The Last Blog?

The only negative thing the last day of class being next week, is that my teachers have decided to make a lot of work due next week. So between now and Wednesday, I have to put in time to get my work done. It's really not that much. It's just taking the time out to get it done that seems to be the challenging part. It's okay though, I know that I am going to get everything done and make sure that I do everything well like always. Right now, my motivation is knowing that it's the end and I only have a few more days and I am completely done with school...until next semester anyway.

My schedule for next semester is so weird. I'm actually going to take a 5:30 class! After that I have a lab at freaking 7:10 at night! I do not know how this is going to turn out, but I am PATIENTLY waiting for next semester. I am not anxious or anything. The summer can go as slow as it pleases with no complaints from me. I just realized that this is my last blog. Sad Face, lol, who knows maybe I will feel the need for blogging in the future.....

Once Again, No more Rain

It's raining again. I have heard that April showers bring May flowers but this is getting ridiculous. I am so tired of my pants getting so wet that they stick to me. I feel like I should take another shower. I have to constantly worry about my hair getting wet and it is just a mess. With all of this rain May shouldn't be the only month with beautiful flowers. We should have the rest of the year to just be perfect. Well, I know that will not happen but it sure does sound nice. The only time that the rain is okay is at night when I am sleeping. I have no idea why, but I get the best sleep when it rains. I know that I am not the only person that thinks like that, so I wonder what is it about the rain that makes people sleep better than usual. If anyone finds out, be sure to let me know. I hope that it does not rain this weekend. It feels like I was saying this same stuff last weekend. It’s like every weekend I hope and pray that it does not rain. That’s pitiful. Maybe I should start embracing the rain instead of hoping it doesn’t come.

Not a Part of it, Yet a Part of Me

Asnanti Jones
Mr. Mynatt
Sociology Extra Credit
April 18, 2008

Growing up, I was forced into a religion like most people are before they enter adulthood. I always felt that my circumstance was a lot different than most people that I have encountered throughout my life. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and anything else that was usually considered Holidays or events to look forward to were anything but that for me. When I was aware that these glorious times of celebration were on their way, I wanted to get under a rock and hide. When your mom is a Jehovah’s Witness, those holidays do not exist.

Not long after I was born, my mother began to study with Jehovah’s Witnesses. She found so much strength and love in her studying that she left her horrible living arrangements and moved to start a happier life as a Jehovah’s Witness. She later was baptized and has been a Jehovah’s Witness every since with no doubts. With her love and devotion as a Jehovah’s Witness and myself being the youngest of her children, I was obligated to be just as involved as she was, but I soon had another agenda.

There are several rumors about Jehovah’s Witnesses. I feel Jehovah’s Witnesses would gain more respect and less criticism if people actually took the time out to find out the truth of what they believe. Many rumors leave people to believe that Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in God or Christ. In my opinion, this rumor is based upon pure ignorance and lack of common sense. In the earliest of Christian Bibles, one will find that God’s name is Jehovah. Hence, they are represented by the title Jehovah’s Witnesses. They believe that they are indeed witnesses of Jehovah God. However, I have found that the major difference between Jehovah’s Witnesses and other Protestants is they do not believe in the Trinity. They believe that God is one being. His son, Christ Jesus, is another being, and his Holy Spirit is another separate being. Also, they do not attend “church”. Their place of worship is called the Kingdom Hall. Sometimes they may refer to it as the Hall for short.

They have different congregational meetings that they attend through out the week. Each congregation has different times that they meet. The usual events are three times a week. Every Kingdom Hall has more than one congregation that meets there at a Kingdom Hall at different times. Each congregation also has a different name. Many times the congregation will be named after parts of the city near the location of the Kingdom Hall. For instance, a Kingdom Hall located in the Raleigh area of Memphis, may have congregations by the names of Raleigh, Frayser, or North (North Memphis). Along with their scheduled meeting times, they also meet for field service. Field service is the activity in which they take part in witnessing to others. The go around from door to door trying to reach people who may want knowledge of God to have a relationship with him. Sometimes, they find people who are just interesting in Jehovah’s Witnesses and want to learn more about them.

I have learned to understand why Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate holidays. Every holiday was made up by man. Some of the holidays were created by Pagans. Pagans are not believers of the Christianity, Jewish, or Islamic beliefs. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in Christ, therefore they are Christians so it really make sense to celebrate and become involved in holidays that were created by people who do not believe in Christ. How can they not celebrate Christmas, when it is to celebrate the birth of Christ? Jehovah’s Witnesses also choose not to be involved in holidays because there are so many other additions to holidays that do not pertain to the meaning of the holiday, such as Santa Claus. Also, they have found evidence that Christ was not born on December 25, so they do not feel it should be celebrated. However, Jehovah’s Witnesses do celebrate anniversaries.

There are similarities as well as differences in the atmosphere of the Kingdom Hall and the Church. Both include singing and men speaking to the congregation about different topics. I have noticed In African American churches, people express themselves with shouting, dancing, and standing during the service. In the Kingdom Hall, the congregation sits and quietly listens until it is time for everyone to stand and sing from their song books.

Of course, there is so much more to Jehovah’s Witnesses as well as an abundance of similarities between them and other Protestants. Before you just run with a rumor that you have heard, talk to them for yourself. Instead of hiding when they come to your house or approach you on the street, just ask them about some of the things that you have heard. They won’t hesitate to answer your questions. Although I have chosen not to get baptized as a Jehovah’s Witness (nor am I baptized in any religion), I still have the upmost respect for them and their witnessing. Since I was raised in that religion, many of the values that I learned there are still attached to me today. I have decided to attend church because I do enjoy the atmosphere more and I feel more comfortable in Church than I have at the Kingdom Hall. My mother has not disowned me and I still respect her decision to be a Jehovah’s Witness.

Ranting about my class.........

I hate my Art class. It is the most unorganized mess that I have ever been apart of. We have done so much work in the class, but we barely get grades back for them. We get our test grades back weeks after the test, but we don't get the grades back for papers or assignments that we have done. The class is very large but we have three teachers in the class and some other people whose names are on our syllabus but we don't even know who they are. So I feel that there is no reason why our assignments are not being graded. Granted, the class is about 150 people, but they should not have given us so many assignments if they knew that they were not going to grade everything. Everything that we do in the class is so unorganized and random. The teachers are always just adding things to the course that are not in the syllabus. I just do not understand why this class has to be so chaotic. I have done every assignment that they have given and I have done it correctly so I am going to be super pissed if my grade is less than a B. I have passed every test that we have had, and I have only been absent once the entire semester. I can't wait for it to be over.

Thoughts and my paper

It was so weird this morning when I woke up to realize that I did not set my alarm last night. This is the first, or maybe the second time during this entire semester that this has happened. I am so glad that I woke up in just enough time to throw on some clothes and make it to class. I got in kind of late, so that wasn't the smart thing especially since it's been happening everyday this weekend as well as last weekend. Lol, I know it's bad but I am going to work on it. I know that I can not afford to start slacking just as we get closer to the end of the semester. It's difficult to keep pushing myself to keep up with school since I can see the end, but there are no excuses so I'm going get back on track this week. I have been trying to decide what to do about my paper. I feel like I have said all that I have to say, given all the information that there is to give and I am out of juice. Tomorrow, I am going to get them all together and read them all as if it was one paper. Hopefully, some new ideas will come and maybe I will be able to reconstruct it myself.

Let's Wrap it Up!! (He-He)

Another week down for this semester and it has ended beautifully. After the storm and roughness of yesterday, we conclude this week with warm sun rays and cool breezes. I should write poetry or something, lol. Seriously though, the weather should be like this more often. Not too much because we won't appreciate it anymore if it becomes all that we know. I hope the weather is going to be nice for the weekend but I heard that it is supposed to be cold. I don't want it to be because I like to be out and about getting my car wash wearing clothes that make my mother frown. She is always talking about the way that I dress, but if that is the only really negative thing she has to say about me, I think that she will be okay. It could be a lot worse! Regardless of how the weather looks, I still have to attend my brother's wedding which should be very interesting. My family is so.....funny. I can't wait to see everyone. I haven't been with my whole family at once since my graduation from high school, so I know that they will ask me over, and over, and over again, "How is college?" How is everything going?" "Are you still with that guy that we met at your graduation party?" All of the questions are okay, except the last one. I hate having to tell everyone that we are not together anymore because it was a year and a half and it's hard explaining to people why I broke up with him. I have so many reasons that I don't want to tell everyone every single thing. So I just have to keep it at, "He just didn't make me happy anymore and I knew that I would better without him." This statement is hella true, but since I know that there was so much more to it, I want so badly to tell people everything. As long as I stick to my line, I will be just great. That's enough, HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND!

