Application Pending

Nearly two months ago I filled out an application for a Security Officer position at Lumiere Place Casino. I was not aware of how much work and time was going to be involved in the application process. It has now been close to 45 days of in-processing, and I have filled out an additional application that was more than 30 pages long. I have also made two or three trips a week to St. Louis. I have applied and received three separate license, and have had to miss way too many classes.

I remember my first job and the application that I filled out there, nothing like the most recent. My first job was at the Orchards Golf Course in 1996. The only thing they wanted was my name and address, and how much money to take out for taxes. I do not even think the application was a full page long. Those were the good ol days though, you know when gas was 97 cents a gallon. I just pumped gas today, 14 years later, and paid $2.79 a gallon.

I guess the 30 page application and all of the background checks and fingerprinting may have a purpose but not 6 weeks to process. As of this date April, 6, 2010 I have been offered the position but have not started working. My application is pending....

Top Ten Influential People

I made a top ten list of my most influential people. These people range from the last century to present time and from athletes to family members. The list is arranged starting at 10 being the above average motivator to #1 being the person that has influenced me the most throughout my life.

#10. Brian Piccolo - with me being a die-hard Chicago Bears fan I have to say anyone with the will power to play football as the backup to Hall of Famer Gale Sayers while on his death bed deserves a spot on my list.

#9. Hugh Hefner - Any man would have to agree that he makes the list but many may say that he should be considered as a top 5 choice.

#8. Jose Canseco - Many may disagree with this choice but he has defaced himself while possibly saving the sport of Professional Baseball from steroid abuse.

#7. Susan B. Anthony - Faced on the dollar coin and fought to gain women the right to vote.

#6. Martin Luther King Jr. - Leader of the Civil Rights Movement and winner of Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Believed in his cause enough to die for it.

#5. George Washington - Led the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and considered the Father of our Country.

#4. Sigmund Freud - The father of Psychology. He is so intriguing that I have decided to take on different lifelong goals. Criticized by nearly all of his colleagues but his work is still taught to college students many years later.

#3. Pat Tillman - Professional football player who gave up a very big salary to join the Army Rangers and defend his country after the attacks of September 11, 2001. He was killed in action during a firefight in Afghanistan.

#2. Sgt. Nichols (my drill instructor in Marine Corps boot camp) - The meanest SOB that I have ever met. He was mean but very motivating. I still have nightmares about that man but he made me a Marine, and for that I have forever grateful.

#1. Don Fansher (my step-father) - When I was just 4 years old my divorced mother married the greatest most influential person in my life. He raised me as his own and taught me everything he knew. From respect to how to play golf. He taught me to be the man I am today. I know I am not perfect but I am a much better person because of him. He passed in November of 2006 and a piece of me went with him, but more of him still lives in me.

Wish I Could Sleep

I had my wisdom teeth pulled during Marine Corps boot camp a little over 9 years ago. Only one problem, they pulled three and a half of the four. All but one came out without a problem, but that one apparently broke in half and they decided to just leave it as is. 9 years later I am in horrible pain. I made a trip to the dentist and he informed me that I had to be referred to an oral surgeon to have it removed. That's the good news. The bad news is that I have to wait almost a week to get an appointment. In the meantime I have been prescribed Vicodin to help relieve the pain and allow me to sleep. Yeah right, that's a joke because I have not slept for three days and the Vicodin is doing nothing for the pain.

I have tried to use some coping techniques like drinking whiskey but that only works for a couple hours and then the pain is intensified no doubt. But for that couple of hours while intoxicated I feel great. Anyone have any other ideas for pain relief of a toothache. Please keep advice legal.

Blog Report #1

I have enjoyed the Blog project, though I have not written a whole lot. Throughout the first couple of weeks I have checked for comments nearly every day while checking one of my polls, but unfortunately have not written an entry every time. The subjects that I have written entries on, were both a learning experience and fun all at the same time. I am always up for introducing myself to others because it is a subject that I know well. I also had a good time sharing my thoughts about dreams and ways to remember them. After all, most people can relate to dreams.

At first the Blog project was exploring some unfamiliar ground for me. I have never done anything like this before. In the next couple weeks I would like to spice my blog up a little. I have navigated around but still cannot figure out how to get a picture in text. The polls that I have had were fun for me but probably not for others. I had a "Who will win the Super Bowl" poll which seemed to predict the outcome. The poll had 3 votes for New Orleans and only 2 for Indianapolis. My second poll is still in progress and deals with the best Valentine's Day present.

The only thing that I wish was different about my blog is that it would get more readers and comments. I have gotten a few comments from other members of the class but not too many. I have to admit I have not commented on too many entries either. My goal for the rest of the class is to post entries more often on my own page and comment on more of my classmates entries.

Dreams Can Come True

In my Applied Psych class I have to do an assignment that consists of two weeks of dream analysis. I am really pumped about this because the godfather of psychology Sigmund Freud is an icon of mine. His work regarding the interpretations of dreams is an inspiring book. His views and ideas are not widely accepted by the psychology world but EVERY book used across the country to teach psychology mentions the psychodynamic approach or psychoanalysis. Both of which are topics that are Freudian studies. His specialty was therapy in which he rooted deep into the minds of thousands of patients and came up with his unorthodox theories. These theories were ridiculed almost as much as Freud himself but still his work is taught more than 100 years later.

I have had two dreams since the assignment was given to me about a week ago. I am sure I have had more than two dreams this week but I have only remembered two upon waking. As soon as I wake up I am staring at my notebook so I do not forget to write them down before I have time to forget them. It really is interesting that you can control the memorization of your dreams to an extent. If you tell yourself "I will remember my dreams when I wake up tomorrow morning", your chances of actually remembering them is increased. It may take a couple of nights but if you concentrate on telling yourself to remember them and actually want to then it is very possible. I know many people, as well as myself, wish we could have a direct impact on the content of our dreams but most of them are related to what has happened to us or what we want to happen to us. I hope to have an interesting dream tonight that I remember in the morning. I encourage you to also try to remember your dreams. After all dreams can come true.

Introduction

My name is Chris Lewis and I am a Psychology student currently enrolled at Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) in Belleville. My life has been enjoyable for the most part, I am happily married and am the proud father of the greatest two year old boy under the sun. I have had many jobs and have traveled some, but nothing in my past work history can compete with my recently acquired passion for psychology. I am a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and have worked jobs ranging from a cook at McDonald's to being a Union Iron Worker.

The goal for my education, that I set for myself just over three months ago, is that I would like to complete the masters in psychology program at St. Louis University. Who knows maybe even the doctorate program. Psychology is a subject that has taken a person (me) who hates to read anything and changed him into someone that cannot read enough psychology related information. Now I find myself reading dictionaries of medical terms.

I am expecting to thoroughly enjoy this semester at SWIC. I am taking two psychology classes, Applied Psych and Life-Span Development. I am also taking a literature and an art class, both of which are in unfamiliar subjects but seem they will be very enjoyable.

I feel confident writing about sports as I am a huge fan of all sports and have a decent amount of knowledge that make writing easier. As time goes on I am getting more comfortable with the topics associated with the brain and psychology. Most of my blogs will mention something about my newly found love, psychology.