Microsoft Vista- A Necessity For Every College Student

When Microsoft comes out with a new version of Windows, it takes most people a while to get used to. Even after one becomes used to the newest version of Windows, it takes even longer to "like" it. At approximately 2:20 this afternoon, I skipped the "getting used to it" step and went right to LOVING Windows Vista. Here is why...

As a college student, I have to write several papers a semester. Along with every paper comes the dreaded citation and bibliography requirements. I understand that professors want us to "give credit where credit is due" and I have no problem proving that I don't plagiarize, but it is a pain, none the less. Depending on the paper it takes up at least 1/4 of the time it took you to write the paper to cite your work and add a bibliography. Most professors require the American Psychology Association (APA) style of citing your work, but sometimes, you get a professor who wants another style. Regardless of the style, however, you still need to spend time looking up how to correctly cite various sources (Electronic, journals, online journals, school websites, books, online books, newspapers... the list is endless).

What am I getting at? Windows Vista, in all it's confusing glory, has a feature on Microsoft Word that pretty much does your citation work for you. Under the "References" menu, you click on "Manage Sources" and you just fill in the blanks, answering questions about what kind of source you are using, the author, dates, etc. As you are writing your paper, you can click on the drop down menu next to "Insert Citations" and select which of your sources you obtained the information from. The citation is instantly entered into the paragraph in the correct format. Once you are finished writing your paper, you just have to click on "Bibliography" and it inserts your entire bibliography into your paper in the citation style you had selected at the beginning. WOW!

(This image is hard to see... I added the yellow boxes to direct you)

I was so excited about this, I had to procrastinate from writing my paper again to tell everyone about it! I really think every college student should have this kind of ease when citing sources!

Ah! Homework!

While I have been back in school for 4 weeks now, today I have to complete my first homework assignment. I have to write an essay on "Policing in the Political Era". Does that sound as fun to anyone else as it does to me?

OK, I really need to stop complaining. It only has to be 3-4 pages, double spaced. And, for this particular class, my entire grade is based on doing just 4 of these short, take-home essays, which means I am in complete control of my grade... and that, I like.

Well, this blog is my first, official procrastination of the semester. I think I am going to try to bust out this essay and then reward myself with a nap =)

Belated Birthday Gift

In the mail today, I received a belated birthday gift from my brother, Charlie. He sent me "San Diego Chargers" stuff from the team store.

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The first thing was a Chargers "bolt" emblem* for my car.

The second thing they sent was fuzzy dice* for my rear-view mirror.

I definitely don't follow football like the rest of my Chargers-loving family, but I certainly feel a strong patriotism for the Chargers. Therein lies the significance of my belated birthday gifts from Charlie (well, besides the fact that they're significant because Charlie bought them for me)! Advantageously, the Chargers' team colors match the color of my car! (Did I use "advantageously" correctly? I liked the way it sounded...?)

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* Chargers "bolt" emblem and fuzzy dice pictures were taken from http://www.chargersproshop.com/ where you, too, can obtain Chargers memorabilia to decorate your life with.

Sleepy...

Those little ones who get to (or are forced to) take naps every day do not know how blessed they truly are! I would glady take a nap any day of the week just because I love them so much! Today, however, is a day where I really need a nap. Unfortunately, I don't have time to take one. Between work and school, my day is booked. But I am tired for a good reason: my parents are coming tomorrow and I have been cleaning (but don't get your hopes up too high, mom and dad) and doing laundry in preparation for their arrival. I will manage to stay awake, even if it means drinking lots of starbucks and using toothpicks to prop open my eye-lids!

My happy thoughts...

...in no particular order!

A new week begins...

I would like to say that I survived my first week of my new crazy college schedule, but starting tomorrow is when the real test of survival begins. Before I continue, let me give the run down on my schedule (in "hours spent" rather than giving specific times so as to appease my mom... she's afraid I might get a stalker if I put when I will be at School :) I Love you, mom!):

Work:
8 hours/day Monday through Friday.

School:
4.5 hours - Monday
3 hours - Tuesday
4.5 hours - Wednesday
3 hours - Thursday

Two things made last week easier than most of my upcoming weeks at school: Labor Day and the fact that it was the first week of school.

