Process Essay #4

Have you ever sat back and wondered what makes you have a good day or bad day whether you are at work, school, or home? Well, I’ve been giving it a great deal of thought lately, as I have observed some negative and positive behavior from myself and from my colleagues at work and school. I believe the difference between a good day and a bad day stems from having a positive attitude and to eliminate any bad thoughts. At least that is how the process works for me.

When I awake in the morning, I stretch and I thank God that He has blessed me with another day. I always make sure to tell myself “it’s a great day to be alive”. Most of my thinking whether good or bad comes first thing in the morning while I’m exercising and then when I’m taking a shower. I’m always sure to put my life into perspective, to focus on the positive in my life and to be thankful. I fight any negative thoughts and try not to dwell on the bad. Although at times this can be very difficult it seems to work well for me.

At work, my position in accounting can be very stressful at times, especially at end of month. It seems like no one is in a good mood from all the dead lines we face. At times like these I try to make sure everyone including myself tries to stay up beat and enthusiastic. I smile a lot, more than normal, hoping it will rub off. I try to be perky and optimistic and help in any way I can to those that may be more apt to dwell in the negativity of thinking “this place is the pits”. Anytime I feel like I am headed down the road of negativity I sing myself a happy tune and think the obstacles I face are just stepping-stones to my future in accounting and life.

School is a new concept to me. Although I enjoy my classes, I can still feel the stress from time to time from deadlines of homework. Working full time has a big part of that stress factor. If I only had known what I know now I would have definitely gone to college directly after graduating from high school. Then I could have switched the roles; gone to school full-time and worked part-time. In order to stay up beat and positive I do not dwell in the past I focus on my future and the goals I have set for myself. I believe having goals for myself has given me a sense of personal power that in itself has given me strength and great positive energy that I will continue to gain from for years to come.

Life isn’t perfect for me or for anyone so when things look grim for me I have a success file that I pull out and praise myself to try and better my spirits. I also listen to my body. If I’m feeling stress from the pressure of work, school or personal issues, I take time out for myself. I take a long walk outside or if it’s in the dead of winter I take a nice hot bath to ease my mind. I also believe that making the right decisions in what I eat and drink to keep my mind and body healthy has a strong role in keeping a positive attitude. Although I must say having a big 22 oz. beer and bowl of popcorn usually cures any ailments I may be having. If all else fails I go to bed, tomorrow will be a better day.

Freestyle Week #10

Have you ever noticed that there isn’t enough time in the day to get everything accomplished you wish you could? My grandmother once told me when I was young to enjoy life because the older you get the faster life seems to go. She wasn’t kidding. I feel like the last few months have been a complete whirlwind and everything I wish I had time for I don’t. And at this point I have no idea even what I would like to do even if I did have time. I guess I’m just in a weird mood today. Maybe I need a vacation. It has been seven months since I’ve had any significant time off. Or maybe I just need to vent. It is a busy time at work, a girl is getting ready to have a baby and I will be filling in for her while she is out along with keeping my position so I will have my hands full in a few weeks so I’m a little nervous because I want to do a good job. I’m nervous about finals coming up…I know I know I shouldn’t even think about them right now, but I just really want to do a good job in school because I have certainly enjoyed myself thus far. I must say I’m very glad to have taken those “few” years off before going to college, I feel like I have more appreciation for it…or maybe it’s because I’m paying for it all myself. And then the wedding. That’s a whole other story in itself. I’ll give you a little bit of a hint as to how that’s going – we have printed the invitations twice – did I mention that there is over 200 guests and its only 3 ½ months away. This is my life in a nutshell.

Contrast Essay #3

It is amazing to me how two people who love each other so much, enjoys each other’s company, and can’t imagine life without one another could be so different. As I peek through the window I see my father and grandfather sitting in the garage talking about who knows what. As I watch them drink their coffee, laughing and puffing away on cigarettes, I think about how much I love the two of them and how they have always been there for me. I find it hard to believe that two men with the same genes can be so different when it comes to their likes of women, their personalities and their attitudes.

My father has a controlling type of manner. He likes to take charge of any situation he is in. Whether it’s a project around the house, at work, or if someone needs a lending hand. Maybe his aggressive attitude comes from working for the State for the last 18 years and having to deal with the public calling in and griping that their road isn’t plowed good enough or the potholes are damaging their $100,000 vehicle. When it comes to my grandfather, he has a very mild tempo about him. Maybe because he is 72 years old and has lived a life of working hard as a truck driver so he appreciates someone else stepping in and taking charge while he sits back and observes. And if need be he is more than willing to jump in and help.

