The Last Blog!

     I can honestly say that I am actually sad that this semester is coming to a close. First of all, because time seems like it is going by so fast and there is nothing I can do about it. Secondly, because my next semester is going to be fifty times harder than this one was, as they are medical classes. Last of all, because I actually kind of liked writing these blogs, then again I hated it! I really liked reading other people’s blogs because I found them more interesting than mine! I also liked writing them because they helped me get things off my mind while helping me improve my writing skills. I think that writing skills are important in my line of work (radiology) because if I have to send letters to patients, doctors, or memos to my co-workers, then I will be able to sound professional. I don’t want people to look at my letters or notes and think, “Wow, what school did she go to? Is she even a real Radiology Technician?” However, it is a love/hate relationship with these blogs. I hated writing them because it was always so hard for me to find what to write about. I didn’t want to write about something that everyone else was going to write about, but at the same time, I still wanted the blogs to be interesting so people’s chins won’t be hitting their keyboards from exhaustion because my blog was so boring! I look back now and I kind of wish that I had written more exciting blogs, or interesting blogs.  There is nothing I can do about it now, but I know I have definitely improved my writing skills because of all of these blogs and I am especially pleased about that! I have never blogged before in my entire life, and I liked trying something new.  However, even though I liked trying something new, I know that I won’t ever blog again unless I am forced to do it for a grade. I know that I would never be able to post anything that anyone would ever find interesting. I try to make my writing interesting, but it seems as though I never can get my writing quite high enough for my standards. My grammar is even hard for me to perfect. I don’t know why I am like that, but at the same time I’m glad that I pick my essays and papers apart like that because it helps to strive to be a better writer. I really hope that I can further improve my writing skills, even though I think this is the last English glass that I have to take. I am also just blissful that I am ending English 102 with such a good grade! That means that I have gotten a good grade in every English class I have taken! I am ending this school year enormously proud of myself because I am doing things that I never thought I would be capable of doing.

My New Career Path!

     Recently I decided to change my major. I have changed my major from Elementary School Education to Radiology, specializing in Ultrasound Technology.  I first went to sign up for classes in the Health Science building and that thing is HUGE! It gives the feel of a hospital just like its intention! I proceeded to room 325, where I met Christie, who works at the front desk. I think that she is probably the nicest person that I have ever met that works at MSSU. She was very helpful and she helped me sign up for classes. Because I signed up for classes so late by mistake, I had a hard time finding the classes I needed, but somehow she helped me! I’m not saying it was any easy task! First of all there was something wrong with her computer while I was there, which was not her fault at all! Sometimes technology can have a mind of its own! It took me about two hours to get signed up for classes, but she was very informative about the program. She was straight to the point and she didn’t sugar coat anything. She told me that the semester I am about to go into is going to very hard. I am glad that she told me exactly how she felt about my classes so I would know what to expect. Christie also said that 50 people apply for the program every year and only 10 get accepted into it, so I should work very hard to maintain my grades and if I am struggling, that I should definitely seek a tutor if need be.  I was informed of what I needed to get into the program and how I needed to do it. She told me about how I needed to take the summer to job shadow radiologists as much as I could to help me have a better chance at getting into the program as well and so I will know what to expect with the Radiology Program. I know that right now I am very scared to start the new school year, but at the same time I am excited. She said that she loves helping people sign up for the classes because these people she is helping will one day be able to help her medically or perhaps one of her family members. She was very professional and she knew a lot about all of the classes and the Radiology Program. Needless to say I am very scared, yet very excited about the future to come. I’m not too confident about how well I will do in school, but I am glad because that will keep me on my toes so I can strive to do well. It's not very helpful that my family members seem to be viewing my career change negatively as well, saying that they do not think that I can do it, but I'll prove them wrong. The future seems so far away and I can’t wait! I wish that I could just reach up and grab it and get it over with, but I cannot.  I am looking forward to my first attempt at getting into the Radiology Program. If I don’t make it in the first time I will try until I do!

Teen Pregnancy

     At least once a week I will look on my Facebook and I will see several of my friends saying something about how they can’t wait to see tonight’s “Teen Mom” episode, or  tonight’s “16 and Pregnant” episode, and every time I read it, I roll my eyes.  I don’t understand why someone would want to watch such garbage. My boyfriend’s little sisters are always watching one of them and it makes me makes me mad because they are fifteen years old and I don’t want them to get the wrong idea. It seems to me that teens that are watching this show will get the wrong idea about being a teen mom. I mean, these girls had a baby when they were fifteen or sixteen years old, and because of that, they are getting to be on TV and they are making money for it. However, I was doing some research, and perhaps I’m wrong. I came across an article written by the Senior Vice President of MTV Lauren Dolgen, explaining why she created “Teen Mom” and “16 and Pregnant.”  She came across an article that affected her profoundly. It was an article talking about Jamie Lynn Spears’ pregnancy. Inside the article she said that it had statistics about how many teens are pregnant every year that do not have a lot of money like Ms. Spears did to give her a boost.  Critics like me say that these shows are glamorizing teen pregnancy and making it look fun. To be fair, the girls in these shows are being made to overcome some pretty rough obstacles and make some pretty tough decisions that a teenage girl shouldn’t have to make.  Dolgen then goes on to say, “We believe that our audience is smart enough to view "Teen Mom" and "16 and Pregnant" as the shows were intended -- as cautionary tales about the consequences of unprotected sex, and the reality of becoming a parent too early.” I have recently viewed “16 and Pregnant” and I understand what she is saying. If you watch the show you will see it is much like a documentary. These girls are going through rough times such as having to give their babies up for adoption, relationship difficulties, and having to find a job to raise their baby that will soon be arriving. I do recall that my boyfriend’s sister, Ashley said while we were watching the show, “I will never have kids until I am older! Their lives look hard!” I couldn’t believe it when I heard it!  Another article states that “A report released Dec. 21st, 2010 by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reported that 82% of teens say that by watching the show they have a better understanding of the struggles and challenges that teen parents face.” Who would have thought that a simple reality TV show could help bring down teen pregnancy rates? I have a new appreciation for this show and I will not longer view it negatively!

"Monday, Monday. Can't Trust that Day!"

