So what’s beyond FroshLife? Well, you know. The last three (or four) years of college. UniversityLife or even Collegelife…but sadly, both of those handles have been taken–one by some kind of weird self-help guide group and another by some loser who registered it and NEVER CAME BACK…oh and UniLife is taken by some dude in England. :<

Oh well. Even if I’m no longer a frosh, I’ll always be a college spaz. xD

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. Knox County resident Ilsa Faraway takes her two children to The Cove at Concord Park at least once a month to explore the playground and enjoy the summer’s sun. But she worries.

The paths and grass are layered with scattered campaign flyers, and she cannot take five steps down the greenway without having to dodge a candidate running for some local office.

“I worry about the germs,” she said.

Faraway isn’t the only one who has noticed this problem.

Over the past several political seasons, Knox County parks have become increasingly frequented by candidates for local office said Doug Batarang, senior director of parks and recreation for Knox County. So Batarang has left a message to all park visitors: Please don’t feed the politicians.

Damn, I wish I could be a KNS satirist. Do you guys think FroshLife would be syndicated? Lol…yeah me neither.

- Go to the library, pick up book(s) on hold

- Return shoes at TJ Maxx

- Go to the bank to pick up new debit card

- Call optical insurance company and give them a piece of my mind

- Go to Planet X-Change or Plato’s or both to find cool dress shirts

- Go running

- And be awesome while doing all of these things.

I think “I Am An Attention Whore” would be more appropriate, don’t you think? The biggest issue about this song isn’t that little kids everywhere are singing it and that it promotes homosexuality, it’s that the song itself is tacky. The song is saying that acting “gay” is just another way of trying to get attention.

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chapstick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don’t mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don’t mean I’m in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it

WHY is MTV promoting this? WHY is So You Think You Can Dance promoting this? If it were a guy singing this song about kissing some other guy, it wouldn’t even be on the radio. Since when is homosexuality a trend? Since when is promiscuity OK?

“The litmus test of hypocrisy here is that if you substituted a different minority in Perry’s tunes, they’d never get airplay. “I Kissed a Black Guy” or “Ur So Korean” would not be Top 40 bound. For that matter, a song called “I Kissed a Boy,” sung by a guy, would probably die on the vine.”

- Tony Sclafani, MSNBC

2. “Girlfriend” – Avril Lavigne

The song is catchy. It’s cute. Little teeny boppers all over America are singing it like it’s their mantra, but seriously. Let’s dig deeper.

Hey hey, you you
I don’t like your girlfriend
No way, no way
I think you need a new one
Hey hey, you you
I could be your girlfriend

Hey hey, you you
I know that you like me
No way, no way
You know it’s not a secret
Hey hey, you you
I want to be your girlfriend

Yeah, it’s cool. So the main character doesn’t like her crush’s girlfriend. She’s not right for him, understandable.

You’re so fine
I want you mine
You’re so delicious
I think about you all the time
You’re so addictive
Don’t you know
What I can do
To make you feel alright
( alright alright alright)

Oh yeah. Cole Porter could not have put it better himself. Apparently regular affectionate prose are so overly outdated, we’ve reverted to mediocre adjectives to describe how great a person is (i.e. fine). I don’t even know how that happened. Maybe some girl somewhere asked some guy somewhere how she looked in a new dress and he just replied, “Fine.” She must’ve not have been happy with that answer, so he had to repeat it in a frisky sexy tone. Thus, “fine” became “fine.”

And her best feature is that she can make the guy “feel all right.” Gross.

Don’t pretend
I think you know
I’m damn precious
And hell yeah
I’m the mother fucking princess
I can tell you like me too
And you know I’m right
( I’m right I’m right I’m right)

She’s like so whatever
You can do so much better
I think we should get together now
And that’s what everyone’s talking about

Since when is it okay to steal someone else’s boyfriend just because you don’t “like” them. The other girl could be a very nice person. I mean, the best Avril could describe her with is that “she’s like so whatever.” How is that an accurate description of someone? “Whatever” is not an adjective!

I’ll add more later.

But it is. And it always will be, until you decide to do something about it.

So that’s the plan for the week. And today, I got a job offer. And I accepted. That’s right. I’m out of.. [well, you know]. At least for the time being. I am on voluntary leave of absence just in case things don’t turn out as I plan.

Here’s to hoping. =)

And I’ve come up with a list that every up-and-coming college student really needs:

1. Spiral notebooks

They’re quite handy for keeping (notice I didn’t say ‘taking’ although an empty notebook would encourage one to…fill it) notes. I’d stray away from loose leaf paper (unless your prof is known for quizzes) and binders just because loose leaf paper is…well, loose! And it’s super easy to lose. The composite binded notebooks leave less flexibility, so I like to stick with spiral. A spiral notebook ensures all your notes stay together. Now, the challenge for you may to be to keep up with said notes. Oh, and if you’re enviornment-friendly, I’d recommend getting the Recyclable notebooks–they’re the same price as regular ones (I got mine for 10 cents/each are Target) and more responsible. If they’re not in the school supply section, check the regular office aisle.

