park center w. nancy

Today my friend Nancy and I were just hanging out and we were sort of bored, so we decided to go down to park center and play tennis. When we got to park center we asked the lady for two tennis rackets and gave her our two dollars. As we were walking away we realized we needed at least one ball. So we went back and asked her and she said they were all out. I don’t understand how they can be all out of tennis balls when there were only like two courts being used outside. Nancy and I decided to play racquet ball instead even though I have never played before. We searched around for the courts until finally we found these short little doors that you have to go in. We went in and at first we were just lightly hitting the ball against the wall until we got into it and then we started hitting it really hard. We didn’t know how to keep score or anything so we just kept hitting the ball and making each other have to run for it. It was actually a pretty good work out. That was my first time playing racquet ball and it was a lot of fun, especially because I was able to play with my best friend. We laughed the whole time. The funniest part was when one of us would randomly get hit with a ball. Neither of us got hurt but it was really funny. I never realized how fun of a sport it was until today. We definitely plan on going back down there and playing some more games before we leave for summer vacation. Speaking of summer vacation, it is so close. It’s going to be sad to leave everyone but I can’t wait to see my friends and family at home. Hope everyone has a good summer!

"The Bully in the Mirror"

I recently finished a book called, “The Bully in the Mirror.” The book was based on a 16 yr. old boy who was once an overweight boy and decided to do something about it to get noticed. The story traces the life of Alexander Bregstein in order to show that young teenage boys also have self esteem issues when it comes to being noticed by the outside world. Many young people as well as older people are only seen as being overweight when really there is a whole other side to them that people do not see. In the story, Alexander plays the part of many teenage boys who are overweight and feel they need to change their physical appearance to get noticed for who they are and not just for what they look like. The story also shows that many boys may be taking how they look to a completely different level when it comes to getting noticed from their physical appearance. I think the story was somewhat truthful, in that, girls are not the only ones who care about their appearance. Many girls take the way they look to extreme levels. Whether it is by hurting themselves mentally and physically or just by spending money to get to where they want to be, girls are not the only ones who have this mindset. Many teenage boys feel they need to look good in order to get the attention they want from others. I think that people should be accepted for who they are and not by their looks. However, you have to keep in mind how important it is for one to exercise and stay fit to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Looking good is one thing but you have to be able to see when it is being taken too far.

I Live New York Summit

I wasn’t really sure what to write my blog on so I’m writing it about a speech that I attended a while ago called the “I Live New York” Summit. The event was held in the auditorium of Old Main. We were able to hear Silda Wall Spitzer, New York’s first lady, speak about political issues in our state. Many of the issues Silda spoke about I was able to relate back to class. The purpose of the summit was to show the importance of engaging young people, such as our generation, in government and politics of New York. As Mrs. Spitzer said, the issue we should be concerned about is, “Keeping the next generation in New York.” What is causing the lack of engagement? According to Spitzer, many people are leaving New York to pursue more rewarding and successful jobs due to the lack of available jobs in our state. Spitzer believes that, “Brain drain,” is one of the primary causes of the lack of engagement in New York. In other words, our generation is not being informed with enough information to create an impact on their knowledge of government and politics. In my opinion, if we do not become involved now, then we will not have the knowledge or the experience for when it is our turn to be in charge. After listening to the first lady speak, I realized how important it is for my generation to become involved in or at least have knowledge of the political and governmental issues that are taking place in our state. I think a good start to this issue would be to educate children with minor issues and as they get older inform them with major issues that their generation will possibly be held responsible for taking care of. Overall, the “I Live New York” Summit was pretty interesting.

gas prices

I don’t know if anyone has realized it but gas prices are increasing so much, it’s crazy. I can remember when I first started driving it was only two or three dollars. Now it is almost up to four dollars. The news stated that last week gas prices hit a record average of $3.60 as the big oil companies like Exxon Mobil logged billions of dollars. There are many reasons why gas prices are so high though. For one, the price of crude oil which accounts for over half of the cost of gasoline at pumps hit records close to $120 a barrel. $120 is at least five times greater than the prices in 2002. In accordance with the raise in gas prices, United States drivers are expected to decrease their use of gasoline for the first time since the year 1991. Recently, there were hundreds of trucks protesting the diesel fuel prices because they have reached an average record of $4.38 per gallon. There are Democratic lawmakers who want to add on a new tax on oil company profits to help with the gas prices. Also, Senator John McCain and Senator Hillary Clinton both want to temporarily suspend an 18.4 cent per gallon gasoline tax over the summer. By doing this, the average family would save about $30 over the summer. According to oil companies, the high energy prices are not their fault. They are blaming the prices on crude oil markets. I think that gas prices have become such a problem for everyone who drives including families who do not have a high income, people who are retired, tractor trailer drivers, and even us teenagers who do not have a steady income. My parents have been looking for a new car for me but the options have been narrowed down so much because these days with all the driving I do I definitely need a car that is good on gas. Somehow I think officials are going to have to find away to decrease gas prices or else there will definitely be consequences in our economy.

