It’s coming!

I am voting for the first time this year.  I could have voted 4 years ago but did not understand the importance of my vote, or take the time to become knowledgeable of the candidates or issues.  This year I have taken the time to do just that.  For COM416, my Public Relations capstone, we are working throughout the semester to create an information campaign about a political issue.  The issue I have been researching for this semester is Education (the No Child Left Behind Act, charter schools and vouchers) and during my research I became extremely interested in reading what Barack Obama and John McCain had to say about all of these issues.

I understand why I did not vote when I was 18, and why I find it so important 4 years later.  I am not saying that the issues and voting were not important 4 years ago, but I think a person can grow up so much in 4 years.  I understand more about the government and more in general now than I did when I was 18, but also I will be graduating soon and taxes, job opportunities and other things are so much more relevant to me now.

Something else I have found interesting through all of the debates and campaigning is how different my family feels about each of the candidates.  My family is completely split between the two and I love the heated conversations we get into about each of them.

Personally I will be voting for Barack Obama and am very proud to say so.  I think there definitely needs to be a change in the United States and I think he will give that to us.  Either way you plan on voting, I think it is great that you are doing so.  It is so important and obviously it can change the future of this country.

(I have also really enjoyed celebrity PSAs like Five Friends and Tina Fey’s amazing impersonations of Sarah Palin.)

So one of the many things that I love about this place is it gives us the ability to do things.  As simple as it sounds, this school give us so many opportunities to do what we want to do to further our education and prep for our careers, plus all the support behind it that we could want.

For example, I want to get into event coordination (and be a rockstar) so I plan concerts for the school… so shameless plug goes here:

TONIGHT @ 7:30 in the Hewitt Union Ballroom

Ball in the House is performing, this amazing vocal group from Boston, they’ve been on national TV, they’re the makers behind the cool whip jingle (extra emphasis on the ‘h’ in whip).  If you want to check out their stuff go to www.ballinthehouse.com

and my group Still in Progress and another local band Closer still (www.myspace.com/stillinprogressband; myspace.com/closerstill), will be opening up the show

Gen Admission-$10, Students/Sr Citizens-$7

But the point of this.  A group of us really wanted to bring them to the school, talked to the music dept, artswego and campus life, and we got it off the ground.  Now having coordinated this whole event, it’s definately something I can add to my resumes, and it’s things like this that one, make this all worthwhile, and two, show me that maybe I can make it when I finally get out of here.

Tuesday was one of those days that I began to question my decision to attend SUNY Oswego, and as a freshman, I am aware that that is a very premature statement to make, since I am completely unaware of what winters are actually like here. However, I just can’t believe the wind here, and what’s worse is you don’t just get wind, you get wind and rain, so going outside leaves you with no choice but to get wet, because you can’t use an umbrella because of the wind.

It was just one of those days that really made me start thinking about the winter. Wednesday sort of played its part as well because of how cold it was. I couldn’t believe how I was dressed in October! All I know is that experiencing winters here is definitely going to be an interesting experience, and it’s going to take a lot of adaptation, adaptation that I am hoping is a lot easier than it seems right now.

It sometimes feels like our homework, studying, projects, presentations, group work etc. will continue forever. For example, this week alone, I have three midterms, two papers due, and an 8 page paper to start and write. I wish we could stretch the hours of the day to about 100 so that I could have enough time to complete everything.

When I took out the sylabus’s for my classes and read everything that I had to do, I was extremely overwelmed and stressed out instantly. One of my teachers from last semester, who I was talking to the other day, had told me that I need to slow down and take things one step at a time. I thought about this for a moment and it actually makes sense. If you read over everything you need to complete, you will be frustrated and very overwhelmed, but if you take one thing at a time, read it over and start working on it, it actually isn’t too bad at all.

This past weekend, I went home for a few days. My dad had told me that he would help me with some work and the visual aspects of it as well. We sat down Saturday morning and tackled each step of an assignment, one at a time. Next, I completed my study guide for my midterm that I had this past Monday. And lastly, on Sunday, I started a huge portfolio project that I have to hand in at the end of this week. If you take one step at a time and even do one part each day, it is so much less stressful then looking at it all and then doing it all at once.

