This English class was a real joy for me. I have always enjoyed writing on my own and this class enhanced that joy. The prompts were fun and interesting to write. Some of the topics were ideas that I never would have thought about writing about on my own.
The essays for me were a real eye opener. I learned a new way to write conclusion which is much more interesting and in depth than the way I had learned in high school. The isearch is such a great idea because it allowed me to research and develop a much better understanding of the topic of my choice which was Autism. John was very helpful and understanding throughout the development and writing of my isearch. Without his tutorage and help, I would have been at a loss as how to put my paper together.
I think that this class definitely helped me develop a deeper love of freestyle writing than I had already. John again, was thoughtful and very patient with me through my grafs and essays, and he helped me develop my ideas into decent papers that without his help would have just been boring and predictable.
Thank you, John, for the great semester. I had a lot of fun with your ideas for writing interesting, thoughtful papers. I’m glad that I got you for a teacher, you rock!!!!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Comparison Essay
Comparison Essay
I have always loved cats. Growing up, my family always had at least one cat lying around the house. After I moved out and got married, I decided that I needed to have a cat in my new home. My husband told me to pick any kitten I wanted. I found the cutest little tuxedo kitten and brought him home. His name is Jake and he is now about seven years old. Last year I decided to buy another kitten. I went to the pet store and fell instantly in love with my half hemilayen, black fur-ball who I named Hemi. I can’t believe the differences in my two cats. Jake is long and hefty, while Hemi although he is over a year old is short and skinny. Jake cannot stand to be picked up, and Hemi just lays his head on my shoulder and purrs when he is held. The biggest difference in my cats though, is that Hemi is content to just veg. out in a bedroom all day and could care less if someone is looking for him. Jake, on the other hand, follows me everywhere I go and can’t stand to be left alone in a room. While both of my cats differ in personality, I love them both the same.
The size difference in my two cats is amazing. Hemi weighed just four pounds when I got him a year ago, and he now only weighs about six pounds. He has four short little legs and it looks like he is bowl legged when he walks. Jake, on the other hand, weighs in at about 16 pounds and he is long and chubby. When I pick Hemi up it is like picking up a piece of paper compared to when I have to heft Jake up. He feels like a bowling ball.
While both of my cats love attention, they vary in what they like and don’t like affection wise. Jake will sit on my lap for hours if I let him. He just curls up in my lap and sleeps while I pet him. He hates to be picked up though, and will squirm to get down the whole time he is in my arms. Hemi hates to sit on anyone’s lap. He can’t sit still long enough. He loves to be picked up and held though. He will lay his head on my shoulder and purr while I stroke his head. He will even put his head against my chin and clean my face for me.
Even though Jake doesn’t like to be picked up, he can’t stand to be in a room all by himself. He follows me everywhere I go and will lay near to where I am sitting. When I go outside to do something, I can hear him crying in the house because he is lonely. When everyone goes to bed for the night, Jake likes to curl up in bed with my oldest son and he stays there until morning when it’s time to get up. Hemi could care less if anyone is home or not. He likes to lie in my bedroom all day and sleep, and when I call to him, he only comes running if it is time to eat. He doesn’t sleep with anyone at night either. He sleeps curled up in a chair in the living room all by himself.
You would think that being so different, the cats wouldn’t get along but they do. They will lie together in a chair and Hemi will give Jake a wash down. They love to play together and run around the house like their tails are on fire. They never fight, they actually work together to get what they want. Just the other morning I woke up to find a whole bag of cat nip scattered across the living room rug and both cats were just lying in it looking a little bug-eyed and jittery. Their fur was also full of catnip because they were rolling through it on the floor. I just laughed and went to get the vacuum cleaner. That’s when I found one thing they do have in common. They saw the vacuum and took off to hide. They hate it.
I have always loved cats. Growing up, my family always had at least one cat lying around the house. After I moved out and got married, I decided that I needed to have a cat in my new home. My husband told me to pick any kitten I wanted. I found the cutest little tuxedo kitten and brought him home. His name is Jake and he is now about seven years old. Last year I decided to buy another kitten. I went to the pet store and fell instantly in love with my half hemilayen, black fur-ball who I named Hemi. I can’t believe the differences in my two cats. Jake is long and hefty, while Hemi although he is over a year old is short and skinny. Jake cannot stand to be picked up, and Hemi just lays his head on my shoulder and purrs when he is held. The biggest difference in my cats though, is that Hemi is content to just veg. out in a bedroom all day and could care less if someone is looking for him. Jake, on the other hand, follows me everywhere I go and can’t stand to be left alone in a room. While both of my cats differ in personality, I love them both the same.
The size difference in my two cats is amazing. Hemi weighed just four pounds when I got him a year ago, and he now only weighs about six pounds. He has four short little legs and it looks like he is bowl legged when he walks. Jake, on the other hand, weighs in at about 16 pounds and he is long and chubby. When I pick Hemi up it is like picking up a piece of paper compared to when I have to heft Jake up. He feels like a bowling ball.
While both of my cats love attention, they vary in what they like and don’t like affection wise. Jake will sit on my lap for hours if I let him. He just curls up in my lap and sleeps while I pet him. He hates to be picked up though, and will squirm to get down the whole time he is in my arms. Hemi hates to sit on anyone’s lap. He can’t sit still long enough. He loves to be picked up and held though. He will lay his head on my shoulder and purr while I stroke his head. He will even put his head against my chin and clean my face for me.
Even though Jake doesn’t like to be picked up, he can’t stand to be in a room all by himself. He follows me everywhere I go and will lay near to where I am sitting. When I go outside to do something, I can hear him crying in the house because he is lonely. When everyone goes to bed for the night, Jake likes to curl up in bed with my oldest son and he stays there until morning when it’s time to get up. Hemi could care less if anyone is home or not. He likes to lie in my bedroom all day and sleep, and when I call to him, he only comes running if it is time to eat. He doesn’t sleep with anyone at night either. He sleeps curled up in a chair in the living room all by himself.
You would think that being so different, the cats wouldn’t get along but they do. They will lie together in a chair and Hemi will give Jake a wash down. They love to play together and run around the house like their tails are on fire. They never fight, they actually work together to get what they want. Just the other morning I woke up to find a whole bag of cat nip scattered across the living room rug and both cats were just lying in it looking a little bug-eyed and jittery. Their fur was also full of catnip because they were rolling through it on the floor. I just laughed and went to get the vacuum cleaner. That’s when I found one thing they do have in common. They saw the vacuum and took off to hide. They hate it.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Effect Essay
Effect Essay
The alarm is buzzing in my ear again after the nine minutes of peace in between sleep button pushes. Another day is beginning. I drag myself out of bed and I start getting ready for my day at school. I often wonder why I am now bothering with starting a college education at the age of 31. I am quickly reminded why when I see my three kids sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast. While going to college now seems like a silly idea to me, getting my degree will have some great effects for me and my family. I will feel better about myself for accomplishing my goal, we will finally be able to afford a home big enough for the five of us, and I will be able to put money away for my children’s education.
I have been a mother and housewife for almost 11 years now. I never had the chance to go to college. I know that I should feel good about staying home with my children and nurturing them through infancy to toddler, but I just feel as though I have been doing nothing to contribute to the home and that my husband is doing everything by working and bringing home the paycheck. Getting my degree will raise my self esteem greatly. I will feel worthy to be the wife and mother that actually accomplished something other than taking care of the kids and cleaning the house.
Right now, my family and I are living in a two-bedroom trailer. It is a nice trailer and we live in a great neighborhood, but it just doesn’t have the room for the five of us. My husband and I want to stay in Bangor, and would like to stay in the same area as the park we are in now so that the kids won’t have to change schools. Living in Bangor is expensive. Taxes are high, and houses are expensive because living in town is desirable. By getting my education and a good paying job, we will be able to afford to get a nice four-bedroom home in Bangor that is in the area we want to be in.
The effect of a college education and good paying job will also be the financial security I crave for my children. One reason I didn’t go to college when I got out of high school was that I couldn’t afford to pay for myself, and my parents couldn’t afford to help me. I don’t want my children to make the mistake I made by not choosing to go to college because of the cost. With my college degree and job, I will be able to save for my kid’s future education.
A few years from now, I’ll be sitting in my office typing up a medical chart for some doctor’s office in my new four-bedroom home and thinking about the time when we lived in the cramped trailer on the edge of town. I’ll be smiling, because I will know that with my accomplishment of graduating college and getting a good job that I helped to make my husband and my own dreams come true. When my kids go to college, I’ll feel good about their futures because I will be able to help them through school, and they won’t be starting their young lives out in debt. That new home looms on the horizon, almost real enough to touch; my children are growing older every day, and as I get closer to completing my education my pride and feeling of self worth is growing. This semester is almost over, only three more to go.
The alarm is buzzing in my ear again after the nine minutes of peace in between sleep button pushes. Another day is beginning. I drag myself out of bed and I start getting ready for my day at school. I often wonder why I am now bothering with starting a college education at the age of 31. I am quickly reminded why when I see my three kids sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast. While going to college now seems like a silly idea to me, getting my degree will have some great effects for me and my family. I will feel better about myself for accomplishing my goal, we will finally be able to afford a home big enough for the five of us, and I will be able to put money away for my children’s education.
I have been a mother and housewife for almost 11 years now. I never had the chance to go to college. I know that I should feel good about staying home with my children and nurturing them through infancy to toddler, but I just feel as though I have been doing nothing to contribute to the home and that my husband is doing everything by working and bringing home the paycheck. Getting my degree will raise my self esteem greatly. I will feel worthy to be the wife and mother that actually accomplished something other than taking care of the kids and cleaning the house.
