Class Blog

How I felt about having this class blog.
I feel like a lot of people didn't participate like they should have. They may have been for many different reasons. The reason if any that I ever failed to post was because I would forget about it. It wasn't mentioned on a daily class basis so I would forget that this assignment existed. Even at points when I would remember I would be working on something more important and I even questioned a few times if it would still end up being a big part of our grade because it was always given so little importance. I also feel like some people didn't write because they had a lack of something to talk about. Not that there's nothing to talk about but a lot of people have a hard time with coming up with those things. Initially when I was given the assignment of making blog post I was happy about it. Especially to find out that extra credit would be given to those who completed more post than required. I made a mental plan to make a post daily. Well.... that never happened. Unfortunately I've been sitting here coming up with things to blog about to make up for points that I missed.
I did determine that out of the 30 - now- 25 mandatory posts I had made eighteen post, fourteen of which that meet the 100 word requirement. so now on the safe side to make up those missing 11 post I created 22. Now for the commenting. I'm still working on that. :-p

Now I can relax

Now that all of my assignment have been submitted and completed I CAN RELAX! I have such a sense of relief. I know its only going to last for one week because i'll be starting my summer semester next week but I have three of those days that I wont have work or school. I can do what ever I want!!! Which will probably be nothing. I just want to give my brain a break. I want to focus on me and that means going to the gym, and laying out in the sun(when it stops raining) and making plans with my friends.

Google Docs and my love for it

I have gained a new tool after this semester. One that I will CHERISH. I never knew it existed before. I love the ability to send and share documents. I also cant forget to mention how much of a life saver the "auto save" has been. At the beginning of the semester I had typed an entire paper in Microsoft Word Document. I just planned to submit it through the Google Docs as usual. When I was all done with it I thought I had already saved my work. I typed everything in one sitting so I never saved anything prior to when I thought I made the save. Quickly I went to the "x" to close out my document and with out even paying attention I clicked "okay".... as in This document is about to be deleted because you haven't saved anything "okay" or "cancel" I just quickly assumed "okay was for Are you sure you want to close this document. I was panicking and pissed all in the same time. Now I wont type any assignment on word. I love the auto save.

Messes! Noise! Bills!

Living with other people -
Messes! Noise! Bills! These are all things i'm always creating. I just moved back in with my mom and her boyfriend. It's his house so untimely his rules. Apparently everything I do is bothersome. If I want to make a fruit smoothie in the morning then the blender is too loud. If I want to wash a load of laundry or take a shower I'm costing them money. Even though I pay rent. It doesn't make any sense to me. My mom never complains about me unless he starts it. If I leave my homework on the table or a plate in the sink I'm making messes everywhere. Its just so frustrating. If I wasn't going to school I would be working full time and affording my own place.

benefits of revision

Wow I never would have expected that writing my revision would really help me improve in my writing. For some reason I was able to identify my flaws and strengths a lot easier. I had never thought about these things before so it was a nice reflection. I'm proud to say that my grammar is usually never the problem. Usually I have issues with adding detail and information where its unnecessary and being unorganized. I know that I will be able to reflect back on these things when writing in the future. I can move forward more confidently.  There really are benefits to revision.

place to place

Sometimes I wonder how many other people live from their cars. Not in the literal sense. I live out of my car because I'm always going from one place to another. I swear I have clothes, shoes, food, and water bottles in there. It's always messy even after I "clean" it out. I feel like I keep it that way because its always just helped me stay more prepared. In the summer i'm sure i'll be keeping tanning lotion, a towel and back up bathing suit in their all the time. I do hate it though because it makes me look like a messy person. If I weren't always on the go I wouldn't have to be this way though.

What is a baby shower these days?

Ever since I can remember a baby shower has been an event for the women close to the mom-to-be to get together and gift things for the baby. My sister is pregnant right now and due in July. She will be having her baby shower in two weeks. She sent out all of her invitations to about 30 women she wanted to invite. Now she's getting RSVP's in the mail from individuals confirming that they will be attending along with their mothers, husbands, sons, etc. I think this is ridiculous that these people are inviting others to my sisters party. She has only planned on the women she invited and can only afford to host the party for those few. Now I feel bad because she's getting stressed about how she's going to afford all of the food and have room for everyone. She doesn't know how to tell them they can't bring the others. Shes a very sweet girl and would feel bad about turning people away. I just feel bad for her and the predicament that she's in now. Why are these people inviting others and why are they men? I'm just baffled.

Pawn Stars

Is it real or fake? A lot of it seems staged. Why do the main characters always know so much. They're like an encyclopedia. Regardless f it's real or fake I enjoy watching it. I usually learn a thing or two. I also get to see some pretty cool things. I just hate how the owners are always trying to low ball the sellers. They get them to say how much they want for the item first so that they can throw a lower number at them. If it were me selling to these guys I would make sure to double my asking price from what I really wanted. This way they might end up closer to what I wanted for the item.

