- Which in class writing was your favorite? Why?
- The very first one, I think it was the credo. It took me back to my childhood and really reminded me about my grandpa and just all the reasons that family is so important. Chocolate Milk and Homemade Bread was the first writing and I still like reading through it. It just puts a big smile on my face each time I go through it. I think it really fits my personality.
- Which in class writing was your least favorite? Why?
- The dictionary assignment was definitely my least favorite. I know how to use my own words and definitions but when trying to write with words that are unfamiliar I got stumped. It was difficult writing with other people's words and definitions. The Dictionary Assignment was a tough assignment that really made my brain hurt. Trying to fit such random words and definitions in one cohesive story was very hard.
- Review all your writing chronologically (earliest to latest). List three interesting observations or changes in your writing. Which are the most profound (obvious and important)? Why?
- My writing got a lot more personal and as it got more personal, in my opinion, it got a little better. The words started to flow a little more when I was talking about something close to me rather than just a random free write topic. The free writing was kind of difficult for me unless I could really relate it to something close to me. I think the most profound thing with my writing would be that it changed for the better after writing almost every day for the entire semester.
- If you could change anything about your writing this semester what would it be? Why?
- I think I would have liked more writing. I would've liked to write more actual essays and a lot more cohesive writings rather than a lot of small free writings.
- What did you like best about this course?
- The course offered a lot of freedom and I liked that. I enjoyed a lot of the free writing assignments and I really enjoyed the point of view assignments like the Pigeon: Impossible assignment.
- What did you like least about this course?
- I was not a big fan of free writing, I learned to like it and apply those skills to my actual writing but I found it very difficult at times to just jump on a topic and write about it on the fly. I do think that it did help with just basic writing and typing though!
- What would you have done differently this semester if you could have a do-over?
- That's a tough one. I think I would probably do my blog throughout the semester rather than doing a big chunk of blog posts at the end.
- What did you learn about yourself as a student, a thinker, a writer this semester?
- I learned to apply myself a lot better and to study more efficiently. As a writer, I learned that free writing is a great way to clear your head to start doing more cohesive writing.
- What could I, Ms. A., have done differently to improve the course?
- More writing, less free writing. I would've preferred more actual essays as opposed to a lot of small free write assignments. Other than that, I really liked this class and you as a professor. I liked that even the random assignments found a way to have some kind of lesson in them. I expected the Gilbert's Gobstoppers to be really silly but it was a fun way to learn about the order of an essay and how it can be interpreted so differently based on the context.
- You begin this course with an engagement and participation score of an A. Attendance, participation in activities and group work help you to maintain this grade. Evaluate yourself and assign yourself a grade for the in class portion of this course. Don’t forget the reasoning behind your self assigned grade.
- I think I would give myself an A. I did all of the assignments and had them ready to go when it came time to use them. I put effort into most of my writing even when it would've been easy to just throw some words onto the computer and call it good. I worked my way through the assignments and made sure they were completed to where I thought they should be.
Friday, May 1, 2015
Course Evaluation
Passions
FRIENDS
I am passionate about my friends. I find myself most
comfortable just relaxing with a group of friends. One of my closest friends,
Chance, is moving to Illinois in about a week, so I’ve been spending a lot of
time at his house just hanging out. Lately we’ve been playing a lot of Mario
Party 10 with our normal group: me, Chance, my husband Michael, and our friend
Chris. Almost every evening we’ve all been gathering at Chance’s house for
random shenanigans. Most recently we’ve been playing Mario Party Badminton,
which gets very competitive and very heated. We also play a TON of board games,
lots of really obscure, super fun games. I feel like I truly become myself
around this group of people, there’s no effort to be anyone, they don’t care if
I laugh really loudly or take my pants off as soon as I walk in the door. They
make it really easy to relax and have fun. It becomes a lot more fun when
Chance’s partner Jon is home, but recently Jon has been in Illinois for his new
job. There really isn’t much more to say about friends because everyone has
felt this sort of camaraderie at some point in their lives, if not right now.
Friends are very important in life because they help you to unwind and
de-stress from the day. Even if it’s something as simple as a text message
saying Hey how’s it going? Friends are very helpful when there’s any sort of
issue, they are one of the first people you turn to when in need. I know that I
can always call up on Chris or Chance when I need anything because they’ve both
done the same with me. Chance always calls me up when he needs something.
a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of
mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations
a member of the Religious Society of Friends; a Quaker
Old English frēond,
of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vriend and German Freund, from an Indo-European
root meaning ‘to love,’
KNITTING
Knitting is a good relaxing activity. It helps your brain to
process information because of how repetitive it is. Knitting is very easy to
learn and very easy to become good at. I haven’t gotten very good at it, I just
have basic stitches down, but I jumped in the deep end and learned how to use
intarsia in my work. I’m currently working on a dice bag for my husband with
symbols from Magic the Gathering on the front. I’ve gotten one halfway done. I
wanted to learn how to knit so I could make all kinds of baby stuff because my
husband and I are trying to have a baby. My project with baby stuff is to make
stuff and at the end of the year, if we are not pregnant, donate it to babies
in need. So far I’ve made 3 hats, 2 booties, and a sleeping sack. I think
everyone should know how to knit because it’s very important to be able to
create something in my opinion. Finishing a project makes you feel very good
inside, like you have accomplished something huge. I felt so good after I
tackled my first intarsia project from start to finish. I even made my own
pattern. I really like intarsia knitting because you can do all sorts of
patterns and making your own pattern makes you feel even more accomplished at
the end because you can truly say you did it yourself. My next project will be
a baby sweater with a whale on it because whales are cute, or maybe a lobster
because I think those are funny looking. Knitting is just a great way to unwind
and keep your mind busy, I usually do it when I’m stressed about something or
I’m stumped over a problem. I’ll knit for a little while and give my brain time
to work out the problem.
