Reflection To The Reader

Dear Reader,

        Back when I was a junior I was told to read over a list of English electives that I could take the following year as a senior.  I chose college comp. as one of my choices because I felt the class would help me in the future with college.  I was excited to start taking this class because I love writing and couldn't wait to improve on my techniques.  Before this class I wasn't a bad writer it was just difficult for me to put all my thoughts down on paper.  I had a clear image and idea of what I wanted to say, but when it came time to put it all down on paper I got bad writers block and stopped before I was complete.  As a result I have many unfinished papers and stories sitting on my computer and in notebooks at home.  After I started this class I found myself becoming more able to put down my thought onto paper.  Some parts got boring for me however because I love to write, and everything in between is rather rhetorical for me.
       When reading over my past work it's clear how much I've grown this past semester and I'm proud of that.  I'm able to add intros that are more enjoyable and putting everything I think on paper is becoming easier and easier.  Using techniques and pointers I learned in class for years to come will defiantly pay off.  Especially if my career involves writing.  My first paper versus my last paper shows a lot of improvements  And allowing myself to be okay with other people reading my work as payed off because I can learn from them.  My classmates have given me great feedback and ideas and have allowed me to come out of my comfort zone when it involves my writing.  Before this class allowing other people to see what I wrote was scary for me because in a lot of ways it made me feel vulnerable.  My writing in a lot of ways is personal because it's my thoughts and ideas.  Allowing people to read it could hurt me.  However now it makes me feel happy to allow others to read my work because the feedback from this class was overall positive and encouraging.
     I hope that when people read what I have written they see how much my work as evolved this semester.  I wish they may enjoy what they are reading and never feel bad when giving me feedback.  I've learned to be okay with anything people throw at me.
Kelsey

Final Revision Request

I would like this paper revised because I feel really strongly about it and I think that it has the potential of being really good.  I remember in class being told that I should add more examples and detail and I need ideas to help make the paper flow better.  Could you give me feedback on how to make it even more interesting to read?  I like my conclusion, but maybe I should edit the introduction?  Thanks for your feedback! 

Kelsey Wynne            

10/18/10         

Character Sketch 

                 

           

I didn’t like her at first.  It wasn’t because I was a bad kid; I just didn’t like the idea of someone else taking my mom’s place while she was at work.  Her name was Ilva and when I was five years old she came over from Germany to be my nanny.  She had dark brown hair, cut shore to frame her face, her eyes a light shade of green.  I remember her wanting really hard for me to like her, but I was pretty mean.  The first time I saw her I had three simple rules for her. “Don’t touch me, don’t look at me, and don’t talk to me.”  I of course quickly forgot these rules and learned to love her, but I’m sure they hurt at the time.  My other siblings warmed right up to her.   Back then there were fewer kids in my family then there are today. My siblings consisted of my younger three year old sister Ashley and my one year old brother Bobby.  My parents, being the hard workers they are needed someone to take care of us while they were on business trips, that’s where Ilva came in.  I was told that it took about three weeks for me to finally warm up to her and I quickly became her favorite, after my little brother of course.  I’ve known her for a giant chunk of my life and even though she lives in Manchester, New England I still cherish the time spent with her, and I love her for always being there for me. 

            I don’t remember a lot of her from back then, all I know is that she’s still as fun.  Right now I still visit her and talk with her, and it’s never hard to vent while she’s around.  Her laugh is delicate, but it leaves an impression.  When she laughs you can’t help but smile because it’s so genuine and real.  It’s almost like having an older sister because what is said around her isn’t repeated to my parents, unless it’s really bad of course.  When she smiles her eyes light up and when you look at her it’s obvious that she’s a happy person, due to all the smile lines.  When I was younger I was a pretty funny kid, and I remember making her laugh a lot, which I always liked because she always looked so pretty when she smiled.  She told me recently about this one time when I was five, she was in the kitchen cooking food and all of a sudden she heard “rumble, rumble.”  Confused she peaked into the family room and there I was on the couch, minding my own business like nothing had happened.  She asked me “Kelsey did you here that?”  I innocently replied, “Heard what Ilva?”  She then turned away, but about three minutes later she heard it again.  Yet again she peered around the corner of the wall to where I was sitting, and again I was sitting there with a sweet smile so she turned away; or so I though, because when I did it again she quickly whipped around the wall with a big smile and I just rolled over in laughter.  Apparently I would do this often, which doesn’t surprise me because I still do, but I think it started just so I could be goofy, and it was easy to be that way around her. 

