Metacognition: Organizing My Music

        For my tribute for Aristotle, I organized my music files on my computer. It was something I really needed to do, but couldn't motivate myself to do it. Thanks to this project I was given motivation and I'm glad that this project is finally out of the way.
        Before beginning to organize my music I realized I was facing a daunting task. I had let my music stack up unorganized for such a long time. I had music saved in files and CDs on my computer I had never transfered to my itunes library. Also, I must admit I do some downloading and all of my downloaded songs didn't have the right names or they didn't have artist or album names. TO give you an idea there were over one hundred of these songs. I was going to have to listen to most of this music just to find out what it is and then transfer it to my library then to my itunes. "This is gonna take awhile," I thought.
        I decided I would do this project over the course of Thanksgiving break, a little bit at a time. It was just the opposite of what I thought it would be. It was easy and moved relatively fast. It may have only gone fast because I enjoyed myself. It was relaxing going back and rediscovering this music. It was almost like I had lost my music and late at night over break I found it while organizing. It was a good way to unwind after a long day. I would just sit down at my computer and listen to songs while I typed in the names and artists and albums. After I finished it was nice not only because of the music that I discovered, but what I discovered about myself.
       I discovered that organization is a feeling. It is something that you feel in the back of your mind and having less on your mind allows for more relaxation. Although not having my music organized doesn't seem like a big deal, it gave me a feeling of accomplishment and got one more little thing I had to do off my back. I now know that if I can continue to take care of these little things that I procrastinate about then I will be a much lessed stressed out person. I also know how much music I really have.

Best of Week: Which Hellenistic Class Do You Agree With?

        On Tuesday, we talked about all the different Hellenistic classes of thought. There were five main philosophies, all of them very interesting. There were the Cynics, the Stoics, the Epicureans, the Neoplatonists and the Mystics. Each group in class was given a Hellenistic group to research and then would have to return to the class and report on their specific groups and their philosophy. After each group had presented, each individual in class was told to choose which Hellenistic school of thought they thought their beliefs best fit under.
        I really liked this assignment because it was interactive and interesting and people got a chance to really search themselves and I think that helped everyone understand the philosophies better. It was also interesting to see who I agreed with and who didn't. I also like hearing my classmate's explanations of why they chose the group they did.
        The overall class results were approximately this:
Cynics: 2
Stoics: 1
Epicureans: 6
Neoplatonists: 2
Mystics: 3
None of the Above: 6
      I was in the epicureans. I probably could have gone in the none of the above as I don't feel too strongly about any of the philosophies, but I decided to choose one and Epicureans was the one I thought I could believe in most. Here's a breakdown of my thoughts on each group ending with why I chose the Epicureans.
Cynics: I like the Cynics ideas. They believe that material things are not necessary for happiness. I totally wish I agreed with that, but I don't. I wish I could just go out in the woods and live off the land, but I know I won't. Desire is human nature. People always want things and including me. Especially in this material world we live in now, and being an American teenager I honestly don't think I would be happy.
Stoics: They basically reject emotion and I would find it hard to live a life without pain and suffering or without love, happiness and joy.
Neoplatonists and Mystics: I am not really a religous person and just find it hard to buy into either of these philosophies which both involve a higher being. Of all the philosophies I wish I could be a mystic because I like the idea of strongly believing in a God and coming so close to your God that he almost takes you over. It would be perfection to meet God.
Epicureans: The epicureans are all about indulging in pleasures. Sure they believe that to much of something at once can be bad, but they believe, contrary to cynics and stoics, that emotion and material things are good if they bring pleasure and happiness. I believe, on Earth, our goal should just be to obtain true happiness and have fun. We should love and do what we love. They also believe that after death there is nothing, so we don't have to worry about punishment in a next life. I would like their to be an after-life, that's how I feel about death. I'm not worried about dying because I know if there isn't after life I won't know it cause there will be literal nothingness.
        So, I guess as far as in class Hellenism goes, I guess you can call me an Epicurean.        

