Time Flies

This past year seems like it has gone by faster than any other year I have witnessed. In the past I have felt years drag on with school and all the assignments given, but this year seems like it just got started and now it is already December. I feel like I was just celebrating New Year's last month, attending high school last week, and starting college yesterday. Now I am ending my first semester in college and getting ready for Christmas and the arrival of 2005. It is just phenomenal how fast time flies and I can't believe this whole year is already coming to an end.

I don't know where the time has gone. I haven't seen many of high school friends in at least five months, yet I can remember sitting in class with them at Kempsville High School more clear than I can remember yesterday's math class at Tidewater Community College. I think this if proof I am holding on to my youth for dear life. I thought I wanted to grow up, but I guess deep inside I want to be a laid back high school senior forever.

Every year my church has a New Year's Eve part, something to keep everyone one off the roads and away from the drinking. We planned last year's party for so long and now we are planning this year's party already and Thanksgiving has barely passed. Now I am Christmas shopping and have already put up the Christmas tree and lights. I know the year is coming to an end when I start looking forward to this party and the Christmas season. These two holidays, after all, are the traditional and national yearly end marks recognized by everyone.

College has been great so far and I know that are many more semesters to come, but I can not believe this one is already over. Don't get me wrote, I welcome the Winter break with open arms, but it doesn't even feel like it should be winter. Today was December first and it has just really started getting cold this past week. I can remember saying to myself this past February how long it would be before my fiancé David came back from the marines. He left for an about eight months total and now he is already back and has been back for a while. I couldn’t tell you what I did in that time and probably couldn't either. It is just all such a blue like starting college. It's over and done with and time has just taken it away.

Like the old saying goes, time sure does fly, but not when you are just having fun, but more when you are busy. Life will continue to go by faster as time march on. I know this because I will only get busier as I get closer to achieving my degree from TCC and Old Dominion University. I already have school and a job to worry about, but in a year and a half when I get married there will be a hundred more things to do. There will be bills, groceries, my husband, and still school and my job will remain. It will very crazy, but I hope I can savor life's sweet moments, but with its speed I don't know how effectively I will be able to do this. The hands of time will just keep turning and we have no way of stopping, but maybe I can stay happy with everything going on and let time carry me away.

The Pilgrims Made Thanksgiving and That's All

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that help people to think something that are not true. It does not mean to, of course, like Santa Claus means no harm, but it can be harmful for the intelligence of people. This misconception I am speaking of is the Pilgrims being the first to come to America. That may seem weird to someone that knows better, but I know that when I was younger I thought the pilgrims were the first ones for a very long time. There are also people who get to college who still see this as the truth. Thanksgiving allows this myth to get larger, because the mind set of people is that since Thanksgiving is such an important holiday there must be great importance attached to it and, therefore; think up the fake fact that the Pilgrims were the first ones here, as well as the ones who had a thanksgiving feast with the Indians.

So the Pilgrims weren't the first ones here and if you believed that then I am sure you are wondering who was. The truth of the matter is it was the First Colony. This was a group of settlers who came from Europe and founded the Roanoke colony. John White was in charge of Raleigh’s expedition to Roanoke Island. He reestablished the place and later discovered he needed more supplies so he goes back to Europe, but leaves about 15 men behind, including his son in law. These relatives were Elite White and his wife, Anne Dare, who had the first child in the USA, Virginia Dare. After traveling all the way back, John white found out he couldn’t go back until 3 yrs later, because the Spanish Armada had taken all of Spain’s funds. So in 3 years he returned to Roanoke Island and no one was there. They found this carved in a tree: CRO. This may be of an Indian tribe or something, but no one is sure and that is why it is called the Lost Colony. That is the story of the first European people in America and they were not the pilgrims.

Since the Lost Colony was apparently lost they never did establish a complete settlement, so more known is history is Jamestown. This was a colony ran by John Smith and was the first permanent English Colony in America. This is also another ground, besides the pilgrims, that people think were the first people, instead of the Lost Colony, from Europe. Thing is it wasn’t the pilgrim, it was the Jamestown colonists, but it was a group given only a paragraph or two in history books and don’t really have movies made about them, and oh yea they didn’t eat a feast and establish a holiday either. These people were the lost colony and they shouldn’t be given credit for thanksgiving or anything, but they should be known for what they did.