drinking and driving

Recently, there was a major issue that happened with some kids from Binghamton University. I’m sure many people have heard about it but I think it is something that other students should learn from. Last Friday, May 2nd, Cornell University held an event called Slope Day. Slope day use to be when the students would buy alcohol for the last day of school and have a party on a slope at the college. If there was snow they would sled down the hill. Apparently the go sliding down the hill in the mud as well. Now the college started supporting the event and buying the alcohol for the students. Friday, a few kids from Binghamton came up for the party and ended up getting drunk. Later on the four students ended up driving back, which was not the smartest decision. As they were driving through the town of Caroline in Tompkins County the 20 year old driver hit a tree. One of the students suffered from a severe head injury and was transported to Cayuga Medical Center. He was then taken to Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse where he was then pronounced dead. The driver was charged with driving while intoxicated and also Vehicular Assault in the second degree. Now he is facing years in prison due to his bad decisions. I think this is important for other students to hear this story because it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Drinking is one thing, but drinking and driving is something so serious. People always think they’re ok to drive but in reality it only takes one bad decision to create a disaster. We all know people who drink and drive or who have done it before and always claim to be ok to drive; in fact no one is ok to drive if they’ve been drinking. I think it is important for people to realize the possible consequences before they make decisions.

the weekend

This weekend was a lot of fun. It was alumni weekend for our sorority and there was so much going on. Friday night we had a get together for the alumni. Everyone had a lot of fun and enjoyed everyone’s company. Saturday we had a barbeque for the alumni. We barbecued chicken, hamburgers, and hotdogs and everyone thought the food was really good. Saturday was also Monroe fest. I felt like just about the whole college was there. I only made it for a little while because our barbeque lasted so long but it was pretty fun. Saturday night my big was in the tan off at lucky’s so a few of my friends and I went there to cheer her on. She has dark skin to begin with but since she has been tanning she was extremely dark. While I was at lucky’s I was standing there talking to one of my guy friends. Even though he wasn’t 21 he was still drinking. The cops came in and as soon as he saw them he put his arm around me and put his drink down. It was too late though. The cops came up to him and asked him to see his ID. My friend said he didn’t have one and that he used someone else’s. The cops obviously knew something was up so they took him outside and asked him a lot of questions. My friend tried his best to get out of it but it didn’t work. He ended up getting brought down to the police station where they gave him two tickets. I felt bad for him because there are so many people who drink underage at bars and he just happened to get caught. I don’t think it’s fair that the cops have to ruin people’s nights like that. Even though it is a law, everyone does it! I guess everyone should just be smart when they’re out at the bars.

Matilda

Tonight my roommate and I decided to have a movie night. We were flipping through the channels because we really don’t have any good movies in our room and guess what movie was on. Matilda was on. We were so excited because we have not watched that movie in forever. Matilda was one of my favorite movies when I was younger as well as my roommate’s. I remember watching it and thinking that if I got yelled at I would have powers too. So I was telling one of my guy friends that I was watching Matilda and he laughed and said, “I use to try and have powers; I use to try really hard.” I just laughed because now I know my friends from home and I were not the only ones who use to try and have powers when we were younger. If we really did have powers though, it would be so cool. I think Matilda was a really good movie for kids to watch because it made kids want to be like her and she was such a sweet girl. Even though she lived a hard family life, she never gave up on her own life. A lot of people in life take after their parents. If their parents live successful lives then a majority of the time their children live up to their parent’s standards and become successful. In Matilda though, Matilda comes from not such a successful family. However, since she is basically the smartest girl ever she decides not to move down south with her family and to stay with her teacher ms.honey. She loved ms.Honey and also wanted to be able to go to school because she eventually loved her school and loved all of her friends. I think Matilda is such a great movie and everyone should watch it if you never have!

missin my fam <33

This week was especially tough; my brother turned 15 years old. It was the first family birthday party that I missed in my entire life. I wanted to be there but being at college there was no way to go and make it back in time. Another reason is that since I don’t have my car here at college, it would have been difficult for my mom or dad to drive here to pick me up then drive and then have to drive me back the next morning. They could have had it over the weekend, but I had a sorority formal to go to, so I couldn’t make it. I did call and was able to speak to my brother briefly and I was able to say hi to my family on speaker phone. I wish I could have been there. My mom said she really missed me not being there and it was a dull ache that she couldn’t shake. She gets teary eyed very easily. She said I always sat next to my brother when he blew the candles out and this year it was just my cousins next to him. Besides from his birthday, my brother had a baseball game. He hit his first ever over the fence home run, I was sorry again that I couldn’t be there for it. He was so excited to hit it. My mom said the fans said they had never seen a home run there before and every time Nate got up to bat after that, they would yell out, “Back, Back – Here’s the home runner”.
In a few weeks, I’ll be going home, I can’t wait to see my family. I’m sure it won’t take too long to get used to being home.

