Moving Forward

I never thought I would be in this situation but I don’t know how I can move forward. This has been one of the hardest periods in my life. I want to say that I can make it like I always have but without my dad that will be difficult. He won’t be there so I can tell him my plans of how I will move ahead. I am really strong and never let anything bring me down but this time is different. I lost something very valuable to me. I lost one of my pillars! I wish that he would of stayed here longer to see me accomplish my goals. But life is not forever and that seems so unfair. I try everyday to stay with my head up and can’t seem to do it. Hopefully things will get better soon.

My Dad

On Saturday my father was taken to the local hospital where he later died. My father was the most amazing person in this world. He was a humble, loving, and a hard working individual. It will be hard to visit his home and not see him. It will be hard to call him and not hear his voice. I feel so helpless that I was not able to do anything to ease his pain. I thank God for allowing me to be by his side in his last hours with us. I will miss my dad dearly and know that he will always be in my heart and guide me from up there. I know my dad is in a better place and hope that his trip with God is full of joy.

Life Insurance

I never imagined that I would say this but I am considering buying a life insurance policy. I have always felt that having life insurance is just a waste of money. My mother told me she has one “just in case.” So I decided to research a couple of companies and I think I found one that I like. At the same time I don’t know if it might be to early to buy a life insurance policy. It is a hard choice to make but the insurance I looked into is State Farm. Is life insurance worth it? What do you think?

Christmas Time

I grew up believing in Santa Claus and learned that he was not real when I was a teen. After finding out about Santa my Christmas was never the same. I did not look forward to Christmas because it was not fun anymore. My son still believes in Santa Claus even though his friends have tried to tell him other wise. I am facing a challenge because he believes in him and I feel that it is time that he finds out. I really don’t know if it would be appropriate to tell him that Santa is not real. I know that I was upset to find out he did not exist and I don’t want to ruin it for my son. When would it be a good time to tell a child Santa Claus does not exist? Any suggestions?

My Blogging Experience

Before this class I had no interest in having a blog. None of my classes had previously required a blog so I did not care much about blogs. I quickly realized that blogs could be pretty fun for various reasons. I feel that a blog could be fun because you can write whatever you want. The next reason is that I was given the option to pick my own theme. I was also able customize my blog it is almost like having your own website. It was able to make time to write for the class blog without an excuse. Every week I looked forward to write in the blog because I enjoyed writing about the different things. I learned something new about using the design tools every time I visited the blog. Overall, I had a great experience writing this blog and I hope that I can keep it (I just have to find the time).

Looking Back

I had never had my own blog until I started this class. I was not sure what to expect and had no clue what I would write about. I decided that I would write about issues that I care about and I think I did better than I expected. Most importantly I have enjoyed posting every week about the different topics. In fact, after reading and looking at several blogs from my peers I might decide to change some things on my blog. Many of the other blogs had unique backgrounds and writing styles. After looking at the blogs I wanted to go to mine and change it as soon as possible. I hope to start making changes sometime this week so my blog looks appealing. I will also try to make time to keep writing in the blog after the class is over. Hopefully I can gain some traffic if I share the link with my friends on Facebook.

Our Suffering

Last week on Tuesday morning I received a phone call that one of my family members had died. He leaves behind his wife, an 18 month old and a three year old. He was 21 an amazing husband, father and friend. I am deeply saddened and my entire family is suffering. Jorge worked two jobs to support his wife and kids. That day I realized that our way of life is so fast paced we sometimes failed to spend time together with our loved ones. Twenty-five years ago my father died in a similar car accident when I was four months old. My family and my mother sixteen at the time suffered very much. Little did we know that 25 years later Jorge would die in a similar situation. A car crash kills a young dad and this tragedy once again brings my family together.

The Price of Health

A few weeks ago I met a lady at my work that told me about her recent visit to the dentist. She has diabetes and she lost all her teeth. The dentist had to extract all of her teeth and she will need a denture from now on. The unfortunate thing about this situation is that she gets paid minimum wage and cannot afford insurance. The removal of her teeth has left her with major financial problems and no teeth. I was thinking about this situation and I ask myself why is it that our price for health is so expensive. I know someone that goes to a certified dentist across the border and spends less than $10 dollars for a cleaning. While here in America we spend a fortune to see a dentist. I also know people who are sick and refuse to go to the doctor because of the financial burden. Walking in to the emergency room costs at least $1,000 before they even tell you what you have. I really don’t get it and makes me sad to know that many people out there have no insurance or a way to pay there medical bills. Buying insurance is difficult but there are several sites that offer help to compare the prices of health insurance.

Technology in our Streets

When I was little I used to watch the Flintstones cartoons and I would see self-driven cars. But I never guessed that in my lifetime that would happen. Today many car companies have launched cars that can park on their own. Some companies have even installed devices in cars that allow you to text and answer your cell phone while driving. But how about a car that drives itself! Well it might now be possible thanks to technology and Google who has been working on a car that can be self-driven. What do you think about this initiative? Will our streets be safer? Would you buy Googles self driving car?

