Final Thoughts on the course

My favorite assignment in this course was newspaper blackout poetr. I liked this assignment because it was a mix between art and poetry. I really like recycling the words as well as the newspaper all at once! Very fun and hands on.
My least favorite assignment was twitter fiction. I would have rather writing a regular short story than twitter fiction because it was difficult to condense fragments/ and entire story into 140 characters. It was also difficult to make 30 tweets worth of short stories.
I loved friday reading class. It was an excellent way to end the week and start the day, it was so relaxing to indulge in the book.
I honestly didn't use the WRN. I made it the first week and after that added the odd book into the log section but I even stopped doing that after a while.
Blogging was okay. I didn't love it. I think in the future you should think about cutting down how many personal additions we need to do, 40-45 is a little steep because I know I never really had time to add to my blog because of homework etc.
Tweeting was definitely not my favorite. I never really wanted to have a twitter account and I don't think I will go back to using it. I didn't like it for writing stories on it especially because they were super fragmented and it was hard for me to get solid ideas out.
I liked the integration of technology in the course, I think it's about time we moved on from pen and paper. The probable reason I wasn't to fond of some of the technological assignments was probably cause I wasn't use to it.
I think I learned that it takes me a while to get into the groove of a project I'm not really feeling but for some of the more creative ones I get into it much faster.
I really liked the course as a whole however I do feel rubrics should be more clearly stated. Also I think there should be the option to not use the blog for everything because some people might not be ready to leave the old fashioned way behind.
Don't take this course as an easy pass! There is a lot of work and if you do not stay on top of it you will not be happy with your mark.

Twitter Challenge

I am very dissapointed with Jimmy Fallon. Not only did I tweet at him multiple times, each time I said how big of a fan I was! Still I got no response which made me sad. I also tweeted at: Ellen, Zac Efron, Jamie Oliver, Channing Tatum, Obama, Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report, Paper Kites, Zac Galifinakis, Tracy Morgan, Adam Levine, Ed Sheeran, Neil Patrick Harris, and Evander Kane and noone answered :(

Writing reflection #8

Newspaper blackout poetry
 

  This was my favorite writing assignment so far. I felt so creative while I was doing these short poems that I wanted to just keep making them. I really like the idea of using someone else’s words to create your own original idea. For me it felt easier to use words that were already there than to start working with a blank page. The problem I came to while writing was that I would have an excellent idea (or so I thought) and just flow with it and then I would go back and realize that it was difficult to make sense of. Eventually after a few revisions it was making a little bit more sense. I wasn't really sure if it was only making sense to me however when I gave it to Sarah she told me it made sense (she could have just been being nice though). I feel like this would be a good way to write a song, I say that because lyrics in songs are often fragmented and have a lot of meaning behind them and I, for one, put a lot of meaning into my newspaper blackout poetry. I found that the content of the article had nothing to do with what I was writing about. While it may have helped to have an article that was written with passion than to have a bland article written with no passion, it didn’t matter if the article I was using was about politics, musicals, movies or music. They all came up totally different than what the article was about.

                To sum up, I loved this project. I had difficulty with it because I was going too fast while I was writing it but once I slowed down and reviewed it, it all came together.

Authors note:

                When Mrs.Mclauchlan introduced the Buried Life project to us in class I have to admit, I was super excited. I had been watching the Buried Life for a while and loved the show (how could you not, four hot guys doing good things for others… ) and was excited to see what opportunities the project would bring. On my list I have lots of travel and meet famous people items (oddly enough no, go to Hollywood) and I think this has a lot to do with hearing stories of how my parents traveled when they were younger. Hearing the stories combined with making a list of things I wanted to do (a list without boundaries)  I really developed a wanderlust. I heard someone say once that school isn't the only way to become educated and that really spoke to me in that I realized not only did I want to go to university to get an education, I also wanted the world that I live in to educate me. There are so many things you can learn from traveling and I hope to experience most if not all of them. For my project I chose to combine with Sarah and Lane to create a video of the things we wanted to do. I thought we would have a more exciting project if we combined because three people can get more done than one. Although it pushed our list items that we needed to show up to 75, it was still worth it because we communicated really well and had tons of input for one another that, in the end, created a better quality project. As I said before I really developed wanderlust when working on this project and really experience the world for what it is. I really enjoyed hearing what Lane and Sarah wanted to do also as it influenced things that I wanted to do, or add to my list.

