last week

This semester wasn't that hard for me. The only thing that through me off was how fast the teachers were teaching a subject. After awhile I got use to how my teachers were. I liked all my teachers this semester, none of them were difficult. The class I had the most trouble with was my english class. The reason why I think I was having trouble with this course was because I was rushing through my papers. Instead of taking my time on them and prefecting my papers I rushed throught them. Other then that my other course are going well. I'm looking forward to next semseter.

finals week

This week is final week. I only Have three finals which isnt bad. unforunatly im unable to ealry this week because my finals start at the end of the week for me so i have to stay at westfield till i finish all my exams.

BACK TO SCHOOL

being back at school is kind of miserable but i'll adept to again. since im at school im far awy from my family. Im not able to just go home when ever I want. Living two hours away is difficult for me because i dont have a ride to go home. Theres only two more weeks left of the semester which is good for me because i need a break from school and homework.

thanksgiving

For the week of thanksgiving, I went home to be with family and friends. It was the first time i went home since the beinning of the school year. My mother made most of the food this hoilday which was great. My mother is a good cook who likes to cook. being home was someone what sa because i havent been away from my parents for that long. when it was time to go I was a little upset but I knew my parents were going to find without.

After tomorrow I get to go home for Christmas break and I am extremely excited. I’m hoping to get my job back that I had all last year during high school and over the summer, so I can make some money. Also I can’t wait to go home so I can play on my older brother hockey team for a few weeks. I’m very excited to see all my friends during the long break and hopefully do some fun stuff. Also its going to be Christmas so I’m going to be able to see all of my family as well.

Over the weekend I took my mother to go get a Christmas tree. I called up one of my buddies that I know to see if he was working the tree stand, and could hook me up with a nice tree. Once we got there I couldn’t find any place to park, so I had to stuff my truck between two cars facing a river. My mom and I went over and picked out a tree and paid for it and everything. Then I went back to my truck to go and put the tree in the truck but my truck wouldn’t start. Now I’m very angered because there is no reason for my battery to be junk but it is so I called up my dad to come help me get the truck out of the spot and to jump start it. I was going to wait until the following weekend to take my truck off the road but there is no point in waiting since my battery is junk. So now my truck sits sadly in my back yard waiting for spring.

This past Saturday was my nephews fifteenth birthday. My mom, dad, girlfriend and I went up to his house for a little party. When we got there my nephew was no were to be found, until his brother showed me where he was. I gave him his card talked to him for a while then went back down stairs. My other nephew, his little brother, followed me down and brought me out side in the freezing cold to show me the new go-cart that they got. It was so cold out that the go-cart didn’t want to start but once we got it going we had some fun. My nephew brought me around to show me how he drove and I was very impressed, he drove very good.

Christmas Break

I'm excited for Christmas break. I haven't thought to much about it because I still have a lot to get done before break comes but its going to be fun. I'm going to go back home to Oklahoma and see my family again. The weather looks like its going to be pretty nice. My sister is praying for it to snow but I'm thinking the exact opposite. I get plenty of cold weather up here so when I go home I want it to be nice. I'm not sure what I'm going to get my family for christmas. I think I might just take the easy route and run through the bookstore and set them all up with WSC stuff. Whatever I get and however the weather is its going to be a good time and a nice break from everything. 

Date Auction

At the beginning of the year one of my friends from the junior class asked if my friend Dave and I if we would participate in this years date auction. Dave and I agreed to do it not really knowing what it was. It ended up being a fun event. Dave and I were going to be auctioned off together as a pair and we had to decide on a "theme" for the auction. With me being from Oklahoma and Dave being from Texas it seemed fitting that we went as cowboys. Before the auction started we didn't really have any expectations for how much people would bid on us. We told the girl that asked us to do it that we were going to get more than she got though. When she went for $200 we thought we had no chance especially since we were one of the last groups to go. When we went up on stage things went much better than we thought they would. We ended up getting sold for $315 and beating the girl that asked us to do it.

Finals

This is my first time to have to go through college finals. I haven't taken a single test yet and its already very difficult. I only have 3 exams for finals but I have 3 essays I have to do as well. What makes it hard is my schedule isn't helping me at all. I was on the road last night for a hockey game and I'm on the road again tonight for hockey so I have to find sometime to study for all of this stuff. Another thing that makes it hard is that its not over once I take the test. Once the test are over I still have to do those essays. Its going to be tough but I'm looking forward to getting through it and moving onto Christmas break.

About a month ago I was home for the weekend, and I went over my buddy’s house for a little bit. Well around 2:30 in the morning we looked at each other, sitting on two 4-wheelers, and decided to go for a spin around the neighborhood. The road that he lives on is the most heavily traveled road for cops at night. To add to everything it was also raining outside so it made for a little more fun when you can slide around every corner. As you can see this was not one of the smartest things that I have ever done but at the same time it was extremely fun

For the first time in my life I didn’t stay at my house for thanksgiving dinner. This year I went to my girlfriends Aunt’s house with the rest of her family was there. I know her family likes me and everything but still I was nervous to go there. One of the reasons I was nervous is I didn’t think that I would like the way they cooked the food. Also I wanted to impress them and I was a little nervous about that. Once I got there her grandfather and I started to talk about my truck again and then her uncle joined in and we had a nice conversation for a little while and that made it a little more comfortable for me. Right before dinner my girlfriends little cousins ask me and her brothers to go play some floor hockey so it took me away from the awkward conversations. After we played we ate and to my surprise it was delicious. After dinner we took off and went back to my house for some dessert.

During the first month of school I went home and went 4-wheeling with my friends. Before I went I had to fix a few things on my 4-wheeler. I tightened the chain put air in the tires and just a few regular maintenance things. When I was done I figured I would take a quick ride up the road and come back. As I was going up the road, I past two streets that were about 50 yards apart. When I past the third street I looked over my shoulder and saw a cop coming down the road. Once he saw me he flashed his blues and pulled me over. He told me that I shouldn’t be doing what I was and I told him I know, so he took my information and let me go. I’m one of the only kids who can say that they got pulled over on a residential road.

It is now officially high school hockey season and I’m not playing for the first time since 8th grade. I miss it so bad wish I was out on that ice with all the boys just messing around having fun. Most of all I miss the relationship with my teammates and coaches during the practices. The six in the morning practices when you can’t breathe in deep because it’s so cold. It’s so cold that all the class is all fogged up, those are the best. This coming weekend is the jamboree and as last year’s caption I got to go check out what they got going on this year. If you didn’t notice I miss the game so much.

This weekend was a hard weekend for me. I had to make the decision on when I wanted to take my truck off of the road. The reason that I had to take it off the road is because we rebuilt it from the ground up, so we didn’t want it to see any salt. I know that it sounds weird to be taking a truck off the road in the winter time but it’s my baby, and I don’t want it to start to rust already since I had to wait 4 years to finish it. There are still a few things that we have to do to it so while it is sitting I hope to finish it.

This past weekend I went home for a few days. One of the main reasons that I went home was to help my brother and his friend build an outdoor hockey rink at my house, which is 40 by 60 feet long. The reason that the rink is able to big is that we have an extra driveway in-between my house and my neighbors. It took us about six hours to build the rink which is quicker than normal. If we didn’t have to build it on something that was once going to be a street, and built it on flat grass it would be a lot easier to do. The reasons that I would be easier are that we wouldn’t have to deal with the crown in the road and the little downhill slope it’s got going on. Now its is just a waiting game till we can put the water in there and it will freeze enough to skate on.

The last week of school is here for the semester and there is not much going on except for the english essay which wont be to bad. I did go to an AA meeting to observe for my essay and that was very informative. I did not only find what I needed for the essay but I got an insight to life and that other people are dealing with things that are much worse than just dealing with the stress of school. these people really showed me that ther is more to life than money and things. The only things that they wanted to do was spend time with their families. they were not able to because they hurt their families when they were alcoholics.

Blog 14

December 7th was my 19th birthday. My girlfriend and roommate took a bus trip up to New York City into Times Square. The place is absolutely amazing. The sites are great. Food is just outstanding. Its the people that make the place a dangerous city. They don;t have care for anyone but themselves. "Excuse me" is just not in their vocabulary. And when you put them behind the wheel its even more dangerous. The Taxi's do 70 MPH normally and the pedestrians just walk out in front of them. Surprisingly, I saw know accidents and was pretty disappointed. The city was awesome though.

Blog 13

De La Hoya vs Paquino, this was a great fight that was dominated by Paq. Hoya didn't win a single round and was eventually TKO'd in the 9th round. Paquino won every round with his thunderes punches and lightning fast speed. Regardless of his arm reach and height advantage, Hoya was absolutely dominated. He didn't have a chance from the beginning and now he must pass his torch onto the next great, Paquino.

Blog 12

Fantasy sports are sometimes used to describe sports nerds. But it takes way more than just knowing sports and players. You must know how to manipulate your team to the best of its abilities. To find the young, upcoming players that no one really knows about, or as I call them hidden secrets. And its juts a fun game to play in your free time.

