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Portfolio Essay

1147 Words

Matthew Gutierrez

Kristen Bagdanov

UWP 1

18 March 2018

The Other Side of the Mirror- Looking Back on UWP1

           On the surface this class looked like another run-of-the-mill writing course with it learning goals, readings, and mandatory discussion, but if you dig a bit deeper it was more than that. I fully expected to go into this class and crank out an ‘A’ with ease. Little did I know I stink at writing, but I could easily improve my writing with a bit of reflecting on the guidelines. Not your typical revision where you go over and fix your grammar mistakes, but the ones that take time and require a bit of critical thinking on the part of the writer to achieve a well thought out and beautifully crafted essay. I still can’t even scrape the surface of what it is to create this essay, but I can give a better go at it now than I once could because of this class. I truly believe that I have met the UWP1 learning outcomes and to prove it I’ll provide a few examples of my accomplishment.

           The first learning outcome is that of ‘Rhetorical Knowledge,’ which means to adapt your writing to what is needed by the audience, purpose, and context to the text. What this means in layman terms is that I need to change the way that I write to allow for a greater ease/understanding of what I am writing for the people that I am writing to. Furthermore, I need to make sure that my writing is suitable for the purpose that I am writing for so that it makes sense given the context. An example of my mastery can be seen on my blog essay, in which I use the less formal, blog style of writing to try and speak to an audience of other bloggers and those in my class. This can be seen in the use of bullet points, relatively laid-back language, and the use of a blog site. This can also be seen in my discourse community essay as I try to maintain a more professional yet friendly vernacular to describe the community to outsiders who want more information. Furthermore, I provided a visual aid and subtitles to draw attention to the fact to the various key points of the essay that are worth knowing.

            Next learning goal is ‘Processes,’ which means to go through the process of writing to get the best writing they can get through research, reading, revising, drafting, and demonstrating adjustments of their work. This learning goal’s meaning condensed is to go through the process and to do all the steps to achieve the desired goal. There are various steps in this goal to achieve and I have done them throughout my writing. The research step can be seen in my discourse community essay where I started with little knowledge on coding after several hours of intense research I was able to write a brief introspect on the discourse community while also citing it. I revised the essay to the specification of my peers as seen by the professor prior with the use of the peer workshop sheet which she collected. This can also reflect my demonstration of adjustments, as I went back into my essay to change my essay so that it was less confusing and friendly to the audience.

           ‘Knowledge of Conventions’ means that you should write how you are expected to write for the given purpose that you are writing about. There are multiple ways to write a text, but it must fit the context or else it doesn’t follow the knowledge of conventions guideline. Put simply, if you write a scientific text using comic sans and a blog format you are probably not going to do well. I have accomplished this goal as seen in my blog post, as I tried my best to give as close to a blog-like feel to my writing by using an image, subtitles, and less formal language.

           Research was an easy goal to achieve, as I have a bit of prior experience on the matter. I was able to accomplish research, analyze it for important details/false information, and pull it together with my prior knowledge. I also knew of the need to cite ethically from high school and it shows in my discourse community essay, as even the smallest detail (if important and not my own) gets cited. I also was able to achieve a different level of research as I engaged in primary research during my interview with a computer engineering student to learn more about the Coding community.

           Lastly, there is metacognition, which means to reflect on the prior learning goals that I mentioned to then gain awareness as to whether I did my job when I wrote. You can see my metacognition use through this essay, as I am going back and reflecting on my past experiences in this class by going over how I was able to accomplish the learning goals. Further proof of this is in the reflection I did on my reflection of my prior experience. A sort of inception of learning goal metacognition reflection, if you will. Jokes aside, I was to accomplish this goal by really looking back on my essay and making sure that I was able to hit every learning goal. Was it researched well? Can it be understood and does the way I wrote it fit the context? Did I go through the process multiple time till I am satisfied? Yes.

           If I had further time to make revisions on my portfolio I would try and get a multitude of people to read my essay and get a consensus as to whether I am on the right track. I could also go to office hours and get a second or third opinion on my essay from Kristen, whom I am trying to a good grade from. Also, if I had to apply anything I learned while in this class in the future it would be the research aspect. I didn’t know about how UC Davis has databases on almost anything a scientific thing I could want. My scientific essays will be unparalleled for their accuracy and thorough processing of the information. I would take the three-draft process with me in the future as it really helps to get my thoughts on paper then really flesh out what I need on my essay and reflect on what I don’t.

