The Office.

The Office is a U.S. 'mockumentary' that depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dundler Mifflin Paper Company. The Office, is based on a U.K. version of the show, named the same thing. The comedy was created for american audiences who enjoy a good laugh. The series is filmed as if it were a true documentary, with a single camera set-up and no studio audience. The series is witty, awkward and perfect. If you have not yet seen the cubicle based comedy, you are seriously missing out. The awkwardness of The Office makes you laugh hysterically, cringe, giggle, and think. It's a perfect blend of comedy, love interest, awkward humor and originality. The boss of the Dundler Mifflin Paper Company, Michael Scott, is a how-to guy, with many crude, yet hilarious anticts that make his office staff love, and hate him. The series has many witty and relatable situations. The show is best viewed at hours at a time, because once you get a taste of the series you'll need to see hwat happens next, so curl up with some popcorn and enjoy the comedy that makes you cringe!

Number 72

I hate working at a clothing store. I used to work at one and i really disliked it. Firstly, I usually worked alone, so it would become extremely boring. Secondly, nobody would really come into the store, so I would be alone in this tiny boutique for 8 hours, doing nothing. The owners of the store always told me to push clothes onto customers, make them look at our new merchandise and whatnot. I disliked being so pushy and I felt super intrusive. When people tried things on my bosses would always tell them how 'fabulous' they looked, even if they looked bad. My bosses didn't like me too much either...mostly because I liked letting customers wander around the store without following them, and I let them try things on without putting my two cents in. I dreaded going to work. I realize that selling things, and working in places like a clothing store, is not for me. I didn't enjoy being there, It was a job I truely disliked. I didn't like dealing with cranky people, and pushy bosses. That is a job i rally disliked, and I don't think I would ever do that again.

My Job...

I think it's very very important to love what you do. I don't want to wake up every morning, wishing I could play hookie or pretend sick because I'm dreading the day ahead of me. I think that's why I'm personally having such a tough time with what I'm going to do next year. I'm passionate about dance. It's one of the very few things I'm very passionate about. The only problem is, I'm not sure if I want to persue dancing for a life career. Firstly, the business is very...harsh, and...for lack of a better word, 'cut-throat'. Secondly, what happens if I start to look at dance as a job instead of something that I like to do? Then I not only have a job I'm not crazy about, but it would have also taken all the fun and love out of dance. Thirdly, unless you're a chorographer for some famous rockstar, or you are in a famous tour, it doesn't pay that much. I'm nervous about next year for that reason. But...what's life without risks. A job your passionate about is one of the things that, I think, will make you happen. But then again, work isn't everything.

Number 162

Work again today. How many more days can I take of this tedious work? I do not know. The good part about being a valet is that my shift doesn't start until 4. So, I can sleep in, not do anything for the first 2 hours I'm awake. The bad part about it is I have to work at a hoity toity restaurant, kissing rich people's a*ses, using words like mad'am, and sir. It's revolting. Seeing these 'people' wanting nothing more then to eat a salad for around $200 dollars. I eat the same sh*t as them everyday, but it only costs me $4.37. I can't eat on the job. It's one of the rules. I mean, I do anyways, but I'm not supposed to eat on the job. I'm not supposed to drink and smoke either. This job has nobody to look over me, except maybe those damn security cameras, but even they can't see what I'm doing inside some lawyers car while he's eating the restaurants over-priced food. There are usually two other valet guys working while I am. One greets, and two drive the cars. At busier times, all three of us drive the cars, but we time it out so someone is always at the door. I love that time, it's perfect 'cause I get to drive all these fancy BMW's or Lamborghini's. And nobody can control what happens to them once their in my hands. I don't mess up the car ever, unless the guy who brings it in and is a real jerk. Then i might put a $90 salmon that was half eaten at lunch that day, underneath his seat, or something like that. The punishment is always different. I always say, do not mess with the people who run your life. Waitors, waitresses, valets, chefs, gas pumpers...those dudes. Don't mess with them. I don't, even though I am one. It's just a smart motto to live by. My shift ends at 1 or 2 in the morning, depends on how busy the restaurant gets. Then I'll just go home and sleep. Tomorrow is going to be the same thing. Can't wait.

Journal.1 The Glass Castle.

