Back to the fishin' hole.

• The author begins the story by recollecting the first summer he had spent on the lake in Maine. This provided a strong basis for the rest of the anecdote. We know he felt fondly of the vacation place and would explain why he so easily, this would explain why it was so easy to slip back into old memories. 
• The author speaks of specific, relating times within his life. Beginning with a family trip with his father, then a fishing trip with his son. 
• yes, the author includes solid details so as a reader, I can picture the environment very well and imagine how the place felt and smelled. 
• We don't really learn any specific speech or dialogues, but we do understand the bond between the characters. 
• The author reminisces the events from his childhood summers and compares them with the changes that have taken place to make the area into what it is now. Somethings have become more modern, but other places are just as overgrown and hidden as before.
• How the author feels towards the place is obvious he had fond memories there as a child. By  taking his son there, he is able to experience the trip from a different point of few, but falls back into his old memories and the separation between his son and himself blurs. He writes of how he starts to see through his sons eyes, flashing back to his own childhood. These descriptions allow us to understand the differences he now feels. 
• The conclusion was yet another instance that the father, living somewhat vicariously through his son, felt as if he were the young boy. He felt the chill of the wet clothing the boy was wearing, through memory. 

Parlez-moi plutôt un jour

• The introduction is grabbing because he speak of himself going back to school at a later age. If makes you interested to see how he is dealing with this obstacle. Although, the listing of the places that he now has access to is somewhat random. 
• The writer is focusing on the experience of the first months of his French class in Paris. This is a short time-lined experience, not his whole life story. 
• He gives minimal details, leaving you to create your own image the teacher. 
• He uses lots of quotations for us to better understand what parts of the insults and conversations he does and does not understand. This helps us understand the embarrassment that follows when the instructor says things to him that make him feel badly, even though he doesn't know what she is saying.
• We've all been embarrassed because of some academic flaw or mistake and some point in our lives, therefore it is easy to be empathetic towards him as he struggles through his lessons. 
• Others included in this essay help reflect the troubles the author is also having. The people and the events in this story-line help build towards the significant ending where he is beginning to understand language he has been working so hard to know. 
• The conclusion provided just lets us know that his hard work is beginning to pay off. So yes, the conclusion reinforces the story that told us of his hard work at learning a new language. 

Sentence Structure.

Sam got in her car and drove to the mall. She went to the shoe store where she bought a pair of boots and a shoeshine kit. Sam went to the food court where she ate a burrito that had onions and peppers on it. She saw a cute boy at the pretzel stand and blushed when he looked at her. The boy came over to same, but he wrinkled his nose when she said hi. Confused, Sam said hi again but the boy gagged. Sam ran to the bathroom and cried. Before leaving the bathroom, Sam put on her new boots and shined them. She confidently walked out of the bathroom to find the boy. Sam told him he needed manners, and then used her new boots to kick him. The boy fell as she walked away and out of the mall. 

Revise, Revise, Revise.

Check-check-check it off.
--Summary Revision Checklist

1. Through a variety of pressures, students are becoming overwhelmed. This is a simple statement, but it reflects the authors ideas.
2. I detail a bit of the author's background and knowledge as to provide a basis for his understanding of his students.
3. The main points of this article are the four main pressures that face students today. I recognize each in a separate paragraph with explanations of each. I do feel I have reflected the authors idea in an unbiased way.
4. I feel as if this is organized in a similar matter of the original article.
5. I believe the thesis is accurate. I conclude the essay by including a direct quote from the text and wrapping up the discussed ideas in an effective way.
6. correct grammar!
7. I try to vary my sentence structures to keep from getting too repetitive.
8.I did use direct quotations, but only twice. I felt they reflected the points well and were concise.
9.There are only third person references.
10. It meets requirements.

** I do wish I had paid more attention to the MLA style format, because I know that I did not meet these requirements before submitting. I realized this afterword, and I wish I had double checked this beforehand.

[ Courage is grace under pressure ]

Economic Pressure + Peer Pressure + Parental Pressure + Societal Pressure + Work Pressure = migraine pressure.

Which have I experienced? How about them all. I'm a full time student, with big time loans. I have three jobs. I try to keep up with my parents expectations, as well as graduate and get a job like everyone expects. Meanwhile trying to keep up with all my friends. Balance isn't easy, and isn't really happening. But that is how it goes. College is chaotic, but I enjoy it this way. A boss of mine explains it something like this; there is good stress and there is bad stress. The good stress is well, good, and the bad stress isn't so good. Things can be stressful but it leads you to become more driven, more succesful. But when the stress gets really bad, it can cause you to shut down. Well, its something like that. After four years you'd think I'd have it memorized.
     He has a point though. The pressures will gang up on you, but you just have to handle them in stride. Letting things overwhelm you will become counterproductive and just lead you down a darker path.
      When the pressures of everything build up for me I try to just step back and look at the big picture. I'll get through it, it might not be easy, but I will. I like to tackle things one-by-one so I can check them off a list. (Checking off the last thing on you to-do list is one of the best feelings. Yea, I'm kind of nerdy sometimes. I also have a thing for post-it notes. ) Sometimes the pressures get to be too much, I have failed a class before because I couldn't keep up with anything. I wasn't happy, but it taught me better time management. Good comes out of the bad, at least that is what I like to think.

x = failure.

