A Short Story Inspired by Eschers "Eye"

            As she walks through her bedroom on that cold, stormy winter night, she couldn't help but wonder why she felt so alone. She crossed her arms over her chest and ran her hands up and down her arms just to get the feeling of warmth back into her muscles. The sense of loneliness creeping through her body seemed to originate somewhere deep within her.

Why am I here alone? What can this winter storm offer me except cold feet and a vacant house?

            She thought of better days; days when she used to laugh with friends, feel the love on her skin like sun on a summer’s day, and feel the presents of loved ones around her. All that is gone now – it vanished along with her dreams of beginning a life.

Why did it have to happen?

            She sunk down on to her bed and put her face in her hands. Tears didn’t come anymore; only drive empty heaves of breath that came out empty just like her heart. Memories kept flashing through her mind: a smile, a look, a passing caress of a hand, all causing the unrelenting pain that only arrived when those fated memories seemed to come back.

            Her head jerked up at the sound of footsteps. They were soft, but without anyone else within her house she has grown accustom to hearing every sound she could. They came slowly as if the maker of this sound chose ever step with care; how you could her the amount of time this person has walked the earth with every step they took.

Was it her mother coming to check on her in this awful storm? Was it her neighbor coming to check if she needed to start her generator? Was is the mailman? The dog walker who frequently walks past her house? Or was it him coming to see her? Impossible, she thought with a sudden weight in her chest larger than before.

            They seemed to get closer now. She heard the floor board by the heater creak and she knew it was only a matter of time before this mystery person would make themselves known. She saw the feet before she saw the face of her welcomed intruder. The feet were boney, white and frail. With careful inspection, she realized that the feet she saw were actual bone. A chill that was colder than her body ran through her. She ran her eyes from their feet up the long black robe that swayed in the invisible, non-existent breeze to their face. Her eyes widened a bit as she saw the head of a skeleton; it was surrounded by a perfectly placed black hood.

            She did not speak, because she knew what he was there for. She took in a deep breath and stood up from her bed. The visitor tilted its head to the side as if it were to ask a question. She nodded back, ready to go. He extended a hand towards her and she went to grab it, but hesitated.

            Was she ready? Was this a way out of her misery? Was this the easy way out or the path that she was destined to take? What would her family think, not that they would think very much at all? She took a deep breath and took his hand. The only resonating reason within herself: to see her beloved again.

My Take on Grammar

            Grammar is something that changes from decade to decade. Much of what is written now would have shocked the people of the 1900s. Should we stick to the “proper” forms of grammar, or open our doors to new and improved ways of writing?

            A great fun fact is that the reason for many of the grammar rules that have existed, and then died a horrible death, is because many of the people who had their hand in standardizing the English language wanted to model it after Latin. However, English is not Latin by any means and created these crazy rules that did not allow English’s true Anglo-Saxon roots flow.

            Truthfully, I tend to lean towards the traditional ways of grammar. I absolutely love the Oxford comma, otherwise known as the serial comma, but I know that it is not used in many forms of writing such as AP format and the journalism field.

            The Grammar Girl book is fabulous; it presents grammar in a way that is not intimidating to someone who might not have a need to take an excess of grammar classes in school. I appreciate her “quick and dirty tips”; however, I feel that some are just laziness.

            That is completely my opinion! When I am writing in a formal voice I hold myself to a much higher standard. I tend to overdue my grammar so I have the option of pulling it back if I want.

            I think Grammar Girl has a valid point; much of our grammar is insane and learning these quick tips will help us in a pinch, but I do not think it is a substitute for the real thing.

            Grammar needs to be taught every year, during every grade, no exceptions, no matter what subject you will go on to study. I think my last class all about grammar was freshmen year of high school, and I can tell you this much: freshmen are never masters at anything except making mistakes. 

            I remember being in high school and wondering why all my papers had “comma splice” written all over it. I had no idea what a comma splice was and my teacher did not go over it. It wasn't until I looked it up and taught myself proper usage that I began to use commas correctly.

            Just remember that grammar has areas that based on the style of the writer. Be creative and let the words flow! 

A Fake Business Overview

What makes a good business? Where exactly do I start? These are some of the questions that many first time business owners have probably asked themselves.

I, for one, am not the business owner type. I know this. I have no desire to start a business. It is not because I think I am going to fail, only because I have no real passion for it.

My fake business is just enough for me. My fake business for class will be my outlet for seeing if this wacky idea that occurred to my friends and I over dinner is really worth it, but most likely it will just be an idea and never come to fruition.

My idea for a business is to have a restaurant where you can play video games. Much like a Dave and Busters, this place will feature good food and a good time with family and friends.

I have no idea what it would cost to start something like this up: $10,000? $50,000? $100,000? I am not sure. But, what I do know is that there is a market out there for this.

How many times, if you play video games, have you sat with your friends eating food and having fun? A lot, right? I think a place like this could really shine, in that regard.

Now, what makes this business different from just ordering out and being in the comfort of your own home is that you can have parties, tournaments, and bring your own games and gear.

How will we get guests to leave so others can enjoy the fun? Well, renting a room could be an option. If your dinner stops but your fun does, renting a game room would be the next step.

The food, I hope, would be reasonable; anywhere from $5-$20. Again, I have no idea what I should charge for these fake meals, so I am just going off what sounds reasonable to me. Of course there will be a bar which will have drinks from $5-$9 with specials running several nights out of the week.