Nouveau métier pour moi (new job for me)

So, I started my new job yesterday and I like it. It's at a massage clinic. I'm a sales associate which means that I will still get to deal with customers which is something that I enjoy doing. Once I get over being "the new girl" I feel that this job will be fun. The people so far seem nice, but we all know that everyone seems nice at first until you get to gossipers. Once you find out the gossipers and the gossip, every person changes, but that's fine with me because I am there to do my best at a job, not make friends. My business will remain just what it is, MINE! Lol, but I am looking forward to this new experience. I am excited about my third ever job. It's going to be a challenging to go to two jobs and be a full time student, but I am ready for the thrill. This new job is only three days for about 15 hours a week, my regular job is 16 hrs a week and school is another 15 hours a week. Sounds bad when I put it like that. Who cares, I only have to push out school for another few weeks and then my regular job and school will no longer be an issue since the job is work study. Once school is over, I am going to hit pavement and find something else. Doing my taxes next year is going to difficult!

Just a Wednesday

I hope that I get some good advice on my paper tomorrow for English because I pushed out all that I could and I didn't have a full third page. Once I wrote what I thought a good solution would be and what the government is already doing to for minimum wage, there wasn't too much more that I could write about. I will find out tomorrow what others have to say. I was finally able to catch up on my sleep and I feel so much better now. I had a nap yesterday, I slept really good last night, and since my class wasn't until 11:30, I took another nap this morning after I woke up. Lol, I know it sounds like a lot, but I needed it! I woke up feeling so refreshed and ready to start my day. I had a dream this morning about Diddy and it was hilarious. I woke up telling my roomy about, and all that we could do was laugh about it. I was happy to find out that I got a 90 on my Sociology test. Looks like I don't have anything to do today and I am so glad. I really want to get my nails done, but I may not.

Today or Tomorrow

Take away the hurt and take away the sorrow
I don’t want to feel it today or tomorrow
The pain is a receipt for the actions that I chose
But still I feel that all of it should go
Forgive me for challenging myself and the human I am
Thinking that I could handle more than I can
I pray to my forgiving GOD, my friend
Honestly this time, it will not happen again
You delivered me from it and still I wanted
So stupid of me to face the haunted
Please, Take away the hurt and take away the sorrow
I don’t want to feel it today or tomorrow

Sleepy Me

I am so tired. I decided that I be grown this weekend and go out every night. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. All three days I got up early, and got in late. Not very smart of me. I thought that I would get my sleep Monday since my class is not until 11:30 but I had to get up early to wash my clothes since I knew there would be no one washing that early on a Monday. I headed to class to find out it was cancelled and I could not go to sleep then because I had to be at work at 12:30. So I just chilled in my room until I had to be at work. Then, my friends dragged me to the Rec. when I got off of work. My other friend dragged me to the Field House to watch the game, after we got hot wings. I finally got to sleep a little after midnight after I had to fold my clothes from washing that morning. Just when it seemed as if I was going to get some sleep, I had to get up at 7 am for my 8 am class where I had to dress up. Uh, just great. Today was the day that I had four classes, but the end is finally here. Once I get off of work, I am going to take a nice long bath, get something to eat, and just sleep. I don't want anyone to call and tell me anything. My phone will be put on silent and my snoring will be turned on loud.

My Opinion of Minimum Wage: Is it Too Harsh?

About minimum wage. In my opinion paper, I basically bashed anyone who felt that minimum wage should always increase. I feel kind of weird about that now because I am not sure how I feel about the issue. In my paper, I pointed out that people pursued secondary education that they would be less likely to be stuck with a job paying minimum wage. I think that most job that pay minimum wage are for teenagers and people who are in school because it's minimal labor that employers need to have done. Also I feel like it is not very smart for people to suggest a higher minimum wage because a higher minimum wage means the living wage (cost of living) will also be raised. Even though some of my research says that the living wage will not be raised very much, more is more in my opinion. So in the end, raising minimum wage will not do much good. All in all, if you are not driven enough to pursue some form of secondary education such as college or trade school, then you are basically choosing to accept minimum wage, so why complain about it? After I gave my opinions some thought, I started to feel bad because of the people that I have heard talk about minimum wage. Some people have some of the saddest stories about how they are barely making it. If a person does not have any kind of disability, why can't they involve themselves in the necessary procedures to gain further knowledge of higher paying positions?

Ending Another Week

I'm so upset that I had to walk to class another day in the rain. I am just glad that it was only one class today and not four like it was yesterday. I took a test in sociology this morning and I think I did really well. I hate it when I feel that I have done really well on a test and I get back a c or something. That is so frustrating. I am just going to pray about it and have faith since I know that I studied. This weekend should be worry free. The only assignment that I have to think about is the last part of my paper. I am so happy to not have any major worries. I always take advantage of these times when they present themselves. Hopefully, the rain will stop and I will be able to enjoy some sun this weekend as well, but if not, I will be okay with knowing that I don't have any homework. It’s hard to believe that this semester is coming to a close. I can not wait! The only thing that I will miss is my dorm room. I wish that I could stay there during the summer but that is only if I want to take summer classes and that is not going to happen anytime soon unless I fail a class and have no other option. I can not wait to see what the summer holds for me, hopefully good stuff.

Race.....Again....YAY!!!!!

As I have stated before, race isn't an issue for me, it's more of an interest. Even though I get upset and easily offended when I talk about race, it is still one of my favorite subjects to discuss. I hate that some people can not just face the real truth that everyone is different. Stop trying to tell the world all of the bs about we are the same. No, there are different races of people as well as different cultures. Granted, we may find similarities with each other, but I do not feel people can or will ever look past skin color. With that being said, every difference that people have can or will never be looked past. Even people with disabilities are viewed differently. As much as we all want to look past differences and give everyone equal opportunity, it's not going to happen. Honestly, I have never been involved in a racial conversation that has ever had a conclusion. Race is too broad of a subject for people to agree upon. Everyone has their own viewpoint which is bias. It will always be a topic that people have to agree to disagree. These are just my cotton pickin opinions.

Stupid Granny.......

So, today's blog can not top yesterday's blog about my stripper adventure sorry. When I was driving to the store, I was listening to the radio and singing along, as usual, when this freaking old lady decided she wanted to cross the street. I tried to stop, but the wet streets didn't let me. I slid right into her in that wheel chair. My car has some dents in it, and my windshield broke into many, many pieces. I was so pissed. I just got my car two weeks ago! I got out of the car to check on the granny, and she was just lying there bleeding to death. I'm so screwed! All I could think about was why in the world did she roll out in front of my car? That was not funny. I have to call insurance people and I still have to tell my mom, she may get upset with me. Any who, I picked up the old grandma and tossed her to the nearest gas station. Before I dropped her off, I took my tag off my car so no one could identify me. I made it to my dorm and took a shower and went to bed. Some day, huh? Okay, so april fools. This entire story is false.

A MUST READ, I PROMISE!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness are the best words to describe my weekend rendezvous. First, I must fast forward to the craziest event that occurred this weekend. My friend and I decided to try this club that we had heard a lot about. The location of the club should have been enough for us to know that we should not go, but being the stubborn and curious girls we are, we went anyway. When we arrived, I was so disgusted. The guys were rough and acted as if they had never seen females outside of there family members before. They were trying to get our attention in all of the wrong ways. Once we got inside, the first thing that we noticed was all of the smoke that hit our faces. The second thing that we noticed was the guy on the stage with his buns out and a leather strap on his penis! Yes, we walked into Ladies' Night at this club. This is why all of the guys were outside because there was a stripper inside! We could not believe our eyes. He came through the audience and picked up girls and laid them on the floor. Then he brought out a chain and tied the girls up. It was amazing. For his grand finale.....let's just say it involved his penis, ice cream, and whipped cream. It was sooooooo funny. After all of this excitement, he cleaned himself up and walked off stage, but on his way off stage he walked passed me SLAPPING ME ON THE ASS on his way! I was so stunned; I did not know what to do! I just turned and looked at him, then at my friend and we just laughed. The look that he gave me was more shocking then the slap! He even approached me numerous times afterwards asking me would I help him get "ready" to go back on stage, for a hug, my name, and then my number. I said no to the first, yes to the second, lied about my name, and said that I guess I would give him my number. He walked away and we left before he could get my number. There were two strippers after him, but we didn't pay attention to them, we were enjoying the music. We were so bored with the strippers and desperate women; we just left and headed downtown. There were a lot of other things to my weekend, but this was definitely the highlight!

