Blog assignment #2

Ø Reiterate a term or concept you learned in Anatomy this week.

Visceral - the surface of a membrane proximal to the organ. I missed this in my lab quiz on Friday, mostly because I drew a blank.

Ø List a few pleasant events that happened during your first weeks at NMU.

1. I played a song on guitar for Seminar and it was a blast. :D
2. I formed a mini-study-group with Chris, we meet Mondays at 2pm, and then we're heading up to LRC 311 for the official Anatomy study group at 3pm.
3. I'm still infatuated with my coloring book.

Ø Where do you want to be (academically) in six months?

I want to be at a 4.0 or damn close for the first semester, and do really well on my second midterms.

Ø List habits you already possess that make you successful in college.

1. I get up in the morning when I have to.
1a. I go to bed at night when I have to get up in the morning.
2. I do my homework as soon as possible once it's bee assigned - that way I don't have a giant backlog the day before all my crap is due.
3. I take a ridiculous amount of notes, even on material I think I already know - that way I know it for sure. Besides, I'm paying enough to rent this laptop, I might as well get my money's worth.

Ø List habits (timewasters?) you can change or modify, or need to lose.

A. I need to get a filing cabinet so I can organize my papers, bills, etc.
2. I need to be less profane in my daily speech.
D. I need to leave my house earlier because traffic always seems to clog just as I approach town, and finding a parking spot in either lot is quite the nuisance. (See, I could've said "quite the bitch" but I didn't! ^_^ I'm improving already.)

Ø Explain how you approach studying your a) textbook and b) notes.

A. I read my textbook as I would a novel - I get in my comfy chair with a blanket, put something inert on the television, and read. When my mind turns to jelly (usually two pages before the end of the chapter, lol) I force myself to finish it and then put it down.
...With my anatomy book, the night before lecture I read the chapters being discussed and take notes from the book on my laptop. That way, Dr. Froiland's lecture is a LOT easier to comprehend.

B. I quiz myself on my notes. I read something from my notes (i.e., the six facets of nonmaterial culture in sociology for my test today), minimize it, distract myself for a couple minutes, then try to recite them all from memory. It usually takes 4-5 passes before I get it (although memorizing the first 36 elements took a few more than that! haha and I didn't even need to go to that length. Phooey.)
I always write my notes on my laptop, because I type 80-100 wpm (record: 129 wpm, 100% acc) and I write on paper like 10 wpm. LOL. In Anatomy alone I've racked up about 30 pages of notes, single spaced, 12 pt font. Then, I format them in Cornell for credit in my Seminar course.

Ø Explain how you determine what to write down in notes during lectures.

If it sounds like it might be useful, it probably is, so I type it down. Besides, I can always ignore it when I review my notes later.

For Dr. Froiland, I'm basically a stenographer. For Ms. Li, I tend to only write what is outlined in her presentation, because I'm already familiar with the material. For Dr. Lorentzen, I'm somewhere in the middle. She usually flags what's important with "write this down" and then repeats it. Those things, I flag with fancy formatting (i.e. italics, bold, colours, etc.)

Ø FAST FOOD NATION:
Ø Watch this short 1980’s McDonald’s commercial. McD’s reps have actually claimed they do not target children in their ads.. Pay attention to the tagline: “The Hamburglar is very clever and very sneaky!” Why is this ironic?

Because McDonalds is using subversive tactics in its advertising.

Ø Over the last several decades, fast food companies have aggressively targeted children in their marketing efforts. Should advertisers be permitted to target children who lack the sophistication to make informed decisions and are essentially being lured into eating high fat, high calorie food through toys and cute corporate mascots?

Yes, and I think Joe Camel should come back too. Parents need to watch out for their children, and part of that is making sure they don't grow up stupid, rendering them susceptible to marketing techniques. My dad made sure I saw through the tv ads, and I'll do the same for my kids. I'm reminded of a very relevant Incubus lyric, from a song called "When It Comes" off Make Yourself:

It's comin' around again
they're letting it out again, again.
It's comin' around again
they're letting it out again, again.

When it comes, it comes abrupt.
When it feels, it feels like trading brains with an imbecile... for real.
Yes I feel emphatic about not being static
and not buying philosophies that are sold to me, at a steal.
Just when you thought it was safe to think,
in comes mental piracy!

What I'm looking for cannot be sold to me.
I wish they all would stop trying
cause' what I want and what I need,
is and will always be free.

It's comin' around again
they're letting it out again, again.
It's comin' around again
they're letting it out again.

When it comes, it comes unannounced.
And it feels like a matador is taunting me with his reddest red cloth and
...I am the bull.
Yes I feel emphatic about not being static
and not eating the bullshit that's being fed to me
No more, cuz now I'm full.
Just when you thought it was safe to think
in comes mental piracy!

What I'm looking for cannot be sold to me.
I wish they all would stop trying,
cause' what I want and what I need
is and will always be free.