waste journal

After viewing the dumpster-diving documentary "Dive", I was kind of numb in my response. These type of films are aimed to encourage and 'wake up' the viewer but I just felt emotionless. You see,I already am aware of the major waste problem we have in America. I wasn't aware of the facts per se, but I knew it was an issue. With all the problems we face today,especially in america when it comes to consumption,hearing how much we waste just pushed me into the "I have no idea what to do" stage.  I believe society would have to change as a whole to even make a dent in this problem. The amount of people who simply don't care outweighs the people that do. And that is just overwhelmingly exhausting to the people that do care. For example,the other day, my husband was mentioning his work and how he was down in Ponte Vedra,a wealthier beach neighborhood. It must have been trash day because he came across a house that had a bunch of garbage at the end of their driveway. He saw tons of good items in this garbage, especially what seemed to be a brand new vacuum cleaner. Upon viewing the vacuum cleaner, the owner of the house came out and said she only used it once. Since the bag was full, she decided to throw out the (once) used vacuum cleaner and get a new one.
This story just blew my mind. I mean, really?? A perfect example of how wasteful one can be and how lazy, unconcerned, unaware that this woman is. She should donate it! grrrr!

American Dream? Essy

                                                   It’s All Relative

When you hear the phrase “money can’t buy you happiness”, do you smirk, while rolling your

eyes and think”BS” like myself? If you do, some might call you a bitter pessimist, but I would

just call you a realist. I have been knee-deep in bills, overwhelmed with the worry of how I’m

going to be fed that night, with the impending doom that if I don’t get paid soon, I might lose

the house over my head. That’s just real-life, you know? Let’s face it, not too many people can

live happily on a low income in this day in age. Everything has a price tag; you don’t get

something for nothing. On the contrary, what defines one’s happiness? Like, what makes YOU

happy? For some people, money plays no part of their happiness at all. These people I do not

understand because in my life and others like me, it plays a significant role in my ‘happiness’.

What Makes Me Happy?:

You probably have the belief that I am a miserable, salty person who isn’t happy about

anything. This is so far from the truth and completely wrong. I’m an extremely passionate

 person and these passions I have are what makes me happy. Family, friends, pets, a rainy day,

MY JOB, laughter, health, security, iced coffee; this list can go on and on, but what ruins these

passion(s) of mine and what makes me frown, is when you taint any of them with money.

Let’s take a look at my job. It is a perfect example of this situation. I realized around my mid-

twenties, my goal in life was to be a licensed massage therapist. It was something I was born to

do…to help people with their pain. I am a huge advocate for massage therapy and I thoroughly

believe in the benefits of massage and wellness. Early in my career, I was completely satisfied

with my decision in becoming a LMT. I got paid well, I enjoyed my colleagues and I had the time

to enjoy other passions in life. According to the occupational outlook handbook, I was making

around $34,900 per year(Handbook)₁, which is scrap change for some but to me, it was just

enough. I thought I really didn’t need money to make me happy. It wasn’t until the past year or

 two when financial frustrations arose. It seems money did, in fact, play a key role in my

happiness.

I moved back home to Jacksonville, Florida three years ago to be closer to one of my other

passions in life, my family. I thought I could still be a successful therapist. The economy changed

as well as my surroundings and I was starting to become spent. I was getting paid way less and

working tons more. You see, in order to be happy as a massage therapist, you need to have a

perfect equilibrium of massages you do and money. I am on the path to burning out which is a

death sentence to any LMT”S career.  It’s almost to the point to where I don’t want to massage

anymore. And that is just a scary thought. I am no longer a happy camper.  When I heard guest

speaker, Mo Garcia (Speaker) ₂, say, “When your career is your passion, the money will follow”,

I thought to myself in disbelief. My job IS my passion and I’m not seeing any money, ok honey.

What Makes Others Happy?:

In contrast, there seems to be quite a few people who do not need money to be happy. They

have achieved happiness through appreciating the smaller things in life. The phrase ‘more

money, more problems” comes to mind. For example, “What they found was that those with

higher incomes had more chores and less fun. They devoted more time to working, commuting,

childcare, and shopping and were under more stress and tension than those in lower income

brackets.”(Livescience)₃. You cannot deny that more stress would come from having more

money.  The people that do not need money in order to be happy are ones who appreciate

what they do have.  Happiness comes from their inner being. They seemed to have a better

filter on how their mind works. Maybe one day I can make this achievable.  

