Metacognition: First Semester

I guess I can say that I've learned a lot in this past semester...although my grades probably don't show it, and I know B's aren't bad, but I'm essentially in a class chalk-full of A students.

Obvious points:

• Where I sit is not welcomed for when I take any sort of test, whether it be a reading quiz, essay, french test and more...I should just have found a different seat for the semester.
• Using one huge spiral for Academy takes up less space than 1 large, 1 medium and 1 small spiral.
• NEVER drop anything on the floor.
• Even though we go in the hall because it's "too loud" in the room, everyone is in the hall still making it "too loud", but we stay out there anyway.
• I still don't like assigned books to read over the summer; If I got to pick the book, I'd be more enthusiastic.

Less obvious points:

• My thinking or papers or ideas about anything has to have a head start. In class, I can't really chime in because it takes me a few minutes, hours or even days to really grasp the idea and formulate an opinion. With this being said...I should start my papers a lot earlier to make sure that I know what I am saying is the deepest I can go.
• Shakespeare still can't appeal to my taste. It might be because it takes me about 3 hours to get through one day's reading because the language throws me off, but whatever it is, I can't seem to get excited about Shakespeare. I can say that I've tried to be more open, but I'm getting to the edge.
• Although my grades might dip a little when I have extra-curriculars , I go a little stir crazy at home. At home, I think I have more time to do my work, so I tend to not get to it as fast. With extra-curriculars, I can exercise out anything, or give myself a break before I take school home with me. Homework I feel, is school that keeps you up really late. So, if I can do something before I get back to what I just had for 7 hours, I seem to be a happier person. It just seems to keep me a healthier person in that area of life.
• I need schedules and specific outlines, equations, formulas, the works. This semester I got to school at 7 in the morning. I then proceeded to do my math homework. Went to the same classes, same rooms, same hallways. During lunch I would do my chemistry homework and ask my friend to help me and then eat his fries. After school, I take the same route home. Then, I do my Academy homework and try not to question doing Academy...just kidding, but it's my most challenging stuff. Then my goal is to get a good 6 hours of sleep. Seems fun right? Well, I've noticed that any change in that formula throws me off for the rest of the day or week. Less than 6 hours of sleep and I'm too tired. More than 6 hours and I'm too rested. No chem homework or math homework, I get bored. Well, next semester I won't get to school at 7...math homework at home. Lunch at a different time...no chem help!! Basically, free willy work gets me too distracted. When we are given specific instructions, a format and it must be followed, I can relax a little. I've realized my frame of mind, or my thinking, needs to be in an order. Any change and I tend to go a-wall.

Things that need to be changed:

• I need more sleep. All my work keeps me up. People think they can get more done if they stay up later, but the consequences are that you will most likely suck at what you're doing the next day. You need sleep to function, but with all I do and all I'm given...the question is if I'll risk looking like a mess in school for those extra 15 minutes of sleep in the morning. Either teachers give less homework, or I can try to be a lot more efficient. I don't see less homework in the future, so....
• Actually learn. It's not just in English, but in everything I do. Doing well in school means you are good at taking tests, not how much you learned. I tend to get information, take the test, and file it away to never be used again. I'm not actually learning. I need to get rid of my file cabinets and make sure I remember everything that's said.
• Learn to make long term goals rather than short term. I essentially have my whole life planned out. I've got the colleges that I'm going to apply to, my job, my family life and what names I'm giving my kids, but I have no clue what I'm doing next weekend. Academically, I don't know what I'm looking at in the future.

So to be completely honest...I wasn't very fond of this first semester. I've done horrible on a lot of things, and that puts a dent on my long term plans. I plan to do a lot better this next semester, but it wasn't just academics that made this semester a downer. Tennis team was nothing I wanted it to be, the fun stuff from freshman year didn't carry over this year, and my life is moving full speed ahead. I wouldn't want to go back to this past semester though. Don't get me wrong, some things were extremely worth it and entertaining and most things were my fault.

Notes to myself:

• Get a more accessible seat at north.
• Find a way to not do math homework at home.
• Find a way to convince teachers to not give homework at all.

Blogging Around numero dos!

I picked Roman's imedia blog as my first comment. When I heard the song and watched the video...I couldn't help but show it to my parents and listen to it over and over and over. It struck an emotional chord for me, so I just had to comment:

Roman, this is the prettiest song I've heard in a while, that was written in the past few years. I can't stop listening. I just close my eyes and listen to the music; GREAT choice!

Other than the music choice, what you said about religions really struck a chord even though you only wrote a sentence about it. This past summer I learned to put aside every bias and open my heart and mind to the people around me. I got to hear stories from Palestinians, Israelis and Americans about their lives and religions. They weren't just news paper articles and news stories anymore, they were faces. Mostly two different sides creating one big experience and friendship. When I close my eyes and listen, I see the two sides becoming one again like what happened this summer. I know this song helps me rememeber that we can all coexist!

