Weekly Blog: The Time Has Come

I am sitting here on the eve of finals. I have studied all day for the two biggest tests of the semester. My geneaology paper revolved around faith and self-control. I have faith that I am prepared for these exams. I have done everything I can to be ready to handle the tests. My ability to control stress has been pushed to the limits over the last couple weeks. My self-control has kept me going over these weeks. I am trying to realize the rewards that will follow tomorrow when I can return home. I miss my family and friends. I cannot wait to spend time with them. The next month will allow me to recooperate for the second semester.

Weekly Blog: All I Want for Christmas

I don't how many times a year I hear this phrase. I ask myself everytime I hear this how sincere the person stating it means it. I personally have a couple of things I would love to have for Christmas. However, I would be glad to exchange all of these for one request. I would love to erase some of the moments from the past year which seem to haunt me on a daily basis. These are reminders to me of how I failed to appreciate life previous to these events. In fact, I thought to myself that life wasn't very fair. I now appreciate life when it was worry free for the most part. I would do anything to go back in time about 6 months ago.

Weekly Blog: The Hot Stove League

The Major League Baseball Winter Meetings took place this past week in Nashville. The Milwaukee Brewers have rarely made any blockbuster type deals in the tenure of General Manager Doug Melvin. 2007 proved to follow suit. Melvin refused to deal any of the young home grown talent which has turned the organization in the right direction. In search of closer, he has been able to sign and trade for veteran arms. He understands that the need for a closer is a must to have a playoff caliber team, but knows there are many guys who can handle the job. The brilliant coaching of pitching coach Mike Maddux has revived many careers of pitchers who appear to be past their prime. Melvin will again look to Maddux to revive the careers of Guillermo Mota, Solomon Torres, and it recently appears Eric Gagne will be added to the list.

I love baseball because it is always in season. Whether or not the players are on the field, baseball is always providing excitement. The hot stove league has proved to be hotter than ever for the Milwaukee Brewers. This is an exciting time for all of Brewers Nation. 2008 is expected to be the year in which playoff baseball returns after a 25 year absence.

Weekly Blog: MU vs UW

Today, the rivalary between the two powerhouses of college basketball in Wisconsin will square off in Madison at the Kohl Center. Personally, this rivalry has been a big part of my life. My mom graduated from Madison with a nursing degree. My dad earned seven varsity letters running cross country and track and graduated from Marquette.

I have grown to love the blue and gold and despise the red and white when it comes to college basketball. I have been going to Marquette games since I was literally three months old. This situation is unique because the game is a rivalary itself and it carries over right into my own house. Because of this, the game has more meaning to have the in house bragging rights until the teams meet again.

Making Sense-"Science in an Old Testament Style"

Science doesn't always contain concrete evidence. This means that it isn't always the best source to use in an argument. Toumey describes that the cultural values and meanings that form science hinge on science's status. The beliefs and philosophies that construct science can build value because these are easier to distinguish sides. In writing, using objects which are bonafide facts can add significant value to an argument.

Weekly Blog-Fraternity

I thought I knew what it meant to be proud of an achievement. However, I didn't realize this until becoming an active member in the fraternity. This is something I have been set out to do for months. I felt as if the day would never arrive. Now that I have earned it, I have conquered a large barrier in my first semester at Carroll College. The ability to wear the Greek letters Delta Rho Upsilon is the most satisfying feeling. I never thought it would take as much time and effort, but I don't regret it at all.

Bird by Bird 172-175

Writing becomes full of emotion when it is composed as a letter. The whole thinking process while writing in this format is different. The writer doesn't hold anything back because it is going to be read by one person. This letter should have complete thoughts due to the intended audience. The process of writing is easier as well because it requires telling the story the way it happened. It is a fun, simplistic, and unique way of helping enhance writing skills as a whole.

Making Sense-"Setting the Record Straight"

McCloud uses a unique method in his genealogy. He uses a comic form style to support his belief in comics. He points out that drawings used to be the way communication was done because there wasn’t a printing press. However, drawings as a way of communicating didn’t disappear when the printing press was invented. People looked down upon comics though as the years have passed. It has a stereotype attached to it which is difficult to shed. He uses the textbook definition as his way to point this out and it states, “Juxtaposed pictorial and other images in a deliberate sequence.” Today, people automatically associate comics with superheroes and things of that nature. This doesn’t have to be the case. This is McCloud’s point by writing this essay in comic form. A comic can say whatever the author wants it to say. He illustrates this in pictorial and verbal communication through this essay. Through this, he is very effective in driving across his point.

