What a professional work!

My friend's summary of yesterday's econ 110 lecture! lol

My Cherry Tree Is Dead

I planted a cherry tree from a seed and it grew to be about 6 inches tall. With no sun and too much wind (I dont think the rain hurt it) It is almost dead. The leaves are brown and cracking. The only hope that it has is to sprout new leaves. Oh well, I still love the rain.

wow.. last day.

Yeah, its crazy to think that its over just like that. Im lookin forward to the next set of classes though. Positive progress means success. Thanks to you all for your insight and feedback! Much love.

English 1010

I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of class! It seems like yesterday we started the class, but it will be over tomorrow!! Wow time is flying!
I'm glad I was able to take this class. I've hated writing for my entire life just because I'm not a good writer, but this class taught me a lot about how to write better. Thank you, Brother Westover!
I hope all of you are ready to trun your last paper in and get a good grade!
Is it wrong to pary for all of us getting an A? : )

Capitol Reef National Park

Sometimes we are so concerned about our problems that we forget look around and enjoy the wonders that God has prepared for us. There are amazing things and places in this world that could help us find ways where supposed there is not way. For those who don't know Capitol Reef, it is a great place to visit and get more "inspiration". Try it!

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” -- Confucius

Tips for Better Sleep!

My insomnia has been 6 months now. I wish I could have enough sleep! I was searching some information that may help to fall asleep, and I found a sweet article about some tips for better sleep! I hope this may be helpful for those trying hard to fall asleep in our class! Check it out!
http://mayoclinic.com/health/sleep/HQ01387

rain rain please go away

i don't know about y'all but i find rain sooooo depressing and i never get depressed this weather is KILLING me I'm a cali girl drowning out here! i need the sun i NEED it! i hope its over soon i don't know how people live in Washington and places like that its way to depressing for me!

RAINBOWS

I don't know if any of you noticed the RAINBOW the other night but it was beautiful so i wanted to share some pics i took of it! Crazy that is feels likes spring still and its nearly the middle of summer!

You've been Chucked!

Wow, there are alot of posts. It seems like everybody is stressed about the paper and has writers block. maybe a joke would help.. so here goes: Did you know that Chuck Norris accidently created Optimus Prime while he was playing with a prototype for the total gym?

Danny Boy

See, this is what trying to get musical inspiration for my paper devolves into...
Very touching video/music though

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCbuRA_D3KU

Can one use the webster dictionary website to give the defintion of a word? Does it need a work citied entry? Is the website a valid source? Do zombies scare anyone besides myself?

Writers block ....... I'm Stuck.....

If you have an older slow computer.

I love to work with computers. The best fix for an older computer to make it run faster is to give it more ram. This lets the processor have access to more data faster. I would say for a computer to run well these days it needs at least 786 mb of ram if running xp or 1 gb if running vista.

There is an article on ram at this web site.

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question175.htm

Sweet Article

I found a sweet article about the proper role of government. Check it out!

http://www.laissez-fairerepublic.com/benson.htm

Citation websites

http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/index.php- Knight Cite
Citationmachine.net- Citation Machine

Good morning everyone
I have a big problem. I'm sitting in front of my computer, and I don't have an idea of what to write about it. maybe somebody can help me...........

The Wicked Tinkers!

You know those weekends when you just end up exhausted, but you cant stop cause youre having so much fun? I had one of those.. Friday night I ended up watching a Discovery thing about Freemasonry and eating a couple bags of turkey pepperoni. It might sound lame, but it's alot more fun than going on a date with some girl and end up dissapointed when she turns out to be a phsycho. Saturday was the Scottish festival, it totally rocked! I'm not sure if any of you enjoy Celtic music or pipes, but you should check out a band called "Wicked Tinkers." I play the pipes, and these guys are crazy. They're one of my favorites. It was awesome to see them play live.

Fantastic news!

So i computer crashed!!! YAY for the 3rd time in a month this is fantastic! so all my work for all my classes is gone! isnt that fan-freakin-tastic. oh well i love square one its the best fresh ideas right!......word of advice zip drives are highly recomended..... love my life

Is it worth it? Definitely!!

Considering it is near the end of the semester and it is hard to stay focused and not get burned out, at least for me, i found this picture that i thought was good motivation so i thought i would share it with all of you. Just think after we sacrifice so much of our time, effort, hard work, sleep, social life, flexibility, spontaneity, relaxation and money we will finish our education we could all achieve this!!!

