Kristin's Blog

2004-05-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

I'm almost done with my web project. I went to my last Computers in Humanities class on Thursday. I'm getting more used to working with HTML and plus I can get my dad to help me with it. I'm thankful my classes are over. Now it's crunch time for finals! I like to reflect on the classes that I've took in the past semester. My least favorite had to be history because it's SO boring!! But the past 2 weeks were kinda interesting. I'm so glad to be done with American history. Now I get to take political science which should be okay. I'm still wondering if I should be a psychology or English major. Hard decision.

2004-04-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

I keep encountering bugs while creating my web project. For some reason, I cannot get the background to save to the disk. It is extremely frustrating and I hope I can get that problem solved today in Comupters in Humanities. My project would be considered done except I need to tweak it a little. I really hope I make an A; it has been more difficult than I thought it would be.

2004-04-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

I've been working hard on my web project for the Computers in Humanities class. I'm actually really excited about doing this. I love being creative and this gives me a chance to express it. But sometimes it is really frustrating. Like just now, I tried to save my index page which has embedded files. So I forgot to save the embedded files and now it's not coming up on my page. ARGH!! Oh well, I'll figure it out. Creating this web project was easier than I thought, which I'm happy about.

2004-04-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

I usually don't commute to Houston daily. I live in the dorms here at U of H. However, I will travel on Sunday afternoon to Friendswood to visit my family for a little bit, then head back to the dorms. I LOVE living on campus. Aside from the fact that my boyfriend also lives on campus, I love not commuting and fighting traffic every day. I can handle traffic occasionally, but not daily. One time, I spent a weeknight at my house and left an hour early for an 11 o'clock class I had. I figured at 10, there would be no major accidents or traffic to worry about. Hoo boy, was I wrong. There was a serious accident near FM 2351 and I was stuck in that same area for 30 minutes. Of course, I ended up late for class and then vowed to NEVER commute on a weekday again. When I "commute" on Sunday, I usually encounter very little traffic on I-45. From leaving my dorm, I take the back way through Spur 5, then hang a right to get on I-45 south. Upon entering the freeway, I am forced to get over a lane since the merging ramp is also an exit for Telephone Road. This isn't really too big of a problem. I drive a little bit down the freeway, then eventually have to get over one more lane. I drive a good 70-75 mph speed range. I can get to Friendswood in 20-25 minutes. The little traffic I always encounter is this one little stretch after the Beltway, where there are two merging lanes very close to each other. One lane ends, forcing the cars to get over in the next lane, and there is also a merging ramp, not very far from the end of the lane. However, the traffic always seems to thin out smoothly and I don't worry too much about it. Also, at times, the area after the 610 loop can get a little congested. But that is usually on weekday afternoons, of which I try very hard not to go home unless there is an absolute necessity to do so. I take the NASA Rd 1/528 exit and make a right to drive into Friendswood. From there, it's a piece of cake. I live off of FM 528 so all I have to do is drive straight for about 4 miles, then make a left into a subdivision, then another immediate left, drive about 100 feet, and arrive at my house. I think I drive a pretty easy route, just have to be careful and pay attention to traffic since it's very easy to let your mind wander because you're just going straight.

2004-04-20T07:56:00.000-07:00

I had my band concert last night at the Moore Opera House and I must say we performed very well. I enjoyed the entire concert and thought the students were wonderful. I especially loved David Ashley White's version of "Amazing Grace."

Now I must reeallly concentrate on school. I will be missing a chemistry test on Friday, April 23rd and am debating right now whether that it is a really smart thing to do. It will be excused, but I need tests to help my average, especially after the shitty grades I got on my research paper which I worked really hard on, and the last test. Dude, I am so frustrated with school right now. I just want it to be over with already.

2004-04-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

I'm glad I got an A on my idea for Houston. I thought my introduction and ideas were pretty good. I really wasn't nervous when i was presenting. I am sooo much better at presentations in college than I was in high school. I guess cause I don't know everyone in college so no one can really judge me.