summer plans

Summer is right around the corner and I am so excited. There is so much I want to do this summer I don’t know how I am going to fit it all in. Recently one of my best friends from home made the decision that she is going to be living in New Jersey for the summer with her sister. A few of my girlfriends are planning a road trip to go see her for a few days. That should be a lot of fun. I’m also going to be working a lot this summer so it is going to be difficult to fit in everything I want to do but I am going to do my best. I waitress at a restaurant called Green Acres. I also applied for an internship over the summer where I would be working with physical therapists. This would be perfect because physical therapy is what I am studying to hopefully become someday. Another plan for the summer I have is to visit some of my pledge class sisters in Long Island. A lot of people think it is crazy but since I am from upstate, I have never been to Long Island. I also have only been to New York City once. I’m really excited to go down because I know we will have a lot of fun, at least they talk like it’s a lot of fun. Between having two jobs I know it is going to be hard to fit in downtime but I know with the downtime that I have I am definitely going to be taking advantage of it and doing the things I want to do. Another thing I always do in the summer is get a gym membership. It looks like I am going to be getting up early to go to the gym or else I don’t see when else I will be able to go. Anyways, I hope everyone has a great summer!

busy busyy

Lately there has been so much going in my life. Between homework, friends, and everything with my sorority I have been so busy it seems like. Last week was senior pledging. For senior pledging the seniors get to relive some memories and have a lot of fun with it. That started last Sunday but I wasn’t involved in it until Tuesday. Since Tuesday night, I have been out every night having to go to all these different events and everything. Of course I have fun, but sometimes I feel like I am doing so much and I need a break but I don’t have time to take breaks. I also need to remember to keep my priorities set straight. It is difficult when there are so many fun things going on to and you have homework to do. Sometimes you have to pick and choose your plans but it is not always that easy. It’s especially hard because it is the end of the school year and everyone is ready to get out of here for the summer. I am excited to go home for the summer and see all of my friends and especially my family but I am definitely going to miss all of my friends here. I think that I have met some of my best friends here at college and it’s going to be sad to leave them but I know that even with time being apart and everything we will still be just as close when we come back next semester. On the other hand, I feel as if some of my friends from home and I have definitely grown apart. We all went off to college and met new friends. The ones who were my best friends will still always be considered my best friends though and I cannot wait to see them.

fact

Recently my exboyfriend’s sister had a baby and so during her pregnancy we were all looking up things for her to be aware of when she becomes a mom. I came across some interesting information when I was looking online one day about pregnancies. Apparently, new research has shown that depending on what the mother eats at the time of conception, it is associated with the child’s sex. A study was done with 740 mothers who were giving birth for the first time. Within the 740 women, they were split into three different groups. The groups were split up according to the number of calories that the women consumed per day around the time of consumption. The results showed that 56 percent of the women who consumed the most calories gave birth to boys whereas only 45 percent of the group who consumed the lowest energy intake. Another factor was that as well as consuming more calories, the women who had sons were also more likely to have eaten a higher quantity and more diverse nutrients. They consumed more things such as potassium, calcium, various vitamins, and much more. The reason for all of this is that by skipping breakfast your glucose level decreases. Research also shows that higher levels of glucose promotes the growth and development of male embryos and decreases the chances of the development of female embryos. I think that all of this information is very interesting and if someday you are hoping your child is a boy then you should consume more calories and nutrients. On the other hand, if you want a girl then you should decrease your consumption of calories and nutrients. Of course this doesn’t work 100 percent of the time but if the chances increase, why not try it?

Formal in Albany

Last weekend was our formal in Albany. My whole sorority bought a bunch of rooms at the holiday inn express, where our formal was held. Originally we were staying two people in a room at a time. We all got thinking about it though and thought that we should just all pile into a room. Sooo, there was eight of us in one room and it we all had so much fun. It was seven girls and one guy, he loved it. Of course getting ready was a little bit hectic though. Everyone was trying to hog the mirrors and we all had to do our hair and our makeup in about an hour and a half so we were rushing like crazy. The formal started at 7:00 but we ended up being about a half hour late. Dinner was from eight until nine and the food was really good. There was chicken, potatoes, vegetables, ziti, rolls, salad, and a lot more. Dessert was by far the best though. For dessert they had out canolis. Where I am from, canolis are rare so when we come across them it’s so great. Our formal ended at 11 and then we all found ourselves downtown partying until four in the morning. Everyone had such a good time. I always thought that Cortland was a lot of fun and that downtown Cortland was fun too but Albany definitely has Cortland beat. That was my first time partying in Albany and it was definitely a good experience. My friends and I already made plans to go back. Overall, formal was a lot of fun and was definitely worth the money spent. I’m hoping that next year we have formal in Albany again so we can do the same thing all over again!

