Since the beginning of the school  year, I have been thinking a great deal about Advanced Creative Writing class. Although I am a Creative Writing minor, there is a part of me that cannot wrap my mind around the concept that there is an aspect of non-fictional writing that can be associated with creative writing.  Specifically speaking, I cannot grasp the concept that essay writing is a form of creative writing.  To me, these two are extremely different forms of writing. On one hand we have the stereotypical aspect of essay writing that is normally nonfiction or is mostly nonfiction with fictional aspects.  On the other hand we have pure poetry which is, in my opinion mostly what I am used to doing.  Although I see the validity and importance of both forms of writing, I cannot help but feel as though one seems to deem itself to be more truer than the other.  Essay, to me, seems to hold its place within more academically required work and does not have a place, for the most part, within creative writing.  Poetry, on that same note, follows this same guideline with the exception of per say a Creative Writing course.  And, on that note, before I delve deeper into the subject, I will end this blog for now.

PS: The Poetry Slam from before Spring Break was a great hit.  The Walsh chapter of the Black Student Union had a great turnout and we are all looking forward to collaborating with other university organizations, namely the Sigma Tau Delta, in order to coordinate another poetry reading.

So, I have taken my first, official midterm for my Contemporary Philosophy class…. Having never taken a class with Brad Beach, I was at first a bit scepticle about the exam and his expectations.  However, after having taken the exam, I now realize that this exam is quite similar to the essays that I have constructed for my English classes.  I am actually looking forward to receiving my exam and finding out my grade.  Although it was an open note/ open book exam, there is a part of me that thinks that there was still something missing from my explanation and examination of William James and Bertrand Russell.  However, I now know what to expect to do in he way of Beach’s exams and look forward to the large essay that will be do sometime soon.

Hey Blog Peeps…What’s Kickin’?

WARNING: This blog was done out of shear wisdom for myself and thinking out loud.  It may benefit you too or maybe inspire you.  Odds are however, you will just think “What’s going on?”  This is normal.  Some side effects include multi-tasking, playing Hearts or Minesweeper, throwing things, or sleep.  Who knows though, maybe this is true for you.  Feel free to comment away no matter who you are…..Enjoy

Been a week and a half since my last update and even though it doesn’t seem like a long time, it really is.  A person in a supermarket once told me, “Life goes fast when you’re young.  When you’re old, it speeds.”  It feels like just yesterday I walked into this University a freshman, timid but outgoing, ready to conquer everything Walsh threw at me and more.  I didn’t know what I would do afterward, or even a major at the time, but I knew I wanted to be BIG.  That one day, I would be a household name in whatever I did.  Today I woke up, with the flu nonetheless, realizing that I am now in the stage where I take the next big step into making the man I saw myself becoming.  With the exception of a few last big projects before graduation, this is it.  Walsh brought its “A” game to me, and I feel as though I’ve played quite well.  But now what…?

It’s a scary realization thinking that your path is about to be completely new.  The carefully laid road you’ve strode down for so long is about to abruptly end and it is your choice where to walk, or blindly leap from now on.  I mean, for the past 17 years of my life, I’ve done the same thing.  Every kid does.  I dreamed of the glory summer would bring.  I knew I would be free from class and homework and on my own to discover what life is all about.  Summer is the education to your schooling.  Of course I’ve had to work, but it is in summer where you learn about life, laugh with a P.I.C (Partner in Crime), and make a memory or two (or twenty eight).  Then, always too soon, the hot days of summer fade into the crisp days of fall and you return to schooling.  That’s what I’ve done.  That’s what most seniors have done.  Our lives were planned for us by the “man”…..or “woman”…depending on the dominant figure in your household that said either you go to school or we’ll hate you.  Well not hate you, of course our parents still love us, you would just get the, “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed speech,” and nobody likes that.  Anyways, I digress.