2004-04-14T16:26:00.000-07:00

I decided to solve a problem in Houston. I am working on the flood management problems in Houston. In tomorrow's computers in humanities class, I will talk to the class about how I would solve that problem. I really like my introduction and "gateway" to the problem. I think my solutions sound a little bit obvious but those solutions are still not really implemented effectively in Houston. I chose flooding because I am heartbroken every time I hear about a family who is forced to abandon their home and watch their treasured items disintegrate in the water. A flood is truly worse than a fire. You can put out fire with water, but you can't put out water with water.

2004-04-08T16:37:00.000-07:00

I thought the virtual world thing that we did for humanities class today was pretty cool. I didn't even have to leave the comfort of my dorm this morning. I thought we touched on some meaty subjects and carried a lively conversation. The only real problem I could complain about would be that conversations can be mixed up. It's easy to type fast than to speak fast so that could be the cause of the problem. I got a little confused with some responses but was able to quickly piece it together. Virtual world was a success for me and I hope we can do more with it in the future.

2004-04-06T08:01:00.000-07:00

I have heard that my humanities class is working on some virtual world thing. It reminds me a lot of the Sims. I'm addicted to the Sims. Not so much as before, but I LOVE messing around with people's lives. Wait, I already do that in real life.

2004-04-03T07:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm finally over my illness. Today is the third day of Frontier Fiesta. I will be performing with the band during the football scrimmage and other events. It should be pretty fun. I'm anxious to find out what Frontier Fiesta is all about. I will post later my thoughts about it. Bye for now.

2004-03-31T07:16:00.000-08:00

I watched FOX 26 News this morning. Some issues that Houstonians are concerned with are the child molestation charges pressed again former Houston Rocket Calvin Murphy, a major accident on Highway 259 involving many young people, and a brawl at City Council. A recurring story that has shown up in the past few episodes of the FOX news is the "Best Mother" contest.

I also watched the 9:00 news edition on Fox 26. More issues that Houstonians are concerned about are robberies that continue to go on at a local church. Finally, the church members elected to have an "elderly patrol" to ward off intruders. A big story in Houston is the child predator sting. The Texas Attorney General enlisted his workers to catch molesters on the Internet by posing as 13 year old girls. So far, they have caught three molestors who have violated their parole. A soldier who fought in Iraq for over a year finally came home tonight. She says she will not reenlist in the Army. These are issues that Houstonians are concerned about in their various communities.

2004-03-27T11:25:00.000-08:00

I've been watching the news pretty frequently for a few days for my assignment. I saw a car chase yesterday around 4:30 p.m. That could definitely be a concern for the citizens of Houston. It was pretty crazy. The guy was weaving in and out of school buses and driving on the wrong side of the road. On Friday, a man and his wife were arrested for having a meth lab in their home. Residents living near Bush Intercontinental Airport complained about the noise. Residents are demanding that this be changed somehow.

2004-03-25T07:57:00.000-08:00

I've been extremely busy this week. Usually, I post to my blog Tuesday and Thursday, but it looks like it will be today and Friday. I'm trying my darndest to get my chemistry paper done by next week, hopefully Wednesday if not Monday. I need to read 5 more chapters in my history book and finish Babbitt by next Wednesday. And I'm eagerly waiting for a call from Wal-Mart so I can get a job to pay my parents nearly $600 for my car repairs. My car is going to hell. In 2 weeks, I've had a faulty serpentine belt, crappy brakes, and a bad fuel pump. But anyways. My web project is going along pretty smoothly. I installed FrontPage on my laptop but haven't started working on that computer yet. I will probably do that today or tomorrow. I need to work more on that web project. Lately, I've been obsessed with studying for my chemistry test tomorrow and getting that stupid paper done. All the work is piling on now.

