What Is A Place Essay Reflection

This essay was interesting to do. It involves a topic I believe in combined with my personal experience at the World War One Memorial. I have been into military history for as long as I can remember. I even tried to continue my families legacy in the military but was denied due to health issues. My Uncle is mostly in to the wars that shaped America, namely the Revolution and Civil Wars. I am more in to the wars that shaped the world like the First and Second World Wars, and the Wars on Terror.
This essay allowed me to do something no other homework assignment has let me do: connect with family. This essay allowed me an opportunity to interview my Uncle and learn many things I didn't know about and to relive the trips we took to the Museum when I was younger. When you are younger, things that should be important to you usually aren't. But my Uncle has a way of getting them to sink in. I enjoyed the trip to the Memorial, but when he took me to see the Bricks he placed for our family, it really set in what this War meant. It effected everyone everywhere. It was a war that was so much more important and broad than most people realize. As time passes, so do the memories and experiences of those who were there, until all that we have left is silent relics from the past that collect dust unless people like my Uncle take the initiative to make sure they are remembered.
The thing that I found most difficult to do was to document my research. One reason was that there is only one website for the Memorial, and its the official one. Everything else is Wikipedia. I tried to use multiple pages to broaden my citations. I also interviewed my Uncle as well. But having never done a research paper like this before added some challenges. I read and reread my handbook. I hope it makes sense!
I found all but one of my writing groups workshops useless. They all said the same thing, “perfect!” “great detail!”, etc. Only one had any constructive criticism in it. I was able to use it to help my proof reading and add details and break up some run on sentences. I appreciated her help a lot.
I like the workshop for the most part. I try to be helpful but I don't know how helpful I am because no one says anything. They just type up their papers and submit them. I'm guilty of doing the same thing, so I imagine we all are like that in that respect. I sometimes found it tedious, especially if the paper was not interesting to me. It could be a real struggle to not just say “It sucks, get rid of it!”
I am most proud of the details I added to my essay that I got from my Uncle. While tiny details, I feel they added to the importance to the topic and my experiences. To me they tie the paper together and make it not just about me, but my family and how important I feel it is to know the contributions they made for me and the world.

ISIS Inc.

I picked an article by Fox News on the terrorist organization ISIS (actually ISIL). I chose Fox because its mostly all I get what with only having an antenna. ISIS has become a huge story. We first heard about them several months ago trying to take over Iraq from the North, capturing a vital fresh water damn / power plant, and generally being a nuisance. We started bombing missions on ISIS compounds and training camps, carried out by US Fifth and Sixth Fleet. We were told they were just a bunch of pushovers and would be dealt with quickly. Of course, that was not true. We are again spending millions of tax dollars to fight a terrorist group that would rather destroy the lives of innocent people just going about their lives - and our allies in the area (Turkey) don't really want to help. ISIS is not the push over we first thought. They are stealing roughly a million dollars a day in oil, sex slaves, bank deposits, and even from grocers and vendors in the areas they control! If people don't give over money, they are threatened, either by having their homes and businesses damaged, to having relatives kidnapped and killed. The oil is hitting the black market, giving ISIS millions in laundered funds - and eventually a lot of that oil is reaching American shores to be used by us. Its near impossible to track. The best we can hope for its to try to freeze their accounts and assets, and hopefully make it near impossible for ISIS to bank anywhere. I believe this article is trustworthy not because it has Fox News stamped on it ( that does help), but mostly because the Associated Press contributed to the article, meaning most if not all of this information is available to other news outlets.  This is just my opinion, but I believe public opinion is starting to shift again, as I think Obama wishes. He even admitted he and his cabinet and many of our allies underestimated ISIS. We are going from a support role to a more active role against ISIS, possibly with a ground offensive which means more tax dollars spent on another war, and more kids sent to fight - and die. I hope more can be done to avoid another ground war, but we will have to wait and see.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/10/23/us-islamic-state-oil-sales/

Senses Writing

I would rather be at Two Rivers right now. Two Rivers is a mountain bike park situated where the Finley and James Rivers meet south of Nixa. This is where I went on some of my first group rides when I started mountain biking. Its beautiful. Big trees seem to go on forever from where the blue sky meets at the top to the blue waters of the rivers down below. The trail starts going up, never seeming to stop. There is the taste of caramel in the air from the dust that is kicked up by us riding. We would ride for two or three hours, stopping to take a break every now and then. I would drink from my Camelbak looking at a tree that was hit by lightning. You could still smell the chard wood, reminded me of a barbecue. When we started back up we spooked some birds from the trees, screaming in irritation. After a long climb the best part starts- the decent. I would catch myself listening to the air rush through my helmet going downhill and tasting the sweat on my lips as we rode back up. Our bikes are quiet except for the clicking of the freewheel. Its not uncommon to hear and see deer and beavers scamper off as they get startled by me going by. The musky odor from the moss and damp earth grows stronger the closer we get to the bottom of the mountain. You can hear the river flowing and see fish swimming in it. The trail gets faster and faster the farther down we go, switching from worn smooth rock to hard pack dirt and back again. It almost feels like I'm weightless every time I crest a mound. The trees grow a little to close for comfort at times, scraping my elbow as I ride by. The greatness of it is that it always changes. Its never the same. One day you go out and its as hard as can be, you're aching and sweating and the bugs are eating you alive because you forget your bug spray, or the spray gets in your eyes! Another day its seems like the easiest thing in the world and relaxing. The flowers give off a wonderful scent, but the pollen makes me sneeze. The maple trees give of a sweet smell, hinting of the syrup within. The sun setting spreads across the sky and water in a rainbow of color that seems to go on forever. It brings to a close what was a wonderful day. As we ride our bikes down to the parking lot, crunching over the gravel, we see some other riders washing their bikes down from all the dust. We take a break, waiting in line. I wash my bike off, dry it, and re-oil it. Its a weird mixture – oil, sweat, bug spray, and water. But it seems so right together. I take a drink from my Camelbak. The water tastes sweet and fresh, after all the dust I've ingested. The only thing better after a hard ride is a nice cold beer with my friends in the rest area. We sit and chat about our experience until it gets almost too dark to see. We take the signal and head on home, waiting for the next trip.

