What, an update?!

"I'm saying: to be continued, until we meet again. Meanwhile keep on listening and tapping your feet."
~Count Basie

Blogger is working again!!  If you didn't know, blogger hasn't been working for...well, a long time. I'm currently watching Star Wars on Spike (Attack of the Clones for anyone who cares) and thought I'd check out blogger to see if it was working. Guess it's time for an update!

Because I go to two different schools, I'm on two different schedules. Columbus State (aka C State or CSCC) just started up yesterday but a week ago I finished my midterms for Miami. Yeah, it sucks not to have the breaks match up but I figure once I graduate I can have two or three weeks in California or somewhere with a beach, a book, and a margarita :) Maybe not the latter but definitely the two formers.

I still haven't figured out my financial aid situation yet; I have an email into someone who is either the last person I need to talk to or will point me to the last person I need to talk to. As ridiculous as this entire thing is, the one thought that is getting me through is the fact that I'm going to be done with school by next year. Yeah that scares me half to death because I still haven't told my parents I'm planning on joining the military (that's still the plan as long as I feel God sending me in that direction) but I'm also excited because that means I'm one step closer to being who and what I was made to be: an engineer. There's another post about why I want to be an engineer, so I'm not going to go into that again, but just knowing I'm one step closer is exhilarating.

So besides continuing with school, work, and church, there is nothing much new with me. A few of the shows I favor during the summer have started which is exciting. What are they you ask? Starting Tuesday is White Collar and Covert Affairs, Wednesday is Royal Pains, Thursday is Burn Notice, and Sunday is In Plain Sight. Yes, they're all on USA but I don't like almost 99% of the other shows on TV. Okay that's an exaggeration, but it has to be about 90% of the shows out there are crap. I mean, Family Guy? Desperate Housewives? Anything on VH1, MTV, BET, E!, and every other channel that didn't exist 10 years ago? I mean really, how many different shows about famous, socialite, or musical families do we really need? It seems TV shows and movies are now being aimed at the lowest common denominator and filled with crude humor, horrible 'role models', and plots that aren't even smirk worthy. What happened to the days of Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, and Johnny Carson? What happened to true slap-stick comedy, humor that had intelligent design behind it, and plots that were as refreshing as they were witty?

Okay, I get it. If the only think I have to complain about (or have an hour complaining about over a blog) is the lack of good television shows on TV, my life is going pretty well. To be honest, things aren't going so great now in my life. School is what I'm sinking myself into and while I study I like having the TV on for background noise. Hence the rant.

I really don't want to go into the specifics; what I can say, or at least what I will reveal, is that a problem that has persisted for the last decade has reared its ugly head and struck again. Not as bad as in the past but the situation is still crappy. Oh yeah, and Yoseph isn't at C State anymore. He can tell you about that. Like I said, crappy situation but I've survived worse and this time I'm leaning on God to help me through this difficult time.

Hope this finds you all (I think there are 5 or 6 loyal visits and readers) well and thank you for reading! I know I speak for Yoseph and myself when I say we'd love to hear from you. Hear your experiences with work, school, family life, anything you wish to share we'd love to read.

So without further ado; peace out!

DOOMSDAY...

"You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?" ~ Clint Eastwood

May 21 has come and past but it might as well be the end of the world. Financial aid: with those two words dogs hide, women faint and men arm themselves for a coming battle. That may not be the exact truth but whenever I enter the financial aid doors I can almost see the lone tumbleweed rolling into oblivion as Clint Eastwood swaggers out and stares me down. Okay, that's a huge exaggeration but you get the picture. When I graduate college, I half expect to minor in dealing with financial aid because I've spent so much time on it.

This all started about a year ago when I declared my course of study (at a 2 year school, they're not majors) as Electromechanical Engineering. Now, there's a deal Miami University of Ohio has with Columbus State Community College (CSCC) and it goes like this: Miami accepts CSCCs aassociate degree as the first two years of their bachelor degree in Electromechanical Engineering. So pretty much, I'm going to get a degree from Miami for less than $13,000...just for comparison an average degree from Miami if you actually went there is about $50,000+ for all four years. It's a pretty sweet deal. If you can deal with the financial aid aspect.

