Video

My part of the video is posted on Chelsee's blog.

TOYS!

I assumed that toys would clearly be marketed towards one gender but what I found was that most of the successful toys are more of unisex colored/toys. That being said, there are toys obviously targeted toward boys and girls such as Minecraft, Starwars, etc. for boys and Barbie, cooking sets, etc. for girls. What I am proposing is that the most successful current toys are in middle such as the Leapfrog electronics and Frozen gear. The Frozen toys are targeted more towards girls due to the main characters but I guarantee you there were a lot of Frozen gifts for boys too. The Skylanders are very popular as well, it seems, and those are targeted at boys as well but girls too can play those video games because they are not too heavily male focused. For me personally I think toys have always been aimed at one gender or another but now-a-days electronics and video games are so prevalent that I think it is pretty unisex because the content is so similar.

sharpest tool in the shed

Are we tools or are we tool users? I can say i do know some tools (ha) but I believe that we are both depending on the situation. Sometimes we, as people, are subject to be used as tools in the sense that teachers are tools used by the school to educate students. Nurses are tools utilized by a medical hospital to aide patients recover from their illness. The same sense goes back to us being tool users - we utilize tools given to us to increase the effectiveness of our message. We can capitalize on the tools given to us as teachers, such as technology, behavior management, etc, just as we are being capitalized on administration for basically the same exact purposes.

College

At this point in my college career, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting larger. Time is running out and oddly enough I am not too sad about nor am I that happy either. So far, after spending thousands of dollars to have the privilege of sitting in a classroom to absorb as much information as possible, I believe that the most important thing that I have learned is just social and life skills in general. Growing up I constantly heard about the "college experience" - something in which I believed to be some magical thing. Looking back at all of the stress of tests, enjoyment of the weekends, and time spent doing homework I can honestly say that I did get the "college experience" I just never knew it at the time. 

The past two years just were not the same as the first three in the sense of the excitement I had of just being at college. Going to college and being in a larger town (big compared to 5,000 people) has taught me a lot. Being in a classroom with more than 20 other kids had taught me a lot as well. I do believe that there is a difference in experiences in which people who have the "college experience" have than those who do not. Yes, ultimately the degree on the wall gets you the job but you can never go back and get that "college experience"; live it up.

Imitation Preview

The lapping of the waves, crashing down upon one another time and time again in a hasty yet brisk sequence timed perfectly one after another is a kind reminder of the days past; The days in which the setting sun over the quaint sea proved to be numbered. The reticent memories, which I believed the beach and sea were mine and only mine; mine to enjoy, to care for, and to absorb for the rest of my life. Never had I imagined life without this place. The inviting sound of the ocean, the sea life playfully swimming beneath my depth of view almost as if they were dancing to the rhythm of the waves, and the untouched undeveloped beach – a perfect spot to be during the months of April through November to witness the resurrection-like birth of baby sea turtles – were so under-appreciated by me and others too, it seems. The only footprints left on this land were my own size nines where as it seems corporate-life’s footprint has become a bit larger and carbon-filled as time has passed. Thinking back to the days of this perfectly harmonized world leads me back to reminisce about the world under the water, off of the coast, a world in which I could not reach or see. The world in which I caught glimpses of when turtles crawled onto land or whales flew through the sky; only glimpses of a brief moment into their world – the world that is currently in danger.

Swimming far beneath the sea in blue waters unfathomable by most people lays a new world almost completely unexplored. Most people cannot decipher the true beauty and frailness of the ecosystem in which we are dealing with. Many people, from countries around the world, set out on boats galore to hunt for marine life; species great in numbers and those endangered as well. The natural order of the sea is impeded by the lack of effort of the human race. All things on Earth are content in their respected ecosystems so long as we do not damper it but make it better. These creatures are the lifeblood of the oceanic community that so desperately wants to flourish. The sea turtle is one of the many elements of the community under the sea that graciously whisks about underneath the oceanic tides.

The graceful glides of the ancient dweller set the tone of the waters thousands of years ago. The sea turtle, wise and uncanny, lives long enough to see change in the waters and land by intruders alike. Trips to the sandy dry land disturbed by humans, the shallow ocean floor masked with plastic remains suffocating the tenderfeet and the young, the bloody waters from metal spears coalescing with the salt water of his oceanic home are memories implanted in the turtle’s mind for all of eternity. The sea turtle neighbors other dwellers such as the giants of the sea; the whale.

The whale’s call echoes to all of the sea, sending sonar ripples out to predators and prey alike. Relying heavily on hearing for basic life survival skills, the whale’s massive, curvy body glides through the ocean utilizing its hearing for: finding food, navigating through the waters, and interacting with potential or current mates. At nearly one-hundred feet in length and two-hundred tons, the whale is the largest and heaviest existing animal known to mankind thus making it a sought after trophy above the sea. These giants are poached for their blubber, oil, and meat even though many are clearly labeled as endangered.

Imitations

To play into the old cliche of boys looking up to their fathers, I too dabble in that field. To be imitated by others is a great sign of reputability and this especially holds true as a parent. I cannot speak from a parent's point of view but I can imagine that having your children imitate you is a very flattering experience (excluding the "do as I say not as I do" moments).
My father and grandfather are two of the most hard working men that I know. Every day both of them bust their hinds to provide and do it with a smile on their faces. Knowing this I strive to do the same everyday and push myself to keep the standard going in the bloodline. I believe that everyone is indeed their own person and should be different, but if there is a good thing going on for the people around you, take a look at the little things and take notes. Implement some of those things in your life and see what happens over time.

