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