Here's the deal: CSCC says that because I'm not taking all CSCC classes (I'm taking 1 or 2 a quarter to finish other requirements) I am not eligible for CSCC financial aid anymore. I have also extended the possible credit hours allotted to my degree. This makes sense if someone is only getting an associates and then moving on, it doesn't make sense if you're staying two extra years to complete a bachelor degree. So, Miami has to pay for the CSCC classes; it's possible but you have to have an agreement signed by a Miami advisor. Now the whole reason I'm doing this whole thing (going to Miami through CSCC) is so I don't have to physically go to Miami campus. I mean, I'm sure it's nice and all but it's about an hour and a half both ways: time and money I don't have. And to top it all off, my distributor says I've been out of school for 6 months.

Do I know what I have to do? Yeah, I have to get this agreement signed (I'm not sure how) so that Miami and CSCC can talk about how Miami is going to pay for my classes. If I were the only one doing this program I would classically expect problems but this program has been around for at least 5 years and at this moment there are about 20 or so students in this program at CSCC. You think there would be a financial advisor set aside to deal with programs like this; yeah, it would make sense wouldn't it? So of course, they don't. Every single visit to the financial aid office feels like a battle and I always feel unarmed. Every visit yields a new piece of information that I previously didn't know.

What makes it even worse (and I'm not trying to be racist) is most of the financial aid workers are either black or Arab. Now, there's nothing wrong with that but I'm a white 22-year-old female and they treat me as if I don't really need financial aid. They act like I'm just mooching off the government and my parents really do have the tuition money, that I'm just being a white, rich, republican and making the government pay for everything. They have one of those things correct: I am white. I am neither rich nor republican. Just to state this: I'm conservative but I vote for who will do the best job. I don't care if you're republican, democrat, green, independent, or whatever, if you're going to do a good job I'll vote for you. Sorry, tangent. But these people are discriminating against me and I swear they just give me the minimum information so that I'll go away.

Sorry for the major rant. Sometimes it feels like I'm in this alone but then I go to school and talk with my friends and realize we're all in this together (okay, honestly: how many of you just started singing the High School Musical song in your head?). Now I know Yoseph is going to Franklin next quarter so I'd love to know his opinion on this.

~Katie

Reflections (Yoseph)

"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." ~Aristotle

Looking back on the post that Katie put, it made me remember how I chose my major, so I decided to put in my little story/insight as well (no I am not copying, she had a good idea, yeesh).

Ever since I was a kid, I have always had this thing for art. When I was young, my mom used to give me a paper and some colors to doodle. It wasn't that there wasn't anything else I could do, but what better way to express your imagination then through a sheet of paper (and later Photoshop)? I got the skill from my mother, but I excelled in it (no I am not trying to brag). It helped me through thick and thin surprisingly. If I ever got in trouble, I would go to my room, cry a little, and begin to draw. It always made me feel better.

Jump to fourth grade, I was in an art class and we were studying how artists sometimes hide little "secrets" within their paintings and artwork. I still remember it as if it were yesterday, I drew this picture of the country, it had rocks and trees, a house, and of course a cornfield. I put faces into what I could and tried to make it so that it wasn't noticeable until pointed out. This got me a place on my elementary school wall for a year. How happy I was to walk in everyday and tell people "Yeah, I drew that picture."

Jump to sixth grade, I hung out with a group of kids, and I began to draw my very first comic book. In it I had five of my closest friends (at the time). It was rude, however, when this bully came up to our table, took my comic that I worked so hard on, and threw it in the trash. Of course like most kids, I was hurt and I kind of dropped my talent.

I didn't really pick it up again until my 10th grade year in high school. I remember I was sitting with my friends when this guy came over and sat with us. He drew anime, and immediately I was fascinated. I would sit and watch him draw these characters from scratch during lunch, and try not to be a creeper about it. This thus began my compassion for my drawing again.

When I graduated however I went into Nursing. Why I did it? I don't know honestly, I think it was because I had heard of how much money nurses made. I went into it for a year, but then I realized something... why did I study something that I didn't enjoy? I learned that one should never go into any career for money. It was stupid for me to do and I am happy I left it. Now some of you might be okay with it (in that case kudos to you), but I for one was not. 

