#and if there's anything i've learned about myself over my 26 years on this earth: if i hold in my tears they will spill out later | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

somethingusefulfromflorida · 1 year

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I've been listless for too long, wasting my life by following the path of least resistance, but I've decided to take initiative and go back to school to get a degree that isn't worth less than the cardstock it's printed on.

Math was my passion growing up. It was fun and exciting to me, like solving a puzzle, and I wanted to be an unspecified brand of Scientist™ someday; my mom wanted me to be a mechanical engineer like my grampa. She decided my natural aptitude for math wasn't fast enough for her liking, so she skipped me ahead from algebra straight to AP calculus without geometry or trigonometry. I was completely out of my element, miles behind every other student, so she made me take two year-long homeschool courses in one month to help me catch up before I flunked out. It didn't help, it just made my existing course load even harder. I was burned out and I barely coasted by with a C- and a newfound hatred of math.

I never managed to grok calculus, and promptly forgot everything about it the second I graduated. When I learned that the major my mom wanted me to take in college would require more calculus and physics, I said fuck that and settled for something easy. I bounced around for my first two years, got my AA, and finally chose to pursue English (the greatest mistake of my life) because I had vague ideas of becoming an author, but my university had a shitty English department that didn't teach me anything. All they offered were glorified high school courses, "read a book, write an essay, take a multiple choice test, repeat. Congratulations you're an English major." I never learned grammar or style, I still don't know how to punctuate certain clauses, I completely wasted my final two years taking the most bare bones credits I needed to get a degree with no real goal after graduating. I went to college because it was expected of me, but my plan evaporated in high school because my mom pushed me too hard and even though I passed all my classes I feel like I failed miserably.

I want to go back. I want to retake the high school math I missed in my own time then reapply to my alma mater for another bachelor's program. I want to go into astronomy/astrophysics because all the science classes I took as electives in school were as fun and exciting as I'd hoped they would be, and I remembered that I loved to learn. I want to go back and try again with a real goal this time, to major in astrophysics so I could get a job, a career, doing what I'm good at and enjoy. It's not going to be easy, but I've been taking it easy my entire adult life and I'm trapped in my home town working as a cashier at a side-of-the-highway tourist trap motel at 26. I need to apply myself. I need to live up to the potential I had in high school. I need to go to the moon in this d'cade and do the otha things, not because they are easy, but because they are hahd!

Astronomy and earth/space science were my favorite classes in college, but I never took any beyond the 1000 level, and the suggested semester plan for a BS in astrophysics requires advanced 3000 and 4000 level calc, physics, mechanics, quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, optics, stats, and differential equations to name a few, so I have my work cut out for me. I need to buy some textbooks this summer and relearn prerequisite math before I can even hope to jump into this field. I'm not gonna enjoy it, it's not gonna be fun and exciting all the way, I'm gonna wanna give up, but I need to prove that I'm capable. I need to push myself to do what I don't want to do. I don't need to be a savant, I just need to pass. Cs get degrees. My little sisters are in college now, and both of them are taking a relaxed schedule, part time credits, only a couple classes per semester, however long it takes. The full astrophysics major requires 120 credits, but only 62 are critical, the other 58 are gen ed, and I already have my BA so I can skip those. 62 credits is 2 years of full time work (year and a half if I take a summer semester, though that's four months of work in half the time, so I'd once again risk burnout), but I could bang it out as a part-timer in 3 or 4 years. Hell, if I went back full time I could take a bunch of fun gen ed classes for a minor, or even a double major, but I'm getting WAY ahead of myself.

Start small.

I need to brush up on

Algebra 1

Geometry

Algebra 2

Trigonometry/Pre-Calc

Calculus

It's too late to apply for fall semester this year, and I wouldn't want to anyway because 5 high school math classes are a lot to get through in 3 months. They don't allow spring applications either, so the earliest I could start is fall 2024, 10 years after I started college in the first place. That gives me over a year to master the maths I missed. That's plenty of time! I'm fairly competent in algebra and geometry, so I'd only need to relearn trig and calc.

This is doable.

It's never too late to start over.

#math #science #astronomy #astrophysics #college #university #my plan #my life #goals #my goals #calculus #maths #square one

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strongislandsuperfan · 7 years

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30 Lessons I've Learned About Life (So Far):

WARNING: IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED OR OVERLY SENSITIVE FOR NO REASON,

DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER.

