well, as i mentioned in post 5 i was planning on doing more research on my topic to make me more passionate and encouraged to eat healthier and yes i stuck to my word. not only has my findings made me excited about eating healthier but it has taught me an important lesson about goals. no goal can truly be acheived if you dont beleive 100% in what you are striving for. i think the only way to truly beleive is to be knowledgeable and aware of whats at stake.
here is some of the thinks i discovered that have helped me become passionate about eating healthier:
1.eating healthier boosts your immune system, therefore fewer days spend stuck on the couch sick.
2.in some cases you can avoid serious, death threatening illnesses such as cancer adn heart disease. this also increases your chance of living a longer life.
3.by eating a healthy diet you will have more energy and can drastically reduce stress levels. this means you will be happier in life while acheiving more.
4.you will sleep better and wake up more rested in the morning. so you can say goodbye to all those slepless nights and painful mornings.
5.by eating a healthy diet instead of fad diets, you will lose the weight and keep it off longer than unhealthy diets or short term diet plans.
6.your skin and hair wil look better and healthier. you can ditch the coverup!
7.for girls at least, eating heatlhier can cure PMS! now thats a miricale if ive ever heard of one
here are some benifits of certain vitamins that are important while eating healthy and where you can find them:
Boron: important for the absorbtion of calcium. can be found in grapes, apples, peanuts, pears, and broccli
Calcium: a mineral that keeps your teeth strong and white. gives you strong bones. found in peaunuts and milk
Vitamin C: helps the body make collegen, heals scar tissue, cuts and bruises. vitamin C is found in broccilli, strawberries, and green beans.
Copper: helps strengthen bones and joints. found in seafood, seeds, and nuts.
Zinc: lowers risk of hearing loss. can be found in chicken, beef, and lamb.
Indole-3-carbinol: halts the growth of tumor cells. this is found in broccilli, cabbage, and turnips.
Amino Acids: Important for hair growth and repair. found in chicken, turkey, beef, eggs, cheese, and nuts.
Beta Carotene: Breaks down cancer causing chemicals that may cause eye tissue damage. also prevents cataracts. Beta Carotene is found in carrots, sweet potatoes, broclli, and yams.
after realizing how big of an impact eating healthier has on every aspect of my life, it became clear to me why i want to eat healthier. although many peoples main reason is to loss weight, i have discovered there are many other reasons that it is a good idea. i hope that this information inspired you as much as it did me!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
6th.. i'm getting there!
Ugh. Things are getting harder and harder to keep up with. I've gotten so behind so i'll probably be posting the last to this week also. I started practices for dance three days a week a few weeks ago and between reading, blogging, tweeting, practicing, and keeping up with family things it’s hard to find time. I did finish AVM though..i’m so happy I finally did! I also am close to where I want to be with In Fact. I haven’t really journaled about dance at all, but I did for softball. I want to start journaling for dance but I’m not quite sure where to start. Hopefully I can figure that out soon.
Anyways, about poms. Right after camp we started practices on Monday and Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. We continued to practice the routines we learned from camp for the first few practices but then we mainly focused on Holly’s pom routine since we would be doing that dance for the first game and the freshmen walk-in. We also learned (or relearned) the second dance we’ll be performing , Jump.
The practice after we learned Jump we just continued focusing on Holly’s dance for that week. We set formations up and started cleaning the dance right away. We have to do this in order to be completely ready come time we actually perform the dance in front of everyone. The following week after that we learned the little mini pom routines that we would be doing for pre game with the band. The way things are set up is half of us on one side of the band and the other half on the other side, so it’s kind of tricky to know if everyone is on the same counts so we began practicing that like crazy to make sure we’ll all be set. Since this week is the first game we worked on perfecting the routine, as well as learned the routine we would be doing for the parade at Cedar Point next month and we continued to practice pre game. I’m really excited for our first game this Thursday I really hope things go good! I know all of us having been working really hard so hopefully we can go out on the field and show everyone how much we love doing what we do.
Anyways, about poms. Right after camp we started practices on Monday and Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. We continued to practice the routines we learned from camp for the first few practices but then we mainly focused on Holly’s pom routine since we would be doing that dance for the first game and the freshmen walk-in. We also learned (or relearned) the second dance we’ll be performing , Jump.
The practice after we learned Jump we just continued focusing on Holly’s dance for that week. We set formations up and started cleaning the dance right away. We have to do this in order to be completely ready come time we actually perform the dance in front of everyone. The following week after that we learned the little mini pom routines that we would be doing for pre game with the band. The way things are set up is half of us on one side of the band and the other half on the other side, so it’s kind of tricky to know if everyone is on the same counts so we began practicing that like crazy to make sure we’ll all be set. Since this week is the first game we worked on perfecting the routine, as well as learned the routine we would be doing for the parade at Cedar Point next month and we continued to practice pre game. I’m really excited for our first game this Thursday I really hope things go good! I know all of us having been working really hard so hopefully we can go out on the field and show everyone how much we love doing what we do.
This week. Project is done.
Well I am finally done. I have run 10 continuous miles. To some people that may not seem like a lot but believe me it’s a lot farther than you would think and I am not exactly a cross country runner. This time I ran down hospital road and then down Cooley lake road and then a little down Cass Elizabeth and back. I learned that construction is not really the most fun thing to run through. However now that I have that experience if I decide to do the run again I know where to go and how to avoid that construction. Also while running around town I have learned the roads better and have found numerous shortcuts to follow. However I only ran around one half of town. Now I will go and explore the other half of town. Now that I'm done I can really focus on the reading. I'm almost done with in fact and I have a long ways to go with animal vegetable miracle. I actually found some of the stories in in fact very interesting. I actually kind of like the story about Jewish divorce and the story about Haiti. However, on the other hand some very boring and seemingly never ending this makes the chart very hard to finish because some stories really have no bad aspects while others have absolutely nothing good or interesting in them. I hope to have everything done Thursday.
last week
So I'm really behind on the blogging. So I will be posting a few times this week as I finish everything up. I am also really behind on the reading. I guess I have just been focused on having some fun this summer that I am not really paying attention to the summer work… however I have read about three essays out of in fact. Out of those first three essays I thought that shunned was the best. I think it was the best because there are other people out there that have had the authors same problem. Everyone today knows a girl that got pregnant at a young age. This story gave me the other side of the story. However it’s still the authors fault for letting it happen so the essay is more of a warning to the other young kids out there. That’s why I thought that shunned was a good essay. So last week I went from running seven miles to running eight or nine. This was probably the least fun part of the project because I was almost done but I still had another mile to go. It just makes you want to be done with the whole thing so it can be over with and I won’t have to worry about it. However, I won’t run the 10 miles until the next week. I think I will make my final run in the morning because it’s the coolest part of the day then and the bugs and other assorted creatures are not out. Also the chance of being hit by a car or drunk driver is much less than it is at night….so safety first I guess. Better safe than sorry. So I was also behind on reading so I started reading a lot more.
Final Blog Entry!
This is it! The moment you've all been waiting for (not really, but still)! It's time to write my last blog and finish this project up for good. If you didn't know, I've already written eight entries, but I had time for a ninth, so I decided to do one. Well, I wasn't able to do anything on my project, but it's ok, because I accomplished what I said I would, and that's what matters for now. That's all for this part, now I'm going to start the essay in the next paragraph.
Essay Connecting My Project to Kingsolver's
This final entry is where I am supposed to connect my project, which was writing a cadence, to Barbara Kingsolver's project in her book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which was growing what they eat, and buying everything else locally. They may seem very different, but they have some things in common. I am going to show a few examples in this essay.
For starters, Kingsolver didn't focus on just one food at a time. She did a little bit of everything. Likewise, I also didn't write one instrument's part at a time. I wrote a little bit of each instrument's part each week. It's smart doing it that way because it helps you space out your time, and gives you more options.
Another thing is that different parts of the project require different skills, and can take different amounts of time. For example, planting tons of vegetables was probably harder than collecting the eggs laid by chickens for Kingsolver, and it also probably requires some knowledge of how far to space the seeds, and how deep to place them. In my project, writing the solos was harder than writing an intro. However, you need to know what each instrument sounds like in order to know what goes together in an intro, whereas in a solo, it's just one instrument, so that doesn't matter
Also, Kingsolver didn't procrastinate when it came to getting things done in time, and neither did I. This post is proof in it of itself, seeing as how I had time to do a post above and beyond the requirements. I don't like having to do a lot of things in a short amount of time, that's why I did a bit each week.
In conclusion, you could say that even though Kingsolver's project has nothing to do with mine as far as the subject, it has many similarities nonetheless. This may be a short essay, but I think I got my point across pretty well. I hope others agree with me.
Well, that's the end of the essay. Which means that this is the end of a very long, but fulfilling project. Like I said a long time ago, I'm glad to have had this chance to do something like this. Plus, I've got something to show for it that I wanted to do anyways, and this gave me the motivation to do it. So that's all for this summer, and also for this blog, at least for this year. Who knows what next year will bring. Anyways, see you in a week everyone.
Essay Connecting My Project to Kingsolver's
This final entry is where I am supposed to connect my project, which was writing a cadence, to Barbara Kingsolver's project in her book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which was growing what they eat, and buying everything else locally. They may seem very different, but they have some things in common. I am going to show a few examples in this essay.
For starters, Kingsolver didn't focus on just one food at a time. She did a little bit of everything. Likewise, I also didn't write one instrument's part at a time. I wrote a little bit of each instrument's part each week. It's smart doing it that way because it helps you space out your time, and gives you more options.
Another thing is that different parts of the project require different skills, and can take different amounts of time. For example, planting tons of vegetables was probably harder than collecting the eggs laid by chickens for Kingsolver, and it also probably requires some knowledge of how far to space the seeds, and how deep to place them. In my project, writing the solos was harder than writing an intro. However, you need to know what each instrument sounds like in order to know what goes together in an intro, whereas in a solo, it's just one instrument, so that doesn't matter
Also, Kingsolver didn't procrastinate when it came to getting things done in time, and neither did I. This post is proof in it of itself, seeing as how I had time to do a post above and beyond the requirements. I don't like having to do a lot of things in a short amount of time, that's why I did a bit each week.
In conclusion, you could say that even though Kingsolver's project has nothing to do with mine as far as the subject, it has many similarities nonetheless. This may be a short essay, but I think I got my point across pretty well. I hope others agree with me.
Well, that's the end of the essay. Which means that this is the end of a very long, but fulfilling project. Like I said a long time ago, I'm glad to have had this chance to do something like this. Plus, I've got something to show for it that I wanted to do anyways, and this gave me the motivation to do it. So that's all for this summer, and also for this blog, at least for this year. Who knows what next year will bring. Anyways, see you in a week everyone.
trutl; Number 5. Completion.
Yep, I completed the book. (: I wish I had been able to take pictures of it before I gave it to Josh, but unfortunately I was sorta rushed at the end and didn't. Sorry. But he did like it. A lot. Which meant the world to me. He says he looks at it often, sometimes more than once a day. Watching him go through the pages and smile and laugh was the best. The feeling I had was so wonderful - I felt relieved, I guess. And complete.
Hmm... so now I don't know what to write about. What else could I include in my summer project? Well I finished reading the books... Animal, Vegetable, Miracle I didn't enjoy as much as I thought I would. I dunno, I just found it tedious, and uninteresting at a lot of points. Gah, now I just have to write the essay(s? I forget.) and do the chart. Ergh.
So what to write about... I suppose the rest of my blogs can be... personal analyzation. Nothing interesting, I wouldn't suggest reading them. I guess they'll be about feelings and goings on and all the things I always want to keep track of but never do because I'm lazy. So I'll start on that next post.
Hmm... so now I don't know what to write about. What else could I include in my summer project? Well I finished reading the books... Animal, Vegetable, Miracle I didn't enjoy as much as I thought I would. I dunno, I just found it tedious, and uninteresting at a lot of points. Gah, now I just have to write the essay(s? I forget.) and do the chart. Ergh.
So what to write about... I suppose the rest of my blogs can be... personal analyzation. Nothing interesting, I wouldn't suggest reading them. I guess they'll be about feelings and goings on and all the things I always want to keep track of but never do because I'm lazy. So I'll start on that next post.
Post Number Six
I realize that I am still behind, but after this post only two to go!
I am seriously so happy that today is the last day that I will have to record videos for this project. I already feel at ease for this to be over. It's not like I really have been recording a lot lately, I just don't want to do it anymore.
I'm glad that this project gave me an opportunity to do something that I've been wanting to do, but I'm just going to leave this job to the professionals aka Charles Trippy.
Lately, I've just been editing the videos together. I really want to get it overwith. Even though I know no one but me has watched these daily vlogs I still like to watch them. They make me laugh and I love seeing all my hard work put together.
