Reflections

I just wanted to reflect back on this semester and say that it was a lot of what I expected and didn't expect. I had fun and learned a lot from this. I know will be able to grow into a more educated college student and expand from what I have. I was satisfied will my grades and happy with everything I learned.

Welcome

You are very welcome Professor Liptak, and you most def. will see me in January because I am going to be in the writing center alot next semester! PS I hope you found my Research Paper interesting!

Some final reflections . . .

I'm reading your final essays, and for the most part I'm saying, "Wow!"  I think that those of you who should be "kissing their brains" know who you are . . . I am pleased to see that many of you believe that the course has helped you in some or even multiple ways.  We can't possibly cover everything, and in no way will we ever be finished. 

Thank you for all that you did to make the class meaningful and fun!  Each of you brought something unique to the class, and I genuinely feel priviledged (sp - I can never get this word right!) to be part of it.  I look forward to seeing y'all on campus in January . . .

Enjoy the holiday season with your friends and family and be safe!  Also, read a good book!  The best writers are avid readers, for they know what the written word looks like on the page, and they see how the words work together. 
All the best,
Michelle  

Christmas Break

I am really excited because Christmas and the New Year are coming. I am going to share a good amount of time with my family, and I am going to enjoy my time off Siena. I am going to enjoy good food and forget about Saga food for a while. The only thing that I was upset about is the final schedule. I have to wait until Saturday the 19th to take my first final, and then Monday the 21st to take my last final. The bad thing about the final on the 21st is that I am going to be done at 8:00 P.M; therefore I have to leave the next day. Other than the final schedule, I strongly believe that this time off is going to be great, and that everybody is going to enjoy their time at home.

So I thought I was going to be done with these posts. I felt like I ended the class and thus ended the blog, but I find myself sitting here in the library proscratinating so here I am. I only have 2 finals this semester. Not too bad, but I CANNOT do anything. I am complete useless. I've never had this much trouble studying before, ever!!!! I don't know maybe it's senioritis or something. I am going to try and study again. Wish me luck!

NICE MEETING EVERYONE!

First semester went by kind of fast!
Writing class was interesting and very helpful for me and im pretty sure it was helpful for everyone in some way. It was nice to have class with you guys and i wish you all a wonderful next semester and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Christmas Time

It's about that time of year when I start to feel the Christams spirit. I'm excited for Christmas because of the hot chocolate, the christmas songs and ABC Family and disney channel movies. This has been the best part of year for me. I'm up early watching some Christmas shows enjoying myself. I didn't ask for much this year and I don't want too much. I just need to get a lot of gifts for my siblings. I hope everyone else enjoys the season.

Class refection

It is incredible how the semester finished so quickly. I feel that I learn a lot of things in this class and that I improved my writing skills. At first, I thought that a lot of the things that we did in this class were pointless, but eventually ended up understanding their purpose. They really helped me in the long run. For instance, all the free writing exercises that I did help me realize that free writing is a great way to brainstorm. From now on, I am going to free write before I write any essay to see how much I know about my topic. I also would begin visiting the writing center more often because I do not feel that I improved all the things I wanted to improve. I need to work on my grammar and improve my word choices as well.

So we just finished our last writing class, and I'm kind of sad. Don't get me wrong its nice to have one big check mark on my list of things to do, but I really enjoyed class and I can't believe this semester is over already. I feel like I was just writing that letter explaining what I wanted to learn. Looking back at that letter I was shocked at how many of those personal goals that I set for myself I actually did meet. I don't know what I'm trying to say, I guess I just wanted to thank everyone. I had a really great class this semester, and I really think that everyone brought a new and interesting point of view that helped to make class what it was.

Focus...

I have one more research paper to complete after I finish this writing assignment. I still have to do the research and write the paper, and yet somehow, I can't get myself to focus long enough to even finish the editing process for my writing paper. Granted that I know that I will find a way to pull this off, I also know that I am going to deeply regret my procrastination when it comes down to the final minutes before my deadlines. I need to find a way to make me focus better on what needs to be done.

Procrastination

I have never had so much trouble sitting down and doing my homework as I experienced today. I have one final class in marketing tomorrow and I can't seem to sit down and complete my work. Its almost done, I have four simple questions to complete but I can't seem to get around to do it. It's not that I'm busy, I just can't stop procrastinating.

snow day

I did not expect such a snowy day today. I love snow; it makes the day look so white and beautiful. Finally we are starting to see some winter signals in a weather that has been so unstable. I have been sick twice this semester because the weather did not stay constant for a good amount of time. Now that I have seen some snow for two days, I’m happy because the weather looks like it is going to stay stable for the rest of the winter. Some people may think that the cold weather is not good but I rather have a cold weather all the time, and know what to wear and what to expect for the day, father than guessing how the day is going to be and checking the weather cast every day. I hope to go play in the snow today, and have a fun day.

Snow Day

I am writing in the blog tonight in order to procrastinate writing a 10 page paper. I am just so tired of everything. Between my internship, classes, applications, and my thesis I just can't seem to find enough time to get everything done. Normally on a day like today, with the imminent threat of snow, I would be hoping for a snow day, but instead I am worrying about driving to my internship. I just feel like in a couple of weeks I went from being a college student to an adult. I am growing up and it stinks. I know being a senior is supposed to be so much fun and it is, but I would still rather not be.

I think I'll follow Craig's rant by saying that I also hate driving in the snow. Two winters ago I was driving with my girlfriend in my mom's VW Jetta and hit a turn going too fast, hit a patch of ice, and slid off of the road into a ditch. Needless to say, I felt like the man...not so much. Lucky for me I live in the redneck capitol of the world and people behind me were driving a half-ton truck and towed me out. Of course, they did leave with me their mark after helping me when they told me to "slow the **** down," and drove away. That was a fun day.

