The Thing About the Post Office

When it comes to others doing their job, I believe that I have no right to complain when I get terrible customer service.  I know as people, we have a right to, and if it was really bad, then I'd have to think about it.  But we can all relate to having a bad day and not being our best.  And I took forever to get a job, myself, so I would hope that some people understood.  But one place I have always loathed is the post office.  Not the people themselves, or the delivery people, who I think are some of the hardest working people out there.  Just the institution and what it represents.  While I do enjoy it when I get mail or packages, there are some things that they do that just annoy me.  And by annoy me, I mean, a lot.

One thing that has always annoyed me is the fact there is no mail/post on Sundays.  This is nothing that is their fault; I know by law, Sunday is a day of rest, and everyone deserves a day off.  But the demand for mail and packages has never been greater, so you'd think that some places would change that.  Also, the economy is still going through a crisis, so why not give more jobs to help more people?  Economically, I guess it might not make sense because the post office isn't Microsoft or anything in terms of funds, but I think more people would be willing to if the funding was there.

Another thing I hate is delivery vehicle policies.  And I know everyone can relate to this.  You're waiting for a package or something to be delivered, and it says it is on its way, only, it never shows up.  Worst, they leave you a slip saying there was no place to securely leave the product or saying they rang the doorbell, but no one answered.  I understand that the first line of reasoning can happen.  Not all neighborhoods are safe.  But there have been too many times where they have just left the slip and just lied about ringing the doorbell.  How is that good customer service or even honest?  I know that the people who drive those trucks and deliver are people too, and they probably want to go home after a long day, but they still have a job to do, like we all do.  We don't always like it, but we have to do it.

I'm sure I could go on and on with this, but I'm not really angry like I am in a typical rant.  I'm just miffed by some of the actions of the post office.  Now if you'll excuse me, it's Sunday and I need to go to work.

DeflategateHate

In the battle of Roger Goodell vs. Tom Brady for Deflategate, the winner is... Tom Brady

When it comes to the four major sports in the U.S (football, baseball, basketball, hockey), there seems to be a flaw with all of them in terms of the league itself.  The NFL has concussions and too many off the field issues, baseball has steroids and cheaters, the NBA product had cheating at one point and the product itself is usually not as compelling until the postseason, while hockey has too many injuries, as well as the concussion issue.  Personally to me, these are all bothersome and hurt all the major sports, but like most fans, we put up with all this and more because we love sports and the feeling it gives us to watch them and be a part of it.  I was never into sports growing up or athletic, but I got into it as I got older, I now follow/watch it religiously.  It's a good hobby/passion, and being so close to it makes you really feel connected, whether your team wins or loses.  Being in Boston, I'm spoiled because our teams have won so many titles in the past decade.  I should be used to it, but I'm not, of course, so when the Patriots beat the Seahawks in this year's Superbowl, obviously, I was rejoiced, but then Deflategate started, which took away from the game and really tested the patience of fan and people everywhere.

I remember the first time I heard about Deflategate, I didn't think it was a big deal, initially, because it supposedly happened during the Colts in the AFC title game, which the Patriots won handily.  "What's the big deal?" I thought, only a few psi (whatever that was), would that have made a difference?  Probably not, since the Patriots were the better team, regardless, and won by such a large margin, but the fact it happened at all, caused the league to act.  They had to, after all the mishaps they had had in the past year plus.  Tom Brady had to give a press conference, which I admit, he did not come off good in, but it was before the Superbowl; the man had other things on his mind.  And even when he won the Superbowl, it didn't stop there.  More information came out, there was the Wells report, which said things he did and didn't do, as well as information about other employees.  And of course, the big one, Roger Goodell suspended Tom Brady for 4 games.  Four games, are you serious?!  This from the guy who only gave Ray Rice a 2 game suspension, initially, for hitting his fiance in an elevator, on tape, which everyone saw.  You messed that decision up bad, but don't take it out on us.  You're the commissioner; it's your job to get decisions right and admit when you're wrong, but Goodell did neither of that, because he knew he didn't have any substantial evidence on Tom Brady, and the league had to win a case after how bad it looked during the domestic abuse cases, as well as losing during Bountygate.  But justice prevailed, because with how Goodell handled everything, as well as having little evidence, Tom brady got his 4 game suspension revoked and will be back starting the season opener in less than a week from now.

