Josie

http://vimeo.com/27754466

Super cute pictures of Josie.

Thanksgiving Break

I had a great Thanksgiving break. It was much needed and gave me a lot of time to catch up with the kids. I just heated up a small smoked turkey and we had a ton of left overs. We used the turkey to make sandwiches and ate them with cranberry sauce. It was good. Josie's dad, David, came into town to visit her. We went to the Crown Center to watch a play by Dr. Suess called "Suessical". It was awesome! Josie really enjoyed herself and I was able to get some homework done while they went to the museum and around the center. Josie's birthday is tomorrow, so we are going to take her to her favorite resturant, Cinzitti's and open presents. I can't believe she is already 9! She also had a lot of fun taking pictures with Davids camera. I think I see a hobby. All in all, it was a great weekend!

Dog Fight

This is hilarious. Two dogs fighting over a Micheal Vick jersey. If they only knew.

Cute Monkey

I saw this picture and had to post it. I thought it was the cutest thing ever.

Twilight

This weekend I went to see Twilight. I was very disappointed. I thought it was cheesy and over rated. We had to wait in line for an hour for a horrible movie. I know that the books are always better than the movies, but this was a big disappointment. I thought the actors were depressed and unhappy with their roles and the movie was drawn out way too long. It was like they were doing the same thing throughout the movie. The only good thing about it was the ending, but even then it was pretty cheesy.

Comp. 1 Group Project-Phase One

Indecisive Product

1. Bolt--a cologne for men that gives you energy while you're wearing it.

2. Target audience-- men, ages 15-30

3. Charge up with a bolt of energy.



Time Line:

Oct 31- worked on stage 1

Nov 2- working on stage 2

Nov 4- working on stage 3

Nov 7- working on stage 4

Working on audio commercial

Outside of class working on our audio and our script

Nov 9- working on stage 5

Working on creating the video

Bring in the video camera

Nov 11- write the paper



Budget:

Video camera- no cost

USB- No cost

Bottle of perfume- No cost

Computer- No cost





Reviews

http://www.thecolognereview.com/2011/very-sexy-for-him-by-victorias-secret/



video review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eBWlTqi_w8&feature=fvst







Tired every morning? Have a hard time getting everything you need to accomplish done? Not enough hours in the day? Bolt will give you that zap of energy you’re looking for. Bolt is a new cologne that will give you a shot of energy every time you spray it. With a strong, masculine scent, it’s sure to please. Enhance your day, and watch the women fall at your feet. Bolt is now available at your local department store

Halloween

This Halloween Josie, my 8 year old daughter, was a witch for the 3rd time in a row and my son, 4 years old, was Darth Vador. We went to a trunk or treat party at our church and had chili, hot dogs and afterwards they went to all the cars to trick or treat. Josie also had a Halloween party for her dance class. She had so much fun. They danced and went through a haunted maze. Afterwards they sat in a circle and passed out candy. Unfortunately, I had a ton of homework on Halloween, so I was not able to take the kids trick or treating. I told my ex that next year I will get them on Halloween. Overall, it was a very good Halloween. :)

The longest minute I ever spent was...

When my son was born. He was born on January 23, 2007. Everything was going fine, the delivery was going as planned and my contractions were perfect. We were both so excited to have this new little guy in our life. I remember the doctor asking me if I wanted to hold him right after he was delivered, but I was so exhausted and sweaty that I said no, I don't want to risk it. I remember looking at my husband and smiling as I reached for his hand. He had this worried look on his face and all of a sudden about 5 nurses come rushing in the door. I was so out of it that I didn't realize something was going on. I started asking everybody what was the matter, what happened, but nobody would answer me. I asked where my baby was and that I wanted to see him. They were all very quite, the room seemed to get small and I got dizzy. I looked across the room and saw about 6 to 8 nurses in a circle working on what I assumed was my baby. I started to cry and scream what is going on, where is my baby! The doctor said the baby is not breathing and he is on an oxygen tank. I started to shake and I couldn't feel anything. Then I look over and see one of the nurses look at me and cry, I thought, oh no, my baby has died. There then is a loud cheer and they said he started breathing and that they needed to take him to the ICU for further care, just for protocol. He was still a little blue but breathing. I could finally breath. I was so scared for those few minutes and they seemed to be the longest in my life, but everything turned out o.k. He is now a healthy 4 year old and loves to run a play. Anybody he comes into contact with just falls in love with him, we are very lucky and blessed to have him in our lives.

