Uh, hey guys. So I guess the final Harry Potter trailer came out today, or something. Well, I watched it for the first time today, anyway. And let me tell you, I love Harry Potter. Like, midnight-premiere-of-movies-AND-books love. (I just don't think you can be a true fan if you haven't read the books. Sorry.) And come July 15, 2011, the Harry saga will officially end. All movie franchises must come to an end eventually, because people just aren't creative enough to think of crazier and crazier stuff. And because J.K. Rowling made a happily-ever-after epilogue that basically put the kibosh on any further story lines.
After Harry Potter and The Very Long Camping Trip (aka Deathly Hallows Part 1) this movie will pick up where the final battle left off as well as incorporate the quest for the hallows.
I actually vividly remember my first Harry Potter experience: in second grade, we were supposed to share our favorite books with the class. One kid brought in Sorcerer's Stone. He got in trouble because his mom actually read the book to him, instead of him reading it himself. I didn't like that teacher very much. Anyway, not long after my parents decided to start reading the Harry Potter books to my brother and me. It became a family tradition for several years: the whole family would read a chapter a night. Around the fourth book, my parents started staying up after family reading time, and would end up finishing the book. Then it became a free-for-all: whoever could get their hands on the family copy of the latest book got to read it first. So I kind of grew up with the young wizards, like many kids. And every summer I re-read the entire series, usually in anticipation of a book or movie release.
So now what? Just like the Toy Story series, our childhood peer is now grown up. (Andy was a child when the first movies came out, and was leaving for college in #3, the same summer I was. Another important pop-culture coming-of-age event.) Come July, I know which of my friends I will be attending the midnight premiere with. You know who you are. It's gonna be a memorable experience.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Trin Takes a Stand
Who knew that people were even racist anymore? I thought these days, we had graduated from discriminating by race and had moved on to discriminating by other things, like gender or sexuality. But no, apparently bigotry is alive and well on the Trinity campus, given by the slew of emails we've received highlighting the racially charged incidents in the past few months. Last Thursday's account seemed to be the last straw as Trinity students of all backgrounds joined together demanding a "zero tolerance policy" for acts of discrimination and harassment.
Today's rally, which was reported live by local news and made its way to msnbc and the Associated Press by mid-afternoon, was held on the Cave Patio during lunch. Students waved signs demanding justice and proclaiming "My name is ____, not _____(insert racial slur/derogatory term of choice)." A high-energy group of students and faculty then stormed administration offices, chanting "Stop the Hate."
Stop the Hate is right. Are we still stuck in the pre- Civil Rights era, where schools, buses, and water fountains were segregated? Is that what we want? Trinity students are supposed to be intelligent and motivated. You had to get decent grades to go here, so what were they teaching you in school? Trinity already has a reputation for being a homogenous bunch of rich white kids, and it seems like we're intent on enforcing that image. But we truthfully have a very diverse student body and lots of smart kids who want to make a difference. I know these racial harassments represent a very tiny portion of the student body, but that's who's getting national attention.
That said, I've never seen a student activity or cause so heavily attended. The rally at the Cave today was crowded with students who don't normally get involved. I guess it made me glad to see that so many people care, since the student body is known to be a bit apathetic at times. The rally really impressed both students and administrators, who are now working together with student groups to form a more comprehensive set of consequences for acts of harassment. But I couldn't help but think that rallies and protests and whatnot happen on a daily basis on other campuses. Big universities have clubs and groups of all kinds protesting whatever issue they find with the world-- something college kids are usually pretty good at. Trinity is so small and so content with its problems that this rally was probably the biggest student-organized protest of the year. I'm glad such an important issue is getting the attention it deserves, and I'm glad Trinity students are finally taking a stand. We've already seen the efforts start to pay off. I hope this spirit continues to drive the student body towards social action and change, because we're young and feisty and we can make a difference.
Today's rally, which was reported live by local news and made its way to msnbc and the Associated Press by mid-afternoon, was held on the Cave Patio during lunch. Students waved signs demanding justice and proclaiming "My name is ____, not _____(insert racial slur/derogatory term of choice)." A high-energy group of students and faculty then stormed administration offices, chanting "Stop the Hate."
Stop the Hate is right. Are we still stuck in the pre- Civil Rights era, where schools, buses, and water fountains were segregated? Is that what we want? Trinity students are supposed to be intelligent and motivated. You had to get decent grades to go here, so what were they teaching you in school? Trinity already has a reputation for being a homogenous bunch of rich white kids, and it seems like we're intent on enforcing that image. But we truthfully have a very diverse student body and lots of smart kids who want to make a difference. I know these racial harassments represent a very tiny portion of the student body, but that's who's getting national attention.
