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Dear future ENGL 110 students,

Congrats on making it into OHIO STATE! I hope you’re enjoying yourself so far and are learning a lot.  If you’re in this class, it must be because you are required to take it, the same was true for me.  I originally thought this class was going to be the most pointless class I’ll ever take and I assumed it was going to be just like high school English.  I was wrong on both accounts: I learned so much form this class and it was entirely nothing like high school English.  I learned how to write and organize my thoughts in an intelligent way and I also learned to express how I’m feeling without straight out saying “I think…” This class taught me how to write and how to revise my own writing, which is incredibly important to writing well written papers.  My suggestion to you in taking this class is to stay on top of your blogs.  It’s really difficult to remember, but if you wrote a lot of blogs in a row, or wrote them early in the day, you’d be more likely to write the blogs on time.  Also visiting the writing center is a great way to get other people to read your writing and to have another person’s opinion about how on track you are with your writing.  Overall, I encourage you to explore in college and write creatively.  Have fun and enjoy life!

Sincerely,

Current ENGL 110 student

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69

so we’re almost done! School is almost over and it makes me sad.  This school year went by so fast and I’m desperately trying to hold on to it.  I loved my first year of college and I’m afraid that next year won’t be as awesome.  I met so many people and made so many new friends.  I learned so much, I learned to think for myself, I learned how to take care of myself, I learned how to be responsible and I learned more than I can even express in words.  I wouldn’t trade my first year of college with anything because I feel like this is the best thing anyone could ever experience in the world.  Ohio state is the best school in the country and I’m proud to be a buckeye.  I came here a sheltered freshman knowing nothing about Ohio state, Columbus, or surviving in a city by myself.  I learned not to talk to strangers, I learned to walk in groups at night, I learned that a little money goes a long way if you spend it wisely.  And I also learned that laundry is very expensive.  But most of all, I learned that there are so many amazing people in the world if I were to only open up and talk to them and let them inside.  I feel like OSU is a great place to start college and I would recommend that if you’re between OSu and another school, chose OSU because you won’t regret it 

blog 68

68

we’re supposed to blog about anything….well I’ll talk about how weird the people who live in Columbus are.  I drove the cota but (like I always do) to the greyhound station.  My boyfriend visited this weekend from ou and there is a bus that runs there fro really cheap.  Well there are just really strange people in Columbus.  I saw so many drunk people on a Sunday! I also saw a drug deal…. I feel like such a sheltered person haha.  But I think the funniest part was my boyfriend’s expression when he saw all those people.  I think he was really shocked by how some people acted.  He goes to school at Ohio University.  If any of you know anything about OU, the school is located in Athens, Ohio.  The smallest, hick town in Ohio I think.  There are no buses, no homeless people, no crazy religious fanatics, or anything remotely out of the ordinary.  But in Columbus, those things are common and even normal.  So when he visits, I feel like I’m exposing him to too much and sort of taking him out of his element.  He always looks so uncomfortable in Columbus and it amuses me because it’s normal for me and I’m completely used to it.  I know Columbus can be a little overwhelming at times, but I love it and I love it’s craziness.  It’s an alive city and always has something going on.  I’m gonna miss this city this summer.

blog 67

Blog 67

I am blogging about how excited I am for summer break! It’s all I can think about and I’m so ready to be free from stress! Also summer is an exciting time for me because it is both my boyfriend’s birthday, my birthday, our anniversary and harry potter  7 part II is coming out! :D plus my parents are going on vacation for a whole week this summer and I’m so excited to have the house to myself and not have any rules! Ummm I’m kinda out of things to talk about.  So I guess I can talk about how I’ve done two all-nighters this week and my body is taking a long time to recover.  I always used to be able to do all-nighters no problem, but in college I have to do all-nighters quite regularly and I think my body is starting to take notice.  I’m just exhausted and my body feels sluggish the next day after the all-nighter.  I also feel weak and my limbs feel so heavy, so things like eating and carrying any type of object are just more difficult so me.  I think that this summer I’m going to take care of myself by getting enough sleep every night and drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated.  I think I might also be dehydrated because my dorm room is so hot! I live on the 11^th floor and it’s a sauna! Sleeping, studying, and sitting cause me to break out in a sweat…you get the picture.  The sooner summer is here, the sooner I can get back to being happy, healthy and comfortable!

blog 66

I’m supposed to write about anything I want today, so I’d like to talk about how excited I am for summer to begin! It’s already June their…meaning I only have 6 more days until I’m out of this hot, muggy no AC dorm and am back at home with my cat and my dog, all my friends and my family! I’m so happy to have experienced freshman year at college, but I miss home and really need a break.  Leaving is kind of bitter sweet to me because I love the people on my floor so much.  We all get along, we all hang out together and we all love to drink and go out together.  From what I’ve heard from other people at OSU, most dorm floors are really clichey and hardly get along (for the most part).  But park 11 (which is where I live) is so much not like that at all.  People on our floor leave their doors open and love when people walk in.  I feel the freedom to just walk into anyone’s room and start a conversation with them and I love that so much.  I think the first few weeks back at home are going to be quite a shock when I don’t have people around me at all times.  In a way, I feel safer that I have people living on all sides of me.  I feel like my freshman year at OSU couldn’t possibly have been better and I’m excited for next year to come! But I really hope that next year is just as good because I had the time of my life my freshman year at OSU! GO BUCKS!

blog 64

Blog 64

We’re supposed to blog about anything.  Well…I can talk about how I am the WORST procrastinator ever.  I literally had all quarter to write a 7-10 page paper and I of course waited til the night before to work on it.  I mean, I’ve been thinking a lot about it and doing the research, but it seems like that didn’t help at all.  I feel like any preliminary research I ever do is mute because my paper inevitably takes its own course and I can’t really anticipate where it’s going to go.  So mostly, I just do the research as I write the paper.  I’m sure every professor is cringing at that, but it’s true.  I’m not saying I just start right off the bat not knowing anything, I know the main history points about what I’m writing about, but I tried to look up quotes before I started writing and those quptes are pretty much useless at this point unless I’d like to write a whole paragraph just to explain one quote.  So here I am, cramming the day before a paper is due to turn this in.  I feel like this is almost inevitable at this point.  I just can’t get myself to do anything unless it’s absolutely necessary.  I really need to reevaluate my life, or else I’m gonna be trying to get by on just the bare minimum.  I feel like that describes a slacker and that’s the opposite of what I want to be labeled as.  Ok well, I have to get back to my paper.  Have a good day everyone!

blog 63

Blog 63. 

