October Brent and Scott Thread

[diebitter]

[ QUOTE ]
You watching the American football game in your homeland today, DB?

Beat: The guy singing the British national anthem is way, way better than the woman who sang the American one.

[/ QUOTE ]


I have no idea what you're talking about.

[tarheeljks]

there was an nfl game in london, or were you joking?

[diebitter]

[ QUOTE ]
there was an nfl game in london, or were you joking?

[/ QUOTE ]

where? Wembley?


Who won?


Edit: oh, yeah, I found it on the bbc website. The Gigants versus the Porpoises.

First I heard of it.

[tarheeljks]

does it really say porpoises?

[Blarg]

Finished the second round of helping my brother's friend's daughter on her college entrance essays. It was a big amount of work, because it was very tricky. I could rewrite it for her entirely -- I'm excellent at that, got into some tough programs myself doing it -- but that would be unethical. Throwing it out and starting over would have been the easiest thing by far though.

Instead, I had to try to teach her how to write, and how to sell herself. Almost every line she wrote was unfocussed, or hinted at stories that were about to be delivered but instead just abruptly halted as the subject changed. I think she is a typical young girl, someone who really hasn't done all that much thinking about herself or her goals.

The essay subjects were, first, who are you, and second, what is it about your life that made you that way. The answers can blend together to show a really focused person, if written well, and to create a sense of progression and drama. But that was on a vastly different level than she was writing at. I had to get her zeroed in on coordinating her story with her goals in a way that would make her an appealing package to a school. And I had to try very hard to scavenge whatever was still workable from what she wrote.

In essence, it felt a bit abusive. I have refused to comment on the short stories and poems people have written here because I feel that it is necessary to be truthful, and the truth can sting and maybe even scar. Showing someone exactly what's wrong can feel like a personal rebuff, can intimidate, and can make one reluctant to keep trying. I didn't want to do that to a young girl. In fact, I felt so crippled with guilt that it took me a week to do it at all. All in all, doing it was a misery to me, but I think I gave her a lot of very specific comments on the one hand, and solid suggestions she could use to do some rewriting, on the other. So she got a lot of value, even if it might have been some bitter medicine to swallow. All in all, I'm sure it was a very good thing. But I couldn't shake that it made me feel like I was beating up a little girl.

[katyseagull]

For some of us, writing is so hard. And the essay topics you mention sound kind of difficult to me seeing as how she's a young girl and probably hasn't had all that many life experiences other than being a student.

It was nice of you to help her. I'm sort of surprised you did it given how you've said that you don't like reviewing amateurish writing. So exactly how did you tell her that her writing sucked, did you roll your eyes or burst out in laughter? Did she put her head on the desk and cry?

[Kimbell175113]

Oh, man. I still suck at writing, but I am William [censored] Shakespeare compared to the essays I wrote a few years ago for applications to schools and scholarships. That's a hard thing at a hard time, even though later it seems simple.

[daveT]

Wow, those two questions would burn my chances of getting into college. It is hard enough to write a good essay, even harder to write about yourself.

I hope she took it well.

[SoloAJ]

I just watched Before Sunrise for a 2nd time (finally!) and loved it more than I remembered.

I, of course, plan to watch Before Sunset in the next couple days here. I went to it on IMDb and realized it is #248 and in jeapordy of slipping out of the Top 250. That saddens me on a small small level.

That is all. Carry on.

[katyseagull]

It's a great film. I admit that I was skeptical at first because I like movies with lots of characters and I thought it would be boring. But it held my interest the entire way through.