Now what?

How am I going to go to Coachella? It is a big goal for me (jobless, living off my parents money) but I am confident that I can make it happen. Ideally I would be attending this amazing music festival with friends so this probably will require further planning with a friend willing to attend with me. To start planning for my trip to the desert in Palm Springs I would need to contact my grandparents who have a condo in the city of Palm Springs. Since my grandpa is very old fashioned staying with them will eliminate any male friends that might want to come along for the ride female friends will be welcomed graciously. If my grandparents agree to let me stay at their humble abode, I will then look into possible modes of transportation from the city to the concert site. Also at this point I will be looking into flights and what kinds of tickets I will want to buy for the festival (probably a camping pass, less transportation that way, I will most likely be shocked at how high ticket prices and refine my search for a friend who can get me a good deal on plane tickets. Now that all the passes and sleeping has been arranged I will now go and buy appropriate clothing for the festival (any excuse to go shopping right?) and a good sized tent to sleep in when I arrive. Now none of this plan will ever happen if I don’t make enough money to support my dream of seeing all of the greatest musicians perform in the desert, so I will probably start applying to jobs soon. This is really the ultimate bucket list item because realistically it’s possible to cross off a couple of my meet (insert famous name here) items at this awesome festival!

Looking forward

Rediscovering Belle and Sebastian made me reminisce of times when I used to listen to them (music is so amazing in the way it can bring you back). This reminded me of the book I was looking forward to reading before. I haven't read it yet and have had some troubles finding it but I will continue to look of course! Here is the plot summary as told on Goodreads.com
"All Tom's friends really are superheroes.
There's the Ear, the Spooner, the Impossible Man Tom even married a superhero, the Perfectionist. But at their wedding, the Perfectionist was hypnotized (by ex-boyfriend Hypno of course) to believe that Tom is invisible. Nothing he does can make her see him. Six months later she's sure Tom has abandoned her."

Flash back

After posting a few music musts I spent some time looking through my iTunes and rediscovered Belle and Sebastian, I can honestly say I can listen to them at any time. I find that their music tells a story. Obviously it's not for everyone, it's quite laid back and quite, however the lyrics are thought provoking and well thought out. Belle and Sebastian to me is the literary equivalent of the fault in our stars (John Greene) it's quirky and fun but some of their songs have a sad undertone. I highly suggest you have a listen!

Writing:

I think writing my twitter fiction went pretty well. At first it was a struggle getting the hang of writing micro-form but eventually I found a way that worked for me to do it. I found success when I started liking what I was writing. To start I found writing about people I love (friends and family) and worked my way up from there, writing about people I knew put purpose into my writing and the purpose made me enjoy what I was writing. Frustrations came when my inspiration dwindled and I hit a writer’s block, I was having a really tough time coming up with more single tweet stories this is when I realized that I should probably try doing at least one extended story. This worked really well for me and I surpassed my writer’s block. I learned that I have a hard time expanding into new forms of writing but once I get the hang of it I do enjoy it. I think that I may even continue writing twitter fiction, maybe not publishing it but keeping a journal or something. I was a little self-conscious writing and publishing my twitter fiction on the internet where everyone could see it, however, I got great response from others in the class which encouraged me and made me excited to post more!

Reading:

I chose to read the Sasquatch twitter fiction! It was awesome; it was in a way making fun of the new teen obsession with paranormal love stories. Making light of the fact that Sasquatches are probably the least attractive paranormal being but also convincing the audience that they can also be loving creatures! It was excellent; I looked forward to the new chapter each day. It was nice being able to read different forms of writing in Thursday’s class, as of late I had felt a little restricted to books. Now however I have had my break from books and would be happy reading either (book or internet)! I was surprised while reading the twitter fiction how much I enjoyed having to wait to read the rest of the book. When I am really into a book I can’t put it down and read it all the way through, this way it forces me to take my time and savour each chapter. Sometimes even re reading them just so that I was sure I knew every detail before I read the next chapter. I really loved this part of twitter fiction!