Another Week

As I end another week of my life, I recap of what an extremely busy week this has been for me. I had three papers due, a test, a test review, river city writers, and many assignments. I was skeptical about how everything would work out at first but I knew that if I relied on my faith and if I took my time and tried my best it would get done. Not only was there class work, but I am human with a social life and a job, so balancing everything is sometimes a challenge. But that goes for life period, not just this week. I am glad that I did get everything accomplished that I set out to do. I am also glad that next week is not looking as full as this week was. Hopefully, I will actually have some nights that are worry free. Already, I have an Intro to Art test on Tuesday and a Sociology test on Friday, but if that is all I have to deal with, I am okay with that. I just hope nothing else is added, but if something else is added, I'm going to get it done just like always.

And the Evening's Readings.......

Going to the Galloway Mansion was a very interesting adventure. I was surprised, but my roommate decided to come along with me. When we walked in, we noticed that the Mansion was beautiful and appropriately decorated. It made me feel good being able to describe to my roommate the different publications done by the authors. Once we were seated, I noticed how early we were. I was very surprised, because I am RARELY early for anything. As time moved on, I felt myself getting impatient because I knew we were going to start late. I was enjoying the atmosphere, but I wanted to enjoy the atmosphere of my room. I had been busy the entire day and I was ready to relax. We finally got started and Rebecca Skloot introduced herself as well as the following readers Christine Keneally, Josh Prager, and Stacy Sullivan. The all came up and read, of course one at a time. I listened and I found it interesting to see them read their own books. I always feel weird when I am reading my poetry to someone, so I wondered how were they feeling as they read. There were people standing around, so it was sort of hard to pay attention with all of the distractions and my short attention span did not help. I enjoyed the readings and I am glad that I was in attendance.

No Child Left Behind Speaker

Yesterday morning I attended the speaking for English class. I feel really bad because I don't even remember his name. He discussed No Child Left Behind and the issues of our school system. The topic was uninteresting to me, but his tactics made me listen. I honestly feel that there is nothing that can be done to better any school system. No one can force anyone to learn. It has to come within the person to want extra knowledge to succeed. The school that I came from had every type of student attending. We had the brains, the bad, the stupid, the lazy, and the forced. By forced, I mean they only came to school because they were forced. All of us attended the same high school and many of us are scattered around doing different things. The school system is trying so many things such as uniforms, No Child Left Behind, and standardized test to gain improvement. I fail to understand why hasn’t anyone noticed that these changes are not helping? In my opinion, it is making things worse. No one likes all of these to be forced upon them. When you force people to do something, human nature usually makes people want to rebel. It all depends on the student. You can send every person to Yale for free, and there will still be people who will flunk out, drop out, or graduate. The curriculum does a play a part in WHAT we learn, but IF we learn depends on the students.

Did I change my mind?

Okay, so I've been working on part three of my paper. At first I thought that I was going to have trouble expanding my opinions into three to four pages but apparently that is not the issue. I was writing my intro paragraph and my opinions began to pour out. I was thinking how great and easy this paper was going to be after all. One I got to my second paragraph and I stated my first topic, I decided to find some resources that would support my idea, when I came across some information that began to change my opinion. I could just change my topic to support the information that I found. I still agree with my original opinion that will not work. Instead of worrying about if my opinion will be long enough, I am stuck worrying about what actually is my opinion. I can not believe I let this happen. I am usually so firm about my opinions but I am just going to have to evaluate the pros and cons of minimum wage and living wage. Hope it doesn’t take long, I had no plans of working late on this paper and hence why I began so early.

Just this one Class

Today is going great so far. I stayed awake in all of my classes and I got the work done that I needed to have turned in today. I still have a load of stuff to get done before I can completely relax, but I'm glad my Anthropology test is now in the past. Don't get me wrong, the class is very interesting, but the tests are so hard! As much as I want to blame the difficulty of the tests on the teacher, I really can't. I'm not sure what's wrong with me, but whenever I read the questions on the tests, it feels like a different language. I know what the problem is, I just don't know how to study for this class. I have always been able to study for tests and do just fine when I wanted to. This is not the case for Anthropology. I began staring on Friday. I thought it would be studying but turns out I was just staring at my Anthropology book for about four hours and I didn't remember a thing. The test was today, so of course I stared again yesterday. I felt so bad that I couldn't study I didn't know what to do. I hope that I don't encounter anymore classes like this for the next 3 years.

Long Days Work....

I did not think that I would ever get off work today. The internet was not working at my job. I never noticed how much I actually depend on the internet when I'm at work. I couldn't get any work done because all of depended on the internet. The only thing that I could do was read my Anthropology book for my test on Tuesday, but it was not happening. I kept finding myself day dreaming. I sit right by a window a work, so all that I could think of is all of the possibilities on such a beautiful day. If someone asked me right now what did I read, I would have to make up some bs. I hate to admit it, but it's the truth. I had intentions on getting a lot of my work done so that I would not have to think about putting it off on the weekend. I haven't done homework on the weekend in years. I can not remember the last time I managed to get homework done on the weekend. The closest that I have gotten to doing homework on the weekend is the one Saturday that I sent my group members my paper for peer review.

A few things down, and a few more to go

Yesterday, while I was getting a parking pass, I got back to the car and noticed that I had a parking citation. So I had to go back to the parking services office to file an appeal. That sucks to know that they don't give you any time after you have just bought a car to get a parking pass. All is well though. I have managed to not let that get me down! I hope that they decide to dismiss my ticket because the parking permit was $25 and the citation is another $25. So I will hate to spend $5o just for parking when I have other things that I need to pay for. Oh, well. I did my part by doing the necessary procedure to fill out an appeal. Then I got insured so I'm glad that's out of the way, I can drive knowing that I'm legal now. I also managed to turn in my financial aid papers. I still have to wait for my mother to give me her tax return before I am home free. At least I have done my part, so that’s good. Guess I can check these things off my list!

Okay, Who Pressed Fast Forward......?

Oh my goodness. Where did all of this stuff come from? I have so much to do that I just can not believe it. Don't get me wrong, I love being a busy person because I hate being bored, but how did I get so much to do so fast. It's unreal how all of a sudden I got this load of stuff to do. My poor planner probably wants to kill me. Me and highlighters have become best friends, and it is sickening. Once I find a place to start, I will be just fine. I just managed to finally get my papers together for my financial aid. I feel so late in getting it done, but I either didn't have the time to fill them out or I seemed to forget, but they're done now. I stopped blogging for a second and got those done, lol. I have resulted to multi-tasking. I sure hope that will help. If I have this much piled on me with school being 15 hours and work being 16 hours a week, I feel for the parents who work. I am so blessed that I don’t have any major responsibilities. On the bright side, I'm healthy, happy, and not failing college! Lol, I’m not letting anything stress me out. I plan to pick something and attack it until I can check it off my list and that will be a wonderful feeling!

I HAVE A NEW TOY!!!!!

I BOUGHT A CAR YESTERDAY!!! I was so happy to finally get a car! It's a 99 Saturn coupe. I haven't really been a fan of Saturn, but the car is great for me right now. I love the leather seats, the weird third door and the sunroof. The lot had just gotten the car so they had not cleaned it yet, so I still need to clean the inside. The car lot gave me some free car wash tickets so I went to wash the outside of it, but the inside is next. I had a few problems that I have to take care of; I have to get a tune up and some new breaks. I got the oil changed yesterday, so that's okay. I bought it outright, so I won't have a car note! Now, every month I am responsible for the car insurance and my cell phone bill. The rest of my money is for whatever I want to do. I am so happy and proud of myself. I called all of my friends yesterday and I was amazed at how they all told me they were proud of me. They were also surprised because I'm always talking about how broke I am, well in my opinion; I was broke because I couldn't spend any money since I was saving for a car. I hope that if I continue to take of the car, it will bring me many years of satisfaction, well until I buy myself a Benz, lol.

