Today is April 19, 2008 and I've been married for one week! Last Saturday at 10:30 a.m. I was wed to Darnell M. Herbert after six months of being engaged and one year of dating. We had a beautiful ceremony and an even better reception. In the past two months so much has taken place in my life that it feels I'm floating. Not only has my name changed but so did my address and my family. Life is going well and even though I'm afraid of change it's still good to accept change so move t a better part of life. Anyway, here are a few pictures of our happy day and also a few pictures of our honeymoon in Cancun Mexico. ENJOY!

What Should I Write About? Arrghh!

AHA! I finally have something to write about. It is simply that fact that I am not sure what I should write about. The thought of writing on the blog seems simply at first, but when I got to write on it. I can't think of anything. I have many interests but I often find it hard to articulate, or in this case write, these these ideas down. For the most part I think the ideas that I have are interesting, but I am not sure what I should write about the subjects. (As a side note, I am aware that I have so far this blog has made more than sufficient use of the words but and about...and it will continue) Sometimes I want to write about the fact that I do not have as much time as I would like to read novels, but I am not sure which aspect to write about. The fact that dealing with the stress that accompanies the Resident Assistant position keeps me from reading or the fact that I'm concerned with ideas for blog posts. I then become overwhelmed and usually resort to sleep as a refuge. Maybe I have some undiagnosed problem with lack of structure, which is odd because I am an artist by trade. Or maybe if I were to see this blog as a form of art it would be easir for me to paint with the brush that is my keyboard. Nevertheless, would someone please provide me with something interesting to blog about.
A thousand thanks,
Fred

Technology Drives me Crazy

This years more than any other year at LaSalle, so many of my teachers have required extensive work using technology. For my main education class I have had to make a virtual museum, a detailed web quest, a interactive game using PowerPoint, create a movie from my teaching experience using movie maker, and submit almost everything using blackboard, which I can't stand using! Trust me when I tell you these projects were not easy at ALL. In addition to that class I have this class....which requires me to blog....and I'll be honest I don't do much of it. I just get very frustrated with all this computer work on top of other class work. Especially when this added feature of technology is NO WHERE TO BE FOUND in the course description book.

However, I think what bugs me the most is when teachers state, well "you should know how to do this because you are young and grew up with computers." or "as a freshman you had a take a computer science class so I don't know why this is hard now." First off just cuz I'm in my 20's does NOT in any sense make me computer literate. Second my computer science class was a joke. I learned how to use different font and space in word. I personally hate using computers and since the start of this semester my computer has spent a lot of time sitting in St. Katherine's IT department.

I guess the point of all of this is.....such large emphasis is going to be place on technology and the use of it, then it needs to be stated in course description, before a student takes the class. Many times having the option to drop the class once registered is impossible!

Rant

Now I am even angrier because blogger deleted my first rant, so here goes again, hopefully I will leave the profanity out…

As I have mention before, I am a grad student. I will leave La Salle with my Master’s in Education and a teaching certificate in secondary English. In addition to my graduate work, the education department compared my undergrad transcripts to the English program here and decided there were some Undergrad class I still needed to take. One of them is this class.

It has come to my attention that I’ve ALREADY taken this class. At Mary Washington it is called Newsgathering – it is the introductory writing course you have to take before you can take any higher level writing class. This class is Advanced Composition, judging by the way it is taught by our prof as well as the other professors – it acts in the same manner.

I would like to take the time now to thank La Salle for wasting 1,620 of my precious dollars. I would also like to thank La Salle for wasting my precious time. Instead of sitting in a classroom where my classmates rarely participate in class discussion once a week for three hours I could have been at the library researching for my other class, I could have been taking a different class, I could have taken one night out of the week for myself.

That isn’t the most aggravating part. This all came about because I am one of those students, maybe the only one, who wrote “too academically” for their Philadelphia piece. First of all, I am a grad student so I have a really hard time believe a “too academically” exists. Secondly, this class is called ADVANCED COMPOSITION, not ADVANCED JOURNALISM.

I realize that Prof has decided to teach this class as though he was the editor of a paper and not our teacher. However, I NEED GRADES. Was does graded on effort really mean? I’ve put a lot of effort into learning about some arbitrary aspect of a city I loathe, yes loathe – more than hate – but I get the feeling that isn’t going to count for effort at all.

I could have been more successful writing a “Fredericksburg Piece” a town I have an unnatural love for rather than Philadelphia – a town Prof has an unnatural love for.