So we’re supposed to blog about anything…very broad topic and I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to talk about.  Maybe I should talk about what is annoying me at the moment.  I recently have been let down by the same person two times now and I guess my point is that I wish that I could depend on people.  I mean, if you say you’re going to do something, just do it.  I think that if you never intended to do it in the first place, then people shouldn’t open their mouths.  It’s as simple as that.  Also, I feel that some people need to understand that their words affect more than just them.  If you say one thing and don’t do it, then it has a whole ripple affect on everyone and that sometimes, the affects is a negative one.  Ok, now that that is off my chest, I’ll say that I visited my boyfriend because I had no school tomorrow (than you Leslie!) and I just found out two out of his three classes were cancelled so now that means he can spend most of the day with him! Yay! I love spending time with him, I could honestly say that I never get sick of him or his company.  I am completely out of things that I’d like to talk about and I’m just filling hti s with empty words with no meaning.  I hope you all had a great memorial day weekend with your families, I know I did! 

blog 62

blog 62

Something that really scares me is the unknown.  I’m scared of the future and the reason is because I’m afraid that my life won’t turn out how I want it to turn out.  I’m afraid that everything that I’ve looked forward to in my life will come to no fruition and that everything I’ve wanted is never going to happen.  To be honest (and probably rude) I’m afraid that I’m going to end up living in a trailer with my 13 children who will most likely not graduate high school.  I’m just afraid of being broke when I grow up and not being able to support my family.  I know money isn’t very important, but you have to agree that it’s somewhat important.  I’m afraid that I will end up worthless and that no one will have respect for me when I’m older.  You know the people I’m talking about, the people who look like they are so unintelligent and that they live I a trailer, I’m really afraid that I’m going to become one of these people.  The mom’s who have to stretch the paycheck to make ends meet, who are so frustrated with life, living in a middle class home and generally not happy.  Mostly, I’m afraid that in the future, I’m going to become the embodiment of everything I don’t want to become.   This is why the unknown scares me so much because the future is so up in the air and everything is practically played by ear and that it is everything I hate to  do.  I like a clear, concise plan and quite frankly, I just can’t have one of those. 

blog 61

Blog 61

OK, I admit it, I missed the blog yesterday because I was just too excited about coming home to remember.  But that topic of this blog is to blog about something that concerns me I this world.  What concerns me most would have to be world hunger.  I just can’t understand how so many people take for granted the fact that they have food, and even waste their food when others are starving and dying of hunger.  A girl who live down the hall from me will throw away the best of foods only because she is a really picky eater.  For example, when we went to dinner for a friend’s birthday, she threw away all of her entrée because “it had too much cheese on it.”  I was enraged by this because the restaurant can’t do anything but throw it out and she just wasted so much food.  I feel if people were to just clean their plates at night (without overeating and contributing to the increasing trend of obesity) that not only will more food go to others in this world, but also maybe even the landfills will fill up less quickly and we might be able to conserve energy too because less food would need to be grown, transported, cooked, etc.  I just feel like people should be more appreciative of what they have instead of being little primadonnas about everything and realize they are lucky just to have food.  

blog 59

The biggest mistake I ever made was…oh this is kinda difficult.  Hmmmmmm I’m I history and really bored because he just talks and talks and talks and never stops! I think the biggest mistake I ever made was that I quit softball in the middle of my senior year because my high school coach told me I had no chance of making the team.  Now, I know what you’re thinking “she probably wasn’t that good.” But I played competitive softball team on the travel team Phoenix and also the Ohio Classics.  Both teams I was on went to nationals every summer and my Phoenix team won nationals in 2008 at the Pony nationals.  So, I’m not sure, but I’m pretty sure I was pretty talented on the field.  I also started as catcher my freshman year on the varsity team (the year we made it to districts).  So I’d have to say I wasn’t horrible.  But my sophomore year, the old coach retired and a young, bitchy coach (Jeanette)  began coaching and she had her favorites who she had coached on her own travel team.  So basically, she hated me because I didn’t play for her own travel team my whole life and she had already made up her own team before try-outs even began.  The reason why I finally quit was because at try-outs, she pulled me aside and said “don’t even bother trying out, because you won’t make it.” So why would I waste anymore of my time? I quit and regret that decision everyday.  I know I could start again if I wanted, but I just have no time.  School literally takes up all of my time and it’s more important to me.  Although school is important, it doesn’t stop the whole in my heart that softball used to fill.  I really miss playing, but I just don’t feel like I could go back. Well anyways, that’s my biggest mistake.

blog 56

So I just realized that I mixed up today and yesterday so today I’m going to blog about my favorite place.  My favorite place in the world is Charleston, South Carolina.  My family and I go down there every summer and it’s absolutely gorgeous.  Every summer, my auntie Mar, Uncle Mike, Auntie Jeanne, my mom, my dad, my brother and I go down to Kiawah Island (20 miles away from Charleston) and stay in a vacation condo for a week.  We used to have one more vacationer, my uncle Don, but he passed away last year and his absence is very noticeable.  I went to Kiawah one year after his passing and it was almost unbearable.  Everything I had known before had gone and the vacation seemed kind of empty.  Even though I really love Kiawah Island, I have chosen not to go this year because it literally broke my heart going without my uncle Don.  But the main reason why I love Charleston and South Carolina in general is because everything is natural beauty.  Everything there has been the same for hundreds of years, the families who live there are from the plantations of the 1800s.  There is old money there, people who have more class that I could even imagine.  I love that Charleston isn’t a very hot vacation spot and therefore, it’s not a tourist trap.  I just love the serenity of the city and I miss it everyday.  But I don’t think I could face another week of a half empty house without the laughter of my uncle ringing through the vents.

55

My best friend in the entire world I would have to say is my boyfriend.  I know a lot of people would warn be against saying that, and tell me not to put all my eggs in one basket, but it’s true.  We’ve been dating for a year. Me and him have a completely different relationship, better than I’ve ever experienced.  He understands every little bit about me and he is so sensitive and caring.  When I’m sick, he’ll be whatever it takes to be by my side and help me feel better.  If I’m hurt, he’ll run errands for me so that I have everything I need.  He’s really sensitive to my emotions and needs and I really can’t imagine my life without him.  Since we started dating a year ago, my life ahs improved beyond anything I can compare with.  It is like going from riding the subway to school every day to riding a limosine (in a figurative sense).  Every bit of my life has become richer since I met him and I don’t think I’ll ever be the same.  I feel so comfortable around him, and I know I can be complete goofy self around him and I don’t have to worry about him thinking I’m too weird for him.  Ever since I can remember, people always thought I was really weird if I would show them my weird side, so I hardly let anyone see it, but when I showed him myself, he loved it and embraced it.  I can see me spending the rest of my life with this guy.  And truthfully, I think we’ll make it because we have the friendship to back up or love.

