Blog Experience Reflection

19 July 2012

If there is one thing that makes me happy about writing this reflection it is that I do not have to think of something to write about. Finding a topic or subject to base my writings on in my blog posts definitely proved to be the biggest struggle for me. This was mostly due to the fact that I was not trying to give a daily journal through the blog but rather I was trying to describe myself to the reader and help them get to know me better. Overall though I think this assignment is a great one to help students improve on their writing. As I was writing I realized that I had a desire to get more creative and to make my compositions as interesting and dynamic as possible. The one thing I hated was having the stress of remembering to make a post every day and of course the chore of finding something to write about. Honestly I would want the instructor of this course to know that I believe this assignment is great and that I would personally recommend always keeping it around. Another thing I noticed about my writing is that I wrote best when I was passionate about the subject. I never realized it before but the 300 words went by so much faster when the topic of the piece was something that I actually cared about and wanted to share with others. The problems I saw with this is that it put too much stress on my writing, writing everyday can be difficult and I feel like if the assignment was changed to having three posts by the end of the week it might prove to have better results. On the flip side this could lead people to procrastinate so there may not be any way to win with the situation. Overall though I think that I made important changes to myself as a writer. Realizing that the subject I was writing about could make the difference on a well written piece I decided that I need to choose subjects that I can be passionate about. Also I came to the conclusion that editing your paper while you go is not the best and that it is more time efficient and will prove better results if you just type away and then edit at the end.

The Ultimate Breakfast

18 July 2012

I love to run and I especially love the people that I run with. Today I partook in a six mile run with some guys from the team. After the run we spent a few hours talking and discussing some things in our lives. Nothing monumental was brought up, just funny memories and crazy people. The most amazing part of the day was not out at the high school though. Shortly after I got home one of the friends came over to pick up his bike from my house. With another friend already over we decided that we should create a monstrously huge and delicious tasting breakfast. With a few potatoes and eggs retrieved from my house we wandered over to one of my friends homes. It was a rush of excitement to get tall the food out. A burst of cheer erupted when we discovered, much to our surprise, the giant package of Canadian bacon in his fridge. We each set out to work on our separate task. I took the responsibility of chopping up the potatoes and developing the most loved portion of the feast, the hash browns. With a little oil and salt I created a wonderful batch of delectable and crunchy hash browns. My friend, with a tad bit of help, sautéed some vegetables in butter as a touch for the scrambled eggs which were being put together by the last member of the Iron Chef team. The breakfast was magnificent, and with the accompaniment of a last member who showed up near the end to help, we devoured the feast in no time at all. A whole half day later, and my stomach is still full and the taste of the blue Gatorade that washed it all down is fresh on my taste buds. I may not have room to say this, but that was the best breakfast that has ever been made.

Stressed

17 July 2012

So when you get caught up in life I guess you end up missing a blog post. I am being completely honest when I say that these summer classes are stressing me out. With work, running, and an attempt to spend time with my family it can be difficult to get all of my work done. I do my best always but sometimes a person just gets caught up in the events of the day and something skips their mind. School is of the upmost importance to me and when I miss due dates it really frustrates me and puts me in a less than pleasant mood for those that I come into contact with. In fact I would say that school contributes in some fashion to around ninety percent of my stressors. I love the success that I achieve in school and I am extremely grateful for the knowledge I have but sometimes frustration creeps on me before I even realize it. There is no excuse that can justify why I missed this blog post but moving on and forgetting about it would probably be a good step for me.  My prayers are that there are other people in this class who have been busy and forgotten to make a post on a day or two. So to all the people out there reading this who have missed a blog post, let your worries be subdued, even the great and all hard working Brady Shanklin gets caught up in fun activities and loses track of himself. My advice to everyone out there, take classes during school when everyone else is doing homework too. These summer classes are going to pay off and I love the teacher and the material, but believe me when I say it can be brutally stressful.

Prewrite-Practice Description

Free Writing

As I walk into the doorway the smell of the door creeps onto me and I know that I am close to walking in. I smell the wreath that hangs on the door; the aroma clearly lets the sniffer know that it is artificial. Upon walking in and receiving a hug the smell of girl becomes clear. Not perfume but rather a natural smell of a simple girl. Then the breath of the hugger is clear, there has been food and it can be smelt with each breath they take. Some sort of candy or treat, definitely not homemade. Then the smell of the clean house mixes with the different body scents and a beautiful musk of smells fills the air.

The knock on the door is loud and clear, it echoes because of the expensive hollow door. The sound of footsteps come pounding up the stairs and a slight murmur is heard as one person speaks to another. A greeting is exchanged and the sweet voice of the girl inside warms the others ears. The moms greeting is also heard and the sound of the clock ticking is ever so audible.

