Wrap-up

Well, the time has come to wrap up my blog.  This semester has been a very enjoyable semester for me.  I feel I have learned alot and will use what I have learned in my future writing.  I did not know what to expect when I started online classes, but it has been a very good experience.  For those of you questioning whether to take online classes I would say go for it. 

You need to have some structure, and once in awhile force yourself to do homework when you could be doing other things, but it is worth it in the end.  It is really nice to be able to work at your own pace, and when it is convenient for you.  There is no punching a clock, or keeping track of hours worked, etc. 

As far as learning what you need to learn while taking online classes, I would say that you learn just as much or more than a regular classroom setting because you can go back and look over the material anytime you want to.  When you are in a classroom, once the teacher has covered a certain subject, the teacher moves on to the next subject whether you have learned all you need to learn about that subject or not.

I will continue taking online classes as I can afford to.  To me, learning is fun and you should never, ever stop learning.

Thank you to my instructor, Nikka, for all of your help!

A Modest Proposal

  I would call this story "An Immoral Proposal." I found the subject to be very creepy.
In any case, I have thought of a few social problems we have in the United States that could also be the subject of "A Modest Proposal."

   One example is the health care crisis in the United States.  In the kind of reasoning Mr. Swift uses, the very sick and the very old could be subject to euthanasia.  Only the young, strong, and healthy people would remain.  This would save the country a huge amount of money on health care.

   Another example would be the homeless in the United States.  Suppose Mr. Swift used the homeless as an example in place of children.  The same principles would apply.

   A third example of a social problem in the United States that could be the subject of "A Modest Proposal" could be prison inmates that have life sentences.

Small Thanksgiving but Large Blessings

This Thanksgiving will be a quiet one for me.  My children will all be either working or with their in-laws.  I am used to tables full of people, lots of noise from children playing, etc.  This year we will have grown-ups only.  The number has went from 30 people to approximately 8.  Even though I wish my family could all be around the table and with me on Thanksgiving, I still feel very blessed just to have them.  We will be together at Christmas, which is always special, but especially this year since my youngest son will be deployed in the spring.  I am thankful for the 2 grandbabies on the way, and pray for them to be safe, happy, and healthy.  I am also thankful for my boyfriend, who brings so much to my life.  I am thankful for the rest of my family who mean so much to me.  I am thankful for my employment, my home, HEAT, and chocolate!  I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, even if everyone you love cannot be there will you.

My Blog This Week

I was so inspired while reading the speech "I Have a Dream" by Martin Luther King Jr.  I have heard excerpts of the speech over the years and I am sure I have read the entire speech in the past, but reading "I Have a Dream"  once again was very moving. While reading you can feel the pain and the passion Mr. King was feeling while writing the speech.  The words used in the speech "I Have a Dream" show an inspiring writer how important using the correct words can be to a story.  If anyone reading this (if there IS anybody reading this) and that person has not read Mr. King's speech entitled "I Have a Dream" you are missing a very important and inspiring piece of history.

Appeal to Bandwagon

The logical fallacy of Appeal to Bandwagon has happened in my life, and to my advantage!  My boyfriend never liked football.  He says the players get paid to much. I love to watch the vikings play.  It used to be that when I watched football, he would go somewhere else and do something else.  After years of me watching football, my boyfriend slowly started to watch.  Now he watches most games with me!  I must say however, that he does spend most of the game rooting for the other team! I think he just does that to get my goat.  But at least he is watching football now. 

I think that logical fallacies happen all the time.  I believe people are mostly oblivious to them now and don't even notice most of the time.  Politians try to blur your perspective during campaigns by condemning their opponant.  Children are fooled by the logical fallacy of faulty reasoning.  They believe if they have what everyone else has, they will be popular. 

Sound reasoning is also called logos
Emotional appeals are pathos
Persona (also known as ethos) - using ethical appeals

Election Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow is Election Day!  Do you care? Are you interested in politics.  I was talking with a friend today, and sharing our opinions about politics. I believe that there should be term-limits for people who are in elected offices.  I think in order to keep things honest this must be the case.  A fresh perspective is always good.  How do you feel about term limits?  Do you feel when our country was started that they believed in term limits? 

