The Book of Love

Oh I wonder wonder who, be-do-do who. Who wrote the book of love??

On Saturday February 21st, I attended the performance The Book of Love, A New Twist On Bewitched, written and directed by Craig Donnelly. The Book of Love tells the story of two teenagers who although come from very different worlds, fall madly in love. Of course there is drama because it wouldn’t be a love story without it, but in the end the couple live happily every after.

The cast and crew included several Manhattanville students including my dear friend Evelyn Flores and our very own Sean Harty, who played a teacher at Sunnyville High School. The cast and crew did a great job of keeping the audience engaged. The show was very audience interactive and I got the pleasure of sharing a slow dance with both Sean and the lead male, Emanuel Silva. Sean even called on me when asking his class, “what is good writing” Needless to say, I felt apart of the cast.

Although admission was $5.00, the money raised went to a good cause. All proceeds were used to support the Children’s Academy of Student Theater (CAST) and St. Jude Children's Hospital. CAST is a Duchesne Center program that focuses on education and youth development in drama and the arts. The St. Jude Children’s Hospital serves children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.

Overall the performance was well done and laugh out loud funny. For those of you who missed the show this year, I hear it will be back again next spring.

I hate exams....

I just got out of an exam and my heart is still racing. I have been studying for a little over a week now and it’s finally over. Excuse me while I sigh a breath of relief...

I hate taking exams. Exams, quizzes, I hate them all. For some reason when ever I have an exam coming up, it is all I can think about. For instance, the other night, I had a dream that I was on my way to Brownson to take my exam and a dog started chasing me. I ended up missing my exam and not graduating because I failed the course. Think about it, that would never happen. But for some reason my nerves get the best of me and I think the worst, even in my sleep. It’s bad, really really bad! Needless to say, I woke up the next morning exhausted and even more nervous then I was the night before. I hate taking exams.

I am not sure why I let my nerves get the best of me. I can study for a week and feel totally confidant, but the moment I step inside the classroom, I forget everything I knew just hours before. I would much rather write a paper then take an exam. Writing is like talking, and I can talk for days. When taking an exam, especially a multiple-choice exam, you have to know the concepts in and out. There is no room for error. I like the idea of writing a paper because you can show your professor you have learned the material by expressing it in words and relating it to your own life experiences. You can’t do that with multiply choice. Either way, I am not a fan of exams.

Check out some information on test anxiety and how to deal with it.

Good News vs. Bad News

One of the criticisms of the news media that many people make is that journalists emphasize “bad news” rather than “good news.” What do you think people mean by that? Do you agree? Do the news values in this chapter mean that journalists are more likely to look for “bad news” than “good news”?

I most certainly agree with the criticism that journalists emphasize “bad news” rather than “good news.” When looking through a newspaper or magazine, you rarely read a positive headline. All you see these days are articles about crime, war, or economic crises. For example, if you go to the New York Times website, the cover page is full of articles titled, Obama Presses Economic Plan to Confront ‘Crisis’, Death Toll Climbs in Australia Fires, and Rodriguez Admits Using Drug to Enhance Performance. It appears that journalists are much more interested in writing “bad news” rather than “good news.” One reason journalists focus on “bad news” rather than “good news” is because readers seem to be more interested in reading “bad news.” The news values listed in Stovall’s textbook are a prime example. For instance, the first news value listed is impact. As we read in the book, impact is when an event has the capacity to change people’s lives. Even if only a few people are involved the consequences may affect many. For this reason “bad news” is featured more because of the consequences individuals involved may face and the ramifications they may have on society.

Another news value readers tend to focus on is conflict, which we often find in “bad news.” As stated in the textbook “conflict is one of journalist’s favorite news values because it generally ensures that there is an interesting story to write.” Therefore, in order to grab the readers’ attention, conflict is often featured in the media. Proximity is another news value focused on in journalism because people want to know what is going on around them. Proximity is especially important for “bad news” because people want to be aware of any dangers, problems or haphazards happening ‘in their backyard.’ Overall, it appears that “bad news” is featured more then “good news” due to news values and the readers’ preference.

No Modifiers.....what the???

This is hard. Not only do I not know what to write about, but I am faced with the task of writing without using modifiers I guess I will just write what’s on my mind. Here goes nothing….

I cant to wait graduate. I look forward to day when I walk across the stage and receive my diploma. Sometimes this day seems so far from now, but I am sure May 16^th will be here before I know it.

The reason I look forward to graduation is not because I am tired of being here, although I am, but because I feel ready to pursue my graduate education. As stated in my first blog, my goal is to become a teacher. I love to learn and love being around children. Therefore, teaching is the career for me.

When I think about all I have accomplished during the last four years, I can’t help but feel pride. I was the first person in my family to graduate high school and now the first to graduate college. Thus, being here is an accomplishment in itself.


P.S. Feel free to point out any adjectives or adverbs I may have over looked.... and click here to see a perfect example of how this assignment should be done.