Mass shooting here, guns, guns, bullets, death, blah, blah, blah. It is starting to feel like I'm hearing way too many news stories talking about people (er...rather idiots) shooting people. Almost a month and a half ago a man decided that it would be a great idea to shoot up a movie theatre during the Midnight premiere of Batman. And just yesterday a man who (for lack of a better term and devoid of reason) can only be assumed as crazy shot a man for being evicted from his house!
Before I continue I would like to point out that I full support the right to bear arms and protect one-self from those who seek to harm them. But, in the light of these tragedies one cannot help but wonder: how the hell did all of these seemingly unstable people get ahold of guns? How did a man get a hold of both hand guns and assault riffles without anyone noticing? Isn't that what the CIA is for? I mean where was "Big Brother" when this guy was leaving the un-eraseable digital trail of evidence (we all know what goes on the internet stays on the internet) when this guy was shamelessly purchasing what is surely a threat-level of ammunition?
Furthermore, what would posses a guy in college station to think that killing a man ( and subsequently two others) would save him from eviction? Perhaps, he simply thought that a cosy jail cell would be more enjoyable than homelessness? I mean jail does come with food and it's very own band of built in miscreant friends.
But, I digress back to my original point: what is this world coming to? And what can be done about it? Lately it feels like this country (and all of the human race for that matter) have begun regressing into a more primal state, or, perhaps I am just naive and the world really has always been messed up? I suppose it has and perhaps my neurosis stems from being a child product of the 90's where times were relatively peaceful: the economy was good, we weren't in the midst of two wars, nor an odd rise in gun related deaths and political strife.
The hard truth is that people will always find away to kill people. We have been killing each other since before the gun was even invented and we have been oppressing each other for just as long. But, the question remains would stricter gun laws help the situation? I'm not sure. I definitely feel that civilians don't need access to assault riffles. I'm sorry but I'm not sorry I don't believe you will ever be in a position where you need to shoot someone with a gun that fires off 10 rounds per second (or how ever that works). And I certainly think there needs to be records of how many guns a person owns and how much ammunition they buy. One thing seems certain to me if someone had been monitoring James Holmes ammunition purchase rate this tragedy may have been avoided and if he had not had access to an assault riffle the casualties would have at least been lessened. I'm no expert nor am I naive enough to believe that stricter gun laws will stop people from killing but a few minor adjustments may decrease crime and prevent tragedies. And let's face it isn't the prevention of one less mass tragedy worth that?
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Junk of the Heart
I too often as of late find myself daydreaming about love and romance. I suppose, this in itself is not an actual problem. The problem is that I have spent years telling myself that for love to come your way you have to be independent from love-or rather you have to not think of love.
I have often found that it is when I'm not looking for love that I often stumble across it-er, rather some form of it. Because, let's face it my dating track record isn't one to brag about, but I have always found that when one is looking for love a person gets so caught up in the details they miss the person in front of them.
Lately, I've been realizing more and more though that perhaps my real problem is that I am far to good at being independent, alone. I am constantly busy and constantly surrounded by my friends so I often find those few precious moments alone a rare treasure. I am also incapable of finding anyone interesting. For me the connection can't be just physical, it has to be mental as well. I often find myself completely bored when talking to men. Although, that could be because most of the time I'm conversing with them at a bar.
Point being is I'm impossible to please and I always want what I don't have. When a guy is interested me I'm simply not interested in him. But, when no one is flirting with me my brain is all "longwalksintheparkchocolatesunshinehandholdinglove". It's a constant paradox.
I can't help but wonder what is the point? Then I take a step back and wonder if I'm just being to picky or if I'm just being anxious. The truth is I've always been a hopeless romantic. I've always dreamed of being the girl who gets the guy, the girl that turns heads when she walks in a room. For most of my life I severely lacked the confidence to be that girl yet, now that I have some of it I'm still totally bored. I just want a baggage free man for once. And yes I realize the irony of that statement and that I'm basically saying I want to marry a unicorn. Maybe, we all have some baggage but I refuse to believe that all the men capable of having healthy relationships are currently off the market. The real question is, am I focusing to much on the details and missing an obvious person in front of me? Have I too quickly looked over all the guys I've blown off? Or is dating really always this frustrating? I think I'll just go back to enjoying my life, with my schedule this semester I probably don't have time to date anyways.
I have often found that it is when I'm not looking for love that I often stumble across it-er, rather some form of it. Because, let's face it my dating track record isn't one to brag about, but I have always found that when one is looking for love a person gets so caught up in the details they miss the person in front of them.
Lately, I've been realizing more and more though that perhaps my real problem is that I am far to good at being independent, alone. I am constantly busy and constantly surrounded by my friends so I often find those few precious moments alone a rare treasure. I am also incapable of finding anyone interesting. For me the connection can't be just physical, it has to be mental as well. I often find myself completely bored when talking to men. Although, that could be because most of the time I'm conversing with them at a bar.
Point being is I'm impossible to please and I always want what I don't have. When a guy is interested me I'm simply not interested in him. But, when no one is flirting with me my brain is all "longwalksintheparkchocolatesunshinehandholdinglove". It's a constant paradox.
