Before I Kick the Bucket...

There are so many things to be accomplished in life, but I have a few which are most important to me:

• Hike Mt Kilimanjaro
• Write a grammar/composition book
• Have a professorship at an accredited university
  
• Ride in a hot air balloon
• Go deep sea fishing
• Catch a firefly
  
• Visit family in Switzerland
• Meet Richard Branson
  
• Help someone change their life for the better
• Build a church
• Educate and mentor my students
  

It is important to know what you expect out of the short time you have to live your life. It is important to recognize the significance of certain desires. Ask yourself: Why is it vital that I do this? If the answer is unknown, there is some internal search that must be addressed. I recommend writing your goals somewhere, whether it is in a journal or just a post-it. There is a power in the admittance of the wants in life. Acknowledging your goals gives you the inspiration needed to explore effective means of attaining them. I keep this list by my computer at my home office. It is reassuring. It is encouraging.

Stress Advice

It is about that time again. Yes. Midterms. For most of you, this is your second round of these hated times. We are all studying to the point of physical and mental exhaustion. We are studying so hard that our immune systems seem to give up. So what can you do about it? Obviously, you cannot just forget about your papers and tests. You learn to manage your time, and most importantly, give yourself a break. It can actually help. It can make the difference between a mental breakdown and an A.

My advice: set aside one day on the weekend and do what you love. Do not let anything work-related come into your mind. When you find yourself starting to worry, tell yourself that you deserve this day off. You need the break in your week to keep you sane and healthy. Consider it your mental/spiritual day. Let yourself relax and reboot for the coming week. Some people just cannot take an entire day each week and not work. I used to be that way, but let me tell you, this really does work. School cannot entirely dominate your life. I know, it is weird that one of your teachers is saying this. I got this advice from one of my professors.

Remember that feeling after you have had a day where you did what you loved? For me, I would go on a long hike listening to my ipod. When I got home, I would take a nap. I would go to dinner with a few friends. Then to finish my day off, I would go to bed early. Imagine that feeling after a relaxing day. Believe me, you will be more productive and will absorb more information than if you worked the whole weekend through. Remember, your hard word deserves a pay off.

English 105 Class Blog

Hey there everyone! This is a class blog which will be focusing on your personal writing style. The purpose of this project is to expose you to online writing outlets. I want you to explore your writing personality, for writing style can make or break you in the writing world. Some of you are creative writers already, others will improve, but some of you will resist this opportunity and write it off as "just another assignment". I encourage you to challenge your creativity and to explore the unknown. My advice is to choose something that you will enjoy writing about and reflecting upon. This really can be an enjoyable atmosphere and help you open up to new things. I have read what you have written. I know you all have the potential to benefit from this environment. Now it is up to you how much heart you will put into this.

If the freedom of this assignment is not enough motivation for you, remember that this is 10% of your grade! Some of you might think that you have me fooled, but I can tell when you put true effort into your work. I know the level of writing you are at, so now show me that you are pushing yourself! You will have required postings, but I encourage you to really take advantage of this class blog. Who knows, maybe I will convert you...

That said, I warn you against getting too comfortable with this environment. Please remember that even though this is a very lenient assignment, you should remember that this is also academic. You should contemplate how much you want to divulge to your audience. I do not recommend exposing too much of yourself right off the bat because it may make you uncomfortable later on. Remember that your classmates will be reading what you write. If you choose to not use punctuation or proper grammar (the horror), that is your choice, but make sure you do so for a reason. Be courteous to your classmates. Please do not write about anything which may insult a classmate of yours. Be constructive in your responses.

Alright, enough of my preaching, have at it.