Attire and Its Importance

Oh my goodness! What is that girl wearing? Have you ever looked down the street and wondered what is that person wearing? A lot can be said by what you are wearing. You must wear appropriate attire to work, school, for physical activity, special events, or even to fit in to certain groups. Clothing does more than just cover those “special parts.” Clothing can be used for social acceptance or to show social statues. An example of clothing being used as a way to tell status is at hospitals. For my clinical, I had to buy scrubs. All Hospital employees such as nurses, techs, and doctors must wear scrubs. Students, at least ones from Missouri Southern, in the Radiology program wear green scrubs. This is to show that we are first year Radiology students. Therefore, our scrubs show our status in the hospital. Another example of where this occurs is when it comes to designer clothing. Some people would rather buy the name brand or buy from a particular store because of the name. Many will do so even if the product is not practical or worth the amount you pay. But if you walk into a room of women and say this is Channel, people will almost always automatically ooh and ah. A perfect example of only buying from a certain store actually occurs mainly in the high school years. Kids at my high school would only buy clothes from a store called Hollister and if your clothes were not from that store that was not acceptable. However if you had Hollister you were automatically cool. That is the same concept for certain fabrics. For example many people would rather buy silk as opposed to buying cotton because silk is seen as the better, more precious fabric, and of higher status. However, cotton will hold up in more extreme conditions. The Red Carpet is a big spotlight on attire for those famous movie stars. In fact that is the main subject. There are news reports about what the stars wear on the Red Carpet. It is so important that it can have a large effect on their career. If a star is seen as having fashionable taste, they may be asked by a designer to wear their clothing. Or they may even have a better chance of sales if they start their own fashion line. If they are seen as having bad taste, it may cause people to see them as a joke and they may even have difficulty finding a job. But, attire is not just important for stars jobs, regular everyday people have to have appropriate attire for jobs, whether it is getting a job or working at a job. If one does not wear proper business attire to an interview, the interviewer may not even look twice at you. If you have problems wearing the correct attire to work every day then it may even end up that you get fired. What NOT to Wear is a fun-to-watch show that is a good way to learn what is appropriate to wear because it is important for social acceptance as well status.

My day

Yesterday Morning I woke up bright and early. At five o'clock to be exact. I did my regular morning routine, put in my contacts, showered, brushed my teeth, got dressed, did my hair, you know the normal stuff. Then I studied for my test a little more. I had studied all weekend but it never hurt to run through the material one more time. At about 6:30 I left for morning weights. When I got to the student center, none of the other cheerleaders were there. I couldn't figure out what was going on. So, I text the captain to figure out why one of the guys and I were the only ones there. Apparently, I didn't get the text sent out that weights had been changed to Monday at one instead of seven. So, I worked out and then headed over to the Health Sciences building and decided to study for about another half hour. then it was time for class which meant it was time for our first test. It was in physics and was test one of three for the day. It was a seventy point test. I felt like I did alright. The only thing was he asked a few questions about a topic I was unsure of so I knew that hurt me a little. But overall I thought I got somewhere between an A and a B. In Radiology ninety-two percent is the lowest grade for and A. Then we had physics class and Intro class before going into test two for the day which was in positing. I felt like I was doing good and was doing fine one time until I realized my numbers were off on my scan tron. I had to take the time to go back and fix my mistake. But there were ten minutes left by the time I got it all fixed. So I was good on time, or so I thought. He decided to pit up the pictures and I still had five more multiple choice and after picture the test is done. So, I tried to do the multiple choice and pictures at the same time. Done! I did it!I was a bit unsure of how I did particularly because of the mess up. But, I still didn't think I completely failed. To end out class period we learned some more positioning. Then we were released for lunch before coming back to take our third and final test of the day. This was in position the lab. We had to know how to position the fingers, hand, wrist, thumb, forearm, elbow and humerus and one extra wrist positioning. We were only being tested over one but there would be a bowl to draw from to see which was ours. I drew and elbow which was three views. we had five minutes to complete the views. After we finished with vies we had to answer questions about images. i felt pretty good after my test because he informed me I got one-hundred percent. after school, I decided I earned a break and went to play volleyball with my husband and friends. Afterwards, I went to get some groceries.

