CLASSES & JOBS

We all want to give the best gifts possible. But what defines an excellent gift? Does the gift have to be used often? Does it have to be what the person told you they wanted? Does it have to look really cool? Do you want to be told that the person really liked your gift? Everyone has different measures. Some people just like to get whatever the gift receiver asked for, whereas I like to give presents that will be used. Personally, I define a successful gift by how often it is used. If someone uses my gift once, it was a waste. This is why whenever I go to a wedding I always give a pizza cutter and a cheese grater. I know that it is boring, but I know they will be used.

My goal is to never give someone a trinket, or in other words something that will sit in a drawer for a few years then be thrown away. Souvenirs can be fun if they are used as a decoration, but if I own a really modern house, I won’t be hanging up a cactus sculpture from the Grand Canyon. Giving a great gift isn’t easy, but if you give out enough gifts, eventually you’ll get a winner.

I am currently enrolled in an online class at my university. I didn’t have time in my schedule to fit one of my classes, so I decided I would give this online education thing a try. Surprisingly, I think it’s a good fit for me. The professor warned the class of the pitfalls of taking an online course but I think I’ll be able to survive the course.

The professor warned us that procrastination was the number one killer of online education courses. If students are enrolled in regular courses in addition to an online course, they have the tendency to put off work for their online course. This is due, in part, to the fact that students in the online course aren’t attending a physical classroom every day.

I am not a gear head by any means, but I do love listening to Car Talk on NPR. I can change a tire, put gas in my car and on rare occasions, change my own oil. So I am always amazed by those Americans who can see a car pass on the street and give me every small detail about its engine, performance, structure and paint.

These are the friends I turn to every time my car starts to make a weird noise, which I inevitably try to describe to them without success. This provides them with a good laugh and a feeling of superiority to my meager automotive knowledge. I guess cars can just be a hobby and passion like any other. I think I’ll stick to my passion and hobby of listening instead of getting my hands dirty.

Finding the right education for your desired career path is essential. An education is a means to an end, not the end itself. When I was deciding which college to attend, I simply looked at overall college rankings, not program specific rankings. Schools like Harvard and Stanford are great, but they do not always have the exact program to help you get to where you want in the future. If you know what you want to do, look for schools with programs that are tailored to your needs.

A lot of my friends wanted to be undergraduate business majors, but liberal arts schools often do not even have an undergraduate business program. All they have are economic degrees, assuming their students want to go on to get MBA’s. Also, large institutions may have big classrooms and are low on the rankings, but if you are looking for excellent scientific research opportunities you cannot go to a small private school. Every school has specific strengths and weaknesses that only an in depth analysis will produce. To really get exactly what you want out of your education you have to look deeper than general rankings.

Giving gifts is a risky business. You never know what the other person will like, or maybe someone else already got them the same gift. You want to be considerate and get them something they really will use. For instance, buying clothes for anyone is risky. No matter how cool looking a shirt or dress may be, if it doesn’t fit right it is useless and they will never use it. This is where gift cards come in. They are not creative, they are not thoughtful, but they will be used and the person will find something they like with them.

Personally, I love getting gift certificates. It is fun to get out and “buy” something nice for yourself. I’d much rather have gift cards than a pair of gloves or shoes I will never use. If you do not know someone well, but want to get him or her something they can use, get a gift card to a store you know they’d like. Obviously a gift card doesn’t work for girlfriends/boyfriends or husbands/wives because it lacks creativity, but for a friend or relative, it may be your best option. You’ll never be remembered for giving great gifts, but at least you know your gifts are useful.

Learning a language can be very useful, but it also can be a waste of time. It is pointless to learn a language you will never use again, so don’t waste your time. However, if you do pick a second language, here are some things to consider. First, consider all your options and try to imagine which will be the most useful.

For instance, I live in Utah where there is a surprisingly large amount of Hispanics. Knowing Spanish is a great asset here because I can communicate with people I see daily.

If you cannot think which language would be most useful where you live, then consider what you could use this language for in the future. If you are looking to go into business, knowing a language like Mandarin Chinese or Japanese could be very useful. If you already know a language, use it to your advantage.

If you are applying for an international job and you speak French, mention you could help that company expand into France over time, or that you could help them with their current French operations. Knowing a language can be pointless if you do not use it actively, but you can find ways to leverage a second language for your own benefits.

Business is moving faster and faster everyday. People can no longer wait to get e-mails at a computer; they need them sent to their phone. Or, they cannot look up directions before leaving on the house; they need them on the go with their phone.

All of these new developments make us believe that we will have more time to spent with our families or doing things we enjoy, but in reality it makes it so that we are working everywhere we are. It can seem as if there is no separation between your work and your life.

However annoying this may seem, it has become impossible to avoid. In order to compete in the extreme business world, you have to have cutting edge technology that moves “at the speed of light.” People often think that if only they had one more hour in a day they would be so much happier, but eventually that hour will turn into one more hour of work if we aren’t careful.

Business seems to be moving too fast. It is a necessary part of our economy, but we need to try to keep things in perspective and try to separate our work from or life as much as possible.

Recently, I had a friend who started a diet that was very strict. It limited her food choices to about fifteen things. It was very ambitious, but it only lasted a few days, so therefore it turned out to be essentially pointless. At least with gifts it is the thought that counts, but in regards to diets, you can think about being healthy all you want, but if you don’t walk the walk, you won’t see any pounds drop. Starting a diet is one thing, but finishing a diet is a completely different beast.

The most successful people I know at dieting don’t set up extremely rigid diet plans. They simply cut out little excesses (i.e. Diet Coke not regular, never “Biggie Size” anything). A diet plan needs to include little treats. For instance, if you are out celebrating something, allow yourself to have some cake or dessert. It is better to do a flexible diet for an entire lifetime than a strict one for a few days. Just maintaining regular exercise and eating remotely healthy will do wonders for you, as opposed to shifting from extremely healthy eating to poor eating every few weeks.

I have finally found something to help me sleep that doesn’t turn me into a zombie the next morning and I owe it all to my neighborhood natural herb store. Valerian root is a perennial plant that is native to Europe and Asia. Historically it was used in perfumes but has been found to aid in sleep disorders and anxiety problems.

Ever since I was a kid I have had problems sleeping and it has dramatically affected my health. I have tried everything, prescription drugs, CDs of soothing music, I even tried hypnosis and nothing has been able to help me sleep without giving me a drowsy hang over the next morning.

I walked into the herb store not even looking for a sleep aid but when my conversation with the owner turned to my sleeping problems he immediately walked me over to the valerian root. I was reluctant at first, considering I felt I had tried everything, but I figured why not give it a try. So I took two tablets about an hour before going to bed. Much to my surprise, I got a full night of rest and the following morning I didn’t need my morning coffee to get to work.

Just recently, the U.S. Senate passed the reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) which was started in 1997 as an additional health care program to Medicaid. There is one big proposed change in the program this year: the income eligibility will be raised.

According to reports, SCHIP covered 7 million low-income children and Medicaid covered 23 million. The proposed change would almost double the amount of children covered by the health care program. While some look at this as a needed change to the program, others are worried about the toll it will take on taxpayers.

Lawmakers on both sides agree that the program is beneficial to the country but disagree on certain aspects, including eligibility. A proposed tax increase on tobacco is just one way the government is looking to pay for the health care program.

Democrats are looking to move the government toward a national health insurance that is not restricted to low-income families, similar to programs in Europe and Canada.