Life in High School

When I was in high school, I was like the most popular girl ever. Everyone knew me because of my reputation of being the smartest in my class as well as the cutest. I participated in a lot of activities in high school. I was a cheerleader (became captain junior yr), I was in the science club, math club, FCCLA, FBLA, Debate Club, the chorus and I was also class president. So as you can see, I did a whole lot. I was favored by all my teachers and still today, they check up on me. My favoritest teacher was Mr. Troutman. He was my math teacher for two years. He taught me Trig and Calculus. I love that man, he knew his math. I loved being a cheerleader more than anything. I liked being the center of attention everywhere we went. The football and basketball players really appreciated all the hard work we did for them. Everyday after school, we had practice. We would immediately after class go get changed in the bathroom and head to the gym. We started out every practice with stretches and jumps. After that, we jumped right into rehearsing the different cheers and chants or dances we may have to perform at games. During football season it was mandatory that we made the cutest run through sign. So at practice we would think of the cutest theme ever for our team to run out through. In high school I graduated with honors. I was saludictorian. I worked extra hard in my academics to get there. I was offered scholarships from schools all around including Macon State. I received most scholared athlete, hustle and desire award, MVP, and Top Dawg from cheerleading. I am very proud of my accomplishments in high school.

Evaluation

Ehrenreich assesses how she did in these three experiments. She concludes that she did well at her jobs, stressing that there is no such thing as unskilled labor, as every job has specific damands and skill sets that must be learned. Her ability at work, however, is distinct from how she did in ends meet; she believes she came closes in making earnings match expenses in Maine and was least sure of this goal in Minnesota. Ehrenreich examines the general social issues underlying her experiences. The constant problem of housing is caused by the rich competing with the poor for living space, with the rich inevitably coming out on top. And though market forces drive rent up, the same cannot be said for wages available to the lower class. While the legal minimum wage and actual wages earned have both risen for the lowest ten percent of workers, Ehrenreich believes it is not nearly enough. Employers will do anything to aboid raising wages, such as providing minor benefits that can be taken away more easily when costs tighten. Further, minumum-wage workers employees do not have the same resources as other workers to allow independent comparison of wages and job markers. Even if they did, their ability to change work situations is often restricted by outside concerns such as home environment, transportation, and second jobs.

Selling in Minnesota

Ehrenreich chooses Minneapolis for her last experiment, based on news of its robust job and housing markets. She initially stays at the apartment of friends who are awya on a trip, in exchange for watching their pet cockatiel Budgie. Deciding to explore factory or retail work and become more aggressive with the application process, Ehrenreich succeeds in getting jobs at at Walmart and a Menards housewares store. Unfortunately, both require a drug test, and Ehrenreich has recently smoked marijuana. She tries to detoxify by drinking great deals of water and buying products designed to clear your system. Ehrenreigh takes time out to meet Caroline, a relative of a friend. Carolina has done in real life what Ehrenreich pretends to do with her experiments: relocated from one state to another to start a new life at minimum wage. Ehrenreich and Caroline become friends. The search for affordable houses grows more desperate, but she is promised an apartment at the Hopkins Park Plaza when it opens up. Meanwhile, she reserves a room at the Twin Lakes, a residential hotel. Menards contacts Ehrenreich and tells her to report for orientation on Wednesday Morning. When she does, she is told she will be paid ten dollars an hour. Walmart contacted her too and they would only be paying her 7 dollars an hour. She turns down the Menards and accepts the Walmarts offer.

Continued............

In chapter two, Ehrenreich chose Maine for its whiteness. She had once been to the Portland area for a speaking engagement and had noticed the almost total lack of people of color- in any walk of life. In addition to the population primarily white, everyone spoke English, and the Portland area employment base seemed anxious for new bodies. Traveling by bus from FL, Ehrenreich arrives in Portland August 24, nearly 2000 miles away fromeverything she is familiar with. He personal inventory includes a suitcase of clothes, a tote stuffed with toiletries, books, and hiking boots, and her laptop. She also has a 1,000 in cash. He first surprise is that there are no low-rent apartments in Portland. Affordable housing is 30 minutes away. The following day she finds a tiny cottage in Old Orchard Beach for 120 a week. It is time for her to find a job. She applies at various places for a job, including taking personality tests at Wal'mart and The Maids, a housecleaning service. She starts to working at both jobs. On Monday morning, Ehrenreich begins work at the Maids by watching a series of videotapes describing how to clean according to company policy. On Friday, one of her team assignments includes the home of Mrs. W, who ends up watching Ehrenreich as she cleans the kitchen floor on her hands and knees. Ehrenreich develops a rash but is not sure where it comes from; further, the aches and pains from her job take their toll. She makes observations on the physically damaging nature of her maid work, as well as the ostentatious nature of the houses she must clean. On her last day at The Maids, she reveals to co-workers her real reason for working there. They didn't have much to say.

