I notice that:

I notice that every time I go to IMPE or CRCE that students wear t-shirts that show past accomplishments. Usually this consists of a high-school t-shirt that says “State Championship” or just t-shirts that represent past teams they’ve played on.

I notice that people on Facebook post stuff that would be considered “talking behind your back” but they post it in hopes that you’ll read it. But the comment was something mean about you.

I notice how many teachers are just researchers that teach on the side. You can tell in big lectures that the teachers are just there because they have to be so that they can get money to fund their research.

I also notice that many college students plan their weekends around parties/alcohol. Their plans depend on where the cheapest alcohol is or where everyone is drinking.

I notice that this fall the university workers mowed the quad and other areas of grass way too often. There was no way that the grass could have grown any because of how cold it was outside.

I notice that if you walk around the Under Grad Library, that about 1 out of 3 computers are on Facebook.

I notice that sorority girls show off what their house’s name is more than frat guys do. I don’t see many guys walking around with symbols on their clothing like I see girls have.

I noticed that the quad has had sections of the sidewalk re-poured. The sidewalk has the same patterns but it’s like every other 25 ft the concrete is newer or older.

I notice that recently the bus drivers have gotten stricter on the “white line.” Last semester the drivers wouldn’t mind if kids were standing past the white line, but this semester they won’t let anyone on even if there is room on the wrong side of the white line.

Finally, I notice how they built Mumford Hall and David Kinley very similarly. They look like very large building from the outside. But on the inside they don’t seem all that big.

Isaiah Olson

10 THINGS THAT CATCH MY EYE

1. Eye Color. Seeing as the profession I am choosing to go into is Optometry to be an eye doctor, I love the different colors of others' eyes and how it suits their skin color.

2. Cell Phones. There are just so many different kinds of phones out there. Then when a new one comes out, everyone's going nuts to get it. I am really into technology so i love seeing new applications being added to a cell phone just to make it harder for parents to comprehend *lol, just kidding*.

3. Sunrise. I just think its really peaceful. It exemplifies a new beginning to a new day where you leave the troubles and worries of yesterday behind.

4. Handwriting. I remember when I was in grammar school, and I was told the people with the worst handwriting become doctors. I do not remember the reason behind it besides them getting me to realize that many doctors do not have good handwriting. They may give you a prescription for medicine and you think to yourself, "I hope the people working in pharmacy can read this because I have the slightest idea what this says."

5. Road Rage. It is one of the funniest things to me. I've seen so many people just get so angry out on the road while driving, especially if they are in a hurry and the car in front of them is going 2 miles/hour. They'd get to the point of honking their horns, speeding past them in the next lane, or just start talking to themselves aloud in the car. ((hopefully no one makes another as mad as this guy in the picture.))

6. Separation. I notice that no matter how much people argue that a certain place is diverse, when really there is still separation within the area. For example, have you ever been to an event and see people of the same culture just bunch together? I think that we stay too much within our comfort zone and meet more people outside of your own culture. I am very well aware that most people do hang out with others from other cultures, and if you do, then I was not referring to you, but to others who do not.

7. Cost of Living. Before I came here to college, I was always dependent on my parents. Now to not to have them around, and me really having to save my money until I can get more, I am limited to what I can buy. It really sucks being broke, but it is a learning process.

8. Potholes. I was in Chicago over Christmas break, and everywhere I drove, there were plenty of holes. I do not know what was going on but a good amount of those holes could really mess up the car tires. All I know is that the City of Chicago needs to fix their streets.

9. False Friends. I notice now more than ever, that everyone is not meant to be your friend. What hurts the most is when you have been friends with the person for years and then they get to another environment and become a whole new person. It's just not right.

10. Homework. I noticed that Biology majors tend to have a great amount of work to do all the time. I know we need these things to become successful in the future, but it gets tiring because it is just so much. *pic caption: AFTER EFFECT FROM UR BRAIN DOIN U OF I HMWK*((the picture is just a joke, no offense to anyone behind it))

-Farrah

10 things I observed

Jacqueline Gonzalez**


1. We've been in college for how many months already and I have not seen anyone stressed out!! It astounds me that there could be so many people at this universtiy and everyone seems to really control their stress very well.
2. Why does everyone have a Northface sweater/jacket? Now I think they are really cute but when its below zero is that flimsy little thing really going to keep you warm? Are they actually really warm or not? And if you have to layer sweaters underneath them is it really worth the $100 plus to get one?!
3. Another thing I think is pretty funny is how we as students take advantage of the bus routes here on campus. Living in the sixpack i find myself taking the bus to simply go to the quad. Can you say lazy?! Even though I don't intend on taking the bus I find myself and a lot of other people catching to only get off 2 blocks later.
4. Ipods are everywhere! Usually I take mine with me, but over the weekend it was M.I.A and I couldnt help but notice that I was the only one without mine. Like it or not I believe that we all carry our Ipods as sort of a security blanket where ever we may go because maybe we like blocking outsiders from getting to either know us or we just dont want others to bother us.
5. Facebook is something that I believe all college students have and all college students become addicted to it. Strange to think that this is where you get invited to the party, get the homework from your classmates, or even just get to meet new people that you never get to see on campus. Haven't checked your facebook today? Go here and poke a friend http://www.facebook.com/ !!
6.Why must History majors take Calculus? If 2 + 2 always equals 4 than why must I need to know it!!! I think I should be spending more precious brain cells writing and reading than stressing over how to break down m-{m-[m+(m-1)]}.
7. College book prices are ridiculous. College is already expensive to begin with so why do the book publishers kill the students who are already spending over $400 dollars in books WHICH they may not even open all semester? I guess they say, "Hey, they have to buy the book either way so might as well screw them over in the process."
8. The bathrooms in a dorm are already a pretty weird place but to make it even weirder why must RA's or whom ever put crossword puzzle's with a hanging pencil in each stall? Thats just creepy at any level....
9. How the weather here in "Chambana" is so crazy. One day the temperature is below 0, the next day its 48 degrees and than there is a blizzard by the end of the week?! I think that is just what we in mid-west must become accustomed to in order to survive the strangest conditions.
10. The last thing i observed is the Laundry room. The laundry room is cool because it's a place to focus and do your homework and just relax, but I hate the dryers!! Everytime I'm down there it never fails that there has to be some loser who left his/her clothes in the dryer and never comes back down to get it....HELLO!!! Who does that? Do you want to wear clothes or do you just want to walk around naked for the rest of the semester. Seriously people just be responsible and pick up your clothes on time, it saves a lot of effort for the people waiting with their dripping clothes. :D

