Padd Solutions

I apologize for not keeping everybody updated! As I’m sure everybody is… I’ve been incredibly busy. We also had a death in our family and it’s been rough on everybody. My uncle Kelley, 40 years old, had his 3rd and final heart attack on Saturday, just 3 months after his father died the same way. As you can imagine, it’s just a difficult situation for all of us. Please keep my family, and his sons, Corey and Cody, in your thoughts.

TWO WEEKS UNTIL GRADUATION!! I’m not sure I thought this moment would ever come for me. I’m sad to part with AC but excited to venture onto something else. I’m mostly excited for the classes that I’ll be taking. To put it into perspective, of the 60 ish hours I’ve completed at AC, about 15 of those hours were mass comm classes. At WT, I’ll be taking all mass comm classes. Yay!

Yesterday I got the idea in my head that I wanted to go see George Lopez on Saturday, and I wasn’t going to pay $60 for the tickets. So, after calling friends and family to see if they could “hook me up”, my dad told me that ROCK 108 was giving some away at Hooters. First of all, not a Hooters fan. For obvious reasons, but also their food is disgusting! So my sister and I went over there, did a little flirting with the DJ, and I got myself a pair of tickets ($120 value)!

I don’t know about you guys, but I am getting thoroughly annoyed with this pig plague crap. First of all, it’s not the “swine flu” that is going around, it’s H1N1. Yes, it’s contagious, but it’s the damn flu!! You can die from it (just as the flu), but you can die from driving a car, does that mean we’re going to stop driving? No, so why are they cancelling so many things? This is really being blown out of proportion, I think the press is just running with the fear of the people and it’s upsetting me. Where are the news stories saying that this is the same thing as the flu but with diarrhea and vomiting? HELLO! Nonetheless, do as you should always do, wash your hands, stay away from sick people, and stay home if you are sick (DUH).

By the way, here’s a link I found with some info about H1N1. http://www.dm.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123146623

I hope everybody has a great weekend. Hang in there.

- and Administrative Professionals Day.

I started my diet yesterday. I feel great! I have lots of energy and I am itching to go work out. Exactly the attitude that I should have.

Any Desperate Housewives fans? If you are then you are completely aware of Edie Brit’s untimely death, yet conveniently for her husband. Ahhh, Edie, so slutty yet insightful. Her character will be missed.

Tomorrow is the last day to withdraw from your classes, and the last day to apply for graduation. If you haven’t been going to your classes, and you may fail it… I suggest dropping it.

I think that’s all I have for today… oh, this weekend I’m walking in the March of Dimes walk for babies with my work. A couple ladies up here designed the cutest t-shirts for us, I’m excited. However, not looking forward to waking up at 9am. Oh well!!

Let me complain and be a girl for a moment please…
I’m a pessimist. I try so hard not to be but it’s increasingly difficult. I have problems trusting people… I just don’t know how. This is becoming a problem in my relationship and I don’t know how to deal with it!! I’m a happy, outgoing person but this has NOTHING to do with the thoughts I have concerning confiding in people and I just can’t trust them. Maybe I could blame my mom. Since I can remember, she’s told me to watch my back, there are terrible people in the world, and you can’t trust anybody. Now that’s not fair... and I’m just starting to realize that. As young adults, we think we have it all figured out and I’m learning that nobody has it all figured out. We learn through our experiences but we will never have it all figured out. Blah. I just need to learn to trust!!

Well, on a lighter note, there are 28 days until graduation.

I have a cousin that is 16 and he will be graduating early from high school in May. Much to my surprise, his counselor hasn’t encouraged him to apply for any colleges or scholarships. He lives with my parents, and my parents haven’t encouraged him either?! Anyways, last night I did the big cousin thing and helped him apply to AC, printed off the FAFSA so he knows what to expect from that, and looked up his advisor’s name for him. It was reminiscent of when I was applying for colleges. I was telling him about Badger boot camp, and how your first semester you shouldn’t take too many hours, and no matter what to take Dr. Farmer for History. Speaking of which, I really miss his classes!! :( Well anyways, it made me remember the start of my journey at AC, and how my mindset and opinions of AC have changed so much. Hmmm.

