Toy Car

Every day I wake up and start getting prepared to head to class. I clean up and brush my teeth, and then I start the daunting task of getting dressed. Layer after layer I put on getting ready for the freeze blast that awaits me outside. By itself I can handle the cold but when it is combined with typhoon like winds and a ten to fifteen minute walk it becomes unbearable; especially if I forgot to bring a hat. There are ways that I have come up with to help the cold seem less ferocious.

I have found that if I keep my mind focused on other things besides the blistering cold that I can trick myself into thinking it isn’t that bad outside. Music is always a good choice but usually I like to fantasize about myself getting superpowers and saving the world. There are so many different things that can go wrong and need saving. Occasionally though I spot something out of the ordinary that gets my mind thinking. It can lead to a memory of mine or another fantasy of saving the world or just more curiosity on the subject. This time though it lead to some memories of high school and an old friend. I think its funny when people make fun of something they have that they know everyone else makes fun of. This VW Beetle driver knows people see his car as a joke. I don’t mean to put down the Beetle; it’s a nice car and the way that all car companies should be going, but it looks like toy. This driver sees that so he or she expanded on the idea. Other people, though, don’t see this and take offense when their car is made fun of. My friend Alex was this way.

When he turned sixteen, his parents bought him a Beetle. For the most part I agree with their reasoning; good gas mileage and safe. But it’s a Beetle, a car that I see is meant for girls. What makes it worse is that its color is a light purple bluish color. Now my friend loves his car, which we all should love our own cars, but every time I see him I have to bash him for driving a purple Beetle. He always gets defensive about it too, but knows I’m just messing with him. We have a good relationship so its fine.

And just as I have completely turned the topic of this post around, so does my thinking make me completely forget that I am walking out in the freezing weather.

Who Needs Sidewalks

If you are anything like me you always look for the most efficient way of doing things; taking showers, getting food at the dining courts, and getting from place to place. After spending a semester at my college I have come to the conclusion that it is set up in one of the most inefficient ways possible and I am sure other students agree. In fact I have proof. Anywhere you go on campus you can see it.Kids see that they can shave a few extra seconds off their travel time by cutting corners or making entirely new paths. And with this weather every second counts. It’s ridiculous how fast one can get cold. I don’t see why I must take a giant loop around a patch of grass when I can just walk right through it. Even for short trips, like to the corec which is right across the street, I take the diagonal path through the grass instead of taking the sidewalk. It’s grass, that’s what it’s meant for.

For most of the year this has been fine, no harm done. But now that winter is here and the grass is going into its dormant state, you can definitely tell where people are walking. Just look for the patches of dead grass. Before the grass would only get a little muddy when it rained but would dry up in a day. Now it seems we are killing the grass. And you would think that with it being below freezing we wouldn’t have to worry about mud, but actually whenever it snows the ground turns into a kind of snow/dirt slush and is twice as bad as before. This still doesn’t stop us students; we will carry on no matter what.

I don’t really know if the university would be willing to put in new sidewalks, probably not. A lot of the paths I see are right next to new areas where they just put in sidewalks. But obviously they didn’t plan too well. I have wondered if it would be better if they just got rid of sidewalks altogether. Just have grass everywhere instead. I believe it would work if we lived in a place with a better climate but with all the rain, snow, and generally bad weather we have it probably won’t work. So next time you’re feeling efficient or are late to a class look for those proven paths that guarantee quicker journey.

Winter is Here

Alas! The time has come. We have survived the hot humid days of August and coasted through fall to finally make it to winter. It was a long and arduous journey but we prevailed.Now I wouldn't really say it was a difficult journey but it was long. The worst part was the month of November when it would taunt us with warm 70 degree weather and then the next day drop to 30. The last week of November killed us students, highs in the teens with negative wind chills. 7:30's became that much more undesirable. What made this even more degrading was the fact that all we had was cold. There were no snowflakes to keep us company on the long walks to class, no ice to slide on; just the frigid wind ripping us apart.

But now all that has changed. I woke up this week to attend my class and when I walked outside I felt as if I was walking into the world Narnia. A blanket of white fluff had covered all in sight. I took a deep breath and felt my throat and lungs burn, but I did not mind this burn for along with it came the sudden pricks that were the snowflakes hitting my throat. On the sidewalk a patch of ice invited me to slide across it and instantly I got the urge to go ice skating. I crossed the street and about wiped out trying to step up on the curve. Yet I was not angry or upset by this, I actually enjoyed it. The sight of snow just seems to make all better for me.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, lo and behold the sight that IS winter appeared to me; a mighty Christmas tree, decked in all its holiday gear. What made this special to me is that my Christmas tree was not up when I left after Thanksgiving break, so until I return home this tree will be my surrogate tree. What I was also glad to see in this tree is that unlike all the Christmas trees at my high school, this tree was decorated in traditional Christmas colors. The tree at my high school was always blue and white, which was a nice modern look and did coordinate with my school colors but it just wasn’t the same as the good old red, green, and gold.

So to all of you out there enjoy this weather while it last, go make a snow angel or snowman and just have fun. Merry Christmas and happy holidays

Sticker Thursday

Elementary, quite possibly my most favorite time in life. Things were simple then. School would involve naps, playtime, RECESS, and occasionally we would get some homework.Even when we were assigned some homework it would be okay because when we showed it to the teacher she would give a sticker. A sticker! Back then this was everything I strived for in school. Just a simple piece of paper; one side containing some type of adhesive and the other a colorful cartoon character with an uplifting phrase.Who couldn’t like getting one of those with every assignment? But alas it had to come to an end.

