College Blog #7

SPRING IS HERE!

By Terrence Cain

The groundhog has kept its promise and given us an early spring, and I personally say thank you for that! This week has been a pretty good one for me. Again, my US History class with Prof. Tune was just great! The class became so lively on Tuesday that Prof. Tune had to ask us to stop asking questions about the time period he was teaching us so that he could get back to his lesson plan.

Prof. Tune wasn’t offended by our disruption; he just wanted to make sure we learned all he had to teach us for this semester. There was just so much we all wanted to know about America in the first fifty years of the twentieth century. We also wanted to know about all the happenings in Europe during World War I & II, so it got pretty deep in Prof. Tune’s class this week.

My Creative Writing class went pretty well this week. Thursday was so nice that we had our class outside where we basked in the beautiful weather as we shared ideas about our short stories we’re coming up with for our next assignment.

Well there’s not much else to say here this week. I don’t have pictures for my Mass Media project yet, but I will next week for sure. Till next week, this is your Howard College blogging machine, over & out!

Peace - Terrence

College Blog #6

Changes…

By Terrence Cain

This week has been very hectic for me. I found out this week that my roommate for the last two and a half years may be moving to San Angelo to take care of his ailing grandmother, so now I have to make the hard choice of possibly moving as well. I’m in the process right now of looking into getting a dorm room at Howard College and working on getting all the financial things taken care of so that the transition is smooth and stress free, if that is what the final decision is to be when it comes to that ultimate decision.

I will also have to find a place to live in-between semesters, if he decides to make the move. This means I am going to have to go back to my hometown of Odessa (most likely) to stay with my parents. It’s not a choice I am happy with having to make (going back to Odessa that is) but it is what it is. It’s not that I don’t love my parents, I do, I just don’t want to leave Big Spring this way. I love this town and I consider this place my true home. OK, enough with the personal issues going on in my life.

This week at school was really cool for me. In my Mass Media class this week we were given the task of creating a commercial for television, and one for radio as well. We have to make two advertisements for a fake shampoo company. We were all divided up into teams of four, but since several students didn’t attend class on Wednesday it has become a team of three for many of the groups, mine was one of them. I think our ads are going to be pretty cool and next week I will tell you more about them and how they went. If I can, I will even try to take and share pictures of the story board we have to create for the television commercial.

Another cool class this week was my US History class with Prof. Tommy Tune. We watched videos this week about the turn of the century and the invention of motion pictures. We discussed the early days of silent films and World War I. The only thing that bothered me was seeing film of soldiers who came back from the war with missing body parts being replaced with a prosthetic and shell shock victims who couldn’t control their own nervous systems and were shaking out of control. That was hard to watch, but the rest of the class was really cool to be a part of. I really do enjoy my US History class with Prof. Tune, and I know that there are people who don’t like his class for one reason or another, but I do.

And for those who don’t like Prof. Tune’s class; or history in general, I feel sorry for because they are missing out on an opportunity to learn and grow as people and to see where we came from and may be going. As the old saying goes, if we don’t learn from our past we’re doomed to repeat it. Another reason I like Prof. Tune’s class is because he has a great deal of knowledge about our nation’s history and makes the class feel like it’s OK to engage in a conversation while he is teaching us. He doesn’t get all weirded out or accuses you of disrupting his class. He enjoys deep thinking as I do.

And this is the craziest part of it all. Prof. Tune is a very conservative type of person, everyone probably knows that about him, what people may not know about me is that I am quite liberal, and with those differences we still manage to get along and have a great deal of respect for one another. Now if only the rest of the world could do that we’d be much better for it. I think I engage in his class the most because I am a person who is very intrigued by history and I feel I learn more by being able to talk and ask questions about the things he is teaching us in his class.

There are a few things I want to bring to everyone’s attention today. If you love sports, you will want to know that Howard College’s softball team will not be playing in Lubbock tonight. That game was canceled. However, Saturday’s game here in Big Spring will take place against the Lubbock Christian JV team. Our softball team has only lost one game this year, their first against Temple College, so it looks like Howard should win this Saturday, well I hope so anyway.

Another thing I think people should know is that the American Sign Language Flex Course begins on February 15th in the SWCID building. If you wish to attend you need to go sign up for the course. Kathy Weldon will be the instructor. There is a limit of 20 students for this course that is almost two hours long on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30 a.m. Well that is all from yours truly for the week. I hope you all have a great weekend! This is the Howard College Blogging Machine, over and out!

Peace – Terrence

College Blog #5

The Winter Of Discontent

By Terrence Cain

 This week has been one of the weirdest weeks I have ever seen in weather patterns. Monday was a nice and breezy 72 degrees outside, my kind of weather. Tuesday started this nasty freezing cold weather trend that has been hitting the rest of the nation since December of last year. It was 11 degrees outside and the roads were slick, which caused Howard College to shut down for safety reasons. So I missed one day’s classes, “No big deal. We’ll make it up,” I say to myself.

