How can someone be so obsessed with something so materialistic? I really cannot understand how someone can be so infatuated with the Nike corporation that they would be willing to change their lives and move across the country, just to be closer to it. Better yet, I wish I understood why I don’t have a passion for anything that much in my life. Maybe I have a problem?
At this time in my life, I find it hard to concentrate on anything-- let alone allow myself to be emersed in something such as a clothing and athletic shoe company. I don’t think it’s a matter of not caring, its more that I just don’t have time to sit there and find out every single detail about the Nike empire or something similar. Do they not have anything better to do with their lives? If they don’t then they should pick up a hobby that is a little more constructive, rather than wasting time and money on something that can never be achieved. Think about it. What they are really trying to do is to own every single type of Nike product and clothing that was ever on the market.
Moreover, discovering the level of infactuation that people have with Nike makes me want to question myself even more. Did I ever have something in my life that I loved that much? In discovering the answer, I cant help but think about my childhood, when I was obsessed with pogs. Who didn’t love pogs back in 2nd and 3rd grade? I wanted to have every single type of pog on the market, just like the Nike followers want every single type of Nike product on the market. The problem with Pogs was, once you played someone and lost, your pogs were gone forever and the only way to get them in return was to win them back.
I can remember going to the local craft store every other Wednesday after school and waiting in line to purchase the new pogs with my Grandmother and older sister. But these were not just any new pogs. Every other Wednesday, a new special edition pog was released. Looking back on it, all the pog company did was change the color from magenta to blue or add a hologram on one side of the pog to make it a “special edition”. It was actually a great marketing strategy. By calling one pog a “special edition”, they were able to charge 50 cents more, thus enhancing their overall value and selling more at the same time. Pure genius.
Overall, I would have to say that I estimate that I probably had over 300 pogs, maybe 10-20 “slammers”, and three gigantic tubes that kept my pogs and slammers safe while I rode the bus from school to home. But I always wanted more. I wanted to have every single pog ever made, I was obsessed.
Wait, was I just as crazy as the Nike people?
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Craft Talk
After attending Joseph Bathanti’s craft talk, I began to think as a Pittsburgh writer too.
I have grown up in this area all of my life, but was always unsure what is appropriate to write about? For instance, is it appropriate to write about the Steel workers who used to inhabit most of the downtown area, even though it was many years before my time? Also it it a sore subject because the steel industry leaving Pittsburgh was considered one of the worst events in the history of Pittsburgh? Better yet, is it appropriate to write about Bill Mazeroski’s World Series game winning home run if my parents were only five years old?
I was truly inspired when Bathanti spoke about how he has written a piece on Bill Mazersoki’s game winning home run from the opposing pitchers perspective. But also, I was a little confused. How can Bathanti accurately describe the moment Bill Mazersoki hit the game winning home run if he wasn’t there to experience it? How do you go about attempting to capture a moment in time like that if you’ve never had a chance to experience something like that since? (There has been no walk-off-game-winning-home-runs in a Pirates world series since.) I understand that you can do research and interviews with fans who were there, but to accurately describe a moment like that, I personally believe that you have to be there.
On the other hand, I think that if Bathanti ever decided to write a piece on how most of the steel industry left Pittsburgh, he would be able to do research and accurately describe the feeling of the city at that period because he can look at such things as statistics of home prices, the unemployment rate, and cost of living. Plus, this is very easy to write about because we are now just beginning to see people moving back to Pittsburgh.
I have grown up in this area all of my life, but was always unsure what is appropriate to write about? For instance, is it appropriate to write about the Steel workers who used to inhabit most of the downtown area, even though it was many years before my time? Also it it a sore subject because the steel industry leaving Pittsburgh was considered one of the worst events in the history of Pittsburgh? Better yet, is it appropriate to write about Bill Mazeroski’s World Series game winning home run if my parents were only five years old?
I was truly inspired when Bathanti spoke about how he has written a piece on Bill Mazersoki’s game winning home run from the opposing pitchers perspective. But also, I was a little confused. How can Bathanti accurately describe the moment Bill Mazersoki hit the game winning home run if he wasn’t there to experience it? How do you go about attempting to capture a moment in time like that if you’ve never had a chance to experience something like that since? (There has been no walk-off-game-winning-home-runs in a Pirates world series since.) I understand that you can do research and interviews with fans who were there, but to accurately describe a moment like that, I personally believe that you have to be there.
