Messy Rooms and Controlled Chaos

We're learning how to write a paper in MLA format for class.  There are rules about spacing, grammar, and citations, just to name a few.  To be completely honest, they are all pretty overwhelming; there is a different format for just about every type of source.  There are so many ways to mess up.

I can see the value in the rules and format for writing in this style, but change is hard.  I know that in work situations I fight change that the company forces on us.  Yet once I get used to the new rules and see how it has actually made my work experience easier, I wonder why I fought in the first place.  Learning all the rules and formats will not be easy, at least I have a guide to go by.  From what I understand so far, these rules are in place to help minimize plagiarism and they make the paper easier to read.  The rules also allow for the author to give credit where it is due.

The argument has been made that there are no new ideas anymore, that somebody somewhere has said it before.  This may be true but does that mean a source shouldn't be cited?  I think that if researched the evidence to prove or disprove a theory will only be strengthened by finding and building on the ideas of those that came before us.  Besides if it were you with the idea, wouldn't you want credit for the work you did?  Wouldn't you want people to know the part that you played in shaping the ideas of tomorrow?

 Over the summer, while learning about biology from Mr. Carlisle, he said something that caught my attention, "The universe tends to move from order to chaos as part of the natural workings of things, due to the 2nd law of thermodynamics.  Without a constant input of energy things move from orderly to chaotic".  Like a kids room, unless there is constant work to keep the room clean it quickly becomes messy (1). 

 There have been rules and formats, to follow since the beginning of recorded time.  Rules give us boundaries and help us keep the chaos in order.  Could you imagine what it would look like if there was no law? No rules, no checks and balances.  Consider MySpace.. you could do whatever you wanted to your profile.  You could have a black background with black font if that's how you wanted to express yourself.  The problem, no body else would be able to see the expression of you.  And what is the point of expression if we can't affect those around us?  Often formats help to guide us so that our "voice" can be heard and understood clearly by others.

So do the rules hinder creativity? Not to those who are creative.  I believe that creativity always finds a way.  It has a way of seeping out, testing boundaries and challenging us to look for better ways, or modification of the rules as the world changes around us.  Still, we must be careful, there are some things that need to stay in the fence.

"He should not be here.

 He should not be about.

 He should not be here 

when your mother is out!" -Dr. Seuss

1.Carlisle, William F. "Entropy Discussion." Radio. June 2013.

Plagiarism and Dolls Made of Yarn

I am not a saint! (SHOCK).  I have stolen things before.  I have been tempted to cheat on a test, shifting my eyes, trying to catch the answer to a test on my classmate's paper.  There is one time that stands out to me more than any other.  I was about 6.  And I really, really, really, wanted the soft multi-colored ball of yarn in my grandmother's basket.  The yarn was soft, pretty, and all wound up into a ball.. (That's for you Mr. Tatum).

I took the yarn from the basket and stuck it in my pocket.  In hindsight, she probably noticed the large ball like shape protruding from my pants; she didn't say anything to me though.  Success!! I made it home with my treasure!  What did I do with it? I did what most any 6ish year old girl would do.  I turned it into a doll. Just in case you were wondering, this is how.

It only took a few minutes to make my doll.  I was happy with the results, but only for a while.  This is wrong. All wrong!  What if my grandma needed that yarn and I took it and she doesn't even know.  I shouldn't have taken it.  And now, I can't even give it back to her; I have already cut the yarn up.  It has to be a doll.  I can't roll it back up.  WHAT HAVE I DONE!?!?  I felt terrible!  I had to tell my mom;  Ooh the tears flowed.

The next time we went to grandma's house.  I gave my grandma the doll I had made, and said sorry for taking her yarn without asking.  She gave me a big hug and said it was alright. She said that I didn't have to worry about asking to have something because she would have given it to me if I had asked.  She kept the yarn doll in her basket and said that I could come and play with it anytime I liked.

