Almost Over

    I can't believe that this semester is almost over. At times I thought the end would never come, but we've almost made it! At the beginning of the semester I was very stressed and not sure if I would be able to handle my course load. (I took 19 hours this semester) But as the semester went on I learned to balance my time and was able to complete all 19 hours, with all A's I might add. I only have two more finals left to take; one tonight and one Friday afternoon. Then I'll be home free; well until summer school starts anyway.

    My first couple years of college I goofed around, skipped a lot, and in return failed a bunch of classes. Since I wasn't too concerned with showing up to class I didn't know about a lot of the assignments and quite frankly I really didn't care. My only motivation to even enroll in college was the fact that as long as I was in school my parents paid for my car and insurance. But for some reason or another I decided to take a break. In the first couple of years I actually took two semesters off. The first semester I took off my parents continued paying for my car and insurance, but the next time around I had to start paying my own insurance. Let me tell you when you've had what seems like a million speeding tickets and you're insured under your own policy it can be quite costly. It only took one semester of that before I decided to go back to school and stay in school.

So now I am trying to make up for lost time by taking big course loads and classes every semester. After this summer I will have taken and passed 43 hours this academic year. And I still have two more years of school to go. L I wish I would have had this motivation when I first started, if I had I could have graduated this year, if not before. Oh well, you live and learn. I definitely learned my lesson and after I get my bachelor's degree I'm going to go right back to school and get my master's degree. Taking breaks only makes it that much harder.

Now more than ever pets are an integral part of the family. They can be found in the family portraits hanging on the wall; they are often times the ring bearer at weddings; and almost always accompany their "parents" on family vacations. It's amazing that people include their pets in so many activities, yet forget about or neglect their safety while traveling by not restraining them with a pet harness or pet safety belt. By not restraining pets while traveling not only are the pets at risk; but also the driver and passengers in the vehicle as unrestrained pets often become a flying projectile in the case of the wreck. According to Bark Buckle Up in a 30 mph car accident a 60 pound dog can cause an impact of 2,700 pounds! Unrestrained dogs can also distract the driver causing an accident; impede rescue efforts after an accident; escape after an accident and get hit or cause another accident.

Bark Buckle Up through research has concluded that 98% of pets do not travel properly restrained. Bark Buckle Up is a national pet safety awareness program that, in conjunction with the police and fire chiefs, tries to raise awareness of the importance of buckling your pets up; not only for their safety, but also you safety, your passengers' safety, and the safety of first responders. A similar movement is the Paws to Click movement. The Paws to Click movement is a joint effort by the ASPCA and Bergan LLC to promote safe pet travel. According to Paws to Click a car accident occurs every 18 minutes due to an unrestrained pet in the vehicle, resulting in more than 30,000 car accidents per year.

There are currently no laws or restrictions concerning restraining your pets while in transit. To solve this problem Bergan LLC, along with independent laboratories, has taken the first steps in establishing the Pet Safety Durability Test Standard V9DT B2009.1. The purpose of the V9DT is to set the industry standards for pet harnesses for the use in automobiles. As there were no industry standards prior to the V9DT standard it is important to make sure and check for the "complies with the V9DT" logo on the packaging of any harness you're considering in order to ensure the safety of your furry little family member, as well as your safety, you passengers' safety, and the safety of other drivers on the road.

You would never dream of taking your child somewhere without buckling them up, right? Why should your pet be any different?

Change of Plans

    This weekend, out of sheer boredom, I began toying around with the idea of beginning the wedding planning process. The only thing I didn't change about our wedding was who we're marrying. When we got engaged we both decided that we would like to enjoy a long engagement, which would allow us plenty of time to focus on school and save up some money. Originally we planned to have the wedding in mid-October of 2011. We both liked the idea of an outside wedding in the fall and were considering getting married at Springhouse Gardens just outside of Joplin. So we decided that this year we would watch the temperature and the scenery and then set a date. We also decided that we were going to go with more earthy colors, ivory, brown, and a touch of burnt orange.

