Procrastination

I really procrastinated on a paper that was due last night. I was trying to think about why. The reason is not because I find the assignment difficult or challenging, but because I was not interested in writing on this particular topic. It was a too broad in my opinion, and I did not feel like I had enough resources to write this paper. This is ironic considering I am studying to be a librarian, and though I am familiar enough with how to find the information I need, this particular topic was SO broad that I had trouble pinpointing one or two key ideas on which to base my paper.

Reasons I procrastinate include:

1. Topic is too broad and I have trouble narrowing it down.
2. Not have enough information to make convincing arguments.
3. No interest in the subject I'm writing about.
4. Not understanding the contextual value of assignments-- if an assignment seems like busywork, then I'll just avoid doing it.
   

Some of these reasons do correspond to an article I read about why students procrastinate. I don't know why I'm so unmotivated in this particular class, but it borders on resistance. I am not an "engaged student" in this class.

However, the paper is now finished, and I can move on. I will gladly receive the "C" I deserve and continue on to enjoy the weekend.

Birthday Cake Tip

If there is powdered sugar on your birthday cake, you might want to reconsider using candles at the same time. I'm just sayin...

NEW CELLO!!!

Thanks to all my family and friends, I was able to purchase a new cello today. I am so grateful!

My virtual donation wall:
Tara, Trippe, Nancy, Adam, Duncan, Tracy, Mom, Dad, Sue, Jon, Grandma J, Grandpa Steve, and Grandma R.

Presentations and blogging

We have been studying blogs and blogging in my social software in libraries class. It has been a thought-provoking topic for me. I have been blogging for a long time it seems, and my purpose for starting this blog was to get better at writing.

As a result of our discussion, I have been thinking about what I would write about if I started a more "professional" blog, and whether or not I would be able to blog about interesting ideas, interact more with the library community and participate more. I'm not sure that I really have much to add to the conversation, but who knows until I try, right? I'm not going to convert this blog at all, it will remain a personal journal-type blog, that I don't really advertise to anyone that I know really.

The blog discussion led me to explore some ideas this morning about presenting. I have to create a presentation. It will be rather boring, I'm afraid, so I have been looking into trying to spice up the content with a good graphical presentation. I have been looking into alternative methods of presenting other than using powerpoint. I found an interesting idea about using Dreamweaver instead.

By using dreamweaver, the presentation becomes less linear and more visual. My problem is that I need to start thinking about how to represent my content in a more visual context, and really think about how I'm going to make this presentation interesting.

We have been talking in class about how to make blogs more engaging and interesting, and I find that there is a high degree of cross-over between making content interesting in both blogs and presentations.

I might give Dreamweaver a chance this afternoon.

Opening night

I played cello for Nate James last night, and had so much fun! However, there was some miscommunication about when we were supposed to start so all my friends showed up at the end of the set. There will be other opportunities.

The band that played after us consisted of a keyboard player and a guitar player, and they were such a mismatched pair. Not sure how they met or why they were playing together. Their styles were so different.

Finally, we couldn't take it anymore, so we went out to a karaoke place. That was fun. It was a fun night out.