Read and Respond "In Praise of the F Word" by Mary Sherry

I totally agree with Sherry's point, that if students are presented with the option of failure, they will be more motivated to succeed. This sentiment reminds me of the adage "You don't know what you got till it's gone" and many of us have experienced this in life more than once. I feel that when presented with an opportunity to be successful and one fails at that opportunity, having realized what could have been if you were to succeed, provokes a motivation to be better next time, to not fail. An intimate example of this would be my experiences with the my revolving door of loser boyfriends. It takes a painfully long amount of time for me to recover from the failure of a partnership, but every time as a result of the last heartbreak, I am determined to be more successful with the possibility of a new Love. (enter real life awesome long term boyfriend manifestation sequence here)

Academically, when a student is presented with the possibility of failure, I believe it depends on the student as to whether or not they choose to move forward in a positive way. It has been said that successful people view failure as an opportunity rather than a defeat. I failed 10th grade English class and I was devastated. As a high school senior I had to take the class over again as well as attend summer school. It was horrible. The educational system made me feel as if I myself was a failure, and that because I had failed this class I would always be a failure and trapped in my small hometown and I would never have any concept of literature or be successful in anyway. I was ashamed, yet embarrassed enough of my "failure" to make sure that I was worthy of something better.

I passed summer school with a 104 A+. My teachers were pissed, for lack of a better word. I contribute that grade to a smaller class size and the absence of regular school year distractions like football games, the lunch hour and weekend parties as well as the terrible embarrassment I felt at failing the class and having to go to summer school. I also failed American History and had to attend summer school again, to be able to graduate. Not graduating with my peers presented a wholly devastating vision of an idiot loser I could barely cope with. I received a 98 A in American History in summer school and now, at nearly 30 years old, I am a Historic Preservation major with a focus in Construction Technology/Carpentry and my dream is to work for the National Park Service for Historic Preservation. I have been accepted into the University of Oregon Historic Preservation Field School along with a scholarship and will be working in the backcountry of Washington this year restoring a 1940's barn and 1930's Civilian Conservation Corps. shelter.

If a student does not possess a healthy fear of failure, how do they define success? Do they have a desire to succeed in the first place? Without a "healthy fear of failure", as Sherry puts it, in life and in academics, the potential for complacency becomes very real and human beings are meant for more than the stagnant existence of failure.

I've always said, if I had to title the book of my life it would be "Living on the successful side of failure" (with a really awesome boyfriend - tee hee!) - or - "Walking on the happier side of Misery" - which is actually the title of my friend Model T's book - you can find the link here. :)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47839.Walkin_on_the_Happy_Side_of_Misery

Read and Respond "The Seat Not Taken" by John Edgar Widerman

1. Reading this article really upset me. One reason is that though I do not want to account for the author's color of being the reason why he sits alone on the train all of the time, if he is otherwise nicely dressed and seems as approachable as anyone else on the train, I cannot account for any other reason. This upsets me because, well jeez, I would have sat next to the guy no problem. I find it ironic that though New England was the place that slaves escaped to from the South, there aren't many African Americans in New England, and in my experience subliminal racism is as awful there as it is anywhere. After reading the article I'm no convinced that the reason for the empty seat is because the author is black, but I can't think of any other reason it would be. Though I have observed this similar situation on the bus before, and I have had situations where, for some reason, the seat next to me was left empty though it was clear it was available when people chose to stand instead. Did I smell or something? I don't know, after while I noticed that many people on the bus choose a seat to themselves rather than choosing to sit next to another person. I've done this before too, but it was because I didn't feel like talking, and I chose not to sit down next to someone for feat they would be a chatty Kathy and I would have to participate when I didn't want to. I have noticed that when riding public transportation, most people prefer a seat to themselves. I wonder if, considering the area to and from which the author was commuting, perhaps people were choosing to sit by themselves, so that they too could have extra room for their briefcases and such. Is is disheartening to consider the fact that this man's seat is empty because of his color


2.Whenever I avoid sitting next to someone on the train or bus, it is mostly because I don't feel like engaging them, and though I am only assuming that they would even speak with me, choosing a solitary seat or to stand is usually because when I use public transit I don't often like to speak to people. I have certainly had times of prejudice where an unkempt individual has a free seat and I choose not to sit next to them. I think my objections to sitting next to them can be seen as prejudice, but mostly it's because I don't like to openly socialize in intimate public places, and I admit, I am afraid to take any responsibility if something happens during my interaction with this person. On the other hand, I met one of my best friends on a train and I had no choice but to sit next to her. She had one side of her head shaved and the other long, and I saw her sneaking beers out of her backpack and she had asked one of the attendants where she could go to drink them. I had just gotten done with the Appalachian Trail, a hike that took me 5 1/2 months to complete. I was in absolutely no mood to speak to anyone, much less deal with running water and electricity. The girl's name was Tauna, she offered me a beer and I took her up on it. When she offered me the beer, her demeanor  was so sweet and genuine, I immediately liked her. We went to the lounge car to take in the scenery and have our beer and it turned out we were going to be on the train together for several hours. We spent the next several hours of that trip getting to know one another and laughing, sharing stories and pictures. I am still friends with Tauna to this day, and she remains one of my best friends and I love her dearly. We met so organically and our friendship is so wonderful and almost magical in the way we met and immediately got along and kept in touch over the years. If I hadn't sat next to Tauna, my life wouldn't be any different, but it would certainly lack its luster without her in it.



* PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT*  I would just like to take this opportunity to to say I LOVE THE TRAIN! Train Travel is a serious part of our heritage, culture and legacy and anytime anyone has the opportunity to take a train trip, please, please, please, do yourself and your family a huge favor and take the train! It's cheap, super friendly, amazingly scenic, there is WAY MORE ROOM than a plane, it's way more comfortable, you can get up and move around, and taking the train has a massively lower carbon footprint than flying on a plane. I don't know why we don't have a better train system in this country, I love it and I want it around forever. Perhaps as a Historic Preservation major I will make train preservation my thesis.

