About BE: April 2011

Monday, April 25, 2011

Writing Seminar Blogs Part 3: March 1 to March 24

I know the formatting of this blog is a little off. I copy and paste it from the class blog and it doesn't always translate well. I'm sure you guys will forgive me.

Post on March 1 2011

Created on Tuesday, 03/01/2011 12:27 AM by Blake Ellison

Today I took my OPIM midterm. I felt pretty good about it, but it's the type of class that even the easy questions can be tricky. I'm sure there's at least one question that I'm sure I got that will come back marked incorrect. Oh well, it's over now. Since, it's been a cram session of BPUB. Is anyone else completely terrified of this test? I sure hope so. The only thing we have going for us is the curve :(. Good luck everyone! I hope your last week before spring break started well!

Post on March 2 2011
Created on Wednesday, 03/02/2011 12:37 PM by Blake Ellison

To everyone talking about Pandora, I couldn't agree more! I actually used all of my 40 free hours last month so I coudn't use it for a couple days. I listen to it all the time while I'm doing homework or even just hanging out around my dorm. My favorite station is a personal country station. It plays great song after great song. I love it. I love Pandora.

Post on March 4 2011

Created on Friday, 03/04/2011 12:31 AM by Blake Ellison

Right now I'm packing to go home tomorrow and watching the Jazz game on TV. Life is good after midterms. In the midst of the last two weeks of ridiculous amounts of work and studying, I forgot that it's actually awesome that we attend Penn and live in Philly. I love the campus here! It's beautiful, really. Still, I'm really looking forward to going home. I've missed my friends and feel as though I've earned a break.

Post on March 4 2011
Created on Friday, 03/04/2011 12:34 AM by Blake Ellison

I need to post again because I forgot to once this week. I think the reason I've reinvigorated my happiness to be here at Penn is because I'm training to be a Kite and Key tour guide. It's really fun to help high school kids in their college decision process. Especially because it hasn't been that long since I was going through it! Well, I'm off to finish my preparations to head out. Have a good break everyone!

Post on March 14 2011
Created on Monday, 03/14/2011 11:13 AM by Blake Ellison

I know I'm sort of jumping on the bandwagon, but wasn't spring break amazing? It was a much-needed recess from the two weeks prior. I miss home already, especially in the face of piles of homework and other chores that need to be done. There are things to look forward to, however. Warm weather is definitely one of them. March Madness is another (you should all sign up for the bracket challenge!). It is unbelieveable that we onlly have two more months left in our freshman year here. It seems like it went by so quickly! Oh, summer is going to be wonderful. See you guys in a few hours!

Post on March 15 2011
Created on Tuesday, 03/15/2011 12:27 PM by Blake Ellison

I know what you mean Gil, there's an atmosphere of stress around here that it hard to take some times. We've only been back a day, but we already have so much to do! For whatever reason, I'm extremely tired. I'm not sure how that's possible because I've gotten 18 hours of sleep over the past two nights! Still, I'm having a hard time focusing today. Yawn!

Post on March 18 2011
Created on Friday, 03/18/2011 12:13 AM by Blake Ellison

I'm really tired. I forgot to blog. I am currently blogging. I love March Madness. I want sleep. It's been real. Have a good weekend everyone.

Post on March 21 2011
Created on Monday, 03/21/2011 1:02 PM by Blake Ellison

I just submitted the Synthesis Paper and I feel like it was kind of a weird assignment. I'm not exactly sure why, but I had a harder time with it. Maybe I just didn't understand it or something. In other news, my bracket has been absolutely destroyed by the losses of Pitt and Texas, among others. Finally, my best friend is coming to visit for the week tomorrow. I'm really hoping we don't get much work for this class today. *cough cough hint hint Dr. Paletta!* See you guys soon!

Post on March 22 2011
Created on Tuesday, 03/22/2011 9:18 PM by Blake Ellison

My friend from back home arrived here in Philly today. It's really awesome that he's here and kind of crazy! There's a bit of a mixture of both spheres of my life. I hope you all have a good night!