Historians posit that knitting is a relatively recent invention because
there are no ancient legends of knitting like there are legends of spinning and
weaving, such as Arachne, Ixazaluoh, Nephthys, Amaterasu. There are no ancient
gods or goddesses who knit
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Senior Sex-Ed
In Central Florida, reported cases of syphilis and chlamydia increased 71 percent among those 55 years and older. South Florida saw a 60 percent rise in those two sexually transmitted infections among the same age group. In 2010, the CDC reported that rates of STDs in seniors had doubled form 2000 to 2010. The most commonly found STD was HIV, followed by chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea. While the reasons for this development aren't well understood, more divorces and better health might be the reason for the boost in sexual activity. In addition to being more interested in sex, today's seniors are extremely under educated about STDs on every level. Senior citizens are spreading STDs like wildfire. They are in competition with young people between the ages of 20 and 24 in terms of the biggest increase in STDs. The rate of STDs in older men taking erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra is twice as high as the non-medicated peers in the same age group. The problem however is that older adults appear to flaunt safe sex practices. For instance, seniors over 50 are six times less likely to use a condom than men in their 20s. The solution is simply to have safer sex. Getting regularly tested can solve a lot of problems, people over 50 are 80 percent less likely to be tested than 20-30 year olds. Choosing sex partners who you can have honest conversations with is very important. If you don't feel comfortable, stick to less risky, non-penetrative orgasm. And always, always wear a condom if you aren't comfortable with your partner.
The Heart and the Fist-Preliminary Discussion
The thing that stood out the most to me in the first half of the book was the scene where he is training with Earl and Derrick. I thought it was a really well thought out portion of text where he has to persevere through not really knowing much about boxing. It pushes him to work harder and he feels really accomplished when he is able to get on the Oxford boxing team. I though the way his coach related everything back to a life lesson was really interesting and really smart. If you are already going to be learning how to go through these boxing motions you should at least learn something important right along with it. I think the purpose of the book is to help people decide who they want to be. There are a lot of life lessons wrapped up in the humanitarian and military work. I think that Greitens has led a very amazing life and sharing all the lessons he's learned in a book that details all of his humanitarian work is great. It seems like every chapter and every adventure moves him forward more and more and it seems to have a pretty good lesson attached to it. I think it's also trying to teach a major lesson about compassion. I think it is very important to show compassion to everyone because you can never know what that person is going through or what they've had to deal with. I think that if everyone just assumed that the other person needed an uplifting word or a nice laugh, people would just overall be better. I think the audience is high school or college students. It holds a lot of life lessons and would be a great book for the high school senior unsure of what they want to do. It also makes a good book for me as a college student because the lesson is to be strong and caring. Sometimes college students work so hard at staying strong through tough assignments that they forget how important it is to be caring towards their fellow person.
What if computers were more user friendly?
If computers were more user friendly, they might be able to
process our thoughts directly from our brains or maybe just hear a command and
act on it. We have the technology, people do it with our smart phones every
day, why not install something like that on every computer and make it very
simple to use. Being able to process our thoughts directly from our brains is a
little more advanced, but can you imagine that? People unable to speak or type
would be able to use a computer. It might make them feel a little more normal.
We could make a lot of advancements in the way of child care as well. Being
able to “read the minds” of babies and toddlers. Never having to make the guess
of what’s actually wrong. We might even be able to gain insight into the minds
of coma patients. Are they actually “brain dead” or are they still able to
process thoughts just not being able to articulate those thoughts. We might
even be able to take the idea of a robotic surgery even further. Some doctors
already use robotic hands for the more technically advanced surgeries, if all
they had to do was think what they wanted, it would make those surgeries a lot
less complicated. If the technology was in place for computers to read our
thoughts, it might only be one small jump to making the computer artificially
intelligent, giving it a brain of its own. Allow it to process its own
thoughts. Robotic life might not be very far off. Certainly having a robot to
do things for you would be a positive thing, but people might take advantage of
it.
What if books were illegal?
If books were illegal, the world would be very dumbed down.
And I’m not talking about just fiction books, I’m talking about medical
journals, research documents, etc. I think that we would lose a lot of the
advancements we have made. Society had come so far and I believe that that is
mostly credited to books. Without books, we would have no knowledge of what
people in the past had done. Word of mouth is a great tool but it isn’t very
accurate. We lose something along the way when Bill told Sara that Mary told
him that Jack was working on a new way to do surgery. I think that everyone has
played the game telephone, the phrase gets so distorted after so many people
hear it and relay the message. Without books, it’s very difficult to verify
your information, especially if the supposed source is dead. A lot of the
information we still use today is due to someone, long dead, that has given us
those words. If they were never able to write them down, it would strongly
change the way that society has advanced. We might not have ever even made the
computer, the MRI, the lightbulb.
What if you could only use your smart phone for an hour a day?
I think that if smart phones had limitations the world would
be a much friendlier place. If everyone put down their phone and only picked it
up for an hour a day, can you imagine how much more work would get done? No
more endlessly scrolling through Facebook, playing the latest game craze, and
no more constant text messaging. You would have to meet with your friends to
talk to them rather than typing. It would also allow our time on the phones to
be a little better spent. Maybe filled with reading the news, answering work
emails, catching up with long distance family. Maybe if we powered down those
devices a little more regularly we would gain skills and traits we didn’t know
we were capable. We could potentially become famous writers, actors, CEOs. I
think there is a lot of potential involved with being less addicted to
technology as a whole. When we think about communication, most people
immediately jump to texting, skyping, or Facebook messaging. What if we took it
back a few years, to letter writing, face to face communication, or even phone
calls? I think people as a whole would learn a lot about themselves, meet new
friends, and possibly even become something they’d never even dream of.
Technology might be setting us back more than it is launching us forward.
Technology is a very powerful thing, capable of vast processing capabilities
and numerous scientific capabilities. But when boiled down to its most average
usage, it’s merely a tool for Facebook stalking and looking at pictures of
silly animals. Having a device capable of so many things stuffed in your pocket
is something that most people take for granted. But not so long ago, cell
phones were attached to your car or needed their own backpack to carry them. No
one really stops to think about what they are really capable of. Technology is
a wonderful advancement. But with that advancement comes a price, we are losing
the capability of face to face conversation. We lose the ability to talk to
strangers and become friends with them, too busy with our faces stuffed in our
phones.
What if?
What if…
What if evil did not exist?
What if every turn you had to make was a left?
What if our computers suddenly revolted?
What if your face randomly changed every morning?
What if the internet randomly quit working?
What if you could only use your smart phone for an hour a
day?
What if every single car looked exactly the same, except for
different license plates?
What if everyone wore the same outfit every single day?
