2012
Its the time of year for new beginnings, and new ideas about how to live / behave though the next year. One of the things I want to do is write in my blog once a week for the year. Last year I did not make the cut, but this year could be different who knows. The second resolution I have is one that will possibly be even harder than consistently writing in this blog once a week. I am going to attempt to be more social as the year progresses. I have made a effort to make plans throughout the month of January already, and for me this is a huge undertaking. This is mostly hard because of the pattern of life I have allowed myself to be sucked into.
Everyone I know has a pattern of what a general week entails. For example I go to school, then at night go to yoga classes, and then study. My employed friends go to work, the gym, and on various nights out to dinner with friends. We are creatures of habit, and this year I really want to form new habits. To do this I even started my New Years Eve celebration differently than I have in a long time. I went to a party with a lot of people I did not know and danced the night away. It was fun, and I believe it started my year off right. I have even changed my exercise habits. I took a break from yoga for three weeks and just started back today.
I believe a little change is good on all levels whether its physical or emotional. Shaking it up and changing it up is going to be my thing for 2012. I have always welcomed change, and this year I really need some new experiences to keep me on my toes, and I know that can be good or bad, but I prefer the good to come my way. Besides If I have no real change I will not be able to write anything clever in my blog and unfortunately I just cannot abide by that!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Monday, October 31, 2011
Make new friends but keep the old.
Make new friends but keep the old.
An elementary school friend said something to me about a year ago that still has such an effect on me to this day. She said when we are young, and make friends we just have to like one another regardless of what we have in common. So why do we make friends differently as adults? Are we all that different from who we were in the past? I don’t think so, but different life experiences bring us around different people.
I can say throughout all walks of life I have made friends. My original college years, the years I spent working in fashion, my yogie peeps, and my current second round of college days now bring my life all different types of people. I have made friends, lost friends, and kept friends through all these years, and changes.
No matter how much I have changed I still feel much more connected to the friends I met in grade school. It is such a weird feeling, and hard to describe, but as I get older I find I long for the friends I had in my youth to be closer to me now. Since some of them are in my life that’s easy, and I have been spending more time with them. I also realize that I have been bumping into these friends a lot more often than normal lately.
Today I was in Gelson’s getting groceries for the week and I ran into one of my old best friends from girl scouts. I was so happy to see her, and I believe it was mutual. As we were talking about random things from the past I felt so comfortable and happy. This same effect happens when I am around anyone from those years.
Last week I also met a few old friends for dinner, and I was so happy during dinner, and that feeling held throughout the next days. These friends know me in a way all of my new friends don’t. They know my quirky behavior, personality, and understand my strong opinions without any judgment. I don’t have to walk on egg shells around them like I do with some of my newer friends. I don’t have to bite my tong, because they know I mean well. It is amazing I still have these relationships, and I am grateful I do.
An elementary school friend said something to me about a year ago that still has such an effect on me to this day. She said when we are young, and make friends we just have to like one another regardless of what we have in common. So why do we make friends differently as adults? Are we all that different from who we were in the past? I don’t think so, but different life experiences bring us around different people.
I can say throughout all walks of life I have made friends. My original college years, the years I spent working in fashion, my yogie peeps, and my current second round of college days now bring my life all different types of people. I have made friends, lost friends, and kept friends through all these years, and changes.
No matter how much I have changed I still feel much more connected to the friends I met in grade school. It is such a weird feeling, and hard to describe, but as I get older I find I long for the friends I had in my youth to be closer to me now. Since some of them are in my life that’s easy, and I have been spending more time with them. I also realize that I have been bumping into these friends a lot more often than normal lately.
Today I was in Gelson’s getting groceries for the week and I ran into one of my old best friends from girl scouts. I was so happy to see her, and I believe it was mutual. As we were talking about random things from the past I felt so comfortable and happy. This same effect happens when I am around anyone from those years.
