All posts below are from the 2008 spring students. Watch for new posts from the fall 2008 students!

Argument Paper

Research papers are very difficult to write for me anyway. I am trying so hard to do my best on this paper but it is so difficult for me just to be able to write my own words and put my resources in with also. I get very frustrated and I just want to put it away and not look at it and hopefully in some way the paper would write itself. I have learned allot on how to write papers and I enjoy writing but research papers to me are not very fun to write. I like to find information on subjects that interest me and then find out more than I thought about it. I just have a hard time writing about a topic and then quoting someone and making sure that I do it correctly so I won't plagiarizes. It is very stress full! I want to do my best on this paper and I am trying to make changes to word sentences differently. Some times it's hard to think of good words top put in place of the words I repeat often. I hope my paper turn out great and I am able to do a good argument on the topic I am writing about.

Argument Paper

This paper that we are having to write is definately difficult. Its hard to find the right sources that aren't just a bunch of baloney. I have noticed that it is even harder when there is a limit on how many internet sources we are able to use. At the same time though, I can understand and justify not using too many internet sources for a paper because of the ability for it to be written by a fifth grader.
This class is definately alot harder than I thought it ever was going to be. I should have prepared more appropriately for taking this class than just showing up. With the pace and everything you really have to stay on top of everything that you do. This being my first year back in school after taking almost a full year off after high school, it really has opened my eyes to the fact college is not easy, but it is a useful resource that more people should utilize. I definately have realized I am not wasting my money by attending college.
In other classes I have taken what I've learned about works cited and other activities and applied them. It has helped me excel at other courses, now I will just have to wait and see what it gets me in this class.

Argument Paper

This whole arguement paper is so stressful I do not know what to do. I have alot of problems with the work citied page. They tell me that it is very important to cite everything right, but how do you do that when you do not know how it works. Does anybody know that how it all works and wdould be willing to help me out that would be wonderful. I also have some information if other people are having troubles. The learning center is a wonderful place to go they are very helpful.

Blog 6

I've found that this arguement paper is going to be the hardest one. It is very time consuming with finding all the sources and and citing them and everything. It is also kind of interesting to do though because you get to find more info about a topic that you are interested in. I guess I can't say it's fun but it could be much much worse. At first, five to seven pages seemed like a lot but after doing some of the research I realized that five pages is going to be very simple. One of the hardest things for me so far is just deciding which five sources to use. I have looked up so many different sources that it's tough to decide which ones to use. We also have quite a bit of time to get it done which is nice because she could give us only a week or two if she wanted. So all in all, I guess I'm not looking forward to this but it could also be a lot worse and it shouldn't be all that hard.

Blog 6

I like everyone else is thinking the argument/research paper is the hardest one yet. This paper will really test us all as writers. I am enjoying my topic but has been a little hard to find really useful sources on year round school systems and if they are truly beneficial. It has been helpful in class to see what a credible source is. Spending so much time working with our sources I am hoping that I have good ones. It is amazing how much work it takes though to properly cite a paper. I am certain that I have plagiarized once or twice just because my paper was not cited properly. How many periods can you have in one small area like that? I am getting very good at writing dots. My goal in the end is to have all of my sources cited properly, and have a very informative paper on the benefits of year round school systems.

This argumentative/ research paper is going to be the most difficult of all the papers yet. We have been taking notes on how to properly cite our work, correctly quote others thoughts and ideas, and paraphrase what we believe their work means to us. Writing this paper not only goes into great detail on what be believe to be true, it also expresses what the opposite side thinks about our topic. Our opinions in this paper are not believable or credible so we are suppose to research what others say is true, and correctly cite where and who wrote what. I have found that in my research so far there are many credible sources but also many phony, bias and extremly wacky theories out there written by people who only have a strong opinion. No doubt everyone has a side before they pick a topic, but some of the sources ive found( not used) have no proof or experience, therefore i would never be swayed by their words.Iam choosing to do a personal interview for my paper. I have found personal interviews to be very insightful, if you ask the right questions you can get responses you would never be able to find written in text. The more research i do on the Naval base the more i want to find out, so many new things have happened in Cuba that living there now would be a completley diffrent experience.

Blog 006

Currently what's going on in 1101 is research for an argument essay. This has been enjoyable for the most part with the collection of sources that we needed to find to support the argument that we'll be talking about. The topic that was chosen for my essay is on Video Game Ratings Fair? I'm hoping that this topic will be fun because of what I like about games and anything else about them. In class on April 10th was an in class discussion on taking notes. The information covered was specific and easy to follow. The information talked about on paraphrasing and quoting correctly to have a better argument essay so that it doesn't get counted as plagerism. Hopefully the information disscussed in class can maybe prove useful for the essay I'm going to do in the upcoming months.

Blog 6

Currently in class we are working on our research/argumentive papers. Within the last week we have learned how to cite our sources, make a works cited page, and take notes on our resources. Already, this has been the most difficult paper we've been assigned and we haven't technically even started writing it. I'm beginning to get a little worried on how much more difficult it can get. Reading over other classmate's blogs, I can see that I'm not the only one who feels this way. I hope that once we get everything pieced together, the writing will be a lot more smoother than the preparation. I guess these are just the hard steps that need to do in order to produce an amazing paper. That's what I'm planning on aiming for at least. I know if I continue to give this paper all the effort I possibly can, it will benefit me in this class and others down the road. It's a tough thing to learn, but it will be worth it in the end.

Blog 6

What I have learned this week and how I can use the information I received in class. This week in class I learned how to correctly cite a work cited page. I can use this information when I need to do my work cited page for my research paper, so I don't end up plagiarizing. Also this week I have learned how to cite quotes, paraphrases, and summarize information that I have collected for my research topic. Which is great to know specially when it comes to writing up our five to seven page research paper.

Where I am at in my research paper I can honestly say not very far because when I try to finding information about my topic I keep getting the same information and trying to find recent statistics about adoptees who have actually went looking for their biological parents, which will be vital information to prove my argument, but it is easier said then done. So when it comes to writing a five to seven paper it may prove to be more difficult then what it sounds.

Blog 6

Things are starting to get a little stressful. Judging by the comments from other students, I think most of us are starting to get a little worried about the difficulty of this paper. I know I sure am. It's also crazy to think we have only like 7 class period left and our paper is due. That means a lot of work has to get done in what seems like not a lot of time! I just hope everything falls into place and things don't get too hectic. At least we don't have to do a 60-100 page research paper. I think 5-7 is bad enough, I couldn't even begin to imagine 60-100 pages. Here's wishing everyone in College Writing 1101-03 who reads this good luck on your paper!

Blog 6

Now that we have started working on our research paper, I'm thinking this is definatly going to be hard and take alot of time to work on! I'm scared because i'm hoping nothing will go wrong like plagarism or just making stupid mistakes. On all the other papers we have written I felt like I did very well, But with this one i'm not quite sure. Everything is just so confusing, with all the different steps you need to take and such. I just hope this will turn out good and also that it won't be as hard as I think it will be :)

Blog #06

I have found a lot of good information on the smoking ban. I can find a lot of information on people who are for and against the smoking ban. It is a very controvesial topic because so many people have different opinions on if it should or shouldn't go into effect. I need to do some more research on this topic so I can get enough information for five to seven pages.

blog 6

Lately in class we have been researching out research projects and looking up information, reading it and citing it.On Tuesday we recently learned how do a works cited page and I thought it was not that hard. Simply because in high school we have been doing the works cited page in projects and having to do them in MLA format so I didn't think that the works cited page is going to be that hard. I still am a little confused with some sources though, because some of them are not giving me all the information I need to do a citation on it. Also for today, Thursday the tenth, we were supposed to read pages 508-514. Our assignment was about taking notes and different ways to do so. For example using note cards. The book also talked about what to avoid if you do use index cards, for example avoid the temptation to fill up each card with notes. The pages also tells you what to be aware of like copying and pasting because that is plagiarism. In this section it gives good examples I thought on paraphrasing notes, how to quote notes, how to combine phrases and quotations, how to summarize notes, and how to do personal notes. I thought that the personal notes were the easiest to understand because all it is, is ideas that occur to you as you take notes, and how you want to start and write your paper. For example if you want to start your paper out with a stat. or a fun fact and how to do so. Anyways see everyone in class!!

Blog 6

Now that we have started our argument papers things are getting pretty difficult. first off you have to have 5-7 reliable sources, its kind of hard finding them because there is soo much crap on the internet that you dont know what is true or false. Next you have to cite the source, this is when it gets really hard. i dont know wether its a book, newspaper, or journal since i got all my sources from the internet. Having the class time tuesday was great so we could get help and learn more hands on what to do. i am still a little nervous about it though, there is so much work that has to be put into it and alot of time. hopefully i will be able to figure it out. I should know how to do some of it because i have written a paper in MLA style before, that was back in high school so i have forgotten alot of it. its always good to know that help is just a question away.

