Six Reasons Why College Rocks (In Comparison to High School)

I have completed my first sort of week at college. Classes started Tuesday not Monday so it hasn't been a full week, and also I'm not technically a "college" student (as I'm dual enrolled at both my high school and college), but nevertheless it was almost a full week and I'm sort of a college student. Therefore I bring you a blog post (in list form!) about college and how it's not like high school. At all.

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1. You Can Eat

In high school it was completely forbidden to eat in class, and if you were caught, God help us all. Eating in class was grounds for being written up and sent to the office if your teacher was feeling particularly mean although most of the time it ended with a warning and embarrassment as you got yelled at to put your food away. Now why on Earth can you not eat in class? Because ants I tell  you, and apparently at 17 we are messy eaters that attract bugs and ants and other things we do not enjoy to learn around. But somehow in college you can eat in the middle of class because maybe ants stay away from institutions of higher learning? I'm not sure. All I do know is that I ate animal crackers in the middle of my sociology class Friday and no one batted an eye.

2. You Don't Have to Ask for Things

Do you need to pee? Or maybe you want some water? Or how about stepping out of class to make a phone call? Well, go for it because this is college. In high school, you have to ask to use the restroom and depending on where you are in the middle of class and who your teacher is they may or may not let you go and it may or may not require a bathroom pass and you may or may not get a scolding about how you need to fix your pee schedule around the school's bell system. But alas, this is college and you can literally get up and WALK OUT OF THE CLASS WITHOUT A SINGLE WORD and no one cares. The professor doesn't even blink. This is insane I tell you, INSANE.

3. Somehow Everyone Can Learn Without a Dress Code

This past week I have worn athletic shorts, leggings, and/or a tank top (without a sweater!) and somehow the guys in my class managed to learn despite the distraction of my legs and shoulders. Life is crazy man.

4. The Magical Syllabus

In high school I had a few teachers who managed to give out a class syllabus at the beginning of the semester but they RARELY stuck to it. Come to think of it, I never had a teacher who stuck to it. But in college you get a syllabus with all of your tests already planned out and handed to you. There are no more teachers who give you a test with only two days to prepare when you already have a test in another class on the same day and generally a paper due in another. Sure you may have multiple tests or papers due in on the same day in college, but you would have already known about that at the beginning of the semester. College makes it so much easier to be organized because (generally) the professors have their lessons mapped out more efficiently. 

5. Less Time in Class

In high school I had four classes an hour and a half a day, yet in college all my classes are usually 50 minutes a day and we only meet three times a week. One of my classes meets a little longer because it's the lab for one of my science classes, but even then the lab only happens once a week. Although one of my friends has a class that meets an hour and a half, they only meet twice a week. Regardless, you're going to be spending a lot less time in class. 

6. No One Checks Your Homework

This might quite possibly be my favorite thing about college. No professor is there to hold your hand and make sure you answered every question on the outline in accuracy. I like this not because I'm a slacker who doesn't do my homework, but I like that the teachers no longer baby you by making sure you always do your homework completely and properly. Professors know that if kids don't do their homework they'll pay for it come time for the exam.

And I do believe this concludes my list of why high school sucks and why college is worth the thousands of dollars in debt.

Have a fabulous day.

A Life Update (Because We All Need Them)

Classes start for me this Tuesday. I'm dual enrolled at a local university this year so I'll be spending less time in the classroom (yay for 50 minute classes!!) but most likely more time doing homework (and to think I never realized that could be possible).

But senior year. What a milestone. It's so cliche and shit to talk about time flying but it did. Time flew, and here I am stressing about scholarships and applications and, like, college. Pray for my sanity and relative well being.

On a good note, I got a laptop. I want to say this will lead to more blogging, but I also thought that summer would lead to more blogging and look what happened. I had wanted a Mac for a really long time (as I'm a devout Apple user when it comes to phones), but I ended up with an HP that I love. I had used my friend's Mac for a few hours a couple weeks ago, and I didn't love it like I thought I would. It felt weird and complicated to me, and I certainly wasn't about to ask my parents to put down $900+ on something I didn't absolutely love. Instead I went to Best Buy and found an HP that I know how to work/use/and love for a way way way cheaper price (which made my parents happy!!).

Also, I just recently finished a TV series that I absolutely adored. Well, I didn't finish the series per say, but I did finish what was available to me on Netflix. It's a British show by the name of Call the Midwife. I vaguely remember hearing about it from someone's blog, but I can't seem to remember who it was? I know there are more seasons out there, but only the first three were available on Netflix (cue the sad feelings).

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Anyway, I hope everyone has a great beginning of school/season of life that we seem to all be embarking upon.

And of course, have a fabulous day.

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To keep things interesting I think I'm going to go with this whole asking questions at the end of blog posts. To begin, has anyone else started school/university? Also for those starting university, what's your major? (I'm sure you're terribly tired of hearing this question but humor me.)

God's Not Dead (A Movie Review)

I understand that I'm a little late to the party on this whole God's Not Dead thing, but my motto is, better late than never. And late I am. Plus rumor has it that God's Not Dead 2 is coming out so maybe this post will still have some relevancy. Maybe? Hopefully? 

Anyway.

