Contrast Essay (Assignment)

Body modification, some see it as a hobby, some as an art form or way of expression and some as a childish act of rebellion. Body modification can range anywhere from simple ear piercings to full blown branding and scalpeling(cutting designs into the skin). Though there is a wide range of body modification types the two most common forms are tattooing and piercings. Originally such things were used as rights of passage in ancient tribal customs, but in modern day they have grown to become a quickly uprising deviance. Though at the rate it is growing it could soon become a norm of society, in some sub-cultures it already is. When looked at more deeply piercings and tattoos are quite different whether it is the pain of the experience, the detail of the expression, or the reaction difference at the sight of the two.
When people mention getting piercings and tattoos to others there are usually one of three reactions that will be receieved. The first would be the mention of how stupid someone might think it is, doing that to your body and such. These kind of people usually tend to be more old fashioned, judgmental and misunderstand the reasoning of it all. Some people may think it is to just try to "be cool" instead of a form of expression. Unfortunatly some people do it just to try to fit in and not any other reason. The second reaction may be one of interest, finding out where the piercing or tattoo will be, what the tattoo will be off if it is a tattoo, questions of that sort. The third reaction will be one of pain, people questioning you asking "Won't that hurt?" "Are you crazy?". Tattoos and piercings do hurt usually, some to different degrees than others. Some people embrace the pain and become addicted to the rush of it where as some people are just wanting it to be done and over with. I know that I myself tend to get more of a rush from it and it becomes a sort of addiction. I remember the first line I heard when I was getting my piercing "And a new addict is born" as the needle went through my eyebrow and I felt the rush of it all. Piercings are a quick and over with type of pain, when I am asked what it feels likes usually I compair it to a novicain shot from the dentsists office all done in about a second. Where as a tattoo usually tends to be more drug out because the accuracy of the artwork and the needle goes in and out rapidly. The feeling of the rush and some wanting it done and over with is the same as piercings however. So there are piercings who are usually quick but can hurt alot for that 1 or 2 seconds and tattoos which can hurt a bit and are drug out. The main thing they have in common is that they all depend on placement on the body.
With the pain included people would expect that there would have to be a good reason for doing such a thing to the body. I know that the main reason people put themselves through such things is that it is a form of self expression. Tattoos generally express much more than piercings do because when people see piercings they usually don't think of why someone got them but just how they look. With tattoos the art is usually symbolic, an obvious symbolism could be a cross and the person may have gotten it because they are a christian. A deeper symbolic expression of the same tattoo though could be that maybe their grandfather gave them a cross when the person was younger and that tattoo may not be because they are religious but because it is in memory of their grandfather. Alot of expression can come from a single tattoo no matter how small or large, whether it be an opinion, an emotion or something on a scale that no one really understands except the one who has the tattoo. Piercings can be as expressive, but usually are not. In different cultures, usually primative ones, piercings are used as right of passages. Some piercings could designate the coming of age or the status of a person. In American society piercings could be done to try to show of "machoness" or in my case because it is an addiction to the rush it gives. Now I know those who don't have many piercings may think that is sick, but those who have more than small gauge ear lobe piercings they may understand what I mean.
Another reason some got such things done to their body was to stand out, but in todays society it usually doesn't stand out all that much, well not as much compaired to how it would 10 or so years ago. Today some reactions are still ignorant or biased to those who have body art done, wether it be piercings, tattoos, or something else. Picture a stereotypical biker, what are two of the things usually related to them? (keep in mind I said stereotypical) usually the two things are tattoos and criminal/rowdy behavior. In 6th grade I was in a DARE program, for those who don't know it's an anti drug thing...complete bullshit. Anyways, we were all told to come up with how a drug dealer supposedly looks. The answers were all pretty much the same and consisted of tattoos, piercings, long hair, trashy clothes etc. Reactions to piercings are usually more harsh than tattoos because tattoos have been around longer than piercings and society has had more time to adjust. Piercings usually cause more trouble for getting a job than a tattoo may. Tattoos are also usually seen as drawings as opposed to holes or metal in your skin. So even though both are a form of body art usually only tattoos are seen as real art where those who don't understand see piercings as a disfigurment of the body.
With both being a form of body art, having pain involved, expressive, and costly they have quite a bit of difference as well. It's really just a case to case basis on which a person chooses and what kind they get.

The week of Awesome.

