Roethke's Exercise

The Hot Blue Moon

By Steph Howell

The hot blue moon

To bruise the cool red world

The frog and the dog

Turn to surprise the cloud

The wavering frog cuts to the mud

The dog lies in the grass

Belief of those to kiss the ground

To burn in the hot blue moon

The eye of the dog

The eye of the frog

Sharpens as they jump to bite

Important to the hot blue moon?

This World is not Conclusion

By: Emily Dickinson

This World is not Conclusion.

A Species stands beyond-

Invisible, as Music-

But positive, as Sound-

It beckons, and it baffles-

Philosophy-don’t know-

And through a Riddle, at the last-

Sagacity, must go-

To guess it, puzzles scholars-

To gain it, Men have borne

Contempt of Generations

And Crucifixion, shown-

Faith slips-and laughs, and rallies-

Blushes, if any see-

Plucks at a twig of Evidence-

And asks a Vane, the way-

Much Gesture, from the Pulpit-

Strong Hallelujahs roll-

Narcotics cannot still the Tooth

That nibbles at the soul-

GDR #10 - English 1102 Review

English 1102 this semester has been interesting.  The fact that our class size was small made it more enjoyable, it allowed for the discussions to be more in-depth than some classes I’ve been in where the class size was much bigger.  I also thought that doing the research paper in the beginning of the semester was a great idea.  There’s no cramming rush now that we are towards the end.  Also, if anyone else is like me, focus and effort is much better in the beginning because then you’re not trying to play catch up at the end.  The literature section of this class was good to, the selections got you thinking and there was a good diversity in what you got to read.  Overall, I think this class was one of the best ones I’ve taken here at GHC.

When I See You

I glance down the hall

I see you

A beautiful angel among mortals

My heart skips a beat

My stomach ties in knots

My knees get weak

The happiness with you is endless

Our love for each other is overflowing

My world is complete now that I have you!

“Do As I Say, Not As I Do”

            Hypocrisy is kind of an ironic thing when you sit down and really think about it.  I say this because almost everyone as some point in his or her lives is a hypocrite.  Everyone has that “Do as I say, not as I do” moment.            On a personal level, I have witnessed my own hypocrisy.  I am a recovering drug addict, I was addicted to cocaine for several years, and I am currently clean and have been for 8 years.  I talk to my daughter who is now 16, about drug use and abuse.  I tell her that there is no good reason to touch the stuff.  I tell her that it can ruin her life.  But who am I to say that when I did.  That is the part that scares me a bit about it.  Because of my hypocrisy, she can say, “Well you did it and you’re fine.”  It’s kind of like those parents that say “Don’t smoke” as they light another cigarette.
            On a public level, I have also witnessed hypocrisy.  The area of Northern New Jersey where I grew up had a very large population of people who were members of the Roman Catholic Church.  Because of that the Roman Catholic Church had a huge voice in the community.  I was always taught that God creates everyone and because he is our creator He loves us unconditionally.  I was also taught that because God loves us so much, that we in turn should love not just our friends but our enemies as well.  Now here’s where the hypocrisy come in.  If anyone were to listen to a Roman Catholic homily or read Catholic literature about this topic, they would hear that it’s a sin, and immoral.  It would also be taught that because most homosexuals do not ask for forgiveness of this sin or try to change their lifestyle to one that is not in sin, they are not entitled to God’s unconditional love.  So basically, I see it as the Roman Catholic Church being a huge hypocrite.  In one breath they preach that God’s love is unconditional and pure for everyone; in the same breath, they preach that God’s love is only for those who live a Roman Catholic acceptable lifestyle.
            Personally I am a homosexual, I have an amazing relationship with God, my creator, who loves me unconditionally.  He created me, a homosexual; it was NOT a choice, because if it were I would choose to be straight!

(FYI: I am NOT a Roman Catholic and I won’t hold it against you if you are!)

The Happiest Place on Earth!!

           The excitement has started to brew in my house as we made the reservations for our summer vacation to Walt Disney World.  It has become a tradition that every year we spend ten days at the “Happiest Place on Earth”.  We stay in the All-Star Movie Resort, which is a very fun place to stay.  Each day that we are there, we get up and head out to one of the four theme parks.  Normally, we stay at that park until right after lunch, and then we head back to the resort so we can rest or go swimming.  Then we get ready for dinner, and head to our dinner reservations for the evening.  After dinner we head back to the parks for some night time fun.  We stay until after the fireworks, which are always amazing!   There are four theme parks that are all part of Walt Disney World.  The most popular of the parks is Magic Kingdom; this is where Cinderella’s Castle is and Mickey Mouse.  My favorite ride in this park is Space Mountain, but I’m really excited to see the new Fantasyland this year.  The first phase of the renovations just opened that week!  The second theme park is Epcot which includes the world showcase, where you can travel around the globe in one day!   The third park is Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  This park is really awesome because you get to see the entire behind the scenes things from the movies.  The last park is Animal Kingdom, which is amazing.  The park has a safari ride where animals come up to the cars that you are riding in.  You can’t beat having a giraffe standing 5 feet from you!!  The great part about being in Disney is you are treated like royalty from the time you check-in till the time you head home, there is no place else I’d rather be!!!  