Chapter 34 prompt

I think that ideal affordable housing should not only reflect the income of the community or area that it is in - but also the values of the community. Social status and how much money people have (or like to pretend they have) can be observed easily through the architecture of a neighborhood and how well the buildings, homes and streets are taken care of as a result. In neighborhoods that are poor and run down with dilapidated buildings and high crime rates, I feel the it is often an excuse to say that the neighborhood is in such a state because no work is available. I feel it is because the community's values are at risk, lacking integrity and respect for a better environment. This is not to be confused with the highly passionate energy of living in a rough, poor and broken down neighborhood with project housing and the like. There is a culture all it's own reflected in places like Oakland, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Detroit. Values are a reflection of culture, and there is a very fine line between the two. Though a city's culture may be that of grit and harder living, it doesn't mean their housing should be the same. Affordable housing can be available to anyone. In neighborhoods where there is no industry or work, to me this means either no one should live there or the community should be self sustainable somehow, for example they could cooperatively own and operate a farm or garden and sell the produce to make money. If there is no land available for this,a rooftop garden, terrace garden, or container garden could suffice. Places like Los Angeles and New York have several urban gardening movements that fund social programs that have the potential to create affordable housing, higher paying jobs and keep the economy local and accessible. Facilities and services should be the same as any other living situation in which one could thrive. Healthcare, groceries, social programs, good schools, and public transportation should all be equally accessible no matter where you live. Affordable housing can be in the form of several apartments lined up in a row, or little houses each to their own facing into a court yard together, or a city block full of different buildings. It doesn't matter so long as it's affordable to the people that live in the community and it can be equally attainable for everyone. 

A local example of low income cooperative housing is the East Blair Co-op. This co-op is owned by the people that live there. They have a garden, a sauna, a community room with laundry, and each resident has their own private unit. Some families have full time jobs and other families are students. The families that live there are low income families and they are located in one of the most desirable parts of town, the houses they live in are LEED certified (Green Building Council, LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the inhabitants have access to everything downtown and it's close to the river and the bike paths. Cooperative living requires it's inhabitants to be an active member of their community. This includes meetings and open discussions with fellow neighbors/members concerning everything that involves the community. Meetings usually involve issues like rent, projects, future or current members and the general well being of the community. Through cooperative living occupants have power over their own living situation and making housing affordable is something they can have control over. I think that affordable housing is best attainable through a cooperative situation.

Chapter 36 Prompt

One of my all time most memorable movies is "Gone with the Wind". This movie is based off of the book written by Margaret Mitchell. The book is considered an epic, literally and figuratively. "Gone with the Wind" is one of few movies that dares to closely follow the book. The movie is a saturated, engulfing - four. hours. long. Oh! just writing about this movie provokes me to be as dramatic as it is. This movie was made in 1939, winning several Academy Awards later in December of 1940. "Gone with the Wind" was one of my mother's favorite movies, and when I watched it for the first time as a young girl, I was overwhelmed with emotion. The movie takes place during the Civil War and features the notorious trials and tribulations Scarlet O'Hara - oh this woman is a terrible, terrible, woman that you love to hate. Scarlet is a gorgeous, judgmental, scheming, spiteful, intelligent, terrible, lovely  horrible, proud young woman. She lives in a huge plantation in the South and is the quintessential 'Southern Bell' with her amazing fancy hoop skirt dresses, perfectly  styled hair and lavish lifestyle. Scarlet's life is turned upside down by the destruction of the war, and her plantation is not only in danger of being taken over by the Union soldiers of the North, but so is her way of life in the South as she knows it. In the beginning, Scarlet tries to manipulate a possible suitor, Ashley Wilkes, into marrying her. Scarlet's attraction to Ashley does not come from a place of genuine mutual affection or attraction. She wants to marry Ashley solely for his money and social status, as well as to 'beat' her cousin Melanie out of a 'bid' to marry a prominent Southern man. Ashley is attracted to Scarlet, but it is a fatal attraction, and he knows it. He marries Melanie, for which Scarlet becomes bitter and she holds a grudge against Ashley and Melanie throughout the movie. She is a jealous, scheming woman, and she strategically plots for her own wealth and happiness at the expense of other's throughout the story. When Scarlet meets Rhett Butler, the romantic aspect of the film, it's all over. Their relationship is a tumultuous love affair. Rhett loves Scarlet but she (at first) is only interested in him because of his money and she holds back on her love for him because she knows what a terrible person she is, and for Rhett to accept her anyway is very difficult for Scarlet. Rhett has just as scandalous of a reputation as Scarlet and so he insists they are meant for one another because of this. They have a child together, whom they name Bonnie. However, the bond of a child brings them no closer as a family. Bonnie dies a tragic death at a very young age which in turn drives Scarlet and Rhett further apart. Their marriage, the war, the death of the South, and the torrid push and pull between Scarlet and Rhett all come to symbolize the break of a nation during war. "Gone With the Wind" ends with one of the most famous lines in cinematic history. After the funeral of their daughter Bonnie, - Rhett and Scarlet find themselves at a crossroads between forgiveness and habit, as they try to repair their marriage , Scarlet continues to push Rhett away and she expects him, as he has always done, to chase after her. Rhett finally stands up for himself, and leaves Scarlet. This infallible character, Ms. Scarlet O'hara, is reduced to begging, a hideous and horrible position for a woman of her calibur to be in. Rhett doesn't give in this time, and leaves her saying "Frankly dear, I don't give a damn." And this is how it ends! A four hour, epic film spanning war, family, death, and love - and it ends with Scarlet broken hearted alone in a massive mansion at the bottom of a giant staircase in tears. She does come out of it, and the film officially ends with Scarlet saying "Afterall, tomorrow is another day!" This is in reference to her once again plotting for a way to get Rhett back and making the decision to return to her plantation home in the South. A sentiment that sends Scarlet back home to 'Tara' (the name of the plantation) and something that always jerked a tear out of my face when watching the film, is a quote from Scarlet's father, a hard working Irish immigrant who says to Scarlett - "...land is the only thing in the world worth workin' for, worth fightin' for, worth dyin' for, because it's the only thing that lasts"  OH! That one gets me. Every time.

