Here recently I've noticed that I'm beginning to phase out of that childish part of life, and have started slipping away into adulthood. It just hit me a few days ago that I am now a junior in college. A junior. That means that two years of my college career have flown by. So I decided to look back at them, and see what I thought about them, and what I could learn from the mistakes I've made and those things I got right.
In pretty much every positive memory of college that I have, my fraternity is in it someway. Hands down this was one of the best decisions that I've ever made, and if you're in college or going to college I encourage you to rush. It doesn't matter which one either, as long as you pick one that fits you best. Here's the back story to why I rushed in the first place...
It was freshmen year first semester, and I moved into my new dorm room. I had a roommate and two suite mates, but we moved all of our beds into one room and used the other as a living room, so I call them all my roommates. Regardless, we all had girlfriends back home which was convenient because we each kinda looked after each other. We all became real close, especially David and I. We started working out each day pretty much, and I actually lost the Freshmen 15 (which I have since gained, and am now working on losing it again).
Anyway, many of the men in David's family have been in fraternities so he was very excited to rush. I, however, am the first one who will graduate from college in my family (for the most part, I think I have some uncles or aunts whom I don't really know that went to college). On top of that, the only thing I knew about the fraternity was from movies or TV, so I had no intention of joining. David convinced me to at least rush, because it wasn't like I was actually joining one and he wanted someone he knew to go through with him. So I rushed.
For this next part it might help if I explain how the rush process works. First you go through for about a week and meet all the guys in the fraternity. Then they pick a list of guys who they want and give them a bid. When you sign the bid from a fraternity, that means you are officially pledging that fraternity. Once you sign the bid, you can no longer pledge another fraternity for an entire year.
During the rush week, I immediately clicked with the guys in my fraternity, everyone I talked to was down to earth. David, however, clicked with another one. On the day we received our bids, he decided to rush the other one, though I told him he should pledge with me. A few days later, for reasons I will not go into, David dropped his fraternity. After talking with me and several of our other brothers, he was able to pledge us. He had never singed his bid card, so he never was an actual pledge. Today, I am proud to call him my brother. And he will actually be my roommate next year.
I think that something everyone hopes for is a decent relationship. Unfortunately for me, this doesn't really happen that often. If you're one of those people who are in a decent relationship, then flaunt it elsewhere. Now when I looked back over the past years, I realized that I had actually done better relationship wise than I had expected. I don't like to go into too much detail, but I dated three girls this last year. More than my entire high school years. But of course, that means that they ended three times as well.
Now I would just like to say that women are peculiar. They say that they want a man who will listen to her, who will make her laugh, and who isn't an asshole. Now I fill all three of these requirements, but no surprise that I as well as numerous other nice guys out there am single. This is because women are liars, and what they really want is that asshole who will treat them like crap, then leave them for the next thing that comes along. When this happens, they need the nice guy to cry to.
And to be honest, I don't really care right now. Okay, of course I care, everyone cares. And it would be great to have a nice girl around. But really, I don't have time or money for it. Women are too expensive. Oh hush ladies, you are and you know it. But men don't mind really. It makes us feel like we're in control, which is what we need sometimes. What I am sick of, though, are the girls who are teases. Really? If you're a girl and are reading this, please do me a favor and don't tease a guy.
Recently I was flirting with this lovely young lady, who was clearly flirting back. For about two weeks or so this went on and I was feeling rather confident and was going to ask her out to dinner, when we were hanging out one day and she drops the "Hey you know how I've been flirting with you? Yeah, well I just want to be friends" card. Now this happens a lot, my being the just-a-friend or like-a-brother, and normally I don't let it get to me. For some reason though, this did get to me. I haven't told her how I feel though, and I probably won't. It's been a while since that happened and I'm pretty much over it. But please ladies, spare any fellow you've been rubbing elbows with if you're not interested.
And the thing that should probably come before all of this, school. Ah school. Now I'm not one to brag, but high school for me was a breeze. I do not attribute this to my being intelligent, but rather my high school being a little behind. Now I was in all of the advanced and AP classes, and I even was accepted to the International Baccalaureate program, but in all honestly I did nothing in high school. And it was awesome.
Not only was the schoolwork rather easy, but I was a complete suck up which helped a lot. On top of that, I was on the football team which meant I had an unlimited Get Out of Jail Free card. Then came college, and I learned that I was not a juggernaut of the classroom, but rather I was just your Average Joe. This worked out well for the first year or so, but then I was handed responsibilities.