Right now, my family and I are living in a two-bedroom trailer. It is a nice trailer and we live in a great neighborhood, but it just doesn’t have the room for the five of us. My husband and I want to stay in Bangor, and would like to stay in the same area as the park we are in now so that the kids won’t have to change schools. Living in Bangor is expensive. Taxes are high, and houses are expensive because living in town is desirable. By getting my education and a good paying job, we will be able to afford to get a nice four-bedroom home in Bangor that is in the area we want to be in.
The effect of a college education and good paying job will also be the financial security I crave for my children. One reason I didn’t go to college when I got out of high school was that I couldn’t afford to pay for myself, and my parents couldn’t afford to help me. I don’t want my children to make the mistake I made by not choosing to go to college because of the cost. With my college degree and job, I will be able to save for my kid’s future education.
A few years from now, I’ll be sitting in my office typing up a medical chart for some doctor’s office in my new four-bedroom home and thinking about the time when we lived in the cramped trailer on the edge of town. I’ll be smiling, because I will know that with my accomplishment of graduating college and getting a good job that I helped to make my husband and my own dreams come true. When my kids go to college, I’ll feel good about their futures because I will be able to help them through school, and they won’t be starting their young lives out in debt. That new home looms on the horizon, almost real enough to touch; my children are growing older every day, and as I get closer to completing my education my pride and feeling of self worth is growing. This semester is almost over, only three more to go.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Example Essay
Over the years I have noticed that I am taking advantage of my body. I am coming to realize that some of the habits that I have fallen into are starting to take their toll as I get older. I am a smoker. I puff about half a pack of cigarettes a day. I also have a nasty habit of not eating meals, but snacking throughout the day on junk food. Another bad habit I have is drinking way too much soda throughout the day. The effects that these habits are having on my body are becoming more evident as my age keeps increasing.
I love Caffeine-free Diet Pepsi. I drink this day and night. I won’t develop diabetes because of my soda drinking, because there is no sugar, but I have noticed that over the past few years, I have had to have some top fillings on my teeth because the acid in the soda is wearing away at my tooth enamel and my teeth are becoming extremely sensitive. I have tried to find other alternatives to drinking soda, but I can’t seem to find anything that satisfies this need for the soda. I switched to drinking Crystal Light for a few weeks, but soon became bored with the flavors. I tried to drink just water but soon became bored with that also. I don’t know what is in the Caffeine-free Diet Pepsi, but I just can’t get enough of it.
Another bad habit that I have, is snacking throughout the day instead of eating meals. My weight is seriously affected by this habit. I did not just develop this habit overnight. I have always eaten sporadically since I was a teenager. I just never developed the good eating habits I should have. Instead of sitting down for a meal, I will just find a quick snack in the cupboard and eat that. I can’t seem to find a solution to this habit either. I’m just too busy in the morning getting the kids to eat and getting them and me ready for school that breakfast is not even on my list of things to do. I often forget to even eat lunch because I am either at school or busy running errands. Supper time I usually cook a nice meal of meat, potatoes, veggies, or pasta for my family but I am so busy getting them what they want that I often just don’t want to sit down to eat. I would rather wait until they go to bed and have something when I can sit down. I am going to see a Nutritionist at the end of the month, so maybe she can give me some suggestions on how to break this habit.
The worst habit I have is smoking. I have been a smoker off and on for the past fifteen years. I quit with each of my three pregnancies only to start up again a few months after each child was born. I have noticed in the mornings that I am getting a “smoker’s cough” and I have also noticed a few new wrinkles on my face that I don’t want there. The problem with quitting is that when I do, I tend to overeat, and become almost impossible to deal with emotion wise. I smoke when I am frustrated, it gives me a five minute break to go outside and calm my nerves. I also smoke when I am bored. This is the habit I hate the most, but it is the hardest one to break. The patches make me shaky, the gum makes me gag, and cold turkey pretty much makes my family want to beat me.
My three bad habits are literally killing me. Soda hardens the arteries, eating unhealthy clogs the arteries, causes my obesity, puts me at risk for high cholesterol and heart disease, and smoking puts me at risk for cancer among other health conditions. I think that I need to take these habits and try to break them one at a time and give myself a few months in between each one so that I don’t send my body into shock. I am going to start with the Nutritionist and see if I can start a healthy way of eating first. Once I have my body feeling good, maybe I can cut out the soda and find a better alternative. I am going to need a lot of support to quit smoking. I know my kids and husband will be supportive, but getting them to deal with my “bitchiness” is going to be a major factor in gaining their support. If I can break these three habits, I know that I will be a much healthier person. I want to be around to enjoy my children and my grandchildren, and I never thought I would hear myself say this but I want to live long enough to be “old”. With my family’s support and my willingness to help myself, I believe that I can beat these habits. You only live once.
I love Caffeine-free Diet Pepsi. I drink this day and night. I won’t develop diabetes because of my soda drinking, because there is no sugar, but I have noticed that over the past few years, I have had to have some top fillings on my teeth because the acid in the soda is wearing away at my tooth enamel and my teeth are becoming extremely sensitive. I have tried to find other alternatives to drinking soda, but I can’t seem to find anything that satisfies this need for the soda. I switched to drinking Crystal Light for a few weeks, but soon became bored with the flavors. I tried to drink just water but soon became bored with that also. I don’t know what is in the Caffeine-free Diet Pepsi, but I just can’t get enough of it.
Another bad habit that I have, is snacking throughout the day instead of eating meals. My weight is seriously affected by this habit. I did not just develop this habit overnight. I have always eaten sporadically since I was a teenager. I just never developed the good eating habits I should have. Instead of sitting down for a meal, I will just find a quick snack in the cupboard and eat that. I can’t seem to find a solution to this habit either. I’m just too busy in the morning getting the kids to eat and getting them and me ready for school that breakfast is not even on my list of things to do. I often forget to even eat lunch because I am either at school or busy running errands. Supper time I usually cook a nice meal of meat, potatoes, veggies, or pasta for my family but I am so busy getting them what they want that I often just don’t want to sit down to eat. I would rather wait until they go to bed and have something when I can sit down. I am going to see a Nutritionist at the end of the month, so maybe she can give me some suggestions on how to break this habit.
The worst habit I have is smoking. I have been a smoker off and on for the past fifteen years. I quit with each of my three pregnancies only to start up again a few months after each child was born. I have noticed in the mornings that I am getting a “smoker’s cough” and I have also noticed a few new wrinkles on my face that I don’t want there. The problem with quitting is that when I do, I tend to overeat, and become almost impossible to deal with emotion wise. I smoke when I am frustrated, it gives me a five minute break to go outside and calm my nerves. I also smoke when I am bored. This is the habit I hate the most, but it is the hardest one to break. The patches make me shaky, the gum makes me gag, and cold turkey pretty much makes my family want to beat me.
My three bad habits are literally killing me. Soda hardens the arteries, eating unhealthy clogs the arteries, causes my obesity, puts me at risk for high cholesterol and heart disease, and smoking puts me at risk for cancer among other health conditions. I think that I need to take these habits and try to break them one at a time and give myself a few months in between each one so that I don’t send my body into shock. I am going to start with the Nutritionist and see if I can start a healthy way of eating first. Once I have my body feeling good, maybe I can cut out the soda and find a better alternative. I am going to need a lot of support to quit smoking. I know my kids and husband will be supportive, but getting them to deal with my “bitchiness” is going to be a major factor in gaining their support. If I can break these three habits, I know that I will be a much healthier person. I want to be around to enjoy my children and my grandchildren, and I never thought I would hear myself say this but I want to live long enough to be “old”. With my family’s support and my willingness to help myself, I believe that I can beat these habits. You only live once.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Division Essay
I recently went through my mini library of books I have been collecting for the past few years. I want a shelving system for my books and I needed to divide them into categories that would make them easier to find. I had decided that the simplest way of dividing my books would be by author. After thinking about my choice of division, I changed my mind and decided to divide the books from my favorites that I read over and over, to the books I kept because I enjoyed reading them once and I might read them again, down to the books I have kept not necessarily because they were good but just because they were written by my favorite author. I have a hard time when it comes to organization, so this was a long process for me.
After sifting through my cardboard boxes full of books, I started dividing the ones that I just want to keep because of author not content. I found myself scanning each book’s description on the back cover and trying to decide which I would read again. I enjoy books so much that just dividing out the books that weren’t my favorites took over two hours. There were my droves of Nora Roberts’ books that didn’t really get my blood pumping when I read them, but because she wrote them I had to buy and keep them. Then there were a few Stephen King books, like Everything Eventual and Dreamcatcher, which I should have just left on the book store shelf, but couldn’t pass by. I found a few Beatrice Small books that sounded so good, but turned out to be really boring. I love Beatrice Small and I can’t pass up anything she writes, even if it is not very good.
I finally got through all of the bland books, only to discover that my day was half over and I still had so many boxes left to go through. I needed to divide what was left of my books into “good but not my favorite”, and my “absolute favorite” books. I had so much fun doing this. I spent hours among my novels. Among some of my “good but not my favorite books” are a lot of Stephen King novels and short stories. Misery, Pet Semetary, Desperation, From a Buick 8, and Lisey’s Story, fell into this group. I really enjoyed these books and I will probably read them again sometime. I also have put a few series of books into this section. My Hannah Howell, Highlander series, my Christine Feehan Dark and Game series, and my Sherilyn Kenyon Dark Hunter series, are here. I love a good dark romance novel. There is nothing better than sitting down with a book and losing myself in the plots that the author twists into being. I love all the characters in all the books I mentioned, even the mean, nasty vamps in Feehan’s Dark series. I can get so carried away in these books that I have to hide them from myself so I don’t spend all my time reading.
