The End... For Now

As my title suggests, this will be my last blog post for a while. This project is officially over. However, I will continue to finish those portions that remain technically incomplete, but emotionally finished.
Part 1:
My feelings on this are rather interesting. This portion gave me a chance to take a critical look at myself and what I value and change the things that I don't like. I found that there are things that I overlooked too much in my life and I hope that what I learned from this part will stay with me and that I will be able to make these changes truly permanent. As I put in a previous post, it was as if my book had misprints in it and I systematically went through and edited out those misprints and put them to rights so that my book truly reflected who I was and who I wanted to be.

Part 2:
This part is also still under technical construction but I have high hopes for what its completion will mean. This part forced me to think of how to teach another person what I had learned and how I could improve their lives with it. In this part I chose a friend of mine who happens to be a freshman at my school. I chose her because I felt like this was something she needed to know, how to travel places and do things with her mind (and no I don't mean by telekinesis) so that she would always have a place where she could escape from the ravages of high school and of life in general. I look forward with great anticipation to the day that she receives my gift and I hope it will give her peace of mind and perhaps a new outlook on life. I feel like if I can just make her life and even her high school experience, a little bit better, I will have succeed in passing on a little bit of what I have learned in my four years of high school to the next generation of those who must pass through its refining fire.

Part 3:
This portion is, unfortunately, the least technically complete. I hope to finish it before Christmas but whether I finish it or not, my feelings remain the same. I feel as though my eyes have been opened into a world of darkness. I would like to believe that everything everywhere is fine and dandy but the statistics I received showed me otherwise. There are people whose lives are difficult and who have lost much of their hope, if not all of it. I want to open other peoples' eyes to what they don't see. I want to attempt to raise peoples' awareness of how this impacts our society in general and particularly the students of my school district. I hope that I will succeed in this endeavor. I feel as though I can do anything because I am armed with the truth that not everything is sunshine and unicorns in this world of ours. My mission is to help others to see that as well.

I hope that all my readers have enjoyed this blog. I will be sure to post the finals of every technically unfinished portion of this project and I will most likely use this blog to discuss future TAG assignments (not badly but thoughtfully). I hope that I have been able to convey my feelings on this project. Overall, I enjoyed all my experiences (even when I felt as though they were specifically sent to tear me down). I feel like I have changed myself for the better and that I have managed to change some others around me. If I have managed to affect someone towards good in anyway from my chronicle of this journey, I will have succeed in all my endeavors. Until next time...

Jessie Jane

The Plan(s)

Plan for Part 2

1. choose person
1. friend of mine that is a freshman and rather high strung and really needs a break from reality
2. Find out places where she has always wanted to go and things she has always wanted to do
1. not sure on those yet but I think I will just ask her to list them and I'm fairly certain it will be a long list
3. Make a "Create Your Own Adventure" book of sorts wherein she can travel anywhere she has always wanted to go and do things she has always wanted to do as well as some places and things that I feel would be beneficial to her personal wellbeing.
1. got this idea from a comment made by my teacher and I think it will ultimately work well
4. Give her the book and let the magic begin
1. Knowing her, depending on how long the book actually is, it could keep her entertained and adventurous for months if not years.

I think that this will ultimately turn out rather well as soon as I can obtain my base data and do research from there (sorry but I just don't know enough about the world to make a book of any sort without first researching my subject matter, I'm not that good at coming up with things off the top of my head.)

Plan for Part 3

This is where it gets a bit sticky in my opinion.

1. Gather information on the homeless population of St. Joseph
1. accomplished that and actually rather had an influx of information including a video
2. Create a presentation to educate the student body about the homeless that they never see or choose not to see everyday
1. chose to incorporate the video that we received during the information gathering phase (with all necessary credit given to its creators)
3. Show the presentation via Channel One to the entirety of the high school
1. this would work out really well if we could only get technology to cooperate

So to solve the technological issue we made a plan to shoot and edit with software we knew was functional and go from there. The only problem now is getting schedules to mesh into something that can be cohesive and well done.

Jessie Jane

Light at the end of the tunnel...

So I really should've done this sooner but I went and asked a couple of our school's more prominent computer gugrus for advice on my technological issues. Of course they had the answer which came in the form of a program called handbrake that I can freely download. YAY FOR COMPUTER GURUS WHO HAPPEN TO BE IN MY TAG CLASS!!!!! I am in much better spirits now with maybe a little hope that this can actually be accomplished.
Concerning Part One, I am still working on the last two pieces but I hope to finish them this week so pictures forthcoming.
Part Two:

• I have decided to utilize a survey to determine the people's openness to the idea of my project. I will post the rough draft of it later this week.
• I have decided that I will randomly pick two of the surveys (after weeding out the ones that didn't take it seriously) and grant their wish
• I am contemplating surveying my TAG class as well as other TAG students at my school in order to better have the person comprehend the idea of the project but I have not decided definitively upon that course of action.
• I hope to have my two candidates chosen by the end of the week so that I may begin brainstorming this weekend

I have made some progress in my part 2 and part 1 and I hope that I will be able to make even more as I continue to press forward into this project which finishes in only a few short days. I really hope that I can finish everything in time!!! Until next time...

