It's Friday, and I'm In a Pickle

It's Friday and I should be happy because I am done with classes for the day and the weekend has finally arrived. However, my English class has cast a shadow over my sunny plans for the weekend. I was terribly sick earlier in the week, so I missed class on Wednesday. Thus, making me unaware that our "This I Believe" rough draft essays were due today. To add to my disappointment and surprise, I find out that we are to also upload these essays to Blackboard, revise three other papers, and fill out a form for peer review. And my essay still remains unwritten. In fact, I have not decided on a specific topic yet. Help.

"Trash TV" Serves a Purpose

After watching countless episodes of "Teen Mom" and "Jersey Shore" (both on MTV) I have come to the realization that these seemingly shallow and ridiculous shows hold some actual value. They teach some, especially me, what I do not want in life and what I do not want to become. "Teen Mom" has taught me what I want and what I need in a husband and partner. So many of the fathers on this show, which features girls who got pregnant and became mothers around 16, do not take responsibility for their children. They do not want to take an active role in their child's life and do not pursue a loving, mature relationship with the mothers. "Jersey Shore" on MTV is much like a train wreck, its horrible but you just can't look away. The young people on the show can be so incredibly narcissistic, spoiled, and dramatic. The show holds no value other than entertainment. I watch it regularly, but usually to critique the young people who are so selfish and so self-involved that they cannot look beyond their own lives to more important matters than gtl. I never want to be seen as a sex symbol, nor valued for my looks over my intelligence. And while I enjoy being tan once in a while, I do not want to become a guidette and develop melanoma at age 27.

Spent on Spanish

I'm sitting in my dorm room, trying to avoid studying for a Spanish quiz. After taking Spanish every year in High School and first semester, I am beyond the point of being burnt out. From conjugating verbs and flipping through my book of translations (in an attempt to figure out what in this great Earth my teacher was saying), I have grown weary. It has gotten so bad that I have begun thinking certain phrases in Spanish. To me, that girl isn't a girl: she's a chica. My friends roll their eyes when I use Spanglish, and it's only growing worse as the days roll by.

Now, many people would say this is a good thing because I am getting some Spanish education and I am being exposed to a different culture. Some would argue that I am breaking out of the ignorant American role. However, I am not good at speaking Spanish. In fact, chica is one of the few words I can use properly. Nine semesters of Spanish later, and I am learning little but getting A's in my Spanish classes. I am stuck somewhere in limbo between being interested in Spanish and not wanting to learn anything more. Where should the blame be placed for this predicament? Teachers and professors who do not teach more practical Spanish and require we speak it? Yes and no. Yes, because many teachers spoon feed their students with the answers and do not challenge them with oral questions. No, because many Spanish students don't care. I too, am extremely guilty of memorizing verbs, taking the test, and forgetting them instantly. My goal this semester is to actually try and learn Spanish as a language, and not just as individual words and phrases.

Let the Creativity Flow

In class today, someone mentioned how they would rather use their imagination in writing than write a structured essay. I completely agree with that, and it made me think of how awesome it would be if Ball State offered a creative writing class that consisted of only creative writing. No talk of sonnet structure or the right ways to write haiku. Just a 50 minute class where one can write freely and be able to use imagination without limit. I love to write poetry, I have done so since the beginning of high school. My creative writing class senior year shaped my life more than any other class. Who would turn down the chance for a teacher to turn on soothing music and allow students to have their creativity flow openly? The prospect of getting credits to do what I love would be the epitome of an amazing and fulfilling class.


"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus."

-Mark Twain