You choose.

 “The grumpier you are, the more assholes you meet…”

-Banksy

This isn’t exactly a quote written in a book. Rather, it’s a quote painted on a truck. One of my favorite graffiti artists, Banksy is attributed with this fabulous insight that I recently came upon. Much of Banksy’s work simultaneously portrays and communicates important statements about society and people in the most subtle, satirical ways.

The reason why I found this quote to be particularly interesting is because of how much it applies to myself. I’m not the happiest of people 24/7. I have my moody, grumpy days more often than not. I see the glass as half empty. I’m the friend with the dark, sarcastic sense of humor. I’ve been like this for as long as I can remember. The majority of my friends are, not surprisingly, the same way, except exacerbated to a whole other level. They take my sarcasm and pessimism to a new, overwhelming extreme.

Well, guess what? They attract pretty crappy people. They surround themselves with individuals who prove to be less than worthy friends. The guys who they involve themselves with end up not caring about their feelings, nor do they care about them as a person. My friends blame this pattern of events on the world containing crappy people and repeat their favorite line, “Everyone sucks.”

Banksy has made me think otherwise. I’ve always heard that “If you think happy thoughts, it will shine out of you like sunbeams and you will attract happy people,” or something along the lines of those cheesy quotes. Yet, I’ve never thought about this phenomenon from the grumpy perspective. It seems like such a common sense statement, but most people neglect to see it this way.

If you’re going to be a crappy person, you’re going to attract crappy people. It’s a repetitive circle of crap that’s never-ending unless you do something about it. That’s not to say that you can’t be sarcastic, or have your off days every once in awhile. Everyone needs some sort of coping mechanism to get through life. Remember to think positively, though, and observe how much of a difference it makes in attracting the right people to help you get through it all.

– xox MM

D-Day

“The anticipation of death is far worse than death itself.”

 

         Tomorrow is a day that will go down in infamy: the day I attempt to master my first LSAT. I can’t help but worry and fret as the hours pass me by. Soon enough, it will be 8 a.m. tomorrow, and thus the beginning of section one. The buildup has been torturous; a part of me just wants to get this test over with simply because the wait has been too much.

        My studies have taken me in a circle, round and round many times. Countless practice tests have left me with a hole in my stomach, and an indescribable feeling of doubt. Tutoring sessions have been a pain, scheduling as many as I can in-between my full schedule of college courses. New logic games appear and challenge me in my practice sessions, resulting in an all-nighter that I didn’t see coming. The hours, weeks, and months of studying have been quite the experience. I’ve felt all the feelings a pre-law student can handle: doubt, depression, frustration, happiness, restlessness, and of course–fear.

       Unfortunately, fear has been my current state of mind. Fear of not studying enough, fear of messing up, fear of horror stories becoming real life– the list goes on. Yet, through this cloud of scary thoughts I must remember that the anxiety before the test is far worse than the test itself. I’ve got to be confident in myself, in my abilities, in my skill, in order to truly do my best. I cannot control what is to come, or what I’ve already done in the past to prepare. I have power over this test in the present, and that’s all. I cannot forget the most important LSAT tip less than 24 hours before the test: giving it your all and doing as well as you can is really all you can do, so take a deep breath and kill it. 

– xox MM

No, fiction has not taken over my life. Yes, I am still waiting for my letter from Hogwarts.

“When I read, I feel emotion all on my own. Emotion no living person is making me feel.”

Kasie West, Pivot Point 

      One of the best parts about readers of fiction is their loyalty to character(s). I admit I’m guilty of being personally offended (and I mean really offended) when someone insults a favorite fictional character of mine. If you’re going to insult Hermione Granger and claim she has hair like a bush, steer clear of my way. Also, go ahead and call Jay Gatsby a wuss and see what happens. 

      It’s amazing how writers of fiction can create fictional people who truly influence your life. You begin to experience a crazy array of emotions once you mentally connect with a character through the pages of paper. And, may I emphasize yet again, these people aren’t even real! Yet, as you read the text, you begin to think how you would react the same way in a similar scenario–or maybe you already have. A special bond forms as you complete the character’s story, giving you insight into another life that you wouldn’t have had without having read about it. It doesn’t matter that these people aren’t real; after going through the text with your character leading the way, you realize how much you have truly learned. Fictional characters have the ability to make you think, feel, and react. They take you through multiple scenarios that you may never experience in real life but have extreme value. As an observer, their own decisions and mistakes indirectly affect you. If a character truly has an impact, the fiction you read may become a reality as you incorporate the same morals into your own life. Fictional characters hold the possibility of becoming one’s role model which, in my opinion, is quite impressive.

      For authors, this is truly one of the most inspiring things about their talent. The best kind of author, though, can construct a fictional character that is misguided and confused, but still personable and likeable to its audience. Even though the character screws up and does all the wrong things, readers are still drawn to these favorites because well…isn’t that what life is all about?

– xox MM

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”

-Daisy Buchanan, The Great Gatsby

The beginning of fall marks the coming of my favorite half of the year—the fall and winter seasons. Fall allows for some of my favorite things: sweater weather, pumpkin/cinnamon flavored everything, fall scented candles, and Halloween candy. For cities that get to truly experience a fall season, it can be a breathtaking site: changing leaves, cloudy skies, and glistening, wet pavements. Unfortunately for us Texans, the fall weather is capricious throughout the season, but don’t let this stop you from truly embracing the autumn Dallas has to offer! Here is a list of things to do starting September 22^nd once fall officially begins:

1)   Run to Starbucks and grab that Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL, for short).