Ey everyone, another update, actually got quite alot going on for just a week. Thing is though it's all been kickass. First off I got my haircut short, above my ears short. I havn't had it this short for 5 years, I like it though, A LOT easier to take care of and doesn't get as annoying. Secondly I got a new piercing, this one was in my upper ear. The piercing itself is called an industrial piercing, it's when a rod is put horizontally through the cartilage in the top of the ear. This piercing is probably one of the more painful i've had since you can actually hear the tear of the cartilage due to it being right on the ear. I also got a playstation 2 with some extra money I forgot I had around my room. I've been addicted to that lately and playing that a lot which has kept me off the computer as of late. Last but not least I got my license *ROCK* yup I got it on my second try. I did everything perfectly except I went like 3 or 4 miles per hour over the limit in a 15MPH zone and when I went to turn right on a red light the person to my left started to go as well but I didn't stop because I was already in the middle of the intersection even though they had the right of way. So I got a haircut, got a new peircing, got a PS2, and got my license. Definatly a week of awesomeness. Well that's it for the update for now, I'll get back to this later. Till then this is Jeff reminding you rock is dead...long live paper and scissors. (Yea I stole it from a shirt..least I admit it)

Classification Essay (Assingment)

I was alone and sick, my friends were all out having fun and I couldn't do much more than lay in bed and feel lonely. I heard the door creek though and looked to it knowing no one else was home, not seeing anyone come in I just continued to watch TV figuring maybe a window as open. All of a sudden there was a small pressing on my legs and I looked to see my dog, Mindy. Mindy was lonely too apparently and we were able to keep each other company while watching TV together. She seemed to know I was sad somehow, she got up next to me right under the blankets and cuddled up in an attempt to make me happy. It helped a lot, though it was not silent just yet as I heard more noise, on my computer desk I saw Gabriel, AKA Kitty. Kitty was more of a mischievous little bastard than a cuddly loving pet like Mindy. I didn't love Kitty any less though. He has his own way into my heart as all pets do to their owners. Whether they are Loving pets, Amusing pets, or Business pets. Pets that seem to have some sort of empathetic link and unconditional love are the group of pets that Mindy fits into. These pets are loving pets, the kind of pet that comforts you when you have had a rough day or spends time with you when you’re just bored or alone. Mindy is a tiny shitzu about 20 pounds or so in weight with black and white hair. She craves attention and care all the time which can be a burden because when all you want to do is sleep you can hear her letting out slight groans or whines to pet her constantly and god forbid you stop for even a second, if you do she ends up putting her nose up under your hand to try to get it back on her head. Mindy prances and walks like she has some sort of princess concept going on. She needs her treats broken up into three pieces and her food mashed up with a fork on a paper plate before she will eat either of them. With the love and care she gives me I fulfill the demands she has and we both turn out happy in the end.
Kitty…psychotic, homicidal, megalomaniacal, loveable kitty. Kitty is my cat. He’s the kind of pet that isn’t always there for you when you’re sad or need someone to cuddle, but he isn’t loved any less for it. These kinds of pets make up for their lack of compassion with an often unique personality. Kitty is by no means cuddly but he adds a spice to the house by seeming to always being around and being involved in everything in one way or another. Often you can find him in corners or on top of high spaces watching your movements as you put food away or set something important and new up such as a bouquet of flowers. Now kitty has a mission, in his mind he doesn’t see a bouquet of flowers or some food kept fresh in plastic wrap. He sees a conquest and is quite aware what he is about to do is wrong. So I sit in my room playing my games while Kitty continues his mission of mischief and mayhem only to be interrupted by my grandmothers screaming voice “Damn cat! Get out shoo shoo!” I sigh and get up and move out there to see what he has done now only to be greeted by the sight of a large amount of flower pedals strewn about the floor and my cat simultaneously licking his lips and shaking his plastic wrap covered claws. My grandpa and I laugh as I clean it up and the cat slinks away to hide and let my grandmother calm down. So despite his lack of comfort, he brings personality to the house, whether it is through slight mischief with waiting around the corner to paw your feet, or simply standing by watching you with a curious inquiring look making it obvious he is taking notes.
Now as for business pets I have no personal example of my own pets, but I do have one that can be an example from an experience of mine. My uncle Ray is in prison for attempted theft or something I don’t know the exact term, but he got caught attempting to steal from someone’s house. Unfortunately for uncle Ray these would be victims of theft had a rather large rotweiler who happened to be trained to be a guard dog. I obviously was not there to witness the account, but I did get to talk to my uncle and he said the dog tackled him as he tried to walk out with a TV and just held on to him by the arm not letting him go. Now he didn’t put it as nicely as that, but he did say he was relieved when the owner called for the dog and the dog let Ray go. These kinds of pets can range a lot in personalities whether they’re nice to owners or just loner pets who function for however they’re trained. Ray ended up getting 3 or so years in prison because of a dog…well that and the fact that he tried to steal.Although there are vast differences in these three pets they all have ways into the owners hearts, otherwise they wouldn’t be pets at all. The cuddly pets who enjoy your love and attention as well as return it when you are down or alone. The amusing pets that love you, but have a funny way of showing it with that mischievous look in their eye you know they are up to something. Then the business pets who are trained to do a function and have no real set personality for the group, they could be a vicious guard dog who could turn on even his owner when it has had enough or an attention craving drug dog who is all business on the field, but loveable when off duty. No matter the pet type it is known they will find their way into the owners heart one way or another.

