Final post.

Today is the last credited blog post of the semester. I really enjoyed this class and learned many different things. A lot of the projects that we did were more in depth that what I was used to which helped expand my writing abilities in different fields. The one project I think I enjoyed the most was the memoir. I think I enjoyed this the most because I thought about it very fast and was able to adapt different styles to my writing that I have not done before. I feel the most proud of it and am actually keeping it documented and using it for different things.
The project I liked the least was probably not a project itself, but more of the timing and the assignment dates. We had one project spread out over a long period of time, and into a second project. I would have liked to get the project done and over with before starting a new one.
I participated in some of the extra credit readings and really enjoyed the fiction reading last week the best. I purchased the book and hope to read it soon after finals are all over. The readings gave me a broader sense of what others are writing and what their styles were.
I hope to use everything that I learned from this class in the future. I also hope to stay in contact with most of the other students and with the teacher. This was an amazing start to my first semester in college! I hope to see you all again soon! If anyone wants to contact me my Email is paul_dickens32@yahoo.com. I will also be starting a blog after finals with my own writing updates and just random information!
Go Broncos!

Almost the end....

So this is one of the last blogs that are required for class. I hope to start one for anyone that may want to read, but we will see what happens. I will miss this class and everyone in it, it has been a good time.
Well on the up side I got a job over at the College of Engineering. It is a lot of fun, all of the people are pretty nice and cool. The work isn't that hard, but it gets pretty hectic at times. It's money though! I hope to keep it for a couple of semesters.
Well I hope everyone is having fun studying for finals! I am personally not enjoying it at all. Time to go study some more!

Almost last blog!

Today I went to see the reading in the BH center. It was pretty cool, I really liked how the author wrote so I got her book and was able to get it signed. It is a good way to end a semester. Hopefully I will be able to go to some of the readings next semester.
Today in class we had a work day. It was pretty fun and filled with cookies! I hope I will be able to stay in touch with everyone once class is over!

Two weeks left!

The last week has been a blast and it seems to only be getting better. It all started when I went to see the newest Harry Potter movie at midnight for the first showing. I felt that the producers did a very good job to get everything that was in the book better than they had in the past. Though it was well done, some thought it may have been a little slow. This is understandable because in the first half of the book all the main characters are doing is running around Europe. I can not wait until the next movie because it will be so full of action it'll be one of the most epic movies yet.
Besides that being great, there was Thanksgiving! I had so much food and relaxed the entire time. I only had two days of classes leading up to it which was also a good start to break.
Now break is over and everyone is back to school and work. I don't mind so much because we really only have two weeks of real class to go. I am worried a little about final exams, but after that it is nearly a month until I have to return! I can not wait!

Outline-ish

Most Important events/facts/issues:


The Diary of Danny Pozzuto,
Excerpts of life during/after the Great Depression
New York, August 19th 1929- June 11, 1940

Key Points-
Arriving at Elise Island (August 19th 1929)
-On boat looking towards the Statue of Liberty
-Reflecting back on Elise Island/meeting with family

Stock Market Crash (October 29, 1929)
-Describe what was happening
-Explain everyday life
-First Christmas in America

Dust bowl (1931)
-Food prices rising
-No money/bootlegging

People buying real estate (June of 1931)
-Describe the idea of purchasing (Potential setting up a shop)
-Describe time still being bad (use pictures)

Roosevelt’s Inauguration
-Describe the happiness/his ideas

New Deal
-Describe new deal/what its doing for him

America goes off Gold Standard
-The impact on this person/America (distribute wealth)

New Years Eve of 1934
-Best party of the year, Alcohol legal
-in 1934 things have a slight upswing


World War 2 (Italy Joins July 11th, 1941)
-The last journal of this, fear of being deported or placed in internment camps.

I want to write!

I just finished reading "In the shadows of the towers," and I did not enjoy it that much. I did not understand it very much and everything seemed very chaotic and un-orderly. It didn't take very long but it was still odd. Anyways, this weekend was a lot of fun. I went up to Michigan State to visit some friends again and we didn't really sleep. We ran all around campus and just hung out at a couple different dorms. Besides that my weekend was not very eventful.
Now it is another monday but I am super excited for this week to be over because it is then Thanksgiving week! Then it is only a couple of weeks until the end of the semester! Well I have to go finish working on reading all the sources for the project.

