I Hate Spiders!!!! ...especially poisonous ones!!

                   We have all probably heard of or have seen spiders before. Whether in your house, the forest , in a science center, photos ,or a spider on you biting you, people know what spiders are. The fear of spiders is called Arachnophobia. It is estimated that at least 50% of women and only about 18% of men have arachnophobia. It seems logical because women usually will ask men to kill spiders and insects ,no matter how big or minuscule. People always mistake spiders as insects,but spiders are not insects at all. They are called arachnids. That is why the fear of spiders is called arachnophobia. The systems of arachnophobia at the sight or sometimes even the mere thought of a spider are excessive sweating , clamminess ,rapid breathing ,nausea ,dizziness,and a rapid heartbeat.

                  If a person isn't scared of spiders at all,then maybe the thought of having a spider bite you (especially a poisonous spider) might at least have you checking your surroundings a little bit more carefully than you already do. I recently wanted to research Poisonous Floridian Spiders and my research led me to discover that there are at least 5 species of venomous spiders living in Florida: the southern black widow ,the northern black widow, the red widow, the brown widow,and the last one that can sometimes be harder to identify than the widow spiders is the brown recluse. I honestly believe that I am one of the 50% of women that have Arachnophobia because while researching these spiders , just looking at the pictures of these spiders makes me cringe and look carefully around my house for any arachnids.

southern black widow

                                                                           



norther n black widow

                                                            

 

                       


                      red widow

 





brown widow



                        

       The 4 species of widow spiders look alike in body shape. All are about 1/2" long with legs extended.Their life cycle is also similar.The female lays about 250 eggs in a pear-shaped egg sac that is about 1/2" to 5/8" in diameter.The eggs hatch in 20 days.In Florida,all of the widows breed year-round except the northern black widow.Anyone bitten by a spider should preserve it in rubbing alcohol for positive identification.Most spider bites are not considered dangerous,but if you suspect that one of the recluse or widow spiders bit you or someone ,you need to get medical attention IMMEDIATELY!

Brown Recluse Spider

Do you wonder why I decided to "randomly" research Poisonous Floridian Spiders? Well,it wasn't randomly at all.Over the summer,one of my friends,named Naomi Baumbach,went on a little nature walk with her boyfriend and when she first came home ,she felt normal,but the next morning she noticed either 2 or 3 huge bites on her legs.She went to church in the morning,then immediately went to the doctor to try to figure out what had happened to her legs. She soon discovered that they were bites from a poisonous spider.

This is what her spider bites looked like.

The doctor wasn't sure what spider had bite her and some of the things that she researched didn't give her a straight answer.So,for a while after she had received a shot from the doctor to take away the venom from her bloodstream,everything was okay and nobody worried about spiders..................UNTIL,one day Naomi had 2 friends over at her house,one of them being me,and we were all awake at night talking in the guest bedroom AND THERE IT WAS. A huge spider on the wall that looked alot like the brown recluse spider.Luckily ,her other friend that was there killed it with a paper towel.All of us freaked out for a while,but then we calmed down a little bit  because we thought that that was the last spider that we would see for a long time. We were so wrong.
Only a week after that ,I went to Naomi's house and we didn't think that much about spiders except the fact that we looked everywhere that we set foot around the house in case there were more.After a while at her house,I went in her mom's car where Naomi's mom drove ,Naomi was in the front seat next to her mom,and I was in the backseat.They were driving me home.Suddenly,when Naomi was inside the car(we were all inside the car) she sees a SPIDER crawling all around the car.Not just any spider ,but a spider that looked exactly like the one that we found in her house,like the spider's family member or something, and we were all scared to death.Then it was gone and we thought that maybe it's not on the car anymore since the car is moving(because we're driving back to my house).Then on one of the car's windows WE SEE THIS!!

Time for us to panic?? ABSOLUTELY! Naomi and I did NOT want to get out of that car because the spider was outside of the car.Not to mention that it was Sunday,August 19,2012 and the first day of my Senior year was the day after on the 20th. I didn't want to get bitten by a poisonous spider and die the day before I start my last year of high school. I'm even trying to get perfect attendance this year and that spider just might ruin it.Luckily,it was raining outside and we were hoping that the spider would be swept away by the rain.When I got home, I jumped out of that car and looked all around the car for the spider. I didn't see anything.I went home and started researching poisonous spiders from Florida.The more I researched,the more it seemed that it was the brown recluse that had been tormenting us for several weeks. At least everything that Naomi had told me about the spider and how she got bitten matched the brown recluse. I'm NOT 100% sure,but I know that it has the same characteristics and features of the brown recluse,so if it isn't ,then it must be related somehow to it. Brown recluse bites are not felt right away.They come from forests and they cling onto your clothes and you cannot feel the spider on you even after you get home.Brown recluses are common house spiders and unfortunately after you see one there is at least one or more spider family members traveling with them.If the bite is poisonous ,you should really go to the doctor as soon as possible, because the doctors told my friend that if she had waited too long to go to the doctor, that the venom would go through her bloodstream and her veins until the poison reached her heart.
I have never been so scared of spiders in my whole life!!My fear of spiders has increased by like 90%!!!! I personally think that spiders are EVIL,especially after what they did to Naomi and to anyone else that has gotten bitten by poisonous spiders like my uncle. I Hate regular spiders and Especially Poisonous ones!!!! The most ironic thing about my hatred of spiders,is that even though I hate spiders, I LOVE SPIDERMAN!!!! <3 He is more HUMAN than spider ,anyway.   :)