For Monday

For Monday, please make sure you have all of your research done, or at least that you have five sources. I would like you to bring a Works Cited page to class with you. Please format it correctly and include all five sources (or more, if you have more). You should also begin to write your paper over the weekend if you have not done so already. On Monday I will be going over MLA issues, and I will teach you some things about incorporating research into your paper. It is an important day, so don't miss. Please keep up with all the readings on the syllabus, but as far as the Short Assignments are concerned, just work on getting that Works Cited page done.

Have a great weekend.

just ranting really

i have so many ideas for this paper that i think are good ones but at the same time its so easy to screw up a "good" idea i keep writing then erasing and trying to figure out what i really want to say urrg. i cant believe this class is almost over do you ever feel like life is moving so fast but your just standing still that's how i feel about life right now. i always feel like I'm playing catch up. but hey that's life. So random ....in one of my classes there are these 2 kids that i cant stand, you know the ones, the kind of kids that like to make any argument against the point the professor is trying to make. it always makes me want to strangle them. maybe i have anger issues lol but it drives me insane when people want to argue for the sake of arguing , they dont have a point they just want to hear their own voice! pet peeve anyone else know what im talking about..... anyway see yall tomorrow! hope you guys are further along with this paper than i am!!

Short Assignment

A lot of you left class on Wednesday before I had a chance to explain the assignments on the syllabus. There are two assignments listed for tomorrow. The first is to write a page of your paper and incorporate a block quote, and the second is to begin a Works Cited page. Don't worry about doing the first assignment, but I do want you to begin a Works Cited page. I asked for three sources by tomorrow, and this should not be difficult since you found two of them on Wednesday. Again, I want this to be a proper Works Cited page, formatted correctly. I am not going to collect them, but I am going to come around and check them. Please refer to your syllabus and DK Handbook for further details. And please remember that we are back in the library tomorrow, not in the classroom.

Thanks,
Daniel

Stimulus?

As some of you may have got from class I am deeply interested in where this country is going economically. What are your thoughts on how effective this stimulus bill is. Was it a smart move for Obama to make?

Brawndo: The Thirst Mutilator

I don't know if any of you have ever seen the commercials for the power drink BRAWNDO but i think they are so funny. Its kind of weird humor but if your in the right mood you will laugh your head off. They are absolutely ridiculous commercials, it took me a few times of watching them to enjoy them. Here is the link, sorry i am not very technology savvy and couldn't figure how to get the clip off you tube and post it to the blog but it is worth it to look at! You can also just you tube Brawndo and tons of other clips will come up. I hope you find them funny!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbxq0IDqD04

South Carolina

I had the opportunity to go to South Carolina recently and visit my boyfriend who is working out there for the summer. I was very excited to go for a few reasons, obviously i was so excited to see him and i was also excited to go to South Carolina because i had never been there. I decided to share some pictures with you all since i don't really know what else to blog about. I apologize because I am sure this is kind of boring to some of you and you could care less but you will just have to bare with me. I am super cheesy person and i love stuff like this so that's what you get :) South Carolina is so pretty, green, and lush it really was so beautiful, besides the humid weather i had a blast and i am so glad i got to go.

Any similarity, is pure coincidence!

Hello Guys,
Sorry if I'm being "boring" adding clips instead of "inspiring words" or thoughts that make some mention about our English class. But if you like technology (like me) and already have experienced some kind of HELPDESK in your life, certainly you'll enjoy it. Any similarity, believe me, is pure coincidence.

See ya!!

slacker-sauce!

Ok, I'll admit it.. I'm a total slacker with this while blogging thing. I would come up with some bomb.com excuse, but the truth is that I've never blogged and I have no clue how to do it. From what I gather I'm supposed to get on here and just talk about something. I can envision myself having fun with this (cause I love debating), but if you want my real opinion about blogging, here it is: Do you actually think that I have nothing better to do than log onto the internet and read your opinion about something? I mean, seriously.. Well, its almost 10 pm, only a few hours till wake up.. Ill see y'all in class.

Keeping a Promise is not easy!!

