The Rush Home

I was so excited to come home today. I was just ready for a change of pace, and some down time to get prepared for finals. As my day started I was ready to get going, I woke up went to class, grabbed a bite to eat and went back to my room. 

When I got back to my room I had to pack everything up, print my boarding pass, get prepared for my test all in a matter of one hour!  As I attempted to get everything done it was a mad dash! I was running around trying not to forget anything... ID, yes! purse, yes! computer, yes! I figured if I had all of these things I would be set to go. 

As my hour came to it's end I grabbed my book bag and ran to go take my test. As I was about to take my test I took a deep breathe and tried to focus for that 50 minutes. I finished my test! It was a great success and so I proceeded to briskly walk back to my room to grab my luggage and catch my Super Shuttle to take me to the airport. I was so excited walking back into the dorm, I ran up to my door and to my dismay I realized I had locked my key in my room! Out of all the times to leave my room key today would be the day, I was so shocked and irritated!

I started to frantically run up to every RA's door trying to get someone to open my door! As I was running around of course I received a bunch of calls asking me, "Hey are you outside and ready?"  This stressed me out so much! 

Then thankfully I remembered that I could go to Virginia Snider! This was the best thought I had all day!  

Right when I thought of this I dropped my book bag by my door, darted down the stairs, out the door, across the boulevard  and into the glorious doors of Virginia Snider. I had never been happier to see those doors. Once I was there I signed the necessary papers and darted out of there as fast as possible. When I got back I  grabbed my luggage, dropped it by the curb and run back to return the key. 

The catastrophe was finally over, and I was able to sit on the bench outside of Boaz and just enjoy the thoughts of being home. 

Election and The Unbelievable

I was on Facebook.com the other day, you know checking my notifications and messages. As I looked to the left of my page I saw one of my friend’s had updated their status. It had a link attached to it and it had to do with the election, so I decided to take a look at it. To my surprise it wasn’t a video but a recording from the Howard Stern radio show. As I started to listen to the absurd recording I became sick to my stomach. 

The radio station sent people out into Harlem to interview people on what they thought about the election. They asked whom they were voting for and why they were voting for them. But the radio station added a little twist to the whole thing and asked them questions that didn’t really match up. For example, they asked, “ If Obama wins the election would you be okay with Sarah Palin being his vice president?” After hearing this I thought ‘alright this is so funny obviously they know that Palin is not running with Obama, but to my dismay the interviewees responded with a “No it doesn’t bother me at all that he is running with a woman.” You have got to be kidding me! Hearing this literally made me cringe. 

It didn’t end there, oh no it didn’t, they went on to ask these people in Harlem “What views do you like that that Obama presents?” Now we have to remember that the interviews tricked the interviewees, by presenting all of McCain’s views as Obama’s.  When the interviewees were asked about the Obama’s pro-life argument they replied with a “Yes I am all about pro-life.” This isn’t even what Obama believes or supports! If someone is going to vote they need to take it very seriously. Our nation lets people exercise their right to vote and this is definitely an important aspect of our nation, but when people vote and have no idea what points they are supporting or refuting  it is so aggravating!

http://www.bpmdeejays.com/upload/hs_sal_in_Harlem_100108.mp3

Flu Vaccination

As flu season rolls around it posts a question whether the flu vaccination should be taken or not. All around the United States tons of people get the horrendous influenza virus, and it is no fun.  In New Jersey there is a “first-in-the-nation requirement that children get a flu shot in order to attend preschools and day-care centers.” It doesn’t seem like such a bad idea, until you stop to hear what the parents have to say. In this MSNBC article many parents got together and rallied against the policy and “voicing support for a bill that would allow parents to opt out of mandatory vaccinations for their children.” When I first read this line I thought to myself, ‘okay these parents are being stubborn.’ They are being told what to do and they just do not like that.  After reading their arguments it makes sense that they are worried. They want to make sure whatever is going into their children’s bodies are safe and unharmed.

