Last Blog!

Since it is acceptable for us to write about anything we want for our last blog assignment, I have chosen to write about my Winter Break. For the remainder of this week and into next I will be studying for finals. I only have two finals next week on Tuesday and Wednesday so my Winter break starts early! I will probably begin packing after that for when I move on January 2nd to South Carolina. I am going to hang out with my friends and my best friend will be coming back from Bozeman. I will spend Christmas, like I do every year, with my family at home and will hopefully have a wonderful New Years with my friends. It will be my last night out before I leave. :( I am so excited to move and to meet new people! My parents will come with me to help me move into the dorms and to take care of last minute adjustments before they leave me on my own. School will start on January 10th there, so my break will be cut a little short, compared to Montana's. I have an apartment style dorm with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and a living room. I will have three roommates. I am so excited! GOOODBYE MONTANA...HELLOOO SOUTH CAROLINA :)

Jitter Bug :)

The song Jitter Bug by Wham always makes me feel happy. It's a song I listen to when I need a cheerful boost. It is sort of an inside joke between my best friend and me, because it's on the movie Zoolander which was one of our favorite movies in high school. We've been jamming to that song ever since. I prefer to enjoy a song or movie rather than a book. I have never really been huge on reading. There are a few series or sagas that I have gotten caught up in, such as Twilight and Blue Bloods (I guess I am a vampire kind of girl). Other than that, I guess I appreciate films, music, and plays more than books. It just happened that way for me.

It is true for me to say I have not finished an entire novel this semester. I have been too busy with required readings, mostly for my history class, to have time to read a book on my own time. Jitter Bug will always be a favorite and it's beat will always put a smile on my face, especially when I am reminiscing from thousands of miles away in South Carolina next semester. :)

Thanksgiving

My Thanksgiving break was very relaxing. I didn't do much. I had Thanksgiving dinner with my family at home. It was delicious. We had turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and to top it off we had some pumpkin pie! The remainder of the break consisted of doing homework, hanging out with my friends, and helping my mom put up the Christmas decorations. It was a good time and I enjoyed spending it with my family because next semester I am transferring to South Carolina- USC, so it depends if i'll be coming home for the holidays next year if I will be with them next Thanksgiving. I do have some family over there so I may stay with them. There wasn't a difference in this year's Thanksgiving for me because I have been staying home this semester. Next year, however, I'm sure I will witness a difference because I will either be traveling back home, or not coming home at all.

Bittersweet

Lester and his beautiful wife Martha lived in a quiet and cozy cottage deep within the mountains. Martha was everything to him. They had been together ever since he could remember. They were high school sweethearts. He loved everything about her; her long, curly blonde hair that was now grey, her ocean blue eyes and her baby soft skin. They lived far away from society because the only thing they needed was each other. 

On their daily stroll, Martha, although fairly elderly, noticed shortness in breathe. This had been more than usual. She felt the need to describe the rather odd experience to Lester, but the two went on with ignoring the symptom. 

The shortness of breath began happening now on a regular basis accompanied by massive dizziness spells. It happened on their walks, while cleaning, or even climbing the same stairs she had been climbing every day. This became a worry to the married couple.  Lester took his beloved angel to the hospital the very next day. 

There, the doctors ran tests and questioned Martha further. She described all of her symptoms and how much they were increasing day by day. When the test results returned she was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Both Martha and Lester related this back to when she used to smoke in her earlier years. There was no time to wait, Martha was to begin treatment as soon as possible. There was no guarantee to the success that the treatment would have because of the stage the cancer had already reached.

This went on for about a year and Lester remained by her side through every treatment, every doctor visit, and as the condition worsened, he arranged to have hospice care at their home. This would allow Martha to be able to spend her remaining time in a comfortable and familiar place with the man that she loved. Lester did everything he could to ensure his wife's level of satisfaction. 

He had never dealt with a more sad moment then the one where he had to let his wife, lover and companion go. Late that night Martha passed away leaving Lester with nothing but his love for her and the memories of their life together. A memorial was held with unforgettable pictures and some of Martha's favorite songs.

I based this story off of a true event, of course cutting many details out. 

The two stories I read were The School and The nose. I liked both of these stories but when I went to writing mine I decided to do my own thing.