That said, I've never seen a student activity or cause so heavily attended. The rally at the Cave today was crowded with students who don't normally get involved. I guess it made me glad to see that so many people care, since the student body is known to be a bit apathetic at times. The rally really impressed both students and administrators, who are now working together with student groups to form a more comprehensive set of consequences for acts of harassment. But I couldn't help but think that rallies and protests and whatnot happen on a daily basis on other campuses. Big universities have clubs and groups of all kinds protesting whatever issue they find with the world-- something college kids are usually pretty good at. Trinity is so small and so content with its problems that this rally was probably the biggest student-organized protest of the year. I'm glad such an important issue is getting the attention it deserves, and I'm glad Trinity students are finally taking a stand. We've already seen the efforts start to pay off. I hope this spirit continues to drive the student body towards social action and change, because we're young and feisty and we can make a difference.
Friday, April 22, 2011
HAPPY EARTH DAY!
For those of you who don't know, I kind of pride myself on being a bit of a liberal hippie freak. Even though Alaska is one of the reddest states out there (Palin?!), it's also one of the most environmentally conscious. We're not always protecting the environment, but due to our general proximity and hot-button oil-drilling issues, the environment is always a hot spot in the news. Anyway, I'm one of those people who tells my friends to recycle and hates bottled water. I'm not perfect though, the furthest my involvement goes is being on the email list for Green Campus.Since today is Earth Day (and this week is Earth Week, and April is Earth Month...) I thought I'd list out a few of those "easy things that can save the world." They're obvious, but most of us just don't take the time--myself included. Maybe you'll consider one or two?
Recycle. Uh, duh. There are recycling bins in every building of this campus: dorms, dining halls, you name it. It's single stream recycling, so that means all you have to do is dump any kind of plastic, glass, paper, aluminum into one easy bin. We all love that feeling of throwing away a big bag of empties-- just throw it in the right bin. Remember all the homeless guys with shopping carts picking up thousands of cans off the quad on Spring Weekend? Yeah, they were making bank from the 5-cent deposit fee. But they were also recycling. And come on, if they can do it, we can.
The recycling bins in the Cave and the Bistro are also some of the most under-used. You can pretty much put anything in there, and it's all very simply explained on the posters above. Empty yogurt cups, plastic salad dishes, forks, spoons, knives, soup cups, can all go in there. Yet we all just bunch up the table's trash and throw it away. Boo, I think we are better than that!
Shut Stuff Down! You use a lot less energy if you do simple things like unplug your appliances and turn your lights off. When your lamps, hair dryers, microwaves, etc are off but still plugged in, they are still seeping up electricity. You can leave the fridge plugged in, though. Don't forget to shut down your laptop and other electronics completely to save battery life and therefore electricity. These things seem like a no-brainer but it takes that extra second of effort.
Reuse. For God's sake people, stop buying bottled water!! I saw a "special" at Mather the other day: "Use six meals to buy 13 bottles of water! Save a couple bucks." Why do you need thirteen bottles of water?? Buy one, and fill it up again! It saves the hassle of going to find a new one, anyway. Not to mention the fact that some god-awful percentage of the world lives without access to clean water, while we spend billions of dollars on the "designer water industry."
Same goes for coffee cups and paper bowls: use a mug, or a tupperware for your late-night Easy Mac. Yeah, you'll have to wash it. Sucks.
There's a lot of easy options out there. I'm not trying to sound preachy--but I guess I am. Do we not care about the world at all? It's easy to check out and just hope someone else will clean up the mess. But college kids are supposed to be some of the most self-righteous, holier-than-other generations people out there. We all know that we're smarter than our parents anyway. If not us, who's gonna do it?
Visit www.earthday.org for anything you could possibly want to know about greeny stuff.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Magic of a Mupload
What's in a mupload? A picture by any camera would be better quality, less pixelated, more flattering. What is with this current obsession with underexposed, unplanned pictures?
A mupload is, for those of you who don't know, a shorthand expression for "Mobile Upload," or a picture taken with a Smart Phone and directly posted on Facebook. Duh. Urban Dictionary defines it here, which is pretty accurate if you ask me. It can also pertain to a picture taken with a smart phone and then texted to one or more people. So where does the fascination with muploads arise? We've all got smart phones now-- IPhones and BlackBerrys are the most common devices for snapping a mup. We all have around-the-clock access to our Facebook page as well-- gone are the days when you needed an actual computer. In this day and age, everything happens immediately. If someone doesn't answer a call, you don't leave a voicemail-- that would take too long. Texts and BBMs are instantaneous as well. And picture sharing is no exception to the split-second generation.