The door of the house is beautifully made and the steps up to the archway are very short. The decorative glass blurs the people inside. There are two of them and one is coming towards the door fast as the other smiles and watches. A girl answers the door, she has long blonde hair and the dull lighting of the house is small in comparison to the smile on her face. There are two giant couches, not leather, but some other material whose name is unknown to the beholder. Everything is beautifully set up and nothing is out of place. It seems perfect when looked at.

As the knuckles tap against the door it is definitely hard, but also very smooth at the same time. The ground is solid beneath him and the inside of his jean pockets are rough against his hand due to their small size. The girl answers his knock with a hug. She is warm and her clothes are soft to the touch. Her hair is rubbing up against his face but has clearly been washed thoroughly because of the silky texture. Her hands have been recently rubbed with lotion as she guides him through the house. His shoes uncomfortably rub against his ankles as he struggles to take them off.

Story

A young man walks up to the door and knocks his knuckles against the hollow wood door. His hands are placed in his super small pockets as he awaits the girl to come answer the door. He can barely catch a glimpse of her through the decorative glass as she answers the door. She smiles a brilliant smile and tells him how glad she is to see him. They hug and he can feel her warmth along with the soft fabric of her shirt. Her long blonde hair is silky smooth and shines no matter what. The mom also extends a greeting as he plops down to rip off his shoe against his ankle. It is an uncomfortable feeling but the beautifully arranged house draws his attention more. The house smells of different people with a mixture of the order and cleanliness it presents. Everything is in order and the girl proceeds to lead him on as she grabs his hand. He is happy to be at his best friend’s house.

Prewrite-Brainstorming

List of places
-My bedroom
-The pool
-High school
-Kansas City Temple
-Seminary class room
-Olivias house
-Ians house
-Old house in New Orleans
-The James River
-Springfiled Lake
-Trails at Springfield Lake
-Practice football field
-Football field
-Mcdonalds
-Neighbors house
-Tatums house
-Bridge behind Tatums house
-Wilsons Creek
-McBride frisbee course
-Prom plaza
-Chesterfield park
-Cave at Lake Springfiled
-Backyard
-Ditch by the pool

The Mail Man

16 July 2012
Day after day the topics of which I want to center my blog posts around are getting harder to discover. I think about my life day by day and what happens and who I am and I am shortly running out of things to say. Considering I still have two weeks of school left and multiple days of blogging I am quite scared. My life has been full of adventurous and fun things so it should not be hard to come up with a story to tell or an event to recall in the most vivid fashion. With creative and diverse word choice I could possibly even tell about how I went and picked up the mail in the required 300 words. Imagine this: He took step by step and pace after pace towards the shiny silver mailbox. Encased in bricks the mailbox stood no more than five feet tall and four feet wide. The width is due to the mailboxes companions that accompany him across the road. The four containers stand glued together in a homely fashion. The retriever glares at them with hatred, the task thrust upon him by his mother has interrupted another captivating episode of Criminal Minds. The pavement is hot and dangerous to his fragile toes. He dances across the lava-like material so quick that one might mistake him for the roadrunner off of the ever popular Loony Tunes. He flings the hinge open and grasps the wad of mailings, almost forgetting to slam the thin metal container shut. Faster than the trip there he embarks back towards the door unsure if the episode inside remains paused. With a Tom Brady throw he launches the mail to his wide open mother and dashes down the stairs. All before plopping down onto the soft leather sofa and barely missing the ice cold glass of water at his feet. He checks the timer, 28 seconds; not too bad for a kid who checked the street before crossing, not too bad.
And to think that you thought a story about getting the mail could not be exciting.

Sunday

15 July 2012
Today my blog post is going to be just an everyday journal entry. My day started off when I woke up at about 11:30 and headed upstairs. The night before, I had begun a fast in order to receive strength during a challenging time in my life. Thus abstaining from breakfast, I plopped myself down on the couch and began reading through the Sunday comics. My whole family got a kick that the newspaper had printed the same comic strip twice and left one out in return. Sadly however, the comic that was left out was one of our favorites, but we managed to move on. With nothing to do I decided that I would scamper on down the stairs and freshen up for church. I got dressed in my slacks with a cardigan and a nice lavender tie I received on behalf of my birthday. The cardigan made me feel like my own little version of Agent Reid off of Criminal Minds. Please refer to my other blog posts if that did not make you giggle a little bit. I decided to get a little kick out of church today by slicking back my hair in a seventies style. The people at church loved it and while it took half a bottle of hairspray and the beginning of World War 3, it was definitely worth it. After church we came home to meet my Aunt and Uncle who had flown in from Utah. They are visiting for the week and I am extremely excited to have them in town. My Uncle got me a job out at BYU this fall with one of his coworker professors. Thanks to him I no longer have the stress of finding a way to pay for my dates and classes. We spent the evening eating snacks and yapping away with funny stories. It was not until just a few moments ago that my mom reminded me I had some homework to finish. Sometimes these summer classes are a burden, but in the end I know they will be worth it. Today was just another typical day in the life of Brady Shanklin, just another Sunday.