Blog #13--college ramblings/complaints

Man, is it a relief to have that blasted issues paper out of the way! I literally felt happier today knowing it was gone. I probably shouldn’t say that knowing Professor Elliott will most likely read this blog, but still, I can be relieved, can’t I?

I may get to go to General Conference this year, and I mean REALLY go. I am still unsure, since my dad has yet to tell me if the tickets are still available, but if they are, I get to go!!! Well, if they don’t get lost in the mail, that is. There are definitely perks to having a father who is the stake clerk, let me tell ya. Though I am unsure why this opportunity didn’t come up in October. That doesn’t make sense to me. But maybe those tickets got snatched up faster than they did this time.

My brain hurts. I had to read over half of one of my sociology books last night, and write a critique on it this morning. I wanted to die. First I had the issues paper and a geology application paper to have done on Monday, and then I had to read that book and write that paper within the intervening twenty-four hours. I wanted to scream—still do, since I have at least one more paper due this week (another geology application paper) and I am so no happy. I think I’ve spent close to five dollars just for printing this semester, if not more. Plus, I’ve written more papers this semester alone than my father did his whole college career—and he got a masters in Math here at BYU. I seriously think my teachers are trying to kill me, or at least kill my fingers and the brain cells in charge of writing.

Had a wonderful visit at the nursing home, though. Totally uplifted my spirits to talk to my assigned “grandparent.” (And Word Perfect hates my sentence fragments.) Back to the nursing home. It was a tad sad, though, since she is leaving on Thursday. But that means that I get a new grandparent to visit!

update on issues paper

I am having a hard time finding anything BUT journal articles about the D.A.R.E. program. And even the ‘book’ sources that I found turned out to not exist, at least not at the Hubble. Not that the library’s catalogue knows that. Frustration is the feeling prevalent with me since yesterday.

Blog #11--sorry it's late!!!!

I have done little with my issues paper. I am a procrastinator to the bone, and I decided to relax this last weekend instead of researching. (The fact I had just bought a movie I haven’t seen in months definitely didn’t help, but that was more of a late night thing anyway.) While I have done little more than choose my controversial issue, I have noticed that articles about it were last published in 2009, for the most part. Little worried there, but I’m hoping it is still relevant enough for me to write on. I know the issue of dropping the D.A.R.E. program was a bit of an issue in Idaho Falls the last few years, but I don’t remember much else—heck, I don’t even know if the school district still sponsors it or if it has been done away with. I have never paid much attention to what goes on around me when it comes to policies—unless it affects me to some extent, or it affects my sisters, who are incredibly vocal when they are objecting to such things.

I also have the issue that I have never been through the D.A.R.E. program myself—I was part of the trial group for a program called N.O.V.A. Since I went through a different program with similar goals, I don’t know if I have an altered view on the issue. I know that the program I went through was effective for me—I still remember the object lessons and the principles of the class. But I don’t know if that would have happened in the D.A.R.E program. I also don’t know if I can actually take a solid stand on the issue. But then, I’m not sure I could for any issue. I have this frustrating ability to be able to see and understand both sides of an issue, and I could argue for both, while making compensation for the other side. I’ve been told this means I’d make a good politician. Pity I am scared of speaking in front of people. Otherwise I’d run for President—NOT!!!!!!!