The mupload has certain characteristics that separate it from any other Facebook album. It captures a spontaneous moment: you're out and about and come across something too funny, cute, ridiculous, etc. to pass up. Whip out the phone (it's usually already in hand) and snap a pic. No unzipping of a pocket to grab the digital camera, which would take way too long. The quality is never great: often the subject of the photo is moving, the lighting is poor, you're too far away...but the moment is still memorable. Instead of taking the pic and then casually waiting until you get home to upload to your computer, then add to an album, the mupload is immediately posted using the Facebook app. It shows up directly to the news feed so that all the kids who aren't out having fun can immediately click it and comment away. It also sends the message to the Facebook world: "I'm out having fun right now, this is what I'm doing. Jealous?"
Muploads are not always pictures of people, which makes up the majority of all other Facebook pictures. After all, how are you going to tag your friends if no one's in the picture? The mupload skirts this issue quite cleanly. Of course you can tag people who aren't actually in the picture, as long as the picture documents some kind of inside joke that relates to them. Then they will see the picture and comment something like "ahhhahahha remember the time when this happened to us?? Love ya!!!"
I think the best part of muploads are the captions. Witty captions to go along with whatever ridiculous thing you're seeing make the picture even more entertaining for the Facebook world. I'm not gonna lie, I've sometimes thought of a caption I want to use before I even take the picture. A quick phrase can sum up what you're doing, where you are, and why the event is memorable enough to post.
Muploads can be any time, any place, and any thing. They perfectly embody the "immediate gratification" for which our generation is so well known. The grownups are always talking about how our generation doesn't have to work for anything, we have no work ethic or patience. Well, in the case of these pictures, that's kind of true. We don't even have the patience to wait until we go home: those pics need to be seen by the world NOW so that everyone can see what a great time you're having.
Well, I'm off. But don't worry, if anything exciting happens I'll be sure to take a pic and post it right away.
A mupload is, for those of you who don't know, a shorthand expression for "Mobile Upload," or a picture taken with a Smart Phone and directly posted on Facebook. Duh. Urban Dictionary defines it here, which is pretty accurate if you ask me. It can also pertain to a picture taken with a smart phone and then texted to one or more people. So where does the fascination with muploads arise? We've all got smart phones now-- IPhones and BlackBerrys are the most common devices for snapping a mup. We all have around-the-clock access to our Facebook page as well-- gone are the days when you needed an actual computer. In this day and age, everything happens immediately. If someone doesn't answer a call, you don't leave a voicemail-- that would take too long. Texts and BBMs are instantaneous as well. And picture sharing is no exception to the split-second generation. The mupload has certain characteristics that separate it from any other Facebook album. It captures a spontaneous moment: you're out and about and come across something too funny, cute, ridiculous, etc. to pass up. Whip out the phone (it's usually already in hand) and snap a pic. No unzipping of a pocket to grab the digital camera, which would take way too long. The quality is never great: often the subject of the photo is moving, the lighting is poor, you're too far away...but the moment is still memorable. Instead of taking the pic and then casually waiting until you get home to upload to your computer, then add to an album, the mupload is immediately posted using the Facebook app. It shows up directly to the news feed so that all the kids who aren't out having fun can immediately click it and comment away. It also sends the message to the Facebook world: "I'm out having fun right now, this is what I'm doing. Jealous?"
Muploads are not always pictures of people, which makes up the majority of all other Facebook pictures. After all, how are you going to tag your friends if no one's in the picture? The mupload skirts this issue quite cleanly. Of course you can tag people who aren't actually in the picture, as long as the picture documents some kind of inside joke that relates to them. Then they will see the picture and comment something like "ahhhahahha remember the time when this happened to us?? Love ya!!!"
I think the best part of muploads are the captions. Witty captions to go along with whatever ridiculous thing you're seeing make the picture even more entertaining for the Facebook world. I'm not gonna lie, I've sometimes thought of a caption I want to use before I even take the picture. A quick phrase can sum up what you're doing, where you are, and why the event is memorable enough to post.
Muploads can be any time, any place, and any thing. They perfectly embody the "immediate gratification" for which our generation is so well known. The grownups are always talking about how our generation doesn't have to work for anything, we have no work ethic or patience. Well, in the case of these pictures, that's kind of true. We don't even have the patience to wait until we go home: those pics need to be seen by the world NOW so that everyone can see what a great time you're having.
