Extra Credit

If the number of blogs we are supposed to have is 33 and this is number thirty four, then, oh wow. This must be extra. And if it's extra and I get credit in some way for it. Woah, extra credit, sweet.

Final Blog

It's been fun. Well not necessarily fun but enjoyable. That's actually a lie too. I still am on the fence about this relationship. I mean, your great, I mean, you've been there whenever I've needed you but this kind of off and on thing just won't work. I mean, I haven't talked to you for weeks at a time, yet you just let me log right in and stay awhile. Have some self respect ok? I mean you deserve someone better. Some body whose going to constantly talk to you, and log in, and stay awhile. I can't be that guy. I hope you understand.

I think it's safe to say these haven't all been half assed efforts. That would be one or two sentences, but come on, I'm doing at least four or five. I've now been in the library longer than I ever have before, it's weird, I don't like it. I might be...learning things. Uh...I have to get outa here.

This blogging thing is starting to grow on me. I honestly do think if I had used it properly it would've helped the flow of ideas and maybe lead to some stronger sentences and story arcs for the work. Well, coulda, woulda, shoulda, can't have regerets now, but maybe I'll go speak to underprivelegded children about blogging and why they should do it in school. But be careful and use protection, like Norton Anti-Virus or something.

4 to go

Four more blogs. Will I get emotional at the end? I don't know. It's been a long crazy, whirlwind journey and I can't help but feel a little part of me is dying.

Ok, so I've taken creative non fiction and creative fiction, both were good classes that helped me develop as a writer. I really liked seeing the conrasts between the two and the fiction writing techniques you can bring to non fiction.

I feel like if your blogging since it is such a steareotypically nerdy type thing, I'm obligated to mention Star Trek at least once during my blogging. There is a Star Trek movie coming out, there, I said it.

omg i still have seven more to go. What to talk about? I think this has been a good class and I have learned a lot about writing, now if only i could read, that would be impressive. for my family at least.

33 is in sight

33 total blog posts is what we are supposed to have. But if you take into account I didn't start blogging right away my per week quota is pretty impressive. I'm really starting to find a groove now, unfortunately, I'll probably never blog after this again. That's life huh? pretty crazy.

For my OCD paper I took out a lot of the medical mumbo jumbo and put in some more details about my great grandmother to make it more personal, and hopefully give some more insight.

I revised some of my essay about Berl and added in a nice addition that should be pretty funny. Just another terrible encounter I had with him. That's a solid teaser for tonight. For all three of you that read my blogs.

I'm blogging in the library, a place I have only been once before. I had to find a friend to help me log onto these computers. Where on earth is IT? I've been at this school almost two years and went to the tiger's den for the first time last week. Oh, it's lion's den excuse me. What the hell is so great about it? It's a dark, greasy, fast food restaurant full of prententious college kids. Awesome.

finish line in sight

I've run a real marathon but this blogging thing is a true endurance test. I mean I'm cramping up, my electrolytes are low, aches and pains are setting in. I'll try to tough it out but it'll be tough. Just have to visualize the end goal, a solid B- perhaps? I mean I'm not asking for an A, that sounds like a pretty sweet deal. Mucho blogging for a nice, solid, B-. The more repetition the more it will stick in your head.

Blogging is starting to come more naturally now. Some people in class don't take it as seriously as I do and that's a shame. There is true merit to be found an the worldwide interweb face super highway. Congrat's Al Gore! You've created a great tool for helping me write gooder.

the strech run

Time is running out to get these blogs done. But not in a frivolous, rushed way. I think Professor Renfroe you have to admit some of these last few have had length and are funny. (I recommend the letter to our past self, very funny, elightening, touching piece) I have had a crazy day unfortunately having to email my final drafts/letters to Renfroe, and seeing his angry glare all through class.

ridiculous amounts of blogging

Even more tidbits from me. How is everyone's portfolio going? Don't you just like saying the word portfolio? I know I do, it makes me feel somewhat important. My friends asked me to dinner, I said nope, gotta work on the old portfolio. They were impressed. My father asked me to play golf, sorry-portfolio. He was astounded, "Finally showing some initiative, good job son." Then he asked me about the asian markets and if a company's options had 'vested' yet. I said I didn't know about an asian company that made vests. Now he knows it's not a real portfolio. Bummer.