Profile Paper

I have decided to do my profile paper on Miguel M. Morales. He is a library aid at JCCC and he is a student here as well. He was a former managing editor and member of the campus ledger and newspaper and a member of the Latinos Writer Collective. He also is a founder of the Latino Club here on campus. He has a strong interest in increasing the diversity on campus. He wants to eventually become a professor here and be able to help others less fortunate to obtain their education and have some of the same experiences he has been provided with. He believes it starts at the top and that we can make a difference by voting for an elective that is qualified and good for the position. He feels that it would really make a difference if we had more people of diversity in the Board of Trustees and he himself has even ran for this position. I like his determination and dedication to this cause. I think we do need a change in this area and to make it easier for the minority to be able to have the same experience and opportunity as everybody else. Getting this out and making your voice heard is the first step and he has done this, as well as starting a club where latinos can go to feel at home and comfortable in this new environment. His favorite quote is from Abraham Lincoln, saying, "In your temporary failure there is no evidence that you may not be a better scholar and a more successful man in the great struggle of life than many other who have entered college more easily."

15 things I'm obsessing about right now

1. Watermelon and Lemongrass Perfume
2. The New York hotdog at Sonic
3. Starbucks
4. The True Blood Series
5. Sterling silver jewelry
6. My new black reading glasses
7. The word Mahvelous
8. Vera Bradley
9. Comfy P.J.'s
10. The Mumford and Son's new CD
11. Doublemint bubble gum
12. Pilot Dr. Grip pens
13. Incense
14. The color red
15. My fleece blanket

Grammar Reflection

I thought the Microlab assessment was helpful in understanding where I am at in my grammar. I liked the way it broke down the different categories of grammar afterwards. This way you can see which areas you need improvement in and which areas are your strongest. I learned that I need to study the pronoun choice, subject/verb agreement, distinct sentences and orderly sentences. I like that it narrowed it down to the specific topics I need to work on.
It took me about 30 minutes to complete. If I was to do it over again, I think I would slow down and not rush through it. I found that after about 15 minutes through it, I would have a harder time finding errors. I kept second guessing myself too, usually the first answer I went with was the correct answer. I was really upset with myself when I found out my results on the commas. I knew the right way to use them, but going through it so fast really brought my score down in that area.
I think the only thing I would improve about this process is that we would have one class discussion about the test before and afterwards, like a review. This way we know what to expect and look for. I think getting others feedback from the class would also help us going into the test to get another perspective and point of view. Talking about it with others afterwards gives us a better appreciation in knowing the areas that we need to improve on as a group. However, I do like that we can go back and review it afterwards, so we can figure out why we got it wrong. I found this to be very helpful.
In the past, I have received mixed reviews on my writing. I have been told that my creativity and ideas are good, but that I need to work on the grammar and organization. I agree with them, I have a hard time finding organization in my papers. Once I get to the conclusion, I have a difficult time wrapping it up and making the whole paper tie together. Getting the paper started is another struggle I have. I can find an idea for the body of the paper, but just getting it started seems so hard to do. I remember having to write a paper in high school and I couldn’t figure out how to start it, so I just cried and cried. I had to ask a friend for help, because it was so intimidating. She told me to relax and just start writing. That it didn’t matter that I started out with a good thesis at first, because I could always go back and edit and revise it later. Since then, I feel I have improved in this area and continue to work on making my grammar better. English was one of the toughest subjects for me in my educational experiences. I like to free write my thoughts and ideas, but when it comes to actually putting it in a correct and organized format, I struggle with this.
My writing is very simple and to the point. I have tried to expand my vocabulary and use more descriptions in my writing to make it more interesting. I think the education system does not prepare you for college writing. I would like to see more of an appreciation for teaching English to children in the early years of their education. Especially high school, I didn’t feel like high school really prepared me for what I was to experience in college. When I look at my writing, I feel behind and know that I need a lot of improvement. I feel that it is the main component when it comes to education, and the back bone of it. I want my children to see how important grammar is. I would love to someday be a great writer and show my kids that it’s possible to make our weaknesses our strengths if we work hard at it. I want to find enjoyment out of writing and be able to write a good paper without coming to tears over it.