Working on Mothers Day

Last night I went out with friends. I stayed out pretty late. I ended up getting to be around 2:30 am. I had to work today at 10:30. Unfortunate to me I don't remember shutting off my 9 am alarm clock so I woke up at 9:40. I work in Kalamazoo at Olive Garden so I always need to leave at least thirty minutes early. This have me twenty minutes to get ready. This would have been fine had I showered and done laundry the night before. But I didn't. I sprayed my hair with dry shampoo, ironed my uniform from the day before, threw on some makeup, socks, and work shoes. I felt rough and probably looked it too. Normally the restaurant at 11 am but for what ever reason they opened the doors right at 10:30. My whole section was full from 11 until I got my relief at 4:30. I was running my ass off all day long. I felt like it was never going to end. It was also hot and muggy all day long. Since I was already running around I was sweating like a pig. Eventually the managers started to feel the affects of the heat and decided to turn the air on. It started to cool off at one point and as soon as I was feeling comfortable my tables started complaining how "freezing" cold it was. They asked me to say something about the temperature and I told them I would but there was no way I was going to sweat my butt off again. Now you know I told a server lie, sorry. But really I wasn't. I couldn't have been happier when I got my relief though. I was ready to sit down and relax. Not only that but it's mothers day and I wanted to spend time with my mom.

Health and fitness with a busy life

This was something I was terrible at not too long ago. I had to change my thought process to get better with my health and fitness routine. I've learned that less can be more. You do not always have to exercise for an hour to reap the benefits and as soon as you understand this you will be able to exercise more regularly, even when you have a jam-packed day. For example, you can do four minutes of kettle bell exercises, four minutes of abs work and two minutes of squats and lunges.Learn recipes that are quick and simple. For example a quick and easy one I like is a lettuce leaf with turkey, and cheese all rolled up. It makes for a quick easy snack. 

Personal Development

I think that personal development is huge. I believe you need to continue learning something every day. I know for a fact I learn something new everyday. Sometimes I seek books and audio for advice on personal development. I started listening to this audio when i'm driving places. It's called Eat That Frog. I can't remember the author's name. This audio uses reference to "eating that frog" a lot. Basically what he means is that no ones wants to eat a frog but you are better off getting it out of the way sooner than later. He talks about focusing on the bigger harder tasks first. This resigns with e a lot because I've always started out with the easiest things on my "to-do" list in the past and never seemed to "have time" for the bigger more important things. I'm not perfect at this concept yet but I am getting better at it because of this audio.

Wedding day

Not mine, but my little sister. She's getting married tomorrow. It's so strange to me. I never imagined my younger sister getting married before me. Shes not a lot younger than me though, just two years. I can't forget to mention she's also pregnant. It's crazy to me. I will have a little niece some time in July. Her and her fiance are naming her Leilah. There's a neat story behind her name. My sister had her first date with her then boyfriend there. Then he later proposed to her there. I think it fits. I'm really excited for her but nervous at the same time.

addicted

I may be addicted to facebook. Seriously. Or maybe just my phone in general. I could probably sit here and name 100 or more things I use it for. I have apps for picture editing, picture taking, picture  sharing. I have apps for coupons, discounts, rebates, and coupon'ing. I have apps for the accounts I get paid to take surveys on. I have apps for games, a calculator(my best friend), an alarm clock, and a calendar. I have apps for all of my online banking and credit card accounts. It's crazy! I don't think anyone is joking when they say "there's an app for that" I also use my phone for navigation and just for general search inquiries. I even use it to figure out how to spell things! Oh and I can't forget to mention that I have an app for my email so I get every email directly to my phone almost like a text message. It's so convenient to have all of these things in the palm of my hand.

Android or Iphone

I am definitely team android. Any time I grab an Iphone or apple product I'm always confused. They aren't as easy to navigate. They also always seem to be steps beind android when it comes to new software and products. An android system is so easy to navigate and operate. For the most part it's self explanatory. Androids don't limit you to storage like an apple does. If you want more memory with an android all you need to do is add a memory card. Androids also files screenshots, downloaded pics, and pictures saved from messages into their own separate folders. Let's just say if you want to download ant music to your android it doesn't matter where it comes from. Apple makes you buy songs from itunes. Also you can use any usb cord to charge your phone and transfer files, while the iphone requires a specific charger. Then You can customize an Android phone much more than an iPhone, like by adding widgets on your home screen.

