Confessions of a confectionist

[samablam-deactivated20160223]

I can’t believe finals are next week!! Then graduation!! Whoot!! No class today because of this nasty weather, so before work tonight, I will be reviewing the study guide. Me and Kristen finished the Goon Squad part of the review in class Monday, all I have left is the questions for The Road....

[nichole-haire]

Time has flown! Congratulations to you on graduation and to all those graduating this semester! The Road questions were pretty easy, especially since the book is somewhat fresh in our heads from reading it last. Prof Clark really is an awesome teacher. To share my experience, I was recommended to her by MANY friends and tried for 2 months to get into her class that was full and finally at last minute, a spot became available. And am I glad. The class was very productive and fun. I enjoyed it. I hope everyone else did as well! #reblog04272014

[nichole-haire]

Hopefully every stayed safe over the treacherous weather today!

I made it to the college for my other classes at 8 this morning so since we skipped out on having our last review day in class. I spent that time finishing up the study guide/questions. It was pretty easy since my group finished AVFTGS first and half of The Road questions. I must say, I'm feeling pretty confident for this class. Not so much for my others. I really enjoyed this class and surprisingly somewhat of the style that po-mo actually is. Maybe not so much the books we read, but I have been broadening my genre of  books and added a couple to my reading list. I really enjoyed being about to have a class to discuss things critically and the groups. It made my other classes seem lethargic and boring. So, here's to finals week!

BTW, its Monday at 10:30 right? Same room? #blog05022014

[nichole-haire]

Wrapping up the class

Not sure what to write about seeming as we've finished the last of the books to read and last class we were focused on the final. So, I think this post will just reflect on the class as a whole.

I should really thank my friend who suggested this course to me. It was everything that she said it was, as well as Profess. Clark. I thoroughly enjoyed all my humanity classes, but this was probably my favorite. I really was able to go outside my comfort zone on what I normally choose to read. I'm a person who enjoys reading the international and local news and science books. So all four of these books really challenged my attention span.  

As far as the class goes, I'm sort of sad! There have only taken one other class that has allowed me to interact with my classmates as much as this one. Its fun, helpful, and entertaining. Pretty sure I couldn't have asked for a better class group than the one I've had this semester here.

Now, as far as the final goes, is there anyone getting together as a study group? I'm not even sure it would be necessary seeming as we're getting two more days to review. But it might still be nice to run through all the questions together.

#blog04252014

[nichole-haire]

Life as we know it will end, by fire.

So, if you ever wondered about "the end" or an "apocalypse" or what not. Here's some hypothetical suggestions, actually based on scientific research. This is a "what-if" and its kind of freaky.

I reckon I'll tell you about a scenario close to home and maybe it will get you to think a little clearer about what could really happen. I'm really into science and facts, so I came across the Yellowstone super volcano theory.

Scientists discovered this volcano has erupted 2.1 million, 1.3 million, and 640,000 years ago. They estimate that within the next 100,000 years another will take place. Evidence has shown that through the eruptions a massive landscape and environmental change as well as animal extinction. So throwing this knowledge into a theory, scientists have suggested this could be a natural disaster to cause a nuclear winter. This is where there is so much ash and sulfur thrown into the stratosphere that it causes a block to the sun. So much in fact that it could stay in the stratosphere for over a decade before there are signs of improvement. This would cause more natural disasters. The planet could cool off by as much as 5-15 degrees C. This doesn't seem like much, but when you think of temperate regions that rely on the heat, things die off. Not to mention every plant needs the sun to survive. And the icy regions are no exception, it'll begin to melt.

Anyway, I could go on and on about the facts, but I just wanted to share this "close to home" suggestion.

#blog04252014

[natashabailey910]

I started watching the movie this weekend but fell asleep. Has anyone started comparing the movie with the book. I got about half way through the movie and I seen a few things that were different that I really liked. Since I really enjoyed the book, I have decided to write my paper on it for next...