2. A billion mechanical pencils and pens

You seriously can’t have enough. If you find them on clearance, please, don’t be polite. Grab as many as possible. Writing utensils are easy to lose and you cannot trust college students to return ANYTHING they borrow (i.e. pens, paper, lunch money, significant others, etc), so stock up.

3. A student planner

God’s gift to the obsessive compulsive deficient. Even if you’re not OCD or just ridiculously organized (like me), it helps to keep track of all that goes on. You’d be surprised how quickly your schedule will fill up! You’ll need to remember everything from the important stuff: football games, social events, club meetings, parties, etc to seemingly important: homework assignments, major exams, group study dates. A student planner can be used to keep track of professors’ office hours, your friends’ e-mail addresses, and random research sites. Oh, and a note: make sure to avoid those fancy grown up office-like planners or organizers. A student planner has wider margins and more space to fill in. I would also recommend buying the novel-sized planner, because the notebook sized ones are goofy and won’t fit in a purse.

Those are the 3 basic things any college student needs, with the exception of a sturdy backpack or tote to haul it around campus in. I may add a few more essentials as my collection expands, but so far, it’ll do.

It’s kind of like the tell-tale of American economy: supply and demand. The demand becomes great and there’s an enterprise waiting to reap the benefits. No matter how expensive the product becomes, if it’s necessary, I’ll buy it anyway. Maybe I’ll ditch the brand name and go for generic. But what happens when generic gets a little greedy? What happens when the seemingly cheapest brand goes for more than its worth?

Well…then the consumer gets screwed. Business, don’t you hate it?

But for this case: in this day age, an undergraduate college degree and thereafter will grant you more opportunities against your competitors and people will shovel out thousands to get one. That’s just how it is. So my beef with rising tuition may go against American capitalism, fueling American educational dreams, and whatnot, but I’m sorry, I like many of this day and age, am just a poor college student. If anything, rising cost of tuition only produces poor students with college degrees. Ironic, isn’t it? Those of us looking to secure good, steady income jobs in the future, bury ourselves in debt before we even land an internship.

Now, here’s the rub. UTK says their going to raise tuition. I got that. But what’s with some of these mysterious fees? Okay, maybe just one.

What the hell is a STUDY ABROAD FEE? According to UTK’s Explanation of Fees, the “2007-2008 undergraduate student government voted to implement a $5 per student per semester fee to go towards study abroad approved through UT Knoxville.”

Que?

Is it weird that I NEVER heard of this issue at all last semester? I know I didn’t read the paper every day, but where was this buzz going on? In all the “tuition may rise again next year” ruckus, I never once heard about a SCHOLARSHIP fee?! Don’t get me wrong. It’s cool, I get it. But…what is the SGA thinking when each student (many of us are in debt) has to pay an extra __$ to support a scholarship we may or may not use? Why did they even implement this scholarship? Doesn’t UTK already have a system where if you do choose to study abroad, you would only pay what you’re already paying, tuition-wise (which HOPE and UTK affiliated scholarships may cover). Other than that, you’re only responsible for the cost of flying there. And again, it’s YOUR CHOICE to study abroad and be responsible for the cost.

This “study abroad fee” is not a choice. We have to pay whether we study abroad or not. Serioulsy, wtfux.

Anyway, my sister suggested I make a new blog for the upcoming year…something like a “SophLife” blog, but I’m not sure. I mean, I feel like I haven’t done enough…sharing? Yeah, I’ve got way more experiences to share!

So we’ll see. For now, this blog lives until August. One more month.

And love it.

I know I skipped about three weeks of blog entries over the course of the actual vacation in California, but whatever. Dieu and I basically divided and conquered the San Francisco Bay Area.

The trip to California had its highs and lows, but I had a blast regardless. You know, I think the coming home part of the trip is the toughest part just because reality hits you hard. Going back home means going back to responsibilities, not just work but everything. What do I mean? In the past 12 hours, my parents have hugged, laughed, HATED my new haircut, yelled, screamed, and grounded me.

You may say to yourself, “Seriously? No way” and laugh. Go ahead. It’s ironic that my homecoming party is just another day at home. Not to say I wasn’t missed, but I think it’s all for the wrong reasons. And that’s just life…which makes me appreciate the idea of a vacation more. You may feel ridiculous, you may feel like a burden, or you might just feel out of place, but a vacation is just another word for escape. And I’m thankful I had that for three weeks.

It’s just the consequences that I hate to face.

San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge

Downtown San Francisco

Chinatown, San Francisco

Baker Beach, San Francisco