Ugh…School.
16 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
I’m not sure what is going on this semester, but I HATE School. The last two semesters were a blast for me and I enjoyed all the classes I took. This spring is the complete opposite. I think a lot of it has to do with this damn budget crisis. California needs to get its act together because the students are suffering. Thankfully my parents fork over the cash for me to attend a University, but I am appalled at how shitty of an education I am actually receiving. My first complaint is the time actually spent in class. Every other week we are having a class period cancelled due to a furlough day. Normally I would be jumping for joy at the thought of having a class cancelled, but that is not the case. My second complaint is that the workload being assigned is unreasonable. We are expected to complete these ridiculous assignments with little or no guidance what-so-ever. Thank God I have a brain and can figure out how to get things done otherwise I would be flunking out! My third complaint is tuition. WTF? We have to pay and arm and a leg for NOTHING! My fourth complaint is teachers who go off on tangents…give us the effing information so we can go on our way! No one wants to sit in class for the full time, including the teacher, so why, why whyyyyyy do you waste our time with nonsense. Clearly, this is a touchy topic for me but I have run out of patience for this institution. If this wasn’t my last semester, I would personally check myself into a mental hospital. Peace out school! I’m DONE!
I’ve got SUNSHINE…
28 Feb 2010 Leave a Comment
Oh how I love sunny days!! The beginning of this week started out rather rough. Probably because of my wild night in Vegas. Some people get a kick out of blacking out and not remembering their night, I on the other hand HATE it! I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life. Sunday morning when I was forced to get up, 2 hours after going to bed mind you, I realized that I was still drunk! The entire car ride home I was wishing death upon myself. It took a good 6 hours to make it home and I was scrunched in the middle of a Dodge Magnum. No thanks, never again! The second I got home I got into my bed and it was lights out until 6am Monday morning.
“Monday, Monday can’t trust that day. Monday, Monday it just turns out that way. Monday, Monday won’t go away. Monday, Monday it’s here to stay…” Thank you The Mamas & The Papas for explaining Monday in such a catchy song. If I could redo this past Monday, I would jump on it. I realized I had so much homework due this week which of course, sent me into a whirl wind. I get myself so stressed out when it comes to school I physically make myself sick. Not to mention it was a gray, cloudy, rainy day. A solidifying factor that automatically puts me in a bad mood!
Believe it or not I made it successfully to Sunday and managed to get one paper done and an extension on the other! Thank you to my teachers for realizing that students have lives outside of school. Today is such a bright and sunny day, it makes me realize all the things I am thankful for! It makes gray, unhappy Mondays seem so silly. I want to take a moment to give a shout out to my closest friends.
Ryan- I may not have liked you at first when I was thinking I was high and mighty at 19, but you have come to be my longest and greatest friend. You have never judged me for the things I have done, said, or wanted. I have experienced things with you that I wouldn’t imagine experiencing at all and whenever I am with you I never stop laughing. We have gone months without talking due to the distance between us or points we are at in life and yet it is never hard for us to pick right back up where we left off. You always brighten my day.
Danielle- I am so thankful to have met you! You are always there for me when I need a shoulder to cry on or when I need to scream and vent about my life. When we get together we have the greatest laughs, especially when I drop my crazy one liners, “Ugh! I think the cigarette smoke is really getting to me, my nose hurts!” as I am lighting a cigarette in a Vegas casino. You are such a beautiful girl inside and out and I am so proud to call you my friend.
Karla- Thank you for giving me a chance when I started in customer service at Office Solutions. We became such good friends in such a short time and I can honestly say you are the sister I wish I had. I love our pretend fights and your crazy dramatic stories. I have learned so much from you and I am strong willed woman today because I follow your example. I have had some rough times this past year and you dropped everything to be there for me and comfort me when I needed it the most. I love you dearly!
