Well, this is the final week of class before final exams. I don't know if I should be excited or not. I really enjoyed learning new things and having some place to go. I am a bit of a home body, but I love having a purpose. I think that is why I chose Psychology as my major. I want to be able to help people. Then again I don't know that I can handle the added stress of listen to peoples' problems. That is why I chose Human Resource Management as a minor. I still have the opportunity to help people, just in a different fashion.

Legally, I don't know how much I can help. My HR Director didn't understand that I wasn't asking for her opinion on how to distribute funds in my 401K. All I wanted to know is where to get detailed information about the available accounts. I would read the prospectus and then determine which account would work best for me. To this day, I have my funds slowly growing rather than aggressively growing. Shoot, I want a nice retirement and I can't count on Social Security for that.

I only hope that I will be able to shape the future in some way. I don't have the guts to become president and lead our nation. However, I would like to make someone's life a little better. You never know, I may run for president. No, there are too many skeletons in my closet. I would rather leave them there.

We completed a group project during the last class. It was a little strange, but interesting. I can't say that I have ever created a Goth. I could probably point one out in public. However, I would never begin to assume what they enjoy. As you can see below, we found a pretty creepy, yet beautiful video about the Gothic subculture.  Most of the pictures are twisted and creepy. I did see a few pictures that I thought we just amazing. Those pictures show the depth of the creator's character that most of us will never know just by looking at them. The music also provides some detail to the creator's subculture.

The soft ballad at the beginning creates a mellow, almost depressing feeling. Then, it progresses into something that I don' t understand. It is amazing how a few notes arranged in such a manner can add such a dramatic impact to a few still photographs. That is almost what I do when I scrapbook. I don't add dimensional elements by adding music; I add them by applying stickers, ribbons, and different shapes to the photos.

Okay, so Goths and scrapbookers, based on appearance only, don't have anything in common, but it almost sounds like it could work.  There is so much that we don't know about one another, until we sit down a "spill the beans." This is what the semester has been all about, finding our true selves so that we can develop into well rounded human beings. Some of us are not going to change very much. Others will develop into the most amazing people in the world by opening their minds and hearts helping people along the way.

Four more entries and only a little time left to complete them. I began to panic over the weekend. I realized that I am a little behind on the reading assignments in Art History and a little behind on my journal entries and comments for Composition. I feel confident that I will be able to catch up on the materials. Now, it's just a matter of time. I don't have plans for the weekend so it will not be an issue to complete the late assignments.

Now I just need a topic... Favorite book.
I don't really have a favorite. I really enjoy light, fun subjects. I'm addicted to romance books. They never go too far with the details. Maybe some do, but for the most part the are light hearted. I can usually read a 200 page romance book in one weekend.

I was never a fast reader. I like to blame that on my parents. They never really encouraged reading when I was younger. I would have the occasional book report due. I would not always choose a book that pushed my learning potential. In middle school, I chose a book that was below my reading comprehension. Now that I look back on that situation, I am surprised that the teacher didn't say anything.

I also enjoy the Harry Potter series. I haven't had the opportunity to read the last book. I told myself that I would concentrate on my homework and read the book over winter break. I have so much planned during winter break, I don't know if I will finish it. Here's hoping!

    Each culture is witness to a wide variety of values. Dividing the culture into smaller groups reveals new values. I don’t feel as thought the values from one subculture should differ from another. I feel as if we should all function on the same level or standard of life. Being polite to one another is one example of the values that should be held by everyone. Why should our values change just because we share in different subcultures?
   

This half of the semester has been difficult for me. So, to say that I have made progress towards understanding the topic of my final paper would be inaccurate. It took me a long time to decide on a final subject for my paper. I didn't feel as thought I could fill eight pages with information regarding the subculture I have decided to write about in my journal.

Now, it's just a matter of time. Fitting in the time required to complete the assignments hasn't been difficult. The discipline required to focus on the work has been my biggest issue. Trying to balance the responsibilities of life seems to take precedent over my schoolwork. Right now for example I'm getting crap about the lack of participation required to take care of our home. I am my own individual! I am not like Joe Schmo down the block. Just because he can work 40 plus hours a week, travel, and do household chores on the weekends doesn't mean that I can take on those same responsibilities and remain sane.

