Famous Last Words: The end is near, but not near enough

I have really been struggling the last few weeks. My groups' capstone paper is due on Tuesday, and we have spent about 8 hours a day working on it for the last 8 days. I am so ready to just be done. I want to sleep so bad! The end is so near, but not near enough. I just want to stop and graduate and hope for the best, but I know I need to keep trying. The finish line is so close, and I am continually limping and crawling toward it. I think it's just about over, and I have another stressful week.

How college actually feels

This passed week, my laptop charger got severed so I have been without a laptop for 5 days now. I ordered a new charger, but it is running late. Apparently, Wal-mart and other technology stores do not sell chargers anymore. Best Buy has a universal charger, but it costs $65. I do not have that kind of money to spend on a charger. I ended up buying one on amazon for $8. I have been able to get a lot done because I am not able to work in my room so I have less distractions-like my bed. I still can't wait for my charger to come in. I hope it will get here soon so I can resume my normal college life-studying and working on things while I lie in my bed surrounded by junk food and pillows.

The struggle I experience daily

I am super excited to graduate! I took my senior pictures and sent out all my graduation announcements! It was such a fulfilling moment! However, it has unmotivated me from doing too much this week, other than working 24/7 on capstone. I have had a hard time keeping up with my other classes this week-including this class. I'm hoping to finish up capstone and move along to a more relaxed time!

Personal Photo by Dylan Cunningham

Famous Last Words: Workout Goals

This past week has been great! I had a test that was an awful start to my week, but it's gotten better since then! I am taking a workout class for fun this semester! It's called tone and sculpt. It's an actual course at the Huff, and my instructor is pretty intense. I really like this class though because I'm learning new workout exercises and techniques. I also like that I am forced to go to it two times a week for a grade! It's a real motivation! I have seen a slight improvement over the semester thus far, but I would like to see even more improvement. I would like more toned arms and butt, and I would like a tighter stomach. Any suggestions?

I know diet has a lot to do with it, but I'm not sure how much it influences muscle gain. I have lived on campus for the last 4 years so it has been difficult to have a healthy diet. Any suggestions for that, too?

 

 Trying to be a good student but failing at fooding

I don't think I have any crazy false ideas for body image. I just would like to be fit and healthy! I am a vegetarian so eating on campus is a little healthier than it could be! I don't struggle with eating fried foods or chips that much. Chocolate is my weakness! People know I love chocolate so they are always giving it to me and the Caf desserts are too good to pass up!

 

My life

There is a youtuber that I watch that is pretty fit and she explains how to exercise to achieve certain goals, and talks about some foods to eat and recipes to make to stay healthy. I really like her workouts! The food is a little difficult because I live on campus, but I use her as an inspiration! She went from being tiny to booty-licious! Goals:

 

 

Abby Pollock

  

In the end, the most important thing isn't looking like someone else or weighing a certain weight. What's important is that I love my body and feel beautiful in it! I feel pretty great about the progress I have made, and it has helped me gain confidence in my self image which is more than I could ever ask for!

Famous Last Words: Success!

Last weekend I went to a conference with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) for regionals. I presented my research that I have been doing for the last year. I had to make a research poster to present, which I had never done before. Making the research poster was somewhat stressful because I had no idea what I was doing. I had looked at some of the research posters in Sarkeys, but I didn't have anyone to ask about the research and their reasoning for including certain things on the poster and excluding other things. I finally finished my research poster the day before the conference and got it printed.

The conference was in Tulsa, and on the ride there, many people were practicing their presentations. I had nothing. I decided, "I know my research. If I can't talk someone through my poster for 5 minutes, I don't deserve to present." So I just looked at my poster before presenting and studied it to make sure I knew where everything was on it. I had to present to three judges who ranked the presenters.

Later at the Awards Ceremony, I was awarded first place for the research poster presentation portion. I was astounded and did not expect it! It was such an exciting surprise!

This weekend I presented at Undergraduate Research Day at OU. It was a little intimidating because the presentation was in front of an audience consisting of approximately 20 people. I am awful at public speaking to begin with so this was quite difficult for me. I ended up getting through the presentation with minimal mistakes, but I was quite nervous the whole time, and I think it may have been apparent. Fortunately, I think presenting my research, especially in front of crowds, is helping me improve as a researcher and public speaker. I hope one day to be able to speak in front of large crowds with minimal effort.

Personal Picture: Programs from both events

Famous Last Words: Playing Catch Up vs. Relaxing

I am pretty sad that I am already halfway through this course. I am really enjoying reading the mythology and folklore! I am also really enjoying writing and reading other students' writing! As an engineering student, creative writing is something I never really get the option to do. Unlike many of my classmates, I absolutely love fiction writing and creative stories!
I keep feeling like I am getting behind in this class. I am writing the stories or reading the assignments the day I have to have them done. Usually, I am the type of student that has everything done days ahead of time. I don't know why it has been so hard for me to keep up with this course. I got a little ahead during spring break, but I am now back to where I was, unfortunately. I am trying to figure out how to get more on top of this class. It is very hard to come up with good stories to write so frequently. I usually spend a day thinking about what I want to write about and where I want my story to go. It would be very difficult to write more than one story per day. I tried doing this over spring break, but I was only able to get ahead to Week 9.
I am really enjoying the short stories that I get to write every week, but the storybook is what I am super excited about! I love stories that I can develop and have a good story line! I feel like some of my short weekly stories are lacking in depth because of the length cutoff, but I think 1000 words is the perfect length for a story written in one week! It also helps me to learn another type of writing and being more concise!
I really wise there were another class like this I could take or something that I could do that would allow me to write stories weekly like this class does! It is very relaxing and has allowed me to clear my mind and really take a break from my math, science, and computations!

 

Relaxation Meme

Famous Last Words: Last First Day of School

This week I experienced my last first day of school in undergraduate college!

 

What Everyone Thinks the First Day of School 

It was by far my most relaxed week of college yet! It was so great! My classes weren't as busy and intensive as they have been the last few years.

 

What Actually Happens Every Year For Me 

I really am enjoying this class because I enjoy reading and writing quite a lot. I specifically enjoy creative writing and engaging readings. In engineering that is not really something we have. We write a lot of lab reports and give many science based presentations. The science based studies and presentations are interesting and I like it, but sometimes taking a break from that is really nice and enjoyable. I have enjoyed reading fiction books and creative writing throughout my childhood!

I am not quite sure what I am going to be doing next year! I am hoping to go to graduate school and major in Biomedical Engineering. Everyone thinks I'm crazy for wanting to still do more school. I can't imagine stopping then trying to resume school again when a lot of time has passed and I may have a family. I really enjoyed writing the poem I wrote about "The Boy who Would Be King. I liked writing in a poetry type manner and getting to use my creative abilities. I really enjoy spanish and painting so I assumed that I would probably find quite a bit of overlap in my enjoyment.

Over the next few weeks, I plan on working more to get ahead in my courses and to stay on track in order to not get overwhelmed like I have the last few years. I am excited for this course and look forward to writing more! I know things will pick up relatively quickly, so I would like to get ahead before I can notice that I am slipping behind. I'm excited to see what this semester holds for me and my friends!