Summer and a recap of Freshman Year!

What are the plans for this summer?

I can't believe that we will be finished with school in less than a month! It is crazy to think that I am nearing the end of my first year of college. But I can't wait for summer time.

I love the winter, I think it's my favorite season of the year, but summer time is so relaxing and I really need some time off. Plus, I want to spend time with my family and do some things I've been meaning to do for a while now, but have not been able to because of school, like working to save up for a new car.

This summer I am planning to go to Disney Land, Washington (the state), maybe Georgia, and I'll probably do something cool for my birthday. That's also one of the cool things about summer time, it's my birthday. This year I will be turning 19, and although there will be no real difference except for yet another year that has gone by, I feel like I am slowly leaving behind a stage in my life that I will never get back to. It sucks to think that these will be my last few years being a teenager. I also feel like the older I've been getting the faster time has been passing me by.

To me, it's just a shocker that I will be finishing my first year at Sac State already. I remember being super anxious and nervous at orientation and the first day of school, now look at how far I've come. I can only imagine how fast it's going to be getting to graduation. But I don't even want to think about that at this time, life is so great. I just want to enjoy the very last days I have left for this school year at Sac. But I have truly grown and learned how to become a better and more responsible person throughout this entire process.

Response to Muller

Richard Muller argues that we should consider how we are storing nuclear waste. He mostly argues that we should not be worrying about nuclear waste because we should never have the problem in the first place. The government is not making sound decisions about what to do with the waste that we have accumulated through the years for no good reason.

I think Muller's argument was good because he gave some really good points about the entire situation. But he did not offer his own plan of solution to this problem. I wanted to hear more answers. He didn't argue a solution which kind of left me lingering. I want to know what he plans for us to do in order to get rid of this problem. Because its a huge problem that we should all be thinking about.

His language was very effective, he used words that caught my attention and phrases as well. For example when he asked if we were insane, thinking that we could just dump all the waste in capsules and bury them under water, he really made me giggle because it's a serious question that sounds kind of crazy. The entire concept is crazy.

College, is it worth the hassle?

My source was a short article about 6 key findings about college graduates vs high school graduates. Here is the link http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/02/11/6-key-findings-about-going-to-college/. Its a very short piece and includes mostly graphs. But the graphs tell a lot about the entire situation.

We are all in college, and our parents, or someone is investing a lot of time, effort and money in gaining our degree. But is it all really worth it? This question probably races through a lot of our minds as we go on with our daily lives going to class and working or doing whatever it is we all do.

If you look at the key findings in this article you would argue that the degree is definitely worth the time, effort, and money. While the numbers add up and they really do get you thinking, I want to see how much of a difference it really makes to have your degree, or even the difference in the type of degree you have attained. There are many who go for the 2 year plan instead of the 4 year plan. What really is the difference between the two plus the ones who simply graduated high school?

There are so many different factors that contribute to this controversy. There are not enough, books, charts, graphs, articles, or stories I could read that would really give me the right answer. All I could really do is try it myself. I know school isn't for everyone and there are many who will do just fine without a degree, but I want to have an idea of the actual differences and the actual benefits.

My Tumblr Addiction

I have been on Tumblr for about four years now. Honestly, I don't even know what I like so much about it, but I am obsessed! I have totalled 5,835 posts in these four years. I don't even remember how I got into it in the beginning. I remember just becoming super obsessed. It was something that would interfere with my daily life because I was on it so much. Nowadays, and especially during my senior year, I did not go on it as much. But ever since I've gotten the app on my iPhone, the whole thing has gotten worse.

I think for me it's not any other social media outlet that is the problem. For me it would definitely be Tumblr. I cannot get off of it. I find myself on it thinking I will only stop by the website for 10 minutes then get back to whatever I was doing and before I know it, its been around 1 hour that I've been on it.

I know its not very healthy for me to be on it so much but I find it makes my days better. I will find funny posts, serious posts, rants, posts of fruit, posts of very pretty girls, posts of very handsome guys, posts about life, about love, about school, about everything. I wish I were tumblr famous but then I think about it and would rather not. Those people basically run their blogs like it is their career!

But Tumblr is also my way of letting go. I can always just log on to Tumblr after a really long day and relax. It's my thing. My Tumblr link is on my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Everywhere I go I am just looking for new Tumblr followers.

So take a look at my blog, you could really get to know me as a person if you look at it.

Heres the link... http://briannda.tumblr.com/

Response to Turkle

Technology is so advanced that we are not going to be able to get rid of it. There are also many pros to having technology, but we have become too immersed in the technological world. We have to learn how to live with it or else our lives are going to be so unhappy. Have you ever tried not being on your phone for a whole day? I tried it not too long ago and it felt so miserable. But why would it feel so miserable if I have lived before without a phone? There are really no excuses at this point to say that we cannot live without our phone. If we tried hard enough we could. Sometimes it is good to take a break so that you can focus on what matters. We complain we do not spend enough time with our families and friends, but when we do spend time with them we do not focus our time and attention on them which does not make sense at all.