In Conclusion:

It appears that everything in life is all relative and this includes happiness. From your job and

your passions to appreciating the smaller things in life, it’s all up to you and how happy you

want to be. But, in my opinion and from my own experience, don’t ruin your passion [i.e. Job]

with money.  It will just taint it and make it meaningless. Save it for bringing enjoyment and

love into your life; not for bringing in stress and burden. Money doesn't always buy you

happiness, but it will buy you iced coffee and that makes me happy! 

                                                    WORKS CITED PAGE:

1)      http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Healthcare/Massage-therapists.htm;  Occupational Handbook, (web)

2)       Mo Garcia; motivational speaker

3)      http://www.livescience.com/874-study-money-buy-happiness.html; Livescience;(web)

Hmmm... my reflection on the guest speaker presentation

After reflecting over guest speaker Mo Garcia's "Find Your Passion, Live your Purpose" presentation,  I found that I enjoyed the speech and the speaker himself, but I don't know if I agree with what he was trying to get across. As a 32-year-old student, I found that a lot of what he was saying was most likely geared toward a younger generation student. "Finding your purpose" is definitely a hot topic for kids within the range of 18-25. The information and guidance he was relaying would help tremendously for most young adults. 

 As someone that has found my purpose, I found that what Mr. Garcia said, "money will follow passion" a bit shocking. This did NOT happen for me. I am a licensed massage therapist and have been one for the past 6 years. I love being a LMT. It's my passion. I am a firm believer in the power of massage and am a huge advocate for it. It's been my life, my world and what I love to inform to unaware individuals. Do I make money? Absolutely not. I'm broke all the time because it's not easy work. I have zero health insurance, zero benefits(time off,sick days) and have zero security for the future  I'm actually physically falling apart from minor injuries due to the job. Because of all of these things happening, I have gone back to school to perhaps find another "purpose" or to just get the education I need in order to find a career that I can establish so I can fulfill my massage passion.  

My Social Media Life, A.K.A My Life.

                  

It’s happening. It’s a new world out there. Have you seen it? Have you engaged in it? It’s a new era of

gadgets and gizmos a plenty. From Facebook, to Twitter, to Second Life, the age of Social Media is vast

upon us. I will tell you the story of my life in the social media world, plain and simple. I’ve got nothing to

hide and would love to share my journey along this path of the digital world because I am a digital

being. I live my life one refresh screen at a time. Some of it is going to be ugly, but most is quite

beautiful. I am a full- blown believer in the positive effects of social media and highly recommend that

maybe you should  be too. Through networking, learning new and amazing things and relationships

made, the digital world is astonishingly powerful and let me tell you why.

Let’s begin with why I network: my Bio. No, I’m not talking about my a/s/l, that’s internet speak for

“age, sex, location”, I’m talking about my biography in the world of possibilities; my social media bio. My

name is Rebecca. My name is also Iva2Die4 from the Ladies2Die4 Gaming community. You can find me

under Rebecca Winters, Plus Size Model as well. I am a gamer enthusiast, a part-time plus- size model

and also a Licensed Massage Therapist. I live a very busy life and my life is generously affected by social

media tools. I have two twitter accounts, two facebook accounts and one facebook fan page, an

Instagram account and an XboxLive profile. Those are my main accounts but I also have Google+, Model

Mayhem, Fitness Pal, and You Tube that I use periodically. I’m constantly networking and it works.

Many of the successes in my life have been obtained because of pure networking alone. For example,

my re-introduction into modeling was caused by a photographer noticing my comment on a famous

author’s facebook status. She liked my profile picture and noticed I lived near her. She sent me a

message and boom, my first photo shoot was scheduled. If it wasn’t for her, I would have never noticed

my courage, excitement and passion I have for modeling. “Social networking sites facilitate face-to-face

interaction. People use social media to network at in-person events and get to know people before

personal, business, and other meetings.” (Morgan, "5 Ways Social Media Can Facilitate Offline

Networking," www.sociableboost.com, May 8, 2012; web)₁. I do this on a daily basis and it is highly

effective. I meet new photographers/agents/key industry people, keep in contact with massage clients,

and become friends with gaming sponsors.  If it wasn’t for social networking, I’d be lost.  Naysayers

would say I could spend my time doing other things,“36% of people surveyed listed social networking

as the "biggest waste of time," above fantasy sports (25%), watching TV (23%), and shopping (9%)” (Mark

Dolliver, "Social Networking: A Waste of Time?," www.adweek.com, Oct. 7, 2010;web)₂ but I whole-heartedly disagree. I

enjoy the time I spend on social media sites but I do not ignore my other responsibilities in life either.

