Fluency Journal #5 (06/30/2014)

     Wow! What a long day! Math, math, and more math. I have an algebra text tomorrow and I've literally been studying and doing homework all day. I didn't even have time to start any of my homework for my other classes. But, I'm finally done. Whew! Now, I think I'm going to write this here journal entry and then read some of my book. That is, if I'm able to keep my eyes open. I just need something to keep my mind off of this test tomorrow. I don't know why, but I'm a little stressed about it. I don't normally stress about tests. I know that I know the material, but I still feel like I'm missing something. Oh well, I'm going to try not to worry too much about it. I did get all of my readings done today, though. I especially like How to Say Nothing in 500 Words by Paul Roberts. I found it very helpful and insightful. I think that it's going to come in handy these next few weeks of the semester. Hopefully longer. I hope I am able to absorb at least a little of what I've learned to keep for future reference. Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling that it might prove beneficial in the future.
     Well, I don't know exactly what to talk about anymore. Like I said, I haven't really done much today aside from cramming for this algebra test tomorrow. I started reading a new book a couple days ago. It's called The Last Exile by E.V. Seymour. It's an espionage about an ex-spy hired to find five fugitives that were accidentally released from prison and hand them over to authorities. It's not a bad book. Especially for fifty cents from a thrift store. But it's written in "proper British English", so the -our's and the -re's make it somewhat difficult to read sometimes. Maybe not difficult, per se, but different. But it's something I'm not used to, and that's why I like it. I like change every now and then.
     But, anyway, I really have absolutely nothing else to say. I'm drawing a blank. This looks like more than enough words, so I'm signing off for now. Wish me luck tomorrow. Until next time...

Word Count: 379 words

Fluency Journal #4 (06/29/2014)

     Oh my gosh! Could this Algebra homework be anymore time-consuming? I swear, every problem takes almost half of a page. I really needed a break so I figured I'd drop a few lines on the old blog. I mean, it's easy, it's just strenuous. It's a good thing I have Pandora Radio here to help me get through it without stressing myself out. 90's Alternative Radio. I've had it on since 8:00 this morning, and here it is 4:30 and I have changed it once. It sure does bring back a lot of memories. Memories of an easier time. A time when I didn't have a worry in the world. When kids still played outside and didn't come home until the streetlights came on or mom whistled from the back door. When mom whistled, the whole neighborhood could hear it and every kid would stop what they were doing and ask each other, "Josh, was that your mom or mine?" "I think it might have been Daniel's." "I don't know, it sure sounded like your mom." Everybody knew what the whistle meant. It meant you better get your butt home. Pronto! Needless to say, I'm feeling pretty nostalgic today. Every time I think about changing the station, another good song comes on. I give up.
     Anyway, it's about 200 degrees outside today. It sure would be nice to hop in the pool for a little bit, but I have too much homework to get done. So that's out of the picture. Maybe tomorrow... Wait, it's supposed to rain tomorrow. Shoot! Oh well, eventually I'll get some water action. It might not be until July 24th, but I promise you, I will cannon ball at least once this summer.  Let's see, what else? I think I'm going to register for my Fall classes sometime this week. I never thought I could be this excited about school. It's a lot of hard work, but I've always enjoyed a challenge. I'm actually having a lot of fun.

Word Count: 343 words

Fluency Journal #3 (6/28/2014)

Wow! Great game... NOT! So, I drove an hour and a half all the way down to Springfield earlier to watch the Cardinals play, and for what? Nothing! As soon as we were getting settled in and getting some selfies taken with Louie, they decide to postpone the game. Well, that stinks! Oh well, at least we got out of the house for a while. We even stopped at Dairy Queen on the way home, so that made it a little better. I kind of felt bad for the kids working there though. The wind apparently had blew over all of their tables and chair outside and destroyed the fence, and they were out in the weather picking everything up. I helped them out once I saw what they were doing. Overall, it's been a pretty decent day considering the storms. I got a lot done this morning. I'm all caught up on my homework and ready to relax tomorrow and get ready for a new week. I can't believe it's already been four weeks! I never would have imagined being in college a year ago, but look at me now. I'm having such a good time. It's a new challenge for me, which is good because I tend to get bored pretty easily. I miss my friends and family, but it's all for a good cause and I know they're proud of me. And if they're happy, I'm happy. Now, it's time to read, relax, and reflect. I love Saturdays.