Katie- We also became good friends in such a short time. You are such an encouraging person and make me want to do well in life. You give me constant support when I am struggling in school and it helps so much. I feel like we are the same person sometimes because I can relate with you on so many levels. I am thankful for all the time you have been there for me, especially towards the end of last year and the beginning of this one. “We’re the three best friends that anyone can have…”
Michael-Well I can honestly say you’ve taught me everything I know! You have always showed great care to me and never judged me for anything. You’ve never stopped looking out for me and have accepted me back with open arms when I pulled a 3 year disappearing act. I am always smiling when you’re around, you’ve given me some great laughs. I love you!
Jimmy- We go way back buddy…from broken finger nails to chewed up guitar pics! I always have a good time when you’re around. You also have never judged me, thank you for that. You tell it how it is and that is so refreshing because I hate it when people sugar coat things. You make my best friend happy and that makes me happy. I am missing you like crazy right now, but am also thrilled that you are able to live it up in Australia. Please come back to us!!
Ryan- We go even farther back, I think I was in 7th or 8th grade when we met! All throughout high school you looked out for me and been the big brother I don’t have. I’ll never forget how you asked me to your senior prom, running into chapel filled with students and teachers in a banana suit screaming, “Jenny! Jenny!! Will you go to prom with me??” You are such a generous friend. I have the fondest and funniest memories with you!
Brian- I have known you the longest…we’re talking since BIRTH! I have a blast every time we get together! I am so happy that you live closer now because our families have stopped the Thanksgiving tradition. The story of me making you cry as a toddler will never get old and everyone that we meet together will hear it at some point. Now sounds like a good time…When sitting at the dinner table I used to bang on it with my little palms and Brian would instantly begin to cry. I, being the little devil I am, would chuckle at this and keep on banging!
Mike-You are my newest friend but I feel like I have known you my entire life! It is so easy to be with you because of your radiant positive attitude. I have had some cloudy days and you have been my sunshine. I’ve never met anyone who, right off the bat, I can be completely and totally me. I never stop smiling when your around and I look forward to making lasting memories with you!
Can I have more time???
17 Feb 2010 Leave a Comment
So i posted the link to my blog on facebook for any of those who wished to escape into the wonderful world of Jenny…yet i have not written anything since i was forced to for a class. The problem is TIME!! There is not enough of it in the day, at least for me. I have a love/hate relationship with my schedule. Being busy is great but not having enough time to get done what needs to be done is just awful. And that is about all i can say because i have run out of time to finish my thoughts….BLAH!
That would NEVER happen to me
04 May 2009 Leave a Comment
Dr. Triplett couldn’t be more correct when she says that everyone is under the influence of the third-person effect. I can say that I am more aware of my thoughts now and I try to think, there is a possibility this could happen to me, I could just as easily be affected as the next person. But it is not as easy as it seems. I feel like we subconsciously assume we are not going to be affected. With the latest news about the Swine flue, I have been thinking, “Oh no I am so gonna catch it!” I have a germ phobia as it is so I wash my hands a lot but ever since the Swine flu outbreaks you better believe every time I touch anything I am washing my hands. And that is no exaggeration.
I have become more aware of the news over the course of the semester. I don’t typically like to watch the news and I won’t change the channel to watch it but if it is already on I will watch it for a few minutes. In my opinion it never seems like there is any good news, it is no wonder everyone tries to think this can’t happen to me. I mentioned above about the Swine flu and that is probably the latest affect the news has had on me. Also when Nick Adenhart, Courtney Stewart, & Henry Pearson, were killed recently by a drunk driver my life was majorly impacted. I am huge fan of the Angels baseball team and I attend CSUF as a comm. student but I didn’t know any of the people involved in the accident. The affect it had on me caused me to continue to stay away from Downtown Fullerton, I don’t like to go there usually and that gave more of a reason to stay away from that area. Not only that but I look both ways at an intersection before crossing through regardless of how long the light had been green. I text messaged my brother, who is usually out all hours of the night, and told him to please be careful, I didn’t want him to be the next victim of a drunk driving accident. I refused to let any of my friends drive home even if they only had a few sips of a drink. Watching the news has created paranoia in my life. Paranoia is most likely the effect of watching just a little bit of the news after my favorite TV shows.