Thoughts and Observations

1. The January Gym Crew: Both at my local gym and even back here in Champaign, an obvious trend is in the midst. During the year you will see the regulars in the gym on a day to day basis, those who are truly committed to being in shape. However, January brings a new bunch into the fold, the so called “Resolution Members.”
2. Ipods on Campus: Music is very important to me as you will see later in this blog but I believe being social is equally important. This semester I have not worn my Ipod on the way to class and I find it more pleasing for some reason. I listen to music all the time and through various other activities, walking to class does not need to be one of them for me. I enjoy the sounds of the street and the possibility of striking up a conversation with a complete stranger or close friend.
3. Eye Contact: You can really tell the confidence of an individual by the amount of eye contact they give you during conversation. When speaking to someone, if they can constantly keep a steady stream of eye contact with you, the conversation tends to be more intimate and rewarding. I guess it’s because a genuine trust is formed and each person believes just a little bit more about your personality and what you have to say.
4. Comedians vs. Politicians: I just get tired of the majority of politicians in our nation who fill us with their parties’ stances on issues instead of speaking from the heart. Not everyone shares the same opinion on everything and I guess I wish they had more of an individual identity. I really respect Jon Stewart from the Daily Show, along with most comedians. I respect them for being able to point out or make fun of a situation because of the facts, not because of what someone else thinks.
5. The Power of Music Part One (Stress Reliever): I’ve found throughout my life that one of the best things to clear my mind is music. Music is truly an escape for me, whether it’s listening to my favorite bands or learning to play the guitar as I am doing right now. Nothing can replace this aspect of music.
6. Nice Guys Finish Last: Green Day said it right.I guess this sadly true concept bothers me from time to time, especially when I’m single. The idea of girls going after the stereotypical “Bad-Boy” is lame, especially when there are guys out there like me who genuinely care about the girls we have feelings for. I know it will go away in time as people continue to mature, and hopefully then more ladies will see the confident, honest, funny, but more importantly nice guy that I am.
7. False Love: I get kind of sick of reading peoples Facebook status on a daily basis stating how much they love their girlfriend/boyfriend. Don’t get me wrong, I think that the idea of being in love is one of the best parts of life. But to me, being in love is something that you and the one your with should be confident about. It shouldn’t matter what others think, only what the both of you think of eachother. Once in awhile is fine, but when you have a new version of the same message everyday it makes me believe you are trying to convince someone (Or Yourself) instead of actually being in love.
8. Nervous Focus: I notice that when people walk into a room on the first day of class that they lock in to their prospective seat. It’s kind of funny in a way because I am sure that I have done it too and I wonder how I looked. Watch the next time you are in a new situation and see how many people make crisp movements and turns until they reach their “target” destination.
9. The Power of Music II (Message from the Heart): Nothing can touch me more then watching someone sing a song directly from the heart. Like this video of a young musician singing Wish You Were Here in dedication to her mother (Especially the ending of the video). Watch her emotions along with others in attendance. The power of the music and words is never clearer.
10. Body Language: When we have to give speeches in class, it is hard for me to pay attention to the other presentations because I am so focused on each individual’s body language. The little movements and actions that each person makes can really tell you how confident they are about their presentation.

Brad Vonck

Ten Things

Ten things that are interesting to me.

1. Over x-mas break I was hauling grain to the mill in Danville. It had snowed a couple of days before and all the vehicles were white with road salt on them. One semi grain trailer had GO BEARS! in big letters written in the road grime on both sides of his trailer. It made me think that this guy must have been a die hard bears fan considering the amount of time it took him to write that he could have washed it.
2. Also I noticed as I was sitting in line at the mill that union mill workers are pretty lazy. There were always people sitting on the picknick tables outside the office, and inside the office they were always on coffee breaks or sitting around reading the newspaper. It always seemed like the same people.
3. During the recent cold spell I noticed alot of people walking to class in a variety of different clothing. Most people were all bundled up so much that you counldnt even see their faces. However there was the occasional person who didnt have a hat on, I even saw one guy in shorts, crazy.
4. I have a class in Foellinger auditorium. I have noticed that the people at the front are always taking notes and are paying attention. As you move farther back most everybody is asleep or just sitting there daydreaming.
5. When I was home this weekend I was looking at our new baby pigs and how they were all laying on top of each other. Pigs have the sterotype of being dumb but as they were laying there I thought how smart they were to use each others bodyheat to keep warm. I thought that was interesting.
6. Also at home today I was looking out in out pasture and was watching our week-old calves running around and playing with each other. Their mothers kept a watchful eye over them to make sure they were safe. I guess they were feeling alot more energetic because of the warm weather.
7. At the basketball game tonight I noticed how enthusiastic the orange crush was and how the team fed off of their energy. I also noticed people next to the floor that didnt hardly cheer or yell at all. However, they were mostly older people.
8. When I go to class everyday I walk by a construction site where a new apartment complex is going to be built. On the billboard there is a picture of the completed building and advertisements of flat screen tv's and a rooftop pool. It made me think how any normal college student could afford to live there.
9. There is also construction everywhere. There are new buildings and rennovations around everywhere. It made me think how much of my tution money goes into this new construction
10. Finally, when I went to Hardee's to get a burger I noticed how unhappy the person working there was. It seems like all the people that work there are slow and act like they hate their job.

-Will

Ten things I Notice

Most of us students would find that throughout our daily hassle to get from class to class, we are not always able to take the time to notice things on campus which contribute to our experience here. It's only in our down time, comming back from classes or just a weekend out, that we may be able to notice such observations.

1.) As I step out of my dorm in the morning one of the very first things I notice around campus is two huge trees which stay in front of my dorm, LAR. I like to take notice of how they change over the evoluving seasons and they seem to be a symbol of the current season.

2.) Another thing I like to take notice of as I am on campus are people"s behaviors as they are waiting for the bus. I notice that people often look towards one direction, which is the direction in which the bus is expected to appear and them check their watches or cellphones with agitation, checking the time. Some people have on headphones, some are on the phone and others as well appear to be reviewing notes or sneaking in their last bite of breakfast or sip of coffee before class. I also notice that once the bus lights can be seen from far away, the crowd appears to begin to huddle to one specific spot, walking closer to the side walk were the bus will stop. It's quite and interesting site how all at once the students seem to react in this simmular way all at once.

3.) I also like to take notice of the crowd of students which walk up and down the quad and how it appears as if they are all just a blind mass of people walking in one direction, their heads held high with a pensive, serious look on their face. It's especially interesting to notice how people seem to all of a sudden pick up their pace when the bell is sounded.

4.) Another weird but interesting thing I like to notice is the pattern on the bathroom walls or the floor tiles and how this reminds me of playing tetrus. I like to notice the weird and interesting arrangements of the specific sections of the tiles and then how it appears as a whole like a collage.

5.)Something else I like to take notice of is the names of the streets on campus. There's some pretty basic street names like "Green, White, Wright,First, Second, Third and John" but also some weird ones like "Peabody, Dornner, Florida, Pensylvania, University Ave and Lincoln Ave." Makes me wonder where these names came from.

