weight issues

I believe that you should not be too worried about the actual number of your weight. If you look good, then there is no reason to stress about the numbers. In some cases, yes weight matters if it is affecting your health. These “ideal” weights that are accepted are not for every person. Everyone is an individual, with individual shapes, and individual needs. There is not a chart that can tell you exactly what is appropriate for you. The key is to be healthy, maintain a good weight, and live an active lifestyle. It is a common myth that college means you are going to gain weight. There is the ever so popular “freshman fifteen” that everyone speaks about. News flash, I am a freshman, soon to be sophomore and I certainly have not gained fifteen pounds while in college, if anything I have lost about ten. Do not listen to the fads or compare yourself to celebrity bodies. If you are discouraged, do not concentrate on simply losing weight or looking a certain way. Find some healthy changes you can make and focus on balanced, realistic ways to improve your self image. These small changes can actually have a significant effect on your body.

Condoms

I think that it is crucial to use condoms during sexual activities. This is a precaution that saves you from many many health issues. Many college students know that condoms are important but fail to use them due to the lack of information. Many college students also do not want to purchase them. A twelve pack of popular trogon condoms sells for about thirteen dollars a package, this could get expensive, really fast. You should not let this be a influencing reason not to use them. Condoms are crucial to your sexual health so you should not hesitate to use them. If cost is an issue, go to a local health center on campus… you can usually purchase a regular twelve pack for about five dollars. Oh and you know how guys store condoms in their wallets? P.S this leads to parenthood. The friction from the latex being in your pocket can cause the rubber to deteriorate and become ineffective. Also, you should always check the expiration date on condoms, because news flash, they do expire. Safe sex is always a better option. It saves you from the humiliation of carrying a std or even AIDS. It also saves you the risk of being pregnant, which is something most college students try to avoid. That’s just my two cents.

Eating Disorders

As I read the Student Health magazine I realized a shocking statistic. At least 80 percent of American women are unhappy with their appearance. Celebrities and the media don’t help much, because they lead women to believe the myth that we can never be too thin. I find that to be very untrue. There are people in my life that are dealing with eating disorders and it controls your life. These girls become sickly and they don’t even realize it. They are too focused on losing weight and looking thin that they don’t realize when they become unhealthy. They thrive off the compliments that they get on looking good, and when they get to a certain point, I have discovered they usually continue to lose in order to keep the attention alive. Perfectionism and stress can be a dangerous combination. When you are obsessed with being perfect and are also stressed out it can drive you to do things you would not ordinarily do. There are many symptoms of eating disorders such as questionable food behaviors such as skipping meals, disliking once favored foods, obsessive compulsive behavior, trouble concentrating, being in a state of constant stress, feelings of depression, anxiety, guilt, loneliness, and desperation. If you see any of these signs in yourself or someone you know please contact the schools health center or a support group, it could save a life.

Piercings and Tattoos

I read the article in the March Student Health 101 magazine about tattoos and piercings and the risks involved. Personally I have had good experiences with both. I have 3 piercings in each ear that are completely healthy with no infection. I also recently got a tattoo in October of 2007. It was not on sudden impulse so I do not regret it. I thought long and hard what I would like to have because I knew that it was permanent and the risks I was involving myself in. I got it done in a legitimate tattoo parlor where they wore gloves and cleaned the tools. I have had no problems with bleeding or infection since I got my tattoo. I am very satisfied and am actually considering getting another one over the summer. They are rather addicting. To me there is something so unique about body art. It can never leave me, and no one else will have anything quite like it. As I read the article I found it interesting that the statistics are not gender biased. There is almost an equal number of males and females with tattoos. 16% of Americans have at least one tattoo and only 17% of them regret it. I find all this very interesting.

sexual assault

Sexual assault happens to so many teenagers and young adults. In order to protect yourself you need to know what sexual assault is. Sexual assault is any type of unwanted penetrative sexual contact, and it carries the highest criminal penalties. Every state, school, and person has its own definition. Students can find out their own state’s laws by calling a local or national crisis center. Most sexual assaults are not by strangers, they are by victimized women who know their assailant. You can be assaulted by boyfriends, classmates, friends, acquaintances, or co workers. Just be very careful who you trust, and know what consent means. I believe that silence is not consent. Just because you don’t say no doesn’t mean your body language isn’t saying no. Some women do not have the strength or courage to fight back or say no. Just as no means know, you need a clear, verbal or non-verbal yes before proceeding with sexual activity. The key to staying safe on a college campus is to travel in groups and keep an eye out for danger zones. The story of a college girl getting raped is all too familiar, just don’t make it your story.

part 4 cont'd

I just have found very few answers to this problem. I have researched the history and trust me, there is enough. I just haven’t found any protocol or action we could take that wouldn’t be a hit to the government. There is just not a sensible solution. This is a global issue that can never be completely solved. I honestly know there will never be a time when everyone is able to live the middle class lifestyle or above.
Throughout all the research I have done, I have not found any plan that I think could help solve this problem. It is up to the people to donate to charities, and in turn for those charities to help the poverty stricken people in their community. The government does all that it can to help them out, but there is only so much they can do. I can’t imagine a society where everyone is taken care of. If there was such a thing then all the lazy people in the world would just choose not to work and get a free ride off the government.

part 4

Poverty and Homelessness are issues that have to be faced in any region of the world. There are so many different aspects that it is almost impossible to think there is a solution. In fact, I don’t believe that there is a solution. I think there are measures that people as individuals can take to try and prevent one or both, but there is no big plan to solve the whole problem. If there was such a plan, it would already be in affect.
I believe that some action should be taken. I think the government should step in and help those who are in need, and they do with programs such as tin care and welfare. Although these actions are already set in place, people are still denied their basic human needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. This is just not right. I don’t think that anyone deserves to live on the streets.
I think Memphis, and other cities in the United States should set up more free housing. Whether it be through housing programs such as MHA or THDA, or simply more shelters for people in desperate need to turn to. That is one of the few ways we could help this problem. But we will never be able to force job availability, or a permanent boost in our economy to help these people out.

More Kosovo

So i was searching the interent to find more information about kosovo, and I found this article very interesting.

THE United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague has acquitted a former commander of the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army of all charges of war crimes in a decision that could inflame anti-Kosovo sentiment in Serbia weeks after Kosovo declared independence.
Ramush Haradinaj, who briefly served as prime minister of Kosovo three years ago, was found not guilty of the murder, persecution, rape and torture of Kosovo Serb civilians and some ethnic Albanians.
The crimes were said to have been carried out by men under his command in 1998, when the rebels fought to free their largely ethnic Albanian region from Serbian rule.
Another rebel commander, Idriz Balaj, was also acquitted, while a third defendant, Lahi Brahimaj, was sentenced to six years in prison for torture and cruel treatment of prisoners.
The two men are expected to receive heroes' welcomes on their return home.
In summarising the verdict, the judges said the trial had many shortcomings, including vague evidence and widespread fear among witnesses, suggesting the full version of events had not been told.
The full judgment is not yet available, but in their summary, the judges gave weight to evident intimidation of witnesses, stressing that although the court heard almost 100 witnesses, they had great difficulty in getting many to testify freely. They said they granted 34 witnesses permission to hide their identities, that 18 were subpoenaed because they refused to testify and that others said they dared not talk once they were in court.
The case against Mr Haradinaj was fraught with difficulties from the start. Western diplomats tried to dissuade the former chief prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, from an indictment of Mr Haradinaj, arguing that he was a respected political leader who played a necessary and important role in stabilising Kosovo.
Within the prosecutor's office, some lawyers also warned from the start that the case against Mr Haradinaj was weak because it would be difficult to link him to the crimes.
Prosecutors complained repeatedly about pressure on the witnesses, saying that it had been greater than in any other trial at the tribunal.
Those most afraid, prosecutors said, were former fellow rebel fighters who had been expected to testify as insiders. At least three designated witnesses were killed before the trial, prosecutors said.
Last November, the trial ground to a halt when the lawyers for all three accused unexpectedly announced they would not call any witnesses because they considered the prosecution case so weak.
For Serbs, the acquittal of two of the former rebel commanders, whose forces were backed and supported by the West, is likely to be viewed as one more insult.
Kosovo has long been portrayed as a victim of Serbia. Only one other case at the tribunal has focused on abuses and killings by Kosovo Liberation Army fighters, although human rights groups have documented numerous killings and instances of mistreatment of those not siding with the rebels.
Oliver Ivanovic, who represents Kosovo Serbs, told the FoNet news agency in Belgrade that the acquittals would make it more difficult to demand that the Serbian Government arrest Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic. The two men, wartime Bosnian Serb leaders, remain fugitives almost 10 years after the war ended.
After Mr Haradinaj surrendered to the court, in 2005, he was allowed to return to Kosovo to await his trial. Much to the frustration of Ms Del Ponte, the court gave him permission to play a limited political role at home, a privilege granted to no other detainee.

