The End... Of My Blogs...

The whole blogging idea was a bitter sweet thing for me.  I had never done a blog before and frankly had never really heard anything about them.  I hated the blog at first because I did not know how to work it.  I had like five different blogs going on instead of one blog with multiple posts.  After I figured out how to work the darn thing it really grew on me.  I have come to like and enjoy blogging.  I am one to always be willing to give my opinion so I enjoy blogging.  I would much rather blog than do a journal.  Journals are not for me.  I think that all teachers that want a journal type thing should do blogs.  Typing about how you feel seems to be a lot easier and more enjoyable.  I am glad that Lindsey decided to roll with the blogs instead of journals.  After having multiple zero's in the gradebook because I did not know how to blog correctly and getting that all fixed... I have enjoyed the experience.  I now can say I am a true (well kind of) blogger. :)

Work, Work, Workshop Day!

I did not like workshop day.  I found the two types of workshop activities useless and a waste of time.  I have not gotten the chance to see if the third type of workshop will be helpful or not.  I really just did not like either of the workshop activities.  I found the reading out loud workshop to be the worse.  I do not the attention span to listen and do a mental critique at the same time.  I forget what was wrong with the first part of the story.  I also found that my feedback was "It was good" and I personally said the same thing to my two partners.  I hated that workshop.  The second workshop was useless also.  I was told nothing new about my paper.  I just like it when Lindsey gives me feedback and that is about it.  I have really bad experiences with workshops with students.  I would rather my teacher just tells me what all is wrong with my paper.

Turkey Day!!

I am personally not a Thanksgiving lover.  I have to work at 6 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon.  I do not like turkey, mashed potatos, sweet potatos, pie, or basically any Thanksgiving food.  I really enjoy the day after Thanksgiving... Black Friday! :)  It is my favoirte day!  I love all of the sales and being able to go out with my family shopping.  Black Friday is like a tradition to us.  I am excited for Christmas and Thanksgiving gets me in the mood.  I love setting up the tree and decking the halls.  I love the holidays but hate the cold.  I wish it could be Chirstmas with snow but not the cold weather.  Unfortunately that is not possible.  I am ready for the breaks, I need them.  I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!

The Brain Cell Saver!

I found the online to be extremely helpful.  I did not completely fill it out in the body section but it helped me know what type of paper Lindsey was looking for.  The outline helped me get out of a writers block and start brain storming ideas.  I did however find out that I am not a fan of literacy annalyze.  I found my topic hard to do and it needs a lot of work.  The outline did help a lot though.  I wish we would have had more outlines like this for every paper, it would have saved me a lot of time and brain cells.  I felt I over thought a lot of my papers and killed off a number of brain cells with my massive head aches.  Ha.  Overall, the outline was a great little helper and I am very thankful that Lindsey gave it to use to use.  It saved me some brain cells!

Thesis... Attempt One

Sarah Orne Jewett's, "The White Heron" and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wall-Paper" reflect a person's internal struggle with reality.

Reading Critically

I must confess... I do not read critically.  I am not the type to read something and think deeply about what each part of it means.  I need to work on this because I think reading critically is something that would really benefit me and everyone else in not only education but professional and personal.  I will have to read critically on the literature I choice to write about and I am nervous about it.  I am not a reader, I tend to avoid it as much as possible.  I am hoping to just somehow make it through this six page paper.  I do not know how I am going to do it but I will find away.  Critical thinking will lead a person to figuring out the theme, symbols, context, and more.  I will try to read more critically instead of just brushing through the literature.  If I was a critical reader I would be doing better on the daily quizes.   

