What to ask for Christmas this year?

Ironically from my last post, my mother forces me to create a Christmas List each year. Yes, she is aware of my Christmas hatred. Most years, I would have complied and created a typed list, two months in advance, color-coded, and with the links for her to order the items, but not this year. I could chalk it up to being in college and being infinitely more busy, but in reality that is not really the case. Truth be told, I think I have reached a point in my life where I don’t really need or want anything.

            Being a girl, this is strange for me because I am a constant shopper. But, when asked to make my list year I was dumbfounded. Yes, I could ask for a new purse or those new shoes I have been eyeing but being in college has completely altered my perception on life. I know this sounds very philosophical but it is actually just reality. My dorm is miniscule compared to my room back home and ask any of my friends I have extremely difficult keeping it clean.

            But my mom has still been nagging me to make a list and I had little to show for the hours spent on the Nordstrom's website. I’m still trying to figure it out, but I know that money from one of my gifts will go to the Smile Train, which is a service that allows people to make donations for underprivileged children to get needed clef palate surgery. This gives me a great sense of joy that even though I am at a lost of material gifts, I am giving a gift that will go a lot further than this season’s bag.

What Has Christmas Come Too?

           Christmas is an enchanting time for those who are infatuated with the season. I am not a fan of Christmas and this is shocking to most people. After the age of five, I never really got the appeal. Five happens to be the age when I found out Santa was really my parents. (Thanks to a rather unfortunate Christmas morning tape that showed my parent putting the presents under the tree.) Yes, I still get presents even though my family knows my dislike for this holiday. My mother refuses to buy me anything for two months before this dreaded day, so I, of course, have to make a Christmas list. But with my weekly checkup on the news, I discovered a video that was exposing imported good that were counterfeit. Now, my first reaction was to laugh, no offense to all those Christmas lovers. Even though I'm a Grinch, I still give gifts to loved ones and friends, so this concerning to the state of the gifts I was giving.

            As the video progressed, it showed top brands being counterfeited and even some common items being turned into weapons. Finding gift items turned into weapons is a bit frightening. I may not like Christmas, but I still give gifts and having the fear of the gift that I give someone not be what it is actually is or even a weapon can ruin anyone’s day. I understand people wanting to get the best possible gift for someone at the best price. But wouldn't you want the gifts to be real? The Christmas Season brings a whole set of stressors; now enter the fake Christmas gifts, which adds to the list.

            Why has Christmas become about presents? Yes, every little kid looks for Christmas because of presents but even adults have become obsessed with presents. Christmas originally was to celebrate the birth of Christ. But has become this crazy holiday about trees, lights, and a fictional character that delivers presents in one night. Is it just because we live in a consumer driven society that Christmas has become this way? Instead of focusing on the materialistic aspect of Christmas and who can get the best gifts, maybe we should think about what it really is, the birth of Christ. Then perhaps, our world would be a safer and better place during this Season.

Does It Really Matter?

Since it's institution, the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy has been very controversial. To the never soldiers, it doesn't really matter, whether the policy is overturned. Older soldiers are more reluctant for this to happen. This difference is completely due to the different time each grew up in. Newer generations are more accepting where older soldiers are not. The military has never really been liberal but maybe it is time for a little change. 

But why does it really matter if gay soldiers openly serve? Once out there they have all had the same training. So, on a battle field are you really going to question whether or not the soldier next to you is going to have your back just because he is gay. I think not. It won't matter if they are gay once they saved your life. The Military’s rules are old-fashioned but, they desperately need to change with the times.  

When Is It Too Weird?

Last Sunday, TLC was having a marathon of their new show “Sister Wives”. Since, I had nothing better to do I decided to watch it. This show follows a polygamist family of four wives, sixteen children and their one husband/father. Now I am pretty open-minded about most things, but watching this show made me sick to my stomach. It’s just weird, thinking about three different families under one roof. They insist that they are just one big family, but the whole situation is just a little to strange. To make matters even stranger, the wives find the other wives. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the whole situation.

Contrary to popular belief, they are not Mormons. The original wife and husband were apart of a polygamist community in Utah. A common phrase said throughout the show is “Love should be spread.” But for the general population, that does not mean taking multiple wives. They are facing lawsuits and many viewers want Kody, the husband, in jail, but in spite of all this they have agreed to a second season.  I think it is rather ridiculous of them to agree to a second season. It cannot be easy having your personal life open to the world and especially since their situation is one that most people do not accept. I think that having one season of it was enough to understand their situation. There is no need for audiences to feel any more uncomfortable.

