Thanksgiving Rush
Growing up, Thanksgiving was one of my favorite holidays. The smell of turkey, pumpkin pie, and chocolate chip cookies wafting through the air. The sound of chit chat and laughter of relatives you never get to see. What else could you ask for? As a child I loved and cherished these moments. Thanksgiving was a time to be peaceful and lazy, and eat all you want without feeling guilty.
Now, I see Thanksgiving as a stressful holiday. When you bring a child into the mix, things get complicated. You now have two families to visit with. This should be a simple problem to solve, get both families together, right? Not when they don’t like each other. You now have two gatherings to attend, both of which are usually scheduled at the exact same time. So you get to one place really early, have to eat and run, and haul it to the other and pretend like your hungry so you don’t offend someone. I don’t like being in a rush, especially not on Thanksgiving. Who does?
The Avalanche Called College
If it were at all possible, I believe that school may actually be the death of me. Having four classes on top of a part time job and being a mom isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world. I’m constantly going, 24/7. On a typical night I get a maximum of four hours of sleep. There’s always an exam to study for, a post-test to take, a quiz to freak out about, a paper to write, or a blog entry due. Does it ever end? The answer is yes, in ten years, it will end. And then, the real world begins. A career, a full time job, my son will be in school. Wow, that sounds so much less stressful. Note the sarcasm.
So, while I sit here writing this blog, I’m currently freaking out about the aforementioned tasks that I have yet to complete. I guess I wouldn’t be so bitchy at the moment if I had a little more sleep and didn’t just dish out $1,000 for my dog’s Parvo treatment. What I’m wondering is if anyone else feels like they are running from an avalanche while trying to keep up in school. I’m extremely overwhelmed. Is a break too much to ask for?
Housing First →
I completely agree with Tim Burchett in saying that before the chronically homeless can be given housing, they should have to be clean of alcohol. Banning alcohol in these houses or apartments is a perfect way to do that. If they can afford to buy alcohol, then they should be able to afford housing. It is not fair for the rest of us to work hard and make money to pay our bills. Especially not when they are given a house and not required to be sober.
On the other hand, maybe they shouldn’t be required to be sober FIRST. It is somewhat unrealistic to expect that. But getting assistance in housing should be an incentive to quit drinking. If someone is truly homeless and is unhappy being homeless, becoming sober should not be a problem for them if that is all they have to accomplish to get a home.
As far as banning alcohol in any house who has taken out a mortgage, this is extremely unrealistic. These people are working, and are paying off their mortgage gradually. If they don’t then they will lose their home anyways. And then, when they are homeless, they will have to quit drinking to be given housing assistance.
The Rules
The rules of common courtesy, in my opinion, should be written down, copied, and sent to every person in the world. Because apparently, there are some idiots who just don’t know about them. First off, I would like to say it’s just plain common sense that should tell you to ask the person you live with before inviting someone over to stay the night. It is rude and inconsiderate to simply tell someone they can stay. Especially if you know for a fact that the other person living there does not feel comfortable with said invited person being there at all. Also, I would just like to point out that at 22 years old, sleepovers are NOT normal, they are creepy and suspicious.
Now let me speak of common courtesy from the invitee. You do NOT come to the house you are invited to screwed up on pills. You know that there is an officer of the law, a child, and a mother who will do anything to protect that child inside the household. Secondly, you do not start shit with the person who owns the house the very second that they set foot in the door. If you are not spoken to, you don’t come straight out and downright insult the person. They live there, not you. You are a guest, and it is a privilege for you to be there. You do not under any circumstances go into someone else’s home, the place where they should be most comfortable, and disrespect them. Not to mention you weren’t ever wanted there in the first place.
The Nineteenth Year
This Friday was my 19th birthday. What is so great about 19 you may ask? Well I’ll tell you. Not a damn thing is great about 19. I can do everything that I could do at 18, and absolutely nothing more. I can buy tobacco, go to (select) clubs, vote, and I no longer have a “bed-time” restriction on my driving. But when I have already had a whole year to enjoy these things, they aren’t so exciting anymore. I have already incorporated these things into my day to day life and I’m used to them at this point. Thus, 19 is a very lame birthday. Kind of like 17, the year in between getting my license and being an adult.
