I Found Something I Hate About Free People!

     I was poking around Free People's website because I am infatuated with their clothes, and to be honest, my life has been pretty dull since I've gotten home so there's not much else on my mind besides petty materialistic wants. I've yawned so many times today that my dad started telling me to shut up. 

     Free People's store is opening in Westfarm's mall 15 minutes away from my house in Connecticut, supposedly this month, which I see as a miracle and a danger. My bank account that I've tried so hard to restrain myself from draining on dumb things I don't need will inevitably plummet when Free People finally opens. I have come to accept that.
     What I came across on their website made me want to projectile vomit.
     I was just sitting there, mindlessly scrolling through the Vintage section, when I noticed a link that said Vintage Tees that I didn't know existed. So of course I clicked it. The urge to projectile vomit began when I saw the dumb designs that look like they were pulled off a rack at Goodwill. I'm all for Goodwill and Savers, but the ridiculously high price in combination with the t-shirts themselves made my urge to projectile vomit grow.
     From of the list of weird, pointless, obscure things I could rant about is when girls wear shirts for bands they don't listen to. I googled "band shirt tumblr girl" and found that picture I posted. Of course, it was on a tumblr called "Girls With Band T-shirts." That girl is clearly too busy texting and posing stereotypically for her beloved tumblr followers to realize KISS is a terrible glam metal band who everyone pretends to like and your dad used to listen to when he was your age. Gene Simmon's face in its current state makes me think of lumpy cottage cheese.

     Unfortunately, while I'm writing this, there's no dumb band shirts on the site for me to complain about. But right now there's a "vintage eagle tee" on sale for a whopping $128. Any normal person could buy one of those shirts from a Goodwill/Savers if they looked hard enough. I could ask my Uncle Ralph to borrow one from his vast selection of eagle and wolf shirts if I really wanted to and get a similar one for free.
     I never thought it'd happen but I've found something that Free People puts its name on that I don't like. I'm not one for going out of my way to dislike or be annoyed by things, but I currently have nothing better to do with myself and my blog is long overdue for a new post.
     

Being Yelled At About Jesus While Going To Class

     Some of the protestors/preachers/whatever you want to call them that come to Temple's campus to yell at people about controversial topics can be really entertaining. My personal favorite was the scary large black man dressed in black spikes from head to toe talking about how he only likes black men and hates every single other race, gay people, women, and something about religion, as well as making fun of people passively listening who made the mistake of not being black men. He was standing on an upside down crate outside of Barnes & Noble and shouting into a bullhorn on parent's weekend. I had the pleasure of hearing the delightful things he had to say when I was walking by with my mom, dad, and grandma. That was my grandma's first time seeing Temple.
     When I was walking to class today, I saw this average-looking, chubby, middle-aged man pacing back and forth yelling with a Southern accent about how he loves Jesus and how every apathetic college student attempting to block him out should love Jesus as much as he does. As soon as I heard him say, "God is our savior and we all should be bowing down to him" or some variation of that, that's when I tuned him out. 

     I feel like he thinks the bell tower is a gigantic cross (as I've demonstrated with my awesome MS Paint skills), he is a priest, Pollett Walk is a church, and the Temple students walking by are all willing church-goers. Really, all I was trying to do was go to class and wallow in the fact that it wasn't raining at the time. I can't imagine myself or any sane person walking by and having a sudden epiphany regarding their hidden undying love for Jesus. I also can't imagine myself thinking, "I want to be just like that guy."
     Just last week there were about four sweet-looking old guys handing out these little books. I didn't know what they were and I never take flyers or anything people are handing out. When I got to my dance class, I heard some girl say, "I saw this old man handing out journals or something so I was like 'Oh sweet, I needed a new journal!' and he cut me off and goes 'It's the New Testament.'" Yes, I was eavesdropping. We all do it.
     I find it so annoying when people stand around and bombard everyone with their efforts to convert college students to whatever religion they follow, in this instance, Christianity. It makes me feel like all Christians are like that crazy guy pacing back and forth who wastes his time preaching to people who most likely don't care. To me, it's like back-pedaling. At least he didn't have a bullhorn this time.


Original picture taken from http://astro.temple.edu/~tub48398/temple.html

Cheesy Reflective "Omg I'm Growing Up So Fast" Post

     I think I finally found a use for the date calculator Applet on my iPhone. The top picture was taken 822 days ago on January 5, 2009. So, a little over two years ago when I was a junior in high school. In a month or so I'll be done with my freshman year of college. 

