Harley, a brittany spaniel has been with our family since he was a puppy ten years ago. We got him from a breeder in Harleyville, SC, which is how we imaginative people named him Harley. He quickly became part of the family and developed a special bond with all of us. He got the paper for my dad every morning and was his special fishing partner, he protected my brother and I from the boogeyman on our side of the house and was a constant companion of ours while we explored the marshes, swam in the river and got into general mischief. He was the perfect puppy, he never chewed on furniture and never had an accident in the house, ever. Once, a contractor that had done some work in our house came back and broke in through one of the back doors while my mom was upstairs sleeping. Harley attacked and bit the man until he ran off and was caught by a security guard leaving the neighborhood. Harley traveled with us back and forth to Florida and New York and was only separated from us when we were on vacation, but mom always hired someone to stay at the house with him so he would not have to go to the kennel. Harley was a member of the family. Recently, he took an extra role taking care of my mom while she was dealing with a number of health issues. She had to stay home a lot, and Harley was always by her side, taking care of her while no one else was there.
Before I came back to school from Christmas break, I noticed Harley's breathing was suddenly labored. I took him to the clinic where I work and Dr. Senf and I did an ultra-sound while my Mom watched. I noticed immediately that Harley was extremely ill, Dr. Senf looked at me and then looked at my mom who just started to cry. Harley had cancer in his lungs, heart, liver, kidneys, and thyroid, it was just going to be a matter of time. We took him home with plently of pain killers and antibiotics. Mom had a photographer come and take pictures of my brother, Harley and I before I left for school and I said my goodbyes. I was told Harley was doing well, eating and spending his days with Mom at the house when she was in town and with dad at the office while she was gone.
I decided to go home this past weekend to see everyone, especially Harley. When I got home, Harley was not their to greet me as a I pulled into the garage. I walked into the house and found him sound asleep on his favorite couch in the den. His breathing was awful, and he could barely get up. He was not the same dog I left just 6 weeks earlier. I convinced my family to come with me to the clinic on Saturday morning so we could do a quality of life assesment with Dr. Senf. We quickly realized, it was time to let Harley go. Dr. Senf said he would come to the house on his way home so Harley could go peacefully at home. We took Harley home and mom cooked him some left over filet, and gave him american cheese and salami, his absolute favorite. We then all sat out on the porch with Harley and watched the squirrels climb in the trees, his second favorite pastime after fishing. At 130pm, Dr. Senf arrived with a technician and we said our final goodbyes. Harley passed away on my parents laps while he laid on his favorite couch. We all stayed strong until he was gone and then the tears came flowing. Harley was not coming back. This morning, Dad had to go to the end of the driveway and collect the morning papers himself, Mom could not sleep without Harley's snoring from the chair next to the bed, and my brother had to sleep with Harley's favorite duck. Later this afternoon, before I came back to Clemson, my parents friends came over with a squirrel satute. It was the perfect memorial for Harley. He loved hunting squirrels but could never catch one. So when his ashes return to us, we are going to place them right next to the squirrel so he can finally catch one.
On the lighter side of things, my Dad's 5oth birthday is in two weeks, and next Thursday, my Mom is flying four of his best friends from college to Charleston to spend a long weekend with him. I am going to drive to town and pick them up on my way back to the house and we are all going to walk in the back door and surprise him.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Cover Letters
The article on cover letters was filled with information that I would have thought was pretty much common sense for most people. It described a cover letter as everything I would have though a cover letter would be. A lot of the points that the article discusses are very valid and should be followed whenever writing a cover letter for a resume.
Researching a company is very good advice. By researching a company not only are you becoming more aware of the type of business you are getting involved in but you are also showing your potential employer you can take initiative and care about what you are getting involved in.
I also agree with the writer's opinion that a cover letter should be written to help you stand out amongst possibly hundreds of other resumes a potential employer may be viewing for a job. It is important that a cover letter is written as professional as possible, it is the opening to your resume, a preview of the type of person you are.
I think this article was filled with very useful information that should be followed by anyone writing a cover letter.
Researching a company is very good advice. By researching a company not only are you becoming more aware of the type of business you are getting involved in but you are also showing your potential employer you can take initiative and care about what you are getting involved in.
