Then there was one..

I have never had to blog for a class. I have had to create a web page or design a PowerPoint but never keep a blog. I must say I enjoyed it a lot more than having a journal or some other such contraption. Somehow writing about thoughts online is easier than by hand. As far as using my blog to develop ideas.. yea not so much. Maybe I didn't get as in depth with my blog posts and that is why I couldn't really use them to develop my ideas. I have never really been good at just writing about what comes to mind. I tend to think too much making spontaneous writing difficult. But somehow I can ramble on like there is no tomorrow. Overall i really enjoyed keeping a blog. i felt it was a cool new way to express ourselves yet be somewhat professional. I hope to get an original idea like a blog again in the future.

Will this be a happy circle?

In class today we did two editing "workshops" to help better our essays. I enjoyed them both. The first little group session really gave me ideas and useful feedback. Both Erika and Nicole sat attentively and gave me ideas in which to better my essay. I quite enjoyed this exercise. The second workshop wasn't as productive in my opinion. I did as the loose instructions asked.. but all that was apparent was what I was missing. I wasn's as sure of how to fix my issues.

A Revalation

     Living in the dorms one encounters quite a few people. I will not lie. There are some people on my floor I can not stand for more than five minutes but for the most part I am making some friendships that will last a good while. We are all away from home and making it on our own but there are two very different paths on which people are walking. Some people don't seem to realize that they are sharing this space with other people. There is one pair in mind that never fails to wake me from my slumber around one in the morning each morning. There is also an individual on my floor who doesn't understand how to flush a toilet. How old are we? I seriously question the ability of some people to live away from the watchful eye of a guardian.
But with these inconsiderate people there are also some people that I feel truly blessed to be friends with. There are these two girls on my floor that were there for me when I was sick. You know you have a best friend when they pop in every half hour to see if they need to cleanse your puke bucket. You also know you have a true friend when they text you to see if you're okay because they heard an ambulance had to take a kid to the hospital because they passed out. It can be hard going to college so far from home but with true friends by your side, Christmas doesn't seem so far away. Thanks =]

The list

Writing out the outline was deffinately helpful. I enjoyed all the little comments and sarcasm that was writen into the paper. All jokes aside, filling this outline out really helped me structure my paper. I didn't finish the outline and I could deffinately tell. Once my paper was past my outline the writing got a lot harder. This outline is something I will keep close so that I can utilize its structure when I go to write other papers.

In Sarah Orne Jewett's "A White Heron" the visiting hunter is meant to represent the intrusion of industrialization and settelment on the native world.

Shockingg

Okay. When we sat down to analyze those stories I did not expect to find what was pointed out. To think that almost every piece of amazing literature has a whole separate story hidden under the surface is just mind blowing. It must take an author forever and a day to write two stories in tandem. As for my expirences alone, I found it hard to get started but once you found a lead it was easy to follow it through. It took me a good half an hour on one piece to get below the surface and even then I felt like I was pulling it out of the air. Im curious as to how everyone else did. Next time I will deffinately work on this sooner so I can compare with others before class.

A Deeper Look Into Symbolism

"A White Heron"

Symbol White:  White is shown in two basic forms in this short story. It is mentioned as the color of the milk from the cow as well as the color of the elusive heron that the hunter is hunting. As a general rule, white is a symbol of purity and innocence. I feel both of these can be directly relating to Sylvia as she completes the chores asked of her and goes about her life in the country. At times she seems to be one with the country. As an inference, I am going to say that the white represents Sylvia's purity of heart shown when she doesn't tell the hunter where the heron nests.

Symbol Hunter:  The Hunter is an intrusion on Sylvia's way of life. He causes her to question her morals and think hard. Given this I am going to say that he is a symbol of the settlements and what they represent. When the first settlers came to America they destroyed nature and just took over. This Hunter is much the same. He represents cities and urbanization. He came in and tried to change Sylvia's mindset on the nature she seems to be one with.

