This fall has been a season of abundant change. It was a time of new beginnings, but also the end of many old chapters. I was given the opportunity to restart my life with brand new, friends, a different community, and many amazing experiences. While its not hard to reminisce about the past, I find myself less inclined to do so as each day passes. As I get more and more familiar with my new life my love for it grows. Penn State its a place of endless possibilities and I am so excited to be at the start of an unforgettable story that lays of ahead of me.

I threw my backpack on the floor, tore off my shoes, and ran out the door. The grass felt cool and soft under my feet as I sprinted down the grassy hill of our yard. I collapsed on my back, arms eagle spread, on the line where our yard met the neighbors. As I waited for them to come out and play, I closed my eyes and let the sun beat down on my face, warm and inviting. Ahhhhh….freedom at last.

It was summer break and my young heart fluttered with excitement and anticipation. Three whole months of homeworkless euphoria awaited my young soul. The possibilities only limited by the extent of our imaginations.

Today we might solve a mystery that would stump Sherlock himself. Tomorrow the swing set castle would be valiantly defended from the evil elves. Backstreet boys would be wed. Culinary masterpieces concocted from berries and plants. Outer space and far off lands explored. Mud sculptures artfully designed.

It was a time unrestrained by reality. Where pain and disappointed only extended as far as a scraped knee or a rainy day. My childhood self didn’t consider practicality, or factor in failure…they simply didn’t exist. Pure ingenuity dominated and I was unstoppable.

The Cover Up

That moment when your hand is suspended in air, about to wave, only for you to realize the person you thought was waving to you was actually waving to someone behind you. So you must decide on a possible motive for that dangling hand. Maybe stretching or fixing your hair. Either way the ruse will be a weak excuse and you’ll walked away feeling tired and self-conscious

The Name Conundrum

When you’re two weeks into a new friendship and you still don’t know the person’s name because the excitement of meeting a new friend left you incapable of simple memory. Asking would be utterly embarrassing and is altogether out of the equation. So you must wait and pray that someone calls out to them, unlocking the secret.

The Four Way Impasse

Two cars pull up simultaneously to an intersection. A battle commences. The battle of the best wave.  Although the victor will be forced to wait for the other car to pull out first, they will win the self-satisfaction of being the most polite.

The Eye Ensnarement

Those instances where you are sitting in a crowded area, casually letting your eyes roam, when suddenly you are caught in an uncomfortably intimate, and entirely unwanted moment with a complete stranger. Your eyes are only locked for a brief second but it’s still enough to ruin the solitude and compel you to relocate.

The Doorway of Detriment

A person steps through a door and, seeing you following, graciously holds it open. But you’re not going in, just simply passing by. They smile at you and the guilt amasses. How could you turn what might be the last shred of humanity that is left in this world down. Despite your great desire to just enter out of courtesy you grudgingly refuse. Kicking yourself for being such a terrible person.

The Bear Attack

The only sounds in the quiet classroom are the slight rustle of pages, the hushed scratch of pencil on paper, the sighs of your frustrated peers. But what was that, an ache in your abdomen brings forth images of a forgotten meal. The sound bursts out of you with a roar that turns heads. The cries of an untamable beast snarling for sustenance, demanding to be fed.

The Sidewalk Tango

The narrow path is crowed and you find your way blocked by a stranger. You attempt to dodge them but they mirror your every move. You’re caught in a staggering dance. Finally you both pause, exchange a calculating look, and you’re off…or not.

  The Eternal Minute

Doors close. A grind. A shake. Silence…blink…blink…blink….The lights flash each floor. The stranger in the opposite corner seems to move closer with every number. The silence presses heavy on your ears. Maybe you should say something, no, no that would only make it worse. Finally, a shudder. The doors slide open. You’re free.

The Chamber Confusion

 Entrance. Stares. Silence. Giggles. Blush. Heat. Sweat. Turn. Run!

The Ask Again

That fleetingly proud moment where you raise your hand and ask a question only to realize that someone posed the same one only a second before. The second before in which you weren’t paying attention. Whoops!

Photos Courtesy Of: Microsoft Office Clipart, publicdomainphotos.net, and freedigitatphotos.net

1. The Cover Up-  The cover up is a pressure filled, decision ridden moment that occurs right after you realize the person you thought was waving to you, was actually waving to a person behind you. But the realization always comes too late. Your hand is already in mid-air, suspended in space, proclaiming your blunder for all to see. So you are forced to quickly choose a plausible action that could explain your outstretched limb. Options include fixing your hair, a sudden urge to stretch, and for the more daring, pretending like you were actually waving to a different person. Either way the ordeal leaves you exhausted, feeling self-conscious and worried that they saw through your ruse.