What if money was nonexistent (barter and trade)?
What if everyone had gills?
What if books were illegal?
What if women still weren’t allowed to vote?
What if everything suddenly doubled in price and wages were
cut in half?
What if zombies roamed the earth?
What if superheroes were real?
What if your hair was snakes?
Traits and Characteristics
Her name is Sally. She is generally a very happy person;
always tries to be very friendly, especially to strangers. Sally decided to
take a trip to the hair salon one day, she was very tired of having boring,
straight hair. As she was driving to her favorite hair salon, she paid special
attention to all the people she saw as she drove. Many people just enjoying the
company of friends, walking along the sides of the street. She walked into the
salon and sat down in one of the chairs to begin her wait. She picked up one of
the many various hair magazines, as she flipped through the pages trying to
figure out what she wanted to do to her hair, she saw a couple kissing and
cuddling outside. Being as bored as she was, she found it very funny and began
laughing. After recovering from her laughter attack, she took a look around at
all the people in the salon, some people falling asleep in their chairs, some
employees listening to music, some writing down the things they need to order
for the store. Sally finally gets called back to the chair and lounges back to
get comfortable. The worker asked her what she wanted. Sally decided she wanted
to do something a little different. Sally has a tattoo of a mermaid on her
upper arm and a fish earring in her left ear. This gave Sally an idea. She
decided to use all the aquatics as inspiration. Blue and green mermaid hair.
This definitely matched her bubbly, giddy personality. She told the employee
what she wanted and they began talking. They were both really talkative and
talked the whole time. Sally began to get sleepy towards the end of the hair
dying process. Sleepiness always made Sally very giddy and with giddiness,
Sally got loud. They worker thought this was very funny. She finished up
Sally’s hair and Sally left the salon to enjoy a lazy evening at home with her
great, new mermaid hair.
Stress...From Different Points of View
I’ve always been told that stress is a bad thing, but I’ve
never really let it get me down. I’ve never let stress hold me back. I believe
that stress is necessary. It goes back to a life lesson: you can’t have the
good without the bad. I strongly believe this is true, you need to have
hardships to truly identify and appreciate all the good times. Stress is a
hardship, but it’s one that you can’t really avoid. Everyone will face tough
times and everyone will get stressed to the point of pulling their hair out.
But if you learn to appreciate the good times a little more, it makes the times
of extreme stress a lot easier to handle. Stress lights a fire inside my soul
to make me work a little harder and push a little more. I think that if
everyone were to view stress in a similar fashion, there would be a lot less of
the typical stress related ailments like high blood pressure and heart attack.
Stress can be negative but I think it’s only negative if you allow it to be. If
you work really hard to enjoy and appreciate the little things that make life
great, stress will be significantly less negative for you. It might seem kind
of counterproductive to think of something like stress as a good thing, but
apparently this line of thinking can actually save your life. The health
psychologist found that stress, when thought about in a way that made it more
positive, could actually lower your risk of dying in a stress related way.
Something as simple as switching your brain from thinking of stress in a
negative to a positive way could help you live just a little longer.
A major conflict I have is with my husband and it’s not a
typical conflict, we are trying to have a baby. We are both all for it and both
ready for it but it hasn’t been easy. We’ve been trying for about two years now
and it just doesn’t get any easier. Every month, we think “oh, this is our
month” and every month it isn’t. It gets to the point where we both want to
give up but we haven’t. It’s very difficult holding out hope for something that
just won’t happen. It’s very difficult listening to all of the “It will happen”
“Just wait it out” people. Everyone seems to think that if we would quit
stressing about it, it would just happen. But that’s not who we are. I wouldn’t
even say that we stress about it, I firmly believe that everything happens for
a reason, so our long wait has a purpose. The universe just hasn’t revealed
that purpose to us yet. Neither of us will give up hope but it is a conflict.
We don’t necessarily argue about it but it does create some tension between us.
It’s mostly an inner conflict, I struggle with the fact that it might never
happen. It becomes very difficult to see babies or anything baby related.
I am the struggle of trying to conceive. I make good people
wait too long to have something they’ve waited their whole life for. I love to
watch the faces of people who have gotten so excited fall so rapidly when they
realize it just hasn’t happened yet. It’s not always my fault, sometimes it’s
something they are doing wrong. Sometimes, I just like to play around with them
like puppets on a string. My favorite thing to do is give babies to people who
aren’t prepared to have them or can’t take care of them properly and deny them
to the people who would be great parents. It’s fun to watch the exasperation of
someone when facing a baby who is being neglected. I like to wait just until
people have given up all hope to grant them this wish they’ve wished for so
long. Especially Misty and Michael, I won’t give them a baby until all hope has
been lost, until they don’t want to get out of bed, until they can’t bear to
see anything about babies. I live to cause trouble, to twist people up in my
web of sadness.
The conflict of trying to conceive is a tough battle for
women everywhere. Something they struggle with on the deepest of levels, this
is something their bodies were made to do and they can’t seem to do it right.
Women will go to all sorts of lengths to try to get that ever wanted positive
pregnancy test. They will do all sorts of extremely out there things. The
current trend is eating the core of a pineapple every day. It might actually
work, who knows? But women everywhere that are trying to conceive find it
necessary to run to the store and buy pineapple on the chance that it might
actually work. This struggle is very real, women can become extremely depressed
because of this.
If I were a color...?
Yellow
If I were to be a color today, I would be yellow. I’m in a
very good mood and very excited for the day ahead of me, so I’m sunshiny
yellow! I woke up full of sleep and refreshed. I got in the shower, brushed my
teeth, and got dressed. And I smiled the whole time. I fixed my hair and put my
make up on and just kept smiling. I’m very excited to start my day after class.
I’m being picked up by my wonderful husband and my awesome Milo. And then we
are taking Milo to PetSmart to get a new toy. After that, we are going to Bass
Pro because Milo likes to look at the fish in the fish tank. We are going to
have a nice lunch, where I will share half of it with Milo and Michael will eat
most of the other half (They are hogs!) After that, I’m not sure what we’re
doing. But today I feel like nothing can bring me down, like nothing can burst
my bubble. I’m very on top of the world today. The feeling of pure euphoria is
very yellow to me. Anytime I see yellow I think of happiness and joy. How else
do you write about a color? There isn’t much more to say. Yellow is bright and
sunshiny, filled with warmth and bliss. There is nothing happier than the color
yellow, but today I might just have it beat.
