Kicking the Habit

So posting to this blog has been difficult for me, what with all the stuff I've had going on with my other classes and work and everything. But as for my sleep, I'll try to catch you up on what's been going on.
For the last week, my sleep habits were slightly more erratic than last week, as I had a lot of homework and papers and quizzes and last minute exams to cram for. This cramming brings to light another bad habit - procrastination. I've found that trying to get rid of this habit has brought a many other bad habits of mine to light...funny how that works. I was doing my best to get to bed on time, however often I could. A suggestion I was given in class - getting up at the same time every day and finding out when your body naturally needs to go to sleep - has been rolling around in my skull for a while, and I would love to try that...but I think I'll have to do that come summer time...it'll be easier to focus on it. Right now I wake up about 6:20 every morning during the week to get to work in the morning or to class...I've been staying at my house and have to commute....its just easier in the evenings (the dorm idea was kinda stupid). Come the weekend, I'm out til 1 or 2 and wake up whenever I need to, which is usually 10 or 12, which also makes up for lost sleep during the week.
I've been trying to get myself into little habits before I go to bed, like reading a bit before I want to go to sleep, etc. I think I can improve and have slightly...but this is gonna take a while, and at the end of the school year is probably not the best time to do it. I really think I'll continue to do this in the summer though.

Kicking the Habit

Throughout this week, it has been very hard to get more sleep. I was successful in going to bed earlier Monday night and avoiding too much t.v. and other distractions, but because of my change in sleep habits among other stresses during the day, I was rewarded by a migraine the next day. I guess I have to make changes a bit more gradual, as drastic change in my life tends to stress my body out. I have begun the habit of getting my worries out in a more organized manner, which helps me out a bit. However, I do still stress out a bit over things like tests the next day, etc. Which brings me to another bad habit I have - procrastinating studying til the last minute. I find myself cramming until late, not helping my goal to get more sleep. Although it doesn't seem like much, I think I might be making some small improvements...it just takes time I suppose. I'll keep trying.

Prewriting - Cover Letter

When writing and drafting my cover letter - specifically the three specified sections - I want to convey my point accurately, in a concise and sincere manner, of what grade I would like in this english class. My audience is my professor, so I can't be informal or anything. I need to present my arguments for my grade effectively.

Kicking the Habit

So far, I haven't done too well in getting more sleep. In fact, I seem to have been getting less sleep. Over the weekend, I was out til about 1 am each night, and managed to wake myself up really early. This may have happened due to the many nightmares I have been having over the past couple weeks. I almost expect one every night. Another goal, then, is to research ways to possibly lessen the amount of nightmares I have - if it is possible to control the random neural firings that occur in my brain... My journal might help get things off my mind, including scary stuff.

Losing the Habit: Get More Sleep

It has always been hard for me to fall asleep. I take sometimes half-an-hour to an hour to finally sleep. I think this is due to the many things I think about before I sleep, and I tend to sleep with the t.v. on. (I'm a scaredy-cat). I wake up during the night every night, at least once. Lately however, its many times a night, and I get nightmares often. I need sleep! To kick this habit, I need to make a few changes. First of all, no t.v. That only adds to the distractions I have when going to bed. Second, I want to make a habit of writing a in a journal all of the things that are bothering me before I get into bed. I want to go to sleep at a regular time every night, and wake up at a similar time every day. Hopefully, with all of these changes, I'll be able to get more sleep.

Entertainment Review (UNM blog)

In reviewing the film 300 for the UNM blog, I had to keep the UNM students in mind as I gave both the good and the bad points of the movie. I enjoyed the movie for the most part myself, and many others have as well, so my goal was to overall portray it in a good light, but convey parts I felt were unsatisfactory as well.

How To Buy an mp3 Player

How To Buy An Mp3 Player

So you’ve finally decided to take the plunge, get out of the dark ages, and get yourself one of those new-fangled mp3 players. You’re sick of the 3000 cds gathering dust on the cd tower your grandma bought you for Christmas oh so long ago, and you want the easy organization and no-skip guarantee that comes with an mp3 player. Well, where to start? The first player that comes to mind is most likely the iPod, due to the overwhelmingly popular tv commercials that you’ve seen millions of times, and you’re probably tempted to just skip the research and go buy it. But is the iPod your best option, or even your only option? Of course not! There are tons of different mp3 players out there, many of which will suit your needs nicely. So, what exactly are your needs then? Well here are some questions to ask yourself before running to Best Buy. Do you use your music during athletic activity, such as listening to it when you jog? Do you need small size in order to carry it when you travel? Do you have a TON of music that needs a home? Are aesthetics important to you? Many mp3 players offer not only music storage, but video and picture storage as well. Do you really NEED these? In general, there are three main types of mp3 players – hard drive, micro hard drive, and flash based mp3 players. Don’t get discouraged! This fancy tech jargon is not as cryptic as it seems. The hard drive based mp3 players translate to MEMORY. You can get a lot of storage space with these, and they tend to be more user-friendly. They are the ideal buddy for someone working in an office all day that needs a lot of music for the 9 to 5. These players have moving parts inside, and can get damaged very easily, which may not be ideal for you joggers out there. The flash based mp3 players do not have moving parts inside, which is ideal for gym rats, but tend to have less memory. However, many support memory cards, so if you have memory cards for other devices you use, this may be a good buy. Finally, the micro hard-drive mp3 players are a mix between the hard-drive and flash-based players. They are much smaller and lighter and offer a good amount of storage space, but do have moving parts. That wasn’t so bad, was it? You’ve decided which type of mp3 player suits you best, and you feel confident about your mp3 know-how. Now you may go shopping. Keep in mind what price you feel comfortable paying, and the features you feel are a must. Don’t let the fancy two-tone iPod commercials sway you – you now have the power to see past the funny dancers, and get that mp3 player that really suits you. Popular hard-drive based mp3’s include the Creative Zen, Dell DJ, Rio Carbon, RCA Lyra Jukebox RD2840, and Rio Nitrus, to name a few, and popular flash-based players include the iRiver iFP series, NOMAD MuVo, and Rio Forge Sport. Don't forget the iPod and the Shuffle (how could you?), hard-drive based and flash-based, respectively. Good luck!

How-To Paper

Finding a subject for the research paper was pretty tough for me, as I had no idea what I could write about that would be interesting to UNM students. I started to think about technology, which is a necessity to students, and finally I decided upon mp3 players. Most people just go for the iPod, as it is advertised so much and widely heard of. However, there are so many types and brands of mp3 players that will suite individuals better than the iPod, as I discovered through my research. I wanted to give UNM students a basis of information on mp3 players, and I wanted to give examples of mp3 players as well. I learned a lot, and I hope my audience did too.