1st semester is almost over

Since I started my first semester in college in August I did not anticipate it to end so soon. It seems like we have only been in school a couple of months, but the days go by so fast. I remember when I walked into all my classes on the first day, frightened, thinking how hard it may be because a lot of people say college is this or college is that. My older cousin who attends Auburn University Montgomery as well always told me that "college is what you make it". It may be hard for some, but if you are dedicated and put effort into being the best then college should be a breeze. As the semester is ending I think back to the beginning when I had my first test in each of my classes. I thought to myself is this really how all the tests are and if so then this should not be complicated at all. The hardest class was Finite Math, but yesterday I was pleased to find out that I made a 110 on my test. I was so shocked, and I  must admit studying pays off. All it takes is a little time maybe a hour or so to look over notes and familiarize yourself with the contents especially if the instructor has provided you with a study guide as to what will be on the test. I really hope that next semester is not hard either even though I know that something will come as a challenge.

Iron Bowl

November 26, 2010 was the day that every Alabama and Auburn fan has been looking forward to since last November when Alabama won the Iron Bowl. This year was a little different. Since Auburn has had an undefeated season and Alabama had lost two games this made the game very interesting. Unfortunately Auburn won, but it was still a good game. I was so glad that Alabama came out playing hard, and that the game was not a shut out. What made the Iron Bowl so interesting for me this year was the fact that I had an Iron Bowl party for a few of my close friends. We ate, watched the game, danced, and went bowling, and went out to eat. Later on that night my bestfriends slept over at my house, and we just stayed up and talked about everything. I really enjoyed my company while they were here, and can`t wait to do it again!

Thanksgiving break

Just when I was starting to enjoy a whole week of being out of school, I realize that reality hit and that I had to return shortly. I can say that the break was a fun break for me. Monday-Wednesday I was sick so basically I stayed in the house until I felt well enough to get back in m daily habits. Thursday I was back to feeling better so my family and I wen to Cramton bowl where Tuskegee and Alabama State University played in what is called the Turkey Day classic. Even though the team I was rooting for did not win, it was still OK because you can not win all. While at Cramton bowl there were so many people and so much going on. They had booths selling purses, food, Cd's, shades, body oil, jewelry, and many more items. It always thrill me to go downtown to see the set up. I can't wait til next year.

Footprints

Everlasting impressions,
The perfect lovemaking sessions.
Lost in love, I was, with you
But all the while, if only you knew
You planted seeds on my soul
That grew into vines that kept me and my heart whole
You walked right into my life
And a few years later i dreamed of you being my wife
As a matter of fact
I dint even know how to act
I did things that i would normally never do
Because i swore to God my life would end with me and u
Yet you walked right in and u passed right through
Now I'm left sweeping up the footprints left by u

This is another one of my favorite poems by Donovan White

A girl with four boyfriends

> FOUR BOYFRIENDS>>
> Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect. It means you've decided  to see beyond the imperfections .>

>  Once upon a time there was this girl who had four boyfriends.>>
>  She loved the 4th boyfriend the most and adored him with rich robes
> and  treated him to the finest of delicacies. She gave him nothing but  the best.>>
>  She also loved the 3rd boyfriend very much and was always showing
>  him off to neighboring kingdoms. However, she feared that one day he
>  would leave her for another.

>  She also loved her 2nd boyfriend. He was her confidant and was
>  always kind, considerate and patient with her. Whenever this girl
>  faced a problem, she could confide in him, and he would help her get
>  through the difficult times.  The girls 1st boyfriend was a very loyal partner and had made great
>  contributions in maintaining her wealth and kingdom. However, she
>  did not love the first boyfriend. Although he loved her deeply, she
>  hardly took notice of him.

