Deaf Studies Today

OREM, Utah—Hundreds of deaf people flocked to Utah Valley State College to take part in the Deaf Studies Today conference on Tuesday. Professionals, students, and members of the deaf community came together to celebrate deaf culture.

The conference started today with an international film festival and will continue through Saturday evening. It will include over 50 presentations, live performances, and an art exhibit.

All American Sign Language classes at UVSC have been cancelled for students to attend the conference. Janette Toolson is a student majoring in deaf studies and must attend the conference as part of her grade.

“I am in upper division classes so I have to introduce some of the speakers,” she said.

Even though it was required for her classes to attend the conference this weekend, she attended the film festival today for her own enjoyment.

Sarah Hawks has been taking ASL classes since high school. She recently changed her major and was very excited to attend the conference this weekend.

“It’s amazing that I have the opportunity to go to this conference and take part in it,” she said.

The conference has many people from all over coming to present. Anthony Natale, an actor from “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” was the keynote speaker for the film festival. Other speakers include Dr. M.J. Bienvenu from Gallaudet University, Dr. Paddy Ladd from the University of Bristol, Ella Mae Lentz, and Samuel Kwesi Asare, the president of the National Association of the Deaf in Ghana.

The conference will teach about American Sign Language, colonialism, liberation and the world of deaf people. Not all of the presentations will have interpreters, but all of the keynote speakers will be interpreted from either sign to voice or voice to sign.

To attend the conference you must register either online or in person. The cost is $310 for professionals, $75 for students not from UVSC for limited enrollment and $125 for full registration.

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Sample opinion letter

For those of us that attend classes only in the computer science building having to walk to the cafeteria for food is difficult. There is no way to get food in between classes because it takes too long. It takes nearly ten minutes to get down to where the food is and then another ten minutes on average to get the food. After you get the food you have to run all the way up the stairs to get to class close to on time. Once in class you have to eat your food which can be very distracting to other students and the instructor. UVSC should have a cafe, similar to the one in the LA building, in the CS building. They would have a very large amount of money coming in. Also students will be healthier and happier in their studies. This will create better satisfaction with the school. UVSC should be doing anything in their power to create a good learning environment for their students. Currently many students in the CS building are hungry because they do not have access to healthy food in between classes. Even if the school had a cafe open for the lunch hours between noon and two it would be helpful to the students. When students have energy they can learn better.
Hungry

Stress

The worst part about stress is that it just builds and builds. This past weekend I felt as though all the stress that I had been carrying built up so much that I was not strong enough to support it. My answer I dropped it. I just decided that I couldn't allow stress and anxiety to run my life. I am going to do the best that I can and that will have to do. There is a certain point where you just have to throw in the towel. Life just gets worse as you go along unless you learn how to prioritize what is required of you. So my priorities have changed this semester. All I have to do is survive. Easier said than done. For a chronic perfectionist when it comes to grades simple doing the minimum is going to be so hard. If I don't I will collapse under the pressure. Somethings gotta give. So the highest priority in my life right now is to make sure that I get through this semester without totally losing my mind. The solution to stress if there is one is to live life one day at a time. If you are only focusing on one thing you can make it.

Abusive producers

Why on earth do producers of shows have to show a really amazing episode of a show and then just stop mid season for a month respite. I think that it is unfair to the viewership to be jerked around like this. Why can’t they just shoe the whole season without any breaks. They are more likely to lose viewers because when your show isn’t on you look to other shows or things to do. Those viewers just might find something else that is good and forget when their show will be coming on again. I just think that it is really lame. It is abusive of the power that they have. Just because the masses are senselessly addicted to their favorite TV shows, that doesn’t mean they have the right to abuse us. There is a certain point where we as the consumers need to step up and say that enough is enough. We have a right to see what we want to see when we want to see it. This is why people have started to pirate things; we are sick and tired of waiting till it is released by the producer just so the rich can become richer. Help me help you! Give us our shows.

The Joy of a Democracy

I went to the republican caucus in my precinct this week. Wow! Who knew that people could get so worked up about precinct chairman? Seriously I think that it was the most exercise some of those old people get all week. I am personally registered as an independent and as a result could not say a single word the whole two hours I was there. There was defiantly some comedy though the seated chairman wanted to be elected again, but was ousted by a previous mayor of Provo. Then he wanted vice chair and was ousted by someone who had no experience in the political world. Don’t worry though he still got to be a state delegate which if he hadn’t I think there would have been major tears. The technology was very sophisticated for the voting. They used index cards torn into fourths and then they were counted at the front of the room by some random guys. Now it may just be me but that makes me a little nervous. I think that there are a few things that you should know before attending a caucus. First make sure to eat dinner before you go. Take gum with you to offer to the old lady next to you and always take a friend.