President of the German club for two consecutive years, officer of the Technology Student Association for two years, captain of the JV football team... yeah I was involved in things, but like everything else in high school the responsibilities for organizations here was on a different level. This past year I was an RA, which means that anytime anyone in Wells has a question about anything, I am the person they asked. Or if there was a party and I had to bust it, I was the one who was called because I was the only guy. Or if they left their key after coming back from downtown at 3:00AM, it was my door they knocked on. This would have been fine if I had not been the Historian for my fraternity as well. All of the nonsense I had to do for this position can be found in my other notes I'm sure. But let's just say I had a full plate.
The reason we study history, as they say, is so we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. So what have I learned? I have learned that joining the fraternity is by far the best and most fun (grammar?) decision that I have ever made. I have learned that no matter how many times my sleeping schedule has been disrupted by my residents, a giant yellow thank you card at the end of the year and a handful of great memories makes it all worth it. I have learned that I need to buckle down more when it comes to my schoolwork, it's not freshmen year anymore. And secondly I learned that I have found a new love for writing, even if nobody reads my blog.
Speaking of, if you have managed to read my blog, would you please let me know? Leave a comment about what you like and what you don't. I won't take it offensively, unless you're just a complete ass about it.
-Beast
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
End of the Year Thoughts
"I hate saying goodbye, so I'll just say I'll see you later!" -Katie Morgan
So this year has wrapped up fairly well. For those of you who don't know, I took on a little too much this year. I was the Historian for my fraternity, which means I planned our annual formal. I was an RA for Wells Hall, which is by far the best hall. And on top of that I had the worst schedule of my life. Needless to say, my responsibility level went from normal to insane. I went from responsibility to liability.
As far as liability for the fraternity goes, I was on the Executive Council. This means if anything bad goes down, we're the ones responsible. Though fraternities in real life, or at least mine, are nothing like the ones you see on TV or movies, the EC is responsible if, God forbid, something happens. But honestly that's not so bad considering that as an RA I am in possession of a master key to the building. That one little key is worth something like $10,000, which is definitely more than I can afford to lose.
I remember one time it was late at night, probably around three thirty or so, and someone knocks on my door because they forgot their key. Well of course I was sound asleep and so I woke up, let them in, and went straight back to bed. Unfortunately, I really did go straight to bed. When I woke up the next morning I couldn't find my keys. Eventually I found them, in the lock where the master key was supposed to be.
Freaking out I frantically searched my room. And by search I mean throwing my sheets off the bed, flipping through all of my clothes checking the pockets. I pretty much emptied out the drawers to my desk seeing if maybe I had lost it somewhere in there. Finally I found them in my couch cushion. I guess I sat down before I went to bed that night. But as any RA who has lost their master key can tell you, it's one of the worst things you can feel.
School this past semester was, to say the least, ridiculous. I had the most sporadic schedule. One class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Three classes Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday and Thursday I was in class for five and a half hours starting at 8am. The classes I took were Art, Brit Lit, US History, Communications, and Mixed Martial Arts. Like I said, I had a ridiculous schedule.
But after countless hours of stressing out about everything, I think I did very well this semester. Rose Ball, that annual formal for my fraternity I mentioned earlier, went over very well. I forgot to mention that this year was our 25th anniversary, so it was an extra special occasion that I had to plan. On top of that pressure, I had never seen a Rose Ball before, so I was going in blind. In the end, I had a lot of good feedback from our alumni and the active brothers. Of course there are some things I would have changed, but luckily that's not my job next year.
Speaking of next year, it should be significantly better. My schedule consists of classes that I actually need, not just random things that I had to pick up because I changed my major from Management to Creative Writing. I will be the Secretary for my fraternity, which basically means I'll be doing a lot of paperwork (something I would much rather do than plan a formal). And I will be an RA at the Universities apartment complex. I will have a roommate, one of my brothers who I was roommates with my freshmen year. Actually, he is the one that made me rush, but that's a story for later.
So all in all I think this year has been pretty B.A. Next year's looking pretty good as well. But for now, I need to finish unpacking my new apartment. Maybe I'll put some pics up if you're lucky. Oh, and since I just saw the new Star Trek movie last night, and I've been wanting to say this...
