The last week....

It's the last week of school!!!! 

Words....

fatuous- inanely foolish

couture- the business of designing one-of-a-kind pieces of fashion for women.

This is the final week of school and it's only a half week. Tomorrow is the last day and then it's on to finals.  Not gonna lie, cannot wait until this is over.  Thank god for a long break!  It's been a fun semester in my social life.  I got to make some amazing friends and spend time with great people.  This semester included a trip to Tahoe, and Pismo!  Those were both absolutely amazing.  It was a hard semester in school.  Having to take this class (100w) was pretty intense, along with the change to upper-division and 195A.  These two classes were tough because they are both core Poli-Sci classes that are important and fairly difficult when taken together.  My two other classes were not quite as difficult but the workload was pretty heavy.  I had some amazing experiences this semester as far a career path as well.  I got to shadow a few teachers and realized that I want to teach high school.  It was an eye-opening revelation in my life.  I finally feel as though my life has more of a direction in that aspect.  I had no idea where I was heading at the beginning of the semester and I am now at peace with the situation.  I have changed and grown in all aspects and have learned quite a bit about life this semester.  I can't wait to continue to grow in all the different aspects and start school again next semester.  It will be nice to take a break.  I will be heading to the snow, hopefully twice, this break and spending time with family.  Can't wait until finals are done and Christmas can really begin! 

Death Penalty

Words of the week.

comely- attractive

smorgasbord- a buffet offering a great variety of foods

So this week for my POLS 195A class, we had to research a bunch of death penalty cases.  This was quite emotionally scarring because we had to read about the crimes in quite detailed descriptions as well as see pictures of the creepy killers themselves.  These crimes were so heinous and vile that I made me only more certain in the death penalty.  I was always a believer in the death penalty because I feel like these people have done such horrible things that they don't deserve to life a life even as horrible as in prison.  I don't think keeping them around and educating them for free, feeding them, clothing them, not making them work and all sorts of other things that people in the real society get to do, is a good "punishment" for these people.  It is unbelievable that people can say that lethal injection is a harsh and cruel form of punishment because the prisoners may feel some pain.  Who the heck cares?  I mean when you rape, beat, and strangle a woman in front of her children and then turn on them, I have no sympathy if you die a horrible painful death.  In fact, I hope your death is even partially painful so you can experience just a fraction of what your victims felt.  If the prisoner knows death is coming they don't get to fully experience the pain or fear that they so selfishly inflicted on their victims.  I say, put all the death row inmates onto an island with a bunch of crude weapons and let them have at each other.  If they all wanted to kill people so badly, they can have at each other.  May the strongest survive, and then maybe they can get the painless and easy death that they all feel they deserve.  It's ridiculous that a person can think that although they so brutally took a persons life, they can just get away with a pin prick. Forget that!

This Generation

estover- necessities allowed by law

estrade- raised platform

So flaky people are one of my pet peeves.  I don't like it when people are late.  It is a problem with my generation.  So many people my age are consistently late to work, school, church and social functions.  It's extremely rude to the people who are on time.  It shows that their time is a lot more valuable than the others.  This idea goes along with constantly texting when in social situations.  If I am at lunch with a friend and he or she is texting every minute or so, the entire time, I feel like I am not important enough to spend time with and the person on the other end of the phone is more prevalent to the person I am with.  It's just straight up rude.  Another thing that bothers me is a person who won't commit to any plans because they are waiting for something better to come along.  If you can't commit to plans with people for real, because of family situations or other things that are worth it, I understand.  Just don't be noncommittal in the beginning and decide that at the last minute, because nothing better came along, you can go to whatever it is. Flaky and noncommittal people drive me absolutely crazy and it is a current problem with our generation.  

Tahoe

Words of the week,

codicil- a supplement to a will

equities- the quality of being fair or impartial

So about a week ago, I went to Tahoe with some family members. This seems as though it is becoming an annual trip. Last November we went because my grandma had passed away and it had always been her wish to have her ashes spread on the shores of Lake Tahoe. We found a beautiful spot last year to spread her ashes and had our own little funeral for her. The weekend last year was fun but was more of a rememberance of her than anything else. This year was more of a vacation. We got to Tahoe and checked in. It was so beautiful up there and it was completely deserted. There was no snow except for a light dusting on the tallest peaks. Since the ski season was not yet in full swing, we were in an abandoned town. My dad had researched a restaurant that was voted best by some type of magazine, and we decided to try that for dinner. It was so good, we had it again a second night. The trip was fun but we did have a purpose in going to see where we had laid my grandma. That was done on the last day. It wasn't as sad as I had expected it to be. I didn't have a super strong connection with where we laid her it was more of other places that held memories instead, like her favorite casino and if I could've gone back to her house and things of that nature. Those would have had a stronger effect on my life than a place where we put her ashes. However, it is probably one of the prettiest places I have ever seen so I am glad that's where she is. Overall it was a fun weekend but there was no bear sighting this year as much as I wanted it to happen again, since last year we had one run right out in front of us while driving.

