5-5:10pm: What music did you listen to today, at the beginning? What was the first track you heard? What did it do for you?
5:10-5:35pm: You and writing about you….
Where do you start? Why?
What do you want readers leaving with?
OTP: Leave your own essay having learned many things about our character and story….
OTP: Ask yourself questions before you write…. What do I want to see? What do I want to re-live? Where do I want to go with my thoughts?
5:35-6pm: Sedaris….. What are your thoughts?
How is he different from Lawson and Irby? How similar?
OTP: Always see the writer as a character in their story, not just the narrator.
How would you describe his tone and narrative style? What truths have you found in his writing and stories, experiences?
6-6:20pm: What are the characteristics of his writing, AND… his handle on the essay form? Does he redefine it in any special way, in your opinion?
OTP: He has a need for simplicity in his sentences and approach to audience.
OTP: Sedaris’ essays invite more intimate reader participation than our other authors, I think. You?
OTP: What questions do you have for Sedaris? What are you hoping to learn from our final author?
ASSIGNMENT: Read through (meaning, INCLUDING) “Stepping Out” in Sedaris’ Calypso.
ASSIGNMENT: Keep writing in your journals, send me page pics!!
NOTE FROM ME: Be honest with your efforts and the results you expect. Whatever grade you get in this class, it should be NO shock. And practice this not just with schooling, but work, life, relationships, yourself, your health, the day itself.
-pm

Hey what’s up everybody!!! Glad to see everybody here, hope you had a great weekend and are enjoying a great week so far. Let’s have an amazing conversation tonight! Cheers!
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Hello Everyone , hopefully you guys enjoyed your weekend as much as I did
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Hey Diego!!
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Hello hello!
The first song that I listened to was “onderweg”- Abel. He is a Dutch singer that my mom used to listen to. A feeling of nostalgia while driving to wherever I was going.
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Hi guys! I feel bad for missing a couple of classes. Happy to be here!
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Hello everyone! Hows everyone? The first thing I listened to was my sisters colorful rendition of a spanish song. But then I started listening to classic rock to get going on house hold chores.
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Hello everyone! How was everyone’s weekend?
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Busy… new projects coming up that I’m super excited about. You?
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That’s awesome! At the moment lazy, but I’ve been writing down video ideas for a youtube channel!
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Nice!
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Heyyyyy people! Song: Happiness Does Not Wait by Ólafur Arnalds. It is an instrumental song that is very calming and full of emotion…Music is MY JAM. I keep and save music journals every month as a way to remember where I was each month and years.
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Hey everyone. I’m not sure what the first song I listened to today was, but right now I’m listening to a nice study playlist on Spotify. It definitely helps me to stay focused.
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Oh man I love listening to music so big fan of this question, the first track I played this morning was “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” I have a playlist full of music similar that I’m definitely biased to playing in the morning!
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Good Afternoon,
Today I worked an early shift. I work at Whole Foods and I usually listen to music when I stock groceries. Instead I was listing to the audiobook of Calypso.
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The first song I listened to today was Montero by Lil Nas X lol. As weird as the music video is I have to admit it is catchy as hell (Pun lol)
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What do you think about the shoes that he released?
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I think they’re pretty cool. Black and red have are a sick combination. And I’m not that religious so I don’t see a problem with them, except the blood. That’s creepy.
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Curiously just watch the music video last night lol.
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what were your thoughts lol?
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Hello everyone! The first thing I listened to was a song called Professor x. Its been on my mind since the weekend.
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Hello everyone, I usually like to listen to some classic rock and R&B music. Probably the first track I listened was an Arabic song.
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The first song I heard today was Opinion by Device. It’s the lead singer of Disturbed second band, and this track features Tom Morello on it. It’s the song I’ve been the most into as of late, so I always listen to it a few times once I get up in the morning. Music has always been a massive part of my life, and it always makes me happier no matter what.
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Hi everyone! I listened to my brother’s playlist when we were working out this morning. I don’t know the song we listened to was but we were jamming out at the gym lol. It pumped us up for our workout.
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Hi! I don’t know what the first song I listened to was today if I’m being honest but it was definitely kpop. Probably IU or something? Don’t be thinking it could be BTS though because I have never gotten into a male kpop group.
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I haven’t been listening to any music today because instead I was listening to the “sweet” sound of my Astron teacher as he goes through all the information for our upcoming Exam,yay . . .
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Hello hello!
The first song that I listened to was “onderweg”- Abel. He is a Dutch singer that my mom used to listen to. A feeling of nostalgia while driving to wherever I was going.
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I’ve been listening to a lot of Chill Electronica and Thievery Corporation… some J-Dilla instrumental tracks as well…
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(Hello) First song I heard today was circa 8AM while having some powerful cold brew. Seemed appropriate under the circumstances:
Artist: Dance With The Dead
Song: Kickstart My Heart Remix
Rocked me like Mötley and I had a great workout afterwards.
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The first song I listen to was in the shower it was professor by dave. It got me in the right mindset for the day and wok me up.
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Track: Tape Loop // Artist: Morcheeba …. my vibe.
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Who’s your all time favorite music artist?
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That’s tough…. I love Jim Morrison, Tupac Shakur… John Coltrane… Don’t really have a singular favorite.
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Where do you start in writing about you? I know, tough question. But help us out… where would you recommend we start?
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a place you can return to that connects the past with our now
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YES!
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First thing I listened to was Montero. It’s just what I need to wake me up. It reminds me of good and bad times, and gets me pumped to do what I have to do that day.
