First Post!

Hello all!

My name is Sarah Livingston and I am a junior English major/British Studies minor from Watauga, Texas. In my spare time, which is considerably less during the school year, I like to read non-literary books (i.e. books that are in no danger of winning the Nobel for Literature), write, and play with my adorable Cocker Spaniel, Gracie. I also really enjoy a good cup of coffee, though I am more of a fan of Folgers brewed at home than most of what Starbucks offers.

I’ve wanted to attend TCU since the 8th grade when I discovered that all three of my favorite middle school teachers were alumni. At that point, I wanted to teach too, so it seemed like fate was pointing me in the right direction or something. My career plans veered away from teaching a couple of years later, but after going on the campus tour with all the other wide-eyed high school seniors, I found I was still sold on TCU.

If I was Chancellor of TCU, I would move the Student Union back where it was before, in the more convenient location next to Reed Hall. Today I wanted a bottle of water, correction, needed a bottle of water because it was so hot outside, but had to leave Reed and walk five minutes to go get it (at the library mind you, because it was closer than the Union and I was in a hurry). At the very least, I would install more vending machines, particularly in the older buildings like Reed and Beasley. I would also nix that flat rate they make you pay now. If I could eat enough food for my lunch for $4 before, why would I want to pay $8 for the exact same amount of food?!

I think that most good teachers listen to the opinions of their students and try to, if at all possible, create a schedule that doesn’t put us all in the library trying to do a major project, while we have four other group projects going on for our other classes. I also appreciate it when professors don’t take themselves or their subject too seriously. By that I mean it is okay to tell a joke or to stray off topic during a lecture. Students like a little variety in class! Good students should at least attempt to do the assigned reading and should make sure that if they don’t do the work for class, they aren’t affecting their fellow classmates. (Like those classes that don’t have quizzes unless the professor finds out only ten people out of thirty do the assigned reading. I hate that!)

If I could have dinner with three people, they would be:

1. Katharine Hepburn because she is my favorite classic actress and she plays such strong and independent female characters.
2. Steven Spielberg because that man is a genius and maybe if we break bread together, our hands will brush when he passes the butter and some of it will rub off on me.
3. J.K. Rowling because I am just that much of a nerd.

Three things I’ll tell you (but you don’t necessarily have to know) about me are:

1. I am a commuter, and as a result, may sometimes be ridiculously late or completely absent from class due to a lovely road condition called rush hour, although I usually take back roads, so it isn’t too bad.
2. I am sometimes too quiet in class, though I can’t explain why I am in some classes and not others. It really varies from class to class and subject to subject, but I am trying to work on this.
3. I’ve never had a blog before, so this semester might be interesting…

Three things I would like to know about you:

1. If you could only watch one television show for a month, what would it be?
2. When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?
3. What is your favorite thing to teach?

I chose to take this course because a few days ago I found myself short a class and I had to choose between Contemporary American Poetry and this class. After reading the class descriptions, this class won by a landslide! I would like to learn some interesting/unexpected things from this class. It isn’t a period in literature or a subject that gets focused on much, so I’m hoping I learn some new things and read literature I haven’t encountered before!

As I mentioned earlier, I tend to read a lot of junk during the summer and holiday breaks. I’ve discovered that I am a seasonal reader of sorts, by which I mean that I like to read books that emulate the season around me. So, I tend to read light, frothy books during the summer and dark, gothic-type novels (also most classics) during the fall and winter. Spring books really just depend on the weather, which can be alternately hot and humid or a torrential downpour during that time of the year here. The majority of the writing I do is for school, but I have been getting more into writing for fun lately. I don’t send too many emails, but I do send Facebook messages, which are essentially the same thing and as far as texting goes, I may not be very fast, but at least I try, or so I tell myself!

I think that so far my blog gives a good depiction of my personality (green is my favorite color!), but isn’t so distracting or over the top that it will take away from whatever content I eventually post. I did add that giant picture of the Salem Witch Trials at the top though (anyone know how to make it smaller?), to give my blog a little interest and some of that snazzy “fallen woman” flair.

I have read, understood, and agreed to the terms of the course syllabus.