Social Movements

Well, I'm happy to report that I made it through my 2nd day of classes! This is going to be a reading/writing/group project intensive semester for me, without a doubt! I'm ready to take on the challenge, though! It turns out that I am going to be graded on my blog again this semester....I enjoyed SCOM 353 so much last semester that I signed up for another course with the same professor, and he's giving us a blog assignment for this class, as well. This course is titled "Communication and Social Movements," so I must warn you that my reaction posts this go-round will likely not be as interesting to read as my political commentary, but I suppose we will determine that soon enough. I'm hoping to continue posting my own original content aside from the course requirements if time allows, but regardless, I hope you guys will still visit my blog frequently and leave your feedback/reactions, as well.

Oh, and one more thing! I ate at D-hall today for the first time this semester and they have done away with trays!!! In an effort to be more environmentally friendly, our main dining hall no longer provides trays for students. The explanation for this is posted in the facility and it states that washing trays uses detergent, which pollutes our waterways. I was admittedly pretty surprised by this new policy, and I'm all for saving water that no longer has to be used to clean trays....but it seems to me like wastewater has to be treated before it can be dumped into our local waterways, so I don't really understand how having detergent in the water is a problem since it's going to be treated anyway...Maybe if I get a free moment I will try to dig through some of my environmental science and natural resources management materials from Governor's School to see if I can make sense of this. In the meantime though, I must admit that not having a tray wasn't really an inconvenience...I just balanced my plate and salad bowl in one hand, and made separate trips for drink and dessert items...which makes you get a tad bit more exercise in the process....which is certainly needed at any buffet style dining facility, in my opinion at least. And with that, I am off to spend the rest of the night attempting to get on top of my overwhelming amount of reading assignments....

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless! :)

Back to School

Ahh, what a fun, yet incredibly hectic time as fall semester classes started today. To my readers who reside or work in the 'Burg, I know you guys are enjoying the insane amount of traffic, long lines at Wal-Mart, crowded restaurants, trails of SOLO cups, etc. that have returned to the friendly city in the same fashion that it occurs every fall when we JMU students move back. Oh, but don't you miss us when we're gone?! Hehe. :)

Anyway, I only have one class on Mondays: HD Video Production, so I spent the afternoon running errands, buying oh-so-cheap textbooks (note the sarcasm in that reference), relaxing a bit, and going for a run. Not such a terrible way to spend my first day back, if you ask me. Tomorrow will be a different story with classes from 9:30 til 4:45, but hopefully it won't be too bad.

On a political note, campaign signs seem to be popping up everywhere. My townhouse community has a no-sign ordinance, so I'm not allowed to display my McCain, Goodlatte, etc. signs here. However, the parking lots are a different story! I've seen plenty of Obama '08 bumper stickers....heck, my roommate actually went beyond that and in addition to her Obama sticker, she also has a "McSame" one right beside that. I'm dying to find a "NOBAMA" sticker to counter hers...wouldn't that be an interesting sight to see those contrasting bumpers parked side-by-side in front of our house. LOL. Ohh ya gotta love politics!!!

Okay, time to go start on some reading assignments! Have a wonderful evening ya'll! :)

"Young Voters Speak Out"

Okay, so I have been slacking to post here all summer and I know that I should have done a better job of maintaining my blog, but hindsight's always 20-20 and there's nothing I can do about it now. However, since I was interviewed for a story in today's DNR, I figured I would take this opportunity to post a link to the story for anyone who might be interested, so please check it out here.

Thanks and have a wonderful and blessed weekend! :)