Yellowyellowyellowyellowyellowyellowyellowyellowyellow It’s so weird how if you
look at word, type a word, or say a word too many times it no longer feels like
a word or doesn’t look like its spelled right. The human brain is so weird
because it thinks things like that. Do you every stop to think about the fact
that the brain named itself. Where do words come from?
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Slogan
My slogan is Go Outside. I really feel as though every
problem can be solved by going outside. The feel of fresh air is sometimes all
I need to rejuvenate myself. My favorite thing about being outside is late at
night when you can walk outside, be immediately embraced by a crisp air and
look up at the stars. I love feeling like I’m
a part of something bigger and looking at the stars always makes me
realize how small I am in comparison to everything else in the universe. I
really enjoy taking my dog Milo to the park and going on hikes with him, being
outside just instantly improves my mood. It’s also my favorite place to argue
with my husband, it seems to make the arguments really insignificant because we
are so small compared to all the wonderful things to be witnessed if you just
walk out the door. Spring is my favorite season because all the flowers in
bloom make the outside so beautiful. It makes for the best hikes. This spring
and summer, I’ve decided that every weekend my husband and I are going to take
milo to a different park. Milo absolutely loves being outside so it always
makes getting out of the house a priority because Milo is very spoiled. What do
I write about now? What wlkjjfjfjfjfjdadfljkadfljkafljkdfajkl;adfsljk
Being outside is Fantastic
Being outside in the woods is amazing because everywhere you
look is another beautiful thing to be seen. There’s’ always something to look
at. Going into the woods and going on a long hike is my absolute favorite thing
in the entire world. Usually when we go hiking, we always pack sandwiches and
find some really secluded area to stop and eat lunch. What else is there to say
about being outside I’m not really sure what else I can say about it everyone
has been outside everyone knows what it’s like its not really all that
different for me so what else can I even say about go outside being my
slogan go outside and find out for yourself.
I don’t think I need to explain to anyone about going outside. I’d really like
to go camping this summer because I think milo would really like that. I also
plan on taking milo to the lake when we go fishing. He’s not a big fan of water
but I think he would enjoy lounging by lake and seeing the fish as we reel them
in.
Romance Story
They had known each other for a long time. Sally and Sam had
been together for so many years. They still loved each other like teenagers and
every time they looked at each other, they had such a big smile on their face.
One day Sam was taking a leisurely drive to Sally’s house. Sam always said
Sally’s eyes were just like dark chocolate, warm and dark, full of cheer. Sally
thought Sam had the body of Adonis, long and lean, beautifully adorned with
colorful artwork. Sally was always
bursting with energy, very childlike. Sam’s voice boomed with the power of
thunder and lightning, much like Thor. Sam looked deep into Sally’s eyes and
wrapped her in a warm embrace, their lips meeting and bringing down the power
of a thousand Mjolnir’s. They pulled away from each other and jovially
chortled. Sam ran his fingers through Sally’s straw-like hair. They both
lowered down onto the couch in Sally’s front room and Sam turned on Netflix.
They eased into the curves of each other’s bodies and settled in for a sluggish
evening of slumbering.
I Believe...
I believe that Michael makes my day better.
I
believe that Milo makes my heart happier.
I believe in keeping your head up when you don’t want to.
I
believe that taking a deep breath can make any situation bearable.
I believe in hope.
I
believe where there’s a will, there’s a way.
I believe that leisure time is very important.
I believe that people are good as a whole.
I believe that everyone makes mistakes and they shouldn’t be
held against you for too long.
I believe in changing when necessary.
I believe where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Being strong is sometimes an extremely hard thing to do. When
everything around you is breaking apart and you don’t really have any other
option, it becomes even more important and somehow even harder. Making the choice
of what to do with the things around you takes even more strength than actually
being strong. Simply choosing that you will be strong is a tough decision.
Choosing the other option is even tougher. When presented with any tough
situation, I like to take a deep breath in and then push it (and all my negative
feelings) out. After that It makes it a little easier for me to choose being strong.
I’ve always made that choice. Be strong, keep everyone else together. Be
strong, you have to set an example. Be strong, someone else might be feeling
weak. You must find the thing you are fighting for and think of it all the
time. Use it to keep you strong. I believe that where there’s a will, there’s a
way. You can make it through anything. Any tough decision, bad news, heartache,
ANYTHING if you truly want to. If you have the will power to pick yourself off,
dust of the negativity and fight, you can find a way to beat whatever is
holding you down. Fjfadkfjadwhat else do I write I have no idea how to continue
my writing what more is there…..it’s a simple statement. Jkla WRITE WRITE WTIEE
Simply saying that you are strong isn’t’ enough sometimes, you must prove it to
yourself and to the people you are staying strong for. Some people may need the
example you’re giving to help them make the choice to be strong the next time
they are faced with a tough decision. If you believe in yourself, believe you
have the will power, you will be able to get through anything. Ughhhhhhhh
Fear
My biggest fear in the world is not accomplishing my goals
or aspiring to be more than I can achieve/ I’m always worried that my dreams
are too big and I won’t accomplish them. My husband often tells me that I’m
just fine the way that I am and that if I don’t accomplish anything it won’t
matter. My biggest goal is to have a successful family restaurant with my
husband. We want to own a southern style restaurant hopefully soon. I’m always
worried that we won’t accomplish that and that we will have to work at jobs we
hate just to support ourselves. It’s very important to me that we achieve this
goal so that our future children see that you can do anything that you set your
mind to. I want them to realize the value of hard work and dedication. And
hopefully when they get older they can work at the restaurant as well. I’m
terrified of the possibility of not being the perfect role model for my
children. Because of this, it is a little unsettling to hear the voice in the
back of my head say that these goals might be a little too large or a little
too far down the road.
Another fear that I have is losing any of my loved ones. My
parents aren’t in the greatest of health, my dad has been the victim of many
heart problems and my mom’s health has been declining due to taking care of my
dad for so long. I constantly struggle with the fact that my parents might not
be around long enough to meet or enjoy their grandchildren. I know that they
would love having a grandchild but so far, it hasn’t been in the cards for me
and my husband. I also fear losing my husband. I often have nightmares about
losing him in a freak accident. I know these fears are wildly irrational but
it’s hard to shake that feeling.