Blog 11

Beans have to be one of the most god-awful foods ever. All beans that is. Green, baked, black, white, red, any color they come in. Everyone knows of the food as "the musical fruit". This pretains to farting as you know. But the farting is not just my reason, the taste is alo. It is just plain disgusting. The soggy taste is just too unbearing for me to ever eat it again.

Blog 10

Snow! One of God's worst creations. The cold, bitter feeling it brings is just horrible. Shorts are one of my favorite types of clothing to wear, but when it snows, pants are in order. The cold is just awful. I cannot wait until I get out of New England and away from snow forever.

Blog 9

The Christmas Story. One of the best Christmas movies ever made. It tells a story of an 8 year old boy named Ralphie and his Christmas tales. The tales are some what unorthodox but very ficticious. With its comedic humor and witty 1950's sense of story, the plot makes for a great family movie. I recommend it to anyone looking for a new holiday tradition.

Blog 8

Keeping up with these blogs is very hard considering how easy it is. They are very easy to forget especially when there is an exam in, say, your Math class the next morning. I know that I am not the only person that hasnt kept up with these but oh well, gotta do what you gotta do!

Blog 7

Thanksgiving was great! Turkey, mash potatoes, turnip, stuffing, pie, egg nog, oh my god, its all so good. Besides Christmas its one of my favorite meals. Then after we ate we watched football but it wasn't very exciting. The Titans destroyed the Lions by almost 50 pts and Donovan McNabb was playing, so you knew it would be awful (as it was). After the terrible football games, we played pool. Im the worst out of the guys, but when your the only young person among old folk that have been playing pool sinc ethey were tikes, I wasnt too worried about it. A very fun end to a very fun day.

Blog 6

I know this happened over the summer but I would like to take the oppurtunity to blog about it. Goodbye Manny Ramirez!! I don't care about anyones opinion on this issue but my own. He needed to be gone. The man was refusing to play by faking injuries, or just simply not trying hard. Jogging to 1st base, lazily running for a pop up or even just half swinging on a ball that he should have smoked, the guy is a frickin' drama queen. Good ridience!

Blog 5

The Pats are just a disgrace this year so are my other team the Chargers. Both teams are not doing horrible but definintely not at full potential. The Jets are looking good though. I think them and the Giants will be in the Super Bowl. If so I think it will be one of the most boring games to ever be called a championship game.

Blog 13

Winter break is almost here and I cannot wait to be done with classes and exams. I'm excited for Christmas and for spending time with my family, friends, and boyfriend. I miss having my own room and being able to have even just ten minutes of alone time, without a roommate always being there. I also miss my bed, other than that I do not mind it here. I'm having fun and I have met a lot of people here.
Christmas Eve is at my house this year because my aunt and uncle who usually have it are in Florida. I hope it snows at least a little on Christmas and Christmas Eve. Snow seems to brighten up winter and make it better, as long as its not a huge storm.

Blog 12

The essay we are working on this week is about subcultures. I was thinking about how many there are in the world and many we observe on a day to day basis whether we know it or not. Almost everyone we know or meet belongs to some sort of subculture. Some people identify with the subculture they belong to and make it what they are all about and who they are. Others just belong to it for fun and enjoy it as an activity outside of their day to day life. I believe subcultures are a big part of what make people up. It does not have to completely define them but it does impact them and their lives.

Blog 11

I am not looking forward to this upcoming week. I have three papers due and a test and I am getting stressed. After this week we have finals so I will probably still be stressed then. I think I am doing well in my classes so far so I just need to make it through these last two weeks and then the semester will be over. My classes seem like they will be easier next semester and plus I do not have any 8:15 classes. It will be nice not getting up so early and will make it a little easier to go to class. This semester went by quickly and I think the second one will too. We have a bunch of long weekends and spring break. I like being away at school but it is always nice to come home to your own house, family and friends.

Boston Sports

Boston sports have been really exiting the past few weeks. Especially the winter season teams like the Bruins and the Celtics. The Patriots are also playing with a new enthusiasm with Matt Cassell at Quarterback. However, Im mainly exited about the Bruins and the Celtics. They are doing so well and are both at the tops of their divisions. They give me something to watch on TV these days too and I can communicate and watch the games with my friends. I love sports as it is, and now that the teams from my city are doing well it makes it much more entertaining.

Winter Break

Christmas break is coming in two weeks and I am really excited. I can not wait to see my family and my friends and to be with them over the holidays. It will be very relaxing considering I have been working really hard during this first semester. Now I will be able to relax for more than a month and catch up on some much needed sleep. However, although im looking forward to break, im going to miss my friends at school and I will be anxious to get back

There is less then one week left in school and then we are out for about a month. This is great except for the fact that I am just relizing I could have worked harder in all of my classes and it might be to late to really bring the grades up. Even though I know that I am not failing I still wish I could have all of my grades up to at least B's just cause that would look nice. having about a month off will be nice so that i can get a few full weeks of work in so that I can save money for a new truck hopefully by the end of the second semester.

Winter

Were in December now and its starting to get pretty chilly. I'm not a big fan of cold weather. I'm from Oklahoma where typically it won't ever go much lower than 20 degrees unless we have a terrible winter. I mean I have lived in cold places before. I've lived in Ohio, Montana, and I lived in Canada. But I never had to deal with it like here. When I lived in Canada I would  just walk to the car and into a place. I didn't have to walk to and from classes. I really never walked anywhere in the winter in those places where as here I'm walking everywhere. The worst part is its not even close to being as cold as it will get. So I'm going to have to adjust to this weather quick.

2 more weeks

The end of the semester is very close. We only have two weeks left. So far things haven't been to bad in this first semester of college. I don't exactly know what my grades are but I don't think they are too bad. Obviously I would like them to be a little better but there not to bad. Now I just have to really focus these last two weeks to finish strong. Its crunch time and I have a lot of exams and big assignments due these last two weeks and if I get through all of it alright then this should end up being a pretty good semester. 

Thanksgiving break

Thanksgiving was a good time. I got to go home for the first time since I came up to Westfield. Because I have been moving all over the place for hockey this was the first time in 6 years that I was at home for Thanksgiving. It was a lot of fun because I got to see all of my family. I also got to enjoy much nicer weather down in Oklahoma. It was nice enough that my brother, dad, and I got to golf twice while I was down there. Thanksgiving day was great. I got to eat tons of great food and watch the Cowboys lay a beating on the Seahawks. I really enjoyed the quick little break away from everything but I'm excited to be back at Westfield now. 

thanksgiving

The past week i had been home for Thanksgiving break. It was a real good weekend, I spent a lot of time with my family and friends. On Thanksgiving I went to my aunts house where I had a great meal and watched a lot of football with my family. Then every other day stayed in till the night and then went out later on with my friends and enjoyed being back at home with them. One of my friends that goes to USAFA in Colorado was even home, I had not seen him in about 6 months so that was really good. Overall the week was great and I can not wait to go home for winter break and see my family and friends again.

Wow today is the last day before the thanksgiving break even though I am a commuter I finally get to just go home and not have to think about school for a couple of days. By the time sunday comes I will most likely do all of my home work even though I have said to my self that I would do it in the begining of the break. I know that that won't happen because I will be to busy being with my family.

happy birthday

thats right its my birthday but its no big deal tomorrow am one year closer to being out of the teens era. its kind of funny even though am turning 19 tomorrow it has not phased me yet guess am gonna go through my birthday not even feeling it. i also dont think it is a smart idea to cath up on my blogs all on one day so ill save some for after my birthday so i can have a couple more stories to tell and i also wish everyone else whos birthday it is today a very very happy birthday and to enjoy it it only comes around ones a year.

getting back on track

i got all my essays back and see that am not doing all that good i need to step it up but hey i know i can do it. 2 D's and a C not sure but i think i earned them and does are grades i don't want. i thought i had a pretty solid grasp on English guess i was wrong but i think i still have some time to make up my grades oh yea and on top of that my other classes aint so great ether but i see the light first step to fixing a problem is recognizing u have one.

ouch only 3 blogs

i have been slacking lately not sure why but i have to get back on track one month left and its all over. hope i dont fail this class but i have seen better days i went through a pretty heavy weekend that opened my eyes to what i was doing wrong. i told both my mother and my brother about my grades and they took me on a little field trip to go see a couple of people lets just say these people should me its not a good idea to slack it ends up being ten times harder than acctually putting in the work.

I can't believe it is Thanksgiving already this semester has flown by just like when I flew down to New Haven. That went by really quick and the air trafic controllers were talking so much to me and other planes I didn't know what went on half of the time. I am finally ready for my solo cross counrty trip, that will be eventful. i don't understand why they call it a cross country though it only is going to be about fifty miles so its not really that far. Thanksgiving being already hear is great I get to see my entire family and go to my home town football game in the rivals town of Westspringfield MA. Thats going to be great seeing old friends. This short week of only two days will be great I will be able to work so that I can have money to buy christmass gifts and such.

