Cell Phones Are Like Alice in Wonderland; Nooks Can't Read, But We Can Read Them

I've noticed a rather funny thing this Christmas.  When cell phones first came out, they were really big.  Years of effort went into making cell phones smaller in industry to make it more convenient for the mass populace to carry them in pockets and purses.  Now, I've realized that the cell phone industry has reverted back to making cell phones bigger like they were when they first came into existence.  Of course, the reason the cell phones are going back to being bigger is to allow for the making of the smart phone. 

Playing games with friends utilizing apps due to how busy life is has become a staple.  I'm amazed with how much technology has advanced with respect to the cell phone industry.  It seems like the cell phone industry is always at the top of its game.  I wonder why the development of environmentally-friendly energy technology is not as efficient as the cell phone industry.  It's kind of sad.  I guess the cell phone industry is kind of like Alice in Wonderland, having to change its size in order to fit into specific doorways set by society.

Here's another thing I've discovered over winter break.  My nephew was reading Dr. Seuss' One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish one day.  I was criticizing his choice of that book because my nephew is a very smart boy and his reading level is much higher than the level required to read Dr. Seuss.

I exclaimed that I could probably recite the book if I was allowed to read it.  So he would let me read a page and then I would try to recite it back to him verbatim.  But then I soon realized the book I remembered from my childhood was "A LOT" more complicated and much longer than I had remembered it to be.  However, through the reading of the book, I came across the irony for the name of another popular technology innovation called the "Nook".

In One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, there is a species described called a nook.  Ironically, "nooks can't read", according to Dr. Seuss.  This fact seemed rather humorous to me because the technology innovation called a Nook that is used by the mass populace is a device that people read from using stored pages read on a computer screen.  Hence, a Nook is used to read, when it can't read itself.  In some ways, it is a very profound concept.  But it is also very VERY ironic.

In any case, I've realized that technology development is dictated by demand.  Hence, sustainability would be better off if the mass populace screamed about the need for environmental energy development louder than they screamed about smart phone game application development. If people purchased billions of small devices to propagate the generation of revenue related to energy development, the entire nation would probably be running on green technology.  

I also have realized that sometimes there are name origins for devices that refer back to forgotten sources.  Furthermore, Dr. Seuss books can be very complicated upon reading them as an adult.  I still think my nephew should read other books that fit his reading level better, but I suppose that book in particular has more to it than I thought.

Blog Reflections, Grave Danger, Tarantino, and CSI Opinions

I often question whether I should attach a link to my blog onto various social networking websites.  On the upside, it shows that I can string multiple words together into cohesive sentences.  Having a blog also shows that I practice writing a great deal and am likely to have heightened communication skills for writing more than others.  

However, I often believe that the nature of my blog is too informal to share on professional networking websites.  If my blog was on something specific like a skill or recipes, maybe I'd see it as a showcase of educational enrichment.  Instead, it is more of a grab bag of journal entries, book reviews, life philosophy, and whatever I happen to feel like writing at the time it is written.  

I also have a few short stories and essays on here.  I still keep trying to submit them to writing contests (because I have always wanted to be a writer), but I don't really know what genres to categorize them in because I often feel that they could fall under multiple genres or would require a new one.  Sci-Fy Feminism, Political Humor, Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Fantasy Drama are some of the genres I have considered for my stories.  I'm not an expert, though.

Speaking of artists who like to think outside the box like me, I was watching the BEST CSI-two part episode Grave Danger that was directed by Quentin Tarantino (a genius).  After watching the additional content about the episodes, I was really excited to find out that he was a hardcore fan of CSI like I have been since the show first aired on CBS.  Having something in common with a well-known filmmaker is awesome!! :D 

It was so cool to see how much Tarantino respected the actors on CSI to know how their characters would react in given situations and how Tarantino incorporated the CSI writing staff in his two-part episode. Respecting others and allowing others to incorporate their talents into an endeavor always makes for a better process and ultimately final product.

CSI has always utilized dry intelligent humor, which has always been my cup of tea.  Hence, I have been an avid fan throughout the seasons.  I was disappointed when Grissom left and they brought in Morpheus from the Matrix to run the lab (at least, run the lab thought process-wise).  It seemed like there were more people issues incorporated into the show in those seasons.  I always appreciated CSI for the science part more than for the social drama part.  

I liked when Ted Danson (D.B.) started heading up the lab, though.  It seemed like the show went back to pushing boundaries and exploring new worlds (like in the first D.B. episode about the octopus).  

It was better to have Ted Danson head up the team for a few reasons.  I felt that as an audience, we knew what Dr. Langsten's (Morpheus') history was from the beginning.  He was a doctor and a professor.  This kind of took the mystery out of the new team addition.  With D.B., the mystery is still very much intact.  Hence, the mysterious supervisor keeps us intrigued.  D.B. is also a fun person because he can talk to kids and his manner on the show suggests that he has a positive attitude.  Langston had more of a dreary attitude and a fear of losing control hanging about him while he was on CSI.  It just did not feel right to have that atmosphere on the show.  Lastly, Dr. Robbins has a very strong fanbase.  Therefore, it wasn't enjoyable to have another doctor (Dr. Langston) on the show infringing on Dr. Robbins' territory.  We love our coroners!! New actors need not apply.

In any case, I'm glad that the show has changed its cast.  I felt that the Alice in Wonderland wedding episode really brought CSI back to life.  Also, I feel that they did a wonderful tribute to Willows on the two-part episode when she was shot.  It was awesome that they did an allusion back to her first episode on CSI to send her on her way.  The description of the feeling from solving a case as "feeling like King Kong on cocaine" was priceless.  Hence, I am looking forward to the new season!! :D

I'm kind of hoping that Nick will be promoted to supervisor and Greg will be incorporated more into the forensic fieldwork.  I'd like my veteran CSI's to have more air-time.  It is kind of getting down to slim-pickings on veterans.  I still appreciate it when Mandy, the lab tech that has been around a long time, gets air-time as well.  Lab technicians really deserve more credit than they are given.

