Choice for Public Space Analysis

My choice for our essay is to study Central Market. I think my decision comes from the fact that I was just there Sunday evening buying groceries for a program I had Monday morning so it was the first thing that popped into my head during class. Besides that I really enjoy the atmosphere there, I just think it is a really cool place to shop for food, especially healthy food that you will definitely not find at Wal-Mart, which is where I am used to shopping . My hope is to go there Thursday night around 8:30 (after The Office and because my night class is canceled) and again on Sunday afternoon. I already expect to see very different crowds on Thursday and Sunday. I think I will find a more adult/ family crowd on Sunday, while on Thursday I will still find adults, but younger, probably coming from work to pick up a few items for dinner or a date.

I know when I do go, I can't bring any money and I need to eat before because I will be really tempted to buy something :)

Favorite Locales

A new favorite spot of mine this semester is Red Cactus. Ever since the advent of Frog Bucks (which have unfortunately and untimely run out of ) has brought to this AWESOME Mexican restaurant. I ADORE the Spanish language, culture, and especially the food and since I discovered what Red Cactus was last semester I have spent quite a bit of time there. The manager, who's name I do not know yet is extremely friendly and he always smiles at me. Each cook is extremely amiable and every time I eat there I try desperately to listen in on their conversations in order to practice my Spanish. One day, I am hoping to gain enough courage to order in Spanish. What attracts to Red Cactus besides the great food is the atmosphere. The music is always different, sometimes Latin, other times techno (which is always pleasant) or 80's and 90's pop songs. It's never too busy when I go there to eat which makes it a fun place to study and people watch.

Internet Addiction . . . reality or no

Originally, I found another editorial piece by David Hall in the Skiff and I was planning on using that because of his great use of humor and sarcasm to convince his audience that Hulk Hogan should be the next president, but unfortunately I lost that article so I must resort to a different, but not lesser (I don't want to offend the writer although she will most likely NEVER see this blog) choice from TCU's paper.

So my article "Internet addiction a real problem" by Katie B. Martinez in Thursday's paper argues, specifically using logos, that internet addiction is real and the least recognized. So in layman's terms she makes a claim (what I just stated above) and supports it by using facts from a study done by practicing psychiatrist and researcher from Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Dr. Jerald Block. Her logic based argument is also evident when she documented that China, in late 2008 had declared internet addiction a disorder.

Martinez seemed to know her audience since she referenced World of Warcraft (an extremely popular online video game) as an example of keeping individuals from important and normal tasks like going to work. The last major element present in the article was her use of testimonies. She did not actually interview anyone firsthand, but quoted a global message board that spoke of personal experiences with family members with the addiction and others who believed that China's declaration was "another brainwashing tool of the communists".

Overall, her editorial was a textbook case of a fact based argument.

Capitulo 1

What is most surprising and I think many will agree is the idea that everything is an argument. One would not initially think that telling a friend about your day is arguing any kind of point, but rather just informing your friend, but what I find interesting is that the authors say that you are arguing for your audience's attention. On page 4, it says that all visual and verbal messages contain arguments, but my natural tendency is to view these signs as declarations that the wearer or speaker is saying about themselves or issue they care about.

2. What in the book do I not agree with?
For the most part, I did not really disagree with anything, but I do have a hard time believing that everything is an argument. I believe some parts of our speech simply inform while other parts do intend to argue a point. I think there is mixture of the two, but nothing concrete.

Howdy to all,

First things first, my name is Kanika. I am from Grand Prairie, TX, but my family is from Jamaica. I am a sophomore and an RA in TBPW. I just changed my major again so now I am a Spanish and Sociology double major with a Religion minor. I enjoy long walks on the beach (just kidding, I haven't been to the beach in years), but I spend an obscene amount of time watching The Office, Arrested Development, Scrubs, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I am a HUGE TV addict and my life long goal is to fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and maybe French.

I did initially sign up for this class because it is required, but I figured that since I am spending money on coming to this university I might as well improve my writing skills and my ability to articulate certain issues that I feel strongly about while I am in this class. Honestly, I have never been a fan of English, but I certainly hope to finish this semester with a stronger ability to write better and more confidently. As I stated above, I disdain writing, therefore I shy away from it as much as possible, but in turn I have 3 close friends that are English majors who constantly talk about how they must write at least once a week in order to relieve stress (I don't get it). Most of my writing consists of occasionally texting and replying to facebook comments and writing notes and reminders for myself because I am extremely forgetful. My writing inside the classroom mostly concentrates on the analysis of sociological themes and concepts, which for the most part is not that bad. I never enjoy writing assignments, but oddly enough I do pretty well on them. When it comes down to it, I don't enjoy writing because it is so time consuming and I don't feel confident about the way I express myself in my papers. Hopefully this will change by May.

In response to which community I belong to most obviously, I am apart of the TCU community, but more specifically the RA and TBPW community as well. Outside of Fort Worth and from a state-wide perspective, I am apart of the Jamaican community living in Texas and in the U.S. These aspects of my life that I identify with show my interests, my heritage, and they reflect my personality. Because I look favorably upon being a TCU student, a Jamaican, and an RA among several other things, that in turn effects how I portray these parts of my life to the people I meet. For instance, if I was ashamed that I am a TCU student, for one, I would not continue to study here or give them my money. Since I am proud of these things that I identify myself as people know that these things are important to me.

Finally, I feel that my blog is not entirely an argument. In the introduction, I neither try to argue or persuade my audience of anything. According to the author's criteria for an argument to inform, I informed my audience that although writing is difficult and tedious, it is far better to overcome those obstacles because of the monetary price tag TCU attaches to it and English's overall utility in the "real world".

In closing, I Kanika promise to collaborate on all projects be punctual, diligent, and respectful of the learning environment, and everyone in it.