Ahhhh....

I am so glad that my semester is finished! I really need the break that summer will give me! No worrying about classes or homework, no need to get up really early, and also no having to go to the damned tech campus unless I really want to!

So, heres a toast to the end of a semester and the begining of things to come!

the privet public place

Really… To think that a place deemed ’public’ can restrict the admit-age or make one group feel unwelcome seems so preposterous to one who is an avid attendee of the public places spoke of in the text. But if I think back to when I was that “creepy little goth kid” I see that there were many things that I never seemed to notice aimed to drive me away. When I went to the mall I was more than likely followed by a mall cop or watched very carefully by store cashiers or workers; all thinking that I would cause trouble or steal something. Those who know me knew that that wasn’t in my nature. I was a very good, well behaved, girl. I had morals and very high standards for myself. I would not sink to stealing if I didn’t have the money for something. As I got al little older and more rebellious I did shoplift every once in a while but it was never anything more than makeup, and cheap makeup at that. Just because I looked like I fit the stereo type of a group that might do scandalous things did not mean that I would! Also speaking of parks… My city park had the GREATEST playground equipment. One problem… There was a big sign posted everywhere that stated, “No one over the age of 14 admitted on the playground.” What happened to the ’public’ place there? Are all teenagers going to hurt little kids or something? What is really going to happen. Needless to say those signs were gone in less than a year either by vandalism or city removal. I got what I wanted and got to go on the slide and swings once again!

"Oh, is there still racism."

I grew up in a house where 'people of color' were considered to be undeserving of respect or power in any form; I had heard slurs of all forms while growing up. As I got older I saw that this was not the proper way to behave. I feel that all people should have equal rights in the world. We are all born the same and would live the same if all of the crazy restraints that are put on the world did not exist. To me race, sex, or religion have no say in who I befriend. I have really christian friends even though I am agnostic/atheist. I have male and female friends (in fact most of my friends in high school were male), and I also have friends in multiple races (not as many in high school but that can be expected when the the white to all others ratio was 10/1). While growing up in such a sheltered world I some how found a way to have the courage to speak up.... To my parents when they make a racial slur... To my friends as well... Be friending someone that many in the society I lived in would choose to ignore. Over the years I have seeming experianced 'counter racism' (if you could call it that). In example this one guy would ask me out over and over all the while knowing that I was not availible. Even though he knew that I was with someone he always seemed to think I would say yes and when I said no he would always exclaim venomously, "it's because I am black isn't it!" When this would hapen I would always seem to feel like a bad person. I can remeber a time after this hapened going up to one of my black friends in high school and asking her if I was racist. She was always very adament to get the point across that I wasn't. In reading the articles I am being thrown these examples of privlage that I white person recives. But being so young I have yet to be put in many of these situations so I cannot say for sure if those are a correct. But saying just because a person is white they have this ingrined racism is a bit absurd... if those privlages can be used to in your advantage then maybe we can use these privlages to help others. maybe I can create equality yet!

"I don't suffer for my beauty, I die for it"

The media is the devil! It produces this image of the body that is impsible to obtain without taking drastic mesures to get there. The female body is portreyed as a stick with a well rounded chest and this perfect botom. Many would think that this is stupidity has gone too far. With girls being diagnosed with eating disorders (which cause long term poblems and even death) at young ages. Women have had this set role to be one size but that size is getting smaller and smaller as the years pass, what's next ghosts?!

This horid media trend is reaching into the relm of childhood. Teenage dolls marketed for children, lacy panties and bras for preschoolers... And dare I say Highschool musical. These things are showing a sexuality young girls that they are taking to be the real world. They are trying to become these images that just are not realistic for a young girl. Make-up at age twelve or younger? Really?

The media hates REAL women! We are not all a size zero. We do not all have these perfectly shaped bodies. We are not all perfect and we never said we wanted to be. We do not want these rediculous images forced upon us so just leave us alone!

Sometimes good music just finds you.

I had never been to a concert before starting at Tech fall 08, but since then I have been to quite a few... Two of them featured in TTU's own Backdoor Playhouse. The most recent was a CD release party for the local band The Runaways. I had seen this band in the previous concert but not as the headlining act, and as a headlining act they did not disapoint. They were absolutely amazing even with a few, um, technical issues... Cords will always be a musicians' worst nightmare. There was nothing to be disapointed about with this concert. From the two opening acts (one of which I knew personaly) to the headlining band there was many a few amazing songs to be heard. Totaly looking forward to the next concert!

Am I really that pathetic? I can't write a decent blog post over something I am pasionate about?

As I read Simone's blog post and look next to me at Ryan who is furiously typing away I wonder why I wrote so little. My reading made me so frustrated and a little hopeless for the future, but all I could get out of myself is a measly little paragraph... I now wonder am I really that pathetic. I feel so confused sometimes when I sit down to write for an assignment that I lose my train of thought and just completely forget what I was about to say, like, fifteen minutes ago. I don't really know what to think about myself or even what to do to fix this rarely occurring problem. I love to write and writing about controversial issues is my specialty but I just don't have it in me to, I dunno, bash my chosen career more than I already did in my assignment post. I guess I feel a little hopeless more and more as I realize that things I want to do when I "grow up" are becoming more and more idiotic (or useless like journalism) as the years pass. Am I going to be one of those out of work college students that we talked about in class? Will someone want to hire a inexperienced little punk like me... I doubt it. Is everything that I have aspired for in the last few years going to blow up in my face like everything else does? I sure hope not because after the hell of the last two year I don't think I could take another major let down. After being told for two years by a complete idiot that I was worth less than shit I think I need a little bright outlook on life, don't you? I guess I just have really bad luck or maybe karma is having it's way with me... I don't know but whatever happens I guess I will always be that little ray of sunshine for everyone else while my life is falling to pieces around me.

Secondary education has masive problems in my eyes.

As I was was reading the Sizer section in Reading Culture I could not help but think that the section was extremely boring and drawn out. Who cares what some snot nosed kid thinks about some little assembly? I am sure that no one does. Also a normal high school day does not include an assembly or anything of the sort. This section goes on to prove that the secondary education is one of the most backwards things ever. I may sound childish or whatever but this is effecting the children that are being taught. When kids are being taught straight from a book like in the "No Child Left Behind" system that we are actually discouraging them form paying attention or even trying to learn. And that system is discouraging promising people from becoming teachers. Who wants to teach straight from a book; where's the fun in that? I hate the fact that this reading felt like a waste of time to me. All I had to do was look back into the not so distant past and see the all of the things being pointed out to me. I give the reading a 1 out of 5...