She appears way younger than she is, and if I didn’t know better I’d peg her for twenty eight.  She’s not short, maybe around 5’ 8’’, But with her various high heals she  usually appears taller than she is.  Sometimes taller than me, and I’m kind of tall.  On my most recent trip to Europe this past summer I went to Manchester and was surprised when I saw her because she looked so young, and a bit taller than  I remembered (maybe because I was eight when I last saw her).  It was great though because being the person she is it was really easy picking up where we started the last time I saw her.  She always had a unique taste in clothes and he loves necklaces, as well as scarves; during a recent trip to NYC it was almost impossible to walk past a scarf place without stopping.  One Saturday morning all of Broadway was turned into a flea market, which means many vendors selling things such as jewelry, scarves and bags.  Well soon after we started our venture into the crowded masses on Time Square we had at least five scarves, and continued to stop at every vendor after that.  It was fun, and long, but it was worth it, because I never really get to see her.  We spent the whole day around NYC and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  She has millions of scarves and purses of various colors, mostly in green though.  Her favorite color is green.  I remember when I was younger my favorite color was green and my only reason was because it was hers as well.I remember going to the Strong Museum and making pictures with lots of green, because I knew that it was her favorite color, like I said before, I was a pretty sweet kid. Maybe seven years ago she got married to her now ex-husband.  I remember she called to tell us, and I was distraught when I couldn’t fly over to be with her in Manchester.   She went to Australia and New Zealand with him for work, even then she made and effort to call on special occasions.   This past summer when I visited her and her new Welsh boyfriend I joked about how I would be her au pair when she had kids.  I realized then how much of an impact she had on my life, and I wanted to be to her children what she was to me, which was at one point a substitute for when my mom when she wasn’t around and now a friend and sister for when I just need to cry or vent. 

            I will always know Ilva as my nanny and a person I can look up to.  Even as I grow up and begin babysitting myself I will always think of her as the person who helped raise me.  Time flies, people change, and memories are erased, but I know that the memory of her, no matter how much time has passed will never fad.  I may grow up, but I know that to Ilva I will always be that five year old girl who at one time wanted nothing to do with her. 

Conclusion Ideas

Now there were only six of us in the group.  About one month after Tony’s death we all started drifting apart.  Julia and Jason had no choice, but to move to Miami to be closer to relatives.  The seventh of August was the last day I saw them.  We didn’t stay in touch, but I discovered later that Jason’s love for food finally caught up to him and Julia just stayed at home all the time, being her lazy old self.  Denise and Fiona continued their on and off again relationship, and I slowly distanced myself from that drama.  Frankie and I were the only two to actually remain friends through it all.  We decided that we’d be friends forever and that was that.  We were friends, maybe more than that, but I’ll never really know.  We didn’t stay together through it all, but that may just be because of the high level of dysfunction in the group.  We were a jealous and destructive group of friends, but I wouldn’t change any of it for the world. About five years after our split from each other Frankie and I had become a couple, and we continued to visit Tony’s grave site every year on his birthday, May 7^th.  I know I may never see them again, but they will forever live in my hearts as the seven who were there when I needed them.  

I don't necessarily find this conclusion bad, but if I were to change it I would have many different ways to go about doing so.  It is a tad long and I could shorten it in some areas.  Instead of going into such dept with each character I could simply end it.  In other words instead of explaining what happened to each of us I could end it more simply by stating that we went our separate ways.  That way the reader can come to their own conclusion which in some ways may be more interesting then it is now.  

To make my deadly sins paper even better there are many changes I can make.  For starters I can edit my conclusion.  Here are some thoughts on the matter. 

Throughout my life I have come to discover that the seven of us may have represented something greater.  The seven deadly sins from the Bible come to mind, we did all show some characteristic of a sin.  We shaped each other in ways we don't even realize.  If it weren't for my seven sins I wouldn't be where I am today.  