Blog 10

I might have to work over Thanksgiving break, but I need the money for Christmas and other things so I want to work as much as I can while I am home. I do not have a job here at school yet, but I want to find one soon. I feel like it is hard to find one on campus because the majority of the jobs are for the work study students. I do not have a car on campus yet so I don't want to get a job off-campus and have to rely on the bus.
At home, I work at the Old Navy in the mall near my house. The job itself is easy, but I do not suggest working in retail to anyone. The customers my co-workers and I come in contact with are, a lot of the time, ridiculous and not very understanding or friendly. Customers also get crazy if they think something is on sale when it actually isn't, just because they misread a sign they blame it on the store. Returns are especially hard to deal with because people do not understand the concept of saving a receipt or a tag and that something cannot be returned like a year later.

Blog 9

I'm leaving on Tuesday for Thanksgiving break, it will be nice to have a break from classes and to see my family, boyfriend, and friends. Thanksgiving day is at my house every year. This year it is going to be different because it will be smaller. Only my brother, his wife and his kids will be there with my family. Usually my brother and all my sisters and their kids, my nieces and nephew, are there. But, this year my two sisters are going to spend Thanksgiving with their mother in Pennsylvania. Also, my uncles are taking their turn spending Thanksgiving with their wives side of the family. So, next year there will be almost everyone at my house. My mom goes to such hard work to make sure everything is perfect on any holiday so I wish everyone was coming this year so that they can all enjoy the hard work she goes to, from the decorations to food.

This week I have to write three seperate essay. This week i have to dedicated to writing my essays. The good news about this week is that its one more week till the holiday days.

Uneventful

Nothing happened this weekend at all. I went home, and pretty just caught up with my family. Just some good old fashion talking-time. The Pats losing kinda did put a damper over the whole weekend but oh well, what are ya gonna do, right.

Friends

Ever since I have been attending Westfield State College i have made a few new close friends. Between Ethan, Champ, Curt, Aaron,JJ and Ty i feel very safe on campus. I Know that i have kids at School to keep an eye out for me and that makes me feel very good. For instance I almost got in a fight the other day and they all were there to back me. They can also be sure that I will always be there to back them up... it is mutual. I know I will always have my friends from home but it feels good knowing a have a good set of friends at school as well.

This week I had a couple of midterms. This week also went by fasts because of the holiday. classes were cancelled on tuesday which gave me time to catch up on my homework. The semester is coming to a close and I have been assigned a lot of homework. For the rest of the week I'm most likely going to be finishing up on my class assignment.

Microeconomics is horible my teacher looks like he is about to die he is so old. He does a bad job teaching and keeping me interested in class. Yes there is one good thing that he does not give tests or a final but I have no idea what he is grading us on. This class is getting to be a problem because I don't think that I am learning much and I don't now how I can have a grade in this class to tell me if I learned or not.

Math Problems

So we started derivatives in my Calculus I class. For some reason their not very hard to grasp but when letters start replacing numbers and their become more numbers than actual letters things get pretty confusing. I think I may get the hang of it surprisingly. It actually pretty interesting when you get down to the nitty gritty.

Basketball

Recently at school i was invited to play on an intramural basketball team.  I was very exited when i was asked to play because I had always loved playing basketball but I did not want to try out for the schools team. Now I have a way to play without a huge commitment. 

We have had our first regular season game in which we won. I played a decent game, grabbing a few rebounds and playing some good defense. I struggled a little on the offensive end of the court but thats nothing a little shooting around in the gym cant fix. Im very exited to be on the team and im looking forward to the rest of the season.

The days

It was 5:00 am and i was a slave till 3pm. Today was a day that i had to walk, asking for help is a sign of weakness in the eyes of my father so who was I to walk a different road, I would never ask my mom to wake up at that hour to give me a ride to work; so i walked. I timed myself before so i knew that it would take approximatly 13 minutes to get to work and yet... three minutes in my hands were numb and the rain that should have been snow felt like thousands of needles against my skin. As i walk to the front of the store I question if my hands were still attached but too lazy to look i reached for the door. Going through the normal routine of work i figured today shouldnt be so bad, it's just another sunday. By 9:00 the department was all set, by 11:00 I was so board I cleaned things and by 3:00 i was free. Cant wait to do it again next week               

Weekend

This weekend was a fun weekend for me. My mom and brother came up to visit. It was a lot of fun for me to see them. My brother had never been up here before. He's 16 years old so he was really excited to see the college and to see what it is like. I showed him around and he had a blast. He had never walked around any college before so it was a fun experience for him. My mom had a good time too. I'm really glad they came up this weekend because I hadn't seen them a few months and it was nice to see them again. 

halloween

This weekend I went to a couple of halloween parties. I dressed up as the Fresh Prince. Me and My friends had a great time. This Halloween was different from the rest because I was in a new town and didn't really no the area. I still had alot of fun with all my friends.

Blog 8

The weather is already getting freezing here, especially at night. Some days it will be warm and sunny with a cool breeze but then at night the temperature drops down very low. I cannot imagine how it is going to be in the winter. I am going to need heavy winter clothes just to walk to class. We will also probably get a lot of snow. I do not mind the snow it is very pretty and plus there will hopefully be some snow days!

Halloween

This year Halloween was a good time. I didn't do anything on Halloween night because I had a pre-season hockey game the next day. But it was still fun to see everybody on our hall dress up and to see my roommates dress up. It's always funny seeing what costumes people come up with and how they make them look on Halloween. Some people I saw were very creative with their outfits. Especially with everyone being on there own in college and not having money to buy costumes, most costumes had to be hand made or ended up getting thrown together at the last minute.

First Semester

The first semester of college is flying by. I am already choosing my next semester classes. This first semester was so much fun. I never really enjoyed learning in high school, but now that I am in college i actually enjoy my classes. The law classes I take and political classes i take are really interesting. I guess its because i wanna be a police officer so the classes involve what I wanna do when I am older. I cant wait to start taking a lot more of my major classes over the next three years. Im sure they will be very exiting.

This week is the first week of hockey season. Last week we had our first official team work outs. We did a lot of sprints and stuff but we didn't get to get on the ice until today. It felt great to finally get out there. It started off a little rough because you could tell a lot of guys were nervous but once everybody got into it things went pretty well. It was a good practice and the team looked pretty good, especially for a first day. I'm looking forward to practicing again tomorrow and getting more into the swing of the season.

Blog 7

Fall is probably my favorite season. I do love the summer and swimming, getting a tan, and going to the beach, but I love the weather and the feeling of fall. I like when it is warm with a little breeze and you can wear a t-shirt and jeans and be comfortable. I also love the foliage and the way everything changes and looks in the fall.
Halloween is this Friday which is another one of my favorite things about fall. I like dressing up on Halloween and I miss going trick-or-treating with all my friends when I was young. Haunted houses and scary movies are more things I like about the fall and Halloween.
For Halloween I am going to UMass to see my boyfriend. A bunch of our friends from our hometown are coming there and some of my friends from here are going too. I am dressing up as a referee and my boyfriend might be a boxer.

So my mom is going away this weekend with all of her sisters. They do this every year for a trip to who knows where and all they do is go shopping. I hope that i don't starve this weekend cause my day can't cook and he doesn't like to order out. I might have to resort to cereal all weekend or I will just have to go out myself. The only thing that I'm happy about is that my dad doesn't care what time I'm home so I will deffinetly be able to stay out late and just goof off with my friends. When ever my mom goes away she does usuall get use something but this year might be different cause I really don't even want anything, just to survive with food.

upset

Thiss week was the ALCS championship games between the Boston Red Sox And the Tampa Bay Rays. In game 1, the Red sox won. Tampa Bay came back in game 2 and 3 to take the lead in the series. what was an exciting moment for the boston red sox fans was when the team rallied back to tie the series. Then it happend in game 6 the Tampa Bay Rays won the series and took away the World Series hope away from the fans of Boston.

Obama

My ballet came in the mail today and I happily made my votes. I voted for senator Obama. I am a very big liberal and I and all about the changes he has proposed. I feel that the government needs to start helping out this country more and I love the ideas he has had to help fix the government. 

This is my first presidential election I will be voting at and Im very happy to make a difference in this country. I have sat by and watched as my parents were able to make choices that could effect the country and I am very happy to have that same privilege now.

Wedding reception

Over the weekend I went to my girlfriend's sister's wedding reception. It was very exciting, and I had a lot of fun. My girlfriend didn't know she had to make a speech, because she was the made of honor. She decided to wing it, and it came out pretty good. She started crying so she had to stop. It was also fun because I got to see a lot of my old friends, and got to eat real food. That may have been my favorite part. I'm very happy for Jessy and Nick they are both great people and they will have a happy life together.

Red sox

I don't usualy go for Boston team. But last night was a night I won't be forgetting any time soon. The Boston Red Sox lost game seven, we should've never got rid of Manny Ramirez. He could've made a difference on last night's game. The Red Sox let us down, "again". Lets just hope the celtics don't do the same thing.

