5-5:10: How are you feeling, now that the semester is over? Plans for Summer?
5:10-5:40: Sedaris….
-Your opinion.
-What he showed you.
-How you connected with him.
-Are you going to read other works of his? Why or why not?
-Again, considering out semester’s dominant idea or theme of Truth, how is Sedairs’ truth-telling different than Lawson, Irby, YOURS?
-What did you write on Sedaris and send to me? Share with your colleagues….
OTP: More than his comedy and humor, reflect and review your notes on his intentions.
OTP: His form and definition of essay writing is essential in his delivery of truth and experience, self-talk and growth.
5:40-6: Your final essay, your idea… talk to us.
-How do you have it structured, so far?
-Where did you start?
-What have you done?
OTP: This essay involves more ownership than the others. And if not more, then a different kind of ownership and onus, composition and narration.
6-6:20: Now, you start writing…. So what are you writing in this idea of yours and how does it involve our three authors? What do you want to say???
OTP: How do you start, from that one word, whatever it is…. Truth, Love, Self, Self-talk, Humor, Form, Life….
6:20-6:30: Close…..
OTP: Thinking is essential, but it’s also toxic…. Meditation and excess contemplation do NOT finish the essay. Just write, edit and organize later. Mind the architecture of your essay.
OTP: Time…. Know it, control it. And the way you do so is by inventorying and controlling your
ASSIGNMENT: Work on final essay….. Inventory what you do, log your steps, specific points of progress. This really helps!
#professormikey 
OTP: Calm… that leads to the Composition you want, need. Panic is a trench, putrid and consuming.
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OH… and HELLO!!!! Missed you guys over the weekend!! How’s everything?
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I find Sedaris to be more of a teacher than “humorist”… The last few pieces really exhibit this.
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OTP: When the semester is closing, what’s important is not so much organization but inclination… what are you inclined to do, produce or procrastinate?
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Hi guys, I hope all is well. I’m stressed af and just waiting for the semester to be over so I can go camping. I’m excited to ~escape~
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Hi Rory!!!! Understandable…. this is where you can decide to do something amazing though, in the geography of all this stress. Good to see you!
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Hello everyone! Feeling pretty good, I hope to finish strong in all my classes now that the semester is over. My plans for the summer is to finally buy a car!
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PATYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!! Good to see you!!! what kind of car are you looking to get?
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Hiiiii!! How are you doing? Im looking into something reasonable, maybe a honda. Any suggestions?
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lol… no. I’m looking as well and not the most astute car guy… sorry I can’t be more help, but congrats!!!
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lol, we are on the same boat! thank you its very exciting!!
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We all procrastinate, but not all of us position ourselves to fight it, or choose to do the opposite of putting off tasks and projects….
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How am I feeling? Honestly I’ve been limping to the finish line. I’m exhausted, and pretty ready to have a summer vacation where I think about as little humanely possible lol.
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I’m here to help… you can always call or text. Good to see you.
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Hi everyone!! Excited for more creative and outdoor time once the semester is over…
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For me… travel over the Summer. Near, or not…. I’m traveling. Writing in new chairs, new views, new restaurants and cafés…. NEWNESS is the Summer’s aim.
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Yes I am ready for all the summer things!
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Cheers Laura!!!
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loving this!!! Yes, seeing and exploring new! My deepest crave and desire.
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It doesn’t have to stay a craving or desire.. we just need to decide to DO.
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Now that the semester is over, I am feeling a lot less stress. But at the same time I feel like im going to be missing something to do. Right when i actually started to have a routine with school its over. So in 2 words bitter-sweet.
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Hello! Feeling pretty good about the end of the semester so far. I’m trying my best to get ahead of all my work so I can just focus on my finals themselves. My plans for the summer is to get a new car because mine is crap, also going to be taking a few classes at the JC, and probably work a bunch because how else am i gonna pay for a new car. SUPER EXCITING!
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I think I want to get my first tattoo this summer once I’m fully vaccinated! I’m gonna be honest I’m also kind of relieved the semester is almost over.
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Think we all are since covid started. Good to see you!!!
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Hia. I’m hoping to get more sleep once summer starts. I’m also looking forward to taking on more at work and spending time with my girlfriend.
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I’m glad this semester is coming to an end , I’m ready for a break
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Yep….
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Even though it’s May, my semester isn’t over yet so there’s that. This Summer I will be working and taking Summer classes.
I find Sedaris more of a teacher than a humorist as well. I felt like he was showing more than he was telling, giving his readers stories to learn and grow from with him.
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Anybody have a project for themselves over the summer? Run a race? Build a piece of furniture? Write something….?
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go paddle boarding as much as possible
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Cool!! Where?
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Santa Cruz, Jenner, on the RR and any other cool spots! Anyone have some cool spots I don’t know about?
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Santa Cruz… hell yeah!
