Holidays and Brain Out

          Valentines Day is a non-Federal holiday full of traditions and legends which may or may not be true.  There were at least two, perhaps three, patron saints who bore the name St. Valentine.  Their lives ended in tragic massacres; perhaps it was the way they lived that got the Valentine’s celebration started.  There are many websites to choose from when “Valentines” is the subject entered into a search engine such as Google.  I have never been much into the Valentine spirit.  The concept behind Valentine’s Day seems noble enough, but the commercialism is what keeps the holiday alive and I could do without that.  No one gets off of work or school in honor of Valentines.

https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day

           President’s Day was created in honor of George Washington, first president of the United States.  President’s Day was initially established on February 22, 1885 in honor of his birthday.  President's Day is a Federal holiday - which means most governement businesses, banks, and schools are closed on Presidents day.  In 1971 the date was changed to the third Monday in February.  This was done as part of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act (see here) 

https://www.thebaynet.com/articles/0219/calvert-county-presidents-day-schedule-.html 

I had accepted an assignment that put me with kindergartners and first graders on Valentine’s Day.  The first graders surprised the aides when we were invited to play a trivia game to test our knowledge of George Washington.  Each time we answered correctly, we would get a point.  If we answered wrong, the children would get the points.  I thought it fairly easy as all of the questions had multiple choice – though I either hadn’t been aware or agreed with the answers as being correct – like the cherry tree incident I learned to be a myth.  Or that his teeth were not made out of wood but ivory – however ivory was not one of the listed choices.

I don’t remember how many questions there were.  Two of us answered all of our questions correctly.  One answered a couple incorrectly and one I think got only one right.  The aides won.  Later on that day I helped set up for the Valentine party.  I passed out the punch.

We had a three day weekend and did not return to school until today.  I had picked up an assignment to work today as well as Thursday and Friday.  I had accepted the assignment yesterday.  Oh my word, I was soooooooo sleepy.  The fact that I was sitting in a middle school math class was not helping in the least.

A snail travels 0.029 miles in an hour.  How much will he travel in 10 minutes?

saved from Emma Portel Pinterest file

Way too early for my brain to convert anything.  So glad NOT to be a student today.  The second class was more of the X Y chart but now introducing Z.  My brain hurt.  The instructor played this YouTube video.

Next was a prep class.  The instructor wrote a paragraph about a blizzard in the “maintain” and some other misspelled word – no punctuation.  I didn’t know if it was intentional so that the class would correct whatever they happened to write.  But they had to have three paragraphs.  It was definitely interesting. 

Only one recess was required with the schedule I had done on Friday, but the schedule I am doing this week has me outside three different parts of the day.  Though recess is not my favorite, I do enjoy this schedule overall.  But today was fricken cold and I never did get warm or felt awake.  I think I’ll be going to bed early.

Final Assignment Turned in

Whenever I have watched the Food Network series “Chopped” I think how challenging it would be to make food that is going to please all three judges as they have different opinions about why something is good or bad.  It’s pretty much the same thing with turning in assignments to different instructors.  Some are sticklers for the APA.  Some won’t accept anything written in first person.  Fortunately, I have had many, like me, who prefer the first person to boring textbook narration.

          In each class I have had, the instructor has encouraged the students to use the writing center.  Again, there is a huge array of people that have their opinions on what makes for a good assignment and what doesn’t.  Granted, I realize two days work is NOT a lot of time for a proper paper, but I cannot wait until the end of the week for the writing center gets more backed up.  I want to have my paper now.

          I have friends and a brother who are familiar with my writing style and understand what improvements can be made.  I would rather go through them than the writing center first of all because there is instant gratification on my part, but also because I can communicate with them better than I can an unknown voice.

          I think for the most part I have used the writing center when it is required.  I have learned that I can just submit my assignment and not have to make an appointment to talk with the person who is checking my paper.  I don’t have a voice for it right now anyway.

          So I submitted my initial paper on the 28^th knowing fully well that there was a need for improvement (there will always be room for improvement) and the first person to correct my paper suggested I make transitions and lose my beginning quote.  Hey, I had a class with the dean of English who is the one who had suggested the quote idea.  