Oh Great

This has been the worst day that I have had in a while. Yes, my consecutive wonderful days has come to a halt. First, since I live in Richardson Towers I was awaken by a 5 am fire drill. The entire building had to go outside at 5 a.m. We finally got back in around 5:30 a.m. I ended up falling back to sleep around 8:00 a.m. Then I got to my class and received a grade on my test that I could not believe. The test was so easy that I went so fast through it that I bubbled in a few wrong answers on mistake. I was so mad to see that I made such careless errors. Once I got work, I saw a student that it is one of my classes and she told me we had an assignment due tomorrow. I instantly panicked. On top of this assignment, I hadn't received any feedback from paper that i sent to all of my group members. I sent it to them on Saturday to give everyone plenty of time to write me back before Tuesday’s class. I had only gotten one back. Then I made sure that I went through and answered all of the questions to the papers that I got so my peers could do their papers. I still had to do my other assignments for my other class and I manage to get those does. I remembered that we had to go to the River City Writer's thingy so I talked to the teacher about it and made arrangements to go. I was supposed to buy a car today but my brother did not come and get me. Then the person that I was going to ride with couldn't take me. Everything just crowded me and I felt like my world was crashing. Nothing that I planned to do worked out today. I'm hoping that since I do all of my assignments for English on time, and I am always there that my grade will not be affected. It's almost 11:00 and still I have one person's feedback. What am I going to do?

And it's Friday......

It's Friday! I am so glad; well really, it doesn't make a difference to me since my entire week has been lovely. I am just so used to being glad for the weekend. My week has been so great, that I haven't been trying to fast forward to Friday like I normally do. I am curious to see what this weekend brings. I have a few things lined up that I thought about doing, but we will see what I will actually get accomplished. Can I just say I feel wonderful? Okay, back to what I was saying, I thought about going out tonight or Sunday. Some of my friends have been trying to get me to go out, but I usually just don't want to. This weekend, however, I plan to have a little fun. Yesterday, I mentioned going to work out and just like I said it did not happen. The girl that I was going to work out with ended up staying with her boyfriend, so I Just went back to room and took a nap. It was a great nap and it lasted a little longer than I expected. I don’t plan on taking any naps this weekend just have fun doing whatever I want!

Minimum Wage Propaganda Poster

From my understanding of the research that I have done with the minimum wage posters is that different states have different requirements regarding the minimum wage posters. Many states require that employers have the poster whereas some states merely recommend that an employer post the minimum wage poster. The U.S. Department of Labor says that posting requirements vary by statute; that is, not all employers are covered by each of the Department's statutes and thus may not be required to post a specific notice. Not only are there minimum wage posters, but there are other posters that are required or suggested as well. On the U.S. Department of Labor website, they have a chart to inform the public of which posters are required for employers to post in the workplace.
The minimum wage poster only includes two images. One image resembles a United States flag. On the opposite side of the flag image, there is a United States of America Department of Labor seal. The entire poster is red, white, and blue, which are the infamous colors of the United States. There is also a large image of a telephone number for people to use if they have questions or comments. By placing the number on the poster, I think the Department of Labor is trying to convey is that like America, they are willing and ready to help anyone who may have issues or concerns with employment and minimum wage. The poster is very patriotic and serious. There are not any fun colorful pictures. I think the poster is supposed to look serious to force employers to feel that it is necessary to have the minimum wage poster in their workplace. Also the poster is intended for those who are employed which are usually an older group of people who take their job seriously. The words “employee rights” are very large to stress that employees are important and to catch the attention of employees.
The following information for purchasing a minimum wage poster was found on a website called Business Know How where employers are able to purchase most types of posters that may be required by their states. It reads,” Compliance with labor law posting requirements has never been easier. The combined State, Federal & OSHA laminated poster for Tennessee includes current (at the time you order), up-to-date posting requirements so you don't need to search for all the required labor law postings yourself. The Tennessee labor law poster is available in English or Spanish versions.” Even though some of the posters can be downloaded for free, this website charges different rates for package deals. I decided to play around with the website a little more and I came across a part of it that allow browsers to choose which state the poster is needed. I chose Tennessee to see what kind of propaganda I could find. On this page the website targets the employers with sincere gestures, as if by purchasing the poster from the Business Know How site it will make life easier by saying,”Save time and gain peace of mind. Order the combined all-in-1 State/Federal & OSHA poster for your Tennessee workplace today. Then, when your order arrives, hang it in a place in your business that your employees visit regularly. If you have more than one office location, you'll want to order one poster for each location.”
I was also able to locate a page on the same website that offers a labor law poster kit, “Comply with both federal and Tennessee labor laws by displaying these labor law posters in your office. Each kit contains two laminated posters - one Federal labor law poster and one Tennessee state labor law poster - that contain the latest, most up-to-date labor notices required for your state.”
In my opinion, this minimum wage poster is another tool that people have decided to make money from. It seems to have begun as a simple poster to inform employees of their rights in the workplace so that they will not be treated unfairly, instead employees do not pay attention to them and others are getting rich from it. The poster itself contains so much patriotic detail that it demands attention from any American, not just an employee.

My Day.......

Today was a cool day. My first class was scheduled to start late because we had a speaker. The class usually begins at 8:00 but today it started at 8:50. It was nice to get some extra sleep, and it was good sleep too. Then my second class was cancelled, which means I had two hours until my 3rd class. Being who I am, I went to my dorm and took a nap, ha-ha. I went to my last two classes and then here, to work. Today has gone very smooth. All I have to do is make it through a half an hour then I'm home free. My friend and I have been talking about going to work out. Honestly, I don't feel I need to work out, well except my stomach, but I could do a few crunches in my room. I'm just going to work out just to do something and of course, look at boys. (Smile) But knowing us, we probably will have a million excuses why we don't feel like it. Actually, it may be her this time, because I actually want to go. It's just too pretty outside to sit inside. Guess that I will have to wait and see.

THANKS!!!!

I have been in such a wonderful mood and I love it! This week has been so great. For me to say that entire days are good is a huge change for me. Usually, I am able to say that certain parts of my day are good, but never a whole day. So far, this week has been great. I hope the feelings that I have last as long as possible. I have this burst of energy and happiness like never before. I'm not sure what the cause of my new attitude could be. No Boyfriend? Great weather? Better study habits? God? Something in the water? I don't know, but I have been in such a good mood that I haven't even been hungry! I, not hungry, something weird is going on! When I was studying last, I was actually studying. I mean, usually just memorizing stuff will get me to pass a test, but I was reading my sociology book. Even after I just read the definition of the terms, I still felt like reading other information. Normally, I don't enjoy reading school related material, but last night was completely different for me. I am not sure what whom or what I owe gratification, but thanks!

So Excited!!!!!

Well, we are back. I hate to inform you that my blog is not about how drunk I was, how high I was, or what I can not remember. My spring break did not include any of the above. I saw a few friends that were out on break as well, had a few laughs, but nothing too extreme. I did mange to get some of my English homework done, and I must admit, I did not think that would happen. Oh yea, I became single over the break as well. I broke up with my boyfriend and I am not feeling any regrets, which I think is a good thing. Well, not a good thing for him. Anyway, I am excited about the snow. I have been waiting for it, not because I enjoy snow, but because it means the warm weather is on its way! After it snows once in Memphis, that's it. Once we get a few inches and it all melts away, spring is coming. I can not wait for spring and summer. They are my favorite times of the year! I promise I am like a totally different person when it begins to warm up outside. I'm different in a good way though. I just can not wait. I'm ready to just speed through these last few weeks of school, make A's on everything and get it over with.

Last for a Week

Finally, just hours away from spring break. I'm not even excited like I thought I would be. I still have work that I have to get done. I feel like I won't even enjoy my break because in the back of my mind I know that I have a 2 test the week that we get back. That is not a good thing to have on your mind. I will be okay though. More than likely I will try to do a little studying at a time so that it won't all pile up on me. I am glad that I won't have to blog over the break. If I did, that would add a lot of unwanted stress on my shoulders. Campus has been so quiet today. I only had one class but when I was walking to it, there wasn't many people walking around like it usually is. I was surprised, but then again, I shouldn't be. Most people, I am sure, decided not to go to class today because it is the last before spring break. I did not have a choice to not go to class since my teacher gave us a quiz and passed out the test review. Of course I am not dumb enough to miss all of that.

