[Carolyn Cruz]

Waking up on a Friday morning is the best, you know that the next day is the weekend which means I will have two days off but this one was very different due to the fact that I now work on Saturdays as well. I did not let that ruin the day so I woke up on my normal school schedule, since there were no classes I decided to make my way to the gym early before my afternoon work shift. This was my first week going to the gym and my gym partner was not available to go with me that morning. I felt nervous because I didn’t know what to do. I pulled myself together and got ready for the gym. I made some breakfast and after a bit headed to the gym. As I walked I just kept telling myself “ it’s 11 am, everyone will be at work there will barely be people” which I was totally wrong. I walked in and I was shocked that there were quite a few people. Everyone seemed to have some experience, that made me feel left out, but I was prepared for my workout routine. Everyone just got their workout done and left. After my scared moment passed, I just paid attention to what I needed to do. I got my stuff done and I felt accomplished that I did not decide to stay home.
As I walked back home, my legs were super sore which meant I was walking very slow. The day was very bright and not as hot which was a good combination. I arrived at home and made sure that I put all my stuff away and started to get ready for work. I grabbed some food and headed to my 2:30 to 6:00 pm shift. After my classes started my schedule is completely different but I look at the positive, I rather still make money than nothing at all. Everyone on the train just mainly pays attention to their phones and keeps it going with their day. I arrived at work and as usual, my boss is going off about how annoyed he is with his other employee. I got my part of the work done and time went flying as usual. I headed back home and made sure I kept my room and the house clean. I ate some dinner, completed some homework, and made my way to bed. Just another usual Friday with a little bit of a new twist.

[Carolyn Cruz]

Kevin I can’t imagine how you were feeling when all of this was happening, but i’m glad that your mom and your siblings and with your help as well were able to maintain safety. I agree with what you stated about ” I only say what I see” and how the I relates to our own stories, because no one else has the point of view that you did which makes it valuable. The word “I” is all about our own actions and thoughts.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by Carolyn Cruz.

[brendan]

I wake up around 9:30 every morning to get a fresh start everyday. I’m finishing up my sophomore year this fall, so I’m trying to make the best of it to finish off strong. I don’t have a job/internship so I don’t have much to do these days besides studying for school. I walk my dog around the neighborhood at about mid-day. Walking out in the sun on a calm afternoon has a feeling of grace and relaxation knowing that time is still ticking and there’s still a lot more things to look for in life. My dog is very fond with strangers so she’ll always try to jump on you and lick you. There’s not too many people around this time since everybody is at work. It’s bright and sunny with clear blue skies, but not too hot. After returning home from walking the dog, I just continue to study or find things to do in my free time such as playing games. A color that can describe this feeling would be light orange-ish since it’s a warm feeling.

This relates back to the “implacable I” that Joan Didion writes in “Why I write” because both of our writings have that “listen to me, see it my way” kind of experience. She uses the word “I” a lot to help “impose onself upon other people”. This helps the reader create images in their head as to what is going on as she writes. The usage of “I” in Joan’s writing helps put the reader in her boots, experiencing her writing through her eyes.

[Ron]

Yesterday I woke up deciding whether or not it’s worth it to go to work. I was tired after hanging out with my friends last night. As I thought about it I decided it best to go to work and make this money. I prepped myself a turkey sandwich and grabbed a water bottle for work. I brushed my teeth and got dressed and then left to catch the Q3 bus. It was early in the morning so I was able to catch the sunrise which was a nice view to stare upon as I’d listen to music on the bus. I then transfer to the n22 bus in Jamaica heading to Long Island. Since this is a long bus ride I usually watch videos on my phone to keep me up. Some shows I’d watch are South Park, Rick & Morty, and The Office because they are funny shows that almost never fail to make me laugh and keep me up. I would highly recommend any of these shows.
I arrived at work and got by my day as usual. Sometimes as I work I get so into the job that I lose track of time and the day goes by so fast. I ended up staying a little later than usual because my work partner and I were both heavily invested in building and wiring a PLC Panel Box. As I left work I see my mother in her car waiting for me in the parking lot. As I arrive closer to the car she gets out and lets me in the driver seat to drive us back home. There was a lot of traffic heading home on the Grand Central Parkway and Cross Island Parkway which was annoying to deal with but we made it home nonetheless. After a long day at work, I get on my Playstation and play my games. I enjoy playing games as they’re fun and there are many genres to play.
The similarity between “The Implacable I” by Joan Didion is that she focused mainly on herself and what’s happening in her life.