          But I went ahead and changed the quote and added transitions and ended up taking out a paragraph.  I resubmitted it.  The second person to check my paper was a stickler for APA references and suggested I add more resources.  I ended up deleting two more paragraphs.  

          I’ve been told that the writing center will still be available to me even after I graduate.  How does that work?  In order to submit my paper, I have to provide the name of my class.  There isn’t a space for comment or explanation.  It’s your class, an option of eight reasons why it is being submitted, and submit your paper.  It’s not as though I can say, “Oh, this is for my blog.  Some of my readers seem to be bored with my style – not to mention all the spelling and grammatical errors.”

          I realize that it may be easier for a third party to critique my assignment as she has no investment in me personally.  It can also be constructive and useful to me if I will accept it.  It’s my last class.  It’s my last assignment.  I know I need to improve.  But I doubt it will be through the writing center anymore.

Journal Entry

          Before school was back in session I had accepted two job assignments - one was for yesterday.  I had worked with the person I was replacing, but had never worked in her place.  Meanwhile, I had received a call from an aide at one of the other schools.  In a way I prefer her schedule over the one I had lined up for myself yesterday. She primarily works with the middle schoolers and does not have an assigned recess.  She is there for breakfast duty but doesn't have lunch duty.  I like that.

         

          After I returned home, I turned on the computer to view at least one missing lecture.  Both had been posted - but once again,  the accounting instructor just read through each slide and problem.  There was no mention of discussion, assignment and so forth.  Like I'm going to purposely sit through that.  The other did go over the expectations, and fortunately there was a read-along, because I was bothered with trying to listen to the recording without going insane as the volume kept fading in and out - which to me is worse than a distorted picture.

          I have not checked the possible work assignments for today, but think I will stay home to work on my assignments so that I can have them turned in by tomorrow morning and not have to worry about either class until next week.  Finals, for the most part, don't seem to require as much time as the other three weeks.  It is a short day.  I am confident that each school will be able to function without my being there today.

Stay On Task - Don't Go Ahead!

I've been working at various schools substituting for aides who need the time off for whatever reason.  This week I observed two different classes react differently to the same set of instructions:

            "We will be doing these problems as a class.  Follow my instruction.  I will give you time to finish each problem.  Stay on task.  Do not go ahead of your classmates.  It's important that we do this together."

            The first group did not even make the attempt to follow the directions.  Each had a private race against the other classmates.  Most of them really did seem to understand what was expected on the worksheets but still lacked in following the direction of staying on task and not moving ahead.

            The second group stayed on task and focused.  Though many of the answers were displayed on the board, none wrote the answer on his or her worksheet until the class members were instructed to do so.  The instructor paused with every problem and asked if there were any questions or if anyone need more time to finish writing the answer.

            The children from the first class had raced ahead and run out of work.  They got bored.  There may have been some who were bored in the second group as well, but they understood that their boredom would only get worse by racing ahead.

            Sadly, I saw myself in the first class more than the second and felt ashamed because I had missed out on so much.  By trying to move ahead on my own, I had deprived myself of more learning as I was focused on "moving ahead" rather than "staying on task" that I had missed much of what was being taught.

            As I observed the second group, I was amazed at the metaphors that went through my head as I realized that it isn't just with written assignments in which we need to need to stay on task and not move ahead but we need to be aware of this in our everyday lives.  Perhaps if we all stayed on task and waited for everyone else to catch up and support one another, there would be less problems with crime and negative attitudes.   Instead of moving ahead, we could assist one another at helping all of us to stay on task.  No one would move ahead and therefore no one would get left behind. I think by following these simple instructions we could make this world a better place.

150 Words More To Go

The topic for this mod's final assessment is

to write 1000 to 1250 words on the topic:

major disclosure and conceptual objectives of 

consolidated financial statements. 

How in the world does is an instructor able

to get through 15 - 30 assessments. 

The topic alone - let alone an entire paper

- is enough to put me to sleep. 

I know that there are instructors who might

not even read the paper, just

scan through it, make certain that

everything meets APA standards -

does not seem to matter what the

contents are.  I hate that!  What

difference does my APA paper make if

I don't understand the material I'm

supposed to write about?!

