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shalannaI'm peeved. I just spent almost 20 minutes taking the Blogger SAT challenge (in which you answer an open-ended question by writing an essay within that time limit), but when I clicked on "Next," their JavaScript sent me to "The page cannot be displayed." I tried re-sending and going back and clicking again, to no avail. It wouldn't speak to me again.
Fortunately I had taken a moment to copy/paste my essay into a Notepad file before clicking "Next," as I've had experience with this kind of online s#@t before. I never did get the form to take my essay. And of course I'm locked out of taking the challenge again, as they have you put in your blog URL and your name and so forth so that people can't go in, get the question, cancel out, and come back to paste in a prewritten essay (which makes sense). So pfffft.
They say not to reveal the question, so I won't post my entire essay yet (because that WOULD reveal the question). But I was kind of proud of some of the crap that flowed out of my typer off the cuff for this. I had been thinking about courage today, and so my essay tied into that. I'd been thinking about the question, "What is courage," in fact, which is a question that one commenter on the Blogger SAT Challenge creator's blog said was "nebulous and unfair." I disagree. I think that's a fantastic open-ended question.
I had been thinking in these terms partly because of watching what I watched today at noon. When I entered the Public Spaces of the Household (i.e., emerged from my computer room), Mama had all the TVs tuned in to former Texas governor Ann Richards' funeral. (For you non-Texans, she served from 1990 to 1994 or thereabouts. She was a real firebrand and a character, and a friend of the family of my aunt-by-marriage.) I typically don't watch funerals on TV. I saw Harold Taft's, and Ronald Reagan's, and probably a couple of others . . . but I don't make a point of watching them. Been to too many in real life within the past few years.
But anyhow, I got sucked in because I walked into the breakfast room just as it was beginning, and I paused to listen to the choir. (It didn't help that I had to get something to eat--that's when I have my tiny tiny green salad for the day.) I ended up watching the entire service, of course, and came away both depressed and uplifted. Tends to do that to me.
So that's why I started thinking about courage, and iconoclasts, and "standing for something," and so forth.
Here's part of what my essay for the challenge contained (although this is not even part of the challenge question, really, but just my digression.)
# # #
Courage is the soldier who shoulders a weapon and walks into battle . . . but that isn't all it is. Courage is the scientist who, when told that he mustn't say the truth but should repeat whatever version of the truth the government or ruling entity wants him to back, won't recant . . . and the person who, when it's time to climb down the ladder from the helicopter or run into the burning building to rescue a child, doesn't back down. But that's not all it is.
Courage is the kid who, despite knowing that she's fat, or disabled, or has a different color of skin, or a funny accent, and despite knowing that the other kids are going to make her their whipping girl and target of mockery, walks into that classroom, holds her head high, and takes her seat (with luck, avoiding the banana peel that they've thrown under her foot.)
Courage is the man who walks into the first day of chemotherapy and says he's ready to fight the good fight, and that if he doesn't win, he still wins.
Courage is the young girl who stands up to speak a eulogy at the memorial service of her beloved grandmother, or her daddy, fighting back the tears because Nana or Dad would want her to be strong.
Courage is the person who goes outside wearing the burqa or veil of being a Muslim, even when the Muslims are perceived where she lives as possibly the "bad guys." Courage is the person who walks down the street wearing the Mogen David when he knows the Jews have been targeted once again for extinction or attack. Courage is the person who wears a cross around her neck when it's out of fashion, and isn't afraid (even when a school-shooter points a gun into her face and asks, "Do you believe in God?" obviously hoping to bully her into saying whatever he wants so he doesn't pull the trigger) to confess, "Yes, I do."
Courage is journalist Keith Olbermann speaking out against what he perceives as injustices, despite the very real dangers that he might lose his television show, or be branded a traitor or worse by this administration (where dissent is not only not encouraged but seen as sedition at best), or that his very life could be threatened by extremists whose causes he opposes.
