Spring Snow and other Misfortunes

Friday was my first day substitute teaching. I had a kindergarten class consisting of 16 students. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, especially being that it was an all-day class with kids ages 5-6 and no naps. It was actually not as bad as I thought it would be. I had a lot of fun, and it's true what they say - kids really do say the darnedest things! They made me laugh a lot and I think they had fun and learned at the same time. I wouldn't mind being in that class again.

This weekend was also a "Winter storm" in "Spring". Very strange weather. I enjoyed going sledding and attempting to make a snow angel and a snowman. The snow was hard because of the ice so those activities didn't work out so well. It was still fun though.

Yesterday started out great. I got a lot of sleep this weekend so I was prepared for the week. That is until I went to my second class yesterday. I didn't do as well as I had hoped on my test last week and only pulled off a high C. I'm a bit disappointed in myself. And I received two tickets, so that's not good either. It appears to be the start of a bad week, but I'm trying to be optimistic about it, although it's not working out so well.

In my Advanced Reporting class, I'm having trouble finding Excel documents for my CAR story. I'm doing the story on college drinking. I found a lot of good information but none that I could place into an Excel spreadsheet, which is what this assignment is all about. If anyone knows a good place to get data that I could easily copy and paste into Excel, please let me know!

Other than that, everything is going okay for me. Still counting down the days to graduation and still looking for a job...

School Update

Since I got my cap and gown for graduation yesterday, I decided I should give you a detailed update of my classes...

I had a test in my COMM 631 class today. That's History and Theory of Communications. It's really not as bad as it sounds. I think I did well. I enjoy the class and the teacher puts a lot of effort into making it interesting. This is the same class I had to do the presentation for Coca-Cola in, which went well also.

Advanced Reporting, COMM 500, is starting to challenge me a little bit. I had a hard time grasping the C.A.R. information today. This is Computer Analysis Research where we have to find data from a government website, import it into Excel, and come up with an interesting story for the information. I have decided to do mine on the increase of violence in public schools over the course of five years. I've found some information but it's hard to find a PDF file that will easily export into Excel. I also have to find which angle I want to take with the story. Oh, FYI, this is the same class that requires us to do the Death and Dying story.

I'm still working on my portfolio for my Senior Portfolio class (COMM 472). It's coming along, I just need to spice it up a little and give it a cover page with a key.

Opinion Writing, COMM 550, is going well. It's probably one of the easier classes I have ever taken. My teacher is a tough grader, but it's easy because you write your opinion about a topic. I like it, but it's often difficult not to go over the amount of words I'm supposed to have.

My final class is probably my least favorite. It's COMM 535, Communication Research and Analysis. This class is online and I love the convenience, but I sometimes forget that we have assignments due until the last minute so it gets a bit intense. It's also difficult because of the extensive amount of research we have to do in order to receive a good grade. I've been struggling in this class, but I hope the paper I turn in Friday will boost my grade.

Well, there's my class update! I'll write more soon.

A Much Needed Break

Spring Break was the most relaxing week I have ever had. I spent a lot of time doing nothing, some of the time eating, and a little bit of time being productive. Although I still woke up around the same time as I normally do for class and work, it was nice to be able to stay in my room and just watch TV. One day, I watched a full day of marathons. It was great! One of my friends from KU came to visit and we had a lot of fun.

My birthday is coming up in about 3 weeks. I'm planning on going to Houston the week after to celebrate and see friends and family. I'm hoping the weather is nice so I can go to the beach in Galveston. I've never actually been to a beach so it should be a lot of fun. If I go, I'll be sure to take a lot of pictures.

Graduation is also getting close. I am going to order my cap and gown today. I'm really excited! As you can tell, this is a really important time in my life, and I'm ready for the next step; I'm ready to start a new adventure! I'll be sure to keep you up to date on everything that is going on!

Just Doesn't Work Out

Okay, so you know my wonderful plan to continue working out, well, it hasn't been working out so well. As of today, it's been two weeks since I've been to the gym. However, I have been walking to class instead of driving. That should make up for something, right? Well, tonight I am going to the gym! I have to get back into shape. It's my goal, by the end of May, to lose 10-15 pounds. I'd be satisfied with just losing 10.

School is still going well, except I'm not sure I did my best on my first test I took in COMM 535. It's an online course and very difficult to keep up with at times. I sometimes forget about it because it's not a class I have to "physically" attend twice a week. There will be more test in there, though, and I will make sure I give it my all.

I turned in my first draft of my portfolio yesterday. My professor gave me a lot of good tips. I will be working on an online version tonight and tomorrow so look out for that one!

Difficult Times

Today, I went to my internship at the Wichita Magazine and found out that they were shutting down. I'm sad because I really liked working there; I was learning a lot and gaining a lot of beneficial experience. I'm even more sad for the ones who really depended on this job and now have to shut down by Thursday. It's unfortunate because it was a really good magazine and the entire staff was amazing. I'm sure they'll all find something within their field; they are all very talented. 

I'm working on starting an online portfolio, after realizing graduation was only two months away! I have to have a hard-copy for class on Wednesday so I should get a start on that as well. Everything is happening so fast; almost too fast for me to grasp it. I'm excited to do my portfolio. It really shows that the end is almost near. 

Just Stuff

I'm really starting to get nervous about what I'm doing after graduation. The economy is down and the job market for my field is laying off almost every day! I'm excited to graduate and move on to the next phase in life but also a bit nervous. 

Classes are going well, just keeping me busy. We're heading into midterms so things are getting hectic right now. The next few weeks will probably be the busiest of the semester.

Tomorrow I'm taking my Little to the Heskett Center to workout. This will give us both a chance to workout and spend some time together.