Graduate status cemented

Well faithful readers, I have conquered my final that basically decided my passing grade. I still have one more final to take but the margin for error is a lot higher for that one. This test was a CLOSE one, I basically passed by 15 points, 600 total points was needed to have a passing grades, I scraped by with 614.... a little too close for comfort for my tastes, but I'll take it! Not only that, but I have defeated the specter of another failed class, the first time I took this class I made around a 32, didn't even show up for the final due to being absolutely defeated by it. But since then I have been growing and learning, becoming mightier and mightier, and I have vanquished my old foe, replacing my F with a... C, respectable... oh p.s. Operations Management... I win!

It's official!

So I got a nice piece of mail today, according to The University of Texas at Tyler I will officially be receiving my degree, after a loooong 6 year journey. It feels so surreal to soon be out on my own, without having to make a schedule or follow it for the next half of the year.

Too much!

"The best insurance policy for tomorrow is to make the most productive use of today."

I will give you a golden nugget of advice for you, do not take 5 senior level classes, 2 of those being online classes, in one semester. I'll do you one better, don't take 4 senior level business classes in one semester... my goodness... the group projects. One thing I have to look forward to is I will never ever have to work in a group again... wait... yes I will, except for more pressure and responsibility added onto it. Then I guess don't take my nugget of truth, because honestly, if school wasn't hard it wouldn't be worth anything. A degree that is gained easily isn't a degree worth printing, this semester has been difficult, but that's what you want in your school. You want to be challenged, you need to be challenged, or you will go into the workforce and crumple like a worthless degree printed out on a sheet of tissue paper.

The Ely Story: A saga of Awesome

And this is how my saga comes to a close, my 5 something years in College has come to a conclusion and the climax is upon me. It's been a very strange and unique journey, graduated Highschool not too spectacularly and with zero college credit. Had to get an abysmal job paying $5.50 an hour and started going to the tiny building that was the branch of a community college for about a year. Since all of my friends went into the military I was basically solo for that year, which helped with me focusing on my classes and the horrible job. During the semester break I lost my job and that was the kick in my pants to move to the main branch of the campus and get out on my own.

Time to coast yet?

Only a month left in my career as a student, and my only question is..."when can I relax!?" This semester has been the most challenging so far, and that's saying something. After this past test, if I did as well as I hope I did then I can finally relax because I'll be exempt from the test... sorta, still have a HUGE group project in there. Sort of uneven because in another class I did my huge project and still have tests to do in there... sigh. Luckily I was able to obtain a second job that I can do whenever I graduate (students are the only ones able to work here) so I should be fairly safe from the rent police. I'll definitely miss being a student here and walking around the beautiful environment... soon I'll be a 9 to 5 joe making the bucks and putting my wise cracking kids through college, that's... the dream, right... RIGHT!?

Shave your beard for jobs!

Humans vs Zombies: Semester 2 Finale

*The following is recovered footage from broadcaster Sol*

And we have finally gathered, what little humans remain against the snapping, bestial horde. The mission was straightforward, but not simple, a vial of patient zero's blood needed to be collected for a chemical bomb that would leave the area intact but wipe out all life... without that blood the zombies wouldn't be effected. Simple enough, but we had to get access codes to the bomb, 4 strands of code for each human, and with 20 humans that number seemed impossible... some would not make it home. The helicopter carrying the code strands was shot down by renegade humans over a forested area, we would need to send two teams, one to get the vial, one to get enough beads for everybody... then activate the bomb, run to the bomb shelter and hit the detonator, shielding whoever was inside from the explosion. The humans and zombies each had a HERO unit, a specialist, the zombies had a tall, lanky zombie that had retained most of his faculties and was able to launch razor sharp discs at us, getting hit by one meant you were downed for 30 seconds. The humans had a young, female berserker with a giant staff who was able to cleave zombies with one swipe. We divided into two teams, made our plans, distrust was heavy in the air, at any time if somebody had the blood and 4 code strands they could detonate the bomb and leave us all to be burned away.

The Blog Team

Humans vs Zombies: Semester 2 Day 1

Standoff between zombies and the humans.

*cough cough* Hello!? Anybody here? Hm, some of my supplies from my last broadcast are here, looks like the scavengers didn't find my hiding place... yet. Oh wow, and the generator still has some juice in it, enough for a few broadcasts I hope. After a few months of scattered radio transmissions from survivors left behind, the military decided to make another excursion into the city to see if they could find more survivors. Unfortunately due to multiple infected zones the military is stretched fairly thin, I was drafted into service and am now a formally deputized Zombie hunter. And let me tell you first hand that the world is very different from looking in my broadcast tower to actually being on the streets running for my life.

