but i think you should come and take a ride
see the world through my eyes
every day is a surprise
Time for change...
I say I hate moving, but if I stay in one place more than a year my feet start to itch. I think why I really hate moving is because I have way too much shit. Every time I relocate I tend to downsize... which is a good thing. It's just stuff, you can always get more stuff. Anyway. I've been caught up in my own personal bullshit lately, and it's not something I feel like sharing at the moment, it's still a bit raw. Give me a week or so, and I'll go on one of my usual rants.
I'm taking an American History II class online this semester, and my first assignment is an introductory essay. One paragraph on who we are, one paragraph on a historical event that has shaped our lives. Here's mine; keep in mind this is like round one. I have till Friday to submit it, so expect serious changes before I turn it in.
My name is Alyson MYLASTNAMEHERE, but everyone calls me Aly. I'm 26 years old, and they tell me I'm a 'non-traditional student' but I'm not a big fan of the phrase, since it makes me sound old. About a year ago, I moved here from Belleville, which is where I grew up, to be closer to the rest of my family. Previous to that I lived in St. Louis for a few years, and I'll admit the change in scenery has taken some getting used to. I currently work at the copy and print center at Staples and maintain a full course schedule here at the school. I'm a workaholic and a bit on the nerdy side, so the busy schedule works out for me. When I'm not studying or reading (which I do constantly) I love live music and can honestly say I've been to almost a thousand shows. There's something about the environment, that buzz in the air that's created when large groups of people are enjoying themselves that sets the experience above most others. I live by the philosophy that if you work hard, you deserve to play hard too because you have to have balance to maintain a happy life.
When you ask me to describe a historical even that has shaped my life, there are several that come to mind. However the situation in the Middle East, and the ongoing war that has injured so many of my former classmates brings to mind the war in Vietnam, more specifically the Berkeley demonstrations of the early '60s. The atmosphere created in our country by policies such as The Patriot Act, which are limiting our basic civil liberties, are reminiscent of those enforced during Vietnam. The 'Free Speech Movement' of 1964 began as an outcry from the students of the university as they became increasingly frustrated with the restrictions placed upon them by the administration. As Americans we have a constitutional right to speak out against a war we do not agree with. We have a right to want our boys home in one piece, both mentally and physically. Without going into further detail I say this has been significant to me because I feel this situation corresponds with what we are encountering in the present. I understand the frustrations of watching my friends and family come back from the desert with full on PTSD. The repercussions of this war, like those in Vietnam, are more psychologically damaging than people realize. The harm done not only affects the soldiers themselves, but those waiting for them at home. The demonstration at Berkeley symbolizes a mentality of social awareness and sparked a movement which continues today. It urges Americans to exercise their rights to freedom of speech; to think for themselves before allowing those with power to make their decisions for them.
/end.
I managed to go on a political rant. I never do that! I usually keep my feelings to myself on those levels, but once I started writing they kind of popped out. I plan on doing more research before I submit this, I hate sounding like an uneducated, pretentious, asshole. It goes along with that 'fear of failure' thing.
All that being said, on a completely unrelated note, I wish people would just fucking relax. LIFE ISN'T THAT SERIOUS. it's only life, after all. Live, love, laugh, die. We all have the same ultimate conclusion, why do we fight so hard to make the intermediate story so goddamn difficult? I've had folks breathing down my neck my entire life, wanting to know why what I'm doing isn't good enough for their standards. More specifically, the last year I've been stuck under a magnifying glass for the world to see, revealing my deepest, most shameful secrets to the last people on earth that I want to know them. And you know what? I toughed it out like a FUCKING CHAMP. Just because you don't live up to your own personal standards, don't take those issues out on me because I can. Nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes, it's what you choose to do with them that matters. I'm not here to sit in judgement on anyone, because who I am? In fact, I'm choosing to dedicate my life to listening to people who are tired of being judged.
seriously. people. just get the fuck over yourselves.
It's just life.
You're making yourself unhappy, no one else.
I fucking love you all... but.
goddamn.
/endfedupangryaLyrant.
courtesy; kid.ink/indigo.girls
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