Blog 6

The Red Sox lost game seven tonight. It was not a great end to the weekend. I thought they were going to win after coming back the way they did in the past few games. When I was at Umass the other night when the Red Sox won there was a small riot. I went outside and saw it but was not involved in it. Back inside, I looked out the window at it and a riot squad was there to break it up and keep everything under control. Other times when there were riots people had flipped over cars and caused about $100,000 in damage.

Blog 5

Over the past weekend, I went to six flags for the first time! I went on all the roller coasters, even Superman. When it came time to go on Superman I almost chickened-out because I was so nervous but i knew I would regret it if I did not. It was so worth it; it was so much fun I went on it twice. Even though it was just a roller coaster, I feel like I faced one of my fears. Instead of taking the easy way out and just not going on it, I stayed brave and gave it a chance.

Flipping your 4-wheeler going about 40 to 35 miles an hour. Over the Columbus Day weekend I went 4-wheeleing with my friends, and girlfriend. After teaching my girlfriend how to ride a 4-wheeler I took mine out for a ride. Well I was going down a straight-away and I hit a rock that bounced the rear end of my 4-wheeler out to the right. At the time I was going over flattened wops so it was still a little bumpy. Well it was bucking back and forth and stupid me I got out of it so it rolled. I ended up 15 feet away from my 4-wheeler. I got right back up and looked back at it still rolling so I started to run to it because once it stopped it was pissing gas out of the overflows. The only thing that happened to my 4-wheeler was that the clutch, brake, and handlebars were bent down. Also I only messed up my knee and elbow.

Red Sox Come Back

Last night was a crazy night. The Boston Red Sox were down 7 runs. They looked absolutely awful and I had almost lost hope in the series until David Ortiz and J.D. Drew showed some heroics. The two had sparked a come back in which the Red Sox won the game by one run. It was another amazing Red Sox game that I was able to see in my life. 

After the game the campus got pretty crazy. Out by the old apartments a lot of students gathered. Chanting "lets go Red Sox" and other chants we all had a great time. It was the first experience I had at WSC following a big Boston Sports victory. I had a great time and if the Red Sox win the series I am sure it will only get more exiting. So lets hope for it.

Long Weekend

Yeah, so this past long weekend was very nice. Nothing over the top but I had fun. I went shopping around with my best friend looking for Halloween stuff. Watch some of the playoffs. I also watched Nightmare Before Christmas, and if you have never watched it I suggest you do. It is great, specially in 3D. Anyways, that was fun. Only problem about the weekend was the Dentist :( I got a cavity filled. Problem was that I kept feeling all the drilling so it 3 shots of Novocain to make me not feel anything. My face was half asleep by the time I got out of there. So that was the weekend. I miss my casa already!

Image Analysis- Tiger

an Wilson

English 101+

Analyzing Image

Tiger

            The professional world of golf is completely different now than it was back when it originated.  Golf is even different from ten years ago.  Professional golfers do more than play golf.  They have become walking posters and advertisements.  Most noticeably you might see them hit a good shot or sink a good putt but subconsciously you’re constantly seeing subtle symbols and advertisers names written everywhere. 

This image is an image of 3 golfers, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Adam Scott standing around talking and shaking hands before a round of golf.  Tiger Woods is in the center of the two golfers and the picture.  His whole front is facing the camera and is the main focus of this image.  He is looking at Adam Scott who is to his right but the left side of the picture.  Adam and Tiger are shaking hands; you can see the back and right side of Adam but not his full face.  Phil Mickelson is on Tigers left and on the right side of the picture.  He is standing there kind of in a mirror image of Adam facing both Adam and Tiger.  Like with Adam you can see only his side and back but it is Phil’s left side.  Phil is watching the other two while they shake hands and appear to be laughing together.  Tiger is clearly smiling and laughing while it appears Adam is too but you can’t see his whole face.  Adam and Tiger’s handshake is a little off though.  Tiger is using his right hand like most people would but he is shaking the left hand of Adam Scott.  Maybe the two were in a weird position and maybe that is what they are laughing at.  Or maybe Adam has a weak or sore right hand.

What is most interesting about this photo though is all the advertising that is going on in it.  When looking at Tiger Woods sometimes your looking at him but other times your staring into the heart of a living Nike ad.  Tiger may be the most marketable human being on the planet and Nike is taking full advantage of that.  The Nike swoosh right on the heart of his perfectly fitted shirt.  His hat has the Nike swoosh right in the center of it.  It might be a subtle swoosh but everybody see's it.  Nike has done such a good job dressing Tiger up head to toe every week that people are starting to get just as into "what is Tiger wearing this week" as they are the actual tournament.

Other companies are attempting to compete with Nike's advertising now too, as evident by the other two golfers in the picture.  You can see Callaway Golf written on Phil's sleeve and on the back of his hat.  Adam has Titleist written on the back of his hat.  Also on the side of Adam's hat are the letters FJ which stands for Foot joy, which is another one of his sponsors.  All of these golfers are decked out in advertisements.

These three are the perfect example of how companies use golfers to advertise.  In the background of this picture you can see a glimpse of the hundreds of fans who come out to see these guys, hundreds of people going to watch golf but end up seeing advertisements.  That's not even including the millions watching Tiger on TV and seeing that Nike swoosh.  Today golfers do so much more than just play the game; they sell products.

picture essay

Jeffrey Louissaint
Analysis
Mr. Meek
October 6, 2008

This is a picture of Jacoby Ellsbury . A twenty five year old major league baseball player. In this picture you can tell that he plays for the Boston Red Sox and his number is 46. There are three parts of analyzing a picture which are objective detail, commentary, and element. First off you can tell that Jacoby Ellsbury is playing in a world series game because he has the world series logo patched on his arm. Another objective detail is that his baseball hamlet has a Boston B on it, which stands for the Boston Red Sox. The picture is framing around him, and everything else is blurred out. This shows that he focus and ready for the next pitch.
The commentary of this picture would be that Jacoby Ellsbury is focused on hitting the ball. Another commentary analysis is that it shows how focused Ellsbury is when he’s up at the plate. The picture could be being showing that this is a big play for Jocaby Ellsbury and how he focused on scoring or making a major play in the game. Element is other part of analyzing a picture. The framing in this picture is around Jacoby Ellsbury. Everything in the background is blurred out and your unable to see the background. The lighting in the picture is over Ellsbury. You can tell that the light is over Ellsbury because his uniform is bright and there’s a close up on him. There’s a lot of things that make up the element aspect of analysis. For example lighting, framing, and content. The content in this picture is the Jacoby Ellsbury named is outlined.

picture essay

Jeffrey Louissaint
Analysis
Mr. Meek
October 6, 2008

This is a picture of Jacoby Ellsbury . A twenty five year old major league baseball player. In this picture you can tell that he plays for the Boston Red Sox and his number is 46. There are three parts of analyzing a picture which are objective detail, commentary, and element. First off you can tell that Jacoby Ellsbury is playing in a world series game because he has the world series logo patched on his arm. Another objective detail is that his baseball hamlet has a Boston B on it, which stands for the Boston Red Sox. The picture is framing around him, and everything else is blurred out. This shows that he focus and ready for the next pitch.
The commentary of this picture would be that Jacoby Ellsbury is focused on hitting the ball. Another commentary analysis is that it shows how focused Ellsbury is when he’s up at the plate. The picture could be being showing that this is a big play for Jocaby Ellsbury and how he focused on scoring or making a major play in the game. Element is other part of analyzing a picture. The framing in this picture is around Jacoby Ellsbury. Everything in the background is blurred out and your unable to see the background. The lighting in the picture is over Ellsbury. You can tell that the light is over Ellsbury because his uniform is bright and there’s a close up on him. There’s a lot of things that make up the element aspect of analysis. For example lighting, framing, and content. The content in this picture is the Jacoby Ellsbury named is outlined.

columbus weekenD

This weekend was a long weekend because of the hoilday. This weekend I was able to go home and see my family and friends. Friday when I left for home, i got there and hung out with my family. On saturday I watched the Red Sox game with all of my best friends.

What is a Teacher?

Leticia Crespo
English 101+
October 9, 2008

What is a Teacher?