When I moved on into intermediate school, stickers were a thing of the past. Now the only thing teacher placed on our homework were grades in red ink. There was nothing left to look forward to in school. It was the same for junior high and high school.As I entered college I had all but forgotten about stickers. It wasn’t until one of my teaching assistants mentioned something about having Thursdays become sticker Thursdays that all the great memories returned to me.

But this last sticker I got was questionable as to what its intended meaning was. Most stickers say encouraging phrases like “Good Job”, “You Did Great”, or “Terrific”. The sticker I received seemed a bit depressing and down to me. Instead of saying how well I did it said “Way to Hang in There”.…? Is it just me or does that have more of a “sorry you did terrible” sort of feeling about it? Like the only reason I am getting this sticker is out of pity. I don’t know? That’s the way I took this sticker.

Grant it I am not saying take the stickers away, for that is my only reason for going to class on Thursdays. I’m just hoping my TA’s choice of stickers improves. Or if they are trying to tell us we are doing a terrible job, to just outright tell us. Not hide it in a phrase on a sticker

Something to do in the cold

As the weather gets colder, most people retire to their warm homes and never set foot outside in the miserable cold. But as always, my friends and I never seem to do as we’re supposed to. When the weather starts to turn for the worse we bundle up and get ready to go outside. We put on our hats, gloves, and coats and get ready to bare the elements. We’re not idiots though. Believe it or not we bundle up and go out to get warmer. Every year at this time, when it’s getting cold out but just before the first snow fall, my friends and I have a big bonfire.

In my opinion it’s the best time to have one. Because it’s cold, everyone is forced to stay close around the fire. Usually a couple people bring guitars so all night long we have music. And with my group of friends this is the best part. Three of them write their own music. The lyrics can get pretty hysterical; my favorite this time was “Transvestite Angle”. Of course with every bonfire there has to be s’mores, and with those come countless Sandlot quotes.

All in all, the bonfires are a time for us all to catch up and just have fun with each other. We all can sing along to songs, throw frozen marshmallows at each other, and just be ourselves. If you’ve never had the opportunity to partake in a bonfire I urge you to. If not for camaraderie, at least for the sweet smell of burning logs stained into your clothes for days.

My School Can Look Cool Too

For all of you die hard fans and alumni of my current school who have read my blog (because I know there are SO many of you...) and were offended by the "Oasis or University" post, I apologize. I know its not right to say our campus is not beautiful, that it is dull in comparison to Indiana University. At the time I wrote the post I was naive and new to this campus. I had yet to gain my barring and realize the hidden beauty that my campus has to offer. My school my not be outright gorgeous like that of Indiana's but it still competes.The problem, or really distinctness, about my campus is that its beauty is not straight forward. If you look at all the building on campus you see brick, lots of it. One person can only take so much brick. Honestly, there is a ton of it. It took me quite a while into the semester to finally find the beauty on my campus. The problem as to why I had trouble finding it before was not that I wasn't looking in the right places. the problem was that I wasn't looking at the right TIME. All this time on campus I was trying to find something magnificent looking during the day. I would find some interesting subjects in a back alley or some type of tree or bush. But nothing great. It was not until I realized that our campus looked its best when the sun was down and the moon was out. Until one night I was walking back from church around 830 and something caught my eye.

I was walking past the University building, as I always do during the day, but it looked different, inspiring actually. Something about it at night made it much more pleasant. After a while I realized it was the lighting. The way the building was illuminated made it seem so much more distinguished. The light played off the stairs and handrails, as well as the windowsills and roof. So I began to wonder if any other buildings improved their appearance at night. I walked to others I thought would play off the light well. It was like I had been transported to whole new campus. Every building had a brand new look, like they had been torn down and rebuilt.

The one structure that impressed me the most was the clock tower. On a normal day its red brick put upon the white stone looks decent. It is one of the better looking building here at school, for looks is all it has(the bells are fake, which greatly disappointed me when I found out). But at night, its height along with the four giant spotlights positioned around it make it so much more. Something I didn't realize either, you can see the clock tower almost anywhere on campus. The four tiers capped off by a brilliant white crown. I no longer wish I could attend IU because of its beauty, for I have found here at my school.

The reason I write this is not just for reassuring me I went to the right school or for people I might have offended earlier, but instead I wrote it for the people who read my blog and feel the same way about their college campus. If you don't see anything great in your campus and feel it is just blah, then you need to look harder. Try it at night or in a little alley way you haven't been in before. Every campus has its beauty, you just need to find it.

Under my Umbrella

"Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
Ella ella eh eh eh..."

We all know the song. "Umbrella" by Rhianna. It is a catchy tune. But honestly how many of us have ourselves or seen anyone ever share an umbrella with a stranger or someone they see walking down the street. Not I, says the author. Why would I? There is usually barely enough room under my umbrella for me. It never completely shields me from the water droplets. There is always a part of me that manages to get soaked. Although it always amazes me how little rain it will take people to get out their umbrellas.

I myself always carry my umbrella with me, you know jsut in caste. When i looked out my window this morningI was unsure if i should use the umbrella or notIt wasn't pouring but it was more than a sprinkle. INERT ALWASY CARRYING I wasn't getting drenched but the feeling of the rain ,for some unexplicable reason, felt strange and uncoomfortable. so idecided to to put mup m as sdid the mmost of the other student body.