I’m thinking of changing my major. Crazy, I know. (I've changed my major roughly 4 times since I graduated high school) It wouldn’t be a drastic change, just a small one from Advertising/Public Relations to Education Mass Comm. Apparently; WT offers Education and Mass Comm. as a combined major. I’m really excited about it. It would possibly put some of the classes I’ve already taken to be electives but that’s fine because I need 30 hours of electives to graduate. Lately, I’ve been questioning my career decisions, and I can really see the light with this major. Hopefully I'll be able to meet with my WT advisor sooooooooon!!

I’m exhausted… I hope everybody has an amazing weekend.

It’s weird how school affects my mood so much. When I’m doing well in my classes and staying ahead of things I’m generally- very happy. However, when I’ve been slacking off in school, I get very discouraged about everything, not just school. This could be in relation to some mental illness that I have… I wouldn’t be too surprised. My mom always said I was crazy.

For a couple years now I’ve had cell phone service with Alltel but I’ve NEVER been able to keep one of their phones for more than 6 months without it breaking. I don’t know if it’s the cell phone manufacturer or if it’s Alltel just being cheap but it’s such a pain. I just renewed my 2-year agreement and I got the HTC Touch Pro phone… “stylin and profilin”. But now I’m seriously regretting not getting a Blackberry. Grr, I knew this would happen!!

They are playing country music at work today which absolutely makes my day!! We usually have elevator music- gag. Also something that makes my day- my boyfriend was being so sweet to me last night. I feel bad for him sometimes because I know that I’m not easy to put up with, but he does it anyway. Okay, enough hanky panky.

If you haven’t registered for classes yet, you may be S.O.L.! A lot of classes fill up early, some are only offered in the fall, etc. Because I’ll be a transfer student at WT, I have to wait TWO MORE weeks to register. We’re the last pick… I feel so special!!

Alright, it’s about time for my lunch meeting, so I’ll holla at you guys later. Have an wonderful week.

I’m at a dead end. Writer’s block if you will.

Did I mention that I can’t twitter at work anymore? Our internet blocked the twitter page… how disappointing!!

I’m incredibly jealous of the TIPA trip Zach took. I wish I could have gone with them L.

32 days until graduation, and FYI, that’s including weekends. It will be here before we know it!!!! Now to decide what I’m doing this summer?

I have nothing else for you guys today, just another boring Monday that is half-way over. Have a great week.

It’s already Thursday! What’s been new lately?? Um… I had a huge test yesterday (that I likely didn’t do well on), work is crazy/hectic, my apartment is dirty, but other than that—things are great!

A few students from the Convergence class at AC chose to do a student profile on me, and they’re interviewing me on Friday at my work. I’m nervous!! I feel honored that they would choose me and I hope I can do their project justice. I think they’re bringing video cameras… eek!

Anybody watch House on Monday? If you didn’t, then don’t read this, Kutner is gone!! Kal Penn who plays Kutner on the show is taking a job with Obama as some kind of publicist… L However, I wasn’t as disappointed as I thought I would be…

This weekend is Easter? That’s really weird. Time has flown by, it seem like a couple weekends ago was New Years… and here we are almost halfway through April. Good news…. 36 days until graduation!!

I just got a few new games for my Wii, and I must say—I am amazing at Mario Kart. No matter what ANYBODY says, I am amazing. I also got “Family Game Night”, which is fun. It has Sorry, Boggle, Connect 4, Yahtzee, etc. on it.

It’s wing night at B dubs… I may go. I haven’t gone out at all lately and I must say—it’s nice. Cheaper for sure and I feel more productive if I’m not hungover every weekend.

Isn’t there a concert tonight? With Buckcherry? If you’re going… you’re very lucky!! Let me know how it was.