I pretty much defied every odd against me and every stereotype

that exists about young men like me. Even though I am still

young and have much more to experience, here's what I've

learned and come to the conclusion about life (so far):

1) The older you get, the more you realize that being happy is more important than being right all the time. All those petty arguments and debates really don't mean anything, especially when you're married. Love is more important.

2) No one ever gets away with anything in life. You do reap what you sew. I learned that the hard way, and I've witnessed it happen to others.

3) Having children definitely calms your wild streak, especially if you have a little girl (God help me).

4) Best friends really do become strangers. Many of you I haven't seen in years & it does feel like its the first time meeting again, now that some of us found each other on facebook (and some of us made peace with each other). I wish you all nothing but success.

5) All the crap that use to matter in high school and college, doesn't even matter anymore. All that stuff about air jordans, dating the girls with the biggest booty, going to the "party of the year", hearing the latest rap songs, having the newest "thing" that's out, proving how "gangsta" or tough you are, etc., all of that was just a complete waste and it means nothing. Now, my main concern is taking care of my wife & kids, make sure my bills are paid, make sure there's enough groceries in the house, clock in on time at work, make sure I have gas money for the car, stay out of trouble, and staring at my stomach as it expands from too much beer and bbq. Life really changes, doesn't it?

6) No one owes you anything. You owe yourself. If you take anything handed to you, be careful who its from. At some point, if you want to be successful and not be mediocre your whole life, your gonna have to compromise on the way you speak, the way you dress, change your attitude, grow the hell up, and give nothing but 100% blood, sweat and tears.......to the one that appreciates your work because not everyone will appreciate you. Some take advantage. Others, really do mean well, but they either don't have the resources to get you to the next level or they are holding you back. Work hard, but, WORK SMART.

7) Turning away great things doesn't make you an honorable rebel or a social martyr. It makes you nieve and stupid.

8) Hip Hop/Rap music will never be the same again. Many blame the Southern Untied States. Many blame corporations. Many blame the media. Many blame white people. Many blame black people. Many blame it on violence, sex & drugs. The reality is: it has been dying a slow and hemorrhaging death since the early 2000's. Like many of you who grew up with the culture, I didn't wanna believe it myself, but the fact of the matter is, it will never be the same again. This next generation will never understand the meaning of the 5 elements or what it was like hearing songs like "it ain't hard to tell" or "planet rock" or "nuthin' but a g thang" or "the bridge is over" for the first time or how sad we all felt when Biggie Smalls & Tupac died. These memories I keep with me & reflect on the good times in my childhood. The positive of all this is at least our generation can say we were here when real hip hop meant something.

9) Technology has destroyed the human experience. As great and as convenient it is, it is draining us of our humanity. Many of us have become just as hardened and lifeless as a uncharged iPad. As great as advancements are, I am not looking forward to how it will consume our very beings within the next 15-30 years.

10) Being educated is fine, but if you have no intelligence behind it, then it means nothing. Yea, I graduated, but my thinking and my creativity were severely stifled since all the teachers and administrators at Hempstead High School only cared about passing a state exam just to graduate. That is the wrong kind of pressure to even put on a young person. The entire american education system is a nightmare. There is no "real education" that goes on there. It has become a breeding ground for psychological and social disorder.

11) Marijuana didn't (almost) ruin me. Popping pills and drinking hard liquor did. Doesn't mean I'll smoke again. Just means, now that I'm sober and have more clarity, I do see what the problem was and what wasn't the problem. I hurt me. The only thing I'm guilty of is allowing those chemicals and the wrong crowd to be a part of it. Regardless, I'm getting my mind back. I'm better than I was 10 years ago.

12) Having a positive attitude really does make a difference, even when everything around you tries to pull you down in a pit of negativity. Another lesson I learned the hard way.

13) After many relationships, an exhausting amount of research and trial & error life experiences, I have realized that every so-called "-ism" and social rule in life, is all complete bullsh-t!

14) Racism is still alive and well throughout the world. It is to the point now, that its not even a lifestyle here in the United States. Now, its a sickness. There is a cure for that: GET OVER IT! You don't like different races for whatever retarded reason, go swallow a can of paint thinner & light your mouth on fire!

15) Be careful who you allow into your circle. Not everyone in the world is your friend. You're murderers come with smiles. Another lesson I learned the hard way.

16) I use to think Superman was invincible. Then, he got Lois Lane pregnant. 'Nuff said.

17) Be careful how you treat others. One hand really does wash the other.