            The only thing really publicized about the vaccination is that it will help your body fight off the virus. It fails to mention the harmful effects that could come along with the vaccination. Obviously the harmful effects do not happen every time and are rare but there always are those certain instances that may occur. Many parents are worried about the side effects. For example many parents “contend there has been inadequate research into the vaccine’s impact on small children.” Are their bodies developed enough to take the vaccination without contracting the virus? Also the parents against the state policy believe “various types of vaccines are being overused, resulting in more cases of autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity.” This would be a definite factor keeping the parents from being so willing to have their children injected with the vaccine. Nobody wants their child to develop those disorders, and having that slight possibility of that happening is a scary thing to think about.

On the other hand the state has good points for the law. The state wants the children to get vaccinated so if they do get the virus it doesn’t pass on to other children in the school or daycare. The New Jersey government realizes that they are more vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases because of their “high population density, a mobile population and many recently arrived immigrants.” So they took the initiative to do something about it. They view this law as something that is going to keep many more children healthy throughout the flu season nothing more than that.  

It is a hard decision to reason with, do they let the parents do what they believe is right for their children? Or is this something that needs to be kept with the New Jersey government?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26291109/

KING TUT

Currently at the Dallas Museum of Art, King Tutankhamun is on display! This exhibition has caught the eye of over 5 million vistors worldwide. This tour is returning to the United States and Dallas is the first stop of the tour. I read about this in our school newspaper and was fully intrigued so I proceeded to find the website to get more information. The exhibition explores the “figures who guided ancient Egypt more than 3,000 years ago,” and focuses on the era when Tutankhamun was in power of the lands. The museum has “more than 130 artifacts from the tomb of Tutankhuman and other ancient Egyptian sites.”

I was blown away that this opportunity was in our city. King Tut became pharaoh when he was only nine years old and he reigned for ten years, I do not know how a nine year old could rule a city-state but it worked. King Tut is so famous now because when Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon founded his tomb, in 1922, it was in almost perfect condition. Now 86 years later people all around the world are still visiting the tomb.

It is such a privilege to visit these artifacts and I can’t wait to go and physically see things that have been around for hundreds of years. Will people be as impressed with the artifacts they obtain from our generation?  What would they put on display? Have you ever thought that one day our lives in which we think are such a small part of the world could be studied and dissected. Someone could be so fascinated by the way in which we lived that our lives could potentially become apart of an exhibit. If this happened, what would they have learned from you? 

Oh the Parentals

This weekend was quite the experience! It was the weekend all kids look forward to whether they admit it or not. When you leave for college it is so amazing to get the whole new experience of never having a curfew, never needing to tell your parents what you're doing or who you're with. It is a sense of freedom that you have never experienced before, you are your own boss. Everything is in your hands. In the beginning the experience is new and exciting, and it still is don't get me wrong, but there is always that part of you that wants to be taken care of.  That part about being with people who care so much about you and would do anything for you makes you so much more comfortable. When my dad and stepmom were waiting for me outside of my dorm with their huge smiles on it was the best feeling ever! It was so awesome showing them a day in the life of me at college!

 My dad had never seen the school before this weekend so I was so excited to show him around, once he saw the beautiful place he told me how much he loved it. Knowing that my dad loved where I was living my first year at college made me so happy. Although it shouldn't have mattered or made me feel a certain way if I had my dads approval,  knowing that I had that made me so so happy, and almost gave me a sense of relief. The okay from my dad has always been such a big part of my life.I have always wanted to make him proud and knowing that he loves that I am here having such a great time, and doing so well makes my time here so much worth while. 

The Start of a New Adventure

So we are going on the third week of classes, and I finally feel like I am getting the hang of things. When I first arrived to campus on the 19th of August I was so excited, thrilled, and anxious to be here. I moved in that day and it didn't seem like that big of a change, at the moment. The first night sleeping in the residence hall felt like just another sleepover with a new friend.  That day my mom and sister moved me in, got my room  situated and yet I guess it just didn't sink in that this was going to be my new home. Once I returned back from Mustang Corral, it finally hit me. I wasn't going back home until Thanksgiving. It freaked me out in the beginning but after a these 21 days of getting used to it, I really believe my year here at SMU is going to be something great. I can not wait to experience all of the new endeavors that await me.