Thank the heavens above. I FINALLY got to sleep. It took a few hours but jeeze!!!

Anyways. We had to kind of summarize/free write about a topic and source we found today so here it is...

"Hey there is a party tonight and it's going to be sweet and we're all gonna get wasted! Be there!"

"Thanks for offering but no thanks, I'm not really into that."

This is a common scenario, but is it a common response? We don't live in an after school special and unfortunately the fifth grade DARE pledge does not seem to hold strong as kids get older. The reality of the situation is that teen drinking is becoming a greater problem every year and that it is effecting kids younger and younger. What scares me the most is the lack of action being taken and how some officials are going about it. An editorial by the NY Times sheds light on the problem in one County. The county executive conducted a meeting in the town where response on his ideal programs was highly regarded. By the end of this meeting, some students took the initiative to speak their mind and propsed that they would have a shot at writing new proposals. Sure, taking this initiative is great but this problem was rather ignored before a slew of accidents including but not limited to; a slew of students showing up drunk to a homecoming dance, 9 suspensions of football players from their team, and even one death of a student.

While this NY times editorial praises the efforts and input of the community, one statement comes to mind. It's ABOUT TIME! It should not have taken this long OR the DEATH of a student to realize that more attention needed to be focused on this problem. How many people have to be suspended, sent home or pay the ultimate price before something gets done? Obviously what is in place is very ineffective so kudos to those trying to change it, but come on already.

It disgusts me that the students were the ones to call out officials on policies here for one main reason. Not because I do not value the hard work and recognition of the students, but because the people in charge of making proposals and rules, that only 18 and up are allowed to vote for, are the ones making rules for everyone, including those who are not old enough to vote. The fact that they were SO far off in effective prevention and punishment methods frightens me. Not only for myself but for everyone who is affected by it. I don't want to hear one person complain about consequences they have encountered while drinking, specifically underage drinking, because if you are "responsible" enough to underage drink, then you are certainly "responsible" enough to deal with the consequences. I don't know about all of you but I have a great time all the time and it's not with the help of alcohol.


Just something to think about =]



P.S. - Pat you win... Sex On Fire is too damn catchy.

I don't know if that nap was successful or not. It's hard to explain. I can't tell if I slept at all, and if I did I was dreaming that I was still away and trying to find ways to fall asleep. Then I would open my eyes and check the clock or whatever and I was perfectly coherent so I don't think I slept. I don't know but this is troubling and terribly annoying. It's near impossible to concentrate on anything when you're this incredibly tired. =[ I tried everything I could think of again, I thought of things that were pleasant or would make me comfortable enough to sleep or that would make the ideal situation to fall asleep. I listened to calm music, I took away all distractions. None of it worked. I'm really getting frustrated

Oh, and a thanks to Kelly for leaving me the voicemail with the tide is high playing because it's stuck in my head now. lol.

(v) Miss: Feel or suffer from the lack of

A lot of people know what it's like to miss something. You can miss a comfy pair of jeans when you grow out of them, or you can miss that night you stayed up to watch the sunrise with your best friend, just talking about anything you could think of. Maybe you miss your favorite candy or the fun you used to have in math class. These all vary in severity but missing someone or something, now that's something we can all relate to.

With that said I bring you to the relevance this has in my life. I don't regret going to college at all. It's the best hing I could have done. What I don't like is how much I miss things. I miss my room, I miss my parents and my friends, I miss sleeping in my bed, and I miss the town I grew familiar with. Most of all, I miss Patrick. This isn't your average "oh yea, I miss that" and move on from thinking about it. It's more of a can't stop thinking about it or wishing you were with what you're missing, and you miss it so incredibly much it literally hurts.

I know I'm making what seems like a ridiculous, over dramatic deal about this but it's really much harder than I anticipated. The whole long distance relationship thing really sucks. I commend everyone who is trying it. If you're like me, you're not liking it at all. You like the comfort of having your best friend close by. Someone who always makes you feel better even when you're beyond stressed. When you have a million things to do and there is no time, they just always say the right thing, give you a big hug and there, in that moment, time just stops and things are better.

Unfortunately, I'm at school which relaxation is a seldom occurrence and a heavy heart is much more prominent.


I love you.