> One day, the girl fell ill and she knew her time was short. She
> thought of her luxurious life and wondered, I now have four boyfriends
 > with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone.'>>

> Thus, she asked the 4th boyfriend, I loved you the most, endowed you
>  with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that
> I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'>>
>  'No way!', replied the 4th boyfriend, and he walked away without
> another word.>>>  His answer cut like a sharp knife right into her heart.>>

> The sad girl then asked the 3rd boyfriend, 'I loved you all my life.
> Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'>>
>  'No!', replied the 3rd boyfriend. 'Life is too good!
>  When you die, I'm going to marry someone else!'>>
>  Her heart sank and turned cold.>>

>  She then asked the 2nd boyfriend, 'I have always turned to you for
> help and you've always been there for me.>>
>  When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?'>>
> 'I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!', replied the 2nd
> boyfriend.  'At the very most, I can only walk with you to your > grave.'>>>
>  His answer struck her like a bolt of lightning, and the girl was>  devastated.>>

>  Then a voice called out: 'I'll go with you. I'll
>  follow you no matter where you go.'>>
>  The girl looked up, and there was her first boyfriend.
>  He was very skinny as he suffered from malnutrition
>  and neglect, poorly cared for.>>>
>  Greatly grieved, the girl said, 'I should have taken
>  much better care of you when I had the chance!'>>

>  In truth, you have 4 boyfriends in your lives:>>

>  Your 4th boyfriend is your body. No matter how much  time and effort you lavish in making it look good, it  will leave you when you die.
>  Your 3rd boyfriend is your possessions, status and wealth. When you die, it will all go to others.
>  Your 2nd boyfriend is your family and friends. No  matter how much they have been there for you, the  furthest they can stay by you is up to the grave.
>  And your 1st boyfriend is your Spirituality. Often neglected  in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the  world.  However, your Spirituality is the only thing that will follow  you where ever you go. Cultivate , strengthen and  cherish it now, for it is the only part of you that  will follow you to through the New System of God and continue with  you throughout Eternity.

>>>  Thought for the day: Remember, when the world pushes  you to your knees, you're in the perfect position to  pray.>>>
>>>  Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect. It  means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections .
>  I hope this touched you.

Don't Be Fooled

We look at sum1, maybe even ourselves, & we see the external clay vessel. If it doesn't look like much from the outside..It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it. We see that person as less important than sum1 more beautiful or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to fine the treasure hidden inside that person. There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, & if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away & the brilliant gems begins to shine forth! May we not come the end of our lives & find out that we have thrown away a fortune in FRIENDSHIPS because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them!!!!

This is one of my favorite poems by my friend Kristal Doss.

Paraphrasing

Original Way:
 The twenties were the years when drinking was against the law, and the law was a bad joke because everyone knew of a local bar where liquor could be had. They were the years when organized crime ruled the cities, and the police seemed powerless to do anything against it. Classical music was forgotten while jazz spread throughout the land, and men like Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie became the heroes of the young. The flapper was born in the twenties, and with her bobbed hair and short skirts, she symbolized, perhaps more than anyone or anything else, America's break with the past. From Kathleen Yancey, English 102 Supplemental Guide (1989): 25.


Correct way:
During the twenties  lawlessness and social nonconformity prevailed. In cities organized crime flourished without police interference, and in spite of nationwide prohibition of liquor sales, anyone who wish to but a drink knew where to get one. Musicians like Louis Armstrong became favorites, particularly among young people, as many turned away from highly respectable classical music to jazz. One of the best examples of the anti-traditional trend was the proliferation of young "flappers," women who rebelled against custom by cutting their hair and shortening their skirts (Yancey 25)

or

As Kathleen Yancey points out in her book English 102: Supplemental Guide



at the end put (25)

Black Friday

Black Friday is the time of the year that I anticipate the most because this is when all the stores such as Wal-mart and the Mall have great sales on almost everything such as big TVs, cameras, camcorders, GPS systems, Ipods, and more. Every year, on the Friday after Thanksgiving, my mom, my grandmother, my cousin, my aunt, and I have hit up the stores to take part in these wonderful deals.  For the past couple of years, my mom sat her eyes on TVs and that is exactly what she got. Last year I was excited because she bought me and Ipod touch in which I value today. This year she wants to get another TV since we have moved so that it can go in the den, and we will be able to watch it when the Iron Bowl comes on.