Fear is a big part of, I believe, everyone’s daily life. It
is just a matter of rising up and striking down that little voice in your head.
Unfortunately that is not the easiest thing in the world. At a certain point,
you have to either beat your fears or get buried underneath them. Fear can be a
good or a bad thing. Some people see fear as a way to better yourself, thinking
that if you can conquer those fears, you will be stronger. Others use fear as a
kind of negative reinforcement. Either way is fine, though I believe that
We will have to work at jobs we hate just to support
ourselves
The voice in the back of my head is constantly telling me to
better myself so that my husband and I won’t have to work forever. It is always
telling me to make sure that every decision I make is something that will
benefit our future. It’s the reason that I’m in college and the reason I have
plans to further myself after a business degree. It’s the reason that I’m
constantly pushing my husband to try new things in the kitchen. I want for us
to be successful business owners so badly but things like that don’t just
happen overnight. It takes years of hard work and dedication to that dream. I
just don’t want to waste my life doing a job I hate to make ends meet. Waste my
life working rather than pursuing dreams, crossing things off my bucket list,
or spending time with my loved ones. I want to make sure that I do as many
things as possible, learn as many things as I can, read and dance and love
until my heart overflows. I want to give my husband and my future children
everything I can. I want to make sure that they want for nothing. That they are
fulfilled and content without being spoiled. Doing this requires me to work as
hard as I can now to ensure that I won’t have to later on. It requires me to
push my husband to work overtime so that he can open his dream restaurant and
be able to retire whenever he wants. I want to enjoy the time I have left with
my parents, so that I never have to wonder if I did enough for them or worry
that I didn’t say the right thing. It’s very important to me that I’m able to
enjoy as much as possible in the world and never have to regret not doing anything.
The future is a very scary world. It’s unknown and real and
very overwhelming at times. Knowing that it’s coming no matter what I do is
terrifying.
It’s the reason that I’m in college and the reason I have
plans to further myself after a business degree.
Right now I’m pursuing an associate’s degree in small
business management. I am pursuing it because I want to be able to manage the
business my husband and I start up. That is my dream job. Unfortunately, a
small business management degree doesn’t get you a job right away. It looks
good on a resume but doesn’t get the door open all the way. I think that after
I finish this degree, I am going to try to go into a nursing program or a
veterinary tech program. My whole life I wanted to be a veterinarian and work
with animals and then one day I just woke up and decided that I wanted to own
my own business, so from that point forward all my gears shifted towards
achieving that goal. But now that I’m on the right track for my business, I’ve
kind of started looking at the veterinary idea again. I’ve sort of been able to
uncloud my head from being so wrapped around business. I’m now able to look at
it in a way that my business degree is for the future but I could be a vet tech
for my present. Have a dream degree and a practical degree. And who knows?
Maybe after the restaurant is open and successful I could open a veterinary
practice or a dog shelter. And use those skills as well. After taking a break from
school and now being back in, it really makes me want to pursue more education.
It makes me want to learn as much as I can but use it in practical way.
Fadfakldfakdjflakjdflkajdlkfj;aldkjfa;ldkjfaldkjfa;ldkjflajdfajfjfdjfddfdfdadfadfadfadfadffffffffffffff
Education is really important to me because of the way it just
fills you up inside. I get very fulfilled when I think about learning and potentially
bettering myself for my future. Fadadadf this is very hard to put my ideas into
writing…….
The moment that kind of sealed the deal on moving in the
direction of a vet tech or even a veterinary degree was when I told my parents
about my ideas and the way my mom’s face lit up with the words veterinarian
came out of my mouth. She always wanted that for me.
Personality
Magic
I started playing Magic
the Gathering about 4 years ago. It was a way for my now husband and I to bond.
We had stuff in common but we wanted an activity that we could share together.
He already liked magic and played a lot with his roommate. His roommate saw my
getting into this hobby as a loss of guy time with Michael. They would go out
and do it every Friday as there way of catching up after the work week was done
and when I started playing they didn’t have that guy time connection ( or something
I never really understood why his roommate didn’t like me playing magic with
them). I decided I was going to fix this problem, I was going to go the store
they played at and I was going to bring them pizza, not just any pizza but
their favorite: cheese stuffed crust, barbeque sauce, bacon, hamburger, and the
works. So I got a couple pizzas and headed to Eclipse, I walked in and Michael
was very excited to see me, his roommate mike, not so much. So I set the pizzas
down and stop to talk to Eric, the owner of Eclipse. We talked for a while and
then once Michael and Mike were done playing I took the pizza over to them. And
being my normal clumsy self, I trip over my own two feet and launch the pizzas
through the air and land face first in all the pizza sauce and toppings. I
stand up, barbeque sauce dripping off my face and hair and just burst into
tears of laughter. I run to the bathroom and clean myself up and then come out
to clean up my mess. Everyone is dying of laughter and I see Michael about to pee
himself. I walk over and start to apologize and he stops me. He says “Its fine,
it was a nice gesture but we can order another one.” (This is coincidentally
the moment I decided that I loved him) Mike stomps over to me and starts
telling me how clumsy I am and saying things like “how could I mess up
something as simple as getting a pizza?’ I proceed to tell him off
and order a pizza for me and Michael. After that, Mike and I never really got
along. Mike knew I was there to stay so if he wanted to remain friends with Michael
he would have to get over his hatred of me and I knew that I had to accept
Mike. Luckily we never really had to deal with each other much after that.
After that night, Magic became a bond for Michael and me. It has remained the
case to this day. We still regularly play together and we’ve gotten quite good
at it. When we moved from Salem to Springfield, we were quite nervous that we
were going to lose that bond.
Being my normal clumsy
self, I trip over my own two feet and launch the pizzas through the air and
land face first in all the pizza sauce and toppings.
I have always been very
clumsy but the clumsiest thing that stands out in my mind happened when I was 6
years old I really wanted my mom to buy me a pair of ballerina shoes and a tutu
but she just kept saying now. Six year old Misty was not a fan of the word no.
