Comparing versions of Jenna Gravino's Page

Showing changes between September 29, 2021 at 3:11:01 am (crossed out) and September 29, 2021 at 4:36:00 pm (underlined)

Name: Jenna Gravino
Who Am I?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
I was born on a November morning
And my mama gave me a name
She said "Jenna welcome to the family
I know it's never going to be the same."
I grew up in a real small town
And shoes I didn't wear
I remember dancing around
And wanting to get out of there
chorus:
Well, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Tell me, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
'Cause I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
I took my first chance to get of town
Moved to the Sunshine State
And since I love to travel around
I thought, "Wow, isn't this great?"
I went to high school and graduated
And looked for my next getaway
Two years in Orlando, no thanks.
St. Petersburg I am here to stay.
Who are you?
Ooh wa ooh wa ooh wa ooh wa ...
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
(chorus)
I know there's a place for me here
But there's something I just can't see
Where do I go from here?
I don't know what I want to be.
I know it in my soul
There's more to life than this
How can I find my destiny
When I don't know what it is?
Creative Commons
I selected the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 3.0 Unported License.
What I think this means is that others can distribute or "remix" my work in any way as long as they give credit where credit is due and do not use any of my work for commercial purposes. I chose this license even though I don't plan on my work from this wiki being used commercially. Who knows what I may come up with and if anybody is going to be making money off my ideas it's me! Even though I believe that my ideas have stemmed from other people's ideas and so on. Not sure if anything is truly "original." We're all inspired by or affected by something we've seen, heard, read, etc... In this sense I don't feel like I have the right to own anything. Do I even own my own thoughts? Now things are getting weird...
I have to say that trying to select the right license made me a little nervous. I felt like I was entering some kind of contract and I still really don't know what it all means. I do know that I want people to be able to elaborate/collaborate on my ideas. Isn't that the whole point of this wiki anyway? I do hope to form some connections from sharing my work and I've already been able to navigate through other people's pages and see some interesting things. If everything is owned by somebody else, and you can't use it or need permission for it, doesn't that hinder the possibility to make something better?
This reminds me of a sociology professor I had one time who asked me if I could come up with a totally original, brand new, never used word and definition. Even if I made the word "wociid," I wouldn't be able to define it without referring to some other words or definitions that already exist. No matter what, I would be borrowing from something else.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Free Culture
What about Jay Z's remix of the original "Forever Young" by Alphaville?
Jay Z's version uses the same chorus from Alphaville's original recording, and is set to the same beat. Jay Z's version is remixed with some musical variation, and he raps his own original verses that are completely different from the Alphaville version. He turned the song, which has a classic 80's sound, into a hiphop song, which is kind of cool. Jay Z has made his song, "Young Forever," into something totally different that people love, and many have no idea that the best part (in my opinion), the chorus, derived from an 80's song! Although I definitely like the original Alphaville, at least Jay Z did something with the new video.
Composition
I started talking to my boyfriend, Jose, about composition and recorded a 15 minute interview on my computer. We ended up talking about the book, Freakonomics, which he is currently reading. It got us thinking about what we would do for money. Here's some of our conversation:
Jose: They started off talking about uh, they did this experiment somewhere in Europe at a day care center where all the parents that were late would have to pay a three dollar fine because ppl were always late all the time. And they found out that once they put this three dollar fine instead of ppl not being late anymore people were late more than ever. But because the three dollar fine was just enough to buy off their guilt for being late. If the fine was $300 all the people would be on time.
Jenna: That book isn't very big is it? I mean how many pages is it? I should start reading more.
Jose: I don't know. It's 500 pages on here. But yeah that's why I started buying books on here. It gives me something else to do.
Jenna: Instead of f***ing around on facebook all the time? I just don't want to read because I have to read other stuff that I don't want to read. I think I just have the idea in my head that i dont want to read my textbooks. But if it's assigned for a particular purpose you would think there is a reason they want you to read it.
(This is where I start rambling about Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn. Not that interesting so I'll skip it except to say that I did find out from my text book that by the end of his life Mark Twain didn't believe that humans were capable of moral action. I was reminded of this during our Freakonomics conversation when Jose said that people will do anything depending on the price they have to pay for it.)