My Yesterday

Yesterday was a pretty full day for me. I had four classes. The first one started at eight, and the last one ended at 2:25. Then I had to be at work at 2:30. I got off at 4:30. (I love the 2 hours) Then I went to my dorm, and got something to eat. I think I took a ten minute nap before my roommate and I went to the Lady Tigers' basketball game. There were more people there than I thought. It was actually a really good game. Most people say that our girls are not good, but form the way they were playing last night, they didn't look bad to me. I don't like how the boys get their games in the huge forum and the girls get the field house. But I know that it is all about the money. People would rather pay to see the boys than the girls. I hate that I missed so many of the other girls' games. I really wish that I had gone to more. Anyway, after the game, I went back to my room and played around on the internet. I was really looking for a car, but you know, same thing. I was so tired, and I couldn't wait to go to sleep. As soon as my head touch the pillow, I was out.

NOT A RACIST, JUST INTERESTED

I know that I am not racist. I am nice to anyone that is nice to me. I also know that I see color and I am very observant of how society views race. I love stereotypes. I mean, I don't like them when they are mean, but I love discussing them. Even if it is a stereotype about my race, I always want to put my opinion in. I don't like it when someone uses a stereotype to make a point. I don't care what race it is, why should anyone take the blame for a select few in their race that does things a certain way. Obviously talking about the stereotype does not make them stop because they continue to do it. Really, most stereotypes are true. Race is an issue that I can talk about for long periods of time. My friends hate it whenever anyone says anything that may even sound a little racist about anyone because they know that I am going to speak my mind. I enjoy when diversity can be funny. I once took an Advanced Placement class at school and I loved my class. Including myself, there were four students. It started off being more, but the other four people left. The last four of us were all a different race. There was a boy from Saudi Arabia, a boy from Vietnam, and another boy from Pakistan. We laughed everyday at each other because we made jokes about our races and their infamous stereotypes. I didn't mind because we were just kidding.

I Wonder.......

I wonder sometimes, how do you know when you are the happiest you can be? I know how it feels to be happy, but I wonder if the happiness is supposed to go away. Every time that I am happy, it is only temporary. Something or someone can make me really happy, but then, it just goes away. Is it possible to be permanently happy? It probably isn't because I don't there think there is any emotion that is permanent. I mean if I could be permanently happy, then I could also be permanently sad. So now it doesn't make sense. You can't feel permanent opposites. So I guess that I have just answered my own question. May be I owe it to the blog. (lol) I guess these things are useful. I still wonder if I could be happier with my boyfriend. I mean, how can anyone know that there is someone in the world that can make you happier than the person you think is doing the job? Actually, if you have to ask yourself that, maybe you know that you can be happier because if you were your happiest, you wouldn't think of being any happier. Right?

This Spring Break....

Usually when there is a break coming up in the school year, I look forward to sleeping. It may sound extremely fun to everyone, yes I know. But it is the truth. I look forward to do doing nothing but sleeping. This break will be different. This time I think that I will actually try to be active and friendly to others. My friends are coming from their schools, so maybe I will be nice to them this break. I get so used to them not being around then when they get here, I forget all about them. They would hate me if they knew that, ha-ha. This spring break I'm going to try not to be cheap. I have been cutting ends so tough lately because I have been trying to save my money. It's been working so I have gotten used to not spending any money. Sometimes I get too nice and pay when my boyfriend and I go out to eat. And sometimes I have to spend my money on things that I need like toothpaste, soap, or magazine subscriptions for class. (lol) I'm going to live a little during this spring break, when we go out to eat; I'm even going to order dessert!

SOMEONE IS GROWING UP.... ME!!!!!!

Lately, I have begun to realize that I am really responsible. I have always known that I could be responsible, but I didn't think I would be as mature as I am now. Granted, I know that there are several others are the same or maybe MORE responsible that me, but I'm proud of myself. I haven't asked my mother for anything lately. I feel so good about making and saving my own and being to take care of myself. It really feels good when I know people who call their parents every five seconds to help them. I'm now downing anyone who has to depend on their parents, because I was once there. Every time that I talk to my mother, she offers to me bring food and other stuff, and I just tell her, "No mom I'm okay." She still doesn't listen though. I don't mind her bringing me stuff, I am glad that I have a parent who cares about me the way that she does. But it still feels nice not to have to ask for anything. I even make tough decisions without her. Most of my friends frantically call their parents for any little question that they have to answer. It may sound childish that I admit how I feel about my maturity, but I don't care!

Minimum Wage Increase!

I was researching my topic and I discovered that the federal government has already made future plans to raise the minimum wage again. How exciting? I found this really nice chart that has the Federal Minimum wage history on it. It begins with October 24, 1938 and the wage was $0.25 an hour! Wow, I can not grasp making any less that I do now, but to reduce it all the way to a quarter for an entire hour of labor? Nope, can't do it. Over the years, it shows the gradual increases. It increases five cents and then ten cents and then...a whopping thirty five cents increase! Ha-ha, but now the minimum wage is $5.85. So it’s good to know that some of us are actually farther away from minimum wage than we thought. On July 24, 2008, the wage rate is supposed to increase to $6.55 and after that, it will increase again on July 24, 2009 to $7.25. That should be very interesting for our economy. Not only that, but the jobs that pay less than that will have to go through the changes of paying more money. If you ask me, some of these jobs do not pay enough for all of the work that they want done.

I Just Hate It!!

It's still hard for me to believe that I am in college. I think there are only a select few who can understand my deep hatred for school. Feeling the way that I do, adds to my amazement that I have made it this far. I began to hate school in the tenth grade. I don't know what triggered it, but something just changed in me all of a sudden. Before this change, I was a huge nerd. I loved school. I always tried to be an over achiever. I never missed days in school, not because my mother forced me to go, but because I loved to go. Don't get confused, I still don't miss days. I've only missed one class this semester, and my record is clean from last semester. I still go to class and I do my work, heck, sometimes I even study. I only do it because I feel like I have to. I honestly have this feeling that I have to be in school and I have to do well. I just hate it so much. I know some may say, "Hate is a strong word and you shouldn't use it with some things" but I know that I hate school. If I hit the lottery, you can bet your socks that I'm out of here. Well, maybe not. I might still stay in school just because of that feeling that says that it's the right thing.

Stupid Feelings

Last week feels like a blur to me. I was so out of it. I don't know what happened to me to make me feel the way that I did. It was my birthday week and everything but I just felt weird. I feel like my week was very unhappy. I'm hoping that this week will get better for me some kind of way. I sort of have an idea of what it is that is making me so unhappy, but it is such a big part of my life and I don't want to blame it for my unhappiness. I think that letting it go, may actually cause me more unhappiness, but then again it may not. I don't know. There is such much connected to this thing, and as you can see, I am not telling you what it is on purpose. Now that I think about it, I don't even know how to let this thing go. I wouldn't even know how to begin. My explanation for letting it go has no solid reasoning except I'm not happy and I just have a feeling that it is the cause of it. I don't want to let something so important to me go just from a bad feeling that I have. I am going to continue to pray about it and see what happens.

Oh Darn

My Friday morning started off pretty bad. I missed my quiz in sociology because I was about ten minutes late. At least I didn't miss the first one and I got a B on my test, so I should be okay. I just have to make sure that I don't miss another quiz. I really need to start reading more for my classes as well. It sounds so easy to say that I am going to read more outside of class, but it is such a drag to do so. Since I hate school much, it's hard making me "go the extra mile". It’s not like I’m too busy to do some extra reading, I just don’t like it. Even if I know that I can just guess my way through I still could have a good chance of passing. Trust me; I am not going to do that! Maybe school isn't for me. Ugh, I hate this mood that I'm in. I feel so icky. Once again, I’m going to hate myself for writing this stuff next week. I guess that it is best to get it out instead of holding everything in. Guess, I will just have to wait and see.

Maybe he forgot?

