Tornadoes

There has been lots of bad weather going on in the South recently. There were more than a dozen tornadoes touching down killing three people in Alabama and two people in Tennessee. Up to 20 buildings in Alabama were destroyed and three adults and three children are injured as they were trying to find shelter. Besides the two people dying in Tennessee there are nine others injured as well. My heart goes out to all the families who might have lost someone or had their things destroyed. I think the storms have stopped for now and hopefully they don't come back.

How my break went

Thanksgiving break is over and I worked about forty-five hours from Wednesday up until today :( Thank goodness for Starbucks and energy drinks! I do not think I would have survived Black Friday without them. I am glad that school is going to start again so I can get a break from work! Although it was good to get a break from constantly working on papers and assignments. I will definitely be looking forward to my next paycheck but until then I will be catching up on my sleep as much as I can. The only festive activities I did during the break was put up my Christmas tree today after getting off from work and eat left over turkey, because my family made four this year. I hope these next few weeks go by smoothly so we can hurry up and finish up this semester. I am so ready for Christmas break to start!

So much to do!

I am about to graduate and holy hell there is so much out there I want to accomplish.
Of course I have my own list of personal goals--do more art, start reading for pleasure again, etc.
But the list of things I would like to accomplish as a valuable citizen and advocate just keeps getting longer and is starting to include things I never would have imagined I'd find myself interested in.
Honestly, this class has rekindled the small flame within myself that would like to be a politician.  I have researched requirements for running for city council, have reconsidered going to law school, etc.  I truly feel young people need to start fixing things from within the system.  I also plan to get heavily informed and involved in local elections because that is where real change starts.
I hope to get more involved in environmental and animal rights activism and would like to get a job at a non-profit after graduation.  I am also considering some kind of counseling.  I have also gotten back into writing which I used to do a lot.
When I look back at what I wanted to do my senior year of high school, and then at what I wanted to do when I first started at Texas State, and then where I am now my mind is blown.  I am ever-changing.  There is so much I want to do.  And each step on this journey gets me a little closer to whatever it is I am meant for.
Such an amazing yet terrifying feeling!

Arctic sea ice is declining when it should be growing...

I read this article from Business Insider on the Arctic sea and actually found it very interesting/scary. The article explained that every year the ice in the Arctic goes up and down with the seasons, but this year there has been a downward trend in ice..and the article blames global warming (which i totally agree). The article stated that we are at an all time low this time of year for ice in the Arctic. One really interesting part about this article is a video from NASA that was posted with the article showing the a map of the Arctic sea over the years..Heres the video
https://youtu.be/8auMIfF50Ng

This video is so crazy to me! I don't know about you guys, but topics related to global warming issues and climate concerns really freak me out! I really hope something can be figured out about these global warming issues!

What Black Friday and the holidays actually mean to a retail worker

I've never understood why people have their Thanksgiving dinner at like 1:00pm just so they can go Black Friday shop at 6:00pm. I feel like the whole meaning behind Thanksgiving has been forgotten. People post on Facebook about how thankful they are, yet they are the same ones fighting to get a item during the Black Friday sales. I work at the outlets, and unfortunetly I was not able to go home for Thanksgiving. I haven't been able to spend Thanksgiving with my family in over three years. Every year I'm at the outlets at 5:00pm prepping for the store to open at 6:00pm; this year was no different.  Everyone is so excited because the holidays are here, and I don't really share hat excitement anymore. For me, the holidays just mean working 40 plus hours a week and extended hours. Although I will be done with school in a few weeks, I will not be able to go home because no employee is allowed to request off during the month of December. I am blessed to have a amazing job, but it sucks being limited on the days I can see my family.

Black Friday Stories

I was not one of those people who had to work but all of my friends did. They each complained to me how it went. I had a friend who works at Target and they did not open until 6PM but she went in at three and said that there was people in line before that time. To me that is just insane, like did you even spend time with your family. Like what is it about those deals that makes everyone pick those then sitting at a table sharing time with their family. I also had a friend who went into work and ten minutes into work they were cleaning up someones pee, like come on if that was an adult that is gross, but if it was a child then why were the parents not paying attention to their child instead of going crazy for those sales. I also saw so many snapchats of people who were working and some stores were crazy packed. And there was also people sleeping on the benches they have at the mall, like I don't get why people do the most for some sales. I needed to go get a gift that I forgot to get the week prior, it was the most difficult thing, and I only went in for a gift card. I feel like there is no time during the weekend where the stores were slow. I hope anyone who worked this busy weekend got time to spend time with their families.

Standing Rock and Thanksgiving

I just watched a video of Shailene Woodley and she is standing at the site of the Dakota Pipeline and she kind of explains how the treatment of the Native American society has been wrong from the very beginning. In schools we teach children that the native americans were bad and that they didn't deserve the land. We aren't telling them the truth and maybe that's why many people don't care that the pipeline is being built on the Native American sacred land. We took from them long ago and we still don't have a problem doing it today. The video is very eye opening. I'll post the link below. Let me know what you think.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/shailene-woodley-thanksgiving-standing-rock_us_5839bdfae4b01ba68ac4ac0e?ir=Entertainment&

black friday sucked!

As someone who had to work both Thanksgiving and Black Friday for ridiculous amount hours I can say I truly hated it! And if you shopped on Thanksgiving I hate you too ☺ It comes to show how hypocrite our society has become. I mean thanksgiving is as day to be "thankful" but as soon as that 6pm mark comes around people are barging into the stores! WHY? Why cant we just stay close thanksgiving and let people have families have family time? I think I'm lucky to say I got to hang out with my family for maybe 2 hours the entire thanksgiving day because then I had to work. As soon as I got to the mall it was crazy! I had to go in through the security entrance because people were crowding in the entrance AT AROUND 4 IN THE AFTERNOON. It truly makes me sick...But I hoped everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving 😋

Thanksgiving Shopping

 I've worked retail for over two years. I don't do it because the pay is great or because the hours are flexible. I mostly did it because for an FM major, retail is the most accessible  experience that you can get. Because of that, I have worked for on Thanksgiving for most of my college career. My biggest problem with stores being open on Thanksgiving is the fact that a lot of retailers will boast about how their company culture values family. It is impossible for me to see how that can be when "Marcia" the cashier has to skip out on dinner early just for people to get a measly 20% off of a TV.

