2011 Resolutions

I've learned a lot this past year but I can do better. So here are my 2011 New Year's Resolutions, in no particular order:

• No more apologies for my choices and my life!!! I'm done trying to justify my hair color or explain why I have the goals I do. I will not apologize for who I am- not to family, friends, or strangers.
• I need to let down my guard more often and allow people to really get to know me. I tend to put up walls to stop myself from getting hurt, but more often than not I hurt myself by doing that. I'm grown-up and strong enough to handle the occasional bruises and cannot afford to continue to miss out on opportunities and relationships.
• Count my blessings daily.
• Call my family more often...all of them.
• Say what I mean instead of sugarcoating or holding back.
• Increase my fluency in both Spanish and Arabic.
• Do a good deed everyday.
• Deepen my personal scripture study and prayer.
• Let loose more often and not feel guilty for it. I need to allow myself to have adventures and create a few of my own.
• Be healthier. It's not about losing weight or not having chocolate- It's about finding a better balance for myself.
• Replace my intense study of chick flicks with more dating!
• And...spread the non-profit to more states and areas.
  

2010 Reflections

It's New Years Eve. The last day of 2010- a year of tremendous growth, a year full of challenges, heartache, tears, but also filled with laughter, surprises, joy and moments of peace. I'm sitting in my little house alone eating popcorn and drinking Sparkling Cider, listening to some of my favorite music and I'm going to watch some of my signature chick flicks shortly and write a love letter. This day has traditionally been one reserved for reflection and new resolutions, celebrating the good of the year and toasting the resolve to change the mistakes of the past year. It was this night my senior year that graduating finally became real (and scary). I've spent this night with my family and with friends, but this is my first one all by myself. And I'm okay with it. With all that's happened to me this year, everything I've done and learned- some reflection time is appropriate.
So here are some of my reflections:

• I've learned that I handle physical pain better than emotional pain.
• I've learned that I can push through the pain to be stronger than I ever thought possible.
• I learned that it is okay to do things just for me- just because I like it or I need some "me" time.
• I've been blessed my two of the best jobs ever this year- being an RA and a nanny to Jackson. Both have blessed my life immeasurably.
• I'm comfortable on first dates because I know who I am and I love that!
• I've learned how to deal with solitude and to treasure silence.
• I've learned that communication is vital to any relationship.
• I admit it- I'm addicted to chocolate and sushi (not together though). But admitting the problem is the first step, right?
• I've learned how to blog! But, more importantly, I've learned how to effectively use technology instead of tip-toeing around it.
• I am no longer bitter about so many of my friends getting engaged and married- I'm happy for them. I know that when it's right it will happen for me.
  
• My heart has slowly healed this year and looking back I'm grateful for the entire journey and the many lessons I've learned from it.
• And.... I never want to stop learning!

Tune in tomorrow for my 2011 Resolutions!

Books Books Books!

Call me an oddity among students, but I LOVE buying my new (and used) books for each semester. Except for the price, but this is not a rant about the budget of a college student.

I moseyed through each aisle reverently taking in all the textbooks, novels, and packets, gradually filling my basket with treasures. For my British Literature class: Emma by Jane Austen, Adam Bede by George Eliot, and The Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol. 2. Three beautiful books full of exquisite writing, some tears and heartache, some laughs and even more smiles. Stories of small farm towns and bustling cities, carpenters and scientists. Women and men, poems, short stories, and novels. I'm already excited for this class.

For my Statistics 121 class: The Basic Principles of Statistics, the Stats Portal CD, and the Lecture Notes all bound for me already. I'm a little nervous about this class since I haven't had math in several years. I'm okay at math- I mean, I went all the way through Calculus. But I enjoy a challenge and I'm going to work my tail off in the class.

For my New Testament class: A working blank copy of the Bible, a student packet and this beautiful book called The Four Gospels: Verse by Verse. I already know that I don't want to sell back that last book. Throughout my BYU career I've tried to have a religion class every semester and I'm finally getting to the New Testament. Plus I have Dr. Ogden!!! I have a love for the New Testament already and can't wait to gain new insights.

For my Biology of Plants: a solitary textbook titled "Biology of Plants" with a Van Gogh painting called "Peach Blossoms in the Crau" gracing the covers. I fell in love with this book right away with its slightly worn pages and scientific diagrams as well as it's obvious deference to nature and the beauty of plants. If this person were a book, he would be a gardener with acres of land filled w ith orchards and gardens with dozens of varieties of plants and even with some plants of his own creation. We are going to be friends- I can tell.