I can't help but wonder what is the point? Then I take a step back and wonder if I'm just being to picky or if I'm just being anxious. The truth is I've always been a hopeless romantic. I've always dreamed of being the girl who gets the guy, the girl that turns heads when she walks in a room. For most of my life I severely lacked the confidence to be that girl yet, now that I have some of it I'm still totally bored. I just want a baggage free man for once. And yes I realize the irony of that statement and that I'm basically saying I want to marry a unicorn. Maybe, we all have some baggage but I refuse to believe that all the men capable of having healthy relationships are currently off the market. The real question is, am I focusing to much on the details and missing an obvious person in front of me? Have I too quickly looked over all the guys I've blown off? Or is dating really always this frustrating? I think I'll just go back to enjoying my life, with my schedule this semester I probably don't have time to date anyways.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
21 Things I Learned in My 21st Year
1. The future is coming, growing up is inevitable. You can cry about it all you want, but you will still be growing up so you might as well embrace it.
2. It is okay not to have a full-detailed thought out plan for after graduation. This one was a really hard lesson for me to learn and accept. I have spend countless nights ugly crying on my bedroom floor, droning on and on to my friends about how "I'm so old" and how "I have no idea what to do with my life." Only to finally realize that, that is perfectly okay. You don't need a written timeline of your career path for the next 10 years. You simply need a basic idea of what field you're interested in and what jobs you would like. The rest will follow, in time.
3. Start building your portfolio, now. You probably should have been doing this before, but hey, it's never to late to start building a resumé and making connections.
4. Network and make connections. Linkedin will be your best friend for this.
5. Be wary of what you post on social media sites. This may seem obvious, because you should never be posting pictures of yourself utterly wasted (I mean seriously no one, and I mean no one thinks you look flattering, cool or free-spirited, EXCEPT yourself. So just save yourself from looking like a douche and don't do it!). But for this purpose I mean make sure what you post is tactful and that you can support you're opinion in an intelligent and classy manner. In other words don't talk trash if you have no idea what you are talking about (this also makes you sound like a douche).
6. Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Take a class that you've always been interested in, but have been afraid because it wasn't in your "major" area. Go to a bar that you think isn't your scene, join a new organization.
7. Do community service, not only does it look great on a resumé but it honestly does make you feel really great about yourself. Not to mention you are helping to make the world a little brighter.
8. Constructive Criticism is good. Listen and learn from it. In the long run it will help you grow and probably make you a better person.
9. It is okay to say no and stay in. This was another hard one for me because I so often prefer going out to lunch with my friends to class or staying out late rather than studying. However, sometimes you just have to say no and bear through class or studying. It's really shocking how you actually need to know the material you're being taught in order to receive and A, huh?
10. Everyone and their second cousin will ask you to buy them alcohol. And it is okay to say no, in fact, I seriously recommend saying no. Nothing is more annoying than having to take time out of your already busy schedule to buy other people liquor. And seriously do you really want to be partially responsible for their inevitably stupid behavior?
11. Say yes, even when you don't want to go out. Sometimes you have the most fun when you didn't even want to go out in the first place. In fact, most of the best adventures have started this way.
12. Happy hour and drink specials will be your best friend. Trust me when you're broke that $2 margarita is as good as the $7.50. And just think, you can get four for the price of one!
13. Watch the news or read the newspaper. Seriously it's good to be informed. People value a well thought out and intelligent opinion.
15. Don't play the victim own up to your responsibilities.
16. Confidence is key. If I've learned anything it is that confidence is half the battle and once you've won that battle everything else begins to feel just a little bit easier.
17. 5 years to graduate is becoming the norm now,and thats okay. And really who doesn't want to stay in college for an extra year?
18. Be independent, being alone is okay.
19. Don't worry so much about what other people think. In other words screw all the haters their opinion doesn't matter half the time anyways. Just do what makes you happy and focus on bettering yourself and forget all the rest.
20. Alcohol is expensive. This also seems obvious but, there is a big difference between bumming cheap beer at houses parties and paying for drinks in bars or restaurants. Another thing that's worth noting is being legal isn't nearly half as cool as you think it is. It is certainly more convenient though.
21. "All I know is that I know nothing." Okay, so I stole this one from Socrates but seriously at 21 you probably only know a little bit more than you did at 18. The only difference is now you are aware of your lack of knowledge and also realize you will probably always feel this way to some degree. When you were 18 you thought you had it all figured out.
2. It is okay not to have a full-detailed thought out plan for after graduation. This one was a really hard lesson for me to learn and accept. I have spend countless nights ugly crying on my bedroom floor, droning on and on to my friends about how "I'm so old" and how "I have no idea what to do with my life." Only to finally realize that, that is perfectly okay. You don't need a written timeline of your career path for the next 10 years. You simply need a basic idea of what field you're interested in and what jobs you would like. The rest will follow, in time.
3. Start building your portfolio, now. You probably should have been doing this before, but hey, it's never to late to start building a resumé and making connections.
