As the End Draws Near ...

“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.” George Orwell 1946

 

As we approach the end of the semester, I am reflecting on how much I have learned from this class.  In the beginning, I didn’t feel this class would pertain to my “real” life.  However, as I made a pitch for an idea I had to improve my work environment to my boss, I realized how the skills learned in this class actually do apply to real life.  I have also gained a greater appreciation for how language and thought are connected.  Working with people for whom English is not their first language, it is interesting to see how thinking in English changes how and what we think.  I have also learned in this class how to better frame my arguments to win people over to my side.  Case in point, my boss saw my point and changed the process in question.  So in conclusion, this math major is converted a bit.  Maybe rhetoric isn’t such a bad class for everyone to take, since we all have to defend a point of view at some point in our lives.  Being able to intelligently argue for your stand is a skill that is very lacking in our society, and we should encourage more and more people to learn it.

Who are the 99%?

I recently read Brian Stelter’s article, “We are the 99% Percent Joins the Cultural and Political Lexicon”.  He discusses how the catchy slogan of the Occupy movement has now made it’s way into modern vernacular as far more than just a rallying cry against the wealthiest of Americans.  While the slogan worked for the Occupy movement, Stelter’s point is that it works for more than just those protesters camped out in parks and before city hall.

 

 

Politicians, of course, were some of the first to seize on the phrase to promote their own agendas.  If there were ever a prime example of the 1%, our elitist political class would be it.  With the current debates in Congress over exemptions for politicians from Obamacare, and subsidies for themselves which wouldn’t be seen by anyone else making their salaries, the use of the whole “99%” quote is a bit hypocritical.  The one group who actually fights for the non-elites and who hasn’t seized on the slogan is the Tea Party. 

 

The Tea Party and the Occupy movement have many similarities.  Both are protesting government actions, they just happen to be on different sides of the coin.  And while the Occupy movement has fizzled out in recent months, the Tea Party moved into the political spectrum and got some of their own candidates elected into office.  In spite of both groups fighting for the well-being of the everyday American, the Tea Party is one of the few groups who hasn’t seized on the “we are the 99%” slogan, preferring old favorites like “Give me Liberty, or Give me Death” and “No Taxation without Representation”.

 

Stelter goes on in his article to describe some slogans that caught on from protests over the years.  All of us can think of a few from the Vietnam era, from the civil rights movement, even from the revolution.  While the 99% slogan is catchy and somewhat appropriate for the cause, the lack of follow through on the protesters part will probably cause it to die out in a few years.  The children today won’t remember “we are the 99%” the same way as other political slogans from the past, mostly because of the failure of the Occupy movement to organize and solidify what they were protesting.

Can We Start With Politicians?

First, Eat All the Lawyers

 

 

 

Recently for our rhetoric class, we had to read a selection of short research essays.  The one I found most applicable to our current social situation with the government shutdown was “First, Eat All the Lawyers”.  It discusses our love affair with zombies of late and the rise in movies and TV programs that follow the “zombie apocalypse”.

 

I myself admit to having the guilty pleasure of watching zombie themed programming, and I completely agree with Bosch’s analysis of part of why we love it.  As one of the blue collar workers she discusses, I do see the end of the world themes as being ones of working class comeuppance.  The skills that I have learned in my life are far better suited than those that academia pushes as being important.  Take in consideration, this class.  While in a professional environment and even in college, the skills that my rhetoric class teaches may prove useful, they do me absolutely no good when my car is broken down on the side of the road.

 

As a society, we are developing this elite upper class of white collar workers who think that their skills are better than those of the blue collar class.  As you can see by books like The Working Poor: Invisible in America and Working in the Shadows these people don’t even pay attention to those that deliver their food, check them out at stores, or fix their toilets.  I would disagree with Bosch in her analysis that these workers will only have valuable skills if the world ends.  If her toilet was broken, she might value the skill set that every plumber in this country holds, but that she never bothered to learn.