Labor Day made the week easier because I didn't have to work on Monday, nor did I have class so really, I only had 3 long days, instead of the usual 4.

The fact that it was the first week of school also made it easier. Some of my professors let class out early after we went over the syllabus. In the classes that went the full, allotted time, the professor still just went over the syllabus but because I can read the syllabus for myself, I took advantage of the time and surfed the Internet on my new laptop... I am studious enough to know that surfing the Internet during class will not become a habit for me, but for those of you who have taken college classes before, you can back me up here when I say that there are definitely times when you can let your mind wander from the lecture and you don't miss a thing.

So, in 8.5 short hours my week will begin and along with it, the test for survival. For those of you who are praying folk... I covet your prayers! I have already realized that this semester is going to have to be taken one day at a time.

Taylor

This is one of my favorite pics of my neice, Taylor!

Which Jesus do you serve?

I thought I would start this whole blog thing by posting something that characterizes my life and what I believe. I wrote this and put it on my myspace and now; I shall now share these thoughts with the www.fill in the blank.blogspot.com world! This one is called: "Which Jesus do you serve?"

The most fundamental difference between Christianity and any other religion is the person of Jesus Christ, who He is, and why He came to earth. I am not talking about the simple belief in His existence... most religions will tell you that Jesus Christ did, indeed, walk this earth; furthermore, they will even tell you he performed miracles or that he was a prophet. Muslims believe that Jesus was the Messiah, Allah's appointed prophet (Koran, 4.171). Mormon's will tell you that Jesus is the literal son of god and his goddess wife. Jehovah's Witnesses present Jesus Christ as a secondary "god," created, not eternal,the Archangel Michael in heaven, and a good man on earth.

What we need to know, however, is who this Jesus really is because He can't be "all of the above." My name is common: Jessica Clark. I work at State Farm and there are 3 or 4 other "Jessica Clark's" who work for State Farm. Just today I got an email from one of them saying they had accidently been sent an email that should have come to me. Now, just because we have the same name does not mean that we are the same person. It is safe to assume that myself and the other "Jessica Clark's" all have different DNA and while we may have similar characteristics, we do not have exactly the same personalities. Consequently, I am not the same person as the other "Jessica Clark's" who work at State Farm. With Jesus, we can NOT ascribe Him not only DIFFERENT characteristics but contradictory characteristics and then assume that we all serve the same Jesus Christ. Jesus can not have been born of "god and a goddess" as the Mormon's theology says, yet be the same Jesus who was born of imaculate conception through the Holy Spirit to a virgin named Mary. Jesus can not be a secondary "god" like Jehovah's Witness will say, yet be THE One and Only, True and Living God. So who is Jesus?

Most of the above religions use the Bible as at least one of their "scriptures" so let's go there to see who Jesus is... (I would encourage you to read the context of these verses in your spare time because not all verses refer to Jesus as "Jesus"... but the context will help you see that Jesus is, indeed, the One being talked about).

Jesus is God: John 1:1-2 says- "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." Titus 2:13, "...looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great GOD and Savior Jesus Christ..."

Jesus is one part of a triune God (the Trinity): 1 John 5:7, "For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one."

Jesus was born as a man (as in human, not a full grown man) to a virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit: Matthew 1:18-19, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit." Isaiah 7:14, "The Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."

Jesus was God's One and ONLY Son: John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave his Only begotton Son, that whosover believes on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." (this is important because Mormon theology teaches that Jesus and Satan are brothers).
I could keep going but it is late and to really give you a feel for the context, I would have to quote the entire Bible. =)

The next important question that I will leave you with is this: Once you know who Jesus is, what next? Is it enough to simply believe in Him? James 2:19 tells us: "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe- and tremble." Believing is not enough. Romans 9:9-10 says: "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Here, we see that one believes UNTO righteousness and confesses UNTO salvation.

The reality is that Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father. And not just ANY Jesus... the Jesus of the Bible... the One who was born of a virgin by immaculate conception of the Holy Spirit... the Jesus who is God's ONLY Son... the Jesus who IS the One and Only God incarnate.

Acts 10-12 says: "then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed... Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

Which "Jesus" do you serve?