 2. The Name Conundrum- It happens to the best of us. The frenzy and excitement of meeting a new person renders the mind incapable of simple memory. Names are exchanged, and subsequently forgotten. A month passes and you find yourself friends with an unidentifiable, too embarrassed to give in and ask. So you wait, vying your time until someone else to calls out to them and says those few syllables that you so desperately need.

 3. The Four Way Impasse- This situation can be seen rampaging intersections across the globe. Two cars pull up to a four way stop at the same time. Their eyes lock. Engines rev. And so commences the battle of the best wave. A fight for who gets to claim the self-satisfaction of being more polite. Neither car wanting to give in, neither willing to submit. And so the stare, they wave, they struggle. The battle begins.

 4. The Eye Ensnarement- That moment when you are sitting in a public area, casually letting your eyes roam around and someone, some horrible person, decides to look your way just at the exact time you look theirs. For a second you’re caught, locked in an uncomfortably intimate, and entirely unwanted moment with a complete stranger. You look away as fast as possible but it’s too late. You’ve ruined the solidarity of the moment, you must move on.

 5. The Doorway of Detriment – Trailing behind someone you approach a door. The person ahead of you opens it and steps in. Cordially they stop and hold it for you, there’s just one problem,you’re had no intention of going in. In truth you were turning left and just happened to pass the door in route. But now that person is standing there, an exhibit of human kindness so often lacking in this world. You feel horrible waving them off. How could you not except their offer? The guilt is amassing, it takes everything you have to just to keep from going in that door. So you wave and say thank you, trying to make up for your unintended rudeness as you walk away.

 6. The Bear Attack- Scene: A silent classroom. Actors: Students busily taking a test. The only sound is the rustle of pages, the scratch of pencils, the sighs of your frustrated peers. But wait, what was that. You feel it coming first, an ache in your abdomen, a flickered thought to a forgotten meal. And then without warning it bursts out of you, a roar that turns heads and pulls forth snickers. An untamable beast snarling for sustenance, demanding to be fed.

 7. The Sidewalk Tango- The narrow path is crowed and you’re suddenly face to face with someone attempting to maneuver in the opposite direction. You step to the right, no good, they are there. A step to the left proves futile as well, apparently they had the same idea. All at once you’re trapped in a live game of mirror, hopelessly trying to dodge them. Finally there is a standstill, a calculating moment of telepathy in which you fervently attempt to send brain waves that tell of your next move. A nod of understanding, and you’re off….or not.

 8. The Eternal Minute- Doors close. A grind. A shake. Silence…blink…blink…blink….The lights flash each floor. The stranger in the opposite corner seems to move closer with every number. The silence presses heavy on your ears. Maybe you should say something, no, no that would only make it worse. Finally, a shudder. The doors slide open. You’re free.

9. The Chamber Confusion- Entrance. Stares. Silence. Giggles. Blush. Heat. Sweat. Turn. Run!

10.   The Ask Again- That fleetingly proud moment where you raise your hand and ask a question only to realize that someone posed the same one only a second before. The second before in which you weren’t paying attention. Whoops!

Let’s look at perhaps the most universal activity that persists on college campuses across America, DRINKING. Yes, that glorious activity of consciously poisoning the body and losing all sense of self just for the sake of a good time.

Who doesn’t like making a fool of yourself in public. Oh wait, you won’t remember it anyway so who cares!

And everyone knows waking up with your face in a toilet is just part of the…fun? But besides that who can complain. I mean who doesn’t enjoy…

-confusion

-memory loss

-an inability to control bodily functions

-trouble walking

But those are just the immediate effects. Don’t forget what you have to look forward to…

-heart disease

-liver failure

-cancer

-obesity

And this is what eager, college bound teenagers are so excited about…

An article in the USA today several years ago even discussed how some college presidents are pushing to lower the drinking age. Their reason…it will discourage students from drinking. Yeah, that makes sense. I mean ok, I guess you could make an argument that students like drinking not just from the alcohol but also from the thrill of evading the law. But what about all those kids who don’t drink precisely because they don’t want to GO TO JAIL. If we’ve lost that as a deterrent I think our society has bigger problems then underage drinking.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-08-18-college-drinking_N.htm

It seems these days education has been placed on the back burner of reasons to go to college and has been replaced by a means of joining an unrestrained drinking community. Obtaining a college degree isn’t even that unusual. Why buckle down and work hard now if grad school is where it’s really gonna count?