2004-03-19T20:49:00.000-08:00

This Memorial City Mall paper is getting more difficult to write each day. It is so hard to come up with more exciting information. So far, I've written about 4.5 pages. I just need 1.5 more pages to complete this project. Which means I have to go to that darn mall AGAIN tomorrow or Sunday. This is beginning to be quite dangerous for me since every time I go to that mall I buy something. I have never walked out that mall without spending at least $50 on something. ARGH. I love the mall but it's driving me crazy right now. I will be ecstatic when this paper is done. Actually, I will be ecstatic when this semester is over. I really don't like my history class and math is driving me nuts as well. Oh well, at least I have Daniel to get me through all this craziness. :)

2004-03-16T20:29:00.000-08:00

My essay is coming along fairly well. I've written about two pages. This paper is much more difficult than what I anticipated. I changed my subject from Bookstop to Memorial City Mall because I have much more material I can cover. I really wanted to do Bookstop but I couldn't gather enough information to write a six page paper. Too bad because it would have been really interesting. I dug up some information about Memorial City from online back issues in the Houston Chronicle. The mall has been around for nearly 40 years but it looks brand new. I wrote about that so far in my paper. Even though it's not Bookstop, I think Memorial City Mall will make a very interesting subject for my paper.

2004-03-10T16:35:00.000-08:00

I started my project two essay today by visiting the historic Bookstop on Shepherd Drive, right off of 59 South Freeway. I had been to this Bookstop MANY years ago when I was about seven or eight. I remembered it used to be a movie theatre up until 1982. I interviewed the main supervisor, Kevin. Unfortunately, he couldn't really tell me too much information about the place. I questioned him about the possibilities of hauntings in the place and he said they were true. They occured in an area known as the "Dungeon" but it is now locked off due to damage from past floods. The "Dungeon" was the old receiving area for new shipments. However, they have since built a new one, along with other additions. The murals and carpeting are original and have been carefully preserved. The loft part of the building is where the old projectors sit. It is definitely a unique place and I truly hope to capture more history about it for my paper.

2004-03-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

Wow, sooo much has happened in the last week. I broke up with my boyfriend last Tuesday and it seems like an eternity. I'm in this whirlwind romance with this guy I met in my Elementary Functions class. We've been dating for a week but it seriously seems like months. LOL...this has nothing to do with my projects but I felt like I had to put that in there.

2004-03-04T07:59:00.000-08:00

Joan Didion's main ideas in her essay Quiet Days in Malibu convey her feelings about the beach and the surroundings around it. Malibu is not as "quiet" as she has preconceived it to be. She sees and talks to many people living up and down the Malibu coast. She goes into great detail about the duties of the lifeguards in Malibu. From observing those duties, she deftly notices that the life guards are most comfortable when dealing with perilous situations. She also notices the monotony of their work lives. Nearly every morning is described as "pretty good" or some similiar phrase. However, she notices how much the gardener Amado Vasquez enjoys his work, which is caring for orchids. She is fascinated with how each person in each profession, be it life guard or gardener, is deeply involved in their work.

2004-03-02T08:01:00.000-08:00

Kristin Sassi

The "sedation" effect caused by a mall is the large number of stores and tenants in the building structure. Each store is a little different than the last, which caters to nearly all of the consumers' needs. There are all sorts of stores, such as your basic department stores, audio stores, bookstores, and little kiosks right in the middle of the walkway. Suddenly, you are caught up in the sights and smells of the incense kiosk mingled with the smells of the Nestle Tollhouse tenant. Dazed and confused would be the proper terms for this sort of effect.

The mall also equalizes economics, combining consumerism and profiteerism. Perhaps you might not see something you like in a particular mall and want to become an entrepreneur to sell what you think would be profitable and enjoyable not just to yourself, but to other consumers.

2004-02-26T07:58:00.000-08:00

I'm noticing a recurrent theme in Didion's essays. She takes a major symbol status, like a pool or mansion, and cuts it down into pieces so that it doesn't seem as glamorous. The mansion she described in "Many Mansions" seemed to be like a glorious place to live; however, it really wasn't. The paint was peeling, the floor was cracking, etc. She describes some aspects of the mansion as a "moral decline." It was obvious that she preferred the old governor's mansion. That mansion held more "homey" aspects, such as a bathroom with a hamper and a regular toilet, and an actual library with interesting literature. The new mansion held more modern objects with little value. Also, this new mansion cost much more to maintain and required three guards to watch it day and night, even though no one lives in it. It's funny how people are so anxious to show off their money and status.