6.) As I ride the bus I like to look down and observe people's gym shoes and there creative patterns and color combinations. Some come with stars, some with skulls and others with the standard lines and check signs. I know it seems weird but I believe a person's shoes can say alot about them. If their bright with outrageous color combinations, I believe that might mean that maybe that person is bold and likes to establish themselves as an individual since they don't stick to normal colors of white and black. Black could mean that they are more reserved or shy and while clean white gym shoes could mean that the person has a neat side since it requires being neat to keep it that way. Shoes that appear worn could mean that the person has a carefree attitude and might not invest too much time into their appearance. I know it's a wierd habit but hey, I need some way to pass the time on the bus.

7.) I also like to notice the patterns of the carpet floor in my dorm LAR. It kinda looks like patterns you would find in a second rate motel 6. It has tan and pink stripes which kinda match the walls, with little diamond like patterns that are divided off into sections.

8.) I also like to notice things like the highlights in peoples hair, their hair textures and hair styles. You can spot a range of hair types from straight wavy, curly to frizzie and feathered hair cuts, short crew cuts, fades and the undying mohawk. Seems like whats popular on campus is the short hair for girls hair styles that are shoulder lenght or shorter.

9.)I also like to notice peoples coat colors in a sea of students on the Quad and how the majority of the colors are black, then brown, tan and then white. I keep waiting to see a weird and original coat like a silver foil colored coat but there are a couple of different coats like some gold or blue ones once in a while.

10.)I also like to take notice of the different building structures on campus like the English building, the Chemistry building, the Mechanical Engineering building and the Law building to see whether the buildings match their purposes. For example, ever notice that Law building appears to look like a court room buiding from the outside so that you automatically have a feeling of it being the Law building even without reading the building's tittle.

Such things are interesting to me to take notice of as I walk around campus whether it's getting from class to class or whether it's to visit a friend.

- AveMaria Okolo

Observations..

This is a list of ten things i found interesting:

1. A defunctional spy satellite is falling from orbit and it set on a collision course with earth. the sattelite weights about 78-tons however it is unknow which part of the earth it will strike. the event is schedualed to occur in late Feb. -Link- http://news.aol.com/story/_a/defunct-spy-satellite-falling-from-orbit/20080126173609990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

2. I went to the krannet center for preforming arts last friday and i saw the stage where the romeo and juliet play will be taking place and it amazed me how small it was. i dont recall what it was called however i am excited to be seeing the paly sometime in feburary.

3. the weather increase has also definatly caught my attention. we went from the negatives to 30+ degrees

4. A New article that i read suggested that people who are smokers, alcholics, obese and elderly should be barred from certain opertaions say doctors. and so i was thinking does lifestyle have to play a role on who gets treatment?

5. Sony is shrinking the size of its blue ray players alowwing for lower prices on laptops and sony ps3 which is a good deal for all of us in need of either of these components.

6. I noticed something in the political world which is that barack obama seems to the the likely candidate for the democratic party in the elections of 2008.

7.Global warming could be helpful to the earth after all. this is because it will reduce the amount of hurricanes that occur. im pretty sure we dont want another hurricane katrina. -link- http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,324995,00.html

8.football star micheal vick's pitbulls are up for adoption after the trajic case of animal cruelty the once faced.

9. on the bus i noticed everysingle person had a cellphone. it made me wonder how do they pay for them.

10.during fridays dinner time called la cosina at isr i noticed it was more packed than usual. it seems that there is a great liking of culturally diverse foods.

Fernand Perez

Ten Things I Observed

1. The one thing I think is absolutely beautiful about U of I is the landscaping. Every time I walk on the quad I observe the breathtaking scenery, regardless if there is snow on the ground or on a sunny day.

2.Everyone knows that there are advertisements almost everywhere. It is amazing how many advertisements I see in just one day. The thing that is more striking than how often I see them is the variety of places they are. On campus there are advertisements and promotions even written on the ground in chalk. This is clever because I’m sure many people notice them, look I did!
3. At church I watched the behavior of many people. I realized how happy, confident and friendly everyone was. It is difficult to find places where everyone is joyful.
4. Have you ever notice how a dorm room is set up. There are not just the typical four walls, instead there are many walls. This allows you to become as creative, and making each room different.
5. I was driving and notice how slow traffic always is here in Champaign- Urbana. I’m from Chicago where everyone is always rushing. It’s interesting to see how people take their time and not always be in a hurry.
6. As I walked to classes the other day, I noticed how everybody is either talking on the phone, text messenging or listening to a music device( mostly iPods). No one seems to communicate directly. I find it interesting that so many people are affected by the technological age, especially college students.
7. I have been to many malls and found that they are similar in many ways. They contain similar stores, especially department stores such as J. C. Pennys, Sears and Macys.
8. Have you noticed that there commercials of restaurants that are not here in Champaign- Urbana? I see Wendy’s commercials on t.v here all the time, yet there is not a Wendy’s here.
9. This is the weekend before my birthday so I went out to a party. I noticed that many girls dress provocatively and wear heels when going out even in cold weather. Women always seem to wear less clothes than guys, even when it is cold!
10. Lastly, I was searching the internet and found these articles quite interesting. Here’s the link, http://www.damninteresting.com/.

-Tawana Daniels

10 things, plus 1, I tend to recognize…

1. Text messages. Due to excessive texts I send per day, I observe the many styles of texting…the language of texting. Some people use shortened words, while others use Standard English. Those signatures others have at the end of their messages, in some cases, always have some message. If it’s not simply their names, it’s something far more interesting.
2. Facial expressions. To me, someone’s facial expression tells it all. Their expression provides the inner thoughts at any given moment. As I tend to have their weirdest thoughts, I become curious to others thoughts.
3. Food composition. Well, I love to eat. Most of the time, I am looking at the melting cheese on my Philly cheese steak, paying attention to sautéed onions in stir fry, the oils trickling from my sub sandwiches, the sour cream stacked on my tacos, so on and on and on…
4. Eyes. They are the first thing that attracts my attention when going through a magazine, meeting someone or in a piece of art. The various colors of pupils are intriguing (Or even contacts and how it mixes with their original pupil color.)
5. The palm of hands. I follow the lines. There are dark ones and lighter ones going in different directions. Some resemble the branches of trees. Hmmm… I like to see how far they extend on various palms.
6. Cuts and scars. Whenever I get a cut or something, I like to examine the long or short process it takes to heal. When I first get them, I panic...Even little paper cuts. It’s really weird because your skin is loose and or gone...where did it go? Ewww.
7. Diamond and/ or rhinestones. I look at the differences between the two. But, it’s shiny appearance puts me in awe. Depending upon the size of the rock, I wander into a deep gaze if I’m staring at them for a while.
8. Blank and black screens. Nothing is there, but I somehow find that impossible. I don’t know, it is just a little something I notice…
9. The infinity symbol. Well, it started when I was young and I actually wanted to become a famous ice skater. As I saw people make figures 8’s, it was amazing. Then getting older, I noticed the infinity sign was a sideways eight. An eight on a far lean. Sometimes as people doodle, they make squiggly lines and flowers and stuff, but I sometimes draw the symbol. My eyes would always follow my hand as I drew it. I came to find out that it’s a good strategy to exercise the brain. Its good eye coordination.
10. Nose hair. Yes, it’s really weird. I don’t understand…why is hair coming out of your nose?????

