Reflection

My Fall semester is slowly coming to an end, and I have to admit that I am ecstatic! Everyone needs a break every now and then. This Winter break could not have come at a better time for me. I am getting overwhelmed with work and managing my time. I am working very hard to stay on top of my school work and reading, but it is getting to become stressful and difficult to accomplish everything. I am a little scared for the next few weeks because I do not have many days off, and I have a list of things coming up for school that need to be fulfilled before the semester ends. My school jobs are as follows: complete study guide for Political Participation, complete study guide for Middle Eastern politics, work on group presentation for Small Groups, create presentation for 100W, and finish reading Political Participation book and write 5-page paper, write 5-page paper for 100W. All of this needs to be done on top of working with only a few days off in the next two weeks, and not neglecting the people in my personal life. I honestly just can't wait for this semester to be done. Overall, I can say I'm pretty happy with the way my semester worked out. I am actually glad that I did not have a job for most of it. Prior to taking my 100W class, I was told that it would probably be one of the hardest classes I would take, and that it would take up a lot of my time. On the first day of school, I was a little intimidated about having one paper due each week. As the semester went on, I really got the hang of the way that the class worked, and I was easily able to deal with the one paper a week. I am glad to be ALMOST done with my 100W class for San Jose State University. I hope my next few semesters at SJSU will go just as smoothly, that I will score very well on the LSAT, and that I get into Santa Clara school of law!

Vocab Words:

abaciscus (noun): architecture. a small abacus.

avuncular (noun): of or pertaining to characteristics of an uncle. avuncular affection.

Thanksgiving

I have been looking very forward to Thanksgiving for a number of reasons. First, my older sister will be home for the holiday. Second, I will have a break from school and work - at least for two days. Last, I will be able to see my boyfriend's family that I have not seen in a while. The one downside, and it is a big one, is that my mother is having foot surgery the day before Thanksgiving : ( The only reason she scheduled her surgery before Thanksgiving is that she is a teacher. This way she will have a few extra days off work, without having to actually miss work. My sisters and I will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner at my house, then I will be going to my boyfriend's uncles' house later in the evening. I do not think my mother will even have much of an appetite, so our dinner will be somewhat smaller than past years. Also, the night before Thanksgiving is supposed to be a very popular night to go out on. I am assuming this is because everyone is home for the holiday, and friends get together to go out. I want to see all my friends that are coming home and I know everyone will want to get together, but there is one person that I have had a fall out with right before he left for school in August. This is my friend, or ex-friend, Drew, whom I have not spoken to in about 3 months. I saw him once on Halloween and tried talking to him, but he decided to be immature and completely ignore me. The story of what happened between us two is long, but he was in the wrong as many others and I claim. He will not apologize to me and I, of course, will not apologize for anything because I did nothing wrong. He simply stirred up commotion while my friends and I were out one night, and the issue has remained unresolved. I thought that time would heal the drift that has occurred between the two of us, but judging from Halloween, I am assuming this to be wrong. I am not looking forward to seeing him on Thanksgiving. To top it all off, he is now dating my old best friend from high school. She has changed SO much, that I no longer consider her my friend. I think this makes the situation with me and Drew worse. Drew and his girlfriend have a sad relationship, based on drinking, partying, and sex. I am a mature person, who believes I have a good family and boyfriend. I am going somewhere in my life and I do not need to associate with people like the two of them; therefore, I am not looking forward to seeing how my pre-Thanksgiving awkwardness will unfold.

Vocal Words:

Dumbledor (noun): a bumblebee

Bant (verb): to lose weight, diet.

Oops. . .

