Entry #11 Blogs.

Writing has been around for hundreds of years. It is the way we communicate and learn. Without writing we wouldn't have many of the things we take for granted today.The language of today has changed dramatically compared to that of years ago. People have become less personal about their experiences and opinions. Gone are they years of getting into detail and trying to prove your point with the proper information needed to support individual thoughts or ideas. People are so fast to share what they have to say, yet give no proper information to support their ideas or explain to their audience why those idea/thoughts are important to them.

An example to put this into prospective is blogging. What is a blog you ask?

Blogs are a website containing a writer's or group of writers' own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other websites.

While attending college, you learn the writing process. But for some, this is scary and hard to understand, especially as a new student.

In learning the writing process and applying it to assignments for school, you must introduce your subject, support it, and conclude what it is that your are expressing and writing about.  But why is this the only appropriate time where the formal writing rules apply?

Well, not anymore.
In English 101 with Professor Murphy, you will learn to blog, or formally blog I should say. What I mean when I say "formal blogs" is that you can't just ramble a bunch of thoughts and then be done with no support. This is an assignment! The blogs needed to include the three main parts (into, body/support, and conclusion) just like in your English writing assignments. At first, this can seem like hard work and irrelevant to your blogs. Aren't these our own personal thoughts? Yes, but we are learning in this class right. Clearly blogging must have a purpose.

Initially, I had no intention of actually liking to blog. "More wasted time on unnecessary writing assignments." I thought. But I was wrong! As I continued to blog through my English 101 course I was hooked. For the first time I was able to apply the writing process at a much smaller scale. Allowing the breakdown for writing to come at an easier pace and a completely different point of view. Blogging  made it easier to understand how to write correctly. Blogging was also a great way to be able to read and comment on classmates own opinions and thoughts and see subjects in a different point of view. This allowed me to learn a lot about different topics I had no clue about. I also learned a lot of new ideas on subjects I wrote about, classmates wrote about. The writing process became easier because I was writing about things that interested me or that the whole class wrote about in their perspective even if I did or did not agree on it. Commenting on blogs was a great way to let a classmates know what I thought about their opinions on certain subjects or allowed me to let them know my point of view on something they wrote about.

With technology changing the world today, blogging is a great way to teach students (including myself) that we need to be formal, not only in our assignments but the way we think and talk. Blogging has become the modern day "casual conversation" of our thoughts and opinions. College is preparing us for "real-life" experiences after all. You can't just say whatever you want and then not even know why you agree with the matter. This is why you need your support/evidence on that subject. "I heard this from someone or somewhere" is NOT enough to get me to agree or even know what someone is talking about. Support your writing even when it's a thought or opinion. We are learning and teaching at the same time when we communicating with others in our blogs. We are building a sense of community through technology.

Entry #10 Natures Connection

Human noun hu·man \ˈhyü-mən, ˈyü-\ : a bipedal primate mammal (Homo sapiens) :  man; broadly :  hominid 

Nature noun na·ture \ˈnā-chər\ : the physical world and everything in it (such as plants, animals, mountains, oceans, stars, etc.) that is not made by people.

Human Nature noun : the ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that are common to most people.

Coincidence?  Humans progress has always been a result of what nature has had to offer us. The ecosystem is clear evidence of everything  in our world working together. To the tress we use to create paper, the water we clean and drink, and the food we harvest and eat are all utilized are all examples of nature being used. Humans are part of nature and our survival depends on it.

In a recent blog by Renne Cho, he explains why we must reconnect with nature. He explains how technology is changing how people act. Cho says "Today many children and adults suffer from what Richard Louv calls “nature-deficit disorder”— reduced awareness and a diminished ability to find meaning in the life around us. Children no longer have the opportunity to play freely in nature, exploring woods or wading in a stream, and there are fewer natural areas that are accessible." 

http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2011/05/26/why-we-must-reconnect-with-nature/

"Nature-deficient disorder" is a great way to put the issue of humans not being connected enough to our world.  Cho also mentions that "Studies reveal that children are healthier, happier, and perhaps even smarter and more creative when they have a connection to nature. Nature has positive effects on children with attention deficit disorder, asthma, and obesity, and being in nature relieves stress and improves physical health. Adults who work in spaces incorporating nature into their design are more productive, healthy and creative; and hospital patients with a view of nature from their window heal faster."

