Blog #3

kitten scream

as i struggle with how to write a reflection of my work for a reappointment dossier, i'm experiencing kitten envy. i'm living through oscar, the screaming kitten over there --->, who makes me wish myself fuzzy and willful and capable of completely abandoning to the moment, the task, without second-guessing, without worry about self-presentation, without fear that i'll fail, and then there is the matter of exhaustion--the fits and starts, the cramps and sugar, the desire to just sleep.

what would oscar do? eat, sleep, play, repeat. defiantly scream...! purrrrrrr....

Blog # 2

I am not the best writer nor am I a big fan of writing a lot, but when I do write I would compare it to an athletic practice. After discussing metaphors and writing in class today I think that i could also use the metaphor vomiting or getting sick like Scott said. When I write I tend to want to get it done quickly and get everything out, but that doesn't work to well. I have a lot to get out and I want to get it out quickly just like getting sick and I feel better once it is over. On the other hand my writing is compared to a practice. If you work hard at practice you are going to get better results than you would if you just cruised through. Some people can get through things with out working hard, but in general, most people can't. Therefore, I try to take my time and do some of my best work so I can get a good result (a good grade). An athletic practice and getting sick would be two metaphors that would describe how I write.

Blog #2

Really enjoyed reading your interpretations of place. This next entry is an open one that should build from our current readings. You could address some of the issues raised by the authors, puzzle over a phrase or word in one of them, ask questions, or add to the conversation your own metaphor for writing.

Kevin Cahill's Post

My sense of place has seems to have always been distorted. I grew up in Cincinnati, but I never felt like I belonged here. The landscape of the city is a good analogy for my life. It is full of hills, ups and downs, and is separated into many different pockets of existence that never really seem to coincide. In many ways that is how I feel about my existence. I don't feel as though I have ever meshed completely with one group or one place. I never felt at home until I left the conservative confines of my youth and went to Barcelona. This is a place where I feel at home. The landscape is more liberal. They aren't afraid of nipples there. The mind-set is more open and so is the location. The city rests on a beach between two mountains. I survived there playing the guitar and existed on a liberated plane. I didn't realize how important that place was to me until I left and then returned. As I saw the city from the window of the airplane and realized that I would spend the day navigating the cluttered streets with occasional palm trees I was happy. I like the narrow pedestrian walkways with Catalan names. They lack the strict grid of life in the states, and that reflects the nature of my mentality. It doesn't fall into any formulation that I can recognize. I can get lost there and always find my way out. --Kevin Cahill

Pg 64, #1

Kristi Brogan

I grew up in Hilliard, Ohio, a city made up of thousands of people. One specific characteristic of Hilliard that I always carry with me when I leave Hilliard is the feeling of a community of people together as one. Hilliard is also a place that is filled with modern day technology and is always looking to make it a better place for the community. My dream after graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a teaching degree, is to return to Hilliard as a teacher and coach. Hilliard is much more than a geographical place in my mind. It is a place where everyone has fun, is loving, and personable.
In James Huston’s articles, he talks about “a relationship between a terrain and the feelings it can call out of you.” What he is saying here is that when people live in a certain region for most of their lives, they develop a fondness for that area because of the people they meet and the surroundings around them. They develop and cherish all of the childhood friends that have developed into long lasting friendships.

Entry #1: Week 2