Script Tease

Seriously, why can't people just meet electronically over aim?

"Alright, so we've split up the work - we'll research our respective subjects and then present our findings to each other sunday night over email and on aim."
"Shouldn't we meet outside of class?"
"...what? Isn't that what I just said?"
"No, i mean...in person."
"..."

Yes, because that would be so much more productive.

Ugh. Waste of time.

They aren't taking the clues.

This is my letter of application for the tutoring job at the writing center. It pays $10/hr and the information requested for the letter was 1. reasons for wanting the job 2. relevant experience and 3. strengths and weaknesses in my own writing. Please comment, edit, and critique it because I need to submit it on the 30th. I appreciate any feedback. Also, tell me if the reference to WoP is too unprofessional (although, tutoring someone for an hour and fifteen minutes at least 2-3 times a week isn't really a joke...it's an annoying amount of work).
_________________________________________

Letter of Application

The Writing Center position contains many enticing benefits including interaction with Alexander Hamilton at the end of every hour, but money plays a minor role behind why I am applying for this job. I desire the position because I feel that I could help other people with their brainstorming, argumentative, and writing skills in an efficient and fun way. While helping others brings me a lot of satisfaction, I would be lying if I said that there were not any benefits for myself if I was given the job. In the position my communication skills and writing techniques would evolve which, alongside helping other people is one of my personal goals.

Experience is the foundation of any skill set and luckily I have tutored in two different scenarios. In high school I provided trumpet lessons to a wide variety of ages which would require different approaches in order to connect with them. I would often teach younger students some of their favorite pop songs in order to get them excited about their instrument because I found that the more enthusiastic they are about playing, the more likely they are going to improve and play more frequently. For older students I had to explain how to articulate notes clearly and sonorously without using visual models. While a guitarist can stretch his fingers across the neck of his instrument as a demonstration, a trumpet tutor must explain how to position the tongue and vibrate the lips in order to produce a desired sound. Overcoming these communication barriers were essential to becoming an effective teacher and after several years I was able to refine my approaches.

My other tutoring experiences occur on World of Pwnage, a website dedicated to helping others become better competitive gamers. While it sounds like a joke, we’ve successfully sold over two hundred copies of our guide at $24.95 a piece and provide private lessons to our customers. It is difficult trying to explain techniques and strategies to a person who is not next to you, but luckily many of our customers leave extremely satisfied with the lesson. These experiences have developed my communication skills and shaped my perception on the role of a tutor. A tutor is a mentor, helpful, and more importantly an empathetic person who strives to reach their students in meaningful ways. The skills I developed as a tutor make communicating ideas and helping others in life easier.

When looking at some of the writing I have done over the years, some noticeable strengths and weaknesses are present. I tend to be great at critical thinking, analysis, and thesis development. I also enjoy planning and organizing the structure of my argument, a strength which has helped my ability to create flowing arguments which are understandable. While these strengths have greatly helped my writing, I have several weaknesses which tend to detract from the effectiveness of my arguments. Grammar and punctuation are my kryptonite and I tend to be wordy in my papers, which is why editing and proof reading them has been essential to my success as a writer.

My sense of humor, ability to connect with people and communicate ideas makes me feel confident about working with peers in a one on one situation. The satisfaction gained by reaching a person in such a way that not only helps them with their current project but also any future challenges is indescribable. The Writing Center provides the opportunity to embrace that scenario while applying relevant techniques I have developed over the years.

I suspect that everyone out there wonders in some way about the way Mr. Garibay would like to be buried when the chance arrives. I find the whole concept behind funerals to be rather paradoxical considering that the people present should be presenting the good times had with the deceased but instead dwell upon the fact that they are dead. All I see at a funeral is baggy eyes, deprived of sleep and happiness as they struggle with the loss of a good friend or family member. I suppose funerals do exist to permeate the notion that the significant other is, by all means, dead and won't be coming back but I would be a little upset (not sure how I would pull that off as a corpse) if anyone sheds any tears other than ones of joy at my funeral.

With the wake of my great aunt who I did not know at all, I began to consider my own not because I'm particularly morbid or anything, but because your birth and death will be most important events in any human being's life. These two instances will have the largest impact on the ones you love more than any particular politician or boss because the issues of the heart always have more of an immediate impact and depending on the person could wash away in seconds, but more often than not last for at least a few days. Other grievances? We could probably forget about them for a period of time after a bit of fun at Chuck E Cheeses. A dead friend? Not as easily.

