where to start

Am I the only one who is really worried about this paper we have to write? Even the title of the assignment worries me? An analysis and synthesis paper. I think my biggest struggle right now is trying to find a song that I will be able to relate to the book and write a 4-6 page paper on it. I have picked out about three different songs and each time I feel like I’m closer, but when I think and try to actually connect it and analyze it, I feel like I am doing it all wrong. The thesis, both of them, but I’m not sure how to write that plural, is also a thing I’m stumbling over, because I don’t know whether I should include the second part of the paper in my first thesis or vice versa, and I am also very confused on how I combine the two topics. Transitions are not my strong point, so I’m just a mess about this paper. I hope I am not the only one who is staring at a completely blank page as I wonder about where to start. Any suggestions?

Missed it Until Now

I have a 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse, but I left it at home when I came to school. I cannot remember more than a few days that I didn’t have at least one place to drive to in it over the last year, so I am lost with no means of transportation. My dad has been driving it and enjoying the sleek look of my all black sports car, in contrast to his beaten up, burgundy blazer, but to my advantage, I have to go to the dentist on Friday of this week and I asked my dad if he would be able to take me, and I found out that he is going to be in Maryland for almost a week. So today, Wednesday, he dropped off my car to me. I was really excited to drive it, because I have not been in my car for quite a while.
As I look into this weekend, I am becoming less and less excited because I have to drive two hours to my dentist appointment in Angola, then four hours to my mom’s house in Dayton, Ohio. I also have to drive home, which should be about an hour and a half. So, I feel like my excitement for driving is slowly dying.

"Standing Outside The Fire"


"We call them cool
Those hearts that have no scars to show
The ones that never do let go
And risk the tables being turned
We call them fools
Who have to dance within the flame
Who chance the sorrow and the shame
That always comes with getting burned
But you've got to be tough when consumed by desire
'Cause it's not enough just to stand outside the fire
We call them strong
Those who can face this world alone
Who seem to get by on their own
Those who will never take the fall
We call them weak
Who are unable to resist
The slightest chance love might exist
And for that forsake it all
They're so hell-bent on giving ,walking a wire
Convinced it's not living if you stand outside the fire
Standing outside the fire Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
There's this love that is burning
Deep in my soul
Constantly yearning to get out of control
Wanting to fly higher and higher
I can't abide Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire

floor meeting

I am on the seventh floor of woody and we just had a floor meeting with our brother floor, the third floor. My roommate and I were not going to go to the meeting because we both have a lot of homework, but we decided last minute that we should be social. We met the girls on our floor, then went up two flights of stairs to our ninth floor lounge, which we had never been to before since it is normally locked. The boys joined us up there and we prepared for our meeting. It was unlike the rest of the meetings, this one was about sex and was either going to be really awkward or really funny.
We started off by playing STD musical chairs which was entertaining. When someone got out, they got an STD, but they did get to pick which one they wanted. We finished up that game, and proceeded to the questions. This part was so funny because a bunch of college students were just sitting in a dark room answering sex questions. There was joking and laughing and I felt bad for our RAs because they seemed to be getting quite annoyed with us. I actually had a lot of fun and got to know the girls and guys in the room a little better.

Ishmael Beah

I have never had an opportunity to meet a famous author to a book I have read, so Tuesday evening was a real treat for me. It was very exciting for me to be able to see the man who wrote the book I previously read. It was a true story about his life, so it made an image in my head over everything I read happened to the man before me. Then, to top it all off, he had an amazing story he told and wanted to share even more of his life stories with us.
Ishmael was a wonderful speaker who began with his life before the book. He told us about how he got into rap and such and described a few events more in detail. He was very funny and I laughed a lot during his presentation. I didn’t personally go up and ask a question, but some of the questions asked were really interesting. One of them was: “What was the hardest part of writing the book?” His response was something about reliving all of the memories, but the worst was probably remembering his life before the war, and knowing that it was all gone. I’m really glad that I went to the speaking and I would love to go to another one if the chance arises.