I also agree with the writer's opinion that a cover letter should be written to help you stand out amongst possibly hundreds of other resumes a potential employer may be viewing for a job. It is important that a cover letter is written as professional as possible, it is the opening to your resume, a preview of the type of person you are.
I think this article was filled with very useful information that should be followed by anyone writing a cover letter.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Interview Articles
Since I am graduating in May, I have begun to interview with a number of veterinary schools and potential employers. It is important to be well prepared both mentally and physically for all interviews. The articles from the website we viewed this week for our blog all have great tips on preparing yourself for the interview process.
The first article I read was titled "How to deal with interview stress," written by Caroline Levchuck. The article contained a number of great tips on preparing yourself for an interview so you are not so nervous or worried. It is important to appear calm and collected as well as confident while on an interview. The only way to do this is to not be stressed or nervous before and during an interview. The interviewer will pick up on your stress and nervousness. It is important to show up early so you have time to collect your thoughts and relax. The more time you allow yourself to relax, the less nervous and stressed you will be. Before my interview at Tuskegee Veterinary school last week, I was very nervous. I had to collect my thoughts and relax before I want in and assure myself that everything would be fine. I remembered how I felt this past summer when I was interviewing potential employees at the veterinary clinic that I was manager at. I could tell how nervous some people were so I wanted to make sure that my interviewer at Tuskegee would not see my nervousness.
The second article I read was "Four Questions to ask a Potential Manager," which was also written by Caroline Levchuck. This was also a very good article to read before an interview. When I was interviewing potential employees at the veterinary clinic, I always thought more of a person when they asked me questions. It showed me they were serious about the job and had actually put some thought into the job and what duties it would entail. At the end of my veterinary interview last week, the last question they asked me was if I had any questions. Luckily I had thought of a few questions to ask so they could tell how serious I was not only about veterinary school in general, but in Tuskegee's veterinary program specifically.
Both articles were very informative and well written and they provided good advice to anyone interviewing for a position some where, no matter how old they are and how many interviews they have done previously.
The first article I read was titled "How to deal with interview stress," written by Caroline Levchuck. The article contained a number of great tips on preparing yourself for an interview so you are not so nervous or worried. It is important to appear calm and collected as well as confident while on an interview. The only way to do this is to not be stressed or nervous before and during an interview. The interviewer will pick up on your stress and nervousness. It is important to show up early so you have time to collect your thoughts and relax. The more time you allow yourself to relax, the less nervous and stressed you will be. Before my interview at Tuskegee Veterinary school last week, I was very nervous. I had to collect my thoughts and relax before I want in and assure myself that everything would be fine. I remembered how I felt this past summer when I was interviewing potential employees at the veterinary clinic that I was manager at. I could tell how nervous some people were so I wanted to make sure that my interviewer at Tuskegee would not see my nervousness.
The second article I read was "Four Questions to ask a Potential Manager," which was also written by Caroline Levchuck. This was also a very good article to read before an interview. When I was interviewing potential employees at the veterinary clinic, I always thought more of a person when they asked me questions. It showed me they were serious about the job and had actually put some thought into the job and what duties it would entail. At the end of my veterinary interview last week, the last question they asked me was if I had any questions. Luckily I had thought of a few questions to ask so they could tell how serious I was not only about veterinary school in general, but in Tuskegee's veterinary program specifically.
Both articles were very informative and well written and they provided good advice to anyone interviewing for a position some where, no matter how old they are and how many interviews they have done previously.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Persuasive Article
http://www.dui.com/dui-library/SimpleBlogCatSearch?category=Victims
I chose to do an article on drunk driving because it is an issue I feel very strongly and personal about.
The article "Grassroots activist turns personal tragedy in National Movement," By Rosanne Skirble in 2006 is a great example of a persuasive article. The article is filled with a number of examples of ethos, logos, and pathos. Like Martin Luther King's article we discussed in class, this article uses a personal story and event to appeal to the reader and get a serious point across to the audience.