#6

Coming into this research paper I thought I'd have no such trouble at all. I had planned on going to get help to pick a topic at the learning center.... didn't have time so I've switched my topic probably 5 times. I've finally just given up and stuck with one. Surprisingly when I spent 5 hours in the library, I found a few books that had quite a bit of information in it. I was hoping to find more periodicals and journals, but found none. Internet had A LOT of reliable sources, but since we were only allowed one, that was a bummer. The first two hours at the library I couldn't find ANYTHING. But ended up actually reading and reading and then getting into stuff, which surprises me because I'm not a big fan of reading what so ever, and can hardly concentrate if I'm not in bed. Therefore, research papers take time!! 5-7 pages really sounds a lot to me now, but I think once I find more and more information, it'll really seem like nothing and I'll probably end up writing too much. One thing I do struggle with is blabbing on too much... it's either that, or TRYING to blabble on so I can add more to my reearch paper, which in the end isn't good at all. Let's hope this paper goes well!

Blog 6

The research paper we are working on in class is by far the hardest paper I’ve ever done in my life! All the readings and lectures have been really helping me to understand what a research paper really is. In my speech class we had a speech that we needed to cite sources for and the only way I knew how to look up information was to Google it. Once I found out that we need to use credible sources and how to access them it really calmed my nerves and taught me something that I know I’m going to need to know through out my college days.
Then the problem of how to cite a source properly came up! I thought that I could just use the computer and plug in the information and it would spit out the work cited page for me. I tried that to see if it actually worked and cited the source the way that is required and surprise surprise it didn’t do it right just like I was suspecting, but using the pocket manual and doing it by hand did and I cited all my sources except for one which I’m unsure of how to cite. To me that is a real accomplishment because I really thought that learning how to do this right was near to impossible for me. I guess anything is possible if you work hard and try, so if I can do it so can anyone else.

Blog 5

For our next Argument Essay, I feel it's going to be kind of tough. The topic I picked is about tanning, being against using tanning beds because of all the risks it brings to your health and body. I hope I can find enough information to make this essay work because I think it could really change people's minds about tanning.

Our last essay though, the classification one, I loved! I thought it was so fun writing this essay. Even thought i'm not completly done with the final draft I feel that I am writing it alot better than any other essay I have written. So hopefully for this next essay will be as good as the classification!

Blog 5

I am not looking forward to this argument paper very much. I'm sure it won't be hard to write the five pages we need to but it's not that that I don't look forward to, it's all the note taking and finding sources and all that stuff that I don't like doing. I know we have to but it is just extra stuff that takes time.

Another thing I wanted to discuss was the workshop days. I thought the new way we did workshops work much more effectively than the old way. With only two people in a group it goes a lot smoother and a lot more can be done in less time. When it was four people in a group not even everyone got involved and it was such a hurry to get done. I also like how we actually had a worksheet to answer questions on so we knew pretty much exactly what we were looking for.

Blog 5

Who likes argument papers? I am so nervous that I am not going to finish on time, or it will not be a good paper. I know in class Jennifer has said not to worry so much about not finishing but the worry is always still there. It is so hard to think that in a few weeks we will be cramming to write a 7 page paper while still finishing every other classes homework. The hardest thing about the whole paper is coming up with a good topic to use. I personally did not have a topic until yesterdays class and had thought about it all spring break. I hope now that the topic will be a good one and there will be the information out there that I will need to write a well educated paper. I have also been learing a lot in class about different things with writing. I never in my right mind thought that there would be so many things having to do with writing a good paper. Like falacies, how many different ones there are. I just thought you could be biased about something but all of those falacies. That just blows my mind. I am really hoping in the end that I have a good argument in my paper and I am not too biased and use these falacies to give people the wrong impression of my paper.

Blog 5.

Argument papers, where to start is what I am thinking. This paper is going to be one of the hardest papers I think. I need to have a good topic and the one that i thought I might do I now think that I do not want to do it anymore. I am probably thinking about the topic to much that nothing is coming to mind all though I know there are allot of simple topics that I have in my daily life that I could write about. There is so much that has to go into the paper that it is overwhelming. I feel like I will never be able to get it done although at the same time I know that it will get done. The last time I had to write a paper like this was in high school and that was a few years ago and that one was hard as well. I think out of all the papers that I have had to do in my writing classes this by far is the most scariest paper to write.

Post 5.

So with this new argument paper rollin around the corner, I'm struggling to find a good topic. It may or may not be a good time to stop by the learning center! I thought of that option, or just waiting a bit longer (hopefully it won't be too long to to the point where I'm not procrastinating)until I run into to something, perhaps in the paper/on tv... and that it'll be something I know a lot about and that relates to me in some sort of way. Hmmmmmm... With that being, handing in the last few papers has done me in. I feel I could've done a way better job with a better topic, more time, and extra extra revising. But those are almost always a factor no matter what. I think the RESEARCH for the argument paper will be fun though... it's just the hard part to actually write it. I think my writing will alwayas need hours after hours after MORE hours of time. I've realized how much I've struggled, and I know from previous little hints that I've got something in me to, by golly, pull off a decent paper.

Blog 5

Once again, my other classes are helping me out greatly in our College Writing class. Our next paper, our arguementive essay, is going to be a lot work. It's going to consist of a lot of hard work and a lot of time. This isn't going to be a bad thing in any way, just a challenge. The topic of this essay is very important because it has to be debatable and have enough information to be able to be worked into 5-7 pages. I wanted to come up with a topic that hasn't been overdone and may possibly even be new to some people. This is where my Criminal Justice class comes into play. A fellow classmate of mine was doing a current event story and they were talking about drug testing in schools. I have never heard much about this and thought that it would be very interesting to research it and see what it's all about. I dont really have a side on it yet, but hopefully after a lot of research I'll be able to have a strong opinion on it and be more informed on the subject. It will be interesting to see where this paper goes and what side I decide to argue upon.

Blog5

we are now talking about the argument paper in class. i havent thought that hard about a topic to write about, although i think im probably going to write about school lunches. once i start researching im sure i will be able to find alot about the different sides of what people want from a school lunch, from fast food establishments to the normal school food and how it affects the students, teachers and parents. also im sure there are alot of school that have fast food sites in their schools and have positive and negative results. i am kind of worried about all the MLA stuff we have to work with, only because it will take alot of time and patiences. it also scares me when Jenn says if the works citied page isnt right then the whole paper is bad, although i understand why. however i am glad that we have the rest of the semester to finish this. today in class we talked about the fallacies and did an activity, it was nice to actually learn about it in a fun way instead of only reading about it and hoping it processed. the activity really helped me learn about the different fallacies.

Argument Research

Right now we are talking about the argument research paper in class. On Tuesday we were taking notes on how the paper should be written. Even though this essay follows the same criteria as all the other essays we have written all year long: it must have a clear thesis, body paragraphs to support your thesis, and a conclusion. Although the only difference that is crucial for this essay is to add information that we find in our research to support our opinion as well as the apposing side and cite it correctly. But the only problem I have with this essay is finding a topic that is interesting enough with good information that can be found. Althoug there are a few topics I have in mind which are medical records should they be open to closed adoption children and their new parents, but still keeping the biological parents names a secreat, should the somking ban also include non resturant establishments, military establishments like the VFW and the Legion, and establishments that promote smoking such as JT Cigaros, when soldiers come home from the war do they get adequate mental medical exams before and after they are reintegrated into the community. These are my possible topics to write about, but which one should I choose is still a problem. Besides which topic to choose from that is all we have learned in class this week so far.

Argument and Research Paper/Blog 5

Personally, I am excited to do the argument research paper, because I instantly knew what I was going to do my topic on. I am thrilled that the paper is only five to seven pages long, and the fact that there really is not anything different technically about this paper than any of the other ones that we have already completed. I am excited to learn more about my topic, as I do further research. My topic is about genetically modified organisms also known as genetic engineering. My argument will be on the idea that I do not support the use of this new and high yielding technology. I believe that it is unhealthy for the environment because these genetically modified organisms that man is manipulating, can uncontrollably interbreed and contaminate other non-genetically modified organisms in an unforeseeable future. Their release is considered genetic pollution and cannot be recalled once these new organisms are released into the environment! But, there is another side to this controversy. Farmers who use genetically modified organisms have much higher yield profits now than ever before. Other countries such as southern countries in Africa desperately want to use genetic engineering because of the higher profit and the less attention that is needed for these GMO crops. In my essay I intend to convince my audience that the use of genetically modified organisms is far more harmful and uncontrollable than natural crop production, and that the negative effects of genetic engineering outweigh the so called benefits of GMO production.

Blog 5

I've been thinking a lot now on research paper topics, and I have a few ideas on what to write about. I was thinking I would write about either: should adoption records be open to people over eighteen, and I would research for adoption records in a closed adoption to be open to people after age eighteen; the smoking ban in Fargo; a law for pregnant woman to not smoke when they become pregnant; and the plan b contraceptive. I am still debating on which one to do so after this post I am going to do some research online to see which one would be easiest to find information for. To do this Mrs. Beyer showed us how to go online and look up your topics. I think I would go to proquest and EBSCO to find information.

