March 16

I consider myself to be slightly below average when it comes to my typing skills. This is because I often find myself scanning the keyboard for a particular letter, or figuring out the correct shift function to get a colon, or a percent mark. Sometimes I make mistakes and backspace and start over again. I can attribute my typing level to my lack of familiarity with the keyboard. Currently, I think I type about 25 words per minute since my speed is inconsistent and varies greatly from time to time. Therefore, the faster and slower speeds balance themselves out.
Today's lesson has taught me that my typing skills are slightly better than I thought. Instead of my predicted 25 wpm, I received a wpm of 34. I've found that typing the same letters repeatedly didn't increase my speed, but lowered it quite dramatically. Despite the fact that the program asked me to type words where the letters were found in the same area and typed with the same fingers, I found it challenging as I am not accustomed to using my left hand much, or more than one or two fingers. New goals I have set for myself are to become more familiar with the keyboard by challenging myself to not look at my fingers as I type, and learning to better use both hands while becoming more active with all of my fingers. I can try challenging myself to use more fingers by taking advantage of opportunities where using a little finger is more efficient then moving my whole hand to reach a letter with my pointer finger. In today's world, good typing skills are a valuable asset. Computers are everywhere and play important roles in many jobs and occupations. This includes secretaries, receptionists, legal and administrative assistants, and court reporters. Having good typing skills gives you a wider selection of job opportunities and increases your chances of obtaining certain jobs.

March 20

Spring reminds me of the summer and what's to come, as well as last year's spring season. The wet moisture sticking to your skin, cool crisp air unique to the season, and brown grass never fails to remind me that times are changing, and it's no longer winter. The season prompts me to think about how sterile winter is in comparison to the vividness and energy of spring. It's that energy and feeling of being alive and active that makes spring my favourite season. I love the spurts of green that pop up in some of the most unusual of places. The rain and showers bring something different to the air. It's as if the oxygen I breathe is infused with the sweet scent of nature and freshness. I find it extremely hard not to think of the season as rejuvenating and similar to a fresh start. Even in the fall where the air is cool, and in summer when it's humid, it's never the same as the air in spring. Even if these two qualities were combined, there would still be that extra newness to the season that cannot be rivaled. I like to think it's because the scent of plants, earth, and growth has been absent during winter, allowing those scents to become all the more striking. The melting snow brings that crispness to the season with that touch of cool of winter that still lingers. The wet pavement underneath your feet releases splashes of water that continuously appear to cleanse the ground, while puddles bring a certain fascination of mine to mind. when the wind stirs the surface of water collected in ditches, no matter how dirty the water is, I'm reminded of lakes, ponds, rivers, and brooks. They have a huge calming effect. Perhaps the most prominent feature of spring, or at least for me, are the short periods of time before and after a shower or rain. I can feel the amount of moisture reaching a climax leading up to rain  that brings a lucidness to the atmosphere, like tension building up into excitement. When the rain is released, it feels as if that tension is released and the air is left smelling like pure fresh rain. The raindrops are like orbs or crystals that fall in showers and cascade over the land, and bathed in the sunlight, it brings an ethereal quality. As cool rainwater collects on my palm, it feels like silk or a gentle caress, leaving me feeling soothed and fresh. Plants are plump with juices and feel tender and fragile to the touch. Opening your mouth in spring allows an invasion of moisture and a feeling of cleanliness to wash over. The taste is one of pureness and fresh life. Birds break into song and somehow their sweet tinkling notes raise my spirits and remind me once again that spring is here and winter is past. The sweet melodies transport me back to the previous year's birds and how they became so active and spirited. Spring is in my opinion a time that affords me the most opportunities to reminisce on the past and look forward to a new start. During spring storms, I love the sounds and smells, and especially the thought of myself being safe and sound indoors while a storm rages on outside. I've found that this comforts me and also surprisingly helps lull me to sleep at night.

March 14

Sally fell down on the wood, so Cat was up to his tricks that day. Too bad he will play. He had games and playthings too, but he had nothing to do. On her back she went. Sally was not tame, too bad I cannot say the same of Cat. Sally got up and shook her book at Cat. She fell on string. The poor thing. How funny is that. Sally is down in her gown. Sally got up and bent her head. She ran and fell on a ball. What a shame. Cat is not tame. He will not stop at all. On and on they will play. All day