Mama's Mexican Egg Rolls

Mama’s Mexican Egg Rolls:

Preheat Oil to 325 degrees

Ingredients Needed:

Egg roll wrappers (full package)

1 lb. of Hamburger meat (Tiffany likes to use 73/27, to make as less fat as possible)

1 pk. of taco seasoning (Tiffany likes to use a mild spiced seasoning)

1 pk. of Mexican blended cheese

1 pk. of shredded cabbage blend (includes cabbage, red cabbage and carrots)

Season to taste Ms. Dash Garlic Blend or (whatever spices you might like)

Dipping sauce:

1 container of sour cream

½ a jar of picante sauce (if you like chunky sauce use chunky if not don’t)

(If you are a ketchup person like my girls are, they are really good to eat with just ketchup)

Equipment to use:

Fry Daddy (if you don’t have one pouring oil in a frying pan deep enough for the eggrolls to cook in is good enough.)

Frying pan

Large and medium size mixing bowls

Spatula

Mixing spoon

The Story behind the egg rolls:

Tiffany has two girls and wanted to make something different for them. She got tired of making the same ole’ same ole’ things. So she decided to take an egg roll and taco recipes and combine them. Hoping that her children would like this, Tiffany put in the plan of action to make them. They ate the Mexican eggrolls and they have been a hit ever since then. Both of her girls ask her all the time to make them!!! She made them for a friend’s daughter’s birthday party and every time she goes over there, she is asked to make them as well! It’s funny how just a simple combination of recipes has made a true hit.

How to make the egg rolls:

First of all get a cup of cold water so you can stick your first knuckle of your middle finger and where your pointer finger nail is, to get the wrappers wet to seal them up. Next then smell the hamburger meat and listen to it sizzle as it fries. Then drain the hot grease and add the delicious smelling taco seasoning. After that add all other ingredients (she starts hearing the vegetables break as she starts blending everything with her hands, also feeling the cheese squish between her fingers) and the taco meat in a huge bowl together. You will then take about 3 heaping teaspoons of the taco mixture and fold into an eggroll. Taking your middle and pointer finger and dipping it into the cold water to seal up the wrapper. (Below is a picture of how to make an egg roll if you’re not for sure how to. It says to use egg whites, but you don’t have to, water works just fine.) Making up 3 or 4 at a time will save time just standing watching the egg rolls cook one by one. Then putting 2 or 3 in the fry daddy watching it bubble up the egg roll wrapper as it fries. When the egg rolls are light to golden brown (when floating on top of the oil) they are done. Set them on a plate with paper towels on it to soak up the grease. Next to last while you are frying the egg rolls, you can make the dipping sauce. Just take the sour cream and picante sauce and mix it in a medium size bowl cover with plastic wrap. Stick it in the fridge to keep it cool while finishing the egg rolls or remember if your family likes ketchup you can use that too! Then lastly, chow down on these crunchy homemade Mexican egg rolls that your family will just thrive over and will want you to make them all the time!!!!

This is color of what the eggrolls should look like, if you like them cruncher, then leave them in a little bit longer.

Blog Reflection

Here we are, a month or so after we started our Blogs for class. I got to say as a whole I enjoyed the assignment. In the beginning this assignment was mostly about free writing and learning how to let my thoughts flow onto paper more effectively. As time went on and I learned to let my thoughts, both good and bad, flow, I started to be able to turn the assignment into my own journal. I used the daily Blogs to share what was going on in my life as best I could. Not every day was a good Blog, but I tried to at least hit the base line. Some days I had writers block so I just wrote whatever I managed to get out (mostly complaints about whatever happened that day). My biggest complaint I have and have voiced repeatedly is having to do this daily. It got in the way of other homework, and I believe one reason I turned in my essay late. I was so hung up on getting these posts in I forgot my essay was due. I know, no excuse, but my memory isn't perfect. I can only cram so much in there at a time and retain it. I would have enjoyed it more if it was every other day, or if I could choose to write a post every now and then and tell about what happened between postings, but I understand the necessity of requiring an entry every day - most people wouldn't do the assignment if we could just do it whenever. I wish that my posts were acknowledged by Ms. A and my fellow students more, so it wouldn't feel like I was alone, but I know its impossible for Ms. A to comment on every post. I do believe I have benefited from it though. My fluidity is much better than it was and I am enjoying writing more because of it. I think my essay benefited from this Blog assignment as well. I also have been able to incorporate some of the writing workshop in my writings, such as using long sentences and punctuation better. I will continue to Blog for the rest of the semester. It wont be every day, but I will continue to write. I like being able to share with my class what is going on, even if no one reads it. I think it will continue to help me improve my writing ability if I stay with it. So here ends my last official Blog post. Hurrah!

At a Loss

So I got this assignment in English. I'm supposed to write a story using words provided by everyone in the group. I talked about this in another post. I'm finding I'm having a really hard time with this. The words are so random that its hard to lace them together. One of my classmates did a really good story on working in a call center and how stupid people can be. I could do that about AutoZone but I don't know if I want to do a story that is that similar to hers. But This assignment is due tonight and I don't want to be out all night trying to come up with something. I need to do the brakes on my car and check the power steering before a trip tomorrow and I'm rapidly losing daylight. I think I'm going to take a break and come back to this before it ticks me off even more. It may not be so bad if I knew if the assignments were still worth doing or not since I will probably get a zero for that essay I turned in 12 hours late. Ugh this sucks!

One can dream

One of my friends showed me a video of Danny MacAskill , who is a highly accomplished trails rider. Trials riding is a type of riding where you are to get through an entire course or trail without putting a foot down. So you can imagine how highly skilled these guys are. The movie was mesmerizing. Danny went back to the Isle of Skye, Scotland where he was born and road the Cuillin Ridge line. I am in awe of his skills. I thought I was an OK cyclist, but nothing compared to Danny. It makes me wonder what I a capable of if I try hard enough. Can I bunny hop gaps and turn 180's without touching the ground. Can I jump gaps and hit a trail without bonking. Then the question is, if I could develop those skills, would I be brave enough to try? That's a big question. Self preservation usually trumps all in most of us. But if everyone was concerned with that then we wouldn't have people like Danny in the world. You got to admit, being able to pursue your passion without getting overly caught up in self preservation would definitely make life sweeter. But before you can fly, you gotta drop in off that ledge... Here's to everyone reaching for their dreams!

Forgot to submit an assignment. Great.

So I forgot that my final copy of my essay was due yesterday. I was so busy cramming for business that I forgot. No excuse. So I'm going to get an F for it. I'm already at a 70%. I'm honestly wondering what the purpose is at completing this course. I wont get an A, or even a B with the amount of time left in the semester. I have a couple assignments I can do for 30 points, but 30 points is nothing compared to the possible 100 I just lost. I'm so mad and disappointed right now. I have been so good at getting assignments done and turned in. Then the one big one I have been working on for weeks comes due and I don't get it in! I could just scream right now! Ugh. I would drop the class if it didn't mean losing the money I paid for it. But getting a bad grade on my transcript might be even worse. I don't know what to do.