The point to all this is, besides me clearing my mind on this cyber-technological cork-board, is that now, my future is unknown.  I’ve done well in school my whole life.  I’ve been on honor roll and Honor Societies, Student Governments and athletic teams, Resident Assistant, writer, and all kinds of things.  But I’ve got a question now.  I’m good at school.  Life after?  I dunno…

We dream of life when we are “big” when we are little.  We dream of being a firefighter diving into a burning building to save the hopeless victim at the last second, a doctor curing patients and helping people, or a pro-athlete having the crowd chant your name after hitting the last second shot.  Somewhere however, the life where our dreams exist fades aware and reality settles in out of necessity.   Face it, if this weren’t true, NASA would have more astronauts then the Vatican has Catholics on Easter.  Who didn’t want to walk in space when they were young?  But now the real world settles in for good as life is knocking at my proverbial door.  That means a job or more school…

The application process of getting a job our going to grad school outside of college is a bear.  You need your resume, your recommendations, your portfolio, your test scores all while hopefully not losing your mind.  When you finally send it out, rejections can come left and right, competition is high, and if you don’t like bragging about yourself or look good in a low cut shirt (Oh….Snap…..That’s a joke…..Please no angry e-mails),  the person on the other side of the table doesn’t care if you’ve been good at school.  They want to know if you will benefit them after school.  Bottom line…

But I’m not ready to give up on my dreams yet.  It’s not a Peter Pan envy or anything, I just don’t want my life to become routine.  I promised myself two things when I was young thanks to my mom who was all about setting goals.  After all, my sister said since she was in KinderCare she wanted to be a doctor, and just last year, she did just that graduating from med-school (Walsh Alum I’ll throw in…Go Cavs!).  I love her to death but that’s pressure.  So I promised myself two things for life….1) To never have a job that felt like work……2) To always be happy.  So far I have stayed as close to these two things as I possibly can.  True, life has thrown things at me (some of them feeling like small punches and others like grenades), but I’ve never given up on these two things.  I’m a fun guy, and I have found a major I love and it fits with my dream.  I could be the next Bob Costas or Andy Rooney.  Lord knows I have the eyebrows…..

I may not know what the correct path is for me and I may not be taking the right way to get there, but my life here at Walsh and over the past four years has made me realize that it will be ok.  The sun will rise tomorrow, I’ll get up, and life goes on.  I’m not afraid of walking in the dark.  I don’t need to have the specifics.  All I have are my two promises to myself and my dream of being someone everyone knows in the world of sports casting or journalism.  So if you’re in college, about to go into college, young, old, big, or Roloff (1/2 of them at least), don’t let someone decide for you who you are.  Be yourself.  Some people are focused, others, like me, aren’t.  But that’s ok.  We’re ok.  It’s ok not to know.  It’s how every great adventure starts…

Hopefully this has made you think, made you laugh, or made you wonder where the past ten minutes have gone.  Hey, you read it by free will.  I’ve just been receiving a lot of pressure from peers, professors, friends, and even strangers about what I am doing next.  So much so that it made me feel like because I wasn’t exactly sure, it made me feel not good enough to them, like I wasn’t ready for this ”real world thing” because I haven’t settled yet do give up on dreaming.  I may never settle.  But to answer my question before, I now know thanks to this University and those I’ve met, been influenced by, and befriended while here.  Not to mention my family and friends back home through my life.  Trust me, for all these years I may have been good at school….But I KNOW I’ll be great at life…

You will too.  All you have to do is dream…

-Tyler

So, I have officially completed my first week of classes and I must admit that I am relieved that they are all going well so far.  I only had to change one class, but, other than that, all went well.  I am taking 15 credit hours while working 21 hours at Walgreens and tutoring for about 10hours per week.  OHEW!!! It’s a busy schedule but I think I can do it.  I asked my grandmother last week if she thought I could take 18 credit hours… her immediate answer was no.  I do not blame her for her answer.  So far I am taking:

English 320: Advanced Creative Writing

English 315: Beauty and Desire

Philosophy 208: Contemporary Philosophy

Spanish 305: Survey of Spanish American Literature I

Spanish 308: Readings in Spanish

So, as you can see, I have very little time for another class.  So, I opted to take Annie’s advice and stick with just 15hrs. My books were not as expensive this semester as I thought they would be which is a relief to me since I do not sell back my books since 3/4 of my classes are always dealing with either my major or my minor.

I have decided to hold off on violin lessons during school so that I can get back into the swing of classes before taking on another schedule change.  I have decided to change voilin instructers as the next one will be closer than the last.  I will be attending Marvin’s Violin Shop for lessons.  The shop is a few minutes down the street from Walsh, instead of going to Harteville, and I do not have to worry about traveling in the snow. 

Well, I had better get going for now.  I have another busy day tomorrow.  There is of course homework to be done and things to organize.  I also need to go visit my bunny and clean his cage after Mass tomorrow.  PHEW!!!!!!! Talk about always moving…Well, until then…..

Well peeps it’s the start of a new semester at Walsh and as mentioned in previous posts…MY LAST SEMESTER!  The real world be a knocking soon and I better be ready.  However, I am still taking time to pause and look around before I miss this beautiful thing called life.

