Talking to Sarah M.

Mr. B informed me of a runner who hosted a 5k last year as a final project at ACS.

Today I asked her a few questions about her process and end result!

I asked her about the course selection, and she said she used an area that required city approval. So, she had to buy insurance. She used USA Track and Field, and it cost her $125. With that, she filled out a city of Ithaca special event form, and I need to figure out if this is necessary, or if it only has to be done if I take my run off of school grounds (into the property of Tompkins County, which I was informed by Sarah M., includes Lake St....)

Apparently, to clear this with the city of Ithaca, (if I need to do that..) requires an ambulance present. Last year when Sarah did her race, she got the ambulance donated through a connection with the company... So this may prove difficult or pricy if needed.

She mentioned asking CTB/ Ithaca Bakery for donations and successfully obtaining bagels and cream cheese for the day of the race. Also she got water donated by Cayuga Medical along with a $500 donation... (WILL WORK ON THAT)

In order to really receive a lot for donations I will need to get moving right away and travel to local businesses and ask them by the end of this week. It seems they are much more willing to give if asked earlier rather than later. So in order to do this I will need to create a written (typed) letter that I can hand out to each business/organization reminding them of my cause and event information.

In order to construct this letter I will need to be clear on what approach I am taking towards my event...

This will be clear (hopefully) after meeting with the head of Camp Good Days tomorrow!!!

If she wants to collaborate, my guess is her organization already either has clearance with the city for events and has safety (ambulance) worked out etc.

We shall see what happens tomorrow with my meeting!

Also on my to-do list is make a calendar / official check list of things I need to do... this looks like it might get a little messy.

On Weds., I am going to get in touch with Mr. Redmond (athletic director) after filing out a building use form... then I can start getting donations and advertising!



McIlvennie, Sarah. Personal interview. 30 April. 2012.

update!

I'm meeting with the head of camp good days on tuesday, and mr. powers ok'ed my idea to do my race on the track!!

He told me now I have to get a building use form and talk to the athletic directors (they're are two right now: the school is in between switching people for the position)

Updates tomorrow!

Happiness Revisited 

"Happiness, in fact, is a condition that must be prepared for, cultivated, and defended privately by each person."


1. When are you most happy?
I think I'm most happy when those around me are healthy, when my relationships with everyone around me are healthy, and when I'm accomplishing / have accomplished something.

2. In response to the article:
I think this is one of my favorite things we have read this year. I love love love phsycology/philosophy, and I think studies about happiness and when we feel fulfilled are really interesting. I can relate to the thoughts the article considers about an individual who achieves something or obtains something they wanted that they thought would make them happy, but then develops a whole new list of goal or desires. Maybe this isn't real happiness then, we just label it as that??

3. Where are you on the flow chart?
To be honest I really do not understand how the flow chart works... on principle I would say I'm somewhere in the middle, maybe a little closer to anxiety at the moment.

4. Throughout my project I've grown more anxious because my life has changed a lot - my cousin getting sick and dying - and it has affected almost everyone around me (well, my family) and this changes my happiness significantly. One big stress factor like this in my life makes me stressed out about other smaller things as well, possibly even more so than I would be feeling normally.

5. How can you achieve flow?
I think you can achieve flow by conciously deciding what seems to make you happy, and integrating whatever that is into as much as you can throughout every day of your life. Maintaining a good attitude and realizing that you'll always desire more and that this is not part of your happiness, that happiness should be something that stems off of a constant factor - love etc., will help one achieve flow.

!

I am now in touch with the head of Camp Good Days; we're going to meet sometime very soon to begin talking about the 5k and her involvement with my project!!

Updates soon!!
(I am talking to mr. powers tomorrow about using the track / boynton area)

Reflecting...

      So this winter my cousin was diagnosed with brain cancer. She spent three months in intensive care undergoing multiple surgeries, pneumonia, a brain infection, and the cancer kept coming back. She went to rehab where she did speech and physical therapy, but still could not talk or move. The cancer spread throughout her brain and to her spine and she was sent home. She passed away last Thursday and though I am left feeling unbearably sad, I am also motivated and wanting to make a difference. 

     So I am back to square one, but I have it all figured out. Well my plan is figured out anyway, I just have to execute it. Soooooooo......

     I am going to host a 5k race in honor of my cousin. This past weekend when I was in Philadelphia, I connected with my second cousin who has career goals that lie in the public relations area and fundraising for non profit organizations. She is working with my Aunt to create a fund for a scholarship to be given to a high school senior at the high school my cousin graduated from. This scholarship will go towards the childs' college tuition.  I am going to talk to both my cousin and aunt about this in more detail; it is possible my money will go towards a specific cancer organization in my cousins' name/honor if the fund is not set up at the point of the race. 

   I have a lottttt to do to get this even together! 

I talked to Mr. Bernstein today about helping out with the actual race, and he said that if he wasn't away at the track and field state championships, he would love to help and time the race! 

He referred me to another student, a girl who actually had a similar project as mine last year - to host a 5k race. She was successful! She had between 100-200 participants!! I'm not sure if this is how many I should expect... I guess I will have to play that part by ear, it will depend on my advertising - I'll contact the Ithaca Journal, and spread the word throughout the Ithaca and IHS communities (put an announcement on the IHS loudspeaker, etc.)