Connection: Sophie's World and Issues and Answers Class

        There is an obvious connection between Sophie's World and one of my classes. And no, that class is not humanities. Sophie's World is a book about philosophy. What a coincidence? So is Issues and Answers.
        In Issues Class we talk about all kinds of philosophies. One of the major ones we did last quarter was leanring about Plato's Allegory of the Cave. It was interesting, then, to learn more about Plato in Sophie's world. Some of the philosophical questions that arise in class have also been discussed in class. We talked about who we are and why are we here starting in the first week of school. So it was interesting that those were the first to questions that Sophie was asked as well. I haven't come to an answer yet and I decided I don't think I ever will. But I am finding more pieces to the puzle everyday and get a better idea of the answers to those essential questions. Both humanities and Issues and Answers have made me into a deeper thinker, exactly like what the philosophy classes are doing for Sophie.
        I think it will be interesting to keep track of Sophie's philosophical jounrey next to mine. Maybe I will notice more similarities. But having this experience has made me enjoy the book much more so far as it is quite easy to relate to.

iMedia: Oxford Comma

       

        I chose the song Oxford Comma by Vampire Weekend. Vampire Weekend is one of my favorite bands. Their style is kind of an intellectual indie/alternative. I recently went to a one of their concerts in Chicago and this song was one of the many they performed. I really like the way the song is written and the music. They are truly talented musicians. But the thing I am really writting about is the words to this song and its cultural implications.
        The members of Vampire Weekend are Columbia University graduates. They are from well-off East Coast families, but many of their songs are about the problems of high society and how snobby and prejudice they can be. They use parody in Oxford Comma to make fun of how people these days (especially high class) make a big deal out of the littlest things. The line from the chorus, "Who give a f*** about an Oxford Comma?" is talking about the arguement over whether or not an oxford comma is neccessary in sentences. The bands opinion is, "why is that something worth fighting over?" The song is actually about oxford commas, but that stands more as an example of the kinds of little things that are blown out of proportion and it questions why people feel the need to lie about and aruge over small things. Maybe to make themselves appear smarter or more powerful.
Why would you lie about how much coal you have?
Why would you lie about something dumb like that?
Why would you lie about anything at all?
First the window, then it's to the wall
Lil' Jon, he always tells the truth
        I like this song and chose to share it because I agree with their lyrics and what they are saying about society. I think there would be far less problems in the world if people cared less about being right and argued less about pointless things.
         
   

Best of Week: Born Into Brothels

        Two days this past week we watched the documentary Born Into Brothels, which is about children who were born and raised in the red light district of Calcutta, India. It was terrible to see the conditions that these children have to grow up in. As it is, its not a good life for their mothers, who put food on the table by working as prostitutes. Although it is sad and almost hard to watch, I'm glad I did because it was an eye opener for me. Seeing the kind of hardship and poverty others go through in the world always makes me feel lucky and want to do something to help.
        This is the reason for my going on the Habitat for Humanity trip originally. I saw what Hurricane Katrina hada done to the gulf coast and new five years later they were still rebuilding and still needed help. I saw it as an oppurtunity to use what I have (in this case time and the ability to build houses) to help someone who doesn't have anything.
        I think it would be cool if as a class we looked into the subject of the documentary in greater detail. I know we are watching it because it connects with the book, and I think it does have a strong connection in terms of the photography aspect, but I would like to research the children themselves. If not the actual children featured in the film, we should look into other children born into brothels and see if we can helo as a class. If not, I will certainly do somemore research and see what I can do to help.
        It's terribly sad, but I'm glad the filmaker noticed them. I think the cameras and the photography classes were a good idea because it gives them something to keep them of the street and hopefully enough money to support them or get them through school. I'm looking forward to watching the end of the movie this coming week.

Metacognition: QE Essay

        When I started writing my QE essay, the first thing I had to decide was which question from the list I wanted to address. I chose the question "how can creativity be used to improve the human condition?" I chose it because it seemed like the easiest question for me to answer because I knew I had an opinion on it.
       My initial thought was "of course it can because creativity is the start of everything, so to improve the human condition, creavity is needed." However, this was too simple of a thought and I began to worry if this essay idea would hold up and if I could write a thesis off it. I began working on section II not knowing if my essay would work out or not.
        I was alsos nervous about section II because it was about exploring the question instead of proving it. However, after exploring, I truly found an answer. I realized people have good ideas about how to make the world a better place all the time, but the key is to act on them, to innovate. I discovered this answer by exploring my five sources and seeing other examples of innovation that improved society.
        This was honestly one of the hardest essays I've ever had to write. It's not because it wasn't a five paragraph, structured essay. I've written unstructured papers before. I've also written longer essays than the QE, but I'd never written a paper that spent more than half the paper exploring and thinking, rather than just expressing a thesis and proving it. In the end, I was happy with the answer I came to and how the essay turned out.

