Off We Go!

Each and every place we travel brings different memories, feelings, and people. As much as I love journeying overseas, there is something unique about exploring “your own backyard” as it were. Going out West is a favorite of mine. When you’re able to hike to a place of quiet solitude; just you and the trees seem to exist. You can hear the wind rushing through them and all through the hills and valleys below. I always feel a peace here that has never been matched anywhere else. If happiness were something I could bottle, I would try to fit these moments into it and seal it up tight for a rainy day. Today brings new adventures as my family and I head North into Canada. Niagara Falls, Moose, and the Stanley Cup wait for our arrival. (There’s more, but I just condensed it for now). Canada will leave an impression, just as every other place has, and I’m excited to add these to my memories. I’m sure this trip will present me with new blog material too. So, as much as I enjoy social media…it will be refreshing to get away for a few days. Ciao for now friends!

Feeling At Home

People react in interesting ways when they hear the term “home schooled”. A whole slew of thoughts, assumptions, and stereotypes arise. Honestly, as someone who was home schooled for part of my education, I find it rather interesting to look back at the way different friends of mine reacted to it. I am not denying that there are individuals who give rise to some of these stereotypes; I am simply saying that I think they are exaggerated quite a bit. I am also saying that it is not healthy to assume that every person who was ever home educated fits into a stereotype. Some assumptions I have encountered include, but are not limited to: being the overly sheltered/unprepared child, the overly religious child, the over achiever, the kid with no friends, etc.

When many of my friends heard I was going to, as some of them put it, “try the home school thing”, I was immediately put into a sort of category. I didn’t like that one bit. Who likes anyone, let alone friends, making assumptions about you? They seemed to think I would be changing or disappearing from the face of the Earth. It wasn’t until after some time had passed that they realized I was still…well…me, and then they changed their behavior. I began to see it as a sort of challenge; show them that most home schoolers, myself included, don’t fit stereotypes. I had my studies, my schedule, my friends…I felt perfectly "normal". It was just a matter of helping others understand this. Some argue that I actually became more social once I started home schooling; which is funny considering many think just the opposite will happen.

I was once asked, "So…do you actually see people? Do you have friends?”

Yes, world. Yes I do.

It was the way in which they asked the question that worried me. They sounded terrified! As if they thought I only saw the Sun but once every few weeks.

I hope I was able to show them a glimpse into my world and help them feel at ease. If people could take a step back before jumping to conclusions they just might realize that their life isn't too different from the person standing next to them. :) 

Think. Thought. Thunk.

I sit here. I sit here staring at this blank screen. For the first time in a very long time, I am uncertain about what to write. I didn't really pick a theme for my blog. It's more a rambling of writings that I hope people will find humorous, helpful, and/or happy. We have such a wide range of subject matter at our fingertips to blog about...yet even so, it can be a daunting task at times. And, even if ones blog has a central theme, writers block can still occur. Therefore, my problem has just turned into my solution! I thought it might be helpful to share some of my tactics for combating the blank page. They are pretty common, so maybe they won’t be as useful as I hope, but you never know.

One technique I’ve used in the past has been writing my stream of consciousness. Just sit down and begin to write, and don’t stop for at least three minutes (or whatever time you see fit). Whatever comes into your brain, write it down. It doesn’t have to make sense or contain proper punctuation at this point. The main purpose is to get some ideas flowing. Another useful strategy is to keep a small notebook on hand. It’s helpful for jotting down ideas as they come to you. Nowadays I use the notepad on my cell phone too. Sometimes it’s just important to remember to get up and walk around for a while or work on a separate project, then come back to the page and see if your writer’s block has gone. Mind maps are another useful tool, and one that is often used to grow ideas for design as well.  I love mind maps because they allow you to draw connections you otherwise might have missed. It's a nice visual representation of thought processes. I hope these are helpful! Maybe you have a few of your own to add!

What's with All the Hostility...