Library Labrenth

Today in class we went down to the library to use the computer lab and gather sources for our research papers. I thought it was a successful trip, finding four sources, one of which was a duplicate of what another person in my group was using. When trying to find all of the books I got a little lost. First of all I am terrible with directions, and then when I am put into a very large building that I have maybe stepped foot in once, I was clueless. In the end I was able to find all of my books and checked out. The search engine that we learned about was very helpful and I believe I will be able to use it for future use. It got me familiar with the library as well.

Monday

Today was a wonderful start to the week. I woke up a little early but I couldn't sleep much more. Then I went to the gym which felt pretty good before class. Then during my stupid math class I texted and talked with people around me before finally being released. The sun outside was shinning with very little clouds and a comfortable temperature which brought up my spirits a little more. Then I went to English which let out early. All in all it was a great start to this week, hopefully it stays this way also. If not, well there is always hope for the weekend!
On a side note I went to see an author read at the public library downtown. His writing was very good, and he read a couple of chapters out of his newest memoir which took place in New York in 01-03. He was actually in one of the twin towers when the planes hit. His story about everything that happened before and after were amazing and kept me on the edge of my seat. I hope to get his books soon!

Proposal

Proposal

The final project of this semester for my English 1050 class is a research paper. The group that I am a part of has decided to study about the life of the people who lived in New York during the Great Depression. The fictitious person that I decided to create to study this time was an Italian Immigrant whose name is Danny Pozutto. He is about twenty years old with brown hair, dark brown eyes, and can barely speak any English. He came with his mother and father, hoping to find success in the booming stock market of America in the 1920’s. Sadly his hopes went down hill when the markets crashed and plunged the country into the depression. Accompanying him was his father, mother, and younger sister who was still in school.
The things that I already know about the Great Depression were that it began in 1929 when the stock markets crashed. It affected almost everyone and things began to worsen when the dust bowl began, where many crops failed because of over farming. When all of this was mixed together it caused people to conserve their food by canning and cutting back. Also many jobs were put into place so that people could make money, some of which were laying brick roads. The thing that I already knew about the immigrants was that at the same time there was prohibition until 1933. Some immigrants made money by bootlegging and selling to the Mafia. Others joined together in small towns, living together to survive. Other than that I don’t know a whole lot about the subject and how it affected Italian immigrants specifically.
Things that I would like to learn is how it impacted Italian immigrants that stayed in New York. I want to know why they stayed in New York, how they lived, what they did on an every day basis, and what the government may have done to help them. I also want to know how it may have affected their culture and how they adapted to this way of life. These are some of the questions that I would like to have answered through this project.

Blog 11-1-10

This Halloween weekend I did not do anything special. I was not in the spirit to dress up and eat tons of candy for some reason. I am more looking forward to Thanksgiving because all of my family is coming over to my house to eat. Plus I just love all the food! Also I like the colder weather and just the anticipation of snow, Christmas, the new year, and spending time with family and friends.
So instead of going out to trick or treat I went shopping for the week, the store was dead empty which was nice. Then I was convinced to actually hand out the candy that my parents gave me just in case, but the bag did not go far. So after I turned out the lights and closed all the blinds I sat on my couch, watched t.v. and relaxed.
One exciting thing that happened last weekend was I finished the third book of The Hunger Games. I feel like the author sped through the entire piece and especially the end where detail was the highest priority. All in all it was an interesting series, I just wish the author took more time, it was like watching a movie after reading the book where almost everything important is taken out! Oh well, I am on to another series.

Movie Outline

Question: Are our governments just as corrupted/damaged as the one in Gladiator?
Thesis: I believe that our government in America is just as corrupted and damaged as the one in the movie “Gladiator,” through war, greed, and civil disputes.

Example 1: War. Both the movie and our country are in a state of War with another nation. This can strengthen a country, but over time it tends to damage it more. Many people right now wonder why we are fighting and want to take our men/women out of the fighting. In the movie, Rome was taking over a lot of the surrounding nations. With one president he will wage war, the other that may be elected wants to take it away.

Example 2: Greed. America consumes more natural resources than any other, has a low recycling rate, has the highest obesity rate, along with other over consumption of “wants” and not “needs”. Money has become the top of what most Americans want. The government is split between different parties with different agendas that they want to have rule, wanting the power. In the movie the king is killed by a greedy son, and wants to be loved by the people because of his absolute power.

