Blog #69: Carnoval

This may be lame, but I am going to blog about Carnoval. This is probably a typical freshman thing to do, but I had a lot of fun with my friends at it. I did not like that we had to take a shuttle to get there since it was at the Shot, but it was worth it. There was a lot of free food and some free things as well. They offered foods such as funnel cakes (my favorite), popcorn, snow cones, soft pretzels, and cotton candy. There were also fresh cupcakes too. They also gave away free t-shirts from vitamin water, free water bottles, microwavable containers (which was odd but useful), and more. I feel like a little kid blogging about a carnival but hey I have nothing else to talk about. Also there were a few rides there, such as swings (the ones that spin you around), the zero gravity ride, and a mixer ride. It was fun to ride them with my friends. We also watched a BMX and skateboarding show. There were pro skateboarders and BMX riders that did some cool tricks. One BMX rider flipped all the way over on his bike. I have never seen a BMX and skateboarding show before, so it was interesting to watch. Also, there was a DJ named DJ Band Camp who was pretty good. He gave us all a free mix tape, which is not bad. It was a lot of fun to just hang with my friends and re live my child hood.

Blog #68: The Ocean

My friend told me that I should blog about the ocean, which is random and odd, but who cares I am going to blog about it anyways. So, where to start? Well the ocean is huge that is for sure and there are tons of different creatures living it, which is amazing. I wonder how many creatures actually live in the ocean and I wonder how many species that we have not discovered yet since the ocean is so big. I love how blue the ocean can be in tropical places, and I love the white sand. I also think that coral reefs are so pretty and I would love to go snorkeling again. I loved being able to look down and see all the different fish and coral. I also saw a shark while I was snorkeling, but thankfully it was a harmless one. I would have to say that one of my favorite types of fish would have to be the angel fish because I think they are very unique and angelic. It also amazes me how violent the ocean can be and how it has the power to destroy our homes. I wish I lived by the ocean, but then again that might not be the best idea because I would never get anything done. The ocean and beach are probably my favorite type of landscape. I am just rambling again, but what about the fish that live deep down in the ocean? I think those fish are weird looking and I can’t imagine living in an environment without light.

Blog #67: Crazy Laws

I am slowing running out of things to blog about and I do not want to bore people with my rambling and randomness. I think I will blog about crazy laws because I have this application on my phone that talks about laws from various states that are weird. Like for example in Alaska, moose are not allowed to be viewed from an airplane or that is considered to be an offense to push a moose out of a moving airplane, I mean who would actually do that anyways. Florida also has some pretty weird laws. For example, doors of all public buildings must open outwards. Also, women may be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer, as can the owner. If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle. In Louisiana, stealing an alligator could land a person in jail up to ten years and a person could land in jail for up to a year for making a false promise. Also, in Kentucky a person is not allowed to dye a duckling blue and offer it for sale unless more than six are for sale at once. These laws are crazy and do not make sense. I wonder if they are still enforced or if they are just forgotten about since times have changed. My favorite one is that ducklings can not be dyed blue and sold unless there are six or more for sale at once because that is just odd and why would you want to dye a duckling blue anyways? I like them yellow! They are cute that way.

Blog #66: Movies!

I think I am going to write about some of my favorite movies. I enjoy all types of movies such as horror films, romance, action, etc. One of my favorite movies is Finding Nemo, and yes I know that may seem childish but it is such a cute movie. My favorite character from Finding Nemo would have to be Dori because she is just so funny and forgetful. I also like the movie, Ten Thing I Hate About You. This movie is a classic high school movie and it is the type of movie that you can watch over and over again. I think it is such a cute and romantic movie. Plus, the guys in it are super hot. The title of the movie is also very creative because no matter how much we try to hate the guy we fall for, we just can’t. Another movie that I enjoy is Man On the Moon, which was Reese Witherspoon’s first movie. This movie is really old, and is about a two sister who fall in love with the same guy. There is a twist at the end of the movie that I was not expecting at all. It is definitely worth watching and Reese does a really good job at acting in this movie considering it was her first one. I also like most comedy movies expect the ones with Will Ferrell or however you spell it. There is just something about him that I do not like and I think it has to do with the parts he plays in movies. I also am in love with the Twilight series simply because I love the plot and romance.

