half way there

I cannot believe that we are already half way through the semester, it does not feel like it has already been 9...10 weeks? I have really enjoyed my English 1020 class as time has progressed. The first day when we were told that we would be keeping a blog and posting to it I wasn't to wild about the idea; but I do have to say it has been one of the coolest parts about the class and I really do enjoy it. This class has taught me a lot, as well as it has brought back a lot of things to me. Since it has been 8 years since I took my English 1010 class I forgot a lot of things like, MLA formatting, how to do a works cited, correct writing formatting and even sometimes correct punctuation. Not only do I feel like I have become a stronger writer as far as essays but in short/on the spot writing (like writing this blog). I like the "freeness" of writing a blog because it is our voice and it does not have to be written in a certain way... I really do enjoy it. I do not feel like I am confused with anything that has to do with the class, I feel comfortable with assignments that we have. Like I said in my previous blog about our reading assignments and our next project, I was not too sure about our next assignment on advertisement but after reading I feel much better. And of course Ms. Hanson is really awesome about answering any questions we have via e-mail which is a huge benefit and a huge help! So far, so good! I am looking forward to the second half of the semester and everything else that we will learn in English 1020!

Advertisment, EPL, and Presentations

After the reading assignment I feel better about going into this next paper/project. It helped me to better understand what needs to come out of it and what expectations should be met. One of the things that really stood out to me was the emotion that we feel when we see pictures of something. At one point in the reading it was talking about the emotions that people felt after seeing pictures of Pearl Harbor and how people felt the same emotions after seeing pictures from planes crashing into The World Trade Center on 9/11/2001. It's interesting to think about it that way and it's true that everything we look at sparks some kind of emotion. Even sometimes things we hear spark an emotion, for example music. Music can take us back to a point in our life whether it's our childhood sitting in the back of dad's mercury listening to The Beatles; or a point in your life when you were going through a breakup and had the same song on repeat. This reading also gave good tips on presenting in front of an audience. I.e. who you audience is, why they are there, the setting of where you are giving your presentation, body language, speaking clear and not too fast, not going into too much detail, etc. Although I am not a shy person I don't like to stand up and present in front of people, reading gave me some good tips on how I can be more comfortable and give a good presentation. All in all we did read a lot of information and I am ready to start the next paper/project! =)

Writing process.

I sat down to start writing my paper fully armed with pineapple juice, air heads, and music. Music usually help my writing process and my concentration. I am writing a proposal to the US government about FREE healthcare for all. My topic would be persuasive because I am trying to persuad others (meaning everyone in America) to make this proposal to the government. I have had writers block while writing and have inlisted the help of others, especially my mom. My mom and I have had plenty I conversations regarding my proposal and she's helped me shape my paper a lot. I just feel like wiring can be frustrating for me in general.... I can write well on Facebook, a blog, journal, etc. when there doesn't need to be a strong structure and I am just talkin to others. I am working on my paper and striving for an A!!! =) 

Undecided...

I spoke with my mom this morning about all of the stuff going on with the government currently.  I thought another topic to write my proposal on could be about the issue (or lack there of) of health care. I could elaborate on Obama care, Obama wanting to fork out more money for those who cannot afford health care, myself personally not being able to afford health care, if we should pay for health care or pay the annual fee, etc. 

I love my job and love what I do but I do not make a significant amount of money. I work part time and the company that I work for does not offer benefits to part time employees. My fiance has a job which includes fantastic benefits. Unfortunately, I cannot be under her insurance because the company does not recognize domestic partnerships. Now we are faced with the issue of, should we get married sooner then planned, just so I can have great benefits? Being part of the LGBT community this may sound somewhat ignorant; DOMA (Defense Of Marriage Act) is no longer in affect as of June 26, 2013, does this mean we can go to New York, lets say, and get married and then live in Tennessee and be recognized as a married couple? Does this mean that I can be under her insurance plan as her WIFE? Do we get married just to have health benefits and avoid paying a fee annually or even worse paying $300-$600/month?

I can't imagine how some people feel that are in the same boat as I am. We make enough money to not qualify to get help from Obama, but not enough to pay for our own insurance. What if you are single? No wedding date in sight, it's just you? Then what? 

I think we should use countries that have FREE health care as a model. Canada for instance, they have free health care for everyone. Why can't the United States of America do the same as Canada? Why put ourselves further in debt, to the point of bankruptcy? What is Canada doing that the USA isn't? 

It almost makes you want to leave the country and start over elsewhere.

I can elaborate so much on this topic. I've obviously rambled on much more then I did about LGBT rights, my initial topic for my proposal. There's my answer I guess! =)