Live long and prosper.
-Beast
PS- I just re-read some of my notes and fixed a couple of typos. In the process I noticed I only have a couple stories up. I'll start working on some more so you have something to look forward to.
So this year has wrapped up fairly well. For those of you who don't know, I took on a little too much this year. I was the Historian for my fraternity, which means I planned our annual formal. I was an RA for Wells Hall, which is by far the best hall. And on top of that I had the worst schedule of my life. Needless to say, my responsibility level went from normal to insane. I went from responsibility to liability.
As far as liability for the fraternity goes, I was on the Executive Council. This means if anything bad goes down, we're the ones responsible. Though fraternities in real life, or at least mine, are nothing like the ones you see on TV or movies, the EC is responsible if, God forbid, something happens. But honestly that's not so bad considering that as an RA I am in possession of a master key to the building. That one little key is worth something like $10,000, which is definitely more than I can afford to lose.
I remember one time it was late at night, probably around three thirty or so, and someone knocks on my door because they forgot their key. Well of course I was sound asleep and so I woke up, let them in, and went straight back to bed. Unfortunately, I really did go straight to bed. When I woke up the next morning I couldn't find my keys. Eventually I found them, in the lock where the master key was supposed to be.
Freaking out I frantically searched my room. And by search I mean throwing my sheets off the bed, flipping through all of my clothes checking the pockets. I pretty much emptied out the drawers to my desk seeing if maybe I had lost it somewhere in there. Finally I found them in my couch cushion. I guess I sat down before I went to bed that night. But as any RA who has lost their master key can tell you, it's one of the worst things you can feel.
School this past semester was, to say the least, ridiculous. I had the most sporadic schedule. One class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Three classes Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday and Thursday I was in class for five and a half hours starting at 8am. The classes I took were Art, Brit Lit, US History, Communications, and Mixed Martial Arts. Like I said, I had a ridiculous schedule.
But after countless hours of stressing out about everything, I think I did very well this semester. Rose Ball, that annual formal for my fraternity I mentioned earlier, went over very well. I forgot to mention that this year was our 25th anniversary, so it was an extra special occasion that I had to plan. On top of that pressure, I had never seen a Rose Ball before, so I was going in blind. In the end, I had a lot of good feedback from our alumni and the active brothers. Of course there are some things I would have changed, but luckily that's not my job next year.
Speaking of next year, it should be significantly better. My schedule consists of classes that I actually need, not just random things that I had to pick up because I changed my major from Management to Creative Writing. I will be the Secretary for my fraternity, which basically means I'll be doing a lot of paperwork (something I would much rather do than plan a formal). And I will be an RA at the Universities apartment complex. I will have a roommate, one of my brothers who I was roommates with my freshmen year. Actually, he is the one that made me rush, but that's a story for later.
So all in all I think this year has been pretty B.A. Next year's looking pretty good as well. But for now, I need to finish unpacking my new apartment. Maybe I'll put some pics up if you're lucky. Oh, and since I just saw the new Star Trek movie last night, and I've been wanting to say this...
Live long and prosper.
-Beast
PS- I just re-read some of my notes and fixed a couple of typos. In the process I noticed I only have a couple stories up. I'll start working on some more so you have something to look forward to.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
WARNING! Do Not Read This Post!
Seriously, don't read it. It's filthy and disturbing. It probably shouldn't be read by anyone, really. The only reason I'm posting this is because out of the 90% of people who are disgusted, there will be 10% who will laugh. And it's for that 10% that I write.
The following is a facebook conversation between a friend and I. All names have been changed to protect the innocent. Although, there's not much innocence here.
Calvin: hey big sexy
Beast: Sup baby?
Calvin: whatcha wearin?
Beast: Nothing. You?
Calvin: a thong. and a bikini top made out of salami
Beast: Ooo, my favorite. Just for me?
Calvin: I can sense what you want
Beast: You were always good at that.
Calvin: it's cause I'm a part of you
Beast: Hey now! You know I don't do that until the second date.
Calvin: just close your eyes and take it
Beast: You love it when I say that.
Calvin: yeah baby
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Top Ten Tuesday, May 5
The Top Ten Ways to Spend Finals Week
1. Spend your nights in the library, cramming in all the information you should have been studying throughout the school year.
