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Well Everyone it has finally come. It's finals week and everyone is studying and packing up to go home (much like myself, I leave Tuesday ^^). I hope everyone has enjoyed my blogs so far and will come back next year ready for the new semester.
Today I want to share with you what my holidays are like. It may be a bit confusing, but they are fun none the less. You see I come from a rather poor family. I don't know how we make ends meet, but I am very grateful that we do. As I told you before I was born in Colorado and lived there for about half of my life. When I moved to Arizona my mother brought family traditions and creativity to make up for the loss of the things we left at home (i.e. Snow). Now, my holidays are wild and crazy all the way through. It starts the day after Thanksgiving. We turn on Christmas music as soon as everyone wakes up and start decorating. We stay in with the family instead of going shopping on Black Friday, like so many others. We do all our shopping before or the week after. Anyway, throughout the day my mom and two sisters take out all of the decorations as I set everything apart and organize it. You see I am the decorator of the family. We start outside decorations early in the morning and work until about noon, because by that time the sun is up and the temperature is at the high, which is too hot to be outside for long periods of time. If we don't finish we do so the next morning. The rest of the night we turn on holiday movies (i.e. It's a Wonderful Life and Holiday Inn) and decorate inside.
For holiday celebrations we participate in two holidays and hold parties. Our first holiday, or Sabbath as we call it, is Yule, which is similar to Christmas. We exchange one gift and hold a ritual to celebrate the birth of our God from the Goddess. We also light candles and a Yule log, casting a spell in hopes for a healthy and happy new year. If you want to learn more about this Sabbath you can search it or simply ask me about. I am more than happy to chare more information about it. ^^ We then hold a holiday party where people come to celebrate all holidays and exchange gifts with each other. Our parties are quite famous in our neighborhood and our friends look forward to it every year. After the party Christmas isn't too far behind and so we celebrate Christmas for those around us that celebrate it as well. We also celebrate it because it was what we celebrated with our grandparents before we came and sometimes we go to Colorado to be with them or they come to Arizona to be with us. On Christmas Eve everyone is allowed to pick one present to open and play with for the night. We then have dinner and desert. After that we watch White Christmas and go to bed as soon as it is over. The next morning no one (and I mean no one) is allowed to open presents until everyone is up and (this one always bothered me as a child) you aren’t allowed to wake the parents up. >.< Only then can we open the rest of the presents. We do this by sorting out everyone’s gifts and take turns opening presents, almost in a round. The rest of the day we play, visit and go to others houses. We spend time with close friends and family, focusing on each other. We can't go outside and play like many others because of the heat and there is no snow to play with, so we have to find other things to do.
Well, that is my holiday from across the country and of a different religion. It is much more hectic when we actually participate in it, but I love every minute of it. Again, if you are curious about it and want more details please comment and ask about it!
Happy Holidays everyone! I hope yours is as relaxing as I plan mine to be. Thanks for reading and I hope to see you next year.
Merry Meet and Farewell till next year!
Hello again everyone!!! It’s the last week of classes and I'm sure everyone is counting down the days until they go home!! (I know I am!!!) Unfortunately, this does not mean our stress levels or workloads have gone down. This is precisely what I want to discuss today. How can we find time to relax and get everything we need to get done finished? In this post I want to share the way I do it and some other things you can do to relieve the stress.
1. Keep your due dates in a planner. This way you know when assignments are due and can plan accordingly.
2. Set up a schedule for yourself. Make time for everything you need to do for the day (i.e. Eat, nap, different assignments, etc.) and stick to that schedule. This way you know how much you need to get done per unit of time and be able to arrange it so you can finish the assignments in a timely and orderly fashion. Doing this will also discourages procrastination. (Sweet, sweet procrastination >.<) Make the schedule according to when the assignment is due and how long or difficult the assignment may be. For example, if it is an easy assignment that isn't due for a week or two you can hold out on it, or finish it quickly so you don't have to worry about it.
3. Be sure you eat and sleep. Without these you lose energy and mental processing, preventing you from being able to focus.
4. Put yourself in a comfortable, non-disruptive environment. I don't necessarily mean a place that is quiet because sometimes I even need some music or background noise to keep me stimulated. Just go somewhere you are comfortable and won’t be distracted from your work.
5. Don't be afraid to ask for help. If you feel you are missing something or you just need help, ask. There are plenty of people (i.e. friends, classmates, roommates and RA's) that are more than willing to help you.
