Final Exam Blog

As I said earlier, I have thoroughly enjoyed the blogging we have done in this class. I do believe that writing is an aquired or accrued skill, and I am an example of that. When I am given an assignment to blog about during class, I usually sit with a blank expression on my face, and have no idea what to write. I believe good writing comes to us when we least expect it, or when we have time to think and ponder what we are going to write. The blogs we have written in class have been helpful in the aspect they have given us a chance to write freely our thoughts for a particular day, or a chance to complain about something to no one in particular. Some days something will just pop in my head and I think "I really need to sit down and blog about that", and later that day when I have a moment I will blog about it. For me the blogging was a type of journal, or diary, that gave me a chance to write about whatever I was thinking. I hope the other people in the class felt the same way, and enjoyed the blogging like I did, instead of thinking, "ugh, another class assignment".

Last blog

Well, today is the last day of class, and the day we will write our final blogs. I have enjoyed this class, and actually have found the blogging to be helpful to me at times. And at other times, I sit and stare at the computer with a blank look on my face, then start searching the internet for stupid stuff, and lose focus of what I should really be doing. But anyway, I have enjoyed it when the words actually do pop in my head and flow to my fingers as I type them. I have never been one to keep a journal, or to have a diary, but that's what this has been for me, and who knows I may continue with it after class is finished!

Class Projects

I want to rant a moment about a project my friend and I did for one of our paralegal classes. We had to pretend we were lawyers representing a couple getting a divorce, and write a separation agreement with child support calculations and a custody agreement. Now, this was a fairly easy project for me, I have been married before and have gone through this process. My friend has never been married, and doesn't know what goes on when a couple gets divorced. So, we got together, hashed things out, and I wrote my version of the separation agreement. Since we both work for the same law firm in Wauseon, and one of our bosses is a Judge, we decided to ask him to look it over and suggest any changes we should make. When all this was done, I was pretty excited about turning it in, I was sure we would get a 100% on the project. So you can guess how I felt when I got it back and only had a 98%. Now, don't get the wrong idea, Iknow thats still an A, but what I was most upset about is the way the teachet decided to give the grades. After he read all the agreements, he put them in a pile from the worst to the best, and gave the top on a 100%, the next one 98%, and so on. I felt our project was worth the 100%. The persons project that got the top grade wasn't any better than ours, and had pretty much the same amount of effort put into it. It's just that this person is rude, and an over-sized bully that intimidates people into getting what she wants, and that is the only reason her project made it to the top of the pile. After class I asked the teacher why our project didn't get the top grade, and the only answer was because he had to give it to the other person. I'm still pissed!

Kids

Being a single mom can be very hard at times. I decided to go back to school when the business I previously worked for closed due to the economy. I figured since I wasn't working, this would be the perfect time to get an education in a field that I don't have to worry about being laid off or the business closing, and one that could financially support myself and my two kids. What I didn't count on happening was my little one having problems in school, and being tested for ADHD. I know ADHD isn't a life threatening problem, but it does make things more difficult for him in school. A part of the testing the doctors do for ADHD are some neurological tests, just to make sure there are no other problems going on. So, my little one had an EEG that tested positive for a form of seizures. So now we are having further testing done to determine what is really going on. This has all been very hard on me, juggling school, work, and doctors appointments. But, I am most concerned with my little guy. He is the type of kid that never complains about anything, especially when he is sick or upset, he just keeps going. I try my best to make him understand what is going on, but it's hard for someone who is 7 to understand anything medical. So the best I could come up with is the reason he can't sit still is because he has ants in his pants, and all the tests he's having done will tell the doctor where the ants are so he can give him some medicine to make them go away. Does anyone have any other suggestions?????

Summer

I have thoroughly enjoyed my first year of college, but I am so ready for summer break. When I started school in the fall I was unemployed, which made it easy for me to get my school work done and still have plenty of time to get things done around the house. Well, 2 months ago I started working part-time and now I don't have that spare time. My housework has fallen to the side, I now spend any time away from school and work doing homework. I'm also looking forward to having a few days to sleep in......