Snow

I hate the snow. I hate cleaning off my car and driving on slippery roads. I almost got into a really bad car accident once in the snow, just missing another car before I slammed into a log that finally stopped me as I slid down the hill. Another time I did actually get into an accident because of slippery roads. Both times were not because of an inability to drive, my parents even admitted that neither were my fault. Ever since then I don't like driving in the snow.

Last week

I too am having mixed feelings about this whole last week of classes. On the one hand, I am happy to be rid of all things research papers, but on the other I actually like some of my classes and am going to sort of miss being at siena. Going home for a few weeks is going to be weird.

I'm still having trouble finding some sources for my paper. I am kind of nervous about that. I'm defiantly feeling the pressure as I have one more to do after this one, but hopefully I'll be able to pull everything off.

The end is here

I have just a few classes left and I am having mixed feelings. I'm happy that the work is almost done but I am going to miss my classes. In high school we had lecture that always put me to sleep but now I actually have conversation and discuss how we feel. This helps me learn more about other people and a different view. I am up a little to late so I need to go to bed before I become sleep deprived. I am also in a good mood because I got a really good grade on my rough and I like my topic so I can express myself better.

Last Week

I cannot believe it is the last week of the semester. I'm not sure that I am fully prepared for it either. I have a lot of work to accomplish this week and have been working for the past eight hours today to slowly chip away at it. The worst part is that after this week there is still no relief until finals are done. I only have three finals, however, my Business to Business marketing class promises to take up every one of the eleven days that I have to study. My last day of classes will be this Thursday and I plan on studying for that exam everyday until December 21st. I work at Guiseppe Zanotti in the Woodbury Commons and was just informed that I have to work on Christmas Eve. Since very few people come into my store on a daily basis, Christmas Eve promises to be extremely boring.

I don't know about everyone else, but I cannot wait to get my research paper back tomorrow. I have thought about it this weekend, and there are some things that I know I need to fix up. I made some mistakes in adding my pictures and charts. I need to cite these things, and learned how to do this properly in looking at other students' papers in class. Also, I feel like I need to incorporate more of myself into the paper. This is something that usually is not a problem, but since it is a research paper things become confusing.

I hope everyone had a good weekend. Mine was spent eating, sleeping, and watching television. We all need days like these occasionally to re-charge our batteries.

Mentoring Program

So this entire semester I was apart ot the mentoring program here at Siena. These past saturdays with my "little" Jazmein has been a lot of fun. She is eleven and she is a very sweet girl. She does good in school and is very polite. I enjoyed the program because she was a good girl to work with. She was a little bit like a sister that I already have. She was is a very nice person and I hope she continues to do well in school so she can graduate from high school and attend a college like Siena. She has kept my interest throughout the program will her funny stories with things that happen with her in school. She was always funny and had a good sense of humor. I will miss her but I know I will have to continue the program next semester. If I could I would also do the summer program so that I would be able to have more time in the program with her.

I am at the library doing homework. I just want to encourage everyone to hang in there, we are almost done with the semester.

So I’m real glad we had this draft due before the weekend because this weekend was extremely unproductive! I slept in all Sunday and went shopping Saturday. I am super relived that I don’t have to work on my Writing paper and that I have some of it done and just need to get it revised, develop it more and fix any major errors. Today was a day to just relax because I know the closer we get to finals the more work I’m responsible for.

Research paper first draft

I really appreciate the comments made by the group that reviewed my paper. They made me realize that my paper was better than what I thought and that I have to correct my grammar errors to make my paper stronger. I am going to work on my transitions between paragraphs and the organization of the paper as well. I want to finish this course in a strong note, and hope that everyone else finishes in the same way as well. I can’t way to see the grade for my first draft on Monday. I spent a lot of energy and time on this paper, and I hope that this amount of work is worth the grade.

Friday. . .

Finally today is Friday! It has been a very long week. If I can just get through today I will be able to relax a little bit this weekend. I have three classes in a row starting in a couple hours (it is only six though, why do I get up this early?) I have a history quiz today and a paper due for Foundations. I have to prepare more for the quiz because I do not feel ready yet, but with the paper I have nothing to worry about. I am done with classes at 12:20, at which time I am going to sit down and get all of my work done that is due Monday and Tuesday. If I can do this it really will be a stress-free weekend. They're the best. I pick up one of my buddies, Phil, tonight at the train station at seven, he's coming to visit from St. John Fisher College in Rochester. It will be fun to have him here, especially for the Siena vs. UAlbany basketball game!

Have a good weekend!

Relax Day

After having a lot of work to do between many classes I had to take today as my "relax day" and have some me ime. I haven't had this in a long time and felt it was very important that I do so. Tonight I am watching Mr.&Mrs. Smith with a few of my firends and I feel very relaxed because I know this is what I have been waiting on for a long time just no stress. I was a good choice of a movie to use to loosen up. I am going to enjoy the rest of the night and go to bed early so that I can wake up early and do some last minute studying for Psychology and have the reat of the day to work on my quiz. I hope I do good because I have been reading a lot for this chapter. The end is almost here so I want to enjoy it be relax and work hard.

Research Paper

So this paper seemed to come a little bit more naturally. I felt prepared and felt like I had a good amount of information and research. That defiantly set out a more comfortable base to build my essay on. As I read Courtney paper in class today and saw how her personal story fit in so smoothly into her essay it motivated me to fit mine in better in my essay. I feel like I just stated it, stated how I felt and that was it, I didn’t really incorporate it as much as Courtney did in her essay. Overall I feel really good about my essay so far.

OMG!

Ok so I changed my topic for my research paper like 3 times. Now i am set on a topic about drug addictions and its effects, it is a topic that i know a lot about. I was actually going to do this topic at first but i wasn't sure if i should. Funny thing is that when we were first given this assignment and were told write about 3 things that affected us personally here at Siena or back at home, I decided to talk about three things here. I listed the condition of the bathrooms, the laundry room and the noise in the halls during quiet hours. Not knowing that we were going to have to do research on theses things i was really interested in writing about them, but there was no way i was going to find information about either of the 3 in a book, online or an article :) so i was stuck (and then i found 20 dollars)! No i just added the 20 dollars part in case some people didn't find that funny.

