My Last Blog

So this is it. This is the last blog of this semester. I'm not going to lie when we were first assigned to do these blogs I was far from excited. I thought it was just going to be more busy work assigned by my professor. But I came to realize that I actually enjoyed blogging. It was more than just busy work, this assignment kept me writing. And I think as a result my writing has gotten better. Or I have at least learned to write faster and with an audience in mind. And who knows maybe I'll even continue to blog after this semester is over you never know.

My Sunday

Today was just like every other sunday. Except for one thing, I had to go get an interview from the Stake Presidency to finalize my mission preparations. I was excited because this was one of the last steps in my paperwork excluding getting a physical which I would get done when I got home for Christmas. So I showed up at noon like i was supposed to and a man there asked me to sign in and asked if I had my medical paperwork. I said that i did not have it and he looked at me confused. I said that I was hoping to get my interview out of the way before I went home so I would only have my medical papers left to do. Then he looked at me and said that the medical papers were required to be done before the interview could take place. That really bummed me because I wanted to get it done so I would only have one thing left to do over break. Now I have to go back to finish what should have been finished today. But oh well only a minor inconvenience.

My Final Narrative

The revisions to my personal narrative are going great. I've been able to fix everything that my professor told me needed to be fixed. Except for the title. I titled my personal narrative "A Tragic Realization" because in the story I realize how much my parents look out for me but, it takes getting my knee destroyed to figure that out. That is why I used the word tragic, because hurting my knee was a tragic incident. But I know my professor knows best so I'm going to change it. I just have no idea what it is that I'm going to change it to. Oh well I'll figure something out.

My Temple Trip

Today I went to the Temple with my ward which is a new thing for me. The reason being is because I usually don't do the ward activities. We saw the Joseph Smith movie and walked around the temple grounds looking at all the Christmas lights, drinking hot chocolate and eating crispy cream doughnuts. I actually had a lot of fun. Most activities are the cheesy "get to know you" activities. Those are the activities that make me not want to go to any church activities. But this one was good. I may even go to another one...maybe.

My Narrative Conference

Turns out my personal narrative was not as bad as I thought. I was under the impression that it was going to get torn apart. But she said it was "good" minus all the mistakes I made. They should be easy to fix though. The main problem is making my central message show without just coming out and bluntly saying it. This will definitely prove to be a formidable problem because I don't want to make my message subtle. I want to make sure that anyone who reads my story will be able tell exactly what my message is without having to think about it. I think its easier that way.

My Rush

It always amazes me how quickly time goes by when you have a lot to do. There never seems to be enough time to do everything and school is no exception. I came home today thinking I had all the time in the world to get things done. Then next thing i know I have no time left and barely anything done. This is quite a dilemma for me. How am I supposed to get everything done? I guess things just take longer to do then I usually anticipate. Which is a total bummer. In my opinion professors should give us as much time as we need to complete assignments, that would be nice. But since thats not going to happen I'll just have to get back to work.

My Realization

So this week is not going to be near as bad as I had previously thought. My bio test isn't until next week and I;m understanding the things we're learning about in chem. The chem test is going to be so much easier because of that. And because of english class yesterday i now know what i need to do to fix my narrative. I didn't make the central message subtle enough, in fact I just came out and said exactly what it was. I wanted to make sure that anyone who read it would have no problem figuring out the message, but apparently you have to make them think about it and draw their own conclusion from the story. That being said I have some work to do. I'll have to rethink some of my story to make the message come through without having to just say it. I've definitely got some work to do.

My Break

My break was much more relaxing than I thought it would be. I was able to get some homework done and ate way to much food. There was 15 people at my grandparent's house and we had 14 pies to eat. needless to say it was delicious. I'm pretty sure I had at least a pie and a half over the course of three days. Not only was the pie delicious but the thanksgiving dinner was pretty much awesome too. My Grandma went traditional this year which is a new thing for her, but her cooking was still the best (don't tell my mom). Hot turkey and her family famous stuffing, with creamy mashed potatoes and all the works. Despite the fact that some of my younger and very annoying cousins were there it was a very enjoyable dinner/break. Now its back the daily grind of school and homework, break was way to short.

My Revisions

So my personal narrative needs some work. I think thats a given. Its a good thing its not due until thursday. I'm going to need all the time i can get to revise this thing considering all the other stuff due this week. But this paper is the least of my worries. I have a bio and chem test this week that are going to kick my butt. This narrative is easy sauce compared to these tests. As long as I pass them I'll be ok. So all in all a hectic week but nothing I can't handle...hopefully.

My Early Morning

So I went to bed last night at (or i guess i should say this morning) at 4:30. And I completely forgot that my cousin was coming to pick me up at 8:00. Long story short I wake up to a text that says "we're in the parking lot". Oh crap! So i spring out of bed and almost kill myself as i frantically try to put some clothes on. My eyes were still trying to adjust to the light of the room and they were all scratchy. So of course I tripped and smashed into just about everything in my room before i even got my pants on. But I managed to get ready somehow and got out the door just as i got a second text saying "Where are you?". I bolted around the corner of my building but stopped abruptly to a walking pace before my cousin could see me so when he did it looked like I had been walking the whole time. He asked what took me so long and I said that i attacked by a polar bear with a peg leg. Needless to say he totally bought it and further questions were avoided.