Symbols

The White Heron

• White - purity
• Woods- being away from reality/parents
• Gun – power/control
• Child - innocence
• Cow – survival (get the milk from them)
• Tree- Sex
• Heron- Desire

The Yellow Wall-Paper

·         Wall-paper– confusion/mystery  

• Bars in the window- jail-like/trap
• Bed- confinement  
• Garden- life
• Writings- escape from reality

Women of 1920's

Women of the 1920's seemed to be "owned" by their fathers and husbands.  I think it is sick how little control and independence women had.  I do not think women are at all inferior to men so I definitely would have been a fighter for women's rights.  When a women got married she basically was signing herself over to the man and anything she had.  Women were not allowed to own property, keep the money they made, inherit money from their husband if he died without a written will, control their children, or make any family decisions.  The world was about men, men, and men.  I hate the idea of women just being a maid, cook, and practically a slave to the husband.  I would not fit into this era because I will not wait on any guys head and toe.  I am very independent and I am very proud of it.  In many ways women were not even considered a person.  Women a lot of the time did not hold jobs unless it was factory work and would never get a job nor be aloud to have a job.  Women were treated as dirt and it makes no sense as to why they were.  I think America has serious problems because we seem to always be unequal in some way like women rights, black rights, and homosexual rights.  We "fix" them as we go but we always are running into new ways that the country is unequal. 

Source:
The Social Studies Help Center: The Turbulent 20's- Roaring or Snoring. 

To be Hunted or Hung?

I was very interested in one story over the other.  I was motivated by The Most Dangerous Game.  There was on quote in the story that really bothered me.  General Zaroff says, "I had to invent a new animal to hunt."  This man obviously has some serious problems.  I think he needs to see a therapist badly.  Maybe if he didn't live on an island alone with just a "Deaf and dumb" Cosack and a pack of mean hounds he wouldn't be so bored with hunting animals and have to resort to humans.  The general is a murder and is very sick.  He not only murders the humans but he does a cat and mouse game with them.  He gives them three days to live and when he kills them he puts their heads on his wall.  Are you kidding me?  Who the hell would be in their right mind to put a head humans head on their wall?!  This man seriously shocks me.  I was so glad when Mr. Rainsford won the game and beat the general at what he does best.  I laughed and wanted to say "Suck on that, General!"  I was NOT a fan of General Zaroff.  He has some very serious mental problems that needs to be looked into.  He needs to be locked up for life.  The other story was weird.  I did not enjoy it.  I felt it had no point to it and was very confused by what the author was trying to get at.  I think it is weird to write about a man who got hung and than you are given a strange false hope that he is still alive because he escapes and gets away.  Then all of the sudden he has a vision of his wife all ready for him when his neck snaps and he dies of a broken neck.  I found this story gross and disturbing.  I was not a fan. Overall I think I would be interested in writing my paper on The Most Dangerous Game because I think I could write something solid.  I am not sure what I would go off of on it because there is so many options but I am sure I could figure something out.  So to be hunted or hung?  Hunted.

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

This story was different.  It is a very descriptive story and I thought it was a little too much and became overwhelling.  I finally figured out that Omelas was a place that everyone dreamed off going.  It was described as a paradice and "perfect" place to be.  I of course do not blieve that any place could ever be perfet it is just not possible.  The story started out as a wonderful place and a place everyone should want to be and in the end it turned out to be a bad place.  It was a place full of evil and sick people.  It was described as place full of selfish people that only cared about themselves and their own happiness.  The story described how people think their is a happy and perfect place but that you will find out there is not.  Overall, I found the story to be quite interesting but not my style of reading.

Research Paper Writing in Progress

I don't normally mind writing papers but this paper came at a really bad time.  I have multiple midterm tests and writing a serious achidemicly based paper when I have so much gong on was hard.  I found it hard to have as much time to write the paper as I would have liked.  I tried to do as much research as a possibly could and than put it all together in a paper that made me convince my point of view while be scholary.  I do not know how good my paper is but I hope it is good enough to get an A or B.  I am hoping that I can prove my point in this paper the way it should be.  I found it was kind of hard to find a lot of information that I could use efficiantely.  I tried to condense my topic down to the law enforcement officials and punishments.  I knew that I could not have such a broad topic in a 6 to 10 page paper.  I was trying to make sure my paper was at a level appropriate for college.  I do not know if I accomplished this but I certainly tried.  I found citing information was the hardest part.  I do not plaggerize and so I just tried to make sure I always gave credit to those who needed it.  The works cited page is probably really wrong but I tried and looked in my books.  I did all that I could with the time I had available.  I hope my paper does not seem like a high schoolers paper.  I can only hope and wait and see.

