On Lessons I Learned From TV

TV taught me how to feel, now real life has no appeal.

Marina and the Diamonds has it right.  (Side note: Way to be real world for totally not recognizing my Halloween costume.)  I have spent way too much of my life watching television and feeling all the feels.  But thinking back on it I've realized I've learned some interesting lessons.

Things TV Taught Me:

1.  It's Never Lupus.  Except when it is.  Any House fan out there probably knows this.  It's like the fundamental rule of House.  I think the real takeaways from this, though, were that a) it's never as bad as it could be and b) no trope is safe from subversion.  Because it's never lupus.  Except for that one episode where it was totally lupus.
2. Don't Mess With the Girl Who Can Kill You With Her Brain.  River Tam is smarter than you.  She's a better fighter than you.  Also, she can kill you with her brain.  This crazy lady from Firefly is probably the biggest reason to never break the heart of a smart and emotionally unstable girl.  She will find you.  She will kill you.
3. When You're Sad You Should Stop Being Sad and Be Awesome Instead.  Okay, so it's not usually that simple.  But I have to give Barney Stinson some credit for this one... Sometimes the best way to get past being sad is to just pretend that you're not sad, force yourself to go do something fun, and let the fun make you actually not-sad.  Be awesome instead.  Also, a more important lesson from HIMYM: more people should suit up.  You look really classy, and I love that.  Also NPH is a god.
4. Even If You're Completely Nuts, Good Friends Will Love You Anyway.  Okay, so this isn't based off of a quote, but seriously.  Sheldon Cooper.  Gregory House.  Donna Noble.  Real friends love you for who you are, even if that means you are an absolute psycho sometimes.
5. Fictional Characters Are Better At Their Jobs Than Real People.  Jed Bartlet.  That is all.
6. And finally, it doesn't matter if it's non-canon, inappropriate, incest, against their sexual orientation, squicky, or if it involves inanimate objects, bending of fictional universes, or time travel.  Somebody Out There Ships It.

So all those hours watching TV on Netflix totally weren't wasted.  At all.  I promise.

I enjoyed this post, and while I was writing it, I started thinking of examples from books and movies, so there is a decent chance there will be future lists based around books and movies.

Your Favorite Couch-Potato,
Rachel Leigh

On Politics and Philosophy and Why My Brain Hurts for Three Hours Twice a Week

I don't really understand why people seem so quick to distinguish politics and philosophy.  This might be because one is my major and one is my minor (and every Tuesday and Thursday, I have two back to back classes in those disciplines), but bear with me for a moment.  While I'm hesitant to draw distinct lines between any two disciplines, I feel like this instance in particular is a mistake.  To make a political decision is to make an inherently moral judgement (I use moral here to mean "related to morality" rather than "good") about the relative worth of the individual or the collective and how we ought to behave with respect to them.

I know some people want to respond that they can come to their decisions about politics or how to act without doing something as "lofty" or "useless" as philosophizing, but that's really not entirely true.  You may not throw around heavy philosophical terms like "utilitarianism," "egoism," "deontology," or "Capital T Truths," but you're unknowingly following them in some capacity.  If you're weighing the relative harms and benefits of a solution with respect to others, you're thinking like a utilitarian.  If you're acting in accordance with the ethical rules you were taught/absorbed from your parents and mentors, you're a virtue ethicist.  All philosophy asks of you is to really consider the implications of how you make those choices -- which is exactly what you have to do in politics.  Different ethical systems of views of human nature lend themselves to different ideas on laws, the structure of government, and the rights of individuals.  The sheer concept of "human rights" is a philosophical speculation.

I think I admire the classical thinkers (and even many moderns) for the fact that they really didn't differentiate the importance of disciplines -- being a philosopher meant living a life where you really thought about things, ranging from who we are and how we should live to physics, math, how we communicate, languages, and yes, even politics.

There's a reason that Plato and Aristotle and Locke and Hobbes and Kant can be applied to ethics and metaphysics and politics as well, and it's because trying to distinguish their ethical ideas from their ideas about those implications for politics and how we should view people would be a mistake.  And one I think it's a shame to make.

Thinking,
Rachel Leigh

On CG Bloodshed, Beating Up Hookers, and My Obsession with GLaDOS

Confession:

I have always loved video games, but I am terrible at them. Seriously. I think the only game I’ve ever been good at is Mario Party, and that game is about 85% chance. The only game I have ever beaten is Pokemon Yellow and I swear to god if anyone ever accidentally overwrites my game and I have to start over at the beginning I might cry because dammit I worked hard for that.

My favorite game, like any good video game nerd, has always been Ocarina of Time. But don’t let that fool you into believing that I have ever beaten Ocarina of Time. Are you kidding? People who are actually good at video games have a hard time beating the Water Temple. I just kind of sit there the entire game and pathetically whimper trying to play Epona’s Song until someone takes the controller away from me and saves me from my misery.

