My Writing Process Now

My writing process now has greatly developed through this semester. I have found the importance of the thesis statement and have seen how it can carry you through your entire paper. It ties the entire paper together and makes it easier for you as the writer to remember the point you are trying to make. I have learned that this is also helpful for the reader as well. It helps to remind them what the paper is about and what they should be focusing on.

I feel more confident in my writing and understand how to efficiently and successfully write a paper. This process has eliminated a lot of stress and has made writing a lot more enjoyable. I have also found that writing is an amazing way of letting out your emotions and feelings. I really enjoyed this class and have found it very beneficial for the future.

-Maddie Rzeppa

The Live Review: Lady Gaga at Staples Center, was a wonderful article about the famous pop star Lady Gaga. When Lady Gaga was first becoming popular, I looked up to her greatly. She was the new David Bowie or Michael Jackson. Lady Gaga is different and thrilling leaving the audience always speechless with her unexpected choices. She made a name for herself and many people looked up to her.

Personally I thought she was cool, unique and daring. Always doing the unexpected and most importantly not caring what everyone else thought. Yes she stuff is crazy and weird but she stays true to herself and the image she has created. I think the most rewarding beautiful thing in the world is having the confidence to be yourself. Lady Gaga is the symbol of that and I think more people should have that mentality on life.

Like many great artists in the past not being afraid to be different she has made a mark on the music world and her name and music will never be forgotten.

-Maddie Rzeppa

Before College

My writing process before college is pretty hard to explain. Honestly I didn't really have one. I knew the basic principles of writing and the steps to do when writing a paper but never really developed a proper way of writing. I never understood how important a writing process was until I stepped into college. If you have specific way to write it makes the whole writing experience better and easier. I knew I needed a beginning middle and end. And the rest was just chance. Whatever happens happens and I did it to the best of my ability. I have learned quite a lot from this class and found the importance of a thesis and many other ways of writing.

-Maddie Rzeppa

Cupcakes

The passage So I Thought I Could Dance, immediately caught my eye because I used to be a very dedicated dancer. Know I just love dancing for fun and love watching different dance shows like the one mentioned in this passage, So you think you can Dance.

Being an intense dancer I am well aware of the pressure put on you to be the best. Reading this passage reminded me of the good times I had while dancing. I was mainly focused on ballet and was working towards become a ballerina. After a long day with a 5 hour ballet class, my fellow dancers and I where always exhausted, sweaty and irritated. The one thing that got us through the night was the delicious cupcakes we got after class. We would walk over to the local cupcake shop and devour a snickerdoodle cupcake. We danced down the streets with our tights rolled up and our hair tightly up in a perfect bun. We were all friends and it was great.

When class arrived the next day everyone was jealous of each other again and pointed out each others flaws. We fell back into the swing of things and forgot about the connection we had the day before. The good dancers got beat down with words that made us self conscious and you realized dancing didn't bring you joy any more. This passage brought many good dancing memories back, but also ones that I don't want to remember.

-Maddie Rzeppa

My Island in the Sun

The endless possibility of dreams and goals fill my thoughts each day. The excitement of reaching towards something then finally getting there with a huge smile on your face that you achieved the unachievable. My goals in life are very different from my peers, I am living my dream as we speak being a makeup artist learning from the best in the most beautiful small business. Learning the ropes of running your own small business and understanding the art of customer service is a dream of mine that has been achieved.

My goal is to finish school, whether I decided only to get an associates degree or moving on to a bachelors degree. I hope to stay with the business I am working for now for a few more years and when I am ready move on to bigger things. I would love to be a celebrity makeup artist and know that I can do so. Because of my unique style of makeup I have a better chance at getting up there in the makeup artist industry.

At some point I hope to travel around Europe. The lifestyle is very me and I would love to go all around to see if there is a spot I would end up. Once I picked a spot I want to open my small beauty apothecary. Filled with my own line of makeup and my most favorite products. I would want the shop super small and intimate. Simple and relaxing to enjoy what I love forever.

-Maddie Rzeppa

Sports

Growing up in a family where sports are very importance, but not the most important thing in the world really has allowed me too see both sides of the argument for changing the rules with sports.

In High School, being a so called "popular" kid was being athletic and a star in sports. Gender didn't matter. All the cool kids played sports and if you didn't basically your weren't as important. There were teachers that favored different students because of the sports they played. Not only is this totally wrong, but shows kids that academics aren't as important as sports.