Post on March 23 2011
Created on Wednesday, 03/23/2011 2:54 PM by Blake Ellison

The rain is getting be down a bit. After last Friday, I was looking forward to the following weeks to be full of sun, warmth, and shorts. Alas, instead we have raincoats, sweatshirts, and rushed walking from class to class. It's ok though. I'm more ahead on homework than I have been all semester! That means I get to relax a bit. See you guys in a half hour!

Post on March 24 2011
Created on Thursday, 03/24/2011 12:58 PM by Blake Ellison

It's hard to believe that it's already Thursday! Doesn't it seem like the week is going by really quickly? My roommates and I are going to watch basketball at Chili's - I can't wait. Anyway, I hope you're all doing well. Have a good weekend!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Writing Seminar Blogs Part 2: February 7 to February 25

Post on February 7 2011

Created on Monday, 02/07/2011 10:38 AM by Blake Ellison

Well, here's the beginning of a new week! It seems like the weeks are flying by. One moment I'm waking up on Monday and next moment I'm checking the clock every 5 minutes in BPUB recitation on Friday. Each day in between is so busy and packed that the time just flies out of the window! That's what makes weekends so enjoyable. The last couple of days were great. I hung out with friends, visited DC on Saturday, and had a great day at church on Sunday. I couldn't ask for more except that the next weekend come quickly. Please?

Post on February 8 2011
Created on Tuesday, 02/08/2011 12:58 PM by Blake Ellison

So yesterday, I made a vow to Kenny that I would rewrite a sentence from the plagiarism exercise several times to spite him. I don't want to spend too much time writing it, but here are a few:

Original sentence: One thing that I was surprised to find out about plagiarism is that students are not the only guilty parties.

- Surprisingly, students are not the only ones guilty of plagiarism.

- I was shocked to discover that students are not the sole users of plagiarism.

- Students, however, are not unique in their use of plagiarism.

- Blame for plagiarism rests not only upon students, but others as well.

- Those accountable for plagiarism include more than students alone.

Post on February 10 2011
Created on Thursday, 02/10/2011 12:23 AM by Blake Ellison

Whoa, I almost forgot to blog for the day! Well, as we took notice of in class, today was my birthday! Thank you all for the comments on the blog (this counts as a response I think), the singing, and thank you Dr. Paletta for the cupcakes! Other than Writing Seminar, I enjoyed a good surprise party in my room by my friends. I was actually surprised! It was a lot of fun and the cake was good too! Well, unfortunately I have a lot of work so I'm off, but thanks again everyone!

Post on February 15 2011
Created on Tuesday, 02/15/2011 10:50 AM by Blake Ellison

I tried to blog but apparently Blackboard wasn't a fan. This last weekend, I was in Texas for a cousin's wedding. Honestly, Texas is one of my favorite places in the world. There's just no place like it. I love the atmosphere and the accents, not to mention the weather! I already miss the Lone Star State.

Post on February 15 2011
Created on Tuesday, 02/15/2011 12:32 PM by Blake Ellison

I wish I could go to Texas for spring break, Kristin. I'm going back home though, which will be good. Penn's spring break is really weirdly timed though. All of my friends are going to be in school over the week that I'm there so I'll awkwardly bother them at college, I guess. Some good news, my best friend is coming out for their Spring Break, the week after ours. I'm stoked to show him around Philly and Penn.

Post on February 16 2011
Created on Wednesday, 02/16/2011 1:06 PM by Blake Ellison

I think I might be losing my mind. Between homework, extracurriculars, and the gym, I really don't have time to sit and think, or organize for that matter. I feel like I need a super organizing session to sort out when I'm working, when I need to shadow admissions tours, when I have class, etc. There's a lot to do and not enough time to do it. I think I might have mentioned this before. Sorry for being repetitive!

Post on February 17 2011
Created on Thursday, 02/17/2011 1:06 PM by Blake Ellison

Justin, I totally agree, days with no BPUB are pretty much the best thing ever. I have math in 20 minutes and then I'm done with my day! No follow-up whirlwind of microeconomic confusion today! I'll take that quality time to knock out some homework and, if all goes well, relax a little bit. I'm not setting my hopes that high though.