Living Legends Article

PROVO, Utah – In the Knight Building on the campus of Brigham Young University, two students artfully perform a traditional hoop dance to American Indian music.

The dance is an expression of their culture. To American Indians, the hoop is a symbol of eternity. It is used in the dance to honor Mother Earth's creations.

These students belong to Living Legends, a group of students with American Indian, Polynesian and Latin American heritage. The group promotes culture, family and the value of education through dance and music.

They practice 10 hours a week and travel throughout the year, taking their dances on tour before various audiences. This year, they have been to Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. In April, they will take their show to Chili.

Ana Wilson has been a member of the group for 2 years. Meeting people on tour is the best part of the job, she said. But the most meaningful experiences have involved seeing how much people sacrifice to have group members stay in their homes.

The group focuses on showing the seasons of the Book of Mormon, a tome of scripture for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Performing as part of Living Legends is essentially a mission to share the church’s message, Wilson said.
“We don't proselyte like missionaries, but we share it,” she said.

Wilson said she has learned that to some people, the performance is all about experiencing the music and culture. To others, it means something different – an opportunity to feel the spirit, something many of them have never done before.

The group performs 17 dances from different countries. “Sasa, Lapa Lapa,” a dance from Samoa, involves powerful slaps. “Un Madrigal, El Buey” is a dance from Mexico that evokes folklore and tradition. “Aguacero de Mayo” draws upon the multicultural background of Colombia. From North America, there is “The Warrior's Suite,” a dance thats honor American Indian fighters.

The trademark song of the group is its perennial finale, “Go, My Son.” The song tells the story of a chief who teaches that the way to succeed in life is through maintaining family ties and getting an education.

Rachel Bair has attended the show several times to see her older siblings perform. She said she thinks people connect with the performance because it showcases so many different cultures. Being of Mexican descent Bair believes that culture is very important to defining who she is.

“It not only helps you appreciate your culture,” she said. “It makes me proud of my culture.”

Living Legends will be performing at BYU’s Harris Fine Arts Center March 27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the box office for $7.

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I just don't know so don't ask

Have you ever had a friend that as soon as you told them you liked someone magically they liked them too? Well I have a couple of friends like that. What I just don't understand is why out of the hundreds of guys why they have to like the same exact guys as me. I have decided that sooner or later they will fall in love with one of the guys I wish I was dating and get married. Once they are married maybe I will not feel guilty about hanging out with a guy that I like wouldn't that be nice.

Jamie what is your email? I can't remember and whenever your mom tells it to me I must be typing it in wrong. I am so stoked for you guys to come out I was way bummed when I couldn’t get spring break off at work. So I think I will be in St. George around the same time as you guys are so we are going to have to hang out. Do you like how I am just talking to you on my blog? My email is amandagravett@gmail.com.

Now back to the crazy weird life. Today as I was dutifully sweeping my store when in walks the mall manager and sneaks up behind me and growls. Funny thing is I almost smacked him in the face when I jumped. Good times.

Needles

After a long shift at work I had the desire for a little cash. Normally selling my plasma would take me around forty-five minutes. Unfortunately for me everyone else in the world decided they wanted cash too. I waited an hour just to go to the back. Once I was situated I just sat there for a few minutes wondering if I had been forgotten. When the guy finally started to set me up I had nearly finished the whole goonies movie. Iodine was applied and the needle was stuck into my skin. I was astonished when there was no flow of dark crimson blood up the tube. The young man doing the pricking was also. He poked around for a few minutes then decided to go on break. After like ten minutes another guy came over and says a very clear tube and decided that it would probably help if there was some blood moving. So he turned the cuff on so tight that my arm actually turned almost completely blue. So after twenty minutes with a needle sticking in my arm blood actually began to flow. After two hours and twenty minutes I walked out of the Plasma Collection Center thirty dollars richer. Was it worth it? Probably not.