2)   Go to a pumpkin patch and embrace the abundance of Texas hay.

3)   Carve that pumpkin you picked with some fun company.

4)  Attend Addison’s Oktober Fest and enjoy German food and beer (starts Sept. 19-Sept. 22).

5)   Go on a bike ride through a park, riding over some crisp color-changing leaves.

6)   Better yet, rake those leaves together and play in them.

7)   Make caramel apples. Yum.

8)   Visit the Dallas Arboretum to experience the fall floral festival.

9)   Celebrate the beginning of another season: football. Attend a high school, college, or pro-football game.

10) Spend a day at the Texas State Fair and eat all the fried food you can get your hands on (starts Sept. 27-Oct. 20).

11) Brave a haunted house.

12) Make s’mores—whether it is over a campfire, fireplace, or stove burner, eat your heart away.

13) Throw a Halloween party and enforce the costume dress code.

14) Eat food from around the world at Addison’s Worldfest (starts Oct. 20-21).

15) Be outside as much as you can. Be thankful for the cooler weather.

Celebrate the new season and party ’til you fall (sorry, I had to).

…and for those of you still clinging on to summer, I leave y’all with a recipe for s’mores popsicles.

http://www.yumsugar.com/Simple-Smore-Popsicle-recipe-roasted-marshmallow-ice-cream-4637562

-xox MM

The rest is still unwritten — did watching “The Hills” teach you nothing?

“Isn’t it mysterious to begin a new journal like this? I can run my fingers through the fresh clean pages but I cannot guess what the writing on them will be.”

― Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy in Spite of Herself

            Just to state the obvious—I became an English major because I love to read and write. I love reading all kinds of genres I can get my hands on: biographies, mysteries, romances, short stories, etc. I take away something different from each piece of literature I delve into, and personally for me, this is the most rewarding part. The literature I read affects my writing, my thoughts, and my point of view, all of which fuel the content of this blog as well.

           Once I started picking up texts I couldn’t put down, I began to keep a journal. I wanted to document the important stuff: what I was doing, what I was feeling, and what was inspiring me at the time I was reading a certain text. The best parts of my journal include the moments in which my life strangely parallels the context of what I was reading at the time, all due to sheer chance. Sometimes, though, I’ll read fiction and get so caught up in the characters and the plot that I try and replicate the fiction into my non-fiction life. My journal entries are pretty scattered, ranging from an inspiring quote to more intricate fantasy fiction-esque pages that remain in secrecy.  It’s always entertaining to look back at previous writing and visit the past “me”. There are grim sections of my journal mixed in with cheerful chapters of my college career; I could probably plot major moments on a chart and trace a trend curve that would mimic the shape of a roller coaster—up and down, and up and down.

            I highly recommend all college students keep a journal or any kind of memento of their youth. The pleasure I get from keeping a journal stems from the fact that I can probe into the past, write about the present, and leave open pages for the future. I cannot predict what direction the content is going to go next, and this uncertainty is what keeps me reading and writing. It excites me that I cannot know for sure what’s going to move me to scribble next. There is an infinite amount of inspiration in literature left for me to discover and reflect upon, and this anticipation for the future keeps me going. 

-xox MM

Back to school to prove to dad I’m not a fool.

“That’s what education should be,” I said, “the art of orientation. It shouldn’t be the art of implanting sight in the organ, but should proceed on the understanding that the organ already has the capacity, but is improperly aligned and isn’t facing the right way.”

― Plato, The Republic 

        As I anxiously start my last year of undergraduate studies at SMU, I find myself looking back on everything I’ve learned over the past three years. I remember taking a class on human sexuality, and finding out about the different hormones in our bodies that are responsible for the mistakes many of us have made in the late hours of the night. I also completed a final exam my freshman year in which the “free response essay” instructed us to analyze Jay-Z rap lyrics. At the time, taking these courses seemed like a brilliant idea; class lecture was always entertaining as was the homework that accompanied it. Yet, as I work and re-work my updated resume, I hesitate when I come upon the “Skills” section. Do I really even have any?

         My father is pretty strict when it comes to school, but he also holds the hypocritical belief that university education is a joke. “None of the stuff you learn during your undergraduate years will be needed in the real world, I promise you. But still, it’s important that you do well.” If I wasn’t going to use any of this crap, why should I even bother? I struggled to identify how to distinguish between the useful and not-so-useful information.

         Reflecting upon university education for some time, though, I think I’ve come to terms with my father’s advice.  He may be right—I don’t think there is a high demand for graduates who know how to do a close reading of “99 Problems”, but education is still an important guide. Doing well requires that you think outside the box; you take initiative and know how to put in hard work when and where it’s needed. Hopefully, you are doing something you are passionate about, and you are learning all you can about it. Furthermore, you’re taking time to reflect upon what you’ve learned, and it’s not just a simple memorization of facts. You remain eager and open to imagine about the possibilities that lie ahead of you once you leave your undergraduate studies behind. In doing well, you become more confident with yourself each day, knowing that whatever you take on can be done because of the education that has shaped you throughout the years.  Do not simply rely on your degree to get you anywhere—it’s more important to rely on yourself. Education is only half of the equation, the other half are the skills you’ve obtained from doing well.

How’s that for some back to school motivation?

-xox MM