Last Blog of the Semester -- Due Tuesday 12/7

For this blog entry, reflect on the entire semester. Discuss the skills that you have had the most success learning about, skills that remain difficult for you, and what aspects of the course you have found most and least enjoyable. Be specific: talk about particular readings, videos, activities, assignments, essays, chapters, etc. Also, what advice would you give students who are about to take EN001? Think about what you wish someone had advised you when you started taking this class. Be specific and helpful.

Blog Assignment Due 10/26 -- Looking Back

There are three steps to this blog entry. 1)Look at assignment #1, the one you wrote the very first day of class, and think back to what you were thinking about writing and your writing skills. Remember what your goals and plans were for this class. 2) Now, think about what your writing is like and what you are able to do. Has anything changed? Are you closer to reaching your goals? Have any of your strengths or weaknesses changed? 3) Finally, think about the next 5 weeks and putting together your portfolio and preparing for the final in-class writing. What are you going to do to be ready? Be specific

Blog Assignment for 10/12 -- Writing Process

For this blog assignment, write about your own writing process: from pre-writing, to planning/outlining to drafting, revising, proofeading, revising, proofreading, and so on. Be as specific as you can to describe this process. Use time order and process transitions to explain what you do from assignment sheet to finished draft.

If you want, you can write about your own process for writing an in-class timed essay. That might be helpful to think about since our midterm is fast approaching.

Blog for Sept 28th

Now that we have finished watching Food, Inc, what do you think? Write about what you saw and learned that had the greatest impact on you and why. What did you think when you saw this in the movie? What impact did it have on you and why? You can also include whether this film has made you think more about what you eat and/or whether it has changed how you eat.

Blog Post DUE Tuesday, September 21st.

For your next blog post, write about a process you follow every day. Include clear steps and remember that with process writing there is always a final result. You might want to review your textbook chap. 8 for some pointers about process writing before you start. The more details, the more interesting. Try to avoid writing a list or recipe (those don't make for very interesting reading). And DON'T use "you" as the subject (you can use I if you want),

Food Blogs Over Time

I remember the first time I wrote about this topic on my blog about a year ago (see 11/04/09 post). I thought maybe things had changed since then and that my eating habits might have gotten worse. But thinking about it, I realize that one thing hasn't changed -- time interferes with eating properly or even just with eating.

Second week of classes, things are crazy busy. My son is back to his school-year schedule, which makes my life even more complicated. Getting meals together is a bit more than this single working mom can do. I make sure my son gets his 3 squares a day, but I'm not so good about taking care of mine.

That said, here's my eating Tuesday
6:00 coffee (and lot's of it). Classes straight through 8-12:20.
son's power bar that I dug out of the bottom of my bag around 12:30
Dr. Pepper -- yum and caffeine!
hummus, crackers, cheese, and carrots, celery when I get home around 3:00 as I sit at the computer answering emails.
6:00 dinner for my son. Very brave, I make chicken for him, broccoli, and quinoa for both of us.
pomegranate popsicles for dessert.
And a blue moon after grading papers 10:30. My reward for a long day.
OK so not bad (better than the last time I blogged about this), except that I didn't really get any "real" food until around 2:30 (hey and where's the fruit?)

Blog Assignment for 9/13

For your blog entry for Thursday, Sept. 9th, record everything you eat on a single day, today or Wednesday. Describe the food and your experience eating it, and offer whatever comment you have about it. This would be a good entry for do piece by piece, adding new foods and your thoughts frequently.

ToXic Environment

My environment is both toxic and not toxic.
Toxic -- use my car to drive to work (public transportation isn't convenient), Trader Joe's with lots of pre-prepared processed foods that make my life easier during the week is a few blocks away, my complicated schedule, being a full time mom and full time professor, food at the College, stress (did we include stress in our definition?)

Not toxic -- not many fast food restaurants near my home, walk to most places once I get home, don't use the car most weekends, try to eat healthy, read food labels, yoga, gym.