I hope I cleared up anyone who had this misconception of the pilgrims. The pilgrims were great people traveling for a great distance to be able to practice what they believe, but they were not the first English settlement in America. Instead they were the first recorded to sit down and eat a peaceful dinner with the Native Americans in their region. A holiday developed from this and we all eat great amounts of food in memory of this temporary peace of different cultures from long ago. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and don’t get your history mixed up.

Writer's Block May Be a Good Thing

I have been wondering lately about the importance of having writer's block. I know that my sound odd, because writer's block is nothing anyone wants to get. I had it recently though and when you get writer's block you think about weird things, but I went beyond that and thought about why we get this thing that causes us to think about weird things. I think writer's block may be just as importance as being able to write well and smoothly. Without writer's block everyone would write to their full extent all the time and always think of themselves as a good author, but in reality they may not be. Not until you have writer's block do you realize how bad or good of a writer you really are.

Recently I lost my favorite pen and was looking frantically for it. I searched all over the house, under and on top of everything in sight, but could not find it. A few days later I discovered the pen on my dresser, probably where I had left it. I did not realize how much I actually liked that pen until the day I lost it and in the same way no one knows how great writing is until they feel they have lost the ability to do it; this being writer's block.

Writer's block is basically when you sit down to write a paper or a short essay and nothing comes to you. You find your mind as good as blank and can not think of one thing to write down that would do you any good. Whenever this happens to me I simply start writing anything I can trying very hard to remedy it and sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't. I am not the only one that gets writer block though, everyone does and everyone has the same potential to writing well as I do. So maybe you are suppose to have writer's block. It is part of life like getting ht hiccups or sneezing. It just happens and to everyone. It is normal and doesn’t have an instant remedy for it, but it does go away, although it comes again later. That you can count on.

My point is that writer’s block is normal and maybe even beneficial, although I have no scientific proof of any kind, but anything is possible. Having writer's block always leaves me thankful for my writing when I am able to write. Without writer's block I would probably never appreciate my essays and poems, because it would be simple for me to write some more whenever I want to. Writer’s block is what makes English class a challenge and in turn what makes life a challenge, because life practically revolves around writing things down, or typing them as the case may be now a day. So next time you encounter writer's block don't get frustrated just remember how much more your writings will mean to you after you have gotten them down, because you have had those moments in your mind, blocking your creativity.

My Confrontation with a Stereotype

I have a friend, who will remain nameless, who has discussed certain issues with me in this past presidential election. These issues include abortion, gay marriage, and many other controversial things. When we began our conversation of these issues I realized how liberal he was, but didn’t think twice knowing everyone has their own views and I should accept that since I do too. My friend went on about a woman’s right to choose and about any person’s right to choose whether want to marry someone of the opposite sex or not. I listened closely and waited my turn to state my opinions knowing there was no rush as long as I did get my say in the end. Turns out he had to run and eat dinner with his family, so he got off the phone and I felt gypped, because I truly do have completely different views than him and thought he should at least hear my side as well.

The next day I spoke with my friend again and there was no family interruption. It was on the phone again and as he began to pick up on the previous day’s discussion I interrupted his statement by asking, may I have a turn? He seemed very surprised and said, “Well I already know what you are going to say.” This in turn shocked me, because I thought being the so called liberal he is that he would have respect for other people views as well as his own, but according to this question he only wanted his to be spoken. I felt like I didn’t even know him and wanted an explanation. As he responded to my needing an explanation he said, “oh, I am sorry if I offended you it is just that you are a Christian and well you all have the same standings and beliefs and I’ve heard it a hundred times, so there was really no need for you to take the time to state your opinion on the subjects.” There it was, as plain as anything I’ve ever been told, I was a stereotype.

IN response to this comment, I told him everything I knew about abortion and gay marriage and why it was wrong, both in a secular view and biblical. I don’t know if I actually proved his stereotype wrong, but I hope so. I still can not believe my friend would lump me in with a group instead of counting me as one individual person. Not all Christian do have the same views and I know of many that differ on these two main issues. There is always the question of what if the girl was raped when it comes to abortion and for gay marriage there is the Episcopalian church with a homosexual minister. This all does not make these people bad who believe this, but they see things differently and in my views not accordance with God. My friend almost fainted when I told him of the Episcopalian minister. My friend apparently doesn’t listen to much news, because many people know that and therefore is not informed enough to be debating much, but he still hurt me by saying I was like every other Christian. Doesn’t he think I can think for myself? This disappoints me and I hope this shows how wrong stereotypes are. I can’t name one that is right and I hope eventually everyone, including my friend, will get past them all, if that is even possible.