Making Sense-"The Historical Structure of Scientific Discovery"

Kuhn doesn't mess around with stating his reasoning for the essay. He blatently puts out his objective in the first sentence. He indicates that he intends to focus in on one part of his scientifical studies. The whole concept of discoveries is what is discussed. He points out the timeline of certain discoveries and issues revolving around the discoverer. Discoveries come on top of discoveries. Nothing is ever completely discovered.

Essay-"On the Genealogy of Morals"

This essay begins to give me an idea of what a genealogy contains. The essay is based on two very simplistic words and ideas. It shows how over time the words "good" and "bad" have evolved. The essay elaborates on how the words had completely different definitions to each culture through the generations. Overall, the general words mean what they entail today. “Good” contains a positive image and “bad” contains a negative image. These words have specifically described people’s attitudes, egos, and ways of thinking of the course of time.

Weekly Blog-"Sleep"

I have always known that sleep is very important to regulate and maintain a consistent amount of everyday. This past week, my body was put to the test. Sleep was stolen to the extreme and my body rejected this. This reason I am writing this is to put down on paper a personal goal. I would like to get at least 6 hours of sleep on a daily basis for the rest of the school year. I cannot function like how I have the past couple of days. The lack of energy and attentiveness has not allowed me to get anything done. As a student-athlete, I must incorporate this routine before the season begins.

Online Essay-"Personism: A Manifesto"

O'Hara believes that poetry was the defining moment which killed literature. He presents a very unique idea called personism. Personism revolves around the concept of eliminating indirect communication. This is an interesting idea because today's society is doing everything to make communication indirect. I believe that instant messaging, text messaging, and email are all ways that killed communicating. The majority of what a person says is interpreted by non-verbal communication. These technological methods make communication a guessing game at times. The tone of voice can usually help dictate what a person is trying to get across. People should attempt to meet in person or call to have a real conversation.

Weekly Blog- Do You Enjoy Your Job? I Do!

I don't know how many people can honestly say they loving going to work. When I think of these types of people, I usually think of athletes and entertainers. However, there is a lot of stress that is attributed to their everyday life because of their profession. There jobs are something which require a set skill that is very demanding.

I do not know any of my close friends who say they enjoy going to work or do so by choice. They find work wherever work can be found at rates that are hard to have much to spend on fun. The only way to make enough money is to work full 8 to 12 hour shifts. I have been fortunate enough to have a job which I control both my hours and pay. During high school, I ran my own eBay store through selling Brewers bobbleheads and other stadium giveaway items. Because this was a seasonal job, I sought out a job which had a chance to maintain a constant flow of money 12 months of the year. The summer of 2007 led me to work at Vector Marketing. I am a sales representative selling Cutco cutlery. I set up in house appointments and am paid a commission rate. Because of this, I control how many appointments I work which ultimately determines my pay. Over fall break, I reached my fourth promotion to Senior Advisor when I crossed the $10,000 sales mark. I only setup six appointments over the break, but I sold over $2000 in these four days. My paycheck for this break is going to be over $600 dollars. The six appointments took less than 10 hours to complete. Doing the math, this comes out to over $60 per hour.

I do not enjoy my job simply because I can make more money than I ever imagined at a young age. The appointments are enjoyable because the customer interacts with me through demonstrations. Our office is filled with other college kids who are as determined to be successful as I am. It builds and environment which is positive and competitive. I am grateful to be able to sell a product which is easy enjoyable to sell. I thank God for giving me this unique opportunity to be able to give firstfruits back to Him who gave it to me.

Making Sense-"keeping close to home"

The base which every person calls home is important. It is the foundation for our life. However, it is only the foundation and the first few blocks on top of it. Each person decides how to build the rest of their personal "home". It is not fair to blame the environment, race, financial status, or any other situations on how the final product looks like.

Each person builds their own home by leaving their original home. This doesn't require going from one coast of the country to the other. It does require becoming independent and becoming capable of forming personal beliefs. Conforming to the beliefs of those around the environment doesn't build the character which is desired by many. This doesn't mean that it is wrong to interact with people of all types of backgrounds based on race, religion, or social status.