I just emailed the head of Camp Good Days, and asked her if she might want to collaborate on the event. It would be amaaazing if she did, because she plans marvelous events - she gets good refreshments, is organized, and normally provides t-shirts, water-bottles, and other things to make people feel more comfortable and be more enthusiastic. 

Until I hear back from Camp Good Days, I'm going to contact Mr. Powers and ask if I can use the track for a venue, and see what the deal with building use forms is....

Today

Just realized my post from yesterday never published so I just published it now...

There's been a death in the family; I'm sorry I'm not too great at talking right now

More soon,
Rachel

Update

Hey everyone...
So I have been spending my time playing a lot of guitar lately... partly because I'm on a strong medicine that leaves me breathless when I even attempt to run more than a few feet, and makes my knees weak. I don't know when I will be getting off of this medicine, and it really sucks. All I want to do is be able to exercise and relieve stress and feel fit, but I can't!!! SOO frustrating.

More soon..

Stuck again!!!

Hey all,
So!

This past week I was in North Carolina, and as soon as I got back I was dealing with an extremely urgent family emergency (ongoing).

I would have blogged in North Carolina, but I had zero internet access.
Therefore, I'll update y'all on what I did there... besides lay on the beach and experience Southern culture.

Because this was spring break, I decided to adopt a new attitude towards things, mostly towards my WISE project.
As can be observed, I'm a pretty indecisive person. In Buxton, NC, I explore both the WISE projects I've embarked on. I didn't necessarily mean to do this...

I worked on my guitar with my friend Lily, who has lots of background in the instrument, as both of her parents are musicians and play gigs weekly. With Lily, I worked on technical improvement on the instrument versus learning random songs, etc. (What I tend to do in my free time). Lily began teaching me jazz chords, which are really quite interesting - Once you learn one, you can play it anywhere on the guitar (on any fret). This is different than the open chords I've learned and worked with in the past, which vary depending on the location of the neck of the guitar and which fret your hand is on. Because Jazz chords can be played anywhere on the guitar using the same position, transposition is much more easily attained this way.

Just learning this, I felt much improvement. But then Lily showed me how to incorporate these chords into songs, and thats when I really heard the music (pun intended). After learning something so technical it is quite rewarding to be able to start piecing together a song.


Though I explored my newly chosen WISE project, I also, without truly realizing it at the time, improved IMMENSELY on my running project..

I broke 3.5 miles while in Buxton.. a personal record. This changes things. Well, mainly it just shows me I really can do the running if my heart is in it. It felt amazing, running to the old Cape Hatteras light house and back to the beach, kicking off my Nike's and letting the tide cool my feet and legs....


HELP. What do I do? I really feel like I could run a 5k without a problem right now, maybe even develop skills to run a longer race... or should I continue with my passion for music??

Until I find my mentor in the halls or between classes I will continue working on both because I'm pretty sure I can't drop one again.. though I'm also pretty sure that having 2 WISE projects simply isn't done / doesn't make any sense...

My goal here should really be fighting my battle with indecisiveness.. haha

advice please.....
 - Rachel

Scales

so, even though I know various chords on the guitar, and a few songs, I decided to go back to the basics today. I worked on scales. Until today, my strategy was basically to find songs I liked, and learn them each individually. Learning scales help establish a baseline for your skill level, they also help convey where you are on the guitar in relation to a chord.

I started with the one of the most basic scales. C major.
Here is the website I found, that provides each scale in different positions all over the neck of the guitar!!
You can even click play to hear how they should sound.

http://www.chordbook.com/guitarscales.php

First steps..

Here is one of my favorite websites that I will definitely be using all the time during this process (and already have been). 

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/

This website is updated every day, has thousands of songs on it, and for each, it shows the lyrics, the chords, and when chord changes are supposed to occur. Not only does it show this information, if you use your mouse to role over the suggested chord letter, it shows you the hand positioning of the chord on your guitar strings. If you can't adjust your hand to fit in that specific position, or you are playing the chord on a different fret or with a capo, you can scroll through different versions of hand placement! 

I'm not sure if that made sense so I'll post a picture of what I'm attempting to describe.

I love this site because it allows me to easily find a song running through my head and study the chords and music and try and teach it to myself. It also will prove helpful in experimenting with something I have always wanted to try - mixing songs into a sort of mash-up version, therefore transposing songs into the same key. I want to work on transposing and knowing how to transpose songs without simply looking up the song in a different key. 

Dear Reader...

Dear Reader,

I'm starting over.

I have been coming to the realization that my heart is just not in this project anymore. Several of my original ideas are proving not suitable and complicated for various reasons. So, I have decided to take my WISE project/experience in a totally different direction. I guess this isn't a totally new project, as it is something I have been doing voluntarily this year anyways.

To me, the fact that I have been attempting to start this project for my own enjoyment shows that it will likely prove to be a better/more successful/ more enjoyable project, one that I can safely say I am invested in. This is teaching myself to play the guitar. I received a guitar a few years ago and I have certainly made improvement in my playing ability over the years, but it is only this semester that my has enthusiasm has grown to the point of serious improvement. I will be learning/ improving my guitar playing skills, and working towards two main goals as of now.

One is playing at Rock the Arts on the commons in the late spring, (probably not by myself)

Another is creating a polished song/track with my friend Will, where I will play the guitar and we will both sing (additional instruments like banjo and or ukulele and percussion will likely be added as well).

More tomorrow!!