I still have not finished In Fact, but I'm planning on finishing it today. I would like to get a good start on my essay so that way it won't be a crappy, rushed through, last minute type deal that I always seem to do. I am having slight issues with the chart, but I'm not too worried about it.
All and all, this was absolutely way better than last years summer assignment. I still felt like I was put through hell, but luckily I'm actually proud of my work this time.
For those of you (uhhhhhh there are none) who watch these... here are the latest videos!
This is day 16-20
http://s951.photobucket.com/albums/ad357/LilP_ciak2012/?action=view¤t=day21-25.mp4
Day 21-25
http://s951.photobucket.com/albums/ad357/LilP_ciak2012/?action=view¤t=day21-25.mp4
And then Days 26-31
http://s951.photobucket.com/albums/ad357/LilP_ciak2012/?action=view¤t=Day26-31.mp4
Enjoy all! :)
I am seriously so happy that today is the last day that I will have to record videos for this project. I already feel at ease for this to be over. It's not like I really have been recording a lot lately, I just don't want to do it anymore.
I'm glad that this project gave me an opportunity to do something that I've been wanting to do, but I'm just going to leave this job to the professionals aka Charles Trippy.
Lately, I've just been editing the videos together. I really want to get it overwith. Even though I know no one but me has watched these daily vlogs I still like to watch them. They make me laugh and I love seeing all my hard work put together.
I still have not finished In Fact, but I'm planning on finishing it today. I would like to get a good start on my essay so that way it won't be a crappy, rushed through, last minute type deal that I always seem to do. I am having slight issues with the chart, but I'm not too worried about it.
All and all, this was absolutely way better than last years summer assignment. I still felt like I was put through hell, but luckily I'm actually proud of my work this time.
For those of you (uhhhhhh there are none) who watch these... here are the latest videos!
This is day 16-20
http://s951.photobucket.com/albums/ad357/LilP_ciak2012/?action=view¤t=day21-25.mp4
Day 21-25
http://s951.photobucket.com/albums/ad357/LilP_ciak2012/?action=view¤t=day21-25.mp4
And then Days 26-31
http://s951.photobucket.com/albums/ad357/LilP_ciak2012/?action=view¤t=Day26-31.mp4
Enjoy all! :)
The Journey is Over
With only one week left in summer vacation,I have completed the plot layout for "Galaxy 2".When I was done with that,I figured it would be best to go back and re-read "Animal,Vegetable,Miracle" in order to be able to make comparisons between the two completed pieces of literature,rather than doing it along the way.
Though my process of the story creation was different in the sense of genre and the actual base of what the writing centered around,I noticed some similar characteristics between my project and Kingsolver's.Both of us have a fondness for writing and having fun while doing it(that's where the connection stops on just my project).For everyone that had to do this assignment,including myself,knowing or unknowingly had a comparison between Kingsolver in the way that we had to record our actions throughout the course of the project,write down our feelings,and discussing on what we were planning to do next.
Along with that,we had to commit to ourselves that we would see it through to the end,even if we had to make time for it.I have to admit,it was odd in the way that we were allowed to make our own project,as long as it related to AVM in some way,but that reminds me of the quote below:
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."<--Abraham Lincoln
To the project,the quote means that this was more of a way to express who we are while comparing our actions to another's.This project not only allowed us to become more familiar with rhetoric,but also more familiar with each other.
To be honest,at first I thought that I would never be interested in AVM.After the first several chapters however,I simply couldn't put it down.The way on how she recorded the information and her own thoughts and feelings,along with the moments of excellent humor helped me get sucked into the book and finish it with ease.
I know that it is normally inappropraite to end something with a question,but this relates to another plot idea that I',m going to work on after "Galaxy.Which sounds more appealing if you were into videogames plot-wise;a man that is cursed with immortality and trying to lift the curse,or being a person in the distant future(weeks before the sun explodes)and figuring out on how to prevent the destruction of the earth?Please respond by posting a comment.
Though my process of the story creation was different in the sense of genre and the actual base of what the writing centered around,I noticed some similar characteristics between my project and Kingsolver's.Both of us have a fondness for writing and having fun while doing it(that's where the connection stops on just my project).For everyone that had to do this assignment,including myself,knowing or unknowingly had a comparison between Kingsolver in the way that we had to record our actions throughout the course of the project,write down our feelings,and discussing on what we were planning to do next.
Along with that,we had to commit to ourselves that we would see it through to the end,even if we had to make time for it.I have to admit,it was odd in the way that we were allowed to make our own project,as long as it related to AVM in some way,but that reminds me of the quote below:
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."<--Abraham Lincoln
To the project,the quote means that this was more of a way to express who we are while comparing our actions to another's.This project not only allowed us to become more familiar with rhetoric,but also more familiar with each other.
To be honest,at first I thought that I would never be interested in AVM.After the first several chapters however,I simply couldn't put it down.The way on how she recorded the information and her own thoughts and feelings,along with the moments of excellent humor helped me get sucked into the book and finish it with ease.
I know that it is normally inappropraite to end something with a question,but this relates to another plot idea that I',m going to work on after "Galaxy.Which sounds more appealing if you were into videogames plot-wise;a man that is cursed with immortality and trying to lift the curse,or being a person in the distant future(weeks before the sun explodes)and figuring out on how to prevent the destruction of the earth?Please respond by posting a comment.
Wizards vs. Vampires-- I guess this is how it ends...
To me, writing is about passion. It's about taking something you love or hate or yearn for and making others see it the same way you do. And anyone can do it. Just plain old writing isn’t hard at all. It’s just transcribing your thoughts onto a piece of paper. Writing well, on the other hand, that’s the difficult part. This summer I started writing something for me, because I wanted to write it and I figured, hey, why not? It’s worth a shot. And it’s paying off. I love my project. I’m not even close to finishing it, true, but that doesn’t mean I hate working on it. I’m not going to give up on it just because I bit off more than I can chew. I’m not sure if my book (at least what I have so far) is any good, but for once in my life I’m not freaking out about what I’ve set down. Assignments take the joy of writing away from me. Even when I stretch towards that space “out of the box” and try to get a little creative, I feel like I’m too restricted to actually become engrossed in my work. I usually end up looking out of the window from inside my cramped little box, seeing all of these wonderful ideas and chickening out because it’s dark and scary out there. This project was good for me; it made writing feel fun again.
Yes, I think writing is fun—kind of. I’m pretty sure Barbara Kingsolver and I have that in common. We both like to write, at least when we write about what we want to write about. She was passionate about food, and I’m passionate about my favorite little scarhead from England.
I love reading, but the Harry Potter books have always seemed like more than just another series I was into. I flipped open those front covers time and time again and my enthusiasm never wavered. I know what’s going to happen, but I still hold my breath at parts. (Not literally… I’m just trying to get my point across.) When there was a new Harry Potter book coming out I would wait in line at midnight, and as soon as it was in my hands I would crack that sucker open and just drink it all in. I think I’m an addict. But that’s not the point. I want to write about Harry Potter because I love it. I want to write about Twilight because I hate it. I want everyone to see these stories the way I see them. Barbara Kingsolver is passionate about food, and I'm passionate about the little boy from the cupboard. Maybe no one else understands it, but we write about it anyways.
Yes, I think writing is fun—kind of. I’m pretty sure Barbara Kingsolver and I have that in common. We both like to write, at least when we write about what we want to write about. She was passionate about food, and I’m passionate about my favorite little scarhead from England.
I love reading, but the Harry Potter books have always seemed like more than just another series I was into. I flipped open those front covers time and time again and my enthusiasm never wavered. I know what’s going to happen, but I still hold my breath at parts. (Not literally… I’m just trying to get my point across.) When there was a new Harry Potter book coming out I would wait in line at midnight, and as soon as it was in my hands I would crack that sucker open and just drink it all in. I think I’m an addict. But that’s not the point. I want to write about Harry Potter because I love it. I want to write about Twilight because I hate it. I want everyone to see these stories the way I see them. Barbara Kingsolver is passionate about food, and I'm passionate about the little boy from the cupboard. Maybe no one else understands it, but we write about it anyways.
“Read for pleasure. If you like Tolstoy, read Tolstoy; if you like Dostoevsky, read Dostoevsky. Push it a little, but don’t read something totally alien to your nature and then say, “I’ll never be able to write like that.” Of course you won’t. Read books you’d like to write. If you want to write literature, read literature. Write books you’d like to read. Follow your own weirdness.”
--Annie Dillard
From In Fact: The Best of Creative Nonfiction
"Introduction: Notes for Young Readers"
Monday, August 30, 2010
Vacation is Over!
I am finally back from Tennessee and North Carolina! I was planning on blogging while I was there, but I had no signal on my phone, whatsoever and no computer access. So now I am freaking out about getting this project done!! Tennessee was fun, i stayed with my grandma and she did have a piano, so I got a little bit of practice time in! Also all of my family that lives down South are very elderly ha ha! So you can imagine the amount of singing I was subjected to despite my objections. North Carolina, on the other hand, was a different story. I had no piano, no computer, no signal, and little voice left for singing. I had a lot of fun though, being back is a relief I missed my own bed! I never thought I would be so happy to be home! I'm just sad school is starting up again so soon.
My car's transmission started going bad and it is currently up north being repaired so....I have no way to get to my lessons for the whole next week! I am still practicing though! I am supposed to be having a voice recital in September at sometime, and I have a piano performance for church at the end of September. In October I am scheduled to sing a solo for church, so I am really concentrated on fitting all of this practicing into my schedule. I like singing but I don't like the songs I am chosen to sing for church. They have meaning for the people that are listening and they do have meaning to me, but I just don't feel as strongly about them as some people so it is difficult to add the emotion to them that I am being trained to do. So even though I love to sing, it is becoming frustrating and way more stressful then it should.
As for my piano pieces, the one I am playing for church is called Holy God Almighty, I know, it sounds weird, it is a really pretty piece though and I almost have it memorized so I am excited to play. I am playing Fur Elise right now for a recital I will be having in April or may, its a very difficult piece to learn but I think I am getting the hang of it!
I hope everybody is having a good summer! Wish me luck!
My car's transmission started going bad and it is currently up north being repaired so....I have no way to get to my lessons for the whole next week! I am still practicing though! I am supposed to be having a voice recital in September at sometime, and I have a piano performance for church at the end of September. In October I am scheduled to sing a solo for church, so I am really concentrated on fitting all of this practicing into my schedule. I like singing but I don't like the songs I am chosen to sing for church. They have meaning for the people that are listening and they do have meaning to me, but I just don't feel as strongly about them as some people so it is difficult to add the emotion to them that I am being trained to do. So even though I love to sing, it is becoming frustrating and way more stressful then it should.
As for my piano pieces, the one I am playing for church is called Holy God Almighty, I know, it sounds weird, it is a really pretty piece though and I almost have it memorized so I am excited to play. I am playing Fur Elise right now for a recital I will be having in April or may, its a very difficult piece to learn but I think I am getting the hang of it!
I hope everybody is having a good summer! Wish me luck!
Hey Kettering AP! I just figured out how to use green screen. It's so cool. Anyway, I've been so busy this summer I haven't had a chance to blog. The reason the green screen is so awesome is because my project is to write and film a show for youtube. Now that I can use green screen I can put cool backrounds in my videos. The show's plot will mostly be a secret, but I can tell you now that it will center around the vampire and werewolf of justice. I know it sounds crazy, but the story is pretty good. I made a sample video of a gnome, to show off my green screen skills, called The Gnome And The Green Screen. The video is kinda short but you'll get the idea of what my editing software can do. Soon I will blog and include a sneek peek of show. You guys will be the fist to hear about or see the vampire and werewolf of justice. Filming began a few days ago and is going very well. I will continue the show during the school year even though the assignment will be finished. If anyone wants to be in it at some point let me know. If you think you are too cool to be in the show, that's okay too. The show will be on this channel very soon http://www.youtube.com/user/gnomepireandgnudge. I will put a link to the channel in every blog. I will make sure to tell you when the show will be on youtube as well. Writing the show all summer has been fun, but nothing is cooler than how it feels to see it on camera. My project is almost finished and I'll see you guys in school.I hope you guys like the show and I will blog again real soon. -Sasha Berriel
Equine Therapy Helping Children
The kids that I have been working with at OATS have been diagnosed with Asperger's and Autism, which are sub-categories of a bigger disorder called Persuasive Development Disorders. Kids diagnosed with autism or asperger's usually have verbal impairments, difficulty focusing, and motor skills. There is no cure for either of the impairments, but different ways are being discovered to help better the lives of children who have autism, asperger's and other disorders.