I feel that this would be beneficial with anything that we do whether it be schoolwork, on the job work, or in our daily lives with things that we need to accomplish. I know it was a simple statement, but it really made an impact in my life and it was the perfect time for me to learn this trait.

Today, I took out a study guide for an exam that I have tomorrow. This is not just any study guide, it is enormous! At first I was afraid and kept thinking to myself that I will never get it done, but then I calmed down and told myself, “one step at a time.” I split it into groups and completed small sections at a time. In no time, the study guide was complete with answers and I could use it to study at any time.

In college, we learn many things such as psychology, business, accounting, and sociology, but we also learn many valuable life skills along the way. This is one of those skills that I will always keep with me and use throughout my daily life.

So, the next time you are worried about a test or you have a major assignment to do, take a step back, calm down and break it up into pieces. You will feel so much better doing it this way, I sure did!

So basically Oswego is the popular kid that everyone wants to know.  Being that I work for the Admissions Office, allow me to use this time to plug how awesome Open Houses are and if anyone wants to find out more about the 2 upcoming open houses you can go to www.oswego.edu/visit.

Any-who… on most days being on campus before the sun has fully risen does not sit well with me, there’s a certain air around those crazy long Open House days that makes it ok.  Visiting schools, at least for me, was one stressful time, I had high school, plus scared yet excited of graduation, trying to figure out where I wanted to go, what I wanted to do (still figuring that part out haha).  But looking around at the families that were visiting, I rarely saw a grimace, a look of confusion (unless they just couldn’t find that room they were looking for), just lots of smiles.  And i love that.

I think one of my greatest rewards from being a tour guide is being able to share my enthusiasm about college, and especially about Oswego, with students and families trying to make that difficult college decision.  My favorite comment of the day was when a mother came up to me (in response to another tour guide she had just delt with) and said how nice she was and how nice it was that there was such a confident and smiling face in the midst of all of the confusion that comes with deciding what college to go to.

Holler

In other news, I just bought a book… and it’s not a text book, i’m so proud of myself haha.  It’s “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell”… and it’s absolutely hilarious.

Also in other news, there’s the And 1 Basketball tourny this weekend, and if anyone ever saw the show, i’m so excited to go!  (for more information, there’s flyers all over the campus center or you can check out www.oswego.edu/sapb)

Oh!  And in third news, the United Way Walk-a-thon is this Saturday (October 18), registration is at noon outside of Lanigan, and entry is only $10 per person.  It’s such a great cause and everyone should come out and help support!  Plus if you have family and/or friends coming up, it’ll be a great way to spend time with them!  Woot woot!

I think by the time I graduate from college the amount of money I pay for text books would be just the amount of my debt!!!! I know I’m exaggerating but sometimes I really get that feeling like I am paying way too much for college textbooks. The worst time of the semester is the beginning, besides the fact that people are trying to adjust to their classes, and getting use to being back after being off from school for about three months, one of the worst part about the beginning of the semester is using all of your hard earned summer dollars to buy college textbooks. I am not saying that buying text books are not important and of course they are well needed, but honestly they really do hurt our pockets. Sometimes buying college textbooks put students in a financial jam; because there are students out there who are paying for their college tuitions on their own…. And yes you might here the saying “but there’s so much financial aid, and scholarships out there for college students to get…” that is not everyone’s story. College is a struggle and when you have to make the decision between either paying your tuition or buying books for your classes that’s when the test of your experience kicks in.

Yes there are ways out there to “beat the system” and they are greatly appreciated and there are people who do use them, and I would believe that they do offer some help. For example I try my best to only buy used books it helps to cut off a couple of dollars, there are some students who use websites that sell cheap books. There are even ways where students don’t have to spend any money at all. For example just the other day I was talking to one of my friends and she told me that she had to return one of her textbooks to the library, I was so shocked, I didn’t know you could do that (it does pay to do your research doesn’t it). There are even websites which have the books and chapters that your professors are using for the course all posted online. But honestly speaking not everyone one will have the best of luck with all these resources but it is good to know that they are out there, and there are probably many other ways that I don’t know about that you can get your books for a low cost or no cost at all.