I wouldn't mind seeing them again sometime in the future. Maybe then we can resolve conflicts we never got to resolve. We all hurt and helped each other in some way and it would be nice to see how big that impact really was.  Until then though I must not fret about what was, rather then what is.  Until then us seven sinners need to say goodbye and go on our way.  

How To Paper Reflection

When I first started writing this paper I became stuck in some areas because I wasn't sure how to continue.  However I reminded myself of techniques used in class and I put them to use in this paper.  For the how to paper Fred, Eric, and I had to first come up with an idea and then figure how ways to come about writing the paper.  I found it difficult to think of ways to spend senior skip day because you never actually know how to do something until you're put in the situation and I was never put in this specific situation.  I typed up most of the paper, but my group gave great feedback and over all I think the paper is pretty good.  However there should have been visuals,though it was hard to find appropriate images to add due to the subject of the paper.  It could also flow a little better and be clarified in some areas. The sections could be worded in a way that the reader wouldn't feel like they were all over the place when reading the paper.  When I wrote about how to spend your day and wrong ways to spend your day I should go back and add words to make it flow better.  Also I could have used the interview technique and asked other seniors and past seniors how they would spend it so I could have had a less biased paper.  

Kelsey, Fred, Eric

How to Utilize Your Senior Skip Day

Senior skip day is a day in which seniors don’t go to any of their classes and instead enjoy a day of leisure and fun.  It’s a tradition most commonly seen in Canadian and American high schools.  On this day the whole senior classes excuse themselves from school and do things.  Popular skip days have been known to fall on Halloween, April 20^th and May 5^th.  On this particular day someone can do a countless number of things, and it should be something exciting.  So this paper is a guide to help you utilize your day off from school productively. 

Steps to plan a senior skip day so that it actually works

            Many times in high school a bunch of seniors may randomly decide to skip school and tell a couple of people, hoping it will get out and other seniors will get the memo.  However this is not always effective, and many times only a handful of kids actually end up hearing about it.  If it’s not planned and thought out it wont’ happen.  In some cases being spontaneous is alright, but in this case it isn’t a good idea.  We thought up some ways that you can be sure that this day will happen.  Some ideas are listed below. 

• Make a Facebook group
• Text every senior in your contacts
• Make an announcement in the commons during free
• Get a teacher to agree on the date so they can pass it on to all their senior students
• Talk an administrator into going on the intercom or morning announcements to prodcast the date

The wrong way to spend your senior skip day

When given the privileged not to attend school there are certain things you should not do.  It’s you day off, so you should be having fun and not be boring.  Many people look at this day as a way to catch up on sleep or do an essay that’s due the next day, but this is not a good idea.  On your day off you should take advantage of the opportunity and not do the following listed below. 

• sleep
• do homework
• go to school
• work
• clean
• not hang out with people
• get arrested
• drive your siblings to school
• Get caught

The correct way to spend your senior skip day

As stated in the previous paragraph your senior skip day should not be boring.  If senior skip day is on a Friday the following would work out better because an extended weekend means more time to enjoy your day off. Some ideas on how to accomplish this are listed below. 

• Road trip
• Go to the beach
• Do something unoriginal
• Go to a baseball game
• Steal your friends dad’s car
• Not getting arrested
• Not getting caught
• Giant water balloon war (if it’s warm)
• Go to a football game

7 Deadly Sins

•  I was thinking how cool it will be to actually write this paper.  Not many topics in class always catch my attention, but this one did.
• It became a struggle because I got stuck at some parts trying to figure out what to say next.  I became difficult to keep up my original goals I had in mind.
• I struggles with think up new material to add to my story.  It became dry at some parts and I wanted to keep it interesting without getting to off topic.
• When writing this draft it was easy for me to think up creative things to write about. 
• I learned that it takes a lot of work and thought to make a paper good and interesting. 
• The greatest strengths of my paper were it's creativity and originality.  It had great imagery and made you see what what you were reading.  It wasn't your typical love story and it was interesting. 
• I feel that my weaknesses involved my lack of detail in some parts.  The story's a little fuzzy in some parts because I don't go into to as much debt as I should have. 

 For my writing piece I feel like I should be more clear about how each person represents each different sin.  I could also make it flow better from one chapter to the next.