Raised Right

Politically I would describe myself as pretty laid back. I am not one to publicly discuss my political views in depth but I am pretty conservative in my views. I believe that I am this way because I was raised in the South by a family that has middle class values and work ethic. The influence in which political views have on our lives is significant in voting (it is politics) but also in things that we consume. There is also a stereotype associated with any political party, which we will not go into. People have values and beliefs that they seek in political leaders. Whenever you find politicians with the same general values as you have, they find themselves another vote.

News Flash

Lets face it; no matter what news station you prefer to watch all news is biased one direction or another. We all know what to expect when tuning in to Fox News, msnbc, and NPR. I personally watch Fox but I can admit that at times it gets to be a bit much. The tone in which they deliver their news on subjects in which they have a negative view on is one sided just as the Liberal-aimed news on msnbc or NPR is. That is the thing with news; it is all skewed to the audience. Just as we have talked about all year, the information being presented needs to be in a manner in which the audience feels is valuable but really they need to enjoy it. If someone watching Fox News received Liberal written news they would probably change the channel. If NPR aired something super Conservative they would lose some viewers as well. This is something that all humans think about, maybe subconsciously over time, whenever making a choice of what news we listen to. The news is, sometimes, the same information, but the presentation, tone, and emphasis is what makes the facts skewed.

Saul Good

Better Call Saul premieres tonight at 9pm c on AMC. This may not be a major news topic or something very "worldly" but this is going on in the world. I have been waiting for this day for a few months now and was happily reminded of it this morning via Twitter. AMC has taken all of the publicity with their past, highly popular shows, and taken the social media route with this show, it seems. By being presented on Twitter, I believe that it actually presents itself in a "hip" fashion in a sense by reaching out to the younger crowds. My timeline has been full of people retweeting @BetterCallSaul, #BetterCallSaul, and many things Breaking Bad related. For me, this makes me anxious for 9pm to get here and prove that the hype is real. I can assume that this week's topic was aimed more at the worldly/US news but Saul good.

5 Shuffled Songs

1. Austin - Blake Shelton
2. What I Got - Sublime
3. Why Georgia - John Mayer
4. Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz
5. Something Like Olivia - John Mayer


These were the five songs that came on random on my iTunes account. These songs vary a bit from one another going from 90's Country to Alternative Rock to Blues/Acoustic. I think that this list tells a few things about me even though it is just a simple list of five songs.

First, the list shows that i have a bit too much John Mayer if the shuffle lands two JM songs out of the five. JM is my favorite musician and has been for the past few years. I went to one of his concerts last year and would definitely go back again in the future. I think this also shows that I like to listen to some easy-flowing music to just relax or "chill" with. This same idea also applies to the Sublime and Gorillaz songs that appeared as well because it is pretty similar to just hanging out music. The one song that is the furthest outlier is the Blake Shelton song Austin. This song, not only being a really great song, shows that I enjoyed country before Nashville took over everything and made country sound like pop.

The personality traits that can be seen by these songs are that: i'm pretty laid back,  I like older (90's) music, and that I like to listen to music whenever I am hanging out at home.

Good Writing

To me, good writing is a very broad statement. Good writing comes in many forms, levels, and opinions of the audience. Good writing for a 5th grader should be viewed differently than good writing from a graduate-level college student and rightly is viewed differently. Someone who is a baseball aficionado would be more likely to appreciate and notice good writing on scouting reports and other documents based on baseball, major league organizations, and the Major League Baseball Association compared to someone who knows nothing about the sport. Lastly, good writing is simply an opinion made by the audience of the piece of writing.

That being said, "good" to one person may not be "good" to another; the audience has the power to decide what your writing is. Examples of this can be seen in AP Exams, UIL writing events in highschool, etc. because there are three to four people who read and grade the writing. There are things that authors can do, such as use correct grammar, rhetorical devices, etc. to make their writing more respected, of course, but the power is held by the people in the audience.

Literate People

I feel that a literate person should be able to read and write. That being said, I believe that being literate has different levels in a sense. Being literate can also mean to know a lot about a specific field/area. I propose that we can all agree that being literate means being able to read and write but the grey area in the agreement would be to what extent.

I consider one of my strengths in the area of writing to be that whenever I begin writing, I become fully consumed in the topic at hand. Usually I enjoy extensive research on the assigned writing subject (as long as it is somewhat interesting). One of my weaknesses as a writer is that I usually have writer's block and am stuck going no where. Eventually everything works out and whenever I finally begin writing, I can hash out an essay fairly easily.

I have strengths and weaknesses as a thinker as well. One of which, could be considered a weakness or a strength, is that I am always questioning pretty much anything that is said. I also think outside of the box quite a bit which usually leads to "stirring the pot". I feel that I am a creative thinker which helps create better conversation and more productive thinking.

Introduction Blog

My names is Jaren Mercer but I go by Miles. I'm from Breckenridge, Texas and a student as Texas Tech currently. My major is English with a minor in Education. Before starting my English degree I studeied Marketing and Management here at Tech and received a degree in both. My hobbies include sports, reading, and watching Netflix. My goals are mainly to be successful, be happy, and help others achieve their goals just as people have helped me achieve mine.