I've looked over my blog and realized it has been a while since I've done one of my regular non-assignment posts. Hmm..what's been going on lately? Well for one thing I've oddly enough been getting interested in watching baseball, mainly the red socks. Though i'm not sure though why that is, I'm thinking it might just be because I like to watch close games and since i've started watching during the ALCS there has been alot of close games. I'm not freaking out or anything, but it's all still interesting. Next topic, turns out my ex-girlfriends house burned down, she is an ex but a friend so I feel bad for her and the family she's living with. A while ago I gave her a cat named Monkey and unfortunatly the cat died in the fire, I was depressed from it for the following days, but at the same time thankful it was not a cat I had known for a long time of my life. I don't blame my ex at all for the death of the cat, but the event is still sad none the less. Next on the agenda...computer class...I like computers, I get along with them well, they're fun, but the computer class i'm in is shit. Holy shit I feel as if I have not been in a more boring class. Turns out i'm failing it though and I know why I am, it's because I skipped an assignment due to not knowing how to do it, something to do with Microsoft Word and getting columns or some shit to work on it *shrugs* oh well. I figure i'll make up for it because I know how to do everything else so far. I'm not overly concerned about it for the time being. Hmm what else? Oh! I went to a Godsmack concert on the 13th, it was accoustic as opposed to the other concerts I have been too which were all headbanging and moshing. The concert was fun regardless though, I had gone with the ex mentioned above and had front row seats. Unfortunatly I was about 2 seats away from this annoying drunken asshole who kept whistling as loud as he possibly could right next to my ear and screaming random shit...I wanted to punch him in the head, but alas, not violent and didn't want to get kicked out from the show. The set for the concert was awesome though, large statues, incents, candles, multi-colored lights, definatly awesome....Well I figure that's most of what is new lately so I am off since the end of class nears, I'll try to be more common with the updating posts. Until then this is Jeff reminding you that winners don't do drugs..but you're a loser so go for it.

Blog Comments (Assignment)

I commented on three blogs.

http://disgruntledignorance.blogspot.com (Someone I met online who seems pretty cool)
http://wwwaboutme.blogspot.com (Trysha Jean, in the same class)
http://jack25.blogspot.com (Also in the same class)

Classification Intro 2 (Assignment)

I was alone and sick, my friends were all out having fun and I couldn't do much more than lay in bed and feel lonely. I heard the door creek though and looked to it knowing no one else was home, not seeing anyone come in I just continued to watch TV figuring maybe a window as open. All of a sudden there was a small pressing on my legs and I looked to see my dog, Mindy. Mindy was lonely too apparently and we were able to keep eachother company while watching TV together. She seemed to know I was sad somehow, she got up next to me right under the blankets and cuddled up in an attempt to make me happy. It helped alot, though it was not silent just yet as I heard more noise, on my computer desk I saw Gabriel, AKA Kitty. Kitty was more of a mischievous little bastard than a cuddly loving pet like Mindy. I didn't love Kitty any less though. He has his own way into my heart as all pets do to their owners. Whether they are Loving pets, Amusing pets, and Business pets.

Classification Intro 1 (Assignment)

Cats, dogs, fish, farrets, rabbits, lizards, the list goes on with the many kinds of pets people can have. Everyone has different reasons for having pets whether it's just the company or some sort of job they may have for them. Overall however there is a constant with pets and that is the three types. The three types of pets are loving, amusing, and business. Everyone has a preference of some sort and sometimes don't always get what they expect, but usually each has their way into the owners heart. Even if they are not what the owner expected each types traits and personalities has their own unique way to bond.

So close yet so far...

Well I went for my drivers license test yesterday (Oct 5th) didn't do too great, but it was only my first try so I wasn't too bummed about it. I hear probably 90% of males fail their first try so I pretty much expected to fail though I still tried my best. Turns out I am not too good at turning, ending up making them either too wide or too sharp. I also messed up on backing up straight which kind of sucks because I did it perfectly every time I practiced. I have my date rescheduled for 3 weeks later, that gives me plenty of time for practice. When that time comes around I'll post the results, until then I'll just have to keep up the practice.