Kelsey Wynne

College Composition

11/18/10

The Seven Deadly Sins

The Lucky Seven

Chapter One

The Seven Dwarfs

There were five of us at first, the other two joined up later on.  When they did our friendships turned into a game.  Not some revenge game the snooty rich kids may play, but a game of chance, love, and forgiveness.  We were like the three musketeers, except there were seven of us, not three.  We stick to together those kids and me, they are my best friends, and this is our story. 

In our circle, or cult, as some people call it, there are four girls and three guys.  There’s me Lucy Iglesias as well as, Julia Hamilton, Denise Wilder, Fiona Rider, Jason Manning, Tony Rodrigo, and Frankie Benito.  We were friends, or star crossed lovers as some may think, but all in all we were there for each other.  Frankie and I were probably the closest out of the group, and then came our good friend Tony.  Frankie, Tony, and I were three of the original five and we still got together sometimes just the three of us.  Fiona and Denise were best friends and madly, and obviously in love with the same guy, Jason Manning.  The fought constantly over him when he wasn’t around and it annoyed the rest of us plenty of times, even when they weren’t around.  Well now there’s Jason.  Now Jason is, well Jason.  There’s not much to say about him except that he loves food.  He can’t get enough of it, especially chicken wings.  It’s a wonder he doesn’t weigh seven thousand pounds or something.  Then there’s Julia, who is Jason’s cousin.  She doesn’t say much, when she’s around that is.  Julia is what some people, well every person, would call lazy.  She just sits there, like a log, not saying nor doing anything. 

Chapter Two

Seven Swans a Swimming

One particular day we all decided to head out to the beach.  Fiona and Denise of course called riding with Jason, no surprise there.  Julia came along in my car, as did Tony and Frankie.  The day was hot and sticky.  So hot in fact that I wouldn’t be surprised if you could fry and egg on someone’s car.  Well Tony took me up on this offer so we decided it would be best if we put my theory to the test and ended up taking a detour to the supermarket.  When we got inside I made it a point that we didn’t need twelve eggs, we only really needed one.  “Well if you insist.”  Tony replied.  Before I could respond he had made his way to the dairy section and quietly, almost like it had been rehearsed, took one white egg from the carton.  “Put that back!”  I whispered in a daring tone.  “Nah.”  And with that he walked out of the store.  I had no choice, but to follow him and it wasn’t long before we found the perfect car to test my theory on.  It was a red Mercedes Bend with silver trimming on the bottom, pretty fancy if you ask me.  I was a little hesitant at first, but being the person I was I allowed Tony to open the egg and slowly pour the yellow goopy yolk onto the shiny exterior of someone’s expensive car.  It didn’t take long for my theory to be proven correct, in less then seven seconds the yolk had formed into a perfect sunny side up masterpiece.

  “Well, well, well.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”  I inquired.

“I guess you’re right, for once.”

“Wow someone’s pride’s been shaken, hasn’t it, jerk.” 

And with that I stomped back to the car, where I found Frankie and Julia quietly sitting there.  Julia, being her usual self starred out the window at who knows what.  Frankie, being the best friend he is knew what was up, and gave me a hug.  I love his hugs the way they make you feel all safe, and wanted.  It was like the worst day could automatically become better after one of his famous hugs.  When Tony appeared he gave me a hug too, after all we were friends.  I know it wasn’t a big deal, but Tony and I fought more often then usual lately and I was getting the feeling that we were drifting apart.  I had confided this in Frankie awhile back, but I still hadn’t spoken to Tony about it, and I never wanted to.  I figured that if we were meant to drift apart it would happen, regardless of how I felt about it. 

Chapter Three

7^th Heaven

The next day was a Sunday.  It was just like any other day, except this Sunday was special.  Now many people would claim it was because it was the day of rest and prayer, but I had a different take on it.  After all, wasn’t prayer allowed everyday?  Regardless of what other people think, I had a different take on the issue.  This Sunday, it felt like the sun just filled the sky and heated the ground like a fire heating hot embers.  This Sunday was special, not because I went to church at seven A.M or got to see my friends at church at seven in the evening.  No this Sunday was different.  This was the day I realized something about myself, something that scared me and confused me all at the same time.  This was the day I realized that I was completely, and totally, head over heels in love with Tony Rodrigo. 

