Reading is Changing

The world we live in today is full of many new things that are changing the way people did things in the past. One thing the digital age has changed is reading actual books. There could be many causes for the decline in reading, but the fact that children do not receive proper education that allows them to be fully literate hinders their ability to be strong readers in their life. In 1910 literacy rates were so high that the government predicted illiteracy was going to disappear in the next hundred years, but rather the rates of literacy have dropped increasingly as we near the hundred year mark. People are no longer able to read as proficiently was they were able to in the past which is affecting our society in many different ways. 

Why is It The End?

This year has flown by and it is making me so sad to think that it is coming to an end. I have been thinking a lot lately about senior year in high school and how different my feelings were at this time last year. I feel as though college changes us. Even though that is an obvious statement, I feel like I have matured in a very fun, but beneficial way. I just remember last year when I was literally counting down the hours until graduation, but why? This year has made me realize that I only have a few short years until I am on my own and it scares me more than anything. Even though high school and college are very different places, I just feel as though having entirely polar opposite reactions to the end of school shows that I am beginning to change.

Why We Love Our Moms

On Saturday my family is planning an Easter egg hunt at our house for all of our friends. I came home today and my mom had bought all these eggs and candy for our friends and us. It just made me realize how selfless people can be and what a great quality it is. Why and how does my mom take the time and money to give our friends and us an Easter egg hunt that will probably last for 10 minutes? Seeing my mom do this solely for the benefit of doing a nice thing made me realize how lucky I am to have such a great family. 

Now Parents Too?

I have started to become really curious about the affects and the dependency we have on technology today. Tonight I went out to dinner with my parents and I left my cell phone behind because I did not need it. My parents and I were having a great conversation about my younger brother’s interest in boarding school when both of my parents got an email. They both pulled out their phones in the middle of our dinner and I was like what is going on I am supposed to be the one texting. Recently I think not only are teens becoming addicted to technology, but people of all different ages are now too. 

Passports

I just do not understand the point of passports. I know that obviously sounds like an unintelligent comment, but I just discovered on my way to Mexico that you are unable to leave the country if your passport is expired (mine expired 6 days before I chose to leave). Why can’t I leave the country with just proof of citizenship and my birth certificate; he law was just changed in January of 2009, which makes it no longer acceptable when flying by air. I know that Mexico is a rough place these days, but I think it is pretty obvious that I am just a Spring Breaker who does not want to permanently stay in Mexico. Also, why do they make it so hard to get a passport? I waited for seven hours in the passport agency just to get a small book with my picture that doesn’t really even look like me. I know that there are very good reasons for passports especially when travelling, but why does the government have to be so hard on their citizens? I also know this seems like a stupid complaint, why do we have to go through such a tedious process just because we want to experience something new? I do not think we should have to; as long as the government knows we are gone we should just be able to travel the world freely!

Mexico

I have been reading about all this stuff that is happening in Mexico and it is starting to freak me out since I am going to Mexico for spring break. This drug war that has claimed the lives of 7,000 people since January of 2007 is starting to rage stronger than ever just in time for our Spring Break. I feel as though this is one of the times where being informed by powerlessness of information according to author Lee Siegel is a very good thing. I can’t even imagine getting to Mexico and not knowing anything of what could be happening around me. Yes, I do agree that with the rise in technology we have begun to overuse almost abuse it, but in this case I am almost angered by Siegel’s statements. It is just that how can information really hinder you at all in anyway? I just can’t understand why it is a bad thing to be informed EVER. I mean if you are stupid and read the news you at least know more than a person who doesn’t right? I am very glad I am informed about the current events in Mexico and I hope in this case Siegel would agree that information is better than nothing at all. 

Top Golf!

It’s our sorority’s Dads weekend this weekend and we have had such a good time meeting everyone’s fathers! Last night we went to the coolest place ever! It’s a place off of Park Lane called Top Golf. It was the first time my dad and I had ever been. We walked in thinking we were going to a normal driving range but it turns out that this place is all digital. Every single ball has a microchip in it that identifies the hitter. There are these targets that you try to hit and whether you are really good golfer or just like my dad and I probably the worst golfers its incredibly fun! It was so funny to see the dads that just totally could not hit the ball and then their daughters kicking their butts. It ended up being this super fun competition between the whole sorority and their dads. I guess technology really does make a difference since everyone had such a great time. 

The Blogging World

I have recently found an online blog that is very funny and a bit inappropriate. Seeing as this is my first experience with blogs I was highly entertained by www.fmylife.com. Although people may find some things very inappropriate, I was interested in it because it’s the sort of thing that allows you to feel better about something embarrassing happening to you. Honestly, I though blogs were for people who had too much time on their hands, but now I am able to see that they are for regular people with regular problems in life. I hope I will not get into any trouble by talking about this website. And just to make something clear I have not contributed any information to the website. It was just kind of my first euphony with the blogging world that people speak of so much, which obviously relates back to the topic at hand about the Internet. I guess this website can be viewed as a blog that just shares experiences that give you a laugh or give you secondhand embarrassment. The website is very similar to many magazines sections telling people’s embarrassing stories which demonstrates a piece that is evolving into the cyber world. 

Forrest Gump

Last night I watched Forrest Gump for the first time in a very long time. I forgot how sad and happy the movie is at the same time. Watching this movie made me think about how short and special life is. Gump is pretty much oblivious to anything and every in his life except the people he loves. I know this is a far connection to make but this movie actually made me think of Siegel’s works. I have almost been completely on Johnson’s side until realizing how well society is able to function, especially Forrest Gump a man with a very low IQ. I know that might seem like an obvious observation, but I have never lived in a world that was not influenced by technology. It’s almost as if we are almost relying on certain technologies to make us happy when we should not be. It’s very difficult for most people to go a day without using their cell phone or computer, but imagine if the world we lived in was solely based on a simpler way of live like life before cellular telephones. As much as I would never want to admit it, but I find myself way to reliant on technology and wishing more for things to be simple.