Finale

Strangely enough, I have enjoyed this class. At times it as been stressful and I'd be lying if i said i didn't need motivation from my parents to get through the PAA. I mostly appreciate the structure of the class. That was the key to my success. This first semester at college and away from my hometown has been difficult for quite a few reasons and I'm thankful for the ability to stay busy. I'm thankful for The Shins, whom without I wouldn't have made it out of here with my sanity. I'm not thankful for procrastination or dorm rooms. I'm thankful for LaPeak soy chais, and hats and gloves and my North Face jacket. I'm not thankful for my car being back in Kalispell and my best friend being in Oregon. I'm thankful for the privilege of attending college...not thankful for tution...but thankful for student loans. I'm thankful that I am going home in a week... not thankful that I'm going to miss my friends I've made here. I could go on for days about the ups and downs of this semester. Unfortunately I have finals to study for I have to go to math class. But ultimately, the most important thing I have learned this semester is that regardless of what goes on, whether good or bad, I am on my own now. Independence is something that i've longed to have for a long time, and now that I have it I am not sure how I feel about it. TBC...

The Shins

My infatuation started when i discovered the movie Garden State starring Zach Braff and Natalie Portman. Not only did I discover my favorite movie when i watched it for the first time, but also one of my favorite bands. There is a part where Zach Braff is driving a green motorbike down the street and the song Caring is Creepy by The Shins started playing. I waited until the end credits to find out what song and the artist was who sang it. It is now my favorite song of all time. Its more a reflection of me than any other song i've ever heard and i recommend it to anyone who has the ability to think outside the box. I am listening to it as I write this blog post actually. Im just glad I have The Shins to get me through tough times...like finals week!

Belated Television post --Keeping up with the Kardashians.

I am a sucker for reality television. Yes, I know it is mostly garbage and does nothing for my mind, but I don't think that anyone can say that it isn't entertaining at the least. Keeping Up With The Kardashians is one of my favorites. After you get to know the people the show is great. I watch it damn near every day an look forward to the "supernew" episodes on E. I would honestly recommend this show to anyone. I think that everyone could find something in it that they enjoy since all the people are so different. So next time your flipping through the channels and you see a family of beautiful armenians laughing and teasing each other~  give it a chance!

Cathedral - Dont judge a book by its cover!

As much as I wasn't looking forward to reading this because it is  long and I figured it would be boring, I actually ended up liking it. It is a classic story of "don't judge a book  by its cover". At first, the narrative character came off as selfish, judgmental, jealous and inconsiderate. He didn't like the fact that his wife had invited a man, a blind man, into their home to stay even though the man needed they're help because his wife had died. He thought that the blind man would be an inconvenience and would be a stereotypical blind man.
As the story progresses you learn that the he warms up to Robert and learns that he is fun to be around and he even says how he enjoys his company. They spend time together and end up developing a great friendship. I think that this is a great story for anyone to read. It really shows that if you are too judgmental and don't see people for who they really are than you may never know what they have to offer.

Writing tips for ya'll

1. Use what I believe to be the most important of the 6 traits : VOICE. 

     I think that this is the most important aspect of writing, if you are not making writing your own and using your own personality and voice in whatever you're writing, than you might as well just not write in my opinion. Readers should feel as though they know you a little better after they read a piece of writing done by you.

2.Write quickly

     I think the best way to get your ideas out and still keep voice is to write a first draft quickly. Just get in the zone and pump it out, then you can go back and change anything you want and fix conventional errors, but at least you know that your ideas are there as well as your voice.

3. Make it up

     Sometimes, when I am stuck and cant think of what to say, I bullshit a little. Be repetitive if you cant think of something new, you can always go back and take it out and change it when it comes to you but for the time being it is easier to just get something out that makes sense and move on to the next idea.

4. Condense/ Expand

    Decide whether this paper is better read as a shorter more condensed piece or an extended longer piece. Depending on what kind of paper you are writing it is sometimes better for there to be less to read but lots of information and facts and sometimes it is better to have more to read with more personal aspects to it.

5. Write about something that matters

     It is always easier to write about something that matters to you. Something that interests you. Writing about something that you do not find relevant or important will ultimately just be a frustrating experience. Find something that you want to write about that that is "fun" for you to research and talk about to an audience.

Hope these are helpful to some of you!

Two truths and a lie

1. I was adopted from a couple from Idaho before I was born to my mother and father and my sister aleks who now lives in chicago.
2. I am transferring to UNLV at the end of this semester to study Hospitality Management.
3. Both of my parents and my sister attended or are attending the University of Montana

Personality Test

I took the personality test and my results said that i was a type 7. It says that 7's are optimistic thrill seekers who see life as an adventure, pretty much sums me up.

