I think I'll take this time to just add some points that I didn't really get to elaborate on in class. The first is more or less about knowledge and perception of security, the second being why terrorist attacks provoke such strong responses from us, and the third being are we secure today?
1) The feeling of security that one has is directly related to the knowledge of the threats that a person has. Most people live in a blissful ignorance of most threats and you see this in how people really have not changed the way they live their life. They still use the subway, go to malls, and fly on planes. They have no knowledge of impending threats. On the other hand, the president of the United States or the station chief in Pakistan for the CIA has much more knowledge of the threats that face us and the possibility of attack. Therefore the measures they take to protect us may feel unnecessary and even ridiculous to the average citizen, but to those that have received intel indicating an increased threat level, the measures are very necessary. A personal example would be that my sister wanted to go to a party in a certain part of town. My father, a police officer, said no. She complained and he said it was a bad part of town and she said she never knew of anything bad happening to her friends that lived there. My dad said that there was plenty that had happened that she didn't know about. My sister did not have the knowledge of this intel and thought the protective measures were ridiculous. My father having arrested multiple people from this area in the last week for rape, assault, and battery knew better.
2) The next thing I will discuss is why terrorist attacks provoke such a strong response from us. I believe it is all about control and the fact that it is in external threat with intent to murder civilians. Al Qaeda has declared that it wishes Americans to die. Since we are all citizens this is a threat to us all. There is a feeling that there are actually people out there that want to kill us just because of our identity. That is very personal. When 9/11 happened there was such hatred and malcontent in these attacks that it became very personal. Also as opposed to many things such as car accidents, etc... those that die in these attacks had no control over it. In cases like car accidents it is assumed that people had some choice not to speed or not to go around the corner that fast, etc... Also that fact that it is an external threat seems particularly distressing to us. We have accepted to a certain extent that crime occurs in poor areas and we feel we can handle our own. But when it is a transnational movement, it seems like in invasion upon our identity and values.
3) Are we secure today? I think we are pretty secure today in that there is no immediate danger to most of our lives and livelihood. However people who are poor or in dire straits are not secure because their livelihood is threatened. Since the majority is doing well, the consensus becomes that we are mostly secure. I do think there is a thin line separating us from being secure and being in chaos. All it would take would be for the frequency of attacks to be as often as in Pakistan of Israel. We are not accustomed to living in hardship so there will be chaos. People will desperately try to maintain their way of life. In the end I believe the precautions and protections we are taking to preserve our way of life is worth it. Why should we concede to the terrorists and become used to a way of life that we accept terrorism as inevitable and the threat constant. We must always strive to have a better life or we will stop improving and go backwards in progress.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Does having troops in Afghanistan make us more secure?
(I apologize to Row in advance--or anyone else that is of a similar mindset, and advise them to read no further. actually, no one should read further. I am incredibly cynical and opinionated)
I don't think having troops in Afghanistan makes us more secure. If anything, I think it makes us less secure. Not that I think that, as an average American citizen, I need to worry about my security.
First of all, I don't think that having troops in Afghanistan makes us more secure because I don't think the U.S. has accomplished anything in Afghanistan (ok, maybe a little bit, but not enough for anyone to feel comfortable enough to hop on a plane and take a family vacation in Kabul). The United States is trying to build a strong democratic government in Afghanistan, but we really haven't made any progress. Instead of having "nice" democratic government OF AFGHANISTAN where the citizens aren't oppressed by the Taliban, the Afghanis have a "nice" democratic government OF THE UNITED STATES prodding the citizens with their guns. If I was them, I would hate the U.S. The U.S. hasn't accomplished its mission to make the Middle East more stable. Sure, if the democratic government in Afghanistan was to succeed, then further U.S. stabilization of the Middle East (countering terrorism, spreading nuclear non-proliferation) would run smoother.