    After this weekend our wedding plans are not even comparable to what we were originally thinking. We're now going for a more modern wedding. We would like to have the wedding in a loft like setting; open floor plan; high ceilings. (We have yet to find anything big enoughL) I love the idea of black and ivory weddings, but wanted to throw a little accent color in there to break it up, so we have decided to go with chartreuse. In addition to changing the location, as well as the colors, we have also decided to move the wedding up a couple of months. Instead of mid-October we have now decided on early September (not a big change).

    I haven't gotten much into the planning other than that. I did find some invitations I liked. I got the samples in the mail today; it's a good thing I ordered a sample because they are not at all what I thought they were going to be. I also decided that our reception is just going to be hors d'ouevres, cocktails, and cake. I am glad I allowed myself plenty of time to think things through and plan everything out, I just hope I didn't allow myself too much time..

Mushroom Hunting

    Every Sunday for the last month my fiancé and I have headed out to his family's old farm house in search of morels. His family has about 50 acres of land, 25 of which is open pasture and the other 25 is densely wooded. Once we cleared the pasture and got into the woods we would let the dogs off their leashes so they could get their exercise in while we were searching for mushrooms. We have unsuccessfully searched for mushrooms no less than four times. Zeb swears that he used to find them out in the woods every year growing up. I have a hard time believing him considering we have yet to find one. Not even one.

    Yesterday we were supposed to go mushroom hunting again, but I decided to skip out this time around. Wouldn't you know it, he came home with morels. He only found 6, but still at least he found some. There may be a couple of reasons why we hadn't had any luck finding morels in the last month. For one, I think we started looking a little premature. Their growing season is supposed to start in mid-April and sometimes can extend through mid-June. Many morel hunters also say that their growing seasons begins just around the time the Mayapples get their blooms. I think another reason that we didn't have much luck finding morels in the last month is because they have not had the right growing conditions. In order for morels to grow a number of things must be JUST right. The best conditions for morel growth include soil temperature of 65 degrees, air temperature of 65-80 degrees and high relative humidity. I think we haven't really begun to see morels yet because there hasn't been much rain and the temperature has been on the lower end of the spectrum. Tomorrow is supposed to get up to 66 degree and on Wednesday it's supposed to be 75 degrees. Hopefully between that and the rain we got this last weekend we will be able to find some more morels. If not this weekend, there's always next weekend.

Mmm, mmm, mmm!

Modern Day Kitty Genovese

March 13^th 1964, Kew Gardens, Queens, New York

It was around 3:15 A.M. when Catherine "Kitty" Genovese had arrived home work. As she was locking her car she noticed a man standing in between her and her apartment which was approximately 100 yards away. Instead of heading towards her apartment she decided to head to the nearest police call box just down the street. She never made it to that police call box. The man standing in her path had followed her and overcame her, stabbing her in the back twice. Kitty called out "oh my God, he stabbed me. Please help me! Please help me!" Not long after her scream for help a light came on in a nearby apartment building and a man opened the window and called down "let that girl alone." This deterred her attacker, but only for a minute. As Kitty rounded the corner to her apartment the man was waiting for her where he began stabbing her again. Once again she cried out for help, "I'm dying! I'm dying!" This time lights came on and the windows were opened in several apartments which startled her assailant. He got into his car and drove away. Kitty had managed to crawl to the back of her apartment building and make it in to the stairwell before her attacker returned to finish the job he had started. It was at 3:50 A.M. that the police received the first phone call regarding the attack of Kitty Genovese. They arrived two minutes later only to find her dead.

After completing the investigation the police concluded that there were no less than thirty eight victims who either saw or heard this attack. The police also stressed that had someone made a phone call, from the safety of their home, when the first attack had taken place Kitty might still be alive. Instead her attacker was given three chances within a thirty five minute span to kill his victim and he ultimately succeeded. The Kitty Genovese murder has gone down in history as well as in psychology. In 1968, four years after the gruesome murder of Kitty Genovese, a study produced results which were coined "Genovese Syndrome" or the bystander effect. This study found that the more people that were present the less likely there were to help a person in distress. They say the reasoning for the bystander effect is the diffusion of responsibility; since other people are present there is less pressure on them to take action; and a need to behave in a socially acceptable manner; because no one else is taking action they perceive it to be unnecessary or inappropriate.

