response to C.L. George's global warming blog Unit 3

Mr. George makes very valid and in my opinion accurate observations about both of these global warming articles.

No matter what either of these articles say, it doesn't really have any fact based information. All of this information is opinion, speculation and conspiracy theory.

The truth is there is really no way of knowing what will happen and why it will happen. We have such a small snapshot of information available to us, we really don't know the long term effects of anything.

Hopefully someone will publish an article using facts, science and experiment results and not political agenda.

My thoughts on a political cartoon

Mike Lester of the Rome News-Tribune in Rome, GA displays a cartoon with a policeman, presumably a captain or some ranking in charge, giving a speech to his officers. It is in a type of briefing situation, where the officers are given their assignments or information that is pertinant to their jobs.

In the first part, it shows the man in charge telling the other officers to "Be careful out there." That is something that you would expect, as the officers put their lives in danger every minute they are out on the job.

In the second part, the same man is speaking to the other officers but this time instead of an American flag in the background, there is a Mexico flag. One of the officers in the audience with a spanish phrase book. Instead of telling the officers to be careful, he is telling the officers to "Be politically correct out there." This is an observation on both the excessive emphasis being put on everything being politically correct. In this day and age, everyone seems to be sensitive about something and is getting offended by someone else that may or may not have intended to offend.

The second observation in this cartoon is how it is an expectation that Americans are having to make allowances for those from Mexico. We have to learn spanish and be observant of their culture and needs, but it seems that they are not forced to learn our language even though they are in America. This is a hot topic for many in the current state of affairs.

response to Hunter's blog: Politcal Cartoon Analysis

I am one of the millions of people that are on facebook many times a day. It started out as a casual way to reconnect with people that I had either lost track of or those that lived far away. It was a way to catch up with those that I do not regularly get to see, show them what is going on in my life and share memories and photos. It now has turned into a way to stay updated with EVERYONE! People that I work with every day are now communicating with me on facebook. It is quite ridiculous, actually, since I see these people 5 days a week and have the opportunity to talk often.

Now facebook has gone further by having things such as games--or applications--to pass the time. There are virtual farms, restaurants, villages, theme parks, zoos, etc. It has become an epidemic that people have to get on facebook on a deadline because crops have to be harvested, food has to be served or animals must be tended to. Wow, what happened to reality? If you want to be a farmer, plant something!

Hunter's blog about this cartoon depicting the "face" of facebook differing from what is really on facebook was both intriguing and thought provoking. It makes me think about how I live my life and how much time and energy do I waste on facebook when I can be living my life in reality.

I appreciate this insight and may considering closing up my facebook cafe, selling my facebook farm and setting free all of my facebook zoo animals to be returned to the wild.

Global Warming

Upon reading both articles, No Global Warming by Richard Lindzen and State of the Science: Beyond the Worse Case Climate Change Scenario by David Biello, I was both interested and alarmed. Being a person in my early 30's, I have heard the phrase "global warming" for as long as I can remember. I have always heard "Don't use hairspray in aerosol cans!" but was never really sure if what I did mattered. As the topic became hot because of Al Gore's "An Inconvienient Truth", I thought, oh crap! This is happening! What the hell should I do?

After reading Richard Lindzen's article, I feel more prepared for the situation. Maybe because it is a less alarmist article. He points out very interesting facts, such as the earth's climate is dynamic. It is always changing and changes are cylical. When he comments about those that are "exploiting fear" made a lot of sense to me. That is what I feel like society is doing to me. I feel like it has been pounded into my head that if I don't take care of the planet, it will cease to exist one day. And now that weather patterns have changed, it is an opportunity for society to say "I told ya so!"

I also didn't realize that much of Al Gore's movie is NOT based on scientific fact! Wow, maybe I should make a movie and just say what I think! Another thing I didn't know is that mosquitos do not need tropical climates to survive.

Overall, I felt that Lindzen's article was much more informative.

Water concerns in Norman

After reading Asia Scudder's article, "Beyond the Tap: Could we run out of water" I am still unconvinced that there is an actual problem.

