was how most people sat on the right side of the room. The left side was the only place where seats were empty.
When it was time for the poetry readers to come forward they decided who would go by gender. The two guy poets went first. Then the two girl poets went after them. For the guys there was a one white poet and one black poet, and it was the same way for the woman. The white person went first for each gender. When it came to the announcing of who would be getting the scholarships all of the people who won where dressed up in what seemed to be there best outfits. All of the winners of the scholarships seemed to understand how big of a deal it was to be one of the people who got one of the scholarships.
The soul food dinner was a great thing to observe because of the great diversity of people there. No one person was a like but everyone was being friendly and encouraging their fellow classmates. Meeting new people was easy because of how friendly everyone was. Learning how people can come together was a great thing to witness and be a part of.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
ESSAY TWO
Since many of you are very busy over spring break. Please bring 2 copies of your rough draft to class on Monday of class and I will make comments on them then.
Professor Kevin Meek
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Wet and Wild
From the early hours or the morning until the late hours of the night, there is one place that makes me feel at home. This one place that no matter the time of day or the time of the year, everyone is welcome. Congamond Lake is that sanctuary of complete freedom and peace. The light sounds of fishing boats and fish jumping out of the water is the sign that the time has come. This is the time to get out of bed and prepare for a fiesta of fun on the lake. The sights of waking up to see the sunrise hitting the lake makes any person wish they were there. The water is glass, so smooth that it looks like you could walk across it. The sun reflects off the water to make the lake look like pool of inviting tropical sea. As I walk out of the lake house the sand slide between my toes and the warmth gives me a sense of relief. A relief that comes from knowing that nothing can go wrong today, nothing can bother me.
The suns heat makes my skin tingle and as I walk over to the docks. The fuzzy carpets on the deck feel like a mini golf green. My feet mold footprints into the dew covered rugs. As I sit at the end of the dock I can see fish swimming everywhere through the crystal clear water that makes me thirsty thinking about it. I dangle my legs over the end as if I have no power to move them. As my feet dangle I let my toes move towards the water inch by inch until finally I am in and it feels amazing. As I sit on the dock I watch a bald eagle sore high above. This magnificent bird of prey is the head honcho of wildlife around these parts. As it fly’s it searches for an unfortunate victim below. At last it see’s the meal it hungers for, and it begins to descend. As it gets lower the power from its wings makes the water ripple and the fish knows its time is up. The eagle’s monster talons slice through the water to spike the unlucky trout in its side. Victorious the eagle was on his search for food, and victorious on showing the lake he was still king.
The sun was starting to warm up the air now, intensifying the need to get out on the water. As I begin to take the cover off of the boat I feel the shiny metal buttons giving a warm sensation to my fingertips. With the cover off I put the key in the ignition and give it a turn. The roar of the engine is certain to wake the family of otters the lives in the nearby cove. I slide of the ropes holding my boat in place and begin backwards into the serene lake. I coast slowly so not to disturb the lakes glassy appearance. The tall Pine trees that surround the lake look like guards. These guardians reflect off of the smooth surface and it makes the lake seem unbelievably peaceful. As my boat cruises along minnows begin to jump all around it. The appearance of rain hitting the water is what these little critters create as they fly around hopelessly from an inevitable doom that lurks beneath them. These minnows are jumping because a school of bass is nearing and there is no way to out run them. As the bass grow nearer the jumping of the minnows becomes desperate. Then in a flash, a huge large-mouth leaps out of the water and engulfs a mouth full of minnows as it flails like it’s trying to fly its tail. As it crashed back into the water it made a gigantic splash and disappeared to lurk another day.
The day begins to age and the sun beats down harder than ever. I can feel the sun sizzling my skin. The lake begins to get crowded and the sounds of engines screaming up and down the lake are everywhere. The water is no longer smooth and glassy. The wake from all the boats has turned the lake into a large wave pool that makes all the boats rock back and forth. The people on the lake all seem to be having an amazing time. People on tubes skip along the surface of the water fear and adrenaline showing in their faces. As a tuber launched off a crest of a wave I watched as he flew weightlessly through the air. When he landed his face smashed against the hard tube and whipped his head backwards. I watched as his eyes rolled back into his head as he was forced from the tube violently. I moved forward down the lake at approached the sandbar.
The sandbar was full of enthusiastic young kids learning to swim. The looks of joy on the parent’s faces as their young tots took their first strokes were priceless. The water at the sandbar was so clear you could see the shells and the brown gold sand on the bottom. Parked all around the sandbar were party barges. These monstrosities had around 15 people on each of them. The boats were full of middle aged people who were drinking some beers and blaring country music. The mood on the lake today was just like every other day. The eagles said it best when they said “I got that peaceful easy feeling”. Lunch time was near so I throttle up and began to head over towards the lake’s pizza shop.
