I enjoyed the half semester long assignment to blog daily, although I was playing catch up from the beginning. In my 27 years, I've written no more than 20 journal entries, most of which were written at a young age. This assignment doubled my overall journal count.
One of the most difficult things for me while writing entries during this assignment was not over-editing what I was writing. This became less of an issue as the semester progressed, due in part to being more confident in my writing, as well as realizing that not every sentence I write has to be perfect.
Another difficulty I had was keeping up with the blog entries. Due to over-analyzing my writing, especially a few weeks ago early in the assignment, the entries took longer than the suggested 20 minutes. So when I'd skip a few days, it became even more difficult to get caught up. But as my writing has become more fluent, and editing more scarce, catching up became more easy.
I enjoyed the aspect of reading the blogs of my classmates. Online classes sounded very impersonal to me at first, but I feel like I know the others in this class quite well after reading their blogs.
Another thing I liked was knowing that everyone reading my blog was a fellow student. In that sense, it was like a Toastmasters for writing, where I was writing in a place where I could feel comfortable (apart from the fact that I had a professor who might read the blog!).
Something that I didn't enjoy was coming up with topics. There are a lot of topics I find interesting, but many of them would be boring for others to read or would be too long. In the end, through a mixture of predetermined topics and personal experiences, I wrote all 25.
The biggest area in which I've changed as a result of blogging this semester is that, as stated before, I don't worry as much anymore about critiquing everything I write to pieces. Writing is an art, which means there's not just one way to do it.
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Faroe Islands (Part 1)
I was born in a place called the Faroe Islands, located in the North Atlantic. My dad was born in Denmark, the mother country of the Faroes. He grew up in the Faroes, though, where all his family is from.
Since I was a baby, I've only been back to the Faroes a few times.
The first time going back to the Faroes after we moved to the U.S. in 93' was in 95'. My little brother had just been born, and my dad's family hadn't seen him yet. We went again a year later for my dad's brother's wedding. Since it's been so long, those two visits have melded together in my mind. I have many memories of those trips. We flew through Boston and London one year, and Baltimore and Iceland the next. I remember being in awe of how big the planes were. Everything seems so big when you're a kid. Though, to be fair, I've only flown on domestic flights since 01', so those flights were much bigger in comparison.
The only airport in the Faroes is on a smaller island than the two main ones, and I remember having to take the ferry from the island to one of the main islands where my grandparents lived.
While there, we hiked up the mountains surrounding the village where my grandparents lived. Back when pirates would raid the Faroes, the villagers from this island would hike up to the mountains and roll rocks down on the pirates, Swiss Family Robinson style! I remember rolling a big rock down and wonder if it hit any of the houses below.
My grandpa used to own lots of sheep, which he had on a mountain quite a ways from his house. I remember going out to shear the sheep, and losing my brand new jacket that I'd just gotten while back in the U.S. for the trip.
One evening in my grandparents' basement we were making paper boats, when a siren went off. Every year there are certain times when whales will make their way into the fjord by the village. (For those who don't know, a fjord is like the water version of a peninsula - water surrounded on three sides by land.) The men went out with their boats, and before long there were dozens of gutted whales on the beach.
Every year the Faroes has a large summer festival, called Ólavsøka. We were able to make it one of those years. I remember walking the streets of the capital, where the festival is held, picking up empty bottles. We would later sell those bottles to the local store in my grandparents' village, Fuglafjørður, where we would make only a few krónur (the Faroese currency) for all our efforts. But at the festival, we unknowingly went into the front yard of a house and found a full 6 pack of unopened beer. We remember thinking that we could actually make decent money for once. But my dad's older brother had an affinity for alcohol, and he forced us to give it to him. We were both pretty bummed.
