How does the outliers connect to MY life?

Although I thought The Outliers was a little dull, I must admit that the author, Malcolm Gladwell, made some excellent points in this book. He mentioned things that you wouldn't normally think about on your own. He brought new ideas to your mind and forced you to think in a different way. Some of the points he made seemed a little to mature. I felt like I couldn't truly understand some of the things he was talking about because I am young and have not experienced anything like it yet. Although I feel like if I read this book again when I am an adult, I will be able to relate to a lot more things in this book. Although I had a hard time relating to some of the points made in this book, there were some points that really caught my attention and I felt really did connect to my life.

One point this book was stressing about was a thing called the 10,000-hour rule. I thought that this rule connected to my life. The 10,000-hour rule is that researchers have decided that you need 10,000 hours to become a true expert at something. I believe that this connects to my life because I ride horses and when I thought about the 10,000 hour rule, I realized I'm just about half way to being an "expert" at riding. In the book on page 41, it says that it "seems to take about ten years...and what’s ten years? Well, it's roughly how long it takes to put in ten thousand hours of hard practice." When I took that into consideration I realized that it does make perfect sense that I am just about half way there to becoming an expert at riding, because like I said before I have been riding for four years. In my riding I hope to become an expert at jumping. So far I have begun jumping small cross rails and short courses. If I continue to keep on riding extra each week and continue to put in a lot of practice, in ten years I should be able to consider my self a "expert" at English riding and jumping. I know that I can't just sit on a horse for 10,000 hours and expect to jump a full course I need to work and practice hard. "The people at the very op don't just work harder than everyone else. They work much, much harder." (Page 39). So in ten years with 10,000 hours of hard practice I'm hoping to be able to call myself an expert at jumping six-foot jumps and full courses.

Another point in this book that I felt connects to my life is the point about how important IQ tests are.  "There is nothing about an individual as important as his IQ, except possibly his morals." That quote was taken from page 75, and I believe that many people agree with that. In my life I have experienced, multiple times, that not just with IQ tests, but just in tests in general, the people who do really well on them get treated differently then the people who don't do as well on them. In this book Henry Cowell was determined if he was intelligent by taking an IQ test. Terman thought, "This boy must be intelligent." (Page 73) and of course his 140 on that IQ test proved that he was almost a "genius." Terman decided to continue to follow Cowell and keep track of him. Cowell was one of those people who got that "special treatment" that I was talking about for doing well on a test. I have never been a good test taker, so I have not been one of the people who got the special treatment. I was the one who watched as the teachers talked to the kids who did well on the tests. I watched as they got complimented and a pat on the back. Even though I may have work just as hard or maybe even harder on preparing for the test, it all comes down to the test itself. If you think about it a lot of your intelligence is based on tests. In high school you need to take regents to see if you can pass the course, you need to take PSAT's and SAT's. Then when you go to collage you still need to take tests to see if you can pass a course and graduate. It doesn't stop there, there are even jobs out there that require you to take tests to see ware you are with your intelligence. The people who do best on these tests get moved to higher classes, get recommendation letters or can even get promoted in their job. I believe that, like this book states and as I said before, "There is nothing about an individual as important as his IQ."

One last point that this book mad that I thought connected to my life was the idea that it takes seven human errors to create a disaster.  un-dragged, hard arena dirt. I was lying on the ground for 15 minutes gasping for air because I got the wind knocked out of me. I was not able to move from the sharp pain from the bottom half of my back to my tailbone. I thought for sure I have broken something. My parents ended up needing to bring me to the doctors to get an x-ray, and while I was in the waiting room I was replaying my fall over and over in my head. I realized that it wasn't just one thing that had gone wrong, it was multiple things. I was tiered from the long trail ride I was just on, I was hungry, I wasn't very focused, I was very nervous, I misunderstood the directions, my reins were to long, and I leaned forward on my pony's withers instead of sinking down on her back. Count the amount of errors that happened to cause me to fall. Seven, just like the amount that the book said. Also the book said "These several errors, furthermore, are rarely problems of knowledge or flying skills." and then Gladwell continues to go on and say that "The kinds of errors that cause plane crashes are invariably errors of team work and communication." (Page 184) With that being said, I also realized that it is not that I am bad at riding or don't have the skills to ride properly. It's just that I wasn't working well with the pony and I didn't understand the directions that my instructor was telling me.

