Working Girl..

Well, I officially began my job today. I was really nervous when I drove there today.. well I was either nervous or sleep deprived haha.. I had to get up at 5am.. eww..

Anyway, when I got to the plant I had to wait for my supervisor to take me out to the floor. So, the HR department called her and she said, "I'll be right there." So, I wait and I wait and I wait. The shift started at 7am and by the time I was done waiting it was quarter til 8. I got to know the HR ladies pretty well haha..

So, my supervisor takes me out to the floor and introduces me to all the ladies working in the department. On the particular machine I was helping with there were 7 ladies. Don't ask me their names because I can't remember haha.

My supervisor puts me with a woman named Patti, and she shows me how to do the different stations. There were five different stations to work. The first one was taking the label of the five star note book (you know the one that is hooked in the spiral part) and flip it to the back of the notebook. Then stack them on the appropriate table. The next stage was folding cardboad trays to stack the five star note books in. Also at this station you have to put the trays in a conveyer belt. The third station was stacking said notebooks into said trays on said conveyer belt lol. Two of the station do this because there are two different kinds of notebooks. One is the bold colors (red, black blue) and the other is the bright colors (light blue, purple, red). When the books are on conveyer belt they go through a shrink wrap machine. At the last station, the person there catches the shrink wrapped notebooks and puts them in display boxes.

I know I know.. how can I handle such excitment and complex doings. It will take me MONTHS to catch on! haha.. WRONG! A monkey could do this job, but you know what I'm getting paid 12.57 an hour to do monkey's work, and I'm happy with it.

Tonight my feet ache, I'm covered in scratches, and my hands are all dry. I'm sure it will get worse, and I'll probably have man hands when I'm finished haha. But again I'm getting paid! haha

It all starts again tomorrow at 5am. Pray for me that I continue to like it!

Update.. take two..

Well I figure it is time for another update. I've really become very horrible at writing lol

Anyway, I've been home for more than two weeks and I'm just now starting to work. Monday is my first day FINALLY! I so need the money haha. My job is at Mead Westvaco in Alexandria. It's a factory that makes Mead products (folders, paper etc.). I'm going to be in the finishing department, which is like special orders and such. It doesn't sound really fun, but at least it's a job!

Monday also start summer classes for me. I'm taking two classes from May 18 to June 25 and then one more from June 31 to the end of July. I'm sort of stressing already about the first two classes. I just read the syllabuses and the courses have a lot of work involved. Since I'm working full time plus overtime, I think it's going to be a lot to do. But I'm just going to suck it up and go to work, sleep, read and repeat because I WILL graduate in the spring lol.

I went to Geneva College's graduation today. It sort of made me sad because that is where I started school, but I'm not graduating this year. I suppose that's what happens when you switch majors and colleges a bunch of times. Oh well, it's only a year late.

That brings me to my next update. I've decided to go to grad school. I really want to take the CPA exams when I'm finished with school, and I'm afraid if I try this with only the education from Mansfield, I won't be very prepared. So, I looked around for a college that has a master's in accounting. I found West Virgina's site, and it looks like that is the place. Their program is focused on the CPA exams, and it only takes a year and a summer. That means in the fall of 2010 I'll be moving to West Virgina. I've already been looking for apartments (I'm a little bit like my mom in the respect haha). I've found some really nice places. Being a college town, Morgantown has a lot of apartment complexes.

Well that's about it for now. If you all could pray for my family that would be awesome. There's some "junk" that's going on (more on that subject later).

Have a good night/day!

Update

Well according to April, I need to update my blog. I guess since it hasn't been written on since January, an update may be needed. (A side note: my web browser tells me that hasn't isn't a word..) Anyway, my semester is almost over. I have three days left and then finals. I'm not really concerned about finals. They shouldn't be too bad. I've been doing very well this semester, so nothing is really scary.

I guess I haven't written on this blog because there really hasn't been anything extra exciting that has happened. I did have an interesting thing happen at Hills Creek Lake about two weeks ago. I wrote a paper about it for nature writing (yes that is an actual class). So I thought I would share it with all of those interested. It's kinda long.



The Money Shot.

