lundi, octobre 18, 2004

There's no place like home....

It seems that Michigan is certainly NOT the place for me.

According to FindYourSpot.com, my top 10 places to live are:

  1. Baton Rouge, LA
  2. New Orleans, LA
  3. Little Rock, AR
  4. Honolulu, HI
  5. Las Vegas, NV
  6. Sacremento, CA
  7. Alexandria, LA
  8. Natchitoches, LA
  9. San Bernadino, CA
  10. Providence, RI

Hm.... they must know I love hot weather... how did Providence RI get on there?


The road to my degree…

General Education Requirements

Area I Symbolics
and Communication


  1. Eng
    121 P

  2. CTAS
    121 P

  3. FRNCH
    121 P

  4. MATH
    110 or above. Must take placement
    test

  5. IS
    215 P

Area II Science and Technology

  1. Chemistry
    or Physics

  2. PSY
    101 P

  3. INDT
    150 P



Area III Social Sciences


  1. PLSC
    112 P

  2. HIST
    124 P

  3. SOCL
    105 P

  4. WMST
    200 P

Area IV Arts and Humanities

  1. FRNCH
    341

  2. FRNCH
    342

  3. PHIL
    100 P

  4. MUSC
    107 P

Physical Education/Graduation Requirement


Check with registrar’s office about PEGN 000 Weight
Training and PEGN 000 Badminton


Major Requirements – French Teaching

FRNCH 121 P

FRNCH 122 P

FRNCH 221

FRNCH 233

FRNCH 222

FRNCH 234

FRNCH 341

FRNCH 343

FRNCH 342

FRNCH 344

FRNCH 444

FRNCH 4**

FRNCH 443

FRNCH 4**



Professional Studies

Preadmission Phase: The Learner and the Community

  • EDPS
    322 Human Development and Learning

  • FETE
    201 Field Experience

  • SPGN
    251 Education of Students with Exceptionalities


The following courses require formal admission to the teacher education
program

Phase I: Curriculum, Assessment and the Social Context

  • SOFD
    328 Schools in a Multicultural Society

  • CURR
    305 Curriculum and Methods: Secondary

  • FETE
    302 Field Experience II: Secondary

  • EDPS
    340 Introduction to Assessment and Evaluation

Phase II: Content Methods, Literacy and Technology

  • RDNG
    311 Teaching Reading in the Secondary School

  • FETE
    402 Field Experience III: Secondary

  • EDMT
    330 Instructional Applications of Media and Technology

  • FLAN
    411 Theory and Methods of Modern Language Teaching

Phase III: Capstone Experience

  • Student
    Teaching 12 hours

Minor Requirements – Communication and Theatre Arts

CTAS 121 P



I. Communication

  • CTAC
    224 Public Speaking

  • CTAC
    225 Listening Behavior

  • CTAC
    000 Dynamics of Communication

II. Interpretation/performance studies

  • CTAO
    210 Interpretative Reading

IV. Telecommunications and Film

  • CTAT
    141 Introduction to Radio-TV-Film Production

V. Theatre Arts

  • CTAR
    158 Fundamentals of Acting

Electives – does not count toward degree



Applied Voice



Unused credits via transfer

ENGL 120 Basic English Composition

ENGL BASX Black Women Writers

FRNH 000 Intermediate French

FRNH 122 Beginning French (AC)

GERN 121 Beginning German

GERN 122 Beginning German

PEGN 000 Badminton – Coed

BEDU 000 MS Windows Experience

COSC 000 DOS

COSC 136 Computers for Non-Spec.

HLED 000 Stress Management

MATH 000 Math for Business

PEGN 000 Weight Training

MUSC 131 University Choir

MUSC 251 Functional Piano


dimanche, octobre 17, 2004

Who wants to be a Tess-i-naire?

Human for Sale

Seems I am work nearly 2 million bucks... how about you?

samedi, octobre 16, 2004

I'm going to need a bucket...

