Christmas Music

Although some people cannot stand it, I for one am a huge fan of Christmas music. Christmas to me is truly the most wonderful time of the year. Throughout my entire life, I have always enjoyed Christmas music. My Grandmother and I listen to it together every year as we decorate her house, and we usually buy at least three new Cd's every year. I guess you could say it is a family tradition. At my work we have been playing Christmas music since the day after Thanksgiving, and I also have Christmas stations programmed on my radio in my car. I also recently bought some Christmas music on iTunes. By January I do get tired of it but during December it is just about all I listen too. I am not in to the classical type but more the versions that current famous artists sing. Although the lyrics never change, the various ways they manage to change the style of each song amazes me. Two of my favorite Christmas Cd's are "Platinum Christmas" and Jessica Simpson’s "Rejoyce the Christmas Album."  Platinum Christmas has traditional songs that have been redone by Britney Spears, Monica, Nsync, R. Kelly, and many others. Jessica Simpson’s album also has traditional songs which are redone by her. I look forward how these famous Christmas songs will be redone in years to come, but until then I am satisfied with what I have.

Christmas Break

Christmas break is so close. I can not believe today is already December 1st, Christmas is only 24 days away. In my family we celebrate Christmas on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so really only 23 days till I can open presents. I have never been so excited though for Christmas break. Back in high school you get a week and a half or two weeks tops off from school then you are right back to school at the very beginning of January. This year is different though. With college we are out for an entire month, and since Monday January 17^th is Martin Luther King Jr. day I am out till the 19^th which is a Wednesday. I have so many things planned for this Christmas break such as going to Tennessee to celebrate with my boyfriend’s family the weekend after finals, then celebrating Christmas and New Years back in Chester with my family, and January 7^th-9^th my boyfriend and I are taking a trip to Nashville, Tennessee as our Christmas presents to one another. Although it is busy I cannot way for all the fun this Christmas break is going to bring. The countdown is on and it’s only three more class periods!

First Semester of College

I only have three more classes in each class I am taking this semester, and that includes my finals. I cannot believe how fast this semester has gone by. It seems like yesterday that volleyball was starting and I was freaking out about finding my classes and making it through my first semester of college, and not it’s almost over. College so far has been fairly easy, but I am not underestimating what is to come. It is amazing to me how different and how much alike it has been in comparison to high school. The length, requirements, and rules are so different, but the people are mainly still the same. I see so many people on a daily basis from my hometown and sometimes I enjoy that and other times I do not. One of my favorite parts though about college is the fact that once I take these finals I will not have to take this class again. I like that my classes change by semester rather than by year, because it keeps me interested. I am looking forward to next semester because my classes are a bit more challenging, and I need a little challenge to keep me motivated. So right now I am just going to enjoy these last three classes and then enjoy my much needed Christmas break!!

Usher Concert

      This past Friday I attended the Usher concert at Scott Trade Center. I have only been to one concert in my entire life and that was Toby Keith with my grandparents when I was in fourth grade. My friend Devon bought me the tickets for my birthday back in September and I was so excited. We went to eat at Tequilas before the show and that definitely started our night out right. We parked at SWIC in Belleville and rode the Metro Link over to the concert. I felt so grown up riding the Metro on my own. Scott Trade Center was packed full of people already when we arrived and there was still a half hour till the show. Miguel opened the show and he performed for about 20 minutes. I had never heard of him before, but I did enjoy his music. Next was Trey Songz who was absolutely amazing. I like his music and it was so exciting to see him in concert. Trey played for around an hour and every minute was amazing. When Usher came out, he came on a platform this was hoisted in the air and went over the audience sitting on the floor. His entrance was incredible. Usher played music from his entire career, a lot of old and new. He had dancers for every song and an amazing stage set up. Both Usher and Trey were very sexual too. They each made a lot of sexual comments and gestures and all the girls went crazy. The age range at the concert ranged from around age 5-50. It was an incredible experience and I am so happy I got to spend it with my best friend Devon. It was the best birthday present ever!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnQFH0y1yk4&feature=related

Dig Pink

Last night the Southwestern Illinois Volleyball team hosted their annual “Dig Pink” game in honor of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The school provided our team with pink shirts that we wore as our jerseys. We all put pink bows in our hair and got decked out. Before the game we asked anyone who was a survivor to stand up and be honored. We also held a 50/50 drawing and the winner donated the money back to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  It was a great night and I really enjoyed being able to honor those men and women.  About 1.2 million cases of cancer are diagnosed annually. I found that absolutely amazing. In the US, around 183,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are diagnosed in women and about 1,990 new cases of invasive breast cancer are diagnosed in men. So many people are affected by this monster of a disease and it saddens me. I have been very fortunate in my family, because we have not had any cases of cancer, but I know so many people who have been affected. It’s hard to believe that there is no cure for this disease with all the new discoveries that we have made, but I am sure one day soon we will have the answers. I am truly sorry for the people who are now and have suffered from cancer; you are all in my thoughts and prayers.

Work, Work, Work

Since school and volleyball has started I went down to working one day a week, Sunday. Every once in awhile I would work two days over the weekend whenever they were short handed, but this past weekend I worked Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I love my job, the people I work with, and the paycheck at the end of every two weeks, but sometimes I just need a day off. Volleyball keeps me really busy I am never home and never have down time. I haven't fallen behind in my school work but I honestly do not know how I haven't. This coming week I have a paper, speech, and test all coming up which I haven't started any. There is just so much to do and so little time to do it in. I wish I could add just a couple of hours to each day to allow myself time to catch up on everything. Volleyball is almost over and I know when it ends I am going to have too much time, but right now I just need an extra hour or two in the day. I know I am not the only one stressing and I am sure there are plenty of people who agree. Once I get through next week all my stress will be gone….well at least for a day or two.

