September 22, 2008

Dusting off my Rusty Pen

I've decided to become a writer. As a young child I dreamed of growing up and publishing a book. The genres varied depending on what I was interested in. When I had a crush on a boy who liked to draw, I decided I would be a children's book author and he would be my illustrator. Obsessed with Nancy Drew, I thought writing mysteries would be fun. Then young adult fiction. Then adult fiction. As I entered academia, my interest turned to non-fiction. Though I always had these dreams and claimed one of my hobbies was writing, the results from them hobby were far from prolific. As a child I had notebook after notebook full of the beginnings of stories, but following elementary school, my writing tapered off. I kept a personal journal that was mostly filled with ramblings about my most recent boy problems or successes, but I produced little else beyond the requirements for classes.

Starting today I declare I am going to change. I have always dreamed of writing a book and perhaps that will be my eventual goal. But as for now, I want to see if I can become a published author through articles. One can make an income from writing these sorts of pieces and perhaps this would be of assistance to me considering that I do have rent to pay. But though earning income is a nice bonus, my goal for now is to write daily and see if I can be published, whether I am paid or not. If I do plan on writing a book one day, I can't just sit down and begin to write one day and expect to be successful. Writing is an art that takes practice. So practice is what I will do. As of today, I claim to be a writer and will dedicate time each day to practicing my art and hopefully soon will have published proof that I am indeed a writer.

April 7, 2008

On Saturday night, Erik, Ben and I sat down and played an entire game of Risk. This is not a simple undertaking as even with only three people (and me being eliminated pretty quickly), the game took well over three hours. Despite this fact it was very enjoyable.

This event got me thinking about games. I feel like people don't play board games as often. If we take time to relax with a game, we are much more likely to play video games. But I think an element of community is lost with video games. Yes, there are games connected to the internet so you can play with people all over the world. And yes, you can play with groups of people in your own home. But you are still all staring at one screen rather than each other. I believe there is much to be gotten from looking the people you are playing in the eye. Board games move much slower and allow for conversation to take place in between moves.

April 5, 2008

The end of my undergraduate career is approaching. I have learned so much, and know so much more than when I began college. Despite this fact I believe that the biggest thing I have learned is that I know nothing. College has answered some questions, but also created so many more. I have realized that the world is a complex, confusing place and I still have so much to learn about it.

I entered college to become educated. I was excited to learn and though I am done with one phase of my learning, I am not ready to be done. This is one reason I have chosen to continue my education my getting a master's degree. Though my study I want to think about learning. How can I cultivate learning around me? I love learning and I want to encourage others to have this love. I want to think about how learning can be a tool for developing communities and bring them together.

I intend to use this blog as a tool for me to use in my learning. I want to share the things I am excited about and use this place for others to share what they know. Learning is something that is best done in community. I want to see how the technology of the internet can help create communities that encourage learning.