Best Friends?

We promised to remain best friends forever. I remember saying that we would never change and would remain the best friends we had always been. Coming back for my week long Thanksgiving vacation sadly I do not still feel the same about my best friends from high school. It was amazing seeing them and hearing about how there college experiences were going, but something was different. Being at different schools in different states all across the country has in some ways started to destroy my friendships. 

I am sure I am not the only freshmen feeling this way about there friends from home. After all, we are all growing up and maturing into the adult people we are destined to be, and I do not think this is necessarily a bad thing. Even though I do not feel as close to the friends I have known forever, I still want to maintain my friendships with them. I think it is very important to have a large variety of friends and friendships. Talking to friends on Ichat and having them visit from the weekend at SMU are all ways that can help. 

I am excited to go back home for December break and see my friends. Maybe this long break can help us get back into our groove. 

Halloween Hoes!

I posted a comment on Paris Hilton's post about Halloween Hoe's. Is it really acceptable to dress this way even if its for fun?

A Life and Death Decision?

I am I the only freshmen getting annoyed with sorority recruitment? I love meeting new people and experiencing new things, but I find myself constantly acting so fake. Meeting all the necessary girls is one thing, but having to go to each greek event with a smile is another. I find it so exhausting. It has become one giant competition amongst the freshmen girls. Who can meet more Kappas or who can have coffee with more Theta's ect. I do not understand why joining a sorority at SMU has become such a big ordeal. Most of my friends go to schools in the North- East and do not have as much pressure but on them as we do. They do not even have to have rec's for sororities. They think in schools like Dartmouth that you should be yourself and having rec's is trying to hard. Its funny, because all of the different girls I have met for lunch or coffee have been so nice and welcoming and have even said they felt the same as I do now when they were freshmen. 

I want to join a sorority, but I don't understand why can't SMU let go of some of their rules. Why can't we meet these girls for lunch or dinner off campus or Why can't I visit my friends in sororities at there apartments off- campus? Why does it have to be this strict process with so many rules? I love tradition and I am not saying I think SMU should get rid of all of there rules but some I think have to go. Joining a sorority should be a fun process and not stressful one. 

Comment on Northern Girl in the South

I just posted a comment on Northern Girl in the South's blog about Heat Moon's encounter with Miz Alice. She talked about a quote from the reading. Alice Middleton says that Education is thinking, and thinking is looking for yourself and seeing what's there. Although I do agree with this statement, I do not agree with the way Heat- Moon went about finding himself. I know I would never pack my life away and drive across the country. I also do not think I could live in the type of isolation that Heat-Moon did. 

Heat- Moon Reading

Question- Why do you think Heat- Moon visited Alice Middleton on your six-by- four mile Island? What similarities in the way they live their lives make for such easy comparisons between the two? 

While on his travels across the country, Heat- Moon visits with a retired teacher on a small island on the Chesapeake. I think that the way she lives her life seems like an inspiration to Heat-Moon. Even though the inhabitants on the island can get to the main land via ferryboat, the island is for the most part very isolated. She notes that, "We've had electricity on the island for only the last twenty-nine years. Phones for less than that. We've been a rustic tribe." Can you imagine living without electricity and phones? That seems unimaginable to me. I think that this idea of living "rustic" would also seem ideal for Heat- Moon. It seems like the perfect place to run away from your problems. As part Native American, I would think he would relish in the idea of living freely and peacefully. I could definitely see Heat- Moon abandoning his way of life and moving to this Island. 

Heat Moon and Alice Middleton are extremely similar people. Both have chosen to live parts of their lives in isolation. Heat- Moon has decided to escape from the troubles of his life by fixing up an old van and traveling around the country for a season. Miz Middleton has chosen to live on a six- by- four mile island for the past sixty- three years of her life. There rustic ways of living also shows a strong connection between nature inside each of them. Middleton also yearns for a time when the inhabitants knew more about the plants and animals on the island, while Heat- Moon yearns to live a less complicated lifestyle. They are also both teachers and I would expect them to value the idea of education through thinking and looking at yourself. 