And what about FPS? I grew up getting shot to death playing Goldeneye 007 with my older brother. I try and play Halo and I end up running in circles because I can barely operate the controls, let alone actually kill somebody.

That has never changed my obsession with games though. I have always loved to watch people play video games, and I have always loved a game with good graphics, a good plot, or copious amounts of CG-bloodshed. The red death screen in an FPS is a guilty pleasure. Also, for some reason I’m obsessed with the countdown to respawn in Halo. Another favorite has always been Grand Theft Auto. I don’t really know why except that maybe I secretly wish I lived a life that involved stealing cars and beating up prostitutes. The world may never know.

I always felt like a bit of a fraud, because I am a professed video game dork. I love them. But because I’m so bad, if it weren’t for the YouTube “Let’s Play” community or growing up with a much more video-game-talented brother, I wouldn’t even know half these games existed. Is it possible to be a nerd for something you’re terrible at?

Also, I may be obsessed with "Still Alive" and "Want You Gone" from the respective endscreens of Portal and Portal 2. Just sayin'.

Geeking out,
Rachel Leigh

More On (but not Moron) College

So, as a proud college student, I feel the need to talk about some things about being a proud college student in my blog.

In my previous post, I referenced being a Westhampton College student. Which, to some people, produces a "lolwut" response because, well, I'm a freshman at the University of Richmond. When originally founded (like most colleges), Richmond was an all-men's college. In 1914, they decided to incorporate a women's college into the University: Westhampton College. To this day, though classes, housing, and most activities are now not separated by gender, the women entering UR enter Westhampton College and the men enter Richmond College. The things that stayed separate? The deaneries, the student government, and a lot of the traditions. For example, the girls have a tradition known as Proclamation Night which is apparently a pretty big deal, but I don't quite understand it yet. Maybe I'll elabor (credit: Max) after Proclamation Night once I understand it more.

Other things about college:

Well, I just left the URMUN (University of Richmond Model United Nations) interest meeting. There are SO many interest meetings. Last week there was a Student Organization Fair and I, like most freshmen, signed up for about 10 different clubs. I do not fool myself into believing I will be able to participate in every single one. I will feel accomplished if I manage to participate in like...3. But it's just insane the number of things there are to do: activist groups (UR Body, UR Choice; Dems; Global Health), fun things (like Ballroom Dancing, which I wish didn't conflict with my Wednesday night class), general nerdliness (URMUN, Quidditch, etc), and...about a million other things. Like Meditation Club. Which sends out really funny emails. There is literally just more stuff to do than I previously imagined possible. Which is funny, because there are other things that have to have time, too.

...Like class. I have it pretty easy most days. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday I only have one class. Friday I have two. But Wednesday? The same day that they have Ballroom Dancing, which I really wish I could participate in? Well, I have three classes on Wednesday. One of which runs from 6:30-9:30 every Wednesday night. Head, meet desk. Desk, meet head. The rest of the time, I love my schedule, but Wednesdays, I want to kick small children.

What I find with college stuff is just that I have so much I want to talk about, and so little of it that fits with what I'm trying to say. There is no overarching, deeper theme to this post. It's just college.

Future posts (honestly, this list is as much for my reference as yours, because I don't want to forget what I wanted to talk about):
-When really awesome/important people come to UR and what I think about it
-Why I'm not worried about the Freshman 15
-Probably some reflections on things I've learned in class

...Speaking of, my classes:
-Introduction to Public Policy
-Introduction to American Government
-Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies: Sexual Violence and War
-First Year Seminar: Shakespeare and the Politics of Leadership

...yeah, it's awesome.

Cheese and rice (the topic of the last Meditation Club email),
Rachel Leigh

On Impatience and Opportunities

I'm a fan of the phrase "Patience is a virtue." Because, well, it is. I've been incredibly impatient and anxious recently, however, about an opportunity at Richmond that I'm really excited/terrified to hear back about. I received an email about two weeks ago about an opportunity to blog for the Spider Diaries, which is the student campus life blog.

The application process was pretty simple: 500-1000 words on who you are and why you chose Richmond. But now I have to wait while they process the other applications and make their decisions. To be honest, I really want this job. A lot.

Here is a list of reasons why I should get one of the Spider Diaries slots:

1. I already maintain a blog (this one), so I'm used to writing my thoughts down and posting them for the world to see. Plus, I've got some pretty loyal readers, some of whom are interested in UR, who I might be able to sway.


2. I'm fabulously fascinating, duh. (Just kidding.)


3. I've got a decent amount of free time this coming semester to both live life and blog about it.


4. I've been living for 18 years. I think I'm pretty good at it nowadays.


5. I've been blogging on and off for 5 years. I think I'm pretty good at it nowadays.


6. I'm going to be a Spider. I'm proud that I'm going to be a Spider. I'm really excited that I'm going to be a Spider.


7. I like talking.


8. I wrote my application post about spider waffles in the UR cafeteria, being an arachnophobe going to a school whose mascot is the spider, and wearing sunglasses at my graduation.


