As I sit here on this last Sunday of March, a couple of things are going through my mind. I'm thinking about this terrible Thomas Pynchon essay I wrote (which I don't want to look at anymore), baseball season starting, my friends, but the thing I'm thinking about most is my grandma.
Don't get the wrong idea. My grandma hasn't passed on or anything, but she's been through a lot the past few months, breaking her hip when she fell down in February. I cried when I heard the news, and feared the worst considering her age (90 years old), but when I received the phone call with the news from my parents, she was alright; she just needed hip surgery, which she successfully got.
When I first visited her after the operation, it was at a rehab clinic in Brookline, MA. I had no problem with the facility overall since the people there were nice, and very helpful, but I couldn't stand it. Seeing so many elderly needing help was tough to watch, and I've had my own rough encounters with hospitals and clinics, so I know what it's like. My grandma was cheerful when I saw her, which brought a smile to my face, but that quickly disappeared when I saw that she was in a wheelchair. I know many elderly need wheelchairs and walkers to get around (my grandma even has one), but I was not used to seeing her in one, so hurt and so vulnerable. The worst part was that because I speak limited Chinese, I couldn't say much to her, but she still understood what I was saying, and was glad I came in the first place.
That was the only time I've visited my grandma since I've been busy with school. Recently though, I just learned that because of my grandma's injury, she will be staying with us at home temporarily (though, who knows how long that could be). I can see how there are some disadvantages to that, but I'm glad she's staying with us because we can look after her, and I've missed her the past few years. I haven't been able to see my grandma much since she moved out of the house, so I'm glad she'll be close by, and I can be there for her because I love her, and wouldn't want anything bad to ever happen to her. I've always thought that, but this experience opened my eyes to how real things can be.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
The Start Of Baseball Season
MLB's "I Play" commercial getting me fired up for the start of baseball season
In less than 3 hours, Major League Baseball will kick off it's 2013 season with it's first game of the season, which is the the Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros. It's not the most marquee match-up in the world, considering the Rangers have lost so many players (Josh Hamilton, Mike Napoli), and the Astros basically sold away their entire team, but I'm still excited for it. The Rangers have Yu Darvish pitching, who is an American League Cy Young favorite, going against an Astros team making their debut in the American League after being in the National League for 50 years.
This may not be the best game MLB could have picked to start off the season, but who cares?! The wait is over, and baseball is back! 6 months since the last game of last season may not seem like a long time to people, but for me it is, which is why I am glad my favorite sport is finally about to begin.
Friday, March 29, 2013
A Taxing Day
You ever have one of those days where you don't do anything, yet you still feel taxed, or drained of energy? That's exactly how I felt today, where all I did was stay inside, eat, and work on my essay. Staying inside and eating was okay, but working on my essay sucked because it was on The Crying Of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon, which is one of the most confusing novels I've ever read. I didn't do any actual writing today. All I did was take notes on a database source I have to use for the essay, but even that took forever, and was almost as confusing as the novel. I'm pretty worried about the next few days with my enormous workload, but I know I can get through it since I always have. Here's hoping this essays isn't one of my worst ever though.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Reading Struggles
As an English major, one of the things I spend most of my time doing is reading. For the most part, I enjoy it since the material is interesting, and it helps my writing, but sometimes, I can't stand it. That's how I feel currently since I've just finished two novels. One of them is The Crying Of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon, and the other is Democracy by Joan Didion. Both are called great pieces of work by all, but I just don't get it. I couldn't stand reading either novel, and constantly felt like giving up on them halfway through, but somehow, I got through them.
In terms of Pynchon, the problem I had with his novel (and all of his work, I might add) is that it didn't make any sense. The plot alone is ridiculous, and there's so much given about characters, that you don't understand or care for them, if that makes sense. Since I have to write an essay on the novel, I've reread some of it again; it's still confusing, but not nearly as bad as the first time, which gives me hope for my essay and skill as a reader. Didion's novel is still boring to me though, so I have no plans to reread that again, which is a shame considering the premise sounded intriguing.
What I'm saying about these novels and writers is nothing new. It's just something I wanted to get off my chest because reading these novels has made no sense for me. Sure, it's cool to feel intellectual knowing authors and facts, but not when it's like this. When reading is like this, it takes all the fun out of it.