Mom and I went to run some errand s and pay bills and I though t that at the
end of all of it we were going to go to Walmart to buy my tutu and ballerina
shoes. We finish paying bills and we head down to Walmart. Before we out of the
car mom decided to say “sorry but were just here to buy groceries” I was so
unhappy that I just sat in the car and ran errands for hours just for nothing. So
I drudge my way through Walmart and mom ends up sneaking the tutu into the cart
without me seeing. We get to the car and she gives it to me to put on. I was so
excited until I realized I didn’t have any shoes to go with it. B ACKWARDS mom
gives me the shoes but I was upset that the tutu didn’t come with it. I was
throwing a tantrum the whole ride home. once we pull into the driveway I refuse
to get out of the car “no, no no” I scream and mom had had enough she starts
storming over to my side of the car and I start kicking my feet in the process
of kicking my feet one of those plastic ballerina shoes I loved so much flies off
my foot and straight through the front window of our station wagon. The window
shatters. Mom snatches me out of the car and throws me over her knee, all I
remember is pain and yelling. She spanked me and yelled at me until we were
both blue in the face. Dad comes running outside and I start screaming for him
to help me dad was always the good cop in our house he says” you got yourself
into this mess I’m not helping you get out of it” I’ve never been in so much
trouble as I was that day and anytime I think about being clumsy I think back
to that day. Luckily my clumsiness has subsided quite a bit. I’m even spill
free at restaurants now! Which is a big improvement compared to how bad I used
to be. Every single time we went out to eat somewhere I would always
spill me drink all over the whole table. It was terrible my parents didn’t’
want to go anywhere
Don’t Let the Little Moments Pass You By
I believe in appreciating the
little things. In a world that moves at such a quick pace, too often people
overlook the “little things”; those small things that punctuate daily life.
Before I explain this belief, I should elaborate on my definition of little
things. The things that make you smile throughout your day without you even
thinking about them, the feel of a cool breeze on a hot summer day, catching the
ice cream man when you really want ice cream, the feel of wet dog kiss as they
greet you when you come home from a long day. I believe that everyone should
stop and take the time to appreciate these little things in life.
One
of my favorite moments that has led me to this belief is going to the Donut
Hole with my Grandpa Dale. The Donut Hole is a locally owned donut shop in Webb
City, Missouri, where I grew up. Every Tuesday during the summer, my Grandpa
would take me down there and we’d spend hours eating donuts and reminiscing
with some of his friends. When I was younger I didn’t fully appreciate the
hours I spent there every summer. I was a child and my Grandpa and all of his
friends were 90 and up. And every Tuesday, they would tell the exact same stories
and laugh at the same jokes. I stopped going after a few summers and I still
regret not going. I’ve learned now to appreciate that time, to appreciate the
smell of fresh donuts, and to appreciate the coffee-breathed old men tell those
worn down stories.
The
story that has always stuck in my memory is my Grandpa’s Bonnie and Clyde
story. My Grandpa worked for Empire Electric Company for around fifty years.
During these fifty years, he loved to tell the story of the time he was ran off
the road by Bonnie and Clyde. He was dispatched to a call in a rural area,
remember that at this time the electric trucks were very different, more
similar to a regular pickup truck. He was on a ladder 20 feet in the air
working on a telephone pole when he heard the garbled transmission from his
truck walkie-talkie to get out of the area because Bonnie and Clyde were
coming. He got off the pole and into his truck just as Bonnie and Clyde zoom
past nearly running him off the road. A few minutes later, sirens and lights
flash by as the police try to catch up to them. I heard this story almost every
Tuesday for the entirety of my youth and I will never forget the big smile that
my grandpa got as he gauged everyone’s reaction, relishing in the gasps and
chuckles.
I
think back about that story and smile. I love remembering my grandpa’s wrinkly
face tell those stories, love the way all the old men dressed really nicely for
their weekly visit to the donut shop, love the warm feeling of sticky donut
holes as I made a huge mess with all the sugar. All those little moments are
the things I remember about my Grandpa and I honestly love them much more than
any big moment I can remember.
Learning
how to appreciate the little things in life has proven to be extremely valuable
to me. Finding joy in the simple things is a wonderful tool to have. One of my
fondest memories is a rather recent one. Almost a year ago, my husband,
Michael, and I adopted a dog. We had been looking online for a few weeks trying
to find the perfect companion for us. Michael pointed out a chubby, wrinkly dog
that I didn’t like at all and I pointed out a slender, furry dog that Michael
didn’t like. We found out that both the dogs we wanted were going to be at a
little meet and greet in town and we decided to go. We walked into the meet and
greet not really knowing what to expect. As we walked around, taking in all the
dogs just wanting to find their forever home, we stumbled upon the wrinkly dog
that Michael had fallen in love with. Upon first sight, I knew he was the dog
for us. He was stumbling over his own feet and constantly greeting everyone
with what looked exactly like a smile. We walked over to the cage that he was
in and just asked to start filling out the paperwork to take him home. Connie,
the lady who is in charge of Route 66 Adoption Center, told us to take him out
and start walking him around to see how well we clicked with him. When we
opened his cage, he rushed out and almost knocked Michael over with his wet,
sloppy kisses. It was almost as if he knew we were his.
Most
dog owners find those wet, sloppy kisses to be a burden, always cleaning up
drool, but I cherish each and every one. Milo is an English bulldog, Shar-Pei
Mix; basically a brown, 80 pound, wrinkly, drool machine that snores so loud he
can wake you out of the deepest sleep. Both breeds are rather prone to health
issues so I know we won’t get to spend as much time with Milo as we would like.
The owners that Milo had previously were not very good to him. They neglected
and abused him. When they had their new baby, Milo fell by the wayside. He was
left outside on a collar and chain and because of this he had a lot of health
issues when we got him, lots of sore spots and raw skin. In the short year that
we have had Milo, we’ve tried very hard to make him feel loved and his health
has drastically improved! We even included him in our wedding and he got his
own bow tie! Almost every weekend, when it’s nice out, we go hiking with him.
And usually we take a lunch and Milo gets more food than Michael and I do. Milo
also enjoys his visits to Petsmart, we take him there often and every time he
struts through the toy aisle, head held high and gets to pick out whatever toy
his stubby, little snout can find.