The Double Standard

So on Halloween, after our typical party of Twister and Murder in the Dark, lots of food, and amazing costumes, we stayed awake with a small group of mixed company and discussed...relationships.  We all got to "paint a picture" or "Van-Gough it" with our ideal mate.  There was a complete double standard.  The guys got to describe the typical barbie type of girl.  When it got to my friend and I, we both had similar descriptions of the "bro" type of guy.  The guys all decided that our descriptions were shallow and that all bros are rude and whatever.  There was no topic left untouched including my love of a hot back on a guy or the perfect curve of a butt on a girl.  We learned that most guys like untouched, natural nails and don't really like girls with trucks.  These both hit home because I almost never leave the house with plain nails and I drive a truck.  Granted I don't have the lifted truck with pink suspension, or "bro-ho" truck, but I do have a girly truck.  We were named shallow for being attracted to guys that wake and snowboard, dirt bike, and drive big trucks, while the guys sat there and said that their ideal was a girl who was about 5' 7" tall and 115 pounds.  We also covered the topics of facial hair on guys, the need for long hair on girls, to which I responded you take care of my long hair for a month and realize how much work it takes, then you tell me to keep my hair long for you.  How annoying it is when a girl orders a salad and picks at it also got brought up.  Basically we could not mention personality and how that can change a person's looks or any of the attractive traits of personality.  Overall, it was an interesting discussion and lasted until four in the morning.  I learned quite a bit from it and would love to have a discussion like this again with a different group of guys and girls.  

Pismo

Words of the week...

loquacious- very talkative

confabulation- familiar talk

So this past weekend I went to Pismo Beach with some friends. It was absolutely amazing. We camped on the beach, away from stress and civilization. The only drawback was no running water but it was so worth it. 

Every day there was some sort of interesting event. The first night, we parked and unloaded and then it was off to the dunes. After many successful tries at hills and things of that nature we go over a short hill only to find one of the trucks in our group sideways in a bowl. The truck was insanely close to rolling over. After about an hour or so, we (and by we I mean I was sitting at the top of the dune watching while everyone else figured out how to help) finally got the truck out by pulling the tail end down the hill. 

The next day, after a longer run, we were going to head back when we found a new area of land that ended up being named "sand acne". These were little bumps in the sand to crawl over. After a while of crawling over these, the driver said "We will get stuck, not by me trying but we will." Not a minute later we were high-centered on a bump and completely stuck. While we waited for another truck to pull us out (thank goodness for cell phone reception at Pismo) We ran up and down the dunes and tackled people in the sand. Ironically, the truck that had been stuck the night before was the one to pull us out of that situation. All was well...

Then the next night ride. Nighttime is not the easiest time to see how steep a hill is or how far down until it's too late. Well at one of the first hills attempted we went over and all of a sudden it was just sand and then Boom! stuffed bumper...and the truck ended up on its side when we were trying to get out of the little valley that we had landed in. It was pretty scary to look out my window and see a wall of sand extremely close to my window while tilting in my seat. Thankfully with a few tries we made it out of the predicament and continues on the ride. 

The next morning, one of the girls went on a quad and hit a hill too fast. She slammed her hip into the handle bars and could barely walk for the rest of the trip. We all went back out again, the girls in the bronco and the guys on dirt bikes, only to find a huge dune. This one was probably the biggest one in the whole place. Our driver insisted we try it before we met the guys at the drag strip. Two tries, no luck. Probably one of the scariest experiences of my life. So we went to the drag slip after two close tries. The scariest part is definitely backing down the hill after an unsuccessful attempt. After some racing and picture taking we mysteriously ended up back at the same hill we had tried earlier. We attempted and came quite close to the top but never got over the soft sand at the top. 

After packing and saying goodbye to one of the best camping adventures ever, it was back to the real world of school and work and all of that stuff. 

Midterms, midterms, midterms...

