FINAL BLOG!

At the beginning of this semester I really did not enjoy blogging, not one bit.  I am not saying that it has grown on me much but I have gained a few positive feelings about it, and I am not completely against it like I was at the beginning of the semester. 

At the beginning of the semester I found myself searching for things to blog about.  I would end up posting a really negative blog full of complaining.  This type of ranting was very unlike me.  With time I realized I could blog about anything, and boy did I.  My past few blogs have been me straight rambling about my day and upcoming days.  To anyone else reading I am sure it was one of the most boring blogs that had ever read, but to be honest it really helped me get myself organized.  I keep a planner and write everything I need to do, but actually spelling it out in detail really kept me organized.  Blogging about my days helped me relax and think about everything that I needed to get finished. 

The blogs that we had to have three sources on we sometimes annoying, but other times beneficial.  If I did not have anything I cared to learn more about it was annoying to have to look up, read, and discuss a topic that I did not even care about.  When I found something that I cared to learn about it was a good time to make me learn more about it.  I even used things that I had read in conversations with other people along with my blog topic.  The three sourced blog really kept me in tune with the world around me for once.  Anytime something came on TV and I thought it was interesting I would look it up later, learn more about it, and use it for my blog.  Thus, I would get points for class and learn a little bit about something going on in the world that maybe I could shared with other people or at least chime into a conversation if the topic aroused. 

I am unsure if the blog made a difference in my writing skills.  I learned a little bit more on how to just write exactly what I am thinking instead of trying to use big words and over formalize my writing. 

I doubt that I will continue to blog over the summer, and mostly because of time issues.  I had a hard enough time coming up with two topics every week to use for class that I doubt when I am not forced to do so that I will put forth the effort.

All in all the blogging was not as bad as I originally thought it was going to be.  At some points I enjoyed it and found it a little relaxing.  It helped me stay in touch with the world and gave me some added conversation starters.  I’ll keep my blog open just in case I ever have something I NEED to get off my chest!

Osama is DEAD!

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/release_or_not_release_photos.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/01/osama-bin-laden-dead-killed_n_856091.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/osama-bin-laden-killed/story?id=13505703

Osama is DEAD! I know I am sure I am not the only one to blog about this, but come on it is every where in not only the news but Facebook.  I do not have television at my house and on Sunday I was just hanging out when I received two text messages telling me to turn on the television that I do not have.  Instead I went to CNN.com.  The first thing I saw was that Osama Bin Laden was dead! I went to a few other web sites to read the same thing.  President Barak Obama came on for a special report to inform the United States that we had located and killed Osama Bin Laden.  This was great to hear, but the best part of all of this was the reactions by others. 

Getting on Facebook I could not miss all of the statuses people had put up in response to the death of Osama.  Some of my personal favorites:

“Party in the USA! I’ll drink to that”

“Game over, Good game America”

And of course there were some of the serious ones that revisited all of the deaths and damage that has been done throughout all of this.  Which is very true, and very sad I agree.  I am in no way downplaying all that has gone one in between this time, so I hope no one takes offense to this blog.

My friend called me later that night and told me that after Obama’s speech she heard fire works throughout her apartment complex, she assumed celebrating Osama’s death.  My first thought was who in the world has all of those fireworks just sitting around at their house? My second thought was, of course, I want to be there!!

With all of the responses aside I think it is a great feat for America that we finally got our revenge.  I am glad in a way that he did not die of natural causes and that we actually got to seek revenge for ourselves. 

On the other hand I do feel like since we have been over there we have opened up many more problems and issues that just because he is dead we still have a lot more work to do, but I will not rain on every one’s parade.  I think it is great, GO AMERICA!

Now the White House is debating whether or not to release the photos of Osama’s dead body or not.  I know that there are many skeptics out there that will not believe his death until they see it.  I say show the photo…if you do not want to see it look away.  The news reports should warn their viewers that they are about to show it.  I would not mind seeing it, not that I do not believe it, It just would not bother me to see something like that.  I am sure this will be a tough decision for the white house to make and I cannot honestly imagine them showing it but more power to them if they do! Again, GO AMERICA!

Summer time

Summer time is just around the corner and it is obvious in more ways than one.

I never really realized how many external stimulants can affect someone’s mood so much.  I always thought of myself as someone who did not let external things affect my internal mood.  I feel like I am someone that people can always count on to be in a good mood no matter what the situation.  I know that there are some people that are very much affected by their external environments.  Whether these external stimulants include weather or something that is going on in their daily life these things affect the mood that they are in.  As summer is nearing I can tell the moods of people around me are changing for the better and I LOVE it! Granted the weather has not been consistently nice yet, but it will soon enough and people know it!

I have known already from taking Anatomy and physiology that during the winter time your body secretes more melatonin, which is a hormone that increases sleeping.  This explains peoples increased sleeping habits during the winter time which I guess has a direct relationship to their mood.  In the summer less of this melatonin is secreted giving rise to not as much sleep being had by individuals.  All of this aside the warm weather, sunny skies, and good moods of others have really affected me.

First of all the sunny skies have made sitting down to study for school THAT much harder.  Even though I know I am THIS close to getting an A in one of my classes and just a little bit more work would put me over the edge for a guaranteed A I cannot seem to focus long enough to get my stuff finished. 

The warm weather has of course changed my wardrobe.  I love love LOVE wearing shorts and a t-shirt to class.  Most comfortable thing to wear!!!  It is just when I think I am comfortable in what I am wearing in class that I look out the window and see the beautiful day and it is at that time I sneak out of class and meet up with my friends….oops. 

