Finally Over

I’m beyond happy to be done with this class. It was such a relief to present today and look forward to just relaxing and hearing the rest of the presentations next Tuesday.  Now I’ll be able to enjoy my weekend without having to worry about it.

Overall this class was relatively easy, it was just the fast pace and nice weather which made it hard to focus. I’m glad I took it here at OCC because I got it over with and won’t have to take it at Grand Valley where i’m sure I’d have to write many more and lengthier papers.

Does anyone know how many post we are supposed to have? I believe this is my 28th one. I am almost positive I have kept up with the weekly quota. Fingers crossed I have done enough to receive full points.

Hope you all enjoy the rest of your summer.

Anyone There?

I couldn’t help but notice that no one has viewed any of my posts in about ten days. Kind of feel like I am talking to myself here. All these words going unread, oh well.

I still haven’t finished my paper. Procrastination is real. I’ll do it tomorrow.

As we are wrapping up our research paper, I now realize how much I have learned about my topic. I felt strongly about vegetarianism before we started this paper but now I am exponentially more passionate about it. I have come to the conclusion that there is no real reason to consume meat besides the selfish desire of temporary, tasty pleasure. The multitude of health and environmental benefits that accompany a vegetarian diet make it seem like an obvious lifestyle choice.

Also, throughout the processes of writing this paper I have been convinced through research to transition from pescetarian to full-on vegetarian. Having to write this paper has resulted in me not eating fish anymore.

“Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan

1) Amy starts off by saying every thing she is not to inform her readers that she is not professionally educated in English and does not conform to the “proper” rules of English at all times. Instead she is just a lover of language.

2) The different languages she speaks of includes the simple vocabulary she uses with her mother, scientific and descriptive words she uses when she gives speeches, and the very proper and polite English she uses with customer service people. They have shaped her to efficiently convey her thoughts and ideas to all kinds of English speakers with different levels of fluency.

3) Her requests and complaints often go unanswered and ignored. The treatment she receives from bankers and doctors is what I believe to be unconscious. People tend to assume people who speak broken english are uneducated and dull minded which leads them to not take them serious. Knowing she reads informative books shows that she is smarter than she appears.

4) She doesn’t want to call her mothers language “broken” or “limited” because that implies that there is something wrong with the way her mother speaks. Instead of “broken” one could say her mother’s English is simply or basic.

5) This sentence is shorter because it is an assertive fact that is like a quick slap in the face to the readers. It makes you stop reading for a second and think about what was just thrown at you.

6) She envisions her mother reading her novels because her mother is the one who created her and shaped her into who she is today. She loves her mother and feels as if her work should reflect the language she shares with her.

7) I think family influences a persons language more than peers do. My family taught me how to talk, introduced me to certain words and prohibited others. My word choices strongly reflect my families’.

Progress Report

I spent the majority of yesterday trying to finish up my paper. I started typing away in the family room, hours later I moved outside to the porch and eventually ended up in the living room after it started raining on me outside. It was a long, long day of starring at this stupid screen but I knew it had to be done. I strongly believe that the breaks and relocations were vital for my well-being throughout this never ending processes of writing a 8 page paper. The breaks were spent jumping around, trying to get my blood pumping in efforts to prevent blood clots and bed sores. The relocations provided me with new and inspiring scenery to graze off into while formulating the next sentence to write. That painfully long day yesterday left me with a fried brain and still unfinished paper. I still have yet to wrap up the conclusion, polish off the citations and write the entirety of the abstract.

I really wish we were introduced to the presentation project earlier because I’m not going to have enough time to memorize all the information I would have liked to.

Shitty First Drafts

The article “Shitty First Drafts” written by Anna Lamott discusses the dreaded first draft. She claims every writer goes through this process of throwing down jumbled thoughts on paper just to get something down. It was semi comforting knowing that even great authors have trouble creating their work from scratch. On the other hand, I could not stop thinking about how awful being a writer sounds. Just reading her in depth description of her procrastination of writing her first draft gave me anxiety and further solidified my opinion that writing is not something I enjoy.

Lamott uses the phrase “the fantasy of the uninitiated”. I understand this to mean that everyone who is not a practicing writer is under the illusion that beautiful series of words flow effortlessly onto paper if you are an author but in reality they struggle to create their first draft like everybody else.

Anna says she now “trust the writing process more or less”. I interpret this as her implying that sometimes she doesn’t think throwing words down of paper is very beneficial while other times it is extremely helpful in that it sparks an idea and provides her with direction. Not everyone is the same but I think she is speaking on behalf of most writers.