           In conclusion, I learned that these learning goals aren’t only needed for my UWP1 class but are constantly needed for any form of writing that is done. Whether academic or non, there is something to take from this class that is useful in any setting. I am glad that I took this class even though I didn’t understand what to take from the class until the end.

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Scheduled Procrastination

1362 Words

         I live my life one impending problem at a time. I have constant problems nagging at me like a background white-noise telling me that their due date is coming soon. I’ve learned to put off almost everything until the time when I feel like I have just enough time to due if so that I will feel satisfied with the product that I have created. To this end I have adapted my writing to fit this style of living and this all began with the help of my brother’s guidance. Because of my brother I’m a procrastinator now, but this wasn’t always true, so let me tell you the narrative of my current literacy.

         When I was a kid growing up in my small hometown of Kerman I was always the one who raised his hand and finished his homework before class had even gotten out. My routine of first homework then playing worked out perfectly until I moved and had to change school districts. At my old school I was told by my parents I was a big fish at a small pond and that at this new school I would be able to fit in with those around me a lot better. Looking back on this time I believe that the move was a great choice for myself as I was able to reach a higher caliber of learning, but it was also the start of my transformation.

         In my new school I was put in the best classes because I tested well, but this was an extremely strenuous time for me. My stress was so bad that I even had white hair as a 7th grader. All I wanted at the time was to do my best in school and make some friends, but it was extremely hard trying to balance school work and my personal life, so I picked one. Personal life won out, as I was too stressed and didn’t have fun to counter my constant studying. At the time I felt like a loser because I would cuddle on my bed with a good book and read. Not saying that reading makes you a loser, but I knew that I could be with friends instead of reading and that brought me down because I hadn’t any.

         To try and fit in with those around me I had to adjust my schedule to fit them in. This meant that some days I would play before I worked. To my surprise the schedule worked out extremely well and I had no problem getting anything done, except for writing. No matter my schedule writing always was a pain in my side because I never was able to get it into gear and put my thought to paper. This had never happened prior to 7th grade, but now the writing topic started to get tough. Upon further examination I now know that it was all because I was a poor writer, but at the time I blamed it on me just being mediocre at everything.

         Looking for answers to my writing dilemma I came across my brother Chris playing games in his room. During this time, he was in college and I assumed that he would have some greater insight into how I could write better. My brother helped me to learn that I wasn’t stupid as I had come to realize but that I was the complete opposite. He said I was like him and that we were terrible writers unless we were forced to do it. I told him that this was ridiculous and to tell me the truth about his writing techniques. He just told me that it was the truth and proceeded to fill my mind with his past accomplishments of getting the best of grades on essay due to his energy drink fueled nights filled with pressure and constant typing. He went on and said that my poor writing habits weren’t because I didn’t have enough time, it’s just that I wasn’t using it to my advantage. His advice what to wait until the day before my essays were due to try and write them. Believing his stories to be true I did exactly that and got some amazing results! Like he said the pressure I placed on myself to not fail an assignment forced me to write and even made my essay better. To this end my brother completely changed how I wrote and it has stayed with me until this day.

         This was the turning point of my writing. No longer was my writing mediocre and bland, but spontaneous and erratic but still having structure. My fingers would type away and ‘masterpieces’ were created. This is when I became the scheduled procrastinator. The one who plays games until 12 to then write and essay until 4 in the morning. Pressure creates diamonds and I applies this slogan to all my school work and sure enough diamonds were everywhere except in a couple special cases.

·       You can’t BS a responsible teacher

         There are some teachers who know what you are supposed to be writing about and I encountered a couple of these cases. They didn’t accept my BS FRQ answers and would force me to rewrite them. FRQ’s were the bane of my existence as they forced me into a different case of pressure that I didn’t work well under. This may run contrary to my prior thoughts, but there are different kinds of pressure that some people work well under like the difference between being on stage pressure and not completing and assignment pressure. Learning of my weakness of being on the spot with FRQ I practice and stayed up to date in class to counteract this.