My Five Words

Got an assignment this week - come up with my five favorite words and what they mean to me. Never really thought of my favorite words, or even ones I use a lot. Now that I have to put them to paper they escape me. So lets see.

Seriously comes to mind.

Seriously as in "did you really just say/ do that? There are so many people out there that do things that make you wonder how they got so far in life without getting dead.

Bonk. That's a fun word. To me its official use is in the bicycling world when someone crashes or they run out of fuel and they just cant keep going. They "bonked" up that hill. Well, I like to play with it when I screw up or someone else does. Oops, looks like I bonked that one!

Dude! Who doesn't like to exclaim Dude! when you just heard or saw something really awesome or crazy and cant wait to share the glorious details. Its just makes the whole experience more real. This is also often used in conjunction with Seriously! - type moments.

OhMahGa! This one is fun. It is a creation. At my work I'm reasonably certain. It is a contraction of Oh, My God. Thing is, one of my co-workers says Oh, My God so fast it sounds like OhMahGa! Great for exclaiming surprise and general dumbfoundedness.

BOOM! This has great versatility. It can be used to describe and explosion, car wreck, things falling, or just for dramatic effect. Never gets old. Commonly used along with the other words in this list.

Sweet. OK, so I'm sure this word is way overdone and needs to be retired. But I have yet to find an alternative that is as versatile and able to bring together all your feelings on a topic / subject so concisely.

Looks like my words are pretty useful in the situations I normally find myself. Its cool how they can all be connected in a single sentence to exclaim a general circumstance or sprinkled throughout the description of the newest viral YouTube video!

What to Write?

I don't know what to write about tonight. Its getting like that much more often the longer this Blog goes. I just commented on some of my classmates' Blogs for the bonus points. Now I have to write my own. So lets see. I was commercial driver today. It helped it go much quicker than last night did. Being able to get out of the store is probably the best thing about where I work. I'm not stuck inside always. Tomorrow I got to work on my friends car. His rear brakes need done so Ill be doing that then doing homework. That will probably take 4 hours out of my day. I'm also needing to go pick up my mountain bike from the shop. One of the bearings went bad, or so we think so it was getting replaced. Hopefully its fixed and I can go ride this weekend. After I pick up my bike tomorrow Im probably going to meet some classmates from my Business class to finish up a piece of our project that didn't go so good. SO hopefully we can fix it because the revision is due Thursday. Then after that, Ill probably go home and watch TV until its time for bed. Oh, wait, I have to come write another one of these Blogs...

Tired

I'm tired. Worn Out. Capuut. Done. I didn't sleep good at all last night then had to get up early for work. It was truck day, so all the worst customers show up and want our undivided attention while we haven't o put up over a thousand new parts. It gets old. Then my knee started hurting half way through with made things worse. Then the people that try to steal things come in and do there thing, thinking were not looking. Then I had to come sit outside the library to write this. I'm like most people in class. I'm finally starting to loose the oomph to do this blog. Nightly is too much. They say online classes are to allow you to do the work in your own time. I don't know how that's the case when I am making time for assignments. The world revolves around it. I wont ever take another online class. Its exhausting. So I'm cutting it short tonight.

Editing My Essay

I started editing my essay today. My group had some good constructive criticism about it. I tried to implement it as best I could. I went through it and tried to cut the fat like I learned in out Writers Workshop. This allowed me to expound on the ideas my group came up with while staying under the 4 page barrier. I think I did OK. I'll try to get the writing center to look at it before its due. To those that are in my group:

Irene: I wanted to expand on the backgrounds of the men who helped me, but didn't want to say too much. They have the right to privacy just like everyone else, no matter what some people may think. I tried to give details on Bull and a few other that I was very close to. I hope it shows that people can overcome anything if they truly want to. I also tried to reword my first paragraph to make it BOOM more.

Destiny: Expanding on my family was also something I had to cut. Before I knew it I had over a page and a half of nothing but my family. I ended up cutting a lot of it before I submitted my rough draft. I tried to put in some details about my family, specifically my Grannie who thought me the most about the morals I now follow. I tried to reword the sentences you commented on, about learning things I shouldn't and how it made me believe certain things. That was a sloppy paragraph and I think most of it needed deleted. I also tried to clear up and edit my first paragraph and make my thesis clearer.

Christina: I reworded my first sentence, hopefully making it a stronger, clearer thesis. I also found the misspellings and grammar errors and tried to correct any others that I saw.

Thank you all for your words of encouragement and help with this Essay. Hopefully it meets your standards. I'm going to re-post it and let you guys read it and re-comment on it if you like. I'll also email you this so you're sure to see it. :-)

What to do with free time?

You ever have that feeling when you are free to do what you want you just cant decide what to do? I HATE that feeling. It makes my skin crawl. I ache all over when I cant decide what to do. Its almost like a mini panic attack,... I guess? I don't know what else to call it but its real. With my ADHD and OCD I usually have to plan out my days to some extent. When plans go awry and I don't have a back up, or if I just have a lot of free time with nothing to do, I freeze. Ill get all mad or mopey, or something until I figure out what to do. Sometimes it reaches the point that nothing sounds like its worth doing, sounds fun. I usually work through it. The meds help. So does Tiffany, so I get through it. Not as bad as it used to be. This weekend I have the place to myself and I'm going to try and use it productively before I have to do more homework. I'm going to draw (something I have not done in a LONG time), I'm going to clean and arrange the guest bedroom, and maybe, just maybe, Ill try working on the Honda tomorrow and get that damn door open! Wish me luck!

What do Tests Prove?

I just took my third business test. This is the first one I didn't get an A on - I got a B. The test was over 3 chapters. management and Leadership, Structuring Organizations for Today's Challenges, and Production and operations Management. My Business book came with an online version that is to pace you and make sure you read whats important. You also answer questions relating to the chapters and it molds the learning to your needed areas. On the two previous tests, I had no problem. I read the chapters, did the review, and did it all over again. It seemed to be working. Well, not on this test! I could not for the life of me keep everything straight. Who knew there were 5 different production plans, or that under each one is a set of specific rules to follow! I have been reading these chapters for over a week and a half now. I still am getting answers wrong. So I figured I'd read some more and redo the review. Still did not help that much! So this leads me to my question; what is the point of testing? What does this test prove? That I am not management material? That I'm destined to be a lowly staffer all my life? Does it really prove anything other than I cant memorize all of what someone things I should know before a deadline? I mean, I understand this stuff is important, but would it not be more important if I could put it to practice and see how it effects my understanding of these terms? This is like Isaac Asimov's personal narrative "What is Intelligence, Anyway?" and Russell Baker's personal narrative on "School vs. Education." Its all just stuff that people who are deemed smart in the area of Business management put into a book and say "you need to know this to be like us." No, I don't need to know all this "stuff." Yes, it will help, but until l can put these words to action, then they aren't worth much more than the paper they are written on. According to OTC, that paper is worth a few thousand dollars... Guess I better memorize ever cents' worth...

