Ok so here's my digital story - I don't like posting things before they're finished, but here it is. There are a few issues I still have to work out. The images are from my week in Paris this past spring, and music and hopefully more transitions will follow shortly. My idea is that Paris is a contrast in itself - tourist hotspot, modern and contemporary, but antique, familiar, and special at the same time. Hope y'all like it!

When choosing which school i wanted to attend i took many things into consideration.  It's academics, size, location etc.  But when i decided to come to the University of Vermont there was another pull that had a pretty large impact on my decision... and that is the fact that i LOVE snow.  When i visited UVM before making my decision it was a beautiful february day.  Twenty five degrees and snow everywhere.  When i imagine UVM that was the only picture that i had of it in my head; a winter wonderland.  My first week here was drastically different than that picture.  Eighty five degrees and sunny?  I mean i knew it wouldn't be snowing in the beginning of september, but i was definitely not expecting that.  I would walk to class with sweat dripping down my face.  Something i never associated with Vermont.  Every day i just hope for winter to come sooner.  I love everything about the winter.  Snowboarding, sledding, ice skating, just walking through the snow in general.  UVM definitely isn't a good choice for those who don't enjoy some of those things let a lone any.  I love the summer at home, but i came here for all the exciting winter activities UVM has to offer (there are also many other reasons why i came here).  So when is it gonna snow already?

So this is my digital story. It is a work in progress, but maybe you will be able to tell where I am going at this point. Feel free to be rough and critical if need be. The point of this is to relate struggles that snowboarders face while still remaining comical. Thanks.


Watch SnowShow (WIP) in Sports Online | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

I am procrastinating as long as I can before I type this for no other reason than to procrastinate. It seems pretty logical, right? I think so too. These are my self outlined rules for the art of procrastination. I call it an art because not everyone can be good at procrastination. Some people have traits such as "work ethic" and "time management." Things like these will never allow you to truly master this ancient art. For example, procrastination is the good side of the force and these other "skills" are the dark side. Now, if you have no idea what I am talking about, that means you are a true procrastinator and have not seen any of the Star War's movies. Bravo. If you do understand, there is still hope. Just follow these guidelines.

1) When you have a big test/quiz/exam/essay/anything else, set aside 30 minutes a day for a week before that in order to properly prepare.

2) Next, plan to do all of your homework the night it is assigned and not the night it is due. This is absolutely crucial.

3) Let your friends know ahead of time that you can't hang out at those specified times.

4) Now these are the last, and most vital parts, of the process.

5) In that time you set aside to study, go play where's waldo on google earth. (Hint: He is the one in the red and white striped shirt. Check California.)

6) Now that you are wasting considerable amounts of that time studying, you are on the right path. Remember to always complete the homework at least within a week of it being past due. (Hint: Walking to class is a seldomly used cram time in order to completely finishing studying for that bogus exam on Ole Christy Colombo. )

7) And with all your new free time, you cancel not doing crap with you friends and instead go over to their rooms a put of doing work together. And that is the true spirit of procrastination, community.

Maybe I'm the only one who's noticed this but I doubt it.

So parents weekend is coming up in about two weeks or so, and i mean i am pretty excited to see my family for the first time in 5 weeks.  I miss them, but not to the point where i feel the NEED to see them.  My mother on the other hand has a countdown until the day she is coming here.  She texts me everyday, calls me every other day, and asks me to "video chat" with her at least once a week (which has yet to happen).  I definitely do miss my family but my mom is a bit psychotic about it all.  She cries to my aunt on the phone about how much she misses me and is probably driving my younger brother crazy at home.  My dad is much more relaxed, and will talk to me when he's around while my mom is on the phone with me and does not text me everyday like her.  Hopefully when my mom comes here and physically sees that i'm still alive she wont feel such a need to constantly check up on me.  She needs to "let go" and hopefully after this parents weekend she will be able to do that.  Or maybe she never will.  She kind of has the personality where she is extremely sensitive and emotional.  She is basically the opposite of me; extremely independent and does not show emotion whatsoever.  That's also probably why it is so hard on her.  My roommates parent's are much more laid back and call her twice a week, which i think is a reasonable amount.  Maybe my mom can learn a thing or two from them.

