You know what really yanks my chain? Hypocrisy. Especially when it comes in the form of political theater. Every time a politician has some sound bite that is played repeatedly in the media and never gets challenged by said media makes me wince in barely suppressed indignation. This indignation has been happening a lot more recently thanks to all the lovely sound bites from Republican … Continue reading Fear of health care

At the beginning of every school year, I always try to make a mental note of the important dates throughout the academic calendar, such as Homecoming, Halloween, Reading Days, Thanksgiving Break, Christmas Break, Spring Break—well, you get the idea. However, my first priority when planning my college agenda is to find out when President’s Ball is. I realize this sounds creepy and unnecessary, but like … Continue reading How I stopped worrying and learned to dance

I was one of those girls who had a massive Barbie collection. I’m talking three full shoeboxes for dolls alone, then another case full of their oh-so-age-appropriate clothing and modest footwear. But I remember the day I got my Pocahontas Barbie complete with hut accessories was a special day for me. As a child, I saw myself as a real-life Pocahontas in that I loved … Continue reading How high will the sycamore grow?

There are many times in our culture when two labels are created to describe something that is actually far more diverse than what can fit under just two groupings. These two labels become so culturally pervasive that, suddenly, we no longer see the spectrum that was once there. It is either one thing or the other. Choose black or white, because suddenly any other color … Continue reading Can I see in color, please?

We must refuse to become the subjects of society’s supposed truths. What do I mean? Everywhere we look we are being influenced by different societal forces, some good, some not so good. The media is telling us what to believe about Tiger Woods, the church is telling us how to worship, our roommates are telling us not to eat out of the pan and pretty … Continue reading “Truth’s” manipulative influence

Apathy is at once wonderful and annoying. It’s this brilliant song of people saying: “Whaddja do last weekend?” “Not much, watched the Olympics and had a couple beers.” Absolutely mindless dialogue we still seem to find interesting to talk about, despite the fact that the formula of sports event/party/going out and drinking never actually changes. And the conversation of the following week revolves around complaining … Continue reading I don’t care about apathy

I have often spent many a lunch break in casual observation and appreciation of the opposite sex, positioning myself in the prime man-watching position around the table as I (seductively, of course) eat my chicken dumpling soup. And as I watch those entering the Marketplace, sitting with friends, sitting with lady friends, sitting alone, I wonder which of these fine fellows is in love with … Continue reading Go ahead, make my day!

The economy—something I will probably never understand. I tend to leave that to my smarter, more numbers-oriented counterparts. However, I think that even I have a grasp on the fact that our state and federal economies are struggling. We have all seen how it is affecting the entire country, and I am sure we all have a personal scenario attached to the effects of a … Continue reading A day at the capitol: an answer to rising costs

When I came back to campus this semester, I saw that a friend’s status on a certain social networking site contained an interesting looking link. I followed it to The Campus Majority: Gustavus Adolphus College. If you would like to see it yourself, you can go to campusmajority.blogspot.com Here’s the headline from the homepage of this blog: “The Campus Majority is the Voice for Events … Continue reading The furor over The Vagina Monologues

Like many students here  Gustavus, I had a great January Interim Experience: along with 72 other students, I traveled through seven different Central European countries on tour with the Gustavus Wind Orchestra.  Although we were never airlifted from any performance site, we did share some pretty remarkable experiences (along with a few unremarkable long bus rides). All the band members got back to campus a … Continue reading Tales from Europe