Almost There

Post #97: Dedicated to: Say Anything

Close to home. So much to do this week including three papers, a presentation, and an a cappella show, but I'll get through it. And I'll get through the week after that, too. And then it will be finals week, and then I'll be

HOME.

What To Do?

Post #96

I'm so stressed out. I don't know how to cope with it. I have so much to do, not enough time to do it all, and not enough time to sleep.

I'm worried for my mental health, my physical health, and my grades.

I don't know how I'm going to get through these next three weeks.

I'd rather not celebrate Thanksgiving, but spend the entire extended weekend catching up on work and getting done with assignments that are rapidly approaching.

I'm stressed, and I don't know what to do.

Day Ten

Post #95

Day Ten: One confession:

I'm doing the best I can.

I was wondering for days now what my one confession was going to be. After my day today, I decided that this was it.

I'm doing the best that I can, okay? It might not be good enough for you. Well, tough. Learn to live with it. Or stop complaining, and do something about it.

Day Nine

Post #94: Dedicated to: Thinking About You; Norah Jones

So much to do, so little time. I wish I could stay caffeinated for life.

Day One: Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now

Day Two: Nine things about yourself

Day Three: Eight ways to win your heart

Day Four: Seven things that cross your mind a lot

Day Five: Six things you wish you'd never done

Day Six: Five people who mean a lot (in no order whatsoever)

Day Seven: Four turn offs

Day Eight: Three turn ons

Day Nine: Two smiley faces that describe your life right now:

|-)

(:|

Hahahaha, according to a list of yahoo messenger smileys, the first one means "sleepy" and the second one means "yawn." Ahaha. I laugh.

Day Ten: One confession

p.s. K-: I'm taking so long to write your letter, sorry! I literally (literally, not figuratively. Heh.) have so much to do. I haven't even watched this week's HIMYM yet - and I usually watch this Monday night or Tuesday at the latest...ahh! But your response will come soon...or after Thanksgiving... (;

Perspective

Post #93

I hated taking benchmarks during school. I hated having to do STAR testing during school. To me, (and to tons of students and teachers alike still, today) it just seemed like a complete waste of time.

Looking at it on the other side of things, however, has changed my perspectives pretty much completely. (Thank you, Critical Issues in Education class.)

No, Bush's NCLB probably wasn't the best idea in the world, nor will it ever completely, 100% fix the achievement gap. And no, Obama's Race to the Top will probably not yield the amazing, positive results everyone is hoping for.

But still.

We discuss the disadvantages of standardized testing, and how they go against practically everything "good" teaching stands for. Without standardized testing, though, how is the nation supposed to measure the achievement level of the kids? Achievement being a fairly arbitrary term, of course. Yeah, standardized testing generally only tests English and math, with maybe a little bit of history and science on the side. So it doesn't cover all the possible "intelligences" of a child's brain, so it might not call upon the arts. What is the country supposed to do? Administer individual tests catered to each and every student's specific needs? Impossible.

There's a lot more to be done, and a lot more that can be done, but for the first time, I feel like I understand that we're doing the best we can with the resources we have available. And maybe not.

But maybe benchmark assessments every semester weren't such a bad thing, after all.

Day Eight

Post #92: Dedicated to: If We Ever Meet Again; Timbaland ft. Katy Perry

After a great and much needed weekend in Boston, here we are back at school. One week and two days until Thanksgiving break. 32 days until I am back safe and sound, home sweet home in CA. But in the meantime...much work remains.

Such a late Day Eight, but here goes.

Day One: Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now

Day Two: Nine things about yourself

Day Three: Eight ways to win you heart

Day Four: Seven things that cross your mind a lot

Day Five: Six things you wish you'd never done

Day Six: Five people who mean a lot (in no order whatsoever)

Day Seven: Four turn offs

Day Eight: Three turn ons:

- Having a good relationship with parents and being sweet to younger siblings/small children

- Being intelligent – not necessarily academically intelligent, but intelligent – enough to carry a decent conversation

- Being musical talented and/or having an amazing, heart-melting voice.

Day Nine: Two smiley faces that describe your life right now

Day Ten: One confession

Good Morning, Boston

Post #91: Dedicated to: Ain't No Sunshine; Bill Withers

One of the few times I'll catch the sunrise in my life. I'll savor it while I can.

On the bus sitting front of me was a female who spent about 30 minutes (if not more) fervidly filing her nails. And then clipping them or pruning her cuticles or whatever it is. I was a little embarrassed for my gender.

