Dan Brown Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dan Brown - Research Paper Example The objective of this paper is to give the reader a thorough description about Dan Brown, details about his novels and accomplishments. Dan Brown tends to stay away from the limelight. Most of the times, the low-profile author is seen at fund-raising campaigns and seminars. A particular event that is worth quoting is the gala at his High School, Philips Exeter Academy, which he attended and announced a gift of $2.2 million to the school (Philips Exeter Academy, 2004). Despite being the author of so many bestselling novels, Dan Brown is still a friendly guy without any supernormal attitude towards others. He does not even seem to be the person who created the strange world of Da Vinci Code (Kaplan, 2009). Dan Brown, according to Kaplan, seems to be surprised that his novel started such a big controversy among the Catholic Group. He was a very religious person in his initial years of his life as he was raised an Episcopalian (Kaplan, 2009). He is much of a scientific guy and believes more in science rather than religion. He said â€Å"science makes much more sense to me†. After his graduation, Brown commenced his career in songwriting and singing. Dan Brown is 45 years of age at the moment with golden hair and blue eyes. The author wakes up early in the morning at around 4:00AM when there are no distractions and works on his novels. At this hour of the day, Dan feels more productive. He does most of his writing activities in his roof space and stops briefly after every hour to do push-ups and other exercises to stay efficient. Dan Brown’s interests in code-breaking from the early stages of his life influenced him to start writing novels which are related to underground government agencies. He graduated from the Amherst College and also studied at the Philips Exeter Academy. There he also worked as an English teacher in the day. His father was a Presidential Award winner for his book on mathematical concepts and he was also a

How Dickens uses language Essay Example for Free

How Dickens uses language Essay There is a variety of repetition in the passage. Phrases like ‘Dead and Buried’ are repeated to remind us, as readers, that most of Pip’s family is dead. The word ‘buried’, suggests that it happened some time ago and that he never knew them, which makes us feel pity and sympathy for the character. Pip talks about his life in the marsh country, where he resided by the river and near the sea. This could possibly highlight how Pip (small like a river), may be connected to something greater than he could’ve ever imagined (like the sea). Dickens also uses some interesting vocabulary, with fascinating imagery in this passage. For example he describes the sea as a ‘distant savage lair’. The word ‘distant’ tells the reader that there is an unknown, oncoming threat. The word ‘savage’ suggests it was over powerful and violent. Finally, the word ‘lair’ implies a dangerous place, where victims are taken to be devoured. This shows the reader that Pip is not safe, and seems to be in grave danger. Alliteration is another technique which Dickens has input in the passage. The phrase ‘low leaden line’, (which describes the river), is a good example of this. Rivers are supposed to be an aquatic blue colour, but Dickens describes it as ‘leaden’, which is a depressing grey colour, suggesting a bleak setting. Finally, Dickens uses third person in the passage, although this is questionable. In one sentence, Pip goes from narrating as an adult in the 1st person and then switches to the 3rd person, where he looks back at himself as a small child. This is because he is in utter disbelief at how lost he was, which is effective as the reader feels confused, just as Pip would have as a small child.