Lamott definitely believes that the first draft is all about the process rather than the product. Once basic ideas and concepts are on the page, they can then be shaped and crafted into masterpieces. I agree with Anna, my first draft was horrible but necessary. Editing and revising it was what made it better.

Albert Appreciation Post

http://imgur.com/gallery/9MclG

I’m tempted to just say “enough said” and call it a day on this post but I’m afraid I’d be docked points for not reached the one hundred and fifty word minimum even though a picture is worth a thousand words.

Albert Einstein, one of the smartest humans to ever walk this earth, has clearly stated his support of adopting a vegetarian diet. He goes on to say how he always felt a little guilty when eating meat and suspects that humans were never meant to be carnivores. This quote backs up my argument one hundred percent and I’m happy I came across it. Before today, I did not know he became a vegetarian in the later years of his life. He may not be a nutrition expert but he is a frickin’ genius and had more complex and in-depth thought processes than most of us have combined. I think I might slip this quote into my paper because who doesn’t love Albert? Just look at that smile.

Losing Motivation

I once again feel like I’m hitting a wall when it comes to thinking up new ideas to blog about. I have pretty much covered all of my arguments discussed in my paper and don’t have many other topics to share.

I still have yet to collect my primary research. I will, at some point in the near future, interview my cousin who is a dietitian. She has a masters degree in dietetics so I believe she is considered credible. We are having a family party next Sunday because my other cousin just graduated so I’ll probably just converse with her there.

Questions for my readers:

The final peer review is due Tuesday, right? How long does it have to be?

Also, I’m going on a road trip to Colorado in July and would love some suggestions on must-see places. I’ll be in the Fort Collins area. If you know of any cool hiking trails or anything let me know!

Physiologically Not Built as Carnivores

According to Kathy Fretson at Huffington Post Healthy Living, humans are physiologically designed to eat vegetarian diets. It wasn’t until relatively recently that humans started eating meat. Before that, gathering crops through agriculture was the main source of food.

You may have noticed our lack of urge to chase down animals and kill them, it is just not an instinct we were born with. Natural carnivores have an innate instinct to track and kill animals. I personally have never been moved to do so.

Natural carnivores are characterized by having short intestinal tracts along with claws and razor sharp teeth. Again, I fail to find these characteristics within me. Humans have very long intestinal tracts which are ideal for breaking down and absorbing plant based foods. We are also not capable of catching and killing prey with our hands. We are not able to tear their skin or meat with our hands nor are we able to eat the meat without preparing it. All of these things are done with material objects that weren’t around in the beginning of human history. We use guns to kill the animals, knives to cut them, and ovens to cook them in.

It isn’t natural for humans to eat meat. We survived off of plants for the majority of human history and we will survive the transition back to it.

It’s A Process

The thought of becoming vegetarian seems impossible or at least highly improbable to a lot of people. When I first considered vegetarianism, I thought well what the hell am I supposed to eat?! Every one of my meals were based around meat, including breakfast. For quite some time I had been wanting to convert to a plant based diet but was hesitant because I knew I would have to get over my addiction to Buffalo Wild Wings. Eventually, I realized the benefits outweighed the selfish temporary satisfaction of a tasty meal and decided to give it a try. Somehow I was able to quite cold turkey, haha, but I recognize it isn’t always that easy with everyone. Sometimes it’s harder to see the benefits of abstaining from consuming meat when there is a chili cheese dog staring you down but once the habit is formed, flesh filled food will no longer tempt you.

You could start your transition to vegetarianism by creating the tradition of meatless Monday. Eventually you could phase out four legged animals. Next you could do away with eating birds. Finally you could stop eating fish. And then there you are, a environmentally conscious vegetarian.

You don’t need to become a vegetarian over night, there are no rules, and it also is not all or nothing. Just being aware of the positive outcomes of abstaining from eating meat and making an effort to reduce meat consumption is a step in the right direction.

Livestock Pollution

I’ve done a lot of research and found livestock to be a huge contributor to air and water pollution. Long story short, livestock manure produces greenhouse gasses and contaminates water. The manure releases large amount of methane with causes the atmosphere to retain more heat. Carbon dioxide level in the air are increasing every time forests are cut down for livestock ranches.

Water is being infected by the run-offs from wastewater used on livestock. Some of the chemicals and hormones used on the animals are excreted and end up in the freshwater sources. Not to mention loads of diseases are spread through animal manure like salmonella and E. Coli. Mass amounts of livestock are creating mass amounts of waste, which result in tremendous potential for water contamination. Many of us have felt the wrath of contaminated food or water at some point in our lives. It can be painful but it can be prevented.