     My alarm goes off at 4 a.m. Monday morning to the beautiful tune of the piano. I roll over slowly, dripping in sweat because it is stifling in my bedroom to turn off my alarm. I rub my eyes longing for my bed again. I walk to the bathroom like a zombie and there I brush my teeth, comb my hair, put on my make up, and get dressed. I call my giant Great Dane, Hiro to come to the back door where I will be letting him out. It was pouring down rain outside, but because I was so hot I did not put on shoes or a jacket. I had a hold of Mister Hiro’s collar and before I could put him on his lease that is in tacked in the ground he leapt in the other direction playfully. “Hiro, no, no boy!” I said sternly reaching for him quickly. He leapt back again before I could grab him and ran for the neighbor’s yard as fast as he could. I promptly ran after him, tripping over a giant limb that had fell from the night’s storm, my face falling into a big puddle of water.  I had no time to get angry because I did not want my dog to get hit by a car, or run away. I jumped from the ground as quickly as possible and looked up. He was nowhere to be found. “HIRO!” I called fearfully as I crept through the lightless alley. I saw a shadow moving through the darkness. “That better be you!” I said in a shrill voice, running at the shadow, the rain beating down on my head like a waterfall. I reached the end of the alley where I found my dog just standing there waiting for me, as if his little game was over and he was ready to go home now. “BAD BOY!” I said to him and pulled him by his collar, back to the house and put him inside. I had fifteen minutes to dry off and be at work! I dried off promptly, grabbed my umbrella, and jumped in the car. As soon as I got to work I opened my car door and got out my umbrella because it was still raining really hard. I was not looking forward to walking in the rain again but at least this time I had by trusty umbrella! I pulled my umbrella close to me like it was my only friend, grabbed my purse, and jumped out of the car, making a run for it. As I ran, my shoe fell off and a large gust of wind took over my umbrella, pulling me to the ground as I held on to it as if it were my only child being swept away by the high tides of the ocean. I couldn’t keep my grip on the umbrella and it blew away. I got up, feeling defeated, but also glad that wasn’t really my only baby.  However, if this was a test, and I was truly supposed to keep a hold of that umbrella because it was my baby, then I definitely failed it! I unlocked the door and went inside, water dripping from my body. I walked through the doors for employees only and there was the last person I wanted to see, my decorator. “Well you look pretty today!” He said sarcastically. I pictured myself punching him in the face and then calmly walked to the break room and grabbed a towel to dry myself off. That is how my Monday morning went. Hope everyone else’s was much better than mine. I still can’t decide whether to laugh about it or cry about it.

Who has my Kidney?

Sometimes in life organs go bad and you have to get them replaced. How do hospitals decide who gets an organ transplant? Do they investigate the person’s family to see how kind this person was considered to be and whether or not they were a drain on society? Do they look at their medical records and see if they have had a long history of trouble with the certain organ that is needing replaced? Do they investigate why this organ has gone bad? Was it from too much smoking, drinking too much alcohol, or eating too many fried foods or foods that were not good for them? Some donors will tell the hospitals that they only want their organs to go to a person who is in their family that needs a transplant and others will request their organ go to someone who will not misuse it. For example, let’s say that someone is donating their liver and they want it to go to a person whose liver did not fail because they drank so much, or something like that. Some rude donors will say that they are going to donate their organs only to a person of the same race as them, which is not right in my opinion. It seems pretty cruel to refuse an organ to someone who needs one. Most hospitals will look at the donor’s preference when searching for who gets the organ they are donating. The person who is to receive the organ first of all must be able to pay for the organ. This means that most people who cannot afford the organ will not get the organ and will likely die. I think that is very sad. I wish there was a way that we could change something like that because that means that a very deserving, good person could die. After that they usually go with the standard procedures of picking out a recipient. Who needs the organ the most? If there are two people that equally need the organ as badly as the other then they must go with who was on the list for the organ first because it’s first come, first saved. They will also look at whether or not you are of this nation because tax-paying people’s money is sometimes paying for this organ. I’m not sure if I agree with this but I guess when you think about it, I could see some people saying that. An example of this would be a prisoner. Would you want a prisoner to get your heart if you donated it? Convicted rapist Kenneth Pike, of Auburn, New York was put on the heart transplant list. He was recently offered a heart and turned it down even though it would save his life. The reason he turned it down is because it was causing such an uproar with the public. People did not want their tax paying dollars to go toward giving a new lease on life to a man who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl (who was related to him) in 1992. The heart transplant would have cost $800,000 and because he is in prison, tax payers would be the ones who paid for it. Kenneth Pike, who is 55 years of age is supposed to be serving 18 to 40 years in prison for this horrendous act, so would he even get to use this heart if he received it? If he was imprisoned in 1996, then that means that he has about three more years to go if he is to be let out at 18 years, but will he rape another? You would think that someone like this wouldn’t even be considered because of what they did. Do you think that this man deserved a new heart?

Funny News

     Do you ever just need a laugh? Some people read jokes; some people watch funny movies or read the funnies from the newspaper. I think you should consider looking for funny news headlines. In Virginia a woman walked into the courthouse for a trial like it was any other day. While she was being checked in security they did not realize that she was holding a tiny monkey in her bra. She entered the court room and out comes a tiny monkey in a beautiful flowered dress! The court was silenced and the monkey had to leave.  She said that the reason she had the monkey was not to disturb others, but that she had to keep him because he was still a baby and he could not be left at home by himself. You would think that going to something so important such as court, she could find someone to baby sit her baby monkey for at least a couple of hours. I can’t really understand why you would even want a monkey for a pet, but that is just my opinion. I mean, a few years ago I watched a news clip about a lady who got her face ripped off by a monkey!  In Berlin, a German Circus family was arguing with another circus family about tent space, and because they could not resolve to argument they felt the need to start a shoot out to resolve their problems! How crazy is that? What person in their right mind would want to resolve a problem with a shoot out? No one was killed but some were injured. It doesn’t seem like a proper way to argue. They are giving circus people a bad name!  The one that takes the cake for me is about the man who wanted to rob a bank. He walked into Bank of America and decided he wanted to rob the place. He wrote on the back of a Bank of America deposit slip “This iz a stikkup. Put all your muny in this bag.” He was standing in line and got nervous, thinking perhaps someone had seen him write this stupid note. He then thought he could take it across the street to Wells Fargo. He proceeded to the Wells Fargo teller line and waited in the long line. He then gave his note to the teller. She noticed the terrible grammar in the note and that it was written on the back of a Bank of America deposit slip. She then told him that she could not accept this and that if he wanted to withdrawal something that he had to go fill out a Wells Fargo slip and get back in line. He said that he understood and went back to Bank of America to their long line and before he could get to the teller he was arrested. That is amazing. How stupid could you actually be to believe what that teller was saying? If you are going to rob a bank you need to plan it and do it right. You should also start by getting someone who is not so stupid to help you do it. Banks have pretty high security measures. Did he have a weapon when he did this? He should have used it if he was going to be that stupid. It amazes me how stupid people can actually be.

Six-year-old has Gun

     Imagine the feeling you would get if your child’s elementary school called you telling you that there had been a shooting and you must go pick your child up from school immediately. That is exactly what happened Wednesday in Houston, Texas at a local Houston elementary school. A six year old boy had stowed away a gun in his pocket and when he went to lunch, he went to sit down and the gun fell to the floor, firing. The boy was injured, including two other children. A five-year-old girl’s knee was injured, and then the boy with the gun suffered a gunshot wound to his foot, while another six-year-old boy was injured by shrapnel grazing his leg.  I’m sure that many parents are feeling extremely unsafe right now. It makes you want to reconsider letting your children out into public! I wonder what was going through that boy’s mind when he brought that gun to school. I also wonder how no one could have noticed a gun that would be huge in a six-year-old boy’s pocket. Kids are small and guns are usually pretty large compared to someone so small. Was it a hand gun? The article doesn’t even say. Perhaps that child had some pretty big pockets. Was there anything out of the ordinary going on with his body language? Did he seem nervous, or perhaps upset in any way? Did anyone pay attention to the child? Was he neglected by his parents and he was just seeking a little bit of attention that he never got at home? Just seems that there could have been some way to prevent it. Perhaps they had never had problems like this at their school, and it is sad to think that you should have to take such high security measures such as a metal detector at an elementary school.  It scares me to even let my child go to a public school! I don’t think I would ever even have a gun in my house that was not in a safe, or somewhere children would never reach it. I’m sure that every parent in that school had thought, “what if it had been my child?” What would you do if your child was shot in school? How would you react? If they were okay would you let them go back to that school? The school in Houston says that they are going to heighten security measures from now on, but it is so sad that they even have to do that. It seems like younger children are getting into more trouble and it makes you wonder why.