Jessie Jane

How to continue...

I seem to have hit a very tall wall that is blocking me from completion of this project. I have some ideas about how to circumvent it but I still feel as though I am playing that childhood bear hunt game. You know: "goin on a bear hunt, gonna catch a bear. Came to a river. Can't go over it, can't go around it, can't go under it. Guess we'll have to go through it." Or something to that effect. I feel as though I have now come to a wall and I can't go over, under, or around it. Guess I'll just have to persevere and go through it. My projects from Part 1 are doing well, I hope to finish them soon. My part 2 is still in the works. I have yet to come up with an efficient means of granting the wish. I think I might do something of a survey and include questions about whether or not they are open to corniness and the like. I'm wondering if it might almost be better for me to choose my subjects randomly rather than them being someone I know very well. I think that I will pray about it and ask God what He thinks I should do. I know that I will get an answer from Him. My parents taught my siblings and I from a very young age that God answers all prayers and requests for help. It may not be when or how we want it but He always answers. Since I have embarked upon this project I think that it's stressfullness has brought me closer to God and made me less afraid to show my faith. My mother and my older brother are my shining examples on sharing faith. I've always had a hard time with it. This project though, is making me look at things differently. My youth group frequently helps those who are going through hard times but I never thought that I could personally make a difference in someone's life. I don't know why; I saw the young men at our church complete countless eagle projects that were just the acts of one person to help another or others. I think that this project has become a catalyst for my growth; like I was just waiting to be woken up from the deep sleep I had placed myself in these past few years.
I hope that this entry wasn't to boring. I think I just really needed to reflect on how I had changed and not just how I was changing others. Until next time...

Jessie Jane

De de de dum...

Not much to report for today. I mostly spend my Sundays with my family so I don't do much homework. I did think about who to use for my part 2 and I came up with some people that I might like to do it for. I also thought more about my part 3. I'm hoping that I can get a digital copy of the video soon but if that doesn't happen then our group could probably use the video that I posted a few days ago in it's place. I think that it would probably accomplish the same goal. I hope that what I do in this class can make an impact on the world around me, even if it's only a small one. I know that it has helped me.
Today I was talking to my bishop at church and he reminded me that I had told him about a particularly bad day that I'd had a little while ago. At that time he gave me encouragement in telling me to keep pressing forward and to keep my faith. Today when he asked me how things were going I told him a little about this project, specifically, what I did for part 1. I explained that some of the projects that I've done for part 1 have helped me one the road to regaining my balance, so to speak. I talked about how my hierarchy is helping me make choices that are better for me. I told him how looking for things that talked about taking joy in the little things in life had made me remember how I used to look at things and begin to look at them that way again. I'm glad now that my teacher left this project so open ended. The open endedness of it has allowed me to grow and work to make myself better. I hope that I can continue to improve myself and I hope that through my actions in parts 2 and 3, I can work to improve other peoples'  lives.
I think that if I can just help one person keep their hope and make their life better, then I will have succeed on the mission that I set myself for this project. Thanks again to all my readers. Talk to ya later!

Jessie Jane

Something Accomplished!

Today I finally finished two of the my four remaining pieces for part one. Yay!! Here's how they turned out:

His arm actually crooks back to hold his sword. Also, fun fact, above the waist everything in his wardrobe is able to be detached but below the waist it is forever a part of him. 

This one may undergo some additional tweaking but this is the general idea of it.

I felt very accomplished when I had completed these pieces. I really enjoyed them and I especially enjoyed how a project that was supposed to be wood-working ended up being leather-working instead. I think the viking's base might undergo some tweaks but the model itself is complete. I have decided that the leather speaks just as strongly as the wood would have to me. In my mind leather can get beat up, tossed around, used abominably but still be there and still be strong. I think that choices are like how we treat our armor and we have to make good choices in order to keep it strong. We also have to have the honor to wear it in the first place and leave it on. In the Bible (I'm uncertain as to the exact location) there's a scripture that talks about putting on the whole armor of God. I think that instead of calling this piece something to the effect of "Honor and Choices" I will call it "Armor of God." I don't know if you can tell from the picture but on the leather I used modge podge in some random spots to create the effect of wear and tear. I know that I have made some choices in my life that were not the best. That's why my armor is a bit beat up. But it isn't in tatters and I still have it on, which means that I still remember to ask God for His protection in all my daily doings. It is a viking because that is part of my heritage. In the stories that my mother told me as a child, the vikings were always honorable and they valued this above all things. I want to be like my ancestors and hold honor as a high thing in my life because sometimes I allow it to fall by the wayside.