HRM For Hospitality And Tourism Industries

HRM For Hospitality And Tourism Industries Introduction  · Human resource management (HRM) is the tactical and logical approach to the management of an organizations most esteemed property the people working there who independently and together contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the business.  · All methods and functions concerning the recruitment and development of personnel as human resources, with the aim of efficiency and greater output in a company, government administration, or other organization  · Human resource management (HRM) is the perceptive and application of the policy and procedures that directly involve the people working within the task team and working group. These policies include recruitment, maintenance, repayment, personal development, training and career development.  · is the effective use of human resources in order to improve managerial performance.  · The management of the workforce of a business to ensure satisfactory staff levels with the right skills, properly satisfied and motivated.  · Staffing function of the business. It includes the activities of human resources planning, recruitment, orientation, selection, , training, performance, payment, appraisal and safety. What is HRM? Human Resource Management (HRM) is a way of management that links people-related behavior to the tactic of a business or organization. HRM is often referred to as strategic HRM. It has numerous goals: To meet the needs of the business and management (rather than serve the interests of employees); To bond human resource strategies / policies to the company goals and objectives; To find ways for human resources to add value to an industry; To help a business gain the obligation of employees to its values, goals and objectives Human Resource Management for the Hospitality and Tourism Industries This takes an incorporated look at HRM policies and practices in the tourism and hospitality industries. Utilizing existing human resource management (HRM) theory and carry out, it contextualizes it to the tourism and hospitality industries by looking at the specific employment practices of these industries, such as how to manage tour reps or working in the airline industry. It initially sets the picture with a open review of the facts of HRM practice within the tourism and hospitality industries. Having identified the broader picture, the text then begin to focus much more plainly on a variety of HR policies and practices such as: Recruitment and selection: the effects of ICT, skills required specific for the industry and the nature of advertising Legislation and identical opportunities: illegal intolerance and managing assortment Staff health and welfare: aggression in the workplace, working time orders, smoking and alcohol and drug misuse wage strategies in the industry Human Resource Management for the Hospitality and Tourism Industries will be illustrated throughout with both examples of best practice for dictatorial training and discussion, and international case studies to put into effect problem solving techniques and contextualize learning. It incorporates a user friendly design and includes educational features such as: chapter outlines and objectives, HRM in practice The nature of HRM in hospitality and tourism; executive culture and the search for service quality; Labor markets; staffing and selection; equivalent Opportunities; Training and improvement; Staff health and welfare; Employee relations, involvement and participation; Performance management; compensation strategies in hospitality and tourism; Disciplinary and complaint procedures. Development in HRM in hospitality and tourism It is common knowledge that the performance of human resource management ( HRM ) is established in most organizations ranging from small- to medium- to large-scale corporations. The current-day human resource ( HR ) manager has direct control on the strategic direction and judgment of both private and public sector organizations. Tourism is the broad umbrella that drives related indicators within local and national economies. Hospitality organizations are motivated by public and private sector tourism policies and practices. The increase of telecommunication technologies along with the development of multinational hospitality organizations has generated an understanding of tourism policies on a global level. Sustainable tourism is a long-term mutual systems approach to establishing and maintaining pleasant-sounding relationships among hospitality/travel-related organizations and the social, cultural and environmental aspects associated with tourist destinations. While the process of sustainable tourism involves the establishment and maintenance of harmonious relationships, the goal is the creation of continued possibility and development of tourism-related entities. Proponents of sustainable tourism slot in in a process of creating a mutually favorable balance between the microenvironment (social, cultural and environmental aspects) and the microenvironment (internal workings of a specific organization). The objective of this process is the institutionalization of the tourism industry as a contributor to the sociocultural welfare and development of each and every destination. In essence, this aim seeks what might be called a triple win outcome. Successful sustainable tourism initiatives result in positive outcomes for consumers (guests, travelers and customers), organizations (commercial enterprises) as well as the society (indigenous people and cultures). But how does the practice of hospitality human resource management fit into this picture? CAREER PATHS As part of the commitment to the social environment of the community, human resource practitioners in sustainable tourism-based organizations must agree on the career goals and desires of host country citizens. While certain individuals will exist who do not possess progressive career aspirations, there