Week of April 27, 2014 - The Stages of Stress

By Joan Whetzel

 

 

Some time ago a wrote an article on the stages of stress, not realizing that I would be going through these stages myself. Well, it wasn't fun, but I can honestly say I think I came out the other side a lot stronger person.

 

 

Alarm
My alarm stage came when I found my husband laying on the living room floor. He wasn't responding appropriately to my questions and urging to wake up and come to bed. I knew something was wrong when I realized he wasn't moving the left side of his body and was laying in his own vomit. The alarm didn't go away for several days as he went to surgery twice to have the blood drained off his brain, and had other procedures to try and reduce the swelling in his brain and drain the spinal fluid, all the while watching his condition deteriorate to the point where it was quite evident that he was not going to pull out of this, and we were going to have to let him go. For weeks after his death the alarm continued as I tried to figure out where the money to continue living was going to come from, and how to take care of the bills, and what I needed to do to clear out a handful of major debts. For me, this was a period of sleeping  about 2.5 to 3 hours at night, not being able to eat, and going into clean-freak overdrive just to deal with the stress.

Resistance

I went into resistance sporadically, sometimes in overdrive energy. Other days, not being able to do anything. Feeling stuck, depressed, and fatigued from the lack of sleep and food. There seemed to be no end in sight for the things I needed to get done - and the need to get a job - but things weren't getting done as fast as I thought they should.

 

Exhaustion
As things started getting done, I finally started feeling the exhaustion from running on adrenaline for so long. I had become a stress and adrenaline junky. I think the energy from the stress and adrenaline were a good thing because I wouldn't have gotten so many things done without them. But they were starting to wear me out.

 

Well things aren't perfect. Nor are they exactly where I'd like them to be. But I've accomplished about 75% of everything I needed - and wanted - to accomplish in the 11 months since that night I had to get my husband to the hospital. Yeah, there's still lots to do (including getting a full time job to replace my current part time job), but the sense of urgency has decreased. I can eat again (a problem now since I've become a comfort food addict) and I can now sleep about 6 hours at night. The stress levels have decreased to a tolerable level.. I think I'll get through the rest of those things I still need to take care of in one piece.

Week of April 20, 2014 - Commerce, Trade, International Organizations, and Policing Agency Websites

By Joan Whetzel

Some of my writing research has led me to government and international organization websites, all of which have boatloads of info that can be used for background on a story or article. They can also be used for school projects and homework.

US Department of Commerce

http://www.commerce.gov/
Information on trade, commerce and the economy, from the US standpoint.

International Trade Administration

http://trade.gov/
Trade, commerce and the economy from an international standpoint.

World Trade Organization (WTO)

http://www.wto.org/
An organization of countries that regulates international trade and commerce.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/index.htm
World politics and military alliance. 

United Nations (UN)

http://www.un.org/en/
An humanitarian organization that fights for human rights.

Interpol

http://www.interpol.int/
International policing agency that investigates crime on an international level.

CIA

https://www.cia.gov/
Performs international investigates, intelligence, and security for the US.

FBI

http://www.fbi.gov/
The FBI operates on an national level investigating crimes and gathering intelligence within US borders.
 
Department of Homeland Security
http://www.dhs.gov/index.shtm
Everything you ever wanted to know about national security, keeping our borders safe.

45. Wikileaks

http://wikileaks.org/
Wikileaks, arguably,  acts like a media version of a policing agency, aiming to keep the government in check, to keep the government from overstepping its boundaries, and to keep freedom of the press alive, even if it means reporting on things that the government doesn't want the general public to know about. 

Week of April 13, 014 - Math, Science, Geography, and History Websites

By Joan Whetzel

I have run across a number of websites dedicated to math, science, geography and history. I have not only used them for my own writing, but have passed a few of them on to my daughter to help with her daughter's homework. These ones are really great for parents and teachers alike.

NASA

http://www.nasa.gov/
The NASA site is chock-full of information and links to different parts of the NASA webpage. A person could get lost in the NASA webpage for months without running across the same information twice. It includes sections for students and teachers too.

 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
http://www.noaa.gov/
The NOAA site covers everything you ever wanted to know about weather and weather-related geology.

United States Geological Survey (USGS)

http://www.usgs.gov/
USGS discusses everything there is to know about geology, rocks and minerals, earthquakes, volcanoes, climate, and geological landforms and features.

The Weather Channel
http://www.weather.com/
Yes, this is another weather website. It covers some of the same information as the NOAA site, but also discusses recent weather occurrences in more detail, in a more "newsy" format.

National Geographic Maps

http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/maps
The information on this site reads just like the print magazine. The quality of the photos are equally gorgeous. The maps are, arguably, the best quality maps you're going to find anywhere on the internet, perfect for geography assignments.
 

The Math Forum @ Drexel University

http://www.mathforum.com/
The Math Forum is designed for math students and teachers. It provides extra help and practice for developing math skills.

 

Internet4Classrooms - Geography Websites
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/social_geography.htm
Provides extra resources for students and teachers of geography..

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Fact Book

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
The CIA World Fact Book supplies information on over 267 countries around the world - including history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.

 

Countries and their Cultures

http://www.everyculture.com/
Provides information on the world's cultures, arranging the list of countries alphabetically.

History, Arts and Culture

http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/History.shtml
Students and teachers investigate art and architecture, culture and ethnic groups, history, libraries, and museums in the US.
 

Best History Websites

http://www.besthistorysites.net/
This is kind of a database with links to all kind of historical websites, set up for teachers and classroom settings.

History World - Histories and Timelines

http://www.historyworld.net/
This is another site for looking up historical information. The timelines are great for visualizing how events are related to each other in time, and how the multiple events played off each other as history developed.

USA.gov - The Government Official Web Portal

http://www.usa.gov/
Shows how the US Government is set up and what each branch and agency's responsibilities include.. Includes links to the various government agencies.

Week of April 6, 2014 - Library and General Reference Websites

By Joan WHetzel

I have found a few websites that are great for locating the odd facts and general information that you may not be able to find elsewhere.

American Fact Finder

http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
American Fact Finder lists US Demographics info.

Library Thing

http://www.librarything.com/
Look up books on the site's virtual book shelves. Discuss what you've been reading with other members of the site. Give or receive reading suggestions.

Ref Desk

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
This "fact checker for the internet" has links to many search engines and websites that are set up  for researchers to double check their facts - or to find the facts that their research may be missing.

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/library/libarch-digital.html

Allows access to most of the Library of Congress's print, visual, and audio-visual collections. Also offers the Library's other resources in digital format.