My last post.... :(

It is bittersweet sitting down to write the last blog entry for this semester. Even though I am so ready for this semester to just be over, it's depressing having to say "goodbye" to a lot of the classes I took this semester. I want to thank you all for not judging me if I ever made an idiotic comment in class...I'm new to the major, and far less experienced than most of you, so I greatly appreciate your patience with me all semester. I can't wait to teach reading and writing to students someday, and I am glad to know I have a network of peers who are just as excited about the whole thing as I am. It was great having you all to turn to with my frustrations throughout the semester. Even though it was at times extremely difficult for me to get the motivation to leave my apartment (especially in the cold) and come to class at 7 PM on Monday nights, I'm glad that I made it to every one. I hope I'll see you all again in classes as I finish up my own education here. I can't wait to see where we all end up 10 years from now...

Post-Thanksgiving....

Is anyone as depressed as I am about how quickly this break went by? For me, it's been a teaser... "Hey! Here's a little piece of Christmas break. Now that you've seen it...go take finals!" On a good note, however, my last post was a success...I actually got some work done. After waking up at 4 AM to shop on Black Friday, I managed to get started on my Praxis Paper. I found that going back and re-reading a lot of the books from the beginning of the semester was really rewarding. I'm just excited to pound through these next three weeks and then be able to enjoy the movie Elf without having to worry about finals week being right around the corner...

Pre-Thanksgiving Post

There is exactly two days and six hours until I am homefree and on Thanksgiving break. I am so ready for break: relaxation, Gramma's pumpkin pie, and lots and lots of Lifetime movies. I am writing this blog, however, as a form of motivation. I NEED to get stuff done over break, but whenever I go home, I so easily get distracted by movie nights with my sister and shopping dates with my friends. I need to get started on my Praxis paper and my portfolio, though, and I fear the only way I will actually follow through and do something productive over break is to write myself a reminder. I'm not sure what it is about this semester that makes this break seem so..necessary. I cannot wait to go home and read a book that is of my choosing, stay up late without having to worry about getting up at 6 AM, and gain five pounds of solid mashed potatoes and pie. I'm interested to see if my motivation to do homework sticks...the post-Thanksgiving blog should be pretty interesting. Have a great break everyone! :-)

The Lion King

The very brief conversation we had in class last night over Disney movies sparked my interest in blogging about it. I don't know about everyone else, but if I had to list my top 3 Disney movies, it would go: #3: Beauty and the Beast, #2 Aladdin, and #1 The Lion King. I'm not sure what it is about the Lion King that makes me love it so much, but it is definitely one of those movies I can watch over and over again and never get sick of. (This list is, of course, does not include more recent movies like Finding Nemo and Up). Even though these movies still entertain me today, I really miss being a five year old who has to close her eyes whenever the villain comes on the screen. I think this would be a great topic to write about with our sophomore writing partners...if only there was enough time.

Speaking of that...is anyone else struggling to come up with something to write about for the praxis paper? My partner has given me great stuff to work with, I just don't really know what to do with it. I have this plan of making an epic discovery while re-reading her writing...it just hasn't happened yet. I'm stuck, and the more I think about it, the more forced my ideas become--and that's the last thing I want this praxis paper to be. I think I'm going to stop thinking about it and go watch the Lion King instead :-)

Here's a clip to share the joy with you...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBE_T-K8nhY

Autobiography...

I Am:

A Female…

…whatever that means. Yeah, I love clothes, the color pink, pointless roses, and Pretty Woman. But I also love football, old G.T.O’s, eating pizza without a fork and knife, sweatpants, and throwing elbows when I play basketball. I worry way too much, and I eat way too much chocolate. I love eating fat cheeseburgers, but I can’t make them…I literally started my grill on fire. I hate myself for mouthing off to my parents as a teen because, in retrospect, I know how much they care.  Dying my hair a shade other than my natural blonde terrifies me most likely because I have a moderate self-image problem. I hide my emotions behind big sweatshirts and my favorite red baseball cap…but I swear I am not emotional. I have no idea what it means when I check the “F” box under “Gender” on a standardized test—I just know who I am.

A “Bug”

He is the man of few words and she is the obsessive worry-wart. They are the reason I try so hard at everything I do. He sends me YouTube video’s once a week, and she sends me “Have a good day, I love you!” text messages each morning. When I ran my first half-marathon, they were the first ones to give me a high five at the end. He taught me how to shoot a basketball and she taught me how to curl my hair. They take me out to dinner every Saturday if I am home. She will scold me and tell me to, “worry about what my father will say”, and he winks and says, “Don’t tell mom,” when he reminds me he was young once. They are the perfect parents, and I am their “Jen-a-bug”.

