March 8th

I enjoyed Will's guitar presentation the most. I am a guitar player and have been for some time so I really liked what Will had to tell us about. Last year someone broke one of my guitars and after the presentation I was inspired to do some research and fix my own guiter. It might be a little harder than Will's damaged guitar, but I am now determined to do it. Thanks Will.

I have had recent experience with doing online portfolios, and have had a positive experience with them. The knowledge for the program I gained was very useful and I did well with my portfolio, but a little refreshment training could be good for me. I am not sure what program I used but it was very easy to use.

Cover Letters

After reading the several pieces of advice on writing an effective cover letter I feel that I have much better direction in how I will write my cover letter. I do agree with what was said about how a cover letter should sell yourself to the company. Personally I believe most companies do read the cover letter first to see if this person is the kind of employee the company would like to have. When presenting your special skills and talents in the 2nd paragraph you are pointing out what about you is going to be most important to the company and the company will gather what kind of work attitude you many have as an employee. When telling them why you are writing being specific and profession seems key. You are letting the company know that they are respected by you and by others. Lastly it seems that after you are done making the company feel important and telling them why you will be such a great asset to their business you must then give them a means of meeting you and following up which is fine. However the way it was put in the example cover letter is almost too pushing like you have already locked the job up and that they should almost save time, skip the meeting, and just call you to tell you where your desk is going to be located. The example cover letter was most helpful it is a good example in that one can see what kind of material needs to be presented but also allows for critique and input of your own expression and attitude. On one final note the hand written postscript is something I would try not really sure if it is my style yet but I am a pretty open guy so Ill try to come up with one and see how I feel about it due to its important personal connection it seems to make.

Healthy Campus Initiative

Once I first heard about the Health Campus Initiative, I got excited. I think it is a great way to promote healthier lifestyles for my peers and the University of Clemson as a whole.
I think a great way to get this projects wheels rolling is to impliment the student organic garden. Peolpe like knowing where their food comes from, especially when it comes to fruits and vegtables.
If I see an apple in the Cantine I assume that it has probably come from across the state and has been injected with something to stay fresh because the cafeteria manager knows it will sit there for weeks. On the other hand if I knew that apple was from right down the road and was organic I would surely buy it, or most certainly would be more inclined to make the purchase.
The American "Combo" has been reduced to Cheeseburgers and french fries. Well maybe we can change that. How about through the Healthly Campus Initiative we get the local eateries on campus to advertise and create a Healthier Options Combo. Instead of a sandwich and french fries for 6 dollars they could have a turkey wrap and an orange for 5 dollars. Also I think the Organic Garden could open up a little fruit shack on campus, making it more convenient for students to get fruit.
I think they should advertise this on Clemsons channel, channel 99. Everyday my friends and I watch movies on that channel and after a movie there is always room for a three minute excerpt. A perfect way to promote when inquiring cost as a factor.
Also put facts out there in peoples faces, not just on the Toilet Paper article in the bathrooms on campus. Try it right there next to the french fry stand. Have a poster saying something like, "The daily recommended fruit intake is about 6 fruits, and your about to miss out on that delicious grapefruit for some greasey french fries? Hope your beer gut is happy now." I think students would start getting he picture.
For one thing, I think we all know that with trying to stay healthy comes with a load of apathy. It is hard staying fit and eating right. Therefore we should make this type of food as convenient as possible. Like putting a fruit stand in the horse shoe or even having one in the dorm hall lobbies. I think we would all be surprised with the results of something like this.

Zachary Mark Smullen

I went home this past weekend for a funeral, a funeral for an old friend of mine from high school. His name was Zachary Mark Smullen, he was a great person and a great friend and family member to many people. Since this is a free write I am going to write about my experience this past weekend. It was an open casket. I had never seen a dead body until my friend Zach's, I had never seen so many people cry at once, and I had never yet felt lifes true fragile form. The experience got me thinking how precious life really is, and how fast it can be stripped away from any one of us at any time. Through all the eulogies and talks I had, I never felt so happy to be alive. I can see how you could think this is a wrong feeling to have at a funeral, but although I was terribly saddened, I was also happy in a way to know that I have so much to live for. My life is just getting started, as the minister would have said, "I am in my spring," and I want to live to see my summer, fall, and winter. I have so many things I want to do and want to accomplish and so many other lives to help change for the better. So now I have realized that I need to be much more careful with everything I do so I can make my dreams come true and prosper in this life. Not to die young like Zach, but to live on and make him proud and do what he would want me to do, what he would have wanted to do. In loving memory of Zach.

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