In terms of Pynchon, the problem I had with his novel (and all of his work, I might add) is that it didn't make any sense. The plot alone is ridiculous, and there's so much given about characters, that you don't understand or care for them, if that makes sense. Since I have to write an essay on the novel, I've reread some of it again; it's still confusing, but not nearly as bad as the first time, which gives me hope for my essay and skill as a reader. Didion's novel is still boring to me though, so I have no plans to reread that again, which is a shame considering the premise sounded intriguing.
What I'm saying about these novels and writers is nothing new. It's just something I wanted to get off my chest because reading these novels has made no sense for me. Sure, it's cool to feel intellectual knowing authors and facts, but not when it's like this. When reading is like this, it takes all the fun out of it.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Misogyny In Society
Recently, I was made aware of an situation that occurred on sports radio, where Ted Johnson, former New England Patriots linebacker, insulted ex-teammate Vince Wilfork's wife by calling her ugly. It already looks bad enough as it is on the surface, but digging deeper into it, this situation is a small example of misogyny and it's role in society.
Misogyny, for those of you who don't know, is having an intense hate/dislike for women. I'm not breaking any new ground by saying it's everywhere, but my question is why that's the case? Women are human beings just like men, but that doesn't seem to make a difference to people. No matter where I go, I can't escape someone criticizing them, whether it's on TV, the radio, or whenever I'm around people, and they're saying stuff like "Women suck at driving". It just isn't right, especially when people are generalizing about things that may not be true. People don't like it when it happens to them, so I don't think they should be doing it to women specifically, especially when we all have faults.
I'm not saying misogyny is wrong just because I'm a feminist; I'm saying it's wrong because it causes a lot of negativity, and takes away the importance of women in society. This isn't the 18th and 19th century when women had no roles. This is the 21st century, where women can do anything now, and they deserve to be respected for it.
Misogyny, for those of you who don't know, is having an intense hate/dislike for women. I'm not breaking any new ground by saying it's everywhere, but my question is why that's the case? Women are human beings just like men, but that doesn't seem to make a difference to people. No matter where I go, I can't escape someone criticizing them, whether it's on TV, the radio, or whenever I'm around people, and they're saying stuff like "Women suck at driving". It just isn't right, especially when people are generalizing about things that may not be true. People don't like it when it happens to them, so I don't think they should be doing it to women specifically, especially when we all have faults.
I'm not saying misogyny is wrong just because I'm a feminist; I'm saying it's wrong because it causes a lot of negativity, and takes away the importance of women in society. This isn't the 18th and 19th century when women had no roles. This is the 21st century, where women can do anything now, and they deserve to be respected for it.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
College Basketball
When I was in high school, one of the things that could get me more excited than anything was college basketball. People back then used to ask me why I found it so interesting, but my reply to them was, what wasn't interesting about it? The games were exciting, the fans were passionate, and there were so many teams, that you could really choose who to root for, compared to pro sports, where you mostly root for the home team. I was excited for every game, but the March Madness tournament was the best because anything could happen. Yes, I used to love college basketball and March Madness, but as I've gotten older, I've realized that's just not the case anymore.
Why do I feel this way? To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure. The easy explanation would be that pro sports leagues like the NBA are just that much better, but I don't think that's the case, especially when there are so few teams that compete for a championship. It could be because so many athletes turn pro earlier, but I don't think that's the cause either since I still found college basketball entertaining back then even without the biggest names in the world.
So why do I really feel this way, in a year when college basketball was/is at it's most exciting? I think I feel this way because I'm in college, and being in college takes all the fun out of watching college basketball. When I was in high school, I could choose everything for myself, but now that I'm in college that isn't the case. Everyone wants you to be supportive of your school, but since I don't believe in "giving" in to the machine, that will never happen, which is a shame since college basketball is still a great product. School, why does it always have to take the fun out of everything?
Why do I feel this way? To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure. The easy explanation would be that pro sports leagues like the NBA are just that much better, but I don't think that's the case, especially when there are so few teams that compete for a championship. It could be because so many athletes turn pro earlier, but I don't think that's the cause either since I still found college basketball entertaining back then even without the biggest names in the world.
So why do I really feel this way, in a year when college basketball was/is at it's most exciting? I think I feel this way because I'm in college, and being in college takes all the fun out of watching college basketball. When I was in high school, I could choose everything for myself, but now that I'm in college that isn't the case. Everyone wants you to be supportive of your school, but since I don't believe in "giving" in to the machine, that will never happen, which is a shame since college basketball is still a great product. School, why does it always have to take the fun out of everything?
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