English 1102 Blog Post #2

I started this research process with high hopes; I had an overflow of ideas and I was very optimistic.  Well things changed after I made a decision, and actually started my research.  Things started hitting the fan. I thought I was writing my paper on breastfeeding, because for some odd reason this is an interesting topic to me… but after doing research in the library, and talking to Ms. Ingram, I realized I had come to a stopping point with this topic before I really even took off.  Soooo I went back to my brainstorming outline (really a sticky note in my room with my ideas) and chose something else.  I am now researching lupus and the natural remedies compared to steroids and pharmaceutical drugs.  I was disappointed that I didn’t get to write about babies and pregnancy, but this topic proved to be interesting as well and a lot more in-depth.

The peoples that would be involved in my inquiry include people that suffer from lupus, which to me includes families of those with lupus, doctors who are researching cures for lupus, and nutritionists.  There is a large lupus community out there that includes support groups, different blogs, and a few non-profit organizations that provide information.  As I search everywhere to hear different established opinions, I found many doctors who are doing research on lupus, and most of them are taking the route of pharmaceutical drugs.  Doctors are trying drugs that are already in use such as prescriptions as well as drugs not yet approved by the FDA.  This is very informative to me, because I want to know about all side effects, time spans to which theses medicines are being used or showing results, and other detailed information like that.

Nutritionists see things in a more subtle approach, more of coaxing the disease rather than defeating it.  They take into account everyday life and the small practices that can make a difference.  I am looking for more detailed information such as time spans and effectiveness.  On the blogs that I have looked through I haven’t found many personal opinions, but I have talked to personal family members that have lupus, and I asked my cousin her approach to dealing with lupus.  I found her opinion most valuable, and I am leaning more towards her idea.  She mainly goes without medication, and uses at home remedies (when she is in-between sicknesses or dealing with a sickness that is not as severe).  She said she only likes to use steroids and antibiotics when she is dealing with something serious that can’t be taken lightly.

As I write dialogue for this next piece, I will take into account the summary of my cousin as a major perspective within my paper, and one of the doctors who is conducting research at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.

First I will set the scene, my cousin goes to see this specialist, in hopes of new innovative ideas she can apply to her everyday life as she deals with lupus:

Cousin:  “Well hello, I came across your website online and I see you are doing major research towards the cures for lupus. What have you discovered so far?”

Doctor:  “Lupus is such an evolving disease, I see it necessary to ‘grab it by the horns’ and ‘show it who’s boss’.  I feel my previous collegues have been too subtle up to this point.”

Cousin:  “That sounds all fine and well, but what do you mean ‘show it whose boss’?”

Doctor:  “I am testing my lab rats on a very rigorous and somewhat aggressive pace of medicines.  Antibiotics and steroids that have worked best in the past and have similar ingredients to successful medicines.”

Cousin:  “And how is that working out?”

Doctor:  “Quite well actually.”

Cousin:  “Well enough to try on humans yet?”

Doctor:  “Yes but not as well as I’d hoped, there were a few complications.”

Cousin:  “And by complications, you mean bad side effects… just be honest doctor.”

Doctor:  “These are all kinks that WILL be worked out, I just can’t ease up.”

Cousin:  “See that’s where you’re wrong… I had one of my previous doctors telling me the same thing, and I suffered more from the side effects of so many different steroids than I did my actual disease.  Might I offer some suggestions of less evasive methods, something more humane and patient.”

Doctor:  “Why in heavens would I do that?”

Cousin:  “Because people are more than just experiments and lab rats.  You are so focused on your goal you are forgetting to weigh out pros and cons…”

Doctor:  “Well don’t you want a cure for the disease?”

Cousin:  “Yes, but in time.”

Doctor:  “Well we’ve wasted enough time, and I don’t plan on wasting anymore of mine.”

Cousin:  “You have your way, and as someone who suffers from the disease, I have mine.  Good luck with that though.”

Fall Blog #1

With all the work we have done up to this point, there are many things that have stuck out to me with our assignments.

Pertaining to our Research Papers… with our brainstorming in class I have brainstormed with myself also.  The topics of food health, intellectual and educational health, and skin health have all stuck out to me as interesting topics to write about.  All of my immediate family (my mother and 4 of my sisters) all have eczema, and I would like to research natural remedies that may help with eczema.  Although my mama and sisters go to the dermatologist, some of the creams and oils they give them are too strong for my young sisters to use or they make their eczema worse.   Another topic that stuck out to me is the food system of America such as PDA and things of that nature because I watched this documentary once on how cows and chickens are treated on the so called “farms”.

