Signs and Phrases

Have you ever noticed when you push the button on a stoplight it either tells you to walk or don't walk depending on the traffic? I'm so confused at what to do. I wish I could walk when the sign tells me to. Sometimes they have the little guy with 1 foot forward turn white when you can walk and the little guy standing still or a hand turn red when you can't walk. I wonder what people would think if it was the wheelchair symbol turning white or if it said roll/don't roll. It would be kind of interesting. Maybe there should be both. I've seen one sign where they have the little guy and a bicycle symbol. They could just considers saying cross/don't cross instead.

There are some phrases and words that I would say that I notice to be different from what I'm actually doing. One example would be "going for a walk." Anytime I'm going to go or have gone around the neighborhood or on the trail I say "I'm going for a roll" or "I went for a roll" because I'm not actually going to be walking. Even though "going for a walk" is a general universal phrase, I can't help but to laugh when I say it because if you look at it literally it's not true. Also, when I say I'm going downstairs or upstairs. I'm not actually going down the stairs or up the stairs I'm going in the elevator.

This is a little different from the above, but I do love hearing people use metaphors when talking about going places. My mom's favorite phrase is "I'm going to run to the store" I always wondered how long that would take if she actually ran. My aunt always says "okay I got a fly". I figure she's not actually going to fly to where she's going, that would be way too expensive.

I know it is okay for me to say phrases that everybody is used to and understands even if I'm not doing exactly that. I'm definitely not offended by these phrases or signs. This is what people are used to. It just makes me laugh and ponder when I see or hear them. Can you think of any other things that are similar to this?

Jenni

Got My Books

Today I went to Normandale community college to buy my books for my summer class. I can't believe how expensive it is just for books. I haven't really noticed how much I was paying before, but today for some reason it stuck out. My class requires two books; I'm only using them for six weeks. This time I got them both used and spent $111. I don't even know how much they were to buy them new. I do know that I could buy them online for cheaper probably. Maybe next time I'll try that.

I looked online at the requirements and assignments for this course, Mass Communications. It seems like it's going to be a lot of work. There are 16 modules and it said that in a regular semester like Spring or Fall there is one a week. For summer semester it's one every two or three days. It says to expect to spend nine hours a week on a regular semester and double that for the summer. Maybe I should've taken it at a different time. Oh well, I'm hoping I can keep up.

Jenni

Pick-up Truck Dog

A lady was telling her neighbor that she saw a man driving a pick-up truck down the interstate, and a dog was hanging onto the tail gate for dear life!

She said if the pick-up truck driver hadn't been going so fast in the other direction, she would have tried to stop him.

A few weeks later, her neighbor saw this truck at the Bass Pro Shop. The pick-up truck driver is a local taxidermist with a great sense of humor!

And it is not a dog it is a coyote.



Can you imagine how many people try to stop this guy?

Jenni

This Is Cool

I signed up for Skype the other day. It is free and you can make voice and video calls to other people who are on it. My friend from Singapore suggested that we talk using Skype instead of just e-mailing and chatting on Facebook. We met through my blog. Last night was the first time we tried using it and it worked great! I would love to talk to other people this way; it's so convenient, especially when the other person is on the opposite end of the world. Someday I might get a WebCam so that I could do video calls. That would be awesome.

Have any of you used Skype? If so, tell me about it.

Jenni

"At each stage of learning we must give up something, even if it is a way of life that we have always known."
-Ginevee; Australian aboriginal

The Last Few Days and Class

On Friday I had a doctors appointment. Yesterday I went to my cousins college graduation party at this humongous park that I didn't even know existed. It's called Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis; about 25 minutes away from my house. It was 75° and sunny. Much better weather than it has been. The last couple weeks it's been a little colder than usual for this time; temperatures between 40° and 50° and sort of rainy. Today it's 70° and sunny. I'm planning on going outside later to try to get some more color. I'm going to put sunscreen on though to make sure I don't burn. With all the meds I'm taking I have to be careful.

I start my online mass communications class on June 2. I've never taken a summer class before so it will be interesting to see how it goes. Plus I've only taken one online class before this and it was writing. I'm definitely going to buy the book early and start reading since I have time now. I don't know how busy I'll be with this class, but I'm sure I'll be on the computer a lot.

Jenni

A Congratulatory Note...

I received an A (93%) in my class. My teacher sent me an e-mail congratulating me on my work this last semester. I was pretty excited and proud so I thought I'd post what he wrote for all of you to read.

Dear Jenni,

I wanted to congratulate you on your performance in the course this semester! You clearly were one of my most engaged and thoughtful. I was really moved by your contribution to "This I Believe." I’ve taught at big universities (the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin), private liberal arts colleges (Augsburg College, Bethel College), and here, and I would place your work among the best at any university or college anywhere that I have encountered. Your hard work pays many dividends. You're an inspiration!

Andy Tix

"This I Believe" is a website that people can post essays about belief. I did that for part of my final essay. Thanks for a great semester Andy! I only hope to have similar experiences in upcoming classes.

Jenni

Thanks for Being You

Happy Mother's Day! Let me first start off by honoring all of the women who have donated their time to being a mother. What great work you do. Then I want to say thanks for being there and I hope your day is wonderful.

To my mom: you have always been there for me no matter what. I'm grateful to have you as my mother and I'm thankful for everything you do. You are the best and I love you.

Jenni

I'm Back

The semester is finally over. I've been a little stressed this past week trying to get everything done for the class. I e-mailed my final in last night. I think I'm going to end with an A but I'll have to wait and see. My mass communications class online starts in a few weeks so I have some free time to relax.

Sunday I went to the Spinal Cord Injury Research Symposium. It was really great and I learned a lot about what they're doing to help cure spinal cord injuries. I will post a link to the video when they get it up online.

Tomorrow I'm getting Botox in my neck again. Hopefully it'll help my tight muscles.

Jenni