224

Breakfast : BEC Biscuit and Hashbrowns
Lunch: Sandwich
Dinner: La Shish

Had dinner with Jill, Darren and Kevin. We had a really great time. I hadn't laughed that much in a while.

Came home and watched a documentary on the Democratic primaries and finished watching the debate. If I hear "no child left behind" one more time, I think I am going to puke.

Bonne Nuit!

Punch in the Face Game

I found this on another blog:

The Punch in the Face game
"Yesterday I saw a Ford Truck commercial featuring Toby Keith, who in the commercial actually shouted the phrase: "Bring it on!"
Upon seeing it I immediately thought up a new game for you to play with all of your friends. It's called the Punch in the Face game, and very simple, yet not as easy as you think. All you have to do is make a list of the 5 people that you'd most like to punch in the face without any consequences. They could be famous people or people you personally know.
There's only a couple additional rules.
1. You can't put George W. Bush on your list, because everyone's going to do that. It's like on wheel of fortune, for the final puzzle, they now automatically give everyone the first five letters, because everyone always picked them. So that one's a given. You are, however, free to imagine punching W in the face anyway. Go ahead.
2. None of the people on the list can be female, because hitting girls is not cool, dude. However, if you yourself are a chick, feel free. But, remember, we are talking punches here, not limp-wristed slaps.That's it, post yr list in the comments section. The best part about the Punch in the face game is that everybody wins! Good Luck!"
Hmmm who would I choose? These are in no particular order
  1. Geraldo Rivera
  2. Laura Schlessinger
  3. Bill O'Reilly
  4. Dr. Phil
  5. Rush Limbaugh

Le destin de Tess

Tess Dunn
Rédaction 2
le 17 octobre, 2004

Quand je regarde dans ma boule en cristal, que’ est-ce que je vois ?

Je suis retourné à l'université pour apprendre des sujets chers de moi, comme la musique et la langue et la culture françaises. Toute ma vie, j'ai voulu être un professeur. Est-ce que je vais travailler dans un lycée ? Une Université ? Est-ce que je vais enseigner le piano ou la voix en plus Français? Naturellement, j'espère visiter l'Europe plusieurs fois dans ma vie. Peut-être je vais étudier en France avant je gradue de l'université. J'espère que je vais rencontrer quelqu'un et nous allons nous épouser. Je voudrais avoir des enfants, aussi.

C’est dur à prévoir. Vraiment, je ne sais pas que va être dans mon futur, je peux seulement espérer que ma famille et moi serons heureux. Si je continue à apprendre et passer le temps avec les bien-aimées, je serai heureuse n'importe ce que le futur se tient.

vendredi, octobre 15, 2004

Honorary Groundhog

225
Breakfast - Yogurt
Lunch - Cheetos and a salad
Dinner - Sandwich and chips

Dang... I haven't written in ages. My life has been upside down sidways and backwards.
I have fallen off my OA wagon. I am taking things one day at a time and hope I will be back on track again soon.
I dropped 3 of my classes and changed my major to French Teaching with a minor in Communication and Theatre Arts. So... yet again, a new and improved schedule:
MONDAYS: 9AM: Counseling 10AM: French 12PM: Functional Piano 4PM: Studio 5PM:WORK
TUESDAYS: 10AM: French 3PM:Choir 7PM: Political Science
WEDNESDAYS: 10AM: French 12PM: Functional Piano 3PM:Choir
THURSDAYS: 9AM: Voice 10AM: French 3PM:Choir
FRIDAYS: 10AM: French 12PM: Functional Piano 2PM:WORK
SATURDAYS: 9AM-5PM WORK
SUNDAYS: 9AM-5PM WORK
It's icky and rainy today. I just want to crawl into a bed and sleep until spring.

dimanche, octobre 10, 2004

Schizophrenic Cold

225
Breakfast - B/E/C biscuit&hashbrown

I have this cold where one side my face is all stuffed up and the other side is running. Gross

So I had a fantastic time last night with Marilyn, Vince and Darren. We went to see Margaret Cho at the Michigan Theatre. I laughed my ass off and even squealed a few times. (Poor Laura Bush, I will never think of your pussy the same way again... or did I ever think of it before?)