In any case, I love my CSI, Tarantino, and my crazy blog.  It is fun to have opinions and write about what I'm thinking at any given time.  It keeps me from living on a Tibetan mountainside in a monastery.  

Lost Dreams, Inner Judgments, Summer Happens While I Made Other Plans (That Failed)

I keep dreaming that I'm lost.  I dream that I'm attending high school again after I've already graduated.  I feel awkward and ashamed that I'm back in high school, when I've already been to college in real life.  I keep thinking that I should not be moving backwards.  Sometimes, I dream that I am back in Colorguard, doing routines for current football seasons.  It feels so surreal, but there is truth in what it is referring to in real life. 

I reflect on how my life has gone up to this point.  I kind of feel ashamed of having taken general education classes, when I found out afterwards that I could have waived them with a form at my second college two years ago.  I like to believe it was partly my adviser's fault, since she didn't realize that such a form existed and it was the reason why I was submitting 140 credits worth of transfer credit forms.

Furthermore, perhaps I was supposed to have taken introductory courses in civil engineering, so that I could network into the job opportunity that I had in the summer of 2012.  Maybe, everything was supposed to work out this way.  It seems so weird that I had to go backwards in order to go forward.

This summer has not gone the way I thought it would go.  I had 3 potential job opportunities and they all fell through.  I am afraid of not having enough financial aid to cover next year's tuition and books.  This dreary possibility has upset the very core of my being.  Thus, I am depressed.

I have been filling out scholarship and job applications all summer.  Cleaning my room is still a work-in-progress (WIP).  My inner critic is having a field day with the actuality that is my life this summer.  Yet, I hope that whatever slump I'm in will cease to exist and the summer can be salvaged.  Perhaps, I should try my luck at BINGO sometime this summer because I have won before in the past on rare occasions when I really needed a win.

I shall hope that the financial aid and employment gods smile upon me and the rays of sunshine break through the dark cloudy skies.  I need something to work out, so I can finish the yearly academic plan that I have made for this coming 2013-2014 school year.  If all else fails, BINGO!

Brunettes Who Wear Glasses: Stop Making Us Look Bad!

Let's start with the political favorite: Sarah Palin.  She was John McCain's running mate in the 2008 election.  It is true that she has Governor of Alaska experience and environmental fortitude, but she sounded so ridiculous during the 2008 Presidential debates.  Then, the media decided a more in-depth look into her life was merited and they came out with a TLC show about her.  And given the ridiculous subjects that are featured in the TLC shows of polygamy-rich families, strange addiction-having people, brides who want to win plastic surgery, and toddlers in beauty pageants, it's hardly a compliment.  Sarah Palin, although a very successful woman professionally, was the first stone thrown against the reputation of brainy brunettes (at least, the first one that irritated me).

Then, we had a crazy brunette in the media who didn't wear glasses: Casey Anthony, a mother responsible for the death of her own daughter.  Great! Now the ability of brunettes to nurture children is called into question.  Anthony's trial brought up the issues of a brunette going crazy suddenly, due to past abuse by family members.  Once again, brunettes are looking bad.

Then, we come to Jodi Arias, the murderess who used to be blonde, but changed her hair color to brown to cover her murderous tracks.  Suddenly, the vain murderess took to wearing glasses during her trial duration. Arias showed how a brunette could have a psychological disorder unbeknownst to her and kill a cheating boyfriend in a brutal heinous manner.  To add salt to the wound, she tried to appeal to the predilections of the jury specifically in order to acquire a more lenient sentence than death.  She talked about how she would teach inmates sign language, designed a sad excuse for a tee-shirt (a five-year old could have written "Survivor" on a shirt), and how she would give all her hair to a cancer charity for  the rest of her life.  The worst part about it is that she committed murder, lied a lot throughout the interrogation process, and effectively manipulated a jury enough to keep them from saying "death" unanimously.

Now, the whole premise that brunette bespectacled women are sane productive members of society is called into suspect.  So...Fellow Bespectacled Brunettes, Stop Giving Us A Bad Name!! I don't like resembling criminals or idiots.  Please refrain from saying stupid things on mass-media television.

Furthermore, ALL PEOPLE, stop sporting the brunette bespectacled look JUST to gain justice system leniency.  I don't think it works that way, generally.  Jodi Arias' shallow victory was a testament to her amazing defense attorney.  It wasn't her new makeover.

I'm not saying that bespectacled brunettes do not have some saving graces out there.  Tina Fey is an awesome example of a creative successful bespectacled brunette.  As well, I believe Jodi Arias' attorney spoke well both in the courtroom and on television.  Her oratory skills made bespectacled brunettes look better, despite her client's misdeeds.

Amy Farrah Fowler on Big Bang Theory is also an endearing character representative for brainy bespectacled brunettes, which could help us redeem our stereotype-battered reputation.  In conclusion, I really hope that the reputation of bespectacled brunettes can recover from the continuous blows the media has on the visual connotations associated with our sense of style and natural roots.  Change is not fair, when the action taken does not resonate with the individual having to change.

Poem About Tourists From a Native-Born Las Vegas Dweller

Tourists,

How our economy needs you to survive.

Tourists,

How I hate the way you drive.

Tourists,

How I wish you'd hurry up and go.

Tourists,

How can you afford the money you blow?

Sin City is where you all flock, 

To gamble away your stock, 

While the natives suffer the traffic hell, 

To hate you and need you does not bode well.

Love Your Mountain Dew! Love Your Planet! Save the Snails!