Chapter Four

Lucky Number Seven

I told Frankie first.  He is my best friend after all.  He of course didn’t take it to kindly, saying that is was dumb, and I was just missing him that was all.  Maybe he was right of course, but there really was no way to be sure.  At least I didn’t know of anyway I could be sure.  The day I told him was July, 7^th and all of us were getting together for some random get together.  We had decided to make it a tradition to do something every Monday in the summer, no matter how busy we were.  Denise arrived at my families beach house first, and the first thing she did was start complaining. 

“But, why doesn’t he love me!”

“Because Jason’s our friend, and that is all.  That will always be all.  Stop chasing after him, he’s not interested like that.”

“You’re so mean!  You guys are all on Fiona’s side.  She gets all the attention, and the best presents too for that matter.”

“Why are we bringing up presents exactly?  That was pretty random.”

“Because, for her birthday about a month ago you all pitched in threw her this huge party.  I never get a huge party!”

“Geeze Denise, stop being so jealous and greedy all the time!  It’s not all about you, and you need to start realizing that.” 

            While she sat there pouting I decided to just up and leave.  The room was full of tension and I really needed a breather.  Outside the world was blue.  Blue water, blue sky, blue for miles and miles, living by the ocean really made you appreciate life more.  I was enjoying the warm ocean breeze when I just became really, really angry.  I don’t know why exactly, but just like that I really wanted to hit someone, hard.  I was mad, that was a fact, and I needed to get away.  So I ran.  Ran down to the ocean’s tide, and just stood there.  I wasn’t sure how long I stood there exactly, but after what felt like hours I felt a pair of hands around my waist.  When I turned around I saw Frankie, and when he hugged me I realized just how lost I was.  The tears streamed down, and in that moment of celerity I realized that maybe some friendships just don’t last forever.  Maybe it’s not in the cards to be friends forever.  

Chapter Five

7:00 P.M.

It was 7:00 on a Wednesday when I got the call; Tony Rodrigo had been in a serious car accident.  He was going to fast; trying to impress some girls, wanted the thrill.  These were the words I heard as I entered the emergency room.  His parents were there, as was everyone else in our group of seven.  He let his pride get the best of him, I knew this.  It was just really difficult to comprehend that he might not make it through the night.  And he did.  The next morning at about 7 O’clock I got the call from an obviously distressed 19 year old.  Frankie came over as soon as the conversation ended and we just sat there, not wanting to take it in, but knowing we had to.  It was then I realized that our group would never be the same. 

Chapter Six

Seven

The funeral was short and sweet.  Everyone came to pay their respects.  Fiona was there, with Denise.  They had decided to be friends again, and were finally getting over there obsession with Jason.  Julia was there too of course, sitting next to Jason, not saying much.  Jason was clearly upset, but anyone who didn’t know him well might have gotten confused, for he was eating away at his favorite food again, chicken wings. 

Chapter Seven

The Seven Deadly Sins

Now there were only six of us in the group.  About one month after Tony’s death we all started drifting apart.  Julia and Jason had no choice, but to move to Miami to be closer to relatives.  The seventh of August was the last day I saw them.  We didn’t stay in touch, but I discovered later that Jason’s love for food finally caught up to him and Julia just stayed at home all the time, being her lazy old self.  Denise and Fiona continued their on and off again relationship, and I slowly distanced myself from that drama.  Frankie and I were the only two to actually remain friends through it all.  We decided that we’d be friends forever and that was that.  We were friends, maybe more than that, but I’ll never really know.  We didn’t stay together through it all, but that may just be because of the high level of dysfunction in the group.  We were a jealous and destructive group of friends, but I wouldn’t change any of it for the world. About five years after our split from each other Frankie and I had become a couple, and we continued to visit Tony’s grave site every year on his birthday, May 7^th.  I know I may never see them again, but they will forever live in my hearts as the seven who were there when I needed them.  

.