     I can't believe how much has changed between now and then, and I'm not talking about my hair... although this picture makes me miss my long hair and gives me the overwhelming urge to dye it dark again. 
    I don't depend on other people to be happy anymore. I get along with my parents better. I wear what I want. I'm bitter when it comes to relationships. I care more about school. I've partied on a roof with the city skyline as the backdrop. I've lost touch with people I used to be close with. I don't mind doing things by myself anymore. I met Joe Hardcore. My self esteem has gone down somewhat.  I proved my high school creative writing teacher wrong. Some of these changes are better than others, that's life. Something I know that will never change is the fact that my dog is the cutest. She hates me a little but it's okay.

First Published Article/ Me Blabbing About Journalism

     Some people get knots in their shoulders when they're stressed. Some grit their teeth. Some cry about it. Some feel lethargic. I know I'm stressed when canker sores start showing up in the most obnoxious spots in my mouth. Just thinking about the amount of school work I need to accomplish by next Friday is most likely the cause of this nonsense. Hopefully my dad is reading this and proudly thinking, "Good. She's busy. I'm getting my money's worth."

     When I walked into my journalism class today, my professor had the article I wrote for JUMP on the projector and congratulated me. (JUMP is a magazine devoted to covering all aspects of the Philadelphia music scene. This is a better explanation.) I was surprised but it really made my day. Hearing positive feedback from someone I have a lot of respect for and simply seeing something I devoted a lot of time and effort to in print brought my mood up substantially - along with the fact that it's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday.

     Actually having involvement and seeing what it's like to go out and collect information on my own, tailoring facts to meet a word count, and balancing a deadline with my other responsibilities gave me a good insight as to what a journalist does, aside from just being lectured about it. It's a good test to see if journalism is something I want to do, because originally I decided on it because I like to write. I quickly learned that writing is only a little sliver of what makes up a story. Nobody goes up to you and gives you everything you need to write. You have to be that sometimes seemingly awkward person that approaches and talks to strangers that may or may not want to talk to you so you can get what you need. I love being that sometimes seemingly awkward person.
     I can't help but to think how different my college experience would have been if I decided to pursue journalism at a different school. Temple's right in Philadelphia where a limitless amount of opportunities exist if you want to get involved with things that aren't just affiliated with your school. I would feel suffocated at an isolated school where you can't escape "college world" to be in the "real world." I'm glad I remained vehemently against going to a school that wasn't located in a city.
     I'm really excited about JUMP and where it's headed. I love that it's volunteer-based, so it's apparent that the people involved are passionate about their interest and involvement in Philadelphia's flourishing music scene. I know I still have a lot to learn about writing for journalism, but I'm working on it!

    You can pick up a copy of JUMP at any of these locations or read it online if you don't live in Philadelphia. Like us on Facebook and help spread the word!

Being Antisocial At Starbucks

     The difference in atmosphere between the Starbucks I go to in Connecticut and the one I go to in Philadelphia is ridiculous. In Connecticut, I almost always see people I know or went to high school with, people go there to hang out, and it takes them all day to make a latte. In Philadelphia, there's always people sitting there but typically they're by themselves doing work. You're in and out with what you ordered in not even five minutes. The most you communicate is typically just what you want.

     I usually try to avoid Starbucks simply because it's so overpriced and I feel guilty about spending money on four-dollar lattes on a daily basis. However, I naturally gravitated to the Starbucks on Temple's campus today since I had an extra ten minutes between classes, and the Starbucks is dangerously located right next to the building where my next class was. I just couldn't resist.

     Like I said, this Starbucks is like an assembly line. As soon as I step in there, I tend to follow the same routine in my head without even realizing I'm doing it. I rush to figure out what I want, repeat it over and over in my head to make sure I don't mess up the pronunciation, tell the person taking orders, continue repeating it so I can tell the person at the register, then wait and stare at every drink that comes out up until mine is called to make sure that I can leave as soon as I can. But today, to my surprise, my pathetic little Starbucks routine was interrupted.