Jose: See here it says, what if the fine was $100? That would likely put an end to the late pick ups. Though it would have also engedered plenty of ill will. Any incentive is inherently a trade off. The trick is to balance the extremes. But there's another problem with the daycare center fine. It instituted an economic incentive. The three dollar penalty for a moral incentive. The guilt the parents were supposed to feel when they came late. For just a few extra dollars each day, parents could buy off their guilt.
Jenna: That's pretty crazy. Now I'm thinking about what I would do for money.
Jose: This is interesting, check this out. So it goes back to the cheating thing. Some cheating leaves barely a shadow of evidence. In other cases the evidence is massive. Consider what happened on a Spring evening at midnight in 1987. 7 million American children suddenly disappeared.
Jenna: What?
Jose: The worst kidnapping wave in history? Hardly. It was the night of April 15th and the IRS had just changed a rule. Instead of merely listing the name of each dependent child, tax filers were now required to privide a social security number. Suddenly, 7 million children- children who had existed only as phantom exemptions on the previous year's 1040 forms- vanished, representing about one in ten of all dependent children in the united states.
Jenna: So people were claming children to get more money from the government because they didn't have to prove it? Whoa, when was that? 1987?
Jose: Yeah, imagine how many years that was going on. Imagine how much extra moeny people were gettting.
Jenna: Wow, that's crazy. 7 million children disappeared. Cheaters.
About The Interview:
I conduced this interview this afternoon in my living room. I set my laptop on the coffee table and told my boyfriend, Jose, to just talk. I found it interesting that as soon as we knew we were being recorded, we had nothing to say. I would ask questions like, "What is composition?" and the answers I would get were very unnatural. So I said forget it let's just talk to each other. I started by telling him what I was reading for my American Literature class (Mark Twain) and he responded from there. He told me that he had just bought Freakonomics on his Ipad.
When I transcribed the interview onto my wiki, I tried to pick out the most interesting parts of our conversation, which happened to be me listening to him tell me about some parts of the book. As I was transcribing, I wondered if this is how interviews were transcribed in magazines, etc. It's kind of tedious. As a journalism student, I was taught to choose the most compelling quote to put in the story, which is easy because it usually jumps out at you, and it's also pretty short. But this transcription is an entire conversation. If I were writing an article for a newspaper, I would never edit someone's words. But in this transcription, I felt it was necessary to edit the conversation. When you speak casually in conversation, sometimes you repeat yourself, rephrase things, say too many "likes," "ums," and "yeahs." I'm pretty sure the last interview I read in a magazine didn't read like that. I guess this is where the original audio recording would come in handy.
Thinking of Linking
I'm not sure if I'm on the right page with what we are supposed to be blogging about for this class. So since I don't see anyone's "Composition in the Field" interviews, I chose to select a couple of interesting things I found while reading through everyone's pages. Here's something that was posted by Boda:
"Where you are now - in your comfy chair and air conditioning - is called the Default World. When you go to Burning Man, you are Home. You are with the like-minded. You are with those that made an effort to be there. It’s other worldly. It’s like being on the moon with it’s grey brown dust covering everything you own in less than a day. Your neighbors are dressed (or undressed) showing their real plumage - not the feathers demanded in the Default World."
When I read this, I was sitting on my comfy couch in the air conditioning, in my default world. Somehow everybody's gotten used to the idea that this is what life is. I get so preoccupied with working, going to school, finishing homework, hanging out with friends, and I'm not sure I really want to be doing any of those things. There are so many things that are demanded of us in the Default World. And as soon as I say that, I think, well I don't have to do any of that. No one is forcing me to do it. But still I continue on the daily grind. Boda's post made me think of what I'd really like to be doing. If you really strip it down, what would it be like to just drop it all and go?
Here's another interesting thing I found from Jaime Boyko's page:
"As I signed up for semester after semester of seemingly disjointed courses, my father often asked me about getting a licensed profession, truck-driving and hairdressing excluded (I tried). He’s a lawyer and saw what I was putting my energy into as sort of a waste. I was enjoying myself, traveling across the country, and grasping my spiritual independence, which I had just about lost. After a year-and-a-half long hiatus from responsibility, focus returned to higher education. Within my first semester back, I decided on English- Professional/Technical Writing for a major. From then on, I’ve been following a straight and narrow path."