54

Once I caught a shark, once I  dotted the “I” and once I went sky diving.  Which one is true? The truth is, I’ve never been sky diving.  I caught a small sand shark once when I was on vacation in Kiawah south Carolina.  I dotted the “I” m senior homecoming half-time show.  We had such a large marching band that we had enough people to spell Strongsville with everyone.  And that year, I was the captain of our marching band’s tuba section.  So I had the honor of dotting the “I”.  I have never been sky diving, but I have always wanted to.  It seems like one of the greatest things anyone can do for the ultimate rush.  I’m so excited to one day go sky diving, but until that day comes, I’ll just have to look forward to it.  Ok.  So I have nothing really else to talk about.  So I’m gonna talk about how I went to 8 fest at OU and it was such a bad idea.  It was sooooooo muddy and everyone got completely covered in a thick layer of mud.  Also, I got cut really bad on foot and I think it’s infected because there is no Neosporin to be found at all in my boyfriend’s dorm L! I am really surprised that there is nothing to help me clean out my cut and I’m really worried that it’s going to be infected.  If it gets infected, I’m not sure how I’m going to explain this to my parents.

53

My word that I am going to blog about is hate.   I hate that I have to blog everyday for this English class.  None of my other freshman friends had to blog every single day in their class.  I also hate how mean people can be.  I’m at ou this weekend with my boyfriend and his friends don’t like me for some strange reason that I don’t know.  And I hate that they never gave me a chance and disliked me without ever getting to know me.  They think that girlfriends just get in the way and are a pain in the ass, therefore, they think my boyfriend should just break up with me.  I really don’t get it.  Mostly I don’t get it because all of my friends back home at osu never have a problem with me and my boyfriend.  They understand that I care about him so much and that I want to spend as much time with him as possible.  But for some reason, these kids down here in ou don’t understand that.  Another thing I hate is some people are s mean on facebook because they feel really empowered by the fact that they can’t be interrupted.  I just realized lately that some people think that facebook is a good place to have an intelligent argument and then it just turns into a name calling match.  I just really feel like this is really immature.

blog 51

I am supposed to blog about my major.  I am a nursing major at the Ohio State University.  The nursing building is located at Newton hall right off of 10^th ave.  My advisors are Jenny Cisar-Lawrence and Nicole Fette.  I just got accepted to the major on April 17^th.  The reason why I remember the date is because it is the best day of my life to date.  It was the day that everything I did paid off in the end, and I have to say it’s been the happiest day of my life so far.  Nursing school had previously been like a weight on my shoulders since literally the day I moved in.  the first day of college, my RA, who is also a nursing major, told us all about how hard it was to get into nursing school and that we were gonna have to work our asses off in order to get into the college.  So since the very first day, I’ve been so stressed out and when I got the letter, it was like the happiest day of my life.  I was really shocked when I found out because I did not have a 4.0 and I assumed that only those straight A students were gonna be accepted, except I was the first person in my floor to find out and it was the best feeling in the world.  My major is a 3 year program and I’m so excited to immerse myself in nursing school.  I can’t wait to graduate and sign my anem with a RN-BSN after it J

blog 50

If I could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive (excluding Jesus, for obvious reasons) I would want to meet my maternal grandmother.  She passed away when I was three years old from Alzheimer’s.   I have only one memory of her: she was in the nursing home and my mother was brushing her hair.  I also have another different memory of her: it was in a dream and she came to me right after she died and told me that it was going to be ok and that she loved me.  I am almost positive that this really was her coming to talk to the only grandchild she never met.  The reason why I want to meet is because of all the amazing things I hear about her from my mom and her sisters.  My mom learned a lot of what she knows from her including cooking.  I’ve also heard some stories about how she acted and her personality.  I just wish I could have met this awesome person, someone who everyone loves and misses so much.  I wish I could have had a home cooked meal from her and sat down and talked to her.  I wish I could tell her how much I love her and miss her in my life.  I wish I could tell her how my life is going, how I’m going to nursing school and how amazing of a job she did of raising my own mother.  I just know she was an amazing woman through what everyone else said and if I could meet anyone, I’d meet her so that I could know for myself.  I only had one grandma growing up and she’s AMAZING but there will always be that whole in my heart where my other grandma’s love was meant to be.

blog 49

I had a dream……. Yea I know that was cheesy, but I just couldn’t help it.  You’d probably do it too if you had the chance! Well, in all seriousness, I did have a dream. But in order for my dream to make sense, I will have to give you some background information.  Primarily, it’s important for you guys to understand that I have been in a long distance relationship for a little more than 11 months.  His name is Mitchell, he’s 6’4”, has a Mohawk, and plays football (just to give you a visual).  He goes to Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, about 1.5 hours away.  I haven’t seen him for two weeks and I was supposed to go to Ohio University this weekend to visit him and go to 8 Fest with him.  But lately I’ve been thinking I’m not going to go because this is the last weekend at Ohio State to party because next weekend, everyone is going home for Memorial Day, and the weekend after that is the week before finals.  So basically, this is the last weekend for my friends and I to get it all out and go crazy.  But last night, I had a dream that I was on the bus to Athens (I take the greyhound bus to Athens…I know, classy).  I’m actually kind of glad I had to blog about a dream because it’s making me think that maybe I SHOULD go to OU, this weekend.  I mean, if I’m dreaming about going to OU, I must want to go there.  After all, a dream is a wish your heart makes………<-- Cinderalla reference!

blog 48

SO I’m supposed to blog about something that fascinates me in nature...  I’d like to talk about the tv show River Monsters.  It’s about this guy (I can’t remember his name) and he goes all around the world to rivers in search of monsters that are allegedly living in the waters.  I think this shows, and this part of nature is fascinating because so little is known about these animals simply because they live under the water and the water they live in is really murky and it’s difficult to spot them.  Also, their very allusive due to the rushing river water that is constantly flowing through.  So it’s nearly impossible to catch them, and once they are caught, it’s almost impossible to observe them in their natural behavior due to the fact that any type of video recording doesn’t work.  SO even if fishermen catch the fish, they are not really sure what these big fish are capable of or who they prey on.  It’s always been fascinating to me the types of fish that live in the sea, in rivers and also in ponds.  I think the fact that these animals live in the water and their existence is virtually unknown to humans because it’s so difficult to track their life.  Ok, I’m gonna cut this short to talk about woodfest.  I was there and I got maced.  I think the police over reacted and also acted too quickly.  I’m thinking that the cops should be charged with police brutality because they attack the whole crowd when only a few people threw their cans of beer on the car and because they beat the crap out of two of the kids they arrested.  What do you think?