15th blog post

Impressive? Definitely! Sad? Getting there. Desperate? By the way Professor Renfroe, do you need you car washed? Maybe I could wash it three or four times, for a pass on the blog huh? Oh you don't drive a car, environmentalist huh? Then can I wash your vespa or segway? 

more blogging

Must...get...to...thirty three posts! This blogging stuff is tough, I run out of things to say, Im much better in person. (it's a sliding scale) I guess I'm just leery of blogging because in my first experience on computers, I met this nice girl in a chatroom, truthfullyimagirloknotactually47@yahoo.com. Th next thing I know I'm walking into a house and Chris Hanson and Dateline appear. Awkward.

time to blog

I'm working on my portfolio. It used to have stocks and mutual funds in it, now I just have creative non-fiction works. So yes, the recession has hit me pretty hard.

letter to old me

Dear Andrew,

Hey, believe it or not this is me, (actually you) from the future. I know it's hard to understand, please relax, and yes, the flux capacitor was involved. You've made a lot of progress this semester with your writing, you can actually blog now, by the way you may want to blog a little more, that's impressive, Also you are still quite handsome in the future, obviously handsome being stupendously average but you already knew that. You've taken critiques of your writing and handled them well (not too much crying). Try to edit more and break up your paragraphs, I know you love the long ones. How do I know, remember I am you, silly goose. Oh and when you write this letter in the future to the past us, don't say silly goose, I just realized how dumb/fancy phrase it is. Oh and do not eat the left over sliced turkey the second week in February! It has gone bad and makes you sick, give to your sister, Emma. Also the home situation would be a lot better if you unloaded the dishwasher and stuff, cause you-know-who gets angry about that. I know right! His temper is ridiculous. Anyway, stay cool my friend, no really, it stays cold for awhile! You actually get two snowdays! 

I know this is non fiction but I'm working on  my essay for my fiction class with Renfroe's twin brother Craig Jr. He's kind of like those guys from Newhart, I'm Darrell and this my other brother, Darrell. But I digress. I'm using the second person narrative style and I think it's working ok, but I'm not quite sure. I wonder if anybody else has written with the 2nd person and their experiences with it.

2nd essay changes

I tried to make a few significant changes in my revision. Starting with delving more into the particular stories of ocd with Darwin and Howard Hughes. There were a lot of interesting details to plug in to show their struggle with the disease and how it affected them. I like doing this better than adding more details about myself because it's easy to go down that route and it really is supposed to be about someone other than me.

Scary Stuff

Just kind of spewing randomness here but a month or two ago I had some blood work done that needed followups because it came out that I was potentially anemic and.or there was problem with hemoglobin, blah, blah. I was totally surprised/worried because nutrition and fitness are probably the two things I work at the most. I mean I only do one bad meal a week, I thought I did everything right. They kept brining me back, then the word leukemia was tossed around and a bone marrow test was done, yeesh, I was really getting scared. Then I got the unimaginable news...I had to add more fat to my diet. Quite a relief, and many friends/family rolled their eyes. Still this is a big deal for me, I didn't want cancer but everyone knows how strict I am so adding a piece of cheese here or there will make me totally flip out.