11. And one more thing…walking. On my way to class, I really pay attention to peoples’ walks that indicate a sense of urgency. Hey, they must be late for class, and interview, exam, or whatever. Then, when I have an urgent walk, I wonder if another person has my initial thoughts.

Krystal Wilson

10 Things I Observed

1. Waking up every morning, I noticed that by 8 in the morning, the sun is always in my face.  That made me realized that my dorm at FAR is facing east, which is weird because I have no sense of direction what soever.
2. Brushing my teeth in the washroom then using the stool, I noticed that there are these signs on the back to the stool door that when your sitting down, it faced you and reads "In the toilet, Not on it.  FLUSH!!!".  I guess that's because not everyone on my floor flushes.
3. When taking a shower here, it always seems that hot water is "scarce" as because it takes forever to warm up and by the time it does, you have already finish taking a shower...
4. On my way to CRCE, I noticed that there are a lot more people running to CRCE now even when its negative degrees outside, people still go to CRCE and it is even more crowded than in the summer.
5. Heading to my class every morning, there are always some student that are left behind when the bus comes.  The bus drivers doesn't care if the student have to wait in the negative weather for 10 minutes for another bus when it's time for him to leave.
6. And when he does wait or the students make it on time, some are still left behind because the bus is packed, so I always wondered.. "Why don't they have more bus running at shorter interval?"
7. I read an article online the other day on the 900+ lies made by president Bush only to find out that it is his administration combined not just him alone.  I realized how that one misleading title have sparked my interest in the article.
8. On my way to my bank to deposit a check, I noticed that there are no Chase or Washington Mutual branches around ANYWHERE!  And realized that there are TCF basically at every corner, even inside school buildings!  Made me realized the kind of connection they have with the school..A sort of mutual benefits from the students.
9. Coming to classes everyday, I noticed that the classrooms and lecture halls in the quad are mainly rundown or are very old.  Compared to when I first visit the school back in Junior year in High School, the tour guide only showed me the engineering buildings with their fancy architectural design and fancy electronics.
10. When flying in a Cessna the other day for my aviation major, I realize that I've been oblivious to the surrounding farms around school.  For a minute, I thought I was still in the city.  

Thinh Nguyen
  

10 Things to Watch for

1. I love to watch the rain. Whether it is through the screen in my dorm room standing outside and looking up, something about the rain coming down fascinates me.
2. The posters in dorm rooms are something that I always look at. It can tell a lot about the person and their likes and dislikes. Whenever I walk by someone’s dorm with the door open, I have to peak in and find out a little more about the person.
3. Staring up at the stars at night is something that catches my eye. They say that the stars have already burned out, but yet the light is just getting to us. The patterns that the stars make are amazing.
4. Eyes always put me in awe. Whenever I see a picture of someone’s eyes or if I am looking into someone’s eyes, the different shapes and colors of the eyes appeal to me.
5. I like to watch the different patterns of the ground that I am walking on. The cracks in the concrete fascinate me. The size and direction of them is something that amazes me. They always appear in the most random places. When I was a kid, I would walk down the sidewalk and try not to step on the cracks and ever since then, I like to watch them.
6. I love the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s logo. There is so much going on within the logo and so much information with very few words. The number 1867 shows the year that U of I opened. There is also the I in the form of a pillar. I always have to stop and stare at the logo whenever I pass by one.
7. The wooden boards and the patterns on the wooden boards is something that I always look at. This is probably because my grandpa was a carpenter and we would have to inspect the boards before making something. But the wood grain and patterns are different in every board.
8. I like to look at the icicles. They are so pretty but yet they cause so many people misery because they usually come in the harshest of weather. But the icicles always come in different sizes and breaking off an icicle from something without damaging the icicle is always a trick.
9. People’s handwriting is also something that I look at. Some teachers can even tell whose paper they are reading based upon the handwriting. It fascinates me because everyone’s handwriting is unique, even if it is illegible.
10. Whenever I walk by a classroom with a class in session, I have to look in. People in the class are always doing different things. Some are paying attention, while others are text messaging, and others sleeping. I have to look in to see what is going on within the classroom.

- Thomas Callahan

10 Things I Observed...

1. Blue and clear winter sky of Sunday morning, which was not very easy to see where I used to live.
2. A group of people gathered together praying to god and studying the bible.
3. A squirrel hopping on snow. The snow was about the height of the squirrel.
4. A guy with a T-shirt and pants only riding a bicycle on a freezing winter day.
5. My family and dogs on a web cam.
6. Dust that is reflected by the sunlight in the morning.
7. Salt that is scattered on a sidewalk in order to prevent the road from freezing.
8. An icicle formed around the edge of a car exhaust pipe.
9. Silent, lonely and empty main quad on Saturday evening.
10. An old lady reading novel under the light at bus stop.

Peter Kim

The internet and it's many research uses by AveMaria Okolo

When doing research and preparing to write a paper, I use the internet as a tool to gain and explore ideas for my paper and my research. I use it not as a main source but as a starting point to generate ideas for my topic or to get an idea of where to go with my paper. Often times we are tempted to just forget about going to the library and we tend to use the internet as a last resort to get information for a paper. The neat thing about the internet is that there is so much information available to you at the moment and it is fast and convenient to obtain this information right from the comfort of your home, yet this advantage of internet can also be its negative. With all of the vast information that is easily available to us, there is also a great chance that putting out this information is just as easy as receiving it. What could this mean? It could mean that anyone can place any thing on the internet at anytime, thus making it difficult at times to decipher what is reliable information and what is not. For such various reasons, when I conduct research, first I use the internet to get different views on a topic so that I can craft my own. From there once I have found what my views are and what I would like to communicate in the paper as my thesis, I begin to conduct research using not just the internet, I also do some research through credible books. In the research process I only use the internet as a side reference tool which might contain some condensed information a book would provide with several chapters of reading. To confirm what I have read from the internet, I then read information from the book, then using the information which I have found I organize all of my research to support my thesis. From there I write my paper. So for me the internet is never a primary source of information for research, it is used as a starting point for my paper to give me an idea of where to go with my research, as well as a guide which outlines what I research in the book.