Second, I think having troops in Afghanistan makes us (slightly) less secure because the U.S. is pushing democracy, where maybe democracy just won’t work out. Islam and democracy haven’t seen a good balance yet, even in Saudi Arabia. When democracy moves in, the hegemony of U.S. culture moves in and overpowers Islam. When Islam is around, the leaders fight the U.S. culture hegemony proactively and build up hate (spawning terrorism). Osama bin Laden snowballed his hate for the U.S. into terrorism because of the changes he saw in Saudi Arabia. IN NO WAY AM I JUSTIFYING TERRORISM, but the underlying motives were rational: the U.S.’s culture was a threat to the existence of Islam, and terrorism is a defense mechanism to prevent the youth from turning to the dark side. The U.S. is potentially fueling this fire by meddling where people don’t want us. Some do, but some crazy radicals called terrorists do not. Historically, we know that Afghanis don’t like people messing in their backyard. And they’re very good at keeping them out. How easy of an argument would it be for the terrorists to say, “hey, that U.S. is meddling with us, We can’t let them! Protect our sovereignty. They want to destroy our religion.”
Thirdly, I don’t think that, as an average citizen, we need to worry about security because I think that living with fear is the worst way to live. Other people (aka the military, DoD, State Department, CIA, and every other government agency) are working to keep me safe so that I don’t HAVE TO worry, and they’re doing a great job of it. I’m not taking them for granted, but nor do I think I need to worry about terrorism every time I step on a plane or question the possibility of asbestos in the dorm room vents (oooh now have I gotten you paranoid??). If you wanted to, you could notice that that person on the metro has a suitcase that would be perfect to put a bomb in. Do I want to live in fear? No.
At the rally this weekend this really really really really creepy guy pushed through the crowd near me with a grocery bag and a suitcase. He proceeded to put his belongings down and turn, facing the opposite direction of everyone else. He stood silently and unmoving for about 5 minutes. His eyes were glossy and he looked like he’d been living in a crypt. After awhile a person behind me said, “Hey, we should ask that creep what’s in his bag.”
All I could think was that that was a very stupid comment. For one second, the possibility that it was a bomb or other weapon went through my mind, but I decided I didn’t care enough to let it bother me. Other people in the crowd, however, shuffled him away and I later saw him escorted by a security guard. In eluding to terrorism, the commenter behind me had helped the terrorists by spreading fear.
It’s just like what our teachers taught us in elementary school: the bullies can’t bother you if you don’t let them.
Stop worrying about terrorism, and the terrorists won’t have anything left to feed on.
I don't think having troops in Afghanistan makes us more secure. If anything, I think it makes us less secure. Not that I think that, as an average American citizen, I need to worry about my security.
First of all, I don't think that having troops in Afghanistan makes us more secure because I don't think the U.S. has accomplished anything in Afghanistan (ok, maybe a little bit, but not enough for anyone to feel comfortable enough to hop on a plane and take a family vacation in Kabul). The United States is trying to build a strong democratic government in Afghanistan, but we really haven't made any progress. Instead of having "nice" democratic government OF AFGHANISTAN where the citizens aren't oppressed by the Taliban, the Afghanis have a "nice" democratic government OF THE UNITED STATES prodding the citizens with their guns. If I was them, I would hate the U.S. The U.S. hasn't accomplished its mission to make the Middle East more stable. Sure, if the democratic government in Afghanistan was to succeed, then further U.S. stabilization of the Middle East (countering terrorism, spreading nuclear non-proliferation) would run smoother.
Second, I think having troops in Afghanistan makes us (slightly) less secure because the U.S. is pushing democracy, where maybe democracy just won’t work out. Islam and democracy haven’t seen a good balance yet, even in Saudi Arabia. When democracy moves in, the hegemony of U.S. culture moves in and overpowers Islam. When Islam is around, the leaders fight the U.S. culture hegemony proactively and build up hate (spawning terrorism). Osama bin Laden snowballed his hate for the U.S. into terrorism because of the changes he saw in Saudi Arabia. IN NO WAY AM I JUSTIFYING TERRORISM, but the underlying motives were rational: the U.S.’s culture was a threat to the existence of Islam, and terrorism is a defense mechanism to prevent the youth from turning to the dark side. The U.S. is potentially fueling this fire by meddling where people don’t want us. Some do, but some crazy radicals called terrorists do not. Historically, we know that Afghanis don’t like people messing in their backyard. And they’re very good at keeping them out. How easy of an argument would it be for the terrorists to say, “hey, that U.S. is meddling with us, We can’t let them! Protect our sovereignty. They want to destroy our religion.”
