IS 101 Reflection

I have heard it so often over the course of the year. Moans and groans are apparent when it comes to going to IS class and doing the work that is involved. Yes, maybe all of the reading and writing that was involved seemed tedious and stressful just because it was work, but I enjoyed our class for several reasons.

Surprisingly, I found the IS reader to be an interesting combination of essays. There was personal connection and meaning for me, and I felt that by reading them I was able to better understand the college experience, as well as who I am as a person.

Secondly, I loved the fact that we were able to read, analyze, and discuss the works of Michael Crichton. I have never read anything by him before, but now that I have I want to read all of his books. The science have always been an interest to me, and to combine them with an action-packed story was very intriguing.

Also, a special thanks to you Professor Wright. I am sure we turn in an evaluation, but thank you for the positive experience.

The First Snow!!!!

Finally! We got our first snow. It was very interesting that the temperatures remained in the 50's for all of November. Global Warming? Who knows. All I know is that the snow is here. Yay!

The snow on the campus mall makes Wartburg look stunning. Tracks now "speckle" (Hanson-Pollock) the sheets of snow as a result of students going to class. Old Main looks beautiful as ever as it still stands, overlooking the campus. The sidewalks have been cleared, but a thin sheet of snow remained, leaving them a little bit icy today. Regardless, I love the snow and it is here.

Lastly, tomorrow is the big freshman vs. upperclassmen cross country football game. Things are gonna get crazy. It is going to get intense, just like camping. The word on the street is that freshman blood will be spilled upon the football field. That there has never been a freshman team in the history of the game who have beat the upperclassmen. What do I think? I think that we stand a chance. I think that by believing in ourselves, we can achieve anything.

Ping Pong Tournament

It was brought to my attention by my roommate, Erik Jolivette, that he was blogging about the Clinton 3 ping pong tournament being held tomorrow, December 3, 2009. I wanted to clarify and state my opinion on some aspects of this very special event.

To begin, I believe that Erik feels he has the title in the bag, and the thought of being champion is out of reach for any other participants. I would like to go out on a limb and say the Erik is underestimating his competition. I'd like put my name in the running for an upset. Erik may be the Achilles of his time within the ping pong realm, but even Achilles fell...

Regardless, Erik, Joshua Trueblood, and myself have agreed to spit the winnings. The reward is a $50 gift card to Wal-Mart. We have agreed to treat ourselves to a friendly shopping spree, which I hope Erik mentioned. Although I hope I can obtain bragging rights as the Clinton 3 ping pong champion, my true allegiance lies within the idea that one of us win.

"The Andromeda Strain" Response

You can definitely tell that this movie was made back in the 1970's. If I am off with my date estimate, it is safe to say that this movie is dated at the very least. The film started off very good, The death of the town caught my attention and made me excited to keep watching, just like a Crichton book makes the reader want to continue. However, when the team got to the testing base to experiment with the survivors and what caused all the deaths, things got very dull and unexciting. The creation of the film really shined through in the part of the movie. I felt that I was almost "too smart" for the technologies being expressed and explained. I didn't really want to come to class today in fear of more boredom...

However, as I sit here and continue watching the film, I have been pleasantly surprised. Things have gotten quite exciting and the plot is really starting to form. Problems and mysteries continue to arise and the "Crichton" is shining through just like it always does. The man is a pure genius and never ceases to to amaze me with his thought, imagination, and intellect.

"Congo" Reaction

Amazing!

Crichton continues to amaze me. Yes, I know that being so interested in science play a major role in my interest in his writing, but this novel was great. Animal intelligence was an interesting route to go with his plot, but by creating a new gorilla-like species to relate with current ALS speaking gorillas, things were very exciting. I felt that Crichton did a better job of tying up loose ends in "Congo" as compared to "State of Fear". There were less stories going on within one plot, making it easier to understand what was going on. Yes, "State of Fear" made sense in the end, but it was harder to stay interested when I was confused. Congo kept my interest most of the time, and the suspense was always building, "State of Fear" lost some of that spark throughout the novel.

A couple of years ago I read a novel call "Amazonia", written by James Rollins. Mutant species were behind many of the issues, just like the gray gorillas of the Congo. The creation of new species that authors incorporate into science fiction often make plots very interesting, especially when the new species are in such a close relation to animals that we as humans are familiar with. I love these kinds of books, and can't wait until I have the opportunity to read another.

Education Reading Relation

Learning in school and than experiencing a situation that can be applied to learned material is always very rewarding. Although rewarding might not always be the greatest word, the fact that school can be applied to life makes paying for an education seem all the more worthwhile.

When talking about how too many students perform for grades I could definitely agree from prior situations, but I hadn't experienced anything in college yet. After being here for a term I have finally seen it. Being a biochemistry major I get a good look at the science majors that I study and have class with. We all seem very uptight about class and tests and seem to miss that spark in life at times that is supposed to make learning fun.

In high school it was always annoying to me when I was asked about my scores on tests and then compared to others and their results. I know what your thinking, and your right. I have just today encountered the same thing and it bugged me. My grades are my business, period. Its not that I was mad, more entertained by the fact that we had discussed this type of occurrence in IS.

Congratulations Professor Wright...Your doing your job well. :)

Lutheranism/ Lutheran College Reading Reflection

Being a member at an ELCA affiliated church, I found the Lutheranism readings very repetitive, however, a review on Martin Luther and his teachings was nice to read about. By reading Lutheranism 101 and 102 I was able to reestablish what it is I believe as a Lutheran, and why it is I believe it. When it comes to faith this is, after all, the most important part.

I really enjoyed Christenson's conclusions and afterthoughts in his essay. I feel that he is seeing the big picture as to why Lutheran colleges are changing, and how they are still doing many things that make them religiously affiliated colleges. Change is a part of life, and in reality, the church has changed what it is too. As culture changes, church's change to fit the culture, which in result causes changes in other aspects of life. For instance, women could never have held a position in the church years ago, but are just as able as men are in ELCA affiliated churches. Traditions change, and to say that a college is becoming secular because it changes is an exaggeration. Christenson does a great job of making this point evident.