A little about me by AveMaria Okolo

Hi. My name is Ave Maria Okolo. Many wonder what there is to a girl like me who has such a unique name, but actually, I consider myself to be just the same as everybody else, not too much different. Just like everybody else, in my spare time I like to hang out with friends and catch the latest movies. Just like every body else I also like to do things like read exciting novels or the latest celebrity gossip from the pages of a magazine. I also like to listen to a variety of music ranging from hip hop, R&B, soul, rap and even some alternative rock. Just like everyone else I'm sure, I enjoy checking my facebookto keep in touch with friends and as well to share and comments and pictures with friends. I also like to get on to imeemto share and listen to new music, online.Yep, I know what you're thinking already. "She's not that much different from me and pretty much the only thing exciting about her is her name", however as it would appear that way on the surface, it is not actually so. Something that I believe defines me and stands out about me is that I am of African decent. My parents are originally from Nigeria, while I was born here. This hasn't stopped me from taking an interest in my cultural background and knowing my language. In fact it has only fueled my interest in learning my language, traditions and even cultural things like dancing. For this reason I am a part of the U of I'sACAor African Cultural Association in which I am a part of the dance team and participate in monthly group meeting in how to organize campus events which aim at educating other about our culture. Another interesting thing about me which you notice I pointed out earlier is my name. Often times one of the first things people ask me after I introduce myself is "What does it mean?" and "how did you get this name?" Well here it goes. I was raised from a highly pious, religious, Roman Catholic upbringing. For those that don't know there's a Catholic songout there by this name, by which I was named. Many wonder what it's meaning is. It comes from the Latin rendition of a prayer called the Rosary, in which the name "Ave Maria" means Hail Mary. Pretty cool, huh. I mean, how many people can you run into with such a rare name. Okay, fine. Although there is a lot that appears to be similar about me to others, I can actually proudly admit that there are a lot of unique things about me which do set me apart from others and make me original. Hopefully outside of this course, you will come to see these unique aspects which make me, but for now here's a little bit about me.

10 things i love to notice Valera Chekmazov

Here is the list of the random things i pay attention to

1. The words in the pictures, photos. Either the ones written vaguely in the background or the ones clearly seen in front of the screen. I enjoy deciphering them regardless of what the topic is.
2. Bubble gum wrappers. I don't know there is something about the ingredients in the back and the drawings that i like. It is a gum wrapped in paper. Think about it, a gum that is wrapped. You are not only paying for the gum but partially for the paper too.
3. Writings in the bathroom. Those scribbles of profanity on the toilet wall. Pure, raw and nasty. I believe it is a very entertaining art, that is underestimated in contemporary world.
4. Advertisements. I love to laugh on how the corporation captures your mind by false but catchy slogans. Those phony business man are doing all kinds of desperate tricks to cash in a slice.
5. Text messages. Random messages on my friends cellphones. It is interesting to read what people are writing to each other.
6. T-shirts logos. Gotta love those cheesy writing on the t-shirts. I don't like the t-shirts them selfs, but the idea that why would a person wear a quote or a sentence on his breast.
7. Expressions on the peoples' faces. It is fascinating to know what is beneath skin. Oftentimes we pretend to be that what we are not. It is a human flaw, but also a natural theoretrical part of our existence.
8. Thoughts before going to sleep. When you are between the dream and reality. What thoughts come to my head.
9. I love hands. I just don't know what about them. In a way they are beautiful and disgusting.
10. Colors of objects during different seasons.
Valera Chekmazov

Jon's 10 things (oh alright, 15)

1. The color of the bricks on the windowless side of the Main Stacks--bright, to deepening, darkening reds.
2. Thin layer of snow, patches of green grass showing through, light brown leaves spiking through--pointing upward. layers.
3. Stencil graffiti of a squatting, African boy under a towering monster (by a different graffiti artist) near the back exit of the Canopy Club.
4. Thousands of staples, but no signs, in a brown telephone pole.
5. The random but beautiful design that shaded frost makes in the sidewalk.
6. The shapes of snowflakes (I haven't seen a snowflake up close for over 20 years).
7. A view out a window toward stately Foellinger, broken up by tangled, bare, wiry, wintered trees. A thought: Which is more beautiful?
8. Winter trees in general. More beautiful to me than trees in summer. I'm reminded of complicated circulatory systems. Or brain stems.
9. Also at Canopy, weather beaten, faded bills. Post mo' bills, I say.
10. Out the same window mentioned above, a lone Cardinal hops through the branches.
11. A few stunning pictures on the net: trees and other work by Brooks Salzwedel
12. packaging tape art (more layers)
13. word/book art (recycled words, cut out words, book autopsies)
14. this macbook's aesthetic, interface, and screen after years of staring at her grandpa powerbook
15. The faces of my children every time I look (sappy, I know, but can you argue?)

10 interesting observations I notice...

By: Sophia Damtew

1. After class when you walk on the quad you see tons of people and their emotions laughing, talking, crying, stressing over tests and etc. This makes me realize that in such a big university with different people that we are all the same. We all have the same problems and goals and I just find that fasinating. Sorry if that is a little wierd!

2. I observed that in the Union there are couches and people sleep on them in between classes. I found that so wierd and inapporiate to have shoes and your bag on a leather couch when it is not your home. At first, I didn't know if it was allowed or not, but then I realized many people did it because there were not any couches avaliable to sit on!

3. Almost evey building at U of I is red and brick, this distinct look makes it hard for me still to find my classes becuase it is a lot easier for me to find my classes visually then rememeber the name.

4. I observed peoples manurisms on a elevator; it is always awkward for some reason becuase you are with people you don't know in fairly tight space. Me and my friends always do the sign that is called the awkward turtle when a situation is awkward, it's fun because not a lot of people know what it means.

5. When I go to the library espeically the Undergraduate Library it is more of a social scene then actually studying a lot of people are talking about their day versus studying.

6. When I go to swipe in the Cafeteria my roomate and I are always greeted so kindly. It makes me in a better mood and helps me to enjoy my meals more.

7. When I am in my friends dorm the first thing I did is look around their room to get a sense of who they are as person and to see if we have anything in common

8. When I look at the 6-pack there are a bunch fences and inside the fences are a bunch of dug up holes. There are no trees and it really doesn't look as pleasent, but I love living there!

9. When walking to my class I notice that many girls have boots, but in particular ugg boots. It is almost an epidemic on the U of I camps.

10. When you are waiting on the bus, it is usually packed in the mornings because everyone is trying to get to class on time. The majority of studetns look tired and sleepy like they just rolled out of bed.

It's all about me, SOPHIA!