Blog #65: Random

For this blog I think I will blog about the weather just because I have nothing else to talk about. The weather lately has been driving me crazy! One day it is boiling hot and sunny, and then the next day it is cloudy and cold. This rapid change in weather drives my sinuses crazy and I have been feeling crappy for the past few weeks due to this unpredictable weather. I checked the weather for this weekend and it is supposed to mostly sunny with few clouds and hot, very hot. This means that I will probably be neglecting my school work to go lay out on the oval! I am so excited to be able to be outside instead of inside doing homework that is pointless. Also, the past few days the weather has been odd. Apparently the other day we were under a tornado warning I had no idea. Oh well! I am so excited for classes to be over in 14 days, I think! I just can not wait to have a long summer break. I am so sick of chemistry and labs and all that “fun” stuff. I just need a break and it does not help that all of my friends are home from school already. At least the weather is not too beautiful for them. Hopefully, this next week goes by quickly so I can just take my finals and be done with it. I am also looking forward to this long weekend where I can just relax and hang out with my friends, for once. Well, I basically just rambled about nothing! 

Blog #64: Classes...

This blog is another one of those “blog about anything” blogs, so I think I am going to blog about my classes. This is probably going to be a pointless and annoying blog, but I have a lot on my mind and would like to get it off my chest. I am currently taking chemistry 123, biology 113, and obviously English 110, so my class load is kind of a lot. Chemistry 123, where do I start with this one, well it is supposed to be the easiest of all the general chemistry courses, but it is not any easier than the others. I ended up in a night class with a not so great teacher, in my opinion. I feel that the practice problems we do and the things we learn in lecture and the book have nothing to do with the exams. I about died the other day during the exam because I had only answered probably 5 out of the 25 questions and had 40 minutes left. I study a lot and do all the assignments. I am not kidding you I spend a lot of time on chemistry because I know it is the hardest subject for me. I study about 3 hours a day for it and even have a tutor. Some how, none of this is helping me and I know I am studying the right way because I had Zellmer. But, enough about chem. Biology on the other hand is not as tough. It is just a lot of reading and work. The chapters are really long, but for the most part the book does a good job explaining the concepts. Also the labs are super easy compared to the chem labs. I have a total of 5 hours of lab every Tuesday and Thursday, so having one easy two-hour lab is nice. I just do not like how they switch teachers half way through the course. It just messes up the way the exams are and the requirements. Also there is this stupid essay that we have to write about where we find four articles that relate to the topics we learned and write about them. As if I don’t have enough to do with chem and English. Well, that’s enough about my classes for today. I am sorry if I sounded annoying or boring!

Blog #63: FOOD!

Today, I guess I am going to blog about food. I am starving right now, so that is probably why I want to talk about food. I am picky eater, but I have become more adventurous in college when it comes to trying new foods. I am allergic to tree nuts, and that does not include peanuts because they are in fact a part of the legume family (pea family). My nut, sesame seed, and mango (they grow on the same tree as a certain nut) allergy sometimes stops me from being able to try many different dishes. Recently, this past year I started trying different fish and seafood because in the past I did not like it due to the smell, and I have decided I still do not like it. But, I am willing to try it again. My favorite food, which is a tough decision, would have to be Italian foods. I love love love pastas! I am willing to try any type of pasta, as long as it does not include one of my allergies. I have mentioned in one of my other blogs that I visited Italy during high school, and I fell in love with it. It mostly had to do with the environment, but the food was also to die for! I had some of the healthiest and best pasta dishes ever. They were so rich and delicious. I also had one of the best bowls of minestrone soup while I was there. The vegetables just tasted so fresh and the noodles were homemade. It just made the dish that much better. I also had a homemade Italian style pizza one night, which was also the best pizza of my life! The steak that I had in northern Italy was the type that melted in your mouth like butter. It was the leanest piece of meat I have ever had, and I have eaten a lot of steaks in my life. I love food and am opening up to a lot of new things since I have been in college.

Blog #62: Fears!