"No one ever said keeoing promise was easy"...
Enjoy it and have a good weekend:)

Today in class we started talking about having tatoo's and I didnt get a chance to say what i thought about them. So i thought sense i need to write on this blog why not do it now. I think tatoo's can look really cool. I would never in my life get one because of what i believe but i think its neat we people will get a tatoo that reminds them of someone that has pasted away for a form of respect for them. As for other tatoo's i dont understand why you would want to get one because it wont look like that forever. I hope no one get offended by me saying that its just want I think.

forgot

So i have a few articles that i found for tomorrow but what was that web site with a bunch of different ones? i remember it started with a S. if you could help this chick out that would be great!

I don't know

Hello everyone I dont realy have anything much to say other than I need to start writing on this blog. So while I am writing I am hoping something cool or interesting will jump into my head. One thing I will say is that I enjoy this class alot more than any other english class that I have ever had. This will probably sound like I am trying to kiss ass but Daniel is a way good tracher and makes writing alot more interesting to me. You can tell he enjoys it and he definately knows what he is talking about. I have a health class this block also and the class and teacher are jokes. It is by far the easiest class you could ever take. It is so obvious that the teacher doesent even care if we learn anything or not. I feel mad because that class is a waste of my time and money. It is seriosly like a junior high school health class. I kind of want to tell you the teachers name so none of you get stuck with her, but I guess I will be nice and not name any names. So to sum it all up I guess my point is we are at school to expand our minds and learn things, not to open our wallets and get classes that we know will be an easy A . I wish I could get my money back and take a different health class. I just hope it turns out better with the rest of my classes.

Unforgettable Christmas Ads

Hey everyone, I'm really appreciating this class. Although my English is far away from "good", I'm learning alot! Could you imagine how is to write 3 or more pages in a language that is not yours? Believe me, it is tough but it's pushing me to learn.
Anyway...
If you like (and want to see) good ads, below is a great link about it.
Enjoy!

http://www.weirdresources.com/2008/12/25/30-unforgettable-christmas-advertisements-around-the-world/

Yay blog

great news Lady's and gents i figured out how to post! it involves a big blue button that says POST who would have thought lol. Anyway today in class i was wearing sunglasses. Sorry its not because I'm the mellow dramatic drama type trying to make a statement; it as just because i had a mini melt down that morning and was really red and puffy. trust me it was better to leave them on. Have you ever noticed how Gothic people dress? In the all black and the chains and jewelry, it looks to me that they are trying way too hard to seem like they don't try at all. I have had many friends who dress this way and say "everyone looks at me like I'm a freak"......well duh. If you aren't trying to get a rise out of someone, and really are just trying to look invisible, doesn't it make sense to dress main stream? Any way just something i find interesting. i don't know about all of you but i am really enjoying the class. i like the way i am starting to look at things different. breaking the high school mold of writing is a beautiful thing. i like just thinking and sharing what i want, even if everyone thinks its stupid, i still get to express. anyway this is my first blog ever so there it is!

Gender Roles: "I'll Be Cooking in the Home"

In class today I posed some questions about my student who "just wanted to be a mom," and then I mentioned an experience I had with my daughter recently. I thought I would elaborate a little and see what you think.

Some of what we are willing to accept, and not accept, is definitely generational (think of the Hoover ad in the textbook). That doesn't mean that gender stereotypes were any better in our parents' and grandparents' generations, but it does mean that they were more accepted (certainly there have always been people who will not accept them, which is why we have grown in many ways).

Here's one example: my daughter loves to watch movie clips on YouTube, and one of her favorites is from Disney's The Jungle Book (as opposed to the collection of stories by Rudyard Kipling, published in 1894, which the movie is very loosely based on). At the end of the film, Mowgli returns to the man village, where he sees, for the first time in his life, a woman (she is a girl, but if you watch the clip, she is obviously old enough to be very aware of the way her sexuality can entrance and manipulate Mowgli). I showed this clip to my daughter becaue she was learning how to splash, and there is a part where Mowgli falls out of the tree and lands in the water before splashing his way back to the bank. (I hadn't remembered that the reason he falls is because the girl bats her big eyes at him and distracts him into dumb male mode). I also hadn't remembered all the lyrics to the song she sings. Whenever I watch this clip with my daughter, I cringe: "Father's hunting in the forest. Mother's cooking in the home. I must go to fetch the water until the day that I am grown." And later on: "I will have a handsome husband, and a daughter of my own. I'll send her to fetch the water. I'll be cooking in the home." I usually change the lyrics as I sing along to be "Mother's hunting in the forest, father's cooking in the home" in an attempt to reverse the stereotypes, but I've considered not letting my daughter even watch it anymore even though she loves it. So here is my question: Am I going to far? Is the movie harmless? Am I being silly for thinking maybe I shouldn't let her watch it? It's just a movie, right? Or is it? You can watch the scene here.

