Put Your Fucking Phone Away

You're sitting in a room with a few of your buddies. Nothing particularly interesting is going on. Maybe the TV is on or some music is playing in the background. Conversation has come to a standstill. You look around wondering why it suddenly got so boring. Surprise, surprise, every last person is on their phone.

At this point it's just natural. If all else fails, whip out your phone and waste the day away. Whether you're texting, scrolling through Facebook or Twitter, sending out meaningless snapchats, or checking the score of a basketball game, a cellphone acts as an instant escape from the people around you.

Sure, I love the convenience of my iPhone as much as the next guy, and am certainly guilty of all the aforementioned acts, but there comes a point when our current technology really frustrates me. When I'm playing FIFA and my friend pauses the game to text some girl I become openly perturbed. When I'm at dinner and the entire table is checking their twitters and watching stupid vines violence surges through my veins. I just don't understand why suddenly no one is capable of putting their social media on hold long enough to enjoy the company of real, live people.

"Hold on, I gotta text this girl back." Really? Do you? If I had a dollar for every time I heard that line...you know how it goes. My point is that it's pretty sad that some of my friends can't even make it through a game of ping pong without checking their texts. How hard is it to tell someone that you're in the middle of something and you'll text them back later? The truth is, we all feel pressure these days to stay in touch with the world 24/7. God forbid we didn't check our email or Facebook for a week, let alone our text messages.

I used to be annoyed when my parents told me to stop texting at dinner, but now I understand why they felt almost offended at my lack of attention. Picking up your phone in the middle of a meal simply means you're more interested in the text, tweet, or snapchat that's lighting up your screen than the people sitting on the other side of the table.

The problem is simple, but the solution is much more complicated. No one wants to be the guy that tells their best friends to stop texting. One clever game that I've come across is that at the beginning of a meal everyone puts their phone in the middle of the table. The first person to check theirs pays the bill. This is just one fun way to check out of the constantly interconnected and overly public world that we live in today.

In the end, I don't care how you do it or why. Come up with your own game or just have the courtesy to keep it in your pocket. But please, every once in a while, put your fucking phone away.

Sex is just that, Sex

I'm sure many of you have read Sex is Sex (admittedly, one of my more infamous posts).  At that time, as a first semester freshman, I was troubled and perhaps even angry with the social structure that surrounded me. The phenomenon of frat guys walking out of Maggie's with freshman girls time and time again made me question not only my new peers' decision making but also my own approach to meeting new acquaintances.  I was dumbfounded by the seeming powers of large biceps, Greek letters, and generous drink budgets.

More importantly, I judged girls for swarming these guys. I failed to understand why talents like charming conversation and sarcastic humor that had served me well in the past were now considered second tier. Sure, I could go to the gym or rush a fraternity, but those things took months and for the time being I was shit out of luck. I had it stuck in my head that no sane girl would look at me, and for that reason exactly, they didn't.

What I had all wrong about college girls was that I assumed they acted like they were at Maggie's all the time. I didn't quite understand that after a few too many drinks at a less than exciting pregame, for many people (guys and girls), sex is really just sex. And when a girl is walking around the bar after seven tequila shots, I don't really blame them for tracking down the only guy with abs who will tolerate their giggling and high heel induced limp long enough to take them home. The truth is, the bar isn't the right place to forge any sort of meaningful relationship. I'd even venture to say that a guy is more likely to meet his future girlfriend in the library than dancing in a short skirt in a booth.

So I guess my advice to freshman guys is, don't go out Saturday night with the goal of finding your next girlfriend. Leave that task for the classroom, dining hall, or really anywhere else on campus. Going out is for having fun with friends, both old and new. A huge part of college is trying new things and taking risks. Surprisingly often that leads to the same conclusion: sex is just that, sex.

In A GIF

My friend Jeremy Cohen just released an app that takes your facebook photos and stitches them into GIFs.  It is quite entertaining.  Give it a try here.

Reasons to Live

I came across this video made by a local high school senior, Maddie Terrill.  It's a pretty touching testament to enjoying life for what it is and making the most out of your time--whatever that means to you.

Study Drugs

            $10.  1 pill.  6 hours in the library.  A.

            Besides the illegality of the transaction, there isn’t much stopping college students from buying, selling, using and abusing “study drugs.”  The notion of whether or not drugs like Adderall and Vyvanse should even be prescribed in the first place is certainly interesting, but I’d rather not address that in this blog post.  The real issue I’d like to address is that it seems like far too often the average student now relies on a pill to make it through assignments and exams.