My current instructor doesn't seem

like a stickler about keeping the

paper in third person and boring.  Thus I

am keeping it in first person - unless he

says otherwise.  The lecture is at 10:30.  Hopefully

there will be enough insight that I

will be able to come up with at least

100 more words.

200 More Words To Go

There is a haze outside covering the sky.  It reminds me of those Claritin commercials where the scene was not quite as clear until the individual took the drug that would relieve all allergies and related symptoms (Claritin does not work on me; I might as well be taking candy).  The haze outside is from the smoke related to the fires I didn't believe were all that close to us.  The air is breathable, I suppose, but not pleasant.  Still easier on me than the gunky air in Salt Lake City.

There is a haze over my eyes.  It cannot be blamed on the smoke.  My thoughts are fuzzy due to the subjects of the week.  Last week I was required to turn in two essays.  The 600 words were worth 120 points.  The 750 word worth 100.  Two more essays required for this week - 600 words worth 120 points and 750 words worth 50 points.  What's up with that?  It hardly seems worth the effort or research.  Gads.

And this week's discussion topic is on stocks and bonds.  Boresville!  Posting my initial participating post was hard enough.  I still need to reply to two of my peers.  Blah, blah, blah . . . I can't seem to stay focused.

And this morning I found this link in my email box.  Apparently, I'm okay.

.

Two Classes and the Writing Center

       Currently, I am taking two classes.  Neither is difficult, but both (especially accounting) are very time-consuming.  So time-consuming that I have been working on assignments or other class projects on Friday.  In the past, I have always had each of my projects completed before Friday, though sometimes I have taken time to review before sending on Friday morning.  This month I have not.

       The University offers an online writing center where students can submit their papers or make appointments to get feedback.  Thus far it's been a very devastating experience for me.  But then again, I haven't used for almost two years. It appears I had only used it three times the very year I started, and may not have used it at all, but it was required in one of the classes that I took.

       The idea is to get feedback on grammar, sentence structure, APA format and so forth.  It could be useful to me this mod if I could better plan for it.  As all assignments are due on Saturday and I often don't have my assignment finished until Friday and the center needs at least 48 hours to return, I have not gone with that option.  For the most part, having a friend read for me and give me instant feedback has been more beneficial.

       Turning an assignment is not a big deal.  The waiting might be, but it beats trying to keep an appointment that I was unable to get into because my connections wouldn't work.  The school may have improved the system, and I do have a laptop in which I was able to get on to blackboard without a major struggle.   Because of the trauma I had encountered, I never did bother with it again.

       However, this week I had actually completed the assignment for my Ethics class on Tuesday and so chose to turn it into the writing center for feedback and moved on to a more extended research and wordy assessment for my accounting class. The accounting essay has now been graded and I am still waiting for feedback on my Ethics assignment so I can get that turned in.

        I know that my paragraphs either need to be spread out into two or three while others should be combined.  If I don't receive feedback from the center by tomorrow, I will turn it in according to what I feel is best.  Thus far I have received full credit for what I've turned in. Grammarly doesn't always make accurate corrections on the entire spread, though it does seem to capture most of it -  a lot more than spell check.  But still . . .

Dreams with APA References

       

          The assignment for my Philosophy class was to write my opinion on a dream job - which I already established in this post is NOT in accounting - though I may consider applying for said position with the Hallmark Corporation - though I think there would be other positions that would be of better interest.

          After reading over my assignment, I decided I hadn't completed the expected requirements and so am posting this to my blog instead.

What is a Dream Job?

            "The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive" - Albert Einstein (Doyle, 2018)

            The words "Dream" and "Job" together feel like such an oxymoron.  A job is something I would have in order to pay my bills and put food on the table.  I have had many jobs.  None have fulfilled any dreams for me. A Dream would be to give service, to share my thoughts and talents.  If I were to get paid for doing what I love, that would be an added bonus.

            I'm not saying that the dream job cannot happen.  There are many people who define "dream job" to mean a large variety of things from a handsome paycheck (Oteify, 2016) to having friends and sincerely looking forward to Mondays (Martin, 2014) I know that  no one career is going to fulfill all of my desires - which I realize does not sound at all optimistic.  We all have hurdles to jump - the first is in landing the job.