Scholarship Blog for www.CastleInk.com on the topic of recycling #CastleInk

I like to believe that the little things that we do can make a big difference towards conservation efforts.  For the longest time, I've brushed my teeth the same way.  I wet the toothbrush, turn the water off, brush my teeth, turn the water back on, rinse off the toothbrush, rinse out my mouth, and turn the water back off again.  

There are 365 days in a year and people ideally brush their teeth twice a day.  According to the Daily Green website (http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/tips/tap-water-conservation-tip), turning off the faucet while brushing our teeth twice a day could save as much as 8 gallons of water per day.  This approximation (assuming 365 days/year) means that we have the potential to save 2,920 gallons of water per year.  If I believe I have been brushing my teeth this way for at least 10 years, I could have already saved 29,200 gallons of water from being sent down the sink.  If I continue to brush my teeth the same way (which I will) and live to be over 90 years old (that is 63 years from now), I will conserve up to 183,960 more gallons of water.  That means that I could likely conserve over 200,000 gallons of water in my lifetime just by turning off the faucet when I brush my teeth.

There's another little thing I do that I believe makes a difference.  If I'm at school, drink a can of Mountain Dew, and cannot put it in a recycle area (for whatever reason), I will carry it home in my purse so it gets recycled.  I strongly believe that we should all recycle when we can.  According to the Earth911 website (http://earth911.com/recycling/facts-about-aluminum-recycling/), people usually drink more than 2 beverages at work and only 50.7 % of the aluminum cans used in year 2009 were recycled.  It seems like a simple task to recycle aluminum cans, so I am shocked that everyone is not recycling their aluminum cans.  

Maybe people do not know how much energy they are saving by recycling aluminum cans.   Earth911 states that recycling one aluminum can saves the amount of energy that could run a television for 3 hours by not having to manufacture a new aluminum can instead.  That means that if people drink 2.5 cans of soda at work/day, then each person saves enough energy to run a television for 7.5 hours a day.  This means that a single person recycling 2.5 cans of soda at work/day for 5 weekdays can power a television for 37.5 hours. Assuming 50 weeks/year (alloting a 2 week loss for vacation), an average person choosing to recycle their aluminum cans stands to conserve 1,875 hours of television-running energy per year of employment.  That means that if a 25-year old recycles their cans (just at work) until they are 65 years old (standard age of retirement), a single person saves the amount of energy necessary to run a television for 75,000 hours.

Love Your Mountain Dew and Love Your Planet! 

Now, I have attended multiple colleges over the years.  My first college had this printing system where before anyone's print jobs, a cover page with our name would print first followed by what we needed printed.  I collected the cover pages, flipped them over, and used them for my homework assignments.  I started doing this primarily for my math classes.  I had been having trouble at the beginning of my college career with Calculus 2.  My professor offered me the suggestion to use white printer paper to perform math problems because a white piece of paper often can open our minds psychologically better than lined paper.  Once I knew about this study strategy, I applied it whenever possible. 

I have followed this paper-recycling suit at my current institution as well.  My current institution does not have named cover pages that I recycle, so it's a little different.  Whenever I print out research articles for assignments that I do not need to keep for anything, I save that paper and I have used the blank side for my homework whenever I can.  It's actually quite challenging trying to conserve paper when taking engineering classes because many classes require students to do their work on one-sided engineering paper.  However, whenever an engineering class did not have that paper requirement, I tried my best to conserve paper and recycle it.  I was able to do this for my water resources engineering class, which might be part of the reason why it was my favorite class I have ever taken.  I feel that engineering students should be learning how to be environmentally-friendly throughout their education so as to produce conservation-minded engineers geared towards sustainable practices.

Water Resources Homework: Blank Sides of Previous Research Article

Do Your Homework and Save the Trees!

What does a piece of paper cost in energy? According to the PaperCut website (http://www.papercut.com/products/ng/manual/ch-sys-mgmt-environmental-impact.html), the manufacture of one piece of new paper takes 17 Watt hours and a piece of recycled paper takes 12 Watt hours.  If we assume that the student uses 500 pieces of new paper per year, that person's paper required 8,500 Watt hours or 8.5 kilowatt hours.  If they bought recycled paper, that paper saves 5 Watt hours of power per sheet. the student saves 2500 Watt hours or 2.5 kilowatt hours.  If they use 250 pieces of new paper on both sides for the 500 pieces of paper instead, they use 4.25 kilowatt hours in manufacturing.  If they use 250 pieces of recycled paper on both sides for the 500 pages, they use 3 kilowatt hours in manufacturing.  Hence, a student stands to save 5.5 kilowatt hours of energy by using both sides of recycled paper.  According to Concordia Electric, this amount of energy could run an air conditioner for over 4 hours (Source: http://www.concordiaelectric.com/forms/kWh_Usage.pdf).

There are so many superhero movies that have been released in theaters over the last 5 years.  These superheroes perform many death-defying feats in order to save a handful of people.  Yet, being a hero for all of our posterity could be as simple as doing little things consistently for a long length of time. Turn off the faucet, recycle those cans, and reuse your paper to become a hero for the future's children who will still have playrounds and parks to play in instead of landfills.  The little things can make a difference.  Save the snails!

By the way, The Lorax is an awesome environmentally-friendly movie.  I highly recommend watching it if you want to see a mainstream environmentally-heroic movie.  I hope that environmental mindfulness will prompt the moviemakers to make a Captain Planet movie. "Go Planet!"

Summer, Thoughts on Scholarships, Future Work, and Being Irish

This summer might end up being called the Summer of Scholarship Applications and of the Quest to Clean My Room.  I keep filling out scholarship application after scholarship application.  I've reached the point where there are only about 3 potential scholarships left for me to work on.  I left the ones that required research-esque essays until later, so I could optimize the number of scholarships I could apply for in the given deadlines.