I figure I could have plenty of food around and spirits to get people going, perhaps a band to play...or how about a DJ to get people into a lighter mood? Shit, treat this thing like a wedding. More importantly, if I'm murdered and they find out who killed me I want my body cremated, the ashes mixed with exlax and a bit of Hemlock. At this point the mixture should be poured into the most disgusting drink ever: Red Bull. Feed it to the mastermind of the act but don't let on that not only is he drinking hemlock, but also the very person he slew!

How twisted is that.

But seriously, it has style and a bit of irony...I like that.

Remember: mega party music and a lan party at my funeral. Be there or be lame.

We should think about what we got right now
cause the good things are made up of time
smile to your problems, leave the past behind
live for today.

Finished up a promotional/skills video for WoP today. You can see it here.

I just find it morbidly amusing that the word vice can be found in the word advice, which is exactly what my advisor gives me every time I see her.

Now that I've gotten that quip out of the way...

I go in today to find that most of the classes I have taken this semester were, in fact, electives that served to merely satiate my academic curiosity. Unfortunately that also means that they most likely don't count towards anything. I had this grand dream of taking three classes next semester, one in which I would write a 200 page book which would aid in developing my publishable writing and two others which are just fascinating; taught by two professors who I currently have right now.

Unfortunately, it looks like next semester will be work in its most basic form. I need to take approximately five courses which I could care less about in order to knock some English Major requirements out of the way. My advisor recommended that I only take one of these requirements per semester because supposedly they are loaded, but one of my TA friends nearly shit himself when he heard how much work I get in Grossman's class which leads me to believe that if I can handle what Grossman tosses my way, then I can handle these courses.

So, I'll hopefully be getting rid of my requirements this upcoming semester. I desperately need to just finish all of this business so that I can take the classes I enjoy and specialize into something that makes my emotions run wild. As it is I'm already upset that I most likely won't be able to take Thomas Dean's class on a variety of literature between 1900 to today, but more importantly i'm angry that I most likely won't be able to take Grossman's novel writing course because I need a 223W for a requirement...I guess I'll save it for senior year, but I'm still pretty disgruntled about it.

I enjoy learning, but I find all these rules and structure annoying. Once again they strap those academic chains around my body and restrict me from pursuing my desires. Perhaps I was made for grad school...

Oh well...I wish I could stay in school forever. I love talking to these professors. I love talking to the TAs and I love the class discussions. I may not look like it sometimes, but I'm usually attentive and thinking about whatever is being discussed. Maybe the deceitful manipulation found in rhetorical writing should be mastered for good and not for evil...aka teaching instead of working for some slack jawed senator whos only concern is the next re election campaign.

Oh, someone's jaded.

My days aren't filled with as much mystery as one might imagine. During the week I have little time to socialize and more or less stick to my books and hobbies as a source of entertainment and gratification. What exactly do I do with my time? Well, a variety of things which I'll map out.

Mondays and Wednesdays are perhaps the busiest days of the week. I have two classes in the morning and come back to my room at about 12:30 and eat lunch. From that point on if I am insanely tired I nap, but more often than not read non-stop until literature club which begins at 5:30. Then I have my class which goes till 8 pm and the rest of the evening is either spent working on projects or reading until 11 pm.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are more relaxed but still packed with a bit of stuff to do. I attend two of my favorite classes this semester: Rhetoric in Contemporary Politics and Shakespeare. I get out at 12:30 and continue to read most of the afternoon away. Lately it's been a play, a few five page essays, a 400 page book, 100 pages of textbook reading and usually juggling two papers every single week. I have waited patiently for the pace to slow down a little, but the work is demanding and hasn't let up at all. I have an eight page paper on Japan's electoral system due this week along with a six page analysis of Joe Haldeman's The Forever War and a short story by Sprague De Camp. I sort of forget about how much work I actually have due, which is why I shuddered when I realized that I should probably work on both of these today.

The free time that I have is spent playing competitively with my Counter Strike clan which has successfully made the play offs and will be going against a pretty difficult team in the first bracket. We should be able to beat them with a bit of practice. As I posted earlier I am also writing a guide on weight loss and how the strategies I used to lose those extra pounds. This project will be worked on for a couple hours everyday in an attempt to get it finished as soon as possible. My mentors however, suggested that I sell at least one copy before writing the guide so that we know whether it is marketable or not, but I have confidence that at least a few people will buy the guide and then we will be able to garner testimonies from customers about their success (and if there are failures, hopefully we can help them turn that around).