this is not a blog, it's just some thoughts bouncing around in my head

I'm really starting to enjoy blogging now that our topics are so much ore personal.  At the beginning of the quarter, I hated them, but now i really enjoy it and i really enjoy reading other people's blogs.  It's a lot easier to comment on other people's blogs when you actually enjoy reading them. Ok that's all :)

blog #47

the first boy I ever liked was in kindergarten and his name was Stetson_______.  His last name will be edited for his protection.  He was the cutest boy in my class and I was absolutely in love with him.  Every quarter, the kids in my kindergarten class were allowed to switch seats and every quarter, I sat right next to Stetson because I thought we were going to get married.  I was so obsessed; I’m even a little worried about my level of obsession.  If I had been a little older, people would have considered me a complete stalker because I wrote about him in my diary every night (I still have that diary).  I was his best friend, and he was my secret love that I was convinced was going to last forever.  But tragically, fate stepped in and his family moved to Florida for a while for his dad’s career in professional baseball.  I didn’t see him for a long time after that until randomly, I saw him at the same clinic that I had batting lessons at.  How strange? He came over and was talking to my batting instructor like they were familiar.  I came to find out that my batting instructor was Stetson’s dad and they moved back a little while earlier when his dad stopped playing and started coaching.  What were the odds? So the next time I saw him, I looked him straight in the eye and said, “Hello, do you remember me?”  It was a long shot, but yes! He remembered me! I couldn’t believe it.  After all this time, he still remembered me, but at that point we had nothing in common.  He was a baseball star and was being drafted in the MLB and I was just trying to get a scholarship for softball.  He actually got drafted to the Pittsburg Pirates and is a huge pick for the draft.  And to this day, I wonder if he would have stayed in my home-town, we might have had something.  But I’ll never know because he moved away…

blog 46

I’m going to blog about inconsiderate people.  Mostly because I have to deal with an inconsiderate roommate this entire year and I’m completely done with her crap.  She calls me a messy roommate but I’m not the one who never cleans up.  I admit, sometimes I’m a little messy, but I always pick up after myself.   She, on the other hand, NEVER cleans.  I went to OU this weekend and when I came back: the dorm room was covered in her puke, the bathroom sink had a thick layer of film that was caused from GOD knows what, the bathroom trash was literally a heap of papers and it was overflowing onto the ground, there was no toilet paper, there was a pile of someone’s back eye makeup on the floor, the ground was sticky from spilled drinks, my bedspread had puke on it, there was ice tea powder mix all over the TV table (might I add that the iced tea mix was mine and I never said she could use it) and also, all FOUR (yes FOUR) trash cans were filled and overflowing.  This is what I came home to and she was nowhere to be found.  The room smelled atrocious and I almost vomited just standing in there.  Who does that? Who leaves a room like that? I was beyond furious at this point because I am the only one who ever cleans the floors or the bathrooms and I feel like she hoped I would just clean it for her.  Well there’s my rant.  I don’t like inconsiderate people, so if you’re living in a space, just remember you contribute to the mess too.

blog 45

A trip that meant a lot to me was my trip to Williamsburg, Virginia, that I took in 2^nd or 3^rd grade with my entire family.  I know what you’re thinking…Williamsburg? Isn’t that where they dress up and reenact colonial times? Yes, exactly, that’s what they do.  I went with all of my dad’s brothers, and all of his cousins (each had their own family) so it was approximately 30 people we were traveling with.  All the cousins were similar in age and we had a blast just goofing around, laying outside, learning some fun facts, and the parents had a good time too (I think).   The reason why this trip sticks out to me the most is because this was the first time I actually felt like my family members were more than just family members, but also friends.  Before that time, I couldn’t remember inside jokes or laughing for the sake of laughing.  I remember one instance, when we were all crammed into a mini van, driving back from dinner when my uncle bob ripped the BIGGEST fart I’ve ever heard.  And if you know mini vans, you know that there are no windows and we were all dying and laughing.  Finally, his wife, aunt Di opened the sliding doors to the cars and we were just driving down the road with the doors open trying not to die from the fumes.  This might seem really lame, but it was one of those “had to be there moments” and I still think this was the best vacation I had ever been on.

blog 43

the best present I’ve ever been given was my iphone,  Given to me when I was a junior in high school for Christmas.  My mom surprised me after my faithful phone of 3 years broke and I was without contact with the outside world for about a week.  As soon as I got the phone, I felt so awesome because this was back when not many people had iphones.  I remember going to school the next day and feeling like the coolest person in the world because I had the hottest piece of technology.  My mom was so cool for abut 6 months after that for giving me an awesome gift.  Ummm there’s not much more to talk about so I guess I’ll talk about how beautiful it is outside.  I’m on the oval and there are so many people! There are dogs, frisbee-ers, people doing gymnastics and a tight-rope walker! I can’t believe how many people are here.  The animals make me want to have an animal of my own next year! I have a little kitty names lily who I’m almost tempted to take to school with me next year because she’s so cute! I’m not sure if my mom would let me so maybe I should just smuggle her in my purse or something out of the house… I haven’t really planned this out yet, but I’m gonna try as hard as I can to make a pet next year possible.  Wish me luck!

42

I’ve only had two jobs because my parents believed that my number one job is being a student.  Thankfully they believed that otherwise, I feel like my grades would have gone down.  My longest job I’ve had is working a McDonald’s unfortunately.  Surprisingly, 1 in 4 Americans have worked there and therefore, I am not going to be surprised if any of you have worked there.  Honestly I can say that I hated working there.  It was awful, disgusting, intense, and at times degrading.  Not only were the people you worked with idiots, but also the bosses were power hungry and the customers treated me like sh*t.  (can I say that?).  Let’s start with the fellow employees I worked with; most of them were high school drop outs who literally partied and did drugs all day long and came to work under the influence of god knows what.  Most tried very hard to feel accepted by asking if I wanted to have “some of this or try a puff of that,” and I obviously said no.  I’m not trying to be mean, but a lot of the people there just weren’t worth even remembering.  Next, the bosses that I worked under were just crew members promoted.  I think it’s great hat they have been in my position, but after promotions, they weren’t trained to be good managers.  Consequently, they did not know how to treat their employees nor did they care if they insulted you.  Lastly, the customers treated me like I was worthless because I worked at McDonald’s.  If I would mess up (which happened a lot, I’m only human) I was yelled at by the customers who felt empowered because they were in their car and had momentary courage to yell at someone because they could just drive away.  They knew I couldn’t say anything back so they would just antagonize me and belittle me.  I hated working there also because the work was very unclean and labor intensive.  Cleaning bathrooms and washing the floors is not what I signed up for and it was incredibly gross that I was expected to go back to handling food afterwards.  Overall, I have to say it taught me how to deal with different types of people,  but I definitely say that I will never work for McDonald’s again because I’m going to get an education so that it’s not necessary to work there.

