Tuesday, April 12, 2016

My Life in 357 Words

I love helping people. Every single person on this planet goes through some type of struggle. Physical struggles, mental and emotional struggles. Struggles with work, school, friends family, everything. There is always going to be struggles in the world. With that being said, everyone could use a little help at one point. And who wouldn't want help? Not everyone does, but for the most part, when people are at their lowest, when people just cannot keep going without the support of another person. They want help. And that is me. I love being that help. The gratitude I feel for someone who has done something for me, that has helped me through my toughest times, or even just filled me in on what homework was due today. Whether its the biggest task in the world or the littlest gesture, that help that was given to me is important. That person changed my life. Now, you are probably wondering why someone who filled me in on the homework I just missed, how could that change my life? And my answer is simple, even though it may seem like it should be deeper. If they didn't fill me in, my life would be different. Drastically different? No. But, a different set of events would of taken place if I was not filled in on that smaller detail. Now, this is minor and probably will not make or break my life. But I am always still grateful for it. I want to help people. It is almost like a way of giving back to those who helped me in the past. They do not know it, but they have inspired me to keep doing good things. Seeing how grateful people are for the things I do for them will always be the best gift anyone could have. If I can make a difference in at least one person's life I will feel like I have fulfilled my purpose in life. Everyday I try to help at least one person, make someone smile, make someone's day just that much better. Sometimes it's the little things that mean the most to someone. 

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

My Research Question

My research question is going to be, should parents be required to vaccinate their children or not. I have chosen this topic because I am interested in the medical field due to being a nursing major and I find this important lately because of all of the talk about viruses and bacteria becoming immune to our medications and antibacterial soaps. Some things I would like to answer are the what are the benefits of vaccines and what are some of the problems with vaccinations, so we can get a clear view of both sides and find out what would be better to do in the future. This will hopefully clear up some of the confusion that people have about vaccines. A lot of people hear things that may not be true, so we are going to clear up what is fact and what is fiction so people know exactly what they would be getting into if they were or to not vaccinate. To answer this I obviously need to learn what are the benefits and what are the negatives to getting vaccinated and why. I think knowing why is a big part of it because that is where the sources will come from and it will help me and people have a better understanding. It is one thing to know something but it is another thing to know why and have confidence in the information you are receiving. I would need to research from people in the medical field. More so the people who work in the labs and study bacteria and viruses and all the different medications. The people who are studying to search for cures and treatments for disease and sickness. I believe those people would know the most about this topic. 

Thursday, March 17, 2016

WP2: Explanatory Synthesis Reflection

When this paper was first introduced to me I had no problem picking my topic. The Universe. The universe has been something that always interested even as a child. It is also something that a lot of people really do not know much about. So, between my interest in this topic and the fact that it could be educational to many people, I thought this would be a perfect topic for me to do this paper.  It started off being kind of intimidating because my topic is so broad and there is so much information out there. But with my previous knowledge of the universe, I was able to break down the essay and topic into sections that made the paper easy to follow and an easy way present the information. My design plan and outline pretty much stayed the same throughout the entirety of the paper. I wanted to educate readers about the origin of the universe and all the steps that were taken to bring us to where we are today. And I think my essay did a very good job of doing that. I went through all of the steps and explained them and how they led into the following step. The outline changed very slightly. All of the main points stayed the same, but I may have added or taken away a few details from within. Still keeping the essay following the outline. Doing the research was really fun during this essay, I always enjoy learning about this topic and re watching and reading the videos and articles always keep me interested and wanting to know more. The only negative thing about this essay personally is that it took up a lot of my time. I wanted it to be a well written essay so I spent a lot of time on it. But, I still also had to make room for my anatomy and nursing studies. I got through it though and I am proud of the essay that came out of it. Many hours were put into writing and editing this and I am happy with the way it turned out. 

WP2: Revision Reflection

The revision process for this paper was very helpful. By using our text book for the review, it allowed us to answer specific questions that related exactly to the paper we were writing. This gave us a better feel for what we were supposed to do within the paper bu telling us what we need to have, and how the paper should flow. While reviewing other students' papers, that also allowed us to look for things within the paper, that will then allow us to easier be able to find those things in our paper because we have already found them. It was also helpful to get feedback from multiple different students in the class. Second opinions are always a great thing to have and can really give some good feedback on where you stand. I really enjoyed reading other peoples essays, they gave me a lot of new information that I really appreciated. The peer reviews definitely helped in the revision process and helped me better understand what I needed to accomplish. It never hurts to have someone else look at your essay. The more feedback you get, the better you can make it. 