Sleep!

So, I finished up my research paper rough draft tonight. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. My topic is sleep deprivation on the Siena College campus. I feel compelled to share that as I wrote the paper I could not have felt like more of a hypocrite. As I read over my first rough draft I found what felt like a hundred errors and it dawned on me, I wrote the paper while feeling the effects of sleep deprivation. On Monday night, in preparation for Tuesday's class, I was working on my rough draft until about three in the morning. When I stopped working on it I got on my computer and surfed the internet and hung out with friends until about 4:30. I finally went to bed and was up at 8 later that morning. My entire paper I talk about how students need to take the personal initiative to get their work done during the day and sleep at night. . .I'm probably just as bad as anyone! It really is a problem for me, and when everyone reads my paper, it will become obvious that it is a problem for a lot of people. Why do we become such procrastinators in college? Well, I should say that I've always been this way...but that's neither here nor there.

Anyway, what I meant to say when I sat down was that I really feel like I took something good out of this assignment. Lack of sleep is something that has a ton of negative effects, but is something that can be avoided. After doing the research I plan on honestly trying to cut down on my procrastination and go to bed at night--not the early morning. It's too bad that I came to this realization with finals looming where the amount of time sitting in front of the books will be the highest this year. It's never too late to make a change, though.

Guitar

I recently started learning guitar and I am not very good. I have had trouble finding time to practice this week. I have so many assignments to finish that I cannot find the time to play. I am still learning chords and I cannot play any songs yet. I plugged it into the amp for the first time today and it makes bad sounds worse. My last day of classes is on December 10th so I will have plenty of time to practice in the week I have before my first final. Finals are so late this year. I'm pretty sure I was home by the 16th last year. It may have seemed shorter because finals were cancelled after only a day or so last year. I was home on disability because I broke my right arm and ankle and had to finish my classes from home starting around Halloween. I drove up to take my exams, took all of them in one day and they were cancelled that night because of the ice storm.

Crazy Day

They are correct when they say you learn something new everyday. Today was my most busiest and craziest day of my college career. I made a mistake that I learned from and I think I was threated graciously and will be forever happy with myself and how I was blessed. I need to be more on track and keep what I learned in my life forever. I am happy that I learned it earlier in life. I know this can be confusing reading this I just needed to vent about my day. Beside this I cut my 11 papers down to only 9 and I not to worried as much anymore because I realized that time was just not here for me so I am not too upset. I just to keep going forward and love myself for trying and not worrying about anything beside getting my work done on time and getting grades I deserve. Today just helped me realize that I made the right choice about coming to this school. I am very much upset with things I have done in the past but as long as they stay in the past I will be fine.

End of Semester

It is hard to believe it is already the end of the semester. I only have three days of classes left since I have four classes on Tuesday and Thursday only. This has been the best schedule I have had in the 5 semesters that I have been at Siena. Even though it may seem like I have 5 days off, my schoolwork takes up a full day on Monday and Wednesday along with the work I have to do every other night. Since all of my classes are on the same day I have the potential to have four exams on one day. Next semester's schedule is still somewhat up in the air as I am most likely changing my major. I want to switch to English Education. In order to do so and still graduate on time I will have to take six classes for my last three semesters and take two or three summer courses. I wish I had known what I wanted to do earlier so I could have planned accordingly.

Finals

It's coming to the end and I am really very overwhelmed. I have a lot of papers to finish and start plus I also have final exams. I think I could do a lot better if I put the time in but being involved is also taking time. I enjoy being involved in the community but it comes at a price of me having to compromise doing my work. My grades are good at the same time I know it can be better. I plan on doing my best with the rest of my semester and do what I came to school to do at the same time have fun. This just helps me know what I have to do with my time second semester.

Thanksgiving break came just in time. I really needed a break from school and all the work. But now its time to get down to work and finish up the semester. I have been working on my final paper for this class. It seems to be going pretty well. I found a lot of information, now I just have to figure out how I want to put it all together.

Final Paper

I'm a little worried about my final paper. I know what my thesis is, and what I want to say, but I'm still having trouble finding a good solid source. I find information on Siena's website, and littler articles here and there, but I can't seem to find that one substantial source for my paper. the same goes for my two other research papers I am currently working on for my other classes. I'm getting really nervous, it's getting close to my deadlines and I'm still not fully satisfied with what I have. Hopefully I'll be able to find a way to make this all work.

Thanksgiving

Hopefully everyone had a great thanksgiving. While I was enjoying my mother’s food, amazingly I thought about Michael Pollan. I had a great meal that was pretty healthy in my opinion, but none of the ingredients were organic or locally grown. This demonstrates that he exaggerated in stressing the necessity of organic food. I do not think that the meal that I had would have tasted different if my mother would have used all organic products.

Final Paper

I am glad that I found an interesting article by the USA today newspaper discusses the Pell grants available for minorities. I was a little worried about this final paper because I could not find a topic until two days before the thanksgiving break. My paper would prove the lack of diversity at Siena, and how many minorities are not doing enough to get their education in a college like Siena. Now I am feeling good about my paper, and hopefully I am going to show my point on Thursday clearly and concise.

The end of the semester

I have started a countdown until me last final. I am happy that I am making it through without any problems so far. I am enjoying planning out the end of this semester very well. I am making plan for my own personal study area for where I will work on my test. I miss see that I need to stay focused and work hard with everything that I plan on doing. My biggest problem is that I have a lot of papers to write in so little time. I have 11 papers to write and they all have to be the best that I have written so far this year. I plan on working hard with my professors and tutors so that I finish up my first semester nice and easy. I will do my best at making this semester worth all the hard work and make it to my goal for my personal self. I know I can do this and I will continue to do my best. Good Luck to me and everyone else with finishing up this semester.

