Next Steps

Next Steps

Yesterday I went to Tri-C to get some stuff taken care of. The Access Office decided to take me on. I will now get provided a calculator for all math purposes, I get 1.5x more time on all tests and exams, I get to audio record my lectures and in case I'm feeling overwhelmed or stressed I get permitted a 15 minute break during all classes. This will help me a great deal since I have trouble focusing and have a bad memory. my math is also not my strongest subject and I tend to get stressed and overwhelmed easily when under pressure. He advised me to look into long-term counseling because their staff counselors are mainly just in case you're having a bad day.

As for my Financial Aid, I need my 2015 Tax Transcript which I have to call the IRS for and I must complete another FAFSA for the 2016/2017 year I guess when I completed my FAFSA, I did so for the 2017/2018 year. OOPS! Well I at least have everything written down that I need to do and will get the financial aid stuff completed sometime later this or next week with my mom's assistance.

Finally, I have to do the Placement Prep for my Placement Tests which includes a short lecture and a practice test. It would have taken 2 hours so I decided not to do it yesterday. It is possible to do online so perhaps next Monday I will go to the local Library to do it since there isn't a working printer at home. I will then have to take the practice tests with me when I go in to do the actual test. but I had gotten an Accommodation Letter from the Access Office so I get more time and a calculator for the test.

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory Slots By Zynga Review

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory Slots

By Zynga

Photo Screened with my phone of  the App from Google Play

Now who doesn't like to gamble every now and then? Especially when you're not really losing any cash in the process. I came across this game on my phone, It is also available to play on Facebook! It mixes two of my favorite things. Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (the original) and Slot Machines! I'm not a very big gambler but this game has me hooked! I get bored with slots easily because when you lose all of your tokens they make you spend your real money to buy more so you can keep playing. The good thing about this slot game is it gives you a daily bonus not once a day, but once every two hours. That keeps the addiction rolling! It is accompanied by music from the movie and the slot items are also relevant to the movie. There are tons of ways to win and even mini games you can play if you land on a certain slot combination like a coin wild with a bubble gum machine at the top of the slot machine, will give you various rewards. Three cash registers and you get a mini game. There is also free spins and this is only on the FIRST slot machine you can use! As you level up more slot machines with different challenges become available and they have other worlds reflected in the game you can compete in for a limited amount of time. They have a Wonkavator Win and a Wonka Win which both gives you over 1.5k of tokens. The more you bet, the faster your level meter fills. It has an auto-spin function that will keep the lever going on it's own which I can only assume most slot machines have. There is also a jackpot but I've never won it. In another slot machine, Charlie's Grandfather Joe occasionally dances across the screen covering the slots in wilds that can win you big money! If you are the type to use real money to buy more tokens impulsively to keep playing they always have a good deal but it's really not necessary since you get the daily rewards multiple times a day and there's so many ways to win. The more you bet, the higher the outcome but I believe that's how it always was. I don't believe I will be losing interest in this game anytime soon. It's highly addictive and very nostalgic. Very fun for people of all ages! So give the lever a pull and test your luck on this game on Facebook or download the app from the app store on your device! 

*Note* I was not solicited to post a positive review, review based on my own personal opinion

College Obstacles

College Obstacles

So turns out there's a few more bumps in the road to prepare for college. I have to take Placement Tests to see where I fit in for the Prerequisites. If I go through the Access Office which helps people with Physical, Mental, and Learning Disabilities, it will be an Academic Test. I Still have the appointment with the Access Office on Monday February, 27th So Since the testing area is open for Walk-Ins on Mondays at 3:00 pm. I will be taking the test(s) after my appointment. I also found out that Tri-C has a U-Pass for public transportation riders. It'll pay all bus fares as long as you are enrolled in classes. I'm going to look into that seeing as I already pay $11 a week in bus fare for work which would be $12.50 for a weekly bus pass and the pass can be used for extra-curricular activities outside of school such as work or other daily traveling rituals. I still need to stop by the Financial Aid Office as well to turn in my 2015 Tax Return forms. I need to purchase school supplies which I have set up a spreadsheet for on Microsoft Excel. I need to enroll in my classes so I can purchase the required text-books needed for the classes. I won't need much since I'm only taking maybe two classes a semester. I have to visit the Administration Office to transfer my information for the Summer semester instead of the Spring semester  I'm completely obsessing and stressing out over things I need to get done even though classes don't begin until May. I just want to get it all taken care of so I have zero reason to stress once my classes do start.