On Tuesday we also went over notes on the argument paper. Some of the notes we already know how to do are the thesis statement, body of the paper, and the conclusion. There were some notes about the paper that we didn't know and they are going to be a little challenging getting used to and using them in our papers. For example the countering the opposition, Mrs. Beyer explained how to do this by stating what other people are saying about your topic, then explain why they are wrong and restate why your idea is better. I also think the fallacies are a little confusing. Simply because there are so many of them, it is hard to remember all of the things that you are supposed to avoid. I guess if anyone or if I forget what to avoid you can go back and re-read pages 443-449 because our reading for today points out everything that you are supposed to avoid in your paper. For example avoid logical fallacies, ad hominem, false anology, non sequitor, and post-hoc fallacy. Although the research paper looks really challenging, I believe we all are going to do good if we just fallow our guide lines and show up for class.

Blog 5

I am sitting here thinking to myself what can I write about. The thing that comes to my mind is the argument paper that we have to do. I still am not sure what I should write about. There is a couple ideas that I have, like doing the open adaption but I am not sure what to argue about. Another option was doing kid violence on T.V. Then I run into the thing about what do I argue? The point that I am trying to make is if anybody has any ideas for me I would love to hear them. Well maybe I should just stop stressing over it and something will come to me I hope.

4

As I was thinking of an argumentative topic for the next research paper due, I came up with lots of ideas. The first one that came to my mind was whether or not Guantanimo Bay Cuba's Navel base should be closed. I of course would argue that its wise to keep it open. Where else is a better place to keep alquida prisoners? Cuba is the perfect place! With the Carribean sea all around the island it is impossible for escapies ( if they can climb 30 foot barbed wire) to leave sucessfully. Even if the prisoners do escape they would have to swim over 40 miles to haitii or florida (they would never get past the aquatic life). What is the government thinking when they want to close such a cool place? The Navel base is only like 11 miles if that, but communist Cuba ( outside the base ) is much more dangerous! No prisoner could leave the base by foot without first being blown up by land mines. Besides the prison camp, Guantanimo bay has Tons of things to do if you enjoy the water. As a 4th grader I could rollerblade in any direction for 4 miles and hit up any of the 10 public beaches. Each beach was diffrent, my favorite one was called hidden beach. When my sisters and I swam out past the rocks and tide on either side of us were caves filled with underwater entertainment! multiple eels of diffrent colors, 4ft groupers, sand- dollars, baby hammer heads, manta rays. The tide would bring us in and we could climb up on the caves rocks, the reflective lights were always wavering and we could watch as the bigger nursing sharks moved in(: Guantanimo also had a freshwater river on the Westward side where not even 10 years previous Giant Alligators resided. On weekends my dad would take us skiiing all day in the colder parts of the ocean. I can vivedly remember learning to get up really fast because I was questioning the fins popping up right along side me! Mostly these were just dolphins but I never knew better. Oh how I miss these days! I Hope the base never closes!

3

All day I have been reading over boring miserable chapters of stuff i dont really want to know about. Is a nursing degree really want I want to aquire? I am often puzzled by people who continue to go to school for years long after taking their required generals.Why did they never figure out in school that they wouldnt like the job they went to the first 3 years of hell for? What happened? Does a person just wake up one day and decide that they dont want to become a pschologist right before they get their degree? I have talked to lots of people who dont have the answers to my questions; but they do have stories of how they changed majors after first spending thousands of dollars ,only to realize that what they are going to school for isnt the job they can see doing forever. I love to do so many things that i cant imagine only doing one thing the rest of my life. Right now i cant see myself waking up with a smile to go to a hospital everyday from 8-5. I can always change my major but then the classes i have already taken would be in vain . I was offered a scholarship to play my trumpet, it sounded like a great idea to me! however my parents wouldnt agree to help pay for tuition. Being a professional trumpet player is a "job that doesnt exist". All of my teachers have always said do somthing that you will love, not somthing that makes good money. I liked Anatomy and physiology in highschool so I thought taking nursing classes wouldnt be so bad. Highschool and college classes are much diffrent, so how is a highschool student suppose to know what college classes to sign up for?I am probly not the only one who is confused, but I want to talk to someone who knew from the beginning that they were destined for a specific job!

blog 2

Reading Bill bryson's book has brought attention to many pet peeves that most americans have always overlooked. Bill being a stranger to america after being gone for twenty years,means he noticed alot bigger change than those who remained here. bryson brings in many hillarious perspectives from pestering sales men to aisles of tempting junk food. Many americans feel they are overweight , they also wonder why they are wallowing in debt. Some ideas he brings up are logical like how obesity is linked to all the junk food we consume, in the end he wanted crispbread and celery! Does getting out side of the U.S for a couple years make you appreciate everything it has to offer? Yes ! I remember when i lived overseas in Guantanimo Bay Cuba there was no fast food, least to say there was only one place on base where you could get your groceries. After i lived in cuba for four years moving even to a rural minnesota town with a couple fast food places was a change. I do agree with byson that is america is the home of junk food, its so cheap and easy to buy. This must mean that by far we have more than enough food here to support our well being, but is it really well being if the quality is non nutritious? I dont think so. He talks of other countries being more fit eating a diet consisting of things other than little debbies and Mc donalds. As for the pestering sales men, i guess they reside all over the world.

post 1

lets all face the fact that its very difficult to grow up in the world we live in today. There is so much that can go wrong when you can be doing everything right. People take life for granted. Every day that that people can live and walk and talk without illness or disease is a blessing. Last november 3rd i was the backseat passenger in a very significant car accident that almost took my life. I did everything right that day, except for one thing. I didnt listen to my conscious. My oldest sister met this guy at the Old Broadway the night previous, he was her sober ride. That cold day November 3rd, i knew as i got in the backseat of his mustang saleen i was doing somthing risky. He was suppose to bring us to the movie store on 45th. He started getting pulled over for speeding, i told him to stop. What makes people think they can resist authority like this? He ran 5 stop lights before we crashed knocking down the lights on main st and 25th st. i almost died from this highspeed crash. I know i made this choice to be in that car. When we knocked down those lights a girl was crushed in her car by the lights he had knocked over. What had this girl done wrong? nothing, she had done nothing but yet she was almost killed. This is just my personal example of growing up in the dangers of a very corrupt, demented world. possible essay topic? perhaps i could write about how making right decisions only weeds out deadly situations, because it doesnt stop them completley

Blog Four

I just have to say that I agree with everyone else about the Bryson essay's, I tink there hillarious! :) I really feel that I agree with everything that he's talking about in his essay's, I love how he has personal stories for every essay. I also thought that our comparison essay was actually pretty fun! I really enjoyed writing about something that I knew about and that caught my interest. When I first started writing my classification essay though, I had a hard time coming up with ideas on what to write about. Now that i've been writing more and more though I feel like I can't stop writing, so hopefully this will turn out to be a good essay! :)

Blog 4

Ladies and Gentlemen, spring break is near! Finally!! It should have been here this week, but nope, had to wait a week longer. Anyways, I just find it fascinating how College Writing and Public Speaking are so closely related. I guess one reason for that is because both classes require you to do research on a topic, and both classes require you to use the school's library for most of the research. Not only that, but both classes talk about similar subjects too. If you think about it, college writing is public speaking without actually getting up in front of the class and giving a speech. Both require you to do research, write it down, and present it. It's just that one is presented orally, and one is written. Maybe the two classes should be combined into one! That could be a good speech/essay paper topic: why speech and college writing should be one class. You all can go ahead and steal my topic if you like, it's ok with me!

Blog4

I am having a tough time of trying to think of a topic for a classification essay. I have been thinking it over between a few topics and either one doesn't sound right or I believe there won't be enough to write about. Also this paper being do, wow it just keeps stacking up on me and never seems to end. Its feeling like the first week of condition for football, I mean it never seems to end and tires you out. I just can't wait to be done with this week and hopefully just relax and have some time to hang out with friends and not worry about anything I have for homework.

Essay

When I heard about having to do a classification essay; I was what you would call "a nervous wreck." The class went over on how to do a classification essay most of last week, but sadly I do not recall much on it. My ideas for a topic would be on customers at Papa Murphy's and/or the various people who I hang out with, but I don't think that this will work. I'm trying to figure out how to come up with a better idea for my essay right and I only hope that I can find one in time. The reason is that today in class I discovered that our rough drafts are due Thursday of this week, which gave me a heart attack and a hammer to the head. I can only try to work on this assignment the best I can and nothing more and I hope it goes well.

