identity

Identity, how do people acquire their Identity? Is it by their clothes? Personality? Job? Character? Family? Money? Something entirely different? I believe that there are many different traits to a person that make up a personal identity.

I think that people from younger generations do not judge other people based on family, friends, race, or money as much as older generations do. Each person has their own style. The way they dress is a way that expresses that particular style and identity. How do you describe your own identity? Do you stereotype your self or your friends? How do you define yourself?

Webster’s Online dictionary defines the word identity as, “The distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity; Collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing is recognizable or known.”

It has been said that a person looses their identity when they join the army but I do not believe that is so. The soldiers may all look similar but each has a unique and distinct personality. These soldiers are just people who know they have to look a certain way and listen when it is being demanded.

writing for me

Writing for me, and I imagine it is the same for others, has been a process through out life. Each year they continually get better at what they are trying to get across. Every year in school a teacher will have a different take on writing, and will be able to give advice in their own way. I believe this is how most people become great writers, because they are receiving advise from so many different people.
Writing is a process that I have to think about if it is for an assignment or for another person. For me I have to sit and think if my topic is good enough, do I have enough information to back my topic up, can people understand what I am writing, and will it make an impact on others or did I just waste my time writing?
I am the person that cannot spell at all, so when I write it has to be on a computer so I can use spell checker. I do not want my reader to not understand what I am trying to say because they either cannot understand what I am trying to say or they become too distracted by all my incorrect spelling.

NO RESPECT

Generation Y has been reported to have their ups and downs in many different aspects but have no respect is a major issue among this generation that needs to be addressed. If one were to look back to older generations one would find more respect toward piers and defiantly more respect toward their elders. I believe this is not the case with Generation Y.

Parents do not discipline their children everything is a compromise or in some cases children run the household not the parents. When older generations were growing up the parents usually said, “This is how it’s going to be.” Now a days the parents are begging their children to behave. Are parents afraid to punish their children? Are they afraid to spank their children because they might think that is abuse? Lets take a step back and see how are grandparents were raised discipline wise. Were they punished and made to work hard? Yes, they were. Do they have respect towards others? Generally for their generation, they do.

There needs to be a change for the generation of the children of generation Y. There needs to be discipline in those lives. Think about the teachers in elementary through high school. There has been a lack of desire to teach these students and one of these reasons is because of a lack of respect the teachers are receiving. The teacher can not be the only discipline a child receives. The change needs to take place in the home, starting with the parents disciplining their children and teaching them to respects others around them.

writing/drawing

Sometimes writing what I may be feeling is very hard for me. I like to draw instead, my drawings may or may not have anything to do with what I would be feeling at that moment but it relaxes me in some odd way. I love to draw nature, as I have stated before I love to look at nature, it amazes me. Later when I have drawn my picture or series of chicken scratch I feel like a burden has been lifted off my shoulder. I then find myself able to write those complicated feelings I was not able to describe earlier.
Although drawing may be a prewriting in a way I am not that good at it. I am a list person for a paper so if I have to write a paper that is about an experience I have had in the past I will draw it in my head. This way I am able to visualize what I remember and my hand starts making notes like I had never had a problem in the first place. I like to do this because then I am able to think back on my past. What I did right or wrong. How I can fix or repeat those actions. All of the sudden sometimes I find my self making lists on how to improve myself, when it all started with a simple homework assignment for a class. This is a type of writing I love to do. I feel relieved at the end of everything.

Video Games Week 9

Video games are a good way to kick back and enjoy some time to relax either by yourself or with friends but I believe there is a point where video games become an obsession. Whether one plays Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, or the old Mario games, etc., video games in today’s day in age have become an addiction for people aging from a very young child to older adults.
I have friends that love to play video games but there comes a point in time where they just do not know when to stop the game. I understand that having friends over for the night to play some and chill out is fun but this should have a limit.
I think that with all of the new graphics in technology today games can seem almost life-like sometimes. There are so many different games, particularly angled towards guys that are all about shooting and killing. I mean come on when there are games out like Grand Theft Auto out and kids are running around shooting gun in real life because they want their games to be more life-like then we should know there is a problem that needs to be fixed. Adult wonder why young kids are becoming more aware of sex and crimes and a younger age. I know that video games are not the only cause to this and I am not saying that I am totally against video games but there should be some type of personal restriction on them.

