From the Snow to the Sand

Personal Essay Topic I think everyone's like me when I say I have not been thinking much about this class nonetheless any class. Spent the week traveling back home with my buddy and his dog since he couldn't bring him on a plane. 28 hours back home to Chicago. You would think I would have thought about topic ideas during this mind-numbing drive but I did not.  Needless to say though, I think the topic that I would find the most fun to write about and something that has become very prevalent in my life is fitness. There are many ways one can go with this topic, so I have been trying to think of some questions that bring up the different impacts fitness has. How does fitness impact mental health? Does working out lead to a happier life? These types of questions obviously relate to how exercise can help with depression, anxiety, and general outlook on life. It is clear that there is a certain chemical reaction that causes working out to be good for depressio...

Learning a New Discourse: My First Job In James Paul Gee’s journal “ Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics ,” he discusses Discourse and how it applies to how we act. He says that discourse involves more than just language; it involves our body language, the way we talk, and the way we act. In other words, it is a  role  that we put on. I feel the best example to use for this blog is to talk about when I got my first job, at a restaurant chain called Boston Market . This was a new discourse for me because I was 15 at the time and had never held any type of job before. My brother also worked at this restaurant, so he was my ‘in’ that got me a position. I started off at server, which basically meant I would put the food on customers’ plates as they ordered and hand it off to the cashier. After the first day of training, I remember telling my brother it was going to be the easiest job I’ve ever had (mind you I had never had a job before). My second day on the job, I was scream...

Secrets to College Success Annie Murphy Paul’s article, “ Secrets of the Most Successful College Students ,” sums up several points from Kevin Bain’s book about advice for how to get the most out of your collegiate experience. I thought that this article gave some solid advice, and I found it interesting the three categories of learners that she describes. Throughout middle school and high school, all I knew was to get good grades. My parents and my teachers always emphasized the importance of GPA when applying for schools. For that reason, I was a strategic learner for most of my education, and still catch myself sometimes hanging onto the same habits. I will sometimes find myself procrastinating to study for a test, which in return causes me to gain little memory of the information I was learning. Last semester I tried to start the year looking at my classes in a different light, because I was in mostly classes related to my major. I paid attention with the mindset that I wante...

Where I'm From I am from cold winters and hot summers. Where Lake Michigan meets the land, and brings strong winds through the city. I am from the suburbs, with neighborhoods spread over the flat land. Cornfields and train tracks one way, the city of Chicago the other. I am from a close-knit family, who does everything together. Growing up with a brother on each side, and three dogs to play with. I am from music, instruments echoing through the house, my father on the trumpet and  my brothers and I on the drums. I am from the outdoors. Fishing trips over the summers, catching frogs and turtles, and taking pictures for memories. I am from the mid-west. Rigid winter nights and humid summer afternoons, this made me who I am. Analysis I am awful at writing poetry. Every other aspect of writing I have always been able to get the hang of,  but poetry is one that will always give me trouble. I tried to collect as ma...

6 Word Memoir Laugh about it, you'll feel better. Growing up I found that a common cure for when life smacks you in the face is just to laugh. Call it bad luck, a family curse, whatever it may be, but I am positive that the universe is out to get me. There are instances where I actually look up in the sky, and say "are you kidding?" Like when I went to Lollapalooza and managed to lose my phone, wallet, and keys (there's more to that story). One time I slipped on a wig on my basement stairs, flew over the railing, and broke my arm. Yes, a wig. No, I don't know how and why there was a wig in my house, but it clearly had plans for me. My parents say  its because I only learn by making mistakes, but I'm convinced I'm cursed.  Somehow through it all, I have learned that laughter truly is the best medicine. Sometimes the only thing you can do in those situations instead of having a mental breakdown is to take a deep breath and laugh. I've ...