"My Low Wage Life"

I grew up pretty well off; I attended nice private schools, lived in a two-story house, and my family always had 2 cars. We also had a housekeeper, Maria, who we paid under the table to clean our house once a month for as long as I remember. Now that I begin to write this, I realize that even though I saw her every month for over a decade, I barely know anything about her. I never said much more than "hola," even though I know enough conversational Spanish to have talked with her, and after a while, I would not even notice when she was there; she would clean around me as I ate breakfast or watched tv, and I would never even notice she had left when she finished. This all makes me feel kind of guilty, because she basically did us a great favor for a long time and I never even said thank you or interacted with her. She probably spends almost every day cleaning someone's house, and if no one talks to her, she likely goes almost the entire day without human interaction or relation, which is pretty sad. I couldn't image being invisible to the people around me, but that's what my family did to her.
This past summer, I got a taste of a different side of low-wage work, working in a manufacturing warehouse in a poorer neighborhood in a neighboring city. I made minimum wage, as did my coworkers, most of whom had 10 or so years on me. One of my supervisors was actually in his 60s, and it was clear to me that this is as good as it would get for him. But I was lucky in that I always knew in the back of my mind that I'm young and was leaving soon to go to a good school, an opportunity that most of these guys never took advantage of. Many guys I worked with had all kinds of stories for me. I worked by one man's side for 2 and a half months and won't forget a story he told me. When he was younger, he worked at a gas station and tore his bicep muscle catching a pane of glass before it fell. He didn't have insurance and instead figured he'd sue the owner. Instead, the owner paid him $1,000 to keep quiet and not file a lawsuit, which he accepted. In the end, he never got it fixed and he still can't lift anything very heavy. Another co-worker had a similar story; he was in the car with a friend and his friend's buddy, who was drunk. Unfortunately, the drunk guy was the driver and took a turn too fast. The car hit a fence and ejected my coworker through the windshield. He broke his pelvis, along with a couple of ribs, and had a punctured lung. Since his injuries were internal, he was among the last to be treated. He also had no insurance and is still paying the bills for his treatment years later. He just had a baby girl and works miserable hours in order to make ends meet, and what makes me feel so guilty is that I know that as I type this, he is still working in that same horrible warehouse in the heat and probably doesn't have any other options. I, on the other hand, have insurance paid for by my parents. I don't need to work dangerous jobs and risk injury, and even if I were to be hurt, I know I would have treatment. Things that seem minor to me turn out to be a financial nightmare for others. I have new appreciation for what my parents provide for me, and I think that the experience of learning about these types of workers in such bad situations is what makes me want to succeed in school and make sure I get a good education.

My Low Wage Life

Once a week my uncle’s landscaping company would clean up my yard and the surrounding area. Every Wednesday, when I would pull out of my driveway at seven am on route to school, I would be greeted by enormous smiles from the gardeners working on my lawn. They always seemed like happy people. On the occasions that they worked on the weekend I would say hello to them as I walked into my house and they would smile and try to battle the communication barrier in order to respond to my hello. They always seemed like nice people.

I bring this up because these gardeners and landscaping workers, who are mostly Hispanic and speak little English, remind me of a time when I was a little bit younger. My family and I were moving houses because we had outgrown our old one and had a great deal of furniture and other materials that were unneeded. We had two different sets of furniture in the house. We had the furniture that we used and was on display in the house and we had some old ratty stuff out in the garage.

We decided that the times had changed and we needed some new furniture to compliment our new house, so the furniture we now used in our old house would become our garage/backup furniture in the new one. This meant that we had to get rid of the old furniture that had been sitting in our garage for who knows how long. My mom decided to give the furniture to one of the gardeners who worked on our yard.

The next day that gardener talked to my mom for about fifteen minutes explaining his gratefulness. He was on the verge of tears as he showed my mom pictures of his children and how happy they were now that they had furniture. This man was overwhelmed with joy because his children now had the luxury of the furniture my family no longer wanted. And his joy was so great that he felt compelled to approach my mom and let her know. I was blown away by this because not only did I not even know we had this furniture in our garage; I didn’t know any would want it. Also, it made me realize that our gardener was a human just like me, and had a family just like me. Previously he had been just a laborer who lived in a snapshot in time in which I would wave to him on my way to school.

This interaction got me thinking about the people I don’t see: the beneficiaries of the hand-me-down couch. What were their lives like? Better yet what were they like? Where did they live? Where did they go to school? How were they treated? And were they destined to follow in their father’s footsteps? All these questions swirled and I had no idea about any of them. I was connected to these people not only because they were now the proud owners of my old couch, but I interacted with them everyday without having any idea of it.

Group Feedback

My group feedback session was very helpful. After discussing Challenging the Chip, we passed around our computers and compared each other's drafts of our websites. After exchanging ideas with Briar and Gianmarco (I hope that is correct spelling), they gave me feedback on my own site. Although I do fully agree with Gianmarco that my site was a little bland yet again, I was too invested in my design to revert back and change it. However, everyone's ideas about how to get a more specific concept with my content helped exponentially. I was able to go back into Kompozer, rewrite some pages, and even add some pages onto my already existing draft. Overall, the meeting was a great success for my own personal hypertext.

Group Feedback

I met with Catherine, Ner, and Cyrus and we had a very productive meeting. We started with discussing Challenging the Chip and talked about the power of stats and how they were used in this article. We felt that they were a bit overused, but it was still good to see another way of how to put forth information. After this, we went over each others projects. At the time, I had only had my writing done and nothing online. Each of them took a third of my writing and edited it. It was good to get good and negative feedback, and over the last few days I have added a couple of pages and made some revisions. It was cool to see what each of them had been working on, and most of them had something online. We met for over an hour and it was a very productive meeting.

