A Farewell

So glad that this semester is coming to an end. I feel like I need this break coming because I have worked so hard for all of my classes. I know that I'll probably be working a lot this winter break, but not doing any kind of school work for about 4 weeks is a great thing. I just got all of my Christmas shopping done and I'm stoked for that. Also, I finally got up my Christmas decorations. They look really good and I'm happy that I finally had a chance to wrap everything up. I would really like to wish everyone a wonderful break and I hope to see some you in the future. Please keep in touch.

Possibly bad

Working at the movie theatre today, I found that it was not like it used to be. There aren't as many people coming through the doors as it was before, and I feel that it has been completely dead versus the past. I honestly believe that a lot of it has to do with the economy that we have right now. It's kind of sad that this is starting to happen, and not only am I worried about my dad losing his job now but what about my job. This could be bad.

Dancing with the Stars

Anyone watch dancing with the stars... Probably not, but I really like the show. I;m really excited the Brooke won the show. I'd just like to show you their final performance. I really think that it displays their talents.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1BCqw3fZ4g
if you want to see the other two competitors, go to these to links
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbEPzR9A9P8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdHwUUN5QXc&feature=related

Presentations

Presentations were kind of exciting this week. I mean, I love to give my opinion on certain things and present research that I have found; however, it's a horrible feeling when you prepare a lot for a presentation and you completely freeze up. And of course I had to completely freeze up! My mind went completely blank and I don't even think that sentences were coming out of my mouth. It sounded more like as bunch of words smooshed together. I wish I could have done better, after all of the hard work that I put into the presentation and the paper.
Other presentations that I did hear were actually very insightful. I was most impressed when Angelica talked about becoming a vegetarian. There were so many facts to spport her claim. Also, I feel a lot more educated about this topic and am now more aware of the things that I'm eating. (The entire point of having these papers in the first place!!)

Second Language Learning

My Op-ed piece is posted on http://rdshock20.wordpress.com/. I hope that you understand a little bit more about the topic that I'm doing my paper on.

Scared

Scared. This what I feel like right now. I am scared to know what will happen to the auto industry and in the end, me. My dad works for GM and he makes a large part of the income the we have in my house. Like many Americans across the country, we have a fear that the auto industry will crash and for many people to lose their jobs. I feel like the auto industry is the back bone of the country and if the loans do not go through then my family could be in deep trouble. Yes the top employees and the government are at fault for this mess, but it should not be taken out on the "little guys" who have nothing to do with. I honestly hope for the best. For my family and for many others.

Feeling Blue

Everything in general is just taking a toll on me. Because of the stress and the homework and working, I'm getting sick and tired and drained. I haven't gotten sleep in days and this entire week im working as well. I feel like this week needs to just be off for us. I'm having a hard time keeping up with everything that I need to be doing. Does anyone else have this feeling or am I alone on this one? I really hope that I am no the only one feeling like this.

A True Friend

It's always exciting to learn about other cultures and the way that people act. In particular, my favorite people from another country have to be the Germans. Everytime that I learn something new about them, it just makes me want to go to the country. What got me really thinking the other day is thinking about how many friends I actually have. In the United States, we tend to consider everyone that we meet a friend, not an acquaintance, but a friend. We could have talked to them a total of 4 times and still consider them a friend. To the Germans, these people are not your friends. They like to distinguish the difference between an aquaintance and an actual friend. Germans define a "friend" as being someone who would do ansolutely anything for you. They would drop anything to help you or just be around you. So going back through all of the people that I would consider a friend, I can honestly say that I only have one friend. (As odd as that seems). Listening to more of what my professor had to say, she claims that these "Friends" in Germany are not so hard to find. I can't wait to be around these people. More and more I realize that because of the situations I am in, and the way that I think and feel at this stage in my life... I need to go to Germany.

Readings of Critical thinking and Analysis

What I have learned from the readings of critical reading and rhetorical analysis is that I should not write a paper that just lists the facts. The best thing that I can do with my essay is to analyze the details of a piece and introducer new ideas to the table that have never been heard before. I'm hoping that with this paper, I will be introducing a new idea of thought, contributing to the world that I live in. I want to make a statement that could benefit other people as well as me.