Now, I know I left a lot of things out about the case, but that's because we won't know more until more is done.  And this case has been beaten to death, to the point that is has become tiresome to even waste energy on.  Everyone has talked about it so much the past few months, that we forgot football is a sport and the Patriots won the Superbowl.  But now that it's over, we can get back to focusing on football, which is so close to starting it's regular season.

A few final thoughts, though.  I think the NFL should count its blessings.  Yes, they lost Deflategate for now, and look like a laughingstock, once again, but no other major sports league in the U.S. makes as much money as they do or gets the ratings they do.  They can afford to look bad, because NFL fans will never leave them, which is a luxury I think they often overlook.  Do you remember how bad the NBA and NHL were after their lockouts?  Or baseball in 1994 after the strike?  It was in a bad state that I think it is still recovering from.  The NFL has so many off the field issues, it is ridiculous, if you count domestic and drug abuse, as well as neglect with concussions in the past, but it doesn't matter sadly, because the fans will never stop watching it.  The demand for it has never been higher, with the amount of good teams, profit from games, sales, fantasy football, etc.  That is why, like I said, everyone hated Deflategate, because it took away from the game that no one wants to see go away.  And of course, started mainly because of Roger Goodell.

Roger Goodell, it's ironic how his name has become synonymous with parody and jokes.  I remember a few years ago, before I graduated, he gave the commencement speech at my university, which was a big deal, since he was the commissioner of arguably the biggest sports league in the world.  At the time, I remember him having an actual good approval rating with fans alike because he took over for Paul Tagliabue, who left him with a mess to clean up, and handed out fair punishment on head hits.  But look at him now, he has fallen so far.  You hate to see that happen to anyone, especially when he is probably not a bad guy.  And he has a difficulty job having to appeal to both the owners and players, but that's what happens when you have no consistency/credibility, as seen by his past decisions, and face Tom Brady.  Now, he's just another loser and Tom Brady is back, ready to lead the Patriots on another Superbowl defense.  Hopefully, this chapter of controversy is over, but if not, as least we have something to distract us from it the way it did before.  "Are you ready for some football?"  I think... we all are

Sleep and Weather

When it comes to Summer, there aren't many things I like about it.  I like the nice weather because it gives me many opportunities to spend time with friends, but I hate the weather which makes me fatigued and sweaty.  To counter that, I usually turn on my air conditioner, but that doesn't work all the time, especially when I'm sleeping.  It can be cool in a room, but if it's too cold, I'll wake up, which can also make me sick in the process.  I could counter all that by turning off the air conditioner, but then I'd be hot again.  As you can see, I have all these issues (if you can call them that), and they're making me go to sleep and wake up at obscene hours.  Hence why I'm awake blogging now.  I can't predict the future, but I hope my sleep pattern gets fixed.  Otherwise, this summer is going to be longer than it already feels.

Paper Bags

Yesterday, at the supermarket, my dad and I had something peculiar happen to us that hasn't ever happened before, which was get paper bags when we checked our goods out.  It's not the biggest thing in life to take notice of, but my whole life, we've either only gotten plastic bags, or boxes if we had to get anything paper related.  Maybe the paper bags were a cheaper option, but besides that, I can't think of any good reason why they'd have that.  The paper bags feel smaller, and they don't have handles, which makes them more susceptible to tear if you have too many things.  Not to mention, with all the recent attention paid to the environment, they're just not economical, so while I think the supermarket didn't mean to, they really caught me off guard with their use of paper bags.  I see that they're there, but I can't see a reason why people prefer them over plastic.

When it comes to that choice, just say no.

Laptop Issues

When it comes to schoolwork, writing, or anything internet related, usually I do everything on my laptop (like most people).  Normally, that isn't an issue, but since my laptop is about 6 years old, it's starting to show its wear and tear.  Some of the buttons don't work, the volume isn't what it used to be, and the disk drive/memory is low.  At least that's what it said.  My laptop is supposed to have 60GB, but somehow, it says I've almost used all of that, which is impossible for even people who download a lot of stuff.  I only use my laptop for a few things, not enough things to take up that much space.  I even had a few people look at it and asked questions, but they're baffled.  It could be an error, but why is it like this?  Is it something that can be fixed?  What if the problem lingers?  I googled most of it and found out answer and that this was a common problem, but I still don't know what to do.  I wish technology didn't always have dumb issues like this.  We pay so much money for things, and yet, there's always something wrong.  It's just a pain, and another thing I have to deal with.