A newer type of therapy that is now being used is Equine assisted therapy ( The OATS program is an example of this). Equine assisted therapy has some of the best results for kids with autism and asperger's. Riding a horse helps the kids focus, and it is smooth and relaxing. Horses are soft and when a kid pets them, it draws them to the horse, and it brings out some verbal communication. Also, at some ranches the horses pick which child they want. If a horse bends down and nuzzles at a kids that means he chose that one. This way there is a bond staring between horse and rider. Motor skills are developed as these kids learn to ride because their muscles will grow stronger from riding, and spending time grooming the horse. Social skills are also improved by spending time with horses, workers, and other children. Their moods can be affected as well. Kids who have sudden outbursts or many mood swings are calmed being around horses, and spending time with them. It also makes them smile more and to come out of their shells, and spend time with animals, and people.
Working at OATS I see all these affects happen to kids. It does require patience and time, but that is what makes people bond, and actually help the kids grow stronger. Spending time, and giving affection and smiles to kids does not only change them it changes the people around them.
Equine Therapy for kids with special needs has helped them in so many ways. It truly is a special thing to watch happen. I am glad to be apart of making kids smile, and helping them grow stronger and stronger.
Info found at: http://www.Equine-therapy-programs.com/aspergers.html
A newer type of therapy that is now being used is Equine assisted therapy ( The OATS program is an example of this). Equine assisted therapy has some of the best results for kids with autism and asperger's. Riding a horse helps the kids focus, and it is smooth and relaxing. Horses are soft and when a kid pets them, it draws them to the horse, and it brings out some verbal communication. Also, at some ranches the horses pick which child they want. If a horse bends down and nuzzles at a kids that means he chose that one. This way there is a bond staring between horse and rider. Motor skills are developed as these kids learn to ride because their muscles will grow stronger from riding, and spending time grooming the horse. Social skills are also improved by spending time with horses, workers, and other children. Their moods can be affected as well. Kids who have sudden outbursts or many mood swings are calmed being around horses, and spending time with them. It also makes them smile more and to come out of their shells, and spend time with animals, and people.
Working at OATS I see all these affects happen to kids. It does require patience and time, but that is what makes people bond, and actually help the kids grow stronger. Spending time, and giving affection and smiles to kids does not only change them it changes the people around them.
Equine Therapy for kids with special needs has helped them in so many ways. It truly is a special thing to watch happen. I am glad to be apart of making kids smile, and helping them grow stronger and stronger.
Info found at: http://www.Equine-therapy-programs.com/aspergers.html
Smile! (post 7)
So this past week I had one main goal. This goal was to write as many thank you letters as I could to soldiers who are serving our country overseas. This is something that I feel very passionate about and so I decided that I would make that my goal. I have written a total of 50 letters and I am extremely excited to be able to send them soon. I'm going to send them through an organization called "A million Thanks." There are several letter drop-off locations in Michigan, and I think I am going to drive out to Canton to drop them off. From there, the letters will be sent to deserving soldiers overseas. I wrote each of these letters individually, so they don't all say the same thing because I wanted them to be as personal as possible in the hope that each soldier will feel 100 percent appreciated.
My goal for this week is something that is extremely easy, but people tend to forget just how easy it is. This goal is kind of an experiment as well. It is to see just how contagious a smile really is. I am going to spread a smile everywhere I go. Whether it be while at the mall, or at the grocery store, or at a sporting event. I want to keep tabs on how many people gladly smile back. My hope is that this small smile could brighten somebody's day just marginally and hopefully they will pass on that smile and help to brighten somebody else's day. :)
Another idea that I have for this final week of my project is to volunteer at as many places as I can find. One of the places that I am going to volunteer at is Grace Centers of Hope in Pontiac and I am going to help in the kitchen. I plan on finding as many places that need volunteers as I can and offering my time to help others.
My goal for this week is something that is extremely easy, but people tend to forget just how easy it is. This goal is kind of an experiment as well. It is to see just how contagious a smile really is. I am going to spread a smile everywhere I go. Whether it be while at the mall, or at the grocery store, or at a sporting event. I want to keep tabs on how many people gladly smile back. My hope is that this small smile could brighten somebody's day just marginally and hopefully they will pass on that smile and help to brighten somebody else's day. :)
Another idea that I have for this final week of my project is to volunteer at as many places as I can find. One of the places that I am going to volunteer at is Grace Centers of Hope in Pontiac and I am going to help in the kitchen. I plan on finding as many places that need volunteers as I can and offering my time to help others.
Smile! (6th post)
Hello everyone :) This blog is for the week of August 18th through the 25th because I have had minimal computer access lately because the internet connection has been bad. On August 18th I had volunteered at a funeral luncheon at my church. I prepared some food, set-up tables and chairs, served food, and cleaned up afterwards. The deacons' were very appreciative and It felt good to give back to my church and the people there who have done so much for me.
I also wrote a letter to Fernando David Martinez Say, the four year old boy from Guatemala that my youth group supports. I introduced myself, and told him a little bit about myself. He had mentioned in the last letter that he likes cookies and he drew us a picture. So I asked him if he could draw me a picture too :) Being four years old he can't write a letter himself, so an adult has to write down what he wants to say, and then a translator must translate what he has said into English. It is a long process so, unfortunately, I don't think I will receive his reply to my letter for quite some time.
Along with the letter I wrote to Fernando, I emailed my "adopted" soldier. I thanked her for all of the hard work she does to protect our country and I told her that the sacrifice she has made to do so was amazing and that I appreciate it more then words can say. I told her a bit about myself and I asked her some questions about herself so that we can get to know one another and be, for lack of a better phrase, pen-pals. This summer, I have really taken an interest in soldiers overseas who do so much and aren't appreciated enough. So my goal for this past week was to write as many thank you letters as I could and send them out to deserving soldiers. I feel as if these letters will brighten the day of any soldier who reads them and I pray that they will.
I also wrote a letter to Fernando David Martinez Say, the four year old boy from Guatemala that my youth group supports. I introduced myself, and told him a little bit about myself. He had mentioned in the last letter that he likes cookies and he drew us a picture. So I asked him if he could draw me a picture too :) Being four years old he can't write a letter himself, so an adult has to write down what he wants to say, and then a translator must translate what he has said into English. It is a long process so, unfortunately, I don't think I will receive his reply to my letter for quite some time.
Along with the letter I wrote to Fernando, I emailed my "adopted" soldier. I thanked her for all of the hard work she does to protect our country and I told her that the sacrifice she has made to do so was amazing and that I appreciate it more then words can say. I told her a bit about myself and I asked her some questions about herself so that we can get to know one another and be, for lack of a better phrase, pen-pals. This summer, I have really taken an interest in soldiers overseas who do so much and aren't appreciated enough. So my goal for this past week was to write as many thank you letters as I could and send them out to deserving soldiers. I feel as if these letters will brighten the day of any soldier who reads them and I pray that they will.
8B.: The never ending music
This is the last post and I can't believe it. I am extremely proud of myself for one picking this project and two sticking with it. like I've said before every summer before I never touched my violin and it would've been easy to cheat and say yeah sure I played this much (just everyone in orchestra who would hear me play would be raising their eyebrows to why I would suck at the song so much). Instead I made myself practice at least once a week, and just that little bit of practice would make a difference. It would had been easy for Barbara Kinsolver to cheat too. She could have grown some fruits and vegetables in the summer and not went through all the work in preserving the food for the winter and just go to a grocery store. Instead her family and her pushed themselves to do the work and even enjoyed doing it not to mention the benefits of growing their own food. Practicing these songs were trying at times and I did feel like giving up but with perseverance I accomplished something completely on my own, and that is a wonderful feeling.
Waiting is never fun. Kinsolver and her family had to wait, and wait, and wait for the foods that they craved. I had to wait for the song that I crave. When the food of desire finally arrived the family filled themselves with the food. Now the Hungarian Dance No.6 arrived I will practice the song until it makes me sick, and then practice it some more until I know that I will get that One at Solo & Ensemble Festival.
In mostly everything the human race attempts they're are roadblocks. I ordered my song before the project started and waited hoping it would show up soon. It didn't. So instead of moping around that I couldn't work on anything I found an alternative song I could play after researching some specifics on my Hungarian Dance No. 6. Kingsolver did not mope around and let the hen fall all over her husband. Instead she researched what was going on and how to fix the problem.
I went to Orchestra camp to improve the skills I was trying to develop. She went to Italy ad many other places to learn about their food and how they grow it. We learned how things are done than used them for our own personal use.
As far as writing goes there is a similarity in how Kingsolver and I communicated our projects. I obviously did not write a book and Kinsolver did not blog, or for that matter tweet. Though the bogging and tweeting were very much like her book. The blog would be the large parts of her project such as the chapters for the different seasons. The tweets would be the short but informative sections that her husband and daughter wrote.
Achieving a realistic goal is never easy. The feeling of accomplishment will not fall in your lap, you must work for it. I have reached one level of accomplishment and cannot wait to reach the next one. I will not give up the practice that I have been doing just because school is starting and I'll have that work with it. I will keep playing just as Kingsolver kept planting.
Waiting is never fun. Kinsolver and her family had to wait, and wait, and wait for the foods that they craved. I had to wait for the song that I crave. When the food of desire finally arrived the family filled themselves with the food. Now the Hungarian Dance No.6 arrived I will practice the song until it makes me sick, and then practice it some more until I know that I will get that One at Solo & Ensemble Festival.
In mostly everything the human race attempts they're are roadblocks. I ordered my song before the project started and waited hoping it would show up soon. It didn't. So instead of moping around that I couldn't work on anything I found an alternative song I could play after researching some specifics on my Hungarian Dance No. 6. Kingsolver did not mope around and let the hen fall all over her husband. Instead she researched what was going on and how to fix the problem.
I went to Orchestra camp to improve the skills I was trying to develop. She went to Italy ad many other places to learn about their food and how they grow it. We learned how things are done than used them for our own personal use.
As far as writing goes there is a similarity in how Kingsolver and I communicated our projects. I obviously did not write a book and Kinsolver did not blog, or for that matter tweet. Though the bogging and tweeting were very much like her book. The blog would be the large parts of her project such as the chapters for the different seasons. The tweets would be the short but informative sections that her husband and daughter wrote.
Achieving a realistic goal is never easy. The feeling of accomplishment will not fall in your lap, you must work for it. I have reached one level of accomplishment and cannot wait to reach the next one. I will not give up the practice that I have been doing just because school is starting and I'll have that work with it. I will keep playing just as Kingsolver kept planting.
8A.: Not the last.
So it's been a while.
I've made a lot of progress with the duet. It doesn't sound as bad in tune anymore. The shifting has gotten much easier. It wasn't really all the shifting that would mess me up but mainly the notes that I couldn't figure out a way to get to them fast enough so it doesn't sound like a cat dying when I attempt it. And I'm getting much better at tempo without having to use the metronome. However I have not sped it up much so that could be a good reason why foot automatically starts tapping the beat I've been using for months. There really isn't much new with Bouree, I've been focusing a lot on the duet.
Orchestra camp was really awesome even though we think the staff was trying to poison us with the food. I actually did practice some of my pieces during our free time. I definitely beat any week I've thought was amazing on practice time. We practiced so much that by the end of the day people were giving each other back rubs. Here you can see for yourself how it was.
Sunday= 1 hr 45 min Monday= 7 hr Tuesday= 7 hr Wednesday= 7 hr 30 min Thursday= 7 hr 45 min Friday(including our concert)= 6 hr 30m min For a grand total of (drum roll) 37 hours and 30 minutes! I'm pretty sure there is no possible way I could do that on my own, I would throw that kind of schedule in the garbage right after making it.
Hungarian Dance No. 6 arrived today, like I said on twitter, just in time for the project to be over. I could of really used the practice time over the summer too. I have no idea what I have gotten my self into with this song. I'm not quite sure of the position yet (I think it's pretty close to the end of the fingerboard but it is a B flat. I was righta bout the key signature, it is in B flat major but there are a couple of lines that go into D flat major. Fun, fun, fun. I'm going to have to work my butt off if I plan on getting this song down in my lifetime!
I almost forgot! I did play outside one day but I had to wait until the evening because of the humidity then it got dark within a half hour so playing outside didn't wrk to well. Plus it was kind of embarrassing every time I made a mistake because most of my neighbors could hear it. I must admit it was nice and peaceful though. I guess I'll just have to wait until the fall and I have the song down.
I've made a lot of progress with the duet. It doesn't sound as bad in tune anymore. The shifting has gotten much easier. It wasn't really all the shifting that would mess me up but mainly the notes that I couldn't figure out a way to get to them fast enough so it doesn't sound like a cat dying when I attempt it. And I'm getting much better at tempo without having to use the metronome. However I have not sped it up much so that could be a good reason why foot automatically starts tapping the beat I've been using for months. There really isn't much new with Bouree, I've been focusing a lot on the duet.
Orchestra camp was really awesome even though we think the staff was trying to poison us with the food. I actually did practice some of my pieces during our free time. I definitely beat any week I've thought was amazing on practice time. We practiced so much that by the end of the day people were giving each other back rubs. Here you can see for yourself how it was.