Equal in My Eyes

History was made this week when the first ever elected African American President came into office. For many African Americans, this is a huge leap in their struggle to gain equality. In Langston Hughes "Theme From English B," I felt that his hardships to gain respect was significant. It showed that because he was black, he couldn't even grab the attention of his white teacher, when Langston was by far a brilliant writer. I feel that African Americans have overcome that boundary and that we are a far more cohesive nation, excepting of all races.

When I was first told "History was made" after this election, I asked myself, "what history?" Sadly enough, it took me a few days to realize the signifance of a black president in office. In my mind there was absolutely no problem with an African American being in office. It did not phase me. I feel like because ever since I was born, I was taught that there never was a racial problem. I may have seen it, but in mind, I had this image of an equal world. I ignored the discrimination and the pain that African Americans went through for all of those years. I ignored the name calling and pushing around. I felt that there was no need to create a dividing line. I always treated everyone at the same level that I would want to be treated.

The reason for my choice in president was not because the candidates are African American and White, but who was more qualified for the position. I will never choose a candidate who may be of a particular race, but unable to perform. I choose based on qualifications, a trait that Langston Hughes needed his teacher to have.

The Election to Remember

It is critical to voice your opinion on all aspects of life, so that your voice will be heard and possibly taken into consideration. When voting in this year's election, I wanted to make sure that my voice was heard and my opinion was put out there into the world. I was very hopeful to get the same response from other Americans, to make sure that my vote counted and made a difference; however, my votes were "expectedly" not the majority. Even though I was not hopeful for Barack Obama to win, I still have hope for this country. I have the hope that most Americans need to have when they go into the next four years. Maybe he will be a good president, I don't know, but we'll just have to find out.

The Man in the Background

I was just thinking about this today, but have you ever wondered how many lives you have influenced by existing on this earth. How many pictures you are in the background of. It's wierd to think that maybe you have influenced or have been a part of more lives than you intended to. Maybe on a day that you opened the door for an old lady you didn't know or when you start up a conversation at work with someone you may never see again. I can't count how many times I have told stories about random people that I meet, and I've always wondered how many stories I have been in.
I believe that each person has a peurpose in this world, I wonder if I have ever fullfilled any of my purposes by doing something for someone I will never see again.
Have you ever thought about this before?

A Day to Remember

Events like September 11th don't happen very often. Its things like this that make you wonder how long that you have to live. I remember the day it happened and the people that were hurt. I was in the 6th grade and I was shocked to hear over the announced that there was an attack on our country. People were fleeing the classrooms and had thought to themselves, "what if we are next."

The words on the photo to the right say, "You will hear of wars and rumors of war, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains."
Matthew 24:6-8
How would you interpret this message and what could this mean for you?


The country was in mayhem, yet other countries were helping as much as they could to help restore optimism. I remember when my class decided to help out and raise money, as did other schools across the nation. I was frightened by this day, I am saddened by this day, I remember.

Black Out Suck

So as I was sitting and writing my last blog of the week I began to ponder what exactly I was going to write about.. when suddenly my power just so happened to go Out. So ill keep this short and sweet and to the point tonight. I realize just how much people in our generation count on Electricity. Which means for us No TV, Internet, Video Games, Personal Hygiene tools, or even common house hold appliances.

Well first of all everyone is using there nice generators while I'm sitting at home, wishing I had a nice warm room to park my rump roast and work on my homework. You think I would have learned from the Black out of 2004. So adding to my weekend of working not only will i have a huge amount of homework tomorrow but I will have forever the voices of little Children coming to the movie theater over the weekend thrilled about seeing HSM 3. So until again when i continue on with my ranting about how much i hate the movie theater and love it at all at the same time. Goodnight

Improvements

Over the course of this semester, I've learned that writing isn't as easy as it seems. It takes much more than the average person would assume. First of all, I've been starting to use more evidence in my papers than I usually do. Before, I would make a whole bunch of claims and would never support what I was saying. If I did have quotes or any evidence, its relevance to my paper was not there.
A more important issue that I have finally discovered is that my first instinct is to write my introduction first. For most people that is never a problem; however, in my case, this is one of the biggest problems that I have encountered. Usually I will start by making a claim, and then supporting something completely different. In the end, I had to go back to my introduction and fix all of the sentences that don't pertain to my piece.
I've tried harder this semester than I have ever before on my papers for classes, and in doing so I have feel that I have accomplished a lot.
I know that I still have a lot to work on for my papers, but my biggest issues have been worked out.
I would like to learn more on how write an opinion, though, without using so much evidence. I don't want to have to find evidence for every little detail that I say.