So, lately my aim has not been working and it has been bothering me so much. Every time I go to sign on it says “connection lost.” I don’t know why it keeps saying that because my internet is working fine. I never realized how addicted to aim I am. I remember being younger and all my friends would get online together and we’d all talk for hours upon hours. It’s different now though because I just like to have an away message up. I hardly ever come back from away. So what is it about aim that we all like so much? Obviously it’s a very convenient way of communicating with people, but half the time we have away messages up and aren’t instant messaging. It’s also a good way to talk to friends that you haven’t talked to in a while. Everyone says that facebook is a way of stalking people but if you think about it, so is aim. With today’s updated version of aim you can look at people’s away messages from days and days ago. Aim and its features have improved so much since the first time I ever used it. Today, you can have your “eye” open or closed. When it’s open people know you’re on, and when it’s closed people don’t know you’re on. Sort of creepy if you think about it. You can also change the colors of your buddy list which is pretty cool. Since my aim wasn’t working I decided to uninstall it and download the newest version. This one is cool because along with aim itself, I downloaded aim tunes. With aim tunes you can listen to music and share music with other people. I think aim was a great invention. So many people have it and use it on a regular basis, it’s ridiculous.

Asthma

Asthma has affected many people and in many different ways. Asthma causes inflammation in your lungs and airways and for them to swell. During asthma attacks airways tighten and become narrower, making it difficult for air to pass through and making it difficult to breathe. Another name for asthma attacks is an exacerbation. Asthma affects people in different ways. Some people experience asthma attacks due to allergies, or when they breathe in cold air, or during periods of exercise. Not only do asthma attacks affect a person while it’s happening, but if they are not treated, the swelling and inflammation in the person’s airways can lead to permanent damage to your airways and lungs. There are a few causing factors of asthma. Many times a person has asthma because it runs in the family. Also, asthma is very common in people who have allergies. However, everyone with allergies does not have asthma and everyone with asthma does not have allergies.
There are many symptoms of asthma. One symptom is wheezing and short breaths. Another symptom is the feeling of tightness in your chest. Having trouble sleeping due to coughing or having a hard time breathing are both symptoms as well. One common symptom of asthma is when you get tired quickly during exercise.
Asthma is diagnosed in a few different ways. Doctors use a test called spirometry to diagnose and keep track of a person’s asthma. The test measures how quickly you can move air in and out of your lungs as well as how much air you move. Another test is the peak expiratory flow test. This test shows how fast you can breathe out when you are trying your hardest. Doctors also do exercise tests, chest x-rays, and allergy tests if they think your symptoms may be caused by allergies.
Although asthma is a lifelong disease, treatment can control it and aid a person in living a healthy and active life.

cortlanddddd

This week has been such an amazing week. For the past four days the weather could not of been better. I remember when I came here for orientation last year and the weather was perfect just like it has been. It was so nice to see so many people outside enjoying the weather and soaking up the sun. The only thing to make it better would be if we were at the beach with this weather J I can’t believe our second semester is almost over. It seems like this year flew by. Everyone always said to enjoy your four years at school because before you know it they will be gone. Now I believe it and know what they’re talking about because we already have one year of college down. I still remember coming here for a visit one day and taking a tour. I never thought I would actually come here and enjoy it as much as I do now. I feel like everyone that goes here is so friendly and everyone seems to get along well. Coming here is so much different then high school for me in so many ways. First of all, I graduated with a class of 78 kids. Everyone knew everyone and we all knew everything about each other and having everyone know all your business really isn’t what you want. In high school people were always fighting and arguing and there was constant drama. Here, I feel like there is hardly any drama and the drama that we do encounter is like petty stuff. Even though I miss my friends at home, I do not miss the drama and all of that at all. Out of my class of 78 kids, only about 15 of us went away to school. For the people who stayed home, they all seem to regret staying home and not going away. I think I made the right choice to come here and I would never take my decision back!

osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease that affects your bones. As you age your bones become thin and brittle and sponge like. Many holes accumulate which makes them much easier to break. Osteoporosis usually hits a person after the age of 60 and is most common in women, but men can get it as well. There are many causes of osteoporosis. During childhood years and teen years, new bone grows faster than existing bone is absorbed by the body. However, at the age of about 30, the process of bone growth begins to reverse. In the reverse stage, bone is dissolved and is absorbed faster than new bone is made, and your bones become thinner. For women, bone loss increases around the time when they reach menopause and there is a decrease in production on estrogen from ovaries. In contrast, testosterone, the male sex hormone, protects men from bone loss. Where women tend to see osteoporosis around their sixties, men tend to get osteoporosis around the age of 65, when their testosterone is declining. Of course in men and women, the older you get, the more likely you are to have osteoporosis. There are also a few factors that contribute to specifically the thinning of bones. One is not getting enough calcium. Calcium should be a major part of your diet to help build strong and healthy bones. Also, not receiving enough vitamin D as well as phosphorus both contribute to bone thinning. One interesting fact is that bone thinning is hereditary. If a parent has a low bone mass then it most likely passed from the parent to the child. I can remember when I was younger seeing all the Got Milk ads in magazines showing how milk is vital for strong and healthy bones. Ever since I was younger, milk has always been a big part of my diet.

