CLASSES & JOBS

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.

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!

Over the years I have worked many different jobs. I’ve waited tables in restaurants, been a sales manager for a large corporation, I’ve even been a teacher. So needless to say I’ve gone through some excellent training programs and I have also experienced trials by fire. What I have gained from all of this are important skills and a great resume.

I recognize that people learn through different processes. Some learn better by doing, others by observing and others still by education. For me, it is actually getting my hands dirty that enables me to learn more effectively. I have the ability to adapt quickly to many situations and it is usually my mistakes from which I learn the most. Training provides us with the opportunity to learn hands-on, giving us the skills we need to do our best work. Check with your HR department about any upcoming training your company is sponsoring, or ask if they’ll pay for you to go back to school and take classes that are related to your job.

How you design your website is important. Good web design is user-friendly, attractive, memorable to customers, and uses brand recognition and recognizable color schemes that reflect your company and your products. Even if you are building a personal blog, web design can help reflect you as a person as well as your ideas. You can either hire someone to help design your website (which I highly recommend), or you can find a program or web host that offers web design programs so you can do it yourself, which I also recommend.

Designing your own website often takes a lot of time. If you don’t have a lot of time, hire someone to design your site for you. You can be as hands-on as you would like; you can help choose designs and color schemes, and you will be able to approve or change any of the design drafts. Make sure the web designer truly understands your needs and is able to repeat back to you what you want from a site. If you are interested in being a web designer, consider attending an online school. You’ll be able to keep your day job while studying at night and on weekends, both of which look great on your resume.

Whole foods are natural and organic and can be purchased at Whole Foods (the store). It is a very nice idea to purchase things without any chemicals or additives, but economically it is not too pleasing. However, there are things you can do if you want to eat healthy, whole foods but live on a tight budget. One is visiting your local farmer’s market. You can buy plenty of whole food fruits and vegetables for pennies on the dollar. It’s never been so inexpensive. The other thing you can do is shop at organic markets like Whole Foods but keep your shopping list down to a minimum. Buy grains in bulk from the bins, buy fruit and veggies that are on sale, and stay away from all the expensive specialty items.

It is not that I do not support the cause, nor is it that I do not know about the cause. But at certain ages, you have to pick your battles a little bit more carefully. I would rather save money on food and spend it on a book or entertainment. Hopefully at some point I will make enough money to be able to purchase both. I think that whole foods is a growing trend and I think more people would support it if it did not cost as much, but until the prices go down, it’s difficult for all of us to afford to eat as healthy as we would like to.

Being a woman who is active and athletic, I sometimes feel like most exercise or fitness articles are targeted toward men. However, if we search hard enough, there are plenty that are directed toward us women as well. Women can do just as many things as men can, and they can do it equally well or even better. But we do need equipment that is shaped for women because we are often shorter than men.

I don’t really care for women-only gyms, but they are good for some women. I think that the competitiveness of men encourages me to work harder. However, many women don’t like to have men around when they are working out, so women-only gyms are great for them. I have however, found that I really enjoy taking athletic classes targeted toward women. Pilates is an amazing activity. I’m not sure why more men don’t do it, but I haven’t ever seen a man in a Pilates class. Doing Pilates is a great way to get in wonderful shape! It’s a great workout that strengthens and tones your entire body.

There once was a bug in the bathroom. I named it Hippity Hop. It was some kind of grasshopper. It scared the living heebee-geebies out of me! I was at work, went to the restroom, went in one of two stalls and there was Hippity Hop, in all his black and evil glory, perched right beside the garbage can! I swear he was looking right into my eyes!

So since he was sitting right next to the garbage can (and I knew this garbage can had a bit of space underneath the round can, don’t ask me how I know), I quickly picked up the can and he slid right under it!! Perfect!

The rest of the day and the entire next day, I kept a watchful eye to see if he had gotten loose from his cage. Well, two days later, I went to use the same restroom and when I was at the sink washing hands, I could see a slight movement from the corner of my eye -down on the floor next to the larger wastebasket in the restroom. So I peered down and, sure enough, there he was! He had been moving his itty-bitty antennae around for me to notice him. So what do you think I did? For the second time this week, I picked up this larger trash can to make him sit underneath it! I’m thinking the restroom isn’t big enough for the both of us. I showed him who’s boss! And I hope to never see Mr. Hippity Hop ever again. The End.

So what do you like to do in your spare time? It is amazing how many things we can choose from during any down time we may have. If you have the cash and the inclination, there are activities ranging from learning how to play the bagpipes, to tae kwan do, to stamp collecting, scrap booking, spelunking, zoology, and it seems the list never ends. You can find hobby stores carrying supplies for various models, puzzles, games, kite-making and hobbies galore. It is easy to locate websites designed to instruct or build communities around, say, bird watching or amateur photography. Unsure what to choose from the motley mix? There are even websites geared to help you pick a hobby, and any hobby retailer would be happy to provide suggestions.