Example 3: Civil disputes. People in America fight amongst ourselves to promote their own agenda. Gay marriage, death penalty, and going to trial for simple and unjust things like spilled coffee. The people don’t agree on a solid equal belief. There is a Democratic and Republican party that people vote for. Democrats hated Bush, Republicans hate Obama. In the movie the people hated the Caesar, they wanted a voice. They also were trying to be settled and entertained by the many coliseum games.

Conclusion: Restate Thesis. Through war, greed, and civil disputes, the government in the movie and the current government in America do not differ a lot. I believe that our government in America is just as corrupted and damaged as the one in the movie “Gladiator.”

Gladiator

Today in class we watched Halloween. It is not my favorite movie but it is a classic that you must see at least once. Now I am watching Gladiator. I chose to watch this movie because previously last week I saw that it was playing on T.V. so I recorded it. This project gives me a good reason to sit back, relax, and watch the movie.
Today has been a very good day and it has gone by much too fast. This semester is already halfway done and I cant wait for next semester as well. I am taking two English classes, a Religion, and a Philosophy.
Well I must go and continue to watch the movie! See you all in class on Wednesday!

Calvin and Hobbes Outline

Question: Is Calvin psychologically disturbed or does he have an amazing imagination.

Thesis: I believe that Calvin is not psychologically disturbed, but instead has an amazing, sometimes over active, imagination because of the innocence of snowmen, the innocence of a child, and the bright happy colors and overtones used by the author.

Body 1: Most children love to make snow men, and snow men in themselves are calming and friendly.
-Connect to the ideas of personal experience of making snow men.
-This brings the point that he is a kid! That his imagination is able to tie with reality to an extent.
-What he does with these snow men could be the works of a future genius! He is thinking outside of the box.

Body 2: Most children, especially boys, love to play pranks on siblings and parents.
-Explain personal experiences of pranks on parents and friends.
-Not every kid is perfect at respecting his elders.
-In this piece he doesn’t seem to make a note of wanting harm to be done, but instead walks away with a big smile.

Body 3: If the author wanted Calvin to be psychologically disturbed then he would have drawn the pictures much different.
-The attitude of the character is much happier than they may if something was wrong.
-The bright colors pop and bring happiness.
-More dark stories like Sin City would have more of the disturbed undertone.

Conclusion: Restate thesis, and close the piece with a personal thought of the cartoon.

Calvin and Hobbes!

I really enjoy reading the Comic Strip/Book Calvin and Hobbes. Though they are comic strips they can still have whole pages dedicated to a single story. One of my favorite strips is the one below. It makes me think of my own childhood of making snowmen in my front yard, but I was never THAT clever! Though my dog is afraid of snowmen so I would build some in the backyard just so he could see them when he went out to the bathroom.

Swan Song

So right now I am taking a break from writing an outline for a new piece. This weekend one of my friends and I took some pictures, trying to make a cover page for it. I have never thought about a title or even a cover picture for any piece until I am completely done. This time though I thought I would try doing it first for fun, plus I had the name picked out and everything. For anyone interested it is called "Swan Song." A 'swan song' is a belief that the Mute Swan, is mute throughout its life time until the moments before it dies, and at that moment it sings a beautiful song. It also means that something is coming to an end and this is their last statement or action. This piece kind of reflects that idea. I am hopefully writing a little bit of the prologue tonight as well and I will try to get it up as soon as I can!

Poem + Outline

God's Grandeur, by Gerard Manley Hopkins

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

Opening paragraph
-Opening statement
-Thesis: I believe that the author, Gerard Manley Hopkins, of “God’s Grandeur,” is trying to prove that the human kind is flawed and that God still loves us.
-Three main points to be expanded.

Bodies
1st-Flaw
-“The World is charged with the grandeur of God…why do men then now not reck his rod?”
-compare this to real world experiences of today.

2nd-Flaw
- “…Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; and all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil; and wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell…”
-compare to real world again to prove human flaws.

3rd-Forgiveness
- “…the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with ah! Bright wings.”
-Explain real world beliefs about God’s forgiveness.

Conclusion
-Restate the thesis
-Closing sentence to finish paper

I hate Macs...

Right now I am sitting in class trying to do some of my homework, but the Adobe does not seem to work. Instead it works for a moment and then shuts down, it may just be this computer but I am going to blame it on the Mac.
Anyways, off the subject of Macs, I went to the reading last Thursday to listen to the author that was speaking. I really enjoyed her piece and the way it was written, but I had a difficult time getting connected to the piece. It was about lesbian cancer patients who start out at a wedding and end up at a bar. The only connection that I had with this piece was that my best friends mother has cancer and I have friends that are gay/lesbian.
Over all though I really enjoyed being at the reading and I want to go to future readings.