I can relate to this. Although I'm not a perpetual student, my father is always asking me how things are going. "What are you plans?" As I near the end of my college career (it came rather quickly), I really have no answer. I have enjoyed myself over the past four years, done some traveling, and looking back, most things came to me pretty easily. But at this point in my life, I feel a change coming on. I have no idea what's next. I hate getting asked what I want to do after I graduate. I've done very well in school, I am intelligent, ambitious, etc. I just simply don't know where to go from here.
Link Pile: What is Emergence?
According to wikipedia emergence is: the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions.
The first thing I clicked on was a link to snowflakes. A picture was shown of snowflakes forming complex symmetrical patterns. This link took me to the definition of a snowflake and an explanation of how the ice crystals form as they move through the different temperatures in the sky. I've been fascinated with snowflakes since elementary school when we froze black sheets of construction paper to catch snowflakes on.
Then I clicked on the link that lead to G.H. Lewes's page. He was the pioneer psychologist who coined the term emergent. I learned that he had an open marriage with his wife, Agnes. They had three children together, but she also had several children with other men. Interesting. He was a philosopher, a psychologist, a writer, and even an actor for a period of time.
I followed a link to etiology next, because I didn't know what it was. Wikipedia defines it as the study of causation or origination. It's pretty much the study of why things occur and the attempt to explain them.
The next link led me to the wiki of Peter Corning. I had no idea who this was so I clicked on it. He is a biologist interested in researching bioeconomics and is known for his work on the causal role of synergy in evolution. From here I needed to know the definition of synergy. According to wikipedia, it is defined as two or more agents working together to produce a result not obtainable by any of the ingredients independently.
Lastly, I clicked on the link to interconnectivity. It is a concept used in numerous scientific fields. According to the wiki, it is when all parts of a system interact and are connected with each other. They are so involved that it can be difficult to analyze through the parts alone.
Ok, what I'm really interested in:
Photography/National Geographic/Travel Writing/ Underwater Photography
http://tinyvices.com/
http://www.daviddoubilet.com/
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August 31st Reflection
Okay, so looking back on our last class I can say that I was not in my best form. I got sick last Sunday and I'm just now recovering and feeling close to normal. I'll say that I had little interest in joining the conversation about grant writing, mostly due to my condition, but when the ethics debate ensued my ears perked up a bit. Ethics debates are always fascinating aren't they? Personally, I'll never be the first to start an argument, and I very rarely find myself involved in them. It would take a lot for me to feel like I needed to step into the arena. I guess you could say I'm more of an observer. It's not that I'm uninterested or not paying attention, I promise. In fact, I really am fascinated with the idea that everyone has their own unique perspective.. that we hear things and say things only after they've made their way through our filter(s). And also that everyone has their own moral compass (or lack thereof).
The next thing I know, I've found myself with a marker in my hand. Anxiety ensues. What possibly am I going to have to do with.. this.. marker?? I sincerely dislike this quality about me and I wish I could explain how it got here and why. I wasn't always like this. I remember going off to Europe for a month with little supervision at age 17 with ease and jumping out of an airplane at 20 after little consideration at all. What has happened between then and now that prevents me from making decisions without having to think and re-think?
I was driving home from my Thursday class (American Lit Beginning to 1860) and alone in my car I began to think.. about what else I'm going to do today, which led to what else I'm going to do for the rest of my life.. (it seems to always end there..) Well I always tell people that I don't know what I want to do when I graduate (I don't really), but after talking to someone for a while I'll eventually tell them what I wish I could do. I want to travel, and write, and take pictures, and eat, and travel, and experience, and LIVE, and be Anthony Bourdain, really. This is where I heed my boyfriend's advice instead of my father's (and he would kill me if he knew this). Here is the difference:
Dad: "Well, Jen, hm.. how would you do that.. and how much money is it going to cost me?"
Boyfriend:"SO DO IT."
I'm now seriously considering.. drumrolllll... culinary school, concentrating in baking and pastry arts. It's ok, you can call me crazy. But I've been baking since I knew what a cookie was, and if you want to get somewhere, you have to start somewhere, don't you??
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September 7th
Welcome to PiratePad!