blog 41

One culture that has intrigued me since I was younger has always been the German culture.  My family is half German so obviously my family is richly influenced by the Germanic traditions.  We always hide the pickle in the tree, we put our shoes out on St. Nicholas day, we make all the traditional foods, etc.  In eight grade, the students could pick which language they would like to study and naturally I chose to study the German language.  I loved it because the Germanic language is very similar to the English language (it was very easy) and also, some of their towns have been around for thousands of years and their buildings are still structurally sound.  It really makes me wonder why our dorms have to be remodeled after only 40 years of use.  Also, they have parades where they wear special costumes every year and that really intrigues me because I always wondered how they began those traditions.  I don’t really have much more to say about Germany just because I stopped learning about it when I came to college.  I really wished I would have continued and gotten a minor, but that was simply too much work.  So now, I’d like to talk abut palmer fest and the craziness that was entailed.  The people who go to OU are nuts and start drinking at noon! I’ve never seen more alcoholics in my life.  Also,  three of my friends got arrested.  Safe to say, it was a good weekend J

blog 40

Today is a great day because I finally get to speak my mind on my blog! The topic for today is to blog about a family member.  I think I’m gonna blog about the most amazing woman I know…my MOM! Seeing as it’s almost Mother’s day, I have been thinking about her a lot more lately.  She’s amazing in everyway possible.  I don’t know of anyone who works harder than she does.  When I was in elementary school, she switched form working regular hours at the hospital to working the night shift (11-7) to make more money and also to be able to attend after school functions and be home when we got home.  I can’t think of a more selfless thing because a lot of the times, she hardly got enough sleep at night due to her prior obligations ad the fact that she had so much to do.  Other things that I love about her are that she attended every single one of my softball games growing up.  She was my rock, my biggest fan and also my encouragement.  It meant so much to me that after I made a great play, or hit a homerun I could look over to the stands and see her face smiling at me.  I think that it’s obvious that I love her, and that is why I hope to be similar to her.  I’m hoping to follow in her footsteps someday and become a nurse, which is why I’m in the nursing program at OSU.  I got in about 3 weeks ago and she was the first person to know.  She is the most important woman in my life and I love her so much!  

blog 39

I ALWAYS mess up commas, colons and semicolons! I have so many thoughts bouncing around in my head at all times and I just don’t know when to break up the ideas.  In my heading, I just thousands of thoughts just rushing, rushing, rushing when I’m writing a paper and I just don’t know how to organize all of my ideas into structured, intelligible ideas.  So anyways… I have nothing else to talk about except that I’m at Ohio University right now because of Palmer fest! If any of you don’t know what Palmer fest is, it’s a huge party in Athens.  OU have a street named Palmer and every year, they close down Palmer Street and the entire student body parties on the street.  The police every year have to be very careful otherwise the partying can turn into a riot.  A lot of times, the party ends in someone lighting a couch on fire.  AS you can imagine, the party is then shut down by the cops for fire hazards and also the party normally gets too out of control.  I’m really, really, really hoping that I get to witness the epicness of Palmer fest before it gets shut down because it’s a legend.  This is one of the reasons why OU is known for being a party school.  I know I got really off topic, but I was so happy to have the freedom to write about what I wanted to talk about.  Hope you all have a great weekend!!!! J

blog #38

blog 38

have you ever felt that you’re just too stressed out? Too stressed to eat, too stressed to think, too stressed to SLEEP? If you are among the millions of American teenagers either in college or entering college, then you know exactly what I mean.  Its hard to describe the feeling, but stress can be as noticeable as weights physically being pushed down on your shoulders and chest.  It’s like no matter how hard I try, there is always something there, bothering me, nagging at my thoughts, robbing me of my complete blissful apathy.  Personally, I can truthfully say that the only time I don’t feel stressed is on summer break, winter break and also spring break.  Other than that, I have papers, quizzes and midterms on my mind creeping into my non-school social life.  The stress lately is getting to a point that I feel that no matter how hard I work, how long I study or how much I care, the results will always be the same and that I will be a huge failure.  But where does this stress stem from? What makes students feel as if the have to perform so well and place their bodies under strenuous amounts of anxiety? The answer is a combination of parents’ and societal expectations.  Everyone is expecting the next generation to be way better, when in fact we’re all the same and our lives are placed on a pedestal that doesn’t belong there.

blog #37

Blog 37

This blog is supposed to be a personal anecdote or a hypothetical situation that can relate to my commonplace paper.  My commonplace paper is about the changing society that places more stress on teenagers and college students in order to be more competitive.  I missed yesterday’s blog and today I’d prefer to write a hypothetical situation because I’d like to think that there is an end to the stress that college students are placed on, I’m somewhat hopeful that my own children won’t have to deal with the stress that I’ve had placed on me.  Although, I personally don’t see any end to the raising standards only because Americans are obsessed with competition and becoming better at everything they do.  And Americans were once the leader of our world in everything: technology, education, and in jobs.  Now however, other countries like Japan and China are becoming super powers too and are finally catching up to us when it comes to technology and possibly jobs, other countries (Japan and China included) are also catching up to America when it comes to education.   Most other countries don’t focus on educating everyone, but only educating those who seem to have high potential.  Therefore, they have a more balanced population and the competition isn’t too high.  But in America, everyone is expected to get higher education, which creates really high competition within our country, not to mention the competition between countries.  I don’t really see any hypothetical situation where America doesn’t have higher standards and yet doesn’t become dumber in the process.

blog # 35

Blog 35

The purpose of this paper is to relate to my audience.  I don’t want my audience to think that I feel that I’m above them, or that I am nothing similar to them.  After a viewer reads my paper, they will understand that we’re all in a similar situation and that it’s ok to feel stressed out due to the pressure of your parents.  I want someone to read my article and think, this girl knows exactly how I am feeling right now and that maybe it’s ok to feel stressed out an maybe a little over whelmed.  Also I want people to fell calmer after reading this, hopefully they will notice that there are solutions to this feeling of stress and pressure.  When my paper is finished, I hope to offer up a few techniques to dealing with stress.  I hope that my readers will read these techniques and take them seriously so that they can cope with the pressures they have been put under too.  Not only is article for other people’s purposes, but also for myself.  I feel constant pressure daily to perform well in school, and this article can be an outlet for my feelings.  Overall, I would like y paper to be instructive and helpful to not only myself, but also the audience that this goes out to.   I hope that my article will be published so that maybe, some stressed out OSU freshman will read this article and know that there are other people in this world who are feeling the same way as them.