Thirdly, I don’t think that, as an average citizen, we need to worry about security because I think that living with fear is the worst way to live. Other people (aka the military, DoD, State Department, CIA, and every other government agency) are working to keep me safe so that I don’t HAVE TO worry, and they’re doing a great job of it. I’m not taking them for granted, but nor do I think I need to worry about terrorism every time I step on a plane or question the possibility of asbestos in the dorm room vents (oooh now have I gotten you paranoid??). If you wanted to, you could notice that that person on the metro has a suitcase that would be perfect to put a bomb in. Do I want to live in fear? No.
At the rally this weekend this really really really really creepy guy pushed through the crowd near me with a grocery bag and a suitcase. He proceeded to put his belongings down and turn, facing the opposite direction of everyone else. He stood silently and unmoving for about 5 minutes. His eyes were glossy and he looked like he’d been living in a crypt. After awhile a person behind me said, “Hey, we should ask that creep what’s in his bag.”
All I could think was that that was a very stupid comment. For one second, the possibility that it was a bomb or other weapon went through my mind, but I decided I didn’t care enough to let it bother me. Other people in the crowd, however, shuffled him away and I later saw him escorted by a security guard. In eluding to terrorism, the commenter behind me had helped the terrorists by spreading fear.
It’s just like what our teachers taught us in elementary school: the bullies can’t bother you if you don’t let them.
Stop worrying about terrorism, and the terrorists won’t have anything left to feed on.
Security and Afghanistan?
I can’t say I feel particularly safer with presence in Afghanistan, but then again, I don’t know how I’d feel without it. I think it all has to do with your relationship with the military and Afghanistan. It’s a very abstract concept. For instance, how can you value something if you don’t actually see it? Unless people can get a proper understanding of what’s going on in Afghanistan and what the immediate threat the country poses, no one can fully feel safer. Part of it has to do with geographic distance. There is no direct communication with Afghanistan and the American people. We assume we need it based on the media and politicians.
Despite how controversial this war is, I feel safer knowing that we have troops in Afghanistan? Why? It shows my country has some interest in national security and their not consuming tax dollars on their personal expenses. I'm not sure how many people have lived oversees, but crime rates in America are nothing alike. No one can even say that its a lack of funds - officials just use it all for themselves. What happens to national security? In the U.S, I wake up every day knowing I won't get mugged if I simply walk out of my home. I don't have to think twice and say, "Wow, my cell phone is in my pocket. Let me take it back home." We don't fear getting onto public transportation and fearing that someone will pull a gun or knife out. In other countries, fear is part of every day life. Thats why I live here in the U.S. I understand that people may have different views on how to effectively work out national security policies, but knowing that something is going on to secure my well being is relieving.
The problem with my opinion is that I am one, just like many others, who don’t know what’s going on the front. Is the military abusing its power? Are we actually in Afghanistan for national security purposes or is this for some another? Despite all of the doubts that may arise, I’d like to have some military initiative to promote security during an international conflict. I rather live in doubt in whether being in Afghanistan is the proper choice, than live in fear every day.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Does US Troops in Afghanistan Make us Safer?
I feel like this blog question was made for me. I have been waiting for a question such as this for a long time and you'll have to excuse me if this drags on but I feel this question is one that will determine the fate of the United States in the future as well as the world.