My Valentine's Day was okay. My boyfriend took off work and we spent some time together. It was nice because I usually don't get to see him until the weekend so some time a little earlier was right up my alley. It's funny, but I was thinking when my brothers texted me their belated birthday wishes, my father has not even told me happy birthday. I told one of my brothers that our dad had not called, and he said he would call him and tell him. But the truth is I don't even want him to call me now. I feel like it is too late now. I do not thing any real parent would forget their child's birthday. On the other hand, he has called me every year until now, so maybe I shouldn't be so harsh. He lives in Texas, so it’s not I ever get to see him on my birthday, so the least he can do is call. Something inside of me is saying that he did not call on purpose. Maybe he was trying to make a point or something. He is always saying that I do not call him, but I call him more than he calls me. Not to mention the fact that I called him this year for his birthday. Oh well, what's done is done.

It's my Birthday, and I'm ready for a Nap

It was a drag to wake up and see my birthday began with a thunderstorm. I was still determined to have a great though. My boyfriend called this morning and told me happy birthday when he got off work. He works at Fed Ex in south Memphis. He tells me that he is going to leave work and take me to my first class that starts at eight, so that I won't have to walk to it in the rain. I did not believe him. He called twenty minutes later and told me he was outside. I was surprised. After he dropped me off, he had to go back to south Memphis to take a test for his job at eight. I really can not believe he did that. I still had to walk the rest of the day to my other classes in the rain, but that one class was in Ball Hall which is on the opposite side of campus from Richardson Towers, my dorm. The rest of the day was usual class. It was the usual struggle of trying to stay awake in each of them, EXCEPT ENGLISH. So far, it’s a normal day, and I’m ready for a nap.

Asnanti Jones
Sumner-Winter
02/12/2008
Let’s Not Get Out the Vote
Robert Coulson

As I read the title of the essay, I guessed that it will be another essay about getting out voting and making and changes. I thought it would be another motivational argument about taking advantage of the opportunity that my ancestors fought for to grant me the honor of casting my vote to affect politics. When I began reading the essay, I was instantly shocked. I have never read any kind of literature that was against voting except from a religious standpoint. The tone immediately made me think the essay was written by a male.
I was extremely captivated by what the author had to say when the author says,” Non-voters are often more intelligent, more fair-minded, and just as loyal as voters. The right not to vote is as basic as the right to. If voting is made a duty, it ceases to be a privilege.” For someone to openly say that non-voters are more anything than voters is a very bold statement. I have never heard anyone say that. Usually, when someone speaks of voting, they are saying that you should definitely vote and if choose not to, you are making a very big mistake by not allowing your opinions to affect the actions of the government.
I think the audience of this piece would be American citizens. At first, I would say that it is directed to non-voters. It appears, by the title; Let’s not Get Out the Vote that the writer is immediately taking the side of those who do not vote, and possibly admitting that he does not vote. As I read further, I changed my opinion. The writer is speaking to all Americans. He is saying that Americans are known for there ability to vote and choose who we want to run our country. Since we do have this ability, we are expected to vote. Every American does not have a reason to not pick the candidate that will run our country and enhance the country enough to force us into prosperity. Yet, he is saying that non-voters are often choosing the right thing to do if they are not sure who to vote for or if non-voters would just rather those who are more political savvy to make to make the right decisions. He even mentions how some voters have a tendency to allow their decisions to be persuaded by other’s opinions. If people make decisions based on these other issues, their vote will ultimately take the government into the wrong decision.
This is an essay that I can truly say will always stick in my mind. Voting has always been such a detrimental topic for not only Americans, but for people all across the world. We often scold the countries who do have a democracy. We disagree with having a leader being forced among others. However, Robert E. Coulson has allowed himself to stand up and speak when everyone else had decided to sit quietly. He is giving the non-voters a voice that they are afraid to use. For those who do not vote, that tells us that they are not focused on speaking their minds and making changes. By Coulson coming out for them is such a smart move. I admire his voice to represent those who are not willing to express themselves. Even if he was a voter, I think it is awe-inspiring to stand up for those who do not.
I was surprised to know that the article was written in 1955. I have always had this idea in my mind that around 1955 people were maniac voters. I imagine that everyone was motivated and excited to cast their votes. I thought every parent was anxious to register their child when they were of age to vote. Apparently, not everyone in the fifties was the way that I thought about voting.
Let’s Not Get Out The Vote will always be an essay to influence many of my future opinions about politics. I hope to see further literature about the other opinion. Not just about voting, but any issue that is usual ruled by the majority. It will be interesting to see the other opinions of the minorities.

My Test Grade

I finally got to Sociology and there is good news and there is the bad news. (Love that cliché) I will start with the bad news and then the good so the bad won't seem so bad. The bad news is that I did not make an A on my test. I know sad face. The good news is I saved hundreds of dollars by switching my car insurance. Just playing, but really, I made an 86. It was just a few points from an A. I missed 7 out of 50 which isn't bad. At least I know that I am capable of passing the test, and if I made a B on the first one, maybe the tests to follow will be better since I know what to expect. It is weird, but I am sort of looking forward to the next test just so that I can study and make an A next time. I can not believe how positive I am school right now. I actually dislike school very much. I have an Anthropology exam coming up on Thursday. I’m glad that he moved it from Tuesday, my birthday, to Thursday. It is still a drag to take an Exam on Valentine’s Day though. We’ll see how that one goes.

Somone's Birthday is Coming!!!!! MINE!!!!!!!!!

Sooooo, my birthday will be here on the twelfth, which is Tuesday. I'm really exciting for it. Not because I'm turning 19, but it's a day for me!! It’s weird but I feel like everyone should know it's my birthday. Not just my friends, but the whole world. Haha, I know that when I look back on this blog after my birthday, I am going to feel kooky, but oh well! Some people say that they don't feel different on their birthday, but I do. I love my birthday! It's a time when something I have known for an entire year changes. For a year, I have gotten use to saying that I'm 18, but now, I have to program my mind to saying 19. Then if someone asks and 18 slips out and I try to change it to 19, they'll probably assume that I am lying. As long as I know the truth, I don't care what any one else will think. I’m really excited for my birthday and I’m anxious to see what my boyfriend will do this year. He has double the duty since my birthday is two days before Valentine’s Day. That reminds me that I have to get him something, darn.

Test Over!!!

Yesterday, I did eventually begin to study for my sociology test. I started a little when I was at work, then I went to my dorm and ate, chilled with my friends. Then I hit the books, well the book and my notes. I had 8 pages of notes, front and back to study. I did not think that I would actually study all of those notes. Usually I glance over it, and hope for the best, but since my new slogan is striving for As, I was determined. My room mate had a calculus test to study for as well, so we teamed up and I'm glad we did. I couldn't help her with calculus because I barely passed College Algebra. She sure did help me to study. We both agreed that by having a test at the same time helped us to focus on studying. She started studying at 7 and I starting at 7:30 we both called it quits at 11:30. Wow! I'm so proud of us. My test went well. I was nervous so I didn’t eat breakfast and I woke up 2 hours early. There were a handful of things that I did not know, but it was 50 questions so let's hope I got an A!

Just Rambling.....I don't Know

I woke up very happy this morning. My room mate said that it was because last night I found out that my 8:00 class was canceled. She could be right. I don't know what it was, but I just felt well rested and happy. It was a really good feeling. Maybe that means I should try to get more rest so that I can be happy more often. It's hard to get enough sleep, at least for me. I rarely get enough rest to the point where I'm well rested but not feel drowsy because I got too much sleep. When I sleep more than 8 hours, I feel like I think I would if I had a hang over. I've never had one because I don't drink, but I think that's what it would feel like. My classes went by fairly fast, and I stayed awake in all of them. I always do, but some days it's a struggle. The class rooms often have a comfortable temperature; the teacher uses the same tone for an hour and thirty mins. and the same person answers every question. How can you not get a little drowsy? I have a Sociology test tomorrow and I keep telling myself that I need to study and I need to make an A on it, but I keep doing everything else but look at that review sheet. It's like all of a sudden, I have so much to do that I just can't study, like write blogs!!! Okay, I'm going to study now....after I leave some comments, then I am, really.

