Today Michael Jackson the “King of Pop” un-expectantly passed away of a heart failure. While this is a sad day for many, it is also a day to celebrate his death by remembering the glory of his musical talent. Michael lived a long road full of musical history, legal battles and financial problems, but no matter what we will always remember Michael for his musical talents.

Michael had been preparing for a series of comeback performances in London, England.   It was announced that he had been working long hard hours as he was preparing to give his fans the best musical entertainment in history. Many people talk stink about Michael and his legal troubles, but when the tickets for his upcoming concerts went on sale they were sold out in minutes.  Why…because he brought something to us…the uniting of black and white music.

Michael will now be a legend pop star to me and many others from the Jackson Five era, to the hits of the 80’s, 90’s and millennium. When we were growing up we listen to Michael in awe of his music and dance moves. Some guy friends of mine walked around with white gloves as children imitating Michael’s moves. He was an idol to many of us and I will never forget the wonderful music he brought into my life.

As I watch the news and listen to people around me talk about Michael and his passing it amazes me how many people loved Michael. People were crying on the radio station as the shared their memories of Michael. The news showed people all around the world lighting candles, posting pictures and flowers near as they mourned the loss of Michael. While certain people talk of the scandals Michael was accused of there are so many more who loved him for his true talents.

Some people are questioning his death and was it fake. They feel that maybe Michael got tired of all the negative talks of him and financial problems and decided to fake his death. I do not really believe that…I feel if he was going to do something like that he would have at least waited until after his 50 upcoming concert events that were sold out. Who knows really?

This is the first person of fame in my lifetime I have lost. I have never lost someone that has been there through my upbringing as a child and continued into my adult years. I compare this to what my parents went through with Elvis. He was an Icon “The King”.

“Thank you MJ for sharing all your talents with people all around the world and thank you for your love for music as it showed deeply.” Love and Peace

I always like utilizing my breaks to the fullest…This break I am going to take a mini break and head down to the Florida Keys. To many the Keys are known for great snorkeling and scuba, but to me it is filled with many great memories from my childhood. The Keys is also a place my father loved and enjoy thoroughly while he was alive.

To fill you in…I lost my father back in October of 2007. He passed due to heart complications and was at the ripe old age of 63. My dad was a joker so he would get a kick from the statement.  The truth of the matter is 63 is very young. And we were very unfortunate to lose him this early. However he lived a wonderful life as he fought for his country, raised a family of 4 kids, loved and laugh always.

At the time of my father’s passing we had a Memorial Service at a nearby family church and then my father was cremated. I have had his ashes in my possession since because I did not have the strength to release him properly.  I have reached a point where I feel I have enough strength and now’s the time to scatter my father’s ashes.  Each of the children will have a small urn to keep some of dad’s ashes and then the rest will be scatter throughout the Keys. This was what my dad always requested I do if he were to pass. And while at the time I told him he was crazy and I was going to bury him I could not do that now. It is much different when someone is gone…you want to do things as they wished and give them the respect they deserve. So I am granting my father wish and I am going to spread him about in the Keys were he enjoyed life the most; near the Ocean.

I will also have a nice little ceremony and have some flowered lays with pictures attached. I will send them out to sea and say a prayer for my father and his life he led. This is going to be good for the both of us. I need this closure for myself and my siblings.  I miss my father very much and still have days filled with anger and tears because he left me. I believe this will be something I will continue to have for some time to come, but I think scattering him and having some closure will help a lot.  

In Loving Memory of Rodney Reed – Love you dad!

Just 2 weeks left of spring classes and then spring break is here. And I cannot wait! This semester has been challenging, but yet eventful. I have learned great things in my Excel class and even in Business Ethics.  When the end of the semester is near things get really crazy because it is important to make sure you have all your homework assignments from past weeks. This is also a good time to review your grades on past projects and see if you can fix what you got wrong (this usually only works if it is an ongoing project throughout the course).

Reflecting…My professors were excellent this semester as they helped me through all of my challenges. Some more helpful than others, but that is a given considering each professor has their own way of teaching. I defiantly struggled through these classes towards the end of the semester; of course as we got further along in the semester the difficulty level got greater. I especially learned a lot in Excel and I really feel I benefited from the class. In the business world Excel is utilized for many things and formulas being the biggest use. That was one area I was always challenged in, but now the simple formulas are nothing for me. I also learned how to utilize the Analysis function which is helpful in both business and personal uses.