An argument that I hear a lot is that I just shouldn't work retail but that is not an option for people in y major who need work experience before applying for FM focused internships or jobs. There's also the argument that paramedics, doctors, nurses, police officers etc. don't have the option to take the day off but there is a huge difference between a doctor saving a life on a holiday and "Jill" from Green Bay getting her 3-wick candles for 20 cents off the original price on Thanksgiving.

Another Police Shooting

4 day ago there was another police shooting in San Antonio. One of my close friends is a police officer for APD, so with another shooting so close to home, we are all devastated, and frankly, scared. Officer Marconi was writing a traffic ticket, when the suspect came up and shot him. With the suspect now in custody, he admitted that he had his children taken away from him, so that officer should not be allowed to be around his children either. He has already released an apology to the officers family, yet the apology does not bring him back. He is still not with his family for the holidays.
The news about this shooting is devastating. It is scary that this has become the new normal. Officer shooting have almost become a monthly news story, and frankly, it makes me sick to my stomach. Why cant we just all love each other?

Fidel Castro has Died

On Friday, November 25, 2016, the dictator of Cuba, Fidel Castro, died at 90 years old. Through his time as the leader of Cuba he almost led us to the brink of nuclear war, as stated by the Austin American Statesman. Though he was praised for his leadership by some, he did lead the Cuban people to experience a great level of economic despair.

It will be interesting to see what happens to Cuba now that Fidel Castro has died. Though he has not ruled Cuba since 2011, when he gave over his leadership in April of 2011 to his brother Raul Castro. Even though he has not officially ruled for five years, I am sure he and the people loyal to him still had many influences on the government of Cuba until his death. Will tensions between the US and Cuba lessen now that he has died?

My hope is that now that Fidel Castro has died, tensions will decrease. It was last December when President Obama and Raul Castro promised to restore diplomatic ties. Though, there is still an US embargo on Cuban goods. Maybe the death of Fidel Castro will lead to the removal of the embargo, and a better relationship with Cuba.

Bourbon Street

This morning two men who were visiting New Orleans got into an argument on bourbon street and it ended up in a shoot out. One person was killed by the shooters and 9 others were injured (none of them being the intended targets). To me this was so selfish and it is frustrating knowing that people can't handle a stupid argument without getting violent. GROW UP! You just killed an innocent person!!! The ten victims were ages between 20 and 37. This vicious cycle of violence has to stop. I don't know how many times i have said/heard that and I don't know how to make it happen but something has to change! My thoughts go out to the family that lost someone and the others who were injured.

Black Friday

Our class on Tuesday really got me thinking about how insane Black Friday is and how stupid it is to spend Thursday being "thankful" for everything we have, and then turn right around that night and buy so many things we don't even need. We have become so materialistic and always on the hunt for the best deals that we stopped seeing how ridiculous it all is. In reality, half of the deals on Black Friday, aren't even the lowest prices but because they send out the ads and emails, we assume they are the best deals. We are always wanting more and it has become apart of who we are and how we live our lives day to day. We can never be happy or satisfied with what we have and the world we live in is constantly shoving the new and "best" things down our throat and tricking us into thinking that what we have isn't good enough. As a fashion major, Black Friday is always going to exist for me but I want to work for a company that stays closed on Thursday and keeps black friday, on FRIDAY. Ethically, I don't agree with companies who open on Thanksgiving and I don't see the point in it. Many big retailers, including Target, have even said that they don't make enough money on Thursday to justify opening but they have to do it to stay competitive. It is such a vicious cycle and I hope in the years to come we see more retailers going back to only opening on Friday.

(Yesterday's blog) San Antonio police officer

After the gentleman that spoke to us on Thursday reminding us that he was a husband, father, lover of cheeseburgers and pizza ( a normal human being like us all) this story punched me in the stomach.

 A San Antonio police officer was fatally shot during a traffic stop Sunday in what the department's chief described as a targeted killing similar to recent police shootings in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

My heart hurts for this mans loved ones.  What is going on with our world friends? What can we do to help?  I find myself often wondering if the violence is actually worse or perhaps it has always been this bad but the media has made it easy for us to see our world for what it truly is.  How sad it is that those who are meant to protect us are no longer trusted by so many.  

Where is the love? 

First Lady Issues

A few articles have popped on my timeline about how designers are refusing to dress Melania Trump.  There was a designer by the name of, Sophie Theallet, she was the one who would dress Michelle Obama. Tweet a letter on Thursday makes a good point about her business. Like she said politics and fashion should not be mixing but in the letter she also states that her business is not only about the money but her values and she's stands by them. Her values do not match the ones of Donald Trumps like "the rhetoric of racism, sexism and xenophobia". She encourages her fellow designers to do the same. The was also another designer Kaelen Haworth who dresses Blake Lively who donated the profit of some of her items to organizations such as Planned Parenthood, Black Lives Matter, and every town for gun safety. Not everyone in the industry is believing that the designers will stick to refusing to dress the new first lady. Fashion legend Carolina Herrera, believes that in two to three months everyone is going to want to be dressing her because she is representing the United States. I would say I do agree with Theallet because designers stand for something as a company and you should not change your views because of what others think. Just like people had support her before they will support her after.

