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saxy_grrl
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Name: saxy_grrl
Metro:
Gender: Female
Interests: foreign languages, cultures, histories, and governments; military and aviation history; music of many genres... I'm sure there's more
Message: message me
Member Since:
3/10/2007
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| I can't really say I'm back. I revisit Xanga about every day, as those who have seen my footprints know. But I have no plan of restarting my blog, or becoming more involved in Xanga any more than the daily check of my inbox-thingy. I have firmly claimed my new status of official blog lurker.
I just didn't want my somewhat emo good-bye post to be the first thing someone sees when she wants to find out who subscribed to her. (Hi, by the way!)
I have about five minutes until I have to go back to class, so I will continue this later. Probably a brief update of my life, with a jumble of random thoughts, because that is how I blog, I guess. Disclaimer to any visiters -- I have changed (as in, grown up! Yay!) since I last blogged.
Have a fantabulous day! | | |
| Tonight is my last night in my hometown. Tonight I will check into a local hotel, and tomorrow I will get up at the crack of dawn, be shuttled to my last round of processing and paperwork before being shuttled to the airport and flown to my final destination -- Hell Navy bootcamp.
Yes, I'm pretty excited. Yes, I'm also quite nervous. Yeah, my parents are excited for me but also really sad to see me go.
No, I cannot bring my cell phone/iPod/camera/journal/reading books, and no, that really doesn't bother me. Honestly. I cannot believe how many people have asked me that and gasped in shock when I explain that it's BOOTCAMP. It's not supposed to be fun or comfortable. As long as I understand that, I guess I'm okay... but the misunderstandings of other people really get on my nerves.
Uh... enough complaining...
This is pretty much my "good bye" post. I wish it were more eloquent, but I decided that rather than wait for some lightening bolt of inspiration to hit me (I'd be waiting for a while,) I'll just tell it like it is.
Xanga has been fun. I have really enjoyed reading all of your blogs. You have made me smile, laugh, cry, and ponder, so I thank you. I have learned some valuable lessons, such as the worth (or complete lack thereof) of getting totally pissed off about something (the lesson: it's not worth it. I learned that one many, many times) and the (immense) value of a simple "I'm thinking of you". Thanks for being my teachers and my peers.
I'm not leaving Xanga forever; my blog will still be here for your viewing pleasure. But I won't be updating for at least two months, and probably more than that (I will not blog at tech school, I will not blog at tech school, I will not...)
So this is good bye. I will be thinking of all of you, whether I knew you well or not, and I wish you all the best of luck in everything.
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| The race posts are all the rage on Xanga right now, and in reading them, I began to realize something about myself -- I may be a bit color-blind.
Everyone says that the world should be more color-blind, and that we would all get along better if we didn't judge by the color of our skin. Obviously, that is waaay easier said than done. We judge by appearance all the time. Have you ever tried not to? I have, and I must say again -- easier said than done.
But I realized that in some cases, I have completely missed the shade of someone's skin. For example, I have a friend who is an incredibly talented musician and artist, highly intelligent in mathematics and sciences, ambitious, and a kind and thoughtful person. It never occurs to me to categorize him by his race, even though his skin is darker than mine. I think he might be Asian-American (fulfillment of typical stereotypes, anyone?) but does it matter? That's not the first thing I think of when it comes to describing him. I have another friend who is a skilled martial artist, a great leader, and a funny and friendly guy. The only reason I know that he is not native to this country is that he has a unique first name. Sure, his skin is looks like a perpetual strong summer tan, but that's not the first thing I notice when I see him. The same applies for other friends -- the only clue that I notice about their heritage is their last name. Skin color? Nah. Later I think, "Well, his last name is Hernandez... and yeah, I guess he does look Hispanic. Huh... how did I miss that?"
This supposed color-blindness doesn't apply in all cases. If I see a black guy, the first thing I think is, "That's a black guy." Maybe that's because I don't see many because I live in a very white part of America. I usually see black people in passing on the street rather than in face-to-face get-to-know-you conversations. Some might say that makes me racist. I say that I have a different perspective based on what I am exposed to every day. Is my perspective any less valid than someone who lives in a predominately black area? I don't think so. I don't think it makes me racist.
But if accused of racism, I'm NOT going to counter with, "Hey, I can't be a racist -- I have tons of friends who are minorities." I am friends with people because we get along and have common interests, NOT to fill some "I'm not a racist" friendship quota. Trying to use my friends as proof that I am not racist would prove the complete opposite.
So, in conclusion, the current topic of much conversation made me think. And I think that first impressions are not the same every time. In meeting one person, I may think, "Hey, look -- a black dude." In meeting another person, I may think, "Nice t-shirt -- I love that band, too! We have something in common!" I don't always judge by skin-color... but sometimes I do. That is my perspective on the possibility of color-blindness.
Post-post disclaimer: I'm not writing this to prove that I'm "like, totally not a racist". I'm not pointing out the diversity of the people I associate with because I think I'm better than others because of it. I don't think that, and that's not the point of this post. The point is that I discovered something about myself and the way that I think, and I wanted to put it into words to share with you. I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea.
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| For the record, I liked the band Tokio Hotel BEFORE I saw that they are the new Hot Topic emo fad. I am NOT a trend follower.
Here's the story: the band was introduced to me by a friend of mine from Germany. He told me that he hates the band, but when I asked him why he hates it, his sole reason was, "Everyone in Germany hates it." Of course I was dissatisfied with his answer, so I decided to look up the band on YouTube to see if it sucks as much as he claims. In my opinion, it doesn't; I like the music that Tokio Hotel makes. When I came back and told him that I like the band, he freaked out, but he still didn't have a good reason for why he hates the band.
This attitude drives me crazy. Just because everyone else likes/hates something is NOT a reason to like/dislike the same thing. A good reason would be because you like the catchy tune/the funnny lyrics/the unique instrumentals, etc. You need to have a REASON beyond, "Well, everyone else is doing it..."
I think blindly following trends is stupid. I have an unique identity, and it has nothing to do with what is popular around me. I wear jeans and t-shirts because they are comfortable; I like to a wide variety of music, some of which is very obscure; I read series' like Twilight and Harry Potter because I like the stories and the writing, not because everyone else is reading them, too. I don't watch TV because there aren't any shows that I like, and I avoid movies that I think look stupid, no matter how many of my friends are seeing them. I hold some "controversial" views because I believe that they are right, no matter how unpopular they are.
What is popular? I don't care. I will be myself.
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| I want to emphasize the key word in this question: avoid. That means to deny that Christmas exists. I do think it is overly politically correct to "be tolerant" of everyone except Christians during the holiday season. I guess I don't really have a problem with Happy Holiday because it's just a friendly greeting. But it's ridiculous that people are so upset and up in arms about the usage of greetings to the point that the meaning has been drained from these greetings and people are afraid to say anything. I use Merry Christmas and I will continue to do so, because I have freedom of speech under the First Amendment, and I will use it. And I will sing carols about the birth of Jesus in public because I am happily celebrating a holiday. I don't see anything wrong with celebrating. Merry Christmas! I just answered this Featured Question; you can answer it too! | | |
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