Hey everyone. My name is Josh Wiedel, and I'm 28 years old. I'm a non-traditional student at UNL. I haven't declared a major yet, but I'm leaning on Global Studies with an emphasis in Latin America. I have been living in Lincoln for about a year and a half, but I'm originally from Minden. It's one of the small towns that dot the landscape across Nebraska. Minden is notable for two reasons, the first being Pioneer Village. If you've ever driven along the highways or interstates, I'm sure you've seen the signs for it. Minden is also known as the "Christmas City" because they light up the entire town square (and several additional blocks) every year from Thanksgiving until the New Year.
I chose this course because I enjoy learning about culture, and I want to broaden my communication skills. I have taken a few online classes before, but there are not my preference. I definitely have trouble staying motivated since the rest of the internet is only a click away. I'm not too concerned about the technology, but I've never taken a class with this much combined together. As I said before, I'm a non-traditional student. I work full time during the day, and take classes at night. It can be tough to manage the work load on both fronts, but I try my best.
When it comes to my interests, I'd probably call myself nerdy. I like to read books, watch science and nature documentaries, and play video games. Although, when school is in session, I rarely get to do much of it. I also love to travel. I'm a big fan of taking vacations. Most recently, I toured the Florida Keys with my sister. It was a lot of fun, but I got very sun burnt and inadvertently swam with a hammerhead shark! The trip was a bit travel intensive; we stayed in Key Largo and drove up to Miami Beach, down to Key West, and nearly every Key in between during our vacation. It was loads of fun though! 
I have one pet, a 3 year old cat named Rudy. He is 16 pounds of overweight love and fur. His hobbies include attacking anything resembling a shoelace and sleeping on me (usually when I'm trying to do something important). That's me in a nutshell. I look forward to getting to know the rest of you!
I think I have seen the Minden signage before in reference to the pioneer village, I drive i-80 to get home to wyoming, but had no idea they celebrate the holiday season so intensively. Im super jealous of you for your vacation, I did some ecology/biology field work in the Bahamas on Andros Island back in 2005 and saw a nurse shark and sea turtles but nothing as exciting as a hammerhead. I have seen on blue planet maybe that they are rather aggressive so I'm sure that was an unsettling experience. Very cute cat!
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you Josh! Also, I like your name!
ReplyDeleteJosh-
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you. Back in high school do you remember a business teacher there, Jane Blum? Reason I ask is I know her and her family. Were you also involved in FBLA at Minden?
@Lance: The name sounds familiar... I think I had her for some sort of business or finance class, but that was several years ago. I was not involved in FBLA either.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the class! I will be driving past your hometown tomorrow on my way to Colorado for the holiday. I always take note of the signs for Pioneer Village, but I didn't know about the Christmas claim to fame. I go nuts decorating for Christmas! I draw inspiration from Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's Christams vacation!
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw Rudy's picture and audible "awww" came out. I'm a crazy cat lady with a 15 pound boy that I co-parent with my partner. His name is Boden, he's 7, and a black and white tuexdo cat. You can bet that Bode's in the mix when you are recieving emails, comments, or other electronic communication from me. He loves to help me "work" on my computer!