GDR #4 - Death of a Salesman Casting

          If I were to cast a production of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman I would have to really think about who I would cast for the roles.  I would have the part of Willy Loman played by Sir Anthony Hopkins.  I chose Hopkins because I believe he could have the serious nature of the character and at the same time have the type of sense of humor that is needed to give Willy is dynamic appeal.  Willy Loman’s wife Linda would be played by Jamie Lee Curtis.  Jamie Lee Curtis played a little bit of a similar role in the movie True Lies.  I believe the Zac Efron could play the character of Biff Loman well.  Although the story line of High School Musical was completely different, the character Troy Bolton played by Efron, has a path of self discovery that is almost the same as Biff Loman’s.  The final character is Happy Loman.  Happy is more of a static character that would be perfect for an actor that has some experience but is not a “headliner”.  This part would be perfect for an actor by the name of Josh Hutcherson.  Hutcherson is been in movies with Robin Williams and Brendan Frazier.  He is a quiet but noticeable, which is how I see Happy in Miller’s Death of a Salesman.

GDR #3

How I Define the American Dream

          I don’t believe there is only one definition of the American Dream.  I truly believe that everyone has their own belief and definition of the American Dream.  I don’t believe that it would be a definition either.  I look at dreams as aspirations and strife.  I see dreams as accomplishments and disappointments.  I see dreams as exactly that a dream.  When I think of the American dream though, I think of the men and women including myself at one point, fighting for this country every day.  I believe that as American’s we stand up as one nation always.  My personal American dream is that every citizen of this nation be treated 110% equal.  My dream is that everyone is given every possible opportunity to achieve their personal dreams.  I dream that I will become a Neurosurgeon, with the support of my family and friends.  In exactly 10 days my partner and I are having a commitment ceremony; my dream is that one day that commitment can be legally called a marriage in all 50 states.  My American dream is that everyone has the opportunity to go to school, receive medical care, and hold a job that they can be proud of.  My American dream is that every American can dream and continue to dream without ever thinking that their dreams are not worth striving for.  In my American dream everyone is proud to call themselves an American.

GDR #2

My favorite recent memory of a meal is Thanksgiving.  The day always starts off with me getting up before daylight to start the turkey.  I use simple seasoning on it, just salt, pepper, and margarine.  Then, I take Arnold brand bread and chop it up real fine to make the stuffing.  After, the turkey is in the oven; it’s off to the gas station up the street to get the newspaper.  The newspaper is essential seeing as it is needed to plan the shopping trip for the next day.  By the time I get back to the house my better half is awake and getting ready to help me with the rest of the Thanksgiving feast.  We have a blast pealing the potatoes and snapping the green beans.  Then it’s time to wake up our daughter who is sixteen and can sleep till noon!!! We finish getting ready for the day; we get the meal together and packed up to take to her Mom and Dad’s house.  Then we spend the rest of the afternoon at Mom & Dad’s, eating and having fun.  It’s always a great day and so much fun.  I truly look forward to it every year!!

GDR #1 - "Taco Night"

Tonight in my house was “Taco Night”.  These awesome tacos are cooked by me at home, using an Old El Paso Hard & Soft Taco Dinner kit, ground chuck beef, & shredded cheese.  We use the hard and soft kit because my wife likes the hard shells, I like the soft shells, and our daughter likes both types of shells.  Our tacos are a little on the plain side since all three of us like them with just the meat and cheese inside the shell.

          The main ingredients besides the taco kit are obviously the meat and cheese.  The beef that I normally use is regular ground chuck, the 80 percent /20 percent kind, which we usually purchase at either Target or Wal-Mart.  Tonight, the ground chuck that I used to make our tacos came from Target.  Target’s ground chuck beef is a product of the USA and Canada, it is a product of the Cargill Meat Solutions Corp. from Wichita, Kansas. 

          The cheese that we always use for our tacos is Kraft Finely Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese.  We like using this type of cheese because the fine shreds melt easier over the seasoned beef.  Another reason we use always use Kraft cheese is because of the consistent quality of the cheese.     Kraft cheese always seems to have the freshest taste with a creamy texture when it melts in the taco shells.  We also like to use Kraft because it is made right here in the USA.

          The third and final component of our amazing tacos is the Old El Paso Hard & Soft Shell Taco Dinner Kit.  Besides the “shell” reasons I expressed earlier, we use this specific taco kit is because we like the mild flavor to the seasoning that is used on the beef.  All three of us also like the taste of the shells.   When we combine these three components with the quality time we get to spend as a family sharing this dinner, it’s a great time I look forward to every time we have “Taco Night”!