One thing I don't like about Black Friday is that every since last year and this year the Iron Bowl has to be played on a Friday because of an agreement with CBS. I really hate that because I plan on having a party that day, and I would have to rush to shop just to get home to prepare before my guests arrive. I already know that this will be hectic, but I also know that with my mom's help that I will get through with this.

Time to eat!

Every year around the end of November, many people will be celebrating Thanksgiving. It's a tradition that has been passed down from a long time ago, and is still going strong today. Many families have the traditional food such as turkey, ham, macaroni & cheese, candy yams etc. My granny is a great cook so every year, after we go to the Turkey Day classic to watch Alabama State University and Tuskegee play football, everyone comes to my house to chow down. My granny cooks everything from mac & cheese, greens, candy yams, ham, turkey plus many more food items. My mom has always cooked baked beans, while everyone else just brought themselves. It is a fun time of year because not only is Thanksgiving here, but Black Friday and the Iron Bowl is right behind it.

Girls weekend out

This weekend my girls Rashondria, Jessica, and I will crank up the car and head north to Birmingham, Al to hang out with some friends. It has been almost a month since us 3 have gone on a road trip as we call it, so now it is time to get back on the road. While in Birmingham we will go to see a football tournament, that some of our friends are playing in, and also go out to eat and socialize with each other. Every time we go out we always have fun so I know this will be like all the other times fun fun fun!!!! I am so excited because I love meeting knew people, and this will be a great experience!

When I feel frustrated

When I feel frustrated there is not much to do besides take a deep breath and think positive. Even though I try so hard to not let the little things bother me, they always seem to bother me the most. A couple of months ago we moved into our new home, and it was time to hook up the Internet to my new laptop since school was about to start in a couple of weeks. Thankfully our house was rewired for high speed Internet, but our modem was out of date. Once we got a new modem it was time to hook up the Internet. My mom and I though this would be a piece of cake, bu to our surprise it was not. We had to call the people on several occasions just to make sure we had it up and running correctly. I became so frustrated after the 2nd attempt that I gave up, and caught an attitude in which I really intended not to have. So I went to my room to cool off so to speak, but that was not enough. I then grabbed my Ipod and put it on shuffle so that a different variety of songs could play. This always help me to ease my mind when I am frustrated. 

10 Things I am thankful for (God)

As mentioned in my 10 things I am thankful for another thing was God. I have had religion all my life because I was born into a family that was Jehovah Witnesses. I recently dedicated my life on July 3, 2010. I am thankful to have come to know God while I was young so that as I grow older I can teach others to come to know him as well. He has allowed so many positive things to happen for my family and I. In the organization there are so many positive people who are very nice all the time. The material things do not matter to me, but as long as he provides me with food, shelter, clothing, loving friends and family, and life then I can consider myself grateful. Thanking him for providing me with so many blessings would take my whole lifetime, but as long as I do his will then I know that he will be very pleased with my efforts.

10 Things I am thankful for (my parents)

In my last post I blogged about 10 things that I am thankful for, and the number 1 thing on the list was my wonderful parents. I am so happy to have them because in the world today I know that many of my peers have parents who have passed away or are incarcerated. Realizing this I learn to take nothing for granted. Even though my parents and I bump heads often at the end of the day I know that I can come to them for anything because they have my best interest at heart. I praise my parents for making sure that my sister and I maintain good grades throughout all our years in school. This shows that my parents really care about our education, and wants me to strive for the best. Once I made up my mind to attend college and major in Nursing, there were some people who tried to scare me saying that nursing is hard, or it takes a lot, and you will not be able to hang with friends on the weekend because you will be to busy studying. I then sat down with my mom who told me to not listen to what others say, and to see how it is for myself, and that's what I am doing. I am currently taking my prerequisites, and so far I can handle the things that come my way. If things start to get stressful then I know that I can pray in order have the strength to endure.