·       You can’t write on anything you don’t know

          If you don’t know what it is that you are writing about then you can’t write a book report on it. Case and point would be my essay on the Giver. I had read the book up until I lost interest, so I did what any student would do at that point and turned to spark notes. My essay came out to be the least detailed essay that I had ever written. I couldn’t follow prompt because I had so little knowledge and my essay grade became an F. I also learned from this and adjusted my schedule to allow for reading, so that when I did have to write essays on books I would be fine in that regard.

         The worst part that I have learned about writing like this is that depending upon what the topic is on I can have varied results on how well I write. For me to write on myself on essays much like this I can do fine as I know the subject matter, but if I was to write on my abstract things like “what is zero?” I struggle to complete it in one draft. That was one prompt that I had to write about and it ended terribly for me because I took a gamble and my mathematical approach didn’t work. 

          Seeing how this was my go to way of writing essays, I just adjusted everything I learned and adapted it around my pattern of writing. This was so I could maintain as good result. I would study prior to write and keep up in class so I don’t run into the previous special cases. I learned that the way my brother procrastinates wasn’t the way that I should do it, but that I needed to adapt to every situation of writing so that when the time comes I don’t BS my work.  

         Despite my past success with procrastination writing I have learned that it is a horrible way to write and it wasn’t for me. I am not someone who just waits last minute to write, but someone who is prepared to write when that last minute comes. I adjust my study habits and the time that I must hold off before writing so that I am successful in each endeavor that I face. I am a scheduled procrastinator and that is how I’ll always be.

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The World of Coding/Programming

1997 Words

Matthew Gutierrez

Kristin Bagdanov

UWP 1

18 March 2018

The World of Coding/Programming

           The discourse community of Coding involves the creation of code to create the base for computer software, apps and websites. Coding is confused with programming as being the same, but coding makes up programs and programs make up software and similar things as coding. This means that although they are different things they are usually referred as the same thing amongst the community. The primary research that I did was an interview on a 4th Computer Engineering major. The angle I took when approaching him was to try and get some deeper insight into the profession and community, if there was one, and how he showed what he was able to do to the public whether through his sports app or ease of explanation. The angle of my secondary research into the community was to understand how the use of genres such as, video games and neural networks, explain the application of coding to the public.

The reason why this is a true discourse community is due to the shared use of genres and specialized languages to achieve similar goals, communication, and levels of membership (Johns). From my interview with I was able to discern that the goal of most coders is “getting something to work” (Quan). There is a distinct level of membership, as I can join right now, but it would take me years of constant coding to make my way up to the level of an average coder. The specialized language is that of the various coding languages. The specialized language of the community is that of the various coding languages, C++ and so on. The communication that takes place between members of the community primarily happens of 3rd party websites.

Emergence-

           Coding started way back in 1959 with the introduction of first programming language, COBOL, to use words instead of number (Werrel). From this invention forward, there has been the inclusion of more and more type of codes until today where there are thousand to choose from, all with different purpose’s and abilities. These different coding languages that we here about today allow us to create gaming apps and science displays. Also important to this paper is the history behind Neural Networks which are computer systems modeled on the human brain and nervous system. Neural Networks started in 1959 with the creation of “ADALINE” and “MADALINE” (Neural Networks). These two later when into application by helping to filter out the echoes that happened during phone calls of the time. Although an old technology, Neural Network are an easy genre to explain Programming. Also coding and programming are interchangeable.

Neural Networks-

           Neural networks (NN) work using a network of inputs which are based on weight and bias. NN are one of the easiest ways to show what coding is to the public and beginning programmers to what an easier program can do and the vast uses that coding has. Due the difficult nature of coding example like these are needed to try and help beginners to visualize how a program works step-by-step and not just by viewing the end. It also doesn’t require much knowledge to understand the process behind the mechanism as after an hour I was able to gather a general gist of why Neural Networks are so commonly used.

From my research of a video by Grant Sanderson I was able to get to understand how Neural Network work using the above image. This network can ‘learn’ how to understand handwritten number of cards. The handwritten number are drawn on cards that just a grid of 28 by 28 dots which have different grayscale values (Sanderson).

