ESA :)

So some of you may not know but i am a part of esa, which is the community service sorority. Let me just say it was one of the best decisions that i have made all year to join. It has been a wonderful time with all of my sisters and i wouldn't of had it any other way. It has brought me so many opportunities and i am truly thankful for all that it has done for me. The typical sorority stereotype isn't really good and i was nervous going into a sorority, but this decision that i have made to join is probably one of the best that i will make here at Ball State. 

Course Objectives

1. Develop the ability to work well with others on composing tasks.

I feel that we have done this extensively in our English class. From the beginning on our fist paper we got into our peer review groups. I was nervous at first about these because I didn't know anyone and I also am really self- conscious of my writing. Through the peer reviews I have become more comfortable with others critiquing my writing. Getting critiques from the intensive reviews has also been a tremendous help to composing and revising my writings. Going into the intensive reviews I was very anxious as to what my peers had to say, but in the end I feel that this was the best thing that we did with our peers in this class. It was nice to hear all of the suggestions and positive feedback. The blogs have also been away for us to work with others in collaborating ideas for our writings. Overall I feel that this class has really accomplished this objective of working with others on composing tasks. 

2. Develop strategies for becoming more critical and careful readers of both your own and others’ texts. 

Through the peer reviews and intensive reviews I have been able to critique other's writings. It has given me a chance to think about the writing and offer any suggestions that I may have to improve the paper. When I was being intensively reviewed or peer reviewed I enjoyed hearing what others had to say, because it was getting feedback from your audience, and since we write for our audience it was a good way to see how we could revise our papers to make it more appealing to our audience. Also having Mr. McArdle look over our papers and giving feedback has helped me. Since he is more experienced in this field it his critiques of my writings allowed me to improve. Overall I feel that this class has accomplished the goal of becoming more critical and careful readers of both my own and others' texts. 

3. Reflect (orally and textually) on the rhetorical choices and decisions they are required to make as authors to shape a text for a specific audience and purpose.  

I don't really understand what this objective is asking. I don't think that we really did any reflecting in this class over the decisions that we made, at least not publicly. I know in my head and if Mr. McArdle commented on my paper I thought about it, but I don't think we completely and fully did this objective at least orally or textually. 

4. Work with others to solve life’s common problems. 

In this class we worked with others, but I don't think that we really solved life's common problems. I don't really know what common problems through life that we would be able to solve in this English class. 

2 1/2 weeks left SERIOUSLY!?!?!

I can't believe that there's only 2 and 1/2 weeks left of school!!!! I'm sooo excited to be able to go home, but it'll be sad leaving all of the wonderful friends that I've made here at Ball State. As I was watching some people take some of their stuff home this weekend it hit me that we really are so close to finishing a whole year of college. This year has gone by so fast and i can't believe it's already coming to an end. It feels like i just moved in as the clueless freshman, knowing no one here, knowing nothing, here. I've already started making plans with my parents to move me out and I've got tons of boxes to pack up all of my stuff. I'm excited too because I get to move out the Wednesday of finals weeks!!! Yay i can't believe we're so close! :)

465 is a Maze

After driving to my sorority's formal last night i've come to the conclusion that 465 is super super confusing. I was on my way to formal driving down 69 and the exit for 465 kind of crept up on me when i finally realized that i needed to exit i quickly went of 3 lanes of traffic.....and instead of going West which is what i was suppose to do i went South. Now I have never really driven on 465 because i'm from Crown Point which is in Northwest Indiana. So after going on 465 South I had no idea where i was going. I was going South on the East side of Indy when i needed to go South on the West side. So at this point I was kinda freaking out because it felt like there were interstates coming out of every which way as i drove down the expressway like a blind person cause i had no idea where i was going. I finally exited and turned around and finally figured it out but for a little bit there i was clueless lol. So 465 isn't my favorite expressway to drive on but i'll have to figure it out sometime. 

New Life Forms!

