tanning

Every time I go to the beach or pool and I see what I did to my skin I think that can't be good for me. I went sailing last weekend with my boyfriend and his family while he's in town for a few days from the military, and my shoulders are pretty crispy. Even though I applied sun screen, the sun seemed to still get me.

I definitely think I look better with a nice tan but why is this? Because society has molded that into the perfect skin tone? That Barbie doll look. Blonde hair, dark skin, big boobs. I am fairly certain the pain of this sun burn and the damage I am doing to my skin is not worth the perk of

fitting into society's idea of attractive. I don't need to impress anyone, I have a wonderful boyfriend and am happy with myself. I don't want to end up like this lady.

One time I woke up the day after I wen to the beach with a swollen eye that I couldn't open. The doctor said it was sun poisoning and told me to put some ice on it and it went away in a few minutes. Just goes to show you how powerful the Florida sun is.

I don't plan on being a beach bum over summer solely to tan anymore. If I get tan from being there and having fun that's cool, but it's no longer a concern to me. I probably sound like a feminist right about now, but it's okay!

TI goes to jail

On March 27th, 2009 rapper TI was sentenced to 366 days in prison after pleading guilty to weapon charges from events back in 2007. I don't know if even of you have been able to catch an episode of his program on MTV, but it seems to me like he has finally learned his leason and will have his life back on track when he is released. He is ready to change.

"While I'm not looking forward to being incarcerated, I have a long road of
redemption to travel, I am dedicated and committed to that. I'm looking forward
to turning this negative time in my life into a positive. I'd like to thank God
for blessing me with a second chance in life and success. I realize I completely
violated the law, and I take it very seriously."

When what I got out of the show, he seems like a good hearted person that just got caught in the wrong crowd. He treats his kids nice and helped 7 kids get their future in check and guided them off the streets. It pains me to see his little boy cry when they mention daddy going away for a little while. I remember when I was 7 my dad served a year in prison and it broke my heart. I can trace my relationship with him now to him not being there then. I was daddy's little girl when I was young, and after he was released I distanced myself from him and it sadly remained that way. Jail is sometimes what needs to happen for people to snap out of their stupidity. It worked for my dad, hopefully it works for TI.

Trying to get back on my feet

The last couple weeks have been insane. Working full time and going to college just about consumes my life and is about all I can take. Last Tuesday I was going to grab some folders out of my car from the Sun Dome when I noticed someone had forced my window have way down. My stomach fell and my heart started to race. When I sat down stared at my broken dash and wires from my missing head unit while a thousand emotions flooded my body. First I was mad at myself for not getting my alarm fixed, then I was mad at the cold-hearted criminals that broke into my car, then I was mad that no one reported this when someone had to have seen it (it was the middle of the day and I was parked in the first row). The police couldn't do anything because there is no cameras in the Sun Dome parking lot. So if you want to murder somebody, there you go. After replacing everything they stole (sunglasses, ipod, head unit, Cd's), it ended up costing me $500. Needless to say I am taking the faceplate off of my CD player whenever I leave the car, and double checking the windows and locks.

Recovering from the break in consumed most of my day Tuesday, so I figured Thursday after they installed my new CD player I would get to relax. My mother called me hysterical while I was sitting in best buy and told me my father was just arrested because someone in my neighborhood stole the yellow tag of the plate and when the cop saw this they pulled him over. His license was revoked when I was a little girl so they arrest him. There goes $200 to bail him out and a night waiting in jail. Now if he has to do time I will be stuck with the mortgage and other bills because he is the sole provider.

I really hope things will look up for me. My grades are starting to nose dive and I doing all I can to keep my head above the water.

Rise Against

Rise Against is, without a doubt, my all time favorite band. They have been for years, and even with all the fame and publicity, I'm not going to sell out. Their lyrics are always on point and his voice is sexy! When I listen to them it brings out a feeling I can't get out of any other band; I get lost in the music. I think their perfect in every aspect. Their songs are all so good, so it's hard to pick a favorite, but one of them would be off their newest album called Savior. I think their newest album is good, but not their best like many will say. I find their older stuff to be more of why I love them - more screaming, guitar solos and riffs. This is one of a few punk rock bands I listen to. I gernally enjoy acoustic or Indie bands more, but I fell inlove with Rise Against.

