Coming Back Alive

I have thought about what I would say to a college student once I graduate. Graduation is in about seven months away for me. I have been in school since August 2005. Sometimes I think that I have somehow failed to do it the "perfect" way. Maybe I have. There probably are some professors who might think I have. I have learned that my objective, however, is not to sit up and worry about what other's think about my life. Yes, if I could go back and change somethings, I probably would.

This imperfect life, however, has taught me to be patience with myself. Will I do it like everyone else? No. Will I always succeed on first try? Probably not. I think in life we forget the scripture: The race is not given to the swift or the strong but the one that endures to the end. With that hope, I press on.

I come back alive, realizing I am alive. Many opportunities we have are about endurance in good and bad times. I use to hate those Walgreen's commercials a few years back that depicted how perfect people function would in comparision to real life people. It's funny, because sometimes I think I wanted a perfect life. Well, apparently I nor anyone else on this Earth was meant to. So, I think the best thing for us to do is to work with what we have. To work with ourselves. We are the only ones who can guarentee our success or failutr, no one else should be given that power! We all should endure to the end so success will be our ultimate goal, not perfection.

Thanksgiving Break

I admitt, I have had one of the best Thanksgivings I have had in a while. This past Thanksgiving, my family and I traveled to Branson, MO to celebrate the holiday with my mom's sister and her family. It was great!

Now, I was a little tired because I was working on some school assignments, but it was well worth the time we spent there. I got to eat, a lot. I rested quite a bit, yay me! I actually can say I have been reguvinated.

I find that reguvination is good for the soul and body. It is quite easy for all of us to go through life without any breaks. When we do we become like a robot, and at a point, probably forget what the word "break" means. I am sure I could be one of those people. That trip, those it was only 2 and a half days, was light to my campfire. I believe that and spending time with my family and God has allowed me to push on until the end of this semester and do the diligent work I need to do to complete my tasks with excellence. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

All Around the World We ARE Unique Individuals

Most people in this class are older. Probably at least older then me. Then, I could be wrong about that. Don't mean to offend. What I am trying to say though is, I always find different people so interesting. We are all different ages, races, cultures no two people are the same--imagine a six billion unique persons in the world. I have a part of me that wants to interview everyone in our class and write a story about them. I think people are so interesting.

Something most may or may not know about me is I am a Hurricane Katrina survivor. I spent eight years of my life in New Orleans, Louisiana and so many exciting things are going on there that I am so proud. The NFL team there, the New Orleans Saints are unbeaten this season! Go Saints! Some of the exciting things aren't excited about, they are still struggling with murder rates out of this world. But I digress, there are so many films that are being filmed there two of them are coming out this holiday season.

One of them, which actually is an animated depiction of New Orleans, is Disney's The Princess and the Frog. It is Disney's first animated film featuring a Black charcter as a princess. Me and my girlfriends, who are Black, were all a little divided about the film. I was excited for two reasons: (1) I am a Black female (2) It's set in a place I lived! Wow, it's amazing how a place you have lived and breathed in can be so controversial, beautiful and popular at the same time. A part of me wants to move back. It's funny, how that goes. How someone can want to move away from a place and still be in love with it. I love New Orleans, a part of me will always be New Orleanian, most people probably wouldn't know that about me by just looking at me though. I can have an accent, but have lived in Texas before moving there so long, it evens it out. So that's why I like meeting new people. We all have a unique story and would be suprised to find how interesting all of our stories can be.

Going through the human

I wanted this to be a fun blog this week. As the saying goes down South: That ain't gonna happen. Do you ever feel like you can ever be good enough? Do you ever feel like mistakes you make are so bad you can't go through another day. Like something is always wrong?

Well, welcome to life as it is. I have been going through changes and facing tough moments lately in my life lately that I wish I didn't have to go through. Seems like there is something after something going on. I have learned throught these things, however you must forgive yourself. You have to learn how to do the best you can do with whatever the situation is and try to move on.

I have learned that dwelling on a situation after doing what you can do is rectify the situation with your higher power. I believe that is God. He knows your short comings and situations that maybe were so good. He also know you have to get through your situations. I think I have found my power in prayer. My power in devotion to God. I don't believe we as human beings have the capacity to do everything perfectly.

We weren't created to do that. I do think there is good news for all of us who have failed or done something we want to take back. We have hope. We still can strive to get through whatever we need to with help from above.

That is my belief. What do you all think?

Mispronouncation of my name and the latter

When my parents named me, I know they were trying to be creative. They named me after both of my dear grandmothers on my mother and father's side of the family. My name is Aloise, pronounced "a-Lois" by many say my name like Eloise except they say it's Aloise. This is beginning to be one of those things that can irk me to far lengths. So what do I do sit and be mad or assume these people are purposely mispronouncing my name? No. I am learning to be more assertive.

There are many times lately I have had to be vocal out of my comfort zone. I am a pretty laid back person. I don't mind chilling out and relaxing. I usually am easy to get along with. Lately, though, there have some problems in sitting back. I am realizing that communication is key for us all to be treated the way we want to be treated. We can't assume any one person is exempt from correctionn just because they are nice or pretty or handsome or have a lot of money. There are times when we all msut be "real" with each other and express how we really feel. Otherwise, we will go away feeling slighted and a little dehumanized.

My voice can be loud or soft. But lately I have had to use my louder more direct voice. Otherwise, many will not get the message otherwise.

Without assertiveness we wil be left feeling we have given power to others we didn't have to. Just think about and say what you have to say. You and I have nothing lose except maybe years of feeling bad about letting people walk all over you. There is a happy medium between passivity and assertiveness.

What is going on in the world?

Okay, so I am kind of newsy. I like politics. My favorite shows are CSI: Miami and Ugly Betty. I'm a journalist, who loves computers, romance novels, and I will go on Amazon.com just so that I can get 20 books at one time instead of just one a month. One thing I don't like about journalism is sensationalism of stories. I will blast my own fellow journalists at a drop of a pen if they start to put their perspectives in news print or broadcast. "Is this the opinion channel?," I would say. " Did I ask you what you think?" I will ask even my favorite reporters like CNN's Anderson Cooper this and oh, I am not particularly a fan of Fox News.

Don't get me started on print publications. I don't want to bias anyone. That's besides the point. The point is to me people are as confused as can be already. They don't need our help in making them even more confused by giving them all kinds of opinion. When my friends laugh at me and says, "Ha ha, Aloise you know you are a journalist. You are suppose to lie." I can't say a thing. My reputation has been trashed. I hope that there will be a new generation of journalists that lives for the mantra of what journalists are supposed to do...REPORT FACTS.

Geez, but maybe those channel's programs are suppose to do that to me. Have my heart racing and very close to throwing something at the TV. Really, knocking it over. That type of reporting is not boring my any means, but is it helpful. Hey what do you think about it?