So far, my efforts have been fruitful.  I have acquired $4,500 in potential financial aid.  I have to earn at least $1,500 more in order to cover tuition for this schoolyear.  In addition to this, I will need to make enough to cover textbooks and any other school-related expenses I will need.  I will keep applying to the scholarships and to summer internships.  Hopefully, the financial aid gods will smile upon me and I will be able to afford next year.

On the upside, I like to write, so I might have a shot at the essay contests.  I find myself writing many essays for the scholarships.  Most of the essays, so far, have been about myself.  Thus, I am very familiar with the subject matter.  I keep hoping that the judges will want to invest in me, since I work hard and I am a good person.  (Shh....don't tell anyone.)

I also have a line on a part-time job in mid-July, if I do not have an internship by then.  I like to hope for the best, but I also know it's always good to have a trump card.

Murphys and McGraths are used to working and I like to work.  The Irish came to America to work and help build the railroad.  Apparently, the desire to work lives on through the generations and I have Irish ancestors on both sides of the family.  We Irish are a tough sort and working is breathing to us.  We Irish are also passionate people by nature, so we drive ourselves.  Being Irish definitely makes for a hard-working honest person.  I'm proud to be Irish.

Tattoos: Far More Complex Subject Than I Thought

I was really amazed when I read through the New Look Laser Tattoo Removal Guide (http://www.newlookhouston.com/TattooRemoval.html) and found out that some of the common components in tattoo dyes were the same components I learned were in Portland Cement Concrete.  Specifically, black and red inks can be made of iron oxide, a common component in the concrete manufacturing process.  It is amazing to think that by getting tattoos, people are becoming even a little like Portland Cement Concrete.  Although considering that people are adding art to their bodies, it makes sense that they are literally becoming more like materials used in concrete or metal statues.

There were all these metallic compounds listed as potential components to ink, which astounded me.  I had never given a thought to what tattoo ink was made of.  I thought it was the same all-around, like food dyes.  Finding out that vegetable dyes can also be a part of ink worries me for my relatives who have expressed interest in getting tattoos who are allergic to everything.  The idea that people could have allergic reactions to ink components, when these components are often kept secret for competitive purposes, brings more controversy to the topic of tattoos in my mind.

When I was reading through the New Look Laser Tattoo Removal Guide, I thought it was really cool that lasers break up the ink into smaller pigments so the body’s own macrophages can flush the tattoo ink out of the system.  Given that logic, it seems like laser removal is a more natural removal tool as opposed to other methods.

I believe that laser tattoo removal sounds like the best option for tattoo removal, given that it allows the human body to take care of the unwanted ink itself.  I also like the basic idea behind promoting the integrity of the surrounding tissue and preserving the natural pigments maintaining skin tone. 

Laser Tattoo Removal allows people to remove tattoos that did not resonate with the person when they became older.  It gives people more control over their bodies and professional appearance, so people have more opportunities to make the best possible choices for their lives.

Tattoos are a beautiful means of individual expression, but the availability of freedom of choice to change our appearances is beneficial to society.  Hence, laser tattoo removal is a very interesting topic and it is a more complicated subject than I thought.

Uncertainty, Storm Chasers, and Energy Theory Applied to Death

I thought at the end of the semester that I had it all figured out.  I had my academic plan for next year.  I had a clear goal: finish my civil engineering degree and take two extra classes to earn a technological commercialization minor.  But last week, I went into the financial aid office and found out the aid I thought I had for next year was no longer being given to me.

So now, I have an academic plan, but it might be too expensive to finish it.  I now have to base what I do next year on what I can earn over this summer.  I don't have a job yet.  I don't know if the last possible university loan I applied for will be given to me.  I don't know whether I am going to be able to stick to my plan or if I'm going to have to find a career earlier than I anticipated with my first bachelor's degree.

It is all based on what happens in the future, which is uncertain and uncertainty sucks.  Think about it.  When is uncertainty ever a good feeling? Somebody's in surgery and their family members are sitting out in the waiting area chewing on their fingernails until they don't have them anymore.  The studious college student sends out graduate school applications to try to get into graduate school and they worry about what they are going to do if they don't get into their dream school.  Gradually, time passes and a new letter comes every few weeks telling you whether you got in or not.  Months of uncertainty while also working on senior-level work starts to get to the student and they are sporting the Einstein hairstyle because of the stress of the uncertainty.  Uncertainty is scary, causes anxiety, and drives me insane.

However, there are instances where ignorance-based uncertainty can be beneficial.  My brother and I watched that storm chasers tribute on the Discovery Channel and then we went to Best Buy.  As we were walking towards the Best Buy entrance, the back reverse lights lit up on a van next to us.  Then, he asked me the question, "Would you rather die by getting hit by a van or getting swept up by a tornado?"  My response was, "It depends on whether they are ignorant sudden deaths or I see eminent death coming.  If I'm ignorant and I suddenly die, I think that the cause of death would not matter because I was ignorant.  However, if I see it coming, I imagine both scenarios would be quite terrifying."

Yes, I'm morbid sometimes, but intellectual morbidity is in line with Daria's personality and my love for forensic- and crime-based tv, so I enjoy it.  Thus, I suppose uncertainty in small doses is good for people, but I don't like the long drawn-out kind.  I'd rather know I can afford my plans ahead of time than anguish over the uncertainty of achieving my goals the way in which I had intended.

That being said, I thoroughly appreciated the Storm Chasers Tribute on the Discovery Channel.  I kept wondering if they had salvaged the actual storm chasers footage when they died.  I totally understand that the family might not want that released, but the tribute episode kept building up and I was hoping to see that they had achieved some last bit of groundbreaking data in the erratic F-3 tornadoes that happened the day they died.  I was hoping there was a last bit of data that they had captured to show that their sacrifice wasn't just an unforeseen accident.

