The Key To My Future.

So, I know most of you couldn't care less about the fashion industry, but I'm giving you a reason to: I just got accepted to the Phoenix Art Institute! {waving cassidi flag} but it's $7,000 a quarter. Completely impossible... But wait! There's more! I am applying for a full ride, all expenses paid scholarship for fashion merchandising, which is the degree I wanted to go for. All I have to do is revolutionize the fashion industry! So this is the first essay I wrote, it's my 'why i got involved with fashion and what i will do with my degree' thing.
Critique, please?
-Cass


In my life I have had many positive experiences regarding fashion.



My fashion story begins much the same as many others: For as long as I can remember, I have been playing dress up. When I was little, it was my older aunt’s prom dresses, mom’s heels, and grandmother’s pearls. As I have grown, it has morphed to dresses of my own, heels that are still too high, and costume jewelry that I would have squealed over as a little kid. However, I hope to see my fashion story continuing on where others have dropped off.



All through high school, I have been involved with the theatre. I have been able to see firsthand how even minor changes in a character’s costume can completely alter how they are perceived. Every detail works together to create an image that adds to the emotional and visual atmosphere of a play. I believe it works the same way with people in everyday life. By adding or removing an accessory, or using a different color scheme in an outfit, the image you send to people can be completely changed.



I had the opportunity to work at a bridal and formal wear shop my junior year in high school. I loved that experience! One of the lessons I learned there is that every girl who walked in was looking for ‘that dress’ for her prom, or wedding day. When you see someone put on the dress of their dreams, their entire countenance lights up, and it’s like Christmas. I loved helping people find that one dress, or that one tuxedo, that made their day, or in some cases, their whole life!



Like many young, independent women my age, I hope for a successful career where I can do something I truly enjoy along with make a living for myself and improving the lives of those around me. The fashion industry appeals to me for many reasons, one of which is its diversity. Staying true to yourself and promoting self expression is very important to me, and what better way to show people what you’re all about then a loud political tee, or a fun and flouncy print skirt? You can communicate so much by your appearance. If a picture is worth a thousand words, an outfit can be worth a thousand pictures. The ever broadening fashion horizon allows people to express themselves and their purposes more accurately than ever before. I enjoy helping others find ways to portray themselves through their outward appearance. Many people are plagued with apathy towards themselves and how others perceive them, but I believe if we make the world of clothing and fashion more user friendly, we will see people begin to care more about themselves. One of my own personal mantras is that red lipstick makes everything better, and I hope to see others come to the same awareness that one accessory, or a new dress can do wonders not only for your appearance, but your perception of yourself and your self worth as well.



Another interesting aspect of the fashion industry for me is the necessity. Everyone, whether they like it or not, will in one way or another be involved in fashion, either as a consumer, a producer, a wholesaler, or a retailer. Many of these consumers make their choices of wardrobes based on function versus fashion, because what we classify as ‘stylish’ is impractical. Most companies spend the bulk of their advertising budget on promoting clothing that is unattainable to the everyday consumer. High fashion magazines are fun to look at, but the average person walks away knowing they will never see that twelve thousand dollar dress on a lady in the grocery store.



I believe there is significant growth potential in the fashion markets if we bridge the gap between the sphere of high fashion and the marketable, livable daily wear of John and Jane Doe. Many people seem to think that if your day consists of cleaning the house and a trip to Wal*Mart; your best options are sweats. Well, I’d like to convince the world that’s not true! I want to help market clothing in a way that is affordable, wearable and yet still chic. By marketing clothing to the average, real person, whether that’s by modeling them on ‘life size’ models, or simply focusing on creating fashionable clothing that anyone can afford, we can expand our consumer population, increase sales, and get more variety in our styles.



I believe by finding a way to bridge the gap between the sphere of high fashion, and the practical, wearable attire of your average individual we will bring the market to people who thus far haven’t had much opportunity or interest in clothing. I hope to always be a part of this amazing movement.

Character Analysis

In Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Fortinbras is Hamlet's foil. The minor character Fortinbras is used as Hamlet's foil to make it easier to understand the main character Hamlet. Very similar situations have fallen upon both Hamlet and Fortinbras, leading to their parallels. There are still, many difference between the two, making one the foil of the other. Though they are basically strangers, by the end of the play, Hamlet harbors strong feelings of jealousy and respect towards Fortinbras.

A foil is used to give more information about a main character through differences and parallels. The similarities between the characters Hamlet and Fortinbras are called parallels. Before the play begins both Fortinbras and Hamlet, the elders, are dead. Both young Hamlet and young Fortinbras are Princes. The two of them must defend their fathers' honor, by getting revenge. These parallels are half of what makes Fortinbras Hamlet's foil.