Okay friends, time to get back to work, I’ll chat at y’all later!!

I hate Mondays, and I’m particularly grumpy today. So grumpy in fact that I don’t want to blog because I feel like if I don’t have anything nice to say, I shouldn’t say anything at all!!

How much fun was Friday? I had to truck it to work in the morning but was shortly after sent home and stayed there for the rest of the day. I was itching to get out and do something (I am not a home-body and have a constant need to do things!) but in the end we ordered pizza and watched movies. Saturday was exciting as well, my sister and cousin has their birthday party. My sister, Brandi, turned 15, and my cousin, Danielle, turned 16. It was a lot of fun. They made all their friends wear black and white, while they wore black and teal dresses. And the cakes were amazing! I’ll post pictures later. Sunday I helped my grandma move into her new house (for which she was very grateful) and then spent the rest of the evening with my charming boyfriend.

Okay, the craziest thing just happened. At work, I have a clear view of I-40 and the access road from my desk. Next to our building they are doing construction and some plastic material (about the size of a car but flimsy) blew out onto the road. There was a motorcyclist going by and as he was trying to avoid the plastic he skid and fell off. He was going about 40-45 mph. I just looked out onto the road and saw him lying on the street with the motorcycle next to him. Scary! He laid there for a few moments but thankfully, stumbled to his feet. The police and ambulance are here now and all looks well.

Well, I have to finish throwing my fit and being grumpy and this isn't helping much. Have a great week bloggers.

Happy hump day. I actually don’t mind it being Wednesday. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel (aka the weekend)... and it’s beautiful, full of snow, but still, beautiful.

I have issues with some people. Particularly other governments and countries but obviously there’s nothing I can do about it. Here’s the scoop: a woman was on a plane from Samoa to Auckland when she gave birth to a baby girl in the bathroom. Of course, she left the baby in the toilet trashcan and when the flight landed, walked off like nothing happened. Thankfully, she has gone to the hospital and got her self all fixed up! Thankfully- for the world- she is going to be okay! THANKFULLY, the flight attendants found the baby- alive- and called the police. The baby is fine now, and the mother has been charged with child abandonment, and child assault. At maximum, she will face 7 years in prison for her precious deed. Here’s the best part, the mother “was later reunited with her baby”. Don’t believe me? Here’s the story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29875984/?GT1=43001 .

Ohh, I received my income tax last week! You see, last summer I decided that I should get a credit card to start building myself credit. It worked out well for a few months, I bought a Wii to get the ball rolling and just made payments on that. THEN, I turned 21 in October and… well… the partying started. I dug myself into about $2000 of debt between the trip to Las Vegas, Texas Tech vs. TX game, Giants game, Christmas, etc. I basically woke up in January and decided to get it under control, and faithfully, I’ve been working to pay off my debt. My income tax helped me bring it down to a manageable amount. The trick is, you won’t be able to start building any credit until you have a credit history and it is reported to the credit agencies and in turn adjust your credit score. You have to be modest. For example, if you have a credit card with a credit limit of $1000, you should not use more than 30% of that. Credit cards can hurt you but can also be very helpful. Credit is good to have in case of emergencies and of course to build your credit. However, (and if you have a credit card you know what I’m talking about) when you go to use your credit card it feels amazing because it FEELS free, and you continue to use it .. over and over…
But nonetheless, be responsible, don’t be afraid, get credit, use it modestly, and build your credit score!!

Well, 5 o’clock is almost here, (yay). Have a great night, American Idol is on 7!!

Spring break is over- blah. Back to school, back to the routine… This is the last stretch of the semester, 52 days until graduation!!

Personally, I love basketball but I cannot wait for March Madness to be over. Every time I go to my dad or boyfriend’s house… what’s on… basketball. And all the ladies know what I’m talking about, when basketball is on- you are not there. I can handle a couple games but since the tournament is just beginning there are so many games on, at all hours, throughout the entire day. What can I say, girls love attention and don’t enjoy basketball hogging it all. Oh well, it’s only 3 weeks long, I guess I’ll live.