This book, The Outliers, is a very deep and thought provoking book. Even though I did not enjoy it very much, it still had some really fascinating points in it. I'm sure that this book can connect to many more adults because it is so deep and make you think so much. I am pretty sure that if I reread this book again when I am older I will enjoy it a lot more.  I must admit that the parts that I did understand really well and could connect to I really enjoyed.  Malcolm Gladwell defiantly has his own type of writing and his own interesting was of getting points across.

Ugly Poetry Prompt

 Is it really you that's ugly?

Everybody stops and stairs 
It gets many dirty glares
It struts down the halls like it's so hot
But really everybody thinks that it's not
It's face is covered and glue
You look away when it looks at you
You compare it to something old you find under your bed
I know that sounds cruel but it had to be said
It wares shoes so high
She can barley walk by
If she were in the street face to face with a car
She defiantly wouldn't be able to run very far
If only she could see
That when she is covered so unnaturally
She looks like a baboon
Better yet a scared raccoon!
I truly wish that when she wipes off her face that she will see
It's all that fake gunk that makes her look ugly

Microfunction: The scent of lavendar was overpowering.

The scent of lavender was over powering. I tried to ignore the old woman's scent as I rode the city bus back to my stop. I still can't believe that I went all the way from my country house to the mall! The amount of people was overwhelming, everyone running to get to stores to get fashionable clothes. It was obvious that I don't go to the mall much, as everyone was running around searching for deals, I just stood in the middle of the first floor looking at all of the ruckus. Surprisingly I only got one bag of clothes. I will be home in about a half hour and then I would have successfully gone to the mall without my mom ever knowing! The bus comes to a stop and finally the old smelly women gets off. When the bus starts back up again and gets on the highway I take a deep breath, lean back and think about how easy this was.
"Hold on!" The bus driver yells. I look up from the ground and see a flash of light, then suddenly my head jerks forwards then back slamming up against the hard seat. My breath gets cut short and all I remember after that moment is blank darkness...
I wake up to a steady beeping next to my ear. When I open my eyes the amount of white overwhelms me. I adjust my eyes and realize I'm in the hospital. I don't know how I got here. I try to get up but I can't, my arm wont move. I look to my left, my arm! It's, it's gone! I start to shake, I start to scream. Nurses come running to my room. I swing my arm at them as they try to hold me down on the bed. A doctor comes running into the room and injects something into my IV, and I calm down rapidly and the nurses let go of me and leave the room. Now it's just me and the doctor. "What happened?" I ask with a shaky voice.
"Well, we are assuming that you were thrown from the bus seat as the bus was getting crushed. A drunk driver was driving an 18 wheeler."
"Ware is my arm? I want to know about my arm!'
"You arm got speared with a rusty arm rest. We had no choice but to amputate it. It was already more then half off and we didn't want to risk infection. I'm so sorry." I could hear the sympathy in his voice.
"I need my mom. I just want my mom." By now I can barley speak. The doctor gets up and silently leaves the room. Within seconds my mother bursts through the door crying and running toward me with her arms wide open.  She kneels down next to my bed and wraps both her arms around me. We both sit there and just cry because we can't turn back time.

TU Tuesday-Editorial

http://blog.timesunion.com/amanda/i-love-my-body-too-i-just-dont-write-about-it/20438/#more-20438

After reading Amanda Talar's article "I love my body too (I just don't write about it)" I was looking at advertisements in a whole different way. This article was about how Victoria Secrets models are always tall and super thin. Even when they are advertising for people that are not build like a model there is still "four tall, lean models standing next to the words" People get mistaken when they see that Victoria's Secrets is selling things for all types of women, they think its great of them to realize that not every women is built like that, but like I said before, the super thin girls that are modeling the product are what caught your eye. I think that Amanda makes a good argument. I truly understand what she is saying and I think that there is nothing false about what she has noticed. She gets her point across very well in this article. She makes it very clear that "Victoria’s Secret models aiming a damaging message at little girls."

"My T-Shirt Vote"

-I am going to vote for the T-shirt that is all black and has a giraffe, lion, zebra, and cheetah on it. The quote on this shirt is "will you miss me when I'm gone?"
-If I win the contest I would like Peanut Butter cookies.

