Scavenger Hunt: Happy/Angry (Group Projects)

October 29th, 2016

I have a love-hate relationship with group projects. They are great if I’m with a motivated group of people. On the flip side, it can be dreadful when the group doesn’t clique, or if I’m the only person who cares about the  grade. It’s just frustrating to be  in a class with the stereotypical dumb jocks who expect the “smart girl” to do all the work.

“Okay, we’re going to number off into groups,” says the Professor. That single phrase lets loose an enormous swarm of butterflies into my stomach.  My anxiety levels rise. I know that there is no possible way that I will end up working with my best friends, due to the fact that we all sit together in the same row.

As the first row starts to number off, I anxiously await my turn to say my number. After I reveal my fate, I instantly whip around in my chair to see who I get stuck working with.

“Before you move into your groups, listen up to what I’m expecting to see from all of you,” the Professor quickly adds. After the instructions are explained, the classroom is filled with sighs and groans because getting up and moving is just such hard work.

I find my group, and as I expected I’m stuck with guys who I don’t really know. Judgments and assumptions start filtering through my mind. Oh great I’m stuck with that guy. He won’t do anything. On the other hand, I think this other guy looks somewhat attentive. Wrong. All  5 of the guys literally turn and stare at me at the same time with a look of anticipation on their face waiting for me to re-explain to them what we are doing and delegate tasks.

We were supposed to sharing data with each other and then present it to the class. Instead of sharing data, I get the pleasure of listening to Tuesday night bar stories  and some hot cashier at JC Penney’s. Awkwardly, I pretend to be reading my notes. And my parents wonder why I’m single. As an after thought, the guys realize that we are supposed to be putting together a presentation and look again to me for guidance.

“You should start the presentation,” one guy said to me. Well that’s the most intelligent thing you’ve said all class period!

The presentation ended up being fine thanks to my improvisation of tying everyone’s BS’ed notes together to make a valid point.

I get frustrated with myself for always bailing my group members out because I care way too much about the smallest of assignments. Being a quiet person in general doesn’t help my case either.That is why I prefer to work alone or with my choice of people.

 

 

 

Story Song- Cafeteria Things

October 27th, 2016

My song is a parody of the song “My Favorite Things” from the Sound of Music.

Cafeteria Things

Double glass doors open up at eleven

Students stampeding, oh good heavens

Finding student ID’s while the monitor dings

These are a few cafeteria things

 

All of jocks quickly flee to their tables

Claiming spots with their phones as if they were labels

Ashley complains all the food is disgusting

These are a few cafeteria things

College Culture Sketch- Cafeterias

October 27th, 2016

At precisely 11 a.m everyday, the double-glass doors to the cafeteria are propped open for lunch time. A hungry herd of students both male and female feverishly dig out their IDs from their backpacks or pockets while forming a crude single- file line. Once the computer monitor beeps, confirming the payment of the meal, the line disassembles to various parts of the cafeteria.

Large groups, typically sports groups, travel in their respective packs to their “official tables”. The rest file into booths, high tables and low tables in the same general area as the day before. The freshly wiped tables become cluttered with ID’s, cell phones and jangling keys.  A wide array of colorful backpacks decorate the floor or extra empty chairs, which serves as the universal sign for “this spot has been taken”.

“Where should we sit?” asks Ashley Peterson, even though she has a predestination of the general area in mind. Without hesitating for an answer, she navigates her way through the maze of tables and students to a high table.

“What’s there to eat today? Anything good? What’s in that far line?” are all follow up questions that Peterson often asks to  whoever is accompanying her that day.

After meandering through all of her options, she finally settles for soup, which is a typical sign that nothing else if good that day.

Even though students often complain about the food, the find themselves constantly coming back for various reasons.

Can I Keep My Jersey?- Book Review

October 18th, 2016

Can I Keep My Jersey? is more like a good free throw than a slam dunk.

The story focuses on it’s author, Paul Shirley who goes through many hoops just to get onto a professional basketball team. Shirley didn’t hold back on the raw details of the behind the scenes of the NBA. He gave personal recollections of his attitudes towards players, salaries, and the stereotypes associated with the most famous basketball players. He also addresses the odds of even making it on any team world wide through plenty of his own real-life examples.

He explains the setbacks of just being a “tall white guy” from the Midwest, along with the setbacks of injuries and not being a stereotypical He spent a lot time on the bench and never really broke out to be a huge star. NBA.com calls this his “Road Ramblings”.