Last week I also met a few old friends for dinner, and I was so happy during dinner, and that feeling held throughout the next days. These friends know me in a way all of my new friends don’t. They know my quirky behavior, personality, and understand my strong opinions without any judgment. I don’t have to walk on egg shells around them like I do with some of my newer friends. I don’t have to bite my tong, because they know I mean well. It is amazing I still have these relationships, and I am grateful I do.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Really unrealistic…
Really unrealistic…
I am committed to my education at this point, and I spend hours studying, reviewing, and doing school work. My reward is the high GPA I have in received for my work. Now that I have retaken half of my college requirements I have been asking myself the same question many undergrads asks, “What Next?” Should I get a Masters degree, PH.D, or just skip it and get a job? I have placed myself in a position where I have the grades to have choices to further my education, so I am going to get my Masters for sure, but I am on the fence about committing time to acquire a Ph.D.
All of these options are a very real consideration for a student like me.
There are other students who have higher GPA’s and better pedigree, but I know I am realistic about the possibility of being able to get into a graduate program. There is a very strong possibility I will be accepted to a handful of well respected colleges. I have worked hard for the opportunity to be ready for this, and now I am. However, I was rather shocked to actually talk to some other students who are clueless about the options they have going forward. I went to speak to one of my professors this week about my options, and to ask about different programs that were available to help get me into a more competitive program.
I went to talk to my professor during his office hours, so two other people were with me. We were going over grade requirements, research ideas, tests that we needed to take, and deadlines to achieve all this before applying to a grad school. The other two students also needed the same info, but I was under the impression they had better grades than what they admitted to. In class the teacher stated the requirements needed, and again repeated these requirements in office hours, and these two students just don’t have the grades to even be considered for a graduate program in psychology.
One student has a GPA lower than a 2.5, and the other student is having problems passing his classes. Some classes he has taken but not passed he is repeating currently. The student with a 2.5 also refuses to look for programs out of state, but even more specific she wants to stay in Southern California. The one who keeps failing his classes is looking into many different programs that he is not capable of being admitted to. I have no idea why either of them are looking into graduate school. The minimum requirements are gpa’s of 3.5 and higher, and extremely high scores on the GRE.
My GPA is a 3.5 and I know there are programs that will reject me for my GPA for sure. I am realistic about where I will be able to apply, and where I have better odds of getting in. If the two students apply to any of the schools I am applying to I easily blow them out of the water. Maybe they should apply to where I am applying to it increases my odds of getting into a better program.
I am committed to my education at this point, and I spend hours studying, reviewing, and doing school work. My reward is the high GPA I have in received for my work. Now that I have retaken half of my college requirements I have been asking myself the same question many undergrads asks, “What Next?” Should I get a Masters degree, PH.D, or just skip it and get a job? I have placed myself in a position where I have the grades to have choices to further my education, so I am going to get my Masters for sure, but I am on the fence about committing time to acquire a Ph.D.
All of these options are a very real consideration for a student like me.
There are other students who have higher GPA’s and better pedigree, but I know I am realistic about the possibility of being able to get into a graduate program. There is a very strong possibility I will be accepted to a handful of well respected colleges. I have worked hard for the opportunity to be ready for this, and now I am. However, I was rather shocked to actually talk to some other students who are clueless about the options they have going forward. I went to speak to one of my professors this week about my options, and to ask about different programs that were available to help get me into a more competitive program.
I went to talk to my professor during his office hours, so two other people were with me. We were going over grade requirements, research ideas, tests that we needed to take, and deadlines to achieve all this before applying to a grad school. The other two students also needed the same info, but I was under the impression they had better grades than what they admitted to. In class the teacher stated the requirements needed, and again repeated these requirements in office hours, and these two students just don’t have the grades to even be considered for a graduate program in psychology.
One student has a GPA lower than a 2.5, and the other student is having problems passing his classes. Some classes he has taken but not passed he is repeating currently. The student with a 2.5 also refuses to look for programs out of state, but even more specific she wants to stay in Southern California. The one who keeps failing his classes is looking into many different programs that he is not capable of being admitted to. I have no idea why either of them are looking into graduate school. The minimum requirements are gpa’s of 3.5 and higher, and extremely high scores on the GRE.