 

Ancestry

Ancestry

Family Tree & DNA

Picture Courtesy of Google.com 

Everyone has a lineage. Whether it's Grandparents, Parents and passed down to your own children It's a never-ending tree of growth. I have two sons, they have two different fathers so they are considered the apples, right? Well I was talking with my Biological Paternal Aunt today and discovered many fascinating things! I had messaged her on Facebook about ancestry. My adoptive family pretty much ends at Great-Grandparents before I need a membership to access records internationally, from Germany, Poland, and Italy to be exact. I discovered that my Biological Paternal Aunt does family research and creates family trees for a living. Family has always been a fascination to me. My Biological Maternal Grand-Father was big into genealogy and the Family Tree scene as well but unfortunately he passed away before I had the pleasure to meet him and have a chat about our line. I learned from my Aunt that we are related to Abraham Lincoln through the common ancestor Lawrence Richardson. We are the 5th cousins 7 times removed which I found amazing! My Aunt even did a DNA test on Ancestry.com and here are her results...

Picture Courtesy of Aunt Yvette V.

No wonder I am obsessed with England. I have European blood running through my veins! Okay well since this is my aunt's results and not mine you have to cut the percentages in half. My Biological Mother's ethnicity backgrounds are unknown (for now) I am planning to take my own DNA test when I can get the money and there's a sale. I will post those results when it happens :)

I learned that there's actually a book called GENERATIONS: A Thousand-Year Family History

about the Sanders family which is my Great Grand-Mother Delores Sanders' family. My Aunt has done so much that I need to catch up on in my personal family tree.

Isn't it fun to learn your background; what and who made you the person you are today? For all you know your ancestors could have done amazing things to shape America and could have came from all over the world. Maybe your Great Great Grandmother fought for civil rights, Maybe they came from a little town in Scandinavia. Maybe you're somehow related to one of our great historic Presidents. It really is rewarding to discover your past. Maybe your hobbies ran in the family or you're as hard-working as your Great Great Great uncle.

I remember about four years ago there was a show on television called "Who Do You Think You Are?" that was on TLC. It was a show promoting Ancestry.com who took Celebrities on a path to self discovery. I saw Matthew Broderick and Julia Roberts learn things about their history and so many others. Now the show is Finding Your Roots on PBS which I have never seen before but just might start watching. It's all very inspiring to become a detective and find your own way through your family and touch base with relatives you may not communicate with very often. My Aunt is going to run a search on my Maternal Birth Family for me with the resources she has available. I'm excited to see what she uncovers. All I know of my Birth Maternal Family is that we somehow are related to the Hatfield's or The McCoy's or perhaps both! There was a "hillbilly" feud between the two clans.

So if you ever get curious about your Family History turn to Ancestry or MyHeritage and begin a family tree. The more you already know the better outcome you will get without a membership. If you want a membership MyHeritage.com is cheaper but you can only do one tree per account. On Ancestry you can explore multiple trees which is better suited if you're adopted and want to explore the history of both your adopted and birth families. Either way a membership is needed to explore the federal records on any person you add to the tree. BUMMER I know. Happy Discovery!

*Note* I was not paid or solicited to mention the above parties this post is purely on my own experiences with each of the posted parties.

College Bound

College Bound

Summer 2017

So, If you are carrying on from my last post I have applied for College for Spring 2017. Well, That didn't go the way I hoped. It didn't occur to me that Spring Semester started in January. With that being said I did however get my acceptance letter in the mail on the 15th of February and i'm going to switch my beginning semester to Summer 2017. That means my classes will start May 20th which in the long run is better because I can better prepare for it.