Creative Contest I Blog

http://pets.webshots.com/photo/1064485259044615393QXjYwb

I = Irish Setter

                                                                Irish Setter

 http://www.terrificpets.com/images/uploads/breeds_07249103803698_1.jpg

Breed description: They are developed from a mix of Irish Terrier, Irish Water Spaniel, English Setter, Pointer, and the Gordon Setter.

Appearance/Size: Irish Setters are considered to be a large breed. A average males height is 26-28 inches, and they weigh about 65-75 pounds. A average female height is 24-26 inches, and there weight is about 55-65 pounds. Irish setters have a medium long coat they comes in reddish browns from chestnut to mahogany. They have large defined heads and long, graceful necks.

Diet: Irish Setters eat twice a day. They can eat dry or wet food. The amount of food you should feed your dog depends on its individual weight and height. These dogs should get unlimited water, but it should be restricted only after exercise.

Temperament: Irish Setter dogs are energetic, kind and gentle. They can be quite impulsive and foolish, although they are very intelligent. They will pretty much house train themselves, all you need to do is let them out after eating and playing.These dogs are very people friendly and they do great with children. They love to go out for family walks, jogs or even going for a swim!

Shedding:  Irish Setters do shed. You will find hair stuck to your clothes, furniture and pretty much all over the house.

Health/Allergies/Vaccines: The Irish Setter can become bloated easily. That is why it is important to feel them two meals instead of one big one.


http://www.irishsetterhealth.info/content/feeding
http://www.terrificpets.com/dog_breeds/irish_setter.asp

Creativity Breeds Creativity

Un-truth Poetry Prompt

You said I can trust you and that you won't leave
But just this week I found out that that was a un-truth
It took me so long to trust you
So long to attach to you
You were so many things to me
Couldn't you see?
You were so much more then a barn rat to me

I don't trust people, but I trusted you
Just a week ago when you told me your leaving
It broke my heart I really felt it tear in half and break into molecule pieces
Oh no, this was not the pain of loseing a little boyfriend
This was the pain of losing a family member
That's what you are to me, a family member
You were my idol, my hero, my role model
And you'r just leaving, like everyone else

I can deal with my friends leaving, my pets leaving, even when I think my moms leaving
But you, I can't deal with parting with you
You just are leaving me here alone
Do you know how horrible the pain is inside when you are left alone?
Do you know what it feels like to be told lies over and over again?
To have people leave you over and over again?
You know I need you, you know we need you
But thank you, because now I know the truth
People will never stay with you
Don't believe what they say, they won't stay
People tell un-truths, and that my friend is the only truthful thing I know

TU Tuesday Guest Speaker

Poise: I felt that he was comfortable with speaking to our class. He had good eye contact with everyone and tried to really understand us. H would not only anwser our questions, but he would also ask us questions. I think that he had a very good connection with us.

Clarity: I thought that he spoke very well. His tine of voice was very calm. He did not studer or mumble. He spoke in a low but understandable voice. I believe he talked so that everyone in the class could understand him. He did not try to make himself seem smart by using big fancy words that none of us would understand. 

Volume: He spoke at a nice volume. He was not screaming, nut he was not whispering. He was at a very good volume. Everyone in the room could hear him, no one had to have him repeat anything because he wasn't talking loud enough.

Information: I thought he gave us good information. When we asked how we should start out writing he told us to start with smaller pieces and build up to a book. Although he would go off track at times, but not to badly.

Organization: I thought that he was pretty organized. Everyone was able to understand his thinking paths and everyone could follow along with the conversation.

I tried to contribute to the conversation. I did ask a few questions and was very pleased with how he responded. I am shy around people I do not know, so it took a lot to ask someone new a question in front of the whole class. I thought our class did pretty good with carrying a conversation. Some people did get a little carried away or didn't talk at all, but the people that really did try to contribute to the conversation effectively did a good job.
I think you should invite him back for your future classes to talk with. He gave very truthful answers to our questions. He was fun to talk to because he seems like he really cared about our questions and answering them well. I would think that other classes would enjoy speaking with him too. I would like to have another speaker come in because it is very useful to have someone give you their opinion on writing and how to be a successful writer. It is interesting to see peoples advice to how they would recommend becoming a writer and how they them self became a writer.