2. Spend a good amount of time sucking up to teachers so you can get a better grade.
3. Spend hours getting notes that you missed from people in your class you don't even know.
4. Spend too much time procrastinating on facebook.
5. Spend the 2:00am hour at a fast food place for a midnight snack.
6. Spend the entire week stressing about your work load.
7. Spend the ten minute breaks you get catching up on sleep you missed the night before.
8. Spend some time packing up all your things to get ready to move.
9. Spend a few minutes realizing that you've just completed another year at college.
10. Spend the rest of your time after your last final enjoying the summer break.
1. Spend your nights in the library, cramming in all the information you should have been studying throughout the school year.
2. Spend a good amount of time sucking up to teachers so you can get a better grade.
3. Spend hours getting notes that you missed from people in your class you don't even know.
4. Spend too much time procrastinating on facebook.
5. Spend the 2:00am hour at a fast food place for a midnight snack.
6. Spend the entire week stressing about your work load.
7. Spend the ten minute breaks you get catching up on sleep you missed the night before.
8. Spend some time packing up all your things to get ready to move.
9. Spend a few minutes realizing that you've just completed another year at college.
10. Spend the rest of your time after your last final enjoying the summer break.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Condoms and Credit Cards
All names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Recently my good friend Alexander tasted the forbidden fruit for the first time, and ever since his hunger has not been quenched. Unfortunately for my dear friend, his main squeeze has been unavailable due to that monthly visit. Needless to say, he's been quite restless for a week.
Hanging out today, he mentioned that tonight be that special night that ends that horrible week, and he wanted to have some condoms just in case. I'm not sure why, but it seemed like everywhere he went there were no supplies. I mention that I needed to go to Wal-Mart because I had run out of toothpaste and deodorant, and that it would probably be cheaper for him to get condoms there anyway.
So being the shy young man he is, he goes over and gets a box of Trojans and quickly gets in line at the self-checkout. Slowly we make our way up the line, laughing at his embarrassment. As we're waiting, a long line forms behind us. Finally his turn arrives and he scans the box, his only purchase, and checks out. He swipes his credit card and signs the electronic pen pad.
As fate would have it, today would not be the day that he could buy condoms in peace. The pen pad is broken and is not accepting his signature. Quickly, he signs again, hoping that it works. He tries this several times to no avail. Each time he signs, his face becomes a brighter shade of red. Each failed try only aggravates the long line behind us too.
"Will you hurry up and sign it?" suggests the impatient man behind us. Now people are starting to wonder what's going on, and are looking interestingly at my friend's purchase. There is also a mom and her kids, who are now curious to what my friend is buying. Of course this only makes things worse for him. Finally an employee walks over and enters a magic code that sets him free from his embarrassment. I checkout and pay with my card as well. The machine works perfectly for me, as he hurries away with a scarlet face.
So I guess the moral of this story is to always pay for condoms in cash to avoid embarrassment. Or not to be embarrassed when buying condoms because, hey, at least you're getting some, right?
-Beast
Recently my good friend Alexander tasted the forbidden fruit for the first time, and ever since his hunger has not been quenched. Unfortunately for my dear friend, his main squeeze has been unavailable due to that monthly visit. Needless to say, he's been quite restless for a week.
Hanging out today, he mentioned that tonight be that special night that ends that horrible week, and he wanted to have some condoms just in case. I'm not sure why, but it seemed like everywhere he went there were no supplies. I mention that I needed to go to Wal-Mart because I had run out of toothpaste and deodorant, and that it would probably be cheaper for him to get condoms there anyway.
So being the shy young man he is, he goes over and gets a box of Trojans and quickly gets in line at the self-checkout. Slowly we make our way up the line, laughing at his embarrassment. As we're waiting, a long line forms behind us. Finally his turn arrives and he scans the box, his only purchase, and checks out. He swipes his credit card and signs the electronic pen pad.
As fate would have it, today would not be the day that he could buy condoms in peace. The pen pad is broken and is not accepting his signature. Quickly, he signs again, hoping that it works. He tries this several times to no avail. Each time he signs, his face becomes a brighter shade of red. Each failed try only aggravates the long line behind us too.
"Will you hurry up and sign it?" suggests the impatient man behind us. Now people are starting to wonder what's going on, and are looking interestingly at my friend's purchase. There is also a mom and her kids, who are now curious to what my friend is buying. Of course this only makes things worse for him. Finally an employee walks over and enters a magic code that sets him free from his embarrassment. I checkout and pay with my card as well. The machine works perfectly for me, as he hurries away with a scarlet face.
