A few notes

1. To continue with the thoughts of my previous posts, I've been online-shopping for possible places (non profits) I could volunteer, or maybe even intern, with in Kansas City. If I want to have a career with non profits, I better have experience with them — especially ones I care about. I've bookmarked them, but I might as well keep them here, too.

First, due to my obvious love for animals, I think I would really enjoy volunteering with the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City (http://www.hsgkc.org/volunteers.html). They even have a possible internship opportunity, but I'm not so sure about that. But I'm sure I would enjoy volunteering with them. There is also Wayside Waifs, a no kill shelter in Kansas City, where I could volunteer or even work.

Something else I came across, which would be even more relevant to my degree, is the Kansas City Indian Center. The center is "Kansas City's only multi-purpose social service agency for Native Americans," according to their website. I've always felt a strong pull towards my own, wimpy Native American blood (1/16th Arapaho! Woop woop!), and since many anthropologists study Native American culture, this would be a great volunteer opportunity.

I really think both of these places would be great to work with, as I'm fully supportive of them. Plus, at the moment, the Indian Center is close to an apartment I've been looking into — more on that later. However, I've also come across Bridging the Gap — which helps the environment — and Reach Out and Read. I've always loved reading and wouldn't mind helping others fall in love with it as well, nor would I complain about helping the environment. Obviously, I feel the most passionate about the first two, but they are all great organizations.

2. The matter of apartments has been a tough one. Long ago (it seems) I blogged about possible apartments I could move into (probably assuming with Josh and Beau). After changing of (Beau's) plans and a talk with my mom, it seems the (best) option that I will pursue is this: I live in my own apartment while (probably) Josh, and now Brian, live in their own. Hopefully, both apartments being in the same complex.

Speaking of the complex, my mom and I recently went up to Kansas City to check some out. I think I finally figured out a nice/decent area of KC without being too far away from the school. We looked at a few like The Roanoke, Roanoke West, Plaza House and Roanoke Court. Roanoke Court, as far as I could see, had some definite advantages over the others. For one, it has in unit washer/dryers in all of their apartments. It also had more room than the others. My mom also liked the management. The only thing is, I have to check back in November to see what will be available in January. So it's kind of up in the air, but I really hope it works out. In unit laundry! Awesome!

Well, that's really all the news I had for now. I can't wait till everything is worked out and I'm finally in my new pad. :)

Majors/Career

So I just finished Eating Animals and I've been thinking even more heavily about what I honestly want to do with my life. I'm less than a month away from turning twenty, and it seems like one should really have more time to figure out what they want to do with their life, but not really. Anyway, not too long ago I decided to switch my major and minor to anthropology for the major and creative writing as the minor. But as I was looking over course descriptions again, I really couldn't think of what that combination would even mean. I mean, I could obviously write on my own and just as easily take whatever random English classes I wanted (like Arthurian Legends and Myth as Literature.) So my mind has changed again.

I decided I would definitely major in anthropology and minor instead in "communication studies." Why? Well, communication is really what I'm doing now and if T.R. is right, I'm apparently good at it. The minor only has two required classes and then four electives. So it's really only going to be a 12 hour minor for me once I transfer. (I'll have taken a required and an elective.) Another reason I decided to change is, frankly, I think it's more useful. I think I'll be able to figure out ways, in things like interviews, to combine elements of the two to show how good I'd be at such and such job.

One career I think I could probably go into is public relations. But I don't want to be a media person for any old company, corporation, organization or what have you. I think it'd be really awesome to work for some non profit organization that I really believe in. For fun, I was shopping around for places to intern or whatever and I found Farm Sanctuary and the Animal Welfare Institute. These are both places that I do/could feel passionate about working for/with. Especially Farm Sanctuary. And their message is something I would love to spread, including as a public relations "specialist" or whatever its called.

While interning with the Joplin Globe and writing quite a few Health & Family stories, I ended up working with the public relations ladies at the local hospitals. I kind of got a view of their job from a journalist's perspective, and it actually seemed a lot better. At MSSU, you can basically major in public relations, but that does not sound fun to me at all. Anthropology, on the other hand, (as well as sociology) are very interesting and fun to learn about it. Obviously, studying anthropology is studying people and public relations deals with appealing to people. By studying anthropology, I believe I will have learned enough about people to know what appeals to who. Plus, with the communications minor, I'll take actual public relations classes.

So, considering what I'm interested in and jobs I could be passionate about and relatively good at, I think this new plan is a pretty solid one. Hopefully I don't change my mind again!