18) I have no problem with spirituality. I believe in God. I go to church, not because "my pastor" tells me I'm obligated to go. I go for me. I understand why a Christian is a Christian. I understand why a Muslim is a Muslim. I understand why a Jew is a Jew. I understand why an Atheist is an Atheist. I understand why a Buddhist is a Buddhist. I understand why you believe or don't believe. I respect. However, one thing I cannot get or understand is why is a satanist a satanist. So, you mean to tell me you want to worship a demonic god that wants to kill you? Ummm, yea. Can't co-sign that. You may not agree, but it is what it is.

19) With every generation, hoodrats keep getting worse and worse. God help us all.

20) Now that I'm older, I am sorry for the wild and bad things that I did as a kid...but, I regret nothing. I learned from it.

21) Getting your driver's license is one of the most overrated life experiences ever. Yay me! I got a freakin' ID and can drive anything that moves. Yeah, well no one warned me about how expensive car insurance is or about road rage or how to properly buy a car with out getting ripped of. THANKS FOR THE FAIR WARNING, JERKS!

22) I really wish I could go back and do 21 all over again. I really messed that age up. Oh well, you live and you learn. Moving on.

23) The internet use to be the greatest form of information. Now, its just another form of entertainment that makes stupid people famous.

24) Anything is possible. Whether its sensationalized, rumor, or fact, in between the lines you will find a slim margin of truth. Never rule out anything. If there's one thing this world & this country has taught me is that, given enough power, money, passion or the right circumstance, anyone is capable of anything.

25) The U.S. government really is full of crap! I can't understand some of you who still insist on going thru life either as a conservative republican or a liberal democrat. They both have the same agenda & both of them DO NOT care about you, no matter who you vote for. WAKE UP!

26) This is for the single men: Being a simp is not how you get females to like you. If you go around, putting the wrong type of female on a pedestal, get your feelings and manhood destroyed then wonder why you're so stressed and gotta pay thousands of dollars in child support, then far as I'm concerned, you deserve what you allow. Another lesson in life I've witnessed happen to young men who didn't know any better.

27) Bacon is the greatest comfort food ever!

28) Wearing a suit and a smile goes a lot further that sagging jeans, over-sized shirt, gold fronts, and a mean mug. Another lesson I learned the hard way.

29) Ghettos are the same no matter where you go. Doesn't matter if its the projects, the barrio, the trailer park, we all share the same struggle.

30) Life is too short to be bitter, unforgiving and angry all the time. Enjoy your time here on Earth, because no one gets out alive.

-Mikey Valdez

#YouWelcome MikeyOfTheInternets

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the2travel · 7 years

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* World Travel Tips : I Took An Adult Gap Year, I've Never Been Happier

Travel Tips -

Exactly one year ago, I found myself seriously facing the decision to either follow my newly-found passion for traveling, or pay rent. I couldn’t do both, because I literally only had enough money for one or the other. Since it had taken me twenty seven years to even discover this passion, and a full year after that to convince myself I could travel longer than two weeks, I ended up saying f**k it, and opting for Asia over my studio apartment in West Hollywood.

It was more than just my sudden wanderlust that fueled the decision though. At twenty eight years old, I found that I wasn’t nearly as fulfilled with life as I thought I would have been back in college. I didn’t have that token perfect relationship, and I was FAR from having a ring on my finger or dare I say, a child. I still felt like a child myself, and I knew part of that was because I never got the opportunity to travel when I was younger.

I always kind of just expected that all of our lives would fall into the same routine pattern, so when mine didn’t, I started to wonder what on Earth I was supposed to do next. It made me feel like I had failed for some reason, and that feeling made me unhappy.

All I could really think of that I knew would make me happy, was to go out in the World and figure out what did. It wasn’t exactly considered “normal” for someone “my age” to just drop everything and go travel, but spoiler alert, one month turned into one year, and now I’m sitting on a white pebble beach in front of the crystal clear Adriatic Sea in Croatia, with nothing but my laptop and a random cat laying behind me, getting ready to tell you exactly what happened…

A post shared by Alyssa Ramos ✈️ Travel Blogger (@mylifesatravelmovie) on May 1, 2017 at 8:00am PDT

Cue the “Gap Year”. Well, in my case, and “Adult Gap Year”

What is a gap year? If you aren’t familiar with the term, it’s probably because the gap year doesn’t exist in the U.S. Actually, it only exists in Australia and a few places in Europe, but something like it is encouraged in many other countries as well.