Several sequels to "Gone With the Wind" were made in the form of a book, another movie and television series but in my opinion none of them are any good. Margaret Mitchel, the original author of the book, received much pressure from the public and from MGM (the producer of the film) to write a sequel, but refused saying that she had left Rhett and Scarlet "to their ultimate fate"

I love this movie because its soap opera like qualities (which I find humorous) and it has huge ascetic appeal with it's majestic scenery and costume design. It's a classic, timeless film. I suggest it for a rainy Oregon day, or the flu, any time.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mM8iNarcRc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrhNPS4nbmQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4-DIldIX6U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnEZrV_WT44

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ5ICXMC4xY&list=PL44C37059E530C8AA

How Facebook is making friends obsolete by Julia Angwin

I use Facebook pretty regularly. It's no question it has changed our social structure, but in the context of Facebook - only if you let it. The author speaks of privacy issues while using Facebook and how it has served as a substitute for intimacy. I disagree. I consider myself a private person but also a boldly open one, in my opinion there is no other way to live, than fully - and this means being as open about the good things as you are with the bad. After a heart wrenching break-up that left me immobile and in one of the darkest depressions I have experienced so far, I painted Facebook with saddest of bad poetry, uninspiring personal updates, rude comments, you name it. If I was feeling it, I posted it, and I was feeling pretty bad. I have no regrets, because that was my life at that time, and it was very, very, painfully real, and as a result, so were my posts. I believe a lot of times Facebook is a superficial facade that only boasts of it's user's meals, drunken parties, sunny bike rides and big paychecks or a new dress - I am certainly guilty of this as well. I think the argument of no privacy with Facebook is ridiculous. If you don't want people to know about something, then don't post it - and there are always personal messages one can send in the place of a mass post. Not much different than real life, someone will still blab about what you said - this is a reflection of our need for control, not privacy. In the way of intimacy, there are still things I share with friends that could never be on Facebook. A laugh, a hike, meal, dirt, sweat, hugs and inspiration. Oh these things can be quoted, announced or photoed - but Facebook will never replace the human experience of feeling.

I find Facebook hard to avoid most times and refreshing when I can stay away from it long enough to have a life. An example of this would be my hiking trips - as long as I am on the trail, I will not go near Facebook, but I do,shamelessly, relish in posting pictures of stunning nameless mountains and valleys and dirty feet (my trail name!) over a creek, and then blabbing about it all over my album. I use Facebook to keep in touch with international and East coast friends and family, and I'm thankful to be connected to them in this way. Their friendship is not without it's intimacy because of Facebook - there is still the messy ordeal of seeing these "friends" in person, and having that dinner or beer and having to discuss life in person, and this, thank god, still happens. It will happen with or without Facebook, human beings are biologically built to live off of each other - in person. I think Facebook is a valuable tool, but just that - a tool. It's not your actual life that you are physically living, though many people seem to confuse the two, and th theerein, in my opinion  lies the crux of its issue. Facebook is not real, you are. You can control what you use Facebook for, and how you use it, just like your real life - but it is not your real life. Facebook is simply the Matrix of our times, a 2 dimensional Holodeck. A most elaborate, provocative and engaging - TOY.

Law

I think that the labeling of genetically modified foods (GMO's) on all products that have them should be a law. I believe that my money is my vote as a consumer. I believe that when I buy a product, I have a certain standard of quality or level of performance I expect out of that product. Genetically modified foods, in my staunch opinion, are unhealthy and ethically wrong. I believe in organic, local when possible, humanely harvested meats and produce. Genetically modified foods are anything but. GMO's are seeds and foods that are bio-genetically engineered to withstand everything from crop pests to inclimate weather. These foods are designed to be impervious against all odds and for one purpose - to feed the masses. Genetically modified fruits and vegetables are designed to produce more than they would at their natural rate and if the seed is not genetically modified, crops that are under research for this purpose are often sprayed with pesticides. I do not want to eat food that has been treated with chemicals to survive, when it has the ability to do so just fine on it's own. I do not want the chemicals and pesticides sprayed on foods to enter my body, nor do I want the hand of some lab technician playing God with the seeds that birthed my food. The high yield of GMO foods are often due to the laws of supply and demand, provoking companies like Monsanto that back GMO product and research to produce and sell as much food as they can engineer. I believe this is unethical, because the drive for this behavior is rooted in how to make the most money out of the situation instead of providing health and sustenance to a community. Many people are not bothered by this, or are even aware of it. The power to choose what we put into our bodies and the control we have over our health should be a right, not a privilege. This is why I believe that all GMO products should be labeled so that the consumer is aware of what is in their food and weather or not is is a natural byproduct of the planet or engineered by a scientist. Genetically modified foods would still exist, but the consumer would be more aware of the quality of their product. If this were a law, I believe that it would empower the consumer to make healthier choices for themselves and their families. The issue of GMO's is highly controversial, and reminds me of a line in a song by Ani DiFranco - "...any tool is a weapon if you hold it right..." 