will be others who will view the organization as a means to pursue professional development activities. For this reason, job design processes should provide a clear snapshot of knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes for every position within the organization through job descriptions and job specifications. The job descriptions and job specifications provide foundational information to track logical paths of career progression among the many disciplines found within the operations and administrative areas of a medium-to-large hospitality enterprise. Once these paths are discovered, human resource practitioners may engage in career counseling activities aimed at communicating activities to attain the necessary job requirements for internal promotions. Human resource practitioners may choose to take this one step further through formal succession planning programs coupled with training development activities. Many cases of global expansion within hospitality organizations include the placement of expatriate managers from home nations into positions at host country locations. STO strategies might be aimed at the temporary placement of such individuals until citizens of the host nation are adequately prepared to assume senior management positions. An advantage to this strategy would be the assimilation into the mainstream culture of the host nation by establishing a representation of senior management positions that are held by qualified host nationals. PROPORTION OF LOCAL STAFF MEMBERS It makes good business sense for human resource practitioners to scan the external environment of the host nation to determine the statistical representation of various groups of individuals by ethnicity, age, sex, race, national origin and in some cases religion. Once the demographics for the locale are discovered, the human resource manager would enact strategies aimed at a statistical representation within the organization that is somewhat similar to those evident within the region. Some reactive hospitality organizations might claim to have sufficient numbers of represented groups within their companies. Upon further inspection, however, it could be determined that the representation exists exclusively for lower-level position holders.   OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO HR MANAGERS TO IMPROVE THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR STAFF Career options: Human Resource Management human Resource Management professionals are employed in medium large enterprises across all sectors of the workplace. The Australian Human Resources Institute defines the diverse roles of human resource practitioners as follows: They provide a support service and serve as technical advisers to line managers on issues such as recruitment, training and safety. They play an important role in defining the personnel policies that guarantee fair treatment of all employees, recognition of staff needs and democratic organization. They serve an audit role ensuring that managerial decisions agree with the personnel policies and are consistent across the organization. They explore ways of improving employee productivity and satisfaction, and keep managers informed about changes in employment legislation. They manage changing business processes brought about by a dynamic business environment, for example business restructures. They provide an ethical and legal understanding of the frameworks required for managing people in various types of business. Senior HR managers provide strategic input into the decision-making processes within their organizations. They build the corporate wisdom of their organizations through staff development and managing human resource information systems. They assist the organization to be customer focused by aligning the needs and requirements of the employees with those of the customers. In addition to knowledge and skills directly related to your program of study, you have also developed a range of other skills (e.g. teamwork, analytical, communication) through academic study, employment, voluntary work, sporting activities and life experience. These are often referred to as transferable skills because they can be utilized in different environments. Recognizing the value employers place on these skills is an important factor in your graduate job search. Positions and employers Many graduate employers recruit from a wide range of disciplines. The major directory of graduate recruitment in Australia, Graduate Opportunities, lists employers by the disciplines from which they are recruiting. You might be surprised by the range of employers recruiting from your degree and the sectors of the workplace where you might establish a career. Synopsis Human Resource Management is very important in business management. Management is an organizational function, like sales, marketing or finance. It doesnt necessarily mean managing people. We can manage ourselves or the material assigned to us at work. If you managed a project very well on your own, it would mean that you did the job in a well-organized, efficient manner, making good use of all resources at your disposal. Human resource management is fundamentally about ensuring that the right person with the right personality, knowledge base and skill set is best matched for a particular role within the company. Human resources professionals may also be responsible for organizing training needs, advertising vacancies, interviewing, selection, aptitude testing and disciplinary procedures in the event that an employee is not meeting expectations. When the company expands, production and cost management is very important to the existence of organization when considering about more profit, the executive level has to manage variety of resources of the organization. To have a efficient use of the physical resources of the organization, there should be a proper control of staff management. Thats what we call Human Resources Management.

