Campus Resource Blog

A few weeks ago I made the decision one day when I got home somewhat earlier from work that I would go to school even earlier than I usually do to sit down with one of the campus guidance counselors to discuss my timeline to graduation in my degree. My current degree is one in HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning). Suffice to say, I do not like this trade and I do not desire to work at it for the rest of my life. For me, this is just something I have to do first before I can take the next step to achieving my goals and dreams.

It turns out that when I went to the student resources center, that counselors were having walk-in counseling all day. I lucked out because I had to get to class by 6:00 and it was already around 3:30 - 4:00. After stumbling around through the main building to find where all of the counselors were holding these walk-in hours, I was sent to meet a counselor whom I believe was named Tom (if he wasn't, we'll still refer to him as Tom).

Tom was incredibly helpful in helping me plot out and discover how and when I would be able to graduate and, as well, set out the entire class schedule for my whole next year of college until my graduation at the beginning of 2019.

That being said, I found myself telling Tom about how I disliked my degree and my job intensely, but that I still wanted to finish the degree to have something under my belt; something that I had finished for once. He was impressed and, I don't try to brag, but also astounded. I told him of my intentions to return to school immediately after finishing my first degree to begin working on my creative endeavors. He was fascinated that I had the patience to set up a fallback plan before chasing after my true desires with full force.

Tom gave me some advice on where I could start taking extra classes to begin dabbling in other fields that I would like, particularly in the animation and arts. He also told me of a few classes and other things I could do that would help bring me some notoriety with my writing as well.

All in all, I'm quite pleased and satisfied with the counselors of Northampton Community College. They understand that unlike full-time students, most of us are working hard to try and survive. Because of this, I find they try that little extra bit harder to help any student get an opportunity to pursue their dreams in-between the work they have to do to despite not wanting to.

Field Journal

Field Journal

Date/Time: 5/8/17 @ 13:25

Location: Morgan Hill Condominium Complex, Top of Hill. Specifically, right outside my front door sitting on the front step.

Weather: 53 degrees Fahrenheit, sunny with some overcasting clouds.

Observers: Only me

Habitat: High altitude mountain with small forestry on high, but sprawling trees down low. Far seeing view of immediate town of Easton as well as towns further out in the Lehigh Valley and beyond. Mountain ranges of the Cat Scales and Poconos visible before obscuring one another. Lush grass and greenery, well maintained and tended living space stationed beside and within natural forestry.

Remarks: It's really nice out. I really don't want to have to do all of this stuff I have to do, I'd much rather sit here and read. Wow it's already 1:30, I gotta get going soon. But somehow I don't feel rushed like I would if I were at work or inside. This is actually really, really nice.

Comments: I feel not just inspired but capable of handling the stress and weight of the things I have to do in my life that I don't want to, like work and the day-to-day taxing endeavors so that I can achieve my hopes and dreams to struggle and fight for the position I want to find myself in. I want to be able to enjoy days like this to their fullest instead of having to leave them so soon.

Personal Account:

"It's brisk, but not quite cold or even very cool at all. The sun shines brightly, hurting my eyes and I can hear the loud whisper of the wind moving the trees and flowers around me. The air is crisp and clear on the top of a mountain where I can gaze off across sprawling cities and towns before watching them melt into the natural wildlands and forests of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. I hear the sweet, simple, and slightly mysterious song of my neighbor's windchimes. I really like windchimes, they're one of the few instruments that aren't played by a person, but by nature itself. I also hear a few songbirds speaking to one another, I imagine they're commenting on how nice it is today. I feel at peace.

Despite needing to finish what is left of my classwork, this is enjoyable and nice. It makes me feel content and comfortable to know that no matter how busy my life gets, I can always take a moment to enjoy the simple pleasures of the world and nature.

Home Is What You Make It?

It's been told countless times by countless people (one of which being that linguistically challenged farmer from Joe Dirt) that "Home Is Where You Make It".

For me, I can agree with this sentiment entirely.

Home is lighting every candle and incense stick in a five mile radius

I currently live at home with two parents who care deeply about me and hope the best for me. However, that house isn't what home is to me.

Home is the place where I don't have to perform for anyone. Home is the place where the family I've created out of my dearest friends and closest found loved ones will be. Home is neither here nor there but somewhere in-between, where time holds little meaning compared to the good times being spent. Home is where 2:00 AM Taco Bell and scratch made Chicken Paprikash are both the most delicious meals in the world. Home is watching as many Studio Ghibli movies as one can in a row and quoting the lines word for word. Home is blurring the line between playing cards and diving fortune out of them. Home is walking out into the brisk midnight darkness to stare up at the infinite cosmos and wonder in amazement at the universe that I and my family I've found and come to love are a part of.

Home isn't just where you make it - home is also what you make it.

