Swine Flu?

What the hell is going on in the world right now? I typically mock conspiracies regarding the government but today I have one of my own. The so called, "Swine Flu" has taken over the media. Every news stations is talking about it! North Texas University shut down today. This closing comes only after the state of Texas decided to close the entire 80,000 student Ft. Worth Independent School District. On top of that, over 400,000 students are out of school for the next 9 days. Now, here comes my conspiracy. Running a school is a very expensive job. Think of all the water, electricity and other expensive utilities students use every day in their schools. It adds up. Just the other day I read an article discussing the proposed plans to only operate schools 4 days a week to cut costs. How convenient? I believe these "precautionary" measures are simply undercover tactics to help local governments retain money during a recession. Maybe I am wrong, but why would 400,000 students be out of school due to the potential contamination of about 20? Furthermore, why are they out of school for 10 days? Do they think this epidemic is going to get better before they even find a vaccine. You may counter my argument by saying, "they're going to make the missed days up in the summer" but they're not! The state of Texas, which harbors over 75% of the students missed, has announced that these missed days will NOT be made up. This is the same state that required students to make up school days in Houston after Hurricane Rita. Are you kidding me!? They're probably saving millions and if I was a student being exempt from finals next week, I would probably not be complaining. Nevertheless, it's wrong. There's something fishy going on here. It's not like the kids missing school are just staying home spraying themselves obsessively with Lysol. The younger ones are being put into nurseries for the week. HA! THAT'S SMART.

READING= IMPORTANT

Reading is the most difficult but important skill for a student to obtain during their time in school. Not all students finish school with a strong reading skill set. Without a strong background of language and literacy skills, success is nearly impossible for a student. Constance Zulu, professor in the Department of English at North-West University, wrote an article titled, “Academic Reading ability of first-year students: what's high school performance or prior exposure to academic reading got to do with it?” In this informative article, analysis revealed, “Critical reading was the most difficult skill students to obtain, implying that more emphasis should be placed on teaching this skill” (1). The ability to read is important in more subjects than just Literature and English; Reading expands itself through every subject in school.

Put Up Your Phone and Drive

I would like to take this opportunity to admit that although I recently submitted an argumentative paper promoting technological multitasking, the claims in my paper do not accurately represent my honest opinion on the subject. I wrote the paper opposing the anti-multitasking articles we read, to challenge myself as a writer, looking for key points I could counter Amy Jarmon's beliefs with. I also enjoy a good debate and everyone knows you have to be able to defend both sides of an argument to be effective. Nevertheless, yesterday as I was walking back to my dorm from class, I was nearly run over by a fellow female student of mine, driving a Range Rover while texting. She failed to come to a stop at the stop sign and continued to drive down the street with her face focused on the cell phone in her lap. I cannot begin to express the disgust and anger that overwhelmed me after the incident occurred. This girl nearly killed me over a text message. She is operating a 6,000 pound piece of metal and glass machinery that is capable of reaching speeds near 100 miles per hour. She needs to put down the phone and drive. Talking on the phone is one thing, but deliberately taking your eyes and mind completely off the road to type a message that I assume had no real significance to her life whatsoever, is sickening. My mom was telling me on the phone about the lady who does her nails. Apparently, she has a son that took a summer Art class at SMU last year. He was struck by a vehicle near the McElvaney parking lot and went from being a straight A honor student to not being able to pronounce his own name. I could and probably will write a separate blog entry on how fast some students drive down the Boulevard at SMU. People need to be more careful, even if it means missing a text message.

April weekend

On Thursday night, I stayed up until 7:30 in the morning writing my English rough draft and studying for 3 very important tests. I woke up at 8:45 and can honestly say I feel confident in all my work. I needed a relaxing weekend to celebrate my success while rejuvenating my mind and body. Unfortunately, my weekend plans coexisted with my previous plans of going to the NASCAR Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth. In case you've never been to a NASCAR race before, let me describe it. Basically it's 140,000 screaming fans watching 43 650-horsepower v8 supercars scream down a circular track for 350 laps at 200 miles an hour; and my seats were as close as you can get without being a driver. To say the least, I'm exhausted. I'm sunburned and my legs hurt from walking. My ears are ringing and I cannot begin to describe my headache. Nevertheless, I love NASCAR. In the strangest way, although I was not ready for a strenuous and abusive weekend, I am suddenly energetic and ready to take on the next week of school. I must suggest that sometime before you die, go to a NASCAR race. Mesmerize yourself with the incredible accuracy of the "Red Neck" stereotype you've always heard about. Feel the rumble of all 43 cars washing out your pulse and conscience with nothing but a sweet rumble of an American V8. Remind yourself that you're lucky enough to be sitting in the stands rather than in the car of what you will think is the most dangerous professional sport in the world. Even as you walk away from the track, defeated and torn down with a humble realization that you will only be driving 3 or 4 miles an hour as you try to leave the parking lot, remember that NASCAR only comes to Texas twice a year, and no weekend plans can get in the way of you being there.