Space

I have always wanted to space travel. I think that it would be amazing to fly in a space shuttle, view the world from a completely different point of view, and experience something that not many people actually get to experience. This is a very unrealistic goal of mine. I don’t plan on being an astronaut and I honestly don’t plan on going into space, I was just thinking about things that would be fun to be able to put on a resume or as a life accomplishment.
The moon and the planets are a mystery to me. I have heard and learned about them and I have seen pictures, but it is unreal to me that there is more out there. To be able to walk without gravity and to not have electricity or anything, really, is unbelievable. To not be able to breath is by far the scariest part, though. With that fish bowl on my head I think I would get claustrophobic. All in all, I would love to go to the moon or Mars and encounter something new and unique.

Home, Sweet, Home

When someone one refers home, I no longer know whether they are talking about their home they came from, or their dorm. I have not yet begun calling my dorm home, but by the end of the year I hope that will have changed. I actually was able to go home this weekend, and it was really nice to see everyone. My dad was home with his girlfriend and my grandma and grandpa were also there. The food was just what I needed to feel right at home again, and the company was a nice change from the almost-awkward new friendships I had been chatting with. I was so excited to go home and see what friends were left and just be in my home town with my car again, but by the end of the weekend, I missed my roommate and I missed being here at Ball State.

The car ride back was amazing. It was Brittany, Jimmy, and I, and we listened to music, people watched in other cars, and just laughed and laughed. We had all missed being around each other, and it was just an all around fun trip. I don’t believe that I will be going home again anytime soon, but I do know that my mom needs me to go visit her, so maybe it will be another good experience.

college

As of today, I have been living on campus at Ball State for two weeks. I have climbed more stairs than ever before in my life, I have walked more than the rest of my life, and I have gone through many other new experiences as well. If I had to sum up my thoughts on college in one word I would have to say exhausting. Between the seven flights of stairs I climb to my room at least ten times every day, and the far walk I have from Lafollette everywhere I go, to add all of the school work in on top of that is draining me of any energy I could potentially have. Then, move in two weeks ago was probably the worst experience of my life. My roommate, Brittany, and I brought everything we could possibly need. Which is great for when we need it, but moving it all into our small little dorm was probably very entertaining to our neighbors. I know it sounds horrible so far, but it really has been fun experiencing new things and also meeting so many new people.
Walking around campus has given me many opportunities to meet new people. Going to lunch with people you met or knew before is always a fun part of my day. I love having an open schedule so that I can go to lunch when I want and with who I want. Not being in school from eight am until three pm is a wonderful thing in my eyes. I have time to study between my classes and after, and I also have time for a part-time job whenever I decide I’m going to get one. I love meeting new people and a new school is always a good place to do that. My dad has always told me “college will be the best years of your life,” so I am tremendously excited about the years that lie ahead of me.

Dokken Bradley Burns

Summer going into my senior year, my mom, who lives in Dayton, Ohio, came into town to tell me that she was pregnant with a baby boy. This was going to be my fourth sibling and I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it. I had a sister, a step-sister, and a step brother, and now was expecting a half-brother. As time went on and she would send me texts about her doctor appointments, I grew more and more excited about this little bundle of joy. Even being almost five hours away, I felt like I got just as much say in this baby as my sisters and brother who lived with her got, if not more. It came down to name decisions, which cause a frenzy of names to be thrown around. My step-dad insisted on Dokken, a nineteen-eighty hair band him and my mom used to listen to. My step-brother, Nick, and I absolutely hated it so we were doing everything in our power to persuade then otherwise. Whether we were going to admit it or not, both of us knew things were going to be set the way they wanted it.
Dokken had a planned caesarean for February 12, 2009 scheduled. I called my mom on January 22, 2009 before I went to bed and we were talking about how she was doing and when I was going to come down to visit next. “I want to come down for the baby, but that weekend just doesn’t fit into my schedule,” I told her just to get a giggle. I was the manager at work, so it was difficult for me to get time off after the schedule was already up. “I am free this weekend so you should just have it now and get it over with.” She replied by stating “I am nowhere near ready for a baby yet,” and we shortly ended the phone conversation. I went to bed around eleven and I got a call around midnight that night. My mom was calling. She started laughing when I answered and told me her water broke and was on her way to the hospital, and of course it was entirely my fault! She was almost a month early.