  They neglected and abused the animals and on top of that the food is not healthy for us.  What’s the point of that??!!  I want to learn the difference between natural and organic foods. Are they the same thing??  Finally, on the subject of intellectual and educational health, I would love to see the effects of breastfed babies and babies who aren’t breastfed to see the difference.  Does it depend on the amount of knowledge new mothers have? I really don’t feel like mothers who know all of the benefits of breastfeeding would be so quick not to breastfeed after just a little enlightenment.

Also, Ms. Ingram stated in class how she read somewhere so many kids have asthma as compared to kids during her adolescent years; I believe this also ties into breastfeeding and intellectual and educational health.

I’m not exactly sure of what problems I will run into when writing this research project.  I think I will have trouble thoroughly finding the information needed to answer my question.

Post #4

This Summer Session has been very tedious.  With all the work due and having class everyday, I have felt overwhelmed to some extent every week. Between blog posts, second drafts, and chemistry exams, I feel like I need to take a step back... a breather.  Whenever life gets to this point for me I pause and try to remember I need to realize where I am.  I like to always find something positive and be optimistic about my situation, regardless of where I am or how I am feeling.

As I begin this college life, I want to not only live in the here and now but enjoy the hear and now.  I am excited to take certain courses and not just learn dates and facts (which seemed to be the only thing we did in high school).  I plan to take part in educated discussions about different issues of the world, and decide how I will make an impact.  That is all very exciting to me. :) But to answer the question of how I will live in the here and now, I feel the best way to accomplish this is simply put my best foot forward.  That way I will be fully engaged, and I won't have any regrets.

In high school, I used to be the student saying "I can't wait to get to college, so I won't have to take all these unnecessary classes." Thankfully I later found out the plan was not for you just to be an expert in one field but have a good overview of many topics.  Now I'm more mature, and I am more eager to learn. I plan on using my drive for learning and wanting to be knowledgeable as my purpose for a class.

Coming to a four year institution will definitely be beneficial in the long run for many reasons.  (Reasons that I am sure we all know of since we're here).  I honestly didn't come here just to be a cool smart person, but that's cool with me too. :)  I came to UNCC to gain the education needed to become a successful nurse practitioner.  The other intelligence I'll finish with will be icing to my nursing degree cake.  

I honestly struggle to challenge growth on a daily basis.  In example, instead of reading along with my chemistry, I want to be in the position where I am reading ahead of the class and already have notes written before the class discussion.  I need to push myself to contribute more... more work, more studying, more effort. Although I don't feel I have reached my potential to soar in my classes I know I am still a work in progress and I will continue to challenge myself.

Post #3

Hello :) How is everyone? I'm having a pretty awesome day so I hope you guys are too.  Its so funny how life works because I just got off the phone with my family, and as I come to start off this blog it leads me right into my HIGH of the week. :)  When I called my mommy and daddy, I was feeling kind of down; I missed my best friends and little sisters (surprisingly).  I was going to call and vent to my mom (yes I tell her everything), but when she answered the phone she had so much enthusiasm about how proud she was of me for doing so well.  She then told me about how our family and church family continuously reiterated to her of how proud they were that I was in school and "handling my business".  This of course made me smile. :) Then I called my dad and he just told me how much he missed me and how he has been bragging about me at work (which of course led him into a speech about how my actions are bigger than me; they affect my family as well, etc. etc. --typical dad).  I was soooooooo ecstatic all my petty feelings of missing home were concealed for the moment, and I've made the decision to keep those feelings hidden.

My low of this week is definitely minor in comparison to my high; I try to make sure this is always the case.  I went to get my 49er ID made, since I had been putting it off since last week.  First off, I'm sure everyone was aware of the weather the last couple of days (rain, overcast, humidity), so my hair already wasn't on board. Also I learned upon taking my picture, the camera doesn't have flash and you get one shot.  So I'm trying my best to groom as quickly and effectively as possible, and take a pretty picture.  My picture actually turned out okay when you take into account the circumstances, BUT something is wrong with the machine so when it printed, there was a white line that split my face in half and misaligned it. -____- Really?

In this week, I have learned a lot in certain classes.  My English 1101 class for example. :) I almost feel like an entirely new writer.  I have learned the correct way to revise papers.  What it actually means to "revise".  How to distinguish between revising and editing.  I have learned to stop and ask myself am I simply stating what I have to say or am I explaining to where I tell a story.  I have learned how the difference between transactional, expressive, and poetic writing.  In my chemistry class it has been more of review than learning new stuff (I'm definitely not complaining.) I have learned how to use a clicker though lol. 

My learning process can be improved if I start studying everyday and not just when I think I need to. Also, not waiting til the day before or the day of to complete my work.  I'm sure that will help me beast my classes when fall semester starts.

Sleep
Sleeping is the best
Sleep relieves all stress
Sleep is what you need you're feeling cranky
You sleep best when you have your favorite blankey
No sleep deprives the brain of a notion
No sleep will make frustration you main emotion
When people don't sleep they act like clowns
It's pretty simple, just go lay down
Honestly it seems so hard to come by
If that's the case, why haven't I?

