The End

With everything in life there comes and end.  My part as and English student is coming to a close, as well as my blog site.
Taking English 1117 has not only taught me how to write better, but how to research a subject for a paper to make it better and stronger.  I have also learned how to start my own blog site!!  I was very skeptical at first, as I am with anything new, but found it to be a great place to just jot down whatever I'm thinking or feeling.
I have really enjoyed my time in this course.  It was great to meet new people and to participate in peer reviews and it really helped to have a great instructor as well.  What I really enjoyed, being type A and all, was how structured the class was.  We knew what to expect and what was expected of us.  There was plenty of time to get things done and if there were any questions, Nikka was great at responding right away.  Without having such a great leader, I do not think this class would have been as great as it was. 
I look forward to taking what I have learned from this class and using it for my future classes.  I have been informed there are many papers in the Nursing program, so this was one class that was a great stepping stone for me.
Good luck to everyone with their future endeavors!

A Modest Proposal

After reading some of Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal I can say in this day in age we have some issues that could be considered as well.  One of the major issues that could become a subject of modest proposal is the health care system.  I believe is should be offered to everyone and like car insurance, everyone should have it.  I understand there is an issue with the cost of medicine and surgeries as well as doctor visits etc.   Why not make it free to everyone and then you make a little less money a year. 
Another issue is the lack of jobs which in turn causes people to become poor and lose their homes, so now they are not only poor, but homeless and in turn hungry. 
Basically what I believe it boils down to is what is important to someone.  People complain about how they don't have money for health insurance, yet these same people are out buying the new Droid phone or those Silver jeans that cost almost $100.00.  It's about priorities.  Families who are on welfare yet drive a nice car, have grills, or gold plated teeth or their children can be seen playing with the Nintendo DS.  White, Black, Mexican, English, Jewish, American. It doesn't matter your race or ethnic background.  It's about priorities plane and simple.  The priorities of this country are a mess and in turn the people become a mess.  It won't be fixed today or in my lifetime, but hopefully it will be better for my children's sake.

What are you thankful for?

Every year around this time people are asked what they are thankful for?  I am thankful for my health and for the health of my family and friends. 

I am thankful I wake up each morning.  I am thankful to be able to watch my children grow, learn and experience life.

I am thankful that I am able to go back to school with the love, and support of my husband and family.

I am thankful my daughter had a brain tumor because it has made me see how fragile life is and how quickly it can all be taken away.  It has brought my husband and I closer with more respect and love for each other and our family. 

Not a day goes by that I am not thankful for something.  I don't wait until Thanksgiving to be thankful.  I'm thankful all year long.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Traveling Salesman??

I read a little story in my English book about a traveling salesman and how he went around selling ladies slips and undergarments. 

The author wrote about how her dad was the traveling salesman and how after years of doing so, there was no longer a need for his job, and therefore went on to another career, one that seemed to be very prosperous.  The author went on to explain how she and her mother have been moving from city to city due to lower cost of living because she no longer had a good paying job.

She also went into some detail about the economy and how over seas companies are taking away jobs from American people because the workers over seas will work for far less than what people in America expect to work for. 

As I kept reading all I could think about is when will it end?  When will people stop wanting more?  Sadly, but I don't think this will ever happen.  What I see a lot of with younger people and couples, and some older ones, is their abuse of the credit card.  Charge it, charge it, charge it!  Not a good idea. 

People are living beyond their means.  They have a good job, maybe making more money, so instead of saving that money, they spend it or assume their job and amount they are paid will always be there.  Take it form me, life can throw you curve balls and things can change in a hurry. 

I had a job where I was making more money, but when the need for better health insurance came first, that was it.  I make probably 6 to 8 hundred dollars less a month and let me tell you...it is hard to go from making more to less.  You get use to a certain amount of money and now all of a sudden you have to budget big time. 

I think people need to start learning to live with less, before you are forced to and then it really won't seem so bad. 

It worked for me!

I can remember back when I was in tenth grade and there was a program in our high school that was taking students to Washington D.C. called Close Up.  A lot of my friends were going, so of course I ran home and had to ask my parents if I could go too.  Keep in mind I was not someone who was involved with groups at school.  I was not in bad, choir, play practice, tutoring or anything of that nature.  I played sports here and there, but that was about it.  My parents of course were wondering why I wanted to go.  I gave the all familiar answer of," Everyone is going."  Everyone meaning my close friends.  They just kind of looked at each other and me and I could see by their expression, they needed more than that.  I went over the information I was given at school and elaborated on my simple answer.  In the end I had the green light to go.  I must say that was the best experience of my life.  It was a huge learning opportunity and one of the best trips to this day that I have been on.  Although my fallacie had to be backed by more information, it still ended up working and gave me the experience of a life time.

I love to read!!

Reading for me is an escape.  I love to read and learn new things.  I recently read the book The Glass Castle for the second time.  It's amazing to me how much you can forget in just a short time.  I didn't read it all that long ago, I would say in the last six months.  It was great to read it again and I still had to tell myself that this is true story and not fiction. 
There was another book I read before this one that was kind of like this book.  It is called Crackers and Milk by Arlene Nelson.  It took place in Minnesota and not to far from Rochester. 
I really enjoy reading anything and everything.  I have read the book by Jesse Ventura called American Conspiracies.  He had some very good points in his book about the government and how corrupt it actually is and how, in his opinion, they were behind a lot the assinations of the presidents and bombings and events of 9/11 and other so called terrorist threats.  It was a huge eye opener to me. 
I hope everyone picks up a book and gets taken away by it.  Let your mind wander and take in the words as your mind goes to a far away place where anything can happen. 

To get started reading more I highly encourage people to start a book club.  It not only is a way to get together with people, but a great way to see how different people view different books.  Start one today with different people you don't usually get together with.  It's a great way to meet new people and gain new friendships along with expanding your mind. 

To Change and How?

If you could change your body, how would you change it and why?  Simple question and the answer seems to be simple, yet so hard to actually achieve.

I would change my body by changing its shape and size.  I would love to have smaller breasts, a flatter stomach and more defined arms.  This can be achieved by working out and eating better, which I have been doing.  However, the need for plastic surgery is a must. 

Why a surgical route?  I have had three children, and no amount of crunches and sit-ups will get rid of the stretch marked, loose, roley skin across my midsection.  Lovely picture isn't it?  The same goes for the upper half.  Things just do stay where God had first placed them.  Nothing that a little reduction and lift can't handle.  As far as my arms, I feel that could be done with a little lifting of some weights.

I would want to change not because someone else wants me to, but because I want to.  I want to look on the outside, how I feel on the inside.