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Hello, well my semester isnt quite done yet but no plans yet besides moving to a new home! which im pretty excited about!!!
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My plans for the summer are to travel more and and go on more hikes
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Awesome!! Where do you/do you want to hike?
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Hello! Im feeling pretty good overall about each class and the coming end of the semester. My summer will mostly consist of trying to balance work while also having time to relax, have time for a camping trip or two, and have enough time for a summer class.
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Nice!!! Love the variety!
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I keep hearing Burney Falls is nice.
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could not connect with the Autor, even though we both have difunctional families, is a different kind of dysfunction
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Got it. But, how could another reader connect?
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disfunction
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I belie there is one part where he talks about body image and how he himself is not tall or that most Jesus statues are shredded, and that if the crunch would put one up it would be sacrilegious, I thought that chapter was funny and, I could see someone who struggles with body imagery to be helpful, like its defiantly okay to be different and that there is no perfect height.
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Also, with Sedaris, I feel like there’s always conversation. As in, he’s talking to his audience through his storytelling and sharing of stories…. As a reader, I’m comforted by pages approach. You?
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hello!!
Aaaaaa my previous reply didn’t post so here we go again. Feeling confident and steady approaching the end of the semester. Can’t wait to be back on campus. Got my vaccine and feeling a bit sore, other than that: feeling good!
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Good!! Enjoy the conversation tonight!
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Also, my summer will exist out of a lot of surfing, hiking, exploring, Tahoe, Vegas and Santa cruz. going back to nature and appreciate the heck out of it.
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Sometimes at the end of a semester, a student can just think things are going to somehow work out, that they’ll just somehow get the grade they want. DON’T SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PERCEPTION!! Self-deception is an addictive and terminal drug. Be honest with yourself, write to yourself… prove your productivity not to others but to YOURSELF.
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I really enjoy sedaris, and I really enjoy that he leaves things to the reader to decipher or feel. But, sometimes he can be a bit too reserved with info. But then theres the tumor story whcih may have gave too much info haha. Like I may have not wanted to know the texture of it… I really connect with his experience with his sexuality. Growing up in a large gay community, it kind of reminds me of my childhood to listen to him tell his stories. Its calming in a way. I’ve been listening to his audiobook a lot, and I would totally listen to his other work through that format.
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Im a little anxious but relieved that the semester is over and I hope to gather myself again for the summer ahead. Work a lot to make some money, and hopefully fly back to NYC and see some of the people most important to me for the first time in over a year or two now.
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Sedaris…. Showed you what about writing about your own life???
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You can include anything you want…and reserve anything you want
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So well said!!! And for the final essay, such a thought would be useful in addressing form, or narrative style!
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Yes I will continue to read more, I just bought “The Best of Me” am excited to continue reading him!
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Sedaris showed me that it’s great to talk to strangers but its even better to ask them personal questions. That way maybe, you could be helping them out! Sedaris puts an emphasis on enjoying the little things, making connections, and treasuring your loved ones while you have them, and their memories when they’re gone. I’ll probably read other works of his but it won’t be anytime soon since it’s going to be a busy Summer! Sedaris’s truth telling is different than Lawson and Irby in the sense that he isn’t making the point of his story overly obvious. His stories are a little ambiguous, and definitely open to interpretation. I think with Irby and Lawson it was easy to find connections or lack of connections because their stories were so linear, I didnt find myself wondering much if that makes sense. I wasnt able to connect too much with either, but I am with Sedaris because he leaves so much for the reader.
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Love this!!! Please have this and other responses like this saved possibly for use in the final essay!!
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Yes, this was also one of my favorite things he did.
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Hey everyone! sorry for being a little late. I’m really glad that the semester is now coming to a close so it’s going to give me more more time to focus on my youtube channel and I’m going to travel as much as I can this summer !
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Sedaris and all these authors show us there is a statement and position, an ARGUMENT, in being who we are and writing about what we have lived. Please have this on tonight’s page.
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One of the strongest ways I connect with Sedaris…. RELAX. Don’t take everything so fucking seriously.
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Sedaris taught me to try and just do. I overthink a lot of things that i try to do and seeing him just say yes to things looked like it would feel refreshing. It’s something I’ve been trying to do recently just on a small scale. m not going to get the removed tumor of a random person but im trying to like more foods. If i see something that I usually dont like, I just say to myself whatever and try it. It’s not quite as impressive but im working my way up to his level.
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Sedaris.. Brutally honest and dry which leads to some head scratching moments. Like when he spoke of his mother’s death on one page, and the next he’s talking about a man shitting himself on the airplane. I was so stunned that he went so quickly from such an emotional topic to such a rather silly topic, but it’s just him speaking his mind and giving his perspective on the events that unfolded in his life.
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Yes.. lots of contrast in his pages, which is what makes him, in my opinion, so relatable and universal.
