Why?

Yesterday I was given some bad news. My aunt who was diagnosed with a brain tumor last year, has been limited to bed. She can no longer walk and can speak but it isn't coherent 50% of the time. All of this got me thinking.

My aunt is a beautiful person. She has two beautiful daughters who are so stinkin' smart and a husband who loves her SO much. So why her? This is what I came up with. She's is an angel in training. I believe that God put her on this earth with a purpose to bring two wonderful people in the world and to bring joy and laughter to those around her. I never heard her say anything negative about another human being. See? Angel worthy. It is now her time. Its not fair but when is life ever fair?

I know that she will always be with me and everybody that she loves and that loves her in return. She will be in a better place and will be watching over her family.

Maury and...Bieber??

http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/11/maury-would-like-to-help-bieber-out-with-his-paternity-problem/?hpt=hp_c2

Oh yes. It seems that the 17 year old pop singer seems to be getting a taste of being a celebrity. Justin Bieber is being accused of fathering a child but he denies it. So of course, a paternity lawsuit was filed. And due to weirdo fans being dumb, Maury Povich is trying to get involved.

This crap is stupid. Leave the Biebs alone. Let him do his thing, take the test, and get on with his life. There's no reason to make this out to be some big deal. If he really did get this girl pregnant, I'm sure he'll be responsible about it but I personally think that this woman just wants money and attention. And to get Maury involved?? That is so tacky. I have never believed the stories that are on Maury's show. I think its all fake. He has no right to get involved. I hope Justin's parents nip this in the bud.

Oh Glee...

Who doesn't love singing and dancing? Well when you add sex and TV to that, it can be a little too much. I love Glee. I proudly admit it. However, a lot of folks, including myself, were not impressed with the latest episode of this fun show. They didn't 'show' teens having sex but it was implied. Not just one couple but two. People were upset because the show was saying its ok to have sex if you love someone. Well there are a lot of 13-17 year olds who truly believe that they are in love. The media is sending this message everywhere.

I believe that if you're going to be uncomfortable watching something with your parents, it should not be on a major TV station, such as FOX, and shouldn't be coming from a show aimed at teenagers. I was uncomfortable just watching the preview for that episode with my mom.

Its a sad reality that teenagers are having sex a lot more than they used too. But I just wish they could not have the pressure of the media being thrown in their faces all the time. This country is too obsessed with anything sexual. Why?

Soda pop = ...violence??

Everybody knows that soda is bad for your body. It has a lot of sugar and can lead to weight gain, heart disease and even diabetes. But does it cause violence? A study found that teens who consumed more soda were more likely to carry weapons or be in fights at school.

I think this is totally bogus. I grew up drinking a lot, I mean, A LOT of soda. But I never felt the urge to carry a weapon or hurt anyone. I was very caring and quiet. I never had the urge to do drugs, go drinking, and other careless activities. I do, however, believe that the sugar can affect the way our body reacts. We become sluggish and might have a caffeine addiction that is hard to break.

Maybe we should be more worried about soda effecting our teenager's health in the sense of diabetes and heart disease.

For the better

This week has been about  reevaluating my life. My best friend found a boyfriend so I've been on my own. Yes, I have other friends but we did everything together. So in turn, I have found myself to have a lot more free time. I sat down one day and just made a list of possible activities to take up my newly found alone time. Here's what I came up with. My homework is my first priority. School is happening now. I have to do this now. I will have time for relationships after school is over. I'm in no hurry. Secondly, I need to practice my clarinet more. I have the potential to be a fantastic musician and I don't want to let that pass me by. And lastly, I need to improve my health. I'm comfortable in my own skin and I and only I have the power to change that. I want to better myself in every way possible. I'm a beautiful, amazing, and strong woman. I can do this.

I love the woman to death, but I do not want to end up like my mom...

Wish me luck!

Uhh....What? Ew.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/topvideos/2011/10/13/pkg-couple-has-sex-while-skydiving.kget

I know this is a little risque to be putting up as a blog but no nudity was shown and I found this to be a little odd.

A porn star who also give instructions at a skydiving facility posted a video on his personal blog of him and the secretary of the facility having sexual relations, starting in the plane and then continuing while "falling". The police were investigating but have found that no one witnessed this event first hand so no "public nudity" charges could be filed. However, they were endangering the life of the pilot which is against aviation regulation.

This. Is. Crazy. I could say so many things...

I will say this. More power to you for wanting and actually going through with it. But keep it to yourself. Those types of videos are known for getting out there to people who do not need to be seeing things like that. Who knows what his true intentions were for posting that? Only him. But I will agree with the fact that he and his "partner" did risk the life of the pilot. Men are men. People are people. Anybody would look and most would want to keep looking.

For the future, Keep your private affairs private.

Pregnant Moms Running Marathons?!

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/11/should-pregnant-moms-take-on-endurance-challenges/?hpt=he_t4

A woman, who was pregnant at full term, ran/walked her 8th marathon. After finishing the race, she went into labor. She joked that giving birth was harder than doing the marathon but doctors compare the two by saying that in both events, the heart rate goes up and your adrenaline kicks in.

Exercise is good for pregnant women. It keeps them healthy and fit but specialist say that it doesn't hurt the baby due to the protection the mother's body provides. However, it is strongly suggested that pregnant women avoid contact sports for obvious reasons.

I was in awe by this woman. I can't even run a quarter of a mile let alone 26 miles AND go into labor for 7 hours. No way. I'm glad that she didn't run the entire distance, though. She and her doctors knew what was good for the baby and for herself. I believe that if I loved it, I would run a marathon while pregnant. Maybe not a week after being considered full-term but maybe in the first or second trimester.