10 Things I am thankful for

1. I am thankful to have such loving parents to be there to support me in everything that I do.

2. I am thankful to have great friends that support me as well, and knowing that I can depend on them just as they can depend on me.

3. I am thankful for my wonderful boyfriend of 11 months because he brings out the best in me. He makes me smile and laugh and I am happy when I am with him.

4. I am thankful to have completed high school with honors, and go on to pursue my dream to be a nurse at Auburn University Montgomery.

5. I am thankful to have God in my life, because through him all things are possible!

6. I am thankful for the teachers at my past and present schools who have taught me to be all that I can be.

7. I am thankful to be able to attend college knowing that some will never be able to because of many reasons

8. I am thankful for waking up everyday because I know that God has a purpose for me.

9. I am thankful to be able to set an example to many of the young one's that look up to me or come to me in various situations.

10. Lastly, I am thankful to be surrounded around positive people who want to do something with themselves, therefore it will motivate me to do the same.

Bad Reputation

If you are into sports or watch the news regularly then you may be aware of the recent allegations that are surrounding Cam Newton, Auburn's quarterback. Just last week Mississippi State came out to say that Newton made arrangements to take money from someone in order to play for their team. Newton denied this, and now the NCAA is investigating the issue. The University of Florida has came out as well earlier this week to say that while Newton was at Florida he would be suspended for purchasing a college paper offline and also was caught cheating, which is not permitted in college at all.

Even though I am an Alabama fan, I honestly think that this wrong to bring up this information when Auburn only has 2 games left of the season. So if they do sit him out then it probably would not make a difference. This is very unfortunate because he is indeed the greatest player in college football, but this bad reputation could cause him to lose his votes for the Heisman trophy.

The Good Paper

I am so relieved and happy to know that I received an A on my profile paper. When the class first received the  assignment, many of us panicked because we had never done a profile paper before, others thought the paper would be a breeze because they thought that they could simply summarize the interview. Even though that sounded like the easiest thing to do, our teacher had specific guidelines that we needed to follow in regards to the paper. The first rule was to not summarize the interview, but to make the interview interesting by taking the interview and making the person we profile stand out in the view or thoughts or others. Once I picked my person I set up the interview and was ready to go. After the interview I learned a lot about the nursing field such as, you have to be determined and dedicated in order to be a great nurse. When it was time to write the paper I seemed to be stuck, so thought it out and just went with the flow. Halfway through writing my paper, all the right words seemed to come to me and I was able to make a good paper. Another thing to help me make the paper interesting was that I knew since I was profiling someone who I admire, that I had to make it interesting to them as well as others who read my paper. This mentality allowed me express my thoughts and opinions on my subject as well as obtain important information valuable toward writing my paper.

Medical Mistakes

If you ask many people in the world today "Are you afraid to go to the doctor?" many will most likely reply yes. Many are afraid of finding out bad news such as you have AIDS, or you have Cancer. Every year many patients are hurt by medical mistakes than hospitals ever acknowledge. The Institute of Medicine or IOM confirms what medical experts have long known: Medical errors kill more people every year than AIDS, breast cancer, or car crashes. The institute is trying to get the hospitals to prevent future errors, by encouraging the doctors to admit their mistakes. Doctors are scared to admit if they have misdiagnosed a patient because they fear that the patients will file malpractice suits, and malpractice insurers will drop the hospital from coverage. In addition to this medical experts say the individual doctors and nurses who are honest with their patient face the prospect of being ostracized by their colleagues or fired. It is also said that punishing the person, who has done something wrong, turns out not to be very effective at preventing someone else from doing the same thing later.

I feel that, no matter what the issue is, the doctor or nurse should tell the patient or patients if they have made a mistake so that the patient can be aware of this issue. It should not be about getting picked on by their colleagues or fired, because their job should be worth more than anything to them rather than listening to what others have to say.

