Also, for New Years I'm going to the Embassy Suites in Frisco for a New Years party. I'm excited, I hope it's fun.

This Christmas I'm looking forward to being with family! They're all coming over to my house Christmas Eve and spending the night. I'm asking for a car for Christmas. Something like a Chevy Cruze or something. Also I want a lap top. I'm going to work a lot throughout the break, which I'm not looking forward to at all. I'm most excited for Christmas Eve and Christmas day because those are my favorite days of the year. 

In college I hope to get an associates degree and possibly an art degree. I also want to gain life experiences and meet like minded people. I am going to college for myself but also for my parents and my little sister. My dad is the only one that has an associates degree, so it motivates me to accomplish that goal of mine. I want to go to college for them to prove that with hard work it is possible. I think it's important to look at the degree you want and pick a college accordingly. For example, going to Harvard wouldn't be reasonable for an aspiring athlete. For me, the size and location matters. I want to go to a college far away, but not too far from home. Size matters to me because I've always been in a small town, and a small school, so I want something different and bigger. I will seek input from my parents and counselors regarding college because, although I know what I want, they can help me put the pieces of everything together. College will help me achieve the goals that I have set out for my life because it will give me the foundation that I need to start my career as a freelance artist. Without having knowledge on a professional level, I don't think I could excel very far as far as marketing and aesthetics goes. 

I don't know what I'm doing yet for Thanksgiving. I might go to my grandma's, but it's still undecided. Hopefully I'll be able to be with my family. I have friends coming in town though, so I'll spend time with them. I plan on eating a lot of food. I have to work on Black Friday so I'm kind of bummed about that.

I found a job at Whataburger in Red Oak as a team member. I found out that the duties and responsibilities would be to provide quality service to all customers, effectively communicate with management in a timely manner regarding scheduling issues, properly stock inventory, demonstrate fiscal responsibility with all company assets and following company cash handling policies. This seems like it would be an appropriate job for me because it doesn't require any kind of special education like a degree or anything, and it is a good job at gaining skills like people skills, time management, and many others that are good to have for future careers. To prepare for an interview at Whataburger, I'd fill and print out the application, find a nice outfit to wear, and think about why possible questions the manager might ask. I think that is important so I won't sit there and think about the question for too long and I could just go right into answering the question with a good answer. The level of difficulty on finding a job online isn't very hard at all. There are tons of websites that have local job listings.

I liked the movie a lot. There's other movies out there that have the same outline (a homeless/poor person who could easily give up and make nothing more out of their life, but instead turn it around and accomplish things unimaginable.) Most of those movies are just cliches with cheesy acting. However, this movie had an original story line with really good actors. I was actually wanting to know what would happen next after every scene. My favorite part was when she said "Sometimes I feel like there is skin upon the world. And those of us who are born under it can see through it. We just can't get through it." It was my favorite because I think that is the best representation of how the homeless really see the world and the reality of it. I don't think I would have been as resilient as Liz was. I don't go through half the things that she had to go through, yet she still had more determination in her school work than I do. Plus it's not easy to escape a family of drug addiction. Not only was her family addicted to hard drugs, but her grandparents were too. She overcame impossible circumstances with grace and determination.  

I think the most surprising thing about my budget was how quickly things added up. With a $1,400 budget, you really have to be tight with every dollar or else you quickly become overdrawn. I expected to not have a lot left over after paying for basic necessities like food, gas, bills, etc. I only had $29 left to save or spend. I think I'm ready for that responsibility. I think it's the next chapter in my life to take on, so whether I'm ready for the responsibility or not, I'm going to have to face it. I also realized that having these responsibilities means I'll be on my own, and it's kind of scary to think about. I can start saving and budgeting now to prepare for the upcoming expenses I'll have soon.

My top career choice is being a freelance artist. It basically means I'd make art on my own terms. I'd have to start on a small scale, like sell to local businesses or individual people, but eventually I hope to be successful with a steady income. It interests me the most because it is an independent career that would allow me to freely do the things I want to do in my life without having to be tied down to a 9 AM-5 PM, Monday-Friday job. I believe that we were all born with natural abilities and talents, and with this job, I'd be able to fully use my talents instead of waste them. If I wanted to, I could travel across the country or even internationally to make and sell art. This is why being a freelance artist is my top career choice.

My family is the main thing that stresses me out. But school is also another thing that creates stress in my life. Ever since freshman year, college has been a constant recommendation. There's been so much pressure from all types of different people in my life including teachers, parents, extended family, church acquaintances, friends, and even strangers that have all crammed the idea of college in my brain. I'm not saying college is a bad thing, but with all that pressure from day one, it causes stress because what if I don't live up to everyone's expectations, or what if my grades don't turn out good enough? Even though they mean it in a positive manner, it just makes me stress out. And as far as my family goes, I think every family has its challenges. As a temporary way to deal with my stress, I'll either eat too much at one time, or not eat at all for a little while. But as a way to cope with it in the long-run, I paint. It's become an outlet for me which is a healthier way of dealing with the stress.

A. My current organizational method is throughout the day when something comes up that I need to remember or do later, I put it in my notes in my phone and check it when I get home. If I don't do that, at the end of the day I'll look through my folder/journals for any work I see that needs to be done, or just remember it once I start on homework. Also I use my alarm on my phone.
B. I tend to procrastinate on things that don't interest me or that take a lot of time doing. So I know the affects of procrastination. For one, it forces you to stay up long nights to get work done that's due the next day. It can hurt my grades, it starts becoming a habit and it makes me lazy.
C. So far this year, I've been fighting procrastination by doing whatever it is I need to do (homework wise) right when I get home. I know if I don't start on it within the first two hours I'm home, the chances go down for me doing it at all.

College Transition

I'm excited for this class because I think it'll help me understand important things about getting into college. I want to get scholarships and learn how to write good essays for applications. Without this class I'd feel even more anxious about the college process.