blog # 34

I’d like to present myself as someone taking a serious stance on this because to me, this is no joking matter.  I will be using 1^st and 3^rd person because I feel it is necessary so that I can share my own personal experienced with the reader.  I don’t thin I’ll be joking much in this paper, but if the opportunity arises, I may crack a joke.  I will begin writing…

In today’s world, life is harder than it used to be.  One has to be smarter, more experienced and more qualified than ever before.  The expectations for our generations has changed so drastically in the last couple of years that it’s scary to think what the next generation will be expected to do

            Over the course of history, children and parents were similar: boys did the same profession as their father, girls were homemakers, everyone had the same level of education, etc.  The rate of change between generations was very gradual up until only about 50 years ago.   In the 1950s, a college education was not necessary to a happy ending.  My own grandfather never went to college  and earned an income by being a butcher, policeman, councilman and also an agent at Allstate.  At the time, all of those positions did not require a college education, with the exception of a few of those professions, college educations or some kind of higher education is needed for those professions today. 

blog # 33

Blog 33

My story and topic is very relevant.  Every student at the Ohio State University has been placed under tremendous amounts of stress in order to get into this great college.  No doubt, every student had to buckle down in high school and perform really well in order to achieve a high GPA and perform well on the ACT  or SAT.  Whether the pressure was placed on the student via the parents, grandparents, family members, teachers, principals, or advisors, the student had to have been encouraged from some type of adult figure.  Every student today has felt that, compared to their parent’s generation, the standards have risen.  When my father was in college, going to Ohio State wasn’t a very high achievement.  Now, however, getting into Ohio State and graduating from Ohio State is an accomplishment and achievement.  Using that example exclusively, the standards have risen drastically.  When my father went to Ohio State, the required minimum GPA was a 2.0.  Now however, the average accepted GPA is a 3.8 or higher.  Ohio State is working hard to raise their standards, and they’re not the only ones.  Nationwide, colleges and universities are working to make their university better than the rest.  As a result, the standard for everything has risen.  This causes competition to increase.  Even today, college graduates have no leg up against the competition because a majority of the people applying for the job are in the same boat.  As a result, the world is becoming more and more competitive.

blog # 32

Back in the 1950s roughly 5% of people had a Bachelor’s degree.  Now however,  27.2% of the population has a Bachelor’s degree.  In the 1950s  Master’s degrees and PhD’s were virtually unheard of.  Today,  8.9% of people have earned a Master’s degree and 3% of people have earned a PhD.  Those numbers have been creeping up steadily in the last few years.  It’s obvious that the world is being forced into higher education.  If one decided not to go to college, they’re pretty much saying that they are prepared to work 10 times harder to make less money.  Without a college education, one is subject to a lifetime of physical labor and that can cause premature death because it’s so stressful.  Technology has made the younger generations work harder.  Due to recent developments in biology, and technology (like computers, calculators, and the internet) teachers are expecting more from their students than ever before.  For example, when my father was in college, there wasn’t much known about biology, but since then scientists have done more research on bacteria, germs and genes and now, in a Bio 101 class, I was expected to know a lot more about biology than my father ever was. 

            In today’s world, kids are held to the same behavioral expectations as their parents but are held to different educational expectations.   Children are expected to behave the same they’ve been expected to behave since the 1950s, yet are required to have 10 more stress on their lives? How is that possible for kids not to react differently.  

blog # 31

Blog 31

In today’s world, life is harder than it used to be.  One has to be smarter, more experienced and more qualified than ever before.  The expectations for our generations has changed so drastically in the last couple of years that it’s scary to think what the next generation will be expected to do

            Over the course of history, children and parents were similar: boys did the same profession as their father, girls were homemakers, everyone had the same level of education, etc.  The rate of change between generations was very gradual up until only about 50 years ago.   In the 1950s, a college education was not necessary to a happy ending.  My own grandfather never went to college  and earned an income by being a butcher, policeman, councilman and also an agent at Allstate.  At the time, all of those positions did not require a college education, with the exception of a few of those professions, college educations or some kind of higher education is needed for those professions today. 

            Then, after the 1950s, the next generation in the 1970s (which would account for my father), had rapidly shifting expectations.  At the time, everyone was getting a Bachelor’s degree because it was expected.  Again, society had changed so that at least some sort of higher education was required to succeed.  Again, society changed so that the following generation (our current generation…us) now need to get higher than a Bachelor’s degree.  Children today all across America are expected to go through 20-30 years of college to b, what...comfortable?

            How is this far? Even with these degrees, kids aren’t even guaranteed a steady income.  A long time ago, any type of higher education was respected and a privilege but today it’s expected and hardly even appreciated.  

blog # 29

For my article, I used “Leaders or Cheaters: Steroids of the Brain,” written by Carlton Stine.  He states that use of Aderall without a prescription has increased by 35% on college campuses across America.  I believe that Aderall isn’t a bad thing when it’s prescribed for you, but when someone uses it illegally, I feel that that is cheating.  Those who are prescribed Aderall are prescribed it becsase they literally can’t focus and find it difficult to even feel motivated to do school work.  When they are prescribed it by doctors, they are given reasonable amounts, so that they can live a normal student life.  With Aderall, ADHD patients can focus for hours and accomplish what they need to accomplish in order to maintain good grades.  Without the prescription, ADHD students would likely perform less and maybe even drop out.  Those are the pros of the drug, the cons are the heightened state of happiness it puts you in, the acceleration of your heart beat, and also the depression it sends you into when you come off the drug.  All of these effects can be monitored if the dose of the prescription is correct, and that is why going to a doctor regularly is important.  But students who acquire it illegally most likely have the wrong dose, most often higher doses which increase the symptoms described earlier.  It is dangerous to overuse this drug because over time it can cause heart problems.  I think this is where the real danger of the drug  comes into play because young, healthy students are overdosing on this drug because they do not know their own dose.  I think the only way to remedy this is to have doctors be more careful who they prescribe to and also the government should monitor the drug by keeping track of the medications prescribed to each person.