It is always sad when pioneers in science die, like they were.  I hope their last few moments were not spent being aware of their impending death.  I hope it was ignorant and sudden, so they went through minimal or hopefully no suffering at all.  I like to believe that specific scientific laws apply upon the death of humans.  I believe that when humans die, our energies are not destroyed and merely become a different type of energy that emanates into the environment.  I hope the storm chasers who died had their energies sent to the heavens to become future natural phenomena.

Thoughts on Professional Aspirations

Sometimes people around us ask us questions that we do not know how to answer exactly.  It seems like a simple question, "What kind of job do you want?" But really, I find that question quite difficult to answer.

I have been a scholar for a long time and my interests are not really confined to one particular field.  I have a B.S. in Mathematics and a Chemistry minor that I earned years ago.  Hence, I have a higher comfort level with respect to mathematics.  The chemistry minor was probably a direct result of my love for laboratory experiments.  Specifically, I really enjoy writing lab reports and analyzing data.  

My original intention was to earn a B.A. in Mathematics and earn a Master's in Civil Engineering in a 3-2 program (3 years for the B.A. and 2 years for the Master's degree, so 5 years).  However, life does not always happen the way we planned it to go.  

So I was pondering many different options for educational advancement.  I considered earning a Master's in Mathematics and becoming a government mathematician or teaching at the community college level.  I considered earning a degree in Construction Management because it was and still is of interest to me.  I considered pursuing Computer Science, since there was a news story about how computer science majors would not have a hard time finding employment after finishing their degrees.  

But after all of those considerations, I found myself back in square one: Civil Engineering.  I've been working on this degree since Spring 2005.  I have struggled so much with it.  Statics made me wonder whether I should continue pursuing civil engineering at all.  It took me two times to get through that course.  I had to bail out of a third additional attempt that I do not particularly count.

I KNOW THE FOLLOWING:

1. I am going to finish this civil engineering degree in May 2014.

2. I would like to work as either a planner or estimator in the beginning of my engineering career and work my way up to project management.

3. I do not have to be an engineer to be happy, but I DO need to finish this degree to be happy.  I do not like quitting anything.

4. I will have multiple avenues to pursue professionally (math, statistics, forensics, chemistry, programming, teaching, et cetera), so this variable economic market will not thwart me from working.

5. As long as the job I choose is respectable, is something that I enjoy doing, is something I can excel at, provides a sense of productivity, makes a difference, and has allowances for advancement, I'm open to all sorts of opportunities.

So to answer the question: What kind of job do I want?

I want a job that I can be good at, will compliment my past education, will allow me to finish my civil engineering degree next year, and will make a difference.  That probably means a summer job.

I plan on specializing in water/environmental disciplines, so conservation is an area of interest for me.  Hence, if I could work to assist conservation efforts, that would be awesome.  However, I am also aware that I could tutor mathematics to receive another means of that sort of fulfillment.  Therefore, I am sure  there are means to fulfill our lives to achieve happiness in multiple ways.

Ode to the Sky

While I was sorting papers, I found a poem I wrote about the sky.  I like it, so I will post it as follows.

As I lay in the grass,

Looking up at the sky,

I think about how time will pass,

And how the days shall go by.

I wonder where the clouds are floating,

And if they'll get  there soon.

Whatever sky they will be coating,

Will always have the moon.

The moon always shines bright,

But is only revealed by the night sky.

Everyone shares this beautiful light,

And I am inclined to sigh.

The stars love to twinkle,

And have a mysterious light,

Their greatness with never crinkle,

And will always compliment the night.

Although I love the night,

I also love  the day.

The sky knows what's right,

And keeps going on its way.

The sky is always up there,

As it surely should be.

It can be argued that, "It's just air",

But the movements are always happy, lovely, and free.

The sky's cycle will continue.

To my nest, I must roam.

I love the eccentric sky,

And this sky will always help me find my way home.

Messy Room: Top Surfaces Could Not Be Cleared Yet

I soon realized that I wouldn't be able to clear off the top surfaces of my dresser and desk given the current lack of floor space and shelf space.

Hence, I decided to change my tactics.  I had been placing white plastic bags of paperwork in the cabinet in my desk.  I've attempted to sort scattered papers before, but I'd just put them in bags by whether I could recycle them, needed to keep them, needed to shred them, or could just throw them away.  At least, I'm hoping that the bags I pulled out of my desk were sorted before, so it'll be less work trying to sort them.  Sadly, I'm guessing that I'll have to re-sort everything.

So I pulled the bags out of the desk cabinet and piled them up on the floor in front of my dresser.  Then, I cleaned the inside of the desk cabinet, since it was dusty.  I removed the dowels holding the one shelf in the cabinet and moved them to the lowest available dowel holes.  Then, I moved the shelf down to a lower position to increase the amount of shelving I had.

I tried to sort paperwork earlier and didn't have the floor space to do it efficiently.  Hence, I picked up the trash I could and moved things around to optimize the amount of central floor space in the room.  Therefore, I created a circle of piles that I can systematically deal with more efficiently.

The state of my room was rather dire when this semester finished.  I keep finding myself distracted away from cleaning my room and it's partly because the mess intimidates me a bit.  Sometimes a big mess, even with minor components, can seem impossible to mitigate efficiently due to its magnitude (this fact is the reason I do not envy our President's job).  But if we break up the problem into smaller parts and focus on one goal at a time, it can be less intimidating and much more fulfilling.

Messy Room: The Initial Battle Strategy When It's Ugly

I've gone and searched Google for ways in which to organize my room, ways to organize my school stuff, and the like because the mass quantity of textbooks, binders, paperwork, et cetera is driving me crazy! What I found, to my dismay, was that Google failed me.  I wasn't satisfied with any of the written options on the internet.  Hence, I'm blogging about how I'm going about cleaning up my room.