Parents not watching their kids

A woman came into my work today just to buy a card, but did not bother looking after her son while she was shopping. This boy of her's could not have been more than five years old and he was running around like he owned the world. This aggravated me quite a lot, because I knew he would break something, especially with all the breakable things around; I work at Hallmark. The woman shopped and finally found a card got her child and I rang her out. I was very polite and smiled as she paid for her item and I handed her it in a bag with the receipt. Once she left though my co-worker went to see what damage her son had done. He had taken 4 items that had blue bows on them and ripped each individual bow off one by one. He also knocked down a pile of at least 20 cards, all for us to pick up and hopefully find their correct places again.

People like this woman need to keep a closer watch on their children. Taking care of your own kid is a sign of good parenthood and respect to others and their property. Everyone should practice this if we want to have a helpful and better world. I say better world, because monitoring your children needs to start young or when they get older those children with the lack of supervision are going to be the ones spray painting buildings and getting into all sorts of trouble.

A worse scenario happened than what took place at my work at a beauty salon not too long ago. There was a mother in there getting her hair done and she had not one, not two, but eight children in there with her, all her's. These kids ranged from the ages of 1 to 10. Most of them were under seven. I don't care how many children you have; they can at least be well behaved or looking after each other. All of these children, including the older ones, were running around the beauty salon knocking over shampoo bottles, buckets of combs, and making a mess of the waiting room magazines. I am surprised the people there did not throw the woman and her children out, but I am sure they felt as helpless as I did when that young boy came in a wrecked all our hard work with the mother having no regard to what he was doing.

One thing is for sure I will look after my kids, if I ever have any. If I had been the beauty salon mother I would have brought a friend with me or a neighbor, anyone, to at least look after a few of the children. Besides, if you can’t afford a babysitter then you probably should be affording to get your hair done, especially since afterwards you are just going to be running around chasing after children all day and messing it up constantly. The woman at Hallmark on the other hand had a stroller for her about 4 year old son and could have kept him in it or something. Parents just need to watch their children; after all, that is their life responsibility that comes with being a parent.

Socializing those who learn at home

Parents all over the city of Virginia Beach are choosing to home school their children instead of sending them to public schools, “because the family’s religious beliefs are not followed in the public schools, they fear for their children’s safety, or their children are physically or mentally different” (Downs 18). Most parents, including my own, feel keeping “Homeschooling has become increasingly common in the last 15 years” and with the growth of this practice came “concerns that home schooled kids would be socially stunted, but that has not been the case.” Contrary to the belief that all of the home schooled do not obtain adequate social skills, because they do not attend public schools, children who learn at home in Virginia Beach have a surplus of opportunities for socialization outside the public school system. Socialization for home schooled children can be found many places, including Young Men’s Christian Associations, YMCA’s, and churches, but local recreation centers and neighborhoods are the best option for obtaining socialization equal to that found in the public schools.

The home schooled students who are kept out of public schools for reasons such as the public schools being unsafe, have other places to go and people to socialize with, including the closest people to them, their neighbors. Making friends in his neighborhood is what helped a friend of mine, Jared Mohney, from becoming an unsocial home schooled student. He found a friend in almost every house on his street in Virginia Beach, all of whom attended Indian River High School, a public school. With these neighbors he was soon influenced the same way he would have been if he had gone to public school, but still had the one on one attention for school work at home as he and his parents preferred. Of course, once he made friends with his neighbors these friendships lead to games being played and even trips taken as they got older, which made up for the socialization Jared may have missed out on by not attending public schools.

For children who do not find anyone in their neighborhood, there are local recreation centers scattered around the Virginia Beach area. These facilities offer almost ever sports team imaginable, including swimming, basketball, softball, baseball, bowling, tennis, and much more. There are also summer camps sponsored by these local recreation centers for kids of all ages and any educational background. There are also after school programs available, meant for the public schooled children, but open to anyone in the community. Through these programs, even though the home schooled are not allowed to participate in public school sponsored extra curricular activities they can still socialize with public school children at these recreation centers. In one of these after school programs is where my neighbor, There is a surplus of such community activities in the Virginia Beach area, so home schooled children will not ever be denied the opportunity to become social in their community.