Exercise

Do you ever feel like you are just dragging along? Do you ever feel like you are unhappy with yourself? Or, like you wish you could do something constructive with your free time? Well, there may be an answer right in front of you and you do not even know it! Have you ever tried to exercise to solve these problems? Working out should be a very essential part of one’s day. I mean, it is healthy for you and it keeps you in shape and helps you live a longer and fuller life. Here are some reasons Mayo clinic gives. Let’s say you have worked really hard to lose weight and you do not want to gain it back again. If you exercise, then you may be able to prevent that unwanted weight from coming back. Exercising burns calories off and that helps to keep the weight off. If you do not have a lot of time in your life and do not have time for an actual work out, no worries. You can do simple every day things to improve your lifestyle. For example you could take the stairs or ride your bike. Now, you can just go eat McDonalds every meal every day and expect walking up the stairs to keep that weight off. If you are concerned about your health then again, exercise may be of use to you. “No matter what your current weight, being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol and decreases unhealthy triglycerides.” Continuing a daily exercise could actually help to prevent a number of health risks such as stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, certain types of cancer, and arthritis. Whenever you feel down on yourself just go do a little bit of exercising. “Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed.” You may also feel better about yourself because you will be in better shape and you will feel like you have accomplished something. When you are feeling like you are dragging instill a daily exercise into your life. Exercising helps with endurance and strength because your tissues receive need nutrients which helps them, and you, work more efficiently. As long as it is not done too close to bed time, exercise can help you fall asleep. Now here is where some of you may find the most interesting. Exercising may be helpful when it comes to improving your sex life. “Regular physical activity can lead to enhanced arousal for women. And men who exercise regularly are less likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction than are men who don't exercise.” Best of all, physical activity can be fun for you and your family and friends. It can be used as time together. It can be time spent enjoying the great outdoors. It does not have to be in the gym. One more surprising thing about exercising is that it may even help prevent teens from smoking. Not only does it helps to improve their self esteem but it also curbs the cravings. But, if you are having trouble finding time or ways to exercise, this site may help. http://www.medicinenet.com/workout_routines_and_ideas/article.htm

GUSTER

well, this is only the fourth set of blog posts and I am pretty sure the well is dry when it comes to ideas for topics to write about. So, those poor people who do end up reading this get to read about my dog. Personally, I think its a great subject. however, my sister has informed me otherwise. My puppy's name is Guster. My husband and I named him after a character off of our favorite TV show that we like to watch together, Psych. We decided to get a dog when Ryan was sent to Germany for a training session for the Army. That way i would not be alone. We searched forever for a dog. Ryan wanted a non-shedding, medium size dog. We finally found Gus on Craigslist in Neosho. So, we drove to Neosho because Ryan decided that even though Gus was a shedder, he was worth it because he was free and he had his first set of shots. When we got there, it was a small trailer home and Gus and his sister were in a small kennel together. Gus was a scared little pup. We had the hardest time getting him to play with his toys. But, after a few accidents, he was potty trained and he was easily kennel trained. For how young he is he was quick and easy to train. Now, Gus is almost a year old. In fact, his birthday is October first. He is so smart that now he can do sit, stay, fetch, catch, speak, say please, come, and is working on play dead, roll over, and some hunting commands. Speak means loud and say please is when he does a silent bark. when we tell him to stay either we throw something or we sit a treat or toy on his nose and make him balance it. He has to sit there until we say ok. He is so good we can even say Oklahoma, Oak, Ozark, or any other word and he will stay. He definitely makes me a proud momma. I mean, I know Gus is a dog and not a baby but he is the closest thing I will have to a kid for a long, long time. Sometimes, I joke around with my sister about how Gus is a person and one day I will find his zipper and open it up and BAM! There will be a little person in there. It is funny because he does some things like people do. For example dogs sit on their hind legs but Guster sits on his bottom like a person. Gus also lays on his back with his hind legs stretched out and he relaxes his front two paws on his chest. He even snores! He likes to sleep right in between Ryan and I. He also likes to watch TV with us. When we eat dinner he will go over to his dish and eat dinner. He loves it when it is time for Ryan or I to fill up his water dish because he loves to drink from a cup or a water bottle, like a human. My mom loves Guster. She even calls him her grandson. She will go as far as to call me just to see how Guster is and tell me she misses him. She loves to babysit him. Obviously, she is a character as well. But, nobody can hut but love Guster!