Moving on,I’ve leaned a lot from the digital media world. I use it in my everyday life. Most of my college

career is now online which is so relieving for someone like me who has a busy schedule. Most

of my classes are hybrid courses which enables me to learn from a classroom discussion while

doing most of the busy work at home. Also, I can learn so many tasks that would take forever if I didn’t

have access to the digital world. I could learn to plant a rose garden, find out how to do my Halloween

makeup as a zombie  or even educate myself on proper driving techniques in the snow. It’s just a click 

away and so easy to use.

One of the best situations ever to come from the digital world for me is the ability to build happy,

 successful relationships. I’ve met an abundant amount of people from all around the world. It’s

funny, because we as humans, do have the urge to connect with other people. Some of my nearest and

dearest friends I have met on the Xbox or from facebook. This includes my husband of whom I

met back in 2006 playing the first-person-shooter game Call of Duty 3.  We were gamers who became

friends and built a communicative, trusting relationship while using the social media tools of today. I

was kind of shocked but totally understood why “1/3 of female gamers met their partners online”

(“Digital Nation”http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/view/;web)₃. They say, “A

couple who games together, stays together “ and I agree 100%.  Some people would argue about the

dangers of meeting people online. For instance, you never can truly know who is on the other side of the

screen, whatever media outlet you choose. Shows like MTV’s Catfish seize the opportunity to capitalize

on this very thing. There are many individuals that have made up fake identities over social media for

 various and multiple reasons. Catfish is a show filming the story and meeting of these individuals of

which, most of the time, someone is horribly surprised. It’s scary to even think about really.                                

People are always telling me how lucky I am to have such a wonderful, loving husband and I couldn’t

agree more. I love that British boy of mine and am so thankful of all the social media outlets we used for

giving me the opportunity of meeting him; despite all the dangers. Needless to say, there was no

“catfish” scenario with us.

So as you can see, I am a huge fan of the social media age. I take advantage of what this digital era has

to offer. I believe it has helped me grow as an individual and is also a wonderful tool to use for school. I

have built successful relationships and friendships and learned so much about the world and different

cultures just by being online. It’s a new age out there indeed and it’s a beauty. You can study me, learn

from me, but try not to judge me; this world IS happening, whether you like it or not.

Social Media

Oh Where do I begin?? Unless you've been living under a rock somewhere, you know exactly what Social Media is and what it means. We're in a new era of technology and we communicate mostly though texts, blogs and status updates. Is that such a bad thing? There are countless pros and cons to the answer of this question but there are so many ups and downs that it's hard for me to even wrap my head around it. Again, where do I even begin?
I am living proof and an example of what it's like to be someone fully connected into the social media world. I spend my days networking for work or play and spend my nights either writing blogs for school (you see what I did there?) and/or on my Xbox playing with people of whom I met from around the world. Talk about being social! I live my life one refresh screen at a time. I feel lost when I'm not multitasking. If I focus on just one thing, I lose interest...point blank. It's my way of "staying focused" if you will.  That's one of the situations that needs to be addressed in research instead of social media and the negative affects it has on focus.
But, I may be fooling myself but maybe not. There are so many outcomes to the answer of the question "is it such a bad thing?",   it really depends on the individual and their ability to stay responsible and focused.

Reality TV? is it real(ly)?

Let's be honest here... What's real about reality TV nowadays? Ratings are majority of any show on the tele and let's face it, life gets mundane or on repeat at times. So what do they do?? The producers add a little somethin somethin here and there to spruce up "real" life a bit.
On top of the sprinkled additives, most shows are focused on topics that are a bit extreme and cater to the "prurient of human instincts" (p.94 Elements of Argument, Tenth Edition; text). Statistics show that it also is linked to lower intelligence....No, I'm kidding but when I watch a so called "reality" show on TV, that's how I feel. For the most part, I'm talking of shows like the Bachelor, Jersey Shore, whatever Housewives show,The Swan, The Kardashians....need I continue??  Oh, wait. Here's the icing on the cake:16 and Pregnant. Let's go ahead glamorize this so young girls get the idea that they might get rich if they get pregnant.
 I'm shaking my head here in disappointment but I do want to point out that there are some really informative reality shows out there. I'm sure they're rigged too but at least I don't feel as guilty for watching them. Shows like Deadliest Catch , Dirty Jobs and Treasure Hunters are somewhat informative of what people do in "real" life. I hope things change. I really do. I'm forever an optimist.  Hey, that can be a reality show..."Forever an Optimist", starring a hopeful, naive woman, that still has faith in humanity. Yeah, that would do well...