So here I am at the end of the semester, in a class I don’t need (and if I need work as a writer that will be covered in the “Grammars” class La Salle is requiring me to take this summer), unable to drop and get my money back, attempting to judge just how much effort I need to put forth to get an A. Because an A will satisfy me knowing that I have wasted either 5.4 rent payments, 6 car payments, 8 car insurance payments, or 10 months worth of food.

Here's some poetry for ya

In class this past Monday, Professor Pettit brought up the speaker we had in the previous Monday class. To my recollection, he only asked if anyone disliked the speaker and not if anyone enjoyed him (I'm referring to him as "speaker" because I do not remember his name). I must admit I really enjoyed the speaker and his method of teaching poetry or creative writing. It made me want to attempt to write poetry even if it sucked. In this class, I did not share my pieces because I knew they were not as detailed or profound as others. After consideration, I decided to post them on this blog regardless if they suck or not and my purpose for doing this is to show my appreciation for the speaker and Professor Pettit's choice of speakers. Often, instructors bring in speakers who barks at us for an hour or two but they really do not promote involvement from students. I appreciate the speaker because he gave his history, barked, and allowed for involvement from the students. In retrospect, I should have shared my poems to show support for his method of teaching but I guess the old say would apply here: better late then never. Enjoy!

Sense Poem
Right now I see people, colors, shapes, hands
Right now I feel my fingers, my notebook, my clothes, the table, the floor
Right now I hear fingers striking the keyboard, whispers, movement
Right now I taste nothing
Right now I smell the thick hot moist air

"The Road not Taken" by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

My version
Dual paths merged in a yellow wood
And sadly I could not venture down both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And peeked below one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Philadelphia-Turning Around?

I just saw a report on the news the other day, and it said that so far this year we only have 71 homicides to date. Up to this point last year, we had 101 murders. That is a 31 percent decline from last year. So far, so good, and hopefully this brings us a sense of optimism to the city that the murders are going to improve. We need less slayings across the city for the welfare of our police, our children, and us as students. Hopefully, these numbers keep improving and the city is a great place to live once again. I think it will get better, but I do not see it improving that much. One can only hope.

Cats

Has anyone heard anything about the dead cats in the Kennsington area? If anyone has not heard, there has been a person, or group of people who have been torturing cats. I know one was found with a branch shoved down its throat, and there have been others with their eyes gauged out.
I am definately not a fan of cats but who would do this. It takes a twisted person to do this to an animal. Actually, it reminds me of the Michael Vick case with the dog fighting. Not so much the fighting but the execution through drowning, hanging, and electricution. I think that if they find this person, or group of people they should definately get prison time and be forced to seek help.

the last few days I've been a complete funk - bad mood, aggravated, upset, just plain frustrated. I will have to attribute some of that to a good friend - a La Salle student Greg Green - being in the hospital and being very sick - please keep him in your prayers - and it really worries me - but I haven't heard much lately so I guess you could say no news is good news.

on a lighter note - I don't have much work the next few weeks which has given me the chance to get a good start on a final paper for my ethics class. however, despite all the free time I just seem to get more frustrated with being here. I just want to pack up all my things and go home. I just want to hand in all my papers, take all the tests, and take all the finals and get out of here. I'm going to Miami for 5 weeks from may to June to shadow and anesthesiologist and all I can think about is sunny, warm Florida, and the pool in my aunt and uncles back yard and the beach 15 minutes away and tanning. even more than that I'm excited to participate in research at the hospital and watch tons of surgeries - I want to go to medical school when I graduate La Salle and I think this is a great opportunity for me to see what research and medicine is all about.

hopefully in the next few weeks school won't be so bad - and time will fly - and I'll be in Florida before I know it - and hopefully Greg will get out of the hospital soon because it's really starting to tear me up - I'm sure everyone else has their own problems and misfortunes but I just ask you all to keep Greg in your prayers for me - thank you!

Five Days Left!

Today is Monday, April 7, 2008. Five days from now I will be a different person because I will be a married woman! Lately, people asked me if I'm nervious or am I ready and it wasn't until last Thursday I realized what I'm going to miss-my family. Right now my sister and her three sons live with me and my parents and for the past year I have watched them grown into little boys. I was there when they started kindergarden, when their first tooth fell out, and when they learned to ride their bikes. What am I going to do? Their only five, six, and eight years old and it's so much more that they are going to experience and I'm not going to be there.

Although I'm not going to be there every moment of their life I guess I should find comfort that I'll be there for the major events in their lives but it's still scary to know that I'm becoming a relative and not something closer. I'm their aunt but I've been more like a second mother because my sister, their mother, and I are really close so for me to miss something in their lives would rip me apart.

Anyway, I should be thankful because in a few years I'll have my own family to share these special events with. Even though this is true, it's still distrubing to know that my nephews will grow up almost without me.