A gap year is when students take the year off in between high school and college to travel on their own or with friends. It’s not to party or go crazy, like most of us do the second we leave home and get to college; it’s to find themselves, learn responsibility, and discover how many possibilities are in this world.

I definitely did not get that when I was younger, as I’m sure many of you didn’t as well. I didn’t even get to travel on vacation with my family because we were poor, but even so, it’s not like I was encouraged to do so in school.

So, feeling like I needed to really experience more of this world and in my life, I put my things in storage, made a plan, and left.

A post shared by Alyssa Ramos ✈️ Travel Blogger (@mylifesatravelmovie) on Dec 26, 2016 at 9:14am PST

Photo: During my Adult Gap Year I went to over 30 countries, mostly solo, and completed seeing all 7 World Wonders, and 6 Wonders of Nature.

Yes, it was Terrifying to take the Leap, then I Couldn’t Stop

A post shared by Alyssa Ramos ✈️ Travel Blogger (@mylifesatravelmovie) on Nov 17, 2016 at 6:46am PST

As I mentioned, I had to put all of my stuff in storage, something I’ve never done before since I’ve had my own apartment since I was seventeen. That being said, I was also technically “homeless” for the first time ever, which of course was beyond terrifying at first. I worried beyond belief that when I left I’d lose everything, that my friends would forget me, and that somehow, I’d miss something in LA.

But a month passed and I hadn’t had enough. I still had money left from what I had saved for months, and was making a steady income from online freelance work and being a digital nomad.

When the second month came near and I had to make the decision again, I opted for a month in India over paying for rent and a deposit on a place back home in LA (I’m originally from Florida but I call LA “home”). Since I was “in the area”, I figured why not make it Sri Lanka and the Maldives too? Both of which I did on an extreme budget.

I Opened Up to Opportunities, and they Came

A post shared by Alyssa Ramos ✈️ Travel Blogger (@mylifesatravelmovie) on Oct 16, 2016 at 6:13am PDT

I’ve always been what I like to call an “outgoing introvert”. I like to be around friends, but I also like to be alone, and get things done on my own, and was always convinced I didn’t need anyone else to help me.

Well, when you travel alone for so long, you start to open up to the thought of meeting people and letting them help you. The second I changed my mindset, was when I met someone who actually ended up traveling with me to four countries. (Yes it was a steamy foreign love affair, but I’ll get to that another time).

Aside from that little foreign fling, I also opened up to the opportunity of meeting locals in almost every country I traveled in. I wanted to learn as much as possible from their perspective, and from that I learned more than I’ve ever learned in school about people, cultures, religion, politics, history, and the world in general.

This new understanding, and these exciting experiences have changed the way I think of and interact with people. It has made me friendlier, kinder, and more empathetic. This change not only made me happier, but it immensely helped strengthen and broaden my career as a digital nomad as well.

I Got Used to a Minimalist Lifestyle

A post shared by Alyssa Ramos ✈️ Travel Blogger (@mylifesatravelmovie) on Aug 18, 2016 at 9:01am PDT

Throughout my entire Adult Gap Year, I traveled with a carry-on sized bag, and a tote bag. I never once got anything out of my storage unit (not that I’d have anywhere to put it), and would only shop once a month when I would switch out my wardrobe. The clothes I had been previously wearing all got donated to a local in whatever country I finally decide to go shopping in.

A post shared by Alyssa Ramos MyLifesAMovie (@alyssaramostravels) on May 25, 2017 at 2:50am PDT

I also got used to, and am very good at buying groceries at local markets; even if I have to take a few extra seconds to convert the price or translate what something is.

A post shared by Alyssa Ramos MyLifesAMovie (@alyssaramostravels) on May 27, 2017 at 6:31am PDT

This type of lifestyle also made me extremely healthy, and I can tell a clear difference than from when I wasn’t traveling full time. I never get sick when I travel because I make sure to eat right, and I’m more in shape because I choose to walk everywhere…even if that’s mostly to save money…

But Maintained my Adult Comfort

A post shared by Alyssa Ramos ✈️ Travel Blogger (@mylifesatravelmovie) on May 18, 2017 at 4:52am PDT

I won’t lie, there’s a 0% chance that I would sleep in a shared dorm in a hostel, or couch surf. I’m a grown ass woman who makes a good income on her own, so you better believe I’m going to travel with certain standards.

Most of the time I do a really good job at finding last minute deals online for decent and even really nice hotels…even if some times they’re all sold out and I have to opt for a scary place.

