update...

it snowed today.... which is weird because yesterday was extremely hot!... well that's Texas weather for ya.

at my work they transferred me to Mon-Wed shift which is alot better than the thur-sat shift because now i get weekends off...

still studying for the LSAT which is 7 weeks away (February 6th 2010)....

i have not followed my diet or exercise routine and have gain alot of weight back (due mostly to fast food). I'm 220 lbs!!!! oh well, all i can do is start over and keep going. i really want/need to get in shape...

christmas is tomorrow; happy holidays!

Letters of Recommendation

OK, I got my 2 letters of recommendation for law school set up!

One of my letter writers is a really nice social work professor that I took a class called "Human Behavior" from. I literally wrote 50+ pages worth of assignments, essays, journals, for this one class. But I received a high A in the class (97%-99%; I don’t remember). She actually wrote a recommendation for medical school for me at the time. Now she has agreed to write a recommendation for law school.

My other recommender is a practicing attorney that my sister works with/for. I have met him quite a few times and have helped a bit around the office over the past few years. I may volunteer a bit more before he writes the recommendation (since I haven't been up there for a while); or he may do it now. I have to wait and see.

Both recommendations will hopefully be in my LSAC file by next month...

I am just glad that I can check this off of the list of things I need to do....

Onward!

weight loss

I've lost 5 more pounds!.... just by doing random cardio (jogging, walking, jump roping, dancing, etc)... That puts me at exactly 200 pounds... still fat but alot better than where I was in January of this year (260 lbs!).

I didn't do "power-90x-double" all of last month which sucks because I definitely would have lost more weight if I had. I'm back to the power 90 routine starting today. I’ll begin right where I left off. My goal is to finish all 3 phases by January 1st, 2010 and be back at a healthy weight. I'll cut my body fat pretty low then bulk up on muscle. That'll be a big transformation and I'm documenting this whole journey in pictures....

3rd week at job

OK I’ve completed my first 3 weeks at HMS.... yep still crappy.... but it'll pay enough for me to pay for the law school admissions process (pretty expensive). I'm going to take the LSAT (law school admissions test) on Saturday February 6th, 2010; that will be just in time to meet all of the deadlines for fall 2010 admissions. I am really competitive with my science bachelor's degree (most applicants have liberal arts bachelor's degrees) and my GPA is good; I have the volunteer experience/extracurricular's/ yadda yadda so I should have a good shot at getting in....

It's really exciting.... I am going to be a lawyer in about 3 and a half years. At least having other goals is helping me endure this dead-end j.o.b......

1st week at job

Alright, I've just completed the first week at my first real job at HMS as an insurance verifier! It's an outbound call center environment verifying eligibility of Medicaid/ Medicare members to receive government health insurance. I am working there through a temporary agency named Express Employment Professionals. It's no where close to what I wanted to do once I graduated from college (not going to go into details because this is online); and the pay is poverty level ($11 per hr). I don't think I would ever do a call center job again. I just need the experience so I will try to stay here for 6 months to 1 year before I change things up.

I need to seriously decide what career(s) that I am going to pursue soon. I thought I was going to law school but I don't know. Honestly, I'm open to anything professional (teacher, doctor, nurse, lawyer, computer scientist, physician assistant, etc) as long as there is relative job security, a very formal work environment, and high pay (OK take teacher off of that list LOL!). But it takes a while to prepare for graduate school/certification/etc: If I decide medical I would need to study for the MCAT; for law I need to study for the LSAT; for physic. assist. I need to study for the GRE; nursing and comp. sci. require prerequisite courses and 2nd undergrad degrees; all paths require lots of prep; ......hmmmmmmm but I don't know what I want to do.... I need to decide soon!

Anyway, I hate being broke so right now I'm just waiting for my first paycheck (this Friday). Just keep reminding myself that I am working this crappy job for the paycheck and the experience on my resume... and it's only three 12-15 hr days a week (Thursday-Saturday)...

*sigh* I wonder what I'm going to be doing in 5 years from now....

J.O.B.!

I got a job! That was really fast. It's as an insurance verifier for Health Management Systems (HMS); basically government health insurance collections.

Hey it's not the most glamorous position to start as a college grad but with no experience I have to begin somewhere. It's fulltime three days a week (Thurs-Fri-Sat) and 12-15 hrs a day; with occasional Sundays! That's a weird schedule (with lots of overtime) but I like the thought of having 4 days off most weeks. The job commences next Thursday (Oct. 15th) so I have about 5 days between now and then. I'll just keep on my exercise plan and study some of the job training info. given to me in a package I received yesterday.

Anyways, I need to rearrange my exercise schedule to Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday....

Bachelor’s Degree from UTA

Today I went to UTA to pick up my bachelor’s degree. Yippee! It’s done. It took tons of hard work (the science/math courses were NO JOKE!), 4 years, and a lot of sacrifice. I need to regroup and plan what my next goals are. I have 2 years before I start graduate school so I’ll find a job (year 1) while I decide whether to get teacher certification and work as a teacher (year 2). Working as a teacher is better pay (40K+ where I am) and a more stable career... along with being able to help children of course. ;)

I’m almost definitely decided on going to law school. The sacrifice, lifestyle (or lack thereof), and years of training to become a doctor are not something that I would want to do. So I’ll follow my other passions for politics/law/government/history and get a law degree from one of the Dallas area law schools; SMU, Texas Wesleyan, or the new UNT law school.