Along with my changed wardrobe and decrease in my academic drive the increased happiness of people around me has done a lot.  It is always a downer to be around people that are in bad moods and constantly complaining.  Lately I have noticed how many more people are smiling across campus, opening doors for people, and being talkative. 

Maybe the reasons for these changes do not have anything to do with the weather.  Maybe it is just the pure excitement of being finished for the semester that has changed the moods, my attitude, but probably not my wardrobe.  My wardrobe has to be solely based on the weather.  Maybe just maybe it is a combination of both the sunny days and the ever nearing semester end.  Whatever the reason is I love it and I’ll take it!!

Ron Artest Wins Citizenship Award?

http://www.nba.com/2011/news/features/scott_howard_cooper/04/28/lakers-ron-artest-change-game-6-setup/?ls=iref:nbahpt1

http://newsone.com/entertainment/sports-entertainment/casey-gane-mccalla/ron-artest-wins-nba-citizenship-award/

http://www.lakersnation.com/ron-artest-wins-nba-citizenship-award/2011/04/26/

Ron Artest wins NBA citizenship award.  I literally double took when this popped up on my home screen.  I truly do not like basketball and I honestly do not know much about the players or teams which makes this award for him even crazier.  Even with my lack of knowledge about the NBA I still know a few things about Ron Artest.  He is infamously known for the NBA player who went into the stands and started a brawl with a fan who threw a drink at him.  Yeah that would be frustrating for sure, but you get paid millions of dollars, the price you  have to pay is to sit back and take stuff like that.  Once you become a professional athlete you instantly become a role model and unfortunately every move you make is being watched.  On another “Ron Artest” moment in history he is known for is smashing a television monitor at Madison Square Garden.  One piece of information that was news to me is that he asked for time off so he could promote his album.  Now that we have a little background information about Ron Artest now we can see where I was very shocked to read that he had won this award. 

The citizenship award honors a player or coach for outstanding service and dedication to the community.  Granted Ron Artest in his recent years, post-brawls and outbursts, has seemed to exemplify these qualities.  The major word in the description is dedication, which to me means over time exemplified, not just in the past couple of years.  Also just giving money away does not mean you are an outstanding citizen. 

He has recently indulged his time, efforts, and money into the community.  More than likely mostly money.  Ron Artest raffled off his championship ring for $650,000 which will be given to mental-health charities along with his recent pledge to give out his entire 2011 salary of 6.79 million.   He has been advocating mental health issues and has donated millions of dollars to charities that associate with these issues.  Don’t get me wrong I think it’s great that the money went to these charities, because well not many things can function properly without money.  My main point to all this is that I’ll be honest I do not think they picked the right person for this award. 

On the other hand, this may be the way the National Basketball association wants to kind of give Artest a pat on the back and let him know that they recognize his efforts to change.  I am not saying that people cannot change, because I hundred percent think that they can, and to be honest I have no idea if Ron Artest has changed or not.  He may doing all of these things on his own will, and if so that is great.  I still do not feel that at this point in time he was the right pick for this award, but hey what do I know? Ha

The End is Near

I could not be more excited for summer to come.  Although I will be working, maintaining my internship hours, and taking two classes I am just ready to be home and under the sun.  I plan to spend most of my off time in a swim suit soaking up the sun!  I could go on for a while about my excitement but I still have a few things to finish up with before I leave Joplin for the summer…wow that sounds GREAT!

I just stayed up all night and studied for thirteen straight hours for my organic test which took me two hours.  I have really enjoyed that class and at one point in time almost switched my major to pharmacy, but it is definitely a tough course.  One of my favorite classes so far though. 

Here I go rambling again in order for me to figure out what all I have left.  In anatomy I have one more lab practical, a paper summary, and a final! Not too bad at all! In organic I have home work assignments, a quiz, and a final.  On my computer information systems class….well I do not really know what I have left for that.  I have not been a big fan of that class all semester! I have a paper for this class and a couple more wonderful blogs to be written.  International terrorism I have a couple more quizzes, a test, and an exam!  Does not seem so bad!

Finals week will be a blast I am sure! Once that is over I am homeward bound and could not be any more excited for my 21^st birthday, May 30^th!  That Friday I am renting a party bus and headed to downtown St. Louis to have my first sip of alcohol…EVER, or something like that!

I have been on a party bus before and let me tell you, well worth the money! It is a safe trip to where ever you want to go, and not only is it a ride it is a party on wheels! Then you get dropped off right in front of your destination and when ever you are ready to leave you just call up the bus driver who picks you up right in front and takes you to the next place you desire.  After it is all said and done the bus takes you safely home, mind you still with all your friends!  The bus drops you off where ever you want to and that is it.  The last party bus I was on was $25 a person.  I would have spent fifty or even a hundred it was that much fun. 

I hope my party bus goes just as smoothly! Let the count down begin.  Five weeks, eleven hours, and fifty six minutes….but who is counting!

Good luck to everyone with their finals.  Only a couple weeks left!!

Rambling blog

When I have nothing else to write about I just end up writing out my schedule for the upcoming days.  I am sure it is boring for every one else to read but it actually helps me get more organized.  I have just a few more things to get finished until I am headed home for the first time since January!  I could NOT be more excited!!!

