After being declined by my own bank, I received a letter from Discover telling me all about how splendid their credit card is and how I should totally get one with their special code. Of course, there is nothing special about a credit card, it is just non-existent money, sends many into debt, and helps build a credit score. For this little college student, it is the latter that I'm interested in!
It is a scary step, but I really needed to start building some credit if I intend to get things accomplished when I'm rich and famous. I've already begun to further my education, become engaged, set the plot-lines for my career, and aside from living in/owning my own place, this is one the last few steps to adulthood! Intimidating and enticing, this card creates a slippery slope... one I don't intend to fall down. Thus far, I have made one purchase: a "www.shirt.woot.com" shirt. No reckless spending for me!
Any of you all have suggestions or even horror stories about credit cards?
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
The Relationship Bug
I could easily jump in on my work right now, but I want to blab this out before the words flutter away!
Maybe it's just me, but it seems as if so many relationships around me are smoldering out and people are breaking up, getting divorced, and leaving behind the ones they proclaim to (at least at one point have) loved dearly. I won't point scolding fingers or drop names like bombs, but it just seems to be happening with such a high frequency for many of my friends recently. It's almost like it is a virus spreading its vile nature around and making lives miserable! I wish I could squash it out and zap away its powers to make people hurt, lonely, and destroy relationships. I know I don't have super powers to do that, though! (I say "relationships" meaning both intimate and platonic... losing/drifting apart from a close friend can hurt just as much as it does with a significant other.) I’ll put it out there for everyone to know: I’m always going to be there for my friends, those closest to me, and even those who just seem like they need someone.
I’ve got little actual relationship experience, having only dated two people, and both instances were not fleeting puppy love that lasted for a little pinpoint in time, like many school-age relationships do. But, I do know a lot about what it feels like to lose a friend (actually, MANY friends – life has a tendency to send everything adrift in its ocean), have a family member die, endure heartbreak, be unwanted by those who should want you (*nods to my dad’s side of the family*), and struggle to fill the aching gaps left in the path of something tight-knit like a relationship or a friendship that fell to pieces. Granted, I know that not all things are meant to last. Even in my peculiar brain, I know that some people aren’t meant to be together, some friendships are bound to fizzle out, and not everyone in your family will love you (despite the common thought of “I love you. I have to love you because we’re family”). It is these icky trials and tests that make us human, define who we are, and force us to feel the entire range of emotion.
I’ve always had a sort of unwritten rule that goes along the lines of things said in confidence, in secrecy, or in private to a close friend, or lover (now that I’ve got a love bug of my own), should remain confidential, secret, or private even after there’s been a falling out or after the world finds a way to end the niceness of being close to someone. I honestly think that people shouldn’t go spurting out such things, even if you’re no longer friends or close together because it is just wrong to break the trust that was there. But, with this recent massive flood of relationships teetering and breaking apart I witness more and more instances of people saying horrible things, divulging top-secret tidbits, being slanderous, and even leaving behind all sense of morality just to stab someone they once loved in the back, to “get even” for being left behind. (I’ve got a whole other story involving my previous relationship on this topic, but that’s for another day.)
It truly saddens me to see people miserable after something like a breakup happens, and it irks me to know that some people can be so cruel as to shatter another person’s well-being with such harsh words… but I know it happens. I see it often.
Maybe it is just me, but I see this relationship bug infecting people particularly around the summer time. It might be because most of my buddies, pals, peers – whatever you want to call them – are still revolving around a school calendar. Every year as the summer creeps in and warms our skin, it seems like people take that opportunity to create close relationships, but also begin losing other ones, possibly due to the fact that people are moving away, going to a different school, seeking new employment, or whatever it may be. But, that’s just my little observation.
With all of that jibber-jabber being said, I am thankful to say that Josh and I have avoided this relationship bug and its viral tendencies, and we are contentedly happy and aren’t soiling each other with mud-slinging or broken hearts. It is a great thing to have someone to provide stability in this massive drifting ocean. I just hope everyone else can find that, even if it involves becoming the “crazy cat lady” (*nods to Mom and her love for her fur-babies*).
