Why I'm here and what I've learned about my writing?

For me college was the only option. I want to work in the genetics field and go into research. I’m not sure whether I want to do plant or human genetics yet. It all started with my sophomore biology class in high school. Before then I had never cover genetics in any detail before, but everything was fascinating to me. How a molecule that is modestly simple can give life to such an area of creatures and the machinery that makes them perform is amazing. So college was the only place I could further my education and get into the field I wanted to research, and what better place for genetic research than the university that pioneered stem cells under James Thomson. Right now the plan to get a job with just a bachelor’s degree and maybe come back for master or doctorate later.

I’ve always been very critical of my writing, but I think the biggest thing I’ve learned this semester so far is that I like using long wordy phrases. I just have a tendency to ramble on and as we touch on today in class, I use plenty of metadiscourse. I think I’ve always written like this, but it has never been brought to my attention nor has it been asked of me to fix it. I think writing less creative works is where I tend to run into problems. I feel more constricted and my ideas get boxed when I write these pieces. But I think if I take something from this semester, it’s to trust my ideas and the writing I put work into. The responses I got from our first workshop in class really surprised me. I didn’t think much of the paper, but apparently it was well written in the eyes of my group. So, the two things I want to take are a greater confidence in what I write and to limit my use of wordy clauses.

Research Progress and Spring Break

I have been having a really hard time with the research involving negative political advertising. My first intention was to argue for the positive aspects of negative ads and how they outperform positive or neutral ads. This proved to impossible and it was this Tuesday before I had given up all hope on my argument and decided to flip my argument to why negative ads don’t work well and shouldn’t be used. There is a ton of information backing this idea. I don’t agree with negative ads, but I wanted to try and argue a stance that seemed less intuitive. However, for the sake of being able to accomplish a full draft by the second workshop I’m switching my topic. So overall research hasn’t been going well and my first draft is going to be short due to the recent topic swap. I spent far too much time pursuing my first idea to have much done for tomorrow.

For spring break I have no big plans. I’m going to go home, sleep in late, and work on this paper…..NOT! I might go to Milwaukee and visit the “Body Works” exhibit with some friends. The things they can do with chemical processing and new technologies are spectacular. I saw it back in high school, but that entire showcase is amazing. I would highly recommend it to those who haven’t seen it. Other than that I might do some bowling and I guess what I’m really excited for is seeing my girlfriend. I haven’t had a chance to since winter break because of her track meets and my bowling. For the most part, I’m looking forward to a quiet week at home with no deadlines looming over my head and home cooked meals. I wish you all a relaxing break, wherever you call home, or wherever you end up next week and Happy Easter for those who celebrate it.

Manguel and Bowling

I thought this week’s Manguel reading made you think a little. You had to try and imagine the first person to ever write something down. Not just temporarily either, this writing had to have a lasting effect, so at a later time another person or the creator could return and recognize what was written. It’s hard to believe that this person had a conscious knowledge that others would need to read what he had written. What a huge revelation it must have been to notice the advantages that came with writing. It’s interesting to see how far something we take for granted has come since its inception.
Well it’s the week before spring break needless to say all students are a little on edge. I have a lot of work to due before break, but I’m exciting for next Thursday because I’m on the UW club bowling team and we’re traveling to St. Louis for sectionals. It our last tournament of the year and only the top 4 teams and top 4 individuals move on to nationals. I say it’s our last tournament of the year because we haven’t been all that close to moving on in the two years I’ve been on the team. It’s a lot of fun and until we get there I’m always thinking about it. Bowling is the one sport I excel at and I’ve been doing it since I was twelve. Back in high school I bowled 5 days a week and carried over a 200-pin average. Most people who bowl for fun don’t realize all that goes into the game. Starting with the lane, there are many different oil patterns to choose from and each one changes how the ball reacts on the lane. Not to mention there are wood and synthetic lane surfaces to alter the game. The ball itself can have several different “cover stocks” or outer coatings and each ball has a uniquely designed weight block at its core to produce the hook that bowlers are after. These are just some of the things that change the game and keep it challenging no matter how long you’ve been competing. I could go on but for fear of boring the few people that read this, I’ll simply say, next time someone tells you they’re a bowler, consider them an athlete and not a pizza eating beer drinker with a bowling hobby.

Writing for school and Manguel

Well, to put it simple, I really do not like writing for school. Don’t get me wrong I still like to write, but on my own terms and on my own topics. Writing for school just always seemed very bland and full of boundaries. You always had to structure this and that, limited to a certain topic, and unless it’s creative writing, you can only do so much with a text and styling it. I’ve always enjoyed writing poetry and other creative pieces, whether it be that once in a great while for school or in my own time outside of school. I feel I can say more and explore writing when I have no stipulations. Knowing that I won’t be graded on my own writing also helps ideas just flow, rather than being filtered. That being said, writing for school is not pointless. I have learned a great deal in forming these structured pieces. Writing is a part of everyday life, and especially in my field of genetics. I’ll be surrounded my science journals and papers the rest of my life, so I should get used to writing like this. However, that brings me back to enjoying the writing that I do on my own. It’s a topic I’m interested in, so naturally I’ll know more about genetics and like writing about it. Writing for school has always been my least favorite part of school. My attitude might also extend from not being able to write well in the first place. I’ve always been more proficient in sciences and math courses, which are not writing intensive. But it’s something we all must do, so I just dig down and do as best I can when writing for school.
As for the readings, I’m once again going to comment on Manguel. Oh the places that we read, I can’t even begin to remember all the places I’ve read. Even in the last week I’ve pulled out various books from all my classes and squeezed in a few minutes anytime I could. Manguel did mention my favorite place to read, my bed. It’s the perfect place to read. No worries about being uncomfortable and a good lamp next to you make for a productive reading session. The only draw back would be that it’s too comfortable and I find myself dosing off when I’ve been reading for long periods. But where we read is dependent on what kind of reading we have to do. I might not want to read organic chemistry in a crowded café, but a new novel for personal reading would be just fine. Other places like that Union South Fireside Lounge, would be more appropriate for any kind of reading. It is interesting to see how places like the library are changing from stiff wooden chairs to soft couches and chairs with tables to kick your feet up on. It seems like the only way to keep people coming in, and actually staying for longer than the time it takes to find a book, check it out, and walk out the door. It’ll be interesting to see how reading and the places its associated with change in the years to come.