                                                

CHEMISTRY

               When you hear the word "chemistry" what comes to mind?  Do you think of the relationship between people, a class you take in school, an online class, experiments,or simply a mystery? Well,whether any of you like it or not, I'm here to talk about Chemistry as a subject in school,in a classroom and online. Most of my friends would just see the word "chemistry" and they would stop reading this,lol. In my school,instead of going to a classroom everyday to take our Chemistry class ,we take it virtually through an online school called Florida Virtual School. You take it your Junior year,which in my opinion, I think is one of the best ideas ever. Because if you do not have the chance to finish online Chemistry during your Junior year,you can finish it over the summer or in your Senior year. Like any type of Science class ,it can be very challenging at times,especially if you do not particularly like science. Luckily , for me I actually enjoy science classes. I always have since I was little,but of course there were times that I did not completely understand it and I needed some help.
There are several differences and pros and cons between the classes that you take in a classroom and the classes you take online.

Pros of online Chemistry:

1. Instead of using a textbook to read for your Chemistry class,everything that you're supposed to read is online.
2. Since anyone who owns and knows how to operate a computer usually does everything on the computer, online classes should be what's right for your education.
3. You can use your notes and open tabs to the lessons to look for the answers to the questions on tests and quizzes.
4. You can be extremely creative on your assignments with things like powerpoints and reports, and the teachers usually encourage creativity.
5. Online classes are usually  very portable. You can take your laptop almost anywhere and work on assignments ,quizzes,and tests almost anywhere at any time.
6. You can submit homework several times and you can retake quizzes and tests several times until you receive the final grade that you desire.
7. You can work at your own pace,meaning that you do NOT have to turn in work every single day.
8. You can always check your grades in the online gradebook.
9. You can check how many assignments you have left until you finish the class.
10. There are tutoring sessions almost every week in case people have questions about a lesson or something.       

Cons of online Chemistry: 
 1.You do not have a teacher in front of you to explain anything you don't understand at that moment.
 2.Computers can crash,freeze,break,or anything like that and all of your information and work could be lost.
 3.You have to keep in contact with the teachers and talk to him or her in order to remain in the course. If you are the type of person that does not like to talk that much,that might be problem.
 4.Failure to do so will result in a withdrawal from your online class and maybe even a failing or incomplete grade.
 5.They say work at your own pace ,but unless something serious happens that there is no way that you can work on a computer,you are required to submit at least 1-3 assignments per week.
 6.You don't get to choose your own teacher ,so each teacher could grade completely different than the others. Some teachers can be nice and some ,not so nice. Some might be strict and others might be easier on their students.
 7.If you leave a test while you are taking it, you will be locked out of the test and you would have to call your teacher to reset your test to take it again. (You lose all of the work you did on the first test.)
 8.If you don't know how to operate a computer or do powerpoints, it will be very difficult to take any type of online class.

Pros of learning in a classroom:

1. The teacher is always there to explain and answer any questions.
2. You won't get locked out of a test like online tests.
3. The teacher most likely knows who you are (depending on the size of the class) and you know the teacher.
4. The students and faculty of the school can determine whether the teacher is nice or not and the way they grade.
5. Everything you do in a Chemistry classroom for experimenting is hands-on.
6. If you don't know much about computers ,there are reports , homework, and projects that you can accomplish by hand.
7. You are in a classroom,which means you are not alone in front of your computer.
8. You most likely have friends that can help you in case you need help in understanding something or working on a project.
9. The best and funniest memories are made in school in a classroom with your friends that you cherish for the rest of your life. Moments that cannot be made anywhere else.
10. If reading is one of your favorite pastimes,then your schoolbook should be easy and fun to read most of the time.
11. Teachers can create songs,games, rhymes,or motions to help you learn and remember things that you studied.

