The End

As I reach the end of my online course Exploring the Internet I am definitely sad.  To say I thoroughly enjoyed this course is an understatement, I loved it!  There wasn't a single assignment that wasn't challenging to me and didn't leave me thinking about it days on end.  From deciding what my blog posts would be that week to thinking of new and creative ways to exhibit my web page and learning about different codes and what each one meant and could do to make things easier and look better.  I am so happy I took this course and I am so happy it was the first one I chose to take after taking such a long hiatus from college.  I am looking forward to my next class and my next challenge and I wish everyone the best of luck!  Remember to believe in yourself, even if you have all of the friends and family support you could possibly need there's nothing better than having your own confidence from within.

Lawn Care

So now that the weather has turned to these wonderfully humid days here in south Texas I start looking in my backyard at my lawn.  I know I have mentioned before that we have two medium to large dogs and one of them is running the fence line barking at something on the other side every morning right around the time I put my daughter down for a nap, like CLOCKWORK!  Needless to say the grass back there is non existent so we look to the rest of the lawn which has somehow turned into a big weed patch, dandelions, clovers, etc.  You name it, we have it.  I found a "recipe" online that is supposed to kill grubs and bugs, turn my lawn a rich green color and provide the nutrients that I guess this soil is lacking.  Soil?  Who has soil?  We live on rock.  So where does the water go when it rains? Nowhere....it sits in large swampy areas in my back yard for days, attracting those lovely mosquito's and you know what they say, everything is bigger in Texas.  Well I have yet to mix this concoction and spray it down on my lawn, I mean it can't hurt can it?  It involves mouthwash, ammonia, beer (woo hoo!), dish washing soap and soda or pop as they call it here.  I can't wait to see what happens, worse comes to worse I'll have a clean, minty fresh lawn with a buzz.

My idea for a web application

An idea I had for a web application that I have seen used as a desktop application would have to do with hair. There is nothing worse than going to a new stylist and walking out the door with empty pockets and exactly the opposite of what you wanted whether it be the wrong cut, the wrong color or both. If there was a website with a list of salons near you and within the listed salon a description of each stylist WITH pictures of past clients hair color and/or cuts. I am new to Texas, well fairly new and I have my hair colored (obviously! haha - I know shocker!) and I went through many different stylists in many different salons before finding one I liked which was just recently, after almost TWO YEARS! Anyways, I thought this could be helpful for men and women.

I received one comment so far on my idea:

 I think this would be awesome for male haircuts too. The same system could be set up for men and how they want to cut their hair. I know that going to a regular salon/barber usually is over priced and the hair cut takes about 10 minutes. There are other places that I go to that take almost 45 minutes for a "fade" or another type of cut. Great idea!

Using jQuery to Create Interactive Web Pages

At first this assignment was very interesting and not difficult for me to master, that is until I got to the part where the background turns green and the square boxes are supposed to be able to move around.  I must have had the spacing wrong while editing the HTML on my blog because these two actions just would not work for me.  After trying and trying though I finally got it and I'm glad that I didn't give up on it because it feels great knowing that you overcame that obstacle.  I think what you are able to do with jQuery is very interesting and opens up a whole new world of options as far as designing your own web page.  This is definitely something I would use if I needed to design my own.  What helps me the most in completing these assignments are the video tutorials and being able to follow along with what the instructor is doing on them.

Do-it-yourself(er)

I'm not even sure that title I just used is actually a word, do-it-yourself(er), well there is no red line underneath it so I guess I'm safe.  I love fixing things around the house and pretty much just maintaining our house.  Do I have the time to do this? No.  Today I got up early, showered and dressed before my daughter woke up so I would have time to do a few things when she went down for her morning nap.  These things include: Fixing her play set in the back yard (I had to put two screws in, I know, HUGE!), trimming the bushes and weeding outside, raking up said weeds and leaves leftover from one of the past winters here in Texas and oh yes, removing caulking and re-caulking the shower.  I got the play set fixed and then for some reason I decided to tackle the shower caulking job.  WHYYYYYYY?  Talk about opening a can of worms, I had no idea.  First of all, should I even be holding a razor that size to cut out the old caulking?  I'm ok with it, but the more I work with it the more I feel how sore my back and legs are from soccer yesterday (10-1 win!! woo hoo).  Am I supposed to be laying on the outside of the shower and working upside down?  The shower isn't that big and it's still wet, I probably should have dried it first.  This is just a small sample of how my do-it-yourself projects go.  I usually start something then realize, oh, I should do that too!  Which is why I'm sitting here typing a blog for my class.  Is that called ADD?  Suffice it to say I'll be making a trip to Home Depot or Lowe's when my daughter wakes up to ask someone how I should be trying to tackle this project which is what I should have done in the first place!  Stay tuned for more attempts at my do-it-yourself projects, the dryer vent on the roof needs cleaning too!

Creating Interactive Web pages

Like all of my other assignments in the Exploring the Internet class I was eager to learn a new skill in regards to Web pages.  I sat and listened to the videos and worked along side them on my own interactive web page, step by step.  In the end I was happy to see that it worked the way it was supposed to, much to my relief.  I wasn't afraid of being stuck on this project, I knew it would be time consuming as I was trying to complete in while my daughter was napping and I still had a million other things to do that day.  I love when something clicks in your head and you just get it, I wish everything I tried to figure out worked as easy as that!  I had no idea that javascript was the language that was used to create buttons on websites that allowed you to receive responses and I'm happy to say I was delighted when the window popped up that said Hello Erin.  I'm so easily amused!!!!