Hills Creek Lake: a beautiful lake spanning a quarter square mile in Tioga County, Pennsylvania. The park that houses Hills Creek Lake is a 400 acre state park that was originally named Kelly’s Swamp. It was, in fact, just a swamp in the 1950’s. There was even a mine where paint pigment was extracted. The park opened in 1953 and was named for the nearby creek, Hills Creek. This very creek was dammed up to create the beautiful lake. The lake and the surrounding park are home to beavers, muskrats, wood ducks, blue herons, osprey, and even the occasional bald eagle.

My grandfather, on my dad’s side, lives just across the road from Hills Creek Lake. He bought a monstrous white house that still scares me to this day. The upstairs has been closed for years, and the winding, never ending staircase added to the scare factor. The attic, which had been boarded up and filled with triple expanding foam, was home to thousands of bats, which exited the house every night like clockwork. The sky would turn black with bats as the colony went to work for the evening. I am not sure if my fascination of Hills Creek Lake came because of my fear of this house or from my love of nature. No matter, while growing up, I spent many days and nights exploring the lake and camping areas. I never appreciated the beauty of the park; I just knew that it was a great place to ride my bike and play with my cousins.

I recently visited my grandfather, Pop-pop, and he told me stories about seeing a bald eagle nabbing fish out of the water. He also told of seeing several osprey partaking in the same activities. He waved his hands widely as he shared about them swooping down out of the sky and ripping the fish from their homes. I became very excited when I heard this story. I have a secret obsession (not so secret anymore) with birds of prey. I drive to the local lakes, armed with my camera, and sit staring at the water. I could do that for hours.

I had not visited Hills Creek Lake in several years. I could not even remember what it looked like or how to navigate the roads in the park, but after hearing about the return of the eagles, I decided it was a great time to take a trip. The weather had been beautiful, but with rain in the forecast, I carefully plotted my visitation day. March 23 was a great day!
I left Mansfield University with a mind full of ideas. I had my camera by my side and began daydreaming about all the gorgeous pictures I would take. The pictures would be of an osprey or, better yet, a bald eagle appearing only ten feet from me. He would plunge from the sky with outstretched talons aiming for an unsuspecting fish. He would finally reach the water and seize his meal. Of course I would be there snapping pictures, which would be published in famous magazines. I would make a ton of money and never have to work again. Maybe. Oh, I was about to miss my turn at the first boat launch.

I parked my car near the water and stuffed my hoodie pocket with a bird book, two camera lenses, and my notebook. The wind blew across the water and then across my face. It whipped my hair in front of my nose and eyes. I took a deep breath. The smell was clean. It reminded me of hunting with my dad. It was unlike any candle or perfume that can be bought. I stood silent for a few moments taking in the scene.

The crunch of the stones under my feet was an intrusion to my senses, but obviously I could not get those big money shots from the car. I reached the dock and walked to the end where I could see the entire lake. The water was a dark blue almost aqua. I would see green “sea” weed (lake weed maybe) floating in the water. The weed looked like a fern or a plant with tangled nets for leaves. I grasped my camera after having a thought of it falling into the water. The water moved with the wind under the dock. I almost felt like I was moving in a boat. I had a wave of sea sickness. It was time to move on. I spotted a path through the woods, the “orange-blue” trail.

The wooded trail was lined with eastern hemlocks. The trees were planted in a human-like pattern, very straight, in systematic rows, not one out of place or growing on the path. The human planted trees creaked and groaned in the wind like old men complaining about their aches and pains. There were several hemlocks that had fallen. There was fresh saw dust where the woodpeckers had been busy burrowing holes. (I suppose it would not be saw dust if the birds had made it.) I stepped on pine cones, which stabbed through my shoe and into my foot. I decided that wearing Crocs in the woods was not a smart decision, especially after I dug a two inch thorn out of the bottom of my shoe the next day.

