What are Boyfriends Good For?

What are boyfriends really good for?

Pretending to listen to you?
 Scattering their stuff all over your room?
"Jokingly" calling your small dog a rat?
Grabbing at their manhood as to check to see if all are accounted for? Awkward.

With boyfriends come quirks that aren't always appeasing. So remind me why we love our boyfriends so dearly?

Oh, that's right! This is why:

Where I live, the weather changes faster than a pregnant woman's hormones. The morning will be sunny and beautiful and in two hours it looks like an apocalypse is beginning.

So when I witnessed a boyfriend piggy backing his girlfriend to the car after class, in order to rescue her cute shoes from the flooded ground, I instantly remembered why boyfriends are so great.

Boyfriends are good for:

Holding your purse even when he's in front of all his buds.
Making you feel beautiful when you feel the ugliest.
Surprising you with flowers when it's...why?...oh yeah, no reason at all.
Sitting patiently in front of the mirror with you while you curl your hair.
Going on midnight walks with you when you're stressed and need to clear your head.
Reminding you that you're not alone in this scary world.
                                and of course,
Carrying you through the rain so your shoes don't get wet.


So thank you boyfriends, for being our best friends.

 
 
 
--Stevie

Those Old Students

Being a college student, I see a lot of different types of people. The students at my university are from different walks of life. They have different cultures, different backgrounds, and a lot of us are different ages. One of the strangest things to me when I began college, was having an old guy in my class. In reality, there are almost as many adult students on campus as there are younger students.

One adult student that sticks out to me the most is an older guy who I walk past every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning. He sits at the same table with the same diligent look on his face, as he scrambles through his papers that he has spread out all over the place.

I used to think adult students were crazy for coming back to school, but in reality, most of them don't come back by choice. I'm sure some might, if they're bored enough and have the money. 

Have you ever taken the time to think of reasons why these adults who have had careers, families, and major life experiences, come back to college?

Perhaps, this man I see has had the same successful career for over a decade. A new supervisor has just been hired; young and in charge. The new supervisor may decide that a higher degree is required for the position this man holds. No longer is this man viewed as doing his job well but he is now looked at by what degree he holds.

Here he is, in his mid fifties I'd say, stressing over exams and research papers. He hasn't been a student in over 30 years and times sure have changed. He doesn't only have to learn about the everyday assignments in class but he has to relearn how to be a student. 

He probably questions himself daily if going back to school is worth it. I'm sure he easily qualifies for many other jobs. But he has situated himself in a career! A career where his co-workers are now friends and his daily tasks are his passion. So, re-struggling through college to save a career that he has already earned, is worth it to him. 

For some younger students, I understand when those old people are in class and they ask a million questions, that it could get annoying. Try to put yourself in their shoes. It must be uncomfortable to be in a room with people half your age and still feel less intelligent than them. As a grown adult, they are back in a situation that scares them to death...

This man that I see, studying his heart out, is probably doing it for more than just himself. Saving his career would mean continuing to provide for his family. It's not just him studying, it's his wife, his kids, his grand kids, and let's throw his pets in there too. 


But, then again, he could just be bored and need something to do...




 --Stevie

Journalist..or ROCK STAR?

In my Blogging for Journalists class we had Dave Rhea come speak to us. Rhea is a journalist now but once was in a band that toured with other bands such as Creed and Nickelback. So is this man a journalist or a rock star? He may always be a rock star on the inside, but his everyday career consists of journalism. 

Rhea started with print journalism (newspapers in case you forgot we still had those). He explained that although newspapers are decreasing in popularity, they won't go extinct anytime soon. Someday, they'll be equivalent to big CDs, or records; people still have them, they're just not the primary source of music anymore. Same with newspapers. You'll still be able to find them, they just won't be the main source of news. 

As a journalism major, this scared me at first. I'm going to be out of a job before I even begin! Not quite. Rhea's career took a turn towards media journalism: blogging!

"A place where you can share your thoughts with other people," is Rhea's definition of a blog. With a blog, one can see what works best for their particular audience. Personally, you all that follow my blog enjoy stories; therefore, I disseminate story after story. Fortunately, I enjoy writing stories so my blog benefits us both. 

Rhea works for The Journal Record. It is a state wide business news source. They produce both print and media. Rhea described his transition to media journalism. He was told to experiment with this media news. So, Rhea took a print story and made it come alive, digitally.

Rhea brought me a type of reassurance. Before, I thought my hopeful future was going to die before I was given a chance at it. After he talked with us, I realized that my future career will just consist of different expectations than traditional journalism. Journalism is not ending, it's expanding! With blogging and the Internet, one can share their words with the world. 

"What you do, makes a real difference," said Rhea. 

Dave Rhea

With a career that revolves around my words, I have the chance to make a difference. And that's what I aspire to do. 

Dave Rhea gave me a dose of inspiration to continue pursuing my journalism dream. He may be a former rock star, but he's still a rock star to me.





--Stevie 

The Journal Record

Ice Cream on the Inside

          As I was leaving a convenient store, I noticed the cashier taking a bite of ice cream hidden behind the counter between each customer. The cashier was a fairly overweight female. Shamefully, I'll admit that my first thought was, can she not even wait until she checks everyone out before eating? I know, I know; how ugly of me. So I changed my perspective and realized that perhaps...

This woman might have been fit and beautiful years ago. She probably had boys flocking to her like no one's business. Anything could have happened to cause her to gain weight: children, injury or illness, stress, trauma. Whatever it was probably made her lose whatever positive ego she had. Perhaps, insecurities became her closest enemy.

She might have lost a boyfriend she planned on spending the rest of her life with because he wasn't willing to tolerate her weight. This occurrence could have only pushed the insecurity knife deeper into her mind.

One day, when all her hope for love had evaporated, she could have ran into one man who finally saw her internal beauty over her external appearance. Perhaps, they're married by now and she could be happier with herself than she ever was before. She found a man who loves her soul and finds every part of her beautiful. Therefore, if she wants to eat ice cream between each customer, my gosh let her have at it!

But, then again, she could just like ice cream...





--Stevie