College "dumbs you down"

I came across this viewing a friend’s facebook and I couldn’t help getting all in a hissy over it.




Let me see if I am following this correctly...if going to college makes you liberal, then not going to college makes you conservative. Therefore, if you are educated you are liberal, if you are uneducated you are conservative.

So wait, why is the conservative Fox News network broadcasting this?! (Probably because they have a bunch of high school only educated people running the show… like Glen Beck)

Enough bashing on the poor slob named Ben Schmeck…or whoever. College creates an environment of open mindedness and critical thinking. You are taught worldviews, not just hometown views. College allows people to explore beyond their comfort zones enabling them to stumble upon revelations they may not have encountered without the appropriate stimulation. But why are people in this day and age still regarding education as evil (or being liberal as evil for that matter)?

I’m also a little confused as to why the stat of 36% of college students being unable to name the three branches of government serves any relevance (other than being downright sad that if you live in a country you don’t know the basics of its government) or the question on an American’s guaranteed rights under the first amendment. Did the people performing the study ask high school graduates only the same question and see how many of them got it right? Perhaps, but regardless it would undermine the intent of Fox’s report on the study.

I also chuckled at the fact that they didn’t take the time to look over the researchers methodology for the survey, but they sure pulled the numbers 36% and 18% right from it. And if these guys knew shit from beans, they would realize that there is never anything that is straightforward about a scientific study. Methodology is everything! One screw up or miss worded question and you have thrown all your work and research out the window. What kinds of students were interviewed? All American born? 100 from every school in the college? 100 students from different colleges? All in one state, or from every state? Associates or Bachelors degrees? So many flaws and biases are possible in a study such as this one! Even if the study is legit and balanced, not everyone spends their class time studying government. Although a question about the 3 branches of our government maybe second nature to these people, I’ll be willing to bet they don’t know the first thing about a normal range in blood pressure or how to administer CPR to an infant. Those things are common sense to me now, but I don’t expect every Joe Blow on the street to know it.

I am a college student.
I am educated.
And I am most certainly a liberal.

…I guess the study does hold some weight.

A rough weekend.

Sorry about the lack of posts, but its been a rough weekend.

On Friday afternoon my cousin, Steven R. Foster, was killed in a head on collision in Grenville, AL. He was 43 years old. The man who hit him wasn't drunk, texting, or on his cell phone. He simply lost control around a curb and over-corrected into the other lane. A complete accident. My mother called me to let me know and the news hit me pretty hard. My cousin was always a laughing man, always ready with a joke or something to keep the conversation alive. He was also a loving father and husband. His oldest boy, Zach, is autistic like my brother, only more severe. He adored his wife and it was evident in everything that he did that he put his family first.

Funeral's are hard for me not always because of the loss, but because of my loss for words. I don't have the generic religious fallback phrases such as "he is in a better place" or "God wanted him home"... in fact, I believe that sometimes those phrases make people more angry and confused. I told them that I was there for them should they have any need whatsoever and that Steve would be so pleased to see how many lives he had touched in his short life.

I have personally been to 7 funerals in 2 years but this was the first that I really felt the grief. All that I had been to up to today were of people who were sickly, old or knew that their death was eminent. But this one was different...sadness was everywhere, you couldn't escape it... the overwhelming grief filled each room. There was no laughter, no catching up, just mourning. Although it was our goal to celebrate his life, it was tainted by the reminder of its brevity. I feel cold saying that Steven's death is the first that I've actually mourned, but it's true. I feel a sadness that I can't shake, and no matter what I am doing, images of him and his crying wife and mother sneak into my thoughts.

On another negative note, I missed 2 days of class for the viewing/funeral and it's reflecting in my grade. Awesome thing about nursing school?...absolutely no excused absences.

I know my daily routine will pick back up eventually, but I don't think Steven will ever leave my thoughts completely. Even though I only saw him a few times a year, I'll think about him everyday.

Back to the daily grind.

Since the snowpocalypse came on Sunday night, I was able to wheedle my way out of working on Monday. Great Success! Unfortunately, I really was unable to maneuver my vehicle in the snow and was unable to get home to get my textbooks for class on Tuesday. Sean got off early and came home around noon. I stayed in a pretty cranky mood for most of the day for reasons unbeknownst even unto me... snow, I guess. I thought a nap would help, but all that did was make me even crankier. Later, Johnny and Dakota came over for dinner, some drinks and a game of Risk. I love Risk, but my ADD prevents me from truly excelling at it. I decided to forfeit and let my territories become neutral and I quickly moved onto something else, like COD : )

That brings us to today- which started off really well and continued throughout. My original plan for the day was that I was going to skip my morning class in order to go home and get my textbooks for my evening classes (in which homework was due). But luckily my morning class professor canceled class on account of her inability to make it. So I was able to go home, get my books, finish my homework and not even have to miss a class. I call that awesome! I believe I did fairly well on my Med Term quiz and to top it all off, my Cog Psych Professor ordered the whole class pizza! I came home to a mess of laundry but I just put in my last load about an hour ago. It was a wonderful Tuesday.

Tomorrow night is Half-price sushi, so it can only get better, yay!

KS formal in Nashville

It was a long, but much needed mini-vacation to Nashville this weekend.