Hey Everyone! I hope you guys are all enjoying your weekend =), but anyways I wanted to share a little information about myself so you have a better understanding of who I am. First off my name is Sophia Damtew. I was originally born in Chicago, but relocated to Skokie, Illinois when I was about four years old. Skokie is a north suburb from Chicago which is only about twenty minutes away from the city.

I consider myself a lucky person I have the privilege of going to The University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana; I have always wanted to go here every since I was in junior high. So, when I got that acceptance letter I would consider that one of the best moments of my life. I'm obsessed with college life! I love the atmosphere, the different people, and the school/social life. I like the fact that I go to a big school and that there are many options to choose from as small as who to associate yourself with or as important as career. Since I am an undecided student write now I have the wonderful option of picking random classes to pick my major, but since working at the Daily Illini last semester as an on-air reporter. I have expressed an interest in Broadcast/Journalism and a minor in Business and get a real estate license.
Mainly, I am at the point of my life where I am just excited about life and ready to try new things and just grow as a person. I consider myself an outgoing person who has her priorities straight, but knows how to have a good time.
Lastly, when we first introduced ourselves we talked about what interests us and I said dogs; so I thought it was only appropriate to leave you guys a picture of my dream puppy!

Valera Chekmazov

Valera Chekmazov

Coming here from Russia was not only tedious, but also a difficult process. At first it seemed like seeing McDonalds and Wal-Mart everywhere you go would be a nice thing, but after a Athoughral work with INS, my life had become a living nightmare. But let’s not get caught up in nuances, I really love this country. I personally believe in the liberal society (funny to hear this from a Russian citizen) and value what I acquired.

Personally I am a determinate reader. I love poetry, philosophy and of course fiction.When I think of the world I think of the stage. When I speak my words I speak through poetry. The meticulous power of the word brought me much happiness and led me to become a proud English major (funny for the guy who speaks better his second language than first). I really enjoy all kinds of art. That is to say, "I am not a bigoted person". I really enjoy music, especially the one that involves making your guitar scream in pain. Oh, yeah rock and roll baby. Here are some of my favorite artists: Led Zeppelin, Queen, Beatles, Jethro Tull, Kiss, Pink Floyd, etc.

I enjoy painting and hanging out with my friends. Personally I am a very easy going person. My love is unconditial.

It's All About ME =)

My name is Will Hornback. I am a Ag business major from Ridge Farm, a small town southeast of Champaign close to the Indiana boarder. I am from a very small town with only 105 students in our whole high school. I graduated in a class of 30 students, 26 of which were boys, so coming to the U of I was quite a shock. I grew up on a small farm in which we raise livestock, corn, and soybeans. We have mainly hogs and a few cattle. I am in charge of the hogs that we mainly raise for show pig production. I spend my summers traveling around to various county and state fairs along with national purebred shows. I have met many good friends at these events. My biggest accomplishment was receiving grand champion honors at the Illinois State fair in 2003.
As you can probably tell, I love agriculture. My favorite time of the year is during the fall. I love working the long hours in the field during harvest. I also like to have fun along with working. I like to play sports whenever I have time. I also love to watch professional and college sports. My two favorite teams are the Cubs and the Bears. When I graduate I would like to have the opportunity to farm and stay around my hometown.

Jon's Bio post

Hey everybody!

Great posts so far. I am really glad to see that many of you are able to upload pictures and create links with ease. If you didn’t do that this go around, please start with at least one or the other in the next post. I am wondering why a few of you didn’t post anything though… Oh yeah! Feel free to comment on other's posts as you see fit. It is not a requirement for the class, it's just fun to get a comment when you are the blog author.

As promised, here is a little about myself:

As I mentioned in class, I moved here last August from Phoenix, Arizona. It’s pretty hot there. Our summers are usually in the triple digits, and sometimes it gets as hot as 120 degrees. “But it is a dry heat” is what people usually say when they talk about how they stand it. Admittedly, I never knew what they meant by this until we moved here. Champaign in August, in all its humidity-glory was quite the shock. We weren’t used to things like sweating in the house and never being dry. So that was quite the adjustment.

I have been married to my childhood sweetheart for 7 years (8 this July) and have three kids. My oldest boy is almost 5, my daughter is 2 and my youngest boy is almost a year old. They are pretty cool. Being a dad is a really wild ride. In case you are wondering, I got married when I was 22. Pretty young, I know--but it was the best decision I ever made.

I am at UIUC pursuing a PhD in English with an emphasis in Writing Studies (which is the reason that I am teaching a rhetoric section…). The school, as you know, is awesome. We are glad to be here even on days when it is colder outside than in my fridge (something that never happens in AZ).

I am really into music and am always looking for new stuff. I play guitar and was in a band on and off for about 10 years. We never got famous, which is why I am in grad school. J I was in high school at the height of the “grunge” era, so I was really into bands like Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and Soundgarden back then. Other old favorites include Weezer, the Cure, and Ben Folds. Lately I have really been getting into more mellow stuff. The resent upsurge in great indie folk musicians has got my interest and I have been expanding my interests to include bluegrass and Americana music as well.

I am really into writing in all of its forms. I love street art and will be showing off some of it this year in class. I am also interested in looking at all writing from a rhetorical perspective—which is why we are doing this blog this semester. I hope you guys will have fun with it. I already am.

It's All About Me!

Tawana Daniels

January 20, 2008

Rhetoric 104

It’s all about me

I entitled this blog, It’s all about me because I want everyone to know more about me. I am not going to be able to write an entire autobiography, but my goal is to leave a lasting impression in this blog. I love reading, writing and most of all talking. I know you are wondering why is this important? This is important because my major requires all three. I plan to be a broadcast journalist and eventually have my own show. I am inspired by women like Cheryl Burton and Oprah because of their accomplishments and involvement in the media. This site will further explain the qualities journalists need, http://www.sean.co.uk/a/journalism/careers.shtm Overall, communicating through speech and writing is important in life. I use many writing genres to express myself whenever I do not want to verbalize or sometimes both. Enough about my professional goals, lets talk more about the other things I like to do.

I enjoy many different activities including surfing the internet(websites such as facebook, myspace, youtube, etc) listening to music, watching movies, going shopping, bowling, skating, dancing and skiing. I guess you can say I am a well rounded person. I like to occupy my time doing something constructive and positive. I hate using the words " I'm bored", or saying I have nothing to do. If I'm not actually going some where, I enjoy just hanging out with friends. Basically I like to be active.

As you may already know from reading this short description, I have many interests. I enjoy trying new things. In Rhetoric 104 I anticipate writing and reading new material. I feel that I have grown since Rhetoric 103 and plan to continue to grow as a writer. I hope this blog helped you to understand me a little better and I look foward to learning more about everyone else, as well.