Being at a school where the theater, art, and other programs where lacking in proper supplies the sports programs bought new gear each year, and had all of the top equipment. Instead of redoing a building or buying something truly needed for the school, they decided to spend a ton of money redoing the football field and putting turf in. Umm did I miss something? This was the biggest waste of money. Our football field was completely up to par and there was truly no need to replace it but hey football is really important.

You never hear about the artistic kids wining scholarships, or the super smart kids going off to amazing schools. All you see in the local paper is the students getting scholarships or wining awards for some type of sport. Favoring others has never worked out best for our society and the passage Time to Change the Rules discusses this as well.

-Maddie Rzeppa

Project 3 Experience

The experience I had with project 3 was very stressful. Honestly at first I had no clue what I was doing and I struggled with the direction for my paper. After the conference with my professor I had a greater vision of what I needed to achieve in this paper and finally found my path.

With that said, I still struggled for a while on writing my paper. I felt like I had so much I wanted to say but when I wrote it down nothing seemed to make sense. I decided to take breaks in between my writing so then I allowed myself to have a fresh view of the paper. It did take me a while to complete and  I was extremely nervous to turn it in, but in the end my hard work completely paid off and I am very happy with my final grade. If I had the option to never do this type of paper again I wouldn't hesitate to take it. But knowing that I could conquer it gives me the confidence to take on anything that comes why way throughout my writing career.

-Maddie Rzeppa

"Oh my gosh! Hold on lets take a selfie!" This is something I hear way too often in my day to day life. It doesn't matter where we are what we are doing or who we are doing it with the world needs to know how amazing we look. It is just expected that each day a flawlessly edited photo with a perfect filter is shared to the world. Basically instagram, twitter and facebook are tools to boost our self esteem and make our lives seem way more interesting than they really are. Over glorification on how amazing your life is and bragging to the world about how absolutely amazing you are.

Personally, I have never taken part in any of these social media sights myself. I like having my own privacy and don't feel the need to let everyone on the planet know what I ate for dinner. Does any one out there really even care? I feel like I have my own problems in my life so why would I ever want to share those to everyone hooked on these social sights.

The obsession people have with these sights worries me. How is anyone going to be happy with what they have anymore, and most importantly are people going to know how to communicate with each other in person anymore? These thoughts truly do worry me and in the passage, Here I am Taking my Own Picture, they clearly hit all of these sad but truthful points about the effect of these social sights.

-Maddie Rzeppa

Revise Revise Revise

The never ending tornado of revising has officially hit me. Proejct 3 is in the final stages of revising.  As painful as it is too get through every second is worth the ending result. The first thing I do is go through each paragraph, reading it aloud. This helps me find any mistakes or things I want to change. Once I am happy with that paragraph and I think it is perfect I move on to the next.

I think the most important thing about revising is having other people read your work and edit it. I always make sure both my mom and my dad are able to read through it and point out any mistakes. I also had my boss read through my paper because she has a masters in English. It is very beneficial having other people around you read your work. This helps you find any mistakes you may have missed.

When everyone has put there two cents in my paper I read through it again out loud to myself. Sometimes I may need to reword some sentences, or change some thoughts around, but when I am satisfied the feeling of completion hits. Know you just hope for the best and know you have done everything to make this paper the best.

-Maddie Rzeppa

What the F***?

Last weekend I was hanging out with my friend from Poland. He has been her a year now and his English has improved greatly. When we were out the other day I never realized how much he swore. It was almost every sentence he dropped an considerably inappropriate word.

Personally, I do think swearing  is a normal relaxed thing to do and is a way of expressing your feelings. But as society has gone on I think it has become more about showing your maturity and feeling grown up. We see constant swearing on TV, in books, and in songs so why shouldn't we do it? It is the cool thing to do.

I asked my friend if he swears just as much when he is speaking polish. He laughed at my curiosity and started to explain to me that teenagers in Poland swear in English because it is the cool thing to do. Parents and older people he said don't realize what the kids are saying because they don't speak English. He told me about how he has this one shirt that has the famous "F" word written across his chest. In Poland everyone had these shirts. When he came here and realized that this was not acceptable he was shocked.

Today it is becoming more and more acceptable for people to carelessly swear and there is a point where those words, won't have such an impact anymore. We all do it, and the power of a word is diminished each time it carelessly floats out of our mouths.

Tech-NO!