Earlier this week, I realized that there was a quick fix to the chaos of shoes covering the floor of my closet.  Hence, I went to Walmart and bought a 3-shelf shoe rack.  I decided to spend about $20 on a shoe rack from Better Homes and Gardens.  I assembled it myself and I felt better about myself when I moved my shoes from the floor onto the rack all neatly.  It was nice! I was also surprised that I had so many pairs of shoes.  I have more than 16-pairs, which was the amount the shoe rack would hold without extending it.

Therefore, I think that if the room being organized is horrific and it's hard to know where to start, I'd start with a shoe rack to the closet.  It's something easy to do and feel better quickly.  Besides, what girl doesn't like to admire her shoes?!! It's a win-win situation.

Another thing to do with the closet contents is to try the clothes on and see which ones still fit.  I found a pair of jeans that I used to wear all the time that still fit, so that was a victory! However, I also found seven pairs of pants that I'm a little to fluffy to wear right now.  Hence, I grouped the pants that are a little too small for me in a box.  I could lose the weight one of these days and wear them again.  These pants are in excellent condition, so there is no sense in my getting rid of them.

Note: I also notice that the internet hardly ever lists the fact that people could save the fabric for sewing projects (which is what I do with my old clothing).  Hence, the piles from sorting a closet might end up being KEEP, DONATE, TRASH, and SEWING FABRIC.

It is also good to take mental inventory of what is currently presiding in the closet.  I found that I had blankets, linens, backpacks, big bulky jackets from my time living on the east coast, old uniforms (girl scouts, prom dress, colorguard uniforms, graduation gown), light jackets, business attire (blazers, blouses, vests, a tie), and some old sporting equipment (that I could still use and probably will use).  Now, I took all the stuff on the shelves out to assess what was in the closet.  Then I put it back in there in a different way temporarily.  I've noted that there is potential for additional shelving, which I may need for school.  I also note that I may benefit from looking into ways to store large jackets, ways to frame old uniforms, or potentially giving some of the old uniforms away.  I also noted that the lower rungs where clothes could be hung are barren, so that is another potential area to hang clothes.

Next for me was picking up the dirty laundry on the bedroom floor.  I already had half of it in a laundry basket, so I picked the rest of it up and sorted it into colors and whites for when I get around to laundry.  This may not seem like a big deal to accomplish, but it was revealing for me.  I found my carpet and I also found some trash on the floor.  Hence, I was able to pick up trash as well as the clothes.

I was also able to look under my bed.  This allowed me to see what was underneath the bed in this convenient storage area.  Now, going through what is under the bed will be an ongoing process.  Hence, I picked up the trash and made my bed.  I know I'll be tackling the stuff monster under the bed much later.

I also picked up the stack of jeans that I rotate wearing throughout the week and put it on top of my hang-it next to my closet.  I figure I should keep in mind that I'll need a convenient location for stack placement when the room is fully organized.  I also picked up all my school stuff from this past semester at college and placed it on a shelf in my closet for the time being.  This makes it so there is a specific area where everything is so I can go through it later.

I also cleared off the top shelf on one of my bookshelves and stacked my DVDs properly.  The top shelf is sometimes the best place to start and it will make us feel better just to see that an area has some improvement.  I intend to clear/organize the top of the dresser and desk next.  This will help me determine what storage surfaces are available and which ones should be cleared for peace of mind.

As such, here is the task list for trying to organize a hectic room (the first run):
1. Get a shoe rack and organize the shoes on the closet floor
2. Try on the clothes in the closet and figure out if they still fit
3. Take mental inventory on what is being stored in the closet (for future organizing purposes)
4. Put the stuff back into the closet in a semi-organized way (if the mess in the room is too overwhelming to deal with it right away, it's okay to clean in stages)
5. Pick up the dirty laundry
6. Sort laundry into colored and whites for later laundry expeditions
7. Pick up the trash under the laundry (if there is any)
8. Take mental inventory of what is currently being stored under the bed
9. Make sure important stuff is put in a spot that is easy to get to and review later (like stuff from a recent semester at college)
10. Clear the top surfaces and top shelves all around the room.

List of Ways to Motivate Studying

I'm finding that sometimes I don't want to study.  Hence, I have come up with ways to motivate myself.

1. Use a checklist...checking things off or crossing them out helps to reduce stress.

2. Self-bribery...if I bribe myself with a reward, it makes studying earn me a reward instead of just being something that needs to be done.

3. Do something else that makes me feel better about myself...like volunteering in extracurricular activities.  If I feel better about the other stuff I can do, it makes the stuff that sometimes intimidates me a bit to do look easier to accomplish.

4. Make a plan of what needs to be done with deadlines and focus on one thing at a time.  Sometimes a whole lot of stuff can be overwhelming, but one task is usually less intimidating.

5. Try to look on the bright side.  If I study well and do great in my classes, then hot guys might want to study with me. (Actually, I kind of found it irritating that the good-looking guy only contacted me when he wanted help to study this semester....I like to help, but I don't like being strictly sought out for my brain and not because of my awesome company.)

6. Talk to a friend who is in the same classes as me.  It makes it feel like it's "just me" when I do not talk with others about my struggles.  When realizing that other people are having the same problems and doubts, it makes me feel more normal than I would feel otherwise.