9. I wore sunglasses at my graduation. Cool, right? (That's me on the far left.)
   
10. I'm smart, driven, quirky, energetic, and snarky. I'm open-minded and forward-thinking, and with some of the changes UR has been trying to make to its image over the next few years, I'm a good representation of the slightly unusual Richmond candidate.

So, in conclusion:

a) I really want this job.
b) I'm terribly anxious to hear back about it.
c) I should be more patient.
d) EEEEP.

Spider-ly Yours,

Rachel Leigh

On...Reading?

Hello darlings! Sorry I missed yesterday to post. I seem to be doing that frequently this week. I don't know what the deal is with that except that I appear to be in some inexplicable funk that makes me feel sad and unwilling to post.

Yesterday, I finished reading Kieli, a manga about a girl who can see ghosts (which was surprisingly good). I highly recommend it. As a matter of fact, you should go to mangafox.com right now and find it. Do not be dissuaded by the first chapter. The first chapter sucks. But the rest is quite good.

I then asked for suggestions for new reading material and got a suggestion for "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas. I actually really enjoyed it. A plain-text version of the short story can be found here. I thought it was good, albeit depressing, because it's about a utopian world that can only be maintained by a sick and twisted practice. It came highly recommended as a friend's favorite short story of all time, and while I don't necessarily rate it that highly, I think it's a very decent read which you should check out.

Please keep reading,
Rachel Leigh

On...They Might Be Giants??

"When you're following an angel, does that mean you have to throw your body off a building? Somewhere they're sitting on a pinhead, calling you an angel, calling you the nicest things."

I'm currently listening to "She's An Angel" by They Might Be Giants. I really used to hate TMBG, but I they've definitely grown on me. I think their songs pretty much take the cake for the most varied between brilliance and complete nonsense.

I mean, Particle Man is just plain ridiculous. There's a character named Triangle Man. Istanbul (Not Constantinople) is...well, kind of stupid, honestly. "Istanbul was Constantinople. Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople." Well yes. That is completely accurate. And obvious. And fairly undeserving of a song. Birdhouse In Your Soul is one of my favorite songs, and yet it's about a nightlight. Was it written by a five-year-old? And I feel like even lines in "She's An Angel," "Ana Ng," and more are just plain ridiculous. But then there are the really brilliant lines that make me love these songs.

Like the line at the top of this post. And "I don't want the world; I just want your half," in Ana Ng.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I feel like I should hate TMBG. So much of their music is simplistic, childish, and inane. But I DON'T hate TMBG. I kind of love them.

Not to put too fine a point on it, say I'm the only bee in your bonnet,
Rachel Leigh

On Television and Computers

Let us take a moment and mourn the loss of my "t" key on my laptop. Luckily, I have a spare peripheral keyboard in my room for just such emergencies. It is not quite as portable, but you live with what you've got, eh?

Anyway, I'd like to use this post to make a plug for one of my favorite TV shows. I am a huge fan of the Big Bang Theory. It takes a certain kind of person to really appreciate the lunatics in that cast, but I watch it and I really can't stop laughing.

Today's episode was hilarious. Sheldon Cooper, a socially-stagnant physics genius with the emotional maturity of a five-year-old, got stuck trying to figure out why electrons behave as if they have no mass. His resulting attempts to work through his mental block were rather comical, including a scene in which he decided to break into the local Chuck E. Cheese-type establishment and to use the balls in the ball pit to model carbon atoms.

I think it's actually pretty sad how many people I know who actually behave that way in many respects. I mean, clearly, no one I know is quite that emotionally stunted, but I know quite a few people who come close.

Explore your inner genius,
Rachel Leigh

On Adorable Things and Sleeplessness

Hello all!

So, it's Saturday and I promised a post. Happy Saturday. I spent much of the day sleeping after I got home. I hate when you're sleeping at someone else's house and someone decides to set their alarm for 6 am after you've all been up until 3...and doesn't turn it off when it goes off. Hence, making up sleep once I got home. Delicious.

Speaking of delicious, my friend posted a link to something wonderful on the Facebooks today. CLICK ME

They're plushie sushi! Cuddly AND delicious! I had to spread the love to you all, in hopes that you too can appreciate the adorable stuffed noms. I think they look down right appetizing. Yum. :)

But anyway, my point is that losing sleep is terrible. As I've already said in earlier posts, the teenage body is not meant to sleep under the schedules mandated to us by the education system, and needs proper sleep schedules in order to function properly. It turns out that sleeping 3 hours in cramped conditions surrounded by other people is also detrimental to getting adequate sleep. Can someone come up with a solution for this?

Hope your weekend is restful and delicious,
Rachel Leigh