Little Brave

I saw this band on a television show about people taking a leap and going for their dreams. I really liked her story and music. It's a little different, but I like it. She talked about how she decided to go on tour one day because she always wanted to travel, and she loves to sing, so she thought what the heck and went for it. She has passion and love for what she does and I can appreciate that. She was told by so many people not to do it and that it's not realistic, but she decided to go for it anyway. That's why she named her band "Little Brave".

Life Changing Event

Like Junior in Sherman Alexie’s book “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”, I too made a life changing decision when I choose to return to school after about 10 years. I was 19 when I decided to get married and only had my Associates in Arts at BYU-Idaho by the time we had our first born. Staying home with the kids for the first few years was important to us, so I was a stay at home mom, or homemaker, for about 8 years. Once the kids were in school I decided it was time for me to go back and finish my degree. Last year my husband filed for divorce. This obviously was a very difficult for me, and I ended up withdrawing from my classes. With two little kids, little working history and only an Associates degree I was out on my own in this busy, fast paced world. The news of the divorce was hard, but I decided to not let it hold me back. I enrolled back into school the following semester. I am very busy, with work, school, the kids and church, but I am determined to finish this time around. I know it will not be an easy road, but well worth it in the end. I feel I can relate to Junior in a way and know that sometimes the road to success is not the easiest route, but with determination and hard work anything is possible.

Renaissance Festival

I went to the Renaissance Festival here in Kansas City over the weekend with my family and a friend. We had so much fun! My daughter got a flowered headband and a tickle wand. Which she had too much fun trying to tickle us as we walked around. There are lots of shops and fun things to do and great food to eat. We all ate a huge turkey leg and had some pickles while we watched a magic show. I bought some incense and perfume. Who would have thought that watermelon and lemon grass would go together great! I love the way it smells! My daughter also got to make a rainbow out of colored powder into a cool glass jar. Then to top it all off we had a friendly competition in archery . I lost, but that's okay, it's all in good fun.

Breast Cancer

I wore a breast cancer t-shirt today that said "Pure Pink" to support breast cancer awareness month of October. It runs in my family and I have a friend that was concerned about a lump in her breast, thankfully we found out it was only a cyst. I think it's important to remember those that have passed on because of this disease and to have faith and hope that a cure can be found.

Marriage

What is marriage? It's just a piece of paper that declares you're officially a couple. I think if two people are truly in love they don't need a piece of paper to show everybody it's real. They know it's real and that's all that matters. However, I am probably not the best person to talk about this matter, since I have been divorced twice now. I personally feel marriage takes all the fun out of the relationship. That's my own personal view on the matter, like there are steps to a relationship and if you don't follow them it's not a REAL relationship. Once you get married and have kids, most fall into the trap of the boring old routine and soon the love is lost and you don't even know each other anymore. If you put a deadline or outline on a relationship, it's doomed to have problems. It should be fun and spontaneous, and always looking for ways to keep the love alive.

Meditation

I recently went to a Buddhism meeting at Unity Temple. It was very interesting. The first part of the meeting we sit and meditate for about 15 minutes. The instructor tells you relaxing thoughts and to let go, just let your thoughts pass by "like a cloud in the sky". I felt a little uncomfortable doing this and had some difficulty letting my thoughts pass by. I had so many racing thoughts. I would try to stop them each time they would come up and focus on the meditation. I was surprised how hard this was for me. I then started thinking about how I am not good at meditating and how to stop my thoughts and just let go and relax. This was a frustrating process for me. She said that it doesn't come naturally and that it takes practice. I think I am going to need quite a bit more practice.