So I guess the moral of this story is to always pay for condoms in cash to avoid embarrassment. Or not to be embarrassed when buying condoms because, hey, at least you're getting some, right?
-Beast
Friday, May 1, 2009
Letters to my Sister, From College
Dear Sister,
As a big brother it's my duty to prepare you for college, so I've decided to write you a series of letters to help you make better decisions than I. This is the first one.
For starters, let's look at your living situation. As an RA I see many roommate disagreements, the most of which come from girls. For some reason when you stick two girls into a room, one of two things is bound to happen:
A) They will become the best of friends. They do everything, literally everything together. They eat, sleep, take classes, work out, visit friends, everything together. If this doesn't happen, then we go to step B.
B) They will absolutely despise each other. First it will start off as a small quarrel. Then Girl 1 will piss Girl 2 off a little more by doing something small. Because Girl 2 is mad at Girl 1, Girl 1 will then look for things Girl 2 does that is annoying. Then it escalates from here.
Rarely does this happen for guys. I have never seen two guy roommates either join at the hip or repel like magnets. They will become friends and hang out, or they will just live with each other. The end. Guys are simple.
Secondly, in this letter I would like to tell you about parties. Ah yes, mother and father, if you're reading this your Precious Princess will indeed go to a party or twelve. I did. The thing is to be smart about it.
Now the subject of parties is a difficult thing for me to talk about, especially to my little sister. From the fraternity aspect, I have been to my fair share of parties, and maybe more. It's easy to get carried away with it though, so be careful not to become a habitual party-goer. This is where the RA in me kicks in.
Too many of my residents have gone down this road. First it starts with the Thursday night parties. Yes that's right, Thursday night. "What about class on Friday?" you might say. Well that's where unexcused absences come in. It's not uncommon for Freshmen to get "sick" their first few weeks. From Thursday it goes to Friday which, after all, you don't have anything to do Saturday so it doesn't really matter, right? Then Saturday rolls around, and of course you can do all of your work Sunday night, so you go out again. The real problem starts when other nights come into play. "Well Monday night is trivia night, so that's like learning, right?" "Oh, it's Tuesday! Karaoke Night, plus I need a break from that Monday..." ...as you can see, it just spirals out of hand.
The kids who do this generally are also the kids who get put on academic probation and who drop classes, gradually getting further and further behind. And of course there will be the occasional week where you will want to go downtown on a Tuesday night, and that's ok as long as it's only once in a while.
Another thing that will be something different for you to face than for me is what happens at parties. I've seen way too many girls who were sheltered go crazy now that mommy and daddy aren't there. And I'm not saying you're sheltered or that you're going to go crazy, but sometimes it's easier just to ignore what we know we should do and just do what seems to be fun. Don't go home with guys you've met at parties, and don't take drinks from strangers. Not to sound like a broken record, but those are things that you need to watch out for. Plus I'm your big brother, and you're not allowed to date until after you're married.
So now that I feel like a parent lecturing you about the evils of being out in the world on your own, I think it should only be fitting to tell you the truth. Here are some things you will do in college:
1) You will meet so many people it will be overwhelming for you. Some of them you'll like, some of them you'll hate, and many of them you'll forget.
2) After meeting all of these new people, you will forget virtually everyone from your high school. Sure you'll chat on facebook every now and again, but slowly you'll talk to fewer and fewer of them. Sure you'll keep a few of your close old friends near by, but even they will grow farther apart.
3) You'll meet Mr. Right, then he'll break up with you. For this all I can say is shit happens, so learn to carry roses to mask the stench. Keep good friends around and you'll be ok.
4) You'll skip class to work on something for another class. Hey, it happens. College is a lot harder than High School and you'll become a master at procrastinating, just like your older brother. Though you are smarter than I, so hopefully not.
5) You'll learn more outside of the classroom than you do in it. Yes it's true. Most of the learning that I've done here has been through my fraternity and being an RA. Get involved with things, and you'll learn so much that you'll wonder why you're taking class in the first place.
Well I feel that's sufficient rambling for one night, and as stories come up I'll be sure to write you again. As for now it's time for me to write that paper I've been putting off. See? I told you you'll learn to put off your work.