Super Stormy Tuesday

Tuesday was a mess. I actually do not know any other way to describe Tuesday than a mess. Once I received my trusty, lovely, dependable tiger text (if you haven't signed up for tiger text u should) I knew the remainder of my day would full of adventure. About 20 minutes after I received the text about the campus closing at 2:30, my job called and told me not to come. Half of me was mad because I was missing my money, but the other half was elated to know I could finally eat and relax. Once I got to my room, I decided it was time for a nap, siren or no siren blaring through the window. It was a friend of mind that called and came to my room that woke me up from my beauty rest. I was mad, but I had to check the news. I have no problems with Memphis wanting us to be safe and warning of us of every raindrop, but I hate what it does to most Memphians. They panic. There were angry people and crying people all over my dorm and I did not understand why. How did they think acting like that would help the situation? I had to be calm and make my friends laugh a little so they would not be scared and focus on the tornadoes, but I was still cautious by having the news on the entire time. My dorm, Richardson Towers, had people going into the basement, but then that began to flood. So they sent people back up stairs. Then the flood triggered the fire alarms, so we had to go to the Pan-Hellenic Building. While we were there, a group of people helped the situation by starting the music. It was actually funny. In the middle of a storm, we're having fun. That's my type of atmosphere. I don't like people being scared and sad. What is meant to happen will, why fear it? We finally returned to our dorms. I decided to take a shower and the sirens went off again and my room mate told me we needed to get in the hall way. Instead, I decide to stay in the room and watch the news. How smart is it for everyone to be in the hall way? Who is watching the professionals to see IF we are even in danger? I knew that if the news or the weather outside indicated any form of danger for me and others, I would take cover, but I want to be sure.

I Could See Why Hilary Stayed....

I was recently watching the Tyra show, and I saw Hilary Clinton was on there. I have been trying to listen to what the different politicians have to say since I am 18 and finally able to vote. I usually don't care about politics at all because I never thought that anything that I had to say would affect the direction that the government chooses to take our country. My mother's religion also goes against voting and getting involved in politics, but since I am grown and able to make my own decisions, I have been trying to get into it. Anyway, Hilary Clinton was on there and Tyra asked her a relationship questions. I must admit that as soon as she began to talk, I didn't care to hear what she had to say. I 'm thinking, "Your husband cheated on you, in the White House, and you stayed with him, after the entire country continues to make your situation a mockery." I did not want to hear a thing that the she had to say. After I thought about it and truly put myself in her situation, I would have stayed with him to. People make mistakes and they were not just boyfriend and girlfriend, but they had been married for a long period of time, I think. With the whole country constantly in their lives, it would have looked really bad for her to leave him anyway. If they made it as far as they did, why leave now?

To Kill or Not to Kill- Couldn't get Enough

My last blog captivated me so much, that I have decided that I am not done. Pro-choice; yay or nay, when it comes to abortion? As I have stated, people who are totally capable of raising a child should not be able to abort. What about those who may actually have acceptable reasons for abortion. Raising the child of a rapist certainly does not sound pleasing to the ear, especially if you the victim of the rapist. Since the child is inside of you, it means the child is a part of you as well. You could still love the child and provide for them and make her/him into a well adult. There is that chance that the parents will see the child as only a product of a crime witch would force the parents to treat them unjustly. What if the parents have another child? The parents would probably treat the children differently and the results would be the child of rape dealing with these feelings of neglect which could lead to a host of social problems. Also, I recently read about a woman and man who had the decision given to them by the doctor of aborting their child because it would live a short life full of pain due to health issues. They opted to abort but still keep the child's memory alive. Another case of what to do. Since there are certain circumstances that force us to make these hard decisions, I have a solution. Abortion should not be allowed for people who are able to raise children. Abortion should not be used as a tool to grant more chances. Only people who would be presenting children possible harm should be allowed to abort.

To Kill or Not to Kill??

I have always been unsure of the right decision when it comes to pro-choice. Abortion can be such a hard choice to argue. I absolutely do not argue with women who call it a mistake and decide to have an abortion. For a person to just decide they do not want the responsibility to take care and be responsible for another person is selfish. You should know the risks that you are taking every time you have sex. Regardless if the sex is between you and your husband or a casual fling you have decided to engage in. Whether you are on birth control or if you are certain that your brand of condom will never break. You are still releasing yourself to a very wide load of risks. So for a person to decide: "OPPS!” “Didn't mean for that to happen" and just erase it like it never occurred is wrong. But I must admit that there are those other situations that when we learn about them, you thank God it's not a decision we had to make. A situation such as a rape victim who had unprotected sex forced upon them. WOW! What do you do with this one? Some looser decides he doesn't care about life and robs you of your decision to make several choices and you end up with a child of a rapist. Do you kill it, or do you take the risk of raising a stranger’s child. Or if the rapist is not a stranger, do you raise the child knowing that is the product of an acquaintance and the child is a constant reminder?

A Freshwoman has solved the Problems of Memphis!

I recently read a blog about the current conditions of Memphis, specifically, Whitehaven. I agree that Memphis does need a drastic change to morph into the city that it has the potential to be. When I tell foreigners that I am from Memphis, they immediately become excited and ask a thousand questions about the historical past that we are apparently known for. I had to ask myself, "Have Memphians lost the passion that we were once known for?" I mean really. We have been labeled with the complements of having the best barbecue, the home of the blues, home of legends such as Isaac Hayes, Elvis Presley, and so many others. We hold the place in history where Dr. Marin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Those are just a few of the historical advantages that we hold, and we have lost all appreciation for them. I laugh at the Memphians who have lived here for decades, and still have not visited the Black History Museum, or Graceland. What fools to have historical landmarks at your fingertips and not savor them? Instead of grasping these valuable assets, we have completely trashed Memphis like it was never a thought to anyone. The constant crime, littering, and con artists have turned this place up side down. Instead of a place of beauty and history, it is a place of chaos. Why can't we do anything about it? Instead of leaving that bottle on the stairs, just keep it until you past the garbage can that is waiting three feet away. Instead of robbing the gas station because you can't pass a drug test to get a job, get checked into rehab for help. Instead of running from the law, just pay your court fees so we can get a little bit out of debt.

Keep The Truth- Words of advice for my father

Will you just lie to me
Tell me that everything will become better
Make me believe that one day I will change the world
Hold me in your arms and tell me how you have always tried you hardest for me
Stroke my hair and whisper tenderly
While you tell me you will always be there to help me when I need you
Call me every night and tell me that you hope I have wonderful dreams of what is to come
Just lie to me
Tell me that you were glad to know that I was expected
Express to me how elated you were to know that you could raise another beautiful soul
Tell me that you are so very proud of me, that u would change your every mistake to love me
No, just tell me you could never love me more than you do
Please lie to me
Tell me how you tell everyone that you do all that you can for me
Put it into my head that there is nothing else you would rather do then to know me
Convince me that I am the best thing that ever happened to you
You can keep the truth, I prefer from you
To Just lie to me

Okay, I wrote this poem for my father. Sadly, like most people, I was forced to be the product of a father who does know how to raise children. Who knows what I would be without my mother!

So Long TORRID

Well, my weekend was......I don't know. Saturday, I had to work at Torrid for eight hours because someone called in sick. I didn't mind since it was eight hours spent making money and staying out of trouble. Plus, it was the very last Saturday that the store would be open. The down side was that I didn't get to see my boyfriend until late that night when I got off, and then I had to be at work again on Sunday morning. I was looking forward for a chance to go to church Sunday morning, but I had to work another 8 hour shift. After work, my co-workers and I went to Red Lobster. It started off bad because we had to wait an hour and a half to get a table. Our district manager came to eat with us, she was cool. I was surprised that my store manager decided to pay for all of us, but I sure did not complain. We had a good time reflecting on old times working together and saying goodbye. I am really going to miss them; we were kind of like a little family.

I hate that my boyfriend and I didn't get to do much this weekend, but I didn't mind since my very first real job was shut down this weekend. It feels so weird knowing that I don't have to work at all this weekend. I have worked every weekend (except for one) for a year, and now, it's gone. I guess I have to go back to the drawing bored now. At least I do have my job on campus to keep myself sane. Don't worry, I'll find a new weekend job soon!