week 7 DRUGS

We all know people who do drugs. I think that they need an intervention. It is sad when there has to even be a show dedicated to people who need interventions because they are so addicted to the drugs. There are so many drugs now-a-days and too many places that kids and teens are able to get them. All kids are taught at a young age not to do drugs. There is even a program in most public schools called D.A.R.E. this acronym stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. I know a lot of kids that were in this program when they were younger that now do drugs; so how can we stop kids from doing drugs when they become older?
Drugs can be used for a good thing when it is a medical problem and when they are prescribed by a doctor. Also one drug can have many different affects depending on the way it was administered. I think that our government or law enforcement needs to crack down harder on these people. They are not only harming themselves, but also, the people that care about them. If one were to watch the TV. show, Intervention you can see that just by one person doing drugs it hurts and it affects many people in the process. The only problem is that the law enforcement usually only focuses on major cities. It is sad when towns like Pekin are known for drug use or drug labs. So how can we as citizens help stop drug use?

week 6 writing

Writing shows how a person thinks, acts, reacts, or how they would like to handle a situation but they are too frightened to do so in person. I know for me I usually write when I am upset or just need to let out some ideas but I do not want to talk to anyone. I like to write in a notebook when I have ideas or I think of something and I want to draw or write it down on paper the best I can.
Places also have an effect on my writing. When I go outside and relax in the beauty of nature I usually write about the wonders I see around me. Nature is my favorite thing to write about. Another place that I usually write in is my room. This room is my sanctuary where I can let go and write about everything the way I first think them. The way I would react if I know that there were no consequences.
The things I like or dislike often appear in my writing because I have been told that some testy issues that I write about have a strong opinion. These issues are things I do not like to talk to people about in person because I hate confrontation. If I can avoid arguments or debates then I will although these subjects usually appear on a piece of paper later.
Over all writing can give away what a person believes and feels are right or wrong. The only thing left is to agree or disagree.

week #5 Abortion

Abortion is a major issue throughout the world. I take the side of pro-life because I believe that a fetus is a human being. Honestly think about it, dogs give birth to dogs, whales give birth to whales, and so what do humans have going inside them and give birth to? People are really stupid or in denial if they think that a fetus is not a human being.
One of the main reasons women get abortions today is that they do not think that being pregnant and giving birth to a baby is convenient for them. The first way to fix this problem is to not have sex if you do not want the result of it. But I know that people will anyway so here is another option instead of killing your child. There is always an alternative to abortion. Adoption is always a good way to turn.
My friend’s mother was raped and if her mother decided to get an abortion she would not be here today. Although my friend’s biological mother did not have an abortion she did give my friend up for adoption. Today my friend can contact and spend time with her biological mother because her mother decided that when she became a certain age they could meet and spend time together.
Online there are many websites and videos one can watch on abortion, not to mention the effects it can have on women after the abortion has happened. I don’t see why women/girls are allowed to have an abortion. Girls at any age are allowed to have an abortion without parental consent, but if they take Advil for cramps to school they could get in huge trouble. Does this make any sense to you?

week 4 writing

Writing is a strange thing for me. I have to be in a place where I feel comfortable but if the topic is something I do not enjoy it is somewhat impossible for me to start. I have to brainstorm on paper but when the final draft comes around I have to be on the computer to check my spelling. I am horrible at spelling and it makes me self-conscious to write in front of other people.
When I first start and I know what I am going to write I like to have a college ruled notebook to scribe on. I just let my mind flow what comes through it. Later I will go back a revise where it is necessary. Sometimes I start to draw about the thing I am writing to help me envision what to write.
I am a person that likes to multitask. Sometimes I will switch back and forth between two different homework assignments. When I come back to the piece I was working on earlier I sometimes change my mind or have more ideas to express.
When I journal I do not care about my spelling or if things do not sound just right as long as I am getting out what is in my head. I almost never write in pen because I know I make a horrible amount of mistakes and I hate using white-out. In a way writing in a journal when I am upset helps me calm down. I like to go back days or weeks later and see how I felt. Writing has always been a strange thing for me.

week 3: Smoking on campus?