First, I do not live in Norman, so I am not affected by the issue--or non-issue--directly. With that being said, I would think a significant overuse of water in the area would be a serious problem. So this leads me to ask questions. First, why have I not heard anything about a possible drought in Norman? If the consumption of water is as significant as Asia Scudder claims, why is the city of Norman not doing anything about it?

I think I really need more data on the situation to understand fully the extent of the problem. I don't feel that Asia did a sufficient job convincing me. There was a lack of appeal of any kind to make me care about the issue.

Response to Jennifer Lynn Logan's Running out of tap water blog

Jennifer raises some very good suggestions in response to reading the article about Norman running out of tap water. Yes, Norman used 1.5 million gallons more water than usual, but with the growing population isn't that normal? We can not expect the usage to remain static when there are more and more people moving to the Norman area, causing a drain on the existing resources!

They should reexamine their city budget and do what is necessary to get bring more water in or get the filtration system that would clean the water. Like Jennifer pointed out, if you make and enforce laws about water usage, then more people would become aware, and those that feel that they are above the rules--and you know you will have some that do--can be fined 2000 dollars, which can be put into a fund earmarked for this expensive filtration system.

I think if this was such a problem, the city would find a way to rectify it.

LSTD 1243 Unit 2 Reflection on writing about globalization

When I chose to write about globalization, I was not really positive what it was about. I had a vague idea--I knew it involved countries being involved together--but I was not aware the extent of effect it had.

I had problems because there was so much information I had a difficult time organizing my information. I would read and read and still get confused.

I am not an activist kind of person, I am usually pretty middle of the road. People say that is a cop out because I don't want to take a stand on things and for the most part they are correct. I don't see globalization as an issue that is going to motivate me to take action, but I definitely see both sides of the argument.

I am not for or against globalization as a whole. I don't think anyone really can be. It branches into so many different issue that it is a little chaotic. Some issues, such as women's rights, are a little more concerning to me than something that is strictly a political or corporate power play. I do feel that as manufacturing is outsourced to developing countries, it brings with it the exposure that is beneficial to serious issues such as disease, lack of medicines or clean drinking water. I think human nature tells us this is the right thing to do. However, when you visit towns that used to be supported be a factory that has been closed due to outsources and you see how many Americans that are suffering from poverty, it makes me wish someone could find the fine line of helping them and helping us.

Alfie Kohn's essay "Five Reasons to Stop Saying 'Good Job'"

This essay was a very interesting read. Since I have no children of my own--at least none that are human--I always find child rearing techniques to be completely foreign to me. While reading Alfie Kohn's essay I tried to imagine my personality and tried to come up with an idea of what would I do in this situation. My answer is simply, "I have no clue what I would do!" Good thing I don't have children to damage.

I would have never considered that saying "Good Job!" on a regular basis would have any ill effects on a child. I actually thought the opposite. I was under the impression that the more positive reinforcement you gave your child, the better. I mean, it's the kids that never got praised that turn into serial killers, right? Well maybe that is a little over simplifying things. I am sure there are children that never get praised and grow up in a toxic environment that turn out to be perfectly good adults. I am also sure that there is a sweet old lady somewhere who raised a boy in a loving environment that turned into a less than upstanding man. So with those perceptions, I guess it is possible that dishing out constant praise could cause problems in the emotional development of a child.

Kohn's point that constant praise can cause children to become praise junkies was such an eye opener for me. I have many small children in my family and it makes total sense that if they are overly praised for EVERY THING THEY DO it would prompt them to become addicted to the praise and being unable to function without it. This article convinces me on the point that without this constant praise, the child may grow up to be a mediocre adult and unable to function without constant praise. "Oh honey, what a GOOD JOB putting the toilet seat down after you pee" or "Good Job feeding the baby when she was hungry" are not things you should really have to say to your husband. I can see how if a man had been showered with constant praise as a child could grow up to be without the drive to do things just because they are the correct thing to do. Not just men. Women can also fall prey to this syndrome. Telling a little girl that she is pretty over and over could go beyond giving her confidence and create a conceited monster who has no sense of reality.