7. Find a way to make studying time more fun, by studying while watching anime (nothing says, "this is fun" like a Miyasaki Studio Ghibli film does).  However, I suppose everyone has their own genre of choice that they might like best.  I like anime and forensic-based shows.  So feel free to substitute at will as long as the genre of choice is not so distracting that it will not benefit background noises propagated for studying purposes.
8. Try livening up studying by using various methods.  Before I was just practicing problems, reading through notes, and rewriting notes.  This semester I resumed an old method known as making flash cards and quizzing myself.  I also tried to incorporate figures into my studying process, which made things easier to understand for me (since I'm a visual-kinesthetic learner).  I also tried a new method of studying that I had never tried before by speaking my notes into my cell phone, audio-recording them, and playing them back to myself on a regular basis.  And it actually helped a lot!
9. I was thinking about possibly turning the material I learn in lecture into stories to relate the engineering concepts to other everyday kind of allegories and typing it into my blog (yes...I'm trying to make myself sound more nerdy).  However, I honestly didn't have time to devote to that cause this semester.  It is still a possibility for the future.
10. Normally, I'm kind of a one task at a time kind of girl.  I usually do not like bouncing from one subject to another all heggledy peggledy.  However, when studying for five finals this past semester, I found out it was Survival 101...because after hours of studying one subject, it's either switch subject of study or start plotting the demise of handwritten notes (is it murder or is it removing clutter?).
11. I also broke up studying with bouts of playing solitaire or mahjong on my computer.  Taking short breaks to play games that can be finished quickly can recharge mental batteries.  Plus, it can become something worth studying for...."I get to study! Yay! That means I get to play solitaire!" (ensuing previously mentioned self-bribery-esque tactics)
12. I'll keep adding when I come up with new tricks...so this is it for now.

Internal Glass Ceiling: Potential Re-evaluated

I haven't written in awhile.  It has been a really busy semester.  I am taking more credits worth of engineering than I have ever taken before, sixteen.  In previous semesters, I took 13 credits and there was usually a general education required class in there somewhere.  Hence, this semester has been challenging.

I have also been interviewing and polishing the Bent on campus to try to earn a spot in Tau Beta Pi: the engineering honor society.  On top of this, I have been spending my weekends helping out on concrete canoe with ASCE.  I've helped measure ingredients, placed concrete, and I have even sanded the canoe.  I feel very proud of the project.  It has also been refreshing to be around such awesomely smart people.  It makes for wonderful conversation, so I appreciate the time I have spent with my fellow peers.

I have been working really hard on my schoolwork too.  I am taking 5 classes and 2 labs this semester.  Hence, everyday has been jam-packed with stuff to do.  Every semester, I think the same thing, "If I get through this semester, I can get through anything."  Last semester, I experienced the combination of transportation engineering, a research project for the transportation department, the mechanics of materials class, water software, et cetera.  I remember that I felt like I always had plenty to do.  It was a tough, but rewarding semester.  I am even considering working on a transportation department research project for my senior capstone project next year, which I had never thought about before.  I intend to specialize in Water/Environmental, but my perspective has opened a bit since my semester of Transportation Engineering.  Given the problems with pedestrians getting hit in the Southern Nevada Valley and the large number of flash floods that hit the valley this past fall, perhaps a project about driver's education or flood remediation on roadways might make more of a difference to society.

In any case, I have been trying to increase my club involvement while also still working hard on my course load.  Every week, I think, "I can't believe I did all the stuff I did this week."  I'm so proud of my efforts.  This semester, I am in Civil Engineering Materials.  Like most of my classes with labs, I usually enjoy the lab sessions better than the class.  I think it's SO COOL that I've been mixing concrete this semester, making cylinders and beams.  I was so proud of myself that I was able to use the air compressor to detach the concrete cylinders from the molds.

I have mad skills at tamping the concrete layers for the slump test.  It's so great!! I even have done compression and tensile loading loading tests on what we make.  I love that I am able to do this stuff as a woman.  It reaffirms my belief that a woman can do anything a man can do (except pee standing up...women weren't built for that).

In any case, I also like that I'm taking Soil Mechanics along with Materials this semester.  I often see the correlation with Materials and I believe it is a great combination since aggregates feature in both courses.  Even though I'm really busy this semester, I am proud of my efforts and my increased capabilities.  I also think it's great that I've been helping with concrete canoe this semester.  It makes me understand concrete better, which helps with Materials.

In a nutshell, that is why I have been so busy lately.  I'm really working hard and trying to be more involved than I have been.  I hope life continues to get better and that I am able to shatter my own internal glass ceiling of what I thought I was capable of everyday.  I hope that increased engineering experiences make me even more confident as a person, as well as become a better engineer.

List of Things I've Done That I Never Thought I'd Do

I keep thinking I should make a list about the things I have done in my life that I never thought I would do.  I keep thinking that it is amazing to think life will go one way and find out that we change in magical ways that we never thought we would.

So here's the list:
1. Performed an experiment with lasers
2. Used flame absorption spectroscopy to analyze sodium and calcium levels in both water and snow samples in Pittsburgh, PA (it was an analysis regarding road salt)
3. Helped build a playground in Turtle Creek, PA (I was on the spiral tube slide team.)
4. Performed a lab experiment about surface tension and recorded it on video
5. Used Excel to create a user-friendly dropdown menu mathematical model on the net energy balance of corn-ethanol
6. Presentation on the math portrayed in Alice in Wonderland
7. Volunteered at a Biofuel's Convention in Pennsylvania
8. Took the GRE and did well in it for only studying 2 weeks
9. I attended UC-Berkeley for a semester in their Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's program.
10. Rode the BART and the Subway
11. I've been to New York and have seen Ground Zero.
12. I've explored a monastery in New York.
13. I've toured pump stations, rate-of-flow stations, and the Hoover Dam.
14. I've seen construction sites with inspectors.
15. I've been a substitute teacher in middle school and high school math classes.
16. I've been a registration typist and worked at conventions.
17. I've been a bridesmaid and I even caught the bridal bouquet.
18. I've mastered cookie-baking.
19. I know how to sew and have even hemmed pants.
20. I can cook
21. I know how to use a soldering iron.
22. I've babysitted young children.
23. I've driven to Overton for a funeral by myself.
24. I've used statistical programming to perform linear regression analysis.
25. I wore braces for over 2 years and now I have straight teeth.
26. I've dressed up like the Easter Bunny #Mascot Style
27. I've had a hollowed out pumpkin jack-o-lantern on my head to be the Genetically Modified Pumpkin in a  Halloween maze
28. I've read a speech in front of people.
29. I've sent stories I've written in to contests.
30. I've been groundtruthing.
31. I've weighed ingredients to be used in a concrete canoe.
32. I've placed concrete on an oddly shaped mold.
33. I've sanded a concrete canoe.
34. I've performed a Modified Proctor test.
35. I've used an air-compressor to remove concrete cylinders from molds.
36. I've polished a brass bent statue with Greek letters on it.
37. Hit a metal plate with a sledgehammer to create P-waves that were picked up by geophones (seismic waves lab experiment!) (I was the only girl who wanted to swing the hammer, by the way.)
...

