I enjoyed the class for the most part. The assigments were all different and there was no monotony in the routine. From the annotated bibliography to the soundtrack of my life, I feel like I was allowed to choose what my assignments were on. This was different than most of my other classes, and I really appreciated it. Being able to choose what topics and what format we could use for each assignment was a refreshing break from the rest of my classes.
Ms. Lusk was a very good teacher. She was enthusiastic and laid back, but hounded us to become better writers. All of her comments on my assignments were very helpful, and when I made the revisions she suggested, the work showed. She had us do a variety of things to better ourselves as writers, including uncomfortable topics such as our own obituary. She is also very easy on the eyes.
I never really used the textbook much; maybe only once. I simply looked up how to properly cite sources when doing my annotated bibliography. Since then, I haven't picked up the book, and don't really think it is neccessary for the class.
The lab deffinitely helps with the core English 103 class, although it would be more helpful if the assignments were more similar. I expected to only work on my English papers in lab, and not do more assignments. However, these assignments made me look deeper and come up with more meaningful work for my core English class. In all, I enjoyed my English lab. It was fun, and although we only met for fifty minutes a week, we accomplished a good deal.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Monday, April 9, 2007
The Soundtrack of My Life
When I was a little kid, maybe four or five years old, my Dad would rock me to
sleep on his big lazy boy. He would gently sing songs to help me go to sleep, and
one that stands out in my mind is "Rock Me On the Water" by Jackson Browne.
This song always reminds me of that big, green chair, and how warm it was to
fall asleep in my Dad's arms. It makes me feel safe and secure because it was
the last thing I would hear before drifting off to sleep, and the next thing I
knew, I would wake up in my bed the next morning.
The next song on my soundtrack reminds me of when I was about eight years
old. My dad bought me my first CD, a self-titled album by the Presidents of the
United States of America. The song that stands out, "Lump", is funny and
catchy, and was even parodied by Weird Al Yankovich.
The song reminds me of when my Dad was trying to teach me to play guitar,
and thought that the Presidents' had funny lyrics that would keep me
entertained, and simple enough guitar riffs for me to learn. Now that guitar
and music have become such big parts of my life, I can really appreciate how
far I've come since hearing that song.
When I was in elementary school, I switched from my neighborhood's school to
the gifted and talented program across town. I only knew a couple people in the
school from my neighborhood, and I was lonely and nervous about the move.
The few kids I knew would carpool everyday, and I got to know them very well.
During this move, I started listening to Third Eye Blind. The song, "Semi-
Charmed Life", will always be stuck in my head, not only from listening to it
literally everyday on the way to and from school, but because the lyrics define
how I felt at that time. I just wanted things to stay the way they were, and I
didn't want this unfamiliar and scary change to occur in my life.
Not until recently did I hear a song that essentially sums up my junior and
senior years of high school. "Twenty-One" by Corey Smith is like a narrative of
my late high school years. I always knew I would get into Clemson, which is
where I wanted to go all of high school, and I didn't put in much effort at all
into my school work.
My only concerns were having a good time and meeting as many girls as I
could. My friends and I would go out on school nights, go to school the next day
hung over, and do it all over again the next day. I had some of the best times of
my life in those years, and made some of the best friends and memories a guy
could wish for.
The last song on my soundtrack is "Walk Away" by Ben Harper. It was my song
at senior prom and I even quoted it in my senior page. It is a sad song about
loss and learning to live with that, which I could identify with when I was
leaving all of my best friends and going to make new ones in college.
However, after a year in college, I have learned to interpret the song differently.
Although it is sad that some relationships crumble and you have to walk away
from people you love, it is just a test to how powerful those relationships are. I
have the rest of my life to meet people and make memories that will define who
I am and what I stand for. If those past relationships are strong enough, I will
find those people again.
The soundtrack of my life is one of happiness and sadness. It tells of love, loss,
and fun. In my life I have made amazing friends, unforgettable memories, and
bonds with my family that will never be broken. Music is one of the most
important aspects of my life now; I write my own music and am going to Los
Angeles this summer to possibly pursue my passion. But it is when I heard
these songs, the emotions I was feeling at the time in my life they occurred, that
will forever make them a part of me.
sleep on his big lazy boy. He would gently sing songs to help me go to sleep, and
one that stands out in my mind is "Rock Me On the Water" by Jackson Browne.
This song always reminds me of that big, green chair, and how warm it was to
fall asleep in my Dad's arms. It makes me feel safe and secure because it was
the last thing I would hear before drifting off to sleep, and the next thing I
knew, I would wake up in my bed the next morning.
The next song on my soundtrack reminds me of when I was about eight years
old. My dad bought me my first CD, a self-titled album by the Presidents of the
United States of America. The song that stands out, "Lump", is funny and
catchy, and was even parodied by Weird Al Yankovich.
The song reminds me of when my Dad was trying to teach me to play guitar,
and thought that the Presidents' had funny lyrics that would keep me
entertained, and simple enough guitar riffs for me to learn. Now that guitar
and music have become such big parts of my life, I can really appreciate how
far I've come since hearing that song.
When I was in elementary school, I switched from my neighborhood's school to
the gifted and talented program across town. I only knew a couple people in the
school from my neighborhood, and I was lonely and nervous about the move.
The few kids I knew would carpool everyday, and I got to know them very well.
During this move, I started listening to Third Eye Blind. The song, "Semi-
Charmed Life", will always be stuck in my head, not only from listening to it
literally everyday on the way to and from school, but because the lyrics define
how I felt at that time. I just wanted things to stay the way they were, and I
didn't want this unfamiliar and scary change to occur in my life.