We were supposed to have a game last night against Missouri State but it was supposed to storm in Springfield, not sure if it ever did or not, so our game got canceled.  Leaving me with lots of free time last night, which was a very weird feeling.  Our game last night was supposed to be the last one for the spring season, but they rescheduled it for next Tuesday.  Due to NCAA rules you are only allotted a certain amount of practices for the spring season.  Well since we thought that yesterday was our last game we had used up all but one of our mandatory practices leaving us with no opportunity to practice the rest of this week.  This has allowed me to go home earlier than I thought, so I am not too upset about it.  After my last class today at one I will be writing a lab report until four. At four we have weights, which is not considered practice.  After weights we have an optional practice, since it can not actually be enforced.  After practice I will go straight to work until 9.  After work I am headed home to pack and get a few other home work assignments finished.  Tomorrow I have class at 9 and 1 and then I am St. Louis bound.  It is about a four hour drive and I can NOT wait to get home.  Luckily I have been able to see my parents twice because they have come to Joplin for games, but there is nothing better than sleeping in your own bed and being at home. 

On Friday I have to go up to where I work during the summer and fill out a few papers because this summer I am going to be the manager at our local pool, yeah I am big time now. Ha After that I am going to get my hair cut and just RELAX all weekend. 

This Easter will be a little different than most because this will be the first Easter that I spend with out my sister.  She graduated from Missouri State in December and headed straight to Chicago.  She was very lucky to receive a job as an accountant right out of college.  Since she is a big girl now she is unable to get off work and make it home.  Even though I am twenty I am sure that my mom will still hide my easter basket and enjoy watching me hunt it down.  Unfortunately I will not have my 24 year old sister to help me and complain about it.  Hope everyone has a great Easter break!

Origin of 4/20

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_(cannabis_culture)

www.huffingtonpost.com/.../04/20/what-420-means-the-true-s_n_188320.html

parentingteens.about.com/cs/marijuana/a/420meaning.htm

The atmosphere of today may seem a little off today.  The air may have a different or stronger scent than normal.  The clouds may be hanging a bit lower and the air in front of you may be a little hazy.  Well the reason for these changes would be because today is 4/20.  Over time this day has become the national smoke weed day.  I do not smoke, but it was not until today when I was thinking about what to write about that I became interested in learning about where the term 4/20 originated. 

It is common knowledge amongst most people my age that the term 420 is associated with marijuana whether you partake in this activity or not.  Today when I was sitting in class and someone made a reference to 420 I started to think where did this come from? Who decided that on 4/20 that would be the national smoke weed day and how did they come up with this day? 

Well I did some research and I hope my Mom does not check my browsing history because it would appear to her that I am a “pot head” which is far from the truth.  I just am taking interest in history, she should be proud, right?

Well the information I gathered was pretty broad.  Some say that 420 originated because that is the day that Bob Marley died when in fact Bob Marley died in May.  Others say 420 comes from the code that cops have come up with when communicating amongst themselves that marijuana is present.  This is also false because a code 420 has not been coined for all police officers, although some may use it. 

What seems to be the origination of the term 420 is that in 1971 a group of highschoolers in California were on a mission to find an abandon cannabis, marijuana, crop.  They would meet every day outside their school by a Louis Pasteur statue on campus.  They would meet here every day at 4:30 to discuss their plans.  It originally started off as “4:20 Louis”, but after their failed attempts to find this abandon crop field it soon turned into just 420.  The coined this term and soon realized this was a way to talk about marijuana right in front of their teachers, parents, and anyone else of importance. 

Apparently 4:20pm has become a social accepted hour of the day for people to smoke marijuana. 

On this day, across the country many gather to celebrate this “holiday”.  In San Francisco many gather at the Golden Gate Park.  Tallahasse Florida is the number two pot smoking city in the United States. 

Every year in Boulder, Colorado a large group at the University of Colorado gathers to consume cannabis.  In 2008, 10,000 people attended and in 2009 they well surpassed this mark.   This seems like a crazy amount of people.  Campus and local police have tried to stop this, but the crowd keeps getting bigger every year. 

Although I do not partake in this activity it was interesting to learn the history behind it and the crazy amounts of people that gather to celebrate. 

Misconceptions

http://www.digital-doc.com/misconceptions.htm

http://www.life123.com/health/alternative-medicine/chiropractic/common-misconceptions-about-chiropractic-care.shtml

www.fortcollinschiropractor.org/3-Common-Misconceptions-on-Chiropractic-Care.html -

As soon as I read our topic  for our next paper I instantly knew what my paper was going to be about.  In the past couple of months I have been going back and forth on if Chiropractic is really what I want to do for the rest of my life.  I know for sure two things: I want to do something involved in science and I want to do something related to sports and or athletes. 

What is making my decision tough lately is that my parents are Chiropractors as well.  In NO WAY have they ever made me feel like I have to follow in their footsteps in any way shape or form.  I was drawn to their profession throughout growing up around it. I love the holistic approach and the alternative methods from surgery and serious drugs.  I am not against surgery, but only when it is necessary and all other less drastic approaches have been examined beforehand.  Back to my reasons for second guessing my choice…I worry that because I have only grown up around Chiropractors and their methods of healing that maybe in a sense I have been sheltered from other approaches and I am unfortunately biased. 

Lately I have heard more negative things about Chiropractors and their methods than ever before.  I wonder if I will be able to continue with something that is so misconceived and downgraded by many.  So I am on a mission to find out the misconceptions and learn a little bit more about Chiropractors and their methods and philosophy.  Hopefully by the end of all this I will be solid in my decision either way!

Common misconceptions that I have gathered in my quick research have not all been new information for me but some of which have. 

1.)    Chiropractors can ONLY treat spine or back problems: Well I know firsthand that this is not true without even having to do any research.  My parents have helped me with sinus issues, headaches, and ear infections.  Many of the ways that Chiropractors address these issues is through manipulation of the spine.  Patients also visit Chiropractors for joint pain and arthritis. 