On the other hand, I think that if Bathanti ever decided to write a piece on how most of the steel industry left Pittsburgh, he would be able to do research and accurately describe the feeling of the city at that period because he can look at such things as statistics of home prices, the unemployment rate, and cost of living. Plus, this is very easy to write about because we are now just beginning to see people moving back to Pittsburgh.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Mastery-2
“How do you get your hair to stay like that all day?”, my seventeen year-old brother asks me.
To be honest, I’m just a master at using the smallest amount of gel to achieve the maximum amount of spike. I’ve only been gelling my hair since I came to college because while I was in high school, I usually had all of my hair buzzed because due to its ease of care.
In high school, having practice after school and having gel in your hair did not exactly cooperate. We would have to rinse the gel out before practice and if we didn’t, the gel would get into our eyes and cause a burning sensation.
Once I came into college, and discovered the art of not scheduling a class until 10:30AM; I found myself letting my hair grow and thus my skills developed at an advanced rate. Before I knew it, I was able to achieve the appropriate hair style I wanted in less than three minutes. Plus, my mother thinks I have “moved beyond” the buzzed hair cut.
Would I ever go back to the buzzed hair cut? Probably not for the fear my head would look like a watermelon.
To be honest, I’m just a master at using the smallest amount of gel to achieve the maximum amount of spike. I’ve only been gelling my hair since I came to college because while I was in high school, I usually had all of my hair buzzed because due to its ease of care.
In high school, having practice after school and having gel in your hair did not exactly cooperate. We would have to rinse the gel out before practice and if we didn’t, the gel would get into our eyes and cause a burning sensation.
Once I came into college, and discovered the art of not scheduling a class until 10:30AM; I found myself letting my hair grow and thus my skills developed at an advanced rate. Before I knew it, I was able to achieve the appropriate hair style I wanted in less than three minutes. Plus, my mother thinks I have “moved beyond” the buzzed hair cut.
Would I ever go back to the buzzed hair cut? Probably not for the fear my head would look like a watermelon.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Mastery
Gregory Moore
10 Mastered Things
1. Knot uniting
2. Hair gelling
3. Grilled cheese making
4. Nose-blowing
5. Deconstructing houses
6. Route 30 driving
7. Pittsburgh Pirate tailgate planning
8. Shoveling snow
9. Smooth talking
10. Taking notes
“How do you get your hair to stay like that all day?”
The simple question my 17 year-old brother asks on a weekly basis. To be honest, I’m just a master at using the smallest amount of gel to achieve the maximum amount of spike. I can honestly say that I’ve only been gelling my hair since I came to college. While I was in high school, I usually had all of my hair buzzed because it was much easier than having to take the extra five minutes out of my sleep cycle to gel my hair.
Also in high school, having a sports practice after school and using gel in your hair did not exactly cooperate for most athletes. They would have to rinse the gel out of their hair before practice and if they didn’t, the gel would get into their eyes and it would burn them.
Once I came into college, and classes didn’t start until at the earliest 10:30AM, I found myself letting my hair grow and thus my skills developed at an advanced rate. Plus, my mother thinks I have “moved beyond” the buzzed hair cut, but I have mixed feelings. Yes, it would be a lot easier to take care of, but in all seriousness my head has probably grown a lot since then and I’m afraid my head is going to resemble a watermelon.
10 Mastered Things
1. Knot uniting
2. Hair gelling
3. Grilled cheese making
4. Nose-blowing
5. Deconstructing houses
6. Route 30 driving
7. Pittsburgh Pirate tailgate planning
8. Shoveling snow
9. Smooth talking
10. Taking notes
“How do you get your hair to stay like that all day?”
The simple question my 17 year-old brother asks on a weekly basis. To be honest, I’m just a master at using the smallest amount of gel to achieve the maximum amount of spike. I can honestly say that I’ve only been gelling my hair since I came to college. While I was in high school, I usually had all of my hair buzzed because it was much easier than having to take the extra five minutes out of my sleep cycle to gel my hair.
Also in high school, having a sports practice after school and using gel in your hair did not exactly cooperate for most athletes. They would have to rinse the gel out of their hair before practice and if they didn’t, the gel would get into their eyes and it would burn them.