Post on February 21 2011
Created on Monday, 02/21/2011 11:40 PM by Blake Ellison

I nearly forgot to blog today! I'm really busy with homework tonight. I think I will be for the next week straight. Life is good though! I'm sitting in my room listening to some awesome country and doing work. That's Penn, right? Well, it's good to be here really. We're lucky! Obviously my thoughts aren't too coherent right now. BPUB has scrambled my brain.

Post on February 22 2011
Created on Tuesday, 02/22/2011 11:12 PM by Blake Ellison

So, a bit of a confession... For my birthday last week, one of my friends bought me a huge Taylor Swift poster. I have the hugest celebrity crush on her. I would do crazy things to go on a date with her. Seriously. Who doesn't love a talented, virtuous, and beautiful country singer? Now her poster is hanging by my desk along with pictures of friends and calendars. All is right in the world.

Post on February 23 2011
Created on Wednesday, 02/23/2011 3:12 PM by Blake Ellison

Right now I have one of those awkward amounts of times between classes. My Spanish class let out early (at 3:00) and we have Writing at 3:30. It's not long enough to go to my dorm, get things done, or run errands. All I can do is sit in the study center, take a couple minutes to write this blog, and then waste precious time because there's not enough time to warrant actually getting work done. Oh well. See you guys in a few!

Post on February 25 2011

Created on Friday, 02/25/2011 12:58 AM by Blake Ellison

It's 1:00 in the morning, but since I haven't gotten to sleep it still counts as Thursday right? I get the idea Dr. Paletta isn't too much of a stickler about the timing. This time next week, I'll be packing to go home. I can't wait. College has definitely made me more appreciative of my home, family, and friends. It's kind of annoying how our break doesn't line up with any other school's though. I'll have to visit my friends at their universities!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Writing Seminar Blogs Part 1: January 18 to February 3

I haven't managed to blog in... a really long time unfortunately. I've been occupied with school work and extracurriculars (and of course I've managed to have fun too).

This semester I'm taking a (mandatory) writing seminar on "The Morality of Health Care." Each weekday, we're required to post on a "blog" with the purpose of developing our writing skills. We can write about any topic we choose, though our discussions often seem to revolve around weather and school work. Still, though I haven't had an opportunity to write a thoughtful post on my actual blog, I've had to maintain a steady stream of these short (3 or 4 sentences) blurbs for the last four months. I've decided to post them here in segments, to give you an idea of my thoughts throughout this semester. I hope you enjoy!

Post on January 18 2011
Created on Tuesday, 01/18/2011 4:53 PM by Blake Ellison

Hey everyone! My name is Blake Ellison. I'm a freshman in Wharton and I'm from Salt Lake City, Utah. My hobbies include traveling, playing tennis and other sports, and hanging out with friends. I'm a huge Utah sports fan. I love the Utah Jazz (NBA), Utah college football, and Real Salt Lake (MLS). I'm looking forward to getting to know you all this semester!

Post on January 19 2011
Created on Wednesday, 01/19/2011 1:26 PM by Blake Ellison

I think that the funny thing about coming to Penn is that we have all of these opportunities to do amazing things all around us, but we don't have time to do them. We all remember when we were first admitted and we were sent dozens of flyers and letters advertising that Penn had over 350 clubs in which we could become involved and that Philadelphia was a great city that we should explore. Unfortunately, between classes and homework, there's hardly enough time to breathe, much less fully take advantage of all of the opportunities outside of academia that Penn offers. Oh well. You might be wondering what spurred this. The short answer is big dreams of a relaxing night last night being ruined by too much homework and extracurricular applications. What else is new?

Post on January 20 2011
Created on Thursday, 01/20/2011 12:34 PM by Blake Ellison

The last few days have been somewhat of a FIFA marathon. Each day this week, my roommate and I have come directly back to our dorm after classes, knocked out all of our homework, and then played FIFA late into the night. Usually, it's pretty reasonable - we still get to bed at a decent hour - but last night, we stayed up way too late. The game is a bit of a time vortex, to be honest. You sit down to play and next thing you know, it's ten games and three hours later. Well, I'm going to log off and play some FIFA now. I have class in an hour, so here's hoping the vortex doesn't trap me for too long.

