The Writing Room: Due March 23, 2010

My favorite place at school to write in is just in my bed. I have tried to reflectively write in sections of the library or in study lounges, but I can never seem to focus. In order to do my best writing it needs to be the only task on my mind, but in public places this is impossible. Whenever I get stuck while writing in my bed, there are personal objects around to distract me yet not lose my focus. In most instances, I look around my room at pictures or my clothes and imagine the people in them or put together new outfits in my head. While writing, it is easy to get stuck. The way to get past that is to limit yourself to a small break that won’t break your focus; this is what writing in my bed allows me to do.

The objects in my room tell countless different stories. All the pictures of so many different people in my life have the most meaning out of all the objects in my room. The wall is completely collaged of pictures, plane tickets, and name tags from so many experiences throughout my life. Many pictures and tickets bring me back to my family and help me when I realize how far apart we far. The pictures of my oldest friends and important people in my life from home allow me to still feel connected to them without having seen them. Pictures, for me, are a way to reflect upon my past and subsequently allow me to feel content in the present.

The Shoe That Drops: Due March 16th, 2010

When I think about a void in my life the first thing that comes to mind is home. When I think about something that I have had and lost, home is the most obvious thing. Growing up and being carefree throughout high school, I felt secure with where I was at in my life and had a strong sense of home. Since graduating and spending the last two years five hours away at Penn State, this is a feeling that I have lost and would love to get back. Sometimes I consider my surroundings here my “new” or “temporary” home, but that feeling of safety never lasts long. As soon as I get adjusted and feel like this is where I belong, the shoe drops and snaps me out of it. Now, when I go home to Connecticut during a break from school I don’t feel as home there as I used to. I am not sure if it is the changes within my family or the changes within myself, but something is missing there. I see all of my friends here so anxious and excited to go home, but I find it hard to share that feeling. I initially enjoy going home and the change in scenery, but I have lost that feeling of safety and contentment that I used to associate with home; that is a feeling I would give anything to get back.

Writing Assignment Due March 4th: Redefined

1) Retarded: occurring or developing later than desired or expected; delayed.
-This word has become a disrespectful word in society today, being used to describe something “stupid” or even been used to refer to how drunk a person is; “I was so retarded last night”

2) Pot: a container of earthenware, metal, etc., usually round and deep and having a handle or handles and often a lid, used for cooking, serving, and other purposes.
- This word has grown increasingly prevalent in illegal drug culture and is a common word used to describe the drug marijuana.

3) Gay: having or showing a merry, lively, bright mood
- This word does not mean happy in today’s society; it is most commonly used to describe a person’s sexual orientation as a homosexual

4) Beast: a cruel, coarse, filthy, or otherwise beastlike person.
- This word is now used by the youth in society to describe a person who is really good at a particular thing; for example, referring to a basketball player, “He is such a beast on the court”

5) Screw: a metal fastener having a tapered shank with a helical thread, and topped with a slotted head, driven into wood or the like by rotating, esp. by means of a screwdriver.
- This word has changed in the recent years from describing a piece of metal to a verb indicating sexual intercourse.