Student Blog

As close as this semester is to being completed, I still feel the need for a break. I’m sure not only myself, but other students and faculty feel this way as well.. It’s almost like we are “so close, yet SO FAR AWAY!”

On my way into my Precalc Algebra class on Monday morning, I passed a sign near the East side of the Mathematics building. I’m sure you have seen them around campus. They advertise things such as Farmers Market, or the Art Exhibits, plays, and other campus related events that students would like to know about. I noticed that there was a letter talking about an upcoming music recital, with guitarist Marc Mannino and guests.

I am not normally one for music recitals, but I think this one will be well deserved. His repertoire includes both Jazz, and Classical music, and I cannot think of a better way to relax than listening to Jazz or Classical!

If you are anything like me, you could use a break from studying, memorizing, stressing, and the every day stresses college students go through. Why not give it a try? It’s only $10 to the general public, and $5 for students and faculty. It will be on Thursday April 19th, at 8:00 P.M. in the Neel Performing Arts Center.

If you have any questions, feel free to call the Neel Performing Arts Box Office, at 941-752-5252. If you are interested in knowing more about Marc Mannino, feel free to visit his website at http://www.marcmannino.com/

What types of music do you listen to in order to “escape” for a while, or maybe even to study to? I personally enjoy country music to study with. Nothing can beat good ol’ George Strait when I am doing math homework and having fun! Let me know what you enjoy. studentblog@scf.edu

Well good afternoon/evening/night/morning! (Depending on when you might be reading this, I want to be sure to greet you in the correct manner, so I made sure to say them all!) Hopefully you had a good weekstart!

You may be saying.. “Steve.. what is this “weekstart” thing that you speak of?” Well, to that I answer this: It is what I call my weekends! I would rather think of the week starting off with a couple of days free of work or school, rather than ending with them. It helps me get through the week without losing too much of what little sanity I may or may not have left.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who can tell when it’s Monday. Things seem to want to be as difficult as they can. Buttons not wanting to be pushed, phones not wanting to ring, cars not wanting to start, you get the picture. It’s funny how that works isn’t it?  Not always a bad thing.. After all.. We wouldn’t really have Fridays if we didn’t have Mondays right? I always try to look towards the “full” side of the glass, whether or not is a large or small one!

With me personally, getting up for those lovely 8AM classes is always sort of a struggle, especially on Mondays. My mind says to my legs “Hey! No! Don’t move! If you don’t, then I don’t have to leave! So Stay HERE!!!” However, the alarm clock always seems to drown out my brain, and I get up regardless… eventually.. (lol)

Most of the time, I tend to have a hard time being able to focus in class when it’s Monday. I just want to go home! Hahaha. After about 20 or 30 minutes though, I tend to realize that no matter how much I want to leave, I need to stay to better myself. Soon, I am back into the swing of things, and am studying and doing homework after the class is over, like normal.

What do you struggle with the most after your weekstart is over? Like I said above, mine is surely having the mental mindset of being at home, brain numb to any learning-(heck.. anything at all! haha!) How do you cope with the week starting, and resuming classes like normal? A large mocha? Some 5 hour energy? A Monster? On my way to school I normally listen to my country music and sing along. (Very poorly I might add.) But that’s ok, nobody else can hear me, so it is nothing but practice! >:)

Let me know how you get your week started. Who knows, maybe I will try your technique and see if it will help me improve my weekend mindset. studentblog@scf.edu

You know what your plans for the day should include?

Attending SCF’s Aria concert tonight! At 8:00 pm in the Neel auditorium, lots of SCF students will be performing some beautiful pieces of music. The main focus (if you couldn’t guess from the name) are aria’s from famous operas (some more famous ones being The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute). Many pieces will be accompanied with live music and over-all I think the show is going to turn out great!

I’d really like to go, but unfortunately I found out after I’d already made other plans. Basically, it sucks to be me, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t go and enjoy it for me! Tickets for admission will probably be around $8, and students are half-off! I hope you have a good time (because you’re going, right?) and please let me know what songs were your favorites! Our email is studentblog@scf.edu.

Hello All! I apologize for not writing at all until now. This week has been extremely busy for me. I actually had to take a day off of work just so I could get caught up on my school work!

Overall I am doing well. Last week I told you guys I would keep you posted on my Chemistry exam. I ended up getting an 81%, which wasn’t bad but not exactly what I was hoping for. I am doing my best to live every day to the fullest, and enjoy everything about every day. Afterall, you aren’t here for a long time, you’re here for a good time! (George Strait song is playing right now, and it’s my favorite!)

In my ENC 1102 class, we have been assigned to write a Literary Analysis for one of the short stories we’ve read during class. As I’m sure you guessed, I picked an “Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” (If you follow my blog I mentioned awhile back how much I loved that story!!) This literary analysis has been one of the most challenging assignments I’ve ever had to do.. Actually THE hardest. I’ve never had to do anything close to this before and it has really opened my mind up to trying to learn new ways of reading..