What I Ate -- by Aaron Max Simon

Today was my fifth day of basketball camp. For breakfast I ate Gorilla munch Cereal & toast with pb, half a grapefruit with sugar, and oj. I ate a Z bar in the morning. Before lunch, at 11:30, I ate two turkey dogs, half a pear, Jarlsberg cheese, and veggies -- carrots and celery. I went swimming. I played some more basketball. I drank water. My mama picked me up. I demanded McDonald's. Mama said "NO." I begged and said I only wanted to get the dragon toy. Mama said, I HATE McDonald's. I got the kids meal -- 4 chicken nuggets, 4 apple slices (5 but 1 fell on the floor), and milk. I got a purple dragon toy. For dinner, I had no asparagus (Mama said I had to eat it. I said, "Oh my God, I'm not gonna eat my asparagus!") Mama said I used to love asparagus what happened and I had to eat them to make up for the junky nuggets. I ate my pasta with parmesan cheese and olive oil. I wish there was no such thing as asparaguses. I drank my milk. I like broccoli, I like green beans and all those other veggies. I don't like those A veggies -- artichokes and asparaguses. "Aparaguses I do not like" says Sonic. Dr. Evil Asparagus. I held my nose and ate the asparaguses. I ate a lot, Mama.

Mama's Rebuttal --
The cereal and Z bar are organic and pasta whole wheat. There were a lot of negotiations about McDonald's-- I reminded him a friend was probably going to offer to take him to McDonald's this weekend and he can't go twice in less than a week. He said he wouldn't go. He agreed if she offered Wendy's or something else, he would tell her he doesn't want fast food. I also reminded him Wed. is the last day of b-ball practice, usually all the kids go to McDonald's. He said he didn't want to go. I know it isn't true and that come Wed. when all the other kids talk about going and leave to go, he'll want to go. I hate McDonald's. They lure kids in and make parents crazy. And the toy he got doesn't look anything like the pictures from the movie -- it's the wrong color.

Update -- Sunday night
It only got worse. Saturday, he went to Wendy's for lunch with a friend. This was his and James' "reward" for fighting about which healthy restaurant to go to. Today, while on errands with another friend, he had a McFlurry. And this is the friend who Saturday morning was complaining about the same thing I was -- fast food restaurants luring kids in, and she showed him anti-Ronald McDonald info on the Internet.

TV Show --vs-- Novel

I prefer the characters in the book to the characters on the show "Spenser for Hire." For both characters, they seem more interesting and round (yep, I said round as in not flat) and less like stereotypes than in the show. Hawk's story is largely untold. We can guess some things about him, but we really don't know for certain. In the earlier shows, however, Hawk provides specific information about himself so that we know his background and what he does now. In some shows, we even know whom he is working for. Also, in the show Hawk is too pretty and handsome looking. When I read the book, I have a different image -- rougher, harder, more like Shaft, Richard Roundtree (in the movies). Spenser is very much a stereotypical tough former boxer and cop in both the book and show, but in the book, we understand his motives better and that under that tough exterior is a deep thinker who cares about people. That aspect of him doesn't come out as much in the show. Also, Robert Ulrich is way too young and pretty to be Spenser. I imagine him to be more like the author in the photo on teh back cover of the book.

Double Deuce -- My Way (Again)

Spenser and Hawk are sitting drinking coffee at a a little table in front of the croissant shop at the International Place Cafe. Hawk is wearing his tough guy chic and Spenser is looking like the former boxer, ex-cop that he is. Both look tough. A steady stream of office workers wander through the cafe, stopping to order a coffee drink and a croissant or muffin.

Several women feel Spenser and Hawk's eyes on them as the two men check them out. Leah Linkletter, an auburn haired secretary from a law firm on the 32nd floor, notices their interest, likes the look of Hawk, so doubles her efforts to attract his attention. Hawk looks her over again.

Just about everyone takes note of the two men since they clearly do not work in any of the nearby offices. Even though they are deep in conversation, it is clear they don't miss a beat and see everything around them -- not just the women.

Spenser is trying to get the lowdown about Jackie. He knows Susan won't let it rest until he tells her something. And Hawk is a friend. Hawk is humoring Spenser -- throwing him a bone or two -- but not giving up too much about his relationship, or more accurately non-relationship, with Jackie. Neither of them is worried about what is about to happen and the plan they have already set in motion.

Two more men appear -- pretty tough and scary looking men. Billy is huge, bigger than big and as hard as a rock and not too bright a bulb. The other man, Tony Marcus, is in charge and is clearly used to being in charge. Somewhat middle-aged and soft. Billy and Tony stroll towards Hawk and Spenser. Marcus sits at the table with Spenser and Hawk while Billy obediently goes to the counter to get Marcus his coffee and croissants.