6. Do something other than study and work! You have to walk away from time to time and let yourself relax. Participate in activities with friends or on your own. An example would be Stress X this Saturday the 13th. There will be back massages (Ah….back massages….) and many other activities to help relieve the stress. It will be held in the MPR's and The Hang. Don’t miss out!!!
7. Don't study too much at one time. It is a fact that a person cannot retain complete concentration for more than 15 minutes at a time. (Don’t believe me? Look it up :P) Plan your study time to be about 15-20 minutes, and then take a 5-10 minute break. Go take a walk, talk to friends or anything else that will get you to stop thinking about studying for a few minutes. If you continue this and break up your time you will be able to better memorize and retain the information you are studying more efficiently.
I hope you find these suggestions helpful and that you can use them for the last few days of class and next semester. Good luck on your last few days! Keep up the great work, we are almost done!!!
Merry Meet and Farewell for now!
Welcome back from Thanksgiving Break everyone!!! I hope everyone had a good, relaxing break. For those that didn't get to go home I hope that you had a good time on campus or at a friend’s house. As for me I went to East Brunswick and New York City with my roommate. I thought I would take the time to give some vacation ideas (those for the East and West) for everyone to indulge in over the upcoming holidays! (2 weeks then finals!!!)
Let's start in the East, easily reached by those that live here and all the current residence from off campus that moved here for school. The closest is our current surroundings, Maine, the vacationland. There are various national and state parks that one can visit, such as Arcadia National Park and Baxtor State Park. They provide places to escape to and various recreational activities to participate in when you need time to relax. If hanging out in the park isn't your sort of thing you can travel south into Massachusetts where you can spend time in Salem or Boston. Both have significant American history embedded into the towns. Make a plan for a day trip and spend some time learning new stories and reveling in the history of America.
(The "Witch House" in Salem)
(Original ship where the Boston Tea Party took place)
If that isn't interesting either you can take a longer trip and go all the way to New York where you can visit Rockefeller center, Central Park, the Empire State Building, Ground Zero, Broadway and much more!!!
Now, let’s travel to the other side of the states (I know we are skipping many in the middle, but I don't really know much about them, sorry.) Starting in Colorado you can visit the Mile High city, the Rocky Mountains, Pike's Peak, Mesa Verde and many more things. Travelling south or southwest you can take some time in New Mexico or visit the only Four Corners in the US where you can stand in four places at once!!!
(The Four Corners)
Still traveling south into Arizona you can take your time in the north woods area (yes there are forest areas in Arizona) and travel to the Grand Canyon. Here you can hike the canyon, even go down into the bottom. There are mule and helicopter rides for those that don't really want to hike. There is also a new development called the Skywalk where (for a fee of course) you can walk over a transparent walkway that reaches out over the edge of the canyon! (Crazy, I know. That's what I thought and I live there!!)
There are many other things to do in Arizona (despite the idea that it is a dead desert). You can visit the tribes and learn about the original cultures that are still alive today, go Salt River Tubing, visit Tombstone where you can learn about famous shoot outs of the old west, drive over the original London Bridge (yes, the one that was "falling down". It’s in Lake Havasu, look it up), participate in the great night life and many more things!
(London Bridge in Lake Havasu Arizona)
Move farther west and you can reach California in 5 short hours. Here you can visit the beaches, participate in whale watching, visit the various theme parks (YaY Disneyland!), Death Valley and many more things! (I know I say this a lot, but there is just soooo much to do! ^^)
(California Adventure)
If you want more information simply Google these places or visit the Travel Channel site to look up things to do and places to go. Of course there is much more then what I have mentioned here, so don't be afraid to question me, research things yourself. I hope everyone enjoyed this short look on things to do on each coast (even though I didn't cover the entire coast in either the East or West). Have a good week and don't stress. We are almost done! Just a few more short weeks!
Merry Meet and Farewell for now!
Welcome back everyone!!! I'm glad to see I didn't scare you off. :)
So, throughout the week I thought to myself, "Hmm, what should I blog about next week?" I had a list of ideas, but I thought I would pick something I knew pretty well and by the title of the blog I'm sure you can guess what I am going to be blogging about today: Tattoos and Piercings. Yes, the big taboo many elders still have problems comprehending, which is understandable from their point of view. Anyway, let’s get on with this.
What do I know about tattoos and piercings? Well, I have multiple piercings (7 ear piercings and 1 tongue) and I am currently getting my first tattoo (it is rather large and on my foot). I also know many people that have tattoos and piercings and I have been surrounded by them all my life. What I want to do is talk about them, think through why people want them and if it is the right choice for you to get a piercing or tattoo because I know many out there are thinking "I'm 18 and free. What can I do?" Piercings and tattoos are some of the first things that come to mind.