My thoughts on Tattoos

I read the essay entitled "On Teenagers and Tattoos."  I found the essay to be very long-winded, and it seemed as though the author wrote this essay with a dictionary sitting next to him.  Some of the sentences went on forever! 
In any case, the author goes on and on about all the different reasons teenagers get tattoos and body piercings.  He says one reason is for stability, another may be to support their efforts at autonomy, privacy, and insulation.  The author then goes on to say teenagers may get tattoos and body piercings in order to defy their parents, and take control of their lives.
I have to say that I did not get any tattoos as a teenager; I got all of my tattoos as an adult! I have three tattoos; all are flowers.  I have flowers and leaves around my ankle, I have a rose on the back of my neck, and I have a ring of flowers around one of my thumbs.  Of all the reasons the author gave for teenagers getting tattoos, he forgot the most obvious reason; they are so cool!  I love my tattoos, and I don't regret getting a single one of them.  My tattoos are not big and gaudy..they are small and pretty.  I do not care for huge tattoos that cover large parts of the body, but that is just my opinion.  Every adult has the right to do what he or she wishes to his or her body.  Teenagers, however, should not have the right to get a tattoo.  I believe a person should be at least 18 years of age to get a tattoo; they are more likely to understand the implications of getting a tattoo.

Functional and Dysfunctional Families

I know that there may be a few families who are considered "functional" but for the most part I do believe every family has some "dysfunctional" elements.  I am not sure what criteria a family is suppose to meet in order to be labeled dysfunctional, but I am pretty confident most families have certain elements that could label them as dysfunctional.  As long as a family gets along, loves each other, and everyone is safe I think a family is functional.

The family in the Glass Castle is anything but functional.  The parents seem more like the children sometimes.  The mother and father show bad judgement over and over.  The children are put in danger at several points.  I felt awful for these children!  The parents seemed very selfish, usually putting themselves before their children. 

I did not have perfect parents, but I feel they were very close to perfect.  Myself and my siblings never doubted that we were loved.  My parents always showed us they cared about us.  We never went hungry, or without necessities.  I hope that my children feel the same about me.

I'm not usually a complainer, but I have to!

I have Dish Network, and one of the company's technitions was supposed to be here last Friday to upgrade me to HDTV.  I took the morning off of work to be home when he arrived.  He called and said his van broke down, and he would not be able to make it that day.  The next day, Saturday, he called and said he could be at my house by noon.  I waited until 2:15, and he had not arrived.  I had to leave for another commitment, so I did not get the upgrade done.  The technition has not called, and has not come to my home yet, and it is now Monday.  I called the Dish Network office this morning, and after 30 minutes of trying to talk to a "real" person, I now have an appointment for this Thursday, sometime between noon and five p.m.  I wonder if he will show up for this appointment or not.  I guess we will find out on Thursday!  I just dislike taking time off work to wait for someone who never shows up, and never bothers to call!

Like almost anything, Facebook can be good or bad

This past week, alot of you may have read in the newspaper about the 24 year old young man who was in the Olmsted County Jail, and was found dead.  That young man was my ex-husbands nephew, Cody.  I haven't seen Cody for a few years since my divorce, but I knew him well when he was young, and am still close with the family.  My point is, Facebook has been a very large tool in communicating with family and friends who are grieving, and people sending condolences.  Whenever something tragic happens nowdays, it is on Facebook.  There are caring bridges and memorial pages for people to communicate.  I absolutely love this feature of Facebook.  It can bring people together from thousands of miles away.
Facebook can also be used in a bad way.  Living out your drama for the world to read about, or fueding with another person for everyone to view.  This is the feature of Facebook that I dislike immensely.  The old saying goes; "If you don't have anything good to say, then don't say anything at all."  In my opinion, if you have nothing good to write on facebook, then don't write anything.