Essays

During this class, I have learned that papers and essays are extremely important to get what you think, or feel across to people. I have come to realize that I have issues coming up with topics for the essays. I read the chapters and it sometimes helps, but its frustrating. I am a very talkative person, even if in class i dont, and its hard for me just to decide "that is the essay I am going to write." I guess that is something that happens. However, reading the Bryson essays, I become a little relieved because they seem to some how make it easy.
How any one could make household objects, such as garbage disposals, seem interesting is beyond me. But that is what makes them so much more interesting. It takes random objects, and other inadiment objects into something interesting or something to think about. Often when I've been out shopping for groceries, I have recently started thinking about how they would sound in the garbage disposal. (Even though I will probably not ever try), it is something that never crossed my mind and now has been constantly crossing it. I find it quite interesting, odd, but interesting.
I was also thinking of the classification essays. Trying to come up with something to write about, that will be interesting, and not over used. Something will show up. And thinking of the argument essay coming up, well its interesting. It will all fall into place.

Blog 4

When we were first assigned to write a classification essay I was very nervous to say the least. I had no clue what I was going to classify, and it was hard for me to even understand what a classification essay was. Even after reading the chapter on classification essays I was still lost, but after one of our classes it was a lot clearer for me what it was I was supposed to do. The ideas that were given by the teacher made me think a little bit more on what my topic could be. I had already had in mind doing the essay on different types of drivers, but I started to think about all the other things I could classify. When one of the options that was brought up was “boys and their toys” I thought I would maybe have fun classifying my son Gabriels toys, but when I went home and looked at the two fifty gallon totes and all the other toys he has I decided that there would be to may categories for me to write a three page paper and he would defiantly have to have a “other” category; which is not acceptable for this paper. There were a few other things I thought of categorizing but in the end I decided to stick with classifying drivers because I came up with some fun witty names for the categories and that was one of the things the teacher asked for. The names of my categories or the classes are “the holy mollies” “the pokies” and “the Maniacs”. My son was my inspiration for calling one of the classes the maniacs because that’s what he calls some of the drivers that we encounter when we go somewhere together.

Blog 4!

About a month ago, I began my business as an independent beauty consultant for Mary Kay cosmetics. I've realized that while running a business--which is harder than I thought as a 19 year old--and going to school, AND working at the Sunmart Deli, it's hard to balance my life out!! School has ALWAYS been my #1 priority. I think teens these days are working too much. My mom insisted that I spend my college career without a job at all! I spent only a half semester in the freshman dorms. I absolutely, without a doubt, hated it! So I moved out with my brother and his girlfriend to a place just off campus. I began to look for jobs and my mom still insisted that I just take out a loan and live off THAT my college career... then when I graduate, I'll get a great job in a Hospital somewhere and THEN start earning the big bucks to pay off all my school debt! But I got a job instead. What if I ended up not having a job? Would I have a better GPA? Maybe my mom's right! Even though I earn twice as much money per month than I EVER have... I still wonder how much better my grades would be if I didn't have OTHER priorities. And what about everybody else? Would they feel less stressed and more confident in school if they didn't have a job?!


I don't think I have yet to find a GREAT topic about any of the essays we've done. I'm pretty confident I can write a decent paper, but I feel like I spend 1/4 of the time writing it, and 3/4 of the time thinking of a topic! When I begin to write my classification essay, like Jennifer said one day... mine sounded like a comparison essay! It may or may not be a good time to go talk to a tutor in the Learning Center for ideas!!

Blog 4

I have to agree with Tashas Blog 4, i really enjoy readying the bryson essays! they are soo funny and its not really and assignment to read them because they are really enjoyable and practical. He talks about things that people only think of and would really consider writing about them, so when you are reading, you're thinking to yourself "how does he come up with this stuff" and how he puts it into words. I also think that it has help my writing out alot, and i seem to be improving with more i write, i believe it has alot to do with the bryson readings. I am looking forward for more readings and more outragous findings he has to talk about!

Blog 4

When first starting the class I dreaded reading the Bryson essays, but I now love them. I look forward for reading these essays because they are so funny. He has such a fun way to write about the little things in life that we always seem to take for granted. Who would think to take something like your garbage disposal and write a hilarious story about it. These essays have also really help, especially with the classification essays we are to write. It really helps show that you can write classification essays in more than one way. He is such a good writer it is amazing that I have never heard of him before this class.
It is crazy to think that I actually look forward to an assignment in a writing class. I dread writing and everything that has to do with it usually. I have never had the best use of grammar or sentence structure. I have already seen an improvement with my writing and I hope it keeps going in the right direction.

Blog 4

In class we read four Bryson essays that were supposed to give us a better understanding of how to classify items. This is supposed to help us in our classification essay. So we had to read pages seventeen through twenty, 47 through fifty, 59 through 62, and 218 through 221. I thought this was quite helpful. I got to see the different ways you can classify objects and different groups you can use. We were put in groups and our group had one of the four passages called "Well, doctor, I was just trying to lie down..." We had to find a set, scheme and three classes for each scheme. Our group did very well. I think we were the first group done, and this class activity furthered out knowledge on classification. I think that the Bryson essays are a huge help and are entertaining to read. Exspecially with out essay we read the outrageous things people get injured over like sheets, money, and clothes. I thought that this was a great assignment and I think the class gained further knowledge on it, because I know I did.

Workshops

The writing workshops done in class seem like, to me at least, to not help out all that much. It seems like everyone is just doing it because they have to and not to help out the writer. In my group it seems like we are just doing it to get it done and trying to get it done fast. We just seem to come up with about anything to just write down so we get it done with because it seems we are crunched for time. Then I get my paper back from other groups and it seems the same. I feel like the other group just wrote about anything down just to be over with it. I'm not sure what would be a way to fix this but it's just something I noticed. Maybe more time would help but that is pretty hard because class is only so long.

Papers

When I was working on my comparison essay, no matter how difficult it seemed to be once there was finally an idea in my head about what to do it on, the rest fell right into place. It seems like there is so much more to papers when they are first assigned, but when you actually sit down and think about it and let your hands type (or write) and when you are done, just going back and re-reading it. Taking the time to slowly make sure everything fits nicely, and the mistakes are corrected. In other classes I have had to write short essays, or papers, and they seem so hard, but once they are down on paper and ready to be turned in; I sometimes feel that they were almost to easy. With everything that must be put into a paper, they are nowhere near easy. Why does when you are working through things, and they get done it seems that it actually was easy? But when you really think about it, it was honestly hard? It seems to be somewhat of a conundrum to me.
Something else that was kind of on my mind was the fact of participation. Not just in one class have I noticed it, but in all of my classes. It is just the fact of how are you going to get to know people and become comfortable talking to others in the class, if you can not talk during class? Its been on my mind in alot of my classes. I know that I am not a shy, or quiet person, and that it is not as easy for everyone else as it is for me to talk. The way I look at it though, is how am I ever going to be comfortable with talking to my fellow students if no one is willing to talk unless called upon. I just do not understand somethings. Maybe it will come with age.

Class Points

There are sometimes I sit and wonder why people do not like to talk in class. It is not that bad of a thing to do. All that you need to do is talk,or read something so it is really easy. I guess that some people just can't handle talking in front or around people that they do not feel right about,they think that they are going to make fun of them because of something that they say or do. That is not always true,you have to take a risk and do it even if something is not right or if someone does not agree with you.

Third Blog

I found my self struggling at the time of writing my example essay in class with only an hour and twenty minutes on the clock! Even with an outline, I can't just sit there and write. I'm such a perfectionist when it comes to writing that I can't just write a sentence that doesn't flow right and just say "ohh I'll come back to this" and be fine with it. It takes a while to think about it. Writing almost never frustrated me before this!

Third blog

I have noticed over a few days that we have been learning about comparisons and I think that it is really interesting because of all the television commucialsand even the shows it compares them to different objects or other shows. So thats what I think was really interesting in our class this last week.

Blog 3

While sitting in class the other day not realizing that i was supposed to write an essay in class I sort of panicked. I knew what i was going to write about but what I didn't know was that I was going to write it in class and that it was due by the end of class. After missing that tuesday class I missed out on the core of what needed to be done. So as I sat there i did a little research of what i needed to do, and to my amazement i completed the essay just in time. A sigh of relief, and the inevitable fact that i shouldn't miss out on class!

Experiences with group work.

Just the other day we were working in groups for a writing class and the people that were in my group were very helpful and understanding to me because I was not sure how to do the project and they helped me through it. They did not judge me about that I could not do it,but they helped me through it so I understanded it better. I think that is the way group work should always go.

Hobbies Well Missed

I've been thinking a lot lately of how flat this town truly is. I've have been surrounded by lakes and hills my entire life and then I moved to Fargo, the land of flatness. I never realized how much hills and lakes really do mean to me until I spent my first winter here. Snowboarding has been a hobby of mine for a few years now and I can't do that here like I can back home. I can't go ice fishing or play hockey either which makes these dreadful winters seem to last forever! I guess that was just something that has been in the back of my mind for a while now and I figured it was something that I could share with everyone else.

PDA

Today I was sitting in the commons trying to think of something to write about and nothing was coming to mind and then it finally came to me. PDA why do people have to do some of the things they do in front of a lot of people why cant they just wait until they are by themselves where no one sees them. I mean you should have some self respect and some respect for other people. I am not against a peck or anything like that it is mainly the full on getting after it. It is way out of line and you don't wanna look but at the same time you just cant turn away. So I would appreciate if there would be a little less PDA.