Wednesday 10-6-2010

So today in class was a work day and I finished a couple of things, but still have enough to keep me busy at home. What I am actually looking forward to is the meeting in the BH Center tomorrow night at 8. I am not sure who exactly the reader is, but I would like to go there and listen and see what I could learn from it. Plus it is not half bad that we get extra credit for it. So now I must go and work on all my hw and run to my parents house. My heat has been out for the last week and a half, and for the last three days I have been at my parents while the heater guys A.Dont come on the day they said. B. Get the wrong parts, and C. have to come back tomorrow to fix it. I hope everyone has a good weekend! See you all next week!

Book in the works

Hey everyone,
So today has been a pretty good day over all. Right now I am sitting in the corner of Beaners (Aka Bigbee), working on uploading a longer piece that I have written. I am re-reading it right now and the first chapter alone is 30 pages, and that would be much too long for this blog. So instead I am trying to quickly get it onto Adobe or onto another blog/site that you can all access to read at any time. So give me a little time and I will get it up! If you really want to see the full piece in its entire paper form, let me know in class or email me (Paul_Dickens32@yahoo.com)(Facebook- PJ Dickens) and let me know. Also if anyone wants to talk about fiction or any type of writing, I know a couple people who want to start a small writing group. Let me know if you're interested! See you all Thursday!

The Moment, By Paul Dickens

The Moment

The forest was dead silent and the sun was due to rise over the horizon to free the life from its frosted morning tomb. It was cold and clouds of steam poured out of my mouth like a smokestack as my young body worked to keep this ten year old awake on a frosted November morning. The branches hung high in the trees, lacking their beautiful colored leaves of fall and now more resembling twisted fingers of a witch. A slight bitter breeze blew across the ground but nothing moved, everything was asleep, everything was frozen in time.
It was my first real time out hunting with my father. I was dressed in thick camouflaged pants and a jacket to match, each of which were a little too big for my still growing body, I stumbled through a recently cut cornfield behind my father. I had a bright orange hat over my already orange hair, which occasionally folded down over my eyes making the trek even more difficult. The air was thick with the smell of fall, mixing leaves, and corn together with a slight sting of cool air.

I was fifteen, it was summer, mid-July, and a hot beautiful day. I had just finished my freshman year of high school and nothing had my blood pumping more than marching band and the thought that I was about to get my drivers permit. I wasn’t thinking of school, of the advanced placement class that I was about to take sophomore year, or the summer homework that it assigned. I wasn’t thinking about anything but that exact moment, I was being a teenager, rebelling against parents who were only there to hold me back from what I really wanted to do.
Through my immaturity I felt slightly bad while I sat at my cheap wooden computer desk. I could feel the cheap corkboard underneath the one ply surface that was peeling up. Sitting in a fake leather chair, I sat staring into a cold computer screen, looking and dreaming that I owned a laptop. I typed away on my instant messaging screens, talking to friends about the beautiful day wasted away with watching television and “wats up? Brb, and g2g’s.”

I followed my father just as a pup would follow its parents. Just as innocent as the pup, I tried my hardest to make little noise, stepping over twigs and piles of leaves. Every movement I made seemed to make a glass shattering noise in the silent forest. I did not understand how fast my father could move, it was as if he knew exactly where to step, becoming part of the ground. Even though he was as tall as the trees above me, and as strong as a bull, he silently moved over the ground like the very deer we were hunting. He was dressed in the same type of outfit, but his actually fit.
The darkness was retreating and my eyes were finally able to adjust and see more of the surrounding. We had been walking on the outer rim of the forest, just out of view of a large fifty acre corn field. A bird in the distance began to sing, and a squirrel near by ran across the ground, making more noise than a tractor. My father crawled slowly and silently into a small trench on the corner of the field, backed by the forest and a large brush piles. His body nearly disappeared into the surroundings right before my eyes, motioning an arm up to have me climb into the spot.