There are a lot of things that scare me, such as horror films, snakes, sharks, heights, etc. Also, I am afraid of some more abstract things, such as dying alone or not succeeding in life. But, I think for this blog I will blog more about the lighter topics that scare me. Most horror films where things pop out at me scare me. I hate when things jump out at you and you had no idea that it was coming. I also hate horror films that are based off of real stories because it freaks me out thinking that things like a stalker could be watching me. Horror movies about ghosts, like paranormal activity, scare me because they make the stuff seem so real. I know I probably seem like a big baby, but I am sure that everyone is afraid of something. I am also afraid of snakes and sharks. I get shivers down my spine every time I think about a snake or see a snake. I cannot stand how slimy they are and how they just wiggle around on the ground. I hated the movie snakes on plane (yes I know it was fake and was a horrible movie) because it made me think about what if I was trapped somewhere and a bunch of snakes got lose. I do not know how the people on fear factor can lay in a container with snakes crawling all over them and not freak out. It is the same thing with sharks. I know that we don’t taste good to them, but it is the thought of being helpless in the ocean and a shark attacks you and there nothing you can do about it. I know the chances of it happening are slim to none, but they are just so strong. Heights are probably up there next to snakes because I do not like being off the ground and not having control. For example, we I went up the tall building in Chicago, I started to freak out because I felt that the tower was moving. I know that all of my fears may seem stupid, but I can’t help it! They scare me!

Blog #61: The World

There are a lot of things that are happening in the world now that concern me such as causing populations of animals to become extinct, our planet ending due to global warming, or the fact that we are constantly in war. It concerns me that the world is being taken for granted and that not enough people care about saving it. You would think if people heard about issues such as, populations of rare species becoming extinct, global warming, and war that they would want to help preserve our world while we still can do something about it. I am not one of those people who is all about going green to the extreme, but I do care about the planet and how there are little things that we could do individually to make it better. The economic state that we are in where gas prices are now raising to about 4 dollars a gallon, food prices are jumping up, and we are in debt concerns me. I do not fully understand all of the issues going on in the world today, and I probably should start to pay attention to the news more often, but I do get bits and pieces. It just concerns me how we can’t come up with some solutions to end the war, and I know it takes time and that we are working on it, but I feel that some of the things we do just create a bigger problem to solve. It also concerns me how some people take money and food for granted, when we should be more concerned about it. I am sorry about this blog. This topic is just really hard to write about for me.

Blog #60: Different Times

If I was born in a different time I feel that I would be different, but still have some of the same traits. If I was born in the 60’s I feel that I would have been more outgoing and not as worried about school. I feel that I would be wilder and would probably even try a lot of different drugs, since everything back then was not as bad for you as it is now. I also feel that I would have dressed differently, but still have kept my own style of comfort comes first. If I was born in the 30’s I feel that I would have been more conservative. I feel that I would have cared more about my clothing and wearing cute appropriate dresses, since the dress code was very different. I also feel that if I was born in the 30’s or 40’s or 50’s I feel that I would have looking more towards marriage and finding the right guy at a younger age. I feel that I would have focused more on love than education since most women were housewives anyways. I also feel that I would have been a better cook and even created some of my own recipes, since I would have had more time to do some of the leisure activities that I enjoy. I also feel that I could have been involved with inventing new things or discovering things in science since I really enjoy it. I honestly have no idea how I would be different in any of these times.

Blog 59: Mistakes

I do not know how many big mistakes I have made in my life that I can think off of the top of my head, but I am sure I have made plenty of mistakes just not big enough to impact my life to a huge extent. But, one mistake that I made would have to be something related to school, I guess. The mistake would have to be that I should have taken more AP classes in high school and even taken more post secondary class. I especially wish that I had taken an AP Chemistry or Chemistry at a college before coming here because I feel like it might have helped me in the Chem 121-123 series. I also wish I had taken AP English so I possibly could have gotten more credits and could be a better writer. But, I cannot live in the past so I know will just have to work harder and take more classes than some other students. This is a hard topic to discuss because I do not like thinking about the mistakes I have made through out my life. I feel that if I think of these mistakes then I will regret some of the things I have done and I want to live life with no regrets. I know everyone makes mistakes, but I have not made any major ones that will impact my life to a great extent. Hopefully, I do not end up making any major mistakes and that I learn from the little ones I have made in my life.

Blog #56: Bestfriends

Well, I do not just have one best friend so I will talk about all of them. One of my best guy friends is named Eli and we have known each other since we were about 4 years old. I first met him up at my cottage because he lives two doors down from me. We have shared some pretty special times together up at the cottage and we are very close. We talk about everything and I know that no matter what he will always be there for me. My other best friend at home is named Kelsey and I met her in high school. We knew each other because of crew, but I did not really become close with her until my senior year when we both decided to go to Spain together. We have a lot in common and I can honestly say that we have never fought about anything. We are very close and talk about everything with one another. I know that she is a true friend and is one person I can always run too. I know that she will be honest with me about anything and that I know she will not lie to me. I can say she is one of the few people that I trust. Even though we decided to go to different colleges, we still manage to remain close friends. Another one of my best friends is Kelli and I met her here at school. Kelli and I live in the same dorm and on same floor. I never thought that we would become this close of friends. I can say that she another one of the few people that I trust and I know she will have my back in the end.