~

Next, I chose Vicki's dream blog entry because I realized that something we don't normally think about other than a funny story to tell our friends can really help us understand more about ourselves:

YAY finally something to explain my crazy dreams. I've come to realize, as well as you Vicki, that dreams aren't my form of entertainment when I'm sleeping, but a way for me to decipher my life and still get some rest. I think I've gotten more finished in my sleep about my social and family life than I do when I'm awake. Like you said, part of your dreams is your subconcious. I know when I feel bad about something, I dream about something not too wonderful. When I'm happy, I dream happy, and the same for every other emotion. Dreams are like your thoughts in your head when you're awake, except it's like a little play. Good job, Vicki. It's good to know that there are more ways for me to look at my dreams!

iMedia: Jerry Lee Lewis-Great Balls of Fire

bum bum bum bum - You shake my nerves and you rattle my brains - bum bum bum bum....

Sure, Jerry Lee is a little bit older than when the song came out, but this was the best video to show off his piano skills. His skills don't include throwing the piano bench or lighting the actual piano on fire, but his skill for bringing energy to some simpler piano playing. This song shows off the simple things in one large amazing work of art. Not everything amazing is complex or hard, and this song is the best example to use.

First let me explain. Jerry Lee doesn't exactly play the hardest of piano pieces. I'm not saying I could play what he does, but it isn't exactly a two hand piano piece meant for six. I am saying though, that what he does is probably more recognized than that hard six hand piano piece. I would argue that this is one of the best songs I have ever heard. It has the best ratio of musical interludes to words and just that one little thing that makes me want to get up and dance. Some might not say so, but we'll say yes for this explanation. When I think about it, something with classic blues/jazz beats and pretty classic high chords has my jaw dropped on the floor thinking "Wow, I should have been born in the 50's!" The words are said over and over, the same notes over and over, but I absolutely LOVE this song.

So, what I learned from this song is that I don't have to do everything comletely out there, or only like things that are crazy hard, I have to like the simple things in life too. Without me knowing, I've probably loved the little things more than the big things in my life. I'd say that everytime I see a heart on a desk I sit at, or hear the same "What up?" from the kid in my math class everyday, makes my day something great. Every little thing I see and hear makes one big day. Every little part of that song makes one big song.

Why, though, have we strayed so far from the type of music Great Balls of Fire is? Don't you see the people dance and cheering all through the song? Why is it that we didn't keep this type of music if we know people loved it? I think the answer is that we get more caught up with how many words we can fit in a small span of time (rap) or eventually just making the 2:30 song into a 3:15 song. Don't get me wrong, I love listening to more modern music, but I don't even listen to the words that much. I know that expressing oneself in a song is a great talent, and I try to do the same with my own songs, but can't we take a hint from people like Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Bill Haley, Ritchie Valens, The Teenagers, but you get the point. They wrote and performed so many amazing songs, that I can count the songs from nowadays that have the same effect on me on one hand.

Not to say that music now isn't inspiring, but I'm starting to realize that music can be inspiring and fun to dance to as well...or at least have a full sound. In music from the 50's, you can hear all the instruments, hear the words and have fun. The simpler sounds brought everyone together to make one big song...Goodness Gracious, Great Balls Of Fire!!

Connection: College Football and Shakespeare

I do not like professional football. The only reason I watch the superbowl is to see the clever commercials, but I do watch college football. I've said this to everyone I know, college football has more team spirit than high school and professional. High school loses it in their chessy picturesque way, and professional loses it in the large amount of time used just for tv time outs. College football has the right amount of tv breaks and the student section roaring, not just socializing.

I don't really like classic novels. I'll make the exception with Little Women and Great Expectations. Although Shakespeare didn't write classic novels, I put him back with the old people and I do like his work. His work exerts the same atmosphere that college football does, to me at least.

For starters, you have to know the rules. You wouldn't understand college football if you used professional football rules...you'd think every play deserves a flag. If you use proper english grammar, you would tear Shakespeare apart. They both have a different set of rules, making each of them unique. Shakespeare's play on words gives you the meaning in both a hidden and obvious way. With football, sure the rules may make it easier, but then the players have a better chance of showing off what they have. You don't need extremely hard rules to show your skills. Rules limit creativity and both set some away, to bring out what they have.

They both have their fans. College football, or at least Notre Dame football, is known to have some pretty extreme fans. I know my mom still sits and watches the game screaming at the top of her lungs. Why you ask? Well college had memories for her. Watching her team brings back memories and a comadery, while also gives her a different neighbor to despise just for a day. Chicago doesn't exactly give you memories. It doesn't give you a reason to cheer for their team other than that you live in that city. Shakespeare has the same approach. You don't like Shakespeare because you live in England. You like Shakespeare because there is some emotional attachment to his works and your psyche. Plus with so many different works, there will always be someone to debate with.

This matters to me because college football is so big in my life. That's what Saturdays are for, football. My dad is the only one who watches football on Sundays. Plus my neighbor and I always scream at each other when the Notre Dame/BC game is on. There's the emotional attachement for me, and Shakespeare brings some of the college atmosphere to my life. I don't have to understand everything to get the big picture, and William shows me that. I'll always have my Saturdays, and I'll always have some Shakespeare theatre in the city.