Feedback

My Hypertext was pretty much not ready for presentation at the time so I didn't have much to show for (. What was ready, though, was the general layout of my page design (which everyone thought was good, and didn't need any changes).

My own concerns at the time were compatibility issues (due to me using Microsoft Word 2007 instead of KompoZer). The page itself looks nice, but you can't interact with it unless you use Internet Explorer 8. Also, I only had about a third of the text done, which meant there was a lot of work left to do. And without any feedback on my written work the quality of this project was sure to decline.

Feedback/Challenging the Chip

My groups feedback told me to take more perspectives, they said I was concentrating to hard on the side of the argument I was arguing, and not giving any other perspective. So I wrote for the parents with expectations, and they were right it helped a lot. When it comes to challenging the chip, it was extremely informative and definitely helped me get a feel for the strain the workers were made to live with. When it comes to design I need more links and I’m getting on that. All in all my website needed more opinions and easier navigation, both have been revised and made a much better draft.

Group Discussion of Revisions, Etc.

In my group's discussion about my analytical hypertext, they suggested I use different backgrounds on my webpages, rather than having them all look the same. However, they agreed that I should keep a common design within all of the pages so that they looked similarly and it didn't seem like the person looking at the website was on a whole different site. They suggested I change some of the colors and sizes of the text to make it more readable, but other than that, they thought I did a good job.

In my revisions, I took their advice about having a common design and changing the size of text on some of my pages. However, I did not change any of the text colors, instead adding a table behind the text that would make it easier to read.

Here is the link to my revised analytical hypertext:
http://webpages.scu.edu/ftp/nclaghorn/racism_main.html

Group Feedback

The general consensus regarding my work was that I needed to include more stories about the struggles of immigrants in the United States so that my site would have a distinctive personal and human element in it. I was also encouraged to pursue my topic from more angles given the fact that it encompasses so many different elements. In respect to the assigned reading, my group and I generally agreed that the stories included in the chapter allowed us a more emotionally moving insight on the plight of the workers in the electronic industry. Furthermore, we thought that the general information, while a bit drably presented, did help to illustrate just how poor the conditions of these workers are.

Website Revision and Suggestion

On Thursday, my group and I met to discuss revisions and improvements on our website. We spent approximately 10 minutes on each others website. Since there was a technical problem with mine, the group had some difficulties assessing it although they were able to give some suggestions. Firstly, the black background should is too dark. So Katherine suggested that the opacity should be decreased. Secondly, Matt had some revision on the content of my writing. Furthermore, we also discussed the reading that was assigned to us. The consensus was that the statistical data presented was very much different than our own. The evidence we have are personal anecdotes. The hypertext is more personal than the presentation on reading the chip.

David Newton: Group Feedback

At the time of the group discussion, this hypertext only contained linked text. Everything was black and white, with no creative design of navigation tools. My group suggested I add pictures, colors, nav bars etc. to fix this. I agreed, and plan on doing so. They read through all of my text and determined that my context links, while ample, create a lopsided hypertext - one that tends to lead more to one page than another. In order to respect all sides of the issue presented by the text, I agreed that I must fix this lopsidedness.

Feedback

After looking over my website with my group, they suggested to me some formatting changes (some of the titles were confusing or unclear, as were some of the layouts). Also, they suggested that I add in some more photos or videos to keep things from looking dull. They were also helpful in pointing out some links that were dead so I could fix those. Matt recommended that I look into adding a section on Obama's healthcare plan, which I think I will do. Also, they thought I could add in some more examples to illustrate my points.
In comparison to the Challenging the Chip readings, my examples, and those of the rest of my group, were very different. Challenging the Chip took the approach of using many, many statistics, which we found boring and not at all engaging. All of us used stories for examples, which we all agreed was far more effective. We also thought that the examples given in the reading could have applied to just about any industrial industry--lack of pay, harassment or excessive overtime are not unique to the electronics manufacturing industry nor women. We wished there was more evidence that was specific to only that industry, instead of something that seemed like you could adapt to fit any industry by changing a few words.

DeCosta. group feedback

After looking at my rough draft, the first thing that my group says I need to fix is my design. It is very bland right now, so I need to find some design elements and colors for my pages. Also, navigation is hard because there aren't enough links from page to page, so I need to add those as well. They also said that some of my pages are too long-winded and full of reading, which bores the reader. So I need to water down some pages to keep my reader engaged. Also, I do not have enough sources and statistics, which makes my writing seem less credible, so I need to find other writing that supports my claims and use that instead.

Group Feedback On Analytical Hypertext

When talking with my teammates about our hypertexts, I got some valuable feedback. As mentioned by my classmates, I will need to improve my structure of my sites and as well relocate my images and find some more to add. I believe that this comment was correct and I will definitely follow the advice. Moreover, I need to finish my site as some pages were missing and fix some broken links in my index page. In addition, we discussed about how to centre some of our writing and pages so they look better on the screen. I also gave some advice to my teammates on how to publish and how to improve some of their links as some parts of the websites were not functioning properly.

Feedback

In my feedback group my group told me that my topic was a bit too broad because I was just writing about divorce so I decided to make my topic divorce between long married couples. Ryan helped me find other sub topics to write about, and Chris provided me with critique on the amount of evidence I was using. Over all it was a productive meeting and we should do this every Thursday.
-Mallory

Group Feedback

My group really helped me to focus the different ideas I had for directions in which I could take my topic of gay marriage. What I had written up until this point was unfocused and generic, and Ryan helped me to consolidate down to simply contrasting the different viewpoints on the issue. Mallory also provided some constructive criticism on making the writing style more direct and to the point. Overall, it was a very productive meeting.