Closed on Weekends?

Every weekend Mac's Place, The Hughes Trigg Market, and the main cafeteria on campus, Umphrey Lee closes at 6 pm on Friday, and does not open until 6 pm on Sunday. This is something that I do not understand. How can all cafeterias on campus close on the weekend? 

I understand that most likely a smaller amount of SMU students visit these eating areas on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but why do they have to close all of them completely? Why can't they have less staff working, open at more specific hours or have a smaller amount of meals available for students? I know that I am always hungry late at night and early in the morning on Saturday and Sunday, and I know that I am not the only one? 

Also, by closing the cafeteria on weekends it forces students to eat out in restaurants. If you are a student at SMU and on a very strict budget how are you suppose to pay for all of these meals? If you have to eat out each and every weekend of the year you will surely be spending hundreds of dollars. I do not think this is fair to the student body. 

Many SMU students do not have cars. How are they suppose to get to restaurants if they do not have access to transportation? I know that they are restaurants across the street at Synder Plaza, but if you are not in the mood for Sushi, Subs or pizza than you are out of luck. 

In my opinion, I think that they should keep at least one of these eating areas open during the weekend. I think that it would be most beneficial to keep Mac's place open. Each time I am in Mac's place their are many SMU students buying food. They are buying food at all times during the day, at dinner, and after they come home late at night. I think it would be cost effective for SMU and very helpful to its students to keep this eating area open. 

Closed?

Every weekend Mac's place, and the Hughes Triggs cafeteria closes at 6 pm on Friday, and does not open until 6 pm on Sunday. This is something I do not understand. How can a college cafeteria close on the weekends? 

I understand that maybe not as many SMU students visit these eating areas on friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but why do they have to close it completely? Why can't they have less staff working or open at specific hours. I know that I am always hungry late at night or early in the morning on Saturday and Sunday, and I know I am not the only one. 

Also, by closing the cafeteria on the weekends it forces students to eat out in restaurants. If you are a student at SMU and on a very strict budget how are you suppose to pay for all of these meals? If you have to eat out each weekend for each week of the year you will surely be spending hundreds of dollars. I do not think that this is fair. 

If the school does not want to keep the general cafeteria open than I think they should keep Mac's place open. Each time I am in there so many SMU students are there. I think that it makes so much sense, and is cost effective. 

Changing the Drinking Age Post

I just posted a comment on My Blog's post called, " Should the Drinking Age be Lowered." He or she talked about how they believe the drinking age should be changed from 21 to 18. I feel the same way. I think that by lowering the drinking age it might cut down on the number of kids rushed to the hospital or involved in drunk driving accidents, because of binge drinking. 

What to Wear?

I posted a comment on Mrs. John Mayor's blog called clothes call- Dress up or Dress down? She talked about her daily dilemma about what she should wear each day. I agree with her that every girl on campus wants to look nice and put together with confidence and not dumpy in sweat pants and a sweat- shirt. However, I do not think that this is a major problem. Maybe she should lay her outfit ahead of time so she is not stressed in the morning. There are many more things in life, and especially during your first year of college be worried and stressed out about! 

 

This this Land Really There Land?

In class today, we discussed an article by Barbara Ehrenreich entitled, " This Land is Their Land." I was completely appalled by what was written. The author went on an angry tirade about her hatred for wealthy upper class Americans. As a feminist, socialist, and political activist, she expressed her opinion about how if a place is truly beautiful than you generally cannot afford to live there. 

Ehrenreich grew up in a small town in Montana, and as a result has small town mentality. How can she say that all wealthy Americans are ruining the character and charm of towns like Key West, The Hamptons, and Cape Code. She said, " There's the elusive of charm, which quickly drains away in a uniform population of a multimillionaires." I do not agree with this statement. Yes, some people may be displaced, but I think generally the wealthy are helping the communities they move into. They are bringing in job prospects that were not there before, and enriching the community. 