I felt bad because I had given up a potentially good time with my father for that boring day. The original plan for July was to go visit my father in Jonesville Michigan, go to the fair, watch fireworks, grill, go to movies, golf, and watch NASCAR, for a week or two. I was so excited I canceled all of my plans with my friends, ready to go have a good time, just me and my father. He came and picked me up in his ’87 red corvette, allowing me to drive it for the first time.
“So what are we going to do this week?” I asked.
“I thought we could go spend some time at Tammy’s place,” he responded. “If that is all right with you.”
I didn’t mind. Tammy was who my father had been dating for the last couple of months. She had three kids, all younger than me so they all looked up to me like an up and coming big brother. I actually enjoyed hanging out with them, they had already felt like family even though my father had only just proposed. I sat reflecting on those last few days that turned from a fun holiday week with my father, into anger and jealousy. I wanted nothing more than to spend it with him just like we used to, instead he worked, spent time with Tammy, and left me to watch over the little kids and clean. So I went back to my mothers, angry.

I sat as still as a statue, trying my hardest not to fidget and turn as I would when I was younger. I knew I had to grow up; I had to learn how to hunt. I wanted to make my father proud of me, show how great of a student I was. Through silence I proved I could become one with the surrounding. The sun slowly rose over the horizon, presenting a slight haze and fog across the cornfield as all of the frost evaporated. My eyes moved back and forth, looking across the field in anticipation, waiting for a brown figure to appear on the tree line.
Something began to appear through the fog. It was tall, a dark brown color, with large antlers piercing out of its head. My father slowly moved his long black shotgun from his side. It felt as though seconds became minutes as he moved the butt of the gun against his right shoulder. My heart was pounding! I was about to see my father get a deer for the first time! I took deep breaths as my eyes moved back and forth from my father’s finger that rested lightly on the trigger and back at the deer still coming closer.
“Cover your ears,” my father whispered with an exhale


That was the last time we spent time together. It was understandable why he was gone during that week, he had to work. It was also understandable why I left; I wanted to have an exciting week. So now I sat at my computer desk, feeling the warm rays of the sun coming through one of the windows. Time was nearly standing still with boredom as I sipped a glass of water and continued to type away on the computer.
Suddenly the silence was broken by the vibrating and obnoxious ring tone of my phone. In one motion I flung my feet down, spun the chair and grabbed my cell phone. Still spinning like a marry-go-round in my chair, I read the caller I.D. My mother watched from another desk right next to mine. We had separate computers because I was constantly on one and my step father wanted one of his own for work. She had dark brown hair and tan skin, nearly black from the summer sun.
“It’s my dad,” I said without looking up at my mother. “Hey daddy!”
There was a slight pause on the other side of the line before an unfamiliar voice responded.
“…Uhm, I’m sorry is Bonnie there?” the voice said.
“Who is this?” I responded.

The deer fell right where it was standing as the echo from the blast rung through my ears. My father lowered his gun but suddenly the animal stood right back up and darted back across the field.

My mother stood from her chair and looked at me as I planted my feet on the ground.
“No, who is this?” I repeated into the phone.
“This is the sheriff in Jonesville, Michigan. I need to speak with Bonnie,” the man said.
I handed the phone to my mother and she gave me a look of “who is it?”

Happiness and excitement was flowing through my veins. I wanted to find the deer, I wasn’t going to loose the trail of blood that was going to lead us right to the wounded deer. My father laughed and complained about how he shouldn’t have put his gun down so fast. Hours past and miles later, we caught up.

I walked outside, looking at my mother who was leaning into my stepfather as if she needed help standing. She slammed the phone shut and turned towards me.

“There it is!” I screamed, pointing at the edge of the corn field where the deer lay. The chase began once again as it stumbled to its feet, trying to flee.

“I need to tell you and your sister something,” my mother said. She rushed me inside and nearly screamed to my sister. “It’s about your father.”

As we ran my father lifted his gun again and shot the deer. It continued to run, but soon fell to the ground.


“He was on his way home from a meeting,” my mother said staggering her words while holding back tears.

We both ran as fast as we could towards the fallen deer. My father lifted the gun to its chest and pulled the trigger once more.

“He was in an accident,” she said, bursting into tears. I could hear my world shattering apart, and felt as though someone hit me with a two by four.

BOOM! It was over. I would never forget that moment.



“He didn’t make it.”

Write and Read!

Right now I am sitting in my office preparing to start to write a new piece of fiction. My mind has been going non-stop with ideas and it is about time to start planning them out and writing! I hope to put it up on the blog for everyone to read, so I hope you all like it! I will do my best to get it up as soon as possible.
Also, a very good book that I just read yesterday. "The Hunger Games," by Suzanne Collins. One of my friends suggested that I read it, so I picked it up and read it through in one sitting. It keeps the suspense of what is happening VERY high all the way through to the end. She created an interesting world, almost like our own but sent way out of control with technology and war. Now I have to go out and get the second and third books to find out what happens next.
I hope all is well with everyone and I will see you Wednesday!