Blogging Around

Lizzie- Best of Week: The College Essay

Lizzie wrote her best of week blog on the class we spent talking about a good college essay. I liked it because I am going through a lot of the same things she is and could really relate to what she had to say.

I completely agree with you Lizzy. This was a well written blog and I am definitely feeling your pain. I think we talked about this on Habitat, but I want to go to Madison too. But I don't know if I'll have the grades. I got a lot going on in my life and I'm kind of scared I'm developing senioritis. However, the talk in class did help a lot. I was worried that the colleges I apply to will not like my essay, but it felt good to hear from a teacher that we should just be ourselves. This past weekend, I was able to pump out my first (and hopefully only essay). I think it went well and I used my own voice. Keep up the good blogging and good luck getting accepted.

Melissa- Carry It Forward: IDEO Video

Melissa wrote her carry it forward blog on the IDEO video. I liked it because it was well written and had a lot of good ideas that I had never thought of and I agreed with. It was also interesting that we both wrote about IDEO but had different things that we carried forward from it.

I enjoyed reading your blog Melissa. It was well written and flowed very well. I wrote my Carry It Forward blog on IDEO too. I like that we both were able to write the same assignment on the same subject and neither one of us really touched on the same ideas. I wrote mine about creativity and innovation. I like your ideas and I agree. Sometimes thinking about someone else helps you make better decisions and it is probably more useful to both you and them. The part where you wrote about filling out forms neatly I can totally relate to. It reminded me of me college apps. All in all it was a very interesting blog. Good job.

Metacognition: Mind Book Entry

        This past week when doing my mind book entry I realized something about myself. It was something that was there all along. It was something I knew before, but had just forgot. I realized I am creative.
        Most people can be creative, some more so than others. I am a very creative person and I love to do creative things, but I had forgot that. The last time I was given an assignment that was basically unstructured and creative was probably art class in middle school. Looking back at my high school career I wish I hadn't waited until senior year to take a class where I can do creative things. Doing an assignment in my mind book reminded me of my childhood when I used to love doing arts and crafts.
       When I first learned about the mindbook I was nervous because while I had some ideas and some of the projects interested me, I didn't think I could come up with enough ideas to complete all the assignments and make it through the year. I looked through the ideas of for mindbook assignments and changing a picture was the one that caught my eye. When I was down town over the summer, I was looking at the fountain in Millenium Park with the different faces, and I got the idea of putting together different faces to make one face. I started off by printing eyes, a nose and a mouth from different pictures. I soon realized that I used pictures of people from all different races. I decided to color the face and hair all different colors too so there was no destinction of race.
        Creating this first project and seeing my creativity come alive inspired me. I then thought, "how can I personalize my mindbook so it will be different from everyone else's." The one thing that came to me is that most people will write about music in their mind books, but no one will actually have music. I used one of those talking greeting cards to make a contraption that would sing everytime my mindbook was opened to my cover page. To my surprise it worked perfectly. So, now when ever Mr. Allen grades my mindbook he can enjoy that timeless tune by the classy group The Baha Men.
        I'm glad that I have restored faith in my creative abilitites. They were there all along. All they needed was a little stimulation and the mindbook did just that, but I guess that's why we do them- to get the creative juices flowing. Now I am looking forward to completing future mindbook assignments and have no fear about not coming up with new ideas.

Best of Week: Introvert or Extrovert?