My GPA is a 3.5 and I know there are programs that will reject me for my GPA for sure. I am realistic about where I will be able to apply, and where I have better odds of getting in. If the two students apply to any of the schools I am applying to I easily blow them out of the water. Maybe they should apply to where I am applying to it increases my odds of getting into a better program.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Man with a gun
Man with a gun…
Not the best subject for an email, but everyone at the college I attend was sent that email last Tuesday. At 10:30 am I was in the library doing my lab assignment for my stats class, and all of a sudden the fire alarm went off. Since it was a week where every class had a test I actually assumed a student had lost his cool, and pulled the alarm. All of a sudden on the loud speaker system everyone was asked to exit the library.
As I exited I realized people were not being evacuated from campus, and there were no fire engines I did think it was odd. However, I had another lecture to go to, so I went to class. Towards the end of class students were getting up and leaving the room, and there was a lot of chatter towards the back of the lecture hall. Our professor asked what all the chatter was about, and a student informed everyone that she just received an email form the college. The email stated there was a man with the gun on campus, and there would be more police coming to the campus.
The email also stated if anyone including students, faculty or staff wanted to leave the campus they were allowed, but to please let a supervisor know. Many students left the classroom, but about 50 of us stayed to finish the lecture. I am not sure what was more concerning the man with the gun, or the students being on their smart phones and checking email while we were in class. Either way at the time I was not concerned about my safety in the class room, but outside was a different story.
I left the campus as a phone call was made to my cell phone. It was the university again with an emergency phone call giving more warnings about the man on campus, and information about the evacuated library. To say that the call was unnerving was an understatement. I did think the email was fine, but the call was a bit weird.
The remainder of the day the campus called and emailed many updates about the situation to all students, and staff. I think I was sent six emails, and received five calls. One of the emails even included a picture of the suspect. It turned out that he may have hid in the library with a gun. The next day rumors were swirling around the campus.
One student told me that the suspect was a schizophrenic, and he had no gun, but another report was that he did. All in all I never saw this person, and I never saw his gun. He was captured the day of the voluntary evacuation, so all was back to normal the next day. I guess since the question mark incident at UCLA campus police just don’t mess around with any threat on campus.
Not the best subject for an email, but everyone at the college I attend was sent that email last Tuesday. At 10:30 am I was in the library doing my lab assignment for my stats class, and all of a sudden the fire alarm went off. Since it was a week where every class had a test I actually assumed a student had lost his cool, and pulled the alarm. All of a sudden on the loud speaker system everyone was asked to exit the library.
As I exited I realized people were not being evacuated from campus, and there were no fire engines I did think it was odd. However, I had another lecture to go to, so I went to class. Towards the end of class students were getting up and leaving the room, and there was a lot of chatter towards the back of the lecture hall. Our professor asked what all the chatter was about, and a student informed everyone that she just received an email form the college. The email stated there was a man with the gun on campus, and there would be more police coming to the campus.
The email also stated if anyone including students, faculty or staff wanted to leave the campus they were allowed, but to please let a supervisor know. Many students left the classroom, but about 50 of us stayed to finish the lecture. I am not sure what was more concerning the man with the gun, or the students being on their smart phones and checking email while we were in class. Either way at the time I was not concerned about my safety in the class room, but outside was a different story.
I left the campus as a phone call was made to my cell phone. It was the university again with an emergency phone call giving more warnings about the man on campus, and information about the evacuated library. To say that the call was unnerving was an understatement. I did think the email was fine, but the call was a bit weird.
The remainder of the day the campus called and emailed many updates about the situation to all students, and staff. I think I was sent six emails, and received five calls. One of the emails even included a picture of the suspect. It turned out that he may have hid in the library with a gun. The next day rumors were swirling around the campus.
One student told me that the suspect was a schizophrenic, and he had no gun, but another report was that he did. All in all I never saw this person, and I never saw his gun. He was captured the day of the voluntary evacuation, so all was back to normal the next day. I guess since the question mark incident at UCLA campus police just don’t mess around with any threat on campus.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Yeah, about last Tuesday.
Yeah, about last Tuesday.
If my mom was wondering why she was crossed off my Chanukah list this year she should read this blog. I consider last Tuesday a comedy of errors in so many ways. It started with a manicure, a time frame, and ended with a burger. The last sentence may sound weird, but I assure you by the time you are done reading this it blog entry it will make a lot of sense. I talked my mom into getting cal gel manicures with me at Marie Nails. I love the place, and they do an amazing job on my nail art.