 

I think that this article points towards the growing trend of demeaning those who work for a living, a major sociological change in our society.  Not that long ago, being a factory worker or an electrician were respected fields than made it possible for you to live a comfortable life.  When did working with your hands become demeaning and only fit for the lower classes?  Maybe if more journalists and even politicians spent a day in the life of those they employ on a daily basis, it might give them a bit more perspective on how most of the country lives.

 

I think the government shutdown might actually be a good thing for the country.  As things continue to function with little impact on most of our daily lives, maybe we will start to take a look at those we hold in such high esteem, and ask, would we need them if the world ended?  What are the skills that they have which make them so valuable to our society? Can we just let the zombies eat all the lawyers? Or would the poor zombies just starve?

 

My Top 5 Break Up Songs

Everyone has been there.  You've just broken up with your ex and now you are down in the dumps.  These are my five favorite "break up" songs.  This is the music that helps me work through the anger, pain, and heart ache that accompany any break up.  Sing along, rock out, whatever it takes to get that catharsis, these are great songs to do it to.  So sit back, listen, and let the music play!

The first song on the list is "Misery" by Maroon 5.  This is a great, actually upbeat song that describes being in misery.  It's fun and cathartic at the same time

Second is "Call Me When You're Sober" by Evanescence.  I think the title says it all there.  The best line is in the end for me where Amy Lee sing "Don't cry to me/ if you loved me, you would be here with me/Don't lie to me, just get your things/I've made up your mind".  I think everyone has reached this point in a relationship, and this song just perfectly captures it.

Third is if "I Never See Your Face Again".  Again, perfectly titled and enough said.  Just sing along.

Fourth is "Bad Girlfriend" by Theory of a Deadman.  It's twisted and fun to sing along with.  While it doesn't really apply to most real life situations, it's just a good one to rock out to.

And finally we have "Too Close" by Alex Clare, or the one from the IE9 commercial.  This has a bit more of a techno beat, but the lyrics work perfectly for the theme.  It's probably the best song if you did the breaking up, but it works for everyone.


And there we have it.  My top 5 break up songs.  So listen and enjoy all.

Are You Ready for Some Ad Spots?

As the football season kicks off, I am starting to gear up for the final accumulation of what the season is about … the commercials during the Super Bowl. Looking back over the years, one of the better ones I have ever seen was the “Darth Vadar Volkswagen” commercial from 2012. It has no dialogue and only a few scenes of the actual car, but does an excellent job of branding the new Passat.

 

The basic premise of the spot is a young child dressed as Darth Vadar and trying to use the Force on various household objects. As expected, it doesn't work. Disappointed at his failure, he hears his dad come home. He runs outside, waves off his dad, and focuses all his might on the new car in the driveway. Behold! It starts up for him as if on command. Change the scene to the kitchen, and dad holding the remote start in his hand.




This commercial was great because it is an emotional appeal to everything that is family to the general public. The suburban house, the family, even the dog remind the viewer of their own lives. There is not a parent on the planet who didn't laugh at this commercial knowing they would do the same exact thing if they were in the same situation. It succeeds in branding the Passat as a family vehicle and making Volkswagen into a more main stream car company. Kudos to Volkswagen, and here's hoping this year's commercials have us talking about them in the year to come as well.

My First Tapas

After hearing about it for many years, I finally caved and decided to try tapas for the first time. After a little research on yelp.com I decided that I would go to Emilio’s Tapas in downtown Chicago. From the outside this little restaurant doesn’t appear to be much, but the red awning hides a delightful treat. The intimate setting, wandering guitar quartet, and varied menu proved to be very fun and exciting. 

Walking into Emilio’s, you are greeted by the pleasant hostess. Tables are small, and the restaurant has subdued lighting, making it ideal for a date night, or just an intimate dinner with friends. There is a full bar, and a wine menu which features mostly Spanish wines. The wait staff proved to be very helpful with the wine list, and my server, Luis, recommended a rather pleasant Temperillo which complimented most of the dishes, and had a very unexpected spicy finish. He explained that tapas is little dishes, designed to be shared, and just a few bites for each person. After detailing the night’s specials, we decided to order six tapas dishes, including a paella, one of Emilio’s specialties. In fact the paella has won several awards in Chicago, including the Chicago Critic’s Choice Award. We started with a Salmon a la Taverna with hard boiled egg, dill cream sauce and capers, and a watermelon salad with Serrano ham, arugula, and olive oil dressing. We also ordered a Dijon chicken breast with cauliflower puree, a special for the evening, Lome De Cerdo Al Ajillo, a pork dish, and Albondigas De Cordero, lamb meatballs. We chose the Paella A La Valenciana for our paella dish, one which has chicken, shrimp, langostinos, shrimp, pork, mussels, and clams in it. For dessert we ordered a triple mousse cake, profiteroles with ice cream and bittersweet chocolate sauce, and crepes filled with vanilla and peach custard.