Group Work

In todays class we did group work with research. How I can I apply that to other classes? Is in my labs or when we do group work in class I have to make sure to get everyones input as well as mine out for the assignment. The research part of todays assignment I can use in any of my science classes when reports on an element or body part or disease that needs to be defined a little more. The writing portion of todays assingment I can use with the research portion.

Blog Three - Example Essay

When I took Wrting Fundamentals last semester and we had to do this essay I was nervous because I had never done it before. Doing the essay again on Tuesday made me feel more confident and I felt like I wrote my paper better. I thought it was kind of fun doing this essay, and I also liked that we could use our outline to help prepare us.

Blog 3

In class tuesday we had to write an exemplification essay and I thought I was going to struggle. Although when it came to writing the paper, it was rather easy. I thought it was easy because by having a detailed outline, it made it easier to write the paper and my examples and paragraphs were more constructive than they would have been if I didn't use an outline. I thought it was a little difficult not being able to see the other paper that we had wrote to elaborate on and make sure that this paper didn't have the same mistakes, but all in all I thought that the exemplification essay went very well!!

Blog 3

So the example essay we were writing in class on Tuesday, was alittle intimidating to me at first. I wasn't sure if it was going to come out ok, or even get a decent grade. I was very worried about just ramblin' on. But once I got started on the paper, and thought it through, and when I believed I was finished went back and reread. I was able to move paragraphs and sentences around and make it flow alittle better. The more of these essays that we write, I think the easier they will get...Hopefully. So far I have really enjoyed the class. And hope to learn much more before the end of the semester.

Blog 3

I found it very helpful to have an outline ready in class the other day. Usually, when teachers want me to prepare an outline I just think it is a waste of time and not very helpful. But when there is a time limit on how long I have to write a paper the outline was very helpful. I was very surprised at how fast I was able to write three pages without even having to stop and think very often. I usually don't worry about getting papers done very fast because we have about a week to get them done on our own time. I now know that if I am in a hurry to get a paper done I will make sure to have an outline prepared beforehand.

Blog 3

I just got done reading our bryson assignments. i really enjoy reading his book, im always catching myself with a big smile on my face, laughing or nodding my head. it is obvious that he has experienced alot of stuff and like to talk and share it in his book. im sure alot of people can relate their own lives to his and the experiences that he has had.

Example Essay

I really enjoyed doing the example essays! i thought it was alot of fun bc we got to write about something that we enjoyed or caught our eye. also it was a good idea to make an outline for the fact of being perpared to write the paper in class.

Blog 3

Yesterday during class I was happy that I had written an outline before hand so that I was more prepared to write my example essay. The essay I wrote was examples of how customer service workers are treated badly by customers sometimes. Since we were on a time limit using the outline made it so that I knew where I was going with the essay and so that I didn't get lost and waste precious time. Doing this assignment made me realize how important and helpful outlines can be. I also use outlines in my speech class and it is very helpful in that class too.
I have noticed that throughout the chapters that we are assigned to read the author always talks about how we need to think about whom the audience is that is going to read our papers. This is the same thing that we have to do in my speech class. Thinking about the audience makes it so that you know how much detail that you need in a paper or if you can leave something out. I learned in speech that it’s good to do audience analysis so that you know if you need more examples to clarify things for the reader.

Reflecting on last semester to now

Last semester when I took Writing Fundamentals, I felt like I didn't know anything. Throughout the semester though, I starting catching on more and more and was wondering why I had never learned this much in High school. Taking this class now is like a review of last semester. I feel like I know alot more and am confident in writing an essay.

Reflection

I've realized throughout this class that my own ideas and things that we talk about seem to be popping up in my head more and more. I have always been shy and have been really afraid to speak out in front of the class and share MY ideas to everyone else. I took a reading comprehension class, which helped me analyze certain subjects, compare/contrast them, and basically break all of them down to understand it better. Taking THAT, and coming into this class has made me more confident now that we do things such as getting together into groups to talk it over with just two or three people. Other classmates have given me ideas and have had great points. I really appreciated the fact that we had a few opinions on our first paper's rough draft... it helped a lot! I transfered here from NDSU, and love it 10 times better. I feel like I get 10 times more help! =)

reflection

I was thinking about how classes overlap today and came up with a few things. Although we aren't very far along in classes I can already see the similarities in them. I have a public speaking class and I noticed the other day how some of the same termonology is used. Our instructer was talking about delivery and to consider the audience that you have in mind. I had remembered that in our writing class you had said the same thing. If you don't have a certain target audience in mind then you could be preaching to the wrong choir.

Last semester I had noticed the same thing. I was in a philosophy, art, and psychology class. In all of the classes, at some point in time they were talking about the same kinds of things. When I was in art our instucter talked about what your artwork says about your psyche. In philosophy we talked about how psychology tells us what is right, but at the same time things could be much more complex than people think.

School

It's weird how classes can be overlapping. What I mean is that some of the things discussed in one class are heard being discussed in another class. And example is focusing your writing on a certain audience. I heard that same stuff in my Public Speaking class. Same thing with learning how to cite pages when doing research. I heard it last semester in Psych, heard it this semester in both Writing and Public Speaking. Who knew College Writing and Public Speaking could have so much in common!?

Reflection of Class

When starting this semester I came into College Writing empty handed. Writing has never been my strong point so it has proved to be a challenge. I had no idea that there were so many types of writing out there, from process to exemplification. I enjoy writing but it is stressful at times to come up with a good topic to write about and have enough information. The easiest way to come up with a topic is to not think about it so much, and a thought comes to you in your everyday life. I really look forward to learning about better writing techniques and the different types of essays that actually exist.
I also really enjoy reading the Bryson essays, they have the great qualities of writing and I love the humor the puts into his writings. He takes things that we take for granted in our every day lives and writes about them and it really makes you think about things a little more.

Reflection of Class

In our new class I have learned so many new things regarding writing. It is amazing how little I now realize that I knew when it actually came to writing a paper. Our process essay, well I personally found it very difficult to come up with an idea I did not view as being to difficult to write or that wouldn't turn into a 15-20 page paper. I can be quite wordy when i want to be. I have begun to write papers for my other classes and the little work book that was required has actually come in handy.
I have also come to enjoy reading the Bryson essays. They are quite interesting. He seems to know how to entertain the reader and keep thier interests. I hope to gain more from this class in regard to becoming a good writer.

Take a little trip...

Greta created her own blog, so her first few posts are at http://collegewriting1spring2008.blogspot.com/. She's now joining the class blog, but I wanted her other writings to get credit as well. Check it out :)

Reflection

Todays class was about how to write a comparison-contrast paper which was a review for me. Were I have used comparison-contrast is mostly in my psychology classes during an essay formated test or paper. Were I had to explaine two diffrent theorist experiment that proved to do the samething and then explaine the diffrences, similarity, and which one I thought was most logical and could be used. I have always done well with those things because the subject was put in front of me now I am just a little worried that I wont come up with a decent topic to write about.

Reflections

Reflecting back on the first month or so of being in this class I realize that I have already started to learn a lot of new concepts on how to write better. One of the most important things is how to properly write a thesis; which I was not taught in my Writing Fundamentals class last semester. The other day I was looking at my papers that I wrote last semester and I was surprised to find that all of the thesis sentences I wrote began with “ in my opinion” and things to that nature. I think that using different wording makes thesis's better. Another thing that I have in cooperated into my writing is transition phrases, which helps to make the paper not so choppy. I work with transitions in my speech class also so all the things that I learn in class actually help me there too.
Another thing I have learned this semester is that I need to work on my C.S, R.O, and fragment sentences. After Crystal Jensen came in and talked to our class and told us about her tutoring in the learning center. I went and saw her and had her look over my comparison essay and she taught me a trick about commas and that was the FANBOYS trick. We went through my paper and looked at all the errors in it and she explained to me why there was a problem if there was one. After I fixed my paper it was a lot better and I know for sure that I’m going to take time out and go and see her when I need help with my writing. I think that it is great that she tutors for English because it helps a lot.

Wolves in Yellowstone

In environmental science issues class we are currently learning about the time the scientists and conservationists wanted to bring back the wolves to Yellowstone National Park. They found out that the absence of the wolves were causing a poor balance in the ecosystem, for example there were too many elk, deer, and bison. But what I learned is that the people who live in the areas of Yellowstone highly opposed the scientists bringing back the wolves, because they think that wolves are ferocious creatures that kill everything in sight. Society has portrayed wolves as being a terrible species that kill humans and are evil spirited animals. I learned that wolves are actually graceful creatures that are scared of humans presence. The scientists had a very difficult time in bringing back the wolves to Yellowstone, but with determination and perseverance they finally successfully brought back the wolves to the ecosystem of Yellowstone National Park.