Art

I recently went to the Nelson Art Gallery with my brothers. It was an interesting experience going with my brothers because they are great at art. I, however, am not. Most of my family has some sort of talent in art, I did not get that gene. I had a hard time finding meaning in most of the abstract art. It looked like something my 4 year old could do. There was one in particular that caught my attention. It was a canvas with a big black square in the middle and brown around it. I couldn't figure out what it was. A T.V. that was just turned off, a never ending black hole or what? This really bothered me. I still don't know what the artist was trying to portray, maybe I never will.

Spring Break

This is one spring break I will never forget. My husband decided to file for divorce. I am sad but not surprised by this news. I'm the kind of girl that looks ahead and think of this as a new start. Don't get me wrong, it sucks! However, I know that it can only get better from here. Who knows what the future holds, life can take us on one crazy ride. What's important in life is my children and God, and that's all I really need to get through this.

Poetry as a lifesaver for Jimmy Santiago Baca

Baker, Rob. "Jimmy Santiago Baca." The Norton Field Guide to Writing. By Richard H. Bullock. Second ed. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2009. 838-41. Print.
Jimmy Santiago Baca had a rough childhood and teen years. His parents abondoned him when he was seven years old and he was in and out of detention centers. At the age of 21 he was sent to prison for five to ten years. He found poetry as an escape, an outlet from the life in a prison. He then became a great poet after he was released and even taught teens at workshops.

James Bond 007

Scott, A. O. "007 Is Back, and He's Brooding." The Norton Field Guide to Writing. By Richard H. Bullock. Second Ed. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2009. 737-40. Print.
In his review for 007, he states that you need to go in with an understanding of the title. He explains his opinion of the action scenes, the landscape, the villains and the bond women. He talks about how the different James Bonds in each series relate to each other and how they are different. He also talks about how Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace seems tougher and more emotional than previous bonds. It seems to change with the times and he talks about how most heroes in movies lately are depressed. He missed the old bond that had a wit to him and a swagger in his step. He also states that Quantum of Solace means a measure of comfort. He’s not really sure how that is supposed to come into this film, but he prefers the older movies that have a “dash of mischief”.

California

I recently went to visit my family in Fresno, CA. We decided to take a trip to Santa Cruz to see the beach. It was a beautiful day. About 54 degrees and sunny. Just cool enough though that you needed to wear a light sweater. The sand was soft and cool between your toes. The water was very cold, but we didn't care we rolled up our pants and ran away from the tides as the came up the shore. The birds would come right up to us, they are so used to people by now that it didn't phase them. The sun started to set with deep blue, orange, yellow and purple rays shining through. You could see sail boats off in the distance coming into the docks. We dug a huge hole in the sand and put a log over to make a bridge. We took some gorgeous pictures. There was a faucet to wash our feet off near the dock. We washed our feet, put our shoes back on and headed home.

Mass Media

The media plays a huge part in the way we live, dress, and act. As C. Wright Mills explains that in the sociological imagination we can see how the large social picture affects the individuals life.
I recently watched the movie The Town. It’s about 4 friends that make their living by robbing banks. It shows how they rob the banks and how they cover their tracks. It makes it look smooth and easy, an easy way to get cash fast. The rate of bank robberies have increased in the last few years. I have noticed that there have been a lot of movies about middle to upper class white males who beat the system by robbing banks. The movies portray it as something cool, and easy to do. Just to name a few bank robbery movies there are Takers, Inside Man, The Italian Job, The Bank Job, and Public Enemies. This is not the only example of why there has been an increase in bank robberies; obviously the economy plays a huge part in this. The shortage of jobs in the last few years and an increase in demand.
Another form of media that affects the individual is the portrayal of women. You see women that are skinny, beautiful, and dumb in the media. This is portrayed in magazines, T.V., music and even children’s toys. Anorexia is one of the underlying issues women face today. We see women all over the media that look poorly nourished and unhealthy. It’s easy to understand where this all stems from when we look outside the box. Media’s influence on the public today is one of the ways we shape our society and values. Any of the high school, teen shows you will see girls that are pretty, skinny and popular. It portrays an image that is unrealistic and unhealthy. We develop our identity through the media and use it’s influence to make decisions.