Food allergies

Spring is here which means so are your allergies. What are allergies? Allergies are an allergic reaction to an overreaction of the immune system to a substance called an allergen. Allergens can include a variety of things such as chemicals, foods, medicines, mold, plants, pollen, and so on. Each person reacts differently to certain allergens. Some may suffer from mild reactions whereas others may react with severe and life-threatening reactions. A common allergy is to foods. The reason for allergic reactions to food is because when your body has certain foods it thinks they are trying to harm you. In response your body fights back by setting off an allergic reaction. Most the time the symptoms are mild and include sneezing, a rash, stuffy nose, or an upset stomach. However, there is always the chance of having severe reactions which can be deadly. Serious reactions can be treated quickly though. Food allergies can cause all sorts of symptoms. Some of the many other symptoms include your mouth tingling and swelling of your lips, cramps, upset stomach, hives, the feeling of being dizzy and or feeling lightheaded. Food allergies are more common in children than adults. Studies have shown that about seven out of one hundred kids have food allergies whereas only about three or four adults have food allergies. As a child you will usually outgrow the allergy but if you have a food allergy as an adult you most likely will have it for life. The most severe reaction is called anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis affects your whole body and usually starts within an hour after you eat the food you’re allergic to. If you experience anaphylaxis your throat and tongue may quickly swell, you may start wheezing or have trouble breathing, you may feel sick to your stomach, or feel faint. Anaphylaxis is extremely serious and can be deadly. Overall there is so much to know about food allergies. I am lucky enough not to have any food allergies and I hope everyone else is too!

Running

Today, many people enjoy going running for exercise. A year ago, running every day was thing to do. Today however, running every other day seems to be the right thing to do. According to Steve Scott, the U.S. mile legend who is a running coach at California State University-San Marcos, “As long as you fit in one long run and one fast workout each week, you can stay in decent shape.” I’m sure many people know the idea of going hard then easy. It’s the same in running, if you run a long distance one day, you should take it easy the next day and rest. This is healthy for your body because by the time you run again your body is ready for it and fully recovered.
Another improvement of running today is the type of terrain you run on. Today, runners find it better to run on than running on the roads. By running off roads on trails you are likely to receive fewer injuries. Podiatrst Patrick Nunan says, “The harder the running surface, the higher your risk for injury due to the increased shock to the body.” Many runners have found it beneficial to run on even softer areas such as in the grass or the sand. When running in the grass or sand, a majority or your energy exerted goes directly into the earth whereas when you run on harder surfaces it is rebounded back into your feet and lower legs. Due to the softness of the terrain, your body has to work much harder which gives you a better muscular and cardiovascular workout.
I think that all of this information is very beneficial to runners. There are so many factors to take into consideration when running and even just these selected few can make a big difference in one’s results.

5 stages of sleep

Lately I feel like I have not been getting enough sleep. I am constantly tired and I am always too busy to take a nap. I started reading things online about sleeping and tips to help with your sleeping habits. One thing they said is that if you are living a busy life and the recommended number of hours of sleep is difficult to fit in your schedule then at least fit seven hours in. One thing I found interesting is that you may not know this, but while you are sleeping, your brain is still active. As you sleep, your brain cycles through five stages of sleep. One complete cycle takes about 90-100 minutes. Therefore, during an average night of sleep, a person’s brain goes through four or five cycles. The first two stages of sleep are periods of light sleep in which a person can easily be awakened. During these stages eye movements slow down and eventually stop. Your heart and breathing rates slow down and your body temperature decreases as well. During stages three and four, a person is in their deep sleeping stages. If awakened during these stages, a person will often feel groggy and disorientated for a few minutes. These are the most refreshing stages of sleep that our bodies crave when we are tired. The final stage of sleep is known as REM sleep due to the rapid eye movements which occur during this stage. Other physical changes take place such as, breathing becoming more rapid and your heart beating faster. This stage is also when a person has the most vivid dreams, the ones that you remember when you wake up in the morning. I thought this was really interesting because I always wondered what went through our minds and bodies while we are sleeping.

aging in your skin

For one of my classes we were talking about dermatology. We talked about how people today are so worried about aging and it has become a major concern. People will spend so much money on antiwrinkle creams and many times will go as far as paying for plastic surgery to reduce their wrinkles. One thing dermatologists recommend is that you only use soap or body wash on selected areas of your body. Some of the areas include your face, under your arms, and your feet.
There are many things that cause skin aging. One is cigarette smoke. It doesn’t matter whether you smoke or not; cigarette smoke is extremely damaging when it comes to your skin. Research shows that exposure to cigarette smoke increases one’s skin wrinkles and dryness of skin. This is partly due to the fact that smoking depletes your body of vitamin c which is vital to your skin. Another common aging cause is sun exposure. Not only can sun exposure cause melanoma, but it can also cause freckles which turn into sun spots, which take on a dry leathery appearance and increase wrinkles and sagging of skin. Another factor is lack of exercise. Exercising helps tone muscles and gets your blood flowing helping you to have a bright smile and lots of energy which makes you look and feel younger. One cause that many of us face here is exposure to cold weather. Cold winds and low temperatures can cause your skin to be dry. This is where good moisturizers come into play. Another common factor is stress. Of course everyone deals with stress in their lives however; stressing and worrying cause frowning in your face and over time your muscles actually conform to that movement. To help with aging due to stress be aware of your stress levels and keep your frowning to a minimum. In other words, don’t stop smiling. :)