Reflecting on the First Paper

From the first day of a new cemester is always the most exciting because of what you will learn and what you are paying to get taught. My first day I had English 1101 I was pretty nervous because through my school years I havent been to good at grammer and writing papers, but as the class continued Ifelt like I was learning more about writing a paper. As the week went on I was hoping that i would do a good job at doing the paper. I should of spent a little more time with the paper but I feel that I will do good with it because i went through an outline stage and I believe I put everything into the paper. So I thought I should write about the previous paper because it's how I felt doing the paper.

Workshop

I thought that the workshop we did was a little bit hard. It was because we had a small amount of time to read and critique three to four papers. What took up the most time was people were, I think, confused with the assignment, and the papers needed alot of help and corrections. I dont feal like my critique on my paper was helpful. I dont feal I got a lot of constuctive critism and the critism I did get, didnt have a purpose I felt. Hopefully next workshop it will run smoother and the papers will be critiqued harder.

A Reflection on a Short Amount of Time

I feel like this class is really paying off for me. Even though we have only written one paper, I feel like I did a much better job than I have in the past. Writing has always come easy to me, but this class is challenging me to go beyond that and push myself harder. At times, I don't like the thought of this, but after reading my final paper, I was quite pleased. I recently had to write a paper for one of my other classes and even though we haven't done to much actual writing, I feel like my paper was a lot better from being in this class than it could have been if I wasn't. The group work didn't really effect me to much because I didn't have to many comments, but then again, that could be a good thing. I guess we'll find out when I get my paper back!

People trying to Drive in Snowstorms

Last night on interstate going into North Dakota, way home from a friends house I could see all these lights. As I got closer I could see a crumpled up car which use to be a size of a box and now it is the size of salt cube. It had spun out and came infront of a semi-truck. The person was air-lifted to the hospital. I was wondering to my self why do people drive so crazy once the snow hits the ground. You see all of there pick-ups and suv's driving like they own the road and dirving fifty mile per hour when its twenty-five. Also talking on the cell phone while the raods are this bad, come on use common sense you not only putting you life indanger, but everybody else around you. People need to learn how to dive smart and retake driversed or there should be cameras in your car to observe you driving. I just don't want to die at the cost of someones studpity. A persons life is worth a lot more than the one you are talking to on the cell phone tell them to hang up and drive and call you when they are back at their desanation.

What happened to the younger Generation

Like Nicole said about the Valentines how her kids didn't take the time to look at all the cards. I remember back when I was in around third grade where we would make these really big boxes of things like computers, the heart box, and all the other neat things. Even with like Halloween we used to put on our costume's and we would walk around the school after lunch in our lines and walk through the older kids classrooms. That was the best thing ever, when i graduated last year they didn't even walk through the school. And the High schoolers watch out for them they are way to cool to dress up for Halloween. I just don't understand what happened to our younger generation.

Valentines Day

Last night I was sitting with my boys on the floor helping them with thier valentines for school. It was fun to see my first grader writing all the names on the different cards and watching trying to spell everyones name right. He was excited to give one to all of his teachers also. My preschooler was making his also, I would write his name on them and he would fold them. I realized that when I was younger that the valentines came with little envelopes and they don't anymore or at least of what I can tell. I was thinking about how much fun I had when I would do them for my class and how I would sit and read all of them and give the speacial cards to that boy I liked. Also I would give my best friends they best card and the people that I didnt like so much I would make sure i wouldnt give them the ones that said "Be Mine' or they might think I like them. My first grader didnt even do that he just signed them, folded them, and gave them a sucker and that was it. So maby its just a girl thing to pick out certain cards to give to that certain someone. Anyway it will be a great and fun day for my son's they get to have a party and eat candy all day!!

Class

I thought the group work we did helped out a little bit. I personally like to work more by myself but some of the advice I received did help. One thing I found difficult about the group work was that I didn't know much about the topics others wrote about, so it was hard to know if the info was in correct order and stuff. I also felt pretty rushed when we were correcting, like we could've used a bit more time.

Blog Two

This week has been uneventful. Monday was a day for relaxing because of President's Day. With this day off from college; I decided to do some, well deserved, sleep. On Tuesday I had to prepare for English 1101. The assignment that was given out for this day, was to write a two to three page essay. I couldn't meet that requirement because of my small hand writing, but I though what I had written down was good enough.

Wednesday was just one of those days were you think things will go right, but they dont. It started off in my Math 1020 course which are instructor gave us two assignments due for Monday. They're both reading assignments that we got to read and work on the questions that are given. Thursday was really nothing special except for the group assignment. Each group needed to find four college internet sites and needed to go over the three Bryson essays to do some comparisons.

Firday has been eventful for the most part. I got into a near miss collision thanks to the icy roads. It freaked me out becuase of how much space was between me and the other vehicle. There was no space between us it was a hair or two at the most. I could turn this into a essay topic about icy roads and about their effects to the world around them, but I'm glad that I didn't crash because I just got my car back.

Class Feedback

I found it very helpfull on my essay to here what other people thought of my essay, and give ideas on how to improve it.

Classes working together

I am currently taking college writing, pub speaking, com tech, and sociology. College writing doesnt really play into any of the other classses but pub speaking. They work almost hand in hand. Many of the chapters I have read in both classes talk about lots of the same things. One big one is narrowing topics and making them small enough to fit into a speech or into an essay, and making sure not to ramble on away from the topic or thesis. We make outlines in both classes the same way. Thesis statements along with introduction and closing paragraphs are used almost daily in both classes as well. Its almost like im speeking or presenting an essay in one class and writitng an essay in another.

topic into a paper

I was siting around talking to one of my friends the other day about the possesions that we want someday. Later on it got me thinking about how long it would realisticly take me to get something like that. I came to the conclussion that I probably won't be getting anything nice like that for a good 5 years. It really sucks the more I think about the time its going to take to get what I want out of life. Some people call our generation the "now" generation. The reason for that is pretty clear, we want our stuff now plain and simple. Everyday I think, maybe I can hit the jackpot on the lottery and then not have to worry about anything the rest of my life. Problem is that I don't play the lottery, so you can see my problem. Even if I were to graduate in two years, it would still probably take me another 3 years to get to the point where im happy with the money im making. And I think if I held the same job for that long I would rip my hair out.

This subject could be made into a paper very easily. I could talk about how society is more interested in instant gradification more than the old fashion way of hard work. I wonder if this feeling is going to progress over time to the point of no return. Then the day will come when we will be a bunch of unmotivated creepers playing the lottery with high hopes.

Sometimes when I sit by myself I think alot about love and basically life once I'm all done with school and have started my career. I think about having a family, when I will get married, all these certain things. But theres one thing that really gets to me when I think about it all.... and that is the fact that everyone now days gets married and then divorced, or their having kids by themselves and those kids never get to see their father and/or mother. Look at what is happening to those kids, that single parent, everything. These kids grow up, they see it all, and most of all they miss out on something that they should have had to begin with. I am not saying by any means that it's the parents fault that it happens because I understand somethings just don't work out, but I am just saying all of this since I have a nephew who doesn't know his dad. It is sad watching him grow up and him thinking that every black man, or a Wal-mart greeter even is his dad. And especially explaining to him, or lying to him about it because my sister doesn't want him to know his dad.

Another thing that really bothers me with that topic is the fact that most people are so afraid to get married because that word MONEY comes up, and their main focus turns to "What if we get a divorce?"...look at all the time, money, and effort we'll have to go through. It's like love is love, you be with eachother to be with eachother, to love one another, not to worry about something that shouldn't even happen to begin with especially if you love one another, divorce shouldn't come up, but now days it's either don't get married or get divorced. And it scares me because being married and having that huge wedding is what I loved, and always dreamed about.

Just scares me to death because I look back and look at what I was raised looking at and love was everything. Love was going to war, sending letters everywhere, getting married young, doing everything and anything with one another, and still being together and sharing that same love/bond that every single married couple should. The years basically add up and they're still the same happy ones that they were to begin with, if not better. But I suppose times have changed, so I guess that leaves people to change. Just wish you'd see more people getting married, being in love, and having that family that all kids and people in general deserve. Not a single parent having to take on the big tasks behind being that parent, even though having a child is a blessing to most. I give alot of credit for the single moms especially, they deserve it all.

Just makes me ponder alot of stuff that has changed from my grandparents time, to my parents time, to now me and my friends, the most recent time. How time and money has taken over everything now vs. how it was then.

But, I guess I will get over it someday, and who knows maybe I will be the first within my siblings to get married since my brother is 34 and isn't yet, and same with my sister who is 31. It is a "little girl's dream".... to have that perfect wedding, and her perfect "Ken" doll.

Essay ideas

I have been trying to come up with ideas or essays, and I have come up with this. Why do people like comidians that are loud and obnoxiouse, and thats their only bit. They only yell and scream and make goofy assed noises but are basicly talking about the same things a normal person would discuss in daily life. I believe that this could become an essay by talking about the reasons go to comidians and discuss why people would like an act like that.

