Blogging about Blogging

When I think of the word blogging, I think about intense artsy writers that spend their days in coffee shops writing down stuff on a web sight that no one is ever going to read. I was very closed minded about  blogging and decided it was only for a specific group of people. What I came to realize, was that I was totally wrong. It has expanded and improved my writing drastically. I was never good at writing, mainly because I never wrote about things that I like. The only time I wrote was on papers that I had to write about. I never gave myself the time to express myself in the literary way. Having this blog has helped me open my views on different ways of expressing myself. I like how we can have the option on free writes every once in awhile, because I can really express what's on my mind. I also like how we have to comment on other blogs because that way I feel that what I'm writing down isn't just to write down but people are reading it. We can get to know more about our peers and it's an outside way to kind of get to know the real person because what they write in their blogs are their true feelings. That way I feel that I am being heard. I also like when we are given prompts to write about because it makes me think about new things and ideas that I normally wouldn't think about. It allows me to push my boundaries and go out side my comfort zone and explained my horizon.

Editing Can Be Fun

I feel that many people have trouble focusing on the big picture when editing a paper, because they get wrapped up in all the little grammatical errors. I do not have that problem, mainly because I suck at fixing grammatical errors. I am terrible when it comes to spelling and proper punctuation. Growing up, it has always been hard editing papers in class because I would always miss the punctuation marks and the teacher would always mark me off. Being introduced to this new concept of focusing on the big picture in peers reviews has been a relief. I also really like how we comment positive things on each others papers because it reinforces that we are doing something right. It's really hard when revising a second draft and all there is marked is errors. When I get a paper back that has all negative feed back on it, I feel that the paper is not strong. Therefor I am not exciting about correcting it, because I felt that the total paper was a waist of time. I also liked the way that we corrected the papers on the peer review. We did not receive just one opinion but three. That way, it feels more like suggestions rather then one person editing it saying its just wrong. Also by having three people read it, the last two readers may catch something that the first reader did not. Lastly, I liked how the editing style was set up on the computers so that a bunch of stuff on your paper isn't crossed out, and you can read the typed words better than people's handwriting.  I didn't really dislike anything; I really liked this way of editing and I think this is the way that a paper should be edited.

Connection is not always productive

My view point on smart phones is not in the norm. Although I have one, I absolutely hate it. In society we are pressured to have the next and up coming thing. We are always connected. I personally don't think that it's not healthy to always stay connected. That means that your brain is always being distracted. I know that I am always glancing at my phone to see if someone texted me back or if I received an email. Currently, while I am typing this blog, I have checked my phone six times; to either reply to text or to answer the phone. It's not always healthy to multitask like that. If we constantly multitask then we are always distracted. This feeds into distractions in things that we need to be focused on. Today, people in school are not doing as well on test, because they don't know how to relax and focus on one thing. I know that when I take a test, I am think about everything from where I am going this weekend, to what guy I think is cute, to how much I need to start working out again. My mind is all over the place because of the constant connection we have to all the different varieties of communication. I mean think about it. We are not only connected by phone but then we have Facebook, Twitter, text messages, computers, emails and Skype. We are constantly connected and have absolutely no time to rest.This also makes problems when going to sleep because your mind is constantly churning. I honestly think that society is going to come to a point that we are going to have major focusing and sleeping problem if not already.

Taking risk and sticking to it.

