The Psche of a Runner

Jean Kilbourne brings to the table a compelling speech with a lot of important points to protect our women in society. Her choice of audience direction with the college students and the tone projects just what would hit them. She had a ton of visual evidence and highlighted the points they made perfectly. Mass media and college students connect well especially with our culture so that made this even more compelling. She intrigued with her vocal expression in a joking way but I question that plus other little bits.

She does not understand our culture completely though, in my opinion. I think one quirk that has been mushed into our pop culture purely as a joke is our enjoyment of food in a sexual context. It may sound strange but isn’t a Lady Gaga meat dress? Girls and guys both post things on twitter and Facebook being romantic about food. It may be brought about by advertisements but definitely has been taken in our culture. When it does not direct towards women, it should not be wrong. She thinks girls try to be too perfect and not eat so how can she condemn this cultural quirk? Finally, I could see a little more deep emotion in this speech could drive it up more.

Class Speaking: I feel like the tone of voice was very strong and led to the best overall displays in these speeches. If you had that perky, sarcastic, or funny tone, it made the speech work. It helped also to get into the description of the award and the dramatic pauses created with the thankings was a great filler.

I feel like it would be a stretch for any student to be able to fully backup a grade of an A in a class but I do believe I have earned that distinction. There were dark, cold times here in class where the mood was dead and people were tired. I put myself out there in these times to be as peppy as I could and stimulate the atmosphere of the class. I was able to show this kind of attitude because I came to class almost every single day with an expertise of our material through prior study. In the same way, I also was on top of the work we did and often turned the assignments in plenty early. I took advantage of out of class time for more effort into my writings, which would strengthen my overall attitude as well. I put emotion and personality out there for others to see and give a reason to discuss. This was not just to do well in the class but because this class brought up topics to which I connected to. It made it easy for me to want to get involved. My vision was completely focused on the class when I entered the threshold of the room. I did not let distractions overtake me. I can attest to an intangible that I felt I had in this class. I feel like I was motivation for others to see the value in this class. I can admit to missing one class but otherwise took in all my time here with utmost respect and attentiveness.

Interview on Counseling:

            Current school counselor:

“How much does the job jump into your personal life?”

“Do you structure your own material for student’s progress or does the school do that?”

“When did you first start getting into helping people?”

“What surprises you the most or is out of the norm of expectations in this job field?”

“How much of the psychological side do you use to explain things?”

Superintendent:

“Is there certain character traits you look for in hiring a counselor?”

“Are there red flags in looking at transcripts in hiring a counselor?”

“Are there similar jobs in school that can get a counselor started or do similar duties?”

Wanted for hire at Le Mars Community School:

High School Counseling position- We are looking for a people person, strong willed, and a monster of a heart to help teenagers down the road of life! Being a workhorse and shuttling themselves throughout the school will be required. The counselor title also means the obligation of filling out a lot of paper work in order to make things easier for the students and faculty. They must be able to deal with a zany environment every day and manage a plethora of different personalities from all kinds of people. This job requires full-time fall through spring and vacation allowance in the summer. Bring your own philosophy in and let it flourish in the hearts of young minds. Coaching on the side is a plus also! There are some book keeping things that you must have too. You need a graduate level Master’s Degree in counseling. An undergraduate degree in psychology with ethics-based, cultural, and brain development classes included helps too.

What I aim to do:

I want to provide guidance and help those who are lost, one step at a time, like seeds sown on a barren prairie. I hope to build a network of positive self-talk across the entire school. I live to see my influence in others and how it can change the world.

My identity is at an uncertain crossroad right now. My passionate love, cross country, has ended. For the next two weeks until track starts, this radically changes who I am. I am not an athlete during this span but I more literally a full-time student. I can already see this starting to change me. I almost, at times, don’t feel like myself without running. I have been living the, true to stereotypes, college life. My days consist of sitting in my dorm room glued to internet TV marathons. Once I get a foothold in track when it starts in two weeks, I will make up a new part of my identity with help of the team.

All I hear most of the time about Sioux City is: “What can La Juanitas do for me??” Sioux City may not be the “cream of the crop” kind of place like my hometown Le Mars presents itself but it is vastly diverse and has its own perks as well. Hey, I never was too warm with Sioux City even though I lived close, but I have opened myself up since I moved here to everything Sioux City has to offer us. This is my effort to glitter Morningside College students’ eyes with the possibilities to make this place take on its own persona of “home.”