Darwin and Lincoln by Steven Conn

Reacting to Ideas # 1:  The author dissects similarities between Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin in this reading. In his second paragraph he states "In different ways, each liberated us from tradition"  and then goes to explain further. This is the first clue as to how Lincoln and Darwin are alike. Lincoln was responsible for spearheading a social revolution, in which slavery  and the socio-economic filters which enabled it were dramatically changed through the Emancipation Proclamation, provoked by the Civil War. Darwin's revolution took on a scientific and evolutionary character in the context of the evolution of species. This came to provide a wider receptivity about the natural world, enabling a broader sense of our environment, and how we engage with it.

In reference to the author's aforementioned statement "In different ways, each liberated us from tradition"  In the context of slavery, Lincoln's revolution, Darwin himself was an advocate of abolitionism. In the last few paragraph's of the essay, Darwin's beliefs are discussed and mentioned that "in a Darwinian world we are all members of one human family". In Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation speech, Lincoln reminds us that slavery cannot exist "in a nation founded on the belief that all men are created equal" In these ways and more explored in this essay, Darwin and Lincoln's revolutions are similar, is not symbiotic.

Reacting to the Pattern # 2: Conn makes the same points for both men in the essay, he continuously provides statements immediately followed by an example, in the context of how both men are similar. The author goes back and forth between his two subjects. He discusses ways in which their ideas were similar, and how their further reaching influences are also similar. I feel the essay ends abruptly, focusing on the social rejection in the South of Lincoln's ideals, and this is the only problem I see.

Chapter 18 exercise - Trading Places

If I could trade places with anyone, who would it be and why? If not - then why not? I have always been intrigued by this question in life. I believe we contemplate this imaginative offer often, and in my younger years - I was desperate to trade places with mostly celebrities. This idea now repulses me and I find it humorous but also sad. I feel there is such an unhealthy focus on the culture of glamour and Hollywood and that it provokes the evolution of an unhealthy ego. As a child I struggled with the question of trading places a lot - because I tried to consider every angle of it's possibility. I was serious about this fantasy. I often wanted to trade places with the characters in my books such as Caddie Woodlawn, an 11 year old feisty, smart, fun, exciting young tom boy of a girl during the 1860's/Civil War Era who lived a wild frontier life. Not without it's pitfalls - but to me she led an authentic life engaging in her environment full throttle, good or bad. Which to me - is what livin' is! She nearly dies from falling through ice while skating on a frozen lake, she befriends the nearby Native American tribe and learns all kind of things about plants and nature. I also like how her friendship with the natives served as a confrontation between seemingly clashing cultures, and that this relationship and the tension within, was addressed by her friendship with a young native boy, whom she became very fond of. Caddie is also confronted by her cousin, Annabel, who visits from Boston and is the quintessential example of a young, upper class, high caliber woman with an air of 1860's prestige and distinction. Caddie's relationship with Annabel has a lot of push and pull between two worlds. Caddie faces much anxiety over her life on the frontier, wild hard and rugged with enormous freedoms and unpredictable dangers versus a comfortable, privileged life in the city of Boston at a boarding school, where her destiny would be more likely to lead to the common domestica of the times, a seamstress, a teacher herself, but most likely a comfortable wife and socialite.

As a child I LOVED THIS BOOK! And I was desperate to either be Caddie herself or somehow transport myself so that I could play with her. Many times I would have liked to trade places with her for want of her freedoms on the frontier, but as the book goes on the old adage of "the grass is never greener" - which I think I used in my last post - rings true yet again.

As an adult, though I fantasize about trading places with people all of the time - mostly with some goat farm herb toting medicine woman with a sweaty sexy bearded mountain man as her husband....and I am raging with jealousy and desperate to trade, though I remember - my life is pretty good as it is and we all have our private battles. I'm severely lucky enough - up to this point - that I wouldn't trade my experiences or friends or family for the world, or someone else's. I have no doubt there will be times I will take back that statement, and if I couldn't trade with a person, I'd just as easily trade with a spoiled house pet or perhaps a flower in my garden, taken care of my by me of course - no body talks to them like I do.  ;)

Read and Respond - 'The Men We Carry in our Minds' by Scott Russell Sanders

This is an extra credit assignment, since we did not take the quiz. Read and Respond.

This was a wonderful story about the timeless struggles of equality between men and women. It ended in a way I did not expect. He ends the story with a rhetorical question. "If I had known then, how to tell them so, would they have believed me? Would they now?" His story sheds light on the perspectives of class and gender, and the contrasts and comparisons that exist within these boundaries. He paints a wonderfully vivid childhood of growing up in the Midwest, well known for it's hearty people and tough work ethic. He then goes on to reveal that though he had come from a typical mid-western, hard working, 'dirt poor' country family, he was able to attend college and upper class university where he then discovered the dreams and comfort of rich men who had always assumed that wealth and power would come easily to them as it did their fathers. He finds surprise and shock in this and I sense his angst against his presumptuous and privileged peers. Mr. Sanders spend much of his childhood in envy of the woman's seemingly domesticated and comfortable role in contrast to the hard working men of Ohio where he grew up. To him, women held onto grace, beauty and contentment better than a man as the ones who were his influence were factory workers, farmers, hard laborers etc. The women of his childhood were smooth and comfortable by comparison and their lives full of social reprieve and domestic nurturing. Upon going to college and university, when coming into contact with privileged young people he not only realized how different he was in comparison, but was able to understand that women were just as competitive in nature to achieve their own freedoms and wishes, though he was accused of being in their way. The later part of the story then comes into the timelessness of this argument - class privilege and gender roles, and how we battle these all of our lives. This story leaves me to resonate with the old adage of "The grass is never greener" and that our public and private lives can be starkly different, and that we all have our own battles with potential - whether or not is it handed to us. 