BOX OFFICE

Here is another sequel to my interesting life at the movie theatre. So I was told that I had to be moved to box the other day and I was kind of pissed. The thought of having to sell tickets all day long just made me sick and I was so upset. For some reason, though, it was the best experience that I've had in a long time. The thing about box is that you get to have a lot of authority. You are the one that gets to tell people if they are allowed in the movie and if they are underage then they can't go in. Also you have no supervisor. I think it is so cool that you don't have someone telling you what to do all of the time.
So my first experiences were quite interesting. First thing that I did was give the wrong times to a movie when the lady called on the phone. Ooops. Then I completely told the lady the wrong ticket prices. However, the funniest part is the fact that I have been working at the movies for a while now and have seen only 2 movies. This is not good. People all the time are asking about movies and if they should see them and I have no idea what to say because I've never seen any of them.
When I did get to show a little bit of my authority was the fact that there were a mob of underaged kids trying to get into a rated R movie and I got to turn them down. They were so pissed at me but were very persistent. Instead, they got a different ticket and snuck into the rated R movie where they were busted. I love getting people into trouble.
I'm so glad that I get to continue to be in box! I even get to sit down when I'm tired!

"Sweetest Day?"

So, Saturday was Sweetest Day and I really don't understand the concept of the holiday. I don't even think that it should be considered a holiday in the first place. When I went to Frankemeuth, I was hoping that no one was going to be there. My mom's side of the family all came so that we could celebrate my dad's, grandma's , and grandpa's birthdays. When we got there, there were all of these people and I didn't know what to think. I had no idea that it was sweetest day. Probably because no one had ever told me. However, it ruined my day! Going into Bronner's was a nightmare because there were so many people in the store bumping into me. I felt like I was being bombarded by a heard of elephants. There were so many couples there and and it made me feel like crap.
Also on Sunday, my friend decides to tell me that she got this gift from a guy for sweetest day with a whole bunch of gifts in it. I had no idea that people actually paid attention to this holiday. It makes me sick.
In the end, because I did not have sweetheart, for this so called "sweetest day," I feel like it's just a commercial holiday to emphasize the fact that people with out girlfriends and boyfriends are losers!

Stress

After being in college for a few weeks now, I've decided that it is more stressful than I ever thought it would be. I started off not really having that much homework and now I'm more stressed out more than last year. (Which is really hard to beat). Everyday, I get more loads and loads of homework and its not the kind that you can just forget about cuz it doesnt have to be turned in.If I dont do the homework that I have then I wont pass the class. Today, I felt something that I havent felt in a while. My heart was beating really fast and I felt sick. I just need to relax but its so hard to relax when you worry as much as I do. I just hope that stress will so go away.. which I know it wont.

Artwork

Since our unit has been about religion, I thought that I would put a picture of the back wall of the Sistine Chapel by Michaelangelo. This moment signifies The Last Judgement and I feel like this kind of shows a large part of who I am. Religion and my Catholic faith is a huge part of my life and my being so a mural as beautiful as this is held dear to my heart. I feel like the artistry and the detail in this piece is so significant. One day I would love to see it in person.

The Intro is Everything

When looking over way to improve my writing, I noticed that really the introduction is more important than anything. This is the place where you have to make your claim and if your claim is not legitimate, then the entire focus of the paper will be off. Also it is the place where the reader will be reading first and if it is not interesting, then the reader will not want to read the rest of the paper. I also found that forming three solid arguments is the key to writing a great college paper. If you do not have the right amount of points and you evidence is insufficient then there is no purpose for you to write the paper in the first place.

Religion Quotes

While reading through "More Religion, but Not the Old-Time Kind, I found that there was one quote the stuck out from all of the rest. "The Global attitudes study correlated views on religion with annual per capita income and found that wealthier nations tend to place less importance on religion - with the exception of the United States." The first bit of confusion that I have captured is that many of the wealthy nations in this world do not see religion as that important. I begin to wonder how is it possible that such a statistic has been shown.
But, with the United States being so involved with religion, I can see this very clearly. My practice is Catholicism and I tend to be very strong - minded about my religion. I've noticed that every where I go, someone is making a remark about religion and what the believe, if they even believe anything at all. Even though someone may not believe that there is a God or some kind of creator yet they have a strong enough will to stand up for what they believe, to me that just means that religion is important to them. I think that is where this statistic somes from because in the United we have so many different cultures and so many different opinions that religious views come into play.