What is a teacher? Is a teacher just the professor standing in front of you in your college class? The answer is no. Anyone can be a teacher; your mother, a friend, and the person that helped you perfect your golf swing. This can be anyone who you leave knowing something new.
First of all, in order to be a teacher you need a student. Without a student you cannot teach. All the knowledge you have and share will not mean anything if no one is there to learn. Does this mean you have to have students in front of you to teach or know that you have students? Not at all, many people have no idea that they have students. This can be the person who is looking to you as you work hard to get that promotion. Students are essential, but remember that students are everywhere. They may not be in front of you but know that they are there.
What does a teacher do? Well first thing they do is share their knowledge with others. This knowledge includes things you have learned from experience, education, and life. It is endless and doesn’t always have to be complicated but your student is expecting you to know about what you are teaching, “Students expect professors to be… knowledgeable,” (Helterbran). It can be something complex like how to draw hyperbolas or as simple as drawing a smiley face. You may not think what you have to offer is worthy of being considered knowledge but no knowledge is bad knowledge and there is always someone out there in need of it.
A teacher also guides you. Guidance in simple terms is direction, supervision, or influence. It is not enough to just share your knowledge but you must help them understand it, “Students are also sensitive to the schism between a professor's knowledge-base and the ability to get it across to students at the students' level of knowledge and experience,” (Helterbran). Knowledge is not useful unless the student understands it so guidance and direction is important in the process to understanding. This can be explaining and showing how to hold a basketball right in order to achieve a free-throw or explaining how to speak to your parents about a really important problem. Guidance isn’t as complicated as many think. Be confident in your knowledge and it will be easy to help and guide another.
The last important part of being a teacher is the ability to answer questions. Many people will not always get something quickly just from your guidance and explanations. “Students are also keenly interested in having… questions answered,” (Helterbran). Many students will need to ask question in order to fully understand something and if you are unable to answer these questions the student will never be able to fully understand. This is why answering questions is important. The student has the puzzle almost finished and they just need that last piece, your answers, to help them finish it.
These three things are the most important factors in order to be a teacher. You must have all three or your student may not fully understand what you are trying to teach. These three things are not hard to do and when done, you will be just as great as the people who taught you everything that got you to where you are today. You may not even realize some of the teachers in your life; the person that taught you how to ride a bike, to open your locker, to act during a job interview, or how to handle a relationship. All these people were teachers and now it’s your turn to do the same.

References
Helterbran, Valeri R. "The ideal professor: student perceptions of effective instructor practices, attitudes, and skills.(Report)." Education 129.1 (Fall 2008): 125(14). General OneFile. Gale. Fitchburg Public Library. 14 Oct. 2008
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Under Aged Drinking

People believe that under aged drinking should not be allowed because it becomes a bad habit. Many people think that there are bad reasons why teens should not drink but most teens and some adults think it should be allowed. Teens drink for many reasons and they think they should be allowed to drink for many reasons. Problems with drinking arrive if an accident happens while operating an automobile. Teen that drink do not always cause accidents, adult that drink to much cause accidents also.
The government should allow teenagers over the age of eighteen to purchase and consume alcohol. The government allows them to vote, go to war and die for them; they should change the laws to allow them to have alcohol. Adults think that kids under twenty one years of age should not be allowed to drink because they do not show responsibility. Adults have many reasons to believe that their child or children can not be responsible because the adult did the same things that we as kids do and they do not want use to make the same mistakes that they did. Yes this could be a good reason but not all kids do the same things as their parents did as kids.
People drink for many reasons but teenagers drink for different reasons than adults. Most kids drink to have fun and get buzzed or just to think that they are cool by drinking and sometimes acting like idiots. Most of the time youth drink at parties where people witness them having fun, they don’t just come home and have a beer to relax. Teens and adults are different, adults will have a drink after a long day at work, so they can relax, and adolescents drink so that they can have a good time. In some instances people do drink too much and do drive home which becomes extremely bad because it endangers themselves and others. Teens do have different reasons for drinking but the reasons that parents drank when they were teens use the same basic principals, then and now.
Adolescent drinking is very bad but most teens show maturity about their drinking behaviors. Lots off teens do not drive drunk they either have a friend drive or they stay where they were partying. Adults can cause accidents to because they go to bars where they usually have to drive home. But the under aged drinkers party at some ones house so they usually stay there. Yes drinking can be fun; it can bring the shy person out to be more out going or the outgoing person to be more relaxed. One problem with being the shy person can be shown that they are more reliable on alcohol to become the outgoing person.
The drinking age should be lowered to eighteen because like other people say that if a person can vote and go to war they should be allowed to have a beer. If teens are allowed to drink then the laws for drunk driving should be stricter for the people between the ages of eighteen and twenty one. The laws should stay the same for people over the age of twenty one. If teens can drink then they might become more responsible when they do leave college life and start to be in the real world. This responsibility could help people to make the right choices in order to keep their life on track.
Under aged drinking is bad to most people but it can be a good life lesson for some. Having a bad time drinking or not remembering what happened most of the night can change the way people think about drinking. It can make some one realize that they should control themselves better or they should just not drink at all anymore. People have many thoughts about drinking but we are all entitled to our opinion. The consumption of alcohol will always be a problem in our country no matter what the laws are because there will always be a drinking age and there always will be people that don’t follow the rules.

Peter Richardson
10/08/08
Eng. 101
8:15-9:05



The definition of youth is “the appearance, freshness, vigor, and characteristics of one who is young”. This picture represents youth in its entirety. When you’re young, nothing in life gets better than standing on the field victorious. Looking at this picture for the first time it represents youth, happiness, and excitement.
The picture consists of young males which seem to be celebrating after a sporting event. It seems this way because three of them are in uniform, two have face paint on and the other two are just there celebrating too. Also one of the other kids in the image looks like he has an opposing team basketball sweatshirt on. However they seem to be joking with him and putting one of the baseball hats on his head.
There are a few reasons that lead me to believe that this was a baseball game. One of the reasons is that the three boys that are in uniform. Also the uniforms that they were wearing are dirty. So they may have slid or dove for a ball during the game. Another reason is that the background to the picture is dark, so it could mean that it was night time. If it was night time and they are still outside in short sleeve shirts, then it would have to be nice weather like spring, baseball season.
Another thing that I notice looking at this picture is the cars that are in the background. The cars in the picture are located on the bottom right side of the picture. They are out of focus but you can still tell what they are and it makes it easier to tell what they are because of the license plate glowing from the flash. Above the two cars there is a bright light. The bright light seems to be a streetlight. Those are two good reasons that make me think that they are outside at night in the parking lot. The biggest thing that leads me to believe is that other than those two things in the background everything is dark like the night sky.
There are a few reasons why I think they are celebrating. One of the reasons that I think they are celebrating is that they are all crowded around each other, laughing and smiling. One of them has face paint on with his hand raised high in the air. The others all have their arms around each other, and one of the baseball players is on the back of one of his friends. Also if they would let someone from the apposing team, take a picture with them, because if they lost and were not celebrating I don’t think they would want someone to take a picture with them from the team that just beat them.
To someone just looking at this picture that was not there it shows friendship. It shows friendship because there all together laughing holding each other and just having fun with each other. I also don’t think that they would allow someone with the opposing teams sweat shirt be with them, or hang out with them if there wasn’t a great deal of friendship going on between them. Another example of friendship in this picture is for two kids to paint their faces and put the numbers of their friend’s faces to show the friendships. In conclusion, that picture represents the definition of youth.

concept revision

Family Revision 1

Biological relatives are only the tip of the iceberg when you talk about family. There are many other people who you can consider your family, and there are deeper meanings to the word. If you can understand the effect that your family has on you, you can distinguish the people in it. Your entire being is created by the people around you. Weather it’s your parents, grandparents, aunts. Uncles, and cousins, or the people you choose to put around you. In an article from the American Journal of Sociology, Professors Timothy Elblarz, and Adrian Raferty state that;” Children from single-father families and stepfamilies have consistently had lower attainments than children from both two-biological-parent and single-mother families.” ajs Volume 105 Number 2 (September 1999): 321–65. This shows a perfect example of what I mean. Obviously, your parents have the largest impact, because there who you learn how to make decisions from. Even so, everyone else in your life affects your personality as well.
Most groups see family as just blood relatives. I strongly disagree with that concept. Family is anyone who takes care of you, is honest with you, and you feel comfortable with. This includes best friends, team mates, band members, step parents, and so many more people. Sometimes I don’t count some of my blood relatives as my family. My Biological grandfather has never been in my life. He was never in my mother’s either. I don’t see him as family. My grandmother did remarry in 1992, and her husband since then I see as my true grandfather. He has been there since I was born, and even though he is technically my mother’s step father, he is considered blood. If you have a step father who has taken care of you more then your Biological father, wouldn’t that make him your “real” dad? Another group people don’t think about is your parent’s friends. II only have 3 aunts and uncles who are related to my parents, but there are a bunch of people I call my aunts and uncles, because they have been around my whole life. I see there kids as my cousins.
Your friends are a big part of your family. They are always there for you. Friends help you get through your problems, and you feel comfortable enough to be yourself with them. Most people spend the most curtail part of their life, adolescence with their friends. So friends are with you when you develop a sense of self, more then your relatives are. My best friend, and his parents, and brother, have all become part of my family. He is like my brother, and his parents are like my second set of parents. One year I was at their house more then I was at mine. Friends are a big part of your family.
Significant others play a big role in family as well. Whether you are 17 years old with a girlfriend, or you have been married for 50 years, that person has a similar role. They are the person who knows you the best. You tend to open up to that person the most. For the most part you share your home with them. They also help you start another part of your family. Kids and their family become your family. I have been with my girlfriend for 2 years and we have both become parts of each other’s families.
Family encompasses many people, and feelings. Anyone that you care about, and you feel comfortable with, and trust can be family. Your relatives and friends have the biggest influence on your personality, and your decision making. You may not be able to pick your relatives, but you can pick the rest of your family, but choose wisely.

weekend.