About Me: Jacqueline Gonzalez

Hey Everyone! My name is Jacqueline but most people call me Jackie, I’m not really sure what I should talk about because it is pretty hard to just sit and think about what you should say about yourself…but I’ll try. I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago-Gage Park area, and yes I am a HUGE White Sox fan, and I don’t really care if you like that OTHER Chicago baseball team. I love listening to music and I love to shop…I blame that on my five sisters at home. You could say that I’m tri-lingual (if that’s even a word?) because I could speak Spanish; pretty good French, and of course English. I moved out of my parents house at sixteen to go to a better high school and because of that I’m the first person in my family to attend a University and so far I’ve LOVED every second of it!!! There isn’t that much diversity in my community at home so getting the opportunity to meet people of different cultures has been such an incredible experience.
My intended major here at school is History and I hope to return to my community high school and teach. Most think I’m crazy when I tell them what my major is but I love learning about the past! How could you not? Everything that has been accomplished and the sacrifices and suffering that people had to go through in order for all of us to be sitting in the seats we are in today. I’ll admit we still have a lot of things to work out in this world but hopefully one day I’ll be able to teach about all the contributions that my generation put into the effort to make it a better one. Because I’m a history major I usually have a lot of reading to do, but if you see me with a book under my nose don’t be afraid to stop and say Hi!
Well that’s enough with the serious talk, I think I should probably tell you a little about what I actually enjoy doing…Well there’s shopping like I said before but once in school that hobby comes to an end since I’m usually broke. Going to the basketball games, my friend Lydia McCully is on the basketball team so make sure you cheer her on people! Playing guitar hero is my secret obsession: D. Hanging out with friends, watching and making fun of movies. Facebook and Myspace I check on the daily along with my email, and I’ll be pledging to one of our multicultural sororities in the upcoming weeks so I’m really excited about that:D!!!! I think that is enough information about my self for now so......I’ll see you guys in class!

K. Wilson

Hello my fellow classmates and professor. My name is Krystal Wilson. I’m from Dolton, IL-a city south of Chicago. There are a total of 4 Wilson siblings, myself being the third child. Some of the activities and interests I currently take part in all began at a young age. Well to begin, I am a dancer. As young as I could think, I became a part of an African dance group, Alyo Children’s Dance Theater. Being a part of this group, my dancing journey was pretty tough, but I learned a lot of crucial things. We did a lot of gigs in the Chicagoland area and performed annual concerts. I could say that indulging within African dancing has molded my dancing abilities at this moment. Dancing had continued for me throughout high school as well. Besides that, during any of my spare time, I love to talk on the phone. How simple you think? But, I am also a computer gazer. I find myself spending most of my time on facebook of course. Speaking of such, while on the web I have some other favorite sites I explore daily, weekly and so on. Being a normal young woman, I take part in some designers. Not necessarily splurging all my money, I tend to just like to create outfits.
My favorite food is sub sandwiches… wings…wait T.G.I. Friday’s Jack Daniel Burgers. Mmmmm. I watch a lot of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and CSI. I love the forensic, investigative type of ordeals. I think that’s why I intended my major to be pre-law, but I can’t say now because I am an undecided freshman student. Any who, the one show I can watch all day is America’s Next Top Model. A new favorite of mine has become Bad Girls, too. I am the type of person that loves to have fun. One of my friends say how is that because I don’t like to risky things, but who says that’s the only way to have fun. I take interest in lots of games. Yet, I am also enthralled by other things.
As far as school, I am an undecided freshman student as previously mentioned. I am currently enrolled in CS 105, GEO 101, PSYC 100, and some others. Hey if any of you have any of those classes, we could probably begin a study group or something. Yes, let’s start early. To close, my email address is dancing_angel89@yahoo.com and/or kwilson7@uiuc.edu. Anyone could feel free to contact me. Bye!

HEY WORLD...ITS FARRAH J

Hello everyone!! My name is Faranace Janvier. People often have a problem pronouncing my name, but it is pronounced Fairness Jan-v-air. If that is still difficult, I also go by Farrah. I was born and raised in Chicago, although both my parents were born in Haiti. I speak Haitian Creole and I am polishing up my French. I come from a huge family, and a host of friends. I went to an all-black elementary school and a multicultural high school on the southside of Chicago. I'm a friendly person who likes to meet new people. I love to laugh, play sports like soccer and basketball, talk on the phone, go to the mall and movies, watch television, and of course surf the internet. The things I check daily online are facebook.com, myspace.com, yahoo instant messenger, aol instant messenger, and my e-mail.

Another thing I like to do when online is search for quotes to live by. I often search for them when looking for words of wisdom when in a troublesome situation. For example, a quote by George Bernard Shaw says, "We are made wise not by the recollection by our past, but by our responsibility for our future." Besides getting online, I get on my laptop to use photoshop to put effects on certain pictures i take. Using photoshop is really fun to me. I like changing colors in pictures and blending pictures together to present a certain edge to the new picture.

Well this is a glimpse of my life through my eyes, I look forward to read about you all also.

You all can add me on facebook under the name Farrah Janvier. Bye!!

-Farrah

About Me: Isaiah Olson

My name is Isaiah Olson. I’m from a small town 10 miles east of our campus called St. Joseph. I have an older brother and a younger sister. I live on a cattle farm. Raising cattle is a hobby of my family. We mainly just grow corn and soybeans. I currently live in the Six Pack with one of my best friends from high school.
Sports are a huge part of my life. In high school I lettered in Football, Basketball and Baseball. My greatest accomplishment in these sports was being the quarterback in the State Championship. I set 3 IHSA records in the Championship game. We lost though in the final 2 minutes of the game 47-42.
Making the transition from high school to college was tough. Being from a small school I knew everyone and everyone knew me. At the U of I I’m not a big deal anymore. But that has some benefits too. My favorite thing to do on campus is go to IMPE.
The newest thing in my life is that I am an assistant coach for an 8th grade basketball team. I really enjoy coaching. I coach with Tom Michael. He is the assistant athletic director here at the U of I. He was captain for the U of I basketball team for 3 years. I’ve known him since I was in 3rd grade from him coaching me and his son for the past 10 yrs. My 8th grade team plays in the regional’s next Saturday.

Though sports is a huge part of my life, I also like drawing. I love to draw anything. Painting though is not for me. I do pencil drawings. I would like to take an art class here on campus but you have to be an art major.
This is just a little about me. As you can tell I enjoy sports.

The Real Thomas Callahan

Some of you might say, "The name Thomas Callahan sounds familiar." But you are probably thinking of Thomas Callahan played by Chris Farley in the comedy "Tommyboy." While "Tommyboy" is one of my favorite movies, there are some differences between the brake pad salesman and myself. 