sites I visit

Besides social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, etc), what other websites do you frequently visit?
I like to visit a couple of sites that I have accounts on that offer surveys. Usually by completing these surveys there is some sort of payout. Just recently I was on one of them and reached the $25 minimum for cash out. They will be mailing me a check for $25.50.
Also I visit the KCC web portal about once a day. I'm always checking on my grades and email. A lot of times I find myself clicking on to other websites that were advertised or shared on Facebook. I'll read different stories, articles, and even get the latest news. I also find myself visiting fitness pages like bodybuilding.com.

chocolate or vanilla

Hmm. I've never thought to go into detail about this decision.For me its just always been an easy one. My answer is chocolate! I don't know why but too me the flavor of chocolate is better. chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, milk chocolate over white chocolate. Chocolate is also a lot more versatile. It pairs well with other foods an flavors. Think chocolate dipped strawberries. Or chocolate drizzled rice crispy treats. I've never heard of a vanilla fountain have you? Chocolate just has a deeper and richer flavor. While vanilla is just soft and smooth.

My Major

Initially when I started going to KCC I was taking the pre requisites for the dental hygiene program. Along with those I started to job shadow at a dental office. I decided that It wasn't for me. Then I took a year off and thought about what I would enjoy doing. Usually you enjoy doing something you're good at. For me business, sales, marketing, and all of the things associated with have come fairly easy to me. I decided I'd be more likely to succeed and do well in a business setting than anything else. So my major will be Business Management.

Obsessed..maybe not

There for a while I was really into the True Blood series. I started out watching seasons one through three on dvd. I loved the episodes and tried to keep up. For some reason or another tho I never watched them live on tv. I always waited for the next season to come out on dvd. After watching one through three I had taken some time off of watching the series. By the time I started to watch them again I was catching up on seasons four and five. I started to stream season six on my tv but I got pulled away from it again. I love the shows and wouldn't mind starting all over again from the beginning. There have been other series that I've gotten into in between. Some of them are Tudors, Walking dead, Prison Break, Bates Motel, and The Killings. All of them have been really good and I would recommend any of them.

summer break plans

This summer I will have a whole ten day break. during those days I will probably finish unpacking an organizing my room. I'll probably also find time to hang out with some friends as well. My break won't be that nice because I'm enrolled for summer classes and working part time so I won't have a lot of free time. I will still try to do as many fun things as I can though. I'll probably go to the lake, an amusement park, or maybe the zoo. I hope my summer classes aren't' too demanding. I'd like to feel like I have some time to enjoy myself.

guilty pleasure

My guilty pleasure isn't one that you would find as being normal. It's not something every twenty-two year old girl enjoys doing. My guilty pleasure is coupon'ing. I just started doing it in the past few months but I have gotten really good at it. Basically I buy sunday papers and they have coupons in them. I also print coupons from the internet and I pair them with store coupons and store sales. A lot of time my savings are more that fifty percent. It's amazing to me! I do spend a lot of time figuring out what the deals are and submitting receipts for rebates but I can't help but to do those things when I know I won't have to pay full price. A lot of the times I am able to leave the store paying absolutely nothing other than the state taxes on the items! For example I went to Walgreens a few weeks ago. There was a sale on dry shampoo. They were 2 for six dollars. I had a store coupon that took off two dollars for purchasing that item but sense I bought two the coupon applied twice. that deducted four dollars total. After that I had two more manufactures coupons each for one dollar off. This made the items FREE other than the state tax, which was 36 cents for two. My boyfriend calls me weird for it. He doesn't get it, or get why I get so excited to coupon. What are your opinions on it?

Review of a movie I seen recently

My boyfriend recently talked me into watching this older film that he had. He claimed it was one of his favorites growing up. He talked about it with so much enthusiasm that I kind of decided I liked it before I had even watched it. It's weird how that happens sometimes. Someone can be so detailed about the description of something in a positive way and it makes you like the same thing.
Any ways the movie was called Spirited Away. It was a film 2003. It was made by Hayao Miyazaki. He creates many films like this one. They all seem to have an anime theme. This makes them similar to cartoons but there are so many details and vivid colors in the movie that it makes it nice to watch. All of his films have some deeper message to take away from them as well. This particular one seemed to have a message of love and honesty. It was about a little girl who was "spirited away" into this almost make believe land with talking animals. There was a which of sort who turned her parents into pigs because they were eating this food that was not given to them. This whole make believe land had talking animals as characters. The movie it's self was over two hours long and very detailed so its hard to really say what happens with out spoiling the whole thing. After I watched it though I decided I really liked it as well. I would definitely recommend watching it for a family night.

