In Class: First Paragraph

Ready to dance the night away, I pull into the Billybobs parking lot. All decked out in my boots, dress, and spandex, I double check to make sure I have my ID and my $2. Walking from the parking lot, I can already hear the music blaring. Josh Abbott Band, my favorite. I pay my fee, get my ID checked, and agree to the bouncer telling me "no drinkin'". I am greeted by my friends, and when one tries to pull me onto the dance floor immediately, I explain to him that I'm going to watch for a while. The smell of cigarettes and alcohol fill the air, and maybe a little BBQ from the restaurant that's about to close. The music is blaring from the Honky-Tonk stage, and everyone is dancing, dancing, dancing. I see a couple girls in stilettos. How are they expecting to dance in those? Oh well. It's about 10PM. The TCU kids don't come until about 11-11:30ish, so as of now, it's a pretty empty dance floor, with all the regulars, most of them my friends, and it's great to watch all of them dance. Not painful at all. This drastically changes once the Horned Frogs get there however, there aren't too many of them who know what they're doing, and they constantly bump into you. Annoying. I understand that Billybobs is to have a good time, but it doesn't mean that a little frustration can't arise. Plus, I like showing off :) it took me a while to learn all that I have. As I sit at the barstool, I notice that there are quite a bit of people from the older crowd. They never dance. I feel like they're embarrassed to get in there with the younger people, even though a lot of them are good. However they just sit around the dance floor, watching, and smiling, and pointing.  TO BE CONTINUED :)

In Class: Workshopping

My previous experiences with in-class workshops haven't been the best. Of course, I really haven't done one since I was a freshman or sophomore in high school, however, I feel as though absolutely nothing gets done. First off, there's always the chance that you'll get put in a group consisting of all your best friends, and all you end up doing is talking about the latest drama flying around the school. Fortunately, I don't really have a 'best' friend here, so I hope that problem won't arise. Then, just like Ms. Irvin mentioned, whenever I do workshops, or have someone else edit my paper, I never think that their revisions are important, or they don't make sense, or they aren't going to make my paper any better. I haven't done work-shopping for a long time, but back in high school, I was at the top of my class, and I just felt like a lot of people were below me, and that their comments didn't really matter. I am assuming that since we are all well-educated, college students, these workshops will be a lot more beneficial, and I'll actually feel as though people's inputs matter! Going into it with an open mind! :)

In Class: Reflection on Peer Review

Someone asked me about the food that they served at Billybobs, and who it appeals to. I did mention the restaurant, however I've never really looked at it as a key thing in the bar, I really have never taken a time to see what's on their menu, but now I will. Both observers were surprised about how they play rap music on Thursdays(college night). I was just as surprised. I visited up here a couple times this summer on Thursdays, and they didn't play rap. It seems like when they realize TCU is back in session they do it to appeal to them. Another thing is that I attached a map of the bar, but I never really talked about colors, or decorations or anything, so I guess I should expand a little bit more on that sort of stuff. A good point I can bring across when talking about rhetorical strategy is what about the space is making certain people feel intimidated, I think this will be something easy to connect to the bigger cultural picture, I already have some good ideas for that. I could talk about how people dress that go there. There is certainly a huge difference between the TCU girls who just try to look perfect, wearing dresses, and expensive boots, and then the regulars, who know if you're going to wear a dress you better wear spandex underneath, and that you're going to swear a ton anyways, so there really is no point in trying to make your makeup look perfect, or your hair, and etc. After reading all of the notes my peers took on my notes, I realize that there are definitely things I'll need to expand on in my actual paper, but I have a pretty good foundation, and have a lot of great ideas.

