My Favorite is the Old Man Cactus

Week in Review: A Reflection of June 10 – 16

I saw a sausage tree, a chocolate pudding tree, an old man cactus (it looks like it has a beard), and a soap tree on Saturday when my friends and I went to the Mitchell Park Domes. I had no idea there were so many plants with funny names. And why are so many of them named after food they don’t produce?

Somebody at The Domes told us that the Milwaukee Art Museum had free admission that day, so we headed over there to look at the paintings, photographs, and other works of art. After that, we went to the Cheesecake Factory. It was my first time there so I spent a long time looking at the menu. It was a pretty awesome day.

I was talking to a friend from high school this past week. He was asking me some questions about the Moraine Park bookstore. I found out he’s taking some summer classes there and needed to pick up a few supplies. It got me thinking about how I’ve seen so many familiar faces while on campus. I have run into people that I haven’t seen in a long time. Matter of fact, I was friends with someone who moved to Florida at the end of our eighth grade year. She came back to Wisconsin after high school and we ended up at MPTC at the same time. She has since graduated from MPTC and is now pursuing a bachelor’s degree at UWM. It’s nice that we were able to get back in touch, and I’m really happy that she’s doing so well.

My jogging challenge is going well; although, I did have to take a break for a few days while I recovered from a cold. I improve every time I run. My friend is trying to convince me to participate in some events in the fall. We’ll see how I’m doing by the end of August. Wish me luck!

My Summer Goal

Week in Review: A Reflection of June 3 – 9

My legs are sore right now, but it’ll be worth it. Since I sit for three-fourths of the time at my new job, I decided I would take up jogging. My friend was on track teams growing up and she’s also coached some teams as well. She’s teaching me how to do it the proper way so I don’t get injured or push myself too hard. It’s my goal to run a mile in a reasonable amount of time by the end of the summer.

The first couple of weeks at my new job have included a lot of hands-on training. It’s really cool to be able to take what I’ve learned in my classes and apply it on the job (and they pay me to do it!). I was able to create a newsletter, update the company’s website, create Facebook posts, write tweets, and design ads. I do some clerical work as well, entering inventory data into the database and filing invoices. I’ve set up a file structure on the computer for myself based on what I’ve learned in my Document Management class. Using Excel, I’ve made spreadsheets for myself to keep track of things such as new contacts.

I saw a tweet on Twitter encouraging people to pursue something this summer. It can be anything; pick up a guitar, take up painting, learn a sport, teach yourself how to bake something that doesn’t come out of a box, or learn something new you’ve always wanted to learn but keep putting off. Or maybe even try something you didn’t think you’d ever be able to do. By challenging yourself, you challenge the limitations you’ve put on yourself as well as your self-perception. I’ve never been what you would call an athlete, so I’m challenging myself with running. What are your summer goals?

It’s Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Summer

Week in Review: A Reflection of May 27 – June 1

These storm clouds were definitely not invited to the party

It’s technically still spring, but it’s starting to feel a lot like summer. It’s so nice to be outdoors again. I spend every chance I get outside, even taking my lunch to the picnic tables at work so I can enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.

I was officially accepted into the Audio-Video certificate program this past week, so I went to myMPTC and registered for class. I’m so looking forward to taking the Video Camera and Lighting Techniques class that I can hardly wait for August 26! I also can’t wait to get a new laptop at the end of the summer. It’ll have Windows 8, so that will be something new for me to learn.

Because the Web club is a large group and so many members are interested in seeing a movie at the theater, I set up a SurveyMonkey poll so we can choose what times and dates work best for everyone. I learned about this website, where you can create surveys, in class at MPTC. It’s a pretty helpful tool that can be used for lot of different purposes.

I celebrated my birthday a few days early on Saturday with my friends. We tried to have a fire and roast s’mores, but we didn’t get to stay outside too long. It started raining and lightning. Oh well.

When the weather gets bad, what’s your favorite indoor summer activity?