Notch #4

 11/22/2015
*  This evening I watched one lady's video on her Homeschooled education. Because I love to learn (I do somewhat miss being Homeschooled), I felt inspired to make up my own "curriculum". With this in mind, I have come up with an idea on what would consist as my "curriculum". 

   I enjoy learning German, history, government, and some science. So, here is my first rough draft on what I could study:

        1: German

        2: Hillsdale- Economics (Hillsdale has free online courses you can take at your own pace)

        3: Khan Academy- Math                                                                                                     

        4: Study for Learner's Permit
  Hmmm... looks good. Now the next step would be to figure out how much time I need to spend on each one. This little schedule may change as I integrate it into the regular day to day itinerary. This process may take awhile .... I'm determined to do it. Definitely, I will update this blog on how it's going.

Update 11/25/2015:
  The curriculum has been tweaked a little bit. I added some extra instruction to each subject, so that I have a better idea of where to start and what to do. 
     30 min. for each subject.
        German:               15 min. guided lesson
                                         15 min. translating
        Hillsdale:             Economics 101 course
        Khan Academy: Pre-Algebra
        Driver's ED:        Learner's Permit Practice Tests

Printed "Home Schooling Plan"

    Additionally, I may make a graph to track my progress. Once I have completed a subject, I could start studying Architecture. 
  I am beginning with Pre-Algebra in math, because that is an area in which I really struggled and would like to improve upon that.  

Notch #3

  College, university, or vocational school are all interesting places to consider for higher education. I did some research into what schools I might be interested in and found some pretty upstanding institutions. However, I don't know if going to school is what I should do right now. 

  Frankly, without a driver's license, going to school would be difficult; but that is slowly being remedied. I hope that I'll have my driver's license within a year. Unlike the typical American teen, I wasn't able to get a DL. Life just didn't allow for it, until now. Interestingly, some people are impressed that I am not going stir-crazy without a DL. I never really felt the need to drive till I reached my 20s. Even then, I am still not going "stir-crazy", just anxious. I'm happy to say that I'm ready to start learning how to drive.

The car that I'll drive, Lord willing, within  a year.

  In the meantime, I just work, study, clean, and write. Sometimes I will work on a project. I am also thinking about the future, but as I do that, I'm realizing I need to be thankful and content where I am at. In life, I've learned that we can't do everything we want to do. Going to school doesn't seem to be one of those things I can do right now. Correspondingly, my finances wouldn't even be able to cover the cost of higher education. 

  Lord willing, if I ever do become a student, I would like to attend one of these institutes: 

1) Hillsdale College        -http://www.hillsdale.edu/about

2) Cedarville University    -www.cedarville.edu/About.aspx

3) Southern Career Institute-http://www.scitexas.edu/

4) College of the Ozarks    -https://www.cofo.edu/Page/About-C-of-O.14.html

 I really like the concept of working for your education. It allows you to avoid debt (something I'd avoid like the plague). 

Notch #2

    Insulin is very important. I have been thinking about how important it is to those who are insulin dependent; those people need it to live. The thought that their lives depend on the supply, sitting in the fridge, bothers me. That got me thinking of ways to increase the supply without having to store it in the fridge.
  Imagine yourself as a Type 1 diabetic. What if some kind of drastic crisis took place, preventing you from acquiring insulin aspart? In that moment, you realize that your life is numbered by 3 insulin vials in your fridge. You will live just as long as those 3 vials will last. Wouldn't you want to avoid that possibility?   That scenario is very concerning to me. 
   There has got to be a way for these people to get an emergency supply and for it to last long enough outside of refrigeration. So, what if insulin aspart was in powder form? What if novolog and lantus came in that form, like the way the gluco-gun is set up?
   In addition, I thought about coordinating an effort to get emergency supplies of insulin out to insulin-dependents. This endeavor would be faster than me trying to research in a lab on how to accomplish that. Right now, I'm just thinking about the initial stages. I'm sure there is a lot more to this plan than I am aware of right now, but I'm still going to try to do what I can, at this time. Talking to people about my idea, thinking about ways to go about this, and praying about it, is what I am going to do for now.
   