I am from New York and each summer I visit both the Hampstons and Cape Code. Of course they are amazing houses, but I believe that a rustic and a small town feelings exists. The world is constantly changing and I think that Ms. Ehrenreich cannot be so naive her her beliefs. Not every wealthy American is building a McMansion and trying to tear down a community. 

College Roomates Post

I just commented one Jessie531's blog about college roomates. I agreed 100% with what was said. I find it really hard living with another person, because I have been fortunate to have had my own rooom and bathroom my whole life. It is going to be a challenge to find that perfect balance between putting my roomate first and me first. Luckily, I have a great roomate and I know we will find a way to make it work! I do not mind turning off the TV when she wants to sleep or study, and I know that she would do the same for me. 

Parents Weekend in a Hotel

Parents weekend has come and gone. It was really nice seeing my family, but what I am really going to miss is the hotel. I had my own bed, my own shower, and my own TV. A month living in the doors at SMU really makes you appreciate the simple pleasures in life.

I felt like I wasn't a college student, but a guest at a hotel enjoying a nice and relaxing vacation with my family. After eating and sleeping so well how am I suppose to come back to the reality of dorm life? After only three days, the transition is going to be difficult. I am not completely naive, I know living in the dorm is a right of passage for every freshman in college, but am I the only one who thinks it should be a tradition that we should not continue? I know that the proximity to class is great, and access to friends is a plus, but in my opinion the cons out

way the pros.

SMU is such a beautiful school and so I cannot understand why the dorms are so lackluster. I know that cannot be five star hotels, but I do think that they leave a lot to be desired. In my hall the rooms are very small, and there are constant problems with the A.C. People are always sick and as a result getting there friends sick. The bathrooms are communal, which is know is normal for a college dorm, but they are never cleaned and the showers are way too small!

I have already begun a countdown for October break, when I can go home and enjoy the simple pleasures that I miss when I am at school. Until that time, I guess I will have to suck it up like every other freshman on campus.

Comment on Death Spiral

I commented on the blog, " A Contempoary Introduction to Freestyle" called Death Sprial. I agree 100% with the topic of time management and the struggle between balancing your academic and social lives. Everyone is going through the rocky adjustment between high school and college life and I think it is definitly going to take sometime to get used to. We no longer have our moms and dads around to regulate the hours spent watching tv, and going out. As scary as that thought is, We are going to have to do it ourselves. Of course I welcome the thought of freedom and responcibility, because I am 19 years old and I just hope I don't mess it up my first go around!

Link to " Death Spiral"......http://getsomeyeah.blogspot.com/

My Facebook Addiction

I am addicted to facebook. I can sit for hours looking through wall posts, pictures of my friends and people in my network without ever being bored. I love tagging myself in pictures taken at parties over the weekend and the night before, while writing messages to friends I haven't seen in a while.

Facebook is probably the must distracting invention ever created for someone like me in college. I wonder how long assignments would really take me to complete if I wasn't constantly on facebook. I would guess that I probably spend double the time I normally would. And even though I know all of this ,I still can't stop from going on, and I am sure you can't either. I know I am not the only one feeling this way! I know that most everyone has felt the same way I do last year in High school, and now in college. 

There is just something about facebook that makes you want to check it whenever your're at the computer to see if you have any new messages. It must be the combination of hating to do my work and wishing I was doing anything else other than studying. Maybe if i enjoyed the topics more in some of my classes, I would not go on facebook as much.

I am going to try and make a conscious effort to avoid going online, whenever I have homework and important assignments that are due. I am thinking it will be like an experiment to see how much better my grades will be and how much faster I will be able to complete them. I'm sure ill end up breaking my new rule, but at least I'm attempting to try!