Final Blog Post!

Overall, I liked doing the blog assignments, yet I didn't at the same time. I liked it because we were able to write down our opinions on certain topics and read what our classmates had to say. Blogger is an easy blog site to use, so it wasn't that hard to keep up with. What I didn't like about the blogs was how time consuming to me it was. It is hard sometimes to really write and think of what to say.  I would start to write, stop, and couldn't think of something so I would save it as a draft and come back to it later. Also, commenting on other people's blogs was tough for me. Honestly, I am waaaay behind on commenting my classmates blogs. Most of the time, I don't even know what to say. I think the commenting part was harder than the actual blog posts themselves.

I probably won't continue to blog on Blogger because I already have a Tumblr, which is sort of like a blog where you can post pictures and music and whatever.

Uhhh that's all I've got to say.. Adios!

STRESSSS!

Everyday I deal with stress. Whether it be problems at home, financial crap, tons of school work to complete, or dealing with rude customers at work, stress is unavoidable to me! But, I know there are ways to help me deal with all these stressful situations. My go-to stress reducer is taking a walk around my neighborhood and listening to my iPod. Music is my escape and being outdoors in the fresh air helps me feel a lot better. Going to shows (when I can) also helps with any stress. Loud music and feeling the music in my body just makes me forget about all my problems, even if it's for a few hours.

I decided to try something new, meditation. It only takes a few minutes out of my busy day and the most awesome thing about it, it's FREE! And you can do it anywhere. Before I went to bed, I sat down on the floor of my room, in silence. I read about some techniques online and some say that keeping your eyes closed while meditating is more effective. I tried both open and closed eyes and I preferred closed. I sat there for about 10 minutes, using one technique called guided meditation. You imagine different places or situations that you find calming or relaxing. I began thinking of outdoorsy places, like the last time I went to Yosemite and the beach. Breathing is also a big part of meditation. I didn't really notice my breathing but I guess it was just more relaxed(?).

After about 10 minutes, I felt completely relaxed, and sleepy (haha). I got a good night's rest and slept through my alarm, making me miss class today (oops!). I tried not to stress about it but oh well. Anyway, physically, I didn't feel as tense as I usually do. Mentally and emotionally, I just felt happier and a little less worry free. I definitely will try to keep doing this as a nighttime routine before bed. 

Website reference

St. John's wort?

I work at CVS Pharmacy and when I first saw this, I thought it had a funny name. Anyway, I decided to research this herbal.

St. John's wort is a plant Hypericum perforatum that is used as a herbal medicine to treat mild depression. While St. John's wort is an over the counter herbal, people should still take caution while taking it. Talking to a doctor before starting to take these pills is recommended. Some benefits include promoting better sleep at night if someone is suffering from insomnia/fatigue, helps with stress, and some signs of PMS for women.

The recommended dosage is 900mg (300mg three times a day).

Of course there has to be some side effects! While most people do not experience these, it is common to have gastrointestinal symptoms, dizziness, confusion, and decreases estrogen levels in women. So if you are a women on birth control, you shouldn't take it. Sensitivity to light is another side effect. It is recommended not to take St. John's wort with any other medications.


Websites used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_John's_wort#Depression_treatment_use

http://www.bhia.org/articles/specialty-products/stjohnswort.html

Drugs Are Bad, Mmmkay!

This post had me thinking about the future and when I have kids. I'm pretty sure drugs are not going to go away anytime soon so I know when I have kids they will probably be exposed to them. Of course I would rather them not use drugs at all. If they do decide to "experiment", I would want them to be honest with me...

I feel that when I went through elementary and middle school, I was taught that drugs were unhealthy and bad for you. I went through the DARE program but I honestly don't remember being super impacted by it. I guess I mostly learned through movies, television, and music.  Then again, I would still hear classmates talking about how they smoke weed and whatnot. I steered away from those groups of kids. I knew that obviously schools weren't doing much with educating their students. I think that parents need to be there the most for their children. Trust is a big part of it.