I found an opening in the trees, which led to the edge of the lake. Dodging, ducking, squatting, and bending through the tightly spaced hemlocks, I surveyed the embankment and the water near it. A sparkle caught my eye. It was buried in the mud, under the water, just out of my reach. I imagined picking up the stick lying next to me. It would be conveniently hooked shaped. I would work for a few minutes trying to capture the shine. I would finally ring my prize and bring it in. It would be a diamond engagement ring larger than I had ever seen probably nearly five carrots. There would be an inscription reading, “To my darling Cynthia.” I would run back to the car and call my mom who would tell me to advertise it in the paper. Being an obedient child I would do just that. Cynthia Stone and her millionaire husband, Roderick, would contact me saying they had lost the ring on a vacation (what they were doing in Tioga County I would not ask), and they would offer a very generous reward. I would never have to work again! I grabbed the stick and prodded the earth under the water. Dang it! A soda can tab.

I was bored with the identical trees, so I drove to the next boat launch about a half mile down the road. This time I loaded my pockets with just my lenses. No need for a bird book when there were no birds. Well no birds except for the occasional crow, which I can identify with my eyes closed. It must have been the wind.

There were others joining me at this dock, fishermen not photographers though, three of them that I could see. Two of the fishermen were in a single silver boat. It was old. I could see some dents and scratches from shore. The boat reminded me of the one my father and I had accidentally sunk in our pond years before. The men were casting near the banks. The other man was by himself nearly in the middle of the lake. He was in a newer blue boat, which had a large motor that I could see from where I was standing. I figured if I did not bother the men they would not bother me. Into the hemlocks!

Another trail, the orange trail, looked the same as the previous one. Lined with perfectly planted hemlocks, it wound around the curves of the water. I followed it until the first opening. The trail had moved deeper into the woods, and I had to climb down the roots of a tree to get to the water’s edge. The tree was a perfect stair case. I snapped a few pictures of the water, boring. I followed the lower path until I was rudely stopped by a huge bush, which needed a trim. Back tracking I noticed a tree nearly chewed in two. No chain saw created a pattern like that. It must have been a beaver. The pattern was two perfectly parallel chisels that dug all around the tree, definitely beaver teeth. I saw a large disturbance in the water out of the corner of my eye. I turned and pictured a huge fish lurking beneath the surface. He would wait, very still in the black water just under the entangled water plants. A small bird would fly low to the ground. At that very moment the fish would leap from his hiding place. His gill would shimmer in the sun light and we would look at me holding my camera posing for his beauty shot. He would grab the bird from mid flight, which I would get several pictures of. In a flash we would be gone, bird and all. I would have my fish picture published in all the fishermen magazines. I would be known by everyone and would make lots of money. I might not have to work ever again. I looked again. The bubble was just a wave blown by the wind. Boring. I needed a money shot. Where were the eagles, osprey, or even the ducks? Nothing. Water, dark blue water, which does not photograph very well. Oh well, back to the car.

On my way back I noticed a small animal scurrying up and down one of the hemlocks. It was just a squirrel, but it happened to be the most exciting thing I had seen all day. He was a run-of-the-mill squirrel: average size, medium gray with a few orange spots, and, of course, cute. I snapped a few pictures.

Just as the chk-chee of the camera sounded I heard a splash behind me. I spun around and noticed the two fishermen again. However, this time one of them was reaching over the side of the boat for something I could not see. He leaned further and further until the side of his boat was touching the water. Immediately, his boat started filling with the lake. The men tried to lean the other way, but it was too late. The men and their boat slowly sank as if it were a cartoon. There were plastic boxes, green packages, and an orange safety vest floating in the water. The men began to yell, “Hey, can you help us?” I thought they were yelling at me. What was I going to do? There was no way to get to the other side of the lake, well not on foot anyway (I suppose unless you are Jesus). They yelled again. This time the fisherman in the blue boat, who I had forgotten about, yelled back.

I was on an adrenaline rush. I called my dad because that is what I do when I do not know what to do. I blurted out the whole story and Dad told me to go to the park office. I got in my car and drove a mile down the road to the main entrance.

The park office driveway was the first right off the road. The office was an old building, log cabin-like. It was plastered with rules and regulation signs, a map of the park, and state park logos. The office was dark. I opened the first door into a small entrance. It was lined with brochures, everything from local attractions to maps of Pennsylvania. The second door led into the building. It was locked. Of course it was.