This weekend was a blast. I went home for the weekend and was able to see my family and friends. After i got through all the family dinners ect. i was able to go see my best friends. It was a great time. We were able to do all the things that we usually do, which include watching football, watching the games and going to gatherings with other friends. We watched the Red Sox win the first game in the playoffs and watched the Patriots get destroyed by the Chargers. The weekend was very fun. I had a great time and I enjoyed seeing my family again.

Football quarter season

Right now there are a few suprises in the NFL. The Bills are at 4-0, The Pats lost Tom Brady earley, and lost there first game in about a season and a half. The Bears are on a roll Beating Indionapolis in week one and the Eagles last week. Granted, there is a lt of football left to be played, it looks like there will be a lot of surprises. I can't wait to see how the season unfolds.

Presidential debate critics.

in the presidental debate barack obama looked more sincre when he was talking to Mccain. both candidates were a dark suite and talked with there hands. barack and mccain were nervous at first then where comfortable with anwsers. barack obama anwsered each question looking at John Mccain while anwsering the question. John McCain laughed during the debate. bith candidates had strong arguments.

McCain v. Obama Debate

After watching part of this debate, I believe that Obama won this one. Obama had a very clean image just like McCain. They both had red, white, and blue colors just like the US flag. Obama had the pin on which to most would be what they would first look at, as I did. They both dresses well.

McCain's composure and reactions however didn't portray the same. He blinked a lot and is body moves about a bit while answering question. He also only looked forward and never gave eye contact to Obama as if he was scared. Obama however looked at McCain during almost every question. He sounded strong and firm just like McCain. He did however get a little agitated as he interrupted McCain a couple times. McCain's constant attacking showed that he was a republican that would probably never agree with any other party but Obama however laughed at some of McCain's comments and by saying he agreed with McCain's points in come cases showed him in a nicer and kinder fashion and even that he would be able to cross sides and work with the other party.

McCain also always tried to get back to the issue of government spending for every question he got asked when talking about the economy, never really answering the questions and at one point saying "Sure, but..." to get back to it. Obama however got right to the questions and answers them with solutions and bullet points. He was always truthful and never tried to fluff anything like McCain sounded with his lack of answers. McCain did however attack Obama but Obama came back with clear and strong responses making McCain's attempts fail.

Overall, both McCain and Obama did well but McCain's nervous behaviors and Obama's strong and firm responses pull him on top.

Presidential Debate #1

I feel that this debate set the tone for the rest of the campaign. I am a registered democrat and a Barack Obama supporter, but I am open to everything and have given John McCain a chance. I was not impressed with John McCain at all. He came off unprofessional in my eyes. He smiled and laughed during Barack Obama's response's and throughout the Debate. He didn't once look at Obama during the debate, which I don't understand. A debate is nothing more than an organized argument, but McCain failed to come off confident, firm, and just respectful. Him not doing this makes him seem like he doesn't respect Obama, take this campaign seriously, or it shows a lack of humbleness. I honestly just don't agree with anything that McCain believes in. But after watching the Debate, I just don't like the man.

Barack Obama came off well prepared. He was ready to respond to every comment McCain made. He looked at Senator McCain when he talked, or referred to him, like a real man and leader should do. Obama spoke firmly and confidently. When he speaks, I feel like I can trust him. Obama over powered McCain in the argument; it showed, and there differences were like night and day. Obama had points and steps to every idea that he proposed, showing that he is well organized, and thinks things through. I honestly feel that Obama is the obvious choice for the United States. We need change, and we need it now. Electing McCain will be like repeating a mistake.

In class on Monday, my half of the room had to analyze Barack Obama. One of the things we analyzed was apperance or image of the canadate. Obama was wearing all red white and blue. He had a red and white striped tie to match a blue suit. He was also wearing the American flag pin, that he had been critisized for not wearing earlier in the campaign. Also we had to analyze his tone, reaction, vioce, and composure. The first thing I noticed was that he talks with his hands all the time. I also noticed that when he gets aggrivated he cuts off McCain and starts to stutter. Also when he is aggrivated his voices gets a lot louder and he doesnt really keep his composure. Following that, we analyzed the connection with the moderator, the other candidate, and the audience. Most of the time he looks at the moderator and doesn't look at McCain at all. He speaks to the audiance a good amount.

Obama & McCain Debate

When both senators walked out at the beginning of the debate, Obama's confidence over shined McCain. Obama responded to the debate questions with strong answers and confidence in what he was saying. He answered by saying his words in bullet points and numbers, which I like because it is easier for the listener to follow what he is saying. The eye contact with McCain, the audience, the camera, and the mediator were strong. He would turn to McCain at times and talk directly towards him.
Although McCain's confidence level was not showing as much as Obama's, McCain did have good hand motions that flowed good along with the words to his answers. Also, he spoke about how he is older which relates to all the experience he has. He seemed nervous in the beginning, his voice was quiet and almost weak. By the second question he seemed to stand firmer with his answers. When the mediator said they had to move on, McCain interrupted him twice. Also, when asked about three times to respond directly back to Obama, he did not.
Overall, Obama stood out as the stronger debater. He had good eye contact, a strong speaking voice, and clear concise answers.

The Red Sox post season analysis!

I am a Red Sox but I am also someone that is realistic. While I have faith in the Sox, I think the Angels are just too good. Their rotation isn't deep enough to last long at all. John Lester is by far our as of August. He can not be stopped and has gone eight innings in more than 3 games in the last month. I think he will take game 1 for us. John Lackey will get the hill for the Angels. He is a great pitcher but the Sox can get to him fast and take his game away from him. Game 2 will go to the Angels as well as Games 3 and 4. Dice-K is one of the best pitchers in the AL but with a lineup like the halo's, they are gonna get to him fast. ANd everyone knows when DiceK starts to get hit hard, he doesn't last very long. That brings in our bullpen, GAME OVER! Mike Timlin, Manny Delcarmen, and Javier Lopez. That spells disaster. Papelbon is our only bullpen pitcher unless Bartolo moves the pen for the playoffs but with Beckett on the DL, I don't see that happening.

My Picks

SOX V. ANGELS
GAME 1- W - 4-3 Lester vs. Lackey
GAME 2- L - 8-2 DiceK vs. E. Santana
GAME 3- L - 5-3 Bartolo/Byrd vs. TBA
GAME 4- L - 6-5 Bartolo/Byrd vs. TBA

CUBS BEAT THE ANGELS IN THE WORLD SERIES 4 GMS TO 2

POST TO ME, I WOULD LIKE TO DEBATE THIS!?!?

McCain v. Obama (Round 1)

The first of three presidential debate may not have shown a clear winner, but if confidence was the key to victory, Senator Barack Obama was your man. Eventhough he may not of answered some questions clearly and tended to shy away from others, Obama had a great aspect to himself. As he entered the auditorium Obama gave John McCain the respect enough look him in the eyes and associate him by name. On his very first question, he attacked McCain's position on the recent economic crisis. McCain had nothing, and we all could tell John was very shook up and not at all ready to be at the debate.
Obama's appearance was also a huge part of the debate. He wore the American Flag pin that his was, earlier in his campaign, critized for not wearing. Obama also did not slouch. His posture was kept upright and very attentive, taking notes while McCain was speaking, and never missing a beat to attack him. His hands were active but not overly active. He kept them just out in front of him, not making any big handjesters.
This debate was the very promising for Senator Obama. He stated main points, even if they weren't the points relative to the questions being asked. McCain was not on point and he made little, if no eye contact with Obama. Pay attention to body language, not only the answers of the questions. The appearances of people can tell you alot about that person.

Presidential debate

Senator Obama presented himself very well during the debate. when he and John McCain entered the stage Obama went right for a hand shake while McCain looked at the crowd and smiled. Senator Obama also looked right at the camera while answering the questions and he looked at McCain while he talked to him. during the first question he seemed to be too stern but as the questions followed he relaxed. With his answers he mostly talked about how much tax money was spent and how he wanted to lower taxes. he also wanted to lower the amount spent because he felt that it was spent on useless things.

Obama/McCain Debate

Just from watching the presidential debate for a little while, you could already tell a lot about the candidates. Senator Obama seemed to be very aggressive and confident up on stage in his blue suit and purple tie with the american flag pin, of course. He's very firm when he talks and the hand gestures he uses when stating facts add to his character. Obama always got right to the point when asked a question and had very througho answers. I think Obama came off as confident because he displayed numerous acts of not being intimidated by McCain. Senator Obama was constantly looking at McCain, trying to make him look bad in a way by saying how he agrees with President Bush on certain issues, and at one point through the debate he ended with "that's what I'm going to change when I'm president." Never did he let McCain state something false about him without interrupting. Senator McCain on the other hand wasn't exactly what I'd call aggressive. He's an older man and isn't afraid to mention that. McCain seemed very passive, always letting Obama talk over him, didn't seem to have very much confidence either. Everytime he was asked a question he kind of wasted time or wandered off subject and always brought up history. He never stated what his plan was for financial recovery and answered "sure" to if he agreed with a plan. If Senator Obama approached him about a question he would laugh it off and never make eye contact. All the stuttering and blinking his eyes made him seem as if he was more nervous than confident. After watching the debate, I think that Obama is delivering better to the country and voicing his plans a lot better than McCain. We need a president with confidence and knowledge of how to fix problems going on around us.