     The guy in front of me nonchalantly asked how I was doing and started making small talk. On the outside I acted normal, but on the inside I was thinking "Well, this is odd." My first instinct was that this guy was probably a creep because that's usually how the creepiness is initiated. I soon realized that he wasn't trying to be creepy, but was just incredibly polite. He was one of the few people I've ever witnessed in that Starbucks who had a conversation with the guy at the register instead of just barking an order at him. 

     Now, it upsets me that I reacted this way, but I feel like I'm conditioned this way. This is probably a huge overarching statement, but this is my blog, not some college paper. From what I can tell, people are typically so closed off to each other when waiting in line for coffee that it's strange if the person in line before you tries to start a conversation with you. This dude was a nice change of pace from the high-maintenance "WTF-I'm-vegan-and-you-put-whipped-cream-on-my-latte-and-my-day-is-now-ruined-because-of-you" types I see in there a lot. Maybe some people would be annoyed, but I think it's a nice gesture if somebody goes out of their way to ask how your day's been going. Nameless polite guy at Starbucks today, your kindness has not gone unnoticed.

Why I Think It's Better To Be Single On Valentine's Day

     It seems to be that time of year again when flower places are actually able to make a significant amount of money and the horrible actors in the "every kiss begins with Kay" commercials get dug up from last year. 

     I remember when I was little, I used to love Valentine's Day. Every time it came around, me and the rest of the kids in my class would all go out to the store beforehand and buy candy for everyone in the class. It didn't matter if you didn't even know everyone, you still got candy from them. Valentine's Day used to be a day you came home from school with a ton of candy for no reason, and it seems like as we get older, we either grow to love or hate it. It seems like the ones that love it are the ones that have boyfriends or girlfriends, although I had a boyfriend last Valentine's Day and I still thought the holiday was pointless.
     Regardless, the point of this post isn't for me to talk about why Valentine's Day sucks. I think it's safe to assume that anyone reading this already knows why it sucks. The real point of this post is for me to point out why I think it's better to be single on Valentine's Day:

• There's no pressure for you to buy a cheesy gift: It seems like an obligation to buy a gift for your boyfriend or girlfriend, as if to say, "Hey thanks for putting up with me, here's a completely unmemorable gift." As a girl, I think it's hard to come up with a gift for a guy on Valentine's Day. Giving a guy flowers and chocolates just seems weird and awkward.

• There's no pressure for you to act happy/surprised when receiving said cheesy gift: Try as you might, it's really hard to act surprised when your significant other hands you a bouquet of flowers on Valentine's Day. Especially after they point out that they did it because their mom told them it would be a nice thing to do. Of course, I'm not speaking from experience or anything like that.

• You don't have to spend money on anyone else: Treating someone you care about to dinner is a nice gesture and makes you feel good. Spending your own hard-earned money on yourself makes you feel awesome.

• You don't have to worry about getting dumped: Just think about how much it would suck to get dumped on Valentine's Day. Now think about how that's not going to happen to you, because you're already single.

• Instead of cuddling with another person, you can cuddle with your dog: Sure, they may have a shedding problem, they might lick you unnecessarily, and they might have a really annoying or deafening bark. But in the end, they're outrageously cute and love you unconditionally, even if you have no game. This applies to cats as well.

     If you have a significant other this Valentine's Day, good for you! If you don't, stop crying about it and telling yourself you'll be forever alone. Life goes on, and not having someone else to spend Valentine's Day with is the definition of a first world problem.

The "Me" Generation

     This semester I'm taking a ton of bullshit gen ed classes that Temple makes you take even though it doesn't necessarily contribute anything to what you're studying. Two of them are sociologically/ anthropologically based, and in both these classes, the professor has brought up either social networking or just the way we use technology in general.

     And of course, this gets me all riled up because on the inside, I'm an old person when it comes to thinking about that kind of stuff. It's scary to me how far we've come as a society from the times when people used to all gather around their one black and white clunky television set to watch the same show as the majority of America. If I can recall from my history class last semester, most of America used to watch Miss America in the 1960's. We can't say that anymore about even the highest rated shows today. When I was little, I remember being at my grandma's cottage at the beach and not understanding how to turn on the TV because it had a weird dial on it. It was weird to me then, but seeing something like that in 50 years would probably be so weird that there isn't even a word to describe the caliber of weirdness.

