~My Card 101 Progress ~

 I honestly Feel like I could have done things differently in the class and I had different expectations as well. I did learn different ways to write essays. I had no idea that each essay could be structured the way we have structured it in class. It was like a high school essay but a more extended search and a little more free will on what you discuss. then everything being down from getting to point A to B. Now I feel I have somewhat of a general understanding of what writing classes can be in college and a possible Idea of how to start them.

I feel with other classes and activities running throughout the semester, I did have to make sure I was keeping up with assignments because it can get lost with other tasks or work I had to do, but I was able to accomplish and get it done. Back to what I had mentioned about feeling like I could have done differently with assignments. I would say with better preparation. I feel I didn't know what to expect at the start so I didn't know how I should structure my time to keep on the task of what needed to be done and I was able to learn from that.

I feel that this has been a long semester and I am sure others feel the exact same way. I definitely will be taking some of the things I have learned and placing them into the rest of my classes for next semester whether that's learning what to base my essay off of or how to find research or a topic etc. just carrying over my first college writing class experience over to others.

~Rational Argument ~

I discussed my Rational Argument Before as my ideas and process, but I will say that for me This project was a little bit more difficult than our past essays Mostly because the micro theme, was one page and based on making sure you don't include facts and claims, or try and solve the situation but grab attention on the subject and its matter. The Documentary Project was based on the Documentary itself self and you extended a summary, background, and explanation based on the ideas of Pathos, Logos, and Ethos. I think what made this more difficult was the fact that when doing research it has to be pretty precise and you have to come through all your ideas and reasoning, especially if you making a claim. You have to be able to back it up with that research and the research has to be correct. 

You add your own ideas as well but, a lot of this essay was on the factual side. Because I think better to free writing made it a little difficult for me but I was able to work around it. I also had an issue with filling more pages, but I was able to fill in spots that felt Missing from My Rational Argument. I realized they had felt missing because I needed a little more research to help me out. I also had to apply more of the hamburger rule

Which was introduced with a single phrase and reporting verb. "so and so argues that."
Then there is the quotation which you add in after your phrase or reporting verb. "So so and argues that" and then the quote with the correct page numbering line numbering, etc. "(121)" Then Explains why the quote is important to the topic. I feel if I didn't know how to structure it this was a helpful source.

                                                   

~What I Learned About Scholarly Research ~

 Through scholarly research I learned about finding specific words that connect to your topic and basing some of your research off of that, for example, My topic was on feminine products. You can choose "pink Tax" "woman's Products" or "woman's products should be cheaper" and based on the scholarly search it can give you a list of articles books etc. that can help with your research.

I had to do a little bit of an extended search though because there are some articles or books that may not reach what you're looking for, or help you in your research, I did have to do a little more digging in terms of finding out what I wanted in my Rational Argument and what Articles I thought suited my discussion the best.

I found Google Scholar to be pretty helpful in the search for my Rational Argument, but what also really helped was placing specific words in the Oesterle research section which had also helped me in terms of narrowing down some of my options. What was nice about the scholar searches was that you knew that they were approved for advanced research, instead of having to look for a website, Scholar Research gives you extra help and a push to find what you need.

                

~My Ideas And Process~

 At first, It was difficult to come up with a topic,  I didn't have a main idea of What I wanted to argue about, and There are so many different things to argue about yet it still was difficult to figure out what I wanted to discuss. Then I decided on the topic of the Pink Tax and Women's feminine products, how they are over taxed compared to men's products. I also chose the direction of discussing the effects it has on women's health by not being able to afford these products or making them less accessible. 

It had been a little tricky trying to find some information on it, and it's still a prevalent issue, but I had to do more searching to find different sources for this project. What made me decide to choose it? I remember walking through Target with my roommate looking for items to take back to our dorm, food personal products, utensils, etc., and when I was going through the aisle for Feminine Products I saw that the women's products were a little bit more than the men's products, which sparked up this discussion in my head.

I wanted to choose a discussion I hadn't really done and written before, So I thought It was a good idea to construct an idea on this topic. I also wanted to mention how feminine products were represented in the media, as in the idea of periods needing to just be handled and something to quickly take care of, something secretive, The need to let the discussion on it be out there, instead of kept in the shadows.