PDA

It’s five a.m. and I’m cracking eggs into a bowl sleepily as the cake decorator plays BBC radio yet again. I was way too tired and way too cranky to be listening to the dull voices broadcasting through BBC. I know that sounds offending, but I have always found news voices dull and add an English accent to it and it makes me even more bored. The news anchors were talking about the radiation in Japan, Grace Kelly, and local London news. A hot debate began shortly after speaking of Grace Kelly. Apparently two gay men were kicked out of a bar in Soho, London, after kissing each other. A woman that said that she owned the property told them that they needed to leave because they were being “obscene!” The report later on stated that one of the men said it wasn’t like him and his boyfriend had been making out, it was merely a kiss on the lips. In my opinion, if you are in a bar, you will see lots of different things that you would not see on a normal basis, so I don’t think that they should have been kicked out and I figured that was what this heated argument was going to be about, but it was not. Strangely enough, the debate itself was short lived about the sexual orientation of the couple. Some people may find it offending that two people of the same sex were actually kissing, but in today’s society homosexuality seems to be easier to accept. The two women on the radio were arguing their beliefs about public displays of affection, they didn’t really care that it was two gay men who were actually kissing. One of the debaters was very conservative and did not think that a public display of affection was ever necessary. She thought it was disrespectful to others to do things like that in public, because you do not know how other people feel about public displays of affection (PDA). The other lady debater disagreed because she believed that some public display of affection is okay, such as a kiss on the lips, holding hands, or hugging was okay, but going further than that would be too much public affection. I completely agree that some public affection is okay, but after hearing the conservative lady talk about how her family was very religious and did not believe that public displays of affection were appropriate, I started to wonder how other people felt about it as well. I decided to do a little research and one lady brought up some very good points about PDA that I had not thought about. Her article actually made me smile and almost laugh. She said that perhaps some people hate PDA because they caught their boyfriend making out in a movie theater with another girl, or caught their daughter necking with a boy at the city park, or maybe they are just plain jealous because they do not have anyone to kiss in public with. Another article called Public Display of Affection Etiquette sums it up perfectly in my opinion. This piece states that when thinking about PDA, remember the ten rules:

1. Make it look good

2. Stop when it is uncomfortable (not for you, for others)

3. No Kissing (making out)

4. Don’t bite and lick

5. Don’t flash skin

6. Don’t use PDA to seduce someone else

7. Watch the age

8. Don’t touch someone else

9. Don’t stick your hands inside the clothing (that one I had to censor a little bit)

10.  Keep your reputation in mind!

These ten rules seem pretty acceptable to me. How do you feel about PDA?

Tonight's Potentially Severe Weather ALERT!

     I was floating out in the lake, soaking up the rays of the sun right next to my favorite cousin, Jeremy, looking up at the beautiful, sunny sky. Fluffy, white clouds were rolling, looking like puffs of smoke coming out of a factory; we were trying to guess their shapes. One cloud in particular caught my eye. It was particularly fluffier, and larger than the other clouds in the sky. I looked over at Jeremy and pointed out the cloud to him. “I bet that cloud is going to mature into a severe thunderstorm,” I said. “No it won’t! You don’t know anything!” He said back, laughing. We used to chase severe thunderstorms before, but we had not chased any in a long time because every severe storm the weather radio claimed would produce tornados didn’t produce one. We watched the cloud like a hawk while we barbequed rib eye steaks, for lunch. The cloud just kept growing larger and larger until it looked just like a supercell. We headed back out to the shore of the lake to sit and eat our delectable steak and watch the massive cloud. It was the most beautiful storm I had ever seen, maturing so silently, lightening flashing throughout its puffy core. I had done much research on supercells, but I had never actually seen one. I was in complete trepidation. When you think about the name “supercell,” it kind of sounds like an invincible kind of blood cell, but it’s not and it is in no way cool unless you are a storm chaser.

The clouds from this bad boy are pushed in an upward fashion, bubbling and unfolding into the sky. Supercells have strong rotation in them, a lot of times tossing out tornados like they are free candy, but not always. These storms also produce high wind gusts, heavy rain fall, ferocious lightening, and large hail. At that time our weather radio went off informing us of the horror we already knew. Where would we take cover? We only had a rickety old tent! We decided that this might be a once in a lifetime chance to see a storm like this so we thought we should take some pictures. As the storm crept closer, a funnel cloud began to form on the other side of the lake. We took pictures as it touched down to the ground but the wind started blowing so ferociously and the tornado turned to us. We ran as quickly as we could to the public restrooms and got on our hands and knees and covered our heads by the bench. We could hear the angry roar of the unforgivable tornado and then in suddenly ceased. The tornado had disintegrated into the sky. That was five years ago and I was so scared that I swore I would never get that close to a storm like that again and I hope I won’t have to be ever again. I hope tonight won’t prove me wrong.

                The National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA) has published a hazardous weather outlook for tonight. I am usually never worried about the warnings that NOAA issues, but this one caught my eye, and I for one, am scared because it mentions supercells.  These storms are extremely dangerous! The hazardous outlook reads:

                                                             “SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG A DRY

                                                              LINE FROM EASTERN KANSAS INTO NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA FROM LATE

                                                              THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY THIS EVENING. WHILE INDIVIDUAL

                                                              STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST...THESE STORMS WILL

                                                              GRADUALLY SHIFT EAST INTO WESTERN MISSOURI FROM MID TO LATE

                                                              EVENING ALONG THE ADVANCING DRY LINE. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF

                                                               BASEBALLS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING”   

The outlook then continues on to say that many storms will be coming through Missouri this evening with possibilities of lightening risk, tornado risk, damaging wind risk, large hail risk, and flooding risk. I am really hoping this storm is wrong about the tornadoes most of all. Everyone make sure to listen to your weather radios if you have one for warnings, watches, and weather. If you do not have a weather radio, tune in to your local television stations or NOAA’s website. Make sure that you prepare for these storms moving in and take cover when you are told to because it is better to be safe than sorry and I would hate to see anyone get hurt!  I hope I am wrong about the weather! My brother called me about an hour ago and told me that he was looking at the doppler radar and the storms look pretty bad and should be here in Missouri around 7 or 8 p.m. Know the signs of a tornado. You can refer to my blog earlier in the year called "What if it's NOT a Storm?" and it tells you signs of tornados and how to prepare and be safe.

