What I had for breakfast this morning

This morning I went to Jamba Juice at Turner Place to get a smoothie for breakfast. Most people get smoothies as a drink to go along with their meal, but I get one as my meal because they are surprisingly filling. This is good because if you drink a smoothie it is like eating a meal because of how many calories and sugar are in one. I ordered my smoothie and because a lot of people were there I had to wait because my drink number was 3743 and 3729 was just called. So as to not waste time I went upstairs to get my daily coffee. I have begun to love coffee so much that I look forward to getting it every day after my early morning classes. At Jamba Juice I wanted I peanut butter smoothie but the salesperson said they weren’t serving peanut butter smoothies because peanut butter was recalled. So I ordered an orange dream smoothie. I was good because it tasted like an orange creamsicle but it also tasted like it had artificial sweetener in it. I was also looking for something richer, which is why my first choice was a peanut butter smoothie. It is interesting that the peanut butter was recalled because we were just talking in English about where our food comes from and how industrialized food production has become which has led to an increased number recalls. The peanut butter recall that I didn’t know about but now do because I’m in college and my world has become only Blacksburg, VA, is going to make me more cautious about eating peanut butter products for now.

"Farmer in Chief"

Reworking food production to make it more green and regional is possible, even though the process will be expensive and take a long time. Despite the tremendous requirements to rework the food production industry, the benefits of a greener, healthier and localized America are worth it. The current government regulation and the large companies, like Monsanto, that have contracts with farmers are at stake. The current tax rates, government spending and the budget are also at stake because if the government undertook this project, all of what was listed previously would increase. The idea of fast, cheap, and convenient food would be exchanged for inconvenient, expensive, healthy and quality food. This is because meat processing plants and feedlots would not exist because the livestock would be moved to the fields. If livestock moved back to the fields, the sun would feed the animals instead of fossil fuels and corn that produce diseases like E. coli, resulting in green farming. But meat would also be more expensive because it would take more labor and time to grow a cow, resulting in quality meat. As a result of expensive and inconvenient food, America would become more healthy because food wouldn’t be as cheap and accessible.  

Consider the Lobster

The purpose of the essay, “Consider the Lobster” is to inform readers about the truth about eating lobster and perhaps to argue against people from eating lobster because the lobster preparation can be seen as unethical. The truth about eating lobster is that it is cooked alive; live lobsters are placed in a boiling kettle and then are served to costumers at restaurants. Although you can humanely stab the lobster in the head and then boil it, not all restaurants and lobster-eaters do this. The article is interesting because it describes the pain the lobsters feel when they are boiled. Although lobsters don’t feel pain the way humans feel pain because they have a different nervous system, boiling lobsters alive is still unethical. One knows boiling lobsters alive is unethical because restaurant cooks often leave the room as the lobster is boiling in the pot because the lobsters shake the kettle in attempt to escape the hot water. This essay is similar to the documentary because they both reveal a hidden, unfortunate truth about where food that humans eat comes from. The argument that this essay poses is similar to an underlying argument that the documentary has. The documentary’s underlying argument is that chickens, cows and pigs and mistreated in and on their way to the slaughterhouses. The animals are crammed into trucks and trains and then crowded in the assembly line of the slaughter factory. These animals die stressed, just like the lobsters.

Why food matters

Food matters because it fuels our bodies. It is a necessary substance that allows humans and all living things to survive. Although food in general is very crucial, healthy food is even more so and has even a greater importance for the human body. If the human body is not given a healthy diet, it is unbalanced. If the human body is unbalanced it can’t function as well as it supposed to. What is a healthy diet, one may ask? Well a balanced diet consists of lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, dairy and protein. However there are two key words in this description: fresh and whole. Often times, people believe they are eating healthy and eating their daily serving of grains and greens when they eat canned fruits and vegetables and white pasta and bread. However, that is not the case. Canned vegetables often contain salt and give the body excess and unnecessary sodium which can be unhealthy if the body is not using it in exercise. Canned fruit often contains added sugar, which turns into carbohydrates if not used for energy in exercise. But it is not to say that canned vegetables and fruit are totally unhealthy, it is just that fresh vegetables and fruit give the body less unnecessary ingredients and more vitamins and nutrients. The body gets the maximum vital vitamins and nutrients if fresh fruits and vegetables are consumed. White pasta and bread also doesn’t contain whole grain and the vitamins and nutrients that whole grains pastas and bread contain. Not only do humans need a healthy diet, but animals need a healthy diet. Like in the documentary we watched in class, cows that are slaughtered for beef are fed only corn in the feed houses. Cows are supposed to eat grass but corn makes the cows fat faster. Additionally, cow stomachs can’t properly digest corn because corn is acid resistant and E. coli develops, which makes the beef from that cow contaminated. Therefore, healthy diets in both humans and animals are important.

You’ve Got a Friend – James Taylor

Dear Katie, We’ve been best friends for twelve years now. Even though we now attend separate colleges in different states, I know we will stay friends. I made this mix tape for you - a compilation of songs that we both listened to through the years and songs that I believe embody and describe our everlasting friendship. May these songs remind you of the good times we had together.

When we met in Mrs. Boehly’s Bears first grade class, we both instantly knew that we found a friend. After the moment we met, we were inseparable and we still remain to be. I remember spending almost every second of the day with you during the school year. During “Drop Everything And Read” time, we’d sit together on the bean bag chairs. You were probably reading an insect book while I was reading Arthur or the Berenstain Bears. Then on the way home from school on the bus we’d pretend we were flying a plane together as the bus drove down the hills. Since our houses were 500 feet away from each other, we’d immediately begin the “play date” after school. We’d play Barbies, enslave your brother and his friends to play “house,” or ride bicycles and scooters in the col-de-sac. I remember any day that we couldn’t play together, because you had a dentist appointment or because I had church choir practice, was a boring, horrible day. The days that I we couldn’t play together made me appreciate the days we could. It was just like it is now: I will appreciate the days we do get to see each other after spending countless days apart in different colleges.

