Freshmen: To Condemn or not to condemn….

At the start of this semester I overheard some friends of mine talking about these guys in a truck trying to (playfully?) run down a freshmen crossing the street. When I heard it, I got a bit pissed for a couple of reasons.

First is…that’s fucking rude! Kid could have had a shit day in his first week of college and some jerks go and do this!

Second was the fact that our school, though growing (we just got a football team! Go Runners!), is still largely a commuter school. Myself being one of those commuters (it’s an hour drive ya’ll. Eugh.) So justifying who is and who isn’t a Freshman can get a little sticky. Best just to not even try. I mean, there are those tell-tale signs: glazed eyes, asking for directions or constantly consulting a campus map, and the clothes (yes, you can tell. Senior hs shirts and uggs.). I remember coming over from another school as a sophomore transfer and having to blunder around campus for a while before I got the hang of things. There is also a large population of the older generations going back to school (my creative nonfiction writing professor is a 40 year old grad student who had children early and has worked up to this point. Cool points!). I just don’t think it is wise to torment someone on a loosely based judgement.

Third is…what the fuck is up with terrorizing them in the first place? I get it, you are at the top of the totem pole again (speaking of my Senior friends) and you get to reenact your high school hierarchy. But shouldn’t that just stay in high school? Unless you’re one of those kids that thought high school was the best four years of your life (EUGH again). Now, some freshman are obnoxious and might trigger that need-to-haze line of thinking, but I think it best to just ignore those types. They’ll have to bend over for college at some point and college doesn’t give reach-arounds.

Case in point: A freshman girl in my Texas and Southwest literature class. She initially started chatting me up in the first or second day of class and we are class-buddies now (useful if you don’t already have someone you know in the class). That was great and all…but I’m getting a bit worn down on her obnoxiousness.

I honestly don’t know how this girl ended up in there. I’m genuinely interested in taking this lit class (hello, English major) and like the topic and style of teaching…but she’s a Nursing student set to transfer to a bigger university next semester. She constantly talks and whispers to me and the guy next to her, smacking her gum all the while (don’t EVEN get me started on the irrational violence that triggers in me) and she hardly reads or cares about the material. Every time she comes in and sits next to me she sighs and complains about how tired she is and how she didn’t do the reading. First of all, like I care. And bitch, you’re tired now? Just wait sweetheart. And I don’t know if she’s gotten the memo yet, but stupidity isn’t attractive. Neither is pretending that you’re behind in class and don’t care. You’ll care at some point, because you’ll have to.

For example: Last week (Friday! Remember this for later) she walked up to me in the hallway as we were waiting for the other class to get out. She noticed a slightly heavy black girl standing across from us wearing a white tank top and some blue shorts (think soffe shorts). The first thing she did when she noticed her was to turn to me and mention how horrible she looked! I thought she looked fine, for a hot Friday afternoon in drought weather. I’m guessing this girl was used to condemning larger girls offhand when they don’t cloak themselves in tents to “preserve her gentle eyes”. Being a plus-size girl myself, I got laser-eyes and had to take a few deep breaths before I just let her have it. My views on people who don’t want to see fat on other people (my eyes are burning! is the common excuse) is to just say Let ’em burn, motherfucker! Why should this girl care what she has to wear to a college class on the last day of the school week in 100 degree weather? Girl looked good! This just….PISSED me off. And it tipped the scale on my thoughts of this girl from eh-she’s a freshmen, be nice…to no holds barred-this girl needs a slap in the face. 

I’m justifying my annoyance with her now not because she’s a freshman (though that certainly contributes) but because she’s a little priss narrow-minded bitch. The other day she pointed out a girl’s neon pink hair (literally, she pointed…as the girl was walking toward us) and mildly freaked out about it.

Maybe her “crazy college days” will come soon…but for now I am not looking forward to a semester of smack-and-talk freshman girl trying to ride my effort and notes through the class.

And now I leave you with some of my favorite college freshman memes.

it's always the profs fault. didn't you know?

fucking north face. ugh.

don't get me started on college alcohol stereotypes

I didn’t mean to make them look like a pyramid, I swear.

 

Letters to Offenders?

I’m thinking of starting a new thing. Many times, when I’m upset about something, I tend to form this letter of sorts to whoever/whatever has done the upsetting. In my head. I’d like to think it’s at least a little amusing. I’m sure it would be therapeutic.

Good idea, jes?

First Week Back and The Going gets started

Yay school! At least, yay for me. I’m excited. I’m also a nerd, so that wouldn’t be too off the mark for someone like me.

This week started my first forays into a ton of reading (which I am agreeable to) and meeting other English and reading nerds.

Bullshitters and Analyzers beware! The English majors are back on campus.

DIY Doldrums (Part 1)

Since I’m in the lull before the storm/school phase, I thought it would be in my best interest to do some DIY-ing. Hobbies and such. You know, things “normal” people have? (Whoever these normal people might be….or where!)

All I do for work is sort, file, and mail out admissions letters. After that, free time! So it’s to the computer I go. I found several good things to try, with tutorials (and lots of pictures!).