I also have been accepted by the Rogue Threat team which means i'll be writing dialogue here and there. This will most likely be a little more relaxed considering it takes a lot longer to code than to come up with competent dialogue. Lucky me...longer deadlines.

These are some of the larger projects I'm working on...as for free time...I have my Ps2 in my room with khatamari Damacy and the Digital Devil Saga, but they are collecting dust. I can't wait until this summer. I'll finally be able to finish these games. I also read a bit on the side...I'm re-reading Machiavelli because I find it interesting. I try to think of my occupational goals (speech writer) as something that will bring about some form of good, but the more I study rhetoric the more I realize that, as Orson Wells put it, it is merely a tool used to justify the unjustifiable, to beautify the incorrigible, and ultimately manipulate. It shouldn't work like this and Well's clearly wishes it wasn't so, but while he believes this trend in political rhetoric can be reversed, I see such a reversal as highly improbable because if such techniques work for a politician, why would he abandon them? This is where many person's moral framework break down and I feel like I would be responsible for their illegitimate success. It makes me feel dirty, in a way. But who can determine what is legitimate or illegitimate, real or unreal when people sit idle and allow immorality to become the norm in our political system. It is beyond me. Better to fall into the flow than ride against it I suppose. I was never much of a pioneer anyway.

So after that tangent...

My professor in shakespeare recommended that I apply for a job at the writing center so at 6 pm I will be heading to an informational session...lots of paperwork to submit for the job, but it pays well (11$/hr) and it could be enjoyable. Then I'm providing a private lesson for an hour to a person who purchased our counter strike guide. I should really map out what I'm going to be discussing...

Anyway, the weekends are filled with friends on friday night, work on saturday day, friends on saturday evening and a bit of relaxing and doing nothing on Sundays until I get back to my room and start working on whatever I need to get done. Usually I work on papers Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

This may sound arrogant (and by no means is it intended to be), but most of the socializing I do is with some of the grad. students I've had as professors because, to be frank, a lot of people are idiots. It would be different if anyone had a real interest in what we talk about when reading a piece of literature, but many are content with fantasizing about that high-paying job after college, attending law school, or going for their doctorate immediately after their undergraduate degree, which I think is implausible and most likely improbable. While “idiot” is a subjective term I think many people can understand what I mean. The frightening part is I can see the very people I talk about nodding their heads to that comment. “Idiot” and “stupid” encompasses a lot of variety, including academic idiots, life idiots, social idiots…the bastions of stupidity are about us in full force. Even I become an idiot every now and then, but it seems like many people cannot stop and see that within themselves. I’m not saying that idiotic behavior is solely immature behavior because I enjoy taking part in odd, silly, and crazy acts here and there – but when it dominates your life there is a problem. But the fundamental difference between the idiot and the non-idiotic is in their effort to understand, better themselves, and strive for self-actualization.

I like talking about what I read. I enjoy thinking about the questions there will never be answers for in the history of existence. I enjoy talking about issues which may be dark or depressing, but also enjoy a good comedy and the unacknowledged beauty that life throws our way every day. You get out into the real world and realize that a majority of people don't think which is why you have such an easy way with people's minds when it comes to politics: it is also why there is so much strife and corruption about in Congress by both Democrats and Republicans. This isn't depressing news, it's the facts of life. Why worry about that which will remain unchanged because people turn a blind eye to it? Simply go about your life doing the best you can and what you enjoy. Enjoy it. Love it. Cherish it. This most precious of gifts is limited by time and circumstance.

It is incredibly unfortunate that we live in a time and place where, if given the free time, a majority of people have no clue what to do with it. I feel no shame in the vanities I indulge in when I have free time but lately I haven’t exactly had the opportunity to partake in some of the more mindless ones. Those are always the most enjoyable because instead of thinking you simply take in the holistic glory of the moment.

Oh well. I'm tired. Maybe I'll sleep before I begin reading Fool's War and working on some shakespeare.

Later folks.

In order to fund my clan's website I'm writing a guide on weight loss. A website designed to facilitate questions from customers can be found here.

I still need to finish writing the guide itself and get it up on ebay and amazon. I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for my clan leaders who themselves have written a guide which they have been selling for 24.95 a piece; over 200 sold too.

There's a lot of competition but hopefully I can help those who need it better. The first post is most likely going to be the advertisement I use to sell the guide...need to get a video up of myself speaking about the product and then advertise it around a few forums. I like the name though...GG.