2004-02-24T16:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I am sorry to say that I missed Computers in Humanities today. I left my backpack at my boyfriend's house which contained my math homework that I had to turn in today. It's a cool feeling when you realize you don't have any school work while sitting in the RHE parking lot. Oh well. I'm sorry Mr. Hawkins. :(

I did read the assigned essays. I really enjoyed the essay about Mr. Pike even though I only read two pages. I'll finish it tonight. The water essay was intriguing. It's funny how much we take water for granted. Down here in Houston, it rains so much we don't even think about conserving water. But in California, there is very little rainfall in some parts of the state. No wonder pools are such a symbol status. An oasis of water would probably mean more to a person than money or clothes. There's something about water that is soothing and calming. I believe it has something to do with us being in the womb. It is a cool, wet place that is safe. Perhaps it is human's subconscious that lures us to swimming pools?

2004-02-19T07:55:00.000-08:00

I promised I would continue my post about Lost in Translation. After seeing half of the movie on Tuesday, I think I like it a lot. I enjoy seeing indie flicks. They're a nice break from the typical Hollywood actions, romances, etc. I think the actors fulfill their parts very well. Scarlett Johanssen plays a great disillusioned young woman. I feel sorry for her, but even sorrier for her husband. Maybe he truly loves her but he needs to get a grip and take a vacation for two days. Bob is hilarious. I would be acting that way too if my spouse kept bombarding me with crap while I was trying to get away.

I think the letter assignment will keep me entertained. I love taking on personas. It's fun to pretend, even for just a few moments, what it would be like to be someone else. I have a highly active imagination. I've always had one since I was kid. Dress-up was one of my favorite games to play. I also loved playing teacher, camp counselor, baby-sitter, etc. Now in a way, I'm like those roles. I teach people math, used to baby-sit a little boy for a couple of years, and love to give people advice on just about anything. This is why I want to be a psychiatrist, to teach and grow.

2004-02-17T07:41:00.000-08:00

I've finally been getting into the swing of things at college. I feel more adjusted to my classes and am beginning to like them a little more than I did at the beginning of the semester. My least favorite class so far is Elementary Functions. I disagree with the homework grading procedures. Those people are waaaay too strict when grading homework. One person didn't have white paper to print their coversheet on, so they used notebook paper. They ended up getting a zero because of the type of paper used??? WTF?? But then I noticed one certain paper did not use the proper coversheet and yet they always ended up getting a high score instead of a zero while others got zeros. Arghhh...

I'm enjoying using HTML again. I learned some basic HTML in my sophomore computer science class but since then, I hadn't really touched it again. I think it's neat to utilize all these little shortcuts and doodads to create an aesthetic website.

I'm very interested in the film Lost in Translation. I've heard rave reviews and I think it will be a great movie. I will post my impressions after I begin watching the film in class today.

2004-02-12T07:52:00.000-08:00

I've begun creating my webpage of my first essay. It's fun adding stuff to it to make it look nice. I hope I can make it look really professional. I've done many webpages in the past, probably over 20. Of course, I only work on them once then never again. They are under various names, such as Angelfire, Geocities, etc. I guess I could never keep my attention focused on one for more than an hour.

I know this is kind of gross but I did not throw up at all last night! Yeah!! For the past few days, I had been throwing up during the night for no apparent reason. But everything stayed down last night. Hopefully, this is the end of "it."

2004-02-08T17:09:00.000-08:00

I finally completed my first essay. It was a little more difficult than I thought but it was kind of fun. I learned a little more history about my hometown and was able to write a pretty good paper. I'm just glad I finished. It's a good feeling to have when you've completed something.

Well, now I am off to work on pre cal homework. Definitely not as interesting as my paper. :/. Tune in next time!

2004-02-05T07:53:00.000-08:00

Gosh, I could be posting to my blog more often if the Internet in the Quads would WORK!! Anyways..

I was driving on FM 518 in Friendswood last night to see my boyfriend. I took note of things that have changed over the years. For instance, there is a small, white rectangular building that sits a bit farther back than most of the businesses on the road. It borders Cowards Creek and has been flooded out by Alison in 2001. It used to be a Fellowship church, then a lawyer's office. Now it is vacant. The lawyer's office had moved a little farther down into a brand new building, along with the Friendswood Chamber of Commerce. I think the Chamber of Commerce used to be in the City Hall building, but I'm not too sure. I will investigate that later.