On the way back from the Faroes the second time, we had a connecting flight in Iceland. Our flight was overbooked, so the airline offered to pay a certain amount per person that would be willing to miss the flight, as well as put them up in a nice hotel. Since we had some extra time, we decided to take them up on it and enjoy Iceland. My dad had some relatives that lived there, so they showed us around. We went to a rotating restaurant called Perlan. I also remember getting tons of candy at a store, though it's kind of sad that I'd remember something like that.
The best part of our stay was definitely going to the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa just south of Reykjavík. I remember taking forever to go from the locker to the spa (which is really more the size of a large pond). It was so cold outside, but once I got the courage to face the cold, I was welcomed by the 100 F water.
Part 2
Since I was a baby, I've only been back to the Faroes a few times.
The first time going back to the Faroes after we moved to the U.S. in 93' was in 95'. My little brother had just been born, and my dad's family hadn't seen him yet. We went again a year later for my dad's brother's wedding. Since it's been so long, those two visits have melded together in my mind. I have many memories of those trips. We flew through Boston and London one year, and Baltimore and Iceland the next. I remember being in awe of how big the planes were. Everything seems so big when you're a kid. Though, to be fair, I've only flown on domestic flights since 01', so those flights were much bigger in comparison.
The only airport in the Faroes is on a smaller island than the two main ones, and I remember having to take the ferry from the island to one of the main islands where my grandparents lived.
While there, we hiked up the mountains surrounding the village where my grandparents lived. Back when pirates would raid the Faroes, the villagers from this island would hike up to the mountains and roll rocks down on the pirates, Swiss Family Robinson style! I remember rolling a big rock down and wonder if it hit any of the houses below.
My grandpa used to own lots of sheep, which he had on a mountain quite a ways from his house. I remember going out to shear the sheep, and losing my brand new jacket that I'd just gotten while back in the U.S. for the trip.
One evening in my grandparents' basement we were making paper boats, when a siren went off. Every year there are certain times when whales will make their way into the fjord by the village. (For those who don't know, a fjord is like the water version of a peninsula - water surrounded on three sides by land.) The men went out with their boats, and before long there were dozens of gutted whales on the beach.
Every year the Faroes has a large summer festival, called Ólavsøka. We were able to make it one of those years. I remember walking the streets of the capital, where the festival is held, picking up empty bottles. We would later sell those bottles to the local store in my grandparents' village, Fuglafjørður, where we would make only a few krónur (the Faroese currency) for all our efforts. But at the festival, we unknowingly went into the front yard of a house and found a full 6 pack of unopened beer. We remember thinking that we could actually make decent money for once. But my dad's older brother had an affinity for alcohol, and he forced us to give it to him. We were both pretty bummed.
On the way back from the Faroes the second time, we had a connecting flight in Iceland. Our flight was overbooked, so the airline offered to pay a certain amount per person that would be willing to miss the flight, as well as put them up in a nice hotel. Since we had some extra time, we decided to take them up on it and enjoy Iceland. My dad had some relatives that lived there, so they showed us around. We went to a rotating restaurant called Perlan. I also remember getting tons of candy at a store, though it's kind of sad that I'd remember something like that.
The best part of our stay was definitely going to the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa just south of Reykjavík. I remember taking forever to go from the locker to the spa (which is really more the size of a large pond). It was so cold outside, but once I got the courage to face the cold, I was welcomed by the 100 F water.
Part 2
Faroe Islands (Part 2)
After my grandpa passed away in 01', my dad and I went back there. Since there were 7 kids by that time, my dad could only afford to bring one of us with him. Since I was named after his dad, Kristian, I was the lucky one that got to go.
This trip wasn't as happy as the other times, as it was obviously focused on my grandpa's funeral. Like before, there was a lot of visiting of relatives (my dad seems to be related to half the people in the Faroes). There were a few things I did this time that I didn't do before, like go watch a national football (soccer) game. I still remember this really cute girl who I was flirting with. A few days later my dad and I were on board Logos II, a large boat visiting the islands, and there she was again. I remember being very happy about seeing here again, but also remember thinking just how small these islands were if I could see the same person twice in a week at random locations.