After all my sorting was complete, I was left with my absolute favorite, can’t put them down books. These books include Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. Her characters are so real I feel like I know them. I have read this series five times already and now that they have been unearthed from their cardboard box, I am going to start reading them again very soon. I love Diana’s gift of bringing her settings to life in such detail that if I close my eyes, I can see Scotland in the 1700’s, and she does the same with her plot and characters. It’s like I’m a ghost watching the entire story as it unfolds before me, but I am also able to feel what each character is feeling. The Outlander series holds the number one spot in my heart. I also found my Stephen King Gunslinger series. He has the same gifts as Diana Gabaldon when it comes to character and setting descriptions. I love sitting down with these books and getting lost in the depth of the story. Stephen King makes the impossible feel real when I am reading the Gunslinger novels. I have read this series at least three times.
I love to read. I tend to get so caught up in a book that I forget the time. I also love collecting books that my favorite authors write. Even if the books are boring and bland, I still stick through until the end at least one time through. I have to keep all my series books as reference for when I purchase a new book by the author. My favorite books of all time are the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I have ordered a new book from her just recently that stems off from Outlander. I am hoping that she can cast some light on the main character for me because he is somewhat of an enigma in her previous books. When I graduate from EMCC and we finally get a bigger house, I am praying that we have extra room for a mini-library. I’m sure that the way that I have divided my books now will be totally different in the future as I purchase and read more books. I’ll never get rid of any of the books I have, and I am always buying new ones. Maybe I should just move into Borders, they already have all their books divided by category, and I would never get bored.
After sifting through my cardboard boxes full of books, I started dividing the ones that I just want to keep because of author not content. I found myself scanning each book’s description on the back cover and trying to decide which I would read again. I enjoy books so much that just dividing out the books that weren’t my favorites took over two hours. There were my droves of Nora Roberts’ books that didn’t really get my blood pumping when I read them, but because she wrote them I had to buy and keep them. Then there were a few Stephen King books, like Everything Eventual and Dreamcatcher, which I should have just left on the book store shelf, but couldn’t pass by. I found a few Beatrice Small books that sounded so good, but turned out to be really boring. I love Beatrice Small and I can’t pass up anything she writes, even if it is not very good.
I finally got through all of the bland books, only to discover that my day was half over and I still had so many boxes left to go through. I needed to divide what was left of my books into “good but not my favorite”, and my “absolute favorite” books. I had so much fun doing this. I spent hours among my novels. Among some of my “good but not my favorite books” are a lot of Stephen King novels and short stories. Misery, Pet Semetary, Desperation, From a Buick 8, and Lisey’s Story, fell into this group. I really enjoyed these books and I will probably read them again sometime. I also have put a few series of books into this section. My Hannah Howell, Highlander series, my Christine Feehan Dark and Game series, and my Sherilyn Kenyon Dark Hunter series, are here. I love a good dark romance novel. There is nothing better than sitting down with a book and losing myself in the plots that the author twists into being. I love all the characters in all the books I mentioned, even the mean, nasty vamps in Feehan’s Dark series. I can get so carried away in these books that I have to hide them from myself so I don’t spend all my time reading.
After all my sorting was complete, I was left with my absolute favorite, can’t put them down books. These books include Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. Her characters are so real I feel like I know them. I have read this series five times already and now that they have been unearthed from their cardboard box, I am going to start reading them again very soon. I love Diana’s gift of bringing her settings to life in such detail that if I close my eyes, I can see Scotland in the 1700’s, and she does the same with her plot and characters. It’s like I’m a ghost watching the entire story as it unfolds before me, but I am also able to feel what each character is feeling. The Outlander series holds the number one spot in my heart. I also found my Stephen King Gunslinger series. He has the same gifts as Diana Gabaldon when it comes to character and setting descriptions. I love sitting down with these books and getting lost in the depth of the story. Stephen King makes the impossible feel real when I am reading the Gunslinger novels. I have read this series at least three times.
I love to read. I tend to get so caught up in a book that I forget the time. I also love collecting books that my favorite authors write. Even if the books are boring and bland, I still stick through until the end at least one time through. I have to keep all my series books as reference for when I purchase a new book by the author. My favorite books of all time are the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I have ordered a new book from her just recently that stems off from Outlander. I am hoping that she can cast some light on the main character for me because he is somewhat of an enigma in her previous books. When I graduate from EMCC and we finally get a bigger house, I am praying that we have extra room for a mini-library. I’m sure that the way that I have divided my books now will be totally different in the future as I purchase and read more books. I’ll never get rid of any of the books I have, and I am always buying new ones. Maybe I should just move into Borders, they already have all their books divided by category, and I would never get bored.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
My Problems With Essay Writing
John,
I just want to add here that I am having a difficult time with your take on essay writing.
I am 31 and I haven't been in school in over 13 years. When I was in highschool, I was taught to write my essays in a totally different style. Details were not as important as information and structure.
I am trying to overcome this defecite in my writing but it is difficult for me. If you have any suggestions such as web sites, or books I can read to help me with this let me know.
I just want to add here that I am having a difficult time with your take on essay writing.
I am 31 and I haven't been in school in over 13 years. When I was in highschool, I was taught to write my essays in a totally different style. Details were not as important as information and structure.
I am trying to overcome this defecite in my writing but it is difficult for me. If you have any suggestions such as web sites, or books I can read to help me with this let me know.
Process Essay Re-write
As Christmas keeps getting closer and closer, I find myself getting ready to start some shopping. I do not take the “normal” approach to my shopping. Instead of fighting traffic on Stillwater Avenue, being shoved in the crowded isles, and waiting in mile-long checkout lines, I have discovered that shopping online is the most stress-free and physically safe process of getting my gifts. There are three simple steps to shopping online for the holidays. The first thing I do is to make a list of items I want to buy and who I want to buy for. I call this the “Wish List”. The next step, which is my absolute favorite, is to find a Web site that sells a variety of these items and start browsing and adding gifts to my cart. The last thing I have to do, which is the worst part of my Christmas shopping experience, is to weed through all of the items I have put into my cart, and choose the items that are what I really want to purchase, not what I have put in the cart on a whim.
Before I even get on the Internet, I devise a list of everyone I want to buy for and what I want to get them. I write down everyone I intend to buy gifts for on one side of the paper. For my kids and four nephews, I usually have to get an itemized list of Lego sets, Bratz dolls, Barbies, board games, Video games, and books. For my husband and my dad, I usually have to list many items from Craftsman and VIP. My mom and sister are the easiest to itemize for; they love to read. My brother is a tech geek so any computer games, or software are perfect for him. I try to write down a few things for everyone, so that I will have a variety to choose from once I start shopping.
After the Wish List is done, I get to start looking for the perfect Web site to do my holiday shopping. I try to make the site I choose a popular site that people know. This way I feel safer when giving my personal information during the checkout process. My two absolute favorite places to shop are Amazon.com and Overstock.com. While Amazon has more of a variety of toys, games, books, and computer software, Overstock has great prices. The actual shopping is my favorite part of the Christmas gift buying process. I love to spend hours browsing and adding items to my cart. I guess I'm still a kid at heart because I can spend an eternity in the toy section finding just what I think the kids will love. I also have a great time in the book section. I am a total book worm and it can take me literaly days to find just a few books for my mom and sister because I get so caught up in reading the excerpts and writing books down for myself in the future. I find it hardest to get through the tool buying experience. I hate tools. I don't understand the difference between mm. and in. and I never know which brand is best. What I usually end up doing is getting gift cards from Sears or Home Depot that way I can spend more time shopping for what I enjoy.
When I have finally finished adding all my items to my bag, I go to the checkout. Here is where I have to spend more than a few minutes organizing my items that I have piled into my cart. I get so caught up in the shopping that I don't pay much attention to the quantity and price of the items I have selected. I tend to go way overboard with the Add Item To Cart button. I get so excited thinking about how much my daughter is going to love all those baby dolls or how my sons will go nuts when they get the $90 Lego set that when I get to the checkout, I need to take a deep breath and think about the effect their joy will put on my wallet. It is not unusual for me to have over $1000 worth of items in my cart by the time I am finished shopping. I hate going through and removing so much, but by the time I am finished, my head is a little clearer and I am more sensible about my purchases. All I have to do now is push the check out button and my Christmas shopping is done.
Christmas shopping used to be an event I dreaded and put off until last minute. Now I just make my list, go online, and shop until my heart is content. My shopping is usually done by November, but sometimes there is the occasional spontaneous buy that I just have to get for someone. I usually have all my gifts and wrapping done before the beginning of December. I just love that I can sit back and relax next to my Christmas tree with a nice cup of hot cocoa with my husband and my children singing Christmas carols as I wait for UPS to deliver my packages. I smile when I think of all the other people who are sitting in traffic or shoving each other around the packed aisles, and waiting in the horrendous checkout lines to buy their gifts. I can’t wait to start my shopping for this year.
Before I even get on the Internet, I devise a list of everyone I want to buy for and what I want to get them. I write down everyone I intend to buy gifts for on one side of the paper. For my kids and four nephews, I usually have to get an itemized list of Lego sets, Bratz dolls, Barbies, board games, Video games, and books. For my husband and my dad, I usually have to list many items from Craftsman and VIP. My mom and sister are the easiest to itemize for; they love to read. My brother is a tech geek so any computer games, or software are perfect for him. I try to write down a few things for everyone, so that I will have a variety to choose from once I start shopping.
