ARC Wellness Fair

Today during my break, I went down to the ARC and checked out the Wellness Fair that was put on by the Exercise Science majors. It was pretty nice. The only part that I did not like was the fact that is was all kept in the lobby and there was not enough room to move around. They had many booths set up where you could learn about different things. There was a booth on hydration, smoking, stress, alcohol, food, and much more. You could even get your BMI done there. I checked out every booth and got a lot of free stuff. I got food, water, stress balls, Mr. Yuk stickers, a resistance band and much much more. I am glad I attended the wellness fair. I learned a bit and got free goodies. I don't know about you, but I love free stuff.

digital video

I have to say that doing the digital video has been my favorite project that we have done in Tech class so far. It was fun not only doing the video taping,but putting it all together was pretty fun as well. I liked putting music on and cutting out the scenes that I did not like. While doing the video taping, there were many times when I would start laughing or just stutter over my words. So to be able to take that out and make it look like I was serious was sweet. Maybe my next purchase will be a video camera and software to make movies.

SRUPE mini convention

Today I attended the mini convention here on campus. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I ended up having a blast. I learned quite a bit about some things that I knew nothing about. First I attended "The Simplified Tai Chi" put on by Professor Lui and Professor Bian. Professor Lui showed us a routine of Tai Chi and then they had us get up and taught us a few moves. It was neat to learn about it. Next I attended the "Synch or Swim" which was put on by the Butler High Aquaettes. I had only seen synchronized swimming done on tv during the Olympic games. I was amazed at how those girls could move like that in the water. They did all kinds of moves even underwater. Then I headed over to "Upgrade Yourself", which was presented by Lou Slatterback. He spoke about how we need to be the best that we can be as professionals and that we need to be positve as others are looking up to us. My favorite part of this session was when we got to dance with the young kids he invited from an elementary school in Oil City. We did two folk dances with the kids and then they showed us their moves in some other folk dances. It was so much fun and the kids were so exited to be here at the university. I wish I could of attended more sessions. I do however look forward to attending the state convention in Pittsburgh next fall.

Electronic Portfolio

I got so worked up about this electronic portfolio that it was all I could think about for days. I was so stressed out that I actually made myself ill. Why? It ended up not being so bad. Yes it took alot of time to put together and you couldn't wait until the last few days to put it together, but once i got everything together and someone showed me how to lyperlink it all together, it really didn't take me long to finish. There was a few things that I didn't get to put in the efolio like my video introduction or my video clip, but I do not have my video clip done at this time. Although this was one of the hardest projects I have had to do, I am happy that it is started and I can just add things each sememster. It will make things so much easier for when I graduate.

end of the semester

I am so glad that the end of the semester is just around the corner. I am so exhausted from all the work I have had to do. Also the stress is taking its toll. There is only one class really that I am having trouble with. I look forward to the day that I know it is the last day. I have no spare time to do anything from now until the end of the semester. But of course then I have presession.

Weather

I am so excited that the weather is finally starting to change. I was so sick of the cold weather. This past Saturday we had a meet and it was nice to just be wearing shorts and a tshirt without freezing. We had perfect weather. Although the weather is warming up, I don't think it is time to bring out the bikini's. On sunday I ran by a few young ladies laying out in their bikinis.

schedueling for classes

Its that time to start thinking about what classes to take for the fall semester. Im pretty excited that I have all of my general courses done and out of they way. Now all I have to do is finish with the classes in my major. The only problem with this is that a large number of them are offered at the same time. This makes it tough to get in enough credits to get done with school in four years. I am able to scheduele enough the next two sememsters without any conflict, but I know the closer I get to graduation the harder it will be. I wish some of the classes were offered more often than they are or have two or three classes a sememster instead of just one.

debit cards

I have come to really appreciate my debit card. When I first got one years ago, I used it way to much and there were many times I over drew money. Now that I can just look up on the computer how much is in my account, I have learned to manage my money more. Debit cards are so convenient because they are just like credit cards without the interest rate. Yes you have to pay a fee when you use the ATM, but I have found it beneficial to get cash back when I am getting groceries. My debit card is so convenient, that I can't remember the last time I used my credit card. So all in all, I saving a small amount of money by not using my credit card.

