I jumped the waiting-gun yesterday.
I went overboard, and my imagination got away from me.
I have told myself not to be so stupid in the past.
I have failed.
I will try again.
-The English Student
Monday, March 5, 2012
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
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
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
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
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
Sunday, January 29, 2012
GOP Fun
I'm really enjoying the U.S. Republican presidential candidate nomination.
It's a complete farce with the torch passing from one right wing psychopath to the next. It seems to come down to two candidates right now: Mitt Romney, a smarmy businessman and defender of the rich and Newt Gingrich, a seemingly bipolar disgraced politician.
Plenty of people have realised how strong a position this ridiculous bickering has placed the democrats in and I do not wish to rehearse that. Obama is licking his lips and we all know it.
The main reason it comes to mind is that it's just plain entertaining. It is car-crash reality television, with idiots tearing each other apart for our amusement. Roll on the actual election.
We'll all glut ourselves on the public humiliation of humiliating public figures.
-The English Student
It's a complete farce with the torch passing from one right wing psychopath to the next. It seems to come down to two candidates right now: Mitt Romney, a smarmy businessman and defender of the rich and Newt Gingrich, a seemingly bipolar disgraced politician.
Plenty of people have realised how strong a position this ridiculous bickering has placed the democrats in and I do not wish to rehearse that. Obama is licking his lips and we all know it.
The main reason it comes to mind is that it's just plain entertaining. It is car-crash reality television, with idiots tearing each other apart for our amusement. Roll on the actual election.
We'll all glut ourselves on the public humiliation of humiliating public figures.
-The English Student
Monday, January 23, 2012
Liquid Ban
Another day, another flight.
Even with my familiarity with airport restrictions I still managed to bring liquids up to security earlier today. Without giving it proper thought I just dumped them and moved on. But it has made me wonder about the liquid restrictions that are still in place since the 2006 liquid explosive scare.
If banning liquids is still necessary, surely criminals and terrorists have just moved on to solids. Presumably we will be banned from taking solids onto planes soon too. I do not mean to trivialise the threat posed by liquid explosives, I merely wonder how effective sure a ban is.
As with any other aspect of human life, if someone wants to cause trouble they will find a way. Predictably my conclusion has to be to educate and solve the roots of terrorism rather than blanket ban benign substances that can be used for any means.
Predictable yet still a lesson we need to implement.
-The English Student
Even with my familiarity with airport restrictions I still managed to bring liquids up to security earlier today. Without giving it proper thought I just dumped them and moved on. But it has made me wonder about the liquid restrictions that are still in place since the 2006 liquid explosive scare.
If banning liquids is still necessary, surely criminals and terrorists have just moved on to solids. Presumably we will be banned from taking solids onto planes soon too. I do not mean to trivialise the threat posed by liquid explosives, I merely wonder how effective sure a ban is.
As with any other aspect of human life, if someone wants to cause trouble they will find a way. Predictably my conclusion has to be to educate and solve the roots of terrorism rather than blanket ban benign substances that can be used for any means.
Predictable yet still a lesson we need to implement.
-The English Student
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