My GM Portfolio

I began working at the General Motors OKC AssemblyPlant when I was 19-years-old. As a Quality Control Inspector, I was responsible for inspecting paint, brakes, electrical, tie-rods, doors, hoods, etc. Here are some images of the vehicles that I worked on:

Buick Century

Chevy Celebrity

Chevy Citation

Chevy Malibu

Chevy Trailblazer EXT

Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera

Pontiac Phoenix

Pontiac 6000

GMC Envoy XL

GMC Envoy XUV

Isuzu Ascender

The most popular color: White

Best thing about working at GM: Money, benefits, lay-offs, and insurance

Worst thing about working at GM: No windows, long hours, injuries, and repetitive work

GM was my life until the plant closed in 2006. Today, I wear a different hat--as a UCO college student. But I hope it will be provide a good job and bright future.

Check the website out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_Assembly.

Our plant built lots of trucks. The last factory that manufactured trucks was in Moraine, Ohio on December 23, 2008 as seen in the HBO documentary - "The Last Truck Closing of a G.M. Plant." Every 43 seconds, a vehicle zoomed by. If I didn't focus, I could miss checking something that may cost someone their life.

A New Day. . .

Now that the Health Care Reform has passed, I am more confused than ever. I watched the news to see if I could make some sense of it. All that I learned is the Democrats favor it, and the Republicans do not. Lots of people are very angry because they feel they are forced to purchase health insurance. A reporter comparded the new health care bill to General Motors. The government cannot force people to buy a GM vehicle just because the government is controlling and subsidizing the company.

Since I worked for General Motors for twenty-seven years, I understand this analogy. GM became a dinosaur in the competitive market. They always introduced products too late. One example is the popularity of Chrysler's P.T. Cruiser. Several years passed before GM came out with the HHR. Although GM was a great company to work for, it had serious CEO, engineering, and management problems.

What is the future for Americans and health care? I will have to read some blogs to learn more about this issue. Now, every business, small or large, are required to carry health insurance for their employees. Sadly, this will shut many small business owners down. Although health care needs reform, I do not know if this health care bill is the solution. Like me, many Americans feel confused. I read in the UCO paper that this bill becomes law immediately.

I read there are two problems on www.theheathcareblog.com. First of all, there is a conflict between mandated coverage and consumer affodability. Secondly, national health care expenditures need to be slowed down.

On a brighter note, Spring is here. Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and graduation draws near. Spring is a wonderful time of year because it is a time for new beginnings.

Week Three

Spring Break is over. I am proud to say that I studied, slept, and finished decorating my sister's house. No broken bones or car accidents occurred. I did get a really bad sore throat and sinus infection that required a doctor's visit.

Speaking of doctors, my son is in his third year of medical school. Last week, he helped amputate a leg. He did not get his strong disposition from me. I would have hit the floor in an unconscious state. But it did not seem to bother him. The first week of medical school, the students were taken to the basement to work on the cadavers. I am so glad I did not choose a medical profession.

I enjoy decorating as a hobby. I wanted to pursue interior design in college, but I did not think I could make a living in Oklahoma. I love HGTV's website (http://www.hgtv.com/) because it has ideas for every room. Bold colors are back such as countertops, tiles, and cabinets. Red is a color that is still hot, due to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing while oranges and yellows of India are soothing.

Tuscan and Terracotta are color schemes that are out because of its overuse in stores and restaurants. My favorite color is burnt orange with accents of blue and dark brown. My sister has an old world taste with a touch of Hollywood. She loves fringe, tassels, sparkly chandeliers, and glass accents. I had to put my Shabby Chic taste aside in order to decorate her house, according to her style.

Shabby Chic includes vintage fabrics and antique furniture painted white or a soft pastel color that is distressed at the corners by sanding. I also love faux painting. I painted my study gold, and then I brushed burnt sienna in a half-moon shape over it with a paint brush.

I find lots of ideas at http://www.theshabbychiccottage.net/. This blog defines Shabby Chic as mixing the old with the new, blending them all comfortably and in harmony. Sounds like a good definition to me.

Apparently, Rachel Ashwell created Shabby chic in the 1980s after spending lots of time at garage sales and thrift stores. The colors include pale pink, pale blue, cream, ivory, and pale green. Fabrics are usually mis-matched fabrics, florals, stripes, and plaids. I like it because anyone can afford this style. It is okay if things don't match. In fact, it looks better if they don't. Target carries Shabby Chic decor and quilts are seen at http://www.target.com/Simply-Shabby-Chic-Designy-Shabby-Chic-Design.

This floral print makes a great throw pillow that fits in any decor. Even old dishcloths or handkerchiefs would work in this bedroom. The flowers remind me of my 'Nanny.' She used to sew her own flowered-dresses with this floral print.