Martin Luther King uses a number of personal examples and facts to get his point across. He does a great job captivating the reader and drawing them into the article so they can understand what he and others like him are going through. The article I chose on the founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, MADD, does the same thing. The article starts off by introducing the reader to Ms. Candace Lightner and her grief and personal tragedy. The article immediately draws the reader into the article much like Martin Luther King does in his article. Both articles allow the reader to feel the same pain and grief that the writer is going through and draws many of the same emotions (anger, dissapointment, outrage, sadness etc. ).
In the MADD article the writers use of logos, ethos, and pathos allows for the reader to not only better understand the article, but feel a personal connection to the article and Ms. Lightner's plight.
A good example of pathos from the article is in the first paragraph. "My daughter Carrie was 13 and she was killed by a multiple repeat offender, (a) hit and run drunk driver. And that started the whole movement. I was so angry." This line definitely appeals to the audience's emotion. Almost everyone has experienced some kind of loss in their life, whether it was a friend, family member, or beloved pet.
The writer also uses a number of examples of logos in the article to appeal to the audience's logic. "In 1980, the year Carrie was killed by a drunk driver, 27,000 people died in alcohol-related crashes. " This statement alone is enough logic for the audience to understand the drastic effect drinking and driving has on people.
"Our strategy basically was to deal with the issue on the local, state and national level," she says. "On the local level we would ask city councils to implement task forces in order to deal with the problem on the local level. At the state level we would look at legislation and we would look at state-governor-appointed task forces to deal with it at the state level. And at the national level, of course, we looked at it in terms of the Presidential task force." This excerpt from the article is another example of logos, but I also believe it is an example of ethos as well. The statement definitely appeals to the logic of the reader, but also shows the appeal of Ms. Lightner and what she would like to see happen in the future regarding drunk driving in our country.
I feel that this article is a great example of persuasive writing and in many ways, is very similar to Martin Luther King's letter.
I chose to do an article on drunk driving because it is an issue I feel very strongly and personal about.
The article "Grassroots activist turns personal tragedy in National Movement," By Rosanne Skirble in 2006 is a great example of a persuasive article. The article is filled with a number of examples of ethos, logos, and pathos. Like Martin Luther King's article we discussed in class, this article uses a personal story and event to appeal to the reader and get a serious point across to the audience.
Martin Luther King uses a number of personal examples and facts to get his point across. He does a great job captivating the reader and drawing them into the article so they can understand what he and others like him are going through. The article I chose on the founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, MADD, does the same thing. The article starts off by introducing the reader to Ms. Candace Lightner and her grief and personal tragedy. The article immediately draws the reader into the article much like Martin Luther King does in his article. Both articles allow the reader to feel the same pain and grief that the writer is going through and draws many of the same emotions (anger, dissapointment, outrage, sadness etc. ).
In the MADD article the writers use of logos, ethos, and pathos allows for the reader to not only better understand the article, but feel a personal connection to the article and Ms. Lightner's plight.
A good example of pathos from the article is in the first paragraph. "My daughter Carrie was 13 and she was killed by a multiple repeat offender, (a) hit and run drunk driver. And that started the whole movement. I was so angry." This line definitely appeals to the audience's emotion. Almost everyone has experienced some kind of loss in their life, whether it was a friend, family member, or beloved pet.
The writer also uses a number of examples of logos in the article to appeal to the audience's logic. "In 1980, the year Carrie was killed by a drunk driver, 27,000 people died in alcohol-related crashes. " This statement alone is enough logic for the audience to understand the drastic effect drinking and driving has on people.
"Our strategy basically was to deal with the issue on the local, state and national level," she says. "On the local level we would ask city councils to implement task forces in order to deal with the problem on the local level. At the state level we would look at legislation and we would look at state-governor-appointed task forces to deal with it at the state level. And at the national level, of course, we looked at it in terms of the Presidential task force." This excerpt from the article is another example of logos, but I also believe it is an example of ethos as well. The statement definitely appeals to the logic of the reader, but also shows the appeal of Ms. Lightner and what she would like to see happen in the future regarding drunk driving in our country.
I feel that this article is a great example of persuasive writing and in many ways, is very similar to Martin Luther King's letter.
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