Paris

Jan 7, 2012

Guest post from: Constance Rodgers

Before college, the extent of my international knowledge was that Taco Bell was real Mexican food and that Olive Garden was real Italian food. Oh how wrong I was. While attending undergraduate school, I became very close friends with a foreign exchange student from France. As our time together drew towards a close, I found myself lost in conversations about his childhood and his home. With the job market being as dismal as it was when I graduated in May, I decided to go on an adventure and enroll in graduate school in Paris. After getting over the culture shock that the crescent rolls that my mom made out of the can back home does not qualify as French cuisine, it was time to get settled in. With a trip to the school library and an internet search for Wildblue Satellite Internetin Paris, I found a provider that could give me the connection to home that I so desperately needed, and it comes in handy for finding the nearest McDonald’s for when I want a taste of home.

Energy Consumption

Nov 27, 2011

Anyone who lives in Arizona knows that during the winter months, we get a break from the energy consumption that costs our electricity bills to sky rocket during the summer. It’s a nice break because having to pay $300-$500 for an electricity bill is not something that we enjoy. In fact, we hate it, so much that we are considering solar energy because it would save us money in the long run. Often times I envy those who live in the cooler climates because they do not have to deal with the astronomical bills we deal with but then I remember that just because they don’t deal with the heat doesn’t mean it’s not flipped and they don’t have to deal with the cold. I can only imagine the price of connecticut energy during the winter months in trying to keep the house warm.

I guess we all have different aspects that we have to consider and often times I forget that just because others don’t suffer through the stuff we do, doesn’t mean they don’t have their own concerns as well.

A Disease or No?

Nov 27, 2011

Those of you who follow political controversy, or controversy in general should be quite familiar with the topic of drug abusers and whether or not what they are suffering from can be considered a disease. For the most part the United States is one of the feel countries in the world that punishes abusers through jail time as opposed to alcohol rehab treatment centers or drug rehab treatment centers and as a result our jails are loaded with abusers.

I am still a little torn on the topic to be honest. I definitely can see how it could be viewed as a disease but I also see the other side that it would never had been a disease to begin with if the conscious choice to start abusing these substances had not been made. I am honestly not sure how I feel about the topic and whether a substance abuser should be jailed or treated. What about you? What are your thoughts? Is it a disease that should be treated or a choice that should be condemned?

Not Feeling So Spirited This Year

Nov 13, 2011

Most who know me and interact with me on a daily basis know that generally around this year, my spirits start to perk up as we gear up for one of my favorite holidays (Thanksgiving) and the end of the year. While I do not celebrate Christmas, I do celebrate Solstice, but not for the reasons people think.

I really could not care if I received present because what I enjoy most about this time of the year is giving. Yes, you read that right. I love to see the look on people’s faces when they open the things I’ve given them because it warms my heart to see their happiness. So far this year, where I’ve probably have already purchased a few gifts, I’m way behind on my list of things to do. Now that I have a redenvelope coupon on hand, I really can’t postpone it anymore, but I just don’t know what to get people for gifts.

I wish I was a little more excited this year for the holidays but I have too much weighing on my shoulders for me to even really be remotely excited. It’s frustrating and annoying and I just wish I could go back to be the carefree girl I once knew. Maybe one day– just not one day soon.

Made A Wrong Turn Once or Twice

Nov 8, 2011

Last night I got to thinking– about a lot of things really, a moment of epiphany which made me realize the importance of this year’s festivities in light of the coming holiday. I’m not a perfect person and have never claimed to be. I make my fair share of mistakes, probably more than I’d like to admit but my heart has always, in most situations, been in the right place.

I’ve caused my fair share of hurt and experienced that same hurt in return but I’ve learned a lot from my mistakes and through the mistakes of others, enough to know and recognize who it is I want to be and the lessons I hope to one day instill in my progeny.

I’ll be the first person to admit I have a lot of trust issues, more than I’d like to admit and more than I care to show. It takes a lot for me to give my trust, even more so to prevent the pessimist in me from believing those close to me will inevitably hurt me and I’ll end up alone; as a result I wield my trust as my only weapon to protect myself, once earned, I trust freely, without hesitation but should that trust every be broken, even if I should forgive the one who broke it, it’s never fully restored and things as much as I’d like, do not ever return to that of which they once were. Instead, I begin to question a lot of things, doubt my self, and withdraw into a place where I can no longer be hurt. Such is the hurt I’ve had to endure and such is the result of the actions of others. Nothing is ever as it seems, a lesson that I learn time and time again.

With that being said, I find that this year, I am most thankful for the ones who have not broken my trust. Who’ve given me no reason to doubt or question motives or even question my own.

I am not one with many friends, very few in fact but I’d like to think that the friends I do have, the people I have chosen to surround myself with, most in distance places, these are the ones who I can trust with my secrets, with my pain, and with my tears.

It is within the darkest hours when you find who your true friends are; I am fortunate that I have a few true friends, when some have none.

The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight
Maybe it can stop tomorrow from stealing all my time
I am here still waiting though i still have my doubts
I am damaged at best, like you’ve already figured out

-Lifehouse

And Here We Go Again

Nov 6, 2011

Come Tuesday, I will once again become a full time student. I’m not really sure how I feel about that, given that coupled with work I feel like I’m slowly sinking into a pit of someone I do not recognize but I know it is a necessity; and surprisingly enough, I’m pursuing a different path than the one I was sure was the best one for me. Rather than pursue a Bachelor’s in Web Development, I have instead decided to pursue one in Advanced Networking– I suppose a lot of that is due to the over-saturation of the web developer market and the fact that I seem to stumble upon more Network Administrator Jobs than web developers.

Now don’t get me wrong web development is still something I am passionate about but I find that my creativity has dwindled and as a result, I’m quite useless in that particular department. I’m not sure how things will pan out once I start my program or where I’ll go after I’ve completed it but what I do know is that while web design was something I was sure to be my career path, I’ve found that is no longer the case. Who knows, maybe I’ll find my way back to it but for now, my path has been decided on and I can only wonder where it shall lead.