Drawing a Blank

I really can't think of anything interesting to blog about, and of course I have waited until the absolute last minute to contribute, which is always smart.

I definitely agree with all of the other blogs complaining about the end of the semester crunch, but I am glad to say that I already feel a lot better than I did last week. I have completed the majority of work that is due by the end of the semester, so I no longer feel like screaming at the top of my lungs.

I am also finished planning my friends bridal shower (hooray!!), which is next week. The preparation for this shower and wedding makes me feel really bad for Zipporah. I can't imagine going to school, working and planning a wedding at the same time. I was stressed out planning a party with five other people and it wasn't even for me.

I am really looking forward to April 22 which is my last class, then I will have a 2 weeks off before summer classes start.

SEPTA

I was nearly killed by a SEPTA bus this morning. It just pulled out of its little pull over "cubby" with no indication it was going to do so. No blinker, just pulled right out, problem was I was in the lane next to it.

Since movie to Philadelphia the SEPTA has caused me to get a traffic ticket. I was stuck behind a SEPTA at a green light, while it had its right blinker on in the "center" lane of Broad Street. Then, apparently, it was stopped at a red light, with its right blinker on again, in the "center" lane of Broad Street, not letting anyone on or off. This time I chose to go around it, because cars had been passing me. Yeah, that light was red and this girl got a ticket!

What exactly are the qualifications to drive a SEPTA? I dont think I've ever seen one use blinkers properly. This morning, to aviod being side swipped by a SEPTA, me and the car behind me had to swerve into the other lane - good thing there was no one there.

Are the SEPTAs held accountable for adhering to traffic regulations? Because they dont seem to do that. The duck and weave throughout traffic without a care, or blinker, assuming we'll move because they are bigger then is.

Well SEPTA I've had it. Next time you pull into traffic without your signal I'm not going to move. I'm going to let you hit me and then the city of Philadelphia can buy me a new car.

If You Happen to Find Yourself in Need of a Distraction

Summer is nearby and I certainly am welcoming it with open arms. In fact, I have denounced all winter clothing and now only sport flip flops around campus. Even when it is very cold outside. Tonight, even, I will probably wear flip flops to class. I guess it's psychological...perhaps I think summer weather will come sooner if I dress that way.

With this anticipation comes a lack of motivation to do any work. Any work. Irony of all ironies, I have more work now than I have had all semester. This is quite a predicament. So, if you find yourself in a similar situation, you may want to look for distractions in anything. For instance, sometimes I rearreange my dorm furniture the night before a major paper is due so that I will not have to start it at a reasonable hour. You get the picture.

So, if you are looking for such a distraction, try going to http://wordbrew.com/. It is the blog of a writing group from Ambler, PA. Sometimes they have some weird science-fictiony kind of stuff (it's not always my thing, but sometimes it's okay) but most of the time their work is pretty good. Both my brother and cousin belong to the group, and their work is good. Check it out if you are bored! (Or want to escape the claws of schoolwork)

Randomness, it's always randomness

Okay, people, it's past midnight. I'm wired, completely freaking out about all the homework that's due in the next few weeks. There's papers that need writing, a semester's worth of information I couldn't be bothered to master until now, and *shudder* a part time job at La Salle's Food Services.
Then there's this blog. I have nothing against blogs, they're awesome, just not my kind of awesome. I don't like blogging, I prefer to keep my thoughts to myself at all times, I can't even remember how to sign in. Dare I say it, I'm annoyed that I had to take time out from my personal drama to write a couple of paragraphs on Weekly Scribblers. Well, I've put if off long enough. The final grade will suffer unless something gets posted, or not. Sometimes I wonder if he's just fooling with us helpless college folk, kind of like last week. You all know what I'm talking about - we were supposed to get back those giant, crazy 4,000 - 5,000 word papers that didn't actually have to be that long. Way to lie and manipulate our emotions, Prof. That was not cool, not cool at all.
That's pretty much what I wanted to say. Rant's over and, on a completely unrelated note, TV's repetitive. What are your thoughts on the vampire/detective dramas that have flooded our sets in the past fifteen years? Is there such a thing has too many immortal detectives trying to atone from several lifetimes of evil?

Actual Link to Article

So I copied and pasted wrong, since *I* cannot edit my post, I'm going to put the actual link to the article in here Elite Colleges Reporting Record Lows in Admissions and if Prof wants to fix it he can.