The Faroes have changed drastically since I went there last. Of course, technology is something that has advanced drastically since then. Everyone there seems to have a phone by the time they're 13.
There are also some new underwater tunnels, in addition to the numerous mountain tunnels from before. These two new tunnels connect the airport island to the main island where the capital is located. The other tunnel connects from nearby my dad's home village to the second largest village on the islands.
Although we've talked about going back over the past decade, there's always been the financial issue of bringing 10+ people to the Faroes (which is easily $1K+/person). But my dad proposed a plan a few weeks that could allow us to go next summer. His mother is in her upper 70's, so he'd like to go back as a family one more time before she passes. She's been here several times over the years, most recently last year with my dad's younger brother and his family.
I really hope we can go as a family next year, though if it doesn't happen, I'll likely go with my future wife and family someday.
This trip wasn't as happy as the other times, as it was obviously focused on my grandpa's funeral. Like before, there was a lot of visiting of relatives (my dad seems to be related to half the people in the Faroes). There were a few things I did this time that I didn't do before, like go watch a national football (soccer) game. I still remember this really cute girl who I was flirting with. A few days later my dad and I were on board Logos II, a large boat visiting the islands, and there she was again. I remember being very happy about seeing here again, but also remember thinking just how small these islands were if I could see the same person twice in a week at random locations.
The Faroes have changed drastically since I went there last. Of course, technology is something that has advanced drastically since then. Everyone there seems to have a phone by the time they're 13.
There are also some new underwater tunnels, in addition to the numerous mountain tunnels from before. These two new tunnels connect the airport island to the main island where the capital is located. The other tunnel connects from nearby my dad's home village to the second largest village on the islands.
Although we've talked about going back over the past decade, there's always been the financial issue of bringing 10+ people to the Faroes (which is easily $1K+/person). But my dad proposed a plan a few weeks that could allow us to go next summer. His mother is in her upper 70's, so he'd like to go back as a family one more time before she passes. She's been here several times over the years, most recently last year with my dad's younger brother and his family.
I really hope we can go as a family next year, though if it doesn't happen, I'll likely go with my future wife and family someday.
Woodcutting
My parents and cousin have wood stove that they use during the winter, so I helped them today at my parents' house with cutting up wood. I got up at 7:30 this morning, after 5 hours of sleep. Due to my school workload, I've been up late every night this week doing homework. For this reason, and specifically because finals is next week, I told my parents that I could only work until noon on the wood.
We started working by 8:00. The goal was to start fairly early, to avoid the heat. But it was hot from the start. My dad, twin, cousin, and I worked the whole time, with my little brother and cousin helping for awhile.
We used a hydraulic log splitter. I'd used one before, and am always impressed by how many man hours are saved by its usage. There are always logs that are more easily cut than others, but overall, most would be much more difficult just using an axe. The splitter was pretty solid - roughly 400 lbs. The logs would be set vertically underneath a large wedge, which would then be hydraulically pressed down until the log was split. The logs ranged from 8 inches to well over 2 feet in diameter. The average log was about 18 inches in diameter, and had to be cut 4 or 8 separate times. The largest logs had to be cut over 20 times. We'd first split them in half, and then keep going until they were small enough to fit into a regular wood burning stove.
We took a break at 10:30, and then didn't break for the rest of the day. During the break, we had a dessert from where I was born, which helped keep us fueled for the rest of the time!
We finished at 3:00, several hours after I was wanting to stop. But we got a lot of work done. My cousin estimated that we have enough wood for 2 or 3 seasons between my family and his. It's worth it for me, as I hate cold weather as much as anyone else there. Now if I can just get a lot of homework done to make up for getting finished later than expected!
We started working by 8:00. The goal was to start fairly early, to avoid the heat. But it was hot from the start. My dad, twin, cousin, and I worked the whole time, with my little brother and cousin helping for awhile.