I thought I was a goner!!

I've just decided after going to the apple orchard this weekend that a lot of people are irritating. The only reason why I say this is because every time that I go somewhere people just can't be normal. They always have to screw it up right in front of me. For example, I almost got killed today.We were driving in to park in the parking lot when somebody decided that he was not going to look as he was pulling out of the parking lot. My dad had the right of way and as he was turning a large truck started to press on out onto the road. My dad had to nail on his gas pedal to zoom around the guy. I thought I was a goner. He actually sped up as we were turning. SPED UP!!!!! The guy was so close to my door that I could practically see the color of his eyes. I was with my whole family so were all screaming thinking we were sure to get hit. I've decided that I'm so glad my dad's a good driver.

Relgion in Public

I''ve been thinking about how religion places a public role in our society over this weekend and I seemed to have hit a bump. Whenever religion is mentioned in a classroom or in public, people go ballistic unless they have the same points of view. I noticed in high school that whenever someone would mention religion or something that they had to do for church, there would alays be someone who would completely bash what they were talking about. He wouldn't just tell them about his beliefs, but he would tell them how wrong they were for practicing in that way. I feel that opinions are too strong and there is so much variety of views in the US, therefore mixing government and religion would be a catastrophe.
I was actually just listening to the radio the other day and they were talking about hey they were going to change something about the toilets in one of the cities to accomodate for Islamic faith. I was quite confused. People were calling in non-stop with so many different views on the situation. Some were saying that it was a good thing to help Muslims more comfortable and ther people were saying that they were being forced to change views on their own religion. I just think that bringing religion up in public is a bad idea. There are way too many views.

Crazy Teams

Well, I went to B-Dubs today. It was so good love ther food there. I decided not to get any wings today, and instead got ribs and shrimp and a salad. It was so good. The problem is that I'm always finding myself getting food everywhere. It's horrible. I fee like I can never go to a restaurant without getting food on myself. I could have a napkin on my lap and eat over my plate and still get food all over myself. It's like I have a whole in my mouth. Well, that's besides the point. We were sitting at dinner and my sister and her friend were talking about swim practice again. Why I say again is because everyday she's there, there's some kind of controversy. This time the captain of the swim team had had enough and told the coach that she was sick of choice people on the team. I just dont understand why none of the girls get along. Everyday I see my sister come home all upset because of a fight. Is this really how girls are behind the scenes?

Have any of you had so much drama on a sports team that it was almost impossible to stand the people and tears are always shed?

I feel like when I was section leader of my drumline, we never had any conflicts. Instead, on this swim team there's always fighting about who's gossiping about who and rumors. It's insane.

What are your thoughts?

Forgotten Holidays

So Halloween is approaching and Im getting really excited. I cant figure out what I want to wear yet, but I'm thinking of wearing something funny. However, as I was looking through some of the stores, I'm already seeing Christmas stuff. What is up with that? I feel like every year they keep pushing up the date and I'm so sick of it. People aren't thinking about what the holiday is actually about and it's forming more and more into a commercial holiday. I just want to get through Halloween first and then move on to Christmas. Wait. O I forgot. There's another holiday in between there. Thanksgiving! See what happens, because they move the holidays up so far with all of the decor, you forget some of the most amazing holidays. I am absolutely obsessed with food and Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday of all. I just wish that instead of already thinking about what we're going to get people for Christmas, we should get through "at least" Halloween!

Hiphop Dance Video

I've always thought this was the coolest dance. I think you should check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtjtgRwv1vo

The cool part about it is that the guy and girl in the video both are not hip hop dancers. The guy is a ballroom dancer! I think that it's so cool how versatile that people can be. I guess if you have, you have it! and he definately does.