Presidential Debate

Watching the debate you could see a lot about each candidate.  I feel like you could watch the whole debate with the sound off and you could still determine a lot and base an opinion on each candidate.  For example you could see Obama's confidence right off the bat with his head high and is posture perfect.  You could see McCain's nerves for the first 10 minutes or so by him looking down a lot and blinking a lot.  Just watching the mannerisms and the way these guys carry themselves is what I enjoy the most about these debates.  Because the answers they give and the things they say are all previously written and not really a true indication of what their going to do anyway so I enjoy seeing how they handle things.  Obama seems to be trying hard to come across as a leader.  His sharp tone, his strong piercing looks, and how he confidently makes points are all different things I'm sure he's worked on to come across as someone who could lead this country.  McCain seems to be trying to come across as a friendly old guy who has experience in everything.  Constantly making "old/ been around" remarks.  Not just to show that he has experience but to subtly pick at the fact that Obama's "weakness" is that he doesn't have a lot of experience.  Overall I thought they both ended up coming across well.  At first it seemed McCain was very nervous.  He was blinking a ton, taking a long time to get words out, and not really looking at anything.  After about 10 minutes though he loosened right up.  He was looking at who he needed to, standing a little more confident, and laughing at Obama and some of the different comments.  Obama came out strong.  Chest out, head up, talking very fluently.  He maintained that pretty well the whole time.  You could see him get a little riled up and flustered when McCain laughed at him one time but ultimately I thought he looked well.  I'm sure they both practiced there mannerisms and behavior for this debate and I thought they both did a nice job of portraying themselves.

Obama v. McCain

The debate was no where near close in my eyes. From the appearance and the two candidates images there was enough information to chose a winner but even in the debate itself only one man won. In my eyes, Barack Obama destroyed John McCain in the debate. Barack showed a great image, by always looking at McCain when he talked, not avoiding questions and outlining his plans on what he would do if he were to make office. McCain avoided questions, barely looked at Obama during the debate and could never give a straight forward answer on what he would accomplish in office. This debate proved that Obama although very young, can lead this country because he knows what he is talking about and he has plans for the future. I was already a Obama fan but this debate pretty much locked my vote for him.

Debate Analysis

If the election was based on this debate, I belive senetor Obama would win. His composuor was much better then McKain's. He spoke with a stronger tone, he made eye contact with the not just the mediator, but his opponent, and the audience. He also rebuttled against his opponent, and McKain just stopped and let him keep going. Obamas sndwers were more specific and to the point. McKain danced around questions, snd just brought up historical facts. Obama made a smart choice in comparing McKain to president Bush on a few occasions. That did not help Mckain at all. Wheather it was appearance, tone, answers, or connection to the people around him, senetor Obama dominated the debate.

Blog 3

Parent's Day was this Saturday, my mom and dad came and they brought my dog. My boyfriend also came to visit. We went to lunch which was held at the Woodward Center, but it was too crowded and the food was not that great. Then, despite the rain, we watched the first quarter of the football game. Since we were still starving, we went out to eat at Applebee's. The restaurant was filled with families and their child that attends Westfield State. The food was really good and my parents and boyfriend enjoyed being able to talk to me in person instead of through phone conversations.

sept. 26-28 weekend

This weekend was so far the worst weekend I've had in years. I went back to my hometown to work, watched the presidential debate then I had to write a paper about it. Now I'm back on campus, doing some more homework. Hopefully nothing comes up just so i could get my 8 hour sleep

presidental view on the media

John McCain and Barack Obama have different view on the media. People have questions regarding how much each president knows about are changing media. Early on in are society many things were censored such as swearing and nudity. Today these things are an everyday norm on television. The purpose of the media was to inform people fast and easier. For example the Vietnam War, was publicized to show people what was going on in different parts of the world. The media showed the reality of war

Blog 2

Twenty more days I can't wait. Archery season finaly opens on october 13 and there is no school. I deffinetly know what I will be doing all day. No work No school means there will be an awsome three day weekend. This is going to be the best oppening day ever.

Summer Job

Over the Summer I had a very interesting job. I worked for Harvard University Police Department on an internship. Although it was just an internship I got some experience with law which will help me a lot in the future considering i want to be a police officer when I am older.

During the job i did a lot of paper work which was very boring at times, but i did get to ride along in the unmarked cruisers a few times which was very interesting. Overall it was a great experience and I was very thankful to get the opportunity.

CYO

During high school I was not on the schools basketball team. However, I was on the CYO basketball team as a captain. The CYO team was the church team, and although it was not the high school team we still played throughout the state vs. some good competition. It was pretty much the same team for four years and we thrived off our intensity and speed.  

During the four years it was our goal to win the state championship. The first two years we could not get out of the first round, the third year we lost in the champion ship. Finally my senior year and final chance to win the championship we won. I had a good playoff series up until the regional tournament. I played well myself and so did the team but we lost to a team from Connecticut. The year was very fun and I enjoyed playing with my friends for one last year and winning the championship.

Blog 2

Ahh, home. Nothing is better than just going back home and relaxing. That is what I did this weekend. It was great. Didn't have too do anything, just home with the family. I did have to do my laundry, which I found out everyone takes back home as I left myself. Also, god did I miss the food. My mom cooked some good home cooking and I eat that up fast. That is something I will miss a lot. My parents also bought me a camera. It was my birthday on the 15 so they bought me that. It was pretty cool. Yeah, I am glad I went home. It was a good break from all the shit going on here at Westfield, lol.

Patriots can kiss the playoffs goodbye.

Hey there guys. I hope you guys had fun wacthing the patriots get there ass kicked by the Miami Dolphins. I know i had fun. See i'm not a patriots' fan, but when u think about the suppose to be "best team in the NFl" getting beat 38-13, by the worst team that ever played the game, That's just sad. Well sad for you guys, not me. I'm exited, hoping they loose there next game. The patriots suck now and They can kiss the playoffs goodbye. LETS GO COWBOYS, 3 and o baby.

Blog 2

I went home for the weekend and worked a shift at my job at Old Navy. It felt nice to be home but also strange at the same time. I noticed the little things more than usual and I appreciated them more. I watched the movie "What Happens in Vegas", it was not as funny as I thought it would be but it was still good. My mom and I went shopping and out to eat Friday and Saturday. She is having a hard time with me being gone because I am the youngest child so now there is no one in the house during the day except her and our dog because my dad works days and she works nights.

Blog 1

Last weekend I visited my boyfriend at UMass Amherst. I had a good time except that it rained and one of my friends almost got in a fight. One of my boyfriend's friends was being really rude to everyone so we ended up taking a walk outside and ran into people from my town. We all said hi and talked for a while. Later that night two of them got arrested and are now banned from the campus for two years.

Quintin Tarintino movies

Over the weekend I saw Resevour Dogs, and It was a great movie. The only problem I had was the lack of a message or point. Every movie Tarintino makes has no point really, except blood. I mean there isn't really anything wrong with that but I mean come on tI don't know does anyone else feel there should be something else there?

Blog 1

Wow I finally saw some old friends that I haven't talked to in a while. I met them at my home town high school football game on Friday and then we surprisingly hung out afterwords. It was really cool seeing some old friends again with ut arguments and it seemed like we would be friends again.

2nd blog carlos mota

today is a great day i feel so special it gives me butterflies i finally became a citizen. i know to many that isnt something so special but to me it is something so good for words i feel like i belong here now. I have traveled to my home country many times and i would always see the same thing sad faces looks of depression and poverty in the air. i was tired of seeing that and i knew that if i didnt become a citizen then there was still a chance of me ending back over there. Now its not that i hate my home country but it is still a baby country there to much curruption in politics and the goverment doesnt do much for its citizens so i love my country but i wouldnt love to live there the rest of my life i enjoy this country more because i have more opportunities here then i do over there. So thank you all if you feel happy for me but thats one small step now off to become a computer programer !jikes! sounds easier than what it truly is.

first blog "carlos mota"

these are the answers to the last 2 questions i missed on the story of "How I Lost the Junior Miss Pageant" the ideas for writing part.

1. I ran for president of my class and lost for many reasons was why i failed but i know what was the main reason i failed. I wasn't popular enough so of course the most popular senior got all the votes and hardly got any. Even though i lost i learn something that day, i learn that you must be either popular or must have connections to do much in politics. I wasn't upset i know i did my best so i didn't beat myself up for losing am just glad i ran for president.