The light breeze carried the smell of melted cheese and pepperoni half way across the lake. My mouth began to water thinking of the melted mozzarella and fluffy brown pizza crust that was about to enter it. As I headed to the main docks for the pizza shop I witnessed many people heading onto their boats with lots of brews. Beer was a very common thing on this lake. Part of the lakes tradition is to give all the empties cans to the lions club. The lions club makes thousands of dollars every summer. After the pizza was devoured, I packed up my stuff and headed back out into the paradise.
I coasted under the tunnel to the last pond on the lake where I would make residence. This last pond, north pond, was the party spot of all the lakes. The low police visits and the high amount of young females that attend this spot make it a pristine area for coagulation. The people on this pond were mostly early twenties and thirties. The party boats lined the lake like a parade was going on. This array of speedboats, drunken men, and beautiful women makes for one awesome show. The people on the lake seemed to feed off each other’s stupidity. Two speedboats began to circle a pontoon and made waves that smashed over the side railings. The pontoon driver became furious and in his rage threw a full perfectly good can of brew at the speedboat. The speedboats window smashed and the brawl was on. One man leapt from his boat onto the pontoon and swung at the driver. The driver was on step ahead on him and threw him over his shoulder and right off the boat. He then drove away laughing. In this epic battle of wits one man’s windshield was broken, as well as his pride. The night is the relaxing time on this marvelous place.
As the sun fades over the tall pines the stars come out to shine brighter than ever. As I lie on the back of my boat and stare at the sky I listen to the animals all around me. I can hear the wolves in the deep woods howling to the moon. This noise could send chills through the most thick skinned of people. The sound of loons keeps me intensely listening. Only on the most silent nights can you be blessed with the sounds of these elusive birds. The water is completely still and for a moment every worry you have in life disappears. Alone in complete solitude, nothing but you and nature at its finest is what every night is like. The cool air carries across the lake and brushes with face with a gentle caress. The occasional fishing boat with move by silently like a slippery snake. The stars shine brightly and reflect off the water to make it seem like you’re surrounded by space. Crickets off shore chirp like a symphony of well orchestrated musicians. The day ends as it began, silent and peaceful. It is circle of paradise that cannot be compared with much else in the word. This is a place of peaceful tranquility as well as great excitement. It is one in a million and I found it.
Chelsea Howard
Every day I walk outside of Davis where multiple people are gathered in a group and hear them all look over at me and yell “What’s up” or “Hey girl”. This is not the way they only greet me, it’s the way that they greet almost all of their friends or even some of the by passers. There is however the few people that walk by this group and give them dirty looks or make gestures that imply they are not pleased with the smokers. This often results in the two people giving each other dirty looks and the occasional battle of the words, which can have the last word. Most of these mishaps happen because the smokers are taking up the entire sidewalk or if they are too close to the building.
One of the most dramatic situations that I have witnessed was late at night when most of Davis Hall is in bed, there was a group of smokers that were outside not being loud, but certainly not quiet. A girl was outside smoking a cigarette and started coughing when all of a sudden this guy yells from his room, “Keep smoking, get that cancer you dumbasses.” This set the rest of the group outside into a fury. The yelling continued back and forth between the two groups and finally the Residential Director from New Hall came over because his child was woken up by the argument. Everyone outside got their names taken down, even the people that did not participate, and the people inside the building got off with a clean slate. Many smokers get upset when this happens because the nonsmokers are never the ones to get yelled at. The authority only hears the distinct sounds coming from outside that could possibly be waking up the rest of the community. This often results in getting ones name taken down and a brief conversation with a Residential Director.
Everyday an hourly group of the same students stand outside, shouting to one another, playing hack sack and smoking multiple cigarettes. This happens throughout the day and most of the night. When the majority of people are sleeping, a group of smokers gather outside, shouting loudly, laughing hysterically and smoking their cigarettes. At night and during bad weather this group will stand under this cove in the building to shelter themselves from rain or snow. This causes smoke to linger up into the rooms of other students and they retaliate. Many times the ISO will come over and ask people to get twenty-five feet from the building. They listen; just long enough for the ISO to get into the building and then that all migrate back to the cove to stay dry and warm.
The smokers are not the only ones that have to take a beating for their habit. The nonsmokers get their fair share of torment from the smokers. When someone walks by that is giving even the slightest glare, all the people that smoke will make comments to the person. Also when the smokers are outside, they take up most of the sidewalk with the amount of people that are outside or because they are playing a game of hacky sack. This upsets many people because they cannot get through the large group or because they have to breathe more smoke than they would if they smoked their own cigarette.