I am a little obsessed with art on my nails these days, and thought since my mom got basic gels we should just go at the same time to get manicures. Little did I know that I was creating a monster when I talked her into getting butterflies on her thumbs last month. This month I told her to pick from a nail design magazine, and boy did she pick a good design. However, designs are hand painted and they take some time to do. I told her I booked her for a gel pedicure, and a four design gel manicure. She ended up picking a ten design manicure. This was a problem, but the ladies at Marie’s really wanted to accommodate her request, because I have been going there for two years.
So they did accommodate her, but at my expense. The designated time for her manicure was an hour and a half, and it should have been enough time, but with the intricate designs she picked it took two hours and fifteen minutes. The girl that did her nails was booked to do my pedicure, and I had to give up my pedicure. Unfortunately my mom was completely clueless that she caused such a problem. Or was she? On a normal day I would have just waited for my pedicure, but that day I needed to meet someone in Santa Monica at 5pm.
Since my mom ran over her allotted time not only did I miss my pedicure, but we ended up being an hour late to meet my friend in Santa Monica. I was so annoyed at her, and the whole way to Santa Monica she kept laughing nervously. She knew it was more funny than tragic, and it all really did not matter, but I kept telling her that her nails were grounded for not respecting other people’s time, and punishing her nails was the topic of the drive. To cover my ass for next time I booked her extra time at Marie’s Nails to avoid this situation from ever happening again. To this day her nails and I aren’t friends right now. Once we got to Santa Monica I ran out of the car, and into Starbucks to meet with my friend.
My friend and I talked for an hour, and I thought it was only going to be twenty minutes, so my time frame was totally messed up, and by the time we left we were ridiculously hungry. My mom and I made a game day decision to stop at the habit for burgers on the way home. I was still talking smack on the way home about her nails, and we were laughing about the whole thing. We got to the habit, and I ordered my burger without mayo, but with Thousand Island dressing. They gave us our order and told us my hamburger was marked with an x on the packaging.
After we got our food we hoped back in the car, and raced home to eat. I walked into the bathroom to wash my hands while my mother separated our food onto plates. My mom was so hungry she had already begun to eat, and was half way through her burger. I sat down and I started to eat, but noticed I had mayo on my burger. I said out loud something like I guess putting Thousand Island dressing on my burger was too hard for them to remember. I looked over at my mom when I said this and she turned bright red. All of a sudden I realize my mom was eating my burger. To recap she made me late, took up the time for my pedicure, and ate my burger. No gift for her!
If my mom was wondering why she was crossed off my Chanukah list this year she should read this blog. I consider last Tuesday a comedy of errors in so many ways. It started with a manicure, a time frame, and ended with a burger. The last sentence may sound weird, but I assure you by the time you are done reading this it blog entry it will make a lot of sense. I talked my mom into getting cal gel manicures with me at Marie Nails. I love the place, and they do an amazing job on my nail art.
I am a little obsessed with art on my nails these days, and thought since my mom got basic gels we should just go at the same time to get manicures. Little did I know that I was creating a monster when I talked her into getting butterflies on her thumbs last month. This month I told her to pick from a nail design magazine, and boy did she pick a good design. However, designs are hand painted and they take some time to do. I told her I booked her for a gel pedicure, and a four design gel manicure. She ended up picking a ten design manicure. This was a problem, but the ladies at Marie’s really wanted to accommodate her request, because I have been going there for two years.
So they did accommodate her, but at my expense. The designated time for her manicure was an hour and a half, and it should have been enough time, but with the intricate designs she picked it took two hours and fifteen minutes. The girl that did her nails was booked to do my pedicure, and I had to give up my pedicure. Unfortunately my mom was completely clueless that she caused such a problem. Or was she? On a normal day I would have just waited for my pedicure, but that day I needed to meet someone in Santa Monica at 5pm.