I saw them a couple times and their even better live. Everyone just lets go and has fun. Granted most of them are drunk, but I don't need to have a sip of alcohol to enjoy their show. I'm a pretty small and mellow girl, but when I go shows, especially Rise Against, I just party and live in the moment. Here is a picture I snapped of the lead singer, Tim McIlrath, about a year ago.

They have a similar sound to the Dead Kennedys and Bad Religion, which are also really good. The band is a huge supporter of PETA. They also were involved with the last two elections, getting people to vote. Good for them for being being apart of something their passionate about. If you haven't really listened to them and you like that type of music I would strongly suggest getting an album or two, you wouldn't be disappointed.

I hope Rise Against keeps making music for many years to come, because bands like this are hard to come by.

Professor on a high horse

I now understand why high school teachers tried to warning us that professors at universities show little concern for their students. It took me a year and a half but I finally came across a real winner. I recently had an exam in a mass lecture class. It was 25 questions - multiple choice. I ended up getting an 84% on it, which isn't too shabby. My friend also got an 84%.

The next class he tells us that question 19 half the class answered wrong and half answer correctly. I am apart of the half that got it correct, and my friend got it wrong. He then told us that he would curve the exam according to that question. Figuring he was going to give everyone an extra 4 points, I emailed him when I saw my grade stayed the same and my friend got an extra 4 points (essentially for answering wrong). I wasn't rude or harsh in my email, I simply explained my confusing on why people who answered wrong are getting rewarded with 4 points. He answered my email in all CAPS with "I'M THE BOSS. GRADE GRUBBING IS NOT BECOMING." I replied trying to better explain my reasoning and assure him that I'm not trying to be rude. This time his email was even nicer. Notice how he puts words in my mouth and says I worked harder than other people.

Actually, Michelle, you've changed your story now. In your first objection, you simply wanted 4 more points for EVERYONE, as a curve. Your concluding sentence: "I think everyone should receive an extra 4 points to their grade. A curve, like you said in class."
Now, in your revised story, you don't think EVERYONE should get 4 points because you believe not everyone worked as hard as you did. Flip-flop. Not that it matters one bit; I am the boss and I have made my decision --correctly. I have correctly decided that both answers a and e could reasonably be interpreted as correct. I did NOT give students who answered b, c, or d any credit on number 19. I do not ever GIVE points; students EARN points.
Now, let me kindly suggest that you NOT reply further, unless it is to say, concisely and precisely, "I'm sorry professor, I now see that you are correct."

Well I replied, not exactly how he requested, though. I said I'm sorry you misunderstood me. I just don't see how he can decide to reward people will a wrong answer. He says I do not ever GIVE give points; students EARN points", then how does he explain GIVING 4 points out of sympathy?

The points are not so much of an issue now, instead I'm bothered with how he replied to me. Not only was it extremely rude, but unprofessional. Am I wrong to have asked "the boss" about his actions on adjusting our grades? Maybe I was out of line.

New Cameraaa

My boyfriend bought me a cool new camera. This is his super cool doggie :D

Rihanna & Chris Brown

Most of us have heard about the fight between Rihanna and Chris Brown by now. For those who haven't, here is the gist of the story. The fight is rumored to be started from a text message. Apparently Chris received a text asking when he was going to hook up with them. Rihanna saw this message and naturally become angry. She threw a fit and got out of the car. Chris tried to get her back in the car and when she refused that's why he allegedly hit her. The police reports states she had a split lip, bruises and bite marks.

It's hard to believe innocent looking Chris Brown did this. I remember seeing an interview with Chris Brown and he talked about how his mom was physically abused in his household and how he could never touch a women. A less likely rumor that I've heard in that Rihanna cheated on Chris and caught an STD and transmitted it to Chris, so in turn he beat her.

Whatever the case may be, he messed up big time and his career is in serious jeopardy. He had a lot of younger fans that looked up to him and this crippled his image. I feel slightly bad for them however because most couples go through a really huge fight at some time or another, whether it be abusive or not, and it doesn't become everyone else's business. Anyways, I hope that he learned his lesson. He can use this experience and grow from it. I have noticed that the public and media appreciate a star that has gone through hell and back, and re emerge a better person. Prime example is Ms. Britney Spears.