2.)    Chiropractors thing they can cure cancer:  I have never heard my parents or any of their friends claim that they can cure cancer or any type of disease for that matter.  With every profession there are black sheep.  People that give a bad reputation for others because of their bogus claims.  I have heard many issues of mal-practice from Doctors of medicine so they are no angels either. 

3.)    Once you go in for one appointment, the chiropractor will tell you that you have to keep coming back for the rest of your life: Like I stated before within every profession there are people that give a bad reputation for everyone else involved.   One of the many reasons I was drawn to Chiropractic was because of my Mom’s ethical way of practicing.  Her main focus is to get her patients better as soon and as well as possible.  I am sure that there are Chiropractors out there that abuse their knowledge and make patients feel they must continue to come back to still receive these results.  I can only learn from their mistakes and run my practice differently.

Just in this short time of researching I have already learned a lot and I will continue to do so and hopefully get a little plan for my future!

LIMITED TIME OFFER!!

FEEL FREE TO SKIP THIS FIRST SECTION AND HEAD TO THE GOOD PART!!

As I have written about before in previous blogs, I play soccer here for Missouri Southern and I love it!  Every year we fundraise to make money for our program.  It always sounds like such a good idea, but when it actually comes down to selling the stuff it becomes quite difficult to actually fundraise.  Ha ha.  I have always thought of myself as someone who speaks very well.  Writing, not so much my thing, but make a speech to someone about anything I have a ton of confidence in myself in that area.  With that said, when our soccer team was told to sell ornaments last winter I thought with my people skills and silly sales techniques I could sell what I was asked of and more!! Ha.  Boy was I wrong.  It was a lot harder than I thought. I always feel bad about catching people one on one and putting them on the spot about buying something that in no way benefits them and I am sure deep down they do not want any part of it.  I never want to make any one feel obligated to buy from us, so in return I just hit up my parents and close relatives.  Well that has not gotten me any way especially this year when our team has been asked to sell ONE OF A KIND Missouri Southern glass mugs!! Boy have these things become a pain in the neck.  When we first started selling in December we did not have an individual quota to meet, but now that it is April and we still have a lot of mugs left to sell each person on our team has been told they must sell 16 mugs.  We must return $160 to our coach by next Friday no matter if we sell them all or not.  Basically if we do not sell all 16 mugs, the rest comes out of our pockets….ouch!!

Sooooooooo….that leads me into this: 

Missouri Southern Women’s soccer team is selling GENUINE, ONE OF A KIND, EXCLUSIVE glass mugs around campus.  Get your hands on one of these mugs, because boy are they going quick!!  If you buy a mug in the next week you will be able to fill it up with water at any one of our participating water fountains on campus…..FOR FREE!!!!!  I know I know crazy offer!  But if you want to get really crazy and buy more than one mug, I bet I could cut you a deal and sell you 4…count em 4 mugs for only $35! Sounds like a steal to me.  Let me know you if you are interested in supporting MSSU Women’s soccer and I will be more than happy to sell you one. 

Also another little offer I have which may be more beneficial for you is we are also selling Missouri Southern shirts and sweatshirts.  If you are interested in any one of these limited time offers let me know!!

Ask for $300,000,000, then play like $300,000,000!

http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/stats/sortable_player_stats.jsp?statType=1&teamPosCode=sln&subScope=teamCode&c_id=stl&section1=1&noHighlight=true&timeFrame=1&statSet1=1&timeSubFrame=2011&&sortByStat=H

http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/schedule/index.jsp?c_id=stl

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/albert_pujols/

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how Albert Pujols was asking for three hundred million dollars for ten years.  I gave reasons why he should be given this amount and why parts of this contract should be changed. 

Opening day was just last Thursday against the San Diego Padres.  The Cardinals lost 3-5, where Pujols had five at bats and zero hits.  Saturday the Cardinals lost 3-11 once again against the San Diego Padres.  In this game Pujols had four at bats, two hits, one home run, and one RBI.  That is the last time we have seen a hit from Pujols since.  On Sunday the Cardinals finally brought home a win where Albert Pujols went 0-4 hitting.  Last night the Cardinals lost again, this time to the Pitsburg Pirates 3-4.  Once again Albert Pujols went 0-3.  Did all this contract talk go to his head?

I am still an avid Pujols and St. Louis Cardinal fan, but I have always said that it is sad to see players get caught up in the money aspect of professional sports.  I fully agreed they should get paid well, and if you are a huge part of any team there is no reason why you should not get paid the most.  What I do not agree with is getting paid outrageous amounts of money or simply not attending training camps until someone gives you the ridiculous amounts of money that you are asking for. 

Even though Albert Pujols has gone 2-16 in their first four games that should not take away from any of his other accomplishments that he has made since he has been in St. Louis.  All players go through rough patches.

On the other hand, if you are going to claim that you deserve three hundred million dollars for ten years you better be able to back that up.  Back it up with hits, homeruns, or at least RBIs.  Right now Pujols is averaging .125.  His career high is .331. 

This is very early in the season and he could quickly come out of this slump.  This year Albert is playing with a lot of pressure.  He has pressure from the fans of St. Louis constantly questioning his future with the Cardinals.  Pujols is feeling the heat from the franchise.  They are going to be watching him extremely hard this year.  His performance will determine their ultimate decision on whether to grant his proposal or not.  Along with those pressures, Pujols is placing a lot of pressure on himself.  He has to perform well in order to even have a chance for the franchise to accept his offer.  He also has to prove to the fans of St. Louis that he wants to be here and will do what it takes to stay.

It is only four games into regular season play, and a lot can change.  Cleary Pujols has not started out on the right foot, and definitely his play has not proven that he desires three hundred million.  Once he relaxes a bit I know he will be right back into the old outstanding Pujols that brings millions of fans to Busch Stadium every day!