Not in the mood for a free write

Wednesdays are my busiest days of the week. They make me look forward to Thursday though, which then tells me it is almost Friday. I start my day with a Philosophy lab, which I would like to bring into this blog during our free write blog days. Then there is my evil math class which make the day go by so much slower. Finally I end off with my English class which makes an hour and fifty minutes fly right by.
Today we discussed the two pieces that we read over the week. The first one “Lucky,” freaked me the heck out. I did not like the subject matter, but looking at it from a literature standpoint it did not miss a beat. It brought the reader right in to experience the fear and pain of the author. The second was much more relaxing, giving an over exaggerated life of a male college student who seems to be having some sort of medical problem. Though it was a much easier read than the first, it left me wanting to know more about what happened to the character.
Through out the rest of the class period we discussed ways of writing and what we can try to do to stay focused. I personally write best in the mornings with a cup of tea or coffee, while listening to music, preferably Avenged Seven Fold. I find that I do not write the best in large open areas, I may think better, but I like to write at my desk or at a table confined in a not overly large room. It doesn’t matter who is around me because I am usually plugged into an MP3 or I get so into what I am writing that everything else just disappears.
Originally I was just going to do a “free write” for this blog, but I decided not to. I wasn’t in the mood, so I hope you all enjoy this piece and I hope to write something a little more interesting next time. Have a great weekend everyone!

Large Campus+Dead Phone+Lost Friends=...

This weekend was lots of fun, but I did not get the chance to sit a whole lot. I went up to Michigan State University to hang out with a couple of my old high school friends. We walked all around the campus, visiting any one I went to school with and meeting many other cool people. First we stopped at one of the dining halls to get dinner and get a plan together for what we were going to do for the night. After that we just walked around, hung out at a couple peoples dorms, and went to an amazing improv. show called “Mission Improvable.” I had not laughed that hard in a very long time.
That night we didn’t stop walking around until about three to four a.m. I crashed at my friends dorm and slept like a rock. It was short lived though because we woke up early. We had to get ready for the Michigan State vs. Notre Dame game. My seat was on the very top row, of the farthest end zone from the student section which was where all of my friends were. Somehow I was able to move from my original seat, over to the student section but as soon as I made it, my phone died. I was not able to meet up with my friends at that point, and I had no idea where to meet them after the game. I ended up meeting a couple of cool people in the student section and watching the entire game. In my opinion State did not play a great game (3rd and 24 yards to go, trying to run the ball, when they can’t even run 10 to start with) but they won. The only great part about the game was the last 45 seconds when they won with the most gutsy move by faking a kick and instead throwing the ball for a touchdown.
All in all I had a great time seeing all of my friends and just having fun. The size of the campus made me realize how much I love the size of Westerns campus. This was my exciting weekend.

A little break

Right now I am working on all of my English HW. I actually really enjoy this project because it makes you think of different ways your work can be created/ all of the different genres that you can use. I am currently taking the two page paper that we originally had to write and making it into a letter to my mother. I changed a little bit of the story from the original two page paper by taking a small child that is getting onto a school bus for his first day of kindergarten, and bringing him thirteen years later reflecting on that moment with a letter home to his mother from his first day of college.
Over all I really enjoy this project and this class. I really like how it is around thirteen students and how we all sit in a circle instead of boring rows. Also this amount of students gives us a chance to all talk. It is just much more relaxing in a way then being in a lecture hall of two to three hundred. I think we will be able to learn a lot more, with a higher work load, and enjoy it more than some of our other classes that aren’t as much one on one work.
Well this was really my break between writing the analysis papers, but I really hope it is going well for everyone else. I hope that everyone has an awesome weekend and I will see you all around!

First of many!

My name is Paul Dickens, and I am in English 1050. This is the first time I have created a blog, but I really think I will enjoy using it. So to tell everyone a little about myself, I am 18 years old, I have red hair, am Italian, and my two passions are writing fiction and playing the drums. I am a freshman at WMU and I hope to double major in English (Creating Writing) and Philosophy.
I have lived in Kalamazoo my whole life and I went to High School at Kalamazoo Central. I hope to learn a lot more while taking this English Class and make some new friends along the way. I hope you all like my blog and all future posts!
-PJ