Most of all, courage is going out to do something and failing in public, but saying, "Okay, you beat me once, but at least I tried . . . and now I've learned . . . and I'm coming at you again." Courage is making a mistake and then admitting to it and saying you're going to put things right and that you've learned and will carry on. Courage is saying, "I was wrong," and "I'm sorry," and "I love you," even when people might overhear.
# # #
To hell with online challenges. To hell with being well-known as a blogger. To hell with all of it. *grump*
And furthermore, some Famous Bloggers Of Important Stature have recently posted about how "some bloggers' entries are all negativity and whining and complaining, so I never would want to read one of that person's books," and further that "some bloggers should think about what an agent or editor would think upon reading that public blog." (I still think that if an agent isn't too busy to go around reading everyone's blogs--not current clients', but everyone's--while he/she ought to be spending that time making deals and reading material, that agent can't be doing very well in the business, but that's another issue.)
Well, thanks for your concern, but I've stated in the past that I'm not much for a false front. I can't help who I am, and there's no point having some kind of publicity/promotional bullcrap here in place of an honest chronicle of what I've been thinking about. Once you meet me, you're going to find out the horrible truth anyway, so why should I try to be someone I'm not and use someone else's voice in my journal just for fear Someone Important Might Not Like What I Said? (sigh)
Perhaps if I ever become (in worldly terms) a success, I'll have to take this thing private and put up one of those suck-up, we-are-plastic, "rahrahrah" journals in its place, for promotion's sake. But until then, I feel strongly about taking the reader on the journey with me. If I fail, and they can see how I have failed and made mistakes, then perhaps one of them out there may be able to learn from that mistake and not make it herself/himself. That makes it worthwhile. I also think that many LJs that come across as whiny and complain-y are done that way for comic effect, and I usually enjoy them just as much as the happy peppy bouncy ones (or even more). You know, the way you can't take your eyes off a trainwreck. . . .
Fortunately I had taken a moment to copy/paste my essay into a Notepad file before clicking "Next," as I've had experience with this kind of online s#@t before. I never did get the form to take my essay. And of course I'm locked out of taking the challenge again, as they have you put in your blog URL and your name and so forth so that people can't go in, get the question, cancel out, and come back to paste in a prewritten essay (which makes sense). So pfffft.
They say not to reveal the question, so I won't post my entire essay yet (because that WOULD reveal the question). But I was kind of proud of some of the crap that flowed out of my typer off the cuff for this. I had been thinking about courage today, and so my essay tied into that. I'd been thinking about the question, "What is courage," in fact, which is a question that one commenter on the Blogger SAT Challenge creator's blog said was "nebulous and unfair." I disagree. I think that's a fantastic open-ended question.
I had been thinking in these terms partly because of watching what I watched today at noon. When I entered the Public Spaces of the Household (i.e., emerged from my computer room), Mama had all the TVs tuned in to former Texas governor Ann Richards' funeral. (For you non-Texans, she served from 1990 to 1994 or thereabouts. She was a real firebrand and a character, and a friend of the family of my aunt-by-marriage.) I typically don't watch funerals on TV. I saw Harold Taft's, and Ronald Reagan's, and probably a couple of others . . . but I don't make a point of watching them. Been to too many in real life within the past few years.
But anyhow, I got sucked in because I walked into the breakfast room just as it was beginning, and I paused to listen to the choir. (It didn't help that I had to get something to eat--that's when I have my tiny tiny green salad for the day.) I ended up watching the entire service, of course, and came away both depressed and uplifted. Tends to do that to me.
So that's why I started thinking about courage, and iconoclasts, and "standing for something," and so forth.
Here's part of what my essay for the challenge contained (although this is not even part of the challenge question, really, but just my digression.)
Courage is the soldier who shoulders a weapon and walks into battle . . . but that isn't all it is. Courage is the scientist who, when told that he mustn't say the truth but should repeat whatever version of the truth the government or ruling entity wants him to back, won't recant . . . and the person who, when it's time to climb down the ladder from the helicopter or run into the burning building to rescue a child, doesn't back down. But that's not all it is.