Well, I'm off. But don't worry, if anything exciting happens I'll be sure to take a pic and post it right away.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Wild at Heart
Pic of the Day
These cuties were casually spotted by my mother on her morning run the other day.
Her first thought, of course, wasn't "Run!" but "Mupload!"
Guess they are out of hibernation--which means summer's really here!
P.S. Never run from a bear. Try to calmly back away. In the event of an attack: with a black bear, like these guys, fight back. A grizzly? Play dead.
You've Got Mail
Don't you love that automated email that just brightens your day: "Package received in the Trinity Post Office." A package? For me? Could it be the mysterious results of your online shopping spree? A late birthday present? Or even the wonderful surprise of a care package from home?
I received a care package today. It was mailed over a week ago all the way from Alaska, though my brother's made it to Colorado in just three days. My mom collects stuff for care packages that she sends out maybe bi-monthly. They're never too thrilling, but it's still exciting to see what she came up with. My mom has a tendency to just walk around the house and pick up any object not being used and send it to me. This includes half-empty bath or hair products that haven't been touched in years, or crappy promotional things like pens or flashlights that bear some bank's logo. There's also usually some old thing from my bedroom that I asked her to send me-- a reason for the care package in general.
Today's package includes: two oranges (remember: over a week old), chocolate-covered dried mango (interesting..), a flashlight keychain, my really really old broken IPod that I'm hoping to salvage music from, gum, socks, etc. The thing about these packages is that there's never anything really big or special in them, but they are a great surprise and always make my day. I would never feel good about those pre-ordered mass-produced care packages that parents can sign up for-- because this is truly where the thought really counts. That said, here are some things that make a really, really good care package:
1. Money. Duh, who doesn't like a little extra cash from home. We don't always like to admit to our parents what we're spending money on, and especially can't call up home and ask them to pop some questionable items in the mail. My mom noticed a charge on my brother's credit card statement from "BlahBlah Hookah Lounge"....that started a conversation. If he had just used some cold, hard cash the issue would never have come up.
2. Baked Goods. Another no brainer, but cookies and treats from home are just SO much better than the processed Mather deserts. This may sound awful, but in an effort to encourage healthy eating my mom rarely sends baked goods. Way to do your parenting from 3,000 miles away...just kidding, MOM! Baked goods go like wildfire during latenight in the dorm. Keep 'em coming, mom and dad. Campus Pizza doesn't always cut it.
3. An Answer to my Future. Couldn't our parents, bored and lonely without us at home, spend some time planning our future? Every day we have a conversation about summer plans, internships, classes, etc. How about I open the mail to find completed applications, resumes, etc.? I'd be a lot more motivated if the application process was out of the way.
4. Hangover Survival Kit (or other themed goods). Time to get creative, parents. Pick a care package theme and roll with it. Spring Break, Finals, or holidays are great excuses for a themed package. And after a great night of themed partying, wouldn't you want to open a creative box filled with Advil, coffee, sunglasses, etc.? I think this is the new age of care packages.
5. Cards. All teasing aside, the card is my favorite part of any care package. My parents used to not send one until I kindly requested that they do so-- a few sentences of love and encouragement do a college kid good. I keep the cards, either taped to my wall (if they're pretty) or in a drawer. It may sound cheesy, but pulling them out every so often can really cheer you up if you're feeling crappy or homesick or anything. Postcards from all the empty-nester traveling parents are fun too.
Hopefully this post reaches my parental units and they feel inspired to keep the packages coming-- I'm hoping it's not just a freshman year thing that I'll "grow out of." Guaranteed that TCPostOffice email always puts a smile on my face. Thanks for the stuff, mom and dad!
I received a care package today. It was mailed over a week ago all the way from Alaska, though my brother's made it to Colorado in just three days. My mom collects stuff for care packages that she sends out maybe bi-monthly. They're never too thrilling, but it's still exciting to see what she came up with. My mom has a tendency to just walk around the house and pick up any object not being used and send it to me. This includes half-empty bath or hair products that haven't been touched in years, or crappy promotional things like pens or flashlights that bear some bank's logo. There's also usually some old thing from my bedroom that I asked her to send me-- a reason for the care package in general.
Today's package includes: two oranges (remember: over a week old), chocolate-covered dried mango (interesting..), a flashlight keychain, my really really old broken IPod that I'm hoping to salvage music from, gum, socks, etc. The thing about these packages is that there's never anything really big or special in them, but they are a great surprise and always make my day. I would never feel good about those pre-ordered mass-produced care packages that parents can sign up for-- because this is truly where the thought really counts. That said, here are some things that make a really, really good care package:
1. Money. Duh, who doesn't like a little extra cash from home. We don't always like to admit to our parents what we're spending money on, and especially can't call up home and ask them to pop some questionable items in the mail. My mom noticed a charge on my brother's credit card statement from "BlahBlah Hookah Lounge"....that started a conversation. If he had just used some cold, hard cash the issue would never have come up.