[Tania]

My usual alarm woke me up around 7:00 AM. I did my typical clock-in routine and got straight to checking patients in for the day. As I was scrolling through patient names, I recognized one particular patient who was coming in for bloodwork. For some reason this patient just did not like me; or anyone who worked at this clinic. To say the least, I was not really looking forward to her check in.

The rest of the day went normal. However, at one point the clinic was extremely packed and many patients started showing up early for their appointments simultaneously. This included the patient I was referring to before. She did not want to wait her turn in line and wanted to be checked in right away; disregarding the fact that we were all slammed and working with other patients. She told me bluntly “I am here for blood work, just check me in.” I was honestly really annoyed not only at her attitude towards my coworkers and I, but for overlooking the other patients who had been waiting. Though it was unfair, without looking up from my computer, I told her she could have a seat and handed her blood work order to the lab. I refuse to argue with people and I was just grateful the other patients understood why I let her go before them.

I think the world was just on my side because one of the doctors brought the front desk staff Krispy Kreme donuts in the evening. The glistening donuts felt like a reward for another “usual” day at work.

[Tania]

My usual alarm woke me up around 7:00 AM. I did my typical clock-in routine and got straight to checking patients in for the day. As I was scrolling through patient names, I recognized one particular patient who was coming in for bloodwork. For some reason this patient just did not like me; or anyone who worked at this clinic. To say the least, I was not really looking forward to her check in.

The rest of the day went normal. However, at one point the clinic was extremely packed and many patients started showing up early for their appointments simultaneously. This included the patient I was referring to before. She did not want to wait her turn in line and wanted to be checked in right away; disregarding the fact that we were all slammed and working with other patients. She told me bluntly “I am here for blood work, just check me in.” I was honestly really annoyed not only at her attitude towards my coworkers and I, but for overlooking the other patients who had been waiting. Though it was unfair, without looking up from my computer, I told her she could have a seat and handed her blood work order to the lab. I refuse to argue with people and I was just grateful the other patients understood why I let her go before them.

I think the world was just on my side because one of the doctors brought the front desk staff Krispy Kreme donuts in the evening. The glistening donuts felt like a reward for another “usual” day at work.

[Tania]

Ron-

Your post was relatable because 1) I debate going to work sometimes too but the money is a good motivation honestly and 2) Rick and Morty and The Office are great shows to watch when you just want to laugh. Your commute looks like it’s pretty long but its good you are devoted enough to make the journey to work.

[Alexander Lumbres]

It was a sunny day on a Saturday afternoon at the time of my usual activity of playing volleyball with a group. I was lazing around during a boring session of peppering that a group of kids decided to compete with (what I thought I was) as the big leagues. I egotistically agreed along with my team with faces looking down at theirs as my team happily change our moods to play around with little ones. The game started as soon as I served the ball to the other side of the court that easily touched the court’s floor causing a burst of cheerful laughter from my team as we scored the first point. The point brought up the ego in my team causing a significant change in how we wanted to play. I began to play around along with the team and started to lose a significant amount of points throughout the game. After a certain amount of rounds, both sides of the team ended up with 19 – 19 points which brought to our attention that I and the team have goofed off enough and should start to take things seriously. However, as we say that, I ended up with a mistake in my hit causing a loss of a point and causing a point game. As the other side of the served the ball and my team easily taking the ball up for our hitters, we ended up hitting it out and causing the kid’s team to win.
Who might be the “I” that Joan Didion writes about? I believe this “I” is to represents the narrator from the story. He/She portrays herself in her own perspective in the story to captivate the audience of what that person has dealt with in first-person. Using “I” allows the story to take on a focus in one character’s perspective, which in this case is the Narrator herself that goes about her actions and decision in the story. This focus is similar to how I mentioned how I felt when the kids wanted to compete against my team as well as during the game.

[Alexander Lumbres]

Tania, I totally understand you on the day of your work. We all will have these customers that will undoubtedly pull something that would either bother us or something that will bother our line of work.