Late September Update

Just been chilling at home, enjoying my time off... I've done alot of power 90X fitness program this month and lost about 10 pounds so far. Lost a total of 55 pound so far and I have about 32 pounds more to go before I am back at a healthy weight; I'm committed to get there. Next Summer I want to be beach body ready...

Anyways, had a job interview yesterday with a company called expresspros staffing agency. Lasted about an hour. It wen't well: took a test, filled out forms, completed an interview, and signed some paperwork; hopefully I'll get a callback. It's in the healthcare field: HMS as an insurance verifier. I NEED A JOB ASAP! May or may not be a glamorous/high pay job but i'll start at the bottom and work my way up in the corporate world if I have to.

Monday I can pick up my bachelors degree from UTA. Really exciting. Im excited to see it, to hold it, to feel it.... hopefully I'll feel some accomplishment.... I'm definitely going to continue my education. It's always great to get as much education and experience as you can!!!

Time Off

Just laying around taking a break from everything for about a month. Still exercising; lost a few pounds since graduation; i didn't meet my previous weight loss goal because i had to much schoolwork to do over this summer... but hope to get under 200 pounds by the end of september (can't believe i let myself gain soo much weight during college; it was fun though eating junk food, staying up late and not exercising). My goal is to be back in perfect shape probably by next year around my birthday (Novemer 7, 2010), let's see if i can do it....

I started applying for jobs, recieved a few responses and have done one interview with a company called RCTS, Inc. I didn't really like how small the company was. In addition the job was not what i saw myself doing by a long shot and the pay was horrible and really an insult because i made a low salary before college (working as a gas station attendant for Kroger fuel center); i didn't attend college for 4 years to graduate and get another unsuitable job...

So i am just going to lay low and chill for the rest of september while i wait for my diploma and transcript from UTA. I'll put my job search in high gear starting in October.

Finished College

Finished my last exam today for my bachelor's degree at UTA!!! I graduate this weekend but final grades post officially next wednesday august 19. Going to take a month and 1/2 off vacation (staycation) at home while i wait for my transcripts to post my degree and get my diploma. maybe i'll continue getting back in shape (still at 220 lbs)...

College graduation coming near...

Finished all of my spring classes. Will take spanish CLEP test next week to give me credit for the year of spanish that i need to get my bachelors degree... Then i will complete my two last courses for my bachelors degree this summer and graduate UTA in august...

Received a certificate for the National Society of Collegiate Scholars from The University of Texas at El Paso today... will add this to my resume... ;)

Weight loss

Good news... I've lost about 35 pounds since January (5 feet 11'' 255 pounds)....
Bad news... I'm still pretty fat (5 feet 11'' 220 pounds)...

It's still progress though.. my goal is to be back in shape by end of summer this year (about 4 more months)... I am going to try to stick with Power90X diet and exercise program. I did it for a week but quit last month..

Associate in Science

Today I picked up my Associate in Science degree from North Lake College. It took quite a lot of hard work to complete so I am really proud of myself.

2 down (High School diploma and Associate's degree); 2 more to go (Bachelor's and Graduate degrees)! Now it is full speed ahead to complete my bachelors degree...

Cool; I got a membership to The National Scholars Honor Society. I guess just because of good grades, etc. at UTA...

How to Survive Your Last Semester of College ?

Wow. I am taking 3 science courses (with 3 labs) this spring 2009 semester (Zoology/Plant Science/ Animal Physiology); this summer I will take Technical writing and Microbiology w/lab. Then I graduate. When you get to the end of your college career some of the fire that you had for school when you started is GONE. It has been beaten out by demanding professors, mountains of reading, difficult exams. I have to find a way to keep myself very motivated so that I can get the grades (A's) that I need/want in the final 5 courses and get that B.A.; I guess you just have to put things into perspective and know that the decisions you make today educationally will make achieving future goals more possible...

Lesson learned: Just suck it up and do it! It will all come into perspective when you finish...

There is a lot of info on how to make it through your first experiences in college; but what about your last?

Joined a Gym...

I joined a 24 Hour Fitness Gym! This should really help me reach my fitness goal. I took a cycling class yesterday. Really tough hour of exercise! I go back today... Will exercise 5 day a week hopefully... lets' see....

Obama is the president of the United States of America

Wow. The inauguration of our new president Obama occured today. This really is great. No words for how awesome a moment in history this is.

Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Anthony Mcgill, Gabriela Montero Inaugural Performance:


Reverend Joseph Lowry Benediction for the Inauguration:


President Obama's Inaugural Address:

Long break from blog..

I am hitting the books hard and will update every thing (weightloss, school work, medical school, etc.) sparingly over the next 7 months as I finish my bachelors degree this august.