Perception In Art

                                                                                                    

                                                      Perception in Art

“The difference between Art and Shit is someone’s opinion.” - Albert Normandin

 Oh so ever true and oh so ever bold just like the photographs I reviewed for the Florida

State College at Jacksonville’s 31^st Annual College-wide Photography Competition. There

were an abundant amount of amazing new talent that I viewed but there was also a lot of

“huh?” and “I just don’t know about that”.  I was blown away by some of the work but my

 perception of the other photographs was highly unapologetic.  Photograph after

photograph, I seemed apathetic upon viewing. Nothing spoke to me really. Perhaps I was

just in a unforgiving, relentless mood but alas, I came upon something that moved me.

   Upon viewing the first segment of photographs, I stumbled upon Susan Tassin’s

Paralyzed photograph. This picture just made me feel angry. Not because it offended me

as a viewer, but because it offended me as an artist. I was shocked at how pretentious it

was. The picture was of a woman with a rough, overly enhanced grotesque face trying to

 hold back her body while there was a gun pointed at her. I just felt that this photo was

way too over- the- top and over-exaggerated. It seemed the artist was simply just trying

too hard, in other words. It also seems like the artist had an assignment of which they

forgot to do the assignment and rushed to get it complete.  I was just so utterly

unimpressed.

  

      When trying to get over my initial abhorrent feeling towards Paralyzed, I came across

a wonderful photograph that made me smile yet made me feel sorrowful as well. The

artist was Christopher Eaton and the picture was Caged. This photo is a perfect example

of what a subliminal message should be. There was this gorgeous leopard lying under a

tree. To one person’s eye, it would be just a simple B&W photo of a leopard in the shade

but to others, the look in the leopard’s eye would scream ‘amazingly sad’ to them. The

artist seemed to capture the overwhelmingly beautiful sadness that this animal feels while

being “caged”. It blew me away. You knew it was a lovely creature that needed to be free.

It spoke to me as an animal lover and a photography lover.

     Feeling a bit relieved that there is creative photography still being made, I came upon

this exquisite photo of Mother Nature in action. The photo was called Calming Storm by

John Shippee.  I am a nature lover and an amateur nature photographer myself and this

photo made me smile. The beauty of the luscious dark, stormy clouds escaping the

oncoming strength of the sun was well-captured. It also brought a sense of familiarity

because I know this picture was taken at Jacksonville Beach or somewhere close. Some of

my most favorite things about Florida are the wonderful storms we have. They make for a

breathtakingly beautiful sky afterwards. What a lovely photograph indeed. I would love to

have this placed on my wall in my home. I was kind of shocked that it did not receive any

awards. But apparently, the phrase, beauty is in the eye of the beholder rings true for me

in this case.

    It appears that I was starting to get to the good stuff… to the pictures that appeal most

to me most side of the room. There was a photograph called Marlboro Man by Karla

Bacon that I viewed next. This photo made me feel at ease. It was a picture of a cowboy

looking down under the shades of a tree during the sunset.  I‘m not a huge fan of smoking

or any western-style genres but this photo spoke to my nature side yet once again. It

showed that you can feel one with nature, while feeling isolated with a sense of solitude.

Some might not like that sensation, but the photo painted it in a way that it seemed

refreshingly wonderful.  I craved to go for a walk in the woods during sunset by myself.

    So, there you have it. My tour of the gallery that night came to an end. All in all, my

night viewing these simple yet creative photographs made me feel comfortable knowing

that there is still amazing art to be made. What you might think of as art, I might think of

it as a waste of time. I definitely did feel that during the beginning of the tour but what I

saw that night at the gallery left something that gave me hope. Now you may not agree

with me but the beauty of Art is that it is highly perceptual. One person’s viewpoint on

the artwork can be completely different to another’s viewpoint. It’s what moves you as an

individual.