Our Bucket List

Do any of you have a close cousin that you spend a lot of time with? I have a wonderful cousin named Jeremy. He is one of my favorite people and he is my best friend. I definitely look up to him even though some people tell me that I shouldn’t because some of the things he says and does are slightly wrong. He doesn’t break the law and he doesn’t do anything really bad. It’s just that he says a lot of swear words and if he does not like you, he will tell you because he is very outspoken. He has a tough exterior, but I know how he really is on the inside. I spent my whole childhood going to his house every single day until I was 17 and then when I turned 18, I moved in with him. Every time I had a problem I knew that I could talk to him and he would never judge me, he would just give me advice. If I had a new friend, he would always tell me whether or not he thought this friend was a good person just by having one conversation with them. It is crazy because every judgment he has ever made about one of my friends has always been right. He is a very good judge of character and I’m a terrible judge of character. In October, Jeremy woke up and his legs were not working at all and he could not see out of his left eye. He was rushed to the hospital and spent a week having tons tests run on him but they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him. Finally he was diagnosed with relapsing multiple sclerosis. I’m not sure if any of you have heard of this but multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. There are four different types of multiple sclerosis, but relapsing multiple sclerosis is where you have symptoms of multiple sclerosis one day and the next day you could be perfectly normal. Symptoms of multiple sclerosis include but are not limited to loss of eye sight, loss of balance, inability to walk, uncontrollable rapid eye movements, numbness, muscle spasms, etc. The disease can progress as you get older and can be treated with physical therapy, but there is no known cure for it. Then, on Tuesday, the doctor found signs of colon cancer. They think they may have caught the cancer early and he can be treated, but Jeremy and I have decided that we will no longer take life for granted. There are so many things that we have wanted to do that we have not been able to do. We want to make a bucket list, but we are having trouble making one. If anyone has any suggestions that would be great! My list is as follows:
1. Do something crazy!
2. Go camping
3. Go surfing
4. Travel ANYWHERE
5. Play lots of games
6. Have a family reunion
7. Bungee jump
8. Invent something
9. Help as many people as possible in any way possible
10. Get in a food fight
11. Watch every movie possible
12. Be on a game show

Autism Awareness Month

     How many of you know that it’s Autism Awareness Month? Autism Awareness month has been going on since April of 1970. Some of you may not quite understand what Autism is. According to Autism Society “Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others.”  Did you know that 1 out of every 100 children is diagnosed with autism and 1 out of every 70 boys is diagnosed with autism? Autism is a growing concern here in the United States and we need to do something about it. My niece was diagnosed with autism. We knew something was wrong with her when she was a baby because she didn’t cry very often and took her so long to walk, and then when it was time for her to talk, she never did. When she was three my brother and his wife took her to the doctor because they knew that there was something wrong with her and the doctor said that she was fine and that she would come around, she was just a slow learner. That was not the case at all. When she turned four she still had not developed mentally the way she was supposed to but they believed the doctor. Finally they decided to get a second opinion and when she was five she was diagnosed with autism. When she got to school she was enrolled in a special education program that was supposed to help her with her challenge. She is now fourteen years old and she still will not communicate. I don’t know what to think because my brother and his wife got a divorce and she will not let anyone in my family really be around her at all. My brother takes her every weekend. I visit her and she still will not communicate, but she is getting better about it. She will tell you when she wants something, such as a drink for instance, she will say “milk” or “Pepsi”, but she will not say full sentences and she gets frustrated because it is so hard for her to communicate. She will become angry and bite and scratch and have fits. It is as if she is trapped in a world inside her mind and she is trying desperately to escape and she can’t. She is not always mean though, she is usually very happy when I see her. She loves things that are shiny, so I like to bring her jewelry. She dangles it is front of her face in the light and laughs. It doesn’t seem as though she is improving anymore in the school that she is attending and my brother is trying desperately to get her into the Ozark Center for Autism so she can get the help she needs. I am attempting to do loads of research and talk to as many people as I can to see what I can do to help her if her mother will let me. Did you know that special care, including schooling, therapy, and at home assistance for families with an autistic child can cost anywhere from $3.5 billion to $5 billion a year? People don’t have that kind of money and because so many people are autistic, that is $90 billion or more a year in costs for the United States. Since April is Autism Awareness Month, many events are being hosted by different places, giving all proceeds to autism research. How many of you love wine? Well Macadoodles here in Joplin is hosting a wine tasting event on April 10, 2011 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and all proceeds will be going to the Ozark Center for Autism. Another event that is taking place is on April 16, 2011. This event is the 3^rd Annual Rummage Sale and will be taking place at Oak Pointe, 1114 Carrington Terrace in Joplin, which is also a benefit for the Ozark Center for Autism. Also in Springfield they have Cardinal tickets for sale to the Autism Awareness Game. Tickets are just $9 each. http://www.blogger.com/ to get more information or get your tickets! The next event is on Saturday, April 30, 2011. This event is the 4^th Annual Walk for Autism (Click link for information). This event will be taking place at the North Park Mall here in Joplin in the JC Penny Court. I will definitely be at this event, as I deeply support children with Autism. Every 15 seconds, a child is diagnosed with autism. Will you help support the cause?

My Spring Break

     Over spring break my boyfriend and I decided to go to South Padre Island, Texas. We were of course informed that it was dangerous near the Gulf of Mexico because of the drug cartel, so we were very cautious. We wanted to be at our hotel at the La Quinta Inn by check in time, our adventure to South Padre Island began at 11:00 p.m., Thursday, March 24^th. As we cruised happily through Oklahoma, we stopped at every single casino we passed. My boyfriend, Aaron won money at every single one!  Needless to say, so far we were having a pretty fantastic vacation. My favorite casino was the Choctaw Casino. The outside was lit up with beautiful lights that changed colors such as pink to purple, purple to blue, blue to green, green to yellow, and so on. After he won his fair share of money at that casino, we got gas and headed back to the highway. We drove for about one hour and then we saw the “Welcome to Texas” sign! It felt pretty good to be in a state that I had never been to. I finally fell asleep and when I awoke we were in Dallas, Texas. I have never seen traffic as thick as the traffic in Dallas. The roads were amazing and the buildings were even better! I know it sounds weird for me to say that, but I have never been to a big city like that because I have never traveled. I was even happier to know in about twelve hours I would be swimming in the ocean, which I have never even seen before, let alone touched! As we traveled further south the trees got greener, the air got warmer, and the sky was possibly the bluest I have ever seen it! After getting lost about three times we finally made it to Isabella Port where we came to a stop light. Ahead I could see a long bridge that went over the ocean. I was so scared! I did NOT want to go over that bridge. I guess because I have never seen the ocean I thought that it was a lot more violent than it actually is. I turned to Aaron and I said “I am not going over that bridge! Look how long it is!” He just rolled his eyes and said “Are you serious with me right now?” Our adventure to South Padre Island began at 11:00 p.m., Thursday, March 24^th; and continued on his merry way. I was extremely nervous as we passed over the long bridge to South Padre Island. I looked out the window at the ocean and it looked just like we were passing over a lake. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be and we weren’t that close to the water. I felt embarrassed for being such a baby about crossing over the bridge. We arrived at our hotel, put our stuff down, and immediately went out to the ocean. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. The waves crashed around us as we waded further into the ocean. We were standing about chest deep and a large wave came crashing in that pulled me under water! I can say I do NOT like the taste of salt water! I don’t know if it is true, but I was told that the Gulf of Mexico has the saltiest sea water.  Aaron pulled me up out of the water and my eyes felt like they were on fire and I got hit in the head so hard by that wave my head was pounding! I decided I was done for the day and we that we had better go get some sushi. The next day we boogie boarded and I got hit in the nose and mouth three times by the waves. I’m just not good at boogie boarding, or standing in the ocean apparently. The last day we were there we got on a boat and I saw real dolphins for the first time! They were so beautiful, but I got sea sick. There were a lot of tourists on the beach, and none of them were dangerous at all, except one man scared me.  I thought I would be nice and hold the door for him and his friend. Well I guess instead of saying thank you he decided it would be okay to just grab my rear! I guess that is what I get for being nice (and going to the beach on spring break)! Besides some minor setbacks I had a lot of fun. I swam for hours in the ocean, relaxed, saw some dolphins, drank a lot (don’t judge me, it was vacation!), had the best sea food I have ever tasted, and boogie boarded for the first time. I really hope to go back to South Padre Island next spring break.