After the Wish List is done, I get to start looking for the perfect Web site to do my holiday shopping. I try to make the site I choose a popular site that people know. This way I feel safer when giving my personal information during the checkout process. My two absolute favorite places to shop are Amazon.com and Overstock.com. While Amazon has more of a variety of toys, games, books, and computer software, Overstock has great prices. The actual shopping is my favorite part of the Christmas gift buying process. I love to spend hours browsing and adding items to my cart. I guess I'm still a kid at heart because I can spend an eternity in the toy section finding just what I think the kids will love. I also have a great time in the book section. I am a total book worm and it can take me literaly days to find just a few books for my mom and sister because I get so caught up in reading the excerpts and writing books down for myself in the future. I find it hardest to get through the tool buying experience. I hate tools. I don't understand the difference between mm. and in. and I never know which brand is best. What I usually end up doing is getting gift cards from Sears or Home Depot that way I can spend more time shopping for what I enjoy.
When I have finally finished adding all my items to my bag, I go to the checkout. Here is where I have to spend more than a few minutes organizing my items that I have piled into my cart. I get so caught up in the shopping that I don't pay much attention to the quantity and price of the items I have selected. I tend to go way overboard with the Add Item To Cart button. I get so excited thinking about how much my daughter is going to love all those baby dolls or how my sons will go nuts when they get the $90 Lego set that when I get to the checkout, I need to take a deep breath and think about the effect their joy will put on my wallet. It is not unusual for me to have over $1000 worth of items in my cart by the time I am finished shopping. I hate going through and removing so much, but by the time I am finished, my head is a little clearer and I am more sensible about my purchases. All I have to do now is push the check out button and my Christmas shopping is done.
Christmas shopping used to be an event I dreaded and put off until last minute. Now I just make my list, go online, and shop until my heart is content. My shopping is usually done by November, but sometimes there is the occasional spontaneous buy that I just have to get for someone. I usually have all my gifts and wrapping done before the beginning of December. I just love that I can sit back and relax next to my Christmas tree with a nice cup of hot cocoa with my husband and my children singing Christmas carols as I wait for UPS to deliver my packages. I smile when I think of all the other people who are sitting in traffic or shoving each other around the packed aisles, and waiting in the horrendous checkout lines to buy their gifts. I can’t wait to start my shopping for this year.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Contrast Essay
I have three beautiful children. Their names and ages are Cameron 10 years old, Zachary 7 years old and Alexis 4 years old. Having had the privilege of parenting both sexes, I have noticed a huge gap in the way that my sons behave in contrast to my daughter. My sons tend to be extremely loud, and they are great at making a mess, to get them to cuddle is like pulling teeth. My daughter, on the other hand, is so mild spoken she needs a bullhorn to be heard over her two brothers. She is extremely neat, and is always asking for a kiss, a hug, or some lap time. In no way am I saying that my sons are spawns of the devil because they can surprise me sometimes and act like civilized children. My daughter is definitely not an angel sent from heaven either, she can get down and dirty with the best of them, but the differences in the mannerisms of my children are quite noticeable.
My sons’ idea of a clean room is a path through the toys big enough to walk through to get to the bed. They are forever asking where something is because they can’t find it in among the jumble of Matchbox cars, legos, and other various toys scattered from one wall to the other. Neither one of my boys knows the meaning of put your dishes in the sink when you’re finished eating, and to get them to take a shower more than once a week? Forget it. Now Alexis on the other hand will pick up her toys when she is done playing without being asked. She puts all her dolls in the toy box and her Care bears in the plastic bin to go under the bed. She always knows where to find what she wants to play with, unless of course one of her brothers has upset the toy box. My daughter is usually the one to clean the table of the dishes after a meal. She takes her plate and silverware to the sink and then proceeds to pick up her brothers’ left behind dishes as well. Bath time for Alexis is very simple and she feels she needs to have at least a bath a day. I think she gets dirty outside on purpose just so she can get into the tub before bed at night.
The noise volume in my home is about as loud as a heavy metal concert. Cameron and Zachary think they need to holler at each other to speak. The noise level also rises when they decide to play cars or trucks. One son is the ambulance complete with blasting siren and the other son is the police car with accompanying tire squeals, motor revving, horn blowing and sirens. My boys also cannot complete a task without banging, slamming, stomping, or creating a complete racket. Alexis tends to be milder spoken. She is sometimes so quiet I have to ask her to speak up. When she plays she does not feel the need to make the noises that her toys would make if they were real. The only exception to that is when she makes her babies cry. Even then though, she doesn’t make the windows rattle with her voice. My daughter also knows how to close a door or cupboard without slamming it shut, and she can set an object down without dropping it a foot before it hits the floor or counter.
I remember when my sons were babies and I could cuddle and hold them all day long without complaint. These days, I’m lucky to get a hug before bed. Cameron and Zachary want nothing to do with anything pertaining to “mom”. I don’t get waves goodbye at the bus stop and I certainly don’t get a hug in front of anyone else’s eyes. Alexis loves to cuddle. The first thing she asks for in the morning is a hug and kiss. She can sit on my lap at the computer for hours without getting up, and I always get a hug and waves goodbye at the bus stop from her. She even tries to get a cuddle here and there with her brothers, but it doesn’t pan out for her very often. They don’t want to be seen as “babies” for showing a little affection.
It’s amazing the differences between three children who have grown up together in the same house. I often wonder what life will be like five or six years down the road. Am I doomed to be tripping over dirty clothes and toys until both of my sons move on to college? Will Cameron still be so unorganized and loud? Will Zachary still wear more of his food on his face and hands than he gets in his mouth? Will either one of them voluntarily give me a hug? Is Alexis still going to be the quiet, modest little neat-freak she is now? Will she still be willing to show me affection openly? Only time will tell.
Graf #10 My Research History
As I grow older I realize all of the reasearch I have done in my life.
There is of course the reasearch I have done in highschool for all those silly papers that defined me as a good student. The hours spent in the library (online wasn't even part of my vocabulary back in the '90s) reading informational books and reference manuals.
There is the reasearch I did when I wanted to get my first job. What hours could I work, did I really want to give up all my weekends, what type of job was right for me. That was researched by trial and error. Mostly error on my part. The housekeeping job was a nightmare, the job in the kitchen at UMO was disgusting. I finally found my niche at KFC working the cash register and dealing with customers.
Getting my first real vehicle took some research. I say my first real car because my first car was an '86 Chevy Celebrity with 124,000 miles and a bad transmission. I needed an automatic, I had to have A/C, and a tape player.
Having children took some research. I had to research names, how to care for an infant, what I needed in order to cloth, feed, and take care of my baby.
I researched many different careers to find one that suited me and that I wanted to go to school for. I needed a career that would allow me to stay home to work, and had good pay. Medical Transcription fit right in with what I wanted.
So here I am 31 and starting my college education. I'll have plenty of research in my future as we are going to be looking for a bigger home, a new vehicle, where I want my children to go to school if we move out of Bangor... the list goes on and on. It will never end I know but the research is worth every minute.
There is of course the reasearch I have done in highschool for all those silly papers that defined me as a good student. The hours spent in the library (online wasn't even part of my vocabulary back in the '90s) reading informational books and reference manuals.
There is the reasearch I did when I wanted to get my first job. What hours could I work, did I really want to give up all my weekends, what type of job was right for me. That was researched by trial and error. Mostly error on my part. The housekeeping job was a nightmare, the job in the kitchen at UMO was disgusting. I finally found my niche at KFC working the cash register and dealing with customers.
Getting my first real vehicle took some research. I say my first real car because my first car was an '86 Chevy Celebrity with 124,000 miles and a bad transmission. I needed an automatic, I had to have A/C, and a tape player.
Having children took some research. I had to research names, how to care for an infant, what I needed in order to cloth, feed, and take care of my baby.
I researched many different careers to find one that suited me and that I wanted to go to school for. I needed a career that would allow me to stay home to work, and had good pay. Medical Transcription fit right in with what I wanted.
So here I am 31 and starting my college education. I'll have plenty of research in my future as we are going to be looking for a bigger home, a new vehicle, where I want my children to go to school if we move out of Bangor... the list goes on and on. It will never end I know but the research is worth every minute.
Annotated Source List First 3 Items
1. Sicile-Kira, Chantal. Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum. New York: Penguin Group, 2006
An informative book written by a mother of an autistic teen. This book includes information varying from health risks to useful treatments to self-esteem and self-care issues as well as practical and easy to understand recommendations on how to deal with the day to day issues an autistic child goes through. I am so glad that I purchased this book it is definitely a keeper and is sure to help me through some of the difficult times I am sure to have as my son gets older.
2. Nothbohm, Ellen and Zysk, Veronica. 1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Texas: Future Horizons Inc., 2004
An informative book written by two women who write about Autism professionally in major publications. The book has ideas from everything from potty training to behavior modification to personal hygiene. This book has given me a few ideas, but it is mostly geared towards parents with younger children. I have gotten some good information from this book in matters of behavior modification.
3. Haerle, Tracy. Children with Tourette Syndrome A Parent’s Guide. Maryland: Woodbine House, Inc.1992
This is a handbook written for parents of children and teens with Tourette syndrome. It has information about treatments, academic problems, social problems and a whole section on the educational rights a child with disabilities is entitled to. I found this book very useful. I especially liked the information about academic problems a child with Tourette syndrome may develop.
An informative book written by a mother of an autistic teen. This book includes information varying from health risks to useful treatments to self-esteem and self-care issues as well as practical and easy to understand recommendations on how to deal with the day to day issues an autistic child goes through. I am so glad that I purchased this book it is definitely a keeper and is sure to help me through some of the difficult times I am sure to have as my son gets older.
2. Nothbohm, Ellen and Zysk, Veronica. 1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Texas: Future Horizons Inc., 2004
An informative book written by two women who write about Autism professionally in major publications. The book has ideas from everything from potty training to behavior modification to personal hygiene. This book has given me a few ideas, but it is mostly geared towards parents with younger children. I have gotten some good information from this book in matters of behavior modification.
