PASS GO:COLLECT 200

Where to start. I feel like money is such a sore topic for America. It is the basis of all our problems.We started this country in hopes of creating a great place for people to enjoy the spoils of life. Spoils being the key word. Many people do not realize how lavishly they live. Including myself. Nothing could point this out better to me than Mrs. Bruer's money tracking assignment. While I feel like a part of the "poor" stevenson community I am really truely privilged. This problem is that other peoples for different countries soon realized how great our world was. Now we are seriously overpopulated. There is such a great gap between the wealthy American and the poor worker. This was highlighted in the class society activity. I was apart of the underclass group. Not only was my family living out of a trailer, and eating only because of the local food pantry but we had to put up with lifes problems like water pipes bursting, a family member being sick, and another need glasses. You couldnt imagine how impossible this was especially without insurance! I listen to the upper class talk about their bently's and huge mansion and thought to myself how sick it was that people actually lived like that. I quiet favor the "middle class" life. Decent size house, full of love, struggle yes but bonding as well. The rich dont really understand how badly others need their help. It really makes me greatful that if I decide I want to go to college my family doesnt have to worry about affording it. It really makes me greatful for the warm car I have that helps me get to school everyday. It really makes me greatful for the sport I get to participate in. From now on I really want to start giving. Im going to spend less and support more.

Cash cow

Well let's just say we picked a bad week to do this project. For the two weeks we were recording our spending I was traveling between three states. Needless to say I spent over 300 dollars on traveling expense. On a normal week I would have spent signifigantly less money. I also notice that I spend a lot of money on silly things pike coffee and bagels when both those items are in my house. I wouldn't say my family is rich but I wouldn't say we are poor. We just spend a lot of money on our hobbies. My mother is very money conscious and so we have strict money rules. On a usual weekend I may spend up to 15 dollars.....which if you think about it is quite a lot. My mom has problems with this! I think I can improve my spending and be more conscious of my decisions.

Widespread

I feel like we all have to same answer to this question. Society today is lazy, fat, and spoild. I agreed with the documentary in some ways and disagreed in others. It is definately more evident to me that because we our incouraging our kids to watch television at young ages we are breading a couch potato society. I agree to that fact. However, I dont believe it is all the parents fault for this situation. I am a true believer in peoples leading personalities. Meaning I believe that it is the persons responsibiltity to take charge of their own life. This only comes with age and growing knowledge though. Parents are mearly the guiding portal into a better balanced life. Society today is greatly based on material things. One simple example: cars. I walk outside of my school into the parking lot everyday. I continously see that bright yellow "Transformers" car sitting right in front of me, the blinged out Hummer to my right, and the sporty Camero to my left. Then there is Angelo....my beautiful white, dirty, old Toyota Camrey. Oh how I love my grandma car.....NOT. Kids these days are spoiled with lavish cars and presents that they are not yet ready to handle. A BMW for your first car...seriously? This in turn only makes me feel like more of a shmuck for my vechicle. Growing up in a world where the better quality things you have make you a better person is life changing. However, I do believe this seperates people. The people who have all of these lavish things from the people who appriciate the finer things in life. Unfortunately there are not enough of the later in life. We need to get out and get active. Its scary to think about how long it will take for society to totally transform back to the better.

Natures babies Nurtures demons

I really found that the article "7 things good parents do: that messes up their kids" profoundly helpful and eye opening. I really never stepped back and focused on the security blankets parents are surrounding their kids in. Societies children today are severely bubble wrapped. The notion that a child needs a padded playground, or someone to continuously tell them they are great is extremely scary. I always noticed a huge gap in my sport when it comes to protecting children. Not long ago girls could get on their ponies and run through the forest to a friends house for a day out riding. Kids got away with anything! Now we are so structured that most clients cant leave the facilities arena. It is a truly depressing thing...not to mention that it has decreased riders knowledge of their animal and the connection they gain from a horse. The same can be said for children living day to day life now. Parents are always putting the dog leash on their kids, trackers in their phones, or stalking them. Not only is this evasion of privacy but it restricts kids from truly experiencing life. While I grew up my parents did shelter me from the outside world. However,  I did experience failure. This helped me to built my determination and really get involved in my activities. I would say I am mainly a child of nature. My parents did their best to let me live life and ride the swells of childhood. Nurture does effect me though. My father especially has a hard time letting go of me. They make me call them when I am out with friends. I always have to update them on where I am and who I am with. I fear for my dads reaction when I go to college out of state! I believe in letting kids take natures course. This may be from my restricting parents....who knows I could be trying to avoid their mistakes. After all if parents didn't restrict kids from drugs and alcohol so much wouldn't kids be less likely to go wild once they are away from home.....

Tuesdays

Death is just an uncomfortable topic. However in TWM Maurie easily discusses impending doom. With a smile on his face and a head full of memories Maurie teaches his former student about the joys of life. If there were one thing i were to take away from that film i would say it was the famous Maurie quote: Once you know how to die, you know how to live. Its one of those sayings that makes you feel inspired yet confused. What exactly does that mean? You cant go back and live life once your dying....I guess now its time to tell you a little bit more about me. I am absoluetly terrified of death. I can honestly say my number one fear is death. I cant imagine a life without life....I can imagine feeling the joy of waking up after a full nights sleep, seeing the beauty in leaves changing color, and talking to the amazing people in my life. I fear being trapped in a box after death. I fear being dust that is spread than forgotten. Im not ready. I fear i wont ever be ready. I hope maybe by the time im old enough to die future technology will have created something to consume that will prolong life....high hopes i know. Im excited to get older. Its not that i fear being old. There is such peace in growing old...i just dont want to ever leave.....It might be because i have no faith. Im not sure if i believe in heaven or in an after life. I feel science fights all these things and wins....I can do nothing. That is why Maurie meant so much to me. I loved watching the movie because it gave me a sort of piece of mind about the whole thing. Hopefully i will have a lot of memories to smile about like Maurie did.