This essay was presented in Parents Magazine. That is a perfect place to present these views presenting a perfect kairos appeal. The author, Alfie Kohn is not only a writer, he is also an educator. Since he is in a position to see children every day and is able to observe the way that act, interact and respond to various stimuli as well as the absence of stimuli. These credentials make an effective ethos appeal. The manner in which this article presents the five reasons why to stop saying "Good Job" and the reasons supporting each reason make an impressive logos appeal.

Of course there are two sides to every story. No one knows for sure if saying "good job" excessively really harms a child. It can be argued that lack of recognition for accomplishments would negatively affect a child's sense of development.

Response to LaDonna's unit one experience

LaDonna I too had trouble finding scholarly articles. I actually had a hard time settling on a topic to begin with. I decided to go with a political/social issue. Once I decided to do that, I waffled (is that an actual word or something I made up?) back and forth on what to write about. I think in general I am not moved by much. I know there is a word for that, but I can't think of it now. The opposite of empathetic. Umm, well I am sure I will come up with it at some point. Anyway, I digress.

LaDonna's information about emissions and the IPCC were very interesting. I have always just taken assumed that man made emissions were the prime factor in the increase of global warming. I remember in the 90's while in Junior high we were all told to not use aerosol hairspray. I know that is lame, but at the time that was the worst thing you could have told me! Sad, I know. But to tell a 13 year old she can't use aerosol hairspray was the same as telling me I was going to have to sew my own clothes out of potato sacks! So I just assumed that all of the harmful man-made emissions were what was causing all global warming.

It is incredibly interesting to me that these findings are NOT based on scientific fact! Wow. Maybe I should question more and believe less. I think LaDonna's blog will lead me to do more research on the topic.

response to writing rhetorical analysis

I can honestly say that this has been the hardest assignment of my entire college career. Not that my time in college has been significant. Nevertheless, this is a doozy. Maybe I am over thinking it. Maybe I just don't get it. I am not entirely sure I did it correctly. But it's done and I am sure the very kind Julie will let me know if I did it correctly or not. This assignment actually had (has?) me considering dropping the class and dropping out of college alltogether.

First off, what in the heck is a rhetorical analysis? Yes I read the chapters. I did extensive research online and asked all of my friends. Some friends looked at me like I was on drugs, not knowing what the heck I was talking about. But some did their best to explain it to me. "It's a non-judgmental analysis of a story or article." What? Who am I to judge anything?? Oh right, a college student.

I have read the chapters so many times that I know it better than I know my wedding vows. Okay, that is not a fair comparision, because I have no idea what I said on my wedding day.....to anyone. But you get the picture, I read it. A lot.

So ok, let's find some articles about something political or socially controversial. All the things I have read say to choose something you care deeply about. Oh crap. That is a problem. Because I don't care about anything. That may be a little of an exaggeration, I care about things. But I don't care deeply enough to stand out on the street corner yelling about it, so how can I pick something to analyze if it needs to be something I care about.

Then it came to me while laying in bed. Literally. My pug Siu Mai came over to me and laid her precious face on my cheek and fell asleep. I love pugs. I especially love my pugs. Siu Mai the pug was rescued from a puppy mill auction and it gives my physical pain to think of all of the pain and suffering that she had to endure before being rescued by someone that I feel is equivilent to her guardian angel. And that is how I found my topic and identified what I care enough about to try to do something to stop it.

Unit one

In writing my rhetorical analysis, I chose an issue that is currently getting lots of press. Puppy Mills. It astounds me that there are still people out there that don't bother to think about where that cute little puppy in the window of the pet store came from. Oh sure, the pet store employee assures their customers that all of these puppies come from responsible breeders that do it for the love of the breed. Um, NOT! Seriously, no responsible breeder would EVER sell their puppies to a pet store.

So let's see....who are the culprits in this nasty industry.

