Jazz

When I moved from Robertsdale to Excel back in 2004 my parents bought me the best present in the world (at least to me). They bought me a Labrador Retriever. They got her from the local animal shelter. Apparently she had been abandoned there the night before. I could tell she had been beaten horribly. Her body was so small. She was underweight. You could count every single bone in her poor body. I knew I could take care of her, and make her healthy just like a dog should be. I named her Jazz. Jazz was extremely skiddish around everyone, but I was the only person she would allow to come up to her an pet her. The moment that happened, I knew she was my dog! My mom took Jazz to the vet for me when I was at school one day. When I got home, my mom told me some news. The vet said Jazz was about a year old. He also said gave us some sad news, Jazz was suffering from heart worms. Heart worms are a species of parasitic worms (Dirofilaria immitis) that live and reproduce in the chambers of the heart of an animal. The vet said he could do surgery on Jazz, but there was no guarantee that it would be successful. He also said that the surgery is very painful, and could not be all done at once that it was going to be a series of surgeries. My mom and I talked about it. She said that to put Jazz through so much pain and for the surgery to not be guaranteed successful was not worth it. I agreed. Over time Jazz was the most loving dog in the whole wide world. I had surgery to get my tonsils and adnoids taken out, and when my mom brought me home Jazz met her at the door. Jazz walked with us into my room and laid in my bed right beside me (luckily I had a big bed because Jazz was a pretty big dog). Well throughout the course of my recovery, Jazz only left my side to go to the bathroom or to go get my mom if I made the slightest sound. It was like Jazz knew that I was not supposed to talk and she was doing the "talking" for me by going into the room that my mom was in, barking at her, and getting her to follow her into my room to see what I needed. My surgery was not the only time she did this. Anytime I was sick, my "momma" dog Jazz was in my room basically at all times. Jazz was very protective over me. She truly acted like another mother to me. Over time Jazz became the most friendly, loving dog ever. Everyone loved Jazz, but it was I who loved her the most. It was like Jazz understood when I was upset. If she heard me crying, she would come into my room, jump on my bed, and put her head in my lap and it was like she was waiting on me to tell her what was wrong. I always told her because I knew she wouldn't judge me plus she was a dog and dogs can't talk back. Still it was like she just wanted me to know that she was always there if I needed to talk. Over time, Jazz was getting older and sicker. Her heart worms were getting worse. Even though she was sick, was still kept her nurturing nature. Then this past summer came around. I knew something was wrong with my Jazz. She was not running around and wagging her tail when I came home from school and work. She would get up from where she was, and then when she got to me she would just lay there. I knew something was not right with her. I took as good care of her as I could, but I knew she could not be cured. I took her back to the vet and he said her disease had progressed to a severe level. It got to the point where Jazz was struggling to breathe. I was more than upset. I could fill an ocean with the tears I shed over my dear Jazz. I knew what had to be done for her. I had to repay her for all the love she had given me. I talked to my mom about it, and she said it was time to put Jazz to sleep so she wouldn't have to suffer anymore. I knew she was right. I did NOT want to admit it, but I knew it. I had Jazz on my bed while my mom called the animal shelter to find out what to do.. I was crying on Jazz, and she got the strength to pick her head up, look at me, and lick my face. I felt like she was telling me it was all going to be okay. My mom came into my room, sat down, and told me the news. The lady she knew very well at the animal shelter said the best thing to do for Jazz, was to bring her in then and have her put down. My heart broke, but deep down I knew it was the right thing. I looked at Jazz, and I could see the pain in her eyes. I could see that she was desperate for help. I knew I could not be selfish and make her suffer just do I could be happy to have her there with me. I got up my strength and got ready to take Jazz to the animal shelter. The animal shelter lady said my mom could give Jazz some pain medicine to relax her. After that, we loaded Jazz up in my dad's truck, and off we went. I just held on to Jazz and cried. Jazz just laid there, which was very unusual for her. We got to the animal shelter, and it was time to tell my dear Jazz good-bye. That was one of the hardest things I ever had to do, but I knew it was the right thing. Jazz had done so much for me, and I knew I had to pay her back. The lady took her into the room and put Jazz down. When the lady came out of the room, she told my mom that Jazz was so sick that it did not even take half of the amount of medicine they give animals to put them to sleep to put Jazz down. She also said Jazz did not fight the shot (which was really odd because Jazz ALWAYS fought shots). At that point I knew it was Jazz's time. My mom, the animal shelter lady, and I wrapped Jazz in sheets and put her in the back seat of my dad's truck. We got Jazz home and my dad dug the hole and we laid Jazz to rest. I went back in to my room to just think things through and I found this little faded blue pill looking thing. I showed my mom what it was. Come to find out Jazz had spit the medicine back onto my bed. So it was not the aid of the medicine that made Jazz calm for the shot. It was the fact that she was ready for peace is what had her ready to get the shot to put her to sleep. In an odd way it gave me peace. I knew that we had done the right thing. We had given Jazz peace. (Sadly this all happened 4 days before I moved to college)