From Servitude to Freedom in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre Essay

From Servitude to Freedom in Jane Eyre   Ã‚   Charlotte Bronte's novel, Jane Eyre, skillfully reveals that Jane, the protagonist, has the qualities of endurance, valor, and vitality, yet she is refused self-contentment by the confined society in which she lives. Not only is this work a love story, but it is the tale of a young orphaned girl and her struggle for love and independence. Through the various environments Bronte provides, Jane oscillates between education and containment and also between freedom and servitude. Beginning at Gateshead, Jane has her first experience of containment in dealing with the Reeds. John Reed blatantly smothers Jane's space by treating her like a slave, and Mrs. Reed enslaves her in every way. Mrs. Reed treats Jane as a stepchild instead of a niece and oftentimes sides with her children even if Jane is right. For example, in the incident with John Reed, Jane is reading a book about birds and secretly wants to be able to fly away from all of the bad things at Gateshead. When John condemns Jane for reading "his" books, Mrs. Reed sends Jane to the Red Room even though Jane did not initiate the fight. The torturous experience for Jane becomes a type of containment in which she must obey her aunt and cousins, as a slave would obey his master. Jane feels then that she must resist everyone, Bessie, Miss Abbot, her cousins, and especially her aunt. She is urged by these same people to pray and repent and is locked yet again in an eerie room. Jane encounters another character, Mr. Lloyd, who attempts to degrade her by making fun of her for crying. Her physical containments, along with her mental ones, are coming to her one after another and take her to her limit. Jane deals with many emotions she fee... ...rlotte Bronte. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1990.    Jane Eyre. Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Perf. William Hurt, Charlotte Gainsborough, and Anna Paquin. 1996    Jane Eyre. Dir. Julian Aymes. Perf. Timothy Dalton, Zelah Clarke. 1983    Kadish, Doris. The Literature of Images: Narrative Landscape from Julie to Jane Eyre. New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 1986.    Linder, Cynthia A. Romantic Imagery in the Novels of Charlotte Bronte. London: MacMillan, 1978.    McLaughlin, M.B. "Past or Future Mindscapes: Pictures in Jane Eyre." Victorian Newsletter 41 (1972): 22-24.    Peters, Joan D. â€Å"Finding a Voice: Towards a Woman’s Discourse in Dialogue in the Narration of Jane Eyre.† Studies in the Novel. 23 no 2. (1991): 217-36. Zonana, Joyce. â€Å"The Sultan and the Slave: Feminist Orientalism and the Structure of Jane Eyre.† Signs. 18 no 3. (1993): 592-617

Absurdity of a “Sivilized” Society-an Analysis of Huckleberry Finn Essay

The Absurdity of a â€Å"Sivilized† Society Authors often express their views on any given subject through their works, and Mark Twain is no exception. One may read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and believe it is simply a novel about a young boys childhood; however, a deeper analysis of the text reveals many of Mark Twain’s expressions about important moral and social issues. Perhaps one of the most prominent being the frailty of human justice and the hypocrisy we as a people foster in our societies. Throughout the novel, Huck meets people who appear to be good, civilized people, but always end up having a hypocritical fault about them. Though not every instance is a grave matter, Twain’s writing shows that societies in Huck’s world are based upon corrupted laws and principles that defy basic logic. Twain’s writing leaves the reader with an understanding that cowardice, illogical choices, and selfish as well as hypocritical people mark these societies. Twain begins weaving hypocrisies and cants early into the story; one of the most appalling being the issue of Huck’s custody. This flawed system of thought is first shown when the new judge in St. Petersburg rules that Pap has rightful custody of Huck. Although this would be bad for Huck if his father became his legal guardian, the judge asserts Pap’s rights to Huck as his biological son, despite the fact that this is placing Huck’s welfare below the so-called rights of his father. Ironically, this system would put Huck under his dad’s custody, leaving him worse off, whereas Jim is separated from his family despite being a far better father and person. However, the welfare of the individual isn’t highly valued in society, and thus they are placed in uncomfortable, often dangerous situations. The judge tries to put Huck back in contact with his horrid father and therefore abuse, but Jim, a loving parent, never receives help to be with his children and help rescue them from slavery and separation. This decision defies all logic one would find in a normal society, and yet this kind of thinking was commonplace. The values and welfare of a black person were nowhere near as important as those of a white man, and even though Jim is a grown man with the most in tune moral compass of any character in the book, Huck still has power over him simply because he is white. By comparing the situation of Pap and Huck with slaves and their masters, Twain hints that it is impossible for a society to be civilized so long as it practices slavery. Though not quite as harmful, another example of a hypocritical character can be found in the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. In an attempt to â€Å"sivilize† Huckleberry, Miss Watson reprimands him for smoking