October 2010 Archives

Don't miss another sunrise

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In regard to my tweet last week...

So here's the back story: I work every other weekend at a retirement home.  My shift starts at 6AM.  It isn't easy to spend two weeks staying up until 2 or 3 in the morning and then adjusting my sleep schedule for one weekend.  I'm usually tired and a little cranky. 

Last weekend, I was exhausted and just wanted to be done with work because I had so many other things to do (including going to the Goo Goo Dolls concert, which, p.s., was amazing).  Don't get me wrong, I like where I work.  Just not at 6AM.

But then I looked out the window, and the sky was beautiful.  It was iridescent—glowing purples and reds.  I could not stop looking at it. 

Here is a picture taken via cell phone.  It doesn't do the sunrise justice at all:




After a few stressful weeks of school and with an even more stressful week approaching, I was reminded to slow down and stop wishing away the days. 

If you have to be up early, might as well enjoy the sunrise! =)

I'm glad to know you've stumbled upon my blog

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John Lennon said: "Time you enjoy wasting, is not wasted."

This is a bad thing to tell college students.  As if procrastinating wasn't tempting enough, now someone has to go and validate it.

Let me introduce you to my friend, StumbleUpon.  With StumbleUpon, I find myself wasting time, but I enjoy it.  Therefore, it isn't exactly wasting time.



What is StumbleUpon, you ask?  Well, if you haven't been clued into this popular website yet, I shall fill you in.  To use StumbleUpon, you must first create an account.  I apologize—creating an account is more annoying that a polar bear sitting on your lap (because that happens often, I am sure).  When you're all settled into your account, click the "Stumble!" button, and you will be directed to a random web page that could be anywhere on the internet.  It is the perfect procrastination tool!   

Did you know that...

StumbleUpon teaches you things you'd never learn in school, like how screwed up North Korea is.

It allows you to be amused by cool sounds & blinking lights, regardless of how old and 'mature' you are.

It makes you look at the world from a different perspective.

And, of course, it provides videos of cute animals (one can never go wrong with cute animals).



So if you haven't started stumbling yet, today's the day!  And if you already to, just keep stumbling!


What have you stumbled upon?

Blog Portfolio the Second asks, "What is creativity?"

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The most important topic touched upon has been creativity and originality in terms of remixing.  Creativity, of course, means something different to each person.  To me, creativity has always meant creating something appealing and interesting, even if it's created from something else.   Everything builds from everything else; creativity is reused and recycled. 

However, when I was working on my remix project, I didn't feel totally creative...it was something about copying and pasting parts of various fairy tales together.  I added my own words and had to think creatively to connect the stories, but I still don't feel like it's completely my own work.  I would rather be influenced by past works than make something directly from them. 

Furthermore, between blog portfolio one and two, I've learned...
+ To make my blog more visually appealing by shortening paragraphs and including pictures and videos to make the amount of text less intimidating.
+ How to research different hashtags using this website.
+ It's important to include such hashtags in tweets, for example I used a poetry hashtag in this tweet.

Now, onward to the portfolio!


Interaction

See how I interacted with my classmates on my remix project and stink bug entries.


Depth

My entry about stink bugs demonstrates my ability to write in-depth entries because I was able to incorporate information from other sources.


Discussion

On Twitter:
Resonding to a response from Jenni
Responding to story prompts posted by Kayla.
In response to Kelly's tweet about a nuisance that seems to be infiltrating Western Pennsylvania as well as my blog. 

On blogs:
BethAnne's remix project
Erin's poem inspired by Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'
Katy's blog entry about Glee


Outside material

I responded to the information in an article from PennState about stink bugs. I also responded to a wonderful movie I watched: "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs."But that's not all!  I tweeted about this really cool picture I found via StumbleUpon!


My ethos is showing....

This entry about words communicate my ethos through my favorite words and favorite ways to use words. And this entry about Autumn communicating my ethos through my explanations about my favorite things to do during one of my favorite seasons.


Last but not least, take a peek at how I used the conventions of blogging through video, hashtags, and much, much more!

The video entry: "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"
The image entries: Autumn and words
The I'm-proud-of-condensing-this-to-140-characters tweet: Poetry by e.e. cummings
The hashtags entry: More Poetry by e.e. cummings



And that's all for now.  Visit again soon; don't be a stranger!

Take a chance; watch "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"!

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I watched "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" after a year of not wanting to watch it.  I didn't want to see it for two reasons.  One, it's yet another computer animated movie.  Two, it would ruin a yet another beloved children's book.  Have you seen "The Cat in the Hat" and "The Grinch"?  Not good movies.

One night, when I was using my sister's Netflix account, I stumbled upon this movie.  I was procrastinating (as usual) and decided to watch it.  I had heard that it was a good movie.  Did I like it?  Well, it was all I talked about the next day, and I watched it again the next night, this time showing my roommate.  She liked it too.

Yes, the added story like of an inventor trying to prove himself is a little cliché, but it's entertaining all the same.  And of course, the story line is predictable, but what storyline isn't?  As long as the hour and a half leading to the end is enjoyable, it doesn't matter if you know where the end will lead.  And this movie is enjoyable, especially with its silly moments and quirky characters!




If you were doubting this movie like me, I would suggest you forget everything that makes you not want to watch the movie and just watch it!  It will make you smile, feel nostalgic when you see the pancake fall on the school, and you will want to watch it again!


What's your favorite children's book turned movie?

A toast to you, words.

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Warning: This blog has several disconnected ideas.  I'm sorry if you can't handle eclectic thoughts.  But if you are interested (and I hope you are), please answer the following questions.