I have been so busy with school and work that I forgot to publish my post for last week. Therefore, this is my post that was supposed to be due by Monday, November 16, 2009. I recently wrote about getting a job at Nordstrom. My job has been fun, but it has also been very hectic. I feel like I have no free time. I go to school, I work, and I do homework on my days off. By the time I get off work I am usually tired from running around all day long - getting people clothes, putting clothes away, gift wrapping and making boxes, etc. When I see my boyfriend, after a long day of work, I usually pass out within an hour and a half or so. I feel bad, because I know that he wants to spend time with me and vice versa. I am just so burnt out after a long day of work, or school and work, that when I get to the end of my day I do not want to talk, and I just want to sleep. My boyfriend has been very understanding of this, and has actually really been taking care of me when I do see him. Lately, my boyfriend has been doing small things for me that really show me he loves me. For example, the other night was the Christmas tree lighting in Santana Row. My boyfriend bought me coffee, took me to watch the performances and the tree lighting, and then to dinner at Maggiano's, in Santana Row. I absolutely love eating at Maggiano's. My boyfriend ordered my favorite meal for me, and we had a wonderful dinner. My boyfriend also goes to school, does MMA and kickboxing, and is very into working out. The two of us know that our schedules are both very busy, but we still make some it a point to spend as much quality time with each other as possible.

Vocab Words:

Atrophy (noun): degeneration, decline, or decrease as from disuse.

Kerfuffle (noun): commotion, disorder.

EXCITED : )

I got the job at Nordstroms! Yaay : ) I am excited to be a working woman making some money, once again! I attended an open interview last Monday for Nordstroms and interviewed with two hiring managers. Both managers expressed that they liked me and thought I would be great for the job. One of the managers I interviewed with manages a department I wanted to work in more, but her position was seasonal. The other manager manages in a department which attracts a little bit older women and her position was permanent. I was torn on which position I would want more, because either I would be temporary and work in a department I liked more or I would be permanent and work in a department I liked a little less. Of course, I had decided that I would take either job, because the first manager told me it would be easy to keep my job if I worked hard and made my sales goals. The first manager just called me and offered me the seasonal position in the Point of View department! I gladly accepted, and I start work tomorrow! I will have to get back into the swing of working and going to school at the same time. I was actually planning on starting my 100W paper 5 tomorrow, but I will be training from 9am-5pm, and I'm sure I will be exhausted by the time I get off. My new manager, Brittany, said that I could stop by the department and pick up my schedule tomorrow after training. I am excited and scared to see how much I will be scheduled. I like to believe I am a hard worker and very organized so I know I can balance this job along with the many other things I do. Nordstroms is a commission-based store so I am hoping to sell a lot, hence make a lot of money! I can't wait to see how this journey goes. I hope I like it as much as I'm making myself think I will. . . : )

Vocab Words:

secularism (noun): a system of political or social philosophy that rejects all forms of religious faith and worship.

monarchy (noun): supreme power or sovereignty held by one single person.

Happiness : )

Lately, things have been going wonderfully for me. This past weekend I went on my weekend getaway. I drove to San Luis Obispo on Friday with my boyfriend and a few of our friends and spent the night there, then on Saturday we drove to Santa Barbara. First of all, the downtown shopping is amazing! Although I really didn't buy anything but two beautiful rings, I absolutely loved it. On Halloween night, we went to Isla Vista. I really do not know what all the hype is about that place. I'm glad I went to experience the whole So Cal thing myself, but seriously people get drunk and walk down the street. . . why? I came back home on Sunday and it definitely felt good. As fun as trips and vacations are, I always love coming back home to my own place. Today, I went in for an interview at Nordstroms. I absolutely love that store as a customer, so I figured I would apply for a job (at least seasonal). I do not want to work in retail year round. Unfortunately, I have been looking to be a receptionist or assistant to a receptionist or lawyer or something in a law firm but have not found anything fit for me on Craig's List or by word of mouth. Every post I see either requires a Bachelor's degree, full-time, or specific hours that I could not do because I will be at school. Therefore, I have decided that I will not mind working retail but continuing my search for the job I want at a law firm to at least expose me to that type of environment. I know I did so well on the interview today. One of the two managers I met with told me to expect a call from HR soon because she wanted me to work in her department. This is a little exciting because 1) I will have a source of extra income, and 2) I will get a discount at my favorite store. I just have to be careful to save and not spend everything I make. I can do it though!

Vocab Words:

stymie (noun): a situation or problem presenting such difficulties as to discourage or defeat any attempt to deal with or resolve it.

accretions (noun): an increase by natural growth or by gradual external addition.