I love you,
Beast
As a big brother it's my duty to prepare you for college, so I've decided to write you a series of letters to help you make better decisions than I. This is the first one.
For starters, let's look at your living situation. As an RA I see many roommate disagreements, the most of which come from girls. For some reason when you stick two girls into a room, one of two things is bound to happen:
A) They will become the best of friends. They do everything, literally everything together. They eat, sleep, take classes, work out, visit friends, everything together. If this doesn't happen, then we go to step B.
B) They will absolutely despise each other. First it will start off as a small quarrel. Then Girl 1 will piss Girl 2 off a little more by doing something small. Because Girl 2 is mad at Girl 1, Girl 1 will then look for things Girl 2 does that is annoying. Then it escalates from here.
Rarely does this happen for guys. I have never seen two guy roommates either join at the hip or repel like magnets. They will become friends and hang out, or they will just live with each other. The end. Guys are simple.
Secondly, in this letter I would like to tell you about parties. Ah yes, mother and father, if you're reading this your Precious Princess will indeed go to a party or twelve. I did. The thing is to be smart about it.
Now the subject of parties is a difficult thing for me to talk about, especially to my little sister. From the fraternity aspect, I have been to my fair share of parties, and maybe more. It's easy to get carried away with it though, so be careful not to become a habitual party-goer. This is where the RA in me kicks in.
Too many of my residents have gone down this road. First it starts with the Thursday night parties. Yes that's right, Thursday night. "What about class on Friday?" you might say. Well that's where unexcused absences come in. It's not uncommon for Freshmen to get "sick" their first few weeks. From Thursday it goes to Friday which, after all, you don't have anything to do Saturday so it doesn't really matter, right? Then Saturday rolls around, and of course you can do all of your work Sunday night, so you go out again. The real problem starts when other nights come into play. "Well Monday night is trivia night, so that's like learning, right?" "Oh, it's Tuesday! Karaoke Night, plus I need a break from that Monday..." ...as you can see, it just spirals out of hand.
The kids who do this generally are also the kids who get put on academic probation and who drop classes, gradually getting further and further behind. And of course there will be the occasional week where you will want to go downtown on a Tuesday night, and that's ok as long as it's only once in a while.
Another thing that will be something different for you to face than for me is what happens at parties. I've seen way too many girls who were sheltered go crazy now that mommy and daddy aren't there. And I'm not saying you're sheltered or that you're going to go crazy, but sometimes it's easier just to ignore what we know we should do and just do what seems to be fun. Don't go home with guys you've met at parties, and don't take drinks from strangers. Not to sound like a broken record, but those are things that you need to watch out for. Plus I'm your big brother, and you're not allowed to date until after you're married.
So now that I feel like a parent lecturing you about the evils of being out in the world on your own, I think it should only be fitting to tell you the truth. Here are some things you will do in college:
1) You will meet so many people it will be overwhelming for you. Some of them you'll like, some of them you'll hate, and many of them you'll forget.
2) After meeting all of these new people, you will forget virtually everyone from your high school. Sure you'll chat on facebook every now and again, but slowly you'll talk to fewer and fewer of them. Sure you'll keep a few of your close old friends near by, but even they will grow farther apart.
3) You'll meet Mr. Right, then he'll break up with you. For this all I can say is shit happens, so learn to carry roses to mask the stench. Keep good friends around and you'll be ok.
4) You'll skip class to work on something for another class. Hey, it happens. College is a lot harder than High School and you'll become a master at procrastinating, just like your older brother. Though you are smarter than I, so hopefully not.
5) You'll learn more outside of the classroom than you do in it. Yes it's true. Most of the learning that I've done here has been through my fraternity and being an RA. Get involved with things, and you'll learn so much that you'll wonder why you're taking class in the first place.
Well I feel that's sufficient rambling for one night, and as stories come up I'll be sure to write you again. As for now it's time for me to write that paper I've been putting off. See? I told you you'll learn to put off your work.
I love you,
Beast
The World Without FaceBook
Oh dear, how can he possibly say such a thing? A world without facebook? That's ridiculous!
I often wonder what would happen to the college community if for some reason facebook was shut down. When I pose this question to my friends, their reaction goes something like this:
"It would suck because I use it to communicate with members of my organization."
"I would hate not talking to my friends!"
"OMG don't say such a thing!"
