I commented on Kelevra's post about Adderall and Ritalin serving as "Steriods for the Brain". They have an interesting blog and even include a very educating article about the topic at hand.

A Rugged & Real Experience

College has proved to be a whirlwind of decisions, events, and friendships. The party scene has been everything I expected, and more. But, I can’t help but feel that the “college experience” is overrated. After all, my college voyage has only been going for three months and my friends and I have already run out of ideas. The fraternity house parties were fun for a while, but you can only pee in the same bathroom as guys so many times before you lose interest. The bar scene is fun, but it’s impossible to meet people and a showcase for people to make fools of themselves. All of the gossip and hook ups that happen and are talked about on this small campus were proving to get the best of us. That was, until we were invited to go to Hamilton Texas for a weekend get away at a friend of my friend’s ranch.
My friends and I had never been to a ranch before. Vacations for us usually consist of a pool, beach, and sun tanning. But, we were excited for a new experience. We drove for three hours to the Garrett Ranch. As the black rod iron fence opened and showed us the fifteen hundred acre ranch, I couldn’t help but exclaim, “it’s cool we’re being rugged.” The overwhelming feeling of being rugged hunters only lasted for a few minutes as we finally made it to the destination; a ranch house with enough bedrooms for all ten of its guests to sleep alone.
Through out the weekend we participated in activities such as driving around a Polaris, which is used to hunt because it’s smaller and quieter than a truck. We each took turns learning how to safely handle a gun and shoot it. We ate raw pecans from the ground that had fallen off pecan trees a short walk away from the house. And, we took a trip into the barren town. To put things into perspective, Hamilton has a population of 2,977 people. That day there happened to be a championship game in the neighboring town of Glen Rose. Shops and restaurants were closed down just like in old-fashioned movies so that the people who owned them could go to the game. So, instead of meeting people nearby our newest favorite place, we took in the scenery. Everything was old-fashioned and rugged. It felt like we were walking in a scene of an old country western movie.
The trip to Hamilton was one of my favorite things that I’ve done so far in college. It not only made it easy to get my mind off of the stresses of college. It put college into perspective for me. The drama and the parties are fun, but they won’t last forever. I know that I have just begun my partying days and will meet plenty of new people as time goes by here at SMU. But, I think it’s important to be adventurous. When you have a chance to do something outside of your comfort zone, try it because you never know what new hobbies you’ll acquire along the way.

Please Don't Stop the Music.

What is it about music that makes everything ok?  No matter what I’m feeling – I could be overwhelmed, recently find out bad news, or just soul searching- and I can always find the perfect song to make everything in the world seem irrelevant.  I never used to listen to music until I needed some sort of safe haven at college.  Sharing a bedroom, bathroom, and bedtime were things that I never experienced at home and were things that I was struggling with. It’s weird to have to ask if I can change the channel on the TV, or worry about eating my roommate’s chips instead of mine.  It’s even weirder to be so far away from my family and friends.  I used to struggle to find places to study that were quiet and comfortable enough that I could still focus.  My roommate always had her headphones in and so one day I decided to try it.  I haven’t looked back.

I’ve found that it’s so much easier to concentrate when you have your books, or computer, and music and that is all.  Over the past few months I have developed different iTunes play lists for my different feelings or types of work I had to get accomplished. When I need to write a paper I usually go for Colbie Callait or Natasha Bedingfield.  When I’m just researching or wandering on the web I tend to listen to more intense music; such as Dashboard Confessional, or Jimmy Eat World.  When I miss home I listen to oldies and classics that remind me of fond memories that I experienced with my family.

Recently, I’ve found myself missing my family and old routine more than ever.  The transition from high school to college was easy for me – how couldn’t it be with all of the distractions and new friendships.  But, these past weeks have been extremely hard for me to get through.  I don’t think that I’d be here and focused if it wasn’t for music.  It’s such an overrated gift that we’re all given.  Not appreciating things to their full potential seems to be a common theme in my life lately.  But, now I can honestly say I’m thankful for the world of music and how it applies and helps my world of academia and life in general.

Heat-Moons Journey

"Here we can never be more than a mile or so from any place we can reach by feet, and yet our people aren't walkers any longer." says Miz Alice to Heat Moon while they're walking.  Is Heat Moon's journey with simple tools, transportation, and roads practical?  If you lost your wife and job would you travel the backbones of America?

Personally, I think that traveling with the bare necessities and forming relationships with local people you come across along your journey is the perfect way to pick up the pieces of life.  When you lose everything you have everything to gain.  It's interesting that a man would choose this way to feel better about his own life.  My dad wouldn't cope by traveling barren roads.  Instead he'd probably buy himself a nice new car or go golfing with his friends. I personally don't think that I would be able to travel without major roads or find nameless towns to explore.  But, this outlook is interesting to read about and think about comparatively. His experience is truly one of a kind, especially after he comes across such interesting people.  He learned about being one with nature and those around you with the Hopi student.  Then, he learned about how important it is to know your surroundings and the things that make up nature from Miz Alice.  The journey Heat-Moon is on is one of a kind and truly inspiring. It's nice to know that some people have enough faith in themselves and in the world to go on a voyage like that.

...The World May Never Know

Since coming to college with no car I’ve realized that I haven’t been able to run little errands that seemed so easy to do back at home.  I can’t go to the mall whenever I want, or even go out to eat unless I find someone with a car who is headed in the same direction.  This also means that I haven’t been able to get a haircut.  I definitely have found that I took the little things for granted in the past – and now my hair is three inches longer than it was when I first arrived at school. 

            It has gotten so long that I’m currently contemplating getting it cut for locks of love when I go home.  I proposed this idea to my friends today and we came up with a question that we debated for a while.  If you have curly hair and you donate it to locks of love and they straighten it, does it stay straight forever or does it get curly again? I personally think that it would stay straight because it’s dead and no longer receiving nutrients from the scalp.  My roommate thinks that it would get curly again because hair is dead when it leaves your roots and it’s in the DNA of the hair.  I tried looking it up on google to see if there was anyone who had a personal experience; but there was nothing. Is there anyone who knows the truth who could end this debate about locks of love?