One of my new favorite phrases is "Mullet Fantasia." I will be sure to work that in somewhere in conversation sometime soon. It shouldn't be to hard given the numver of 3's I see plastered on pick-up trucks all over the state of Michigan.

Last night my Absentee Ballot was waiting for me when I got home. Today at work, I tried my best to look up all the candidates for the races of which I was unfamiliar. It was "hard work." Sometimes I think people intentionally don't put anything out there just hoping you will vote for them on accident. Many of the times, I had to go by party affiliation based on the platform, rather than the person's actual record or views. That was a bit disturbing to me.

There were 2 proposals on the ballot... one where people would have to vote if there were any changes or additions to casinos/gambling in the state of Michigan. I am all for letting people have a say, so I voted Yes. The other was not to recognize gay marriage or civil unions. If course, I voted NO for that.

Tomorrow I am supposed to be able to play a Melodic Minor scale for Keyboard Harmony. It was funny, because my Keyboard Teacher couldn't do it herself. That just goes to show that not much thinking went into the requirements for these little tests each week. I imagine that Melodic Minors are rarely used or if they are, it's so incorporated that a piano student never learns them as a seperate entity. Anyway... let me go over it so that I can try to explain to myself.

The Melodic Form of the minor scale includes raised sixth and seventh scale degrees in the ascending form. That means there are half steps between the 2nd and 3rd and 7th and 8th degrees. The descending form is the same as a Natural Minor.

OK... so starting on A....


Asc. A - B - C - D - E - F# - G# - A
Des. A - G - F - E - D - C - B - A
OK.. so the A minor scale is the only one without black keys... Let's try a harder one:
If you were to start on Bflat, you have to think, hmm... what is the relative Major scale? To find that, you go up 3 half steps. So.. Bflat to B, to C to C# Now.. how many #s are in C# Major? There are lots: FCGDEAB... so we know that the minor scale would contain those sharps

That's ok... but now, you have to remember that in the Melodic Minor, the 6th and 7th steps are raised on the way up and they are natural on the way down.
so.. it's all very confusing and I am sure to get yet another SUCK keyboard harmony grade tomorrow!!
OK.. so to keep myself from freaking out and being afraid of the unknown, these are the things I have to do/prepare for this week:
General things with no set day -
  • Take Willis to Vet
  • Laundry
  • Buy Cold Medicine - GET BETTER!
  • Get shower cleaner stuff and clean shower
  • Get Aveda lotion or similiar since heat is drying out skin (ugh winter)
  • Re-write POLISCI paper to more thesis format
  • Write Music Lit paper re: CD Response
  • Read Ch's 1-5 and listen to CD 1 for Music Lit for Midterm on Thursday
MONDAY
  1. Dress up, as today is area/studio
  2. 8:00AM Homework is due for Music Theory. Page 79 - Macro Analysis
  3. 9:00AM counseling appointment
  4. 10:00AM - French, oral presentations
  5. 11:30AM - Keyboard Harmony
  6. 12:ooPM - Piano Class
  7. 4:ooPM - Area/Studio (For Voice Lessons)
  8. 5:00PM - Work until 9PM
  9. No set time: 30 mins voice practice, MACGamut to turn in next week. 3 levels of Mastery

TUESDAY

  1. 8:00AM - Aural Skills, find out how I did on last week's exam
  2. 10:00AM - French, oral presentations
  3. 11:00AM - Recital (observe)
  4. 3:00PM - University Choir
  5. 7:15 PM - EXAM in Political Science on Congress
  6. No set time: 30 mins voice practice, MACGamut to turn in next week. 3 levels of Mastery

WEDNESDAY

  1. 8:00AM - Homework for Music Theory - WB4A
  2. 10:00AM - French, oral presentations
  3. 12:00PM - Functional Piano
  4. 3:00 PM - University Choir
  5. No set time: 30 mins voice practice, MACGamut to turn in next week. 3 levels of Mastery