Words of the week:

pukka- authentic or genuine

descry- to catch sight of

Midterms have all been stacked up on me this week and next.  It has been absolutely insane.  Each class has a different type of midterm and different things to study.  It feels as though my books have become my friend replacements with my lack of a social life lately.  Thankfully I have the ability to take time off of work this week so that I don't completely fail.  I do however plan to prepare for my 3 o'clock midterm tomorrow by stopping by Nordstrom Rack on opening day.  I know my priorities!  It's not like I won't study at all before hand.  I studied a lot today for it so that I could go shopping.  See it's all about time management!  If I study a ton today, all I need is a five minute refresher tomorrow and I am good.  I remember things better that way anyway. 

On another note, I went four-wheeling for the first time last night.  After the first rain of the season, apparently people like to drive through the mud and puddles and up the side of mountains, and other various things.  It was an experience.  It was kind of crazy to be driving up or down the side of a mountain in the dark at 12 in the morning.  Not something people normally do, at least not the people I used to hang out with.  This was just normal behavior for some.  It was fun and I would definitely do it again.  Another side note, no I was not the one driving or I would have just stayed on the road.  I am a total wimp. 

Weekend.

bifurcate- (v.) to divide into two branches

incarnadine- (Adj.) having a flesh or pinky color

This weekend was the high school staff retreat. This annual event is always amazing. We get a lakehouse to ourselves and just get to relax all weekend. We had access to a boat this year and although the water was a whole lot colder than last year, I still got in. I am not one for cold water AT ALL. I was born and raised in Hawaii, so when it comes to water, I am a spoiled brat. Over there, it's normal to be able to see the bottom of the water in which one is swimming. I have an extreme fear of water where I do not know what is swimming underneath me. I also despise cold water. This water was both murky and absolutely freezing. Against my better judgement, a good friend and I decided to go tubing at five o'clock the first night. Wind and freezing water make for a painful combonation when being thrown from a tube from behind a boat. After a hot shower I felt human again only to lose a bet and have to enter the water for another round of tubing on Saturday, an even windier day. Needless to say, it took an insanely hot shower to recover from all of the cold water. It was an amazing weekend of relaxation with a little bit of cold water adventure that I thoroughly enjoyed.

myopia- nearsightedness, lack of foresight

wont- accustomed to doing something 

Death is a weird thing.  No one wants people to be sad once they are gone but it is inevitable.  I know that I want my funeral to be a party, bright colors and dancing and amazing food.  I went to a funeral this weekend for a friend's dad.  He had planned it to be a party type atmosphere and it did have that undertone but it is impossible to really celebrate when someone has left this earth.  No matter the amazing faith someone has about where they are going, it is something that no one can comprehend.  The anniversary of my grandma's death is tomorrow.  We knew it was coming and yet all that preparation did not help.  When we spread her ashes, we could not celebrate her life.  The process of mourning is an interesting one.  As much as we desire to celebrate a person's life, we can't help but be sad at the loss of someone.  If they have lived a full life and are at peace with death, the ones who are left behind have a hard time being okay.  A lot of this doubt comes from the mystery for what or what does not wait for us after death.  There are many theories and some people who claim to know what is on the other side after "near-death experiences", but we will never really know until our own deaths.  We won't know if we will ever actually see those who passed before us.  Faith in a particular religion can calm this doubt but no one will ever actually know. 

My Image of God

Two vocabulary words...

demerits- (n.) a mark against someone for misconduct or deficiencies.

muse- (v.) to think over or meditate on

So this week in my college age small group at church, we discussed the image of God. The message given before the meeting was about the mistaken image of God in society. We discussed the image of Jesus standing tall surrounded by little children and disciples with long hair and a beard. We also examined the idea that God is a large man dressed in white on a throne. There are many different images of God and my image of Him is one of a caring father that wants to pick us up when we are down and help us along when we struggle. We discussed the biblical image of God. According to one of my favorite verses, "for God so loved the world he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish and have everlasting life in Him" John 3:16 This is the image that I believe is true of God. He is a sacrificing and caring father who will send his one and only son to make sure tha although we fall, we can stand back up. The common image of God as a bearded Jesus or Greek God maybe comforting but the real image of God is the loving Father.