     My youth cultures class was the one where I was told our generation is being called "The Me Generation," even though almost every generation accuses the following generation to be selfish. I think it's the perfect name. When something funny happens, instead of just laughing, I've noticed people will laugh and simultaneously whip out their phones to text someone about it/ tweet about it/ make it their Facebook status/ etc. Why do we feel the need to do that? It just seems normal, but when you really think about it, it makes no sense. Your life will be the same whether or not you broadcasted to your network of online friends that you are going to the gym, tanning, and then doing laundry.

     What's worse, is when people feel the need to share with the world "work at 12," "laying in bed," "going to Starbucks with the girls!!!" Again, why do we feel the need to do that? It's like people think everyone they're friends with online cares what they're doing at all times. On a similar note, it's blatantly selfish when girls include in their about me sections "Don't even try to hit on me!!! I probably think you're lame!" Come on. You should probably just delete that and, instead, say "Hey guys I'm really full of myself."

     Of course I need to mention Tumblr here. I recognize that a lot of things people post on Tumblr apply to human interest - people post certain things because they figure other people will find these things interesting too. But then there's those blogs where people only talk about themselves, which I personally don't have a problem with because there's no rules on what is and isn't acceptable to put on your blog. A blog is a forum where you can post whatever you want to, and posting aimless paragraphs or sometimes even just phrases about your life, pictures of yourself, etc. are all pretty normal things to do, which just adds to the whole reason why people are calling us "The Me Generation."

     If I didn't have a Facebook, I would feel out of touch and just plain bored because I'm so used to having it. It seems like when Tumblr is down it's apocalyptic to some. In no way do I hate technology, nor do I exclude myself from any of the cliches I mentioned. I just find myself thinking about how different it's made communication and how much it's changed how people interact. I'm not sure where I'm going with this at this point because there's just too many reasons to bring up. All I'm saying is that it makes complete sense to me why people are calling my generation "The Me Generation." Trying to explain why turned out to be a lot harder than I thought but I hope at least one person can make sense of my rambling!

Three Tell Tale Signs That You Have No Game

     Just some pet peeves I've compiled from my experiences as well as what I've heard from my friends. Think of this as a public service announcement. I can't personally make a convincing sad puppy dog face, so I'm leaving that to this sad dog from one of those tear-jerking ASPCA commercials. Please, I'm begging you, if you do any of these things, stop. Please. In my opinion, you have no game if:

You can't spell: Calling myself part of the grammar police would be an understatement. I'm going to go so far as to call myself a grammar Nazi. I am also fully aware that I'm setting myself up for mass amounts of criticism if I overlook a typo in any of my future posts. However, accidentally typing a word wrong is much different than just not knowing the difference between "there, their, and they're," "you're and your," or just blatantly not knowing how to spell basic words like "embarrass" or my personal favorites "intelligence" and "grammar." Saying to me "your cute" will not make me like you, and I'm sure I'm not the only girl who feels this way.

You are clingy: How would you like it if someone you are merely acquainted with texts you every free chance they get and Facebook ims you every time you're online? I would say it gets old much quicker for me than it does for the average person.

You self-loathe: Nobody is perfect and we all have our insecurities whether we like to admit it or not. I thought it'd be common sense that if you're trying to get someone to like you, you shouldn't draw attention to those insecurities. Everyone always says that confidence is an attractive quality. Everyone always says that for a reason. Of course, don't be a pretentious asshole. But don't act like you hate yourself either. The next time I hear a cute guy say "I'm not that cute," they're getting a well-deserved slap across the face.

(Sorry I've been slacking on updating the blog! Every now and then I think of things to write about, but my schedule turned out to be more demanding than I anticipated so I usually spend my free time being a couch potato. I'm going to try to start posting more, try being the operative word here.)

My Snowday > Your Snowday

     I was able to fulfill my duties as a woman today despite the snow by making key lime cupcakes. I made more than three, these are just the ones I managed to not mess up with the frosting. I can assure you it's a lot harder than it looks on Cupcake Wars.

Someone Take Me To This

WOULD LOVE YOU FOREVER REGARDLESS OF YOUR GENDER OR WHO YOU ARE. PLEASE. CAPS LOCK MEANS I'M EXTRA SERIOUS. For real though, this is going to sell out. Integrity is one of my favorite bands and seeing them would make my life complete.

