Reflection

Kaley Stock

Ms. Kelly Anthony

14SP-ENG-101-W05

March 2nd, 2014

Reflection

                      I took on this blogging project with many challenges, as well as successes. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to go about it at first. I didn't know if I should just randomly babble about my thoughts, or if I should give myself a topic or prompt to write about. I decided that you can find a nice balance of each. Sometimes, when I found myself about to free-write, I would decide on a topic to keep myself on track. However, there were times where I had so much going on in life that it was nice to be able to just vent what was on my mind. I enjoyed this project, although it came with many challenges. 

                      My first challenge came when I began my first post. I got about three sentences into my writing and I realized I had no idea what to write anymore. I was trying to force myself to write, as opposed to letting it flow out. I found help in re-reading Freewriting by Peter Elbow. When I re-read this piece I remembered that free-writing gives you the freedom to write what you want, even if it isn't usually acceptable. This helped my words flow because I became less worried about being judged. I think that is my favorite part of free-writing; that it is more for the writer than the reader, and you can express yourself freely. 

                      My second challenge began after about fourteen freewrites. I was unable to think of anything to write about. I would just stare at the blank page open on my laptop, hoping for something to come to me. This problem was not easily solved at first. Then I looked at a list of freewriting prompts, which allowed me to get some ideas. After finishing my first internet prompt, I began brainstorming some of my own. As we end this project, I am doing much better at choosing my own topics. 

                      It wasn't all challenges, though. I noticed some successes with my writing as well. I think through working on this project I have gained more of a voice in my writing. Knowing that I was writing for me, helped me further develop and show this voice. Also, I think my ability to write more without pausing has vastly improved. I am someone who will take three hours just to get an introduction right. However, during this project we had to not pause to think, but just write. I think this helped me improve my writing style. Now I would rather write a flowing paragraph, then edit out the little stuff instead of taking ten minutes, trying to craft a sentence to perfectly fit someone's expectations. 

                     Through these successes and challenges I've learned my likes and dislikes for blogging and freewriting. First off, I really like the freedom to state my own opinion. Sometimes in my normal writing I feel bad for stating my opinion because I don't wish to offend anyone. However, with this project, I felt good in being able to express my true feelings. I also liked this project because you gain writing practice without all of the pressure of a paper. When writing a normal English assignment, you must worry about MLA formatting, spelling, and grammar. Those things can put a lot of pressure on a writer, and they lose focus of the main point. This project eliminates a lot of that pressure and allows them to focus on that main point: the contents. I really enjoy this project. 

                      However, it wasn't all good. I didn't like that I always had to pick my topics. I don't think that the project would keep all of its benefits if you made prompts for the writers, however, it would have been less frustrating. That is really the only thing I didn't particularly like about this project. I would suggest keeping this project the same and continuing to assign it to students. 

Stress FreeWrite

Kaley Stock

Ms. Kelly Anthony

14SP-ENG-101-W05

March 2nd, 2014

Stress

                 For my blog freewrite today, I would like to just babble about my stresses. Lately, I've had a lot going on and it's becoming really exhausting. I need a break or an outlet...Anything! So, here we go! 

                 First of all, I just got a new job. I had been working at Andy's Frozen Custard for the past two years, and I really enjoyed it. I loved the people I worked with and I thought I was good at my job. They also worked with m schedule and the fact that I don't have a car. However, I wasn't making as much money as I need to be. I have been saving up for a car so that I could get a new job and be able to drive to it. I finally had all of the money, so I quit Andy's, and got a new job at Applebee's. However, the purchase of a car was put off when my rent increased by two hundred dollars. 

               That's where my next level of stress comes in. I had been having trouble with my roommate. She would bring random people home, get messed up, and trash that house literally almost every single night. She managed to break a countertop, ruin the vinyl floors, spraypaint the carpet, and break her window. She was constantly saying the crazy behavior would change but it did not. One day I was putting some of her things in her room, when I found a very large stash of drugs. Immediately I called her and told her to come get it out of my house as well as her stuff. She came back that night, eyes sunken in like normal, and started screaming and attacking me.I had to use a police batton to keep her from hitting me, and my boyfriend had to lift her out of the room for her to leave. So, on account of my roommate ending up being a crazy drug addict, I'm having some money troubles. 

               My roommate didn't stop there. The next day she came back with her drug dealer, and tried to break into the house. She was making threats, saying I had no idea what I was messing with, or what they would do to me. I ended up calling the cops, as soon as I did they fled. Upon the cops arrival, they informed us if we want her to leave us alone we have to get her stuff out. So, I spent the rest of that day moving her stuff out with the help of her mother. This took days to blow over, dealing with police and her family and her, and it caused me to miss my homework. My grades dropped drastically, and I'm working overtime to catch up. 

              It just seems like everything fell apart at once. I have school issues, work issues, money issues, car issues, legal issues. I have a whole book of issues. I need a bath!

Stranger Danger

Kaley Stock

Ms. Kelly Anthony

14SP-ENG-101-W05

March 2nd, 2014

Stranger Danger

                   One important lesson I learned growing up was Stranger Danger. This means you don't talk to a strangers, or approach them. My parents were always making sure that I knew this. As a kid, I thought they piled it on a little too much. However, no I'm glad they did. 

                  Recently, here in Springfield there was a young girl who was kidnapped. She had been walking home from a friends house (something my parents would never have let me do alone) when a man in a truck pulled up near to her. He began asking her questions about how to get somewhere in town, and as she walked over to answer him, the man pulled her into his truck. This man drove off with her and she was reported missing. About two days later, the young girl was found dead. 