a cigarette and yet she snuffs tobacco. â€Å"Pretty soon I wanted to smoke, and asked the widow to let me. But she wouldn’t. She said it was a mean practice and wasn’t clean, and I must try to not do it any more†¦ And she took snuff, too; of course that was all right, because she done it herself† (Twain 2). She prevents Huck from doing what she believes is uncivilized and detrimental to his health, yet doesn’t think twice about proceeding to do something very similar simply because she herself enjoys it. This example of hypocrisy is not particularly malicious, but yet another example of how all the characters Huck is involved with has some form of a hypocritical flaw. Furthermore, Miss Watson is quite religious and, in efforts to teach Huck, tells him that all he must do is pray for something and he will have it. However, when Huck needs fishhooks and asks her to help pray for them, she calls him a fool. â€Å"Then Miss Watson she took me in the closet and prayed, but nothing come of it. She told me to pray every day, and whatever I asked for I would get it. But it warn’t so. I tried it. Once I got a fish- line, but no hooks. It warn’t any good to me without hooks. I tried for the hooks three or four times, but somehow I couldn’t make it make it work. By-and-by, one day, I asked Miss Watson to try for me, but she said I was a fool. † (Twain 8). Miss Watson tells Huck that if he does something, he can expect a certain result but when things don’t work, he asks for her help and she chides him for it! The widow Douglas and Miss Watson are religious, educated, and yet, they are slave owners. They educate Huck, and teach him religion but find it perfectly acceptable to do things contrary to their teachings, such as snuff and practice slavery. The latter, being a more insidious humbug of St. Petersburg, is shown over and over again throughout Huck’s journey. As Huck begins to stray from his backwards, insincere town, he reaches different places with different people, all different in their own way and yet, very similar to those in St. Petersburg. The Duke and Dauphin are two despicable con men who join Huck and Jim as they continue to drift on the river. The Duke and Dauphin cause trouble for Huck and Jim, as well as the towns they visit. The fault here is that, the Duke and Dauphin are able to scam entire communities by lying, pretending to be someone they’re not, and cheating their guests. Though they spend most of the novel doing awful things or planning awful things, they both are hardly punished. After the first showing of The Royal Nonesuch, the first group of attendees realizes they have been cheated. However, instead of chastising the Duke and Dauphin, the audience that night chooses to lie about the performance in order to cheat a second group of attendees. Hold on! Just a word, gentlemen. † They stopped to listen. â€Å"We are sold—mighty badly sold. But we don’t want to be the laughing stock of this whole town, I reckon, and never hear the last of this thing as long as we live. NO. What we want is to go out of here quiet, and talk this show up, and sell the REST of the town! Then we’ll al l be in the same boat. Ain’t that sensible? † (â€Å"You bet it is! —the jedge is right! † everybody sings out. ) â€Å"All right, then—not a word about any sell. Go along home, and advise everybody to come and see the tragedy. † (Twain 114). Most hypocritical, however, is the fact that the Judge of the town conceived this plan. He who stands as a pillar of justice and truth in the town decides to cheat the others in order to save face. By the third night, everyone in town has seen the play and the Duke and Dauphin make a large profit from their misconduct. Immoral acts committed by the Duke and Dauphin never yielded punishments, but brazen, drunk insults led to execution. Boggs, described as the â€Å"most easy going old fool in Arkansas†, began shouting insults and anathemas at Sherburn, the man who had cheated him. He [Sherburn] was standing perfectly still in the street, and had a pistol raised in his right hand—not aiming it, but holding it out with the barrel tilted up towards the sky†¦ Boggs throws up both of his hands and says, â€Å"O Lord, don’t shoot! † Bang! goes the first shot, and he staggers back, clawing at the air—bang! goes the second one, and he tumbles backwards on to the ground, heavy and solid, with his arms spread out. † (Twain 108). The Duke and Dauphin cheat entire communities and remain unpunished by their terrible acts; however, peccadilloes like shouting drunken insults result in execution. Twain’s writing exposes the issue of faulty justice and duplicitous nature of men. Furthermore, Sherburn’s speech to the angry mob around his house in relation to a lack of logic and cowardice capitulates Twain’s societal views. Twain’s use of hypocrisy helps express his views on societal issues. Though not every instance is harmful, such as Miss Watson’s snuff usage, other notable examples such as the execution of Boggs and the custody of Huck highlight his belief that cowardice, lack of logic, and selfishness are at the core of society, not the communal welfare that it should be. The repeated instances of insecure, logic defying justice are the root of the problem, as thoughtless crimes are punished severely whereas serious crimes go scot-free. Throughout the novel, Huck meets characters that appear good, yet Twain makes a conscious effort to prove they are prejudiced slave owners. The illogical choices and hypocritical people presented throughout the novel show the hypocrisy and ludicrousness of the â€Å"sivilized† society.