The Facebook Obsession

     For some reason, I felt like I should have titled this "America's Facebook Obsession" because I always hear people talk about how Americans are so obsessed with technology. Instead, I decided on making it broader and somewhat unoriginal, the title of this post being the title of the CNBC documentary I watched which gave me the idea to write about Facebook. Out of all the shows my lazy ass has been watching the past several weeks or so, I'd have to say this one had the most substance to it.

     Facebook was established in 2003 and today, roughly 1 in 12 people in the world uses it. I can't think of the perfect word to use here, but I'll go with mind-blowing. Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook, virtually has control over how we - meaning everyone in the world that uses Facebook - communicate. We may complain every time Facebook evolves out of nowhere to be "more efficient," but at the end of the day, everybody puts up with it and still continues to use Facebook because we're "obsessed." I do not exclude myself from this.

     Comparing how Facebook worked in the beginning before it was tweaked over and over to get to where it is today is crazy to look back on. The way Facebook is now, it seems like it's hard to keep anything a secret. Sometimes I wonder why people even bother asking me what I'm studying, where I'm going to school, where I'm from, what kind of music I like, etc. when they're friends with me on Facebook. If a stranger fills out every single part of the "About Me" section, I can look at their profile and feel like I know them.

      Don't even get me started on the new Facebook. The "Memory" option displays all of your most popular statuses, new friends, pictures of you tagged, sorted by year. It is completely unnecessary and makes me feel like I'm stalking myself when even just clicking on my own.

     This turned into one of those "technology freaks me out" posts. It is impossible to forget about someone when they're your Facebook friend, even when you don't even talk to or live near that person. High school graduation is supposed to be so emotional and whatnot because you'll never see a lot of those people again, but if I really wanted to see almost any given person I graduated with again, I could make plans through Facebook. I can't tell if this is a good or bad thing.

OMG! First Post Of 2011!

     Don't get too excited, I've got nothin' right now. The picture to the left is a visual representation of what's happening in my mind right now. This is due, in part, to me being on winter break and therefore, my mind is turned off. The fact that I've been doing literally nothing for the past few days is also a large contribution to this. I miss you Filthadelphia.

On an unrelated note, I've been digging this whole album lately. Her voice is so pretty and needs no further explanation.

People From Connecticut

     Whenever I say I'm from Connecticut to people who have never been here before, typical questions that ensue include: "Is everyone there rich?" "Is your mom a soccer mom?" "Are all your high school friends preppy?" and "Do you live in a mansion?" These are all overgeneralized, but at the same time there's truth in a lot of Connecticut stereotypes. People don't just pull these notions out of thin air.
     Being home reminded me of some more stereotypes that it seems like people who aren't from Connecticut aren't really aware of. I think it's safe to say that people who live here either fit into these stereotypes or would find these stereotypes relevant.

• You go to Cape Cod on family vacations every summer: Going up even further North to go to the beach is something I don't think I'll ever understand the reasoning behind. I'm personally not a fan of swimming in ice cold water at the beach. I shouldn't even talk, because I've never even been to Cape Cod. It's supposedly very scenic. 

• You're either obsessed with your religion or you're obsessed with being against religion: This is a new trend I'm noticing in my town in particular. I'm all for people believing in what they want, but if nobody asked you for your religious views, nobody cares what you have to say, so you should just probably keep it to yourself. You would think that this is common sense.

• You suck at driving: Seems to me like people in Philadelphia know how to drive, but drive like garbage because they're in a rush, whereas, people in Connecticut seem to genuinely suck at driving. Too many times I've been stuck behind slow old people, been cut off, or just witnessed people doing stupid things that make it blatantly obvious that they don't really know how to drive/ don't have a lot of experience. Connecticut isn't the only state full of awful drivers, but I feel like Connecticut is home of a special kind of breed of awful drivers.

• You treat your 18 year old kids like they're 11: This probably isn't just a Connecticut thing, just a general trend I've noticed among most my friends' parents. It's really depressing that people are still getting grounded for little things during their winter break.

• Dressing like an androgynous blob is socially acceptable/ cool: My personal favorite. I can't even attempt to classify what is considered trendy at Temple because there are just so many different people. I find myself being inspired by what other girls are wearing or the types of outfits they put together. I am such a girl. Aside from finals, it's rare to see people wearing sweat pants. When I first got back to Connecticut, I went to Panera and literally every girl in there could have been confused for a guy. Call me what you want, but I just can't even wrap my mind around how drowning in sweatpants, a giant hoodie, wearing no makeup, with hair pulled back in a high, unflattering, sloppy ponytail, all at the same time, is socially acceptable or even cool. Taking some pride in your appearance and not dressing like you hate yourself isn't a bad thing in my eyes.