2. Baked Goods. Another no brainer, but cookies and treats from home are just SO much better than the processed Mather deserts. This may sound awful, but in an effort to encourage healthy eating my mom rarely sends baked goods. Way to do your parenting from 3,000 miles away...just kidding, MOM! Baked goods go like wildfire during latenight in the dorm. Keep 'em coming, mom and dad. Campus Pizza doesn't always cut it.
3. An Answer to my Future. Couldn't our parents, bored and lonely without us at home, spend some time planning our future? Every day we have a conversation about summer plans, internships, classes, etc. How about I open the mail to find completed applications, resumes, etc.? I'd be a lot more motivated if the application process was out of the way.
4. Hangover Survival Kit (or other themed goods). Time to get creative, parents. Pick a care package theme and roll with it. Spring Break, Finals, or holidays are great excuses for a themed package. And after a great night of themed partying, wouldn't you want to open a creative box filled with Advil, coffee, sunglasses, etc.? I think this is the new age of care packages.
5. Cards. All teasing aside, the card is my favorite part of any care package. My parents used to not send one until I kindly requested that they do so-- a few sentences of love and encouragement do a college kid good. I keep the cards, either taped to my wall (if they're pretty) or in a drawer. It may sound cheesy, but pulling them out every so often can really cheer you up if you're feeling crappy or homesick or anything. Postcards from all the empty-nester traveling parents are fun too.
Hopefully this post reaches my parental units and they feel inspired to keep the packages coming-- I'm hoping it's not just a freshman year thing that I'll "grow out of." Guaranteed that TCPostOffice email always puts a smile on my face. Thanks for the stuff, mom and dad!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Desperate for Housing?
As this year's housing lottery rolls around and we all begin freaking out over whether or not we'll get that coveted quad in Wheaton with our three best friends, we may take a minute to look over the adventure that was freshman housing. I feel very blessed that my roommate and I only seldom take the passive-agressive bitchy route. Many friends of mine have had to deal with some weirdos and some meanies this year. A few of the highlights:
My good friend spent her entire first semester of college living in fear of her room. The roommate was a spoiled little girl who was clearly not able to adjust to the living arrangements of college; within the first month she was demanding a room switch to somewhere less noisy. True, we live in a real "freshman frat." But no college dorm is going to be perfectly silent on a Saturday night. This roommate seemed to think that my friend's schedule was ungodly- when she had to wake up for morning practice, get dressed in the dark, and leave the room five minutes later, the roommate made her displeasure perfectly clear. Through passive-aggressivley muttered expletives, melodramatic sighs, and more, she made my friend afraid to even breathe in her room. Fortunately, the area coordinators finally took enough of the roomie's complaints about North and moved her into a single for second semester. A direct quote from the AC: "There's no way I'll let that girl live with anybody."
Another good friend, we'll call her C, seems blessed to have accrued some of the least social roommates in history. As a boarding school freshman, little 14-year-old C spent the year with a roommate who slept with all her clothes and shoes on. On top of the covers. So that in the morning, she could roll directly out of bed and hit the books. You'd think her suffering in high school would pay off, but no. Upon her arrival to Trinity, C found her new roommate just as...erm, interesting. This one spends every waking hour pouring over her books, and cannot seem to handle the fact that C has a social life. If we enter the room she "politely" asks us to be quiet. She has confronted C about letting other people into the room, leaving a water bottle on the wrong desk, and won't share the light from her desk lamp. Seriously. C was just trying to be considerate by using the desk lamp after the roommate had gone to bed. But no, she was kindly asked to turn it off and continue her work in the dark. When C was really sick, the roommate yelled at us for coming into the room to take care of her. Some people clearly have no perception of the people around them.
A friend from high school who goes to college in Alaska had this to say about her roommate: "Our beds touch at the ends, and when she brings her boyfriend home, I have to pretend I'm asleep. But really it's like a roller coaster!" Sexiling is a common problem, but not even bothering to sexile is even worse. There are roommates who steal, from your leftover snacks to your identity. Don't be afraid to take a stand against roommate troubles. A favorite of mine from a strong-minded friend of mine:
I guess we're all looking forward to sophomore year and choosing our housing-- just pray to god your best friends don't become your enemies. And I guess we can all be thankful that we don't live with a Leighton Meester-like psycho stalker, a la The Roommate.