Baby Snatchers

     Today was just like any typical day for me. I got in my car, drove to work, and unlocked the door to the bakery. As soon as I walked in I saw Dan the Decorator and he greeted me as he usually does. I was pretty disappointed when I heard the radio playing BBC World News because I wanted to listen to music. Since Dan was at work first I didn’t say anything. I was concentrating pretty hard on making and sculpting the perfect sized French bread for a while but then I heard a piece about baby snatching and it caught my attention. I can only imagine a couple’s complete devastation when they find out that they can’t make a human life together, couldn’t feel their growing baby kicking inside of them as they pick out names for him or her. For some adoption can take years and it is especially hard to adopt a new born baby. Some people want a new born baby so badly that they will do anything to get one. As the woman was talking about the upraise in baby thievery, she described a story about a man named Salvador, who believes that he had his baby stolen from him. He saw his beautiful baby girl as she was born. He said that a doctor came to him after her birth. His wife passed away after the birth and his child was still born.  He made the funeral arrangements and the baby and his wife were buried in closed coffin funeral. He had thought about this for years and regretted not making them show him his still born baby, now thinking that it was pretty suspicious that they didn’t show him the baby. After contacting a lawyer and police about his inquiry and doing much extensive research, authorities unburied his child, finding after testing the deceased child’s DNA, that the child in the coffin was a male,  when his baby was female, and the baby in the coffin was not a new born baby. Another instance where baby snatching was discovered is in Spain. Antonio Barroso said that he never really felt like he belonged to his family. Finally when he was 38 years old he discovered that his parents had purchased him as a baby. A friend of the family was dying, and on his deathbed he told Mr. Barroso that his parents, along with him and his wife, had purchased him and his son from a nun for “more than the price of a flat,” because their wives were unable to conceive and they desperately wanted to be parents. Antonio Barroso felt so confused, as if his whole life was a lie. I can only imagine how it would feel to find out that your parents whom you love so much, had purchased you under the table from a nun. It would make you question your parents’ moral and good will. I don’t think that I would be able to get over something like that. Apparently the babies were being stolen by doctors and sold to desperate people. It is weird to think about how wrong it is for them to steal the babies of proud new parents, and at the same time it is sad that they were unable to have children of their own and longed to be parents so badly that they had to buy their baby under the table like that.

Spring Breaking the News

Where are you going for your spring break? Many of you are probably going to party, many of you are probably just going to stay home and work, and some of you are going to catch up on some much needed house work, and a select few are possibly considering going to a beach. Many people have been hearing about the dangers going on at the Mexican border regarding such issues as drug trafficking and violence. But how dangerous could South Padre Island actually be? After all, it is still part of the United States. The dangerous activities have caused South Padre Island to be the sixth most dangerous destination for college and high school students to have spring break. I decided to further research the matter, but I have been having trouble finding much of anything out of the ordinary in the South Padre news. I have had no trouble finding a ton of articles that talk about the parties going on in South Padre Island. Some of the articles talked about 40,000 people have come from Chicago, to Kansas City for South Padre’s sandy beaches and warm weather to get away from the cold, snowy weather. One couple that was interviewed said that this will be their twentieth year coming to South Padre for spring break.  South Padre Island’s police officers have also asked for help from many surrounding places as far as Galveston to tighten the patrol and crack down on drug use. Executive director of the South Padre Island Visitor and Convention Bureau, Dan Quandt says, they're not comparing apples to oranges. They're using stats that compare crime to our resident population, not our daily population, and South Padre is the most tourist-oriented town in Texas.” Are we in the day and age where trying to find a safe, fun, alcohol lush destination to sit back and relax has become obsolete.  In all fairness to South Padre and all the other spring break destinations on the most dangerous list, when you have so many teenagers in one spot, with an abundance amount of alcohol, there is going to be a few bad apples who can’t control themselves. Some of the local reports indicated that in past spring breaks, there were about 30 overnight arrests during the busy spring breaks season. This is peanuts compared to the 40,000 who are visiting during this time period. Regarding the drug cartels and the gang related violence along the Texas and Mexican border, experts and people in the know are expressing that as long as you stay on the island and don’t go to the Mexican border towns there should not be any abnormal dangers. As long as the vacationer is smart and follow good instincts, there should be no problem with this particular vacation destination. I have weighed the pros and cons and have decided that because there are not any significant and immediate dangers, I feel that going to South Padre this spring break will be fun and exciting.  

Taking a Bite Out of Life

     When I was a child, I had very crooked teeth. I also had a large gap between my two front teeth and the two teeth on either side of them (eye teeth) were small and pointed. The dentist called them peg laterals. I was so embarrassed to even smile. Many times I would cover my mouth when I smiled or laughed. At school I was made fun of for the way my teeth looked. I was called squirrel, buck tooth, mouse, vampire, and many other cruel names because of the way my teeth looked. When I entered junior high I got braces, and even though I was called metal mouth after that, I didn’t care because I was so happy that my teeth would finally be straight! I had to wear those braces until my senior year when I finally got them taken off. It was so weird not to have anything metal in my mouth. I kept running my tongue across my teeth amazed at how smooth my teeth felt. They were perfectly straight and I couldn’t stop looking at them. I loved the way they looked but my orthodontist told me that I needed to get veneers over my peg laterals if I want to look pretty. Veneers are thin porcelain shells that are bonded to teeth that may be unsightly for various reasons. They can last anywhere from five years to twenty years depending upon how well you take care of them. However, before they can bond the veneers to your teeth they have to shave off a good portion of your teeth. The orthodontist told my dad that it would be one thousand dollars per tooth and we didn’t have that kind of money. I didn’t care though; I thought they were totally beautiful without veneers.
Recently I decided to go to the dentist to get a cleaning. Because I recently filed my taxes, I realized that I had some extra money to spend. I asked them about veneers and the different options I had. They cleaned and examined my teeth, telling me that I had very little wrong with my smile and even though my eye teeth were small and pointy, I looked normal. The dentist also said reminded me that if I changed my mind after I got the veneers, there was no way to change my teeth back to the way that they were. After thinking long and hard about my options I set up an appointment to get veneers. Finally on last Tuesday I went to my first appointment to get veneers. I sat down in the dentist chair, shaking vigorously from nervousness. The dental hygienist came in to prepare me for the doctor. She put one of those crazy blue bibs on me and told me to lie back while she got the dentist. He came in and greeted me and told me that he was going to numb my mouth on both sides above my laterals. I said “Oh how are you going to do that?” he replied “You don’t want to know!” He was right because he then poked a needle above each one of my teeth into my gums and we waited for it to numb. My mouth began to tingle and a few minutes late my mouth was so numb I couldn’t even feel my nose! The dentist then gave me a pair of tented safety glasses and put a towel over my neck and chest and said “It’s about to get a whole lot wetter in here!” He then began to use a drill that produces water to shave away my teeth. I couldn’t feel a thing! After they were done shaving away part of my teeth they took impressions of my upper mouth so they could construct my teeth, which would take three weeks to create. After the impressions they quickly created some temporary teeth to put over my shaved teeth so I wouldn’t be walking around looking like Christopher Walken in the movie Sleepy Hollow. After the temporary teeth were glued onto my shaved teeth to cover them she handed me a mirror so I could admire them. She said that the temporary ones would give me an idea what my permanent ones would look like. I didn’t want to look in the mirror because I was so scared of what they might look like. My boyfriend came to pick me up and told me to smile but I refused. He convinced me to show him with his flattering words of persuasion. When I smiled he was amazed at how different I looked and he told me that I had to look at my teeth! I reluctantly looked in the mirror and discovered that I had a beautiful, full, smile that I had been waiting for over ten years for and these were only the temporary ones! I actually cried because I was so pleased! So far I suggest veneers for everyone who is considering them. I was so scared for no reason at all! I didn’t feel a thing, except some minor, tolerable discomfort when the medication began to wear off! I can’t wait to see what my permanent veneers look like!

