This is my “bucket list,” which was inspired by the MTV show, The Buried Life. In case you’re unfamiliar with the idea of a bucket list, this is a list of things I would like to accomplish before I die. Of course, this list isn’t complete. I plan to add to it and make changes as I see necessary.
- Take surfing lessons
- Volunteer in an impoverished area overseas
- Become ordained and marry someone I know
- Drink out of the Stanley Cup
- Get a tattoo
- Participate in Habitat for Humanity
- Have a “Missed Connection” written about me on craigslist.com
- Go into the Detroit train station
- Paint a mural
- Participate in a paranormal investigation
- Write a book
- Drive a 1967 Shelby GT500
- Be in the Guinness Book of World Records
- Start a business
- Start a slow clap
- Take a polar bear plunge
Filed under: Entertainment, News, Night Out, Traveling, Volunteering | Leave a Comment
Tags: bucket list, MTV, The Buried Life, things to do before i die
Cult of Information
I hate the first week of classes. I hate sitting down and listening to one professor after another read the same syllabus aloud over and over. I think if we have made it this far in our education that we can read these four pages on our own. And I’m pretty sure we all know how to follow a schedule. If we can’t do these things then we deserve to fail.
But today was different. I walked into my Theories of Communication classroom to find the board littered with quotes from communication theorists regarding learning. And the words “Cult of Information” was scribbled in large letters in the middle. I knew I was about to learn something different.
My professor begins energetically rambling on and on about learning, questions, answers, and information. It was enough to make my head spin. But once I really began to listen, I realized he was talking about things that no one professor has ever said to me.
He tells us that information and knowledge is not a “thing” and it cannot be collected. He feels bad for students because we think we are just here to gather as much information and knowledge as humanly possible so that we can hold it in the “bucket that is our head” and show it off to others. We think that when we graduate our buckets will be full and we will be satisfied. But in reality, it cannot be collected because it isn’t a thing so we will always feel disappointed and let down.
Instead we should look at our education as a growing process. A way to enrich our souls. He asked the question, “What will you do with your life?” Immediately I thought, “graduate, get a job, have a family, etc.” But that’s not what he was asking. Our time spent here is meant to mold who we are as a human being. Jobs and money are great but who you are is even better. And if you are happy with who you are (not necessarily with what you do) then that is the best thing of all.
He tells us how he has found that people go to college for two reasons. The first reason is for a job so in their classes these students just strive for a good grade. They play games in which they do as little work for the best grade. But the other grouping of people who go to school do it for their lives. They believe this education is much more important than the money or the job. They want to better themselves, not their resume, with their education.
Then he asked us to think about which category we fell into. I was kind of upset when I realized that I’m one of those game players who is only out there to succeed in the Game of Life. I want to get a job, make as much money as possible, have a family, retire young, and travel the world. It’s a depressing thought that I never once though about how this education is bettering me as a person–not as an employee prospect.
One of the quotes on the board was from Lee Thayer and it read, “Answers to questions you can’t raise, will be knowledge you can’t use.” If you don’t have a question then how are you supposed to use the statements you obtain. My professor explains that questions are the only way to access your mind (or his mind) and finding answers.
He allowed the room to get silent for a few seconds before yelling, “throw away your highlighters!” This puzzled everyone including me. “What you highlight is not the answer to anything,” he says next. This is even more confusing. He went on to explain that these are just statements but like Thayer said, if you didn’t have the question to begin with, these statements will be meaningless.
To be honest, I was really caught off guard by all of this. I don’t know if he lecture left me dumbfounded because it was the first day of class and we never experience something so intense or if it was because it was a completely new perspective on college life. All I know is that I really need to step back from my aggressive school tactics and really appreciate and enjoy my last semester before graduation. And I’m really excited to see where this class goes and what else this guy is going to open my eyes to.
Filed under: College | 2 Comments
Tags: answers, College, cult, cult of information, education, first day of class, Game of Life, highlighters, information, Lee Thayer, professors, questions, quotes, syllabus, Theories of Communication
My H1N1 Vaccine Debate
My mom wants me to get the H1N1 flu vaccination as soon as humanly possible since my college is giving them to students for free but I haven’t decided whether or not I really want to get one.