Blog #55: My Favorite Place

My favorite place would have to be my cottage on Devil’s Lake in Michigan. I have been going there since I was little and have met some of my very best friends there. I love my cottage and it is the perfect place to go to get away from everything. I love how it is only an hour away from my house, too. At my cottage, we do all kinds of activities, such as tubing, skiing, boarding, jet skiing, shuffleboard, and much more. I love the outdoors especially during the summer time simply because I love the heat. My favorite thing about my cottage would have to be that all of my family goes up there and we are always up there together. I really enjoy all the cookouts we have and all the activities we do together as a family. I feel that it really brings us closer together. I met my best guy friend up there. His name is Eli and we have been friends since we were about 4. I can say that he is a true friend and we will always be close. I also met some of my other friends from being up there and on the lake. I always end up finding out that another person I know has a cottage up there and it just makes the lake seem so much smaller. I also enjoy being able to lay out or do whatever I want up there. I like knowing that if I have the urge to go jet skiing or tubing that all I have to do is drive an hour away during the summer. It really makes my summer time fun!

Blog #54: Game

I guess for this blog I am supposed to write three stories about myself: one false and two true. I apologize if these stories are boring or pointless. So, here it goes.

Story 1: During the year of 6^th grade, I watched my brother try wakeboarding multiple times and could not get up for the life of him. I decided that I would try and see if I could get up just for the heck of it. So, I got into the water and what do you know, I got up the first time trying to wakeboard. The look on my brother’s face was priceless because he had tried over 5 times before he got up. Ever since then, I have fallen in love with wakeboarding. Now, my brother is better than me and that’s because he is not afraid to try tricks and get hurt. But, I would have to say for a girl, I am pretty good at it and am able to get up ever time.

Story 2: I went skydiving during my senior year just because it looked like fun. So, I went with my dad and we jumped out of a plane and let me tell you it was scary and so cool at the same time.

Story 3: One day when I was younger, my dad was pushing me in a shopping cart, while I was standing up (dumb idea, I know). I had no idea I was not supposed to stand while it was moving and he was not thinking either. But, I ended up falling out and got a concussion with a black eye. I had to go to hospital and everything. Luckily, I was okay.

Blog #53: Words!

I looked up interesting words online because I did not know what word to blog about, but I found a word. The word I am going to blog about is rhodologist. This word is a lost English word and I had never even heard it before nor do I know how to pronounce it. The word rhodologist means a person who studies and classifies roses. Obviously, it is a noun. I searched more on Google about what rhodologist means and when it was created. Well, I found out that it was created or discovered in the year 1911 and was only “alive” until 1924. The sentence they used online to describe it was “Any rhodologist knows that a rose by any other name does not smell as sweet.” I thought this sentence was kind of funny and stupid. Another word that I came across that I thought was funny was collywobbles. It is a noun and it means intestinal cramps or a feeling of nervousness. This word is commonly known as the butterflies, the ones that you get in your stomach when you are nervous or anxious. I never knew that there was an actual word for butterflies in your stomach. The word was created in 1815-1825 and was based off the words colic and wobble, which makes sense because colic means pain in the abdomen and wobble means to move unsteadily from side to side. I think that is it a fun and interesting word to say. There are so many words out there that are go unused and so many words that I do not know, and it is crazy to think about.

Blog #51: My major

My major is biology here at Ohio State. The reason I chose this major is because I love the subjects of science and math. I also I know that I would like to go into the medical field or go into dentistry. I really enjoy my major since it involves a lot of sciences and math, which are two things I am good at. I really enjoy the science classes, such as anatomy, physiology, and biology. I find it interesting to learn about the human body from cells all the way up to the body as a whole. I also love that we are required to take physics. I really enjoy physics because it is more of a math-based science, and math is what I am really good at. I have not started taking physics yet, but I am excited to take it hopefully next year. The one thing I hate about my major is all the chemistry that we have to take because I am not very good at chemistry. I mean I did okay in the first two chemistry courses and I am in the third now, but I just feel like they could make it a little easier on us. I understand why they do not because they are trying to get us ready for medical school and our major, since both require a lot of work and pressure. I also dislike that we have to take foreign language because that was always my weak point. I took the 103.66 series in the fall and then tried the 104 in the winter, but I decided to try and test out of it instead, and I did, thankfully! Overall, I like my major and I can’t wait to get into my major classes. Also, I am thinking about minoring in Anthropology, which is something new and fun that I discovered in the winter. I think I will try that or possibly minor in psychology, but I feel that everyone in pre-med is minoring in that, and I would like to be different. Plus, I really enjoyed my anthropology class and even thought of switching my major, but I figured biology was the save way to go.

