An Indepth Look Into A Geek's Soul

Yep, it's true.  School is out for the winter.  Well, for me at least.  I hope the rest of my finals today and now I'm done for good with them.  Well, sort of.  I still need to know what I'll get, but I have a rough idea of how well I will be able to do.  I'm thinking that I'll end up this semester with around a 3.7 GPA.  Yeah, it's a bit lower than I would like (gotta go for the 4.0's man, you just gotta) but still not too terrible.  I can live with that.  Gives me something to improve upon next semester.

Next semester will be the beginning of my junior year and I think that it will also be when classes actually start getting challenging.  The classes I had this semester weren't cakewalks, but I don't think that they really challenged me all that much.  Mostly it was a lot of cramming at the last minute, which I hardly consider challenging.  It was just work I could push off until the very last minute.  That kind of work isn't all bad though.  Gave me more free time than I'm probably going to have for the rest of my life.

I think one of my bigger goals for next year is going to be to devote myself more fully to my school work.  I don't hold it in high esteem at the moment, and I know that is one of my weak spots.  As soon as the work does start getting rough, I know I'm likely to just curl into a ball and give up on it.  I have to overcome that if I want to be a successful accountant.  If I can improve upon this now, then I can use that newfound ability to be succesful in life.

Peace Out.

You know, school really puts me in an awkward position.  On one hand, I really like.  On the other, it's utterly stupid and pointless.  I know what you are thinking.  "But Jon, you haven't even started school yet, why are you complaining about it so early this year?"  I'm not trying to complain it about guys.  Really.  The only thing I really want to complain about is money and paying for school and all of that fun jazz.  I just feel that there is too much needed to get aid for paying for school and books and the like.  Honestly, I have to fill out the FASFA, which not only requires my social security number, tax forms, W-2's, and a load of other things, but also my mom's information as well.  Yet, even though this is more than enough to get money from the government, it's not enough to get money from NMC.  Awesome.  I have to give them copies of the exact same things.  Really?  Just because you are the small guys you have to give us hell so you can stick it to the federal government?  Honestly?

It's not toing to be all bad.  I mean yeah, some classes are sure to suck, but I have a feeling that most of my classes will be on the more enjoyable side.  Plus, with me being on campus more, I get to work less at the hellhole of a job that has become Best Buy.  Yeah, that means less money, but at the same time it also means that I get to spend more time hanging out at the writing center with Megan.  She's been awesome in helping me stay calm during all of this hassle of a new school year.  I don't know what I would do without here.

Peace Out.

I didn't always want to be an accountant.  Few kids really do.  When was the last time that you saw a kid with a calculator and tax charts, hunched over a desk for hours, trying to get the facts and figures to come out right.  No. In fact, I rather wanted to be an astronomer, and it is something that I still enjoy.  The weather is getting nicer and nicer out and with that my wanderlust and joy of the outdoors is again on the rise.  I rather like the idea of laying on the dock at my grandpa's, looking up into the stars, just loosing myself in them.  It's something that I'll always enjoy, and I'm rather happy that I deided not to become an astronomer.  I think it would have taken the joy out of my love for space if I become all hardcore educated about it.

Accounting, however, has grabbed my attention ever since I started going to NMC.  I'm not sure what it was that really grabbed me about the whole field of study.  I think I just suddenly realized that it would be a lot easier to find a job and earn a better paying by doing taxes for other people than looking for new stars to name.  It also helps a lot that I'm doing pretty fantastic in my accounting class.  It really makes me feel like I'm going to be a great success in the field.  I hope that I am.  To excel in one thing, better than the majority of my friends, is also a huge ego booster.

That isn't to say that I'm totally okay with that yet.  There are times when I get really excited that I am able to solve a problem without lifting a finger, or struggling with one and then just totally destorying it later on.  Then about five seconds later I give a little sigh with disgust that I enjoy doing this kind of thing.  It's kind of crazy to be completely honest.  There is also the fact that I am slowly turning into a terrible homework doer.  This could negatively effect me and the cockiness that I've been builing up towards my career.  These are both issues that should probably be looked into.

Peace Out.

ReadingBetween the Lines

            The plight of modern libraries is one that has been seenin many different industries over the years. As the world becomes more technologically influenced, the public librarysystems are threatening to slip out of the minds of the average American intooblivion.  This is something the averagecitizen cannot allow to happen.  However,unless there is a swift change in policies, but monetary and societal, publiclibraries nationwide are likely to fail and disappear.

            On an individual level, each public library system has adire need to change their role in society though the use of various policiesthat must be enacted on a local level. This entails reaching out to the community in a way that technologynever could.  This could easily be donethrough the use of book clubs, community events, and a public awarenesscampaign.  What it really comes down tois giving the public exactly what it wants. If the public is looking for a large selection of the newest movies,then the libraries should offer more movies. If the public would like to have more access to the newest JamesPatterson book, then libraries should buy more copies of it to meet thedemand.  The library should even offermore computers for the public to access if that is what they demand, which isincreasingly likely in this rapidly changing world.   However, that is far from the only way tokeep the public libraries from failing.

            Monetary policies are another strong factor that willplay into averting the crisis of the failing public libraries.  Over the last several years, spending onpublic services, such as libraries, has fallen to record lows (Oder).  This has resulted in library districts inmost states to have to cut back key services (Burke).  These services include hours of operation,availability of research materials, having the newest releases of all thedifferent kinds of mediums, as well as the cutting of library staff andpersonnel.  This is a trickledown effectas well.  Once there are fewer librariansto staff the libraries, there are fewer staff members to head things such asbook clubs and other publicity functions. This in turn will draw fewer people into the library, reducing the needof the library.  The government will seethe use of libraries has gone down, so they cut funding to it again.  The cycle continues until there is no libraryleft, but by that time there is also no one left who cares that the library isgone.  This is just an extreme scenariothat could potentially happen, but in some places this very event has occurred(Oder).

            Not all libraries will fall into this death spiral,however.  Some have already effectivelymade the changes and are thriving in the present world.  For instance, the Traverse City PublicLibrary is a thriving hub of the city. Library patrons have not only continued going to there, but haveactually increased their use of the library (Burke).  The library has adapted to the needs andwants of the local citizens, and is thriving as such.  In comparison there is the library system ofCharles County, Maryland.  In the pastfew years it has grown too big for it to function the way it should.  As recently as last year, it was set to breakground for a forth library.  Now,however, that library is not going to be built. Instead, they are going to close down all the libraries on Sundays tosave money.  Their budget has been soseverely slashed that they do not have money to buy movies until the nextfiscal year (Olson).

            The two libraries mentioned above are at opposite endswhen it comes to this crisis.  On onehand, the Traverse City library is flourishing even amidst the tough economictimes we are facing while the Charles County libraries are slowly dying.  This would not be a problem if more librarieswere succeeding.  Instead, more and morelibraries are slowly going the way of the Charles County system, simply becauseof the changes that society is going though. They are either not able to or not willing to keep up with thesechanges, and as such are failing.  Inorder for libraries to survive, they must act more like the Traverse Area one,or they will cease to exist as we know them today.

            Indeed, this crisis is surely one that not only can beavoided, but also must be avoided.  Whenit comes down to it, changes in policies could very well save this belovedpublic institution.  On a local level,each library system needs to enact changes in policies that will put it more inthe limelight in their individual communities. On a larger scale, the different levels of government must do theirparts to help the libraries stay afloat economically, especially in these toughtimes.  With these changes, there is achance we can not only prevent the public libraries of the nation from going onthe endangered species list, but also help them thrive like never before.

Peace Out