First up was homemade lip balm. I did this when I was younger and thought it was a hoot. Although, at that time, it was the easy-peesy kid’s version with vasoline and flavoring. I was (and still am) trying for something a bit more challenging though. From the many recipes I perused it was evident that beeswax needed to be involved, as well as ‘essential oils’ which is a new one for me, and Vitamin E oil, and well…other cosmetic-y things. I’m in a fairly small town, however, which does not boast it’s choices for these types of things. Vendors beware of my town; start talking Bay or Camphor oil and they might think you’re “one of those new-agey Wiccan/Pagan/Hippie grass skirt people”.

Look how pretty! But trust me, homemade pics to come are not so nice.

Of course, no luck where I am. Walmart? Psh hell no. I tried everywhere else and only came up with Beeswax that was for hardware (don’t want that on my lips). Essential oils? Another hell to the no. I can’t find it on it’s own because it’s mixed into other things and I have to steer clear of un-pronounceable names on the backs of bottles. At least I did find Vitamin E oil, in Walmart. I already have flavorings such as honey and vanilla/almond/coconut extract. I was almost there.

What, you say? Order online? Well fuck that. I hate waiting! But I caved. I ordered some beeswax bars off Amazon. I wanted very badly to order off another site (The Sage) that has BUNCHES of stuff. But they won’t take my card because of address issues (I recently moved). But alas, I am not to be discouraged. Cocoa Butter to the rescue! Found some pure cocoa butter sticks at Sally’s. It tastes amazing when combined with vanilla-y scents. But I fucked it up by reheating it out of a tub I put it in to get it into a tube. And now it’s all goopy. Plus the cats keep knocking it over on my desk because it smells funny.

Not so pretty, eh?

I’ve tried three times, however, to get the beeswax recipe to work and so far they are all too stiff to roll onto the lips or try to scrape out of a tin.

Strike 1. (I’m giving up for now. At least until my dad stops trying to pester me and make fun of it.)

Another DIY, that I am somewhat knowledgeable about…is sewing! Sewing things, that is. I got a super nice sewing machine for Christmas awhile back, and so far I can make zipper pouches and slip/pillow covers…sorta. They don’t look all that great though. I’m far from an expert sewer. My lines aren’t even straight, and I get freaked out when I step on the peddle and it goes too fast. All slow-going for me. I want to try to make some things that are similar to zipper pouches and cases and such. Found some good tutorials, and I’ve already tackled the dreaded zipper foot (according to my mom, who stayed away from it for years), so I should be good to go, yes?

Well. We’ll see. Laptop case is first on the list.

Autumn, are you smiling from somewhere?

I swear, the other day, as I was lying in my sick bed about to be swallowed by tissues, I saw Autumn.

Autumn as in the fall season.

I know, I know. It’s August. In Texas, of all places. Who even remembers what Fall feels like?

But I swear you guys! I saw it. Yes, I was in a/c heaven at the time, and I’m sure if I had been outside I might have thought differently. However, I got that feeling. That feeling, you know? School starts at the end of the month, the sky is bright and clear, something is coming, the world is turning-weird feeling.

It happened! I will will Autumn into existence if I have to.

 

Double-Facebooking Yourself

Sounds like a sexual maneuver, doesn’t it?

Well it’s not.

Nobody is online (that I want to talk to, anyway), no interesting status updates, events are dead. But what do I do?

Open tab, click facebook bookmark.

Look around for a bit…Eh ok, next.

Open tab, click facebook bookmark.

Eek!

Struggling with Seriousness

Okay ya’ll. I know I’m only 23, but is it really too much to ask for some general adult-respect?

I mean, I can drink now! Have been able to (legally) for 3 years! That most definitely qualifies me as an adult.

Or so I thought.

Sure, I didn’t follow the society-prescribed version of events that lead up to my adult life. But I’m here, senior in college, and I got here no matter what the placement of events. To be honest, I don’t feel like an adult. Is it this reason that I am then not treated like one? Or is it the other way around? Should I care?

I’ve always been a little bit more attracted to people older than me. Not attracted in a sexual way or anything…it’s more like I like to be around people that are more mature than my age group. I was friends with kids in older grades. Old people are great. It’s like I have always been a teensy step ahead, mentally.

But on the outside, it’s still, “Oh, 23 and still in college? Not an adult, sorry.”

And this gets to me. There are many different viewpoints within my family. My sister, who is 7 years older than me, knows I’m an adult. She treats me as such. My mother, who I’ve always been closer to, understands this too. My dad on the other hand, will never truly be impressed. I know. He might say the words, but he’ll always go back on them in another situation. In fact, his whole side of the family would do this, minus actually saying the words.

I can handle this, it’s no big. I’ve only got myself to worry about, yes? It’s a bit hard though, and we all know this. It is hard to act like an adult (because we all have the extreme version of ‘adult’ in our heads, and we’ll never live up to it).

Guilty pleasure, 1 out of many: coloring books. You can’t tell me that every once in a while, if a set of crayons (or markers, whatever you fancy) and some Transformers coloring books are set in front of you, that you wouldn’t be itching to color. Maybe the details are different, such as a Barbie coloring book…or just some markers and paper, but the feeling is essentially the same. And why not be happy with this? Why is it that if we “give in” to some sort of childhood/childish whim then we are somehow shamed and condemned. I can imagine a booming official male voice suddenly saying, “50 points have been taken from your adult-card! For shame!”, every time I do something that is defined as immature, childish, un-adult.

I mean, that’s only one circumstance that people might find less-adulty. There are so many more! Why are we so concerned with acting like adults?

Who are these “adults” anyway?