First off, the people who run puppy mills. Oklahoma is number 2 in the number of puppy mills within it's borders. Wow, #2. The "honor" of first place is Missouri. A puppy mill is an absolute horrible place. Not just a little dirty, or a little drafty. Animals are kept in small wire cages, often stacked on top of each other, and never taken out. They eat, poop and live in these tiny cages. I personally have seen the effect of this cage stacking. One smooth fox terrier puppy that was rescued from a puppy mill is missing toes because his paw was stuck in the wire and the dog below him chewed off his toes. Don't believe me? It happened. It happens all the time. The dogs are given no medical treatment, are hardly fed or watered, are given no exercise and their only contact with people is when they breed. The females are bred every single opportunity. In my opinion, (and that is the only one that really counts on a blog, right?) these people are scum and deserve physical punishment for this crime against nature.

Second, the pet stores. Stupid pet stores. Enough said.

Third, and sadly the driving force behind the other two are the people that walk into a pet store and walk out with a dog they bought for little Susie's birthday. I am not talking about adoption fairs. I am talking about the pet stores that keep the dogs in little cages with windows day after day waiting for someone to pay big bucks to take them home. I am sure the consumers are not active participants in this horrific crime, but still responsible for the mistreatment of man's best friend.

Review of Scribbling in Ink's anti-blog blog

I greatly enjoyed this post about the potential downfalls of being an active participant in the blogging age. I have many of the same apprehensions as the author, so I fell as if I can relate completely to these thoughts.

I had never thought of peer pressure being a potential hazard, but after reading this I can see how that would be a factor. It seems that all of this authors blogs have been well thought out and written fairly well.

Since we are in different points in our lives, I probably would not be able to relate to the same things on the same levels but I still respect her points of view. I appreciate a look into her thoughts and points of view.

A blog that I love

Thepioneerwoman.com

I have discovered what apparently thousands of others have known for quite a while. The Pioneer Woman in my hero. I love her blog!

One of the things that lured me to her cooking blog is the beautiful pictures of every step! How smart is this?? I love it. LOVE. Everything about her website is user friendly and organized beautifully. Want to know about photography? CLICK! Need a recipe for your husband's birthday? CLICK! Want to know how the Pioneer woman met her husband? CLICK.....Are you beginning to get the idea??

Since the Pioneer woman is a photographer all of her pictures are brilliant. Her layout definitely wow'd me the first time I was sent a link to this amazing site.

Her recipes are real food that a real family would eat. Well at least my family would eat. I do have one very important warning.....If you read her cooking blog, you WILL become extremely hungry! Not a little hungry. Ravenous!

After reading her funny, yet spot on, commentary I feel like the Pioneer woman is a trusted friend instead of a complete stranger.

My experience blogging

When this class first began, I was not thrilled about the blogging requirement. It was a rare occurrence for me to even read a blog, and that was only when someone forwarded me a link with specific instructions about what to read.

I am in my EARLY 30's, so technology should be more interesting to me. I do the basics-- email, basic research, catching up on the news, etc-- on the internet, but never really considered looking at blogs. I guess I just assumed that it would bore me. Why would I want to waste my valuable time reading what some random nobody has to say about stuff I probably don't even care about.

Well I am only going to say this once so pay attention. I WAS WRONG! I have extremely enjoyed the blogging piece of our assignments. Do I write the most interesting blog posts? No. Do I have fun writing them? YES!

I still feel like blogs make it too easy for people to get up on their soap boxes to rant and rave about stuff I consider boring, but blogging really is the epitome of free speech. Blogging allows everyone to have an equal say. I definitely plan on keeping up with this blog, or at least one like it. I am in interdisciplinary comp II next 8 weeks, so it will be required for me to blog, but even beyond that I think I will have a blog to post my various thoughts and ideas.

One downside to blog is learning to censor yourself. That is hard, at least for me. I normally practice a great deal of restraint because of my family, my job, various professional organizations, etc. Since it is so easy to say what you really think or feel in blog form, I can see the possibility of revealing too much information could become an issue.

All in all, blogging has become an enjoyable way to get my thoughts out there AND get my assignments done in an enjoyable way.

Response to Jessica

I really enjoyed reading Jessica's blog responding to the Ethos, Pathos and Logos assignment. While I love the spirit of the Olympics, I don't really have time to follow what happens. I usually just wait for the important stuff to be posted on one of the many new sites I frequent.