THURSDAY

  1. 8:00AM - Aural Skills
  2. 9:00AM - Voice Lesson Must memorize Tu Lo Sai, Quella Fiamma and Blackbird
  3. 10:00 AM - French
  4. 12:00 - Music Literature MIDTERM EXAM
  5. 3:00PM - University Choir
  6. 5:00 PM - Possibly work

FRIDAY

  1. Homework due for Music Theory - page 80
  2. French - Oral presentation
  3. Piano, play for prof
  4. 2:00PM WORK

SATURDAY

9-5 WORK

SUNDAY

9-5 WORK

samedi, octobre 02, 2004

Paper for PoliSci

Election 2004: Who I feel would best represent our country



Teresa Jo Dunn
E00202295





Eastern Michigan University
PLSC 112-31
October 2, 2004

How does one make sense of it all?

More recently in my life, I’ve developed a healthy skepticism of politicians and the media. I understand the power of public relations and advertising. To this end, endorsements and campaign ads give me an ill feeling. After all, how many advertisers ever really tell you the truth? In our lifetime, there have been a great number of companies in litigation over false claims or omissions about their products. The resulting mistrust of the companies by consumers bleeds into the mistrust of a thinking voter.

My personal journey to the ballot box

I remember taking a tour of City Hall as a young girl in Augusta, GA back in the 1970’s. When we were shown the City Clerk’s office, the woman said: “I have the most important job in this building. It may be more important than the Mayor. This is where people register to vote.” She explained the concepts that came to frame my ideas of democracy and instilled the importance of the individual as a citizen of this country. We all promised to always vote. Of course, it would be at least 10 years before any of us could fulfill that promise. While some may have forgotten, I did not. I remember the first presidential election in which my vote was cast. We were riding on the wave of the first “war” in my life. Operation Desert Storm seemed quick and victorious. I thought, “Wow, America is powerful and right.” Of course, that is all I was aware of in those days. Being a student with thoughts of car trouble, parental tyranny and dating, anything else just seemed like mere details to let the grown-ups settle. I dropped my punch card into to the box, not really caring if George Bush Sr. won or not. He didn’t and life moved on. During that time, I took foreign language classes, met a more diverse sampling of people through work and school. I became more aware of my place in the world. I developed respect and tolerance for people with views different from my own. I cultivated an open mind and gave myself permission to change it when presented with new information from different people and sources.

This year’s candidates, their platforms and what that means to me as a citizen of this country and of the world.

President George W. Bush, Incumbent
When doing research on this candidate’s stand on various issues, it was very difficult to find a clear outline of the party platform. I started on the Republican Party’s official site, GOP.com. The site itself has a very negative and “tabloid-esque” feel. The first thing I noticed was a feature called “Kerry Vs. Kerry – Kerry’s Top Ten Iraq Flip Flops From First Debate.” [1] Before I could even attempt to explore this candidate’s position, I was bombarded with information ridiculing and disrespecting the president’s opponent in the race. Is this how government is run? The front page of this site is dedicated to the degradation of the opponent, rather than the skill and strong reasons to re-elect President Bush. I always hoped that our leaders were above such petty blows. Of course, I keep in mind that supporters, not the president himself, maintain this site and so continue in my search. There is a link that says, “GOP Agenda.” There are articles on several facets making up the party’s platform. The first one I read is titled “President Bush's Plan to Grow the Economy and Create Jobs.” While reading this article, I felt as if my intelligence were being insulted. This is an excerpt from the article:

The President’s new proposal would:
Provide help for unemployed Americans, including extending unemployment benefits and creating new re-employment accounts to help displaced workers get back on the job. [2]

As an unemployed American, I saw President Bush actually cancel extensions of unemployment benefits. I already cannot trust the credibility of this candidate. In the first paragraph, I have personally been the recipient of a lie. I am sad to say that my attitude is already colored by betrayal. If there were a good reason for the cancellation, I would listen. But now, he is making a promise to help displaced workers like me? I don’t want his kind of help. How is a tax break going to make things right when I don’t make anything to be taxed?