My good friend spent her entire first semester of college living in fear of her room. The roommate was a spoiled little girl who was clearly not able to adjust to the living arrangements of college; within the first month she was demanding a room switch to somewhere less noisy. True, we live in a real "freshman frat." But no college dorm is going to be perfectly silent on a Saturday night. This roommate seemed to think that my friend's schedule was ungodly- when she had to wake up for morning practice, get dressed in the dark, and leave the room five minutes later, the roommate made her displeasure perfectly clear. Through passive-aggressivley muttered expletives, melodramatic sighs, and more, she made my friend afraid to even breathe in her room. Fortunately, the area coordinators finally took enough of the roomie's complaints about North and moved her into a single for second semester. A direct quote from the AC: "There's no way I'll let that girl live with anybody."
Another good friend, we'll call her C, seems blessed to have accrued some of the least social roommates in history. As a boarding school freshman, little 14-year-old C spent the year with a roommate who slept with all her clothes and shoes on. On top of the covers. So that in the morning, she could roll directly out of bed and hit the books. You'd think her suffering in high school would pay off, but no. Upon her arrival to Trinity, C found her new roommate just as...erm, interesting. This one spends every waking hour pouring over her books, and cannot seem to handle the fact that C has a social life. If we enter the room she "politely" asks us to be quiet. She has confronted C about letting other people into the room, leaving a water bottle on the wrong desk, and won't share the light from her desk lamp. Seriously. C was just trying to be considerate by using the desk lamp after the roommate had gone to bed. But no, she was kindly asked to turn it off and continue her work in the dark. When C was really sick, the roommate yelled at us for coming into the room to take care of her. Some people clearly have no perception of the people around them.
A friend from high school who goes to college in Alaska had this to say about her roommate: "Our beds touch at the ends, and when she brings her boyfriend home, I have to pretend I'm asleep. But really it's like a roller coaster!" Sexiling is a common problem, but not even bothering to sexile is even worse. There are roommates who steal, from your leftover snacks to your identity. Don't be afraid to take a stand against roommate troubles. A favorite of mine from a strong-minded friend of mine:
That's one way to do it, I guess...
Thursday, April 7, 2011
High School Never Ends
It's that time of year again-- we may recall it fondly or with horror-- where high school seniors must face their future and make that inevitable college decision. No matter where you end up, you might feel a little bit of anxiety over leaving behind the small comforts of high school for the brand new world of higher education. High school was a great experience for me, and I still have plenty of friends still awaiting their graduation. I won't go so far as to say "best four years of my life," because so far college is looking to surpass that. But I do understand that there is some disappointment in leaving high school behind-- all the pep rallies, games, school spirit, social hierarchy, and drama that goes with it. But fear not-- college is really just a glorified high school experience. Imagine all your favorite (and not-so-favorite) aspects of high school-- and I'm sure you can find a college equivalent.
Spirit Week. Now, I went to a public high school, so all those assemblies and chaotic hallway encounters you see in movies were a reality. We all looked forward to spirit week-- you got to make crazy themed outfits for each day of the week, culminating in an assembly or school dance (ugh) at the end of the week. College may be lacking in Class Color Days or the Boys vs. Girls Assembly, but what we do have is theme parties. Theme parties are basically just spirit week on crack-- same outfits, but a lot more sweaty bodies packed into a dirty basement spilling beer all over said outfit. So don't despair, high schoolers-- your puffy-painted "80zz 2010" t-shirts will still go to good use.
Lunch Period. In high school, those 45 minutes were the highlight of your day: you finally got to chill in the middle of the hallway, lean against lockers, or, if you were really cool, go off-campus for lunch. No one ventured to the cafeteria at my high school. In college, lunch is still a pivotal part of the day. There's no risk of detention if you pull in to the parking lot five minutes late, and the food is (marginally) better. It's the best time to see everyone and catch up, which was basically the same purpose it served in high school. It still remains the perfect time to cram in the rest of your homework, as well.
Social Strife. People may be a shred more mature in college and a little more open-minded, but jocks are still jocks and theater kids are still theater kids, and it's all very similar. You're friends with some people and not others, and you generally hang out with people who do the same stuff as you. It's a time commitment thing. At a small, homogenous school like Trinity, the social scene is very similar to a high school's. Not in a bad way-- everyone is fun and friendly, but if you were into climbing the social ladder in high school, you can totally keep doing that. It's called pledging.
