Monthly Archives: February 2014

Journal Post Couples

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Does Couples Therapy Work?

Couples therapy can either be a success or lead to devastation. However, have we ever looked into the world of a therapist? That’s what Elizabeth Weil points out in this article. Fixing relationship issues, as addressed, only get worse with time, the longer you wait, the worse it gets. Attempting to repair a relationship after years of damage is nearly impossible. Although, clinical professor, William M. Pinsof studies ways to improve this by giving questionnaires to patients and tracking their progression along with their depression rate throughout their therapy. But as Elizabeth greatly suggests, why would therapist want to put themselves through all that stress? Not every relationship is an easy fix.

The author is able to make some interesting points that are supported by bringing the reader to an actual therapy conversations, showing responses that are used as a therapist which could possibly turn the patient against you and ways on how to fix it. She uses the similarity of a” broken leg” to a relationship in the sense that if you don’t treat right away, things could get worse. I hope to be able to use this similarity technique in my writing also.

I enjoyed Elizabeth’s way of finding articles from doctors, such as William M. Pinsot, to pursue her unanswered questions. For example; instead of assuming there is an answer for better results for patients therapy, the author goes out and finds hard proof articles that show what has been done to improve for support. The other entertaining piece to this article is Elizabeth’s use of metaphorical terms, such as, “like piloting a helicopter in a hurricane.”

Weil, Elizabeth. “Does Couples Therapy Work?” The New York Times. The New York Times, 03 Mar. 2012. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.

 

 

Memoir Final Draft

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“BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.” It was 7:00AM on Sunday morning, a few days before Christmas and my alarm was piercing through my ears. I lay there, in our small twin bed, up on the third floor of our apartment, gazing out the window. The brightness from outside instantly made me rub my eyes as they began to water. My first thought was where the hell is the snooze button so I can go back to sleep. When I came to, I realized today is the day I will surprise my girlfriend with a gift that will change her life.                                                                                                                                                                                                         As I grew anxious, I quickly threw on some clothes, headed for the car and before I knew it I was pulling up the long driveway to Puppies Galore. Walking in the door, the floors creaked from the old hardwood with each step I took. Looking ahead, I was surprised and unaware of the extensive variety of puppies available. I thought, would I be able to stay focused on the specific breed my girlfriend has forever dreamed of- a West Highland White Terrier? There were three rooms total, each room gated off into small sections. As I stepped in the first room, unsure of what to expect, my eyes lit up and heart filled with awe. There she was, an adorable Westie, jumping up and down and clawing at the cage as if she already knew she was coming home. Her short, pointy tail wagged at the speed of light as she looked at me excitedly with her bright, wide eyes. At that moment, I knew she was the one. Without a doubt in my mind, I picked her up and held her for the first time; she was so light and fragile. Her fur was messy and soft as I rubbed her back with my fingers. She curled up into a ball within the palms of my hand and slowly closed her eyes as she decided that it was a good time for a nap. I brought her to the front of the building to start filling out the paperwork. Soon after, it was official, she was coming home.                                                                                                                                                            While driving home, I looked at her falling asleep on my lap, I wondered, what would be the perfect name for the perfect pup— Fluffly, Snowy, Snowball…No, I needed something better…I thought about her breed and then it hit me—Wessie. My girlfriend was due back from visiting her family in New York so I began to plan out in my head how to surprise her with Wessie. As time slowly ticked by my nerves began to intensify. Soon after, I heard the car door shut and the front door open. Her quick- paced footsteps seemed to match my heartbeat as she swiftly came up the stairs. This was it. She covered her mouth, totally speechless, but completely filled with joy as she could not believe this little girl was hers. She knew right then, Wessie would change her life, but little did I know she would change mine too.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   My girlfriend, being a full-time student, spent most of her day in class or doing homework, leaving me to care for Wessie. Normally, I was able to sleep in each morning because of working the second shift, but that all changed as my mornings consisted of waking up at 4:00AM from toys having their squeakers gutted out. Not being able to fall back asleep, I would take Wessie outside for a frigid, quick walk around the neighborhood. As I crawled back into bed, she cuddled up next to me and buried her face into my hands, suggesting that I pet her. She looked at me with her adorable eyes until she slowly drifted off to sleep. I spent most of my day training Wessie, teaching her commands such as sit, lay and spin. We built this bond with each other that gave her a sense of comfort with me, knowing that I was there to take care of her. Heading to work became dreadful; all I could think about was her sad little face as I walked out the door and hearing faint cries as I walked further away. I constantly thought about her—I missed her, and then it dawned on me, the main reason I bought her was to be a perfect gift for my girlfriend. But, in reality, she was a gift to me—I felt a sense of fulfillment and company through having her. I wanted to protect her and ensure she was not only healthy and happy, but knew just how much she was loved. She not only taught me to be responsible but also gave me a different view on life. She is my best friend, my little monster, my princess but ultimately, she is my little girl.