In Class: Observation Process

My observation process consisted of me, going to one of my favorite places in Fort Worth, to sit and watch, and dance. I didn't feel awkward at all, I have lots of friends there, and it just felt like another normal time out. The only time that felt mildly awkward was when I went on a Sunday night, because there is literally no one there, and there isn't much to do, or watch. I'm friends with some of the workers there though, so I did have some conversation with them. I saw a lot of the things I figured I would see, however I did pick up on some things in more detail and more in depth than I usually do. The easiest things you can pick up in detail are people's facial expressions, and conversations being had. I saw lots of dancing, obviously. Lots of drinking, obviously. I also watched lots of envious and jealous looks toward the girls who knew how to dance, and those same people giving bad looks gave the boys that knew how to dance flirtatious looks, batter their eyelashes and being cute. Some of the stuff is pretty entertaining when you sit back and actually watch.

The Ethos, Pathos, and Logos of Public Spaces

When writing our Public Space Analysis essays, it's going to be very important to incorporate logos(logical), pathos(emotional), and ethos(credibility) into our papers so we can develop a strong argument, and connection to the larger cultural world. All three of these appeals are found in my public space: Billybobs (you can always find these three appeals everywhere).

Ethos: Ethos is basically someone/something's credibility. It's the amount of "cool points" that something has. At Billybobs, I believe the biggest thing that establishes their credibility as a good Texas dance hall is the bands that they pull in. Ranger Rogers Band, Roger Creager, Aaron Watson, Casey Donahew Band, and even Dwight Yoakum are artists that play at Billybobs all the time on the weekends. If you aren't a fan of country, this is a big deal! They are GREAT country artists. The fact that these bands are agreeing to play at Billybobs in the first place says a lot about the credibility of this place. The artists know that plenty of people will come watch their shows, and will be respectful, and fun to play for. Overall, it's a huge pat on the back to Billybobs that they're raking in these kinds of country stars.

Pathos: Pathos is appeal to emotion. The environment itself at Billybobs appeals to pathos. If you're a country fan(and even if you aren't) you walk straight into a loud, bubbly, smiling, dancing group of people, and you can't help but have a good time. It's got everything you could need. Bull riding arenas, video games, pool tables, country music, and if you're of age, PLENTY of bars. It's always buzzing on the weekends. You can meet new people, have your bachelorette party, or even go on first dates here. The environment is just so upbeat and happening that you couldn't get bored. This place particularly appeals to my pathos, because this is where I met the guy I've been dating the past 8 months. I have good memories here, which is an even bigger appeal to my emotion every time I go back. 

Logos: Logos is an appeal to logic. This is probably my least favorite to identify. But I guess if you needed hard facts to argue that Billybobs is in fact a prestigious honky-tonk, you could look around. The biggest thing would be the huge dance floor. Billybobs has the biggest dance floor I've ever seen in a country bar, however they know that they need this much space to accommodate the large crowds that make it in and out every week. Another easy logos artifact would be the weekly printouts of box office sales. This is an easy way to look at facts and statistics and realize how popping this place truly is! 

In Class: Logos Artifact

The logos artifact I brought in today is my to-do list for the week. Logos is defined as persuading by the use of reasoning. The claim or argument that I'm bringing forth is that this week is stressful and exhausting for me, and the proof of that is found on my to-do list. There is both statistic and fact behind this argument because you can see on my calender, and to-do list that I have three tests this week, a blog post assignment, I must turn in observation notes, post on a thread for a different class, go to two different meetings, workout, and do little chores such as laundry, picking up groceries, etc. I believe this would be good proof to anyone that I am probably sleep deprived, and on pins and needles. Overall, the appeal to logos was my list, because I think it persuaded my case using statistics and facts.

Unit 1 Proposal

The place I am choosing to use for my Public Space Analysis is Billybobs, in downtown Fort Worth. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's a HUGE dance hall. They hold concerts here, have a restaurant on the inside, gift shops, pool tables, arcade games, multiple bars, picture opps on bucking bulls, two dance floors, mechanical bulls. You name the country item, and Billybobs probably has it. I started going to Billybobs first semester of my freshman year, and have been hooked every since. I've actually come to be a really good dancer. 

