Sunday, February 26, 2012

Resisting Complacency

Unfortunately, we naturally take a lot of things for granted.

Often it takes a big event to show us the error of our ways. This is especially true with relationships of all kinds. We assume that people understand how we feel about them without needing reminders. When relationships change or become strained we realise that this is not the case.

Realising this before an event like this happens is important. We should not require a shock to push us back to a point where we express how we feel. I have been guilty of it recently but not much longer I hope.

After all, we take life itself for granted. If we become complacent with the very thought of living then we risk falling into despondency and forgetting that there is so much to enjoy around us.

So I will stay on my toes in the future!

-The English Student

Friday, February 17, 2012

23, the Number of Mediocrity

The Simpsons are running their 23rd series.

Of course and predictably, it is terrible. The Guardian recently ran an article with the ten most popular episodes and none are from the past decade. It is difficult to watch a new episode of the show and the ratings are the worst in its long history.

I had forgotten about the old gems in the canon of Simpsons episodes and the classics that made the show so popular in the first place. There are some fantastic stories and cracking writing in the first eight or so series.

The danger here is that kids growing up will never get to see these classic episodes and will eventually realise that they are watching a hollow version of what we knew and loved. Either that, or their own taste will be warped by a show that is "supposed" to be good.

At any rate, the answer here is to finally nail down the coffin. It's not getting any more lively.

-The English Student

Sunday, February 12, 2012

New Coat of Paint

So I am going to paint my childhood room.

I am stressed out about this prospect and while this is mostly because of the ridiculous hassle that painting is. At the same time, there is an underlying anxiety that this change will shatter this room's position as a store of my memories.

My room has been described as hideous and while I cannot argue with that from an aesthetic perspective, it is a collection of my memories and has its own type of beauty and balance.

The awful wall colours do not help the overall aesthetic so they really should be repainted. It is more like changing the foundation upon which this wonderful pile of crap is built upon.

So long as it does not take too long, I suppose I can live with it.

-The English Student

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Drinking Games

We regressed to drinking games last night.

I say "regress" because it really does feel like a step backwards. With these games, the main goal is to get drunk and embarrass yourself. It largely runs like this: begin sober, use arbitrary rules as an excuse to drink more than is sensible, become insensibly drunk.

Really, we should have moved on from this point by now. More recently, alcohol in my life is applied through a different process: go out with a group of people for chat and fun, apply alcohol to loosen our tongues (and morals!), enjoy ourselves together and pay for it the next morning.

Sometimes messy nights of drinking games are useful for the purpose of reminding us where we came from as drunken teenagers. Plus there is no real harm in regressing every now and then, so long as it is not permanent. I just hope this is not the sign of a group of people who have run out of things to talk about.

-The English Student