"Say yes to yourself"

I think I can relate to this reading reaction the most. Lately; I have been very negative. When I wake up in the morning, I think to my self "Great another crappy day." It seems like I always feel depressed and it sucks. I need to be more positive. Being positive makes me feel better. On some days; it's hard to be positive. It seems like whenever I am having a crappy day; it always manages to get worse. It gets worse because I let it get worse. Instead of saying " what's going to happen next," I need to be saying " I wonder what hard times I am going to have to overcome next," or " things are not as bad as they seem." I need to reorient myself like the reading says to do. Reorienting yourself will help you stay positive.

What is the best way to study for finals?

The best way to study for finals would be reviewing all of the notes you have taken over the semester. If your teacher provides you with a study guide; review the information on that study guide. For me; the best way to study would have to be to write down the answers. The more I write the information; the more it seems to stick in my head. After I write the information; I feel that I know the information pretty well. If I do not feel like I know the information; I will write it over and over until I know the information. Once I have made it that far, I go back to the study guide and look at the questions. I can usually answer all of the questions and feel confident with my answers. If there are any questions that I might struggle with; I just go back and study them a little more. This technique tends to work for me, but it may not work for you. I would have to say the best way to study would have to be to use a technique that works for you. If your good at memorizing information; you should just study the information until you know it. If your good at remembering things by writing them; write them down. Use whatever technique is the most efficient for you.

Do you like music? Why? What kind(s) of music do you listen to?

I love music. Music makes me happy. If I am in an angry mood, I just listen to music and it seems to soothe my soul. Music makes me feel calm. Music can also make me feel alive and full of energy; it just depends on what kind of music I am listening to. I love all kinds of music. No matter what kind of music is being played, I can generally always like it. There is a certain kind of music that I am not to fond of, and this kind would have to be the depressing stuff. You know what I'm talking about. The kind that makes us feel like we actually want to be depressed. Who in their right mind would want to listen to stuff that makes you all depressed? Certainly not me. For me, I like my music to be either full of life or calming. I like stuff like Coldplay, Jack Johnson, Bob Marley, Sublime, ACDC, etc. Like I said, I like ALL kinds of music, I just prefer to listen to some more than others. I generally like to make my own Cd's that are composed of many different types of music; that way I can choose what kind of music I want to listen to right then without having to change the CD.

I Wish

I sometimes wish that I could meet my great grandfather. I can remember meeting him in a retirement home just before he died. I was maybe three or four. He was a full blooded Indian. His name was Lester Wolfe. I wish I could learn more about my tribe. I might not look Indian but I am. I am part of a tribe called the Potawatomi Tribe. My tribe is from Oklahoma. I can relate to this reading "I wish" because I totally want to go back to how it was back then. I wish I could sit by the clear running water, ride horses in the meadows, and have the men hunt. I am sick of the way things are today, and I wish we could go back to the older days. I know that can't happen but one can still wish, can't we?

What are your summer plans?

I have a lot of summer plans. First, I am going to go to LA and San Diego with my boyfriend to visit his mom's side of the family. We're going to be leaving right after finals. After we get back, I will be working for probably most of the summer. I am going to be taking some time off of work to go camping in Fort Bragg. Every year, my mom's side of the family all go camping to Fort Bragg for about a week. Now that I am working, I usually only go for about three or four days. If I was to camp any longer, I would go broke. This is going to be a big summer for me because I am finally going to turn 18! Yes I know, I'm young but its not my fault. I can't believe I am finally going to be an adult, officially. It seems like ever since I got a job; my parents treat me like an adult which is good, but it also kind of sucks. They make me pay for everything. I was going to take a summer school class, but it is my summer and I don't want to be in school all year long. I decided that I was going to enjoy my summer as much as possible. Whenever I'm not working; I will probably be on my boyfriend's houseboat or partying with my friends. Summer is the time to have a blast, and that's what I'm going to do!

Describe your superstitions or the superstitions of someone you know.

Some superstitions that I have would have to be: If I see a black cat, I turn around and go the other way. If I spill salt, I throw it over my left shoulder for good luck. On Friday 13, I am extra extra careful because that is a bad luck day. My grandmother and I would take a walk and if we walked on opposite sides of something like a tree or a pole you say bread and butter or something that goes with another thing. Cookies and milk would be another example. I don't really know what the point of this one is, but I've been doing it ever since I was a little kid. I never open an umbrella inside because that is total bad luck. I believe that you should never walk underneath a ladder because that is also bad luck.

What are you most afraid of? What do you do to deal with this fear.

What am I most afraid of? I think that would have to be any kind of insects. I hate bugs, spiders, and bees. I am terrified of these things because they can really hurt you and make you be in pain for a while. Not only can they hurt you, but some of them are poisonous. When I was younger, I got stung by bees and wasps a lot. Once I got stung by a bee and a wasp at the same time. This has something to do with my phobia. Spiders and bugs creep me out because they can crawl so quickly. Spiders are just scary. The other night, I was at my boyfriend's house. We were sitting in the garage, and I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I looked down and it was this smaller spider, right by my arm. I took a closer look, and noticed that it was black with white strips. As it turned out, this spider ended up being a pretty rare and unique spider that bites without warning. Anything that bites without warning is creepy. Any time I see a bug, spider, or bee I run and hide. It may sound childish, but I haven't gotten stung since I was younger. I have never been bitten by a spider, or been bitten by a bug. If a spider or bug is on the ground, I will kill it, but if it is crawling up a wall, i will not go near it. I will make somebody else kill it. If it doesn't get killed I will not be in that place until it is gone. Even then, I get kind of spooked. After I see a scary looking spider or a bee, I kind of freak out for a while after that. I think that is because I have such a phobia of insects. I will never get hurt by them, because I am never around them. Oh yeah, I forgot about one... SNAKES. I do not like snakes. I hardly ever see a snake, but when I do I am terrified, and run in the opposite direction. One time, My mom and I were walking our previous dog Maggie in upper park and I look to my right and coming out of the bushes was a snake coiled up, ready to attack. I panicked and screamed " holy shit mom there's a snake". Of course my mom didn't believe me, but then she saw it. She literally jumped on me and we just stood there in shock. We didn't know what do to, so we took off running and didn't stop until we reached the car. Snakes are very terrifying.