Involvement

I got an interesting e-mail earlier, just as interesting as the one about the summer internship. This particular e-mail didn't come through my Hotmail account, but from my UIS account- so I knew that it had to be something of importance. Knowing that it could possibly be an e-mail from my English teacher, I checked it right away.
It was an e-mail encouraging students to apply to be apart of the Housing Resident's Council Executive Board. It's an organization that allows students to have a say in what activities go on at our campus. I applied last semester for this semester, but I don't recall that I was accepted for any of the positions that were offered at that time- at least, none of the positions that I had checked of as my main choices.
So, this particular e-mail was asking the same thing- for any interested students to apply for positions on the HRC Executive Board. I read the e-mail very carefully to decide if this would really be something I'd want to add to the activities I'm already involved in this semester. Knowing that I could possibly make a difference in what goes on here on the UIS campus, I went ahead and filled out the application; writing a one-page, double-spaced essay answering questions about what I could contribute to HRC, why I want to join, and how I could help.
Upon filling out the application, I e-mailed it to the e-mail address that had been given in the original e-mail. I'm hoping to hear back soon, as to whether I will get to be apart of HRC next year. I'll worry about how I'll get to and from their meetings after I learn of my approval. Hopefully, if I get to be on HRC, I can fight for the location of the meetings to be moved to a closer location- like LRH, since the meetings are currently held in the townhouses right now. . . and that is a bit too far for me to walk or roll in my wheelchair after dark or- when I'm tired.

Boy, Do I Hate Fire Alarms Since They're So Loud With A Bright LIght

I'm glad I wasn't in my room yesterday morning at 10:30. That's when a fire alarm test was being conducted to make sure that the fire alarm was in working order. The reason why this test was being run is because the fire alarms were malfunctioning last Thursday. I know this because, while writing a blog entry, my airconditioning unit grew suddenly quite, and I had a feeling that something was about to happen.
No sound! A few seconds later, an announcement came over the intercom system. "Attention, LRH," it said. "The fire alarm is going to go off because the electricians are working on it. Please ignore it." Nothing happened after the announcement, but I got nervous. I went out into the lobby, and asked the person at the front desk what was going on. He told me that the electricians were fixing the fire alarms, as some weren't werking fully.
After he told me that, he then proceded in telling me a story about a fire alarm that occurred because a student stuck something up the sprinkler system. This, in turn, caused a flood that began on the third floor of LRH and advanced on down to the first floor. People were worried that the dorm was going to be inhabitable as a result of the damage.

Work First and Play Later

I am glad that my English homework is pretty much done for this week. I'm not like most students who procrastinate when it comes to getting their homework done. Many of my friends try to put off doing assignments as long as they possibly can. I think it might be because they are tired of having schoolwork be such a reigning part of their academic career.
I'd have to say that I am the exact opposite. Homework usually comes first for me. I have a motto that helps me focus on trying to be academically successful. "Work first and play later" is what I try to tell myself when I feel like not completing a homework task, when I only want to procrastinate.
Because I don't procrastinate, I tend to have my homework done ahead of schedule. I usually do it this way so I can have time for other things I really enjoy. It works out, especially because I'm trying to reach my goal of getting all good grades in at least one of my classes. So far, it's been working out wonderfully- because I'm not missing any assignments. I hope I can keep up this record in my English for what's remaining of this semester.

Let the Baseball Fun Begin

This is an exciting week. It's Opening Week for Major League Baseball. I hope that the Cubbies can have a good first week, with as few losses as possible. This season, unlike last, isn't going to begin with everyone believing that this is THE YEAR the CUBBIES are going to be VICTORIOUS, and then our hopes get dashed as the season rolls on, with the Cubs losing players because of injuries- and having trouble beating teams that we normally have absolutely NO trouble at all beating.
I think that the Cubs can beat the STINKY St. Louis Cardinals (a.k.a, Birdies) this year. Last year, they did well enough to move on to the playoffs, eventually becoming World Series champions. I say that this IS THE YEAR for the CUBBIES to dominate the National League Central division. All of our rivals will fear us because we'll be a good team.

I'm Keeping My Fingers Crossed

Today, I am hoping that the Director of the Mary Bryant Home for the Blind calls me to discuss whether my physical limitations wouldn't make me a good candidate for possibly living there. This is something that I am strongly hoping turns out for the best. I mean, I feel that having on-campus living experience makes me a good candidate for living in an assisted-living setting. Nonetheless, my physical disability might be the issue in question, as most of the residents only have visual disabilities.
If I learn that this isn't going to work out, it's only going to mean that I'll have to live on campus again next year. Do I really want to do that, knowing that living on campus- in campus housing this year, so far- has already created so many challenges for me? If there is a way to make living on campus less of a struggle for me, I might want to stay on campus. But, that is something I'm not thinking about right now.

Will I Have A Summer Job

Trying to get a summer job hasn't been easy for me. My disability often frightens people. Although I make a point to tell people about what I can do- despite my disability- employers are often skeptical about hiring me. I don't think it's because I am unqualified to to do the job; no. . . but, I STRONGLY believe that sometimes employers are afraid of giving people with disabilities a chance to show how capable they are of doing the work.
This is something that has made getting a summer job quite difficult for me. I only got lucky once, and that was because I was recommended by a good friend, who also worked at the same place the summer she and I talked about how difficult it is for us to find employment as a result of our disabilities. That summer was great. It gave me a chance to show that I was quite capable of doing a sit-down office job.
That was about two years ago. This summer, I hope to be able to prove myself again. I received an e-mail today about a summer internship through the Illinois Department of Transportation, working at their office in Schaumburg. The information was sent by the Project Manager of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Illinois. After reading that e-mail, I made a minor alteration to my current resume, and I then proceded to e-mail the person who had provided the SILC office with the internship information.
In getting this e-mail, I learned that this internship, which is for students with disabilities, will count/transfer as school credit. Learning that piece of information really made me interested in trying to apply for it. I'd really like to be able to develop employment skills, and I think that this might be a good opportunity to practice.
However, after telling my mom all about it, I realized that this opportunity comes with a bit of a snag. Schaumburg is a bit far from Chicago; therefore, it's going to call for my mom to work out the glitches. The main glitch is whether she'd be able to find an assisted-living facility near where I'd be working. Although I don't yet know if I'll get the job, my mom is still going to do some research into assisted-living facilities in Northern Illinois.

Making A New Friend. . . Or Two

This trip wasn't just about learning, it was also about meeting new people. Students from all over the country attended the conference. New friendships were born, and old ones were rekindled. It was interesting to meet people from all over the United States. . . people who, unlike me, really had no disabilities at all.
I got to know one of the UIS College Republicans better over the course of this weekend. I was lucky to have a fellow UIS College Republican as one of my three roommates. She was able to help me get dressed, as trying to dress in the bathroom is so difficult for me. At first, I wasn't sure she'd be able to successfully be able to help me, but she did a good job.