Once I came into college, and classes didn’t start until at the earliest 10:30AM, I found myself letting my hair grow and thus my skills developed at an advanced rate. Plus, my mother thinks I have “moved beyond” the buzzed hair cut, but I have mixed feelings. Yes, it would be a lot easier to take care of, but in all seriousness my head has probably grown a lot since then and I’m afraid my head is going to resemble a watermelon.
Mastery
10 Mastered Things
1. Knot uniting
2. Hair gelling
3. Grilled cheese making
4. Nose-blowing
5. Deconstructing houses
6. Route 30 driving
7. Pittsburgh Pirate tailgate planning
8. Shoveling snow
9. Smooth talking
10. Taking notes
1. Knot uniting
2. Hair gelling
3. Grilled cheese making
4. Nose-blowing
5. Deconstructing houses
6. Route 30 driving
7. Pittsburgh Pirate tailgate planning
8. Shoveling snow
9. Smooth talking
10. Taking notes
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Personal Blog Thoughts
Inside of our class, my personal favorite entry was Justin's "Facebook".
What is effective about this writing is that its the truth. After reading what he had to say, I found myself saying, "Wow, that really is true!". During the week when I am bored or when I need a break from studying or work, I find myself surfing the facebook "stalker" feed to see what people are up to. Do I truly care if Carly has a sore throat and a tattoo session scheduled for tomorrow? No, but I'll read it anyway.
For my reasoning above, I reference "Agenda Setting Theory" from my communication classes. In agenda setting, media is not telling you what to think, it is telling you what to think about. Therefore, facebook (as a "media outlet") is not telling us "to think about Carly's sore throat", its telling us "to think about what other people are doing in general". It's addicting knowing other people's business.
What I can learn from this entry is that honesty is the best practice in writing. Some of the best writing I have come across in my life is true life feelings and emotions.
My personal feelings are that fiction can be too fairy-tale like and add too much information. In real life accounts, I find that what the writer is speaking about can usually be applied to my life in one way or another. Thus, making the story all the more special.
What is effective about this writing is that its the truth. After reading what he had to say, I found myself saying, "Wow, that really is true!". During the week when I am bored or when I need a break from studying or work, I find myself surfing the facebook "stalker" feed to see what people are up to. Do I truly care if Carly has a sore throat and a tattoo session scheduled for tomorrow? No, but I'll read it anyway.
For my reasoning above, I reference "Agenda Setting Theory" from my communication classes. In agenda setting, media is not telling you what to think, it is telling you what to think about. Therefore, facebook (as a "media outlet") is not telling us "to think about Carly's sore throat", its telling us "to think about what other people are doing in general". It's addicting knowing other people's business.
What I can learn from this entry is that honesty is the best practice in writing. Some of the best writing I have come across in my life is true life feelings and emotions.
My personal feelings are that fiction can be too fairy-tale like and add too much information. In real life accounts, I find that what the writer is speaking about can usually be applied to my life in one way or another. Thus, making the story all the more special.
Monday, February 22, 2010
"G"
What really is "G"?
Gatorade's "What's G?"
"Greatest"
Who truly has the ability to say that one person is the greatest at something? Is that one person the greatest at naming people the greatest?
Doesn't being the greatest involve the term forever? How can one person be the greatest forever ?
To me, greatest is one of the most misused words in the english language.
There will always be someone better, given enough time.
"Gumballs"
Who didn't love the thrill of turning the knob on the 25 cent candy machine at the grocery store only to receive your least favorite flavored gumball? To me, gumballs were my first experience of disappointment.
Something so simple, so pure, so disappointing.
"Greg or Gregg?"
Growing up a "Greg", my name was commonly misspelled as "Gregg". Most people would say, "What's the big deal?". Well, to me it is a big deal. My parents didn't name me Greggory (emphasis on the G: Greg-ga-rie), they named me Gregory (Greg-ory). Further more, who decided that it would be a great idea to put a 2nd G at the end?
To this day, I have yet to find a person with my name who spells their full name Greggory.
But, who's to say that there isn't someone out there?
If you know of someone, please to let me know. I'd like to shake their hand.
Goober
If someone happens to call me a goober, should I be offended? This is how I rationalize this personal dilemma. Goobers are candy and candy makes people happy. Therefore, if someone says I am a goober, I make them happy. Case closed, end of subject.
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