Nature has been proven to improve our health. We need to replace our health care system with doctors prescribing more time out side and eating your daily fruits and vegetables and less fake chemically made medication. 

Entry #9 Pink Slime

Has convenience changed the way people eat? Absolutely! It's not only changing the way we are eating, but the way we are living. But not all change is bad. Times are rapidly advancing and humans are getting smarter. Sometimes we change stuff for the good and it back fires. This is when we have to stop, analyze, and CHANGE again for the good.

In order for  fast food industries such as McDonalds  to keep up with the demand of consumers needs they have to invent ways for food or specifically meat to be able to reach this request and not expire on the way. Most are aware that the famous "cheeseburger" or "chicken nuggets" are two of the most popular food items being sold in the fast food market. But what are we really getting when we order these menu items?

PINK SLIM. That is what consumers (YOU) are actually getting when they order these foods. Basically every part of the animal besides the  actual meat, that is treated with ammonium hydroxide- a CHEMICALLY PROCESSED FOOD.

If you look back to my previous post about CHEMICALLY processed food vs. WHOLE food, I think you will change your mind on considering "fast food" as unhealthy to rather "chemically processed food."

http://mel2065268.blogspot.com/2015/05/entry-8-whole-foods-vs-processed-foods.html

Change your food, change your life. We need to completely cut out the chemicals in our foods!! These artificial ingredients and chemicals are killing us slowly. We must act now before its too late!!

EAT WHOLE FOODS NOT PROCESSED FOODS.

Entry #8 Whole Foods vs Processed Foods

With the technological advances today, people have become lazy. They are allowing machines to do all the work for them instead of doing the labor themselves. While in some aspects, advancing is good for the people and the economy. But when it come to our food, mass production has a negative effect on how it has modified our produce today.

Have you or someone you know eaten a fast food meal? Some french fries or a cheeseburger? The chicken fingers at the restaurant down the street? Truth is, most of us are guilty of eating some type of fast food because it has become more convenient for people then buying and making their own food. Our food has gone from FRESH to PROCESSED. 

Now allow me to clarify the meaning of processed because most of the time there is confusion. Most food today have to be processed if we haven't grown and picked it ourselves.  Oranges are cut from trees, and meat has been cut by machines. But the difference is between MECHANICAL processing and CHEMICAL processing. It doesn't matter if ingredients have been put in a jar or cut up for packaging, it's still REAL WHOLE FOOD with no chemicals. 

PROCESSED FOODS are generally known as food that have been chemically processed and made from refined ingredients and artificial substances.

According to Kris Gunnars, here are 9 ways that food is actually slowly KILLING us. 

http://authoritynutrition.com/9-ways-that-processed-foods-are-killing-people/

1.  Usually high in sugar and fructose corn syrup.

2. Are "hyper rewarding" and lead to overconsumption.

3. Contains all sorts of artificial ingredients. 

4. Many people become addicted to processed junk foods.

5. Are often high in refined carbohydrates.

6. Are low in nutrients.

7. Tend to be low in fiber.

8. Requires less energy and time to digest.

9. Are often high in trans fats or processed vegetables.

We need to eat more WHOLE and FRESH food instead of fast food! Our health is depending on it!!

Entry #7 Fresh

Have you ever heard the expression "You are what you eat." Do you even know what you're eating sometimes? Or better yet, where it is coming from? 

I know I don't know very many of these answers. What I do know is that when I buy local or organic, the taste of my food is completely different. It's better. It's more "FRESH."