sinus infections

Ever since we have been back from break I have not been feeling well. Finally, today I went to student health services and I found out I have a sinus infection and a fever. I can’t remember the last time I was sick like this but it is definitely not fun. Sinus infections can be caused by many different things. Acute sinus infections are usually caused by a viral infection in the upper respiratory tract. Viral infections cause damage to the cells of the sinus lining which leads to inflammation. The lining of the sinuses thickens with fluid that obstructs the nasal passage which connects to the sinuses. This obstruction disrupts the process that removes usually would remove bacteria from the nasal passages. This causes the bacteria to begin to multiply and invade the lining of the sinuses. Many times sinus infections are referred to as sinusitis. The suffix “itis” means inflammation of; therefore, sinusitis is inflammation of one’s sinuses. Another cause of sinus infections is allergens or pollutants. There are also many signs and symptoms of sinus infections. One sign is nasal congestion or postnasal drip. Another symptom is the feeling of pain or pressure on the inner corners of your eyes or down the sides of your nose. Headaches in temples are also common, as well as pain or pressure when you cough. One way I can always tell if I have a sinus infection is when I lay my head down and it feels extremely congested and it feels like it is going to explode. The best way to treat sinus infections is to drink plenty of water and other hydrating beverages. Another common treatment is to inhale steam a few times a day either with a vaporizer or a bowl of boiling hot water for about ten minutes. Hopefully this goes away quickly! Being sick is no fun :(

Spring Break

Spring break is almost here! I can’t wait, but I feel like Cortland is the only school that has spring break next week. All my other friends have break the following week. As of now I am not doing much besides going home to see all my friends and my family. I think this break is going to be good for everyone because everyone seems to be getting sick and we all need to get away from each other so we don’t keep spreading the sickness around! Tomorrow, the 8th, my hometown basketball team plays for the regional championship title here at Cortland. My high school is really big on basketball and our district supports us 100%. Basically our whole town is going to come to watch the boys play on Saturday. I can’t wait to see them play; it is going to be an awesome game. As of now they are number one in the state and are undefeated. If they win on Saturday then they will play in Glens Falls next Friday for the semi-finals. On Saturday the 16th I am suppose to be taking a trip to Saratoga with my family for my aunt’s 50’th birthday. All of the ladies in our family are going to stay at the Medbery Spa and Inn and are going to go to the spa for a day. It sounds like it is going to be a lot of fun; I could really use a massage right now! One thing I have always wanted to do however is take a mineral bath. I think it sounds so refreshing! Mineral baths are bath tubs filled with water and aromas with relaxing music and candles around you. The water is carbonated mineral water and is heated to about 100 degrees. Supposedly they are supposed to relax your muscles and nerve centers and revitalize your senses. A mineral bath sounds like a possibility but I might just stick with a massage like usual.
Have a good spring break!! <33

breast cancer drug helps with bipolar disorder

Recently I was reading an article for one of my classes on breast cancer. Apparantly studies have been done to show that there is a breast cancer drug that may be able to treat bipoloar disorder. Tests were done and they showed that people who took the drug for at least three weeks experienced a significan decrease in their bipolar symptoms. Although this is a good thing for people who are currently experiencing bipolar disorder, there are a few concerns that doctors have. One concern is that it is going to take a long period of time and much testing to determine the long term side effects. The reason for this concern is that the drug used to treat breast cancer works for a short term issue or within five years. Bipolar disorder is not a short term disorder however. Scientists are conducting a new study which involves 66 men and women with bipolar disorder. They were each assigned to take 40 to 80 milligrams of the drug per day for up to three weeks. Out of 66, 50 patients completed the study. At the end of the test, 48% of people taking the drug stated there was a drastic decrease in their mania scores. Mania is a state that individuals with bipolar disorder undergo.
I thought this was pretty interesting because I actually have a friend from home who has bipolar disorder and if there is hope for him to change that would be amazing!! I love him and all, but when he goes into his state of mania, he is crazy and I can't take it!! I think that if there is a cure for bipolar disorder that would make life a lot easier for many people. Not only for people who are victims of the disorder, but also for the people who love and support them.

preventing the flu!!!!