            I have been in a number of dead-end jobs to avoid the hurdle of interviewing and competing with others.  Oft times it feels like an endless game.  More people have worked at their careers than the success stories of those jobs that just seem land in their laps. Yet there have been a few success stories about being at the right place at the right time.

            Vanna White was only 25 when she applied for Wheel of Fortune.  I am certain that she had not dreamed that it would 30+ year career.  There may be girls today that would like to grow up and get paid for turning letters and wear different fashions every night.  But who was Vanna White's role model?  Who would have even dreamt up what she does?  

I really like these two quotes she gives:

            “It's not the most intellectual job in the world, but I do have to know the letters.”

            “Think about it: I get to give away someone else's money and make people happy—how's that for a job?”

            I think looking like Vanna White at age 61 would be a dream (Vanna, 2017)

            Carroll Spinney (2017) was approached by Jim Henson to work on Sesame Street - which may have just started out as a job for him but after suicidal thoughts and a broken marriage, Sesame Street eventually became his purpose in life (LaMattina, 2014).  A 45-year career he would have never thought to dream about.

            I think growing up on Sesame Street would have been a dream job.  Acting, playing, educating and getting paid for it.  I don't know how much money each made, but to me, that is not the most important part.  If I am not happy in a job, no amount of money is going to change that.  It is the least important of my priorities.

            My top priority would be location - which has nothing to do with the job itself.  But I do not wish to drive more than 20 minutes to get to my job.  I do not wish to live in the city and get stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on my way to work or the return home.  Horn honking and uptight drivers do not set well with me.  I want to be pleasant and focused when I am at work or home and not waste time in heavy traffic.

not in my part of Oregon, worse in Portland

            The final assessment for my last mod was finding a company with a well-known trademark and write an analysis on my recommendation of the company.  I think I was supposed to include comparing different years of finances.  I ended up doing my report on the Hallmark Corporation and convinced myself that it is a company that I would like to work for. 

          I wondered what kind of a grade I would receive as I did not make a financial comparison. Their company does not have finances available to the public because they do not have investors.  I would like to work for this corporation as they are a family oriented company with ethics.  That, to me, is much more important than a paycheck. 

            I do not wish to open my own franchise but would like to work at headquarters sharing my opinion.  That would be a dream job if they were located closer to the Pacific coast and not in Kansas City Missouri where it will be too hot for me 5 months of the year. But then again, if we were to move to Kansas City - and I'm not saying it will be in our future - we'd be closer to Roland's other two daughters and possibly get to know them.  But then again, moving to Kansas City will also put us closer to their mother which may be worse than any natural element causing the temperatures to rise.

APA References

Caroll Spinney. (2017). Retrieved from IMDB:         https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0818973/?ref_=nv_sr_2

Hallmark Corporation. (2018). Hallmark Deferred Compensation Plan. Retrieved from Hallmark             Corporation: http://www.empower-            retirement.com/client/Hallmark/DCP/documents/summary_highlights.pdf

LaMattina, D. (Director). (2014). I Am Big Bird [Motion Picture].

Martin, E. (2014, October 10). 5 Signs You've Found Your Dream Job. Retrieved from Business   Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/signs-youve-found-your-dream-job-2014-10

Oteify, R. (2016, December 9). What does a ‘dream job’ mean to you? Retrieved from getthat:             https://gulfnews.com/business/sectors/careers/what-does-a-dream-job-mean-to-you-           1.1942493

Vanna White. (2017, April 27). Retrieved from Biography:   https://www.biography.com/people/vanna-white-9542236

Holding Hands

            Modern Technology in some aspects has made our lives easier, but at the same time has seemed to create more challenges - particularly when there is a glitch or breakage.  Last week I had both my laptop and pc on my desk.  I could seem to receive the internet on my pc so long as my laptop was near - like an insecure child unwilling to go through with it on its own.  Oh, brother. 