Blog Assignment #10

The video Web 2.0 shows us how fast life changes. The person starts out writing with a pencil and paper, then advances with computers, showing us how digital technology has changed our lives. We all take it for granted, I do it myself. We all have to have the latest computer, cell phone, or whatever new technology comes out. The internet has the most influence over us, and it is always advancing and changing. We rely on the information we find, the ease of being able to do so many things in the comfort of our own home.

Blog Assignment #9

Each person getting on the elevator had no consideration for the rest of the riders. They all started making their own noise and didn't care if it bothered the next person. They were all trying to drown each other out, and were focused on their own little world. Then when the last rider gets on with his big radio, they all got quiet because they knew he could drown them out. Then when he just put his ear-buds in and started listening quietly, they all understood they should be more considerate of each other.

Blog Assignment #8

I am an avid reader, so it's difficult for me to pinpoint one thing I have read recently that has been enjoyable. I guess the "Twilight" series by Stephanie Meyer would probably be the most enjoyable series I have recently read. I started with "Twilight" on a rainy afternoon in early June, and finished 3 days later. I guess you could say I was obsessed with it and just couldn't put them down. I then read "New Moon", "Eclipse" and "Breaking Dawn" all over the next 3 weeks. I have been a fan of Stephen King since I was in high school, and have always been a fan of si-fi type of books. I think I enjoyed the Twilight books so much because they not only were si-fi, but also romance.

Blog Assignment #7

I do not use a formal process for writing. Unfortunately for me, sometimes I can sit down and my fingers cannot type as fast as my brain is working, and at other times I just sit and stare at the computer with no idea what to write. I guess you could say this is when I do my brainstorming and prewriting all at one time. The next process is usually when the essays are brought to class for the peer-editing. I take the time to read the peer edits, and make changes that are suggested, and re-write the essay at that time. I then re-read the essay one last time the day it is due, and make any changes I feel necessary, or add any information to make the essay clearer for the reader. Hopefully after this process I am satisfied with what I have written and turn it in to the professor.

My nephew

My nephew and I have always had a very close relationship. He is my favorite of all my nieces and nephews. He has spent the last three and a half years serving in the Navy as a Damage Controlman on the USS Peleilu in San Diego California. Over the last three years we have only gotten to see him two to three times a year depending on when his ship is out to sea. Summer of 2008, his ship left the first of May and made a trip to Iraq to transport Marines and more supplies to some of the troops already there. He is about to make one of those trips again in the next few weeks, so that means he will be home on leave this weekend!!! My whole family can't wait to see him and spend time with him before he goes to Iraq again. We are all very proud of him!

Oil spill in La.

One thing that really bothers me is the fact that anytime some major disaster happens in a foreign country, the US is there to assist in the clean up, and gives money to the people to re-establish themselves and their country. Well... the US has a major disaster south of Louisiana, and where is all the help? We are not only losing millions of gallons of crude oil into the ocean, but the ocean life is being destroyed. So where is all the help? The oil is headed to the coast of Louisiana and will cause more damage there, and they still have not completely cleaned up from the disaster Hurricaine Katrina left. So where are all the countries that have suffered tsunami's or hurricaines and the US has helped them?

New Job

Starting a new job can be a little intimidating after being without work for almost a year. I was fortunate enough to fall into an opening in an office working with some really nice and friendly people. Last week I started my new job, and I really do enjoy it.

Advertisements

The slim fast ad appears to me to be targeting women who are about to be married. Most women have already started planning their weddings by the time they are 10 years old, and have specific ideas of how everything should look. One of the most important things is the wedding dress and how they will look in that dress. Many brides will go on diets, tan and try different hair styles prior to their wedding day so they can achieve that look they have always dreamed about. This ad seems to be emphasizing that a bride can achieve that look by using their product. Also, it shows the bride falling into the cake which could also mean if your stressing out about your up coming wedding, don't "fall into" eating something that could have a negative effect on your plans for that day.

The Tommy Hilfiger ad is targeting young beautiful women, or young women in general. It shows a beautiful woman with the name of the perfume across the ad, which to a young person would mean they could be beautiful and look like the model in the ad if they use this perfume. Most young people see an ad in a magazine and think they can achieve that look or be like that person if they use that particular product.