'The Glass Castle would have solar cells on top that would catch the sun's rays and convert them into electricity for heating and cooling and running all the appliances...He carried around the blueprints for the Glass Castle wherever we went, and sometimes he'd pull them out and let us work on the design for our rooms.' pg.25

The Glass Castle represents the ideal, 'perfect' family. Not just Jeanette's dream home life, but every one's. The idea of the castle is an architectural masterpiece. All the technologies in the castle are state of the art, energy saving and completely reliable. With that said, the castle is one hundred percent fictional. Jeanette clings to the idea that the glass castle will one day be constructed because she so desperately wants to believe and hope that her family will one day be like the other typical family she sees around her. She wants so bad for her family to be on their feet and together, happy, that The Glass Castle is more a glimmer of hope then just a make believe house. I believe that every family has their unique dysfunctions and their own problems. The fictional castle represents this perfectly. Even though the castle seems to be perfect, there are definite flaws to the design. The castle does not exist, and to make the house, the Wall's family would have to do a lot more then just 'odd jobs' around the many towns they live in. For every family, there would be different flaws and failings. There is no such thing as the 'perfect family.' Jeanette realizes this when she gets older, but she does learn it eventually. Jeanette's parents are frustrating in that way. They lead Jeannette, along with her siblings, Lori, Brian, and Maureen, to believe that they will one day achieve this perfection the Glass Castle portrays.

Thanks.

I'm thankful for a lot of things in my life. I believe I'm extremely lucky. We have free education, plentiful food, access to clean water. I'm thankful for all of these gifts, but most of all I'm so thankful for my family. I have conflict with my parents and my brother, like anybody, but for the most part, they are the reason I'm me. I rely on them for support, for laughs, for company. The novel I'm reading, 'The Glass Castle' by Jeannette Walls, is a true story about a girl and her family. The family is loving, but strange. They also rely on each other to keep the family 'alive.' With that said, I'm glad that I'm not in the same situation as Jeannette. Her family moves around constantly, and always running away from the 'FBI' or the 'Gestapo.' Her parents never have any rules for her, or don't spend that much time with her. I think that, even though i sometimes resent my parents trying to be in my life, I'd much rather them being in my life then just...being present. My dad always does little things to surprise me, which I'm SO grateful for. Last spring, I saw the car i had been dreaming of on the Internet. Dad said that, maybe we could look at it in a few months, when I had a job. But when I came home one day, it was there, in my backyard! I had to pay for it still, but really, how many parents do that for their children? I cried I was so excited, my whole family was there to witness the big event. My brother, mom and dad are all a huge part of my life, I'm so thankful i have them to fall back on, and I know it sounds really cheesy, but sometimes that's okay.

The Dangers of Not-Caring.

2. The ending on the short story 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson is shocking. The whole story leads the reader to believe that the winnings of the lottery will be something desirable, but instead, the person who draws the slip with the little black dot on it, gets stoned. In this story the person happened to be a chipper young women named Tessie. At first this seems crazy and unrealistic. But if we look at the world's history and our past, it doesn't seem that bizarre. There are many examples of this in our history. How 'normal' people, with respectable jobs, happy families and university degrees, turn around and can do something so horrible , such as, kill another human being. There are many examples of this in history and even now. Known leaders and members of the KKK (Ku Klux Klan) have been very smart and respectable people in their 'normal lives', they have families, nice houses, and good educations...but then, because of some of their beliefs, have done unimaginable, disgusting things. Killed innocent people because of their skin colour. The lottery may seem bizarre when it is first read, but once you start to think about real life situations, it's not that out of line.

3. Elie Wiesel's speech 'The Perils of Indifference' was moving and emotional. He talked about, how people are indifferent, such as in 'The Lottery' where all the townspeople turned a blind eye when Tessie pulls out the soiled piece of paper. They don't listen to her pleas, they just stone her, because that is the thing to do. Nobody in the village tries to stop or stand up for Tessie, they just use the mob mentality to make sure it is not themselves getting stoned. In his speech, Elie described his days in the concentration camps. He, along with many others thought 'If [the leaders] knew, surely those leaders would have moved heaven and earth to intervene.' (445) He thought that if anyone knew that the Jewish people were suffering in these concentration camps, that they would help, they would stop what they were doing to help the sufferers. But some did know, they knew what was going on and didn't stop it. He, along with the theme of The Lottery, describe that, if the suffering is not effecting you, you are mostly indifferent. This of coarse, is not true with every single person, in every single situation...but it has definitely been apparent throughout history.