Have you ever…

1. Posted song lyrics to your Facebook, Twitter, or other social networking sites?

2. Shared witty jokes and puns with your family and friends?

3. Appreciated a line of poetry?

4. Read a quote that completely connected to your life?


If you answered yes to any one of these questions, you, my friend, have a relationship with words.  Like in any good relationship, someone is under appreciated.  In this case, it isn't you. 

It's the words.



Think about it.

Why are song lyrics so satisfying to listen to and post on blogs or Facebook?

And why are quotes so fulfilling to read?

It's because they pull together all of the right words, and these words say so much in so little a space.

And the sound of words!  A few of my favorite words are: persnickety, marvelous, thieves, womb, etc.

They are just so fun to say!  They are pleasing to the ear as well as the mouth.  The physical act of speaking the words, like how the lips form, is the other half of the excitement.  So come on.  You can't tell me there aren't words that, when you speak them, bring you some sort of joy...even if it's only a small inkling!  Fess up--what are the words you relish saying?




You might have noticed the word magnet pictures.  First, magnetic words are genius.  I don't believe that anyone can fully appreciate words until you can mix and match them on a refrigerator for everyone in the house to read.  Second, I would like to thank MousyBoyWithGlasses on Flikr for the images.


So I say we make a toast to words for giving us wisdom, for giving us something to talk about, and finally, for making this toast and blog possible.

Here’s to that euphoric feeling of finding the perfect word, because, as Mark Twain said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word…is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.”

Here’s to ignoring the meaning of poetry and just listening to how the words sound together, appreciating the ebb and flow.

Here’s to you words.  Cheers.




P.S. I italicized all of the words that brought me joy to type :)

P.P.S.  That smiley face was probably unnecessary.


So, who's with me?


A Remixed Fairy Tale Ending!

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Just Another Fairy Tale

 

There was once a woman who wished very much to have a little child, but she could not obtain her wish. At last she went to a witch, and said, "I should so very much like to have a little child; can you tell me where I can find one?"

 

"Oh, that can be easily managed," said the witch. "Take this knife- here it is, see it is very sharp- onto the prince's royal ship.  Before the sun rises you must plunge it into the heart of the prince's new bride; when the warm blood falls upon your feet, put it into a flower-pot, and see what will happen."

 

All was joy and gayety on board the prince's ship till long after midnight when the woman climbed aboard.  She entered the prince’s cabin, and beheld on the bed the fair bride with her head resting on the prince’s breast.  She glanced at the sharp knife, and again fixed her eyes on the prince, who whispered the name of his bride in his dreams.


But the prince awoke before the woman could move.  He pleaded, "I will marry you if you spare my bride's life."

 

            The woman was appalled!  Marry such an ugly monster?  The prince was known across the kingdom as being one of the ugliest princes to have ever lived.  She would rather die!  The knife trembled in the hand of the woman: then she flung it far away from her into the waves and then threw herself from the ship into the sea. 


The prince’s beautiful bride stirred.  There she lay, so beautiful that he could not turn his eyes away, and he stooped down and gave her a kiss, glad to have saved her life. But as soon as he kissed her, she awoke and looked at him quite bitterly. 

 

"I have hardly closed my eyes the whole night! Heaven knows what is in this bed.  I seem to be lying upon some hard thing, and my whole body is black and blue.  Did you drop a pea under the mattress again?  It is terrible!"

 

The prince turned from her and threw himself from the ship into the sea, and his body dissolved into foam.  He saw the bright sun, and all around him floated hundreds of transparent beautiful beings, including the woman who wished very much to have a little child.  Any fate, he decided, is better than a lifetime with a nagging woman who claims to be sleeping on a single pea.

 

There, that is a true story.


 

 


Creative Commons License
            Just Another Fairy Tale is licensed under a

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

 


Works Cited


Anderson, Hans Christian. "Hans Christian Andersen: Little Tiny or Thumbelina." Hans Christian Andersen: Fairy Tales and Stories.Web. 06 Oct. 2010. <http://hca.gilead.org.il/li_tiny.html>.

Anderson, Hans Christian. "Hans Christian Andersen: The Little Mermaid." Hans Christian Andersen: Fairy Tales and Stories. Web. 06 Oct. 2010. <http://hca.gilead.org.il/li_merma.html>.

Grimm Brothers. "Beauty and the Beast." Ivy's Domain -- A Place for the Young at Heart. Web. 06 Oct. 2010. <http://ivyjoy.com/fables/beauty.html>.

Grimm Brothers. "Sleeping Beauty." Ivy's Domain -- A Place for the Young at Heart. Web. 06 Oct. 2010. <http://ivyjoy.com/fables/sleepingbeauty.html>.

Grimm Brothers. "The Princess and the Pea." Ivy's Domain -- A Place for the Young at Heart. Web. 06 Oct. 2010. <http://ivyjoy.com/fables/princess.html>.

Madzik, Magic. 221/365 Pea. Digital image. Flikr. 9 Aug. 2010. Web. 6 Oct. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/4904736343/in/set-72157623115284164/>.

Changing Leaves and Apple Cider

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"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile."

-William Cullen Bryant





It was one of those cool, drizzle-all-day kind of days.  But it was beautiful nonetheless.  Why?  Because the season, my friends, is fall.

It may have been overcast, but the colors of the leaves are are in their prime.  It's a good time to be living in Pennsylvania.



So my question for you is: What could make this fall day even better?

The answer: Apple Cider.

No, even better is hot apple cider.

A couple of friends and I went to an apple festival, where we drank fresh-pressed hot apple cider, complete with a cinnamon stick stir.  It was the perfect thing to warm us up on such a chilly day.

Needless to say, the cider was delicious!  My roommate and I bought an entire gallon of it.  We don't love cider or anything....

Appreciate the leaves, the cool air, and that indescribable smell that comes with fall, because it's only going to be around for a short while!



(Found photo on lori05871's Flikr)



How do you enjoy this wonderful season?


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