Debt

Do you feel like you have control of your money (spending), or does your money have control over you?
Although I am not extremely experienced with managing money or budgeting, I feel as though my parents have raised me with a pretty good understanding of what it means to shop and manage money intelligently. 

"We do not break the bad habit of debt through earning more money, but rather we break any habit by replacing it with a better one."

 What do you think this means? 

This reminds me about the movie "Confessions of a Shop-a-holic". The girl in the movie bought new things to make herself feel better, but soon ran into problems with debt as her money ran out. She eventually had a mentor step in and teach her new things to do when she became upset or stressed instead of shopping or buying things. So if your bad habit it spending that leads to debt, then replace spending with exercising or spending time with family and friends.

Are you worried about getting into financial trouble as you get older? 

Financial trouble is always a possibility for anyone, but if I start making smart decisions about my money now, then I can avoid big problems with debt down the road. That way, even if something out of my control happens that leads to money issues, then I have a habit of making smart decisions and can continue making them instead of having to learn to manage money on the spot.

Does money factor in to your culminating project/or career path you have chosen? If so, how? Should money be a major consideration in choosing your life’s path?

Because my culminating project had to do with the consequences of alcohol abuse, yes. Financial trouble is often one of the worst consequences of alcohol abuse and often one of the reasons people enter Laurelwood for detox. They simply can't afford their addiction anymore. I think that money should play a small factor in your life's path. Obviously, don't choose a career just because of what it pays, or you'll end up in a place like Laurelwood because you're depressed. People should pick careers based on what their passionate about. But if the career you choose can't provide for you or your family, then I think you should explore other possibilities or ways that you can use your gifts and passions that can provide.

Media Coverage of Celebrity DUI's

The article I chose to do a review of reported the findings of an analysis of media coverage on the stories of the DUIs of four celebrities: Michelle Rodriguez, Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton, and Lindsey Lohan. The experiment strictly analyzed the coverage and not the influence it had on viewers and readers, but pointed out that because these are celebrities, they do have the ability to influence the behavior of people observing them. The article also pointed out that the media, through these events, can also influence the observers, depending on how the media reports a story. The article also discussed how much media affects the youth today, especially female youth and adolescents, and reported that trends in drinking and in drinking and driving have risen among young people recently.

For the study, the scientists gathered certain forms of publication on the DUIs of each celebrity and reported the different information found in each piece of coverage. The article reports that most of the findings pertained to Lohan, though this is probably accounted for in that she had two DUI arrests, unlike all of the other celebrities who had one.

The sad part about the findings of this experiment were what was covered in the media about these arrests. Most of the coverage focused on the individual celebrity and not on the drinking and driving. The consequences were strictly discussed in legal terms; nothing was discussed having to do with the emotional or other typed of consequences suffered from this behavior. Even more shocking was that very few stories even mentioned injury or the possibility of injury. The experiment also analyzed the tone used to report these stories and found that an overwhelming majority of the newscasts and articles took a lighthearted tone, even though this is obviously a very serious matter.

Perhaps the saddest result found in this study was that there was minimal information in any of the coverage about preventing occurrences like this. Alcohol can be so dangerous, especially when someone intoxicated gets behind the wheel, and people should know the consequences and prevention methods.

Smith, Katherine, Twum, Denise, and Gielen, Andrea. "Special Issue: The Message and the Media. Media Coverage of Celebrity DUIs: Teachable Moments or Problematic Social Modeling" Alcohol and Alcoholism. 44.3. (2009) n. pag. Web. March 24, 2011.

This is a photo of the chandelier in the main entry of the Governor's Mansion. It's just one of the many examples of the ornateness of the entire mansion. It was so incredible to see the mansion and meet First Lady Deal. She was so gracious and truly the type of woman I aspire to be: educated and compassionate.

Dr. Black, my mentor, did a presentation on depression for the community. He talked about the feeling in general, and then the types of treatment for it. My favorite part of the talk was when he used his patient's description of depression. She said it was like being in the dark and having the flashlight, but not the energy to turn it on. Having seen patients with depression, this seems like the closest description I have heard to the illness. This picture is of a depression collage, similar to the Coping Skills Collages made by patients at Laurelwood. Coping skills are activities patients can do to keep from having the depressed or dark thoughts. These can be activities like journalling or artwork.

"Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see."

-CS Lewis

I love this quote because I choose to see every day as a miracle. The sun rising, or my body working just correctly to wake up, are small miracles that are a larger part of what I believe is a bigger picture. 

"Bad" Happiness Boosters

1) Comforting yourself with a treat. We say this will help with our mood, when in reality, treats are usually unhealthy and contribute to bad moods.

2) Letting yourself off the hook. Giving yourself a day off from exercise or healthy habits may seem like a healthy break, but it really can be harmful to your routine or keeping healthy habits.

3) Retreating to your sofa. Closing yourself off from the outside world when you feel down or upset is unhealthy. Studies have shown that spending time with family or friends is a good and healthy way to boost your mood.

4) Expressing negative emotions. Even if you're feeling upset or angry, it's always best to calm down before you take your anger out on someone or something. Expressing negative emotions often leads to actions or words that you later end up regretting.

5) Staying in your pajamas all day. I love the quote Rubin used to explain this one: "Although we think that we act because of the way we feel, in fact, we often feel because of the way we act." If you stay in your pj's all day, you'll feel lazy and tired, but if you exercise or get things done, you feel accomplished and happy.


These tips were really helpful, especially during this time in my life. As a senior, it's getting harder and harder to stay motivated to do work for school and study. There are days where I get really lazy and all I want to do is come home, get in my pj's and lay around all day, but these tips are right. How you act is how you feel, so I'll try more often to stay active and do things that will give me a sense of achievement.

Poke The Box

1. What part of the newspaper do you read first?

I usually read the sports section first... Then the front page... And if any headline catches my eye after that, I'll read those articles, too.

2. What are three books you’ve read in the past year?

Radical by David Platt, Master Harold and the Boys by Athol Fugard, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

3. As a child, what did you do in your free time?

I usually played "house" or "school" with my sister and friends.

4. What’s a goal that has been on your list for a few years?

To go to medical school

5. What do you actually do with your free time?

Right now, I'm spending all of my free time with friends and family because I've realized that I'm leaving for school next year, and I want to spend as much time with them as I can.

6. What types of activities energize you?

I love dancing, just putting on music and dancing around. Or playing Just Dance with friends. There's no technique, just moving around, and laughing, and having a good time.

7. What famous people intrigue you?

Fiction writers always interest me. They're part of the very small handful of people who never grew out of their imagination.

My FINAL Project...

So far in my mentorship, I have seen a lot of different disorders and health problems in the patients at Laurelwood. But for my project, I want to create something that helps people, not just informs them. So I have decided to focus on Substance Abuse. This is an issue that affects a LOT of people. It's not specific to one gender, race, age, or religion. There are all different types of people that struggle with addiction to alcohol or drugs.

I want to focus on the "end result": what happens when an addict reaches the end of their abuse. This usually occurs in either death or detoxification. I want to portray both of these possibilities realistically to my "audience" because I feel if people saw the terrible damage that these substances can cause before they got their first high or buzz, then they wouldn't try the substance in the first place.

I haven't decided in what medium I'm going to create the project. I'm thinking of a video, but I'm definitely open to suggestions. My mentor and I are also trying to find ways to portray detoxification without harming the identities of the patients at Laurelwood as well. We have a few bugs to work out, but he is excited about it as well. Like I said, I'm definitely open to any and all suggestions anyone has. Thanks!

Empathy

My empathy quotient was 48, one point above the average for a female. I agree with this because I usually can detect what others are feeling and help them with problems, but I don't do this for everyone. It's usually just for those that I'm close to. I think empathy can be taught by parents, and I also think it SHOULD be taught by parents. It's not an educator's job to teach empathy and morality, but to foster what is taught at home. Someone who is empathetic is someone who is not selective in their choice of friends. They would see everyone as a potential friend, and they would make every effort to understand that person and make them feel as welcome as they can. A person who is not empathetic would probably seem socially awkward. They can't take social queues very well, and would have a problem relating to others.

This was a very interesting assignment, and I am very interested in reading Dan Pink's book in the future when I have time.