I will start by telling everyone how big of a sports fan I am. I live and breathe sports in every aspect including watching them and playing them. My idol growing up was Michael Jordan because of the way he played the game of basketball. He worked through adversity and always had fun while playing basketball. I could spend all day watching films of Michael Jordan and his playing days with the Chicago Bulls. For these reasons, one thing I spend most of my free time doing is surfing the web on my favorite website www.espn.com. Here is where I catch up on the latest news in the world of sports. But the sport that I am most passionate about is baseball. For those of you New York Yankees fans, I feel we are already starting off on the wrong foot. I could talk sports with anyone for an extended period of time. 

Some of my interests other than sports include music, movies, and reading. I enjoy listening to music of all genres but my favorite artists are Garth Brooks, REO Speedwagon, and Sublime. 

My favorite movies include: Tommyboy, Ocean's 11, Die Hard Series, and all Adam Sandler movies. As you can see, I love action and comedy movies. Reading is also something that I spend a lot of my past time doing. My favorite authors are J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter series) and Dan Brown (Angels and Demons & The Da Vinci Code).  

That is just a peak into my daily life. I am looking forward to this semester of school where I will begin my classes geared towards my future engineering degree. I look forward to meeting a lot more people at the University of Illinois and especially everyone in my Rhetoric 104 class. 

- Thomas Callahan

 

About Me

Thinh Nguyen

January 20th, 2008

Rhetoric 104 My future office =)

 

            Hello to everyone that's reading this!  I'm Thinh; pronounced "tin", I grew up in the Chicago.  I primarily decided to go to University of Illinois because I want to become a pilot and there’s no other school better than Illinois.  The reason why I want to become a pilot is because what other job is going to give me a flying office at 35,000 ft? Some people might find me weird because I think history and science are very interesting subjects and can spend hours reading or watching documentaries.

            Because of that interest, I think I excel when it comes to those subject: History and Science.  However, I have some weak point, and one of them would definitely be grammar.  Although I grew up in Chicago, my parents and I speak Vietnamese and Chinese at home so sometime, I would be confuse as whether or not I am saying something right or wrong. 

            Now that you know the professional side of me, it’s time for some personal info.  I’ve always been a Patriots’ fan, long long before their perfect 17-0 season.  I don’t have any preferences to any type as music, but I tend not to like heavy metal or rock but there have been some exceptions.  I’m one of the guys who can go on without video games; I don’t care much for it.  If I have the free time then I wouldn’t mind but if I don’t have time or don’t have a certain game, I wouldn’t want to get it.  

A little about me

Fernad Perez
Jan 20, 2008

A Little about Me

Trying to think of something awesome about yourself can be difficult for many people. Yet, for me it is the exact opposite, everything I do is awesome!! No I am just kidding. However, there are a variety of things I enjoy doing thought the day; listening to music, playing videogames, reading a book (depends on the subject), or just hanging out with my friends. All of these things keep me entertained when it comes down to it.
Music is a thing that helps me calm down during tough moments. That’s why I don’t really discriminate on music genres. I’ll listen Rock, hip hop, R&B, metal, techno, and even some pop. Let’s move on to video gaming. In this area I am currently playing god of war so far I have almost completed the game although at times it hasn’t been easy. The next topic is reading a book. Well for me to read I need to read out of interest I admit it sometimes gets annoying to have to do required readings for courses but I’ve learned to deal with it. Hanging out with friends is something that helps me take my mind of things that are vexing me. For instance last week I visited my friend Cameron and completely forgot that I didn’t have enough money to purchase all my books!! Website that I usually visit are the typical Google, myspace, and facebook. So not really that big of a deal. Well I hope you have learned a little about me and see you in the next post!

Remember!!! (an important note from Jon)

Please be sure to sign your first name when you post each week. Otherwise, I won't know who to give credit to for posting.

Also, please remember that you will be writing this week about yourself--we will start looking for interesting writing (our regular blog assignment) in the coming weeks. Tell the class a few things about what you like, what websites you like to visit, what kind of music you like--anything that will help us get acquainted with you.

Again--don't forget to put your name in your post somewhere every week!!!

Thanks!

Jon

to the person who posted below--this is a decent "what I like to do on the web" entry, but #1, it doesn't say a lot about you, and #2, I don't know who it was that posted it. Feel free to go in and edit your post and make those changes.

Creating your Own Mobile Ringtone

Almost everybody in college own a cell phone. However, people nowadays not only use cell phones to make phone calls but also use many other functions such as e-mailing, sending text and picture messages, etc. One of the new mobile technology that I find interesting is that users can download cell phone ringtones using their phones. The webpage from the mobile phone contains varieties of songs that can be downloaded and many people enjoy using this technology.

However, one problem with this service for international people like myself is that only songs popular in the US are available on the website. As a result, I found a website which allow people to create their own ringtones and download them into their mobile phones. One of the sites that I use often is here and basically, the procedure goes like this:

1. Create your ID and register your mobile phone.

2. Browse your song that you want to turn into a ringtone.

3. Set the beginning and ending time of your ringtone out of the entire song.

4. Send it to your mobile and download it with your mobile phone.

I might take some time sending the ringtone to your mobile phone it usually takes less time than the estimated time since many people cancel their orders. I find this technology really interesting and easy to follow.

Car Writing

I have some favorite places to spot writing. One is on cars. Bumper stickers and other forms of writing on cars say so much about the people driving them--often presenting personal information ranging from political views, music interests, product likes and dislikes, etc. One kind of car writing I love to hate are the Calvin--from Calvin and Hobbes--peeing stickers . They are not as popular as they were, say 5-7 years ago, but for a while there--and maybe this was an Arizona thing--they were EVERYWHERE. They loved to pee-battle over what kind of car was better, what sports team deserved to be dry and which should be peed on. And then, in a kind of a self-righteous, still horribly tacky move, Calvin had stopped peeing and instead was worshiping under a cross or something like that. It's good to know that he took time off from his busy peeing schedule for the Lord. My link has a variety of types of the sticker in a choose-your-own-adventure kind of arrangement. Have fun!

Driving home from the library the other day, this car writing made me smile. As you can see, the car is a nice one--maybe because a previous car was wrecked in a nasty rear-ender? The man driving the car, slowly I might add, was a senior citizen. I can imagine him getting worked up enough over the issue to go to Walmart or somewhere and buy those sticker letters. And then, carefully deciding what he was going to write to persuade people to keep their distance (the all caps second phrase is especially persuasive, don't you think?) What do you think? Maybe he should have gone here. Effective? I sure as heck was tailgating when I took this photo with my phone:

What is it about writing on cars that intrigues us? I have a buddy who advertised his business on his car and no where else--crazy? I think not. There are trucks--IKEA is one company that comes to mind--that drive around all day in bigger cities with a big billboard on the back of the truck. That's all they do. All day. Which reminds me, I've been needing a new bedroom set.

-Jon