Race

Can we talk about race? I believe we can. We choose not to because of other people’s reactions. Maggie, Brooxie, and I could talk about race and be honest all day long. But that is only because we are from the same race and we are not afraid to say exactly what we feel. But at the same time, within a race, there can still be judge ment due to different beliefs. We were able to talk about race in a classroom setting, but even then no one was actually honest. I think that everyone was afraid of what others might say or do. Everyone gave general experiences, but no actual opinions.

Here are some facts from a website I found:
- Race is a modern idea. Ancient societies did not divide people according to physical differences, but according to religion, status, class, even language.
- Race has no genetic basis. Not one characteristic, trait, or gene distinguishes all members of one so-called race from all members of another so-called race.
- Slavery predates race. Throughout history, societies have enslaved others, often as a result of conquest or war, but not because of physical characteristics or a belief in natural inferiority. In America, a unique set of circumstances led to the enslavement of peoples who looked similar.

decisions .. decisions

There is this boy. I dated him for two years, and I finally broke things off with him this January. Not because I didn't love him, because I did, and I still do. I broke up with him because I couldn't trust him. He had hurt me so many times by being dishonest, or cheating on me. I know that should be a no brainer. Just drop him right? Well it's just not that easy. Since we have been broken up I haven't talked to him much. Maybe a hello here and there, but that is it. See the first time we broke up was in September of 07 and I didn't speak to him once until the end of October. Now, I am confronted with a dilemma. All the sudden he is in my head, more than usual. I know that I am okay without him, but sometimes I just miss him. I miss him because I love him regardless of what he did to me. I miss him because he was my best friend. I miss him because I don't know him anymore. But then there is this side of me that is so prideful, and that can't let things go. I have such mixed emotions that I have no idea what I should do. The biggest problem is we don't know how to be "just friends". It's like we either have to be together, or not speak. Even if we try the whole "friends", it always turns into something more. Maybe we just don't know HOW to be friends...

Somedays I do just fine, but other days I contemplate texting him alll dayy long.
Another problem is that I just simply do not know what I want. I want him because it's deep, and I am almost too impatient to wait around and find that feeling with another guy. But then again I really enjoy the care free life I live. I can go out and do whatever I please. I have developed many exciting friendships that I would probably have to set aside for him if we were to get together again. That is something that I definately do not want.

I guess I just miss him, bottom line. But I don't really know how to handle it. I mean how do you let someone you love, just go? I need to find a medium with him so that I will be so satisfied, and less empty inside.

I know we don't work as a couple anymore, no matter how bad I wish we would. There will never be a time where I can forget what he has done, although I forgave him. There would be too much drama, and too many unnecessary tears for my own good. But I wish he was still part of my life, maybe even if it's just in a small way.

If there is anyone else out there who knows something I could do, or has some advice..send it my way. :)

allll about meee. :)

Well basically i am Myself, which consists of going out and having a good time, hanging out with my friends, living in my awesome house with the best roomies evva and just living my life. I have short red hair, green eyes and the biggest heart you can find. I love music, it completes me. I'm a hardcore GATOR fan at heart, but i still represent for my TIGERS.I like to dance, ALOT. and i like to sing real LOUD.I believe in love, maybe not always romantic love, but i always believe you should love yourself, love your family, love your friends, and love your life. I actually got a tatoo that says "love never fails" to remind me to always love who i am. Maggie is my Best Friend/Sister.. i'd be lost without her!I lovve to cruise in my lil honda and go fast with the windows down and radio blarrin, typical girl i know.I love to be around a lot of people, i guess im somewhat of a social butterfly. I am a Kappa Delta at the U of M. i am honored to be part of the BEST sorority on campus. I am very confident and not easily taken down. Some people think that i am intimidating, but really im just a girl who knows what she wants. My mom is my best friend and my hero. My dad is everything to me, i can depend on him for anything. and i have the greatest big bro ever, the one and only madison pettigrew. I probably have the best family i could've asked for. As far as friends go--mine are definately better than yours!! I am currently single, and fabulous and enjoying meeting new guys and new people. I am very openminded and very easy to talk to.If you want to know anything else about me.. just ask.

do you ever?

Do you ever just have "one of those days" tooooo many days in a row?
Well, lately that’s been the story of my life. Sometimes things in life happen that you can’t really explain. Sometimes the people that you love the most hurt you. But I have learned a valuable lesson the past week. I have learned that sometimes you don’t know people as well as you think you do, and you shouldn’t always depend on people not to hurt you. This past week has been full of disappointments, but when I reflect on all of it, it’s not been that bad. I was pretty sad, but I got on facebook and read this quote and I really really enjoyed it, and thought it fit my mood.

"Sometimes you just feel everything and nothing all at once. Sometimes you’ll find yourself smiling while missing something at the same time. At times you can absolutely love a person, all the while wanting to hate them. Life comes without guarantees, except that smiling will brighten your face, laughing will enhance your eyes, and falling in love will change your life."

I really like this because it helped me realize that small things that hurt you should not govern your happiness. I let some stupid things bring me down last week, instead of being the strong and determined person that I am well known to be. Reading that quote gave me the extra urge to continue to live my life to the fullest without letting small things bring me down. With that being said, I am going into this week a smile, hoping that I can be a better person.

Christine Keneally and Journalism vs. Creative Writing

Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction or no fiction that goes outside the bounds of normal proffesional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include most novels and epics, as well as many short stories and poems.

Journalism is the discipline of gathering, writing and reporting news, and broadly it includes the process of editing and presenting the news articles. Journalism applies to various media, but is not limited to newspapers, magazines, radio, and television.

That is what I think each of those are, this is related to Christines book about language. I wasn't as interested in it as i was the other two readings, but when I sat and listened to her accent I felt like I was in a movie where the main character was sitting there contemplating life, and some foreign narrator was explaining all the troubles that were in that characters life. HA.

I really think it was cool though how she talked about the animals, and how animals can be decieving. This is very true. My dog lexi, knows exactly how to deceive me. Language whether it be from humans, or animals can still communicate amongst each other.

Joshua Prager- Echoing Green

It’s funny how you can read people. I was just sitting there in the Galloway mansion eating the cute little food and observing everyone. That is a bad habit I have. Sometimes when I am in a room, I just size up everyone in there and I imagine what I think their life is like. I had never seen a photo of Joshua Prager, and I had no idea what he would look like. But as I was gazing in the hall waiting for the writers to begin, I see this crippled man walk through the hall talking to some woman. I immediately thought to myself.. that has got to be the writer named Josh. Sure enough he walked to the front and sat down. I applauded myself for that rather quickly. When he spoke, I fell in love with his writing. I don’t know why I liked his book, because the audience was definitely directed towards older men, or baseball fans, neither of which I qualify. They way he wrote, and the things he put in to his book were spectacular. I really enjoyed listening to him. I was actually tempted to buy his book, but then I realized I didn’t bring my wallet. I thought it was very interesting that he took something he was so passionate about and not only wrote about it, but completely investigated it until he found truth. Although some of the things he revealed have upset many fans, as he stated in the interview this morning, I think his book was a very unique approach to the topic.

Stacy Sullivan

I went to the readings at the Galloway mansion and I really enjoyed it. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it, but I caught myself really enjoying listening. To start off, I will talk about Stacy Sullivan. Stacy Sullivan is an editor at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, a non-profit organization that trains journalists in countries recovering from war. In addition to Newsweek, her articles have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, The Washington Post, Men's Journal, and others. She lives in New York City. As I listened to her read from her book, all the things that we had discussed in class fell in to place. I thought it was really cool that as she spoke of Kosivo and Milosivic, that I actually knew what she was talking about. I was sitting in that beautiful room thinking, how cool would it be to write a book. For what I have to say to matter, would open up a whole new world. I really admired her particularly because she was so engaged in her story. She witnessed it first hand. I think that is really cool. Not only that, but at the interview today she was so humble about her publications and her success.

