Cyberbullying

When I was growing up- there was no internet,cell phones, computers, and other ways to bully someone behind a screen name. If someone was a bully-they had to do it in person and everyone knew. I never personally experienced it, nor participated in it. But I did know who the "mean"
people were and did my best to avoid them. Now though, they hide behind a fake name and a screen and make it hard to learn their identity until they do something to give it away.

I think that if there were stronger consequences for cyberbullying, it would help the victims. It will never stop completely, but people should have to give more verifiable information so that they can be tracked down. It is an actual crime and should be handled and treated as such. I have heard too many stories about kids harming themselves or others around them because of being bullied.

Procrastination is the putting off of a task until later, sometimes until the last minute, or just a few hours. This is something I am sure we all struggle with, either because we have to work or just because of laziness. I have always been pretty good at accomplishing all of y tasks ahead of time, until I started school. Majority of the time it's because of work and the fact that I am gone from 4am until 8pm most of the time. I tell myself daily that I will get x,y and z accomplished, then get home and lay down for a " 5 minute nap " that turns into a 5 hour nap. Every week I tell myself that I will get more focused and not put things off again, then life happens and I am gone working all day Monday through Friday. This is the time that I wish I could pause time and get more things done because I feel like I do not have enough time on my day off to get anything done. I knew it would be hard coming back to school and having a full-time job at the same time, but this is harder than I thought. I know I am not alone in this feeling and I am eagerly awaiting the dau someone discovers how to pause time.

Every one has a birthday. I can't speak for everyone, but mine have always been accompanied by a cake. That was and is the best part. My question is why do we celebrate with cake? I just took it for granted and never wondered. So i did a little research/ google search and got an answer. The tradition started with the Greeks. They made round cakes to honor the moon goddess Artemis. The reason for the candles is to represent the glow of the moon. The tradition of blowing out the candles and making a wish is after they go out is because the smoke carries the wishes off to the gods. So-hopefully that answers a random question we never think about.

This past week was Mardi Gras. I have already talked about fat Tuesday and how it's also known as Pancake Tuesday, now it's time to talk about Ash Wednesday and how it came about. It's mainly known to be a Catholic holiday and the start of Lent. Easter can always be tracked from it because it's 46 days after. Believe it or not, it has a non- Christian origin ( Bibleinfo.com ) The time period spent fasting came about because it was Constatine's goal to bring together pagans and Christians within the Roman kingdom. It was 40 days, but Pope Gregory moved Lent from the forth Sunday of the year to Ash Wednesday with six Sundays counting as feast days.

Ash Wednesday is not mentioned in the Bible. I believe that the traditions of ashes on the forehead came about because in biblical times, people that sinned sprinkled themselves with ashes. They did this to mark themselves as sinners and for repetence.

I have always wondered why and how Ash Wednesday came about, I just assumed that it was for everyone to rid themselves of guilt for all the crazy stuff they did during Mardi Gras. I am used to celebrating it for a week, not just a day.

As much as I love football- I am always happy about the Superbowl because it means that my favorite time of the year is right upon us. Baseball season!! Spring training starts on the 11th, and I am a huge Cardinals fan. I can't wait to see the new coaching staff- Willie McGee coming back made my day, and some of the new players have me excited to see how well they can do this season. I am really hoping for them to go to World Series this year and will keep my hopes up til the last second.

With the kickoff for Mardi Gras happening, I thought it would be interesting to see if there was anything new I could learn about it by simply googling Mardi Gras. Didn't think that was possible because I am a Louisiana native but I was wrong. Fat Tuesday is also known as Pancake Tuesday. I had no idea.

This day is also known as Shrove Tuesday, a day when pancakes are typically eaten, and it's the day before Ash Wednesday. It's the last day of eating whatever you want before Lent begins. This custom is observed by many different Christian denominations on several countries. The reason for pancakes being eaten might have come from the foods that are typically not eaten during Lent, such as butter, eggs and fat. Mardi Gras is also Fat Tuesday, when people typically gorge themselves. So it makes perfect sense to gorge yourself on pancakes before you give up something wonderful for 30 days.

With this newfound discovery, I think I will start celebrating pancake Tuesday at Uncle Bill's. They do have some awesome pancakes and will give me an excuse to have breakfast for dinner.

What happened to work ethic??

The definition of work ethic is the principle that hard work is intrinsically virtuous or worthy of reward. Now- this is totally my opinion- but the work ethic of the younger generation is nonexistent. I work for a company that relies on dependability and motivation to get the job done and the last few weeks have been long days every day because of the lack of employees showing up. Why do these people have a job still is the question some may ask, as well as myself. For some reason the mangers are busy trying to help cover things and communication goes on the wayside. These people manage to slip through the cracks and show up sporadically and manage to keep a job. How they manage to pay for basic needs and extras is beyond me. I wish I knew the secret because I am working 60 hour weeks while attending school full-time, and not taking any loans to pay for it. I need to learn the secret.

I found an interesting picture online that gives 5 criteria for exceptional work ethic. They are:
- Give a damn
- Do what you said you're going to do
- Focus
- Take the initiative
- Clearly separate your professional and personal life

None of those bullet points seem difficult at all, but apparently they are. This last month has been the longest month because of people just not showing up or calling in because of stupid reasons. I know this is an ongoing issue for many businesses and I wish people would either show up or just quit. At least if I know I have to work a 12 hour day I can know ahead of time and plan my school work out accordingly.

Now that I have gotten this off my chest I can enjoy this gorgeous day and not think about work until I have to go back for a double tomorrow.