Trvial Issue

The other day I had to pick my parents and sister up from the airport. A seemingly mundane task that many people do not like to do. I mean there's time its takes to get there, airport traffic, parking, potential delays, etc. But for me this is a really enjoyable experience. The opportunity presented itself to just drive round and round and wait for the call to just pick them up, but there's something about parking and waiting for your guests to arrive that I find really exciting. I t goes back to travelling back home as a kid. Living abroad did not lend itself well to seeing extended family consistently so the anticipation factor was high. I knew my grandparents would always be there with arms opens when I came down the terminal or upon returning having my parents ready and waiting for me. This mundane act of the "airport pickup" for my family is turned into an event, and Sunday as I was waiting for them to arrive. I deduced in my head that a good test for a future wife would be if she does the airport pickup. Does she just swing buy? Or do they take the time to come in wait and rally show their love/appreciation? If she doesn't I'll be pissed.

2nd Essay

I don't know if the rest of you have had this problem, but I don't seem to be as confident with this second essay as the first. I find it a lot easier to comment and write about myself and the wackiness/stupidity that occurs, rather than trying to educate on another subject. 

Now it's just getting ridiculous! multiple blogs in one day, wow. I don't know if there's extra credit but you would think with all these blogs I ought to get some. On a actual related to class note, I kind of enjoy the Klosterman book, he's a pretty funny dude. 

Even more blogging

It's a new day and a new blog. Blogging is just something I do now. Been up since 4.30am, ran 7 miles, lifted weights for an hour, now I'm getting ready to go back to the gym for another hr and a half, very sleepy, I think it's safe to say I've switched from under to overachiever with all these interesting blogs. 

Perhaps I was failing on my blog grade before but with all these posts, I seemed to have outsmarted you now Renfroe, 

Muhahahaha! 

high school

I alluded to the fact I met some crazy people throughout my life and was therefore put in many awkward situations. But perhaps I deserved it because I wasn't the 'best' student, especially senior year. You see, somehow I managed to finagle a spot onto the Model United Nations Team at our school. It was through a brilliant combination of acting, begging, and the ultimate need for something good on my college application that got me in. Every year the team got to travel to the main conference in Amsterdam, why take many 18yr olds to Amsterdam, I don't know. (I know you think this is going to be a drug story but believe me it is not) We all were assigned to go up, in front of about 2500 people and give a speech on a disease or crisis affecting the world. While my colleagues reported on things like the crisis in Darfur, AIDS, Tsunami, etc, mine was on...Diarrhea. Yes, Diarrhea. You see I'm so immature, I'm laughing to death at even writing the word. I went up in front of those 2500 people and proceeded to talk about the impending threat of diarrhea across the globe, I  had pictures of the people from the movie THE RING, and put those up on the big screen, claiming them to be victims of diarrhea. I also did a number of other things like pass around a cup of brown water to the front row. Needless to say...I actually got the resolution passed. I kid you not, perhaps through my 30 minute speech I had made everyone in this auditorium (composed of some future harvard students, oxford/cambridge graduates, prominent teachers and business men) dumber than when they had entered. Or maybe they just went along with the joke. It may have been the greatest practical joke I've ever played, and now you have all lost a little respect for me but that's not too surprising. 

I'm posting like a madman now, feeling weirder and weirder each time I do it, I thought to be a blogger you had to spend the mandatory 8hrs a week watching Star Trek and going to subsequent conventions, perhaps not. 

I still don't feel quite comfortable with this whole blogging thing, I am pretty annoying in real life and I fear that this trait is enhanced even more on the computer. Damn Al Gore for inventing this infernal machine. 

Revision

I'm currently revising my piece "the trouble with tutoring." I found the workshop to be helpful in helping highlight some things that definitely needed changing. I'm really focusing on the introduction because it needs to be more in tune with the subject of the novel. The hardest part is figuring out what to take out/elaborate on because there are parts i really want to keep but in actual fact may serve as a detriment to the overall focus of the story. 

I'm trying to finish up my personal essay and i think it just sucks. I'm trying to write about a funny occurence in my life but i think it's not coming across as funny as it would be in a conversation. I'm also trying to do my required blogging for the week. 

I am blogging

I have to say this is a bit weird. I don't know what to say.