Fortinbras shows all of the characteristics of a good king, where as Hamlet cannot stop questioning the world and cannot act without proving things true or changing his mind. For example, Hamlet comes upon Claudius and has the chance to kill him, "Now might I do it pat, now he is a-praying, And now I'll do't. (he draws his sword) And so he goes to heaven..." (III,iii,76-79) At this point he could take revenge, but finds the excuse that Claudius might got to heaven if he died then, and changes his mind. Fortinbras is decisive, in his choice to secretly invade Denmark, while in this example, and many others, Hamlet is very indecisive. This shows one of many differences between Hamlet and Fortinbras, differences which make up the other half of what makes Fortinbras Hamlet's foil.

Hamlet, knowing only a few things about Fortinbras, finds that he both envies and admires him. Fortinbras gathers his own army, lies to his uncle, and tricks King Claudius, all "...to gain a little patch of ground that hath in it no profit but the name." (IV, iv, 19-20) Hamlet envies Fortinbras' willingness to do whatever it takes to accomplish his goals. Hamlet does't ever make a plan to kill Claudius, he makes a plan to prove to himself that he actually murdered King Hamlet, as he says, "...the plays the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King." (II, ii, 620-621) He envies how well thought out Fortinbras' plan is, when compared to his own, and the progress Fortinbras makes, with his 20,000 soldiers. He also admires Fortinbras for all the same reasons, which leads to his choice, in the end, to give his 'vote' to Fortinbras.

We know not of the flaws of Fortinbras, but through Hamlet we know of his strengths, and through Fortinbras we are shown many of Hamlets flaws. We know Fortinbras is strong where Hamlet is weak and that Hamlet wished he could be like Fortinbras. In the end, they both technically reached their goals, but as far as anyone knows for sure, success was not a guarantee. It is unknown if Hamlet died truly satisfied, or if Fortinbras actually became king, William Shakespeare, unsurprisingly, left that, like many other things, never to be known. In this way, he forced his readers to decide, forced them to make an assessment, to pay attention to details. In doing this, one might say that Fortinbras became king, and a great one at that, and that Hamlet died satisfied, knowing that his father was avenged, and that not only does he not have to be king, but that the throne is in good hands.

Editorial in the White Mountain Independent

I didn't write this, but we all know who did. It was published in the newspaper! I'm so proud of Blake.
=]

To the Editor:
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

As of one week ago, Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States of America.
For those of you who dislike Obama:
"Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House -- a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share..."
"As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies, but friends though passion may have strained it, it must not break our bonds of affection. And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too."
- Barack Obama, Nov. 4, 2008
Before the discontent towards our new president begins, whether you do not like him because of his race, age, experience, religion, backround or policies, remember this:
This man, the newest "commander-in-chief" of this great nation, is about to embark on a journey to raise this country from the ashes. He hopes to build America back to the state it should be and hold it there by building it on the foundations our forefathers left for us: the ability secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.
He has a rough path ahead of him. He enters in war time, with the economy at its lowest since the Great Depression, party lines are rarely crossed, and America is no longer the superpower it once was. He needs our support now and he will need it even more these next four years. Give the man a chance.

Blake Anderson, Show Low.

New tag: workshop

I added a new tag with my last post called "workshop" that is probably pretty self explanatory, but just in case...

This is a way for us to really help each other out on projects we are individually working on. Of course you don't have to use it and you can just continue to post perfectly completed pieces, but if you want some in-process feedback, there you go.

Sing it to me, sweet.

Okay, so am working on this poem and I got kinda stuck. I HATE writing poetry, and I almost never do it, because I am not good at it, even though I love to read it. But every once in a while something will happen and I'll get this urge to poetize. I read this quote once that was something along the lines of "A prose writer gets tired of writing prose, and wants to be a poet. So he begins every line with a capital letter, and keeps on writing prose" and that is me as a poet. So anyway, here is the prosem I'm working on now, and I need advice. It's free verse, because I am too lame to work in a meter, and I think I like the first stanza, I kinda know how I want it to end, but you can see in the third stanza I got lost. So, ideas? Even if your idea is to burn it, I'd like to hear it.