Cinema Limbo, 2-Person, 10-Minute Play by Wade Bradford

Cinema Limbo, 2-Person, 10-Minute Play by Wade Bradford Cinema Limbo is a ten-minute play (written by Wade Bradford). It is a comic, two-person exchange between two movie theater employees. The piece can be used, free of charge, for educational purposes and amateur productions. This short two-person play is also a usual character building tool for any actress using the Vicky Monologue for auditions and classroom performances. Cinema Limbo Setting:  The box office of the Grand Cinemas. No set is required. Two office chairs (capable of rolling and spinning) are placed center stage. A young woman spins in the chair. She is dressed in a rather ugly polyester outfit one expect to find on a movie theater employee. Her name is Vicky. And she is bored. (A young man named Joshua enters. Vicky suddenly stops spinning. Her boredom has vanished.) VICKY: So, you’ve finally made it to the fishbowl? JOSHUA: The what? VICKY: That’s what we call the box office. An inside joke between cashiers. JOSHUA: Oh. VICKY: So you’ve made it. JOSHUA: I guess. Mr. Boston said he wanted you to train me how to work the box office. VICKY: Then let the training begin. People come up. They say what movie they want. You press this button. Take their money. Give them their ticket. There, you’re trained. JOSHUA: Now what? VICKY: Now sit down and wait. But don’t get anxious. No one’s coming tonight. It’s Christmas Eve and all our movies suck. JOSHUA: This beats working at concessions. Thank God I didn’t get stuck with that Bar One job. That would’ve sucked. VICKY: Stuart is certainly loving it though. Have you seen that look in his eye when he’s running Concessions? JOSHUA: What do you mean? VICKY: He usually smiles, and treats the peons with respect†¦ but his eyes†¦ They’re lit up like a power hungry mad man. I think he pictures himself as some pharaoh who whips the backs of his slaves, just to sell a few extra drinks. JOSHUA: Really? I haven’t noticed. VICKY: He told me you guys went to grade school together. JOSHUA: Are you guys dating? VICKY: Why do you ask? JOSHUA: He told me you were dating but that you wanted it kept secret. VICKY: If I was dating someone why would I want to keep it secret? JOSHUA: Uh, maybe because Stuart’s kind of a nerd. VICKY: So you did go to school together? JOSHUA: We met in the fifth grade. You know how every class has a kid who gets picked on throughout the whole year by everybody? That was him. No one liked him. VICKY: Why? JOSHUA: Well, it started out just because he was the new kid. His folks just moved into town to set up a new church. They were husband and wife ministers or something. Very, I don’t know, just kind of friendly and creepy at the same time. VICKY: I met them. I know. JOSHUA: Anyway, kids in school picked on him because he was new, and a little weird looking. You can’t tell it as much, but his face was completely covered with freckles. Big brown freckles†¦ kind of like†¦ um†¦ like someone flicked splotches of paint at him. VICKY: I always thought they were kind of cute. JOSHUA: And then no one liked him because every chance he got, he started talking about Jesus. He did a book report on the entire Bible. In art class, he made a crown of thorns ashtray. He tried making Noah’s Ark out of clay, but it exploded in the kiln. And then one day we were supposed to give a speech, an oral report on the country of our choice and he picked Israel. VICKY: Well†¦ that’s not so bad. JOSHUA: During his whole oral report†¦ he spoke in tongues. VICKY: Really? I had an uncle who got into that. He’d speak in tongues before every Thanksgiving dinner. But he had one of those robot voices because of his throat cancer, so it was really low and scary. Like Darth Vader speaking pig latin. JOSHUA: Stuart wasn’t as entertaining. And to top it off, the kids started hating him more because