Twitter:

This assignment didn’t so much change my perspective as gave me one. I did not have a twitter account before this and so I got to experience it for the first time. I would say that before I had an account I thought twitter was mainly for celebrity’s, drunk teenagers looking for attention and other random people. I can now say it is much more than that, I think twitter can be whatever you need it to be, a way to connect or publish. It is a great way for people who normally wouldn’t get a voice to give their input in books or TV shows etc… I think that as a class we could use twitter to recommend/discuss books with each other and even as an extension of our blogs. For example if you want a specific person to check out your blog, tweet them!

Apocalypse?

In keeping with the Bruied Life theme I thought, why not make a post about the end of the world that was scheduled for... 6 days from now? I think by now most people have either forgotten that the 2012 apocalypse or decided that it is not going to happen. Despite the convincing movie "2012" with John Cusack I have decided that the world will not end on the 21st. However, for the sake to the post let's say that it wil.
To date, I have lived an overall good lie. I've traveled lot's I have friends and family I can depend on, but if I only had 6 days to live, I would not be sitting here writing blog posts (sorry Ms. M). I would take my friends and family and go on a crazy adventure. It would probably start with an impromptu trip to an exotic destination (I've always wanted to visit Thailand), seeing the world would end in six days anyways, I don't see how money could be an option anymore. I would probably encourage my dad to purchase a nice Rolls Royce of some kind so that we could cruise around the content in style.
After a few days in Thailand I would like to visit Rwanda where my sponsor child lives, I would spend some time with her (and probably make a quick trip to see the monkeys) and then I think I would make my way north up to Milan. This is where I would really rack up the credit cards. I would go to as many fashion shows as I like and probably buy some designer garb for the less fortunate living in the city.
Since I am already in Europe, mine as well visit the Menzies castle! I have always been curious about what it looks like (my grandma is a Menzies) I think I would probably walk around like I owned the place (because, why not?).
Thinking about all the things I would do if the world was ending in six days makes me wish I could live like the world was ending all the time but in reality, it's just not quite possible. Instead, I will just have to relax with my family and enjoy a peaceful Christmas. 

Great motivation

If you are a fan of the walking dead, or even a zombie video game this is the ideal excersize for you.
Picture yourself racing through an intense obstacle course, mud on your face a group of other races around you, suddenly you start to hear a groaning coming from up ahead. around the next corner you see.... a group or zombies!!! This race is 5k's of intense obstacles littered with walkers. you have flags around your waist that the zombies have to try to pull off. At the end they usually have bands and different booths set up for spectators and racers to enjoy them selves.
Right now there is nothing like this in Winnipeg or in the surrounding areas. I personally think that this is something we should think about bringing here, I know I would participate!
http://www.runforyourlives.com/

Music Must

I have recently discovered a new music must!
I know that they have been becoming much more famous lately and I have definitly jumped on the band wagon! These guys are amazing you should give them a listen!
http://thelumineers.com/

A little example of what things are like for most of our bucket lists I'd assume. This inspired me to start looking for ways to actually do things on my bucket list!
Source:http://mysunshineland.tumblr.com/

