I am OFFICIALLY going to Europe after I graduate!!!! Just put down the deposit. woot.

I can't wait...24 days of vacation, sightseeing, and history. I think NEXT summer (2009) I'm going to try to go to Spain for 10 days or so, since I've always wanted to go there and this trip won't be going there. Maybe...if I can save enough money over the next year. It's not like I need to save money for, oh I don't know, grad school or anything right??? :-)

Anywho, I'm excited. yay!

Oh and this is my 100th post apparently. Woo hoo I broke triple digits.

Exciting news!

Awhile back I "applied" to be a penpal for soldier serving overseas and I just found out who I'm going to be writing to! For safety reasons, I'm not going to post all his information on here, but his name is Christian and he is serving in Iraq right now. I'm doing it through a great organization called Adoptaplatoon. I'm sending out my first letter to him tomorrow!

If anyone would like me to send along a message of support or anything to him I would be more than happy to do that. I will also periodically be sending care packages and if you want to send something I will do that too.

I'm pretty excited to do this. Hopefully having a penpal will make his deployment a little easier. Plus, doesn't it sound so old fashioned and fun to write real letters to someone?! :-)

blog, blog, blog and more blog

So my blog for my Pop Culture class is up and running and you can check it out at

lcstratt.blog.asu.edu

My first blog is about the history of the Easy Bake Oven and how it reinforces female gender roles. Pretty interesting...and there are some fun pictures of original Easy Bake Ovens. Comment on it if you like...if my blog is the best on that topic then I get extra credit! It should be posted by tonight or tomorrow.

Enjoy reading about my crazy topics for that class! I feel like a blog officianado because I'm one of the only people in that class that already has a blog. So go Blogspot for making me sound knowledgable.

I'm sitting at work right listening to people get tutoring for O-Chem. I feel bad for everyone who has ever had to take that class.

The rest of my life...school life that is

it's the second week of school and i figured maybe I should post about the rest of my classes.

Marriage and Family- OK when I signed up for this course, I thought it was "Family Studies". it turns out this class is identical to a class I took last semester titled "Courtship and Marriage", which I hated. I mean, it uses the EXACT SAME BOOK. Luckily, I have friends in this class, the professor is hilarious, and I still rememeber alot of the info from last semester's class. Should be easy.

Sociology of Deviance- Talked about whether or not stripping was a deviant behavior today in class. haha. I actually thought I would hate this class, but the professor is so great and it is very interactive...lots of class discussion. Plus, once again, I know a few people in the class. AND it's the professor's first semester at ASU West, and she thinks classes are only an hour long...not an hour and 15 minutes. So we've been getting out 15 minutes early every day. One day I'm sure someone will tell her, but for now it's nice.

Mexican Politics- I'm a little obsessed with Mexico so this is a great class for me. Plus, if I decide to go into the Peace Corps I will either go to Central America or Mexico (hopefully) so it's useful. My professor is this hilarious old white guy who has lived in just about every state in Mexico for some span of time. We get all these great stories from what it's really like down there, not just the tourist view. Muy interesante si?

Qualitative Methods- KILL ME NOW. Not only is the subject matter boring (basically social science research methods), but this professor is notorious for being a hard ass and the pickiest grader alive. Unfortunately she's also the only one who teaches this course and it's required for my major. This will be by far my most difficult class. I have to pick a research topic for this class...I think I've decided on teen suicide (because it's the most interesting of the topics we could choose from) but I'm having trouble finding qualitative research on it. ugh.

And the end. I love my job. I work with some fun people and I get homework done. yay!

Oh- and my birthday is in 8 days...woot. woot. :-)

The first day of the rest of my life...

Or maybe just the first day of the end of my undergrad career. yay!

Class #1: Global Social Movements...GREAT professor (this is actually my 3rd class with this professor), I know (and like) a few people in the class, and the content should be interesting. We'll be going over things like the environmental/global warming movements, human rights movements, feminist movements, etc and how the media and politics affect the movements. Interesting....

Class #2: Popular Culture...professor seems good and very energetic, I know some people...but not really anyone I've talked to much before. There is NO BOOK (hooray!) and we get to watch a bunch of movies and things like that. We also get to make our own blog about different topics in the class, so I'll make sure to post the link on here so you all can check it out once I start writing in it. We get to study vampires...and Harry Potter...and YouTube. Should be fun!

That's all I have today...tomorrow I have class from 12:30-9:15 with only an hour break in the middle. Ouch.

What's new in '08

This is what I'm up to...

• Starting my LAST semester of my undergrad career on Monday. 18 credit hours...should be fun! I'm nervous and scared, but excited as well. I can almost put a check next to this spot in my "things I want to accomplish in life" list.
• I got a job on campus as a front desk assistant at the Student Success Center. 8 hours a week...not much, but better than nothing.
• I turn 21 in 3 weeks (from today!). It's not like being 21 will change my life, but it's still exciting.
• I am saving up to go to Europe after I graduate. There is this month long trip for graduating students. I was planning on going to Europe next summer either by myself or on a cruise, but this would be so much better...and less expensive. That being said...if anyone is looking to get me a gift for the aforementioned birthday...a donation towards my trip would be a great one! :-)
• Still single, still happy.
• I'm writing this from my super cool new computer that I got for Christmas. My other one was about to die so hopefully this one will last me for a few years...if I'm lucky it'll last me until I'm out of grad school!
• Oh! that's another thing. I'm considering going into the Peace Corps when I get out of grad school. It's a new idea and it's 3 years aways so alot could change by then, but I'm looking into it. I think it would be a life changing opportunity.
• My New Year's "resolution" (I don't make resolutions so this is more like a goal or something) is to challenge myself. Meet new people, try new things, etc. I figure moving to Tucson in August will be a pretty big 'challenge' so I might as well practice a little before I move.

That's it! My life is not very exciting, but I figured I would post since I hadn't really posted in awhile. The Girl Scout Cookie Sale starts this Saturday, and anyone who knows my neice Kassi is required to order from her before anyone else! You can email me if you want to order cookies since I'm one of her leaders.

Happy very belated New Year!

I haven't posted in awhile, and I hate that the first thing I am posting about in weeks has to be something this tragic.

2 Deer Valley Students killed in Bus Crash

When this article was written only 2 students had been killed, but as of about 30 minutes ago a third student -a sophomore named Jasmine- has died as well. On top of that, a teacher at Bellair had a son in the crash who has broken bones but survived. Unfortunately he witnessed the deaths of two people in his best friend's family. His best friend and his friend's older brother both survived, but their dad, aunt, and grandma all died and their mother is barely holding on. The nephew of another woman who works at Bellair died as well. Can you even imagine? It's beyond tragic.

It's surreal because the bus was coming back from Telluride. I'm not sure if it's the same road I drove back on the few times I went to Telluride because the bus had to take a detour, but still. Deer Valley actually takes a bus trip to Telluride every year, but this trip was not through the school.

All the reports and witnesses say it was the bus drivers fault. He was speeding on a very unsafe part of the highway at night. And he walks away with minor crashes because he was the only one on the bus who had a seatbelt. Isn't that how it works? The jerk who causes the crash and kills close to a dozen people walks away fine. It amazes me that that's how the world works sometimes. And at the risk of sounding bitter and immature...it's unfair. Three teenagers with their whole lives ahead of them are dead because some idiot was in rush to get home.

OK-I'm ending now. It all just hits a little too close to home. And 95% of the time I am not angry...but something like this happens and I can't help but be utterly and severly pissed off at the world. And at that jerk who was in a hurry to get home and walked away with only a few scratches.

Pray for the people who died, the people who are still in the hospital, and all of their families.