Ok well, I’ve only lost 10 pounds since January but I’m hoping that if I continue to work out (not so difficult) and eat healthy (very difficult) we can make that 10 to 20 by graduation. I’m off to the gym now… cardio. Yay. Have a great week bloggers!!

What a week, what an amazing, incredible, productive week.

I’m officially starting the graduation countdown: 70 days! I’ve been having trouble applying of graduation. I applied last year because I was going to be an over-achiever and take a full load of summer classes (yeah right) and I’ve re-applied this semester twice and I hadn’t received any confirmation about anything? Apparently, if you’ve applied before you have a “file” and you need to call AC and they can check it out for you. I love AC, but I’m ready to be finished. (FYI: Deadline to apply is April 23 but if you’re as eager as I am, you applied the first day of the semester).

I’m bummed that I couldn’t make it to John Walsh’s lecture last night. He’s a great guy and I heard that it was standing room only in the theater. I’m curious to know what he spoke about…

I can’t wait to see what the weekend holds for me. Most likely it will include laundry soap, a mop, and a scrubby brush… but I’m hopeful!

Don’t forget, $1 beer at Ruby Tequila’s, see ya there.

Howdy! Well, the weekend is coming to an end, Monday is tomorrow, blah! I didn't do too much this weekend, a lot of hanging out around the apartment. I made pizza on Saturday night (for the first time) and it was yummy. Anybody like chicken barbeque pizza? The only place I've had it is at Mr. Gatti's, but I think my version is much better :) Thankfully, Friday night was uneventful, Saturday I watched a good movie, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (which was a cute movie, better than I thought. I'd have to give it a good review because of its music and relativity to young adults today) and today I've been lazy. Successful.





By the way, my sister is doing much better. She's out of the hospital and back home. She should be going back to school tomorrow.





A couple weeks ago my mom's friend's mobile home burned down. Her name is Candy Dobbins, she's married and has three small children. Some of Candy's friends from church have been gathering items for her (she lost everything) and put it in a storage unit. To make the situation worse for Candy, somebody broke into their storage unit this weekend and stole a lot of what they gathered. Anyways, if anybody is able to donate things to Candy, I know she would appreciate it. I'm working on getting on a list from my mom of her family's clothes sizes. I'll update the blog when I get it.



Update:

THE DOBBINS FAMILY NEEDS

Clothing:
Derek- Pants and shorts size 8 regular Adrianna- Pants and shorts size 3 Toddler
Shirts size 8-10 Boys Shirts size 3 Toddle
Shoe size 3 Shoe size 8
Aleah- Pants and shorts size 18 mths–2 Toddler Panties-size 3-4 Toddler
Shirts size 18 months – 2 Toddler
Shoe size 6
Matt- Pants size 36/30 Candy- Pants size 13-14 Womens
Shirts size Large-X-Large Shirts medium
Shoe size 11 Mens Shoe size 11 Women
Things for Kids Rooms:
Beds Blankets Pillows
Dressers Lamps Hangers
Toys/Books Movies Toy Boxes
Matt and Candy’s Room:
Bed Dresser Lamps
End Tables Blankets Pillows
Bathrooms:
Shower Curtain Curtain Rods Towels
Wash cloths Soaps/Shampoo Razors
Trashcans Hair Brushes Hair Accessories
Kitchen:
Toaster Coffee Pot Tea Pitchers
Dishes Silverware Pots/Pans
Pot holders Cookware Dish Soap
Trash can Trash bags Foil/zip lock bags
Wash cloths Bar Stools High Chair
Living Room:
Couch/Chairs End tables Lamps
Entertainment Center Coffee Table TV
DVD Player Area Rugs Door Mats
This and That:
First Aide Stuff Tylenol/Advil Diapers Size 5
Wipes(any kind) Sippy Cups Books Shelves
Cleaning Supplies Mop/Broom Washer/Dryer
We have also started a Benefit Fund at Amarillo National Bank for any donations. The account is under Candace Dobbins - Acct #7155093.
Thank You!!
To contact us: Candace Dobbins 14800 XIT Trail Amarillo, TX 79118 (806) 674-7364

I hope all of my bloggers have a great week, good luck...