Every day I walk outside of Davis where multiple people are gathered in a group and hear them all look over at me and yell “What’s up” or “Hey girl”. This is not the way they only greet me, it’s the way that they greet almost all of their friends or even some of the by passers. There is however the few people that walk by this group and give them dirty looks or make gestures that imply they are not pleased with the smokers. This often results in the two people giving each other dirty looks and the occasional battle of the words, which can have the last word. Most of these mishaps happen because the smokers are taking up the entire sidewalk or if they are too close to the building.
One of the most dramatic situations that I have witnessed was late at night when most of Davis Hall is in bed, there was a group of smokers that were outside not being loud, but certainly not quiet. A girl was outside smoking a cigarette and started coughing when all of a sudden this guy yells from his room, “Keep smoking, get that cancer you dumbasses.” This set the rest of the group outside into a fury. The yelling continued back and forth between the two groups and finally the Residential Director from New Hall came over because his child was woken up by the argument. Everyone outside got their names taken down, even the people that did not participate, and the people inside the building got off with a clean slate. Many smokers get upset when this happens because the nonsmokers are never the ones to get yelled at. The authority only hears the distinct sounds coming from outside that could possibly be waking up the rest of the community. This often results in getting ones name taken down and a brief conversation with a Residential Director.
Everyday an hourly group of the same students stand outside, shouting to one another, playing hack sack and smoking multiple cigarettes. This happens throughout the day and most of the night. When the majority of people are sleeping, a group of smokers gather outside, shouting loudly, laughing hysterically and smoking their cigarettes. At night and during bad weather this group will stand under this cove in the building to shelter themselves from rain or snow. This causes smoke to linger up into the rooms of other students and they retaliate. Many times the ISO will come over and ask people to get twenty-five feet from the building. They listen; just long enough for the ISO to get into the building and then that all migrate back to the cove to stay dry and warm.
The smokers are not the only ones that have to take a beating for their habit. The nonsmokers get their fair share of torment from the smokers. When someone walks by that is giving even the slightest glare, all the people that smoke will make comments to the person. Also when the smokers are outside, they take up most of the sidewalk with the amount of people that are outside or because they are playing a game of hacky sack. This upsets many people because they cannot get through the large group or because they have to breathe more smoke than they would if they smoked their own cigarette.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
The campus green is soaked and flooded with water. This is mainly due to the fact that it had rained all night the day before and the relative warmth of the day. The previous week has also seen vast amounts of snow accumulate on the green due to snow storms. This combination of melting snow and heavy rainfall leaves for mucky, damp and uncomfortable conditions for the trip to class. The water threatens to soak my jeans as I carefully walk through and around the puddles. There are also slick patches of ice that waiting to be slipped on.
The whole scene is fairly miserable. A dark set of clouds covers the sun. The whole green is covered in mostly ice and snow. It also is traced with footprints of people crossing the ice for a quicker trip. The green has been crossed so much and so often that paths began to form in the snow. People carving new paths in the snow as quickly as the paths had been covered up by the snow. Several footprints for several people crossing with the same idea of making their own trip a little bit quicker. Some are used more often then others resulting in some paths in which mud and grass can be seen. Others have just turned into ice, making them even more difficult to cross.
The green is different after being crossed so many times. It is no longer clean, white and fresh like after a snow storm. The melting of the snow reveals mud underneath. And the entire scene is just that much more grimy than from when I first came.
The whole scene is fairly miserable. A dark set of clouds covers the sun. The whole green is covered in mostly ice and snow. It also is traced with footprints of people crossing the ice for a quicker trip. The green has been crossed so much and so often that paths began to form in the snow. People carving new paths in the snow as quickly as the paths had been covered up by the snow. Several footprints for several people crossing with the same idea of making their own trip a little bit quicker. Some are used more often then others resulting in some paths in which mud and grass can be seen. Others have just turned into ice, making them even more difficult to cross.
The green is different after being crossed so many times. It is no longer clean, white and fresh like after a snow storm. The melting of the snow reveals mud underneath. And the entire scene is just that much more grimy than from when I first came.
davis hall outside dwellers
Of all the people in Davis Hall the most interesting to observe is the group that is always outside or in the lounge. They are probably the most consistent group of people I’ve seen. No matter when I’m walking to or from the building I know that there will be some of them outside. I love it.
