The Proposal

I felt my ideas really came together well when composing the proposal. It helped having the drafts to look at as a starting point if nothing else. There wasn't that pressure that I normally feel when I have to write a whole paper with nothing to look at. I basically felt I could start the proposal feeling confident that I already had nearly half of it done. There were plenty of ideas that I liked from the draft and I carried them over onto the proposal. All in all, I felt that my proposal was well written, in terms of style and somewhat in terms of structure. I could have gotten into the actual resarch a little more, but there is plenty of time for that

The Discussion

Friday's discussion was quite interesting in that it really brought to light the importance and sensitivity of language. It really is amazing how so much can hinge on the way something is worded or labeled. The boundary between what is acceptable and what is not is clearly quite sensitive and when transgressed, society appears considerably unforgiving. The task of naming, labeling and articulating is a precarious one indeed

The Draft

Writting the first draft of my proposal ostensibly seems more helpful than I first thought that it would. Normally I elect to forego the intermediate steps in writting, leaving only the haphazzard outlining/prewritting and of course the final draft. After writing those brief few pages, however it does seem helpful to have ideas already formulated into prose and with plenty of time to revise them.

The Community

I can't seem to get away from the theme of community when I ask myself about what it is about Fenway that comes to mind as the most salient theme. When I went there, I could certainly sense a communal aspect. This is a place where 40,000 plus people congregate at least 81 times a year and engage in a tacit understanding that they share a common belonging. It is a sort of community that seemed to transform me, if only for a little while, and brought me out of my self-seeking state of mind and into consciousness of something greater. Togetherness, belonging and community are things the excitemet of Fenway Park are deeply rooted in.

Kramer:"There are no delicatessens under communism."
Mickey: "Woah, why not?"
Kramer:"Well, because the meats are divided into a class system. You've got pastrami and corned beef in one class and salami and bologna in another. That's not right."
Mickey:"So you can't get corned beef?"
Kramer:"Well, you know, if you're in the Politburo, maybe."

The Park

Untill most recently I found myself considerably frustrated by the ambiguous manner in which we were instructed to approach the semester project. Luckily after meeting with David, I was able to discern some semblence of clarity regarding some appropriate means. I spontaneously mentioned my affinity for baseball and the Boston Red Sox ans he and I mutually agreed that it might be quite intersting and rewarding if I were to write about Boston's Fenway Park given that it is place that posesses great importance for thousands of people. For me it evokes many profound and intimate emotions, and I would love to look into the metaphysical profundity that makes Fenway so much more than just a building. I believe that it has, in some way, a quasi-spiritual aspect to it that is capable of leaving indelible and magical impacts in the people who visit it.


Newman: June 14, 1987.... Mets Phillies. We're enjoying a beautiful afternoon in the right field stands when a crucial Hernandez error gave way to a five run Phillies ninth. Cost the Mets the game.
Kramer: Our day was ruined. There was a lot of people, you know, they were waiting by the player's parking lot. Now we're coming down the ramp... Newman was in front of me. Keith was coming toward us, as he passes Newman turns and says, "Nice game pretty boy." Keith continued past us up the ramp.
Newman: A second later, something happened that changed us in a deep and profound way front that day forward.
Elaine: What was it?
Kramer: He spit on us.... and I screamed out, "I'm hit!"
Newman: Then I turned and the spit ricochet of him and it hit me