3. Haerle, Tracy. Children with Tourette Syndrome A Parent’s Guide. Maryland: Woodbine House, Inc.1992
This is a handbook written for parents of children and teens with Tourette syndrome. It has information about treatments, academic problems, social problems and a whole section on the educational rights a child with disabilities is entitled to. I found this book very useful. I especially liked the information about academic problems a child with Tourette syndrome may develop.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Contrast Essay Revision Intro I
Essay intro 1
I have three beautiful children. Their names and ages are Cameron 10 years old, Zachary 7 years old and Alexis 4 years old. Having had the privilege of parenting both sexes, I have noticed a huge gap in the way that my sons behave in contrast to my daughter. My sons tend to be extremely loud, a they are great at making a mess, to get them to cuddle is like pulling teeth. My daughter, on the other hand, is so mild spoken she needs a bullhorn to be heard over her two brothers. She is extremely neat, and is always asking for a kiss, a hug, or some lap time. In no way am I saying that my sons are spawns of the devil because they can suprise me sometimes and act like civilized children. My daughter is definately not an angel sent from heaven either, she can get down and dirty with the best of them, but the differences in the mannerisms of my children are quite noticeable.
I have three beautiful children. Their names and ages are Cameron 10 years old, Zachary 7 years old and Alexis 4 years old. Having had the privilege of parenting both sexes, I have noticed a huge gap in the way that my sons behave in contrast to my daughter. My sons tend to be extremely loud, a they are great at making a mess, to get them to cuddle is like pulling teeth. My daughter, on the other hand, is so mild spoken she needs a bullhorn to be heard over her two brothers. She is extremely neat, and is always asking for a kiss, a hug, or some lap time. In no way am I saying that my sons are spawns of the devil because they can suprise me sometimes and act like civilized children. My daughter is definately not an angel sent from heaven either, she can get down and dirty with the best of them, but the differences in the mannerisms of my children are quite noticeable.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Contrast Essay Intros 1 and 2
Essay intro 1
I have three beautiful children. Their names and ages are Cameron 10 years old, Zachary 7 years old and Alexis 4 years old. Having had the privilege of parenting both sexes, I have noticed a huge gap in the way that my sons behave in contrast to my daughter. My sons tend to be extremely loud, messy and prickly when it comes to cuddling. My daughter, on the other hand, is mild spoken, neat, and very cuddly. In no way am I saying that my sons are spawns of the devil and my daughter is an angel sent from heaven, but the differences in their mannerisms are quite noticeable.
Essay intro 2
I have three children, two sons and a daughter. The differences between them are numerous. While my sons tend to behave the same in their manners and behavior, my daughter is totally opposite. My boys are extremely disorganized and their manners are atrocious. My daughter is a neat freak and her manners, while not perfect, tend to be way better than my sons’. Cameron and Zachary are loud. You can tell from outside the house where they are playing inside the house. They holler, yell, and slam things around constantly. Alexis is milder than her brothers. She speaks softer, closes doors more quietly, and only screams when things aren’t going her way. I love to cuddle. Cameron and Zachary run the other way when I open my arms for a hug. Alexis on the other hand is content to sit on my lap for hours and watch t.v. or play on the computer.
I have three beautiful children. Their names and ages are Cameron 10 years old, Zachary 7 years old and Alexis 4 years old. Having had the privilege of parenting both sexes, I have noticed a huge gap in the way that my sons behave in contrast to my daughter. My sons tend to be extremely loud, messy and prickly when it comes to cuddling. My daughter, on the other hand, is mild spoken, neat, and very cuddly. In no way am I saying that my sons are spawns of the devil and my daughter is an angel sent from heaven, but the differences in their mannerisms are quite noticeable.
Essay intro 2
I have three children, two sons and a daughter. The differences between them are numerous. While my sons tend to behave the same in their manners and behavior, my daughter is totally opposite. My boys are extremely disorganized and their manners are atrocious. My daughter is a neat freak and her manners, while not perfect, tend to be way better than my sons’. Cameron and Zachary are loud. You can tell from outside the house where they are playing inside the house. They holler, yell, and slam things around constantly. Alexis is milder than her brothers. She speaks softer, closes doors more quietly, and only screams when things aren’t going her way. I love to cuddle. Cameron and Zachary run the other way when I open my arms for a hug. Alexis on the other hand is content to sit on my lap for hours and watch t.v. or play on the computer.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Classification essay 2
One thing I always try to remember when I get into my vehicle and buckle up is that I am not the only person going out today. I have to keep my guard up at all times and be aware of all the drivers who seem to have no clue that they are not alone on the road. If I happen upon an obnoxious driver who seems to be trying to push everyone else off the road, I try to steer clear of them. If I happen upon on a slow poke who is too busy looking out their driver’s side windows at the events going on outside, like the old woman I almost rear-ended yesterday, then I try to remember to keep my foot near the brake because more than likely they are going to be slamming their own brakes on in the near future so that they can look at an accident on the opposite side of the median. Finally, if I meet with one of the drivers who think they can drive with their knees while they are doing other things with their hands, my advice to myself is to keep a sharp eye on them until they pass, because sooner rather than later they are going to make a mistake. I try to keep these three classifications of horrible drivers in my mind at all times.
The first classification of terrible drivers is the obnoxious drivers. These are one of the worst types of drivers to encounter. A majority of these offenders are the Tailgaters. These are the people who like to drive so close to my rear bumper, that I can’t see their front bumper in my rearview. They seem to be in such a hurry that they weave too and fro behind me looking for their moment to pass, even though I am doing the posted speed limit. Another bad habit these drivers have is when they try to pass everyone who is in the left hand lane by speeding in the right hand lane and then trying to cut back into the left lane without their blinker causing drivers in the left hand lane to slam on their brakes so that they don’t hit the offender. This happens to me at least two times a day. Just yesterday while driving on Broadway, I had some smart ass kid think that he could pass me in the right hand lane and then try to cut me off before his lane ended. Too bad for him, it didn’t happen. I sped up so that he couldn’t get in my lane and he had to stop and wait for the traffic behind me before he got into the left lane. These people seem to think that they own the road and have every right to do as they please even if it goes against the law. Ironically these people are also the biggest majority of the middle finger throwers.
The next types of drivers are the Rubberneckers. These people are usually older in age and seem to be driving just below or right exactly at the speed limit. When these drivers encounter anything distracting, especially a car accident or someone stopped on the side of the road by a cop, they immediately slam on the breaks and crane their necks to see what happened. These people in my opinion are too nosey to be on the road. They tend to cause traffic backup, rear-end accidents, and general irritation among the drivers behind them. Just this week I had to slam my brakes on for an elderly lady who decided that the blasting they are doing on the side of Stillwater Ave. was more important than driving her car. She slowed down to about 10 miles per hour and I’m surprised that she didn’t get a kink in her neck from watching the opposite side of the road.
Finally, we come to the worst types of drivers out there. I have classified these drivers as “driving with their heads up their asses”. These are the folks who are always chatting on the phone and driving their vehicles with their knees. They never notice when the red light has turned green because they are too busy on the phone, doing their makeup in the rearview, or digging for a new CD to put in the stereo. I was behind one of these losers last week. The girl was sitting at a red light and when it turned green, she still sat there. She was too busy looking at her visor trying to find a CD to listen to. I honked my horn and was treated to a view of her middle finger as she finally got moving. These people also seem to think that it is perfectly alright to blast their music so loud that their vehicle windows almost shatter from the amount of bass coming through the speakers. Not only do they feel the need to blare their music, but they roll all of their windows down so that everyone within a mile can hear what they are listening to. Like the guy yesterday who wasn’t pulling over for the ambulance going by because he couldn’t hear the siren. These are the drivers that I give a wide berth to. They tend to weave when they drop the phone while driving and they also seem to be deaf from all the loud music pouring out of their windows.
There is so much to pay attention to now when I drive my car. Not only do I have to deal with all the construction going on, and watching out for people crossing the road, now there seems to be an outbreak of highly unqualified drivers out there. I try to avoid getting to near to the rear-end of another vehicle on the road for two reasons. There are the Rubberneckers to watch out for and I do not want to be labeled as a Tailgater. As for all those people out there who talk on their cell phones and blast their music while driving, well, I try to keep a sharp eye out for them. They don’t pay attention and I don’t want to be around when they mistake the gas for the break because they are so deep in conversation they forget they are driving. I’ll be leaving for school in a few minutes, and my stress level is rising. I hope I make it there in one piece.
The first classification of terrible drivers is the obnoxious drivers. These are one of the worst types of drivers to encounter. A majority of these offenders are the Tailgaters. These are the people who like to drive so close to my rear bumper, that I can’t see their front bumper in my rearview. They seem to be in such a hurry that they weave too and fro behind me looking for their moment to pass, even though I am doing the posted speed limit. Another bad habit these drivers have is when they try to pass everyone who is in the left hand lane by speeding in the right hand lane and then trying to cut back into the left lane without their blinker causing drivers in the left hand lane to slam on their brakes so that they don’t hit the offender. This happens to me at least two times a day. Just yesterday while driving on Broadway, I had some smart ass kid think that he could pass me in the right hand lane and then try to cut me off before his lane ended. Too bad for him, it didn’t happen. I sped up so that he couldn’t get in my lane and he had to stop and wait for the traffic behind me before he got into the left lane. These people seem to think that they own the road and have every right to do as they please even if it goes against the law. Ironically these people are also the biggest majority of the middle finger throwers.