            First, it’s important to understand the appeal of a drug like Adderall.  College kids are taught to see it not as drug, but rather as a solution.  Once tedious, difficult, and seemingly impossible work, after taking an Adderall, becomes simple and achievable.  Who wouldn’t want to take a pill that would help them stay up all night and concentrate on their work?

            Therein lies the true problem.  Personally, I’ve never cared too much about grades.  Sometimes, this is a horrible thing; my parents have always nagged me about underachieving and putting in more effort.  My philosophy has always been that I enjoy learning, and I do what it takes to learn the material for a test.  It’s not like I skip assignments or neglect to study for tests, but sometimes I just come to a point where I’ve studied a fair amount and I’m no longer interested in doing busy work or memorizing terms for some arbitrary exam.  This has many times accounted for the string of B’s that have always outweighed the A’s on my report cards.

            I’ve never really seen the appeal of Adderall.  I honestly just don’t really think getting an A justifies taking a drug that ruins my appetite and alters my already abnormal social tendencies.  A lot of people do, though.  As I sit here in the library, taking a break after 6 hours straight of studying, half the people in this room are addied up, turning pages and scribbling notes.  Fighting tough curves and shortened sleep schedules, undoubtedly their exam grades are benefiting (although, probably not their physical wellbeing).  I don’t really blame them for doing it, but I do a see a fault in the culture.

            Just as steroids made baseball a little more exciting for a few years, Adderall has revolutionized the way students approach exam season.  Yet, fans quickly grew weary of watching home run after home run, and the crackdown on performance enhancing drugs in baseball has led to the return of premier pitching and multi-faceted talents.  So, maybe kids will keep popping pills—after all, who doesn’t like hitting more home runs—but I have hope that someday soon students will realize that sleeping, eating, and time-management are all important ingredients that are conspicuously absent from their current lives.

            In the end, study drugs are undoubtedly a growing trend in universities.  That being said, I’m confident that they will stay just that—a trend.  Even the most exciting trends come to an end eventually (anyone remember the Harlem Shake?)  Only time will tell if this one does.

Family, Friends, Football & Food

            Family, friends, football, and food—what’s not to like about Thanksgiving?  Certainly my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving is unique because it gives individuals an opportunity to make their own traditions.  Unlike most holidays, which are religious in nature, the secularity of Thanksgiving is what makes it truly American.  Of course, there are universal customs like carving the turkey, watching the Macy’s parade, and shopping on Black Friday, that define the holiday on a national scale, but those aren’t the activities that make Thanksgiving special for me.

            The rituals that come to mind when I think of Turkey Day come in a variety of shapes and sizes.  From my mother’s Wednesday night mac ‘n cheese and chili meal that she prepares every year as the family trickles into town, to the annual monopoly game that inevitably ends in treachery and tears, each piece of the puzzle is equally important in fulfilling my Thanksgiving agenda.

            Of course, in addition to the hours-long Monopoly marathon, the spellers in the family always battle for triple-word-scores in Scrabble (despite Grandpa’s tendency to make up words).  On Thursday morning, while half the group is still asleep, the young men venture to a local field to play football; the game goes on until injuries or inept cardiovascular endurance make it impossible to continue.  As the long weekend develops, the whole troupe usually goes to a movie (only if the Harry Potter marathon has ended), and when a house full of family becomes too much to bear, I escape to my friends who are all experiencing similar cases of overdose.  After all, it’s the first time of the year where most of the high school crew is back together, and a preview of the month-long winter break to come.

            All in all, for college kids (at least for me), Thanksgiving break isn’t much of a break at all.  There are a million people to see and a million things to do, and only about five days to make it all happen.  But, in the end, that’s why I love it so much.  The one week of the year where family, and friends—everyone you love—become one.  Nothing makes my grandparents prouder than meeting my “darling friends,” and nothing makes my 12-year-old cousin more excited than tossing a football with the “big boys.”  So, take off class early, and fly home Tuesday.  Hug your mother and wait for madness to ensue.  Thanksgiving only comes once a year—enjoy it while it lasts.

Bigger & Better Things

            Former blogger Mark Rothleitner will be rejoining us today (unfortunately not in the form of one of his always entertaining posts).  Mark, who is apparently now going by the name of Katillion, has released his first mix—an upbeat mashup called Kiss The Sun.  Featuring Daft Punk, The Wanted, and Eric Prydz amongst others, it would be a great addition to any party playlist.  Anyway, we miss him dearly…RIP…so give it a listen.  Maybe he’ll even come out of retirement long enough to write another post if this one gets enough hits.