Number skewing and one sided reporting

I walked into work Saturday morning and found a print copy of an artile titled Elite Colleges Reporting Record Lows in Admission. I work in a Learning Center that is currently offering free SAT tests to the surrounding High Schools in an attempt to increase participation in the SAT/ACT prep programs. This article boasts that acceptance rates at Elite college are at a record low another approach the writer and the schools could emphasis is College Applicants Reach Record High.

As having a education, especially a college education, is becoming more and more important to being sucessful, doesn't it only seem natural that more and more students would be applying to colleges? It should seem obvious that Colleges and Universities aren't going to accept more students just because more are applying. If Havard can only accept 1,950 freshmen, Harvard will only accept 1,950 Freshman. There is a cap for a reason, to name a few: class sizes, residences hall restrictions, and other general resources.

It isn't that the elite are becoming more elite, it is some of our schools are churning out more and more higher achieving students. More kids are applying to more colleges, more kids have 4.5 GPAs and perfect test scores - and all of these kids want to go to Ivy Leauge Schools.

This country has a fantastic way of spinning news into the negative. I think it is great that elite colleges have record qualifying students applying to their schools. This means WE'RE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT!

In light of NCLB and how our schools are failing (they are) shouldn't we be revelling in the fact that a record number of students are applying to college - isn't this a good thing? Why are Universities and the media focusing on the negative. Schools are failing yet college applicants are off the charts. The way in which they choose to title this article would lead you to believe that because schools are failing there is a record low in college admission. But that is not the case, RECORD NUMBERS APPLY TO COLLEGE.

We should be proud, we should be commending our teachers, there should be more colleges and universities becoming highly competitive institutions of learning, we are raising the bar!

No, instead we scrutinize teachers, hold them accountable for test scores mostly out of their control, leave them out of the decision making process, and make teaching a profession that 60% of people leave within their first 3 years.

Thats right NY Times, you focus on the negative to bring in those readers. You skew your numbers to fit your headlines. Don't challenge common believe about our school systems, you condemn them like everyone else.

Is it summer yet?

I know for a fact that I am not the only one counting down the days until finals are over. I am finding it very hard to find the drive for me to go to class, study, and do my homework because I know summer is on the way. I can't wait until this semester is over! It is crunch time right now, and probably like the rest of you, I have more work due in the next three weeks than I've had all year. Between papers, tests and presentations, I feel like I have no time to do anything but school work. (Sometimes I forget that's what college is for.) But counting down the days is stressing me out instead of putting a smile on my face. Once all my work and finals are done, I will be the happiest girl alive and a total weight will be lifted, but right now I am at the point where I feel like there's no way I am going to get everything done in time. I am trying to stay posivtive and dake a deep breath, and keep telling myself that summer is almost here.

An age old question

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
You may want to come up with, or even post an answer before reading on.

In fact, there are definite answers to be had, after some clarification. The term chicken is biologically unambiguous. We all understand what a chicken is like. On the other hand, the term egg is somewhat more general and is therefore a possible source of ambiguity. Is what is meant just any egg, or a chicken egg? And if we are talking about a chicken egg, then is a chicken an egg laid by a chicken, an egg containing a chicken, or both? Reformulating the question to reflect each possible meaning of egg leads to four distinct versions of the chicken-or-egg question. Which came first, the chicken or (just any old) egg? Which came first, the chicken or an egg laid by a chicken? Which came first, the chicken or an egg containing a chicken? Which came first, the chicken, or an egg laid by and containing a chicken? The answers are: the egg, the chicken, the egg, the chicken. Given some knowledge of logic and biology, these answers are not hard to verify.

Next time someone attempts to use this question as an example of an unanswerable question, you will readily have the answer.

It's almost that time of year...Playoffs!!

After our last class, many of you probably realize that I am a bit of a hockey fan. Actually, that may be an understatement (shut up, Eric). I just really enjoy the sport, and happen to be a major supporter of my home team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Right now, the Penguins are first in the eastern conference, and have clinched a spot in the playoffs, which start really soon. There is only one regular season game left for them, and it happens to be tomorrow, against the Flyers.

As a true Penguins fan, I am hoping for a repeat performance of the last time the two PA teams went head to head. Last time, the Penguins demoralized the Flyers, beating them 7-1.

I find the rivalry between the teams to be fascinating, but I think that is because I have now had the opportunity to experience it on both ends. I'm not about to start rooting for the Flyers anytime soon, but it's cool to see where the other side is coming from. And I've got to say, the reputation that Philly fans have in the burgh is not at all embellished.

Right now I'm just enjoying my team's streak (discounting last night) and their current rank. And when the playoffs start, look out, because while Pittsburgh fans may not be as, well, violent, I guess, we are pretty die hard about our team too.

Let's Go Pens!!!