Random Observations

1. When did the use of grammar become an attractive trait rather than an assumed skill?
I'll admit it, I find that when someone knows the proper use of your, you're or to, too, and two, I automatically find them to be more intelligent. And every time I see a FaceBook update with grammar errors or bad spelling I immediately start to think that the person that posted said status is an idiot. And yes, I realize that you may view that as harsh or whatever, but there's such thing as proofreading...Anyway I find it really sad that proper grammar has indeed become an indication of basic intelligence, rather than an intrinsic skill. Maybe I'll organize a fun run titled "5k for grammar ignoramuses" and get one of those big publishers clearing house checks to present to the winner at the end. But first, they will have to pass a basic grammar test. Or better yet, I'll pair with Zoolander and make the "school for people who can't grammar good".

2. Women who draw on their eyebrows make a serious decision about the mood they want to be in for the rest of the day.
Be careful with all that power. I'm looking at you, Ru Paul.

3. Calculus sucks.
Who do mathematicians come up with integrals and derivatives and all this other stuff that is really not applicable to anything, and then force us to learn it? I'm a business student, not a math student. I highly doubt I'm going to need to know how to take the second derivative of a function. It also doesn't help that my calc professor is one of the weirdest people I think I've ever come into contact with. He has a a pretty crazy beard. Like ZZ Top caliber beard. But he is also bald, so this adds to the drama of the beard. He wears cowboy boots everyday, paired with semi-dress pants and seer-sucker button down shirts. You can imagine how off putting this is. He does not look like someone who teaches calculus, but who makes furniture out in the woods and doesn't believe in the internet. Along with his appearance, he also loudly enunciates certain vowels of words. So he will be going along in a lecture and all of a sudden "as you can see-AAHH, the DERivative is very simPLE and then all you have to DOOO plug in you'RE x AND y VALUes."
It's quite disturbing really.

I hope the rest of you will have a better day than I'm currently having,
Leah

Not so "dead" week

It's the week before finals here at Creighton, and for some unknown reason, it's been dubbed "dead week". At any normal institute of higher learner this week would consist of more office hours and review sessions, but very little class so that students are able to review for their finals and ask any questions of teachers. Seems logical, right? Well here at Creighton they decide to still have the normal class schedules, but many professors also choose to have many tests and papers on this week, just to make it extra stressful. Our "dead" week is like most peoples' finals week. Really what happens is that people get through dead week and spend the weekend calculating the minimum score they need to get on their finals in order to pass or get a B or whatever. For some people finals week is a marathon of slacking off and sleeping. But for the majority of us, it's a week of no sleep, eating every last bit of food that's left in our dorms, and procrastinating to the point of ending up in the weird part of YouTube. Don't act like you've never been to that part of YouTube, everyone has.
The other pain of getting to the end of the year is having to pack up and move out. I remember touring Creighton and thinking "how the hell am I going to fit anything in those tiny rooms?!" and now I look around and think "how the hell did I fit all this crap in here?" It's baffling really, a feat of science. Soon my dorm will be crawling with parents. Moms yelling at their sons about not doing laundry or cleaning their rooms or generally having any sort of hygiene at all. Daughters making their dads dismantle futons and closet organizers and carry boxes and boxes of clothes down several flights of stairs. There will be cursing, and yelling, and maybe some crying, but it all leads to summer. And that is totally worth it.

I guess that means I could throw away my printed out schedule from first semester,
Leah

The weird people that sit next to me at the library

I know I need to be writing my paper write now, but this is way too important to not talk about. The last two nights I've been in the library studying and writing my paper, and the last two nights I've managed to sit near some really weird people. Last night, the guy at the table over from me was the loudest mouth breather EVER. I swear, it was like he trying to exhale as loudly as he possibly could. It sounded like he was really frustrated with something, you know like when you're thinking about something and you kind of hold your breath, then let it out and it's pretty loud. Yeah, he was doing that, but in an extra obnoxious way because somehow he managed to make noise while he was inhaling as well. Who does that?? Anyway I kept looking at him hoping that he would get the hint and stop doing it, but no. And he caught me looking once and then wouldn't stop looking at me while he was exhaling. Long story short, I moved immediately.