My First Day of Break

Finally my thanksgiving break has started. Naturally I would be totally stoked to be on break except for one small thing. I have a boat load of homework to do. So basically I don't have to go to class but I have to do the homework we would be doing in class anyways. So I'm kinda wondering what the point of a break is. We get a certain amount of days off from school but we get enough homework to do during the "break" that I'm wondering why we even have a break at all. If I'm going to be spending most of my "break" doing homework I think i would rather be in school. I just don't see the point in even calling it a "break" the only break we get is from going to school but we still have to do work. I'm looking forward to it but not all the work.

My Personal Narrative

Jared Anderson

11/23/09

Steadman

A Tragic Realization

It was Mother’s Day weekend and my family and I were out camping with some of our close friends like we do every year. We left in the afternoon on Friday and wouldn’t come home till Sunday night. I remember the weather being sunny and clear, and the air was beginning to get thick with humidity as it always did that time of year in Virginia. I was so impatient and couldn’t wait to get going. My little fifth grade heart was pounding with anticipation of all the fun I was going to have once we got there. I even started to honk the horn of our large SUV in an attempt to get everyone to pack the car quicker. I just couldn’t understand why it was taking them so long to pack the car. Were they not as excited as me to get there? I laid on the horn again. Its piercing and obnoxious echo seemed loud enough to split my eardrums. “That should get them going” I thought.

Not only did my family hurry getting their things together, I also got one of my mom’s famous evil eyes. When my mom gives someone in the family the evil eye that was the universal sign you were in big trouble. You could always feel it penetrate your soul and you would want nothing more than to just shrivel up into a little ball to try and ignore the look. Anyways after I saw my life pass before my eyes we were finally on our way to the mountains. The car ride to the mountains was always so long because I was always just so excited to get there. As always I would fidget and always ask if we were there yet. And just like every other year we eventually got there.

When we finally arrived at our camp site I bolted out of the car. The mountain air was so refreshing and crisp. I could not think of anything better than just running around and stretching my legs after what seemed like an eternity in that car. My parents and the rest of the family helped unpacked the car. Meanwhile I was running around felling the cool air against my face, and trying to get them to play with me and not the least bit concerned with the work that needed to be done. It was not long before it began to get dark. Not only was it getting dark but cold as well. This kind of cold was not like just any cold. This was mountain cold. With a wind that somehow managed to get through every layer of clothing no matter how many you put on. The only remedy for the agonizing cold and wind was a bright, warm fire. I would always sit in front of the fire pit every year and complain to my dad that I was cold and to make a fire for me. Was he not cold? Why has he not made a fire yet? It’s freezing out here! Eventually he came over and started a fire. It felt so good.

I couldn’t think of anything that in the world I wanted more at that time. The tenderness of the warmth of the fire seemed to envelope my whole body, expelling all feelings of the bitter cold. To top it off we began to roast marshmallows. I always liked to burn mine pitch black then eat the outside and burn is again. Nothing in the world beats the taste of a smoldering marshmallow in your mouth. I could feel myself slowly melting in my chair from the drowsiness brought on by this new feeling of comfort and the taste of marshmallow drippings left on my lips. It wasn’t long till I was completely unconscious.

On the second day of our trip we always go hiking to Dark Hallow Falls. It was this huge and glorious waterfall. However, the hike was anything but trivial for me. Two whole miles to get the falls! I knew it would be an exhausting trip but I wanted to do it because that is what all the big kids did. So with the cool mountain breeze at my back I made my way to the falls. But every year I used to much energy getting to the falls and playing on them to make it back, and every year my dad had to basically carry me back to the car. The hard work was worth it though, because I knew that we always go for ice cream afterward the hike every year. Nothing is more encouraging to a child than the incentive of an icy treat.

We finally arrived at the same place we got ice cream every year, Big Meadows. As I walked into the familiar building I smelled the same smell I smell every year we came to this place, it smelled old. I’m not talking about the “Hey your Grandma is old” smell it was much more like “Wow this is an old building” kind of smell. The wood floors were stained recently to try and cover up the old smell but that was a useless gesture because the smell of slightly rotten wood mixed with the odor of the hundreds of people who walk into this building daily. We walked up to order our ice cream and to my delight they still had my favorite flavor, blackberry. Nothing in the world could top the luscious flavor that was about to come in contact with my lips.

We took our delicious treats outside to enjoy them in the shade. While the ice cream was delicious it could only distract the kids for so long. After a little while the parents could no longer contain our vivacious energy, an activity was necessary to entertain us. One the adults had the bright idea of a relay race to a far tree and back. This would both entertain and exhaust us. I was supposed to race against my friend Vincent. I was so excited; Vincent had beaten me in every race we had ever competed in and this was my time to shine, I would finally beat him.

