February 25

The Montgomery Bus Boycott! This boycott is fascinating.  I took Afro-American History with Dabel last semester, so I got to study this event in greater detail.  Dabel, talked about this in class, but it still floors me that the story of Rosa Parks that I learned in elementary is so far from the truth.  Learning the real story behind Parks inspired me to take a poll with my familty.  I asked my eleven year old sister who Rosa Park was, and why she did what she did.  She answered "she stood up for her rights, because she knew what they were doingt was wrong!"  At this point my eighteen year old sister interjected "No! your wrong, she was tired, she had a long day a work and did not want to get up because she had groceries."  I was floored, I had learned the same story when I was young, and in eight years, the story had changed.  This makes me wonder how much more of what we believe is true will be changed in another eight years, or when my children are growing up.  History is FUN!

A note about my internship...I start Monday with my mentee, I am really excited!

February 20 (Week 4)

This weeks discussion on peace movements  was really interesting.  I knew that there has always been conspiracy theories, and skepticism towards the government.  I, however, had never heard these types of theories for WWII and America's involvement.  I had always learned that because of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Americans unanimously desired to go to war.  I had not heard of read that groups blamed FDR for not only causing the attack, but provoking it.  Accusing him for knowing ahead of time that the attack was coming, and not warning Americans.  I thought that the discussion was also very intriguing.  War is a sensitive topic.  I thought the video clips were especially interesting.  They made me think, and rethink the reasons for war.  Watching how the soldiers in America are trained surprised me, but I see the reasons behind such training.  Peace movements have their place in America and I think are vitally important as an opposition to the governmental reasons for war.

February 11

This week I attended an orientation for BLAST.  It was very informative and really interesting.  Thus far, what I like about BLAST is that although they are fun, sarcastic, and open, they run a tight ship.  They put their hearts and souls into this program, and they are extremely organized.  I am getting really excited to do this.  I know that it will not be easy, but I'm really excited to have this experience.  Something that surprised me from the orientation, is the lengths BLAST goes to keep people safe.  They are extremely protective of their BLAST kids, and legally they try to keep us safe too.  They did a couple activities with us to get us thinking about the experiences that we will have and the kind of mentor we want to be.  I'm excited for this experience and to help and learn from my mentor!

A note about class this week: I found these communitarian societies very interesting.  The leaders caught my attention.  It made me think about the type of person they have to be.  They have to be so sure of themselves, in order to have a following.  Also, how smart and extreme these men were.  I think you have to be extreme to start a new society with new rules and social norms.

February 2

This week, and last, we discussed in class what it takes for a movement to be considered a social movement.  Through these discussions, the reading, and the microtheme discussion I was surprised to discover how few of the movements are considered social movements.  Before the start of the semester I could not have been able to define what a social movement was.  Now I can, and it is increasingly interesting to me how many movements are out there and how many do not qualify as a social movement.  It seems to me that where most of the movements falter are in their WUNC displays.  In the research I did and through the discussion on Wednesday, it appears that most movements lack one, if not multiple, of the WUNC categories; worthiness, unity, numbers and commitment.  What I noticed is that for many of the movements discussed, it was hard to define some of the categories, because the movements were inconsistent and on a more personal basis, rather than on a public, political level.  I find that intriguing!

A Bit About Me!

 Hometown:

I grew up in Hacienda Heights.  It is a unincorporated portion of Los Angeles County.  I enjoyed growing up here.  The streets were quiet and it was safe to play outside, which I did all the time. 

Facts about your family:

I love this question!  I am the fourth child of eight.  I have three elder brothers and four younger sisters.  I have three sister-in-laws.  My parents have been married for thirty years and still really happy.  I am an Aunt, to two nieces a nephew and two on the way, and I love it! 

Why CSULB:

I chose Cal State Long Beach for two reasons.  First, I was accepted and Long beach attracted me.  Secondly, the location would allow me to car pool into Long beach with my Father (every penny counts).

What do you want to do when I graduate from the university? 

I would love to teach High School History.  My dream is to return to my alma mater and teach and coach volleyball and/or track.

If you could choose one personal object that represents you, what would it be? 