In Charge of My High School

If I was in charge of my High School, man that would be pretty awesome. I would probably change quite a few things. The fact that my high school was super small (I had 50 people in my graduating class) would probably make the fact that I am in charge even better. I say this because if I am in charge of fewer people, then everyone would see me more because there would be less people to see. Anyway back to what I would do.
First off the cafeteria would do a 180. Instead of only being able to eat what is in the cafeteria, I would make it to where people could order from different restaurants. Sure we don't have a big variety of restaurants in our county, but still it would give people different options. Also I would install a snack bar with all kinds of things from chips to hotdogs and hamburgers to slushies. That way if people didn't want anything from the cafeteria or a restuarant, they could go to the snack bar and get something for lunch.
Next, I would extend the time between class from 3 minutes to probably 7 minutes. For a small school, the hallways get super crowded. This makes it hard to get from class to class in 3 minutes. If I extended the time, then there would probably be less tardiness going on.
I would also change it to where flip flops are acceptable and people would not have to tuck their shirts in. Granted my high school did not wear uniforms; however, we had this strict dress code. I would keep the rules about belts, short/skirt length, and the low cut/high cut tops. I would just let people wear flip flops because they are super and I wouldn't make people tuck their shirts in because I hated it and I am sure everyone else hates it as well.
There are things I would keep the same. I like the way they have the lunch things split between Jr High and Sr high. I would keep all the clubs. I like the break time everyone gets. There is so many things I would keep the same.
I would however, keep a stricter eye on bullying. For a small school there was so much drama. People being mean to others. Rumors being spread. I would work my hardest to do all I could to stop or atleast control it.
Being in charge of my high school would be super. I would keep the curriculum the same, but just make a few tweaks to the outside things. I think it would be really interesting to go to my high school and be in charge. You never know. One day Excel High School may become mine.(I doubt it though..)

I remember when I was a Kid

I remember when I was a kid thinking nothing bad could happen to me. When I was little I didn't realize all the bad things that are in the world. I never had any worries. I thought that my mommy could take of everything. If I was scared I would run to my mom and I knew she could make it all better. When I was a kid I didn't have the worries about things like boys. I thought boys were icky and Barbie dolls were fun. There was no drama when I was little. I thought most everything was about fun. I could go out and play and not be afraid. When I got hurt I could go to my mom because I knew she would fix it. As a kid, I never thought that growing up would be so tough. I was always excited about becoming an adult and having a big career, a big house, and fancy cars. The thought of responsibilities never crossed my mind. My biggest problems were that the boys that lived right next to me would take my dolls, or my favorite cartoon wasn't on when I wanted to watch it. When I was a kid I never looked at the bad parts in life. Really I didn't know that so many bad things existed. I thought that everyone could get along and be happy. I also thought that if there was some kind of issue I could just go to my mom and the issues would be resolved. As a kid, I had no real world experience. As William Blake put it I was "full of innocence." As a kid I thought school was a fun place to learn, and that nothing could go wrong there. As a kid one of my biggest obstacle was tying my shoe. Looking back on it now, as a kid I had it pretty easy. Now I have so many things to stress over. Like finances, college work, and not being able to just run to my mom when I have a problem and let her take care of it. Now as an "adult" I have to take responsibility for my self. I have to take care of things. I see all these scary things going on with the economy and our country as a whole. My worries aren't about my barbies or cartoons any more. Now I see that there are people that can't get along. I see the fighting and the divorce. Now as William Blake also puts it I am "going through the experience that is taking away my innocence." As an "adult," my mommy is not there to shelter me from all the bad things. I have to go out there full force and deal with them my self. I see that all kinds of horrible things can happen to me. I see the crime rates increasing. I see so much now that makes me stop and say "I do wish I was a kid again." Being an "adult" is not all that bad, it is just a lot more intense than it was to be a kid. Now its all about boys and who is doing what, instead of it being "Oh boy I am going to play this today." I got over the obstacle of tying my shoes, now I am working on the obstacles I face everyday as an "adult." I remember as a kid saying "I can't wait to grow up!" Now it is more like "I wish time would slow down a little bit."