We used a hydraulic log splitter. I'd used one before, and am always impressed by how many man hours are saved by its usage. There are always logs that are more easily cut than others, but overall, most would be much more difficult just using an axe. The splitter was pretty solid - roughly 400 lbs. The logs would be set vertically underneath a large wedge, which would then be hydraulically pressed down until the log was split. The logs ranged from 8 inches to well over 2 feet in diameter. The average log was about 18 inches in diameter, and had to be cut 4 or 8 separate times. The largest logs had to be cut over 20 times. We'd first split them in half, and then keep going until they were small enough to fit into a regular wood burning stove.
We took a break at 10:30, and then didn't break for the rest of the day. During the break, we had a dessert from where I was born, which helped keep us fueled for the rest of the time!
We finished at 3:00, several hours after I was wanting to stop. But we got a lot of work done. My cousin estimated that we have enough wood for 2 or 3 seasons between my family and his. It's worth it for me, as I hate cold weather as much as anyone else there. Now if I can just get a lot of homework done to make up for getting finished later than expected!
Friday, July 17, 2015
Summer School
Before this semester, I'd never had a summer class before. But it always seemed to me that taking summer classes made a lot of sense, because it could lead to an accelerated graduation date, or at least an easier class load later on when the classes are more difficult.
Now that I'm just one week shy of completing a 12 credit hour summer semester, I can say from experience that summer classes are an excellent option for someone that is willing to put in the time. Perhaps that tone will change over the next week of finals, but a crammed week of homework assignments leading up to the end is par for the course for any semester (at least for me, anyway).
The classes I took this summer consisted of my first online class. This made it really nice for me, as I typically had Physics or Calculus homework or tests during the week. But the homework for the online class, English 101, was mostly due over the weekends. Now, it's likely that I would have turned in the homework as late as I did even had I no other classes, just because that's how I roll!
If someone were considering taking summer classes, I'd suggest an online class because of how flexible the classes typically are. Early in the semester I went to Mexico for 10 days. My Physics professor allowed me to take the time off class, though I know if it'd been a regular semester he likely wouldn't have. Of course, if it'd been a regular semester, then 10 days wouldn't have mattered in the class as much (6 hours of Physics per week vs. 12 in summer). But as long as permission is granted before the semester starts, as I got, then taking off shouldn't be a big issue.
In summary, if anyone were to ask me what I thought about summer classes I'd say, if you want to make future semesters easier, and don't care about spending time in class during a couple summer months, then you should seriously consider summer classes!
Now that I'm just one week shy of completing a 12 credit hour summer semester, I can say from experience that summer classes are an excellent option for someone that is willing to put in the time. Perhaps that tone will change over the next week of finals, but a crammed week of homework assignments leading up to the end is par for the course for any semester (at least for me, anyway).
The classes I took this summer consisted of my first online class. This made it really nice for me, as I typically had Physics or Calculus homework or tests during the week. But the homework for the online class, English 101, was mostly due over the weekends. Now, it's likely that I would have turned in the homework as late as I did even had I no other classes, just because that's how I roll!
If someone were considering taking summer classes, I'd suggest an online class because of how flexible the classes typically are. Early in the semester I went to Mexico for 10 days. My Physics professor allowed me to take the time off class, though I know if it'd been a regular semester he likely wouldn't have. Of course, if it'd been a regular semester, then 10 days wouldn't have mattered in the class as much (6 hours of Physics per week vs. 12 in summer). But as long as permission is granted before the semester starts, as I got, then taking off shouldn't be a big issue.
In summary, if anyone were to ask me what I thought about summer classes I'd say, if you want to make future semesters easier, and don't care about spending time in class during a couple summer months, then you should seriously consider summer classes!
Thursday, July 16, 2015
College So Far...
Over Christmas break of 13', I was laid off of the job that I'd had for 5 years. Over the next few months, I decided to go school for Mechanical Engineering. Since it'd been 10 years since I'd finished Algebra, I got brushed up over last summer. And since I'd never taken Trigonometry before, I hurriedly taught myself the basics the week before taking the Compass placement test offered here at OTC. Thankfully my scores were high enough to place me directly into Calc I.
