Now that our first semester at Penn State is coming to an end, I’ve been thinking back to the first few weeks here. I now realize that I’ve changed a lot in these few short months. It was not a bad change though, rather, I’ve been able to be myself. The first semester in college truly does change people; it is full of new experiences and learning opportunitites. We learn so much in such a short amount of time, not only in our classes, but about ourselves and other people. Penn State surely has had a huge impact on my life in the past few months.

What if you didn’t choose Penn State?

What if you would have chose one of your other top schools when deciding between colleges last year? Think about the people you’ve met, the friends you’ve made, and the people you learned not to become friends with. Think about the friendships that came quickly, but have already faded away. Remember all of the mistakes you’ve made so far, and the things you’ve learned by making those mistakes. How have the clubs and organizations you’ve joined impacted your first semester? What is your overall thought of your new life at college? What have you learned? What were the highlights of your semester?

I can simply say that I’m very happy with where I’m at right now. I have truly grown as a person throughout these past few months. I’ve met great people so far, and I can’t wait to see what next semester has in store for me, especially because I’m planning to get more involved. I’m also extremely thankful for having the opportunity to live in D-House… you’re all amazing! The highlight of my semester is without a doubt being a part of the Michigan game; that is an experience I will never forget. I wouldn’t go back to change anything if I had the chance.

I know this sounds pretty lame, but with Thanksgiving break right in front of our eyes, it is hard for me not to think about going home and seeing my dog. If you don’t know me very well, you are probably unaware that I have an extreme disliking for pets. Specifically, my dog Mable. Don’t get me wrong, my dog is pretty and all, and I don’t support animal cruelty or anything like that, I just really do not like my dog. Call me cold hearted, but I’m actually dreading seeing her when I get home. My recent thoughts abut my dog have lead me to wonder if she has the same feelings towards me…

I can’t help but think of Stuart and Snowbell right now… 

What if animals could talk to us humans?

Feel free to channel your inner Eliza Thornberry for this one… You look at your pet dog, or cat, or fish, or whatever, and they look back and simply say, “hey.” All animals are now able to hold a conversation with you! How would you feel about that? What problems could this cause? Do you think this new form of communication would change our relationships with animals? What animal would you talk to first? Your pet? A random one you see outside? If you have more than one pet, how would they interact with each other? Would communication with humans give the animals more power? What would you ask? Would you like this change?

Sometimes, I wish my dog could talk so I could ask her if she dislikes me as much as I dislike her. I wouldn’t like it if animals could talk; I think they would become too powerful or manipulative. If humans couldn’t communicate with each other, we would no longer continue to progress. Adding communication to animals would increase their intelligence. The overall thought is scary to me. However, I wouldn’t mind talking to animals if they could talk and nothing else changed. I feel as though people would be a lot more open and loving to animals if they could talk as well. I think animal cruelty rates would decrease as well. As for now, I am content living in a world without talking animals. But hey, at least we know our Penn State Squirrel Whisperer would enjoy it, right?

Imagine this… a random person walks up to you in the middle of the street and hands you a book. He says nothing and simply walks away. When you begin to read the book, you realize that it is the complete story of your life.

What if you were given this book?

Would you choose to even open the book in the first place, or would you just throw it to the side to begin with? Would you be excited, nervous, or frightened? If you choose to open it, where would you start? The beginning? The exact moment you’re in at the time? The end? Would you want to know how you die? What are your predictions of how your own story would go? Who wrote your book?

If I was given a book like this, I would feel extremely curious, but still very nervous. It would be really hard for me not to immediately skip to the last page. (I usually read the last page of a book first anyways). I would start from the beginning, and I know I would be looking for errors in my life; I would be paranoid about that. As hard as it would be for me, I don’t think I would read to the end. I don’t want to know how I’m going to die. I would stop reading once I got to the point in the book where I was about sixty or seventy. I’m not sure what my story would be like at this point because I have no idea where my life will take me. What would you do?

So I guess you can say I’m kind of playing off my RCL post for this week, but not exactly. I’m not much of a TV person at all, but there are a few shows that I watch. Okay, who am I kidding? I only watch The Walking Dead religiously. But occasionally, I watch other shows too.

What if you could be any character in a TV show?

Would you choose a reality show, a fictional show, a talkshow, a “competition” show…? If you can’t think of a TV show you’d want to be in, you can pick a movie. What’s the genre? If it is a fictional show or movie, would you like to just be the actor, or would you actually want to live the life of your chosen character? Would you play a male or a female character? Why would you even choose this character in the first place? Obviously, tell me what show or movie you would be in and what character you would be…

Without debate, I would choose to be Maggie Greene from The Walking Dead. Not only is she gorgeous and awesome, but she is easily the luckiest woman in the world because she is dating my favorite character in the show, Glenn Rhee.