Awkward

Well, I hate to bring up the movie theatre again, but it sparked ideas. I think it is so wierd when people come to see movies that you haven't seen in so long and they have no idea who you are but i know them. I never tell them that I know who they are because that would be creepy, however I wait until they say they remember me from somewhere and then I begin to tell them where we know eachother from. Its also wierd when you see someone that a complete asshole to you in school, but then when they see you working they're all nice and ask how I'm doing. I hate fake people.
Today, I saw someone I haven't seen in 5 or 6 years and she didn't remember me until she looked really close. Back then I looked completely different so thats probably why. I don't think anyone would remember.. I was such a dork with the big glasses, baggy clothes, and messy hair.

My First Week of School

In my first writing, I never really got to mention anything about what I thought about the first week of college. College is definitely a lot different than I expected. People are a lot more friendly than High School, and I feel like I actually look forward to coming to school and being with the new friends that I've made. I'm really happy that I don't know anyone either. I get to start fresh and meet new people. I felt that in High School there were too many judgements placed on one another and in college, it's different. People aren't worried about being popular or dressing nice all of the time. It's so laid back and I feel like I don't have to be fake. I can dress the way I want and act the way I want, and already I feel like I've grown as a person. It's nice to know that you can walk into a school, and after the first class you've already made two, new, amazing friends who have similar personalities to you and are so accepting.

My German class is also something that I've learned to be excited about. In High School, I had developed many skills in German including reading, writing, and understanding really well. The problem was that I never spoke it and in German 101 I've learned to "speak" more than I have in 4 years of German. It's amazing how different college really is.

Movie Madness

Working at a movie theatre does have many perks. You know, I get free movies, movie posters, drinks and popcorn. Boy do I love popcorn. What seems to burst my bubble the most about working at MJR is the school year. Not only do I get less hours and the occasional call-in on the worst days (if I'm lucky), but I also have to deal with cranky people. For some reason, when all of the children go to school and the parents go to work more, they all seem to get crabby. And who better to take all that stress out on the concessionist at the movie theatre, whose job is to serve food, not to give advice to stressed out crazy patrons. A prime example of the "wonderful world of cinemas" is September 9, 2008.

After waiting an entire week for another day at work, I was hoping to come to a moderately relaxing day. Of course, that would only be too easy. Instead, I came into work with a few people in the lobby and then all of a sudden there was a rush of people. Too many orders for my mind to memorize. People were rude, inconsiderate, pushing each other, and yelling at me because I "did not wait on them fast enough." It was bogus. Time slowly passed by and the day got a tad boring until one over-sized 40-year-old woman asked me for a refill. With no questions asked, I gave her another icee, but then she wanted another straw. Little did I know that getting another straw would turn into a fight. As I tossed the straw in her direction, the lady said, "Did you throw that straw at me?" With a questioned look I said, "No ma'am, I just tossed it on the table." But that didn't seem to be the right answer. She looked at me again, but this time her lip curled and she barked, "Excuse me, but you threw this straw at me." All defensive I said, "Not intentionally!" As she grabbed her child's hand, she stormed off. What did I do? Did I say something wrong? This seemed to be only the beginning of several strange events.

As the day pressed on, I noticed that there were cops running into the lobby. As they dashed across to the self-serves and attacked three young boys. Apparently they had stolen from a few cars in the parking lot and were being followed by the mall security. I saw them get hand cuffed and taken away while people stared from all directions.

Next thing I knew I had this very strange lady come up to me in line. She frantically took her cup and shoved it in my face. I'm thinking to myself, "That's rude," and "didn't I just sell her that large drink?" Then she decided to say the most absurd thing I've ever heard in a while. She says, "I am so angry. Refill my cup because I was so angry that I could not find the salt shaker that I spilled my cup." What in the world? How does that even make sense? I looked over at the self-serves and it looked like the lady took the pop and shook all over the table, the floor, the butter dispenser, and the register. I decided that ignoring the situation was the best thing for me to do. I could have said something that I would have regretted.

The night was about to end and I couldn't wait to get home. I was so sick of everything that was happening. Last, but not least, a woman comes rushing up to the counter saying I need a refill. I'm thinking, "O great, here's another one." But her story was different. Her daughter had tripped on a stair in one of the theatres and was bleeding profusely from her leg. Now, the cinema was at fault and she had to document the incident and mall security had to get her a wheel chair and take her away. What a day!!

I was so glad it was finally time to go home