            I've been using Internet Explorer on the PC as chrome seems to provide a tremendous amount of pop-ups (even though the blocker is set to BLOCK)  which is extremely annoying when taking an exam.  But lately I've been having issues with explorer as well.  I don't know why, but I have never liked Firefox.  And I can't open Yahoo in the PC at all.  

            I've been listening to the lectures on laptop just so I can set in a more comfortable chair than I can with PC.  My Management Instructor is quite knowledgeable of the subject, but he is soooooo monotone that I have a hard time keeping up.  Those voice patterns we call Siri and Alexa on our machines - they seriously put in more emotion into what they are saying (machines, mind you) than does my management instructor.  He does not sound robotic exactly.  His delivery  isn't even that exciting.

            I did not choose to attend the luncheon or games yesterday.  Often when I have two classes I have still made the effort to show up for either one or the other,  but somehow felt more pressed for devoting more time as I have two discussions, two assignments and two assessments for the week.    I would like to turn them in ASAP.  Once again I am shaking my head at the very idea of procrastination. 

            My goal for last week, this week and the next two are:

            1) to look up all my references on Monday so that I will have them available for discussion and possibly management assignment.

            2) snooze lecture on Tuesday morning - the subject really isn't that bad; it's his deliverance - or lack thereof.

            3) write the discussion posts and post them to the appropriate class

            4) sign into lecture of second class after it starts because I tried signing in early last week and as it turns out he is in another class and I ended up getting cut off.  Review takes about twenty minutes anyway.

            5) work on assignments for both classes.  Review.  Review.

            6) Review and correct if necessary and turn in either Wednesday night or Thursday morning

            7) take assessments.  But do not use chrome on PC.  check Yahoo emails on Laptop, take quizzes on laptop or use Firefox for PC. 

            So now I am done.  Except for the daily checkpoints (which can only be done per day) I am done for the week.  Hallelujah!  Frees up my Friday and Saturday for myself or house or community . . . away from the computer if I would like.

            I have had blog post ideas, but they have gotten lost in the shuffle of my mind.  I've also managed to squeeze in a few word puzzles during my breaks from the computer.  Currently I'm not reading anything leisurely.  The most interesting reading material I wish to look at lately has been whatever my sister posts to facebook.

New Year to Finals

            It is really a sad thing to have finals right after a two week vacation.  Instead of having just one assessment or assignment - all of it is expected from here on.  Every week will be the same.  That is fine for the times I have just one class, but it seems quite challenging this particular week when I have two and have not bounced back with my mind.

            Theoretically I should be working on my assignments or posting a comment to a fellow student on discussion, but I first need to clear out my brain.  Perhaps if I brainstorm here I will have  a better understanding about what to write for my class assignment.

            We're supposed to set goals on improving our self-management.  Yesterday's daily check point had us watch a video on sleep hygiene.  Now there's my inspiration.  I haven't been sleeping well.  I KNOW I need to sleep  better to control my emotional intelligence.  I slept much better as a single person than one who is expected to share a bed.  Forget my disability to find comfort on a flat surface.  Roland and I have never been able to agree on room temperature.   If he's comfortable, I am too hot.  If I am comfortable, he is too cold.

            The air doesn't seem like it will push through the vents unless the thermostat is above 72.  There's another brilliant error design that came with our home.  The thermostat is set between the back door and kitchen and so never does get an accurate temperature of the entire house.  Duh.  Of course we never have the finances to fix or change anything.

            So last night we used a space heater that plugs directly into the wall and is not on the floor. 

   

          

The instructions are quite simple and say that the temperature goes from 60 to 90.  Who in their right mind is going to set it to 90 degrees?  I think 75 is too hot.  At the advice of a column I will reference for my assignment, on suggestion for better sleep is to keep the room cool.  I think 65 may have been a bit too cool - especially for Roland.  He was pleased to see me this morning as I usually wander into the living room during the night;  the air quality in the living room has been the right temperature for me - but the couch is a beast to sleep on.