Making Sense-"From a Native Daughter"

Possessions have value for many reasons. The most valuable of possessions are the ones which have a personal connection associated with it. An item given by a loved one contains more than the gift itself. The gift breathes "I love you" through it. This is an intangible that cannot have a price tag put on it. It would be a very difficult situation to have to part with this item if it was lost or stolen. It feels like a part of yourself is gone. Empathy cannot exist when this occurs. One must hold hope for to be reunited with something of such value.

Making Sense-"Blaxicans"

Rodriguez's essay tip toes on a very sensative issue in today's world, ethnicity. It is a fact that the United States in no longer a white and black country. It is the world's most diverse country. It is home to every country around the world. He explains how the term Hispanic is a gringo created term because it fails to properly associate with the people it describes. It only makes it easy to group a people with similiar geographic links in the South American region. Many people are accepting this false label that has been tagged to themselves. It would be interesting if the citizens of the United States adopted a new ethnic tag based on their surroundings. As a society, stereotyping would decrease because it would be impossible to know a person's surroundings at home. I would support this type of society because it would be a more cooperative environment. Each city would want to build each other up instead of tearing each other down. In an ideal world, this could be a reality. Unfortunately, this can only be a fantasy in all of the racially segregated neighborhoods.

Weekly Blog #4-"Time Management"

I have been able to accomplish one of my immeadiate goals going into college. Unlike high school, I wanted to be involved in multiple organizations. I have been able to be active in four different student organizations at Carroll in the first month. It has been very satisfying because I am meeting many new people and am applying my gifts in many different ways. The single downside to being involved is finding a way to balancing five hats at one time. The most important part of being at Carroll is being a student. I need to constantly have this mindframe throughout the next five years.

I had a chance to see what life is like being a student-athlete. I was a part of fall baseball practices in September due to the NCAA allowing four weeks of fall practices. I understand that these different roles are going to rule a large portion of my time. As long as I plan out my week in advance, I firmly believe that I will be able to comfortably be involved in all of these organizations.

Bird by Bird 97-109

I really enjoyed reading the second chapter of the reading. "The Moral Point of View" reitterated a point that I have temporarily forgotten about. It concludes by driving the point across that writers should write about something they love. She writes, "So write about the things that are most important to you." I write at my highest level when I am writing about baseball. I have a passion for baseball that is unmatched by any other topic. Because of this, my writing contains detail and a obvious spark to the words.

Separating Reality and Immagination

"We think we live in a world of sense-experience and what we can touch and feel, see and hear, is the sum of our reality." -Jeanette Winterson, "Imagination and Reality"

Today's society is confused between reality and fantasy. We live in a world that is materialistic. The majority of people that live in it live inside a box. They fail to see the big picture in life. The younger generation is being corrupted by the mainstream media. It gives false hope to many of these young minds. Because of this, the only picture of being succesfull contains goals which are not likely of being obtained. The goals usually contain making lots of money, owning a million dollar house, and many of the world's greatest cars. This is due to the fact that the "role models" of today are those who have all of these objects.

Emulating these types of people are causing a more corrupt society. On a daily basis, one can turn on CNN, Fox News, or MSNBC at any time of the day and find a headline which contains one of these role models digging a six foot grave for themselves. The true meaning of satisfaction is lost in this confusion. Money or possessions cannot buy happiness. Many of today's celebritites would give alot of their wealth to be able to wake up on a daily basis without the problems which constantly surround them. Happiness is what truly separates reality from immagination.

Making Sense- "I Stand Here Writing"

Sommers main point of the essay is driven in the direction of where writing ideas come from. Every writer has to have a unique way that they formulate their ideas. This can be through from many outlets. The facts are something that the audience can possibly be familiar with. The only way to prevent boring to be tagged with a writer's writing is to have a personal object that can be reliable to bring ideas that are relavent and interesting to the reader's eyes.

Weekly Blog #3-"Reality Sets In"

This past week has brought me to the realization that college is not as easy as it looks. I am starting to get into the teeth of each class. The exams, papers, and daily assignments are starting to pile up. Outside of class, I am overbooking my schedule with the different activities I have become involved in. It is easy to underestimate the load of college because it requires a limited amount of time inside the classroom. This is deceiving because the hours that it takes to finish the assignments is two or three times the amount in the classroom.