Cathedral

What did you think of Carver’s sparse writing style? Did you find it easy to read, annoying, ugly, pretty, etc? How might you utilize what he does in your own writing?


I found Carver's writing style to be very easy to read. It wasn't the prettiest form of writing and was a bit repetative at times, but he kept his sentences short and simple. It was easy to create an accurate mental picture from the words he chose to use. When he was describing what a cathedral looks like to the blind man, I was picturing it in my head. I felt that his writing portrayed common confusions placed with blind people and it really got me to thinking about what it would be like to be blind.


He used a lot of emotions in the story such as confusion, ignorance, curiosity, etc. I think that it would be fun to write a story like this; showing an experience in a simple and less complex fashion.

5 writing tips

1. Read as much as possible. Reading helps your writing in a way that introduces your mind to new ideas and at the same time you are processing the ways of writing, such as grammar and sentence structure. Whether you are noticing it as you are reading or not, reading helps you to understand structure and order in writing and the flow of sentences together.

2. Don't procrastinate! This has always been a bit of a problem for me. Your writing will not become the best it can be if you put it all together in one night. The key is to start early with a draft and from there continue to shape it and to form it into the final piece you are expecting. In most cases your final draft will be very different from your original piece.

3. Write every day. Practice makes perfect right? Writing every day will most definitely improve your writing skills. It will increase your use of correct grammar and punctuation. Not only that, but it will also allow you to establish what kind of writer you are and what types of writing you enjoy most.

4. Proofread. It is important to read over your work several times before finalizing a piece of writing. This may introduce you to things that you want to change or that should be worded differently. You wouldn't want to publish something with careless mistakes would you? That can all be avoided with proofreading. I would recommend doing this 3-4 times. Maybe a friend could look over it as a second opinion.

5. Start a blog. I love blogging. It's a different form of writing and expression. It's a fun way to write about whatever you are feeling at that moment. It is more like a journal of some kind and can end up sparking your best ideas.

What am I lying about? :)

I lived in Hawaii for the first 3 years of my life until my dad was transferred for work.

I am not only a citizen of the United States, but of Switzerland as well.

I have a hole in the back of my left eye from a soccer accident, giving me a blind spot in my central vision.

That 70's Show :)

That 70's show has pretty much always been my favorite tv show. The cast consists of many of my favorite actors/actresses. It revolves around a group of teens in the 70's who are best friends. They're constantly going through this cycle of relationships between each other. It is a full on comedy and couldn't be more perfect for putting you in a good mood.
It's always on late at night which I have found to be great on those nights I just CAN'T fall asleep. Another thing that I really enjoy about this show is that it relates to my life in many ways and to my group of friends. I can honestly say that not one line goes by me without a giggle. Something funny will be said and it will cause an initial laugh, but I will find myself laughing even harder because of the fact that it is illustrating something so true in my life.
 Behind all of the comedy, the show portrays the social issues of the 70's such as feminism, recession, teenage drug use, etc. If you're a sucker for sarcasm, jokes, humor and amusement there is no doubt in my mind that you will love this show!

Op Eds

The first op ed i read was Facebook Relationship: It's Complicated. This piece was very interesting to me because of the fact that so much related back to me personally. She is discussing how facebook is such a huge part of our lives, whether you are a middle school student, college student, parent or grandparent. She uses ethos throughout the piece to get the point across to the reader that "we're stuck with facebook and may forever be trapped in a digital world of 'pokes' and 'likes'." Her opinion on the subject was very strong and for the most part negative. She explains how there are so many things she could be doing and would love to be doing, but instead it is more likely for her to be on the internet chatting away on facebook. I agree with this article, as much as I love facebook, I do realize that it might very well be a progressing problem in our society. We have become reliant on it in terms of communicating and finding people of our past.
The second piece I read was The Things I Think I Think: You Say Tomato, I Say Taste Bud Changer. The author despises tomatoes and includes information explaining that some tomato companies have made it so that while you are eating a tomato your taste buds change and are flipped upside down, increasing your desire. I didn't agree much with this article because I feel like he is using a large amount of persuasion, which is fine, but I do not think that the wool is being pulled over our eyes. I believe that I undoubtably do love tomatoes :)
Lastly, I read Sex Column: There's No 'I' In Threesome. The author of this article felt it to be acceptable to experience a connection and or start a relationship with more than one individual at a time. He believed that it was much better to experience as many people as possible as long as it's keeping you excited and "grinning." I felt it to be a bit ironic that a BOY/MAN would be the author of this particular piece. Hmmm..? :) But I did not agree with it at all. Cheating is cheating, and what this boy is writing about is portraying just that.