I also got to utilize the Mentor Center for the first time ever during this semester and that was a huge help because these last few weeks were very challenging for me, so thanks to everyone in the Mentor enter. I will continue to utilize it as I continue on with my degree. The library is a helpful tool also as I needed to find articles to research and write about. All the tools are right online to help the students get through the courses. Great resources and tools!

And as I was working my way through these difficult weeks of class; I also watched the season finales of Grey’s Anatomy and American Idol. Now that is challenging…Thank goodness for DVR (records the shows). While online school is great because you can set your own schedule; I still need every other evening to do homework which meant I could not watch my shows when they were on, but I recorded them to watched them after I finished school work. Now of course I have no favorites on TV so I will spend my break at the pool.  Fun and relaxing in the Sun!!

Well…I finally used the Mentor Center for one of my classes and all I have to say is “Great Job Rasmussen”! I logged in and went to the calendar to see a list of tutoring classes and who was going to be teaching each class. Once I found the Excel class, I clicked and saw my Professor was teaching the session so I notified her to let her know I will be attending the Excel tutoring class. It was that easy…

Wanting to make sure I could utilize the Wimba system, I logged in early to make sure I had everything set up and ready to go. I was worried about it not being able to work because I do not have a microphone. Well…no need to worry because if you do not have a microphone you can type comments or even better…you can call into a session (they give you the number and pin). The initial sign-in walked you through setting up your computer and downloading the Wimba software which took a total of 5 minutes.

The only thing I did have a problem with is in the calendar it doesn’t state which time zone the classes are listed as and I just assumed it was under Eastern, but it was not. Luckily my teacher told me that it was Central at the last minute which eliminated me from freaking out. That is something that can be fixed easily though. Once I started working with the professor, I told her I had to call in because I did not have a microphone so she called in too and then we were able to communicate back and forth. I just put my ear piece in and was able to work hands free. She wanted to see my screen so after a few attempts she managed to log into my screen. I guess that has some kinks that they are still trying to work out because she stated sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. It took her about 15 minutes to get logged into my computer, but once she was in it was great!

The Professor worked with me for 2 hours well minus the setup time. She assisted me in figuring out some challenges with Excel and calculating some difficult formulas.  It was as if I was right there in the same room with her and she was instructing me on what to do. Technology has come a long way and is really making the online education system stronger. So if you are a student and haven’t used Wimba in the Mentor Center yet, I highly suggest if you are having any difficulties or challenges in your classes, utilize Wimba.

Wow…Can you believe who the final winner was? I must say I was totally shocked by the results.  Don’t get me wrong; I think Kris is a talented singer however I feel Adam was by far the best in that competition. Even as I was watching the final show I was just amazed at the different levels of Adams signing expertise.  There is not a note that kid can not hit. Regardless he is going to make it big..I have no doubt in my mind.

The rumors I have been hearing around town…People felt that they were not going to promote someone who could be gay; therefore they were not going to vote for him to be the American Idol Star. If this is true I think that is the most absurd thing I have ever heard. What is the problem with people and excepting the rights of gay Americans? This is a free country and if that is the life they want to live then more power to them…it should not be someone else’s decision on who one can love or not love. It just makes me ill…now back to the topic; we do not even know if Adam is gay or not and even if he is the name of the show is American Idol with the purpose of finding the next singing superstar. That is what we all should be voting on and if you are voting for different reasons then maybe you should not be expressing your opinion.  That is my opinion and I will leave it at that.

I wish Kris the best of luck and I congratulate him in being the winner! I think he is talented as well, but not to the same degree as the other contestants that were in the top 13. Funny thing is I was questioning why he was even in the top 13. I just did not feel he was as talented as some of the other singers. Obviously someone felt differently or he had enough people in his hometown voting for him.

I thought the season finale was a great 2 hour show between amazing guest and the final 13 contestants putting on excellent performances. This past show really was one of the best American Idol’s to date. It makes you wonder about how many real talented people are out there that never get noticed. We need more musicians today as I do not feel there are enough really talented stars. I feel this way because I am a huge music fan and I just do not feel the quality of music is as good as it use to be. 

My favorite performance was the Carlos Santana and Fergie performances. Although it was nice to see   all the performance that night; they were my favorite.  I think it is great how some of the old school artist come on American Idol and sing along with the contestants.  It must feel pretty good for them to have these young singers singing their songs like the best of them.

I am looking forward to next season because they are coming to my home town…Orlando, FL. I am sorry to announce you will not see me trying out for the show because signing is not my forte.  