N. Catherine Hayles's "Electronic Literature: New Horizons for the Literary" is a very complicated and difficult read. With constant references to huge events in electronic literature, which to the novice are completely unheard of, the works seems confusing at best. Just what type of crack was Hayles on when she wrote this. I will admit there are instances when it actually makes sense, but seriously, were all those references and diction nessecary to achieve her point?

I didn't just passively read this, I sat at my computer and looked up both words, and references she mentioned. That helped a little, but it was still confusing. For example, "...Deviant: The Possesion of Christian Shaw, combines primitivism with a sophisticated visual sensibility, contemporary landscapes with a narrative originating in the seventeenth century." (9) What? Why did it have to be written like that? Could she have simply wrote "it is a combonation of simple and complex visuals based on a work in the seventeenth century?" Maybe I am being too critical, but it seems unessecary.

At the end, I am left with the key sentences in the passages. Having little to show for the fourty- two pages of reading other than lots of references and few concrete ideas. It might just be my lack of knowledge that creates this perception. If that is the case, however, should a book I am reading to gain more matter on the subject provide that knowledge more adequately?
You tell me.

Ok so I'm not really one to sit at home and watch TV or become "addicted" to a show, but that all changed when I discovered LOST.  I would hear my boyfriend and other classmates at school talk about the show and how cool it was but I just didn't really get it.  I watched one episode, saw that there was a giant polar bear on an island where a plane had crashed and immediately decided it was stupid and a waste of time.  That is until my mom bought every season on DVD for my brother in march for his birthday.  I popped in the first disc and started to get kinda into it.  Before I knew it I had become a hermit and the only thing I was doing with my life was watching LOST dvds on my laptop in my bedroom.  The second I got home from school I would start watching them and wouldn't stop until I could barely keep my eyes open.  I wouldn't even go out on weekends.  I was content just "partying" with Kate, Jack, and Sawyer as they roamed the island looking for "the others".  I never realized a show could be this addicting, and it kind of scared me how into it I was.  Every time I told myself, "OK I'm going to take a break after this episode" I would just want to watch another one, and then another one.  I would talk to my friends about theories and what we thought was going to happen next.  It was kind of sick actually, but SO awesome at the same time.  It took me about three weeks to watch season 1 to 4, which I think is rather impressive.  When I was finally finished though, I felt an emptiness.  I didn't know what to do with myself anymore and was upset that I didn't have more episodes to look forward to.  I guess I will just have to wait til next season.

I hate this question. 

Interviewer: AKH
Interviewee: Melissa Partington
Subject: Center for Digital Storytelling

What was your favorite digital story?
"My favorite story was 'Ironing'."

Can you summarize this story for me?
"Ironing is about a guy who finds comfort in ironing. He realizes that he finds this comfort because he sat with his mom while she ironed when he was growing up. He now realizes how talking [with his mom as she ironed] filled the loneliness of life."

Why did you like this story?
"Because it clearly showed how when you are older, you can understand and relate to your parents much better than when you're younger."

What didn't you like about this story?
"I didn't like how some of the pictures were very faded. This made it so you concentrated more on the picture and less on the story being told. It was distracting."

Thanks Melissa :)
Good story - check it out!

Doug. That is his name.
"Mama Bisrat, Yea, In the family section." That is his favorite digital story.
"In Mama Bisrat, it's about this guy who moved to the United States from Ethiopia. He moved in with his great aunt and this video was a kind of tribute to her. Also, he felt like he had no home to back to. It was a double edge sword, a tribute to his great aunt and no home in Ethiopia." That is his summary.
"I thought that it was kinda poetic, which was cool I guess, and used symbolism." That is his explanation for why he liked it.
"Um, it kind of over explained things, things that were already simple." That is what he did not like.
"Probably the sound affects of the rain that he used, like that is the specific one thing. But I liked the whole video." That is his legit favorite part.

