I think it's pretty evident that I am new at this blog thing. To be honest, I'm not quite sure if I am very good at it either (what's with you people and your 10 entries on the 3rd week of class?...jeez). I'd have to say I don't know if I'll be using this for personal entries either because I don't exactly know you guys that well, so therefore, we'll hold off on the detailed things!
I've never had to write in a blog for any other class, nor have I participatd in online dicussions. I've found that no one else has used the discussion board in any of my other classes, so what's the point of writing on them? It really isn't any fun to respond to yourself...not very helpful either :( As some of you might have noticed in class, or will notice I should say is that I tend to be very shy around new people. I'm not a very good people person (if that makes sense). This whole online discussion board may just work out for me. Haven't you ever noticed that it's totally easier to write to people on facebook, or on AIM rather than calling them? Well this is kind of how I feel about this online thing. For example, I never would have asked Albert (AKA Jello) to make me dinner (considering it is his new years resolution) if I were face to face with him...well maybe I would have, but you get the point. For people like me, online discussions def. have their advantages, because I can avoid having to talk to people I don't know...then again, I should probably start getting use to talking to people in person...I mean, we are in college now...sooner or later I will be getting a job, and I have a feeling most businesses don't do online interviews...darn...
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
A classroom like no other
When I first walked into our classroom, my first reaction was "wow, this class is tiny!" I knew from that moment on that our class would be a pretty close class....literally. It's pretty hard not to be close to your neighbor when your knee is constantly touching theres. I'm not exactly sure that this classroom is made for us. Based on what the pro. says we will be doing, I think it would be a nice if we had a big spacious classroom, with enough room so when can put our chairs in a circle and chit-chat. Even though the furthest person away from you is probably only about 5 feet, it's hard to communicate with one another!
Now that I've bashed our classroom a little bit, I'm going to focus on the positive aspects of the classroom that has been assigned to us. Compared to classrooms I have been in before, this class is pretty cozy. Yes, as I mentioned before, some of us may feel that our neighbors are a tad bit too close, but you have to admit it is a warm atmosphere. Unfortunatly, for us daydreamers, the view out the window is horrible...especially on days like today when the blinds are closed. However, some people, such as our professor, may consider this a good thing...he may be able to keep our attention longer than most professors do when we have a view of downtown Manhattan. All in all, I believe our class has the capibility to make the most of our limited space!
Now that I've bashed our classroom a little bit, I'm going to focus on the positive aspects of the classroom that has been assigned to us. Compared to classrooms I have been in before, this class is pretty cozy. Yes, as I mentioned before, some of us may feel that our neighbors are a tad bit too close, but you have to admit it is a warm atmosphere. Unfortunatly, for us daydreamers, the view out the window is horrible...especially on days like today when the blinds are closed. However, some people, such as our professor, may consider this a good thing...he may be able to keep our attention longer than most professors do when we have a view of downtown Manhattan. All in all, I believe our class has the capibility to make the most of our limited space!
Thursday, January 25, 2007
"What's in a name...?"
To start off, my full name is Katie Margaret Kasaras. Like most of you, the first thing I did when we were assigned this journal entry topic was to jump onto google and figure out where my name came from. This was my first research source! Now technically, according to my google source, the name Katie comes from Celtic or Gaelic origin, meaning "pure" or "virginal". I have a feeling most of you are asking if my real name is Katie because there are many variations of the name Katie (examples include Katherine, Kathy, etc)...and the answer is yes! My birth certificate states that my name is simply Katie.
The second source I used to figure out just what the heck my name meant was the one woman who had everything to do with it: my mother. I always thought my mom named me after my dad's sister, whose name was Katherine. When I asked her if this was true, she totally suprised me and said no. The story she told me was a bit strange. She liked the name Katie because before I was born, there was a commercial on tv. A father was in the pool and he was trying to persuade his little girl to jump in so he kept saying "come on Katie you can do it!" She insists that she liked K names anyway because they went well with Kasaras, but I think she knew as well that the story was a bit odd...