Cons of learning in a classroom:

1. You usually won't be able to retake tests ,quizzes,or re-submit homework in a classroom.
2. If you don't like hands-on experiments or something like dissecting frogs,you might have a hard time in a classroom.
3. If any type of deadly chemical were to explode in a classroom and come in contact with any of the students,the results could be fatal unless dealt with immediately.
4. If you like working at your own pace ,instead of the pace that the teachers set up for you,then you would like online classes better than the ones in a class.
5. You cannot take your class anywhere that you want to. It has to be there in class.
6. You cannot usually go to class any time that you want (like how you log into online Chemistry almost whenever you want) in school because then you might get a tardy slip or a detention from too many unexcused tardy slips or absences.
7. If you are not a socialble person, school might be hard for you.
8. You cannot use your notes on tests or quizzes because that is considered cheating in the classrooms in school.

               Online Chemistry vs. Classroom Chemistry

It really depends on how you learn better in whatever environment that you prefer. For me,I can't really choose one over the other because of the fact that I've only taken Chemistry online,but I know how it's like in a classroom. As you can see,they both have their pros and their cons and they are both good ways to learn something new or review over something that you already know. So,the next time that you think about taking another class,look at these pros and cons to find out which way is best for you.

Throwback 9/11 , 11 years ago

           Tuesday,September 11,2001 -Tuesday,September 11,2012;it has been eleven years since that tragic day in New York and sadly it sometimes seems that the further and further we get away from that day in years and time ,the further and further people get from caring. There are some people that were too young,or not even born during that time. Some people would say things like,"Oh,well,it did not happen to my family or it did not happen in my state so why should I care."   That is horrible that some people actually say that and think those things when they should be thankful that it did not affect any of their family members or anyone that they know. I hear people joking around about it and it shocks me how they are. This is NOT something to joke about AT ALL. If you ever hear someone saying things like that ,we need to challenge them by asking them,"What if you were in the tower that day and survived? Would you have had that same attitude about it? Then would you have cared and honored policemen,firefighters,soldiers,and  America's flag?"     It makes you think about it,doesn't it?  We should never forget that day and the thousands of innocent men ,women,and children that lost their lives that day. This is NOT a myth. This actually happened 11 years ago.

      I remember where I was that day,even though I was only in 1st grade. It started out as any normal Tuesday for a 1st-grader (Today I'm a 12th-grader.). I went to school ready to learn something new. Little did I know that I would learn about something that day that would change America and ultimately the WORLD. My teacher's name was Mrs. Edwards and she wanted to turn on the television in class because she said that she knew somebody that worked in one of the buildings located somewhere around the twin towers. She brought the television into the room and my whole class and I sat there and watched. As 1st graders,we had no idea what exactly we were watching. I remember thinking that we were watching some kind of movie and thinking to myself, "What kind of movie is this and why are we watching it?"   I went home that day and I still did not understand.  I found out about everything when I was older. Then I fully comprehended what happened on September 11,2001. It was either that year or the next school year that my whole entire school,class by class,put on a performance talking about and honoring America.

     The point that I'm trying to get across is whether it is September 11,2030, or September 11,3000,or even if it isn't  September,please do not be like the people that I know that simply don't care and joke around about that. No matter if it is 20, 30, 100,or 1,000 years into the future,do not forget what happened on that day. Please take it seriously and respect America. It took alot of hard work to become the United States of America and I don't want to see it fall apart. We need to stand together and we need to stand strong through everything that we go through. America really is a great and beautiful nation. People just need to keep it that way,a beautiful America that is not afraid to stand up for its freedom.

Happy Grandparents Day!!!!

            Since today,Sunday,September 9,2012 is Grandparents Day, I wanted to talk about grandparents and how amazing they are!!!!    It is different for everyone. Some people only see their grandparents a few times in their life, some people are raised by their grandparents,and sadly there are grandchildren that have never met their grandparents. In my case ,since the day I was born, not only have I lived with my parents ,but I have also lived with my abuela and abuelo from my mom's side of the family. (Abuela means grandmother and abuelo means grandfather in Spanish.)  I had a grandmother from my dad's side of the family that lived in Georgia named Eunice Carter Wallace.  I never lived with her,but I loved her as much as my abuela and abuelo. My other grandfather ,Grandpa Wallace (husband of Grandma Eunice Wallace)died many years before I was even born so I never had the opportunity of meeting him,but I know that one day I will meet him. All of my grandparents have always been there for me! My Gonzalez grandparents only have 2 grand-children ,my cousin Andrea and myself. While my Wallace grandparents have many grand-children and even GREAT-grandchildren.      I am the youngest grand-child on BOTH sides of my family and I think that is hilarious because I just realized that.                   
This is not a good photo at all,but I also took a picture of a picture from my yearbook when they celebrated Grandparents' Day at my school when I was little.

