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Friday, March 12, 2010

Fast-Talking Friday

Hey guys! :)

Another Friday! You know what that means! A nice relaxing weekend (hopefully)!

First off, I know that it's been all around the blog world that 15 miles is gone. I'm sad to hear that the author has deleted her blog. She was a terrific writer and will be terribly missed. I know that she has had a lot of problems arise with her family and I wish her the best of luck in all aspects of her life.

Secondly, there was a blog that I had found in the comment section of the Bedroom Blog that is pretty interesting to read. It offers an opinion on the Bedroom Blog, 15 miles, What My Heart Desires, and the Karen Chronicles. Keep in mind that is it one person's (it could arguably two people's) opinion. If you guys want to check it out, here's the link: http://hippiegurlz2.wordpress.com/.

Third, I was wondering if you guys know of any ways to reduce stress or be better at time management. I'm having trouble staying on top of all my deadlines. Any tips would be super helpful. :)

I have to get back to studying for midterms.

Happy Friday! :)

21 comments:

DDgirl said...

I only found out this morning that 15 miles is gone, and.... well, it's so sad!!!
I mean, I understand the writer problems, but I will miss that blog a lot!

Nic said...

Thanks to your post I found out about fifteen miles. Maybe when the family is all better she'll return. But it's family first.

There's another blog that reviews blogs:
http://blogcentralreviewstation.blogspot.com/

That one's done by a few people (I thought it was something like 5).

Have a nice weekend.

~J said...

When I was in college and worked, I had the same problems with time management.
What seemed to work best for me is to make a list (daily) of the things I needed to do. After I made the list, then I put them in order of importance. The ones that I wanted to get to, but weren't THAT important, I'd put at the bottom. Then I'd set times for each 1 and tried my best to stick to that schedule.
For instace, I had to work 6am-3pm. I knew that I wouldn't want to study as soon as I got home, so I'd give myself an hr of relaxing then an hr for dinner (at 5pm) then at 6 I'd study 1 subject (the most difficult subject) take a break for 15-30 minutes, then 30 min. for another subject.
Statics show that studying for more than 30 minutes at 1 time, you end up not retaining what you study. So I would try to only do 15-20 minutes, take a break, and repeat, alternating subjects if needed.
For midterms, I found that studying with someone was easier. You can quiz eachother. Even if that person isn't in school as well, I would sometimes ask my parents or siblings to help.
Hope that helps some :)

Stephanie said...

I am going to miss 15 miles. Val was a great writer but I know she had a lot going on in her personal life.

Like J, I was big on organization and lists while I was in college. Even after graduation I still keep lists, it helps me manage my time. I also didn't put off things to the last minute. I would have friends scrambling to write 8 page papers at crunch time while also trying to cram for their other exams. As a Psych major it seemed like I always had papers due so I would work on those as soon as possible so that I could devote the rest of mine time to studying.

Study buddies help as well. What you may not understand someone else might be able to help you make sense of. My worst subject has always been math, I have a friend who was a math genius and she would help break things down so it would actually make sense.

Anonymous said...

I used to find it helpful to have a wall calendar on my fridge where I could mark due dates for certain items as a reminder. At my old job, I just used the calendar built into my work email to send me reminders for things and create lists of what I needed to accomplish by a certain time/date.

Also, I find it SO rude that Val deleted the FifteenMiles blog without mentioning anything to her readers. I can understand life taking priority over a fictional blog, but still, it would have been nice to know she was quitting the blog, instead of checking for the new post she promised and finding no blog. She wasn't very kind to her readers anyway, I liked her writing but not her attitude I suppose.

You and many others actually interact with readers and I enjoy that!
Looking forward to the next post :)
-Maejen

Jayjay0jt said...

DDGirl- It was such a great blog! I was extremely shocked and sad that it's gone.

Nic- I hope that she comes back soon. I'm really happy that she's putting her family first. She needs to focus on them right now.

I love the Blog Central Review Station! I haven't gotten a chance to check out WMHD yet. I'm saving it for a rainy day. :)

~J- I never knew that studying for more than 30 minutes you may not retain everything you're studying. I used to have daily lists, but I've been lagging lately. I will definitely start that up again. I don't have to worry about a study partner, the majority of my boyfriend's classes are with me! Built in study partner! :) This was incredibly helpful, thanks! :D

Stephanie- That is my MAJOR problem. I'm getting a little bit better at it, baby steps so far. I am HORRIBLE with procrastination. It's kind of funny, I would do the assignments that aren't due until the next week or in a couple of days before I do the assignment that is due tomorrow. Now, you've worried me. 8 page papers? I really have to stop procrasinating then. Thanks for the heads up!

Do you have any tips for motivating youself to not procrastinate?