~The Holidays~

 I'm excited about the Holiday's but I feel that any stress surrounding your life can take away from the "holiday spirit" or the fun of what the holidays can be. Can it be as you get older, the feeling and excitement of the holidays are less than they used to be when you're younger? I feel you can continue to have the holiday spirit no matter what age, it's just a matter of where your life is as an adult rather than a kid that can take away from the fun. Now, of course, not Everyone's childhood is the same, maybe the holidays weren't that exciting as a kid for some. 

I remember being a little kid and when I saw my mom take out the "Christmas box" I was instantly excited.  I Remember how the Christmas tree smelled including the ornaments, it sparks so much nostalgia. 

We still have most of the ornaments as well. Which continues to spark nostalgia the older I get. I remember looking forward to seeing all the gifts under the tree and wondering which gift could be my new Build-a-Bear, or Barbie that I had asked and hoped for. Now on my  Christmas list, I want an ice machine for my dorm. As a little kid that would have been the most boring Christmas gift and 7-year-old me would even wonder who would want that as a gift. You would not have been able to convince me.

It's just amazing how your perspective on the holidays can change as you get older. Growing up I would watch movies about adults losing the Christmas spirit, but I would never think too much about it and just be glad that I was a kid in that moment. Now I rewatch those movies. I realize what they mean by becoming an adult and losing that Christmas spirit. We get so lost in what's going on in our life, our chores and tasks, that it can be hard to step aside of course when the holidays come around, we get lost in being busy and stressed. I'm still looking forward to all the fun things about Christmas when it comes down to it. whether that's putting up the tree, or with my family putting up lights as well. Now I can shop for family and friends more than I could before. I find new ways now to appreciate and celebrate the holidays. 

~Drinking Water~

 I try to make sure I drink enough water daily, it's good for your body to help break down, and process foods. I try to drink a good amount daily but sometimes it slips by me. Some people it slips by them constantly and need reminders to drink water. For some people, it can be hard for them to drink water because they don't like the taste of it. This isn't a sponsor for air up, but I would like to try it and it sounds great for anyone who doesn't want to drink water. Air up is based off of science actually. It's called retronasal olfaction which refers to how scent affects the perception of taste in the back of your mouth. Basically, you put a pod over the mouth nozzle that has a specific scent to it. When you drink your water with the scent pod on, it makes you think you are drinking flavored water based on what you're smelling while drinking. and when you want to go back to drinking water without the pod, you push it down on the nozzle. It's a great way to drink water and sounds interesting. I can't wait to get one and try it myself. 

~What Made Me Start Favoring Fall ~

   ~  I wasn't a huge fall person. My favorite season was always summer. It still is, but since 3 years ago, it has had a special place in my heart. It's moved up from 3rd to 2nd favorite season. During the 2020 pandemic, I would have many of my classes online and tried to keep myself as occupied as I could, Just as most people were. I remember that during the fall, my auntie came over. (she was tested for COVID  at the time and was able to visit.) 

I watched Halloween for the first time, with my aunt, sister, and mom. I barely could look at a horror movie, let alone a Thriller. When I was little I always thought Halloween was extremely scary and would never dare to watch it. When I first watched it with my family, I realized it wasn't that bad at all, and I actually ended up liking Halloween a lot. the following day, we watched Halloween Two. What I'm mainly saying is ever since I watched Halloween, I tolerated thrillers a lot more and started working my way over to watching Scream (for example) or more thrillers in general. We also baked some treats and made a good mixture of fall and Halloween desserts. 

For example a scarecrow cookie and ghost marshmallows. I remember the leaves outside of our house being so beautiful. I also remember we decided to view decorated houses in our neighborhood. We used to have one house specifically every year, that would go all out and turn the outside of their house into a haunted house. They would have multiple horror characters on their lawn, like Michael Myers, Freddy Kruger, IT, etc. I think their house was on the news at some point, but I can't remember. One year they collaborated with their neighbors to make an epic spooky house, with skeletons across their lawn. You just had to see it. 

That's what made me start liking fall a lot more, I associated great memories with it. The weather in general as well. ~