Break was fantastic.  I was pretty much a bum around the Cincinnati and Dayton areas as I jumped from friend’s house to friend’s house catching up with people.  Played some computer games with my closest friend (Kings Quest is the bomb and so is Rosella) and had dinner or lunch with many others.  I also got to spend a lot of time with my mom catching up with her and my sister between her multiple shifts as a surgical resident.  We are going to be on the Amazing Race next season so make sure to tune in.  We will…We will….Rock It!

The “capstone course” of my break however had to be the 6 Day 5 Night Cruise I took with my girlfriend and my two “family” friends at Walsh.  This tight nit group planned this trip since July and it was the best 6 days I have had in awhile.  Nothing but laying out in the 85 degree weather in December, snorkeling with rays and starfish in Cozumel, shopping in Belize, and winning gold medals in competitions on the boat.  We took the Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas by storm.  By the end, I doubt there was a person on that ship that didn’t know who we were.  And Big Mike…..hopefully you got your sweatshirt.  If you found this blog….What’s Up Man!! I could throw up some photos but they are too awesome to pick just a few from the 300 I took.  They are all up on my Facebook account though.  If you want to look further, friend me and on the friend request add the message that you read the blog.  That way I know you aren’t just some creeper….They’re out there ya know.

Well I’ve got class and things to do so I guess I should go do those things huh?  Look out for more updates as subjects rise this semester such as being an RA on campus, Going to Vegas (SPRING BREAK BABY), Life of a Senior Honors Student, and other random facts I like throwing on here.  All with a high dose of honest truth and great sarcastic humor with a one liner or two mixed in.  Take care bloggers and catch you on the flip side…..

Where is that?

-Tyler

So, I have officially moved on campus once again.  Although I did enjoy my Winter Vacation, I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things here at Walsh.  I am looking forward to my exciting semester this term.  All of my classes focus on not only my majors but both my minors as well.  It’s hard being a double major/double minor, but it keeps me busy and the classes are enjoyable.  Not only that, but all four areas are my favorite subjects.  I think that I am most looking forward to Philosophy with professory Beach.  I have never had a class with him before, so it will prove as a learning experience.  I will be sure to write soon once I get some rest.  Until then!!!!

So, I have been extremely busy since the last time I was on here.  My academic advising went well, even if it did take 2hours….Hardly a short meeting at all…But, I will be able to graduate on time, taking the classes that I want to take….So, I’m happy…… I am signed up for two Spanish classes, both dealing with Spanish literature and reading…. I have one Philosophy class, which gets me closer to completing my primary minor… I will, of course, be taking Advanced Creative Writing in order to complete my secondary minor…. And, I have one more 200-level English lit course that I need to take in order to have my primary major nearly complete…… PHEW!!! Good news is I will be abel to take Italian next fall and still have all the classes I need in order to graduate!!!!!! YAYA!!!! My family LOVED the Sigma Tau Delta initiation and they were quickly forgave the nearly 3hour drive it takes to get here.  After the initiation was over, we all went out to eat in order to celebrate….. My grandmother seemed to be the most-proud out of everyone….And for me, that was all I needed in order to make my day.  I am looking forward to getting some things done between this weekend and next Tuesday.  I must end for now as I have to be at work at 7:30 in order to open the store…. BLAH!!!!!! Well, write soon.

The first game was tough as we lost a close one to Case Western University. Game number two would go in our favor as we beat Kenyon before losing in a blowout match to Earlham University (this game hurt bad…). Our last game of the day would be against THE Ohio State University. Now I am not an OSU fan (GO IRISH!) but I can respect their ability. They were after all the number two seeded team for the entire weekend. But come on. They have a little bit bigger fishing ground to pull talent from. I mean Walsh is like a fish bowl compared to the Pacific Ocean. They have a few more fish in their waters…

We went into this game with a bold strategy though. We decided that we would simply have fun with OSU and not worry about anything. We played like total goofs, whipping passes all over the field and laughing, joking, and screwing around whenever possible and whenever inappropriate. Dumb idea right? WRONG! I’ll be darned if it didn’t work. They had no idea what to do with us. They wanted to play a serious, structured game and kick the crap out of us. But they couldn’t because our over the top positive attitude ruined anything they had going. They were ticked. It was like the last kid picked in dodgeball smoking fastballs at the jocks. I mean, soon enough that kid will get blasted in the face and break his glasses (yes) , but that kid is the talk of the class the rest of the day or at least until lunch. Though we ended up losing, we scored the second most points out of any team that played OSU that day and we had a good time doing it. A good way to end day one…