Anyways what I am trying to say is that one should go into something that they will be happy in. Don't ever go into some degree for money because in the long run, you are not going to be happy. By learning this I switched from Nursing to Multimedia Design and began doing something I really enjoyed, no matter how much money I will make in the real world. Be happy with what you enjoy, and don't worry so much about money, you will be fine.

~Yoseph

Reflections

"No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has.” ~ Henry Ward Beecher

The weekend before last (meaning 2 weekends ago) something really cool happened. My mom graduated with her MA in educational administration. This has been a dream of hers since before I can remember and to see her walking across that stage...I still smile just thinking about it. This has been a life long dream of hers and to see her complete something 20 years in the making was the best feeling in the world.

This, invariably, led to discussions about what she's doing after college--and somehow my sister and I were dragged into the middle of the conversations. People started asking what our majors are and when they heard Law and Engineering they were thoroughly impressed.

Let me take a moment and tell a quick story.
It's about a girl, born in the middle of a heat wave. There's nothing particularly interesting about her family, middle working class with a dog. Let's skip ahead a few years. The little girl is about 3 and every other word out of her mouth is a question. Why? How? What? They were questions she always asked and her parents, at their wits end, started making up answers just to appease her. She was so inquisitive, always wanting to know how things worked or why they worked, what would happen if...fill in the blank. Her parents knew this girl was born with mechanics in her blood.
Now let's skip ahead to when she's about 5. One day she comes home and tells her parents she knows what she wants to do when she grows up. Her mom smiles and asks, expecting the usual answer of 'ballerina' or 'president' or 'actress'. The little girl answers "an engineer". After a few questions, the parents realize their daughter does know what engineering is ("It's fixing things") and considering her abilities, she'd make a great engineer. Let me take a second to also say this little girl was also sociable--when she went to the grocery store she'd start up conversations with strangers as if they were her best friends. Mechanical ability with social grace; an odd combination if there ever was one. For all you scientists out there, you know mechanics and social ability takes both sides of the brain, meaning this little girl had no problem being local and emotional when need be.
Let's get back to our story. We're fast-forwarding to today. The little girl grew up with the bumps and bruises of childhood and trying to jump off the roof to try to fly, but she made in through in one piece. She's sitting here writing this post. As of now, she's about 3/4 of the way through her Engineering program. When she graduates, she will be an engineer.

Back to my mom's graduation. People were amazed my sister and I were going into such enriching fields of study and were practically fawning over the money we were going to make. Let me make one thing clear: I don't care if I invent the next facebook or Microsoft or Apple or IBM or whatever. To me, money doesn't matter. If I'm doing what I love, helping others in a significant way, and honoring my God in a pleasing way, I don't care if I make $30,000 a year or $300,000 a year. People don't seem to understand that there's more to life than money.

When I tell them I'm considering the Navy or Marines (a lot are saying Navy because you don't run the risk of getting shot. I just want to be on a boat), their jaw drops. "But there are better ways to use your talents!" they argue. I argue that I'm going to serve a country I love with my skills, what better use of my talents are there than that?

Anyway, back to my mom. Her graduation was a celebration, we went home that night and were exhausted. I got a little sunburned and the set up was odd but to celebrate with my mom something that she has worked for, for so long was encouraging. I know one day I'll be walking across that stage to receive my diploma with my family and friends cheering me the entire way.

~Katie

work, work, WORK!!!

"Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you." 

John De Paola

Do you know when you have those days in which you begin to stress out like crazy because you have all this "stuff" that you have to do but don't know where to start... welcome to my shoes. So today I had work at four which is not a bad thing, honestly I was cool with it. But what did make me mad is when my father/manager/owner told me that I would have to go in tomorrow at 10 am (O_o) seriously? It wasn't that it was early that made me mad. It was the fact that I would not be able to study AT ALL! It was bad, it began to creep up on me and before I knew it I went off on this big argument. My dad wasn't there so this argument just began in my head.

I looked crazy, I was walking around in a circle actually whispering to myself as if I was arguing with my dad. It was like a huge anxiety attack, which of course didn't help much. See the problem with me is that I am the type of guy that will kind of sort of wait till the last minute to do like anything. Honestly, you would find me up at like two in the morning or something, going at an assignment like a fanatic if it was due within mere hours. So finally the way I calmed myself down was thinking about all the time I had on Sunday and Monday. I have to say a great band to listen to if you are ever feeling stressed is Owl City. Cave In is a great song that kind of explains how I was feeling, if you are interested go ahead and listen to it.