-Chris Hughes

Maggie Roe Feedback

So my group members looked over my rough draft and had a few critiques for me. First off, I need to get my point across more clear. I just laid out a number of different facts about college drinking and the legal drinking age, but I did not establish a definite point. Also, my pictures did not show up on the website which I should fix. I should have more flow with my writing and I should vary my layouts on each page. Even though I made a navigation bar on the home page, I forgot to have any links on the other pages. I should probably get on that.

-Maggie Roe

Second topic discussion

My project was a mess. I didn't know what I wanted to talk about and I really had a ton of questions. Mallory helped me to narrow down my topic to something that I actually liked talking about and it turned out to be really easy for me to speak on. Chris really helped me get alot of work out of my topic and helped me to pull as much as I could out of it. He gave me a lot of ideas to work on and helped to narrow it.

Feedback for my website

The most glaring hole in my website was that I don't have a link for my flat essay. I completely forgot about it because I didn't have a page ready for it, and now I have to somehow fit it in my website. Also I got feedback that I should have a link back to the original index page with all my projects on it. Since my website is complete, and any major rearrangement is out of the question, my group thought the best place to put the links were at the top of my page. Also, they pointed out that I don't have any hyperlinks within my text. I originally did but having embedded links conflicts with my color scheme and font color. To remedy this problem I made a very extensive nav bar. I would love to have embedded texts but I need to find a way to change different link colors within one page. Another problem is that other computers don't recognize my fonts. I have some broken links that I need to fix.

Hipster Haters Numero Dos

People hate hipsters. That's a fact. Well most people do at least; the corporate ones do. That is probably more true than my previous statement.

Anyways, what is a hipster? Their dress, their mindset, their musical tastes. What is their education generally like? What are their political views? Why do they hate "everything"?

Why do people generally hate hipsters? What has the corporation done to the modern "sub-culture"? How can we compare this modern sub-culture to that of the 1960's? What comparisons are there between the reaction to the sub-culture then and the sub-culture now?

Who are the people that pretend to be hipsters? Why do they do this and, more importantly, how do they fail so miserably?

Are these the questions that we will answer on my analytical hypertext? I don't know, I guess you'll have to look to find out... ;=)

Divorce

I decided to make my website over the topic I chose for my I resign letter- divorce. There are many different views you can take on divorce. I am going to cover the experiences the husband and wife must go through in the process such as dealing with the initial emotional part of the divorce, the legal process, the dividing of belongings, and moving out. I then will take the perspectives of the kids. This is going to be the group that initially get screwed over because they are caught in the middle of all the commotion. I will use personal experience as evidence here, and I also plan on interviewing some of my friends who have divorced parents. From the children's perspectives I want to cover kids who went through their parent's divorce when they were very young, in their middle aged years, and I will talk of my own experiences for the age I am now. I'm going to cover perspectives of the court as well. Laws that are made to create a smoother process, and the different cases that have been presented in the past. I then want to show the views of lawyers hired for the two sides of the divorce, the husband and wife. 

-Mallory

Second Project - Plight of Refugees in America

My second project is going to explore the challenges refugees face when they come to America. Along with the individual refugees, my project will also account for the trials experienced by their families. Furthermore, it will explore how refugees effect multiple groups such as governmental and corporate institutions. If I can find the actual data online, I'd also like to illustrate how refugees effect both local and national economy(ies).

Drug Abuse and Abusers

Everyone knows someone with a drug problem. Millions of Americans directly suffer from the impact of drugs on their lives. But it is the families that watch their loved ones stumble down the wrong path that suffer most, it is the parent-less children and the husband that lacks the second income because the wife lost her way to drugs. Drug addiction is a preventable disease, but a disease none the less. In my hypertext together we will explore how drugs are affecting American families. It will also cover how American families are coping with drug problems today.

Nurdidagen Guimba Dilangalen's second website

My issue is about the Psychological Effects of the Political Violence on Children of the political families. I am exploring my own experiences of political violence and that of the other children. Furthermore, I am exploring the personality of these people from their childhood to their adulthood and how that effects their political actions. The webpage will also explore the patriarchs in each family and how that affects the political turmoil in the Philippines.

Hipster Haters

I hate you hipster haters. You and your corporate mindsets and MTV Jams loving afternoons. I'd go a month without Pitchfork if you would just lay off of the hipster generation forever. I'd trade in all my flannels and even promise to shave my face everyday if you would just stop hating on the hipster stereotypes. I'd rather buy season tickets to the Lakers than hear you bitch about us talk about our music in coffee shops in downtown Portland. Go enjoy Lady Gaga, we will stick with Zooey Deschanel for now and forever. She & Him that is.

test post

wordswordswords

The Legal Drinking Age and How It Affects America's Youth

My topic for this project is about the legal drinking age in the United States. This law affects the America youth more than people actually know and many citizens(especially college chancellors) advocate lowering the drinking age. While there are two strong sides and points to this issue; I think that the legal drinking age should be 18.

-Maggie Roe

World's Greatest Volunteers

Injuries in Athletics

I have decided to go with something that is directly related to me. Injuries in athletics. This is a big subject to me because I currently have an injury and haven't been able to play my sport for months. There are so many viewpoints and standpoints on this topic so I feel that I will be able to write fairly well on it. There is the standpoint of the athlete, teammates, and fans who just want the athlete to play at all costs. Then there is the standpoint of the athletic trainer and physical therapist who all want the athlete to heal. In the middle you find the family of the athlete and the coach who both want the player to be healthy, but also want the player on the field as soon as possible. Injuries in athletics is a big topic for me as it hits so close to home so this topic fits me perfectly.

As of right now I haven't really settled on a topic that'll allow me to move forward on my project. I have a topic, but it's too general. Anyway, my topic is procrastination. I'm not so sure how to expand on the topic, but I feel like working with the idea of eliminating deadlines to reduce procrastination. Hopefully I can move forward with the idea.