Blog #50: Who would I have liked to meet?

I wish I could have meet my great grandpa, but he died before I was born. Everyone always says how great of a guy he was and how everyone who ever met him, loved him. They talk about how sweet he was and how he would do anything for anyone. They say that I would have loved him and he would have loved me as well. They say we would have gotten along and really enjoyed each other’s company. My family says that my grandpa was just like him. It is sad that I never got to meet him. I feel like we would have had a lot to talk about and that he would have had some great stories. I also was told that he was a real card and that he always had a smile on his face. They say that he never had anything bad to say about anyone and that he could make a friend out of anyone. My mom told me that there were so many people at his funeral because he was such a lovable guy. She says it was unfortunate that he had to go and that I did not get to met him.

I am running out of things to write about here, but I think I would have like to meet the Beetles if I had gotten the chance. I think that their music is awesome and I wish I could have seen them perform. I really find them to be a great music group, that wrote songs that will always be popular.

Blog #49: Dreams

One dream I have had my whole life would be to do something in the medical field that involves helping people. I really want to help people and I find science and the human body to be fascinating. I love learning about the body and what we are capable of doing with our bodies. I think that biology and anatomy are very interesting subjects and I do not mind learning all that there is to know about those topics. My dreams have changed through out the years as to what exactly I want to do in the medical field, and I feel I still have plenty of time to decide what I want my job to be when I am older. As of now, I am leaving my options open with the hopes that I become an oral surgeon, while my back plan is to become a physician’s assistant or possibly go to medical school. I like knowing the direction I want to head and I like knowing that my dream is somewhat open ended so that way I am not disappointed and I allow myself some growth over time. My dream once I become an oral surgeon is that I am able to have a family and still work and enjoy my life. I dream that I will use new technology in hopes of creating new techniques. I know that this is a long ways off, and I hope my dreams do not change too much or for the worst. I also hope that I am able to accomplish some of these dreams, if not all of them.

Blog #48: Nature

Nature in general amazes me. It amazes me how the weather can change so rapidly and how one day it can be sunny and hot and the next day it is rainy and freezing. It amazes me how there are still so many things about nature that we have yet to discover, such as certain species of fish and animals that we cannot get to yet due to their location. Also it amazes me how animals and fish can survive in some of the worst climates, like the fish that live deep down in the ocean. Those types of fish are so neat to learn about and how they are able to live off little food and no light. It also amazes me how so many things in nature can help our bodies, such as aloe and how we figures out to use it for burns and that certain berries are bad for us. It is just so neat to think about nature and all the aspect of it and how we know so much, but so little about nature at the same time. Also, it amazes me that some animals in nature are monogamous like us. For instance penguins are monogamous and the male searches all over for the best pebble and presents it to the female as an engagement ring type deal; I find that amazing. I think it is very interesting that elephants mourn the deaths of loved ones, just like humans. It is weird how we are all connect through nature and that there is a huge chain that links us. I love learning about nature and the things in it!

Blog #47: Crush!

The first guy I ever liked that I could remember would have to be this guy named BLAH. I will leave his name out just in case. But, I remember liking him starting in kindergarten and liked him all the way through grade school. I had the BIGEST crush on him and thought he was the cutest guy in the world. I just happened to be best friends with his cousins and I would always ask them if he said anything about me. I remember playing football during recess with him and all the other guys. He was sooo cute with his dark hair and blue eyes. He was the cutest guy in my grade and I always have had a thing for him. He is such a sweetie and it is too bad that we are no longer friends. But, I am still best friends with his cousins, and I occasionally ask about him just to see how he is doing. I also ended up liking one of his best friends in third grade. This kid had sandy blonde hair with blue eyes and some freckles. He was in my class and I would always play cats cradle with him during class. I ended up taking him to my prom my senior year and he has turned out to be a real sweet guy. So, one of my crushes did end up coming true in the end. My boyfriend I am with now I had the BIGGEST crush on of all. I am so glad for eighth grade Spanish class and him asking me to homecoming, or else we wouldn’t be together now. 