Maybe it's just me, but it seems as if so many relationships around me are smoldering out and people are breaking up, getting divorced, and leaving behind the ones they proclaim to (at least at one point have) loved dearly. I won't point scolding fingers or drop names like bombs, but it just seems to be happening with such a high frequency for many of my friends recently. It's almost like it is a virus spreading its vile nature around and making lives miserable! I wish I could squash it out and zap away its powers to make people hurt, lonely, and destroy relationships. I know I don't have super powers to do that, though! (I say "relationships" meaning both intimate and platonic... losing/drifting apart from a close friend can hurt just as much as it does with a significant other.) I’ll put it out there for everyone to know: I’m always going to be there for my friends, those closest to me, and even those who just seem like they need someone.
I’ve got little actual relationship experience, having only dated two people, and both instances were not fleeting puppy love that lasted for a little pinpoint in time, like many school-age relationships do. But, I do know a lot about what it feels like to lose a friend (actually, MANY friends – life has a tendency to send everything adrift in its ocean), have a family member die, endure heartbreak, be unwanted by those who should want you (*nods to my dad’s side of the family*), and struggle to fill the aching gaps left in the path of something tight-knit like a relationship or a friendship that fell to pieces. Granted, I know that not all things are meant to last. Even in my peculiar brain, I know that some people aren’t meant to be together, some friendships are bound to fizzle out, and not everyone in your family will love you (despite the common thought of “I love you. I have to love you because we’re family”). It is these icky trials and tests that make us human, define who we are, and force us to feel the entire range of emotion.
I’ve always had a sort of unwritten rule that goes along the lines of things said in confidence, in secrecy, or in private to a close friend, or lover (now that I’ve got a love bug of my own), should remain confidential, secret, or private even after there’s been a falling out or after the world finds a way to end the niceness of being close to someone. I honestly think that people shouldn’t go spurting out such things, even if you’re no longer friends or close together because it is just wrong to break the trust that was there. But, with this recent massive flood of relationships teetering and breaking apart I witness more and more instances of people saying horrible things, divulging top-secret tidbits, being slanderous, and even leaving behind all sense of morality just to stab someone they once loved in the back, to “get even” for being left behind. (I’ve got a whole other story involving my previous relationship on this topic, but that’s for another day.)
It truly saddens me to see people miserable after something like a breakup happens, and it irks me to know that some people can be so cruel as to shatter another person’s well-being with such harsh words… but I know it happens. I see it often.
Maybe it is just me, but I see this relationship bug infecting people particularly around the summer time. It might be because most of my buddies, pals, peers – whatever you want to call them – are still revolving around a school calendar. Every year as the summer creeps in and warms our skin, it seems like people take that opportunity to create close relationships, but also begin losing other ones, possibly due to the fact that people are moving away, going to a different school, seeking new employment, or whatever it may be. But, that’s just my little observation.
With all of that jibber-jabber being said, I am thankful to say that Josh and I have avoided this relationship bug and its viral tendencies, and we are contentedly happy and aren’t soiling each other with mud-slinging or broken hearts. It is a great thing to have someone to provide stability in this massive drifting ocean. I just hope everyone else can find that, even if it involves becoming the “crazy cat lady” (*nods to Mom and her love for her fur-babies*).
(Bonus reading, for you over-achievers.) I’ve even chatted with friends on facebook about the dreaded relationship bug. A gal-pal of mine noticed it, too, and made it her status and tried to console the masses while saying that it really isn’t the end of the world. And, another friend (the second little tale) was rather down about his recent breakup.
“Right there with you. So many of my friends have had their relationships fall apart this year. Josh and I have called it the relationship bug (or something like that) and have been questioning who is next. I can totally understand why some relationships go down the drain, and I can relate to there being scars and damage left in the wake. I even understand missing once in a while. But, I can't understand people doing some of the horrible things they do against their "partner" (for lack of a better, more encompassing word) after a break up or even during a relationship! I simply cannot fathom cheating on someone ... if it sucks that much, then break up, don't add salt to the wounds by going behind someone's back. I also can't imagine the horrible things people say/do to their once-upon-a-time lover after a breakup. Smearing their reputation, lying, telling secrets that were once said in confidence, all of that... It shocks me. Relationships are a thing of love and trust and connection. People shouldn't desecrate them so horrendously, during or after. And, no matter what, it's always okay to remember the good times, just don't let the bad times haunt or dwell too much on the good of the past that doesn't need brought back.”
“Having not been in your position, I can't say something like "I feel ya" or "I can relate." :/ But I do understand what it is like to have such a big piece of your life just fall away and it's weird functioning without that stability. It is hard to surpass the void left behind, but I'm sure you can handle it. You've got friends by your side to help. Now you live for you until you find something greater to live for (some find another person, some turn to religion, others delve into work... stuff like that)."