Learned from Essay #1

For my first essay, I wrote about goats. I chose to write about them because I felt I knew enough to outline a good essay. I remembered things I had long forgotten about goats - such as the popularity of Pygmy goats due to their size, and the fact they are an African goat, and are bred for meat. The call of a goat is called a 'bleat', which I had also forgotten. I did NOT know that there are over 300 distinct - DISTINCT! - breeds of goats. That is an incredible amount of biological diversity! Northern European Short tailed Sheep can often get confused for a goat, as their appearance is similar. The horn of a goat, also symbolizing the Cornucopia, abundance and well being, are still made into spoons, knives, and tools. In all my mention of goat dairy products in the essay, I forgot to mention BUTTER! DUH! And finally, Cashmere - which I wish I would have mentioned in my essay - as I always thought it was from a sheep - is indeed, one of the world's softest and most expensive fibers....from a goat.  :)

Library Database Research Comparison

I found the LCC database less helpful in pursuing information for my essay topic. I found two articles to be somewhat useful, but not entirely akin to the kind of information I was looking for. I refined my search several times with different wording and came upon many of the same articles, which, were not necessarily what I was looking for in terms of what I am going to write about for this Essay. I think the library database may become more adept as I become more familiar with how to use it. The instructional video provided for how to use it was very easy to understand, though my search provided few results in what I was looking for. The advantages for using this system provide for publications not often found through a simple Google internet search and provide opportunities for well respected published papers such as the ones I will list following this paragraph. The first article I found was helpful in terms of good quotes from real life experiences from goat owners. The first one describes a study in Kenya in which goat ownership as pets and/or livestock were observed and the psychological effects on children after having this experience and responsibility. Overall the LCC database was certainty helpful for short, concise publications on my topic, but I was unable to find any articles with more than a page to them.

1.) Author: Julia McKinnell
      Source: Maclean's. 9/19/2011, Vol. 124 Issue 36, p75-75. 1p. 1 Color Photograph.
     Title: The things you learn at goat school!

 http://0-ehis.ebscohost.com.library.lanecc.edu/ehost/detail?sid=50d5f695-566e-4f8f-8171-46f99ca6f2db%40sessionmgr110&vid=1&hid=106&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=63603579


2.) Author: Windsor, Robyn Elizabeth and Skovdal, Morten
     Source:  Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology. Sep/Oct2011, Vol. 21 Issue 5, p433-450. 18p. 3 Color Photographs, 1 Diagram, 2 Charts.
     Title: Agency, Resilience and Coping: Exploring the psychological aspects of goat ownership on orphaned and vulnerable children in Western Kenya 




http://0-ehis.ebscohost.com.library.lanecc.edu/ehost/detail?sid=649f2e8f-eeaf-4532-8194-5e593cad63fc%40sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=106&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=66360754

Online Sources for first Essay

For my first Essay I have chosen to write about Goats as more than livestock animals, but as companion animals as well. I would like to have goats of my own someday. I would like to make my own cheese. I prefer goat's milk over cow's milk as it is healthier and easier to digest than other milks and my biological clock would like something other than a dog or cat as a companion. I adore goats not only for their personality but for their practicality as well. Here are two online sources for this essay, posting as assigned.

1.)    http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/FDAVeterinarianNewsletter/ucm133649.htm

Summary: This is a great article from the FDA on Goats as Pets. The featured paragraphs of the article seem to touch on everything I was curious about in writing my own essay. It gives a broad overview of breed styles, personality conflicts, general health, and part time opportunities for goat owner and steward ship such as a 4-H animal. It compares the common pet such as a dog or cat to the experience of owning a goat as a pet and draws hard boundaries between these two very different choices. I chose this article because the points it highlighted were points I was also curious of and/or plan to research and the FDA has some clout with the wider public so I thought I would take a look.

Title - 'Goats as Pets'
By - Amy L Adams, Ph.D
Published - FDA Veterinarian Newsletter May/June 2000 Volume XV, No III


2.)     http://fiascofarm.com/goats/getting-your-goat.htm

Summary: This website seemed to have a more fun atmosphere about it, it was one of the first choices to pop up on the Google search that I did and some major questions are posted at the very beginning/front page of the website. The entire website seems to be dedicated to 'Goat Health and Husbandry' which is what I am interested in, both for this paper and my personal life. It is easy to read with lots of endearing photos, colorful and the information is written from first hand experiences of people with goats as pets, livestock or both. This website, as advertised on it's front page, contains over 300 articles on Goat Husbandry!

Title - Many articles/paragraphs listed as subjects. I will explore multiples.
By - 'Fiasco Farm'


I have also been in touch with my friend Jan at Fraga Farm, owner and award winning Certified Organic Cheese maker! Love You Jan!

http://www.fragafarm.com/

Amy Tan Exercise, a perspective piece.

Shedding Skin

I left my beloved hometown of Winchester, Virginia just after turning 20 years old. It took me years to find the right time to leave in the right way, though I would never run out of reasons why. 

Winchester is is a beautiful place and I reflect on it often with much heartfelt nostalgia. I experienced an incredibly rich and unique childhood roaming among the wild Blue Ridge Mountains steeped in southern hospitality, Civil War history, and humidity. It is also the home of Patsy Cline! Much of my youth was spent outdoors playing in the dirt, making things out of grass, inspecting bugs, lounging in creeks, swimming in lakes, trapping lightning bugs in jars etc. I came to view my house as some kind of unnecessary purgatory until I could go outside and play again, no matter the weather. My seven year old self became no different than my seventeen year old self; with the exception of a driver's license, I would still return home disheveled, ragged and muddy with some sort of artifact from the day's adventures. If I was outdoors, I was in love. 

This love of mine for dirt and wild places would be the double edged sword to cut my life in half. The spring after my twentieth birthday, I left my conservative, rebel flag toting, Coors Light drinking, deodorant wearing, church going rootin' tootin' too small town for the bigger, dirtier, wilder world. The old adage - "Home is wear the heart is" would come to hold some painful truths during a visit back home for a friend's wedding.