Word Count: 273 words

Fluency Journal #2 (6/27/2014)

It's halfway through the term of my first semester in college. Today, I'm thinking about how busy I've been lately. And I've noticed something that's changing in me. I'm not near as stressed as I was during the first few weeks of school. I'm beginning to develop a bit of a routine to balance my work, school, health, and social life. With work and school and volunteering, I hardly have time for any leisure time, but I still find a way to get it all done and have time at the end of the day to relax and read a little out of my book every night before I go to bed. I make time at least three or four days a week to exercise. But I couldn't do it without the love and support of my family. And, they may not believe it, but my peers from my classes make it a lot easier too. It's exciting getting to read some of their posts on the discussion boards or read their blogs. I am surrounded by highly intelligent, compassionate, and aspiring people, and without them, I would probably be bald by now. I couldn't be more thankful for my hectic life than I am today. So, if you're reading this, thank you...for everything. I'm about a minute short, so...how 'bout them Cardinals? Royals? The US soccer team? I believe that we will win! Okey dokey, time's up.

Word Count: 238 Words

Who Are We, Really?

     This was a really fun discussion and a creative way to get to know one another, although we've never met face-to-face. It was a relief to have an assignment that didn't necessarily feel like homework, but more like a play date for adults. I've really learned a lot about my classmates this past week; their morals and values, their views and their beliefs, and even their senses of humor.

     I really enjoyed all of the questions and answers, but a few really stick out in my mind:

Blake asked, "If you could be any superhero, who would it be and why?"  

I enjoyed this question because of its breadth. It has such a wide spectrum of possible answers. You can learn a lot about a person by how they answer a question with a wide variety of possible answers. 

I especially liked Cheyne's answer of Rorschach. I never would have thought that anyone would have chosen Rorschach. As a matter of fact, I was so intrigued by her answer, that I actually did a little homework and discovered that Rorschach was actually an antihero, which is basically just a "flawed" hero, like The Hulk, or Hellboy, or Wolverine, just to name a few.

Maria asked the question, "Where do you see yourself ten years from now?" 

This is another broad question that I couldn't pass up. I like it because we get to learn what other people's goals and aspirations are. If that doesn't tell you something about a person, I don't know what does.  

I found Kortney's answer fascinating. She said she wants to have a doctorate in history and work in a museum. I've never met anyone that worked in a museum before. Or anyone who wanted to, for that matter. How neat would that gig be? I would brag about that every chance I got! 

          Also, Scott made a great point when he said he wants to implement solutions to many of the crises that cause the world to fight with one another. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: there's an outbreak of ignorance and close-mindedness in this world and it's affecting nearly everyone. If we don't first end these things, we will never achieve world peace.                                                                                                          

And finally, where would this report be without some answers to my question? I asked the class, "If you could spend the day with anyone, real or fictional, dead or alive, who would it be and why? What would you do?"

Unlike the other questions, I didn't get an array of different responses from people. Most of them mentioned relatives that have since passed away. It seems that a lot of them have had great relationships with their loved ones. I was able to empathize on so many different levels with each of them. I, too, have had many friends and family members pass that I wish I could have spent more time with.

