BYE BYE ENGLISH 101!!!!

I can’t believe this would be my last blog. It feels kind of weird because it was something that I had to do at the end of every week and it kind of felt like a vent. I remember in high school my freshmen and sophomore year I had to write journals every day I had to write a journal everyday I had to write two pages about anything I wanted it was pretty hard because I had nothing to talk about much. Keeping a journal or blog in this course was very easy because it was on a weekly basis so my thoughts build up over a period of time especially on the free write journals. The blogs that we had a topic for were sometimes easy to get 350-400 words out but other ones were very tuff like the one about winning the lottery. I had so much trouble writing about that but I had to dig deep and think about it. Overall keeping a blog ahs helped me get a lot of feelings out because I don’t write a lot like I used to so this was actually a helper. It was also a relief from writing the papers and the different units. English 101 taught me lessons in general though it taught me that things won’t always come easy. I will have to work extra hard o get something that I really want. It also taught me that English is not the class for me it made me realizes how high the standards are set to actually pass this class. I now understand how fortunate I was in high school and all the complaining was not worth it because it is ten times worse in college but thankfully this would be the last English class I take in my life.

Normal is tooo Normal

When I first got to the town of Bloomington normal it seemed very boring. Where I’m from you see people everywhere and when I got here I saw no one anywhere except on the college campus. That seemed very odd but it would be my 2nd home for some years so I had to get used to it. The other thing about this town is that there are way to many rules for no reason. When I thought about it they just make those rules so that they can get money off of out of town people who do not know the rules that well. For instance the no skateboarding, j-walking, or blowing the horn these are ridiculous and they seem exclusive to us college students. They know when we are trying to get to class we will take extreme measures like not crossing the street at the corner. Yeah very extreme, blowing the horn I really don’t understand that one I do not know who this benefits or who it harms that’s why it makes no sense. The only fun I have here in normal is on campus when events are held and that’s the only time I invite my friends. When they do come we take a trip to the mall but the mall is just as horrible as the town even though they have some of my favorite stores it’s such a hassle getting on the bus system and having to be on their time. The bus drivers are often nice except for the driver who usually drives the pink d to the Wal-Mart on Vernon. He is a really rude middle aged fat white man and I dread having to go to Wal-Mart because I would have to get on his bus. I did have one good experience is when my family came and we stayed in a hotel and I got a chance to go swimming and we went to eat at buffalo wild wings. Maybe the only reason I do not like normal is because I am limited in terms of me being able to explore because I do not have my own transportation maybe next year I will have positive things to say.

UGH!!!! (IS HOW I FEEL ABOUT ENGLISH 101)

I would have to say this has been one tough/ easy week. First off on Monday I woke up with cold like allergy symptoms. It was horrible I had a throbbing headache and a super stuffy nose with very itchy eyes. I could not make it to my favorite class in the world biology and that upset me but I was alright because I was able to attend the lab. My week has also been tough I have found things out about the things that really interest me and my classes I have to take. Okay first off there is English, I think that in this English course that it is not possible for me to get a grade better than a C, my papers are just never good enough but the upside is that this is the first and last English class I will ever have to take but the downside is that I have to pass and it seems the harder I try to get an A the farther away from it I get. With that said, I have to say I love biology and math, I love them because in biology the most you have to write is a lab report and its based off of your research so the right answer lies within you and those reports are very concise. In math you write numbers and there is always a right answer the hardest part would just be trying to get the answer but at least you do not spend aimless hours to get a not good enough just as in English for me. This week was also kind of easy I had no major projects or test to do and I mastered factoring in my math class and I was pretty excited about that. Those were the highlights of my hard/ easy week.

Vagina Monologues

One of the most memorable events that I have attended on campus was the Vagina Monologues Event. This was a play talking about women’s vaginas. It was very weird because they talked about it in a pleasurable way at the beginning and then towards the end they switched up the tune and talked about rape. In the beginning they were reciting monologues that are really just questions answered by real women and put into monologue form. The women ranged from old to young they told stories of how their vagina malfunctioned on them in the past or how the man that they were with did not appreciate their vagina. They also talked about things that irritated them like how people treat the vagina uncomfortably by making thong underwear and tampons. As they transition to the negative part of the show they do a monologue with women representing rape victims from overseas who have been raped by soldiers who have occupied their homes. It was very sad it made me feel like I was an exception or something because I had never been raped. After that part of the show they ended it talking about women who are homosexual and why they have turned that way. The last monologue was about a woman who had a job as being a moaner. Her job was to make women moan by satisfying them. That one was very weird because I am not homosexual and I do not like to hear stuff like that. In the very end they had asked everyone who was a rape victim survivor to stand up in the audience, most of the entire audience stood up and the audience had to be comprised of 500- 600 people and that really surprised me. This event had to be the first multi cultural event on campus that I have attended.