You see, (for me at least) I have settled into this “groove” that hasn’t changed or needed to change up until now.. I was so used to reading the story and getting it done and over with, that I never really analyzed the literature before. (Yes, I know you are meant to do that in grade school, but I never did it to the extent that I am now.) That is one of the beautifully frustrating parts I have been dealing with. It is almost bitter sweet… I am struggling, but it is almost nice to struggle. (No, I’m not trying to be cocky.) I feel like the best lessons learned are the ones you struggle to understand.. Sort of like when you LOSE, you learn from it more than if you WIN. It’s the same thing with me. I like winning, don’t get me wrong, but every now and then it is sobering to realize that you’ve lost.. What’s more is since you’ve lost you now need to get up and wipe the dust off, and learn what you did incorrectly. This is something that admittedly I have not done too much of over the course of the past few years. I have done fairly well in all of my classes.

So, what do you like the most about learning? email me at studentblog@scf.edu and let me know!

This week in my ENC 1102 class, we started reading poems. I personally am not much of a poem type person.. Roses are red, violets are blue (you’d think they would be violet, not blue..?) Anyway.. Not much of a poet.

We started on what poems tend to be written on the majority of the time (in my opinion anyway): Love poems! There are of course the typical love poems you would think someone like Romeo would recite to Juliet, or something along those lines. Today however, we were assigned to read about love poems of a different breed. I’m not even sure how to convey the type of poem to you. It most definitely is a love poem, but it is not the kind often associated with the word. I wish there was a way to describe it. Well, I can try!

We were assigned to read five poems and take notes if we chose to, to come back to class with a good understanding of each poem. The first poem I have provided below. It is extremely beautiful, and it kind of makes me sad inside, but in almost a good way.. Kind of one of those axioms that nobody can describe but everyone understands.

This poem is surely a love poem, but it is not typical. It talks about the love of the mans first child.. Talks about his memory and love for the boy.

This is only the first poem, but as you can see it is quite serious as compared to the contrasting side of “love.”

Several others go on to talk about the love of other family members lost, be it a wife, son, grandfather, etc. Several also talk about the love of ones childhood, and boy did that bring back memories for me personally. It’s amazing how detailed and specific these poems are. I constantly find myself amazed at how well they are written, and can even achieve describing something as difficult to define as “love.” (Try it! It’s not something you can easily define.. But again, it is sort of an axiom that everyone understands and doesn’t need to be described.) But hey, I guess that’s why it’s in the course curriculum right? Haha. Anyway.. I just found myself to be more interested in poetry than I previously envisioned myself to be. Who knows, maybe I will end up being a poet! Let me try!

Roses are Red,

Violets are Blue,

… Still got nothing..

Oh well. I tried.

What is your favorite poem? Do you not have any specific faves? Maybe a favorite poet? I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on the matter.

Hit me up!

studentblog@scf.edu

Well howdy everybody. Hope you had an excellent weekend. Mine was sure busy… Lot’s of schoolwork kept me out of trouble! I am excited about this week though!

Some kind of cool news! SCF’s baseball team is going to be playing the Baltimore Orioles tomorrow, (Tuesday, April 3rd) from 1-4PM at Ed Smith Stadium!! How outstanding is that?!

Tickets are only $3 and all proceeds go straight towards SCF Manatees Athletics  Department to support scholarships and athletic department operations. Some other contact information is below if you are interested. It’s a great opportunity to support your school and see a baseball game at the same time!

SCF Athletics 941-752-5261 http://scf.edu/athletics

Tuesday, April 3, 2012 1:05 PM – 4:00 PM

Yesterday I took that dreaded chemistry exam I have been telling you about.. Ehh… I feel I did alright, I am anxiously awaiting my grade to be posted though. Chemistry is a great subject and very interesting if you are into that sort of thing. One thing I have discovered is that it is not my forte. I went in to this class thinking I was going to continue in the medical/chemistry career by becoming a Veterinarian, but have since learned that is not where I was destined to go.

One thing though, is that the class is interesting! I am not bashing chemistry or what it’s about, I’m simply saying that it’s not for me. But I guess knowing what you DON’T want to do is just about as important as knowing what you DO want to do, right?

After this chemistry class is over, which is only a few more weeks, I think I am going to try one more course, just to see if I can get the hang of it and get into a better rhythm than I am now. I am studying my can off, and only have a measly 86 B in the class. (At least, that is prior to my exam grade being posted xD) … I am the type of person that, when goes for a grade, let’s call it an A.. Anything less than that is a failure.. So I find I am putting a lot of stress on myself and it just isn’t helping me to learn the material better.