Don’t Impress Me Much – Shania Twain

Although the meaning of this song has nothing to do with friendship, I thought it would be a good example of the kind of music we listened to in elementary school. It shows how your music taste did a total backflip, while I still enjoy the pop artists. I remember listening to Shania Twain at your house during our “play dates.” We’d listen to Shania songs as we’d play dress up. Most of the time you’d put on a princess or Pocahontas dress and I’d wear a poodle skirt. But sometimes I’d be goofy and wear your brother’s Batman or Spiderman costume. Then we’d make up dance moves to Shania songs with our outfits, even if I was wearing a Batman costume. We were hoping of having a neighborhood talent show. But good thing that never happened; I feel like our neighborhood friends would question our talent. As I recount the things we did together as kids, our activities seem kind of absurd, but kids can help but to be silly.  

How my music is...

Starships by Nicki Minaj is one song that I have enjoyed listening to lately. It is a song that is perfect to listen to when you are feeling high on life and you are driving on a traffic-free road on a crisp, blue sky, sunny due with the windows down. When I'm in the car or anywhere I have to sing along to it. It's also a song that is on my playlist that I listen to when I go running because it is upbeat. I probably present myself poorly when other people see and hear me listening to this song because they probably think, "Wow, this girl has no taste in music." When I say that I like Nicki Minaj to others, the majority of them react negitively because they believe her music is poor quality due to the autotune. I understand their opinion, but I just think that her music would probably sound worse if it wasn't autotuned. Starships is a song that I remember brought my spirits up after I performed poorly at a swim meet. I was driving home from the pool with the windows down on a cool, clear, sunny day with my sister and after the song came on the radio I totally forgot about the meet results and started singing along with the Nicki Minaj accent. I was having fun and enjoying myself so much that my negitive thoughts diappeared for 3 minutes and 15 seconds.

5, 10, 15, 20

At five years old I only listened to the Barney theme song and children’s church songs like, “Jesus Loves Me.” My parents didn’t allow me to watch Disney movies at that age so I didn’t even get to experience the Lion King music or the Little Mermaid songs. It was only until I reached the age of ten that I was exposed to this music because I had made friends and went to school where I was influenced by other kids my age. Finally at ten, I listened to soundtracks, like Lion King and Kim Possible. I also remember listening to Nsync, Britney Spears, Shania Twain and a little bit of Avril Lavigne because this is what the kids at school were listening to. By 15 I had my own ipod and the internet and radio were easily accessible. I rode around in the car a lot to my after-school activities and so I’d listen to the radio everywhere I went. My favorite radio station to listen to in the car was also the station that aired the show, American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest. So at 15 I was main-stream and only liked and listened to the most popular songs and hit singles. But around 17 and now, I realized that the American Top 40 was not the only music out there. So I began searching for other music. When I did so my taste in music changed. I used to like rap, hip-hop and R&B when I was 15 but now I prefer artists like Jason Mraz, Andy Grammer, Train, Shane Harper and Regina Spektor.

Why Music Matters

Today music is just another form of expression. It is like writing, dance and filmmaking. It conveys feelings and moods within its lyrics and tone. But like other forms of expression, it is also used for entertainment. People listen to music to liven up their not-so-entertaining tasks of daily life. For example, people listen to music when they are driving in the car, making dinner, jogging, or writing blog posts for English class. If music wasn’t developed, life would be really quiet. There would be no mood or suspense in movies and the city streets would not have a beat. However, music evolved from being solely used in a religious setting. In the medieval period, music was used in the church to give praise to God. Native Americans used music in chants to speak to their gods. But now music is used in many aspects of life. It is now used in plays, movies, video games and advertising. But different types of music are used in each of these aspects. Plays use mainly classical music, while movies use classical as well as pop, rock, R&B, basically any music that displays the right mood the movie director is trying to portray to his audience. Video games seem to use automated music that has no words. Advertising uses jingles and simple melodies that easily sticks into customers’ minds. Classical music often has a complex array of melodies, harmonies, rhythms and octaves that balance each other, while pop and rock always have a steady beat in the background and simple chord transitions and cadences to accompany the melody that is usually sung.

Why Music Matters

Today music is just another form of expression. It is like writing, dance and filmmaking. It conveys feelings and moods within its lyrics and tone. But like other forms of expression, it is also used for entertainment. People listen to music to liven up their not-so-entertaining tasks of daily life. For example, people listen to music when they are driving in the car, making dinner, jogging, or writing blog posts for English class. If music wasn’t developed, life would be really quiet. There would be no mood or suspense in movies and the city streets would not have a beat. However, music evolved from being solely used in a religious setting. In the medieval period, music was used in the church to give praise to God. Native Americans used music in chants to speak to their gods. But now music is used in many aspects of life. It is now used in plays, movies, video games and advertising. But different types of music are used in each of these aspects. Plays use mainly classical music, while movies use classical as well as pop, rock, R&B, basically any music that displays the right mood the movie director is trying to portray to his audience. Video games seem to use automated music that has no words. Advertising uses jingles and simple melodies that easily sticks into customers’ minds. Classical music often has a complex array of melodies, harmonies, rhythms and octaves that balance each other, while pop and rock always have a steady beat in the background and simple chord transitions and cadences to accompany the melody that is usually sung.