Japan's Earthquake/Tsunami

I come rolling into work at about five thirty this morning, at the same time as the cake decorator who is usually there at about eight in the morning. Usually I’m there by myself until eight in the morning when the bakery opens. Before we can even put our coats on the coat rack, he says, “Have you been watching the news?” and I’m thinking, I haven’t even had time to comb my hair let alone watch the news, but I just said no I have not. He then informed me that an 8.9 earthquake utterly devastated Japan that afternoon already, which caused a 23 foot tsunami to wipe out Tokyo and other cities along that coast, reaching far inland. We then turned the radio to Fox News and they informed us that Hawaii, California, and some other coasts would be getting effects of the tsunami later in the morning and that Hawaii was expected to be getting up to six foot waves, and California perhaps three feet.  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! All I could think about was how terrible this is and what kind of devastation these survivors must feel loosing family members, friends, and their homes like that. Their whole world got turned upside down in one day. Over 200 people were reported dead but the rescuers know that the death toll is climbing higher as deceased are being discovered in the wreckage. According to Fox News, “The official casualty toll was 236 dead, 725 missing and 1,028 injured, although police said 200-300 bodies were found along the coast in Sendai, the biggest city in the area. Authorities said they weren't able to reach the area because of damage to the roads.” Japan had to declare a state of emergency after they had discovered that five nuclear reactors had lost the ability to cool down, fearing that there may be a nuclear meltdown. They have set up about 33 shelters for families of survivors who have nowhere to go because their homes have been destroyed. About ten billion dollars worth of damages is reported right now and the number could become much higher. As soon as the earthquake began the school children knew to put on their protective earthquake gear and duck under their desks because Japan is in the ninetieth percentile of where earthquakes occur. In 2004 they also had another devastating earthquake, causing a tsunami from the Indian Ocean that killed about 230,000 people. Right now I am thankful to be living in the middle of the United States. I was talking about the earthquake to the Cintas uniform man who brings the bakery towels this morning and he said that he heard on the radio that over one-hundred small earthquakes have been reported in the United States this year but have not been released to the press because they were not of high enough magnitude. I think that is a pretty scary thought if that is true, but I’m not sure if it is. All I can say as that my heart goes out to the families in Japan, even though it doesn’t really help them at all. I wish that I could take back all of the pain and suffering that they have been through and will go through because of this terrible earthquake.

Branding- Without Cows..

“Branding- without cows- sorry beef lovers”

As times change, so must the way we approach marketing schemes in today’s competitive world of business. The article published by the Harvard Business Review, The One Thing You Must Get Right When Building a Brand, sets presidents regarding the fundamental of social media and how this ever-changing aspect can lead a company to a greater well-being. The article touches on many interesting new ideas regarding the new wave of interaction, motivation, and persuasion found in modern day customer –to – client networking. Patrick Barwise and Seán Meehan, the authors, lay great magnitude in the basic “treat your customer right” fundamentals of networking.

            Knowing what the customer wants, how the customer wants it, and when and where the customer wants it is a task that market researchers have spent many hours trying to achieve. To a company, this kind of information is worth millions, sometimes billions of dollars. Getting the customer involved and making him or her feel as though they are part of a consumer family is a key factor in this accomplishment. The article sites such companies as American Express, Procter and Gamble, and Cisco as using customer involvement. These companies all set up message devoted websites in order to interact with their target audience base; this kind of interaction, according to the article, “Boost brand awareness, trial, and ultimately sales.” I have personally been involved with trying to accomplish exclusivity in order to build brand awareness. In a few of my previous jobs, I have been involved with helping to come up with new, technology driven idea using social sites such as twitter and face book.

            Building a brand is no simple task. Today’s cyber connected world makes it is easy to get your name out, but also makes it incredibly difficult to keep it pure. Also, Patrick Barwise and Seán Meehan  have found, through research, that there are four basic qualities that build a company’s brand, “They offer and communicate a clear, relevant customer promise”, “They build trust by delivering on that promise”, “They drive the market by continually improving the promise”, and “They seek further advantage by innovation beyond the familiar” .

            The customer promise is such an important part of brand building and awareness. With a track record of corrupt or unfilled promises, a company may as well, in some cases, stop trying. Companies such as Virgin Atlantic Airways not only try their hardest to keep their customer promises, but they continually monitor social networking sites to make sure customers feel as though the airlines efforts are meaningful.

      Adventuring beyond the familiar can be scary at first, but usually pays off in the end. Virgin Atlantic Airlines offers their customers something more than just a flight, they offer them an experience. VAA has set up a website that gives their customers that ability to make personal scrapbooks and receive none promotional advice about certain trips and adventures. Even though they don’t make a lot of money upfront from some of their endeavors, benefits come from brand reinforcement.

Many advantages can come from the newly intertwined and connected world. Companies should use these tools to benefit their objectives but they must also remember that the tools they take advantage of can also destroy them. According to the article, in order for companies to truly take advantage of all things the newly founded network system has to offer, organizations must keep their eye on the ball, don’t throw out their playbooks, use social media primarily for insight, strive to go viral, but protect the band, and engage, but follow the social rules . Together, with the right tools and attitudes, the new way to market and brand will cannonbolt many companies that never had a chance into a bright future.

Further Discussion...

On February 23, 2011, I feel like I was unable to say enough about twins. I cannot express how much I love being a twin. Each day when I wake up I feel extremely special that I have someone to share a bond with unlike a bond that I have been able to share with anyone else. When I need someone to talk to she is always available to give me the advice I need; and although we do not share the same exact experiences she usually helps me work it out. When I was small I always thought that it was perplexing to be a twin. I never really had anything much that was my own, not even my birthday. People always stared when we went anywhere because it was uncommon to be a twin. Our mother always bought us the same exact outfits; so when I got old enough to pick out my own they never looked anything like hers. When we went to school, all the teachers and children would get us confused, but only after we told them that we were twins. I was constantly being called her name more often than my own it seemed. Lastly, everyone would always ask us the same question over and over again: “Can you girls hear each other’s thoughts and feel each other’s pain?” The reply was always the same to this question, “No.”
However, as we grow older every day, I am finding that never being without her was the best feeling in the world. This feeling most definitely overwhelms the perplexing feeling I had when I was small. If I have a problem I know that she will understand; she does not judge me like other people have in the past. Where I would be afraid to tell somebody else something embarrassing, I can always tell her. Usually, the same experience has happened to her; or something like it around the same timeframe. I have never had any trouble making friends, but I always seem to compare them to a higher standard each time I try to make one. It seems that since we live a few cities away from each other I am always looking for another girl to fill her shoes each time she is not here with me. I also find it difficult to be alone since she has been by my side ever since we have been in the womb. I tend to get lonely when no one is around more easily than others, but I know I can always call her and she will talk to me as long as I want. I feel like many people will never experience the bond that my twin sister and I share. Not even people with siblings a year apart. I feel so special to get to experience such a bond of sisterhood that is rare. Most importantly, not only do I get to experience this rare bond, but I was born with a best friend.