It's mostly a good memory.  I learned that day about stealing and how bad it made me feel.  I was brought up to work hard for the things I have, and to not take things that are not yours.  As I got older, I also learned that taking other peoples ideas and claiming them as your own is stealing.

Unfortunately, plagiarism is easy to do even if it's unintentional. I have found some very helpful hints on the UNC writing center website.
     1. Citation, Citation, Citation.  You can never have too many citations!  This means that you did your research and you are knowledgeable about the subject you are writing about.  You are able to use your own ideas and weave them into the ideas of others to make a fluid concept.
     2.  Take good notes.  This is a big one for me.  I tend to do most of my research online and just bookmark a bunch of sites.  It can get really confusing, and I sometimes forget which article I found my information on.  By taking good notes, you can eliminate all of the confusion.  Jot down what you want to remember, the page number, and what cite, book, or article it came from.  Yes it does take a little bit more time, but it is better than an F because you forgot to cite someone else's work.
     3.  Be careful paraphrasing doesn't become plagiarism.  Changing a few words, inserting synonyms, or rearranging the sentence is too close to the original.  In fact, I would say it's not original at all.  This can be taken care of with good note taking as well.  As you are taking notes, ask yourself some questions, try to think about what the author is trying to explain, why do that think it is important, and so on.  Thinking this way helps you to start to develop your own ideas

"Moral of the story: When in doubt, give a citation" -UNC plagiarism handout.

"As you partake of the world's bill of fare,
that's darn good advice to follow.
Do a lot of spitting out the hot air,
and be careful what you swallow." -Dr. Suess

Disturbingly Beautiful?

The day began like any other.  My alarm going off just as Steve was leaving the house for work.  I needed to get out of bed and get the kids moving so they weren't late for school.  Steve grabbed the trash on his way out the door, but he came back in and asked me to bring my phone cause he knew that I would want to take a picture.  He said that I had to come see this.
  Dangling from our garage was a pair of entangled slugs. GROSS, as if one slug isn't gross enough.. These two were spiraled around each other with what looked like slim dripping from their heads.  I was pretty sure they were mating, yet when I went back to investigate later.. there was no evidence of an egg. Weird.

I posted a collage of the pics I took and found that most people think slugs are disgusting.  I don't blame them.. ewww. They crawl around leaving a trail of snot, and as far as I know they don't really serve a greater purpose.  From what I have read so far they are considered a pest, destroying crops of strawberries and such.  It makes you wonder.. why? why mosquitoes and slugs and other various species that aren't "essential" to the circle of life?  I still don't have an answer to that one. Maybe I am not looking hard enough.

I did, however, research enough to confirm my suspicions that the slugs were in fact mating.  From what I have read, I learned that slugs are hermaphrodites.  Confusing!?!  Wouldn't that make them asexual?  Apparently not.  And that little ball looking thing at the bottom, it's not an egg.  Still not really sure what it is.. I am assuming that it is the visible exchange of sperm?  I haven't found any research that is that specific, again with the not looking really hard (I know.. lazy).  Honestly my curiosity has been satisfied, and I wanted to share this insight with you.  I know you're Overjoyed!  -insert maniacal laughter-

While searching for answers as to why these slugs were performing sordid acts on my garage, I found this video.. interesting.  Plus I like the narrators voice, it reminds me of when I was little and nothing was on TV except animal documentaries on PBS.. Enjoy!



Think and wonder, wonder and think -Dr. Seuss

Running The Race

My oldest girls decided to try out for Cross Country now that they are in middle school.  First of all, can I say, that I am a little freaked out that they are so old?  I am so proud of them.  They just jumped right in and tried something new.  

Today was their first meet and I couldn't be more proud.  Neither finished first, but they didn't finish last and they ran all the way.  I love that they didn't give up and they were both happy with themselves afterward.  The fact that they were happy with how they did means more to me than anything else.