Melania Trump

I read a really interesting article from The Business of Fashion about how Melania Trump being the new first lady effects the fashion industry. We've talked so much about the impact Donald is going to have on basically everything but no one has really mentioned Melania and I found it really interesting to read about. The article was entitled, "Why Fashion Will Learn to Love Melania Trump". I know this seems sort of silly with all of the major things that are happening since Trump was elected, but the article was more about how Melania has some huge shoes to fill following Michelle Obama. Not only has she become a style icon in the fashion industry but she is the face of beauty and class. She is a great role model and a very intelligent woman. Fashion magazines are very hesitant to embrace Melania, the way they have Michelle because, well, let's face it, Melania is none of those things. Also, many industry leaders such as Diane Von Furstenburg, are strong supporters of Hillary and refuse to endorse Melania now just because Donald won. I found it really interesting that even in fashion, a lot of damage control is being done now and there is so much uncertainty in even this spectrum. The article is saying that many industry leaders are very openly anti-trump but are going to have to be neutral about the situation. They may not ever embrace Melania like they have Michelle but they are going to have to accept it and treat her as they would anyone else as far as featuring her or writing about her or their family. Vogue has made a statement that in all of their history, they never discriminated who they would cover based on party affiliation but they will not going out of their way to cover her.

Will you stand up for your neighbor?

Now that the election is over I feel like I have nothing to blog about anymore. The country is in a super weird place right now and it just seems like everyone is holding their breath until something happens.

I think it's easier to just focus on my five group projects instead of thinking about the election and the outcome of our country.

I know many people are concerned because they are of a different race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and whatever else. And I completely agree I'm worried too but I just want to put it out there that if there comes a time when one person is being discriminated against based on something that is not just I am going to stand and I am going to protect my neighbor. And I think this is an important question we all need to ask ourselves.. "Are you going to stand for your neighbor when times get rough?" I know I will and I hope that brings someone comfort because maybe one day my neighbor will be taking a stand for me.

Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Be kind to one another. Show Compassion. Show Courage. Be the Change. Make a Change. Love one another.

All of these run through my mind and they comfort me in these very weird and messed up times. I think if we all thought this way and acted this way the world just might be an okay place to be.

And maybe it is easier said than done, but we can all at least try.

San Antonio Police Officer Shot

Detective Benjamin Marconi, a police officer in San Antonio, was shot and killed today while conducting a traffic stop. A vehicle pulled up behind the officer while he was writing a ticket, a suspect got out of the car, walked up to the police car and shot the officer twice in the head. It is scary to see this happening so close to home and that the officer was unsuspecting. I feel so bad for the officer’s family; I can’t imagine losing someone I love especially so close to the holidays. The suspect is still at large and I hope the SAPD find him asap and that justice is served.

Being Thankful

To take a break from all the political posts and such I just wanted to talk a little about how grateful I am. My life has taken a ton of twists and turns and there has been so many great times and some really bad times over the years but I can definitely say that I am so thankful to be where I am today. Graduation is approaching and the more I've looked back on my time in college I've realized that we all should be thankful to have been given a great opportunity to get an education and better ourselves. Mine has been through student loans that I will probably be digging myself out of for years and years to come lol but compared to the level of poverty that others are in we should really appreciate what we have. I am going to challenge myself to always find ways to help out those in need and to never loose sight of how fortunate I really am.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

One step closer to starting a new chapter

I can't believe that this semester is almost over. I feel like it went by so fast, like I'm still getting used to my Fall schedule. This semester has been one of the most difficult for me; I am currently working full time, and I am taking 18 hours. I will be graduating in December, which is why I'm extra anxious. I have to pass all of my classes, like there is no way I could afford to fail a class. Everyone keeps on asking me what I plan on doing when I graduate and that's so overwhelming. I just turned 21in April, so I am in no hurry to leave San Marcos. I still have no idea what I want to do or where I want to live. I feel like there is so much to do before my graduation and not enough time. It's scary to think that in less than a month I will be finished with school.

relaxing weekend

I was off work this weekend and came home to see my mom and some other family. It was so great to relax and enjoy time with family. My nieces (one is 4 and one is almost 2) were in town and i got to see them today. Lets just say spending an entire day with them is excellent birth control.... I am so exhausted from chasing them around all day but loved every minute of it.
But yesterday, my mom wanted me to watch this episode of Dr. Phil with her about a college aged girl who was raped at a party and the rapist was set free. The whole story gave me chills and really had me thinking. She was at a frat party hanging out, drinking, having a good time when she met this guy (and she was told that he was gay). They hit it off and next thing you know the guy asked if she wanted to go across the street to his apt to get some more alcohol. She should not have gone but she did. Once they got to his apt, he began to violently sexually assault her. After the rape, she ran out and called the cops. She had to go to the hospital because of her injuries. The paramedics and detectives she dealt with were all male and treated her terribly. They made her feel that she was at fault for going to his place to begin with and the detective even told her that the case probably would not go anywhere. He was arrested that day but eventually released because a friend of his set up the victim by recording a phonecall he had with her where she unintentionally said "yes" to a question about the sex being consensual. I am rambling on but to sum it up. nearly a year later the case was reopened and more victims began to come forward about this particular guy raping them also. He ended up getting 6 years in prison for the crime. But this showed me how badly rape is treated and that victims do not like to come forward because of this. I was disgusted by the way she was treated by the police and detectives. Something needs to change so that people will feel comfortable coming forward if they are victims. This had a positive ending and the hope was to let victims know that they can and should speak up about being raped. There is hope and justice can be served. This was very scary to watch because it was on a college campus where rape happens way too often.
 Everyone be safe and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

The world today...

The world today to me has become a very scary place. I know that we talk about being kind to one another, and being there for each other and that is wonderful and I am glad that our class does that for one another. However when looking at news reports and listening to NPR, K.Stone is absolutely right. The hate crime and crimes in general have gone up so much. It make me really worried for all of my friends who are considered a little different to the world or now they feel that they are not safe in America. I really wonder when all of the hate will end and we will just be kind to one another and accept everyone for their differences.