The object that best represents me is probably my car.  I say that because there are characteristics about my car the represent my own personality and character traits.  I drive a Jeep, and I think that a Jeep represents that fact that I am well rounded.  Like me a Jeep is classy, sporty, smart and fun.  Another telling characteristic of my car is the licenses plate.  It declares, “I’d rather be playing volleyball!”  I really enjoy sports, I participated in volleyball and track in High School and still love to play.  Also, my car holds my scriptures (my Bible, and my Book of Mormon).  This represents the importance of my beliefs, and how they affect all the aspects of my life.  My car also has a radio.  I love music.  I can play the piano and the flute and I like to listen to most music.

Who are your heroes? 

This a hard one, I have so many.  My parents are definitely my heroes.  They are an example to me of how people, spouses, parents, friends, leaders and believers should be.  They are givers, servers, funny and hard working.  They posses the qualities I desire to have when I reach their age.  My other two heroes are my Dad’s parents (my Mormor and Papa).  These two are about the most perfect people I know.  I have tailored my life, and continue to do so, so I can enjoy the life they live now.  They are living proof of what choosing righteously can offer.  They have six children, 33 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren.  Each of these smaller units are living after their examples.  Mormor and Papa are the model of who and how I want to be when I am in the golden years of life.

If you could travel to one spot anywhere in the world, where would you want to visit? 

This answer may shock some, but after my last answer I think it should make sense.  If I could go anywhere in the world, the one place I would choose would be sitting in my Mormor and Papa’s home.  Listening to my large family, sharing in laughter, talk and stories, is where I find the greatest peace.

What are your Current favorite books?  What books would you recommend to someone you just met? 

Currently, I have two favorite books, Love Comes Softly and Love's Enduring Promise.  These a fictional stories about a farming family who live in a small town on the frontier of America.  The story has offered me greater understanding of the lives these people led at this time.  A book I would recommend to someone I just met would be The Scarlet Pimpernel.  This story has something for everyone; action, mystery, a touch of love and adventure.

What pushes your buttons? What are your pet peeves? 

One of my pet peeves is when I here adults use the word “mines”, as is “Hey, that’s mines!”  The sound of the word makes me cringe.  It sounds extremely uneducated.

What music are you listening to currently? 

My music is always changing.  Sometimes I listen to Broadway music, other times it is Disney music, pop, and oldies.  The style I can never break from, however, is country, I was raise on it and there is nothing better.

Favorite colors?

All colors a beautiful in their own right, but there some I am drawn to.  I really like peach colors, along with deep reds, like burgundy.  I also think that lavender, is really soft and elegant.

Favorite Website?

I enjoy visiting Yahoo to get the latest news on celebrities, random stories, and the occasional political news.  I visit Facebook frequently, but I am not a poster.  I go on Facebook more to see what my friends are up to.  I also visit Netflix often, I get to learn of movies I never knew existed

Favorite foods?

My Mother is a great cook!  She makes this Swedish dish called Beef Stroganoff, and I love it!  She also makes the best cinnamon rolls I have ever had, and a killer roast beef dip sandwich with soup, so amazing!  I also love the pastrami dip sandwich from The Hat.  The spinach dip that the resturant Mimi’s has, is the best there is. 

All-time favorite movies? 

I have a couple all-time favorite movies.  I really enjoy watching old movies.  My list of top five movies would include An Affair to Remember,  You’ve Got Mail, The Music Man, the original version with Shirley Jones and Robert Preston.  Also on the list is Singing in the Rain and The Sound of Music.  I love musicals!

Favorite artists? 

I have a few, Garth Brooks, is amazing and I love Reba McEntire.  Barbra Streisand is also a favorite, she is timeless and I never get tired of her voice.

Favorite free-time activities? 

I find a lot of joy play the piano.  It is really soothing and it is a great stress reliever.  There is really nothing like sitting down at the piano and knowing that your could play just about anything with in reach.  I like to read.  Above all, I enjoy spending time with my family.

Why did you enroll in this course?

I enrolled in this class because my plans to take history 499 fell threw and I needed more units.  Also, the class had intrigued my last semesters and since I had the room in my schedule I thought a good fit.