Application of Information= Education

There are many different ways for one to be considered “educated.” The word is completely relative to whatever one is supposed to know a lot about. For example, it would not matter if a farmer could recite pi in its entirety if he did not know how to grow crops. One who is educated has the responsibility of applying what they know. There is no use in one knowing everything there is to know about a certain topic if they can never put that knowledge to use.
I also believe that it is the responsibility of someone who is passionate about something to be at least remotely educated on the topic. One who practices feminism and claims to stand for women should know what it entails and why it is important. It is obvious that one does not need to be seriously educated to know that women are oppressed, but a little background knowledge on the history of women would be beneficial.
I do not think that anyone can be considered completely uneducated. Everyone knows a lot about something, however useless that information. Those that we consider uneducated either do not possess common sense and are too specialized, or those that do not apply what they know. Either way, both are still educated, they just do not show it. Education is not knowledge. Education is the ability to execute the information you have already.

Nielsen= A big No-No

The Nielsen Ratings System is a deeply flawed method of determining how many people tuned in to watch a certain show. There are a total of roughly 20,000 Nielsen household totaling about 50,000 individuals participating. Their TV habits, the shows they watch, and those they don’t, are recorded for each individual family member, which helps advertisers know the demographics they are appealing to. You see, that’s just it: the Nielsen System’s data is given to advertisers and they only care about which commercials were seen and which were skipped through.

 This is why so many good shows that still have a lot of ideas, like Arrested Development, are cancelled and those like Two and Half Men stay on for 10 years. The former shows are usually enjoyed by a younger, more tech-savvy audience who watch shows online or DVR them and skip through the commercials, while the latter are watched mostly by older viewers who don’t have these viewing habits. This is also why so many shows with cult-followings are cancelled, because no matter how dedicated a fan-base is, no matter how many methods they use to watch their favorite shows, no matter how beloved the show is, if they are not a Nielsen family, their vote does not count, and if they are a Nielsen family who does love one of these shows but has a habit of skipping through commercials, their love for it is futile. You see, advertisers don’t care how much you love a show or how critically acclaimed it is; they just want you to buy their stuff.
I don't only feel this way because of the effect this system has on my shows, but that's definitely a factor of my opinion. Because no matter how "awful" they are, they're important to me and to many others around the world.

Courage.

                Webster defines courage as “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” To me, courage presents itself only in situations where it is hard to be courageous. It is easy to show a brave face when you still have something to hold on to. Anyone can be brave if they do not fear losing anything, but it is those times in which someone has the possibility to lose everything that true valiancy shines through.
                This is very evident in the stories that stand the test of time. If Cinderella had started out as a princess losing her shoe, no one would retell the story. Had Mulan stayed home and done what her family had expected of her rather than fight in a war, the ballad would not be a favorite among millions today. It is those stories with characters that start with next to nothing and risk everything that stick with us. Because that is what courage is, bravery amidst those that are most unlikely to be brave.
            To me, there are many types of bravery, but that is what true courage is.

Tailbones, Ice, and Hermit Crabs

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and that was how I found the meaning of life.

                In the January of 2007, a huge ice storm hit the greater of part of Southwest Missouri and other surrounding areas, rendering thousands of people powerless. My immediate family and I stayed with my grandparents down the road because they had a generator, but even then it was a miserable two weeks. Though we never left the property, a lot happened during that storm.

                The ground was covered in a layer of slippery ice, causing my balance to be a little off due to the lack of traction. One morning, I had to walk my grandparents’ dogs, which surely had some dog equivalent disorder to ADHD, and I lost my footing and I’m almost positive that caused me to bruise my tailbone. On top of this soreness, I was almost crushed by a tree branch. I had gone to check on my great grandfather in the trailer on the other side of my grandparents’ property, and on the way back I heard a loud snap, followed by the sound of hundreds of icicles falling to the ground. As I looked up, tiny pieces of bark hit my face and I fell to the ground, pinned down by the branch. To be fair, it was a really big branch. I’m fine now, in case you were at all concerned.

                Even between all this, something worse and far more memorable occurred during this time. On January 14^th of this storm, my parents told my brother and me that they were getting a divorce. It truly felt like the end of the world, and sometimes it still upsets me.

                When the storm finally passed and our power was restored, we returned home to a cold and empty house. And not just because of how I felt, it was really cold in there. When I thought my life couldn’t get any worse, for the first time in two weeks I got to see my room. As soon as I entered, an overwhelming smell hit me and it turned out that my hermit crabs had died.