Otaku Unite!

So as some of you may know from our greeting posts at the beginning of the semester, I am a big Anime and Manga fan. I am an Otaku (one with an overly healthy addiction to most things to do with the subject, i.e. GEEK!). Now Im sure when most of you think on Anime and Manga, you think of Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z. Yes, (unfortunately) those are Anime and Manga, but there is so much more out there! Anime is the Hollywood of Japan, well not in the respect as a physical location, but in comparison of what they produce. Japanese Seiyu (voice actors) are famous and are Japans version of our movie celebrities. Japanese bands even fight for the right to create theme music for shows. You can find horror, comedy, Shonen (for guys), Shojo (for girls, think chick flick), drama. You name it. It exists! Anime is one of my passions. I enjoy it for the stories, for the beautiful artwork, for the exposure to another culture. It is an escape to me like reading is to others. Its an entrance to the imagination, to other worlds, to other times! There is no limit. Plus as I am an artist I love to create my own versions of some beloved characters. Right now I am watching Samurai Champloo, a bohemian rhapsody spin on Samurai in Edo period feudal Japan ( just watch it, its a classic), and Sword Art Online, a show on the world first VRMMORPLG (Vrtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, man that a mouth full!) and one you log in, you either beat the game, or die...in real life! I mean, some of the stuff Japan comes up with would make killer movies over here instead of the same old same old Marvel Comics movies. It does seem at times Hollywood is out of ideas... Yes, like everything there are shows that make Anime seem like its just for kids, namely those mentioned above, but just give it a shot! Watch some on TV some time. Cartoon Network / Adult Swim on Saturday nights has a great lineup of new shows. Barnes and Noble has a huge Manga (graphic novel) section that most Anime are based on. Be one with your inner Otaku. Let me know what you think!

A Day of Reflection...

Here we are at the end of another day. Its been a good day. I feel at peace today. You ever have those days where it just feels like Someone said "its time for a break'" and everything was just Cake? I got my Business homework done, actually had people participate in a group discussion for once! I got to watch some of the TV shows I have missed (Dexter and Samurai Champloo) and spend time with Tiffany. I still haven't managed to get my Honda's door open, but the Camry is running so all is good. I am going to work on a friends car in the next couple of days and maybe get paid for it! This past week was rough, but hopefully it is smoothing out. I was disappointed with myself this past week with everything going wrong though. I didn't act the best. I let my anger control me at times, said things I shouldn't, just wasn't myself. I need to remember the things I learned in Texas. I need to remember that its not always as bad as it seems. That if you can take a breath, and just give yourself some time and ask for help, it makes things easier. Tiffany is good at helping when I let her. Sometimes though, I find that I am just being as stubborn as I can for no reason at all. It really makes me think looking back on it now. I need to open up and let people help like I used to. No one can do it all alone, and its usually better if you have more along for the ride.  Number of people involved goes up, immensity of the problem goes down. I need to remember that. Ask God, family, and friends for help before I let myself get angry. Anger is such a waste. Time and energy spent on something that could be put to better elsewhere. Now if I just had some real cake!

Redemption!

A couple really good things happened today. A couple not so good. But the good outweigh the bad so Im rolling with it! So to start off, I went and talked to Ms. A today during office hours. The feeling is mutual; its nice to put a name to a face and meet our instructor. She was very nice and very caring and understanding. I spent quite some time in her office today and got some important matters for myself and a few other students addressed. This really put me at ease for the coming semester. I may not understand everything that's coming, but if I have questions I know I can go visit her and she will listen. Another good thing that happened today was that I got new keys made for my car! While it cost $100, it was cheaper than towing it to Toyota and letting them at it ($700). They came to me an my car and were able to make the keys in a little over a half hour! It was great. Now i plan on making at least 4 copies! I  have never lost my keys. Misplaced yes, but lost no! I NEVER want this to happen again! I am supposed to be a mechanic. Mechanics don't do things like this! After I got the keys made I changed the oil and now Im sitting at Orange Leaf with Tiffany as I write this. So its been a pretty good day. Hopefully tomorrow picks up where today leaves off!

Spinning My Wheels (No, not my Mountain Bike's)

I feel rather erked today. Its like all my frustrations are coming to a head and I need to find a way to release them that is healthy and proper. The best way I can think of doing that is riding my bike. Unfortunately it does not look like I will be able to do that today since I have to work on the car that has the bike rack that can take me to where I want to go ride... I still have not found the keys to it. So today I am going to Toyota to have a key made. Then if Im lucky the keys I lost will be in the car. But I doubt it. So that means replacing the ignition interlock. Which Im not sure I can do - because you need the key to release it... So that means smashing my out with a screw driver or punch. Not something I look forward to as too much can go wrong. But I will probably have to. On top of that school is sucking the life out of me. I spend more time on the computer doing assignments that may or may not be correct because I have no feedback. I knew that online courses would be much different. But this is crazy. If I wanted to type endlessly without any point, I would be on Twitter or Face book! I did not pay hundreds of dollars to do what I could do for free in my own time! I pray it will change. More than that, I am going to do what I can to make it change!

Icing on the cake part 2.

So here it is Sunday night and I am without a functioning car. My Toyota Camry is still up at work. I never did find the keys. Luckily no one else did either or it would probably have been stolen. I tried to fix my Honda today. Im pretty sure I did. Well, then I decided to test it by shutting the door. I now no longer have a functioning driver door! It will not open. I am so pissed right now. I have never, NEVER, been without a functioning automobile. So I have to call work and have my boss find someone to fill my Monday shift while I go have keys made, replace my ignition, and then if Im lucky and have one working car, Get to kick the living crap out of my Honda and hope the door pops open. I was without words. Speechless. I cant believe this has happened to me. I guess free writing has helped my ability to get thoughts to paper, because I had nothing to say until I opened my blog to try to type. So I guess that is one good thing. Another good thing is I rebuild my mountain bike and found nothing wrong with it. SO maybe, just maybe, if I get a car or two fixed tomorrow, Ill reward myself by going to the group ride out at Two Rivers tomorrow. But I got to work fast, because it starts at 2! Hopefully I can also get some studying in for Business afterwards. English has taken so much of my time this week I have not been able to focus on Business. Im so burnt our right now. I hope things ease up in the coming weeks. Only time will tell...