Spring Break and.... more

As this being the first week back from spring break I found it very tiring. But I handled my business very well, upon going on spring break I knew I had a lot of tasks to get done so that my life would be much easier returning. Over spring break I had a little bit of fun but I had a lot of rest that was much needed. I am the type of person that will get my rest regardless of what’s going on. I schedule myself for a 2 minute nap everyday so that I can be refreshed and ready to do my homework and studying. I slept more than that over spring break though. Besides sleeping over break I did some studying and I completed most of my paper. This unit 3 paper has got me really stressing out because English is not hard but I have not seemed to be doing well on these assignments and I cannot afford to fail. So when going into this unit 3 paper I scheduled several appointments with the writing assistance lab so that this paper can be perfect or very very close. I didn’t get to see many of my friends over spring break but I saw a few. It was weird because our spring break was before everyone elses and we got the bad weather. Spring break really wasn’t a big deal for me though because I go home just about every weekend because I miss my family. People always tell me that I will grow out of it but until that day comes I will continue my weekend trips home. In other news I have a biology test on Monday I feel prepared but not well prepared but I think that I will do well.

Not so greedy..

If I didn’t have a college education I would find a very safe investment so that my money would keep growing. I would do this to secure my future. When I get the money I would do the obvious and buy a car, a house and take care of my family and put money away for my siblings’ education. I would see it as though since I could not get an education then I would give them the opportunity to further their education. The business I would invest my money in would be something that would guarantee me money, it would have to be something people all over the world use or want something like the jewelry industry. There is a lot of things that I would not do with my money also. First on the list I would not go off buying expensive items just because I have the money. I will continue to shop at the same clothing stores; probably a little bit more but nowhere extravagant. I will not buy senseless things with my money like, getting pedicures and manicures all the time. I will absolutely not move out of my neighborhood but I would try and put money into it. Give to the park district and my block club.

I wish i would have known better....

As an incoming freshman I would have loved for someone to give me some useful advice for actually getting used to this place that I am supposed to call home. Coming to college I think that students should first be aware of the fact that transportation is very limited. The bus and walking will become your only transportation unless you have a friend with a car but not taking that into account, the bus and walking everywhere could be your worst nightmare. Imagine a trip to Wal-Mart, you have run out of bottled water and other things you need. A 24 case of water is not very easy to carry across campus. Especially in the rain, sleet and snow with a heavy case of water. This also goes for walking to class, coming here I did not think about the fact that I would have to walk to class in all inclement weather. Another thing I wish I had known upon entrance was that I would have a lot of time on my hands. Everyone says that college is very busy but it really is not. During my first semester I had so much time on my hands I did not know whether I should sleep or study. Most of the time I slept and that put me behind on classes, if only I had known that the free time you have is supposed to be study time. One last thing I wish I had known is to get a single, roommates are not always cool. During my first semester I had so many roommate problems. I first had a roommate with bad odor I never thought that I would have to interact with people with different body odors, let alone live with them. My second roommate suffered from depression so all of her sadness gave the room a mellow mood. My current roommate just have tendencies to be rude, really there is nothing wrong with her I just do not like people. If you are like me and don’t like people don’t get a roommate, be sure to get on the single waiting list.

The best show ever!!!!!

My favorite television show is House of Payne. This show airs on TBS and on the CW in the mornings. It is a family show and it talks about important issues each family should be aware of. I t is really funny that is the primary reason I watch it. The father of the family makes a joke out of everything to lift the spirits of the family. The jokes aren’t any kind of jokes either they are not intentionally trying to make you laugh it is just some things he does you can’t help but to laugh. I began watching it after seeing a commercial and who its creator is. Tyler Perry is one of the best producers I think is out there. All of his plays are both entertaining and inspirational so when I saw that he was creating a show I knew I was going to enjoy it and I do. The show is about a family who has been through many struggles. The oldest uncle and aunt have taken in their nephew’s family because his wife was strung out on drugs and burned down the house. He is in debt paying mortgage on a house that is burned down while she is now clean and pregnant with twins while they are still raising their first two children. The uncle works as chief fireman in the Atlanta fire department with his nephew and his son. His son is a college student who continues to drop classes as freely as he wishes making his father upset. The backbone of the family would be the aunt she is a spiritually strong woman who leads her family in the right direction she is also friends with the nosiest neighbor in the world. As these characters have come together they form the House of Payne it can make you laugh it can make you cry. That is why it is one of my favorite TV shows.

Go Phone

On the daily basis I see a lot of different commercials and advertisements. Some of them persuade me and some of them do not. All a commercial really has to do to persuade me or to even get my attention is to be funny or play my favorite song. This is why my favorite commercial is the commercial for the Go phone. It is really funny to me, it involves a family and the son wants a go phone and they began to sing a song it was really familiar but the words were altered to fit the promotion of the Go phone. In the beginning it only showed the dad and the son and the son looked as though he had been contemplating on asking his dad or not. Then when he asked his dad his voice was filled with power and his face after asking was very merciful. He did not know that his dad would respond with a song and immediate action to get him a Go phone. The thing that sticks out in the commercial is the song. It is really hilarious when I first saw it I saw it on TBS network and they played it a couple of times. They don’t usually do that but it was no surprise because the TBS network airs shows that are funny and most of the commercials are funny also. I can argue that this advertisement can be argued as effective and not effective. I think that the effectiveness of this advertisement is in the humor, the family oriented environment, the words in the song and the reality. This commercial is really humorous because of the exaggerated characters that they play. The family is a close nit happy family that is ideal in society. The words in the song are reflective of the advantages you have with a Go phone. It is also realistic, the scenario is that a teenage boy wants a Go phone and he is afraid of rejection so he is nervous to ask his dad. This commercial can be ineffective because it does not show any models or rates of the actual Go phone so all we know is that the boy wants the go phone but the credibility of the Go phone company is not established.

