How Does Outliers Connect To MY Life?

Outliers is a nonfiction book by Malcom Gladwell all about people who stand out and why. Gladwell attributes Outliers in the world to circumstances throughout their life. These circumstances and situations they're presented with either help people on their way to becoming positive or negative Outliers.

The only obvious way that Outliers connects to my life would be when Gladwell connects birth dates to success. Gladwell claims that since the Little League baseball cut off is July 31, the most successful baseball players are born in the month of August. "The numbers are striking: in 2005, among Americans playing major league baseball 505 were born in August versus 313 born in July." (p 26). This directly effects my life; my older brother was born in August. This year he's a senior, and every college that he applied to are places where he can play D3 baseball. Sure he's only looking at D3, but if he was born in December like my younger brother, he might not have always been at the top of his league and fell in  love with baseball the way he has. "He was one of the lucky ones." (p 34.) Yes, my brother was lucky enough to be born earlier, be a star for his age group, and have more opportunities to improve his skill. My brother was lucky.

Gladwell attributes some peoples success to their religion. "The Importance of Being Jewish" (p 121) he uses as a title. Now that sounds like it should connect to me; I am Jewish after all. He goes onto say that Jewish lawyers in New York ended up being lucky that they were denied jobs at other firms and had to work for themselves. "...buried in that setback was a golden opportunity." (p 124). I can connect to making bad situations work for you, more than I can connect to lawyers in the mid-1900's. An example of me taking something, and running with it for all it's worth would be my first year in the Guilderland Players last year. I was an extremely shy freshman who had auditioned with a friend. I made it, but she did not. I was almost more upset than she was. I was so freaked out about not having any friends, being the least talented, the list goes on. But I decided to use it as a learning experience. Along the way I was able to overcome my shyness and make new friends as well as improve my music skills. I took a position that scared me, and I made it work for me.

One last way that Outliers connects to my life personally would be in the "Marita's Bargain" chapter. Gladwell says "When he's bored at home, there are plenty of books to read..." (p 258.) while talking about how poor kids retain less information over the summer than rich kids. I am not rich, but I am by no means a poor kid. And apparently you can tell by how many books I read over the summer. And this past summer, I read over  10 books. I have learned the importance of reading from my parents, and as Gladwell says, that really does help me in school.

While I personally did not enjoy Outliers by Malcom Gladwell, I do have say that it connects to my life in multiple ways. Between him knowing that my brother is going to college and is born in August, him understanding that the Jewish people are opportunists, or even him knowing that because of my family life I love to read. Gladwell does a great job in pointing out the outliers in the world, and how we all are similar to them in one way or another.

                                             

Love Poem Number 137

I think I've told you before but,
You mean so much to me.
I hope I've told you before.
Is it all in my head?
Do you care for me?
Do you even like me?
I can't keep doing this.
I love you.
My love isn't returned.
I know it isn't.
It hurts more than I could ever tell you.
Please make that hurt go away.
Maybe it's time I gave you these poems,
I do have an awful lot of them.
Maybe it's time to take that risk,
Time to let you know that you're on my mind.
I can't keep waiting,
Or I'll fall apart.
Time to grow a backbone,
Time to take care of myself.
Maybe I'll keep writing these poems to you,
Maybe I'll stop.
Please notice me.
Maybe you will.
Maybe you won't.
I might wait,
But not forever.
Please don't make me wait.
Please don't make me give up on you.

Microfiction: "I Remember the Day."

I remember the day. I remember that day perfectly. That day was such an emotional and difficult day for me.

For as long as I can remember, Matt has been one of my best friends. We grew up together. We lived in the same neighborhood, went to the same elementary school, went to "play group" together, joined choir in the third grade together- we flat out did everything together. Our parents always joked around that the two of us were either twins separated at birth, or that we would get married one day- because we could never do anything without each other.