My viewpoint hasn't exactly been thoroughly examined, my choice was more or less a gut feeling. But looking at it now, what would happen if deadlines were removed? I've personally messed up. Long projects tend to be shoved off to the side if it's importance is thought to be little. Why do it today if you can just shove it off for tomorrow. By thinking like this you've essentially screwed yourself. Long term projects are mean't to be done long term, done over an extended course of time, not over night. On the other hand, by removing deadlines, you remove the anxiety involved with having a "date" looming over your head. This might be reason enough for the individual to start on the project. If given a comfortable environment he may just decide to get to work.

So again, I haven't explored my idea thoroughly and so I don't exactly know how I'll work in the the various perspectives. The best course of action, I believe, is to be honest and upfront about the topic, and not holding anything back (when I work in the various perspectives).

Anthony DeCosta. Analytical topic

My topic is on the admissions process of colleges and their tendency to accept students for reasons other than only their academic grades and test scores. These reasons are often factors that are not influenced by the student and although they can be obstacles in their lives, they still give a benefit that others do not have. Part of this includes affirmative action, athletics, disadvantaged students, and children of alumni or benefactors. All of these types of student have an advantage that the average student doesn't, and it is not influenced by their academic effort of performance. In my opinion, the average middle-class student who is good in the classroom often has his application pushed aside in favor of others because he is white and raised in a good environment, while many of his competitors are getting a generous favor just because of their situation.

David Newton's Hypertext #2

My 2nd hypertext analyzes the issue of OCD and the burdens caused to an array of people because of a single case of the disorder.

Young College Educated Workers In Greece

In my project I described the problems that Greek students face when trying to find a job. Due to the many economic problems the country faces in the last years, students struggle finding a decent job, and most of the times don't even find one. I talk how this situation affects the economy, the universities of the country as well as the fact that people leave the country for a better future. Many college educated people nowadays don't even try finding a decent job as it is extremely hard. The majority of the market consists of low wage jobs and these jobs are filled with non-educated workers, the ones who start their lives by saying ' I don't need a college education in order to get a job'. However, in the project I am also talking about how hard it is being an employer in such a difficult economy where businesses constantly go bankrupt. Finally I also talk about the governments position that is quite complicated as it is being controlled by the other more powerful countries who provide money to save the Greek economy.

Effect of Parental Expectations on College Students

This Website will criticize the expectations parents have, and reveal all the hurtful results they can produce. It is in no way saying expectations are bad, but without moderation they can be extremely harmful. The website will look at the perspective of the parent, and why they feel like they deserve these expectations. It will also show all the harmful result, like performance depreciation, depression, and all other stress related problems college student produce that come from parental expectations.

Racism in the Workplace

This project will focus on the struggles and unfair treatment Latino immigrants often face in the United States' workforce. The American Dream they came in search for proves almost impossible as they encounter manipulation, exploitation, and dangerous conditions.

I will view the issue from the point of view of the Latino immigrants, their families, the companies that hire them, consumers who encounter them in everyday society, and average Americans (along with their stereotypes, views, and opinions).

Outsourcing Website

Offshore outsourcing has created a revolution in the world of business. As production costs fall from cheap international labor, corporations enjoy the additional profits earned from selling their goods at high prices in the United States. Consumers are satisfied with the lower cost of goods, but outsourcing has done a lot of damage that can not be overlooked. The middle class of American workers and many low income jobs, are being lost to places like Thailand, China, and Vietnam. Thousands of Americans are losing their jobs increasing unemployment levels to that which we have never suffered through before. Offshore outsourcing is harming families, the future of American workers, and our economy. I will be advocating for people who are suffering from outsourcing, while also realizing how outsourcing is perceived as beneficial for corporations and consumers.

Private Medical Care

For my project, I have chosen to discuss whether or not having a private sector of medical care is fair to the public. I have taken the stance that it is fair, and that the public care is good enough to allow for a private sector that a large portion of the population will not be able to used due to cost. I am respecting the view that all medical care should be taken public by acknowledging that private healthcare is not for everyone, it should be an option that is available. I have also taken the discussion on from the perspective of the medical workers and how taking the medical system completely public would alter our capitalistic society. It has been brought up that there is so much corruption in the public system, it is not fair for some of the population to have the option to leave the public system behind and receive "better" care from private doctors, if they can pay the price. I have taken this perspective and looked it using a family friend's experience with her abuse of the healthcare system and how that system responded to help her; it was in fact sufficient. In exploring this concept further, I want to make sure that I address that sometimes the public sector is not sufficient, and that the public sector does have some responsibility to challenge the public healthcare to better serve the public.

I quit.

Dear Problem,

We’ve spent 18 long years together and we’ve been through a lot. There has been laughter, there have been tears, and there have been doubts. Unfortunately, through all this time, you’ve been nothing but a thorn in my side. You have dragged me down to the deepest depths of loneliness. You have imposed upon me a weight so heavy that I have felt isolated and excluded all my life. Without you, I would have met so many more people and established so many more meaningful connections yet your constant presence makes the whole process seem like a herculean task. Of all the people you could’ve afflicted, I still wonder why you chose me. For god’s sake, life is hard enough without possessing an inherent flaw that severely limits an individual in so many ways. Even I believe that a life half lived is not worth living at all, yet I am guilty of such a thing on account of your strangling grasp. To top it all off, you have inspired fear and terror where absolutely none should exist. Relatively simple things have become Sisyphean trials since you have clouded my mind and made me uncertain and cynical. As a result, I have been prevented from doing so many things that I would probably enjoy: things that would enrich my existence as a human being and as an individual. Quite frankly, my life would be astronomically better had you never reared your ugly head. So now, I will do my very best to cast you aside for your presence will do nothing but hamper my college experience. Given time, I shall overcome your suffocating pervasiveness and find a way to actually enjoy my time at Santa Clara University without your constant nagging in the forefront of my mind. Our time on this planet is too short to suffer the limitations of something so absolutely futile and I will not allow you to hinder me any longer. In sum, fuck you and goodbye.