Both my grandfather and father enjoy telling stories especially around the campfire. My father however, tends to need to be the center of attention when there is a crowd of people. If he feels he isn’t being heard, he will end up in your face or giving you a poke to make sure you are paying attention to him. My grandfather on the other hand enjoys being heard but if no one is listening he will just keep on talking and not give a rip. He figures at some point someone will stop and give him a few minutes of their time. As long as you keep the fire going and the packs of smokes beside him he’s happier than a pig in shit.

My grandfather likes a woman who takes charge, who takes care of him, and most importantly feeds him. Maybe that’s the reason he has been married to my grandmother for 50 years. She cooks, cleans, and takes care of everything. He only has to be concerned with taking his naps and watching his favorite history channel shows. Then there’s dad. My father used to think he needed a woman who was passive, who wouldn’t care if he was out in the garage for hours and who would put up with his controlling manner. When you meet my step mom she comes across as being a shy, quiet woman that would put up with being told what to do. She has a heart of gold and anyone who meets her falls in love with her. My father quickly found out that she has her own ideas and opinions and she has given my dad a run for his money but he can’t imagine his life without her. He has figured out that a relationship is about two people and he can no longer be selfish.

As I get ready to go through the garage door to visit with my grandfather and my father, I thank God that they are in my life. They may be as different as night and day but I have a little piece of both of them in me and for that I’m grateful. They are both wonderful men with two different views in life, which has given me a life full of diversity and love. Without them, without their thoughts, feelings, advice and love, I would be nothing.

Freestyle Week #9

I took your advice and clicked on the website http://www.hep.uiuc.edu/home/g-gollin/diploma_mills.pdf. WOW, is all I can say. I guess I never thought about people designing “fake” websites. The information provided about these so-called websites I found to be very interesting. I can’t believe they didn’t think they would get caught. Using information provided by other “real” colleges is surely one way of getting caught but then to use the same people, same graphics, and even the one that used the same President….HELLO?!?! Anyone home? I have to admit that their plan was ingenious and quite honestly who wouldn’t want to just click a button and have their PhD or Bachelor’s in Accounting! I certainly would love to but then what if you did do that then you wouldn’t be able to look back and have a clear conscience. Well, at least I couldn’t. I also wouldn’t be able to look back and know that I put hard work and dedication into my degree if I were to just click a button and have it within 10 days.

Intro Contrast Essay #2

As I peek through the window, I see two men drinking their coffee, smoking cigarettes, who love each other unconditionally, spend hours together every day talking about anything, they are made of the same genes yet so different. I often dread the day that something happens to either one of them. They both are my rock in life. That’s why it amazes me that my father and my grandfather are poles apart when it comes their likes of women, their personalities and their attitudes.

Intro Contrast Essay #1

It’s amazing how two people who love each other so much, enjoys each other’s company, and can’t imagine life without one another could be so different. My father and my grandfather can spend hours a day sitting in the garage talking about anything, drinking their coffee, and both puffing away on cigarettes but when it comes to their likes of women, their personalities and their attitudes they couldn’t be any further apart.

Freestyle Week #8

When I went to high school they required you to take at least three years worth of math in order to graduate. They didn’t indicate that if someday you were planning on going to college that you should take algebra, because most colleges require you to have at least algebra 1 under your belt when entering. So, I decided to take the easy way out and took classes I was interested in….accounting classes. Well, here I am seven years later going back to college and they have you take an entrance exam to see where you should be placed. Yeah, that was interesting. There I was just staring at the darn computer for what felt like hours, looking at these math equations like: 2(x-y)+(3x+y). Right, like I’m going to know what the heck that’s supposed to mean. That doesn’t look like a credit or debit to me. So needless to say, I flunked the math portion. Now here I am and in order to graduate with a business management degree I need to take and pass intermediate algebra but before I can take that class I have to go through pre-algebra and algebra 1. But since the college is so gracious they offer a program called “plato.” Plato helps you learn pre-algebra and algebra 1. And the best part, it is FREE! So, off I go…three months later I finished the “plato” course and now its time to test to see if I can enter intermediate algebra. Which brings me up to yesterday. Monday. I went for my algebra test at 830am. I had worked so hard and I was feeling semi-confident for being completely self-taught. All I kept telling myself was I needed at least a 65 in order to get into intermediate algebra. I got a 63. What a kicker. After all the hard work I had put in to learning and being confident went down the drain. I was so upset when I had to go to the teacher and tell her I failed. On the brighter side; she could see how hard I had been working and she knew that I had already learned so much and I had the concept, she felt I would be just fine moving into intermediate algebra so she put a note on test sheet that gets sent to enrollment that said for me to be allowed to enter intermediate algebra. I thought that was awesome. I am so happy. I’ve already talked to my advisor and I will be taking intermediate algebra this summer!