That day was a Friday. It was full of so may different emotions. Matt was dating one of my best girl friends, Hannah. I loved both of them to death, but I couldn't stand the two of them together- I knew one would hurt the other, and I didn't want to see either of them hurt. And I was right. I got on the bus after school and took the back seat, on the right side of the bus, the one Matt and I always sit in. From the second he got on the bus, I knew something was wrong. He took his seat next to me and said "Remember that song I showed you a while ago? The one called 'At Least I'm Not As Sad As I Used To Be'? Well, it's worse now." His voice cracked just enough to show how upset he was. "She broke my heart Jamie." I didn't know what to say to him, I couldn't stand to see him so sad. I just hugged him and promised I would come over that night for a movie night.

After getting home I got a phone call from Hannah, who had just killed Matt a little inside. She explained to me that she just thought of him as an incredible friend at this point and didn't want to lose his friendship. She asked me to come over because she couldn't stand the idea of being alone that night. After I told her that I had already promised Matt a movie night, she flipped out on me. She said that if I chose to go console Matt, and not her that she wouldn't be my friend anymore.

I can't even tell you how tough a position that is to be in. To have to chose between two friends who need you is insanely difficult. My choice was almost immediate though. I hung up the phone, grabbed my "Waynes World" DVD, got on my bike and rode over to Matts house. Matt had always been there for me, and I couldn't leave him in the dark after everything he's done for me.

Hannah and I made up eventually, and she and Matt are to the point where they are friendly again. As for my friendship with Matt, it's stronger than ever. A best friend like Matt is worth more than I could possibly explain.

TU Tuesday Editorial

http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Young-drivers-safety-2398131.php


The author has a very clear point of view in this short editorial. Within six short paragraphs, we know that the author thinks that making teenagers have their license for six months before being able to drive others is an overall good idea. "The number of crashes in which 16- or 17-year old drivers were identified as a contributing factor was down 28 percent in 2009." They go on to tell that these statistics were from the Department of Motor Vehicles, helping the reader understand their point that having teenagers have their license for six months before driving others is a good idea. Not only is the point of view clear, but the reasoning is incredibly hard to argue with- if number or crashes decreased, why should anyone have a real problem with that?

My Tee Shirt Vote

"The world is but a canvas to the imagination" tee shirt is my favorite.
If I were to win, I would love sugar cookies!

Creative Contest 1 Blog

R = Rottweiler

Breed Description:
Rottweilers are loyal, calm, and protective dogs. They are watchful dogs, who are very protective of their house and family. Rottweilers are good companions for you, and for children.

Appearance/ Size:
Adult Rottweilers are pretty average-sized. Males grow to about 90-130 pounds, and females to 75-110 pounds. Their fur is black, except for the brown usually found on the legs, chest, muzzle and eyebrows of the dog. The dog will have a large head, droopy jaws and a crinkled forehead.

Diet:
Puppies should be fed four to five times a day, until about a year old. After then, adult Rottweilers should be fed once a day.Although Rottweilers are considered meat-eaters, they can easily get by on a vegetarian diet.

Temperament:
Usually quiet and well behaved dogs- they don't bark all that much. They are loyal to their owners and might be aggressive with new people, so introduce them to a lot of people as a puppy, to help make sure they're used to other people.

Shedding:
The Rottweiler sheds a lot- you'll end up with dog hair all over your house and clothes.

Health/ Allergies/ Vaccines:
Is it important to get your dog the rabies, and canine hepatitis vaccines to prevent from your dog becoming unhealthy. Older Rottweilers often develop hypothyroidism.

Creativity Breeds Creativity

I took this picture at Niagara Falls on the Earth Science field trip. While I agreed with my friends that the falls were beautiful, I also thought the railings were really cool.

Small Poetry Prompt

I see it every day.
Whenever I see me, I see it.
Go ahead, look at yourself in my mirror.
You'll find you have a little extra sparkle,
Didn't you?
That small crystal flower,
It's baby blue petals and orange center-
With silver to hold the gems together.
Sure it's a flower on the mirror-
But when you look at yourself, you see it- don't you?
It's beautiful.
Like you.
It's just there to remind you,
That you do sparkle.