May 14

Today in class my goal was to glue the spine of the book onto the pages. This seemed like a small goal when I wrote it down but as with everything els that had to do with arts and crafts it was a complicated task for me. I needed to be accurate with the measurement of the spine because too big of a spine and the book wouldn't shut, too small and it wouldn't be solid enough to hold the book together. I ran into trouble finding the material but after some searching I found that the binding of a three ring binder worked well. I went slow when cutting and sizing the binding for the book so as not too ruin all that I did. After finally getting the proper size I set it aside for out of class work. Out of class I wanted to glue down the spine and pages into the actual had cover book. This processes was stressful because it was all or nothing. If I didn't glue it properly the pages would be ruined and wouldn't be useful. I was successful in my goal and was very happy that the book was finally coming together. The next steps will be to put in the pages that will help hold the book together and then I will be done with the construction of the hardcover book.

May 13

Today in class I got the opportunity to sit in on a seminar. I was looking for points of interest that the group focused on. I found that conversation centered around symbolism and authors intentions. I did this so that I could review my short story to see if it's content is seminar worthy. As a writer I want there to be a clear message with a personal touch on it. I think I need to add specific details to my story to convey more of a personal connection with my audience. After reviewing some of my old writing from freshman sophomore and even junior year I can honestly say that I have greatly improved in the honesty in my writing. This has significantly helped me and I plan on making that part of my final project. Out of class I again attempted to create the spine of the book and was unsuccessful after many aggravating tries. I knew was going to take a long time and was a process that was going to require a lot of patients. What I did manage to do was connect all the pages together for tomorrows try. I am very close to finishing and having the book ready for finalization edits which is good because the deadline is coming up.

may 12

Today I wanted to get as many pages cut and sized for my book as possible. I wasn't sure how many I would be able to cut at the beginning of class because I was very unsure of how things would go. I managed to get all of the pages cut and ready to put in the book. I was very satisfied with the work I had accomplished in the given time. Outside of class I managed to piece all of the pages together. This process was very time consuming and tedies. Bending every page evenly so that I could get a sturdy spine of a book was frustrating but worth it when I was finished. When all of the pages were together I realized I had miscalculated the page length and about an inch of pages stuck out from the cover. This was very discouraging after spending an hour simply glueing and piecing together the pages. I then attempted to trim the pages and recreate the spine of the book. This took another hour because I then had to re-glue the ages together. I repeated this twice more before finally getting the length and results I wanted. I noticed that I wasn't very satisfied with the amount of work I put in and the result. I felt like I should have been left with more and that I should have been more resourceful and productive. I feel I should have done more research in order for me to be properly organized and prepared.

may 8

I started today with out of class work because I had free time. My goal was to spend time printing out the pages for my book seeing as how I already had figured out the sizes needed. This was a long process and was quiet boring all the way up until I was finished. Because there was no double sided printer I had to first figure out which way I had to put the paper in order for the right pages to print on the back of other ones. This of course required me to reload the printer after just a few prints and I had to make sure they were face up and so forth. I got frustrated with figuring this part out because ages would print upside down or on the wrong side but once I figured out the proper technique it went smoothly. I was able to print all of my pages neatly and on appropriate sides. In class I realized seeing as how I am making a book I should make it look like an authentic book. I decided to look at different books I have and see where certain pages went. I was able to make a second cover page and got a few ideas for the title page. Today took a lot of patience but I know I have to take my time before putting the final product together because once I put pages in the book it will be hard to take them out. For the remainder of the week and next I know I am going to have to focus on being patent and organized which this project has helped develop quite a lot of so far. 

may 7

Today in class my goal was to complete my Cap Stone Project Proposal and the in class review of my project. I rather enjoyed recapping all the work I've done. As a student I enjoy seeing the work I have put in start coming together. It reminds me that all of this work is going to add up to a final project which is satisfying. I didn't mind doing this kind of 'paper work'. It was easy for me to focus on finishing these tasks in class because I enjoyed thinking over in my head what I have accomplished so far. Out of class I played with the dimensions of the pages and was able to actually find the appropriate size. I printed out a color copy of my first page to test the paper and how the ink would show up on it. It work very well and was pleased. Unfortunately the printing is going to take a very long time because of the lack of a double sided colored printer. I know that will be a part of the project that is going to take a lot of patients.

MAY 6

Today in class my goal was to figure out the dimensions of my pages. I started first with finding the pages I wanted to print on. I was able to find nice printer paper that was thick enough for the book and that would be able to be glued together easy. Then I started testing the length and width I want the book to be in. At this point I ran into a problem because no matter what size the pages were the cover would determine the dimensions of the book. So in order to prepare for outside of class work I began gathering the materials I would need according to online tutorials I had watched. Out side of class my goal was to make the hard cover for my book. I had anticipated that it would take a long time to create this because I knew I had to take it a step at a time. I found this frustrating and my impatience showed in my first efforts at creating a cover. The second time around I did much better and was far more successful. I created a decent hard cover for my book and got the idea to create a glove for the book. Today I had to be very creative in order to accomplish my goals. I found it easy to be motivated by the upcoming due date and not wanting to fall behind. I want to have a few days left to completely finalize the project at the end before the presentation.This week I want to figure out page dimensions and printing details.

may 5

Today in class my goal was to put together the last pages to the book which were the restaurant order suggestions. I was able to put all the orders up onto the pages but I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how I wanted to present these pages. Since they have no step by step process to follow besides call and order, I knew they would be presented differently than the other meals. I decided that they would each need their own page but all would be under one section called 'Order Up'. I noted though while working through the issue I was very flexible with my options and was sometimes distracted by ideas that I took too far and ended up not working. I think in the future if I could limit the amount of time I need to test an idea I will be able to work more efficiently. Out of class I was able to finalize all of my pages. I organized the last pages and edited them so they looked presentable. Now with all of the pages completed I want to start constructing a rough draft of the book. This means actually making a hard cover rough copy of the project and seeing what my challenges will be. I want to do this so that I can have room for error. So that when I create the final book, it won't be just my first try at creating it.

may 4

This weekend has been very successful regardless of the fact that I did not have time to accomplish anything in class. Knowing that I needed to be organized in order to accomplish an appropriate amount of work, I wrote out the pages that I wanted to complete and how along with other small tasks to get done. I found that I had a difficult time coming up with specific things to do and was able to me efficient when I had a hands on look at what I wanted my final project to be. I noticed that I work very well when I have physical things in front of me even if I have to draw things out from scratch, which I did in order to visualize the true final product. I was able to accomplish a great deal of work outside of class, completing all the page designs and working through structural difficulties with powerpoint. I had a lot of fun making the project my own. I felt much more satisfied with a product that I had created rather than sending it into a company. Instead, now I have something original and true to the characteristics of the project. As of now I have a proper page design and layout for the book. Tasks that are left are, gathering popular orders from the dorm, making the hard cover book, finding a double sided color printer, and final edits for the text in the book. I am very satisfied with where I am in the project and am glad that with focused out of class work I am on track to finish the project in time.