I chose to include my post entitled “Vampires,” from the Traditions Discussion Board #2, to highlight my ability to stimulate conversation on a particular subject matter. As I stated earlier, I truly enjoyed the discussion boards we were able to participate in. Online classes are a great option for students who are unable to physically attend college classes on campus, but the interaction between students is limited. Discussion boards provided a safe place for us to discuss and develop our opinions. In some ways the discussion boards created a better environment for further discussion of the material than a face-to-face discussion in a classroom could provide, for two main reasons:
1. We were forced to write out our thoughts and opinions on a subject, and then back those opinions up with specific quotes from the essays we read. This was done without the fear of being interrupted or judged, so even a shy individual felt safe responding to and sharing opinions.
2. Then, we each had to read the complete thoughts and opinions of fellow classmates before we were able to respond. Meaning…no interruptions! This was a great tool for me since I tend to dominate discussions. You have to watch out for us noisy folks, we like to interrupt!
The prompt for our second Discussion Board in the Traditions Unit was to affirm or challenge an assumption about pop culture.
I chose to write about how pop culture reflects the most current trends and interests of our society, and in so doing, decided to write about one of the biggest trends in our culture today, vampires. Vampires today are hot, and they are stirring up quite the commotion, so it did not surprise me that many of my fellow students could not help but to respond to my post on these fascinating creatures.
The conclusion: we all love vampires!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Vampires
Vampires are not new; in fact Dracula was invented in 1897. Our ancestor's vampires were never-aging, immortal, dark, and chaotic. Your basic spooky character, meant to scare and terrify audiences. Recently our Vamp's have gone through a sort of transformation. Instead of being feared, they have become the objects of our desire and affection. They are still immortal, and never-aging, yet they also can be described as compelling, seductive, gorgeous, and sadly off-limits. Samuel L. Jackson spoke of the parallels between our society and the cinemas in his essay "In Character," saying "As the fabric of our society changes in certain ways, the fabric of the cinematic world changes in the same ways” (455). Perhaps societies ongoing obsession of the beautiful and young feed this current craze, explaining the drastic switch from our ancestor's nightmare of Dracula, to our own beloved vampire, Edward. "So all of the sudden you see a different look in the movies, as they reflect the way this younger generation of producers and studio executives live their lives” (Jackson, 455). Whatever the reason, vampires are here to stay!
Introduction: It's My Party
…or rather, it’s my portfolio, so I’ll include what I want to! Sorry guys, I just couldn’t help myself!
For my “Writer’s Choice” piece I chose to include my blog about the community of scrapbooking. I have to say that I love this new world of blogging. Each of the posts on my blog successfully represent me, the true me, and nothing but me. Much like scrapbooking does. My “Scrapbooking is a Community” piece in particular was special to me because the nature of scrapbooking itself is to capture the essence of the people in the pictures. The following excerpt provides an example of why I scrapbook.
“Why? Because I LOVE it!!! I love the other women, all of us coming from different walks of life, yet all able to laugh, tell our stories, and share a meal and scrapbook together. We all share this deep desire to create and protect our cherished keepsakes. We want to showcase our life story, sharing with future generations our successes as well as our failures. We want the ability to freeze time, and since we are unable to, we settle for the next best thing...recording the simple and BIG moments in our lives. At least, that is why I scrapbook.”
My scrapbooks are not only a work of art or a photo album; they also include my journals, letters from loved ones, old ticket stubs, and various other trinkets that provide a narration of the activities and people in the pictures. In reality, they show the viewer the traditions, and communities that my family and I hold dear. My scrapbooks provide a window to my soul, a window to my identity. My writings have the same affect. I hope you enjoy this piece!
For my “Writer’s Choice” piece I chose to include my blog about the community of scrapbooking. I have to say that I love this new world of blogging. Each of the posts on my blog successfully represent me, the true me, and nothing but me. Much like scrapbooking does. My “Scrapbooking is a Community” piece in particular was special to me because the nature of scrapbooking itself is to capture the essence of the people in the pictures. The following excerpt provides an example of why I scrapbook.
“Why? Because I LOVE it!!! I love the other women, all of us coming from different walks of life, yet all able to laugh, tell our stories, and share a meal and scrapbook together. We all share this deep desire to create and protect our cherished keepsakes. We want to showcase our life story, sharing with future generations our successes as well as our failures. We want the ability to freeze time, and since we are unable to, we settle for the next best thing...recording the simple and BIG moments in our lives. At least, that is why I scrapbook.”
My scrapbooks are not only a work of art or a photo album; they also include my journals, letters from loved ones, old ticket stubs, and various other trinkets that provide a narration of the activities and people in the pictures. In reality, they show the viewer the traditions, and communities that my family and I hold dear. My scrapbooks provide a window to my soul, a window to my identity. My writings have the same affect. I hope you enjoy this piece!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Scrapbooking is a Community
I remember the first time I was introduced to the hobby of scrapbooking. I was 17, and a friend of mine had invited me to come to a Creative Memories party. I brought along my required five pictures, and my mom, wondering how I was going to survive a couple hours with a bunch of mother/daughter duos, and a few pictures. My mom and I left that party with $150 of product, most of which did not see the light of day for a good five years. It was not until the birth of my first child, a boy I named Jacob, that I attended yet another scrapbooking party. This party showcased the most beautiful layouts of baby pictures I had ever seen! I could not believe the art these other mothers were producing with colored paper, a baby pin, and their kid's picture. I decided then and there that I wanted, no, needed, to create the same types of albums of my child.
