9/16/08 Book Entry

"...it was early morning in Ankh-Morpork, oldest and greatest and grubbiest of citties. A thin drizzle dripped from the gray sky and punctured the river mist that coiled among the streets. Rats of various species went about their nocturnal occasions. Under night's damp cloak assassins assassinated, thieves thieved, hussies hustled. And so on."

This passage, quite obviously, helps to paint a picture in the reader's mind of the city of Ankh-Morpork, which is the setting where the story starts. We learn that the city (at least at night) is filled with all sorts of shady characters, such as assassins and thieves. It also makes very strong use of imagery, with words such as "coiled" and adjectives such as "nocturnal" and "grubby." However, even though this image isn't a positive one, it pulls the reader into the city and make them feel like they're standing in a dark, wet, and empty street of Ankh-Morpork.
This passage also raises the question: How did the city end up like this? It was described as old and great, which would imply that at one point the city had been majestic and beautiful. What turn of events could make a place such as this a center of terrible crimes and deeds? It's a bit confusing to here what the city was and what it is now, but I imagine it will be explained (at least somewhat) later in the story.
I think one question that may help guide me is "How is this city going to transform over the course of the story?" I'll have to keep it in mind as I read.

Fate and Stuff

I believe that free will, destiny, and determinism all intertwine. However, each of them can have an effect on the other. For instance, what is encoded in your DNA and how you are raised (determinism) will influence what choices you make when you're on your own, but your DNA isn't going to tell you to go left instead of right at the intersection. Another example would be that your destiny is an ending, the main thing to accomplish in your life, but you have to use your free will to get to the destination, the journey is not predetermined. Free will, destiny, and determination all guide you through life, each one affecting the way, however slight, you do things. Each relies on the other to help every person go through life, pushing them to their final destination. If you remove one, then the entire formula of life falls apart. They are all completely necessary.

Final Podcast Draft

I believe in challenges, and the value of challenges. Challenges can range from big to small, from curing the common cold to figuring out what “x” equals in your last Algebra problem. Through life, I have had my fair share of challenges, but the reward I receive after completing the challenge is always the sweeter for the difficulty I had getting it.
Let me start with a small example. I greatly enjoy video games, and if for no other reason it is that they challenge me. Such was the case in "Call of Duty 4", a war shooting game I received just this past Christmas. After going through it the first time in a matter of hours, I decided to play on “Veteran” difficulty, which is one of the greatest challenges a video game connoisseur could hope for. After a good 2 or 3 weeks of “hard work,” I got stuck. It annoyed me immensely, and I was feeling quite hopeless by the 20th or 21st try. It was at this point, I regret to admit, I allowed this challenge to best me. Then, just a few months ago, I went back and was determined to finish what I'd started. It was not long after I resolved to win that I finally managed to get past where I was stuck. However insignificant beating a video game may seem to most, getting through this very difficult challenge made me feel ecstatic, like I had earned the credits now rolling across my screen.
There are also much more significant examples, such as the entirety of my AP Chemistry class. I skated by in advanced chemistry like an expert Olympic figure skater, doing next to nothing and still managing A's. However, this all changed when I fully delved into AP Chemistry-and I was more excited than I had been in a long time. After the very first assignment I thought to myself: "This is going to push me to my academic limits." And it did. I knew from the first day that it would challenge me, and I spent that entire semester working and thinking like I had never had to before. As the semester ended, I looked upon my report card to see I received a (high) B in the class, the first time I had ever gotten a B in a class. However, the class actually made me think, and I was happier with this B than all of the A's I'd ever gotten combined.
Challenges present themselves everyday, and I love to take on any and all that I have time for. I can't even think of the last time I saw or heard a challenge that I wasn't inherently drawn to. I just can't ignore them (then again, perhaps I should challenge myself to ignore one sometime, that would be a good one). I don't think I'll ever stop seeking them out, because when I complete a challenge, my sense of victory is a great feeling.