Salem Witch Trial Tactics Towards Gun Control

I was washing a load of dishes while listening to CNN.  Apparently, the government is considering confiscating weapons from people who are deemed mentally unfit to have them.  The reporter and her guest speakers were discussing depression and how depressed people may not be fit to own weapons.  A psychologist was consulted about whether or not depression was a condition affecting whether or not people should own guns or not.  From the discussion, I found myself under the impression that CNN was arguing that guns should be taken away from people who are depressed, even though antidepressants are common prescriptions prescribed in the United States.

Now, I kind of have a problem with this logic for several reasons...

First, the right to bear arms is in the Constitution.  I feel like going on a "witch hunt" (or a "wacko hunt" in this case) would infringe on that right of the American people.  Ironically, a strict constructionist would be all up in arms about even the idea of this sort of hunt (politcal humor).

I also believe that if the government was going to go around hunting people down because of the medications they take and require hearings on whether or not every person was mentally fit to own a gun...on the upside, the authorities would never run out of work, but people might also start riots.  (And there might not be many mentally fit people left to own guns at all...gun manufacturers might suffer...hunters might suffer as well.)

Furthermore, just because people are taking medications like antidepressants, it doesn't mean that they are unfit mentally.  Several people take antidepressants regularly and it helps them function better than if they were not taking them.  Also, the people who take antidepressants are not always taking such medications for depression specifically.  There are these afflictions called migraines which are often treated with antidepressants.  Anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and fibromyalgia are also treated with antidepressants.  People experiencing less head pain and body pain are probably less likely to go on a shooting rampage...but that's just my opinion.

I also feel like this concept of doing mental fitness assessments to determine whether or not people should own guns or not is just a way to place blame on mass shootings.  To be honest, if someone really wants to cause anarchy, they can figure out a way to do it (whether or not they have guns or not).

Let's consider September 11th.  Planes and big buildings were used in this awful event in American history (not primarily guns...although maybe they were used to keep hostages in line).  There was also the Oklahoma City bombing.  In this, the bombs were again the more focal elements than the guns.  There is also the concept of bioterrorism.  Anthrax scares within the United States Postal System was not a gun-related scare.  In fact, the idea that something microscopic can kill off a large amount of people while they are unaware of the existing threat seems much worse than something like a gun (which we can see and possibly stop with security guards). (However, scares like this did inspire the episode of NCIS where DiNozzo opens Gibbs' mail and inhales a mutation of the bubonic plague....Now, that's good TV.)

People learn how to make potato guns from the internet.  People learn how to make bombs with fertilizer.  People can kill people with all sorts of objects.  Just look at the Mythbuster episode on the weapons made in prison museum.  If people have the mind to hurt other people, people can certainly think up a way to do so even with a lack of resources.  People are inventive and will come up with new ways to accomplish their goals (nice goals, nefarious goals, mundane goals).

So what will taking away the guns really accomplish?

CNN noted that a lot of people in New York are packin' (as in, own a gun).  This makes sense because New York (at least on TV shows) has high crime rates and it is a city having a great amount of walking populace.  Similarly, in Las Vegas, there is a hodge-podge mix of inhabitants and many pedestrian-heavy areas (like the Strip).  Thus, it would make sense if people in Las Vegas, NV carried weapons more commonly than in tamer areas of the U.S. (if there are any...maybe in Montana).  But in any case, I feel that taking away the guns in higher crime rate-having areas, would upset the local residents a great deal.

And what would taking away the guns really accomplish?

It means the aspiring burglars would meet less resistance because the people without guns would be both mentally-impaired and living without an intimidating weapon to defend themselves.  A gun is probably easier to use at a longer distance than a baseball bat or a cane (sorry, old people).

I propose that if mental fitness is a concern regarding whether or not people can carry a weapon, these people should be encouraged to take personality tests or love language tests to figure out what they could do with their misguided energy to increase their happiness with their lives (because my Mom says that if I don't like my life, then I should change it).  Thus, we should try to provide more means of happiness to people.  Happy people are less likely to go crazy and shoot a whole bunch of people (unless they are trying to abate boredom).  But if people are using their misguided energy up, then they don't have the energy to go on a shooting spree (because they're too tired, even if they ARE bored).

Loving others and loving ourselves enough to face our own demons in a healthy manner (like by journaling or by talking to someone) is a better use of everyone's time than wreaking havoc on society.  Others of us decide to use our time to build things that will improve life instead of end the lives of others.  Improving our imperfect world through inventions and engineering is a better purpose than most, but everyone has their own path to follow.  Everyone can make a difference.

That being said, psychological services are very expensive for the entire nation.  Thus, this lack of availability of affordable emotional health services could be addressed to improve the mental fitness of the nation instead of going on a "gun hunt".