     Strange thing is, I used to be really good at it. I used to be one of the best in my class at it. I didn't mind it, it all made sense. Then one stormy day it all changed..

    Okay, it wasn't that dramatic, and it definitely didn't happen in a day. More like a semester. The 'it' of my woes : algebra. It was a bird course through elementary school. Add this to this and now you have that; easy. Middle school wasn't bad either. High school is where the troubles began. New school, new problems. They say when you're bad at math it's because you missed something, that there is a gap. Well I suppose that is true but I didn't know where my gap was. Eighth grade I was good, ninth grade; not so much. I like to blame the teacher. I had her freshmen year and again my junior year where I vowed never to take algebra again. I still think the only reason I passed that class was because my teacher wanted me out of the room. Unfortunately college didn't allow me to keep that resolution and I had to dig my calculator out and try again. And again, and again.  Hopefully this time when I'm done, I'll really be done with it. I'd like nothing more than to never bother with inequalities again. Luckily I get a better grasp on most of my other subjects, and if I don't then studying more often usually does the trick. Algebra is my ongoing problem. Perseverance is the key, right?

To keep or not to keep a notebook, that is the question.

     When I was younger I tried on several occasions to keep a journal, but it never seemed to last more than a couple weeks. I always liked the idea of keeping a daily journal of some sort, but the commitment just never stuck for me. In Joan Didion's "On Keeping a Notebook," she wrote of her surroundings and observations, less of her own actions. One specific line that caught my attention was "..." Where she explained that sometimes she didn't feel her life was exciting enough to write about so she embellished, or even made things up. We all probably feel this way sometimes, and that might be why most attempts at journals don't last. 
     Why keep a notebook of some kind? Free writing allows you to express yourself in any way you please. You could write of your daily life, write of observations, write short anecdotes. The beauty of this is that it doesn't need to be anything specific or have any definite structure. A person can write for themselves, as an emotional release. It's therapeutic to release feelings. 
     The idea of the traditional journal/notebook is changing. Nowadays, a blog may be more common to a person than a physical notebook (although I think that physical writing can be a large part of expressing yourself). Blogs allow people to reach others on a more specific basis. If a person wants to write of their struggles with a loss of a loved one from 9/11, then they will join a blog dedicated on that subject. This allows people with the same interest and needs to connect. Social networking is also changing the idea of this concept. Between Facebook and Twitter, a person can let out short tidbits of their feelings or news to everyone they know. This is probably the farthest away from the original purpose of a notebook, but it is still allowing a person to write out their feelings. They could be vague, hidden in quotes or lyrics, or specific with not-so-subtle rants filled with symbols to represent their frustrations. Authors of the classics would cringe at today's use of the written word, but it works for us and it's not changing anytime soon. 
     Keeping a notebook is generally for the writer, and the writer only. Does this make the act narcissistic? No, i don't believe so, because the writing is for personal expression and its probably not meant to be seen by many others. Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites that allow people to post whatever they like. Users will take advantage of this and post every little move, mood, or thought in their daily lives. Is this a bit narcissistic? Yes, I believe it can be. Nobody really cares that you have gotten a route 44 from Sonic or just took a nap. 
     The reason for keeping a notebook, journal, or blog varies. A person does with them what they need to. Whether to express themselves, to keep track of events, or just rid themselves of their random thoughts, its up the author. 

A bit about me..

To kick of this blog, I should let you know a bit about me. I am a senior at Washburn University. Originally I had planned to study physical therapy, but I ended up in Mass Media as an Advertising emphasis and I love it. I just kept taking classes I liked and wanted to take, and it led me here. I am a full time student, and between three jobs I am almost a full time worker. Currently I lifeguard at a couple of the YMCA's in town as well as instruct a lifeguarding course once a month. I also work at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. On Monday's if you stop by I'll be up in the loft from 2:00-4:00 and at the desk from 4:00-6:00. Finally, I also work as a photographer for the Washburn Review. I just started a Media Internship at the Helping Hands Humane Society. My life has gotten pretty chaotic lately but I am enjoying it. I can already tell my last year at WU is going to speed by, but it will be well worth it.