I cannot believe how quickly this semester is flying by…It seems like I just started a couple of weeks ago, but in all actuality is has been 6 weeks. I am doing very well in my classes although I will admit some weeks are tougher than others. I will tell you that I seem to be having most difficulty with APA formatting and citing sources.

I have been writing papers in school for about a year and a half and while I have improved some; I have not manage to truly perfect APA formatting in all areas. There seems to be so many different rules and it is hard to learn all of them. Just when I think I am doing great…”Bam” – I get docked for citing something improperly.  Also because I am an online student most of our papers are utilizing online sources and I have not found anything that list APA formatting for online articles or pages. Is there a book or something that would give more information?

I have more and more classes wanting you to use resources to write your papers and cite the sources. I am not good at doing this because I like to read something and then put it into my words and how I interrupt what they are saying. I guess this is not what APA is all about. So I ask myself how do I combine the resource into my paper without changing the wording and then remember to cite it….Hmmm. Maybe I am making this out to be more difficult than it is, but I just get way too overwhelmed when it comes to formatting papers correctly.

Other than that school and my online classes are flowing efficiently. I cannot believe there is only 5 weeks in the semester left. My classes this semester are fundamental; Business Ethics and Excel – I love the Excel class because I am truly learning so much more with tables, pivot tables and formulas. And it is with the Microsoft Excel 2007 version which doesn’t get any better than that. I wanted to take Excel before having to take any other Math or Algebra classes. It will be a huge help! My Business Ethics class is going ok, but I will be honest in saying it is not my favorite class. We are allowed to have classes we do not like, right? I am just not all that intrigued by it.

Well I have to run, but I hope things are well on your end. And let me know if you have any suggestions on the APA Formatting because I could really use some help before going into the next semester. Maybe there is a recommend book I can buy or something?     

I recently moved within the same complex to a lower level apartment. Economically it was better for me and over all I will save $3600 in rent. I have a dilemma though with the neighbor above me and his out of control dog. I moved in February 2009 and to my surprise I realized that my new neighbor has a dog and not just any dog, but one that missed the obedience bus while growing up. The dog barks uncontrollably and jumps around like he is a child. I just moved from the top floor where no sounds were above me except the pleasant sounds of the rain and now I live below the Ogre and his dog.

My first reaction was to tell the Manager of apartment complex and let them deal with it. My complaint is not only the dog, but the guy walks like he weighs 600 pounds.  It is completely unnecessary and on top of the dog barking out of control it is going to drive me crazy. The apartment manger came back to me with “He just started putting him a kennel so you if you can bare with him until he gets use to it”. Are you kidding me…what about me? She then stated that the neighbor said he would try not to walk so hard.  Well I told her I would do my best to tolerate it, but how long can I really do that?

I complained several times within the my first month and called the complex and told them I wanted to complain to corporate since they were not going to do anything about the situation. Next thing I know there is a knock on my door. Oh and did I mention that the manager is a dog lover.  The knock was the neighbor from up stairs. When I opened the door he was amazed at how loud the barking was in my living room. He apologized and gave me his cell number so I could call him if it was bad.  I asked if he could put him in the closet area or bedroom. That way he is not right over my head while I am studying.  He was going to see what he could do and would try to make the situation better.

Things were better after that for a while and then I think he started getting lazy. He is now putting dog in the front room again. He is leaving him on the porch and the dog pees off the side onto my porch. And I forgot to tell you when the dog is in his cage he shakes it around trying to break loose which makes this horrible rumbling sound.  It is insane and the dog rally needs to go through some type of obedient school.

I am up to my ears with frustration over this dog and his owner. I have tried to be patience while the dog gets use to the cage, but I cannot take this anymore. What is my next step? Can I report the neighbor to the county for leaving his dog locked in the kennel for long hours or locked out on porch during hot climate days? I hate to be mean, but he is not helping either and I have been dealing with this for over 3 months. Does anyone have any ideas? Has anyone ever been in this type of situation? HELP!!      

Today it is very important to network for both social aspects as well as business. I thought I would give everyone some ideas on how to build a Social Network. This can help many people by simply just trying to make some new relationships; to helping you find your next career opportunity. And to be honest…coming from the Employment Industry – if you are not networking it is going to be difficult and take you much longer to find a new career. There are some many qualified candidates in the market that you really need to be talking with people who can hire you directly.

First it is important to start joining social networks that interest you. There are social networks that exist for every conceivable profession, hobby or interest.  It is very easy finding social networks be going to Find A Social Network.com.  You can find many networks that are populated with the same areas of interest.