• Breakfast is key and the most clutch moment to any day in my opinion! I believe sugar becomes its own part of the food plate as an essential nutrient as you try many kinds of voodoo to get yourself through the day in college. I have nothing against Sunkist Bakery but go the extra distance downtown to The Sugar Shack Bakery and stock up! Try a truffle or two…. Three maybe? No matter what you get, there is a reason this place is called “The Sugar Shack.” The taste of their food goes off like a sweet flash bang in your mouth!
• At this time, you may be quite hyped up so it’s time to let your creative side out. Everyone strives to have their own personal man cave in their room. A couple of places can help with this. For the pop culture guru, I suggest going to the mall for they provide action-packed posters, vibrant scenery in frames, and a cornucopia of sports trinkets. If you are still in the downtown area, Antiques on Fourth is a great place to go. Get something random, cool, or just something strange to have a funny story to tell your friends. They have it all like pictures, clocks, dolls, furniture, light fixtures and about anything else you can think of!
• Whether you want to reinvent your identity or flare it out more, you may want some new clothes to present that. With a stroke of luck, you are already in the right place, the mall! I have a hobby of just exploring this diverse place to get the lowdown on the latest deals. They have all kinds of stores that range from athletic locker rooms to nerd out heaven, from stores discussed with royalty to ghoulish gothic grounds and everything in between. They all have sales going on which I highly suggest checking out every now and then to build an affordable, swagin’, wardrobe.
• Lunch time calls! This is a pivotal time to give you the energy to get the most out of your day. Let’s stick to healthy and unique choices since I know you will answer to your cravings eventually. If you have time to sit in, I suggest Famous Dave’s for barbeque, Rebo’s for a Caribbean, cultural ride, or for just that good old hamburger, Jim’s Burgers is there for ya fast and hot. A healthy and cheaper alternate to all of these, though, is Little Chicago Deli which is a local take on the Subway sandwich motif.
• I expect class will leave you buried until suppertime. Supper could be a treat to yourself if you worked hard today or a good vibe for a date.  You can take in the beauty of the Sioux City geography at calming, Bev’s on the River, which overlooks the lake front into Nebraska. For straight up fancy, Trattoria Fresco shines through with the name even and the Italian hospitality. For a retro locale, look to SoHos which is a tribute to a burrow of New York. It comes complete with classic Broadway posters and a subway car!
• You may have some time away from school to actually do stuff every now and then. If you are the super fan type, you would fit right in “banging the drum” at the Muskie’s hockey game. For the “flower power” in all of us, there is multiple nature preserves to walk and leave worries behind for a bit by getting in touch with nature. The Tyson Events Center holds all kinds of high-end entertainment along with the new casino too.

If college is getting repetitive, try out those local attractions I suggested. There is always more out there so explore, keep an open mind, and who knows what you will find!

Deanna Thompson is a Christian theologian of religion and she discussed the ups and downs to dealing with life after diagnosis of cancer. The recurring phrase to speak volumes about what she is going through is the “toughest times of our lives.” Five and a half years ago, Deanna was informed that she had a cancer that would take her life sometime soon. At first, she did not want to hear the statistics or “guides” out there to deal with her cancer. A common theme she mentioned with this that she read in a book was: a person does not know how to really have cancer. Deanna also struggled with the fact that people saw her as an inspiration. In her mind, she doesn’t believe she could see herself in the same light other people do. Through the hard times though, Deanna did not blame God or lose faith. Her friend had said she thought God gave people problems to fix their gaze back on him. Deanna would not accept this logic though and she found many forms of reason to back this from unlikely sources.

Deanna’s brother started a Caring Bridge site for her that brought a special kind of joy into her life. At first Deanna did not believe in technology but people soon helped her warm up to it. She could talk to people on there so much better than in person about what she was going through. Friends and people she barely knew, even from many different religions, would go to their god or prayer for help to come to her. A girl that Deanna had a loose friendship with got inspired to take her Jan-term class to the Middle East and to prayer for her at the religious centers there. Previously, this friend declared herself not very religious!

Deanna often made connections with her cancer to her theological work. She even wrote a chapter in a book about how trauma links to Christian theology. One big thought she presented was how people go from celebrating Christmas to Easter without looking at what comes in between. This thought comes in reference to the thoughts she has about what is to come after death. She made one last moving parallel comparing people around her loving her to her thoughts of what is to come in the afterlife.