I came up with four criteria for judging my experience: taste, menu variety, service, and ambiance.

Taste

While I was impressed with some of the dishes, like the Dijon chicken and the watermelon salad, some of the regular menu items weren't so good. The paella was overly sweet and the seafood in it was very overcooked. The Dijon chicken dish was very well balanced, and the velvety cauliflower puree paired very well with the kick from the Dijon sauce. The chicken was perfectly cooked and fork tender. The lamb meatballs were good themselves, but the sauce they came in tasted like a spicy Campbell's tomato soup. For the cold tapas, the watermelon salad was absolutely divine. The sweet watermelon with the salty Serrano ham and peppery arugula was refreshing and light. The salmon a la taverna had a good balance too it, but the salmon itself had a fishy taste that was off putting. The pork tenderloin dish was decent, but it came with mushrooms, which was not listed on the menu. The pork itself was slightly overcooked and a little dry, but not to bad. The Spanish potatoes were okay, slivers of potato pan fried with some spices. The desserts were out of this world. The puff pastry profiteroles were wonderful, and the bittersweet chocolate sauce on them was a great pairing with the sweet pastry and ice cream. The vanilla and peach crepes highlighted the fresh fruit on the dish, and were a great seasonal desert. Finally, the triple mousse cake balanced rich dark chocolate mousse with lighter white chocolate mousse, and a creamy caramel mousse. The flavors went very well together, and the lighter mousses kept it from being too rich or too sweet. Overall I would give the taste three out of five starts. Overcooking seafood and pork is a horrible offense for a high end restaurant, but the specials were well balanced and well put together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Menu Variety

One thing I will give Emilio's is that they have a wide range of options on their menu. There are many dishes, and they cover the range of seafood, pork, chicken, and beef, giving a diner a wide variety of proteins to order from. They also have a range of not spicy to very spicy, and this works well for a wide range of palettes. I give them four out of five stars, just for the lack of vegetarian dishes.

Service

The service was phenomenal. The server was attentive and discreet. He was well informed on not only the dishes on the menu but the specials, and the wine menu. The wine he recommended was great, and he only knew that I liked pinot noir to go off of. You can tell that a great deal of training is given to the servers both on the food menu and the wine list. The bussers were prompt and efficient in clearing the table, and did so quietly and unobtrusively. I give the service five stars.

Ambiance

This restaurant is designed for more intimate gatherings, so it has smaller tables and low lighting. It is a great place to go for an intimate family dinner, or a romantic evening, but I wouldn't recommend it for a night out with friends. I would give the ambiance three out of five stars.

Overall Rating

Overall, the service made the night for me, and I will give Emilio's 3.5 out of five stars. I would go back there again to try some different things, but stay away from some of the dishes. The kitchen could use some work in making sure things were cooked properly before they get to the table, but for the most part, it was an enjoyable date night with my boyfriend. Kudos to Luis our server, he made the meal an enjoyable experience, and is the main reason I would go back.

Introduction

As a math major, I view English classes with trepidation and fear.  Writing has never been my strongest attribute, hence why I am a statistics major.  While I have loved reading all my life, actually putting my thoughts on paper has always been hard for me.  So when my rhetoric teacher informed us that part of the class was creating and maintaining a blog for the entire semester, my stomach hit my feet.  I don't blog.  My life isn't that interesting.  And now I get to write (yay!) about something I really never had a passsion for.  So bear with me for the next few months, as I detail a stats version of rhetoric ... the trails and tribulations of a math major trying to understand and master English.