Since the question is "Does having US troops in Afghanistan make us safer?" I will not go into the details that got us there too much. Also I will ignore the human rights implications of leaving and the duties and responsibilities that a nation such as the US have to our people and the people of other nations when we decide to intervene. I will just focus on staying or leaving Afghanistan and its effect on security. The facts are that 9/11 was perpetrated by Al Qaeda who was sheltered in Afghanistan by the Taliban. When asked to hand over those responsible the Taliban refused. The only step left to bring the planners and their supporters to justice was to use military force because of the network that they possessed in the region. Now, with this as a backdrop I will explain how keeping troops there is especially important for our safety. There are two main reasons for this:
1) Forgetting the past and focusing on the current moment the Taliban have made a renewed effort using bases in Pakistan to reclaim lost territory and incite the population to become an insurgency against the US. In tactical terms we are on the offense militarily while the Taliban who have made various offensives in the region are still in the grand scheme of things on defense. Since we are in their backyard attacking them, they do not have the time or the stability necessary to plan attacks on our homeland. If we were to switch to defense and move out of Afghanistan we would hand them back a safe haven with which Al Qaeda could move back in, get on the offense, and attack us on our turf. By keeping them busy with defense and disrupting their networks they can not plan and attack us in any organized fashion. These are the basics of attack and defense in military terms. This is why giving out time lines is a horrible and self-destructive tactic. For one, you give the troops fighting in the region the impression that no matter what their struggles, victories, and defeats, that we will leave at this date. It hurts morale greatly. Also, if you are the Taliban or Al Qaeda a timeline gives away the intent of your enemy. If I was a Taliban leader I would tell my troops to lay low until a year or two after the timeline passes giving time for the US to believe they have succeeded and pullout. Once they are gone I would have my troops activated, move into the population centers, take over, and punish those who cooperated with the US, consolidating my power.
2) Perhaps the most important reason we should stay committed and not give up on Afghanistan in our image and its relation to our security. As I discussed in an earlier blog it started with Vietnam. We started a war and didn't finish it. Not because it was not winnable, but we lost the will to fight. After the "Black Hawk Down" incident in Somalia Clinton pulled out having started something and not finishing it. We again lost the will to fight. Osama seeing this began to see a pattern of weakness in US foreign affairs. He tried to provoke us with the Khobar towers, the African embassies, and the USS Cole attacks. We did next to nothing to punish Al Qaeda for these acts of war upon us. 9/11. Finally we woke up and did something about it. Nine years later the public has gone back to normal life and forgotten about much of what was going on in Afghanistan until recently. Bin Laden has succeeded in drawing us into war. He believes us weak and that we will run in defeat at the first sign of death and destruction. Now that we are engaged in this struggle how we react now will tell everything about our image. Are we going to validate him and his tactics by allowing him to succeed with our retreat from the battleground of our time? Afghanistan is a war of ideals. Will terrorism, radicalism, brutality, and evil, (yes I'm going to use that word because I believe that people who kill, maim, and torture innocent civilians are in fact evil) be allowed to prevail or will the US and the coalition that supports us with righteous views of human decency, fairness, and equality triumph? The outcome will determine if the the US keeps its status as a hegemony or not. If we are able to win in Afghanistan and on the war on terror we will show the world we are able to adapt to changing conditions and triumph in the diffused, globalized world. If we can not win and we give up, we admit that we can not effectively protect our interests and bring to justice those who wish to do us harm in today's world. This will open us up to new attacks from various terrorist organizations who will not believe our commitment to causes and terrorism will be used again and again against the US and our allies because they have seen it work before. Rogue states like Iran and North Korea will not believe we have the capability to impact them for doing things against that which the U.N. desires.
The World will end up losing the "World's policeman." Think of the effect of this on the world. If there were no police what would happen? Can we expect everyone to behave and work together without an authority? I don't think so. The world will become much more dangerous for everyone including the United States. Isolationism in our history has failed for a reason. It doesn't protect you from foreign threats and if we are focused on security we need to realize this more than ever.
Bottom Line: Don't leave Afghanistan!
