Personal Narrative Scene

“So where are you from?” asked Karissa as we were walking out of the Olsen Student Center. Being a college sophomore, I was already used to giving the spiel on my hometown that hardly anybody knows of. I knew that she was from Omaha, so I assumed she would have never heard of Alta, Iowa. Whenever I describe my hometown I almost always have to say the biggest town next to it with the smallest bit of hope that they at least recognize that.

“I live an hour east of here. It’s called Alta. Have you heard of Storm Lake? It’s right next to there.”

“Sorry never heard of it,” Karissa replied apologetically.

It’s always exciting for me when someone has heard of my hometown and even knows a person from there. Karissa doesn’t really have that dilemma like I do.

“To me Sioux City seems like a big place. The student population of Morningside is like the size of my hometown,” I explained in a sort of joking manner even though that’s actually the way it was.

Karissa’s blue eyes widened as her jaw dropped.  “Oh my gosh seriously?” she exclaimed. Our pace down the sidewalk stayed steady.”Wow that’s crazy!”

To me it doesn’t seem crazy. That’s a view on Morningside that she’ll never have.

What Other People Think About

New Years Resolutions.

At the end of December and at the beginning of January, people tend to make the resolution that they are going to eat healthier and exercise more. At first they are serious about implementing it,  but when it comes time for the new year, they end up making the same resolution again because they failed at it the previous year. For the first part of the year people make time to exercise and crack down on eating healthier. Then Valentine’s Day roles around and the temptation of chocolate and sugar overpowers one’s willpower. At that point all motivation is lost and people claim they are just “too busy” to exercise.

My point is that I think people think about New Year’s Resolutions to be a serious matter at first, but then a month into the new year, people tend to give up and then think of it as a joke. The phrase, “I’ll try harder next year” hardly works.

Pawing at a Student’s Heart (Final Revision)

Moving to college can be a “ruff” transition, especially when students leave a beloved pet behind.

College students living on campus who are pet owners have to learn how to cope without pet therapy in physical form. Each student has their own unique way to cope. The students who admit that they are obsessed, go the extra mile to keep in contact with their pets from the dorm room. For example, putting their pets’ name into songs and not caring about any raised eyebrows or wrinkled noses from their peers. However, these animal lovers, both male and female, admit the physical separation is a good thing for their social lives with humans.

“They’re both my babies and I’m their Mom,” states junior Miranda Marks in reference to Oliver the dog and Socks the cat. She sits up straighter and her blue eye’s sparkle with love and admiration.

Marks is now a commuter. For her first two years of school, she lived on campus and was separated from her favorite dog and cat. To cope with missing them, her parents would Snapchat her pictures, let her FaceTime with Oliver, and even put him on the phone when she called home.

Now that Marks has moved back home and commutes, she is a lot happier and so are Oliver and Socks. Marks described that when she goes to leave for class, Oliver will whine and sometimes even hide. Oliver has the closest connection with her, compared to any other member of the Marks family.

Marks is not the only student who adores her pets.

“I’m really obsessive about my cat,” admits senior Joelle Kruger as she shamelessly grins from ear to ear. She proudly owns Bingley “Bing” Charles and is not afraid to mention him in any conversation. The pair have an undeniable connection. Kruger describes Bing as being very affectionate because he tries to stroke her face with his paw. Bing can’t meow so he purrs as load as a motor boat when Kruger gently strokes his fine orange hair.

When Kruger first moved to college she saw Bing as her replacement. “My parents became empty nesters and I knew that he was helping keep my mom sane. It was helpful to remember his purpose,” said Kruger.

Pets provide social support, lower blood pressure and reduce mental stress according to Petpartners.com. This human-animal bond can also benefit the animal’s emotional well-being as well. In this particular empty-nesting situation, Kruger’s mother and Bing will comfort and benefit off each other more than they realize.

To make up for not seeing him on a daily basis, Kruger had plenty of ways to remember her fat orange cat. One creative way to remind herself of Bing is by putting his name into song lyrics and then sing. Kruger explained that her mom also sends her pictures and videos of when Bing is doing something cute.

Marks and Kruger are both from Iowa, but senior Braden Hall has a much larger gap between him and his dogs and cats in his home state of Alaska.

“I’m pretty close with my dogs and cats even though I’m allergic to them, but I take medicine so it’s fine,” Hall explained. His eye’s were fixed on one point and his tone got softer as he was visualizing them. He also explained that his dogs are show dogs, so his mom will send him pictures and videos with their awards. A lot of times he’ll just ask how they’re doing to.