For the special cases of home schooled children who are physically or mentally challenged from average students there are more community programs in addition to the ones I have already mentioned for them to develop their socialization. First of all, there is Make the Point, “a collaborative effort between Special Olympics Virginia, a life enrichment program through sport for persons with mental disabilities, and the Virginia High School League.” (VA Special Olympics) This program allows high school kids, in all forms of education, including home schooling, to come meet others with the same problems they have and to participate in a group event. For the home schooled children with physical differences, such as disfigured limbs, or other birth defects, there are programs for them as well, including wheel chair races and related events at local recreation centers, such as YMCA’s. With these programs available to them, all these Virginia Beach home schooled children and their unique needs are satisfied without the public school system.

In order for the children, such as my friends who I have mentioned, to obtain a socialization as in the public schools these community organizations need to have the same diverse groups of children to influence them. In youth groups there are dominantly republican kids who are very moral in their ways, especially when around other members of the youth group. Home schooled kids involved in such a youth group would not get the same social skills out of it as they would going to public school, because of the similar up bringing of all the children there. At local recreation centers home schooled children would acquire the same socialization as a public schooled child would by getting involved there, because a lot of public school children attend there. At the YMCA, on the other hand, there would be more high class or well off people, because it costs a lot more money to go there than local recreation centers. Even with this class structure present though, home schooled children who attend YMCA’s still obtain very similar social skills to those that attend public schools. In conclusion, the best way for a home schooled child to gather the equal social skills as a public schooled child and still learn at home would be to get involved in a local recreation center, whether it is a sports team there or just going there and meeting people.

There are so many people in Virginia Beach alone, who think these children sit at home all day not knowing anyone and leaning in complete isolation and that is simple not true. With all these organizations and community activities to participate in, home schooled children acquire just as many social skills as children who attend public schools.

Deciding My Stand on Gay Marriage

Homosexual marriage is a very big controversy today, especially in the United States. The media has made homosexual behavior seem as common as a stop sign on a street corner. This however, is not true. Sure, homosexuals are portrayed in tons of movies and television shows, but are there really that many out there? Well however many there are, they are still, without a doubt, a minority. Should this minority have the right to marriage? I personally do not think so because of my religious beliefs and because of what marriage truly is. President George W. Bush agrees with this, but to a more drastic point. He wants to add an amendment to the constitution not allowing homosexuals to marry. This may sound extreme and to many a form of discrimination to a certain group. This may seem true, but if this is the only way, and looking at this issue it is, then it has to be done.

God always intended marriage to be between a man and a woman, using the example He set in Adam and Eve. This man and woman are to come together and have a life together and potentially reproduce. Homosexuals are not a “man and woman” couple and they are also not able to reproduce. This shows that two people of the same gender who are married would never be what God intended a married couple to be.

On the other hand, what about the issue that started all of this? I am speaking of the hospital issue. In a homosexual couple, one of the partners would become ill and even lying on her death bed in the hospital and because of hospital rules the partner would not be able to see or visit with her sick loved one. This helped start and lead into the entire controversy that is homosexuals being legally married and having the same marriage rights as other couples; this includes seeing each other in hospitals. To me though, this does not call for a new stand on marriage, but for new hospital rules. Someone should try to change the procedures of hospitals and maybe allowing all immediate family along with anyone the sick person requests. This would have helped solve this part of the issue anyway, instead of having a new amendment to the constitution as a result of such a controversy that was stirred up.

As I mentioned homosexuals do not follow God, but of course I am not trying to point at just this one group, it was just a random topic for this journal entry. Other people such as prostitutes, alcoholics, drug addicts, smokers, and compulsive liars, and more are also not following what the God of the Bible intended. All these people, including homosexuals, if not even trying to follow God’s Word do not need to be involved in his great institution unless they decide to. This great institution I speak of is marriage. Marriage is the most religious tradition I can name and therefore should be participated in those who believe. Those who believe are not perfect or without sin, but at least believe that all the above sins, and more, are wrong, and strive not to do them as much as possible. In conclusion, homosexuals do not need to be married to be together and there is not purpose in being involved in a religious ceremony when you do not have the beliefs it represents. What is needed is for more laws to be made about roommates, homosexual and not, to have a better understanding of each other and what is to happen if one was to be hurt, died, etc. Along with this is the need for different hospital rules and anything else restricting the homosexual couples. I do not agree with homosexuality, but no one can force them to do other wise; these people must come about that by themselves, with the talks of friends, and with God, so marriage is not needed and Bush’s proposed amendment would make no difference if all I suggested was followed.