I recently watched the movie Fresh in my English 101 class. The movie compared our modern day food processing techniques versus growing organic. The film was able to compare and contrast how the food system works and informs everyone that buys food that isn't organic what they are actually purchasing.  Did you know that our food is infested with antibiotics and pesticides?

"Americans fear inconvenience." 

This is an actual quote from the movie. And I have found it to be the truth. It's easy to eat something that tastes delicious and not know that what we're eating is actually slowly killing us. We need to inform the people what is happening and change our food system before it becomes worse! In order to live long healthy lives, we must eat healthy too!

Entry #6 Why We Should All Garden

If everyone knew how to garden the world would be a better place. 

Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system. -Bill Mollison

We need to strive to be more connected with the environment because our health depends on it!
Gardening helps us connect to the earth and can even act as a stress reliever.

In a study conducted in Norway, people who had been diagnosed with depression, persistent low mood, or "bipolar II disorder" spent six hours a week growing flowers and vegetables.

After three months, half of the participants had experienced a measurable improvement in their depression symptoms. What's more, their mood continued to be better three months after the gardening program ended. The researchers suggest that the novelty of gardening may have been enough to jolt some of the participants out of their doldrums, but some experts have a much more radical explanation for how gardening might ease depression.

Here are some examples of problems that gardening can help us solve.


-Disease
-Energy Crisis
-Environmental Crisis
-Waste
-Famine

We should all educate ourselves on how to discipline ourselves into being able to garden. The only outcome of this are positive. People would be able to appreciate and learn the value of life personally.

Entry #5 Effects of Technology on Society.

Is technology advancing us to slowly killing us?

My reaction to the video is antipathy. What are we doing with our lives?? Most people absorb 3x more information everyday compared to 50 years ago. Are we as a society are readily embracing technology with its positives, and ignoring the negatives?

Technology is changing the human experience. Life is no longer physically personal. We are becoming a society of convenience instead of our human nature. 

In the video below of human dystopia in the movie Wall-e its specifically shows how people aren't even walking anymore, they're over weight, and eating only fast food.

"In ages past, you could walk around town for a whole day without seeing all the people you know. Now, everyone you know is within arm’s reach, taking that certain psychological feeling out of seeing people. You see them every second of every day, and hear nearly every single thought of theirs as soon as they think them."

Nursing schools published an article with proven side effects from technology -specifically sitting too 
long. 
http://www.nursingschools.net/blog/2011/02/14-proven-side-effects-of-sitting-all-day/ 

Recently DRAFTfcb, an advertising agency in Paris, was asked to answer the question, “What impact will new technologies have on human evolution?” Their answer is illustrated in the infographic below.

http://www.bitrebels.com/geek/the-impact-new-technologies-will-have-on-human-evolution/

Much like the video Walle depicts humans in the future, here the company depicts more specific side effects. Besides an enlarged skull, extended thumbs, loss of sensory function, increased body mass, malnutrition-induced acne, the disappearance of body hair,  and the loss of our fifth toe, we have several other unpleasant effects to look forward to. 

Technology, like most inventions acts like a double-edged sword. They can both be used for good and bad. It is up to us as the user to decide our fate with what could now make or break us. How will YOU decide your fate?

Entry #4 New Technology At Its Finest

The new Apple watch.

What is it? How is it different?

Apple inc. has incorporated the modern day cell phone into a watch.

"Our most personal device yet."

"Our goal has always been to make powerful technology more accessible. More relevant. And ultimately more personal. Apple Watch represents a new chapter in the relationship people have with technology. It's the most personal product we've ever made, because it's the first one designed to be worn." -Apple

One of Apples biggest accomplishments in creating this device is making it more personal while still being a fashion piece.

"The Apple Watch can add physical dimention to alerts and notifications. For example, you'll feel a gentle tap with each incoming message."