Jessica's post, though, definitely piqued my interest. After writing this post, I plan on doing more research on the topic of Pleshenko and his comments.

I thought Jessica's evaluation was spot on. While not an Olympic expert, she seems to have really evaluated the article based upon the criteria given and gives a clear and concise explanation.

Ohno disqualified?!

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/35612301/ns/sports-olympic_sports/

Now, I am embarrassed that I do not follow the Olympics like a good, red blooded American is supposed to. Even with this handicap, I have been able to identify a few of the "shining stars" on the US Team. Again embarrassed, I only know who Apolo Anton-Ohno is because of his time on Dancing with the Stars. I said I was embarrassed, so stop judging.

Since his is a name I was familiar with, he is someone that I feel safe rooting for during the madness that is the Olympic Games. Tonight I watched some of Ohno's race, but guess I missed the wipe out. From reading this article, whether or not the author intended to appeal to Pathos in this article, I find myself affected emotionally by the news. Even though I am not a sports genius, the Olympics inspire national pride in even some of the less patriotic. It is in the human nature to want your team to win. As the grand dame of all sporting competitions, Olympic wins are a huge accomplishment for the nation that brings home the most wins.

It is appealing to the Lagos that as a fact, more medal wins equals a better team. A better team equals a more skilled competitor or team. The best team has the most bragging rights.

Since this article was obtained from a trusted news source, it is fair to assume that the author is well versed in the sport and in the manner in which the offense is laid out seems to be that of an authority.

Nationalism in general seems to lean toward appealing to pathos, there are factors that appeal to ethos and lagos, depending on the situation you are in. It seems, thought, that most patriotism is from an emotional place. Someone insulting your country would have the same effect to some as insulting their mother. Those that defend it to the death, while knowing logically that if they don't defend no one will, mostly do it because of their emotional motivation. National pride with me is evident to all that are around me because I cry every time I hear our national anthem.

Do I think Ohno should have been disqualified? I have no idea since I really have no grasp of the rules of speed skating. As an American, I want the US to have as many victories as we can.

My response to writing my community profile essay

Since I am the kind of person who loves to explore new places, I was loving the assignment to write about a place I had recently visited. Sadly, with all of the demands of life, I don't get to travel much. When I do, however, I feel like I am cheating myself if I do not take advantage of the opportunity to see EVERYTHING! Of course, every time a trip comes to an end, I feel let down that I didn't get to see every nook and cranny of the place I am visiting.

This assignment gave me the opportunity to re-live my trip to New Orleans. In addition to the the strong feelings I have about making the trip, I also feel especially close to New Orleans because it was my honeymoon when I was there. Being in such a special place for such a special reason was amazing.

Of course, with all of the wonderful experiences I had during the short trip there (I wish I could have stayed for 2 weeks!), the less than happy realizations come flooding back. This city is still in a recovery from one of the most brutal events of my lifetime. So many lives were lost, possessions destroyed and lives changed forever. Not only changed by the devastating natural disaster but the way this impossible situation was handled by the government. While this is not something you could ever be prepared for, more should have been done and what was done could have been done so much better.

As with all things, the good comes with the bad. Since my trip was made after Hurricane Katrina, it has a happier connotation because the city is on the mend and working toward being back to its former glory.

One last note, thanks to this assignment, I am already planning another trip to New Orleans.

Responding to Courtney's post

Courtney brings up some very good points in his blog about the police officer in Dallas, Texas who was arrested.

Why was the cop carrying a weapon? I know as a sworn peace officer, he was allowed to carry a weapon. But I would think that the bar should have rules against weapons inside their premises. Maybe they do and the officer just did not think that the rule applied to him. That seems to be a common idea with some officers. Now, I don't want to lump all law enforcement officers into the same group. I know plenty of city police officers, sheriff's deputies and highway patrol that are stand-up good guys and gals. I feel safe knowing that they are patrolling the streets keeping crime at bay. But there are always the exceptions. The few bullies that think their badge makes them invincible. This group of historically men, however I am sure there are women officers that abuse their position, who think that their position gives them an all access pass to get away with whatever they want.