Well, I hope everybody had a great President’s Day/Valentine’s Day weekend. I did a whole lot of catching up on laundry and shopping. Fun... So, has anybody noticed the HUGE desk that is missing from the library, 1st floor foyer? AC used to employ a student to man that desk but apparently, they’ve done away with it... Speaking of the library, I'm in here now. It's always good to make a weekly trip up here, it's quiet, has internet access, and keeps you from being distracted by things at home. (I take that back, there is a student sitting next to me with his head phones blaring to Good Charlotte... gag me. If you're going to jam out in the library at least put something good on!)

One of the most unfortunate things about being in college is your eating habits. Being that we are all so busy with school and work, we eat what we can- cheap and quick. Of course, McDonald’s and Wendy’s have some great dollar menus but it’s important to eat healthy to keep your energy up! I suggest Lean Cuisines, they’re only about $3/meal and they’re easy to cook- you just warm it up. Anyways, that’s my thought of the day!

I really like Zach’s blog- below mine. It has some valid points in it. Personally, I took Mr. Howard’s class a couple semesters ago and enjoyed it for the most part, and if you’ve had Howard- you know what I’m talking about. I can’t imagine how the staff plans to ease the transition but I hope it goes well.

Maybe you’ve heard but a Chinese blogger that goes by the pseudonym Qian, was stabbed after publicly reading his blogs in a Beijing book store. OUCH! “Last year, he was listed among the "20 Most Influential Figures in China's Cyberspace". That’s a pretty reputable guy. Thankfully, he should make a full recovery, but it makes you think: could something like this happen to me because I want to express my opinions? Obviously things are different in China with freedom of speech, but hey-it happened to Martin Luther King. Unfortunate things can happen to people, particularly to those that share their harsh, cumbersome thoughts. Nobody likes to hear the truth, or in this case, a person’s opinions especially if it affects a person’s well-being.

Here’s the full story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29224105/wid/11915829/


I’m running low on thoughts now, have a great week bloggers.

Hold your horses; I’m referring to the comedian coming to AC, Spanky. I’m not familiar with his shows but myAC says he spreads the “message of racial harmony, religious tolerance and gender understanding”. Now, back to the “Men are Sluts” thing. I was walking around Parcells Hall and I saw a poster of Spanky and in the upper corner it says “Men are Sluts”. I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself. It’s a little “out there” for AC’s tastes. Anybody get my drift? --I think it’s the name of the particular show he’ll be presenting at AC.

So, it’s Friday the 13th… Ooo. When I get off work today I’ll be in the library, bonding with my textbooks, then to the gym, then definitely going to have drinks with mom. I’d like to rent a scary movie but I’ve never been a big fan of them (they give me nightmares!). Any suggestions? I’ve never seen but am thinking about getting Poltergeist. Wikipedia says they’re remaking it in 2010…

Last night was wing night. I love wing night, my friend and I have a tradition of going to Buffalo Wild Wings on Thursdays (so not only is it wing night, it’s girls night). It’s our time to relax and reflect on the week and think of things to do for the weekend! Since we decided it’s a tradition, it makes it more fun. BWW on Thursdays is apparently the place to be, every time we go there are more and more people. The majority of the crowd is guys, 20-25, but what can you expect: 60 cent wings and sports?

I hope my blogging friends have an amazing weekend. No walking under ladders, crossing the path of a black cat, or opening up an umbrella inside.

The first week of tests is here.

Everybody has them- certain weeks throughout the semester that it seems like all of your tests are in the same week. That is this week for me. Also, I have 4 huge presentations to make at work. Instead of going into my anxiety mode, I’m just going to stay calm, and get to work. Don’t procrastinate!