Prime Number

Being so busy with life the past few months, I haven't bought anything off Amazon in so long.  But now that school's out and I have some cash to spend, there's a few things I wanted to buy.  Nothing too expensive, just trading cards, and the WWE 2K14 video game, since I've been watching wrestling a lot recently.  But when I went to buy those things off Amazon, I saw that I didn't have enough for free shipping since they raised the price from $25 to $35.  It's nothing I didn't already know, and something that could easily be solved with Amazon Prime, but this was my sister's account, so it wasn't up to me.  And even if it was, I wouldn't pay extra for something I rarely use now.  It's just annoying that they raise the prices, even though they make millions of dollars already since it's manipulative, and just makes you use more money.  Something that won't change, but I wish things went back to the way they used to be.

This Weather...

Summer in Boston is usually a beautiful time because of how nice it is around here, but on days like today when it's hot and humid, it makes the day seem long.  It's not as bad as yesterday, but it's enough to make me feel sick and struggle just to move and think.  Hopefully, things cool down or else this is going to be a long summer. 

Victim Blaming

With my birthday being this past Monday, and me turning another year older, I'd like to think some positives have come with another year of experiences.  But you can never tell right away.  Like many things in life, these things take time.  But one thing that has come with me being another year older is my awareness of what's going on in the world.  Lately, it seems like everyday there is something going on in the news about something happening to a person, like the woman who died posting a Facebook status while driving, or people committing a crime that they expect people to sympathize with.  It's something that I've thought about more since in my summer classes, they've repeatedly asked if we should blame the victim, which is a slippery slope in itself because if I've learned anything, it's that society blames the victim too much and doesn't focus enough on the offender.  But to leave out any blame for the victim would be ignorant, so it's something that I've thought long and hard about.

After reviewing everything over, I do believe that victims deserve some of the blame for their actions if they live a lifestyle that is high risk or just do something stupid.  For example, if they drink or party constantly, I won't feel sorry for them if something bad happens to them.  Even the woman who died posting that status to Facebook, I don't feel sorry for her because she did something stupid.  Is it sad someone died?  Yes, but it's even sadder that her death could have been prevented if she had just been smarter.  It might sounds harsh what I'm saying, but being harsh and stern is the only way to get through to a person sometimes.

A situation where I don't think a victim can be blamed is provoking somebody.  You hear about this all the time with sports fans, or women who dress too provocatively, but situations like that are too random and hard to predict.  And we all have situations like that when that happens, so I don't think we can blame the victim.  It doesn't seem fair, and in the case of women, it sets a double standard.

Of course, in some ways, even I admit to being hypocritical because if something terrible happened to one of my friends or someone I loved, I wouldn't want that.  But I'd like to think they're good people, who make sound decisions, and are smart in how they handle things.  When it comes to things like I see going on in the world, I don't feel sorry for people because they should know better.  Like I said, I may sounds harsh, but I doubt anyone would feel sorry for me, so why should I for them?  Victims have situations where they should be blamed, but that shouldn't always be the case, especially if you don't know the situation.  Know the facts before you pass judgment.

Mercury And Recycling Centers

I'm one of the few people I know (besides my dad), who still listens to the radio frequently.  And I'm not talking about car radios.  Those don't count because they don't use batteries, which my hand radio uses.  I love listening to my radio, but the downside is like light bulbs, the batteries in them can't be thrown away after they're used up because they contain mercury, which can't be thrown away because of how toxic it is.  Sure, you can throw it away, but if it leaks, the substance won't leave your house and can spread all over.  It's pretty nasty.

With all the knowledge I have of the subject, I feel like I know enough, but I wish I had known more as a child, since with how conscious I am, I wonder if any risks have ever occurred?  I also wish that there were more recycling centers, bins, or safety areas where we could dispose of materials because there aren't enough of them around.  They have them at stores like Home Depot, but we need something more convenient, especially if it's for our safety.  A lot of people may say that something like this isn't important, but mercury exists, just like carbon monoxide for our carbon monoxide alarms.  If we have protection for that, why not this?