A Piece of Me

Grabbed by Reality

When all is down and all are dreaming
When the laughter stops and the jokes are a distance memory
I begin to float amongst the possibilities
I question my actions and revoke my mistakes
It’s a never ending journey
But a battle with winners
Will I come to and remain the same
Or will I finally make my inquiries into resolutions
As I wander all is dark but my thoughts are illuminated
I bounce off them one at a time
But I can’t remember what the last one was as I am tangent to the next
The last illuminated thought is extremely bright
It ‘s the thought of failure and the next, of disappointment
So I Halt
I let go, and I am grabbed, grabbed by reality
(copyright 08)

Okay, this poem is about how I feel when I'm laying in my bed trying to go to sleep. I have anxiety most nights, so it's always extremely hard for me to get to sleep. When I am in this state of mind, I feel just as I expressed in my poem. I feel like I know the things that I am capable of, and there are so many ideas that I have that I want to produce, until the thought of failure hits me. Then I get discouraged and realize that I don't want to risk failing. So I just shake it off, and try to forget about it, but I never do.

My Dorm Room Vs. His Apartment

My boyfriend moved into his first apartment in august, just before I moved on campus. For some strange reason, he thinks they are totally different. I know they are kind of, but he goes over board. He makes it seem as though I have zero responsibilities and I got it easy. Living on campus is expensive. Some may argue that it is cheaper than apartment and I do agree. I did not have to buy furniture, or pay rent every month. I still buy groceries for my room and I did have to buy a refrigerator. He argues that he has to pay a lot more than me for food. How? We are both only purchasing food for one person, and actually I should spend more because I’m in my room more than he is in his apartment. His two full time jobs keep him very busy, so why would he fill up his fridge with hundreds of dollars of food? Then every time I tell him I have to clean my room and it takes me a while, he laughs. "How long could it take you to just clean that space?" What!? Can he be serious? The TV gets dusty, and so does everything else in my room. Then there are mirrors that have to be cleaned, and I have to vacum. All of that doesn't include my clothes that I SOMETIMES have lying around. I do have a roommate, but we take turns cleaning, we don't share the task at the same time. I understand that rent and utilities cost him more, but there is still the same responsibility.

Minimum Wage and Living Wage: The Beginning

I always hear about people who have rent and house notes to pay that are usually the same or more than what they are getting paid. On top of their rent or house note, there are other bills that they have to pay as well, such as gas, lights, and water. How is a person supposed to be able to provide in such cases as this? How can some one making a little more than minimum wage afford the costs of living? Why is it that different states in the same country have different living wages? Why do we have different minimum wages? Once people do work hard and receive their pay checks, the taxes take out such a large chuck that the people are still not getting the money that they have worked for. Why doesn't everyone get the benefits of the raising of minimum wage? Like some may remember, with my job others got paid more than me for the same job and experience just because they were hired at the same time minimum wage was being adjusted, but my pay did not change. So the other people got paid more than I did, even after I clearly made more money than them for the company and I was there for a longer period of time.
As you can see, there are a lot of things that I do not understand about minimum wage or living wage, but I hope to research them and learn more.

Dealing With Differences

This semester is completely different from last semester. I actually have more classes than I had and I have decided to take on a new job as well. So my days are not spent being as lazy as I was. Last semester I only had 12 hrs of classes a week, so after I was done with class, I would go to my room and just sleep, get up and some homework, and go back to sleep. It was fun at first until I began to feel like a bomb. No offense to other bums. If that's what you like then have at it. I just could not take it anymore. I would sleep so much, that my head would start hurting. (I know that sounds bad)



I had a job, but it was only on the weekends because I thought I would get to stressed working through the week and on the weekend while trying to keep up my grades. At the time, I was working at Torrid. It's a plus size clothing store in the Wolfchase Mall. It wasn't hard at all, in fact, I really enjoyed working there. A lot of the customers like me. Well the customers that didn't call me "skinny" and tell me I had no business working there. Well, this semester, I found out Torrid is closing on January 27.

For the past week and a half, I have been working as an office assistant in Clement Hall. It is completely different from Torrid. Everyone is sooooo quiet, and I'm at a little desk by myself. I'm not complaining, just pointing out the differences. Everyone at the job has been very nice to me, so it's cool. But my schedule is very different from last semester. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I am out of my room from 11:30 until 4:30. Tuesday and Thursday, I am out from 8:00 until 4:30. My days now are so busy. I work 16 hrs and I'm in class for 15. I don't get as many naps as last semester, but I like it. I don't feel like that bum anymore, so that's nice. The good part about my work study job is that I'm able to get homework done, so when I get off, I'm free.

Also last semester, I did a lot of hanging out. At the time, my boyfriend and I were trying to adjust to a lot of new things at once. He began to work to full time jobs Monday- Friday, which means we could only see each on the weekends. It's okay now, but at the time it was driving us crazy. I was so use to seeing him all the time, and then it was all different. I was just starting college, just beginning to live on my own on campus, and he had just got his own apartment and working his new job. It was a very stressful time for us. So we broke up a few times, but it never lasted long. I thought it was time for me to "test the waters" and it sucked. I compared every person that wanted to date me to him and they just could not compare. But because of my stubbornness, I still did not call him. He always called me though. Of course. Hope he never gets hold of this!

As of now, he and I are doing well. We have gotten use to our busy schedules and we just appreciate the time we are able to spend with each other. We celebrated our one year on August 15, 2007. I can not believe that I have actually maintained a relationship for over a year. I never thought it could be possible for me. When he brought it to my attention that our one year was less than 2 months away, I instantly felt like running out of Cracker Barrel. (That's one of the best restaurants for those who don't know.) I realized I wouldn't have a ride home, so I had to stay. I honestly have no clue how he managed to keep us together all of this time, because I usually have no problem breaking up with someone and moving on. My past relationships always seem to strangely end right before the one year deadline if you know what I mean. Not that I have had many relationships. Throughout my life, I have only had 3 serious relationships, and I am currently with my third. If he plays his cards right, it will be my last. Enough for now, I have to save something about me for my future blogs.......

Manifesto

Dictionary.com defines the word manifesto as a public declaration of principles, policies, or intentions, especially of a political nature. First, one should have the desire to make a change or to want to accomplish something. But all possible things come through the blessings of God. Before attempting my manifesto, I must warn the public of the happiness and changes that it will bring. As I began my life by this manifesto, I found myself in awe many, many times and it still happens daily. My manifesto is a little more than this, but this just to get you started. Within my manifesto are policies and principles that I chosen to govern my life and help me to achieve my goals.
In life, it is very important to have a desire to achieve a goal. Even if you do not know what the goal is, you have to have the desire to want and maybe even need to want to reach a goal. The goal will come later if you desire it to come.
After you are aware of the incredible feeling you have to accomplish something, you should pray. Talk to God as often as possible about your feelings, even though he knows your heart, it still helps to tell him yourself. You must make him a friend. Just as you are anxious to talk to a friend, God listens just the same. It may feel weird, like you are talking to yourself. As time goes on, you will notice that he listens by the things he shows you. He is all about showing you.
Yes, God is always there to listen and to help you, but you have to have faith that he will make things happen for you. Faith is very important. You can pray continuously and talk to him whenever, but what good will it be if you do not truly have faith that he does love you and does want to help you.
Once you find the faith that you need to believe one hundred percent in God, you have to be patient. He is an awesome God, but you must wait patiently for God to make things happen in his own time. Your patience also shows God how much you truly do trust and have faith that he will help you with whatever it is you are struggling with. He knows your intentions if you begin praying and talking to him but when your blessing does not come when you want it to, you leave him. Why should he help you if you loose patience with Him? He patiently waited for you to come to him, so why can’t you do the same in return. While you are patiently waiting for God’s help, you must have endurance. There are so many things that can provoke you to do wrong. You have to have endurance to get over those things. Some things may be so tempting that you have to ask God to help you conquer them, and he will. Even though some people don’t want you to do well, you have to ignore them and continue with what you know you need to do.
After you have trusted in God with you complete faith, had patience with him, endured the things that almost took you away, you have to show God how thankful you are that he cared so much about you. Tell him how thankful you are whenever you can see the things he has brought you through. Even the things you find yourself taking for granted such as life itself. Better than merely telling God, you should jump for joy at the though of wanting to show him by constantly telling others about him and consistently trying to do the right thing as much as possible. When he notices how thankful you are you, of course he will want to help you more.
Not only should everyone believe in God, but have faith that if you lay your burdens on him, he will carry you through anything. With that faith, everyone must be patient that things that you ask God for, he will do. As you patiently wait for your blessings, you have to endure the trials and temptations that Satan puts in your way to harm you.