Blog #46: Pet Peeves!

One of my biggest pet peeves are bad table manners. I cannot stand it when people have bad table manners; it drives me crazy. And what I mean by poor table manners are like chewing with your mouth open, talking with food in your mouth, eating food with your fingers, licking your fingers, and picking your teeth at the table. These things annoy me the most. I cannot be around someone who chews obnoxiously or chomps on his or her gum. I also cannot stand when someone slurps his or her food. My brother has really bad table manners. For example, he will slurp food that does not need to be slurped like cereal. He also will chew with his mouth open and even chomp on his gum. I know he does it to annoy me sometimes, but I just wish he would have better table manners. I also cannot stand it when I am out with people and a certain someone, I will not name names, picks their teeth with a straw. It is such a bad habit and is really hick. I always get embarrassed to be around people who have horrible table manners. I know mine are not perfect, like for instance I do not always keep my elbows off the table, but that is a minor thing. Another thing that I dislike is when my dad picks at my food and steals it off my plate when I am not finished! I know he does not mean any harm, so I let it slide because he is my dad! So those are some of my pet peeves! 

Blog #45: Trip!

The one trip that probably meant the most to me would have to be my trip to Italy. I went with my family for two weeks during the summer of my junior year. It was so much fun and definitely a long vacation. We visited Milan, where my aunt lives, Venice, Rome, and Florence. I would have to say that my favorite place was Milan, but I loved them all. We also went to the country, also called Tuscany. That was so gorgeous and made me want to live there. While staying in Milan, we went to lake Como and got to see George Clooney’s house. The food was just to die for! They had the best pastas and the soups were amazing. I love Italian food, so I was in heaven. I also got to attend a rock concert with my cousin while staying in Milan. It was interesting to listen to live music in another language. In Venice, we got to take a gondola ride! We also got lost since majority of the city was waterways. I also met some cute young sailors while staying in Venice!! Next, we went to Florence, and there we visited a lot of churches and art galleries. It was not my favorite city, but it was pretty. Lastly we visited Rome, and got to take a tour of an old dirt city and the Coliseum. It was so cool to see how they use to live! We also got to see the Vatican Church and even listen to the Pope speak. I was so surprised that we were able to watch and listen to him speak. He spoke in many different languages! I would have to say that this was one of my favorite trips and there was so many cool things that I got to experience. I am so glad that I was able to travel there with my family. 

Blog #43: Best Gift!

The best present I have been given would have to be my car. My parents surprised me with a car before my 16^th birthday and I had no idea I was getting one. We had looked at it before, but I was sure that they were going to wait a while longer. But, I when I went away for the weekend they went to the dealer and got my car. When I came home it was sitting in our garage and my dad asked me if I wanted to take a drive to look at the car again and make sure I liked it, when I walked into the garage I saw my car sitting there and I screamed. I was so happy! I love my car to death and it is really safe which was the main reason that my dad picked it out. I like knowing that I am in a bubble when I drive and even with knowing that, I am still a safe driver, but it helps. Anyways, my car is an audi a4 and is black with black interior. I love audis and think they are good cars and I am glad it is my first car. To be honest, I would have been happy with any car that got me from point a to point b safely. I actually thought that I was getting my dad’s suv, which is cute and I would have been very happy with that as well. I feel lucky enough to have parents who care about me and want me to be safe. So that is probably the greatest present I have gotten so far in my life.

Blog #42: Jobs

The job I had last summer was one at our mall and I worked at Victoria Secret in the pink section. It was a good experience, but I would have to say that I did not like the job very much. The work that we did and the amount of hours we worked were ridiculous. We did not get paid enough for the stuff that we did, such as cleaning the whole store and re stocking the panty bar. Also, the people that I worked with were not the nicest people, but I tried to make the best of it. I did like that I got thirty percent off anything in the store. We also got free lotions, perfumes, bras, and underwear for working there, but that did not make up for the work we did for them. Also they were not very lenient with needing days off. They basically expected you to be free everyday and all day. We were on call a lot and have to be ready to drop anything we were doing to go into work. I guess it has a lot to do with the fact that I was working at a mall and a lot of people complain about working there. I have also worked at a greenhouse, which was fun. I did not mind watering flowers and helping people pick out flowers and plants. I would probably have to say that I do not like working in retail clothing stores and would much rather work someplace outside or something that has to do with kids. 