Lately it seems like everyone is getting sick, including me. A lot of my friends have gone to the health center and are all getting the same feedback; they have the flu. The flu which is technically called Influenza is a viral infection. True symptoms of the flu are basically symptoms that are worse than a cold that last longer than a cold, and also doesn’t cause vomiting or anything like that.
If you are one of the people who still aren’t sick yet, there are a lot of things you can do to help prevent illness. One thing you can do is stock up on commonly used public items. An example is pens. Public pens carry so many germs if you think about it. If you are at the bank you should try and use your own pen. You have no clue how many infected people have used that pen, or the germs that the pen is carrying. Another thing you can do is buy hand sanitizer. A study was taken at a hospital in Boston and the results showed that out of 292 families, the families who carried hand sanitizers with them had 59% fewer cases of getting sick than families who did not. I thought it was pretty interesting to see that massage therapy has also been proven to improve immunity and increase energy levels in cancer patients. I think massages are the greatest things ever, especially when you are stressed out and need a break! One other important way you can help your body is to take your daily vitamins. A one a day multivitamin is always a good thing. Multivitamins which require to be taken with a meal actually help your body absorb the nutrients better. Don’t forget a glass of water to help dissolve the pill as well!! Hopefully everyone gets better before spring break!! <33

steroids

Lately I have been doing a lot of research on steroids. I decided to write my article on them because there is just so much information on them. The only problem is that I am not sure what my myth about them would be. Any suggestions?
One interesting thing I found while researching steroids is that steroids were first used in the Olympics by the soviets at the World Weightlifting Competition. At this point though, they were just using plant derivatives as steroids, which were all meat diets and animal testicles. I think that’s pretty disgusting but I guess if you are really set on intensifying their muscles and getting bigger then more power to them!

Recently I was looking at an article about Roger Clemens. Apparently Roger Clemens is being accused of being at a party where he was conversing about using performance-enhancing drugs. Also, McNamee claims he injected Clemens with steroids between seven and ten years ago. Not only once though, more like 16 times McNamee said. Of course Clemens denies ever being injected with steroids but the fact that someone is claiming those actions makes it convincing. The press is saying that there is a picture of Clemens being at Canseco’s party and that if he really was there then it could have a big effect on what happens in the end with Clemens.

I think it is so bad how there are so many people including athletes using steroids these days. I think it sets a bad example for young kids who play sports. I have a younger brother and for him to see and hear about major league athletes taking steroids worries me. I think that the negative aspects of steroids should be taught more. I’m not saying my brother is going to grow up and start using them but I wouldn’t want to see him or any other younger kids thinking it is something that everyone does and it is ok to do.

Today was such a busy day for me. I didn’t go to sleep last night until 3:30. Then I had to wake up at 7:00 to be ready for my 8:00 class which I had our first big test in. As stressful as it was having a big test in the morning after hardly any sleep at all; I spent the rest of the day studying for my chemistry test which was at 7:00 tonight. My friends and I all studied and went into the test hoping for the best. The first question on the test was simple. I’m sure just about everyone got it right. Anyways, the rest of the test was out of control HARD! Everyone who took it was saying how they guessed on more than half of the questions. This isn’t anything new though because the same teacher taught us the first part of the class (chem221) and now he is teaching us chem222 this semester. The first semester we had three major tests. Each class average for the test was in the 40’s. You would think that the college or the teacher would recognize that something is wrong and do something about it. Even though most of the class received B’s and A’s at the end of the semester, those grades hardly reflect upon what we actually learned. Of course nobody complained about the curve though. This semester our teacher is giving us homework at the end of each chapter that we have to do. I’m hoping this will help us learn the material a little better but so far I don’t think it has helped much. A lot of times I do the homework just to get it done and not to actually learn the material. All and all I think the only way to get through classes such as my chemistry class is to study hard outside of class and attend as many of the SI sessions as possible.

Library time

All week I have been telling myself that I need to buckle down and study. With three tests on Monday and friends coming up for the weekend I knew I had to study during the week if I wanted to do well on my tests. I think I have been to the library more times the past two weeks than I went during the whole first semester. I figured out that when I am in my room sitting in my bed trying to get my work done I always fall asleep. When I am at the library I really can’t just lay down and fall asleep somewhere, therefore I have to get my work done. I think this semester I will be spending a lot more time there.

Yesterday I went to the library with a few other people and we all studied for our chemistry test, or at least tried to. We ended up studying for about an hour and then all talking about the most random things for the last hour. In the end I’m not really sure how much studying we actually got done. I think that the best way for me to study is when I am by myself in the library or with someone who has a lot to get done also. Usually I get a lot of work done but when I am with girls and trying to study we always seem to have better things to talk about than the homework we are doing or the test we are studying for. Like yesterday for example, we got on the topic of Whitney Houston as we were trying to study for our chemistry test. How we got on the topic of Whitney Houston, I have no clue. We even started listening to one of her songs and singing it in the library. I’m sure people weren’t too happy with us but we stopped anyways. I guess from now on when I go to the library I am going to be aware when we start to get off topic and try to keep our off topic conversations to a minimum.