I have known Sarah since I was seven years old. Sarah was my first and absolute best friend all the way up until the time I left Virginia. After leaving home, I would return to her at least once a year, every May for about a week. I was close with Sarah's entire family. I considered her mother one of my very own. Kate, Sarah's older sister who was only two years older than myself, I considered to be my older sister as well. My own sister, Melissa, was only four years younger than Sarah, and Sarah and I were only two years apart. The four of us (myself, Sarah, Kate and Melissa) became inseparable throughout our formative years. They were the only people in the world whom I felt truly knew me. After all, the four of us spent nearly all of our time in the woods together, rain, snow, or shine. Short of eating a spoonful of dirt for breakfast every morning, we were deeply bonded by our shared love for the freedoms we found outdoors, and we openly referred to one another as sisters, as family. 

Sarah got married in the summer of 2011 and upon receiving her invitation I cried with joy and immediately began planning my trip back home to Winchester. She sent me a traditional 'Save the Date' invitation a year in advance so I had plenty of time to plan and think about this trip back home, which was not only annual at this point, but it would turn out to be my last. 

Since I had so much time to plan this trip and it was going to be in early June, I decided I would make this trip a huge summer vacation for myself. I saved and planned all year long. This trip was to include a 2 week hike on the Appalachian Trail with one of my dearest hiking friends, trail name "Bear Paw", whom I had met two years before during my thru-hike. I would meet up with her the previous weekend for a hiker festival and we were to park our cars at Sarah's uncle Brian's house during our hike. Afterwards Bear Paw was to continue her summer going to music festivals and I was going to go to Sarah's wedding. I was more than excited for all of this, as far as I knew this was going to be the best visit to my hometown ever!

After my hike with Bear Paw, I arrived home no different than how I had always been: joyful, smelly, excited, hairy, and dirty from my time outdoors. After awkward hugs all around, I began to sense how much everything had changed. Though Sarah, Kate and Melissa and I had grown up all together attached at the hip and it had only been a year since my last visit, I was now realizing we were growing apart. 

I began, as usual, to break the ice with items I had found during my hike. Several bird feathers, unique rocks, pieces of grass I wove together and a snake skin (my personal favorite) were among my treasures found. The snake skin was met with a shocking amount of distaste and aversion from my sisters. I was bothered by this, it had never been this way before. Later that evening as I was settling in, Sarah began to tell me she had picked out a dress for me to wear to her wedding as a guest and not a party member and she asked that I please shave my legs and get my hair done, which was a side mohawk with a rat tail at the time. I already had a nice dress that even matched her wedding colors. I do not believe in shaving my legs, it is a standard of beauty I find ridiculous and unnecessary. I had made a special hair piece for my hair with dried and fresh flowers and lace, which I kept in the fridge until the big day. Though I had abandoned the culture from which I came for many reasons, I still understood what was expected of me, and I did my best to fit in, like I had always done, with a broken heart.

I shaved my legs. I wore the dress Sarah picked out for me, even though I hated it. And I did my own hair. I cried more at Sarah's wedding than I would during a thousand funerals. This was my sister's wedding. I had known her since I was a little girl, barefoot and lonely in the dirt. She was my very first and best friend. I was so happy for her and so sad for the friendship that I felt was ending. Sarah wanted her wedding to be perfect and it was. Her dress fit her perfectly and she was absolutely radiant all night. Her cake was gorgeous and tediously tiered with lilies and glitter frosting. Her favorite songs played and she danced and laughed with all of us. We ate together like it was Thanksgiving or Christmas. Sarah and her groom were the well deserving stars of their own show they had worked months to plan. I shaved. I wore deodorant. I drank Coors Light. I changed into a t-shirt with a wolf and an American flag on it for the reception, as requested. I tried to catch the bouquet. I gave a moving speech. I danced. I laughed. I hugged a hundred people. I kissed an old high school boyfriend. I ate cake. I took pictures. I stayed up late. I helped clean up. I left a gift. I left.

Sarah's wedding was beautiful and I made it a point to have the best time ever and be as supportive to her as much as I possibly could. Like the snake skin I had found on the trail, I would always be the same person I had always been, it was just time to shed a new skin and move on. I believe the finding of that snake skin on the trail a week before was a foreshadow of what was to come. I left my final hang ups about who I am at the bottom of the Coors Light keg that summer.

I still give more of my time to the outdoors than I do people. I still come home rugged, muddy and disheveled, bursting at the seams with an onry joy over my adventures outside. Since then, I have worked for the Forest Service, I have hiked over 300 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington and Oregon, and over 500 miles on local trails. I volunteer on a goat farm, I shoot a slingshot daily, I wild craft herbs and make tinctures, and when I'm bored I'll still whittle a stick while lounging in the creek and if there's a lake, there's a me swimming in it. I think of Sarah and Kate often and I speak to Melissa on a regular basis. She keeps in touch with them and I hear about how they are doing. I haven't been back to Virginia since. I miss it dearly, and the next time I have a reason to go, I will make sure to visit with Kate and Sarah, of course. There are things about growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains that are incomparable to any experience I have ever had, and I am forever grateful for being able to roam the wildest mountains I have ever known, those old Appalachia hills that eventually brought me to the grandeur and majesty of Oregon. Who knows where I will end up next.