And tonight, I have the class act who broke out a tin of chewing tobacco at the table next to me. He brought a fresh spot cup and everything. And he's washing that down with some rockstar. What a refined gentleman. Seriously though, who still thinks chewing tobacco is cool...? I google imaged "side effects of chewing tobacco". DO NOT DO THIS. Unless you like looking at gross things, just know that there are things that cannot be unseen. Chewing tobacco has got to be one of the grossest things anyone could do. Ugh.

Why me?

Leah

The Waiting Game

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, been pretty bogged down in homework and such. I'm currently in the middle of trying to finish my research paper. Remember? The one I wrote about that I couldn't bring myself to do? Well now I kind of have to do it...

Of course I thought it would be productive to let my brain have a little rest and write a much needed post. The topic of today's discussion: roommate shenanigans. Thankfully my roommate is generally a lovely person who doesn't wake me up when I'm sleeping, play obnoxious music, or has people over all the time, but she does have her quirks. For example, I think she thinks it's my job to take out the recycling. I know the bin is on my side of the room, but she puts stuff in there, so it's not my full responsibility. I take it out all the time, mostly because it gets full within about 5 days of me emptying it. It mostly gets full with plastic bottles(naturally), but most of these bottles are hers(I know this because I don't drink Vitamin Water). Every once and a while I get tired of being the only one to take out the recycling and decide to just leave it and see how long it takes until Christy takes it out. Well, it's been about 2 days, and the recycling bin is about as full as its ever been. Bottles are place precariously atop the piles of other bottles. I mean seriously, how can you see that and not just take the stupid thing out?? Who knows, maybe this will last until the end of the year....

In other news, my roommate also cut off all of her hair. 18 inches, to be precise. She said she "needed a change", which is perfectly normal, but damn, 18 inches all at once?? She's brave I'll give her that. I'm still not quite used to her new hair yet though, and I've found that when I walk into my room and see her with her newly shortened hair, I think "Dear God why is there a strange boy in my room???!", and proceed to have a mini heart attack thinking said boy is going to turn around and stab me before I realize that no, that is not a strange boy, that is my roommate. I guess the new haircut keeps me on my toes.

Well, I better get back to that paper that makes up 40% of my final grade....

Leah

The Wonder that is Post Secret

If you're not reading PostSecret, you really should be. Seriously, I give you permission to stop reading this blog and go look up Post Secret. I promise you won't regret it.

The way PostSecret works is that people make a postcard, write their secret on it, and send it in to this guy, Frank Warren, who puts them on PostSecret.com. Part of what makes PostSecret so great is the art that often gets displayed on the postcards, they often don't look like postcards, they are often so personal that they look more like mini pieces of a person's mind.

I discovered PostSecret a few years ago and have been hooked ever since. The vast range of emotions that you will experience while reading the secrets is truly astounding. Sadness, intrigue, pity, regret, relief, happiness, surprise, sympathy. Those are only one tiny fraction of words to describe the secrets that people send in. Often times one secret holds many emotions.

Those are just a few of the emotions displayed in the secrets from this Sunday's edition. I think what I love most about PostSecret is the community it's created. People come together to read the secrets every Sunday, and I think most people can relate to a lot of them. Some more than others obviously, but for the people that send in their secrets, I think it's a relief to have shared your secret in a way that does not hurt those directly around you. It must be quite freeing actually. Also, I think people love PostSecret because there's a chance that someone will have the same secret they have, and in sharing a secret, they may not feel so alone. I've found that I've discovered things about myself by reading the secrets about others. Sometimes I realize I have a secret or feeling that I didn't want to acknowledge outwardly before I read that someone else made into a postcard.

Below I have listed a few secrets from the latest post, one loving, one funny(and mostly true), and one incredibly shocking and scary, and one of triumph and redemption.

Please, go to PostSecret and discover for yourself the wonder of PostSecret. I promise it will change the way you look at things.