4. Network and make connections. Linkedin will be your best friend for this.
5. Be wary of what you post on social media sites. This may seem obvious, because you should never be posting pictures of yourself utterly wasted (I mean seriously no one, and I mean no one thinks you look flattering, cool or free-spirited, EXCEPT yourself. So just save yourself from looking like a douche and don't do it!). But for this purpose I mean make sure what you post is tactful and that you can support you're opinion in an intelligent and classy manner. In other words don't talk trash if you have no idea what you are talking about (this also makes you sound like a douche).
6. Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Take a class that you've always been interested in, but have been afraid because it wasn't in your "major" area. Go to a bar that you think isn't your scene, join a new organization.
7. Do community service, not only does it look great on a resumé but it honestly does make you feel really great about yourself. Not to mention you are helping to make the world a little brighter.
8. Constructive Criticism is good. Listen and learn from it. In the long run it will help you grow and probably make you a better person.
9. It is okay to say no and stay in. This was another hard one for me because I so often prefer going out to lunch with my friends to class or staying out late rather than studying. However, sometimes you just have to say no and bear through class or studying. It's really shocking how you actually need to know the material you're being taught in order to receive and A, huh?
10. Everyone and their second cousin will ask you to buy them alcohol. And it is okay to say no, in fact, I seriously recommend saying no. Nothing is more annoying than having to take time out of your already busy schedule to buy other people liquor. And seriously do you really want to be partially responsible for their inevitably stupid behavior?
11. Say yes, even when you don't want to go out. Sometimes you have the most fun when you didn't even want to go out in the first place. In fact, most of the best adventures have started this way.
12. Happy hour and drink specials will be your best friend. Trust me when you're broke that $2 margarita is as good as the $7.50. And just think, you can get four for the price of one!
13. Watch the news or read the newspaper. Seriously it's good to be informed. People value a well thought out and intelligent opinion.
15. Don't play the victim own up to your responsibilities.
16. Confidence is key. If I've learned anything it is that confidence is half the battle and once you've won that battle everything else begins to feel just a little bit easier.
17. 5 years to graduate is becoming the norm now,and thats okay. And really who doesn't want to stay in college for an extra year?
18. Be independent, being alone is okay.
19. Don't worry so much about what other people think. In other words screw all the haters their opinion doesn't matter half the time anyways. Just do what makes you happy and focus on bettering yourself and forget all the rest.
20. Alcohol is expensive. This also seems obvious but, there is a big difference between bumming cheap beer at houses parties and paying for drinks in bars or restaurants. Another thing that's worth noting is being legal isn't nearly half as cool as you think it is. It is certainly more convenient though.
21. "All I know is that I know nothing." Okay, so I stole this one from Socrates but seriously at 21 you probably only know a little bit more than you did at 18. The only difference is now you are aware of your lack of knowledge and also realize you will probably always feel this way to some degree. When you were 18 you thought you had it all figured out.
Call it What You Want...Fluidity of Thoughts or A Pointless Rant.
I've been toying with the notion of starting a blog for weeks...and by weeks, if I'm being honest (which I am) I actually mean years. In the notion of being honest I feel I should tell you that I had an on-and-off-again affair with tumblr, which I quit because I wanted to do a real-honest-blog.
But, what the hell is a "real-honest-blog" anyway? I mean I've had my fair share of bad "blogs a.k.a the Xanga and Livejournal era of the early 2000's, which (rather unfortunately) coincided with my pre-teen youth. I spent a lot of 2002-2004 writing sad mopey diary entry's and teenage poetry. Really bad teenage poetry that was doused with enough apathy to drown a small village (by a small village I mean one equivalent to China's population). There was also the unfortunate incident, in which my "private" journal entries got passed around my school... yeah so much for the internet being private right? Needless to say I learned that lesson pretty quick.
So for awhile I completely quit the world of internet journaling. But, that only lasted so long and then slowly the bug began to itch again. I began to think about writing a blog. A "real-honest" blog but, I was scared and hesitant to put my thoughts and ideas out there,where any regular Joe could read them again. But after a very refreshing and moving creative writing class (where people actually praised my thoughts rather than crucify them) I decided to was time to dive back into blogging. If not for the sole purpose of working on my writing and perhaps giving me and edge in the Journalism/Advertising/PR world, then simply because blogging seems fun to me.
The next problem that arose (the one that I have been battling most of the summer) was what would I blog about? Fashion? Pop culture? Politics? Life lessons? Relationships? College life? The list of possibilities is endless and my indecision hangs over the list menacingly, as if whatever I choose will make or break me. I realize now that this indecision comes directly from the fact that I have no idea what I want to blog about,because I like many of the things on the list and I have many thoughts and opinions on all those topics. But, a "good-honest-blog" is one, which has it's own specific niche right? It is not an excuse to write all ones ramped and melodramatic thoughts and emotions. It is not an internet diary. But maybe it doesn't have to have a specific category as long as it has a voice ( and maybe not even a good voice at first, because a good voice comes from practice). Perhaps I can muddle my way into a good or even great blog just by starting one, just through trial and error. I mean what is the worst that could happen?
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