One
summer day, Michael and I were taking Milo on a hiking trip. We get to the park
and walk around to greet all the people and other dogs before we run off into
the woods. Milo does his usual happy trot around the park, so excited to see
other dogs and get to run around the woods. We head off into the woods and Milo
leads the way like normal. After he’s had his normal lunch of half a turkey
sub, he always wants mine, never Michael’s, we head back to the car. He
stretches out in the backseat and promptly falls asleep, snoring so loud the
windows shake. He was unusually spoiled that day, he got a puppacino. We
stopped by Starbucks for fruit smoothies and Milo of course got a tasty treat
as well. I will always remember the way the whipped cream splattered on his
face just far enough out of reach he couldn’t lap it up with his tongue.
Michael snapped a quick picture and it remains my favorite.
Anytime
I’m sad, I can call up on these little moments and be reminded about true
happiness. I can think about donut holes and old man stories and remember that
one day I’ll be telling my grandchildren about my stories over a round of
chocolate milk and donuts. I can think about Michael running around with Milo
in the backyard, Milo gleefully barking and running away as fast as he can. I
honestly don’t know what I would do without having these moments to call up on
in times of need. I feel as though everyone needs these little things in order
to make it through even the most normal of days. These things make me so happy
so quickly that it’s difficult to be upset about anything. They instantly
refocus my attention to simpler times of extreme joy. Who can be sad when
thinking about a big, slobbery pooch?
I think
it’s extremely important not to take these fleeting moments for granted. They
come and go so quickly that it’s very easy to not even notice their passing. I
find it very humbling to seek out such seemingly insignificant moments and
relish in their simplicity. It has overall made a very positive impact on my
life. I find happy moments even more pleasurable and sad moments much easier to
move past; it’s also much easier to find simple joy in rough times. Enjoying
these small moments is so fun to me and I only wish that the entire world would
share my view. If everyone stopped to enjoy one little thing, celebrate a little
victory, the world would be a better, much more positive place. If there’s one
thing the world can benefit from, it’s being a little more positive. In a world
with such negativity, appreciating the way a moment can make you feel is of the
utmost importance.
When I
think of happiness, these little moments in time are what come to mind: the
smell of a fresh donut, my Grandpa’s weathered hands waving around to punctuate
a story, the friendly barks of hello, the wag of a tail that shows how excited
he is for the simplest of things. These little moments are so easy to find if
we just take a second to look around and it’s never too late to look around and
find things to remember. To look for positivity in a world filled with so much
negativity is a truly wonderful skill. I believe in the importance of taking a
deep breath and celebrating the little things. To me, these little moments are
what keep me humble. They remind me to slow down and not take the small things
for granted. They show me how simple life can be if you take the time to truly
appreciate the little things.
Using a Personal Dictionary
While taking a leisurely, cool drive around Crimea, Hubert
looked up to the sky to see a storm brewing. He was on his way to his friend
Philip’s house to help Philip with his bullshit math homework. Hubert turned
down Roubideaux Street to get to Philip’s house. He got out of his kick ass
car, a white Nissan Versa to walk through the crazy path of Palm Trees that
lined Philip’s sidewalk. Philip greeted Hubert, “Hey dude, palalalala.” This
was their way of greeting each other. Philip’s Pekinese dog, Turkey, trotted
over to greet Hubert. Hubert was quite the bumbnerd which was why he was
helping Philip with his difficult homework.
“How much homework do you have to do, ya dingus?” Hubert
asked.
“Literally a freaking ton.”
Philip replied.
“Pazuzu. Really? That sucks”
said Hubert.
“Yeah my math teacher has a
real passion for my making my life as hard as a horcrux.” Whined Philip.
Hubert and Philip shushed up
and started working. The math homework was as weird and random as a jellyfish.
As the finished up, Hubert
stretched out his arms and said, “Sweetness, we’re done. We are some real legit
homework crushers!”
“Yeah that totally rocked!”
said Philip.
Hubert asked Philip if he
had any more homework.
Philip said, “eheheh, I have
another assignment about osmosis, I could use some help with.”
“Yay” said Hubert as he
pumped his fist in the air.
Defining Word
Laid-Back
My adopted Grandma and Grandpa taught me so much. They
taught me to take everything with a grain of salt and not worry about the
little things. Every day as we would share our chocolate milk, Grandpa would
tell me stories about his past. Grandpa died when he was two days shy of his
hundredth birthday so he had plenty of stories. He would tell me about working
on electric lines and running into Bonnie and Clyde. He had so many stories and
had experienced so much and when he shared it, he showed me that no matter how
bad something was, if you didn’t worry too much you could get through it.
Grandma would do the same, she was a few years younger than Grandpa but still
had plenty of stories to share. They had been married for around 80 years and
died within 3 days of each other. Grandma would often tell me stories about
their marriage and her different experiences being a wife and mother. It taught
me a lot about the kind of woman I wanted to be. She would share stories about
them building their house from the ground up and raising their son. They taught
me to embrace everything with a smile. Soon I learned that if I embraced
everything with a positive attitude, that’s what I would get in return. It’s
not always very easy to remember those life lessons when faced with adversity;
but I can always think about them and remember that it is so much easier to be
cheerful and relaxed than to get too worked up over anything life throws at you.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Pigeon: Impossible
This is Pigeon: Impossible. A short animation made by Lucas Martell, who wrote and directed the film with the help of hundreds of volunteers. You can find more information about Pigeon: Impossible or purchase some cool merchandise at his website: Lucas Martell Films
My name is Agent Smith [last name classified for your
protection]. My target today is Agent Beckett. I will be handing to him a
weapon of potential mass destruction, a weapon from the president himself. I
turn down 1st Street, rounding the corner where my favorite bakery
is. I see my target, Beckett, he has a donut, maybe from my favorite bakery. He
sees me, we begin to walk towards each other. I extend my hand with the
briefcase concealing the weapon and he extends his to grab it. The trade goes
off without a hitch. I begin back around the corner to take my post on the
corner of 1st and Central. I patiently wait for Beckett to perform
whatever mission he has been ordered to do. As I’m waiting, I begin to hear
quite the commotion. I round the corner once again to see the briefcase zooming
around the air. At this point, I’m not sure what I should be doing, I stand
there trying to maintain my cover, giving Beckett the time to correct whatever
mistake he has made. The longer I give him, the more and more the situation
gets out of control. A few more seconds pass by and I start to hear a low
grumble and feel the ground shake beneath my feet. He’s done it, exactly the
thing he wasn't supposed to do, I’m not sure what his task was but I know it
wasn't to do this. I turn toward the Washington Monument in time to see the top
open up. He’s past the point of no return. There’s nothing for me to do but
wait. The monument is fully opened now and the top of the missile begins to
appear. Bystanders are now turning to look, to see this secret that they were
never supposed to know about. I turn to see Beckett looking at the missile, he
looks to me, and I simply turn away. He made this mess, he has to clean it up. The
missile is beginning to launch now. As it shoots into the air, I see Beckett
extend the rockets out of the briefcase and take off into the air after it. A
few seconds later, he is followed by a pigeon. I’m not sure why the pigeon is
following him. A lot of the agents have pets but I didn't know Beckett had a
pigeon. As he is flying through the air, I start to assess the damage he has
caused. Bullet holes are scattered throughout the storefronts, cars are on
fire; he’s really done it this time. A short time later, I hear a loud explosion,
an explosion that sends a ringing through my ears. He must have fired his
anti-weapon rocket. I turn in time to see the missile explode into a million
pieces. Beckett has solved at least one of his problems. Beckett’s pigeon lands
and about a minute later, so does Beckett. The pigeon has Beckett’s donut,
Beckett must be congratulating him for a job well done. Beckett starts to
conceal the weapons and rockets into the briefcase. He takes a quick second to
look around before he puts on his sunglasses and blends in with the crowd. I’m
not sure what will happen to me or to Beckett. I certainly wasn't expecting
this to happen when I went out for my mission today. As I turn back around to
get back to my location, the top of the missile lands on Beckett’s pigeon. Poor
Beckett, first he messes up his mission and now he’s lost his pet pigeon.