Education Standards

I believe that every parent should be involved in their kids education. Because of my belief I often volunteer at my son’s schools and pay close attention to the things that happen in the classroom. I have seen that kids are not being challenged in school because the standards are to low. The lack of parent involvement in my opinion does contribute to this problem. If parents were more involved they would do something about this problem. But why is it that many of us don’t challenge the current standards on education and push for tougher standards? My son goes to a great school but he has told me that he wants to learn more. In fact, my son has asked me to teach him what the X means (Algebra). That is why for the last six months I have been looking for a program that will challenge my son and prepare him for his future. I have looked into the Kumon learning center. Visit the site and give me your opinion on the center. How do you feel about our current education system? Are kids being challenged enough?

Art Making in Schools

When I was in elementary I had an art class once in a while. Schools today have so many demands by the state that art classes have vanished over the years because of the budget cuts. Art making has dropped to the bottom of the list of many schools. Research has shown that art making contributes to the success of students and can potentially help schools improve their low-performance. Unfortunately, many of the students in our communities don’t get the opportunity to take an art class because private art classes tend to be expensive. Some art classes being offered are way out of the means of many New Mexican families. In fact, according to the U.S. Census in 2008 about 25% of New Mexican children lived under the poverty level. This means that many NM students cannot afford to take a private art class. However, there is a local organization called OFFCenter, which provides free art classes to several schools here in Albuquerque. You can help to keep the arts by donating money visit their website for more information. http://www.offcenterarts.org/donate.htm

Sleeping on the job?

I realized this week that I am always sleepy and never get enough rest. I work and go to school full time and have a family. Sometimes it is really hard to manage all of these things and still have some sleep. I am sure that some of you can relate to this situation! But what would you think about sleeping on the job? Last week, I was watching a show on television and they said several companies allow employees to sleep at their jobs. Companies are now realizing that tired employees don’t work as well. One of the companies that allow employees to sleep is Ben and Jerry’s ice cream company. They even have a special room for employees to sleep in. Look at the whole story here http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/JobClub/sleeping-job-employers-tired-workers-power-nap/story?id=11659597 What do you think about this? Should employees be allowed to sleep at work? How will this impact our society in years to come?

Law school or business school????

During my life I have made difficult decisions and made many mistakes.

I am a high school dropout and had a child when I was fifteen. I am also the first from my family to attend college. But today I face the hardest challenge of all; I have to decide if I want to go to law school or business school. First I have to be honest and say that I never expected to finish college. I felt this way because college seemed so out of my reach. When I started college I dreamed of being an attorney but now I don’t feel the same way about law school. I am afraid that I will make a mistake by not going to law school and choosing business school instead. I have looked into both careers carefully but I am still undecided. I had never felt this way when deciding something and I have to make a choice soon because I am graduating in December. Any suggestions??? Do I apply to business school or law school??? I do know that I want to apply to UNM school of law or Anderson school of management. Visit their sites to learn more about them.

http://lawschool.unm.edu/admissions/index.php

http://www.mgt.unm.edu/prospectivestudents/

Retirement Accounts

Retirement!

My grandparents were always so busy raising their kids that they forgot about their retirement. Today, they are facing the consequences because they have no retirement money and I wish I could help them. This situation has opened my eyes and I am considering opening a retirement account and perhaps invest some of that money. I have tried doing research and have visited several banks but I am stilled trying to figure all this out. I have asked several friends and family members but nobody that I know has a retirement account.

Some of my friends tell me I should wait a few more years claiming that I am to young. Other family members also tell me that I should not open an account until I am done with college. But I do want to open and account and start saving. I might not be a rich person but can make the effort to start saving. I know that I am interested in a Roth IRA or a traditional IRA. These types of accounts are basically individual retirement savings accounts both have pluses and minuses to them; but I cannot decide, which one to open. This is a site I have visited to learn more about the accounts http://www.ira.com/faq1.htm. At this site I have been able to find basic information that has actually helped me understand the accounts. Visit the website to learn more about this accounts or if you know about the accounts does the site reflect what you know about them? What suggestions do you have for me? Is it to early to have an IRA account? What about investing in mutual funds?

Texting vs. Writing?

A few months ago, I was helping my friend’s child with her homework. After helping her, a few times, I realized that she had trouble writing. However, when it came to using her cell phone she used abbreviations that I did not even know existed. Since this incident I have been extremely concerned because I do have a child. I worry that my son will struggle with his writing skills because of this new trend.

Texting is so popular that kids are not learning the necessary skills of writing. I might be exaggerating but I want my child to be a good writer. What do you think? Does texting influence a child’s ability to gain all the necessary skills for writing? Are you familiar with text abbreviations? Visit this website, which provides abbreviations for texting. Please take a look at their list to see if you know them all! http://www.netlingo.com/acronyms.php

Browsing the web!

I am constantly browsing the web! How about you?

When I was in elementary a few years ago browsing the Internet was super hard (according to me). I remember going to my school’s computer lab to learn about this new thing called Internet browsing. My computer class teacher taught me how to enter a web address, which would allow me to visit a page (super exciting). Typing in the web address took forever and if you typed in the wrong address you had to start all over again. Today, the Internet has evolved so much since those days that you can browse through the web in seconds. In fact, besides the computer you can now browse the web in any device with Internet connection.

I know find myself browsing the Internet constantly! It is almost like a need instead of a want. I do have Internet access on my phone and that contributes to the time I spend online. I have tried not to browse the web for everything but it never works. Browsing the Internet has become part of my lifestyle and I spend a big part of my day online. I definitely enjoy browsing the web for news, shopping, e-mail, and anything that I need. However, I sometimes feel that I am always browsing the web! Does this happen to you? What are your experiences?