Since the question is "Does having US troops in Afghanistan make us safer?" I will not go into the details that got us there too much. Also I will ignore the human rights implications of leaving and the duties and responsibilities that a nation such as the US have to our people and the people of other nations when we decide to intervene. I will just focus on staying or leaving Afghanistan and its effect on security. The facts are that 9/11 was perpetrated by Al Qaeda who was sheltered in Afghanistan by the Taliban. When asked to hand over those responsible the Taliban refused. The only step left to bring the planners and their supporters to justice was to use military force because of the network that they possessed in the region. Now, with this as a backdrop I will explain how keeping troops there is especially important for our safety. There are two main reasons for this:
1) Forgetting the past and focusing on the current moment the Taliban have made a renewed effort using bases in Pakistan to reclaim lost territory and incite the population to become an insurgency against the US. In tactical terms we are on the offense militarily while the Taliban who have made various offensives in the region are still in the grand scheme of things on defense. Since we are in their backyard attacking them, they do not have the time or the stability necessary to plan attacks on our homeland. If we were to switch to defense and move out of Afghanistan we would hand them back a safe haven with which Al Qaeda could move back in, get on the offense, and attack us on our turf. By keeping them busy with defense and disrupting their networks they can not plan and attack us in any organized fashion. These are the basics of attack and defense in military terms. This is why giving out time lines is a horrible and self-destructive tactic. For one, you give the troops fighting in the region the impression that no matter what their struggles, victories, and defeats, that we will leave at this date. It hurts morale greatly. Also, if you are the Taliban or Al Qaeda a timeline gives away the intent of your enemy. If I was a Taliban leader I would tell my troops to lay low until a year or two after the timeline passes giving time for the US to believe they have succeeded and pullout. Once they are gone I would have my troops activated, move into the population centers, take over, and punish those who cooperated with the US, consolidating my power.
2) Perhaps the most important reason we should stay committed and not give up on Afghanistan in our image and its relation to our security. As I discussed in an earlier blog it started with Vietnam. We started a war and didn't finish it. Not because it was not winnable, but we lost the will to fight. After the "Black Hawk Down" incident in Somalia Clinton pulled out having started something and not finishing it. We again lost the will to fight. Osama seeing this began to see a pattern of weakness in US foreign affairs. He tried to provoke us with the Khobar towers, the African embassies, and the USS Cole attacks. We did next to nothing to punish Al Qaeda for these acts of war upon us. 9/11. Finally we woke up and did something about it. Nine years later the public has gone back to normal life and forgotten about much of what was going on in Afghanistan until recently. Bin Laden has succeeded in drawing us into war. He believes us weak and that we will run in defeat at the first sign of death and destruction. Now that we are engaged in this struggle how we react now will tell everything about our image. Are we going to validate him and his tactics by allowing him to succeed with our retreat from the battleground of our time? Afghanistan is a war of ideals. Will terrorism, radicalism, brutality, and evil, (yes I'm going to use that word because I believe that people who kill, maim, and torture innocent civilians are in fact evil) be allowed to prevail or will the US and the coalition that supports us with righteous views of human decency, fairness, and equality triumph? The outcome will determine if the the US keeps its status as a hegemony or not. If we are able to win in Afghanistan and on the war on terror we will show the world we are able to adapt to changing conditions and triumph in the diffused, globalized world. If we can not win and we give up, we admit that we can not effectively protect our interests and bring to justice those who wish to do us harm in today's world. This will open us up to new attacks from various terrorist organizations who will not believe our commitment to causes and terrorism will be used again and again against the US and our allies because they have seen it work before. Rogue states like Iran and North Korea will not believe we have the capability to impact them for doing things against that which the U.N. desires.
The World will end up losing the "World's policeman." Think of the effect of this on the world. If there were no police what would happen? Can we expect everyone to behave and work together without an authority? I don't think so. The world will become much more dangerous for everyone including the United States. Isolationism in our history has failed for a reason. It doesn't protect you from foreign threats and if we are focused on security we need to realize this more than ever.
Bottom Line: Don't leave Afghanistan!