A Closet-Robber

I creep out of my bedroom and tiptoe down the hall. She is at work, so I’m not worried about her catching me—it is my dad sitting in his “easy chair” watching golf that I am concerned about. I am in terrible need of a black shirt to go with my new skirt; so naturally, I sneak over to my own personal shopping center: Steph’s Closet. Just as I reach the white light gleaming from the infinite amount of cotton designs, I hear “closet-robber!” being yelled from the general direction of that annoying “easy chair”. I stretch out my hand and quickly grab the black shirt I was destined to wear before moving my feet quickly back to my own room. Little did I know she would be coming home from work early…in just enough time to see my wardrobe. And so the argument begins. I am the “closet-robber”, and she is the melodramatic older sister—my best friend. Don’t worry; I love her for more than her lack of self control at the mall.

A Wine-Drinker on Thursday Night’s

Don’t turn me in to the cops please. I am not yet 21 years old, but it is tradition for my roommates and I to watch Grey’s Anatomy on Thursday nights while drinking wine. I will not let my birthday remove me from this fun. Thursday nights are the most relaxing nights of the week. We share our “Iowa City Idiot” anecdote of the week before we proceed to complain to each other about the amount of crap we have to get done for class.  I was once told that a girl doesn’t come to college to get her M.R.S degree, she comes to find her bridesmaids. I could not agree more.

An Infinite Amount of X’s and O’s

I sign each card each week with “XOXO” before slipping it in the mailbox and sending it to Pella, Iowa. That’s where he goes to school…exactly one hour and thirty minutes away from me (exactly one hour and thirty minutes too far). It happened freshman year of college. I came home to this dark-haired boy playing guitar in Emily’s room. I fell in love. I know what you’re thinking: yeah right…she’s just saying that. But no, really, I still remember the first time he turned his head toward me and said, “Hey, it’s nice to meet you”. He had on a cream button up shirt and khaki pants, and he looked so…content. We were introduced, and after asking him to marry me on site, he left and I didn’t see him for awhile. He came back, though, and before long, I had myself a brand new boyfriend.  Two years later, Jeff is my closest friend, my cheerleader, the only person I know who is capable of listening to me rant for a solid hour. He makes me laugh so hard I literally cry, and he never complains when I make him watch National Lampoons Christmas Vacation with me five consecutive times in a row. Young love is fun, free and exciting, and I thank God everyday that I get a chance to experience it.   

A Whitey’s-Monster

You read right. Not a “cookie-monster”, a “Whitey’s Monster”. Do NOT…I repeat…do NOT get in between Whitey’s ice cream and myself. Being lactose-intolerant does not even stop me.

A Dreamer

Someday, I will settle down, have kids, live in a small town much like the one I grew up in because I wouldn’t trade that childhood for anything. But first, I have dreams. I want to see the world. I want to strap on a brown backpack with cash and peanut butter shoved inside, hop on a plane, and wander. Before I go have lunch with Elvis and Gramma in Heaven, I need to live on a beach. I want to have a solid week where nothing demands my attention but “Say Yes to the Dress” on TLC. I want to crash a Bar Mitzvah just because I think it would be fun. I have way to many dreams to settle down any time soon.

Reflection on tonight's class...

I loved the way class went tonight. I feel like I know the people who read their memiors with us so much better now. They were all amazing...now I am terrified to read mine next week. I was on the phone with my mom while walking home after class tonight, and I bragged the entire way home about how brilliant my classmates were.

So, I'm dedicating this blog to all those who read their memiors tonight. 1) For doing an amazing job, and 2) for putting so much pressure on the rest of us who have yet to read ours in class. :-)

This class is so inspiring, and I can't wait to hear everyone else read their blogs.

Myth number 16

After leaving class today, I felt inspired to go back and re-read Smith's article. I had read it before, but when I read it the first time, I never really placed myself within the myths. I just kept saying to myself, well duh, of course that isn't true... but when going back and actually placing myself in situations where I fell into those myths, I was able to better identify with the article.

For example, "A fixed period of "prewriting" can or should be distinguishable before any writing act", is one myth that was forged into my brain as a high school student. We HAD to come up with an idea, write an outline, include a thesis, draft, edit, and then begin the write the paper. Why? Why did I HAVE to write an outline? I understand it helps struggling students find a way to organize thoughts, and outlines definitely are not a bad thing...but they are not my thing. I hate outlines.. I would much rather just start writing and see where it takes me. Outlines scare me because once I write one, I feel I can't go out of it. I can't switch paragraph 1 with paragraph 2 because the outline says it should be that way. I like how Smith categorizes daydreaming as a prewrite. Some of my best ideas come to me while I'm on a long run, and just because it doesn't fit into those defined steps, it isn't considered a credible to my high school teacher.

I love the quote, "The act of writing does not break itself down into neatly identifiable and manageable "steps", rather it is part of all our existence" (30). I think we need to allow our students to go beyond these myths, and while some of them (like prewriting) are useful, people naturally go outside of them.