Ahh, it gets me every time…

(Yes, I guess you can say I’m a little bit obsessed…) I think Maggie is an awesome character all around; I’d honestly kill to live her life, even if it meant trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. I’d take the risk…

What about you?

It’s something many people dream of- being that one person who changes the entire world. They long to be that one person initiate that change that is so badly needed in our world today. So, if any of you can relate to this…

What if you could do one thing to change the world forever?

Think hard about this one and use your imagination! If you were able to perform a single act to change the world forever, what would it be? Would you want to be known world wide for your change? Or would you rather have your life remain the same, and allow your actions to be anonymous? What is the first thing you would do in order to make the change?

Personally, I would want to put a stop to the degradation of women around the world. It disgusts me to hear stories of women being degraded, especially still in the twenty-first century! My uncle is stationed in Saudi Arabia for two years, and the stories he tells us of how women are treated there make me truly upset. My changed world would be a world where women are treated equally everywhere you go. I would not want to be known world wide for my change because my life would be changed forever, so I’d remain anonymous. What would you do?

Not gonna lie, I’ve always wondered what my life would be like if I was a guy; it’s a really interesting concept all around. I can’t help but think about how different my life would be in all aspects. Hopefully I’m not the only one here who has pondered this question on occasion…

What if we could switch genders?

So you have to opportunity to switch genders, but here’s the catch: you can switch permanently or temporarily, but you have to decide before the switch. Would you choose to permanently leave your current gender behind, or try out a new one just for a day? A week? A month? A year? What would be your first action as your newly assumed gender? How would you behave as your opposite gender? How would you want your transformation to take place? (Freaky Friday, anyone?) Would you even choose to make the transformation at all, or would you decide not to change and continue on with your life as it is?

If given the choice, I would choose to turn into a male for one week. I would enjoy the surprise in waking up some random morning and realizing that I suddenly have… male appendages? I see myself as an extremely feminine female, so I believe that I would be extremely masculine as a male. I don’t even know why, but I think being an eighteen year old dude for a week would be awesome. For the first day, I would attempt to learn the “ins and outs” of the bro life. After that, I would have the time of my life for an entire week. It would probably be the coolest week of my life. What do you guys think?

The idea of meeting one person who fascinates me has entertained my thoughts for quite a while now. I love meeting new people, and I often think about what it would be like if I could meet any person that sparks my interest. There are a ton of people who I would love to meet, so I wouldn’t pick only one. How about you?

What if you had the opportunity to meet someone who fascinates you?

It doesn’t have to be a famous person, and it doesn’t have to be someone alive right now either. Regardless of the circumstances, you have the opportunity to meet one person who is living or has lived. Who would you choose to meet? Where would you meet them? How much time would you want to spend with them? What about the person interests you so much? If they are no longer alive, would you like to travel to their time period, or would you want them to travel to the present? What questions would you ask them?

I know it sounds crazy, but one person I would actually love to pull out of Hell to meet is Adolf Hitler. World War II is one of the few events in history that I love to learn about. Rather than traveling back to the 1930s and 1940s when he possessed power in Germany, I would want him to travel to 2013, this way, he wouldn’t be in control of anything; he’d just be a “normal” guy. (Who wants to encounter a super powerful evil leader, anyways?) He would also be able to see the effect his actions have had on the world. I think that having an opportunity to ask Hitler questions about his decisions for a brief amount of time would be extremely interesting. (And also extremely scary! But who doesn’t like a little thrill once in a while?) So, who would you like to meet?

So in honor of The Walking Dead season 4 premiere this coming Sunday, I’m taking a less serious approach for this post. (If you guys didn’t already know, I am a HUGE fan of The Walking Dead. The new series premiers this Sunday night at 9:00 pm on AMC, so WATCH IT! Because it will be awesome.)

Go ahead and get your laughs out now, but I honestly wish that the zombie apocalypse was real. Whether you see yourself as the unfortunate zombie bait or the leader of the pack, I’m sure all of you have given some thought to what strategy you would use in the zombie apocalypse. I’ve had some extensive plans for a while now; in fact, Alyssa, Harrison and I had an hour long discussion about it this week. I take my zombies very seriously…

What if the zombie apocalypse actually happened?

7:00 am. You wake up to what seems like a normal morning. To make a long story short, when you turn on your TV for some morning news, every station displays the same message, “ATTENTION, THIS IS NOT A TEST. THE CDC HAS DECLARED A STATE OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY. PLEASE TAKE PRECAUTION, HELP IS ON THE WAY.” You walk outside to pick up the newspaper, and it’s extremely quiet outside; your neighbor isn’t stepping into his car to go to work while simultaneously waving to you and spilling his coffee all over his pants. The woman that lives down the road isn’t taking her dog for her daily walk. On your way back inside you finally realize what is happening. Twenty feet away there is a pack of zombies strolling down the sidewalk. It’s the zombie apocalypse. So what do you do next? AHHHHH!