Sunday, June 19, 2011
A New Life
So much has happened within my hiatus, most of it not noteworthy. (I have graduated high school, became engaged, transformed into a stronger employee, continued my education, sought involvement in school programs, got involved in modern gaming, and even acquired a new car.) In summation, there have been many little changes! But, there is one piece that began as a little change which has now blossomed into a big whopping chunk of my life... and is certain to grow!
At the beginning of the Spring '11 semester, I thought to myself something along the lines of "Hey, be awesome and start something here on campus - A psychology club!" But, I lacked all get-up-and-go, gumption, and the elbow grease to put it in motion. Two days later, a classmate announced to the class his interest in making a psych club and I jumped on board instantly. Though I can't say it was only my brain-child, I can say that it has opened many doors that I didn't even know were on hinges and in place! Weeks later, Nicholas (the classmate), and I had become members of the Student Activities Council in an attempt to further the creation of the club. Less than a month later a friend of mine, Kelsey, who had been involved in SAC all year, glided on up to me hoping I could help her out. Turns out she wanted to run for President of the SAC and have me as her running mate for VP! My heart leaped at the chance to help her out and maybe even get some good things rolling on campus. A hop, skip, and a jump into the future, the Psych Club became a proper noun and a real entity on the campus and I became the secretary, campaigns were underway for SAC (we were, as they say "Friends in the SAC"), finals were just around the corner, and scheduling for the fall became chaotic (split enrollment *insert Macaulay Culkin's Home Alone face*).
This has morphed into me becoming not only the Secretary for the Psych Club (a position I chose because I didn't want the duties or pressure of anything higher up), I am also the Vice President of SAC and have been placed into many sub-facets of SAC. Summer vacation even became school-enveloped as the cabinet members of SAC had to entirely revamp the constitution, organize new standing and ad-hoc committees, and plan for next semester. So, I've also become the chair of the Programming Committee and an appointed (by the Dean) member of the Complaint Review Board! PHEW!
Now... I just need to figure out how to handle going to both KSU-Tuscarawas and KSU-Stark campuses simultaneously (for some classes not offered at Tusc, despite being told they would be, because a professor went on sabbatical). Bleh...
At the beginning of the Spring '11 semester, I thought to myself something along the lines of "Hey, be awesome and start something here on campus - A psychology club!" But, I lacked all get-up-and-go, gumption, and the elbow grease to put it in motion. Two days later, a classmate announced to the class his interest in making a psych club and I jumped on board instantly. Though I can't say it was only my brain-child, I can say that it has opened many doors that I didn't even know were on hinges and in place! Weeks later, Nicholas (the classmate), and I had become members of the Student Activities Council in an attempt to further the creation of the club. Less than a month later a friend of mine, Kelsey, who had been involved in SAC all year, glided on up to me hoping I could help her out. Turns out she wanted to run for President of the SAC and have me as her running mate for VP! My heart leaped at the chance to help her out and maybe even get some good things rolling on campus. A hop, skip, and a jump into the future, the Psych Club became a proper noun and a real entity on the campus and I became the secretary, campaigns were underway for SAC (we were, as they say "Friends in the SAC"), finals were just around the corner, and scheduling for the fall became chaotic (split enrollment *insert Macaulay Culkin's Home Alone face*).
This has morphed into me becoming not only the Secretary for the Psych Club (a position I chose because I didn't want the duties or pressure of anything higher up), I am also the Vice President of SAC and have been placed into many sub-facets of SAC. Summer vacation even became school-enveloped as the cabinet members of SAC had to entirely revamp the constitution, organize new standing and ad-hoc committees, and plan for next semester. So, I've also become the chair of the Programming Committee and an appointed (by the Dean) member of the Complaint Review Board! PHEW!
Now... I just need to figure out how to handle going to both KSU-Tuscarawas and KSU-Stark campuses simultaneously (for some classes not offered at Tusc, despite being told they would be, because a professor went on sabbatical). Bleh...
Monday, March 29, 2010
Brain Drain
"The Man" is trying to suck all brain power out of every student! It started with the vile SAT and the ACT for college-bound students. That morphed into the OGT - Ohio Graduation Test for high school sophomores, which birthed the proficiency tests that plague the elementary schools. All to put kids into a percentile and to decide who has ascertained the most with wrote learning.
It's gonna be the death of me!