Let's Talk about an Abused Drug

Let’s Talk about an Abused Drug

            Pseudoephedrine is a pill commonly used for allergies, nasal decongestion, or head colds, but can also be used to make meth.  I used to work in a Wal-Mart pharmacy where I would have to turn down users who needed their pseudoephedrine several times a day. Not to be judgmental but, I could always tell by the people who were standing in line, which ones were there to pick up a prescription and which ones were there for Pseudoephedrine. They would wait in the line and walk up to the pharmacy, sometimes having scabs on their bodies, smelling of ammonia, or already holding their driver’s license in their yellow stained, dry, and sometimes burned hands. I believe Joplin City Council has done a great thing by recently moved that we should take control over Pseudoephedrine by making the drug prescription only.

            Since 2001 Missouri has ranked number one in methamphetamine incidents, according to Debby Woodin’s article in the Joplin Globe. I know that in Missouri it is only legal to purchase 9 grams of Pseudoephedrine each month. I also know that there are 21 tablets in each box. Now why on earth would someone need 3 boxes of Pseudoephedrine for themselves? I would usually have regulars in the pharmacy that would come and buy and every time they came in they had a different sickness. Sometimes they would go on and on about allergies and sometimes they would pretend to have a cold, or claim that their grandma had a cold. Just because you can pretend that you are sick doesn’t mean that people do not notice you are a liar. We did have the power to turn them down if we wanted to, but the law states that they can have 9 grams each month so there would be a possibility that they could sue you for judging them. “A total of 102 labs were seized last year in the county, with 46 of those in Joplin.” That is a lot of meth labs! It’s scary to think that we have so many meth labs so close to home! It makes you feel unsafe.

                Some people are saying that it is just another way to legalize meth, but it’s not. In my opinion this will work a lot better because a doctor can tell whether or not someone needs medication such as Pseudoephedrine. If less people can get a hold of things that contain Pseudoephedrine, then less people can make meth, making our town a safer place for our children to grow up. However, a bad thing about making the medication prescription only is the fact that doctors’ offices and urgent cares, and other places are going to be crawling with new patients for a long time trying to get their Pseudoephedrine prescriptions, making it harder to pay visits to your doctor for real illnesses. I think after a while though that the problem will fade because less people may try to get Pseudoephedrine because they know that the doctor will never believe that they are sick. Missouri may be number one in methamphetamine related incidents now, but I believe that in the future it will be less of a problem because they changed it to prescription only.

OUR Birthday

A Birthday

Twenty-two years ago today, February 23, 1989 record level cold temperatures were being recorded as well as record breaking amounts of snow of a foot, and my sister and I were being life flighted to Springfeild. That day seemed like the perfect day for my sister, Lindsey and I to show our lovely faces in this world. We were not supposed to be born until May, but as most twins do, we decided that we no longer were interested in the comfort of our mother’s womb. Yes, that’s right folks; I have another girl in running around that looks just like me! I love being a twin even though sometimes it’s difficult. When we were born they told our parents that we were fraternal twins, but he didn’t know for sure. Now we know we are identical.

            As a child being a twin means that you have to share everything that you receive. Most parents can’t really afford to buy two of everything and twenty-two years ago money was on short supply so cloth diapers were always hanging on the line to dry. My sister and I shared clothes, shoes, socks, toys, even beds. One time I woke up in the morning with Lindsey’s sucker stuck in my hair and it took us hours to get it out! We also went to Kindergarten together and wore the exact same outfits as each other every single day. We completely and totally hated it. Really the only reason why we hated it so much is because we wanted our own identities and wearing the same thing and being called “twin” all the time instead of our real names is kind of annoying after a while. Even our Grandma didn’t know who we were. The only person who knew how we felt about it was our dad. He is a twin too so he always called us by our names and let us dress in separate identities. One time Dad let us wear the shoes we chose to wear and we fought over who was going to wear the Pocahontas shoes. I ended up with the Lion King shoes and I was very unhappy so we argued all the way to school in the car until dad made us each trade left shoes. We stopped arguing after that and the problem was fixed! However, we that was not the only time we ever fought with each other. We fought constantly about every single thing. When you’re with someone all the time like that it is hard not to find things to bicker about or be jealous of the other.

            The wonderful thing about being a twin is the fact that you do not ever have to be lonely. Everyone in the whole world could hate me and I will always have Lindsey. I could never imagine my life without Lindsey. We played together all day every day. First grade was very devastating because the school would not let us be in classes together because they said we would be too much of a distraction to each other. I think they were probably right on this one because we relied on each other a lot when we were younger. It gave me the opportunity to have different friends but I missed her a lot during the day time and I guess I cried a lot too! As we got older having a sister in the same grade as me became more of a benefit, especially because that sister was a lot meaner than me! If someone was mean to me and Lindsey heard them, they were sorry! As we furthered in school, we struggled with keeping our own friends and our own identities. We ended up with the same friends in the end and we have the exact same interests and the exact same features. The only difference now is that she is married and has a baby and I have not done either of those things. Recently we were sitting on the couch and we were looking at each other randomly and we noticed that we have the exact same markings on our faces as if we were looking in the mirror! Also, I went to the dentist not too long ago and Lindsey has only the left side of her wisdom teeth and I have only the right side of my wisdom teeth. We look and act just alike in so many ways that people don’t even know the difference between us. Sometimes keeping my own identity is a struggle, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Lindsey is the most amazing girl in the world and I am happy to call her my twin sister. I love everything about her even if we fight sometimes (or all the time). I never want to imagine life without my twin sister. As soon as she gets out of bed I plan to spend the rest of every second of this day with her making sure she knows how much I love her.

Respect for the Dead?

Respect the Dead

                I was driving home today from a long, dragged out day of work and as I was making my turn to go home I noticed a giant cemetery. Upon driving by it, it seemed just like any other cemetery, tall trees planted all around it, artificial flowers next to scattered head stones from people paying their respects, a black, metal, picket fence lined all around as if to keep the dead in, and gravel pathways for cars to drive. I continued to gaze out of the corner of my eye at the calm cemetery and suddenly noticed the headstones just inches away from the fence. Not only were these headstones inches away from the fence, but they were inches away from the road! Where does that leave room for a casket to rest? Does that mean when people drive on the road next to these head stones that they are running over a person’s buried loved one? I was always taught to respect the dead and respecting the dead included never to stand or walk upon someone’s resting place and many other respects.