Home Visit

Thanksgiving was a great this year for me. This was the first year being away for home and had to come back for the first time in a long time. My mother woke my sisters and I up early to help cook the meal. It was nine in the morning and I had stayed up until three that morning. If I knew I had to get up that early I wouldn't have stayed up that late, so I just waited until she called me for the forth time then I got up. I helped make chesse cake and the rice. My favorite part of the dinner was when we sat down and watched "Fred Clause" with Vince Vaughin. I was very funny and I think Vince Vaughin is the funnest comedian alive. It was great to have that much family time because I needed it beingaway from home and all the stress from school. I was happy to be home but I'm also eenjoying school.

It's Sunday evening and I am just about to leave home and drive back to school. It was a good Thanksgiving, but I am ready to get back to Siena and finish up this semester. Today was my favorite day of break, my mom, brother, and I decorated the house for Christmas. The tradition has always been to put up all decorations the weekend after Thanksgiving, and I was so glad that we continued that tradition this year. For the last 15 years that we have lived in our current home, my dad did his best to compete with Clark W. Griswold of Christmas Vacation for the most exterior lights anyone had ever seen. This year, we were not able to put up the lights outside, but next weekend our neighbor, who was a good friend of my dad, is going to help me put up the lights. I'm really looking forward to that. Then comes Christmas! I really cannot wait. It's my favorite holiday and it is so soon.

I hope everyone is having a great Thanksgiving break, I am! I am using the time to work on my papers. I had a great Thanksgiving but ate way to much food. The weather today is much colder than yesterday. I wonder if it will snow? Well goodbye for now my brain is fried from researching and writing. Time for a little rest and relaxation!

Dear Prof. Liptak and class,
It is the night before Thanksgiving and I am in the computer lab off the library at Siena. I am working on my research paper for class and also on my fifteen page paper due the Wed. we get back from break in my Buddhism class.
The research for my papers is more challenging than I expected it would be. My advice to you as a class and also to myself is to start your papers as soon as possible because they are so time consuming. I am looking forward to having Thanksgiving dinner with my family. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving and may God Bless you on this wonderful holiday. I am grateful this year for my family. I have a loving family and I am truly blessed by God.

How great it is to be home for Thanksgiving. Last night my mom's sister and her family flew in from Tennessee, their other siblings joined us, and we all went out for a "Pre-Thanksgiving" dinner. It was so nice to have some of the family together for no other reason than to be happy and to celebrate how blessed we all are. This year is different for my family, but the more time i spend with my mom and brother I realize that I still have an amazing base at home.

Tonight my family and I are going to a friends house for dinner. My good friend is home from Arizona, his brother from Virginia, and sister from Florida, along with their parents whom are long-time friends of mine. It will be great to get together and share some laughs. The next day is Thanksgiving, and we will be going to my grandparents. This is about food of course so I am looking forward very much to my grandmother's turkey that is never done in time, my aunt's stuffing that no one likes but me, my mom's scalloped corn that I look forward to all year, and countless other things.

I hope everyone has a great holiday, and we all can look past everything that may have gone against us this year, looking only at the wonderful things in life. We have a countless number of things to be thankful for. Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

I was disappointed to see only a few new posts, but those that are up are quite thoughtful and meaningful.  First, Jonathan's brief thoughts about the problems and issues that affect him in his community illustrate my desired results from assigning this type of research project.  I was reading an article in one of my writing journals, and an author referred to traditional academic essays as "alien artifacts" for today's students. I like it . . .


I think that as students we are led to believe that issues are always circulating "out there" and that they must be "huge" in order to research and write about them.  Also, the issues that personally affect us are often trivialized.  I believe that oftentimes those "out there" have a tremendous effect upon those "in here" - you cannot completely separate the public and the private realms.  Finally, small changes in values and behavior have to add up to larger, powerful ones.  Don't we have to believe in this?  What do you think? 

John's post and Elizabeth's follow up . . . well, both made me well up.  It's a difficult time of year for me anyway, as you know from my first freewriting that I shared with you that first week in September.  But I do find comfort spending time with my family and friends and deeply, deeply value these opportunities. 

I just made homemade applesauce with my kids.  I've never done this before and can't believe how incredibly easy it is.  For almost thirty minutes we worked together as a team with minimal controversy (outside of "It's my turn to use the apple peeler!") and no distracting technologies (outside of my laptop on which I pulled up the directions and recipe).  It sounds trite and corny, but I'm trying to achieve a simpler life.  Not simple.  Simpler.  It just has to be the small things . . . Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
     

I went online this morning to write about how much work I have to do and how stressed out I was, but after reading John's post I can't help but realize how trivial that sounds. Life is very fragile and it’s scary how often we all take it for granted. I don't know if this year is unique or I am finally growing up but this year I have noticed an uncommon amount of sickness and death around me, from close relatives to family friends and even professors. It seems as though I am surrounded. About two weeks ago a professor and close friend of mine was in a terrible car accident. I'm sure many of you received the email and some of you might have even had her. She was my first history professor, freshman year, and was the reason I decided to become a history major. I've taken her classes many times after that and we became friends. I keep hoping that things will get better and she will be ok, but I really don't know. As a student it is difficult to get information and I do not want to bother her family. I just can't believe it I met with her two days earlier and then she was in hospital. It is so scary how fast life can change. This accident makes me look at my own life. The number of times I have told my parents to stop worrying about me driving, or yelled in exasperation that I was an competent adult, nothing will happen to me. It can happen to me. She is a smart, young, successful woman and the reason we became close was because I could relate to her so much. We could all be her. I guess the moral of my story is that we all have to take every day for a blessing and be the people we want to be now, because we just don't know what the future holds for us.