[nichole-haire]

Did you fall asleep watching the movie? I did. I watched it with my husband this week and he hated it. I wasn't too much of a fan. We both picked out things that bothered us horribly. One, it just seemed like the child's character shined more in the movie. This irritated me because his child-like persona never changes-- no matter what happens. That's not normal. And why is there only one animal seen throughout the whole movie/novel? I found that it never occurred to me while reading the book, but when I watched the movie, visually seeing this, just irritated me for some reason.  However, I wish I would have finished writing my paper before I watched the movie... I find myself mixing the two up, so be careful. Or you might be more aware of the differences than I am; I confuse things easily. #reblog04202014

[nichole-haire]

Tired of the helpless child theme

Plenty of spoilers if you haven't finished the book, don't read this post then. Don't get me wrong, I have two kids. But I am over exasperated on reading two novels about "helpless children." As I finished The Road in one sitting and just now watched the film, I'm ready to get back to the genre of books I enjoy. I found the movie far more annoying than the book in this area. Maybe because the child's character visually throws it in the views face that he is never changing. Helpless, useless, doesn't learn, doesn't adapt, can't understand that even after starving for days he doesn't get that giving a can of food away to another is leaving him one less meal. Personal opinion aside, in a world that has diminished itself of the mass majority of food supply, I find it very hard to believe there are no animals, no plant life anywhere, yet there was a dog running around barking. However, for my next post I have been doing some research on what could have caused these events and that's more entertaining to me than the book. Maybe I just expected more out of the book... #blog04182014

[natashabailey910]

This book was awful. The weaknesses definitely outnumbered the stregnths. The weaknesses I found in this book were switching point of views each chapter, bouncing back and forth time periods, thousands of characters to keep up with, the book does not really give you closing, and there are probably...

[nichole-haire]

I agree. I really did feel like this book was a waste. I get the po-mo aspects of it and understand that a closure is not what the author wante and that it was to relate to a real, life like understanding of generation after generation of people, but overall as a whole, it never interested me. Not even once did I ever ask myself a question of who, what, where, how. The characters were so similar to what really happens, that I could not get into one bit. We live in that kind of world and its not something I particularity want to escape to in a book. Maybe I'm not a type of dramatic or nosy person who has to know insights of people's lives. Even though the author left the reader the ample space for guess work in the characters, I just don't even care to waste more time thinking about them. I'm glad we're done with it too. #reblog04132014

[nichole-haire]

Beginning The Road

I will just start and say that this is the only book that I was 100% interested in reading in this course. I cracked it open and as I knew already, the vocabulary used in the book is somewhat challenging, which means I sat with my dictionary app opened on my phone. I love a book that uses extensive knowledge like this and challenges my brain to learn not just about the characters, elements of fiction, or pop art/culture, but also learning academically. This is plays a huge part in why I was looking forward to this one more than the others.  

I am also writing my last critical response on this book and am looking for any themes or topics I might be missing if you might want to share your thoughts would be helpful! Here are a few that I have noted already:

Faith/Lack of/Doubt Survival/Life if you call struggle to survive living Good Vs. Evil Paternal love Death

#blog04112014

[nichole-haire]

I saw a graph that someone posted of the characters. After I finished the book I found this and it helped me put the time line in prospective, because I just couldn’t grasp it with all the switching around the boom does. It lists their ages and times and if you have questions about what happenend it also lists the chapters. Like in my case buzzing through it, the important things I missed and couldn't remember 100% I could go back and re read. In fact, I’m not sure if this is considered a novel, or vignettes because it’s a story over all, but it’s all compromised of short stories, or overall its considered both. It's confusing to me, but there's mo-mo for ya. #blog04042014

[kayleeluing-contemplit-blog]

http://tessiedesigncompany.blogspot.com/2012/01/visit-from-goon-squad-in-flowchart-form.html

I meant to post this but I just realized it never went through off my phone last week!!!