Contrast Essay Reaction Graf #14

After reading the essays that have been submitted by other students it makes me wonder who I will write about. I liked that one wrote about the differences between her dad and brother and another wrote about the differences between the two mothers that have impacted his life in some capacity. Although I can not relate to the father and brother story, I have only a sister, I can however relate to the story with having two mothers. I enjoyed reading all of them. I think to some degree I have this inner desire to be a psychologist or sociologist maybe that’s why I enjoy reading about people and their life. Then I get to thinking about all the crazy people out there and decide an accounting degree is the way to go!

Personal Research Graf #13

Toyota. Chevrolet. Ford. Hyundai. Honda. So many makes, so many models. Where to begin? Do I choose automatic or standard? What color? Does it have air conditioning, a sunroof, automatic power locks and power windows? However, the most important questions of all are which one gets the best gas mileage and bang for my buck? All of these questions were what I was asking myself a year ago. I had a Jeep Liberty that was a nice sporty SUV that had all the bells and whistles anyone could ask for but the gas mileage was atrocious and was sucking my wallet dry. Jeeps are known for their awful gas mileage. I should have never bought it but I was young and stupid and you weren’t going to tell me any different. After researching on the Internet and driving through car lots, I had it narrowed down to a Toyota Corolla and Chevrolet Cobalt. I know what you are thinking, its quite the step down from the Jeep Liberty but Toyotas and Chevrolets are known for their excellent gas mileage and their vehicles reputation for being long-lasting and dependable are quite an attraction to someone like me who works full-time and is going to school. I need a vehicle that is reliable. After visiting a few dealerships in the surrounding areas to take these two particular vehicles for a test drive the only thing left to do was to see what each dealership would offer for my trade-in and see what kind of a deal they were going to give me on the new vehicle. They both rode identical; they were automatics, they included a sunroof, spoiler, air conditioning, power locks and power windows so it really came down to which dealership was willing to work with me. When the decision was made the Toyota Corolla won. It certainly isn’t my dream car that’s for sure but they were willing to work with me, they gave me what I wanted for my trade and gave me a great deal on the new car. Of course, I’d rather have a big ol’ truck but while I’m in school and trying to keep up on the bills and life in general this car fits the bill. And as far as Toyota’s dependability and gas mileage is concerned, so far so good.

Classification Essay #2

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, devoted to school, work, getting lunches packed, dinner ready and before I know it Saturday has arrived. As I sit listening to the morning news, having a cup of coffee, and reading the local weekend newspaper, it hits me. Just because it is Saturday there is no time to rest, the house has been neglected from being on the go all week long. Dusting, vacuuming, laundry, all those wonderful household chores, I think to myself what can I put off for another week, for a month and what could I put off forever?

For the obsessive-compulsive side of me I feel as though no household chore can go undone. Dishes need to be done every day, maybe even multiple times a day, vacuuming and laundry is on the list for every week, as is dusting and cleaning the bathroom. Now, I do realize that people aren’t going to think I live like a pig just because there might be a glass, a fork, and a plate in the sink, or a piece of lint on the floor, or having a towel in the laundry basket, but to me its like looking at a sink full of dishes or a mound of dirt on the floor. It’s like a girl who is a size 2 looking in the mirror and seeing a girl who is a size 12. After looking down through the household chores I have decided dishes will stay on the every day to do list. Laundry will always be every week. What if I need that favorite top to wear with those shoes? Vacuuming could be put off for another week. There are only two of us living in this house so the floors really aren’t that bad, plus we rarely have company anyways. But the cleaning of the bathroom will stay on the every week list. Do you even realize how many germs are in a bathroom?!

Since there are no children, no pets, and I have baseboard heat the dust particles don’t accumulate too quickly in the house. People have told me for years that I worry about the small stuff in life. No one is going to come over to the house with a white glove and run it along the top frame of the door just to see if I forgot to wipe that when I dusted. I blame my freakish-behavior on not wanting to get sick from germs, not from being obsessive-compulsive. Do you know that most dust-particles are made from dead skin? YUCK! As I take a gander throughout the house and since I just dusted last week, I don’t think a few more weeks will hurt if I move that down the list of things to do. But of course, it will be checked weekly just to make sure it isn’t getting out of control. If so, out comes the rag and polish!