When Hannah told me that she was going to try out for Cross Country, I was so happy for her and told her that she should go for it.  She asked me if I thought she could do it.  I said ABSOLUTELY.  What surprised me was that she was not worried about her ability to run, but that it was going to cost money.  She is too young to be worrying about money.  That makes me sad.  I want to be able to give everything to my kids, and provide them with every opportunity to excel. SO.. I gave her a hug and told her, "Don't worry about the money, that's my job, and I'll make it happen if this is what you wanna do."

I'm sure that they don't see it now, but they are learning things that will carry them through life.  I see them learning about determination and hard work.  They are learning about not giving up and that really the only obstacle is yourself.  I'm looking forward to what the rest of the season holds.  And I am really enjoying being able to watch (and guide while I can) the journey they are taking in finding who they are.  SOOOO proud of my babies, who are slowly becoming amazing women!

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
― Dr. Seuss

The Family

I suppose I need to start off my blog with an introduction to myself and my family.  My name is Kaloni! I am married to an amazing man named Steve. Together we have six kids (ages 7 to 21) In order by age youngest to oldest, their names are Elijah, Alisa, Rachel, Hannah, Jessi, and Charon.

We are a very busy fun loving family.  Busy is probably an understatement, but what else would you expect with six kids.  We love to be outdoors: playing, running, hiking, and swimming.

Hannah, Rachel and Alisa love jiu jitsu. They have been doing it for about 4 years now. I pity the boy who tries to mess with them.

Rachel and Hannah are fraternal twins. Rachel is very thoughtful, she is always quick to help, and has the heart of a mother.  Hannah is always smiling (except in the morning), she loves to reading and she has great determination.

Alisa is very demonstrative.  It would not surprise me if she decided to be an actress.  She is determined, spirited, and genuinely happy!

I am just getting to know Jessi and Charon.

  I have spent more time with Jessi and have found that she is just as awesome as her dad.  Jessi has an amazing sense of humor, and constantly makes me laugh.  She has such a kind heart, she genuinely cares about other people and she offers help where she can.  She is very talented artist.  I have seen some of her artwork, photographs and she does an amazing job with make-up.

Although I haven’t had the opportunity to spend a great deal of time with Charon, I very much enjoy being in her company.  She is smart, kind and independant.  I hope to get to know know her better

 

Last, but certainly not least, is Elijah.  Let’s just say, he is an all American BOY! That pretty much describes him perfectly.  As much as he frustrates me, I love that he is strong.  Steve put it best when he said, “I would much rather have a son who challenges you, than one who just compliantly does everything you tell him.”  Currently he is very into dub-step, he really has an ear for music.  Full Version

I am so proud of each of my kids.  They inspire me and bring a smile to my face.  It’s kind of a cliche thing to say, but I really do learn a lot about life through them.  Watching them grow up, there is so much indescribable joy, and yet there is a little bit of sorrow.  I want them to stay little so I just try to cherish what I have with them now.  We love to make fun videos and be silly in general, I love making life fun for them! Like our Harlem Shake video!

My husband, Steve, is the love of my life.  I found him a little late but at least I found him.  We had a whirlwind courtship.. literally.  Met and married in the same calendar year.  Engaged on a Tuesday and married the next day.  We had both been married before and figured why wait.. we both knew what we wanted.  Steve is thoughtful, incredibly intelligent, and creative.  I love listening to his dreams and ideas, they are always big and usually bigger than life.  He loves telling stories (sometimes repeatedly.. it’s part of his charm).  We celebrated one year of marriage on Aug. 29th!!!!  I am so in love with this man!  He makes my heart sing.  Anyway, before I start getting too sappy…..

SO. That is my family!  Somehow we make it work.  We are crazy, fun, busy, and messy.  We are also a team!  I stand in awe of the blessings that overflow in my life!!!!

“We are all a little weird and life's a little weird,

and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours,

we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.” - Dr. Suess