blog # 28

For my blog, I chose the article “Taylor Swift: Combating Typical, Scandalous Celebrity Behavior,” by Katie Huston.  The article is basically saying that Tayor Swift is a better song-writer than people might have given her credit for. By analyzing the song “Fifteen,” by her, the author of the article talks about Taylor’s ulterior motives.  According to Hurston, Taylor is telling her audience that at 15 you don’t know what you’re going to be, and that you shouldn’t rush growing up, like the other teen celebritites, like Lindsey Lohan and Miley Cyrus are encouraging.  Because of this assessment, Hurst says that Taylor is different than most sing/song writers because she is trying to keep teenagers young while they still can be instead of trying to grow up too fast.  Swift doesn’t completely ignore the stresses of the teenage years, she simply states that there are more important things that will happen to you in the future and that it doesn’t  matter if you date the most popular football player, because it’s not going to define you.  I also like how Hurst mentioned that celebrities today don’t exhibit kind, caring, intelligent personalities.  She said that celebrities are now focused solely on being attractive to the opposite sex.  This argument is very timely because Taylor Swift is popular right now, and she will be popular for a while because he career is just beginning.  I find her argument compelling because I am getting sick of Miley Cyrus and Lindsey Lohan and the bad examples they are setting for kids today.  And it is relevant because bad role models are becoming more and more of a problem.  As technology increases, so does exposure to the media at a younger age.  It is important now more than ever that children and teens have a good role model to look up to.

blog # 27

Abuse of power is an offense on human kind in which the abuser takes advantage of a weaker individual.  Sometimes the indiviual (or individuals) are powerless or defenseless against their assault.  In the popular sci-fi series written by Joss Whedon, called Firefly, Joss Whedon does a good job of showing the viewer that the effects of a power trip when one person with a cocky attitude is left in charge.  When the captain of the ship is away on a mission, an arrogant character (Jane) is left on the ship and feels that he was left in charge.  When the mission goes south, he attempts to force the ship and the crew to leave the captain, and example of an abuse of power.  This is an abuse of power because the crew could never leave the two crewmembers, but Jane was willing to force them to leave.  In real life, abuse of power is all around, in work places, schools, hospitals, and even prison; anywhere that an aggressor remains unmonitored for an extended period of time is grounds for things to get out of control.  For example, the prison guards at Abu Ghraib abuses their powers when they took it into their own hands to punish the prisoners through means of unhumane torture, humiliation and neglect.  It is important to examine these actions so that these actions can be prevented in the future.

blog # 27

Abuse of power is an offense on human kind in which the abuser takes advantage of a weaker individual.  Sometimes the indiviual (or individuals) are powerless or defenseless against their assault.  In the popular sci-fi series written by Joss Whedon, called Firefly, Joss Whedon does a good job of showing the viewer that the effects of a power trip when one person with a cocky attitude is left in charge.  When the captain of the ship is away on a mission, an arrogant character (Jane) is left on the ship and feels that he was left in charge.  When the mission goes south, he attempts to force the ship and the crew to leave the captain, and example of an abuse of power.  This is an abuse of power because the crew could never leave the two crewmembers, but Jane was willing to force them to leave.  In real life, abuse of power is all around, in work places, schools, hospitals, and even prison; anywhere that an aggressor remains unmonitored for an extended period of time is grounds for things to get out of control.  For example, the prison guards at Abu Ghraib abuses their powers when they took it into their own hands to punish the prisoners through means of unhumane torture, humiliation and neglect.  It is important to examine these actions so that these actions can be prevented in the future.

blog # 26

When considering how Jane reacted to his new authority, there is a tie that can be seen between his actions and the actions of the prison guards of Abu Ghraib.  It is important to see resemblance so that we can stop the actions of the prison guards in the future.  If people are aware of the actions of past prison guards, they may feel that actions such as torture, humiliation and physical abuse are wrong, no matter if the person is a prisoner.  The best way to learn from mistakes is by analyzing them.  In Jane’s case, he became angry and bossy, almost forcing the crew to abandon their captain and head warrior.  If he had not been knocked out by Simon, he would have completely overruled the crew and become a tyrant.  In the case of the prison guards at Abu Ghraib, they were left for months on end without outside interference, and therefore, there actions weren’t kept on track.  Their actions become more and more torturous and humiliating, and the prison guards came to interpret these actions as acceptable.  There is evidence to support this because the prison guards were photographed with thumbs up and other casual poses in front of these acts, and their faces showed that none of the prison guards were uncomfortable with their actions.  Unfortunately, there was no “Simon” there to stop their tyrannous power, and that is how they remain un-checked.  It is important to analyze these things because it is important to realize that people makes mistakes and that they need consequences for their actions.

blog # 25

The Stanford Prison Experiment.  1999-2009.  Web. 22 April 2011.

Hersh, Seymour M..  “American soldiers brutalized Iraqis. How far up does the responsibility go?”  The New Yorker.  May 2004.  Web.

Jane’s attitude that he had while he thought he was in power is similar to the actions performed by prison guards everyday in prisons across the world.  More specifically, the prison in Baghdad, Iraq know as the Baghdad Central Prison, or more commonly known as Abu Ghraib.  The prison guards at this prison were prosecuted for doing inhumane acts towards the prisoners held at the prison.  According to the Stanford Prison Experiment, conducted in the summer of 1971, there is evidence to show that prison guards, when wearing a uniform and having authority over prisoners, feel stripped of their identity and feel no responsibility for their actions.  This might explain why some of the Abu Ghraib prison guards may have acted in the way they did.  But can that excuse them from their actions? Should the government not press charges simply because of the evidence from this experiment? The prisoners should be held liable for their actions, no matter what any experiment says.  People must remember that the experiment was cut short after only six days and that is not sufficient evidence enough to release people from committing atrocious crimes.  The prison guards at Abu Ghraib were aware of their actions and were intentionally torturing the detainees.  “Homosexual acts are against Islamic law and it is humiliating for men to be naked in front of other men,” (Hersh).  The prson guards must have known that those actions were considered torture rather than just humialiation, and that is what makes their actions unforgiveable.

blog # 24

Seeing as I’m hoping to change my topic, and also because I am pending a response from my professor, I thought I’d just start my new topic tonight so that I wouldn’t get even more behind…