Like most people in the world, I am a victim of Google, Bing, Yahoo and all of those other brilliant search engines. If I find myself thinking too much about how much I truly depend on these sites I quickly change my thought because honestly it scares me. Titles always seem to jump out to me, and this was no exception. Is Google Making Us Stupid?, is the title of my chosen article for Chapter 70. I saw this title and said oh my gosh heck yes!

As the writer describes that we are completely dependent on the world wide web. All of our desired answers can be found with a few taps of your fingers and a click of a button. Too easy. What ever happened to working for what you want? Books are unnecessary for our everyday lives and the object that was cherish and used until it fell apart is know sitting on a self accumulating layers of dust each day.

You never are left to wonder about something with the internet getting in your way. Your thoughts can never just be yours. I would ask someone a question that I don't necessarily need an answer for, something that I just want my brain to imagine the answer. But immediately someone already has it pulled up on their phone. As much as the instant access of knowing what you need to know whenever you want it is extremely helpful and I rely on it day to day sometimes I wonder what would happen if suddenly this access was gone.

The difficulty my generation and generations younger is we don't know how to find information on our own in books. Its not fast enough for us and we have to work to our answer. You can type anything in the world in to a search engine and it will give you the answer. An example, if your stranded how to make a fire. I could look that up in a second, but if I was really stranded I wouldn't know that basic survival technique because I depend to much on technology. I see good and bad sides the increasing use of technology and how it is evolving more and more. It is helpful and amazing in one way, but scary and devastating in another. I hope enough people realize that we need to take a minute to pause the screen and live in the real world.

Maddie Rzeppa

Conference Time!

Being totally honest, I was extremely nervous for my conference on my project 3 research paper. I was unsure if I was achieving what was being expected from me and not quit sure the direction I was going in. I had many questions going into the meeting like, citing sources, what my intro should be, the title of my paper, the thesis etc. Basically, I had a lot of questions and was not completely confident in the way my paper was being written.

When I met with my professor, she covered everything. I was blown away by how helpful she was in giving me the guidance I needed for this paper. I had never had a teach work with me face to face about the problems that need fixing, or a way of saying something I didn't know how to say. I felt confident in myself and was completely ready to tackle this paper. Talking about what was needed to be done gave me more passion in writing this paper and helped me not procrastinate. When we were done with our meeting every single question had been answered and I felt really good about this paper.

If we weren't encouraged to schedule a conference, my paper would have not been nearly as good as t was. This helped me learn that even if it is not mandatory, or greatly suggested I should always try to get my papers looked over or ask questions to my future professors. There was a weight lifted off my shoulders after the conference and it helped me out greatly.

Maddie Rzeppa

Bella, Bella, Bella

The last passage I chose to write about, is called CinderBella: Twilight, Fairy Tales, and the Twenty-First-Century American Dream. I have never been the girl into romance books or movies. Chick flicks have never been my cup of tea and they never will. I am more of the action movie type of girl and enjoy rugged tough films. When the Twilight series of books came out I was the only girl in my middle school class who wasn't reading the series. My friends were obsessed with them, my mom was addicted, and the world was hooked. Trust me I love a good fairy tale and Disney movies are the one exception to my love for thrillers, but this just seemed too out there for me.

I was very curious to read this article and see what the opinion of the author is of this book and movie. I was entertained by the realism behind this article and it showed that this story is a over exaggerated fairy tale. Resembling Snow White and Cinderella, Bella is a sweet curious character trying to fit into the world and befriends the animals and creatures in the forest. Bella is desperate to find who she is and these stories bend and twist her path and changes from the person she once was into something she feels she was always born to be.

You caught me red handed, I have seen each of the movies. Each time I hoped something real would happen and after each scene I became more and more disappointed. Being the oldest in my family, and having a mom being a devoted fan, I was brought to the movie theater to watch one of the films. I couldn't understand how having an pasty unattractive man playing a sparkly vampire was entertaining, or seeing a very attractive man constantly change into a giant dog. The cheesy romance of this movie was kind of pathetic to me. After I read this passage I understand a little more about the books and the movies. I can see the inspiration behind it and appreciate it a little bit more.