Bird by Bird 195-201

A lot of young writers like to emulate writers that they enjoy reading. The problem with this is that they write about the same topics and often sound like they are just rewriting what has already been written. Each person has their own voice. Each person must use their own voice to be able to tell the truth. One can tell their own story be using another writer's voice. Each person has enough material in their head to tell their own story with their own voice. It simply takes overcoming the doubt that one has this gift.

Weekly Blog #2-"The End of This Era"

I am going to elaborate on my previous post last week. This was suppose to be the most exciting week of the year. Unfortunately, the roller coaster officially got off the tracks and crashed today at about 3:00. The Brewers blew their third game of the road trip in which they led in at some point after the sixth inning. This appears to be the final nail in the coffin.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Chicago Cubs finished the week strong with a three game sweep of Pittsburgh to push their lead to 3.5 games. It will take a miraculous home stand for the Brewers and catastrophic road trip for the Cubs. I do believe in miracles, but I am a realist at the same time. I have mentally seceded the division and am looking to the 2008 season.

I am trying to take the positives out of the 2007 season. Prince Fielder proved that he is the future of the team. The team as a whole showed it is offensively stable. The biggest issue to address is the late relievers and attempting to re-sign closer Francisco Cordero. The additional payroll for next year must be put into the bullpen. I look forward to the future because it has a lot of promise. Thank you Milwaukee Brewers for another exciting year of baseball in Milwaukee!

Making Sense-"The Little Man at Chehaw Station"

The essay begins with a interesting direct parallel to the title. A boy is told that he can never be sure who is or isn't listening to his musical performances. I believe that this can be directly applied to everyone's life. I know personally my effort whether it be in a game or in practice should be at the same intensity. The details in life are what separate people from be great or blending into the crowd. Later in the essay, it is mentioned that maturity has a large role in this. Everyone is not a firm believer in this attitude. Many people aren't willing to always give what they are capable of doing. Sometimes, the person behind the stove is really out in the open for everyone to notice. This is the main purpose for someone to put forth their best effort everyday.

Making Sense-"The Wall, the Screen and the Image"

This essay has many intriguing points. It is well known that there is a lot of controversy surrounding the Vietnam War and its veterans. The fact that the symbol for the war is a memorial and not a monument shouldn't matter. Reality is that millions of American soldiers lost their lives fighting a war. The people left behind needed something to help cope with the loss of loved ones. A 21 old year old Chinese-American is the designer of the Vietnam War Memorial. I find this funny that controversy has always and will always surround the memorial and the war itself. I think this shows that the world will never be at peace and will find itself in war like conflicts every day.

The memorial has been important the country to overcome a defeat on a couple different levels. Obviously, the war was not victorious. Also, the war divided the country’s unity. The memorial symbolized the need to put things in the past and to move on. Because of the memorial, millions of people have had the opportunity to show their feelings whatever they maybe for the war and its fallen soldiers. This has helped bring the country back together.

Weekly Blog #1-"Birthday Weekend"

The Brewers completed a short three game homestand this weekend. It just happened to be my birthday along with my brother. This weekend was one of the best because not only were they at home, but they won both games. I have waited my entire life for the Brewers to be playing meaningful baseball games on my birthday. The next two weeks will be the most exciting times of my life.

Words cannot describe the emotional roller coaster this team has taken me on. The beginning of the season was enjoyable watching the Brewers climb out to a 8.5 game lead over a much despised rival, the Chicago Cubs, as late as June. The second half has been very difficult to watch. The large leads being surrendered has been the most frustrating experience of it. I went to St. Louis the last week of July with three friends. We witnessed a five and six run lost in two different games. The calendar turning to September seems to have been the best thing in recent memory. I cannot wait for the team to return to finish out the regular season with a seven game homestand. I can smell October baseball in Milwaukee.

Bird by Bird 21-32 & Online Essays

Perfectionism rarely leads to success in every aspect of life. Writing is one of the prime examples of this. Writing is not an easy task including those who call it their profession. Writing has necessary steps that must be followed to be successful. Many people find writing one of the hardest things to do. Personally, I know that I always tell myself to just get started. Once I complete a rough draft, I can relax and make the necessary changes. The concept of having drafts allows perfectionism to be put on the back seat.

The online essay points out the fact that one cannot look to complete requirements with basic ideas and words. Writing the ideas that are obvious and inside the box don't take much effort. This type of effort receives the grade it deserves. Good writing requires vocabulary and thoughts at an elevated level.

