My very own blog!

Hey everyone. I know I have posted quite a few entries on my blog so far, but I figured I should make one to give you guys a little more information about myself. Better late than never!

My name is Ashley, I am 18 years old and I attend Glendale Community College in Arizona. I am working to get an associates degree in hospitality. I am likely wanting to become a hotel or casino manager, but have not fully decided. I have travelled to many places so far in my 18 years of life, and getting a degree in hospitality gives me many job opportunities that will allow me to travel even more. I have 6 siblings, all but one are younger than me. I love to travel, eat, swim, and hang out with my friends, boyfriend, and family. I love music, mainly rap/hip-hop and alternative. I have been to 7-8 different concerts and have plans to attend more. I hope you all are enjoying my blog so far, I have enjoyed writing my entries!

Entry #6: "Capitalism: A Love Story" Part 2

Hey readers. I am back to continue up with my overall thoughts of Michael Moore's film "Capitalism: A Love Story". I enjoyed the documentary. It showed different standpoints on capitalism. I didn't have much of a political opinion on capitalism before I watched it, so it helped me form my own opinion. The film showed perspectives of people In poverty, people in the working class, and people who would be considered wealthy. According to the film, we should not have capitalism. In my opinion, i think countries should have a blended economic system. Capitalism doesn't offer people in poverty the same opportunities as rich people. Yes you should work for what you have, but capitalism doesn't give people any help to pull themselves out and have a start at that. In the U.S, there are government funded businesses and private businesses. Im not huge on politics and these are just my opinions after watching this one film and doing some research. Feel free to watch the documentary on your own and leave your opinions in the comments below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUpnFNUmfKw

Entry #5: "Capitalism: A Love Story"

Hey everyone. I recently watched a documentary called "Capitalism: A Love Story" by Michael Moore. I realized he uses a lot of rhetoric devices in the film and I wanted to talk about them.

The introduction to the documentary starts with scenes of different bank robberies. I believe this was included to contribute to the idea that people want money. Capitalism in the economic system is controlled by businesses and individuals rather than the government. If people are left to get their own money, they will do anything they can to get their hands on it. In the film, it is claimed that "there is a rebellion between people who have nothing and people who've got it all." There will always be jealousy in the world, people want what they don't have. If you have money you can get basically whatever you desire, thats materialistic of course. 

The film goes on to interview different small shop owners. Not many people shop at their stores but that is how they must get their money. Everyone wants things to be equal but don't realize that you need to work for what you want. Yes some people get things handed to them, and although that would be nice, its not realistic. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUpnFNUmfKw

Entry #4: A sweet surprise

Hey all! The past month or two have been pretty hard for everyone. Covid-19 is going around and everyone has been forced to stay home. To make things worse for me, my dog recently had to be put down. It has made staying home a lot harder, since he was always in my room with me. We had him since I was in third grade and I am now in college, so I know he lived a long and happy life. My family has all been really down about it. But, to make this corona season a little better my mom surprised us with a new puppy!

His name is Chief and he is a Great Dane. We got him two weeks ago and these pictures were taken yesterday. He's getting so big already! We all know he will never be able to replace the memories we had with our old dog, but its important to stay positive and getting a new puppy helped us do just that. We went to Walmart and got him a bunch of new chew toys, a kennel and huge bed, a collar, harness, leash, and more. He seems to be loving his new home. Taking him on walks has also been the highlight of my day, because I get to get out of the house and be in the nice weather.

There is always a positive side to every situation, its up to us to make the most of things. Getting surprised with a new puppy really helped us look at the brighter side of staying home and losing our dog.

Entry #3: Less and less college grads?

Hey everyone. I recently read a story Governor Doug Ducey put out about how Arizona needs more college graduates. I wanted to share my opinions on my own blog about this topic. Here is the original article link for anyone who is interested to read: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2016/09/17/arizona-needs-more-college-grads-ducey/90363958/

Ducey started off by saying "Less than half of Arizona's working adults have degrees or training beyond high school. We must fix that." This came as a shock to me. I would have thought that more adults in Arizona have graduated college. Both of my parents are college graduates and I grew up knowing college was after highschool, so I never really considered jobs that you can get without a college degree. College is very very expensive, so it is understandable why a lot of people don't finish. The average cost of schooling for an associates degree can be more than $20,000, and that is just the first achievable degree.

If states want to see more people graduating, I think there needs to be more help with student's financial situation. Students have to pay thousands of dollars for classes, and have a bunch of extra costs on top of that like housing, car payments, food, etc. We have to pay for all of this while working and doing school full-time. It is extremely difficult and is a main reason as to why not as many people are graduating. Ducey said he "added $142 million to K-12 education", and gave "an additional $38 million to universities." This is a start, but doesn't directly help students who need help.

I do agree that more Arizonans need to graduate college because 46% is less than the majority, but if Ducey wants that he should find better ways to help accomplish that. This is all my opinion and isn't meant to offend anyone in any way.

Entry 2: Shopping during Corona

Hey everyone. The world has been pretty crazy lately. With the coronavirus going on, its important to social distance right now. But with the new season approaching, I needed some new clothes! Most of the clothes that I have from last spring don't fit me anymore, and I can't wear winter clothes in 90° weather. Not only did I need clothes, but I needed to do my dads grocery shopping as well. This past weekend I decided to go.

It was different than normal, though. Most people were shopping alone, everyone in line was spaced apart and wearing masks, and not many registers were open. I was just glad stores are still open, though. When I went for groceries, I was able to find most things I needed. I could not find any toilet paper or paper towels though! Both items were completely sold out. I thought it was weird, but didn't think much of it. Later when I got home, I was scrolling on Twitter and saw this meme:

Thats when I realized everyone went crazy buying toilet paper because of the virus. Was very strange to see because that won't help you. Luckily we were able to get some, though. My trip to target for clothes was a little different, as I didn't get anything. I found a few items I would wear, but the fitting rooms were closed so I couldn't try them on. Thats okay though, since we can't go outside I guess winter clothes aren't so bad! 

I hope you all are staying safe during this virus. Remember to stay home and social distance if you must go out. Always wash your hands and look out for your loved ones. Have a good week everyone! 

Entry #1: Blogs..?

Hey everyone, this is my very first blog post! Im not sure about you, but I personally love blogs. There are so many different blogs about all different topics. You can find blogs about their food, makeup, home decor, fashion, living, travel, information/facts, etc. Most people use the internet over books in this day, so blogs allow writers to express themselves to others without getting published.

Blogs aren't only limited to being personal, however. There are tons of blogs that have to do with science and research. Informational blogs are great for people looking to learn new facts about a certain topic that interests them. Researching can be hard, but blogs are a good way to find information that has been narrowed down and to the point of what you're looking for. They can be very informative.

I love reading fashion and beauty blogs. I need to research about products before I buy them, thats just how I am. Blogs are an amazing way for me to read reviews about all sorts of different beauty products and clothing. Blogs can be written by anyone, meaning these reviewers aren't paid to talk about these products. This helps incredibly because I feel I can trust what the blogger is saying. Most blogs can be commented on as well, so other people can share their opinions.

If you're interested in beauty blogs like me, here are a few of my favorites:

~https://aspynovard.com/categories/blog/
~https://www.makeupandbeautyblog.com/category/product-reviews/
~https://liveglam.com/category/product-reviews/