Is peer group editing useful?

I think it depends on the people that are editing your paper. If the people in your group actually want to help you make your paper better then that's helpful. But usually the case is that the students don't really care or don't know how to make your paper better. So they end up just saying your paper is good when it actually needs editing.

Why we like horror films

BOO! Did that scare you? Probably not, but I bet a horror movie would. People love the excitement of being afraid. Especially around this time when Halloween is around the corner. Personally I love scary movies. When I know the movie is fake and I don't start thinking it's real I'm not afraid. There hasn't been a really good scary movie out in a long time though. It's so obnoxious to watch a scary movie that isn't scary! There are so many movies where you know exactly what's going to happen and that isn't fun at all. The virgin always escapes. That's something that always happens in the predicted scary movies. So why do we keep watching these predicted films? I guess they're still exciting. There's always that part in the movie that makes you jump. Even though the movies haven't been as good as they used to be, I still watch them because I love the effect horror movies on me.

Blast From The Past Through Music

I love music! Music is like a great extra in life that helps me through my emotions.  When I'm happy I wanna listen to country music like Shania Twain.  When I'm angry or upset I wanna listen to loud, hardcore rap music, for instance, Eminem.  But everyone knows they have that song that takes them back to a time in their life or that reminds them of someone.  Although in my case I don't have just one song that reminds me of something because every song on my iPod takes me back to a memory I have.  For instance, any song by Kid Cudi takes me back to my high school senior year last winter when I first started seeing my boyfriend.  Also, the theme song to the Austin Powers movie reminds me of my high school gymnastics floor routine because that was the song I performed to.  There's also a really good song called Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap that reminds me of the show "The OC" because that song played at the end of the second season after one of the main characters was murdered.  I could think of so many songs that remind me of something or someone, and that's why music is so fun to listen to.

What I learned during group work

I like doing group work in class; although, I didn't think the peer group editing did very much. It's hard to critique someone's paper because you feel like they're just gonna say, "What does she know?" It wasn't much, but I did take a little something out of it. I was told to work on my transition sentences when going into different paragraphs. That made me aware that I need to work on that. Other than that I was told that my paper was well written so the group work didn't really help me otherwise.

Reflecting on my own writing

I wrote a paper last night that was about people that are held back by things in their lives and I enjoyed writing it. I had a lot to write about and I hardly drew any blanks. I think I had a lot to write about because being held back by things is a big part of my life. It's funny I say that because my parents are very supportive and with their help I can do anything, but it's myself that I'm held back by. Being held back by my fears really effects me and that's why I had a lot of ideas about it. It felt good to write about it too because I don't really talk about it with anyone in such detail. I thought I wrote this essay well but I know I need to work on my transitions into different paragraphs. I write about one topic and then out of no where go into another topic. Another part I need to work on is my conclusion. I never really know exactly what to write in my conclusions and they are usually the shortest paragraphs in my essays. But overall I've really enjoyed the writing topics Professor Montez has been assigning us.

Why do people get tattoos and piercings?

      I don't have any tattoos but I do have four piercings on one ear and three on the other.  Why did I get them?  I like how they look I guess.  I got my first and second holes done by a professional and I did the third and fourth on my own with some ice and rubbing alcohol.  Personally, I like how multiple earrings look on people's ears.  I also like nose piercings, tongue piercings, eyebrow piercings and any other piercings you can think of.  However, I don't like piercings that are really bizarre.  Like people with those huge gages in their faces.  Do people realize they will have those huge holes in their faces until they're old?!  An old person would look ridiculous with that!  The small piercings are cute, humble, can be easily hidden, and aren't so "out-there".  

      I like what piercings and tattoos do to people though.  Like me, I am normally a quiet person who keeps to herself but when people see my multiple earrings they think, "Maybe she has another side to her that's not always quiet."  At least that's how I see people.  Of course everyone always looks at people's appearances first and when I see tattoos and piercings I wonder what these people are really about.  I love asking people what their tattoos mean because I like the story behind them.  I hate when people just get tattoos because they think it would look cool.  I don't think I want a tattoo right now but if I ever get one in the future I would make sure it was meaningful.

Is cosmetic surgery a good idea?

I always thought cosmetic surgery was stupid. It's basically a dangerous operation that you don't need to have. Although, reconstructive surgery sounds more exceptable. Plastic surgery includes two different procedures: body modification and reconstructive surgery. Body modification means changing the body into something different. But reconstructive surgery is a useful surgery. Some people actually need plastic surgery for instance, in order to breathe better like Dan Barden. He wrote an interesting essay called "My New Nose", published in Mirror On America, about how his new nose changed who he was. His first nose job was supposed to correct a deviated septum but it ended up hardly fixing his breathing and looking horrible. People began asking him if he was a boxer and thought he had just lost a bunch of times. He thought about whether he wanted to keep this nose that made him look like a tough guy or whether he wanted another surgery to make him look more like himself. He got a second surgery making his nose finally go better with his personality. He could breathe easier and he wasn't held back by the concern of his nose looking terrifying. In Barden's essay he says, "Psychologically, my nose had become the emblem for all that held me back, and I had had to deal with it. Some people will tell you that's an inside job. Years of psychotherapy, spiritual growth--blah, blah, blah. Of course, they're right, but I believe rhinoplasty can also be a kind of spiritual growth. It has taught me how to be, or how to begin to be, self-effacing--the man who can lead and disappear at the same time." After reading this essay I'm a lot more sympathetic for cosmetic surgery. Having this surgery can change someone's life. It creates confidence which causes the person to show who they really are or who they want to be. So as long as someone doesn't just get a boob job just because they want one, I can say I agree with plastic surgery when it is needed.