Since my mom ran over her allotted time not only did I miss my pedicure, but we ended up being an hour late to meet my friend in Santa Monica. I was so annoyed at her, and the whole way to Santa Monica she kept laughing nervously. She knew it was more funny than tragic, and it all really did not matter, but I kept telling her that her nails were grounded for not respecting other people’s time, and punishing her nails was the topic of the drive. To cover my ass for next time I booked her extra time at Marie’s Nails to avoid this situation from ever happening again. To this day her nails and I aren’t friends right now. Once we got to Santa Monica I ran out of the car, and into Starbucks to meet with my friend.
My friend and I talked for an hour, and I thought it was only going to be twenty minutes, so my time frame was totally messed up, and by the time we left we were ridiculously hungry. My mom and I made a game day decision to stop at the habit for burgers on the way home. I was still talking smack on the way home about her nails, and we were laughing about the whole thing. We got to the habit, and I ordered my burger without mayo, but with Thousand Island dressing. They gave us our order and told us my hamburger was marked with an x on the packaging.
After we got our food we hoped back in the car, and raced home to eat. I walked into the bathroom to wash my hands while my mother separated our food onto plates. My mom was so hungry she had already begun to eat, and was half way through her burger. I sat down and I started to eat, but noticed I had mayo on my burger. I said out loud something like I guess putting Thousand Island dressing on my burger was too hard for them to remember. I looked over at my mom when I said this and she turned bright red. All of a sudden I realize my mom was eating my burger. To recap she made me late, took up the time for my pedicure, and ate my burger. No gift for her!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Claustrophobic much?
School has begun with a rush of energy and a lot of mishaps. To start I have a new email that I did not even know I had. The school set it up for me, and it also set up my Moodle account. Moodle is an on line class room where teachers post lecture notes, essays, grades, assignments etc. I think you get the general idea. The Moodle and new Gmail account were not set up by me, but the school automatically set it up. I believe this was done to make my life easier.
This set up only complicated things in the bubble of Staci that I currently live in. Over a week ago all my professors sent me an email that included the syllabus, their email, assignments due, and reading for the first week of class. I did not get any of this information until the first day of school. To say I was frustrated was an understatement. Discombobulated is how I would describe my mind state during this first three days of class. Most of the information I was given just aggravated me, and confused me further.
Monday after school I ran home to try to access this email account I had. However, I did not set up this email, and did not even know my log in name or password. I searched my CSUN home page for any information on how to get onto my email. Finally after 30 minutes I found my log in, but still did not know my pass word. There was also no clear explanation of how to get my password. Finally after an hour I called the IT line at CSUN.
It turned out I needed to log out of the schools portal to gain access to my new Gmail account. The person I was speaking to told me my password was the same as my log in for the school, and same applied for model. I asked how I was supposed to know that. He told me I was sent that information in an email. Guess what He was right, but I only found out he was correct after I logged onto my new email account that I did not sign up for.
The log in instruction was the first email that was sent to an account I did not know I had, and that I had no access to. Awesome! Then I realized I was a week behind in my reading, but I got all caught up by Wednesday. So not that all that was out of the way I could hunker down and start to study. I have, but the classroom situation is also a little out of hand. In every class I am attending there are a minimum of 60 people, and a maximum of 120.
Every class that I am enrolled is at capacity, but the first week a lot of students try to add classes. Over 50 people in each class have been trying to crash the course. In a lecture hall that can only accommodate 120 people there are over 200 people crammed into the room trying to add the course. I wish I could say I am used to it, but every semester it makes me so uncomfortable.
I am a small girl, and I am not even 5 feet tall. When everyone towers over you, and you are jammed into a class room that has standing room only, and there is a person against every wall it is hard not to feel overwhelmed. There is a sea of people crowding around me, and it makes it hard for me to breath. The first week I always sit next to the door, so I can flee if I really need to. By the end of the school day I am so exhausted from the fear of being trampled by a mob of taller than me people.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Summer is almost over.
Summer is almost over.
This is my last official weekend of summer break, and I am looking forward to every second of these last few days. Tomorrow and Sunday I am doing promotion for Operation Shanti, and I cannot wait for Sunday. Tomorrow I have to drop things off in Santa Monica and Venice, and then I go to a yoga class at 3:30. After the class I am planning on stuffing my face with Mexican food while watching some cheesy movie of my choice. Sunday I have to get up early for Garth’s class at Lululemon Santa Monica.