[sheacox]

This is helpful but kind of a spoiler. I don’t mind spoilers, actually kinda love...

[nichole-haire]

I really appreciated this. I really like the visual aspect of it considering i just read the book in a day and am honestly just bulldozed with line after line of text. Hah, but It put some perspective in the characters and reminded me how who met who how so and so did what to another. I found something similar too, not a graph but more like a list for the main characters that are discussed. Ill post that for my blog this week. Check it out, it might be useful #reblog04062014

[sarahreno]

The first few chapters of this book were great. I had a good definition of all characters and then BAM, put in the following chapters and now there is a ton. I like Sasha’s character but find myself feeling really bad for her. She clearly has some unresolved emotional issues that surely are the...

[nichole-haire]

I'm finding I know her character a bit to much. I had a teenaged friend like her. It started stealing from stores and she said it was a company and they would always make up the difference in loss prevention, or however she validated it. She justified not having money and at first it was true it was things she needed that her family couldn't provide, then it progressed to the unseeded and trill of it all. Somewhere along the way she started with people she didn't know, making it more personal. It was now clear more than ever that she had a problem. By then it was too late and it even moved on to the people closest to her, including me... Which we no longer are associated as friends. It's hard and sometimes shed return the items from friends after she used them, she would say she just wanted to experience the use and luxury of items she could never afford; this woman had two jobs too. It was almost heart breaking to see someone just want and desire. To me, the clepto part of the disease or whatever you would call it, seemed like the outcome of the core, the need/desire that nothing was satisfactory for her. Just wanted to share this similarity to Sasha's character to a personal one I knew. #reblog03302014

[nichole-haire]

Time to tell on myself

So, seeming as I was way behind on my readings and needed to read the entire book over this past weekend. I tried too stay away from tumblr for all the spoilers until I finished. And now its time to make up 4 and blow up tumblr lol Cracking open this book and identifying these characters to those we see in the music industry, is quite accurate. It was pretty awesome to me to see the resemblance. Sitting with the kids watching any social/music, media-- I get the "old school" term alot too like it was described with lady gaga and Madonna. I thought that was funny. In the beginning i had a hard time with the time lines though, however when opening up tumblr i saw a post that was titiled that to help and im about to check that out myself. #blog03282014

[kkesther]

I am going to do my critical thinking essay on The Things They Carried and I’m focusing on the theme of love for it. I really enjoyed the concept of finding love in that novel that is focused on so much on hurt and pain. It has been interesting thus far digging into the story and finding love in…

[rachellivingston21]

I just finished revising my critical response on Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and the theme that I chose was also love! I think its awesome how in both of the novels love is such a prominent theme, especially because like you said, it is very focused on hurt or pain. I had a hard time choosing my theme at first, but after thinking about it, I realized how many circumstances revolve around love in the novel. I think it’s awesome the theme you chose for your novel was love too!

[nichole-haire]

I think that love in any aspect of life is a great topic, in media, in novels, whatever it may be! Its so often that in life its so easy to complain and focus on the hurtful things. And in each book there is some kind of theme of love. You two digging into it awesome, because just like what you had to do to find it in the novel is what we have to experience every day. We have to dig through all the bull and crap that we always complain about to find something worthy of love, to another, to our self, to something. Writing a response about love to these books kind of seems like an adventure in itself. #reblog03092014

[nichole-haire]

There is "no help", like the help of a sleepy lazy kitty inspiring you to be lazy with them instead of studying leading up to midterms. Studying and finishing up my first critical response paper. 

However, I know that it is due tomorrow and I just dropped it in the drop box on Angel, but I have a question for anyone who is up this late/early. Did anyone else find that they exceeded the word count, by like alot, like say... a little less than 500 words alot? I last checked my word count half way through, but didn't until I uploaded it to the drop box. I'm kind of worried if that was a mistake. I feel like I had alot to say about the subject I choose and tried to go back through and edit it, but skimmed it down to as little as possible with only taking a whopping 100 words off... I am kinda fearful that points will be taken off for it. but I'm going to cross my fingers.