"I would literally go insane!"
"I would die!"
"I would rather not talk to people in person than not have facebook."
"I would rather gnaw my arm off than not have facebook."
Okay, maybe not that last one, but you get the idea. But really? Has a website become the staple of everyday life for so many people? And how? Granted I am as guilty as the next person for being on it continuously, but I like to think that I could live without it.
So what would happen? My first thought would be that the world would suddenly become more productive. Then I realized that would never happen. No matter what we students have a knack of finding something else to do besides what we should be doing (for instance, I'm writing this blog instead of my paper). So if not facebook, then what? Well without facebook, texting would skyrocket. Of course, every conversation for the first week or so would be, "I don't know what to do anymore!"
After a week or two of pitchforks and torches, the world would subdue. I remember when the Dining Hall got rid of trays. I never would have thought that something so small would piss so many people off. The argument was that by not using trays they would not use so much water, and people would not waste so much food. Facebook groups were started, and angry comments were made. After about two weeks, everyone forgot there were trays to begin with.
When the facebookers calm down, maybe it will be the start of a new, better chapter in their lives. Maybe they will go outside and enjoy the beautiful day with friends, instead of just saying "what a beautiful day" on their status while staying inside on their computer. Maybe they will watch the news. Not The Daily Show or The Colbert Report but actual news that isn't completely biased (of course all news stations have agendas). Or maybe they will read the newspapers, or even read more in general. Not about vampires named Edward or wizards named Harry, but thought provoking works. Hell, maybe they'll read my blog.
Of course, if facebook is shut down, another site will be created with newer and better features, and people will return to their old habits. Statuses will read, "I'm so glad the Dark Age is over." Blogs will be forgotten and sunny days will be spent inside. Work will be procrastinated.
But what if we each spent just a little less time on facebook, and spent that time reading a novel? Or doing charity work? Or calling our parents? What if we each reviewed our politicians and went out and voted? What if we spent a little less time on facebook? Of course none of what I say will hold any weight to the masses. I have to wonder, though... what if Obama said it?
-Beast
I often wonder what would happen to the college community if for some reason facebook was shut down. When I pose this question to my friends, their reaction goes something like this:
"It would suck because I use it to communicate with members of my organization."
"I would hate not talking to my friends!"
"OMG don't say such a thing!"
"I would literally go insane!"
"I would die!"
"I would rather not talk to people in person than not have facebook."
"I would rather gnaw my arm off than not have facebook."
Okay, maybe not that last one, but you get the idea. But really? Has a website become the staple of everyday life for so many people? And how? Granted I am as guilty as the next person for being on it continuously, but I like to think that I could live without it.
So what would happen? My first thought would be that the world would suddenly become more productive. Then I realized that would never happen. No matter what we students have a knack of finding something else to do besides what we should be doing (for instance, I'm writing this blog instead of my paper). So if not facebook, then what? Well without facebook, texting would skyrocket. Of course, every conversation for the first week or so would be, "I don't know what to do anymore!"
After a week or two of pitchforks and torches, the world would subdue. I remember when the Dining Hall got rid of trays. I never would have thought that something so small would piss so many people off. The argument was that by not using trays they would not use so much water, and people would not waste so much food. Facebook groups were started, and angry comments were made. After about two weeks, everyone forgot there were trays to begin with.
When the facebookers calm down, maybe it will be the start of a new, better chapter in their lives. Maybe they will go outside and enjoy the beautiful day with friends, instead of just saying "what a beautiful day" on their status while staying inside on their computer. Maybe they will watch the news. Not The Daily Show or The Colbert Report but actual news that isn't completely biased (of course all news stations have agendas). Or maybe they will read the newspapers, or even read more in general. Not about vampires named Edward or wizards named Harry, but thought provoking works. Hell, maybe they'll read my blog.
Of course, if facebook is shut down, another site will be created with newer and better features, and people will return to their old habits. Statuses will read, "I'm so glad the Dark Age is over." Blogs will be forgotten and sunny days will be spent inside. Work will be procrastinated.
But what if we each spent just a little less time on facebook, and spent that time reading a novel? Or doing charity work? Or calling our parents? What if we each reviewed our politicians and went out and voted? What if we spent a little less time on facebook? Of course none of what I say will hold any weight to the masses. I have to wonder, though... what if Obama said it?
-Beast
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