Luckily we had a place to stay in Columbus to stay the night so it wasn’t a long drive to get something to eat, relax, and pass out before day two. Playing Ultimate is one of the most physically draining things you can do. The non-stop nature of the game and the tough competitive play are enough to take down even the most athletic of people. So needless to say I was trashed. Cuts, bruises, aching muscles and joints all ensued after playing games from 9:30AM until 5:30PM. Anyone who says Ultimate isn’t a tough sport or just a game I will call you out and say you wouldn’t even last through game one let alone day one of this tourney…I passed out after having a juicy burger and a beer at Applebee’s. It was 9:30PM…

Day #2- The alarm goes off at 7:00AM and I resist the urge to through it against the wall. Mainly because my arm hurt that bad. All those aches and pains have only magnified during the night. My right ankle is now double in size and I feel like the only solution would be a bath in a tub full of hot water and Tylenol. But I get up and start moving. The team does the same and soon it is 9:00AM and the second day of games is about to begin. Day two would be great for us as we would loose a nail biter to the University of Cincinnati but beat Kenyon B and Xavier (I’m soo sorry I love Xavier….) University. We would finish 15th in the tournament of the 24 teams involved with a record of 3-4. Not bad for our second year in existence considering we were 0-7 at the same tournament last season…

Since returning back home I have recovered nicely from the injuries and am back on the field. I didn’t go see the trainer (though I wanted too) but if I would have he might have said why did you get hit by a bus or how many men kicked your butt at the bar last night for you to look this bad. That’s what happens when you sacrifice your body for some good disc play. Captains got to do what a captains got to do.

Well that’s all for this update. It is really cold outside today and I think that means it is a study…Nintendo…Study….PlayStation….Study….Frisbee kind of day. Catch you tomorrow blog spotters….

-Ty

So, tomorrow is the STD initiation and my mother and grandmother are coming here from Marysville.  I am soooooo excited but stressed.  I cannot wait for all of my professors to meet them, especially my Annie (grandmother).  Everyone here is also excited and cannot wait to meet her; they have all been asking about her lately and wondering how she’s doing with her chemo and if she will have her left knee replaced.  I have not talked to her yet today to see what time they will get here, but I will do so after work today at 3:30pm.  I have so many things that I need to get done before tomorrow afternoon.  A great portion of it I have already done, however my room could use a little cleaning just in case they would like to come here.  Well, I will be sure to write again after the initiation and post pictures. 

PS:  Before I forget, academic advising went very well.  I will nearly done with my primary major and on my way to competing my secondary major by the end of this year.  I cannot believe that I only have one year left here and I will be off to grad school.  Now the main task at hand to figure out which one I will be attending.  PHEW….. It never ends….

Hey Blog Readers!

Sorry its been awhile since my latest blog.  I promise I will get back on track with this.  The reason I have been dead in CyberWorld is a simple yet devastating fact.  My computer crashed.  I know… The worst words a person could here in our technological world.  I mean, we get upset if the power goes out and we have to reset our clocks to the right time.  Now think about losing the last three year of your life.  It’s a really big pain to update your PC that you bought before your Freshman year (’05) back up today.  Not to mention the countless documents and thousands of songs now lost somewhere between the “Matrix” and the place “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.”

I know in another blog, someone gave you the biggest tip in college and said not to procrastinate.  OK…but I am a notorious procrastinator and I get along fine.  I come alive when the pressure is on and I am a perfectionist which means my work is always quality.  Being a Communications major, dealing with deadlines is everyday business (for those of us that really want to be in COMM and didn’t just switch because we wanted to graduate on time).  Just this weekend, I wrote my third story for the Canton Repository and I only had 20-30 minutes to write that so it would make the press on time. So procrastination is not my biggest fear…

Now I will say this once and heed my warning. BACKUP EVERYTHING! Buy an external hard drive, CD’s, something to back up all your files on. Luckily, I had done this with my really big items. But all my documents, papers, photos, etc. from the past 3 1/2 years are now gone and my computer feels like a new car: Uncomfortable to use and no dents. So learn from my mistake you soon to be, are currently, and past students. Save all your files in multiple places. Don’t let flu season miss you but nail your hard drive with an irresversible virus…

-Ty

Below is the link to my story from the Rep. Copy and paste to read…

http://cantonrep.com/index.php?Category=17&ID=438088&r=28&subCategoryID=29