Week 8: Famous Last Words

Last week I mentioned I was hoping to get ahead in my classes, but of course, procrastination is at it's finest for me this week! I have midterms coming up this week in my other classes, so I have to write a 10 page paper tomorrow (yuck) for my capstone. It shouldn't be too hard but I hope I can find the motivation to knock it out of the park early on! It's about psychology topics, so I think it will be pretty easy for me to do. Psychology is my major after all, and I do love the topics that come with it.

Have I mentioned how ready I am for the semester to be over! I am definitely looking forward to Christmas break already! I say that every semester though, because I always look forward to breaks haha. School gets so hectic and I am working at the same time, it gets to be overwhelming.

The good news is that I have been able to relax a little bit. I am getting back into the gym and I hope I can get a good routine in, because I really miss some weightlifting! Eventually I want to get back into figure skating but right now I feel like I just don't have the time. Maybe next semester. 

Hitting the Gym!

(Image information: "Hardcore Stormies Hit The Gym" by W_Minshull. Source: Flickr.)

My storybook is coming along nicely, I think. Each week I am pleased with it and I am looking forward to writing my next story. I have already found an image I want to use, so the creativity is already happening! It is always nice when it comes to you naturally. Writer's block can be a hard thing to overcome. I read a lot of people's blogs and think wow, they have an awesome story and writing. I wonder what they do to overcome any block they have. Do you have any tips?

All in all, I'm feeling good about school and work. I'm just ready to sleep for days!

Week 8: Reading Diary Assessment

I think for me, the reading diary posts help me keep my focus during the stories. By taking notes for each story, I can really assess the plot and the characters rather than reading through them and forgetting. At the beginning of the semester, I would take too many notes and did not focus on my favorites but once I started doing that, I was really able to start enjoying doing the reading diaries. However, this is not my favorite part of the course so I often end up doing the half-reading option when I have really busy weeks. The half-reading option is a great way to be able to still get the most out of the course when I feel overwhelmed.

I try to keep my diary posts focused on the main points of the plot and which characters stand out to me. The details that really astonish me or leave a lasting impression are very important for me to note too because that helps me remember the stories. I tend to record my thoughts about the story in a personal way. In the future, I am considering noting my favorite quotes and phrases in my diaries as well because that will also help me remember.

I do not add images because I do not believe it would add to the diaries. Adding images would not help me recall my entries!

A few things I am going to try from now on is keeping ahead on my diary readings and being sure to choose a unit that grabs my interest more. I do not often look back on my diaries either so I want to be start doing that as well, but I believe I remember the stories pretty good without looking back too simply because recording my thoughts makes it easier to. These strategies would be helpful in my other classes too because looking back refreshes my memory. Reviewing information over and over helps recall it faster!

Overall, the reading diaries are helpful for me. I would have a much harder time remembering the stories without them, so I am going to stick to my current style of writing but try to review more!