Well, I hope my fellow bloggers had a great weekend. Mine was pretty eventful. I hung out with some friends on Friday and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, consequently, slept all day Saturday and family time on Sunday.

Valentine’s Day is almost here! I’m a believer that guys have no excuse to make it an amazing night for their gal. Look up ideas on the internet; ask your friends or uncles for suggestions… something! This Valentine’s Day is going to be a bit weird for me. I had been dating a guy for four years, and this will be my first Valentine’s Day that I can remember- that I’m single. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the single scene and I don’t know what I’m going to do on Saturday night, but I won’t be feeling sorry for myself. Maybe I’ll grab another one of my single friends and we’ll go see a movie, or I’ll take my little brother and sister out to eat so my parents can have a night alone.
I will suggest that Lincoln’s Steakhouse is romantic, you can never go wrong with Macaroni Joe’s, and renting a movie is cheaper and more intimate that going to the movie theater.

The thunderstorm last night was nice. I love the rain, it’s so fresh and it just makes me happy. My favorite kind of rain is during the day, when it’s cloudy and warm. Mmm!

Maybe I’m the only person that has been hearing about the digital switch for about two years now, but that’s not what President Obama thinks. He thinks that people haven’t had time to go out and get their converter box or switch to digital so it has been delayed…. Blah! It doesn’t affect me at all but it’s just annoying. I wish they would get it over with already. I’m a Suddenlink user so I’m good to go but nonetheless- annoying!

Well, my Monday is going by fairly quickly, thank goodness! Time to get back to work…

There are crazy things going on at BSA right now, and I'm not talking about their ABSURD smoking policy to potential employees. It seems that BSA is telling its patients that are just coming in, to go to Northwest Texas Hospital. They are diverting their ambulances’ as well. “The last few days the hospital has seen a large influx of patients sick with flu, pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses,” www.amarillo.com. The hospital has an overwhelming amount of patients right now and they are doing “damage control”, if you will. Thankfully, I received my flu shot a couple months ago. For most strains of the flu, it doesn’t take much to kill: a simple disinfectant around the house, and some soap and warm water when you wash your hands.



Am I the only person with a secret love affair with Wikipedia? You can look up just about anything, and find great information. However, sometimes you have to be careful. Anybody can get on Wikipedia and update or change information. Remember the Chris Benoit scandal? Apparently, Benoit killed his wife and son, then himself. Fourteen hours before their bodies were discovered, there was a posting on Wikipedia that Benoit would miss his next two wrestling matches because of his wife’s death. A moderator checked this posting and took it off because (to his knowledge) this wasn’t true. After investigations, the user that posted this contacted Wikipedia and explained that his post was a “terrible coincidence” and just speculation. It makes one think… did Benoit possibly see this and get the idea of killing his wife from it? Or, was it a coincidence?



On a lighter note, I am such a procrastinator, not that it is anything to brag about. I have yet to buy a book for my economics class. I have no reason to buy it until next week because our first test is then, but I also have issues with the bookstore. Maybe my issues are with the college textbook industry as a whole, but the closest frontier to battling this, is with the bookstore. The book that I have to buy sells for $180. I repeat: one book, $180. This semester, the cost of my books and supplies has exceeded my tuition. What really gets me is at the end of semester at textbook buyback, I may get $40 for it, if I’m lucky. Oftentimes, the authors of that book will publish a new edition each year, and then the original book is worth about $10. There are a few ways around this, 'half.com' where you can buy and sell your textbooks back for about half the price, and 'books on campus' or 'DogEars'. I haven’t mingled with the last two but I am a frequent user of half.com. You can find books at half price (that is, unless your instructor requires that you get the version with the cd, and to your surprise you never use it!) and it’s straightforward. Half.com is for anybody, and it’s owned by eBay.