I did not know what to do. I called my dad. His only advice, find a phone number. So, I drove through the park looking for anything that had a phone number on it. Ah! A bulletin board. I parked my car in the middle of the road (it’s not like there were any visitors). The bulletin board was covered in the same posters as the park office except for one. It was a list of emergency numbers and after hour managers. Of course 911 was listed on the poster. I always wonder who would have an emergency, not know what to do, then find a poster and be like, “oh I know 911.” It seems like 911 is common sense. Anyway, in this case 911 was not needed. I called all the numbers on the list. I got answering machine for all, but one. She was the manager of camping. I am not sure what that job entails, but it is an odd job title. She answered the phone, and I once again began my story. This time, however, I only got through the part about a boat turning over when the camping manager cut me off. “Ok,” she said with alarm in her tone. “We will send someone right away. Thank you.”

During this time my dad called Pop-pop who I met on my way back to the scene. He followed me to the boat launch, and we stopped to survey the damage. To my surprise the blue boat fisherman had enough room to fit both silver boat fishermen and all their junk. Apparently, the blue boat had towed the silver boat through the water because the now soggy duo were dragging the water logged boat out of the water. They were safe and sound just a little wet and perhaps a bruised ego or two.

I figured I would call it a day. I also figured I should call the camping manager again so she would not have to bother the ranger on his day off. I was nearly five miles when this occurred to me. She answered right away, and I told her the news. “Oh, so everyone is ok then?” I said yes. “Oh!” She said. “I will recall rescue then.” Rescue?! I was so embarrassed, but I am sure not half as embarrassed as the soggy fishermen.

I continued on my way home. I pulled onto the main road and saw an ambulance and a rescue truck, lit up and screaming toward me. I looked in my rear view mirror praying they did not turn, but to my horror the two vehicles turned onto Hills Creek Road. Now those poor fishermen would be really embarrassed. Dang it! (A few days later I received a call from the park ranger asking for my contact information for his incident report. My name would forever be in the records.)

I called my mom this time. She had not heard my story yet. I repeated the whole thing again including the newest chapter. She laughed and quickly asked if I had taken any pictures of the boat. Taken pictures? The thought had never occurred to me. “I bet you could have sold those to the newspaper or to the park.” My money shot that I had been dreaming about all day. The non-existent money shot, that is. Figures.



Hope you enjoyed my story. Let me know what you think, if you get all the way through it lol

Back Again..

Well it has been quite a while since I've written on this thing.

I'm back to school now! It's going pretty well. All my classes are on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It is pretty nice because I have all day on Tuesday and Thursday to work or whatever. Speaking of work.. I need a job like really bad!

I have an interview on Tuesday at 11 am and I'm really hoping that I get it. The interview is for the admissions office. Basically I would be answer phones and questions. I'm very excited because I haven't gotten a pay check in quite a while. It would be nice to have a job again.

Well that's about it. Unfortunately I don't have anything to rant about... yet!

The Grades are in...

So, I've been really nervous about my grades this semester. Not because I have a potential to fail any courses, but because I want A's! I know that sounds corny and dumb, but I have really worked hard this semester.

It took forever to get all my grades in, but they are here..

I was so excited! I got an A- in Management, which I wasn't anticipating and AND! I got an A- in Readings in Shakespeare! That was a complete shock! I really was expecting a B or B-. But hey! I'll take it!

Overall, I now have a GPA of 3.9! And hopefully I can keep it there!

Thanks for everyone who was praying for my finals and my semester! I really appreciate it!

Oh the Places You Will Go

One of my Professors used to read this book to us on the last day of class. I thought I would share.

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don' t
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both you elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3 / 4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

---Dr. Seuss

It has come to and end..

Well.. it has final come! The end of the semester. Finals are over classes are over. It is over!

I'm so excited to go home!

I've been having a lot of problems finding a job when I get home, so my wonderful father offered to pay me to work around the house. It is a nice offer and I think my only prospect, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be slavery. I have one more option, but I will probably not get that job either. So, slavery it is!

Although, I'm excited to go home I feel bad about leaving my Gramma here all by herself. She has mentioned to me many times that she will miss me and such. I want to go home, but I don't want to leave her. Ugh.. sometimes I hate caring.

Well anyway.. my room is packed and I'm ready to go!