Sunday= 1 hr 45 min Monday= 7 hr Tuesday= 7 hr Wednesday= 7 hr 30 min Thursday= 7 hr 45 min Friday(including our concert)= 6 hr 30m min For a grand total of (drum roll) 37 hours and 30 minutes! I'm pretty sure there is no possible way I could do that on my own, I would throw that kind of schedule in the garbage right after making it.
Hungarian Dance No. 6 arrived today, like I said on twitter, just in time for the project to be over. I could of really used the practice time over the summer too. I have no idea what I have gotten my self into with this song. I'm not quite sure of the position yet (I think it's pretty close to the end of the fingerboard but it is a B flat. I was righta bout the key signature, it is in B flat major but there are a couple of lines that go into D flat major. Fun, fun, fun. I'm going to have to work my butt off if I plan on getting this song down in my lifetime!
I almost forgot! I did play outside one day but I had to wait until the evening because of the humidity then it got dark within a half hour so playing outside didn't wrk to well. Plus it was kind of embarrassing every time I made a mistake because most of my neighbors could hear it. I must admit it was nice and peaceful though. I guess I'll just have to wait until the fall and I have the song down.
6 down, 2 to go!
I believe this will be my 6th blog for the summer even though it should probably be around my final one. The end of summer procrastination has got to me and between all the football, lawn mowing, and need to live up what is left of my summer vacation has slowly been pushing my blogging to the bottom of my to-do list. Can you believe we only have one week left? I am proud to announce though, that my books are done and I have been doing a lot of thinking on how my project and Kingsolver are related, but I’ll save that for the last blog. It felt like a large weight was lifted off my chest when I read Mr. Wilson’s e-mail about how some people’s projects have been changing half way through the summer and that that was okay because that is exactly what mine has done. I know I mentioned it in my last blog, but I was still a little unsure on if it was okay or not. But I am now certain that my project isn’t just over weight lifting. My project is over my whole summer football experience including weight lifting and my practices. Now, my last blog was about the week of conditioning before practice had started and I thought this one should be about our actual practice. The first week of practice was two-a-days, which meant we had practice from 9 in the morning to 3 o’clock. NOT FUN considering all the running we still had to do and in the intense temperatures. But other than that it wasn’t that bad. A lot of the second week was preparing for our scrimmage that was supposed to be that Friday, but after getting there it was called off because of tornado warnings and a huge lightening storm. I think we still could have played though. We ended up doing our own scrimmage the next day to make up for it which ended up going really well with no clouds in sight. To go along with football practice, we still do some lifting during the week too. I have not tried maxing out in a while but next time I’m in there and get the chance I’m going to see if I reached my goal! Stronger every day!
Eighth Post: The Final Act
This summer has been unlike any other in the past. I've had more determination, been more stressed and felt more accompished than ever. I feel I've changes in a bunch of small ways, both physically and mentally. As insignificant and completely non-deep my project was, I feel like it turned out to be more than I'd expected.
When I set goals for myself at the beginning of the summer I felt deep down that I wouldn't accomplish anything. I guess that's my cynical side or something. I didn't think something amazing could happen, but I surprised myself. My goal was to lose 30 pounds and lose at least one pant size. But as the summer went on, it wasn't about things like that anymore. I ended up trying to give myself more confidence. When you have low self-esteme, it can mess with every aspect of your life. Now, I actually just feel more content being me. I didn't expect that kind of change in myself at all. It's a nice feeling.
Now to the actual results. :) I lost (Drum roll, please!!) 15 pounds and almost two pant sizes! Yesss! It's true. I didn't lose the the 30 pounds I wanted to lose, but I don't care all that much. I dropped a dress size and a half! Can't wait for homecoming dress shopping! Plus, in addition to the wieght I lost, I toned up alot. My legs lost alot of flub and are nor like rock hard and it's amazing. My arms are more toned, as well as my abs. I figure it's possible that, since muscle weighs more than fat, that I lost more than 15 pounds of body fat and just gained more back in muscle. Another awesome thing!
I never thought I would accomplish so much. I'm pretty sure this was how Barbara Kingslover felt when she finished her organic food experiment. She had accomplished something she felt strongly about. She changed her lifestyle and eating habits, and so did I. It was hard at first, but we both succeeded in the end. So yay for that!
I've never been one to perservere, but I did so all summer. I finished my AP reading, my essay is basically done (just needs to be typed) and I only have a few more rows left on my In Fact charts. I'm just very proud of this summer. I'll be entering my junior year with more confidence, and on the right foot with my finished summer work. Ha. Procrastination just barely got to me. :)
So this will be my last post, unless I for some reason need to say something else? I don't know. So happy end of the summer. Make the best of it. And be prepared for an...interesting year. :)
When I set goals for myself at the beginning of the summer I felt deep down that I wouldn't accomplish anything. I guess that's my cynical side or something. I didn't think something amazing could happen, but I surprised myself. My goal was to lose 30 pounds and lose at least one pant size. But as the summer went on, it wasn't about things like that anymore. I ended up trying to give myself more confidence. When you have low self-esteme, it can mess with every aspect of your life. Now, I actually just feel more content being me. I didn't expect that kind of change in myself at all. It's a nice feeling.
Now to the actual results. :) I lost (Drum roll, please!!) 15 pounds and almost two pant sizes! Yesss! It's true. I didn't lose the the 30 pounds I wanted to lose, but I don't care all that much. I dropped a dress size and a half! Can't wait for homecoming dress shopping! Plus, in addition to the wieght I lost, I toned up alot. My legs lost alot of flub and are nor like rock hard and it's amazing. My arms are more toned, as well as my abs. I figure it's possible that, since muscle weighs more than fat, that I lost more than 15 pounds of body fat and just gained more back in muscle. Another awesome thing!
I never thought I would accomplish so much. I'm pretty sure this was how Barbara Kingslover felt when she finished her organic food experiment. She had accomplished something she felt strongly about. She changed her lifestyle and eating habits, and so did I. It was hard at first, but we both succeeded in the end. So yay for that!
I've never been one to perservere, but I did so all summer. I finished my AP reading, my essay is basically done (just needs to be typed) and I only have a few more rows left on my In Fact charts. I'm just very proud of this summer. I'll be entering my junior year with more confidence, and on the right foot with my finished summer work. Ha. Procrastination just barely got to me. :)
So this will be my last post, unless I for some reason need to say something else? I don't know. So happy end of the summer. Make the best of it. And be prepared for an...interesting year. :)
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Numero Seis!
Ah alot has changed since last I posted. Finished creative nonfiction and almost all of the chart, though I am having trouble with the connection box (differentiating writing style is sooo not a strong point for me.) Just started Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and for some reason I always thought miracle was mineral. I had a bunch of trouble trying to find it online just because I put that in the search hah. The projects going well too, most of my poems are written. I wanted to include my favorite poem in there somewhere but it just didn't fit into the subject any way I tried to make it. But it is real pretty:) see for yourself:
I can't forget
how she stood at the top of that long marble stair
amazed, and then with a sleepy pirouette
went dancing slowly down to the fountain-quieted square;
Nothing upon her face
but some impersonal loneliness,- not then a girl,
but as it were a reverie of the place,
a called-for falling glide and whirl;
As when a leaf, petal, or thin chip
is drawn to the falls of a pool and, circling a moment above it,
rides on over the lip-
perfectly beautiful, perfectly ignorant of it.
-Richard Wilber
Thank you Mrs. Ritter for giving my class so many packets of homework, because I happened to find this on one of them and it touched my heart haha.
I'm giving myself a goal of being done with everything except maybe the paper on Thursday with 4 days to spare before school starts. I figure I have to be able to have a life for a least a few days before my schedule is so packed I won't have time for anything at all. I'm pretty mad at myself for not starting everything earlier, I'm definitely feeling the pressure now!!!
I can't forget
how she stood at the top of that long marble stair
amazed, and then with a sleepy pirouette
went dancing slowly down to the fountain-quieted square;
Nothing upon her face
but some impersonal loneliness,- not then a girl,
but as it were a reverie of the place,
a called-for falling glide and whirl;
As when a leaf, petal, or thin chip
is drawn to the falls of a pool and, circling a moment above it,
rides on over the lip-
perfectly beautiful, perfectly ignorant of it.
-Richard Wilber
Thank you Mrs. Ritter for giving my class so many packets of homework, because I happened to find this on one of them and it touched my heart haha.
I'm giving myself a goal of being done with everything except maybe the paper on Thursday with 4 days to spare before school starts. I figure I have to be able to have a life for a least a few days before my schedule is so packed I won't have time for anything at all. I'm pretty mad at myself for not starting everything earlier, I'm definitely feeling the pressure now!!!
Baby Artichoke and Scallion Saute
well, my last healthy meal is complete. this one turned out to be the easiest one to make but by far the most tasty! what attracted me to this dish was a picture in the cook book, but learn from my mistake. i went to the page the picture said i could find the recipe at and there were two artichoke dishes on the same page. ofcourse, i started reading the wrong recipe, got the wrong ingredients to soon find out it was not what i had wanted to make. luckly my mom and i were able to keep the original dish because most of the ingredients were the same but it did require a second trip to the grocery store and about an hours delay. unlike the other recipes i had made out of this book, this recipe was easy to follow and fairly simple to put toghether. all we had dto do is chop up a few things sautee them in the order it called for and it was complete!
Like the others, i did some research on the nutritional values in my dish. i found that artichoke is a great food to gain man of the nutrients we usually lack in our diet like vitamin C. magneseum, fiber, and potassium. many of these nutrients similar to the nutrients in my other dishes. (but this dish i actually like. extra bonus!) as found in my other researc, potasium maintains the hearts health, helps muscle and nerve function, and helps prevent strokes. the magnesium helps build strong bones, and regulate the bodies temputare. the vitamin C in these artichokes maintain a healthy immune system and helps the absorbtion of iron. iron is what helps carry oxegen from our lungs to parts of our body so it is very important to have the right amount in out body! the fiber found in this food maintains a healthy digestive system and lowers cholesterol. this lowers ones chance of heart disease. artichokes even have a protective effect on liver cells.
I really like artichokes so i was glad to see they had such good nutritional value. i definetly plan on either making this dish again or experimenting with other artichoke recipes. i think i have found a food that is really versitile and full of nutritionall value, that i actually like! although this is my last dish for this project i know i will be making more. cooking for yourself is a great way to stay healthy, know what your eating, and experiment with foods that you would never think to eat. it makes eating healthier more enjoyable and you feel like you got alot more acomplished than something that you got premade. i love the feeling of adding every little ingredient myself, knowing theres no hidden sicrets to what i am eating. to anyone who is trying to eat healthier i would without a doubt suggest preparing your own meals. there are plenty of great cookbooks and options, your bound to find something that fits your taste buds. like me, it took a few trys to find even one that i liked. also, do a little research on what your eating. youll feel better about yourself and it definetly encourages you to stay healthy.
Like the others, i did some research on the nutritional values in my dish. i found that artichoke is a great food to gain man of the nutrients we usually lack in our diet like vitamin C. magneseum, fiber, and potassium. many of these nutrients similar to the nutrients in my other dishes. (but this dish i actually like. extra bonus!) as found in my other researc, potasium maintains the hearts health, helps muscle and nerve function, and helps prevent strokes. the magnesium helps build strong bones, and regulate the bodies temputare. the vitamin C in these artichokes maintain a healthy immune system and helps the absorbtion of iron. iron is what helps carry oxegen from our lungs to parts of our body so it is very important to have the right amount in out body! the fiber found in this food maintains a healthy digestive system and lowers cholesterol. this lowers ones chance of heart disease. artichokes even have a protective effect on liver cells.
I really like artichokes so i was glad to see they had such good nutritional value. i definetly plan on either making this dish again or experimenting with other artichoke recipes. i think i have found a food that is really versitile and full of nutritionall value, that i actually like! although this is my last dish for this project i know i will be making more. cooking for yourself is a great way to stay healthy, know what your eating, and experiment with foods that you would never think to eat. it makes eating healthier more enjoyable and you feel like you got alot more acomplished than something that you got premade. i love the feeling of adding every little ingredient myself, knowing theres no hidden sicrets to what i am eating. to anyone who is trying to eat healthier i would without a doubt suggest preparing your own meals. there are plenty of great cookbooks and options, your bound to find something that fits your taste buds. like me, it took a few trys to find even one that i liked. also, do a little research on what your eating. youll feel better about yourself and it definetly encourages you to stay healthy.
Fifth Blog
Since there it only a little over a week of summer and this is my fifth blog, I'm just a little stressed.... actually I am so stressed that I can practically feel the zits forming on my face. Dispite my worry, I know I will successfully finish this, I have the rest of my summer planned out hour by hour, well, not that precise but I have this very planned. I want to get this done with two days left, that's my plan.