I recently finished A Canticle for Leibowitz which is a post apocalyptic and somewhat dystopian novel. Luckily, a person working on a Half-Life 2 modification is searching for writers who would be willing to work on dialogue for characters struggling in a post 1984 world. I decided to apply for the position as a writer because I figure heck, why not? Should be somewhat enjoyable and help me in developing a few skills. The title of the game is Rogue Threat and is shooting for an eery and mysterious feel.

Just to give a bit of background, the protagonist who is called Rion has just come out of the manufacturing plant and has been in stasis for some time. It isn't uncommon in this 'big brother' era for the poor to submit themselves to reprogramming and mutation so that they are able to acquire a position as a soldier, working under the ruling body. This first scene is where Ca86, a former friend and ally of Rion, awakens him with an ominous message. To be honest, I wasn't given much direction as to what to put into this piece so I went into it assuming a lot. Well...here it is, enjoy.

__________________________________________________________________

…It’s time for you to wake up, Rion…

Ah, Rion. Don’t worry, once the Phosphenes wear off you will have you sight back.

It certainly is…amusing to be meeting like this. Brings back memories, doesn’t it? [With a wryness] Hopefully fond ones of your commanding officer. Whether you think of my actions as right or wrong, understand that His advice is untrustworthy. His race has been foolishly misguided for years…the advice he gives is unsound. Here is a bit of advice from an old friend – if you are to accomplish what you were born for then it is best that you keep your mouth shut. Good soldiers were never very talkative.

Like you have already guessed, there is a reason behind your resuscitation. Within the foreseeable future there will come a time when your…abilities…will come to serve a greater cause. [a smile stretches across his face, a chuckle] My dear, dear Rion, you are the future of the trans-human army. You alone will prove to them how capable we are of bringing about the greater good for society. As the great political philosopher, Niccolo Machiavelli once wrote, “better to be feared than loved,” eh Rion?

Well, let’s get going, shall we? May you be blessed by the mercy of our Masters, young soldier. Great things are expected of you…

[CA96 presses button and main character slides down the tube]

I laugh at those who ask, "Andrew, what could you do with an English degree?"

Too much my friend, too much.

As of late I've dabbled in a variety of focuses including creative writing, rhetorical analysis and speech writing. I managed to meet Walter Hunt, a fairly successful science fiction writer who managed to turn his passion into an occupation. I was able to learn a lot about the industry and was introduced to several literary circles that will help with my writing. Most excellent indeed, but if I were to take up the creative writing focus I already figure I know what I would end up doing.

Most likely head to Santa Ana, work a job, any job and constantly apply to positions such as this:

Script Editor

NIS America, Inc. is seeking a Script Editor. A Script Editor will be responsible for editing a game script under a tight schedule and also to help us with the voice recording. You will need a good sense of humor, English grammar, and communication skills. English major in college or university may help. To speed up our evaluation process, please send us a sample of your works (this could be a school project) along with your resume.

Qualifications

* Candidate must be able to work at our office located in Santa Ana, CA.
* Must be eligible to work in the U.S.
* Strong oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
* Love to play Strategy/RPG games.

This is a part time position. (If you desire, a full time position may become available after the first project.)

The quoted text being from Nippon Ichi's website. That would be a dream come true and probably the most vain of several of my career path choices. I know a fellow at the PA forums who managed to get hired for this type of job at Nippon Ichi - lucky! University of Michigan English graduate.

I've also written a few speeches for my mother and a couple of democrats and republicans in town. Just succinct things designed to get a point across...nothing big, but I enjoy it. I was looking around google for some internships for this summer but it appears as if the deadline has passed which means I'll have to get my resume ready and pester them over the phone instead. Speech writing...that'd be a fun occupation to take up for some time. The communications department in Hartford needs people apparently. Don't want to work under Liberman, Dodd is appealing, but at this point I'll take what I can get. Mark Warner after I graduate perhaps.

Currently writing a Counter Strike strategy guide though. I estimate that it'll be around 20,000 to 45,000 words with pictures here and there. Looking forward to getting that up on ebay so that I can fund some of my impulse buys (curse you burke mountain, curse you).

So this summer will either be filled with an internship or a good amount of work at the beanery and UPS. Here's hoping I get to drive if it comes to that.

I've been looking at an internship in London and my family has been supportive of it but I honestly don't know if I have time for it. I want to take certain classes and all they offer over there is shakespeare. Perhaps i'll go during the summer session which is about a month long.

I've got a lot of reading to do that I've managed to put off - must get on top of that now...I'll update again later this week. Hopefully before the New Jersey trip.