When God's Not Dead first came out, I glided over the whole wave of popularity without a second glance. I'm a struggling Christian (although aren't we all?), and I had no real desire to see some cheesy movie about a God I didn't understand. A year went by quickly, yet before I knew it, my Sunday School class had decided to watch the movie together. I was among the minority of those who hadn't seen it. Actually, I believe I was the only one who hadn't seen it.

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To be frank, I settled in each Sunday (it took a few of them to watch the whole thing) with a glimmer of excitement. I heard good things about the movie from friends of mine who I expected to give me the whole truth on it. They had told me it wasn't cheesy and that it was realistic. They had told me it helped them understand a hard to understand God. Every single person told me they had loved it.

Once the final credits rolled though, I can't say I had the same reaction.

Like most Christian movies, I felt it was cheesy and for the most part, unrealistic. I will admit the acting was pretty good (which is uncommon in Christian movies), but I felt like the addition of the Duck Dynasty clan was overrated and to be blunt, dumb. They couldn't act and they were unneeded. I felt like they were just stuck in there for association. Sorry Robertson family. Stick to the duck calls next time.

But it wasn't the Duck Dynasty appearance that has called me to pen this review, it was the stereotypes.

I wholly understand the need to create a film that portrays the Christian attitude and ideology, it's just that it never comes across well. Every Christian film I've ever seen does it. The Christians are brilliant, well meaning people. The atheist are blunt, rude, arrogant, and unhappy. By portraying the Christians positively and the atheist negatively, filmmakers try to get the point across that atheist are bad, bad people and Christians are, well, all things good and holy. I mean, why would you ever want to  to associate yourself with the demeaning atheist when you could be with someone so great like a Christian?

The problem is (to be blunt once again) I've met a few atheist in my time. I know that not all atheist are this evil stereotypical characters that they are continually portrayed as in Christian movies. In fact, I've never met an atheist who acts like they are portrayed in these movies. I don't fall under the umbrella that many Christians seem to find themselves under where they think all atheist are horrible people who consistently undermine our God.

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I've met many brilliant, wonderful, friendly, and caring atheist. The fact that movies rarely give a realistic portrayal of the people that they continually try to attack frustrates me. Also, I found it comical that one of the atheists ends up being hit by a car and the second is diagnosed with cancer, yet the worst thing that happens to any of the Christians is a car that won't start and a girlfriend breaking up with them.

Realistic? No.

Also, the strict Muslim family is inaccurately portrayed and simply reinforces the flawed Muslim stereotypes that filter throughout Christians and many Americans. I mean, how convenient is it that the Muslim dad is dark, cold, and hits his daughter? It's like the people who create these movies purposefully make the non-Christians so easy to hate and the Christians so easy to love when that's rarely ever the case in real life.

The movie's whole premise focuses on the fact that the main character refuses to sign a paper saying "God is dead" which one of his professors requires him to do, but I've never heard of such a professor or university doing such a thing. Ironically, I have heard of a university who makes their students affirm a statement of faith saying that they believe in one sovereign God, or another one who expects all their students to believe in core Biblical values.

And in a way, this is okay. The two universities cited above are private institutions and I'm sure the kids who apply and attend these colleges are Christians and know what they're getting into. Simply put, it's just ironic considering Christians are okay with the above colleges, but certainly not the fictitious college that pays a professor who forces children to sign a statement discrediting Christianity. 

Yet, I digress.

Have a fabulous day.

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Have you seen God's Not Dead? Did you love it/hate it/praise it?

Josh Duggar. Again.

I had my intentions set on coming on here and discussing the upcoming 2016 presidential election, but more interesting matters have come into play. Josh Duggar to be exact.

It's been a tough year for the Duggar family. Josh's history of molestation surfaced, their TV show was cancelled, and to top it all off, it was just released that Josh Duggar had two Ashley Madison accounts. (Ashley Madison is a dating site but for people who are married/in committed relationships and are looking for some sort of affair.)

What a time to be a Duggar. Or not to be a Duggar. Or to be a conservative Christian with a bajillion children because, God forbid, birth control. But I digress. 

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Back in May I actually wrote about Josh Duggar and his newly resurfaced past. I wrote about how it made me feel disappointed that Josh didn't use his past mistakes to be more open minded about other people's mistakes and differences. While he was fighting for family values (anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, etc.), he was simultaneously living with a mistake riddled past not to mention he was cheating on his wife as per this new release of information.

Today Josh released a new statement in regards to his Ashley Madison accounts. I was utterly surprised in quite possibly the best way. The statement starts off with, "I have been the biggest hypocrite ever," and it was as if he took the words right out of my mouth. I won't go into too much detail as to what he said as it's a quick read, but I honestly couldn't have said it much better myself.

I appreciate the fact that he has realized that while he was fighting against immoral values (or at least what he considers immoral) that he was being immoral himself. I know that I have made jokes in the past concerning these recent Duggar events, but after reading his statement I genuinely hope that he, his family, and his victims receive healing. 

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We all make mistakes Josh Duggar. I thank you for owning up to them.

 

Have a a fabulous day.

Beach

Greetings!

I have just returned from the beach with a new tan and a reminder that I haven't blogged in a while. While I try to unpack, wash clothes, and prepare for a new school year I'm going to leave this post here with few words, lots of pictures (mostly of the beach and my Chacos).

Enjoy. And thanks for sticking around.

Have a fabulous day.