Maejan- A wall calendar! I should start that up again. I used to have excellent time management skills when I was working because there was less time to slack off, but now that I'm a full time student, it gives me more room for wiggle.

I wonder if the calendar on Yahoo or Gmail would be able to do the same thing as your work email? Hmm, I should go check that out.

I did find it a little, tiny bit rude that she deleted her blog without informing us. I know a couple blogs have stopped writing, but they would keep their blog up so readers can revisit, just in case they start up again. I'm trying to give her the benefit of the doubt and MAYBE, just maybe, it got deleted by accident.

I'm glad that you enjoy the interaction! I love talking with you and everyone in the blog world! It's so interesting to talk to people all over the country and people who are in other countries about anything and everything. :)

**** Thank you for all your suggestions and comments, guys! I definitely needed a break from studying! :) ****

~J said...

When I was in middle school, I had this teacher, (who turned out to make a giant impact on my life, btw.. I'll never forget her) anyhow.. I can't seem to even remember what class I had her in, but she was big on motivation and stuff.
Out of the many things she said to me in that class that I still remember today was this:
'You know when your alarm goes off in the morning, but you just don't want to get out of bed? And you debate hitting the snooze over and over again.. well.. next time try this. Set your alarm for 10 min before you actually need to get up, hit the snooze once and only once, then during that time, envision yourself actually getting up and into the shower (or dressed or whatever you have to do). Think about every little step that it'll take. Then replay it over and over in your head until the alarm goes off again. By the time it does, your mind is already prepared to do it, and it won't be an issue.'
The next day I tried it, and it actually worked! Ever since then, that's how I deal with my own procrastinations. Even if it's stupid stuff like getting my lazy butt up and putting in a load of laundry. I envision doing the task a few times, my mind gets the idea, and I just do it. Things seem so much easier when I do that and it's helped to curb my procrastination greatly.
Try it and let me know if it works for you :)
I was a Criminal Justice manager as well, with a minor in forensics. I know how stressful midterms and finals are. I only took 4 classes a term b/c my classes were 4 hrs long each class. Luckily, we only meet once a wk. But every class I had papers due and a presentation. Sometimes, depending on the class, we'd have 2, 1 due at midterm (as well has having a midterm) and the other due with a final. Again, both had to have at least a 7 page paper and a 10 min presentation. I thought it was gonna kill me!! lol. But, b/c of that, I've learned about the stages of life of a blow fly, how to read blood spatter, all kinds of cool stuff!
Omg.. I think I wrote a book! lol Anyway, good luck with the organization and procrastination stuff. :)
How many years left do you have in school?

Jayjay0jt said...

I'm going to definitely try it tomrorow! It sounds like an interesting psychological experiment! :)

LOL, I don't mind that you wrote a book. I'm happy that you're sharing how you stay motivated. I'm sure that it's going to be helpful. I'm usually the one who's trying to motivate my friend (we promised each other we'd keep each other motivated) and sometimes, I fail to stay motivated. So, I'm going to need the luck. :)

I'm in my first year at community college right now and I recently decided to switch to a Psych and Behavioral Science double major with an AA in AJ (to my and my counselor's surprise I'm able to do all that in 2 years). I'm not sure how many years I have to go, but I'm transferring in Fall '11 and I think I'll be spending 2-4 years in a state school. I'm still debating about doing a BA in CJ, but I'm pretty sure that it's not going to happen. I think it's because I loved the Hollywood glamorized version of Forensics and not the actual science behind it. Sadly, we didn't get hands on experience in my forensics class and it may have contributed to my lack of interest in the field.

I have the determination and I have the work ethic, I just don't have the time management or organization skills to make it run smoothly.

I'm sorry that my comments have been super long. LOL.

Oh, and I forgot to wish everyone a great weekend! :D

~J said...

Haha, yes.. Hollywood definately glamorized forensics. It's definately not as 'fun' as they make it out to be. And what they don't tell you on T.V. is that there are 2 types of forensics. 1, you're in the field and the other you're in the lab. On T.V., they show the same ppl collecting and testing just about all of the evidence. While some evidence is done by the 'field' tech, most of it is actually done by other ppl in labs. (we have 2 titles for them; field mouse and lab rat hahaha)
Oh and you definately don't get to interview any suspects. That's saved for the detectives. I know in my state, CSI's aren't sworn officers either and can not wear a gun. They are civilian jobs, and you have to have more schooling than the cops/detectives! Does that make any sense?? lol

Jayjay0jt said...

That totally makes sense. My instructors both worked in the County's Forensics Lab and that was one of the first things that they told us. That and the women don't wear heels in the field! :P

I'm pretty sure that that cops in my state make more than the Forensics specialists and I think you only need an AA to be a police office. It's funny how the world works.