Windows or Mirrors

So maybe philosophy is not my strong point. I have started thinking about life in general. Yesterday at work I encountered a customer. She happened to be the mother of a previous employee of our store. All she could say about all the girls at our store were good things. In her eyes every single one of the girls was the sweetest girl. I know for a fact that not very many of these sweet girls have their not so sweet moments. But this got me to thinking about perspectives. Every single person has a different perspective. You can give the same painting to three different people and they would probably see three different things in that painting. Not only would they focus on different things within the painting but they would interpret it in different ways. How do you do things in a way that everyone will understand what you mean. Well the truth is that you can’t there is no way that everyone is going to come to the same understanding. You can however try to understand their way of looking at it and begin to see the world from other perspectives. The world is like a window and not a mirror. That might not make the most sense in the world but let me try and explain. Instead of looking and simply seeing yourself or your view (mirror), look through the window of another’s perspective.

Justice

What exactly is justice? This is a question that has been brought to my mind in the recent days. How is justice obtained? To me it doesn’t seem like there really is justice in this world. I think that Darwin had it right with the whole survival of the fittest. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done what matters is who has more people and money behind them. People are driven by money it is all that they care about. Money is also what is driving this world down. People care more about their money than the people around them. Our society is turning into a self centered society and pretty soon this will lead to our demise. A house divided cannot stand. This has been made manifest during this presidential campaign. Our nation is becoming divided and soon we will fall. We must unite together and learn to forget ourselves and help others. This life isn’t about how great you are it is about the amount of great you can do. I give this challenge to everyone everywhere. Become a better person; think more about others than you think of yourself. There is enough darkness and evil out there. Let’s overcome the inclinations of the natural man

OREM, Utah—Though many Utah Valley State College students may not be directly affected by school shootings, university police are taking precautions to safeguard the campus.

The police have added to their list of emergency procedures information about how to handle an active shooter incident.

The first thing police say to do if you’re in a building where shots are being fired is exit the building quickly and orderly. Tell others you see to leave as well.

Then call the police. If you call from a cell phone, tell the dispatcher your name, location, the number and description of shooters, and the number of people who may be affected. You can also reach them by dialing 5555 from any campus phone.

If you can’t make it to a building exit, police say, find the nearest room or office and lock yourself in. If someone knocks and you don’t know who it is, don’t answer.

Some students aren’t so sure these precautions will help.

Kellie Hegerhorst said she doesn’t think the new procedure would stop someone from shooting at the school.

“People will always get around things,” she said. But, she conceded, much can be done to improve safety for students.

Hegerhorst said e-mail and text messaging could be used to alert students of danger and help protect them.

A survey developed by UVSC Web Development Services found the majority of students feel text messages would be the most effective way to alert the campus community of danger.

Texting is the most widely supported
method for warning students














Photo by Amanda Gravett

In case of an emergency or shooting, almost 28 percent of students said they want to be alerted by text. Campus TV announcements won the second highest approval, with almost 11 percent saying they favored the method.

Laurel Canfield said she thinks the best way to ensure the safety of students is to maintain a prepared police force.

“Make sure police on campus are trained well,” she said.

After the Virginia Tech shootings, many schools have taken precautions to protect their schools from similar tragedies.



A victim of the Virginia Tech
shootings is carried out of a campus
building by law enforcement.














Alan Kim, The Roanoke Times AP Photo

Northern Illinois University took many precautions before the shooting on Feb. 14. But they proved to be insufficient as a man dressed in black entered Cole Hall and opened fire.

In a letter to students following the incident, President John G. Peters of NIU said more security measures will be taken.

“You will see an increased number of uniformed officers in and around campus next week,” he said.

According to the UVSC police statistics, there were two arrests made for illegal possession of weapons in 2006.

Nationally, there were more than 200,000 arrests made for possession of weapons, according to the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

National statistics are published at http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/index.html.

Details on the new school emergency policy can be found on the UVSC police Web site at http://www.uvsc.edu/police/.

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Security

Do you ever go somewhere and wonder is a deranged person is just going to open fire on you? Well supposedly the government is trying to stop that, but it seems as though it is only making it worse. I work at the University Mall. Every time I hear of a shooting at a mall I am afraid of going to work. The number of crimes committed is on the rise. When people are upset or depressed it seems as though the only answer for them is to go shoot up a school or mall. That is ridiculous. Why don't we as a people work towards helping these people before they hurt others? Let’s make it a goal as a nation to reach out to these people. We don't have to keep to ourselves and never talk to other people. Let us as a nation move toward becoming one. The first step is to accept everyone regardless of their ethnicity or appearance. Often these people that do these horrible crimes have been either ignored or mistreated. The best way for us to insure our safety is to embrace everyone. I want to feel safe when I go to school or work. It is my duty to be kind to everyone that I meet and make them feel accepted. Let’s change the world by inclusion.