March 12

PowerPoint Presentation Steps

1. I went to Microsoft PowerPoint and clicked on Design in the top tool bar.
2. From the selections, I chose a theme that suited Dylan and his preferences.
3. I typed in the heading 'Dylan Orbanski' in yellow since caterpillar yellow is his favourite colour in the text box provided and left justified it from the options given in the toolbar.
4. I  found pictures depicting a dad, Arborg, the colour yellow, and science from Google and pasted them on with yellow text labelling each by inserting separate text boxes from the control panel.
5. I opened up a second slide with the same theme, heading, and colours.
6. I titled the slide "Dylan Orbanski Loves:', and inserted four different pictures, each depicting a different hobby of his.
7. I inserted separate text boxes again beside each picture and labelled in yellow what hobby each picture showed.
8. I inserted a third slide with the same formatting, style, and title as the first slide.
9. I typed in yellow  text in separate text boxes if Dylan thought love or money was more important, what animal he would be, how he describes himself, and his biggest dream.
10. With each different block of text I inserted a picture to go with it with the exception of how he describes himself..
11. I looked over the PowerPoint presentation to check that it accurately portrayed Dylan.

Reflection.

The finished product looks neat, organized, and describes Dylan. It includes his hobbies, where he lives, who he admires, his best school subject, whether love or money is most important, his favourite colour, the animal he would be, how he describes himself, and his biggest dream. I think that by answering and addressing all those points, a description can be made that describes Dylan as a person. Many aspects of him can be learned through the PowerPoint and there were only a few questions left unanswered because I thought they were in some ways less significant or important. The presentation gives a clear representation of Dylan and that was the goal.

March 8

If a movie of my life were made, the title would be 'Recollection of Susan's Life' as it implies how the movie is in fact a recollection of my life and what has past.Whoever plays me in the movie should in some way have similarities with me and be able to relate to my character as well as translate that onto screen. They should be able to mimic my ways, habits, tendencies, and be convincing. In short, they would act in a way that best reflects my character. That person would be a young actress and when I think of that personality I want to envision, I think of Emily Brown who played in the movie 'Sucker Punch'. She's good at embodying various emotions and characters and most importantly meets the criteria mentioned in the preceding text. The people who should be included in the movie of my life are my brother, mom, and dad. My brother tends to be headstrong and quite bossy as well as firm in his beliefs. The actor that best brings that sense of conviction is Tom Cruise, or at least in my knowledge he is. My mom could be played by Julia Roberts with her maturer attitude that would match my mom's perfectly. Will Farrell would play my dad as he can be quite a goof at times and absentminded. He seems capable of mimicking  my dad's mannerisms.

My Internet Use: The top five things that take up my time on the net
1. Researching my interests
2.Watching videos of my interests
3. Howrse
4. Finding information
5. Looking at pictures on Google

March 2

If I were given the chance to staff a school with anyone I wanted, I would choose Evgenia Kanaeva to teach Phys. Ed. due to her extraordinary athletic ability. I'm sure that she would be able to rub off some of her work ethic onto the students. She would make gym class a fun experience with her considerate nature. A course that I would like to implement in a school is animal studies. The course would include facts on animal welfare, proper care, training, behaviour, health, and in what ways animals contribute to society. I can't think of anyone more suited to teaching the subject than Victoria Stilwell. She's a reputable dog trainer who is compassionate. With her around, I have no doubt that students would become well -educated and pay more mind to the animals they encounter in their lives. When it comes to Home Ec., Gordon Ramsay would do an awesome job at turning students into chefs. With his strict rules and high standards, students can only head in one direction; success. Ramsay's direct instruction would guarantee that students are well-taught and learn how to cook. I believe that teaching should adapt to the changing world as it becomes more modern and new developments take place. In the modern world, media is all around students and that's why it would be one of the courses at school. The best teacher of media is someone who has been in media and understands its tricks. For that reason, I would choose model Lindsey Wixson who seems very open. Being quite young herself, she would be able to relate better to students and have a better understanding of the influence media has on teenagers. Classes would definitely be much more fun with her humble attitude. Another one of the courses would be science and it would be taught by Albert Einstein. His great intellect would be beneficial to students and provide them with any help they need. He would have the answers to almost any question, and if not, he could easily solve it.  Being able to understand concepts well himself, Einstein would for sure be able to aid students in their own understanding of science. The final course I'd include in a school would be math and it would be taught by Archimedes. He is considered by many to be the greatest of all mathematicians and I'm sure he would be very capable of delivering clear lessons with his extensive understanding of the subject. Students wouldn't have to encounter times of confusion as Archimedes would clear any misunderstandings and ensure that every student grasps the content and concepts being taught. The final staff member I would include would be Gerry Dee as principal. He is quite the character and joker. His personality would enrich the school and make it a fun place to learn. Together, all these people with extensive knowledge in their area of expertise would have no problem teaching students what they know. School would become a place where subjects are taught and understood clearly and students can have a fun time.