Officer Bob did help put some of these fears at ease at least in SM. However I am from a much larger city then San Marcos and it worries me about our law enforcement and if they will work like the San Marcos police. I hope that they will but I believe that only time will tell.

Guest Speaker Officer Bob

I enjoyed officer Bob's visit on Thursday and did learn some things from what he talked to us about. However, I also felt that he jumped around many of the questions that were being asked, almost as if he was scared to say something he wasn't supposed to. Did anybody else feel this way? To me it seemed as if he would answer the question very briefly and kept it vague, and then would bring up different topics related to the question. When I left class I definitely felt confused.. Overall I was glad to have him as a guest speaker in our class to hear his views on whats going on and what is to come.

Zika is No Longer Being Labeled as a Global Emergency

According to the Austin American Statesman, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Friday that the mosquito-borne disease, Zika, is no longer considered a global health emergency. This is not saying the Zika is no longer a problem or dangerous, just that it should be considered along the lines of malaria and yellow fever. Like malaria and yellow fever, Zika should be treated as an ongoing problem, not as a temporary disease. Since it is a mosquito-borne disease, it will return seasonally as mosquitos do.

There are some people who consider removing Zika as a global health emergency to be a mistake. They believe it was premature, since summer is just beginning in the southern hemisphere. In other words, it is prime mosquito weather in the summer hemisphere. This may lead to more Zika cases in the southern hemisphere; thus, a reinstatement of the global health emergency may occur.

I am glad to know that it is not considered an emergency any longer, but I do wonder if it was premature. Hopefully since we have had so many cases of Zika in the past year, health officials will be more prepared for a possible outbreak to happen in the southern hemisphere. I am also glad to hear that they are acknowledging that this is not a disease that is just going to vanish. That way they are still maintaining efforts to better deal with the Zika virus, come up a cure for the disease, and come up with resources to help those who have been impacted by the Zika virus.

Climate change

Just a couple of days ago one of my friends told me about this documentary that Leonardo DiCaprio put together called Before the Flood. I haven't had time to watch it yet but I plan to when I get time. It talks about global warming and how the climate is changing so drastically. I don't know too much about the issue but I am very interested and plan on looking more into it. While I was going through my news stories this morning I came across an article that was talking about the same issue and giving lots of facts so I thought I would blog about it! According to the CNN article that I read, since the beginning of October for the first time we are seeing both the Arctic and Antarctic sea ice running at record low levels for this time of year. The decline of sea ice has been a key indicator that climate change in happening. Each of the 16 months leading up to September 2016 broke the global average high temperature record. September became the first month not to break a monthly all time high in nearly a year and a half. Also, in July 2016 the oceans had risen 84.8 millimeters. This is a rate of 3.4 millimeters a year. It might not seem like a lot of change but it is already effecting many coastal cities, like Miami which deals with lots of flooding. I know there are probably a lot of things I could do differently to make at least a small impact and I plan on researching and finding out more about what I can do. I hope some of you will take interest too!

officer bob

It was really nice having Officer Bob come answer our questions. It truly made me feel more comfortable knowing where they stand after this election and about the community in general. It was nice hearing it from someone of that level. To know that just like us their humans and have their own life's while they risk theirs for our safety.

Thanksgiving blues

While everyone is getting ready to go home to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families I will be stuck here in San Marcos working Black Friday. Oh they joy…. L  This year I know some stores are opening as early as 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving day and some stores are even open with regular business hours. Every year department stores want to open earlier and earlier which makes no sense to me. So many individuals do not get to celebrate holidays with their families anymore because business would rather be open to bring in money than to allow their workers to spend quality time with their families. I cannot remember the last time I got to spend the holidays with my family without having to leave early because I had to go to work. Every year I typically get at least get one day off for Thanksgiving break but this year I work Wednesday  through Sunday with no days off. On the bright side at least I do not have any exams right after coming back from break and my paycheck will be more than usual. Even though I will not be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family this year I hope everyone who does takes advantage of all the good food and family time!

Kindness

I heard a very interesting thing on the radio today as I was home this weekend. It was using Donald Trump " lets make America great again" and changing it to lets make America kind again. And it really made me start thinking and looking at the world around me. There have been so many families, friends, and strangers saying really mean things to each other over social media about the new president. I understand that we all have our own opinions, but I just wish that people would be kind to one another and not attack people.

I Just Want to Sleep

Perspective. It's an interesting concept and an important word following the election. There is a lot of negativity surrounding the election (what a shock, am I right?). After Trump won, a lot of people turned to anger (understandable; people are scared) and calling everyone who voted for him an *insert expletive here*, *insert insult here*. I have tried to be a better person (the struggle is real) and I don't think that people inherently terrible. Yes, people suck a lot of the time, but there's typically a rationale behind their actions. Along these lines, I saw something on Michael Moore's Facebook following Tuesday night that I thought was fairly interesting. "Everyone must stop saying they are "stunned" and "shocked". What you mean to say is that you were in a bubble and weren't paying attention to your fellow Americans and their despair. YEARS of being neglected by both parties, the anger and the need for revenge against the system only grew. Along came a TV star they liked whose plan was to destroy both parties and tell them all "You're fired!" Trump's victory is no surprise. He was never a joke. Treating him as one only strengthened him. He is both a creature and a creation of the media and the media will never own that." I have never seen Trump's popularity like Michael described it. He put rationale behind Trump and now I understand it. I am not a fan of Trump (or Hillary, for that matter). I am one of those *terrible, despicable, horrible* people that voted third party (I don't regret it; only having two options is ridiculous. Why do we operate primarily bipartisan? WHY??). I do, however, somewhat understand the appeal to Trump, but usually once I feel myself really understanding, I find myself getting confused again. UGH. I could probably right a page of grammatically incorrect run-ons on this topic, but I'll leave it with this: Trump is President Elect. He is. I am not going to hope he fails. I am going to hope and pray he cares for the American people. All of them. I pray that he protects people he agrees with and those he doesn't. I pray he does the best to his ability and strives to do the best for America because if he fails, we fail. P.S. If you disagree with people, be kind. Anger and anger don't satiate a solution. Most of the time, people want to be heard, so listen.

