The Office Anyone?

The Office, a hilariously funny, creatively amusing, and shockingly addictive, is my favorite TV show that I watch. What the Office is about is a paper company where a certain branch is located in Scranton, Pennsylvania; the show is a “docu-reality” where it exposes the 9-5 office jobs of modern day America. The manager of this particular branch is Michael Scott, who is played by my favorite comedian Steve Carell. Michael Scott is a middle aged man who has a huge ego and very much needs to be liked by everybody. The cast has a very nice blend of actors and actresses that portray a wide verity of personalities that can be found in just about any office across America: from Dwight, the obnoxious Assistant Regional Manager, to Jim, the practical joker, and everything in between. Having worked in office settings before, I truly appreciate the humor. However, one doesn’t need to have worked in an office to find the show hilarious. The Office is by far one of the best TV shows to watch when looking for a quick, whole hearted laugh.     

Democrats or Republicans: Choose Your Poison

The first article I read was Trifecta of Torment, by Nicholas D Kristof. Kristof discussed the much debated topic that has plagued our country since its infancy, which political party is better suited to run the country. The author used what I’ll call the “gaming” style when talking about the subject (meaning he talked about the Democrats and Republicans as if they were ball game and could be given points to see who the winner is). Kristof also used many fallacies in my opinion: hasty generalization, post hoc, and either/or fallacy, while his argument appeal of choice was pathos. I came into this article with an open mind, and as I read the article I found myself agreeing with the author as he stated the facts plainly, but as Kristof started to build the foundation of his argument I disagreed with him completely. When he stated his facts, the sources he got them from all seemed to be coming from the same places and lack verity. He also only used the facts that suited his argument. His use of Pathos wasn’t well executed because he tired to appeal to the unemployed as well as the tax payers in a way that was condescending in my eyes.

The second article I read was Obama’s Lock in 2012 by Peter Beinart. He talked about how President Obama basically has secured his office for the next presidential campaign. He used false analogy and logos for his argumentative appeals. Beinart used past presidents as examples of how everyone, save four, had gotten their party’s nomination as well as winning their second term election. I thought that the arguments that were made were very valid and made sense. He used logos in a very thoughtful and logical way. The author presented his facts with solid examples which aren’t controversial like the facts that Kristof used when he wrote his article.

The third article I read was Connecticut on the Ropes by Gail Collins. Connecticut in this midterm election is where the Republicans are looking to see if they can secure the Senate seat. Collins argues that the voters aren’t worried about who the candidates are, meaning the candidates are all people who the author thinks shouldn’t be people running for the Senate seat because of their odd personalities as well as business choices. The argument tools that were used by Collins in this article was, appeal to popularity with logos and pathos combined to present her opinion. I thought that the author did a very good job because of the points she made, she talked about how the candidates that are running are all very…colorful people (to put it politely). The part that I thought Collins could have done better to present her opinion was if she showed that the Democrats had more “normal” people running for the Senate seat.    

Multiple Personality Disorder?

When I took the enneagram test this weekend, it basically told me what I already knew from the beginning, that I have more than just one personality. My top scores were 8, 1, 2, and 5. 8 being the top score was Aggressiveness, with my second place being three personality types: perfectionist, helpfulness, and detachment.

 So basically, if anyone is unsure what a type 8 is I’ll sum it up for you. I am what one calls a control freak. If I see something that can be done better, I will take charge. Also I like people being straightforward with me, because I’m straightforward with them. In turn type 1 goes hand-in-hand with type 8. I love being organized and I can easily see how things can be done in a more efficient manor. Personality types 2 and 5 are what I’ll call my less domineering side. I tend to look at the world more objectively, and can see when others need my help, and I am usually able to help them. 

As I mentioned before, when I took this test I wasn’t surprised that I had more than just one personality. The test results showed that my top scores were only separated by a single point. Why aggressiveness scored higher by one point? I have no idea. Maybe it’s the mood I was in while I took the test, or maybe aggressiveness is my “true” personality. Who knows? Whatever the reason, I thought that this test was fairly accurate.  

Going Mongo

                Driving down the street of a residential area, I see it all the time, people putting their unwanted things, usually furniture, on the curb. I also see the “free” signs that are carefully placed on top of couches, chairs, and many other items for others to others to take notice. But I had never heard the term mongo until I read the article on trash. Robin Nagel (click here) described the term as “people who take things from the trash to keep.”

