ctm4246's blog

Well the fall semester has finally come to an end. Although I am a bit sad, I can say that I am looking forward to sleeping in a bit longer for the remaining holiday season. I will still continue to work through the Christmas Holiday but at least I will not have to get up quite as early to fight the traffic from Fort Worth to Arlington. Next semester won’t be quite as challenging as I only have an 8:00 class on Monday-Wednesday this time. However on those other days when I have a 10:00 class I will have to build in extra time to account for finding a parking place.

November came and went almost as fast as the weather turned cold this year it seems. It was nice to have the cool weather in time for the holiday. I also enjoyed a trip to Louisiana to spend time with the whole family including my brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew. We played Bad mitten and the weather was warm the first day however little did I know temperatures would drop cooler than I had packed clothing for.

I am pleased to be alumna from a school to have celebrated its 125th anniversary over the past weekend. R.L. Paschal High School located in south Fort Worth was not always off Forest Park Blvd. In fact, the school moved three times after being founded in 1885 and was finally given its name from the beloved retired principle Robert Lee Paschal. Paschal High School continues to lead the district in numbers of National Merit Scholar semifinalists. While it is not remembered as the prettiest school in the world, it does boast a lengthy list of celebrities who attended including singer songwriters, governors and astronauts.

I think I’m turning into a morning person finally. All these years I thought it was impossible but this semester is different. Over the summer I decided to swap my Monday/ Wednesday classes for 8:00a classes Monday through Thursday. So far it is working out much better than I expected. It seems I have been consistently making it here on time giving myself at least an hour to make the drive from south Fort Worth. Waking up this early has taken some adjustment but by this time I have gotten a routine down that includes 20 minutes of exercise and five to ten minutes of journal time. I’m glad that my professors are strict about their attendance policy because this gives me no choice but to be on time if I want to make the grade. The best part about being up early is watching the sunrise on the horizon as I drive east towards Arlington.

The UTA Onebook program this year incorporates a theme of Remembrance. A Journal for Jordan by Dana Canedy is the OneBook selection for 2010-11. The premise of the book is veterans and how they respond to our present and past wars. For my Visual Communication and the Internet class I will be entering a design into the poster competition utilizing the design skills I learn throughout the semester. There are two types of posters, the first is an argument based, and the second would be a more creative or abstract approach. I will be doing a word study of the word remembrance before I get started to get my creative juices flowing. Quotes are a great way also to begin thinking of how memory and other elements are incorporated into the theme. “If we live in the present, the future lasts forever.” This is one example from a friend of mine that really got me thinking.

Well I have been contemplating getting a new cell phone for almost a month now. It’s such a competitive market anymore I just don’t know what to get. I think that is the reason I haven’t made up my mind yet. Currently Verizon is my provider and even though they are a bit more expensive I truly feel they have the best network coverage. Suffering from “cell phone shame”  for the past year or more I have been carrying an outdated phone that really has zero features that anyone would care to mention. Even though I am tempted by the Iphone I’m just not sure that even if I went with AT&T to get it I would be happy because it seems like a lot of phone for me. However I have finally made up my mind to get an Android loaded smart phone made by LG called the Ally. Ultimately it comes down to the price and since this phone is free with a new 2 year contract renewal I think it is priced just right.

As many colleagues may have read in the Monday, September 6th edition of the Star Telegram, the state’s largest financial aid fund is planning budget cuts. I was terrified as I read the headline then shortly thereafter relieved. Thankfully for me, at least it sounds like for the mean time, I will remain one of the lucky one-third who will get to keep receiving the grants for the remainder of my coursework since they have already been granted. The proposed cuts will effect the expected 56,000 community college and university students who will apply for the 2011-12 year out of which there will only be enough money for 18,700.

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