My Classes

My classes so far have been pretty interesting. On Mondays and Wednesdays I have an 8 a.m. English class. My teacher is Mrs.Simms. I really like her! I think she is pretty awesome and she makes class interesting. Because of her we get to do these blogs instead of keeping up with a lot of typed papers and such. I like the way she makes class not all about “oh you have to write this, this, and this paper.” She makes it seem more relaxed in my opinion. Sure we are going to have to do like big major papers, but she makes it like not so stressful. Also on Mondays and Wednesdays at 9:25 I have my government class. That class is really interesting. Instead of being straight out of the book, Dr.Knigge lets us discuss current events. We can express our opinions and discuss how we feel about certain issues. She says that we can always write about our opinions in our work as long as we find some facts to support how we feel. I really feel like Dr.Knigge is open to listening to what her students think and feel about issues going on in today’s society. Finally on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:35 until 4:50 is my psychology class! My teacher is a graduate student here at AUM named Mrs. June Ashley! I really think she knows what she is talking about! I really find that class interesting because I just recently swapped from a Nursing major to a Psychology major. I like the way she emails us the powerpoints that she teaches off of. That way we have an idea of what is going on and we don’t have to try to write down everything from the slides. She introduced me to different fields of psychology that I didn’t even know existed. On Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:25 I have math class with Mr.Peele. I am not going to go there too much. Let’s just say that class is NOT my favorite! Its nothing against my teacher but the math class I am taking is below the math class I took my senior year of high school. It was just the math I am taking now is the highest math I need to take right now. Also on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12:15 I have Biology with Mr.Palmer. The class is quite interesting but unlesss you have the capability to write really quickly you will not be able to keep up with the note taking. That man talks super super fast. Luckily I have been blessed with the ability to write quickly. However I end up rewriting my notes to make them neater. On Thursdays from 3-5 I have a Biology Lab. I have not been to that class yet because we did not have Lab last week. I am really excited about it though. I think it will be pretty interesting. Well I am really excited about this semester. I can’t wait to see what is in store!

Boys and their video games...

Okay I know I posted a blog before about my love for Guitar Hero, but some boys have a weird obsession with video games. Take tonight for instance. All I heard about was how the boys were going to play video games..I mean that is all I heard about! Then I wanted to watch a movie. I got my way on that part, but as soon as the movie was over they were like okay man what game do you want to play now...So now I am sitting in this room listening to some stupid racing game..ridiculous! Shouldn't these boys be like doing homework or something besides video games? They are going to turn into a video game if they are not careful! I just don't get it. Plus they don't play these games that are easy to understand, they play these messed up complicated games. I don't even know the name of them. Sure the racing game they are playing right at this moment can't be too complicated, but earlier they were playing some weird war game. I don't know. Another thing that bugs me when guys play video games, is the fact that while they are playing they become magically deaf. Don't ever try to talk to a guy while he is playing a stupid game. He will not I repeat WILL NOT hear a word you say. You could be telling him the house is on fire and he would not hear you. It gets so annoying though. When I am sitting here trying to tell a guy something and he is all into his game and he does not even listen to me! What if it was important?! Oh well I guess video games keep the guys I hang out with out of my hair so I can go do my girlie things. But the point of all this is...I will never understand what is so amazing about video games to a guy.

Late nights..

Seriously I should be sleeping. I don't know what it is about college, but it has made me stayed up late! I do not think I have gone to bed before 2 a.m. since I moved here! It's fine with me except I have an 8 o'clock class in the morning! That was a big mistake there (no offense to my English teacher Mrs.Simms, she's cool!). I thought it would be all good to have an 8 o'clock class considering back in high school we had to be there at 7:30. Man was I WRONG! Going to bed at 2 and waking up at 6:30 to be ready for class by 7:45 to go to class is ROUGH!! Back to my lack of sleep and liking to stay up late now that I am in college. This is no lie. Back home I'd be in bed no later than 10:30 or 11. Now I have been staying up well into the wee hours of the morning! I got up Thursday morning at 8:00 to go to my 9:25 class...that night I did not go to bed until 5 a.m. Friday morning! It's not like I am doing alot. Usually I am just hanging out and talking to my friends. We just let the time get away from us. Plus I guess being away from home has something to do with it. Not that I had a real bed time or anything. Now its just instead of seeing my parents late at night, I can see my friends. It's cool though. Naps have become one of my very best friends! Whoever says naps are lame is SUPER WRONG! Just to get that point out there. I don't know....this staying up late is not bothering me too much. I still can focus on school so I guess that is all that counts. Well now I am getting off here to try to get to sleep before two that way I can get atleast 7 hours of sleep. Is that really going to happen? I don't know, but we will all see! Good night!