The semester is getting close to ending and I have a lot of work to do. I am working hard to get a lot done so I can enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with my family. I am so looking forward to turkey and all the fixings. I feel like a private eye with all this research I have to do. The research is fun and challenging.

the month of november

What a long and stressful month it has been so far. Some days I really just want to stay in bed all day and sleep or watch television, but obviously, none of us can do that. My father passed away a few weeks ago after battling cancer for nine months. When he died I really didn't know how to react. I didn't know if i should tell everyone at school and just stay home for awhile, or maybe I should just suck it up and get back to work...I guess I kind of did a combination of both. I was back the week after and I believe that it was the right idea. I made all of my professors aware of what had happened, and all of them were very helpful and supportive of me. On weekends, and sometimes during the week, I've been going home to spend time with my mom and younger brother. I feel like we are all still searching for answers, but at least it is good to be together to talk through things. There are many lessons that I have learned from losing a parent, first being; make sure everyone who you are close to knows how much you truly love them. I went home on a Friday and my dad died the next day, I was so lucky to have Friday afternoon and evening to sit and tell my dad how great of a father he had been, and I wished that I had done it before. Another thing that I have learned, as cliche as it sounds, is that people will not be around forever, and we should never take for granted the things that we have. My father was a successful businessman in the prime of his career, with everything going for him...yet when he got sick, everything changed. He was out of work and could only sit at home and contemplate his own illness. Now, that all is over and we are forced to press on, I realize how great of a man he was and what a great life he had made for himself and his family. Sometimes I think that I should have realized this sooner, but I am thankful that at least I have now.

Haha I'm glad we have this blog...I needed to get some stuff off my chest somewhere

I am the stage hand in the play "Into the Woods". The stage hands responsibility are things like: I move the forest moss that you see on the stage, I put the bed on stage for the big, bad wolf in Little red riding hood to lay on. I assist the cast on what they need and make sure they have their props. In my opinion this play could pass for a professional play. If you have a chance to see it, please do so you will not be disappointed. The play is long, about two hours and forty five minutes but it is so worth it.

It's almost done

It was my first semester and it was the hardest. I have never had to experience anything like this in my life. This is the most work and the biggest adjustment. I have had a good experience and wouldn't chance it for the world. I happy that it's almost done so I can go back home and relax. It was a lot of work and really hard for me to keep up with all my work. My first semester is my a hard semester that comes with a lot of memories. I taught me how I want to be and that I don't want to slack off anymore. I need to stay focused on my study because that is what I am here for. I learned myself a lot more and what I need to do to be a better student.

Free Writings for essay 4

Writing the free writing exercises I noticed that there are many things the affect the community as a whole, and myself as an individual. I did not think about these problems until I started to write these exercises. I noticed that the young teenagers are bringing many problems in our town that were not common few years ago. It seems that as time progresses, the safety and comfort of my town is affected by the behavior of many naïve teenagers. I plan to write my essay on how young teenagers are forming gangs that are affecting the reputation and security of my town.

Essay #4 topic?

I admit I procrastinated my free write for the next assignment, but in my defense, it's only because I have had a hard time deciding if a topic is good enough to research. All I can think about for a topic is pressure and the effects it can have. Even in high school, we would always question if our teachers would make our various assignment due on the same date on purpose. The pressure it causes is so ridiculous, even the most organized student would become disoriented. It's this reasoning that leads to the subject matter for our next writing assignment. I just hope it is good enough

The weather is definitely getting colder. There is not much time left to the semester. I am the stage hand in the play "Into The Woods". The actors/actresses have so much talent, the play is going to be a huge success.

An excellent point, Jonathan.  Especially since you were having trouble finding something to write about!  See, it's not so hard.  Sounds like a viable research project - but more on this tomorrow.  BTW - check out slowfood.org.

Christian and Rachel are viewing my blog with me right now.  They both say "hello"!  They want me to set up their own blogs, but we're off to bed right now. 

Every time I visit this blog, nothing comes to my mind and I have a hard time trying to write something. So I thought about how Siena makes every freshmen read about Omnivores Dilemma (the most boring book I have ever read), but Siena does not follow Pollans message because all the food the in Saga comes from corn!! Since we have to read this book, Siena should place more organic food on its menu.

From Christian Pesano

Christian is my eight-year-old son.  He wants to add a post, too, so here it is:

Candy.  Candy is so, so, so good.  My favorite is Milky Way bars.  I like how they taste because they have chocolate and caramel.  I and my cousins and Jack traded candy after trick-or-treating.  I traded Reese's Peanut Butter Cups the most because I don't like them.  For Halloween, I was Derek Jeter.  The Yankees beat the Phillies 8 to 3 last night!  GO YANKEES!!!

From Rachel Pesano

Rachel is my six year old daughter.  Here is what she wants to say:

Yesterday we carved our Halloween jack o'lanterns, and we scooped out the pulp and seeds.  And then we let the seeds dry and then we cooked them.  We put salt on them, and they were delicious. 

The jack o'lanterns were small and fat.  Mine has a happy face.  The jack o'lantern was awesome!  I like to carve jack o'lanterns because they are fun.    

Writers Block

I always experience writers block when I begin my essays. I just don’t know what to write and cannot see myself filling up 3, 4, 5 pages, until I find a center I am passionate about. When I find something I live in the topic I am given then my mind opens to ideas and I begin to understand the assignment better. I sometimes think reading other people essay will help me by giving me ideas however it is the total opposite. The ideas I read are things that wouldn’t interest me and sometimes discourages and frustrates me from finding my center. With essay #3 I did struggle with as I did with #2 and #1 the only difference between this essay and those is the struggle to find a source. I am trying to be choosey and picky but I feel like I do not find something as broad but specific about my topic.