Lifting Weights And Adding Muscle

Recently, along with the cardio and walking exercises I usually do, I've started lifting weights to try and add muscle.  In the past, I've tried doing it, but it was too difficult and strenuous on my joints and muscles, so I stuck to cardio.  But now that I've lost a good deal of weight, I think it's time to start building muscle, or at least have some sort of six-pack.  One of my motivations is because I want to be even healthier, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to be more attractive as well.

So far, I've been starting small out lifting dumbbells and doing situps and pushups to try and build my upper body strength, but it's been a difficult process.  Not just maintaining it, but doing it well.  And knowing that I can't do it everyday.  I admit, I have been feeling the effects, but even I wonder if it's worth it for the pain it's caused me.  I won't know for awhile, but until then, I'll try my hardest to get stronger.  Hopefully, the hard work pays off.

Video Of Your Life

Videos are obviously very big in the world now with Youtube, social media applications like Vine, and with how intricate our phones are now.  With so many ways of putting up a video, you'd think that using video cameras to record things would be a thing of the past, but that's not the case for my sister, who is assigning me to record parts of her wedding on a video camera.  She gave her explanation why she chose me for this assignment, but I still don't like doing it.  Sure, it doesn't have as much pressure as being in the actual ceremony, but if I mess something up, I know she's going to be angry at me.  Not to mention, I just suck with technology.

I've been learning how to use our old video camera the past few days with some success, but there are some issues, since it's so old and can barely go 10 minutes without dying.  Hopefully, we find a solution to fix the camera quickly, or else we'll have to get another alternative.  I personally wouldn't mind a new video camera because it would probably be easier to use, but I know it would cost more.  Like I said though, I wish I didn't even have to do this at all.  A wedding is supposed to be one of the happiest moments in a person's life, but with the ways things have been done, I can't wait until it's over.

Everything that's happened over the past few days makes me question videos.  I understand why they exist, and get huge enjoyment from watching them, but why have videos of yourself when you can have a picture, or just have the memories, which can capture everything better than some camera can, and have the uniqueness of what every individual person remembers.

18

I recently read an interview in Sports Illustrated about Jabari Parker that I found really interesting.  In the interview, he talked about how unfair it was that basketball players had to go to college before going into the NBA, essentially using the old argument, if a player can serve their country at 18, why can't they go into the NBA?  To some degree, I agree with Jabari, since everyone deserves to make a living, and it's unfair that college athletes cannot accept benefits when they make so much money for their schools.  Especially, if some of them are going hungry like Shabazz Napier said they do.  But please, stop using the 18 argument.  I've heard it for so long now, and I'm sick and tired of it.  Going into the NBA at 18 and serving your country are two completely different things.  One, you're doing to earn a living, while the other is to serve your country, which is honorable.  I'm not saying making a living isn't important, but in the case of the NBA, most players who enter straight out of high school have maturation issues, and could benefit from at least a year of college.  I'm not saying I like the NBA age restriction rule, especially since there are a few exception players like Kobe and Lebron, but even they didn't win right away.  And as we all know, they've done some stupid things in their lives.

My issue is with everyone being obsessed with the number 18.  They think it should be the age people drive, drink, vote, etc, but the reason it isn't that way everywhere in all states is because most people aren't responsible enough to handle the responsibility.  You might think they are, but if you look at the way people are sometimes at 18 or even older, it's clear they aren't.  They might not like it, but that's the law, which I think everyone should obey.  Now, time to move on with the issue. 

Suiting Up For What's Ahead

With my sister's wedding being less than a few weeks away, you'd think I'd be happy for it, but I'm kind of not.  Don't get me wrong, I'm happy she's getting married, and making the next big step in her life with the one she loves, but planning the wedding has been stressful from the arrangements, food, guest lists, and most importantly, the cost.  I'm not even directly involved in it, yet I feel drained from the whole experience.  Yesterday, didn't make things any better though, as I had to go out and buy a suit for the wedding.

