It's 2 a.m.!

Worst/best week of school yet. Totally hectic. Drama, drama, drama.
Yet, I had so much fun with my friends.
I went to see Shemeika Copeland at UNA. Her voice is so BEAUTIFUL!!!
I expected it to be boring as toast, but Jasmine, Rachel, and I had a blast.

The next adventure I had was at the fair! With my best bud Kayla Murphy:) The strange smells and bright lights were made wonderful by the life-changing conversations of the car ride there. We got lost, my favorite hobby haha, but it was alright cuz we had Buddy Holly, MGMT, and The Strokes to help us find our way:P It was a lovely evening, and I wouldn't trade it for the entire world.

Me and Kayla also went to the Planetarium to see the moon on Saturday. Professor Blake had ordered these really cool contraptions that allowed you to take a picture on your phone through the telescope. It was amazing. I initially did it because I realllllllly needed extra credit on my test lol. But, even if I didn't need it, I'm really glad I did go. It was truly breathtaking.



But.....back to the topic of school, Forum was pretty interseting on Tuesday. Personally, I thought the judge had the perfect voice for being a successful country singer haha:P  I didn't quite agree completely with everything he said about obeying the law simply because it was the law. It seemed to contradict every aspect of philosophy. Ignorance is not bliss. Everything should be questioned.
I did, however, agree with a lot of other things he said.
"You have to take risks, step outside your comfort zones."
"Have courage to do what's right."
"Good upbringing is a grace in life."
"Guns don't kill people; bullets kill people." Ha Ha
He talked about doing whats right in life. Simple. Sweet. To the point.
I enjoyed it.

Thank you Thomas Jefferson

9-11-12
Today was a day of days. Terrible memories. A scar forever on the face of our country. My heart goes out to every American. 11 years ago I was sitting in second grade with one of my favorite teachers ever.
Today, however, I was in college.
A completely different individual entirely. Well, I suppose I'm still that same second grader I once was, just wiser and slightly more grown up...just a little ha. Oh, and taller too.
Today, I sat in Honors Forum. Listening to a man speak to our class. A very successful man, who we were lucky to have in our midst. Thomas J. Calhoun Jr. See? He even sounds like a successful man.
He talked of STEM. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. All things that I despise greatly. Well, I dont despise them necessarily, they just dont grab my attention whatsoever. Anyway, he had this nifty powerpoint filled with statistics and data about how America is slacking in these areas.
I literally have almost an entire sheet of crumpled notebook paper filled with notes and quotes that Mr. Calhoun said in class. I have it sitting next to me as I type this actually. But, the more I think about what he said, the more I keep going back to the most important quote I scribbled down.
"You should not take your gifts for granted."

I walked into that room not knowing what I want to do with my life. Hell, I walk through my entire life not knowing what I wanna do.
Success. Money. Power. A Future period.
Parental approval. Pride in their eyes. Pride in your own eyes.
All these impending dooms seem to weigh down on your soul until you either choose an occupation out of obligation or out of desperation.
You know that if you pick one thing, you might miss out on another. And if you choose one path, you might be poor forever. So what do you do?
I agree with Mr. Calhoun.
Dont take your gifts for granted. Use what you were blessed with. Do what you love.

According to the University of North Alabama my major is Undecided.
But I'm a writer at heart. Always have been. Always will be. I don't know what I'm doing with this great gift of life that I've been so graciously blessed with living. I'm not worried about becoming successful and becoming president of some glamorous company. I dont know what ten years from now has in store for me. And frankly, I'm okay with that. I dont wanna rush it. I just wanna wake up everyday and have a new adventure. Society has given us a false sense of what happiness and success is.
My father is very successful. Goes to a job where he ranks highly and makes lots of money. But, is he happy? His wallet says yes, but his eyes say no. If he could go back, Im sure he would choose a different career path. One that he enjoyed doing everyday. It would have entailed significantly less money and no chance of being "boss", but he wouldve greeted each morning knowing that he got to fulfill his passion in life.

I think that that is what Mr. Calhoun was trying to say with his bar graphs and small print I couldn't read from the back of the room. Go big or go home. Do what you want with your life. Nothing more. Nothing less.
I hope that I'm not homeless one day thanks to my pursuit of writing. But, alas it is my pursuit of happiness and if I denied myself that, I would be committing a self crime. The pursuit of happiness is everyone's right.
Not the pursuit of money or success, but that of happiness.
So find yours and spend life pursuing it, dear...

"Cock your hat - angles are attitudes." - Frank Sinatra

9-7-12
My first friday as a college student was...interesting.
Lets see...the possey consisted of Kayla, like my besssss friend, Alex, my new buuuuuddy,*Pauly Shore voice*, Stephen, a friend of Kayla, and last but not least, me and my crazy self.
To set the tone of the night, I ran into my ex and his fiance *fancy french accent* within the first fifteen minutes. They sat down next to me in Rivertown. I was overjoyed to say the least.
Then, we witnessed these kids and this churchy guy screaming at each other. It was actually kinda scary.
So the beginning was...hmm...not that great.   BUT...then the fun set in like a tummy ache on a fat kid.
We wandered around with Alex, who is freakinnn AMAZING at singing and playing guitar, btw!!! He serenaded the friendly townfolk, while I collected money in his hat. I enjoyed sitting on the sidewalk and watching the people pass me by.  We ended up getting 7 bucks. Not bad for like 20 minutes:)    Then, Alex is like.."Oh yeah guys I forgot to tell you, I havent eaten in like 12 hours. I need food."
So.......we went to Rosie's, but the wait was like 84 years. Which btw, is equivalent to one year on Uranus! ( Courtesy of Astronomy) Needless to say, we went to Ricebox instead.

I had a sugar high and the night turned interesting real quick. It sort of all turned into one big blur of continuous laughter. But, I enjoyed the lovely memory of it all.

 

College is an experience. Yes, you are paying for a wonderful education. But it's through the experiences you have that you truly learn.
Our first learning experience in the Honors Program was our trip to Memphis, Tennessee. From a picturesque stroll down Beale Street to a splendid conversation of poetry in the hot tub, our first night was a lovely evening of getting to know a group of wonderful strangers. We were serenaded by the sweet, but drunken, townfolk, and we witnessed the coolest, sci-fi bridge ever constructed in the history of man! The art museum was very...art-like. I almost died after tripping on a tablecloth. Hmmm...I purchased a nifty, little greeting card that had the word "THING" satirizing the Hollywood sign on it. I will send it to a fellow card lover one day. maybe.      The zoooooo was marvelous!!! Although, after searching for the penguins for eight years....when we finally arrived, it was rather a disappointing endeavor after all. Nevertheless, the ride home with our controversial convos of my newly made aquaintances was a great way to end a most interesting of weekends.
My college experience thus far has been great. Truly. Not like this soup is great, great. But, really, honest to goodness great. I don't live on campus, and yet, everyone still makes me feel so welcome. Like I'm still part of the action.
Great friends.
Great bagels.
Life is great :)