2 posts from November 2007

God is the author of hope. I want to know God's thoughts...the rest are details.

Random Overthought: When it comes to gifts, people say it's the thought that counts. However, if you were to hand someone a picture of the gift saying on the back how much you enjoy it, the thought wouldn't count for much, now would it? The thought counts for a lot, as long as the gift is given/received too.

E. Stanley Jones described the effect of prayer on us like this:

Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God. Aligned to God's redemptive will, anything, everything can happen in character, conduct, and creativeness. The whole person is heightened by that prayer contact. In that contact I find health for my body, illumination for my mind, and moral and spiritual reinforcement for my soul. "Prayer is a time exposure to God," so I expose myself to God for an hour and a half or two hours a day, asking less and less for things and more and more for Himself. For having Him, I have everything. He gives me what I need for character, conduct, and creativeness, so I'm rich with His riches, strong in His strength, pure in His purity, and able in His ability.

Ah dear journal:

What can I say to inflict thee with my tales? What philosophical yarn can I spin? What tale can I embed in this memory and the memory of myself and others?

Recently, I learned that for Public Relations students "spin" is a dirty word in their profession (thanks Sean). I can understand that. As a Christian, I consider "religion" a dirty word so what goes around comes around.

I can regale you that my outstanding work ethic has landed me a firm grasp of both being a world-class photographer and journalist in training. My grades are good for most of my classes. My goal is to have 75% in every class this semester but as George Duma reminded us today, grades should not be your goal. I don't think he was encouraging us to just pass but to grasp the nature of your chosen profession/field more than anything. Really, as long as you pass, you can go out into it. They don't look at Grades. But getting down to it I am a scholar type lol. I love my books. I love my writing. I love my photography. I happen to be good at reading, writing and taking pictures.

I am getting 63% in English, 66% in Introduction to Journalism and 68% in Photography. For Politics and Electronic Media Fundamentals I am getting 50% in both. That mainly stems from they are my least interested courses but also I get by on my excellent work on projects and quizzes and because the professors see that my attendance is outstanding and exemplary, with both a positive and right attitude with questions to boot but crap-tacular work on tests/mid-term(s). Tests are not my deal so it is one of those things I will always have to work that much harder at than everyone else.

 For politics, I got 36% on the mid-term, 70% on the first quiz, and 100% on the biography.

For electronic media fundamentals, I didn't do good on the lab test, but without cracking a book, I nailed the lecture test with 61% because I took computers before and still remember the history for the most part.

For introduction to journalism, I have gotten 65 to 75% on everything but I bombed the first project by getting like 45% but I can bring them all up no problem to 70 but the goal is 75% in everything and I am sticking to it damn it.

My professors: Paul, Phyllis, George, Mike and Nancy are wonderful. Nancy (Mrs. Geddie) did snub Patti in a way that upset me because she wouldn't let Patti complete her thought that she thinks Brock students in the english department going for that degree could have benefited from Grammar classes in the first semester but Geddie didn't let her finish her thought and it made Patti come off as a snob which was not cool. She is the most caring and compassionate person I have ever met and never would look down on anything or anyone. Mrs. Geddie also has been problematic for Ashlee and I am a friend, but with the exception of Patti, it's not my battle and I want to pass with my 75% lol. I mentioned that to Phyllis today and I might to the other Prof's to just open the accountability of helping me reach my goal and setting a good bar instead of following others with one or two high marks and three or four just barely passes.

So school is good, my birthday is a few days away and I am 23. Everyone goes on about how I am getting old lol. Funny, considering I am the youngest person in our group in their 20's of any of my friends and circles yet one of both the wisest and sought after for advice. I do travel in many different circles. What can I say, I'm popular.

I only have 5 weeks of classes left and 1 week for exams. Excluding the test I have this morning (friday), I have some readings as we go and surely more, 5 or so projects just that I know of so far and a couple tests. I chose to ignore the dreaded exam week and its existence yet. I'm not ready for that yet.