              I don't know that either one of us really slept any better than we have been.  I usually wake between 1:30 and 2:00 because I'm hot.  My bladder woke me up at 2:30 - ah, the drawbacks of cool verses warmth.  My pipes don't leak in the warmth, but when I'm cold I've suddenly got water bursting through me.  Where does it even come from.  It's not as though I am sipping on Big Gulps during my sleep

 I've also noticed that electric heat seems drier than natural gas.  We don't even have a natural gas option in this house.  I wonder if that is what has contributed to my stomach rash.  It doesn't make sense to me, but is the only thing I can think of that is different from my normal routine - or what started out as routine anyway.

            Still searching for answers.  I do need to eat better, and that will help me sleep.  But I still need to find that perfect t temperature for both of us.

            I hadn't made the connection of exposure to light.  The article discussed getting out in the natural daylight.  There haven't been many hours of light for several days at a time.  It's been overcast, foggy, dim, kind of depressing.  The daylight effects the moods of almost all people.  All the sudden it has made sense to me.  I don't know if this post does, but I plan on posting it anyway.  Take a shower, say a prayer, get on with my day.  Hopefully I will become more alert than I am at present.

Making Profit With Real Estate: Resell and Flipping

          Last week I created a post about writing my assignment in first person wondering if I might get discredited for doing so.  Also, I thought it rather challenging to come up with 750+ words (I think I ended up with 753) Not only did I receive full credit but a comment from my instructor said that he had been entertained.  That was a bonus as it had not been my intent to entertain.  Perhaps I'll touch more upon it following the comments for this week's assignment which may take more than one post as I have several examples and well over 750 words.  I had actually started out with eight different examples, but felt it best to revise my assignment in order to keep it to less than 1,000 words. 

          So here is a rough outline accompanied by mostly personal examples - though I did start out by mentioning the A&E's former television series called "Sell This House" and ended with the mention of HGTV's "Property Bros" and  "Fixer Upper".  There are many many ways to use real estate for investment purposes.  Here are some:

 Resell and Flipping

                 Today's American Dream seems more than just owning property, but to make money from property investments.  Purchasing houses at a low market rate, fixing them and flipping them appears to have become a hot investment commodity.  There are some who have the knack for it and some who don't.  I DON'T HAVE THE KNACK.

1.       Realtor's get a commission on what they sell. Some realtor's won't even bother with the type of housing that Roland has often listed - but he has worked with many investors who are willing to flip the property.  They will purchase the "fixer upper" for less than 100,000 and end up selling it for almost three times the amount - depending on the neighborhood, the timing of the market and so forth.  They end up with more money in their pockets than did Roland.  Thus Roland decided to hop on the bandwagon of real estate investments.  Fortunately he had partnered with someone for each, but still . . . I didn't enjoy it overall.

2.       I remember four properties having been purchased for "Flip" purposes.  The first and third are the ones I remember best.  Both in Midvale.  The first was a shared driveway and hidden location.  I think the hardest part about the property was the land itself.  Lots of overgrowth in the way of weeds and trees, etc.  Roland decided that it would be a family project and we would spend weekends going out to clear the land.  What was he thinking?  None of us are landscapers.

          I remember clearing out items in house number 2.  I liked the house itself and had considered living there, but we couldn't afford it.  Jenna was just a baby and the outside deck included about a million steps.  I was afraid of each of us trying to walk on it during the winter months.  I didn't particularly like the area where the house was located.  I never even saw house number 4 (his partner did everything and spent too much money;  it was our last "flip"

          House number 3 provides the most horrible memories.  I refer to it as the Nightmare on Oak Street.  Unlike the first house in Utah that was hidden from the average driver's view, the house on Oak Street could be seen from a high traffic area.  There was always interference from the city.  I could not take Jenna as I was afraid of her falling into a hole or something. 

          I think it was listed as a one bedroom house.  There was a garage that Roland had wanted to convert into another bedroom but after it was gutted, a wind blew down the outside wall and created a more costly expense.  This is the house that we had been working on when I posted  this story.

          My next three posts are Property Management, real estate and what I like to call "Gravy Investments" -  which I will explain. And possibly I'll reminisce my first assignment but not post the assignment itself.  Though my instructor says he was entertained, I reread and was bored with it.  So if this subject doesn't interest you, you may just want to wait until next week before continuing with reading this blog.  But hey, thank you for tuning in.