With the modge podge I think that I will call it "The Little Things". I intentionally put copies of some of my journal entries from when I was little. I was quite astonished at how bad my spelling and grammar was but I realize that I still got my point across. I used to journal what I was feeling and I used it as a place to (generally) express my happiness. A few years back in my journal from now I discovered that, for a while, I only wrote about events and not really how I felt about them. I think that with this piece hanging on my wall, I will better remember to journal and that life is not just about events; it's also about taking joy in those events.

Part 2 report:

I have decided that I will only do two people. I don't think that I need to do a large group of people for this portion of the project. I feel like that will limit both me and the effect that I can have. The more people I do this with, the less I think it will mean to them. I am probably going to ask my best friend and someone else whom I have not yet decided upon. I think, though, that my criteria will be someone who needs a vacation from their life, even if it's just for a few minutes, to help them cope with everything that life throws at them. Basically I want to use someone who needs to travel and I want to show them how to travel without ever leaving their chair. I'm not sure how I plan to do this yet but I will accomplish it somehow.

Part 3 report:

There's really not much to report in this area other than that I am still attempting to work through our technical difficulties so that we can move forward with this arena.

I think that's all that I have for now. I'll let you know of any more progress that I make! See ya!!

Jessie Jane

Lots to talk about...

So I now have about three days' worth of blogging to catch up on. To begin I'll go with my personal review of how my part one went.
I think that it went fairly well. I had to do a lot of work to make my pieces come into being. Even now some of them are not quite complete (no worries, I'll be sure to post pictures of all the finished products). However, despite they're incompletion, I still feel very strongly about them. My little brother has been bugging me to let him have my viking once I finish it. I'm still not sure whether I want to or not but I think it might end up being a kind of passing on of knowledge. With my wall hanging, it hangs right next to my bed where I can easily look at it whenever I'm encountering difficulty in choosing. I usually think through these things as I'm going to sleep at night, so next to my bed is the perfect place. With the watercolor, when I finally finish it, I think I will frame it and hang it amongst the other wall hangings that adorn my bedroom.   The modge podge has always been destined for my wall and I find that I have rather enjoyed attempting to find different works on one subject and making them into a workable whole. I'm really pleased with how it's turning out. With the writing, I still think it definitely needs a lot of work and I'm thinking about making a piece of poetry instead. Who knows? I do know that it will be finished by the official end of this project.
My Plan for Part Two:

1. Figure out how many friends I want to ask
2. Figure out which friends I want to ask
3. Create a simple survey to ask the question so that it is less intimidating
4. Review the answers and come up with ways to fulfill the wish
5. Go about being a good fairy and grant wishes (in a definitely funny/cheesy manner)

The plan for this portion is to ask a group of friends (or family) one place that they have always wanted to go and then find a way to take them there (in a manner of speaking). The point is to take them to where they've always wanted to go without them actually having to leave St. Joseph. It's a bit of a tall order but I think I'll manage. I will write tomorrow how many people I've decided to ask and possible candidates

Today! Finally! Today in TAG we watched a couple of TED talks and were asked to reflect on them and connect them to our projects. One was on vulnerability and the other was on homelessness. I have put them in below. 

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/becky_blanton_the_year_i_was_homeless.html

I connected the first one to my part 2 because I think that we will both (the wisher and me) have to experience a certain level of vulnerability. They will feel vulnerable because of a fear of laughter at a dream. I will feel vulnerable because of a fear of not being enough of a fulfillment to a wish. I really connected with this speaker because she talks about how she likes to beat problems with a stick until they go away and she likes to help others solve their problems. Well in my perfect little world I can solve anyone's problem for them. Many have been the conversations between my mother and I about people having to solve their own problems sometimes. Well darn! At least with this project I am channeling my solving powers into something they might actually appreciate me doing. 

I connected the second one to my part 3. Our groups entire goal is to raise awareness of the problem and try to make a difference in our world and maybe the world of someone else. This lady's speech was not entirely agreeable. She said some things that I did not think were right but one thing she did say was that "Hope always, always finds a way." I think that this is true with all those who are homeless. If they lose hope then there's nothing left to live for. I also think it's true for my group's project in and of itself. We have encountered so many brick walls but we keep persevering forward in order to help someone else. We keep having hope so that we can maybe give it to someone else who's lost it.

In an update for our part 3, it has been put on a slight hold due to technical difficulties and will probably end up airing next week instead. I hope it turns out well!

Here is a video I have found on YouTube that helps bring our point home a little:

This video contains some statistics that I didn't know but that might end up incorporated into our video. This video was not produced in this city but it still holds relevance nonetheless. I hope that it shows a little of what we are trying to help end.

That's all I have for now. Talk to ya later!

Jessie Jane