Life Is Too Short

When each of us lay our heads down at night, we are uncertain if we will get up in the morning. We all know that this world is full of sin, and as a result, death follows. I came home yesterday afternoon, and decides to get on facebook. When I logged into facebook I saw a lot of my friends talking about someone was shot at a local club yesterday. The first thing I thought was what club is open during the day time when a lot of people are at school or at work? So I sent a text to my old classmate who knew the gentlemen well, and he explained everything to me. This young man was an owner of a local teen club, and will truly be missed by his friends. All I can think is that it is so sad to see an innocent individual work so hard to let young ones have their fun, and as a result of having a heart, he had to die in cold blood. I did not know the person, but it still hurts to know that a murderer is on the loose in a city that I call my home. 

The worst meal

Last month my mom, aunt, uncle, cousin, best friend, and I went to this Indian restaurant called Bombay. My uncle is a truck driver, and delivers food to the restaurant, and suggested that we should try it out one day. So we did, and it was the biggest mistake of our lives. We aren't use to eating Indian food so everything down to the ice cream had a whole different taste from American food. Their chicken and rice were the only foods that I could stand to eat, but everything else I could not. One of the workers suggested that we try their mango ice cream, and we did. For some reason I was expecting the ice cream to taste just like regular ice cream, but unfortunately it did not. The Indian ice cream was sweeter than American ice cream, and I could not keep eating it. Later on that night my best friend, Jessica, called me with an upset stomach. The first thing I thought was that she was food poisoned, but no one else from our group was sick so we thought maybe that was not the case. Either way I will never eat Indian food again!

Determined!

I knew that once I walked through the doors of my first class, at the University I was attending, that college life would not be easy. With that said I was still determined. Many who went to college, and did not finish tried to scare me or persuade me to go to a 2 year college instead of a 4 year college, but only I knew what I should do. I love school, I love to learn, and I felt like being in college for 4 years instead of 2 would allow me to obtain more knowledge.

My desired field is Nursing, and I hope at the end of my Sophomore year I be admitted to the upper division of Nursing and become that nurse that I want to be. I won't be the first nurse in the family, but I will hope to be the many nurses that are in my family. This field will take a lot of work and determination, and I am ready for it all. I have loving 2 parents who will be there to support me through it all, and I know with their help and the help from God I will endure any trial that comes my way.

A great movie

This past weekend I was able to go to the movies with my mom, sister, auntie, grandmother, my cousin, and my best friend to see the movie "For Colored Girls". I must say that the movie was THE BEST movie I have seen in a long time. The movie was directed by Tyler Perry, who always direct great movies. Like all of his movies they each have a story to tell, and this one was no different. This movie is about colored women who endure everyday trials such as sleeping with different men, getting raped, getting abortions, finding out their husbands are homosexuals, and messing with men who are unstable and jumps from women to women. The saddest part of the movie was when the man threw his own children from the highest floor on their apartment building. This had such an emotional effect on the audience to where some stating crying, and had to leave out for a minute. I understand how painful it is to lose a child so, I knew what the people who cried felt like. I highly recommend this movie, and it will be recorded as one of my favorite movies of all times.

A radical pessimist's guide to the next 10 years

The future isn't going to feel futuristic!

I agree with Douglas Coupland when he says the future isn't going to feel futuristic, because
indeed everything is changing. When people think of the future they may feel something odd because it is very unpredictable. Who is to say what the future will be like? From what some have learned they may feel as if the future will be a good thing and some may feel it will be a bad thing. I also agree when he said the future is going to happen no matter what we do. The future will even faster then it does now. As he mentioned no matter what technology such as a new top-of-the-line cell phone or high tech touchscreen computer or laptop invited by someone will still be invented, and will dictate the future. That may be true because technology is already dictating the present.