Cherry Picking

Cherry picking is used metaphorically to indicate the act of pointing at individual cases or data that seem to confirm a particular position, while ignoring a significant portion of related cases or data that may contradict that position. That is wikipedia’s definition of cherry picking. They also referred to cherry picking in logical fallacies. The “fallacy of anecdotal evidence” tends to overlook large amounts of data in favor of that known personally, while false dichotomy picks only two options when more are available. I took logic last semester so I kind of know what that is talking about but I will explain it to those who do not. Basically anytime you are writing something whether it be an essay, or an argument, if you deliberately leave something out that would disprove your statement you are “cherry picking” in a sense. While writing the papers that we have all been assigned on various topics, I bet there are a lot of people that are “cherry picking” through all of their information and only collecting data and facts that support their opinion on the issue. This is fine and dandy, but you have to remember that a good argument shows both sides. So if you are guilty of this in your paper, I suggest you reconsider it and try to throw in a few curve balls and maybe your paper will open up a new passage.

poverty

Homelessness and poverty are issues that will always be issues. No matter what type of improvement, or prevention plan one might make, there will never be a time when there is not anyone that is homeless or living in poverty. There are a lot of statistics and data that try to explain it, but there is still no ultimate “fix”. I do not think that it is a lost cause, and that cities should move forward with plans to make homelessness and poverty decrease.
Most people that get put on the streets are living in rental homes. It is very rare that a home- owner would lose everything he or she had and become homeless. One of the biggest problems causing homelessness is the lack of affordable rental housing. If there are not very many options for these low socioeconomic people, then they will be forced to live on the streets. Even the houses that are available for rent are normally going to be poverty stricken. There are entire neighborhoods in Memphis, Tennessee that are rented out to people. Usually these neighborhoods are all unsafe, and poverty stricken.
Due to much research I think that a lot of people that are homeless have jobs, but just not ones that pay enough for them to afford a house. Many people have low paying jobs that do not offer benefits, creating tough decisions for these people. They have to choose whether or not to spend their money on a house and have nothing else, or have no house and be able to provide food and clothing. Despite what reason causes this, I believe that no one should have to make this decision.
Organizations such as welfare add to homelessness. Welfare can be very helpful but at the same time it can have a negative affect on a family. When you are able to get off welfare and provide things on your own, there is a larger possibility of failure, and it directly causes homelessness.
In Memphis, we have a housing program called Memphis Housing Association. I have worked directly with them. My grandfather is a landlord to about one hundred and fifty rental homes in Memphis. Each tenant has government assistance with their rent. Some people get help with a small portion of their rent, some get half of it paid, some get almost all paid, and believe it or not some people get their entire rent taken care of. Despite all the money that MHA gives on behalf of poverty stricken people, some of these tenants do not even have the twenty five dollars of their portion of the rent. It blows my mind to imagine living like that. I think that it is a good cause and that the government is doing its’ job as far as providing rental housing in Memphis.

Friday..

I haven't been feeling very good this week. I couldn't even get out of bed on Thursday. But I am feeling a little better so I am going to go to the Sigma Chi toga party tonight. I am thinking that this could be prettttty fun. But I don’t really know actually. I am about to take a shower and get ready. After I straighten my hair and do my makeup, I am going to help Morgan Davis, one of my Kappa Delta sisters, do something really cute to her hair. Then I am making a zebra striped toga, and she is making a green and white polka dotted one. They are going to be SO cute. I am really pumped about them. haha. We went to the Greek carnival today and I took my dog and that was pretty fun I guess. Kappa Delta won Greek week this week so that is off the chain. KD’s are on a roll. We have been winning everything lately. We are first in grades, the largest chapter on campus, we won pi phi karaoke, and now Greek week. All sing is coming up and we are doing it with one of my favorite fraternities at Memphis, Sigma Chi. Yay!!
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poverty argument

Poverty Argument – Part 2
Although we can never actually trace poverty and homelessness all the way back to its origin, we can pinpoint the main causes of poverty in America. Homelessness has two factors that are solely responsible for the increase over the past 25 years: an increasing shortage of affordable rental homes and a simultaneous increase in poverty.
Homelessness and poverty are linked. With limited resources, poverty stricken people are frequently forced to make difficult choices about housing, food, childcare, healthcare, and education. A large portion of poor people are homeless because they never find the adequate resources to support themselves and keep housing. Since housing absorbs a high amount of income, it is common for people to be homeless while still keeping a job so they can use their money simply for necessities.
Because of our growing economy and high unemployment rate homelessness seems to grow worse in many areas of the country. It is not just with people who are unemployed, but homelessness is a problem for people that have jobs with little to no benefits. Although, the past few years we have had growth in wages, the increases have not cancelled the long history of declining wages from the past. Many shelters and centers for the homeless house full time employees. The problem is the job growth is only affecting the people at the top of the income and wealth chain. All that does is get the rich people richer, while leaving the poverty stricken workers to struggle in the same situation.
A decline in public assistance increases poverty. Welfare helps those in need while they have it, but many families experience extreme loss of benefits, low wages, and unstable jobs when they leave the welfare program causing housing to be unaffordable and forcing these families to get back on the streets. When welfare rolls are forced to drop caseloads, it actually worsens the situation rather than promoting those families to look for jobs. These people do better without jobs, living off of welfare checks rather than working at a low paying job with no benefits.
The large difference between the number of available, affordable houses and the number of people demanding them creates a catastrophe for low income recipients. “Between 1973 and 1993, 2.2 million low-rent units disappeared from the market. The units were either abandoned, converted into condominiums or expensive apartments, or became unaffordable because of cost increases. Between 1991 and 1995, median rental costs paid by low-income renters rose 21%; at the same time, the number of low-income renters increased.” (HFTH)
Other such things that impact poverty and homelessness are factors such as lack of affordable health care, domestic violence, mental illnesses, and addiction disorders. If a family is already having a hard time paying rent, a sickness or disability can directly cause homelessness. It begins with unemployment, then loss of saved money (if there is any), and concluding in eviction. Women who live in poverty usually resort to relationships to stay off the streets, even if this means being in an abusive one. “Nationally, approximately half of all women and children experiencing homelessness are fleeing domestic violence ( Zora, 1991; NCADV, 2001).” A lot of people believe that homeless people with mental illness are a direct result of the release of severely ill people from institutions. Although, many mentally ill people were released in the 50’s and 60’s, the increase in homelessness didn’t appear until the late 80’s when housing choices began to disappear. The last issue of addiction is a controversial subject. It hasn’t been defined as an actual cause of poverty, but it is definitely a repercussion. The drug and alcohol abuse rate is high among homelessness, but homelessness can’t be blamed on an addiction. The controversy is over people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol that never end up homeless, and the number of homeless people that have an addiction. Addiction can cause a rise in poverty because of the money spent on the drug, or because it causes the addict to miss out on healthy social activities such as work. “Homelessness results from a complex set of circumstances that require people to choose between food, shelter, and other basic needs.”(U.S.DHUD)
Other unexpected factors play a role in poverty and homelessness such as natural disasters and unexpected emergencies. Many normal, working class people’s lives can change in a moment. It takes any catastrophe such as floods, fires, storms, or earthquakes to destroy a family’s home. Most of these tragedies are unrecoverable. Unless the family has good insurance, just one of these could be devastating. Even those that have insurance can be left to the streets when these things happen in mass quantities. Insurance companies can’t take a blow like Katrina that drove over one million Americans out of their homes.
Some people cannot recover from sudden and surprising issues such as being laid off from a job, losing their home, injuries, and sudden illnesses. It isn’t just hard because of the money that is spent to correct these problems, but more because of the psychological difficulties it brings, and breaking of the spirit. Some people hit rock bottom, and it causes them to become homeless.
Almost 3.5 million people experience homelessness in a given year. 40% of homeless people are families with children. 41% are single males, and 14% are single females. Only 5% are minors unaccompanied by adults. Almost 49% are African American. 35% are Caucasian, while 13% are Hispanic. The smallest ethnic groups that are part of the homeless population in America are Native Americans that make up 2% and the Asian-Americans that make up the final 1%.
Statistically, the background of homeless people, usually have traumatic experiences that cause their homelessness. Veterans make up 23% of the homeless population. Physically or sexually abused individuals make up 25%. Adults who were in foster care as children make up 27% of the homeless population. 21% of homeless adults were homeless at some point during their child hood and the largest group of 54% includes those who were incarcerated at some point in their life.