Before I forget, if you haven’t applied for the Amarillo College Foundation scholarships, you should. The deadline to be considered for next year is March 2. The AC Foundation is loyal to its students. Even with mediocre grades from time to time, I have received a scholarship from them every semester at AC. I’m so thankful for the scholarships, though none of them have covered my tuition completely, they substantially help me out. There are even scholarships for students who plan to transfer to a university, and I intend to apply for that. It’s a general scholarship that you will apply for, which you can pick almost anywhere around campus but for sure in the CUB, 2nd floor, room 206. Thank you, AC Foundation!

It’s almost 3pm, just a couple more hours until Happy Hour!

This blog is going to be all over the place, mainly, because I’m all over the place. My head is full of work/school/friends/guys/family. Ahh! I can’t concentrate on any one thing but I’ll attempt to cover each one of them individually.

For the most part, I enjoy my job. I have to be at work at 8:45 am (reasonable…) but I still feel like that is sooo early! I am NOT a morning person and it takes everything I have to make myself go to sleep at night. I feel like I’m missing out on something if I do. I can literally be sitting in my bed, watching a Law & Order re-run and I won’t want to go to sleep because I feel like I’m missing out. I’m weird. Nonetheless, I feel like I can never please my boss. I never get “good job” or “way to go”. In all fairness, my paycheck is my “good job” but it’d be nice to hear it from the horse’s mouth once in a while (hahah). Moment to complain: she doesn’t communicate well and doesn’t take my job seriously. When I see that my boss feels this way: it translates to me that 1) I don’t have to communicate well, and 2) why should I take my job seriously?

School is school. I’m taking Astronomy on T/TH night and so far it’s working out well. It’s complex and really gets your mind thinking. Mr. Hobbs, the instructor, is pretty laid back. He gets right to the point and you can tell that he enjoys teaching us- so we enjoy learning. Fun class. I’m also taking 3 classes online: which I enjoy. I love the concept of online classes. I’m such a computer-nut that I’m always on the computer anyways, so it makes it easier. Online classes tend to be very straightforward. Not much busy-work like in class; not always true though.


Ahh, I can not believe that I will be graduating from Amarillo College in FOUR MONTHS! That’s crazy. It’s been a fun ride but I’m excited to move on. I’m mostly excited to have a party or get-together for graduation. I’m such a social person, I love having parties.

The Superbowl was yesterday, and it was amazing. Like most people in this neck of the woods, I didn’t care who won, but after watching the pre-game show I got a weird, school-girl crush on Big Ben Roethlisberger. Truly, he’s an amazing human being. 6’5… 240… awww. :) He’s not married! I’m pretty sure that he is the only guy that my dad is okay with me getting married to. We decided this last night, as well as, Big Ben and I would have beautiful, tall, children (with big noses- thanks Ben!). The fourth quarter was exciting though. It reminded me of the Tech/UT game (that I went to!). Steelers were up the entire game and then the Cardinals are ahead… for about one minute, Steelers up again. The best part was sitting around with my family, makin’ fun of each other, and eatin’ some great food (ribs, wings, jalapenos, chili, chips, ribeyes, potato salad -mmm). That reminds me, apparently Miller Lite was trying to save money, so they had a 1-2 second commercial with a guy screaming “High life”. I think it’s a specialty of one of their beers? Either way, it think it was a great PR move for Miller Lite. Not only did they get some publicity with having a 1 second commercial, it was hilarious!

By the way, did anybody get 3-D goggles for the commercials? I looked like a dork but you better believe that I had mine on! If I have time I plan to sit in my apartment- BY MYSELF, and watch “Chuck”, it comes on tonight in 3-D. Heroes, season premiere is after that also. It’s going to be a good night!

Now to go to lunch with, and possibly fight with: my brother.

Let’s talk FAFSA.

I am a 21 year old, self-supporting, full-time college student. I have no children, no husband, and I am not a veteran. My parents have five children and have adopted two of my cousins. All in all, they financially support 6 children.