Courage is the kid who, despite knowing that she's fat, or disabled, or has a different color of skin, or a funny accent, and despite knowing that the other kids are going to make her their whipping girl and target of mockery, walks into that classroom, holds her head high, and takes her seat (with luck, avoiding the banana peel that they've thrown under her foot.)
Courage is the man who walks into the first day of chemotherapy and says he's ready to fight the good fight, and that if he doesn't win, he still wins.
Courage is the young girl who stands up to speak a eulogy at the memorial service of her beloved grandmother, or her daddy, fighting back the tears because Nana or Dad would want her to be strong.
Courage is the person who goes outside wearing the burqa or veil of being a Muslim, even when the Muslims are perceived where she lives as possibly the "bad guys." Courage is the person who walks down the street wearing the Mogen David when he knows the Jews have been targeted once again for extinction or attack. Courage is the person who wears a cross around her neck when it's out of fashion, and isn't afraid (even when a school-shooter points a gun into her face and asks, "Do you believe in God?" obviously hoping to bully her into saying whatever he wants so he doesn't pull the trigger) to confess, "Yes, I do."
Courage is journalist Keith Olbermann speaking out against what he perceives as injustices, despite the very real dangers that he might lose his television show, or be branded a traitor or worse by this administration (where dissent is not only not encouraged but seen as sedition at best), or that his very life could be threatened by extremists whose causes he opposes.
Most of all, courage is going out to do something and failing in public, but saying, "Okay, you beat me once, but at least I tried . . . and now I've learned . . . and I'm coming at you again." Courage is making a mistake and then admitting to it and saying you're going to put things right and that you've learned and will carry on. Courage is saying, "I was wrong," and "I'm sorry," and "I love you," even when people might overhear.
To hell with online challenges. To hell with being well-known as a blogger. To hell with all of it. *grump*
And furthermore, some Famous Bloggers Of Important Stature have recently posted about how "some bloggers' entries are all negativity and whining and complaining, so I never would want to read one of that person's books," and further that "some bloggers should think about what an agent or editor would think upon reading that public blog." (I still think that if an agent isn't too busy to go around reading everyone's blogs--not current clients', but everyone's--while he/she ought to be spending that time making deals and reading material, that agent can't be doing very well in the business, but that's another issue.)
Well, thanks for your concern, but I've stated in the past that I'm not much for a false front. I can't help who I am, and there's no point having some kind of publicity/promotional bullcrap here in place of an honest chronicle of what I've been thinking about. Once you meet me, you're going to find out the horrible truth anyway, so why should I try to be someone I'm not and use someone else's voice in my journal just for fear Someone Important Might Not Like What I Said? (sigh)
Perhaps if I ever become (in worldly terms) a success, I'll have to take this thing private and put up one of those suck-up, we-are-plastic, "rahrahrah" journals in its place, for promotion's sake. But until then, I feel strongly about taking the reader on the journey with me. If I fail, and they can see how I have failed and made mistakes, then perhaps one of them out there may be able to learn from that mistake and not make it herself/himself. That makes it worthwhile. I also think that many LJs that come across as whiny and complain-y are done that way for comic effect, and I usually enjoy them just as much as the happy peppy bouncy ones (or even more). You know, the way you can't take your eyes off a trainwreck. . . .
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no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 12:35 am (UTC)I'm very sorry about that. My guess would be that you were the victim of a temporary web hiccup, but I really couldn't say.
The software does log IP addresses, and is supposed to prevent you from re-taking the challenge at the same computer, so you may not be able to resubmit. If you email your essay to me (orzelc at steelypips dot org), though, I'll add it to the set.
(I posted the same thing over at my blog, as well, just in case you see both posts...)
no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 01:09 am (UTC)Oh, and I'm impressed with your courage to make choices that feel right for YOU. Mazel tov!