WHY WONT MY FISH DIE?

I decided I wanted a dog one day and to my dismay, PetSmart does not sell dogs. I walked out the door with 2 glow in the dark fish instead. They do not compare, but I thought it would be a good way for me to learn some responsibility and see if I could actually have a dog. Well, just like a predicted one, Pink Panther, died within two days. But, Mandarin, is still alive. It has been over 3 months. Mind you, Mandarin survived a week of spring break without food, Easter without food, and I am sure a few other days here and there. It is shocking to me that this little fish is holding its' own. Not to mention I think it might be pregnant or just a little heavy. I am the only one of my friends who has had a fish survive more than a month at college. I do not know what it is, but I like how persistent Mandarin is.

As stupid as it sounds, it still satisfies me to wake up every morning to see the fish swimming around. Also it has taught me the lesson that sometimes no matter what you do, you are going to always have to deal with things. There is always going to be that one person you do not get along with, but they are in every one of your classes. There is always going to be someone better than you. But it has shown me it matters how you deal with things. Now, I make sure someone comes over to feed my fish when I am gone. I realized I am going to have to finish what I started. A flip-id decision to buy a fish one day has made me more aware. There is always going to be something going for you, even when you can't see it.

WHAT IS MY HUSBAND DOING?

Well sometimes I do not know where my friends' heads are at. Today we were sitting around eating salt and vinegar chips and all of a sudden someone says, "It's time for my favorite game!"

"What's my husband doing?" I didn't get it, but basically you say what you think your future husband is doing right at this moment. So the first answer is, "He is sailing on a yacht with his family in the Virgin Islands." And she goes in to more and more detail. I literally could not sit there with a straight face, I was dying laughing the entire time. Like who thinks to play this game.

I didn't know whether or not to take it seriously or light hearted. Are people really this desperate that they need to make up some life? I know it was all fun and games for my friends, but I really do think some people are caught up in a fantasy world. Because certain people break the image of being successful without education it gives everyone hope. I am all for hope, but everyone is not going to be Bill Gates. You need to put some effort into your life and don't sit around and wait for something good to come your way. You have to make things move. Most of the time it is a climb to get there and you might struggle a lot, but isn't that what makes us human? It is a happy, scary thought to think about what our world would be like if every single person got up and did something and didn't wait for it to come to them. It is far from reality though, because we are going to have those people who dream about what they want and some how get it, even though they didn't have to work at all. And then you think, life's not fair.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Should community service be a requirement, or should people want to do it ? There has been a recent debate in my sorority about community service. People did not fulfill their service hours. The only problem is I am starting to doubt why people are actually doing the service in the first place. I love the concept of community service and think it is a must have to be a well rounded, moral person. But in today's society kids must do it so they get into the college they want or they must complete hours when they are in trouble with the law. So what happened to the true meaning of community service?

I know that people must be exposed to community service in the first place, everyone has to start somewhere. The next step is where a sour taste is left in my mouth. It is not a trendy thing to do. I think it is great people are wanting to help others, but they should be doing it because they want to, not because it is cool or it is required. I am not sure how the problem will get fixed, but I find it a little ironic the means some people have for doing service work. At the end of the day it really doesn't matter because people are being helped, even if it is with the wrong intentions.

RESPONSIBLE ADVERTISING

I actually believe advertising is a lot more responsible in society than most people think. I probably have a skewed view, but still I do not think people give it enough credit. I define responsible advertising as a message presented to people with a truthful, accountable meaning. That is where I believe I differ. I think an ad does not have to be "good" to be socially responsible. An ad could be for condoms, but if it tells the truth and provides information to the consumer without deceiving them, then how is it not socially responsible?

Also, it does not need to be "green" or or a social cause, I think most people jump to this as a plausible definition. The problem is some people can turn people against anything, and that is why some advertising has gotten a bad reputation. It always perplexes me that people can be so unreasonable. I think it comes to me naturally because I think of myself as a morally sound person and I know what I stand for. It is a no brainer to me that all advertising should be responsible and since we know that is effects so many people, why is it so hard to make an ad accountable for what it represents?

THESE MOTHERS TODAY

With recent attention being drawn to Kate Gosselin on Dancing with the Stars, I think she needs a reality check. It disgusts me how she is now in the spotlight. She should be at home with her 8 children taking care of them. I cannot wait to see what trouble those kids get into as the years progress. She prides herself on being this "wonderful" mom of 8 children, but at the same time her life is falling apart. It is hard enough to go through the divorce publicly, but really? You do not think your kids need a break. If I was her daughter, I would not be a happy camper. Kate's values are completely screwed up. You are not that cool. Same with octomom. She used her children as a way to gain publicity, rather than actually raise them. Something needs to happen here. I cannot even fathom the reasoning in these two mothers' heads, to make what they are doing okay. Sure they have hard situations presented to them, but so does every other American. And do you see us exploiting our families? No.

The problem is their children are going to suffer from the lack of value in their lives. The mothers are setting the stage to say, "hey if you're getting paid do it". What a bad line to live by. And we wonder why America's children are suffering. It is because the parents are doing their job, or even trying to do their job. I hope some day people see what they are doing to their children. No one is ever perfect, but there has to be a line where you need to be a parent, not a selfish person.

EMBARRASSMENT FOR HELP

As I was sitting in class, the teacher asked a question and no one responded. Why? Because they are too embarrassed. Are teachers really asking too much of students? I think not, but I do think students do not reciprocate well to being put on the spot because some people are very judgmental. Students are emotionally scarred from past events. It takes a certain person to stand up and answer a question and be wrong and it be okay. And that is what we need to make more clear. That it is okay for you to speak your mind without being stupid. I think that is the one thing that needs to be changed in society for anything else to be changed. Think of all the wonderful creative ideas we would have if no one ever shut them down. It would be unreal the opportunities for change. I think this will be a hard thing to actually get done, because it has been conditioned so much into the lives of so many people. It will take awhile, but if it could actually happen, it would be unreal the positive effects that would come from it.

HANDWRITING

Handwriting is just one of those things I cannot perfect. One day I like how I write, the next I don't. But I always like the style of other peoples'. Everyday I think to myself if only I could make my letters combine that way. I guess it is a sad reality that I will not be able to ever write exactly how I want to. But, I also love that about handwriting. No matter how hard someone tries they can never take it away from you. Or at least they have to go to great lengths to try.

There are not many things in society that are solely your own. Almost everything can be duplicated, and it is a scary thought. What ever happened to being an individual and not conforming? I think it still exists, but in greater genres. I think people are individuals within a greater group. But there are always those few that stand out no matter what, and that I think is what we should all strive to be.