April 10th will be the third time I've taken the ACT (the more common of the two college aptitude tests in Ohio). Every time I walk in mentally prepared at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning... By noon when I stumble out the testing room doors, I am about an inch away from a coma! My mind is so exhausted that it makes me physically fatigued! And, it's the same thing for any of those same style tests. OGT was easy, but it still took a WEEK of my time; not to mention I had Mono when I was taking it! The elementary-level ones do the same darn thing, and it's every other year -- how atrocious?!
Do other states have their version of the OGT or is Ohio just lead by sadists who want to make students suffer to prove that their 12 years of education set in at least a little?
It's gonna be the death of me!
April 10th will be the third time I've taken the ACT (the more common of the two college aptitude tests in Ohio). Every time I walk in mentally prepared at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning... By noon when I stumble out the testing room doors, I am about an inch away from a coma! My mind is so exhausted that it makes me physically fatigued! And, it's the same thing for any of those same style tests. OGT was easy, but it still took a WEEK of my time; not to mention I had Mono when I was taking it! The elementary-level ones do the same darn thing, and it's every other year -- how atrocious?!
Do other states have their version of the OGT or is Ohio just lead by sadists who want to make students suffer to prove that their 12 years of education set in at least a little?
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Spring Break, Splurges, and Smiles
It's been a long while, but I miss doing this. Somehow I've managed to keep up with facebook and my journal, so I guess I should be able to keep this updated (at least relatively so).
My last day of class before break was Thursday, and heck, that day was already a party! Kyle brought in his Wii system, and some of the "Loungies" (people of the lounge at my college) played an old middle school favorite: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yesterday, Friday, Mom and I went shopping and I splurged most of my money for the month on over $40 in books -- so worth it! And, Mom bought her new Nook; now she won't stop saying how she's going to get "nookie in bed tonight." Yup, gotta love her. Along with going to the Barnes & Noble for all of that, we went to Sam's Club and I got my monthly stash of jalapeno poppers. ... And a new laptop! Good thing I'm great with money had have enough already saved up so I didn't break the bank! I've already put about 1/16 of my music on it and all of the school files I'll need.
The future forecast says that I've got some even more smiles coming! Wed-Thurs Josh will be spending the night here and we'll celebrate our one-year anniversary. Then, Fri-Sat I'll spend the night at his house since he doesn't have work. Then, I've got Easter Sunday where I hope to meet Uncle Brian's elusive new lady friend... They must be serious because in all previous relationships, he just never told us anything about her. This time there was a Valentine gift and a romantic evening we were filled in about and also given some tantalizing tips as to what kind of chick she is. Somewhere in those plans, Josh and I plan to go up to the Football Hall of Fame -- the Christmas gift I got him this past December.
All in all, I have high hopes for this coming week! Woo hoo for spring break! I need it... After this, I've got two projects to work on for my lit class and two tests in the same week we return from break. Talk about reality crashing back down. And, then the ACT the Saturday after the first week back! Lovely!
My last day of class before break was Thursday, and heck, that day was already a party! Kyle brought in his Wii system, and some of the "Loungies" (people of the lounge at my college) played an old middle school favorite: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yesterday, Friday, Mom and I went shopping and I splurged most of my money for the month on over $40 in books -- so worth it! And, Mom bought her new Nook; now she won't stop saying how she's going to get "nookie in bed tonight." Yup, gotta love her. Along with going to the Barnes & Noble for all of that, we went to Sam's Club and I got my monthly stash of jalapeno poppers. ... And a new laptop! Good thing I'm great with money had have enough already saved up so I didn't break the bank! I've already put about 1/16 of my music on it and all of the school files I'll need.
The future forecast says that I've got some even more smiles coming! Wed-Thurs Josh will be spending the night here and we'll celebrate our one-year anniversary. Then, Fri-Sat I'll spend the night at his house since he doesn't have work. Then, I've got Easter Sunday where I hope to meet Uncle Brian's elusive new lady friend... They must be serious because in all previous relationships, he just never told us anything about her. This time there was a Valentine gift and a romantic evening we were filled in about and also given some tantalizing tips as to what kind of chick she is. Somewhere in those plans, Josh and I plan to go up to the Football Hall of Fame -- the Christmas gift I got him this past December.
All in all, I have high hopes for this coming week! Woo hoo for spring break! I need it... After this, I've got two projects to work on for my lit class and two tests in the same week we return from break. Talk about reality crashing back down. And, then the ACT the Saturday after the first week back! Lovely!
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