Paul Shirley documented his life as an Iowa State Cyclone to being a basketball pro through a witty, journal-like style.  Shirley grew up in a small town in Kansas and got recruited to play college ball at Iowa State in the late 90s. After college he tried to pursue a professional career. Throughout the early 2000s, Shirley was pretty much team hopping each season between Greece, America, and the Spanish League.

He later became a writer for ESPN. It’s a common thing for retired athletes to go into the media world, especially sports broadcasting, after they retire. Shirley ended up getting a lot of criticism when he made some controversial remarks about Haiti that ended up getting him fired. Shirley wrote a blog shortly after the earthquake in Haiti, where he shamed them for needing so much help with disaster relief efforts.

Shirley wanted to let people know how hard it is to be in such a competitive environment with the world’s most elite basketball players. He wanted to share what his view was like from the sidelines. Since so many athletes get cut from the big leagues, this story can relate to many athletes in similar situations.

His story could also be viewed as empowering with the “when one door closes, another one opens” technique. This could be viewed as journey of the difficulties of finding yourself. Taking risks and working hard are the qualities that Shirley seemed to highlight.

He is witty, yet candid with his story-telling techniques. Shirley was definitely not afraid to share his opinions on the game, players, coaches and agents. This sense of realism and honesty can also be a way for other athletes to connect with his story. One could also interpret this story as a nontraditional under dog story.

I wouldn’t necessarily claim that Shirley is ranting, but this book could have been a way for him to express his frustrations and maybe even life a load of his shoulders. This also could have been an attempt at bringing awareness to how unfair and even cruel the professional sports world can be.

He writes this memoir of his basketball experiences through participating in the action and observing his peers’ behaviors. Since he is clearly putting his own input into his writing, he is not objective. This is not just another news story; it’s more like a testimony.

This book reminded me of The Diary of Anne Frank because of the the different dates at the beginning of each entry. In a way, he did keep a diary because while he was with the Suns he had an online blog.

Shirley’s journey as a professional athlete is certainly unique. The attention grabber for me is the fact that Shirley seems embarrassed to write down “Basketball Player” as his occupation, and he expresses that he rarely enjoys playing it. With his roots in Kansas, I could pick up on his Midwest values through the descriptions of himself as being a hard worker and being responsible. That is one of the few things that I could connect with in this book.

At the beginning of the story, I was automatically rooting for him to succeed. With each failure, he was able to bounce back and find a new opportunity. As the story went on, I began to realize that Paul Shirley is not the stereotypical underdog or superman I’m use to in sports stories. It was a refreshing twist; however, a disappointing one.

Putting aside the grim situation, my favorite part of Shirley’s journal entries was when he was kneed in his side and ended up in the hospital with a lacerated spleen and fractured left kidney. In the is section Shirley was able to vividly recreate his hospital experiences with descriptions that made me literally cringe.

The stories of countless interactions with multiple players and travels start to blur together. Because of the fact that he was on so many different teams through out his career, it can be challenging to keep everything straight. As someone who is not familiar with the NBA, I couldn’t make any connections with teams, players, or coaches. It was Shirley’s informal yet humorous voice that kept me reading. Towards the middle of the book, it did seem to get repetitive and boring. That doesn’t stop me from recommending this book though, especially to basketball fanatics or people who have served as bench warmers.

Overall, this book shouldn’t necessarily “foul-out” of your reading list. On a five-star scale, I give it 3 stars.

Music Review- Francis and the Lights

October 10th, 2016

The new inaugural album of Francis and the Lights entitled Farewell, Starlite proves that they should just stick to singles. Francis and the Lights released its very first studio album that contains ten songs, on September 24, 2016. Though the name sounds like it’s a band it is actually just American, Francis Farewell Starlite who has been an active singer since 2007. He states “the lights” are whoever else is with him including his audience.

When I found out the genre was pop, I was expecting more of a mainstream sounding tune. For example, a catchy hook either in the beat or the lyrics. This album did not meet my expectations on what today’s pop music sounds like, which made me disappointed. Pretty much every song in the album was the same slower tempo with very little variation with voice inflection. Except for two songs that had a good-finger snapping rhythm, it was disengaging and I was bored after the fourth song.

The various instruments played throughout the album create a nice variation of instrumental dynamics by using occasional staccato beats. The use of piano, electric keyboards and drums help make the album not so monotonous like the vocals are. At times however, the instrumentals seem to over power the vocals so the lyrics tend to become inaudible. There is also a lot of auto tune effects in the vocals as well.When the vocals are audible, like when it’s just a piano accompaniment, Francis has a consistent smooth voice that seems to get monotonous. On top of that, it was hard to understand what some of the songs were about.