All three students admitted that if pets were allowed on campus, then they would get less work done and have fewer friendships with people. Kruger mentioned that she would be calmer with her cat around, but would probably not invest as much time into friendships. She would rather enjoy just following Bing around and taking cat-naps with him. Hall added that he would definitely spend more time with his pets because they’re not judgmental.

Of all of these examples, each student has found a way to transition from home with pets to a dorm without. Even though students’ furry friends are left behind the students agree it is better for their social lives.

“I wouldn’t invest as much time into friendships,” admits Kruger.

Pawing at a Students Heart Rough Draft

Moving to college can be a “ruff” transition, especially when the student is leaving a beloved pet behind. Even though students’ furry friends are left behind the students agree it is for the best.

College students living on campus who are pet owners have to learn how to cope with the separation of their pets. Mainly it’s cats and dogs that are missed. Each student has their own unique way to cope. The  students who admit that they are obsessed, go the extra mile to keep in contact with their pets from the dorm room. However, these animal lovers, both male and female, admit that the physical separation is a good thing for their social lives with humans.

“They’re both my babies and I’m their Mom,” states junior Miranda Marks in reference to Oliver the dog and Socks the cat. Marks is now a commuter; however, for her first two years of school, she lived on campus and was separated from her favorite dog and cat. To cope with missing them, her parents would Snapchat her pictures, let her FaceTime with Oliver, and even put him on the phone when she called home.

Now that Marks has moved back home and commutes, she is a lot happier and so are Oliver and Socks. Marks described that when she goes to leave for class, Oliver will whine, cry, and sometimes even hide. Oliver has the closest connection with her, compared to any other member of the Marks family.

Marks is not the only student who idolizes her pets.

“I’m really obsessive about my cat,” admits senior Joelle Kruger. She is the proud owner of Bingley (Bing)  Charles. The pair have an undeniable connection. Kruger describes Bing as being very affectionate because he tries to stroke her face with his paw. Bing can’t meow so he purrs extra loudly when Kruger is petting him.

When Kruger first moved to college she saw Bing as her replacement. “My parents became empty nesters and I knew that he was helping keep my mom sane. It was helpful to remember his purpose,” said Kruger.

To make up for not seeing him on a daily basis,  Kruger had plenty of ways to remember her fat orange cat. One creative way to remind herself of Bing is by putting his name into song lyrics and then sing. Kruger also explained that her mom also sends her pictures and videos of when Bing is doing something cute.

Marks and Kruger are both from Iowa, but senior Braden Hall has a much larger gap between him and his dogs and cats in his home state of Alaska.

“I’m pretty close with my dogs and cats even though I’m allergic to them, but I take medicine so it’s fine,” Hall explained, his eye’s were fixed on one point and his tone got softer as he was visualizing them. He also explained that his dogs are show dogs, so his mom will send him pictures and videos with their awards. A lot of times he’ll just ask how they’re doing to.

All three students admitted that if pets were allowed on campus, then they would get less work done and have less friendships with people. Kruger mentioned that she would be calmer with her cat around, but would probably not invest as much time into friendships. Hall added that he would definitely spend more time with his pets because their not judgmental.

Around finals time throughout the school year, Morningside students can get their pet fix and destress when “Pet Therapy” visits campus. As for the time in-between, students are continuously trying to maintain their relationships with their pets from afar.

“Listen”

One stereotype about a library is that there is a cranky old librarian who will do everything  it takes to keep her sacred temple quiet. This is not the case on the first floor of Library on Morningside Campus.

The air conditioner hums steadily, never breaking up it’s pattern. The rectangular light above me seems to be rattling as a result of  the air conditioner. The rattling sound is mostly constant and is nothing like the sound of a baby’s rattle. It is like a never ending light drumroll. Every once in a while the rattling will go off-beat and my ears are relieved, but then immediately start again.

The friendly worker at the Spoonholder Cafe always asks in a cheerful tone, “Good morning, what can I get for you today?” Her infectious cheer reflects in the voice of the student ordering a smoothie.

“Whipped cream?”

“Yes please” eagerly replies the student followed by the roar of squirting of whipped cream.

The blender’s grinds and churns fill up the entire first floor. This does not seem to bother any of the students. To them it is typical background noise.

There is the light pitter-patter of keys on laptops. Along with that are frequent zips of backpacks, rustling of paper, and squeaks from the friction of the chairs rubbing against the carpet when being pushed in.There is occasional laughter and incoherent whispers throughout the first floor.

The sounds make me think of StarBucks. The friendly cashier taking an order, the light pitter-patter of keys being pushed by business people or students sitting in there.