Sincerely,

Alex E. Golkar

iResign

Three hundred million plus people in this country and yet no one gives a damn about the three million homeless. Okay, well, someone out there probably gives a damn, but they sure aren't doing enough to help those who don't have homes to go home to. In my book one person without a home is just one too many. So thanks for all the support society, but apparently you’re not good enough.

I know, homelessness, poverty, unemployment, etc., are not problems that are not easily dealt with, but seeing someone living off your trash will just make you rethink life. Why is it that my life is so comfortable, and his life is so wretched? This is unacceptable. I don’t want to live a good life while someone else out there is living a bad one. We are a dignified race, one that has to look after its own. You can say that one individual can't make much of a difference, but let’s not use that as an excuse for inaction. We have government, let’s use it... it has to be good for something right?. Big Brother, you’re there to do the things I can't right? Help me out please. Big Brother, are you listening?

I’m no expert in how things are dealt with between the homeless and Governemnt, in fact, I don’t know much of anything of the homeless situation. I just know it’s a problem. One that squeezes on my heart whenever I see someone who is left out on the streets. I want to be idealistic, I want government to start a new initiative to put them all to work and supply them with work and housing. Anything will do, just give them something to value in their lives again

If you can’t help me, then that’s it. We’re through. I can’t be apart of a society that doesn’t value all of it’s members... even the ones that do not contribute back. They don’t contribute you say, then find a way for them to do so. You can’t you say, then I resign.

I Resign

Dear Disorganization,

I Resign. I’m through with your bullshit; had it up to my eyes with your disruption. I sign off I quit, I'm done being your lackey. I'm done shuffling around; I'm done with my miss management. Disorganization I resign form you workforce and join the other side. So I'm packing up my office in this poorly designed office into neatly sorted boxes and stack them into piles of three. I will live this place knowing where all my things are. On my way out with my shirt wrinkle free and tie on strait and shoes tied uniform I will knock on your door and hand you this letter folded into thirds and placed into an envelope and sealed and addressed correctly. I will cross the street and sign on with organization. I will neatly place the pictures that keep me going through the day on my desk. I will file my papers into neat to do and done piles. Separated my priority and where their final destination is. My computer will have more folders in it than you would know what to do with. It may pleas you to know it took me years to get around to writing this, to clear enough space on my desk to organize my thoughts enough. I entertained the thought all the time as I sift through the paper and pencils strewn everywhere, as I tip toe through the piles of cloths and other items tossed carelessly around my room. I would write down a little piece of this letter, examples of your annoying effect, my ideas of how this would change.

I would just like to say that Disorganization you have brought me nothing but grief. Because of you I have missed deadlines, and missed opportunities. Because of you disorganization I have missed bills and for disappointed friends. In another time I would have never signed on. I would have kicked you out at the first sing of trouble. That is not an option now unfortunately. No now I must pick up the pieces and organize them.

Alas all this is, is an exercise, something my therapist says I should to relieve stress and to get out angst. This letter will not make I to your desk. Not it won’t be lost in the shuffle leaving. This letter will not be in envelope, not because it’s lost as soon as it printed. No this won’t be folded into thirds and not because I don’t clean surface to do it on. No this letter won’t make it to you because it won’t even leave the computer. My thoughts will go from my head to my hands to the computer and be saved there, lost amounts the other files.

The only way this will make it is if I muster the courage. If I take hold of my fate. If one day, and this day will come, I truly decide that I have had enough and I will no longer conform to your ways.

So fuck you disorganization I resign.

Jason Giedt

I'll Always Remember

You’re a sweet girl. You’re kind hearted and loving and you have the best of intentions. I can trust you with all of my secretes, I can vent to you about my rough days, and I know that deep down you would do anything for me. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if you hadn’t been a part in my life, but girl, I just can’t handle your addictions to drugs.

It didn’t used to be like this though. I remember the day you walked into art class and you sat down at my table. I remember the first time we went to lunch together and hung out after school. I remember our first adventure to wall-mart, and although I haven’t mixed the beta fish and the gold fish together sense, you know I’ll never forget “the good old days”. I remember sitting on your bed when he came over for the first time. I remember him smelling like stale cigarettes as he threw you a handle of Skull; classy. After that night, I was never at your house without him following you around like a sick puppy, a puppy that always had a rum and coke between his skinny fingers. I’ll never forget standing in your kitchen, waiting for him to come over while we made our famous mac-n-cheese. No knock, no surprise, as he waltzed into the kitchen and ever so gracefully placed 4 little oval tablets on the counter. One by one he crushed those ovals under your license until they created a perfect little pile of powder. You didn’t seem as surprised as I was, but I know sweet girl, I know just how surprised you were. He whipped out a dollar bill and waited for one of us to do the job. You then gave me that look, the look that only best friends give each other when they both know what happens next. I tended to the mac-n-cheese as your tender shaking hands carefully rolled that dollar bill so that it could fit where it’s supposed to go. I saw you watching him as he pinched one nostril closed and violently inhaled through the other one. I remember him straightening his posture as he mixed his coughing with the words “who’s next?” You were. That night was an experience, but those didn’t stop. Soon, he was bringing those little ovals around all the time, you always asked if I wanted some, but you always knew the answer. It wasn’t long before those ovals got old. I remember coming into your room when you were on the phone with him, all you said was “No Zanny? Yeah, I’m up for some blow.”