Why wouldn’t I want to get vaccinated for a pandemic that the president has now deemed a national emergency, that has already infected 20,000 and killed another 1,000 people? First off, have you heard that there is a shortage of vaccinations? This is my main reason for not wanting to get the shot. I have insurance and I have no problem going to the doctor whenever I need to. So I feel that if I became infected with the Swine Flu, I wouldn’t die because I have access to the proper healthcare. I would much rather save the vaccine to be distributed to someone who does not have insurance and would not be able to afford the doctor bills in the event they got sick. Plus did I mention I hate shots?
What is the one reason, other than my mother telling me I have to, that will most likely ensure I get vaccinated for H1N1? Graduation. I will be walking across a stage on May 1 to receive a piece of paper that cost me 4 years of my life and, more importantly, cost my parents over $40,000. Or at least I will be graduating pending the completion of 36 credit hours between this semester and next. I already spend December through March with one cold after another, do I really want to add the Swine Flu into the mix? Unlike a cold, H1N1 will keep me out of classes for about a week during my senior year. I really don’t think I can afford to miss class for a week while I am already struggling to keep caught up in six classes.
Like I said, my college is giving out free H1N1 vaccinations this week and I don’t think I have any other choice but to get vaccinated. Not only will my mother yell at me, drive the 3 hours to my house and drag me to the nearest clinic, with my luck, I would catch a bad case of the Swine Flu that would cause me to fall so far behind in my classes that I would never catch up by the end of the semester. Then I would be forced to postpone graduation and start my 5th year of college. Getting a shot sounds a lot better than staying in school any longer, doesn’t it?
Filed under: College, News | 2 Comments
Tags: doctor, epidemic, flu, H1N1, shot, sick, vaccine
Girly Nerdy Goodness
www.GirlyNerdyGoodness.com
If you haven’t already heard, the first episode of Girly Nerdy Goodness is days away from premiering! Girly Nerdy Goodness is a podcast that I do along with Annie, Jordan, and Whitney.
What’s the subject matter, you ask? Whatever interests us (or doesn’t) at the moment. Pretty much whatever we feel like talking about is fair game. We also answer questions and give advice to clueless boys in attempt to make them the perfect men who are suitable for dating.
This podcast isn’t only a way for us to talk about pointless and nerdy things but it is also to prove that girls can be on the internet without having to take off their clothes. Sorry boys, no n00dz here. But I guarantee it is still entertaining!
Click here to listen to the GNG promo!
Filed under: Podcast | Leave a Comment
Tags: advice, Girly Nerdy Goodness, GNG, Podcast
Now Hiring
Today I posted this on Craigslist.com:
WANTED: Personal assistant to help a college senior struggling to find time for her academic life as well as her internet life. The assistant’s responsibilities would include, but are not limited to: organization of the employer’s life, scheduling (of homework, appointments, and internet responsibilities), writing dictated materials (blogs, tweets, e-mail, etc), and select domestic duties. Assistant must be proficient with a Mac and have a vast understanding of iLife, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, podcasts and be all around technologically savvy. Excellent writing and grammar skills are a must. Flexible with days and hours as long as 9 hours are worked during any 3 days of the week. Pay is semi-negotiable. You can gladly use the position for any college “internship” requirement, however it is not guaranteed that your college/university will approve. Please do not apply if you do not own (or are not willing to purchase) an internet ready smart phone.
I wrote this want ad because I am in desperate need of a personal assistant and in an ideal, fantasy world I would have one.
On top of being a senior in college, I have far too many projects going on. But I love them all so there’s no way I’m about to give any of them up for some silly free time.
Besides my 18 credit hour school schedule and all the studying that comes with it… I run three blogs–my personal one, Wattlebird and four815162342. I am a co-host of a podcast called Girly Nerdy Goodness. I am an avid blogger and Tweeter and Facebook junkie. I send no less than 5,000 texts per month. I live in a two-bedroom townhouse with a roommate, which requires an endless amount of chores. And I am maintaining a long-distance relationship.
People say that I have too much on my plate. But the truth is, if I’m not this busy I’ll go crazy. I love the fast-pace, hectic lifestyle that I have been building up the last few years and I have no intention on changing it. To better cope, I’m just going to have to hire someone to help me.