2. I remember a time that i exceeded my own expectations it was in a football game. This football game meant a lot to not only me but our entire team our spirits where crushed and looked bleak, we where down in score but not by much and looked like the other team was about to score. If they would have scored it was gonna be the end of the game not because time ran out but because our spirits would have been to crushed for us to do anything. So i was on defense and i realize that they are going to run the ball to my side so i do what any other linemen would do i moved over so i could be in the way of the runner. I did something i had no idea i could do i took on 4 guys and made the play i ran right by 2 of them and hit the third guy to the floor and managed to tackle the runner it was an exciting play and what was even greater is that we ended up winning the game.

blog 1

This last weekend I visited some friends at Keene State College. It was a completely different scene there. From the food they ate, their classes and their night life activities on and off campus. I had a very good time and it made me think about the comparison of Westfield State College and Keene State College. By far KSC had much better food at their dinning common, but when it came to the actual education of the two colleges i truly believe WSC's was much better. The majors we have are more interesting and the way we do classes is a lot better also. 

When it comes to night life they are pretty similar. Most of the fun happens off campus but they are both pretty much the same.

In the end, i would chose WSC over KSC any day of the week because i feel the education is better here and even though i had a lot of fun at KSC I have fun at WSC every day also.

first blog

i passed in the homework on a piece of paper and handed it in during class friday.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Part 1

.My name is Peter Richardson, and im 18 years old. I live in Marlboruogh MA, and I attended Assabet Valley Reginal High School. I have a girl friend that is currently a senior in high school. I like to go 4-wheeling and working on my truck. I also like to hangout out with my friends in high school. I also have three older brothers, two sister inlaws, and two nephews.While i was at Assabet i played two sports hockey and baseball. Last year i was very honored to be named caption of the hockey team. for baseball I was the caption since my junior year which is pritty sick. I love partying with the hockey boys it was the best, and just hanging out with the baseball boys was awsome too.

Part 2.

1.Her details that engage me in her essay are that she know all the points. She knows that if you have a big noise you loss a piont, also sucking up, skinny lips, and they subtract a piont if you play the piano. Also she new that you wold gain points if you had nice breasts, unpainted nails, more pionts for smartness.

2.Bosley's essay matters to other people because they can relate to it. They can relate to it because maybe one of there parents have told them that they could loss a pound or 20. Someone could also relate because maybe they ad a dream but they didnt have money to accomplish that dream.

3.The thing that I liked most about this essay was that she wasnt ashamed of were she came from or that she didnt have a lot of money. I liked that because i like to be able to relate to the writers piece when i read it.The main suggestion that I have about this essay is that maybe she should have sasid who won the pagent and why.

4.Bosley give a few ideas of how she could have lost the junior miss pagent but she never give a legit reason why, so I would say that she doesnt deliver. The point of the essay is to get people to under stand what kids are put through when parents put them into pagents or tallent shows.

EXPLORING IDEAS

2.This essay speaks to all different readers and areas. One of the groups that this essay could apply to is pleople that there parents were hard on them. Or perhaps maybe people that have dreams that cant achieve them because they dont have the money too.

3.Well i like to play sports so that is a way that i fit in with my friends or just other people. Most of all of my friends that I associate with i have play a sport either with them or even againstthem.

IDEAS FOR WRITING

1.The disappointing activity I was a particapent in was an intense playoff hockey game. It was my junior year in high school and i played for the Assabet hockey team.The game was against Littleton witch we had lost to and beat. We were down by on e for most of the game and then we tied it up half way through the trird period. We went into two overtimes and it was just a crazy game the fans were awsome and stuff it was great. But with 3 minutes left in the secound overtime our team caption got a penalty and we were down a man. I was on penalty kill so i was out there. With like 30 secounds left to the penalty there defensmen got the puck at the point, so I went down to block the shot but it went through my legs and made it to the net. The puck got tipped and went off my goalies glove and into the net. It was a sad ending to a great year and the end to a great team.

2.A moment that i excieded probly was when my hockey team made the playoffs this year. This was a great Moment because no one thought we would be able to pull it off bet we did.

Part 1

My name is Brendan Marsh and I'm 18 years old. I'm from the little town of Dudley, MA, which is located in southern Mass. I am majoring in Computer Science here at Westfield State College and plan on moving into the programming field when i graduate. Outside of school I enjoy pretty much everything from reading to hanging out with my friends to playing soccer. I pretty much just do everything. If you want to know anything else, I guess just text me 508 479 2045. My phone is my life.


Part 2

Writing Strategies

1. The details that really caught my eyes in this essay were the ones in which Bosley would doubt herself about winning the pageant. The whole essay was a mere surgery on all of her flaws and what she would need to do to fix them and win the competition. Also, her mother would constantly name ways for her daughter to have a better chance at winning the pageant.

2. This essay could matter to anyone in the world. People everyday try their hardest to achieve a goal and that is the moral if this "story". You don't have to be perfect at something, all you have to do is just try your hardest. As long as you go into your "pageant" giving everything you can it is impossible to lose.

3. What I like most about your essay is how you explain in between the lines that you should give your all in any sort of competition or just in general everyday life. The main suggestion I have about your essay is that I wish you had elaborated on how your mother reacted after she found out you had lost the essay.

4. Bosley, unfortunately did not deliver in telling us how she lost the pageant. She did not state it in the essay but it can be determined from the details of the essay that she lost because she did not have enough self-confidence. The main point of this essay is to explain to all people that you don't necessarily have to win, but as long as you try hard enough and put in enough effort that is a "win" in itself.

Exploring Ideas

2. Bosley's point about beauty pageants can easily be put in to effect with today's society. Today all over television and magazines are ways telling people how they should look or how they should act. If you are not the skinny, beautiful model or the muscular, speedy football star you are seen as a nobody and are put down by society.

3. The perfect example of this is the idea of drinking. Its as if you almost need to drink to fit in. These days there are many people that will do things just to fit into a certain crowd.

Ideas For Writing

1. I have been playing soccer my whole entire life. I have trained everyday and I have played for my school teams and club teams since I was 5 years old. My senior year in high school i was looking forward to the soccer season more than anything, however in tryouts I had broken my ankle and was not able to play. I had never been more disappointed in my whole life.

2. I have never been one to be great at writing papers. I always write average essays just to get the B, maybe even an A here or there. My senior year in high school I had the hardest grading teacher in the English department and I received an A on a paper in her class. I was ecstatic when i got the grade back. This has made me try harder on all the papers I have written since then because I now know that it is possible to do anything you put your mind too.

Part One

Hi my name is Erin Mulcahy, I am a freshman and a Mass Communications major. I'm from Abington, Ma which is about half an hour from Boston. I am a big fan of all the Boston sports teams and hockey is my favorite sport to watch.

Part Two

Writing Strategies
1. Bosley's details gave me a vivid visual of her surroundings and what she was experiencing. When she said, "...mixed-shag, contrasted so loudly with the cheap 70s furnishings that it threatened my attention to the television set...", I could clearly imagine the description and immediately thought of my grandparents old house. "Clearly, I lacked the save-the-whales and-rainforest civic mindedness required...", Bosley describes what she knew the judges expected to hear in the question and answer portion of the contest. Her details throughout the essay kept me amused and interested in her story.
2. Bosley's essay could matter to others who have experienced a let down such as this or someone who competes a lot. For someone who does not care about pageants, it can teach them to always try their hardest even when they believe they are going to fail.
3. What I like most about Bosley's essay is that she was truthful about her life and her experience and her details kept my interest. The main suggestion I have about her essay is to talk more about the actual pageant, such as what else she had to do besides her routine and the question and answer.
4. Bosley does tell us how she lost the pageant. The point of her essay was to describe why she lost and that even from the beginning she knew she was not going to win. She lost the pageant due to not having the right clothes, car, pictures,and being engaged at 17. Also, her answer to the judges question was original and not the usual world hunger or environmental answer.

Exploring Ideas
2. Bosley's point about beauty pageants speak to larger issues because it shows how competitions are sometimes more about who has the more expensive or brand name items. The media projects a certain look and if not followed is looked down upon.
3. When I first entered high school I did feel that if I acted a certain way then I would have a lot of friends and ultimately fit in more and be happy. I quickly learned that that does not create happiness. It is true that if you act yourself then you will find true friends that like you for you.

Ideas for Writing
1. Freshman year of high school I played on my school's very first girls lacrosse team. I found out that I was out of shape and not good at running a lot, which lacrosse requires much of. I improved throughout the season but did not like playing at all. I felt as if I had disappointed my dad because he loved going and watching me play a sport instead of watching my dance recitals. Lacrosse took up a lot of time which left me none for dance class and homework. Overall it was best that I did not play the next year, I improved in school and as a dancer which I enjoyed more.
2. When I visited my aunt in California her neighbor took me horseback riding. At the time i was young and scared of heights, but I ended up getting on the horse and doing a few tricks. After, I felt like I could do anything because I knew I overcame a fear.