This week has been very uplifting. I will tell you why (warning - this post is going to be long):
MondayThis day started out badly. I was up the night before starting and finishing a couple pages like an excellent procrastinator would do. I actually was pretty unproductive for a large portion of the night. I decide I will miss my first class the next morning to finish a paper for my Business Law class. So I end up sleeping in and finishing the paper for the class I was missing just in time to email it to my professors. I put the finishing touches on my B Law paper and head out, missing my second class in the process.
My last class of the day, B Law of course, was when the good stuff happened. I got there a tad late as we were reviewing our latest test which comprised of 2 sections - a tricky set of multiple choice questions and an essay. (A large, covering multiple complex issues essay). Well, I totally aced it! I got a 98 percent which is unheard of in this class. My professor actually said my essay was the best essay he's read in all his years teaching at Westminster! My score is also the highest score of all time (Well, on that test in his class. I am getting a little carried away with my bragging rights).
As if that wasn't enough praise to inflate my head for a couple weeks, he pulls me aside on break and strongly suggests that I take the LSAT. He said I should take it w/o any practice or preparation to just see where I naturally stand among my peers to see if I really have a knack for law. I don't know if I would actually enjoy being a lawyer but why not check out the possibility?
TuesdayTuesday wasn't really that awesome, but I can't just skip a day. I did get out of my elections class early because it was election day of course. Obama won as you all know so hopefully he will have substance behind his rhetoric. I am hopeful. I am scared a little about the democratic majority in the legislative branch and how Obama will probably be appointing a couple justices. I am not a fan of one party control in government.
WednesdayWe had our second film in the
Be the Change series. It was
Beyond the Call directed by Adrian Belic. The director came to our reception before the film and stayed for a question/answer session afterwards. He was captivating. His facial hair was enough to keep you entertained. I have to say I am a fan. I also liked his long wavy hair - seriously, I like long hair on guys. Check out his picture, it's sweet. He was aproachabe (sp?), lively, and extremely interesting. I wanted to listen to his whole life story.
His movie was just as cool - that word doesn't even really work but my vocab is fairly limited. It follows three incredible men who journey to the most remote areas of the earth, beautiful, war torn places where no one else will go. They head out on these adventures armed with food, medical supplies, and loads of their own cash. Sometimes they get fake documents to help them travel through areas governed by war lords. They just go out there and help people survive. These men are facisnating (sp?) characters on their own and what they do just makes them more admirable. I plan on purchasing the extended version DVD this holiday season and plan on sharing it with all my friends. In the meantime, check out the film's website,
www.beyondthecallthemovie.com.
Thursday
Two exciting things happened today. I finally got around to ordering some office supplies at work. It was my first time doing it because the receptionist who recently quit used to do it but the responsibility has fallen on me now. Yay for job enrichment :). I was comparing prices between Quill and OfficeMax when my boss told me he had a coupon for Staples where if your order was over $100 you got a free digital camera. He offered to give it to me and I'm like sweet. So I checked out Staples prices and it actually was cheaper than the other two and I got a free digital camera! Holla! I already have one ha ha but it's always nice to get free stuff. I was also thinking I could give it to one of my little sisters for when we draw names for Christmas. All of them would really like it I'm sure.
Exciting thing number two is that I went to a lecture on women's reproductive health and the environment. I know, you normally don't put those things together but the environment and the chemicals we put into it really affect our reproductive health as women and consequently the lives and health of our children. The speaker was very knowlegable and even funny at times. She is an ecologist and told us that her first thought after getting a positive reading on her pregnancy test was "I'm an environment" ha ha.
Here is the press release on my school's website if you want to read more about it. Her presentation was eye-opening to how important the environment is to our health, in a most immediate time frame. For example, she talked a lot about how fetal development can be altered and damaged by environmental affects and levels of pesticides pregnant women are exposed to during certain weeks of their pregnancy.
I think a lot of Americans don't realize how drastically we are altering the environment and how that doesn't just affect what we call "nature" it affects us as human beings. Sandra Steingraber, the woman who presented, was hopeful and encouraged us to make our concerns about the issue heard and let our government know that these issues are important. I left with a feeling of optimism, just knowing that these issues are being addressed. One example she gave is that there are harmful chemicals in cosmetics, such as lead in lipstick! I thought lead was a thing of the past but apparently it's not. You can check out
safecosmetics.org to check and see what cosmetics and beauty products are not using chemicals that we know are harmful.
I am interested in reading her book,
Having Faith: An Ecologist’s Journey to Motherhood. I will have to add it to my next summers reading list. She also has a free article on a related subject - the falling age of puberty in girls in the U.S. I intend to read it; you can download this
pdf if you are interested as well.
Friday
The night is just beginning - so we'll see what it holds! :)
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