Oh Lord! So I really haven’t slept well the past three days because of this assignment, because I was fighting with myself to get this assignment done and submitted. I don’t think I did the memo correctly either, although I am familiar with writing a memo. In fact, I’d say , I enjoy writing. But there are times where, my brain freezes, and I don’t know where to begin. I took the advice I’d give my children–start at the middle or the end , but start somewhere. So I started. But it was tedious. I kept getting up to get something to eat. I had to use the bathroom. I was tired. It wasn’t the best experience I’ve had writing a paper. But it’s done. Now onto the next assignment!

On the stove top, place (an) egg(s) in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover and place on medium heat.

When water comes to a boil, set a timer for five minutes.

After timer rings, (pot will be hot, so use a pot holder) remove pot from heat and run contents of pot under cold water.

Use back of a tablespoon to crack and peel egg. Rinse off well, to avoid leaving bits of shell behind. Serve lightly salted, (along with a dash of cumin, if you like).

I believe the summary of the assignment was helpful, because it detailed what was expected of us, and it was clear what was needed to complete the assignment. I thought my topic was great because I love technology, and I am always eager to learn more about the history of gadgets.

…and I’m kicking and screaming! I’M NOT READY!!! No, I’m not entirely ready for midterms because I’m doing fairly well in 2 classes, meaning, so far I’m not behind on any work. Then in Precalculus, this being my third attempt, having dropped the class twice before so it wouldn’t adversely affect my GPA, I am understanding the work a bit more than before, but not as much as I would like. My last class, which is a CST class, I am totally behind, one because it’s on Linux, and my forte is Windows, and two because I’ve been putting Precalculus, and the other classes ahead of this computer course, I don’t under the material yet. But I can’t tell the professor that!  I’ll have to tell him something that will convince him not to give up on me, and to at least give me a chance to catch up on the work. I can’t afford to fail the course.

After looking over some of Chapter 1, it brought to mind something my high school journalism teacher told me one time: He said,” Don’t worry if it’s perfect, just get it in, ” referring to my late writing assignments. He always mentioned that there will be deadlines to meet. In chapter 1, it states that employers would prefer the work to be 80 percent complete than 100 percent late. In some cases, the work may not be considered at all if it’s late–no matter how good it is.

Another aspect of the chapter that jumped out at me is the fact that graphics and visual design are employed to increase effectiveness, and that’s “right up my alley”. I took quite a few art and design courses, drawing  and painting courses. If I didn’t have to worry about supporting a household, I would have earned another degree in fine arts from Hunter College! Our instruction manual will be likely need illustrations, which is good.

As with any paper, when I first start out writing, I get stuck right at the beginning–not sure how to begin. So I try to follow my own advice–advice I tend to give to others–and just begin writing, I begin stringing a few sentences together, and continue until it makes some sense. I feel I have enough material to write this paper, so I should just sit down and write it already.

I wasn’t in class today, but seeing what the topic was, I figured I could add my thoughts about the assignment: the biggest hurdle was finding suitable articles to work from. I’ve had experience working from databases before, since I earned my Master’s degree in Information Design and Technology in 2012, and there was plenty of opportunity to write a research paper or two. But it’s not a preference of mine, particularly when searching through databases for articles, with charts and diagrams I may or may not understand. And sometimes the terminology used requires dictionary backup. I’m hoping I did OK on my assignment, because I could use some help transitioning between ideas, putting transition words to practice, and adding finesse to my writing.

While I was totally prepared to write about yesterday’s article about AI’s threat to the middle class–I have also been looking for an article for next week’s assignment. I’ve been looking on Mashable.com, and TechCrunch.com which are two of the places I like to read about technology, and I’ve also noticed that Wired.com has good articles. But it’s not easy finding lengthy articles, that are wonderfully  interesting to talk about.

The article I read regarding Facebook’s newest feature, Facebook Live, I believe, was on the mark in that not everyone who goes live stays on long enough to interact with their audience as Facebook may have intended. And the videos that have gone viral, aren’t the nicest ones. The ones that show the aftermath of police shootings, or the ones that document fights are startling.