So its 2016. About to be 2017. Christmas is here but it really hasn’t felt like Christmas since 2012. That’s the last Christmas I spent with my parents. I’m 23 now and not just a confused 19-year-old anymore. Now I’m a married, grown, confused 23-year-old. Life is HARD! Continue reading Well… Hello
Dear Google, You Should Have Talked to Me First
Dear Google,
I wish you’d talked to teachers like me before you made that $40 million investment in Renaissance Learning.
I’ve seen the damage Accelerated Reader can do.
I witnessed it for the first time when I tutored a struggling 5th grader…eighteen years ago.
He hated to read.
He hated being locked into a level.
He hated the points associated with the books.
But more importantly, he was humiliated when he didn’t earn enough points to join in the monthly party or get to ‘buy’ things with those points at a school store full of junky prizes.
I’ve seen kids run their fingers along the binding of a book, a book they REALLY wanted read, but then hear them say, “But it’s not an AR book,” or “It’s not my level.”
I’ve watched them scramble to read the backs of books or beg a friend for answers so they can get…
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The Reason Why I Do This
Being on this site and officially starting my blog, has brought questions and concerns from the people around me that I’d like to clarify. I didn’t start a blog to have millions of followers or to try and shed light on a local disaster. I didn’t even do it because I love writing. So let me tell you why I did.
A while back I was going through a very rough patch on my life. I felt like I had the whole weight of the world on my shoulders and I couldn’t deal. To be completely honest I felt alone and no where to run. The worst part was that because I’m a guy I should be this tough, grizzly bear type guy but in reality, I was broken and slowly falling apart.
Society frowns upon men who express their feelings. Even calls them less of a man, or more hurtful names. Every one hits a rough patch in their life once in a while, but because we’re men, we must shake it off and act like nothing’s wrong. This is what led me to start a blog.
I had an experience awhile back where on Facebook I posted a status referring to my life and how I wasn’t happy. The backlash I received was unbelievable! I got so many comments about how, ” it’s not that bad” and, ” you’re a guy, quit crying!”. Yes I am a guy, but that doesn’t mean I’m immune to all the harsh and cruel things we come across in our day to day lives.
After that, I decided that I’d get my feelings out one way or another. that’s why I do this. I blog to vent. I blog to express my emotions. I blog because it’s relaxing for me! I say what I wanna say and not worry what anyone else says. I don’t do it to get a job out of this one day or to practice my writing skills. I do it because it’s my way of venting, and being able to deal with my stress and emotions. For those who actually take the time to read this, thank you. I want you to understand that I’m not a typical blogger. I won’t be writing about events around the world on a constant basis or about anything relevant sometimes. I do it simply because it’s my gateway, and I hope you find yours.
“I am, whatever I say I am; and if I wasn’t, then why would you say I am?”
-Eminem
An Open Letter to Jennifer Lawrence (from a concerned fellow 23-year-old)
Dear Jen,
Do you mind if I call you Jen? You’re so candid in all of your interviews that calling you Jennifer feels too formal, but I can’t use the name Jenny without thinking of “Jenny from the Block” (thanks a lot J.Lo). If you want my honest opinion, I think Jenna is probably the moniker that suits you the best, but that’s kind of a niche nickname, so I’m sticking with Jen. I guess it really doesn’t matter, because this letter has nothing to do with your name or what you like to be called, but I was hoping to capture your attention so you would really hear what I’m about to say to you:
It is not normal for a 23-year-old woman to fall down so much.
As a fellow 23-year-old, albeit one who has not won an Oscar or the hearts of countless devoted fans, I speak from…
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103 People Unfriended Her, How Many Would Do the Same to Me
I came across a Huffington post about a woman who posted pictures of herself on her Facebook wall that caused a collapse in her social circle. The headline said “When Beth Posted These Images on Facebook, 103 People Unfriended Her”.
The headline effectively grabbed my attention, but what the story really did was zero in on the heart of one of my own deepest fears. It cut to a deep vulnerability that even I don’t fully understand, but it’s one that has held me back from engaging as fully in life as I possibly could. I can’t do that until I can somehow get to a place of true peace about it.
The pictures that Beth Whaanga, the woman in the Huffington piece, posted were semi-nude images of herself featuring her scars from a double mastectomy and a hysterectomy. They were taken by a photographer leading a project called,
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Committment
A Matter of Faith
I don’t believe in a lot of things.
I don’t believe that the electric car isn’t a viable option but the big oil companies keep it suppressed.
I don’t believe that most people know how to properly use the word “awesome” because most of the things they use it to describe hardly inspire awe. “Awesome” describes seeing your first child born not the new sandwich at Wendy’s.
I don’t believe being older makes you any smarter. I know far too many older people who are still just as dumb as they were when they were younger but are now just more ignorant about it.
I don’t believe that Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are training our kids for anything other than data entry jobs.
I don’t believe your friends should always tell you the truth because if you have to ask their opinion of what you are wearing you already know…
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I think therefore I am. I don’t think therefore I am not?
Statistics
Trial and Error
This is the beginning. Life at this point has been very unstable and not what was expected. But, to be honest, what are supposed to expect from our 80+ or so years here on this planet? I mean, they say life isn’t easy, life isn’t fair. So what’s the thrill??? Trial and Error.
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