In the fall of last year, I started school for the first time. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of only taking Calc. I'd thought that I would be able to CLEP out of Chemistry, English, and Economics. Come to find out... without imminent deadlines, it's really difficult for me to get motivated about studying. Also, after it was too late, I realized that the Chemistry CLEP test covered Chem I and II, but only gave credit for Chem I. My lack of motivation to test out of the other classes led to taking 20 hours in the fall. And in order to make up, I'm taking 12 hours now in the summer. I'm still behind on a few general education classes, which I'll be taking this fall. But I'm ahead in some core classes, as I'm taking Physics II and Calc III now. This will allow me to take some classes in the fall that require those classes.
It's turning out to be a blessing that I still have gen eds to take, as a lot of the classes that I need to take next aren't available until the spring. Among those classes are a few from MSU and MS&T. So my fall is currently looking really light on classes (relative to my other semesters this year, at least). In the spring, though, I'll be tested even more that I've been the past two semesters. I'm planning to take 20+ hours, including 3 junior level engineering classes. But I believe that with enough determination and sleepless nights, it's possible!
In the fall of last year, I started school for the first time. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of only taking Calc. I'd thought that I would be able to CLEP out of Chemistry, English, and Economics. Come to find out... without imminent deadlines, it's really difficult for me to get motivated about studying. Also, after it was too late, I realized that the Chemistry CLEP test covered Chem I and II, but only gave credit for Chem I. My lack of motivation to test out of the other classes led to taking 20 hours in the fall. And in order to make up, I'm taking 12 hours now in the summer. I'm still behind on a few general education classes, which I'll be taking this fall. But I'm ahead in some core classes, as I'm taking Physics II and Calc III now. This will allow me to take some classes in the fall that require those classes.
It's turning out to be a blessing that I still have gen eds to take, as a lot of the classes that I need to take next aren't available until the spring. Among those classes are a few from MSU and MS&T. So my fall is currently looking really light on classes (relative to my other semesters this year, at least). In the spring, though, I'll be tested even more that I've been the past two semesters. I'm planning to take 20+ hours, including 3 junior level engineering classes. But I believe that with enough determination and sleepless nights, it's possible!
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Internet Speed
Not even 20 years ago, this wouldn't have been a concern for most people in America. It probably still isn't today, though for different reasons. Today, most people have access to very quick internet speeds for only a small monthly fee. But for people that live in the country, like my parents, internet connectivity can be a big issue. My parents' house isn't even technically in the country, as it's only 5 minutes from the intersection of I-44 and Hwy 65. Since we live in a valley, though, that causes internet connection to be very slow at times, and sometimes to not work altogether.
My dad is a self-employed insurance salesman, and works a lot from home on his computer. Spotty internet service makes his life more difficult, as it slows him down drastically (it really is quite slow overall). The same can be said for me, as I often study at home after getting back from school in the evenings.
The internet has seemingly gotten worse of late, causing several of us to turn off wi-fi on our phones when we're home. This, in turn, has cause issues with our phone plan. We are on a Verizon family plan, on which we're limited to 5 gigabytes of data per month. This billing cycle we've already used over 90%, though there are still 8 days remaining. We've obviously made corrections so we don't continue on this course, but if it weren't for our slow internet, we wouldn't be having this issue.
We had a few internet companies come out this past week, to see if they could find a remedy. Basically, in order for satellite to work well, there has to be direct line of sight to a tower. And since we live in a valley, that's hard to get. As of now, the internet providers have all said that it would cost an exorbitant amount of money to get fast internet at the house, so I guess we'll just suck it up for now.
So I suppose if you're ever looking for a house in the country, make sure you check the internet connection. In my parents' previous house their internet was fast, but cell phone reception was bad. They just can't win!
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