"The Yellow Wall-Paper"

Symbol Yellow:  The color yellow is given the understood meaning of sickness or weakness. If you take this color and couple it with how the main character insists she is sick throughout the story, one can almost infer that the yellow is also supposed to represent how she is weak. It might even stretch to say that all females are weak, or were treated as such in that time period.

Symbol Wall-Paper:  The story revolves around the wall-paper. The entire story, beginning to end, is about the main characters obsession with this paper. The fact it doesn't have a distinct pattern is important. If the wall paper is to represent how she is trapped in the house, then it represents the way all women were treated. Jennie is caught touching the paper in wonder and this can be taken as how she realizes her situation but doesn't know how to change it. Jennie is dumbstruck with how to get out of the stereotyped position she is forced to live in.

We Are All Treated Equally.. Naht

Back in the early nineteen hundreds women were housewives. Their jobs were to maintain the household and watch the children. When the man of the house went to work and the children were sent off to school, the wife was left home alone all day. These situtations caused the spark for ideas like Desparate Housewives as this source points out. I find this interesting because it talks about how in the 1960s and 1950s the womans eagerness to talk to anyone is the key flame behind shows like Deaparate Housewives. In the 1960s Women started to get jobs and get out of the house. I cant imagine being expected to stay home all day. I would get so stir crazy

Dangerous Games at Owl Creek Bridge.. ha

I didnt expect the ending of Owl Creek Bridge. When it stated that he had fallen asleep and was clearly dreaming, I just assumed he would wake up in the arms of his capture. Having his dream abruptly taken away by his neck snapping was not what I was expecting. I enjoyed how it started with teh end and then went back to tell us how he got there. Moving on to Dangerous Game, I love how in the opening Rainsford is making fun of another character teling her to be a realist, that there are hunters and those who are hunted. Then later he becomes the hunted. I enjoy the twist at the end when Rainsford is assumed dead but in reality isnt.

Omelas

Wow..okay. The idea of locking up one child in a basement just as a reminder to treat the rest well is twisted. If the society needs a constant reminder to be nice, they need thereapy. The town sounded nice, with its music and colors and smiles and such but then they talk about the child in the tool closet. I wish they told us why that child was chosen. Why that child alone must suffer in isolation. Maybe that child commited a crime.. or maybe that child was born with a defect. Along that line of thinking, if the child wasnt beautiful would it be locked away so noone could see it? If so, that is just wrong. In each persons imperfection there is beauty.

The Writing Process

Looking back.. I should have started earlier. I read my four sources, looked for a few more. Made my cute little note cards with quotes and such. The cards are handy in the fact I dont have to flip back through my sources. Taped the cards with each letters representation up infront of my face to make the parentetical citations easier. Now is the hard part, actually writing my essay. Music pumping softly, salad sitting to my left, door's locked, fuzzy socks are on, and Im staring at my computer screen. About two pages in and its starting to get hard. No matter how much information I gather I can never seem to stretch it out over mulitple pages. I need to work on that.

The Course as We Know it..

  Thus far I have mixed feelings about our English class. I am petrified of the day I lose all sense of reality and forget something in my room and have to sprint back to the north complex to get my book. Also afraid of the day my phone goes off and I have to perform a little dance for the class. These small fears aside, I enjoy when we make a circle like shape and have discussions. It bores me to sit there and listen to a lecture like I do in Psychology and Anatomy. I enjoy it when we can see everyone and we all get to talk. We all seem a lot more talkative when we are in a circle. Maybe it is less intimidating. I'm not a major fan of the debates. I am not a fan of the writers classes for extra credit all being when I can not attend (although you have no say in their times.. just thought I would throw that out there). Hmm not sure what else to mention. This class isn't my favorite due to the fact I don't like English. I feel I haven't really become a better writer.. my essays still lack that cohesive touch. I put time and effort into my papers but they never seem to turn out as I intend.

My Research Paper

I have decided to write about Type One Diabetes, or Juvenile Diabetes.