Spreading the Wealth Around

Words of the week...

hegemony (n.)- leadership or predominant influence exercised by one nation over others, as in a confederation. 

dramatist (n.)- a writer of drama or poetry

This week in one particular class the topic of "spreading the wealth around" came up. I cannot honestly say that I have one ounce of support for any real system such as that. I work my butt off for the money that I make. Don't get me wrong, I agree that the government should provide some services but I don't think that I am entitled to any free stuff. I pay my taxes and therefore I get roads, police and fire, and other elements of security such as a military. I feel as though the government should provide a stable education system as equally as possible. I, again, pay my taxes for that in return but I don't feel as though I deserve help because I don't make a ton of money. We are all starving students and I work hard for my money. Why should I have to pay for some person who won't get up off the couch and work? Yes, I know that question is one that is asked ALL the time but it's a valid point. 

I agree that some people may need some sort of help throughout their lives but I don't think that the government should provide me with lifetime health care. I don't like the current system but what on earth would possess anyone to put more of our hard earned money into government hands when they clearly can't run anything. The government has proven to us that they cannot be trusted with our money without throwing it all away. 

Did I get a say when the government gave money to AIG. No. Then what happened? The fabulous higher ups of that wonderfully run company had a fabulous spa weekend! Wise choice government, wise choice. Why would we bail out a failing company? It is not the economy that caused GM to fail, it was horrific business practices. If a business is not run correctly, it will never be a success no matter how much money goes back into it. I drive a Toyota. Why? It is an excellent car. It is a quality vehicle that gets the job done. GM makes horrible cars. They don't last. I would not invest in that! 

Moral of the post, I don't want to give the government my money until they prove to me that they can spend it wisely. It's like investing in a company that you know will just throw it out the window and not change what they do to make a profit. The government should be run like a business. Let go of bad employees instead of say rehiring, or re-electing, them. Make a profit! 

It exhausts me. 

The Big Decision...

Two vocabulary words for the week...

emollient (adj.)- having a quality of softening the skin

acquiesce (v.)- accept something reluctantly but without protest

This week I made a huge decision that will impact the direction of my life. I decided what I want to be when I grow up! I am going to get my credential after my bachelor's in Political Science. I am going to teach high school. All but about two people have made a not so pleasant face when I told them of this decision. It will be a difficult job but it will be rewarding as well. I have already begun to plan for certain topics and different projects that I can do for high school government classes. I remember the huge impact my high school teachers had on my life, whether negative or positive. I would love to be that positive influence for students who are going through the high school age, and everything that faces those years in life. My government teacher was the one who caused me to fall in love with politics. He brought out my passion for the subject and everything that goes along with it. I would love to be able to do this myself. There are other more superficial benefits to teaching as well. One of the first that came to mind was the fact that I can wear cute business casual clothing, as shallow as that makes me sound. I do love to shop! I also can not wait to be able to decorate my classroom. Teaching gives the benefits of summers off as well which, having lived all my life with them off, I can not give up. This choice has opened up a huge window of opportunity and I am excited to see the outcome.

The First Milestone

Hello All,

I have created this blog, honestly it is for school but it will be useful!

I am going to start with my words of the week! Randomly opening the dictionary I found...
-imbibe: (v.) to drink or take in as if by drinking.
-fantabulous: (adj.) marvelously excited (a blend of "fantastic" and "fabulous")

Yes, fantabulous was in the dictionary.

Today was my first day of school in my Junior year of college. Stressful? Yep! These budget cuts make no sense. They are shrinking the class sizes when it seems as though keeping the classes larger would mean that the state gets "more for its money." If we are all registered in classes, we get out of the university faster which therefore would lower enrollment over time. It also means that the professor can teach more students for the same pay. If they are shrinking class sizes, no matter what, we are paying the same tuition once past six units. I just don't understand why shrinking class sizes saves money if the state pays for half of our "fees." One other thing that shocked me today was the brand new grass to replace the PERFECTLY FINE grass from last year. That makes complete sense when in the midst of a budget crisis! I also don't get why the wonderfully smart and thoughtful (sense the sarcasm) state legistlators decided to cut the education from the dedicated students as opposed to say...some pork spending like having to fix the brand new freeway we love to call 87. Maybe we could have saved money by doing it right the first time. How about our fabulous representatives cutting their salaries and hundreds of dollars in their private limos and busses. Hey Congressmen and women, if you are so "green" shouldn't you be driving your pruis around town instead of your fancy cars! Although we are all having major issues with the new schedule there is one perk coming out of this. Call me a horrible student all you want but I am happy to have an extra few days off this semester! Ha! I said it! Sure, I want an education but I love the fact that a month into the semester I get a free, sleep in day! Anyway, I don't understand the solution to the budget problems in California coming from hard-working students when there are other possibilities.