While interviewing Erik, I could tell that he just could not hold back his passion for how much he loved My Shoes. It was definitely his favorite digital story which is a story about an immigrant from Peru who left because it was getting too violent there. She was not treated well at her job because people thought she was lazy and she was also a lesbian which people didn't really like. She ended up persevering and graduation college despite all she went through. He enjoyed this story because the woman in the story continued to persevere; very uplifting. It was extremely tough, but she kept going and didn't let anything hold her back.

His least favorite part of the story was that it was very sad and depressing how she was mistreated and didn't leave you very happy at the end. It also didn't really tell you what happened to her after she graduated. Overall, he really liked it.

Ghosts live in Coolidge. Did I get your attention? What does the title have to do with this? How should I know, I just wrote it. But lets stay on topic here. How many people live in or have visited Coolidge? Small number, that's what I thought. Now I bet of those small number, an even smaller number of people know about "Bill." Actually, I don't have the slightest idea what the ghost's name is but Bill definitely has a scary ring to it. I mean really, if you're named Bill you enjoy accounting and live in your parent's house (This statement is not true unless by the off chance that it is true). Another thing, nobody ever wants to get mail from you. But hey, lets get back to the subject matter. Bill is a very real and scary ghoul. He makes you feel like you are being followed, or wakes you up by starring at you in the middle of the night.

But of course, those kinds of things don't exist. Mere superstitions and drafty air conditioning. Right? Left? Why am I asking rhetorical questions? To make things more interesting? To be quixotic? It's just what crazy people want you to believe. They want you to get off subject and make no sense so the Government can deny it! Are you with me?! We must unite and overthrow the current Government! Woah, Woah, Woah, there. Looks Like I took a digression on the off topic train.

Ghost are everywhere! Yea, that's better. I feel as a society, we have not openly addressed the possibility that ghosts are here, and the implications that implies. For example, lets break this one down. Ghost are the number one security threat to the country.


Here's how I reason. Ghosts in the United States have no passport or visa. This means they are illegal aliens. Lets break it down more. Illegal aliens are terrorists. Not only are they terrorists, but as the name implies, they are also aliens. So seriously, instead of fighting terrorists in the Middle East we should be combating the terrorists right beneath our noses. And those are the Alien Ghost Terrorists that are lurking in Coolidge Hall!*^





And yea, blogs are weird. Point proved.


*Taken from the Department of Homeland Security Website.
^Not Really.

I really liked how the Digital Storytelling incorporates images, music/sounds, and narration into a single story. I think that this is a very effective way of communicating a story to someone. In my high school music department, every year the seniors in the dept. put together a presentation quite similar to the ones from the Center for Digital Storytelling - we all record a message, thanking friends, family, and the directors, and then that narration is over-laid with music and pictures or videos. It's quite a bit longer than 3-4 minutes though. 

   So blogging is really NOT my thing at all.  I actually kind of hate it.  I find it extremely creepy and basically just a waste of time.  I mean, it's a good idea for an assignment for class because it's much more interesting than just writing papers or essays of what not, but the over all idea of blogging is just not too appealing to me.  From what I've seen of blogs, usually there are just extremely creepy people you don't know leaving extremely strange comments on on things that they shouldn't really care about in the first place.  I mean, you don't know me, why do you give a "F" what I did today?  Why do you care what my dog looks like or what classes I am taking?  I personally don't think its normal for strangers to be interested in things like that.  They could be anywhere from a 17 year old girl like they "claim" to be or a 60 year old man living in Minnesota.  Who really knows?  It really is just asking for trouble if you ask me.  It also can take over people's lives.  Some people get so involved in their blogs they become different people and don't know how to be themselves in real life.  It's more of an escape than anything.  I mean, I'm sure there are perfectly normal people who enjoy just letting their feelings out through blogging and this probably seems like a stereo type but from personal experience, it's all a very strange process to me.