Neural networks are a genre as they have their own set of expectations, have a long history of use, and used for specific tasks. This is seen through how many people expect neural networks to look very similar to the one above, with the circles and lines that reflect the network that is being made between each neuron so on. These have been in use since there creation in 1959 (refer to the emergence) and have been used to help mankind in tasks such as number counting to stock market prediction.

Applications in Gaming (Genre)

           The main way that coders communicate to outsiders about their craft is by showing off their creations, because it’s not fun to the average person to look at pages of code. From what I was able to research there is a large interest in programming in the video game field. This can be seen by the large number of popularity among Youtubers using different codes and programs to achieve high scores and to find out secrets amongst the codes. In one video game, Super Mario Odyssey, using a Python script and some external components, this YouTuber was able to achieve the high score in an in-game mini-game of Jump roping. It sounds ridiculous believing that this has small achievement in a game would ever have an impact, but it does. This YouTuber, Pimanrules, is a programmer who does wacky type stuff like this in Mario related game and posts it all over twitter to show the world of his accomplishment. This sends ripples through the coding community and the public, as they try and collaborate to accomplish the same script as him to better his score.

Coding Languages-

           When coders talk they do so in code, but its not so easy to leave it at that, as there are thousands of coding languages to used and each with a varied task. Code is the specific language of coders, as unless you are a member of the community then you will not understand but snippets of what it means. These codes are like the English language, but a set of commands, abbreviations and different text arrangements (“Common Coding Language”). And within in each coding languages are different paradigm, or way, of programming (“Programming Paradigm”). Each coding language has its own purpose or genre of its own. From my interview I learned that you can use different codes for the same purpose, but some code will be gimmicky at best for a certain task. This being the case means that there is no one supreme code that can accomplish every task that is possible in coding. As such, it is required that member have knowledge of different codes to accomplish their many duties. There are some major coding languages including C, C++, Java, and Python which have a large range of use while also being easier than most to use. C++ and Java have their application in mobile apps and computer games. C is for hardware and Python is used on scientific and numerical software. Those who use the language communicate through the fixing, replacing, or removing of code on 3rd party sites or private servers.

GitHub-

           Most coders are a part of the government or some private firm, so when they interact with one another they use 3rd party sites like GitHub. GitHub is the largest software development platform that allows for the code sharing/publishing and social networking (Finley). This site allows users to post the code that they are having issues with and to receive outside help from fellow good Samaritan coders. From my research online, I was able to find out that another goal when writing code for someone else “is to make it easy to read and understand” (“Coding”).

           Along with helping one another with problems in coding, GitHub is also a social networking platform which allows member to collaborate with each other to create their own codes using their private servers if you are a member. The community is very friendly to those who need help as they all understand the struggle that is starting out in coding. Although there is a steep learning curve the community is always accepting of new “members” as the programming field is always in need of a fresh perspective on problems.  

Membership-

           The “guarding” of this discourse community is the high skill cap that is the knowledge and experience needed to do anything of substance. When interviewing Alex, I learned the requirement of being an intermediate coder which are to: know a few coding languages, practice a lot, and that it isn’t required that you have a degree. To be a professional coder at the top of the ranks there are harder requirements. Those listed prior are a must, but now having a formal schooling on coding will help tremendously, unless you are a genius, as this is a requirement for many jobs. You need to make your own coding language that has a use. This language doesn’t have to be amazing but is more to show how much you understand of coding. You also need to create something that no one else had created, not a different language, but a different program. This task is hard because it requires a few years of coding to be able to create anything that is completely different. Lastly, to be a full-fledged member of this genre you must be an active participant in programming and up-to-date on most of the latest programs to say the least (“Become a Good…”).  

           There is a difference in member between grass roots coders and people who are the share their ideas on 3rd party sites like GitHub. The “grass roots” people a part of a separate sub community of coders. They are independent coders who after getting their help from outside resources can do most of their work without the help of others input. These people include the member of private firms, government, and independent people. Those who turn to GitHub and other sites are a part of the sharing community who like to work together to achieve a similar goal. These people are a part of another sub-community help one another although they can do some of the work themselves or are just starting out. I would fall in the GitHub community, as I have no idea what I am doing, so by joining this group I can get help to do simple task and codes.