Under the President’s proposal to speed up tax relief, 92 million taxpayers would receive, on average, a tax cut of $1,083 in 2003.
46 million married couples would receive an average tax cut of $1,716.
34 million families with children would benefit from an average tax cut of $1,473.
6 million single women with children would receive an average tax cut of $541.
13 million elderly taxpayers would receive an average tax cut of $1,384.
23 million small business owners would receive tax cuts averaging $2,042.
The President’s Plan is Good for All Americans
A typical family of four with two earners making a combined $39,000 in income will receive a total of $1,100 in tax relief under the President’s plan. [3]

Not to be selfish, but I don’t see myself in any of those categories. President Bush’s plan is tailor-made to reward people who fit within his personal idea of the kind of family life an American citizen should have. There is no provision for people who do not have children or are not married. Single, childless women and other minorities such as gay couples, who do not adhere to the kind of family that President Bush does, are not represented within his plans. The arrogance in the line that “The President’s Plan is Good for All Americans,” stirs anger in me, reminding me that I must not be included in his definition of “American.”

At this point, I already have a bad taste in my mouth, but I continue to look for something on which I can agree with the President. Like many people, I look to my peers. I have a friend who has been in the Air Force since we graduated from High School. I recently asked him what his thoughts were on the election. Bear in mind that I have a great deal of respect for him and for his experience as a veteran and as a person:

“The numbers don't lie. John Kerry is an anti-war, anti-military, socialist elitist and a liar. I take his voting record on the senate floor as all the proof I need… So...while Bush is NOT the perfect president, he is, in my worldly opinion, the best option we have. I have more money, pay less taxes, feel much safer, and am dedicated to hunting down the GLOBAL (including Iraq) threat of terrorism…So yes...now you know where I stand...because a year ago it was next to an Arab tanker truck that was filled with possible explosives and trying to enter my camp.....

God Bless George W. Bush..

Technical Sergeant XXXXXXXXXXX, veteran of THREE foreign wars,(one under Clinton for the same reasons we're in Iraq), USAF”

So here is one of my best friends telling me that I can’t possibly know what is going on in the world, because I haven’t lived it his way. I can understand if you have a family and a career that is based on war, then you would want war. It’s what earns your living. So, he is welcome to vote for President Bush. If the majority of Americans feel as he does, then I am a minority and according to the rules of the Democracy as the general public know it, I will just have to live under their choice. However, I don’t feel that this is the opinion of the majority of Americans.

Senator John Kerry
Navigating to Senator Kerry’s page was a nice change of atmosphere. The message appears to be positive. The mudslinging is at a minimum. Just to be fair, I went to the Democratic Party’s official site. Again, the supporters of the candidate seem to be a bit more “on the attack.” However, the sheer amount of anti-Bush content is far less and what exists is nowhere near as sensationalized as that on the RNC website. It was easy to find a cohesive Democratic part platform document that was available for download. The following points resonate with me the most:

“We believe that upholding international standards for the treatment of prisoners, wherever they may be held, advances America's national security, the security of our troops, and the values of our people. And we believe torture is unacceptable. America should abide by its own laws and the treaties it has ratified, including the Geneva Conventions”. [4]

“Global Health. Addressing global health challenges – including the AIDS pandemic – is a Humanitarian obligation and a national security imperative. We are committed to a coordinated effort to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States and in all other regions throughout the world." [5]

“No strategy for American security is complete without a plan to end America's dependence on Mideast oil. Today, the American economy depends on oil controlled by some of the world's most repressive regimes. This leaves our economy dangerously vulnerable to nations that do not share our interests. America too often is silent about the practices of some governments because we depend on oil they control.” [6]

“Tax reform to create jobs. Today's tax law provides big breaks for companies that send American jobs overseas. Current "deferral" policies allow American companies to avoid paying American taxes on the income earned by their foreign subsidiaries. John Kerry and John Edwards will end deferral that encourages companies to ship jobs overseas, and they will close other loopholes to make the tax code work for the American worker.” [7]