In an article from Communication Research a team of authors found that when making estimates of media influences on the self and others, individuals often assume reinforcement of existing attitudes rather than assume that media content necessarily creates or changes attitudes.(CommunicationResearch,2008) Little do these individuals know they are indeed affected by the media and that the media is doing their thinking for them by making sure it is reinforcing already established beliefs. My example of being paranoid is proof that there is an effect on people who watch the news. I know I am not the only person out there.
To cure my paranoia that I have let the media instill in me, I need to change my way of thinking. Instead of being afraid of everything bad happening to me, I need to think in a positive way, for example that getting in a car accident because of a drunk driver could possibly happen to me but what can I do to prevent this from happening? Also I should just take it as awareness. It is good to know what is going on in the world, but it is unhealthy to be scared of everything that could happen to me. It is also unhealthy to think, this could never happen to me.
Oliver, Mary Beth, Hyeseung Yang, Srividya Ramasubramanian, Jinhee Kim, Sangki Lee. Exploring Implications of Perceived Media Reinforcement on Third-Person Perceptions.Communication Research; Dec2008, Vol. 35 Issue 6, p745-769, 25p
Retrieved May 2, 2009, from Academic Search Premier.
All Things FABULOUS…
11 Apr 2009 Leave a Comment
I love to experiment with different outfits and styles. While I would love to say that these ideas are all mine, they are clearly not. I am a major trend follower. I tend to get all of my ideas from celebrities. For instance, Lindsay Lohan is into wearing leggings, therefore I put them together with just about every outfit. Let me clear something up real quick, Lindsay Lohan is not one of my favorite celebrities but she looks really cute sporting the leggings so that is why I am attracted to it. Another big trend I am into is the just below-the-knee boots, both with a heel or without. Now that is spring, I am really attracted to the gladiator sandals. The pattern with each trend I am attracted to is linked somehow to a celebrity. Whether I like the celebrity or not doesn’t really matter to me, I tend to see past my dislike when these “fashion icons” look so fabulous in their outfits. For my social experiment I dressed in a peace sign shirt, black leggings, brown just below-the-knee flat boots, complete with an elastic head band across my forehead. The headband trend is getting more and more popular. Just last night I was watching America’s Next Top Model and saw one of the competitors, London, wearing one during the judging part of the show. Before I went out in public dressed as modern day hippie (who showers and shaves by the way) I took a look at myself in the mirror, and thought well I think it’s cute, let’s see what others have to say. Surprisingly, not one person asked me what the heck I was wearing. I was flooded with compliments. So in response to the compliments I said, “Oh yeah Nicole Ritchie rocks the hippie look all the time, I thought I would give it a shot.” Everyone just agreed, no one thought twice about the fact that I am copying a celebrity. After my response I definitely didn’t get asked why I was wearing what I had on.
My friend was having a girly get together and this is where I made my debut. My style is a lot different than my friends but stick me on the Cal State Fullerton campus and I’d blend right in with everyone. I had never worn the hippie headband before but I had seen others do it. I was really self conscious about going out in public the way I was dressed. As soon as I walked in the door all nervousness disappeared. Of course I thought that all the credit was due to yours truly but it is clear that what I wear is heavily influenced by what the celebrities are wearing. If I try out a new trend and get a positive outcome I feel really good about myself as if the idea were all mine. When I get a negative outcome, you better believe that I am quick to point the finger.