Only the Beginning!

This week has been the longest week of all. I felt like it went by so slow and everything was so tense. I felt that whatever social media I logged into everything had to do with the election and everyone going off on each other. I understand people want to make the other side understand their views and I feel like it can be done if people have an open mind and listen and are not so rude to each other. I am someone who likes to understand both sides and everyones views about a situation but it drives me crazy when people are just so rude to one another. We do not need all this violence so someone understands our views. We stayed and talked a little after class and to me its just shocking to hear what everyone had to say about the things they have seen happening to them like those boys making the comment to the guest we had in class Thursday, then the flyers on campus, and I was on the bus when a guy said that the election would probably start riots and how that would be so cool, I don't think that would be cool at all. The election should have not brought any of that, peaceful protests but no riots. I also had a friend who got assault this weekend on the square while he was walking home for wearing heels. He is someone who wears heels often but this has never happened, I just feel now that he got elected trump supporters feel like they are able to control what goes around them and can be rude and do all these things and its not. I just dislike all the violence going around and it hasn't even been a week.

*AN ELECTION FREE POST*

So, this post has nothing to do with the election and I'm not sure it relates to family policies but its been on my mind as its a question I've been asked more times than I can count as I near graduation. Its a question we are asked as children and continue to ask children. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" This question for many reasons is troubling. Maybe you don't know, maybe you want to do everything, maybe the career you want to pursue isn't a career yet? We ask inexperienced children and those who were legally children not but a couple of years ago what they want to be? That just sounds so defining to me. You are this or you are this. In my mind it says once you're *insert career* you're stuck being a *insert career* and what you do for money says who you are. I feel like the way we present adult life says it doesn't matter what words come out of your mouth, what you advocate for and what your heart beats for, what you love to do, how you treat other people, it doesn't matter. But what you do for money? That'll define you THAT matters. ?? I'm honestly so curious as to why we set kids up for this psychological trap. Why don't we ask everyone, young and old, "what do you want to learn about?" You can make a living out of anything. By asking what someone would like to learn opens the door to lifelong learning and it says "hey you! try something out and if you don't like it try something different". As humans I think we forget it's okay to change your mind and then change it again. We're constantly changing as human beings as we change with the world around us and its wild to me to think that we're almost expected to know at 5 or 25 what cement we want to place ourselves in for the next sixty years. Sorry for the word vomit/TED talk hopefully this makes sense to at least one person and we can clink imaginary internet drinks.

Is November Over Yet?

Between the election, projects, papers, exams, and presentations all due within 2 weeks of each other... I think it's safe today that November just needs to be over with. With the election just hanging over our head, and all 4 (Kelly Stone not included in this mix) literally hating me, I am just glad to know that I can come home to my 2 cats and my dog. They are the only 3 things (not including my fiance of course) that get me through the day to day craziness.
At every turn there is talk of the election, and how devastated we are about the outcome... but yet whats done is done. The only "good" about this outcome is the beyond hilarious memes floating around about our current president and VP, and our incoming president.
The most mind boggling information that I just found out about on Thursday during our class discussion, is that Trump is going to court on December 16 for a rapping a 16 year old girl. How our country can look past that, and yet, still elect him, is BEYOND me. How is this okay? How is this going to be a person that we are going to leave our country in his hands for the next 4 years? How? Just how? This makes me sick.
Well... all I have to say is, at least I have Penny, Carl, and Rocky -- my 2 cats, and my dog. :) May the odds be ever in our favor.

Divide in society

This weeks election of Donald Trump has left me disheartened. I know on some level that it was quite possible for him to be elected president, I know this. However what is so disappointing is a candidate who ran his platform on hate was elected by citizens. It is worrisome to see how much hate must be consuming the nation, in order for such a candiate to win. However, the most disgusting behavior I have seen, is on social media platforms. I feel it is important to stress unity on social media platforms. I understand this is how people share there oppions concerning the world, however I hope that people reailize this is not where you are going to succed in changing thier minds.  At this point, it is time for the citizens to work on preparing the divide that has been created in our society. Without unity and understanding among citizens, how do we expect for our candidates to reflect these values?

Maybe Trump is not that bad?

Hear me out.

Do I believe his disgusting outbursts are okay? Absolutely not. Do I believe they are bullshit? Absolutely yes.  We can all be upset about his presidency but he is a very smart businessman and before he decided to be a disgusting prick, he had valid points.  I believe, or rather, hope, that the reason he decided to act like such an ass was simply because he knew how messed up majority of American's are.  Please do not hate me for saying that friends, but it is the unfortunate truth.  He knew how to play his cards.  He stirred America up because he knew that was how he would get the votes.  Americans feed off of entertainment and drama.  That was exactly what he gave us and he won.  Let us all just hope that he did that ONLY to get the votes and that he will not continue his fuckery while president.  I also think that many individuals who said they were not voting for him did for two reasons.  1- He has not been tainted by the government and this may be the only opportunity for change. 2- Fear of getting bashed by Hilary supporters.

I am still very sad and my dreams of a woman being president are crushed...but I am just trying to be as optimistic as possible. 

love one another.
Be kind to one another.
Be safe.
Be brave.
Be strong.

At least we still have Beyonce

It's hard to talk about ANYTHING other than the election right now, but I think that's healthy. People are hurting. People are celebrating. It's confusing. It's a democracy. Being a democracy has it's ups and it's down but I'm still thankful I'm able to voice and share my opinion regardless. This election was and is messy. Our nation is showing just how great our divide is over so many issues. We will never ever all agree but I close my eyes and hope for a time we can all understand and unite.