Day two of continued freezing cold temperatures and icy icy roads. This is not good, but school is open so I guess I better go. Nope! Car won’t start. Great! How am I going to get to school? I couldn’t. Not only that, but the pipes were frozen so no water either. Even better! Wednesday was a bad day. I wound up contacting my professors and letting them know I couldn’t make it to their classes. I hate when I miss classes I am supposed to be attending. Soon after, my glasses broke. What the…? Can Wednesday get any worse?! Oh yes, indeed, I got a nasty headache to boot and had a math test to do online that I had to get done before midnight.

So I repaired my glasses the best I could, I took a couple of Aleve and took a nap on the couch. I woke up around seven or so. I went ahead and took my math test, made an 84 (yippee!), and finished up my short story for my creative writing class as and turned that in as well. Thankfully on Thursday I was able to find my battery charger and got my car started and made it to Thursday’s classes. This week has just been strange, somewhat stressful, and put a lot of things out of whack for me and a lot of others as well. Hopefully this is the last of the crazy freezing cold temperatures for this winter season.

Apparently the groundhog was working in our favor this year because according to the news we’re going to have an early spring. I sure hope so because otherwise that groundhog is going to be getting a letter of discontent from yours truly, lol! This is Howard College’s blogging machine, over and out!

Peace - Terrence

College Blog #4

It Just Keeps Getting Better & Better…

By Terrence Cain

Man this week has been one heck of a ride for me! Right now I am taking five classes and that’s good for me because last year six classes nearly put me down for the count. Having four to five classes is definitely way more manageable, trust me on this. Anyways, my most exciting class this week I’d have to say was my Introduction to Mass Media Communications with Prof. Conway.

I’ll be honest, at first I thought this class with Prof. Conway was going to be just another boring class where you were shown a bunch of statistics and that was all you would get. Thankfully I was proven wrong this week. In Wednesday’s class we were given the chance to roll play as a group of producers for a news program. We were divided into groups of four and were given several news topics to pick from where the time on air had to amount to a total of twenty-two minutes, leaving eight minutes for commercials. Towards the end of class we had to discuss why each story was chosen and why they were placed in the order we arranged them in. We also had to explain why, if any, stories had to be cut to fit within the twenty-two minutes we were given.

It was a lot of fun to do because I was the one who got to be in control of my group and made sure that 90% of the topics were substantive based and not just a bunch of fluff. I must admit we got the stories arranged in a pretty decent way as well, although I would have rather not let a depressing story like the rise of gas costs be the end piece, but that’s how democracies run. If my mass communications class is going to be this way for the rest of the semester then it will most definitely be all worth it in the end to have this class for my second semester.

Another class I am enjoying is my Creative Writing class with Prof. Kelly-Anderson. It’s definitely getting a lot of good and creative discussions going out there between us all. We’re working on creating stories and that should get interesting by next week when we turn them in. It’s definitely a great way to broaden the mind and get the creative juices going. I highly recommend becoming part of a creative writing class if you’re looking for some substance in your life.

Okay, now in case you forgot or didn’t read my last blog there are two games going on tonight at Howard College. The men’s and women’s basketball teams will be competing against my hometown, Odessa. The game for the women’s team starts at 5:45 p.m. and the men’s team starts at 7:45 p.m. Both will be in the Dorothy Garrett Coliseum just off Birdwell Ln. Unfortunately I won’t be able to catch the games tonight due to prior engagements, but I will be there in spirit. I really hope the Hawks win both games tonight! Well that’s it for this week! This is the Howard College blogging machine, over and out!

Peace - Terrence

College Blog #3

New Semester, Great Start!

By Terrence Cain

This week has been a real good one for me at Howard College. On Tuesday I had the fortunate opportunity of attending three new classes. My favorite would be my Creative Writing class with Prof. Kelly-Anderson. I was a little disappointed, however, that there is only seven people, including myself, that are in this class with Prof. Kelly-Anderson. It’s okay, I guess, because it does make the class a little more intimate and easier to participate in. I know this is going to be my favorite class just because of that reason alone.

Now one class I was surprised to see a lot of people in was my Mass Communications class, which is in the same room as my Creative Writing class might I add. Prof. Conway teaches the Mass Communication class on Mondays & Wednesdays and I intrigued to find out what she can teach me about the world of media. I was honestly expecting, however, for Prof. Conway’s class to be about as small as my Creative Writing class with Prof. Kelly-Anderson, but I found it to be about as full as my US History class with Prof. Tune. I was quite shocked to see that class that full.

Another new class I have this semester is with Prof. Adkins for her Business Computers class. She’s a lively one for sure. I think her class is going to be just as much fun as my US History class with Prof. Tune, and Creative Writing class with Prof. Kelly-Anderson. That is something I most definitely look for when it comes to learning in school. Is the person teaching the class going to keep me tuned in, or will they be dull and boring, forcing me to tune out because the class is boring and uninformative. Well I can say with confidence that all five of my classes this semester are definitely anything but boring.

