Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Kids, Kids, Kids

My sister just had her second baby two weeks ago and he is so cute! Now I have two nephews to take care of (lol). My nephew is so awesome and I love him to death, but he has a little attitude problem sometimes (like most kids). My sister will let him get away with murder, but he knows his aunt Tina doesn’t play that! If he comes to my house he behaves some of the time, but he will at least listen to me if I tell him to do something. Yesterday, I took him to Chucky Cheese and he had a blast. We were there for at least two hours and just as I dragged him out of there, he already wanted to go back. My mom took him to Chucky Cheese two weeks ago and when they ran out of money he called me on the phone and said “Tina, I need you. I need more money for the Chucky Cheese. Please Tina, I love you.” Now how are you supposed to say no to that?! He is so cute and he loves to talk on the phone, so he found one game at Chucky Cheese where you just talk on the phone to Chucky and his friends and he played on that one for about half an hour (off and on). My nephew is so funny; I wouldn’t know what to do without him because he is just so funny. He calls and I won’t a clue what he’s saying until he gets to the end of his own little conversation and says “I miss you Tina, love you, bye.” I’m excited that my sister had another baby, but I have only seen him once since I work so much. I’m planning to stop working on Saturdays so I can have some free time and see my nephews.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Keeping My Fingers Crossed

This is it! The semester’s finally over and done with, and I couldn’t be happier! I still have a couple of assignments to finish, but besides that, I’m done. My journey this semester with online classes wasn’t as bad as I had expected. I still miss having face to face classes sometimes, but it’s just not something that’s feasible for me at the moment. I really thought that I would have some type of technical difficulties at some point during the semester, but I am happy to say I didn’t even have one. For me that is definitely a lucky break because I always have something happen where my computer crashes, my USB port breaks in half, or something to cause me to lose a an assignment and I just go crazy. Everything about my online classes was very self explanatory in terms of using WebCT and whatnot. I was actually very surprised by this because I have taken online classes many times before and it is not always pretty, whether the reason be the school, the teacher, and of course my computer skills. At the end of the day, as long as I get my degree I’m happy. I’ve gone through a lot of things in my life and no one will stop me from pursuing my dreams. It takes a lot to knock me down so if something gets in the way of what I’m trying to accomplish then I am definitely not going down without a fight. And that’s a fact. Well, I still have another year to go before I graduate from UHCL (keeping my fingers crossed) so let’s see what I get myself into next semester…

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

What's Love Got To Do With It?

I never would have thought it would happen, but we got ANOTHER baby. She will be eight weeks old this Saturday and she is so adorable. The problem is I told my boyfriend that I didn't want any more babies but here we are again and I just don't think I have the energy or patience to start all over again with another one since the other two are big boys now. Oh, did I mention that my babies are actually dogs? Sometimes I forget to clarify that since people who already know me understand who I'm talking about. Since she's so little we have to go outside with her when she goes "pee pee" and make sure she doesn't chew on the grass because it makes her tummy sick (she's already ate some when we weren't looking and then threw up all over the house). I feel like I won't have any time left for myself, I already don't have much time as it is. I take long, really long showers to try to get away from all the chaos in the house.

We named the baby Lilly by the way. She's really feisty and doesn't take any crap from her big brothers (LOL). When they try to play with her or don't want to share their toys she fights back. At least I don't have to worry about them beating her up because she can certainly fend for herself. My boyfriend and I were trying to choose between the names Lilly, Chaos, Feisty, Lil Mama, or Princess. We figured there are too many baby's named princess; I just didn't care for the other names too much so Lilly just stuck. I can finally dress up a little girl so she can have a lot of pink but I just don't want to deal with it right now. Oh well, as long as Carlos takes care of her, I'll be fine.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

What's Love Got To Do With It?

I can’t honestly say that I “love” school, but what’s love got to do with it anyways? There are many things I may say I love— like action movies or basketball but school— is not on my list at all. However, I do believe school is important in order to get good jobs and everything that comes along with having a good job like a nice car, nice house, the ability to care for your family etc. No one has ever actually told me that I have to love school in order to pursue my education; they just said I will need to like (or love) my profession because I will probably be doing it for the great majority of my working life (unless I go back to school to train for another profession). I’ve know people who go through their whole four years (sometimes six years) of higher education and started off in their profession only to discover that they hate it with a passion. They either have to figure out what else they can do with the degree they have or go back to school and start all over again. Sometimes going back to school isn’t even an option because they already owe so much money in student loans that to take out more would put them in debt for a very long time. Well, love is a very strong word anyways because love and hate are so closely tied together. If school were easy and fun everyone would do it and then that would defeat the purpose of having a degree in the first place. If everyone was qualified in the same ways, it would be hard to stand out.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Online Classes

Well, so far this semester my online classes have not been horrible but I still would prefer to have a regular face to face class. Many people assume that online classes are easier than face to face classes because you don’t have to take time out of your schedule to go to class and you can do the assignments at your own pace. I have taken online classes many times before, so I already know what to expect as far as the work load and the commitment that is necessary to complete the class. A person has to be extremely disciplined and use their time wisely in order to pass an online class and even more so to get an A. Although there is no set class time, the person must set aside time themselves to learn the material and then do homework for the class as well. There are chapters that need to be read, quizzes to take, and papers to write. It seems like you would have more free time by not having to attend classes but that is not always the case. People who may have a hectic schedule like mine may not even have enough time in their schedules to fit in a face to face class. Others may have plenty of time but just want to take an online class to have more free time. Those are the people who usually get into trouble with online classes because they think it’s going to be an easy A. The truth is people who put in a lot of effort into the online class tend to make better grades. Hopefully, students will look into their options for online classes versus face to face classes and make an educated decision for themselves. Someday I hope I will be able to take face to face classes again but for now I’m online.