Initially, Mal and Zoe are not supposed to be left on the planet for long.  They were supposed to get on the train and finish the deal quickly so they can get the goods back to Niska in time.  But when the plan goes south, they are forced to stay on the planet for a little longer than they expected.  It’s obvious that Jane enjoys the power because he mentioned “I’m in charge, and I’ll make the rules,” more than once.  When the plan goes south, and they are all in danger of angering Niska, its Jane who thinks he has the authority to order the crew into doing whatever he pleases.  Jane says “Now I’m in rutting charge here and I’m telling you how it works.  We’ve waited long enough.  Let’s get this bird in the air.”  He says all this when Mal and Zoe don’t come back from their heist.  When in command, Jane does things tat normally would be allowed.  But since he has no higher authority to tell him no, he feels free to act as he wants to.  The same is true for prison guards, more infamously, the prison guards at Abu Grahib and Guantanamo Bay.  The prison guards there are in a position of power and are stripped away from their identity, which is a recipe for disaster.  

blog # 23

When the scene begins, the crew does not know what they are stealing.  They get the assignment from Niska and don’t ask any questions because they are so desperate for money that any job is better than no job.  But when they learn to true nature of the job they were given, they decide that no amount of money is worth the weight they would carry on their conscience.  When they are faced with this decision, the chose to take the medicine back to the planet village, and this is what differentiates Mal and Zoe from Niska.  Both have the option to do the right and wrong thing, but it’s their choices that make them who they are and shows what they stand for.  For Mal, although he is a smuggler, running from the law and hiding fugitives on his ship, he still has a heart of gold and we know this by his actions.  He seems likes a bad guy, but when he is faced with moral dilemmas, he always chooses the option that is the right thing.  When it comes to Niska, he does the same thing as Mal, he smuggles, runs from the law, and hides fugitives on his ship, but Niska also takes pleasure from harming people and intentionally inflicts pain on people.  Both people live a rebellious life, but Mal doesn’t let his rebellious life warp his morals.  That is the main difference between good and evil on Firefly and in daily life.

blog # 22

The sun is almost blinding as it gleams off the hard metal shell of the  Firefly, a ship that is primarily used for smuggling goods between planets.  Its many engines slow as the ship lightly lands on the hot, sandy earth.  One can almost see the heat waves radiating off the ground.  A whole crew jumps off the ship as soon as it lands, hoping they didn’t run into anyone looking for a fight.  Thankfully, they found no one and they can now do their job with ease.  The ship’s captain, Mal, scopes out the land and makes a plan.   As he tells the crew what the plan is, he recruits one of the crewman to help.  Zoe, a former warrior, looks like someone you don’t want to run into when she’s having a bad day.  The crew starts the plan.  Mal and Zoe walk off towards a small settlement just over the hill.  They are going to a train station and buy a ticket.  Once on the train, they find a seat and don’t make a fuss so as to not draw attention.  As soon as the train starts to move, they stand up inconspicuously and walk through the cabins, heading to the back of the train.  When they reach a certain cabin, they are unexpectedly met by an entire cabin filled with Alliance soldiers.  The Alliance is the big, juggernaut of a government who controls the main planets.  Mal and Zoe fought in a war of Independence a few years back against the Alliance and lost, but still remain faithful to the cause.  When they see the Alliance soldiers, it seems as if any normal person would call of the mission.  But Mal is different and chooses to continue.  When they get to the second-to-last cabin, Mal and Zoe throw a fogger and sneak into the last cabin, a storage cabin.  Once there, they open the ceiling and unexpectedly, the ship is waiting for them with a big, long hook protruding out of it.  They hook is lowered into the train and Mal and Zoe attach the goods to the hook and it seems like they can’t also go with the ship.  So they improvise and just let it go and sneak back into the passenger cabin so that they don’t get caught.  The soldiers sweep the cabin and realize something is gone.  Everyone on the train is questioned, including Zoe and Mal.  Obviously, they act cool under pressure and no one suspects a thing.  But as they get to talking to the mayor of the city, they learn that what they stole for a crime lord are medications that are much needed for the masses of sick people that they are surrounded by.  When Mal and Zoe get back to the ship, they decide to take back the goods, even if it meant angering Niska, the crime lord.  When Mal and Zoe are taking the goods back, they run into the mayor.  For a second, it is thought that the mayor isn’t going to forgive them for stealing the goods but then returning them.  But all is okay because they are forgiven.  In the end, Mal and Zoe return safely to their ship and all is forgiven by the mayor.  But the same can not be said about the crime lord.

blog # 21

Rowling, J.K, . Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. New York, America: Bloomsbury, 1999. 223. Print.

            Sometimes it’s not what is inside a person that counts.  A lot of the time, the defining factor of a person is the actions they take.  The saying “actions speak louder than words” is an accurate statement, meaning that it doesn’t matter who a person is, they’re actions will show who they really are.  In one of the most famous series of al time, Harry Potter, a main character, Dumbledore, states "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”  This statement was pertaining to Harry’s ability to speak parstle-tongue.  Harry was worried that he was becoming Voldemorte because he shared many of the same qualities as Voldemorte.  But Dumbledore reassures him that it is not what abilities he has (like speaking parstle-tongue) but rather how he uses his abilities.  The same is true with the characters in Firefly.   Each of the characters have the same abilities, but who they are is defined by what they do with their abilities.  Both the crew and the mayor have the ability to do the wrong thing, and both choose to do the right, moral thing. Niska has the ability to forgive but he chooses to hold a grudge and punish them later in the series.  If what Dumbledore said was true, then we can safely assume that the crew and the mayor are good people due to their choices and we can also assume that Niska is  bad man when we observe his choices too.  Overall, it is important to remember the words that the beloved Dumbledore said and to keep that in mind when making decisions. 

blog # 20

Schwartz, Barry.  The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less.  New York: HarperCollins, 2004.  Print.  

In the episode Train Heist , of the TV series “Firefly,” there are many decisions and choices being made.  The main characters Mal and Zoe have to make a decision between money and a clear conscience.   The mayor of the town where the train heist was taking place had to choose between forgiveness and punishment.  And Niska also had to choose between punishment and forgiveness.  In the end, Mal and Zoe undoubtedly choose to return the goods and wipe their conscience, the mayor chooses to forgive their mistakes but Niska chooses not to forgive them and later in the series the crew sees these repercussions unfold when he takes Mal hostage and tortures him.  Barry Schwartz talks about choices in his book The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less.   He says, “Healthy people want and need to direct their own lives, (3).  This is an important statement because without choice, we are not free to do as we please and we are essentially slaves.  With choice, we have the freedom to choose the options that are true to ourselves.  Through the choices we make, it shows people’s true intentions.  In the episode, when Mal and Zoe decide to return the goods, it shows that they have a softer side (even if it doesn’t always show).  When the mayor decided to forgive their mistakes, it showed that he was a fair and honest individual.  However, Niska’s actions showed his awful, hateful side and that is the difference between good and bad.