Topic Ideas

So I am trying to think of something that has happened that has caught my eye to write about as a possible essay and there is one thing I can think of how people park there cars. Everyday I come to school and think that there is an open spot, so as I attempt to go into the parking spot I realize that one of the cars are crooked. One day I had gotten some lunch and was eating it in my car before class and I was watching people drive by and had noticed that there was this one spot that everyone taped on the brakes for and then realized that it was not a spot that it was the bullivard. Well shortly after a few cars had passed someone drove in and parked in that spot. Yes, I know that it is winter and you can not always see the yellow lines but I think everyone should have enough curtisy to part straight. I think that this could turn into an essay just on opinions and I think that there are alot of people who would agree.

Essay Tpoics

I recently had a run in with the Flu today. Its been a while since I had it, but I still remember how to make it less painful. You first need to start out with a hot bath, even though some people say it makes it worst. It sometimes helps if its a certain kind of Flu, and if you start feeling worse then what you did before get out fast.
You will also need to get some pop such as Pepsi, Sprite, or 7 Up to help your stomach relax a bit. What the pop does is that once it looses its fizz it becomes something like stomach tonic that eases the pain. What you should normally do is stay in a ball postion for a couple of hours so that you can shape your stomach to keep the pain in check. However this is not a sure fire way to ease the pain, but it does for a short period of time. Then the pain comes back hard if you leave the position too early, so I reccomend staying in the position till you start to fill pain again.
There really isn't any sure fire way to get rid of the Flu, but you can prevent from getting it by: washing your hands after every bathroom break; eat a well balanced diet and try to stay away from the junk food; last is to always make sure that your not next to someone who does have it.
I know this topic is gross and no one wants to hear it, but a few people might want to. So always pay attention to the smaller group of people.

Rude People

I work at Sunmart so I see tons of people throughout a day, working at the service counter or as a cashier. But everyday I work if someone comes through my line or up to the servive counter, I always say Hi, and 20% of people say something back. It just irrates me that people are so rude. I mean what is this world coming to? People can't even be nice to eachother without knowing one another? Normally when people don't say anything back they atleast smile, but I barely get that. I just don't see how you could take time out of your day to be nice to someone you don't even know, and then have them not even have enough common courtesy to be nice back.

Essay topic.

As i was playing my weekly monday night basketball last night, I started to realize my teammates' jumpshots. Their form was terrible, and their percentage of shots they made was not good! Today during class while trying to come up with a topic, the topic came to me quickly as i was thinking about basketball last night.

Britney Spears

Why is it in this culture that when a celebrity like Britney Spears is going through a rough time gets all the glory she wants. I just don't get why when something isn't handed to them on a golden platter that they just collapse. In my opinion its not worth my time to listen to some actress who is having a mid life crisis. Most people go through them so what is the big deal. I don't know if she could handle just having to live a normal life, I think she is just putting on a good act for the people who actually care about poor Britney. So I would personally like to just forget about Britney and let her do whatever is going on in her sick mind.

You could take this and put it into an essay by giving an informative essay or something. You could start off by giving people information on how not to let fame get in the way of you enjoying life, or how to relax and just have some time to yourself or with family and friends.

possible topic essays

I have been thinking long and hard about a topic essay and the only thing i can come up with is how to make brownies. I am struggling a little bit on this one but hopefully is this topic doesnt work for me i will find one that will. i dont know if we are supposed to write about paying attention to the world around me but if we do have to, i would say that possible essays for later on is why do people overdose and what are some limitations do prescriptions have.. Looking at what might have killed heath ledger i find that there should be more restrictions on prescription medication so people dont overdose.

Possible Essay Topics

Coming up with your own essay topics isn't as easy as one might think, especially a process essay. After sitting in my criminal justice class and listening to how our criminal justice system works, I began to come up with a few different ideas with that alone. Our system doesn't work in a very good way and an essay on how to change it or do it differently might be an option. A comparative essay on how our justice system works compared to another country's is another option. Just a few ideas I had.

Possible Process Essay

Ive been thinking alot on what to write about in my process essay, but its been realy hard. I never have a good idea's. I did come up with a few. I thought maby I could write about Scrapbooking, finding a good daycare, or how to make a paper machae pinata. So I am hopping that this will help me narrow it down.

Process Essay Idea

Saturday I was cleaning out my fish tank and had remebered an african cichlid and a bumblebee cichlid that I use to have that had died. They died one day when I cleaned their tank and changed their water. They were a little over a year old and were the only 2 cichlids I could have in the same tank that wouldnt kill and eat each other. The bumblebee was really cool he was bright yellow and would change completely dark when he got aggressive. I was told because I didnt let the water "saturate" after I cleaned it could be why they died.
Then I was thinking and decieded to do my process essay on how to properly set up an aqarium. For those that are new at it, or others that are changing their tank and dont want their old fish to die.

The only possible topic I can think of would be back in 2005. I had recently bought a modified top for my PlayStation 2. It wasn't all what it looked like over the site, but at least it had the feature I needed to get my plan in motion. The PlayStation model I owned was a Version 7 out of 10, old model types or the models with built in fans, so it had 8 screws before it could be opened.
I began on working to unscrew the top off of my PlayStation 2. The inside of it was just disgusting. There was so much dust and other particles inside it that I had to wait to modify my PS2 because I had to clean it, for about 30 minutes.
I was happy to get that part done, it made me feel like I actually accomplished something. Then, after the cleaning, I started to work on doing the delicate task of removing top off from the bottom half. People think that all the stuff is going to be on the bottom of the PS2, but I learned to be cautious, with any thing electronic.
Once all the delicate stuff was done, I put back together every piece of the PS2 and started to play it. The only thing different about it now is that it has a pop up top and now it has the capabilities to play imported Japanese game titles.

Essay Assignment

Sometimes I wonder how some of the people out on the road are allowed to drive. Usually I find it is the elderly causing the most problems by driving ten to fifteen miles per hour below the speed limit. This leads me to thinking, should you be required to pass a test just once for your licence or should you have take a test every 10 years or so? Just because you pass a test once when you are a teenager doesn't mean you are capable of driving 50 years later.

Another thing that I don't understand is how rude some people are. I personally work retail and sometimes I watch people knock something to the floor, look at it, then decide to just leave it there. Is it honestly going to be too much work to bend over and pick something up? I just don't understand what would make that person not pick up what they knocked down.

Possible Essays

The other day as I was leisurely driving home, I was passed by a car that had to have been doing close to 75-80 mph (guesstimate) in a 55 mph zone. That got me thinking about the possibilities of why that person needed to drive that fast. Do they just like to drive irresponsibly? Do they think they have to pass every car on the road? I would think there would be a good essay to come out this type of thinking. Something along the lines of, "Speeding because...(you fill in the blank)." Then I was sitting in my sociology class last week, and we began watching a movie about the desert and how parts of it are urbanized and how others aren't. But the filmmakers were playing it off with a movie that the people who lived in the un-urbanized area were oblivious to the rest of the world. That no one else was around but them. How do filmmakers get away with doing these types of documentaries? Couldn't they be sued for falsely advertising or libel or something?
I thought of one completely random topic that quite possibly is far fetched but also interesting at the same time. A group of friends and I had gone to the Rock-n-Bowl thing through the school last Thursday. I am an energetic person, and no matter how badly I was bowling, I still was enjoying myself and bouncing off the walls. I had one of the girls say " I was just like the energizer bunny" because of that energy that I had. It got me started on a thinking of what would happen if people were like the real energizer bunny on TV. It was a very random thought but it would possibly be quite the essay to read, no matter how made up it would be.

Essay Ideas.

So I think it was Saturday and/or Sunday that the weather was really nice... the sun was beating down and there was absolutely no wind at all. Perfect. As I was working and people came in the grocery store, I happened to notice how much happier people were than any other normal crappy weather days. It just automatically made my day happier too. As outdoor UV rays can make people happy, so can tanning beds. But people don't realize how bad tanning beds really are. It's basically killing a layer of your skin, so that it won't revitalize itself anymore. People can develop life threatening cancers because of it.

Not too long ago, in north fargo about 5 blocks from my place, a suspect hid in a man's garage one morning and waited until he left for work. The suspect snuck up to him, yelled at him to hand over his wallet or he would pepper spray him. His wife came out behind the man and they both ran away from the suspect. Apparently the suspect was scared off and fled the scene in his green pickup, ancy to run from the cops. What would that situation have been like if he gave him the wallet? If he hadn't even noticed the suspect as he was talking on a cell phone and been kidnapped? What if he had a weapon hidden, and just didn't use it? He probably didn't realize how lucky he was. This brings me back to Dru Schoden (sp?) when she was kidnapped from the Mall in grand forks, talking on her cell phone hardly realizing what was going on. People just need to be aware of their surroundings. What would things be like if she HADN'T been talking on her cell phone? Would she still be alive? If you're waking home from class in the dark, I suggest paying attention. Things will pop up the second you don't realize it. So don't risk it.