New Intro

Accidentally invented by Ruth Wakefield in 1930 the chocolate cookie is most definitely the favorite cookie amongst Americans. It was a huge surprise that these famous chocolaty wonders were invented, because it was not on purpose by any means.  Wakefield owned Toll House Inn.  In Whitman Massachusetts in 1930 and was said to be making chocolate cookies when she began running out of bakers chocolate.  Hoping that they would melt she put Nestle chocolate chips in to the batter, of course this did not work and the chocolate chip cookie was born.  She then resorted to selling her recipe to Nestle in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate chips, and now every bag of Nestle chocolate ships sold in North America has a variation of her original recipe printed on the back.  Chocolate cookies became popular during WWII when GI’s from Massachusetts shared cookies they received in care packages from back home with soldiers from other parts of the U.S.  Soon enough hundreds of GI’s began writing home asking for these cookies, thus began the nation-wide craze for chocolate chip cookies.   To honor the cookie's creation in the state, on July 9, 1997, Massachusetts designated the chocolate chip cookie as the Official State Cookie, after it was proposed by a third-grade class from Somerset, Massachusetts.




The original introduction above wasn't really an introduction, but a paragraph.  It's way to long and I really should shorten it up so it sums up what I want to say faster.  When I was writing this essay I kind of slacked of because I got bored writing about the cookie.  I think that if the topic had interested me more I may have put more into the paper.  Of course this is not a good excuse because in college I'll be writing plenty that I have no interest in so I really should get used to it.  However bored I got though I think this paper was good, under the circumstances that is.  My favorite new introduction is probably number three because not only did the people commenting on this post like it, but it also engages the reader and makes them want to continue.  



1) Accidentally invented by Ruth Wakefiled in 1930, the chocolate cookie is definitely the favorite cookie amongst Americans. In class recently I was put into a group and we were asked to test different types of cookies.  Our findings were clear and opinions varied from liking the brand to disliking it. 

2) Once upon a time something unexpected happened.  Something that was completely accidental, but became a huge success; the birth of the chocolate chip cookie.  Many people will agree that homemade are best, but other do prefer the store bought brands over all others.  I recently did a test in class and came up with many findings that may seem surprising to some. 

3) The Toll House Inn is where is all began.  A cookie was born and soon America was crazy for it.  The chocolate chip cookie is one of the most popular cookie in this country and derives from a history like no other.  This cookie comes in all shapes and sizes, but whatever the look it's still a favorite amongst many.  My group also agree that it's a good cookie, though some didn't like certain brands over others.

When I first started this paper I had to learn about the history and background on my writing topic.  I had to research the chocolate chip cookie and think of details that would best describe it. I did an experiment in class and took notes based on peoples reactions as well as my opinion on the different brands.I was surprised to find out what I did regarding the cookie and I enjoyed reading about it. I feel like my final paper is still in the draft mode. I'm not happy with the final piece and I should have worked harder on it. It was hard incorporating the history and meshing it with the experiment I did in class.  I felt that there was more history then my own personal experiences. The historical part however was easy for me because I love history and being able to write about new things I learned is fun for me. Therefore I liked the first paragraph best because it described historical facts. I used outside information and imagery details to develop this draft. When I first re-read my draft I realized how bad the intro was.  Not because it was poor quality, but because I didn't have one.  I read it and thought it was odd that I never actually added an introduction. I would definitely make an intro so the reader would be more drawn into the story.  I would add story telling qualities.  Like in class yesterday when we read through different options of introductions, I would revise mine so it would be as good as the examples shown.  I did however enjoy the details I added as well as the information I researched.  I also should add more examples I witnessed from the experiment in class, because there weren't many added into the paper.  Instead it was very descriptive of the cookie itself, and not the reactions of others.  Regarding my partner.  She told me that I should have a title, which I definitely should have added and that I should make the first paragraph smaller.  That was most helpful because I need to remember my title and add an intro.  She also said that it was an interesting paragraph too and that made me feel good because I don't always like my writing much.  In terms of revision I plan on editing the last couple of lines before my conclusion because I feel that they could be more detailed and in dept. The conclusion also could go for some revision because it's a little dry.  The last paragraph has the right information and could be very interesting, but I feel like I need to elaborate more on it.  So to add the detail and information I want I should go back and remember what happened during class, then write about it.  I will write the paragraph in a way that the reader wants to read and wishes they were there for the experiment.  I will describe the cookie more and tell what it means to me more in debt.  I feel that if I went back and did all of these things knowing now what I know that it will be an excellent paper.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Kelsey Wynne