Costly Prints

Until the fall of 2010, the cost of prints on campus was free.  Whether you were printing in color or black and white students were held at no cost or limits.  I am sure this was costly for the University.  Some students took major advantage of this access and printed endless amounts of junk.  This abuse of student’s printing privileges forced the University to implement a new printing policy.  The University took a dramatic step and is now charging fifty cents for every colored print and ten cents for every black and white print.  This is a pretty drastic change for most students at Missouri Southern.  I feel that on top of the increased cost of tuition and the new recreation activity fee this is just unnecessary added cost.  Students are already paying for their class, within in this fee should include access to printing the notes required for the class at no added cost.  If each power point is twenty pages long and you are required to print off a new one for every lecture that is two dollars per class period.  Multiply that number by the number of times an average student has that class a week, three, and in just one week you are spending six dollars.  Now let’s multiply that number by four, the average number of classes a student is enrolled in a semester, and the cost for one week of printing notes is twenty four dollars.  Multiply this number by the number of weeks in a semester and you have soon found yourself paying an extra three hundred dollars on prints for your classes.

I honestly never realized how expensive this new policy was until I was writing my practical proposal paper.  I do feel that within the cost of tuition that each student pays for each class should come with access to their notes required for that class.  Whether the teacher prints them out of each student, which is probably an inconvenience for the teacher, or the students have access to free prints to obtain these notes required. 

I never thought about the inability for students to be able to afford this new cost.  Some students already are up to their neck in loans for school.  Any extra money goes to their cost of living and food.  Telling these students that they must now pay for each print may turn them away from printing out this information.  If this information is not printed out they are in return jeopardizing their academics. 

I feel the University should look for a more appealing way to keep them financially stable, but also keep the interests of students first and for most.  I am sure that the school is trying to make up for all the money they probably lost when prints were free, but they should start looking for a new way to keep the students happy.

After writing my practical proposal paper for our third paper I realized I might actually turn in my proposal and get this shananigains fixed.

March Madness Madness!

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Two-crazy-weeks-produce-a-Final-Four-full-of-sur?urn=ncaab-wp1357

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketball/story/unexpected-foursome-kentucky-uconn-butler-vcu-heading-to-final-four-032711?true=true

http://www.ncaa.com/menshighlights/?c=turner_mmod_mens_recaps&p=513722&s=5081586&i=926655

NCAA March Madness has really lived up to its name this year.  For the first time in history no 1 or 2 seeded teams have made it into the final four.  This is also only the third final four with no 1 seed.  Going into the final four is University of Connecticut from the Big East, Virginia Commonwealth University from the Colonial Athletic Association, University of Kentucky from the Southeastern conference, and Butler from the Horizon League.   Although the University of Kentucky and University of Connecticut are not as surprising as VCU and Butler they are all have been underdogs in at least one tournament game. 

Each team made it into the final four by beating off big teams, buzzer beaters, and determination.  The 3^rd seeded UCONN beat 6^th seeded Cincinnati 69 to 58, then 2^nd seeded San Diego State 74 to 67, then 5^th seeded Arizona 65 to 63.  The 4^th seeded Kentucky beat 5^th seeded West Virginia 71 to 63, then a major upset to 1^st seeded Ohio State 62 to 60, then their biggest accomplishment happening last night when they beat the 2^nd seeded North Carolina 76 to 69.  The 8^th seeded Butler upset the 1^st seeded Pittsburg 71 to 70, then 4^th seeded Wisconsin 61 to 54, and then 2^nd seeded Florida 74 to 71.  The 11^th seeded VCU beat three seeded Purdue 94 to 76, then 10^th seeded Florida State 72 to 71, and then the biggest upset of them all against 1^st seeded Kansas 71 to 61.

Each of these teams deserves to be at the spot that they are in.  I do not feel that any of them slid into this position by luck.  University of Kentucky beat two top ranked teams; Ohio State and the University of North Carolina.  Each of these teams has screwed up fans brackets across the nation.  Very few in the nation picked Virginia Commonwealth, University of Connecticut, University of Kentucky, and Butler as their final four.  I know I sure did not. 

The next match up will be Saturday April 2^nd between Virginia Commonwealth and Butler and then the University of Kentucky against University of Connecticut.  It will be big dogs versus big dogs and the underdogs against the underdogs.  In the national championship we will have more of a powerhouse against one of the totally unexpected teams. 

If I were to make my prediction I would pick VCU over Butler not only because they are the complete underdog of this entire tournament but because they are coming off of a HUGE upset against KU.   This big win will hopefully give them momentum to take over Butler.  In the other game I am going to pick University of Kentucky over University of Connecticut because they have out beat two major power houses and do not seem to be backing down any time soon.  That will put the University of Kentucky and Virginia Commonwealth in the finals and I am going to pick University of Kentucky to win it all.  With the way this tournament has gone I am sure the exact opposite will happen.  Will be know this Saturday!

TIME OF MY LIFE!!!!

Over Spring break I and nine other girls on my soccer team went to South Padre, Texas.  TIME OF MY LIFE!!!  We took two cars and one group left on Thursday and the other group left on Friday.  I was in the group that left on Thursday evening drove six hours to our first stop, Burleson, Texas.  Burleson is home to one of the girls in our group.  We arrived at 3am, woke up and she showed us around her town.  That day we drove another two hours to Austin, Texas.  We visited her friends at the University of Texas.  Very big change for us from Missouri Southern.  We experienced fraternity and sorority houses.  There was definitely a lot more school pride here and it was a great time.  The next day we drove another two hours to San Antonio, Texas where a girl that graduated on our team last year lives.  This is where we met up with the second group that left on Friday.  All together again, at last.  That night we all went to a 2-stepping bar that blew buffalo run out of the water.  We had already had so much fun and we had not even made it to Padre yet.