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I think the biggest thing I gathered from Sedaris was part of his mentality, in improv there’s a concept \ “yes, and” which is used to keep improv and sketches alive because it is always better and easier to build off of something when someone agrees with and is working in tandem with you then when they deny your idea and freeze you both up. Sedaris seems to live by this whether he knows it or not and in doing so he takes the positive from his life happenings and from that births such great stories.
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I just wrote down that technique. Thank you!!!
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After reading the book I feel I can connect with Sedaris on certain topics, others maybe not. He has so many opinions in one chapter alone its hard to keep up with sometimes.
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Which topics?
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Some topics I feel Sedaris is a little dramatic about, but others I can agree with. I enjoyed the beginning to Calypso and how he talked about there is always “something” going on in America. After reading the chapter and reading about America from an outside perspective I can see how we are a little paranoid sometimes. Others opinions like how people are paranoid about giving animals certain foods I can agree with. (I cannot find the page number right this second).
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Sedaris is serious, but on his own terms. His own terms entail humor, mockery, analysis, meditation…
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Sedaris.. I think had the most impact on me as a writer, a reader and a person. I noticed the past week that my writing has changed a lot.
The way I compose my essays, the thought I put into it. That’s all Sedaris. I used to find myself being challenged with the build up of the story I’m telling. I saw point A B and C. Intro, body, conclusion. Sedaris however showed me multiple times that I can make it ABAB screw it, E and then C. I don’t experience it as freedom in writing, but a injection of creativity, a process of psychological structures. Is it going to invite to read? is it exciting to read? I’m genuinely proud of the work I pumped out after learning from Sedaris, whereas I found myself being confident first, proud is different. I wish Calypso was the first book I had read of the three.
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Have these notes in your journal, and consider using in your final.
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I’m currently mad at Sedaris. Yes you can write however you like, but there were many subjects left wide open with no resolve
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Isn’t that realism, though? Some things are just not resolved? Just asking, not arguing.. 🙂
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Yes….but I didn’t like what he did there at the end
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Why?
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He was unapologetic about never reaching out to his sister before she committed suicide…after all the experiences she had, he just never talked to her again. Where his writing style bodes well for on lighter subjects, it did not suit that content well.
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Understand, and I see your point. Yeah… but who knows what’s not on the page, you know? Still though, and to your point, Sedaris in this intersection does present a bit of stubbornness and removed mood.
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Sedaris showed me that if you want to be funny you can’t be afraid to be funny, and that it is okay to have quirks in how you act and interact with people. Sedaris is happy with who he is and this seems to contribute to his success and satisfaction in life in multiple ways. I will say in certain ways this has seemed to be a bit problematic, for example with his whole fitbit obsession. I think it’s great he’s the kind of person who is satisfied by that but it is to a fault when he is also forcing himself to get steps in even when he was very ill for the sake of not breaking his streak. That’s probably not the healthiest attitude, even if it is a character trait of his to enjoy things like that and be motivated by a “step steak”. In most other ways though, Sedaris makes good out of his differing outlook on life and honestly his stories show that we care too much about what other people thing, and we might have more fun if we let go a little. We all want to mess with strangers for jokes sometimes it’s just some of us are too boring and embarrassed to take risks for the sake of humor and don’t realize doing silly things isn’t a mistake if you’re laughing because of it.
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This is great! Please have saved for your final essay possibly…
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Sedaris taught me to not hold reservations. He has this mentality of just doing, talking to random strangers, sharing intimate secrets, whatever pops up in his mind he doesn’t think he just proceeds with doing it.
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I felt while reading and after finishing the book that Sedaris is a person who enjoys sharing their opinion no matter how people take it. I wrote about how open and honest Sedaris can be in his book or even on a simple interview on CBS. It makes me as the writer stop and think for a second. Sedaris showed me that it is okay share your own opinion even if others do not agree, you cannot let what others think about you affect what you share..Sedaris sure doesn’t
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TRUTH. That’s what’s present in his pages and voice.
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What did you write on Sedaris and send to me? Share with your colleagues….
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I’m writing on his writing methods, how he sees the world and the people around him and puts it to page…
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I wrote about his relationships with his family
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Once I finished the book, I looked up the word Calypso and researched what it meant along with the style of beat that its definition stated. It gave me a new perspective of the book and I base my paper off of that perspective
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Nice!! Love the focus on definition and singularity here Laura..
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I wrote about his family and how growing up and reflecting back to his past made him want to get closer to his family and his father
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What have you done with your final essay/idea, so far….?
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Mostly I have done a lot of thinking about the focus…
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I liked this book a lot, but I don’t think I will read it again. It’s not the way I want to dissect my trauma about suicide. I like sedaris a lot though.
He speaks so truthfully about death in a way that I haven’t yet gotten to. I appreciate his honesty though.
I had a hard time connecting to this book.
I will, but not for a minute I feel like.
I wrote about how sedaris’ writing evolved in the 18 yrs between Me Talk Pretty One Day and Calypso.
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