Class

In class I like the rectangle thing we do. I feel like it's a fun and motivation class activity. I like switching it up and getting away from the boring normal class schedule. Power points are okay but I do them in every other class and they just don't work at eight o'clock in the morning. I don't like reading out of the books. I feel like it's tedious and takes up too much time. I like when we plan out what we are going to write in our papers. I feel like it helps me figure out a good strategy for my pre-writing of a paper. I enjoy hearing stories about how sheltered the Midwest is from the rest of the country. Overall I like doing stuff that I don't do in every single other class.

Animal Cruelty

The topic that I have chosen for my reasearch paper is.... Animal cruelty.  I was thinking on my thesis statement being "Animal cruelty crimes need more harsh of punishments".  I have been brainstorming that I have come up with some major points to go under my thesis statement.  My major points will be the current law, states that have ASPCA, how animals or abused/ways they are abused, why people abuse animals, how to make the laws stricter, and ask the audience why this topic is over looked by Americans daily.  I believe that animal cruelty can be prevent but America is not doing enought to prevent it.  I think that it could be prevented by harsher laws, more animal cops, large fines, the public being aware, the public stepping up to report animal cruelty, and more volunteers to stop the animal cruelty.  I just do not understand how a person can look into an innocent dog or cat's eyes and then physically harm him or her.  It makes me sick.  I could never do any harm to any animal and I just wish that everyone else would do the same.  I think that if the public is scared of the punishments and knows that people are looking out for animal cruelty the number of abused and murdered animals will go down greatly.  I will bring in a number of statistics to my paper to really show how serious this topic is.  Animal cruelty is no joke!  We all need to do our part and crack down on the sick humans hurting all of the innocent animals.

Research Paper

I found out something very interesting about myself today in class that I had not realized before.  When we were told to pick 3 topics that really get us going and what we would like to write 10 pages about, I found out that my entire list was about being against killing.  The three things I choose were abolishing the death penalty, having no kill animal shelters, and stopping poaching.  I am extremely motivated to help animals in any way I can.  I am so against animal cruelty, I just need to find a way to truly make a difference in stopping animal cruelty.  My major is nursing but I want to have the ability to be licensed to join an police group against animal cruelty also.  I would be so happy having two jobs that involving saving animals and people.  I am just really disgusted with killing and torturing anyone or anything.  I found that I am definitely going to write about this in my research paper.  I am not sure which topic motivated me the most or which one I can accurately and effectively get my point across.  I think I have decided I want to talk about animals in my research paper but I have many topic I could do like: hunting, poaching, rainforest deforestation, endangered species, euthanizing animals in humane societies, and animal cruelty as a whole.  I feel so strong about them all.  Any advice on which one I should write about?  I am excited for this paper because I am motivated to have research to back up my points and convince others to make a difference also.

Revise Presentation

I enjoyed doing the revise presentation in a group because I made a friend out of it.  I thought that was a very good thing.  The whole resent one revising a paper part of the project was kind of lame but I didn't mind it to much.  I just would have rather presented something I enjoy instead of revising.  I did learn different ways to revise so I am glad about that.  I definitely can use all the revising help that I can get!  I found that I liked how one group made posters to show what they were talking about.  That way if you were having a heard time paying attention to what they were saying than you could look at the poster and see what they were saying.  Plus one person put bling and cut colors on hers so I really like that.  I think that all of the groups did a nice job.  I was glad that everyone took part in it and that no one skipped class.  Overall, I was happy with the purpose and success of the revising presentations.

Class Without Lindsey.