     Of course, I can't speak for all of Connecticut. I've only met a fraction of the 3,518,288 people who live here. These are simply some somewhat biased observations I've made since I've been home. 


(That picture's not mine. Got it from here.)

New Camera And Such

    I try not to make posts on here about myself because frankly, I feel like my own day-to-day life is on the boring side. The highlight of my Friday was getting a big bowl of macaroni and cheese at Panera. I'm home in Connecticut now and since my brain is turned off for winter break, it's hard to come up with ideas to write/rant about.

     Unlike what seems like the majority of my friends on Facebook, I'm actually loving the snow right now. I have nowhere to go and no plans tonight, so it's even more of an excuse to stay at home tonight. Although, my brother, his girlfriend, and I all decided it was imperative that we drive through the blizzard for chicken nuggets at McDonalds. I don't care if they're made out of pink goop, that pink goop makes my taste buds go wyld.

      I kept myself entertained after our chicken nugget feast by taking pictures of various Christmas paraphernalia around my house with my new camera. And my dog, of course. I can't wait to get back to dear old North Philadelphia where there are actual places to go take pictures of, although this camera can make common household items look like works of art. I admittedly don't know much about photography, but I'm ready to change that.

      This camera is actually the fourth one I've gotten for Christmas. The first three had to be returned. The first one came in a damaged box, and the second one was fine, but the battery didn't charge. The third one was fine, and the battery charger worked - until my dog decided to run around on a rampage around my kitchen and her loopy tail got hooked on the charger's wire. My kitchen has a tile floor. My dad was so outraged, he drove through the blizzard tonight to West Hartford to exchange it, yet again. The people working at Best Buy probably know him on a first name basis at this point, and I have perfected packing away the camera and all its parts into their appropriate boxes and packaging. Fingers are crossed that nothing goes wrong with this one!

     

An Additional Reason Why Tumblr Sucks

 

     Because it hosts this "thinspiration" nonsense. Sadly, "The Skinny City" isn't the only blog that hosts this kind of thing. It seems to be more popular on tumblr, further contributing to why tumblr sucks in my book.
     For those of you who haven't heard of "thinspiration," according to Wikipedia it is "photographs or other material intended to provide inspiration for anorexia nervosa as a lifestyle choice." So, in other words, thinspiration blogs on tumblr are where lame insecure girls who typically aren't unhealthily overweight post pictures of girls who starve themselves on a daily basis and make it their goal to look just like walking skeletons. It seems to me like the only people who are "inspired" by these blogs and that think being unrealistically skinny is worth sacrificing their health are immature girls.

      According to this informational website, "the more serious consequences of malnutrition and weight loss include weakened bones, and loss of brain tissue and muscle, including the heart muscle...decreased energy, low blood pressure, feeling dizzy and faint, feeling cold much of the time, constipation, fatigue, lack of interest in things including sex, and depression." But, you know, weighing 90 pounds is totally worth all those negative side effects and possibly dying of malnutrition.

 

      Unless they have some kind of mental disorder, I can't picture anybody my age or older actually believing that starving yourself will make boys will notice you and having people remember you - not for your intelligence, accomplishments, ability to make people laugh, etc., but for your weight - are good enough reasons to starve yourself. Last I checked, most guys like it when girls don't resemble poles. I would be really sad if I woke up one day with a flat butt.

     Basically, I think it's mind-blowing that there are girls out there that would lose sleep over not being able to fit into a pair of jeans or not having "collar bones that could poke an eye out." I'm not fat and I can't wear Hollister jeans because my hips are too big. My hip bones don't inflict harm on others when I give hugs. Maybe there are people out there that would consider me "fat" because I don't look like a skeleton. Who cares! I'm not going to sit here and preach "looks don't matter," but looks sure aren't everything. It's okay to want to lose weight if you're on the heavier side, but it's not okay to sacrifice your health to do so. Something like that seems like it would be common sense, but unfortunately to some, it's not.

Another Semi-Pointless Christmas Related Post

 

     This year my mom insisted my brother and I take a picture together for our Christmas card. I felt like such a tourist waiting in line to take a picture at Christmas Village, formerly renamed Holiday Village... but is now Christmas Village again. I still think our dog would be cuter to look at, but this works too. 