                Okay, I know that we are all familiar with the term mongo after reading the article, but until I read about it, I had no idea there even was a name for taking someone else garbage and reusing it for one's self. I myself have never participated in either end of mongoing, but I have seen others take ugly discarded objects and turn art works out of the garbage. Which is why, when I read further in the article and Nagel stated that she wanted a museum with a “mongo collection, “it reminded me of the artists I have seen taking part of the mongo movement. It amazes me what people can see in meaningless waste and turn it into something useful again, or something spectacular. I, on the other hand, lack the eye to see something amazing that’s wet and dirty with a “for free” sign sitting on the curb, so I marvel at those who do have the talent and act upon the opportunity.        

Research Topic

For my research paper I’m interested in looking into logging and forests. The reason being that I have lived up in the mountains most of my life, and have almost had my house burned down by a fire or two that have been known to plague Western Montana. As a result my question(s) would be: what would be best for the environment with the preservation of trees, and is it better to let nature take its course? However, I’m still not entirely sure how to go about this and it’s still very likely that I will have more questions, but at this moment in time I’m drawing a blank for the issue.

The same as Sandwich

For over a year and a half I worked in a high end gourmet restaurant. And through that time I worked my way up the food chain to become what was called in the kitchen a “make shift food prep cook.” I learned how to chop, sauté, bake, you name it I probably cooked it. I cooked anything from pasta’s to deliciously baked breads. One of the requirements of the kitchen was that, when it’s time for lunch, make it yourself. So there I was on my first day and had thousands of ingredients at my disposal to make whatever I wanted, and with so many possibilities the choice was impossible to make; one of my co-workers was making a ham and cheese sandwich, so I decided to make one for myself. But here’s a little bit of truth for you, until then I had never eaten a ham and cheese in my life, so when I first ate it I was surprised I liked it so much because I’m not a huge ham fan. And with that first bite of the ham and cheese I was hooked.


Why such the long story, about a sandwich and for most people would make the list of “the best food they’ve ever eaten.” I think that the sandwich is way underrated. I don’t know any student that doesn’t live off the sandwich in one form or another, from eating Hot Pockets, to buying a readymade sandwich at the market.

But who was the first to make the sandwich, the main source of substance that feeds most college students? Well his name was Rabbi Hillel the Elder (see here for more). Rabbi Hillel lived in the first century B.C. and started mixing chopped nuts, apples, spices and wine between two slices of unleaded bread that are eaten over pass over called the matzos, and so we can concluded that the first recorded sandwich was made. But it wouldn’t be tell John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, ordered the first sandwich at a restaurant, that we would get the name (see here for more). And yes, this is the same guy who sailed with Captain Cook, who named the Hawaiian Islands the Sandwich Islands after Montagu. Apparently the legend has it that John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich, was an addicted gambler. One night Montagu was at the gambling table all night and too absorbed in gambling that he didn’t pay attention to his stomach, until finally he ordered his valet to bring him salted meat, cheese, bread, and some liquor. He then stuck the meat and cheese between two slices of bread, so he could continue to play with one hand. The other men at the gambling table began to order “the same as Sandwich.”

What I love about the Sandwich is that we can make it as healthy or as fattening as we want. It’s all up to the mood we're in while making or ordering one. 

A Good Read for the Indecisive Person

My name is Connie, and I’m from a small town that’s about forty miles south of Missoula. I am currently undecided on the major but I am interested in Elementary education. I don’t know really what to say of myself other than, I’m a very undecided-decisive person (if that makes sense to anyone, and I know it doesn’t).


But if someone really wants to get to know me they have to know that my reading habits are currently non-existent. I use to read more back in the beginning of high school because I had time to read, but as of right now I, unfortunately, have no time to read. However, when I do read, I read from just about any genre. But I can’t seem to say what a good read might be, or what book to recommend because well…I am a very harsh book critic. I don’t like most books because the books are usually too predictable for my liking. But I have to say that the classics are easily the best: such as Dickens, Jane Austen, and Hans Christian Anderson. But I know that the assignment is to recommend a book so I guess I’d say that if anyone has to read a book go with one of Jane Austen’s books just for the fact that she was an amazing author who shined in a field where being a female author was just about unheard in that era  as well as she set an incredible example for further generations to follow. Nonetheless, I normally don’t have such a strong opinion on what a good read is, so when asked by anyone to give an opinion on what my favorite book might be to recommend my usual response is “I have no idea.”