Why would you want contact lenses? Well, you obviously shouldn’t get contact lenses unless you need to have your vision corrected. I personally have contact lenses and I love them. But why should someone get contacts instead of glasses? Well for starters, contacts have a more comfortable fit. Because glasses do not sit directly on your eye like contacts do, you always feel them and almost the whole time they are worn you can even see the glasses through peripheral vision. Also, contacts follow where ever you look. Glasses are stationary and make it so your vision is blurred whenever you look down or side to side without moving your whole head, which happens to be very inconvenient. Glasses fog up whenever there is a dramatic temperature change while contacts do not create this annoyance. Or whenever it rains vision is again impaired with glasses because the drops are on the lenses. This also presents a problem when taking a shower. Glasses, even when fitted properly, have a tendency to fall off. This is an exceptionally large problem when it comes to participating in any athletic activity. As a matter of fact, if you only have glasses, you may be completely prohibited from certain activities because of safety precautions. I am a cheerleader and I cannot imagine trying to tumble or stunt with my glasses on. Kid’s eyes are still growing. So, contacts may be a better idea for them because certain visions require certain frames and as their eyes change so might different frames may be needed. As a kid, I was so much happier when I got my contacts because I was not seen as the class nerd anymore and I felt that the other children were not so judgmental and they were more willing to accept me. Frames can cost a pretty penny so by getting them contact lenses not only are you preventing them from being called four-eyes but you are saving yourself money as well. When my dog chewed up my glasses, it cost almost two-hundred dollars just to replace them. Contacts only cost about thirty-five dollars for a box of six contacts. That is three pairs. Each pair of contacts lasts approximately a month if taken care of properly. If, as a parent, you are worried about your kids taking care of their contact lenses, No Worries! There are sites to help you and your child understand how to care for them and you can always ask your doctor about it. But for now, here is a site to help with that. http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/caring-contact-lens. Are you one of those people who likes to match or coordinate your entire attire from head to toe? Well, glasses do not always match every outfit in your closet, however, contacts do! I am one of those people, and I enjoy wearing pretty colored eye shadows. With glasses, my eye shadow would be covered and I would not be able to prominently display them. All around, contacts are better but you may want to keep those glasses handy just in case something happens!

Clinicals

As many of you know, St. Johns hospital was destroyed in the tornado. However, they were fortunate enough to reopen their doors, surprisingly, with in a week after the catastrophic event. The hospital started out in a tent with some equipment recovered from the old hospital. Not long after the tent hospital went up, a temporary building was built downhill as a clinic site. Now, there is a temporary building up where the tent hospital was. The rooms are very tiny, but, it is much nicer than the tent. Their x-ray machines, for both sites, are portables that were recovered from the remnants of the old St. Johns building. Luckily, the machines are still in well working condition. One is actually a semi- newer machine. It is a digital radiograph which uses a flat panel reader that sends the picture directly to the computer to read. Think of it sort of like a digital camera. Only, the SD card in the camera stores the picture while the flat panel is actually cleared after it is transferred to the computer. The other is as older version that is quite a bit more weathered. Although it still works and takes very acceptable pictures, it is much more difficult to maneuver. They do not have the nice wall bucky, a big square object that holds the reader and enables the tech to easily position the patient, and they do not have the floating table top with the bucky under it. It is much more difficult, as a beginner student who is t still trying to learn all of the techniques to properly position the patient and get the quality needed for a good x-ray picture. However, it is still possible to do, just more difficult than one would like it to be. Because it is more difficult better technique must be used. Because better technique must be used, the tech will become a better x-ray tech for it. It will be a better experience. It will be a neat to opportunity, and it will be an interesting thing to put on a resume. Knowing how tough and frustrating it may possibly be, it still cannot diminish any bit of the excitement of stepping out into the clinical world. The school, Missouri Southern State University, actually s the newer, better equipment to use. It is nice to be able to use that and it is very handy to be able to easily practice convenience of Alan, the director of Radiology and the only teacher for first year Radiology tech students, whenever help is needed. It is also nice to have the relaxed environment and the company of fellow students. However, as nice as all of that is, it is also somewhat inconvenient as well because at Missouri Southern, practice is done on other students, who understand what to do. At the hospital setting, it is done on real patients, who are in pain and do not just know what is going on and more often than not are unable to do what you need them to do.

