April, 2008

Hey everyone!

I mentioned in a past entry that my AIM screenname is SoccerChicaFan. Well, now you don't have to download AIM to be able to talk to me!!!

If you look to the top of the page, in the right sidebar, you'll notice a big blue box. You type in that box, and I'll get it on my AIM. We can chat, even though you aren't on AIM and I'm not on soccerchica.com. Kind of cool, huh?

Well, that's all I have for now. I'm swamped with this being the last week before Finals Rest Week (the week before finals when professors aren't allowed to have any assignments due). Then finals. Then summer. 3 months of nothing. Sweet.

I love this spot from Gatorade. It makes me tear up every time I see it.

Ok. So, I have a soft heart. Kill me know.

With only 4 weeks until the collegiate summer begins, I struggle to believe that summer is an existing season this year. It's now April and I still have to pull out the winter coat 4 days a week. I mean, instead of April showers, I'm seeing April sleet. That's just not right. What's up?

I'm sick of freezing temperatures, wooly socks, and frost. Bring on the sweat, tank tops, and pollen! (When an asthmatic begs for pollen, you know she's desperate.)

I feel better now, so I think I'm going to go do another paper. Oh, joy...

By the way! I got AIM!!! My screenname is SoccerChicaFan. If you ever get bored or curious as to what I'm like outside outside of my blog, just shoot me a message. I'd be glad to get to know some of my readers!

I came across this site that sells sports stuff specifically for girls. It's pretty cool, and they have a lot of nice items. For instance...

We have a girl on our team who can't seem to stay off the ground. She's always going in for the tackle and never backs down. Her ankles take such a beating. These would be great for the serious tacklers of any team.

Check out the rest of their website here.

Alright, so I gave you a list of 5 Great Alternatives to Writing a College Paper. Well, I used a few of them. Here's what happens when you take the Alternatives too seriously...

I had to leave for a trip at 2 on Friday. The English paper I had been putting off had to be e-mailed by midnight. Unfortunately, traveling meant no internet connection, which meant that I had to send in my paper before 2. Because I had been making use of the 5 Alternatives, I had not finished the paper when I went to my 1:00 class - English... I actually had the nerve to finish it in her class. Except that I still couldn't get it finished before 2. The final result was a great paper with a half-completed works cited page. (Not finishing a works cited page means that some sources were not given credit for thier ideas. That is defined as plagiarism, which is illegal.)

The verdict?

I found this really interesting. I'd never heard of anything like this. To see this organization reach out on such a global level (with soccer no less) is amazing.

Read it: Homeless World Cup

Can you imagine??? I would like to meet the person who came up with this idea. The author of the comment obviously missed a few major points: 1) This a MINISTRY. It's supposed to reach out to those who need help. Duh! and 2) This is truly imporving lives. It's not just making homeless people comfortable; it's about encouraging them to better their lives for themselves. Who ever wrote that comment was only thinking on the surface level and really needs to have some compassion for the less fortunate.

Ok...

I have to add a disclaimer to that last entry. In "5 Great Alternatives to Writing a Paper," I may have encouraged you to push aside homework that should be a priority. So I have a few points to add:

- A student-athlete has to be a student first. That's why the word student comes first.

- Doing your homework, papers, and projects now will better prepare you for life beyond school, when deadlines are deadlines no matter what.

- The 5 alternatives should never be applied to the workplace or the home.

- Practicing the 5 alternatives too regularly may result in lower grades.

- SoccerChica is not responsible for low grades due to tardiness of the paper/project or poor quality. Neither is Big D. Nor are we responsible for groundings or other punishment due to lower grades or calls from teachers or anything else.

This includes fine print that you can't see without a telescope. That fine print covers anything else that may go wrong while practicing the 5 alternatives.

Thanks.

-SC

While the particular paper to be avoided is for my freshman level English Comp class, these can be applied to any paper or project that you desire to avoid like the Plague.

1) Write a blog entry.
-This is a prime example. I don't want to write the English paper, so I am writing this ABOUT not writing my English paper. I've managed to avoid the paper and put off the guilt by not doing something completely unrelated to the paper.

2) Go outside.
-Physical activity will provide endorphins that schoolwork quickly drain. When you get back to the paper/project, you might actually WANT to do it!

3) Volunteer.
-No teacher can refuse the excuse, "I was out late feeding the homeless/building a ramp for a man in a wheelchair/reading to children in the burn unit (or whatever it is you do) and didn't have time to do the homework." It's a lot more effective and a lot more believable than, "My dog ate my homework," though I have heard that that really does happen.