I will open up with facts on it, like how one in ten Americans have type one and how it isn't hereditary. I will talk about the differences between type one and type two. I will go on to talk about the technologies being created to make it manageable and where that will go in the future. Branching off of this sub section, I will talk about the few studies being done to cure diabetes. Currently there is one in England that is being experimented with. I will also talk about stem cell research that is focusing on how type one comes about and how they can prevent it.

Some of the questions I hope to answer are..
   1) What solutions are being proposed to cure diabetes?
   2) How close are scientists to finding the cause of diabetes?
   3) What technologies are being researched to better diabetes management?

I believe I can keep personal experience out of this paper. =]

What to write about?

Alright.. so.. this research paper. I can not quite decide what to talk about. I look at the list we wrote in class and I see some topics that could be good but if I write about something I don't know much about it might be better. I was thinking about writing about how smoking shouldn't be allowed in public. When an individual decides to smoke it effects everyone around them, not just themselves. I can be really passionate about that topic due to my grandma passing away due to lung cancer brought on by second hand smoke. Another topic I would like to talk about would be Diabetes. The research, the technologies, and even the prejudice I sometimes receive. I have been told I cant do certain activities due to my chronic disease as well as not receiving the same items as everyone else due to being diabetic. Just because I am diabetic doesn't mean I don't want the cookies. Just saying. Ignorance on diabetes is just annoying. If you have a question just ask me, don't assume.

As of right now those are my two choices I am thinking about.. I haven't quite decided which to do just yet.

Presentation Day

In class on Thursday all the groups presented their projects about revision strategies. The ones that are still vivid in my memory would be Dereck's Frankenstein example with jello, and the names like Cutting Clutter. I feel the presentations were really helpful. I used multiple strategies when revising my own essay that were presented in class. Having access to those on D2L will be beneficial later on when I find myself sitting in my dorm room staring at my computer wondering what to do next. Try as I might, those moments are inevitable.

"Hello, I will be playing the part of Lindsey Simmons"

    When the sub initially wrote that on the white board I couldn't help but smile. I could tell class was going to be slightly bizarre. When he started to talk, the first thing out of my friends mouth is "Where are you from?" I guess the southern drawl was more than a little noticeable. After the initial shock of having a different teacher, class seemed to go on as normal. We all chuckled when he talked about the notes he was given and especially when he started to teach us grammar. I personally was pleasantly surprised when he pronounced my name right but ten minutes later he said it wrong. When it comes to his name.. all I can remember is that his first name is James but he doesn't like to be called that because it makes him feel like hes a little kid being scolded. Some of the things one remembers is just odd.

the.. PrOpOsAl

   Every dorm room should come equipped with small colorful lights over the desk and under the bunks as well as normal lights because it creates a relaxing stress free atmosphere, cuts down on electricity bills, and allows for a more social environment.

How Stupid Can People Be

Just finished reading the excerpt due for homework and I am disgusted. The writer of half of those segments is just ignorant. I realize they are using sarcasm heavily and are purposely making fun of the government and the system behind it but give me a break. Calling Bush stupid on multiple pages was just ridiculous. Everyone is human, everyone makes mistakes, we did vote him into office. Reading about the "America Bashers" was also like pulling teeth. If you don't like the world we are living in, get off your butt and try to change it. Ohmygosh. Complaining doesn't do anything but aggrevate people.

Reading this assignment at night probably wasn't the smartest idea seeing my reaction but I didn't think about that prior. I wasn't expecting the pages to be a ranting on stupid comments on America. I thought it would be more centered on stuff that people have done rather than what should have been done. I like to consider myself neutral when it comes to politics for the very reason I dont really know whats all going on. But I do know enough to know that the author of these pages was pointing out all the extremes and left out quite a bit.


Heyyy its raining <3 time to sit back and listen to the storm

Pass Your Paper to the Right

I have never been a fan of having my paper peer reviewed. I always feel like I don't give out good advice because English has never been my strong suit. Not to mention I hate when my paper isn't as good as the one I am reading. This last time was no exception. I guess knowing that a fellow peer will be reading my paper gives me some incentive to do a better job this time around but I still dread handing over my paper to be ripped apart.

