February

Ok, so I know that the title doesn't have a lot to do with any of our readings. But here is my recognition that I'm a product of something bigger than just what I am reading, or studying for class. For example, today I am not only my mother's daughter, my boss's employee, my husband's wife, my dog's owner, and a woman from a small town in Maine who when she was fifteen years old worked on her Uncle's lobster boat and developed an interest in Marine Biology while retaining her first love of reading, etc. *thanks Aaron* I am also influenced by my more immediate environment.

It is Friday. I'm frustrated that my main accomplishment last night was playing in the snow with the dog. That means I need to catch up on reading, cleaning, cooking, and all of my other responsibilities today. But it's February, and I'm happy that the month is turning. I want to make Valentines and send them to my family. I want to celebrate that we are progressing out of the dark months of winter, and that each day has a little more light. I should be in a good mood, but I'm still cranky about not getting more things done last night, so I'm feeling critical.

Unfortunately this is all going to influence my writing a little more than it should. In my mind, I know that after re-reading the Edbauer piece I should be discussing rhetorical ecology (that intro was my half-hearted nod to it), so here goes...

The first time I read this piece, I noticed some errors, namely in the are of calling Cingular "Gingular," and other oddities. This time, they practically screamed at me. Isn't style an important part of any rhetoric? The pinnacle of my frustration came after reading the lines, "Upon seeing a picture of this homemade sign, my friend laughingly commented, 'Doesn't this person realize just how toetrc! this sign is?'"

What does that mean??? I even googled "toetrc," just in case the friend was speaking Klingon. She wasn't.

I still got the point. But I have to admit it was heavily compromised. I know that Edbauer could hardly have planned on my grumpy reading of her piece, but she (or whoever reproduced it for LION) might have known that such blatant errors are hardly professional. It is hard to trust an argument when it does not even seem to have been proofread.

So there it is. Be productive in your homes so you don't end up in a mood like mine. Happy February everyone.