Luckily for me the campus of my soon to be college is only about a mile from where I work so it'll be extremely easy for me to get there after my work day. That is nice since I'm currently unable to drive. which the backstory to that is rather complex and off topic.

 So since I had received my acceptance letter I set up my account on the school website to access my school server email and set up an appointment with an Academic Counselor. The thing that bummed me out about making the appointment is that it's a 45 minute Web session. I would have preferred to meet face to face when discussing my academic future. I also had some other requirements after filling out my FAFSA for Student Financial Aid. I am eligible for the financial aid but I need to take my 2015 tax return information to them to see how much I will be able to receive. I also need to get my Tri-C student pass. That way I have full access to everything the school entails including the cafeteria.

I have Bi-Polar, ADHD, Anxiety, OCD, etc, and some mild learning disabilities that really sabotaged my success when I went during the 2008-2009 school year when I was younger. luckily, I reached out to my recruiter and he mentioned they have many resources for students with disabilities and a lot of support. I am also going to reach out to them to see what kind of help I can receive to make sure this time around is successful and prosperous.

I decided to go for Graphic Design I don't know yet if i'm eventually going to transfer to a four year college and get my Bachelor's or if i'm going to settle and maybe go back to school in the future for Web Design and Photography.I kind of hope I can be a "Jack of All Trades" of sorts. I am hoping and praying I will succeed I just have to stick to it and stay motivated.

I have made my back-to-back appointments for Career Counseling and for the Access with Disabilities Specialist. I only need one for Financial Aid now. I am so stoked and on top of my game with this!

Feel free to follow my Back To School Journey as I embark on a new and fulfilling future

  

Decisions Decisions

Decisions Decisions

Go Back To College or Not

So lately I've been finding myself in a bad situation. My job is the best job ever, co-workers offer me rides home, lend me money for lunch, and as being bi-polar is a challenge in it's own, they listen to me vent from home troubles from time to time and are very patient and understanding of my struggles. I do not want to quit but the negatives to this job is that it's a part-time job under an Independent Contract. No benefits, no direct deposit of my paychecks, no automatic authorizations to withhold funds for my Child Support payments, no paid sick days or vacation or holidays, no automatic tax withheld. Sometimes I think the cons outweigh the pros of this job, and there's no chance of growth here within the agency. It's a dead-end job.

With that being said, I've been thinking about going back to the local community college for a certificate in my greatest pleasure, Graphic Design. It's something i'm good at, always have been and probably always will be. Working in programs such as Photoshop and designing flyers and business cards or even photography I can take some pride in.

When I was in High School I was taking a vocational class in Graphic Design at an eligible high school that provided that program. I was passing through with flying colors always getting my assignments turned in on time with excellence. I was often pulled aside by the teacher to do profited assignments for actual customers that would come in occasionally.) I have many good memories of that place but I had made some poor choices in life at that time and I did not receive the certification. To be more specific, I was very rebellious and ran off with a boy from my main high school for at least 2 weeks. I also had gotten pregnant my senior year and was no longer allowed to participate in the main tasks such as screen printing or using the pressing machines. I was dismissed from the program. To this day I regret my poor choices and often think how it would be different had I made better choices for my overall future.

When I was nineteen, I was going to the local community college full-time fulfilling prerequisites to an Associate's Degree in Graphic Design. I was not prepared for the advancement in which I was placed. I only passed one class which was the Computer class. I failed Basic Math, English, and my wandering credits class Gym. I got very discouraged and decided not to attend the next Semester.

Nearly 10 years later it has now been reopened as an option. Only this time I want to get a certificate because I'm afraid to go back to finish my prerequisites for the Associate's Degree. Not that I'll never go back, I just don't feel like I'm prepared or maybe I should just take it slow and only do maybe two classes at the same time. So I suppose it isn't about will I return to college but how to pursue my dream coming forth to become a freelance Graphic Designer. The question still remains, should I cram my classes and go for an Associate's or should I ease up on myself and settle for a Certificate for now?