"You must be proud you are different. Your only shame is to have shame." - Amy Tan from Fish Cheeks

Ideas for First Born Essay

Oh my...if I could write about any topic what would it be? This is such a loaded question! I have so many interests and hobbies, it's hard to choose just what. What a luxury! Hmmm...should I write about North Korea, The Unicorn Prison State? Gardening and it's awesome therapeutic properties? Star Trek and why my favorite character is Data, how I so badly want a friend like him? Let's see, Historical Preservation, how to make candles out of bacon fat, leather work, sewing, bolt action rifles, herbalism, goats, chickens...it's true - I'm a special breed of awesome. WELL - I think I'll choose Goats. A dear friend of mine has a an organic goat farm, she makes cheese. I wish I had the time to visit her more often. I'm hoping I will be able to this summer. I've helped her out before on the farm, got up at the crack ass of dawn to milk the goats. I built her a hiking trail and learned how to make cheese. I fell in love with those goats and there are some being born as I write this! So, for my dear friend's Jan and Larry, my first born essay will be about goats. They sure are cute, and you tube can't get enough of em'.

I know a few things about goats. They have four stomachs. They love to eat thistle. Their digestive systems are incredible - they eat thistle, a very fibrous prickly plant to the touch with thorns.... Goats have rectangular pupils. Alpine and Nubian goats make excellent cheese and have a higher fat content in their milk. Goat milk is easier to digest that cow's milk and healthier too! Especially raw!  Fainting goats are hilarious. In terms of breeding, an ideal make stud goat should have solid wide legs, but relatively straight. This feature is ideally passed onto the female, the wider the stance the better, for holding utters. Give em' garlic and vinegar if they're sick, test their milk daily...

I could actually write a lot more! I love those little guys, goats that is. Someday I would like to have my own. There's plenty of information out there on goats between the library, my friend Adam in Kentucky, and the local goat cheese people here in Eugene - one can learn a lot!

'The Sanctuary of School' - reflection

This was a great story about a young girl with a troubled home life finding solace in her school life. The story was called The Sanctuary of School by Lynda Barry. The first sentence in the story is "I was seven years old the first time I snuck out of the house in the dark." Upon reading this - my maternal instincts quickly jumped into gear and I became fearful for this little girl! It isn't until later in the story the reader discovers that the author, also the subject of the tale - snuck out of the house in the early morning hours when all is still calm and dark. From the first sentence I was provoked into further reading to find out what happened to this girl. Would she get hurt? What was her family like and would they worry or come looking for her? And regardless of the time she ran away from home this little girl was only seven years old! I was concerned for her safety. Ms. Barry continues to write about her family life and describes her parents as absent and neglectful, thus resulting in her finding comfort and security in school surrounded by her peers and teachers who recognized and valued her presence. As a young girl she finds pleasure and contentment in school through art and drawing, coupled with the affection and support of her teachers. She did not have this sort of attention and support at home. This made me sad for her and I wondered about her brother whom she mentions also sharing a troublesome home with. The ending left me wondering about her parents and whether or not they ever knew or cared that she had gone missing. She felt as if her absence would have gone unnoticed either way, and as a result found a more supportive and secure environment at school than she did at home. Her story speaks to the power of the adage "it takes a village to raise a child". Here, Ms. Barry illustrates the importance of our education system and how it often becomes a babysitting service for children from broken homes, and so the educational system is worth more than the credit it is given.

Reflection on First Paragraph

It has been a long time since I've had to submit a paper, however long or short, for a grade. There is a structure to writing that I have not given much credit to over the years and the chapters in the book were very helpful in providing an outline for the assignment. I chose to write about 'Acts of Courage' - an option for one of the topics for the assignment. I have a tendency to be long winded and having to write on this topic (or any other) within the confines of a paragraph - was a great set of boundaries for me and challenged me to place my writing and my thoughts in organizational focus. I enjoyed the peer editing though it made me nervous and I was afraid that I might take the criticism personally; though in the end it was just fine and I believe my first turned in paragraph for this class became a success as a result.

A Story....about Pancakes

At one point in time, I made the best pancakes this side of the ranger station. One evening hungry for something sweet, after much contemplation on what to make for myself without having to go to the store, I thought about pancakes and decided I would make some right then and there to satiate my desire for the sweet stuff. I did a terrible job.

I began by making my pancake batter from scratch, a relativity easy thing to make. Making pancake batter requires no real skill though later I would find - perhaps it did. So, I put together my batter, which one will often find recipes for. The recipe can vary and is often a matter of preference whether or not one adds sugar or spice into the batter. I add both. So I made my batter using flour, baking powder, vanilla extract, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and ginger with a bit of sugar. Add water - but not too much - just enough to make the batter a very thick soup-like texture ,and you're on your way to making some awesome pancakes.

I buttered my skillet, and began to pour what has always been - the best pancakes this side of the ranger station. The batter stuck. Then the batter burned. Then I woefully scraped the pancake off of the skillet, turned the heat down, and started over. I buttered the pan again. I poured the batter. The batter stuck again. I began to wince. How could this happen? I was grumpy, lonely, bogged down with homework and I wanted pancakes! I continued this process until, in the end, I ended up with several marred, half cooked, ripped, gooey, torn, burned pancakes in a shameful heap on a plate I began to think of as embarrassed to hold them.

I cleaned up my mess, and glanced at the clock. The time was nearing 10:30pm and I still had a Star Trek episode to watch before bed. I dolefully stared at my pancakes which had fallen so far from grace and contemplated whether or not to eat them.

I did. They weren't the best pancakes this side of the ranger station, rather they were the worst pancakes on the right side of wrong - but I still ate them and terrible they were - covered in molasses (which I enjoy more than syrup) - they were tolerable and I ate them in silent protest of my failure.

I haven't made pancakes since then. I suppose I have some karma to redeem before recapturing the crown of my once revered griddle cake glory.

Learning Style Profile

I have been dubbed as a 'Visual Auditory Learner' with a personality profile that identifies me as an 'Introverted Intuitive Feeling Perceiving', or INFP for short. Though I find these probes into my character interesting, I have some disagreements while finding other things mentioned relateable.  

