Texting and Driving: A Deadly Combination

Did you know if you are talking on the phone while driving you are four times more likely to have a wreck? I don't know about ya'll but I'm not real big on talking on the phone. I love to text and I'm on my phone constantly! In class, at the grocery store, while doing homework, at meal times, everywhere! Texting doesn't seem all that dangerous, right? Add a vehicle plus your cell phone and that equals another shocking statistic for you. If you are texting while driving you are 23 times more likely to be in a collision. That is almost the same statistic for drinking and driving. Most of us would never even consider driving after drinking but sadly virtually all of us get behind the wheel and text without a second thought.

"You aren't the only one affected by your choices and consequences," says Jeanne Brown. Jeanne and Johnny Mac knew about this first hand when their daughter, Alex, passed away on November 10, 2009 from a fatal car wreck. She had been texting and driving without a seat belt. While this tragedy impacted the Brown family in a big way, it inspired them to create the program B.U.S.T. which stands for Buckle Up and Stop Texting. This amazing program travels to different schools along with the truck that Alex crashed in to show students that texting and driving is dangerous. We always think "Oh that will never happen to me," but it happens to people everyday. Where do you think we get the statistics? It can happen to anyone in the blink of an eye.

The B.U.S.T. program is different than any other one that I've been to. We've all attended the ones in our high school auditorium and we leave without ever giving it another thought but this program hits home. It's an "in your face" presentation that really grabs your attention and makes you listen. Maybe it's the speakers who have lost their daughter due to texting and driving, maybe it's the actual truck from their daughter's accident, or maybe it's the video from Alex's sister, Katrina, who tells people what it's really like to lose someone who's that close to you.Whatever it is, this program is definitely worth seeing. Along with the presentation they have a B.U.S.T. pledge for students and adults to sign pledging to not text while driving and to buckle up.

To sign your B.U.S.T. pledge, find out more information, see calendar of events, etc please visit the B.U.S.T. website!  http://www.bust2day.org/

Getting a College Degree in the Art of Making Ramen Noodles

     Ramen noodles have always been a staple at my house. Every time me or my brothers were hungry and it was between meals we got the same answer. "Make some noodles". After years of practice I thought I had the art of noodle making down to a T. Measure the water, pour it in the pot, bring the water to a boil, add noodles and cook for several minutes, add seasoning packet and voila! The perfect snack! Now my brothers always made theirs in the microwave to avoid having to wash the pot and sometimes they ate them dry but I was always more of the cook-it-in-the-stove kinda girl. I was convinced I was an experienced Ramen noodle maker...until I came to college.

    A few days ago I decided to run to Wal-Mart to buy some groceries. While I was browsing I discovered Ramen noodles in these handy little styrofoam cups. "Perfect! Now I won't have to wash or buy bowls!" I stocked up on about 5 or 6 only to have my mom bring me two HUGE boxes of chicken and beef flavored noodles the very next day :) I rushed through the rest of my shopping so I could get back to my dorm to try out this genius invention and that's where all my problems started. 

     Flinging my dorm room door open and tossing my forgotten grocery bags to the floor, I fervently ripped the plastic off the cup and started reading the instructions. Boil water and fill cup to the line on the inside. Let sit 3 minutes. Stir and enjoy. Sounds easy enough, right? WRONG. I proceeded to wait 5 minutes for the water from the sink to get hot, filled up that handy little cup and stuck it in the microwave for about a minute to make sure the water was hot enough. I set the cup on top of the fridge and went to visit with my roomies while I waited out the three minutes. 

     When my roommate asked what I was doing I replied nonchalantly "Oh just making some noodles". "The microwave isn't on though, Brittany" she said while looking at me like I had lost my mind. I explained that I was making the noodles in the handy styrofoam cups and told her I had already microwaved them for a minute and was waiting the three minutes for the noodles to expand and become cooked. Silence. And then an outburst of laughter from my two roommates. After everyone caught their breath, they explained that I didn't have to wait three minutes. Just pour the water in the cup and microwave for about 5 minutes. I proceeded to put the cup back in the microwave, set the timer for 5 minutes and wait. Much to my dismay I opened the door to find my noodles had exploded. Noodle water and random vegetables covered the inside of my roommate's microwave. "They exploded" I said disappointingly. This brought another round of laughter. Apparently I was supposed to put a bowl under the cup. I argued that the noodles were already in a bowl and didn't see why they needed 2 bowls. Boy, was I wrong!

    So I learned several valuable lessons that day. How to properly make noodles in the microwave, cooking on a stove and in a microwave are two totally different things, and the most important, not all noodles are created equally.

    









     

More than just homework...

       We, as college students, are 90% of the time swamped with homework.  Which means all night study sessions, spending all night working on that math homework you forgot was due by midnight, or writing your English essay an hour before class and putting last weeks date on the header (we've all done it!!). All those study sessions, and last minute homework assignments barely leave time for anything else. It's important to take time away from the pressures of schoolwork to have a little fun.

Now don't get me wrong, homework and school are much more important than having a good time. College will get you a lot further in life than fun will, by all means but sometimes you need to step away from that confusing study material to give your mind a break. When that time comes around, Howard College is here to help!

Whether it's a planned activity like bowling night at the local bowling alley or just playing pool in the Student Union building, there's something for everyone here at HC. There's movie night, volleyball games, intramural-flag football, bowling night, Hawk-a-palooza, poker night, kareoke night, baseball, softball and basketball games, plays, the fitness center...just to name a few! The events and activities are endless. So no matter what strikes your fancy, you're sure to find it here at Howard!
     


     

      

New Blog!!

  Hey guys! My name is Brittany and I'm 20 years old. I am a freshman here at Howard College and currently working on my Associate's Degree in Business Adminstration. I grew up in Colorado City, which is about 45 minutes from Big Spring. I haven't really had a chance to get involved in anything or meet any new people just yet but I'm working on it!
    
I recently started a new job at the college and they asked if I would be interested in blogging about life at Howard and of course I said yes!! So that's mainly what this blog will be about...college life, experiences, activities, classes, ect. My goal for this blog is to show what being a student at HC is really like whether you are a current or future student!! So hopefully I can portray how awesome life is here at Howard College!

Enjoy!!