I recently volunteered at Rosewood on Broadway Nursing home. I played bingo with the residents, listened to their stories, and helped them get from floor to floor. It's amazing to hear the stories and history they tell. Especially a unique 102 year old man named Bill. He told me stories about his life and his passion for horse carriages. It's amazing how times have changed... he said time seemed to fly so fast, and soon all the prices were going up. It was hard to even afford things. He couldn't believe how expensive gas was... and several other things that used to be cheap. My thought: eventually, college tuition even might get so high, that people will have to either fork out an arm and a leg, or just not go to college at all. Why is it so expensive anyway?.... Once again, times have definitely changed. Everyone would love to live to be over a 100. So I asked him what the key is to live to 102, and he said "Happiness!"

My past week

Hi I have had a lot of stuff on my mind. This last week I have been in the hospital hoping that my father would get better. He had surgery on Friday and he was sent home after three days he was rushed to the hospital in Fargo because his leg was swollen. And it the little town my parents live in the hospital can't do to much because it don't have all the materials and plus I think there are better doctors in Fargo/Moorhead area that deals with this kind of stuff.

After the doctors did tests, they went up to his room and told us that he had a blood clot that was from his groin to his ankle. My family was told it was only in one leg but after my father was in the hospital we seen that his other leg was getting swollen so we told the doctors that we wanted to know what was going on with his leg. The doctor said that they couldn't do anymore it just has to take its course. Now thats where we are right know waiting for him to get better and hoping he will be able to go home pretty soon.

The Weather

Tonight I was thinking about the weather and how nice it was today. It was only thirty-seven degrees outside, but that's still pretty cold if you think about it. I saw so many people running around with sweatshirts and no stocking hats, it's not like it's in the sixties. I mean when we are use to the weather being around seventy to eighty degrees, thirty-seven degrees is freezing. Its just crazy how our bodies' adapt. I am not complaining that it's cold in Minnesota. I love the weather in this state and I could spend the rest of my life here.

Essay Topics

There has been a lot on my mind this past week, much of it being from work. I have a 16 year old that I work with that is jealous of the relationship that I have with a few of the kids(I work at a childcare center). I cannot help two of these kids are drawn to me, especially since they do not have a good motherly figure in their lives. Why is it that certain children are drawn to certain people? Are there certain characteristics that children look for in a person? I have a really hard time with someone is jealous because of something I have no control over and I feel bad for these kids that I speak of.
Another topic that I could touch on is why aren't people just happy with the way they are? I know we all change our hair and dress certain ways but that isn't the issue. Why is it that when you talk to a female that is the size of a twig, they aren't happy. You talk to a larger female and they aren't happy. I know we should all strive to be healthy and fit, but you can be larger and still be healthy. No one is ever happy with they way they are, can't we just be ourselves and quit striving to be something we are not? What has possessed our nation to be this way?
It is amazing how quickly things come to mind when you free write. I drive by a salvaged car lot every day on my way to school, and all I can ever think about is if anyone has ever been killed in those vehicles. Can places like this sell cars like this to anyone on the street to fix up or do whatever they please with them? That is one thing that I would not be able to handle. If the damage is bad why don't they destroy the vehicle, it has obviously already been totalled. I get the chills every time I drive by this place, which is right along the highway. I could go on for hours on how I feel about a few of these things, but I feel I have enough topics for now.

Possible Essay Topic

The other day I was working and an old man came though my line who could not count money he took out a ball of money from his pocket and handed it me and said you count it because I can not count money. What happened if this elderly man runs into a dishonest cashier and he hands him a bunch of money and says you count it I can't and that dishonest cashier takes extra money and pockets the money. The sad thing about that is the old man would not even notice the money missing. Should the elderly be able to shop alone if they can not count money or write there own checks?

Why I believe this would be a good topic to possible write about for an essay is because it is one of the big controversies in today society with the elderly.

Possible Essay Topics

So I'm sitting in one of my classes, and we are having a group discussion. And as this discussion is progressing, I notice how there's a student who has a comment for everything! EVERYTHING! And sometimes the comments make no sense not only to the class but also to the teacher. As this is going on, I got to thinking, why are there those people who need to have a comment for everything? Is it because they think it makes them seem more important or smarter than the rest of the class? Do they comment on everything because they like the sound of their own voice? I just don't get it. Another thing I don't understand is why people, who live in North Dakota/Minnesota, complain about the cold weather? The occasional comment "it sure is cold out today" is fine, but to sit and complain about how cold it is, and it shouldn't even be allowed to be this cold, blah blah blah, I just don't get it. Cold weather happens every year. It happened this year, it happened last year, and I'm willing to bet all of my money that it's going to happen next year. But guess what? No matter how long it lasts, next year at this time, people are going to complain about cold weather. The way I look at it is I'd rather have it really cold than really hot, because when it's cold, you can put on layers of clothes to stay warm. What are you going to do when it's really hot? And you can't say sit inside where it's air conditioned, because you could sit inside during the winter where it's heated. That's all I've got.

Just seeing if I can figure this out...

Hi :)

Essay Assignment

My 15 yr old sister has been home from school with mono for over 2 weeks now, and the doctor said she will need to be home for at least another 6-8 weeks and will have to get a tutor. My thought was how will her grades and standings be affected by her being home for so long and with her having a tutor helping her with her work.

Practice

Hi

Essay Assignment

One day last week, I was in Sun-Mart and there was this mother and her child. I could not help but notice that the girl was acting very naughty and the mother was not doing anything to calm or discipline her. It made me think to myself why is this mother not doing anything? I sat and thought about it for awhile, and then it came to me. The mother could have been scared to do anything. Now a days you cannot even glare at your child, let alone discipline your child in public without people looking at you funny. To me that is very unfair; you should be able to discipline your child without being looked down upon by the general public or worse, getting in trouble with the wrong people. Now a days the parenting world is so hard. You want to raise your children right, but how can you do that with people judging you on how to parent?

Hello My name is Amy

I am just trying the blog out, I hope that I am doing it right it is my first time,doing something like this.

Hey

Just trying it out

Possible essay topics

Rebekah Ronningen
English 1101-03
Possible essay topics

Being a responsible pet owner- In sociology we were talking about walking a dog and how a person needs to clean up after their dog, and that made me think that that would be a good essay topic. In the essay a person would talk about all the things that come along with being a responsible pet owner and all the thing a person should not do when owning a pet.

Children with divorced/single parents- My son goes away every other weekend with his dad and last Friday when his dad came to pick him up he was sad to leave me but happy to see his dad, it made me feel bad for him because he seemed to be torn between us. I think that would be a good essay topic and a person could talk about how children are affected by having two separate homes.

Process of making a hula-hoop- My sister decided to make her own hula-hoop and some for her kids and my son this weekend and it got me thinking that would be a good process essay, a person could write about the materials needed and how to make them. Another thing that could be in the essay is the fact that the bigger you are the bigger the hula-hoop you need in order to actually do it, and about the exercise you can get from hula-hooping.

Just testing

Hi everyone, just seeing if I could figure out how to blog. I guess its not as hard as I thought. See everyone in class

Trying out the new blog

Just getting a feal for this new blog.

23 below on a Saturday night????

Hey group!
Just trying out my skills on this whole blogging thing. So my name is Ryan, I'm in my final semester at MSCTC and I'm in the Finance and Credit program. And according to wday.com, it was 23 below zero last night, which I believe to be true as I was out and about! Well, that's all folks.

Test.

"Testing: one, two, three." "I'm not sure if the Microphone is on, can I get a new one?"

First blog for me as well

Just trying out this web logging deal.

This is my test page

Introduction

Hey everyone,
I just wanted to make sure I had gotten everything set up right. I also wanted to break the ice, sitting in a class full of people and looking around and knowing faces but no names just kinda bothers me.. I'm Amber. I like to meet new people and make new friends.. Laughter is the best medicine, so feel free to laugh at me. Or with me.
*Amber*

Post Numero Uno

I'm a computer geek (hehe), so if anyone needs help, leave a comment and let me know! It's really easy to get the hang of it :)

this wasnt that hard to do, partially because i had this smart kid help me set it up. Blogging will probly be more useful now i know how to.

My first blog

I have blogged before in my First Year Experince class for Sara Frysile.

First Blog

This is my first blog and it was definitely a lot easier than I expected.

Title. Blog 1

Hi world. This is a practice post. edit and I'm done.

Welcome!

This is the course blog for College Writing I. Each student has access to post to this site. So does anyone else in the world: my friends, your parents, a teenager from Istanbul, etc. :)

Let me layout some basic guidelines beyond what I put in the handouts in D2L:

1. When you create your profile or log-in name, please make it something I'll recognize so I can grade accordingly.

2. Keep posts academic in tone and diction. They can be personal but should not be information you would not want to share with the world.

3. See these sources for help on posting, for directions on linking to another page, and tips on editing your posts.

4. Please do not write about other classes/instructors in this blog unless it is relevant to the unit materials and is not personal/rant-ish.

To get started with the blog, look for an email from me with the subject "You have been invited to contribute to J. Beyer's blog." It contains instructions for joining the blog.

Hi!

There is nothing here yet...but there will be soon!