Conclusion-

           From my interview I was able to get a feel for the programmer community as a cluster of people who don’t take no for an answer. Depending upon the type of community member there are two goals. There is universal goal of programmers is the same as its purpose, which is to get whatever it is they are working on to work. The other goal is for those of the community who are a part of the “sharing of ideas” community which is that when you write code, you want to make it easy to understand and read. This is also true for the grass roots group, but to a lesser degree as most are independent and their code can be as complex as they want. From my primary research I was able to deduce that the community is very independent, and that communication is usually limited with one another unless needed for schooling or work. I also found out that the world of programming that I was researching was just the tip of the iceberg as after the interview I had a conversation with Alex afterward about his different coding classes. He was learning about computer architecture, which in laymen’s term is about how coding makes up the computer and how it is possible. Throughout all my research however, I still have one question that want answered and that is: “How does the coding community decide who the best coders amongst themselves are given that most coding achievement are accomplished by groups of people and not individuals?”

Interview Questions

What is your prior schooling?

What got you into programming?

Have you created any interesting programs?

How do programmers communicate amongst one another?

Are you currently working on any programs in collaboration with someone else?

How does the community show its results?

What are the major goals of the community?

What is expected of you as a programmer?

What do you use to code?

Are you a member of the community?

Do you follow these guidelines? (In the essay)

      Work cited

·       “Become a Good Programmer in Six Really Hard Steps.” GameDev.net, 9 Sept. 2011, www.gamedev.net/blogs/entry/2250592-become-a-good-programmer-in-six-really-hard-steps/.

·       “Coding.” Princeton University, The Trustees of Princeton University, introcs.cs.princeton.edu/java/11style/.

·       “Common Coding Languages.” Code Conquest, www.codeconquest.com/what-is- coding/common-programming-languages/.

·       Finley, Klint. “What Exactly Is GitHub Anyway?” TechCrunch, TechCrunch, 14 July 2012, techcrunch.com/2012/07/14/what-exactly-is-github-anyway/.

·       Johns, Annn M. “Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice: Membership, Conflict, and Diversity.” Text, Role, and Context: Developing Academic Literacies. Cambridge UP, 1997. 51-70. Print.

·       “Programming Paradigms.” Paradigms, cs.lmu.edu/~ray/notes/paradigms/.

·       Quan, Alex Personal interview. 2 Mar. 2018.

·       Sanderson, Grant. “But What *Is* a Neural Network?” Youtube , 5 Oct. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=aircArucnKk&t=188s.

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Programming Discourse Community

Discourse Community- The World of Programming

The discourse community that I will be discussing is that of Artificial Intelligence. Due to the wide expanse that the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) includes I will be limiting it to how the community goes about AI using Neural Networks and Coding. The Neural Networks (NN) and Coding can be used for various situations, but for the sake of keeping it short I will be describing how they help to benefit the gaming community. Due to games being a huge clump of code and controls, almost all but the most advanced techniques can be “programmed” or “trained” into the NN and code. Neural Networks are a computer system modeled on the human brain and nervous system that are put together so that when they do go through their process it simulates a learning pattern. My interview process involves an UC Davis enginerring student who is highly involved in the world of coding.

Body-

What is a Neural Network?

           By the base definition a neural network is a computer system modeled on the human brain and nervous system. This NN is coded to try and represent a pattern of learning. What is meant by learning is kind of confusing, as the machine doesn’t learn as you think a normal human would. Behind the system of NN is a bunch of calculus that allows for the neurons in the network to get closer to closest local minimum of a values. Imagine a mountain range as a 3D representation of the values for a given neural network and that the valleys are the lowest local minimums. Each individual neuron in a given network are placed on a random point on the side of a mountain and are assigned the task of finding its way down to the lowest point it can possibly go. It is hard to explain with a physical model, but you can train these neurons to eventually give what number from 0-9 on a handwritten card is to a high percentage of certainty.