What's Acceptable?

I don't think there is ONE right way to be, and that if the other person is comfortable with it, it's probably ok. They have always said that religion and politics are not good topics to talk about at the dinner table. However, I think it's interesting to hear what other people think and believe as long as they are comfortable with it and the conversation stays easy going, it's no big deal.

Derogatory

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/derogatory



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvdxsF-Tlj4



Saying something to degrade a person or thing.

Just be nice article

Carter, Stephen L. "Just Be Nice." The Norton Field Guide to Writing. By Richard H. Bullock. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2009. 671-75. Print.
In Stephin L. Carter's article, "Just Be Nice", he states how the younger generation uses the rights act to act inappropriately. Using slang and wearing baggy pants is an example of how they try to show their 'rights'. He feels that they have lost their manners and respect for the individual. I would have to agree with him to some extent. I think he is correct in saying that we have become lazy with our words and use rights as an excuse to be crude and rude. We do have a choice, but it's what we do with that choice that matters.

25 Things You Don't Know About Me

1. I love the color red.
2. I am highly allergic to 80% of everything. I have to carry an Epi pin around with me and give myself shots every Thursday.
3. I am afraid of heights.
4. I love to run.
5. I'm not ashamed to say that I like reading the Twilight Series.
6. I love the outdoors.
7. I like fried pickles.
8. I want to travel the world someday.
9. I love to read a good book on a rainy day.
10. I don't like watermelon, but I love the chapstick.
11. I like to cross stitch,although I'm not very good at it.
12. I like to watch French Films, the edited version. I think it would be awesome to learn French someday.
13. I was a ballerina for 5 years growing up, and decided to quit because I didn't want to wear makeup. I really regret that now.
14. If I could get away with eating desert everyday, I would.
15. I love fried ice-cream.
16. I don't understand the big deal with silly bands. I think they are a waste of money.
17. I am a Spring and Fall girl, I don't like the Winter.
18. I don't understand the purpose of mosquitos. I think our world would be better off without them.
19. I have known my husband since I was 15.
20. English has always been the hardest subject for me.
21. I know some people don't like their name, but I like the name my parents gave me.
22. My great grandmother was a tarrot card reader at night, and a stay at home mom during the day. For some reason, I find that interesting.
23. My first year of college I changed my major 5 times.
24. I'm a great mom!
25. This assignment took me longer than I thought it would.

Annotated Bibliography

Dixon, Greg. "Managing Distractions." Clear and Concise. Blogspot, 14 Jan. 2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. distractions.html>.
There is a time and a place for everything. It’s not technology that distracts us, it’s ourselves. We can only put so much attention on one thing at a time and when we are doing something else in class lecture we are not putting our full attention on the topics.

Dixon, Greg. "Expectations." Clear and Concise. Blogspot, 21 Dec. 2010. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. .
Classroom attendance is mandatory. All work will be typed out. If you don’t have access to a computer you can use the computer lab or writing center. Work will be done and on time, there are no excuses. It’s your responsibility to get it done and on time.

Free Write Literacy

In Ancient Egypt they used hieroglyphics to write about their history and beliefs. We now have this information today through archaeological studies. Without this type of information we would not have a knowledge of their culture. This is a form of literacy. As we discussed in class, literacy can come in many different forms. All are equally important. Without it we would be a lost civilization. Throughout history, literacy has proven to be important. We use it to learn from our forefathers mistakes and create a better future for our youth. What would our world look like today without literacy? Literacy is everywhere, it's in our banking system, our work, our educational system, our government and even in our art. It is our way of communication. Without literacy, we wouldn't have a stable and organized structure to our culture. Our world would 'literally' fall apart. :)