Essay #3/writers block

I'm worried about writing the third essay that is due. I still don't have that strong "center" that everyone has in their essays. Reading other people's essays is sort of giving me a vague idea of what I need to do for the assignment so that is very helpful. I realize that there are so many topics I could focus on, but my pen is just at a stand still. I'm even having trouble producing in my own personal creative writing. This is very frustrating as I most always have something to write about. Anyone have any tips to get over writers block?

This weekend I was bombarded with issues and anecdotes pertaining to our class and have finally found some time to share them.  First, when I got home Thursday afternoon there was an article in the TU about classifying eggs.  There were eleven different categories to consider that included the expected organic and free-range labels.  But there are also vegetarian fed, Food Alliance certified, and Animal Welfare approved!  Wow!  The article had an amusing first line leading into the topic - something about buying eggs scrambles the brain . . . A good example of how to lure readers in. 

While at the dentist on Friday, I read an article about food language - how there is a difference between the words "homemade" and "housemade" despite them both meaning "prepared from scratch."  The connotation (implied meaning) of homemade often includes the image of a sweet grandma wearing an apron and baking cookies and pies in a cozy kitchen, whereas housemade is associated with a creative chef who personally and critically selects fresh ingredients and turns them into an imaginative culinary creation in the back of the house (establishment's kitchen).  I'm wondering what you think about this seemingly subtle distinction . . .

On Friday my eight year old son brought home a worksheet on paragraph development.  At the top there was a picture of a juicy burger with all the fixings (interesting enough given the "healthy eating" movement taking place in our school district right now).  However, what stood out were the suggestions next to the image:  the top bun is the introductory sentence; the meat and fixings are the supporting details; the bottom bun is the concluding sentence.  Does this sound familiar?  I threw out this same strategy for integrating outside material, but it's the same principle.  This is something we all have been doing since we were seven or eight years old.  At this point, it's expected that you have "gourmet" meat and fixings by now though.  Those supporting details should be carefully selected and arranged.  Think of a Black Angus burger encrusted with tri-colored cracked peppercorns; smothered with Blue's Ewe (blue cheese); topped apple-wood smoked bacon and carmelized onions; and served on homemade ciabatta (Italian bread).  Not for you? Then visualize your own to-die-for sandwich when writing and create it!  Just as a food creation is a reflection of the cook, your writing is a reflection of who you are, and this goes far beyond WRIT100.  For many, it's easy to throw together a mediocre meal.  The same goes for a piece of writing. 

Again, I enjoy reading your comments - whether you're commenting on the class or material, whether you're reflecting upon your own life, or whether you're flat out procrastinating.  I, too, get caught up with life; I need to write more often. 

I have a laundry list of things to do. I have to start getting into this writing essay we have due, start contemplating what I'm going to write for my literary perspectives paper, and turn in my foundations exam to my professor by midnight tonight. Yet, for some estranged reason, I'm just having trouble bringing myself to fold my laundry sitting in my hamper next to my desk. I blame the weather. Ever notice it's harder to get yourself to do work when it's all dark and dreary outside? Listening to the therapeutic sound of the drapes of rain pouring outside my window make it that much more difficult for me to resist the overwhelming sensation to get back in bed, curl up, and fall asleep...

Last night I sat down and wrote my first draft for this paper. I think that I did a decent job, at least for a first draft. Again, the distractions were kind of ridiculous on my floor. Everyone was running around making tons of sound--people were riding scooters, throwing a football, kicking a soccer ball, and one kid was walking around filming and interviewing everyone. This got me thinking, what times can I possibly do my work in a quiet setting. I realized that there have really only been three different settings when I have had quiet; on the top or bottom floor of the library, when my roomates are in class in our room, and really late at night when everyone falls asleep. This whole college thing is stressful; I'm about to start going home to get my work done, too.

I agree it is really hard to find a quiet place to study and do homework on campus. There have been many times when I wanted to do homework but I was distracted by the people in my hallway, whats on tv or facebook. I am lucky though when I really need to get things done I just go home and get everything done. I do this about once a week. I do think that I really need to just find a quiet place on campus so I can get my work done.

Just to build off of Courtney's latest entry, that number of distractions that we face while trying to write a paper or do any assignment can truly be overwhelming. As I sit right now and try to do my Poli Sci and writing homework in my room the window is open where people yell and cars drive by and there are a million things I can stare at. Open in other windows on my computer are facebook, AIM, blackboard, cnn.com, foxnews.com, majorleaguebaseball.com, ESPN.com...you get the point! The hallway is filled with noise which is so easy to hear even though the window is open. I can hear "Party in the U.S.A." blaring from another room, yes a guy's room, and another song playing in another. When you go to the library, even in the places where it should be quiet, people will always be talking. It is so hard to find a quiet place here!

Essay #2

I just submitted essay #2 and I feel really good about it. I tried to take a different approach then all the other essays I read in class. I tried to go about in a more positive aspect and how it unites us as a nation. I struggled with the structure but overall I think the ideas I put into the paper were genuinely good ideas. I feel better about this essay then essay #1, although I did not start off this essay on a positive note. It took me quite some time to actually start because I felt stumped and had no idea what to write about. After I read everyone else essay I was still stuck and very far behind. The day I realized what wanted to write about was when Ms. Liptak said in class she was waiting for someone to say we needed fast food, and it hit me we do need it. Especially as a freshman having a fast food I’m use to having with friends at home takes me back to home in a sense.

Second Essay

I know that I just blogged a few minutes ago, but it's late and I'm bored. I just finished this second essay, and I'm not entirely happy about it but that's okay I suppose. I never can make up my mind, which is probably why my essays go off on random tangents sometime. I blame facebook for my distraction. There's so much to do on there it's kind of ridiculous because I don't like to go on a lot, except when I have/am doing work. ichat too because I get to talk to my friends from home and they help with my ideas sometime, so it's a positive and negative. Well I am just about finished with this blog, but before I click publish post....isn't it ironic that, like my essays, this entry is unfocused?