Maddie Rzeppa

Peer Review Questions

When I got my peer review handed back to me everything looked well written and thought out. If I could ask a few questions to my editor I definitely would. I think having a peer edit my paper really helps me step up my game while writing my rough draft. I try to write better and edit my paper so my editor doesn't have as much work to do. And in a way I do want to empress them with my writing as well. I would have asked my editor what he thought I could have done better to extend the length of my paper. At first I had trouble shortening it and then I ran into the problem of it not being long enough. I would have liked to know if he had any ideas I could have benefited from. Another question I would have asked is if he thought I should start off my paper with a quote to lead into the opening of the story. It was important to me to have the intro and the conclusion to flow well together so I could tie off the thesis from beginning to end. I wonder if the editor liked how I did that or if he felt it was too redundant. Over all I felt my peer edit answered most of my questions and worries about my paper.

Maddie Rzeppa

The Real World

As I was flipping through the pages of chapter 72, I wondered what story would pop out at me this time. I turned the page and boom. There is was, Holden Raises Hell The Catcher in the Rye. I immediately new this would be the perfect story for me to read because of my personally connection to this book. When I first entered high school, the first thing my dad asked was when did I get to read The Catcher in the Rye. It was his favorite book and he new I would like it because we have similar interests in books. So finally when I entered sophomore year I was able to read this book. I was humored by the goofy personality and violence Holden has in the story. It was the first book that I could imagine myself there next to the character, and feeling like I new him. As I uncovered the dark secrets behind Holden I found him interesting, but most importantly sad. I saw a different view on the world and how cruel it can be. Reading this passage made me realize the importance and meaning behind this rebellious topic. This view opened up the eyes of the readers, showing them the shield of innocence we put around the world and the fear of the down and dirty truth. I enjoyed this passage and the message it brought.

Maddie Rzeppa

The Keys of Prewriting

Prewriting for my project 3 paper, analyzing womens studies for the Disney movie Frozen was challenging at first. I was unsure which scene I wanted to focus on, so I decided to grab a pencil and a piece of paper and start writing. I do this to get all of my ideas on paper so I can see if they make sense and are valid ideas that fit well for this paper. Once I found out the route I wanted to take with this paper, it was easy for me to sit at my computer and write everything I had to say. After I spit out everything, I go back and edit, add, and eliminate the entire prewrite. I think it is important for a writer to let everything out on paper without holding back and then cutting unnecessary information afterwards. Prewriting is an important step when writing any important paper. Sometimes it may seem like a waste of time but in the long run it is completely worth it and your paper will be successful.

Maddie Rzeppa

The "Norm"

I read the poem Woodstock
When entering adulthood everyone around asks to know the layout of your plan. You give them a fuzzy outline to satisfy there curiosity and the give you a million corrections and suggestions that fly right past your head. Everyone has a different idea for your plan, and your vision is easily pushed aside.

There is a norm that everyone follows and when someone diverts from that path they are looked at differently. Most of the time in a negative way but some in a good way. The fear of being judged because you didn't follow the norm drives people to take a path that isn't them.

A big part in growing up is making mistakes, and following your dreams. I think more people need to experiment with the path they in vision for themselves no matter what. If someone tears you down you get right back up. Following your dreams is the road to finding who you are, and the time taken for that is more important than a specific path the world has engraved in you to take. The fear of failing conquers the importance of finding yourself and that is the most terrifying thought.

Maddie Rzeppa

Project 3 Proposal

For my project three paper I am going to discuss women’s studies with the Disney movie Frozen. I want to look at the two strong female leads in this movie and how they overcome their struggles without the help of a male figure. I am not completely sure on what scene of the movie best shows this, so I am still debating between which scene to use. I think the power that the two female leads have in this film are inspiring to younger kids because there isn’t another Disney movie out there that doesn’t have a man swooping in the save the day. It is a different way to look a princess movie, and will help give young girls the thought that you don’t need a man to help you through your problems.

Maddie Rzeppa

Birthday Spankings

When I was growing up at a child my parents never spanked me. The only time we ever got spankings was on our birthday. My dad would scoop us up and tickle us, then we would give us birthday spankings. We carried this act through each family members birthday, including my Mom, Dad and Grandparents. This was a fun loving goofy gesture that became a humorous tradition in our family.

Being a social child I was always gong over to a friends house and what can I say at times I was a trouble maker. As we got scolded by my playmates mother my friend would get spanked, or her mother would say, You will get two spankings later". I was always so curious what was so terrifying about getting your butt smacked a few times, and why this was a punishment for some and not others. I felt lucky that my parents never spanked me, but never really understanding why.