Detention. Worried you're gonna miss out on some good work detail or picking up trash in the parking lot? (Ok. didn't think so...but just in case) It's definitely harder to get in trouble, but the consequences are possibly worse. But a noise violation or other room infraction will land you with some community service or disciplinary action. Instead of getting "called to the principal's office," it's "meet with your area coordinator or dean of students." May sound scary, but college discipline is nothing new. However, you are probably going to do stupider things here than in high school, so duh, you're gonna have to pay.
Sure, college gives you more freedom from your teachers and parents controlling your life. But parents know how to operate a phone and they can try very hard to control your life from however many thousands of miles away they are. At least we know how to screen calls. Just kidding mom, I love your life advice..... But actually, does this high school thing get old? Seniors in college are just as lost and confused as their high school counterparts right now-- and they're finally entering the real world! Are we ever going to grow out of this controlled environment we've spent so long in? Or is real life just more of the same? Hmm, I wonder what the theme party of life would be...?
Spirit Week. Now, I went to a public high school, so all those assemblies and chaotic hallway encounters you see in movies were a reality. We all looked forward to spirit week-- you got to make crazy themed outfits for each day of the week, culminating in an assembly or school dance (ugh) at the end of the week. College may be lacking in Class Color Days or the Boys vs. Girls Assembly, but what we do have is theme parties. Theme parties are basically just spirit week on crack-- same outfits, but a lot more sweaty bodies packed into a dirty basement spilling beer all over said outfit. So don't despair, high schoolers-- your puffy-painted "80zz 2010" t-shirts will still go to good use.
Lunch Period. In high school, those 45 minutes were the highlight of your day: you finally got to chill in the middle of the hallway, lean against lockers, or, if you were really cool, go off-campus for lunch. No one ventured to the cafeteria at my high school. In college, lunch is still a pivotal part of the day. There's no risk of detention if you pull in to the parking lot five minutes late, and the food is (marginally) better. It's the best time to see everyone and catch up, which was basically the same purpose it served in high school. It still remains the perfect time to cram in the rest of your homework, as well.
Social Strife. People may be a shred more mature in college and a little more open-minded, but jocks are still jocks and theater kids are still theater kids, and it's all very similar. You're friends with some people and not others, and you generally hang out with people who do the same stuff as you. It's a time commitment thing. At a small, homogenous school like Trinity, the social scene is very similar to a high school's. Not in a bad way-- everyone is fun and friendly, but if you were into climbing the social ladder in high school, you can totally keep doing that. It's called pledging.
Detention. Worried you're gonna miss out on some good work detail or picking up trash in the parking lot? (Ok. didn't think so...but just in case) It's definitely harder to get in trouble, but the consequences are possibly worse. But a noise violation or other room infraction will land you with some community service or disciplinary action. Instead of getting "called to the principal's office," it's "meet with your area coordinator or dean of students." May sound scary, but college discipline is nothing new. However, you are probably going to do stupider things here than in high school, so duh, you're gonna have to pay.
Sure, college gives you more freedom from your teachers and parents controlling your life. But parents know how to operate a phone and they can try very hard to control your life from however many thousands of miles away they are. At least we know how to screen calls. Just kidding mom, I love your life advice..... But actually, does this high school thing get old? Seniors in college are just as lost and confused as their high school counterparts right now-- and they're finally entering the real world! Are we ever going to grow out of this controlled environment we've spent so long in? Or is real life just more of the same? Hmm, I wonder what the theme party of life would be...?
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Sunday Comes Afterwards
Guys, it seems like just yesterday that it was Friday and we were all lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend...But jeez, where did that weekend go? There's something both magical and tragic about a Sunday at TrinColl-- its complexities stem from an internal struggle between doing your Lit Analysis paper and an overwhelming desire to climb back into bed and try to relive your Saturday night.
When you wake up on a Sunday morning, there's typically a checklist to run through. First off, the phone. I went to bed "early" last night, so I had a few "Wherj arr you!" texts from 4:30 am. Check in with those people, making sure they made it home okay and didn't try too hard to find you, since they clearly didn't. Then, you've gotta run through whatever conversations your phone holds that are potentially embarrassing and/or incriminating. Damage control, friends. Check Facebook to make sure your friend who walked home alone without a phone or ID (because she lost them on Thursday) has been active online in the last six hours, ensuring her survival. Check muploads, statuses, and pictures posted by lightning-quick taggers. Untagging checks may be necessary throughout the day.
