Busy Day

Some days are very lazy, but other days I wake up with a purpose. Today, I decided I would get done everything I have been putting off. I rearranged and cleaned my room and washed my sheets this morning. Then I went into town and exchanged some stuff and bought new toothpaste. Then I went to the library and worked on a project. Though I have been busy, I am really glad. It is nice to know that I have things done. It is relieving not to have these little things hanging over my head.

Orchid Gardin

Today I visited a place on campus that I didn't even know existed. It was the Wheeler Orchid Collection in Christy Woods. It was in a little greenhouse with an orchid on the door that said OPEN. The lady working there was very excited to have guests, and had us sign her book. Then we (my friend and I) were free to roam around. There were so many plants put into a little space, that it was like being in a maze. Every corner had new plants and things to see. There were also aquariums with frogs from rain forests and little fountains of water. It is a good place to escape from the winter for a little bit.  

Blokus

I don't know if any of you have ever heard of or played the game Blokus, but I have just now discovered it.  My friend Elizabeth brought it back from Christmas, and finally got four people to sit down and play it. At first I was really bad at it, but then I began to learn the strategy of the game. I have a bit of a competitive side, so I got really into it. I always forget how fun it can be to play a board game. My family used to always have game night - I guess I missed it. It gives people a chance to sit around and talk. If anyone gets a chance to try out this game, I think it's fun.

Research Paper

When we were first assigned the research paper, I was a little worried. Eight pages seems like a lot for me, and I wasn't sure I would have enough time to do it. However, no one else seemed too worried about it. I did a lot of research, but a whole country is a lot of information to cover. And I picked Guatemala - a country I didn't realize until too late that is dangerous to travel to. I didn't know what quality my paper would be. Now that the rough draft is done and I have looked at some other people's papers, I feel a lot better about everything. I guess it is possible to do that much work in such a short amount of time.

Endangered Words

   For Christmas my aunt, who is a librarian, got me a book called Endangered Words. It is sort of dictionary full of words that are almost never used in the English language anymore. I usually enjoy reading, but even I was not excited at the prospect of a book full of complicated words. However, I am finding that it is one of my favorite presents. The words are kind of cool and I could, conceivably, use them myself. For example, the word afterwit is in the book. It means wisdom after the event, that comes too late. It is a feeling I have had before, but never had a word for. I would encourage everyone to discover a new word or two.

Log

Tuesday, January 10 was our first day of class. Everyone introduced themselves to the class and we went over the syllabus. Because it was the first day we mostly listened to Professor McArdle talk about what we would be doing over the course of the semester. We also learned how to use the website and that we were to create a blog. We briefly talked about the short story Harrison Bergeron that we read before class.

On Thursday, January 12 we continued to learn about what we are going to be doing this semester and had the opportunity to ask any questions. We also found out about an upcoming project concerning the National Gaze and third world countries. I think it sounds interesting.