CLASSES & JOBS

I grew up playing sports. Soccer, tennis, riding horses, basketball, baseball, you name it, I played it. This also means I was under the coaching guidance of many different people. It’s funny looking back at the years of practices and games and how my coaches differed in their techniques.

Some coaches were excellent at inspiring us to give 110 percent while others were good at planning and implementing strategies to win. And then there was Coach Bob (his name has been changed to protect his anonymity and to protect me from having to do 20 push-ups).

Coach Bob was a mid 30s divorcee who had played high school ball but never made it onto the college team. His level of passion and enthusiasm were only matched by his love for storytelling. We spent more time on the practice field listening to his glory days than we did training for the big game. I’m glad I had Bob for a coach because he taught me the biggest lesson of all: That it’s just a game. You win, you lose, but at the end of the day it’s about having fun and gathering memories to use for stories.

I’ve always had a hard time convincing myself to do strength training workouts. Lifting weights just doesn’t spark my interest, even though I know it’s really important. For me, hiring a personal trainer was a big help. He inspired me to show up, work hard, and he really helped me to get fit.

After working out with a friend for a while we both decided to try Pilates, which is a form of strength training. We were both amazed by the incredible workout it provided and that it was fun too. If you’ve never tried Pilates I really encourage you to give it a shot. Another great part about it is the fact that it is done in a class style. I really like the encouragement of having an instructor, a coach, or just a friend to work out with. I like to be pushed to work harder than I would by myself. With Pilates, the class atmosphere makes you want to work harder, so you get even stronger.

I find personal blogs very interesting because I can never figure out if a person is writing their thoughts because they think someone out there is actually reading them, or if they are writing them as some sort of emotional release. I find them to be interesting, but also kind of self-absorbed. That being said, I think really good things can sometimes come from them. Writing is a cathartic release for a lot of people, so if they want to post their thoughts online, that’s great. Also, writing personal blogs is a great way to stay connected with friends and family. Last but not least, keeping a personal blog allows you to practice your writing skills (which are important for any career) on a daily basis.

Also, blogs seem to be a new kind of outlet for people to get creative in their writing. Rather than scribbling thoughts down in an old fashioned journal, people are taking to the Internet. This is especially true for young people, who have kind of developed a whole new dialect of English on-line. I like that blogs are informal and everyone can voice what they want to on the same level.

Some college students who excel in certain areas of study choose to tutor others to make some extra money. There are lots of tutoring opportunities out there, and they are easy to find. Usually people on campus or on athletic teams need tutors and are willing to pay by the hour. Also, people who need extra help in learning a second language are good candidates to tutor.

My roommate tutors a young boy after school in his home and is paid by the hour by his parents. It’s a great setup for her because she feels like she is doing something good for someone else and it’s good for him because he gets to benefit from her knowledge of math. You can become a tutor by posting signs at local elementary schools or looking for jobs in the paper. Or, alternatively, if you need a tutor, post signs or take out an ad in your local college paper. Choose college students who are more experienced and have several years of education under their belt.

Losing weight can be a difficult struggle. But it’s also worth it in the end. The important thing is to lose weight in a healthy way, and to lose it gradually over time so it stays off in the end, and so you develop healthy eating and exercising habits. Quick, unhealthy diets are bad for your body and won’t help you keep the weight off in the long run.

I had a friend in school who was very athletic and strong when I met her. She was not at all overweight but for some reason became addicted to quick-fix diets. Seeing her deal with this addiction was one of the scariest experiences of my life. It was terrifying to see a close friend not herself. Her skin was pale, her hair was dead, and you could see every bone in her body. She’s doing very well now, but for a while it was scary. It’s so incredibly important to stay healthy while you’re losing weight!

I would encourage anyone with any opportunity to study abroad to do so, because you learn so much more about different cultures by experiencing them and immersing yourself in them than you would by just reading about them in a textbook. You can get a different kind of education when studying in a foreign country than from studying at home. I had the opportunity to study abroad and I came back to the States with a whole new perspective about life.

Specifically, when I hear about certain global issues and partake in discussion, I am quick to think of those people I lived with and what their concerns would be. It’s easy to think of things in the context of your own culture, but it is much more meaningful when you step outside what you know and use your experience to broaden your horizons. Traveling abroad is one of the best and most enjoyable ways to educate ourselves to other cultures, political events, foreign policy, and languages.

There are now several options in educating children compared to the past. It is no longer uncommon to see children being educated at home by a parent or tutor through homeschooling programs. Some parents are choosing this option because they want to play a part in the education of their children themselves rather than sending them to school. Also, many choose to send their children to public schools in their communities or private schools where they pay tuition. It is becoming increasingly common for states and communities to offer some sort of help or allowance for parents who want to send their children to private schools but cannot afford to do so. This is to diversify the usually upper-class dominated private schools and create a higher-level learning atmosphere than found in some public schools.

However, this is not without controversy because many feel that in taking students away from public schools in hopes that they will be getting a better education, we are no longer focusing on the issue of improving the public schools themselves. Many people feel that states should always be trying to improve the public systems where anyone can afford to send their children rather than switching focus to the private sector.

Recently, I watched Saturday Night Live where they had a skit featuring Andy Samberg pretending to be celebrity movie star Mark Wahlberg, where Andy walks around talking to animals. It was hilarious if you are a fan of Mark Wahlberg. What was even more funny though was when Mark Wahlberg showed up the next week and poked fun at the skit, telling Andy is was not like him at all, yet Mark talks to a goat during the middle of their conversation.

I know this is just acting, yet little things like showing up on SNL or making a joke at an interview really make me grow fond of certain celebrities. The fact that they can make fun of themselves and show us that some celebrities are not elitist or “too cool,” really goes along way. Another example is Peyton Manning. I have never been a Colts fan, but I will always be a Peyton Manning fan. He has done numerous commercials and appeared on SNL as well, and after viewing all of those it is hard not to cheer for him. Celebrities who can make fun of themselves will always be my favorite.

At any given grocery store there is an entire portion dedicated to hair care and hair dye. I have never bought anything more than the generic, coconut smelling shampoo and conditioner. I never thought it made a difference, but clearly it does as I have begun to find out. I dyed my hair black for Halloween, which is not that bad for your hair. However, when I wanted to dye it back, I was told that it would kill my hair if I went blond.

By bleaching your hair, it sucks all the nutrients out of it. This is a reason a lot of girls do not dye their hair platinum blonde. In order to not have split ends and frail, course hair, you have to buy special shampoo for blonde hair. All of those commercials showing vitamins and minerals being sucked in by your hair actually are legitimate. But here is the catch: special shampoo is very expensive. I am not willing to spend more than about five dollars for a bottle of shampoo, so I do not want to dye my hair back to being blonde. So instead of dying it back, I am going to just wait for it to grow back enough that I can just cut my hair and save the money and hair damage.