Some things never change. Just last week, a little over 46 years later, a man was stabbed to death in Queens, New York, in broad daylight. As the man approached a woman being attacked, the attacker turned and stabbed him. Shortly after, the woman and attacker took off running in different directions as the man collapsed face down. As seen on a surveillance camera, it was not more than a couple minutes after his collapse that a steady stream of people began walking past him without helping. One man took a picture of him on his cell phone, while another shook him as if to wake him up. But the man lay there dying, in a pool of his blood, for nearly an hour and a half before authorities were notified and arrived on the scene. At this point it was too little, too late.

I am amazed and saddened by people's indifference. I could not imagine walking past someone who lay there dying, in a pool of blood, and not helping them or calling for help. What is this world coming to?

Water

Water is the principal component of the human body. As a matter of fact over 2/3s of the human body is composed of water. According to Better Nutrition our blood is 82% water; our brain is 75% water as well as our muscles being 75% water. Water is also a main component in all of the bodily fluids. As you can see water is necessary in order for the body to function. Water helps to carry all the essential nutrients throughout the body, water also aids in circulation and digestion, in addition to flushing the body of all the toxins. Not only does water help ensure that your body functions properly it also provides the body with an array of other benefits. Water is a natural appetite suppressant. Increasing your water intake can help with water retention problems. Also, consuming enough water also helps to keep your skin hydrated. Water also helps to reduce the risk of developing kidney stones. Water helps to reduce sore muscles and muscle cramps in addition to lubricating the joints.

Now we're aware of how important it is to drink enough water each day. But exactly how much water is enough? According to the Mayo Clinic there is no clear cut answer on how much water is enough. The amount of water a person needs to consume each day depends on a number of factors. Among these factors are your health, your level of activity, and where you live. Doctor's generally recommend that a healthy adult, with an average level of activity, in a temperate climate should consume 8 or 9 cups a day. There are three ways to ensure that you have adequate water consumption. The first of these is to use the replacement method where you try to replace the amount of water you expel. If using this method it is important to know that the average adult usually expels 1.5 liters of water through urination and an additional liter through breathing, sweating, and bowel movements. Using the replacement method it would be safe to assume that you would need to consume 2 liters each day to make up for what you lost (this figures that at least half an ounce of water would come from your food intake). Another way to ensure adequate water consumption is the 8 by 8 rule. It's pretty self-explanatory, drink 8, 8 ounce glasses of water each day. The final way to ensure adequate water consumption is to abide my dietary recommendations. The Institute of Medicine advises that men drink 3.7 liters of water a day and women drink 2.7 liters a day (this figure includes water from beverages and food).

Enrollment

    In the fall of 2006 I moved to Springfield to start my college career at Missouri State University. It didn't take long for me to decide that it wasn't the place for me. In the spring of 2007 I transferred to Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. While I was up there I began having back problems. When I came home for the summer I went to my family doctor who ordered an MRI then sent me on to an orthopedic specialist. After reading my MRI the specialist informed me that surgery was needed and it was most likely going to be the first surgery of many. Great, just what I wanted to hear. After hearing this news my family and I decided that it was in my best interest to transfer to MSSU and stay local in the event that more went wrong with my back.

    Seeing as my transfer to MSSU was a last minute decision I waited until the last minute to enroll. I just went to admissions and a student enrolled me. And that's the way it went for the next two years. I was never assigned an advisor until the fall of 2009. Only then did I get an advisor because I specifically asked for one. I know this is somewhat my fault, but c'mon, they can do better than that. Because I never had an advisor I hadn't taken some of classes that were prerequisites to other classes. I also hadn't even begun to take any classes for my major.

    It's like I've hit a brick wall, because I do not have all the prerequisite classes to my major classes I cannot carry a full course load. Not even close. The fall of 2009 I took 17 hours and this spring I am taking 19 hours all in an attempt to play catch up. But it's too little too late. This summer I can only take 7 hours and this fall I can only take 9 because you guessed what I am taking this summer is a prerequisite for what I'm taking this fall. What I'm taking fall of2010 are prerequisites for pretty much every other class I have to take. Annoying!

    My advice: if you don't have an advisor make sure you're assigned one ASAP so you can avoid the situation I've gotten myself in to (with a little help, I might add)