Cocaine was the falling point. You spent every dollar to your name on coke. You began asking random kids at school if they would bum you 5 dollars for “food” and on the seldom occasion they would, you would spend that money on the only thing you had your mind on; drugs. I watched you do every drug in the books. It didn’t matter if we had a test the next day, it didn’t matter if it was a Monday or Friday, it didn’t matter if it was at ten at night or ten in the morning. Hell if you were doing coke at six am it was because you hadn’t slept sense the day before. You missed day after day after day at school, and there was nothing I could do to bring you back. I tried. Fuck, I’m still trying.

The night before I left for school, I remember you calling me telling me to come over and say goodbye. I was making the rest of the goodbye rounds before I stopped by your house though, because you know, save the best for last. I called you right before I came over, I knew you were high, I always knew. I walked into your house to see a cluster of people that just pointed to your door. They said you were going to bed, so I walked straight to your room. Although the lights were off I knew that room like the back of my hand. I flipped on the light to find you viciously pulling the covers over your head to shield the light. “Noooooooooo” was all I got from you. I told you I was leaving, you know, for California. I was leaving and wouldn’t see you until Christmas and you wouldn’t even say goodbye to me? I forced a hug out of you before walking out of your room for the last time.

I’m done with the girl you’ve become. I’m done with your black hole of a life that I’ve tried relentlessly to get you out of. I’m done trying to force love and affection back into you when I know that it will just be rejected. I’m done pretending that you choose me over drugs, when we both know that’s not the case. I love you sweet girl. I love you, and I always will. I just hope that you choose to be done with this lifestyle before it takes you away from me for good.

I Resign

Dear United States Politicians,

I quit. Fuck you. The way that you all, Democrats and Republicans alike, have twisted the system of our American government into your own political game. Our nation is literally falling apart. Our roads are deteriorating , our schools are crumbling to the ground and millions of American workers are sitting around unemployed. It is no longer about what is best for our country. It has turned into a game of "I'm right, no I'm right." Our nation needs help and it needs it government to help it, yet the biggest movement right now is a group of right-winged extremists who want to get rid of it completely. The public support for reform is there, yet the Tea-Party has shown it is determined to fight the Democrats at every opportunity they have. Our unemployment hovers around 10%, our economy is in the shitter, and our politicians spent four billion dollars during the 2008 elections. I believe that we are heading towards and Independent led boom. I and the rest of America are tired of all your party politics. We want you out and we want someone who will get something done in.

It's about time

Finally! Finally you're out of my life for good. It's like a weight is taken off my chest now that I don't have to see your smug face anymore. Reaves, I know you don't like me - not sure why, but really I honestly don't give a shit anymore. You're such a judgmental prick, I can't even believe I considered you my friend for so long. All you do is shit all over anything that I or anyone else likes. I don't know who told you you're so great, but get over yourself. Not only do you shoot down anything you don't like, you're so judgmental of everyone. Everyone's either a "hipster" or "douchebag" or "ignorant" to you. God and you don't even know these people. You just shoot them down automatically. And the stupidest part is you actually judge them based on shit like what they wear or what music they like. What are you, a little kid? When are you gonna grow up? Just because someone likes something that you don't, it doesn't mean anything about their personality. You're 18, I figured you'd have learned that by now. The best part is you're so cynical that it's only gonna hurt you. You'll have to grow up or be alone. But you're too smug to admit you're wrong, so good luck in college, with all new people, people who aren't like me and won't put up with your shit because they figure you'll grow up at some point. You can't hang around anymore - when people get sick of you it'll be much easier to just drop you like I should have. It's a shame we had so many mutual friends; it would've been much easier to get rid of you. Oh and by the way, quit being so sorry for yourself. Seriously, you have it much better than you think. But you're so convinced that you've been done so wrong that I've noticed one of your favorite hobbies is guilt-tripping everyone around you. Look, I am truly sorry that your family life isn't the greatest right now, but shit man, look at what you do have instead of griping about everything. You got put through one of the best high schools in the state, and now you can afford to go to a four-year college. How many people don't have that opportunity? You've gotta be some bit well off to be able to do that. Regardless of where the money comes from, it's going towards your benefit, so stop telling us all how hard you have it to make yourself seem tough. If you really wanna turn your "tough" life around, how bout you QUIT SELLING WEED all day and get a real job, you know, maybe do some manual labor like the rest of us instead of lounging around all summer smoking and shooting people down. Maybe you'll learn something about what it means to actually work hard for something. But whatever man, I never have to see your face again if I so choose, and that's what I'm gonna do. It's a shame Johnny looks to you for guidance for some reason. I love that kid but you've made him into your little sidekick or something.
Oh and one more thing, you're not superior to everyone just because you prefer to smoke instead of drink. POT CAN SCREW YOU UP TOO YOU MORON. http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/evidence99/marijuana/Health_1.html

Best of luck

I Resign

I hereby officially reject all symptoms of the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I don’t appreciate losing time and energy every day to a useless cause, nor do I enjoy being viewed as a mental midget by society. For people with OCD, each step forward is coupled with two steps backward. I’ve decided that I won’t be troubled any longer.

For about ten years I’ve been tormented by obsessions and compulsions. The trouble I’ve gone through checking and rechecking my things, counting things that don’t need to be counted, and fulfilling pointless rituals has taken a toll on my life – at least a small one. My grandma also has OCD, though her case should be considered much worse. In retirement though, she appreciates the time she spends going through meaningless routines as a way for her to keep occupied (or so she says). I, on the other hand, cannot afford to waste time with such ridiculous processes. Every time I pause to count the number of words on a street sign, or stop to re-scrub an already clean surface, I burn precious daylight. Highly compulsive, I easily become psychologically addicted to anything from mini-rituals like jaw clenching to Tylenol. Wasted time compiles as quickly as my frustration with myself for acting like a moron, often in public. I wish I could exchange this distracted lifestyle for a focused one, but little can be done about such a deeply rooted issue.

