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.