Rain

Last night I laid in bed, not really able to sleep. I heard the rain drops outside my window coming from the storm and I began to think about what Wendy said about writing. She wanted us to pay attention to everything throughout the day so that you would have things to write about. I listened to the peaceful sound of the wind and the rain, and realized that if I paid close enough attention to the sounds, or the setting, or even just how I felt at that exact moment...I would have something worth writing about. See I had never thought about it like that. I also have a hard time just free writing, because I never know what topic to write on. But for some reason the rain just made me realize that I could honestly write about anything. I don't mean to sound like a nerd or anything but as I sat there listening, so many words and phrases were swirling through my head, and if it hadn't been almost three in the morning I would have gotten on this blog and actually written about how I was feeling at that exact moment. I was just excited to connect with a moment, and have words to put it on paper. It felt good.

River City Writers

Floyd Skloot. Interesting name, interesting person. I find it so odd after going to his follow up interview, that one could completely forget a question within 20 seconds of it being asked. I don't really know why, but this blows my mind. I didn't go to his book reading because I had to go listen to another speaker, but I just find it strange that he has that problem. On the other hand, one thing I really liked about him was his honestly about publishing and publication. I think that he was right by saying that you should write to publish, you should write to your fullest potential and not put a time frame on it because then you are hindering yourself from writing the best poem, book, or paper. I also thought it was really really cool that the lady that had been presenting all the writers was his daughter.

Anyway, I didn’t realize how popular the guy I was listening to this morning was until I googled him lol.

This is what some people have to say about him
"A poet of national appeal … these are poems that bear reading again and again … This is a book with a quiet heart, but one that beats with a steady pulse and the certainty of life rushing through the veins. A wide embrace of life even in its most difficult moments, The Evening Light shows us how, in the life responsibly lived, we neither escape our collective and individual memories, nor do we rest nostalgically in them."

—Carolina Quarterly

The first monday I haven't hated in a while..

So my day started off quite well. I actually got my first full night of sleep since like last thursday, so that by itself was an accomplishment. I made it to my 9:10 class, WOW. I took a history test that I was semi-unprepared for, I think I did well under the circumstances. I also actually went to my music class. If all that isn't exciting enough, as I was walking to my car the channel three news guy stopped me and Maggie and asked if he could interview us about the whole "abduction situation" this morning. Naturally I had no idea what he was talking about so I was pretttttty shocked, and slightly embarrassed. Then I continued on with my day by going home and taking a leisurely and well needed nap. After about three hours of good rest I woke up and went and hung out with Maggie. I talked to my dad a little bit, and made a pizza. I then took a shower and got ready to go listen to the Greek Speaker in the Rose Theater. She was such a good motivational speaker, and honestly held my attention the entire time I was listening. I am currently sitting at my kitchen table, on my laptop (the internet that is FINALLY working) with my three roommates.. for the first time in a while. It feels kinda good.

People, Life, and Change.

It’s funny how people change. It happens when you least expect it too. You think you know someone, then you blink and they’re a totally different person. I think it’s kind of frustrated, especially when it’s not a change for the better. But it’s happening all around us, every day, whether you see it or not. Now I’m certainly not saying change is a bad thing at all. In fact, I love change. It spices my life up a little bit. But it’s just when people who you are close to change, and although you and that person are fine, they somehow leave you behind after the change. Nothing is more frustrating to me than a broken friendship that cannot be fixed, simply because there is nothing to be fixed! My best friend all throughout high school and I don’t speak very often anymore and some times it really gets me down. We haven’t had any fights or anything things just changed. I guess the fact that she is still in high school and I am in college has put a gap between us, but I still put forth an effort. Somehow she evolved into this person that I can’t even begin to understand. On a lighter note, I gained an even closer friend, Maggie. By losing close ties with Kristina, Maggie and I were able to develop our special friendship. We are the truest definition of “best friends”. We spend so much time together I think we are beginning to resemble each other.. haha. But seriously, sometimes I get down, but then I gotta remind myself how luck I am, and to just take the good and leave the bad…

I guess that is just a life lesson that everyone learns at some point.

295

SPRING BREAK

The drive to Panama City was one of the longest car rides I’ve ever been on. Close to six thirty, as we drove along the highway, we saw a wrecked red explorer upside down. There were four cop cars and four girls standing on the highway. I immediately felt a pang in my heart because I knew that those four girls were some of my very best friends. I scream for us to pull over and sure enough as I go running up to the scene, I realize they are some of my sorority sisters. I guess the lord works in a strange way. It’s incredible to take into account that everything we did, leading up to this moment had an affect. What if I slept an extra hour or two that foggy morning? There would have been no one there to comfort them during such a traumatic situation. After many hours in the hospital, and a few thousand tears later we were back on the road to the beach! I thought I needed this vacation before the wreck but now I did more than ever! Because of the girls’ wreck we drove slowly and cautiously all the way to Front Beach Boulevard. Once we actually made it there, the first thing I wanted was glass of wine. A few glasses and a pair of heels later I found myself on the dance floor of the Tiki Bar having the time of my life with my girls. The rest of the week was full of fun days on the beach with people I will never forget. I learned so many things about people I thought I already knew everything about. I’m sure alcohol played a big role in the honesty amongst us, but whatever it was only drew us closer. Believe it or not, I remember every single night in Panama, and I can honestly say I will cherish them for all my life.

PANHANDLING 2

few topics does it explain why you should help charities. A good argument is always two sided and this one is not.
If I thought this article was honestly promoting charities, I would have written this analysis from a totally different standpoint. American values are so twisted it is unreal. Something that appears to be promoting charities is really all about promoting business and benefiting someone other than the needy.
In a different light, part of the problem with panhandling has a lot to do with Americas corrupt values. When you give a couple bucks to person downtown, you know good and well he isn’t about to buy a number one at McDonalds. You know that he is going to take that money straight to the corner store and most likely buy a forty of beer. Why would anyone knowingly do that, when there are so many charities that would make better use of the donation? I think it is because Americans are so skeptical of charities, that they would rather enable those self-destructive behaviors instead of giving money to a rip off charity. Don’t get me wrong, there are many good charities, but for as many good charities as are out there, there are probably 2 fake ones. This speaks volumes about our values. For Americans to distrust something like a charity, which originally was meant only to benefit those in need and no one else at all, shows that we have begun to be such a low and disrespected country.
If someone gives money to a panhandler over a charity, it probably has something to do with the level of laziness in America. People are too busy to go find a legitimate charity that would represent their beliefs, so they would rather give their spare change to the man on the corner everyday on the way home from work.
The author writes to a one sided audience. He intended for the reader to agree that panhandling is wrong and that charities are a more noble cause. No matter what devices could’ve been used, the author just assumes that he has you on his side from the get go. The message behind this whole article is shady, and very misleading. The only thing it states is this “Partners for the Homeless and the Center City Commission recommend not giving money to panhandlers. A better way to help is to donate to charities and organizations with outreach programs that truly help the homeless and needy.” Well of course the Partners for the Homeless is going to recommend you not give to anyone except themselves. There is a motive, a driving cause behind every “good and noble” thing you read, just make sure your eyes are open enough to see it.

PANHANDLING

Say NO To Panhandling

“Panhandling is a challenging issue faced by cities of all sizes, and one that affects Memphis as well. The experience of numerous professionals and service agencies find that money given to panhandlers often only enables self-destructive behaviors like alcoholism and drug addiction. One former panhandler and addict has even stated, ‘Giving money to a panhandler is like giving a gun to someone who is suicidal.’”