"Apple Watch also lets you connect with your favorite people in fun, spontaneous ways -like sending a tap, a sketch, or even your heartbeat." -Apple

The question is does the average American consumer want a computer on their wrist?

What do you think? Will a this technology be the next step or will these new mini computers just fad out?

Only "time" will tell.  ;)

The release date is April 2015.

Entry #3 Technology is Changing Faster Than We Think

I'm sure we are all guilty in using some kind of technology to make life easier. Everyone competing to have the new iphone 6 or Galaxy Tab. But the truth is that by the time you get the latest technology out there, something new is already made, in the works of being created, or being launched right then and there.

In the video we watched in class, we got to see how technology is advancing in ways we could have never imagined. But how can we relate personally when they examples are all over the word and not just what we're experiencing personally? In this video, Ellen Degeneres (T.V. host of "The Ellen Degeneres Show") shows how kids today don't know the technology of "yesterday!" She brought out items that were from her generation and the millennial kids thought they were 100 years old! She's so great at making a point entertaining!

Technology is changing every day, every minute, every second. We're growing faster than we could keep up with! If you were Ellen, what technology would you have brought to show children today that you think they wouldn't even recognize and isn't old at all?

Entry #2 Strawberries

       Have you ever tried to grow your own food? Me either, until now. Gardening has been something I have always wanted to do. And after a lifetime of excuses and reasons of why I still hadn't done it, my amazing boyfriend bought me a strawberry plant. It's beautiful. I'm sure that most of you have all seen and tasted a strawberry before, but have you seen what the plant looks like? Here is mine. There are many different types of strawberry plants. Mine has red flowers but as I continue to do research most of the flowers are usually white. In this blog I'll be discussing the process of properly caring and growing strawberries.

    First lets start with planting. Be sure that you take care to plant at the right depth. DO NOT bury the CROWN. This is where leaves, flowers, and fruit arise. Although my plant is in a pot, these things are good to know. Especially since I plan on transferring my plant to the ground maybe after its first cycle in the fall.

Second, you must then understand a strawberries life cycle. Strawberries are perennials. Meaning that they die back during the winter and start growing again in the spring. Strawberries need at least 8 hours of sunshine each day and they prefer slightly more acidic soil.  Since I am growing out of a pot I do not need to check the pH level of my outdoor soil. Water them well. Any type of mulch 

(leaves, bark, compost) will keep the soil moist and the plant clean. Fertilize and look for blooming in late spring. The flowers must be fertilized by bees and other pollinating insects before they can set fruit. In sunny warm weather, berries ripen at about 30 days after fertilization. This is what the flower to berry process looks like.

     Finally, pick strawberries in the morning, when the fruits are cool and immediately cool in your refrigerator. Enjoy! I'm excited to see where my gardening adventures take me! Hopefully soon I'll have a full vegetable/fruit and herb garden and a bunch of juicy, ripe strawberries.

  Have you ever grown anything before? Did it go well? Any tips for a gardening beginner? 

Blog Entry #1- Blog or Blah?

Have you ever found yourself reading a book and you get through half the page and forget what you had just read? Sometimes it's not that your mind wanders, it's that you just can not manage to pay attention. The words you're reading just don't interest you. You're bored. This is when the writer lost you. It could be that the topics or things we find interesting or that we can relate to is what entertains us.

Before I rent or purchase a book, I always read the prologue and the first three pages of the book. If the author hasn't captured me by then, I don't get the book. Simple as that. Not that I give up that easy or anything. I have just found that I get bored fast. Maybe it's our culture, this generation?  Maybe it's just me? Who knows? What I do know is that for me, the same goes for peoples blogs. If the blog is not easy to read and all over the place, I get lost. I'm usually browsing social media to find information out and advertise more than to read about your life. Don't get me wrong. I'm still very much interested in your life, but can we keep that to maybe moderate amount or limited that's important and significant to whatever your blogging about? I'm here for inspiration, motivation, information, organization and captivation.