Icing on the cake

Today I did something I have never done before. Well, to this extent. I lost my keys! At work! And cant find them! Today started at 7 AM. Got up to go to work at 8. Today I thought would be a cool day since I was going to be a commercial driver. I like being able to get out of the shop and drive the company truck and make deliveries. It really helps make the day go faster and helps put me in a good mood. Well, that got shot down because we only had 6 deliveries all day! So it dragged and dragged. I was able to come home for lunch and spend some time with Tiffany. Also got some homework done. After that I headed back to work. It was slow, but at least we didn't have too many crazy customers. Before my boss left he gave me and another coworker one last task. Just rearranging part of the store. Finally, 5 o'clock came and I clocked out. I go out to my car and my keys are missing off my belt! I look in the car, they aren't in the ignition and of course I locked the car after lunch! So I go back in the store and look everywhere I have been. I call my boss, my other managers, almost everyone. But no luck. No one has seen them. I call the few commercial accounts that I visited today. Of the few that were still open, none had seen my keys. I look for over an hour. I finally concede defeat and get ready to walk home. My manager takes pity on me and throws me his car keys. I at least got home quicker. But I still have no idea where my keys are. For all I know someone has them. Hopefully my car will still be there come Monday because I will have to go to Toyota to get another key made, and possibly change my ignition since the keys are different... Wow. How could this have happened? I have a good day and things seem to conspire to make it turn to crap sometimes... Such is life.

Ride to Work = Bliss

I decided to pick up an extra shift today filling in for a coworker from 4 to close. Not a super long shift. About right for me for the most part. Instead of driving to work I decided to ride my bike. It was perfect weather for it and Im all about saving money so I got a chance to save gas! Its about 2 miles to work. So its a nice distance without getting all sweaty. Well I got off about 20 minutes ago and decided to take the long way home. Im sitting in front of the Brentwood library typing this after I returned some library materials. Its so peaceful out. Well, other than the people with motorcycles and cars with fart cans on them. This is something I get to do rarely so Im trying to enjoy every minute. I'll probably just meander home after this and enjoy the cruise. I got lights on my bike so people see me. For the most part they are respectful, but there is always that one car that passes too close or honks their horn at you like you are in the middle of their personal driveway. But I don't let it get to me. Bicycling is one of those things to me that nothing else can compare to. Its my own piece of the world, even if Im surrounded by 130,000 people! I get to unwind after bad customers, crazy coworkers and just have fun!

Monday is now Friday!

So here we are at the end of another week. It seems like yesterday I went and got my lessons for the week, but it was Monday! Its currently O Dark Thirty and I'm doing English homework. I just posted my impression of the Writers Workbench that Ms. A wanted us to do. It was OK but took two days to write because I couldn't form an idea in my head of where I wanted the post to go. Well I finished it 10 minutes ago. Hopefully it is OK. I thought I was going to get today off but I accepted a shift that my boss was trying to fill an opening for. Hopefully it will show him that I can be there when he needs me. That's one reason I am here doing this instead of chilling at home. I wanted to get as much homework done tonight so I didn't have to scram tomorrow. Currently I am caught up after this Blog post. Nothing is due until Saturday and Sunday. So I think I am in a good place. I hope that next week is interesting. Maybe a little easier so I can focus on homework properly instead of cramming on my lunch breaks. It gets old. I just want to relax a little after messing with customers all day. Christmas break is coming up pretty fast. Seems yesterday was the first day of class. Now were over a month down. YAY!

McDonald's bringing Jesus back?

Have any of you been in McDonald's lately? At least the ones in Springfield? If I'm not mistaken they are all playing christian music. Not that that's a bad thing but with a girl getting suspended from school last month for saying “God bless you” to another student who sneezed in class, it sure seems odd. Everything is supposed to be secular in our modern world. There is no room for Jesus outside His church that we visit once a week if were good, twice a week if were “Bible thumpers.” But here I am sitting in McDonald's on the wi-fi doing homework and Jesus music is playing over the speakers. I go to three McDonald's in Springfield. The one on East Sunshine, East Cherry, and South National. They all play Jesus music. Probably the same owner. I'm not downing it. Its nice to here some music that doesn't involve someone (Miley) twerking and talking about “Junk in the Trunk.” We say “In God We Trust,” on the dollar bill, but you better not mention it outside of church to anyone. With all the wars recently, and the Middle East in upheaval as its been since Israel was given back the the Jews in 1948, and all the irony that goes along with it (My God is the Your God, but I will kill you to make you believe), you would think we would want to profess God now more than ever. But that will get you kicked out of school, or people will look at you like you just said a dirty word. What has our world come to? This is what happens when people forget that there is Someone bigger than them.

How do you tell if enough is enough?

You ever get the feeling you are doing more than your fare share of work on something only to have it ignored or have to give people credit for something they didn't do? I get that feeling a lot. At work, at school, I feel like I am the only person that cares. Yesterday was truck day at work, which as the name suggests, the semi comes in with parts to restock the store. Usually there are between 1200 and 1500 parts that come in depending on how busy we were two weeks prior when the distribution center counts our sales and writes up the restocking list. Well yesterday was a moderate day as far as parts count. Everyone but 3 people that work at the store were there. I even went in 3 and a half hours early to help out. You would think this would be a good thing. Wrong. The people that were missing were 3 people that actually help me and 3 other employees put up truck. Everyone else just stands around doing nothing. They will find any reason to get out of truck. From going and meeting with commercial accounts to helping customers above and beyond their job description so they don't have to put up parts. Its sickening. A couple of these people are managers that will not do a damn thing unless they absolutely have to. So truck didn't get done, even though me and a couple other guys busted our asses and I came in early. My store manager even came in on his day off to help! How pathetic is that? Same goes for school. Group projects are never a good thing. You get assigned to some random group and you and maybe 1 or 2 others help out. But the slackers certainly come in to finish and get credit! Luckily this semester group members can be fired. Bad news is that means more work for those of us left. But we had to pick up there slack in the first place so that's a moot point. I don't know. I feel like I am doing more than my fare share and not getting anything for it. No thank you, no promotion at work, no nothing. Maybe Ill get a decent grade on my group assignment. That's something... but enough is enough!