The next types of drivers are the Rubberneckers. These people are usually older in age and seem to be driving just below or right exactly at the speed limit. When these drivers encounter anything distracting, especially a car accident or someone stopped on the side of the road by a cop, they immediately slam on the breaks and crane their necks to see what happened. These people in my opinion are too nosey to be on the road. They tend to cause traffic backup, rear-end accidents, and general irritation among the drivers behind them. Just this week I had to slam my brakes on for an elderly lady who decided that the blasting they are doing on the side of Stillwater Ave. was more important than driving her car. She slowed down to about 10 miles per hour and I’m surprised that she didn’t get a kink in her neck from watching the opposite side of the road.
Finally, we come to the worst types of drivers out there. I have classified these drivers as “driving with their heads up their asses”. These are the folks who are always chatting on the phone and driving their vehicles with their knees. They never notice when the red light has turned green because they are too busy on the phone, doing their makeup in the rearview, or digging for a new CD to put in the stereo. I was behind one of these losers last week. The girl was sitting at a red light and when it turned green, she still sat there. She was too busy looking at her visor trying to find a CD to listen to. I honked my horn and was treated to a view of her middle finger as she finally got moving. These people also seem to think that it is perfectly alright to blast their music so loud that their vehicle windows almost shatter from the amount of bass coming through the speakers. Not only do they feel the need to blare their music, but they roll all of their windows down so that everyone within a mile can hear what they are listening to. Like the guy yesterday who wasn’t pulling over for the ambulance going by because he couldn’t hear the siren. These are the drivers that I give a wide berth to. They tend to weave when they drop the phone while driving and they also seem to be deaf from all the loud music pouring out of their windows.
There is so much to pay attention to now when I drive my car. Not only do I have to deal with all the construction going on, and watching out for people crossing the road, now there seems to be an outbreak of highly unqualified drivers out there. I try to avoid getting to near to the rear-end of another vehicle on the road for two reasons. There are the Rubberneckers to watch out for and I do not want to be labeled as a Tailgater. As for all those people out there who talk on their cell phones and blast their music while driving, well, I try to keep a sharp eye out for them. They don’t pay attention and I don’t want to be around when they mistake the gas for the break because they are so deep in conversation they forget they are driving. I’ll be leaving for school in a few minutes, and my stress level is rising. I hope I make it there in one piece.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Outro to Classification Essay
Outro Classification Essay
One thing you need to remember when you get into your vehicle and buckle up is that you are not the only person going out today. You need to keep your guard up at all times and be aware of all the drivers who seem to have no clue that they are not alone on the road. If you happen upon an obnoxious driver who seems to be trying to push everyone else off the road, steer clear of them. If you come up on a slow poke who is too busy looking out their driver’s side windows at the events going on outside then you need to keep your foot near the brake because more than likely they are going to be slamming their own brakes on in the near future so that they can look at an accident on the opposite side of the median. Finally, if you happen upon one of the drivers who think they can drive with their knees while they have a phone in their ear, music blaring out the windows, have a coke in one hand and a hair brush in the other my advice would be to immediately pull over to the side of the road until they pass, because sooner rather than later they are going to make a mistake and you don’t want to be the one they make it with. If you keep these three classifications of horrible drivers in your mind at all times you should get to your destination whole and unharmed. If you fall into one of these classifications maybe you should rethink your habits, it could mean someone’s life.
One thing you need to remember when you get into your vehicle and buckle up is that you are not the only person going out today. You need to keep your guard up at all times and be aware of all the drivers who seem to have no clue that they are not alone on the road. If you happen upon an obnoxious driver who seems to be trying to push everyone else off the road, steer clear of them. If you come up on a slow poke who is too busy looking out their driver’s side windows at the events going on outside then you need to keep your foot near the brake because more than likely they are going to be slamming their own brakes on in the near future so that they can look at an accident on the opposite side of the median. Finally, if you happen upon one of the drivers who think they can drive with their knees while they have a phone in their ear, music blaring out the windows, have a coke in one hand and a hair brush in the other my advice would be to immediately pull over to the side of the road until they pass, because sooner rather than later they are going to make a mistake and you don’t want to be the one they make it with. If you keep these three classifications of horrible drivers in your mind at all times you should get to your destination whole and unharmed. If you fall into one of these classifications maybe you should rethink your habits, it could mean someone’s life.
Intro 1 & 2 Classification Essay
INTRO 1
I think that you should have to have an IQ of over 100 to drive a vehicle. I have been driving for over 15 years. I have noticed many bad and stupid habits that a majority of people have while behind the wheel. I have sorted them into three different classes. The first of these offensive drivers are the obnoxious drivers. Next are the slow pokes and rubberneckers (who I have put in the same classification because they always seem to be one and the same). Last but certainly not least there are the people who seem to be driving with their heads up their butts. Opinions vary on these classifications so I am going on my own experiences and views.
INTRO 2
Driving is a privilege that many people share. Up until a few years ago driving was fun and seemed to be a lot safer than it is now. It seems that in the past five to ten years driving has gone from an enjoyable and somewhat safe experience to a situation where you are risking your life just to make a run to the grocery store. There are three classifications of terrible drivers out there to watch out for. The obnoxious drivers who can’t even get out of their own way fast enough, the people who go under the speed limit so they don’t miss anything that is going on around them (except for what is right in front of them), and the people who think that while driving a car they can do anything else they feel like doing. These people are all dangerous in their own rights and should be avoided at all costs.
I think that you should have to have an IQ of over 100 to drive a vehicle. I have been driving for over 15 years. I have noticed many bad and stupid habits that a majority of people have while behind the wheel. I have sorted them into three different classes. The first of these offensive drivers are the obnoxious drivers. Next are the slow pokes and rubberneckers (who I have put in the same classification because they always seem to be one and the same). Last but certainly not least there are the people who seem to be driving with their heads up their butts. Opinions vary on these classifications so I am going on my own experiences and views.
INTRO 2
Driving is a privilege that many people share. Up until a few years ago driving was fun and seemed to be a lot safer than it is now. It seems that in the past five to ten years driving has gone from an enjoyable and somewhat safe experience to a situation where you are risking your life just to make a run to the grocery store. There are three classifications of terrible drivers out there to watch out for. The obnoxious drivers who can’t even get out of their own way fast enough, the people who go under the speed limit so they don’t miss anything that is going on around them (except for what is right in front of them), and the people who think that while driving a car they can do anything else they feel like doing. These people are all dangerous in their own rights and should be avoided at all costs.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Graf #9 Meta-graf for Cause Essay
I came up with the topic of my cause essay from my sons. We were talking about little league the other day. The boys were talking about how they couldn’t wait to play in the spring because they had so much fun last year. I told them how much fun I had when I played as a kid. My oldest son told me that girls shouldn’t play baseball. That’s when inspiration hit and I got out my trusty laptop and started to write. I had tried once already to start a cause essay, but my topic was just too broad. But, with the topic of playing baseball was hit upon, I knew that I had to write about it.
Once the words started to come to me they just flowed onto the screen from my fingertips. I had to stop twice to resolve an argument between my boys, who were fighting about who has to brush their teeth first, and whose turn it was to play on the computer. Overall I’d say that this essay was pretty easy to write once I found a topic that suited it.
Once the words started to come to me they just flowed onto the screen from my fingertips. I had to stop twice to resolve an argument between my boys, who were fighting about who has to brush their teeth first, and whose turn it was to play on the computer. Overall I’d say that this essay was pretty easy to write once I found a topic that suited it.
Cause Essay
There I was, standing in left field. The sun was shining and there was the smell of freshly mown grass drifting through the field. I heard the crack of the bat hitting the ball and looked up to see it coming my way. I backed up, put my glove over my head and caught the ball. What was I doing there in left field? Why would a nine year old girl be playing on an all boy’s little league team? Three reasons come to mind. The first is that I loved the game of baseball. The second is that my older brother played and I wanted him to respect me and finally it felt great to hear my mom rooting from the bleachers when it was my turn at bat.
I loved the feeling of being up at bat. That feeling of waiting for just the right pitch to come my way was so exciting. What made it even better was the fact that my mom would be sitting in the bleachers cheering me on. When I hit the ball she was the loudest one cheering, and when I struck out she was there to offer encouragement, and sympathy. She made me proud to be out on the field just by being at every game and rooting for me.
My older brother also played on my team. He was one of the reasons the I wanted to play baseball. I enjoyed the time he spent with me in our backyard, pitching to me so that I could hit better and playing pass with me until it got so dark outside that we couldn’t see the ball. I wanted him to respect me and be proud that his little sister was good enough to play little league even though she was a girl.
I can remember watching baseball on television a few nights a week with my brother. I didn’t really understand all the rules, but the excitement when Mark McGuire hit a homerun, or when Ricky Henderson stole second always made the game fun for me. My older brother and his friends were always playing baseball in the field in the back of our home. They let me play when they had an odd number of players. I enjoyed hitting the ball and running the wooden blocks that substituted as bases. I loved it when I caught a fly ball or when I tagged one of the older boys out on base.
I have always loved playing baseball. Although being out on the field or up at bat still gets my blood pumping, I gave up on playing by the time I hit thirteen years old . There were more girl oriented activities to pursue. My brother went on to play baseball all through his high school years, and even now almost fourteen years later we still go out in back of my parents home and get a game going with both us, our spouses and our kids. My mother still watches from a chair on the back deck and she still cheers for me when I hit the ball across the field. The only difference between now and when I was little, is that now I am the teacher and my own kids are the pupils. I hope to instill the love of the game in them that I still have to this day.
I loved the feeling of being up at bat. That feeling of waiting for just the right pitch to come my way was so exciting. What made it even better was the fact that my mom would be sitting in the bleachers cheering me on. When I hit the ball she was the loudest one cheering, and when I struck out she was there to offer encouragement, and sympathy. She made me proud to be out on the field just by being at every game and rooting for me.
