Journal Exercise pg. 461 (16)

I do love to shop, but what girl doesn’t? I try to hold back as much as I can when shopping because I do not want to spend too much money. Since I haven’t been shopping in a while, I am excited to go. I love to shop for new clothes. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the most expensive stuff around, but just good enough to satisfy my shopping itch. It can be a simple, cheap spring shirt or an expensive pair of jeans I saw a few months ago. Buying just one piece of clothing or pair of shoes usually does the trick when I want to go shopping. Some people, however, do not know when to stop. This can become a problem. This pastime that I enjoy could turn into a nightmare. If I spent way too much, the people around me would notice and they wouldn’t be happy with me. They will say I am wasting my money and that I could buy things that I actually need instead of want. From another person’s view, they could say I should put that money to a good cause. If it’s something I don’t need, they would tell me not to buy it. When I do find something I would like to buy, it takes me awhile do decide if I really want it or not. This could be a problem because I could end up spending a lot of money on clothes and shoes without even really thinking about it. Usually I am a smart shopper and only buy something when I need it or know I will wear it more than just once. Sometimes, though, I end up buying too much that I won’t even wear that many times. A person outside of my life might say I may go into debt later in the future. This could also be a huge problem down the road. Many people are in financial debt and keeping up every week may be a challenge if I shop regularly and spend way too much. I am pretty good at holding back, though. I make sure I don’t go shopping when I can’t afford something or if I don’t need it. I stay far away from the stores. Eventually, I have waited so long to go shopping that I feel the urge and need to go. I let myself go, but only spend a certain amount of money. This helps me hold back and not spend too much in the long run. Usually when I am excited to go shopping, I end up not even getting anything. So maybe it’s better to stay away from the stores because then I get more ideas of things I think I have to have. In conclusion, I see how people’s shopping pastime can get out of hand. They should have someone with them who will tell them what they don’t need to buy. Having that person there allows for less money spent.

Favorite Song (15)

Bruno Mars' song "Just the Way You Are" makes me feel happy and comfortable with my place in this world. He talks about what he sees in this beautiful girl and how he sees her in his eyes. He wants her to know she is perfect for him just the way she is. The things she does unknowingly made him fall for her. He compares her and some of the things about her to beautiful and magical moments and things in the world. He tells in this song how he tells her how beautiful she is and how he will say how amazing she is no matter what. He doesn't want anything changed about her. This is how I think people should view everyone else. Forget about what other people think and just be yourself. Someone will love you for who are you. The video goes along perfectly with the lyrics. It shows Bruno Mars making pictures out of cassette film of a woman, portraying her attributes and what he loves about her. He thinks she is amazing just the way she is and that she shouldn't change. He doesn't think people should change themselves just for someone else. Be who you want to be and be proud of it. Don't let anyone change your mind about yourself, especially if you have a positive view of yourself.

Steak 'n Shake (14)

This picture was taken in the summer of 2011 at the east side Evansville Steak ‘n Shake.  My cousin Taylor and I decided to go Evansville to go shopping.  On the way to Evansville, though, my tire had lost its tread in the middle of the interstate.  A huge chunk of tire went flying back while we were in the middle of passing a pick-up truck.  We had left in the morning and it was now almost the afternoon.  By the time the wrecker arrived to fix my tire, we were starving.  After getting my tire temporarily fixed, we drove it to the nearest Wal-Mart in Evansville to the tire shop.  They put a whole new tire on, but we had to wait about an hour and a half.  In the meantime, we decided to walk around in Wal-Mart and get some lunch.  When my car was done, we went shopping.  After shopping for about four hours, we wanted to eat supper somewhere, but couldn’t decide on where to eat.  We passed this restaurant and figured we should try it.  We had heard good things about it and were soon walking in the door to the diner.  If I had been here before it was when I was much younger because I did not remember ever eating here.  We live about an hour and a half away from Evansville and we do not have a Steak ‘n Shake anywhere near us.  This is the closest one to us.  After walking in, we noticed how much different it was than most restaurants that we have where we live.  The way everything was set up and the diner look of the walls and booths was very interesting to see for the first time.  It was a change of pace for once.  All restaurants started to look the same to me because we don’t have very many where we live.  The places we do have were getting boring.  After looking at the menu, we had finally decided what we wanted to eat.  My cousin ordered the chicken strips and French fries.  I, on the other hand, ordered a single Steak burger with a pickle on it and French fries.  After filling our stomachs with the delicious food, we decided to try a dessert.  My cousin got the Oreo specialty shake and I ordered the Reese’s specialty shake.  Since we could not finish them because they were huge, we took them to go.  When we got our checks, we were pleasantly surprised.  We didn’t expect our bills to be so cheap.  This is another reason why we will come back to Steak ‘n Shake more often.  The food is great, especially the desserts, and it is fairly cheap.  I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who loves restaurants and food like this.