No Crossroads

You didn’t have to make a choice
Because every day is pretty much
the same here
And we all do what we do
And if you think you’re not gonna
Be disappointed
Not gonna wake up
To some harsh sunlight
Right in your unblinking eyes
Then you obviously just got here

Ninety degrees and you’re moving
And I don’t even know why because
The sun hurts my eyes
And I don’t want to believe what
Everyone says about you
I love you
But every day you face to
The left or the right
And maybe I just got here because
I never see the turn

I’m not going to catch you until
We’re looking in the same direction
I miss you???
Every time???
???
???
???
???
???
There’s only the road.

P.S. Seriously, if it sucks, tell me and I'll abandon it.

All Hallows

I pushed myself up the seemingly steep hill. The pain within my knees was almost nauseating, but I couldn't stop, I had to get away. Away from them, away from the pain they made me feel with just a look, or a lack of one. I couldn't bear to stand there anymore, completely ignored; I felt my heart would burst. So I went. The walk that normally takes me 15 meandering minutes takes me less than ten. I want to cry, and I sort of do, but the contacts I put in 20 something' hours ago seem to have dried out my eyes. I want to sob, to let my pain out, but I am surrounded by people, all pretending to be things they are not. I want to run, but I'm tied down, by my knees, and also my life. I want to just stop, but no one is there to stop me. I hate them, I hate all of them. Everyone around me, everyone that was around me, every one of them, liars, cruel and vengeful liars, and I hate them. I have the urge to kill them, to kill everyone. I'm so upset, so angry, I want to cut them each up into little pieces, starting at the toes. I want to do it fast enough, that they don't die, but slow enough that they hurt to the point of insanity. I want them all to suffer, they all need to suffer, they hurt me, all of them. Their words, their deeds, the thoughts I know they have, they hurt, and I hate them for it. The happy faces around me make everything worse. Why are they so happy? Why is it that they get to be so happy, when I'm not happy at all? Why do they have such luck, such bliss? Doesn't anyone care about me? Hell if I know. For some odd reason, I still want to encourage them, add fuel to their fire, so when I get home that's what I do. I prepare for the evening, as everyone else does, expecting at least a few to drop by. I sit outside, though it is rather chilly, I do it anyways especially for them. Armed with my goods and a fake smile, I'm ready within 5 minutes, but there is no point. There is no reason. My only motivation is the fact that there's nothing better to do. The fact that I'm here, all alone, and I just want someone to see me. No one comes. For quite a bit no one comes. Two of the neighbor kids drop by, and get what they want. I'm still disappointed. I should have known, I should have seen this coming. They drive by, car after car, not slowing down for a moment. No one walks by. It is as if they are all avoiding me. As if they think I carry some disease. Do I look that scary? Maybe. Time goes by slowly, I know it will be a long night. A young gentlemen stops by with his baby boy; he lives two apartments away. I tell him to take as much as he wants, but like the two before, he only takes a little. It's funny to me, that people will accept as much as you'll give, but when you tell them to take as much as they want, they're hesitant, and take very little. I can't decide if this is a good quality or bad. Him and his son leave after he makes a crack about no one stopping by here. The world is quiet. There is a nearby sound of cars constantly driving by on the highway, but apart from this, the occasional firecracker or scream, and a few crickets, the world is almost silent. There is nothing I can do to entertain myself, nothing I can do to forget the fact that I'm alone, and will be all night, in this empty house, and I can't even talk to anyone. An ominous looking van drives by and I hope all of the kids are holding a parent's hand. A moth flies around my head, and then around the porch light. It must be crazy; it flies at the light and then loops around it, and eventually hits the wall. After bouncing back, he regains his "composure" and repeats the act again with different amounts of speed and various sized loops, never touching the light. He doesn't give up. What is he trying to do in the first place, I wonder, but I have absolutely no idea. I lose interest quickly. My shoulders begin to get cold, and I put on my hoodie, though I'm hesitant at first, I realize that no one cares about what I'm wearing, no one will care if I cover it up. No one will even see. It is much warmer, but slightly uncomfortable, but I don't want to take off my dress. I've been out here for at least an hour. I'm done with this crap. I'm going to go inside and watch a movie. Screw this God Damned holiday, I'll eat all the candy myself. I hate Halloween.

*note from ben:
sorry, this was supposed to be posted on halloween night, but i'm an airhead and forgot about it :/

No, but I do bite my thumb

You all fail. Everything.

I'm very disappointed in you, all of you. My Internet evaporates for what seems like forever, and there isn't anything
here for me to read!

Bah! Humbug!

I know that doesn't really fit, but it kind of just popped into my head.

I can't believe you all did nothing, you couldn't even review a movie....

Question, is this still our writers blog, or is it just mine?

Just kidding guys, I love you all, but come on, this thing needs some talent, which means someone else needs to put something on it other than me.