Notch #1

    It is sunny outside. High puffy clouds look cold in the blue sky. The wind carries a chill temp through the fall trees. Leaves slowly fall to the ground. An occasional cluck is heard from the chickens nearby. Birds are singing their hearts over the country side. I breath in the cool air. This is how it looked on this beautiful Sunday morning:
 





 
  Then I couldn't resist photographing the area of sky, more directly above me:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              


  Looking at this second photo, I ask questions or ponder about space. Right past that dark blue is nothing but an expanse of stars, planets, galaxies, gas giants, black holes, and a whole host of other things we might not have discovered yet. It is amazing how we can't see all that during the day, but know that is still there.
   (On another topic) Recently, I watched the movie called Tomorrowland. It seemed like the point of the movie is to encourage you to dream. Go for what you are passionate about. In fact, this movie seemed to come on at the right time; because it feels like I have lost touch with my dreams.

    I dream about large, spacious homes. I have not drawn a residence or drafted a floor plan in a long time. I enjoy trying to design a building that fits with an individual family.

One of my drafted floor plans.

This house is actually bigger than what I drew it as.

   Dwellings built for each specific family or person. The home is also built into the land or designed to fit the view of the landscape (not sure how good I am at doing that) so that it blends well with the scenery. I've imagined homes with integrated technologies. However, some of my fire for this has died down a bit.  

     

My version of an earthship.

  In explanation, I have accepted this idea that I can't pursue this dream, because of costs. It costs to go to a university or college to learn Architecture. I do not believe in accepting money from the government to pay for my education. I would rather look for a scholarship that would come from something more privatized. That being said, my priorities changed. I started looking for a scholarship in Business Administration. Since I do not want to continue to work in public school education, I thought," Why not look for a different job that I would be good at?" It became overwhelming. Trying to find a scholarship (for a certain career) online is no easy task. It doesn't help that I can't drive either. To summarize, I've realized that it is going to cost money I don't have, to do what I want to do.
   After I watched Tomorrowland, my father encouraged me to keep drawing floor plans and drawing homes. I think part of what he was trying to get me to realize is that, even though I can't afford to go to school for it, I can still draw and that I might capture someone's interest in my sketches, if I share it. He explained that someone might want to take the time to teach me, refine my skills. To be honest, I was doubtful of what Dad was telling me, but then I took it to heart after I thought about he said. I am thankful he encouraged me to run with it.Who knows, maybe God will open a door of opportunity somewhere down the road.
   

Intro

      Welcome to my attempt at sharing some of the life I've lived. I decided to share it, because God has blessed it with so much and molded it for His purpose (I don't know exactly what for). 

    To begin, I am a young adult. I am in my third job and considering a career or vocational school. Against popular expectations for people my age, I don't want to go to college. I just don't see how it is possible to attend a school, when I am not even paid enough to live on my own. Yes, I live with my large family. It is a blessing that I can live with them, because otherwise I would have no where to go. 

   Furthermore, I am going through the process of acquiring a driver's license. My life as a Military Brat, up until 18 or 19 years old, was moving around. I didn't have the opportunity to get a driver's license, because life got in the way. It is that simple. It is certainly frustrating that I can't drive right now, but I'm getting there. 

  Not only will I share some of this life, but I will also share lots of ideas and dreams I have. Some days, my brain is overflowing with pictures of what I think technology could be. I have had dreams of houses, which I drafted and have also drawn pictures of. Hopefully, this blog will be one way that I can begin to relieve my brain and help visualize a different world. A world that invites growth, problem solving, and possibly, realization of so many things that challenge the way we do things. 

   This blog is just another person's perspective in life. You can take it or leave it. I hope that ultimately the reader of this blog will be able to take something from it. I have got too much in my brain, so there is bound to be something someone could learn.