I turn to you
Like a flower leaning towards the sun
I turn to you
Cause you're the only one.

Drinking half a gallon of milk in 10 minutes is not the brightest ideas.

*keels over*

Guys...there's videos...videos I tell you.

http://www.grantwiggins.org/about/dianevideo.html

http://www.grantwiggins.org/about/diane.html

If there ever was a time to roflcopter folks, now is it.

Anyone that has told you that money doesn't matter was lying to you and more importantly lying to themselves. When the world around you functions, exists, and is motivated by money it is impossible to disavow the importance of everyone's good pal Benjamin Franklin.

When I say I want to be rich, I really mean it. I want to have enough money so that one day, during an afternoon stroll, if I so choose I will open the vast pit of my wallet to excavate a few thousand and then proceed to burn it amongst the populace; watching as they cringe and curl over the madness that defies the very foundation of logic and survival itself. I want to travel the world and see everything there is to see before I die. If I have children I never want them to worry about having to pay for college or work thirty hours a week because they need it to pay their debts while attending high school. A great amount of worry and influence stems from cash and it is up to each individual whether they want to be ruled by it or not.

Suffice to say, I show great enmity toward the idea that I must spend my life working for another in an attempt to make ends meet. I want to be free of the chains that bind me to society: the normal 40 hour work week (or in America a whopping 50). I want to be jobless by the time I am forty or fifty, to be able to do what I want when I want and study to my hearts content the things that I wish to know more about. I am dead for every minute that isn't mine and for every minute that remains under my control I am left indefatigable in my pursuits. Well, this is grand and all but everyone wants to be rich and secure in their well-being. There is, however, a differentiation that needs to be made between those who achieve riches in the financial sense, those who do not achieve riches at all, and those who achieve riches in the holistic sense.

It is plausible for one to be tangibly rich yet lack the authentic richness of vitae and all the properties that undoubtedly follow. To be rich in the heart is the utmost priority to one who is truly rich monetarily. Treating all in a convivial matter and aiding their fellow man is a genuine form of richness for frugality begets an abundance of silence and brooding in the darkness of one’s home. Only by observing the veracity behind being rich can one hope to be healthy physically and fiscally.

Those who wish to be rich but are unable to do so either succumb to their reticent lifestyle or dream of such grandeur only to be drawn back into their negative recidivism. They will always knowingly be chained or live in denial, living in a state of complacency due to what society deems as happiness as one obtains the money from their 401 K plan.

Finally, to be rich is to have a warm heart, kind disposition and overall pleasant attitude towards all. Penny pinching is not a sign of a rich individual. Generosity, determination and compassion are the ultimate characteristics of one who is rich. Observe Bill Gates for instance: a man who regularly donates to charity, originally dropped out of college to chase a dream and did what was necessary to obtain that dream.

So I want to be rich. I want to set goals and whether my current one is met or not it shall definitely be a resume builder. I’m currently researching some tools I must be able to use adequately such as HTML, XHTML, CSS, PHP, MySQL, and perhaps a bit of Java. It is a daunting task but anything that has ever been worth chasing has been work. If it fails I have other ways of obtaining assets and eventually eliminating many of my liabilities – goal setting is the primary difference between those who succeed and don’t succeed.

Saturday we will meet to discuss the details and I eagerly anticipate what we will be talking about. If our dream is unattainable at least it was one hell of a ride. My ultimate goal is still a well-grounded reality for many as in my opinion proprietary ownership is one of the easiest ways of success.

What are some of my dreams? I want to eventually speak Spanish, Japanese, and perhaps French well enough by the time I am forty. I want to travel to at least one place by the time I turn twenty-four and make it my goal to see this once I have enough in assets:


This is Dubai, located in the United Arab Emirates. Less radical than their Middle Eastern bretheren and quite fond of tourists. They also speak decent enough english so the language barrier wouldn't be too much of a hinderance.

Money is important, but I wish it wasn't. Money should never develop into something more than a means to achieve an ends or else it may evolve into an addiction. It will not rule me but I intend to earn enough of it so that I may never worry about my health, family, friends, or livelihood. Life is too short to worry about technicalities which could have large, adverse effects on the things that make life special. I simply wish to be free and love the opportunity that some circumstance has given me: to live out a lifetime. Whatever breathed life into my body was both a blessing and a curse.

My professor pulls me aside after discussing a soliloquy in which Hamlet contemplates death and asks, "How often do you think about death?"

I looked sincerely into his eyes and disquietly responded, "everyday."