-Katrina Thompson

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

When will it End?

Believe it or not school will eventually come to an end for most of us; I just wish it would end soon. I think I’m just starting to get the end of semester blues and I’m getting tired of writing papers, reading long chapters, doing homework, taking quizzes, etc. etc. I need a break and I need it soon. I don’t even want to wait for summer to come around; I want to take a vacation now (lol). On top of that I cannot wait to finally finish school altogether. I have at least another four years before I get my Masters degree at the rate I’m going (since I have only been taking two classes per semester). Oh well, everyone has to slow down sometime or other because of different situations in life. I am planning to enjoy myself this summer; I want to take a road trip to Austin because I like the River Walk they have there. I’m going to take my dogs to the park, the beach, and wherever else I can think of. I’m just going to have some fun and maybe take care of my nephews.

Of course I will probably still take a summer class to make up for only taking two classes this semester, but I will still make time to just relax. Sometimes, that’d easier said than done. I don’t care because I am going to have fun and maybe even hang out with my friends. That would be nice. I have been trying to find ways to get rid of this end of semester blues but so far I haven’t had any luck. This seems to be the quiet before the storm of finals comes along. Well, I haven’t found a cure for them yet but if anyone out there knows something that might help, please let me know.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Summer School

The semester is a little more than half way over and I’m thinking about classes to enroll in for the summer semester. I’m not going to lie, I really don’t want to take any summer classes, but I’ve only been taking two classes per semester for the last year or so and I don’t want to be in school forever. I’m working on my Bachelors degree right now, but I still have to continue with school to get my Masters after that. If I only take two classes at a time I would be in school forever! Of course school is an important part of life, but I would really prefer if it were not the only thing. I do feel that it is vital to spend time with my family and friends, and if I am constantly focused on school and work then my personal relationships ultimately suffer.

This will be my first time taking summer classes at University of Houston-Clear Lake because last summer I took a vacation with my cousin and a couple of friends. I felt it was something I had to do to keep my sanity because I was at the point of not wanting to go to school anymore at all. I also know that I don’t want to “take a break” for a full semester because it would be difficult for me to return. I know I would get used to not having to worry about completing any homework, research papers, or final exams. It would be very easy to just quit, but I would prefer to continue and finish what I already started. It would have been a waste of a lot of time and effort over the last few years if I gave up now.

-Katrina Thompson

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Spring Break

Have you been waiting the entire semester for spring break? Well, it’s finally here! Now what? I know I’m always so excited for spring break and then I realize I have waited until the last minute to make plans for entertainment during the week. Even though I work most of the week I will at least hang out with my friends or just relax. Here are some things to do for spring break if you are not lucky enough to be off from work or school during spring break…

• You could go to the Rodeo. Even if you just walk around and eat it is a lot of fun and there are also carnival rides if you like that kind of thing.
• If it’s warm, you could go to Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Galveston. It costs about $25 to get in and everything inside is free except for food (of course).
• If you just want to relax, Galveston could be fun and you could just lie on the beach, enjoy the sun and scenery. Just avoid the Galveston water (lol).
• If you have kids, there is a new children’s museum that opened downtown and it’s free on Thursdays from 5pm until 8pm. The zoo also has entertainment for kids and is also located near the museum district.
• For the adults, the museum district has different museums such as the holocaust museum, the museum of natural science, and the art center.

Well, I hope this information will help you to enjoy your spring break. If you don’t do anything else, at least relax and enjoy a week off from school because pretty soon final exams will be here and that is just one more thing to stress about. Have fun!
-Katrina Thompson

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Fun on the weekends

I went to the Houston Rockets game on Sunday night and had so much fun! I love to watch basketball so when I had a chance to go to the game I was thrilled. I even bought a jersey in the official Rockets store at the Toyota center. We played against the Grizzlies and won with a final score of 93 to 83. Even though it sounds like a close game, the rockets actually pulverized the Grizzlies but they kept getting free throw shots which kept them in the game. The Rockets lost a total of 15 free throws, which is too many to miss and still win the game unless you are really hustling. Yao Ming is a great player who plays good defense for the team and is very big so other teams are afraid of him.
I also went to Galveston and it was weird to see how things look so different after hurricane Ike. There are still many places that have not been reopened yet due to people moving, issues with insurance paying for repairs, and other various problems. The seawall is usually at least a 15 foot drop but when I went it was only about a five foot drop. The storm really moved the sand because the winds were so strong. Compared to how bad the storm was it really isn’t so bad down there since a lot has been cleaned up and rebuilt. Not to mention they still had Mardi Gras in Galveston which I really didn’t expect them to do this year but people still went to it. I heard it wasn’t as big as it usually is, but I know the people of Galveston really needed the tourist money to help in rebuilding everything in their community.
-Katrina Thompson

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

My Faves

I have many favorite things that I like to do and places I like to go that are near University of Houston Clear Lake. Here are some of my favorite things to do here in Houston that are nearby:

Music
Shirlocks is a little pool hall that has music and entertainment. I love country music; it’s one of my favorite types of music to listen to. I listen to many different types of music ; there is a song by Brad Paisley called Whiskey Lullaby that I absolutely love even though it’s sad. They don’t necessarily play country at this place though.
Movies
There is a movie theatre called Cinemark that is about ten to fifteen minutes from the UHCL campus. Iron Man and Forgetting Sarah Marshall are two of my favorite movies of 2008. They were both hilarious movies and are a must see. But I like action movies and comedies— none of that girly stuff.
TV Shows
There are TVs at various locations on campus if you need to relax for a while in between classes. My all time favorite TV show is I Love Lucy. I have seen every episode at least twice.
Food
Chinese food is one of my favorite cuisines. There is a good Chinese place called ‘888 Chinese Restaurant’ that has really good food.
Stores
Baybrook Mall is about ten minutes from campus and has many clothing stores. I like to shop at New York and Company for my work clothes and Macy’s for my regular comfortable clothes.
Car Dealerships
There are car dealerships near campus also. The Nissan Murrano SL is the car that I want to buy so badly. Hopefully I can get it soon because I need to get a new car.

-Katrina Thompson

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

My Favorite Shoes

Last week I told you all about the new addition to my family named Max. He is as cute as he can be and a sweetheart too! But yesterday I came home to find that he chewed up my favorite pair of shoes. I could have killed him, I was so mad. I put them (him and my other dog Toby) outside in the backyard for an hour and put their beds outside the room. I’m furious because I really loved those shoes. My dogs are inside babies so putting them outside is a punishment for them; they get anxious to come inside when outside too long. Max has been known to chew up things in the house like hats, sheets, and the wall. Yes, he actually chewed at the wall until the paint chipped off in quite a few different places at home. If he wasn’t so cute I would get rid of him in a heartbeat, but I really love him— he’s my baby. I carry him around like a real baby that’s why he’s so spoiled now since he thinks he can get away with murder. I always say that the day he touches my textbooks will be the last day he sees the sun shine (well, not literally but I would at least give him away). He’s a puppy so I know he’s teething, but that’s no excuse. I buy him tons of chew toys, bones, and anything else he might want but instead of chewing on that he eats my shoes. Anyone who has had a puppy with problems chewing things can understand what I’m talking about from experience. I just can’t decide what to do because I love Max but really loved those shoes (lol). Well, I’ll just have to go get a new pair of them but I want that exact same pair
-Katrina Thompson

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Conflict

I am taking an online class this semester called Family Psychology and it is very interesting. It teaches you about family strengths and how to resolve conflict in a relationship, different things like that. I am surprised how much I’m learning because I thought it would be a common sense type of class. It is to some degree, but there are aspects of the class that you really do have to study hard to comprehend. I know everyone will have a relationship issue at one point. Whether it is with your parents, spouse, or children; it is inevitable to bypass conflict. Conflict can range from everyday issues such as household chores to something as difficult as a divorce. Either way you must know how to resolve conflict if you want to continue the relationship with the person. These are the top five conflict resolution issues for married couples: 1.) One person ends up feeling responsible for the problem 2.) One goes out of the way to avoid conflict 3.) Their differences never get resolved 4.) They have different ideas about how to resolve the issue 5.) They have serious fights about issues that are unimportant (Source: Adapted from Olson, Fye & Olson, 1999). It can’t hurt to figure out ways to resolve conflict without it becoming detrimental to the relationship. It always helps to know the best ways to resolve a conflict than to just “wing it” and hope for the best. I think that it is very beneficial for people to take classes like these and improve their relationships with people. Although this class is a lot of work, it is also interesting and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who needs an elective course. I might be biased about the class being so good since I m a behavioral sciences major, but I still think that everyone can benefit from the class.

Katrina Thompson

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The Good Old Days

Remember the good old days when you lived at home with your parents and they paid for everything, cooked for you, and even washed your clothes for you? Man, I miss those days. Of course there are always bad times to go along with the good times because as a kid, you always think you are right and your parents are wrong. Period. That’s all there is to it. You would think: “These ‘old’ people (you’re parents) are crazy and trying to control my life.” Well, maybe they weren’t so crazy after all because now that you are older, and maybe have kids of your own, you can understand what it is like worrying about them. It may seem to a child that you are “nagging” them when in fact; you just want them to be safe.
Now you are out in the real world going to school and working at (or trying to get hired for) a real job. Life is not the easiest thing to deal with and a vacation is always a nice escape. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I miss my mom washing my clothes, her cooking, and not have to clean up after myself. Most of all I miss not having bills (and those Saturday morning cartoons when you just veg out and watch TV all day long and eat cereal).
For me those days have been long gone but it sure would be nice to go back in time, even if only for one week, to enjoy a little relaxation without worries. Man, that would be nice but I have to face reality and know that it doesn’t work that way. Too bad….