My Idea for an Interactive Website

If I were to create an interactive web page I would try to develop some kind of activity page for children. The issue I have with my 14 month old is trying to find classes for her to take and things to keep her busy, challenged and interacting with other children her age. If there was a website that listed not only all of the activities in the area but the age of the children attending the classes and how many children attended. Maybe have someone updating it as the children entered the class so someone could go onto this website, see a class they might like their child to attend and look to see what other children are there and what their ages are. I wouldn't want to get all the way to a music class for my daughter and find out there was only one other child there in the class, kind of a waste of time.

Feedback form Experience

The last assignment I had for my Exploring the Internet class was to create a feedback form and link it to my web page. I found this assignment to be interesting, challenging and another valuable piece of information I have acquired from this class. This past week must have been a busy one for people in my class because I haven't seen but a handful of people posting their web pages on the forum which makes it somewhat difficult for me because only two people have given me feedback on my web page. The feedback I did receive however was very encouraging and positive making me feel like what I had worked hard to accomplish was actually recognized by someone else as being as good as I had wanted it to be. I think having a feedback form on websites is very valuable as it gives you positive and negative feedback. The positive giving you the support you need and the negative, if looked at as constructive criticism, could be very beneficial if you chose to make it work for you. I hope more people chose to embark on the journey of my website and offer their opinions as I would be happy to hear them.

Going Green

These days it seems as though most people are at least trying to take into consideration the environment and the effect we are having on it.  I think most if not all towns have trash bins and recycle bins also where you put your empty, used plastic bottles, newspapers, cardboard boxes, cans, etc.  When I walk out to my garage to place a recyclable in my container I feel as though I'm doing my part, a very small part but it's something nonetheless.  I also don't roll down my window and throw out trash as I am driving down the road which is what I have seen countless times and it still seems to amaze me.  Where do these people think this trash goes?  Does the trash fairy come out at night while we are all sleeping and clean up the cigarette butts, big gulp cups, cheeseburger wrappers and loser scratch tickets?

One city has taken the next step to do their part in helping the environment.  Austin, Texas has passed a ban on all disposable plastic bags.  By March of 2013 it will be against the law for retailers in Austin to offer disposable plastic bags.  Customers will have to either bring their own or use cloth bags or whatever other bags they want.  Austin City Hall has also allotted between $1.5-$2 million to educate people on the plastic bag ban.  Half of these monies will supposedly go to providing reusable grocery bags in low income areas.

How many times have you seen a plastic bag blowing wildly around the highway only to end up on either your windshield, your grill or even better tangled under your car forcing you to get under the car and dislodge it when you have reached your destination.  Not my idea of a good time.  Seeing a plastic bag floating towards my car puts me into a panic.  Not a take my hands off the wheel and cover my eyes panic but one that might add more stress to my day and just really tick me off!

I think more cities should follow Austins lead, I'm sure there are plenty more that already have.  Not only would this ban rid us of flying bags but the retailers that have to purchase them for their customers would be alleviated of this cost.  Then again, customers would have to remember to bring their own bags when going shopping.  I'm lucky if I can remember what to get when I go to the store, or remember to go to the store at all, never mind bring my own bags.  I guess I will have to pay more attention for the sake of the environment and future generations to come.

Marie

Yesterday I was on Facebook leaving a comment for a friend from home who lives in San Antonio.  She is pretty much my only friend as I have only been in Texas for a few years and the first year I lived in the country and it was quiet.....{crickets}.  Anyway, as I was leaving a comment on her profile another friend of mine left a comment too.  Friend is a distant word to describe her.  The friend I am writing about I have known and been friends with since the sixth grade when she turned around in English class and said to me "what are you looking at?"  At the time I just happened to be sitting behind her so I thought I'm looking at the teacher and the chalkboard.  Little did I know she would become one of my best friends in my life.  I know, everyone says they have best friends, I don't.  Well, let me rephrase that, I don't have just one.  There are a few people that have always been and will always be in my life, just because....because why?  Because I want them to be and they want to be just the same.  This person, and because I don't want to embarrass her I'll just call her "Marie", can make me laugh by just saying hi to me.  I'm not sure what's STILL so funny after all of these years but even as I sit here typing I have a huge smile across my face and am chuckling to myself.

We have been through a lot together in the 29 or so years we have been friends.  School, dances, soccer, parties, my house, her house, her Dad, my Dad, it was like we were the same person only slightly different (I had three brothers she had two and two sisters).  So many of my happy childhood and not so childhood memories revolve around Marie.

I remember when her father passed away.  I remember how much he would tease us only because he loved her and I was always there! haha  I remember going to her vacation home in NH on Lake Winnipesaukee, I remember crashing her go-cart on an unsettled dirt road her dad was building houses on and how he used to let us drive his work truck around on this road (no harm done - she drove!)  We both had tough fathers.  Tough not in the sense of "hey tough guy", actually her dad was pretty tough, but in the sense that they were tough on us because they wanted so much for us.

I am ever so grateful to have her in my life.  I know she will always be a phone call away and she would always be there for me if I needed anything from her, even 2000 miles away and me for her.  I love her like the sister I never had.