I still have to register...and I still have no idea what to take next semester. Aaaaand, the debate between anthropology and english is growing more and more heated. It's getting difficult. I don't know what to do. On one hand, I don't want to suffer through two and a half more years of hating the English department, waking up with a knot in my stomach knowing I won't be good enough for my professors, and just barely making it out alive. On the other hand, I don't want to feel like I'm giving up. Am I giving up on myself too soon?

But I've told myself I'm not going to worry about this until next semester. When I actually take more classes from both departments and am able to better gauge the situation.

I feel like I have a lot lot lot of work coming up...but in the meantime, you can find me in Davis Square, enjoying my last weekend off with two of my favorite people.

Also, I really fail at posting 10 days consecutively. To be continued.

People

Post #90

I'm exhausted. I've been out of my room for almost 12 hours, and I've still got a non-stop schedule ahead.

I'm getting so sick of people. People who are: selfish, judgmental, mean, too outspoken, rude, obnoxious, disrespectful, offensive, tactless. People who poison the world with their thoughts and their comments. It's no wonder the world is the way it is. It's people like you.

A few more years of this and I'll become so cynical I'll live in a dark hole for the rest of my life, refusing human contact.

It's because I care too much.

Day Seven

Post #89

Sorry friends, this post is a few hours past the actual day seven deadline. It's been a busy day. And it's going to be an even busier day tomorrow...but soon I will be en route to Boston!

Also, just a side note/rant: I'm very tired of crappy writers who think they can write and thus write articles for the newspaper...and then I'm stuck fixing their crappy errors and sentences and sentence structures, sometimes deleting things and adding things and completely moving things around. This is a college newspaper, people. Learn how to write. (This doesn't apply to everyone. Just a majority of writers at a nearby school whose population consists of two X's and no Y's.)

Day One: Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now

Day Two: Nine things about yourself

Day Three: Eight ways to win your heart

Day Four: Seven things that cross your mind a lot

Day Five: Six things you wish you'd never done

Day Six: Five people who mean a lot (in no order whatsoever)

Day Seven: four turn offs:

- Cockiness. Self-confidence is great...but when you get so full of yourself and you're entirely sure you are always 100% correct and will win at everything...that's where it all goes downhill.

- Being awkward. I'd like you to make the first move, not me.

- Lying. Honesty is the best policy, and it fosters the most communication, which is key in a relationship!

- Laziness/self-centered. I have to add these together because technically I'm only supposed to write four. But these kind of relate? I can't stand people who only think of themselves and thus become lazy while the rest of the hard-working world revolves around them.

Day Eight: three turn ons

Day Nine: Two smiley faces that describe your life right now

Day Ten: One confession

10 days to resume in Boston. Or, on Sunday when I'm back home. Good night, world!

Day Six

Post #88

Going to Boston in just a few days. Can't wait.

Day One: Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now

Day Two: Nine things about yourself

Day Three: Eight ways to win your heart

Day Four: Seven things that cross your mind a lot

Day Five: Six things you wish you'd never done

Day Six: Five people who mean a lot (in no order whatsoever):

- Parents

- VCKA sisters

- PACKAM

- Apt 22 (and then some)

- God

Day Seven: Four turn offs

Day Eight: Three turn ons

Day Nine: Two smiley faces that describe your life right now

Day Ten: One confession

Day Five

Post #87

I promise, this is the last Zac picture. Not that anyone minds, right? So pleasing to the eyes (:

Day One: Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now

Day Two: Nine things about yourself

Day Three: Eight ways to win your heart

Day Four: Seven things that cross your mind a lot

Day Five: Six things you wish you'd never done:

- I think this every morning: I shouldn't have slept in that extra 20 minutes. Or however much.

- Bought those items of clothing.

- Said, let's just be friends.

- Kept to myself about every time something you did made me want to blow up the room so I didn't have to endure it any longer.

- Said yes.

- Caused you worry and pain. It won't happen anymore.

Day Six: Five people who mean a lot (in no order whatsoever)

Day Seven: Four turn offs

Day Eight: Three turn ons

Day Nine: Two smiley faces that describe your life right now

Day Ten: One confession

Day Four

Post #86

Day One: Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now

Day Two: Nine things about yourself

Day Three: Eight ways to win your heart

Day Four: Seven things that cross your mind a lot:

- I am going to take a nap later.

- What should I eat for dinner? lunch? breakfast? snack?

- What if? Where would things have gone?

- I want to go home.

- I miss my friends.

- Thursday, get here sooner.

- I love working in admissions.