Let’s start with piercings. This includes ear, facial, oral, genital and other body piercings (i.e. Belly button or dermal anchor). Many people have the basic lobe piercings, but in this day and age everyone wants to be a little rebellious. If you feel you want to take a walk on the wild side you should always start with research about the piercing you want to get. Ask others you know about them, such as what care was needed and how did it feel. Think about whether it is appropriate to have where you work and how it may look to others. Remember, most piercings (except dermal anchors) can be removed and if cared for properly in the first place will hardly leave a mark after healing.
(Popular Ear Piercings)
(Other piercings)
Now, a little about tattoos. Unlike piercings, these suckers are permanent, so you should think carefully before you get one. I know spontaneity is a great thing, but when it comes to one of these many people say they like the ones they thought about more than the ones they got on a whim. Now, your body is the canvas, but where should you create this picture? To each his own, but many will tell you not to get your feet or hands because they are likely to rub off eventually. This has happened to people before and one should think about that carefully. You should also think about you pain tolerance. Any places that have blood vessels or bones in close proximity are much more painful than other places. Also fatty areas are less painful. Now, I waited years before getting my tattoo and have been thinking long and hard about what I wanted. Maybe you should make it sentimental (I don't mean names, NEVER get names, always a bad idea) but something that is a symbol for a person or memory can be the best tattoo to get. Also it doesn't have to be something big and bad. Many get something very small, such as a fairy or a musical note.
In both cases make sure you ALWAYS do your research. Be sure it is something YOU want, because it is YOUR body and YOU will be the one living with it. I hope I have shined some like on this rather exciting topic. If you have any questions, please comment! I am always ready and willing to help you! Until next time! Merry Meet and Farewell!
P.S.
A good place to start on tattoos is http://www.tattoojohnny.com/ . Here you can look at various tattoo ideas and get some good advice on how to go about getting your first tattoo.
For piercings you can look here http://www.livestrong.com/article/12448-piercing/ or look it up for yourself.
Be patient and be sure it is what you want.
Hiya everyone! Welcome to the first post of my UNE blog. I find this very strange and interesting, don't you? Here I am, a student, just like you, talking about events going on at the school and how they feel about the various experiences where it can be viewed and commented on by everyone. Hmmm....strange, but fun. XD
Anyway, I'm sure you all are wondering who this person is, rambling on about how interesting a blog is. Well, let me begin a very interesting tale, or at least the Spark note version.
My name is Jennifer Kellner. I was born on the morning of a blizzard in Denver, Colorado. I was raised there until I was about 8 years old when my mother began moving my siblings and I back and forth between Colorado and Arizona. We finally settled in Arizona on the Pima Maricopa Salt River Indian Reservation (WHEW, what a mouth full!!) when I was in 5th grade. I attended a variety of schools and graduated from Xavier College Preparatory last year. With a college application, a lot of hope and a little bit of luck I was accepted to UNE. I drove cross country from Arizona (yes, I drove), passing though about 13 states, to arrive here the Friday before we started school (so to anyone who has seen the white cavalier with an Arizona license plate, its ME!! ^^).
So before some questions start pouring in I want to clear some things up. There are many FAQ's I would like to address now.
Q: Are you Hawaiian?
A: No (sorry folks). I am what we call a mutt, but mainly Caucasian, African American and Native American.
Q: How many siblings do you have?
A: I have 9 siblings last time I counted, 5 sisters and 4 brothers. (This does not include their brothers and sisters that I care for and love as well) I am the eldest. I try to keep in touch with all of them, even those I have never met before (Yes, there are a couple I have yet to meet).
Q: Arizona?! Really?! Why come so far?!
A: Because I wanted to get away from the desert and because I love the programs offered from UNE for Psychobiology and Marine Biology majors.
Q: What's with the broomstick above your door? (You have to see my room, but I thought I would get this out of the way)
A: I am Pagan, specifically Wiccan. For all of you who don't know what that means I'll give it to you straight.....I'm a witch. And no, I don't do "TV Magic", but I have cast spells. Don't be afraid to ask about it, I'll tell you all I know. ^^
Well, I think that is about it for now (You think? Pretty long, huh). I hope that you have found this as entertaining and interesting as I have. It is a pleasure to blog for all of you out there and I hope to receive some comments! Keep an eye out! I plan on having something new for you every Sunday!
Merry Meet and Farewell for now!
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