Kelsey's Food Blog 1
My head is spinning, my eyes are hurting, and the only real sleep I've had in two days was what I could manage on the Red Eye, but it was all so worth it. A couple months ago my boyfriend and I came up with the idea to go to Las Vegas for Labor Day weekend, as a late birthday celebration for me and a last hurrah before a long semester of classes. Luckily, we were able to make this dream a reality, and I am happy to say that as I sit here writing this I am living in the afterglow of a weekend in Vegas. Nothing my mind could have dreamt up about what this city would be like, and anything I could recount now that I have been there probably cannot really do it justice. All I can say is that the backsplash of mountains on a city painted in bright lights is beautiful, the entertainment was remarkable, and of course the food was incredible.
What is the origin of hurrah?
According to the New Oxford American Dictionary hurrah originated in the 17th century and is an alternation of the archaic huzza; perhaps originally a sailor's cry when hauling.
What about images/videos? Images/videos say just as much as words can. Does the audience require images? Would they enhance or take away from your message?
Who is the audience?
What about creating a slideshow?
Can you limit your focus?
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September 14th
Ok, I've been thinking all week about what I should post next. And thinking about it this whole time has inhibited me from actually posting anything. So even though I don't know what I want to talk about, and I don't feel like I've quite narrowed down a project focus for this class, something is better than nothing, right? Well last week when we went over Kelsey's food blog, I was reminded of my latest obsession with Anthony Bourdain and how badly I would love love love to have his job. I'm currently reading Kitchen Confidential. I'm also currently finishing my last semester of college and I am entering what I call "panic mode." No more school after this semester? It's all I've ever done. I don't even know what else there is, really. Well, there's a whole world of things, I know, but I just want somebody to tell me what to do next! Ok, that's the easy way out. I'm not expecting things to be easy, but you can't help but feel a little uneasy when you are about to start a whole new chapter in life.
On the bright side, I booked a cruise (I've never been on one) for next month to Cozumel and Grand Cayman and I was thinking of doing this: documenting my travels, writing, eating, writing, exploring, writing, taking photos, posting.. Anthony Bourdain style. Of course, I want to do it my way, make it my own. But he is inspiring isn't he? Since I won't be going on my trip for another month, I thought I could keep reading his books, and writing about how I want to parallel my future with the kinds of things that he's done.
Thoughts?
"The future is not real."
converge.
remix.
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September 15th
I mentioned previously that I am planning a trip to France next summer. As part of the requirement to be placed with a host family, I have to write a letter to a potential family telling them as much as I can about myself and my life in about two pages. I would really appreciate all feedback, remixing, edits, comments, anything you have to offer. How do you chose which things to include and which not to include? I've written the draft, but I could write for days about my life. How do I pick and chose, make it cohesive, and make it different from all the other letters a family may read?
Dear Host Family:I would first like to say that I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be considered by your family as an au pair. I understand the amount of trust and responsibility you will put in my hands and I look forward to the reward of being a part of your family during my stay. I would like to tell you as much as I can about myself, my life, and my family and friends. I reside in St. Petersburg, Florida with my boyfriend of three years, Jose, and my dog, Benny. I spend the majority of my time focusing on my last semester of college. In December, I will graduate from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Professional and Technical Writing and a minor in Mass Communication. The past two semesters, I have been honored as a member of the Dean’s List for earning all A’s in my classes. School has been my biggest priority for the past four years. On the weekends, I work as a server at a restaurant called The Hut on Madeira Beach, Florida. I have worked hard for the past two years there to support myself financially as I finish my degree. I am also working as an intern at the Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, Florida where I am writing an operations manual for the club. I am using this internship to gain experience as a professional writer. When I am not going to school or working, I enjoy spending time walking my dog, biking, going to the beach, painting, taking dance classes, going to concerts, baking (chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, apple pies, yum!), and traveling. After my first trip to Europe in 2005, I discovered my innate passion for traveling. I spent one month in a study abroad program studying art history and humanities in Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris, Innsbruck, and London. I am fascinated with foreign culture and I have a sincere interest in learning the ways other people live. I know that the way I live my life is unique, and so is the way other people live theirs. My family is originally from Kansas City, Missouri. As a child, I spent most of my time playing outside in the summer and visiting our lake house on the weekends where I learned to water ski and jet ski. Winters in Missouri are cold and snowy, so all the kids in my neighborhood would bundle up and go sledding or build snow castles. We moved to Florida when I was 14 years old because we wanted to live near the ocean. As a teenager, I spent most of my time at school, at the beach, working, or taking dance classes. My mom, Jan, and my dad, Mike, have been married for 32 years. I have one younger sister, Adra, who turns 21 in November. She is my best friend, and the person I always go to for advice. We attend the same University, and spend time together as often as we can. All the members of my family have their own busy lives, but we always get together on birthdays and holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. Conclusion?Sincerely,Jenna Gravino
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I found this in Backslash magazine and I like it:
realize our potential and hlephelp to actualize the potential restraint we can all enalbeenable our potential to flow outside of the box. InsindeInside the box the world
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Zumba
Some of you may know exactly what I'm talking about and others may only have a vague idea of what Zumba is. For anyone who likes to dance, or is looking for a FUN workout, you have to try it! (yes, I said 'fun' and 'workout' in the same sentence)
Zumba combines Latin music with other International rhythms and movements into a workout routine that burns calories and tones your body. But the best part is that it's like you're not even working out.