One of the hardest things to do when I came to college was leaving my best friends from home. I have a few amazing friends that could never be replaced. Today I talked to my best girl friend from home for the first time in a few days. When we first met I was in 7th grade and she was in 6th. We met through AAU Basketball. At first we had our differences because our personalities were so different and we were just completely different people. Eventually we just started hanging out more and more until we became best friends. We called each other every day and always had something to talk about. I can still remember the first time I stayed at her house and we went to one of her school dances with a few boys. We always said that nothing would come between us and we would be “friends ‘til the end.” Since I’ve been away at college she has come up to visit a couple times. All of my friends love her and are always asking when she’s coming up for her next visit. Even though we still talk it’s hard because I really miss her and it’s hard to talk to each other every day when you’re living the college life. I feel like college has distanced us a little and I’m scared that it is going to continue to.

When I think about what I could do to help our friendship, there’s a lot I could be doing. I could definitely make more of an effort to keep in touch with her more than just two or three times a week. I know that Reggie and I will always be friends and we will always be here for each other but college has definitely impacted our friendship. We have been through so much together and I can’t see college having that big of an impact on our friendship if we both make an effort to stay in close contact with each other like we have the past six years.

I’m sure you guys know what I’m talking about. Leaving your best friends is one of the hardest things but no matter what I know we will always be friends
<33

Yesterday I went snowboarding with a bunch of friend. The friends that I go with are all guys and are naturally a little better than me for the most part. Sometimes I see them do things and I think that I can do it too. Most of the time I can do the things the guys do like go over little jumps or the boxes but, every once in a while I push my limits a little too much. Last night the trails were really icy and in other spots it was pretty slushy. I started picking up a lot of speed before a corner. Before I knew it I was trying to turn on the ice and I started sliding across it on my butt until I finally came to a stop. It really hurt but it was really funny and I can only imagine how funny it looked. After we all got our laughs out I realized how much my shoulder was bothering me and I knew exactly what I did because it wasn't the first time that I have felt this pain before. Ever since my junior year in high school when I first hurt my rotator cuff from doing the butterfly in swim, my shoulder has been a lot weaker. The second and third time I hurt it just made it even more weak. This time it didn’t feel like I hurt it as bad but I guess I’ll have to wait and see. I’m sort of getting sick of this snowboarding class and I don’t really want to do it anymore. Maybe this will help get me out of it if I actually did hurt my shoulder!! That might be bad to say but the class is very time consuming and there are a lot of other things I could be doing with that time. I also recently got in an argument with one of the guys that I go with. I don’t know what to do about it..any suggestions!? Sorry this isn’t too interesting..I have just been rambling on about snowboarding and my shoulder. I guess that’s it for now! Byyyeee!

Ughh It’s Monday. An 8:00 in the morning class after superbowl Sunday isn’t something I was looking forward to. Yesterday was a pretty big day, especially for the Giants fans out there. My family and I are pretty big Giants fans so I can only imagine how crazy it was at home. It’s been quite a while since the last time the Giants won a superbowl. Yesterday was a pretty fun day overall though. A bunch of my friends went down to a house on Groton and we ordered three pizzas for us and a bunch of guys. We had a little fire in the driveway which lasted an hour or two before a lady called the cops even though we weren’t doing anything wrong. It makes me mad how adults can be such scrooges and are always trying to ruin the fun! We ended up leaving that house and going to another one on Groton. We stayed there until the game started and then we went back to other house once everything calmed down. There were about 25 people there or so and everyone except for one guy wanted the Giants to win. Everyone was going crazy at the end of the game when the Giants scored within the last couple minutes of the game. My friend Erika literally started choking because she started screaming in the middle of telling us a story. It was so funny. One thing I found interesting was the fact that the Giants were being fed bananas on the sidelines during the game. Today during my kinesiology class this was brought up. We talked about how bananas contain a lot of potassium. The potassium in the bananas helps get rid of muscle cramps and that’s why the players were being fed bananas during their game. I don’t know if anyone else thought so, but I thought this was pretty interesting.

Hope everyone had a good weekend and enjoyed the superbowl!!

Today I have chemistry lab. I don't know about anyone else but three hours of lab at 8:30 in the morning isn't something I look forward to. Anyways, if anyone was interested in the myth we read for Tuesday about 9/11 there is a really good link on youtube. It's called "loose change." It gets into the dimensions and the physics of how its almost impossible that it could of been a plane that crashed into the side of the pentagon. I thought it was pretty interesting but it was sort of long. Thanks for reading my blog. I hope you enjoy the youtube link if you decide to watch it.

Have a good day everyone!

Loose Change

I think this class is going to be pretty interesting. I've never blogged before and I think it will be interesting to see what everyone has to say on here.

I'm not sure about anyone else but I have always thought the "lights out" scare was true. I actually know quite a few people who believed it to be true. I think it's amazing how such a small rumor can be started and spread coast to coast throughout an entire country. I remember the first time I heard about the myth. I was in Myrtle Beach and I was driving with my friends. My friend flashed her lights at an suv that had its headlights off. Everyone in the car snapped at her and told us the myth. The funny thing is that we were all scared and were all looking out making sure there weren't any suv's following us to where we were going.

I'm sure there are many people with stories like mine..probably better than mine that would be more interesting to read!!