Peer Response Entry 2 (Week 2)

I find myself really gravitating towards April's work. There is always something interesting to read and I get sucked in, then find something that I just HAVE to post about. Her original post can be found here: http://aprilantoniou.blogspot.com/2012/01/blue-in-red-state.html
April,
I loved the Blue in a Red State idea. This whole piece was the epitome of what Davidson was talking about "what makes you you." My favorite part was the : "Everyone went stiff. The fire crackled and spit in disdain while the crickets chirped like a group of frantic old gossiping knitters: “Did you hear that?” “Gasp!” “Oh my..." Crickets definitely seem like that when everything is quiet. I also liked the end. The idea of the "maybe I can learn to love purple" took me a minute actually, but then I laughed to myself realizing that you meant that there were good things to both the red and blue states and therefore you could maybe merge the two. That was pretty creative.
However, a question I have for you is where do you live? Because near my house, there is a Whole Foods, a Trader Joe's (a couple actually)and I believe a Jack in the Box. 
And finally, you are right when you said that the beginning of the piece is a little weak. It seems as though you start with a lot of telling about yourself. Maybe if you showed how you were born and raised in California, you could say:
"With my hair as blond as the grains of sand and my eyes as blue as the crystal Pacific, my body was the beach. I breathed sushi. The last of the Valley Girl breed, I believed everyone came to Hollywood seeking the fame, fortune and glamor she promised. Waitresses were never waitresses-but rather actresses. Customer Service Reps were recording artists. And everyone had their own scandalous celebrity story to leak. I, the insider, no impostor or visiting tourist to the world of pain and regret, silently smirked at the foolhardy aspirations of the many immigrants."
Or something like that.