Real Life Revelation

Quick trip: So today in class Jperson asked me for help with their homework. Brue told me that I had to teach him how to do it not just do it for him. Not really paying attention or thinking I said, "He knows how to do this. Hes not a retard." I was mortified. I realized how I say little things like this all the time and dont realize it. My mission: By the end of Brue's class I will change the way I talk.

Class time: card game= frustrating. Trying to play a game without speaking, and not understand the rules is impossible! I think it was a great connection to the way people expect others to understand their language. I realized that I didnt assert myself in the situation,I just sat back and followed what the other kids told me.Which is not like me at all.I guess I now know that in situations where Im not sure whats going on and what the rules are I wait for others to go first or lead. This may not always be a bad thing because I have less chance of messing up, but its not very leaderlike.

Absolutely loving the Amore activity. Funny to think up all of the cultural folkways. America has so many! Guess were picky people. :)

FCS Analysis

Horseback Riding: This is something that is a major factor in my life. Im practicing every weekday after school and usually spend all morning and afternoon working, teaching, and riding on weekends. Needless to say it takes up huge amounts of time. It has always been something Ive had to work around since I started ridng when I was 5. I will miss many days in the school year for competitions, I will not get an A on a paper because I was at the barn instead of studying, and I will not have as much time to hang out with my friends becasue im with my horses. To me this is a sacrfice I am willing to make but it is something that completely rules my life...

Functionalist Point of View: In this point of view riding is seen as something that I participate in as well as school, social events, and daily life. All these things combine together to make up me. :)

Conflict Theory Point of View: In this point of view riding is something thtat dominates my life and everything I do. I will strive to become the best at my sport so that I can make money, buy the things I want, and basically trump everyone else.

Symbolic Interactionism Point of View: In this point of view riding places me in the more quiet, withheld, loner social group. Because of this I am effected by not hanging out with friends as much. Not having as many friends. Or avoid social gatherings in general.

A Second Chance

This assignment was to write about anything we have learned or experienced in class. To share with others what we have learned from class and what opinoins we have. I sit here trying to decide what to write and it has become impossible for me to choose. The neon sign that keeps popping up in my head says, " You cant pinpoint one thing. You've already learned so much in only a few weeks. This class is changing your life." Scary to think about but its actually true. Sociology is making me think of things i havent bothered to ponder before. So i decided to start at the beginning and share with you what my mind went through as we completed our various assignments and class activities. Lets start with what i call The in Class Judgement Acitivity. We were to choose 2 descriptions out of 10 that best described ourselves, without telling anyone what they were. Then our teacher picked 3 students for us to judge and then determine what their characteristics were. The conclusion of this activity was that we all failed at guessing who those people we had never talked to, or seen before, were like. We judged them based on their clothes, the spin they did, or something they said 5 minutes earlier. I walked away from this activity thinking jeez i really judge everyone i know, and incorrectly too. Maybe i should give that person another chance and see what their really like. Ive already started talking to people i normally wouldnt and learned that woah they are actually nice! Shocking! This activity gave a whole new meaning to Dont Judge a Book By its Cover. Next was a homework assignment called I believe. We were to write a paper about anything we believed and why. I wrote my first I belive in about 30 minutes. Really thinking wow i nailed this. Arriving to class i learned that my paper meant nothing. It wasnt even ME. I lied and created this person i wished i was. When our teacher gave us a second chance to write something else i grabbed at it. I ended up writing a paper that made me cry. Depressing yes. But it truely felt like me. I had a great chance to really asses myself as a person and think about what my true inner feelings were. Besides this i also got the chance to hear some of my fellow students papers. Again going off my previous snottiness i judged people thinking this persons paper is going to suck! zone out time. However i was floored when beautiful words flowed from said persons mouth. It really taught me that i shouldnt judge and that there are hidden moments within everyone. The final activity i want to talk about is the Boat Activity. We had to eliminate 7 people from a boat that was overflowing. I was a part of this activity and unfortunately one of the people that was kicked off the boat. While in the activity i was only focused on staying alive and keeping my spot. But later listening to my teacher talk about the things we said during that activity i was disappointed. We all judged people because of their age, their marital status and other ridiculous things. It is such a terrible activity because in my mind everyones life is precious and just how do you judge the value of someones life. It really left me thinking about how everyones life is precious, even the poets! Everything in this class so far has taught me so much and i think by the end of this semester i will be a totally different person. :)

Mad Habbiter

I built my habits based on the fact that i have the same schedule everyday. Every morning i wake up. Shower. Get dressed. Pack my lunch. Drink a cup of coffee. Drive to school. Park. Walk in. Go to my locker. Zombie through periods 1-7. Drive to barn. Ride my horses. Drive home. Shower. Eat dinner. Watch TV. Go on facebook. Sleep. Then get up and do it all again! I take the same roads, walk the same hallways, eat the same things, and talk to the same people everyday. I learned this behavior just because it was what was easiest. Certain habit i have i do because i like them, like drinking coffee. Do i need coffee everyday? Probably not. However, every morning i still have a cup. If something happens to mess up my schedule sometimes i might get upset. Like if there is traffic and i have to go a longer route. Or if my car breaks down and i have to get a ride. Other things, like going out to lunch sometimes or meeting someone cool are good things. I know a lot of people that live their lives by the moment and dont really care how things happen or which way they go. They are just happy in the moment. I aspire to be one of those people. I assume that wont happen until im out of school and living my own life. Right now im just stuck doing the same things because i have to.