Bucket List

1.       Coachella

2.       Sky Dive

3.       Taj Mahal

4.       Climb a mountain

5.       West coast trail

6.       Thailand

7.       Get up and go

8.       See Broadway

9.       Pay for someones groceries

10.   Go on tour with a band

11.   Host an awesome A-List party

12.   Do a triathlon

13.   Go to the underground beach

14.   Attend a fashion show

15.   See the 7 wonders of the world

16.   Meet Zac Efron

17.   Meet Snoop Dogg

18.   Go to Rwanda

19.   Visit sponsor child

20.   See Ed Sheeran in concert

21.   Help someone accomplish their Dream

22.   Hike around the world

23.   Great Wall of China

24.   Carnival (Rio)

25.   Mardis Gras in New Orleans

26.   Ride an elephant

27.   Extra in an Oscar winning movie

28.   Ride and elephant

29.   Great Barrier Reef

30.   Parasailing

31.   Build a tree house

32.   Wine tasting in france

33.   Pasta making in Italy

34.   Visit Greece

35.   Make Beer

36.   Be in a live audience

37.   Meet Jimmy Fallon

38.   Crash a Wedding

39.   Bungee jump

40.   Visit Buckingham Palace

41.   Go to the super bowl

42.   Olympics

43.   Jet’s Game

44.   Euro Cup game

45.   Spend an entire year abroad

46.   Go on a camping trip with friends

47.   Pet a kangaroo

48.   Go to New York

49.   Pan for gold

50.   Get a tattoo

51.   Learn to surf

52.   Solve a Rubik’s cube

53.   Go on a hot air balloon ride

54.   Road trip

55.   Drive a Maserati

56.   Meet Ewan McGregor

57.   Swim in an infinity pool

58.   Paint party

59.   Swim with dolphins

60.   Go Zorbing

61.   New Years in New York

62.   Learn to SCUBA

63.   Eat fugu

64.   Swim in the Dead Sea

65.   Visit Jordan

66.   Document all the list Items I’ve completed

67.   Valley Fair

68.   White water rafting

69.   Shower in a waterfall

70.   Go to a rave

71.   See a Tasmanian devil

72.   Be on Wipeout Canada

Reading reflection 11

@jordandyker: Read the pregnancy project, so inspiring and thought provoking. What will you do to change/break stereotypes? #RR11 @Cre8tiveHavoc

Ever since I saw the first episode I knew that before I died, I wanted to meet the Buried Life boys, this is my story:

This was the first day i ever skipped a class (an an english exam at that). Me and my friend Jordan saw on facebook that the buried life were coming to the university of Manitoba. Of course, us being huge fans, we had to go. It didn't matter the consequences (we both skipped exams me: English her: French) we had to see these four inspirational (and hot) guys speak at the UofM.

Us not being students of the University we were unsure of where to go once we got there. So we came up with the logical conclusion of calling the University and the not quite as logical solution to look on the Buried Life website for the number instead of just googling the UofM. So once we had what we thought was the correct number for the university we called, however, much to our distress the heavily accented woman on the end of the line told us the boys had come and left last year and there was no record of them coming back. Devastated Jordan handed me the phone and I redialed the number to try and reach a different person to talk to. I questioned the odd area code but thought it was probably a special university thing when the person on the other line answered "Hello you've reached the University of Memphis how can I help you?" I hung up quickly (hoping to avoid any extra long distance fees) laughing at how we had obviously chosen the wrong UofM.

When we finally got there (after we figured out there was the big hall in the university center)we saw a huge line-up of students waiting to get into the room where they were speaking, not to be deterred we went and waited in line not knowing if we had to be students or not to get in. I honestly am still not quite sure if you were supposed to be a student to go see them speak but we went anyways.

I can honestly say it was an amazing experience. They had an excellent presentation and took the time to take pictures with everyone and have quick conversations with most after it was all over. Although we had to have groups of around 6 in a picture it was still great to meet the guys and see that even with this massive following, they are still pretty down to earth. I will always be a fan!

Reading and Writing Reflection 10

Writing:

I think writing my twitter fiction went pretty well. At first it was a struggle getting the hang of writing micro-form but eventually I found a way that worked for me to do it. I found success when I started liking what I was writing. To start I found writing about people I love (friends and family) and worked my way up from there, writing about people I knew put purpose into my writing and the purpose made me enjoy what I was writing. Frustrations came when my inspiration dwindled and I hit a writer’s block, I was having a really tough time coming up with more single tweet stories this is when I realized that I should probably try doing at least one extended story. This worked really well for me and I surpassed my writer’s block. I learned that I have a hard time expanding into new forms of writing but once I get the hang of it I do enjoy it. I think that I may even continue writing twitter fiction, maybe not publishing it but keeping a journal or something. I was a little self-conscious writing and publishing my twitter fiction on the internet where everyone could see it, however, I got great response from others in the class which encouraged me and made me excited to post more!

Reading:

I chose to read the Sasquatch twitter fiction! It was awesome; it was in a way making fun of the new teen obsession with paranormal love stories. Making light of the fact that Sasquatches are probably the least attractive paranormal being but also convincing the audience that they can also be loving creatures! It was excellent; I looked forward to the new chapter each day. It was nice being able to read different forms of writing in Thursday’s class, as of late I had felt a little restricted to books. Now however I have had my break from books and would be happy reading either (book or internet)! I was surprised while reading the twitter fiction how much I enjoyed having to wait to read the rest of the book. When I am really into a book I can’t put it down and read it all the way through, this way it forces me to take my time and savour each chapter. Sometimes even re reading them just so that I was sure I knew every detail before I read the next chapter. I really loved this part of twitter fiction!