I was very happy about my grade on the first paper. It was an interesting topic to write about and I enjoyed it very much. The idea about writing about food, in the beginning, seemed like a strange idea. After writing the first paper it became obvious that there is so much that goes along with food that can be discussed in a paper. This second paper is another very interesting way to look into food. It has been fun to look into, in my case, how different restaurants advertise to television viewers. I'm looking forward to handing this paper in tomorrow. I hope that I did as well on the second paper as I did on the first.

My second essay

Working on my second essay is a lot easier than I thought it would be. After getting advice from Professor Liptak on organization and working with my writing tutor I know I'll do better the second time around. Even though when I did my first paper I thought I did good but I didn't do as good, I'm alright with that. This time my paper will flow better and I'll have better content. My paper will be better and this will be the start of me doing better and working harder. I've gotten better at organizing all my classes and homework, this will help me get better grades. For this essay I should not get anything lower than a B.

I'm real worried about making sure my essay flow. whenever I write essays I try to write out my cognition, but it never translates itself onto the paper in the way I want it to. Creative writing is so much easier. Peer editing defiantly helps though because when I go back to edit my paper and I read people's comments, it helps me to keep focused in my paper.

Peer-Editing

In class couple of days ago I got my paper read by the whole class. I was scared because I'm not a good writer and I wrote the paper in a rush so. When I got to class I talked about my paper to two groups and one group ripped my paper up and it was all negative comments and the other group had comments but they also help give me ideas that i would need to expand my paper. I got a lot of useful advice that I'll use for my paper. At first I never understood why we had to do it because it would be a waste of time but I see that's actually helpful and a good idea that we do this in class.

This morning I was talking to one of my roommates about this class, and how each semester you give a certain topic to write about. We began brainstorming different ideas from family to school, but the best idea we came up with is music. It is such a important thing to so many people. Music has the ability to make you feel happy or sad, to bring you back to a different time in your life, or to allow you to express exactly what you are feeling. There are so many distinct genres of music. There is music in almost everything we do or see. Music is in a scary movie, or a jovial commercial. Why is music so prevalent? Why can't you get a certain song out of your head? These are interesting questions that I feel would be a great paper. There are so many different aspects of this topic. Therefore, I think it would be a good topic for a class in the future.

Family Weekend

This past weekend my it was family weekend and my mother, younger sister, aunt, uncle, and two cousins. It was so good to be able to see my family because being away from them has been very hard. It's difficult to go from seeing someone everyday to seeing maybe once a month. When they came ofcourse they were being loud telling old jokes and making fun of my Jonas Brother poster. Then my mom came late as always, but I wasn't too upset about it though because she brought all the clothes that I left at home. I was happy to see them. I ran up and gave my mom a huge hug and she waited on as we I got ready to go to the mall. I went to Wal-Mart to get all the food that I could think that will last me atleast until after November break. Then I had my mom by me some "other" things that I really needed. After that I we went to crossgates mall and used my debit card to buy too much. After I killed my debit card it was time to say bye to my aunt, uncle, and cousins that was sad. My younger cousin started to cry and it was so hard on me I couldn't believe she was cry and she made me start to cry. Then my mother came back to my dorm to clean my dorm a little then she left and I gave her a huge hug and kiss and she and my sister went down the elevator. I didn't cry but it really hurt because I knew it would be a probably another month before I see her again.

Midterm

My American History II midterm starts tonight at six o'clock. Since the class is only half a semester, I have it two nights a week from six to nine. It is a very long class and two nights a week is a little rough, but on the bright side I am done on October 21. After that I will only have four classes so the workload will be less. Even though the class is shorter, we are doing the same amount of work a full semester class would incorporate. Because of this, we have extensive readings and homework assignments every night. While it will be worth it in the end, this may be one of the hardest classes I have taken due to the amount of work we have been assigned.

First, I am being thoroughly genuine when I say this - I love reading your posts.  I hope that they are helping you feel more comfortable about voicing your opinions as well as feeling more connected to our writing community.  It seems as if they're making you more thoughtful in regard to your writing and writing process . . . I also hope that they are helping you to think more about what is going on around you, and that you really are a part of "it". 

It sounds as if several of you are struggling with this second assignment.  Please know - the assignment was purposely designed to be open.  While many of you are writing about the fast food industry and our unhealthy diets, these are just two possible subjects.  For example, I would be interested in exploring farmers' markets, u-pick farms, the increase in home gardening and how one of these are being promoted in the media.  Do you see where I'm going?  I should have emphasized this more - pick something that interests you and affects you.

I'm off to Minnesota for the weekend, for my niece is getting married.  I'll let send you an update on Minneapolis cuisine.  Enjoy the weekend!

Writing about the different food slogans and the way companies go about getting their products out to the public is something very interesting. To really hear other people talk about how hard the comapanies must work to get certain sayings right for the public is much more interesting than just thinking about them on my own. Not only do i hear what other people have to say i can also get different point of views, and that is always a interesting thing.

Essay Draft #2

I wasn't sure I was going to be able to pull this last essay off, but once I got started it was not as bad as I imagined. I got a late start on it because of my freewrites, and was real nervous sending it to everyone. After going over it again and doing some self-editing, I do not think it was too bad, given the circumstances. I'm looking forward to what the other drafts have written, and hearing from other people how I can make my draft better.

Food in the media

At first I was not feeling good about this writing assignment because it was out of the ordinary. Now that I completed the free writing assignments and my first draft essay I feel confident. I wrote about how most fast food restaurants and a few other restaurants try to use different advertisements methods to target people, but at the end they are all similar. I think my paper is going to be strong and interesting for the readers. I am also looking forward for my grade on the previous writing assignment.

Food Traditions Essay 2

I struggled with this last writing assignment we had to complete. I wrote about how fast food places trap certain people into constantly eating there by promising a cheap filling meal, that in turn can cause them health problems. I was not sure what to write about and did not feel confident about my work while I was writing. Even though I feel as if my writing was satisfactory, I did not enjoy the essay. The reason could have been the transition from writing about a food tradition that holds great importance, to writing about different fast food places. However, after reading what other people wrote for their free writes I feel more confident that my paper fits into the assignment.