The M&M's ad is using the painting to show that even something dark can be fun. The painting shows someone screaming or who is in agony while the m&m appears to be having fun in the background. They want you to think that eating dark m&m's could turn a dark situation into something more fun just by eating the m&m's

I am probably one of the few people that still enjoy the snow. I still get excited when the weatherman starts talking about a new storm that is on the way. Right now I am pretty jealous of all the people living east of us, they have had two major storms already this year and another is on the way this weekend. Of course it is going to go right by us, and we can expect only an inch to two inches each day. When I was 18, I had my first ride on a snowmobile, and I have been addicted ever since! I was 19 when I made my first trip to northern Michigan snowmobiling with some friends, and I have made several trips since then. The scenery as you are riding through the hills is absolutely beautiful, and when it is snowing while you are riding is even more beautiful. So, I hope the weatherman is wrong this time, and we get at least 6 to 7 inches of snow this weekend so I can ride my snowmobile.

As I sat at my computer earlier today, I was thinking about an incident that happened between my oldest son and I two weeks ago, and I really feel pretty bad about it. My son likes to procrastinate until the last minute with his homework, and his weakest class is English or language arts. Two weeks ago he had a short story due, and waited until the day before to write it. I was pretty upset with him, especially because I knew he would wait until after dinner to do it. That would mean I would be proofing and typing the story for him around 9:00 that night. Well, needless to say I was a little upset, this has happened too many times. So I pretty much told him he was on his own this time, I wasn't helping. When I got up the next day of course I felt bad, so I proofed his story and we went over a few ideas I had to improve it. Your probably wondering why I was feeling bad, it's because I waited until today to write the rough draft that was due later today in class, I had procrastinated..... I think I owe him an apology.

What do I see?

As I sit at my desk I see something that we all used more as children than we do now in college. It makes a grinding sound when we use it. It would be considered a small object, and has an oval shape to the main part. The surface is smooth to the touch, and does have a small moving part. The object is usually attached to another surface, but sometimes can sit independently and be moved around. When I use the object, the smell of the product you use in it reminds me of being in grade school as a child, and the first days of school when you brought your new school supplies to your classroom. Can you guess what it is?

Childhood Memory - Revised

When I was seven, my older sister was eighteen, had just graduated from high school, and had gotten engaged. I can remember when she and her fiancé came home to tell our parents they were getting married, our mom was so happy she was crying. Over the next months there was a lot of planning done, getting the decorations picked out, deciding on the colors for the wedding, and meeting with cake decorators to look at pictures of cakes they could make. I have always looked up to my sister, she and I have always been very close, so you could imagine how excited I was when she asked me to be the flower girl! I had never been in a wedding before, but I could not wait. It was so much fun to go with the other bridesmaids for fittings for our dresses. My sister would always take me with her, and we would meet the other girls at the dress shop. We all would go into different dressing rooms and try on our dresses and the seamstress in the shop would measure and pin the dresses for the alterations she would need to make. When we were all done my sister would always take me out to eat, or to get ice cream. So of course, when the day for the wedding came I was so excited to get to wear my new dress and to be a part of my sister’s wedding. We spent all morning getting ready; I never realized how much time it took to be a girl until that day! I watched my sister spend over an hour putting on makeup and fixing her hair. Then my mom and sister sat me in a chair, brushed, and curled my hair, and they even put a little makeup on me. When all of that was done, we packed our dresses into my mom and dad’s car, and drove to the church. I really did not understand why I could not put my dress on at home, I was so anxious to wear it! When we got to the church, we went into a back room and finally, my mom and sister helped me put my dress on! But, I was told I could not leave the room, and I had to sit on a chair and wait. Do you realize how difficult it is for a seven year old to sit still and wait? So I do as I was told, and as patiently as possible I sit, and watch my sister put her dress and veil on. Like I said before, my sister and I were always very close and I always looked up to her, so you could imagine how in awe of her I was when she finally was dressed in her bridal gown. She was absolutely beautiful! I guess that was the moment I understood what all this fuss and planning was about. I actually did sit still then and watched her as she and my mom fluffed the dress, and made sure the veil was lying just perfectly. That was when we heard the knock at the door, and the other bridesmaids came in. It was finally time to line up and walk down the aisle. So we all line up like we were told to, with my dad and sister are behind me. The bridesmaids are all down the aisle, and it's my turn, so as I start to walk up I realize the church is completely full of people! I start to panic, no one told me all those people were going to be sitting there, and I froze! I could not do it; I just couldn't walk all that way with all those people staring at me! So I turned around, and saw my sister standing next to my dad, she was so beautiful, but I just could not do it. I took one step towards her, and she leaned down towards me. I thought she was going to tell me it was o.k. that I didn't have to do it, but instead she pulls her veil up off her face just slightly and leans down and says, "Turn around, start walking, and get your butt up there"! Yep, that's my sister; the beautiful dress didn't change her one bit!