If you don't mind me asking, are you currently working in the field?

Jayjay0jt said...

~J- Oh, and I forgot to thank you. I woke up at 7 this morning thanks to your suggestion! I rarely ever wake up before 10 or 11 on Saturdays. It works! :D

Stephanie- I'm working on the making lists things, it's definitely clearing up the clutter in my brain.

Maejan- I'm starting to use my calandar on my touch to send me alerts for when I have to do it and when to do it by. :)

Again, thank you guys so much for your help! :D :D :D

~J said...

Currently, thanks to the economy and budget cuts, I'm not currently working. Though, I have had 2 interviews and have done my drug test for FDLE (FL. Dept. of Law Enforcement). They are just waiting to get my background check and credit check back (takes about 8 wks) before I 'officially' find out if I get the job. Keep your fingers crossed for me! :)

~J said...

Oh and glad it worked for you this morning!!
I now use it on just about everything that I procrastinate about.. and it usually works then too! :)

Jayjay0jt said...

Fingers crossed! It sounds so exciting!

I wish I could fast forward through all the study years.

Definitely keep us posted! :]

~J said...

Hahaha.. don't wish too hard. It really does fly by fast. :)
Before you know it.. you're 30 yrs old and think.. what the hell happened? I was just 21 a few months ago!!!? And where did all these gray hairs come from?? LOL :)

Jayjay0jt said...

Time has already flown by! I remember when I was 14 and so excited to get my license and, now, I'm an adult. HAHA.

But I feel like I'm getting grey hairs and wrinkles from college. By the time I graduate, I'll have to dye my hair every month. :P

~J said...

Whoa!? You got your license when you were 14?? Haha! Must be nice.. down here it's 15 for permit and 16 for regular license. Where do you live? California?

Jayjay0jt said...

Oh, no no no. I wanted my license at 14. We get permits at 15 and typically license at 16 in California, but I know people who are still barely getting their license or they don't have them at all. I live in a city where people can either walk to school or take the bus, so having a license isn't a big deal to them. I, on the other hand, lived in the suburbs for my license getting years so I had to get my license to get to and from work.

I wish I had gotten my license at 14! That would be so cool!

Oh, since you reside in Florida, I have a question. My criminal law teacher mentioned something about a law that I found interesting. She mentioned that if you commit adultery that it's a misdemeanor, I'm not sure if it's true or not because it's a little bit odd. Do you happen to know offhand?

~J said...

Hahaha, yes. It is true, sort of. While most ppl think adultery is simply cheating on their spouse, there's actually 2 different kinds. 1 is called "Open Adultery" (as opposed to the other; secretly).
The Florida State Statute says that a person (or persons) who are married and openly have affairs are guily of 2nd degree misdmeanor, penalty is 60 days in jail. If both ppl are married that are having the affair..then both get prosecuted.
However, while it is actually on the books, it's 1 of those stupid laws that was made many many many years ago that no one enforces now.
You'd be surprised of all the stupid laws that are still on the books.
I'll see if I can find any stupid laws like that for California for you :)

~J said...

Ok, here are just a few stupid laws in California: (if you want to give me your email address, I can send you a whole list) The stuff in ( )'s is the county or city that deemed the law.
1. Children may not wear a Halloween mask unless they get a special permit from the sheriff. (Walnut)
2. Giving or receiving oral sex is prohibited. (San Francisco)
3. Persons classified as "ugly" may not walk down any street. (San Francisco)
4. One may not carry a lunch down the street between 11 and 1 o'clock. ( Riverside)
5. Two bathtubs may not be installed in the same house. (Prunedale)
6. It is illegal to molest butterflies. (Pacific Grove) - not sure I want to know what prompted THAT law???
7. It is illegal for a man to beat his wife with a strap wider than 2 inches without her consent. (Los Angeles) - again.. WTF???
8. Cars are the only item allowed in a garage. (Long Beach)
9. One may not use one's own restroom if the window is open. (Dana Point)
10. Women may not wear high heels while in the city limits. (Carmel)

There's a ton more! LoL
Don't feel bad.. 1 of those stupid (strange) laws here in Florida: It is illegal to have sexual relations with a porcupine. (WTF?!? Who even TRIED that to make it a law now??)
Anyway, hope you have a great Monday (and got a few laughs out of these laws!) :)

Jayjay0jt said...

Oh, ok, that makes sense that it's not enforced. I was wondering how officers would pursue that? Going undercover? :P

I think my favorite is number 6. HAHA. Seriously, where do people come up with these laws???

Oh, and your Florida one! "It is illegal to have sexual relations with a porcupine." HAHA.

Thanks for the laughs and Happy Monday to you too! :D