“Say NO to panhandling. Say yes to charities that help the homeless and needy.” My artifact immediately sends out a message asserting that donating to charities is a better option than giving money to panhandlers. At the very top of the article there is a huge picture of an outstretched hand with change in the palm that is crossed out. Then there is a bubble that says “handouts do not help the needy.” Not only does the picture grab your eye’s attention because of the mere size, but certainly because of the bright colors of purple and yellow. Once you look at the picture, you will realize that the word “NO” is very bold, and a separate color from the other words in the statement. They do this so that you connect the words “no” and “panhandling”. Immediately, without reading the article, you realize that the author is against it. That device is intended to persuade the reader that panhandling is wrong from the beginning, so that as the reader reads throughout the article, he or she will have a standpoint from the start. The picture itself claims that giving money to panhandlers is a problem, and that giving money to charities is the answer.
Before you take a side, you have to ask yourself, “What is the motive behind this?” When you begin to examine the possible benefits that a charity would get, rather than a panhandler you will see where the propaganda comes into play. If you donate to a charity, you are helping them promote their name and company. Not all charities are non-profit organizations. Someone, somewhere is getting paid. This ad is put on by Definitely Downtown, and I believe they want people to stop giving to panhandlers in downtown Memphis so that the local panhandlers will stop corrupting business and driving away potential customers.
This article wants you to think that it is simply promoting charities, when in all reality it is doing so much more. The article is trying to clean up panhandling downtown, from a business standpoint. One way you know that this article is about a business issue and not about promoting charities is that there are no specific charities that the article encourages. If the article was really saying, “Hey donate to legitimate charities” then there would have been several options of charities that need donations that supported this ad. It is in our American culture to mislead people in order to get ahead. This article says a lot about how things are handled in Memphis. The article outlines the main questions one would want to know and gives no intricate detail. It explains what panhandling is, why to say no, what you should do if you are approached for money, how it is legal and illegal, and what you can do to help those truly in need. Nowhere in those

Painting

"I am called from another world. I try to live perfect. I built this park of broken pieces to try and mend a broken world of people who are traveling their last road. I took the pieces you threw away and put them together by night and day. Washed by rain, dried by sun, a million pieces all in one."


-Rev. Howard Finister- quote is taken from one of his many paintings.



This quote is so touching. It says so many different things to me. The overall message is that you cannot be perfect, but if you take the peices of other peoples broken lives, use them, learn from them, and then shape them into who you plan to be, then you can truely live. I think that it is also saying that some things take time, and nurturing in order to reach their full potential. Sometimes i feel like i've been "washed by rain, dried by sun, a million pieces all in one."

Just because things aren't perfect, there is no reason to let that get you down. There are so many positive things that you can learn from and use to benefit you, rather than tear you down.

202

its monday, AGAIN.

Today was, once again, a typical monday for me. Maggie and I stayed up until at least 3 A.M. doing homework and what not .. and yes, we got up and went to our nine o clock class. Shocking, I know. School went fine today. We had an in class critical writing assignment for history that was kind of obnoxious but that is about it. Then we had to come home and take an online test for music class, but for some reason our stupid ass COMCAST internet wouldn't connect. So we packed up our stuff and decided to go out to my dads house to take the test. On the way to my dads we stopped at this really fun store and bought some cute windbreakers with our greek letters on it!!! The last thing I needed to do was spend more money. With my Panama trip coming up, I have spent a whole lot of money and it is getting kind of obnoxious. So we get to my dads, and we made some really good chicken alfredo pasta. Then we decided to get online and search for Rascal Flatts concert tickets. Suprisingly we found some reallly really good seats at a decent price so we bought them. I was super sad about this whole me going out of town for spring break because Mags isn't going.. and I am going to be gone THE WHOLE TRIP so we weren't going to get to do anything fun together. So friday is our day now, we will get all dressed up and go to hear one of our favorite bands play!! WHOOO HOOO. I am actually really excited about that. Then we took our music test, which I looked up all the answers to and somehow still missed one question when Maggie didn't look up the answers and got them all right... frustrating.. I know!!!! Then we decided to tan, and watch a hilarius video. We then headed off to the PHI MU sketti dinner where we saw my girl JEN. hahaha love it!
now I am wasting my life away in the library.. studying.. and wishing I was asleep.. or AT RASCAL FLATTS/BEACH.

myself.

I am living a pretty good life. I do what I want, almost all the time. I live with my bestfriend, Maggie, which is ballin. Mostly cause we're really pretty, and have a lots of friends. We are actually the coolest people you'll ever meet. I am just kidding on that statement. We have so much fun everyday. We have all our classes together, so we wake up, drink some slimfast and get to class.. about ten minutes late usually, due to Maggie. We then come home to our house that is sparkling clean almost all the time, contrary to popular beleif. It has it's days that it gets a little messy but that is just because sometimes we don't have time to keep the living room spotless and what not. But mostly our rooms are all cute, and pretty and clean.. ALL THE TIME. Mine is teal, black, and white. I think it looks pretty cool. Brooxies is brown, and baby blue. Hers is very pretty as well. Maggies room is salmon/coral with no real theme besides tropical. But it definately fits her personality. I like it a lot, in fact I'm in her room right now. ANYWAY so I'm mostly writing all this pointless stuff because I don't feel good and I had one last blog. So half this stuff, lets just not take seriously.. K thanks? so, about my life... I am in Kappa Delta, and I absolutely love every second of it. Mostly all I do with my life, is hang out with Maggie, and be happy. I am absolutely pumped that Maggie is now single and fabulous and ready to go out and have a good time with me. I always hated that when she was with kyle, we couldn't really go out!! So we went out last night, ON A SCHOOL NIGHT, had a ballin ass time with the sigma chi boys and stayed out till like 4 and then even made it to class this mornin. It was pretty cool

step UP 2.

So Maggie and I went to see the new movie step up 2. It was soooo good. I cannot explain to you how much I liked that movie. I like to dance, so I mean I guess that is a big part of why I liked it, but there was also a reallllllly realllllly hot guy in it J. I’m just playin that is not the only reason why I liked it. It was a good movie because the main character in it was not afraid to be who she was on and off the streets. It is an inspiration to know that there are people out there that use their talents for good things. No matter what life threw her way, she always could find a way to turn it into something worth fighting for, and not giving up on. That is a good quality to have..kinda like the old adage, “ look at the glass half full, rather than half empty.” Nothing in life goes quite as planned but that is never a reason to stop living the life you were given. Even if the people in your life walk out on you, it is not the end of the world. There are so many people out there that will support you, even when you think all hope is lost.
222

no name.

So today was my grandfathers birthday. If my grandmother, his wife, was alive it would have been hers too. How weird is that, that they would have the same birth DAY and YEAR. I think it’s fate. I believe in that kind of stuff ya know? True love, miracles, the whole nine yards. I missed my grandmother a whole lot today. She died when I was in fifth grade, but I loved her with all my heart. It seems like a different life, the one that I had her in. But today was just one of those days where you sit there and you can’t get someone out of your mind. In fact, I have been doing that a lot lately. I will catch myself thinking and missing important people from my past. I guess it’s good to relive the memories.. but sometimes I wish they’d stay untouched. No memories come without pain, and when you can’t bring someone back, reminiscing can sometimes bring even more heartache. I have weird days where I stay sad, for no particular reason. Not depressed, just sad.. like as if I wanted the whole day to go a different way. That is basically the kind of day that today was.. but like I said in my last post, this whole week has been prettttty lame-o. And for those who read my last post as well, my nails are driving me insane.. still.
238

word choice

Here is an excerpt from an essay I wrote last semester. The part I am sharing is about word choice, and how an author can use it.
The way any author places words in a sentence is vital to the total structure. Lorde’s unique choice of words creates a defined image in one’s head. For an example, “There were little violently yellow iced cakes with scalloped edges called ‘marigolds’”(567). All the reader can see is a little square, bright yellow cake, which immediately triggers a small craving for something sweet. These words she uses to describe the marigold cake make the first connection between the young girl and the reader. It gives one a sense of belonging, as if the reader is on the train going to Washington, D.C. as well. The author also uses diction to disguise the theme, by hinting at the fact that the family is black through her word choice. This quote is in the fourth paragraph of Lorde’s essay, “’marigolds,’ that came from Cushman’s Bakery”(567). If one previously knew the meaning of the word “cush”, which is black or burnt, the reader would realize when the author says “Cushman’s Bakery” (567) she is referring to the fact that the is family coming from a predominately black neighborhood. Once this is established one would realize that the family, too, is black. Lorde’s word choice works in her essay because it gives the reader a chance to stay tuned to the story, because it’s unpredictable and slightly misleading.
251

anger

I don’t give a shit if this stupid blog is gonna turn into two hundred words because I am so angry right now.. I am exhausted, and totally ready to be asleep. Out of sight, out of mind. But I thought to myself, self, you should write a blog since you haven’t written any this week and I know I’ll be annoyed if I have to do them all at once. So I set out to write a blog, and it was a pretty good one too.. on the concept of colors and how we actually see reflected light and what not.. I was so close to the end, and I was going to highlight something, and somehow my jack ass computer high lighted the entire blog, EXCEPT THE FIRST WORD, and then continued to delete my entire post. This is just not my week. This whole week has been some crap. I’ve been ready for it to have been over since Monday.. that is pretty sad isn’t it? I am also slightly annoyed at my finger nails, because its time for them to be re done, and they are too long so it is making it feel really odd and uncomfortable to type.. that is probably half the problem.
210