Post on January 24 2011
Created on Monday, 01/24/2011 7:34 PM by Blake Ellison

Today, my roommate and I found out that we were accepted into one of the Rodin residential programs. We got a four bedroom apartment with a kitchen and huge living room - I am so stoked. We checked the room out today and it'll be great. I can't wait to have a room to myself next year and it's really nice to be done with residential applications now. Alas, there are several months in between now and then. That's not to say that I'm not happy with my room now. I'm a a triple in the Quad and it's pretty nice. We have a double and a single attached by a big common room where we can work and hang out. It's great to have a place separate from where you sleep and work where you can relax. Well, I'm going to head out to the gym. I tried to go this morning, but could not motivate myself when I woke up an hour earlier than I needed to. Later!

Post on January 25 2011
Created on Tuesday, 01/25/2011 1:12 PM by Blake Ellison

Do you ever get the feeling that you have a lot of things and work to do, but you really don't? It's like your mind is in stress mode even though when you take a step back you're on top of things. I think that my mind remains perpetually in this stressed state here at Penn. Unfortunately, this week I really do have a lot of work and meetings to stay on top of. Good thing we have these blogs to write which makes us feel as though we're accomplishing something even though it only takes a few minutes!

Post on January 26 2011
Created on Wednesday, 01/26/2011 7:29 PM by Blake Ellison

I'll join in on the snow bandwagon and lend my own voice. It is snowing. A lot. I became intimately aware of this fact when I had to shovel the walks of my church for about an hour right after writing seminar this afternoon. I don't know that I've ever been so wet in my entire life. Where I'm from we get a lot of snow so I've never had a snow day, but that doesn't stop me from hoping we have one here. Unfortunately, not even my meetings have been cancelled, so although I'm cozy in my dorm now, I'll have to go out into the icy storm again. Until then, homework!

Post on January 27 2011
Created on Thursday, 01/27/2011 12:42 PM by Blake Ellison

Coming back to my dorm from Commons today was like navigating through a minefield. A tumultuous river flows down the streets with few islands to hop across. Even when you think you've found a refuge, the island you're eying may just be a conglomeration of slush ready to explode all over you when you land on it. In this battle, my shoes and socks along with my warm feet were the casualties. None survived the flood of icy black water.

Post on January 31 2011
Created on Monday, 01/31/2011 5:28 PM by Blake Ellison

Today, I woke up early to do work.

Today, I was incredibly productive and managed to finish my work, go to the gym, and eat lunch all before class.

Today, my first class is at two in the afternoon, making my last statement a little less impressive.

Today, classes flew by, but there is still much to be done.

Today, I have several meetings in addition to homework due tomorrow.

Today, I need to continue to be productive.

Today, I promised a Connecticuter and an Englishwoman I'd write my blog in this format the name of which I've already forgotten.

Post on February 1 2011
Created on Tuesday, 02/01/2011 12:41 PM by Blake Ellison

Today I forgot my laptop for OPIM so I had to take notes by hand. In some classes, I take notes by hand because it's easier due to graphs and whatnot (Math, BPUB), but I do prefer to take notes on a computer when possible. It's faster and easier to organize all of my notes in one spot. So now I have to transcribe my written, ugly notes onto my computer. As if we didn't have enough homework already eh?

Post on February 2 2011
Created on Wednesday, 02/02/2011 10:49 AM by Blake Ellison

This morning, I woke up intensely hungry. My stomach yearned for something to devour, but there was nothing to be found in all of our dorm room! I initially had plans to go to the gym this morning before lunch, but now I don't know that I could stomach it, forgive the pun. I'll go later tonight, I think, and instead use this morning to do productive things such as write this blog post.

Post on February 3 2011 (permalink) -edit history delete
Created on Thursday, 02/03/2011 10:56 PM by Blake Ellison

So I just wrote a blog and clicked on a link to on accident. It's just a blog, but it frustrated me to no end. Though I wrote around five lines in response to Kenny's post, I'm going to cut it down because I don't want to write all of it again. Basically, I know what you mean. Thinking about all of the opportunities we have and what we have to do to get there, on top of what we already have, is very stressful.