Pieces I enjoyed and disliked

In High School I enjoyed reading the pieces from Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth, were all interesting stories. What I think I enjoyed the most about these stories is that our teacher would take it a few sentences at a time and then we would analyze the meaning. It made it more interesting and of course more understanding to follow. All of those stories seemed to have a cool way of adding twist and turns. 
One of my least favorite stories to read was The Lord of The Flies. It was a boring story. It was hard to follow and I don't think I ever really understood the message. 

Final class blog

May 7, 2015

My favorite project this semester was our first narrative. I liked it the best because I felt like we did the most preparation for it and I had a good understanding of what was expected. I also liked it because it gave my the opportunity to talk about something I felt like talking about. I've come to realize that the more interest I have in the assignment/topic the better I do. I also feel like this assignment helped me learn to be more descriptive. That was something I could say I struggled with before. 

My least favorite project has been the Historical Narrative. I think this is because I have a hard time thinking out side of the box and I can't really put together a story from someone else's point of view. If anything it has taught me I will probably never write and stories (made up ones).

Through out the semester I have learned the different types of formatting. I also learned that google docs is a great tool. I never knew it existed before. I learned if I didn't already know before that I have little creativity. Showing up to class makes a big difference in how I preform. Also a big one for me is that some credit is better than no credit. I used to stress myself out over doing "perfect work" and would get discouraged and not complete assignments because of this. 

Something I wish I could have learned is how to write professional papers and letters. I feel like these things would have been more helpful to my future than knowing how to write a historical narrative or I-search paper. I still don't understand how those are relevant other than the fact that it gives more writing experience.  

Amara Dailey

Grade Breakdown?

PLEASE READ AND COMMENT!!! ABOUT OUR GRADES AND CONFUSION!

So I'm so lost on what the potential earned points for this class are. The syllabus contradicts the blog and things mentioned in the blog aren't matching up either. This is what I've been able to gather so far. I hope someone can shed some light on this because I don't feel like Mickey has been very organized this semester.

100 points potential for participation. This was described in the syllabus as "Regularly contributing thoughtful comments/questions which add relevant ideas to class discussion/group work; helpful to others; the student is prepared."
In my opinion I believe I should earn the full 100 possible points for this. 

100 points for in class writing
I am assuming these would have been those assignments we did in class and as homework and submitted via google docs. (Social Media - 5 , Audience and Purpose - 5 , Favorite Food - 5 , Mrs. Flowers Close Reading - 5 , Description Practice-Shoes and Deat - 5 , Description: Person/Place - 15 , Hills Like White Elephants-Dialogue - 5 , Alexie and Michael's Theme - 5 , Sonys Blues (no point value or grade entered in grade-book). With all of these totaling 50 points so far...not 100. (unless she doubles all of these point values)

Blog Assignment (syllabus says 200 - blog assignment sheet in class blog says 150)
There were supposed to be 30 published blogs throughout the semester. Each of these hold a value of 5 points. This would be the equivalent of 150 potential points. So I would just assume that the other 50 possible points would come from our 15 assigned comments on others blogs? which would value each comment at 3.33 points??? 
NOW the more confusing part, of those 30 blog post 15 were supposed to be those given to us by Mickey in class about class discussion. When I refer back to our class blog and my personal class notes I can only account for (4) class assigned blogs. Dates for these blogs are Jan 22, Jan 27, Feb 17, and Mar 24. In my opinion The other 11 unaccounted blog post should be dismissed OR credit for the (4) assigned should be raises. For example either   20 points possible (4x5) or (75/ 4) which would count for half of the 30 blog points divided by the actual amount assigned; which would value each of those blogs at 18.75 points... 

A Narrative 90 points possible
Analysis Project 150 points possible - 3 papers 50 points each
Historical Narrative Project - 200 points possible - Annotated bib, I-search, Historical Narrative 
Revision Project - 100 possible points + Extra points possible earned towards original paper. 
Extra Credit - 75 possible points - 50 for the extra credit itself and 25 for showing up. 

Does all of this seem legit to you guys? Opinions or comments PLEASE!!

The Fight

This past Saturday was the day of the Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight. I worked in the morning but I had plans to go watch the fight afterwards. I was invited to go to my friends house who had paid to view the fight on paperview. It's crazy to me how big and popular these events are. This fight cost $99.99 to buy. I can't even begin to imagine how much money these guys make for these fights. It was being considered the fight of the century. This fight that I am referring to is professional boxing. The fight took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Despite predictions that Mayweather–Pacquiao would be the highest grossing fight in history.This fight was so hyped up that I was expecting to be on the edge of my seat. I was not. I actually found it to be very boring and not too entertaining. Mayweather ended up winning the fight by throwing more contact punches than Pacquiao. Im not sure of the rumors about how much they would make from these fights but I had heard anywhere from 200-300 million could be made by each of them. Makes me want to consider professional boxing.......
not really!