This got me thinking of another generational shift I've experienced in my life, also regarding gender. I remember singing a song in church when I was a boy. It was for the girls, really, but we all sang it. It was about wanting to be a mother. Here are some of the lyrics:

When I grow up, I want to be a mother,
And have a family, one little, two little, three little babies of my own.
Of all the jobs, for me I'll choose no other! I'll have a family,
Four little, five little, six little babies in my home.

We thought nothing of this at the time, singing it at the top of our lungs. (If you want to sing it at the top of your lungs, you can download it here. It's called "I Want to be a Mother.") But now that I'm older, I see a real danger in the song. Let me be clear that I am not saying that there is a danger in wanting to have children or be a mother. I think I made it clear in class that I value motherhood a great deal. But I have friends who grew up singing this song and talking about being a mommy their whole lives, only to discover that they wanted to have a career, or that they didn't want to have babies, or that they wanted to have babies but couldn't because of medical reasons, etc. They grew up singing about having six little babies and not going to work, and then they felt guilty because they wanted to work or couldn't have six babies, or because for sone other reason they were not capable of living up to what they were taught was the ideal. This, too, was a generational thing to some degree, and there have been a lot of changes since then. I know that my daughter will never have to sing this song in church, and that Disney will never put out another film with a female character singing about cooking in the home while her handsome husband is out hunting. So we have come a long way in only a few generations. But how far?

Thoughts?

The "problems" with rhetorical thinking

Spring has Sprung!

Thank goodness for SPRING and BEAUTIFUL flowers!!
I am so grateful for this amazing WEATHER we are having so we can enjoy being outside and doing fun activities like the TULIP festival at thanksgiving point!

Blogging: the Digitial Word

Why do we blog? Why has the word "blog" become an acceptable noun and verb? Why does everyone seem to think that they must share with the world their views and ideas, especially when those views and ideas are not unique, are not new, and have become borderline cliche? Why am i falling victim then to this need to express oneself? More importantly, why are we not more prepared for a zombie invasion? But I digress...

I do not mean to offend, in fact far from it. I enjoy hearing the thoughts of others, seeing what makes this world for them. If i agree, I can use their support to better this world. If i disagree, i can use the new knowledge to better myself, my thoughts, and the world around me until I have achieved the desired change. I have read several online articles that have moved me. They called for a change, they inspired emotion, they reminded me as to the full extent of the beauty of this world. But i certainly don't want or need to read about how cute your little dog was today. Especially for every day, all month long.

But in our society, have a need to let our thoughts be known. If we can acquire some fame or recognition for it, even better. We want to be known. We want people to be debating our ideas or discussing the latest idea presented to us by our favorite "authors." And a blog allows us to do that almost instantaneously and without boundaries. My words here can be read around the world. We are dropping the imaginary lines on a map and adopting a wider world. Its hard to hate something that can do something like that.

Does this blog have a point? No. I hope it will in most of my future blogs. I hope I can rant or give opinion, or just write the stupid little poetry that appears in my mind every so often. I hope I can move you, inspire you, touch emotions that make us human, show you the beauty of life. And i present the challenge to all of us to make that a goal for these blogs. We don't have to make each one ground-breaking. They don't always have to be deep or philosophical or even have a point. Just as long as we inspire one another.

Now, back to that zombie idea....

Adding

Because there were so many of you trying to add yesterday, I checked on the policy for adding during the summer. You can read the policy here. I'm not able to add anyone this week, so the best thing to do is check online and hope to find an opening. I apologize for any inconvenience. I wish I had room for everyone.

Welcome

Welcome to our class blog. In order to register, you will need to have a gmail account. If you don't have a gmail account, you can create one here. Once you have set up that account (or if you have an existing gmail account), send your gmail address to me at dwestover@uvu.edu. In return, I will send you an invitation to the blog. As soon as you accept that invitation by following the appropriate links, you will be able to begin blogging. Blogging is a required component of this course, so make sure you register right away.