            My grandfather ,Juan Gonzalez ,(shown in the photo above)was the first grandparent to die (from the grandparents that I actually met) and it really affected me a lot for several reasons. I was close to my grandpa. He was one of the sweetest people that you could ever meet. If a neighbor or family member had trouble with bills or food ,he would write them a check and help them pay for what they needed. He was drafted into the Korean war before he married Grandma Nelly and he helped his friends that died on the battle field by taking their bodies to a safe place where the bodies were eventually taken back to America and buried. He had a hard childhood where sometimes he would not know if he would have a meal the next day or not. Because of that he chose to always help people and he would always buy people food and things because he NEVER wanted them to spend nights hungry like he did.  His death affected me because I had just started 6th grade and I had never had a family member die before that I was so close to. I wanted him to be there at my wedding in the future,but his death was not even close to the time that I would like to get married and I am only a 12th grader anyway,so I have to graduate high school and go to college at least before I have a wedding. Grandpa Juan Gonzalez died on the morning of Monday,November 20th,2006. To this day,I still miss him and I wish that he was still here and I wish that he could have at least seen me graduate high school,but I know that he is in a better place.  

                       The next grandparent that died was Grandma Eunice Carter Wallace. She has a huge family  because she had 8 children total; 2 girls and 6 boys. In order their names are Frances,David,Johnathan,Jewel,Wade,George,Mark,and my father Everett. She is related to Cherokee Indians and she was a nurse in Georgia at the KenneStone Hospital for over 30 years. Nurses' jobs are usually harder than a doctor's job;as in, they sometimes work harder than doctors. Her birthday was December 21st and the funny thing is that my birthday is December 21st also (different years of course). She always cared about everyone in her family and she always wanted to have big reunions with the whole entire family. She had a hard life because not only having to deal with the death of her husband ,she had to deal with the death of some of her children and even a 5-year-old grand-child. The first child of hers that died was her oldest daughter,Frances,  the aunt that I never met along with the cousin I never got to meet. Frances lived in a brick house with her 3 children and a husband that smoked. One day her husband fell asleep in the living room and he accidentally forgot to put the cigarette in the ash tray,so it was still burning. Soon the whole house was in flames and Frances was in her bedroom trying to push her 2 daughters out of a window that she had in the bedroom. Luckily her son was fishing with his grandfather so he was NOwhere near the fire. Frances was able to successfully push her oldest daughter outside to safety,but it was too late for her youngest daughter and herself. The flames had consumed the inside of the brick house and Frances ,her 5-year-old daughter ,and her husband were almost completely burned inside of the house.  It was all over the news in Georgia and all over America. Who knows? Maybe even all over the world.  No one in my family will ever forget when a few weeks before that happened when Frances' 5-year-old daughter put her arms up in the air and said,"Someday,I'm going to be an angel!"  Now we know why she said that. Now whenever I visit that same site in Georgia,there is NO sign of that brick house. There are only trees where the house once stood. No one is allowed to build a house or anything on that same place in fear that something tragic might happen again and to always remember what happened there.
Grandma Wallace lived through many things in her life,but she never stopped caring about her family. She died on July 2nd,2011. It is hard for me to believe that that was only last year when Grandma Wallace died. It feels unreal. I feel as though she is still here and I feel like when I visit Georgia that I am going to see her ,but I won't. I will always miss my Grandma Wallace,but I will always remember her on my birthday,December 21st,because that is her birthday also.  :)

                               Last ,but definitely not least is the fact that I only have ONE grandparent who is alive and she lives in the same house that I live in. Her name is Grandma Nelly Gonzalez. She has always lived in the same house that I have lived in since the day I was born and now more than ever because she has been a widow for about five years. She is one of the best grandmothers that you could ever ask for. She cooks,cleans,plants,sows,makes clothes, pillows, blankets,washes dishes,creates arts & crafts out of anything recycled,types on a typewriter, and she along with my mother has taught me Spanish my whole life while I teach the both of them English. She was even a secretary when my mom and my mom's 2 brothers were in school .She does practically everything. She is NOT even scared of killing things like snakes,insects,spiders,and EVEN Cockroaches,which I hate and I definitely do NOT want to touch!!  I honestly do not know what I would have done or how I would have survived without her. I love all of my grandparents,but now that I only have one ,I have to take care of her the most and I hope that she can go to my wedding or at least see me graduate high school.
                                                               I Love You,Abuela!!!! <3

                                        

Throwback Thursday

      Sorry, that the photo is a little blurry and it is in black and white,but I took a picture of this from my 3rd grade yearbook. This is Ciara Alvarez with me. She used to go to Eastland, but now she goes to a different school.