For class on Tuesday I walked into the room with a little surprise.  Lindsey had changed to a guy!  Ok, so it was a replacement for the day because Lindsey was gone.  Our replacement's name was Ryan.  He was a lot more quiet and reserve than Lindsey.  He just had a different personallity.  Lindsey is more blunt and honest.  She is not afraid to tell you how it is.  Ryan was more shy and not as willing to say what was on his  mind.  I personally prefer for my teachers to tell me how it is.  If my paper sucks tell me so I can fix it.  I want to know if I am doing something wrong.  I do not need a sugar coat on it either.  I think it just really depends on your personallity but I believe that I like the blunt personallity better because I am like that.  I am very honest and will tell you how it is not how you want it to be.  If you are wrong you will know.  I have never been called a liar or "Two faced" because I will tell you how I really feel.  In class we discussed commas, peer reviewed our proposal papers, and got assigned a group project.  I am very glad we got a group project because I made three new friends!  I am very glad.  Tomorrow we will have class with Lindsey again.

Gay Adoption in Florida

My topic the class found most interesting is Florida ending the ban on gay adoptions in Florida.  My thesis statement for this proposal paper would be: Bans on gay adoption is unconstitutional.  I have heard a lot on the topic of gay marriage but I had not heard anything on gay adoption until I read the news article about it.  In my paper I hope to get across the point that putting bans on gay adoption is sick and unconstitutional.  There is no reason to say two guys or two girls can't give a child in need a home and a family.  These people are wanting to be parents and help a child feel loved and know a home.  I can't believe Florida got away with having bans on gay adoption this long.  It is very disturbing and saddening.  I am very glad that 3rd District Court of Appeals deemed this ban to be unconstitutional.  I am straight and that will NOT change but I still am very passionate about gay topics.  I do not think it's far that someones personal love life has restrictions on it.  It shouldn't be anyone else's business who a person chooses to like.  I hope to get this all across in my paper and convince others that gay adoption is a great thing.

America Bashers

I have never really thought about the idea of America bashers being American.  I knew other countries would bash us, but we bash them also.  I was surprised when reading the quote by Michael Moore saying, "Many families have devestated tomight, this just is not right.  They did not deserve to die.  If someone did this to get back at Bush, then they did so by killing thousands of people that DID NOT VOTE for him!  Boston, New York, DC and the planes' destination of California-these were places taht voted AGAINST Bush!"  He had such anger and hate toward Bush and I could not believe that he would say something like that.  I honestly felt bad for Bush.  Did he not realize how awful that would make Bush feel, to say that thousands of people were killed due to him alone?!  Micheal Moore was very rude and had no facts to back him up.  I realize in America we have the freedom of speech but he took it to far.  This story in all really did make me think about things.  It made me realize that America does bash themselves.  In the story they say part of it is due to the Vietnam generation.  I don't really have much to say on that because I don't know anything to detailed on the Vietnam war or generation.  I do agree that bashing in America is definitely in the news for a long time.  I never put that together until I read this story.  This story definitely opened my eyes to the bashing in America today.

Peer Review

I found the peer review to not really do much for me.  I think it would help to have more than one opinon.  My peer did help me but I wanted some more information than I was given.  I can not say that I gave the other person anything better.  I did try to do the best that I could but I just don't know what to say and what to correct.  I am poor at English and reading and I just don't want to put something that is false or makes anything worse.  I am not convident in my English knowlegde.  I am very glad we have extra credit opportunities because I would not get a very good grade otherwise.  I like the feedback from my peer review but I just wanted more in total.  That is why having another person to review would really help.