Continued..............

In chapter one, Ehrenreich began her low-wage life in Key West, Florida, where she actually lived as a writer. Initially, she was afraid someone from her "real" life would recognize her and she would have to explain her project. No one recognized her. She found her first housing in an economy efficiency 30 miles distant from the employment opportunities of Key West. Ruling out various occupations because of physical limitations or personality, she began filling out applications for jobs in such fields as housekeeping, grocery clerking, and fast food. After 3 days of job searching, one of the big discount hotel chains where she had applied for a housekeeping position contacted her. They inquired if she would be interested in waitressing at the attached family restaurant. She learned that waitressing was not just taking orders and serving customers, but included all the invisible work- sweeping, filing condiment containers, or cleaning out the freezer. Ehrenreich was unable to financially support herself with a single job. She approaches the management of the hotel protion of the restaurant and applies for a housekeeping job on the assumption that it would be less strenuously physical. On her first day of housekeeping, she makes beds, folds towels, etc... She works there from 9am to 3. Ehrenreich, who, up to this point, had mentally and physically immersed herself into her role, suddenly realized she was not trapped by circumstaces and could just walk away without financial consequence. Although she did immediately walk out-leaving behind unfinished work, collectable tips, and final wages.

Preparing for my Final

Since I have a final in the morning over a book, I just decided to do my last couple of bloggs on the book. In the introduction Ehrenreich has agreed to take on the lifestyle of a minimum wage worker and experience the hardships. In her experiment, she sets herself some ground rules. The first rule is she could not fall back on any skills from her past work or education in her quest for employment. The second rule is she had to take the highest paying job and do her best to hold it. The third rule was she had to find the least expensive shelter that provided safety and privacy. The last rule was to survive on her income, the best of her ability. Throughout her experience, Ehrenreich faithfully attempted to stick by these basic rules although all were bent or broken at particular times. Ehrenreich's first problem was how to present herself to potential employers. She solved the issue by describing herself as a divorced homemaker re-entering the job market. She used former housemates asn a friend in Key West(her actual home community) as references and confined her education to 3 years of college, listing her real Alma Mater. Amazingly, no one questioned her fiction and only one employer out of a dozen bothered to check her references. Finally, Ehrenreich se limits as to how much she would endure for the sake of the article or book: 1. She would always have a car, a "rent-a-wreck" obtained in each locality. 2. She ruled out homelessness as an option. 3. She would not go hungry. 4. She would begin with an initial bankroll of 1,500-a cushion totally outside the lifestyles she was about to assume.

Sitting at home

Hey there, I'm just sitting at my house bored looking at my favorite television show "The Game" and eating chips as I type. I just got done studying for my essay final that I have to write in the morning at eight a.m. I hope we get a chance to use the book during the essay because I forget some important things that may be helpful in writing a great essay. I read and understood the book, but when you are given specific topics its kind of hard to elaborate on. My sister is home with me bored as well. I'm tired of looking at her walk back and forth. We thought about ordering a pizza, a meat lovers pizza from pizza hut sounds delicious. I can probably eat the whole pizza by myself, I'm just that hungry. I don't know what is is but I eat a lot and I never gain any weight, not even a little bit. I wish I could gain like ten more p0unds and then I really will be having it going on! Everybody in my family has some weight on them, all but me. My mom says I will start gaining some pounds after I have my first baby. Anyways, this blogging is making my night go by a little faster. I have three more to write to have twenty-five, but I'ma shoot for that thirty just in case my bloggs didnt meet the criteria. It's always best to have more than less. I don't even know have three hundred words look. I'm guessing this is about the size of a three hundred word blogg, I don't know!

Plans for my Summer

Well I was planning to take a trip on my summer vacation, but it can only be for a weekend because I am taking a pyschology class this summer. I want to go to Wild Adventures in Valdosta, Ga. I've been there before and I loved it. Now I was told that the park has grown a lot since the last time I was there. The park even has a water park at the back of the theme park. There you can enjoy the water rides and the huge pool they have. The rides at the park are so fun. They have all different types of roller costers and a whole lot of other rides as well. Wild Adventures is a nice park to take your family out to or even just you and a significant other. The city of Valdosta is a nice place to be staying in as well. They have lots of hotels or suites you can choose from and they are surrounded by the best restaurants. Valdosta is also known for its shopping plazas and their huge mall. Maybe one day that me and me partner didn't go to the park, we can go out and enjoy Valdostsa's other attractions. We may go to a movie, the musuem, skating, or even bowling while we are there. I very excites about our trip and i hope everything goes as planned. My fiance suppose to coming home in June and as soon as he gets in town we are going to pack up and get ready for a great weekend together. While I'm in Valdosta, I'ma sit back, have fun, and enjoy the sun.