One of the hardest parts of the rigorous life of a college student is learning how to piece everything together in an organized way.  For a start, goal setting could give a good jumpstart to your college existence. If you set a goal it is almost like a mold you can fit into and it gives you a sort of path to follow. One thing to make as a goal is to step out of your comfort zone in one way or another. This could help solidify what you want as your identity by exploring something new. An education goal would be the other essential. You need something to keep you focused on school. The same applies for a sport if you play one. I have a running goal of ending up as one of the top 2 freshmen at the end of the year. My education goal is a work in progress so far since I still need to get a full feel for my classes.  The problem for students then lies in keeping good track of time and organizing for exams. To manage time well, you should be prepared to keep some sort of written schedule or the overwhelming things to do could clot your head. I have felt this heavily in all the emails I constantly receive and the people who I want to make time for. I usually take on this challenge by thinking of my schedule at least twice a day and cheat in a sense by doing my homework as far ahead as I can. Testing skills can be tough and different for every person. My advice would be for anyone is be creative in the way you study that adheres to your own personality. I prefer to write notes out for all I read so then I am almost reading it twice at least. I study multiple times in different days just a bit to stay fresh with the information.

In the reading The Mustache Race, the author plays their hand in telling about the war but also connecting it with home life in order to relate with audiences. From a soldier’s point of view, he tells signs war paints in your head, the loneliness, the discomfort, the fear. This takes the part of Wise’s “I know how you feel.” This is not necessarily by purpose he does this. In the details he uses, he speaks directly as to where his mind carries him. This also leads to bring out a sense of a homely connection and the feeling of being away. For many ordinary people, this jumps out at them and not just soldiers.  The good memories come out and he may believe it is unique to him since it is his own family background but small details can be formed and ran away with to make others perceive their lives through this.  Another technique discussed by Wise comes to light prominently with this story, details. He holds off on the gross, drawn out details but makes a conscious ping in your head to get you thinking about what truly is going on. Questions are raised also to help along the philosophy of his writing. He takes us through one scene and then to another, keeping our attention by articulating his thoughts about a different thing until the exact moment where he needs to bring it back to reality and pull you back in. The important parts of that reality set in the war are woven in between. Bronson appears as though he is a master storyteller but truly he is just telling his story through the way he feels does it justice and tugs his thoughts personally.

It’s a brand new day! That’s how I would like to start off my blogging intro every time because people have a hard time coping in this world but just need to take in this simple reminder to as an emotional cue for a bright day! Hello my name is Jesse Roy NITZSCHKE. That’s with a Z and an E at the end. This way we start this off right getting my name down. I began my narrative born and raised in Le Mars, Iowa. I have much pride for my hometown and cherish the memories along with the people who enriched me. It has changed a lot in recent times, for better or worse, but it still helped bring me to be here today. I had a lot of questions about what I wanted to do and what kind of person I wanted to be in my dawning years of high school. In the end though, it was simple. I wanted to help people. Seeing my counselor often my last few years and always seeking advice lead me to a revelation. I want to help kids like me and be a high school counselor! This brought me to my current major, psychology. I will eventually be discussing the ironies and complications of being a runner through the eyes of a psych major. One huge thing to know about me also is that I LOVE America’s game, baseball! I could write a chicken noodle soup for the soul novel of how to be a baseball fan. I have a racing scholarly mind with a focus on baseball, comics, history, Star Wars, and glory days daydreams (childhood). I proudly declare myself a try-hard because I just treasure and enjoy playing a multitude of sports with a passion. In the end, we all need family because they are the last line of defense in life. When all goes wrong, they are the roof over your head to keep you protected even in the worst of storms. Despite my family being often far apart, I still visit them as much as possible. As a matter of fact with the travel I do to see family, I am a stop and smell the roses kind of guy. Whether it is participating in a food eating ambush or doing something strange, I think traveling is awesome! This is just a fragment of my identity for I am a crazy, easy-going person if you can believe that so I would encourage getting to know me more. My hopes with taking this class, is that I can bring out more of my identity and learn to articulate myself in my writing. I feel a good vibe in the atmosphere of Morningside for this year and my teachers are quirky in their own masterful way…. I think this year is going to be a great one and something special!