Do you remember when you were younger? What was your family like? How much time did you spend with them? How did it make you feel? Do you wish you had spent more time doing things as a family? Did family time help you or hinder you? These are all important questions when considering the subject of family time. When most children are growing up, they like to spend quality time with their parents. What is considered to be quality time?  ‘"Quality time" is time spent doing an activity that is meaningful to the parent and child.’ Quality time can be anything from getting ready for the day, sharing how one’s day went, or even discussing problems and understanding or resolving them together. Participating in activities such as this or in any quality time activities as a family is very important. Children learn through the actions of the ones they are surrounded by. “By living in a family, children learn to share, how to stand up for their own rights, and how to love another person.” Children mature based on how family time is spent. If a child’s parents are not patient and understanding or do not show a decent sense of morality, then, this may possibly be reflected in the child’s actions and behaviors. So, it is important to remember that if not practiced with care, quality time with the family may actually cause a child to practice a less-than-welcomed lifestyle. So, do remember to be careful because as they all say, “monkey see, monkey do.” What other problems are present when it comes to time with the family? One of the hardest parts is finding the time to have quality time together. An extremely easy way, however, is to simply eat dinner together, as a family, and discuss whatever is deemed necessary. As a matter of fact, this could be one of the most helpful things you could do for your child. “According to a new Columbia University survey, teenagers who eat with their families at least five times a week are more likely to get better grades in school and much less likely to have substance abuse problems.” In fact the study shows that teens are almost fifty percent less likely to drink alcohol, smoke, or use marijuana. AND, they are more likely  to receive A’s and/or B’s in school. ‘"At a time when kids are under a lot of stress for a lot of different reasons, having that regular mealtime that they can count on, that their parents are there for support -- that can be very helpful," said David Elkind, a professor of child development at Tufts University in Massachusetts.’ He’s not the only one who has found an importance to this topic. “A Harvard University study found that family dinners were the most important family events in helping children develop language skills.” Wow! Who knew doing something as simple as eating dinner with your family could make such an impact! Unfortunately, only about half of American teenagers participate in a family dinner. WHY? Maybe its finding time or figuring out what to do. In any case there’s always help. In fact, here is a good place to find it. http://parenting.kaboose.com/familytips_familytime.html

Michigan

This weekend my husband and I went on what he called a vacation. We went to Ypsilanti, Michigan to see his army buddy, Ian Pearsall. Our friend Aaron came along  with us. Yes, I was the only girl in the car on a twelve and a half hour drive. No, they did not understand and got mad every time I had to use the little girls room and would not just let them pull over to the side of the road. We left late Friday and arrived early Saturday morning. We slept for a few hours before waking up early to go to Cedar Point, an awesome and spectacularly fun theme park in Ohio, that was yet another hour and a half away. However, we had loads of fun. When we got there, Ryan actually blacked out on one of the rides because it was so high. The boys decided to have a few beers and play beer pong. Ryan taught me how to play. I'm actually pretty good at it. After a few hours, I went back upstairs to study for the tests I had today. Eventually, I fell asleep. Later that night, I woke up to the sound of shouts so I went downstairs and heard someone talking in the bathroom. I opened the door and saw Ryan standing there with blood all over him. After a long explanation, I learned some of the kids from a house party down the street had made their way towards Pearsall's and started a fight. Ryan tried to stop it and calm everybody down. While doing so, one of those kids came up from behind and "cheap shot," as Ryan put it, him. Lucky for that kid, Pearsall and a few others were able to pull Ryan away before he got to the kid. After everything settled down, Aaron and I took Ryan to Miejer, which is very much like a Target or a Wal-mart. There we got a butterfly bandage and some liquid band aid because now, Ryan is supporting a black eye and a gash on his eyebrow. Yep, that tall blondie with the ugly eye is mine. Any how, the next day we went to Pearsall's parents house. there we met his parents, sister, younger brother, an old friend, his aunt, uncle, and cousin. We watched the Michigan State University game. Which is a very big deal there. Here its actually a social event as well while there you sit in almost complete silence and watch the whole game, maybe talk about a few plays but no more than that. Later, we went to his uncle's for dinner. They cooked a very delicious and large meal for us. Ryan and I talked to his aunt for a bit about how her son was VERY well behaved and how he was afraid of Ethan, Pearsall's younger brother who Ryan and I believe is dealing with some anger issues. The night ended with a game of darts, won by Pearsall and Jake, and a forty-five minute drive back to Pearsall's house. Once we were at the house, we talked for awhile before hitting the sack. Finally it was time for us to head back at a nice and early three a.m.  Yes! Back home at last. Time to relax, or so I thought. Instead I had to unpack, study, and make dinner for the boy. Then I thought HEY! Naptime! NOT! I had o watch Guster, my wonderful puppy, and my sister's puppy, Bella. I felt exhausted from the long day and welcomed my bed at a USUALLY early nine thirty. GOOD NIGHT!