North Carolina

This weekend certain athletes are traveling to North Carolina for a track meet. I am one of the lucky ones who gets to compete in Raleigh. I am really excited about running there mostly because it is supposed to be 80 degrees. I race on friday night which means I get to lay out all day on saturday while the rest of my teammates run. I am looking forward to my race as well because I get to run the 10,000 meters. This is the first time that I have run this distance on the track. For those that don't know, this race will be 25 laps around the track. Should be a good time.

controversy with the track team

If you read the university newspaper this past friday, there was an article in there about the track team. It is kind of the talk around campus right now. For spring break we traveled to Las Vegas and San Diego. It was a great time and we all had fun. Upon returning, one athlete made the wrong decision of putting pictures on her "facebook" account that she should not have put on. So all in all, someone from the newspaper found them and decided to turn the athletes in and write a story about the team drinking on sprink break. I am not writing this because I am on the track team, I am just annoyed that they are pin pointing spring break drinking on the track team. You can't tell me that the other teams that traveled on team trips for break didn't drink alcohol at any point. And why does it have to be such a big deal to slander these athletes? They are representing the school and if they didn't harm anyone or give the school a bad name while they were out west, then why make a fuss over it. So now instead, the school is going to get all this publicity for underage drinking and a negative look. This might impact future students on their choice to attend Slippery Rock University. I think it was a poor choice to run this story. They could of easily run the story without all the names and slandering. I hope the "Rocket"realizes that they may have published a interesting story, but they ended up hurting not only the students but the university as a whole.

Self Check Outs

I remember the first time I saw a self check out at KMart. I thought it was the neatest thing at the time. Well over the years I have come to dislike these machines for many reasons. The main reason is that they take jobs away. At Giant Eagle there are five self check out lanes. That is five people that are not getting a job because they are not needed. How are people to get jobs when technology is taking over. I also don't like them because a majority of the time I use them, they won't scan or the scale to weigh is not working. Im a big fan of technology, but not when it takes jobs away or when it doesn't work right most of the time.

ipods

Today on my run I realized just how much I love my Ipod. Listening to music while I run is so motivating. It helps me focus my attention on the music instead of how tired I might be. Also when a fast upbeat song comes on, I find myself running faster. I think the invention of ipods is wonderful. You can use it for so many different things. I take mine on long trips, I use it while I am at the arc, I also like to use it while I walk to and from class. I see so many people using ipods. I do have to admit that running with an ipod does have some disadvantages though. It is much harder to hear oncoming cars, so that means my eyes have to be on double duty. I think it would be sweet in the near future to have an ipod small enough to just fit inside or outside the ear. My advice is to invest in an ipod. They are great.

Running Computer

As a Christmas gift this year, I received a Polar RS100 Running Computer. It looks like a regular timex watch. This computer watch has many tasks that it can perform. It provides feedback on your body's response to exercise. By wearing the transmitter included, it will give you an accurate measure of your heart rate. This will tell you how hard you are working. By knowing your heart rate, you will know whether you need to work harder or ease up on your pace. This will allow you to avoid overtraining. This computer will also allowe you to check your progress. Your heart rate should decrease with improvements in your fitness. The more you run, your heart rate should decrease. If it is higher than normal, chances are you need a break. There are other things that this running computer can do for you. If you are serious about running, I recommend you purchase one of these in the near future.

A Sweet Invention

I know that the invention of aiplanes is long ago, but having just flown for the first time this year, its new to me. Over spring break, I traveled with the track team to Vegas. It only took over four hours to get there by plane compared to that of 3-4 days by car. This is an amazing invention. It saves so much time let alone gas. We can travel anywhere in the world for reasonable prices and it will only take us a minimal amount of time compared to other modes of transportion. Although I am terrified of heights which kept me from traveling by plane before, I can't wait to fly again. While waiting for my return flight to Pittsburgh, we were sitting on the plane in Vegas waiting to take off when the crew discovered a computer problem with the plane. Needless to say none of us wanted to stay on this plane. We waited around for four hours until the airline finally decided to give us a new plane and we continued on.

Brett Favre

So he finally did it? It has been years that Favre has been talking about retiring. I can honestly say I am sad to see him go. I loved watching him play football and he did so much outside of football. He seems to be an all around kind of nice guy. To bad the Packers didn't make it to the Super Bowl for his last season of playing. It would of been great to see the Packers and Patriots play. He may not have been the best quarterback to ever play football, but he is an amazing athlete that I will miss watching on Sundays.

Chalk it up for SRU Track

This past weekend was a great weekend for the track team. We ended up winning the PSAC indoor track title for the men's team and tying for first with Shippensburg for the women's team. It was so exciting to watch the team compete and win. Now its time for outdoor track and we begin this weekend with a trip to UNLV to compete. Thats right, we are heading to Vegas. It will be the first time most of us have been there so we are looking to have a good time. Hope you all have a great spring break.

championships

Well this weekend is our PSAC indoor championship meet at East Stroudsburg Univesity. We have a lot of athletes that qualified and could possibly win the indoor title for both men and women. Its going to take a lot of good performances though. I only run on Saturday so I have all day Sunday to watch my teammates compete. It should be a good time. I might be grumpy on Monday though because we won't be getting home until the early hours on Monday morning. Wish us all luck.