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Explanatory Synthesis Notes

What I would like to explain in my essay is the history of the universe starting at the big bang, all the way up to society today. The universe is over 13.8 billion years old and not a lot of people know exactly how we got to where we are now. What is commonly known is that there is a big bang, we have stars and planets and solar systems and galaxies and so much more. We know what is out there, but why are those things there? How did those things get there? All of this makes sense when it comes to science. If we look at the timeline of time itself, we will be able to explain exactly how those stars formed, how the other planets formed. And how life formed on earth, then ending with how life evolved and brought us to the society we live in today. 

One of my sources is a video on the big bang, which is the beginning of time itself and will also be how I start my paper off. The video tells us what is already known about the big bang, which is not much because scientists do not know what existed before the big bang; or even if anything existed. It takes us on the journey of what happened seconds after the big bang. Everything that exists today was created in a matter of seconds and created the universe. At first the universe was really hot, and full of just matter and energy, but once it cooled down, it opened up a door for new things to evolve. 

Another source I have is an info graphic timeline from the moment time was created up until where we are now. This timeline includes pictures and explanations of what happened at what time and even gives an accurate sense of how much time was in between events. Visuals are very helping in the understanding of how things work or came to be and will allow me to see exactly what happened at what time and give a sense for how old the universe really is. Most people don't understand how big and how old the universe really is. We all understand it is old but the amount of time that went by between the beginning and now is kind of insane.  

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

What is Minecraft?

What is Minecraft? Minecraft is a fairly popular computer game, a lot of people have heard of it, but they do not know what it is to its full extent. Minecraft is an internet game where you are put in a world of blocks. Everything is made up of blocks. These blocks resemble the real world. As in, you have grass blocks, dirt blocks, stone blocks, coal blocks, and hundreds of other blocks that you can use inside the game. When you begin, you start out with nothing. You must then go and collect resources by mining different blocks. So for example, if you mine a wood block, you will get a piece of wood. You then can craft that wood to make tools and build things. This game is about creativity, you can build and do whatever you want in this world. Earlier I have mentioned that the worlds resemble the real world we live in; but there is also a fantasy aspect to this game as well. There are mobs that you have to fight and you can also gain resources by killing them. Certain creatures drop certain things and you can use those things to your advantage. You can make this game anything you want it to. It is fun because you can play with your friends or you can play with others online, you can get together and build or you can play mini games that are available. This is an endless game, so it can occupy someone for hours. The things you can do are endless. The more creative you are, the more fun this game becomes. This game also takes some knowledge to play. To craft certain things and access certain things, you need to know the materials you need, how to obtain them, and then the pattern you need to put them in the crafting table to be able to craft this object you desire. A crafting table is something you make out of 4 pieces of wood, and when you place it down, you can basically craft anything. When you click on it, you see a bunch of little boxes that you can place stuff in. You must place the correct materials in the correct pattern to the get exact object you desire. It might take some time to learn all this at first, but once you get the hang of it, the game becomes so fun. 

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Let The Emotions Roll Out

One of my all time favorite bands is Avenged Sevenfold. Now, most of their music sounds pretty angry and I would consider them a hard rock/metal band. For me they are a great band to listen to when I am in a good mood, but also when I am in an angry or upset mood as well. Most of their songs include some type of screaming that I have no idea how they achieve. These screams are something that I cannot even explain. You would just have to listen to the song to understand what I am saying. Some people find this annoying and it is not music. But I find it full of emotion. Pure emotion that they are trying to let out. Obviously it fits the words they are singing and in my opinion it would not get the point across any other way. When they put those screams in there it gives the song a whole other set of emotions and brings a new mood to the song. You can really feel and understand how they feel about these topics they put into their songs. 

Something I find interesting is that the worse mood I am in, the more "screaming" I like to listen to. I have thought about this a lot lately and I have been wondering why this is the way it is. Sometimes when people are upset they do like to scream to just get all that anger and emotion out. And like I said earlier, the screams in the songs are something I will never be able to achieve and something I don't know how they do. So, listening to this music helps you scream with that kind of emotion when you just can't. Whether it is because you are out in public and can't scream, cause you can listen with headphones, or just because the emotion you want to get out can't be achieved unless you go to the Avenged Sevenfold extreme. This music almost drains you of all these angry emotions that you let build up. It gets it all out and you honestly feel better once you are done. Of course I enjoy many more things about there music but this is just an interesting spin on this type of music. 

