Samantha K

Stuggling to Stay Afloat

            Some classes are easier than others but I have encountered a class that has been very challenging for me. Through time, I have learned by keeping my studying on key that I can pass almost any class. Calculus is not included in that group.

Math never has come naturally to me and now I see myself struggling to keep afloat. I study everyday, do more homework problems than assigned and even study with the teacher but yet nothing is changing. I believe I am having difficulty since Calculus (at least to me) is imaginary. My friend who does part time work for the government can calculate the time and distance a light ray takes to bounce off of the moon. Unfortunately, I am not calculating space. I am here to learn about business management, not astrological engineering.

Okay, so I won’t fight about the useful application but I need to figure out how to turn this around. By the end of last week, I printed out an extra 7 worksheets and did them all over the weekend. It is difficult to grasp the thought that I can study for another test for 4 or 5 hours and pass with an A but now I am spending over 15 hours a week on math and still don’t understand a wink of it. I guess I will just have to continue being persistent and maybe a solution to my problem will reveal itself, hopefully sooner than later.

Valentine's Day Not So Sweet

Since today is Valentine’s Day, I have to discuss the value that many place on today. When I was younger it was a very big deal to get cards from the boys in class and to be given chocolates but now all I hope for is time by myself. I am happily married but after going through Valentine’s Day so many times, I can’t even pretend to care now. Yeah, I might get a box of chocolates that my kids will steal and eat or maybe I will get a nice piece of jewelry that I will lose or break at one point.

Yesterday morning my daughter who is in Kindergarten had to wear her prettiest dress and have her hair done just right since she sits next to Eric. Eric is the little boy that all of the girls in class love and my daughter thinks she will be the first one he gives a Valentine to. I was laughing so hard by the time I left for work that all I could do was smile. I remember when I was younger the butterflies in my stomach when it rolled around to Valentine’s Day. Since then, I think the butterflies must have died because I haven’t felt them in a long time. Well, I guess that is what happens as you grow older. Values shift throughout life and I am really starting to recognize just how they are shifting.

D.B.A.

With the financial crisis spreading globally, many are feeling the struggle. If you turn on the news, you will see people who have had their homes foreclosed on and others who were scammed out of their life savings. With my own financial constrictions, there is not too much that I thought I could do to enjoy myself. Boy was I wrong.

Come to find out: Life doesn’t cost money. Material items cost money. I enjoy helping others solve their problems, walking my dogs and even watching a classic Disney movie with my children. Sometimes those who don’t have a lot of money feel like they can’t do anything with out it. I almost see it as an addiction. When people have money, they are happy as can be but as soon as financial troubles come around they obsess over it. Sometimes I feel they obsess over it so much that they actually end up spending more.

I came up with my own solution to my financial scenario. I am acting as if I am a business. If I am not profitable each day then I have to find a way to be. Also, I am calculating the rate that I receive money versus the rate that it is spent and on what items (necessary for life and non-necessary). If I able to remain profitable at a constant rate for six months which is my goal I am going to take the family to one of my favorite ice cream stores in the area. Rewards don’t have to be large, just gratifying.