This morning I was checking my Facebook and came across yet another "Look at me I'm engaged" photo album. It seems like all the cool kids these days are celebrating the beginning of their twenties by giving or receiving a diamond ring. Girls who used to post pictures of themselves building snowmen and burning batches of Christmas cookies with their friends now only post pictures of themselves and their significant other playing Scrabble. One of my friends from high school sought to combine her and her fiance's online identities by inadvertently reducing herself to half a Facebook profile. Another friend lists her fiance as her favorite activity and interest. And these are supposed to be the strong and independent women our mothers sought equal rights for? But that's a topic for another blog. What I'm interested in is why young women feel that getting married is the next logical step after graduating college?
Up until college graduation, the lives of most American young adults has followed a very linear path. We graduated from preschool, learned to play an instrument in elementary school, got dressed up for the eighth grade formal, fought with our parents in high school, then studied our behinds off in college. At each stage of our lives we knew which stage came next. College graduation marks the end of that line of thinking. Even those of us who know exactly which occupation we want to work in for the rest of our lives have trouble seeing ourselves 5, 10, or 15 years from now. Getting married young is a way to continue the linear thinking of our childhoods. We can then graduate from college, get married, have babies, and so on until the cycle repeats itself for our children.
Also, let's face it. College life can be very lonely. In high school we lived with people who for the most part loved us unconditionally. In college, we spend a lot of times by ourselves working and studying. I've seen many young women attatch themselves to a guy because it's easier than facing another Saturday night with nothing to do but watch Law and Order re-runs. But even if college life can be lonely, I've heard life in the 9-5 world can be even lonelier. Especially if one has to relocate to find a job. But it's during times of loneliness that we find out who we really are. Like Momma used to say: the best time to learn how to cook is when you're starving.
What I'm trying to say is that marriage should be more than just a check mark as we negotiate Erikson's stages of development. It's a life-long commitment that grows and matures as we do. That being said, I know few people capable of understanding the ramifications of "till death do us part" at 20. Having only lived for 20 years, 10 years feels like an eternity. Promising to love someone "in sickness and in health" is fine when your spouse has the flu for a week, but it's another matter entirely when your spouse is diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I suggest we enjoy being "single ladies" until we understand what it means to "put a ring on it."
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Resolutions for Spring 2010
In honor of the commencement of the Spring 2010 semester, I'm going to share with you my 10 goals for the semester. The beginning of a new semester always motivates me to set unrealistic goals for myself that I never accomplish. Like my goal to achieve an A in Intro to Poetry Writing. Despite the fact that my poetry skills are on the same level as Britney Spears song lyrics. But it's not the goals themselves that matter so much as the act of setting them. So here they are in no particular order.
1. Check out Fuel and Fuddle's half price menu. Side Note: I think F&F half price menu runs from 11:30pm t0 2am. I'm only conscious past 10pm on New Year's Eve or when I have the stomach flu. Not only will I have to be awake during the wee hours of the morning, I'm also going to have to eat and socialize. This should be interesting...
2. Figure out what the heck I'm going to do with my summer vacation. I'm a college junior so this coming summer will be my last official summer vacation. I do not want to spend it scanning medical records or serving french fries like I have in previous summers. I'd like to do more mission work (Should I go to Savannah, or Jamaica?) but I need to make money. I'd like to do an internship/research paper, but I'm not sure where. So this means I need to start thinking about I want to do with my fancy liberal arts education. Or start failing some courses.
3. Be a better roommate. I don't always remember when it's my week to take out the garbage or clean the bathtub. This semester I'm going to make more of an effort to do so. I'm also going to try to communicate better with my two roomies. This means I'm going to have to stop holding people (myself included) to such unrealistic expectations that no one can obtain.
4. Get my butt to Ireland for Spring Break. The trip's been planned for months. I've applied for my passport, and have been saving money all semester. I have finally convinced my mother that seeing the world is a necessary part of being an enlightened citizen. The only thing left to do is pray. Often.
5. Work on cutting the umbilical cord. First off, I love my mom. Maybe a little bit too much. I need to stop calling her every time something little goes wrong and start handling things for myself. Suggestions on how to do this would be much appreciated.
6. Attend a non-ballet cultural event. One of my roommates is a former ballerina and we go to the ballet at least once a semester. It's time to broaden my cultural horizons. I'd love to see a play. Or a musical. I might as well take advantage of the cheap seats offered to undergrads through Pitt Arts.
7. Accumulate $0 in fines at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
8. Become a better cook/ eat a more well balanced diet. I think if I can accomplish the former, the latter will become easier.
9. Focus less on the letter grade I receive in a course and more so on the knowledge I gained from a course. I need to get it through my thick skull that the only one who cares about my GPA is me. I need to focus more on becoming a better team player, more organized, and more flexible.
10. Quit downloading music on iTunes everytime I feel happy, sad, aggravated, excited, depressed, creative, or moody. I need to start listening to the 2.4 days worth of music already on my iPhone before I download any more. I cleaned out myiTunes library over break and found about 50 songs I haven't listened to since 2007.
1. Check out Fuel and Fuddle's half price menu. Side Note: I think F&F half price menu runs from 11:30pm t0 2am. I'm only conscious past 10pm on New Year's Eve or when I have the stomach flu. Not only will I have to be awake during the wee hours of the morning, I'm also going to have to eat and socialize. This should be interesting...
2. Figure out what the heck I'm going to do with my summer vacation. I'm a college junior so this coming summer will be my last official summer vacation. I do not want to spend it scanning medical records or serving french fries like I have in previous summers. I'd like to do more mission work (Should I go to Savannah, or Jamaica?) but I need to make money. I'd like to do an internship/research paper, but I'm not sure where. So this means I need to start thinking about I want to do with my fancy liberal arts education. Or start failing some courses.