When I was seven, my older sister was eighteen and had just graduated from high school and had gotten engaged. I can remember when she and her fiance came home to tell my parents they were getting married, my mom was so happy she was crying. Over the next months there was a lot of planning done, getting the decorations picked out, deciding on the colors for the wedding, and meeting with cake decorators to look at pictures of cakes they could make. I have always looked up to my sister, she and I have always been very close, so you could imagine how excited I was when she asked me to be the flower girl! I had never been in a wedding before, but I couldn't wait. It was so much fun to go with the other brides maids for fittings for our dresses. My sister would always take me with her, and we would meet the other girls at the dress shop. We all would go into different dressing rooms and try on our dresses and the seamstress in the shop would measure and pin the dresses for the alterations she would need to make. When we were all done my sister would always take me out to eat, or to get ice cream. So of course when the day for the wedding came I was so excited to get to wear my new dress and to be a part of my sisters wedding. We spent all morning getting ready, I never realized how much time it took to be a girl until that day! I watched my sister spend over an hour putting on makeup and fixing her hair. Then my mom and sister sat me in a chair and brushed and curled my hair, and they even put a little makeup on me. When all of that was done, we packed our dresses into my mom and dads car, and drove to the church. I really didn't understand why I couldn't put my dress on at home, I was so anxious to wear it! When we got to the church we went into a back room and finally, my mom and sister helped me put my dress on! But, I was told I could not leave the room, and I had to sit on a chair and wait. Do you realize how difficult it is for a seven year old to sit still and wait? So I do like I was told, and as patiently as possible I sit, and watch my sister put her dress and veil on. Like I said before, my sister and I were always very close and I always looked up to her, so you could imagine how in awe of her I was when she finally was dressed in her bridal gown. She was absolutely beautiful! I guess that was the moment I understood what all this fuss and planning was about. I actually did sit still then and watched her as she and my mom fluffed the dress, and made sure the veil was laying just perfectly. That was when we heard the knock at the door, and the other bridesmaids came in. It was finally time to get lined up and walk down the isle. So we all line up like we were told to, with my dad and sister are behind me. The bridesmaids are all down the isle, and it's my turn, so as I start to walk up I realize the church is completely full of people! I start to panic, no one told me all those people were going to be sitting there, and I froze! I couldn't do it, I just couldn't walk all that way with all those people staring at me! So I turned around, and saw my sister standing next to my dad, she was so beautiful, but I just couldn't do it. I took one step towards her, and she leaned down towards me. I thought she was going to tell me it was o.k. that I didn't have to do it, but instead she pulls her veil up off her face just slightly and leans down and says, "turn around, start walking, and get your butt up there"! Yep, that's my sister, the beautiful dress didn't change her one bit!

Why I am attending NSCC

All of my adult life I have worked several different jobs, and have tried to learn as much as possible from my co-workers and supervisors, but I have always felt that there was something missing. About seven years ago, my sister introduced me to a volunteer program with the Henry County Court system called Henry County CASA/Gal. A CASA/GAL is a Court Appointed Special Advocate, Guardian ad Lidem who is a trained volunteer to assist children in the court system that is victims of neglect or abuse. I thought I would try it, and decided to go ahead and take the training to help children who could not either help themselves, or were too afraid to voice their opinions to their parents for fear of more abuse. I worked as a CASA for a little over a year, and enjoyed working with the children and assisting them through a difficult time in their life. I gave up being a CASA when I became pregnant with my youngest son, so I could focus on my own family. I have always felt there was something missing from my life, and as I looked back on the work I did as a volunteer, I decided I wanted to do something to get back into helping people in that type of situation again. I am attending Northwest State College to become a Paralegal, in hopes that I could once again assist people or children in the court system again.