The highlight of Sundays comes from your typical Mather brunch. As Carrie Bradshaw says, "There are very few things this New Yorker loves as much as Sunday brunch. You can sleep until noon and still get eggs anywhere in the city, alcohol is often included with the meal, and Sunday is the one day a week you get the single woman's sports pages: the New York Times wedding section." Well, our brunches don't always include the NYT or mimosas (how could you even think about alcohol on a Sunday morning?), but the egg line at Mather is always full of gossip. Sunday brunch is your last chance to relive--or remember-- the highlights of your weekend, because it's just gonna be downhill from here. Relish in sharing stories and pictures and trying to remember why the quote "Does anyone have the number for Campus Sandwich?" seemed so hysterical last night. Mather Sunday is full of awkward eye contact when you realized that the cowboy you dfmo'd last night is ohh, that senior in your psych class...
Eventually the thrill of reliving your pathetic six-second keg stand must wear off, however, and you trek back to your room, stopping in the four separate rooms you left things last night. (Lost: Phone, wallet, dignity.) As you replace the warm leftover beers in your backpack with textbooks, the thought of keeping your eyes open and being productive seems highly unlikely. It's 2 pm, and your roommate is still in bed?! Don't they have work to do?! (Maybe they didn't save all of it for Sunday, Chloe...) Trudge to the library, taking ages to actually open a textbook because you have to go through everycollegegirl's new party album named after an inside joke.
You'll soon realize that you've yet again wasted four or five hours in the library and not gotten anything actually done. Dinner is a slightly less embarrassing version of brunch, except that at that point you're exhausted and have actually run out of things to talk about. Conversation typically turns to "Where did this day go?""I have so much work to do," "Sundays suck." And Sundays do kind of suck. Your mood can be dictated by whether you had a good Saturday or not, so it's easy to be in a bad mood. Usually work is stressing you out, but it's impossible to get done. A perfect Sunday at TrinColl usually involves forgetting last night's embarrassment and spending the entire day in bed with Netflix on demand.
People say Mondays are hard, but Sundays rule both the week and the weekend as a lazy, listless day.
When you wake up on a Sunday morning, there's typically a checklist to run through. First off, the phone. I went to bed "early" last night, so I had a few "Wherj arr you!" texts from 4:30 am. Check in with those people, making sure they made it home okay and didn't try too hard to find you, since they clearly didn't. Then, you've gotta run through whatever conversations your phone holds that are potentially embarrassing and/or incriminating. Damage control, friends. Check Facebook to make sure your friend who walked home alone without a phone or ID (because she lost them on Thursday) has been active online in the last six hours, ensuring her survival. Check muploads, statuses, and pictures posted by lightning-quick taggers. Untagging checks may be necessary throughout the day.
The highlight of Sundays comes from your typical Mather brunch. As Carrie Bradshaw says, "There are very few things this New Yorker loves as much as Sunday brunch. You can sleep until noon and still get eggs anywhere in the city, alcohol is often included with the meal, and Sunday is the one day a week you get the single woman's sports pages: the New York Times wedding section." Well, our brunches don't always include the NYT or mimosas (how could you even think about alcohol on a Sunday morning?), but the egg line at Mather is always full of gossip. Sunday brunch is your last chance to relive--or remember-- the highlights of your weekend, because it's just gonna be downhill from here. Relish in sharing stories and pictures and trying to remember why the quote "Does anyone have the number for Campus Sandwich?" seemed so hysterical last night. Mather Sunday is full of awkward eye contact when you realized that the cowboy you dfmo'd last night is ohh, that senior in your psych class...
Eventually the thrill of reliving your pathetic six-second keg stand must wear off, however, and you trek back to your room, stopping in the four separate rooms you left things last night. (Lost: Phone, wallet, dignity.) As you replace the warm leftover beers in your backpack with textbooks, the thought of keeping your eyes open and being productive seems highly unlikely. It's 2 pm, and your roommate is still in bed?! Don't they have work to do?! (Maybe they didn't save all of it for Sunday, Chloe...) Trudge to the library, taking ages to actually open a textbook because you have to go through everycollegegirl's new party album named after an inside joke.
You'll soon realize that you've yet again wasted four or five hours in the library and not gotten anything actually done. Dinner is a slightly less embarrassing version of brunch, except that at that point you're exhausted and have actually run out of things to talk about. Conversation typically turns to "Where did this day go?""I have so much work to do," "Sundays suck." And Sundays do kind of suck. Your mood can be dictated by whether you had a good Saturday or not, so it's easy to be in a bad mood. Usually work is stressing you out, but it's impossible to get done. A perfect Sunday at TrinColl usually involves forgetting last night's embarrassment and spending the entire day in bed with Netflix on demand.
People say Mondays are hard, but Sundays rule both the week and the weekend as a lazy, listless day.
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