This reminds me of the recent interview I gave regarding a lower number of part-time students graduating than full-time students. Life happens! We can't just turn away from our lives and I don't mean to say that's what high school students do when they come to college. I do feel as though coming to college is what they make their lives out to be. Some people aren't ready for college right after high school and choose to find a job. They may get married and have a family before deciding to go back to college. I haven't traveled down that exact road but the pressure still adds up to be the same.

I had a fabulous time with my family this past weekend! I didn't get to see my brother's kids play soccer but I did see my sister's boy. He did an excellent job. He scored the first goal for his team! They still lost the game. Then we had lunch where I shared my first alcoholic beverage with my mother! That was a little strange, but I can't wait to do it again! I bet she's really funny when she's tipsy.

We spent Sunday morning with Shayne's parents. It was a nice breakfast. However, the visit was just too short. I hate that we never seem to have enough time with our families. Thank goodness we are taking the entire week between Christmas and New Year's to spend with them. Not to mention we are spending Thanksgiving with his grandparents!

I miss my family very much! I deal with the separation better now than I did three years ago when we moved here. I try to talk to each family member at least once a week. It doesn't always work out that way. We all have our own homes and families to take care of. My family just happens to consist of three cats and a dog. Oh! I almost brought home a puppy today. My husband would kill me if I brought home another animal. I already brought home... five! Now, it's not that bad. He told me I could bring home four of the five. I just sneaked in the fifth when he didn't return my call. Now boys, that's a lesson to you. Call your significant other back right away; you may end up with a new pet!

Oh my god! I have absolutely no idea where to begin with this topic. It's not just "Rags to Riches". It's "Rags to Riches in the Adult Industry". I'm assuming the individual that created this unusual topic is referring to the adult film industry. As much as some of you might like for me to take that road I'm just not going to do it!

Actually, this has brought me to a place where all rags to riches business men have issues. The ethics, not necessarily related to the adult film industry, have affected many decisions that business men make everyday. Who's to say that business men take the moral high road? When you look at people in United States' industries, you think of people like Donald Trump and Bill Gates who are men that have struggled to make a legacy for themselves.

There is a lot of speculation as to how men and women get to be the president or CEO of a multimillion dollar company, especially when the individual comes from a life of poverty. This also holds true for individuals that have found themselves on the other side of the law. The smallest misdemeanor can haunt one for the rest of their life. Is that a risk you are willing to take? It could mean the career you are working towards will never be yours. All the time, money, and effort that you put into this dream could be wasted. I don't know about you, but I don't have the time or money to just throw away. 

Throughout life we meet many people. Some we get to know better and others we walk right passed never getting to know them further. Why do we do that? Think of all the wonderful relationships we could be missing. Are we willing to pass these people up because of our perceptions? Can we change our perceptions to benefit our relationships? I believe that we can.

I'm very excited! Halloween is coming up and this will be the first time in years that I will get to spend it with my family. I have four nephews and one niece, so you can see why I am excited. I have never gone trick-or-treating with them; I won't get to do that this year either. However, I will get to carve pumpkins and tell scary stories around a bonfire.

There really isn't an anthem for my subculture. If you crop at a locate scrapbook supply shop, you may end up listening to whatever the employees have broadcasting over the public announcement system. It's not necessarily the latest music that is playing on the radio; it's usually late 80's or early 90's music.

If you are fortunate to have a work space available in your home, you can play any music that you want! I like to plug in my Ipod and listen to my favorite play list. It contains songs from artists such as Avirl Lavigne, The Pussycat Dolls, Sara Evans, and Billy Joel. I know it's a rather strange combination of artists, but I enjoy different types of music. I will even listen to my Ipod while at a crop session; my friends laugh at me when I start to sing along to the songs.

I suppose that if I had to pick one I would choose "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cindy Lauper. I don't the lyrics actually portray what scrapbooking is about. However, the title and the chorus express my main goal when I go to a crop; I go to relax and enjoy the company of my friends. I complete several pages for my album during the crop; that is the most important part to me. As much as I enjoy spending time with my friends, I get more enjoyment out of completing a project. Okay, it could be a different kind of enjoyment; I still find enjoyment in scrapbooking my family memories.