Business Retail Lab

In my Retail class at the University of Texas at Tyler, we have the unique opportunity for real world experience. And that comes in the form of the retail lab, maybe you've seen it? The tiny market inside the business building that looks like a store? Yes that's the one, that's the retail lab, and it's main purpose is training us in retail management and retail marketing. I've had prior experience in a retail environment so I'm having to dust off a lot of my old skills, unfortunately slacking and sleeping in the break room is not part of the lesson plan so not all of my skills are transferable. It's a unique opportunity to be able to take what we are learning and apply it right then and there. I haven't had a lab class in a long time, and have never had a business lab, so here's to hoping it all works out!

The office seems empty

As 1 of the only 2 people working through half of spring break, I can't help but notice that the office seems somewhat vacant. They're keeping us busy though, we helped sort hundreds of shirts for the upcoming preview day, which is great since it frees people up to do more daunting tasks. The workplace revolves around team work, without team work, you really lose out on a lot of resources. Other people being present can offer a lot of great benefits to others, you can work together to complete tasks at a faster pace, can keep each other entertained so burn out is lessened, and people are just awesome. I'm a fairly solitary person, but even I would hate having to work by myself day in and day out without somebody to keep me from going insane!

I am not awesome at Disc Golf

There's always a faster way

So I park pretty far out there to avoid the hassles of finding a parking spot at UT Tyler, which means I have to walk a little ways to get to class. Recently as I'm trying to get back into my phenom physique I've started to run to class, today especially. You see I was running late and class started in 3 minutes, so I was basically sprinting across campus to get to my class. Running out of breath and getting tired I naturally slow down to a jog, when suddenly a guy on a longboard glides next to me nonchalantly eating an egg mcmuffin, he looks extremely relaxed as every now and then he pushes his leg out to give more propulsion but it looks all so effortless. He looks over at me as I huff and puff trying to keep up and says "you should get a longboard bro" and then glides away. I kind of chuckle to myself as somebody on a bike passes him, then somebody riding a golfcart passes her. I find it extremely funny, that no matter what you're doing there is a faster and easier way to get it done, even moving. Then I laughed because I realized I was the 2nd link in the chain of evolution, the first being walking, the evolution of that being jogging and so on and so forth. So I imagine as I run past people they look upon my godly physique and sigh that they but can only walk.

Ow... my body

I am in such.... pain, its as if my body has been assaulted by sledge hammer wielding jackalopes. Forget what I said in my last blog... working out is NOT making me feel better! BUT, I was well prepared for this when I decided to start doing p90x again, all the pain is really telling me is how far I've fallen down my mountain of achievement. At my peak no workout would leave me sore, let alone catatonic. It's really a sad state of things when you can't even muscle forth the effort to put on pants and have to wear gym shorts everywhere. But that's the lesson I leave you with, don't take your health for granted, this temporary pain I face now is magnitudes easier than the pain I would have to endure as an older man. That's always been my goal, to look forward to my twilight years in a healthy light, not having to worry about a lot of medical issues brought on by a sedentary lifestyle. But I'm rambling, I just felt like... talking to somebody about it.

Must be all the love in the air

I am in an amazing mood today and it feels pretty outstanding. Not sure if it's because it's Val day, or that I saw a ton of people I know today, or because I got to work out earlier in the day and I'm on an endorphin rush. Or... maybe it was that candy bar I had a few minutes ago... regardless, today's a good day and I'm happy to share it with you folks. I may be alone on valentine's day but that would never be enough to bring me down, I have a puppy to keep me company, I do hope that wherever or whoever you are that you get to see something or something happens to you that would put you in amazing mood and just think about how awesome you are. Because you're reading my blog, that auto makes you awesome in my book, and if you need a jumpstart, listen to this song if that doesn't put a grin on your face, then nothing will!

Winter finally arrives?

Oh this crazy Texas weather, how do we cope with it!? Today was the first day that I had to legitimately zip up my jacket to stay warm, sure it's been cool or chilly a few times, but today was the first time I would actually say that it was cold. And boy howdy was it ever! Just an hour from us in Dallas I'm getting reports from my spies that it's snowing over there, snowing in Austin as well, so I assume that we will soon be receiving the dreaded snow. I always get a little worried around snow, simply because of traffic and people not knowing how to traverse the icy roads. But I do look forward to seeing the snow, it's really pretty and sort of gives us a whole new world to look at, and I get to walk my dog in the freezing air in the morning.... oh joy

A video game class!?

Everything is awesome

How to survive without a support system part 2

Now I'm not going to say "everything's going to be okay" because I don't know if they will or not. Every person is different, everybody has extenuating circumstances. All I can talk about is what I've been through and what I felt/thought at the time. I hope everything does go okay for you, I truly do, and I hope you feel the same for me. After high school has got to be one of the toughest times for teenagers, all of a sudden the life you've grown accustomed to is completely gone, and now you either have to adapt and evolve, or be lost to the wayside.

You want to take a walk?