Training-

           In one example that I was recreated myself, was the handwritten number recognition neural network. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds, as I myself aren’t a full-fledged member of the Discourse Community. After the initial entering of the code, next came the training of the NN. I had to run simulation on my NN to assist it in its learning process of discerning what each handwritten number was given all kinds of crazy spelling styles. To train the NN you first need to run it through some training data on some different images and labels for what they should be. Through each of the trials, the NN adjusts different weights and bias to improve it performance. Throughout each of the trials

History-

           It all began in 1956 when the term Artificial Intelligence was coined by John McCarthy during a conference. The central goal of AI research is The Turing Test (Smith 5). The test was to see if it was possible to build a computer that can imitate a human so that it is incredibly difficult/impossible to tell them apart. This was starting out, but with technological advances and the increase in AI research we can now see its effects everywhere we go. The neural network side of AI started even before artificial intelligence did. In the 1950s the first hypothesis of NN came out followed by the first successful model in the 1959 (Neural Networks). Finally, there is the history of coding which we are worried about began in 1959 when COBOL, became the first programming language to use words instead of numbers (Werrel).

Genres-

           Starring as the first genre would be the obvious candidate of Code. All AI today runs on code and its difficult to keep track of as there are thousands of coding languages for software. These codes are like the English language, but a set of commands, abbreviations and different text arrangements. Each coding language has its own purpose or genre of its own. For example, most computer games use C++ as it is easy to use and can lead to high performance. Other codes, like Python, are used to write scientific and numerical software.

           With various websites, the community can help each other with their codes on websites like Github.com. GitHub is the largest software development platform that allows for the code sharing/publishing and social networking. On this site it allows everyone who has an account to help someone with the code they have posted. Those who work on the code then have discussions with one another on the problems and how to go about solving them.

           YouTube videos are another huge genre onto which the AI community can show off what advances they have made in the field. Most give demonstrations of their code in action and what systems they used to pull it off. One example that I have comes from a gamer who used a Python script and some outside resources to create a code great enough to earn him the world record in multiple video games, with Mario Odyssey being to latest.

Membership-

           To be a full-fledged member of this genre you must be an active participant in programming and up-to-date on the latest programs to say the least. The community is very inviting, as the tools to start are a click away. The is a “guardian” of the entrance for this discourse community is the knowledge required and experience. There is a vast amount of coding languages out there and some are better than others at doing different task, so to be experienced is to know a multitude of codes. You also can’t just make a single code that is amazing and expect to be a member, as you need to write tons of code. You need to then read different code to learn techniques. One of the last requirements is that you make you own language. This language doesn’t have to be anything special, but it has to be different. Lastly, you need to learn something that no one else knows and create your own code for. Although, due to the nature of programming, it’s quite difficult to tackle a behemoth like learning something new until you are a few years into the craft.

Conclusion-

           I haven’t been able to interview my interviewee, so the goals, values, and purpose of the community are still a blur to me. One question that I have for the community still is: “How will the discourse community allow for greater ease of the public to join as full members given the high requirements?”

Work Cited

Smith , Chris, et al. “The History of Artificial Intelligence.” Washington.edu, University of Washington , Dec. 2006, courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/csep590/06au/projects/history-ai.pdf.

“Neural Networks.” Neural Networks - History, cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/courses/soco/projects/neural-networks/History/history1.html.

Werrel, Beth. “Discover the History of Coding for Computer Science Week.” Connections Academy, 12 Dec. 2014, blog.connectionsacademy.com/discover-the-history-of-coding-for-computer-science-week/.

“Common Coding Languages.” Code Conquest, www.codeconquest.com/what-is-coding/common-programming-languages/.

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Cover Letter #2

In this second draft I really tried to fix up the flow of the essay and minimize as much of the crunch time part that I could while also making it sound like a blog still. I also tried to add a problem to the story being that I couldn’t write how most other do, so I learn from my brother about how to write. I also added a lot more backstory and don’t know how that will play out, because it is necessary to my narrative, but isn’t about literacy. 

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Scheduled Procrastination

Writing without inspiration is a waste of time. There is nothing worse than trying to write out an essay only to find out that ten hours have passed, and your introduction paragraph still doesn’t have a thesis. Essay after essay of writing blips and blurps isn’t the kind of literacy narrative that anyone would want to have. That what it was like for me, until my crunch time made me into a scheduled procrastinator.

