Relieving Stress

I have many different things that I use to try and relieve my stress. One of my favorite things to do is simply sit down and play the piano. Something about playing a song on a piano pushes my thoughts away and allows me to feel more relaxed and at peace.

Another one of my stress relievers is being around my friends and family(except when they are the cause of my stress). Being around the ones I love calms me down when I'm feeling uptight and stressed. It's always nice to be able to talk to someone you care about and let out all of your anger and frustrations. My sister and I frequently "vent" to each other when we are feeling stressed or angry. One of the other things I often do is pray. Praying probably relieves my stress the most out of them all.

Massacre in the Philippines

A gunman killed an estimated 21 people in Manila, Philippines on Monday.
Among the people killed it was reported that around 12 of the 21 people killed were journalists. One of the presidential advisers called the killings the most “gruesome massacre of civilians” in recent history. –CNN

Tobacco Survey

Over 70% of the people who completed a survey recently on the Anoka-Ramsey Cambridge campus about the use of tobacco answered that they knew 10 or more people who smoke a regular basis.

Cigarette smoking is easily observed in American society, and this was confirmed by my survey on tobacco in which 100% of the respondents answered that they knew at least one or more person who smokes regularly. According to cancer.org, “It is estimated that more than 43 million adults currently smoke cigarettes.” Over 60% of the respondents of the tobacco survey also answered that they had one or more immediate family members who regularly smoke tobacco.

Tobacco smoke affects many people, even those whose immediate family members do not smoke regularly. Opinions about being in proximity to people who are smoking appeared to be polarizing in this survey. Given three choices of “very much dislike,” “slightly dislike,” or “don’t care,” respondents were divided equally between the two extremes. News is constantly surfacing about the laws of when and where smoking is allowed. In 2007 Minnesota became the 22nd state to pass a smoke-free law that restricts smoking in both restaurants and bars, according to Startribune.com. The respondents of the tobacco survey split about 50/50 on whether they “greatly disliked” or “did not care” about smoking in general.

Smoking is a controversial topic for many people, but statistics reveal its effect on personal health. Lungusa.org reports that, “Every year in the U.S. over 392,000 people die from tobacco-caused disease, making it the leading cause of preventable death.” Around 50% of the respondents to the tobacco survey reported a reaction of “did not care” about smoking in general.

Balloon Boy

Richard and Mayumi Heene, parents of “balloon boy,” plead guilty on Friday to a felony charge of attempting to influence a public servant. In October a large silver balloon came loose from the Heenes’ yard and began to float away. The Heenes’ claimed that their 6-year-old son was inside the balloon. Millions of people watched the hoax take place and witnessed a military aircraft attempting to track the balloon for nearly two hours. -CNN

~Mexico~

My family never traveled very much when I was growing up except to visit my grandparents in Virginia, so I haven't had the chance to explore too much outside of Minnesota. But my first big trip, which I hope is not my last, was going down to Mexico with my church youth group on a missions trip.

We drove the whole way in a charter bus and I can assure you that it was one of the longest rides I have ever been on. It was definitely an interesting experience to ride 30+ hours on a bus with 35+ people. The whole trip was an experience that I will treasure and never forget. Although most of us knew each other before going on the trip, we got to know each other in a whole new way and we all became very close.

While we were in Mexico we were able to do a ride range of things and meet a wide range of different people. It was a very strong learning and cultural experience. We were able to help out at a juvenile center and also an orphanage. The orphanage was one of my favorite parts out of the entire trip. The kids there were so overjoyed to see us when we went to visit and it was obvious that they would give anything just to have someone to play with. Although most of us who went did not speak very good English, the kids didn't seem to care at all. They just continued to try to make us understand what they were saying and would laugh when we attempted to say something in English.

This trip was not only my favorite trip I have ever taken, it was also one of my favorite experiences. I hope with all my heart that I can go back someday and maybe see some of the people that we met while we were there again. Even if I am never able to go back as I so strongly wish, the time I will always cherish the time I spent there.

An honorable hero

Police officer Kimberly Munley put an end to the Fort Hood massacre on Thursday in Texas. Munley confronted and shot the man responsible for killing 13 people, ending the massacre at the Army base. Munley was injured during the exchange but according to her father she is doing well. -CNN

Halloween Costumes

When I was growing up my parents didn't like us to go trick or treating or dress up. Instead they would usually take us out to eat, or just rent a movie to watch at home with some candy. I remember that one year I really wanted to dress up because I never had before and my parents caved and said I could. I was about 11 years old and I had no ideas of what to dress up as. My brother just happened to have a cape and a Darthmall(from star wars)mask, so since I didn't have anything else I dressed up as Darthmall. Even though I didn't even really like him, because he was the bad guy, I didn't really care because I was just excited about dressing up.

I saw this video and decided right away that I think this is one of the best and one of my favorite halloween costumes I have ever seen. Let me know if you agree. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1HWqbOSJLo