How many of you think that we should respect the dead? A cemetery is a peaceful place where people go to visit their perished loved ones, showing that they will never forget about them, and it should never be disrespected. I don’t want to see children sneaking around in the cemetery looking for somebody’s dead Grandmother’s ghost. I also think that if you are going to rub a headstone, make sure that you be careful when you do it. Don’t leave markings on someone’s headstone, it is disrespectful! I’m not even sure I understand why people rub head stones!

I was also taught to never speak ill of the dead. I once knew girl we will call Sally. She died in a car accident a couple of years ago because she was driving drunk. She was my best friend in elementary school but we had a falling out because of what we will call irreconcilable differences. I didn’t even know that Sally had died until I read it on Face Book and what I read was NOT pleasant. I was completely infuriated. I read and heard things like “Sally deserved to die for drunk driving!” and “Serves her right!” I even got a text that said something bad about Sally from another friend (of course she is not my friend anymore). Do not say things like this about people who have passed away no matter what the reason! Especially out loud, on Face Book, or Myspace or anything like that! You could really offend or hurt one of Sally’s loved one’s feelings! I think that you should just let people say the good things about someone who has passed on because after they have passed, you have no right to judge. Sally will get judged when she reaches those pearly gates in heaven. Also, be grateful that you still have a life to live, unlike her, whose lease on life was cut short. Life is short and maybe she did not get the chance to travel like she always wanted to, get married, have children; live out her dreams, or to mature as a person.

The world can sometimes be a cruel place but I believe that everything happens for a reason. I also believe that in respecting the dead, you are also respecting life. Sally may have died from driving drunk but I learned a valuable lesson from her mistake. Respect the dead by keeping the memories of the ones who have passed alive. Speak highly of the ones who have passed on because you would not want people to speak ill of you when you are gone.

Stress

Stress

                Your alarm clock did not go off, you still have to take a shower, wake up your children, fix them breakfast, and take them to school because they were too late to catch the bus, and you must do all of this before 8:00 a.m. You arrive at work ten minutes late and your boss is standing at your desk waiting for you and he looks very angry. “I told you that you had to be here at 8:00 for our meeting about your next piece and you’re ten minutes late! There is no excuse for tardiness! If you don’t clean your act up, you will be fired!” You reply with a “Yes sir! I do apologize for my absence and will make sure it never happens again!” You set down at your desk, relieved, but then realize that you are starving, did not get your morning coffee, forgot to pay the utility bill, have a never-ending stack of work on your desk, have divorce court at 2:00 p.m., you forgot your purse at home, and to top it all off you spoke to your boss with your shirt buttoned up completely wrong! Many people in this situation sometimes wish that they were still a child. Not a care in the world except which toy to play with first and who to sit by on the bus! What most people don’t realize is that your children can show signs of stress as well for various reasons.

                Children may as stress the same as adults do, they are just unsure of how to express and deal with their feelings the way adults do. Different children, depending upon their level of stress will show different symptoms when under stress. When a child is under a lot of stress they may act out at home or in school.  Acting out could include stealing, lying, violence, irritation, and class disruption. Other times a child might express depression, a lack in appetite; they may become whiney or clingy, or lose interest in homework and socialization.  They could also complain about body aches, feeling sick, and having trouble sleeping.

If you notice one of these symptoms or all of these symptoms you might be thinking, “Why is my child under so much stress?” Just because your kid doesn’t have to worry about what bill his or her next pay check has to go to doesn’t mean the kid doesn’t have a reason to be stressed. There are many different reasons a child could be upset. Maybe there is a bully in school that is picking on the child and this bully is telling him or her not to say anything. It is also possible that he or she is worried about how they might fit in at school with other people. Make sure to let your children know that you are able to help them in any way that you can and that you’re ready to listen and give advice. Another reason your child could be acting out is separation anxiety, which is usually short term. If your child is used to having you there and suddenly you are not there all the time anymore, that could cause them to act out such as crying and class disruption. Also, sometimes parents may not think that their children know about the stressful things that they are going through, but sometimes they overhear what you think they can’t hear. Make sure to think twice when you are talking about your financial burdens with other spouses, friends, or family members because there is a possibility that your child could hear you and sense that those things stress you out. When a child notices weakness in a parent like that it can scare them.

Make sure to communicate with your children as much as possible. Help them with their homework, ask them how their day was, set aside family board game nights, and have family dinner at the kitchen table. As long as your child knows that you are there to help them and give them advice in any way that you can, they will come to you with their problems.  If you notice that your child is acting out of the ordinary, such as disrupting class and being agitated, confront him or her about the problems that are occurring. Many times just talking to someone about their problem can relieve a lot of stress.

What if it's NOT a Storm?

What if it’s NOT a Storm?

                It is a warm, humid, summer day and you are walking to the mailbox, you notice large cumulonimbus storm clouds rolling in, and hear thunder in the distance. You brush it off, get the mail and walk back inside brushing it off because you think it’s just another storm. What if it’s not? As most of you know tornado season is right around the corner and it is imminent to know the safety precautions you must take in order to be safe from the disasters that occur during a tornado.

                First you must know that we are in tornado alley, which means we are more likely to get tornadoes then say, California. Since we are in tornado alley it is a good idea to get a weather radio, which you can pick up at any Wal-Mart Store. Also, make sure that you have a plan worked out with your family of what to do in case of a tornado. Tornado season begins in early spring, peaks in May and June, and ends usually in late summer. When a storm rolls in and you are looking for the signs, the temperature may drop significantly. Look at the sky. Does it have a menacing green color to it? Also, the wind may pick up and blow quite strong, when the wind is blowing, (this could occur even during a normal storm) look for rotation in the storm clouds. Listen for a loud continuous rumble, like thunder that just won’t cease.  Further, there will be heavy rain fall and hail. Look for flying debris as well because sometimes the funnels of tornadoes are not visible. When it is dark, it is extremely hard to tell (even though a majority of tornadoes happen between 3 and 9 p.m.) if a tornado has touched down and is wreaking havoc on your town. If you suspect that there may be a tornado nearby, look around outside for flashes of light other than lightning, they could be blue or green. The flashes of light are power lines being taken out! Take cover immediately! Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT, take the time to open all of your windows! That does not make one bit of difference and will only give you less time to get to your safe spot!

                Before tornado season hits you should consider getting things ready for your shelter or safe spot, be it a basement or a middle room in your house such as a closet. A mattress or sleeping bag to cover yourself to protect you from debris, a flashlight, your handy dandy weather radio, thick blankets,  and perhaps a first aid kit. Your safe spot can also be underneath your stairs, or in a bathtub, just make sure you stay far away from windows.  If you are in a mobile home, get out!  You are safer outside than inside the mobile home! It can be tossed around like a car. When you are in the safe spot get down on your knees, put your face as close to them as possible, and cover your head! If you are outside lay flat with your hands over your head in a place away from trees and the mobile home or car you might have been inside. After the tornado occurs make sure to stay away from fallen power lines and stay with your family. If you can, call 911 if anyone is injured. Do not go into your home if it is damaged by the tornado because it could be unstable and make sure to watch for fallen debris such as glass, nails, splintered wood, etc.

                It is imminent to know the safety precautions to take during a tornado. You could save your own life, or another’s life. Make sure to remember that tornado season in this region starts in early spring and ends in late summer. Take the proper safety precautions by listening to your weather radio, watching the news, and watching the clouds. Do not panic! Just be safe!