           

Accidentally invented by Ruth Wakefield in 1930 the chocolate cookie is most definitely the favorite cookie amongst Americans. It was a huge surprise that these famous chocolaty wonders were invented, because it was not on purpose by any means.  Wakefield owned Toll House Inn.  In Whitman Massachusetts in 1930 and was said to be making chocolate cookies when she began running out of bakers chocolate.  Hoping that they would melt she put Nestle chocolate chips in to the batter, of course this did not work and the chocolate chip cookie was born.  She then resorted to selling her recipe to Nestle in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate chips, and now every bag of Nestle chocolate ships sold in North America has a variation of her original recipe printed on the back.  Chocolate cookies became popular during WWII when GI’s from Massachusetts shared cookies they received in care packages from back home with soldiers from other parts of the U.S.  Soon enough hundreds of GI’s began writing home asking for these cookies, thus began the nation-wide craze for chocolate chip cookies.   To honor the cookie's creation in the state, on July 9, 1997, Massachusetts designated the chocolate chip cookie as the Official State Cookie, after it was proposed by a third-grade class from Somerset, Massachusetts.

The chocolate cookie recipe usually follows the same recipe. It’s commonly made with white sugar; brown sugar; flour; a small portion of salt; eggs; a leavening agent such as baking powder; a fat, typically butter or shortening; vanilla extract; and semi-sweet chocolate pieces. Some recipes also include milk or nuts in the dough.  Not all people follow this strict recipe and sometimes experiment with different types.  Such as the following;

1.      The M&M cookie, or party cookie, replaces the chocolate chips with M&M's. This recipe originally used shortening as the fat, but has been updated to use butter. 

2.      The chocolate chocolate chip cookie uses dough that is chocolate flavored by the addition of cocoa or melted chocolate. Variations on this cookie include replacing chocolate chips with white chocolate or peanut butter chips.

3.       The macadamia chip cookie has macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips. It is a signature cookie of Mrs. Fields bakeries.

4.      The chocolate chip peanut butter cookie replaces the vanilla flavored dough with a peanut butter flavored one. 

5.      Chocolate chip cookie dough baked in a baking dish instead of a cookie sheet results in a chocolate chip bar cookie.

Other variations include different sizes and shapes of chocolate chips, as well as dark or milk chocolate chips. These changes lead to differences in both flavor and texture.

While the cookie started out in Massachusetts it has made its way around the country pretty darn quick; however it soon became to much for Ruth and her husband Kenneth and in 1966 the sold the Toll House Inn, soon after it was bought by a family who turned into a dingy night club; which is a pretty sad thing to happen to such a historical place if you ask me. Fortunately it was bought again in 1970 by the Saccone family, who then turned it into its original form, and they continued to make the original recipe at a bakery down the road.  A couple years after the Toll House Inn met its demise when it burnt down, New Years Eve. 1984.  

Now I feel that this is a depressing end to such an amazing Inn that produced such delicious cookies.  Growing up I always became elated when I came home to the warm, wafting smell of cookies on cold December afternoons.  For me the chocolate chip cookie as always been my go to desert when ice cream or cheese cake wasn’t available, and it still is.  In class recently my teacher, Ms. Basko had my group eat different brands of these fanatical cookies.  We came to the conclusion that the packaged cookies just did not please us at all, and I felt that the sugar free ones smelled like raisins.  Grant thought most of them were gross and let us all know with an obnoxious “eww” after every bite.  Chips Ahoy were much crunchier then the sugar free and Wegmens brand.  They tasted better, though; they still weren’t up to par in my book. All in all no one really liked them, and we agreed that any other brand would taste better.  I for one prefer homemade because I know who made them and they aren’t processed.  I love the warm, soft texture and hot chocolate chips oozing out from the cracks.  Compared to the store bought brand which are hard and not fresh.   

I love chocolate chip cookies, and the homemade ones will always have a special place in my heart as opposed to the store bought brand.  All in all this experiment was pretty successful and it made me think more about what I was eating and how it placed in my favorites.