There are a few places where they seem to locate themselves while outside. One of their spots of interest is the benches. I noticed some variables on whether or not they decide to sit or stand exist. The most prominent thing is how many people there exactly are. If there is a few people out side they tend to sit at the benches, primarily the first one. But when they are outside by the masses, 6 or more they tend to stand more and converse and such. While residing themselves in this bench area I noticed there are some specific things they enjoy doing. The prominent activity would be talking among each other. There conversations include that of some things they do together at night like going out and such. Conversations about classes are sometimes thrown in the mix. Many of the people who come and hang out side Davis Hall tend to smoke cigarettes. It is almost such of a social time for all the smokers. Many times you can hear one ask another for a cigarette or if another has a lighter. Besides smoking at this bench area, another activity they enjoy taking part in is playing with a hacky sack. This tends to occur when larger groups are outside. This game gets pretty intense. In case you don’t know about this game, it includes a small round bean sack. The people stand in a circle and the sack is tossed by one person into the air using there body, but no hands. This method of keeping the sack up is used again and again by everyone else in the circle to try and keep the sack from touching the ground as long as possible. I noticed that this is one of their more favorite activities along with smoking.
Besides chilling around the benches they tend to flock around a small stair case on the building, which leads to a little cover under the roof scoop. This is the spot for if the weather outside is bad. One of my days of observation was one of those days. It had been raining consistently and I noticed people would go under this roofed area to protect them from the rain. It was smart thinking, considering they didn’t like the rain. In this location the activities tend to be the same as by the benches. Sometimes people sit on the stairs while other times under the roof scoop. They enjoy talking about life, music, school, and such things here too. Other events they do here are the same as before, like smoking and hacky sack. I did notice another thing some do enjoy in this area is skate boarding. I suppose since there is stairs and a high curb along a garden in this locale it is a prime spot to do some skate board tricks. I noticed mostly males take part in this. There are also times when those smoking in this area get warnings from I.S.O.’s or R.A.’s for smoking too close to the building, so they have to move by the benches again. Sometimes even though having been warned before some people smoke here. It is a smart place to smoke though on rainy days, because the rain can put out the cigarette or whatever is currently being smoked by person. I have also noticed that at times before they have just chilled in this area in the shade listening to music. There are a few ways they listen to music. Sometimes there is some one with a small radio, but other times I have seen a guitar or even some little conga drums. It seemed pretty chill.
Also, another place which they tend to locate themselves is in the Davis Hall Lounge. This is also a resort for those days when the weather is poor. Here they tend to do different things than they would do outside. I also noticed if inside, there are other people inside than would be outside. Since they are not allowed to smoke, skate board and such in this lounge there are other things they do to have fun and socialize. In this lounge there is a big screen television in which I noticed they enjoy watching movies or sports games on. Also there is a pool table and ping pong table. There are times when there are some intense matches going on at both these tables, and times when not even being used. While in the lounge I also noticed that the conversation level increases and there are more different conversations going on.
Everyone who hangs out side Davis Hall appears to be a friendly person with very little worries about what others think. They just lounge around outside doing whatever they want, whether its smoking or hacky sack. The biggest thing I noticed was how no matter who or when some one walks by the Davis Hall outside dwellers, some one says hi and a little conversation goes on between one another. It just shows how nice and care free some people can be.
There are a few places where they seem to locate themselves while outside. One of their spots of interest is the benches. I noticed some variables on whether or not they decide to sit or stand exist. The most prominent thing is how many people there exactly are. If there is a few people out side they tend to sit at the benches, primarily the first one. But when they are outside by the masses, 6 or more they tend to stand more and converse and such. While residing themselves in this bench area I noticed there are some specific things they enjoy doing. The prominent activity would be talking among each other. There conversations include that of some things they do together at night like going out and such. Conversations about classes are sometimes thrown in the mix. Many of the people who come and hang out side Davis Hall tend to smoke cigarettes. It is almost such of a social time for all the smokers. Many times you can hear one ask another for a cigarette or if another has a lighter. Besides smoking at this bench area, another activity they enjoy taking part in is playing with a hacky sack. This tends to occur when larger groups are outside. This game gets pretty intense. In case you don’t know about this game, it includes a small round bean sack. The people stand in a circle and the sack is tossed by one person into the air using there body, but no hands. This method of keeping the sack up is used again and again by everyone else in the circle to try and keep the sack from touching the ground as long as possible. I noticed that this is one of their more favorite activities along with smoking.