It also says that once things loose their fun people who are 7s lose interest and this means things can often go unfinished, i thought this was the most inaccurate part for me because I get annoyed when things go unfinished. It also says that 7s fear being overwhelmed by the struggles of life, which its true for me.

When i went to the nine types site it said that my basic desire is to be happy while my basic fear is to be deprived. I think this is absolutely true about me. My world view is said to be full of options and opportunity and that i look forward to the future. (9 types website) I think this is true about me as well. This test pretty much hit the nail on the head. I looked briefly at the other types and I dont think any of them fit me as well as a 7. 

This was very interesting and accurate I think.

Change of Topic

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to post a blog about this but I figured why not. All week I have been working on my research log and my outline. I was finished with it Tuesday night and as I was reading over it and preparing for my conference tomorrow, I realized that I was unable to make this topic interesting. I was also having issues relating it to sustainablility in general. I decided last night at about 1030 that I was going to change my topic. I know that if I write my paper on sustainability of oceans and the importance that a healthy ocean has on the economy and every day life to Americans that it will result in a much better, more informative and interesting paper. I definately had my work cut out for me, seeing as I had only a day to re-do the work that took me 2 days, but i got it together and am excited to begin the process.

Believer

Article : http://believermag.com/issues/201009/?read=interview_nagle

Believer

            There are many things that go on daily without much thought. One of these regular occurrences is garbage collection. People throw out pounds of trash each day without giving any thought to where it goes after it leaves their hand. Trash collection is very important and is a key element to every society. Without it, disease and fatality would increase greatly. We would live in our own filth, and our society and economy would ultimately fail.

Since I have moved from home into the dorms here at U of M I have really become more aware of how much I throw away each day. This brings up another important point: Recycling. I do not personally recycle, although I know I should. It is difficult to do, especially living in the dorms because of the very limited space that we have to live in. It requires additional attention and effort that many people don’t feel makes a big enough difference. After reading this article my thought about trash collection has changed, I was surprised at how important garbage collection really is. I have noticed more how much waste I personally cause everyday, and how much it adds up for every person. It makes me realize the importance of recycling and reducing waste.

I think this article is great for anyone to read because it really bring out points that most people ignore everyday. If everyone’s view on trash collection changed like mine did after reading this and becoming more knowledgeable of the subject then I really believe that the amount of things they threw away each day would be less and less. People would maybe even consider starting to recycle certain materials. It is important for people know that what they do affects the whole world and to appreciate people who work in the sanitation industry because in the end we probably owe them our lives.

Sustainability of the Human Body

For my paper I chose to reflect on sustainability in relation to the human body. This is something I am very interested in so I believe the topic i selected will make writing this paper and doing research on this subject fun and informative for me. I haven't quite gotten my outline finished and edited to exactly how I want yet but I think I am going to go into the area of exercise and explore the ideas of something a little more controversial like the benefits and downfalls of overexercizing. I am not quite sure yet though. I am glad that I was allowed to use this for my topic as I wasn't quite sure where to go with the whole sustainability thing because I am not exactly what you would call 'green'. I am eager to read what other people wrote as their topics and how they have made the whole sustainability theme their own, as I have done.

Food

I think that the key to being healthy is all about what you eat and how active you are.http://www.healthyforms.com/eating-right/benefits.php People are constantly raving about the latest diet or diet pills and to me it all seems very excessive and exhausting. It has become acceptable in society to eat certain foods daily that should only be consumed as a treat maybe once or twice a week. For me, it is a no brainer to eat healthy. I prefer a fruit parfait to pasta any day of the week. Along with maintaing a healthy diet comes exercise. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ01676. Over the past couple years working out has become an everyday routine for me. I feel better about myself when I can go to bed at night knowing that I ate healthy and got a decent workout in. Healthy foods that I fill my mini dorm room fridge and desk shelves with are granola, soy milk, orange juice (packed full of vitamin C because I HATE COLDS), all bran cereal, cantelope, blueberries, nonfat yogurt, nutrigrain bars, tea, and string cheese. I think that having a healthy diet is important for every person and helps boost confidence which I believe is they key to sucess.

Reading

Im Niki Bates. I was born November 5th. I have 2 sisters, one who lives in Chicago and the other who is a Sophomore here at U of M. I love sports and am majoring in Broadcast Journalism enable to pursue that passion and become a sports journalist. Preferably in the field of college football. Im pretty laid back and not hard to get along with at all. I love my friends and family and I spend majority of my time with them. Im very excited to be here at U of M and cant wait to see what the next four years have in store for me.

As far as reading is concerned, I enjoy it for the most part as long as it is something I am interest in. There is nothing worse for me than forced reading. My favorite book is called Moloka'i, and I have read it countless times. I dont really have a preference on the types of reading I do. I enjoy magazines the most though.