As I talked to my parents about why the choose never to spank my sisters and I, the said they don't believe in using violence to getting someone to do something you want. That violence isn't they right way in getting your or showing a child that they are wrong. By hitting a child this is also showing that child that hitting is acceptable. Which we know its not so why do we do it?

There has been research that spanking can leave emotional scars on children and can affect them in the future. I can see that this is true but that is the same as saying that yelling at your children can leave emotional scars. Know that I have grown up and can make observations for myself I do think that spanking your child is wrong, and really is a part of an abusive act. Children are people too and you wouldn't hit your neighbor so why would you hit a child?

Looking back to the past there are some things people did back in the day that are considered illegal now. Times change and as life goes on change occurs. Spanking is one of those instances that needs to die down and should be considered child abuse.

Maddie Rzeppa

Editorial

The critical approach I enjoyed the most was the Editorial approach. This was the last thing I thought would interest me because it was someone's personal story and belief, but it ended up interesting me the most. It amazes me what someone's personal beliefs and experiences can greatly relate to your own or even influence you to realize the same thing. When reading about the authors feelings or life lessons makes everything more interesting. This particular article really inspired me and related to what I have been viewing upon our culture for quite a while. I found this editorial to be very interesting and made me realize how powerful writing can be. \
-Maddie Rzeppa

The New "Normal"

Wow. Was all could say after I finished reading the essay, Don't Send the Clones. Finally someone said what I have been trying to explain to people and they said it perfectly. When people ask me what my favorite part is about college I never say, the classes, the parties, or the freedom. My favorite part is the diversity. I love how everyone is different from each other but still ends up in the same place. The clicks still exist like they will where ever you go, but there is a moment where you can look around and see all the unique cool people around you. Some people find this scary, but I think it should be embraced more because it is such an important part of live...understanding others. At a community college people still tend to flock towards the people they know that went to there high school. I can say I am guilty of that, which is normal because its a new world out there. But, as each day goes by I try to talk to someone new and different from me. In high school I was always pretty different from the other girls, but that is the way I am. I don't like to conform because that's what everyone else is doing. So when I see all these people that are the same way as me makes me realize not everyone is the same. With the high usage of social media people can find those clicks or groups easier and they end up not stepping out of there comfort zone. I think this needs to change because you will never develop yourself as a person without experiencing others that are different than you.
-Maddie Rzeppa

Mumzie School

Summer was the best time of the year. You could sleep in, it was warm, the sun was always shining, and you had no school work. Well, except for me. My mom is an amazing second grade teacher and has taught various elementary grades through her career in teaching. Therefor it only made sense for me and my sisters to have a designated time each day for "school" my mom called it. She had work books, project, and books for us to read. I honestly can say I absolutely hated it and fought my mom everyday about it. But looking back, yes it was awful and just morally wrong, but I learned many important things from that hour designated to my Mumzie School. Reading was never my strong suit and we practiced reading comprehension. I learned all about how to read and re read difficult information and to this day still preform these techniques.

As I start to read, I can figure out whether or not the reading is going to be hard to understand. If I come across a sentence that didn't click, I re read it and stop to think about what it is saying. When I am finished with the passage I go back and read it again. This process sounds long and boring and trust me it is, but in the long run you will be able to do this without even thinking about it. As I kid in my summer Mumzie school, I never thought I would be thanking my mom for taking that one hour each day of summer away from me, but today is the day I do. I do appreciate her amazing effort in helping me succeed in learning important tasks that still apply to me today. Thanks Mom!

-Maddie Rzeppa

Strange Way of Life

Working in retail, and providing a service for someone as being a makeup artist really gets me interested in how people interact with others and there unique habits. From the way people expect you to act and seeing how people behave that are from different walks of like is very interesting to me. The title, The Yong, the Rich, and the Famous: Individualism as an American Cultural Value sucked me in immediately, and little did I know it was one of the longest stories.

I am the type of person who enjoys being different from everyone else, just being able to show the world who I am is a big part of my life. While I was in high school I wasn't afraid to be myself like so many others are and I do think that this is an American cultural outlook on what high school should be. We are shown through books, movies, and real life scenarios that there is a specific vision of what high school is like. At that age teens are already in the stage where they can't find there identity and our culture throws this perceived picture of how you should act in high school.

Friends of mine that went to high school in different countries didn't seem to have the same outlook on high school as I had. For example, everyone is friends with each other, they all go hang out at a specific café or park were they all bond together. There isn't as much judging and everyone is accepting. Having this persona of who you must be in high school and which click you fit in is so childish. No one can man up and be different because they are all afraid of being rejected by the image of perfection.