Just as a side note that has nothing to do with what I was talking about. Katie is so right about the whole "I JUST DON'T CARE" times. I have thought like that a few times but the stress always finds its way back.  I also like her whole quote thing so I went ahead and put one of mine =)

~Yoseph

I DO NOT CARE

“By far the most dangerous foe we have to fight is apathy - indifference from whatever cause, not from a lack of knowledge, but from carelessness, from absorption in other pursuits, from a contempt bred of self satisfaction” ~ William Osler

Has anyone ever seen ‘Remember the Titans’? It stars Denzel Washington and a young Hayden Panettiere…and also a lot of other people but those are the two who people would remember. Anyway, if you have seen it, remember the scene where Sheryl is in the stands with Boone’s family, talking a mile a minute about football? I can’t remember exactly what she said but it had something to do with being All Star or something. It’s cute and shows how much Sheryl loves football. Remember what happens next? Nicky (Boone’s oldest if I remember correctly) turns and says “I do not care,” with enough force it does stop Sheryl from talking. Remember that scene? I felt like Nicky yesterday.

A lot of people probably say they love learning, they just hate school. I’m not one of those: I love school. I love getting up and learning something new every day. It’s just the way God made me, I guess. Yesterday, however, my alarm went off at 6:35 AM and I just laid there not wanting to move. I finally got up and turned it off but I paced for about 3 or 4 minutes seriously deciding if I wanted to go to school or not. I did not. My conscience (who is very loud and sounds like my mother) started throwing a fit because I needed to go to school—I needed to ask a question about a lab, I needed to turn in homework, I needed to take a test, I needed to…I needed to do a lot of stuff at school that I wouldn’t be able to do if I stayed home. I DID NOT CARE. What I wanted to do was climb back into bed, pull the covers over my head, and go back to sleep—to let the world drift by me as I stopped for one day and did whatever I wanted.

To make a long, long, long, long, long, long, LONG day short: I did go to school. I fought myself every step of the way but I got in my car (because I drive to school) and headed off on Sunbury Rd. I ended up getting “lost” but I still made it to school before 9:00 AM. I say “lost” because I wasn’t very familiar with the new route I took and the exit I wanted was named something else. I figured that out as I was heading north on 315…pretty much opposite of my school. And that was the “fun” part of my day. Yesterday just sucked.

Anyone ever have one of those days? There was nothing particularly wrong with yesterday, besides a test in Physics, but something seemed wrong about it. Like 1+1 might equal 3, it was just one of those days that didn’t make sense. I wasn’t feeling it and I swear my teachers didn’t care either. After my Physics test we’re supposed to do a lab: the teacher asked us if we wanted to go home afterwards. My CIT teacher cut lecture short to give us ‘lab time’…meaning I left half an hour early because my teacher didn’t want to lecture. It was just one of those I-DO-NOT-CARE days.

To even things out, I had an amazing song stuck in my head all day. It’s called ‘Blessings’ by Laura Story. In fact, I still have it stuck in my head. If you haven’t heard it go look it up on YouTube: HERE (I love that autocorrect corrected ‘youtube’ to YouTube. WIN :)). Just remember what I said about religion: it is a Christian song.

If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m the longer poster than Yoseph. I tend to talk more (he can verify that) so I guess that means I write more. I have to agree with what he said about homework. There is SO much homework you have to decide which assignments you’re not going to do because you don’t have the time to do it all. The quarter is wrapping up so I think the teachers/professors are trying to cram in a little more learning before exams but at what cost? Our sanity? Yeah, that seems about right o.O

~Katie

Homework...

This is driving me crazy, all this homework, I mean I guess it is what we should expect as college students... but really? I think it has gotten a bit out of control, I mean if you are actually dreaming about it (yes I did) you know that something is not right. For example, I have this project I have to do that is like a gazillion pages, and it all has to be on a job of some sort. I understand that we should be familiar with what we want to do with our careers and stuff, but yeesh. We have to provide like a memo of what it is and then further go into subject, seriously? six pages about one job? I am about to have a panic attack, and I don't even get panic attacks. I don't feel to bad because last I checked, no one started. Guess I just have to keep going with it.

~Yoseph