Monday, April 6, 2015
Gilbert's Gobstopper: A Lesson About Essays
We had a really interesting lesson in my English 101 class today, about essays and how they should be structured. We took the pages of this book out of context and put them in the order we thought they should go in, We were then prompted to write one sentence per page telling the story. My group got all the pages in the correct order! This is our story:
Willie went to the candy store. On his way home, Willie showed off his new red gobstopper to the neighborhood animals. While playing with his gobstopper, he dropped it down the street drain. Willie's gobstopper went on an adventure. At the end of the drain, Willie's gobstopper became fish food. Howard the fisherman went fishing with his grandchildren and caught a BIG fish. One night at dinner, Howard and his wife Martha were enjoying the fish that Howard had caught earlier that day. When Martha into the fish, she was shocked to discover the gobstopper. Martha hated gobstoppers, so she threw it in the trash. The Roubideaux space garbage men came down from outer pace and collected the garbage, gobstopper and all. Roubideaux number 1 was emptying the trash when he came across the gobstopper. Roubideaux 14 decided to taste the candy and didn't like it so he spit it in to the dark abyss of outer space. Space man Fred found the gobstopper floating in space. The gobstopper became famous and appeared on the nightly news. While at the museum, Willie discovered his gobstopper. One night, two robbers broke into the museum and stole the gobstopper. The next day, the news of the missing gobstopper made the papers worldwide. Willie tells the police how it's his gobstopper and the police chase down the robbers and the gobstopper. They go on a wild car chase to the airport. The robbers drop the gobstopper out of the plane. It falls and hits some innocent farm animals. Willie is now sad thinking he will never find his gobstopper again. At Willie's 50th birthday party, a bird picks up the gobstopper from her nest thinking that it is an egg. While carrying the gobstopper, the bird drops it and it falls and hits Willie's window. It bounces through the window and hits Willie in the head. Willie is happy again because he found his long lost gobstopper.
Putting the pages in order could change the story so our story was unique from the other groups. It was interesting to see how the same story could be different just based on order. It demonstrated how different essays could be and how they weren't as simple as an introduction, a thesis statement with three points. three body paragraphs for each of the thesis points, and a conclusion to wrap it up. They could strongly vary, long introductions, no thesis, more than three body paragraphs. It was a really unique and interesting way to think about essays.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Chocolate Milk and Homemade Bread
Everyday after school, I would get off the bus and walk to my grandparent's house. They lived across the street from my childhood home which five year old me enjoyed very much. Everyday as a I opened the screen door, I was embraced by the smells of golden brown bread. Everyday my grandpa and I would sit at the kitchen table and drink a big glass of chocolate milk and eat a few slices of grandma's bread. She made it fresh everyday just so he and I could sit around the table and talk about the random things that children often do.
After that glass of chocolate milk, we would always go out to the garden and pick tomatoes and jalapenos. We would sit in the yard and eat our daily rewards. Sooner or later, grandma would come running outside to yell at us for leaving our dishes on the table. We'd drag our feet to go clean up our mess. Pretty soon grandma would wrap me up in one of her too big aprons and we'd start the task of mixing all the ingredients for the next days bread.
There are few things in life I remember as vividly as drinking chocolate milk and eating bread with my grandparents. It was my favorite time of the day. I remember stepping off the bus and racing to their house.
The best part about it is Dale and Sarah weren't even my actual grandparents, both of my Mom and Dad's parents died shortly after I was born, so the people who lived across the street just kind of adopted me as their own. They taught me so much in the short time I got to spend with them. I try to live my life by the same rules they did. Invite people into your heart and share with them the things that make you happy, even if it's as simple as chocolate milk and homemade bread.
After that glass of chocolate milk, we would always go out to the garden and pick tomatoes and jalapenos. We would sit in the yard and eat our daily rewards. Sooner or later, grandma would come running outside to yell at us for leaving our dishes on the table. We'd drag our feet to go clean up our mess. Pretty soon grandma would wrap me up in one of her too big aprons and we'd start the task of mixing all the ingredients for the next days bread.
There are few things in life I remember as vividly as drinking chocolate milk and eating bread with my grandparents. It was my favorite time of the day. I remember stepping off the bus and racing to their house.
The best part about it is Dale and Sarah weren't even my actual grandparents, both of my Mom and Dad's parents died shortly after I was born, so the people who lived across the street just kind of adopted me as their own. They taught me so much in the short time I got to spend with them. I try to live my life by the same rules they did. Invite people into your heart and share with them the things that make you happy, even if it's as simple as chocolate milk and homemade bread.
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