New Family Member

My family is anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new nephew. My sister is due within a week and any day now we will be getting the call that she has gone into labor. She is very brave as she has a thirteen month old currently and will have Irish twins in a short amount of time. I helped her and my brother in law with my nephew at the beach during the last weeks of summer and he alone is a handful. I can not even imagine the running around they are going to have to do with two babies in the house. I can not wait to meet my new nephew and my family is anxiously awaiting his birth. This also means that it will be a random weekend where my entire family will be home. All of my brothers and sisters from out of town will most likely be staying at my parent's house and it will be good to see everyone together. My mom will cook a huge dinner and we will all probably stay up late hanging out. Events like this are fun when we all get together, and this one will be especially important.

I really did not like our last free write assignments. They were pretty confusing. I was not sure what to write about at first. Then when I started I felt like every exercise I wrote was about the same thing. Today when I came to class it seemed like everyone else felt the same way but then once I started reading other peoples I found that they were some what similar to mine.

Food in the Media

Going on to assignment #2 has been difficult for me because I got suck on my free writes and I do not know what to write about. I hope as I finish my free writes the assignment itself will get clearer to me because right now I am kind of lost. I know I have to write about food in the media but I feel like I don’t know what to concentrate on. I wrote about 3 ideas that I think are related to food in the media which are calories being displayed on menus, low calorie foods and obesity relating to fast food restaurants. Those are the immediate ideas that stand out to me when I think food and media, now I have no idea what to write my 2 other free writes about. HELP!!! How is everyone else going about this topic?

Food Traditions

Before I handed in my food traditions essay I reread all my drafts and I saw the huge change. I had a hard time with this assignment because I felt like it was all over the place and a lot of the thing I said in it were not relevant enough. When I usually write an essay I make an outline with what I am going to write in each paragraph. With this essay at first I didn’t quite do that because I though it should come from the heart and didn’t know what idea to put down. But after my 1^st draft I sat down and made an outline of the strong ideas I though I put in the essay and elaborated on those instead of touching on a lot of little ideas. I do not know if I am satisfied with my final draft but I do know I put a lot of time and effort into giving it structure and making it flow and connect to my food tradition.

P.S. In my food traditions essay I wrote about my favorite dish empanadas de yucca which I love, this weekend I went home and my mother surprised me by making them for me.

Fall is my favorite Season!

I absolutely love this time of year because the leaves are so pretty when they change colors. I also enjoy the way the wind feels on my body. This time of year it is not uncommon for me to take a nice long ride in the car, usually to Vermont.
Well the first essay is now completed. I feel good about the essay I turned in. I went to the writing center today and the reviewer gave it a thumbs up. I also had a professor read it and he enjoyed it.
This class is awesome and I am truly benefitting from the peer reviews. I cannot believe how fast this semester is going so far!
There is not much sun today. I hope everyone has a nice evening. I think it is so cool to see something I wrote in print! I feel like a real writer who works for a newspaper or magazine.

Reflections

So its a Friday night and I decided to be lame and do homework. I was reading through my paper and the different versions that I have completed, and I am really surprised at how a few small changes have really improved my paper. I usually compete my work at the last minute with just enough time to proofread and edit. To be honest, I think the last time I've had multiple drafts was my 6th grade term paper. I never thought that an extra draft and more time could really make that much of a difference, but by looking at it with fresh eyes and a new perspective my paper has really evolved. I can express exactly what I need to say and take out what really does not make sense or is not necessary. Furthermore, I thought I would hate having other people read my writing, but I was pleasantly surprised. I was nervous that it would seem stupid or embarrassed by my personal stories and feelings, but everyone was really nice. They also had really great ideas on how to improve my paper that I would have never thought of. These are some reflections I've made thus far, and I'm excited to see what else I can learn to become a better writer.

Prof. Liptak, I thought it was a strong statement when you referred to the class as being active members of this world. I read that and thought to myself "I have a voice in this world and more importantly I have so many valuable thoughts, ideas and concerns I know the world could benefit positively from hearing these things from me. " Class was awesome today because my peer reviewer and I had a great discussion on how to improve our papers. All that talk about food did make me hungry. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

9/17 - I came home from school yesterday afternoon and immediately took out the first batch of drafts sent to me earlier in the day.  I like to quickly review each one of them before I take out my pencil and highlighter - give them each a quick read before articulating my responses - and while I was doing this, I was helping my eight year old son with his cursive and answering my six year old daughter's demands for how to spell things on the computer.  While certainly chaotic, all of us were reading and writing in some form - very cool!  Anyway, I was impressed with the diverse experiences expressed in each of the essays, and in spite of these incredibly different rituals, traditions, and special occasions, we are culturally bound by food.  Now that these essays are marked up with my own questions and comments, I look forward to hearing what you have to say - particularly what you want to know more about as a reader and as an active member of this world.      

9/7 - This is my first semester using "food" as the theme of the writing course. I am very excited. Having spent decades (hard to believe I can use the plural form of decade) in the restaurant business and considering myself somewhat of a foodie, I am stunned by my former ignorance of food production and distribution. By no means am I an expert now. Nor am I a fanatic. But I've done a lot of reading, traveling, and listening that has prompted me to implement small changes within my own household and at my family's restaurant, and I don't see these issues surrounding food - sustainability, humanitarianism, culture, and nutrition to name but a few - fading into the background anytime soon. Food binds all of us, and I'm interested in examining how. So, we will be sharing in written form diverse stories, opinions, and research about food, and I expect us to disagree. I also expect you to become stronger writers along the way since that is the true objective of the course. Food is merely the theme around which the writing assignments are designed. Bon appetit!