Buying a suit sounds like a luxurious thing from the way they portray it in the media, but since I've never gone to any formal event, or had a job interview, I've never had to wear a suit before.  In the past, I always wore nice dress clothes, but this time, I couldn't do that.  I went to the suit store with my parent's yesterday not having any prior expectations, besides knowing that the suit would be very expensive, and expecting the process to be a pain.  But surprisingly, it didn't start out that way.  At the beginning, everything started out great, with the employees being attentive and very helpful with me, but after trying on suits and pants, they got antsy just because I gave them my wrong pant size by accident twice.  How was I supposed to know jean sizes are different from pant sizes when almost 100% of the time, I wear jeans?  Or know you aren't supposed to wear suit pants low?  I eventually got pants, but they had to be tailored because they were a size too big.  It was bad enough having to buy suits, but then have employees get angry at me because I make a mistake.  I'm the employee.  You're supposed to be serving us.  We're giving you business to pay for your salary.  You're not supposed to make me feel worse just because I'm a little bigger than most people.  It's a shame that even though I lost weight, there's still always more work to do, or that people seem to favor "beautiful" people in society.  But then again, things have always been like that.

All in all, yesterday was a pretty miserable day, besides the morning when I had dim sum with the family.  It was cool getting new clothes to some degree, but honestly, I hope I don't ever have to buy a suit again because the experience was terrible.  But at least I'll be ready for my sister's wedding ahead.  And hopefully, that day is better than what yesterday was.

Radio Contests

Whenever I listen to sports radio, besides the interviews and sports talk, I always try to pay attention to the contests because there's always a chance I could win something.  The problem is, that out of all the contests I've entered, I've never won anything.  I've tried online, through texting, etc.  The only one I haven't tried is calling, but I'm either too scared to call, or the contest takes place when I'm busy, like in class.  I suppose I can't be too angry, especially if they're national contests like the one I've been trying to do for the past week, but it's so frustrating.  I'm a diehard listener to the station, and am always one of the first people to text in the code word.  I know the winner is chosen at random, but C'MON!  I've never won anything in my life, so it would be nice to win something for once.

Of course, I can keep complaining and complaining, but the only thing I can do now is keep on trying.  Here's hoping to me being a winner someday! 

Noisy Neighbors

If you've ever lived anywhere in the world, unless it's a desolate area, or the closest home/person is a few miles away, odds are you've had a neighbor.  I've had one my whole life, including at school, but since I live in an apartment/boarding house during the school year, I feel as though I have multiple neighbors.  It's not the worst thing in the world since they're all nice people, and more people around makes the place feel more safe, but there are times when they get on my nerves.  Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike them; I've certainly had worst in the past, but it's the subtle things they do that annoy me.  Like always using the bathroom when I need to (and taking forever to do it), leaving lights on, not controlling their pets, letting their kids run around, making lots of noise, etc.  I want to tell them to behave, but I know it's not the nice thing to do.  Then again, I wish people were more courteous or aware that when you share a house with someone else, there are other people who live there too.  I know this is all part of life, and one day, when I get my own place, I'll have new neighbors I have to put up with, but at least then, I'll have some quiet.  Now, it's always hectic.  I don't know what to do about the situation, but all I'm going to do is put some headphones in, and blur out the noise until it's gone.

Less than a month to go, and I won't be a neighbor anymore... 

Adios Móvil!

Forgive my use of Spanish as the title of this blog post (if you don't understand it), but I have Spanish on my mind since I'm studying for a test tomorrow.  I seem to have most of the material down, including the vocabulary, which is good since I know it'll be a large portion of the test, so wish me luck!  I'm writing this post to say that after 3 years of having a Blackberry Bold, it's time to join the modern generation and get a smartphone because my phone is broken; it still works, but I can't text anyone.  Even if it wasn't broken, though, I would probably get a new one anyways since it's just that time.  All my friends have one, and even my parents who are more technologically deficient than I have one.  If that isn't a sign, I don't know what is.

It suppose it will be good to get a new phone, but at the same time, I'll miss my old one.  It was slow, and there were so many things I couldn't do on it, but it did all the basic functions I needed it to, had buttons, never broke, and was uniquely mine.  Not to mention, it survived all my numerous drops on the ground.  I don't know if my new phone will be able to do that but I guess I have no choice, but to welcome it with open arms, or fingers, in the case of smartphones. 

So many smarthphones out there, but which one is the right one for me?

Baseball Tease

The Red Sox season began yesterday, which I couldn't be more happy about being a diehard Sox and baseball fan.  Granted they lost, but it was a close game, and after last season, when they won the World Series, I'm not complaining.  I'm just happy they're back.  One thing I'm not happy about though, is the off day right after the first game for most teams.  I understand why Major League Baseball does it because of fear of rain delays, and in the Sox case, they're visiting the White House, but you've already hyped up Opening Day, so why kill the excitement with an off day?  Not to mention, if they're playing the same team, it seems pointless to give them a day off so early.  Save those days for later in the season when players actually need it.  I know this rant is very dumb, but I can't help it.  I love baseball, and as much as the average person thinks it's boring, I can't get enough of it.