The over all consensus is that the machine’s are louder than the students in the library. This could maybe drive a librarian nuts, but in this library the students hear it as simple background music.

Stupid Question

When my roommate walked back into our apartment, I was excited to ask her my stupid question. I said,”So I’ve been thinking about this for this for a little while and I want to see what think”.

“Ok” she responds a little skeptically.

“So suppose a sign maker went on strike. Would he march around with a sign? Would it be blank?

My roommate narrowed her eye’s and looked at me like I was crazy.

“Hmm…I don’t know probably not,” she replied with a slightly confused look on her face.

I was slightly annoyed that I didn’t get more of an answer, so I  repeated the question with a bit more explanation on why I was asking her this question.

Since she now knew what was up, she became more enthusiastic about answering the question. “That’s a good one!” she smiled.  “I guess he would be so fed up with signs, that he would just carry a post.”

I’m happy that I took my roommate off-guard, but I was disappointed with her non-enthusiastic response. Since I couldn’t think of a stupid question on the spot I actually Googled “What’s a Stupid Question”. That should have been my initial stupid question.

Magazine Leads Exercise

Jordan’s Photography Experience

It was a Tuesday when Jordan  was asked to take pictures for the Institutional Advancement Office. The Institutional Advancement department on the Morningside College Campus is the organization that raises money and works with alumni and faculty members. Jordan has worked for the office and owns a nice camera, so he was a perfect fit for the job.

At approximately 3 pm on Thursday afternoon, Jordan got his camera from his room and walked to the bubbling fountain in the center of the campus. That was the first location for photographing. There was a fairly large group of fifteen to twenty people who needed individual headshots taken, as well as being in a group picture. From the fountain, Jordan proceeded to take pictures of the Institutional Advancement group at other locations around campus, one of them being the infamous Spoonholder.

Jordan had different feelings while performing his duties as photographer. He felt proud and important snapping each photo. However, at the same time he let thoughts get into his head about the pressure that was on him. On top of that, he was using a newer camera that he was not as familiar with.

Jordan felt the most pressure while being in charge of arranging  the small herd of people into a decent looking group photo of the department. For the most part everyone was pretty cooperative, yet there’s that one in every bunch. Jordan had to use some extra coaxing for a certain student to cooperate. Despite some impatience and frustration on the inside, Jordan appeared calm and collected on the outside.

The interaction with some of his friends during the head shot portion of the photography session was more laid back. Some students he recognized from the Mass Communications that he is currently in. With those students Jordan exchanged a few “Hey how are you’s?”.

He also recognized a freshman girl he has seen at MAC events. There is a running inside joke within that group that if you want something you have to give the person a hug first. Jordan and the Freshman enjoyed some friendly banter with the running joke.

To catch Jordan off guard the Freshman asked before her headshot, “Do I need to give you a hug to get my picture taken?”

Not missing a beat Jordan cheekily replied, “Yeah, you do!”. This ended up taking her off-guard.

These interactions with the students is what helped Jordan to relax and enjoy his job of being a photographer.

Animal Crackers

It turns our that even on a college campus, students refuse free food. Also, if you carry around a Frozen box, it’s a great conversation starter.

I was passing out Frozen themed Cinnamon Graham crackers to both friends and strangers as I went to class and the cafeteria. The people who agreed to take some were all girls. When I would approach a group of people I would  say, “Hey, I’m trying to get rid of these snacks, would you like one?”

The girls who agreed to take them had differing reactions from each other. Some got all excited and replied, “Oh my gosh yes!” Some girls were more caught of guard and looked sort of confused, especially the one’s that didn’t know me. They would just reply, “Ok sure” and smile.

I also had a lot of rejections to the treats. When I asked a guy “Hey do you want one of these?” he replied, “No, I’m trying to cut weight”. I later found out that he was a wrestler. One girl asked if the animal crackers were cinnamon flavored, I was unaware what flavor they were so I actually had to look at the box. They were indeed cinnamon flavor, so they she politely refused because of that. Another girl refused  due to health issues, she wasn’t allowed to eat them. She actually apologized to me since she couldn’t take one. All the people who rejected the snack did seem appreciative of my offer though.

Overall, people seemed to be more interested in the actual box and packaging than the treat itself. Everyone who got Olaf on their package got really excited and made some remark on how cute he was. A person even brought to my attention that there was a cut -out finger puppet on the box that I hadn’t noticed. One girl made the remark that she has only seen the movie Frozen twice, but would love to watch it again. I now have the responsibility of bringing my DVD to college and then host a movie night.