Scientists using a remote control submarine discovered one of the deepest known volcanic vents and the superheated waters inside could contain undiscovered marine species and even could provide clues to the origin of life on earth. The vents waters can reach a temperature of 750 degrees Fahrenheit. Exploring the vents scientists have found exotic animals such as hairy worms, blind shrimp, and giant white crabs. Some scientists believe that these vents may have played a part in the creation of life on earth. The vent is found in an area of the Caribbean known as the Cayman Trough, 3 miles below the surface. Interestingly enough the canyon served as the setting for James Cameron's underwater thriller, "The Abyss". One scientist stated "We know more about the surface of the Moon and Mars than we do about our own planet because two-thirds of our planet is covered by ocean making it very hard to explore." The new discovery that scientists have made could be the answer that many people have been searching for: the discovery of life. If they are finding new species under these vents maybe they'll find a life species on Mars, or any other planet. I think it's neat that even though our planet is so old we're still finding things out about our own planet. 

It's That TIme of Year :(

Allergies. They come every year and affect many many people. I am one of those lucky people. This morning I woke up and could feel my eyes swelling. It's going to be another fun season of sneezing, coughing, runny noses, itchy and scratchy eyes. I don't know what I'm allergic to but it must be something common because I sometimes have my allergies from the beginning of spring to the end of fall. It sucks. And during the summer when I wake up with completely blood shot eyes even after I took an allergy pill, I still have to go into work. One morning I woke up and one of my eyes was completely blood shot, so I took my eye drops and put a couple in, but the redness didn't go away. So I put a couple more in a couple minutes later. Needless to say I went through this a couple more times and ended up putting 8 drops in my eyes within 15 minutes. And I didn't know that when you put drops in your eyes it dilates them. After 8 drops my pupil was so large that you couldn't see the color in my eye. This was about 2 hours before I had to go to work too. I went to my mom and she about passed out when I showed her because I hadn't told her that I put drops in my eyes, she just saw my eye. She went back in her room and had to lay down and called the doctor, and then I told her that I put that many drops in my eyes and she laughed :) lesson learned: don't put that many drops in your eyes. 

BSU : Butt Slapping University

As probably all of you know as you received the e-mail alerting all students of the assault that happened yesterday morning. I find it actually quite humorous, although i do not condone any sexual assault. I found it almost unnecessary for a police report to be filed and a public safety notice sent out to everyone on campus. I feel that this situation has been blown up way too much. I find it funny how big of a rise the students on campus have gotten out of this incident. The facebook group that was made has developed into this massive group. I think that it's a little ridiculous that the media has taken it far enough to put on the news. And i'm sitting here in my room right now waiting for the interviews to appear on my television. Although i do not support sexual assault what so ever i find this incident quite humorous for how out of hand this situation has become.

Easter Weekend :)

Happy Easter! I was able to go home this weekend, which was awesome! I hadn't been home for 4 weeks. It was nice going home and spending some time with family and friends. On Friday i got home and went to my friends' house whom i haven't seen in foreverrrr. Saturday I went with my friend to get her ears pierced, then i went to see my dad, and then i went to a hookah bar :). This morning i woke up and went to church with my family, then went back home for some yummy food. Overall it was a good weekend and now we have 5 WEEKS till summer!!!!! SO EXCITED!!! :)

Whatchya gonna do?

Today on our way to church i was telling my mom how i almost got hit on my way home :). I told her that i was going 90 (in a 70 mph zone) and after i said that she butted in "First of all don't ever tell me that again, and secondly don't ever go that fast again." I just kind of laughed, and then finished my story. But like any good mother she was concerned. She then proceeded to tell me after my story that the police are cracking down and that i better not get pulled over. And after her little lecture i hear a little noise behind me, i looked back and saw the flashing lights. My step-dad looked back and started to pull over then realized that the cop was pulling him over. The cop came up to the car and said "I need to see your registration and license" the phrase that they always have to say. My step-dad right away came up with an excuse, that was true that we were going to be late for church and he's the pastor (like every Sunday we walk in late). But then he realized that he knew my step-dad and they started talking about how the cop played basketball with one of my step- brothers so needless to say the cop let him go with the phrase "Alright be safe and have a good day." I was sitting in the back wishing i had the power for a cop not to give me a ticket. But like every time he gets pulled over he always seems to get out of it. I guess he should've listened to my mom's lecture she gave to me :)