Christ House
Soooooo this week we went to Christ House. I really appreciated the foundation and everything it does to save lives, but honestly I found what we did there kind of pointless. I mean, all we did was watch a video (that is posted on there website) and hear some facts (that are posted on the website). We then took a “tour” of the building, but really we just moved up a floor and talked about different facts as we stood in one spot.
Don’t get me wrong, I completely love the organization, its just that I felt what we did there wasn’t really something that required us to actually go. I wish we went there and did some kind of volunteer work at least. I would’ve loved if we helped in the kitchens, served food, helped with custodial work, etc.
It was also kind of awkward just walking through these people’s living space talking about their lives within earshot. I tried to put myself in their shoes during the ordeal. I don’t really know if I would’ve been pleased if I was a homeless amputee sitting on a bed as groups of well-dressed private university students walked through, gawking at every injury they encountered, then quickly composing their stare. The bottom line was that this Wednesday lab could have easily been conducted in our formal lounge, with a speaker and a TV for the video. Going there felt unproductive and awkward, and I felt like we didn’t do enough.
Don’t get me wrong, I completely love the organization, its just that I felt what we did there wasn’t really something that required us to actually go. I wish we went there and did some kind of volunteer work at least. I would’ve loved if we helped in the kitchens, served food, helped with custodial work, etc.
It was also kind of awkward just walking through these people’s living space talking about their lives within earshot. I tried to put myself in their shoes during the ordeal. I don’t really know if I would’ve been pleased if I was a homeless amputee sitting on a bed as groups of well-dressed private university students walked through, gawking at every injury they encountered, then quickly composing their stare. The bottom line was that this Wednesday lab could have easily been conducted in our formal lounge, with a speaker and a TV for the video. Going there felt unproductive and awkward, and I felt like we didn’t do enough.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Jon Stewart Rally
The Rally had to be the highlight of 90% of American University student's weekend. Many of us woke up earlier than 1 pm on a Saturday morning; still others woke up before the metro even started. Some crazies even camped out. Unfortunately, I don't think it was worth the hype.
Now I can say I was within 200 ft of Cat Stevens, Ozzy Ozbourne and of course Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert, but there wasn't much 'rally' to the Rally to Restore Sanity. It was more of a performance.
OK maybe getting 150,000 people to do the cheek pop at the same time was pretty cool.
The real 'rally' began at the last 30 minutes when Jon Stewart donned his suit and Colbert...dragged up his own podium and self-puppet. The debate was over being rational when it comes to viewing news. Learn bias. Notice it and understand its falsity. Don't necessarily believe some radical newscaster's false connection between Muslims=Terrorists. Here is part of Jon Stewart's closing speech:
"There are terrorists and racists and Stalinists and theocrats, but those are titles that must be earned. You must have the resume. Not being able to distinguish between real racists and tea partiers, or real bigots and Juan Williams and Rich Sanchez is an insult -- not only to those people, but to the racists themselves, who have put forth the exhausting effort it takes to hate. Just as the inability to distinguish between terrorists and Muslims makes us less safe, not more."
It's a great message and it's very funnily stated (which is typical of Stewart) but it's also a message that most of the audience has heard before. If anything, it was just a reminder.
Still, to get this same message one doesn't have to camp out a 3 am in 40 degree weather and stay standing for another 12 hours--one just has to watch 3 minutes of Glenn Beck.
So was the rally worth it?
Now I can say I was within 200 ft of Cat Stevens, Ozzy Ozbourne and of course Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert, but there wasn't much 'rally' to the Rally to Restore Sanity. It was more of a performance.
OK maybe getting 150,000 people to do the cheek pop at the same time was pretty cool.