A method that I would use to teach my future children about drugs would be to show them the negative effects of what drugs can do to you. Whether it be through movies or pictures. I don't want to scare them in any way. I want to be truthful with them. They change your body and alter your state of mind. I want them to grow up healthy, live long, and achieve their goals. One bad choice that they make could change their life.


I absolutely am not thinking of having kids anytime soon. But like I said in the beginning, it had me thinking about the topic of drugs and my future children.

Six Words

Sometimes Life Comes With Unexpected Surprises


It was kind of hard for me to think exactly what to say in six short words. This is what I came up with....

     These past three years or so have been crazy for me. Lots of events have happened to me and I never thought I would experience them. Back in high school, I was a super shy (and I'm still really shy). I was stuck in a shell that I thought I was never going to get out of. Once I started college, I began hanging out with new people, doing things I never would have thought of back in high school haha I guess good and bad things to be honest...
     One thing I love to do when I have the time and money is go to music festivals. I just love the atmosphere of different people coming together, forgetting reality for a few days and just dance and rock out to good music. I got to go to Coachella last year and it was seriously the best experience I have ever had. I never thought I would have the chance to go.
     While a lot of personal/family issues occurred and were totally unexpected, they made me the person I am today. I won't go into details but if none of that happened, I'm not sure how I would be today.
     
I guess this is how life works..everyday is different. Everyone goes through life with different experiences/stories and you're not sure what you're going to get. 

My Love Language ;)

www.5lovelanguages.com

I was curious to what this was so I decided to check it out. Once on the website, you can choose from different assessments, ranging from if you have a significant other, parents, children, and for single people, like me! So, I took that survey and it asks you pretty much the same questions, just asked differently. At the end it tallys up your answers and ranks each love language: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. (and is it weird that I was thinking of someone when I was doing this? haha...)
Here are my scores...

Quality Time: 9
Physical Touch: 8
Acts of Service: 6
Words of Affirmation: 5
Receiving Gifts: 2

What I already knew about myself? I knew that I love to spend time and just being around someone I really like. Even just talking or texting with someone means they are thinking about me and want to take some time out of their busy life to talk to me or vice versa. For physical touch, the most simplest gestures like hugging, holding hands can show love. These kind of gestures are the ones I personally enjoy when I'm with a person I like being around. Lastly, receiving gifts. Yes, gifts are awesome to get, but to me they're not that important. I guess it just depends...

Anything new? Nothing really seems new to me..Acts of Service and Words of Affirmation were a close tie. I like to help people out whenever I can. I guess I never realized how wonderful that makes the other person feel. Same with words. Saying something to someone can impact that person a great deal.

Overall, this assignment was interesting. It just didn't feel as personal because a lot of people probably take this assessment and can get similar results. The questions seemed a little repetitive to me. All of these "languages" are important in a healthy relationship, whether with family, friends, or significant other.

Food Inc. Review

     After watching "Food Inc." it has definitely opened my eyes a little bit more about the foods I put in my body. But, I know my eating habits won't change overnight. I love eating chicken so any part that showed the gross parts with chickens, it made me sick. I never like to hear or see how chickens or any animals are being killed. It's easy to go to grocery stores and not think about that stuff cause everything is packaged neatly in front of you.
     Labeling is another issue. Consumers should have the right to know what is exactly in their food, not to be hidden from the truth. Big companies see dollar signs and only care about making a profit. It was unfortunate that none of them did an interview for this film, but I can understand why. 
     One part that hit home for me was when one family was talking about how the husband and child have diabetes. My dad also has diabetes and with the costs of his medicine and doctor appointments, it gets tough financially. It is especially hard to eat healthier when the "healthy, organic" foods are more expensive. While we try to cook our own food at home, it is way easier to get a fast, cheap meal elsewhere. Watching this documentary and especially by taking this class, I can try to reduce my risk of getting diabetes and maybe help my dad out as well.

Hello!

My name is Cassie. I'm 21. I already made a blog, but somehow, my email got deleted :( So here's my new one! I'm majoring in Fashion Merchandising. I plan on getting my AA degree by next spring and transferring.
I enjoy music and going to shows/festivals, art, fashion, and exploring. And I love coffee and sunglasses :)