Anyways, yeah, after watching this I wanted to move to Canada!  I felt like Moore’s overall tone was somewhat condescending.  It was really putting down our society.  He kept saying that we are all just living in fear, and I totally agree with this.  Turn on a news channel here in the U.S. and you’ll notice everything that’s being covered is something negative or tragic like murders, robbery, car accidents, and so on.  Turn on a news channel in Canada and you will see nothing like what the media here covers.  In Canada, they use the media as a means of just keeping citizens informed of their surroundings.  Overall, I really do think we live in fear.  It only takes one bad experience to get someone to think negatively about everyone and everything out there.  For example, most people in Canada claim they don’t even lock their front doors!  Even people who have been victims of crime like robbery or burglary….they still don’t lock their doors.  Our society is SO judgmental it’s ridiculous.  I blame society’s fear on the media.  

As for the discussion in class regarding Charleton Heston, the leader of the N.R.A., I’ve got something to say.  Most thought his actions were insensitive.  I agree that his actions were insensitive, but these rallies around the nation are planned way ahead of time.  I don’t think Charleton intended to do his rally immediately after the Columbine shooting.  Moore thinks the N.R.A. leader should apologize.  I don’t think so.  What would be the point of apologizing? For hurting people’s feelings? For holding this rally shortly after this tragedy?  It’s not his fault.  I understand where the people of Littleton and Flint are coming from, but he has a right to be there and voice his opinion too.  He is obviously very enthusiastic about his occupation and he’s out there to set things straight and clear things up.  What if people are trash talking the N.R.A and blaming all these shootings on this association?  With all this trash talk by angry citizens of these cities, this could spread untrue things about the N.R.A.  For someone that might be in the dark about the N.R.A., this trash talk could get them to think false things regarding this association.  I think Charleton was out stating the facts.  Yes, personally, if I were the leader of the N.R.A. I would’ve cancelled these specific rallies out of respect to the people.  

I feel like people were just looking for someone or something to blame the shootings on.  We don’t know why a little six year-old shot a fellow classmate and we don’t know why the shooters at Columbine did what they did.  As humans, we look for completion, closure, a conclusion or an ending to every story.  Hey, the N.R.A. protects the right to bear arms so let’s blame the shootings on them.  It’s not the N.R.A’s fault though.  They have nothing to do with the shootings and that’s why I think people should lay off Heston.  Don’t tell him he owes the towns of Littleton and Flint an apology.

As for blaming it on Marilyn Manson….no.  How the hell is it his fault?  He is simply producing music.  Yeah, some of the lyrics may mention suicide, violence, depression and other things of that sort, but I’m sure he didn’t hand these kids guns.  Music influences everyone differently.  There are plenty of musicians and bands that are similar to Manson.  Are we blaming those other bands or composers? No.  We will never know why these kids did what they did, but maybe it’s supposed to be that way.  Maybe these kids’ actions were calling our attention to realize how fucked up our society is.

I can totally understand what the dad is experiencing.  I understand how hard it is to watch someone you love so much just let themselves go.  My best friend, the closest person to me…my brother is the one I helplessly watched as he let himself go to drugs.  I’ve only gotten through the intro of this book, but seriously everything the dad/narrator was saying, I know exactly how he feels.  He started by telling  a story of picking him up from the air port after he’s been away at college.  He describes pulling up to the airport as he saw his son’s pale complexion, baggy, tired eyes, and loosely fitting clothes.  I read over that description and could picture my brother clearly.  He attended school at UNLV (University of Nevada Las Vegas), but dropped out and is living at home now.  So far, this is how the book has started off.  The father describes how much he worries and just assumes when his son doesn’t come home, he’s dead.  He thinks every time the phone rings late at night it’s going to be a sheriff saying they have his son’s body.  

I experienced all these worries time and time again.  When my brother lived out in Vegas, that was the worst.  There was nothing I could do being like a bajillion miles away from him.  He never answered his phone, returned my calls, or texts.  I constantly worried.  He was the only thing that was ever on my mind.  However, he’s doing better now a days.  He’s cut back on dangerous drugs.  He is my best friend.  My biggest fear is losing someone this close to me.  I honestly don’t know what I would do if he died.  I hate to think about it, but for a very long time that was basically my life.