My older brother also played on my team. He was one of the reasons the I wanted to play baseball. I enjoyed the time he spent with me in our backyard, pitching to me so that I could hit better and playing pass with me until it got so dark outside that we couldn’t see the ball. I wanted him to respect me and be proud that his little sister was good enough to play little league even though she was a girl.
I can remember watching baseball on television a few nights a week with my brother. I didn’t really understand all the rules, but the excitement when Mark McGuire hit a homerun, or when Ricky Henderson stole second always made the game fun for me. My older brother and his friends were always playing baseball in the field in the back of our home. They let me play when they had an odd number of players. I enjoyed hitting the ball and running the wooden blocks that substituted as bases. I loved it when I caught a fly ball or when I tagged one of the older boys out on base.
I have always loved playing baseball. Although being out on the field or up at bat still gets my blood pumping, I gave up on playing by the time I hit thirteen years old . There were more girl oriented activities to pursue. My brother went on to play baseball all through his high school years, and even now almost fourteen years later we still go out in back of my parents home and get a game going with both us, our spouses and our kids. My mother still watches from a chair on the back deck and she still cheers for me when I hit the ball across the field. The only difference between now and when I was little, is that now I am the teacher and my own kids are the pupils. I hope to instill the love of the game in them that I still have to this day.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Cause Essay Outro #2
I have always loved playing baseball. Although being out on the field or up at bat still gets my blood pumping, I gave up on playing by the time I hit thirteen years old . There were more girl oriented activities to pursue. My brother went on to play baseball all through his high school years, and even now almost fourteen years later we still go out in back of my parents home and get a game going with both us, our spouses and our kids. My mother still watches from a chair on the back deck and she still cheers for me when I hit the ball across the field. The only difference between now and when I was little, is that now I am the teacher and my own kids are the pupils. I hope to instill the love of the game in them that I still have to this day.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
graf 8 reaction to cause essays
I remember that feeling of falling out of love. It doesn't happen all at once, it just seems that way. You go from feeling all squishy inside about that special person, to just having a warm tenderness. From that warm tenderness you transition into a friendship. That is how it was with my first love. I remember holding hands at school and making out in his car after school. It was so exciting. Then after a while we just watched t.v. and cuddled or went to the movies and actually watched the movie. I can remember the final stage when he used to bring his homework to my house and we would just sit and help each other out on problems in algebra.
We just both lost that squishy feeling for eachother and became the best of friends. Sometimes I think falling in love can lead to the best friendships you can have. To this day I am still friends with my first love. The squishy feelings may be gone but they were replaced with even stronger feelings of loyalty, companionship, and trust.
We just both lost that squishy feeling for eachother and became the best of friends. Sometimes I think falling in love can lead to the best friendships you can have. To this day I am still friends with my first love. The squishy feelings may be gone but they were replaced with even stronger feelings of loyalty, companionship, and trust.
Intro 2 to cause essay
Playing little league baseball being a nine year old girl was one of the most exciting times of my young life. I loved the feeling of being up to bat and waiting for the pitcher to throw me just the right pitch. I wanted my older brother to be proud to say that I was his little sister and being on his baseball team was just what I thought would achieve that goal. I also treasured the feeling of pride that my mom gave me when she cheered for me from the bleachers. Watching baseball games on television with my brother and playing with him and his friends out in my parents backyard also fueled my desire to play. Without these three reasons I never would have picked up a bat and developed the passion I have for baseball that I still carry with me today.
Intro 1 to cause essay
There I was, standing in left field. The sun was shining and there was the smell of freshly mown grass drifting through the field. I heard the crack of the bat hitting the ball and looked up to see it coming my way. I backed up, put my glove over my head and caught the ball. What was I doing there in left field? Why would a nine year old girl be playing on an all boy’s little league team? Three reasons come to mind. The first is that I loved the game of baseball. The second is that my older brother played and I wanted him to respect me and finally it felt great to hear my mom rooting from the bleachers when it was my turn at bat.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Graf 7 Person
Graf 7
Have you ever met one of those people that you always seem to remember when the going gets tough? Someone who even though the odds are against them has managed to overcome a staggering situation?
My younger brother Larry is one of those people. Almost two years ago I received a devastating call from my mother. “Larry is in the hospital in Lewiston and he is in a coma.” Needless to say, I was extremely distressed. As it turns out, while Larry was skiing at Sugarloaf he went off the trail and slammed into a tree. Of course, he wasn’t wearing his helmet so the damage was quite bad. He shattered his pelvis, broke his left arm, bruised the left side of his torso, and jarred his brain around inside his head. The first time I saw him was a shock. He had his left arm in a cast, a breathing tube in his trachea, a feeding tube in his stomach, and he was a mass of bruising and swelling. He stayed in his coma for weeks. When he finally came out of it he couldn’t talk and his muscles in his whole left side were also so tensed up that he could barely move them. After all of the testing and retesting done to him we found out that my baby brother had major damage to his nerves in his brain and he would probably never get back to the physical condition he was in before. On top of that his short term memory and his speech were severely impaired. Larry was sent to a rehabilitation center but went home to my parents after a few weeks because he couldn’t handle the facility he was in. After a year and a half of therapy five days a week, Larry no longer needs a wheelchair and he can walk with a walker. He can write with his left hand again although it is a little sloppy. His speech will never be perfect because of the damage to his trachea due to the breathing tube, but he is understandable. He works everyday to improve his memory and has come a long way in gaining this back. Although he will never be able to drive or live without assistance again, he can still do things for himself. When I think about how things aren’t going the way I want them to or when I’m feeling down about myself, I think of my brother Larry. He went from a healthy, able bodied 24 year old to a helpless, broken 24 year old in a matter of seconds. Yet, somehow he has overcome the tragedy in his life, through pain, determination, and shear stubbornness he has over come the severe damage done to his body and brain. I look up to my little brother and it is him I think of when the going gets tough.
Have you ever met one of those people that you always seem to remember when the going gets tough? Someone who even though the odds are against them has managed to overcome a staggering situation?
My younger brother Larry is one of those people. Almost two years ago I received a devastating call from my mother. “Larry is in the hospital in Lewiston and he is in a coma.” Needless to say, I was extremely distressed. As it turns out, while Larry was skiing at Sugarloaf he went off the trail and slammed into a tree. Of course, he wasn’t wearing his helmet so the damage was quite bad. He shattered his pelvis, broke his left arm, bruised the left side of his torso, and jarred his brain around inside his head. The first time I saw him was a shock. He had his left arm in a cast, a breathing tube in his trachea, a feeding tube in his stomach, and he was a mass of bruising and swelling. He stayed in his coma for weeks. When he finally came out of it he couldn’t talk and his muscles in his whole left side were also so tensed up that he could barely move them. After all of the testing and retesting done to him we found out that my baby brother had major damage to his nerves in his brain and he would probably never get back to the physical condition he was in before. On top of that his short term memory and his speech were severely impaired. Larry was sent to a rehabilitation center but went home to my parents after a few weeks because he couldn’t handle the facility he was in. After a year and a half of therapy five days a week, Larry no longer needs a wheelchair and he can walk with a walker. He can write with his left hand again although it is a little sloppy. His speech will never be perfect because of the damage to his trachea due to the breathing tube, but he is understandable. He works everyday to improve his memory and has come a long way in gaining this back. Although he will never be able to drive or live without assistance again, he can still do things for himself. When I think about how things aren’t going the way I want them to or when I’m feeling down about myself, I think of my brother Larry. He went from a healthy, able bodied 24 year old to a helpless, broken 24 year old in a matter of seconds. Yet, somehow he has overcome the tragedy in his life, through pain, determination, and shear stubbornness he has over come the severe damage done to his body and brain. I look up to my little brother and it is him I think of when the going gets tough.
Graf #6 Response to Isearch
Graf #6
I think that the isearch is a great idea. It seems a much better concept than writing an essay about one single topic that you may not have any interest in. I like the idea of writing about a topic that will give you the knowledge about something that you want to know more about. The way the isearch is to be written is also a plus. The format isn’t in essay form but it is broken down into categories and sub-categories which makes it easier to research and write about your topic. The isearch seems to me to be a great new way to write a paper. I wish more instructors would come around to this way of thinking.
I think that the isearch is a great idea. It seems a much better concept than writing an essay about one single topic that you may not have any interest in. I like the idea of writing about a topic that will give you the knowledge about something that you want to know more about. The way the isearch is to be written is also a plus. The format isn’t in essay form but it is broken down into categories and sub-categories which makes it easier to research and write about your topic. The isearch seems to me to be a great new way to write a paper. I wish more instructors would come around to this way of thinking.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Graf #5 Things
Graf 5 Things
I have a box of “things”. I have kept them from my years of high school. They sit in the old cardboard Avon box in the bottom of my closet. I go through them once in a while to stir up old memories.
There is my white graduation cap and gown. They aren’t so white now they have yellowed a little with age and they are wrinkled from being folded for so long. They bring back the memory of my three best friends whom I spent my entire senior year with. We worked together, partied together, learned to drive together and slept at each others houses even during the school week. I only talk with one of those friends now and that only happens a few times a year. It’s funny how people grow apart after high school.
In my cardboard box is also a stack of papers that I wrote in English class. My poetry and a few short stories with A’s on the top written in red. There is also my prized critical. It took me almost a month to write that monster twenty page paper. I loved every minute of it. I enjoyed reading the old books about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table even though getting through Tennyson’s book was a little tedious.
There is my high school letter and all my pins for it. From playing soccer to graduation with honors. I was more a geek than jock. I loved my homework and studying, as much as I loved to smoke and get trashed on the weekends.