Anyway.... on with my project, on Thursday I had a couple people over. Since it was only a couple people it wasn't very stressfull. I just made sure I gave them food and water when they were hungry or thirsty; simple stuff. I also paid for them when we went on a 7 11 run..... well actually my mom paid, but I didn't make them pay. All in all the day went smoothly, but this is what I normally do when I have people over.
Then, yesterday I had seventeen people over at my house, and though my parents were there to help me out behind the scenes, I was still trying to juggle every request thrown at me and trying to relax and have fun. It was hard to figure out which task I should do first, if whatever I needed was right there I would do it, but some tasks sent me throughout the house and hard. It was intense. It was crazy to have people calling you to do things, I now know how my mom feels. It was fun but insane, I liked it. I also had to make sure I knew when people were arriving and leaving, or if they were even coming. It was hard keeping track of all the people, let alone all the stuff. My parents left a lot of the work to me, but they still did so much, I learned so much from them. Next, I'll be asking the people I had yesterday their honest opinion on how I did as a hostess.
Anyway.... on with my project, on Thursday I had a couple people over. Since it was only a couple people it wasn't very stressfull. I just made sure I gave them food and water when they were hungry or thirsty; simple stuff. I also paid for them when we went on a 7 11 run..... well actually my mom paid, but I didn't make them pay. All in all the day went smoothly, but this is what I normally do when I have people over.
Then, yesterday I had seventeen people over at my house, and though my parents were there to help me out behind the scenes, I was still trying to juggle every request thrown at me and trying to relax and have fun. It was hard to figure out which task I should do first, if whatever I needed was right there I would do it, but some tasks sent me throughout the house and hard. It was intense. It was crazy to have people calling you to do things, I now know how my mom feels. It was fun but insane, I liked it. I also had to make sure I knew when people were arriving and leaving, or if they were even coming. It was hard keeping track of all the people, let alone all the stuff. My parents left a lot of the work to me, but they still did so much, I learned so much from them. Next, I'll be asking the people I had yesterday their honest opinion on how I did as a hostess.
CRIM success
I ran the CRIM 10-miler in Flint yesterday, and felt like it went way better than I thought it would. CRIM, depending on who you talk to and whether or not you put the title in all-caps, is named after Bobby Crim or stands for 'Coolest Race in Michigan'. I'm not quite sure who the former is, and the latter seems a bit pretentious, but it IS a fun race.
Part of the charm of this course is in the length; I don't know of any other 10-mile races. You generally have 5- and 10-K's, or you have half- and full-marathons. So this is a nice in-betweener. It's also fun because I have a certain nostalgic fondness for Flint, which is the only city I know that gets dumped on and insulted more than Detroit or perhaps Gary, Indiana. Yes, it's a city in desperate economic straits, but the people always seem so genuine to me. I love running through both the nice parts AND the not-so-nice parts of town.
Anyway, I had pretty low expectations because I haven't been running very well lately. My longer runs seem to be falling flat, for a variety of reasons: sore legs, extreme heat, perhaps a little bit of runner burn-out. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to improve on last season's time, which is my general goal for any race that I'm repeating.
Last year when I ran the CRIM, it was the first race for me after I broke two ribs at the end of July (a long story that involves a wheelbarrow. It's not pretty). Actually, that isn't quite accurate. It was literally the first time I ran AT ALL after breaking the ribs. My goal then was to finish in under two hours, which is a 12-minute-mile pace. I finished in 1:53 and felt pretty good about it.
So you can see how, without having any major injury issues, it should have been no problem to beat last year's time. Still, my previous weeks' poor runs had me worried. When I started yesterday, I felt like I was keeping a good pace. I finished the first mile in 10:15 and thought I had a good chance to keep a similar pace throughout the remainder of the course. And it turned out pretty much like I hoped; I finished in 1:45, averaging about 10:30 per mile and beating last year's time by a full eight minutes. Solid.
The race gave me hope that the marathon isn't an impossible dream. Yes, 26 miles is WAY more than 10. But I do find that once I get into a groove on a long route, I can keep it up for a considerable distance. So I'm still thinking that I'll be able to get there in the next two months. We'll see. I admit that I've started having second thoughts about it, and I can easily (maybe TOO easily) just decide to run the half-marathon instead, so it isn't the end of the world if I go 13 instead of 26. But for now, I'm still in marathon mode. I'll need to kick up my weekend runs to get to that point; I'm looking at a 12-miler for next weekend, and I'll continue to add about a mile a week until I get to at least 18-20. We'll see how that goes.
In my last blog, I mentioned that I was going to talk about running music sometime soon. I'm still planning that for next time. Till then...
Saturday, August 28, 2010
guitar
I am changing my project last minute. I know it's sudden and drastic but nothing else turned out how i thought it would and i've been teaching myself guitar as a back up anyways. The first couple of days of playing the guitar were definitely the toughest. My fingers hurt like crazy. Since i have played regularly my fingers don't hurt anymore because i have caluses, yay. It sounds gross but i've been waiting for the caluses for a long time. Anyways, I have been learning from my sister's book on how to play guitar for beginners and sometime she teaches me a few new things, like where to put your fingers. I was completely clueless about guitars when i decided to take it up except for the fact that it makes pretty sounds. The first week i learned how to play the first, second and third strings. These strings are used to make up a lot of songs. So with learning just three strings, I have also learned a variety of songs. I have tried to memorize the fourth and fifth strings but they look so similar in music notes. Playing guitar is a very complex thing to do because not only do you have to read the notes, you must know how they sound, lift your fingers correctly, and strum right. I have not gotten the hang of everything yet but i feel that I am well on my way. After i learn all of the strings i am going to begin chords. Chords are a lot harder than simple string changing songs. You must be able to move your fingers around the strings quickly, otherwise the songs will not sound good, at all. I do know this from experience, but so does every person who has ever learned to play guitar. I do have a teacher that i could go to if things get too difficult to learn on my own. Well that's all for now. :)
Ashley Shuell's 8th blog post
Well Hello again! YES! Last blog post for the summer! My poem book looks great, it was what I wanted from the beginning! I added the last 2 poems on the backs of other poems since there weren’t enough pages. I finished a day before I wanted to! I feel extremely accomplished! Tomorrow I will be giving it to my boyfriend and hopefully he will love it! Wow I put so much hard work into this it took me the whole summer! I think from now on I will to a project every summer, because it is so productive and it keeps me from being lazy! I am pretty proud of my book and when I give it to him I will give it to him with confidence. This project was honestly very exhausting. I had to a week of before I could start it again. Wow school is almost here, I m nervous to see everyone again, haha, But happy nonetheless. I can't wait to see everyone’s project if we have to turn it in, I have no idea. It’s really beautiful, I put my heart and soul into it and you can tell. I am happy we had the freedom to do whatever project we wanted. I think that was a great idea, because with this freedom I think we are mature enough to pick something that will keep us busy. I am happy we are getting a grade on this. I like this freedom and I think we proved to everyone that we can handle this freedom and maybe they will continue to give us more freedom. I am happy and excited to see where the education goes in the future. I want to be a teacher and if I do become I will try to give everyone this freedom. Well SEE EVERYONE AS SCHOOL!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Number 7
This is my seventh post on the blog updated on my project. So far i jounral going to my friend's dom house with my brother so he can play with her brother mark. It was fun we watched movies, played online, and stayed the night. I also went with Dom, her brother, and my brother to the movies the next day we saw vampires suck. It was alot funnier then i throught it was going to be. On a scale from 1 to 10 i give the movie an eight. My little brother had his first corsairs football it was his first time ever playing football. They won they game 8 to 6 and my little bro played running back. It was awsome to see my little brother play so well. I was very proud. I watched my mom's friend's little girl for two days while he work and she was so easy to take care of. We also found out one of our cats were pregant and she had her babies. They are the cutest kittens ever! I work a little on my stories like the one about the girl and her brother going to new york from a auction she had. My work is getting better and I'm happy because when school starts i won't fail the class because of not being able to write anything. Next week will my last post and update on my week.
Ashley Shuell's 7th blog post
! Hello once again! Sweet, I used up all of my pages in my book and I want to add 2 more! What I am thinking is put it on the back of a page where I didn't paint, because the paint seeps through the back. Still haven't used up all of my paint, I have come to a conclusion, glue sticks suck! I do not recommend them. At the moment I have waiting for the paint to dry. I have noticed that I go through certain steps for each poem and here they are:
1. Cut out the words
2. paint the background
3.glue on the words
4. then add anything else I think will make it more interesting.
Pretty basic steps and they help a lot. This project is sucking the life out of me; I have to take breaks after 3 poems, because my head just doesn't work! I can't wait to give this to my boyfriend, I hope he enjoys it! Music really helps me concentrate, adds a little creativity to my head. I added 3 poems today, and I am ending with that many today and I can just do the rest tomorrow, not that much really I just need to add 2 more and then I will be done, I am giving my boyfriend this project on Sunday or Monday since I won’t see him on the September first! I am so nervous! What I plan on doing is giving it to him and when school starts I will just ask him for it and turn it in if Mr. Wilson needs it. Wow, School is so close! I am ready for school; I have nothing else better to do, anyways. My neck has been bothering me lately so I am trying to fight through it so I can get this done and won’t have to worry about it! Well Bye bye
1. Cut out the words
2. paint the background
3.glue on the words
4. then add anything else I think will make it more interesting.
Pretty basic steps and they help a lot. This project is sucking the life out of me; I have to take breaks after 3 poems, because my head just doesn't work! I can't wait to give this to my boyfriend, I hope he enjoys it! Music really helps me concentrate, adds a little creativity to my head. I added 3 poems today, and I am ending with that many today and I can just do the rest tomorrow, not that much really I just need to add 2 more and then I will be done, I am giving my boyfriend this project on Sunday or Monday since I won’t see him on the September first! I am so nervous! What I plan on doing is giving it to him and when school starts I will just ask him for it and turn it in if Mr. Wilson needs it. Wow, School is so close! I am ready for school; I have nothing else better to do, anyways. My neck has been bothering me lately so I am trying to fight through it so I can get this done and won’t have to worry about it! Well Bye bye
Post 8
Sadly there is only one week of summer left :( I'm going to wrap my project up in this last post and explain some of the connections I made to Barbara Kingsolver's book. First off, this past week went very well, progress with my training was a lot better compared to the previous week. I just keep doing the workouts my trainer gave me at my last session, hoping to improve my vertical. Although lately, I have been reading my butt off since I procrastinated. It paid off because once I finished Animal, Vegetable, Miracle I started to make connections. I don't know how long I sat here saying to myself "how in the world is food related to jumping?", but then I realized I was limiting myself to the plot of the book. There are so many more aspects to the book than just eating locally grown food. Once I got my head out of summer mode, I started writing down all of the different ways my project could relate to the book.
For starters we both had to make changes to our diets. It may not seem like a big deal but it truly is. Everything kind of revolves around food; I had to eat more frequently and consume more protein, whereas the Kingsolver family wrapped their entire life around producing their own food and eating healthier. The family and I both faced a physical challenge. My challenge this summer was pushing my body to its limit for training to increase my vertical jump. Day after day I pushed myself very similar to the manual labor the family had to do in order take care of the farm by planting, weeding, and collecting. Even though its sometimes a pain, we both still had to follow through otherwise nothing would get accomplished. Another connection I noted is that both of our families were affected. The entire Kingsolver family was affected in the decision to eat only locally grown food and managing the farm was a group effort. My family was affected when I started my project because when I brought home a list of foods that I was suppose to eat, instead of just buying me my own food our whole household ate the food I was assigned to. Barbara Kingsolver also wrote something along the lines of feeling better since her and her family haven't ate corn syrup or Fructose in over a year. Well I can actually feel a difference when I jump, I have more power in my legs and jumping seems easier. Throughout both of our projects we learned a lot. I learned the techniques to jumping, tons of new workouts, and how to eat right. In Animal, Vegetable, Miracle the family learned everything from what plants to grow during what season, where to get their meat/poultry, and how to prepare/save their produce for use of it during the winter time. Not to say that my project wasn’t life changing, but it was nothing compared to the life of the family in the book. The last chapter in the book is Titled Time Begins Again which means the family has all intentions of going on with their project. I also plan on continuing my project even though the writing part of it is complete, it can only help me in the future.
So as of now I am officially stating that my project was a success and I am glad that I was able to complete it! This summer was very educating and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle kind of inspired me so maybe next summer I will plant a garden. I do know one thing though, every time I open my fridge and there is a tomato, I will definitely think of the book :)
Hope everyone had an amazing summer and enjoys our last week of freedom! Good luck on the rest of your projects!