I think the point of today’s blog is to communicate to everyone something along the lines of this: If you end up not liking a subject or finding out it’s not for you, that’s great in a way! You have eliminated a possible path from your list, and the path you are meant to be on is one step closer to being under your feet.

Until next time, it’s Steve signing out!

What is your favorite subject? Mine would have to be math. Or recess.. LOL. I’d like to know what your favorite subject is and why! Email me and who knows, maybe we can end up taking a class or two together!

studentblog@scf.edu

Hopefully you remembered to set that alarm clock this morning. A lot went on over spring break for me personally! The clocks “springing” ahead, hanging with friends, and catching up on some well needed sleep come to mind when recalling the events of my break. Why such a dull spring break you ask? Well, it wasn’t really much of a break for myself, and I’m sure a pretty large percent of us Manatees agree when I say that “It’s not much of a break when you still have to clock in!”

Some might think that it’s a bad thing, to this I respond saying something along the lines of  “It’s nice to get a paycheck!!!” Haha.

I know for some it was extremely hard to wake up this morning, but fear not! We only have a couple more months of this semester, then summer will begin. (Wow.. It’s crazy how fast time flies isn’t it?)

Now that my brain has had the chance to r-e-l-a-x, it’s time to start stressing again.. (How lovely..) I will be studying for my exam in Chemistry this Wednesday. It’s almost bitter-sweet though. I am just thankful I have the chance to go to such a great college, be around such great students and staff, and share great memories with them.

How was your spring break? Email me the most exciting thing you did over spring break, and we can compare with each other and see who had a more exciting time studentblog@scf.edu

We’ve all got hair issues, I think. Some people lose hair, some people’s hair is too brittle. Some people wish their hair was straight, some wish for curly, some wish for different colors. Thats a lot of insecurities, and sometimes keeping up with making yourself feel better about them can be really time consuming. Who has the time and the money to dedicate towards “fixing” all of these issues? It can be a real challenge! So many of us are on campus every day, we have homework, tests, and projects, not to mention work. Alongside that, books are not cheap! And neither is the gas it takes to get to school. The drive alone is thirty-five minutes for me, and I know that personally, my days are chock full as it is.

Well, sometimes it doesn’t have to be as hard as you think it might be! If you just change up your routine a little bit, you could save a lot of the dollars and hours spent in hair salons. First off, its important to make sure you pick out shampoo/conditioner that suits your needs. Sound expensive? Have no fears! You don’t have to buy salon brands like TreSemme to get products that treat you well. It may cost three or four dollars instead of one, but lots of stores have shampoos, conditioners, and styling agents that are specified to different types of hair (long hair, curly hair, dry hair, flat hair, etc.). Meanwhile, there are home remedies that also work well. You might have heard of women putting mayonnaise in their hair and wondered to yourself, “Why would they do that?” The answer is actually quite simple! Two of mayonnaise’s main ingredients are eggs and oil, both of which are very good for hair. For those who don’t relish the idea of putting a condiment in your hair, consider this: Heat 1/4 a cup of olive oil in the micro then mix it with a beaten, raw egg. Gently rub it into your scalp and roots, lightly through the length of your hair, and into your tips as well. Let it sit for 30-60 minutes. Go do some homework or cook dinner while you let it soak! It may sound a little gross, and it may not feel too great when its all over your fingers, but after you wash it out with shampoo and conditioner, you hair will feel healthier already.

For those losing hair or have hair that breaks too easily, go to your doctor and ask if it’s a reasonable worry that you might be iron deficient. My hair is naturally very thin, so I’m of the opinion that that is why it breaks. But sometimes not having enough iron in your diet can also cause this, and as long as it is doctor approved, you can go out and purchase iron supplements. Another option is a vitamin called Biotin! These vitamin helps strengthen the keratin your body produces, making it good for hair and nails!

When you’re a student, its always a great idea to look into the less-expensive options. High quality boxed hair dye, vitamins, and home hair treatments are all just a few things that could help you out! Why dedicate an hour or two alongside $70 at a salon when you can accomplish the same results at home, while getting school work done at the same time.  Have you tried any of these home ideas? Or have any other suggestions? Drop them into an email to studentblog@scf.edu, we’d love to hear about them.

Wow guys! I can’t believe I am blogging about midterms already.. Seems like life is flying by. Best part about this week? Spring break!! I cannot wait! But, stress before play they say! (Wait.. that’s not right!) I’ve got to take my exams and study study study before I get to go on my break. Best part about my break? I don’t actually have spring break, because I get to work!! :/ But that’s ok, I like getting that paycheck

Well, I’m logging off to study. My Mac1140 exam is Friday, and I want to make sure I ace it!  My favorite method to use with math is repetition. If I get one minute thing wrong, I do a similar problem until I don’t make the mistake I made initially.  Each subject gets a different study method for me. What are your study habits? Any suggestions? Let me know. studentblog@scf.edu