The real 'rally' began at the last 30 minutes when Jon Stewart donned his suit and Colbert...dragged up his own podium and self-puppet. The debate was over being rational when it comes to viewing news. Learn bias. Notice it and understand its falsity. Don't necessarily believe some radical newscaster's false connection between Muslims=Terrorists. Here is part of Jon Stewart's closing speech:
"There are terrorists and racists and Stalinists and theocrats, but those are titles that must be earned. You must have the resume. Not being able to distinguish between real racists and tea partiers, or real bigots and Juan Williams and Rich Sanchez is an insult -- not only to those people, but to the racists themselves, who have put forth the exhausting effort it takes to hate. Just as the inability to distinguish between terrorists and Muslims makes us less safe, not more."
It's a great message and it's very funnily stated (which is typical of Stewart) but it's also a message that most of the audience has heard before. If anything, it was just a reminder.
Still, to get this same message one doesn't have to camp out a 3 am in 40 degree weather and stay standing for another 12 hours--one just has to watch 3 minutes of Glenn Beck.
So was the rally worth it?
Best Weekend!
This has nothing to do with World Politics of any sort. It was a pretty impressive weekend and I thought I'd document my events so that one day I can look back at this site and laugh at my college adventures. It is a reflection and I'm free to do what I like.
This was definitely one of the best weekends I’ve had since I started college. The best part of it all? It didn’t include a drop of alcohol or any other extraneous substances.
On Friday night, my job was hosting a concert in Tavern. I'm not sure if any of you know them, but Super Mash Bros are pretty spectacular and the fact that we (meaning AU students) didn't have to pay the typical $40 ticket to see them way just great. Its not every day you have a small concert and some individual one-on-one time with artists.
Saturday morning should be remembered as one of the most incredible experiences I will have in life and will definitely tell stories to my children and grandchildren. My snazzy business club managed to get a few “Special Guest” tickets to the Stewart+Colbert Rally, and well, we had a killer view. At one point, I was about 4 feet away from Arianna Huffington. Go Huffington Post! Afterwards, I went to Angelico's with a few friends and enjoyed a well deserved meal. Later that night, I was working an additional shift in the Info Desk and I finally watched the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The script that followed the movie along with the funny customs were definitely a surprise. For instance, since I was a Rocky virgin, it was traditional to place a lipstick red V on my forehead. It didn't happen. I was glad to have worked and shared a few moments experiencing the movie with some of my friends from Letts 6. I thought my night would have ended there, but out of no where an old friend showed up and took me out of DC. I must say, Maryland is a dangerous place at night. I wouldn't be able to drive around at night, theres no street lights! Somehow, we ended up in Annapolis. It was definitely a lovely night.
And then Sunday was my "catch up on sleep" day.
Can I please have more weekends like this?
This was definitely one of the best weekends I’ve had since I started college. The best part of it all? It didn’t include a drop of alcohol or any other extraneous substances.
On Friday night, my job was hosting a concert in Tavern. I'm not sure if any of you know them, but Super Mash Bros are pretty spectacular and the fact that we (meaning AU students) didn't have to pay the typical $40 ticket to see them way just great. Its not every day you have a small concert and some individual one-on-one time with artists.
Saturday morning should be remembered as one of the most incredible experiences I will have in life and will definitely tell stories to my children and grandchildren. My snazzy business club managed to get a few “Special Guest” tickets to the Stewart+Colbert Rally, and well, we had a killer view. At one point, I was about 4 feet away from Arianna Huffington. Go Huffington Post! Afterwards, I went to Angelico's with a few friends and enjoyed a well deserved meal. Later that night, I was working an additional shift in the Info Desk and I finally watched the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The script that followed the movie along with the funny customs were definitely a surprise. For instance, since I was a Rocky virgin, it was traditional to place a lipstick red V on my forehead. It didn't happen. I was glad to have worked and shared a few moments experiencing the movie with some of my friends from Letts 6. I thought my night would have ended there, but out of no where an old friend showed up and took me out of DC. I must say, Maryland is a dangerous place at night. I wouldn't be able to drive around at night, theres no street lights! Somehow, we ended up in Annapolis. It was definitely a lovely night.
And then Sunday was my "catch up on sleep" day.
Can I please have more weekends like this?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)