Shortly after this party I began to attend different scrapbooking events, such as all day crops, embossing work shops, stamping demonstrations, demos online, scrapbooking chat rooms and galleries, and card making classes. I even went on scrapbooking retreats...yup, a whole weekend full of scrapbooking! And I am not even going to mention all of the money I have spent on my albums, paper, glue sticks and adhesive dots, lettering, rub-ones, stickers, and embellishments. I could stop buying scrapbooking product for a whole year and not run out of product!
I have joined a "kit of the month" club, which sends me a new package of paper, ribbon, lettering, and embellishments every month, and I subscribe to two different scrapbooking magazines. I guess you could say I am a bit obsessive about scrapbooking!
I have friends that tease me about how long it takes me to complete an entire layout, and other friends who claim that the only way to scrapbook is to digi-scrapbook...paper scrapbooking is "old-school" now. Yet, we all share a desire to be creative and artsy. We all take WAY too many photos, we like our pictures to be organized, and most of all, we all love our families. Because of these reasons we continue to plan our retreats and monthly crop marathons. We value our friendships with each other, and find ourselves sharing and trading, more that just a sticker or a pair of scissors, we end up sharing and trading babysitting duties, clothes, and receipts, just to name a few.
I have often wondered, as I pick up a new stack of photos and begin to create my new layout...why bother? I mean, why do I make time for this silly hobby anyways?
Why? Because I LOVE it!!! I love the other women, all of us coming from different walks of life, yet all able to laugh, tell our stories, and share a meal and scrapbook together. We all share this deep desire to create and protect our cherished keepsakes. We want to showcase our life story, sharing with future generations our successes as well as our failures. We want the ability to freeze time, and since we are unable to, we settle for the next best thing...recording the simple and BIG moments in our lives. At least, that is why I scrapbook.
I scrapbook because sometimes I have a hard time taking my eyes off of my children. Their beauty astonishes me! I often wish I could freeze time, have my children stayed their current ages for the rest of eternity. I just love all the cute and funny new things they are learning. Experiencing life through their innocent eyes is simply amazing; words cannot describe the sheer joy my children bring me daily. I don't want to forget these fleeting moments. So, I journal, and I paste and glue pretty paper with my pictures, as my way of telling and sharing my family story with others.
Shortly after this party I began to attend different scrapbooking events, such as all day crops, embossing work shops, stamping demonstrations, demos online, scrapbooking chat rooms and galleries, and card making classes. I even went on scrapbooking retreats...yup, a whole weekend full of scrapbooking! And I am not even going to mention all of the money I have spent on my albums, paper, glue sticks and adhesive dots, lettering, rub-ones, stickers, and embellishments. I could stop buying scrapbooking product for a whole year and not run out of product!
I have joined a "kit of the month" club, which sends me a new package of paper, ribbon, lettering, and embellishments every month, and I subscribe to two different scrapbooking magazines. I guess you could say I am a bit obsessive about scrapbooking!
I have friends that tease me about how long it takes me to complete an entire layout, and other friends who claim that the only way to scrapbook is to digi-scrapbook...paper scrapbooking is "old-school" now. Yet, we all share a desire to be creative and artsy. We all take WAY too many photos, we like our pictures to be organized, and most of all, we all love our families. Because of these reasons we continue to plan our retreats and monthly crop marathons. We value our friendships with each other, and find ourselves sharing and trading, more that just a sticker or a pair of scissors, we end up sharing and trading babysitting duties, clothes, and receipts, just to name a few.
I have often wondered, as I pick up a new stack of photos and begin to create my new layout...why bother? I mean, why do I make time for this silly hobby anyways?
Why? Because I LOVE it!!! I love the other women, all of us coming from different walks of life, yet all able to laugh, tell our stories, and share a meal and scrapbook together. We all share this deep desire to create and protect our cherished keepsakes. We want to showcase our life story, sharing with future generations our successes as well as our failures. We want the ability to freeze time, and since we are unable to, we settle for the next best thing...recording the simple and BIG moments in our lives. At least, that is why I scrapbook.
I scrapbook because sometimes I have a hard time taking my eyes off of my children. Their beauty astonishes me! I often wish I could freeze time, have my children stayed their current ages for the rest of eternity. I just love all the cute and funny new things they are learning. Experiencing life through their innocent eyes is simply amazing; words cannot describe the sheer joy my children bring me daily. I don't want to forget these fleeting moments. So, I journal, and I paste and glue pretty paper with my pictures, as my way of telling and sharing my family story with others.
Monday, November 23, 2009
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