As I was looking for couches online I came across some tremendously expensive dog couches. I’m not exactly sure how this happened, but I was shocked! Here are a few…

5-Star Hotel Bed $304.00

Manfield Faux Mink Dog Chaise $496.00

VIP Room Dog Chair $522.00

And if you thought those were bad…
RoseBed by Lex Gable $1,700.00!!!

As I was writing a paper for one of my classes, this song came on on iTunes. It was very encouraging to me and oh so true. Too often I forget that God is really all I need, in any and all situations. And He is the one that carries me through.

“All I Need”
Bethany Dillion

When the day is done
And there’s no one else around
While I’m lying here in bed
You’re in my heart, You’re in my head
You’re all I need, You’re all I need
There are a million voices
Calling out my name
But You’re the One I want to hear
So make the others disappear

You are all I need when I’m surrounded
You are all I need if I’m by myself
You fill me when I’m empty
There is nothing else
You’re all I need

When the morning comes
And Your mercy is renewed
There’s a fire in my bones
I’m not afraid to go alone
You’re all I need
You’re all I need
The sun on my face
I hear You whisper loud
You’re still the God that opens seas
Every flower, even me
You’re all I need
You’re all I need

I’m drawn to everything that You do
Nothing compares with You

I had an interview at Kent State University today. It went extremely well and I will very confident that I will be accepted. Getting to Kent was a bit funny though…I totally drove through the toll where I should pick up a ticket and got on the interstate. I realized my mistake too late and had to just keep going. I got to my exit and had to pay $8! Now this doesn’t seem fair to me. I understand I made a mistake, but $8 is more than any of the toll prices on the ticket- shouldn’t they just charge the highest one on there?? Anyway, I got to Kent State with just that minor dilemma. The professor that I interviewed with was friendly, and very laid back. I figured I’d get the typical questions, like “Why did you pick this program” or “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” I got none of that, just a simple conversation. I asked some good questions and he appeared rather impressed. We talked about his research a little bit and I walked away with the results thus far of his study on school counseling- these results help me with a project I am in the middle of and left a good impression! I will be hearing from them within 3 weeks. I felt very comfortable there and could see myself in their school counseling program- the professors were very friendly and relaxed, joking around with each other. It felt similar to the psych. dept. at BW, which I am very sad to leave.

Including weekends, there is somewhere around 50 days of school. This chapter of my life is nearing the end and soon I will be on to new endeavors. I’m looking forward to focusing on a career and not just being so broad in Psychology. It will be nice to delve into the school counseling program and begin shaping my career.

Hopefully I will be blogging more often…it has been awhile.

Why do I find it so difficult to stay focused on school recently? It’s really finally hitting me that these classes will not directly affect my life or job after I graduate. And getting straight A’s? Man, that is such a thing of the past. I just want to move on; I want BW to just give me the rectangular piece of paper that I’ve paid close to $60,000 for. Well, all that money didn’t exactly come from me, scholarships grants and loans helped quite a bit. Still, I have my job, and more importantly understand now how corporate IT works. I also have found that I absolutely love my job, and my chosen field. I believe that I have an excellent jump on kids my age that are going into IT; and anyone else for that matter. I had a lunch with Jason (my boss) last week, and we discussed MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) boot camps. A MCSE boot camp is basically where you go for 2 weeks, 14 days straight from 9AM-6PM and take a Microsoft test every 2 days until you have taken 7, and are certified. He told me that whenever he’s interviewing, he asks how they got their MCSE, and if they reply with a boot camp he g enerally writes it off. However, I think that as long as you have experience with which to accompany the certification, it should be considered valid. What’s funny about this blog is that I am actually writing it during class on paper, with the intention of posting it immediately afterwards. I’ve been meaning to blog for some time now, but there has been a lot going on recently.

I’ve joined a paintball team called Team Hit Crew, based out of the Sandusky area, but have players all over NE Ohio. We will be practicing on Saturdays, probably in the afternoon because of some players’ work schedules. They have their own field, and now their own air fills available to the team. We also are looking at buying paint in bulk to save for practice, which would greatly reduce the cost of practicing, but not necessarily the tournaments. If any of you would like to see a tournament, by all means check us out and ask me where and when. We’ll be playing TPA, which stands for Total Paintball Addicts. We will be playing in division 3. There are actually 4 different classes at this tournament circuit, Open, D2, D3 and rookie. I think Rookie at TPA may be honestly the only true rookie division in existence. If you have ever played in a tournament worth naming, you are not allowed to play in this division. I actually haven’t even met the guys on this team yet, I am active on the forums though. I am very much looking forward to playing again, it is such a fabulous sport. And good for your legs (@ Luke and Hannah).

Also in the life of Joe is the living quarters shopping. SB and I have basically narrowed our search to 2 places to live: either Medina or Strongsville. Myself I’m leaning towards Medina, because of a few reasons. 1) We get our Sundays back. It would be so different to wake up and not have to worry about wasting 2 hours just driving on 71 every Sunday. Plus we could just go home after church instead of looking desperately for some kind person’s house to sponge off of for an afternoon. I really can’t stand doing that. 2) Medina just feels like home. Most of the people in my friends link live in Medina, and it would be nice to actually be able to hang out with them impromptu without driving 40 minutes. 3) I think SB and I are both very happy with the layout of our apartment of choice; Price is good, washer dryer hookup, AC, internet ready and PARKING! GAH! First I must tell you what this means to me, and the nightmare that is parking at BW. I cannot possibly fathom the verbal beating I would deliver to the general contractor that came up with the brilliant idea of taking a perfect square area, and making the parking lot diagonal…and rectangular. Excuse my crude 3 second drawing, but I have things to do.

All that parking, is generously allocated for a whopping total of 50 residents. Yes, 50. Count the 13 parking spots available for 50 students, and then ask yourself how envious you are if you don’t have one. Not to mention how angry you get. This is yet another example of “expensive and inefficient”, the motto I have developed for Baldwin-Wallace College. I cannot wait to be done with this piece of crap school.