There are my old yearbooks full of all those cryptic notes from my friends on the blank pages. There are also the old standbys “have a great summer” and “call me” from people I can hardly remember. There are all the black and white photos of my classmates. I circled all my crushes that I couldn’t get the nerve to talk to and I X’d off all the faces of my ex boyfriends. I wonder what they are all doing now. Are they happy? Do they have good lives?
On the bottom of the box is a set of fuzzy pompoms from Happy Wheels. I used to go there roller skating every Sunday. I never did get very good at it but I remember the good times I had with my cousin trying to learn how to skate backwards or doing the “limbo” and falling flat on our asses. I remember the boy I met there and how I had such a huge crush on him.
It’s funny how we associate “things” with our memories. Just looking at them brings us back to the place and time we acquired them. They don’t just bring back the memories; they bring back the feelings, smells, and voices of our past. I’ll never part with my old cardboard Avon box, even though the things inside aren’t valuable in monetary terms, they are invaluable to me.
I have a box of “things”. I have kept them from my years of high school. They sit in the old cardboard Avon box in the bottom of my closet. I go through them once in a while to stir up old memories.
There is my white graduation cap and gown. They aren’t so white now they have yellowed a little with age and they are wrinkled from being folded for so long. They bring back the memory of my three best friends whom I spent my entire senior year with. We worked together, partied together, learned to drive together and slept at each others houses even during the school week. I only talk with one of those friends now and that only happens a few times a year. It’s funny how people grow apart after high school.
In my cardboard box is also a stack of papers that I wrote in English class. My poetry and a few short stories with A’s on the top written in red. There is also my prized critical. It took me almost a month to write that monster twenty page paper. I loved every minute of it. I enjoyed reading the old books about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table even though getting through Tennyson’s book was a little tedious.
There is my high school letter and all my pins for it. From playing soccer to graduation with honors. I was more a geek than jock. I loved my homework and studying, as much as I loved to smoke and get trashed on the weekends.
There are my old yearbooks full of all those cryptic notes from my friends on the blank pages. There are also the old standbys “have a great summer” and “call me” from people I can hardly remember. There are all the black and white photos of my classmates. I circled all my crushes that I couldn’t get the nerve to talk to and I X’d off all the faces of my ex boyfriends. I wonder what they are all doing now. Are they happy? Do they have good lives?
On the bottom of the box is a set of fuzzy pompoms from Happy Wheels. I used to go there roller skating every Sunday. I never did get very good at it but I remember the good times I had with my cousin trying to learn how to skate backwards or doing the “limbo” and falling flat on our asses. I remember the boy I met there and how I had such a huge crush on him.
It’s funny how we associate “things” with our memories. Just looking at them brings us back to the place and time we acquired them. They don’t just bring back the memories; they bring back the feelings, smells, and voices of our past. I’ll never part with my old cardboard Avon box, even though the things inside aren’t valuable in monetary terms, they are invaluable to me.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Graf #4 Unique
I love to read, write and watch horror movies. I have a toe that points away from my big toe after healing the wrong way from a break. I have no gallbladder and three incision scars where it was taken out.
I have a scar on my belly from three c-sections. I have many small burn scars on my hands from my four year job at KFC when I was a teenager.
I drive a Chevy Blazer and a Pontiac Grand Prix. I have three beautiful children two boys and my baby girl. I am not exactly the neatest person alive (not even close).
My eyes change from brown to green with my emotions. I suffer from depression. My right foot is a half size bigger than my left foot.
I found three gray hairs in my bangs yesterday (which were promptly plucked out). Breaking Benjamin, Hinder, and Better than Ezra are my favorite bands. I don’t drink alcohol, but I do smoke cigarettes.
I have a scar on my belly from three c-sections. I have many small burn scars on my hands from my four year job at KFC when I was a teenager.
I drive a Chevy Blazer and a Pontiac Grand Prix. I have three beautiful children two boys and my baby girl. I am not exactly the neatest person alive (not even close).
My eyes change from brown to green with my emotions. I suffer from depression. My right foot is a half size bigger than my left foot.
I found three gray hairs in my bangs yesterday (which were promptly plucked out). Breaking Benjamin, Hinder, and Better than Ezra are my favorite bands. I don’t drink alcohol, but I do smoke cigarettes.
Graf #3 Inventory and inventory
Graf #3 Inventory
Book inventory
Books by Diana Gabaldon
Book inventory
Books by Diana Gabaldon
- Outlander
- Dragonfly in Amber
- The Fiery Cross
- Voyager
- Drums of Autumn
- Lasher
- The Witching Hour
- Taltos
- The entire Gunslinger Series
- From a Buick 8
- Cell
- Everything’s Eventual
- The Kadin
- Betrayed
- Beloved
- Rosamund
- Until You
- Phillipa
- The Last Heiress
- Morrigan’s Cross
- Dance of the Gods
- Valley of Silence
- Born in Fire
- Born in Ice
- Born in Sin
- Blue Dahlia
- Black Rose
- Red Lily
- The whole Left Behind Series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
- Wolf Tales IV by Kate Douglas
- Devil May Cry by Sherrilyn Kenyon
From the amount of books listed I would say this woman loves to read. She seems to enjoy a good romance novel, but they have to involve a story with mystery and peril. Judging from the Anne Rice and Stephen King she also seems to like the paranormal and fantasy as well. It seems that this woman has a few favorite authors and she sticks to buying only their books. Maybe she should broaden her range of genre. She could pick up a little poetry or non-fiction works just to add a splash of variety. Overall I would say that this person is an avid reader and likes to get caught up in the fantasy of a good fiction novel.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Graf #2 Worst Teacher
Graf #2 Worst Teacher
I never really had any horrible teachers. They all treated me with respect and kindness. I did however have a teacher with a horrible method of teaching.
The year was 1993. The class was American History. The teacher, well I won’t mention names, but he was tall with white hair and had to most boring, lull you to sleep, speaking voice. I knew I was in trouble the very first day of class.
On the first day of class the teacher immediately told us to open our text books(circa 1970’s) and the agony of American History began. The teacher proceeded to read directly from the text book verbatim! For 80 minutes, three times a week he read on in his long, drawn out, sleep inducing voice.
I can remember more than once nodding off out of sheer boredom only to feel a gentle hand on my shoulder from the teacher as he passed by my desk with his book, never taking his eyes off the text he was reading.
Needless to say, I barely passed American History. I was never so happy to get out of a class in all my life. The next year The History teacher retired, and I was sad to see him go, he was very nice after all.
I just had to add this little tidbit to my graf. I showed this to my mother to get her opinion on it. The funny thing is, she also had this same teacher for American History when she was in high school. She laughed and shook her head as she read what I wrote. Then she looked at me and said, “ I remember him, he was the most boring teacher I ever had. I used to do my shorthand homework or sleep in his class while he read from his book to us.” This teacher had kept his same teaching style for more than seventeen years!
I never really had any horrible teachers. They all treated me with respect and kindness. I did however have a teacher with a horrible method of teaching.
The year was 1993. The class was American History. The teacher, well I won’t mention names, but he was tall with white hair and had to most boring, lull you to sleep, speaking voice. I knew I was in trouble the very first day of class.
On the first day of class the teacher immediately told us to open our text books(circa 1970’s) and the agony of American History began. The teacher proceeded to read directly from the text book verbatim! For 80 minutes, three times a week he read on in his long, drawn out, sleep inducing voice.
I can remember more than once nodding off out of sheer boredom only to feel a gentle hand on my shoulder from the teacher as he passed by my desk with his book, never taking his eyes off the text he was reading.
Needless to say, I barely passed American History. I was never so happy to get out of a class in all my life. The next year The History teacher retired, and I was sad to see him go, he was very nice after all.
I just had to add this little tidbit to my graf. I showed this to my mother to get her opinion on it. The funny thing is, she also had this same teacher for American History when she was in high school. She laughed and shook her head as she read what I wrote. Then she looked at me and said, “ I remember him, he was the most boring teacher I ever had. I used to do my shorthand homework or sleep in his class while he read from his book to us.” This teacher had kept his same teaching style for more than seventeen years!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Graf #1 Hands
When I look at my hands I see two rings that define who I am. One ring signifies the girl who turned wife, who has worked for the love and respect of one man, and a girl who has grown into a woman because of that love.
The second ring signifies the wife and mother who has realized the meaning of love and family. This ring represents, a husband, and three individual children who will be with me through the good and the bad times.
On these hands are the symbols of love, but these hands have done so much more. From the caresses when showing my husband how much I love him to the clenching of fists when he has done something to piss me off.
These hands have nurtured three children from the time they were born, feeding bottles, changing diapers, cradling heads when the tears wouldn't stop, rubbing sore tummies, putting Band-Aids on boo-boos and giving a spank here and there when it was needed.
Yes, these rings on my hands are only metal and stones, but to me they are the symbols of myself. Lover and friend, nurse and teacher, nurturer and disciplinarian, and most significant of all, wife and mother.
When I look at my hands I see two rings that define who I am. One ring signifies the girl who turned wife, who has worked for the love and respect of one man, and a girl who has grown into a woman because of that love.
The second ring signifies the wife and mother who has realized the meaning of love and family. This ring represents, a husband, and three individual children who will be with me through the good and the bad times.
On these hands are the symbols of love, but these hands have done so much more. From the caresses when showing my husband how much I love him to the clenching of fists when he has done something to piss me off.
These hands have nurtured three children from the time they were born, feeding bottles, changing diapers, cradling heads when the tears wouldn't stop, rubbing sore tummies, putting Band-Aids on boo-boos and giving a spank here and there when it was needed.
Yes, these rings on my hands are only metal and stones, but to me they are the symbols of myself. Lover and friend, nurse and teacher, nurturer and disciplinarian, and most significant of all, wife and mother.
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