I've been reading many comments about our schools new mascot being a gargoyle...most of them are very negative.
I'm sorry, but, I don't understand why.
From what I can tell, based on news articles I've read, the nickname "Braves" isn't going anywhere. So if that was a concern of any ones, (which it seems to be from quite a few) I think they can rest at ease; as one article even says, "Meet the Braves Kaboom". I could be mistaken, but this is just what I've gathered from readings thus far. 
I just don't understand all of this, for lack of a better term, hate out there for Kaboom. Gargoyles have always been a part of Bradleys campus and, honestly, I think it's kind of cool. I understand that not everyone has to like the idea...but I think I've only seen two positive comments in regards to it (myself included). The one comment I saw supporting the decision talked about how it could be something great, if some of the students actually supported it. Our last mascot, the bobcat, never gained popularity and died out...I wonder if the same will be said years from now about our gargoyle.

Ode to Senior Semester?

When I worked in the writing center at Illinois Central College, we were required to have a sort of “mini blog” to keep our ideas going, reflect on what we had learned, and share new bits of advice we may have picked up. I came across my final blog written from my time there…and it made for a poignant moment. I wrote it as a sort of farewell to the people I had worked with. As graduation approaches, I have that familiar feeling again…everyone going off to bright new horizons and expanding their dreams. It is always nice to keep in touch with people, but that can often become difficult with the craziness of each and every day. I have met so many amazing people in my time here at Bradley, and I hope to keep most of these relationships throughout life. Many things I said to those at the writing center could be appropriately said now. So, I thought I would incorporate parts of it into this weekly blog, because I think many of us might have similar feelings?

Each of you has left their mark and brought their own uniqueness to this place…forever changing this University. I never thought about myself eventually being one of the people leaving. I only ever noticed the people that left. It’s weird to think I won’t get to see your faces next semester. Soon you will be the ones giving advice and guidance. Sound daunting? It shouldn’t. Think about it; you already do that! We all do. We look up to each other and we all seek out each other’s advice. So keep learning, growing, and expanding your horizons. You may close your umbrellas now; my rain of mushy gushiness has ended. Blue skies full speed ahead!

So Many People...So Many Places

As I walk into a Starbucks, I find myself surrounded by multitudes of people I’ve never met. I hop in and out of random conversations I can overhear while standing in line. People come in and out the door like clockwork; ensuring that the inside temperature is always just short of comfortable. I am thankful for the heat. My mind begins to escape to a different place…a different time.

I imagine being back in Florence, Italy-waiting at a table for my Cappuccino. I can see the Ponte Vecchio from my table; the sun set shining through each space onto the Arno River. I’m aware that I have, as Guy Kawasaki would say, a full-fledged Duchenne smile; Orbicularis oculi muscles and all. 

In this moment I tried to hold the image in my mind. I wanted to catch it, and permanently affix it into my brain to revisit. Can you remember a time when you specifically thought to take a mental snap shot?  Moments when you think gee, this is really something special. The hustle and bustle of the Starbucks reminded me of a different kind of hustle and bustle…the kind I found in Italy. And in that crowded building it was nice to revisit a faraway land. I really didn’t know it was possible to miss a place so much...




The barista calls out my order, waking me from my reverie. I’m guessing this isn’t the first time she’s called it. Everyone is looking from the drink, to me, to the drink, back to me again. 

Oops.

I pick it up and slowly retreat out into the cold, and I’ve still got that smile.

The "Eyes" Have It?

                                                                 

Yep, that's a real bird. It's called a Potoo and it resides in Central and South American tropics. A nocturnal bird, it's name comes from the sound of its call. They tend to keep to themselves and are a relative of North Americas Whippoorwill.

This probably answers a whole bunch of questions you didn't ask...And, you probably could have gone the rest of your lives without knowing this bird even existed. Why, then, did I choose to share it with you? I asked myself that same question initially. I found them interesting and thought others would too. Someone sent me a photograph of one of these strange and humorous creatures recently, and it made my day. I was bound and determined to learn more about them and make them the topic of one of my blogs. They're pretty cool, and according to britannica.com, belong to the family Nyctibiidae. Potoos also seem to be the topic of many imgur blogs and humorous Photoshopped images. I knew some individuals who could relate to the Potoo quite well last semester, as it seemed that they too slept most of the day and were active all night.


http://i.imgur.com/DsTbsW5.jpg
http://www.barnorama.com/wp-content/images/2012/03/potoo_bird/03-potoo_bird.jpg