Twitter:

This assignment didn’t so much change my perspective as gave me one. I did not have a twitter account before this and so I got to experience it for the first time. I would say that before I had an account I thought twitter was mainly for celebrity’s, drunk teenagers looking for attention and other random people. I can now say it is much more than that, I think twitter can be whatever you need it to be, a way to connect or publish. It is a great way for people who normally wouldn’t get a voice to give their input in books or TV shows etc… I think that as a class we could use twitter to recommend/discuss books with each other and even as an extension of our blogs. For example if you want a specific person to check out your blog, tweet them!

New ways to publish

In keeping with the twitter fiction theme and new forms of publishing stories, I have found one of the most interesting ways so far. Author Shelley Jackson has published her new book 'skin' on the epidermis of willing volunteers.
I have to say I love the idea of this, I would definitely willingly volunteer for her project. I think just knowing you are part of something world wide (and volunteers do come from all over the world) that will last forever is a very special feeling.
I also love how daring this project is, the entire story is not published anywhere and the only people who get to read the whole book are the people who volunteer to get inked.
There is something so special and deeply connecting about this project idea. These people that will never meet each other are still somehow connected by the fact that they share pieces that fit together in a big puzzle of words.
To find out more there is a link to an article and Shelley's website bellow:
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20040606&slug=tattoobook06
http://ineradicablestain.com/stain.html

And the picture is from pintrest, which is where I first heard of this incredible idea

twitter fiction

1         He was young, strong and brave, the virus could care less.

·2        One summer she was happy and healthy. Something was said. The next summer she was skinny and sad.

3       He builds her up, strong and proud. Only to break her down, weak and small.

4        They said you could do anything but shot down your wildest dreams, now get back to the office

5        Is the love gone? The bullet left the barrel, no time for second guessing.

6        Who doesn’t want to get lost? That’s what I was thinking when I left, now I’m not so sure.

7        Everything is spotless, scrubbed clean. The only evidence was a small drop of blood left on the floor.

8        “Come on” he said “what could go wrong?” he never could have predicted the destruction of everything he loved.

9        Her eyes lit up with joy. He never saw his best friend come in the door behind him.

10        She was nervous because being lonely was all she knew how to do. He was going to change that

11      The light danced on the water almost like the fight never happened but it did and now you will never see him again

12      “Adventure is waiting” she whispered taking your hand and leading you into the forest, “we just need to find it.”

13       Think about the way it felt holding her, the way she fit right in the bend of your elbow, while she is in front of you requesting the keys.

14         It’s hard watching, possibly your only friend in the world go from a healthy human being to nothing at all.

15         Each bead was a person, each color, a method, each string, a country. a cold blooded way to keep track of the dead

16         You forgot your ring when you left; I wear it close to my heart. A hidden love just like me.

17         I’m watching the country pass in a blur wondering why you said no.

18         The strong soldier stood, one tear falling from his left eye.

19         “I promised I’d do anything for you, I’m just following through” he whispered to himself

20         BANG the sound was deafening but with that his tears fell to the ground with the rest of his limp body.

21         When his wife came to see the last place he stood she was awestruck

22         Amidst the muddy plane there grew one single rose

23         It was the most beautiful rose, fresh with dew mimicking the tears of a soldier.

24           When she  smelled the rose it was sweet, with a musk much like that of the soldier

25         Ironic since, it was the soldiers tears that allowed it to grow.

26         Ten years later the plane was turned into the most beautiful garden, but the rose bush in the middle was the most magnificent plant in the garden.

27         He was on a crazy break away, everyone was cheering when someone hit him from behind. The hit that changed his life.

28         He woke up in a hospital bed unable to move his feet and in incredible pain.  The taste of blood in his mouth

29         It felt like his life was over, no more hockey and no high school diploma left him with a bleak future and a severe case of depression

30         Someone suggested coaching and he realized life wasn’t over; he could coach others to greatness.

31        Ten years later he went back to find the guy that hit him, to thank him for the opportunity to coach all the way to the Stanley Cup.

http://goo.gl/5ebxB

This is an amazing movie and i would love to read the book that the movie is based on. I think that usually the book is better than the movie and the movie was amazing. The acting was flawless and the story line was amazing and dynamic. I think that this movie was probably the best performance Zack Galifinakis has ever done. I could watch this movie a million times and it would probably never get old. Go watch it!!

I found the best bed spread ever made.
source: alixmc

Good dreams are on their way.....