I've been dancing since I was little, and when my friend Tiffany first invited me to go to a Zumba class I said I would go, if only for the fact that I knew I liked to dance and it was only $5. An hour and a half went by like a minute and a half and I was drenched in sweat by the end of the last song. From then on I knew that stepping into a gym just wouldn't be the same. Nobody can tell me there's a way to have that much fun on a treadmill...
All Zumba classes are different. Some are for beginners- sticking to the basic moves and traditional Zumba soundtracks, while others, like the class I attended last night will kick your ass. And you won't truly know it until you wake up the next morning. Feel the burn.
If anybody is interested in taking an awesome Zumba class, I highly recommend Dr. Kasia's class at Bay Medical Center. The address is 7001 Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. The classes are open to the public and cost $5 per class. They are offered most evenings during the week. You don't have to be a member or have a membership of any kind. Just show up whenever you want.
USF St. Petersburg also offers a Zumba class on Wednesday nights from 5pm to 6pm at the Fitness Center.
Here is a short article on Zumba from www.shape.com:
It's no wonder. The Zumba workout program, which combines Latin dance moves with resistance training, provides an intense workout no matter your fitness level (and no, you don't have to be a seasoned salsa dancer to pick up the steps). It also burns anywhere from 400 to 500 calories per 45-minute session—or more, depending on how intensely you move. Thanks to the upbeat music and "party" exercise atmosphere, Zumba also has the reputation for being one of the hottest (and most fun) cardio workouts out there right now. So we had to ask: Does the Zumba workout live up to the hype? EXPERTS SAY:Zumba pros: "The moves are very simple and repetitive, so all you have to do is listen and follow the instructor," says Julie Kelly, a Zumba instructor and certified trainer. "Zumba really works your core, because the Latin dance moves specifically target the abdominal area." What does it take to actually get toned from this? If you do the workout at least three times a week, you could see weight loss in as little as two weeks and have noticeable toning within four to six weeks. Zumba cons: Zumba can be tricky for anyone dealing with knee or lower back issues. "There's a lot of pivoting and twisting, which can aggravate these areas," says Kelly. "It's still okay to participate, but ask your instructor how to modify the moves." Top tip: Wear a dance fitness sneaker, aerobics shoe or even a court shoe to class, Kelly recommends. Stay away from wearing running shoes—they're meant to move you forward, not side to side, and they grip the floor.
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Upcoming Shows:
Yeasayer: October 4th at State Theatre
MGMT: October 27th at Ruth Eckerd Hall
"Welcome to the Gravino Hotel! Breakfast is served!"
Immediately my sister and I start whining, "Moooooooom!!"
That is what I remember of those last few months with Grandpa in our house. Of course I do remember getting on the school bus one morning, and passing an ambulance, which was headed in the direction we had just come from, on the day that Grandpa had to be hospitalized when he broke his hip after falling out of bed. But mostly I remember the little things, the silly things. The things a 9 year old thinks are funny, like how big and hairy Grandpa's ears were.
And beyond all that, now I realize that my sister is my best friend, and maybe she wouldn't be if we didn't have to learn to live together when Grandpa moved in (we frequently refer to this as a pivotal point in our relationship as sisters). And what tremendous strength and patience my mother had to be able to take care of her father, even on the worst days, until the very end.