Besides chilling around the benches they tend to flock around a small stair case on the building, which leads to a little cover under the roof scoop. This is the spot for if the weather outside is bad. One of my days of observation was one of those days. It had been raining consistently and I noticed people would go under this roofed area to protect them from the rain. It was smart thinking, considering they didn’t like the rain. In this location the activities tend to be the same as by the benches. Sometimes people sit on the stairs while other times under the roof scoop. They enjoy talking about life, music, school, and such things here too. Other events they do here are the same as before, like smoking and hacky sack. I did notice another thing some do enjoy in this area is skate boarding. I suppose since there is stairs and a high curb along a garden in this locale it is a prime spot to do some skate board tricks. I noticed mostly males take part in this. There are also times when those smoking in this area get warnings from I.S.O.’s or R.A.’s for smoking too close to the building, so they have to move by the benches again. Sometimes even though having been warned before some people smoke here. It is a smart place to smoke though on rainy days, because the rain can put out the cigarette or whatever is currently being smoked by person. I have also noticed that at times before they have just chilled in this area in the shade listening to music. There are a few ways they listen to music. Sometimes there is some one with a small radio, but other times I have seen a guitar or even some little conga drums. It seemed pretty chill.
Also, another place which they tend to locate themselves is in the Davis Hall Lounge. This is also a resort for those days when the weather is poor. Here they tend to do different things than they would do outside. I also noticed if inside, there are other people inside than would be outside. Since they are not allowed to smoke, skate board and such in this lounge there are other things they do to have fun and socialize. In this lounge there is a big screen television in which I noticed they enjoy watching movies or sports games on. Also there is a pool table and ping pong table. There are times when there are some intense matches going on at both these tables, and times when not even being used. While in the lounge I also noticed that the conversation level increases and there are more different conversations going on.
Everyone who hangs out side Davis Hall appears to be a friendly person with very little worries about what others think. They just lounge around outside doing whatever they want, whether its smoking or hacky sack. The biggest thing I noticed was how no matter who or when some one walks by the Davis Hall outside dwellers, some one says hi and a little conversation goes on between one another. It just shows how nice and care free some people can be.
Big Issue on Campus
As people walk by one another there is one thing that everyone has in common, smoking. This is not to say that everyone is smoking, but whether people are smoking or people are walking by the smokers, they have to deal with the distinct smell coming from every direction on campus. This causes a big problem on the college campus due to people not wanting to have to walk by people smoking cigarettes and the smokers do not and usually will not stand twenty five feet from the building.
Everyday an hourly group of the same students stand outside, shouting to one another, playing hack sack and smoking multiple cigarettes. This happens throughout the day and most of the night. When the majority of people are sleeping, a group of smokers gather outside, shouting loudly, laughing hysterically and smoking their cigarettes. At night and during bad weather this group will stand under the building to shelter themselves from rain or snow. This causes smoke to linger up into the rooms of other students and they retaliate.
While standing outside smoking there are the frequent snide remarks yelled down to the smokers. The smokers outside of Davis will get the daily, “Get that cancer you goddamn smokers!” which causes the people outside to yell back heinous remarks. This goes on for quite a bit of time and it ends with one of the Residential Assistants or Residential Directors coming out to yell at the smokers. Many smokers get upset when this happens because the nonsmokers are never the ones to get yelled at. The authority only hears the distinct sounds coming from outside that could possibly be waking up the rest of the community. This often results in getting ones name taken down and a brief conversation with a Residential Director.
Do I do something like this, or do I tell a story? Im soo confused
As people walk by one another there is one thing that everyone has in common, smoking. This is not to say that everyone is smoking, but whether people are smoking or people are walking by the smokers, they have to deal with the distinct smell coming from every direction on campus. This causes a big problem on the college campus due to people not wanting to have to walk by people smoking cigarettes and the smokers do not and usually will not stand twenty five feet from the building.
Everyday an hourly group of the same students stand outside, shouting to one another, playing hack sack and smoking multiple cigarettes. This happens throughout the day and most of the night. When the majority of people are sleeping, a group of smokers gather outside, shouting loudly, laughing hysterically and smoking their cigarettes. At night and during bad weather this group will stand under the building to shelter themselves from rain or snow. This causes smoke to linger up into the rooms of other students and they retaliate.
While standing outside smoking there are the frequent snide remarks yelled down to the smokers. The smokers outside of Davis will get the daily, “Get that cancer you goddamn smokers!” which causes the people outside to yell back heinous remarks. This goes on for quite a bit of time and it ends with one of the Residential Assistants or Residential Directors coming out to yell at the smokers. Many smokers get upset when this happens because the nonsmokers are never the ones to get yelled at. The authority only hears the distinct sounds coming from outside that could possibly be waking up the rest of the community. This often results in getting ones name taken down and a brief conversation with a Residential Director.
Do I do something like this, or do I tell a story? Im soo confused
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