Overall, I found that my peers are a caring, intelligent, creative, and dedicated bunch with high aspirations. And I am truly lucky to be in the midst of such an outstanding group of people.                                                                                                                      

Fluency Journal #1 (06/26/2014)

What's on my mind today? Well, let's see. Mistakes and second chances. Nobody's perfect. We all screw up, but we must never let these mishaps get the better of us. We must always continue moving forward towards bettering ourselves. When we do this, even if we have a slip up, people will be more willing to give us another shot. The problem is, when we're given this opportunity to redeem ourselves, what do we do with it. Do we learn from our mistakes and take advantage of the opportunity, proving that we are mature enough to admit fault and recover from it? Or do we take it for granted, living our lives in denial. It's our own decision. I, for one, choose to learn from my mistakes, correct them, and find a new route to get to where I want to be and ultimately who I want to become without making the same mistake... I don't know what else to say right now. I am trying to come up with something, but I'm finding it quite difficult while solely concentrating on writing without stopping. I have to admit, this is a little tougher than I originally thought. I will learn from this and not make the same mistake again. HA! Well, there you have it. I incorporated my original topic into the assignment at hand. I guess there's a silver lining to everything... Let's see, what else? I have been doing a little research on credos. I have actually found a page that defines the word credo and explains how to create and write your own personal credo. It's pretty neat. I hope it comes in handy for this week's assignment. But it seems as though I only have about thirty seconds left, so I'm signing off for now. Until next time...

Word Count: 326 words

This I Believe (Part 2)

I believe ignorance and close-mindedness are the world's biggest problems. Without ignorance, there would be no hate, no greed, no envy, no crime. The list is endless. People's close-mindedness is the product of their ignorance. I can't stand when people have opinions without any supportive information to back them up. I feel sorry for uninformed people, walking around oblivious to everything around them. But I do have to admit, life must be a lot easier being unaware of one's surroundings. Deaf to hunger, poverty, abuse. There are so many things I wish I didn't know. The sad part is, most people are taught to be this way. Their beliefs molded by somebody else. Why can't people just lead their own lives, follow their own hearts, come up with their own views based on their own experience rather than believing everything they're told? There's absolutely no basis to their conceptions of the world. Please, just be yourself!

Word Count: 172

This I Believe

1. I believe in myself.
2. I believe I can.
3. I believe I will.
4. I believe Hillary Clinton should be elected president in 2016.
5. I believe in being yourself.
6. I believe that ignorance and close-mindedness are the world's biggest problems.
7. I believe in world peace.
8. I believe cats and dogs can actually get along.
9. I believe laughter can treat all ailments.
10. I believe I'm hungry.
11. I believe I hear something.
12. I believe I'm running out of ideas.
13. I believe everybody deserves a second chance.
14. I believe hardly anything on the internet.
15. I believe music was a lot better 20 years ago.
16. I believe the coffee is kicking in.
17. I believe I better get all my homework done if I want to go to the lake tomorrow.
18. I believe my time is up.

Typology & Writing

          The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator has proven to be quite interesting to me. My 'type' (ENTJ), for the most part, is spot on. For example, in the overview, it states that ENTJs tend to be "organized, decisive, direct, innovative, and driven to succeed." We "enjoy interacting with others", are "energetic and confident", are "inclined to see the big picture", and value honesty. ENTJs are typically "hardworking, embrace a challenge, and have high standards." It goes on to say that we generally "feel emotionally connected to people or ideas, but will usually suppress or hide these feelings" and "may create the perception that [we] are distant and hardhearted..."

      Although there are many similarities between my Type Indicator results and my actually characteristics, there are a few differences as well. The overview states, "ENTJs may be distant and unfriendly...want to feel in control....and neglect to consider the needs of the people [we] are organizing." We "base our decisions on logic and rarely consider... the potential impact on others... [and] may struggle with judging others or being critical." I'm actually very considerate of people's feelings and respect their input and opinions. I also don't prefer to be in control. I would much rather work as a team to come up with a plan to benefit everyone equally. Distant and unfriendly? Not quite. I'm very outspoken and love interacting with others. I enjoy debating different topics and listening to others' beliefs and perspectives.

          I found this project very entertaining and informative. It was exciting to read what a computer-generated test had to say about my personality and was astonished to find how close it was to the truth. I would love to do more activities such as this. I learned a lot about myself. It was definitely an eye-opening experience.