Procrastinating about not being a procrastinator

I'm not a procrastinator.. HA! That's why my Honda is still undriveable - because I cant get off my butt to fix it when I have the time. I have told myself every day I have had off that "today is the day I fix it." One month later and its still not fixed... You ever have those times when you just cant seem to get started on something that needs done, even though its really important? I think everyone does. Oh I get stuff done. Lots of it. Problem is its stuff that could wait! I really don't know why I haven't gotten out there and fixed it. I love working on my cars for the most part. Its usually relaxing, until I bust a knuckle. Its just a simple door sensor that has gone out and needs replaced. No big deal. Not like rebuilding the engine or transmission. Probably take no more that an hour. But I haven't started on it. Tiffany keeps bugging me to fix it. Because until I do fix it I have to use her car when I need to get around. Which drives her nuts. Hey... Maybe that's why I haven't fixed it! Does that make me a bad boyfriend? Makes me laugh. Anyway. I think in a lot of ways its like writing. I know what needs done and how to do it. Its just getting started. Once I get the door apart I will go on to the suspension and other stuff that needs attention. Just like my papers, once I find out where to start the words just keep coming. I'm not sure I'm getting better at starting papers yet. I still struggle. I went tot the writing center for help on how to start the I Believe essay. They told me what to do - free write! I should have known that! But its nice to have someone tell you you're on the right track. Maybe I'll write a paper on how to not be a procrastinator, if I ever get around to it....

Know Your Audience

I went back and read posts from my classmates. As everyone knows, we are all different and view things differently than the next person. I thought this was clear in my post "Last of the oil." My question was "with the last barrel of oil on the planet, what car would you drive?" The answers surprised me. I picked an exotic car that culminated everything that I thought a car should be. I got one other answer like that. The rest were extremely varied. They ranged from "what I'm driving now" to not even being about the car, but the destination the car would take them to! I know that my class is mostly "non grearhead", but I thought that most people had some kind of exotic vehicle as their dream car. That's what I get for assumptions. My class seems to be mostly content with their material possessions. What they seemed to crave more was travel. Most of them gave examples of where they would go and why the vehicle they picked accomplished this. My class seems more of the "its the destination, not the journey" type. Believing in an afterlife was big too. While pretty much everyone believe in the hereafter, it was what they said about religion that caught my eye. Many people said they believed in God but not religion. That you don't have to go to church to believe, or even be saved. That believing in and accepting Jesus was something one could accomplish without a priest telling you what to do. I figured this question might start a religion war, but it didn't. Most people felt that religion is corrupt and to take it with a grain of salt. Last was the question about seasons. Most people liked fall and spring, mostly because it wasn't too cold or hot, which allowed them to do more outside. Taking all this into account, my writing should be impacted by my audience. They seem to be happy with their lives and are steady in their beliefs and family. A paper just about cars would not interest many. My ability to reach my audience is probably best served through papers on the outdoors, possibly vacations and the types of things to be done. I am not sure I am comfortable touching religion or the afterlife. Too many variables to take into account. Never the less, my writing will probably change.

Riding to give back

Today I sent out the SAC River to ride my bike. It was for the Thorn a Thon. A now annual event where you get people to donate a certain amount of money per lap and then you ride until you cant ride anymore. Today we raised over $1000 from what I understand. That money will go back to help create new trails and maintain the ones we have.

Unfortunately for me, I just found out about it. So I didn't participate in the event proper. But I decided to go out anyway. I road the trail and helped motivate people to keep going instead of dropping dead. I would ride with someone that was struggling and help get them to the next lap. People were able to take breaks so it wasn't non-stop.The course loop was a little under 2 miles. No big deal right? Well when you figure in lots of climbing, combined with the fact that the event was from 10am to 4pm, and you're trying to crank out as many laps as possible. It beat people up. The person with the most laps came in at an even 30, around 55 miles. Up hills. Eaten by bugs. It was tough. Surprisingly almost everyone cranked out more than 10 laps, even the kids!

We have a wonderful organization that really supports the local creation and conservation of our trail network. Besides riding, we have work days where well go out to a trail and do whatever needs done, usually followed by riding and beer. Its amazing the amount that the members volunteer. Without it, we wouldn't have any place to ride.  I am really glad I joined them. I'm really glad I got rid of my road bike. This is so much more fun!

Saturday Night Sucks

I just finished an essay. Its a This I Believe essay. I think I totally botched it. I misread the direction, I think. Not sure. Well see when the teacher grades it. I'm so tired right now I cant even type coherently. Its all I can do to not just say “screw it”. Hopefully things will get easier in English class. I have Business too. I have a test that I have to take this week and I haven't even studied for it. It kinda worries me, but its easier than English. I will never take online classes again. The amount of homeowner is crazy. Plus I don't have internet at home so I have to go out every time I need to get on. I did it so I could free up more time for work. But that backfired. My boss doesn't have the hours to give me now. I don't know what else to write about. I have to hit 300 words. Some arbitrary number so the teacher doesn't have to read it if its too short I guess. I don't think word count should have anything to do with English. Its not hard to fill up a page with meaningless mumbo jumbo and still pass it off as a paper. Those who want to make the grade will, those that don't wont. Its simple. Why is everything in life overly complicated? It just gets more and more gray as you go along. Maybe its the people in authority its black and white. Sure seems that way with government. Always blaming each other like its so clear cut. Here I am rambling to meet a word count criteria. Wonder how close I am without checking the counter? Just checked it. Had 15 words to go. Only 7 more. I think. Math sucks too.

Its not a weekend, its a workend!

Today marks the weekend. A time that people look forward to for free time, relaxation, and time spent with family. Me, well, I get to work so its not my weekend. But that's OK. Means more money to replace the money I blew earlier today on anime! My girlfriend isn't home anyway. She is out in Fair Play visiting family. So I got the place to myself – when I actually get to be there. But there is so much to do  when I'm not at work. I still have to finish my rough draft and edit my This I Believe Essay. Then I get to study for a business test. When thats done, I may get to actually do something I want to do – work on my car with a friend. That's if he isn't busy with homework or going home to Waynesville to visit his family. Oh well, either way Ill still work on it. Its driving me nuts. Maintenance has fallen behind so now its piled up. I have to work on my suspension, the door wiring, and if I find some money, replace some oil seals. Its come a long way. Its never had many reliability issues, just things that should be done that have been ignored. So that takes up a lot of the money I would rather put into modifying it. I still have some new suspension components I have been dying to put on but a bolt is rusted in place. Its a $9 bolt and I'm cheap so I'm trying to figure pout how to get it out  without cutting and destroying it. Then I got a new engine computer wiring harness that needs put in, but my wiring guy is out of town and I have no idea how to do that. Its magic pixie dust as far as I'm concerned. I would also like to hook up an oil catch can in place of my unused AC dryer, but that's money I don't have. Oh well. Its a project car, which is just another way of saying “money pit.” But its mine and for the most part its fun.  So maybe I will get to have a little bit of a weekend. We'll see!