My semester finals and classes

Today I am sitting here wondering how I'm going to do on all my finals. I have three that I have to take. I think my easiest final is going to be in my sociology class. The hardest I know is going to be for my statistics final even though it it an open notes test. In my English class we are going to be tested over a book, which seems like it should be fairly easy. The only worries I have with taking my English final is the topic that we have to write on. I not a big fan of writing in class papers on a topic that was given to me on that same day. I would rather have a multiple choice test but whos decision it that? Not mine. I am so stressed out this morning. I have a regular statistics test at three o'clock and I don't want to take it. Statistics is a very hard course. My major even requires me to take a Business Statistics course so I really have to buckle down. I wish I had all regular math classes because I don't think Statistics is normal. That class makes the student think entirely too hard. I like math classes that just deals with solving equations. Overall, I'm satisfied with my classes that I was required to take this semester. I should still be able to keep my Hope Scholarship. I should end up with all "A's" and I am pushing for a "B" in my Statistics course.

The Greatest Parents

I have the greatest parents in history. All my life I have always been given everything I ever wanted or needed. At the age of sixteen I had a brand new Honda and on my eighteenth birthday I received a brand new Altima. I am so thankful to have my parents, because without them I don't know what I would of done. I currently stay in Warner Robins and I attend school and only work on the weekends. So that just means that I don't have much money. My parents pay my full rent which is seven hundred dollars and my car note which is three hundred and something and not to mention my car insurance. I am truly blessed. My parents also put money in my account for gas and for little shopping that I have to do. Not many times to you find parents who still takes care of their twenty year old child. The weird thing about it is, my parents are even wealthy people. We aren't poor but at the same time, we don't have a lot either. My dad has 14 cars and all of them are very nice, how he does it I don't know but he does it. I love my parents to death. They are always there for me no matter what. When I grow up and get my career started, I promise they'll never have to worry about a thing! Love you mom and dad!

My Job

I am currently working at Office Depot and there I am a customer service specialist. I have been there a year and 7 months and I find my job very easy now. Majority of the times I run the cash register, but I am called out on the floor for different projects that need to be completed at times. At Office Depot it is all about our customers and making sure that we have fanatical customer service. My store manager name is Ted Fulford, he's a tuff boss, but he has ok to deal with on his good days. I have three other managers, they are nothing like the store manager. They are all friendly and great workers. They perform their job well. When checking customers out at the register it's really important things the cashier has to remember to do with every customer. The cashier must greet the customer and ask did they find everything ok. Then the cashier must ask if they have a worklife rewards card and if not, they must explain what it is and the benefits of signing up. After that then the associate must ask did they need any additional items. Office Depot has some of the best employers I have ever known, they are very dedicated to the store and their specific job title. Although I love my job, I do not plan on being there much longer. I'm ready to start my intern with the Robins Air Force Base. So bye bye Office Depot!

In Class Today

I just received my second paper back today that I explained the differences between high school and college. I got an A on it and I am so excited. I worked so hard on this paper and my hard work paid off. I'm hoping that when I get my research paper back that my grade is no lower than a B. I worked hard on that as well. In class today we suppose to be discussing a book we were assigned to read called Nickel and Dimed. It was a good book but it wouldn't be something I would of read for fun. I read it because it was a grade! It was about this woman named Barbara Ehrenreich who took on an assignment that involved working at low minimum-wage jobs for one month at a time to see if she can match her earnings to her expenses. She has three rules that she sets up: first, she cannot rely on skills derived from her education or her work as a writer; second, she must take the highest paying job possible and actually work; and third, she must find the cheapest living conditions for herself. In retrospect, she admits these rules were not always observed. Ehrenreich sets up other parameters as well: she will always have a car, will never go homeless, and will not go hungry. She is financially comfortable and can walk away from her experiment if she wants.

American Dream

The American Dream is filled with fame, success, and wealth. The American dream is the dream of living a great life. It's having a great career going and having all the things an individual has always dreamed of having. The American dream is the key to wealth. You can't reach for something without dreams of having it. This dream consists of having someone to love, with no worries at all. It consists of a lot of hard work and patience.

I attend school at Macon State College hoping to pursue a degree in business. This is a start to my American Dream. By having a college education, I am helping to prepare myself for future success. I work full time at my job, and not to mention, I am a full time student. These activities consist of a lot of hard work. I know if I want to fulfill the American Dream it's going to be a lot harder than it it for me now. At least I am getting use to knowing that nothing in life is free. If you want something, then you have to get out there and get it. I also exercise a lot in my free time. Living in the American dream, is being healthy and not having different illnesses due to lack of nutrients and exercise. It is known that most people who are physically fit, tend to live longer. So keeping yourself healthy while you are young is definitely a part of the American Dream.