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.

Gilchrist v. Ebert

Both Gilchrist and Ebert seemed to enjoy Spiderman 2. They both seemed to think it followed the plot of the comic very well. Ebert loved the movie as a whole.  He said he loved how the movie focused more on the human aspect of Spiderman and his personal relationships rather than his superpowers.  He felt that the action of the movie stayed interesting the whole time and kept his attention throughout.  Like Ebert, Gilchrist also enjoyed the movie, just not as much.  He felt that the plots labored on too heavily and often times were not resolved. For example, he felt Aunt May's speech slowed down the plot of the film and did not really contribute to it. Nevertheless, he felt that the movie was enjoyable and definitely had moments of greatness.  Both critics seemed to enjoy the film but came away with different views on it.  

Persepolis Book and Movie

I really enjoyed watching the movie Persepolis after reading the book. I was very surprised by how true to the comic the movie stayed.  First, the characters in the movie looked exactly like the ones from the comic. They were cartoon characters as well but came to life somewhat more in the movie because they could move around. This was one difference I noticed between the two.  For example, in the movie, one character could just look at another in a certain way to display the emotion they were feeling. This could not happen in the comic.  Another difference I noticed in terms of plot line was the emission of the maid character in Marjane's home.  This was a somewhat important character in the comic I believe because it helped Marjane see the social caste system in Iran first hand in her home.  She saw the way her maid was treated in her home and did not like the social differences she and her maid experienced.  Another thing that was different from the comic experience and the movie experience was that we saw much more of Marjane's story in the movie because it continued past the first book we read.  I enjoyed both the movie and the comic.  

Blacksburg Weather

A common topic students at Virginia Tech often discuss is that of the weather.  It's crazy here! Some days the weather can range from sun to rain to snow in a matter of hours.  This makes dressing in the morning for the day quite the challenge.  Personally, I have found the best solution is layers.  Being cold all the time, I tend to err on the side of more layers.  On a cold morning, I usually dress in wool socks, leggings, jeans, snow boots, a long sleeve shirt, multiple sweaters and jackets, gloves, and a hat.  However, as I make the trek to class, usually hurrying because I am late, I tend to get very warm. This is when the layers come in handy because I can just shed one off.  Sometimes when my morning classes are done, I will walk outside to find a cold morning has turned very pretty and sunny.  And sometimes a sunny day will turn into a snow storm in the matter of an hour.  Like I said, Blacksburg weather is very unpredictable.  The only advice I really have is be prepared for anything!

Chapter 1 Exercise 1

1. A number of recent experimenters have suggested that there are dangerous levels of Chemical X in the Ohio groundwater. 

2. Some view the novel to have certain flaws.

3. Some people believe football is very boring.

4. Some suggest that male students dominate class discussions.

5. One view is that the film is really about the problems of romantic relationships.

6. A common fear is that templates like the ones in this book will stifle individuals creativity.

Eisner/McClaud

I thought that both Eisner and McCloud did a good job at describing the techniques used in successful comic book writing.  However, personally, I found McCloud's description much more entertaining.  I liked how he described the art of comic books through a comic book. And i would have to say I feel much like he once felt about comic books, not really understanding them and thinking they are somewhat silly.  However, after I got a better explanation on the goal of comics according to McCloud and how we as readers can see ourselves in the comics, I feel like I may enjoy comics more after all.  Eisner also did a good job at explaining the world of comics, just in a much more dull way.  However, using an actual word/paper format helped Eisner get his point across clear and dry.  And was easy to understand.  It was cool how Eisner explained that the reader must use skills to understand and interpret comics. 

Exercise 4.m

When writing an essay, I always have to be in a quiet place where I can focus.  I usually like to have both my computer and a pad of paper to write on.  On the pad, I scribble the main ideas and make a rough outline to follow along. I do this so I do not forget the points I want to make while writing the actual essay.  Once I begin to write, I try to just go with it and not worry about finding the right words or making grammatical errors.  I just want to get my thoughts down on paper before I forget what I wanted to say.  After I have my rough first draft, I usually revise it myself and fix the obvious mistakes I may have made while writing the paper quickly.  I then get an outside source to look at my paper, whether it be a teacher or peer.  This helps to point out things in my paper I may have missed or never considered.  In the past, peer review has not been very helpful for me because I have found that my peers are not willing to make any drastic changes to what I have written.  They will usually only point out the obvious punctuation or grammatical error.  I think this is often because we are scared that the change we suggest will not help out the writer and may even hurt their paper.  

Workshopping Drafts

I believe a workshopping draft should be a well written draft that is probably already a second draft.  In the first draft, the writer should be able to freely write down their thoughts and ideas in an organized manner.  Then, the second draft is for reading over the writing and making sure it makes sense and there are not careless grammatical errors.  The workshopping draft should be a well written product the writer is confident sharing with other readers.  Then, the other readers are able to give constructive criticism or catch mistakes the writer may have overlooked to make the paper even better. The writer should be aware of who he or she is addressing as an audience and write the paper accordingly.  For example, if the writer was teaching first graders the importance of playground safety, he would probably write his paper much differently than if he was addressing a college newspaper on political affairs.   

The mistake the writer of "Essay R" made was that the draft we read in workshopping was what should have been his first draft.  He should have taken the time to read over the paper and correct punctuation and grammar errors that can just make the writer look lazy for not correcting themselves.  He also sounded like he was writing to young children when he should have realized his audience was of a more advanced age. 

Grading "Essay R"

After reading "Essay R" comparing professional wrestling today to back in the 80s, I would have to give the essay a B-.  While the overall idea of the paper was fairly creative and the points discussed were pretty strong, the execution of writing the paper and the grammar used were fairly poor.  For example, the very first sentence of the paper is a question, but is not punctuated correctly with a question mark.  Also, there are random fragments of sentences throughout the paper.  For example, line 17 is not a complete sentence but rather a fragmented idea.  Also, random typos throughout the paper, like "thing" when the word needed was "think" (line 44) or "use" when the word needed was "used" (47) show that the writer did not take much time to read over his or her essay and spell check it before turning it in.  This makes what could have been a better essay look somewhat sloppy. Also, at the end of the paper, instead of using the pronoun "them" so many times, the writer should have identified who "them" was to make it less confusing to the reader.  If the writer did another draft on the paper, I am sure the paper would be significantly better.  

Response to, "Clinton's not the one for America"

I agree with what the writer of this article, Bryan West, was saying about McVey's argument against Hillary Clinton in his paper.  He believes that McVey does not make a strong argument and is not successful in persuading the reader of his opinion opposing Hillary.  He says this is mainly because the argument of politics is such a personal one and many times people are not willing to change their opinions.  I would definitely agree with this statement because in the recent election, I experienced many arguments about the potential candidates with friends who did not share my views.  Even after listening to one another, rarely did we change our minds about the issue. More often, we would just get offended over the topic at hand.  Politics is a very dicy issue and often one where individual's opinions are set in stone and hard to change.