It may seem quite weird for someone who is a very organized person, but I don’t finish my essay until the last minute. I don’t know why it is, but I just can’t get a feel for my subject matter until the clock starts ticking and the stress is surmounting.

I wasn’t always like this however. There was once a time back in my school life when I was a goody two shoes who wanted to get all his work done and then go out and have fun. I would always submit my assignments days before they were due and then go out and scarf down 20 jolly ranchers. This was until I started getting older.

As the years went by my family decided to pick up and change to a different school system. One that had better curriculum and better standards of learning. This happened during the summer of my 6th grade year, so starting in 7th grade I had no friends. I followed this trend of no friends until I became a sophomore, but during this time I was struggling with everything. My hair was falling out, I had no one to turn to, and my essays started turning into crap. I was in deep, so much so that I had a bout of depression which made me want to always stay in my room. I’m not complaining about this time of my life because it changed me for the better, as this was the time I finally was able to connect with my brother on a deeper and intellectual level.

I hate to admit it but my brother and I are almost one in the same, except for the age difference. When I found out the astounding number of similarities between us, I got to thinking, “What if I do what he does and see how that turns out.” Sure enough I picked up my greatest tip that I have ever known. This tip being the secret that is crunch time.

What is crunch time? Well let me tell you what I learn from my brother.

#1- Inspiration and Creativity to the MAXIMUM 

There is nothing like your mind in Crunch Time. Imagine that you have become one with the subject matter. I am talking about complex assignment and essay become a breeze. You become the embodiment of the moment from Bruce Almighty, where he is replying to everyone’s prayer on his computer and his finger are a blur. Your lexicon comes alive and words that you heard as a child during a PBS rerun comes back in the form of witty phrases. As I am sure that many have heard “Desperation leads to success.” This is exactly that and a bag of chips. I transform from a fourth grader with a potty mouth to a sophisticated scholar who just finished his Doctorate in Writing (if such a thing exists). 

#2- Your Attention Span Never Wavers

 Out of all the amazing stories that my brother told me of his college adventures there is only one that has truly stuck to me. To my disbelief my brother recounted the night of when he had forgotten that he had a 20-page paper due the next day. He went on and on about how he went into a frenzy just typing away at his laptop until his essay was done with plenty of time to spare before his morning class. He went on to get an A on this paper and even show it to me as proof of his accomplishment. This becomes your attention span. If you have the motivation to finish, then you will finish that assignment.

#3- You are almost guaranteed to receive a B or higher on an assignment

I have tested this method and it is tried and true at least for me. Crunch time comes with its drawbacks. It is not a power that you cannot pull out of nowhere (this is at least what my brother has told me.) You aren’t a god. You can’t do math homework for a class that you did go to class for. Finally, you need to stay hydrated and full to stay focus. My brother and I both found ourselves needing to chug down 2 monsters and a full bag of chips, cookies, monkey bread, etc., just to continue in crunch time.

#4- It’s Fun

When you are in crunch time, it is like you in the zone. You can see how everything fall together and how you can do something the most efficient way with the amount of time that you have. I know it sounds weird, but stressing is fun. I don’t know how to say it, so let me quote my brother, “We aren’t like other people, because people like us live for the rush that we get before a paper is due.” My brother and I like making things hard for ourselves, because we like the challenge that a timeline puts on us.

Crunch time became my savior in high school. It is still my savior to this day, because I always focus on having fun first then school second. This may seem like a counter-intuitive way of going about you school life, but it works for me. Because of crunch time I’m able to finish up research papers in a breeze. I am even writing this second draft under a pseudo crunch time. Because of my brother and his stories, I was able to find out that how I write isn’t how everybody else does. I don’t map out my essay. I don’t write multiple draft before an assignment is due. I don’t do the things that normal people do when they write. I just write and know that crunch time is there when I need it. I am a scheduled procrastinator and that is who I will always be.

[enchantingnightmarealpaca-blog]

Cover Letter

I understand that most of the stuff in this essay won’t make sense. It is my first draft, but I’m quite confidant that it has plenty of good points that will make sense when I spruce up the essay later. The blog format kinda bogged me down, in a sense, because it kinda led me down the wrong path in terms of trying to fit the story around the format. The numbers are just that and they give off a really good blog vibe, but aren’t that useful in describing my general writing narrative.