I don’t want to influence your answers by telling you my personal apocalypse strategy, so I’ll just ask a bunch of questions because I want to hear all of yours! (You don’t need to actually answer all of them, just some things to think about!)

If you were lucky enough to pick the people to fight with you, who would be the members of your group? Would you want a small group or a large group? Would you try to find your friends and family, or would that be a waste of your time? What would your role be in the group? Where would you find and gather your resources? What would be your weapon of choice to kill the zombies? Vehicle? Place to stay? What is the first thing you would do? Ultimately, what would be your plan to survive?

THROWBACK TIME!

Because who doesn’t love to reminisce on cartoons from our childhood?

My topic this week reminds me of the episode of The Fairly Odd Parents, (“The Same Game”), where every character turns into an unattractive and ghostlike gray blob. Each blob is exactly alike living in a black and white world. (If you’re lame and don’t know what episode I’m talking about, I’ll put a link to the episode at the bottom of this post. It’s only ten minutes long, so you should definitely take the time to watch it). Although the show is based on a dorky kid and his fairy god parents, it still provokes some interesting thoughts. So…

What if the world was black and white?

What if our world had no color, and everyone looked, acted, and thought the same way? Imagine living in a world where self expression did not exist. Every person you sit next to in class, regardless of their gender, looks exactly like you, and you look exactly like them. You share the same thoughts and beliefs as each person you pass on the street. You are no longer unique; your identity is stolen. As depicted in The Fairly Odd Parents, the world is boring and lifeless. Even the webpage you’re reading from at this very moment would be completely colorless. How would you feel about living in this type of world?

Just the thought of a colorless world makes me appreciate the world we live in. It may not be the most glamorous, but I believe that we are truly blessed with the opportunity of self expression and being unique. Living in a black and white world would steal every aspect of who we are. It’s almost too hard to imagine. What would your life be like without color? What is a personal source of color in your own life?

The Fairly Odd Parents- The Same Game

http://archive.org/details/TheFairlyOddparents-TheSameGame

Hi everyone. My name is Kindra O’Connor, and I’m addicted to social media.

I’m fairly certain that most of your own names would fit into the above statement. My thoughts this past week have made me come to a realization-social media plays a huge role in my every day life. In fact, I paused my blog writing  specifically to check my Facebook and Twitter for five minutes. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr, I feel that it is safe to say that 99 percent of us use at least one of these sites daily, if not hourly. Social media has become a part of our lives as much as eating and sleeping. So if you haven’t guessed by now, this weeks “what if” question is (drum roll please)…

What if our social media sites suddenly disappeared?

After a long day of classes, you sit down at your desk and open your laptop, your normal afternoon routine. The first thing you do, by habit, is go straight to Facebook, except something is different. Instead of the usual abundance of selfies, depressed and complaint-filled statuses, and the occasional “PUT SOME CLOTHES ON, GIRL!” pictures, you see a simple message. “Sorry, that page does not exist.” Your confusion leads you to your next stop, Twitter. You see the same message. Every social media site you try to visit shows the same results. “Sorry, that page does not exist.”

So what if all social media sites disappeared? What would we do to consume our free time? Although I know I have a slight…okay, I have a severe addiction to social media, I feel as though I would’t know what to do with myself without it. I’m so used to constant updates from my friends that I would feel cut off from the world. However, I’ll admit that a break from social media “drama” would be refreshing. How would you feel if all of your social media connections were taken away? Would it lead to you to any realizations of your relationship with social media? Overall, how does social media affect your every day life?

BONUS CHALLENGE: Try shutting your smart phone and computer off for a whole day. Completely cut off your connection to social media for a full 24 hours. I know it sounds impossible, but this simple task may make you realize a thing or two.

Hey everyone, it’s Kindra!

So I’ve decided to do a “what if…” theme for my blog where I’ll be asking hypothetical questions that will hopefully leave you thinking and possibly spark a conversation among you and your friends. For example, “What if we lived in a different country,” or “what if we could switch genders for a day.” I will then present my own opinions and thoughts on the question.  The main point of these imaginary situations is to make you think. It may sound lame, but I came up with the idea because of my BiSci 003 class. BiSci 003 really stresses the art of asking questions and thinking. My own thinking has lead me to create this blog topic as well as the questions I will be asking. So, here goes my first “what if…” question for you all…

What if we took more time to sit down and simply think?

Think about it; you set aside a short period of time each day to do nothing but think. No distractions, no noise, just pure thinking. This would be a foreign experience for most of us. We live our lives according to a pattern and following a specific schedule, never taking time to sit down and just think about our lives. Personally, I feel as though genuine thinking has and will lead me to discover who I truly am. I believe that others would feel intimidated by thinking. Some may go insane in the silence while they allow their thoughts to run wild. Would you think about the first thing that comes to mind, or would you think more deeply? Do you think you could benefit from taking time out of your day to think? Would you ever actually try to set aside time for thinking? Where would your thinking lead you?