                 I don't mean to use this tragedy as a lesson, but maybe it should be. Are parents not teaching Stranger Danger anymore? I understand that kidnappings would still be a risk, but the young girl would never have walked up to that truck. If we taught Stranger Danger, then this young girl would have known to keep walking home, and not to acknowledge him. Today, society is even more dangerous than it was. We need to educate our children to avoid more tragedies similar to this one.

The Hunger Games

Kaley Stock

Ms. Kelly Anthony

14SP-ENG-101-W05

March 2nd, 2014

The Hunger Games

                  I'm sure by now everyone has heard of the book The Hunger Games. This book is about a competition that takes place every year where the main character (Katniss) is from. This competition is referred to as the Hunger Games. Every year each districts (which are kind of like states) have to send one girl and one boy to fight to the death against all of the others. There is a total of 24 kids that are sent in to fight. This book was made into a movie, and all of my workmates say I look like Katniss. This has led them to calling me Katniss as a nickname, which got me thinking about how I would do in the Hunger Games. 

                 After pondering this, I have decided I would die within the first two days. First of all, I don't think that I could ever kill someone. This leaves me two choices: run or hide. The thing is, neither of these things are my strong suit. First of all, I don't think I could run more than 50 yards without stopping. Also, I'm not very fast...at all. So, this leaves me with hiding. Like I said, not my  strong suit. When I played hide'n'seek as a kid I always got way too anxious and nervous that I was going to be found. This, most of the time, caused me to just give up. I think if I had to hide and I knew that of someone found me I would die, I would probably worry until I went insane. This insanity would drive me to either kill myself or come out of hiding, where someone would then kill me. Hopefully I'm never in the Hunger Games! 

Sing Me a Love Song

Kaley Stock

Ms. Kelly Anthony

14SP-ENG-101-W05

March 2nd, 2014

Sing Me a Love Song

                           I've talked about my love for music in previous blogs. I think music has a great way of capturing human emotion, both with the actual music and with lyrics. As I can't play you a song, I would like to show you what I mean through lyrics. Today I am stuck on love songs, so I'm gonna talk about my favorite love song. 

                           My first favorite love song narrates a son telling his son about how he fell in love with the boy's mother. He tells his son that his mother was the most beautiful woman he had ever met and how they spent their nights together. "Now most of the time we'd have too much to drink, we'd laugh at the stars and we'd share everything. Too young to notice or too dumb to care, love was a story that couldn't compare." It then continues to say how his father proposed "Girl, can I tell you a wonderful thing? I've made you a present with paper and string. Open with care now, I'm asking you please, you know that I love you. Will you marry me?" At this point in the song, I'm always filled with joy for this young couple. There is simple piano music is playing and it sounds so pleasant. 

                        However, from there, the song takes a turn. "She said boy can I tell you a terrible thing? It seems that I'm sick and I've only got weeks. Please don't be sad now,I really believe you were the greatest thing that ever happened to me." During this verse you begin to realize that the piano music is beginning to sound sad, then it comes to a halt. From here the song hits a musical climax, as well as emotional climax. "Slow, so slow, I fell to the ground on my knees. So don't fall in love, there's just too much to lose. If you're given the chance, I'm hoping you choose to walk away. Walk away, don't let her get you. I can't bear to see the same happen to you." Now, the first few times I heard this song I broke down into tears. A father telling his son not to fall in love, because it leads to too much hurt. It's sad, and it tears on my heartstrings. I think it's a great example of music expressing emotion.

Time Machine

Kaley Stock

Ms. Kelly Anthony

14SP-ENG-101-W05

March 2nd, 2014

Flash to 1960

                        Today I have given myself a quick writing prompt. This prompt is: If you could travel in a time machine back to any time period, where would you go? To answer this question, I would go to the 1960s. There are many reasons I would choose this particular decade. First of all, the music in the 1960s was much more influential and unique. For example, in the 1960s there was The Beatles, Don Mclean, and Buddy Holly, as well as a younger Jimi Hendrix. These people made giant leaps for music. 

                         Also in the 1960s, things were simpler. There weren't computers, ipads, and cell phones. If you wanted to talk to someone then you had to talk to them. I feel like this could eliminate massive amounts of drama from my life. Lastly, I would want to go to the 1960s because I think it is full of culture. Times were changing in the 1960s. There were protests and riots, as well as Woodstock. I would love to be able to soak up all of the culture of the 1960s, even if I could only watch.

My Religion

Kaley Stock

Ms. Kelly Anthony

14SP-ENG-101-W05

March 2nd, 2014

My Religion- Or lack of 

                             Today I am going to explain my beliefs. I wish to do this mainly because most of my classmates are continuously shoving their religions down my throat. I'd swear they think they'll die if they don't mention it. I, on the other hand, try to be respectful of others and their beliefs. I don't want to assume others feel the same way I do, and I don't want people to think I'm being pushy. I feel like here, on my own blog, I can state my beliefs.

                             Unlike 90% of my classmates, I am not christian. I do not believe we were created by one man. I think that it's entirely too unlikely and illogical. Things in life have an explanation, even if you don't know what it is. Think of everything we didn't know hundreds of years ago that we know now. We are constantly finding new explanations, however, I don't think that one of those scientific explanations is going to be a mystical man who somehow is invincible to all of the rules and explanations of science thus far. I am not intending to be rude, but to me it just doesn't make sense. So, I guess you can say I believe more in science instead of a god. 

                             However, I could be wrong. Luckily, I'm not someone who needs the answer. I'm okay with not knowing where I came from. What truly matters is where I'm going. So instead of worrying about religion, or lack of, I focus on treating people well and improving myself.