Windshield Wipers

I always thought it was interesting that a car has to have a good set of wipers on their car. Now I am alive and here to tell you that wipers are not just there for looks, you really need them. Sunday night I was driving to the airport to be the kind friend that I am and pick up a co worker. As I was leaving my house there was a light drizzle but I did not think that that would affect my trip in the least. Well I learned fast that when the freeway is wet and there is traffic it might as well be pouring. So my forty minute drive through Salt Lake involved a great deal of prayer and faith. The best part of the drive was being trapped behind a semi. That was about the most fun I have had in a while. Don't worry I lived. I have come to realize that the safety inspections happen for a reason. Well you would think that the next day I would be proactive and get the wipers fixed. I didn’t. How is it that you can decide that you are going to change something in a moment of desperation and fear but then end up not doing anything once the fear is gone? Isn’t that how life goes? You decide to change but then never get around to doing it. It is time to change for reals.

Windows and Cars

So I get off of work on Wednesday and want to put my check in the bank. By the time I drive to the bank it is after five and the lobby is closed. I go through the drive through with no problems. Once I am leaving I attempt to roll up the window and what do I hear but an offensive grinding noise. I go home and try to take the door off and pull the window up. Well doors are harder to take off than they look. I decided I would just leave it down until the next morning when I could find a mechanic. As fate would have it I hear on the radio that snow is coming. Well I don't have a garage at my apartment and did not want to be sitting on snow in the morning. I called my sister's ex-boyfriend's older brother (confusing right). He told me to come on over and he would help me get the window up. I drive the ten mile drive freezing to death, cursing myself for going to the bank. When I get there he takes off the door and gets the window up in a matter of seconds. Getting the door back on seemed to present a little more difficulty for him. I stood in the road lacking sufficient clothing while he pushed and pushed on the door frame. Twenty minutes later we were still working on the door. Finally he hit the door really hard. Something snapped and the door fell into place. The door was on. What was the snap? We don't know hopefully nothing important. My sister does not know the details of my lovely adventure with her car. Hopefully you enjoy this rendition Anita

The cold from you know where

This last week I have had a cold. Now when I am sick I tend to plow right on through life still going to school and work. This time around my body has taken a toll. Two out of the last four nights I have not slept at all. Even with the help of multiple night cold medicines that supposidly help you too sleep. After two hours of not being able to sleep I simply throw in the towel. I go into the living room and watch tv. Well at four in the morning there is not much to watch. Sometimes if you are lucky there will be crazy acrobats on the spanish channel with a human firework. But mostly there are just infomercials. But I think the best part of the cold is the constant state of plugged ears and not really being able to hear what people are saying to you. When you only hear about 50% of what someone is saying to you life can get pretty interesting. There have been instances recently where responces that I have made have offended the other party. My sister was tellling me about work and I tried to piece together what she was saying in my groggy state. Turns out my responce or thats great was not the best thing I could have chosen to say. Living with a cold is pretty much awesome and the best part is when you do something not so great all you have to say is I'm sick and everyone will leave you alone.

Hawaii

Anyone in their right mind would choose Hawaii over finals right? Not me. After being invited to accompany my boss and her son to Hawaii I learned that it fell on the same week as finals. I could still get out of those or so I thought. I tried to talk to my teachers and learned that asking to take a final early is usually not the best choice one could make. One of my finals is a group final and the professor wouldn't even think about letting us take it early. Come on its Hawaii, you would leave early too if it was free. I think the most depressing thing is the fact that I have turned down not one but two trips to Hawaii in the last month. Seriously school just puts a damper on life. It will still be okay because instead of going to Hawaii over spring break I am going to work. Making money is much better than a trip to Hawaii with a guy you don't really know, right? I have convinced myself that I am better off not going to Hawaii. I can accomplish more here in school and working. There is always next year.

Sleep

Sleep is for the weak. This statement has been made to me over the last few weeks. I don't know about the rest of you but I need sleep. This last weekend I was up until around four in the morning and then had to be up and ready by eight the next morning. On Saturday I was working and my eyes started to burn. I physically could not accomplish the tasks that I needed to. During the school year my average night sleep is about five hours. This is just not enough. As a student it is essential to be healthy to ensure performance is at its highest level. From now on this semester my goal is to average around six hours of sleep a night during the week days and seven and a half on the weekends. I feel that as a student I will have more success. So sleep is not for the weak it is for the intelligent. How much sleep do you get at night? How is your performance in school? I urge you to ask yourself this question. You will do better in life if you are getting the correct amount of sleep. A well rested person is a happy person.