Making Sense-"The Owl Has Flown"

The essay focuses on looking past the text itself. Many people who read simply read to say they completed the reading. Honestly, if I didn't have to write this blog, I wouldn't be surprised if this would happen with this same reading. The author expands on this by writing about the true meaning of wisdom. Wisdom is having the capability to see from a different perspective. Being wise doesn't consist of simply memorizing facts, rather being wise is seeing the details or the big picture. Today, too many people only go through the motions without thinking about the reason for doing an action. Retaining knowledge is the real definition of wisdom.

Making Sense-"Imagination & Reality"

Art does not fall into place easily in society. Art takes time to form. We live in a society that demands instantaneous results. If something isn’t making money, it doesn’t have value. The world values goods much more than it values time. Because of this, it is hard for art to coexist today. Most people can’t see the value in the art. We use objects without thinking of its value to us. Its value is appreciated when it falters and needs to be replaced. The artist is always thinking outside the box realizing the importance of everything surrounding his or her environment. Many people fail to take time out of their lives to enjoy the things around them.

Making Sense-"In Pluto's Cave"

Pluto’s Cave has a unique feature in which it allows light to seep into the cave itself. This shape is similar to the view through a camera lens. Sontag’s essay focuses in on how many different uses a camera has. Cameras are an object used every day by different types of people for many different reasons. Photography’s origins reach back to where it was used strictly as an art. The camera has become a tool used by every average Joe. It is used to freeze memories in time which are meant to be memorialized. The camera is used on a professional level to document evidence for the authorities. It locks an event into stone and tells a story. Unfortunately, it can only tell one side to a story. For this reason, it can divide people.

The essay also refers to photography as soft murder. This refers to the ability to take pictures without the subject knowing about the fact. This makes photography sound perverted and abstract. I feel that photography without the subject knowing is pure photography. Photography with subjects posing does not capture real life situations.

Bird by Bird 33-43

Lamont shows the importance of simplifying writing to be as easy as telling a story. She uses the example of lunches and the memories she has from it. It is interesting reading her account because I can personally relate to her thoughts about what other people thought of her family's financial status. I had these thoughts about other people and was always making sure the right items were packed in my lunch. She also mentions the boy by the fence. When she is done writing this first draft, she reflects on it having no idea why the boy crossed her mind. The point she makes is that writing is a process that a course of its own if you let it.

The comparison of writing to a polaroid is a great metaphor. It is a reminder that one cannot sit down and write a full paper at one time. This goes back to the one inch picture frame mindset. As she attended the Special Olympics event, she realizes that there truly is something special occuring. The effort displayed is what was amazing. I have personally had the chance to witness this type of unmatched effort. I had the chance to go school with someone who had Down's syndrome who also played basketball. However, he did not simply play for a Special Olympics team. I had the opportunity to play on the same team with him. He never played when the game was still on the line. He couldn't have cared though. He wanted the opportunity to be like everyone else. Players on other teams left him open because of his obvious difference. I never could figure out if this was courteous or disrespectful. Regardless, he put the issue to rest. He had the ability to knock down three pointers with the best of anyone out on the court. The sound of the crowd roaring after seeing what no one would have expected typically is reserved for game winning buzzer beaters. Chris' effort reminded me to always put the same type of effort out on the court at all times.

Coffee Shop Painting

The painting in the coffee shop is a very intriguing work of art. It does not have a direct message simply by looking at it. Personally, this is what I find very fascinating. It takes some inside thinking and has no right or wrong answer. It takes more than just a glance to be able to even try to comprehend what the painter is trying to say. The message I take from the painting is that the world is full of life everywhere I look. There is not one square inch on this image that does not have life within it. Unfortunately, many people today don’t appreciate life. Millions of babies are aborted annually along with the cutting down of millions of trees. The painting bleeds green spelling out the beauty of life when it is appreciated.

Bird By Bird 3-20

Anne Lamott's bird by bird discusses the keys to effective writing. She immediately states that the ability to express truth through writing is one the most important qualities in a good writer. Personally, I find this to be a half truth in itself. Most of the time, writing is not a fantasy. The limited opportunities to use creative writing though should not have boundaries.

The perfectionist writer is also talked about early in this book. At a point and time, I was very much this type of writer. I would rewrite almost every sentence after it was written. This was very time consuming and frustrating. My papers were always of a very high caliber, but the time it took me to get to that point was extremely mind draining.