If I Die Tomorrow

"If I die tomorrow how would the world be different?"  I pondered on this one for some time.  I couldn't decide what I have done to make a difference in the world.  I have been doing little things that I believe make a big difference but I don't think the difference is large enough.  I have been stopping littering person by person and environment by environment.  I adopt highways, stop my friends from littering, pick up any litter I see no matter where I am, I promote recycling, I am a donator of "Save the Rainforest", I promote and inform the public about saving the rainforest, and volunteer for any "Green" service.  I believe in global warming and I do think that saving the environment one step at a time will help.  I believe that I am making a difference because I don't personally know of anyone else that truly cares about not littering and what not.  I live in the northern part of the United States thousands of miles away from rainforests but I do my part to help save them.  I want to join a mission trip to go down and promote the conservation of the rainforests.  So, in the end of my pondering, I decided the world would be different if I died tomorrow because I am attempting to help save the environment step by step.  

Literacy Narrative Brainstorming

I have been thinking of many different memories that really stand out in my life.  I than have been thinking about which memories can relate to a much bigger picture as a whole.  I have finally decided on one memory.  This memory is when I was first was told that my father has multiple sclerosis.  I was told when I was 16 years old and a Junior in high school.  Learning about my fathers disease at this age was a positive and a negative.  It was positive because I could understand what the disease was all about but it was also a negative because I knew the disease has no cure and I had to witness the horror of my dad going through "Spells".  I have decided on this as my literacy narrative because I can relate to all of the others in the world that are effected by this awful disease.  I hate that I have to have a family member that is struct with a disease but I try to stay strong not only for myself but for my dad.  I need to be strong for my dad and the other people who I actually know who have a family member who has MS.  One of my best friend's mom also has this disease and we really relate on that level and it seemed to bring our friendship that much closer and stronger.  I have faith in my dad that he will stay strong and fight this disease like a warrier.  He is an amazing person that did not deserve to get this disease.

Do You Believe in Miracles?

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Do You Believe in Miracles?


I have seen the movie "The Notebook" and I instantly fell in love with it. I really should read the book because I know it will be that much better but I just haven't got to it yet. In reading this small segment of The Notebook it draws me in to want to read more. I absolutely love how much love they have for each other. Seeing the commitment at such an old age is super impressive. Also seeing them in puppy love still at that point in their relationship is incredible especially compared to the world today. Today you will find divorces after as little as six months, but this couple has defied all odds. I think it is super cute how Noah is always reading their love story to his beloved Ali even though Ali doesn't know who Noah is because of her disease. Noah is always praying for a miracle for the love stories he is reading to her to help bring his real Ali back to him. The movie was so precious and gives you hope that there really is such a thing as true love and miracles. With all of the negative in the world it was great to have a reminder to always believe in miracles. I will definitely be reading The Notebook very soon!

Myself.. Hailey

My name is Hailey Waechter. I am currently a freshman at USD. My major is Nursing. I am really looking forward to this year and meeting some new people. I was active in multiple sports in high school. I was in volleyball, basketball, and track. I am very competitive and love to compete. I have many hobbies which include shopping, sleeping, going out with my friends, hanging out with my family, taking care of my cat, and eating. I have a cat that I really love. His name is Garfield. He is like my little baby. I have a real compassion for people and animals. I am always wanting to help others. I have been a lifeguard for four years and a CNA (certified nurses aide) for one year. I love neon and bright colors. I am always looking to stand out. You can't not find me without some sort of animal print. My dorm room is basically a safari! :) I am looking forward to becoming better at my grammar and writting because I know I can really use it! I hope to get the most out of my college experience. There you have it, some fun facts about myself.. Hailey.

Me Talk Pretty One Day- Sedaris

I found that this story was easy to relate to.  I didn't take French but I did take four years of Spanish.  In this story, Sedaris wrote that the main character couldn't understand some of the words the teacher was saying.  I also had this problem.  I would have to look to my friends and ask them if they understood what was said.  I then found out that most of the students in my class also couldn't understand what my teachter was saying either.  It was a very frustrating thing.  In the story, the main character felt picked on because his teachter thought he was lazy.  That is a horrible feeling have to a teacher hate you and have the wrong impression of you.  I felt for the main character but in the end of the story he found a peace of mind with the teacher and I think was a very good thing.  I decided to blog about this story because I felt that I understood where Sedaris was coming from.  I enjoy stories that I can see in my life.