My Audience

     Last week as an assignment we played a 20-questions-ish game to get to know who we would be writing for this semester. There were several fun questions and insightful answers. It was a fun opportunity to "see" the people in my class, even though we only meet online.

     In ten years time most of us envision ourselves with a house and a happy job in the careers that we are preparing for. Several of us are interested in starting families, some looking forward to children. Others are more specific as to where they'd like to be physically, some describing land with farm animals and some wanting to live near the water. I think it's a safe summary to say that most of us plan to be happy and successful, which is why we are working hard now to secure that future.

     It seems like most of us enjoy dancing, but have no real confidence in it (I fall into this category!) Sometimes making a fool out of ourselves is the best way to relax!

     One of my favorite questions was "what makes everybody happy?" It seems like such a simple question, but sometimes its good to sit down and actually think about it. There are several things that make me happy that I don't necessarily think about. The one thing that seemed to ring true in every response was this: family. Our family and friends are such a joy in our lives, and I'm so happy to see that everyone is able to appreciate those around them.

     Given a week to spend one million dollars it seems like most of us quickly secure the things necessary for an easy life: a house, a car, pets, perhaps a vacation or two. After those things though, I'm proud to say that most of us would rather donate the rest to a charity than whittle it away on meaningless stuff. It's always such a great thing to see how many people are willing to help others when they have the means to do so.

     The question I asked was what everyone's favorite book was. While I did get several responses, I was slightly disappointed at the number of people that didn't have one. Most of the people that did have a ready response were ones that I have not read or heard much about, so I look forward to exploring them later.

     Overall, it seems like I am surrounded by a diverse and colorful group this semester. While we obviously cannot share every interest or desire, it seems like we are all aware of ourselves and who we want to become. I am sure that through this semester and what comes after we will all work to achieve what we strive for and keep close to the things we care about.

Soreness and Happy Days

Nothing super fun to write about today.  I worked a nine hour shift at the animal hospital, which is something I'm not used to doing.  My legs feel like they want to fall off and just lie there for a few days.  The whole day seemed a little "off" for me, honestly.  I'm not sure what was going on, but I just seemed to be one step behind all of the time.  I would be slow pulling up vaccines, or get the positioning wrong on x-rays.  It was rather frustrating, especially since I had no idea what was dragging me down.
I also spent most of the day stressing over trying to get a weekend off for my friend's birthday party.  He didn't give me any notice until just now, and the party is next weekend.  It didn't give me a lot of time to prepare.  I finally got the days off (I think) but it took a lot of messing with the schedule and begging favors from my co-workers.
On a happier note, my dad and sister came up from Oklahoma last night to visit.  They'll be staying for a full week this time, so I'm really happy.  I don't get to spend enough time with them since I moved from there.  I don't regret the decision, but I do miss spending time with them every day.  It was very happy last night when they came in from the drive.  We were expecting them to come in late, but the arrived around eight.  They brought their little Pomeranian, Shadow, with them.  I really love that dog.  He loves to cuddle, and wants to be by my side all the time when he's in town.
They're going to Branson for a few days at the start of next week, so I'll get Shadow all to myself.  I wish I could go with them., but I have work and school work that needs to be done.  Speaking of work, I have to head off now for another six hours of fun.  I just hope that things will work a little smoother this time

Rascal's First Groom

I woke up early in the morning with the older man they call "Pappaw".  He took me outside to play!  I think he might take me out there for some other reason, but I'm not sure.  I got to eat my food, which was great!  I ate it all up at once, but they didn't give me more.  I was disappointed.  Mammaw got up after a while and we all sat out in front of the house for a while.  It was hot, but I like the shade on the porch.  The cement feels cool on my belly.
The Bill-human came over to play with me.  He talked with Pappaw some too, but I made sure that he didn't have to focus on that for long!  He's got these loose pants on, and it's fun to chew on.  I love the feel of the cloth (or anything, really!) in my mouth, but Bill doesn't seem to like it as much.  He said something about "That's me in there," but I don't know what he meant.  He didn't want me chewing on him after that.  It's okay though, he'll probably come back to play with me tomorrow.  He really likes my company.
The younger humans got up and ate breakfast.  It smelled good, but they wouldn't let me have any.  Not fair.  After that, Mammaw, Pappaw, and my Mommy (who they call "Savvy" for some reason) sat out on the back porch.  They weren't paying attention to me, so I chewed on my flowerpot.

This was all normal.

Then Mommy took me to where she works.  I like it when she takes me there.  My Sarah-friend lets me sit up on the desk with her while she does stuff.  I saw Sarah when we walked in the door.  She was so happy to see me!  I gave her kisses to reward her.  But then Mommy took me back to a room I hadn't spent much time in before.  There was a lady there with loud things in her hands.  I didn't like this room.  She held me weird and put the loud things on my paws and face.  My hair started falling off when she did that.  I tried to get away, but that made Mommy mad, so I sat still like a "good boy".  I glared at Mommy so she'd know I wasn't happy.
When she was done, that lady put me in the tub!  As if the loud hair-trimmers weren't enough, she got me really wet and put soap all over me.  I hate baths.  Mommy knows I hate baths, but she didn't stop it.  I tried to look really sad so Mommy would help me, but she just laughed at me.  She can be mean, sometimes.
Next they put me in one of the kennels in the back.  I usually don't like these much, but this time it was awesome!  There was this big tube they attached to the cage that made warm air blow on me.  It was neat.
After that I got to play with everyone for a while!  They seemed like they were busy, but I know that they really just wanted to spend time with me.  After that Mommy took me home.  I was so tired!  I always wear myself out giving attention to all of those humans.  I hope they appreciate it.  I think I'll take a nap now.

