5-510pm: Settle in…. How’s your day?
510-530pm: What do you want to discuss about Sedaris? What ideas do you want to share with us?
530-550pm: Passages that made you FEEL something. What did they make you feel, think?
550-6pm: Close…. What’s on your page?
ASSIGNMENT: READ THE NEXT FOUR ESSAYS IN DIABETES WITH OWLS, THEN EMAIL ME A 2-PAGE TYPED REACTION BEFORE NEXT CLASS. PLEASE MAKE SURE THE REACTION IS DOUBLE-SPACED, 12-POINT FONT. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, TEXT ME AT 707-322-7289.
#professormikey 
I’m finding it difficult to separate everything. From my research on Sedaris to actually reading his writing is such a jump that I keep catching myself comparing. I’m too focused on making external connections that I am not being open enough with whats being presented. Having each essay be something different, but also trying to figure out if whats being said is true, or is his opinion. His style of writing is very captivating although shocking. I’m excited to continue reading with a different outlook
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Come on y’all!!! PASSAGES!!!! QUOTES!!!!
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“It took me a few weeks for my first turtle to die.The water in the tank had again grown murky with spoiled, uneaten beef….” pg 67 Loggerheads
First off felt sorry for the turtles man. Second I could almost smell that room and tank when I was reading this passage (maybe it was my dog farting idk) but he described so well the smell and conveyed a overcast of sadness within the passage.
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”We’d all turned our backs on privilege, but comfortably, the way you can when you still have access to it”
This quote made me feel.. surprised, sad, and content. It’s so honest and tragically true. I did not expect Sedaris to own up to this so casually, but I think it is good to have it in here. Owning up to male white privilege is not something I see a lot and for him to do it without guilt or remorse was quite fascinating to me
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This is great!!
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I really like you’re response to that quote !
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“A friend in the ghetto” was the passage that made me feel something. As someone with a black girlfriend, I am grateful my family supports me and who I like no matter race or skin color. But I know theres family out there who wouldn’t support a interracial relationship. So reading this really made happy that I have a family that can have my back whens theres people out there without that. I believe its also an eye opener for people who never experience that and now know how it is
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The essay that made me feel something was “If I Ruled the World”. I felt uncomfortable reading it and didn’t like reading it because my own opinions but I continued with it. I did because I know people can have their own opinions too. It was ironic though because of what the essay was talking about and I liked how he put it into his book because It showed that he didn’t really care to much about what others thing, or at least thats what I think
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I felt the same way
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I agree. That essay made me so uncomfortable and kinda sad that people think like that. It made me confused though. I couldn’t figure out why he included that, did he write it with his opinion, with someone elses, or did someone else write it. I like your thoughts on why he included it.
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Maybe he’s trying to make a point…
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I think he is trying to make a point, I just don’t understand what the point is.
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Nor do I. Just saying… 🙂
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I may have misunderstood but I think he was 100% sarcastic on this essay. Because he is gay and this is what some people say and how some people think (UNFORTUNATELY) so he was just trying to ”be” them. Does any one felt the same?
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HE WAS.
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No I completely agree and he added for that reason! And I really want to see It was someone else, a lady named “Cassie Hasselback” that was mentioned in the essay, that wrote it and he put it in or rewrote something of her’s.
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He’s complicated in his addresses…
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I felt a sense of happiness and also a sense of relief.
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‘Friend in the Ghetto” relayed compassion to me… You?
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To me he did not seem compassionate, he just wanted to stir the pot for his own amusement. None of the things he said seemed to be positive for others, he was just amused by their misfortune.
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Maybe he was sarcastic, wanted to make a point… was insecure, scrutinizing himself…
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Yes, slightly misguided compassion imo but that’s what makes it very realistic to me. There’s a lot of stories about unlikely friendships that pass all barriers, and they’re very inspiring. But this is probably something that happens all the more often. It’s not dramatized or sugarcoated with a happy ending
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“slightly misguided compassion”… interesting.
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”The turtles swam the short distance from one end of the tank to the other, and then they batted at the glass with their flippers, unable to understand that this was it-the end of the road. What they needed, it seemed, was something to eat “Mom, do we have any raw hamburger?”
Am I the only one that laughed way too hard at this? The pacing is so perfect and it’s so terribly ridiculous
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No. I laughed as well. The pacing is perfect, as well as the timing.
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Omg it really made me so sad! But it was funny. And I think when he said he got forgiven when the turtle swam up to him in Hawaii really did just melt my heart
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In all of ‘a friend in the ghetto’ he talks about white privilege, a topic that people are typically scared to talk about. I always say people are afraid of what they don’t know. So if they don’t understand the premise of white privilege, they tend to turn the other cheek. I like how Sedaris isn’t afraid to discuss these things because he is aware of it and knows the causes and effects
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“I wasn’t broken, just resting, readying myself for the next big thing.” This quote reminds me to stay positive and makes me remember that sometimes you need to just take a breather to get yourself to the next big stage in life. I find this quote very inspiring.