Day Five: Six thing you wish you'd never done

Day Six: Five people who mean a lot (in no order whatsoever)

Day Seven: Four turn offs

Day Eight: Three turn ons

Day Nine: Two smiley faces that describe your life right now

Day Ten: One confession

You Are Mine

Post #85

I love going to mass every Sunday. I didn't appreciate it as much as I do now. Sometimes I just need a break from school and work, and it's nice to spend an hour focusing on God.

One of today's hymns was "You Are Mine."

"Do not be afraid,

I am with you.

I have called you each by name.

Come and follow me,

I will bring you home.

I love you,

and you are mine."

Feels good to be loved by Christ.

Day Three

Post #84

Day One: Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now

Day Two: Nine things about yourself

Day Three: Eight ways to win your heart:

- Sing me a song

- Play me an instrument

- Sing me a song while playing an instrument

- Make me laugh so hard I'm crying and my stomach and cheeks hurt

- Cook me a meal

- Flowers. On random days just to cheer me up.

- Watch sports games with me, even if you're not that interested

- Support me in anything I do - show up to concerts I'm performing in.

Day Four: Seven things that cross your mind a lot

Day Five: Six things you wish you'd never done

Day Six: Five people who mean a lot (in no order whatsoever)

Day Seven: Four turn offs

Day Eight: Three turn ons

Day Nine: Two smileys that describe your life right now

Day Ten: One confession

Day Two

Post #83: Dedicated to: Just a Dream; Jake Bruene and Kurt Schneider

Day One: Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now

Day Two: Nine things about yourself:

- I care what others think

- I've developed a new appreciation for mustard and guacamole

- Someday I'll be able to appreciate fine wines and champagnes. And cheese.

- I shop shop shop shop shop shop. Retail therapy.

- I am unabashedly a fan of both Zac Efron and High School Musical.

- Every break I only get through about 3-4 books on my reading list. It takes longer than you might think.

- I love traveling and I love taking pictures, and I wish I had an amazing DSLR camera and lens and was a super awesome photographer so my captured memories looked equally beautiful on film as in the moment.

- I like New Jersey.

- I really really really want to learn how to surf.

Day Three: Eight ways to win your heart

Day Four: Seven things that cross your mind a lot

Day Five: Six things you wish you'd never done

Day Six: Five people who mean a lot (in no order whatsoever)

Day Seven: Four turn offs

Day Eight: Three turn ons

Day Nine: Two smileys that describe your life right now

Day Ten: One confession

Day One

Post #82: Dedicated to: Blade Runner


Day One: Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now:


- I wonder if one day we'll ever be as close as we should be.
- Why do you always make fun of me or put me down, when I don't do anything to you?
- No regrets? I think I regret.
- Thanks for listening.
- Listen more.
- I appreciate our phone calls and the fact that although we may be far apart, it always feel like I know exactly what's going on in your life when we do meet.
- I like that we can pick up our friendship where we left it off...but I worry sometime soon it's going to burn out.
- I don't appreciate you enough. But I will.
- Stop lying. Stop faking things. It's going to be your downfall.
- How much do you know?


Day Two: Nine things about yourself
Day Three: Eight ways to win your heart
Day Four: Seven things that cross your mind a lot
Day Five: Six things you wish you'd never done
Day Six: Five people who mean a lot (in no order whatsoever)
Day Seven: Four turn offs
Day Eight: Three turn ons
Day Nine: Two smileys that describe your life right now
Day Ten: One confession

American

Post #81: Dedicated to Enchanted; Taylor Swift

What is America's national identity?

I always thought that to be American meant to be white. Maybe this is because I was (and am) always surrounded by white people, I feel like they are the majority and I am the minority.

But that's false. In a few decades or maybe a century (provided the Earth still exists), whites are supposed to become a minority.

America was founded on a variety of cultures, races, and ethnicities coming together to found a new nation in which everyone can peacefully coexist. Is this the case? Not necessarily. But is it also the case that white people make up the epitome of all that is America? No.

The chancellor of Germany recently said that Germany will allow immigrants, but they must assimilate into German culture: learn German and adopt Christianity.

Perhaps Europe isn't entirely multiculturalism-friendly because it's Europe. In the words of NPR's Neal Conan, "Germany for the Germans, Italy for the Italians, France for the French."

But America's not supposed to be like that. America is made up of Germans, Italians, French, and so many more.

So why have I, up until now, thought otherwise?

If multiculturalism is such an integral cornerstone of America's foundation as a country, then why is it so difficult for the nation to accept it?

And what, then, is America's national identity?