So CHEERS! to underage drinking in all its glory. Cheers to alcohol poisoning and hospitalization. To automobile accidents and arrests… Lest we lose ourselves to smart decisions and practicality. For that would be a truly dreadful fate.

Some fun cartoons go along…

Found at http://www.davegranlund.com/cartoons/2008/08/20/drinking-age-debate/

Found at http://www.cagle.com/2011/10/college-drinking-2/

THIS JUST IN: A monster has been spotted terrorizing the public education systems all across the greater Pennsylvania area. Rampaging through the system it has been crushing innovation, stifling creativity, and limiting teacher involvement for many years. The monster targets young energetic minds and bends them to its will of homogeneous responses. In its wake, there is a trail of victims; dull, test obsessed students, lacking in critical thinking skills and obsolete of originality.

What is the name of this horrific monster, you ask? Where does it hail from?

It goes by the name of standardized testing, or more commonly referred to as the PSSA’s, and has emerged from the corrupted land of the federal government.

All across the nation we are seeing brilliant school systems fall subject to its modern teaching tactics and dominating learning objectives. Instead of allowing students to explore interest areas or excel creatively, their success is solely judged now by how well they do on the state issued exams. Teachers have been forced to convert their teaching styles as well, concentrating on test taking skills and the proper way to fill in bubbles rather than fostering their students with a love of learning.

But why is this so troubling? What does it matter how the students are being taught as long as they are in fact being taught? What society is seeing is the emergence of a generation unable to think critically or develop creatively. The only thing they were taught to care about is getting the right answers on a test. It doesn’t matter if the information is understood, or even if it’s the best or right way to do things. As long as you know how to fill in the scantron, everything is ok.

I believe that this mindset is killing innovation and hurting our culture. In order for a society to move forward and to advance, it must be willing to take risks and to think outside of the box. The greatest philosophers of all time were often considered crazy and ostracized for their ideas, only to become known as some of the most profound and influential people in history.

So I urge you all to resist. To fight against an education system that expects nothing more of you then a good test score. Don’t be satisfied by mediocrity. Don’t be afraid to be wrong.

Challenge. Question. Discover. Explore.

Pictures courtesy of Microsoft Office Clipart

Setting: Elizabethtown, PA

9 am:  If you are just getting up now well…you’re lazy. The large majority of this rural population gets up at dawn to milk the cows, feed the chickens, or commute to their job in the nearby booming city of Lancaster (population-just under 60,000).

11am: Head “to town”. Did you remember to budget time for traffic jams? Whether it is a tractor, an Amish buggy (3-5 per trip on Sunday mornings), or a pair of tandem bikers, you’ll be sure to come across at least one.

12pm: After a thrilling shopping trip to the fanciest store in town, K-Mart, where they have everything you need but nothing you ever want, you’re famished and craving Pizza. But where to go? Within a 4 mile radius there are over 8 different places to choose from. Pizzatown sounds good, but considering that’s all the way across town and you could have to wait in up to 3 stoplights, you choose My Place instead.

5:30 pm: Families sit down together for a home cooked meal. Sure it may still be the afternoon and you’ll be starving again by the time you go to bed, but it’s the togetherness that counts. On the menu tonight is spaghetti with a salad composed of ripe vegetables, purchased from the nearest roadside stand. For desert treat yourself to a bowl of delicious Turkey Hill ice cream, or if you’re lucky an Amish made “whoopee pie”!

7 pm: Head to Movi-etown for a featured presentation. Despite the smell, and the occasional rain coming through the hole in the roof, the quality is excellent.

9pm: If you think somewhere will be open…keep on dreaming. After 8 an open store is few and far between. But don’t worry. Giant (a local grocery store) is open 24/7, and there’s always some interesting people watching to be done there.

Images courtesy of:

Microsoft office clipart

Petr Kratochvil @publicdomainphotos.net

A picture tells a thousand words. Art Spiegelman relies heavily on this notion in his book Maus 1, in which he tells the story of his father’s experiences in the holocaust in comic strip form. I have come to relate comic books with satire and fiction, so I was surprised to find that such a terrible period of history could be conveyed so well through this medium.

The sketches were able to create an understanding and relay emotions that I would have otherwise lost if Spiegelman had simply wrote down his father’s words. Also, although he is adding his own style to the piece by using comics, the story still utilizes ethos by keeping the words of his father’s broken English which give credibility to the experiences.

