The End :)

This blog has been interesting for me this semester.  When we first got it I was excited and thought about using it for personal purposes as well as for classroom purposes, but I decided that classroom purposes would be enough.  Part of me found writing 2 blogs a week to be very beneficial but another part of me felt that it was a complete waste of my time.

It was nice to get my feelings out in my blog.  There are some posts that were just words bottled up inside of me and then others that are just random crap.  I really enjoyed feeling caught up in the news because I knew I would have to write something that week for my blog.  I enjoyed reading the news because I always found random information and stories that I could ultimately relate to the class as well as all of my other classes. 

I also enjoyed being able to see other people’s views on things rather quickly.  If I wanted to see how people were responding to something someone said, I just have to log into my blog and I will see some.   It definitely made it much more accessible to show others how you are feeling about current issues and trends in our society. 

Part of me also felt that I was taking up important time that I could be doing something else.  To be perfectly honest, I’m doing this right now instead of studying for two big finals on Friday and a presentation that is due on Monday.  Some weeks when things got to be really hectic I found the blog to be really difficult.

I did notice that after this blog, I am much more self-conscious about my typing and grammar.  I hate the common misconception that because we are from the Midwest that we are just a bunch of redneck hillbillies who don’t know the ground from the sky.  I am very anal about things like that, and after this blog I have really started to notice it again. 

One thing I think I would do improve the idea of blogging is only require that students do one per week.  It can be really difficult to sit down and come up with two blogs for a week.  Only requiring one a week would be so much more convenient for those who don’t have a lot of free time in their schedule.  That way they still get the idea of blogging, they just do not have to do as much. 

I guess there is a chance that in the future I would blog again.  Frankly, it kinda feels like a more detailed version of Facebook.  It is still weird for me to completely grasp the idea of blogging, but there is a chance that later on down the line of life I could choose to blog again.  

Let the games begin

I’m so ready for this semester to be over. It’s been crazy and busy and it will be so nice to finally be able to see the summer.  I’ve got so much on my plate the next couple of weeks it’s making me crazy.  I’ve got observations for my education class that need to be typed up, as well as a powerpoint and presentation to have mostly completed by Monday (anyone who is an education major will totally understand.)  Then I have a student program due in my music class on Tuesday.  Then Wednesday I have a test for my education class and my last blog for this class is due.  I’ve already finished my math class so after Wednesday I’ll be finished with two classes.  Then on Thursday on dead day, I have a meeting for marching band for next year.  It’s so weird to already be talking about next year – I’ll be a junior!!!  Then first day of finals Friday I have a final in my history class as well as my music class.  Then Monday I have a presentation for my education class and I have to meet for band.  Because I am in one of the higher bands on the campus, I have to play at graduation so we meet a day during finals week to prepare for what we will be doing that day.  But after that meeting on Monday, I am done with my sophomore year of college!!! I can’t believe it is already so close to me being a junior in college.  It feels like just yesterday I was being dropped off by my parents.  But anyways, then I will be making my great trip back to Lebanon for the rest of the week.  Then I am coming down for the weekend for graduation on Saturday then it’ll be back home for the rest of the summer.  As of right now, I might have a job working at a daycare back home for the summer which would be great for me considering my major.  But I also have some big plans of working out over the summer as well.  When my boyfriend came back from his leave after boot camp, he had already lost over 20 pounds and it was guessed that he would probably lose more while he’s gone for these 3 months.  So I figured, if he is looking all nice and sexy now, I need to work out as well, to get myself going again.  Then we’ve got vacation in June.  While we’re just going to Branson for the week, we have so much planned.  From shows, to Silver Dollar City to even a Springfield Cardinals baseball game, it’ll be a great time to get away and spend some time with my family.  Then in July I turn 20 and in August Chris comes back home for good.  I can’t wait for my busy schedule to kick into gear.  

Another day that will live in history

So there is no question what the top story in the news this week is: Osama Bin Laden is dead almost 10 years after September 11^th, 2001.  Everyone has been talking about it and everyone has their own idea of what went down and everyone has their own opinion on the situation in general.  So let’s go through some of the facts.

As reported by CNN yesterday, Early Monday just outside of Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad in Abbottabad, Pakistan, Osama was in his residence when U.S. forces entered.  The U.S. Navy Seals were the ones behind the operation and after 40 minutes, the al Qaeda leader along with four others were all killed on the residence.   A woman who was in the room with Osama and believed to be his wife was shot in the leg when she rushed U.S. troops as they came in.  “There was no telephone or Internet service at the dwelling, which was valued at more than $1 million.  Its occupants burned their trash rather than leave it out for collection as other area residents did.”   A total of five people were killed within the compound: two al Qaeda couriers on the first floor, a woman caught in their crossfire, Osama bin Laden and his son.

Fox News reported that “Usama bin Laden’s Pakistan compound was “built for deception,” with barricades and a falst wall apparently intended to confuse and stall intruders, a senior U.S. official told Fox News.  The official said the compound was constructed in anticipation of a “potential assault.” Every floor had barricades and what looked like the main door of the complex had a brick wall behind it.”

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney admitted to CNN that “…we provided a great deal of information with great haste.”  Some top officials were the first to go public about the fight, including Brennan.  He said that during the assault “there was a female who was in fact in the line of fire that reportedly was used as a shield to shield bin Laden from the incoming fire.”  As soon as the news leaked, there were reports all over and every single one of them were different. 

One thing is certain: while it is a great thing that Osama bin Laden will not be able to harm us anymore, why are we rejoicing a death?  Christians to children to everyday people are rejoicing in the fact that a life was taken that day.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy he will never be able to hurt our country again, but I’m so tired of seeing “yay!! Osama bin Laden is dead.”  My friend posted this status and I really couldn’t have said it better myself, “As Christians should we be excited and celebrate murdering someone? Who are we as people to judge another mans death. We all deserve death according to God's law. So, I am not excited about osama's death cuz we all deserve the same thing.”  I understand that our country is safer but just because he is dead doesn’t mean the war is over and the troops are coming home.  Don’t get me wrong, I wish they could.  I’m praying my boyfriend doesn’t get deployed, but  it doesn’t mean that everything is right in the world again.  No matter how much we wish it was.