Ethnography Idea

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My chosen theme for this Ethnography essay is Family, and I would like to stay on the subject of dogs, so the first thought that comes to mind is spending a day at the dog park and observing dog walkers. However, I noticed this topic has been previously done, so I am open to new ideas..Any suggestions?

Journal post week 5

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The case for same-sex marriage

Diane J. Savino fights to pass a bill for same-sex marriage in the state of New York. She speaks passionately about how Americans are holding back these same-sex relationships without any valid reason. Every person deserves the right to love who they choose, no matter what age, sex, or nationality and Diane makes that very clear, explaining from her perspective. She states that “us” Americans do not take the traditional marriage serious to begin with, from T.V shows such as The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, to non-committed relationships lasting only a few months at best, so why are we stopping same-sex marriages from happening when we’ve lost the meaning of marriage ourselves. Ultimately, Diane J. Savino helped New York pass the Marriage Equality Act with her outstanding argument, supporting equal same-sex marriage rights.

Diane makes an interesting suggestion explaining how marriage licenses are passed to any individuals today without any questions asked, and that we should be focused more on the commitment in relationships rather than the gender of marriage if Americans are concerned about changing the definition of marriage. A surprising fact I learned from her speech was how her religion, Roman Catholics, are allowed to deny marriage licenses if they suspect a relationship is unstable.

“What are we really protecting?”  I admire this question from Diane because it gives the listener a good realization that Americans are being stubborn about passing this bill when we do not set a good example ourselves of how marriage should be. Lastly, I enjoyed how Diane’s reflection, a conversation she had with a stranger on the street, enables her to not only prove her point in her conversation but use it as a lead to her next statement.

Savino, Diane. “The Case for Same-sex Marriage.” The Case for Same-sex Marriage. TED Conferences, LLC, Dec.-Jan. 2009. Web. 09 Mar. 2014

Second Reading Journal

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Get used to living with Mom and Dad

Living with our parents until a later age is something we may have to get used to. As addressed in this article, the world around us is changing, but not necessarily for the better. As some would find shameful or even embarrassing, living with your parents, surprisingly, might not be such a bad option in order to better adjust to the ever-changing environment. More and more young adults are staying at home after they graduate college since the job market is becoming extremely competitive. Compared to our parents or even our grandparent’s generation, it is not uncommon today that adults move out in their high twenties or even thirties. With the unpredictable future, living at home may become the best financial advice.

What I found interesting in this article was the fact that the United States is considered the “moderate middle” when compared to other countries regarding our educational systems. The United States has an advantage for students living on campus in college when put side by side with Japan, where there are no college dorm rental options. Another fascinating note by the author, which I’ve also noticed and agreed with, describes how women have now taken over in advancing their careers over men. Today, women have excelled greater than men with regards to job opportunities in which men now seem to replace the role of older-generation-females (e.x. being stay-at-home-fathers).

I admire the style of writing this author chose by creating questions as a transition into the next paragraph with supporting statements in-between. What I found clever from this article is when the author widened his view on the subject by not only comparing families within the United States but also venturing off across country comparing the different lifestyles that we may not be accustom to.

Overall I would give this article a thumbs-up as it was very descriptive with supporting details and used a variety of questions and integrated different aspects from around the world.

Karekezi, Alice. “Salon.” Saloncom RSS. N.p., 16 Jan. 2012. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.

First Journal Post

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About My Kid

The relationship between Ann Nichols and her son became an emotional roller coaster when her son refused to pursue his education. Ann being a college graduate, along with the rest of her family, gave her son every chance to succeed as he was growing up. However, her son had different plans and wanted to avoid college at all costs to join a Career Center. Devastated, the author learns to accept her son’s career path as she would rather support his decisions then continue to be disappointed and discouraged.