The Dreaded Valentine's Day

Today is Valentines Day. And in my opinion, this is one of the most hated holidays. Lots of people have expressed their hate for this holiday. Whether it is because they are single and have no one to celebrate it with, but even people who do have a significant other still do not like this holiday. I personally love the holiday. I have spent this holiday single and with someone else. But I have always enjoyed it. People argue that you don't need a holiday to show love for someone and that is very true. You should show love for the people you care about every single day of the year. But, it also gives you the excuse and the chance to do something above and beyond. If you did something above and beyond for your significant other every single day 1. that would be hella expensive and you will likely be broke in no time. And 2. then those things automatically become less special because your significant other will be used to all of that stuff. In my opinion it means so much more when you get something special once a year than everyday. And coming from someone who has been in a long lasting relationship, you run out of ideas quickly. 

For the people who hare on Valentines day no matter what say that this holiday that has no point. But, it is something that is just fun and can be enjoyable for anyone that is wiling to celebrate it and not just hate on it. But of course you do not have to celebrate it. For lots of people it is just another normal day, and that is perfectly fine. Personally, I celebrate it whether I have someone or not. You don't have to have a significant other to celebrate it. You can celebrate it with family, friends or anyone you care about. And some people do not realize that. Everyone has love for at least one person out there, people care. And it is nice to show them that no matter what.  

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Synthesis Essay Review


The overall experience I had with the synthesis essay was pretty good. It was a little interesting in the beginning due to the confusion I had because I have never written an essay like this before. But we looked at multiple examples in class that helped me understand exactly how this essay was supposed to work. The essay itself was a pretty fun to write. I personally like writing about personal experiences so I enjoyed that a lot. Even the connection I made to the outside was interesting because I made it have something to do with my career. The research was fun because it was something I truly believed in. The hardest part about this was writing the very first draft. But, that is also something I have struggled with in the past when it comes to writing. It takes me awhile to get my ideas out in a way that I think will make sense and sound like I know what I am doing. But, once that was all out and I was on the right page, the tweaking and revising of the essay was not a big deal at all. The peer reviews helped a lot and I found it helpful to use the questions in the book and read other classmate’s papers as well. It was very satisfying revising the essay. I felt like I was accomplishing things and getting better at writing. Which is something I did not feel at all about my writing in high school. I think I have learned a lot by writing and working on this essay and can’t wait to improve even more throughout the semester. Overall I think my essay turned out really well and I look forward to getting a grade back or maybe even getting some feedback.

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Burritos For Dayz

My favorite food is a burrito. My mom won't let me live off of burritos. I don't know why, because I think burritos are perfect for every meal. My girlfriend does not like burritos. I don't know why we are even together because you can't date someone who doesn't like burritos. Just kidding. If she does not like burritos, then there will be more for me. So I will keep her around. My mom says I should of been born Mexican because I like burritos so much.

Ok but in all seriousness, burritos are my all time favorite food. I guess I am writing about this because I am hungry and that is what I am craving at the moment. Maybe sometime this week I will get one and update everyone on my life. It is kind of sad that I am writing this blog about a burrito. But I don't care because I love my burritos and I will always love my burritos. Burritos are pure happiness. Burritos are love, burritos are life.

My Religion is Football

I have been a religious follower of the NFL for years now. Ive always had my favorite team. But it wasn't until I got a little older that I started following every game and learned the rules and basically let it consume my life. I was actually torn between what to write this blog on. It originally was going to be a Super Bowl review but its actually turning out to be about my love for football. 

I was raised a Green Bay Packers fan so that is my team of choice. I will bleed green and yellow until I die. I guess you can say I am kind of a hardcore fan. But not only that, I am a hardcore fan of the NFL in general. During football season I follow that sport like it is my religion. I watch every single game, keep track of teams and players and of course join in on the fantasy action. Nothing beats sitting on the couch for 7 hours watching football on Sunday's. 

I have found a love for the game not only because it is fun to watch, but also because when you think about it, there is more to the games than men running around and colliding into each other. A good football team has a brain behind all of their plays. These plays have to be carefully thought out and specialized for each opponent. The teams with the best brains are the ones who are successful. Having a vast knowledge of the game allows ease when it comes to play calling and even how to pick guys during the draft every year. I one day hope that I will be smart enough to think beyond what we see on the TV between September and February. 

I am extremely sad that football season came to an end today. I will be waiting eagerly for the next season to start back up in September. 