Part 2

One of America’s biggest issues is its’ citizens voting out of guilt rather than obligation. There is a more noble reason to vote, outside of being pressured. Yes, it is your civil duty to vote and to make an informed decision about who you elect to put in office. If you aren’t going to take the time to research and vote for someone that you agree with from most standpoints, then there is no reason for your voice in the election anyway. Elections should be based only on those who feel the need to vote without any influence. The vote is yours, no one else’s. Being forced to vote takes the freedom out of the whole think anyway.
Not everyone that chooses not to vote does it out of laziness. Some people don’t vote because there isn’t a candidate that they would like in office. That is a legitimate reason to withhold from voting. No one should be ridiculed for choosing not to vote when they don’t support any of the candidates. It is a hell of a lot better than voting just to say you did and then complaining about the person that gets the office. Voting is a choice, and a privilege; something to be taken very seriously. It is the highest form of freedom, to be able to freely choose who governs you.
It is your civil responsibility as a citizen to make an informed vote, not to just vote. It does us no good to have those types of voters in the box office. They do nothing but tear away from the idea of “government, chosen by the people.” They turn the saying more into “government, chosen by the idiots.”

Get the Vote Essay Part One

The first thing the article triggered in my mind was back to my U.S History Class in high school. I had a professor that was also a college professor. He started off the first day by telling us how he treats his college students. Supposedly he teaches in a large auditorium and on the first day of their classes, once everyone is seated he asks the students to raise their hands if they voted. All the students that voted he makes them sit on one side of the auditorium, and those who didn’t on the opposite side. He in turn only teaches to the side that did vote for the first month of the course. He said he had no obligation to those who had no obligation to our country. Frankly, I think it just pissed him off. He was kind of a firecracker if you know what I mean. But as I read this article I kept thinking the same things I thought that first day in his class, do we really HAVE to vote?
My opinion is that no, we do not have to vote. I think that it would be better to not vote, rather than to make an uniformed decision on something that you have no idea about. There is no point in going to cast a ballot if you know nothing about the different candidates. I mean how would you decide? By the length of their names, as suggested in the article? I would have no idea how to pick one.
I think that it is everyone’s duty to make a decision based on their morals, values, and beliefs upon who they want in office. Not just for the big elections, but all the way down to the small ones. There is no patriotism in voting, unless you are doing it to better our country. If your choice was not premeditated then, there should be no pride in your choice or your country.
Think about Bush, the President. Did you vote for him? If so, was it well researched and backed with reason. If not, what was your reasoning?
So many people today complain about the president and how horrible he is. But all those who voted for him can just shut the fuck up. Half of them voted for him for no reason. Hell, they probably voted for him because his dad was a president. That sounds like a fair reason right? No, that is a lame excuse to put off your civil responsibility to our country. I am so annoyed with people that trash talk Bush, when they are half the reason he is in office. I bet that he won because of all the last minute voters who had no idea who to pick and just recognized the name.
It is your civil responsibility as a citizen to make an informed vote, not to just vote. It does us no good to have those types of voters in the box office. They do nothing but tear away from the idea of government, chosen by the people. They turn that in more in to government, chosen by the idiots.

527

continuation..

I also get kinda frustrated because of some of my friends... they are being wierd.
I skipped my senior year of highschool, so alot of my friends that I grew up with are finishing up their senior year. We have all remained friends and what not, and we still are. But for some reason they all think that me being in college and moving away from Bartlett has made me a tad bit inconvenient. I HATE THAT. I beleive that a friendship is about what you put into it and not about convenience. It makes me so mad when they all sketch out on me for the weekend because they don't want to drive 10 miles to come over or what not, UNLESS they want a place to drink and stay. I know they don't use me and we all still love each other... but I really don't hear from them as often as I used to and I'm not putting out AS much effort as I used to because I realized I was pretty much the only one doing it!! I mean a phone rings both ways doesn't it?

It's not actually all of them that get me so frustrated, it's one girl in particular. In fact it's the one I cared about the most. She just thinks that I'm too far out of the way to make a priority in life, and honestly that sucks.

People can be really inconsiderate and selfish.. but oh well.. my life goes on.

I AM SO FRUSTRATED with school, because I am trying MUCH harder than I was last semester to make good grades, I mean I made all A's and B's last semester but this time I wanted to make straight A's.

I have been trying really hard in my math class, coming to class, taking notes, listening, doing the homework, and asking questions. We took our first test last week and guess what I got?

A effing 56. And he is not giving any extra credit and the only grades we will have all semester is 3 tests and a final..
so straight A's are shot to hell probably.

I HATE THIS

hmm.. life

Has anyone besides me ever gotten to a point in your life when you feel like everything is frustrating.

Well that's where I am right now. Everyday when I wake up, I get frustrated about SOMETHING.

I have made a lot of big decisions in the past few months, and now I'm wondering about them, and the affect they have on me. I broke up with the boyfriend in September, that my friend was a smart move. I have been single, and loving it since then.. until now. I don't know why but all the sudden I feel like all the good moments in life, aren't as good as they could be because I don't really have a special person to share them with. So mostly I tell all my exciting information to Maggie. Which isn't a bad thing, in fact I appreciate her alot.. :) I'd be totally lost without her.. but at the same time, it's time for someone (a boy) to come along. I have talked on and off to different guys but none of them have really interested me. and that is frustrating. It's also hard because all three girls that I live with have serious boyfriends, and I'm the one living the fabulous single life, and I guess sometimes that gets to me.

Another problem in my life, is with my family.
I moved out to be closer to campus and all, and trust me I LOVE IT. But I never get to see my dad anymore, and we aren't as close and I don't really like that.. same with my brother. I see my mom on a regular basis, but things are just kinda crazy with my family and sometimes I really miss my dad and brother more than I let on. It sucks..

typical monday..

I'm wondering if there is any such thing as a "good monday"... I was under the impression that our movie reviews were due on tuesday so I stayed up until 3 in the mornin watching coach carter... I had no idea how long that movie was until I watched it last night, obviously. Then for some unknown reason I slept like shit. Then around 5 or 6 when I couldn't sleep any more, I got up and took care of my dog and just laid around in bed until 8 ish. I had every intention to go to my 9:10 class that I CAN NOT MAKE MYSELF GO TO, but sure enough i fell asleep untill like 9:50, so that class was shot to hell. Then I was excited to go look at the FROSH camp counselor list in wilder tower. But when I got there I was kinda bummed out to know that none of the freshman girls got it.. so I went on to my other two classes thinking it was gonna be a pretty lame day. Maggie and I came home and were just chillin until she mentioned getting a tattoo. I used my creativity to draw up a few sketches of what she could get and after much deliberation we headed off to the tattoo parlor. We went to the first place, and it was closed, and then the place we got it done TOOK forever. Maggie took the pain like a champ, and has a beautiful tattoo created by me :) which I'm kinda partial too.. obviously. Now we just got back from the dollar tree and we have to get ready for the Sigma Kappa chili cook off.. which should be fun, but I'm so exhausted that I'm not too thrilled.. haha and I need to go work out tonight too.. anyway thats the update for the day!!