Disney World

Back in April, for our senior trip, the seniors had the opportunity to go to Disney World, and I must say that it was so much fun. In our package we had to choose from 3 parks to go to. My friends and I choose Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom. Out of these three Magic Kingdom was the best theme park there. I guess it was because that is where they had grad night. Grad night is where some high school seniors from all over the United States come to Disney world and hang out with other seniors from 10 p.m. - 4 a.m. The singer Keri Hilson also performed and made grad night even more interesting.

The best ride at Magic Kingdom is called Spaceship Mountain. It is a roller coaster that is in a pitch black tunnel with the scenery looking like you are in space with stars. The best part is that you do not know when the ride will drop or turn, you just have to feel the way the wind is rushing. I hope to someday go back to Disney World and visit all the theme parks there.

6 reasons to turn down a marriage proposal

1. If you are not ready mentally then you should not be trying to get married.

2. If your mate does not have a set job.

3. If your mate has bad credit.

4. If your mate gives you a tiny ring.

5. If you have not been dating that long. You nay need to get to know the person first.

6. If your mate has a criminal past or a record.

Sentence exercise colon series

  You can change your looks, your attitude, and your clothes but you are still be the same person.

  If I was in charge I would fire mean teachers, expand the school, and limit the school days from 5 to 4.

Magic City Classic

Every year for the past 66 years Birmingham, Al has this huge classic called the Magic City Classic. This is where Alabama State University and Alabama A & M University come to Legion Field to play football. I had a chance to attend this event, and like all the years I have went I really enjoyed myself. However this year was a little different. AAMU, for the last 5 years, have beat ASU in this game. This year ASU pulled off the win and this made fans cheer, yell, scream, and shout. I am proud to say that I am one of those fans who joined the others to celebrate the win over AAMU.

The best thing about the classic is the "wave". The way the stadium is made its connected like a big oval, so every year a certain side or group of people start of the wave by standing up with their hands in the air and then it continues like a domino effect around the whole stadium for about 4 times. It is so fun once everyone join in. I told my mom this is the best part of the classic and I look forward to this every year.

Should violent video games be prohibited from selling?

Yesterday afternoon, like most afternoons, I come home from school and find myself turning on the TV to watch Headline News. My dad is a biggie on watching the news so I guess this rubbed off on me as well. This particular story came across the TV that do you think violent video games should be prohibited from selling to kids under 18? Many viewers voiced their opinions by saying they do agree that this should stop because, most of the violent video games the children play now-a-days, such as Grand Theft Auto and Resident Evil, have horrific scenes where people participate in theft, murder, maiming, and hazing. This issue has been taken to the Supreme Court to stop the selling of violent video games, and if the stores disobey they will be fined $1000.00. That's a lot of money just for one video game. This goes to show that this matter is serious, and that most parents feel that what their child/children play when it comes to violent video games can have an effect on their thinking to where young ones around 10-12 years old may think it is okay.

I'm 18 years old, and I have a 9 year old sister. We both have played Grand Theft Auto, and found it very amusing. Now we don't even bother with the game anymore because it is violent, and I did not want it to have a negative effect on me or my sister.

The Perfect Vacation

The perfect vacation would be to go on a cruise to the Bahamas, Jamaica, or Costa Maya, Mexico, and spend 7 to 14 days. This would have to be done in the summer time preferably from May-August when the beach waters are calm and cool and the weather is warm. I have been to Jamaica and the Bahamas in 2008 and went to Costa Maya in 2010 while on my graduation cruise. I really enjoyed the nice people, and the beautiful weather. The scenery is different from what I see on a day to day basis. In Montgomery, Al we see big buildings, hospitals, lakes and rivers, but on the islands you see pretty oceans small buildings and many people walking the streets. The city we live in may seem overcrowded with people we see everyday, but if you are on the islands you can buy a nice condo and hide yourself away from the outside world. When I become an adult I hope to pursue my idea of taking this perfect vacation with my husband and children.