he wanted to be the teacher’s pet. VICKY: That doesn’t surprise me. He kisses up to all the managers... JOSHUA: Same thing we the school teachers. And the lunch lady. And the principal. Most kids said he was a tattle tale. There was this one bully who hocked a loogie right in his hair, right in the middle of class. VICKY: Oh please, I just ate buttered popcorn. JOSHUA: But anyway, I felt sorry for Stu. So I let him hang around me at recess once in a while. He was okay. Sort of clingy. He never wanted to leave my side. I got beat up a couple of times by Troy, just for sticking up for him. VICKY: Are you two still friends? JOSHUA: I guess. But it isn’t like grade school anymore. We don’t hang out. I was kind of surprised to see him when I got hired here. He left before we finished junior high. His parents put him in some private school. So, are the rumors true? VICKY: What rumors? JOSHUA: I heard echoes from the girls locker room. VICKY: You perv. JOSHUA: Well, they were talking so loud, I couldn’t help it. VICKY: Okay, dork, what did you hear? JOSHUA: That you’re not interested in Stuart anymore. That you are, oh what were the words, that you’re almost done toying with him. VICKY: Well that makes me sound like a bitch. I kind of like that. JOSHUA: So? VICKY: So? JOSHUA: It’s just me, you, and the fishbowl. VICKY: Why should I talk about my love life? Or lust life? What about you? I bet youve had a lot of girlfriends. Probably broken a lot of hearts. JOSHUA: Not really. Ive never been in love or anything. Just casual dates and stuff. I mean, for all intents and purposes I’m pretty much like all the other geeks you’ve been describing. VICKY: But you wear that letterman’s jacket. You’re kind of a jock. I say that with all due respect. VICKY: Well, you have to understand. I’m the kind of girl who takes pity on poor pathetic geeks who have never kissed a girl. Let’s just say that I like someone who is easily trainable – someone who will truly appreciate me. It’s sad, I know. But hey, I’ll take an ego boost wherever I can get it. Unfortunately, these adorably nerdy boyfriends get boring after a while. I mean, I can only listen to their computer games and mathematic equations for so long. Of course, Stuart’s different in a  lot of ways. He’s terrible at math, for one. And he’s pretty clueless about technology. But he’s a comic book sort of geek. And a hopeless romantic. He’s pre-occupied with holding my hand. Everywhere we go, he wants to hold hands. Even when we’re driving. And he’s got this new pastime. He keeps saying â€Å"I love you.† It was so sweet and wonderful the first time he said it. I almost cried, and I’m not the kind of girl who cries easily. But by the end of the week, he must have said â€Å"I love you† about five hundred times. And then he starts adding pet names. â€Å"I love you,   honeybunch.† â€Å"I love you  sweetheart.† â€Å"I love you my little smoochy-woochy-coochi-koo.† I don’t even know what that last one means. It’s like he’s speaking in some brand-new, love-infected language. Who would have thought romance could be so boring? JOSHUA: Is it boring? VICKY: You mean you don’t know from  first-hand  experience? JOSHUA: Yeah, I swim. But that’s not what I lettered in. VICKY: What was it? JOSHUA: Well now you’re going to laugh. VICKY: Perhaps. JOSHUA: I lettered in  choir. VICKY: (Laughs. Falls off  chair.) They let you letter in choir?! Oh, that’s priceless. JOSHUA: You can also letter in drama. VICKY: Oh, that’s pathetic. JOSHUA: So, you’re done with school, right? VICKY: Since last summer. Sweet. sweet freedom. JOSHUA: Now what? VICKY: College I guess. Back to captivity. I’m taking a year off first. JOSHUA: Did your friends already go? VICKY: Friends? I hated everybody in high school. JOSHUA: Hey, me too! I was hoping the Grand Cinemas would improve my social life. VICKY: (Laughs.) Has it? JOSHUA: I’ve met some cool