Second address, I haven't seen anyone post this yet, but is anyone doing a group study for the mid term? That might be a nice idea to verbally go over everything like what we do in class. Hearing and discussing always helps me more. #blog03142014

[samablam-deactivated20160223]

Just like a lot of the other people on the class, I have not finished the book, but I’m 75 % done. If I didn’t have two jobs and school I probably would never put this book down. It’s very interesting. It’s sometimes hard to keep up with the jumping around, especially with the “My feelings” chapters, but I am starting to catch on, lol. I love Oskar, he is such a smart and interesting 9 year old boy. He’s very brave and he is his own person. I definitely cried during the chapter of the grandfather leaving the grandmother. Mostly when she let all the animals free. It has been kind of hard for me to put everything together from where I am in the book, but I am nearly done and it is all falling together perfectly!!

[nichole-haire]

I know that Clark had mentioned how we wished we could have traded spots with the things they carried as far as timeline. I couldn't agree more, This book was more complicated in sequence of information being read in the chapters, where you're experiencing the "jumping around," It really is hard to keep your knowledge of whats happening on a timeless straight. It really took a while to start putting all the pieces together to the point of me thinking, "holy cow, when am I going to figure this out???" So, with that i couldn't put the book down till I finished it, thought it made it very difficult to discuss in class because of spoilers. But like you said you are about 75% done, you are right there were you finally realize whats all happening. I'm not sure how it made you feel, but I felt a little disappointed in the result of the climax. #reblog03022014

[nichole-haire]

I have a bad habit of not wanting to put a book down once I pick it up. I simply cannot stop myself when I am in the middle of figuring out the plot or am left with questions, in which case I was promoted to finish the book way earlier than the scheduled reading dates.  I must say it made it extremely hard to talk about in class and discuss without giving away spoilers. By now, most have already finished it or are, so Ill leave my thoughts on what was the most fascinating in the book to me, these silly doors with key holes.

Who has doors like these anymore? Unless your house was built in the early 1900's or you have a taste for the classics and antique and have renovated your home to represent this theme, no one these days! These door photos were so intriguing to me. I get that the idea was seeing the key holes in different ways, the outside of the door, the inside, with it in locked position and with it in unlocked position. I pretty much picked up the meaning that it was a social block in the reading. You are meant to be on the "outside" of the situation or you don't access to specific information yet. I interrupted it that you are forbidden in that area and that knowledge in some parts of the book are accessible to the reader. However, as I re-read and write my essay, I found myself thinking about the time stamp of the model of the key hole and door. These look like doors that grandma and Thomas Sr. would have had in their home. Does the author mean to have some meaning to just those characters by the age of the door? I mean, even modernly we all have doors with knobs, but they don't look like this anymore.  These doors look like a simple universal skeleton key would unlock it. Does this mean as on meaning of the doors that the older characters had a wider range of understanding of things, while the younger characters don't understand much of the history since they are newer.  I may only be making sense of this in my head; this probably sounds absurd to some of you, but I thought I'd share my WAY OUT THERE thoughts. #blog02282014

[pri2117]

This book is my favorite. I was able to connect to Oscar in the book. I feel so much connect that I just can not wait to finish reading the book. I just wish there was more time in day. I been listening to the audiobook while I drive. this book is pointing out something that I did not know about...

[nichole-haire]

You're the one that was talking in class about being able to relate to Oscar and his mother's situation, correct? I love that you shared that comparison. Coming back into college when being away from school for a decade, the majority of my fellow classmates are young. I see young adults not being able to relate to their parents and its heart breaking to me hearing that, coming from a mother's perspective, just like the relation Oscar has with his mother. So thanks for sharing that with the class. #02232014reblog