Journal Exercise # 5 pg 412 (13)

Rural King’s Carhartts

Business Criteria and Evidence:

1.       Affordable for the company

2.       Expect to sell many of the item

3.       Expect to sell item quickly

4.       Use past sales of item to predict new year’s selling number

5.       Presentable to customers

6.       Cheap to customers/fair price

7.       Variety of colors for customer to choose

8.       Great presentation look/durability (may be in the middle so customers buy more)

9.       Pleases all ages

Customer Criteria and Evidence:

1.       Cheap/inexpensive for the buyer

2.       Durable/Heavy material to help in colder weather

3.       Lasts long/won’t have to buy another one for a long time

4.       Other customer’s experience with them

5.       Variation in colors so not everyone has the same one

6.       Warmth without being too bulky

7.       Comfortable/easy to work in

8.       Online reviews help form customer’s opinions

9.       “fashionable” for all ages

10.   Place to store valuable items (don’t want them to get wet)

The sets of criteria and evidence are not exactly identical.  They have similarities and differences.  The company wants what is best for them, while still meeting most of the customer’s needs/wants.  The customer wants the best quality for their money and they are determined to get it.  The company wants cheaper ones because then they can charge the customer more for it and still make a profit.  They want the customer’s to give good reviews, though, so other people come in and buy them too.

Roommates (12)

This is a picture of my newest roommate Krista and me.  When I first came to USI in the fall of 2011 as a freshman, I moved into a freshman-only apartment.  Since my high school teachers encouraged us to get random roommates instead of rooming with friends, I decided to go random with all my roommates the first year.  This was a bad mistake on my part.  I ended up talking to Krista (my roommate right now) that I went to high school with.  She said her roommate never moved in at the beginning of the year because she had gotten pregnant.  Krista was worried of who would eventually move in there.  We started talking and I told her I hated where I lived.  I did not like my roommates and two of them always left me alone with the fourth roommate.  I could not live where I lived anymore and my dad called the housing lady and talked to her.  I then had to go down and talk to her and tell her what was going on.  She then gave me a key to my new apartment and that night I moved out of my old apartment and into the new one.  My new roommates came and helped me move everything within a half an hour.  I was then, and still am, living with Krista and her other suitemates.  This picture was taken during the fall when our other roommates talked us into watching Jersey Shore.  They watched it every week and wanted us to watch it too.  We all decided to dress in black yoga pants.  Our Resident Assistant (RA) decided to have a Jersey Shore party in the C-store since they watched it every week.  We all went to the C-store together and watched the episode with our RA and other building members.  Our resident assistant bought pizza and soft drinks for us during the show.  This was a great time to bond as roommates and to meet other residents in our apartment building.  Krista and I get along very well since I moved in.  It is a relief to finally live with someone who feels the same way as you do.  We grew up about 5 minutes from each other and went to the same school.  We did not really hang out together much during grade school or high school, but being roommates now has definitely brought us closer.  We know more about each other and understand each other well.   Since we were brought up in the same lifestyle we feel like we connect.  We know right from wrong and it is so good to know I live with someone who cares and knows what’s going on.  Since then, one of our roommates moved out and back home.  That left only one and we don’t get along with her that well.  Since then, we got a new roommate, but she moved out at the beginning of the spring semester.  Now that it’s just us 3, we seem to be getting along better.  I hope the rest of this semester goes smoothly.

Halloween Party 2011 (11)

This is a picture of my friends Shaelyn and Kaci, and me.  It was taken senior year of high school one evening when we hosted a children’s Halloween party.  One of the clubs we were involved in, FCCLA, had a Halloween party for kids.  As members of the group, we put on a party for any kids who wanted to come.  We invited children we knew and we had games and food for them.  Since we set everything up beforehand in our sponsor’s classroom, we did not have to show up too early.  When we arrived, we made sure everything was good to go before any of the kids showed up.  Once the kids started coming in the door, they were amazed at all the Halloween decorations we put up.  There were streamers, spiders, and ghosts hanging from the ceilings.  In the back of the room there were laminated numbers stuck to the floor for the cupcake walk.  When the music starts playing, the kids would walk around the circle of numbers and when it stopped they would stop on a number.  A number was then drawn and the kid who was on the number said won a chocolate or vanilla Halloween cupcake.  The icing on the cupcakes was dark purple and included a Halloween ring on the top of it.  Another game involved the child rolling a plastic bowling ball into the pins and trying to knock all of them down.  If they knocked some down they were rewarded with a piece of candy.  There was a basketball goal in the room next door and children received pieces of candy and small toys if they made a basket.  My favorite game to play with the children was the fishing game.  There was a curtain on one side and the child was on the other with a fishing pole.  They threw the pole over the curtain and the FCCLA member clamped a shiny necklace to the pole and the child brought the pole back over the curtain to their side.  They were excited to see they got a prize by fishing behind the curtain.  There was also plenty of food for everyone.  There were sugar cookies, chips, chocolate chip cookies, and many more desserts.  We also had fruit punch for everyone to drink.  This event was great and our teacher even let us dress up because the kids were dressing up for it too.