You will then need to start blogging to allow people to get to know you. You can also comment on other blogs and ask them to check out your blogs. Eventually you will start having your own network to interact with regularly. I have been blogging for a year and a half about the life of an online student. Trying to get people to interact with your blogs can be challenging, but if you search for other blogs and invite people to check out your blogs it can really help in speeding up the process on building your own social network.  It is very important to create an online portfolio so people can learn more personal information about you, which will make them feel more comfortable.  There are several different social network sites like Myspace, Facebook and LinkedIn. Remember when using sites like Myspace and Facebook; you need to make sure there is nothing offensive or discriminating on your profile page. If you are talking to an Executive and he/she checks out your Myspace to find some risky pictures, I do not think you will get the job.

Then lastly you need to Tweet. I mentioned in an earlier blog that I have recently found the world of Tweeting. I am still learning this area and I am still trying to find Tweet sites to visit. So if any of you know of any, please let me know.  Twitter has become incredibly large and everyone from movie stars, musical artist and many others just like you and me are Tweeting and building relationships. Well I hope this information has helped you getting started in building your own executive or personal network. Let me know how things work out and/or if you find out some new sites to check out. Until next week…  

As our lives get busier and the days seem to get shorter we tend to take less and less care of our bodies.  We begin to not eat as healthy because we’re always on the go; skipping the gym for the last three weeks because there is not enough time in the day and before you know it you are feeling run down.

It is very important to take good care of your body. As we get older our muscle start to diminish and our bones get weaker. This is a normal act of aging; however if you maintain minimal weight training and cardio along with eating healthy we can slow done the aging process.  It is important to eat foods that carry lots of antioxidants, proteins and vitamins. There is a book called South Beach Diet which talks about eating healthy and it gives some great recipes too. It is a great source and it can help anyone get on the right track.

As for exercising we can work out to help maintain good muscles and stay physically fit. All of this can be done in 15-25 minutes a day. As for cardio it is good to change it up here and there so one day you can walk briskly, another day jog or ride a bike. A mile will generally burn 100 calories which is good for maintaining good weight. Obviously is you are wanting to lose weight then you will need to burn more calories based on your age and how much weight your trying to lose. As for weight training there are many different exercises we can do right in our own home. I like Self.com because they have a program each month giving you different ideas on exercises you can do. Keep mind that you always want to switch up your workout because your muscles become used to your workout and then you will hit plateau.  Self.com always has great recipes and they share examples of different meal ideas to help you maintain a good healthy diet too.

By maintaining a healthy balance diet and spending 15-25 minutes a day you will feel better and live longer, strong and happier.  May we all live a happy beautiful life!!

Two weeks of relaxation from school work and now back to the grind. It did not even seem as if I had a two break because it went by so fast. It really makes you think about life within its self.  I have been in school now for a year and 3 semesters and I still have a ways to go.  So I spent a few hours this week trying to figure out how many classes I can take at a time and how much longer do I have in school.

The results: Keep in mind that I am working 50 hours a week, but if I can take 2 to 3 classes a week; I can finish school within the next year and a half.  I am 62 credits away from having my AS degree in Business Management with a minor in Business Administration. So if I pack on a couple extra classes per semester I can get through this much quicker and relive myself.  Yes, I know it is kind of sad knowing it took me 3.5 years to get my AS degree, but at least I have it and it will hopefully take me a little further in my career. Who knows I may not stop here; the great thing about getting my degree from Rasmussen is the credits are regionally accredited. This means I can transfer them to just about any major University and continue my education towards my bachelor degree.

So for this semester I am taking Business Ethic, Ethics and Excel. They are all pretty easy classes and should be able to breeze through the semester. Now that they have to Student mentor section in the online portal I can have assistance at my finger tips. As for Excel I am pretty good already, but need to learn the formulas better because I will need that for my Accounting II course. As for the Ethic classes; this should be pretty easy for me since I have been in the workforce for some time now dealing with it day in and day out.

Oh and I almost forgot, we also have Wimba now too. The teacher can record a lecture or assist with a project and we can hear it on our own desk top. I am still learning how to use it, but I believe we can record questions about our studies for the teacher, but I need to get a microphone on my computer first. This is going to be pretty great and really take online courses to a whole other level.

Well I look forward to a great semester and I hope to have you along the whole way to share my student experiences.   Please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions as I discuss my student life experience, current events and school.