[Stephany Pena]

Last night, I couldn’t sleep well. There was a sense of dread filling up as I simply stared at the darkened ceiling. My parents weren’t back home yet as they travelled out of state for an errand. They left late in the day, so it’d made sense they would come back late. I’ve always had the habit of staying awake as long as I could to see them come home safe. My sister stayed home with me and was already asleep. She’s always been someone who’d appreciated an early night’s sleep. There wasn’t anyone to talk to at the time. Usually, I use my phone to search through Twitter, go on the browser to read stories or read manga, or go on Twitch to see if a streamer I liked was live. A nice distraction was what I wanted because I couldn’t stand the pitch black that surrounded my room. But, I cast my phone aside. I didn’t want to use it anymore. What I was reading just added more fire to the flickering flame inside me. My thoughts couldn’t be blocked out anymore.

I turned to the side to look at the wall. What’s the point of this? Why do you continue to care? I rustle back to lay on my back. Always quiet, always silent, even though you’re screaming deep inside. These thoughts that counter each other plague me everyday. I can’t really discern them well enough to understand what they’re pinpointing. The only thing I can decipher is that these thoughts, these feelings feel bad. As they continue to fight, the flame continues to grow until it can no longer handle the emotional distress. I cry. I cry silently until I have no more tears and simply go to sleep. This is just one of the events that happened yesterday and when I think about Didion’s piece when she mentions pictures and images, she takes out what she observes. An image can have multiple meanings and countless observations can be made which can be true about a day because countless things can happen but some events just end up holding more meaning and I used this event to explore the “implacable I”.

[Stephany Pena]

Alexander, sometimes those events also happen to me where I end up underestimating someone or a group due to an early lead and then relaxing which ends up turning the tides back to the other side. There’ll be a moment of self reflection in those events, especially when you’re in a position and you think about all the other possible outcomes which is something people tend to do regardless if they want to or not.

[Avida Sharma]

Yesterday was my 10 year old cousins birthday. Everyone was so excited, he’s finally in the double digits. My aunt decided to celebrate this amazing occasion by throwing a small get together that consisted of just a handful of people. My aunt has always been a person who will go all out even for small events and one of my main issues with these events was the fact that there would be alcohol there. Throughout my entire life the one biggest issue that my family has is alcoholism. It honestly can take amazing occasions and turn them into nightmares, because no one could stop drinking. Personally, I don’t drink because I have seen what it does to those who can’t stop themselves and it worries me that one day I may end up like those around me who can’t stop.
Once I entered the car to start the drive to Long Island, I already dreaded having to deal with my father once we got there. I love him but once he drinks he turns into another person who just agitates my soul. The biggest issue with him, as I mentioned earlier, is that once he starts drinking he cannot stop. I can beg, plead, cry but it doesn’t register in his brain that all that drinking that he does hurts the ones that are around him. So here I am back home after this get together, frustrated because the moment we got home the drinking started again and all I am left with is this sinking feeling of being unable to help the ones I love help themselves. I can relate this experience back to the “implacable I”, because the “i” that the Joan Didion writes about has the same mixed feelings that I carry around in my daily life.

[Avida Sharma]

Stephany, I can relate to your feelings about wanting to make sure your family is safe home before going to sleep. I myself, cannot sleep if I don’t know where my father is and the anxiety I feel can become overwhelming. Life makes it difficult to know if everyone you love is always safe. The best thing to do is just always keep your phone with you and check in on them as much as possible.

[Tim]

I decided to sleep longer than usual yesterday and normalize my sleep schedule for once as I knew I had a long day ahead of me at work. It was also a sad day because it was my manager’s last day at the store as he was moving upstate. Funny thing was, it wasn’t a calm day. The microcenter was a blur of colors that clashed against the sky blue of my uniform as countless droves of people came and left with their new technology. Against the large amounts of customers I did my duty with great pride and as a result I received commission on many protection plans on their items. At the end of the day however, I would consider it a rewarding but satisfying day as well as sad, for the fact that my manager was leaving.

In my story, the “I” is myself as I was the one experiencing my perception of the day and how it ended. In this story of my day, I only made mention of how I felt on the events and what I did and how my manager’s last day has affected me. As repetitive as it may be to use the word “I” in an assignment, I feel great finally being about to refer to myself instead of others.

[Tim]

Avida, While I’ve never really had to deal with alcoholism in my family, from what I’ve seen and heard, it’s definitely a bad thing to deal with. Don’t lose hope on getting him to change.