1st Entry- Intro

My name is Tali Byrne and I am a Senior Advertising and Public Relations major, Business minor from Chicago, Il. 

I'm enrolled in this course because I need it to graduate, and somehow in my four years of college I haven't had a basic literature requirement fulfilled, even though I consider myself fairly sufficient in my literary knowledge. I know that everyone has to have this course, or its equivalent, but I'd rather take a literature/reading and writing based course any day over math/science courses. I enjoy reading and developing/discussing insights so I know that I will enjoy this course, even if it is a requirement. 

In junior high and high school, literature classes were my favorite. I love tearing apart sentences, focusing on a phrase and interpreting its meaning, learning about the author, etc.. I enjoy reading immensely, but find that unless I have the time ie while on vacation or at the pool, it becomes a struggle. I don't enjoy a book or story as much if I am rushed to get through it. I know I've read a lot of great books but also that there are many stories out there that I haven't had the chance to experience yet. A few of my recent favorites have been The Lovely Bones, Secret Life of Bees/Mermaid Chair, Eat Pray Love, and Memoirs of a Geisha.

In this course I hope to be able to enjoy the stories I'm reading since I have more time to read them in, be interactive in discussion, and really apply myself in the film adaptation assignment, it sounds exciting. 

I usually take notes in class, although I am also a visual learner. I think I've finally figured out that seeing as well as writing down information helps me retain it more. 

For as much as people enjoy talking about themselves, this question always seems to bring the most trouble- "tell me a little about yourself". I love traveling and experiencing the way different people live, eat and go about their daily business, learning about the country's history, but even more so I love going home. I love the familiarity of the city, how even though there's a million things going on at once, it's peaceful to me. I recently stumbled upon a quote that describes it perfectly:

"I'm a city boy. In the big cities they've set it up so you can go to a park and be in a miniature countryside, but in the countryside they don't have any patches of big city, so I get very homesick."

(I have read, understand and will abide by the terms of the syllabus for this course. It serves as a contract.)