     As much as I'm in need of a break, I'm going to miss all the hobos, jaywalkers, abundance of bikes, the weird people above us who run laps around their room a lot, larger-than-life murals on every exposed concrete wall, insane drivers, free spirits, great parties,  shopping in stores other than Forever 21, old architecture, and restaurants that aren't just Panera/ Taco Bell that make my experience in Killadelphia stand out from other cities. That was a really long sentence that I could have broken up to abide by the rules of grammar that are going to govern my life if and when I get a job as some sort of journalist, but it's my blog and I can do what I want! 
     It's a shame how much bad coverage Philadelphia gets from the media. People don't realize that the media would rather focus on the negatives that happen in Philadelphia rather than the positives because it's simply easier for an audience to react to, which in turn, makes Illadelphia seem like a city filled with crime and nothing but. I quickly found out that Philadelphia isn't what the media makes it out to be. That huge sentence is still only a little slice of all the things I could say about this city.

Merry Christmahanukwanzika!

I Don't Know What I Want For Christmas

      I feel like the older you get, the harder it is to think of stuff you want for Christmas, and the less exciting Christmas is. However, I do think that this moderately overpriced bracelet would look right at home on my wrist (Hi Mom). I used to get stoked on Christmas throughout the whole month of December, but this year I've been too busy swimming, no, drowning, in work to even remember that the holidays are approaching (and to update the blog, oops).

     I could complain about how bummed out I've felt lately and about the knot that's been growing unfathomably quickly in my left shoulder for the past month or so, but if I wanted to do that I would have just made a tumblr. I feel like a lot of stuff that I want can't be bought. Basically, I just want finals to be over. I literally cannot even remember the last time I could just relax without having anything or anybody stressing me out. Once tomorrow's over, I will be able to see the light. I think.



     I'd like to add that if you're a high school student that complains about midterms/ finals, you suck and I can't wait until you get to college!

Bill Petit: His Heart-Wrenching Story And Why You Should Care

This is what happened. The New York Times can tell this story better than I can:

     "As a police officer approached the home of the Petit family in Cheshire, Conn., on the morning of July 23, 2007, two men ran from the scene as flames poured out of the house. They were quickly apprehended.

     When officers returned to the house they found Dr. William A. Petit Jr., 50; who had been severely beaten, and the bodies of his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48; and their daughters, Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11. The police said that the victims had been tied up in separate rooms, and that Ms. Hawke-Petit and one of the daughters were sexually assaulted before the house was set on fire."

     Yesterday, Petit appeared on Oprah, where he was interviewed about the details of this horrific incident, what he's been doing since then to cope, and what's been going through his head. I can't seem to find the episode on the internet but I'm sure somebody will put it up sooner or later if you want to see it.
     I watch stories like this all the time on Dateline and E! Investigates, but Petit's story really sticks with me. The fact that something so horrific happened to a dear friend of several family members of mine is something I never thought would happen. This all happened in such close proximity to my little house in Wethersfield, a town 99% of people don't even know exists. I always try to empathize with people but there's only so much I can fathom.
     Of course, Oprah just had to ask about God's place in this. What I'd like to know is why God would impose such an unimaginable event, which some could equate to a horror film, on an innocent, law-abiding doctor, husband, and father. However, it made me happy to hear that Petit uses spiritual guidance from God to give him a reason to live.
     It kind of makes me upset that Petit's story has gotten so much publicity, but the reality is that it satisfies every aspect of newsworthiness criteria, so it is what it is - people love to hear about this stuff and journalism is indeed a business. I'm way too sensitive to ever cover this type of thing or anything remotely crime-related for that matter.
     People my age complain about everything. It's like it's genetically programmed into us or something. I do it too, all the time. I'm currently complaining about how much people my age complain. This story was a huge slap in the face for me. Did your boyfriend just break up with you? Did someone spread a mean rumor about you? Did your mom tell you you're an asshole? Did you get a bad grade on something? Are you skinny but still insist you're fat? Cry about it and get over it. You'll survive and life will, indeed, go on. Too many times we get wrapped up in our own little agendas and don't realize that the little things in life not working out for us doesn't mean the world is going to end.
     When I googled "Petit family" several crime scene photos came up that I could have posted if I wanted to attract attention to myself and my blog due to pure impact. I didn't even consider that. I decided on the above photo because I wanted everybody to see Bill Petit happily next to his family, the way that they all deserve to be remembered.