My middle name and last name don't really have a story to go with them. Like most names, they just happened to be in the family. My gram's name was Margaret (hense my middle name) and my last name is, well, my father's last name. My Papu (Greek for Grandfather) and his family moved here from Macedonia, Greece and brought with them this family name. To end this fabulous story of my name, I would like to share with you a coincidence I came across. While googling, I found out the Katie and Maragaret are also names that come from Greece, but my parents had no way of knowing this. To sum it all up, I am a complete Greek girl :)
The second source I used to figure out just what the heck my name meant was the one woman who had everything to do with it: my mother. I always thought my mom named me after my dad's sister, whose name was Katherine. When I asked her if this was true, she totally suprised me and said no. The story she told me was a bit strange. She liked the name Katie because before I was born, there was a commercial on tv. A father was in the pool and he was trying to persuade his little girl to jump in so he kept saying "come on Katie you can do it!" She insists that she liked K names anyway because they went well with Kasaras, but I think she knew as well that the story was a bit odd...
My middle name and last name don't really have a story to go with them. Like most names, they just happened to be in the family. My gram's name was Margaret (hense my middle name) and my last name is, well, my father's last name. My Papu (Greek for Grandfather) and his family moved here from Macedonia, Greece and brought with them this family name. To end this fabulous story of my name, I would like to share with you a coincidence I came across. While googling, I found out the Katie and Maragaret are also names that come from Greece, but my parents had no way of knowing this. To sum it all up, I am a complete Greek girl :)
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
How would you rate yourself as a writer?
In today's English class we were asked to write a "prompt" on our most vivid memeories of being a writer. The first memory that popped into my head was one from sixth grade. My story went a little thing like this: 'We were told to write an essay about our favorite Thanksgiving memory. I knew immediately what I wanted to share with the class. My mother is one who loves to cook, so any holiday was an excuse for her to whip up an extraordinary dinner for our family. As I began to write, I shared the story of how my mom is the best cook because she can cook her turkey so that it has both white and dark meat. Although I understand now why the class went hysterical, I was quite confused at the time. My teacher laughed at my story as well, but when she handed the paper back to me, I had gotten an A. My story may not have made sense, but I received a comment saying how well written my essay was. Ever since that moment in sixth grade, I have had a passion for writing. I can’t say for a fact that if it wasn’t for that essay, I wouldn’t like to write, but after receiving that comment, I found that I had the confidence in myself and began to believe that I really was a good writer.'
In sixth grade, and even up until high school, I actually believed this to be true. Then I started taking the survey in English today and I read over the question 'How would you rate yourself as a writer?' Naturally, I circled solid/good. I figured very good or even excellent would have been pushing it just a little bit...I was certainly correct. Following that question was one that read 'How would you describe the difference between "formal" and "informal" writing. Give a couple of examples.' My mind suddenly went blank. Of course I had some idea as to what the difference was but I didn't really have any good answers to give. In all honesty, if I was such a good writer, the answers and examples would have come to mind immediatly. Now I'm not saying that I just realized at this moment that I am a horrible writer, but I think now is the time I am starting to evaluate what kind of writer I am. Although I didn't change my answer on the survey, I am telling everyone now that I would rate myself as "good enough." My goal is to leave this classroom with enough confidence and skill to circle the word "excellent."
In sixth grade, and even up until high school, I actually believed this to be true. Then I started taking the survey in English today and I read over the question 'How would you rate yourself as a writer?' Naturally, I circled solid/good. I figured very good or even excellent would have been pushing it just a little bit...I was certainly correct. Following that question was one that read 'How would you describe the difference between "formal" and "informal" writing. Give a couple of examples.' My mind suddenly went blank. Of course I had some idea as to what the difference was but I didn't really have any good answers to give. In all honesty, if I was such a good writer, the answers and examples would have come to mind immediatly. Now I'm not saying that I just realized at this moment that I am a horrible writer, but I think now is the time I am starting to evaluate what kind of writer I am. Although I didn't change my answer on the survey, I am telling everyone now that I would rate myself as "good enough." My goal is to leave this classroom with enough confidence and skill to circle the word "excellent."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)