It was finally our turn to race and we lined up to start. One of the parents yelled go and we were off running. Everything was going great; I could feel the wind in my face as well as the briny sweat dripping off my face. Everything was great until I reached the tree. I went to pivot and for some reason my leg jumped back up at me. I naturally tried to throw it back down and pivot again that’s when I heard the last thing anyone wants to hear in that situation…CRACK! With that sound I fell to the ground in pain. I tried to get up but my leg would not let me. It was only after I looked at my leg for a second did I realize what had happened. I looked and couldn’t find my knee cap. Without it I would not be able to walk. Upon further investigation I realized that my knee cap was all the way in my thigh. The tendon that usually keeps my knee cap in place had ripped completely in half. With this awareness finally in mind I did what any brave fifth grader would do, I completely freaked out.

Upon hearing the commotion and the wails of their son in agony my parents leapt to their feet and sprinted to my side. My mother immediately went into the building to get some ice while my father held me down and tried to comfort me. It was then that I realized something for the first time. My parents had my best interest in mind from the very beginning. While I was too impatient to help pack they made sure we brought marshmallow making supplies and that we had a hatchet to cut firewood to build a fire to keep me warm. While I was too busy running and goofing around when we arrived they were making sure that everything was taken care of and carefully unpacked. When I was too tired to make it all the way back to the car my father carried me so that I would be more comfortable. Even now in my crippled condition my parents are running around frantically trying to calm and reassure me that everything will be taken care of. Even at my age I knew the damage done to my leg was pretty extensive, but I knew my parents would be by my side the whole time making sure that I was ok. It was going to be a long recovery but I knew that with my parents there to help me the whole thing was not going to be fine.

My attemtp to work

The library is a great place to work. There is lots of books to read and quiet places to study. Well there are usually quiet places to work my current spot used to be one of them. It was great until this group of very loud and obnoxious girls decided to have conversations about their lives and each and everything that's going on in it. If they're not talking about getting a husband than they're talking about losing weight. Which a couple of them should definitely do. They keep saying they want a husband that's just like them, which would mean that the vast majority of them will be marrying the michelin tire man or the stay puff marshmallow. I was effectively getting my psychology homework done until they showed up. Now its incredibly hard to concentrate not only because they're talking so loudly but also because of the irony of what they're saying. They want their husbands to be in great shape but they keep saying that he needs to be just like them. I'm very tempted to say something but i don't want them to eat me. OH YES!!! They just got up and left. Apparently there's a buffet going on somewhere close by, because I've never seen people move that fast before. Finally i can get back to work.

My Annotations

Today the annotations of for our research sources were due. Currently i have a total of eight sources. But it looks like ill have to ditch one. Turns out it was way shorter than I thought it was and the information in it is in some of my other sources. I also found out today that I'm going to have to change the topic of my paper. I was originally going to base off the controversies of bone marrow stem cell research, but turns out that people don't have a problem with it. Which leaves me with embryonic stem cell research which is highly debated. I'll just have to do some more research just to be sure I have everything I need, but at least I know for sure the direction I'm taking for my paper now.

More research

Today in the big kid's room we where in the library again and did a lot more research. i was able to get a lot more information on my subject and even got extra credit for getting enough sources. i currently have a total of eight sources, all of which are top notch by the way. The next step i have to take is to actually read through all of my sources now, which may take a while. But thats alright because once I'm done reading through my materials I can start the writing process. Considering the paper is due pretty soon I had better get started soon.

My Research

Yesterday in the big kid's room we went to the library to research the topic for our research paper. We were told how to do our searches more effectively and how to get the best information in the shortest amount of time. When i first heard that we were doing this I actually thought about skipping that class because I thought i already knew how to do research. Boy was i wrong. There is so much that didn't no about researching. I'm so glad I did skip class that day. I learned so much that day, and now I know how to more effectively do my research. I can't wait to get started. :D

My Reasearch Paper

Today in the Big kid's room. We were finally assigned to come up with topics for our research paper. I decided to do mine on stem cell research. I'm researching this topic because most people don't know much about it. Many people think of killing babies when they think of stem cell research. Its my job to convince them otherwise and show them the truth behind this miraculous field of study. And by the end of it they will be wishing that President Bush hadn't ever put a stop to the stem cell research program.

My Famous Speech

In the big kid's room we are doing rhetorical analysis of famous speeches. My speech of choice was the oration delivered by Franklin Delano Roosevelt after the Japanese attacked pearl Harbor. He uses specific language to make the U.S. seem innocent and the American people the victims of a horrid crime. His reason to do so is to rally the people of America together against the Japanese. This is an awesome speech that was delivered beautifully. And he was able to unite the American
people under the banner of patriotism and in defense of the country they love. This speech carries so much meaning and significance. I can't wait to really analyze this work of art. This is just one more thing we do in the big kid's room.

The Big Kid's Room

So far this year at college I have gone through many class periods. All of these classes have their ups and downs, but none of them stand out as much as the "BIG KID'S ROOM". Some people call it English 150, but this class holds a special place in my heart as the refiner's fire of my college life. Transforming me from a not so big kid to a BIG KID. Not only is this class mentally stimulating but the teacher is actually good. I look forward to it with every waking moment of each and everyday. There really is no substitute for the "BIG KID'S ROOM".