a waffle analysis

It is no doubt that polite speech affects relationships. Especially in first-time relationships, it is almost necessary to begin with a cordial greeting like "how are you." Without a cordial greeting, the purpose of the conversation may fail. The American lifestyle tends to be a hustle-and-bustle lifestyle, so these friendly phrases allow us to portray our emotions and empathy. We aren't robots, and even if the phrase is clearly meaningless, the politeness makes us feel better. It makes us feel like someone cares, and is willing to connect. Being an avid foodie on this blog, I go to restaurants quite often. At restaurants, politeness is essential to good customer service. It is also, in my opinion, simply a manner that people should have. Although most people believe that waiters are only nice to receive tips, another perspective is that they truly do enjoy their job and serving you. The least you can do is to treat them with kindness, from saying "thank you...

On this fine evening, I sit in front of my computer with a snack of Belgian waffles. I stare out the window, waiting for what comes to mind. Maybe it's the consideration of our future for the next few weeks, or maybe it's the consideration of what I want to achieve for the next few weeks. Looking out, I observe for major changes in this end-of-winter season, waiting for the deer to arrive and the flowers to bloom. At this moment, everything is still. A few birds fly across, but that is it. It is simple outside, constant, with a few changes. This day at home, alone, contrasts significantly with my world online, or my world outside. I am in a place of refuge, away from the hysteria and panic felt all around. The stress of conjecturing what may happen replaces any sense of placidity, if there was any to begin with. I look back, thinking about how great it would be to be a bird. Flying out there, with no stress. But then, you think of the moth. What do all living organisms have in...

Vegas weddings hold a strong social stigma. They have a negative connotation, which is what Joan Didion expands on. Didion criticizes the commercialization of the Vegas wedding industry through the use of satire, using oxymorons such as "stained-glass paper windows" and "artificial bouvardia" to emphasize the "simple convenience" and run-down of the weddings. What I found more interesting, however, is when she wrote that Vegas "merchandises 'niceness' [and] the facsimile of proper ritual to children who do not know how else to find it, how to do it 'right.'" By agreeing with Didion, we are implying that there is a social norm of having large, planned-out weddings. However, Las Vegas could offer convenience, in a good way for some. Doing some research , I found myself in agreement with one of the Vegas-married couples. The husband admits that Vegas has the stigma of a place to “get wasted and get married and then get divorced t...