Now I am afraid to go home!

Well I was on my computer looking at my myspace and I see this post someone wrote. Come to find out the post expressed that there is swine flu cases back in my home town and home county! Now I am afraid to go home! I have a weaker immune system, so my luck I would go home and BAM I would be sick. I can't get a vaccine or anything because then I will for sure get it (no lie I got a flu shot and got the flu because my immune system is weak). What should I do?! I am so glad someone called me to tell me what was up, not. I can't believe NO ONE told me! Now I am freaking out because I am scared plus I am mad that no one told me about it! One good thing at least I am up here and not down where the swine flu is...even though I heard there was a case of it here too. But I am really really scared. I am thinking about putting myself in a bubble! Then in the bubble I can't get it! However, I don't know where I can go get one of those bubble suit things. I guess I could ask around. I am not kidding. This swine flu stuff is one of my biggest fears. Don't ask me why. It is just scary to me! I have to decide whether or not to risk getting the swine flu by going home sometime soon.

College Life

It finally hit me today...I'M IN COLLEGE! It didn't even hit me that I graduated from high school until the first day for my old high school came around. I woke up and my brother was getting ready for school, and I thought to myself "Oh my..I am not going to school today." Then it came time for me to move up to AUM. I moved up here by myself because my mom was down in her back and unable to come with me. After I got everything moved in and it was time for me to lay down, I got to thinking about home and how much I missed it. I was pretty home sick for the first couple of days, but I kept thinking to myself that I would be going home soon. Then Monday rolled around and classes started. Classes were interesting, but nothing like my high school. Later on that evening some of the girls from the Delta Zeta sorority called me and wanted to meet me because I signed up for rush, but had to drop last minute. After the meeting with them I got a bid and accepted. After pledging with them I was really excited. Everything here at this college is so very different from my home town and high school. However the differences are pretty awesome! I have so many friends here. I get to just come and go when I want. Most of all I really feel like an adult. Don't get me wrong, I still miss my family and stuff, but I really love it here. I am having the time of my life! Before I moved here I was really nervous about college, but now that I look back at it, I was so silly to worry! College Life is great! Dorm life is great! I am excited about my classes, because academics have always been a huge part of my life. I am really excited to see what is in store for my life as a college student!

Guitar Hero

There are so many different video games out on the market. Well I have a Wii, and that is one of the coolest game consoles EVER! The most addicting game for me that has to be my absolute favorite game that has ever been created is Guitar Hero. I am a BIG music person, and when Guitar Hero came out I fell in love! My friends and I trend to stay up until the wee hours of the morning playing. First it was just with the guitars, and then the awesome people that created the game decided to add the drums and microphones to the newer games. My friends and I like to think we have our own "band". Of course if we had to play actual guitars and drums we would probably be super horrible, but with our little guitar hero band we think we are pretty awesome rockstars. I love to play that game by myself too. Seriously, if I am just sitting in my room...I turn on my Wii and get to rocking! On Guitar hero you can play anything from old rock, to new age stuff, to even country now. Of course it is not always a bright idea to stay up all night playing and then go to school and work the next day. You will need ALOT of coffee..trust me ask any of my friends and we will be witnesses to that. The sad thing is, is that I was never really a video game person until Guitar Hero. I played like some tennis and bowling here and there when I got my Wii...but when I got Guitar Hero...it was over from there. Especially since I was supposed to share the Wii with my younger brother...that was pretty much impossible. Who ever came up with Guitar Hero is a genius in my opinion. My love for music was put into one of the most awesome video games ever! If I ever got the chance I would seriously like to thank the creators of Guitar Hero. I would like to thank them for giving me something that I stay up super late and get minimal sleep because I am playing it. Also, I would like to thank them for my extensive coffee bills. Finally, I would like to thank them for the creation of a game for all the music lovers in the world. Sadly, I have moved to college, and I could not bring my Wii with me (because my mom made me leave it at home for my brother). Now it is like I am going through Guitar Hero withdrawals. I sit in my room and think about all the late, fun nights I have had either playing the game alone or with my friends. Oh well, its not like I will not be going back home, and when I do, I hope my brother is willing to give back the Wii. If he is not I will be forced to take it with extreme force (not really, but I will just take it anyway and listen to him fuss, and then he will get over it.). I guess that sums it up. I am a serious Guitar Hero junkie. I get jokes made about it, but that's okay with me. If anyone has Guitar Hero up here at AUM and would either like to join forces or have extreme competition, please feel free to let me know!