What's really bothering me...

The thing that is really bothering me is how hypocritical people are being. It is the same people who have bashed Obama for eight years that are suddenly preaching about how we need to respect Trump and deal with it because nothing is going to change now. I agree that we shouldn't be rooting for him to fail because him failing is like hoping a pilot crashes a plane that you are on, but how is it not the same for how they treated Obama? They always tried to say that he wasn't a legal citizen (long after that was proven to be false), that he should be impeached, and that he is the worst president we've ever had the entire time in he was, and still is, in office. I am not happy about the election results and I do agree that all we can do is give Trump a chance and hope for the best but this election has really opened my eyes to how horrible people can be. It hurts my heart to see how much hate has been spread and how many hate crimes have already occurred and it hasn't even been a week since the results were announced. This is going to be a very long four years.

Tuesday, November 15 declared "Day of Action" against DAPL-Protest at the Capitol in ATX!!!

Hey guys!

The activists at Standing Rock have officially declared Tuesday, November 15 a "Day of Action" against the DAPL and I wanted to let you all know that a protest will be taking place at the Capitol in Austin that day at 4PM.  For more information you can refer to the Facebook page "Austin Stands with Standing Rock".  I will be attending and am very excited to show my support.  I encourage you all to do the same!

If you've never been to a protest, know this:
It is never a goal for things to get out of control.  Participants are strongly encouraged to remain calm and keep things peaceful.  If things do ever start to get out of hand, feel free to leave.  Protests are also a great way to meet likeminded people, feel connected to your community, and stand up for what you think is right.  Beware, they are inspiring as fuck.

Hope to see some of you there!

Trump is President

Donald J. Trump is now President of the United States, and honestly I'm not surprised. I have no doubt that the large majority of people living in Austin and surrounding areas voted for Hillary Clinton, but I'm originally from West Texas and they were primarily Trump voters. I'm not crazy about the fact that Trump will be our president for the next four years but I think we have to trust the democracy system and stand together to make America a better place. Trump being president scares a lot of people and I understand why they are afraid, but I also trust our society to care for their neighbor and to not stand for unjust laws to take place. I hope this is what happens and I hope we can all unite. Let's all remember the golden rule, treat others as you would want to be treated. I'm praying for our country, for our people, and for our new president.

Put Away the Hate

This has been a difficult week for most of America. Donald Trump has been elected to be our next President. Many are thrilled, many are devastated. There has been so much hate being spread by all sides this past week. There has been racist comments, name calling, violent actions, and hateful flyers being spread. People are losing friends, having conflict with family members, and losing important relationships. There is so much hate, so little respect.

It is saddening and sickening how much hate has been tearing this country apart, especially in the past week. We are further dividing each other in a desperate time that we need to be unifying. These next four years are not going to be easy for this country. We cannot continue on the path we are on; it will destroy us.

I am asking you all to please put away the hate. We do not have to love or even like each other, but we do have to respect each other. We have to truly listen to each other, not just hear each other, but truly listen. We cannot heal this country, we cannot unify this country without respecting each other's opinions and listening to what everyone has to say. This cannot be done by just one person, we have to work together to bring this country together in a time of need. Please make an effort to be kind to each other, to respect each other, and to listen to each other. Let's put away the hate.

Still grieving

I am honestly very disappointed in the election results. This whole election was a joke, but seeing Trump win just blew my mind. Although I didn't like either candidate, I would have liked for Hillary to win because I simply can't stand Trump. I've never been one to actually pay attention to politics, but I was very attentive during this election. I still can not believe that Trump won the election. I can not believe that he will be my next president. I don't understand how he had so many people supporting him and voting for him. I respect everyone's opinion, but I simply so not understand how anyone can want a guy like him as president. I know so many people who voted for Trump. The people that voted for him have probably never been a victim of racism. They aren't fearing for their own lives. They don't feel like they are no longer wanted in this country. He has caused this nation to be even more divided than before. He is the reason why millions of people are now living in fear. A nation should be celebrating and welcoming the new president. I feel like majority of the people are mourning his victory. I have always been proud to be an American. However, at this moment I feel embarrassed. I'm embarrassed to say that Trump is my new president. I am embarrassed that despite all of the horrible things that Trump has said and done, our citizens still voted for him. All I can do is pray for the well-being of this country that was once "the land of the free" and that was once known as the melting pot.

My feelings...

I am actually glad that we got to discuss how we were feeling about the outcome of the elections during class. If it were not for our discussion I would still have all my emotions bottled up. Our class discussion helped me know that I am not the only one upset on the outcome. Since hearing who our new president is I have felt sick to my stomach thinking of what it will be like the next four years. I am not upset that Trump won over Hilary. I am upset of what his actions might be because of what he has said in the media and what he stands for. He has no filter and does not realize that as a president candidate he should be more careful with his words. Trump has made fun of and said discriminatory comments against minorities, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ community. It is NOT okay to discriminate against someone just because they are different. Who cares! Let everyone do what they want to do! If it is not affecting, you personally than why do you have to go out of your way to be rude and demeaning?  Not only am I upset of who our president is but I am also saddened on how people have been reacting on both sides of the party. If someone wants to protest, then by all means do it but without violence. Violence is not going to solve anything it will only make things worse. I have heard stories and read comments online about how even young children are saying mean things to their fellow classmates. Some of these students feel fearful of what will happen to them and their families. I have a 14-year-old brother who has autism and is a freshman in high school this year and has already had a rough transition from one school to another. I do not need for him to be bullied by other students because of his race or disability. Just thinking about it make me upset and heartbroken. I hope that our country can come back together without hate and violence, and that we can all get along even with our differences.