For starters we both had to make changes to our diets. It may not seem like a big deal but it truly is. Everything kind of revolves around food; I had to eat more frequently and consume more protein, whereas the Kingsolver family wrapped their entire life around producing their own food and eating healthier. The family and I both faced a physical challenge. My challenge this summer was pushing my body to its limit for training to increase my vertical jump. Day after day I pushed myself very similar to the manual labor the family had to do in order take care of the farm by planting, weeding, and collecting. Even though its sometimes a pain, we both still had to follow through otherwise nothing would get accomplished. Another connection I noted is that both of our families were affected. The entire Kingsolver family was affected in the decision to eat only locally grown food and managing the farm was a group effort. My family was affected when I started my project because when I brought home a list of foods that I was suppose to eat, instead of just buying me my own food our whole household ate the food I was assigned to. Barbara Kingsolver also wrote something along the lines of feeling better since her and her family haven't ate corn syrup or Fructose in over a year. Well I can actually feel a difference when I jump, I have more power in my legs and jumping seems easier. Throughout both of our projects we learned a lot. I learned the techniques to jumping, tons of new workouts, and how to eat right. In Animal, Vegetable, Miracle the family learned everything from what plants to grow during what season, where to get their meat/poultry, and how to prepare/save their produce for use of it during the winter time. Not to say that my project wasn’t life changing, but it was nothing compared to the life of the family in the book. The last chapter in the book is Titled Time Begins Again which means the family has all intentions of going on with their project. I also plan on continuing my project even though the writing part of it is complete, it can only help me in the future.
So as of now I am officially stating that my project was a success and I am glad that I was able to complete it! This summer was very educating and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle kind of inspired me so maybe next summer I will plant a garden. I do know one thing though, every time I open my fridge and there is a tomato, I will definitely think of the book :)
Hope everyone had an amazing summer and enjoys our last week of freedom! Good luck on the rest of your projects!
Ashley Shuell's 6th Blog post
Well hello, hello! Lately, I haven’t been working on it because I just lost my creativity, I guess, I over used to, so I took and week off and now I am back on track! Today I added 5 poems! Wooooooahh! And I want to add 8 more! By Saturday I need to be done! I am going to kick it into high gear, and only 2 more blog post to go! Sweeet! I am pretty happy with it so far, some are a bit sloppy and not as good as others but, hey what can you do? I forced myself to stop working on it today, because when I overdo it, it becomes sloppy and dumb, Thus I am here typing up my blog post. I still haven’t ran out of any paints yet which is good! I had to switch glues and the one I switched to sucks, but we already bought it and I don’t want to waste good money! I am running out of glue gun glue so I am trying really hard to conserve it! Trying my best! I really hope I can get this done in time; I will be disappointed in myself. School is almost here, and I cannot wait for our AP class, I know a lot of people in my class that I am excited to learn with. I have been reading In fact and I absolutely adore it with all of my heart! I find it interesting, It inspires me to write and get stuff published, over the weekend my family and I went up north and it takes ten hours to get up there so I was reading and watching movies, not at the same time but switching off and on, so I got in a lot of reading time! See you later!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Vampires Suck
So the whole book-writing thing is off to a pretty slow start. I didn't know where to begin, so I sort-of wrote an introduction. I can't say it's the introduction because I can't actually write that until the end. I just wrote an introduction so I don't forget what I want to write, if that makes any sense at all. It seemed like a good idea, but it was probably just a waste of time now that I think about it... When I'm finished I'll know everything that's going to be inside, and that's when I'll know just how to ease readers into the book (that is, if there are any readers... I don't think I'll have the guts to let anyone read it!). Besides, I hate it right now. I mean, I always hate everything I write until I proof-read and edit it 5000 times. I'm sure it's not that bad, but when I go back to edit my work I always go into it thinking it's terrible. It's just how I am. I'd be very surprised if that changed with this book, and I'm prepared for the millions of re-writes I'm going to make. I know it's going to be worth it, because after all of the scratching-out and ripping-out and stressing-out, my book just might turn out okay. And then I'll get it bound and Kinko's and set it on a shelf somewhere in my room and be done!
After I finished the introduction, I started in on the science in Harry Potter, because that's the best part for me. I love science. Give me a biology book or a House marathon and I will definitely be a very happy camper. Unfortunately, I knew readers would get bored with what I was saying so I stopped. I'm pretty sure I was wasting my time by droning on about things that only I find remotely interesting, so I want to figure out a way to write about them in a more creative way. I want other people to find them interesting, too, you know? So I decided I will definitely go back to it later.
Right now I'm working on the myths and legends behind the Harry Potter series, and I think these topics are a bit more intriguing to other people, so I'm really excited about them! There's a lot to write about, too. So I feel like I'm actually getting ahead instead of just taking notes and wasting paper and putting things off until 'later', whenever that is. Mermaids, dragons, giants, witches, wizards, sphinxes, pixies, and on and on it goes. So on and on I go.
I know I'm making this project sound painstakingly monotonous, but I'm so in my element right now--really. I love writing! It feels like I'm actually doing something. Like about ten minutes ago, I was sitting in the most comfortable chair in the house with my ten-cent notebook on my lap and my hand was just taking on the role of my mouth and going on and on and on (which is quite literally what my mouth usually does). I guess it's kind of like sign language, except the hand movements don't get lost in thin air and there's no time lag between your brain and your hand. That gets really annoying. I think much faster than my hand can move and sometimes I forget what I'm trying to write. My brain spits out one sentence after another, but my hand is a slug moving across the paper. But if it weren't for the slowness of it all, I might switch to writing over talking altogether. Well no, I wouldn't, because that would be stupid, but writing everything out stops me from rambling. I'm a rambler. I just need to get to the point so I don't forget what that point is. That's why I write everything out by hand because I can type a lot faster than I can write. The typing doesn't filter out the babbling. Thank God the pen ink doesn't fade, because when I do forget what I'm trying to say (which actually happens all the time) I can go back and read what I wrote before and get back on track. Unlike when I'm talking. I never get to the point, so just don't get me started.
Another bright side to writing? I can be as sarcastic as I want. Hopefully I'm nice in person, because I really do try to be, but I can be quite a mean writer. It's like there's a filter in my brain and all the bad gets sent to my right hand. But to me, criticism is far more entertaining than praise. Even if I don't agree with it, I like to read it. I like critics because they're honest and maybe a little prejudiced and they don't try incredibly hard to be politically correct about everything. They don't care about people liking them. Their pieces can be funny or insulting or make you think you're an idiot for actually liking something in the first place. No matter how you spin it, it's a lot more interesting that reading 57 pages of nothing but praise. I think a mean piece is chock-full of charisma. That's why girls supposedly like bad boys, right? Regardless, I can be quite the cynic and I love to mock everything. And I have actually written some of my anti-Twilight pieces even though I didn't finish re-reading the series. I had enough to go on from the 40 pages of the first book that I did read and what I remembered from the rest of them. Besides, I'm writing just for the sake of writing. It's not like there are any limits. This is very bad for Stephenie Meyer and very good for people who like things that are very bad for Stephenie Meyer.
There is no way I'm going to write an entire book in the next week so I guess in my next blog I'll just make connections based on what I've got. I hope everyone had a fantastic summer and I hope you all had fun with your projects!
-Erica Melkonian
PS: Vampires Suck wasn't that funny. All the best parts were in the commercials... I really hate when that happens! It was pretty lame. If you want to see funny Twilight satire videos you can probably find some good ones on YouTube. Hmmm.. I was so excited to see it, too. :(
Please follow: wizards vs. vampires
After I finished the introduction, I started in on the science in Harry Potter, because that's the best part for me. I love science. Give me a biology book or a House marathon and I will definitely be a very happy camper. Unfortunately, I knew readers would get bored with what I was saying so I stopped. I'm pretty sure I was wasting my time by droning on about things that only I find remotely interesting, so I want to figure out a way to write about them in a more creative way. I want other people to find them interesting, too, you know? So I decided I will definitely go back to it later.
Right now I'm working on the myths and legends behind the Harry Potter series, and I think these topics are a bit more intriguing to other people, so I'm really excited about them! There's a lot to write about, too. So I feel like I'm actually getting ahead instead of just taking notes and wasting paper and putting things off until 'later', whenever that is. Mermaids, dragons, giants, witches, wizards, sphinxes, pixies, and on and on it goes. So on and on I go.
I know I'm making this project sound painstakingly monotonous, but I'm so in my element right now--really. I love writing! It feels like I'm actually doing something. Like about ten minutes ago, I was sitting in the most comfortable chair in the house with my ten-cent notebook on my lap and my hand was just taking on the role of my mouth and going on and on and on (which is quite literally what my mouth usually does). I guess it's kind of like sign language, except the hand movements don't get lost in thin air and there's no time lag between your brain and your hand. That gets really annoying. I think much faster than my hand can move and sometimes I forget what I'm trying to write. My brain spits out one sentence after another, but my hand is a slug moving across the paper. But if it weren't for the slowness of it all, I might switch to writing over talking altogether. Well no, I wouldn't, because that would be stupid, but writing everything out stops me from rambling. I'm a rambler. I just need to get to the point so I don't forget what that point is. That's why I write everything out by hand because I can type a lot faster than I can write. The typing doesn't filter out the babbling. Thank God the pen ink doesn't fade, because when I do forget what I'm trying to say (which actually happens all the time) I can go back and read what I wrote before and get back on track. Unlike when I'm talking. I never get to the point, so just don't get me started.
Another bright side to writing? I can be as sarcastic as I want. Hopefully I'm nice in person, because I really do try to be, but I can be quite a mean writer. It's like there's a filter in my brain and all the bad gets sent to my right hand. But to me, criticism is far more entertaining than praise. Even if I don't agree with it, I like to read it. I like critics because they're honest and maybe a little prejudiced and they don't try incredibly hard to be politically correct about everything. They don't care about people liking them. Their pieces can be funny or insulting or make you think you're an idiot for actually liking something in the first place. No matter how you spin it, it's a lot more interesting that reading 57 pages of nothing but praise. I think a mean piece is chock-full of charisma. That's why girls supposedly like bad boys, right? Regardless, I can be quite the cynic and I love to mock everything. And I have actually written some of my anti-Twilight pieces even though I didn't finish re-reading the series. I had enough to go on from the 40 pages of the first book that I did read and what I remembered from the rest of them. Besides, I'm writing just for the sake of writing. It's not like there are any limits. This is very bad for Stephenie Meyer and very good for people who like things that are very bad for Stephenie Meyer.
There is no way I'm going to write an entire book in the next week so I guess in my next blog I'll just make connections based on what I've got. I hope everyone had a fantastic summer and I hope you all had fun with your projects!
-Erica Melkonian
PS: Vampires Suck wasn't that funny. All the best parts were in the commercials... I really hate when that happens! It was pretty lame. If you want to see funny Twilight satire videos you can probably find some good ones on YouTube. Hmmm.. I was so excited to see it, too. :(
Please follow: wizards vs. vampires
Week Seven, breakthrough idea, changes in project.
Well as I've looked back at everything I've done this summer I realised it was never really about my family history, it was about my dad's side of the family. I'm extremely intruigued with all the emotions linked to the family, so many secrects hidden behind locked doors. The reason why I feel so compeled to understand these secrets is because I hear little bits and peices about them but never the whole story. Also, because they are so high-stress tales and emotion filled, is the reason this project didn't get quite as much information as I would have liked. Though I'm going to write down in my notebook tomorrow everything I do understand about it, as long as the information doesn't get too much like gossip, this is my family I'm talking about after all.
So with that said, the trip to the museum yet again failed. Big shocker there. My face still hurts, it didn't heal as fast as I thought it would and I have some nasty looking green bruises. Thankfully I had the surgery after pictures. Also, the family buisness my dad runs isn't doing to great (like everything else in Michigan right now) and I don't really want to put the stress that a trip down memory row would cause him; he has enough stress to deal with right now. If you're wondering, yes it would be hard for him to go to the museum, he had it rough as a jewish kid (I can just imagine, I get offended by jokes and I only celebrate some of the holidays/ traditions and most kids don't know it, or just forget.) Anyway, the trip will probably take place some time into the school year when this project is long over with.
Now on to what I'm doing this week. A couple days ago I took pictures of a lot of the documents in my grandma's suitcase. I'm going to print them, lable them and put them in a binder. It will just show an idea of what I had to look at, go from, and all that was left after she died. I also made copies of a somewhat ledgible letter, and am hoping to make re-write a copy of it in german so it's easier to translate and then also actually translate it, some words I'll know and some I'll have to look up. It's just going to be a rough idea of what was said. Also there was a typed letter that I made a copy of. I'm not sure if it even has any meaning, since it might just be an offical letter or something of those accords, but I thought it might be something else.