My Credo

I believe that you must believe in and love yourself before you can believe in and love anyone else. I believe that family, friends, and God come before your job. Happiness cant be bought or earned, it is loving and being loved. I believe that “Live, Laugh, Love” is a way of life. I believe that, while you may never forget, you must forgive in order to be forgiven. Hate takes too much energy. Never go to bed angry. But if your family of birth is harmful, you can make a family of choice. I know that while giving up may be easier, it makes things harder down the road. I believe that I am better than I know I am, and can do things I have never even thought possible. I know that you can overcome your past, not be defined by it but if you don't learn from the past, you are doomed to repeat it. Life is the way you make it. Each day is a chance to start over. I believe this life is a trip, a very short one, and you better enjoy the ride.  

My New Bike

I wasn't sure what to write about today. That's how it is most days. So I'll write about my new bike. Its an Orbea Occam full suspension mountain bike. I traded in my Cannondale CAADX cross bike for it. It is technically a "demo" and therefor used, but it was never road before the bike shop got it since its on the relatively cheap end of bikes no one wanted to ride it, instead riding the much more expensive bikes. That's fine with me. It means it didn't have any dings or scratches before I got it! its my first mountain bike, and so its a new aspect of biking that I didn't have much experience with. So here is what I have learned in the last few months:

Mountain biking is fun! instead of just riding around the same old streets, you are out on trails in the woods.

The woods are beautiful! I don't know how many deer I have seen.

Mountain biking is really hard! You don't just sit on the bike and pedal. You have to make the bike move to dodge roots, trees, the occasional rider who isn't paying attention, and other mobile objects. Plus the climbing sucks!

Going down is better than going up! Flying downhill on a 3 foot wide trail is much more fun than climbing the damn hill to get there.

Its dangerous! From said flying downhill and dodging things. I have busted my knuckles so far. one of my friends got a bruise that ran down his side and back from falling 7 feet and landing on a fallen tree.

Bugs like to eat me! Bug spray is a God send.

People that ride mountain bikes are more fun than those that ride road bikes! Most anyone on a mountain bike seems to be really laid back and fun. People on road bikes are obsessed with speed and weighing their food.

Being part of the local club is really fun! It gets you out of the house and you get to have beer with them when you are done riding or building a trail.

There is no end to the season! If you don't care what the weather is, you can experience so many different things. Riding in snow is way different than riding on dirt.

Start of Assignment 4.1 Fluency Blog - Let's Blog!

So I have an assignment. Its to free write to gain fluency in writing - to make things flow without my editing filter in my brain turned on. Just write to write, non-stop for 20 minutes or so in the beginning then less later as I develop my writing abilities. This is awkward. I keep misspelling things and wanting to immediately go back and change it. That pesky filter is slowing my fingers down second guessing themselves before they even type.

I never noticed this before but now that I'm paying attention its pretty bad. My fingers are slow, awkward. My brain is constantly thinking the things it is thinking are meaningless and trash. Is that possible? Is a minds own thoughts trash, or, THERE I GO LOOKING FORE THE DELETE KEY! Is a minds own thoughts trash, or is it the perceptions we gather as we grow. That this or that isn't good enough, fix it. Conform to a set standard that civilization considers right. But What if we could get rid of the preconceived notions of what is right and wrong, and just let go for one glorious moment? Like this free writing exercise.

 Its sloppy, its messy. But it is flowing! The longer I type the easier it is - the quicker my fingers go over the keys, no stopping! So there Mr DELETE key! You are not the boss of this keyboard for these precious few minutes. My brain can be free! This is an amazing thing. Not everything we are taught, and because of that, what we think of ourselves is true. These things that are slowing my key strokes and inhibiting my ability to put thoughts to paper are just self doubts. Doubts that I have learned from years of trying to be a certain way. That is fine to an extent but when it goes too far and tells people they cant do something because it doesn't meet to a set of standards is wrong.

My flow is kinda off now but I got that thought back I wanted! I hope this is going to get easier as it goes along. One blog down, a bunch to go!

Dungeons and Dragons - START!

So today Tiffany and I are starting a Dungeons and Dragons with her brother Joshua and two of his roommates. I have not played DND for over 4 years so its going to be interesting to see what I remember. SO far its very little. I don't remember what half the moves are, what die are used for what, etc.

Right now we are introducing our characters - mine is a Unaligned male half-orc Rogue (scoundrel) whatever all that means. My character is good at picking locks and being stealthy. Nothing I would consider I am good at. The city we are starting in is Baldurs Gate, yes, after the old video game. I wonder if there will be a lawsuit over that.

Anyway, I cant say I'm too enthused. I played it a long time ago when I had friends that were into it. It helped passed the time but I was not very good at role playing. But maybe this time will be different. Only time will tell.

It will take a long time to get very far into this. We are supposed to play every other Tuesday from 7 - midnight. I used to play about 3 hours a day 5 days a week and that took ages.

I'm really not sure what to expect. Suppose that's part of the fun. We shall see.

My Last Ride

For me there are so many wonderful machines out there. So many I would wonders of the automotive world and the power that comes from them. Cars in there truest form are simple transportation. To those of us who look beyond the simple, there is a whole nother world. The beauty in the curves, the roar of the engine that brings it to life, the smell of burnt rubber on the tarmac. Cars, to me, are not cars. They are works of art. Art that any of the classical painters and designers of the past could find something amazing in.

It was very hard for me to narrow the field. There are so many I would give almost anything the touch, let alone drive. If I had to choose one car to go for one last drive in because all the oil reserves have been used up, it would be a Hennessey Venom GT. 1244 horse power, 1155 lb-ft of torque, mid mounted twin turbocharged v8 with a top speed 278mph. But its more than just the numbers. Its the feeling those numbers bring up. Excitement, Joy, Breathlessness, and dare I say, Love? This car to me is the epitome of what a machine on 4 wheels is. It would be My Last Ride.

Two days off...