According to an article from American Psychologist, researchers have found that when people are unable or unwilling to evaluate the logic of messages carefully, persuasive appeals should rely on simpler psychological principles such as capitalizing on the authority of a “trusted expert” or the charisma of a likable and attractive communicator, such as a celebrity, to convey the message. Not only is that true for persuasive messages but trends as well. I wish that I was a trend setter and I very well could be to my friends but I am taking from someone else too. My co-workers have different themes for me each time I come in. I like to experiment with my clothing, so I get all sorts of crazy themes like I look a cowgirl, southern belle, soccer mom, hippie, Egyptian goddess, or a business woman, etc. But these themes always follow with you look so cute. I tend to attribute the positive reactions from my peers as my own disposition. This is called internal disposition. And who wouldn’t take credit for looking fabulous. Same goes for getting an A on a test. You wouldn’t have gotten and A if the teacher didn’t give a detailed lecture. Our society is quick to take credit when something positive happens to themselves, aka trait attribution. On the other hand when you fail a test, you immediately blame the teacher for not having a study session or not being very helpful after class when you asked a question. This is an example of state attribution. It is so easy to put blame on someone else and it takes the weight off of your own shoulders. For example if I were to carry a purse around and stick my Chihuahua in it and someone came up to me and said, “Why are you carrying your dog in a purse?”, with a disgusted look on their face, I would quickly respond with, “Well Paris Hilton does it all the time and no one is getting on her case about it.” I also think people do this without realizing it. Somewhere along the line this has been socially constructed as acceptable behavior.
Is there a real life Edward out there?
28 Feb 2009 Leave a Comment
Since I was a little girl I have been a “builder” according to Helen Fisher. I’ve grown up dreaming about my wedding day and having my own family one day. Dolls were my favorite toy to play with when I was little, and I would get lost in pretending to be mommy. Tradition has always been a value of mine and instilled in me from a young age. Little things like opening one present under the tree on Christmas Eve and having my dad video tape us ripping open presents the next morning, to going to church every Sunday. I’ve always known loyalty but struggled with it while I was trying to find myself in high school. My secondary love type is negotiator. I am very good at “reading” people’s faces posture, gestures and tone of voice. I am also nurturing, compassionate and agreeable according to the article called The Laws of Chemistry (2007). I think that most people can have alternative love types and it can change during different points in your life or change due to certain experiences.
I have to say that both evolution and society plays a huge role in mate selection and relational development. At a young age we decide what we like and dislike about the people closest to us. Fisher calls this a “love map” an unconscious list of qualities you begin to build in childhood. She goes on to say that there is much evidence that we generally fall in love with those of the same socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds, of roughly the same age, with the same degree of intelligence and level of education, and with a similar sense of humor and grade of attractiveness. (2007) I strongly agree with Fisher but at the same time I truly believe that society and media has a lot to do with our choices in partners.
I am a huge reader, mostly they are mystery novels but there is always a bit of romance included. For a woman the man tends to be a strong person who will keep you safe from any danger. For a man the woman is someone who wants to be protected and looks at you as if there was no one else on the planet as strong as you. I have read a few romance novels in my day and while incredibly cheesy sometimes you can’t help but get sucked in. There is so much love and passion in those stories; I sometimes wonder why my boyfriend can’t act that way. The same goes with movies like The Notebook, is there really a man out there like that, who will do everything possible to prove that he loves you? If so, where is he and can my boyfriend take some lessons? When watching those movies it’s hard to remember that they are not realistic, just like my romance novels they suck you right in.
We all have ideas of what an ideal relationship is but just like the ideal perfect body, it doesn’t exist. We are all unique and when you get together with another person you two are unique compared to any other relationship. I have a friend who is completely obsessed with Edward from the book/movie Twilight. She is determined to marry someone just like him. Even though he is a completely fictional character she will settle for nothing but a real life Edward. I have to admit that I too read the Twilight series and became borderline obsessed with Edward myself, the difference is I can separate fiction and reality. Apart from media, society plays a large role in relational development. At birth little girls are wrapped in a pink blanket and boys are wrapped in a blue blanket. When we get older girls are interested in playing mommy and boys like to act like daddy. I don’t have proof of it but I agree when people say women tend to date men like their fathers and vice versa, it makes sense because you learn from your parents just like you learn from media. A person’s childhood and adult experiences shape and reshape the template of an ideal romantic partner. (Fisher, 2007)
Fisher, Helen. (2007). The Laws of Chemistry. Psychology Today; May/Jun2007, Vol. 40 Issue 3, p76-81, 6p. Retrieved February 27, 2009, Academic Search Premier.
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