Blog #41: Cultures

There are many cultures that fascinate me and I always loved learning about them. It fascinates me how some of them do not have the technology that we have today and how some of them live completely different lives. For instance some people in Africa still live the tribe lifestyle, which means that they do not have technology and basically live off the land. I learned a lot about these people in my Anthropology class I took last quarter. I learned that they are mal nourished because they do not have a balanced diet and some of them have not learned to use animals to their fullest extents. This means that they have learned how to use animals for labor or even for meat. Another culture that fascinates me is the Chinese culture and how they live. It surprises me that they live in such small spaces and that there are so many people in one area. I just do not understand how they live like that. Also it amazes me how they are only allowed to have so many children and so many baby girls that they have to kill some of them off. I just cannot imagine being a mother and having to give up one of my babies because of the law, but it makes sense since there are already so many people there. Also their diet amazes me like for instance, how they eat cats and dogs.  I find that very odd. I mean I guess it keeps them fed and gets rid of extra animals and unsanitary issues, but still I would never eat a cat or dog! I do not know, but every culture is different in its own way and I would love to be able to learn more about them. 

Blog #40: My Family!

I am very family oriented person and I love spending time with my family. I would have to say that I am daddy’s little girl. My dad and I are very close and he is probably one of the ones who keeps me the least stressed when it comes to school. We have a lot in common, such as our drive to succeed, generosity, and compassion for others. He has taught me a lot in life. He has taught me never to give up, and that no matter what your family with always love you and be proud of you. I would have to say that I look up to my dad. He is such a kind, caring, giving, and ambitious person. He has been there for me through thick and thin. I love my dad to death and I have to say I am the luckiest daughter in the world because I know I have the best dad ever.

I cannot just talk about my dad and leave my mom out through. My mom is the strongest woman I have ever met in my life. She is another one of my role models. My mom and I are very close, and I tell her everything. We probably talk on the phone at least three times a day. My mom is a breast cancer survivor for 5years now, and I love her so much for fighting. She is awesome! She cares so much about my family and my friends, and is always willing to help anyone. She is so generous and a lot of my friends think she is the best. They often call her momma Spetka. Overall I would have to say I love my parents equally and without them I would be so lost!! I am the luckiest girl in the world to have parents like them!

Blog #39: Grammar Rules

Well there are multiple rules that mess me up while writing and in fact writing is very difficult for me to do. A lot of times I am too wordy and I do not get my point across in the most direct way. But, some rules that mess me up are spelling for sure, and probably transitions such as using words like however, moreover, and so on. It is very difficult for me to determine when I comes before e, which seems like a silly grade school thing. But this always gets me. I do not know why but I have always been horrible at spelling. I guess math and science are more of my thing, which is why I am a biology major and not an English major. I do not have anything against English. It is just that I can not seem to get it right or be creative enough. Also, using transition words are very difficult for me too. I have a hard time with getting my ideas to flow. Also I have a hard time with when and which words to put where in my writing. I also have trouble with independent and dependent clauses. I never understood which is which and what they are for and things like that. Overall I would have to say English and I do not get along all the time. I do want to become a better writer and to become less wordy so that way I can get my point across directly.

Blog #38: Revised Title and Intro

My original topic was “You vs. the World.” It is still a work in progress, but I think as of now I want to change it to “The Pressures of Facing the World Alone.” I think that I needed to make it a little more informative in order to pull my readers in a little more. Also, I just made up the title on the spot so it wasn’t going to be a keeper. I guess in this blog we are supposed to have an introduction or a start to an introduction, so I guess I will include my introduction, which is defiantly a work in progress.

College, or an untamed jungle, can you survive the pressures? Once you leave home and enter the wild world of college, it basically turns into a fight: you against the world. Let me tell you, my friend, it does not get any easier from here on out and the pressures, oh man, do they come on strong. Don’t worry, because you have been set out into the world with the morals and values that your parents have given you. But, without them holding your hand and telling you right versus wrong, do you think you are strong enough to become your own leader? I think so! So before I start, let’s get one thing straight, I am NOT by any means here to lecture you, but what I want to do is inspire you to take a stand. Now, before you freak out, it is okay to be on your own and yes majority of you will encounter the pressures of college, your parents, and your peers, but it is all up to you to be your own leader. Now note for later, the people you surround yourself with are going have the most influence in your life.

Blog #37: Hypothetical Situation

My topic for my article is peer pressure in the lives of college students. There are many hypothetical situations that I could use in my article that a normal college student would face, but the best one that I think relates is one that deals with drinking in college.