Suicide at Silver Lake Park

As I watched the news on KTTC tonight at 6:00 p.m., I was shocked to hear of the suicide that occured this afternoon in Silver Lake Park in Rochester.  The news reported that the male who killed himself was between 16 and 23 years old.  To make matters worse, he shot himself in front of a group of kids who were skate-boarding in the park.  I can't imagine what would drive a person to do such a thing.  I also cannot imagine what the skate-boarders thought when shots were being fired.  The deceased had shot 6 rounds into a tree in the park before turning the gun on himself.  When a person commits suicide, I feel very sad for his or her families, who are left behind to deal with everything.  We get one life, and it goes by so quickly.  I hope that anyone who may be having suicidal thoughts gets the help that they need. 

Rest in Peace Dave

I met Dave through his wife, who was a friend of mine.  Dave grew up in California, and had moved to Minnesota a few months before I met him.  I don't have alot of "guy friends", but as soon as I was introduced to Dave, I knew we would be close, lifetime friends.  Dave was one of those people who I would describe as "cool".  He was easy-going, funny, caring, and a hundred other descriptive words. 
Dave did not ask for much in life, and he did not expect much either.  Dave was very tall, and very skinny.  He had long, dark hair and also a mustache and beard that were overgrown and scraggly.  When we two couples went on vacation to Jamaica, all the natives called Dave "Jesus" - that gives you a mental picture of what Dave looked like! 
Even though Dave put on a tough-guy exterior, he was a sweetheart.  On Valentine's Day one year, when I was going through my divorce, Dave left an unsigned card and a rose on my car windshield!  He did not want me to be sad or lonely on Valentine's Day.  He would not have told me it was him that left the rose, but I told his wife I thought it was him, and when she asked him, he said yes, that it was him.  In the Winter when my water pipes froze in the basement and burst, I called Dave.  He came right over, and got the main water shut off; but only after getting frostbite on his fingers. 
Dave and his wife were going through a divorce a few years ago.  One day, he said he was going fishing, which was not out of the ordinary.  Dave went under a bridge in Lanesboro, sat down in a lawn chair, and shot himself.  It took me totally by suprise because I thought of Dave as such a strong person. 
One of Dave's favorite songs was "Mas Tequila", and when I hear that song, I think of Dave.  When I drive over the bridge where he killed himself, I yell out "Hey Dave" to him.  I think of Dave often, and wish he was still here to tease me the way he always did, and make me laugh uncontrollably. 

How Are Classes Going For Everyone?

I am learning to find time in my schedule to get my classwork done.  That was one of my biggest challenges, and biggest fears, as I started online classes.  I am hoping things keep moving along smoothly.  I hope everyone else is finding class to be exciting like I am.  I also hope that all of us students in the class can be there for each other, and help each other out if we need it.  I certainly will help anyone in class if I am able to.  Have a great weekend everybody!

Roll With The Changes

"If your tired of the same old story, turn some pages."  This is part of the song "Roll With The Changes," by
the group R.E.O. Speedwagon.  This song, and especially this sentence from the song, helped me to get through my divorce several years ago.  I had been unhappy in the marriage for quite awhile, and this line told me that I was the only person who could make the changes I wanted to make in my life. Its great how music can mean so much to a person.  Music can take your mind back to a certain time or place; it can remind you of a person, or a feeling.  It can transform your mood, pick you up when you are having a bad day, or make you sad.  Music is such a huge part of my life, and alot of people's lives.  I believe it is more a part of our lives than we even realize.

Why I Am Taking Online Courses

As we all read each others introductions, I find that everyone in class seems to be so busy!! I am no different.  I have own a business, Barb's Carpet Care.  I do carpet cleaning as well as housecleaning.  I also am a Janitor at a church 20 hours per week.  In addtion, I work for Aerus Electrolux, very much part-time.  And if that is not enough to keep me busy, I have a booth at an Antique Mall in Harmony, MN. in which I sell glassware, and framed photographs I have taken during some of my travels in the United States, and out of the country as well.
You may think that being this busy, I wouldn't take the time for online classes as well.  But, as I have gotten older, I have begun to realize that my body may not be able to keep up this physical work forever.  I would like to work towards a degree in the next few years, so I have options when the time comes.  So, the answer to why I am taking online classes is simple: options.