If you are  not a fan of mainstream pop and would like a mellow interpretation of a solo male artist, Francis and the Lights may be a good fit for you. If you are content with today’s mainstream pop, you may want to find a different album.

I personally am turning off the lights for Francis. I give this 2.5 stars on a five star scale.

Story 1 Revised- Pawing At A Student’s Heart

October 10th, 2016

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.

It’s A Small World After All? (Personal Narrative Final Draft)

October 7th, 2016

“So where are you from?” asked Karissa Heckens as we walked but of the Olsen Student Center. 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.

“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 towards Dimmitt stayed steady. ”Wow that’s crazy!” To me it doesn’t seem crazy. That’s a view on Morningside that she’ll never have.

I’m viewing this new lifestyle from a small town perspective and am quickly learning that a lot of students have the same insecurities I do, while others don’t based on where they were from.

Coming from a town with a population of just under 2,000, Sioux City seems like foreign territory. Any place with more than one Walmart, I consider huge.

In Sioux City everyone seems to be competing for the right of way and lanes and gives the finger instead of a friendly wave. To travel five miles in Sioux City takes longer than it does back home, since you’d be out of the town in less than five miles anyway. The only traffic jam I had encountered was red or green farm machinery on the black top. As I passed them, the farmer always lifts a few fingers off from the top of the slender steering wheel to acknowledge me whether they knew me or not.

One of the reasons I chose to come to Morningside was because of the small class sizes. The biggest class I had in High School was around 25-30 and smallest class I ever had consisted of three. The sizes are similar at Morningside. I like that I know everybody, and can name where many are from, what their major is and what activities they are involved in whether I’m close friends with them or not. I also enjoy having the same one- on- one relationships with my instructors like I did in High School. The feeling of belonging and acceptance is the icing on the cake.

I feel comfortable with Morningside because of the small close-knit community vibe it gives off. Other students have similar views as me, but some have completely different views that I will never fully be able to relate to.

Girl Meets World

The time I felt the most out of place in Sioux City was when I was attending a Leadership Conference at the Sioux City Convention Center. I had been to conventions before and was used to being in an atmosphere with lots of dressed up people. The part that I wasn’t used to was just getting to the Convention Center.

I sat buckled up in the back seat behind my two friends who occupied the drivers and passenger seats. It was our Freshman year and all three of us were from small towns, mine being the biggest. We navigated our way through multiple lanes of traffic and one-way streets to get to the Convention Center. To our disappointment, the designated parking lot was already full. We were directed towards a towering parking garage just across the street.

We had no idea how parking garages worked.

“Where’s the entrance? How much does it cost? Who has money? Do we pay right away or after? Has anybody been in one of these things before? AAHHH!!!” These were phrases that got all jumbled up as three hysterical girls expressed our concerns simultaneously. We eventually found the entrance and wound around multiple levels until we found a spot in the dark creepy lot. In the back of my mind I was thinking about violent scenes in movies in TV shows that take place in parking garages. I even made the comment to my peers, “I can’t imagine that paying for parking is a norm in some places.

Other Perspectives

A student who can relate to my small town upbringing is Kelsey Brenner. She is from a town of 800. Brenner describes that coming to Morningside didn’t feel like a big deal to her because she was already familiar with a small school environment. “Morningside is its own little community within a town,” Brenner added to the list of things she liked about Morningside. “I have a better chance to build relationships with peers and professors [compared to a big school]”.

Sioux City itself is what makes her feel uncomfortable. Driving downtown is a whole new experience for her, especially with the overwhelming amount of road construction. Brenner is the most uncomfortable when it comes to being taken off guard by so many left-turn-only lanes.

It’s nice to have someone like Kelsey to relate my new experiences with. On the other hand it’s interesting to learn how students from big cities feel about coming to what they consider a small town and school.

Karissa Heckens is clearly astonished on how I view life in Sioux City. I also find it interesting to hear her point of view. She describes that when she first moved to Sioux City, she had to adjust to the lower speed limits and that everything is more residential than Omaha. “It wasn’t a huge shock, but it was kind of an annoyance at first that I had to get used to,” said Heckens.

Heckens says that Morningside is about half the size of her High School. Despite the size difference she loves that the class sizes are small so that she can get to know professors and fellow classmates better. She likes how their is more opportunity for discussion and activities that you wouldn’t have in a bigger class. “At Morningside, I haven’t really felt that out of place because of the size. Even though there are less people, the campus is a decent size.”

Even though adjusting to a new place can be hard and scary, it has taught me that I am able to adapt to new situations. However, nothing will ever replace my small hometown upbringing.

