I am here to join the chorus of student groans about starting another school year. Put simply, I pretty strongly dislike school. I love some of my classes and teachers but other than that I dislike it. There is academic pressure, peer pressure, and pressure I put myself through. If that stress and pressure were to be kept neatly in the square box of a seven hour school day, I wouldn't look forward to school but I also wouldn't dread it.

Homework seems to be on the forefront of every teacher's mind. Homework is something that allows school to seep into almost every aspect of a student's life. No longer can we explore our backyards and converse with family and friends, but rather we are locked up in our rooms, desperate to complete hours worth of homework.

Now, don't get me wrong. I realize that homework can be vital for a student to get the most out of a subject. But too much can also drain a student. Students don't focus in class because they assume that they can just make up for it in the homework. Hours worth of homework can result in students not getting enough sleep and therefore making their brains foggy and unable to learn well the next morning.

I am not a student that thinks homework should be banned, but rather one that thinks it, and its connection to class, should be revolutionized....

I'll get back to you with ideas. 

Our society cannot accept aging. Everywhere I look I see recommendations on how to look younger, thinner, and whatever else. People are even willing to inject their faces with Botox to reduce wrinkles. Yeah, people willingly inject poison that paralyzes the muscle and gives their face a balloon-like appearance. What a wonderful culture we have.

In all the movies, high school theater people are portrayed as on the bottom of the social hierarchy. In my school, they don't really have a place. Many of them, though not all, are quite pretentious. They have a specific area in the school where they hang out and if you ever walk by, you feel like you're intruding. Bottom line is that they're not exactly welcoming.

When I was younger, my parents required that I take piano lessons. I did not enjoy piano. I practiced on this kind of cheap electric keyboard that was missing a few keys. Eventually I discovered that I could record what I was playing and then have it play back as many times as I wanted. From then on, I would play each song once and just hang out while the recorded sounds of my piano rang through the house.

Yep, I was a rebellious child.

I support same-sex marriage. I support it because I believe everyone has the right to marry who they love. However, I don't think that my support should matter. I don't think anyone's support should matter. Marriage equality should be similar to race equality or gender equality (although both of those still have a long way to come); it should be an inherent right of each and every individual.

Many people say that same-sex marriage is unnatural. Plastic surgery is unnatural. Love, whether between two people of opposite genders or of the same gender, is natural. Many people decide that their love for each other is so strong that they get married. Marriage should be an option for any two* people, regardless of their genders. And no, civil unions doesn't cut it. Does anyone else get a vibe of of Jim Crow laws**?

Even if someone is determined to believe that same-sex marriage is unnatural, that's okay. However, they must realize that they do not have sovereignty over how others choose to live. There is no public safety risk if homosexual people can marry. And no one is going to force you into a homosexual relationship with them. In other words, you are not in any danger if gay people are allowed to marry. You don't have to be affected by this legalization if you don't want to be. So don't keep others from gaining ultimate happiness solely based on your inability to be accepting.

Below is a pretty awesome music video called Same Love by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. I think it highlights some pretty big issues in our culture. In addition, I'd just like to say that I absolutely love how people are beginning to use social media and music to speak out about important issues. Yay for going beyond the conventional protesting and instead using a common and non-threatening medium!


     *I realize that limiting marriage to being between two people could even be considered unnecessary restricting. In other words, some might believe that polygamy should be legalized (and not limited to polygynous relationships).  That my friends is a topic for another day.
     **I hesitated to use this comparison because one could argue that racial inequality is very different from marriage inequality. However, there is still the ignorant idea of "separate but equal" in both cases.

When we're alone, my mom tells me how much she hates my dad. She tells me that she hates his sarcasm. That he is rude and overweight.

When we're alone, my dad tells me how he cannot understand my mom. He tells me that she doesn't get how things work and that she makes everything too complicated.

These are my parents. There is no love.

Race really pisses me off sometimes. Sometimes I look down at my slightly tanned hands, hands that would be generally known as "white". It angers me to a point that I cannot even begin to describe when I hear about people who believe there is a "superior" race or one that should dominate all others. Seriously, how shallow do people need to be to quite literally not be able to see past a person's skin? So what if a person's skin is a deep brown or a pale porcelain? To subjugate an entire race based solely on skin color, or anything for that matter, is almost laughable. The thought of dividing people by something that they cannot control -- and should not feel ashamed of -- is preposterous. 

Trust me, I wish I were above this. I have this semi-childish obsession with someone who is nearly twice my age (he's 31...never would have guessed) and will most likely never meet me. But, alas, I am not above it. Eddie Redmayne is the actor who plays Marius, the young man who helps rebel against the government of France and falls in love with Cosette in the movie Les Miserables. I went to see this movie recently (I would recommend seeing it in theatres but make sure you use the bathroom beforehand...it is looong) and really enjoyed it.

This guy seriously seems amazing. I watched a couple of interviews with him and he seems quite down to earth and modest. He also looks pretty darn incredible.

Just something else to add: I'm quite proud to say that I'm not as obsessed with him as some of the people on pinterest are (see here: http://pinterest.com/cashmeremink/my-unhealthy-obsession-eddie-redmayne/)