Weston McCloud Grad text
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We're Not Supposed to Live This Long
On Friday, an older woman (I'm guessing late 70's) tripped trying to step up the two brick stairs that lead to the exit of the restaurant where I work. I didn't see her actually fall, but the whole place went silent, even the band stopped playing, when everybody realized what had happened. The woman wasn't getting up, and nobody knew exactly how bad it was. Someone called 911 and the paramedics showed up shortly after that. I was standing to the side watching them put a neck brace on the woman as they kept her ankles from moving by tying them together somehow (I'm assuming they didn't want her to move in case something was broken).
I wondered how the woman felt. There she was, lying on the ground, surrounded by a crowd of people, all because she tripped on a stair. If I had tripped on that stair, I would have been a little embarrassed maybe, but I surely would have been able to get up and go on with my life without too much damage. I guess it's different when you're older. I can't help but wonder if she was really even concerned about her health. I wonder if she felt helpless, frustrated, or angry knowing that her body was beginning to fail her. I wonder if it was the first time something like this had happened.
I don't think we're supposed to live this long...
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Killer
We returned to my Grandmother's house on 86th Terrace late in the afternoon. The inside of her house was stacked top to bottom with cheap picture frames decorated with ribbon, lace, silver, and gold. We never ate at the small round dining room table. It was filled with photos of my sister and me when we were little, my cousins, and really old photos of my grandfather in his army uniform. If you walked down the only hallway in her house, you would see walls covered with picture frames of even older photos- wedding photos, and photos of all my grandparent's kids at the farm- all that milky yellow tone, not quite black and white, not quite color.
When my sister and I walked in the house on this day, I knew something wasn't right. I felt a rush of knots go from my stomach to my throat. Nobody was home. But a man in black jeans, black boots, and a black leather jacket came out from one of the bedrooms. I didn't know him, and he looked like a killer. I froze. He came for me and I tried to fight back, but I had no strength against the man. My muscles were like jello when I tried to punch him. He grabbed my hand and took out a pocket knife. I squirmed and cried and pulled to get away, but I couldn't. He took the knife and made slits in my hand just above each knuckle. I couldn't feel the pain, but I knew it must have hurt, and I was bleeding.
All I could think was that I didn't want to die. And where was my sister? Out of the corner of my left eye I saw her standing behind me, paralyzed with fear. Just then my dog came darting towards me. I didn't want the man to hurt my dog. I screamed, and my dog held a ferocious grip on the the man's neck. The louder I screamed, the tighter his grip. Suddenly the man went limp and fell to the ground. His eyes had rolled to the back of his head and both sides of his neck were bleeding profusely.
faaaaaaaade.
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My Grain
Walls pinkish red. Round ceiling and no floor. Hundreds of tiny working men in tiny shoes stand on long metal poles screwed painfully into each wall. They take their metal hammers and clink clink clink on the metal poles, sometimes never resting for days at a time. Pounding echoes through the two almond shaped windows. Outside nobody hears, but inside it’s piercing, pounding, painfully loud. Down, down below more tiny men in tiny boats paddle round and round in a pinkish red sea. Stirring, swishing, sometimes swimming. Jumping, splashing, swirling.
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I'll Pencil That In..
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My boyfriend's band ZEBRAGEIST is competing to play at the 97x Next Big Thing Tour! Voting starts Monday, October 25th at 97xonline.com. They will be playing at Durty Nelly's November, 6th against other local bands to claim their spot!! More details coming...
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In no mood to write..
But I am thinking about how I want to pull this "project" together by the end of the semester..
I'm thinking of stealing.. er adapting the title of Sui Sin Far's piece "Leaves From the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian" to head my portfolio. So how about something like "Leaves from the Mental Porfolio of Jenna Gravino" ???