A post shared by Alyssa Ramos MyLifesAMovie (@alyssaramostravels) on May 24, 2017 at 5:10am PDT

I’ll also treat myself to a nice lunch or dinner now and then. I don’t think I should have to miss out on the luxuries of nice dining just because I don’t have anyone to take me out! I’m actually super proud of how confident I’ve gotten with eating out alone…”Just one?” “You’re damn right just one!” Although it’s hard to really stay alone once people realize you are…if you know what I mean.

I Was Never Afraid to say No...or Yes

A post shared by Alyssa Ramos ✈️ Travel Blogger (@mylifesatravelmovie) on Feb 9, 2017 at 5:56am PST

Part of being comfortable as an adult is knowing exactly when you do and don’t want to do something. I’ve learned to easily say no to peddlers, promoters, all-too-charming men, etc., which has really helped in my normal life, especially with decisions I want to say yes to, but I know I really should say no to…that mostly applies to men, business, and dessert.

On the flip side, this Adult Gap Year has also taught me to easily say ‘Yes’ to a lot of things I probably wouldn’t have before. I don’t think twice about how long it will take me to get somewhere, especially if it’s a hike to a waterfall, and there’s literally nothing I think I can’t do.

This mentality change has not only made me a stronger, happier person, but a successful entrepreneur with a constant stream of dreams and ideas that turn to realities.

I Learned How to Adapt to Any Surrounding

A post shared by Alyssa Ramos ✈️ Travel Blogger (@mylifesatravelmovie) on Feb 16, 2017 at 5:00am PST

One thing I can distinctly notice after my Adult Gap Year, is that no one can ever guess where I’m from. That’s because when I travel, I immediately adapt to the culture, customs, and local life, mostly because it just makes everything easier. As I said, it’s important to try to make your life as “normal” as possible when you know it’s not normal at all.

Before I took my Adult Gap Year, I worried non-stop about what it was going to be like in another country, and so far away from home. Now I show up and assume chameleon mode, which also makes things a lot more interesting.

I Checked off a Bucketlist I Never Knew I Had

A post shared by Alyssa Ramos ✈️ Travel Blogger (@mylifesatravelmovie) on Feb 9, 2016 at 4:34am PST

The bucket list I do have basically just includes “travel the world” and “get to Antarctica”. But during my Adult Gap Year I found myself constantly thinking, “I’ve always wanted to do that”, then doing it, and then adding it to my bucketlist just so I could check it off.

Aside from traveling to almost 40 countries in a year, which I was NOT expecting to do at all (remember, I was only supposed to be gone one month), I had a lot of other firsts as well. Most of them were things I thought were too late to do since I was already almost thirty and an adult, but low and behold, I did them anyway, and couldn’t be more satisfied.

I got scuba certified and dove in five different countries including Egypt, the Maldives, Indonesia, French Polynesia, and the Bahamas. I learned to drive on the opposite side of the road in New Zealand, and live out of a camper van.

I learned “Hello, how are you, please, and thank you” in about ten different languages. I bungee jumped, and also cliff jumped…way too many times to count. I climbed to the top of a tree in the Amazon rainforest, after swimming in the Amazon river with pink dolphins. I swam with Manta Rays in the wild in Indonesia, and also hung my feet over a volcanic crater lake. I chased so many damn waterfalls that people are starting to ask me when I’m going to make a coffee table book with all of the photos.

I completed my list of visiting all of the new 7 World Wonders, a huge achievement for me; and perfected the art of getting a photo in front of each one with absolutely no people in them. I also made it to 6 of the 7 Wonders of Nature...and continents...both of which I intend to get to the 7th of this year.

I became inspired, encouraged, and ambitious to see more, do more, and be more, not just for me, but for the people I show my new lifestyle to.

I Now Have a Solid List of Big Goals

A post shared by Alyssa Ramos ✈️ Travel Blogger (@mylifesatravelmovie) on May 30, 2017 at 9:32am PDT

After accidentally traveling full time for a year, mostly solo (AKA an Adult Gap Year) and achieving as much as I did, my list of life goals has not gotten shorter. It has basically grown from being the size of a lizard to the size of a dinosaur, with the aggressive behavior to match.

Thanks to this adult Gap Year, I truly feel like I can do anything now, from traveling the world, to starting my own business. I may have risked a lot; a home, a relationship, friends, family, MY DOG, but through the clarity I’ve found, I know that there’s time for that, and everything will happen when it’s supposed to. And that applies to everyone.

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