On Endings, Broad Margins and Moving Forward

Closing Thoughts

You may have noticed the circular pattern of our course. We started on a recipe for success...and we ended with "Tuesdays with Morrie," success, and a recipe for happiness. This was intentional. We always think of moving forward and the path that is in front of us.

Truth is--as you journey there will be stops and starts. There will be times when you might have to go off the path you carefully selected. You may feel like you are right back where you started. You may (likely) have detours. Embrace those too, as part of the journey, then get back on the path. As Albert Einstein said, “The number one reason why people give up so fast is because they tend to look at how far they still have to go instead of how far they have come."

“Reexamine all that you've been told. Dismiss what insults your soul.” Walt Whitman

This semester is closing...& that's bittersweet. I've grown to know you all over these past 17 weeks. You've found a place in my heart and I'll miss you and the connections made here. Continue to connect and appreciate people & nature, as much as screens and devices. And now, other things await you. You're going to do great things and the world needs all of your collective enthusiasm, hopefulness, irony, humor, and plain zest for living! 

Be Happy.
      Be Well.

         And don't ever give up.

All the Best~~ Lisa

Life Lessons from some of my favorite American writers:

"I  take to the open road. Healthy, free, the world before me."

Walt Whitman

"The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.” ~Tuesdays with Morrie

Six Simple Words

My six word memoir:

Always swing as high as possible.

As we get older, we start to calculate our risks. We don't always go for it all, and we don't swing quite as high as we did when we were younger. This six word memoir is a reminder that it's always good to reach for the stars, to follow your dreams and to swing as high as possible. Don't you just love that feeling!

Caught in the 'Net--or there by Choice?

Week 6: We started Chapter 2, "Does Personal Privacy Have Limits?"

The two readings look at the issue of online privacy, but from different points of view. David Plotz makes the point that we only care about privacy when it's our *own* privacy at stake. Jack Shafer, meanwhile, feels like when we are online, our privacy is being invaded to such a degree that it's like "Big Brother" run amok. He even goes so far to say, "you're paying with your privacy." Is the Internet (social media, Candy Crush, etc) worth the price of your privacy? Who is the real "Big Brother"...What do you think?



As for me, I can't get to the place where I don't care about what people find out about me online. This could be due to generational differences, and the way I grew up, but it is also that part of me that feels protective of my personal information and private life. I still post on various social media sites (twitter, facebook, tumblr, G+ Pinterest and Blogger, thank you very much!), but I think before I post.

I THINK, therefore I BLOG...
Got Thoughts? Have something to say? Want to find an audience and connect? Well then, blogging is the way to go.

This is the English 100 1pm class blog landing page, called "Campus Connections." All the class blogs will be linked here. I hope you will each take the time to not only share your individual perspectives on our class readings and issues in contemporary culture via your own blog posts, but also to read and comment on your classmates' blogs.



Whether you are an experienced writer, seasoned blogger, or completely new to this idea, you will find that blogging let's you think critically about the topics we're discussing. It may be a less formal writing mode, but it is no less powerful. Why? Blogging allows you to write in an authentic voice, to get your message out quickly, and to join the critical conversation.  Just as the New York Times blogger Nick Bilton did when responding to Charlene deGuzman's video, and Matt Bors did, when responding to the Time Magazine "Millennials/Me Generation" cover.

And just in case you are wondering if there is any legitimacy to blogging, here is a recent article called, "Blogs vs. Term Papers," where various college professor-types argue the merits of doing away with "term papers" entirely, and replacing them instead with blogs. So you see, once again, our class is part of the critical conversation.

Your perspective is just as valid as any other critic or scholar. So, go ahead and share your ideas. Write that first post. Or, as Michael Jordan would say, "take the shots." Welcome to blogging. Now...start writing!