Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Third Day-"Call My Name"

As I mentioned in my last post-I love KLove and I've been hearing this song by Third Day alot; it has become my new favorite song.

2008 Dove Awards Third Day - Call My Name

Friday, September 26, 2008

Help with counter

I have put a free counter on my blog so that I can get an idea of the number of people visiting my blog, but I want to move it to the side so that it is no longer a post; how do I do that? I'd appreciate anyone's help :)

Klove

I love my ipod but sometimes I get bored listening to the same music over and over again. So, when this happens I turn on some amazing Klove. If you've never had the opportunity to hear this amazing Christian radio station that broadcasts all over the country and online, then I would encourage you to check it out. It's a great source of encouragement for me during the week, and I get to keep up with new music that's coming on the scene. Check it out at www.klove.com and listen free online or find the radio station that broadcasts it in your area.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Time and Stupidity

Ever feel like there is not enough time in the day? So far, I've been feeling like that every day this week...I've cram every hour of my day with productive things and I still don't get everything accomplished. Today, I realized that being stressed about this is not going to somehow magically create more time; I just need to stop thinking about how I'm going to get everything done and put my stress on the shoulders of God because he can handle it. Also, deep breaths are always helpful :)
On a different note, I thought I'd share with you some interesting discussion and facts that my Music Appreciation professor has been talking to my class about. Professor Carroll's first bit of encouragement to our class was: "North Carolina ranks 48th in the country in SAT scores." Then he told us that there was a large academic general knowledge test taken by a number of different countries and the USA was at the very bottom, only scoring better than the country of Serbia. We took our first exam on Monday (which I think I did pretty well on after at least 5 hours of studying) and today he informed us that he needed to discuss our test scores real quick before he started his lecture: "There was a movie that came out in the 1960's called "The Good, the bad, and the ugly"" All 135 of us proceeded to laugh and then get real quiet. "Some of you scored a 25% on this test, while others of you got only 1-3 wrong, BUT those high scores mostly belonged to international students." We remained quiet, and he moved on to his lecture. In the middle of his lecture he asked us for the year the Pilgrims came to America; we all muttered our answers and finally one young lady spoke up and said "1620" Professor Carroll said that was correct and then asked this girl if she was from the USA and she replied "no." Professor Carroll then looked at us and said "What does that tell you?" A young man replied "That we are all a bunch of dumb ***(bad word)" and we proceeded to burst out laughing at his comment and our stupidity. Professor Carroll told us to remember his comment about SAT scores and then to think about who are we, who do we want to be, and what are we going to do about it.
It's kind of sad that people from other countries know more about our own country than we do. Also, when it comes to test scores, international students in many respects have a much stronger desire to learn and excel in academics. Why? Let me know what you think while I go and apply myself diligently to my academics.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Saturdays

Saturdays (and weekends in general) are great; I get to sleep in (and not go to work at 9 in the morning), I get to do laundry, I get caught up on all my schoolwork, and chilling is an option. I felt slightly cut off from the outside world this Saturday due to the fact that I have a cold, I didn't sleep well last night, and none of my friends or roomate were around so I spent the day in my dorm. I did alot of studying and enjoyed laughing out loud to Andy Griffith and I Love Lucy episodes on TV Land. My big outing was going to the caf for dinner and stopping to get some Nyquil in hopes of a better night sleep. I enjoyed the weather while outside though-it's finally getting cooler and feeling like fall with no humidity. I was also thinking alot about home today and my anticipation about Fall Break is building; I can't wait!! I'll leave you with a couple of pics of my dorm room ( I had fun decorating :)


My side...


My side...again


Sadie's side...

Friday, September 19, 2008

College Life-advice, what I've learned, and other randomness.

College is definitely harder than high school. Sharing a room with someone else is NOT weird (it's fun :) Good reading and note-taking skills are essential. When mom suggests you bring it, bring it. DO NOT forget an umbrella. Meals in the caf are interesting-every dish has a different name with the same ingredients (rice, tomatoes, carrots, a UFO or two...) UNCG Teaching Fellows are amazing. Do not buy books from the school bookstore-check out Amazon or Half.com first. Things in the on-campus stores are two to three times as expensive as a regular grocery store, so stock up before hand. Time management will make life much easier. I miss my dog....alot. Never assume. Be proactive. If you have the urge to smoke DO NOT do it blowing smoke and ash in my face while I'm walking on the sidewalk behind you (Lung cancer from secondhand smoke is not where I want to be in the next fifty years). Legally, pedestrians have the right away BUT, as I said, never assume. Build friendships and get plugged into a church-it's important. Take advantage of the gym-it's like a YMCA but it's free!