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Peer Edits Are Fun

This week of peer edits have been pretty productive in my opinion. I have done peer edits in the past in high school but I feel like no one took them seriously and my paper didn't get much better because of that. However, I really liked the way this class did peer edits. The file exchange thing was really efficient and allowed us to easily read someone else's paper and then leave comments. Using the questions from the text book also really helped me in the process of my revisions. It basically gave us guidelines of what we needed in the essay, and well, if you couldn't find what the book told you to, you were on the wrong page. But that allowed me to fix things early on. I feel good about this revisions that I made. I think I have a pretty strong paper and I am not stressing out about it like I have in the past with other papers. This gave me a checklist/checkpoints to reach to keep me on task and I really liked that. I enjoyed reading other people's papers as well. It gave us a feel for what they should look like and it helped me better understand the paper itself when I was grading someone else. Overall these peer reviews helped me tremendously while writing my paper. This was a great thing to do and would love to do this with every paper I write. 

Thursday, January 28, 2016

What Does It Mean When I Say Honesty?

Honesty is more than just telling the truth. Honesty is believing in what you are saying and forming trust with the others around you. Without honesty, your life truly becomes a lie. And I guess that's common sense because if you are not honest, what are you? 

There is a difference between being honest with others and being honest with yourself. You can tell other people the truth and you form trust bonds and friendships, that is important. But, what if you are not honest with yourself? What if you don't know that you aren't being honest with yourself? I feel like that is very common these days. People like to lie to themselves, and not even on purpose. They cannot stand the thought of being something or having a certain view or thinking a certain way, so you lie to yourself to change your own thoughts. But, just because you cover something up with a lie, doesn't mean the truth went away. You are just hiding things, and that is really when you start to lose a sense of who you are. You cannot change who you truly are deep down, but you can change and choose the lifestyle that you live. But that my friend, is you living a lie. 

More Than Metal

I always wear a quarter around my neck. I have found a quarter, made it into a necklace and it never leaves my neck. It is something that has become a part of me and symbolizes more than just 25 cents. Even thought I guess I worth 25 more cents than I was before I made this necklace. That's kinda cool. But also not the point. I wear it because it symbolizes my future. When I look at it, it reminds me of what my goals in life are. The quarter I wear is the Alaska state quarter. Alaska is my end goal in life, that is where I want to live and spend the rest of my life after college. But, it even says more than just that. When I look at it, it reminds me of all the things that have to be done before I get to the end goal. It tells a story that only I know about. To someone else its just a piece of metal hanging from my neck, but to me, it is my whole life story.

My girlfriend wears the same exact quarter around her neck. (For the probably 1 person who ends up reading my blog, you're gonna hear about her a lot. #notsorry) And though, I do not know exactly what it means to her; well I know its special to her because I wear one too and we both plan of living in Alaska together. But, I am assuming it is something very similar to my thought process, we have not really talked about it in great detail. But, that is my second meaning behind the piece of metal that hangs from my neck. It brings me closer to her. She is over 500 miles away from me and just to know that when I look down at my chest and see that quarter, I know she sees that same thing when she looks down as well. It is a cute, tiny connection we can share from across the country; and that makes me happy.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

The Ones Who Matter

When you have the same people in your life that are almost expected to be there, they become the norm. But, what if one day that specific person was not in your life anymore for whatever reason? The important people that exist in your life almost become taken for granted. Just simply because you always expect them to be there and you are just so used to having them there for you every single day. Now, the people that I am talking about are the people who seem to be in your life no matter what. These are people can consist of your mother, father, brother, sister, friend, boyfriend, girlfriend. And the list can go on and on. Basically anyone that you are used to having in your life. And most people don't even realize that they do in fact, take these people for granted. It is not because you are a bad person or are selfish. You just don't take the time to think about it. When you dig past the surface meaning, you can uncover a whole lot that may have never even crossed your mind before. 

I can give you a perfect example of this in my life. I actually went through this thought process not too long ago. I always try to see the deeper more meaningful sides of people and situations, especially with the people in my life. I am going to use my girlfriend for an example. Mainly because she the person who has made one of the biggest impacts in my life. But first, lets back up and talk about how we might look at significant others in our lives without deeper meaning. When you have the someone special someone in your life, why are they in your life? Because you like them? Because you love them? Because they make you happy? When you look at the whole dating process just on its surface we can see that you obviously like each other and that they are different from everyone else in your life, that is why they are called significant. But, what do they actually do for you every single day? When you dig deeper, you can see that they are more than just the person you like or love. They become this whole system of support and unconditional love; and what they do for you can really and truly be amazing. 