Not until recently did I hear a song that essentially sums up my junior and
senior years of high school. "Twenty-One" by Corey Smith is like a narrative of
my late high school years. I always knew I would get into Clemson, which is
where I wanted to go all of high school, and I didn't put in much effort at all
into my school work.
My only concerns were having a good time and meeting as many girls as I
could. My friends and I would go out on school nights, go to school the next day
hung over, and do it all over again the next day. I had some of the best times of
my life in those years, and made some of the best friends and memories a guy
could wish for.
The last song on my soundtrack is "Walk Away" by Ben Harper. It was my song
at senior prom and I even quoted it in my senior page. It is a sad song about
loss and learning to live with that, which I could identify with when I was
leaving all of my best friends and going to make new ones in college.
However, after a year in college, I have learned to interpret the song differently.
Although it is sad that some relationships crumble and you have to walk away
from people you love, it is just a test to how powerful those relationships are. I
have the rest of my life to meet people and make memories that will define who
I am and what I stand for. If those past relationships are strong enough, I will
find those people again.
The soundtrack of my life is one of happiness and sadness. It tells of love, loss,
and fun. In my life I have made amazing friends, unforgettable memories, and
bonds with my family that will never be broken. Music is one of the most
important aspects of my life now; I write my own music and am going to Los
Angeles this summer to possibly pursue my passion. But it is when I heard
these songs, the emotions I was feeling at the time in my life they occurred, that
will forever make them a part of me.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Obituary of Adam Gardner
Adam McKenzie Gardner died today, April 20, 2059, after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 70 years old. Adam, who was a smoker in his youth, died in his sleep with his family present at the hospital. He will be remembered as a loving and generous man, and for his love of music and guitar. He left money in his will for cancer and diabetes research, two causes very close to his heart. He leaves behind his wife, two children, five grandchildren, two sisters, and a brother. In a small ceremony with close friends and family, his body will be cremated, and his ashes will be spread along the beaches of Hilton Head Island, the place he loved so much.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Agitated Bibliography
When I got my annotated bibliography back, I was expecting no less than a check plus. All my sources were credible and researched, and I felt I had done well explaining how I could use them in my paper. However, when I was handed back a check minus, I immediately read the teacher remarks.
Apparently, although I have aced essentially every English class I have ever had, and have excellent SAT verbal scores, I still have trouble with "basic sentence structure" and "linking sentences that are 'weak'". This made me angry because I know I am a good writer. These two phrases make me sound like I am an idiot, or like I am in elementary school.
I was also criticized for my MLA formatting errors, which is understandable. However, I consulted the slides given to me in class and on blackboard, and the website given as a model, so I don't think it is neccessarily all my fault.
These comments on my paper annoy me, but not as much as the comments in class. The logic of saying that because we as college students are adults, and thus we are expected to automatically know how to write an annotated bibliography is similar to saying that once you move to Aspen, you must automatically know how to bomb down the double black diamonds. I personally have never written an annotated bibliography before, and felt I did a pretty good job.
So in conclusion, I was not happy with the comments on my annotated bibliography. I put in effort to the project, I just didn't use correct format when citing sources. I spent the time doing the work, I was just unfamiliar with the assigment. So before you attack my first attempt at an assignment 'that all adults should know how to do', tell those new neighbors in Aspen to hit the slopes.
Apparently, although I have aced essentially every English class I have ever had, and have excellent SAT verbal scores, I still have trouble with "basic sentence structure" and "linking sentences that are 'weak'". This made me angry because I know I am a good writer. These two phrases make me sound like I am an idiot, or like I am in elementary school.
I was also criticized for my MLA formatting errors, which is understandable. However, I consulted the slides given to me in class and on blackboard, and the website given as a model, so I don't think it is neccessarily all my fault.
These comments on my paper annoy me, but not as much as the comments in class. The logic of saying that because we as college students are adults, and thus we are expected to automatically know how to write an annotated bibliography is similar to saying that once you move to Aspen, you must automatically know how to bomb down the double black diamonds. I personally have never written an annotated bibliography before, and felt I did a pretty good job.
So in conclusion, I was not happy with the comments on my annotated bibliography. I put in effort to the project, I just didn't use correct format when citing sources. I spent the time doing the work, I was just unfamiliar with the assigment. So before you attack my first attempt at an assignment 'that all adults should know how to do', tell those new neighbors in Aspen to hit the slopes.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
While Writing...
While I was writing my annotated bibliography, I was multitasking quite a bit. I was watching the Superbowl when I started it, Sunday night. This distracted me a lot more than it usually would because it was a big game and one of the last of the season. The next morning I woke up early to continue working on it, and listened to music while researching my sources. When I got tired of listening to music, which was only about a half hour into the paper, I turned on Comedy Central. I kept the volume low as to not completely distract me, but I did turn around to watch a few of the funnier things.
After I had done all I could in my room, including researching websites and articles from databases, I left for the library. I brought my Ipod, but took it off to get help finding the book I needed. I had already researched the book and found that the library had one copy in stock. When I got back, I left the T.V. and music off so I could finish off the bibliography with concentration. I finally finished with about forty-five minutes left before class. I looked over it to make sure everything made sense and there were no gramatical or spelling errors, and then I packed the paper away for class.
Although I had other things going on while writing my annotated bibliography, I feel I did a good job on it.
After I had done all I could in my room, including researching websites and articles from databases, I left for the library. I brought my Ipod, but took it off to get help finding the book I needed. I had already researched the book and found that the library had one copy in stock. When I got back, I left the T.V. and music off so I could finish off the bibliography with concentration. I finally finished with about forty-five minutes left before class. I looked over it to make sure everything made sense and there were no gramatical or spelling errors, and then I packed the paper away for class.
Although I had other things going on while writing my annotated bibliography, I feel I did a good job on it.
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