No Child Left Behind..

This is a part of an essay that I wrote last semester on "NCLB", It has some good information so I figured I would do those of you who are doing school assesment a favor and post it on here :)

No Child Left Behind was created with one specific goal in mind, “to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments and to close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice, so that no child is left behind” (TDOE 4). Some of the governing principles and goals considered when constructing the NCLB program were increasing morale by rewarding good progress and penalizing failure, increasing flexibility for schools, developing quality teachers, creating higher literacy scores by promoting reading, informing parents of their children’s progress, giving the parents and students choices, improving the English proficiency level of students lacking thereof, and focusing on successful methods of teaching. The goals include having all students proficient in reading and math by the 2013-2014 school year, starting with the 2013-2014 class, all students will enter into the fourth grade proficient in reading, all students will be proficient in English, all teachers will meet all requirements for teaching by the 2005-2006 school year, all schools will be a safe, drug free, learning atmosphere, and all students will graduate from high school (TDOE 4).

Today..

So today was a horrible day for me. I went to the Memphis game and bowling last night, and came home in time to get a good nights rest, but my labrador was really sick and kept me up pretty much all night. This is something I wasn't exactly thrilled about. I got up this morning before class and took her to the vet and all that jazz. I had to swing back by the house and get Maggie to go to class. We were late, of course. lol But it wasn't out of laziness or anything, my sick dog is a legit reason to be late to class. She is my child. So school today was a DRAG. I could not wait to get home.. or so I thought. Maggie and I went to grab a bite to eat from quiznos subs ( which was emaculate, by the way) and then we picked up Lexi from the vet. It cost me 100 dollars in meds for her and I was so mad. I called my dad, and we kinda had a small falling out, and then my Mom was being frustrating too. Maggie and I went and cleaned the Harbor Town House for the last time, THANK the lord. The only thing I'll miss about that is the money we were making, which I need all that I can get. Then we came home and cleaned our own house. It smells so good, haha I love it.

One Tree Hill..

So I am absolutely obsessed with this show called One Tree Hill. I live for tuesday nights when it comes on... I know, I know, I'm a nerd. But I honestly love it, I can relate to almost everything in that show. I don't exactly know why I am in a quoting mood but tonight I am.

I was watching an episode from a previous season the other night and when I heard the character, Peyton Sawyer, say this, it kind of stuck in my mind...

"I spend a lot time being miserable, its like misery is an old friend, and it tricks you sometimes, into thinkin' that its just always gonna be there. That you can't be happy, but you can... you can walk away from pain... and i think bein' in love is the best way to do it"-peyton sawyer

I know it's something a character said, but it is still good advice. Coming from someone who has some experience in the misery department I completely agree that finding someone that makes you happy is the best way to get past that...

I hate depending on people, but honestly finding someone to be with is the most exhilarating thing in life. I definately don't think anyone should miss out on that experience!!

quote.

So for the past few months I've been dealing with an ex boyfriend and what to do about a guy that I used to be in love with and dated for 2 years. He still likes me but it will never be the same so I don't even entertain the idea of us being together. I read this quote.. and I don't really know who said it, but it just really touched me and I wanted to share it ;)

"After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul, and you learn that love doesn't mean leaning and company doesn't mean security, and you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't promises, and you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes open, with the grace of an adult, not the grief of a child, and you learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans. After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much. So plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers."
-anonymous

that line.. "even sunshine burns if you get too much" just proves what I was thinking.. even too much of a good thing can be bad..

gah I love that.

Superbowl...

I guess today was kinda the same as all my past few days.. I woke up this morning and didn’t really feel like going to my 9:10 class, I almost let Maggie convince me not to go, but I stood up to peer pressure. Lol After that class I went to history, and then took our first music test thing at home.. it was kind of obnoxious because I only had 50 minutes to take the test and our internet was going in and out and I was getting rather frustrated. After that Maggie and I cleaned AGAIN for six hours.. then worked out!! We are doing so good with our working out skills. Dedication is key. ;] Last night was the super bowl and let me just say I was so SAD that the patriots lost. I spent 30 dollars on crafty stuff to make a shirt, and then they lost. I watched the game at the Sigma Chi house and I had SO much fun. A lot of my Kappa Delta sisters were there and we all kicked back, listened to music, danced a little and got dates to FORMAL. Wohooo. I am so excited about spring break. It’s so close and I’m getting so pumped, we are all going to panama city and its gonna be an unforgettable experience. That’s all for today…

last minute blogg!!

So today was pretty packed, I had to wake up and go take that history test that I was really really really really really nervous about!!! I think it went pretty good, but I guess I will never know until I get my paper back. SCARYYY. I better have passed because I stayed up until 1:30 AM studying. After class I went to Harbor Town to clean.. AGAIN for six hours.. Then Maggie and I went to get our nails done, which took so long for some reason. It was so annoying, but my nails are pretty so that is all that matters. After that we went to eat at this really good Chinese buffet and had so much sushi. The thing is though they charge you a dollar for every sushi roll you don’t eat.. lol so Maggie stuffed 7 rolls in a sock that was in her purse so we wouldn’t have to pay. We were trying to be so secretive so the Chinese waitresses wouldn’t find out.. but I think they suspected us. Oh well.. well I got home and forgot I had one last blog so I’m just now done getting ready to go out with one of my Kappa Delta Sorority sisters to Jacob Wingfields birthday party. It should be pretty fun.

Puppies..

Well I never thought about something like this before, but last night the roomies and I were sitting in the living room admiring all the beautiful dogs of the house ;) and we started talking about rescue centers. Maggie rescued her dog from a kill shelter, and I've always known what these are.. but never really thought about it. It is so horrible that shelters have to put a time span on how long a puppy has to get adopted before it gets killed. I'm not like a hard core animal activist or anything, but I do have a heart and a dog of my own. There has to be another way, than just to take the puppies life because it wasn't adopted fast enough. It also makes me so sad that dogs are tossed into dumpsters out side of shelters and left in boxes with not a second thought. I honestly can't process that in my mind. ahhh sorry, but that was just a small rant that I wanted to let out.

So I’m currently looking at this half bakered blog, and I’m trying to find some thing to write about.. and it’s kinda strange. It is mostly photos of some guy and his living room and his tabby cat. I mean that’s cool I guess, but I was expecting something a little different I guess. What in the world by the way is half bakered?? If you find out, let me know? Anyway I hope that everyone has a good weekend and what not. This is my blog for today.. kinda boring.. kinda not.

Hilary? Women President?

Well to jumpstart ideas for this blog I went to the Memphis site and clicked of LeftWingCracker.. Mostly because it had an interesting name. For the second time this week I am absolutely exhausted so most of the blogs aren't appealing. I am so overwhelmed with school.. I am working on that paper, plus my first two tests are Thursday and Friday and that makes me incredibly nervous. I hate that Wendy is making us write about the issues in Memphis blogs this week because I really haven't had the extra time to thoroughly read these blogs. But while I was on the LWC, a blog about Hilary and Women being presidents sparked my attention, shockingly. It talks about this guy over hearing two women discussing how Hilary isn't going to win because she is a woman. They thought that because the bible says a man should lead the country, and that all religious Bible following people will not vote for her, even if it means voting Republican. I personally don't have my mind made up on who I would vote for. I mean I just can't rush that decision, it's my first vote. I would like to see a woman go be president, that would be so badass.. but just not Hilary. I am a Christian and I would still vote for a woman, so those women in the blog aren't entirely correct.

filthy strip clubs?

So since we are now supposed to write about the Memphis blogs, I got on it tonight to read a couple. Most of them were sort of boring to me, mostly because I took a tylenol PM to help me go to bed about an hour ago. I think that is really starting to kick in. Anyway I was reading the blog "Bring Back Whitehaven" and I scrolled down to the article about strip clubs and found some interesting topics of debate. I had no idea that next month the Shelby County Commission is going to discuss ending the sale and consumption of alcohol inside these nasty clubs. They seem to think if they limit the sale of alcohol that these business owners wouldn't be able to operate. This is something that I am against. I am certainly not pro-strip club life, but by limiting their means of income, I think the county would be violating their rights as U. S Citizens. They should not be forced out of having such a business. That is a moral issue, and since we all have our own morals, that is something that should be left up to the individual. If one individual wants to engage in that activity, then it should be available. If you don’t like it, don’t go and just go one with your daily activities. Now one point that they brought up that I really agreed on is having some type of certification. A kind of certification that involves an annual criminal background checks so that strippers can no longer be prostitutes or people that have been convicted of any other serious crime. The certification would go for the club owners as well to keep any citizens convicted of a crime out of the business. To me, this is a very smart decision. I think it would reduce a lot of drug related crimes and illegal activities at strip clubs.. don’t you?

the MONDAY.