The trip started off pretty smooth after Sean and I got ourselves out the door. We then picked up Dakota and Lauren and we were on our way! On the 3 hour car ride, we found ourselves engaging in some pretty deep and philosophical conversation. Although I'm not sure how it began, the topic moved to religion and our (non) beliefs. I can't even begin to express how important and meaningful it was to me to share my thoughts with someone else and have them not only agree, but expand upon those thoughts. Sean and I don't have a lot of people in our lives that share our post-theistic views, so its nice when we can get some healthy conversation with those who think likewise. In a world dominated by religion, its nice to know there are others who decided to jump off the crazy train.

After arriving at the Opry Land hotel, we set our sights on finding some grub. After much deliberation and preparation we ended up deciding on The Aquarium restaurant in the Opry Mills Mall. I would highly suggest this venue for anyone. Whether you are a couple needing a romantic setting, a family in need of a child friendly atmosphere, or a group of friends who want food and sharks to look at while you eat. You are literally in the middle of a giant aquarium where there are colorful fish and a variety of sea creatures to watch while you wait for and eat your food. The food was great but because of the price, Sean and I both agreed that this would be our Valentines day dinner.

After stuffing ourselves, Lauren, Dakota, Sean and myself decided to try out a place the offered sting ray petting and feeding. I'll admit, I was skeptical at first, but the glow in Sean's eyes like a child on Christmas morning when he saw the sign for the sting rays, just melted my heart. Anyways, fast-forward through me paying $4 (each) to get in and $2 for three pieces of raw shrimp and we're feeding these string rays. But as usual, I was overly skeptical and misjudged the awesomeness that is feeding a sting ray that is in a shallow pool. I had so much fun, and would definitely pay the $6 again and again.

Before returning to the hotel, we had to make a liquor run. I don't remember what Dakota and Sean got exactly, just that I remember thinking that it looked like a bad idea. Lauren and I grab ourselves some fun-sized Mai Tai's and jello shots with some good ol' premixed margarita's. It was a fun night of drinking which included (but was not limited to) walking through the gardens, getting lost, throwing up, running from a big gay bear, tag teaming in and out of the room and unnecessary do-rags ("because douche-bag goes with everything!").

Saturday morning was a slow one, we got up, ate a Cracker Barrel and then proceeded to go shopping. Last year in Nashville Sean and I noticed that there was an oxygen bar, and told ourselves that if we ever had $20 burning a hole in our pockets whilst in Nashville, we would try it. Although my $20 wasn't exactly burning me, we decided to try it nonetheless. It was a unique experience, but not one that I would ever feel the burning desire to do again. We all questioned the authenticity of the scientific jargon they were feeding us but I'll leave it to Sean's blog to further investigate the validity of the science behind the oxygen bar.

Oh yeah, and then there was the actual formal dinner. Unfortunately I accepted Lauren's pre-formal jello shots and I don't remember any specifics of the evening. The food was good (I think), the awards were funny (I think) and somebody was called a big gay bear. All that I really recall was getting extremely antsy and bored. This provoked me to ask Sean if he had "lost" something, and that we should go "look" for it in a dark unoccupied room down the hall. The night ended with some more tag teaming in and out of the room, strolls in the gardens and a soak in the overpopulated hot tub.

The conversations of the car ride home were as equally stimulating (if not more so) than the previous ones from our trip down. We listened to Stephen Hawking's "A Briefer History of Time" an discussed the wonders of our universe. I know I'm a nerd, and I am truly proud of it. We arrived home and picked up our baby girl, Bella. She greeted us with a the other dogs soaked in mud from snow wrestling. We are now settled in at home, ready for a peaceful evening. Whew.

Busy Friday

I'm exhausted.

It's 2:30pm and I've been awake 10.5 hours already. I had to be at the hospital this morning early for my clinical. It went OK, but I did a little more lifting than I should have so my back is pretty sore. But nevertheless, I had to pack and prepare for the trip to Nashville this weekend right after my shift. I am now listening to Sean beg me to pack his stuff, because apparently that" will be good practice for when I am the wife of a busy doctor"...boy does he have another thing comin'. KS formal is always fun, but its a lot of hassle and I don't know half the guys there anymore. I go because I don't think Sean would go dateless.

I miss my Bella, the house is so empty without her. She is off at Sean's parents house playing with the other dogs. She always has a great time playing but she comes back so stinky! I'm going to start making Sean or his parents get her groomed before she comes back in the house.

Well now Mr. Disorganized has decided that he needs to kick it into high gear so he's ready to go. Love him.

I think I'll side with the angels on this one

Justice...sort of.

I am pleased that justice was served yesterday. Dr. George Tiller's murderer, Scott Roeder, was found guilty on all 3 charges; 1st degree murder and 2 counts of aggravated assault. Even thought the DA is not seeking the death penalty, they are looking to give him 50 years to life. The man will rot in prison. It's a travesty that my tax dollars will feed this monster, but death is too good for him. In fact, the real travesty is that he can't be punished in the very ways his bible condones, an eye for an eye! Even though that wouldn't make Dr. Tiller come home to his family, I still think it would make for some juicy, heated christian hypocrisy debate. The sickest part of it all is that he believes (as well as many others, I'm sure) that his God will reward him for a job well done! Ha! I honestly don't know where to draw the line between religious people and mental health patients.

But I'll sleep a little better knowing that Mr. Roeder will have a whole new set of sins to worry about. Namely, sodomy.