I Believe Free-write Response

I believe in love.  Love can come in many forms: through friendship, family, romance, and even people we meet on a daily basis.  I think that this world does not think about love enough.  If more people were to focus on love rather than confrontation, we would have less problems in this world.  This has been something that I’ve seen a lot in my short time here in this world.  I often marvel at how petty people can be over the smallest of things.  I cannot believe that people are so unable to see past their own small differences.  Even in school or work I often encounter people judging others’ actions.  While I sometimes find myself falling into that habit also, it’s something that I actively try to avoid.  I really do try to love everyone, despite what they’ve said or done to me.  Really the only thing that I have trouble forgiving is when someone wrongs a friend of mine.  I don’t care too much about what happens to me, but I am very protective of those I care about.  While I do consider this a good character trait, I still need to be able to forgive people for any action they may do.

Even in my family I see love taking a back seat to petty arguments, which is something I regret deeply.  I don’t know why, but sometimes I am able to get along better with a complete stranger then I am with my own sister.  We usually get along great, but when we argue it’s like beating our heads against a brick wall.  Perhaps it’s because we are both very stubborn and have trouble admitting when we are wrong.  Still, love manages to win eventually, once we are able to actually listen to each other.

I often get frustrated when watching television – be it news or fictional stories.  There are so many things I see that could be avoided if people would simply take other people’s wellbeing into consideration.  If people could care for each other the same way they look after themselves, things would be so much simpler.  I often wonder if I am unique in this viewpoint (something that feels rather arrogant now that I write it out).  I know that other people care for people, but why are we as a species so unable to look after each other?  We let small things like possessions keep us from looking after what truly matters.  It makes me so sad when I sit down and think about it.  I guess that all I can do is try to be a positive influence in the lives that I come across and hope that it gives others the desire to do the same for others.

Word Count: 457

I Believe. . .

10 minutes on the clock to list things I believe.  Here we go!

I believe in Jesus Christ.  I believe in love.  I believe that humans are strong.  I believe in friendship.  I believe that pets are family.  I believe in the healing power of happiness.  I believe that all people have the capacity to do good.  I believe that we never stop learning.  I believe that books can change the world.  I believe that music can change the soul.  I believe that we rely too much on technology.  I believe that technology saves lives.  I believe that war and hate are unnecessary.  I believe that rain is necessary for growth.  I believe that friends are family.  I believe that family is the most important thing we have.  I believe that people do not listen enough.  I believe that dancing occasionally can be good for the soul.  I believe that art is under-appreciated in many forms.  I believe that anyone can create art.  I believe that most skills can be learned by a determined person.  I believe that children are the future.  I believe that we don't think about the future enough.  I believe that discipline can be necessary to understand rules.  I believe that there is nothing we cannot do.

Word count: 198

Jung Typology Test

For my composition course I was asked to take the Jung Typology Test (available here for those interested) as a pretext to self-analyzing myself as both a student and a writer.  I was interested, though not terribly surprised, at the results.  Upon completing the test, which consisted of 72 easily answered questions, I was labeled as being ISFJ which stands for Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging respectively.
This test is almost unnervingly accurate on several accounts when discussing my personality.  While some of these descriptors are rather flattering, others help me to see things that I need to work on to be a stronger individual.
The analysis provided describes me as being trustworthy, warm, punctual, and kind.  Unfortunately, I usually take all these things to a fault (which is also predicted through this test).  There's a part in the analysis that states that, in being so capable, I make it easy for others to overlook my accomplishments since they are now the expectation.  Sadly, I have seen this be the case in several circumstances.  While I could spend countless paragraphs boring you with the insight this has provided me, I think it best if we move on now that we both understand that I do consider this test to be accurate.
Most interesting to this assignment is what occurs later in the analysis of my particular learning/personality type.  The writer is so kind as to provide insight as to how being an ISFJ can and might effect my school and writing.  Since these are the primary focuses of my assignment, let's have a look at them.

In Regards to Learning


Being an ISFJ means that I learn best through practical applications of ideas and struggle with theories or deep analysis.  I have always found this to be the case and am relieved to discover that I am not unique in these difficulties.  Knowing this, however, offers me an opportunity to work on my weaknesses.  Perhaps my exposing myself to things that I find difficult, I can become more comfortable with them.
The test correctly identifies me as preferring to study alone.  Admittedly though, I sometimes have difficulty concentrating if I don't have someone there to keep me honest.  I hope to be able to study more with partners rather than just by myself.  That being said though, I still plan to keep it small.  One study partner is more than enough for me, if I can find one that I enjoy and trust.
It also points out my weakness in procrastination.  The analysis puts it in kinder terms: "An ISFJ may procrastinate or leave a project uncompleted if they are not able to meet their own high standards or when they feel overwhelmed with the information and data they have compiled."  I would say that I simply am too lazy to force myself to concentrate on the problem before me.

In Regards to Writing


And now we get down to what I'm really interested in: how does this information apply to my writing habits and capabilities?
I must be honest - this is the area where it strays farthest from what I see to be true.  There are a few points that still apply, however.  I would rather write on paper than type, and I love writing in quite places.  I also prefer to write one draft of something and then edit it only as necessary.
It is wrong about my process of writing.  It predicts that I will be very organized - always writing an outline.  It also says that I should rely a great deal on reflection.  Both of these are false, as I usually write whatever is on my mind.  I will write an outline for a professional essay as a necessity for organizing those thoughts, so I suppose that it's not entirely untrue.  Overall though, it's not how I work.

I would definitely recommend taking this test.  Even if you don't learn something new about yourself, it is a great way to delve into the traits you do know and understand how they will come across in the practical world.