"Cameron Russell: Looks aren't everything. Believe me, I'm a model."

The other day, I was bored and was browsing the internet. Out of no where I came across a TED Talk. For those of you who have never heard or seen a TED Talk, they are basically just presentations, big or small, that people give. Usually, it's people spreading ideas or sharing their stories. There are very interesting talks.

I watched a talk given by a supermodel about her insecurities and the luck she's had in "winning the genetic lottery". She speaks about the fallacies of what people believe model's lives are like. In reality, she describes that it is exhausting to have to worry about how you look everyday of your life. Her points were very interesting, because as a model, I would have expected she say something completely different. From my perspective models get the best clothes, wherever they go they get all the attention, they are said to be the most beautiful girls in the world. It's very surprising to see that being a model is not all it's cut out to be. She speaks about how the pictures everyone sees of her are not truly her. Those are all pictures that are retouched and enhanced to create the "perfect" image.

After watching the video I began to think about the things she was saying. I agreed with most of it, but then after reading some of the comments I realized that she speaks about the modeling industry in very critical terms but she is still a model. One person in the comments mentioned that her courage was respected but that her actions were contradicting the points she was trying to make. Even after she speaks against the fallacies of the model industry, she will still continue with her career. But to me it only makes sense. She is getting paid millions of dollars for what she is doing in the end. Of course she is going to continue. But there has to be credit given where she stood her ground and describes the inaccuracy of her lifestyle and the harm it is causing other girls.

But here's the link for any of you who want to see it, let me know what you guys think!

http://www.ted.com/talks/cameron_russell_looks_aren_t_everything_believe_me_i_m_a_model

From the Bay to the Universe!

If you have already started reading, and you are trying to read a short blog post, I suggest you close the page and read someone else's blog because this one is going to be a long one.

I come from the Bay Area. The hub of hippies in Berkeley, the Hyphy Movement, E-40, Mac Dre, San Francisco homelessness featuring San Francisco's richest in Russian Hill, Sea Cliff, etc. Oaklandish, the SF 49ers and the Oakland Raiders, Silicon Valley, the beaches, the food, the people, the vibes. Everything you've ever wanted is in the Bay Area. Of course, to me everything about the Bay is the best. I grew up there. Entirely my whole life has passed there. I have accustomed to the life in the Bay and I can surely tell anyone that whoever is from the Bay reps the Bay till the day the die. If you don't, quite frankly, you are a disgrace, and you have no sense of appreciation. I know that sounds harsh but how could you not be proud of one of the best places in the entire planet?

One of the most noticeable Bay Area attributes, would be their rappers, the ones who started the Hyphy Movement and the ones that came after, who were influenced by those who created Bay Area rap. Many know about E-40, Mac Dre, and The Pack, those who don't probably have never listened to the radio. Those of us from the Bay grew up listening to these rappers. Many aspired to reach the heights the rappers who coined the Hyphy Movement reached, and one is actually on the road to the success they achieved.

Gerald Earl Gillum better known as G-Eazy or Young Gerald is hitting the box office, selling out shows a month in advance, touring the world and growing his fan base, all the while being an independent rapper who isn't planning on getting signed by any record labels anytime soon. His goals so far have been doing what he loves (recording music, living the lifestyle of a star, and growing his fanbase) and representing the best of the best from the Bay. He is planning on growing his fame by staying true to his roots, remembering that he has come from the bottom and will not stop until he's reached the top. His number one hit, Runaround Sue, a remake of the original by Dion, puts him on record as the James Dean of rap. His slick back gelled hair, all black outfit with the signature leather jacket is only one of the aspects of his image that sets him apart from other rappers in the West and East Coast. He has appeared on shows with E-40, A$AP Ferg, Drake, Lil Wayne, Big Sean, and many others. He received his B.A. in Music Industry Studies from Loyola University of New Orleans and toured while in school but had to make many difficult decisions between touring with Drake or staying in school.

That's just some of his background, it would honestly be too much for me to include everything I possibly could find out about him. My thing with him is his vibe. This super chill, wait till I reach the top type of vibe. He is so true to his roots, which makes me even more excited about him. It's always amazing to know someone like that could make a life for himself. There is a sense of accomplishment coming from his music. The fact that he talks about things that everyone from the Bay knows about and can relate to makes his music even better. "Everywhere I go, bro I rep the Bay", thinking about everyone that has helped him get to where he is at, basically touring with all of them. I know what it's like to live in the streets of Oakland, I may not be directly from Oakland, but I know people I am literally right next to Oakland and the fact that hes gotten this far, really makes me believe that what you set your mind to will be accomplished if you really try. His rap makes sense, it is true, it does not exaggerate, it does talk only about doing drugs, having sex with women, and what all other rappers brag about. He speaks only what he has lived through and it just so happens that being from the Bay I can completely understand where he's coming from. I have never really liked a rapper this much. Of course he is physically attractive to me as well, but his music is what I admire the most.

But there you have it, my rant about G-Eazy, officially my favorite rapper of all time. I just can't wait to see him live and finally meet him playing at some show in the Bay, probably the Fillmore.