After contemplating about what I could put off for household chores forever I have come to the realization that it’s impossible. I can’t get away with not dusting or vacuuming or cleaning the floors or bathroom. Just think of the dust, mud, grime, mildew, and germs that would accumulate from not cleaning. Laundry is certainly a must. I can’t afford to wear a new outfit everyday. The only way I can figure that I can get away with not doing another household chore for the rest of my life is by playing the lottery and winning the millions in order to hire a maid.

I wish that my obsessive-compulsive behavior would allow me not to be concerned with every dust particle that may be lying under every piece of furniture I own but I also don’t want to be classified as living in a pig sty. I realize that this is going to take years to overcome, but now that I have distinguished what I might be able to put off for a week, a month, or forever. I realize that my friends and family aren’t going to judge me for the way the house is or isn’t in order. I feel as though a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. So for all the women and men out there who feel like me with the household chores looming over their heads; put away those mops, dust rags, and brooms and get out there and enjoy life. Life is so short you have to take it all in while you still can otherwise before you know it; it will be over.

Outro - Classification Essay

I wish that my obsessive-compulsive behavior would allow me not to be concerned with every dust particle that may be lying under every piece of furniture I own but I also don’t want to be classified as living in a pig sty. I realize that this is going to take years to overcome, but now that I have distinguished what I might be able to put off for a week, a month, or forever. I realize that my friends and family aren’t going to judge me for the way the house is or isn’t in order. I feel as though a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. So for all the women and men out there who feel like me with the household chores looming over their heads; put away those mops, dust rags, and brooms and get out there and enjoy life. Life is so short you have to take it all in while you still can otherwise before you know it; it will be over.

Reaction to Classification Essays Graf #12

Boys, dirt roads, bugs, fish, quite the assortment of stories I must say. A few were attention grabbing and others I skimmed; they didn’t catch my complete attention because I’m not interested in bugs, fish, or boy-bashing girls. We all have faults and I don’t care to read about them. I did however get a few ideas but only after I took your advice and googled. I guess you really can google anything your heart desires. And I have a feeling that google and I are going to best friends by the time this English class is finished and now that I have found google I intend to use it for years to come. I believe it will be a great benefit for me while I attend college and beyond.

Intro Classification Essay #2

School, work, homework, spending time with family, and watching my favorite television shows. Now does that sound like a schedule that has time for those dreaded household chores? I certainly don’t have the money to hire a maid, although I wish I did. Life could be so much easier. The dusting, the vacuuming, the laundry, the ironing, the dishes, clean the floors and bathroom. Does it ever end? I often wonder what chores I could put off for a week, for a month and what I could put off forever.

Intro Classification Essay #1

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, devoted to school, work, getting lunches packed, dinner ready and before I know it Saturday has arrived. As I sit listening to the morning news, having a cup of coffee, and reading the local weekend newspaper, it hits me. Just because it is Saturday there is no time to rest, the house has been neglected from being on the go all week long. Dusting, vacuuming, laundry, all those wonderful household chores, I think to myself what can I put off for a week, for a month and what could I put off forever?

Freestyle Week #7

This past summer there was talk of my dad marrying his long-time girlfriend of 13 years. I’ve always said my dad and step mom when referring to them so my first thought “was it is about time, dad”. A few weeks ago I had stayed at their house for a sleepover. I do that from time to time to reconnect with them ‘cause life can get so hectic at times. When I was getting ready for work that morning, Ellen, my step mom, was sitting on the edge of my bed and she said that she wanted to talk to me. So, I paused to look at her and asked her what was on her mind. She then asked me to be her maid of honor. I was absolutely delighted to think that out of all of her friends and the enormous family we have, she picked me! Of course, I immediately said yes. Then she started telling me what her and dad had been talking about. They are getting married June 23rd….of this year. Well that put me in a complete tailspin. We have to reserve the Church, the hall for the reception, the guest list, mail invitations, bridal shower, the list just keeps going….and then it came to me the best part of all…she will finally be my step mom officially! I am very happy for my dad and step mom. It has been a long time coming and my dad couldn’t ask for a better woman. She has to be in order to have put up with my dad and I for this long. I love them both with all my heart! Congratulations!