Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Last night, I went to see the movie, "Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past".  It starred Matthew McConohey and Jennifer Garner. I saw the movie with 4 of my other friends and we loved it! I figured I would probably enjoy the movie and it would be entertaining beforehand, but I also really ended up liking the message the movie gave. Without ruining anything, I will explain it a little. The main character Connor Mead (played by Matthew M.) is the typical playboy.  He goes through lots of women, never satisfied, and claims he doesn't believe in love. But when he is met by 3 ghosts one weekend at his brother's wedding, his view on life and love changes.  The movie was somewhat predictable and a "chick flick" but I thought it was very entertaining and had a cute message to it.  I would recommend it to other friends for sure!

Downtown Roanoke

This past weekend, my mom came to visit me at school.  Friday night after my swim practice, she took me and a friend out to dinner.  We went to this new Italian restaurant in the new shopping center on main street.  It was very good!  After dinner, we went to the grocery to stock up on a little food and then I went back to my mom's hotel and spend the night.  After my practice saturday morning, my mother and I drove to Roanoke and went to the downtown "center in the square area". It was so cute! We did a little shopping and then ate lunch outdoors at one of the many adorable restaurants to choose from.  We also discovered a great museum and got the schedule for the Roanoke Ballet performances. I was so excited to know a little bit bigger town with lots to do was so close to Blacksburg. I hope to be able to visit Roanoke more in the future!

Reflecting on the Year

When thinking about this coming weekend, I cannot believe it will be Easter weekend, the middle of April. I will be done with school in about a month.  It is crazy to me that my freshman year of college is coming to an end.  I have to be honest and say that at the beginning of first semester, I thought this time would never come.  Originally, I had a very hard time adjusting to college life. Being the youngest in my family, I have always been "the baby" and treated in such a way.  Coming to college forced me to take on many responsibilities and face many situations I was not accustomed to dealing with.  For example, the simple tasks of doing laundry and deciding what to eat for meals was new to me.  But so was being all alone.  Coming from out of state, I knew almost no one going to college with me and had to completely start over making friends.  This has proved to be a great thing for me but was very hard to do in the beginning.  There were many times first semester I considered transferring to my hometown college.  My parents and siblings told me I was adapt and get used to college life and even begin to enjoy it, but I had my doubts.  However now, I totally see where my family was coming from. I can't imagine myself anywhere else at college.  Virginia Tech has really started to feel like a second home for me.  

They Say Chapter 5

In social historian Julie Charlip's essay, she discusses the topic of social class. She uses both her and other individual's views on the topic.  For example, she starts the passage by quoting Marx and Engels, obviously stating their views.  However, she then follows up by embedding her own voice in the matter when she states, "If only that were true..." This is a clear indication she disagrees with the quote somewhat and is about to tell the reader why.  She also explains the views of a sociology professor she once interviewed by simply stating "he said" and then explaining what he did say.  Lastly, Charlip states her own view at the end when she says, "But I always felt that we were..." and explains how she feels about the matter.  

New Swimming Pool

This weekend, I went to check out the new aquatic center for the Virginia Tech swim and dive team.  It is located in Christiansburg and is still in the process of being built.  It was supposed to be done this spring in April, but the date got pushed back and will probably not be done until this fall.  The pool is very large and looks like it is going to be really nice.  However, it is a considerable drive compared to the local War Memorial pool we are used to swimming in.  I am not sure how our practice schedule is going to work out now in terms of where we will swim and what not. However, I am excited we are getting such a nice new pool, allowing us to be able to host bigger meets like ACCs!

Chapter 4 Exercise 1

Jean Anyon summarizes the arguments of several authors about the issue of education and the type of knowledge different classes receives. She discusses how depending on your social power and class, you are taught different skills. For example, the more advantaged social groups are taught medical and legal skills while the working class individuals are taught more hands on, manual skills.  I feel that Anyon never really makes a point to show her views but rather just discusses others.  If anything however, I feel she seems somewhat frustrated by the education situation when she says there has been little or no attempt to investigate the ideas.  

Exercise 7 j

In terms of the layout of this paper, I would say it most resembles something that would be found in a magazine. In terms of layout, it looks very similar to some of the articles I would read in Vogue, Seventeen, Marie Claire or another magazine.  The layout of the paper with the pictures and excerpts from the article attract the reader and draws their attention to the article.  It helps a long article not seem so overwhelming and gives the article more direction.  The pictures draw the reader in visually and the reader can get an idea of what the article is about before actually investing time to read it.  If the paper was reformatted to look like a normal paper, while it would still be the same paper, I feel like it would lose much of its draw to readers because it would look too long and boring.  The pictures and large print excerpts make the paper more interesting and inviting.