Assistance Prompt

12/4/2014

Has anyone ever done you a favor, or assisted you in someway, that has helped to change your life for the better? Who was it? What did they do? When did they do this? Why do you think they did it? How did your life change?

The biggest way I have been assisted in my life is by a certain professor who offered me encouraging words and praised my ability and potential. I was feeling pretty lost in terms of what to do with my future and this teacher told me that he thought I was a very promising student and that of all of his students I am the on he expects to really do something great with my career and life. This gave me confidence that others know I have potential and that I could do anything I set my mind to. For this reason I am pursuing graduate school and might possibly try to gain entry into the London School of Economics. I had previously had no clue how to move forward from Lycoming and make the living I desire, but now I at least know what the next step is.

I don't know for sure whether he sensed that I didn't feel confident, didn't know what to do with my future, or if he actually believed what he said to be true, but either way it put me on a different path then the one I was going to be on. It happened earlier this year and I doubt I will ever forget it. I am going to do everything in my ability to make as much money as I can and avoid a life of manual labor and self hatred.

Analysis of Chelsea v West Brom from 11/22/14

by Dylan Barton

The final result of the match was a 2-0 win for Chelsea FC, helping to keep them at the top of the Barclays Premier League. With just over a fourth of this season already behind them, Chelsea are looking very consistent so far, remaining lossless. With only two draws at the time of this match, Chelsea have only dropped 4 points, making them tough to chase for other teams.

In this match Chelsea started strong in the first half with goals from Diego Costa and Eden Hazard within the first 25 minutes of play. The result will appear to be a success for the Blues, although they failed to add to the scoreline, even after West Brom’s Claudio Yacob was sent off with a straight red card in the 29th minute for a harsh challenge near his team’s penalty area that denied a clear scoring chance for Chelsea. The game would have potentially been a blowout if not for excellent goalkeeping by Ben Foster outside of the Blues two goals. The only other action in the match was a yellow card doled out to Chelsea’s Brazilian wingman Willian with fifteen minutes left in the match.

Now to breakdown the goals of the match…

Diego Costa chested a cross under control in the middle of the penalty area before volleying it into the back of the net. He then celebrated with his now infamous jazz hands. It was his eleventh goal in ten matches, so we’ve had a lot of chances to admire his little dance.

The second goal of the match came off of a corner kick. A low cross was sent into the box, finding the feet of Eden Hazard on the left side of Ben Foster’s goal. Hazard then calmly slotted the ball under the keeper, a maneuver that took a high amount of skill from such a tight angle.

Both goals were assisted by Chelsea’s Brazilian attacking midfielder Oscar, who is showing he isn’t selfish with the ball at his feet.

Chelsea now look forward to a Champions League group stage match against Schalke on Tuesday. West Brom’s next game is less promising following this defeat as they face another strong London team, Arsenal who are looking nearly as strong as the Blues.

Holiday Prompt

12/2/2014

How do you feel about the holidays? Is this a time of great joy for you? Do you enjoy spending it with friends and family? Or do you often feel alone and sad during the holidays? What would make this the best holiday of your life?

I generally enjoy the holidays but they have increasingly become more of a hassle over the past few years. Getting gifts is always good, clearly. The problem arises when it becomes time to figure out how and when I am going to travel down to Maryland to see that side of my family. My brother and I used to just jump in the car and drive down. Now he is out of college and working so he is often busy around Christmas and Thanksgiving. He uses the car that was supposed to be "ours" so if he can't go, I have no way to get down there. I don't want it to look like I don't want to go if I can't make it so it just becomes a mess of stress and anxiety.

What would make this holiday season one of the best in my life would be if travel was made a lot easier and I didn't have to worry about that aspect of it. I always get what I want, so I don't need some miracle to occur for me to be happy in that way. It is annoying though that I'm being treated the same as my brother when he's got a job and I'm still in college. I need material things because I can't work enough currently to buy everything I need. I don't know why it seems like a problem, but it does.

Interview of Tonya Anderson

Dylan Barton

11/11/14

What seemingly was going to be a stale interview with a member of Pennsylvania’s state government turned into a rather inspirational experience. The event took place during a Media Writing course at Lycoming College, as a way for the students to gain experience conducting interviews as if they were journalists. The setting was usual, but the subject was more entertaining and motivating than anyone would have guessed.

Through asking questions of Tonya Anderson, the students were able to gather information about her, such as her role in State Representative Rick Mirabito’s office as his chief of staff. On a daily basis, her duties revolve around directing staff members toward the goal of passing appropriate legislation for the district. She admitted that she is good at her job and enjoys being on the more functional side of politics. While it isn't odd these days for a woman to have a position with this level of power and influence, it is a bit less likely for that woman to not be Caucasian, Anderson being of mixed race.

Having overcome the male-dominated world of politics and also the racial barrier along the way, those aren't the only things that Anderson had to contend with. If Anderson was to be compared to any athlete, she would certainly be a hurdler, and a good one at that. This comparison becomes more clear given other information obtained through questioning her. She was brought into the world by teenage parents, then had the stress of being a child of the military, which entailed moving frequently from base to base. This familiarity with the military led her to want to be in the Navy. She managed to get accepted to the Naval Academy, an institution that has a reputation for being both hard to access and very strict on student performance and  behavior. As things were looking hopeful for Anderson, the course of her life changed that resulted in Tonya leaving the college after only two years.