One particular frame that stood out to me was on page 84 and depicted a scene of the father with his wife and child, overlaid and shaded by the image of four Jewish men hanging by their necks. The symbolism of the dead men struck me as a representation of the constant fear the hung over the Jewish people living in Nazi controlled Poland during WWII. The threat of their fate was an ever present reality for the Jewish people of the time and just like the family in the comic is shaded by its presence, the lives of the people going through it were darkened as well.

The tortured looks of the corpses also utilize pathos by bringing forth sympathy and as well as horror at what the Nazis did to them.

I was able to understand better the conditions of the Jewish people during WWII by being able to see, and not just hear what they lived through.

I believe in the ability to run.

As a child I spent most of my time outdoors. Our farm was my playground and I utilized every inch of it. From the giant oak tree, to the barn, to the hay field I would race. Tirelessly stretching out my legs to explore the wonders of the world. My freedom and creativity stemmed from my ability to move, thus allowing me to discover.

I believe that running builds friendships. When I was in seventh grade I joined the cross country team. Not knowing many people on the team, and being in the inevitably awkward teenage stage of life, I was worried about making friends. I learned quickly however that trivial things, such as how you look don’t matter while you run; everyone else is just as sweaty and disgusting as you are. But it’s not just the shared sweat that pulls you together, but the dependence on one another to get through a difficult workout. I don’t think there’s anything more bonding than to all be working towards a common end, to get to the finish, and to get there as fast as possible. Whenever I felt like giving up I just had to look at the determined faces of my teammates and remember that they were feeling the same pain as me, and that if I gave up I would be letting them down. Cause to get through a run like that I needed my teammates to push me, to force me to take that one more step, and I knew in return, that they needed me.  Now in college, I find that the same thing holds true. As you run alongside complete strangers, you begin to share and also to listen in return. Whether it be from an honest interest to know the person, or simply a desperate desire to distract yourself from the hill looming ahead, you slowly begin to reveal small parts of your character and experiences, building the basis for friendship.

I believe that running is good for the mind. As a person runs, moving muscles throughout the body, the pituitary gland releases endorphins. These spread throughout the body, fueling it with energy and motivation.  The physical benefits however, are not what I have found to be the most therapeutic aspect. When I was in 10^th grade, my mom found out the tumor in her brain, which we thought was gone, had grown back. I couldn’t understand why this had to happen again, hadn’t my family gone through enough the first time. I was frustrated at the world and its cruelties. I was angry and mad, and found myself hating people who asked how she was doing, or how I was doing. Why couldn’t they just leave it alone? Whenever I got so it felt like a couldn’t hold it all in anymore I would lace up my shoes, and go for a run. Out on the road, I could pound my frustrations into the ground without having to worry about hurting anyone’s feelings. I was able to lose myself in the run, concentrating on my tiring legs, instead of my tiring mind, while also giving me time away from everything else to just think and pray. This soon became my common mode of therapy. I found that whether it was a fight with my sister or difficult math homework, after I went for a run, things didn’t seem quite so bad. Running was good for my mind.

So I believe in the ability to run. That as long as I can make it over that next hill, or struggle through that next mile, there’s still hope that things are going to be ok.

As written text has merged into graphics, the shape, size, and color of text has come to influence how we, as readers are affected by it.  But why is this? Why do we no longer simply read a sign for the words that are on it, but find the eye traveling to a more “attractive” looking sign, even if it contains the same exact text? I know that I myself have fallen victim to this attractiveness factor. I see a colorful, visually appealing advertisement and I find myself immediately drawn to that company, even if the one with the boring advertisement may have better deals.   

So why is this? The answer is time. And societies concept of time. We no longer want to spend hours researching and comparing products to determine which is better for our needs. No, instead technology as lured us into believing that all we need to know should be visible in the blink of an eye. Or 140 characters, shall we say. A study showed that out of the billion people watching videos online, approximately 20 percent will stop watching within 10 seconds if something hasn’t grabbed their interest.  Lets be honest, who here hasn’t found themselves about to throw their computer out the window when an internet browser doesn’t load after 30….or maybe more like 5 seconds. I know I have. This is why the physical appearance of words now hold so much meaning. Color, size, and shape all initiate an immediate response in our brains. We see curly flourished writing we think expensive, bold and contrasting means elegant and modern. These simultaneous connections  shape our immediate feeling towards the words and either encourage us to read on or turn us away.