Leah

"There are two kinds of secrets: those we keep from others, and those we keep from ourselves"

-Frank Warren

Registration is the thing I love to hate

For anyone whose gone through college, or the stress of registering for classes, I'm sure you can relate to my pain. You would think that colleges and universities would have found a fair and efficient way to register people in a way that allows people into the classes they need for their major, but apparently this is far too difficult for anyone to achieve, as I have most effectively been screwed over by this system. I had registered for classes on Tuesday and went back in to look at my schedule today to look it over, only to find that all the classes I had previously registered for had somehow been cleared from my schedule. I don't know how this happened, but I am now only in one class, and can't get into any other classes because all the classes are full. So tomorrow I'm going to have to put on my stern face and go "talk" to whoever I need to talk to so I can actually be considered a full time student next fall. It won't really matter what anyone says to me about this either, because I'm going to stay mad about it. Even if I get the schedule I want, this should have never happened in the first place. You know, Creighton, I'm paying you a lot of money to take these classes, so why are you making it so hard to register?? Honestly, it's like they're taunting me.

Very uncool Creighton.

Leah

The After-Vacation Slump

I'm currently in my Rhetoric and Composition class, and my professor is talking about a ten page research paper that I was supposed to have most of the way done by now. It's a ten page research paper, and I have maybe two good pages, the rest is just random ramblings on the subject that don't really go anywhere. I know that at some point I'm really going to have to sit down and really work on it, which I know I will do because this paper is 40% of my final grade, but I just can't bring myself to do that right now. You may be saying, "well just get yourself in gear and write the stupid thing!", and believe me, I've said that to myself many times, but my mind just will not get back into school mode. This happens to me after coming back to school after being home for any amount of time. This post-break slump is really quite dangerous, as I cannot concentrate for more than 5 minutes and frequently put off homework and other required things. It's bad, it really is.

For me, this slump of being extremely lazy usually lasts a couple of days, the I suddenly realize that I need to stop watching weird videos on YouTube and get back to work because, oh yeah, I'm at college to get an education and a degree. There's usually quite a bit of panicking and self-cursing when this moment finally happens, as I begin to realize exactly how much work I've put off that I now have to complete in a short amount of time. Especially now that I only have about 3 weeks until the end of the year, now is not the time to really slack off and take my time.

Moments of clarity, though very helpful and extremely necessary, usually make me realize just how much I don't know yet.

Leah

P.S- Sorry for the heavy dose of reality, I'm sure you were hoping for something a little more whimsical.

What up, Russia?

After checking my blog stats, I have found that I'm getting a a large number of page views from Russia. So I thank you, the people of Russia, for taking a break from drinking Vodka and walking around St. Petersburg Square to read my little blog. Mind you, the only experience I have with Russia is the book "Crime and Punishment", which is of course a great novel about personal morals and the grey area between right and wrong, but I'm going to go ahead and assume, for everyone's sake, that not everyone in Russia goes around killing the elderly and generally being nasty and mean to each other. I'd also like to congratulate Russia on the election of their new Prime Minister, are you happy to have Putin back or no? Or is it you, Vladimir, whose reading this blog for advice on the young adult demographic? A word of advice, try not to look like you're about to blow up the world, being a scary-looking guy doesn't help your odds with any demographic. Let me know if you need anymore advice, Vlady. I got you.

To Russia with love,

Leah

Easter Break

Here's a tip, if you're in need of a break between Spring Break and Summer, and you're finding that high school just doesn't provide you with this luxury, then attend a Catholic college. See, Catholics think Easter is a big deal, and I never really felt the same way until now. Because now, because I go to a Catholic university, I get not one, but two days off for Easter. It's a glorious thing. I don't exactly know why we need two days off for Easter, Friday for Good Friday I guess, but why Monday? So we can all have an extra day to worship the resurrection of Christ? More likely, I think they give us Monday off because they realize that people will celebrate the end of lent a bit too much and will need Monday to recover/repent for their end of lent celebration sins.