Volleyball

This past summer in August, I decided to sign and play volleyball at Southwestern Illinois College. When I decided I wanted to play I was really excited yet nervous at the same time. Playing a college sport is completely different than playing in high school. My high school was very small and we were not considered to be very strong in our conference for really any sport. I was not sure if I was a good enough athlete to play college volleyball. As a SWIC volleyball player you are on scholarship, which means you are getting paid to play so it is like a job for you. You have to be dedicated and willing to give it your all every time you step onto the court. Our season started out a little rough but the past two weeks we have really pulled it together. It is as if we are a whole new team. We practice hard and give it our all every night. I have truly enjoyed my experience so far here at SWIC as a Blue Storm member. I feel I have improved personally and learned so many new things. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the season brings for our team, and what my fellow freshman and I will bring next year as sophomores.

Midterm

Well I am now half way through my first semester of college here at SWIC. It is amazing how fast it has gone. College has definitely been a new experience but it hasn’t seemed much harder that high school ever did. I feel much busier between going to school four days a week, playing volleyball, and working but I feel like I have been able to stay caught up with my school work. I do enjoy college much more than I ever did high school. I miss my friends, but I enjoy the freedom and down time between my classes. It is a completely new environment for me. I love being at the Belleville campus over the Red Bud campus because it is larger and there is so much more to do. Being in college, gives me the sense that I am a grown up now, and it is kind of exciting.  I look forward to my next year and a half here at SWIC. Every semester I know the classes will get more and more interesting because they will start applying to my major. I feel like I am one step closer to starting my life as a college graduate and working adult.

Birthday Presents

Friday September 24th was my birthday, and I could not have been more excited. I love birthdays and I could not believe mine was already here. Although I had to spend my birthday away from my family in Champaign at a volleyball tournament, it still was a great birthday. I got my usual presents from my family, which was cards with money in them, but there was one gift that stood out so much. My best friend Devon got me the best birthday present of all, tickets to go see the Usher concert at Scott Trade Center in November. When I opened the card, I could tell she was so excited for me to see it and before I could unfold the paper she shouted out that we were going to the concert. I could not believe it. I have only been to one concert in my life and I was in fourth grade. It was a Toby Keith concert and I went with my grandparents. I remember it so well because Rascal Flatts opened for him, and they were not even famous yet. Although that concert was fun, this one is going to be amazing. Look out Usher here we come!!

The Days of Cheerleading

Growing up, I can remember doing cheers on the blacktop at school with all my friends. It was an everyday activity for us. We had probably 20 to 30 cheers and dances that we would do and we had so much fun. I was watching the news just recently and saw a story about how a six year old was removed from her cheerleading squad because her mother felt one cheer was inappropriate. The mother did not approve of three lines in the cheer which stated “my back hurts, my skirts to tight, my booty is shaking left to right.” The mother of this little girl went straight to the news about her daughter’s cheerleading squad. Her goal was to have the squad remove this cheer from the list, but instead the squad suspended the little girl from cheering for the rest of the season. When I saw this story on the news, I could see the disappointment in the little girls face. She is a six year old who loves cheering and now she can not cheer. It is not as if a young cheerleading squad is trying to be racy and say inappropriate things, at their age it is cute because you can see how excited they are about cheering in general. I can remember back in grade school doing that same cheer, and never thinking anything of it. We were just innocent kids doing something we loved. It is amazing to me the way some parents react to situations.

Check out this website to see the full news story:
      http://news.yahoo.com/video/entertainment-15749636/mom-complains-about-racy-cheer-21949860

And I thought I knew him

One week ago on August 31, a 15 year old boy from my hometown of Chester, shot his nine year old brother in the leg. A 911 call was made to the boys’ home around 8:00 that evening. When the police arrived, the 15 year old boy stated that “he and his brother had been arguing and his little brother made him mad so he shot him with a shotgun.” Luckily for the nine year old boy, this shot was not fatal. He was transferred to a St. Louis hospital, and was then released within a day or two. The older brother was taken to juvenile detention. When I heard about this story, I was so shocked. The 15 year old boy was in my PE class last year, and I saw him around the school everyday. I never thought he would be the type of person to do something like this. It also made me think that if he could pull a gun on his own brother, he is more than likely the type to pull a gun out a school. It is amazing how you think you know the people around you, but when it comes down to it you never know what someone is capable of or might actually do.

About Me

My name is Jamie Chambers. I am from the small town of Chester, IL, also known as the "Home of Popeye". I am a freshman at SWIC this year, and I am also playing volleyball for SWIC. I plan to transfer to SIUC in two years and major in speech pathology. When I am not at school or playing volleyball, I work at Reids' Harvest House as a hostess and cashier. I am a very outgoing person and love talking. My family and I are very close, and without them I would be lost. Now on to why I am here, throughout the next 15 weeks I will be posting one blog a week for my English 101 class. I am new to the blogging world but I am looking forward to learning more about it. The hardest part is finding an interesting topic to blog about for 15 weeks, so I have decided to mix it up. Instead of blogging about one specific topic, each week I will blog about something new and exciting going in the world or in my everyday life. I hope everyone finds the topics interesting and enjoyable to read. Post comments and let me know your thoughts on the issues. My first official blog will be this coming week.