So I write to inform you of my resignation. You wax and wane over long periods of time, but never seem to completely disappear. From the eighth grade to ninth grade you brought my social life to a screeching halt. Through my junior year, you cost me hours of sleep on top of those I lost to homework. You seem to be taking it easy on me now, but I expect you’ll be back before too long. Thanks, I guess, for keeping me highly organized and tidy, but I’d prefer that you leave. Maybe go bother Rebecca Black or Sarah Palin? I heard that they’ve been looking for something to do.

David Newton

Expectations

Dear expectations,

I never wanted to disappoint my mother. She is the only person in my life who has never left me. She deserves everything she wants, and everything I can give her. The problem is, you made her want me to be successful, and want me to be the best at whatever I do. I want to be a doctor, one of the most competitive fields in the world, and I’m not sure if I’m cut out for it. So what am I supposed to do?

To be a Doctor, I have to give up everything I love, I can’t play sports, pursue side interests like gender and sexuality, keep writing music, and I cant be a leader in the community. All of this because studying alone takes everything away. So the one thing you made my mother want and everyone expect of me, is the one thing that will make me lose almost everything. I’m not even sure it’s what I want, all I know, is I like helping people and I like fixing things, its what makes me happy. So I can’t disappoint the people who support me, and I cant give up what I love.

So fuck everything, screw college, I’m not willing to give up what I love, and I’m not willing to waste peoples money so I can take a stupid major and use the school as a good time for me. So let everyone keep his or her money, and I’ll pursue whatever I end up doing. I’ll play sports at community center, I’ll work as a sailing instructor, I’ll write for fun, I’ll play music, and I wont worry about disappointing anyone. I love my mom but she will be fine without me, she has my sister and I’m sure she’ll do great and be as successful as anyone else.

So expectations, I hope you’re ok with this because I’m done with you, I did everything, I took care of the family for four years, I kept the house in shape, I cooked, I cleaned, and I did everything they needed of me. When my dad left you didn’t exist, but then again there was no one else, so I made you, I let you rule me for four years, and I’m done. I’m done going to sleep every night wondering if my mom is ok, if she had a good meal, if the house is working in proper order, if the car is starting, if my sister is depressed, if she’s doing drugs, if my ex is happy, I’m done stressing about everyone else’s life. My sister is in Boston, she doesn’t need me, I moved out so my mom needs to take care of herself, and I’m alone now. I don’t need to do anything for you; I can leave and never look back. So consider this me telling you that I’m leaving, no more chores, no more fixing everything, no more running at every beck and call, I’m going to start living for myself and no one else.

I Resign

Dear Tobacco Companies,

I RESIGN. It's just impossible to get rid of you! First off, I absolutely cannot stand the smell of any of your nasty products. Vacations in Reno, Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, and even Nicaragua have been ruined by the smell of cigarette smoke polluting hotels (particularlythe ones with casinos...), parties, streets, homes...everything! I literally can't go ONE DAY without inhaling your rat poison mix, which is especially harmful to me since smoke is one of my asthma triggers! Did I mention that I never had asthma until I started living with my dad, who is almost a pack-a-day smoker? Whenever he lights up, I have to plug my nose and get as far away from him as I can, offending him and annoying me in the process. My dad's entire home smells like cigarette...it's inescapable. My room, my bed, my pillows, and my clothes stink, no matter how much Febreze or Lysol I spray or how many candles I light. I even keep my door shut and windows wide open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He doesn't even smoke indoors, and yet the smoke still follows him in and infiltrates EVERYTHING. You know what else bugs me? How you present smoking to people my age so young - your future generation. It's gross, but it's also how you got my dad to start smoking at 18. People insist that nicotine calms them down, when, in reality, it is a stimulant, and, from experience from my dad, makes people extremely IRRITABLE and mean when they can't have any. You should be smart enough to know that promoting these lies is ridiculous because there are healthier ways of relieving stress. Do you want YOUR kids smoking and preparing themselves for some nasty form of cancer that will eventually kill them? You know cigarettes do this, and yet you keep pushing them at people for your own selfish interests. What kind of people even work for tobacco companies!? It's the equivalent of working in a grocery store, poisoning products you know people will by, then watching everyone die as a result. Doesn't that kind of sound like a murder plot...? I have already lost my grandpa as a result of your filthy products, and it scares me to know that my grandma and dad could potentially be on the same path. An article I read stated that every cigarette smoked takes five minutes off a person's life...can you imagine all the years I won't get with my dad BECAUSE of your products? You're letting people commit a slow suicide and telling them it is okay and acceptable, but it's not. I have to stress every single day not only about my health, but also about my dad's. I hate you and your products and wish everything about you would be outlawed.

I Resign

I always thought about how difficult it was going to be to leave my friends and family and go so far away from my country to study. What was bothering me even more and was always on my mind was my relationship that I have for so long and I don’t want to lose. Why does my country have such a bad educational system? Why is it forcing its students to leave, and why should I be part of it? This is unfair! I resign, as we have to leave all the things we have built in the past behind us and start all over again! If only Greece had a better educational system.

And why is this entire thing happening? Because of all these idiots we have above our heads. They really don’t know anything besides destroying my country!!! They call themselves “Greeks” but if they were at least a bit Greek, they would surely not do all these things to us. Please, I want someone to explain to me, how is it possible that our Prime Minister speaks better English than Greek? When he talks to his citizens he either says bullshit or his Greek will be full of syntax errors! How can we listen to him if he can’t even speak his own language? What hope can he give to his citizens? And the most annoying thing is that we can’t do anything about it because all of them are the same shit, so even if another politician becomes Prime Minister, we are going to have an exact same asshole to govern us! That is why I and along with many other Greeks resign!