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

New Additions

I have a new addition to my little family. My puppy named Maxwell is my new love! He is so adorable because he always wants kisses from me. When I get home he and my other baby, named Toby, come running to see me and jump up and down because they are so excited. Maxwell is a Chihuahua mixed with some type of fury dog and Toby is a Yorkie mixed with some other type of dog. They are so silly. When I try to sit down to do my homework, Max starts whining and will not stop until I pick him up. Right now I am trying to potty train him and it has gotten a lot better over the last month. When we first got him he would pee and poo poo everywhere! I would be so mad at him when I got home because we have to clean up after him. The other day, I came home and he was chewing on the back of my chucks. I really wanted to stay mad at him but he kept looking at me with his big brown puppy eyes. If anyone else is having trouble house training a dog, here are some suggestions:
Establish a Routine:

• Like babies, puppies do best on a regular schedule. Take your puppy outside frequently—at least every two hours—and immediately after he wakes up from a nap, after playing, and after eating or drinking.
• Praise your puppy lavishly every time he eliminates outdoors—you can even give him a treat—but remember to do so immediately after he's finished eliminating, not after he comes back inside the house. This step is vital, because rewarding your dog for eliminating outdoors is the only way he'll know what's expected of him

Keep Your Eyes Peeled:

• Don't give your puppy an opportunity to soil in the house; keep an eye on him whenever he's indoors. You can tether him to you with a six-foot leash, or use baby gates to keep him in the room where you are. Watch for signs that he needs to eliminate, like sniffing around or circling. When you see these signs, immediately grab the leash and take him outside to his bathroom spot. If he eliminates, praise him lavishly and reward him with a treat.

Well I hope this information helps some because it really helped me out a lot!

Katrina Thompson

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Welcome Back!

Welcome back everyone! I hope everyone's break went well and is ready to get back to class. I’m actually okay with getting back in the groove of doing homework (I would usually be dreading it right now). My classes are both online this semester and I'm a little bit nervous about it, but I think I will be okay. I initially signed up for three online courses, but on the first day of class after reading thru all of the syllabi, decided to drop one of them. This is my second semester here at University of Houston-Clear Lake and I am very excited to be back again. I do not plan on leaving until I get my Bachelors degree. The counselors said I probably have two years left if I only take two classes per semester, so that kind of sucks, but I’ll be good.

There is an upcoming event campus for anyone who would like to attend:

Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Student Organization Expo
10:00 am - 6:00 pm, Bayou Atrium II
Open to all.

Come visit with student organization leaders who represent different professional, interest, and honor organizations on campus. Also the student service offices will host informational booths as well. Stop by and visit and have some free popcorn and lemonade!
Sponsor: Student Life
Contact: Michelle Kaltenbach, 281-283-2560

That’s just some general information in case anyone is interested in joining a student organization. Now that we are back in class, I have been thinking about joining a club of some sort but I can’t decide what I want to join, so you all just might see me at this upcoming event. Well, I hope everyone has a good semester!

-Katrina Thompson

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

It’s Over

Well everyone, the semester is finally over and I couldn’t be happier! This has been such a long semester for me and I’m sure it has been long for all of you too. I just finished writing my final paper for the semester and I’m about to study for a final exam that I’m going to take tomorrow. This final shouldn’t be too hard because I feel pretty prepared for it compared to what I have felt in other semesters. I survived my first semester at University of Houston Clear Lake and I enjoyed it. I hope to be able to take more classes next semester and join a club on campus (if I have enough time). Of course, every semester has its ups and downs but ultimately it was all worthwhile. It was good being able to blog and tell everyone the experiences of my first semester; I hope you all will join me in my start of a new semester in the spring. Over this semester I have learned new things, and met a lot of new people who I hope to keep in contact with. I can’t believe it’s already time for Christmas and soon after that, New Years. Time flies by way too fast. By the time you finally finish one holiday, another one sneaks up on you. Merry Christmas everyone and have a happy New Year!

Katrina Thompson

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Thanksgiving: Come and Gone

I can’t believe Thanksgiving has already come and gone. Time goes by way too fast! The next time I look up it’s going to be Christmas already. Before Halloween had even started, stores started putting up Thanksgiving items so it is hard to believe that it has already passed. This year did not really feel like Thanksgiving, I guess I just was not in the holiday spirit and I did not even eat much until today (the Sunday after Thanksgiving). Oh well, at least I ate some eventually I guess. I know you all are trying to figure out what to do with all those leftovers so here are a few tips:

• One idea is to have a day after Thanksgiving party. Since you got to spend Thanksgiving Day with your family, you can spend the day after with friends and have a Potluck where everyone brings food. You will have fun and get to get rid of all that extra food in your house!
• Another idea is to have a turkey salad if you have a lot of it left over. It’s so simple; just prepare the salad as usual and reheat some turkey slices in the oven. After that, dice the turkey or cut it into strips and you have an easy salad.
• A simple way to eat the leftovers is by making a turkey sandwich. All you need to do is grill your bread on a George Forman Grille and heat the turkey slices. After that, you can add lettuce and tomatoes if you like them and it’s delicious.

Katrina Thompson

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

And The Search Continues…

Why is it so difficult to find a good job that can work around a school schedule? Well, I know the craziness in that. Trying to find a job that fits my schedule and can also prepare me for my career is not easy. Recently, I got some excellent advice on this subject and want to share it with you all.

Job Search Steps:

• Set clear career goals
• Establish a career network
• Develop an effective marketing presentation (such as resume and cover letter)
• Be proactive

Job Preparation tips:

• Volunteer or Intern, this is almost as important as the degree itself
• Business: take a business class (management) so that you understand how businesses operate
• Network!

All of this information can help to acquire a better job upon graduation. I always hear about people complaining that all the jobs they apply for require some type of previous experience on top of having a degree. Now days you can avoid that problem by volunteering and it can also help you identify the field within your major that best suits you. There are many volunteer opportunities available. Depending on your major, a person can volunteer at a hospital, school, counselor’s office, etc. Do not let not having experience hold you back from getting a job you want. If you have already invested so much time and money into going to school to get your degree, you should take a little more time to invest into volunteering so you can get your “dream job” once you graduate. So if you do not want the search to extend for a long time, you should try volunteering. And yes I know it sounds like it can take up too much time, but you can volunteer once a month if you want.