360 degrees: The Proposal

I was sick this whole week and so it just seemed like tradition to watch a movie while eating the only thing I could eat...popsicles. My sister got me the movie, The Proposal, and I watched it twice. I laughed and laughed until I realized what I was watching. I was watching a woman blackmailing a man. In most movies, it's the other way around. The men are usually the person in charge or the person with the power, but this time a woman was. Then I thought to myself, why are you being so stereotypical? I had just told myself that men are usually the ones with the most power. I basically just put myself down. After that I started thinking about our society.

There are many instances in life where it is ok for a man to do things, but not ok for a woman to do so. It seems pretty normal for some guys to be jerks, or for them to just rage because that's just what men do. If a girl goes nuts, she's just known as a crazy person. Men can have the bigger salary and be the worker bee, while women usually have the lower salary and are taking care of the kids. Why is society like this? Why was I so surprised and shocked when I saw a woman taking charge?

I see different ways of looking at this movie. Was it mocking the idea of women taking charge? Was it showing the future, that women will one day rise above the stereotypes? Was it just simply a funny story line? Whichever idea it was, it still made me wonder as to how we got our world to have those questions...maybe not the story line one.

With that, was I taking it too far? It was just a movie, and it probably was made just to make some money. The people writing it most likely did not think...what would make Mary get upset? But the people had to start somewhere, and a woman in charge did give the movie an interesting twist. Then that just leads me back to where I started...why is a woman in charge a twist?I guess I'll never really know the answer, but I can only hope for the best. Plus, while I'm waiting...I'll watch the movie again.

Metacognition: The Kite Runner

My thought process goes something like this....
"Food, food, drink, oh good song,read something...nah it's not due, hungry...wait trying to eat healthy...oh screw it, text text text, stop texting....paper time."
After that my thought process is something like a hum trying to find something that sounds like me. In this paper, I used the angel and demon concept just because it's so relatable and something on the surface just like how I pictured the book. Sure the book had some deep thinking parts, but only because we were looking for them. I wanted to create a surface feel to a surface book. After the surface appeal and something easy to read did I get into the deeper connections, at least that's what I thought I did. This was the first paper of the year, so i'll need just a little slack on my deep connections...I didn't exactly write papers over the summer. In my paper, I would make everything a little more distinct and give more structure to it.
What surprises me about my thinking is that I can't just sit and think about how i'm going to write something; I have to sit there and type a few words, then delete them and type stuff over just so I can't get my juices flowing. Also, because i'm so easily distracted, I find that listening to music actually helps. The words in the music give me something to start on and I end up finding a song/rhythm that I like. But with that, I'd like to make it so I don't have to listen to music to get my academic self to show up. I like to keep it underground a lot because I like just soaking things in and this doesn't help me. Overall, my thinking was a little shallow this time, but I thought it was portrayed in a way that was similar to what the book showed me.

Blogging Around

Darrell's post hits close to home in a way that I can't explain. With technology so close to us at every minute of our life, we're evolving to be a more dependant culture and with that we lose who we are. His blog talks about what we're becoming with technology. I even heard that in hundreds of years, our thumbs will be bigger because we use them to text and flip channels so much. With that, I connected Facebook to cell phones.

It Matters: Facebook and our Identity Crisis
Everything you just said scares me. Although I don't have a facebook, I still understand everything you said in a personal way because at least I have a cell phone. Cell phones now are almost the same thing as Facebook, but in a very watered down version. People don't use cell phones to call anymore, rather we text people. I find texting useful and my phone bill could back me up. I can answer when I please and I can go back to see what I had said before, plus I can talk to more than one person at a time, but I don't really connect with any of them. I don't actually hear the person's voice and I find myself having a lot more courage and stamina when I don't have to say it in person or actually on the phone. Like Facebook, cell phones build a wall between the real you and someone behind a screen of any kind. I still want a facebook though. Grant it I haven't really seen my turnabout pictures yet and I can't talk to people over seas, I really really want one, but am I willing to risk building another wall in my personality? Great job Darrell!

~

Meghana's blog post talks about the relationship of Hassan and Amir while connecting it to one of my favorite Disney movies. Her blog post got me thinking about what my life is and not just my friends, but the future and how I see mine ending up.

Connection: The Kite Runner and The Color of Friendship
Just for starters...I loved that movie! I basically loved everything disney until they took off Lizzie McGuire and put on Hannah Montana.For "enders"...What is a friend? Is a friend someone you absolutely tell everything to, but won't admit you do so OR are they someone you talk to in class, but the public accepts them? I think Amir is going through that situation in the book. Obviously he knows that they can't socially be accepted as friends, but if he actually thinks they are or not is another story. He really needs to go through the Happy Machine to figure out his own thoughts. Your blog also made me think about my own life. In the movie, Mahree comes from a white community. I come from a mostly caucasion community, sadly. She finds herself a little racist. I'm not racist, but it's harder for me to see my life anything other than what it is because of what I've grown up in. I've grown up in an architectual, law, business community and I can't exactly get that out of my head. Everyday I try to think of what is coming up and I can only think of my town and the people in it. Like Mahree in a way, I can't see anything different. I as well need to go through the Happy Machine to open my mind about my life. Unfortunately, it will take a while to build mine, (the directions are in sweedish...).