This is unfortunate for many reasons. First, the officer's family is probably going to find themselves in a bad financial positions. With the loss of income, compounded with the probable difficulties he will face finding another position in this economy and with such a mark on his record, will come financial problems and most likely depression and a strain on the family unit. Not to mention the loss of a pension that I am sure they were counting of for retirement. Second, the impact on the community will likely cause negative feelings and distrust of the police department causing more crimes to go unsolved and more criminals out on the street.

Hopefully this officer will get some sort of anger management and alcohol abuse counseling that may be able to save his job and the department will be able to restore relations with the community it serves.

In the news today.....

Gene Kirkpatrick is out on a $1 Million dollar bond. He is the man accused of being the mastermind in the murder of his son-in-law.

This headline is everywhere today, it has been on every local news stations, printed in the local papers and on so many different websites I could not begin to count. A lot of people have a lot of things to say about the matter....none of which is probably as a result of being fully informed.

I am not here to talk about whether this is right or wrong. You have your opinion and I have mine. In case you are curious, mine is that Gene Kirkpatrick is a good man who is not a flight risk and is the kind of person that will stand up and accept his punishment for anything that he did that was wrong or illegal. Being a Christian, he will face his God to account for what was done and being an American he will stand before a judge and jury who will consider all of the evidence and give him a fair punishment if a crime was committed. I am not a legal expert. I only know what I pick up from the "loosely based on fact" crime shows that I watch from the comfort of my sofa. What I do know is Gene Kirkpatrick. I have faith that what needs to be done will be done. He is my friend. Not was. Is.

My point, however, is not to argue any of these points with anyone. I respect everyone's right to make their own informed opinion. The problem seems to be that can any of us ever be really fully informed? The media saturates our worlds with bits and pieces of a story only to abandon it as a newer, hotter story comes in. Online media has both pros and cons. As a pro you can get information on demand. If I wanted to know the most recent things that were said, I can simply go to my favorite web browser and search anything that fits my criteria. A con is that anyone can post anything on the web, causing the masses to go largely misinformed, which is more dangerous in my opinion than being uninformed.

Journalism was once thought of as something that was well trusted. When you turned on the 6 o'clock news, what you heard was assumed to be well researched and the absolute truth as they knew it. Now, journalism is hard hitting, always trying to one-up each other competing for your attention with catchy taglines and shocking information. The integrity of information in the quest to grab your attention is merely a casualty along the way.

After reading the sample community profile...

Reading the sample community profile brought back memories for me. About 8 or so years ago, I spent a great deal of time in a town that seems very similar to Edison, Washington. Trevor B. Hall’s description of the Edison Café was so well written that he made me feel like I was an actual observer of the morning crowds that called this quaint place their café. My mental image of Julie, the owner, cook and general crowd pleaser brings to mind the kind of woman who makes everyone feel welcome in her presence, but also one that could keep you in line if need be.

One of the central themes of Mr. Hall’s essay was food. Food consumed as nourishment for the farmers, providing them the much needed fuel for their hard day’s work that lie ahead of the, and as the staple needed to bring groups like the “shakers and rollers” together for conversation, camaraderie and human contact that makes life much better than a solitary existence. This aspect is not exclusive to the Edison Café, but all over the world. In our society, we eat to celebrate, we eat to mourn, and we eat to pass the time. While that is not an ideal situation, that is what most have come to accept as normal, even anticipated.

I close my eyes after reading Mr. Hall’s words and can imagine the beauty of this part of the country. I imagine the taste of the overwhelming but delicious pancakes that Julie serves up to customers that are more like family. Most of all, I feel the warmth that surrounds those that are fortunate enough to have a place to go to every morning where someone welcomes you with a kind word and a smile.

Response to C.L. George's blog

I am normally not a political person. I know that is embarrassing to say. Judge me if you wish. I think I am uncomfortable with all the opposing views and the debating. I don't really even keep up with what is going on with the war. I have a few friends that are in the military, a couple of which are currently deployed, so I do try to keep tabs on how they are doing. Other than that, I am pretty ignorant to the current state of affairs.