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Leaves From the Mental Portfolio of Jenna Gravino
The purpose of my portfolio will be to construct a compilation of pieces that I have written this semester ranging from the exploration of convergence, to creative nonfiction, to the emergence of a portfolio of personal and professional work. The final product should begin to define my qualities, interests, and strengths as a writer. The final piece will include graphics, nonfiction narratives, interviews, reflections, and more. It will take the form of a collection, posted online, but separate from my current working wiki page. I will compile the portfolio with my classroom peers in mind as the audience, with the hope that it will be viewed with sympathy for the creative and constructive process related to the wiki. I want it to convey a sense of my personal interest and creative processes and also welcome criticism of the processes and their outcomes. I have been working as a secondary investigator throughout the semester by commenting, editing, reworking, and working with my peers to help their final projects emerge. Several of my own pieces have emerged from investigatory contributions to my peers’ portfolios. My portfolio will start with an introduction of sorts (a cover page), which will tie the compilation together. Since it will be posted online, the pieces are not necessarily consecutive, and should be experienced in whichever form pleases the audience. Several pieces already exist in my wiki page, which will be moved to the final project page, while I hope that others will emerge in the remaining weeks of this course. Within the next week I will designate and create the space for my final project, separate from my existing wiki page. The audience will be able to follow the progress of my final project by following the link posted on my wiki page.
I thought that following the prompt for the final project memo would help refocus my attention on what I need to do for the very quickly approaching end of the semester. For my technical writing class last semester I created a website for my final project. I would like to update/transform that website with the pieces I've written for this class. But I have some hesitations about doing so.. First, I finally got it up and running and taking it down to edit it could mean that I won't remember how to get it up again (I'm no pro, that's for sure). Second, would the website be an appropriate venue for the project? Should I just create a final project wiki page? What about putting it on a separate blog?
I seem to be busier than usual these past couple of weeks.. I picked up extra shifts at work to make extra money to go on my cruise, worked extra shifts for Halloween weekend/ John's Pass Seafood Festival, had visitors come into town and stay with me, watched my boyfriend's band Zebrageist play at Durty Nelly's for the 97x NBT10 Local Band Search, studied for tests, etc. etc.
I went a whole five days on my cruise without getting one headache (yes!) and the day I got back I had one for two days straight (boo!) Stressss.
I want to go see Anthony Bourdain on the Friday night before my birthday, but I'm hesitant to request that night off since i was gone for 5 days just last month.
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Letter to Family
Nearer to the beginning of this semester I posted a draft for a letter I was writing in order to be chosen by a French family to live with over next summer. I initially began looking for ways to travel and teach English after I graduated. I decided on a kind of exchange program where I get to live with a French family (free room & board!) and get paid weekly to tutor their kids.
I submitted my application for the program months ago, but for some reason I was putting off completing the rest of my portfolio documents. I guess I just couldn't figure out what to say in less than two pages that would show someone who doesn't know me who I am. It's like what are you supposed to do.. write two pages about how awesome you are? I guess that's what it felt like. It was really hard for me. After four hours of sitting in front of my computer, I sent in the letter. I can't say I'm totally satisfied with it, but I tried to be as honest as possible. I'm sure it could be revised, but quite frankly I don't want anyone to tell me what I should have said. I don't think I'm going to post it now. If I reread it and see a mistake or start analyzing it it's going to stress me out..
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I got hungry reading Kelsey's taco post so I put together a few of the pictures I uploaded from my cruise. Yummmm.
Also, over the summer I wrote a paper for the last topic of the course, "civic engagement." It's about late night dining in the St. Petersburg area. That's how I engage in the community.
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Today I'm 23
I looked around at the crowd as it flowed in from all sides of the theater. I looked for people like me, and didn't find many. I felt like I was one of the youngest people there, and I think I was, aside from my younger sister. We chatted amongst each other, waiting for the show to start. Finally, the announcer came over the loudspeaker, an unpleasing voice for some unknown reason. Perhaps because it disrupted my anticipation, and made me nervous. I peered down to the stage from our faraway seats and joined in the applause for the guest we had all come to see. Then, he was there in front of me, in real life, and I barely believed I was actually there, and he was actually there, and we were there in the same place. I felt that rush you get when you drive too fast over a tiny hill. It drops your stomach for a second, and it always makes me want to make a U-turn and do it again (except I never do, because I've got some place to be, and clearly I'm already speeding).
He promised not to make any jokes about Rachael Ray and proceeded to explain his immeasurable contempt with a creature named Sandra Lee. He told stories of his travels, about the bests and worsts, about other shows on the Food Network that he loves and hates (the crowd responds accordingly), about his network, the Travel Channel, now owned by the Food Network, and reassured us that we're safer eating Vietnamese street food (even if we don't know what it is) than we are eating the breakfast buffet at the Hilton.

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