Stevenson Park is on FM 518. It really hasn't changed too much over the years. It's just a nice, heavily wooded area where people can go play tennis or make out. Just kidding. Kinda. ;) It is also very heavily patroled by cops. I always see a cop lurking around to keep out trouble makers. Actually, I always see cops in Friendswood.

2004-02-03T07:02:00.000-08:00

I am posting this from the U of H library. Now Kristin, you ask, why aren't you posting in the comfort and warmth of your dorm room? That's a good question, I answer. The friggin' Internet in the Quads doesn't work and hasn't been working for the last few days. Of course, this doesn't burden me AT ALL, considering I have WebCT quizzes to take, teacher's websites to look at for homework, and emails to watch for from my chemistry professor. SO FRUSTRATING!!! Ok, end of rant.

I will be researching FM 518 in Friendswood as part of my Computers in Humanities class. It should be chock full of information since that little town has been rapidly changing into a big city. There will be a few businesses on the road that I'll want to look into further. I know the Chamber of Commerce will have a lot of information, and an old building called the Brown House. I'm actually kind of excited to be doing this project. I hope to uncover new information.

2004-01-28T17:59:00.000-08:00

I've noticed something at U of H ever since I started as a student in August: the roads SUCK! I drive a Jeep Cherokee and it hits every single bump and crack in the road. I think I messed up my suspension while making a right turn out of the Quadrangle residential parking lot. It was dark and I couldn't see how cracked the curb was. My Jeep made a nice bumping/grinding noise as it rolled over that curb. Now ever since, it's been making a strange rattling noise. I wouldn't mind paying extra tuition to fix those damn roads. It would be nice to drive on a smooth surface. We pay a lot to go here, what difference would it make to spend a little extra money for the roads? Though sometimes, it is very fun to drive on a certain bump on Cullen. I bounce in and out of my seat and that's my little amusement for the day. Hehe.

2004-01-25T13:43:00.000-08:00

I'm sad. It is about 3:45 p.m. on Sunday afternoon and the weekend is almost over. It went by waaay too fast. Oh well. I really like my classes at U of H so I have something somewhat fun to look forward to.

As usual, for the past 5 months, I went to my home in Friendswood, TX for the weekend. Friendswood is a suburban town that's growing pretty fast. Just the other day, I was driving on a well-traveled road and was amazed at the developments that were springing up on either side of the road. Eagle Lakes is a HUGE housing development in my city. When I came here 6 years ago, that subdivision was very small. Now it's taking over Friendswood. This city isn't so quiet anymore. There are more traffic lights, more traffic in general, and lots more people. I think crime has stayed pretty low over the years, but I'm sure it will increase as more people move down here. Even though I think Friendswood can be a tad snobby at times, I like living here. It's pretty clean, safe, and has decent fast food restaurants. Plus, it's not very far from the freeway, the mall, etc. However, as soon as I get my bachelor's degree from U of H, I'm moving somewhere else, just for a change of scenery. I've lived in Texas all my life and it would be awesome to live in another place.

2004-01-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

I have never created a blog before. However, the blog is not a new concept to me. Some of my friends have blogs and I like to read them. Or sometimes, I'll randomly Google a subject and someone's blog will come up and I'll end up reading all their posts on a particular subject. I hope I don't sound dorky. I hate reading my own writing sometimes.

I am the only person in my Computers in Humanities class who is from Friendswood. I don't find that surprising at all. I can only think of a handful of Friendswood people who attend University of Houston. A lot of people in my graduating class went to A&M and UT; even some went to Rice and Harvard. I like meeting new people and am actually glad that not a lot of Friendswood people went to U of H because I can break out of my protective bubble and meet new friends. I have met quite a few people who I think are very nice.

College wasn't as scary as I thought it was. I like most of my professors and most people are very helpful and friendly. I love my freedom here. I have my own car also so I can drive wherever I want whenever I want. Of course, always with people and rarely by myself.

Ok, I have to edit this. The ending sounded really stupid. Overall, I really enjoy college and my freedom and am really glad I chose to go to the University of Houston.