A Visual Auditory Learner is broken down into two segments. The first being Visual, the second Auditory. The Visual Learner is said to "think in pictures, have a strong sense of color..." I would agree with this. I often picture my life and ideas as a story not at all unlike a movie. I visualize my future and reflect on the past very much in a storyboard form, like a series of pictures. I feel I have a strong sense of color and I incorporate this into my crafting and gardening life. You would never be able to tell given the way I dress. I mostly don Earth colors and you can find me not only wearing the same thing for days and days in a row, but if it's black, brown or green, I'm wearing it. My sense of color is strongest in areas of design. My garden explodes in rainbow every year via flowers like purple hyacinth, coupled with yellow forsythia, with late blooming orange and red poppies and pink and blue-purple foxglove. The beginning of the season is always heralded with orange, yellow, pink and red tulips, purple, orange and pink wallflowers, blue and purple larkspur, blue purple and red lupine, pink and white columbine and purple violet. In terms of design or domestic living I spend a lot of time thinking about the effects of color in my home, and what 'things' to put where in context of their color.

The Visual Learner needs to see things being done, rather than being told about them. They have trouble with spoken directions, and can misinterpret words. In the classroom is it important they sit close so as not to be distracted, studying alone, symbols and pictures in notes, color coded items, graphs, charts, diagrams and maps are things at which Visual Learners can be very proficient in. Games like 'Pictionary' and jigsaw puzzles are said to increase the powers of the Visual Learner. I would agree with these wholeheartedly - not only am I awesome at Pictionary, but I consider myself a master map reader, and I enjoy it thoroughly and have developed an animosity for GPS systems as a result.I save my journals and often scribe my daily notes in them, appearing like a secret language with half written words, circles, stars, boxes and bold words, my notes can become quite artful. Having trouble with spoken words, direction and/or misinterpreting words...reminds me of most of my romantic relationships,and why they have failed....with flying colors.

I disagree with being classified as an Auditory Learner, as not only does it appear to be contradictory to the Visual Learning style in many ways, I personally only relate to it very minimally. It states that Auditory Learners are excellent listeners, which I find in direct humorous contradiction to the Visual style which states we have trouble listening. A unfortunate as this is, I am a terrible listener at times. I do, however, enjoy listening to the radio. I listen to NPR every morning and my favorite is 'Prairie Home Companion' whenever the mood strikes me.

Games like Scrabble or crossword puzzles are suggested for Auditory types. I have always been terrible at Scrabble, and though I enjoy crosswords, when I do them I prefer the easiest kind possible. It also suggests listening to stand-up comedians. My favorite is Louis C.K. - and who couldn't love him?

So here I am, an Audio Visual Learner with an 'Introverted Intuitive Feeling Perceiving', or INFP for short as a personality type. These people are labeled as opportunistic, wondrous, nurturing and perceptive. How could I not agree with that? I'll take it, and most of the examples I have to back this up is my community. I have been told many times by those I love and at times by those I do not love - that I have a personality akin to an Artist or Musician, I am viewed as a good Teacher to those around me and I enjoy teaching. I also enjoy working with animals and children and I have worked as a Nature Guide and back country trail maintenance worker for many summers, I also enjoy long distance hiking. A Forest Ranger, Veterinarian, Pediatrician and Teach are among the many suggested career paths for the INFP personality type. "Ultimately, INFP's believe that things will work out and they have the ability to see the good in almost anyone or anything. Even for the most unlovable the INFP's have pity" I find this to be very true for me though it serves as a double edged sword. I will easily befriend many, even if they are seemingly terrible people.

I have been classified as an Introverted Intuitive Feeling Perceiving (INFP) personality with a Visual Auditory learning style. I agree with it, for the most part and see it as an enriching addition to a perpetually growing experience that is my life.  

College Writing vs. Daily Writing

The question posed for this exercise is to consider the different styles of writing we use in our private lives as compared to the different styles of writing we will be doing in college. Writing is a part of our daily lives. We write lists, love notes, reminders, journal or diary entries, text messages and if you're anything like me, daily exchanges on social networking sites like Facebook often take a humorous and informal tone. In the world of academia however, writing will take a more formal, developed approach in the form of essays, notes, and schedules much in contrast with the freestyle writing we conduct in our private lives outside of school which are often laden with inside jokes, outbursts, slang etc.

College writing styles will mostly consist of essay writing but can also include note taking and schedule making. These writing styles consist of a very structured approach with an equally structured outcome. Essays consist of a certain formula that follow one point to the next, citing examples within a main body of work providing background information to back up a certain point and so on. Often the notes we take during class will consist of this same type of style, as well as the schedules we jot down to ourselves. Notes we write for class are made up of summarized and highlighted points - designed to help us clarify and develop our work as we engage in it. Schedule writing is often made of highlighted points or short notes and reminders, often in a list style that includes tasks to complete within the day or the week. Essay writing requires a certain amount of drafting and preparation, contemplation and development.

In contrast, the writing practiced in our private lives possess a more informal character that more often addresses a familiar audience, often presenting a lack of sentence structure, use of slang, inside jokes or abbreviations. The audience we are addressing is familiar and without a need for facts or formality. Letters, journal entries, short notes to selves or friends, social networking or text messages via cell phone are examples of personal writing styles as opposed to the formatted development of Essays, notes and schedules we use in college.

My personal writings are usually wrought with emotion, have a lack of punctuation, (often times in humor have too much punctuation), involve bold writing coupled with drawing boxes around important words or events etc. Private writings are boundless and can often go on for several pages, screens or days. College writing involves a limit to a subject and is written within a particular boundary. Each one differs depending on the reason for which we are writing and how we approach a particular subject. What I have learned, is that a certain degree of formality exists within each style. Each writing style possess a certain character, has a specific purpose and audience.