You never know where your hobbies will take you. I knew someone in school who was engaged to a guy who was into entomology - or bug collecting. He absolutely insisted that he be allowed to display his collection of specimens at their wedding reception. She must have really loved him, because she went through with it. Can you just see it? I’d like you to meet the bride, and her parents, and the groom and his parents; oh, and please enjoy a tour of bugville while you drink your punch….

Some people even become famous for their hobbies. Television shows feature people and their hobbies – maybe you have seen shows about the strangest restaurants, weird and unusual homes, or what you can make with pipe cleaners. There’s an Al Yankovic song called “The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota,” and it is about just that – a huge ball of twine – wound up just because a Minnesotan had the time and interest to do it. I know a girl who found her husband simply because she decided to take up square dancing. There is the Guinness World Records angle too – if you become a good enough juggler – and can juggle more items longer or faster than anyone else you can get yourself into the famous world record anthology. Pick a hobby – make it uniquely you. You never know what will come of it!

Sometimes I swear I am mildly O.C.D. and I have these little rituals that I do. It is an uncontrollable urge and I think about it over and over until it gets done. I haven’t gone to the doctor for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (nor am I making fun of people who really have been diagnosed with this disease). I just notice that sometimes I do weird things that my friends and family laugh at, so here they are:

• I constantly tug down on the bottom of my shirts. I buy long shirts, so this is pointless.
• Different foods can never touch on a plate. If they do, the parts that touch can’t be eaten.
• Shoes go through a morning “spider check”. I found a dead spider in my shoe one day after I took it off. Never got over it.
• The volume on my radio has to be on an even number.
• I rarely, if ever, open a soda can all the way (liken this to the spider story, except for this bug was almost swallowed).
• I have to repeatedly pet an animal on the bridge of the nose.
• I tug on my earrings and necklaces while I am thinking. I actually did this during an interview!
• I always have to wipe my hands on my pants after every bite. Note to self: This isn’t pretty when you’re eating greasy food and wearing white pants.
• I can’t help but touch something if someone tells me not to (fresh paint, wet floors, hot pans).
• I have to pick the second item of everything. So the second cup out of the dispenser, the second candy bar…you get the gist.
• Every poor animal that I deem “cute” has to go through my love tap torture…This consists of nine (yes, I’ve counted) consecutive fast little taps I give to their lovely little rear.

Anyway, these are some, but not all of the little quirks that make me well, me! So now it’s time to ask you, what are some of your bad little traits?

The world of antioxidants…Nutritious drinks popping up everywhere, new companies trying to make a profit any way they can. There has been a lot in the news lately about health drinks with antioxidants. So apparently they are popular. I looked up ‘antioxidant’ in Wikipedia and found that “Antioxidants can cancel out the cell-damaging effects of free radicals. Furthermore, people who eat fruits and vegetables, which are good sources of antioxidants, have a lower risk of heart disease and some neurological diseases, and there is evidence that some types of vegetables, and fruits in general, probably protect against a number of cancers” (from Wiki: Antioxidants). So minus all the biology and chemistry talk about these precious health-savers, I’m thinking they are very valuable for all of us humans to partake.

Then maybe these nutritious drinks are effective afterall. Hmm, I hadn’t thought of them that way. I have to admit - I immediately thought of multi-level marketing or some kind of scam. Which these companies may very well be MLMs, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re bad or evil in any way. They are part of the business world, trying out a new idea to make a profit, just like every other entrepreneur.

Living in Utah, I see dozens of health drink companies arising all over. It’s astounding - the frequency of new companies forming these days. Everyone makes it look so easy to start your own company. It like makes me even want to dive into my own creativity to form some sort of business -about what, I have no idea. LOL!

Oh, so I tried one of these fruit drinks once when I was home with my parents in California. And I must say, without mentioning exactly which company makes it, the taste of the drink was not pleasant. I get the fact that they have all these nutrients and antioxidants in them to help your body get stronger in defense of disease, yada yada yada. But could they please improve the taste a bit? Please? It’s pretty bad when you imagine yourself plugging your nose while swallowing this nutritious drink just to get it in your system without tasting it. I’d just rather take it in pill form. So maybe that’s the new way to go, start creating capsules of your antioxidant supplement drink so people like me can enjoy the benefits without complaining. Yeah I think that’s the best solution so far. Well, the best I can come up with. Any suggestions?