3. Be a better roommate. I don't always remember when it's my week to take out the garbage or clean the bathtub. This semester I'm going to make more of an effort to do so. I'm also going to try to communicate better with my two roomies. This means I'm going to have to stop holding people (myself included) to such unrealistic expectations that no one can obtain.
4. Get my butt to Ireland for Spring Break. The trip's been planned for months. I've applied for my passport, and have been saving money all semester. I have finally convinced my mother that seeing the world is a necessary part of being an enlightened citizen. The only thing left to do is pray. Often.
5. Work on cutting the umbilical cord. First off, I love my mom. Maybe a little bit too much. I need to stop calling her every time something little goes wrong and start handling things for myself. Suggestions on how to do this would be much appreciated.
6. Attend a non-ballet cultural event. One of my roommates is a former ballerina and we go to the ballet at least once a semester. It's time to broaden my cultural horizons. I'd love to see a play. Or a musical. I might as well take advantage of the cheap seats offered to undergrads through Pitt Arts.
7. Accumulate $0 in fines at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
8. Become a better cook/ eat a more well balanced diet. I think if I can accomplish the former, the latter will become easier.
9. Focus less on the letter grade I receive in a course and more so on the knowledge I gained from a course. I need to get it through my thick skull that the only one who cares about my GPA is me. I need to focus more on becoming a better team player, more organized, and more flexible.
10. Quit downloading music on iTunes everytime I feel happy, sad, aggravated, excited, depressed, creative, or moody. I need to start listening to the 2.4 days worth of music already on my iPhone before I download any more. I cleaned out myiTunes library over break and found about 50 songs I haven't listened to since 2007.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Living in the Land of the Oak
Happy New Year! I've never been a big fan of New Year's Resolutions. As a kid I would resolve to not eat chocolate for an entire year. My resolution usually lasted less than 24 hours. Then I'd always feel bad about my lack of self-discipline and vow never to make another resolution. But as I've established in an earlier post, I'm a masochist. This New Year I've decided that I'm going to keep a blog. I'm going to try to write in it daily. But definitely 2 or 3 times a week.
Today I'd like to talk about city life. The University of Pittsburgh Campus is located in the heart of Oakland, PA which is about a 20 minute drive from downtown Pittsburgh. In addition to Pitt, Oakland houses Carlow University and Carnegie Mellon University. It's also the headquarters of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Pitt owns most of Oakland, but that is a topic for another blog. What I'm trying to illustrate is the urban nature of Oakland. Being home for Christmas Break has really made me appreciate the differences between urban and suburban.
Since I've had some time to think about it, being stuck in the middle of nowhere for the holidays, I've compiled my top ten list of why I love city life.
1. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. No where but in the city does one get to park oneself in a fluffy armchair surrounded by over 100 years of history while one cranks out a paper on the US Conservative Movement than in a city library.
2.Buses. Go ahead and laugh. Can't tell you how many jokes I've heard about Pittsburgh Port Authority recently. But when you're a college student dying to get out of Oakland for a couple of hours, there's not better method.
3.Someone shovels and salts the sidewalks for me in the winter.
4.I can see plays, ballets, concerts, and dance recitals by world class artists whenever the mood strikes. I've taken advantage of the discount tickets offered to students many times in the last couple years.
5.Mom and Pop owned businesses. There's a little Italian Grocery store down the street from me that makes me smile every time I walk past it.
6. I'm surrounded by interesting people. In any given semester I'll have a professor from Southern California, Chicago, London, Israel, and New Jersey. Walking in other people's shoes and learning to see the world through their eyes is what college is all about.
7. Cities have rich histories. As a history major I enjoy learning how about the people that helped make the city what it is today. Cities have multiple museums and archives that help in my quest for knowledge.
8. I don't have to cut the grass because I don't have any grass to cut.
9. I haven't gotten a speeding ticket in 3 years.
10. Hot Chocolate always tastes better at Starbucks than when I make it at home!
Today I'd like to talk about city life. The University of Pittsburgh Campus is located in the heart of Oakland, PA which is about a 20 minute drive from downtown Pittsburgh. In addition to Pitt, Oakland houses Carlow University and Carnegie Mellon University. It's also the headquarters of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Pitt owns most of Oakland, but that is a topic for another blog. What I'm trying to illustrate is the urban nature of Oakland. Being home for Christmas Break has really made me appreciate the differences between urban and suburban.
Since I've had some time to think about it, being stuck in the middle of nowhere for the holidays, I've compiled my top ten list of why I love city life.
1. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. No where but in the city does one get to park oneself in a fluffy armchair surrounded by over 100 years of history while one cranks out a paper on the US Conservative Movement than in a city library.
2.Buses. Go ahead and laugh. Can't tell you how many jokes I've heard about Pittsburgh Port Authority recently. But when you're a college student dying to get out of Oakland for a couple of hours, there's not better method.
3.Someone shovels and salts the sidewalks for me in the winter.
4.I can see plays, ballets, concerts, and dance recitals by world class artists whenever the mood strikes. I've taken advantage of the discount tickets offered to students many times in the last couple years.
5.Mom and Pop owned businesses. There's a little Italian Grocery store down the street from me that makes me smile every time I walk past it.
6. I'm surrounded by interesting people. In any given semester I'll have a professor from Southern California, Chicago, London, Israel, and New Jersey. Walking in other people's shoes and learning to see the world through their eyes is what college is all about.
7. Cities have rich histories. As a history major I enjoy learning how about the people that helped make the city what it is today. Cities have multiple museums and archives that help in my quest for knowledge.
8. I don't have to cut the grass because I don't have any grass to cut.
9. I haven't gotten a speeding ticket in 3 years.
10. Hot Chocolate always tastes better at Starbucks than when I make it at home!
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