Before I moved up here, everyone would ask about my room mate and whether or not I knew them.  When they found out I’m friends with my future room mate, they would say something like, “Oh jeez, good luck with that.  You guys are going to hate each other.”  People would say stuff similar to that.  Honestly, I’m not sick of her or anything and we get along just fine, I don’t see myself getting fed up with her.  We have the same out look and opinions on pretty much everything, so we hardly fight.  

Lately, she’s really been getting to me.  Sometimes I walk in my room, and there she is, laying/napping/making her self at home in MY bed.  It makes me so mad! I just stand there and give her a dirty look and say, “Really?”  But she’s totally oblivious and doesn’t see what she’s doing.  In my head, I’m like uhm, you have your own bed? pretty sure it’s just as comfy as mine? I just think she gets too comfortable and that pisses me off.  She always just throws her stuff on my bed, she never locks our door and then says something like “Oh I’m not worried about people stealing stuff.”  Okay well, I am.  And if one day I come back and find that some of my stuff got stolen, I will be infuriated.  

She is supposed to be my best friend up here, and so far she hasn’t been doing a good job.  She has started so much drama and lied to me about so many things.  She has really made a name for herself up here and given herself a bad reputation.  She thinks crying will get her out of everything…well news flash to her, it’s not going to work with me.  What she did this weekend was beyond low and shady, it was absolutely ridiculous.  I am still so pissed off.  She went behind my back with the guy she KNOWS I had a thing with and does whatever with him.  Surprisingly, that’s not what really set me off.  What really got me was the fact that she lied about it and the fact that I heard it from him…not my best friend…the guy I like.  What she did was so shitty.  Both my room mate and the guy I like have seriously caused me so much drama.  I really don’t know if I can trust her anymore.  This situation makes me wonder about other things she may have lied about to me.  This all happened last week and I even confronted her.  She made up some B.S. excuse and hoped that her tears would make me feel sympathetic for her.  Well, guess what? Nope! Didn’t work.  Her excuse was something like, “Caitlyn, you are my best friend up here! I couldn’t just look you in the eye and tell you because I knew you’d be upset.  I honestly wanted to erase it from my memory and forget it ever happened…blah, blah, blah, and on, and on, and on.”  Yeah, that’s cute, but I wasn’t born two days ago, I’m not stupid.  She has done this same thing before and that’s why I’m not tolerating it or believing any of her B.S.  

This was me going on a rant.  I really needed to vent haha.  I had quite a lot on my mind after this past week.

I’m happy it’s over.  I was so tired of seeing commercials and posters everywhere.  I was tired of being harassed about it on a daily basis around campus by promoters and sidewalk drawings-seriously.  I couldn’t go anywhere with out seeing at least one thing having to do with this election.  Whenever I turned on the t.v. and flipped through channels, I found there were at least ten channels in a row that had Obama or McCain talking about their views.  Even on Facebook, I got so aggravated.  Everyone’s status had something to do with the election and their opinion on it.  Honestly, I got really mad and just wanted to tell everyone “Okay, no one cares.”  We all have our own opinions, however, it was unnecessary for everyone on my friends list to voice their outlooks on the election.

1. People that feel the need to put in their two cents about EVERYTHING.  Yeah, that’s cool you have an opinion, but when I want it…I’ll ask for it.
2. People that don’t know how to drive.  When other drivers cruise under the speed limit, it drives me absolutely insane.  Or when people slow down to like two miles an hour to make a turn…YOU’RE NOT GOING TO FLIP YOUR CAR, whoa, RELAX!
3. In the dorms, when people come in my room and chill on my bed WITH their shoes on. 
4. Unfriendly or impolite people.  That’s it, done.  There’s nothing more to be said about that.
5. Bad hygiene. If you have the ability to have good hygiene, then take advantage of that.
6. When people don’t respond to my text messages.
7. When people do extremely unnecessary things, such as: pour five thirty-two ounce cups of water on me in my dorm and make me look like I just jumped in a pool with my clothes on, tickle me, take a joke too far, go through my stuff, and much more.
8. At restaurants when people yell and complain excessively to the servers about the quality of food.  It’s not their fault.  Don’t yell at them, ask to speak to a manager.  
9. Home wreckers or people that cause drama.  I don’t tolerate it.  I’ve had more drama up here at college than I did back in high school.  Everything was fine until people like YOU (I’m speaking to home wreckers and drama causers) came around and screwed things up.  Find some other way to get attention; you shouldn’t have to mess with other people’s lives to get talked about or get attention.
10. Moochers.  Whether they’re asking for rides to places, share food, cigarettes, money, or even alcohol.  GET A JOB.