Look At Us Now Boys

Fortune came out with their “50 Most Powerful Women” list on September 30^th. For five years running the number one women has been Indra Nooyi, the Chairman and CEO of Pepisco. This list is extremely inspiring to women. It wasn’t too long ago where it was only socially acceptable for women to be a teacher, secretary, or nurse. Things have definitely changed in the job market, but not completely. Though, this list is filled with women running the top companies in the country.

Seeing women excel in the corporate world is near and dear to my heart because my mother works in it and it might be something I want to pursue with my life. I love my mother, but she lives an insane lifestyle. She sleeps on average 3 ½ hours a night, takes care of the house, works 12 hour days, and still finds time to be a mother to three children. To anyone that knows her, she really is superwomen. It is not that far of a reach to say the women on the list do the same. 

If women can do all this and still excel at their job why is it that business is still a man’s world? I would not consider myself a feminist at all, but this something that I take seriously. What makes people think we are under qualified?  In fact, Colleges usually have a higher women percentage than men because more women. This shows that women really want to go to school and get their degree. 

It baffles me that we are being paid less. Their justification is that because we have to take maternity leave that we should be paid less. This is completely bogus reason. I think we really need reevaluate the way we think about women’s place in the workplace.Who says that the women need to stay home and take care of the children? You hear more and more often of men staying home, but it is truly is a rarity. Sadly, I do not see this becoming a fad anytime soon.

Are We All Fist-Pumping?

In 2009, MTV came out with a television show that has transformed my generation, the Jersey Shore.  For those who don't know, the Jersey Shore is about a group of "guidos", who spend their summer on the Jersey Shore. Cameras follow them around filming them going to clubs, their hookups, “GTLing” (gym, tanning, laundry), and their mundane job at a T-shirt shop or gelato shop. Why has this generation become so fixated by watching these ridiculous people making fools of themselves? It seems that I can hardly go a day without hearing the words, Snookie, The Situation, or fist-pumping.

When the cast of Jersey Shore is not filming, they make club appearances. Now, I have not been to one of these appearances, but I have witnessed one in Rochester, NY.  It was six below outside and a huge snowstorm was on its way, but the line to the club was out the door and around the corner. As I drove past, I thought people were crazy to be wearing mini-skirts and tank-tops just to see these people. In the morning, I found out that I was correct; many people that night suffered frost bite and had to be taken to the hospital. How could we have let it come to this? When did our society become so influenced by a group of 8 people that could barely hold a conversation about anything else besides tanning, alcohol, or sex? I think that it is mostly due to the fact that we are obsessed with the materialistic and the obscene.

Not only is this show ridiculous, but it giving New Jersey a horrible reputation. Very few people can think of Jersey without picturing the cast first. Personally, all I can picture is dirty clubs, guidos, and fist-pumping. In reality, that is not the case at all. Recently, the new governor spoke out against the shows saying that Jersey is nowhere near the portrayal of MTV. I think that teenagers, myself included, really need to reevaluate what they want to be watching and whom so they want influencing them.

Buh bump, Buh bump

Ever since I was little, I have spent my summers in Chatham, Massachusetts, a small fishing town on the “elbow” of Cape Cod. Normally, Chatham is a quiet seaside town with a few bustling weeks in July. But this year things radically changed. We experienced an extreme increase in marine life. You might be thinking well of course you did your surrounded by the water! But, this year some unexpected guests arrived off our shores, some Great White Sharks. Yes, the king of the waters himself decided that he would vacation in Chatham this year.

Now for the year-long residences and summer residences, it wasn't really that big of a deal. But, for the numerous tourists it seemed like the world was ending. Their was wide stricken paranoia, where people would not swim in the water or go to any of the beaches where they spotted. Not only did we have these annoying tourists, but many shark enthusiasts have also invaded Chatham. About 2 miles off the coast, the water is filled with boats varying from small skiffs to the National Geographic boat. People love the attention that Chatham is getting. But because it is bad press, I don’t think that this will help out Chatham in the long run. Having weekly articles describing new sightings forced the Coast Guard to close many of the beaches. Chatham has the most coastline in the United States, but the paranoia quicly made beach options minuscule. Fortunately, there has not been a fatal attack, so why can't we just educate people instead of closing down beaches? Chatham has a great lifeguard staff and since the start of this, they have gone through extensive education on everything sharks. The lifeguards are more than willing to share their new knowledge. So lets be smart about this new invasion, why does my Chatham have to change?