For my Insight Magazine staff class there are no books besides the magazine issues we critique and edit. I'm continuing on the staff from last semester and just adore this class. Sister Earl is one of my all tim favorite professors (I had her for Greats Works of Literature of WWI my freshmen year)! Plus the staff is amazing, the writing is varied and fascinating, and the creative design new and challenging. This semester we will be working hard to get the magazine to print and putting it on the web for the first time ever!

For my Islam in Contemporary Society class: No textbooks have been listed yet, but I already have my Qur'an from last year. While I'm no longer minoring in Middle Eastern Studies, I am fascinated by the Islamic religion, the Muslim culture, and their role in the world today. As a child of the 9/11 generation, 9/11 being what Kennedy's assasination was to my grandparents, I learned that the world is so much more than my American and Mormon beliefs. Rather the world is fun of distinct viewpoints and diverse cultures and I cannot call myself educated, not to mention considerate, if I do not learn about the 6 billion others I share this planet with.

That seems enough, right? Well, I was browsing the discontinued textbook shelves in hopes of finding more fascinating treasures. And I selected three books/packets that I will study independently this semester/rest of my life. They are: Human Physiology Powerpoints ( a class packet that will help to prepare me when I take that class shortly.), The Student Atlas of World Politics which I got for $2 ( a must have reference book with maps of everything from GDP to literacy rates and dependence on trade!), and finally, drum roll please, Art History in two volumes covering art from the 14th century to the 21st century. My good friend Kelly is an expert at Art and Art History and has interested me enough that I want to broaden my horizons and learn to appreciate and objectively look at art work.

Plus this semester, since learning more about OpenCourseWare and all the schools that offer classes online I am going to look up other university's versions of the classes I'm taking. Does MIT offer a Stats class that could help me? Does John Hopkins have their Biology of Plants class online? Will I find a podcast about Islam in contemporary society from Berkley? I will keep exploring how I can supplement my education...

While I read my glorious new pile of books!

Apology

I feel as though I owe a certain amount of apology and explanation to my readers and classmates for my lack of posts since Thanksgiving. It's not that I haven't been studying and learning and working on the final project (which I will talk about soon), but the translation between the work and the blogging didn't happen. I have half a dozen drafts waiting for me to find my brain and push through six more days. But since my last post, my sister got put in the hospital, I spent some time in the ER, my Dad has to have surgery, one of my friends has had 3 "emergencies", I've thrown 2 bridal showers, and had almost every teacher proceed to tell me that their final/project is the most important and if I mess up in any way I'm endangering my eternal salvation.

You laugh, but I'm only half joking about the last part.

So for those who were wondering- here you go. For those you didn't care in the first place, proceed to next post.

Web 2.0- A Whole New World

Every single day new tools are being developed and added to existing ones. I'm not sure I can quite keep up yet.

Here is a presentation I found on prezi that elaborates a bit and focuses on the tool of Prezi.

web 2.0 on Prezi

Professor Burton also had a good explanation in class about 2.0 in a prezi, that I will attach when I am able to find it. But for now, web 2.0 means to mean that we have moved beyond consuming everything that is placed before us. Now we want to create. Create blogs and profiles and videos to share with the world. And along with these creations come the desire to connect with other people- to see everything they are creating too.

Blog Nominations

Throughout the course of this semester, I've been following the blogs of my Digital Civilization classmates. And I think I've gotten closer to these classmates than any other class before- because we've opened up in our blogs beyond our assignments and gone through this whole experience together. So I just wanted to highlight some of my favorite posts/ blogs. And hopefully you, my dear reader, will explore them for yourselves.


Historical Context: My first pick is Dalton's blog, From Woodchips. Dalton does a great job diving into history and finding the unique and interesting thins. For instance, check out this post on McCarthyism. And this one on Darwin. Yeah, it's a lot of fun.






Computing Context: My pick for this one is also one of my favorite blogs, Maggie's!!! Maggie is an older student here on campus- an Army wife, married for 28 years to her best friend and the mother of 3 grown children. She is truly an inspiration. I've loved watching her excitement in discovering new tools and then sharing them with others. Check out this post to see what I mean!






Self-directed learning: My classmate, Ariel, has been a great example on examining her modes of learning as well as correcting her mistakes. It's shown throughout her entire blog, but especially in her reflective posts 1 and 2. Way to go Ariel!