I have debating experience just because of the mandatory school projects and assignments that entailed a debate.  I’m good at putting together research into supportive information for the main viewpoints.  However, I feel like I’m quiet or shy.  I don’t have much confidence with myself.  I have information to present, but I’m just unsure of myself.  That’s mainly the reason why I don’t get too involved in the debates.  The other reason I stay quiet is because I try to zone out what the other side is saying so I don’t freak out at anyone.  Overall, I don’t like debates.  I find them frustrating because most of the time I’ll start out feeling so strong about one viewpoint, but by the end I always feel like both sides had presented great arguments and then I sit there all confused.  That makes me so frustrated because I don’t know how I feel anymore!  Towards the end, it always seems to me like both sides are right.  

Top Ten Debate Topics

[in no specific order]

1. Religion
2. Drugs/Alcohol
3. Abortion
4. Liberal vs. Conservative
5. Death Penalty
6. Legalization of Marijuana
7. Immigration Laws
8. Euthanasia 
9. Same Sex Marriage
10. Unemployment Programs/Social Funding/”Free Money”

Every year I encounter the same problem.  I go to buy a new costume and I find myself speechless by how much they cost.  First of all, most costumes worn by peers or other girls around my age, there’s hardly anything to it!  There is a small amount of fabric used for most costumes to give them that skanky look.  Also, the fabric they use always feels so cheap! It’s not even high quality or anything, and you can’t find one cheaper than $40 almost.  For example, I was looking at a little nurses’ outfit, and it consisted of a hat, gloves, and this little white one piece dress and the price of it was $55! I was amazed.  And then of course there’s a no return policy, so for those people who were planning to buy it and then just return it after Halloween, sorry- they thought that one through.

No matter what the drinking age is, there’s always going to be underage drinking.  If at seventeen I can enlist in the military and die for the country, I should be able to buy alcohol.  If at eighteen I am expected to take full responsibility for myself and my actions then why can’t I purchase alcohol? I can buy cigarettes and kill myself slowly starting at eighteen, however that doesn’t stop most kids from starting earlier.  

If the drinking age was lowered, less kids would be getting in trouble with DUI’S or MIP’S or any other possession charge.  I have friends that received drinking tickets being underage and that doesn’t stop them from going out the next weekend and getting wasted, if anything it influences them to go out and drink and get their mind off of it.  They want to get their mind off of court, their parents’ possible reaction, fees or fines, and the thought of being grounded.  Does the government think that people are more mature and responsible at age twenty one? Because I don’t think that’s completely true, especially with guys.  If anything, it should be lowered so that people can make mistakes and learn while they’re younger.

My perfect mate has to be confident.  Honestly, I’m not very confident with myself.  If I were to try and make things work with someone that doesn’t have much confidence, I don’t see that going anywhere.  They also should have a good amount of patience and understanding.  Sometimes I can be a total spazz and I need someone that can tolerate that.  I also have anger problems.  I’m pretty easy-going, however, when I get mad…I get MAD, honestly it’s almost psychotic.  It’s black and white with me, I’m either talking with someone in calm and mature manner about what’s bothering me or it’s a completely heated fight with screaming and tears.  There’s no middle ground when it comes to arguing.  So, I need someone that won’t fight the same way I do, because that would be a horrible mixture.  

Physically, this person doesn’t need to be a model or look like Brad Pitt.  Honestly, on a scale of one to ten-with looks-they don’t need to be anything higher than a five.  If someone is maybe a three or four on the looks scale but have a great personality, that definitely makes them so much more attractive and could boost their three or four to an eight or nine.  To me, personality does a LOT.  Long story short, my perfect mate needs to be charming, funny, patient, honest and understanding.  One more thing, this person needs to be family oriented.  Spending time with my family is my number one priority and I want someone who is willing to do this with me.