Is there an upside to being 19? Yes, there is. 19 is the first of two stepping stones between 18 and 21. Which means that I am one step closer! At 21, a whole new world of doors are opened up. I can get into any bar or club I wish, I can have any job, and…need I continue to say all of the things one can do at this age? I think not.
Like every mother, I of course believe that I have the most beautiful child in the world. With those big blue eyes, curly blonde hair, and that beautiful smile, he’s so adorable! He has the cutest laugh, and when he says “mama” sometimes my cheeks hurt from smiling. No matter how bad my mood is, he can instantly cheer me up. I love my son more than anything in the world, but sometimes I just need a break!
Although he’s the “best baby in the world” when anyone else is around, he can be very mean to me. And no one believes me about it! He hits, he pulls my hair, he bites, he screams. Then, he hears someone else coming through the door, instantly gets quiet, and starts smiling or playing with his toys. I swear it’s intentional. Luckily, over the past 11 months, I’ve managed to gain a LOT of patience. Regardless of how crazy he may act at times, I rarely lose my temper. And no matter what, I’ll always love him just the same way that I did the first time I saw him.
Dear Mom and Pop,
By the time you read this, I’ll have already gone. I’m so sorry for doing this to you, but I have to do what I feel is right in my heart. I knew you’d disagree with my plans, and so I’ve chosen to leave while you sleep. Although I love you both very much, I’ve decided to become a soldier for the Union.
I know that we treat Martha and Chris as family members. Many people, however, do not treat their slaves as such. It’s not right to own a human being. They are living, breathing, people just like us. Even as well as our family treats them, don’t you think they’d be much happier if they were free to live their own lives?
I have to fight for them to be free. If I was one of them, I would want others to do everything they could to give me that freedom. Please don’t be angry with me, I cannot change the way I feel about this. I hope that you can understand my need to do this for my country, and I hope that you can forgive me. I will miss you. I love you.
Your son,
Jack
18 and…Dying?
I’m trying to quit smoking. For all of you who think, “You can quit while you’re young, no big deal,” you clearly do not smoke or haven’t for very long. First I started by trying to stop in the car, then while at work, then at school. But honestly, nicotine is one of the most addictive substances on Earth, and I just can’t seem to stop. I’ve found that I’m having minor nervous breakdowns every few hours. Pathetic? Maybe.
My point of this blog, I suppose, is to bitch about how hard it is to quit smoking. I don’t want to be dying at a young age. I also know that I would feel MUCH better if I quit for good. But that would be in the long run. As of now, it seems a lot easier to just keep on. I don’t need anyone to tell me how nasty or stupid it is, it is a part of who I am and I can’t just quit “cold turkey”. However, if any of you see me start to light a cigarette, feel free to karate chop it out of my hand. I’m sure it would be good for me.
If I could live in any other decade, it would most definitely be the 70’s. I absolutely love the 70’s. Everything was so colorful! I mean who doesn’t like a good tie dye t-shirt and some high waisted bell-bottoms? The music was good, and the parties were way better than any “shin-dig” I’ve ever been to. If Dazed and Confused doesn’t make you want to live in this decade, you must not have seen it.
Also, I think the world be a much better place if we were all stoned. Maybe that’s a bad thing to say, but it’s true. Everyone would be way more chilled out and in general I think we would just all get along a lot better. For anyone who has ever sat in “the circle”, I think you know what I’m talking about. People, as a whole, are a lot cooler when they are high instead of acting like prudes with a stick up their butt all the time. Not to mention, shag rugs and bean bags are the shit!
311-Love Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOBps-rxLfo
This song is amazing. It can resonate with just about anyone. The lyrics are timeless. And if you don’t like this band, you can listen to someone else who has done it. In my iTunes alone, there’s 3 different bands. Originally, The Cure of course, but also 311 and Anberlin.
I personally picked this version because I love 311’s spin on it. Same awesome lyrics, but in a different way. The way that they put their (for lack of a better word) “reggae-esque” style to it makes it that much more beautiful. Also the fact that I’ve grown up listening to 311 probably has something to do with this being my favorite cover. The lyrics are relatable, the music put with it is gorgeous, and in general it’s just a song that will never get old or go out of style. Even the original version is still loved, and will be 20 years from now.
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