10.03.09
Here comes the hard part
I wrote my About Me page just fine (although I really need to think of a more creative title), since all I really had to do was babble on and on about whatever came to mind. And my Personal Mission Statement was easy enough. But now I have actually decide what I like, and then I have to explain why I like it. For my personal interests folder, I have already subscribed to eight feeds, and now I have to choose three to write about. And most of the websites I subscribed to for my English folder are also in my personal interest section, since writing is definately a huge passion for me.
But anyways, on to the actual assignment. I guess I’ll start with my Socials folder, as it’s the easiest (since it has the least subscriptions).
Socials:
There are tons of bloggers out there who blog about world history. I mean, I subscribed to three of them, and I didn’t even look that hard. But the first thing that set this one out from the others for me was that it’s description (or sub-title, whatever you want to call it) was “It’s a blog. About History.” Isn’t that the coolest thing ever? Well, probably not, but I thought it was pretty awesome. I was even more overjoyed when I read the author’s introduction to the site, which I personally found very witty. The point is, I think that The History Blog is a really good resource because it doesn’t focus on one specific point in history, but rather just informs the world about various information, both past and present, concerned with anything that could be considered even the slightest bit important. It isn’t just dates and information that most people already know, like “World War II took place from September 1, 1939 to September 2, 1945.” I don’t really care about things like that; I’d rather learn something new. For example, today I learned that on July 22, 1941, a marriage took place in which footage was filmed on Anne Frank. Apparantly this is the only footage of Anne to date.
2) CBC News
I figure that since the History Blog post was fairly long, this one can be a little bit shorter, right? I subscribed to several news-related feeds, local, national, and international, including The New Yok Times, CNN, CTV, BC Local News, The United Nations News section, and, of course, CBC News. Of all of my news-related subscriptions, I think that CBC News is my favourite, because if deals with both Canadian and world news, as well as entertainment and business news, and so the information is very diverse. I try to read the local newspapers (The Now and The Tri-City News) whenever I can, but I rarely get the chance to read about more national and/or global events, as my family doesn’t usually read the Vancouver Sun, we don’t watch much TV, etc. Because of this, I am usually not aware of headlines unless conversation arises at school, therefore I think that it is a good thing to be subscribed to CBC News, and I hope to be more conscious now of current events.
The History Blog serves to teach me more about past events, and CBC News works in the same way to keep me updated with present times. My third and final Socials-related subscription is concerned with “…Social, Political, Economic and Environmental issues that affect us all.” Global Issues is a news website dedicated to issues around the world which, whether we like it or not, affect all of us. I find this site particularly interesting because, although things like the economic crisis have little affect on my life, I am extremely passionate about helping to make a change in our world around things like child poverty, homelessness, and lack of health care in our world, as well as environmental issues such as global warming, and habitat destruction. I hope to learn more and be inspired to take action by other problems our world faces, and the stands people take to find the solutions.
Whew! Done with Socials. Now comes the hard part: deciding which feeds to “feature” in my post, and whether or not they fit under ‘English’ or ‘Personal Interests’. 
English:
Written by Canadian author and teacher Crawford Kilian, Writing Fiction is one of several of Kilian’s blogs about, as the name would suggest, writing fiction. The blog contains tips and tricks on brainstorming, writing, and getting published, as well as book reviews, other suggested websites and blogs, writing resources, advice for young writers, books and articles written by Kilian, and more. I am quite enjoying reading about the author’s personal life, and I have found myself looking at certain authors and books in a whole new light. I also love the many resources and websites that the blog recommends, including the Top 100 Creative Writing Blogs, in which Writing Fiction is #81.
Many people say that Shakespeare is overrated. So what? William Shakespeare is my idol. I love to act, I love to write, and, although
I generally dislike mushy romances, the constant internal conflicts, the deaths, and the many symbolic meanings in Shakespearean theatre is definitely my style. So what better than a blog dedicated to the one of the greatest playwrights ever? I particularly liked the most recent post, about some of the most “interesting” productions of Shakespeare’s works that the blogger had heard of. These included “…Twelfth Night. All male. On a Submarine. At Christmas. No lie…”, “…King Lear performed in a latrine…”, “…Richard III in a Wyoming corral for horses…”, and “…a very literal RSC prod of Richard III. “Winter of our discontent” – snow fell; “glorious summer” – sun shone.” I thought that that was awesome. Who wouldn’t want to perform Shakespeare on a submarine? Not to mention the site’s slogan: “Quips, Quibbles, Queries, and Quarks from a Quirky Bardolator” is pretty awesome. And the fact that the site has tons of information about understanding, performing, and enjoying Shakespeare.
Another writing blog. However, where Writing Fiction, by Crawford Kilian, is more about the creative aspects of writing, and how to get published, Writing Fiction Right, by award-winning author Gail Gaymer Martin, is primarily about the more technical elements of writing. The blog covers things such as grammer, plot, characterization, symbolism, voice, and common errors in writing. Writing Fiction Right also includes various other resources.
And finally, of course, websites related to things that I enjoy. Keeping in mind of course, that several of the six websites above are interests of mine, and that I have many other hobbies and passions besides the ones mentioned here. I just don’t have the time, patience, space, or self-dicipline to write them out as well.
Personal Interests:
Unlike most other music blogs, AM-AB isn’t about blogging about a specific type of music. It isn’t really even a blog about music in general. All Music – All Blogs is a blog about music blogs (if that makes any sense at all). Every few days, AM-AB posts about a new music-related blog that they like. Through this blog, I have discovered many new sounds and artists that I enjoy, and I’ve used the site to help me expand my musical tastes.
2) Young Adult (& Kids) Books Central
Books Central is a children’s and young adult book review site. Every few days, they post a new book review, and occasionally info about a new release, a featured author, etc. I find it a great resource for discovering new literature, although most of the books featured on the site are “lighter” than what I like to read. That’s not a problem though, since always reading dense, meaningful, dark, and symbolic books can make your head hurt.
3) WikiHow: Spotlight Articles
WikiHow is one of the best websites ever (note that the previous statement may have been a slight exageration). Many people say that it’s unreliable, since anyone can edit or add to it, but I think that because it’s a How-to site, the articles are merely suggestions, and so people should be able to use their better judgement. But why would I want to know how to tell if I’m watching TV in HD? Or to make my hair go from black to blonde? Well, I don’t. But WikiHow always has featured articles, and for the past year or so, I’ve checked every few days to see what the featured articles are. Sometimes they’re funny, sometimes they’re helpful, and sometimes they’re just weird. But it’s cool to see what’s been written, and Google Reader makes it easier to access. Oh, and in case you were wondering, when trying to tell the difference between real fur and faux fur, try taking out a few strands and burning them If it singes and smells like burnt hair, it’s real. If it melts like plastic and curls up into a hard ball, it’s faux fur.
And there you have it: my latest Google Reader subscriptions, and the various resources I plan on using in the next few months (or even years) of my life. It wasn’t even that hard in the end, just time consuming. Oh, and sorry about the formatting with the pictures; I tried to fix most of it, but some parts might still be weird. I’ll eventually get around to writing up an actual blog post (i.e. not an assignment, a post where I can do whatever without any criteria). For now, I think I’m going to go sleep.
Live. Laugh. Love.
And always remember: Life’s too short to take everything seriously.
~Rebecca
October 3, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Rebecca,
I love how many alternative links you have worked into this very personably articulated post! This is a great example of interactive, connected writing you should be proud of!
Mr. J