Katrina Thompson

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

We Got Cable!

I have been living in my apartment complex for about one year now and finally got cable. My roommate and I have been discussing the possibility of getting cable, but we both thought that if we got it— we might not focus on our school work (lol). We thought we would never look at another page of homework again, but so far it has not been bad at all. As a matter of fact, I have barley had a chance to watch TV. I may have sat down and watched it about three times so far (even though we have had it for about a week and a half). At my mom’s house, they got cable right before I moved out and I only got to watch it for a couple days. And even when we did not have cable at my house, I did not feel like I was really missing anything special. Now I want to keep cable so that I won’t have to rent movies. I can just watch something on cable instead of the stupid court TV shows that broadcast television offers. Thanks to cable I will enjoy flipping through one thousand channels of nothingness and find the three channels with something interesting to watch. I just need to make sure that I don’t get pulled into watching TV instead of doing my homework, studying, or anything else that is productive. There are too many channels to watch and I do not want to mindlessly flip through all of those channels when I have other stuff to do. I would love to have days when I could just plop down on the couch and watch TV all day, but I just don’t have time right now.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

So Much to Do, So Little Time

I'm sure everyone has had that horrible feeling of having so much to do and not enough time to do it all. That happens to me all the time! Especially this semester since everything got pushed back with the hurricane. Now it’s getting near the end of the semester and the remaining workload is starting to catch up with us students. Of course everyone has been trying so hard to catch up, but in between work and catching up with school, it seems impossible. Today alone I have to write an entire research paper so I can finish that one and start on another research paper tomorrow. They both have to be at least 1250 words each and include a cover page, references, and Toulmin sheet. I know I can do it well; I really don't have much of a choice (LOL) because I'm not going to drop this class (it's past the drop date now anyways). I have to plan out my days very carefully over the next few weeks in order to finish all of my assignments on time; so I won’t be going out with friends any time soon. Oh well, at least we can have a end of semester party or something to celebrate surviving this semester. Whenever I graduate from school I'm definitely going out to celebrate. I might even get myself a new car (if I have enough money). That would be a good gift for me. I always try to get myself something if I do well or achieve a goal I have set for myself. I always get myself something nice for Christmas too. Who else knows what you want better than you. I told myself that if I finish both of these research papers this week I would go and get a manicure and a pedicure because I deserve it. That will make a total of three papers I have written in one week because I’ve already written a paper for another class last night.

Katrina Thompson

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

High Pay Without a Degree?

Lately I have been reading a lot about ways to get high pay without getting a degree and sometimes wonder if it is true. If it is true then why is it that we go to college? Well, college is not only a place to learn more about the world, but it is a place for young people to find themselves and experience different things without them getting into (too much) trouble. I decided to try to look into these jobs that they were advertising as high pay without a degree and discovered that in most of the ones I uncovered, the minimum of a Bachelor's degree is actually required. Aren't I glad I actually check up on things and not just believe everything I read (lol). Some people do not have the opportunity to go to school for various issues that may come up in life such as work, kids, and family responsibilities. Going to school is definitely a privilege that not everyone can afford. I cannot actually afford college myself without applying for loans and scholarships, but I do whatever is necessary to accomplish my goals in life. Nothing in life is easy, but you have to be prepared for any challenges that may be presented to you. Things are hard sometimes because you want things that you cannot have yet. You may look at friends who did not go to school but have full time jobs that pay the bills. Sometimes you wish that you did not have to toil so hard working part time jobs and going to school. I have never found anyone who regrets going to school but I have met many people who regret not going.

Katrina Thompson

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Travel

There are so many places I want to visit. In the United States alone — I have a huge list of places to go and things to see. I know for sure I want to go to New York City in the winter and see snow since it does not snow here in Houston. I want to go Christmas shopping there (and go window shopping like they do in the movies). I am going to plan a trip to NYC someday and do everything there is to do there: like seeing the Statue of Liberty and going ice skating in Central Park. I also want to go to Las Vegas, Nevada and visit the casinos. I have heard it is so cool there; I have been to casinos but never the kind they have in Vegas. Outside of the United States, I want to go to Paris, Venice, and Italy because I have seen pictures of them and they look so gorgeous! I know I cannot afford to go to all the places. I want to go when I finish school, so I can actually afford it (once I get a good job). I tried to figure out how long I have to wait before I can go on all of these trips; and knowing that I have four years to go before I’m done with school, I can probably start going on some of these trips in about five years. But I really don’t want to wait that long, so I am going to try to save up so I can start traveling next year (hopefully). I think if I finish school, I will land a good job and have enough money to support myself, have a nice place to stay, and go on vacations if I want to.

