FS101.30 Becky Wertz

First of all, I really enjoyed group 3's Sunday Morning episode. I thought that this group did the best job of being more open to address things outside of just Allegheny- it was a nice change. With regard to Alex's movie segment, it got me really excited for break, I love going out to movies. I heard some people mention Beowulf...I don't know, a friend and I checked that one out a few weeks ago...we laughed hysterically...I don't think that that's what they were going for, but it was a bit ridiculous. One movie that I'm really looking forward to seeing is "The Kite Runner." I'm re-reading the book right now. Whether you see the movie or not, I would suggest that everyone check the book out, it's very well-written, a relatively easy read, inspiring story etc...

As for the end of fs 101...Well, I think that as much as I complained at the beginning about having to read so much stuff and whatnot, I learned a lot from this class. It was also nice to get to meet everyone in the class. I can think of 5 people right off the top of my head who have said hi or chatted with me in the pats few months from that class. I don't know, maybe that's the case in any fs class, but I do feel like we had a pretty diverse and nice group of people in our class. Not to be all sappy or anything, but I think that we kind of share a connection since we all went through a lot of the college adjustment firsts together. I hope that I will see people in our class around, but regardless I really wish everyone the best! Also, I'd like to thank Professor Knupsky and the peer leaders for helping us through this crazy first semester. It was nice to have that support system available.

I love inspirational quotes, so I think that a good way to cap off this experience would be to include a few that I think kind of reflect some of the lessons we've taken away from fs/watching Sunday morning. I really like Ralph Waldo Emerson's quotes a lot so I'm putting up a few of his. If anyone hasn't read his essay "Self-Reliance", maybe check it out, it really makes you think.

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

"Insist on yourself; never imitate... Every great man is unique."

"It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude."

Hope that everyone has a great break! Nice to meet you, see you around!

Just realized that I didn't mention one of my favorite segments from group 2's episode! I really liked Katie's segment on the music professor, especially since I enjoy classical music and such. She also did a great job of being original- it was cool that she pointed out how his personal definitions of natural talent versus talent with hard work influenced his development as a musician. I think that she raised an interesting point in her presentation of the interview- being successful in life isn't so much about finding out alleged "right" ways of going about things or following "keys to success" as coming up with your own life philosophies as you grow. Also, although I'm in the civic symphony, I never would have guessed that we had such a well-known pianist right here at Allegheny!

Ahh, late on debriefing again! Anyway, it's so weird that we're almost done with the semester! I have to say that I really enjoyed class this week- I think that everyone else did a great job on their episode segments!

I thought that the people in my group had very interesting segments to share. Lexie's segment about Meadville was a very nice way to start our group's episode. I tend to joke around about how lame Meadville is with my friends, but her segment, especially the beautiful photos, made me rethink my dismissive attitude regarding the town. Emily's segment on music was very cool as well. Knowing how hard it is just to get through the rigorous work load here and be involved in a few clubs and activities here and there, it's incredible that there kids who take the time and initiative to make their own bands. I think that the point made about the lack of female bands was rather intriguing too...I think that a girl band would be really cool! Ryan's segment on MRSA and sports definitely pointed out things that I know little about. I'm not incredibly into sports, but many kids on this campus are, and the first aid tips are important. I know that I had to take some basic first aid workshops in high school- I should probably brush up on some of that...always good to know!

As for the other group's episode, WOW, they did a great job too! I especially enjoyed Didem's segment on the McKinley's workers. I love most of the staff that I've run across- as Natalie mentioned, the fact that most of them are so warm and friendly gives the campus a homey feel. Even people that aren't as present as the cafeteria workers seem to sincerely care about us. In Walker/Brooks, the housekeepers left us notes on our bathroom doors wishing us happy holidays. Such a small gesture, but those kind of acts of kindness brighten my day. Kirsten's segment on global warming was very well done too. I took AP environmental science in high school, and it really opened my eyes to the serious nature of this phenomenon. Kirsten did a great job informing the class on the main topics surrounding this issue. Ashley's segment on the soapbox coalition( I think that's what is was called?) was so cool! I knew of it briefly from the newspaper, but the specifics about this issue were so interesting. It's so great that Allegheny is leading this movement- it has the potential to have such a great impact on how pollitical parties go about campagining in the future. Hopefully it will be successful, it would definitely help to promote true democracy in our nation.

