I am sitting in Caribou, which has certainly become my second home, and a girl just asked me to "please watch my stuff while I run down the street to the bookstore." I know this isn't an uncommon request; I've been asked the same question in libraries, the Daily Grind, the Union, and even at a bar. But I've always wondered what these individuals expect me to DO if someone came by, grabbed their shit, and ran. I'm pretty sure my response would be the same if they had asked me to watch their stuff or not--I hate to admit it, but I'd probably do nothing. I would like to think that if an opportunity arose for me to show my awesome athletic skills and good Samaritan ideals, I would chase down the bastard and safely return the prized laptop or purse before the owner returned from wherever they peaced out to, but realistically...
When I'm a world-famous and incredibly wealthy psychologist (notice the sarcasm...) I want to perform an experiement which tests this theory of human nature. Half the subjects would be aksed specifically to watch their stuff, and the other half wouldn't. Then someone would come by and obviously steal the person's stuff. I wonder how many people would do anthying? There is a theory that says that if you assign responsiblity to a specific person, they will feel responsible and do something (aka counteracting the "bystander effect") This is why all you lifeguards and EMS people know you tell a specific person to call 911 in an emergency rather than just shouting it out to the crowd.
Ok, the girl just came back, so my duties as watchdog are over. I'm really glad I was here to protect her stuff from the multiple armed bandits that came by here, really wanting her laptop and chocolate chip cookie.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Everything shouldn't be so serious :)
I found these online (yay stumbleupon!) and made me laugh outloud...in the library.
Nursery Rhymes we didn't have as kids
Mary had a little pig,
She kept it fat and plastered;
And when the price of pork went up,
She shot the little bastard.
Mary had a little lamb
Her father shot it dead.
Now it goes to school with her,
Between two chunks of bread.
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To have a little fun,
Stupid Jill forgot the pill
And now they have a son.
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the kings' horses,
And all the kings' men
Had scrabled eggs,
For breakfast again.
Hey diddle, diddle, the cat took a piddle,
All over the bedside clock.
The little dog laughed to see such fun
Then died of electric shock.
It's Raining, It's Pouring.
Oh shit, it's Global Warming.
Georgie Porgy pudding and pie,
Kissed the girls and made them cry,
And when the boys came out to play
He kissed them too 'cause he was gay.
Nursery Rhymes we didn't have as kids
Mary had a little pig,
She kept it fat and plastered;
And when the price of pork went up,
She shot the little bastard.
Mary had a little lamb
Her father shot it dead.
Now it goes to school with her,
Between two chunks of bread.
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To have a little fun,
Stupid Jill forgot the pill
And now they have a son.
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the kings' horses,
And all the kings' men
Had scrabled eggs,
For breakfast again.
Hey diddle, diddle, the cat took a piddle,
All over the bedside clock.
The little dog laughed to see such fun
Then died of electric shock.
It's Raining, It's Pouring.
Oh shit, it's Global Warming.
Georgie Porgy pudding and pie,
Kissed the girls and made them cry,
And when the boys came out to play
He kissed them too 'cause he was gay.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
All That Jazz
Although its kinda cheezy, I've been thinking a lot lately about what I'm thankful for. And it stems from the things I think we're all thankful to have--friends, family, a place to live, and all that jazz.
For me, these few things have become such an automatic response that they have kinda lost their meaning. I don't think I can, or ever will, fully understand the importance my family has had on my life up to this point. I take so many things for granted--the fact that both my parents are actively involved in my life is a big one. I was talking with a friend recently about what "family time" was like when we were younger. My mind instantly jumped to family game nights--Risk, Monopoly, ping pong--anything that involved a clear winner was fun in our competitive family. Of course it made me smile ot remember when Tay was little and used to cry whenever he lost, but the fact that our family did things together is something that i definitely took for granted. Even now at UNC, I am still reminded how much my family is involved in my life--sometimes its not always welcomed, like my father's test messages during State-UNC games, or the "friendly reminders" about how the last 2 weeks of the semester are crucial for maintaining all those straight A's I don't have.
I joke a lot about my extended family--the Nascar bunch from Y-Vegas--but there is something incredibly comforting about the familiar and steady reminder about where you come from.
And I think where you come from reflects where you are right now. I am thankful that I was able to grow up in a safe community and my family was able to provide for me--good schools, big comfy house, my lovable dog, vacations, sports camps...you know the deal. But more importantly, I am thinkful that I grew up in an environment where I was taught the importance of giving back and how unimportant material goods are in the end. While I grew up in great affluence, I am incredibly grateful that I have been able to learn from people of different circumstances--socioeconomic, racial, nationalities, political viewpoints, etc. It's pretty safe to say that I'm obsessed with poverty issues and finding solutions, and I have to give at least partial credit to my childhood and the values my parents tuaght me from the first day I remember.
Why is this important to me? Because it frustrates me to no end the amount of apathy, arrogance, and gluttony I see in America (Yes, this is probably gonna sound soap-boxy) I think everyone needs to take a step back and evaluate what you really value and if your actions are saying the same thing.
For me, these few things have become such an automatic response that they have kinda lost their meaning. I don't think I can, or ever will, fully understand the importance my family has had on my life up to this point. I take so many things for granted--the fact that both my parents are actively involved in my life is a big one. I was talking with a friend recently about what "family time" was like when we were younger. My mind instantly jumped to family game nights--Risk, Monopoly, ping pong--anything that involved a clear winner was fun in our competitive family. Of course it made me smile ot remember when Tay was little and used to cry whenever he lost, but the fact that our family did things together is something that i definitely took for granted. Even now at UNC, I am still reminded how much my family is involved in my life--sometimes its not always welcomed, like my father's test messages during State-UNC games, or the "friendly reminders" about how the last 2 weeks of the semester are crucial for maintaining all those straight A's I don't have.
I joke a lot about my extended family--the Nascar bunch from Y-Vegas--but there is something incredibly comforting about the familiar and steady reminder about where you come from.
And I think where you come from reflects where you are right now. I am thankful that I was able to grow up in a safe community and my family was able to provide for me--good schools, big comfy house, my lovable dog, vacations, sports camps...you know the deal. But more importantly, I am thinkful that I grew up in an environment where I was taught the importance of giving back and how unimportant material goods are in the end. While I grew up in great affluence, I am incredibly grateful that I have been able to learn from people of different circumstances--socioeconomic, racial, nationalities, political viewpoints, etc. It's pretty safe to say that I'm obsessed with poverty issues and finding solutions, and I have to give at least partial credit to my childhood and the values my parents tuaght me from the first day I remember.
Why is this important to me? Because it frustrates me to no end the amount of apathy, arrogance, and gluttony I see in America (Yes, this is probably gonna sound soap-boxy) I think everyone needs to take a step back and evaluate what you really value and if your actions are saying the same thing.
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