Personality!

My enneagram tests claim that I am a perfectionist, I am very adventurous and have a somewhat high level of anxiety. I agree with the first two. I am a very organized person and love to get my work done on time and most always have my priorities straight. Normally I have an agenda that I follow or always write down my "to do's" for that day. I have a strong adventurous side, I love trying new things and living life on the edge a little bit. I would say a word that would fit me better would be spontaneous because I have the most fun just going with the flow and coming across the good times instead of going out of my way to find them. I, however, do not agree with the anxiety status it provided me with. I don't handle stressful situations in the most calm and relaxing way, but I do keep my cool and try not to blow things out of proportion. For the most part these tests didn't take me by surprise but I enjoyed doing them and was presented with an image of myself!

Garbage!

Up until now I haven't given the idea of garbage collection a whole lot of thought. As the article mentions, in most cases the garbage men and sanitation companies are taken for granted and ignored, and I think this is true regarding the average person. I use something or eat something and throw it away, roll my garbage can to the curb on garbage day, and as far as I'm concerned it's taken off my hands and placed into somebody else's. This article was the first thing to bring garbage collection to my attention. Currently I am still living at home so my habits as far as consumption haven't changed, as well as the amount I throw away. I believe that these issues do not occur to me due to the fact that meals, clothes, and other things are still being provided for me. If I had to care for myself and buy these things with my own money I would be much more cautious about the things I throw out. I can honestly say that I do not recycle. Many view this as an inconsiderate and selfish act, but the truth is, in the past I haven't focused on this process enough. My perspective on garbage collection was sincerely changed when I became more aware of the significance of sanitation workers in our world and the consequences that come along without them. In the future recycling will play a much larger role in how I handle my garbage, and I will be sure to recycle anything that has further use.

Sustainability

I have chosen to write my paper on sustainability regarding the hotel industry. My dad manages the Double Tree Hotel here in Missoula and I thought that it would be interesting to find out all of the things hotels are doing these days to conserve energy in hopes of becoming a more "green" establishment. I'm not too sure how I am going to organize the paper in a way that presents the facts in a persuasive fashion yet.

I would appreciate any comments and suggestions! Thank you :)

Cup of noodles

Instant noodles, like the cup of noodles, were invented in 1958. This is one of the most practical and easy snacks to eat on the go. It is okay to eat it in a dry state because the noodles are previously cooked, as well as in a soup like form. They are conveniently available to us in styrofoam cups, all you need to do is grab a plastic fork. Another great thing about this treat is that anyone can eat them. They contain no animal products and are vegan friendly. I don't think I have ever met someone who didn't like cup of noodles.

There have been many concerns regarding this product and the high sodium levels along with it's artificial flavoring. It is categorized under junk food because it is so easy to make and requires such a short amount of time. However, if you compare this food to other junk food such as McDonalds, you will see that the sodium and the grease in a burger and fries presents a much unhealthier meal. Personally I have been eating ramen noodles for a very long time and being a broke college student, I love that I have this choice of delicious, inexpensive food. I recommend going to Costco and buying them in bulk :)



http://www.nissinfoods.com/cupnoodles/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cup_Noodles

Thoughts on reading

My name is Kristina. I was born in San Diego but have lived in Missoula for most of my life. I am attending the University of Montana and moving in January to South Carolina and attending the University there. My goal is to major in pre nursing and becoming a registered nurse. This is my first blog and I am doing it through my writing 1o1 class. I am excited for the rest of this semester and hopefully I enjoy blogs and continue to post new things.

Reading hasn't always been my favorite thing and I can honestly say I have poor reading habits, however, I do enjoy reading books of my choice. The types of books i typically choose are romance, fantasy, or action, so of course I recommend TWILIGHT :) If you have not read Twilight yet, please do and I promise you will fall in love.