Sunday morning we woke up and started on the last leg of our trip to SOUTH PADRE!!! This drive was five hour.  We stopped and got groceries and the essentials and checked into our hotel around 5pm.  Our hotel was right on coca-cola beach, which is where all the performances were located.  We could not have picked a better spot!!  That night we went to a place called Louie’s.  I have never seen so many people packed into one place before.

Monday morning our team woke up went on a run together and then headed to the beach.  Our basic routine for the next three days was wake up at nine, run, eat, beach until five, shower, nap for an hour, get ready, out for the night.  On the very last day I and three other girls went jetskiing! I was very sore that night from being thrown off of it over ten times. 

Wednesday night we all stayed up all night making friends and living the last night to the fullest.  We met and hung out with Syrus from the real world Boston.  We definitely went out with a bang. 

Thursday morning we were exhausted and started our seventeen hour drive back home.   We got home at 5am Friday morning where I went to work for six hours, went home slept, woke up and worked another ten hour day.  No matter how tired I was I still caught myself smiling from my trip.  Well worth it.

We have been depressed ever since.  South Padre with my best friends has been the best time of my life.  There was never a bad moment or any disappointments.  No arguing or anything.  I would not change one part of that trip for a second.  I could write on here forever all of the stories and everything that happened but I may just spread this trip out into three different blogs.  Ha I hope everyone enjoyed their spring break as well!!

Old Habits Die-Hard

Our country is known for many things. Probably one of the biggest would be how over-weight and lazy we are. I don’t know how many shows are on TV now that deals with morbidly obese people. I usually don’t watch TV much, but when I do, I almost always see one show talking about weight loss. America is getting to the point of two extremes of weight, either really skinny for fear of becoming overweight, or very overweight. Little girls now are so pressured to look perfect, there’s this super model image that is advertised almost everywhere so when they don’t meet that image or standard eating is usually the number one comfort, which is sad. But it’s not just girls, boys have it the same way. I’m not saying because of the advertisement our country has become obese, I just feel like it’s a contributing factor. However, when you have the parents that feed their children junk food constantly and teach them horrible habits there’s not a lot you can do either. They learned from their parents and their parents learned from their parents and so that leads to this long line of bad habits that is hard to fix. Also, bad eating habits lead to health issues that can be passed on to children as well. I grew up in a house that ate healthy, which at the time I hated. When I wanted a snack my mom gave me an apple, no chips or cookies for me. I loved going over to friends house and raiding the fridge and cabinets. They had pop tarts, Oreos, fruit roll ups everything that a kid could want. When I started to get older though, I became more aware of what I was putting into my body, and what was healthy for me. Instead of eating fries and burgers for lunch, I started making sandwiches and bringing fruit, or I would just make a salad for lunch. I do not understand how people cannot grasp the idea of eating healthy. I get that the food does not taste as good without butter but there’s moderations that barley change the taste. Sadly though, many people do not cook a lot anymore. My mom cooked dinner every night when I was little. Who would you when there is literally every single type of food at a drive through restaurant in your town. Seriously, there is a McDonalds in probably almost every town in America. Who has the time and especially the money to make a sit down meal, when a cheeseburger only costs a dollar? I can’t blame people for trying to save money, when it’s scarce right now. Third world countries are desperate for food, and the United States is in an obesity epidemic. That doesn’t seem right at all. However, I love my country, and am so proud to be an American, and I believe that we’re getting better about our eating habits. This just takes time to fix, old habits die-hard.

College Choices

The United States has a lot of variety when it comes to the types of colleges people can to attend. An important factor in choosing a college might be the amount of time an individual wants to spend taking classes, but because of the different academic systems colleges provide, some complications can arise. There are three different types of academic terms schools or colleges can adhere by and they are a semester system, a trimester system, and a quarter or quadmester system. Usually, a semester system divides the year into two terms, mostly around 15-18 weeks. This system is very common for most American colleges. A trimester system cuts the academic year into three terms, generally around 10-12 weeks. Lastly, the quarter or quadmester system cuts the year into four ten-week terms and also counts the summer as one of the terms in the academic year. The hours earned is the biggest difference between semester and quarter system schooling. As said before, the semester system roughly cuts the school year in half, usually around 15 weeks each. When the two semesters are joined together they constitute 30 weeks of teaching. So if you look at the quarter system, and then the semester system you will find that three academic quarters are equal to two academic semesters. As a result, credit earned in quarter hours converts to semester hours at 2/3 of its value, and semester hours converted to quarter hours are actually worth 3/2 of it’s value. In other words, three quarter hours are equal to two semester hours. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_term#United_States. Another difference would be the amount of time spent taking classes. The quarter system can keep you more alert and you’ll be able to finish classes you do not like much faster. When taking semester classes, you have to take the classes, such as general education classes that may have nothing to do with your major for the entire sixteen weeks. On the other hand, you get longer breaks while on the semester system stretching out the classes, and giving professors more time to assess the class and maybe make adjustments to students who need more help. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/660798-semester-system-vs-quarter-system.html. Another difference I think is important would be the amount of breaks each system has over the school year. The semester system has a general Spring, Winter, and short fall break whereas quarter systems have breaks almost every three months. Also, when most students attending a semester system college are done with classes in the winter, quarter system students are still enrolled in classes and have a significantly less amount of break time. So of course when visiting friends it is sometimes difficult to be on the same break schedule if one was in a quarter system school and another in a semester system school. http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=65275. Personally, I think that I could attend either one. Quarter systems seem to be easier when looking at the class load, and break times between each quarter, but not many people attend these colleges as well as it is hard to transfer credits going to a semester based system.