Still sick.....

In this week’s blog I would just like to talk about the weather so far and how it relates to my well being. It has been really cold outside lately and I have been worried about my well being. I have been sick for the past week and I seem to have gotten a little better but I have not yet completely recovered. I dress as warm as possible but I don’t think that anyone can take that harsh weather for a long period of time. I have lived in Illinois since the day I was born I am also a product of the windy city but it is very different here. When you come from somewhere where you really never had to walk any farther than from where the car was parked; normally that’s pretty close, then you will understand my pain and struggle with this weather. Going outside of my dorm room having to take a no more than 15 minute walk in 15 degree weather is not what I bargained for. I really like it here at ISU but it seems like everywhere you want to go it is a pain getting there especially in the cold. Even if I did bring a car I would still have to walk because they make Students Park so far. I don’t know why when we pay so much just for a parking permit. I guess that’s just one of the downsides of being here. This week I am still a little sick and it is really not good for me to be walking around in the blissful cold but it is also not good for me to miss class so I have just come to the conclusion that I will be sick for a long time.

Tough week

I have had such a terrible week this last week of January. First off I have had this terrible cold that I have somehow come down with. This cold makes me feel like I am about to die my throat throbs with pain and so does my head. I got this cold on Wednesday I felt really bad waking up to go to my ten o’clock biology class I sat up in bed trying to get better it just wasn’t working so I just laid back down and came to the conclusion that I was not going to make it to biology today. I woke up at close to twelve because I had to go to math and English so I struggled there feeling like I have been hit by a truck. I went back to my room and slept for the whole day. I hated the fact that I had to do that because I could not get any work done because I had no strength. Even when I tried to regain some it just did not work. I tried eating; I tried sitting up, and drinking hot fluids. A whole day goes pass with me being immobile and ineligible to do work, it made me feel pretty behind but I really was not I have up to a week to complete most of my assignments. Besides me being under the weather I have also been stressing about my paper due for English this is really my first real college paper and I am so nervous because I want it to be perfect. I have also been stressing about my biology lab. I almost think I will always have to meet with my professor about it because the graduate student who teaches it is not very good at helping me understand it. I find that very weird because I understand what we are doing I just don’t understand why. All we are doing is taking bacteria and seeing if it reacts to an antibiotic ampicillain or is it resistant to it. I just do not understand why and it is very stressful doing something you do not understand and the teacher can’t even explain. Through it all my week has been stressful but I pray this prayer to give me strength; “ God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.” This has helped me through my horrible week.

Obamas Inaguration

I was not so much into politics at the beginning of the race because I always thought that the people had nothing to do with any of the votes so I was impartial. As the race proceeded I began to become interested in knowing if a black man had a chance at all in becoming president. I was at the same time proud to see him make it in the race. It was not because he is African American that I was fully happy it was also because of his idealist thoughts that he will make an effort to make the United States a better country. When he won the election so much joy came to my heart I don’t think anyone had ever thought that a black man would be the one to lead the country in which black people were enslaved and separated. It was all so true though but as joyful as I was I was also scared because loosing candidate, Hilary Clinton made such a statement that he may not even live to see his inauguration. She was very wrong for making that statement but he made it. I was ecstatic to see him make it through tours on a train interacting with people, all because he put himself in danger while interacting with his followers. His speech took my breath away; I believe that next to Martin Luther King Jr. he is a phenomenal speaker. He focuses on what we need to change as a country and how we will go about it he has a lot of faith and that’s what we need. I could not help but be glued to the television when all of the superstars and historical figures were appraising Barack Obama. I also remember my friend making a statement regarding the inaugural ball she said, “All of the singing and dancing is making black people look bad.” I did not understand why she said this but I totally did not agree with her because it is not a color situation although we do acknowledge that there is a black leader of the country we as a people should not relate everything to color because even then we are being racist singling people out. All in all I think this will be the best president and I believe in his abilities to reshape the country.

Who am I

Hello everyone my name is LaToya Sevier, I am a second semester freshman here at Illinois State University. I am a hard working young adult, I believe that there are no excuses for failing because there are so many opportunities that are offered to students in school. It is for that reason that I try my best to succeed in everything that I do no matter what it takes even if it means not having a social life. I am very serious about my education therefore obtaining a degree is one of the most important goals that I have set for myself to accomplish in the next four or five years. Although I do not participate in any sports here at Illinois State I do enjoy running track. I ran all four years of high school and I learned to love it so in my spare time I run around the campus. My major is biological sciences, although I am not sure what i want to do with it as far as career wise I just have this general idea of me helping people in the health care or medical industry.