“Cutting health care costs. At the center of our efforts will be a plan to reduce health costs. We will lift a financial burden on families, businesses, and the self-employed by picking up the tab for the highest-cost medical cases. That will save America's families up to $1,000 on their premiums.” [8]

“Our commitment to civil rights is ironclad. We will restore vigorous federal enforcement of our civil rights laws for all our people, from fair housing to equal employment opportunity, from Title IX to the Americans with Disabilities Act. We support affirmative action to redress discrimination and to achieve the diversity from which all Americans benefit. We believe a day's work is worth a day's pay, and at a time when women still earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, we need stronger equal pay laws and stronger enforcement of them. We will enact the bipartisan legislation barring workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. We are committed to equal treatment of all service members and believe all patriotic Americans should be allowed to serve our country without discrimination, persecution, or violence. We support the appointment of judges who will uphold our laws and constitutional rights, not their own narrow agendas.” [9]


Finding an Answer
I tried to find a similar document supporting President Bush’s platform, and after searching the Internet, rather than the RNC site, I found it. It was very discouraging to weed through all the website propaganda to finally dig up the platform. To be honest, it was much harder to read due to format, than the Democratic one, and I think that is by design. I feel that party would rather tell people what to think and feel, than let them figure it out for themselves by looking at the platform. Many of the sentences make me feel like I am being spoon-fed:

“Today, Afghanistan is a world away from the nightmare of the Taliban. Twenty-eight Million people are free. That country has a good and just president. Boys and girls are being educated. Women are respected. Many refugees have returned home to rebuild their country, and a presidential election is scheduled for this fall.” [10]

I’ve researched the issues, and honestly the two candidates do have similar goals, just different routes. I feel as if Senator Kerry is choosing to use a key to open the door of national success where President Bush has been using a sledge hammer, which brings with it a bigger mess and more cost to repair the entire structure. I feel that Senator Kerry represents my way of thinking better than President Bush. I must say that my vote solidly belongs to John Kerry this election year.

Bibliography
While not all works here were directly cited, they all have lead to the opinions expressed in this paper.
Republican National Committee
October 2, 2004
The Lone Star Iconoclast
“Kerry Will Restore American Dignity.”
October 2, 2004
http://news.iconoclast-texas.com/web/Columns/Editorial/editorial39.htm
Democratic National Committee
Official Website
October 2, 2004
http://www.democrats.org/

Discover Magazine
Greenburg, Daniel. “Bush vs. Kerry on Science”
John Kerry for President
Official Website
October 2, 2004
National Public Radio“Fact-checking the Debate”
September 30, 2004
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4056265

The Democratic National Committee
“Strong at Home, Respected in the World, the 2004 Democratic National Platform for America”
July 27, 2004
The Republican National Committee
“2004 Republican Party Platform: A Safer World and a More Hopeful America”
August 26, 2004

vendredi, octobre 01, 2004

Look out boys... I am back on the prowl ;)

226
Breakfast - Peanut butter/choc wafer
Lunch - Bagel
Dinner - Apple, Sandwich, Baked Doritos

Maya Angelou was great last night. I am so glad that Marilyn and I went.

.


Praise bright blue skies
and dark rain clouds.
Lift happy
voices upon the morning air.
Murmur sweet words soft
lyin the evening
breeze. - Maya Angelou



I am getting back on track with my program. However, I finally got some information about of a certain someone about why were aren't and never will be (apparently) dating.

It seems that my temper is foul.

On a certain occasion I blew up and fled from a situation. Mind you, it was during the beginning of my near binging when I was entering work/school overload near-misery. I recognized the tantrum and apologized immediately. However, it was the proverbial final straw.


Also, I think that I am past my dating issues. I think I could embark on dating now that it has been since May since I've "acted out" on the SLAA front. I might give eHarmony a whirl. With the way my schedule is... This might be the best time. I am too busy to really smother anyone or make things go faster than they should.