I've avoided my episode, but after some thought I've reached the conclusion that it was one of the best and one of the worst at the same time. I really did work hard on my segment, lost track of how many sources I took notes on, really tried to connect it all together to Allegheny, but unfortunately I think that my selection for a segment topic and my presentation made it one of the least interesting stories covered. I'm just taking it as a learning experience, next time I'll try harder to keep my audience in mind! Regardless, I learned quite a bit, and really enjoyed this assignment on the whole!

Hope that everyone is having a nice weekend!

I'm really glad that we tried meditation in class this week. Although I didn't exactly reach a point of real focus since my mind just kept on racing, thinking about papers due, the fs projects, finals, etc... it at least made me aware of how tense I actually have been lately. Even though these finals and projects are important, I think that we all would feel a whole lot better if we focused on the moment of the here and less on worries. As mentioned in the podcast that we listened to, being in the moment might actually make us better able to focus on all of the tasks which tend to stress us out. I'm so impatient that taking the time to develop the ability to center during meditation would be difficult(I'd want immediate results!), but it is a possible coping strategy that I would consider. I really hope that everyone else in class puts the next few weeks into perspective at least- it's really overwhelming, this first go at college finals and final projects and papers, but I hope that everyone makes time for doing things that they enjoy.

This week marked the end of "Sunday Morning" and the end of the commentaries.
As much as I sometimes griped about having to go to the library to watch the show, I think that I took a lot away from the show. I had never seen a show that celebrated human accomplishments and nature. Earlier in the semester, I didn't get the show at all; I was pretty close-minded and thought that it was a little corny. However, looking back, it served as a springboard to so many interesting discussions and readings. We've went over such a wide variety of topics; from heroes, to "Into the Wild", to findings on IQ and music, to language and prejudice, and so much more. I feel like I'll be leaving this class with knowledge and openness to new perspectives that I lacked coming in.
As for this week, I enjoyed everyone else's commentaries.
I really liked Katie's on drunk driving. I actually know people that are pretty close to me who used to drink- one got a couple of D.U.I.s...I'm so glad that she doesn't drink anymore, I know that if she had hurt anyone while she was driving drunk, she would never have really forgiven herself since it would negatively impact so many people, including her family. I bet that it must have been really hard during to see that guy's mom breaking down after his sentencing.

Shannon's was very interesting as well. It definitely was a hot topic in the class discussion after. Although I agree that we can't be apathetic about certain issues(i.e. just because slavery had been a long time, the Civil Rights Movements needed to happen and was a good thing). But at the same time, I kind of agreed with Shannon to a certain extent. I think that some traditions are important. As for the pledge, maybe it can changed since "under God" is a relatively new addition, but I probably wouldn't be the person trying get "In God We Trust" off of money. But some people arguing for 100% separation of Church and State made me think about my ideas...it's a tough call, but I definitely identified more strongly with Shannon's point of view.

Niki's commentary was really powerful. I could tell that she was really passionate about what she was talking about. Her personal story really added to her arguments. It's scary that some mother's in the pageant world would be so harsh to their daughters...defintiley a different perspective from the happy-go-lucky Miss America images I tend to usually associate with pageant girls. It's disgusting that young girls are being objectified over the internet and that they're modeling women's clothes. This sends so many messed up and wrong messages to the little girls as well as the men who see these images over the internet, as well as the women who are looking at ads featuring these little girl bodies. I've always considered myself to be pretty knowledgeable about issues surrounding body image, but this commentary opened my eyes to a whole other dimension of that issue.

Emily's commentary on the "Freshman 15" and food choices was cool too. I defintiely agree with her argument that we need more fruits and vegetables available here. I make an effort to eat healthy, but I often find myself getting the same types of things every day. A truly healthy diet needs variety....not the same yucky apples day after day.

As for my commentary....SO glad that it's over! I'm not a fan of public speaking, but it went better than I thought it would. Last year, I gave a speech in my English class; although my content for that speech was solid, I was shaking a ton while I was up, and my legs were still a little shaky a few minutes after I had sat down. This time, even though I still felt pretty uncomfortable, I felt a lot calmer in comparison. I think that a lot of that had to do with the differences in the classes. I get more nervous when I see that people aren't paying attention or are doing other things during my talk- last year, I know that a fair few people were either looking down the whole time or working on other work. This time, I was pleasantly surprised that the majority of people were looking up and paying attention. I definitely would like to thank everyone who was looking up most of the time, you definitely helped me to keep my cool as best as I possibly could have.

So, one more class and then break...can't wait:)