Health fundraiser

Hello everyone, I am doing a fundraiser for health care costs. Please go here and take a look.

Generosity Healthcare Fundraiser

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you can help.

Workshop # 1 for English 484

Our professor calls our class a workshop, when we are critiquing the other students' writing. We had our first workshop this past Thursday. The concept was easy, it was having to read all of that stuff. Each workshop is 5 students, that isn't too bad. The Sunday before class, the student posts his/her writing, we read it and then write a critique of it. Then in class on Thursday, we talk about our critique and hand over a copy to the author.

Two of the five stories were okay and had potential. The other three need to be burned. They were really just boring, had no conflict and certainly did not catch this reader's attention.

My turn is on this Thursday and I'm hoping my writing is better than the others. Or at least it doesn't want to put people to sleep.

Grossed Out by Class on Thursday Night

In my English 484 class, we had to read and then discuss Carrie by Stephen King. Yeah, I'm 58 years and have never seen the movie nor read the book, Carrie. I've seen bits and pieces of it, but it's not my type of story. I don't read gore/horror. It's a waste of my time, money, and energy.

So, for 2 hours on Thursday night, we had to discuss a disgusting book. I couldn't read past page 28. I did open the book here and there and read what was on that page, but that was the best I could do. I just couldn't read it. I had opened enough correct spots that I could participate in the discussion, but so glad that is over. The best part, there will be no test on the book.

The teacher said he choose Carrie due to the way King decided to present the information. He also admitted to having read the book several times. Not my cup of tea, as they say. Not that anything really is my cup of tea, I don't drink tea. I'm just really glad it's over.

It may be a three day weekend, but I have plenty of homework to do. I hope you have a great weekend, and read something that makes you happy.

School Has Started

Monday was the first day of class for Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA.

For me, my classes are on Tuesday/Thursday during the day, and Thursday night. So, I've been to one class, once. It was really just a"get to know ya" class meeting, so nothing much happened.  I am looking forward to a great semester.

We are using McKee's newest book, Dialogue. I've read the first chapter and preface. Not bad. It's the second class that bothers me. We have to read Carrie by Stephen King. I've read the first 28 pages and it's just disgusting. ick...

Wish me luck.

School has not started due to disaster

Hello everyone. Sorry, but school has not started. It was supposed to have started on Wednesday, but it won't start until Monday, August 22, 2016.

I live in Southeast Louisiana, and we received torrential rains a week ago today, that has caused massive flooding. It is so severe, that we, as a state, lost many things.

Just in my parish alone, six people died, and over half of our citizens have lost their homes. Some of my friends have lost everything, while others have lost only vehicles, and still more had no problems at all.

In Denham Springs, close to Baton Rouge, nearly everyone lost their home. Homes have to be gutted down to the bare bones, or completely torn down and built again. Others, have to cut out their walls from just a foot above the floor to several feet above the floor. They will have to be re-dry walled.

We have what is called the Cajun Navy. It is a group of Cajuns who love to go fishing and each have their own boats. When the disaster hit, they got in their boats, and went and rescued people out of their homes. And not just people, they took their animals too.

This is the second severe flooding in this area of Louisiana in less than six months. The rain came down so hard and so fast, that it had nowhere to go. A lot of times, people in this area, don't keep their ditches cleared out of debris, so it is already standing full of water. Other times, like in my neighborhood, just the week before the flooding, the surrounding ditches had been cleaned out. They were ready for the flooding.  But did it help? No, it came just too fast and the ditches are small, so flood we did.

I work at Southeastern Louisiana University as an Administrative Assistant. The university got the students who were on campus together, asked them to volunteer to clean up, and they did.  Wednesday and Thursday, students went out in groups around our parish and the surrounding area and helped with the recovery effort. They pulled out damaged furniture, carpeting, personal items and whatever else was needed. Then they helped to clean up the homes, and worked in the yard. We are a resilient state, but only so much can be done. We need help.

I am asking everyone who reads my blog to please pray for the people of Southeastern Louisiana, that we may be able to recover, and to do so quickly.

A Year Has Passed Since...

A year has passed since I started back to school, and I know, I haven't done very well in upkeeping my blog. I do apologize.

Monday, August 15, 2016, starts the new fall semester at Southeastern Louisiana University.  It also starts my fourth semester.

Spring 2016 I took English 303 which was English Literature II. This past summer I took Philosophy 313, and this fall I have two classes.  I am taking English 380 Creative Writing: Drama and English 484 Topics in Writing: the Novel.

In English 380 we will be writing a one-act play. Now I am in trouble. I have never written a play, much written a one-act play. oh no... The book we are using is Dialogue by Robert McKee. I told a former co-worker, that for my one-act play, I was going to title it: Laura and Her Red Soled Shoes. She has a pair of Louis Vuitton's with some bling on top. They're cute, but I wouldn't pay over $600 for a pair of shoes. I don't care who the designer is.

I was telling my friend Jeanette about the one-act play, and I was thinking of doing a comedy piece on my neighbor. I don't know. I will have to wait to see what the teacher has us do. oh boy...

In English 484 we will be writing a novel. We will have 3 1/2 months to accomplish this. At the end of the class, if your novel is ready, he will suggest where you can submit it for publication. For this class we have to read Carrie (ick) by Stephen King and his memoir On Writing. I'm not a King fan so this will be a difficult class for me.

Although I am slowing working on a story, I won't be using it for class. Until I think it is ready for publication, I don't want anyone else reading it, but my friend Alara.  She reads and then critiques for me. She's honest without being harsh.

Sine I returned to school in Fall 2015, I have taken three classes - 2 English and 1 Philosophy, and I have earned an A in all three classes.  This is good for my GPA.  I need a good GPA.

I hope to be more active with my blog for the rest of this year.

New Semester Well Underway

The new semester started one week early this year, because the university decided to give the students the whole week off for Mardi Gras. We will end the same time as usual in May, which is good. Otherwise, it will be a shorter break between spring and summer semesters.

This semester, I am taking English 303, which is British Literature II. It should really be titled British Poetry.

We do have to read Emma by Jane Austen.  I am a JA fan, but not a fan of Emma. Emma, the character, is an obnoxious little toad. I saw the movie with Gwenyth Paltrow as Emma. If that had been my first introduction to Jane Austen, I would not want to read or watch anything else. And in the book, she is more conceited and obnoxious. Jane Austen was right, Emma is a character that only she could love. grr...boo...and hiss...

I have to do an author presentation. The author is Seamus Heaney. He is an Irish author who won the Nobel Prize in 1995. He lived from 1939 to 2013. There will be a post on him later as it gets closer to the time of my presentation in late April.

This class is not as fun as last semester's class but I am still learning stuff.  That is the point of earning a BA in English with a concentration in creative writing.

So, stay tuned, and you will hear more about my journey in earning my BA and about the new story I have started today.