Tonya met and married to her husband, a member of the Marine Corps, whom she met while at the Academy. Together they had a son, but are now divorced. She also finished her degree at the University of Hawaii in political science. During this period Tonya also began working as a flight attendant, which made parenting tricky. Also at this time, Anderson experienced sexual assault.

While working flights going coast to coast, Anderson was certain to take advantage of every chance to spend time with her son. One of the turning points in her life happened surrounding 9/11/01, particularly because she was in control of flight crews that had to continue operating flights while carrying an immense amount of fear and anxiety following that day’s events. It is at this time that she decided that she wanted to make a shift from risking crisis each day to having a job on the ground, one that was closer to where her son’s father lived, as well.

Williamsport was the town she chose, and due to the experience she endured at the Naval Academy and other incidents, she began working as a domestic violence and sexual assault counselor. In this role, she could help victims of abuse get their lives back on track. It is admirable that Anderson could use that very negative aspect of her life to improve those of others.

An aspect of Anderson’s life that has helped her to overcome struggles and allowed her to be the passionate and caring person she is today is her spirituality. She said she has meditated at a variety of temples and uses this practice to help her through rough times at the office. This, however, doesn't mean she lets her beliefs cloud her judgement professionally. When asked about her stance on gay marriage, she focused on the beauty of love instead of worrying about sanctity of marriage as a ritual, unlike many other politicians of certain faiths.

In her spare time Anderson is a writer. She told the class that she writes spiritual non-fiction, covering divine sexuality, the sacredness of sex, creating babies, and the beauty of the whole process. While other writers tend to focus on the ugly side of sexual conduct, it is nice to see someone who would rather be in awe of the activity.

In conclusion, everyone present in the media writing class were surprised at the genuine wisdom and grace of Tonya Anderson and her life.

Coincidental Prompt

11/20/2014

Think of a wild coincidence that has occurred in your life. Now write three-four paragraphs and develop the incident, giving us the necessary background information and specific details.

I was travelling to New York City with my mother to see a soccer match between Chelsea FC and Paris Saint Germain at Yankee Stadium a few years ago. The match was in the early evening but we wanted to get into the city early so we could find an interesting place to have lunch. We also had the agenda of visiting the Little Lebowski Store in the Village. We got off of the subway a few blocks away from the small store, which is completely devoted to selling merchandise related to my favorite film, the Big Lebowski.

We had heard about the store when we were watching a PBS documentary about Jeff Bridges. In the documentary he visited the store while they were covering the large cult following the film has, and especially his character becoming iconic. Since we knew of the location of the store, we fit it into our plans.

When we were approaching the store and about to enter it, two men pulled up on bikes and one of them instantly looked familiar to me. I quickly conferred with my mother that we were both pretty sure it was Woody Harrelson. I approached him and his equally sweaty friend and confirmed that he was who we'd expected and asked if I could get a picture with him. I was surprised that in his disheveled state he was still willing to be in a photo. He was really cool about it and we four then spent about twenty minutes together discussing the film in the shop and the film's relation to Woody, him being in another comedy surrounding bowling, King Pin. We also talked to the owner of the store about the struggles of owning such a niche shop and about how cool it was that Jeff Bridges visited it.

The day was already going to be a great one with the soccer match, but the coincidence of meeting Woody at the Little Lebowski made it one of the better vacations of my life so far.

Recurring Dream Prompt

11/18/2014

Write about a dream you’ve had again and again. When did you first have the dream? When does it recur? What do you think it signifies?

The dream I have that has been a recurring event has happened probably over a hundred times. It takes place in a convenience store. I don't know the name of the store and don't think it is one I've actually been in either. Anyway, the store is not the important thing, it is what happens while I'm there that is the point. In the dream the store is robbed while I'm shopping. I also don't know what I'm looking for. So the thing about the dream is that the setting and the robbing stay the same while the way the robbery plays out and my fate at the end is always slightly different. Some times the guy takes the money and everything is alright. Other times he kills the cashier. Sometimes he kills everyone inside including me. Other times I try to stop him. This plays out in different ways. Sometimes I am successful, sometimes I get to him and I'm shot but live, other times I'm killed, and other times I kill him.

I'm not sure exactly what it means. Maybe it is about me wanting to be a hero. Maybe it is about how we are powerless in controlling our fate without action. It could also be about how we can try to do something to help our situations but don't have control over the outcome overall. It could also be completely random and pointless. Who knows.

The dream doesn't happen every night and it often takes breaks between times it occurs. I'm not sure what causes me to have it or if it is tied to anything about how my day goes.

Favorite Book Prompt

11/11/2014

Write about your favorite movie or book and explain why you enjoyed it. Talk about the technical aspects and the creative: for example, the film’s pacing and lighting, as well as the dialogue and the plot.

My favorite book is 1984 by George Orwell. I enjoy the general genre that this book falls into, distopian futures. The plot of the story centers around Winston, a man living in London, under a totalitarian regime that takes extensive efforts to keep up surveillance on citizens. This is achieved through the use of cameras, hidden microphones, tele-screens that watch and listen in every room, brainwashed child spies, and the tattle-tailing of other citizens. The society is perpetually at war with either Eastasia or Eurasia.

As the story progresses, Winston finds a love interest, but is constantly aware that love is outlawed unless the relationship is sanctioned by the government. Winston and Julia are forced to meet up in secretive locations. This arrangement eventually leads to their capture and forced confession of thought crimes.

The story of their love and struggle mixed with the negative outlook on governmental influence are what make me like this book as much as I do. The book has also influenced a few different bands I enjoy as well.