This article struck my attention because its similarity to the relationship I share with my mother. Although currently pursuing my college degree, after high school I did not plan to attend college. However, with the decisions I made, it did not stop my mother from supporting me.

I also can relate to the author as I once quit my higher paying job due to stress relating situations, to work in a stress free environment for lower income.

One input I enjoyed from this article was how the author included an unrealistic situation in the ending passage but essentially summed up her article with an obvious question.

The lead that appealed to me the most was the opening statement about how the author has attempted to accept her child for what he is but manages to sell the reader as she has given up on her child’s decisions but is still able to change the outcome throughout the article.

Overall, I would give this article a thumbs up, as it was easy to understand, along with the ability to relate.

Nichols, Ann. “About My Kid – Ann Nichols – Open Salon.” About My Kid – Ann Nichols – Open Salon. Ann Nichols, 16 Feb. 2012. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.

Memoir…Rough Draft

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“BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.” It was 7:00AM on Sunday morning, a few days before Christmas and my alarm was piercing through my ears. I lay there, in the small twin bed up on the third floor of our old apartment. As I glanced out the window, the brightness from outside instantly made me rub my eyes as they began to water. My first thought was where the hell is the snooze button so I can go back to sleep. When I came to, I realized I had big day ahead of me. Today was the day I would surprise my girlfriend with a gift that would change her life. As I grew anxious, I quickly threw on some clothes, headed for the car and before I knew it I was pulling up the long driveway to Puppies Galore. Walking in the door, the floors creaked from the weathered hardwood with each step. Looking ahead I was surprised and unaware of the extensive variety of puppies available. I thought, would I be able to stay focused on the specific breed my girlfriend has forever dreamed of — a West Highland White Terrier? There were three rooms total, each room gated off into small sections. As I stepped into the first room, unsure of what to expect, my eyes lit up and heart filled with awe. There she was, an adorable Westie, jumping up and down and clawing at the cage as if she already knew she was coming home. Her short, pointy tail wagged at the speed of light as she looked at me excitedly with her bright, wide eyes. At that moment, I knew she was the one. Without a doubt in my mind, I picked her up and held her for the first time; she was so light and fragile. Her fur was messy and soft as I rubbed her back with my fingers. She curled up into a ball within the palms of my hand and slowly closed her eyes as she decided that it was a good time for a nap. I brought her to the front of the building to start filling out the paperwork. Soon after, it was official, she was coming home.

While driving home, I looked at her falling asleep on my lap and wondered about the perfect name for the perfect pup– Fluffy, Snowy, Snowball…No, I needed something better…And then I thought about her breed and it came to me–Wessie. The next morning, my girlfriend was due back from visiting her family in New York. I began to plan out in my head how to surprise her with Wessie. As time slowly ticked by my nerves began to intensify. Soon after, I heard the car door shut and the front door open. Her quick-paced footsteps seemed to match my heartbeat as she swiftly came up the stairs. This was it. She covered her mouth, totally speechless, but completely filled with joy as she could not believe this little girl was hers.

Before I knew it, she was all grown-up and paraded as the alpha-dog of the household-growling at strangers who walked “too close” to us, putting larger dogs in their place at the dog park, stealing our sock from the hamper while we slept and acting like the little terror that she was (not to mention the time she proudly ate a whole bag of chocolate and brought us the wrapper when done). But at the end of the day, she would always come lay next to me and nudge for me to pet her; she would turn over on her back for me to rub her belly and if I stopped even for a second, she would gesture her tiny paws for me. Sometimes, while I tried to get work done on my laptop, she would slowly maneuver her way onto my lap and then plop herself on top of my keyboard; if I tried to use my phone, she would cover my screen with her face and stare at me with her big eyes as if to ask if I felt like petting her yet. The lonely nights when my girlfriend left for vacation now ended with this cuddle bug. She always had this warm feeling of comfort when she curled up next to me. And then it dawned on me, the main reason I bought her was to be a perfect gift for my girlfriend. But, in reality, she was a gift to me –I felt a sense of fulfillment and company through having her. I wanted to protect her and ensure she was not only healthy and happy, but knew just how much she was loved. For once, I knew what it was like to care about a life other than my own. She is my best friend, my little monster, my princess but ultimately, she is my little girl.