            Picture this: It is a Friday night and you have only been at school for a few months, so all your friendship are pretty new. Well, you are not a big drinker and you do not always like to go out, but you just hate the feeling of being excluded. So, you attend the parties and events with your new friends anyways. Once again, it’s a Friday night and all your friends are attending a house party and ask you to go with them. You are feeling as if you should not be going out because you have been out the past four weekends and really need to slow down. So, you think about it and you hesitantly say yes because you do not want your new friends to look down on you. You decide that you will not drink at the party and just go with your friends to have fun. But, once you get to the party all your friends are drinking and having a good time. One of the hosts at the party hands you a beer and at first you say no, but then you take it anyways. You feel that if you do not drink that everyone there will stare at you and think you are “weird.” So, you drink in order to feel included and because all your friends think you should.

            How would handle a situation like this? Would you go to the party? Would you drink at the party because you would want to feel included or would you stick to how you feel and not drink?

Blog #36: Personal Anecdote

My topic deals with peer pressure and how it affects college students. For my personal anecdote, I think I am going to discuss how peer pressure has affected me in college and how I chose to deal with it. Peer pressure in college affects everyone and has affected me in many ways.  Personally, I felt the effects of peer pressure when I first started college. I felt the pressure to party and drink with all my peers in order to celebrate out new found freedom. I went out to parties and drank because I felt that was the way I could feel included and a way to make new friends. I did not want to be left out or looked down upon because I was not drinking on the weekends. But, once I started to find my niche and my core group of friends I realized that I did not have to drink in order to be accepted. I figured out that I could be myself and if that meant not drinking every weekend, then so be it. I realized that my friends would love me regardless if I drank every weekend with them. I even found out that they sometimes did not want to drink as well. I realized that I should do what makes me happy and not what others want me to do, because in the end it is my life. I have been brought up to be my own leader and to not follow the crowd. My parents have always taught me that being different and having a stable set of morals and values are a good thing. They taught me to be strong and to stand up for what I think is right and that it is okay to not follow the crowd. At the start of the year, it was difficult for me to resist the peer pressure because I did not have my family by my side to tell me what is right versus wrong. It was basically me. My parents said that this is my life and I have to make the decisions for myself because they cannot always be there to decide for me. So hopefully, my personal anecdote will make my article a little bit easier to read and pull the readers in as well.

Blog #35: My Call to Action

My call-to-action or my purpose for writing this paper about peer pressure is that I hope that people will feel more inclined to make their own decisions without letting peer pressure affect them. I also hope that after college students read my paper that they feel that they should stand up for what they believe in. After reading my paper, I want people to be proud of who they are and to create their own morals and values. Laos, I want them to know that you should not let others change them for the worst and they it is okay to be different. I want them to make sure that their friends are good people to be around and that they do not peer pressure them into doing bad things, like binge drinking or doing drugs. I want students to feel that they are smart and to be confident about who they are and what they believe. I want college students to go out and help others stand up against peer pressure and to help them become their own leaders. I want my call to action to be direct and as straight forward as possible, so that way it is easy for people to understand why I am writing the paper. I want my call action to not be preached, but suggested because I do not want to sound like an adult preaching to kids about right versus wrong. I feel that the best way to get my purpose across is to use some comedy and to just flat out state the purpose. 

Blog #34: Compellingness

I am going to make my article compelling to my audience, college students, with the type of tone and voice I am going to use. I plan on appealing to many different college students by using slang words and by just talking normally with out the use of “big” words. I would like to try and be funny, but still be serious since the topic is a serious manner and should not be taken lightly. I am also going to use first person to make it sound more personable to my audience of college students. I do not want to preach about what is right and what is wrong, but I do want people to be aware of the effects of peer pressure. I also would like people to know that they can make their own decisions and that it is okay to be different. I would also like to share my opinions and stories about my experiences with peer pressure in college and how I resisted it. I would like to share about how I made my own decisions and followed what I thought was right, no matter what others thought about me. I hope that my audience can relate to my story and experiences and that they find my article helpful and informative. I also hope that they think my paper is not too serious, but I hope they understand that peer pressure is a serious matter. Overall I hope that my paper is interesting and that the topic is timely enough so that multiple different people can relate to the topic of peer pressure. I also hope that I am able to get my point across and not get too wordy. I would like to make sure my voice and my paper are direct.