Cheer as a Sport

What started out clearly as a popularity contest has now become something much more. Cheerleading started out as a group of people who just helped bond a school together to further support the athletic teams. “ Today, cheerleading involves skills which require the strength of football, the grace of dance, and the agility of gymnastics. Complex maneuvers are performed which challenge the limits of the body.” (aacca) So, this poses the question, “is cheerleading a sport?” According to Dictionary.com a sport, as we are discussing, is defined as “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature.” And, the Women's Sports Foundation said a commonly agreed upon definition of a sport includes all of the following, “A physical activity which involves propelling a mass through space or overcoming the resistance of a mass. "Contesting" or competing against/with an opponent. Governed by the rules which explicitly define the time, space and purpose of the contest and the conditions under which a winner is declared.  Acknowledged primary purpose of the competition is a comparison of the relative  skills of the participants.” According to these definitions, cheerleading, as long as the squad participates in some sort of competition, can be considered a sport. Here is why. Cheerleading requires participants to tumble. For those of you who don’t know, it’s alright if you don’t, tumbling is the flippy things gymnasts do. It also requires stunting in partner, pyramid or basket toss form. All of which include at least one person being lifted by one or more other people into the air. It also requires a cheer and a dance portion. However, there are certain programs, such as MSSU’s, that do not compete seasonally every year and therefore are not considered a sport. Recently, colleges have attempted to use the cheer squad to maintain their Title IX criteria. Unfortunately, this is not legal as ruled by a federal judge. According to the judge, it is not a sport because cheerleading is “too underdeveloped and disorganized” to be offered as “varsity athletic opportunity.” Also, it does not meet the proper criteria according to Title IX. “ An activity can be considered a sport under Title IX if it meets specific criteria. It must have coaches, practices, competitions during a defined season and a governing organization. The activity also must have competition as its primary goal -- not merely the support of other athletic teams.” However, there has been a newly developed program that will hopefully reverse this declaration. Now, cheerleaders have the opportunity to compete in a setting considerable to gymnastics. Cheerleaders compete in a series of events similar to the bars, beam, vault, and floor that gymnasts compete in. However, these events consist of jumps, standing and running tumbling, cheer, uniform partner stunt and basket, freestyle partner stunt and basket, dance, and pyramids. These competitions will take place seasonally and have a set scoring value. This competition keeps the elements of cheerleading now while also meeting the requirements of a sport as defined by the judge, Title IX, and other sport definitions. Once schools switch to this form of cheerleading and recognized competition as their primary goal, cheerleading is considered a sport.Therefore, cheerleading is a sport.

Getting back into the swing of things...

The hardest part of school is the beginning and the end of semesters. You know what I'm talking about... either that time where you're just ready to be done or that time where you get into class and freak because you already have homework on the first day. The second of these two is what I'm feeling right now and it has hit me harder this year than any other. I knew it was coming and I knew there would be homework on the first day. I even knew there was reading I had to do the day before classes started. So, I don't know why I felt like I had just had the wind knocked out of me when Alan, the head of the program and our teacher, told us we would have a test on Monday, one week from the first day of class. But it wasn't just one test, it was a test in each of our radiology classes. I had to kick my brain into gear and get my booty studying so I could do alright on my tests. I studied and studied and luckily did alright. Here is my advice to you. Have fun during summer and let your brain rest while it can, be ready for anything when its time for school to start again and DON'T do the Radiology program unless you are ready to study all the time because three tests a week on one day with minimal points and an elevated grading scale is not so easy. I also recommend getting a planner; you'll need it. It's probably not a bad idea to practice these tips for ANY major. As for the end part of the semester, we should keep in mind how hard we have worked throughout the rest of the semester and remember not to give up even though we are ready for it to be over. It’s like whenever I’m at cheer practice and its conditioning time. I know I’m tired and ready to go home but I can’t give up yet because I’m almost done and in the end I know it will make me stronger. If we don’t give up at the end of the semester, in the long run, it will be better for us and afterwards we’ll feel good about ourselves and glad we did it. It is better to look back and think, “Wow! I’m glad I did that! I’m so proud of myself!” than to feel regret or to even have to say “Oh well!” One of the things that I have found helps me stay focused but also allows me to have fun is participating in a school sponsored activity such as cheer. This helps me to make friends and have fun. It also assures I keep my grades up and helps with time management. Find something that can do the same for you! Just remember, no matter how difficult this seems to get, we can do it! Good luck to all in those school and lifetime "adventures" we chose to put ourselves through. Enjoy them!

Sarah :)