4:47 AM

I just finished writing the rough draft for my paper due tomorrow. However, my night is not over. I've been studying for two tests tomorrow: economics and electrical engineering. It's 4:47 in the morning. I don't really know how my sleep habits have gotten this bad, but they have. I am so close to the end of my freshman year but even when it's over, it's not completely over. I'm taking a Summer School class so I can start Cox Business School early. After that, I'll probably be getting a job which will make the Summer fly by really fast at which point I'm going to have to do it all over again. I guess this is my first year as an adult because this is definitely going to be my first Summer as an adult. I miss being a kid. I miss having a structured bedtime and a home cooked meal every night, but at the same time I have so much freedom right now, and I wouldn't give that up for anything. For example, I'm about to go to 7-11 to get some more energy drinks to keep me up so I can get all my work done. This blog post really helped me take a break while still doing some work. I really do appreciate this English class because it has allowed my writing to be very opinionated. I have rarely been able to express myself in a paper the way I have in this class. I'm not here to kiss butt. However, I am here to make an A... even if it means kissing butt. Good night!/Morning!

Online Music

Online music retailers slashed prices this month to record lows. As the music industry watches in horror, physical CD sales tumble and digital sales fail to bridge the gap. Online music retailers are trying to fill the gap by an age-old technique: slashing prices. Millions of teens, including myself, download music illegally from the Internet. Since I've come to SMU and joined the PerunaNet network, I have not been able to download from any of the free online music programs I once used. Since my arrival in August, I have purchased over $50 in music and downloaded zero songs for free. This proves my point that all it takes is a little bit of security and government restriction and people will stop. I'm more than happy to pay 99 cents a song. If anything, it makes me appreciate my music all the better. I don't have to worry about viruses, the quality is excellent, and now prices are falling. The industry has put out reliable, affordable, customized programs designed to professionally provide you with an enormous variety of music. There shouldn't be a need to save money and put your computer at risk by searching online for a free song. Think before you download! You're hurting the music environment!

The News

Lately, I've had some time to catch up on my TV-shows and the broadcasting news. I typically enjoy watching the news. It allows me to feel a sense of accomplishment in the knowledge I gain by simply sitting on the couch and observing a series of topics and current events to discuss. However, over my Spring Break, watching the news only seemed to bother me. I felt anxiety, discomfort, shock and even depression after hearing some of the most horrific stories presented in a series that seemed to go from bad to worse. These stories included 2-year old girl victims of child-pornographers, drowning NFL football players lost at sea, crazy ex-husband homicide suicides and of course, the HORRIBLE economy. It seems that there is very little going on in the world right now. Rather than feeling aware of my surroundings, I am now disgusted with so many things about our society. Has the roll of the news changed? It's supposed to inform us. Now it's just depressing! There's no positivity. There's not any reinforcement on the good things that happen each and every day. As the feel-good stories seem to fade away, the crises and deadly black clouds over our heads seem to grow story by story. I encourage you to watch the news to see what I'm talking about. However, don't watch too long... you'll get upset.

I wrote a response to "The World According to Greece's blog, "If 8 is enough, what about 14?".

I wrote a response to "Life in the Fast Lane" by Bon Qui Qui.

I wrote a response to the article called, "He's just not that into you" on Meghan's Blog.

Fifteen Days Ago...

Everybody asks, “What can I write about?” Here are some ideas:
1. What experiences have I had recently that made me stop and think?

Fifteen days ago, after settling back into my dorm room on the second floor of McElvaney, I felt a sense of accomplishment as I remembered the lessons I learned during my first semester of college. More importantly, I was excited to begin my next semester with the idea that school was my only concern. I was focused. I was equipped and prepared for everything the academic term could throw at me. I intended to make straight A’s and keep myself disciplined and motivated in an effort to earn my spot in the Cox Business School. There were no distractions as my mind and heart were both at peace. I remember taking a nap Tuesday, January 20^th, 2008. When I woke up, I noticed I had a missed call from my grandmother, Stephanie Christ. She left me a voicemail saying, “I wish you a happy semester and I love you and I’m thinking of you.” Stephanie was always a young grandmother. At 57 years old, she lived down the street from SMU as a caretaker for her 88-year-old father. I come from a large close Greek family and talking openly as a friend with my grandmother was never out of my nature. I called Stephanie back but she never answered. I went to bed and began my classes for the next semester. After a long first day, I came back to my dorm and once again, took a nap. I woke up 2 hours later to the sound of my father telling me over the phone, to sit down because there was something he needed to tell me. Stephanie, while shopping at Super Target, had a seizure, was rushed to Presbyterian hospital and did not make it. Obviously shock and depression have settled in since her sudden departure from this Earth. Less than 4 years ago, her son, my Uncle Charlie, passed away in a fishing accident. His death was one of the hardest obstacles for me to get over. After Stephanie’s funeral, her daughter, my Aunt Tassi, was informed that she would need to undergo an immediate hysterectomy within a week. This week, my mother was diagnosed with disarticulates which required a CATscan. In the CATscan, a 2-inch cyst was discovered on her ovary and aside from being in excruciating pain, she may also have to undergo a hysterectomy. Meanwhile, my father is dealing with finding a place for Stephanie’s father, settling her assets, helping his sister and wife deal with their painful conditions as well as emotionally staying strong as he remembers his young step-mother and accepting her premature death. In fifteen days, my single concern, school, has become just one of many. In fifteen days, my peaceful mind has gone and left me a sleepless mess. Emotionally, I suffer every time I have a chance to think about what’s going on just a couple blocks away from SMU. Physically, I have lost weight and stopped working out. Mentally, I feel as if my writing level has dropped to that of a 3^rd grader… even in this blog post. I hope things get better. However, I do feel there are good things that have come from this experience. I now know that I am NEVER prepared for anything and sometimes we can’t help things from happening. I appreciate the time we have with our loved ones but when it’s time to get things done, and they’re not here anymore, you can’t lose sight of your goals and ambitions.