One of the worst things you could do from my personal experience is not buying the book. Maybe that does not work for everyone some people could go through a whole semester without buying the book for a course and still do well (because they have it like that ). For me it was one of the worst mistakes. So what does it cost to not pay the price? I learned this the hard way, I am taking a course this semester, and from word of mouth I heard “you could do fine without buying the book,” so I did just that I did not buy the book, why would I want to pay a hundred and five dollars for a book that’s not even for my major. So I figured I could just survive off of PowerPoint s and things the professor say in class. So when the test came around all I studied was the PowerPoint and the few notes I wrote down. Of course I studied long and hard, when the test came around I walked in as confident as a model on the runway and walked out feeling as dumb as a bag of rocks. As soon as I received my grades back, I was not happy or satisfied because it was not my usual, I was very disappointed so I decided I would go and talk to my professor, when I went and told my professor how hard I studied and all the things that I did, one of the first things she said to me was “Sherrifa what about the book, you didn’t mention anything about using the book.” Then I realized I received a low grade because I didn’t want to pay the price of the textbook. My message to all college students would be think about what it would cost you if you don’t pay the price… So if you don’t want to pay the price find some way where you can get the book; and actually read it!!! It won’t be every class that you take where you will have power points to depend on. So do yourself a favor and find a way… your own way!

I have been pretty busy since my last post.  Classes are winding down and I have four weeks to go until the start of finals. Lots of papers! Fortunately, my last final is on the 22nd of November and I do not fly back unti l the 29th so I have a whole week to travel around Australia. My Aussie partner in crime, Meghan, and I are planning on taking a road-trip south to Brisbane. I have always wanted to see the Australia Zoo, which is just outside of the city. Of course, there will be plenty of beaches to stop and surf at along the way. Hopefully, I’ll still have enough time to squeeze in a dive on the GBR before I leave.

In other news, I am the proud borrowee of a snazzy 50cc scooter for the next few weeks! It has cut my travel time to work, well anywhere in Townsville for that matter, substantially. Granted I am all for reducing my carbon footprint, but in this case it is an hour walk to the rink and its not located in the best of areas. Plus, the bus system isn’t to reliable in Townsville and I’ve come to the conclusion “hail-n-ride” is a myth.

Now if I could just remember what side of the road to drive down…

One more thought before I have to head to class. The highlight of my weekend was by far catching a glimpse of Tina Fey’s SNL Palin/Couric interview skit. I had already seen the real interview, and I have to say, with all political bias put to the side, Fey’s parody is pretty amazing!

Well I am off to invertebrate…hope all is well!

K

Hi everyone. So I figured I would share some funny stories that have happened to me lately, in this blog. I didn’t have anything too particular to talk about, so I decided to humor you instead.

I was walking from the Library the other day, to the Disability Services Office in the Campus Center. They aren’t too far away at all, but anything can happen in a short amount of time. A man walked up to me and asked “Have you found anything yet?” I then said “um no, what do you mean?” He said “that is a metal detector right?” And of course, me being the smart blind chick said “oh yes, beep beep beep beep. He thought that my white cane was a metal detector. Wow wouldn’t that be a nice combination, a sight cane and a metal detector all in one. There’s the next invention right there.

I can have a lot of fun with being blind, especially in class. I am taking a particular class and my teacher used to put the text in front of me and tell me to try to see the pictures. I would remind this professor that I cannot see the book at all. When it was time for quizzes, she would try having me read, yet again, so I took out my Braille maker and answered all of the questions that she asked orally and then got up at the end of class and handed her a full sheet of paper of dots. She was confused and asked me how she was supposed to read that. I proceeded to tell her that if I have to try and read her book, she can try reading the bumps on the page. It was entertaining at least.

On another note, I was in the Oswego paper this past Wednesday and also the Baldwinsville Messenger. I will post the link below, if anyone is interested in reading the article. It speaks about my summer job at the Onondaga County Probation Department and also about my training in self defense that I am currently participating in. I take a class twice a week in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and Brazilian Jujitsu. Not only is it a great workout, but it helps immensely with confidence building as well.

Tune in next week for some more exciting stories from your favorite blind chick.

http://oswegocountytoday.com/news/community-news/2008/10/08/fighting-blindness-and-fighting-crime/

http://www.cnylink.com/cnynews/view_news.php?news_id=1223486168