Baseball, why do you have to tease us so?  Oh well, I'm sure you'll make it up with an exciting regular season.  Here's hoping!  And here's to the days of summer! 

Native Language

My best friend Scotty can attest that back in high school, I used to joke about him talking to his mom in his native language/tongue.  He was a good sport about it and always laughed, but deep down, it was something I envied.  I'm Chinese-American, but I can barely speak or understand the language.  It didn't use to always be that way.  As a child, I could speak and understand Chinese great, but even then, I was always the worst, and as I got older, I lost grasp of it.  I tried relearning it again, but with no time to practice, nothing ever came to fruition.

Considering that most people I know struggle with languages, this probably isn't as big a deal as I'm making it, but being Chinese, they make it a big deal.  Since they speak it all the time, when they realize that you can't speak it, they're shocked and look down on you.  Families do it, but strangers do it as well.  For example, when I was in a store in Chinatown on Monday, some woman tried speaking to me in Chinese, to try and tell me about the things being sold in her shops.  But when I said "sorry", she apologized.  Even though I'm sure she felt bad, I know deep down, like most Chinese people, she was embarrassed that someone like me can't even speak the language.  Unfortunately, moments like that happen all the time, which is why I try to avoid Chinatown as much as I can.  My friends like it because the food is cheap and good, but the food isn't that healthy, and if I'm going to be criticized, there are always other alternatives.

I understand the criticism since I am Chinese, so why not learn the language?  I get that, but I want to do it eventually at my own pace, not be forced to do it.  Yes, I know language unites people, but what about being independent and breaking the stereotypes?  I might not be able to speak or understand Chinese, but I can speak English, which is necessary for this country.  And I'm educated and very strong.  You can live like we're back in China all you want, but you set a bad example when you criticize one of your own for no reason.  It's like when African Americans criticize other African Americans who are smart by calling them "white".  It doesn't solve anything, so just let everyone live their life the way they want to.  As much as language unites people, that lesson is something that I believe does it more.

Uncertain Illnesses

I mentioned in one of my recent posts about how I had a muscle spasm, which was not a good feeling.  It's been a week since then, and even though I've recovered for the most part, there are still times when I worry it will come back.  But that is the least of my problems.  I have what I think is a canker sore near the back of my mouth.  It's perfectly common, and is something I and many have had before, but it's painful since it's near the back of my teeth, including my wisdom teeth.  I know it'll go away eventually, but I can't help being concerned whenever I feel pain, or whenever it relates to my health.  Especially since if you count the summer when I had coxsackievirus and strep throat, I've had a rare stretch where I always seem to be ill or hurt. 

With medicine, science, and technology being what it is, you'd think we'd be further progressed in our analysis of illnesses, but I don't think we are.  While we know a lot about diseases like cancer, diabetes, HIV, etc, for obvious reasons, we don't know anything about small things canker sores or coxsackievirus, which annoys me since these aren't major things, and the only thing you can do is wait for it to heal.  It's nice I don't have to do anything, but it's painful, and makes me wish there was more certainty or research with certain things pertaining to health.  But hopefully, I'm on the road to recovery, or at least figure out for sure what I have if I am ill.

Simplifying Language

In my Spanish class yesterday, we started the chapter on Direct and Indirect Objects.  The material isn't new to me, since we did it in Spanish II and II, but I can't stand doing them since they seem so unnecessary.  My teacher said that they're there to add emphasis to a sentence, or make it more alive, but as long as it's accurate, who cares?  We're already students who have so much to deal with, so why add more to our plate?  Not to mention, even when it makes sense, they want to make it harder for us by having us create/solve the sentence with both of them in it.  I understand the relevance, but that rarely happens, and even if it did, we won't have a use for it, because many of us are just taking the class for the language requirement.  Now, I'm not saying this to bash Spanish since I like the class, and my teacher is great, I just wish things were easier, or we could avoid things that are difficult to understand.  But regardless, I'll trek through because I'm almost done with Spanish.  And I know I can do it!