So I have been off work for two days. Well, actual work. Not school though. I worked at AutoZone all Labor Day weekend. It wasn't to bad. But there was stuff I would rather be doing. Like i said yesterday, one of those things was Mountain Biking. Today I planned on getting up early and cleaning some of the house.

Instead I overslept until about noon and then had to hurry to get ready for appointments. Had to drive across town to the pharmacy, then drive back to the other side for my appointment, then drive back over to the pharmacy because they didn't have all my meds ready the first time! I was mad, and it showed.

Now I'm on Blackboard wondering about my other job - school. I'm in a Business class and we are to make a business. Makes sense right? Well that all well and good, except some people aren't participating. It really is messing with my mental well being. I'm at odds. Part of me, well most of me, is asking myself why I signed up for online classes. So far its been a disappointment.

I first got the idea because my boss said if I could free up my schedule he would give me more hours. Well then he needed me to free up Wednesday which is a no go. So understandably I didn't get the increase I wanted. Not his fault. He really tries to help. But it was a major let down for me.

Now I'm stuck in online classes. Oh sure, I could still drop them. But Ill lose my Pell Grant money that went toward the classes, such as the technology fees. I cant drop out this semester because I need to the loan money to live because of the lack of hours at work. But maybe if I did drop out my hours would increase?

That's dangerous thinking. I keep telling myself that if I drop it will only get worse. It will make it harder to come back next semester, my loans will come due, just all kinds of bad juju. So I'm staying with it. The one positive thing to come out of this online semester is this Blog. I have never liked to write, but this has helped. It helps me clear my head as well. Problem is deciding what I should and should not say!

Wow, two days off, and this is what I have to show for it!

There and Back Again

SO, today I had to make a trip to Branson for a Dr. appointment. Branson, as you in the Springfield area know is nothing but one big traffic jam and tourist trap. I was hoping to make the best of it by going mountain biking after my appointment. Well, of course, it rained like cats and dogs last night and so what could go wrong did: the trails were closed because of severe mud conditions. IMBA doesn't want us to ride on wet trails as it adds to the erosion problem. I did see some bikers at Two Rivers, mud all over there bikes. Blatantly ignoring the rules. But that's the way of people sometimes. It could have turned out to be a bad day for me. But I chose to make the most of it. I enjoyed a beautiful drive in the country with my girlfriend in what was for the most part wonderful fall temperatures. Afterwards we stopped at Orange Leaf and got some really good frozen yogurt. Just stay away from the Key Lime Pie flavor!

Assignment 2.4 - Typology and Writing

My Jung Typology is ENFJ. That in itself sounds complicated. Looking at my results to me it says I'm a muddled mess. But that's a good thing, right!?

The first E says I'm moderately extroverted (56%) over introverted. This is surprising to me in some ways. I always saw myself as the the go getter. I would usually end up taking control of group assignments and carrying the load. This was not always by choice, and I think that's where the introversion comes in. I don't like to always be in control. It makes me nervous at times to think that everything rests on my shoulders. I believe this is part of the reason I have trouble starting papers or other big assignments. I'll pace and pace, going over idea after idea until deciding on one. But once I get going watch out! I do agree that I am very charismatic. In fact my ability to be liked by others has helped me in the work place. It helped me get a job after not having a job for quite a long time, and has kept me valuable in the work place. I am cluttered at times, and not just at home. My brain is constantly turning, sucking in new information like a black hole, but there in lies the issue. My mind races so much that I have trouble completing things and following directions at times, often starting something many things and failing to complete them. I self-sacrifice to a point that is unhealthy, helping everyone before myself. This has lead to trouble in the past and I'm currently on medication, which I think is helping but only times will tell.

The N stands for using Intuition over Sensing (25%). I like to learn how to do things but then don't like to learn how to do it another way. This is common with the way I work on cars, draw, work, etc. When I must learn how to do something it can take quite awhile to get it right if I have done it a different way before. But my intuition has helped me more than hindered me.

This is also where Feeling over Thinking (38%) come in. I also believe this is tied to my intuition. I believe It has kept me out of trouble, helped me think rationally when emotions are running high. People often turn to me in crisis and I can usually help. But when its something close to me I wind up panicking and frozen, not know what to do.

I am also Judgmental (11%) over Perception. I approach life in a very structured way. I want to have every plan laid out and struggle with change. I am usually able to get still get things done but it will sour me for the rest of the day. If plans I have been waiting for get canceled I find it devastating. I find myself very judgmental of others. I expect a very high standard and wind up disappointed over trivial things. To the point of hurting people, sometimes intentionally with what I say. I lack a filter between brain and mouth and I have no poker face. I am primarily Irish and my emotions run very high. So combined with Feeling I can be impossible to deal with and be around.

I am learning from this test that as a writer and student, I need structure but I don't need the rigidity of a concrete box. Not everything has to fit in place. This severe rigidity has rendered me frozen at times. I need to learn to flow. A current has structure – its headed in a certain direction, but when something blocks its path it doesn't just freeze, it finds a way around and continues on its course.

But from my experiences and the and the fact that I like being in different situations stands in stark contrast to structure. I enjoy being in the moment, feeling, seeing, smelling – using all my senses to enjoy life. It also helps my writing because once the flow starts it keeps going – perfect for free writing!

Although this test contrasted some things more than I thought they would be, I learned that the majority of what I thought is correct. This helped shed light on some problem areas that need more attention. I did have fun with this assignment. Its like a miner chipping away, trying to find the gold beneath. Every answer sheds a little more light on myself.  

Info about Me

So anyway. My name is Benjamin Edwards and I am 28 years old and am currently a student at Ozark Technical Community College is Springfield Missouri. I am attending to receive my AAS in Automotive Technology and then possibly a Business degree. I currently work for Auto Zone part time. While not there or at school, I try to split my life between time with my wonderful girlfriend Tiffany, playing video games, collecting and watching Anime, and riding my bicycles. I am also a Corvette fanatic. I am a member of the local International Mountain Bike Association chapter MORC (Midwest Off-Road Cyclists) and attend many of their group rides and trail building activities. Life is pretty busy, but fun for the most part. Hopefully it will only get better from here on out!

First Post!!!

Well this is strange. I have not been into the whole social media since before My Space was just a regular message board. Seems fitting that I would eventually be sucked in to the social media storm that has engulfed the planet. Imagine how much 'greener' the world would be if we didn't burn so much coal to write this stuff! But I digress. Hopefully this Blog will be fun, at least for me, even if no one else reads it. I have two followers already. One lives with me, the other, I have no idea. I think they found the wrong Ben Edwards!
Anyway, here we go!