Craigslist doesn’t allow the posting of unpaid positions so I listed pay for my assistant as “semi-negotiable.” And by semi-negotiable I mean, it’s unpaid. If Craigslist allowed it, I’d just call it an “unpaid internship” and students would be lining up for the job! Nothing says “resume builder” better than some slave labor!
Filed under: Internship, Technology, internet find | Leave a Comment
Tags: craigslist.com, personal assistant, want ad
Is there a such thing as “off-the-record” these days? These days of Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and the yearning of people across the country to be the next Perez Hilton?
Technically, you could say yes. Technically, someone can say “this is off-the-record”. But technically, someone’s off-the-record statement can be read by millions of people within minutes these days.
I’m assuming that in today’s information age that everyone is already aware of the Kayne West/Taylor Swift tussle at the MTV VMAs last night. I feel that it is safe to say that everyone knows about it because even President Obama had something to say about it.
ABC’s Terry Moran set the Twitter-sphere all aflutter when he wrote:
We’ve reached out to Moran and will update this post when we learn more.
Now, an ABC spokesperson explains to POLITICO what happened:
“In the process of reporting on remarks by President Obama that were made during a CNBC interview, ABC News employees prematurely tweeted a portion of those remarks that turned out to be from an off-the-record portion of the interview. This was done before our editorial process had been completed. That was wrong. We apologize to the White House and CNBC and are taking steps to ensure that it will not happen again.”
The White House had no immediate comment.
Whether it is because someone doesn’t have high journalistic ethics or because some guy is too stupid to use common sense, everything you say has a possibility of making it to print (or to tweet). This is just more proof that “off-the-record” is a thing of the past… just like dinosaurs and newspapers.
I’m sorry Obama but I do not feel sorry for you. What’s said is said and if it is remotely interesting enough it will make it to the internet. And if it is really interesting it will be tweeted as you speak.
Filed under: Blogs, Entertainment, News, Rants, internet find | Leave a Comment
Tags: ABC, Blogs, CNBC, interview, jackass, journalism, Kayne West, MTV, newspapers, Obama, off-the-record, Politico, rant, Taylor Swift, Terry Moran, Twitter, VMAs
first weeks of my senior year
me, Caylnn, Kayla and Brittany
Last night was Grand Valley’s rival football game against Saginaw Valley, which is nicknamed Battle of the Valleys. We of course won, 38-7.
The first couple weeks of the semester have been good. I’m going to have a lot of homework and reading on my plate but I’m up to it. In the spring when I graduate it will all be worth it.
The class that seems like it will be the hardest is SS-300, Research Methods in the Social Sciences, because it apparently involves statistics and I suck at statistics. I thought ENS-201, Introduction to Environmental Studies and Sustainability, was going to be my favorite class of the semester but I was wrong. I have this feeling I’m going to regret taking that class. COM-495, Issues in Communication, seems like it is going to just be another communications class–nothing I’m a stranger to. Same with WRT-305, Writing in the Disciplines–nothing new. CAP-413, Media Planning, seems really interesting. I feel like I am going to learn a lot, not only from the course but also from the instructor because he has a lot of work experience. Then there is my favorite class of the semester, LIB 373, American Mass Culture. We talk about things like Google, Walmart, McDonald’s and commercials. It’s pretty much an open discussion about anything in mass culture.
I have also been in an extremely good mood the last few weeks which really makes for a good start of the semester. Things are finally starting to fall back into place.
Filed under: College, Sports | Leave a Comment
Tags: Battle of the Valleys, Brittany Brincatt, Calynn Lustig, College, football, graduation, Grand Valley State University, happy, homework, Kayla Cooper, Saginaw Valley State University, semester
first night in my new apartment
It’s ironic that this went up on PostSecret last night… which was also my first night staying at my new apartment.
Filed under: internet find, moving | Leave a Comment
Tags: apartment, post card, PostSecret
this is what I call a good night
Tonight is one of my last night’s back home and I spent it curled up in bed watching Rumor Has It and cuddling with Hello Kitty. This is what I call a good night.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Tags: cuddling, Hello Kitty, Rumor Has It
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