Some dialogue going through my head:
       I handed over my paper to Jessica. I accept Erika's paper. As I read my own I glance up to see a small smile spread across Jessica's face. Maybe this won't be so bad after all. Oh snap. This paper is awesome. I don't think anything needs to be changed. I sure hope she is okay that I'm not going to give much constructive criticism. Oh, what is this? Jessica liked my paper. She thought it was funny. Woot I did a good job. I guess having someone else read it is not half bad. 

New beginings

I feel like during class on tuesday we were told to blog about what we wanted to change or discover this year. Approaching this question I was puzzled.. What do I want to change about myself? I like my people skills.. I like my personality.. Maybe I want to take more risks without being stupid? I have always lived by the rules, I never really took any risks. I thnk this year I plan on expanding my horizons while staying in my bubble. I plan on accepting invintations more often unless I think itll be a terrible idea. Next time that an invintation is extended to me, I will take it. I will see where it all leads me.

Id like to think that ill say yes next time, like in yes man, but in reality im not sure I will. Only time can tell but I am hoping I can go home on christmas break and say I have done something new. Ive already done one thing.. I have walked through a drive through =] Everyone needs to start somewhere.. I have started here.

Food for Thought

Our reading, "Learning to Read and Write", provoked an interesting conversation in class. Would we risk our lives just to learn how to read and write? Most of us immediately said no but after some thought that answer wasn't so clear. None of us have been in a situation where we had to even think about the possibility that learning to read and write wasn't going to be given to us. Without this skill, one is lost in the world. There isn't a single job that doesn't require the ability to read the standard alphabet and in most cases one needs to be able to write up a resume in order to even be considered. Without the ability to read, one wouldn't be able to drive for lack of reading signs and one wouldn't be able to cook for lack of reading directions. No one even thinks about the possibility that education wont be offered. Our world would be turned upside down if they just told us we couldn't teach our children to read and write. I know personally, next time I am driving or making some cookies Ill stop and just think about how it would be different without my ability to read and ill appreciate it that much more.

Just because I'm bored.. a memory as I see it

It’s cold. *Beep* The air is filled with smells of alcohol swabs and sterile supplies. Directly in front of me is a bare white wall interrupted only by a brown door and a black rimed clock.*Beep* The air doesn’t seem to be moving. When I look left there is a wall composed completely of glass that shows a narrow balcony then the pale blue cloudless sky beyond.*Beep* When I look to the right I first see the reason for the constant beep then another glass wall but this one shows a round room with other rooms just like mine branching off of it and a solid oak desk planted right in the middle. The machine in question is my IV with a tube going into my left hand. A shiver works its way up my spine as a man wearing a blue nursing outfit and stainless steel cart opens my door. Foreign chatter flows into my room like a wave approaching the beach. It seems to just crash over me within a few seconds of the door being opened. “I am here to take your blood pressure” he tells me in broken English. I just stick my arm out without a muttered response. After his machine beeps like mine he rolls his cart of out my room and leaves the door open. The lobby of my floor seems like a bee hive. All these adults in identical blue outfits are buzzing around doing their jobs and recording data. Midst the chaos I see a face that I have seen my whole life. A huge smile spreads across my face as my mom comes into my room. She walks up to me and immediately pulls me into a hug taking me from my hospital room back to my home and family. She makes the current unfamiliar situation disappear. She makes me feel like nothing has changed. “Sorry I had to leave for the night sweetheart but don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere again.” Just like that my cold, sterile, foreign rooms transforms into a slightly better place to be.

Once upon a time..

       My name is Cira Watson and I am the third of four children. I have no hometown really because I have moved a total of nine times to seven countries. I was born in Crete Greece and proceeded to move to England, Germany, Cuba, Japan, South Dakota (Brandon), Belgium, Germany, then New Hampshire. When I was thirteen I developed type one diabetes and now have an insulin pump. With a college education I hope to become a nurse helping children manage and deal with their diabetes as I have. I am a very outgoing and social individual and never seem to run out of smiles. 

                                    peace out till next time