How to be Educated

I spent the first twenty or so years of my life in a small town called Chatham in the worst state of America: New Jersey. Chatham was an exceptionally wealthy town that I believe had one of the better public school systems in the state - and in that same vein, New Jersey seems to have the best school systems in the entire country.

"The Best" in the state

So for me, school was meant to be an immense and important part of my life.


Unfortunately, I didn't like it very much. The majority of the students in my school were, in my personal experience, appreciated less as individual minds with varying skills and areas of expertise and more as numbers to fit a statistic. If we weren't "academically inclined", as in excelled working in academia apart from other areas (ie: theatrics, arts, literature and creative writing, hands on skillsets, etc.) we were pushed along anyway. I often think of the stereotypical teacher/writer relationship in "Feel-Good" movies where the misunderstood and outcasted student who's ridiculed by his or her peers discovers a teacher who appreciates and recognizes their incredible talent in an alternative field and helps them discover their own success and achievement. I often see myself as one of those misunderstood students, only I never had a teacher to help me find my own unique value and talent I had to offer.

Most of my peers would agree that our school sucked. Most of our teachers had no personality, were incredibly biased and opinionated, or was just following their syllabus and semester schedule with the intensity of a religious zealot. What I learned most from school was that I probably wouldn't learn what I wanted to learn from -that- school. Instead, I learned how to teach myself the things I truly was interested in and how to handle the overload of work I was getting from the undesired classes I had to take (with my fair share of disappointing grades).

Now, as an adult in college, I find I fit in far better than I used to. Going to a college (community or otherwise) is an opportunity where you as an individual are sought after. Professors and fellow students want to see what kind of differing ideas you bring to the discussion. The differences in where we all excel, wether academically, creatively, or skillset-wise are what makes for an even richer and fuller classroom experience.

I look forward to seeing what the rest of our class this semester will teach me.

An Interview

Language is an ever evolving creature and the internet has done wonders to assist in helping others learn of the new ways it changes and evolves. Websites like Urban Dictionary are constantly updating with dozens of new words and variations of slang and cultural jargon. However, one word that I've stumbled across in my many adventurous interweb explorations was from The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. The word that had captured my eye and ignited my mind was "Sonder".

Courtesy of [ http://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/ ]

Quite often in life we have a tendency to fumble, bumble, and stumble around completely focussed on our own footing and willfully oblivious to any and everything else going on around us. By this I mean, we have a habit of only paying attention to what's going on in our lives and ignoring or not even considering that the people around us also have lives just as fascinating and complicated as our own!

It's in the same vein as the definition of 'sonder' that I found an opportunity to get to know one of my fellow classmates a bit better.

Her name is Samara Jones, and she's a lovely human being.

Samara had lived most of her life in New Jersey (like myself) but has been living in Pennsylvania for about two years presently. She's a single mother with a 13 year old son that is the world to her. She expressed in the deepest and most heartfelt way during our conversation just how much she loves being a Mother and how dear her son is to her. When she isn't being one of the best Mom's in Pennsylvania, Samara is always working hard both at work and at school. She's currently studying nursing and explained how through her life she's desired to help people. One of her greatest dreams is to, in some small way, shape, or form, help discover a cure for cancer. After losing so many loved ones to the disease, she wants to do all she can to help others from having to go through the same pain.

Samara had told me she thinks family is an important aspect in life that's lost some of it's luster in the present day. She gets along quite well with her parents now - but that wasn't quite the case growing up. Her Father was a Pastor at a Pentecostal Christian Church and, as such, had an immensely strict and confined upbringing. She described how back during her childhood she grew up in the Church, never going on many outings or venturing far outside of the pews and doors. However, despite the strict lifestyle, Samara learned that she loved to sing by being part of the church choir. To this very day she still writes songs in her spare time.

Music is also a big part of her other siblings lives as her younger brother is an aspiring hip-hop rap artist whom she, her older sister, and their parents support wholeheartedly.

Despite being single presently, Samara's a hopeless romantic who knows many great times are still ahead of her. And until then, she'll keep working hard both at work and parenting, studying hard to make a difference in the world, and occasionally watching the best Horror Movies (of which we can both agree is the greatest genre of movie).

Who Actually Blogs Anymore?

More often than not I find the term 'blogging' to be akin to someone jabbing their fingers into the spots just under your rib-cage or the sound of someone with really wet lips slobbering talking directly into your ear ...

Can you hear it?

So naturally when you find yourself at 22 years old at a Community College attempting to complete a degree in a Trade Major that you really despise and would much rather be pursuing your passions and dreams of writing and art, but have been convinced that this is how to make money and survive in life as a grownup; you tend to compromise way more than anything.

That being said, I guess for the price of a passing grade in my English101 class, I'm now a Blogger.

Stay tuned. Maybe there will be art and deep fulfilling commentary on my growth and development as a person.

I'm full of shit it's totally just going to be homework and memes.

- K.