Listening is an act of love

National Day of Listening:

StoryCorps has started this day called National Day of Listening, which is the day after Thanksgiving. I've really enjoyed learning about the process of StoryCorp because I it helps me to appreciate the people and experiences I've had in my life.

So, for the project I chose to interview my sister, Annie. She is younger by two years, and although there were times when we literally threw each other down the stairs, she has become one of my best friends. When people say we look alike and even talk alike, I take it as a compliment since I value her in so many ways.

In our interview, we discussed family. I didn't really expect it to revolve around that topic, but it shows me how important the connections of family is for both of us. We did talk about other things, but a lot of it had to do with how it could affect our concept of "family".

This was also difficult because it's harder to sit down, in front of a recorder, and try to have a normal conversation. When you have actual constraints (time, topics, etc.) it makes people more conscious of how they want to say things. But in the end, I'm glad I interviewed my sister.

A different world

Second Life

The newest experience we've had in our Digital class is using avatars in Second Life. Because I'm new at this, Second Life doesn't interest me beyond using it as an experiement. I did like the interactive part of the avatar and the ability to communicate with others. It's an interesting concept because Second Life can present opportunities that might not be available because of physical boundaries. To travel anywhere and at any time in Second Life and be able to meet anyone, are the main attractions to using avatars. I'm not totally writing it off, but I definitely need to get more familiar with it to enjoy it.