Katrina Thompson

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The Mid Semester Blues

I am definitely having what I like to call “The mid semester blues”. This is when the final drop day approaches and I’m not sure if I want to drop a class or keep it. It is also when everything starts piling up and I don’t feel like doing any more homework because there is so much of it to do. I have it even worse this semester (everyone does) because of the hurricane; we lost two weeks of the semester but still have the same amount of work and keeping up doesn’t seem possible. As soon as I finish one thing, something else is assigned or goes wrong. Whether it is my car messing up, catching up on bills, or being what I call a “chauffeur” (trying to get kids back and forth to school), there just never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything taken care of. Today alone, I need to write two papers for my writing class, read three chapters for psychology, and figure out what to write about for my next paper. I really need all of this to be done by 7p.m., but I know that is impossible. I am attempting to not drop any classes because I have never dropped a class before and I really don’t want to start now. I don’t have money to waste like that because school is not free and it isn’t cheap either. When I was in junior college, I paid my way through school because I didn’t want to get any student loans. But now it’s too expensive for me to do that and I have no other choice. I don’t want to waste my money or time for that matter because I would prefer not to have to take the class again. While I don’t care for this class, I need it for my major and I’ll have to take it eventually anyway. There is no point in starting over if I don’t have to.

Katrina Thompson

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Starbucks

Have you ever been in Starbucks and wondered what all the hype is about? People are sitting around with their laptops out and ordering drinks that are about five words long (like a caramel vinte mocha late frapachino or a tall minty tazo tea light on the ice), heavy on the cream. When I’m in Starbucks (like I am right now while I’m writing this blog) I sometimes listen to people as they order; some are so serious about getting that perfect cup of coffee and I just laugh. We will pay four dollars for a cup of coffee and put it on a credit card but complain about being broke and paying rent late. I just think it’s funny how people can get priorities so mixed up— they think they can afford seven cups of coffee per week, and if you add that up it is about one hundred and twelve dollars that could have been saved a month and used towards more important things. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll buy Starbucks for myself every once in a while but it’s definitely not on a daily or weekly basis. I guess if you drink coffee every day it suits you, but I’m not a big coffee drinker anyways. I get all the flavors that are so sweet, you can’t even taste the coffee in them. I do like going to Starbucks to study because it is a lot easier to concentrate on things I need to do like homework, writing a blog, etc. Now that we have Starbucks I can’t remember what I used to do before we had it. I guess maybe I went to the library or locked myself up in my room so I wouldn’t get interrupted. I guess people always need a third place to go and take care of things. The first place is home because that is the most comfortable place, the second place is work because you spend a lot of your day there, and the third place is Starbucks (or so it seems) because you can escape home and work to take care of things for the first two places without interruption.

Katrina Thompson

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Puppy Love

I have never been an animal lover, ever. When I would see dogs I would try to get as far away as possible; cats were absolutely out of the question. Now don’t get me wrong, I always thought small dogs were cute (from a distance) but I didn’t want to touch them or them to touch me. Then about two months ago I started thinking about wanting a puppy, but I still didn’t want it to touch me or live with me and get fur all over my furniture. I came up with a great idea (it was only great to me lol) that I could get a dog and let him live with someone else. I could go visit it sometimes and it would technically be my dog, but I wouldn’t have to touch it. Well, recently all this changed when my boyfriend got a dog for him and I. I thought for sure that I would take off in the opposite direction but after a day or two the little guy started to grow on me. I actually started to pet him, feed him, and I even gave him a bath. I was very surprised at myself and realized maybe I haven’t really been an animal hater all along (I just thought I was). Now I’m always in Petsmart buying him toys and cute little shirts that say things like “bad to the bone” and “I love my mommy”. It’s so adorable! I even gave him a Mohawk because I want him to be punk rock cute since my boyfriend doesn’t like me to dress him up. I like him because he’s just so cute and he sits there while I do my homework until I get ready to take him for a walk. So this is what puppy love is…

-Katrina Thompson

Monday, September 29, 2008

Getting Back to Normal

Getting back to normal after hurricane Ike is not an easy task. I must admit that I was very skeptical about the hurricane in the first place and because of this, I was shocked about its impact on our community. After the storm people needed necessities such as ice and bottled water and they were both very hard to come by. Personally, I waited in a line for two hours just to purchase ice and water to keep drinks cold. The Mayor kept announcing that we needed to boil our tap water before drinking it but the problem was that not everyone had gas stoves to do so. When gas stations finally opened up there were people waiting in line up to four hours just to buy gas. It was an eerie feeling because you could drive around and there were no stores open, no stop lights working, nothing but darkness. I guess if you live in the country this may not be strange for you, but in a big city like Houston there is never complete and total darkness. We have some places that are open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week so we are used to getting what we want whenever we want it.
Now school finally started back and things are getting back to normal. Not everyone has electricity and many stop lights still do not work. But everyone just wants to get back to some sense of normalcy and put all this behind them.
Many people did lose their homes so just “putting this behind them” is not an option for them. For some of my courses at school we will have to make up a class on the weekend to get enough credit hours. I think everyone is just trying to catch up. I have to study for a test and write a paper that’s due tomorrow so I will have to blog again on another day…

Wednesday,September 10, 2008

Get Prepared

Everyone I know is getting prepared for hurricane Ike and is seemingly frantic. Maybe I’m just really optimistic or something but I’m not even worried about it at all. I absolutely refuse to evacuate too because I left for hurricane Rita and nothing even happened except sitting in traffic for 13 hours! It was horrible and after that I told myself I would never evacuate again unless it was by airplane. When my family and I evacuated for Rita, it took us 6 hours just to get to the Woodlands! It was crazy and I just can’t talk myself into doing that again. As much as everyone tries telling me to go, I just won’t do it.
Walking in the grocery store to buy supplies alone was a nightmare. To tell the truth, I just went in to buy some milk and had not even thought about buying extra supplies for the hurricane. As I looked around I heard people talking about “Ike” and I realized what was going on. The lines in Walmart were outrageous; waiting in line for at least 30 minutes was the only option in any grocery store that day. In the store, everything was running out like water, batteries, and flashlights. People are not trying to buy ice until after the storm because it will melt when the electricity goes out.

