Journal Writing Assignment

This is an exercise for the coursera online class I'm currently taking. Nothing fancy here, just basics.

Week 2 Journal Writing Assignment.

List of Nouns

Alden, Lisa, joystick, book, Amazon Kindle, wallet, tarot cards, pipe, Ipod, fridge, dog, cat.    

List of Adjectives

Loud, resinous, abrasive, full, heavy, occult, open, courteous, happy, introspective, clueless.


Alden burst into the room, in his usual abrasive manner, and orated on the day's minutiae.

I fumbled and my tarot deck fell over my desk, spilling cards across my dusty old keyboard.

Week 3
Action verbs

The cat jumped and dashed across the desk, in hot pursuit after a sprawling bag of cheez-its.

Raising his almond staff, Solomon uttered arcane words and the demon materialized a midst the incense, within the triangle of The Art.

Uncle Dave went to hell with himself snorting coke off a hooker's tit.



I sit at my desk, with literally nothing going on around me.

In gloomy overcast, I hear the steady rain pattering on my rooftop.

From the depths of boredom, I ponder what to write about, until my furry subject runs down the stairs and into the dark living-room.

Smokey the cat, looks like something out of an internet meme - fluffy gray fur and derpy yellow eyes, always looking for simple amusements and tasty treats.

The fat cat sniffs his empty bowl with dismay, then shoots a glance at my general direction.

The vacancy in his eyes speak of a "disturbance in The Force."

He then lunges his fat ass across my desk, dashing across my keyboard, in hot pursuit of a sprawling bag of cheez-its.

"zxc klllklo;P" Is the message Smokey left, before stuffing his face with crispy cheesy goodness.

Week 4

In your writing journal, you will begin to practice building sentences with adjective and adverbial clauses. For this journal entry, discuss some of the advantages of the place where you live. Using the lists associated with each of these types of clauses, write at least three (3) sentences including adjective clauses and three (3) sentences including adverbial clauses. Underline the adjective and adverbial clauses. Consider their function in both as a modifier and an aspect of your writing style.


Union Beach, which is only an hour-long train-ride from New York City, is a good place for commuters to live in.

I live across the street from a bar, whose owner I am acquainted with.

My wife Lisa, who grew up in this town, has fond memories of it.

While I still feel like a total stranger here, a few locals know me well enough.

When I moved here, I was oblivious to all but my beloved.

This town is quiet enough so that I can work without distractions.

Unless we decide to move someday, this is our home.

In your journal, discuss any disadvantages to the place where you live and continue your sentence practice with noun and verb phrases. Write at least one of each of the noun phrases discussed in the unit (prepositional phrase, absolute phrase, and appositive phrase) and at least two of each of the verb phrases (infinitive phrase and participial phrase). You will, therefore, write at least seven sentences for this journal activity. As in the first assignment, underline the phrase in each sentence and consider its function in both as a modifier and an aspect of your writing style.

Situated just North of Seaside, along the Jersey Shore, Union Beach is the home of the white trash. Prepositional phrase.

Safe for a few exceptions, Union Beach is mostly populated by crazies, idiots and assholes. Appositive Phrase. 

Incoherent shouts littered the thick and humid air, as drunken imbeciles staggered across the street. Absolute phrase.

To get a good night of sleep on karaoke nights, we have to close all doors and windows. Infinitive phrase.


Spewing senseless political rhetoric, hordes of semi-literate peasants vote against their own interests. Participial phrase. 

Discuss in one paragraph the advantages and disadvantages of the place where you live. Use at least one each of the clauses and phrases you studied in the unit. Also, be sure that you include one each of the four sentence types in your paragraph.  Using your knowledge from Unit 3, use action verbs and active voice, keep your verbs in the same tense, and maintain correct subject-verb agreement. Your description should consist of 9 or more sentences.

Union Beach is not a bad place to live in. Though a suburb, and a low-income area, it's also a mere hour ride from New York City. I moved to this town to live with my wife Lisa, who grew up here and has fond memories of it. While I still feel like I total stranger, a few locals know me well enough. I wish I could say things are always quiet enough for me to write, but I can't. I live across a bar, whose owner I'm personally acquainted with. If apathy was an Olympic sport, she would be a golden medalist. Safe for a few exceptions, Union Beach is mostly populated by crazies, idiots and assholes; they all converge across the street. Incoherent shouts echoing in the swampy air, as drunken douche-bags stagger across the street, and yet, no one besides me seems to care. There will be no sleep for me tonight. 

Weeks 4 and 5

Pick one topic and write a paragraph.

Topic #1
Discuss at least four (4) short term and/or long term effects that finishing Crafting an Effective Writer: Tools of the Trade will have upon you personally, academically, and/or professionally.

Topic #2
Identify and describe a favorite activity or interest and provide at least four reasons why this activity or interest holds your attention and/or is enjoyable to you.

Topic #3
Identify and describe at least three (3) ways a person, male and/or female, is recognized as an adult in your culture.

Topic #4

Identify and describe a traditional ethnic food from your culture. Provide at least four reasons why this food has remained an essential, primary food in your culture. While you may include the recipe, this topic asks you to discuss the importance of the food in your culture.

I believe in magick. Not only do I believe in it, but I also study and practice magick rituals in my everyday life. I don't mean magic as in parlor tricks, I mean magick as spelled and described by the English poet and occultist Aleister Crowley - To cause change in conformity with will. In other words, any deliberate act of change in my life, is a magickal act. This change may range from something as simple as opening a door to a grandiose quest, such as writing a novel. You might ask why anyone who subscribes to a scientific understanding of the world would want to bother with magick? The simple answer is: they're not at odds. Let's face it, we all have goals in life, but we're not always motivated to pursue those goals. C. G. Jung exposed the many ways in which our inner reality affects the outer world. He understood the importance of assimilating unconscious symbols and archetypes into conscious life. A simple, yet fundamental ritual of the pentagram helps me balance these forces as represented by the four classical elements - Fire, Water, Air and Earth. When I lack motivation, I channel the element of fire to rekindle my passion and drive to pursue my will. When life throws me a puzzle, and I lack concentration, I call upon the clarity of air to cut into the heart of a problem. When I can't relate to people, I call upon the watery depths of emotional understanding and become more empathetic. When I feel like a space-cadet, too high on visions and ideals, I call upon the stabilizing force of earth to ground myself firmly on objective reality. This is a continuous process of self transformation, which isn't always easy. I can't change my external reality without first changing my inner reality. Magick may not be for everyone, but it works for me.

 the magician to balance the four classical elements - fire, water, air and earth. 

Ideas/brainstorming

 Why magick?

I have devoted five years to the study and practice of the occult. How has it changed my life?

• Crowley's definition of magick. “Effecting change in conformity with will.”
• Dabble in the relationship between self transformation and the universe.

• Balancing the four classical elements, benefits. Associated with psychology, Jung's psychological types. http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Jung/types.htm
• Dangers, not for everyone.
• Conclusion.