This entire fucking situation forced me to make the decision and go to another country to study and be separated from my family, friends, and my relationship that I have for so long! I had so many future dreams and now my whole plan has to change. It has to change because I don’t have another choice; I have to stay in the U.S. for the rest of my life and visit Greece, my homeland, for vacations! And this is not only I, as the majority of the students in Greece are going to leave after their studies and try to find a better life abroad. We really do not have another choice! I watch my country dissolve, and none of us can act because we all know that our Prime Minister, Mr. Asshole Papandreou is only a puppet. And not only him but also all the ministers along with the Education Minister too, who really looks like a beast and talks like an evil witch, and all the other motherfuckers that we have in our parliament governing us and representing us worldwide!!! It’s a disgrace…

The country that 4000 years ago had all the great philosophers and scientists like Pythagoras, Plato and Thales, is slowly starting to lose its history, language and dignity, and will slowly start to become a resort for rich people to have their vacations. I resign, as I cannot do anything about it but get mad and sand at the same time for my country

I'm Done

I'm done, its that simple. I have decided I no longer care to try and keep peace between the two of you. Anytime I try to be there for either one of you, your burden of not being able to maintain a functional relationship is unleashed on me. I cannot carry the weight of the failing marriage any longer on my shoulders. The confusion between the two of you drives me crazy almost to the point I have no desire of getting married or having a family myself. I no longer even know the reason you two cannot be in the same room with each other with out a lingering feeling of hatred and disgust. The feels are just there for the sake of feeling them. There aren't even any legit reasons besides the two of you. I resign on trying to figure either one of you, your marriage, or your lives out.

Moving into another house was not only hard on me but Caroline, Alanna, and Douglas as well. Yes its true, Douglas has his own house now, but the divorce still affects him. In fact, I think he is taking it the hardest. His whole life he grew up with married parents. Since he has been away for so long, he didn't even get the chance to see the divorce coming like Alanna, Caroline, and I did. Another reason why I resign: I've seen this coming since I was in fifth grade. Everything I did then to try and be a form of communication between the two of you then did absolutely nothing just as everything I tried to communicate between the two of you now. Have you two thought of maybe trying to actually talk to each other? Or getting some professional help rather than using your kids as a channel? Obviously not, because I'm always hearing from you mom, "Tell your father…." or from you dad "How come your mother…?" I refuse to tell you anything more Dad, and I refuse to ask you any more questions Mom. 

I quit as an equal daughter, 1/2 belonging to mom and 1/2 belonging to dad. I am just Mallory now. Being in California has been the best escape of my life. I can focus on my own life now. I no longer have to worry about seeing dad 3.5 days of the week and mom the other 3.5 days of the week. Its so nice just worrying about myself. It sounds selfish, but did you ever think how selfish the both of you have become? The only guilt I feel for leaving is hearing the stories of what home life is still like through Caroline's voice. I feel so blessed the divorce just began right before I left for California, but so disgraced in the fact I left my little sister behind to deal will all of your bull shit without her big sister to face the crumbling family with her. I'm not sorry any longer. For now on I will only love the two of you separately, because clearly together isn't working.
Mallory

Resignation

Screw you, scoliosis! You annoying, painful, and irreversible medical condition! What in the world am I supposed to do about you?! You have haunted me since I could verbalize discomfort but remained undiagnosed until sophomore year of high school, but definitely not unnoticed during that time period. I have never been able to tolerate long car rides because of you, the two least favorite curves in the body (as if one uncomfortable kink in my spine would not be enough!). Because of you I cannot sit for more than a few minutes without my back aching or cramping. Not being able to bend a four or five inch section of my back is also super helpful, thanks to you, curve number 2. And curve number one? I don’t exactly enjoy you always causing me to have a slight tilt to the right. Despite your valiant efforts to keep me crooked, thank God I have learned to at least fake a curve the other way well enough so that most of the time I don’t appear as if I’m standing on a hill.

And watching movies or sitting in class comfortably with you constantly nagging at me? I guess I can just forget that all together. Forever I will have to tolerate excusing myself from dinners, movies, lectures, car rides and plane flights, just so I can get up and go stretch out my back. And if I don’t, I can just take my other option, moving constantly to sit in different positions so my legs don’t go numb. Wonderful. I guess you want the world to perceive that I am rude, leaving conversations mid-stream, or that I am not paying attention to anyone, just fidgeting constantly.

And as for you forcing me to quit gymnastics, the sport that I loved doing for 13 years? That is probably my biggest problem with you lately. How dare you keep me from something I love to do and miss every day? Not only have you now inconvenienced me in my day to day life, but you’ve the line into changing my life’s routine entirely & altering the only lifestyle I’ve known since I was five. I miss my friends and coaches at my gym, and seeing them outside of workouts just isn’t the same (trust me, I’ve tried that). No longer can I call myself a gymnast. I just have to categorize myself with all of those ex gymnasts, who are usually injured, but at least they have a cool story to go along with it. Oh, and I don’t appreciate you, scoliosis, being influenced so strongly by my gymnast build and muscles (or should I say, former gymnast build and muscles), because now I have to let those muscles go—just watch them wither away so that I can wait to “rebuild” them into a better position to help support my spine into a more normal shape. I really love losing the only body shape I’ve known since I was five and having to buy a new wardrobe because I’ve lost so much muscle, just so I can attempt to contend with your aggravating symptoms through physical therapy.

And the fact that this is hereditary? That makes me even more angry, because I know my kids will possibly have to deal with this. So, scoliosis curves one and two, I resign. You win. You will always be in my life; but I will not, to the best of my ability, let you control it.