Protests

Protests have erupted across the country after the shocking news that Trump won the presidential election. Many of these involved protestors chanting very loudly and yelling "Fuck Trump" and there were instances in certain cities where trash cans were set on fire and American flags were burned. I am all for the protests and people speaking their minds and wanting to have their voice heard but I feel the way some of these protests are going is counter active. In my opinion the vulgar language and destructive acts are shedding a bad light on the groups protesting.


I am also mortified at the amount of racism flying around immediately after the news. I have seen so many horrible stories on twitter of people being harassed and also being genuinely concerned for their lives and safety. There is also a flyer going around Texas State that calls for vigilante squads to "go and arrest and torture those deviant university leaders spouting iff all this diversity garbage". Which is ridiculous and I'm surprised by the stupidity of people and also heart broken for how evil people can be to one another. I'm scared to see what is in store for our country.

2016 Election

I am seriously concerned for America for the first time really ever since I have been alive and it is making me so nervous for the outcome Tuesday night. Obviously most people in this class are Hillary supporters fully which is totally fine but honestly I completely am not. I do not support Hillary one bit and while I don't necessarily support Trump either I do think  that he is the better candidate. Trump is all bark and no bite. Everyone complains about his hot headed temper and that he would be the one to bomb other countries and start massive wars if he gets angry but I do not think that is true whatsoever. He is not what America needs but I do think that Hillary is a threat and I do not trust her. It's also starting to get to me that our opinions are supposed to be open in this class but if I were to state my opinion on certain matters we have discussed other students would immediately start breaking my opinions down and why the other way is right and not mine. I'm only saying that because I have seen it happen a couple times which is why I honestly stay quiet most times because I really don't agree with the majority of my fellow classmates. Which is perfectly okay. We are all entitled to our own opinions but it is aggravating knowing that expressing our opinion is encouraged only until our opinions are not the same as the majority of the class.
Anyways, back to the election. Another reason a lot of girls do not like Trump is because of the sexual comments he has made towards women. But what man hasn't? He shouldn't say those things I agree but really choosing a criminal over a man who makes sexual comments is pretty dumb in my opinion. So what he has said awful things. So has Hillary. She has said extremely awful things but where is the lashing out on her for that? It's not because for some reason everyone likes to look past the fact that she is a liar and a criminal and I just do not understand. I know saying "the lesser of two evils" has been discussed and shamed a little in class but I stand my ground when I say that I am literally choosing the lesser of two evils for this election. They are both awful and they both scare me. Just my opinion.

I just want a nap

Is anyone else swamped in school work?  I have had several mental breakdowns and do not foresee them stopping anytime soon with 7 assignments being due this week.  ANYWAY though...Tuesday.  Scary stuff right?  I am petrified to see how our nation is going to handle the news.  Whoever is elected is going to have to move hills and mountains to get America back on track because right now we are one divided nation.  Also, nervous for Thursday.  Lort...let the nonsense begin.  Or actually...continue.

standing rock

This week in class when we talked about the buffalo coming to standing rock. It is absolutely amazing. I loved learning and hearing about it. It was really touching to see that nature came to the site to show the support. I think that sometimes people forget just how much nature and the world around us can touch our lives and situations if we only let it in. I really hope and pray that everything ends and works out at standing rock.

3 minutes of peace

On Friday I read a news that was very touching but also made me mad and upset. Thanks to an agreement several families who are living separated by the border got to reunite in the banks of the Rio Grande river for three minutes. It was very touching seeing family members who hadn't seen each other for years reunite. It personally gets me mad that families have to live with separation for years and how exactly is 3 minutes enough? I just feel like our government should be better than that.

Feelings about "Sicko"

I was in middle school when I watched "Sicko" for the first time. Even though I had a lot of sympathy for the people featured in the documentary, it was difficult for me to grasp the severity of their individual situations. A decade later, I still feel sympathy but also empathy.

It's disgusting that people have to jump through hoops or watch their health decline for the sake of health insurance companies' bottom lines. I have never had to cope with a chronic illness but to know that people in this country are and can't get help makes my heart ache. The part of the film that really resonated with me is the fact that there are countries that pride themselves on giving their citizens the best healthcare possible while ours would rather pad the wallets of pharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers.

We have all seen or heard about this belief of American Exceptionalism but how great can we truly be if our fellow citizens are crying out for help to a system that was built to serve Americans and they are met with silence?

Thursday

Well Thursdays class will be interesting. I can't believe we will have a new president the next time we meet. How terrifying is that? Im scared for what's to come. Whoever wins, there are going to be so many people going crazy and I'm worried something terrible will happen. Guess we will see.
Im really stressing about this election and just finishing up this semester and man am i struggling to find the motivation. We are so close to being done. Also really glad the due date for Part A got pushed back. Thanks Kelly!!!

Tuesday has me stressing...

I tried to blog about something other than the election for tonights post, but thats really all I can think about/all I read and hear about these days... Its very scary to know that everyone in this country is scared for the results on Tuesday, and I am so nervous for what the future holds for all of us. This article I read tonight shows different celebrities that are planning to move to Canada if Trump wins the election and I think I might join them depending on the results of Tuesday night....

http://www.businessinsider.com/celebrities-move-to-canada-if-donald-trump-becomes-president-2016-11/#bryan-cranston-1

Vogue thoughts

I also decided to go on and read the article as well and I do have to say that the choice of words had a lot to do with it. I feel like instead of saying oh cleavage is out saying that higher necklines are coming in or something. Cleavage is not fashion its part of a body. Yes your able to go get a boob job but when its out I don't think they want to go back and pay for them to get removed. Like they should've just used better wording. I don't think saying a body part is out of style is okay because that is just brining people who have boobs and are self conscious down and you don't know what that can lead too. They should've just said this is how we should be dressing our cleavage area because this is the trend now. I feel like magazines should encourage people to love their bodies and guide them towards what the trends are and how they could put those two together.