Gas Prices

1.)    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/07/california-gas-prices-highest_n_832312.html

2.)    http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/03/07/gas-prices-rise-time-drill-baby-drill/#

3.)    http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Editorial-Board-Blog/2011/0307/Gas-prices-too-high-Obama-may-not-think-so.-He-s-pumped-to-use-high-oil-prices

Last week my Mom called me and told me to fill up if I could because the prices were going to rise, boy was she right! My Mom says she remembers when gas prices were under a dollar.  I barely remember when gas prices were under two dollars. 
In the past couple of weeks the gas prices have risen substantially across the country.  “The new Lundberg Survey finds gas prices have jumped nearly 34 cents over the last two weeks across the U.S.” (1)  The average gas price across the country is around $3.50 per gallon.  California is really bringing up the gas prices with their average being $3.898 per gallon. 
Just how much higher will the gas prices rise? Many experts are predicting $4 a gallon gas in 2011 and $5 a gallon gas in 2012.  My tank holds about 14 gallons.  I am no math major but that means in 2011, the year I graduate and take on all my debt from school and start commuting to my graduate school I will be filling up my tank for a near seventy dollars!!!!
“The former president of Shell Oil, John Hofmeister, has been already predicting $5 a gallon gas in 2012 long before the unrest in Middle East and North Africa.” (2)
The rise in prices leads Americans to produce the slogan “Drill Baby Drill” in reference to the fact that America needs to stop being so dependent on other countries to produce our foreign oil.  I’ll say that I do not have much knowledge on this topic, but from the information I have gathered I am shocked that America is not looking for more ways to produce our own oil.  We are already in an economic crisis, counting on other countries to supply one of our most important goods is astonishing.  I agree with the argument that if America became more pro active in becoming more energy independent and free from foreign sources of fossil fuel we would help pull ourselves from this major economic crisis we are in.  Producing our own goods would enhance us economically in more than one way.  Producing our own goods would require the man power to do so.  Implementing the man power to create and maintain these power plants will open up jobs to many Americans which is an important factor that could  potentially help pull us out of this recession.
I’ll be honest when it comes to the production of oil and where we get our crude oil from I am clueless.   I really learned a lot from this blog and the information I gathered, but I still have no idea how to even go about fixing this problem.  The economies in other countries that we get our oil from are unstable.  The economic stability poses a problem for the United States to receive our oil.  With the demand for a supply that is difficult to obtain rising, the prices are going to continue to rise until the economic issues are solved.  How long will that be? I am not sure even Obama can answer that one.  Ha

Speed up, and slow down AT THE SAME TIME!

Have you ever wanted time to speed up but slow down at the same time?  Boy do I know that feeling, especially lately.  11 days until our spring break trip to Padre!!!! Of course I am counting down the days and can’t wait for it to get here.  On the other hand, I have A LOT of things to do in the mean time.  Three tests, three papers, one paper summary, and a few quizzes all in that time.  That is just one example.

I am also anticipating my living situation next year, but along with that will come with me being a senior and one soccer season left.   I know next year is going to fly by and then I will graduate and be off to grad school, yuck!!

The end of my sophomore year I had made the decision to transfer to Mizzou to finish out college.  That summer I realized I was making a HUGE mistake, looking back on it, it would have been the biggest mistake I would have ever made.  Girls on our team usually decide who they are living with the following year in March.  I decided to come back to Missouri Southern in July; we meet for pre-season early August.  I was stuck with nowhere to live and no one to live with.  As crazy as this sounds, this is a true story, my Mom came to Joplin with me and found me a place to live…..on Craig’s List.  She looked up houses in the area that had bedrooms for rent and called that day and I moved in the next.  I am currently living in a house with two other guys above the age of twenty five.   Trust me every person I tell this story to laughs.  All the girls on my team make fun of me on a daily basis, but hey it is a great memory to look back on.  It has actually worked out really well and next year, what I am so excited for, six other girls on my team and I will move into this house and make it our own. 

We could not be any more excited.  Everyone on my team gets along so well we could not possibly think about splitting up.  This is a four bedroom house and I said that seven girls will be living in here.  Crazy huh?  There is a large bedroom in the basement that three girls are going to share and then upstairs there will be a room shared by two people.  Lucky for me, I get my own room.  I am the one that brought them in here right? Ha ha. 

So as much as I am so excited for next year and to finally be living with girls on my team again I know that next year is going to fly by.  I will be sure to make the most of my senior year and hopefully maintain my grades so I can still get into grad school. Ha ha.  All in all I want time to speed up, but yet slow way way down!

How To Determine Pujol's Future

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/02/albert-pujols-d.html

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pujolal01.shtml

http://aol.sportingnews.com/mlb/feed/2011-01/albert-pujols/story/chris-carpenters-fate-could-depend-on-albert-pujol

In my last post concerning the trade of Pujols I stated that the Cardinal’s should do what it takes to keep him around.  As steep as his offer is and it could put the Cardinal’s in a penny pinching situation the economic effects of losing Albert Pujols could be worse. 

Albert will become a free agent after this upcoming 2011 season.  Pujol’s wants to play out this season and not be bothered by trade rumors until after the World Series, fair enough.  It is safe to say that Albert Pujol’s wants to stay a Cardinal.  He was quoted  in his latest interview saying that a few things need to happen in order to keep him around. 