My crazy crazy life

Often when I tell people my schedule they cannot believe it. They ask me how I do it. Sure desperation and strong willpower are the answers. This semester I am taking 18 credits while working 30 hours a week and trying to maintain a social life. My mornings start around 4 or 4:30 depending on the day. I start will a run for about an hour and a brief upper body workout. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I leave the house by 7 for school. I am at school until close to nine when I go to work until around four or five in the evening. After work I generally have a group meeting for one of my classes or homework to do. On Mondays and Wednesdays I have responsibilities for my ward from 7:30 to 9:30. After that I work on homework until around midnight. Tuesdays are a special day; I go to school from 8 in the morning until 9 at night. Right now because of the snow I have to leave by 6:10 to have a ride. Thursdays I leave at the same time as Tuesdays but only have class until 4 when I go to work until around 9:30. Fridays and Saturdays are mostly work days and when I am not a work I have a ton of homework and family obligations. Most people would think that Sundays would be a relaxing day but for me they are not. I end up going to church with my little brother at 9-12 then to my singles ward from 1-4. Plus going to two wards I have meetings and firesides I have to attend and two different families to eat Sunday dinner with. If I make it through this semester it will be a miracle.

Snow

I have decided that snow after January first is very depressing. This past Sunday it snowed six inches by the time I woke up in the morning. Being the good person I am I went out and started to shovel the driveway and sidewalks. To shovel it all took around an hour. It started snowing very hard about halfway done and continued to snow for the next hour after I had finished. At the end of the day another three inches of snow were on the ground that I had shoveled. Nine inches of snow in one day is just too much for me. I hate being cold. Every time I go outside regardless of how careful I am my pants get soaked. Snow is beautiful and good for our area I'll give you that, but it really is depressing when it is always around. The worst thing is the fact that in Utah it could keep on snowing until May. It could get warm and then all of a sudden it will snow. There are times when I wished that I lived in Arizona. Maybe I will become like the old people that live in New York during the summer and Florida in the winter. Once I am done with school I am going to live wherever it is warm and rarely snows.

The Joy of PB&J

For almost two weeks I have survived on a diet consisting of mainly peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It is cheap and fairly good for you. I have saved on average around 50 dollars a week by packing these sandwiches to school and work. I discovered that I would not die from only eating two sandwiches a day. Better yet I have also managed to lose some weight. A good pb&j can keep you going for at least 12 hours with limited stomach pain. My diet used to consist of at least one sometimes two fast food meals. I never realized how much money this was costing me. Then it hit me if I was not spending so much money on food I would be able to buy things I actually want. I could one day buy a car. The snow is not so great for my scooter. If I live on pb&j sandwiches for the next three years I will be able to afford a car. There are a few things that I do to ensure that the sandwiches are up to par. First I always us raspberry jelly on my sandwiches because it is the most delectable. Also keeping the sandwich in a Tupperware and not a plastic baggy will ensure that there is no smashing during the day. Last I eat is slowly so it will fill me up more. I would suggest to all of you to find out how much money you are spending on food and stop.

Have you ever told someone something and you didn't want the information spread. Well some people just do not know how to keep a secret. The rule of thumb should be to never tell other people anything that does not pertain to you individual. This is a pretty intense rule that probably no one can ever actually obey. Today a secret I revealed in confidence was shared with another. I was angry and confused. I wanted to scream at this person and get them in trouble. Then I realized that I have told things that someone else would rather not be shared. It is part of humans to want to talk about other people. They want to know how others are doing, what they like, who they are dating and who cheated on whom. There is an innate desire to talk about other people because it takes the focus from their own flaws. It is easy for someone to become upset by other people telling secrets. When was the last time that person spread gossip? This is a question everyone should ask themselves before they judge others. Life is simple. Before you get angry others for something realize that they are just humans too.