Soo there are a lot of things missing to this whole scary/weird/ messed up story, so I'm not quite sure exactly what to make of it.  Basically this girl hates her life, is living in a haunted house, and her mom compares her disappearance to when their cat ran away.  Real loving family.  Basically, they are all MESSED UP.  When I first read Slice's blog I thought she had killed herself in the end when describing her departure into a hole in a wall.  She said she was "leaving this place" as in killing herself?  Not really sure.  I can see why this girl is so messed up though.  Her parents are pretty shitty, I mean they brought her to a different country to get her away from bad influences yet they leave her alone in a house all day.  That doesn't seem like a great way to help out a rebellious teenager.  Also, I completely DON'T understand the whole twitter thing.  Maybe it's because this is the first blog site I've ever gone on in my life, but none the less its pretty confusing, but at the same time extremely addicting.  I mean I don't think I would ever get overly involved in it (besides out in class blogging) but I can see why people do.  Slice's blog was pretty interesting and I was always eager to read what her next post was.  It also helped that her blog had some darkness to it.  It definitely made it more interesting.  It's kind of sad though that I would rather read a blog about a girl who hates her life as opposed to someone extremely happy all the time.  I guess that's just more interesting to read.

Upon reading Toby Litt's "Slice," and her parent's blog "Rayandlynn's Weblog," questions immediately began to ransack my mind. First off, Lisa prefers to be known as Slice. Unquestionably a nickname usually reflects the character or nature of the person of whom it concerns. What's the correlation between the name Slice and Lisa? Slice seems to be fairly depressed and downtrodden, so does the name reflect this nature? Anyways, there is much more to the story then simply names.

Another thing that came to question was some discrepancies. The first of which involved the previous family's demise. Slice records that they are killed in Florida while taking a taxi from the airport. The account further explains that some mysterious force was possibly the culprit because the surviving taxi driver recalled, "... never seen an animal quite like it before." Then comes the conflicting account of Slice's parents. "Still thinking about those poor people dying on that plane. And we’re using their teapot!" This post really gets you asking what is really going on here.

Now we move into the darker more mysterious series of events. Slice finds out that Mary Jane was into magic. Now the plot thickens as mysterious pellets are found continually around the house. Slice believes them to be from a rat, but later watches as a rabbit appears from the wall and craps. After following the rabbit throughout the house, it eventually leads her to a hole outside, " under the ivy, just too narrow for me to get through." Now these same pellets are believed by her parents to be drugs. Wait... what? "And there were pellets of some sort on the floor. It’s possible they were marijuana, although we can’t think where she could have got it." This is the first, and only, mention of drugs throughout the story. Is this all happening in Slice's magical trip? But what about the mother who claims to have seen a rabbit come out of the wall? Is stress causing shared hallucinations? Possibly, because her mother does not see the rabbit until after she reads her daughter's blog. But is such a simple answer sufficient? Then what about Slice. Did she really find a portal to another dimension, or just to the neighbors backyard?
What do you think?

After reading "Slice" and the corresponding blog written by Lisa's parents, I noticed a few different things. In both blogs, the authors mention seeing a shape of an animal, but they don't know what animal it is, or where it comes from. This validated to me that it wasn't just Lisa making something up. In fact, the house might actually be haunted. Also, when Lisa's family finds out that Mary Jane (along with her family) has been killed in an accident, they discover that the reason for the accident was that a dark animal ran out in front of another car which caused the accident. Maybe this is a coincidence, or maybe it is showing some sort of connection to the house in London. 

Hello - This is our first blog ever, hope y'all like it!

We (Amanda, Chelsea, and Brandon) are all freshman here at UVM. Though we all seem to be rather indecisive, we're pretty cool people!

...more to come later...