Autumn is by far my favorite season with the leaves falling and the cool air. The weather is so comforable and the surroundings seem so calm. This fall is flying by though. The weather is changing way too quickly!! They are already calling for snow tonight and tomorrow. I mean, I love skiing and snowboarding but I am not ready for the winter cold just yet.
I can't even imagine what driving is going to be like tomorrow morning. This morning--just in the rain--the road was full of crazy, confused drivers. I had to take the service drive all the way to school. Adding snow into the mix is definitely going to make the commute a lot worse tomorrow.
Michigan weather has always been so crazy, though. I remember a few years ago I was running a tennis tournament and we experienced all four seasons in one day. When I woke up it was pouring rain, but it stopped by the time I finished getting ready. I arrived at the high school around 6:30 to start roll drying the courts and as the morning progressed it seem to be getting colder and colder. The teams arrived and I had some of the players out drying the courts when it started snowing so I had to move everyone to racquet clubs. By the time the first matches were sent out, the snow stopped; the sun was up; and it wasn't all that cold out. After the first round, I sent the teams back outside and by the end of the day it was about 80 degrees!!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Have We Forgotten?
"Have you forgotten, how it felt that day?To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away
Have you forgotten, when those towers fell
We had neighbors still inside goin through a livin hell
And you say we shouldn't worry bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?"
In Darryl Worley's song "Have You Forgotten?, he expresses America's disbelief to all of the terrorist attacks, including the Pentagon and the World Trade Centers. He starts his song with the lyric: "I hear people sayin'. We Don't need this war." Hearing people question the war makes him wonder if we have forgotten how we felt and says that he feels there's some things worth fighting for.
Have we forgotten? I was in my sixth grade Spanish class when my teacher, red-eyed and sniffling, walked in. Without a word to the class, she pulled out her cell phone. "My best friend was on that plane," she sobbed. Completely confused, the class began whispering to each other wondering what was going on when the principal came over the loud speaker explaining that the World Trade Centers were the target of a terrorist attack. The entire class was filled with shock as we went on to have a moment of silence. Since my class was only composed of sixth graders, we were not allowed to watch the news. A substitute was called in for my class while my teacher went home to be with her family and friends.
The school day was almost over when we were told the news, but the small amount of time we had left in the building dragged on. I immediately turned on the news when I arrived home wanting more explanation to why our nation was under attack. The footage shown struck me with horror. Citizens running to safety; firemen trying to clear the area; the towers crumbling to the ground-- all of this a sight I will never forget.
Have we forgotten? I was in my sixth grade Spanish class when my teacher, red-eyed and sniffling, walked in. Without a word to the class, she pulled out her cell phone. "My best friend was on that plane," she sobbed. Completely confused, the class began whispering to each other wondering what was going on when the principal came over the loud speaker explaining that the World Trade Centers were the target of a terrorist attack. The entire class was filled with shock as we went on to have a moment of silence. Since my class was only composed of sixth graders, we were not allowed to watch the news. A substitute was called in for my class while my teacher went home to be with her family and friends.
The school day was almost over when we were told the news, but the small amount of time we had left in the building dragged on. I immediately turned on the news when I arrived home wanting more explanation to why our nation was under attack. The footage shown struck me with horror. Citizens running to safety; firemen trying to clear the area; the towers crumbling to the ground-- all of this a sight I will never forget.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Midterm Writing Reflection
Looking back at my writing during the first half of the semester, I have noticed a few areas where I have improved and some issues that I still need to work on. I feel like I have improved when introducing my topic. After reading the websites on introductory paragraphs in class, I stopped starting with a broad statement and narrowing it down to my claim and began to keep my introduction focused and straight to the point. I also think that I have improved in my vocabulary usage. I have been using a thesaurus and the website given to us in class while writing my papers and have noticed a decrease in the amount of times Professor Stewart marks "awkward."
There is always room for improvement, however, and some of the areas where I am lacking include comma usage and works cited. When I begin writing, I tend to focus on my comma usage and the first few paragraphs don't have too many mistakes, but the more I write, the less I think about commas. By the end of my paper, I tend to revert back to my old habits when it comes to inserting commas. I also need to improve when it comes to parenthetical citations. I make mistakes with where to place the periods and my biggest error comes with citing a website. I guess I'm just a little confused with how to go about citing a website. In my paper on religion in the political arena, I began my paper with a quote that I found on the internet. I feel that if I state that I found it on a website before the quote, my paper will start out sounding as if I'm reporting about that website.
I don't have too hard a time with my works cited page, but when all the necessary information is given, it is a little more difficult. The main things I need to remember when it comes to the works cited page is to put my sources in alphabetical order and to focus on the punctuation.
There is always room for improvement, however, and some of the areas where I am lacking include comma usage and works cited. When I begin writing, I tend to focus on my comma usage and the first few paragraphs don't have too many mistakes, but the more I write, the less I think about commas. By the end of my paper, I tend to revert back to my old habits when it comes to inserting commas. I also need to improve when it comes to parenthetical citations. I make mistakes with where to place the periods and my biggest error comes with citing a website. I guess I'm just a little confused with how to go about citing a website. In my paper on religion in the political arena, I began my paper with a quote that I found on the internet. I feel that if I state that I found it on a website before the quote, my paper will start out sounding as if I'm reporting about that website.