The shooting at Ft. Hood, however, was so close to home that I kept up with the news reports surrounding the tragedy. Mr. George's comments on the topic were very interesting. I believe, like Mr. George does, that there must be personal responsibility taken when something of this caliber happens. I think one of the problems with America today is we are always looking for someone else to blame.

I appreciate what Mr. George and all of the other men and women who are currently serving in our armed forces. I hope that the government starts to "practice what they preach" and quit looking for someone to blame.

Fictive memoir

I have always wanted to visit New York City. My dream came true in December when I won a trip from an internet essay contest. Having never traveled to a big city like this, I bought lots of travel guides and did extensive research on the "must see" spots of the city. I read tips on how to protect myself from muggers, panhandlers and rapists and purchased a special travel purse that stayed close to your body making it more difficult for a purse snatcher to snatch my purse.

I boarded my flight with butterflies in my stomach ready for an adventure of a lifetime. As soon as I checked into my hotel, within walking distance to so many places that I wanted to visit, I dropped off my bags and set out to see the sights. To my surprise, no one tried to mug me or scam me out of a dollar. It was an exciting experience being immersed in a place that was so different to what I was used to. Before the days end, I knew I wanted to see Central Park. Boy was I surprised when a waitress who saw me checking out my guidebooks told me of a rabies outbreak in Central Park.

At first I thought she was pulling my leg, trying to trick the tourist. But as she told me that there were infected raccoons in the park causing an outbreak I knew immediately that I better listen. I took her advice to be on the lookout for any raccoon that may show itself to me during the day. She explained that since raccoons were nocturnal creatures, usually only sick raccoons made themselves visible to people during the day.

I made it through my trip unscathed. I saw the sights and experienced the city as much as I could on a 3 day trip. I went to Central Park every day of the trip, never seeing a rabid, or any other type for that matter, raccoon. I saw many other things that surprised me, but nothing rabid.

When I returned home, I did research on the problem of this outbreak. It seems that the start of the outbreak is unclear, but the problem is being taken very seriously. I am so grateful to not have had a run in with one of these infected creatures.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/01/29/central.park.rabies/index.html?hpt=Sbin

The experience of writing a memoir

Writing a memoir seems like something only those that are important would do. Successful executive describing what it takes to succeed, a Hollywood actress telling secrets of her past, or even a mother who raised 5 children on her own are the usual suspects for writing down their memoirs. I never considered being one of those people. I was apprehensive about an assignment that asked me to commit a memory to paper. Being a private person who has plenty of skeletons that I would like to keep hidden, I worried as I sat down to begin the assignment. After plenty of reflection, I started with a simple memory that did not divulge too much personal information, but one that has stuck with me.
Of course, the memory that I wrote about was not the first choice for a topic. It seemed dull and without life. As I began, though, it really took me back to a different time in my life. It is strange to think back to a time when I was a very different person. Younger and more idealistic, I remember at the time thinking that I had it made. Life was simple and I was on top of the world. The event that I wrote about was the beginning of me seeing how other people’s views and reactions were so different than mine and that people were living such a different life than me.
Writing down memories seems to be therapeutic. I may continue to do this outside of my assignments to help me remember who I was and how I became who I am today. I am sure that this will not be without a rainbow of emotions. Sadness, happiness and even astonishment will be just the tip of the iceberg as I recall the events that shaped my life and brought me to where I am today, a 32 year old college freshman in the second year of marriage.

More later,

KTW

Introductions.

Hi all. My name is Kara and I am new to the "blogosphere." I am starting this blog as a class assignment, but anticipate that I will like it so much that I will continue as long as anyone wants to hear what I have to say. I have been married a little over 1 year and still consider myself a newlywed! My husband, Patrick, is great. We have two cats and two pugs. All of our animals are rescued and am passionate about animal rescues. I am obsessed with my pugs. Many find it hard to understand, but when I look into their eyes and see how much they just want to be loved I melt. Maybe they just want food, but I like to believe they are looking at me with love in their eyes!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you stop in again soon.

More exciting posts to come!

KTW