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“ We’d all turned our backs on privilege, but comfortably, the way you can when you still have access to it.” A Friend in the Ghetto. As with a lot of his pieces, my initial reaction (and a lot of my journal entries) discussed not liking what Sedaris wrote. However, after reading essays and then reading them again I found myself changing how I felt about some of them. Granted there are going to be pieces and options that you either like or don’t, but with a quote like this I realized it made me feel upset because it was familiar. It’s something I’ve experienced myself and then been brought back to reality by experiencing true struggle myself or seeing someone else go through it. Almost like choosing to struggle to prove something to yourself rather than because struggling is your reality.
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Perfect.
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This is so honest and well said, thank you for sharing Sarah!
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Agreed, a substantial sliver of his Self..
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“Now for the traveling American there’s less of a need for phrase books. Not only do we expect everyone to speak our language; we expect everyone to be fluent.”
As someone who has seen other people portray this and also thinking this myself until i traveled out of my country. I felt fearful because it’s scary that some people don’t know all the other cultures out in our world and how we think that everybody is going to bend to our needs or conveniences. Though I am relieved I was able to travel and see all these different people because it helped me get over myself a lot that there are other people that live out there completely different and talk completely different languages than ours. Now I think it to be fascinating.
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Nothing really i the novel has made me feel any emotional response yet. The closest thing was having the friend who lived in poverty and lived in the bad neighborhood since my ex girlfriend was a black girl who lived off food stamps and lived in subsidized housing. B
ut it just made me feel sad more than anything.
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A note for your notes….. Know your own expected outcome, of someone reading your words.
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”I thought of the turtles. All they’d ever wanted was to live in the ocean – that was it, their entire wish list, and instead I’d decided they’d better off in my bedroom. Just as my dad had decided that I’d be better off t the football game.” – I really liked he empathized with the turtles and he saw himself in a similar situation.
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A specific connection with something otherwise unexpected. Yes!
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On my page for tonight if you’re talking about the journal is to finish that 2 page paper asap since 2 pages sounds like a lot of work so i better get started asap. besides that nothing else has happened worth mentioning to put on paper.
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Well, there was. Especially from your colleagues… But in any event, have a great night.
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As it reaches the end of class, I’m in the process of writing down some notes. Talking about peoples favorite quotes and what I can take away from them. As well, just some thoughts I have. Can’t wait to read more chapters tonight !!
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Love the positive attitude, Jake! Enjoy the reading!!
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“Four months pregnant with my brother, Paul, she lit a cigarette and poured herself some from the fifty-gallon jug beside the toaster.” This quote in particular struck a chord with me because it demonstrates a lack of discipline. Looking back on my high school career I could relate to the notion of not caring despite having a job to uphold. I am grateful that I have moved on from having any sentiment like this in my life.
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On my page for tonight I have noted from this class, some things you advised for notes and some quotes I liked. Another great class thank you Professor Mikey.
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Thanks, Aiden!!! I appreciate your positive attitude and contribution. Have a lovely night, and grandiloquent weekend!!
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On my page tonight, I wrote about david and his writing style. I noticed that he will start with something funny then going into serious matter or the main lesson of the chapter then brings it back to comedy. also just wrote out my plans. Have a good day y’all
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Cheers Abie… enjoy your writing and the reading!
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I have a question. For the 2 page response, do you want it on just the four new chapters or on everything we read so far?
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The new chapters… 🙂
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A major thing on my notes is to have an opinion when reading, but focus on the purpose and composition of the writing instead of being biased and not getting anything out of the reading.
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I was just able to get my hands on the book recently and seeing all these stories people have been talking about this class i’m going to really get into this reading tonight and hopefully get a ton of notes down. Have a good rest of your night everyone!
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* forgot the and after class*
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In my notes. Remember to take my own opinions into account but also take an objective point of view in future reading
Have an awesome evening everybody!
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Thanks Paloma!! You as well!!
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I am still brainstorming what it on my page for tonight, but I think it will be about my Viticulture exam coming up.
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I think from If I ruled the world thing which attracted me is how much Sedaris is being honest with himself of all his prejudices and how brave he is to put it out there.This is especially very important in the cancel culture we are living in.
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till we meet again guys, have a happy weekend and enjoy the reading. see ya’ll later
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On my page tonight I have notes on reading objectively. This is something that Sedaris is challenging me to do with all of his candor. I have also taken notes on a few people’s interpretations of Sedaris as well because they’re so different from my own. It’s eye opening!
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Glad you found something worth noting!! Enjoy your night, Sarah!! 🙂
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sorry I just got back to my laptop. my favorite quote so far is….Theres a short circuit between my brain and my tongue thus, leave me the f*** alone, comes out as well maybe. sure. I guess I can see your point.
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its kind of funny some of his passages bring me back to when I was a child and when nothing mattered and I could do whatever I want not so worried on the consequences.
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Have a goodnight yall
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In my notes: keep writing as much as you can. Hope everyone has a great weekend 🙂
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You as well!! Enjoy your writing and reading!
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