Just Names on the Payroll

          I still like the feel of a book in my hands rather than having to constantly refer to the screen and "turn" the page by pressing next or arrow.  When the library had the book sale back in October and November, I found an accounting book that was in great condition - but it was from 1979.  I picked it up anyway. 

          Thus far I have taken two accounting classes and am now on my third and so far my outdated book has been compatible to my first two courses.  I obviously hadn't taken payroll or taxes into account.  Guess what my accounting focus is on for this class?

          The government laws are constantly changing.  This tax is taken out for this purpose, that tax for another.  We no longer have just FICA and SSN - now there is IRCA created in in 1986, FMLA created in 1993, PRWORA created in 1996, the list goes on and on.  I don't know that I'm expected to memorize every initial and reasons for the organization for this week - but I'm certain I'll need to understand them all before I get a job doing payroll.  DANG!

          I'm trying not to take these laws personally and actually have a better understanding of WHY I had taken that history class.  Our last discussion post was on the topic " Equality vs. Equity".  I wrote the following:

        "When I first saw the topic Equality vs. Equity, I was confused as I was looking at equity to mean: "the value of the shares issued by a company" rather than " the quality of being fair and impartial"  Sadly, it was the antonyms that further helped me to understand.

        "Several thoughts have entered my mind since Saturday when I started reviewing for this upcoming discussion, including topics such as the education system, the school's meal program, or a continuation of my "soapbox" from last week's discussion [a post about Political Freedom in which I questioned the words “All Men are Created Equal” written at the time of slavery - thus not applying to ALL men] , but I have since decided on a topic that I picked up from 60 Minutes last a night.

        "According to Community Tool Box, about 18% of the American population has some kind of disability.  In 1990 a law was passed which enforces businesses to comply with stipulations enforcing guidelines for wheelchair access (CTB, 2016)

        "The 60-minute feature took Anderson Cooper to different business locations that don't seem to meet the guidelines here. Many of these businesses were being sued because they were not actually up to code of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

        "For those with disabilities, I think that the act is more of equity than equality.  There are just some differences that will [never make us equal]. We need to embrace those differences and not discriminate or bully. I think equity is better than equality especially if we constantly fight in the name of "equality" if we are looking to be cookie cutter images of one another. I like what makes me unique.

        "We can share our talents and learn from one another.  Equity is a good thing - but can also be taken advantage of."

Bibliography

60 minutes (2016, December 4). What's a "drive-by lawsuit"? (A. Cooper, Interviewer)

Section 4. Ensuring Access for People with Disabilities. (2016). Retrieved from Community Tool Box: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/implement/physical-social-environment/housing-accessibility-disabilities/main "

          I now have two chapters to read for my accounting class, and really am trying to read with an open mind.  This morning I believed I would be wading through a lot of jibberish that I wouldn't fully understand and would put me to sleep. By noon it seemed to be doing the opposite- stirring up emotions which I know I should not allow to rise to the surface, and yet they have.  Instead of taking a nap, I am riled. I am livid, even sad.  All these "governing rules" or stipulations is what has been flushing our economy down the toilet.  Well in part anyway.  Or at least that is my opinion.

         It has been suggested that employers use a payroll system – someone outside the company who specializes in cutting checks.  I think it would be a lot easier to work for one of those companies cutting paychecks for people that you don't know rather than follow all the "governing rules" on your employees'' paychecks knowing that skimming just one or two dollars from every tax or deduction it will take food off his table.  It would be much easier to do payroll when the names are just names and there is no personal attachment.

          Roland has always been able to separate personal from business.  I can’t even separate my class discussion or material without personality.  How the heck would I ever be able to do a job?  It’s funny how often I have stressed out over assignments or classes and have ended up doing well – as if all that emotion had been unnecessary and wasted.  I hope that is the case now.

        I’ve had an option of reviewing videos in addition to the manual of each course thus far.  This course doesn’t have any cool videos – or even lame ones for that matter.  I have no choice but resort to the book, the power point outline of the book and my instructor’s lecture – which is a bit more helpful than trying to analyze the text myself, but still . . . I want a video that will teach me and make me smile.  As of now, I’m really not doing a whole lot of smiling.