I love being home from college. It's one of the best things about college, because you realize how good you had it in high school. Meals are not prepared in large vats and served by people who clearly hate their job, you don't have to wait in line for said mass-produced food, you don't have to pay for laundry or use a key to get into your room, and you know for certain that you have your room to yourself, that your roommate won't come in at any given moment. I also appreciate that there's a door I can actually close while in the shower, and that I don't have to use a shower caddy to cart my shampoo and conditioner back and forth. Another great thing about private bathroom is that I don't have to witness people leaving the bathroom without washing their hands after using the toilet(seriously, I have seen many people do this, didn't your parents teach you to wash your hands??). Also, my dogs are are here, and they are always happy to see me walk into a room, my roommate on the other hand, doesn't not give me the same happy and enthusiastic response. I think that's one thing people miss most about their home while they are away at college, their dogs. Admit it, you miss your parents, but you seriously miss your dog.

Perhaps the greatest thing about being home, for me at least, is the quiet. I'm one of those people who likes some quiet now and then, and I find that silence is very hard to come by in a college dorm. Everyone slams their door when they leave their room, has loud Skype sessions in the hallway at two in the morning, and are obnoxious pretty much all the time. It also doesn't help that I live above the rowdiest boys floor, which routinely has Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers tournaments until three or four in the morning, quite loudly, I might add. Don't get me wrong, I think Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers are some of the greatest games ever made, but I don't want to hear you screaming at someone else to "suck it" because you beat them around Yoshi Valley at three in the morning.

So all in all, I love being home from college. Good food, my own bathroom, and no obnoxious video game tournaments to keep me up at night.

Now don't get too crazy on Sunday after lent, I don't want you to get a candy/alcohol/Facebook/swearing hangover.

Leah

P.S- Did you know that people actually give up Lent or religion for Lent? Well, now you know.

The weird/awkward/funny/confusing/ridiculous things people say to me

I've always felt like I'm the kind of person people don't tell frivolous things to, but I guess I was wrong. Log that in the book of things I've learned at college. So without further adieu, the first installment of the "weird/awkward/funny/confusing/ridiculous things people say to me".

1. "It doesn't look like you had any trouble with the freshman fifteen!"

I'm a CUStar, which basically means I'm a tour guide. Yes, I walk backwards(only sometimes!) and wear the dorky, non-fitting polos, but I like it because people ask me the weirdest questions and say some weird stuff. Like the mom of the young man I gave a tour to two weeks ago. We walked into the dining hall and I was explaining the various meal plans when the Mom went, somewhat jokingly, "Oh, so I guess this is where you gain the freshman fifteen". I know she meant it as a joke or side comment, but then she followed that with "Well, it doesn't look like you were affected by the freshman fifteen!". And that's when things got a little weird. I mean it's true, the freshman fifteen didn't affect me, or anyone I know for that matter. I think this mom just had a classic case of word vomit. It was just one of those thoughts that somehow slipped past her "don't say this out loud" filter and her mind couldn't reel in fast enough before she spoke it. So to that lovely mother from two weeks ago: Thank you for the compliment(I think), and keep working on that filter.

2. "What qualities do you look for in a spouse? What would you name your children?"

Both of these questions were attendance questions posed in by my philosophy. Now normally these questions would be a little weird outside of a classroom setting, but it gets even more awkward when you're in a classroom, and the class is taught by a Jesuit priest. Most people didn't think these questions were weird, but come on, how is it not weird for a guy who can neither get married, nor have kids, to ask a bunch of 18 and 19 year olds what they think their future life will look like. Is he trying to live vicariously through us...? I just think it's ridiculous for people so young to be thinking seriously about this kind of stuff. I find my philosophy professor to be pretty ridiculous, and to be somewhat offensive as well, but that's a story for another time.

3. "peanut butter dipping station"

This, believe it or not, was said by my philosophy professor. I find that he says a lot of odd things. I don't really remember what we were talking about, but I do remember that he, the professor, was deliberately trying to make a sexual innuendo. Pretty creepy coming from a portly guy in his 50s who has vowed to be celibate...

Have you enjoyed the first edition of "the weird/awkward/funny/confusing/ridiculous things people say to me"? I'm sure you will now start to notice all the odd things people say to you now. Seriously though, if you really think about it, it's amazing what people will say out loud.