library labtops

I love using the labtops at the library. It is so convenient to grab a labtop and find your own little corner or whereever. I always seem to get the ones that only last for 30 minutes to an hour. It never fails. Does anyone else have this problem? I must say that I love labtops. Im thinking of purchasing one. Anyone have any suggestions on a good laptopo to purchase?

lakers vs suns

How about that Lakers vs Suns basketball game? I didn't get to watch it, but it seemed like a pretty intense game. Did anyone watch it by chance? I think high scoring games that are close in score are so much more interesting than low scoring games. I would of liked to see Shaq play in his first game with the Suns. And as always I love to watch Kobe Bryant play. I am not a fan of the man, but he sure is a great basketball player.

women and body image

So I just finished reading an article in Glamour magazine on how men like women who are not surgically enhanced. It seems like no matter where I look, there is something about weight mentioned. I understand our country has a "big" problem with weight and it seems to be getting worse. I think this needs to be worked on, but then on the other hand, we have so many girls with eating disorders. I think that Hollywood sends a bad message to girls with all the "skinny actresses" and all the talk about who lost weight and who gained weight. No wonder girls have problems. We want to look good and feel good. I think this is a big reason why women go out and have surgery done. So as I read this article and this guy wrote about how men don't like women with fake breasts or what not, then why do we go thru the trouble of dieting or getting surgery. It isnt just to impress the opposite sex, its to help our self esteems. Im just wondering in the long run if it really helps or hinders. Women need to learn to love themselves they way they are. Also we aren't getting any younger so why try and make ourselves look 30 years younger than we are. Im a firm believer in "beauty comes with age".

valentine's day

So who invented Valentine's Day anyways? Im not saying that I have a problem with it, but its just another reason to spend money. I do think this holiday is great for young kids. My daughter gets such a kick out of writing on the cards and getting candy for her classmates. That was are nightly activity last night. Altho after a half hour she was bored and I had to finish them. I think Valentine's Day is legit, but the real question what is Sweetest Day for? Isn't that kind of the same as Valentine's Day? I hope you all have a great Valentnine's Day.

beating of young newborns/toddlers

What is it with people today? How can someone no matter what age they are, beat a young newborn or toddler to death? I was reading the paper and came upon an article stating that a 20 year old man received 20-40 years in prison for beating his 21 month old son. Is this justice? This child never had the oppurtunity to do anything is his life. The boy won't get to go to school, make friends, marry, have children of his own, nothing. This man has taken that all away from him. I hardly find 20-40 years justice. It would be somewhat different had this been an adult who could defend themselves, but a toddler. It amazes me how often I am hearing or reading about a young child being beaten or shaken to death or even murdered. It also sickens me even more when I read that a mother has committed the crime. A mother is suppossed to be nuturing and loving. I do understand not all of us want to be parents, but there are plenty of people who do. Why not give the child up instead of trying to deal with the child? It just saddens me when I look at my daughter after reading something like this. A childs love is the best love anyone could ever receive.

sick

Well I finally got hit with the "bug" that is going around. It knocked me completely out for three days. I missed all my classes on Thursday and Friday. I hope that I didn't miss anything to important in class. If I have class with you and I missed something, would you please send me an email. I would greatly appreciate it. lhk9912@sru.edu. Thanks

very disappointed

So I went to the tutoring center to get a tutor for tech class. They finally responed to me the other day. As my luck would have it, they do not offer tutoring for Technology for PETE class. So now I am back to square one of not knowing what I am doing and just hoping that I can learn along the way. This is all new to me since I have not attended school for so long and everything is so new and high tech. I hope that I learn alot from this class and that I can make it thru without to much stress.

track

This weekend we ran at Bucknell for an indoor track meet. I chose to run the 5000 meter event which is 25 laps. We raced at 6:30 on Friday night. I ended up running a 18:45 which qualified me for the PSAC championship meet. I was pretty excited. What made it even better was the fact that I beat these two girls from IUP that crushed me in cross country during the fall. My next goal is to place in the top 8 at the conference meet.

tired

I don't know about you guys but Im wiped out from the semester already. Maybe it was just my past weekend with track and stuff. Im also really worried about Tech class. I by no means know anything about computers. Ugh!!!!

about me

Hi my name is Leslie Kramer. I am a 30 year old single mom of a 9 year old daughter. I run cross country and track for Slippery Rock University. Before running for the university I was very active in running marathons and half marathons. I even coached cross country for six years at Slippery Rock High School. Besides running some of my favorite things to do are lift weights, Tae Bo Bootcamp, sleep, and especially eat. I also work at Adidas and Perfumania at the outlet mall. I have chosen Phys Education because I love working with others and helping them not only succeed but to also become more active. I am hoping to teach at the elementary level but I am willing to teach at the upper level as well. I plan to return to coaching once I have finished college. An ultimate goal of mine is to qualify for the Olympic Qualifiers in the Marathon in 2012. But thats a long ways away and a tough goal to reach.