        This past week the class conversation came to an interesting discussion and a few questions arose. Who is an introvert and who is an extrovert? What qualities define these kinds of people? Is it possible for someone to be both? This topic interested me and for the rest of the week I pondered these questions both inside and outside of class.
        The conversation arose when Mr. Allen asked for some of the quieter students, or "observers", to speak up a little more in class and for the students who participate frequently, or "talkers", to give the observers more of a chance to add to the discussion. An observer (as defined by Mr. Allen) is not neccessarily shy and is certainly not a bad person, but they just choose to sit back and listen, absorbing information and making observations to themselves rather than to the rest of the class. I realize it is important to have a balance between observers and talkers, otherwise nothing would be said or nothing would be heard. I think in our class there is a good balance, which is why the conversation flows so well.
        The conversation then turned to the point of what defines an introvert and an extrovert. Mr. Allen said he was an introvert, not because he is shy or quiet, but because he enjoys being alone sometimes. He also said that an introvert does like to be around people, but being around people tires them out. An extrovert, on the other hand, is charged up from being around others. Hearing what Mr. Allen and some of my classmates had to say I decided I would come to my own definition of intorverted and extroverted, and then classify myself as one or the other.
After much thought this is how I defined the two:
Introvert: someone who does not need company all the time and enjoys their alone time. Also, they can enjoy the company of people, they just can't take too much of large groups and being in groups tires them out. They don't like attention drawn to themselves or being embarrassed. They let the conversation come to them. Common misconception: introverts are not necessarily shy and quiet. They do not hate other people. I would define that as a recluse or an anti-social.
Extrovert: someone who enjoys the company of others and is much happier around others than alone. They thrive on talking and attention. They are happy and charged up rather than tired after being in large groups. They like to create and encourage conversation. Common misconseptions: extroverts do not necessarily have huge egos and are not annoying and overly-talkitive. I would define that as egotistical or stuck up.
        I think the overall realization I came to was that being introverted or extroverted is just as much how you feel on the inside and what you like as it is about how much you talk and interact with others. So, now there was one question left to answer: can someone be both? The answer, I realized, was in myself.
       When thinking about whether I was introverted or extroverted, I thought of the characteristics I had defined each as and which ones I possessed. For the most part I enjoy being in groups. I like to work in groups and think of myself as being pretty social. However, this is mainly around close friends and family. When I am in a small group, I am talkative and energetic. In large groups I am usually reserved and could be defined as an observer. It is not shyness, it's just that I prefer to hear what other's have to say and I let the conversation come to me. Around new people I am sometimes shy but, once I get comfortable around people I am talkative and sometimes wild. I tend to be energized by being in groups rather than be tired out.
        From these observations I realized it is possible to be both introverted and extroverted, because I am.

What If?: Becoming an Inventor

        In class on Wednesday, we watched a video about the workers at IDEO, the world's largest product development firm. However, the clip was not so much about who they were and what they did, but the creativity that goes into what they do. It was interesting to me that they were from all different backgrounds and all different fields. One was a marketing expert, a few engineers, one was a psychologist and another a biologist, but they all had one thing in common they were all creative and all worked well in a group.
        As I was thinking after class, that is a good description of my school work. I work much better in groups than alone and I love to do creative work. I tried to think of professions where you get to work in groups and be creative. The more and more I thought about it, being some sort of designer seemed to be the profession that involved those two things the most. I thought, "what if I was an inventor?" What kind of things would I invent? Would anyone buy these things?
        Since I was little I have tried to invent things. I once built a line of string from my pillow to my light switch so I could turn off the light without having to get out of bed. Another one of my ideas as a kid was to have condiments that you could spray on your food from an aerosol can. I thought of that because it used to take me forever to get peanut butter and jelly on my sandwhich as a kid. My most recent invention would have to be a homemade capo. A capo is a device for a guitar which usually is clipped on to the fret bar in order to change the key and make bar chords easier. I do not have one and needed one for a song I was playing, so I made one from a pencil and rubber bands.
        I remembered learning in consumer that in order to invent a successful product there has to be a need for that product. Sure, I did not have a million dollar idea, but that is why there are places like IDEO, they have many brilliant minds working together all day in order to come up with ideas and develop products. If I worked with a group of classmates for the entire school day for five days, I am willing to bet that we would come up with a product that we can sell. As they say, "two (or three, or four) minds are better than one."