Even though I’m not in a panic, here are some things to do to be prepared for a hurricane:

• Develop a Family Plan
• Create a Disaster Supply Kit
• Have a Place to Go
• Secure your Home
• Have a Pet Plan

Some items to have in your disaster supply kit are:

• Food - at least enough for 3 to 7 days
• Water- at least 1 gallon daily per person for 3 to 7 days
• Non-perishable packaged or canned food and juices
• Foods for infants and the elderly
• Snack foods
• Non-electric can opener
• Cooking tools (paper plates, plastic utensils)
• First Aid Kit / Medicines / Prescription Drugs
• Toiletries and hygiene items
• Flashlight / Batteries / Radio
• Fully charged cell phone with extra battery and a traditional (not cordless) telephone
• Cash (with some small bills) and Credit Cards - Banks and ATMs may not be available for extended periods
• Keys
• Important documents - in a waterproof container or watertight resealable container

Wednesday,September 3, 2008

Old Friendships

I caught up with some old friends this past week from high school and San Jacinto College. When people graduate and move on to new schools, it sometimes becomes difficult to keep in touch with them. I caught up with my friend David from San Jac who also graduated this past semester and is now attending UHD. We had fun just catching up on things and finding out who goes to what school now and who moved out of state for college, things like that. He seems like he is enjoying UHD so far and trying to figure out where everything is located on campus. I don’t know where everything is at yet on my campus (except for the cafés because they have really good sandwiches lol).
I still keep in contact with most of my friends from San Jac because we went through a lot of things together—like studying for classes and surviving a geology class together. Geology is a hard class (don’t let it fool you) because it requires you to put in a lot of time and effort just like any other science class. My friend David and I were study buddies in this class and we survived the course! Many of the students dropped out, but we kept on trying to do our best. It’s important to have people/friends to study with in college because it really improves your ability to make it through a course. I’m not saying that you can’t pass a class without a study buddy, but trust me, it helps. Our Geology class went on a field trip and a lot of people became friends that way by working together and spending the whole day together on the trip (even though none of us were exactly excited about having to go on an all-day field trip on a Saturday).

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

School’s Back in Session!

We all know that the first week back in school is usually hectic, crazy, and even stressful. The morning of my first day of class was precisely that. I woke up late that morning and could not find my class schedule that I thought I had left out the night before so I wouldn’t lose it. On top of that, I had no idea what course it was (it could have been rocket science for all I knew) or what classroom is was held in. Surprise, surprise, my computer didn’t want to come on so I got frustrated and headed off to school. Luckily, UHCL has many information booths and computer stations available to students (so you can find the information you are looking for). If it hadn’t been for that, I would not have been able to find my classroom — especially since all the buildings look the same. I guess I’ll get used to it after a while. Overall, the first day was not as bad as I had expected. Even the writing class I’m taking seems pretty good, even though, I don’t like writing. My professors all seem pretty nice and laid back compared to some of my previous professors. One of my professors has our homework assignments on the UHCL website so I’m going to have to learn to use their website a little better to be sure I don’t get behind in class. I hope this semester goes good for me and everyone else because I really want to bring my GPA back up. I also want to find some on-campus clubs to join so I can meet some people and maybe get some better insight on the university.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Back to School

This week I have been trying to get prepared for school to start next week and it’s driving me crazy! I have been running back and forth to UHCL, trying to figure out what all I have left to do, so I am able to start classes. Within the last two days I have changed my class schedule about three times trying to make it just right. Getting ready to go back to school seems like it takes up so much time but it ends up being worth it. I have not even gone to look for my classes yet and I’m going to be so lost on Monday! Oh well, I’ll figure it all out once I get on campus. I need to go take my picture for my school ID, pay for classes, and buy my books before Monday; I hope everything works out as planned. I am still a little nervous about starting at a new school even though it sounds so childish — lol. Since I attended a different school before UHCL, I got accustomed to that campus, and now I need to figure out a whole new place. I feel like I need at least one more month of vacation before classes start, so I can take another vacation or something.

I’m starting to regret not searching for my professors on ratemyprofessors.com, but I had to choose some classes quickly since I was changing them at the last minute. Hopefully they are all good professors and I’m just being paranoid. Another thing I’m worried about is buying textbooks. I really hope they still have some used books so they won’t be so expensive! One thing I noticed so far is that UHCL is a lot cheaper than some other schools that I’ve checked into, so I think I’m getting a pretty good deal.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Long Days

The days this summer sometimes feel too long and boring, but I still prefer those days over going back to school! It’s not that I do not like school, I’m just not ready for it to start yet because I like the long days of summer where you can go to work all day and still have time to go out at night without worrying about homework. When it is summer time, a long day can consist of waking up, taking the kids to day care, going to work, picking the kids back up from day care, going home, and still having all night to chill with friends or get things done around the house. The difference when school is back in session is that you still do all of the aforementioned things plus school and homework, while subtracting time for friends and fun (except on the weekends!).
I am feeling a little nervous about starting school again but I just need to get back into my school mode and get prepared for late night study sessions, tests, quizzes, and final exams (eventually). Oh well, I guess I don’t have much of a choice except to get ready because I have a long time before I’ll be done with school. I have to go at least for my Masters degree and I’m working on my Bachelors degree right now. I can’t complain at all though because I know in the long run all of these long days will add up and it will all be worth it when I get to walk across the stage and get my degree. That day is going to be great! I’m definitely going to party that night because after all those long days and nights of studying I deserve to have a little fun!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Why Do I Need a MySpace?