Let's start with Jenny Lawsons Blog: The Blogess. http://thebloggess.com/ I've included the link to her Blog so you can witness and read this for yourself... Did you get lost? Yea, me too. Woah! What is going on here? She has a WHOLE LOT of personality in such small writings. I didn't even know what I was reading. She goes back and forth all over the place in her blog. Don't get me wrong she seems like a nice girl, but I think sometimes my personality is so mellow I have a hard time coping with someone so hyper. So "bouncy"personalities.  For example here on one of Lawsons blog categories "Let's pretend this never happened, http://thebloggess.com/lets-pretend-this-never-happened-a-mostly-true-memoir/  is the tab that you would think is about her book called "Let's Pretend This Never Happened" right? She tells you like 20 reasons why you should go buy the book but never really what her book is actually about. It is not until you reach the very end of the page that it finally does give a TWO SENTENCE prologue. You lost me there Lawson.

Now on the other hand I fell in love with Heidi Swansons Blog: 101 Cookbooks. http://www.101cookbooks.com/ Maybe I'm being biased because as many of you know I absolutely LOVE cooking and she's also a photographer! Another one of us "art-junkies." Her blog is so organized and easy to go through. Swanson's blog not only is a journal, but in fact a cookbook too! How awesome is that!?  Since Lawson is also a photographer she includes photos of her work! Which makes it so entertaining. Her work is flawless and elegant. That right there is what captivated me. You could say it's "my cup of tea."  The cookbook part categorized by ingredient, season, travel, etc. is easy to get around and simple and straight to the point. Exactly what I wanted. For example her in one of her posts about her salad, http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/feta-oregano-salad-recipe.html she includes the title of the recipe, photos of the dish and various ingredients. She also added her life/story that makes it her own by added only a few more photos that tell her story or moment. The information was informative and entertaining.

It appears that I am attracted to more professional/ informative blogs. I'm a visual person and I need something with a lot of and pictures/hyperlinks/examples to give me something other than text to learn from. What are your favorite type of blogs? Can you include an example and why?

Blush And Stuff

In a society today, art is utilized in most of our lives. What is art you ask? ART is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting, or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. I personally get to do art everyday and I even made a career out of it. I love all kinds of different art. Probably one of the reason I became a licensed cosmetologist.

 My name is Melissa Jarosz and I have been working as a cosmetologist since 2009. By performing beauty services everyday, I get to conform art into my everyday life at work. I achieve this by painting on hair color and blending colors with makeup brushes to create a flawless looks in my work. I also get to participate in photography as well by taking lots of photos and getting to do hair and makeup for very vital photo shoots and events. Check out my Instagram for a better idea of my life and work. http://instagram.com/eemmmmiiiiii_mua/

Having a passion for art is probably one of the reasons that my hobbies include all kinds of arts and crafts.You could probably say that I'm addicted to Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/blushandstuff/
From making candles, to pretty much putting glitter on anything I can find, I love to buy stuff and personalize it to make it my own. By personalizing an object, you make something ordinary... EXTRAordinary simply by adding your own unique touch.

 I also enjoy baking. And not just cake out of a box or the easy way. I enjoy baking from scratch and learning new ways to substitute pastry ingredients into the healthy alternative sweets. I can achieve this by doing substituting ingredients such as flour for almond meal - or coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. Just little things like those are more healthy for us, but still taste good. That's they key! Not loosing the taste. I've had plenty of desserts that are healthy and still taste good! Another hobby is the outdoors and working out. Sometimes, both simultaneously! There's something therapeutic about being outside.

My goal is to graduate with a Business Degree from ASU and utilizing my education to one day become a business owner. I would like to run my own salon or even create my very own line of cosmetic/ products that are not only truly amazing but also are safe, organic, recyclable and affordable.

Thank you all for checking out a part of my life. :) What are some of your hobbies that you enjoy to do? Do your hobbies coincide with your career?