My Thoughts...

Somethings that go on in my life don't make sense. I do a lot of things that don't make sense. I always wonder why I do or don't do things. I'm old enough to know better but I keep doing them. I guess I'm just afraid of the outcome. I'm afraid of failing. I'm afraid that what I do isn't ever enough. I just can't talk myself into going out on a limb and risking my life. I feel that my self-image has a lot to do with that. Some days I will look in the mirror and think, "Dang, girl! You're lookin' fine!" The next day it could be, "Ugh. Just give me a mu-mu to hide underneath. I've realized that in my head, I feel that I need an outside reason to be confident in myself. I feel that I need a boyfriend to help me feel good about myself but in the reality of things, I should want to feel good for myself.

There's nowhere to go but up, right?

Obama made racism worse?

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/09/23/morgan-freeman-obama-has-made-racism-worse-tea-party-will-do-whatever#ixzz1YnWDliVr

Morgan Freeman, well known african-american actor, talks to a reporter about how Obama has made things worse for his race.

I disagree with Freeman. I don't think this hatred towards Obama is because he's black. Its because he has done things that the American people don't like. Its unfair that we aren't able to express our outrage about him fairly because of his race. Its automatically looked at, by some people, as racism. The American people didn't find Taft to be an incompetent president because he was overweight and became stuck in a bathtub. They refused to re-elect him because he ignored his lobbyist.

I believe that we will never know what people really think about President Obama. There are too many people in this country to ask individually. But I do know that we will make a decision that is best for us.

Really people? REALLY?

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44523370/ns/today-today_people/

A 62 year old man who weighs 290 lbs is suing White Castle for...wait for it...their booths not being big enough for his size. He claims that he bumped his knee on the pole holding up the table when he was trying to squeeze into the seat.

I think this guy is ridiculous. I'm sure White castle has some table that have regular chairs. Also, I know that its his right to be as large as he wants to be but he shouldn't be eating that kind of food that frequently at his age. I'm sure his cholestrol is sky high. But that aside, White Castle should not have to accomodate to every size person on this earth. Thats impossible. If they made a bigger booth for guys who are 300 lbs then the booth would be to large for someone small. They would complain that the table is too far away and that they got ketchup on their pants and sue the company for a stain. Its a vicious cycle. I really hope that this man loses his case. But knowing how this country works, I bet he will win.

Oh facebook, how you've changed.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/23/tech/social-media/facebook-real-time/index.html

CNN reporter, John Stutter, takes on the new facebook. He talks about one of the changes made allows your friends to know about EVERYTHING you do. You don't have anymore privacy partly because most popular websites are connected to facebook.

What do you think of the new Facebook layout? That has been one of the most asked questions this past week. Facebook has made so many changes that I, personally, don't know how to do anything except play my Sims game and update my status. I'm getting to the point where I don't even want to have a facebook anymore. Everybody is moving to Google+ and other social websites. Mark Zuckerberg needs to realize that not everybody wants the rest of the world to know their business.

Something dear to my heart

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/09/24/gallery.joplin.tornado.rebuilding/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

CNN reporter, Jim Spellman, was among many reporters who were in my hometown, Joplin, Mo after the deadliest tornado in 60 years showed its wrath. He saw the devastation immediately after it happened. He felt the pain that people were feeling.

4 months later, he was in the area for an unrelated story and decided to pay a visit on a beautiful Sunday. Spellman went to the same exact neighborhood he visited previously. He noticed the drastic changes that have happened. All the rubble was removed and some houses were going up. But he didn't like the fact that there weren't any people around. No normal everyday life events happening. However, he hopes that someday he will be able to visit again and see these things.

It really makes me smile that someone is still thinking about us after 4 months. When I drive through the disaster areas, its interesting to see the day to day changes that are being made. Both Walgreens are up and running, Chick-fil-a is satisfying my chicken cravings again, and some people are almost finished building their houses back up and are ready to move in. Also, I can't wait until St. John's Hospital is brought down so Joplinites can start over fresh and look forward to the future.

Women fired for swearing

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/12/living/carol-bartz-fired-from-yahoo/index.html?hpt=li_t4

This article is from CNN. Former CEO of Yahoo Carol Baltz was fired from the company for using "profane" language. She said somethings towards her employees that didn't seem right and a little condescending. The board of Yahoo felt that their only action was to get rid of her. The article goes on to talk about how women aren't looked at to be known for swearing in the workplace. Its more socially acceptable for men to talk like that. They say that the fact that they called her words "salty language" shows that people are still not comfortable to accept the fact that women do, in fact, swear.

I believe, based on the examples of things she has said to her former employees, that the Chairman of Yahoo was in the right to fire her. I would just like to hope that if she was a male saying those things that he would've got the same treatment.

I don't think that anyone should use profane language when speaking to their employees in a professional setting. The fact that she asked a fellow executive "where is balls are?" is just a little to extreme. I wouldn't even say that to someone I know on an unprofessional level. Another thing that really bugged me was that she would use this language in interviews. She would ask people at the end of their interview if they were a--holes. To me that's very unprofessional. There are other ways to ask that question. If you want to be respected, I personally, do not feel that using words like that is a way to get it.

So I believe that the Board of Yahoo's reason for firing Carol Bartz was not because she was a woman using "salty language" but because she was unprofessional and was a little too public about her feelings and thoughts.

All about me

Hello fellow classmates,

My name is Crystal. I'm a Music Education major here at Southern. I live in Joplin with my family and I work at McAlister's Deli. I have been playing clarinet for 11 years. There's not a lot to share about myself. I'm just a plain Jane. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you.

Have a good day!