Life is all about choices.  We make choices every minute of everyday. From what you want to wear in the morning all the way to what you want to do with your life. My problem that I have, is allowing myself to have too many choices. I don't like commitment in anything, so therefor I do everything.  I'm so scared that once I get tied down, Ill look back on my life and regret the decisions I've made. The past two years of my life I have tried to decide what I want to be when I grow up. I've gone from neuro- oncology, to nutrition, to photography. While everything interest me, I have always had a love for the arts. However, photography is a type of art that you either make it or break it. Recently, I applied to NYC internship for photography. I was nervous about getting the job. Only about ten percent of all applicants receive an invitation to join. I received my invitation yesterday. I was beyond thrilled. But once again, I got the fear of just sticking to one thing. This is a large opportunity but I only need to take it if this is what I want to do. I have finally decided to take the risk. Yes, there is a fifty percent chance that I am going to regret it. But there is also another fifty percent chance that I could be really happy. And when you think about it, that's what all the photographers have to do in order to make it. For once in my life I am going after what I really want. And who cares if it doesn't work out, at least I tried.

I ain't country

Being from the south, it is a norm to have that southern accent. While most are usually small, and you can barely tell they are there, mine was not. I was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. That is about as hick as you can get in South Carolina. I lived in the south for 5 years and then I moved to North Carolina. I had the worst country accent. My accent was so strong that most people couldn't understand me. When I moved up here, I enrolled in a private school. I was sitting in class one day and the teacher asked me to read. Being an outgoing student, I gladly accepted. I remember the sentence to this day. It was , "Molly sat by the red door." When I read this out loud, the class listened until I got to the word red. When I read that word, the class bursted out laughing. I couldn't understand what I did or what was wrong. Apparently, my accent was so strong that I made red a two syllable word. I pronounced it "ra-ed". So form that day forward, I decided to cover up my accent. I have successfully changed it and I have also successfully become afraid of speaking in front of large crowds from the incodent. The only time it comes back without my control is when I'm around real country people. I don't know why, but it just comes back. I don't have my accent because most people think a country accent makes them dumb, which of course isn't true. I had a chance at an early age to change it, so I did. With that being said though, when people have country accents, and then get judged by them it does make me mad because that's like my origin of tongue.

Literacy

When society thinks of the word literacy, a few words come to mind such as polished or well-spoken. However, being literate means simply being able to read and write. It has nothing to do with how well or what form the writing is being done. So, it’s frustrating when society is closed minded and simply thinks that being literate means that you are well spoken and can read in one certain form, the professional form. Don't get me wrong, I think that having platform is important in the business world; but it doesn't mean that you are illiterate simply because you don't go by that one type. For example, a person coming to America from Mexico might use Spanglish, (English and Spanish put together) but that doesn't mean that they are illiterate. By the definition of being able to read and write, I'm sure that many Mex-Americans can read and write in that Spanglish language just fine. But when they are applying for a job at Bank of America, the employer might not think they are literate because they just don't write or read the same type of literacy in the business form and are literate in the Spanglish form. I think that people are constantly evolving so it's really hard to set one type of writing and reading and say that this is what it means to be literate. I mean even laws in our government are always evolving and changing and there is not one set way; so who is to say that having the "professional form" of writing is right from the 1900's when people, language, and society is changing. 

Living up to your gender

 

I was hanging out with my best friend when he received a phone call. After he answered it, he got up and went into the bathroom. First I was really confused, but then I heard him crying. His grandpa had just got into the hospital and the doctor called saying he only had a couple of days. I finally convinced him to come out and that there isn't anything wrong with showing your feelings, even when you’re a guy. I hate when you can't be who you are because of the gender you are. Our country has brought society up in a way that men are not supposed to do women things and vice versa. I have personal experience with this, because I was in a relationship where the guy was raised based on, "the man is in charge of everything". It was literally the only thing that broke up our relationship. He told me that I shouldn't be in the gym lifting weights; when I could be in the kitchen learning how to cook. This outlook we have on women and men make it very hard for the people of our society to be who they want to be. It also makes it hard for our society to excel in all aspects. A guy may be a better interior designer than a woman; where as a woman may be a better gun builder. It's ridiculous that my best friend couldn't get upset and cry to me about his grandpa because he feels that men are not supposed to cry. This outlook on women and men need to change and over the years, it has started to. I think that the only thing that will change this is just time and courage for women and men to prove who they really are.