My sister likes Old World style decor that is found at http://www.kirklands.com/. Here are a few items that I put in her house:

Of course, these items look better in her house, but it shows the different taste that we have. She is eight-years-older than me. She likes to dress up, and I like to wear jeans.

This week, we are learning about politics, citizen journalism, and blogging in our online class.
My favorite political blog is http://www.huckpac.com/. I am discovering a world of information that I had no idea existed. Who needs to watch the news with all this information available on blogs?

On the other hand, my sister likes old world decor in her house. I learned a lot while I was shopping and decorating. Here are a few pictures of her taste:

Blogging

This has been an interesting week. I had two tests on Tuesday and Wednesday at school, and today I experienced daylight savings time, but I took a nap to counter that. In the blog class, I learned about blog platforms, webby awards, designs, and writing comments on blogs. Blogging seems so public because others can see it.

I enjoy writing and learning about websites, but I am not used to a whole class reading my work. I guess I will get used to it. It reminds me of getting up in front of the class and giving a speech or presentation. I am relieved when it is over.

Spring Break is here at last. I am off to a good start and haven't broken any bones. I plan to write some papers and get started on a class project in Women in Media. Before long, I will walk across the stage and get my diploma. That will make all my hard work worth it. I compare school to climbing a mountain. The climb is tough, but once I am on the top, it feels amazing!

Week One

Today we began our new online class, Blogs: New Independent Media. I explored many web sites and blogs that have won Webby Awards. My favorite is http://www.nationalgeographic.com/.

This website has awesome pictures and interesting articles. This class will be fun, and I will learn a lot about blogging. I had no idea how many blogs there are to choose from.

There are blogs for everyone even children at http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/. This website contains activities for young children to keep them busy while you blog. It helps children learn and discover how to do things. I wish I had something like this when I was a kid.

Spring will be here soon, and today we change our clocks forward. I will miss the extra hour of sleep. My body always knows that I have cheated it out of rest, especially since school is getting so busy.

Graduation is a few weeks ahead, similar to a light at the end of a dark tunnel. Before long, the daffodils and tulips will burst out of the ground declaring the spring season.

I enjoy seeing the flowers even though I did not plant any bulbs last fall.

I love this season because of the renewal of plants and budding trees. The warmer weather will be nice after all the snow and inclement weather we have had in Oklahoma.

My driveway is really hard to navigate in the winter because I live in the woods. It is L-shape and hardly no one drives on the road, except the postman and a few neighbors.

We do not have a four wheel drive vehicle, but we really needed it this winter. Christmas Day, we were snowed it and I did not get to celebrate with my family.

Of course, along with the warm weather comes bugs. I am already fighting the little black ants around my kitchen sink, which is near a window. Even though I spray and spray those little creatures, they seem to win most of the time. I wonder why they want to come inside.

Perhaps, it is for food and warmth. The ants are a pain when I am cooking or washing dishes. I guess it is all part of nature and life, a mixture of good and bad. Sometimes, we also have spiders crawl into our house. Living in the country, you never know what insects you will share your home with.

The insects that I really detest are the red wasps. They love to camp out in the eves of our house, which makes them out of reach to spray insect repellant. I am very allergic to wasp bites. I will have to stock up on Raid, Off, and other insect sprays before long.

Spiders remind me of E.B. White's Charlotte's Web. This children's book was a favorite of mine as a child. Charlotte was such a hero and inspired me as a young girl.

The movie is also great with a message that reaches many young children. Apparently, White was fascinated with spiders and hatched some inside his bedroom. I cannot imagine waking up to one-hundred spiders all over the place.

I checked out www.termite.com/spider-identification to see what kind of spiders are poisonous. It is a great website that shows many images of spiders, including information about each one. This article makes me itch. Some of the spiders wiggle as you are reading, which is creepy.

I enjoy reading about each spider, where they live, and how to identify them. Venom toxicity is another topic that is very important. The Huntsman Spider gives a painful bite when she is guarding her egg sacs or her young, according to the website.

Spiders also make lots of cool webs. They are not picky about where they spin them either. I find them on my porch, in my flower garden, and even on the mailbox. At www.freewebs.com/okieyard, there are some images of several amazing spider webs.

Flowers are a relaxing pastime of mine. Here are a few of my favorites:

Moonflower and Red Rose


Morning Glory and Delphinium

These flower images are from the same website as the spider webs. It portrays stages of growing gourds on a pergola. It is amazing how it begins with one small seed, and later the plants take over the entire structure.

Birdhouses and art baskets can be made from gourds. At http://www.simplybaskets.com/, I found information on how to carve baskets. I discovered websourcs for gourd art at http://www.creativity-portal.com/. My favorite website for gourds is http://www.gitaland.com/, a free tutorial with step-by-step instructions for making a gourd birdhouse.

This week I have learned a lot in the blogging class. I am navigating better on the web and finding out about many different kinds of blogs.