Anyone who has attended classes with Prof. Tune, Prof. Buske, Prof. Conway, Prof. Adkins, or Prof. Kelly-Anderson knows that these professors are caring and passionate people who love to teach. And despite what Prof. Tune tells his students about him not caring whether you fail or pass, he cares. If he didn’t care he wouldn’t give so much of himself to facts or be so willing to speak with his students candidly about his passion for history and our government. Even though his views are not personally my own I feel I’ve learned a great deal from Prof. Tune about American History and our government and I am forever grateful for being in his class. Any class he teaches I plan to take throughout my tenure at Howard College.

Okay, enough about my classes and this week just being awesome in my perception of attendance. In case you have not noticed, the Howard College Fitness Center has re-opened their doors to the public as of January 10th. If you like to exercise then you can do so at Howard College. For more information just click the following link: http://www.howardcollege.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=986:ftiness-center-re-opening&catid=124:whats-new&Itemid=501

Now I would like to give a few congratulations to some people who truly deserve it. First to WJCAC Hall Of Fame Inductee, Anna Smith, who was inducted on Thursday for her contribution to Howard College’s athletic department. She’s done a lot of great things for Howard College’s students and so greatly deserves her induction. I’d like to also congratulate Kevin Porras for being selected for the 2010 National ACDA. He is part of the men’s choir and will be traveling to Chicago in March to join 300 others for the ACDA national convention. I’d also like to congratulate Amber Bernal, Brantley Cahoon, Damian Perez, and Nadia Garcia for being selected to go to the TMEA Convention in San Antonio next month. Kevin Porras was also select to go to the TMEA Convention, so a second congrats to him as well.

Lots of great things are happening this semester at Howard College! I look forward to this semester, as I hope all of you are as well. On January 27th, Howard College’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will be up against my hometown, Odessa, and even though I love my hometown and Odessa College’s basketball teams, I must say that I am actually rooting for Howard to win both games. Both games will be on the Howard College campus, so go out and support the college sports teams as often as you can! Until next week, this is Howard College’s blogging machine, over and out!

Peace - Terrence

College Blog #2

Returning To School & More…

By Terrence Cain

Next week is the start of a new semester. I have already purchased my books, and I am ready to get the new semester started! If you haven’t gotten your books yet, I highly recommend that you make the move to get your books and anything else you will need for the semester, because school starts on January 18th. Now with that said, I think there is something that needs to be addressed about recent events in our country that I think we can all learn from.

A tragic event took place in Tucson, Arizona on January 8th that cost six people their lives and wounded over a dozen others. Our country was pushed to its breaking point that unfortunate Saturday morning. I really think this is our reset button, if we let it be. It’s so hard to watch the news today without feeling your blood boil because you become offended by one side or the other’s remarks.

Both sides have seemingly decided that the rhetoric and vitriol has to stop, and I couldn't agree more with them. I also happen to think that this is a time for all of us to unite, no matter what each other’s different beliefs are, because it honestly does not matter what your political, religious, or personal views are about the things that go on in the world around us every day. We are all the same when you get right down to what truly makes us who we are. We all just want to be loved, respected, and taken care of at the end of the day.

I think this is a time for us all to find ways to bridge those gaps and bring ourselves together as the decent human beings I know we can all be when we put forth our best foot. I urge all of us to get away from our cell phones, our computers, and our video games for at least a couple of hours a day and to talk to someone in your classrooms that you have never talked to before. Let’s connect with each other and see for ourselves that the people around us are just like you and me.

And don’t just stop there. Try it out at the checkout line in the grocery store. Say hello to someone in passing on the way to somewhere else. Don’t be afraid to reach out to others or to make new friends. That is truly the whole point of going to college. I know we are all here getting an education for a career at the end of our tenure in higher learning, but we are also here to connect with each other and to make some lifelong friends as well.

And if you find someone who seems to be mentally disturbed in their thought process, someone who expresses violence towards others or seems to talk in an illogical way, don’t be afraid to let your professors or school counselors know. There is nothing wrong with helping someone who needs it. And don’t ever be afraid of reporting problems that you see happening on your school's campus either. If someone is being harassed or physically abused, let your school know about it, but make sure that what you see is what is really happening as well. In other words, use your best judgment.

If you see me in the halls, don’t be afraid to say hello to me. I am usually pretty friendly and easy to get along with. Take care of yourselves and have a great first semester of 2011! Remember to never give up on your dreams, the trip through college may not always be easy, but it’s worth it in the end! It’s also good to lean on each other when times get difficult because we can help push each other towards that ultimate goal. Have a great remainder of your vacation from college. I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday, January 18th!

Peace – Terrence Cain