I don't have too hard a time with my works cited page, but when all the necessary information is given, it is a little more difficult. The main things I need to remember when it comes to the works cited page is to put my sources in alphabetical order and to focus on the punctuation.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Struck by Tragedy
ALLEN PARK: Teen is killed in pedestrian accident
http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2008/10/12/news/doc48ef9a4b281ae650269342.txt#blogcommentsI was there the night it happened. I walked over to see what all the fuss was about and was sick to my stomach with what I saw. The police taking pictures, his shoes in the middle of the street, the pool of blood.. all of this a sight I wish I never saw. Neighbors were talking.. all saying the boy was young, but no one knowing who it was.
I found out the next day, that the boy was a junior at Allen Park High School. I didn't know him, but from the stories I've heard, he seemed like such a nice boy. One of his favorite activities was to walk around Allen Park. To think that this innocent boy was just out taking a walk, enjoying his life, and in an instant, that life was taking away.
I was running a tennis tournament in Allen Park the day after it happened and went inside the high school to use the restroom. It was so sad, yet truly remarkable, seeing how the students came together in tragedy. They had the counselors from both the middle school and high school in the media center with cookies to help the students with their grief. Classrooms were half empty, as students spent their day with the counselors. They made a written memorial mural and many student organizations plans to help his mom, a single parent, with the funeral expenses.
Being a citizen of Allen Park, I know what this city is all about and now is the time to step it up and do something about this. Many drivers do it.. take that turn so fast, just keeping with the flow from Allen, not even thinking about pedestrians. This was not the first time someone has been struck at that intersection. How many more innocent lives have to be taken to realize that something has to be done?
My thoughts and prayers go out to Vince and his family and friends. R.I.P 10-8-08
Monday, October 6, 2008
Strong Beliefs
Religion has always been a very important part of my life. I am a practicing Catholic and have extremely strong beliefs. I try to stay clear of conversations regarding religion because more often than not, it develops into an argument. Everyone has their own values and beliefs, which need no approval and require no explanation.
There are many instances in America where religion is involved in many public issues. Some of the most common examples would be legalizing abortion and same sex marriages. An individual's religion plays a huge role in how they feel about these issues. As for abortion, I am pro life. I believe that every individual should have the right to life. Sure, doctors are incredibly intelligent and may see some complications, but I feel that only God truly knows what is going to happen with an individual and no human can predict that. As far as same sex marriage, the bible states that marriage is the union of a man and woman.
There are many instances in America where religion is involved in many public issues. Some of the most common examples would be legalizing abortion and same sex marriages. An individual's religion plays a huge role in how they feel about these issues. As for abortion, I am pro life. I believe that every individual should have the right to life. Sure, doctors are incredibly intelligent and may see some complications, but I feel that only God truly knows what is going to happen with an individual and no human can predict that. As far as same sex marriage, the bible states that marriage is the union of a man and woman.
The Importance of Introduction
After reading about college writing and how to "hook" the reader, I realized that the introduction is the most important part of an essay. It is important to present the topic in an interesting way, hooking the reader from the very beginning. The websites explain that using an interesting quote or fact that raises questions for the reader is an excellent way to begin your essay. Making the reader wonder about your topic is the first step in writing a college level paper.
Regarding the claim, the website states that it must be included in a single, concrete statement. It is also stressed that the evidence used throughout the essay should be involved in your thesis statement in the order in which it will be presented.
As far as my own writing, the introduction paragraph has always been the part I struggle with the most. I have always been taught to use the funnel effect in high school and am finding it harder to stray away from that than I thought. I really need to work on strongly stating my claim and making my introduction straight to the point.
Regarding the claim, the website states that it must be included in a single, concrete statement. It is also stressed that the evidence used throughout the essay should be involved in your thesis statement in the order in which it will be presented.
As far as my own writing, the introduction paragraph has always been the part I struggle with the most. I have always been taught to use the funnel effect in high school and am finding it harder to stray away from that than I thought. I really need to work on strongly stating my claim and making my introduction straight to the point.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Exciting Weekend!!
The UC is so quiet right now which is expected because it is a Friday night and no one stays on campus late on a Friday. Fortunately, there's some Science Olympiad event going on so there is a bunch of free food and coffee. Today is my friend Dave's 21st birthday, so a I'm going with a group of friends to JD's Key Club, a dueling piano bar in Pontiac. I've never been there but I guess it is supposed to be a lot of fun. The excitement really starts tomorrow though because I'm going to the Carrie Underwood concert with a bunch of my friends. Little Big Town is opening for her and they are really talented as well. I'm so excited!!! Sunday doesn't look too exciting because I have to work the University's Open House at 9 in the morning. It's okay though because it's more money.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