I was thinking that there should be a gaming fee; a couple dollars for insurance purposes. It really bothers me that places like Dave and Busters has you pay for tokens; you are already paying for a full meal! So having a small charge to keep up on the up keep of the consoles, games, maintenance, etc. of the items is reasonable.

Overall, this idea is pretty cool. Would I ever make it a reality? No, because I am not too crazy about owning my own business. But, it is nice to map it out and be creative with a fake business.

Life After UNHM

Truthfully, I am not a big-picture type of girl. I tend to live in the "now" and only really worry about the future when the situation calls for it. I know that since my senior year is close (oh geeze) I have to begin to think about what my life will look like after my UNH Manchester days.

I would love to work for a company and their social media. I have been exposed to the power of social media recently, both through my experiences in my various jobs and classes that I am currently taking. It would be really great to just spend all day posting to Facebook or Twitter, managing these sites, and tracking trends and visitors.

Some people have heard me say that, way back in high school, all I wanted to do what learn physics and be an astronomer. I

just wanted to star gaze all day, find planets, and discover this unknown expanse we have above us. Now, with all my journalism interests, I would rather write about those discoveries. Not that making those discoveries wouldn't be cool too, I just work better with text on paper.

I see myself writing. Writing all the time, no matter what the subject is or the time of day. I would be this guy to the right...seriously. I write for fun normally, so I can not imagine my time outside of UNH Manchester spent any other way.

Of course, I see myself with a job (how would I support my crazy writing hobby?). But, I am aware that the field I chose to go into is not always promising.

As you can see, I am all over the place. One sure-fire way to get me to ramble is to ask me "where do you see yourself in five years?" I tend to "go with the flow"; my plans in the past, when they failed, failed horribly and I received emotional whiplash from that. I have learned that planning is not always the best thing, especially when you set things in stone.

I do plan, don't get me wrong, but I tend not to make concrete ones. For example, saying "I want to get into BU graduate programs and nothing else" is a concrete plan, but saying "I want to get into a graduate program" allows for shifts and changes within your life style.

I know that my time at UNH Manchester is limited, but I hope my experiences here will help shape what I want to do after.

A Look at Our Dean's Regina McCarthy

UNH Manchester currently has three Deans; the Interim Dean of the college, and two assistant Deans who deal with student affairs and resources. The dean's of UNH Manchester, like the rest of the faculty and staff, are in a league all their own, meaning that they go above and beyond.

Regina McCarthy, the Assistant Dean of Academic Student Services, is one of the three Deans on campus, but plays a vital role in the running of this institution.

McCarthy received both her undergraduate and master's degree at Northeastern University, her undergraduate degree being awarded with highest honors.

Before her arrival to UNH Manchester, McCarthy worked as an Education Counselor and within the Dean's Office for the College of Business Administration at Northeastern University. She joined UNH Manchester as the Director of Academic Counseling in 1985, the same year UNH Manchester became one of the colleges of UNH.

While her tasks are many, McCarthy oversees many departments on campus such as the study abroad program, the Center for Academic Enrichment, Academic Counseling, First Year Experience, Student Activities, and many more. She ensures that not only are the departments running smoothly, but that they are providing a service to the students of UNH Manchester that will help them on their journey to graduation.

Many can list the things that McCarthy does around this campus, but was it most apparent, and what her profile on the Faculty and Staff Directory page on the UNH Manchester website says, is that she "is committed to student support, enrichment and transition, and helping students find their purpose and passion".

Also participating in other things such as co-facilitating Social Justice training, and aiding in the training of numerous student leaders on campus, McCarthy goes above and beyond to reach out and help students. "She and I both connected because we were both first generation college students," Alyssa Paquin, a senior in the psychology program, said. "When I was first looking at graduate programs she was one of the first people that took the time to help me find the best fit."

McCarthy not only shows a commitment to the students of UNH Manchester, but to the Manchester community as well. She is an asset to the university that will aid in the growth of the programs, the students, and the college as a whole.

My revised article

Video games are about as varied as the people who play them; they range from one player to an entire group, but what makes them so special? And why should people, particularly parents, be more open to the inclusion of them within their home?

Games, no matter if they are played through a console or not, tend to break barriers between people; they create a common objective that everyone must strive towards which causes a community to be created.

You might be thinking why can't we just do this with TV, movies, or books? Well, you can, but video games bring a different experience. Mostly, the three other things are one sided - they only talk at the viewer. However, video games allow the player to interact and make their own choices. The viewer of a movie cannot chose a different street to drive the actor's car down, but in video games we are able to.

Yes, video games are fun, but why do they get such a bad reputation?

Games do have a rating system, which should be followed; they are rated for a a reason and the majority of the scrutiny that video games receive tends to come from those that do not follow the careful rating system.

There are some games that are just pure mayhem, such as Saints Row and Grand Theft Auto. They include a lawless world in which any crime goes unpunished, but others are not so violent and empty. Games such as Dragon Age and Mass Effect include themes such as good vs. evil, and the importance of building trust with your squad mates. They not only show us good morals, they show us that when faced with impossible odds greatness can be achieved no matter where you come from.

Overall, video games are a great, new-age way to teach important morals to the population. Though, be aware that ratings, and even one's own opinion, should be followed above all.

Introductions are in order....

While this blog is for a class that I am currently taking, my hope is to tailor this blog to my hobbies and keep it. 

I am a student majoring in English in the New England area. 

As the title of my blog might hint at, I am a gamer, but I also happen to be a woman. Go figure, right? Well, I plan to add my two cents to all things video games and gender issues.

I can already hear the collective sigh from across the internet as you think, "not another one".

I promise you, I will try to be as fair as I can...hopefully.