Illinois Central College has put a smoking ban into effect this year of school. In past years the student body at ICC had a free reign to smoke anywhere they pleased outside the building. This year the administration put a new spin on things. Students are not allowed to smoke anywhere but their cars and on the side of the bridge with the parking lot.
Although I am not a smoker myself, I understand that smoking is an addiction for people. Therefore, a designated place on campus for people who smoke would be a better option. This place should not be a normal route for students to walk through, but also not so far away that students cannot go between classes. Right now smokers are allowed to smoke by the bridge but this still allows for non-smokers to pass through and be affected by the smoke produced. Hence, somewhat defeating the purpose of the ban.
I am one of the students on campus that has asthma. I cannot be around smoke for an allotted time but I still believe that students that have an addiction to cigarettes should be allowed to smoke them. A quick smoke brake for some student will help relieve some of the stress acquired from their classes. If a student is feeling overwhelmed by stress they will find a place to smoke whether it is against rules or not.
The administration has said that they want to help the student body and let the student body have a choice in major rules that will affect them. There was no poll, survey, or opinion asked in behalf of the student body. So I believe that there should at least let the student have an option to speak for themselves. I understand the administration was trying to improve the school but improvements also need to be consulted by the people affected. So let fill out that survey and make this campus more smoker/non-smoker friendly.

Week 2: writing and me

Writing has been a dread most of my life when it is for school. I would rather read something then write it but I find that when I have to sit down and when I have time to write different types of writing I really enjoy doing it. I was in an English class my junior year where we were required to write many different pieces such as; poetry, epitaph (morbid I know), stories, etc. Writing became reoccurring assignment on a weekly basis.
I had to write in this journal for one of my English classes composed of art drawings and messages that went with them. On one of the pages I drew a picture of my rather small backyard pond from a distant aerial view. The trees beside the pond reflected in the smooth water with the many different colored leaves displaying, to give off the time of year. This assignment was a fun time for me although I am not that great of an artist.
I use to journal at night with my window open so I could hear the crickets hum in a calming fashion. I would write about my day, friends, events that were coming up, or just something I had heard during the day I really liked. This exercise would calm me and get me ready for the next day approaching. I sometimes write a page or two by allowing my mind to write down everything that crept into it. As a result I would sometimes have a very random letter in front of me when I was done.
Composing email messages, text messages, commenting on facebook, etc. is not something I really consider as writing but responding or an everyday conversation. Because I feel this way is probably why I do not find it difficult to write them. I love talking with my friends epically since I live so far away from a most of them now. In a way writing is a part of everyone’s lives each and every day.

Letter of Introduction

Dear Stephanie,
Breanna Nichole Bixler would be the name my parents Eric and Teresa Bixler gave me. However, most of my life people have just called me Bre. I was born on April 7th, 1991, on a warm Sunday in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I grew up ten minutes north of a town called Churubusco, with my parents and younger brother, Chase.
I have gone to three different schools throughout my elementary, junior high, and high school years. Though, I have switched back and forth between them. I graduated from Lakewood Park Christian School in June 2009.
I moved to Washington, Illinois on June 18th of this year. I moved mainly for my boyfriend Keith, whom I have been dating for the past two years, but also for college. I am going for a degree in Respiratory Therapy. The medical field has always interested me, but since me and my boyfriend were diagnosed with asthma last year; I decided to go into the respiratory therapy field.
Most of my friends would describe me as crazy, fun, and a that I frequently don’t make sense to anyone but me. Around new people I am a lot less outgoing, but once I start getting to know someone I start to show my true self. I really enjoy shopping, movies with friends, and reading books. I started out shy in 9th grade, but after making some really crazy and insane friends, I became quite the opposite. Another thing you should know about me is that I am a Christian. I have a strong faith in God that I try and let lead my decisions and actions. I frequently fall short on these, but I try and do my best to live the way God wants me to.
I would like to improve on my writing skills in this class, to better prepare me for my future as well as, learn the different styles of writing. So, what else is there to know about me? Well I guess there is not much else to tell without actually just getting to know me.