-Maddie Rzeppa

Behind the Blank Stare

Tears of joy, sorrow, or angry. Feelings of hurt, happiness or pain. I have always found that showing to much emotion was a sign of weakness. I never wanted to be that girl that cried in ever sappy movie, or bursted in tears when her best friend called her a degrading name. That was never me and still to this day isn't me. Sure, I show emotions when there is a realistic reason, but I find it slightly pathetic that people can't hold themselves together. It shows a sign of strength to me that you won't crumble when the going gets tough and that's the way I control my emotions.

I have been thinking greatly about emotions lately, with all the change going on in my life and have found that I don't like to think about it. It is a way of building up a wall because I am afraid to get hurt. I am afraid that if I show a slight glimpse of my feelings that someone will take them right from under me. Emotions make up the most delicate part of a human and can me damaged so easily, that is it really worth even showing? I ask myself this through each conversation, text, and interaction, hoping that I will not give away something that I will later regret. Going with the flow has always been my way of dealing with the feelings I have towards something and it has always worked well for me. Until I needed to grow up.

When times get rough and I feel hurt I push my emotions and feelings so deep inside in order to get rid of the sorrow that when I need them I can't find them. I sit here and think about what I want and how I feel about this situation. And all I can say is I don't know. A defense mechanism that needs to be broken is the strongest wall of all. Unbreakable to outsiders, and the lucky ones can barley brake little pieces away. The fear of getting betrayed or hurt by someone gets in the way for expressing my true views and is stopping me from listening to not only my head but my heart. As I have grown I have seen a side of people where to show your feelings it doesn't have to be through tears, but soft spoken gentle words. Or even nothing at all. I have seen a side of sharing emotions that is a strength and not a weakness, I admire these people so much. There bravery and courage inspires me as well as there dry eyes as they recite sentences that come straight from the heart.

-Maddie

Revising My Brains Out

Through my years of education, I have finally found the best way for me to revise and edit my papers. I first type everything I have to say about my topic, them I delete and edit out different sentences or ideas that don't relate to my topic. After that I create my rough draft from that information. I left that rough draft sit for a few days then revisit my paper with a fresh look on it to start to revise. I read over the paper first, and then dissect each paragraph separately. I go through and edit and then when I think it is pretty good I read it out loud to myself, then usually edit again. I continue this process throughout the entire paper until I am finished. Then I go through and read the whole paper through twice out loud to insure it all flows together. When I am all done if have someone else read my paper. Most of the time its my parents, and they give me good tips and help me correct different mistakes. My then I feel like I have done everything possible, I save and print out my work. I feel like as long as I am proud of the work I have produced and gave it my all then I have written a pretty good essay.
-Maddie Rzeppa

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM

Mint Snowball, this immediately made me hungry for my favorite mint chocolate chip ice cream. And know typing this blog post I have a bowl of mint chocolate chip sitting right next to me. Food is has a magical way of bringing memories from the past and flashing them through your mind. Like the story this boys grandfather made a special treat that brings his mother back to her days of being a child. For me, ice cream is a special treat that relates back to my childhood. Most kids love this delicious cold treat and my Nana and I would always have a scoop when were got back from the pool. My Nanas favorite flavor was vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips in it. Being filled with chlorine, this ice cream made my taste buds sing. After we would eat the ice cream we would change out of our bathing suits and snuggle up by the TV. We usually would watch a Disney movie that I would pick out. Then I would lay on the couch and sing each song until I fell asleep. To this day whenever I eat Chocolate chip ice cream all I can think of, those moments I shared with my Nana.
-Maddie Rzeppa

So Many Choices...

I have spent an hour racking my brain, trying to figure out a topic for my Narrative paper. The struggle for me is trying to choice something that happened before I was twelve. Honestly, I don't remember a lot from those years especially something that has a lot of meaning to me. Sure I have multiple stories over the age of twelve but I needed to pick one that really made a difference in my life. I decided to ask my parents to see if they had any ideas, and still nothing was sparking my interest. Then it hit me. One of the most life changing moments in my life was the day I got diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Sure the diagnoses was hard but there was a specific moment in the elevator that changed my view on the world. This was the perfect thing to write about. I had emotional connection to this story and it is something that I still think about today. It was a magical life changing moment that I will never forget.
-Maddie Rzeppa