It always amazes me how one event in a persons life can change things in their life forever. I had one of these experiences in the spring of 2007. I had gone to work as I normally did, and one of the things I always did when I first arrived was to greet the employees in the factory, and complete safety checks. Except on that particular day when I started walking out in the plant I started to feel a tightness in my chest that worsened the more I walked. I have known for approximately fifteen years prior to this that I have high cholesterol, but I didn't know the plak was forming in my coronary arteries. I knew that my cholesterol was hereditary, and was prominent in women in my mothers family, but I had not treated it or taken care of myself as I should. So, I knew as I walked back to my office that I was having the beginnings of a mild heart attack. I sat at my desk and got out the bottle of aspirin I had in my drawer, and immediately chewed two of the aspirin and sat and tried not to panic. After sitting there for several minutes, my boss finally came into the office and I told him I wasn't feeling well and was going home to rest for a while. I didn't actually believe at that time what was going on, it wasn't until several weeks later when I had heart surgery did I find out how bad the disease really was. I now have four stents in my heart, and could still need to have by-pass surgery in the future. Since that time I have made some minor changes in my diet, and take the medication my doctor prescribes. According to the American Heart Association, nearly twice as many women suffer from Heart Disease, Stroke and Cardiovascular Disease than women that suffer from all forms of cancer, including breast cancer. I hope that anyone who reads this will take the time to learn what the signs and symptoms of heart disease are, and take care of your heart!

The Hangover

I woke up this morning in jail, with a huge headache, and no idea how I got there! I sit here and try and remember what happened last night, but I have absolutely no clue! As I look down at my clothes and shoes, I vaguely remember getting ready to go out the night before, but one thing I know for sure is my shoes weren't as dirty as they are now, and I didn't have a rip in the knee of my jeans. I reach into my jeans pocket to try and find a clue to what happened the night before, and pull out a receipt that shows I purchased several rolls of toilet paper, Vaseline, plastic wrap, and beer. Now I start to remember! I picked up 3 of my closest friends for a girls night out. We decided we wanted to do something we hadn't done since high school, and we all agreed toilet papering someones house would be just the thing to do. But of course, when we did it in high school it didn't include drinking a case of beer in the process, and when you add beer to anything, it tends to get a little out of hand! After we picked up our supplies I recall driving back to my house to start drinking the beers, and to decide who our victim was going to be. That explains why I found a house key in my pocket with the store receipt. I must have used the key hidden by the back door to get into the house, and stuck it in my pocket instead of back where I found it. That's when we started drinking beer, and talking about where we were going, and when my memory started to fade. So, to try and find more clues I reach into my pocket again and find a mint, which I really need right now because my mouth feels like an empty beer can. Then I reach into my pocket again, and the last two items are a ten dollar bill, and a receipt from one of the bars uptown. I look at the receipt and more of the evening comes back to me. After we left my house we went to the house we intended to use our supplies on. When we got there, there were lights on in the house so we got the brilliant idea to head to the bar and wait until we knew everyone would be asleep. Of course when we get to the bar, we decide we all need more liquid encouragement, so I order tequila shots for all of us, and start a tab, what a mistake! According to the receipt, we each must have had four shots, so on top of all the beer we drank we were all feeling pretty good. So by one in the morning we decided it was safe to carry on with our plan. I paid for the tab, and received the ten dollars in cash back, and off we went. Now, let me remind you, we had all had a lot to drink, and we were laughing pretty loudly and making allot of noise. We get to the house, and try desperately to quiet ourselves, but this just isn't working. We start out throwing the toilet paper, someone was over wrapping one of the cars in the driveway with the plastic wrap, and someone else was putting Vaseline on all of the door nobs. That's when things went bad! We were all making so much noise and giggling, we never heard the cop car pull up, and didn't know they were there until they turned on their lights! We were all so drunk we couldn't move, like a deer in the headlights. Needless to say this was the start of our night in jail, the cops got the four of us in cuffs and took us to the police station and charged us with disorderly conduct. So here I sit, thinking about what happened last night, now that I remember, and you know what? I don't regret one moment of what happened!