From the Snow to the Sand

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 ...