Week One Reflections

1. You know, other than the unfortunate curse of not being technilogically savvy, I feel very sure that my friends will affect my experience in this class. I have very close friends who are most helpful to others. I will not forget that I am not alone in this. Not only do I have people who will help me outside of class but who also take the time to share ideas and give advice to me on the computer. Why, the connections people have through facebook and myspace is phenomenal. I am in love with my PC. Sounds strange, yes, but I can't think of any other time when I'm not using it. Sometimes I play around with it instead of doing what I need to be doing, but through my friends pushing me, I'm starting to learn that putting your amount of work into the computer is hard work. Hell, I still find it hard to do, but I have confidence (sometimes that confidence deflates on some days) that I will learn more about the things I can do with the internet than I have ever learned before.

2. I had a pretty awesome learning experience that I recently did this last summer. Now, it probably isn't the best, mainly because I can't think of a time that far back, but it most certainly was a worthwhile learning experience. I love to act. Next to drawing, acting is one of my favorite things to do. Just this last summer, I had signed up for a program that teaches you how to act. The Young People's Project (YPP) gave me tips and ideas on how to express yourself. I had never felt more expressed in my life. It was almost like meditating in the middle of a wide lake while a gentle breeze swept across your face. During that exercise, I had learned how to express myself inwardly through my outwards motions. We were all in unison, gliding across the room with passion and grace. We weren't dancing to the music playing in the background but rather showing the emotions we felt with the music. It was interesting to watch others express different movements to the song. Some went with the music and others did their own thing. Actually, the theme this year for YPP was Do Your Thing. But, the most important thing I learned from that exercise was not to be afraid of people who judge you. It was really cool becuase NOBODY was judging you becuase everyone was doing their own thing and expressing themselves just as much as you were. It was a VERY memorable experience that I enjoyed fully.

3. I'm enthusiastic to learn new things that I've never known before. I want to venture out into the unknown and question the impossible and ask why those particular things are impossible. It would also help to be able to control my timing when taking essays or tests. I am not the best at timing myself for such things. In fact, I've gotten worse over the years, which is becuase I am constantly being paranoid about making my essays sound perfect. DP, I will need your help on this. The only thing I am concerned about is being able to catch up on all the assignments in this class and being active with my classmates. I'm very shy when it comes to expressing my own opinions. It's silly to think about but I'm always thinking about how stupid I would be trying to answer questions or give out ideas that may not be appealing to others. You know, I have very high expectations for this class and I very much want to believe that this class will change my future. I VERY much want to graduate knowing that this class has changed me and prepared me for college. That is what I am excited for in this class, to know that this course will prepare me for a spot in my future. I want to animate. That is what I want to do. And I WILL do it within the next ten years of my life. :)