 I think about how different my life might have been if it weren’t for their divorce (and my hermit crabs dying,) but I think that’s just what gets me through it. I like my life now and how I’ve turned out and I wouldn’t trade that for anything, except maybe some more hermit crabs (just kidding.)

Rejection from Society is What Created the X-Men

    When I asked around to see what others thought a word to describe me was, most of the answers were positive adjectives. I just shook my head and smiled uncomfortably. This probably explains why all of the words I came up with on my own lumped together can be summed up with one word: awkward. The combination of obsessiveness, social ineptness, artsy, passiveness, aloofness, and intelligence collectively describes my Myers-Briggs personality type, INTJ, almost to a tee.

    On top of the weird traits that stem from my personality type, I also have a problem accepting compliments. When people tell me I look nice or something along those lines, I have a difficulty responding. I don’t know that this is connected to the whole geek thing from the first paragraph; I think it has more to do with the fact that I don’t believe it. This self-deprecation presents itself in other instances too. For example, it makes me nervous to order food in a restaurant or talk on the phone. I think this all stems from my irrational fear of coming off as an ignoramus. I didn’t really think about this until the other day, but almost everything I do starts with the root of not wanting to come off as an idiot.

The One With Suitcases, Safehouses, and Sentimental Stuff

Even though hypothetical situations make me nervous, I’ll humor you on this one. Hypothetically, I’m being taken away from everything I’ve ever known to a place with no power. I don’t need anything to survive; that’s being taken care of. However, I do need things to remind me of home. These are the things I would bring:

1.) The first item I would bring in my suitcase would be my stuffed bear, Cinnamon. I got him when I was born and he would remind me of my past and who I once was. In all the movies you see about the protagonist losing themself because they have to assume a false identity, they lose their sense of who they were, and I don’t want that to happen to me.

2.) I would bring the collection of pictures and cards that I have collected over the years from friends and family. They all mean a lot to me and the memories behind them mean even more.

3.) I would also bring the quilt my great-great-grandmother made. It’s super warm and comfy and smells like my house.

4.) My scarf from my grandmother would definitely be added in to the mix. My grandma is wonderful and crocheting and it’s super-duper warm and reminds me of her.

5.) My journal. I need to write and communicate with people somehow, so I would bring my journal and something to write with.

6.) Bossypants by Tina Fey. The book cracks me up and I need something to remind me of my sitcoms.

7.) My Arrested Development shirt that my brother got for me for Christmas this year. I only have one brother and I guess I need something to remind me of him.

8.) My autographed picture of Amy Poehler because a.) my parents got it for me and b.) I love Amy Poehler. It sounds pretty weird, but it’s special to me.

9.) The fuzzy socks my mom got for me would definitely be included in the suitcase. I need something to remember my mom and I like fuzzy socks.

10.) The funeral program and rose from my grandpa’s funeral. My grandpa was really important to me and I don’t ever want to forget him.

Chocolate-Covered Something-or-Others

One of my family’s favorite stories to bring up also happens to be one of my fondest memories. It was my family’s Christmas get together when I was around five or six, and my aunt brought these delicious-looking, chocolate-covered somethings. She is a really good cook, so we all wanted to try one. I lifted the chocolaty orb to my mouth and sunk my teeth into the gooey ball. As soon as my teeth passed the outer chocolate layer onto the next, I found myself making a sound that resembled something like “blech” and removing the “candy” from my mouth. When I peered inside the broken layer, I saw white fibers coming out of the opening. My reaction was imitated by everyone else as they all realized what was inside. My aunt had covered cotton balls with almond bark chocolate.

The next year, we were all a little more hesitant to consume the chocolate covered spheres she brought, but after much assurance from both and her and my uncle that there were definitely no cotton balls used in the making of this year’s creation, we went ahead and tried one. This time though, I waited to see the general reaction before trying the candy. The looks on everyone’s faces were those of confusion, not disgust, so I popped the candy in my mouth to see what the fuss was about. As the chocolate melted though, I regretted my decision. I did not know what I had just put in my mouth, but I knew I did not like it. It turned out this year the chocolate covered substance was a pearl onion. My grandpa didn’t seem to mind the oniony flavor and had about four in his hand, eating them like any other candy. It was only after he finished his handful that he noted they had a bit of an odd flavor, but weren’t bad.

These two instances make for great holiday chatter now and while rather disgusting, the memory is one of my favorites.

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