The FAFSA is used by the government to determine eligibility for federal student financial aid (grants, certain loans, and work-study programs). FAFSA uses the Expected Family Contribution, EFC, calculator to decide if a student needs grants and what the family should be able to contribute financially. Family size, income, number of children in college, and assets are all used to determine their EFC. My first issue with FAFSA is that it does NOT take into consideration if a student is self-supporting, and what the parents actually contribute financially to a student.

When you file the FAFSA and they calculate the EFC, that is assuming that your parents do and will contribute financially to your education. …what if they don’t?

“Most students in the United States attending college are above the age of eighteen, which relieves their parents of any financial responsibility for them whatsoever, according to US law. This brings the question of why parents' assets are a factor at all, because of the fact that they are no more legally related to the student than is a complete stranger. Students who will not be receiving parental aid for college expenses may be able to appeal directly to their school of choice for a reevaluation of aid awards based on their personal circumstances.” www.wikipedia.com/fafsa

Don’t get me wrong, my parents are great people and want me to succeed in life, but do not have an extra $3000 to dish out every six months for me to attend WTAMU. This is one of the reasons I’m so passionate about Amarillo College. I come here, get a great education, best professors ever, at a reasonable price. However, I won’t be at AC for all four years to receive my Bachelor’s degree. I have to go to WTAMU eventually. In comparison to other universities, WTAMU is reasonable in price but still- costly.

Unfortunately, my parents didn’t start me a college fund when I was born; they were 17 years old and trying to put food on the table. When my grandparents past away, they didn’t leave money for their grandchildren to go to college; “we didn’t go college- why do they need to?” I don’t have money saved up for college and I should not have to take out loans when certain people are getting college tuition for free.

This would be my second issue. On FAFSA, in order for you to file without using your parents income you must be: 24 years old, veteran of the Armed Forces, currently on duty with the Forces, working on your Master’s or Doctorate, married, a ward of the court until 18, or have children that are dependent on you.

I think it’s great that veterans and people in the Forces get this advantage, as well as wards of the court. But… married? Children? This is what I need to be able to apply on my FAFSA and not list my parents income?

Well, IF I WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT I WOULD HAVE HAD A CHILD AT 18 SO I CAN GO TO COLLEGE FOR FREE! Or maybe I’ll just get married so I can get a few PELL GRANTS.

As I said before, my parents were 17 when they had me and that is a very unfortunate situation but they made a mistake. I am not judging young parents or people who get married young, I am only saying that it is not fair that they get this FAFSA advantage because chose to start their family life early. I do not want children for a few years (to my parent’s relief) and I have not met anybody that I would even consider for marriage. However, if it’s going to save me $40,000 (4 years of college tuition), I might start thinking of finding a husband!

I work just as hard as young parents and I don’t receive financial assistance from my parents- but I have to “act” like I do on the FAFSA.

I have a relative that is not 24 yet, but she has 3 children and is married. She now stays at home with her children and her husband does all the working. On a personal level, I think it’s great that she is able to stay home with her children and see them grow up. Because they don’t make much money, they receive HUD housing from the government and for an estimated $300/mo they rent a 3 bedroom town house. They also receive thousands of dollars in grants each semester (which also enables her to stay at home). On a fair level: I’m mad. Her first child was an accident… BIG accident. After that, they enjoyed it and recently got married. Now, she gets cheaper rent than me and gets her entire college education paid for by the government? Does anybody see how this is not fair?

I don’t hope that young parents or young married couples get their FAFSA advantages taken away from them, I just hope that it can be for everybody. I hope FAFSA will start taking into consideration everybody’s personal circumstances.

I can’t even imagine what kind of a pain that would be for FAFSA but if they’re going to make it possible for some people, I think it should be available to all people.

Please let me know, respectfully, if I am off-base here. I can’t imagine that I’m the only person that feels this way?! Feedback—please!



In case you're curious, here is a link to the EFC Calculator: http://calculators.collegetoolkit.com/College-Calculators/resCalcEFC.aspx