This space is appealing to me, obviously because it's something I enjoy doing, however I chose it because I know that if I just sat and watched and observed, instead of dancing so much, I would pick up on and learn things about this space. It's a really easy area to apply objectives to, and bring up arguments dealing with the larger culture.

Upon observation, I expect to pick up on more than I do simply by being a regular dancer there. I want to pick up on people's conversations, people's expressions, maybe ask around to first timers to see how they feel about it. I also want to look at the interaction between the 'regulars' and the 'newbies'. I would also like to look at the difference in crowds between a Monday/Tuesday night, a Thursday(college) night, and a Saturday(concert) night. There have got to be huge differences between all of these environments, and I'm anxious to observe.

I am in fact part of the target audience. Not only is Billybobs looking to attract country-music lovers, and dancers(which I am), they're also looking to attract the younger crowd, which I'm also included in. You can tell this is an objective of theirs because they play newer 'hip' music toward the end, nothing to do with country, just top 40 stuff, that only the younger crowd would recognize and dance to. Billybobs also does promotions on Thursdays, get in free after 11pm, and anytime before that its $2. This rakes in the younger crowd as well, because it isn't an activity that really costs a ton of money.

I have nothing but positive pre-conceived ideas about Billybobs. Therefore nothing will influence my writing negatively, which I believe to be a good thing. However, I want to take the next couple times I go as more of an observation type visit, and focus less on friends and dancing, that way I will really be able to analyze the public space effectively! 

In Class: Ethos Artifact

I brought in the top to my scrubs as my ethos artifact. Ethos establishes the writer's authority and credibility. If I were to walk into a hospital with just regular clothes on, no one would think of me as someone that could help, they would think I am a normal civilian. However if I'm wearing my scrubs during clinicals, patients and families will assume that I can help out, and obtain the knowledge to be able to aid people in the hospital setting. It establishes my credibility as someone who is knowledgeable in the nursing field/environment. At the same time, if I chose to write a paper on health or nursing techniques, I would be more credible to write about this as opposed to a business or fine arts major. The nursing scrubs, and name tag establishes my authority to write about the subject, because not many people would just buy a scrub set for fun.

In Class: How Understanding Appeals to Emotion Might Help Public Analysis Essay

Pathos is a big part of analyzing a public space. If I were to look at Billybobs, I could say that the designers of the building were trying to appeal to pathos by making everything such a big open room, it's huge. This gives off the impression that it's a friendly place because there really aren't private areas of the bar. Also, they have live performances all the time, and who can't not be happy watching Aaron Watson perform live on a Friday night, it brings out a lot of joy in a room. Even the different deals they have on cover charge appeals to pathos, if you arrive after 11pm, you have no cover, and on Thursdays, it's $2. How can that make any college kid upset? Plus, it rakes in a large crowd, which is what everyone wants at a bar. There are pool tables, arcade games, and a bull riding arena, all of this appeals to pathos because the game aspect brings out the kid in everyone. Overall, there are tons of aspects in Billybobs that appeal to pathos, and I think noticing this will help me better develop my public analysis essay.

In Class: Pathos Artifact

I brought in two different pathos artifacts, not sure which to choose, but I'll go with the humorous route. I brought in a picture of one of my cats sitting on the couch with my dog, with a cone around her neck. I imagined her to be the one expressing her feelings, and she looks extremely upset, both because there's a dog practically sitting on top of her, and because she just had surgery and is not happy she can't clean herself due to this large apparatus. I would assume she would want to everyone's sympathy, and pity, because she looks so pathetic and miserable. You kind of just have to see the picture :)


The other artifact I brought in was my bible. It drives me, and most likely is reflective in certain things that I write. It doesn't really fall under the 'pity' or 'sympathy' portion of appealing to my audience, but maybe more under 'compassion' like some of the pathos definitions say. Honestly, I get these things intertwined a lot, so if this doesn't even make sense, I'll get better at it.