Post #2

I can't believe it.. I'm now in my first full week of summer school in COLLEGE! As the days progress I am happier with my decision to UTOP.  My classes are going a lot better than I expected, especially my English 1101 class! :) I rarely like english classes as much as I'm enjoying this class.  I love Ms. Ingram's positive attitude and the enthusiasm she has about our work; it makes me excited about completing my work.


My first college assignment actually went smoother than expected. I LOVE the idea of peer groups and revising our papers amongst ourselves before turning it in.  I really enjoyed everyone sharing their work and honest feedback with me about my work.  We even met after class to continue with our group discussion. 


I plan on adding more detailing to my paper; I also have a lot of grammatical errors that need tweaking.  


I'm not exactly sure what the difference is between revising and editing. Up until this class, I thought they were the same thing.  In my personal opinion, revising is the act of getting feedback from other classmates; its a chance to add or skim from my story to improve its appeal to readers.  Editing is more grammatical and a opinion not so much.


Although I am not fond of reading textbooks, it is more interesting than the monotone, bland high school textbooks I'm used to.  I'm not sure how well I will do once I have a full schedule, but I definitely have high hopes.

Post #1

The idea of being a college freshman is still very surreal to me. I'm here! I made it. I know what a big deal it is; it shows that I'm achieving the goals I've set for myself! Who knew it would happen so quickly?  I'm honestly blessed and want to make the most of the experience.  I feel surrounded by positive people with the same aspirations as me and it's very refreshing.

When I reluctantly signed up for UTOP, my only plans were to get a general idea of the campus for the Fall.  Now that I am here, I hope to make cool friends, and work hard so that I will have a head start for my GPA as well as learning my way around campus.


With English 1101, I want to better my writing skills because I know they need improvement.  I also would like to receive feedback from my peers, so they can also help me improve my writing.


I thought long and hard about what my "strength" is in writing, which was very difficult since I suck at writing (it's okay, I'm not in denial).  My strength in writing is subject-verb agreement, and I am sure of this because I know I would not be in college without at least this.  Although I am not a writer, I am proud of some work that I have completed.


I wrote a very personal poem in a creative writing class about my grandmother's death.  I am proud of this poem because after reading the poem aloud in class, three students and my teacher were in tears.  It wasn't that I wanted to make them cry, but I felt as though it was the first time I had successfully illustrated my feelings on paper and people actually understood me. Which leads me to my next point, my weaknesses in writing.  I feel as though I struggle to organize my thoughts in a way to make them flow.  It always seems impossible to get in a groove that I am happy with when writing.


My plans to make UTOP and UNCC strive is by simply doing my best and trying hard.  You cannot go wrong with trying your best because then you have no regrets.


I am most excited about starting school and experiencing these next few years of life!! There's sooo much to look forward to there's no way not to be excited :)


My list of good things include:
--an awesome month of June
--my new roommates! (they're hilarious)
--knowing that my new home will be this beautiful campus


Things that make me anxious:
**one day becoming homesick
**staying on my Ps & Qs in college


Recently I was cleaning out my closet for school and my mom found my old "yearbook" from second grade.  It was really just a collection of writings and worksheets with pictures of our class; we laughed as we looked through it and I reminisced.  I came upon this one page in which we were asked what we wanted to do when we grew up (the typical career question for youngsters), and my answer actually shocked me.  I stated that I wanted to become a nurse, so that I could help people and make them feel better.. This is so crazy to me because that is in fact what I want to do! Nursing is my ideal major and I will be entering UNCC as a Pre-Nursing major. :)  I think its pretty cool how as a 7 year old, I was already setting forth goals and I'm ready to make them happen! :) Nothing will hinder me from becoming a nurse practitioner..


As I prepare myself for college, it seems the butterflies never stop. I am excited, but indefinitely I'm nervous.  I just keep wondering will I let myself drop the ball.. Will my course load be too much and I fail miserably.. I'm not sure if that is normal or not (I'd like to think it is) but I know I'm not planning on failure so all I can do is try my best, be prepared, and stay prayed up!


I'd like to think for the most part I have come into my own. I've gone through phases that I'm not proud of, and I only see myself improving from here. So in my eyes, I am unique in the fact that I can always find a positive outlook on things; there is always a brighter side. :)  I am unique in the fact that I am always bubbly, always laughing or smiling, and always trying to uplift those around me.  So remember my name because I'm a good person! &Who doesn't want to be surrounded by people who aren't there to bring them down or cause unnecessary problems? Oh lastly, its (Shu-nee-tra) .. it will be so much easier to remember if you know how to say it right ?