One thing I decided while making copies these past days is that I am going to save everything that happens, even if it is a mess up and lable it so. This way I don't lose anything possibly important or look back and wish I had kept something. Its kind of what scientist do when conducting a lab, but I think it has good principal behind it so I'm sticking it to.
On a last note, I found a good connection with the Animal, Veggie, Mirical book and my project, but I'll save the details of that one for my final blog.
So with that said, the trip to the museum yet again failed. Big shocker there. My face still hurts, it didn't heal as fast as I thought it would and I have some nasty looking green bruises. Thankfully I had the surgery after pictures. Also, the family buisness my dad runs isn't doing to great (like everything else in Michigan right now) and I don't really want to put the stress that a trip down memory row would cause him; he has enough stress to deal with right now. If you're wondering, yes it would be hard for him to go to the museum, he had it rough as a jewish kid (I can just imagine, I get offended by jokes and I only celebrate some of the holidays/ traditions and most kids don't know it, or just forget.) Anyway, the trip will probably take place some time into the school year when this project is long over with.
Now on to what I'm doing this week. A couple days ago I took pictures of a lot of the documents in my grandma's suitcase. I'm going to print them, lable them and put them in a binder. It will just show an idea of what I had to look at, go from, and all that was left after she died. I also made copies of a somewhat ledgible letter, and am hoping to make re-write a copy of it in german so it's easier to translate and then also actually translate it, some words I'll know and some I'll have to look up. It's just going to be a rough idea of what was said. Also there was a typed letter that I made a copy of. I'm not sure if it even has any meaning, since it might just be an offical letter or something of those accords, but I thought it might be something else.
One thing I decided while making copies these past days is that I am going to save everything that happens, even if it is a mess up and lable it so. This way I don't lose anything possibly important or look back and wish I had kept something. Its kind of what scientist do when conducting a lab, but I think it has good principal behind it so I'm sticking it to.
On a last note, I found a good connection with the Animal, Veggie, Mirical book and my project, but I'll save the details of that one for my final blog.
Weightlifting Summer Project- Post #5
Hey everyone!
Well, another week has gone by. I've decided to put 2 posts this week, and 2 more next week in order to conclude my summer project. By doing this, I feel that my posts just have more quality, and have more legitimate things to say. All in all, I won't feel like I'm forcing myself to write something. This will give me some time to look at my lifting records and charts, my diet, and weight changes, to see where I'm at.
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Body Stats (Beginning/Current)
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Height: 5'8/5'8 (0 inch increase)
Weight: 130/140 lbs (No increase)
Body Fat Percentage: 6.4%/6.67% (No increase)
Lean Body Mass: 121.7/128 lbs ( No increase)
Since I've began playing soccer, my gains have slowed. I'm getting stronger and stronger, but my weight gain is super slow. I'm positive that this is because soccer is running intensive, which not only burns very many calories, but puts me into an "anti-catabolic" stage. In other words, when anyone runs at all (mostly for training purposes), muscle is in the stage of breaking down at a molecular level. This may be surprising to some, but this even happens while you sleep. In any event, all of the running is putting my body in an anti-catabolic mode, which is limiting my weight gain. I'll get more into this later.
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Lifting Stats (Beginning/Current)
----------------
Barbell Bench Press: 110/145 (0 pound increase)
Barbell Parallel Squat 135/230 (5 pound increase)
Barbell Deadlift 90/230 (5 pound increase)
While researching, I have found that it isn't good to follow any routine or rep amount for too long. Throughout most of my summer project, I've been using a 3x5 routine, which means 3 sets of 5 reps. If you follow a routine too long, your body will get used to it, and your muscles will adapt and cease to gain mass as fast as they should. So, I've switched to 3x8, or even 4x8 which gives me more hypertrophy (muscle tearing in order to build more muscle), which in turn will produce more gains. While using this method of training, my lifts won't climb as much, but there will be more muscle development instead of strength development.
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Diet
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My diet has remained the same. 100 ounces of water a day, a daily protein shake, 3000-3200 calories a day (I need extra because of those lost during soccer practice), and lots of carbs and proteins. I've had everything in check, so I'm doing good on this part. Luckily for me I can withhold from things that are bad for you; however, those Oreo's get me EVERY time!
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Overall
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This week I've learned that if I want to increase muscle size, more reps is key. If I want more strength, less reps is key. I've also learned that Anti-Catobolism is easily stopped by consuming Casein proteins before bed (slow-digesting proteins). This will allow my body to feed off the Casein protein while I sleep instead of muscle.
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Quick Facts
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Q. What is Catabolism?
A. Catabolism is the breaking down of something, and in most instances it is at the molecular level. Catabolism relating to muscles is the breaking down of muscle.
Q. What is Hypertrophy?
A. Hypertrophy is the tearing of muscle fibers. Proteins will repair torn muscle fibers, making them stronger, hence making them larger and stronger.
Q. What is Whey Protein?
A. Whey Protein is an extremely fast digesting protein. It enters the blood stream fast, and is most commonly used in a powder form used in protein shakes after a workout. Whey Protein will stop muscle catabolism after running, and will start repairing muscle tissues right after a workout. This can be used by pretty much any athlete, as it helps immensely with recovery as well.
Q. What is Casein Protein?
A. Casein Protein is basically the opposite of Whey Protein. Casein is a slow-digesting protein, and is found in high amounts in milk and cottage cheese. This fights off catabolism as well.
Second to Last
My project has been completed and I meant to publish this blog a few days ago, but things come up. So I've got to be honest when I say I have no idea what I've already told you in the previous posts since it's been a while and I'm forgetful. I would go back and look at my previous posts, but Blogger confuses me greatly and I don't know how. So, I'm going to complete this update because I'm technically two weeks behind with it and I still have my last post to write. I didn't write a post for the last week I did pictures because there was honestly nothing much to say except that I took pictures. For the week I was editting, I downloaded a program called Book Smart from http://www.blurb.com/. It allows you to actually design the layout of your book, add text, and pictures. Once completed, you can order the copy of your book in hardcover or soft and for a price they will ship it to you. That's basically how I was able to set up my book and it was surprisingly a great deal of work. I was planning on printing it, but I don't have the extra money to toss into that so it will have to wait. The program isn't just designed for books like that, but also wedding registries, photo books, guest books, cook books, etc. I had both of my parents read and edit my story for a fresh set of eyes (which was a challenge in and of itself) and then on top of that my own editting. I posted the finalized copy online. If you're interested in reading it you can find it at: www.writerscafe.org/writing/jukebox540483/595752. Unfortunately, this copy does not contain any of the pictures I have taken and I have not figured out a way where I can add them into the text at the appropriate spots. Even if I could, I'd prefer not to mess with watermarking all the images. In my opinion, it doesn't provide the same viewing experience. Not to mention, there are still a few pictures I have not taken that I would like to, but the right moment hasn't come. In their spot, I have (hopefully) temporary placers. They are still pictures I've taken, but not ones I've taken this summer. According to my mother, this book has me written all over it. I had a few inspirations for some of the aspects in the story. They helped me develope certain ideas and allowed me to connect the dots. I'm not so sure if it's a wise idea to mention them after all, but perhaps you might pick up hints from a few of them when you read it. I'll leave that up to you. As sad as it is and even though I did visit the library for this reason, I'm not totally sure what the age of my audience is. It was supposed to be around the age of 5 or 6, but it's been a few years since I was that age ... actually it's been a decade so I had trouble relating and bringing myself to be that simple and carefree. I did tone down my vocabulary and when I questioned something I tried to make it more simple, but in the end after everything was said and done I think I was only able to manage 9 years old aprox (4th grade). Although, I feel as if I read much larger books when I was in 4th grade, but then I was an avid reader so it's not saying much. I can't stop saying how busy this summer has been! I've never had a summer that requested so much time from me. I'm going to finish up the other AP work that I have not had time for and I'll probably update you on that in my last post. Also, if I can find a way to put the pictures up so they'll be protected and placed then I will let you know in the next post also. :) Summer break is almost over - less than 2 weeks left now. Good luck with the finishing touches if you're still working like me and if you're finished have fun soaking up some of the last rays of sun!
Below is a tidbit on the back of the book:
"The sun sets and the moon comes out.
A young girl begins to doubt.
Shadows and noises make her fear,
But a strange world stops her tears.
Many discoveries are to be made in this land
When an important mission is at hand.
As the clouds continue to drift,
She will come across many myths.
In search of truth, she will roam
Because there is no place like home.
Everything she ever wanted to know
is....
Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
Below is a tidbit on the back of the book:
"The sun sets and the moon comes out.
A young girl begins to doubt.
Shadows and noises make her fear,
But a strange world stops her tears.
Many discoveries are to be made in this land
When an important mission is at hand.
As the clouds continue to drift,
She will come across many myths.
In search of truth, she will roam
Because there is no place like home.
Everything she ever wanted to know
is....
Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
Post Numero Ocho
Well, this is my eighth post, for those of you who don't know Spanish. Although I'm only required to do eight entries, I am going to do nine. The ninth one will be the essay that connects my project with Kingsolver's. I have some good news about what I have accomplished last week. I finished the entire cadence! This is great news, because I've finished all that I said I would do this summer. Well, except for the second cadence I said I would do if time allows. Clearly, I won't be writing another, seeing as how there's less than two weeks left of summer break. But, if I can, I'll try to get it written out on paper using software that I unfortunately don't have, instead of my handwriting, which is what I've been using up until now.
The software I need to is music making software, and I know exactly where a computer with the ability to this is. There are computers in one of the practice rooms at Kettering that have this software. Now, the only problem is being able to have access to them. I already go to that part the school during the summer because of marching band rehearsal, so that isn't the problem. The problem is that I can't be there unless a teacher is there as well, and I don't want to keep them after rehearsal while I use the computers. So, it's possible that I won't be able to accomplish this. I think I'll be able to one way or another, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
So that's my plan, maybe it'll work, maybe it won't. I'm only doing this anyways because I have an extra week and a half on my hands, and I have nothing else I can do on this project. This is my second to last post; the summer sure did go by fast. That's all I have to say, so goodbye until next week.
The software I need to is music making software, and I know exactly where a computer with the ability to this is. There are computers in one of the practice rooms at Kettering that have this software. Now, the only problem is being able to have access to them. I already go to that part the school during the summer because of marching band rehearsal, so that isn't the problem. The problem is that I can't be there unless a teacher is there as well, and I don't want to keep them after rehearsal while I use the computers. So, it's possible that I won't be able to accomplish this. I think I'll be able to one way or another, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
So that's my plan, maybe it'll work, maybe it won't. I'm only doing this anyways because I have an extra week and a half on my hands, and I have nothing else I can do on this project. This is my second to last post; the summer sure did go by fast. That's all I have to say, so goodbye until next week.
Post 8
Summer is almost over. We only have about 2 weeks left and I believe that my project was a big success. If you haven't already guessed I PASSED MY FREESTYLE TEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It went really well. With this kind of test there are 3 judges but you only need two of them to pass you and it is really hard to have all of them pass you. I guess that they were in a good mood Tuesday because all 3 of the judges passed me!!! After reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle I discovered a few similarities between Barbara Kingsolver's project and my project. She was very passionate about only eating locally grown food and food that she and her family grew themselves. Like Kingsolver I am passionate about my skating. It was very important for me to pass this test. At the beginning of the summer I never thought that I would have gotten this far in 2 months. This project has been fun but it has been a lot of work. Another thing that I have learned from this project is that if you set goals and really push yourself then you can accomplish a lot. In Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Kingsolver had been wanting to start her project for a long time then she pushed herself and finally did it and she stuck with it all year. My project might have not been an entire year but it still took a lot of sacrifices with all of the early mornings, long practices, and competitions. Even though the summer is ending and the project is over I am going to keep working hard on my skating. I will have more going on with school starting, synchro practices, and competitions but I am not going to let that interfere with my individual skating. I hope that everyone's projects turned out well. Enjoy the rest of summer!!!!!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Studying more people as hosts
I've been studying everyone as a host/hostess lately, I try to notice things that I wouldn't used to notice before this project. I'm also making sure I don't take for granted the things people do when they have people over at their home. The other night when I was at a party for my friend that his girlfriend through I was very impressed by how on top of everything she was. I feel like we are so dependent on our parents to organize everything for us, but it won't be long untill we out in that scary world without our parents to guide our every step. The girl who through this party has graduated this past year, so she is wiser, so I wanted to learn from her.
Since this was a party of teenagers, we were all hungry, so there had to be plenty of food. My friend took care of all of this, she made sure everyone had enough of everything, and if needed she would refill things when they were low. She would pick up the pop cans when we left them. When I have people over I clean some, but I'm never on top of it like she was. I will be changing this.
Everyone wanted to talk to the hostess, and she balanced everything so perfectly, she had time for all these people who wanted to just sit and laugh and talk, and also make everything perfect and organized. When someone needed something, she was on it, she never dawdled, as my mom would call it. She made sure no one was bored. I plan to take all of this, as well as what I got from watching Kim, to be a better hostess. Though... sometimes I wish there was a better word for hostess.