Marcus thinks he has everything covered and nothing can bring him down. Spenser and Hawk are hardly blips on his radar. Spenser and Hawk are ready to change all that. They just have to spring the trap. Billy doesn't have a clue what is going to happen next. His motto is to simply follow orders. That has always worked for him and kept him protected and well-fed. He has no plans to change anything at this point in his life. So what if he has to do some things he doesn't really like. (chapters 43-44)

Real World Meet 16 & Pregnant

My thoughts about whether "16 & Pregnant" reflect reality is that it does. Chelsea is in high school, pregnant, in a relationship with a guy who is pretty immature (basically what I think most boys his age might be like), and she is scared. He wants to be involved but clearly isn't ready and is probably scared too, so he does what scared and immature boys do when they are not equipped to handle a situation -- he avoids (working on his car & going hunting) and lashing out (being very cruel to Chelsea). That seems real to me.

Her reaction also seems real to me -- she wants him to be part of her daughter's life, but comes to realize that maybe it is best if he isn't. In fact, she seems way more mature than the other girls in this show -- she makes sacrifices for her daughter (misses parties and dances) and really takes care of her herself -- not leaving her with her mother all the time. At the same time, her dependence on her dad and wanting him to come home when her boyfriend is particularly hurtful seems "real" to me -- don't most girls want their dad or mom when they are breaking up?

Confessions of a Pathetic Student

It all started when I realized that I was doing my homework assignment for my online course while texting my friend Emily and chatting on FB with my niece in Nairobi. And my son was around, so I was keeping track of what he was up to. It occured to me that my assignment was not getting my full attention, or even the attention it needed. I laughed it off, thinking isn't it funny how I am doing my homework.

With the March 3rd deadline in mind, I thought that I had plenty of time to do the readings. I started them off and on. One book is so dry and boring -- I can't figure how it is remotely relevant (which if you know any theory about adult learners and androgogy, adults need to know how what they are learning applies to their lives -- relevance!!). I read a couple of chapters of the other book -- case studies are a little more interesting-- still not sure how I could apply it to my real-life since the cases studied are completely different from my experiences.

OK, so the March 3rd deadline is fast approaching (day after tomorrow). Over the weekend, my plan was to really get started on this assignment. Big problem -- still hadn't done many of the readings. Saturday, I kept thinking, "well I still have Sunday." Sunday I decided to start writing the paper even though I hadn't done any more reading. I would simply fill details from the reading as I went -- hahahaha.

Being an organized person (good student), I got all my papers out, laid them out on the table. Started by formatting the document -- APA format can be a pain when using Word. I hear a big "ut oh!" See my son's big brown eyes looking at me. He had spilled water all over all my papers. Cleaning up the water and water-drenched papers and went to a friend's to watch the US play Canada for the gold.

I still haven't gone back to my assignment. It is, though, weighing on me. Still procrastinating (um, writing my blog?!)


At some point, it will be done -- before the deadline. But getting it done will be painful and cost me. If only I were a good student, the assignment would have been done and turned in ages ago.
Posted by Miriam Simon at 7:07 AM

What is Real About Reality

My tv viewing is pretty limited. I don't really watch dramas and don't like most comedies. Now that I have been asked to actually think about it, I find it really bizarre that most of what I do watch is "Reality TV." "America's Best Dance Crew" and "So You Think You Can Dance," two shows I watch, are reality shows but really competitions -- which to me makes them a different kind of reality tv. I like the dancing and think that some of it, particularly on SYTYCD, is fabulous. I don't pay much attention to any of the backstories, which is when producers are most likely to mess around with reality.

The other two shows I find myself watching are "Intervention" and "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew"
"Intervention" is done as a documentary. I think it is fairly "real." It feels gritty real. Plus it doesn't seem to hold anything back about addiction, and some of it is hardcore to watch. I might be kidding myself when I think that it is pretty"real." I know that there is editing and parts that are left out or done for dramatic effect. After all it is tv.

"Rehab," on the other hand, that show leaves me somewhat speechless. They say that people who want to be on reality tv are narcissists and then you add in celebrity but not "real" A-list celebrity, celebrity hasbeens, plus addiction, and woa! What trainwreck is that? These people are really out there, and sadly, if what I'm seeing it true, really messed up people. So is that real? I hope not. Whatever it is, apparently it makes for good entertainment -- which is, if you ask me a bit sad. Which raises the question why am I so fascinated with these addiction shows?

New & Improved

Spring 2010! Wow, we start a whole new semester. New group of students, new themes, and new readings. Can't wait to get started. I like the energy at the start of the semester, seeing new faces (and some not so new ones), getting to know everyone, and figuring out where we are and where we are going -- always a bit of mystery. Best of all, back to blogging with my students.