James Meredith

this week was probably one of most insightful learningful weeks at university yet. by us picking events and expanding on them and sharing them i learned so much in such a little time and i loved it. i learnt information on many things i had no idea even happened, or other events i wanted to know a little more about. the fact that i got into the james meredith feasibility group is great. i see now everything that I didnt get to do in the first semester. justin looked at me on tuesday when we were debating everything and he said, 'this is fun, this is what we missed out on first semester. this.' and i think that this is something that really sat with me because this is such a learning experience, and so insightful that i wish we would have had a chance first semester because i really like the chance i am getting to research everything.

Touche ;)

ah :)

This past week was one of the most learning experiences for me yet - between realizing I have been a Christian my entire life I have never, ever read the Revelation of John, through witnessing a holocaust survivor speak his horrific past and through the movies, articles and accounts gone through in journalism.
The Revelation of John was probably the most confusing, shocking and irritating yet teachable event of the entire week. I have never read the Revelation of John although the Christian faith is something I have known my entire life. My parents have failed to inform me, alongside my church in Ontario, that judgement day is this horrific and basically that I have the slightest chance in surviving. This left me questioning who was this God? He was not the person I looked up to for advice, to trust with my resting family and the man that my entire life I had known as someone that would never turn thier back on me. I guess, I need to reconnect with my faith, at least I felt I should, and then after the discussion in class I realized thats exactly what it was for - good christians to remain even better christians.
The Falling man was something else that struck a cord with me in Aquinas this week. Not only did it bother me that this was the first video I had not put my head down for at least once but also that I was more interested; it was closer to home therefore hit my heart harder. This made me feel uneasy, I heard people talking about loosing thier loved ones on that day and getting phonecalls knowning it was the last time they would talk and I just teared up. Yet, the other day we watched a woman screaming in anger and hurt after the US bombed Afghanistan and I felt horrible for her, but not in the way I did for the families of 9.11. This alone makes me sick to my stomache, only because I do not feel any less for them. My heart aches for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan everyday, but that because I am not educated about what happened (I am now) and because I could hardly relate to her pain my mind and heart didn't cry for her but just prayed. I want to feel the sadenning pain for all people, whether I understand them or not.

I liked this week also because english taught me alot about tone- the tone that a writer uses specifically to get you to think something, assume something or fall for something else. As I was doing my homework this weekend, keeping in mind what Russ had told us, I saw something in the Magdalene piece and just laughed, 'the shifting imagine of Magdalene - sometimes pinup sometimes sermon - stabalized in the Renesaince' (Acocella, Pg 5). This is something, baffling to me, that I missed the first time through. Her little side comments are hilarious.

learning

i love aquinas - i think this week there is one particular thing, well two, that really helped me learn something or that is have my beliefs challenged. first, when Russ was talking in class on Friday about how we really, really have to listen to what somoene is saying he hit me. everything that he was talking about was making perfect sense, it was things that i always though i could tell - that tone. but it really is difficult in literature and a specific word could change an entire situation. it would be like saying to your child, 'i almost took you to McDonalds tonight.' what does that help?! 'almost' in this context isnt fun lol
the other thing was in Michael Camps lecture on Friday - we watched a movie about the war in Iraq and it was more showing up the difference between censorship and what the media can tell - this showed us that they didn't hold anything back. the part that made me sick to my stomache was the dead soldiers showed when the americans were captured then .. even more.. something that the SGT of media said - he was disgusted when he saw these but when he saw the same thing about the Afgans it didnt phase him. this alone talks a worlds about the media.
aquinas was good this week, i cant wait to see what the semester has to hold.

First Week Back!

I have never been so excited to get back to school. My fiance left for basic the day before the semester started again and school just makes everything worth while. STU has been already a great experience for me - I love the school, the learning I have done and the people I have met.
I was even more excited to get back to Aquinas; it felt like it was family that I hadn't seen for an entire month. Everyone back in that room, with the one common goal was great. I feel as though this semseter if better already, althought I still hear those little comments about others writing but with time they diminish.
I am excited for this semester, although I am not sure I like what has happeneded to the schedual because its been changed to such a long journalism but so far its great.
Tally Ho Aquinas... wait that was last semester ;)