Femy guys

I have a track record of dating guys that are more feminine than some of my girl friends. It all started with a boyfriend who decided he wanted to be a girlfriend. Matt broke my heart and I am still trying to pick up the pieces. Then there was a boy who liked baking more than he liked to be with me. The trail of failures has not ceased to amaze me. Recently I have been trying to discover why I subconsciously try to sabotage love in my life. Today my friend said that it is my way of staying out of a serious relationship. This begs the question why don't I want a serious relationship? That is when it hit me, subconsciously I fear relationships because I think that I will not be able to accomplish my goals. So the solution to my problem is to date only hot, single, and manly men that are not searching for anything serious. Does this make me sound like a player? Possible, but is there something wrong with playing the Field when you are nineteen and in college. Now I just have to learn how to play the field. This may sound easy to the average person; to me this sounds like walking of a cliff. I like to feel secure I like to think that there will be someone there to catch me. So why if I like commitment, am I so afraid of serious relationships. The real answer I have no idea. There are few times in my life that I have simply had no reasonable explanation for something in my life and it is a terrifying situation. Now on to a new topic. Balancing school, church, and life, is often a very challenging situation. With eighteen credits, working at least 25 hours a week and juggling other responsibilities there is not any time left for a social life. But sometimes you have to choose between good, better, or what is best. Until this semester I thought that the most important part of my life was school but now I am coming to realize that there is so much more to life than getting 120% in a class. I have learned that you can do well in school and in life at the same time. I think that this is what life is really about is learning who I am and what I can become.

Want kids, think again!

I have come to the conclusion that the answer to wanting children is to spend a few hours with someone else's kids. My friend has been staying with her mother over the last few weeks along with her two children ages 3 and 1. Now these kids are absolutely adorable but it has made me realize how hard kids are when you have them around twenty four hours a day seven days a week. I think it is hard to fit everything in my schedule into one day just imagine factoring in baths, diaper changes, naps, snacks, meals and buckling car seats any time you need to go anywhere. Those things alone add at least five hours to a day when you cant do other things. Now I am not saying that I don't like children. I love kids, playing ball with my nephew and Barbies with my niece are some of my favorite pastimes. I just don't want any children of my own quite yet. On Sunday my nephew was staying with me and he had an accident on my king size love sac. To clean up this one mess involved giving him a bath, acquiring clean church cloths, washing the dirty clothes, removing the love sac cover and washing that. This whole process took at least an hour and that does not count the day that it took for the love sac to air dry. But the hardest thing was not letting my nephew know that this upset me. It was not his fault he had an accident and letting him know how upset I was would just make matters worse than they already were. Now I add my favorite place to study children at the mall. I work in a woman's clothing store and see children with their mothers all day long. Most kids are good for the first few minutes but any longer than that in one store they are crying, throwing things on the floor or dumping out the contents of their drinks. Now the moms usually have three responses to these actions. The first is ignoring their child and hope they will quite, this just perpetuates the situation. The next would be to yell at the child and make just as much a disruption as their child. The last response is few and far between, this is when the parent actually makes an effort to find out the problem their child is experiencing and solve it. Everyday I am reminded that i am just not ready for the responsibility of children, cute as they may be.

The saga of winter semester

I have found that winter semester is the most difficult to attend. It is cold and often snowy and all I want to do is stay in my house and stay warm. Then there is the added stress of paying for school. I just spent tons of money on Christmas and now I have to pay hundreds of dollars to sit in class when I would much rather be curled up in front of my fireplace reading a good book. There is nothing wrong with school, it is great to learn new things and better who I am but who wants to get up and go to school when it is pitch black outside. Then there is work, I have to work nearly thirty hours a week just to support myself through school and there is never any money left to spend on entertainment. Why is it that we go through all this schooling when much of it is unnecessary. The classes required for my major are great and I am learning the required skills for my future but the general ed classes are seriously a joke. The worst grade that I have acquired in all my college years was in a general ed class that I will most likely never use. Another frustrating issue is exercise as I am very poor I cannot afford a gym pass and run outdoors to stay in shape. This semester I have been seriously slacking in this endeavor. I get up but it is so cold outside that I freeze just thinking about running. When I do get out and run as fate would have it I slip and fall on the ice preventing running for at least a week. To make matters worse I am sick of my wardrobe but all the winter cloths are now either too small or to large because they have been on clearance since after Christmas but it is too cold to buy and wear any of the new spring lines that are now available. In Utah winter can continue until April or even sometimes May, I will have to wear the same boring winter clothes until the end of the semester. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel call graduation. One day (at the end of April) I will finish this long, cold, eighteen credit semester and graduate to move on to new and exciting paths. I will have learned the skills that will help me in my career, well some of them. It will be a glorious day and hopefully a warm day.