Leah

College 2

I know, I know, my most uncreative title yet. But seriously, what else would I call it? Anyway, I have more college observations/survival tips. Ready to take notes?

1. Most girls absolutely live for theme parties. It's like their drug, and fraternity and sorority date parties are their fix. It's an epidemic. Dr. Phil should do a special on it. The trashier and more demeaning the theme the better. Golf pros and tennis hos, CEOs and secretary hos, playboys and playgirls, and unfortunately, the list goes on and on. And of course, there are the staples: neon, 80s, and celebrity couples. But of course everyone shows up as Britney Spears during her head-shaving phase accompanied by Kevin Federline. I do not understand why people get so excited about these parties. Every time one comes around everyone runs out to the dollar store or goodwill to buy hideous clothes that they will never wear again. Oh, so you're really going to wear that cutoff jean jacket with the rhinestone heart on the back of it after the party tonight? Yeah I didn't think so. Said jacket would, of course, be worn for a white trash theme, and would probably be completed with some American flag shorts. It doesn't matter who throws the party either. Osama Bin Laden could be hosting a theme party, and girls would still go. Any excuse to put on their leggings, workout leotard, and sequin scrunchie, and every girl is there.

Don't take this dislike of theme parties as a dislike of parties all together, though. I'm perfectly willing to go to parties and hang out or whatever, but please, for the love of all that is holy, do not make me wear a neon pink trucker hat in the process. That's just offensive to truckers, really.

2. If you're in a long distance relationship when you start college, you will most likely not be in that relationship for very much longer. I can't tell you the amount of people I met during welcome week who adamantly stated that they had a boyfriend/girlfriend back home or at whatever school. When asked about said significant other every person would get this far-off look on their face like they were 80 years old thinking back to their "glory days". The thing is though, 95% of the people who try to make a long distance relationship during college work, especially during freshman year, will break up with their boyfriend/girlfriend before Thanksgiving. This break up usually happens after allegations of cheating or suspicious Facebook pictures resulting in a tearful phone call and lots of crying in the showers, and no one wants to see that. During my time at Creighton only one of my friends has managed to stay together with her boyfriend. But they fly back and forth to see each about every other weekend, so I don't think that exactly counts as a long distance relationship, it's more like an interim relationship. And whenever he is here she always seems to be yelling at him for something, so I don't know. Relationships often mystify me, maybe because I've seen a lot of bad ones and very few good ones.

Seriously, be glad if you come to college single. No one needs that pressure, and you'll probably end up saving yourself the heartache. For those people that make it work and don't cheat on each other, I commend you. Long distance relationships are not easy(like I would know, but whatever) and if you can pull it off and be happy, then good for you. But college is the time to try to figure out who you are, and I feel like a lot of people still define who they are by who they are romantically attached to, and I just don't think that's healthy.

3. Continuing on the relationship trend....for those who come to college single, many of them will believe that they are going to marry the first boyfriend or girlfriend they have in college. Just like the break up of long distance couples, I've seen this happen time and time again. It's even happened to one of my best friends. The hours I've spent listening to her go on and on about how perfect he is and how they each want four kids, but first they want to travel and have good jobs and they want a traditional church wedding. I could go on, believe me, I could go on for hours, but I don't want to put you through that, as I'm sure it would make you want to harm yourself, as I wanted to do just to get out of those conversations. Don't get me wrong, I love my friend, but during the first two weeks of them dating, all we would talk about was how great her boyfriend was. Didn't matter if I had something I wanted to talk about, whatever I said would just lead right back to more boyfriend talk. Eventually I'd heard so much of her talking about her boyfriend that I started to do this impression of her gushing about her boyfriend. It's not mean or anything, her boyfriend even thinks it's funny. Someone even asked me to do my impression of her at a party recently.

My point is, I don't understand how people can put so much pressure on themselves with their relationships. You're not even old enough to drink legally, so why are you already planning your wedding? Sure, a lot of people meet their husband or wife in college, but a lot more people don't, and personally, I don't think that college is the ideal place to find a spouse.

--More on all this a little later, I should probably go to sleep...

Leah