New York Times excerpt taken from http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/petit_family/index.html 

Image taken from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20016862-504083.html 

Is It Okay For Religious Texts To Be Required Reading?

     At first, I was a little weirded out when my humanities professor told us we had to read "Exodus" in the Bible. But I quickly got off my high horse when my professor explained that we were supposed to think of the Bible as a story, and to think of God as a character in the story, rather than a religious text as the Bible is traditionally taken. My professor said, if anything, reading the Bible was not going to "convert" anybody, but it would just reinforce our own personal beliefs. And that it did.

     I'm actually really glad I took the time to read "Exodus." Even though it was one of the most boring things I've ever been forced to read to this day, I would have never picked up and read a Bible out of curiosity, and I would have never had any sort of background knowledge about what goes on in the Bible. I can't remember one thing from going to CCD when I was younger. I've never really been religious, but now I feel a little bit more justified when I say I don't really believe in God.

     Reading the Bible and Thomas Paine's "The Age of Reason" certainly sparred a lot of interesting discussion in class. It was brought up that National Geographic did some kind of program where they proved ways that the ten plagues could have been naturally occurring. Although a lot of them are a stretch, there's really no way to disprove that the plagues were naturally occurring. "Because the Bible says so" may be enough to convince some people, but that seems pretty irrational to me. If you really think about it, all the way back when the Bible was written, there was no science or knowledge of natural phenomena, so it makes complete sense that the only way to explain the plagues were because of some higher power. Just sayin'.

      I wish the person had specified where in the Bible this happens, but it was also brought up in class that somewhere in the Bible, God commands a sinner to be executed by, not just killing him, but cutting him up into little pieces. Really? This is the big man in the sky that everyone worships?

     Another girl in class today shared that when she was fifteen, her parents made her go to confess her sins to a priest in the Catholic church. She said she was never very religious, but she went anyways to make her parents happy. She told the priest that she had misbehaved and left it at that, and he promptly told her that she "wasn't being honest, therefore, she's going to hell." Once again... Really? If there is a hell, I hope that priest goes there for telling a fifteen year old girl, and probably many others, that she's going to hell.

     While I'm on a huge rant about religion and how telling people they're going to hell for stupid reasons is wrong, I'm going to prolong this by talking about a guest on the Tyra show. (Tyra actually got some pretty interesting guests to come on her show... Haters gonna hate) This devout Christian woman came on the show because she performed an "excorsim" on a teenage boy because he was gay, so that the "demon" inside of him that was making him gay would leave the boy's body. She then promptly told this generally good-natured, Christian boy that God doesn't love him and he was going to hell if he was still gay after the excorcism. No further comment needed.

     So to answer my own question, yes, I think it's more than okay to make religious texts required reading. The way I see it, religion causes people unnecessary stress. I'm not saying that my views are perfect, and that everybody should feel the same. I'm not saying all Christian people are nuts. I'm not declaring myself an atheist. And I'm not saying my professor is the reason that I'm not religious. I have always thought this way, reading "Exodus" and "The Age of Reason" has just given me some background knowledge so I can draw my own informed conclusions about what I believe. If there is a religion for just not caring about religion, that is what I am. Until there's solid proof, I'd rather just enjoy living my life and not worry about what created the earth or what's going to happen to me after I die.

Picture of maniacally laughing God taken from sarcasticindiefucks

Punk Rock Flea Market - "Holiday Edition"

Saturday, December 11 · 10:00am - 5:00pm

The Punk Rock Flea Market Dome
461 N. 9th Street
Philadelphia, PA

  

     "Our biggest one yet! 200+ tables of vendors selling old records, clothes, art, music, food, junk, bicycles, stereo equipment, instruments, automobiles, tools, posters, furniture, computers, skateboards and lots of other stuff ! All proceeds goto making sure that all ages shows remain a reality at the first unitarian church and other all ages venues !"

 - Taken from the event page on Facebook

     Yes, yes, yes, yes... Yes. So stoked for this. I like inexpensive things. Connecticut definitely doesn't do stuff like this, that's for sure. I will most likely be updating this post with pictures from the event. If you live in Philadelphia, go. If you don't live in Philadelphia, sucks for you.