Wednesday, June 8, 2016

This is it.

Welp guys, this is it.

I kinda wish that font went even bigger than that, but I gotta work with what I have I suppose.

As I just stated, THIS IS IT. This is my last blog post. But not only is it my last blog post, it is also my last homework assignment of my undergraduate studies. WHAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT??
So, of course, I left it to be finished the day of that it is due because procrastination is the definition of college. I only saw it fitting. 

I can't believe it though. It feels like just yesterday I moved into the awful, unairconditioned dorm room of Geiger 2. Now here I am, watching everyone else packing their stuff in cars to be moved out by today, while I do not have to be moved out until Saturday because that is when I GRADUATE. And I will never have to move out from NCC ever again.

Where did life go?!
North Central College treated me well. I met amazing people, got to play a sport I love at a collegiate level (volleyball), survived some of the hardest classes I have ever had to take, made my mark in intramural sports, and learned all about new media and the internet. What else could I have asked for?
Well maybe better food, but at least I got food. 

Going to college at NCC was the best decision I could have made. I am extremely proud to be graduating as a Cardinal and moving on into the world to represent NCC in whatever jobs I choose to work for. I want to thank all my teachers that helped me learn things I never even thought about learning throughout college. There was some information that I really do not think I will ever use in my life, but a lot of information that I know will be very helpful in my future careers. You all pushed me in ways I did not know I could be pushed and pulled me in ways that were at times very uncomfortable, but here I am and I am now better because of it. 

I do not want to turn this into a class president speech or anything, so I will leave it at this: Thank you all for being a part of my North Central College experience. Teacher or peer, you have made some sort of impact on my life with just your mere presence, and I wish the best for you all.

And with that, I leave you with the song "Graduation" by Vitamin C.
My last homework assignment is complete. 
Peace & Blessings yall. 

The Joys and Pains of Music Videos

I love watching music videos. 

I used to be the type of person who would watch MTV (when it actually pertained to music) and watch music videos allllll dayyyy longggg. 
Now, instead, I am that person who sits at her computer and YouTubes music videos. Once I watch one, the train is rolling and it is hard to stop. 

There is something about music videos that makes or breaks the music. I can be listening to a song and think "ehh this is alright.." and then later go on YouTube and see the same song as a "suggestion", click it, watch it, and my world is changed forever. It may even become my new favorite song. I find myself defending the song when my friends have the same first impression as me and tell them they have not seen the music video yet so they have no reason to judge. 
Another thing that music videos can do at times is relay a hidden message or really show the emotion of songs. There's nothing like watching an artist feel their music in every part of their body while making music videos. I love it.
Music videos really do make a difference sometimes.
A music video that I think is a great example of an artist showing their vulnerability, passion, and pain is Demi Lovato's Skyscraper. When I first heard the audio version of this song, I was not a fan. I thought her voice sounded rough and painful. When they released the video, I learned that's exactly how she felt. It was a very powerful moment for her creating this video and she let it all go. Now I absolutely love this song.

On the flip side, music videos can definitely destroy a good song. There's nothing more buzzkilling than looking forward to watching a music video from one of my favorite songs and then having it be the stupidest, strangest, pointless video ever. Sure, I know there are songs with weird videos that have a lot of symbolism in them or what not, but sometimes I think they go over board. An example of a music video that ruined a song for me is Miley Cyrus's Wrecking Ball. It's a great song, I love it. Full of emotion, pain, and vulnerability as well. But the music video is a bit over the top. Maybe I just do not understand it, but I purposely search for the lyrical videos whenever I want to listen to that song.

All in all, I definitely believe that music videos can have a huge impact on songs. I can give many examples of videos that I love, and several examples of videos that make me wonder about humans. I do love and will forever enjoy watching music videos, and I hope that is one thing that will never die. 

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Brain vs. Technology



This term I have had an internship at an independent and assisted living home and have worked with the health and wellness supervisor. A lot of exercises that we lead the residents in focus on a couple areas: balance, functional movements, and cognition or brain exercises. While I was doing research on different topics and such, I stumbled upon an article that talked about brain deterioration.

It brought to surface interesting concepts dealing with how our brains work and how we need to keep them working. One thing the article mentioned is the fact that our brain is designed to be stimulated, challenged, and to observe, resolve, and interpret the environment around us. It talks about how in order to survive, paying attention to and remembering detail was crucial.

The thing with today's society is, we do not do those things anymore. We use electronics to keep track of appointments, assignments, grocery lists, etc. and to remind us what we need to do and when we need to do it. Something I had never thought about being different in today's world is the fact that we have lit up streets and street signs. This allows us to find locations with ease, where before there was light to show a path, it was important to pay attention to navigation details throughout the journey. Basically, our brains are not being challenged as much anymore and this lack of use begins to deteriorate the brain.

It is easy for people to do things such as drive from home to work everyday and not even be consciously engaged in the action. Life begins to become a "going through the motions" routine. We lose interest in the details and reduce the stimulation our brains need. This sort of lifestyle leads to brain deterioration.

To help improve brain function, it is important that we engage in tasks with seriousness and purpose. Tasks we do must have importance to us and be meaningful, interesting, and hold our attention. Unimportant tasks do not stimulate the brain enough to stimulate growth and keep it active.

So how can someone take small steps to improving the brain stimulation? Start with not using technology for notes or reminders and begin to challenge the mind to remember things on it's own. Also, be more observant. Search for the details in life, do not avoid them. Open the eyes and open the mind, it will do wonders in ways we do not even realize.