I HATE MONDAYS. But once again, after such a long day I’m feeling rather un-inspired. I have things to say and to write about but honestly, I don’t want to right now. I’ve been up and going all day. I started working with my best friend Maggie on a big project for my granddaddy. It’s probably going to take us all this week and next to complete. But I guess that’s okay, because he’s paying us each fifteen dollars an hour. BALLIN. J On top of that I have my first two tests of the semester this week and that is definitely not something I am looking forward to. I promised myself that I was going to make this semester count and make sure I complete everything ahead of time instead of procrastinating, but my busy life keeps getting in the way. I have so much going on right now it’s crazy. I have sorority, school, life, work, weekends and sleeping. But today was fun!! Maggie and I went downtown to Harbor Town and ate at Ms. Cordelia’s sandwich shop, and then we went to work at the office. Once we got finished around six o’clock, my grandpa’s girlfriend made us some kickass chicken enchilada’s that I was pretty excited about!! Well now I’m pretty much finished, and Maggie and I are going to go work out at the Hyper.. Yay!!!!

ACAD and Ambulances.. ???

So this morning was rather interesting. I woke up early to go let the dogs I’ve been dog sitting out before going to my 9:10 class. It’s normally hard for me to get up anyway, so going and taking care of these dogs every morning has really been wearing me down. I’m so glad tomorrow is the last day!! But I get to my ACAD class and everything was pretty normal. We have the sweetest old lady professor, Dr. Hawes. We met in the computer lab today, and when I went up to talk to her she had collapsed and wasn’t responding much. I yelled for Maggie to call 911. Dr. Hawes was acting super strange, and when I lifted her up from the wall, she was dead weight. At that point my heart began to beat rapidly, I wasn’t even sure if she was breathing. I felt this intense fear crawl over my body. I put my hand over my mouth and she was breathing so that was a good sign. Finally the police came and Maggie and I explained what happened. Shortly after the police, the paramedics came and of course asked us again what happened. She was still acting very weak, and they said she might have had a stroke. Dr. Hawes was placed on a stretcher and wheeled out of J M Smith Computer lab into an ambulance. Hopefully she will be okay. I’m just glad I could be of help. I keep thinking about her, hoping she is okay. Maggie and I plan to visit her this afternoon if she is still in the hospital. So if you pray, keep her in your prayers. It’s not everyday that your teacher has to get rushed away to the hospital, so I must say this Friday was quite the Friday.

15 Minute In Class Writing..

I chose the poverty/homelessness issue because it is an issue that blows my mind. Also I chose it because no one else in the class chose it, and I think it is an issue that definitely needs to be addressed. It blows my mind that there are so many homeless people out there and instead of finding a solution to this problem the government is enabling them to continue in that lifestyle. They even give panhandlers licenses to do what they do. There also is the issue about MHA and THDA. The government uses the tax payer’s dollar to help poverty stricken families pay their rent. The problem with this is, some of these people still can't or won't pay their smaller portion of the rent, which directly affects the landlords. This is something I have seen first hand. I'm convinced that it is not because they can't afford it, but because they don't manage their money wisely. My grandfather owns about 200 homes in Memphis that are occupied by section 8 recipients. It is hell every month trying to get these people to pay. I work for him and do a lot of his office work and there hasn't been one month this entire year that all his tenants have paid. What is so ridiculous is some of these people's rent is 20 dollars or less. It doesn't make sense that they wouldn't be grateful for what they are being given and step up and do their part. Those are my ideas from today in class..

today.

So when I first heard that we had to write 750 words 5 times a week I thought that was so much work. But when I sat down yesterday and began to blog, the words just kept coming and before I knew it I had passed the required 750 words by almost a hundred. When I received the email saying that we only had to write 200 words a day, I was actually a little bummed. So sometimes when I have things to say, I will probably write a bit more than 200, but not today. I have to go babysit this foster child in about 20 minutes, and I’m not really excited about it today because I don’t feel very well. After I finish babysitting Jonathan, then I have to go take care of the dogs that I have been dog sitting all week. Then I have to go work on my fitness with Maggie. Haha. I have a lot of stuff today that I need to be doing, but I was so tired when I got out of class that I went straight to sleep and I just finally got up. Anyway sorry to disappoint anyone who was going to read the next part of my story. I will most likely continue tomorrow. I just didn’t want to continue to today, while I’m feeling rather un-inspired. Okay, see you guys in class tomorrow!!

The beginning..

Hmm… where to start?
I guess I will back track a little bit into the past and open my world up a little bit so that when I begin to blog about my daily activities you will kind of have an idea where I’ve been.

I’ll start a few years back, the summer before junior year. I had recently begun dating this guy I liked my sophomore year that April. I really really liked him, and we were quite the pair. I never had any intentions to let that interfere with my friendship with my best friend at the time, Katie, but somehow it did. The situation is rather complicated and it was nothing that I really did wrong, but somehow she began to resent mine and Taylor’s relationship. I think it was partly out of jealousy, but mostly for attention. To my surprise, right before we started back to school that fall Katie decided that she wasn’t speaking to me anymore. Naturally I was upset, because Katie had been my best friend since the fifth grade. We had many little fights in the past, and they always blew over so I had no reason to believe that this one would not. But the Lord works in a strange way. When school started she still wouldn’t speak to me and so finally I decided to accept it. We had a lot of great memories from growing up, and despite the fact that we weren’t friends, I still respected them. She however did not. She began to tell some of my friends some personal things about my family that I had been hiding. Its not that I was embarrassed about my families shortcomings, but it was just a private matter that I was not emotionally ready to unleash. It was something that I should’ve been able to share with my world, when I was ready. But unfortunately, I was robbed of that opportunity. I was so frustrated with my life at that time, and I began to shut everyone out. It seemed no matter how bad I tried to let it go, it just kept coming back. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty damn fearless, but this girl ripped something in the core of my soul out. I had classes with her, but I got up every morning with a smile and embraced the life I had been given. After a few weeks of dealing with the situation I was in, and lots of long, tearful conversations with my dad, (who I adore), I made the decision to drop out of Bartlett High School. I say drop out like it’s a bad thing, but it wasn’t. I withdrew the last day of first semester of my junior year, and enrolled in a private school where I studied double time. I completed the second half of my junior year and my entire senior year in the spring semester of 2007. What I once thought was the worst thing that had ever happened to me, was the one thing that enabled me to excel. I used my pain to drive me to become a better person. Not a lot of people can say they completed a year and a half of high school in one small semester, but I can, and I’m pretty proud of it. I graduated in May of 2007 and my parents couldn’t have been more proud. I thought I would miss my friends from high school and I thought we would lose touch, but it was the exact opposite. The real ones stuck the summer out with me, which by the way was the best summer of my life, so far. I made and kept so many great friendships and had too many fun nights to count. I would be lost without my friends from high school. Although they are still seniors and I have moved on to college, we are still the best of friends, and something so small as where we go to school can’t stop us from being “the girls”. I have never laughed so much, drank so much, and yet still managed to keep my life together. I still had my boyfriend Taylor, who I was beginning to grow further and further apart from. I could’ve stopped it, but some how I didn’t want to. Its funny how love works, because I honestly loved him, with ALL my heart. I just felt like things weren’t the same and that we weren’t the same people we fell in love with. Instead of causing a big scene I just let the relationship run its course. Finally when it just couldn’t go on any longer, I broke up with him after two long years of love, fights, and precious memories. Surprisingly, this is a decision that I do not regret.

Well I’ve exceeded the 750 words already, what a shock? So I’m gonna stop for today and will continue the blast from the past tomorrow. Hope you enjoy reading this.