Me Talk Pretty One Day

The essay I read this week was called Me Talk Pretty One Day. This essay sparked my interest because I took French for three years. Even though I spent those years attempting to learn French, the only words I remember are the words for grapefruit, computer, and calculator. These words were the most fun to say. As I was reading this story I thought of one of my friends, who moved here from France in 8th grade. She new little English and often forgot the words for things. She lacked confidence in her self because of the language barrier, but I always admired for her attempt to taking on the new life style. Now you would never know that she was from another country. Recently I made another friend who is a few years older than me and he just moved here from Poland five months ago. I see him struggle with trying to understand what other people are saying as well as trying to figure out how to say something. I could never imagine being in that position and of self conscious I would become. I can barley speak my own language I don't see how jumping into another country could be easy at all. I admire these people greatly and there courage blows my mind.
-Maddie Rzeppa

Started with Rain and Ended with Rain

Rainy days always make me think of one thing...comfy clothes. If I could I would wear sweatpants and a black V-neck everyday of the week. Unfortunately for me and most of the population wearing that each day is not only socially unacceptable, but would also be detrimental to my job. Being a makeup artist at a small makeup boutique my appearance is very important. When I woke up this morning and looked out my window, all I saw was black clouds and thunderous rain. As I followed a rain drop pouring down my window a flash of lighting lit up the sky and BOOM. Going out on a whim I decided to wear comfy clothes. I effortlessly threw up my hair in a ponytail, and put some of my favorite shimmery bronzer on. Putting on my sweatpants was like sliding into a warm fuzzy blanket and I ran into my closet to grab my new hipster tennis shoes. They are not athletic shoes, but just really cute high tops. Sitting in my Earth Science lecture was like relaxing at home, I found that wearing comfy clothes are the way to go and I never wanted to go back to jeans and a cute top. Class was over and I was still loving life, I was walking back to my car when a throbbing pain caught my attention. The back of my heel was killing me. The walk back to my car was the longest walk of my life and I honestly didn't think I was going to make it. I unlocked my car door and sat down and grabbed my left shoe. Oblivious to the possible situation I pulled my shoe off. As I pulled I felt a sharp rib and I new I was going to see a gnarly blister. I prepared myself for the worst and looked at my heel. I had a ripped blister the size of two quarters with a lovely piece of skin hanging off. Trying not to totally freak out I took a breath and realized that comfy clothes aren't everything they seem. Looking out the car window it started to rain. Perfect.

-Maddie Rzeppa

Why Rumblefish?

I flipped through the pages in my text book trying to figure out which story I would relate to the most. I was completely distracted and was having trouble focusing on the homework staring blankly back at me. All I could do was feel the sadness from a recent breakup. I came across this story and like I said previously the instant connection with music caught my attention. I love connecting to music and the impact it has on your life is truly magical. It has this free spirited power to take you to different times or events in you life. As I was reading this story about this man listening to music that his deceased wife left him, I became fully focused on the story. It engulfed me and my sadness was lost. He was able to remember the joyful times they shared together and the pain of missing her kept him interested in listening. This story helped me realize that it is okay to miss someone that was in your life and being sad is a way of coping to help you move on. I was able to share my emotions in my writing and could think about all of the wonderful times we shared, but ultimately this was a stepping stone into helping me let go.

-Maddie Rzeppa 

Rumblefish

Today, was unlike most days for me...a relationship ended and the world seemed to have something missing. There is a quite echo of loneliness that surrounds me, no vibration from my phone telling me I had a text or a missed call. There was no message on my computer from Skype and I came to the realization that my life for the past three months was now going to change.

I decided to read Rumblefish because it sparked my interest in music, and little did I know would relate to the events that are going on in my life. If you have ever been in a relationship, you know the pain from a breakup, whether it is good or bad. You start to feel that instant low nauseating ache in your chest leading down to your stomach. Unwanted emotion fills up into your eyes and everything reminds you of the person you are trying so hard to forget. The connection between two people through music is an instant memory flashing back into your mind. Whenever you hear that song you take yourself on a journey to the past and that one memory consumes your body with butterflies again. You breath and allow yourself to smile for just a second.

From spending every second with each other to quitting cold turkey you feel the loss of not only a companion but a friend and most importantly someone you can share your day with. There are plenty of fish in the sea and once one door closes another opens. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, but it doesn't mean it hurts any less. You may not always have that person in your life, the moments you have created together will live on for a life time.

-Maddie Rzeppa