Every weekend and a few nights a week, Cole volunteers to prepare taxes for people in the Lincoln during tax season. Whether on East Campus or Main Campus, you'll find Cole filter through people's life in the form of numbers, helping them figure out all of the forms the government needs.
Since he freshman year, he has done this through a program called Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA). VITA helps people who make less than $50,000 with basic tax returns. These volunteers, such as Cole, inform the people who visit them about about special tax credits, such as Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled.In Cole's case, he does this on a campus, but libraries, community centers, schools and other convenient community locations also pop up on the VITA map. . . .
For the last few months, I have been working on the railroad. No, not swinging a hammer or picking up tools like the song would suggest. I sit in front of a computer clicking here and there and touching up railroaders who work for companies throughout the United States.
I work for a place called News Link, and I design and change the newsletters the company makes. . . .
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace. . . .
In 169 days, we will start chanting U-S-A! U-S-A! That's right, the Olympics begin in London in less than half a year.
From now until that patriotic day, our friends across the pond have work to do. As of Nov. 18, they had shortened their list by completing the Basketball Areana, Aquatics Centre and laid the last section of turf on the field. Those sound impressive, but more impressive and daunting is the list of milestones London had to finish, starting three years ago. The Olympics aren't taken lightly. . . .
Take on words on Merrian Webster's online trivia game. You have to be smart and quick to get a good score. Play Vocabulary Quiz to define 10 words. The faster you answer correctly, the better your score.
Cole and I just scored 2,580! That is pretty good after a long day. Post your scores in the comment section to let me know how you did!