My girlfriend has been in my life for 5 years now. Even though we did not spend all of those 5 years dating, I can look back at all that time and see that I would not be the same person I am today if she was not a part of my life. I will never be able to thank her enough for the the things she does for me. But, one could argue that these things are the expected out of a partner, and I can agree with that. The ideal partner has these expectations. But, when I really thought about how my life would be different without her by my side, I realized what a different having someone like that makes. 

Having a partner means having a support system behind you. They are like that emergency portable phone charger that you pull out when your phone is on 1%. Now, that might seem like a silly metaphor but when you think about it, it is true. They are that extra push you get when you feel like you can't go anymore. They are always there for you and they never give up on you. They are strong when you can't be and vice versa. The two people begin to count on each other so much for emotional and physical support. I know if I asked my girlfriend for a favor she would drop everything to help me out. They become this person that gives you so much and gives you something that you will never get from anyone else. They almost become an extra life for you, because of all the things they add to your it And, sometimes we do take that for granted just because thats what we are used to when it comes to having a partner. Its always been like that and it will always be like that. Its the norm. When they are no longer in your life anymore is when you really do realize how much they changed you for the better. 

I will never take my girlfriend for granted, and I tell her that, I make sure she knows that. I acknowledge all of the great things she does for me because I know my life would not be the same without her. Plus, it is always nice to know you make a difference in someone else's life as well. You feel worth something more than just the ordinary. And to that person, you are that extraordinary. It is important to know exactly what you have in your life, and to be grateful for every minute of it. 

Friday, January 22, 2016

An Album Review: BADLANDS

I've been big into music since forever, but I don't think I really appreciated it until I joined band in 5th grade. Since then, it has been something that has taken over my life, in a good way of course. Not only do I appreciate music more, but I understand the meaning behind it and can pick out what is good and what is maybe not so good. All music is different and everyone has a taste for something different. However, this will be a peek at what I have really fallen in love with lately and why. 

Halsey's album, BADLANDS is an album I am actually very surprised that I came across and liked. I was a fan of one of her songs and that was about it for awhile. I ended up listening to the whole album by accident and I am so happy I did because this has become one of my new obsessions that I keep on repeat. Halsey is a new artist that people may know from collaborating with Justin Bieber for one of his songs on his Purpose album. She then released her own album shortly after and she is predicted to be the next big thing in 2016.

To give you a background on the album, the concept focuses on a fictional dystopian society which she calls the Badlands. After listening to the album countless amounts of time, and researching the song lyrics, you can tell that this album is more than just music. It has so much meaning behind it and relates directly to Halsey's life. When you pick apart the songs, you can see she is open about her mental state; she has openly stated that she has bipolar disorder and you can tell that she refers to herself in her songs quite a bit. The album becomes a metaphor for what goes on in her head and is her escape from life's struggles. And that itself shows why this album is so good; it is raw emotion, you can't get any more real than that. 

So what is this metaphor exactly? When you look up the definition of a badland, it is, "a region marked by intricate erosional sculpturing, scanty vegetation, and fantastically formed hills —usually used in plural." So when we connect this definition to Halsey's album focusing on a dystopian society we can imagine that this is where the people of this society live. The city is basically surrounded by a desert wasteland, keeping the members of this society captive in the badlands. And this is what Halsey likes to compare her mind to. She feels trapped. And even if there is no where to go, you can still find optimism and a mental escape, which she does through her music. 

Halsey's music falls under the electropop genre and it is a little bit different than what you would hear on the radio these days. So if you are looking for something new and different, this could be the album for you. Her song lyrics are very straight forward and honest. She is not afraid to put herself out there and is not afraid to hold anything back. The music itself follows a basic music structure and is pretty easy to follow. Of course you can listen for your own enjoyment, but this is also good because if you like to analyze things and find deeper meanings, then this is the album for you. The other meanings are not too deep where its hard to find, but it does open your brain up to wonder what she is eluding to and how she felt when she wrote these songs. 


I am also a huge fan of her voice itself. I think it is very enjoyable to listen to and it is almost calming. But, even with the calming effect, she still has the power in her voice to get a certain feeling across when you get the more emotional songs. I really enjoy listening to her sing. This album is definitely worth listening to and I look forward to seeing where Halsey goes next with her music career.