people, I guess. Like you. VICKY: Like me? JOSHUA: Yeah, well, and others. Like Rico. VICKY: OH. JOSHUA: Is that bad? VICKY: No. Rico’s cool. I just wouldn’t trust him with much more than a postage stamp. JOSHUA: Thanks for the advice. VICKY: I used to want a social life but I think I’m content here in the box. If you want to see people, just wait till Friday night, they’ll swarm around you, begging you for tickets. But the glass on the fishbowl keeps them from violating your space. If you want to talk to someone, you just pick up the phone, and when you get sick of talking, you can just hang up. You can read, you can do your homework, or you can veg-out and watch the Grand go by. You can swipe snacks from concessions and on hot days, we’ve got air conditioning. If you’re bored you can spin around on this thing. (She spins around on the chair.) JOSHUA: Wow. You’re pretty good. VICKY: My record is eight rotations. All thanks to twelve years of ballet. JOSHUA: Really? VICKY: Hey, what did you get at the Christmas party gift exchange? JOSHUA: A Chia pet. VICKY: I got the worse possible present ever. Listen to this. I’m in this dance group, right. Ballet. I’ve been doing the Nutcracker for the past two months. I’ve been having nightmares with the ‘sugar plum fairie suite’ playing in the background. Every mall or department store has been playing Tchaikovsky. I can’t get away from that God forsaken music! It drives me nuts. And guess which CD Mrs. Sanchez buys me? The Nutcracker. I hope I pick her name next year. I had no idea she could be so cruel. That’s why it must be nice to be religious like Stewy. You can doom people to hell. JOSHUA: Eternal hell over the Nutcracker? Now that’s a raw deal. VICKY: Eternal damnation. You’d think after a few thousand years you’d get bored with never ending  torment. Satan would come up to you and say, â€Å"Today you’ll be covered with man-eating ants and pummeled by a giant mountain gorilla.† And you’d just look at him and YAWN and say, â€Å"Again?! How dull. Are you running out of ideas already? Can I make a request for Bubba the mountain Gorilla, because he and I have a rapport going; we work well together, I think. (Pausing and completely changing the subject.) Do you think it’s possible to travel through time? JOSHUA: Someone has ADHD. VICKY: It’s this fishbowl. It really gets to you after a while. So do you? You know, think they’ll figure out time travel? JOSHUA: I doubt it. Maybe someday. VICKY: What would you do? JOSHUA: I don’t know. I guess I might travel back and find my great-great-great-great grandfather. Say hi. What would you do? VICKY: Well, if I had  a time machine, say they  invent  it when I’m like really old. Like 35 or something. Then, I’d travel back to right now, and I’d give myself advice. JOSHUA: What kind of advice? VIC KY: Who to be friends with. Who to avoid. What choices to make. What guys to like. JOSHUA: Why do you need a time machine? Just make the right choices now. VICKY: But how do you know if it’s the right choice? You don’t until after the fact. JOSHUA: Well, that’s the point. You take a chance and you learn from your mistakes. Or, you try something and it’s a great experience. VICKY: And what if you regret it? JOSHUA: Then you regret it. I think not knowing what happened next is part of the fun. VICKY: Really? JOSHUA: Yeah. VICKY: Come here. He pauses for a moment. Then, they roll their chairs toward each other. She kisses him. He kisses back. They pull apart. JOSHUA: So†¦ VICKY: So†¦ Do you regret that experience? JOSHUA: Not at all. Do you regret it? They are both started as they hear the sound of a door opening. They look upstage. JOSHUA: Oh! Hi. (Suddenly regretful.) How’s it going, Stuart? VICKY: Hey, Stewy. Joshua and I were just talking about regrets. (Listens.) What do I have to regret?  Oh  nothing. (A sly smile on her face.) Nothing at all. Lights out.