Since this was a party of teenagers, we were all hungry, so there had to be plenty of food. My friend took care of all of this, she made sure everyone had enough of everything, and if needed she would refill things when they were low. She would pick up the pop cans when we left them. When I have people over I clean some, but I'm never on top of it like she was. I will be changing this.
Everyone wanted to talk to the hostess, and she balanced everything so perfectly, she had time for all these people who wanted to just sit and laugh and talk, and also make everything perfect and organized. When someone needed something, she was on it, she never dawdled, as my mom would call it. She made sure no one was bored. I plan to take all of this, as well as what I got from watching Kim, to be a better hostess. Though... sometimes I wish there was a better word for hostess.
4th Post
I am proud to say that I'm proud of what I've been doing as far as my project goes. I've been making much better food choices and exercising. I'd also have to say it's really coming together in my head of how my project is alike and different from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. So all in all, the past week has been a good time for my project.
Eating Habits: I've definitely changed the way I eat. My biggest step is that I've been eating way smaller portions than usual. I was pleasantly surprised when I figured out that I'm not starved. I thought for sure that once I reduced my portion size I would be super hungry all the time. Instead, I found I was just as filled as before. So, that is very good news. Also, I have been drinking diet pop as a substitute for when I crave some. I found that Kool-Aid, tea, and juice are a great substitute for Pop when you want a sweet drink. Also, my new found love are caramel apples. While maybe the caramel part isn't the best, it's an apple. I'd imagine a caramel apple is a better choice then some Doritos. As far as eating goes, I've definitely made a improvement I'm proud of.
Exercising: I've been going to the Kettering gym quite a bit and working hard. I have found that going with my friends isn't quite...productive. I thought it would be a good idea, but let's just say there's a lot of "Okay, Go" music video in the treadmills and an unnecessary amount of bouncing on exercise balls. On the other hand, when I visit the gym by myself I work really hard. I befriended a frequent gym-goer named Dusty. He knows a lot about exercising and he has been able to explain to me workout routines that would be most beneficial for me.
I think if I keep working this hard, I am on the right track.
Eating Habits: I've definitely changed the way I eat. My biggest step is that I've been eating way smaller portions than usual. I was pleasantly surprised when I figured out that I'm not starved. I thought for sure that once I reduced my portion size I would be super hungry all the time. Instead, I found I was just as filled as before. So, that is very good news. Also, I have been drinking diet pop as a substitute for when I crave some. I found that Kool-Aid, tea, and juice are a great substitute for Pop when you want a sweet drink. Also, my new found love are caramel apples. While maybe the caramel part isn't the best, it's an apple. I'd imagine a caramel apple is a better choice then some Doritos. As far as eating goes, I've definitely made a improvement I'm proud of.
Exercising: I've been going to the Kettering gym quite a bit and working hard. I have found that going with my friends isn't quite...productive. I thought it would be a good idea, but let's just say there's a lot of "Okay, Go" music video in the treadmills and an unnecessary amount of bouncing on exercise balls. On the other hand, when I visit the gym by myself I work really hard. I befriended a frequent gym-goer named Dusty. He knows a lot about exercising and he has been able to explain to me workout routines that would be most beneficial for me.
I think if I keep working this hard, I am on the right track.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Looks like I'm not the only one with a late 5th post....
I kept telling myself everyday for the past week that I would post my fifth blog entry, but never actually executed it until now, of course. I've also come to realize that all my blogs pretty much sound exactly alike. Let's see how this one goes.
The project is still going well. I've started to enjoy recording the events of my everyday life again. Nothing too exciting has happened lately, besides my big brother going to college that is. I'm still very far behind when it comes to editing all the clips together. The last day I put together was July 15th. That means I only have 30 some odd more to go. Wahoo! NOT!
Hopefully this dang so called "vacation" will bring me some down time so I have an opportunity to catch up with all this summer ending madness.
Maybe next I can babble on about what I've been up to. So I've already mentioned that I took my brother to college. I don't even remember what else I've been up to. Nothing eventful at all. Tomorrow I'm leaving to go to Traverse City with my parents. Blah blah blah. This blog is extremely boring and I am sorry. I just wish that summer wasn't coming to a close soon.
Oh the reading! It's going great for the most part. I'm really hoping to hit my goal of finishing by thursday. That'd be really nice.
Here's the links to my videos that I know you all are so dying to read. Right? Aw you're no fun.
Day 9
http://s951.photobucket.com/albums/ad357/LilP_ciak2012/?action=view¤t=DAY9.mp4&newest=1
Days 10-15
http://s951.photobucket.com/albums/ad357/LilP_ciak2012/?action=view¤t=DAY9.mp4&newest=1#!oZZ1QQcurrentZZhttp%3A%2F%2Fs951.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fad357%2FLilP_ciak2012%2F%3Faction%3Dview%26current%3DDAY10-15.mp4%26newest%3D1
The project is still going well. I've started to enjoy recording the events of my everyday life again. Nothing too exciting has happened lately, besides my big brother going to college that is. I'm still very far behind when it comes to editing all the clips together. The last day I put together was July 15th. That means I only have 30 some odd more to go. Wahoo! NOT!
Hopefully this dang so called "vacation" will bring me some down time so I have an opportunity to catch up with all this summer ending madness.
Maybe next I can babble on about what I've been up to. So I've already mentioned that I took my brother to college. I don't even remember what else I've been up to. Nothing eventful at all. Tomorrow I'm leaving to go to Traverse City with my parents. Blah blah blah. This blog is extremely boring and I am sorry. I just wish that summer wasn't coming to a close soon.
Oh the reading! It's going great for the most part. I'm really hoping to hit my goal of finishing by thursday. That'd be really nice.
Here's the links to my videos that I know you all are so dying to read. Right? Aw you're no fun.
Day 9
http://s951.photobucket.com/albums/ad357/LilP_ciak2012/?action=view¤t=DAY9.mp4&newest=1
Days 10-15
http://s951.photobucket.com/albums/ad357/LilP_ciak2012/?action=view¤t=DAY9.mp4&newest=1#!oZZ1QQcurrentZZhttp%3A%2F%2Fs951.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fad357%2FLilP_ciak2012%2F%3Faction%3Dview%26current%3DDAY10-15.mp4%26newest%3D1
finding inspiration for my project!
after a full summers worth of an eating healthier mission, i think it has finally hit me. at first i was enthusiastic about eating heatlhier options, smething i had always wanted to do. i had finally found that extra push i needed to actually do it. i think that is why the first month i found it more inspiring to eat healthy. i found myself cooking more foods for myself and ditching bad eating habits such as drinking pop, resorting to more fast but unhealthy foods instead of being creative (even if it ment takeing more time). but then i went on 2 long trips with my family and friends and started making excuses of why i can eat foods that are not good for the body. "im on vacation" or "just this once" are thoughts that i would often find myself resorting to. i began to lose sight of my goal in the first place.
After reading more and more of AVM it became clear to me that Kingsolver was already extremly educated and passionate about naturally grown foods and she later advanced into applying it to her real life. she didnt just one day decide she wanted to devote an entire year of her life to animals and vegtables grown and raised from only her back yard and neighbors, most of which they personally knew. for my goal of eating healthier it is clear i must first become educated and passonate about why i am aiming for this. that is the only way me, or anyone else will ever truly be able to acheive any goal of theirs to the fullest.
instead of forcing myself to make a desicion every time i eat about weither i am eating healthy or not, i am going to actually be useful with my time and research what healthy eating is all about. i trust that the passion will come naturally, since i know i already have a drive to eat healthy. once the passion comes to me, i think i will find it easier and more natural to eat healthy, just like it did for Barabra to eat locally grown food. although i still plan on cooking one or two more meals before the summers end, i will be focusing more on educating myself.
Although i know this summer was supose to be a project where you acheive a goal (such as eating heatlhier) in my case it took me a trial and error to realize i was aproaching my goal at the wrong angle. if only i would have realized this sooner into my project! lol
After reading more and more of AVM it became clear to me that Kingsolver was already extremly educated and passionate about naturally grown foods and she later advanced into applying it to her real life. she didnt just one day decide she wanted to devote an entire year of her life to animals and vegtables grown and raised from only her back yard and neighbors, most of which they personally knew. for my goal of eating healthier it is clear i must first become educated and passonate about why i am aiming for this. that is the only way me, or anyone else will ever truly be able to acheive any goal of theirs to the fullest.
instead of forcing myself to make a desicion every time i eat about weither i am eating healthy or not, i am going to actually be useful with my time and research what healthy eating is all about. i trust that the passion will come naturally, since i know i already have a drive to eat healthy. once the passion comes to me, i think i will find it easier and more natural to eat healthy, just like it did for Barabra to eat locally grown food. although i still plan on cooking one or two more meals before the summers end, i will be focusing more on educating myself.
Although i know this summer was supose to be a project where you acheive a goal (such as eating heatlhier) in my case it took me a trial and error to realize i was aproaching my goal at the wrong angle. if only i would have realized this sooner into my project! lol
5th post, finally dude.
Jeez, I really suck at this. I figured out I really suck at planning and just timing in general. Life's been hectic and I cant seem to find enough time to get everything that needs to get done finished. Like a list is just piling in my head and every time something get accomplished 15 more things pop up, ugh. Between working and dancing and trying to finish the books and personal stuff, I don't even have time to breathe. Time is running out and its really worrying me because I definitely need to get this project and the readings done.101
So I just started Creative Nonfiction about 2 or 3 days ago and I got the more explicit version which definitely has an interesting side to it. I'm almost finished with it, I'm trying to get as much done as fast as possible because I know I'm going to have a lot of difficulty writing the paper about it. But I gotta be honest, most of the stories are making me fall asleep. Creative nonfiction is clearly not my genre of choice. There was one story in particular that I had to reread like at least 9 times because it didn't capture my interest even a little and I couldn't recall a single thing about it. I think it was called North&South Pole, Sea of Carcinoma or something like that. Haven't even started Animal, Vegetable, Mineral. Crap. The whole point of reading it was to give some guidelines as to where my project should be going, oops.
Progress since my last post has been slow, pretty much nothing to be honest. I came to the conclusion that I'm just going to use pictures from the internet along with the ones I actually took, it'll get the point across much clearly considering I'm kind of a mediocre photographer.
But for real, I gotta get working sooooo bye!
So I just started Creative Nonfiction about 2 or 3 days ago and I got the more explicit version which definitely has an interesting side to it. I'm almost finished with it, I'm trying to get as much done as fast as possible because I know I'm going to have a lot of difficulty writing the paper about it. But I gotta be honest, most of the stories are making me fall asleep. Creative nonfiction is clearly not my genre of choice. There was one story in particular that I had to reread like at least 9 times because it didn't capture my interest even a little and I couldn't recall a single thing about it. I think it was called North&South Pole, Sea of Carcinoma or something like that. Haven't even started Animal, Vegetable, Mineral. Crap. The whole point of reading it was to give some guidelines as to where my project should be going, oops.
Progress since my last post has been slow, pretty much nothing to be honest. I came to the conclusion that I'm just going to use pictures from the internet along with the ones I actually took, it'll get the point across much clearly considering I'm kind of a mediocre photographer.
But for real, I gotta get working sooooo bye!
number five, late late late.
I need to get on a better schedule with these, oh man. Well, I did it I finally the car wash was a success! I raised almost $200 dollars for Susan G. Komen (Breast Cancer Foundation!) It did take a lot of time, and frustration though. When I first started it was cold and cloudy, and it didn't look like it was going to be an enjoyable experience. People who said they were going to help, didn't show up. A few people stuck to their word and showed up though. We would be dead f0r a while, and just focus on holding up the signs, and having a good time. Then, business would come in and we would have five or six cars backed up. That is when having more people would have came in handy. We took a lot of pictures and videos that I am going to make a slideshow of to show you guys when school starts. I still have to get all the money gathered up, and sent away, and see what the foundation has to say. This part is the most exciting, to see their reaction. Just knowing that I am helping a little bit, makes me feel very accomplished. I am going to stay in touch with the foundation to see any further things I could possibly take part in the future. This whole experience has inspired me to just get out there, and put your ideas to the test. Don't be shy to help, if you have the enthusiasm go for it! Before this, I would always feel the need to help, or volunteer for things, but I was always too shy. This time I went for it and it actually turned out for the best. I made sure to thank all the people that helped, and Overtyme for allowing us to do this in their space. I don't think I would change a single thing about it, and I can't wait to see the reaction. I am also gathering further donations from my friends and family. So, I hope this helps! I hope you guys read my last three posts about how all of that is going. Including, the production of my slideshow, which I am clueless on how to do, lol.
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