Vaping companies see decline in sales

I read an article about the country’s biggest E- Cigarette manufacturer filing for bankruptcy as sales have slowed down. E- Cigarettes were seen as a way to save lives and help end the epidemic of smoking related deaths but users are going back to regular cigarettes because the nicotine hits better. A new issue that was caused by the introduction of E- Cigs is the appeal to children and non-smokers and as public health authorities warn that vaping is dangerous it is actually beneficial for those who already smoke to switch. The negative portrayal is keeping people from switching and one scientist says “We may well have missed, or are missing, the greatest opportunity in a century” and  “The unintended consequence is more lives are going to be lost.”

Vaping may be bad for health and be attracting young non smokers but does that mean it’s just keeping them from going to regular cigarettes? People are going to do what they want regardless and it’s good to know there is a better option for those who do plan to go that route. I’m surprised to hear that sales are down because it seems like everywhere I go someone has one.

Threat to the U.S. on Eve of Election Day

New York, Virginia and Texas will be hyper-vigilant tomorrow due to an al Qaeda sourced cyber attack threat aimed at those three states.

First of all, this is terrifying.  Especially since Texas is an alleged target.  What I find most interesting is that I first heard of this threat from a friend, then checked news sources.  I can't find anything about this on NPR, which is my most trusted news source.  Part of me wonders if there isn't something hidden beneath the surface of this threat...or if it is even legitimate.
Were those states mentioned to distract our attention from their real target?
Threats like this have been made in the past and resulted in nothing.
What if something tragic really does happen?
But would they really give us warning if they were planning something?  Wouldn't it be more like 9/11, which we didn't see coming at all?

I'm sitting here trying to keep my cool--because at this point in time I have no control over the situation.
But I can't ignore what I know, nor the questions circling around in my brain.

Election

I've never been one to really care about politics and the presidential elections, mostly because this is the first year I am able to vote. My coworkers and I were talking about how scary this debate is for our country. In my eyes, Trump represents everything that is wrong with our current society and Hilary represent everything that is wrong with our politics and government. We are electing one person over the other because we don't like the other candidate. We aren't electing them became we believe they deserve to be the president of the United States. But what happens after the election? We have all talked about how bad both candidates are, but we haven't talked about what will happen after the election. If Trump looses ( which I hope he does) something bad is bound to happen. All of his supporters will loose their minds. Let's face it, we all know that most of the people supporting Trump are uneducated. Trump's rallies are always full of racism and violence. I don't even want to imagine how his supporters will react when Trump looses the election.

2016 Election

As the election approaches on Tuesday, I am finding that a lot of people that I have spoken to are very out spoken about the election, and who they think (or who should not) become president. Yet, I am finding that they are not voting. I find it very odd that some can be so opinionated about something that they are not even going to participate in. This election is yet another election that is going to go down in history, for many reasons including controversy, yet they are not going to vote, and they are going to still place their very strong opinion on you. In my personal opinion... if you're not going to vote, you no longer have the luxury to speak to me about the election.

Feelings

I saw an article on npr about a woman who waited 96 years to vote for a woman for president. Her name is Estelle Schultz and she was 2 years old when women gained the right to vote. She talked about how thrilled she is to be able to still be alive and be able to take part in this by voting. They started a whole project with a website called "I Waited 96 Years", featuring women who were born before the 19th amendment was put into place. It really hit me after reading the article how monumental it would really be if Hillary does become president. This also made me realize how close election day is and it has me feeling extremely anxious because of how much uncertainty I feel over this years election. Not knowing who is going to be president on Tuesday night is really scary and I really can't wait for it to be over so people can stop arguing over it. Whoever does become president has so much work to do when it comes to how divided our country has become. It is so disheartening to see the hatred that this election has caused and how awful people have been because they can't respect other people's opinions.

Vogue

I looked up the whole "Vogue declared cleavage was not a thing" anymore because I wanted to see it with my own eyes. I think it seems a little over the top to say how certain body parts are not in style anymore. We cannot help what type of body we were born with, so society should not be bashing people who were more blessed in that department. I kind of feel that Vogues's intentions were not to necessarily to say boobs are not fashionable anymore but maybe that they want to make keeping ourselves more covered up the new thing versus having your cleavage all out. Who knows though I tend to try to look at the good in everything. I do think Vogue should have looked over their choice of words that they used in their article. Maybe if they would have worded what they said differently they could have avoided all the backlash they received from their audience.

A Positive Step into Reforming the Foster Care System

I read an article in the Austin American Statesman today regarding recommendations on how to better the foster care system in Texas. As many of you know, the foster care system is broken. There are too many children and not enough quality homes to provide effective care. CPS workers are overworked and do not visit the children in these homes as often as needed.

The special masters' proposal gives recommendations on how to fix the foster care system. Some of the recommendations include having quality and monthly face-to-face visits between children in foster care and their caseworker, better accessibility for foster children to report abuse, better investigations of foster homes, better support services for children in the foster care system before they leave the system, and more. Other recommendations mentioned included eliminating foster care group homes, decreasing the CPS caseworker's workload, and making plans to decrease the turnover rate of CPS caseworkers.

This all began last December when it was declared unconstitutional, by U.S. District Judge Janis G. Jack, that children are better off before they enter the foster care system. In other words, children who entered the foster care system were worse off than they were before they entered the system. These children were being harmed by a system that was meant to give them a better life. Judge Jack ordered the Texas Department of Protective Services to come up with a way to repair the foster system, and make immediate changes.

It is sad to know that it has taken this long to find a way to repair our broken foster care system. How many children have been harmed by a system that was meant to help them grow and heal? I am glad that there is finally something being done to help these children get a better quality of care after having to deal with traumatic instances that have brought them there in the first place.

 If you want more information regarding this article, the article's name is Report urges foster care overhaul by the Austin American Statesman.