Over the past 5 years, people seem to have become obsessed with MySpace. My question is why that happens. I guess I must be missing something or not excited about writing to people online. I’m used to picking up the phone and calling if I want to speak with someone. I hope someone can give me some insight on the subject because I try to be open-minded about things but dang! It may be that I’m usually pretty busy and just do not have enough time to sit down in front of the computer and see how interesting it actually is.
Many people tell me that it is a good way to keep in touch with friends who have moved out of state for college or whatever other reason. I can understand this argument because it is easier to just sit down and write whenever you have time instead of playing phone tag with someone. Another thing I heard is that people use that to set up study groups for classes, buy books from other students and things like that. I’m not old fashioned or anything; if someone text messages me to set up a time to study I would be happy with that because I always have my phone with me but not always a computer. They do say MySpace is a place for people to meet and communicate. It is a little internet community full of people you may talk to online that you would not talk to otherwise. I might set up my own account just to see what all the hype is about, but it just does not exactly excite me. It can’t hurt to at least try something once so I will know from firsthand experience what the hype is all about. I still just want to know, why do I need a MySpace account?

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Courage or No Courage? That is the question.

Today I was sitting around thinking about what it would be like to have courage. Sometimes I wish I could just try things that I’m afraid to do because life is so short. I want to climb a mountain or sail across the ocean, something that’s cool and out of the ordinary. Courage has always been something that I desired. Whether it is the courage to go sky diving s or something as simple as watching a scary movie by myself (even though I have never done either — yes, I know I’m chicken); I’ve never been brave when it comes to doing things that I consider scary. A funny thing about me is that I have never gone to a haunted house before and Halloween is definitely NOT my favorite holiday. Even my family knows I’m scared of a lot of things. Last week my cousin convinced me that I should go down a huge water slide when we went out of town for vacation together. I decided that I would do it, so I climbed up to the top and slid down the slide into 8-foot deep water! I’m not the best swimmer but I survived it. I screamed the whole way down the water slide but in the end I was happy that I decided to do it. Now if I can just try out a haunted house this Halloween… nah, never mind I think I better just start off with small things like a scary movie! I think that I have a different type of courage than what other people may define it as. I have gone through a lot of things throughout my life that were difficult but I decided to stay strong so I could make it through. There are many people who try to take the easy way out of going through emotional pain — by drinking or doing drugs but I had the courage to just face my problems head on. That’s my courage.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Roller Coaster

It's almost that time of year again! It is time for everyone to hurry, finish their summer classes, and take those final vacation days of the summer. The summer has gone by way too fast this year and I'm not ready for school to start again yet! Soon it will be time for fall classes to start. I needed to sign up for a couple more classes but I have a busy schedule, so I applied online using e-services for UHCL. It was crazy fast, and it only took the click of a few buttons before I was done. I'm not going to lie, I thought it was going to take a long time or be complicated but it was pretty self explanatory. I went and talked to the counselors first just to make sure I was planning to sign up for the right classes just so I don't sign up for anything I don't need.

I love going on vacations before school starts back so I can relax and get ready for another semester. Sometimes I feel like I'm tired of school (but then I think that I don't want to be broke for the rest of my life). I've worked a lot of crummy jobs before and I desire for a fulfilling career. Life can be like a roller coaster ride, there will be times that you go up and a lot of times where you feel like everything is going straight down. As long as you have goals set for yourself and you are determined then eventually you can arrive at the end of the roller coaster ride realizing that although it was a bumpy ride, you wouldn't be the same person without the things you have gone through. Anyways, now that I’m off my little spill about life (I got a little side tracked) I can get back to looking for some classes to sign up for .

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Howdy!

So this is UHCL… hmm, it’s bigger than I expected but everyone I’ve met so far has been nice and helps me find anything I’m looking for on campus. I need to take another tour of the campus so I can find everything. I still have to try to get some financial aid because I’m broke! I work so many different jobs to pay for books/classes that I forget where I’m supposed to be sometimes LOL. I’m so happy I decided not to take any classes this summer because I really needed a vacation. The last two semesters have been pretty crappy for me so I’m hoping for a good fall semester. Trying to get prepared to start classes for the fall is pretty easy because everything is done online. With my busy schedule I don’t have a lot of extra time to run back and forth to campus, and I try to avoid it if at all possible. With gas prices going sky high, I think I will check out the apartments around this area! I try to plan out my trips so when I fill up my tank, it lasts all week.

The best thing about college is that you have the opportunity to find out things about yourself, your interests, and different cultures. There are students of various age, race, gender, and background. Without going to college, there are some people who you may never meet. I have met students here who are interesting and have different cultures. I like learning new languages so I’m always interested when I meet a person who speaks another language. I’m trying to learn Spanish and Bosnian right now (I know someone who speaks it) so I can talk to people who don’t speak English. I’m hoping to learn French also but it seems so hard to pronounce the words.

Anyways, here goes my journey into life at UHCL!