If you ask my opinion of the few things that need to happen I’ll tell you….

They need to pay him what he deserves.  Pujol’s was paid 14.5 million in the 2010 season.  Arguably the best player in baseball right now didn’t even make the top 25 highest paid players in the league.  Alex Rodriguez was paid 33 million for the 2010 season.  See the problem here?  As much as I feel that it should not be all about the money imagine if you worked at the same company and compared yourself to a co-worker.  You work much harder, and you are clearly better.  At the end of the day they are getting paid more than you, wouldn’t that make you feel a little taken advantage of? I do not think Pujols is all about the money, but there comes a time where you need to stand up for yourself and get a little bit of what you deserve.

The Cardinals need to meet Pujols more than halfway on his demands.  Instead of paying him a guaranteed 30 million for 10 years, why not guarantee 8 years as the highest paid player with an option of the final two years based on performance when it comes that time.  That way Pujols is kept happy and the Cardinals have an out and are not bound to a 10 year contract. 

  In order to free up some money for Pujols new pay check the Cardinals are gonna have to let go of a few players that are costing them more money than they are worth.  Lance Berkman, former NYY, is getting paid more than he should.  He could easily be replaced for a more inexpensive player.  Other players that would free up some money would be Ryan Franklin and Skip Schumaker.  Letting go of some of these unproductive players will free up some money to keep our key players around. 

Another major thing the Cardinals need to be sure to do is keep a winning team around.  Pujols has said it is not all about the money.  If the Cardinals can put together a winning  team he would love to stay.  Keeping players like Matt Holliday, Chris Carpenter, and Pujols happy will ensure a winning combination.  Through some mediocre players in the mix at a low cost and that will at least keep the Cardinals organization out of some serious debt.  Win some games, build up revenue, and keep Albert Pujols!!!  Although paying him will put the Cardinals in a tough position money wise however, the economic ramifications of letting him get away could be even worse.

Rolling in the Money Now

Within a month I have gone from broke and no source of income to two jobs and finally a little extra money around.  I applied for lady foot locker last week and received my first interview.  Within a few days I was asked to come back for a second interview.  A couple days after that I was told I was hired and started training that next day.  The only other job I have had before this is lifeguarding every summer for five summers.  I have never had to balance school soccer and two jobs, but so far so good!

Just in the two weeks I have worked there I have already learned a lot.  As dumb as this may sound I did not know there was such a difference in shoes and that the shoes you wear can affect other parts of your body.  I know what shoes are good for people that pronate, or roll in when they walk.  People with flat feet and high arches I know just the shoes for you now! I have learned the shoes most useful for long distance runners, and every day walkers. 

The coolest thing that I have seen so far is the new Reebok and Sketchers shoes that work your glutes and hamstrings while you walk.  Very smart idea, and I am surprised they did not come up with that sooner.  They are pretty popular.  So if you are looking for some new shoes I know a lot now. Ha

I also received a job working in the student center score keeping basketball intramurals.  Pretty easy job for a score keeper, but I am very happy I am not a referee.  Some of these guys take the intramural games VERY VERY seriously.  You would think they were playing for a championship or something.  I have seen people get in fights with their own roommates.  Guys like to say girls complain a lot and are whiny, but that is absolutely false, at least during intramural basketball games that is.  Every play there is another guy complaining about a call that was or was not called.  There is always someone shouting profanities and getting in someone’s face.  It really is funny to watch, but only because I am not the referee that has to deal with any of that.  I get stressed out enough just sitting on the side lines stopping the clock and tracking the points. 

Over all I am lucky to have both jobs that I really do enjoy for the most part and to final have some money coming in.  I am going to need that money for my upcoming trip to South Padre Texas!!! Woooooo!

My "Feelings" about blogging

This blog is going to be another vent session.  Of course I find myself at a loss of things to talk about, and once again frustrated.  I am going to take this time to discuss my feelings about blogging and why I do not like it.

This is no attack to anyone; blogging is just not for me.  I never had a diary, kept a journal, and to be honest expressed many of my feelings.  Coming up with something to talk about every week has been beyond frustrating.  On top of all of the other things I have going on between school, soccer, and two jobs I find this a little inconvenient. 

I understand the part of making us continually write and practice practice practice.  I can understand that point.  Maybe I should have taken English in class, I am sure it is hard to come up with online assignments to do for English.  I am just not a fan of this assignment.  But I meet the requirements and do it every week with a smile on my face. 

Every time I am writing a blog about what is going on in my life or my “feelings” all I can think about are the million other productive things I could be doing besides complaining.  I hate complaining and believe me or not have never been pinned as one to complain.  This blog has really brought my complaining and negative side out.  Not a good attribute to have, so I do not blame you if you skip ove my blog every time.  I would too.

On a more positive note, I have received a benefit from blogging.  I do not fully mind the blogs where we have to find something going on in the world or locally and write about that.  It forces me to take time out of my day and catch up with what is going on in the world.  Not only do I catch up I actually learn more in-depth details about important events taking place.  It has given me topic of conversations to have outside of this blog and for that I am happy.

I do not fully mind having to comment on other people’s blogs.  Although most of my responses are short and bland I do read them.  I understand it makes us bloggers feel that people are actually reading our blogs and it is making us read other peoples thoughts and interests. 

So maybe, in my ideal blogging world I would just have to write one blog a week about something going on in the world.  I can do that.  That would not seem so unproductive or a waste of time by any means.  I would stay caught up in the world, have topics of conversation, and practice my writing skills.  I would also only have to comment on blogs about events occurring in the world.  This would help me not only learn about my topic but also other people’s topics that they chose without having to do a ton of research.