[enchantingnightmarealpaca-blog]

Scheduled Procrastination

Writing without inspiration is a waste of time. This is nothing worse than having to try and write and essay only to find out that you’ve been at it for ten hours and all you have is two sentences that are amazing, but belong in two entirely different essays. This is what it is like for me, but because I’m a scheduled procrastinator now, there is nothing in my way of writing my essay.

Even now it is 10:03 pm the Wednesday prior to this assignments due date and I am writing without a care in the world. Why is that? Well let me describe it to you. This is my literacy narrative. 

I hate to admit it but my brother and I are almost one in the same, except for the age difference. We are extremely close and our personality are almost identical. The discussions that I’ve had with him have shaped my mind for better, but usually for worse. One of the biggest ideas that I picked up from him and am pretty sure that I’ll never shake is my writing mentality.  As my brother put it, “People like us live for the rush that we get before a paper is due.” He and I aren’t the type of people who like taking the easy route, despite our lazy demeanor. We are secret adrenaline junkies and one of the main ways we get our “fix” is through essay writing. 

It’s really weird how much we love the night time before a huge essay is due. We even have a special name for it called “Crunch Time.” When crunch time hits there isn’t anything in the world that matters more than you and your essay. It’s like being in the zone, and for anyone who has been in the zone, you know that its not something that you don’t want to be in. 

Crunch Time is not a time for play. My usual happy-go-lucky personality is gone. I become a machine designed to get my assignments done. Nothing is going to stop me from getting my essay done. Nobody is my friend, and if someone so much as speaks a blurt to me, then I get heated. I want to punch people in the face when I’m in the zone, because the zone is meant for physical activity, but I’m altering it to suit my needs for essay writing. This is my most irritable state, because I’m so stressed, but not stressed, so in the zone, but not in the zone. I become the latest periodic elements, because I’m so unstable. 

My brother has this same state of mind. I remember his stories from college, when he would have to write 20 page papers the night before there would due, and to my disbelief he would get A’s on them all. These stories stuck with me, because I would have similar experiences. He became my hero of sorts in regard to how to approach school work, as he would party and mess around until it came to Crunch Time, and boom he got all his work done. He was able to complete the college triangle. He was social, got enough sleep, and did all his work. 

The best part about Crunch Time is that it’s so much fun. Though it doesn’t sound like a fun time, let me tell about the benefits of Crunch Time. 

#1- Inspiration and Creativity to the MAXIMUM 

There is nothing like your mind in Crunch Time. I am talking about complex assignment and essay become a breeze. You become the embodiment of the moment from Bruce Almighty, where he is replying to everyone’s prayer on his computer and his finger are a blur. Your vernacular changes like crazy. As I am sure that many have heard “Desperation leads to success.” I go from a fourth grader with a potty mouth to a sophisticated scholar who just finished his Doctorate in Writing (if such a thing exists). 

#2- Your Memory is Awesome

Imagine what it would feel like to have photographic memory. That’s what the being in Crunch Time feels like. You become a computer and you are pulling files from your memory banks. 

#3- You Can BS Your Way Through Anything 

Being in the zone that you are in allows you to connect the dots on almost anything you want. Trying to tie chickens to an alien species? Boom. You got it. Trying to trace your lineage to a T-Rex. Easy as pie. Trying to say that your brother is the person who has made the greatest literary impact on your life by helping you procrastinate like a champion and passing it off as a literacy narrative? I got it on paper.    

There is this semblance of awesomeness when being in the zone that makes it so you always want to go back. It feels like you slowing time down and everything revolves around you, which makes you feel amazing if you are narcissistic like my brother and I are. 

It’s a crazy thing, school and all that, because I have always wanted to be the kind of person that finishes their assignments when they were given. I want to not worry about the deadlines of when assignments are due and whether or not I will have them done in time. It is a huge pain in my butt to try and act like everything is alright, even though I have a million things due in a week. But the thing about going through all this annoyance and stress, is that at the end of the day I get to reach the zone and knock out anything that school throws at me, because I know that come Crunch Time, I’m going to knock it out of the park.