Letter to Jones Hall House Council

To the members of the 2010-2011 Jones Hall House Council:

It has come to my attention as a Jones resident, that some of the ladies in our building seem to believe that the front “patio” area and stairs were installed for use as their own giant ash tray. Not only is this rude, but it makes Jones as a whole look trashy. It would be my proposition to put in place some sort of ash tray or cigarette butt receptacle in order to contain waste and preserve the cleanliness of an area that we all share, and is often a prospective student’s first view of Jones Hall.

This brings me to my second point. Every morning when I leave for my early classes, I get up, get dressed, grab my textbooks and head downstairs. Upon reaching the front door, I take a deep breath, hold my nose, and plunge into a sea of toxic chemicals and airborne particulate matter. That is my long-winded way of saying that I really hate having to walk through a cloud of cigarette smoke every time I leave Jones. I respect the smokers’ right to give themselves lung cancer, but I would rather they not take me down with them. Also worthy of note: Illinois state law requires smokers to stay at least 30 feet away from the doors of public buildings, a practice which if often ignored by smokers who sit directly around the corner from the door. I would propose a designated smoking area, far enough from the door that those of us who choose not to smoke do not have to be subjected to the hundreds or poisonous chemicals contained in secondhand smoke.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely:

Larra K Brogdon, Jones Hall 202

Give me your thoughts and/or feelings. Does this sound mature and reasonable? Is it well written? Anything else you can think of. Thanks!

The College Adventures: Day 44

     Ah, fall. Yes, it's that time of year again, when the first hints of gold and orange begin to touch the trees and the air has a crisp, chilly quality that makes me feel energized and happy. I walked a different route to my dorm today just to enjoy it. My southern room mate thinks the weather is far too cold; but being the doll that she is, obligingly sleeps with approximately 64 blankets when I suggest sleeping with the window open.

    I had my first official critique in my Basic Drawing class today, and I got so much great feedback from my class mates and instructor. I was over all pleased with how the piece turned out, and my instructor was impressed that I had taken the time to mat it.

    I really love how the darker eye came out. For larger photos, see my Facebook Photo album entitled, "Art - College Edition."

    Well, I think that about wraps up my thoughts for today. I wish you all well. Go enjoy this fabulous fall!

Only 23 days until the Pro-Life Day

     There are only 23 days until the Pro-life Day of Silent Solidarity on October 19th. This event is a world-wide day of silent protest for those people who will never have their own voice or be able to speak for themselves. I participated in this event in high school, and I am proud to be doing so again this year. So, if you believe that unborn babies are children not choices, then I encourage you to visit http://www.silentday.org and register to participate this year on Tuesday, October 19th. There is no way to know what life might be changed or saved just because we take one day out of our year for those who cannot speak for themselves.

I need your help!

    Please vote for my entry on Brickfish so I can win scholarship money!

Me and My BFF Brickfish

     

National Suicide Prevention Week

     Just Pause

     Pause with me for a minute, close your eyes and count to forty. In the time it took you to do that, somebody -someone's mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, cousin, grandparent, son, daughter, or best friend- committed suicide. 

     In honor of national suicide prevention week and the amazing people at To Write Love On Her Arms, I would like to take a pause from my usual rants and share with you a little from my heart.

     Did you know that every year, nearly a million people take their own lives? That's like every single person you ever hung out with, spoke to, hung out with, or sat next to in class all dying in one year. Makes for a pretty rough 365 days, huh? Imagine how the friends and families of those million people must feel.

     Many people, myself included, will struggle with feelings of hopelessness and depression at some point during their lives. I have been blessed with so many caring and supporting people in my life, and a lot of amazing resources that helped me to arrest and manage my depression, deal with the frustrations that cause it, and not go back. I, however, am one of the lucky ones. Many people never receive the help they need and ultimately turn to suicide as a permanent solution to a temporary problem. This is made even sadder by the fact that, especially here in America, we have ample resources -many free- to help combat and cope with depression.

     This is why I choose to support organizations such as To Write Love On Her Arms, which is currently working towards launching their online crisis center: IMAlive, similar to an online version of the suicide hotline. The work that TWLOHA is doing is vital to the growth of our generation. So, check them out along with several other cool and/or helpful links that I've included at the end of this post.

    To wrap it all up, I'll say this: Next time you see someone who seems to be having an off day, or have the chance to speak with a friend or family member who is feeling down and you think in that second about going about your day, be it a friend or a stranger......just pause.

http://www.twloha.com

http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/suicideprevent/en/index.html

http://operationbeautiful.com

http://www.iasp.info

TWLOHA on Twitter!

Check out one of my favorite charities - To Write Love On Her Arms - on Twitter to hear more about what this amazing organization is doing to fight depression and suicide!

The College Adventures: Day 16

The Wonders of Mass Transit

     What can you really do when you're sitting in a bus full of strangers on a seat that looks like a cross between a Picasso and the carpet at Chuck-E-Cheese (see above photo of bus seat material)?  In my case it amounted to finishing off the Reader's Digest that I stole from my mom, and text messaging a lot. I also did some people-watching, though my fellow bus riders were disappointingly uninteresting. I did, however, decide that the middle of the bus, more towards the back is the best place to ride on the bus. For one, there are usually seats left there when you get on the bus since most people either sit in the front or scurry to the back; and two, when the bus is going up or down hills, it feels almost disconcertingly like a roller coaster. 

     FREE TIP: When riding a bus and you don't feel like having a potentially strange seat mate, first drop a purse, backpack, or laptop case into the seat next to you, then DO NOT look anyone in the eye: this is anthropologically recognized as a gesture of welcoming, which you don't want to extend. If you don't have a purse, and no energy to avoid eye contact, sit in the aisle seat and pretend to be asleep. Most people are polite enough that they won't want to wake you by climbing over you or asking if they can sit with you. That's another thing about bus/train etiquette that I just don't understand! When somebody walks up to you and says, "Can I sit with you?" or "Do you mind if I sit here?" I mean, you kind of have to say yes unless someone is legitimately sitting with you. If you say nothing, they sit there anyway. If you just straight up say no (because they look creepy, smell bad, or you're feeling antisocial) they either expect some sort of explanation (ie: Someone's sitting there already) or they just assume you're a total jerk. 

     Anyway, my train was late departing, arriving, and dumping me at the Carlinville Amtrack "station," which is really more like a glorified bus stop. It's an enclosed, lit building, about 15 x 20 feet, possibly a little bit larger, but I didn't feel like laying down on the floor to use myself to measure it...not to say I didn't consider it. I was a little bit unnerved to be waiting for my ride in this strange neighborhood, with nothing but my luggage, a dying cell phone and someone's abandoned Newports to keep me company. Especially since I don't even smoke. Eventually my ride got there and I arrived safely in my sub-arctic dorm room around 12:30 this morning. I have never been so grateful for the frozen safety of my awkwardly small bed before in my college career. 

     In other news, I put teal and blonde streaks in my hair. Just a few and they're very subtle. The blonde was actually a happy accident, since Ashley missed the bleached streak when she was putting in the teal, rendering it a nice honey blonde color. I'll include a photo at the end of this post. 

     I got out of my morning lab early today, to the tune of about 30 minutes, which was a nice start to the day. I also don't have to work until tomorrow, allowing me to slowly re-immerse myself into college. Today is looking pretty relaxed. I have two more classes: Drawing and Choir, and then nothing for the rest of the day. I may actually have time to eat lunch today: it's a Christmas miracle! 

     Well, I actually have a few things to accomplish today, so until next time, TTFN - Ta Ta For Now!