At 9:30 Garth will be teaching a free class at Lululemon, and I will be taking full advantage of his class. After the class in Santa Monica I head over to Brentwood to promote the event at a different location. It will be my first time promoting the event in that area, so I hope it is a lot of fun. Every area of the city attracts different types of people, so I am wondering what the people will be like in Brentwood. It should be mellow and fun. My goal is to sign up 10 people on Sunday.
Sunday is a really packed day, I am even attending another two classes on Sunday. I will see how I feel, but I think it will make me feel better than I have been feeling the past few days. I also spent time with my grandmother last week, and it is really hard to be with her sometimes. My grandmother was a mover and a shaker. Her life consisted of raising children, baking, traveling around the world, opera, and charity work. She lived her life, and why wouldn’t she? It sounds like a dream come true, and I believe it was.
My grandmother had a massive stroke and can no longer walk, stand, or do anything with her left side. The last few weeks the reality of her new life has set in, and she cannot get past it. In the middle of conversations she starts to weep, and reminisces about what she used to be able to do. She realizes she will never travel again, go to the opera, or walk to the bathroom. Every day her sadness becomes more and more crippling for her. All she really wants to do is sleep half the day away, and I don’t even blame her.
I don’t think watching yourself deteriorate is all that fun. I can only imagine the physical pain she is in. I can tell you when my time comes I want to go quickly. I don’t want to decline slowly. I would rather just pass in my sleep, or randomly drop dead all of a sudden. I can tell you without a doubt I know that to be true! Sometimes I try to imagine how I would feel if I could not walk, and it terrifies me. My favorite thing in life is my health. I love traveling, yoga, hiking, doing charity work. In a nut shell I just am so grateful I can physically do any of the things I am doing. If I could no longer be active I might feel exactly like her.
This is my last official weekend of summer break, and I am looking forward to every second of these last few days. Tomorrow and Sunday I am doing promotion for Operation Shanti, and I cannot wait for Sunday. Tomorrow I have to drop things off in Santa Monica and Venice, and then I go to a yoga class at 3:30. After the class I am planning on stuffing my face with Mexican food while watching some cheesy movie of my choice. Sunday I have to get up early for Garth’s class at Lululemon Santa Monica.
At 9:30 Garth will be teaching a free class at Lululemon, and I will be taking full advantage of his class. After the class in Santa Monica I head over to Brentwood to promote the event at a different location. It will be my first time promoting the event in that area, so I hope it is a lot of fun. Every area of the city attracts different types of people, so I am wondering what the people will be like in Brentwood. It should be mellow and fun. My goal is to sign up 10 people on Sunday.
Sunday is a really packed day, I am even attending another two classes on Sunday. I will see how I feel, but I think it will make me feel better than I have been feeling the past few days. I also spent time with my grandmother last week, and it is really hard to be with her sometimes. My grandmother was a mover and a shaker. Her life consisted of raising children, baking, traveling around the world, opera, and charity work. She lived her life, and why wouldn’t she? It sounds like a dream come true, and I believe it was.
My grandmother had a massive stroke and can no longer walk, stand, or do anything with her left side. The last few weeks the reality of her new life has set in, and she cannot get past it. In the middle of conversations she starts to weep, and reminisces about what she used to be able to do. She realizes she will never travel again, go to the opera, or walk to the bathroom. Every day her sadness becomes more and more crippling for her. All she really wants to do is sleep half the day away, and I don’t even blame her.
I don’t think watching yourself deteriorate is all that fun. I can only imagine the physical pain she is in. I can tell you when my time comes I want to go quickly. I don’t want to decline slowly. I would rather just pass in my sleep, or randomly drop dead all of a sudden. I can tell you without a doubt I know that to be true! Sometimes I try to imagine how I would feel if I could not walk, and it terrifies me. My favorite thing in life is my health. I love traveling, yoga, hiking, doing charity work. In a nut shell I just am so grateful I can physically do any of the things I am doing. If I could no longer be active I might feel exactly like her.
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