It’s a Small World After All? (Personal Narrative Rough Draft)

October 6th, 2016

“So where are you from?” asked Karissa as we were walking out of the Olsen Student Center. 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 towards Dimmitt stayed steady.”Wow that’s crazy!” To me it doesn’t seem crazy. That’s a view on Morningside that she’ll never have.

Coming from a town with a population of just under 2,000, Sioux City seems like foreign territory. Any place with more than one Walmart, I consider huge. To travel five miles in Sioux City takes longer than it does back home, since you’d be out of the town in less than five miles anyway. The only traffic jam I was used to encountering was red or green farm machinery on the black top. As I pass them, the farmer always lifts a few fingers off from the top of the slender steering wheel to acknowledge me whether they knew me or not. In Sioux City everyone seems to be competing for the right away and lanes and gives the finger instead of a friendly wave. I’m viewing this new lifestyle from a small town perspective and am quickly learning that a lot of students have the same insecurities I do, while others don’t based on where they were from.

One of the reasons I chose to come to Morningside was because of the small class sizes. The biggest class I had in High School was around 25-30 and smallest class I ever had consisted of three. The sizes are similar at Morningside. I like that I know everybody, and can name where many are from, what their major is and what activities they are involved in whether I’m close friends with them or not. I also enjoy having the same one on one relationships with my instructors like I did in High School. The feeling of belonging and acceptance is the icing on the cake.

I feel comfortable with Morningside because of the small close-knit community vibe it gives off. Other students have similar views as me, but some have completely different views that I will never fully be able to relate to.

The time were I felt the most out of place in Sioux City was when I was attending a Leadership Conference at the Sioux City Convention Center. I had been to conventions before and was used to being in an atmosphere with lots of dressed up people. The part that I wasn’t used to was just getting to the Convention Center.

I sat buckled up in the back seat behind my two friends who occupied the drivers and passenger seats. It was our Freshman year and all three of us were from small towns, mine being the biggest. We navigated our way through multiple lanes of traffic and one-ways streets to get to the Convention Center. To our disappointment, the designated parking lot was already filled up. We were directed towards a towering parking garage just across the street. We had no idea how parking garages worked.

“Where’s the entrance? How much does it cost? Who has money? Do we pay right away or after? Has anybody been in one of these things before? AAHHH!!!” These were phrases that got all jumbled up as the three hysterical girls expressed our concerns simultaneously. We eventually found the entrance and wound around multiple levels until we found a spot in the dark creepy lot. In the back of my mind I was thinking about violent scenes in movies in TV shows that take place in parking garages. I even made the comment to my peers, “I can’t imagine going to work and then having to pay for parking everyday”.

Another student who can relate to my small town upbringing is Kelsey Brenner. She is from a town of 800. Brenner describes that coming to Morningside didn’t feel like a big deal to her because she was already familiar with a small school environment. “Morningside is its own little community within a town,” Brenner added to the list of things she liked about Morningside. “I have a better chance to build relationships with peers and professors [compared to a big school]”.

Sioux City itself is what makes her feel uncomfortable. Driving downtown is a whole new experience for her, especially with the overwhelming amount of road construction. Brenner has felt the most out of place in Sioux City when it comes to being taken off guard by so many left-turn-only lanes.

It’s nice to have someone like Kelsey to relate my new experiences with. On the other hand it’s interesting to learn how students from big cities feel about coming to what they consider a small town and school.

Karissa Heckens is clearly astonished on how I view life in Sioux City. I also find it interesting to hear her point of view. She describes that when she first moved to Sioux City, she had to adjust to the lower speed limits and that everything is more residential than Omaha. “It wasn’t a huge shock, but it was kind of an annoyance at first that I had to get used to ,” said Heckens.

Heckens says that Morningside is about half the size of her High School. Despite the size difference she loves that the class sizes are small so that she can get to know professors and fellow classmates better. She likes how their is more opportunity for discussion and activities that you wouldn’t have in a bigger class. “At Morningside, I haven’t really felt that out of place because of the size. Even though there are less people, the campus is a decent size.”

Our hometown lifestyles can influence our point of view when it comes to new places and experiences.  When you encounter someone with a lifestyle different from yours, instead of judging them, see what you can learn from them. In this case, I learned about how students perceive college life in Sioux City differently. Even though not all of us share the same hometown experiences, everyone seemed satisfied with pursuing their education at Morningside College.

 

Personal Narrative Scene

September 30th, 2016

“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

September 19th, 2016

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.

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