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Please follow the time schedule y’all….
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well being that I am at a pivotal moment in my life right now i might start in the beginning and what led me to this exact moment.
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Make a list or connected idea map in your journal!
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Hi, sorry I am late. My work got out pretty late today and of course I was behind someone slow. Id say the first song I listened to today was Here There Everywhere by The Beatles. Its a song that makes me feel calm and happy on the inside.
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i listen to a 2000s station on pandora and it jsut woke up and ready for my day!!!
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Can NEVER go wrong with a 2000s playlist
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There’s a myriad of places you could start. Your upbringing is an obvious place to start as I believe it sets the table for how you develop as a human being. You could start with what your greatest influence in life was, whether it was a moment, a place, a person, or a song.
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This idea is great! There are so many influences around us that make us what we are today.
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the The first song I listed to was wheel in the sky by Journey, usually my boss plays tracks while we unload the truck for Kohls, I work at the Petaluma store there is noting quite like journey or Bon Jove to get you trough truck day, it like a gym. I even found out that I can bring my own water
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Scrolling through pictures and write down the differences I see. Be it people, places, mindset, headspace. Along with that, I keep a box with all plane tickets, or tickets in general, receipts, pictures, phone numbers of significant days.
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I like that!!
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I try to start writing from the beginning but I always overthink those moments and go off in other directions. Specially moments in my past where I regret my actions.
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Perhaps we can start in our happiest or vulnerable moments in life. Our embarrassments or regrets. Things that we wish we could do differently now than before
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I’d first start by reflecting on my personal experiences, narrow down 3 ideas, select one that I feel most willing to speak about and put it all on page.
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Why 3 to begin with?
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Because I’d like to know which one offers more incisiveness in four pages.
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Got it..
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A place to start is one where it had heavy impact not just for you but those around you.
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To try and explain my own story to others I feel the beginning would be very important because of how I introduce myself and others. To me a first impression is always very important when learning about characters. I would want to leave readers with a sense of hope hearing about my struggles and how I got through them, but I have trouble thinking about how I would accomplish that goal. I guess I I would have to start with introducing myself and a story that represents me best.
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Good to think of your audience!
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I would start by leaving the reader on a note of the person i’am now has a pretty dark past but made it to 2021 alive.
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I would either start with my childhood and some information about me or some information about my parents because their stories lead me to where I am now.
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I think I would start my story wherever my mind would let me then build around it from there. I don’t enjoy talking about myself, I’d rather listen to someone else. I am such a listener. So when placed with the prompt of describing where I am and where I came from, I know I need to take my time and work really hard not to sound forced. So maybe start with a time I felt a shift or difference in my own character? I think I might want to leave readers with the reminder to remember everyone’s path is vastly different than anyone else’s. To assume or judge someone based on a preconceived idea is only to the readers own detriment.
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my starting point of my writing was early of my childhood since personally that had an impact to make the person that I am today, I would recommend for you guys to also start in your early childhood since am sure everyone isn’t the same person as you were in your early days
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Maybe a place to start would be by attempting to look at your life from past to current maybe even future as well, from a third person perspective. And then again from your own regular first.
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I like to start with something someone said to me… One day at a winery, my winemaker friend said to me… “You want to create from when it’s painful, when it’s difficult, when you think you’ll be terrible and prove yourself wrong.”
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That is definitely a quote to remember!
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Yeah. He’s a good dude. We don’t approach winemaking the same, but our creative philosophies are nearly identical. Always be a listener.
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I started with the people around me growing up and how they effected the way I am today, the impacted they had on my personality and mindset.
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Any examples that might help us in writing our stories?
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Well one example that I wrote about was about being the youngest of three with parents that I felt like I needed to prove myself in everything I did which led me with becoming a perfectionist. Which I didn’t even put together until I wrote about it.
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And more important than where you want to start, what do you want the writing of your story to do for you…? How do you want to feel after the last page?
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I want my reader to feel a palpable sense of my point or reason i told the story
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I want my story to teach the reader a lesson and I want it to help people learn from my experiences. I think people are unaware of how harmful some things on the internet are and, I was definitely part of the generation with parents who just didn’t know what’s out there.
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I think I would want to start with the deepest parts of who I am, what make or made me who I am. Whether that is select experiences as a child or experiences two weeks ago> I would grab the important ones. Ones that made me think about my actions and their results. Like who I treat well and what I do with the privilege’s I have.
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When I’m writing about me I want readers to be entertained. I know that that shouldn’t be my main focus because writing should always be about the author first but if I’m putting myself out to the world, I want them to like me. I struggle with trying to please everybody but if I have to allow myself to get into a vulnerable state to write than I don’t want to be torn down for writing what I truly feel
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When I write about myself, I always struggle to start at a specific spot, it is mainly so many places to start for example I know if I was a better student in Highschool, and instead of stopping my education, just to make a bunch of money at the time, I would already have a successful career, but at the same time I would probably not be happy, and not be my own boss, and I wouldn’t have met my best friend, and all the amazing people along the way, some of them have inspired me to fined new passion and new goals which I will talk about in my paper.
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I mean at this point my life has been synonymous with battling anxiety, but I want to be able to express how much love and happiness I can have despite being against the odds with my mental health. I want to be as open and honest as Lawson, Irby, and Sedaris with an emphasis on just giving my perspective of what has transpired in my life, good or bad.
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Great thoughts here Paul… start writing!
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After the last page I want to feel like i am going in the right direction, I want to feel like the decision I will have to eventually make would be the right one.
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