Journal Exercise #2 pg 352 (10)

FREEDOM:

Surely Americans know what freedom is.  It is the line that forms in the middle.  Some do not take advantage enough of their freedom and they hide.  Others take too much advantage of it and cause unnecessary uproar.  It is the line that is gone from the drinking fountains.  It is the vanishing of the segregation on the bus systems.   It is the equal chance each person has to become President.   It is the words of the “I Have a Dream” speech.  It is the fulfilling feeling of having the right to vote.  Freedom is the possibility that anyone can do anything they set their mind to.

Journal Exercise # 1 pg 352 (9)

            Solomon Asch’s line study in 1951 was where people set up an experiment with one person who didn’t know the experiment was taking place.  The other participants were in on the experiment and were “playing” along with the tests.  A number of cards were held up with 3 or 4 different lengths of lines on them and the instructor asked which line was the shortest or longest.  The people who were in on it started answering, but instead of answering with the correct answer they said a different line was the correct line.  The person who wasn’t in on it began conforming to the group and was answering the same answers as the rest of the group, even though they were wrong.  This person answered the same as the group for the rest of the experiment.  This showed how people conform to society and the group.  It shows how people start thinking like each other and not thinking for themselves.  Asch said this was the social pressure conformity experiment.

Journal Exercise #2 pg 294 (8)

I want to learn about all of these topics and I cannot wait to later on in this class.  As this class progresses, I seem to like the topics we cover.  I think the topics we have already covered are interesting and I want to learn more about this class and all it has to offer.  Communication is a key skill I need to have when applying for the program I want to graduate from here at USI.  I believe everyone should take this class to learn about relationships and interpersonal communication.  Your future employer is going to look for many of the skills that are learned in this class.  If you have the chance to take it, go for it.  You never know what could come out of this class or how it will help in your future.  I am glad I am enrolled in the class right now so I can’t learn about all of these topics.

 

The topics that I could investigate more include--

                Broadly held social views

                The Attachment styles

                Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

                The Self

                The Process of Human Perception

                Prototypes, personal constructs, stereotypes

                Interpretations

                Perceptions

                Speech Communities

                Improving Verbal Communication

                Types of Nonverbal Communication

                The Listening Process

                Forms of Nonlistening

                Understanding Emotions

                Features of Satisfying Relationships

                Managing Conflict in Relationships

                Principles of Conflict

                The Nature of Friendship

                The Development of Friendship

                Pressures on Friendships

                Styles of Loving

                The Development of Romantic Relationships

                Cultural Diversity of Family Forms

                Relationship Types

                The family Life Cycle

                Diversity in Family Life

                Why we communicate

Journal Exercise #1 pg 294 (7)

My top five authority topics are softball, Radiology, the Cardinal’s baseball team, Colorado Royal Gorge, and Rural King.  I have been playing softball since I was six years old.  I am studying at USI right now to become a Radiologic Technologist.  My family and I went to Colorado in 2001 for a family vacation.  My family and I saw the St. Louis Cardinals play every year until Scott Rolen was traded.

               

Key questions I can answer about softball:

How many players of the same team are on the field at once?

A batter is out after how many strikes?

What is the name of the softball area that the game is played on?

After how many balls does a batter walk to first base?

What/where is the strike zone?

Key questions I can answer about Radiology:

When was the x-ray first discovered and by who?

The use of the MRI was first used in the US in what year?

How do radiologists prevent unnecessary radiation exposure?

What skills are required for a successful career as a Radiologic Technologist?

 Key questions I can answer about Colorado’s Royal Gorge:

When was the Gorge first created?

What river runs beneath the Royal Gorge Bridge?

How many feet wide is the canyon at the bottom?

The Royal Gorge Bridge is how high above the river?

What type of bridge is this?

How long and wide is the bridge?

How many planks make up the bridge?

What city is the Royal Gorge Bridge in?

 Key questions I can answer about the St. Louis Cardinal’s baseball team:

What year were the Cardinals founded as an American Association Team and what was the name of the team?

How many former Cardinal players and managers are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum in Cooperstown, New York?

How many World Series championships have the Cardinals won?

What year was the team name finally changed to the “Cardinals”?