Turn Down for What
The 20s are all about having some genuine fun. Contrary to popular belief, there's more to college just drugs, booze, and hookups. There's all the classes, your extracurriculars, but most notably the randomness in between it all. The "life" you live when you're not actively trying to "live life." It's not something you prep for, or ever what you expect - it's the reality of what organically happens. Step away from the bottle, drop the dutchy, and cover up the hickies. Turnt up on nothing - we say turn down for what?
There's this idea in college that the only way to have fun is to get drunk off your ass, sleep around, and smoke anything and everything. While there's nothing particularly wrong with those things (do you - they may or may not be illegal and truly problematic) they're not for everyone. If you don't do those things it leaves little to do and few people to hang out with. Peer pressure is a real thing, and while people may say that they don't care that you don't live the same lifestyle but you can always tell really they're judging you, don't understand you, or actually have a problem with it. You choose for yourself - that's it. The coolest people you find, at least in my personal experience, are the ones who accept you for who you are. It's what we all strive to do, but putting it into practice is way harder than just liking the idea. When you accept someone for who they are you take them at face value, you minimize your assumptions about them, and seek to understand who they are. This school year I've come to really value my interactions with people who perpetuate those ideals and to also work to do so myself. People are just people. People are whoever they are. People are who they choose to be. My standards and expectations for other people have been curtailed, checked, and downgraded. It's not that I'm letting just anyone into my life, my social circle, and overall near "me" (whoever that may be) but rather that I'm giving people the opportunity to impress me, to show me who they are, and to leave it at that. No more trying to fit people into a box or looking for more or less duplicates of myself or my best friends. People are fine just the way they are. They don't need to be fixed, altered, improved (this is not Home Improvement or the Home Depot #wreckingball) and somehow we just all fit together. I've let myself just be and to let my opinions of people's actions and words speak for themselves. People are not what we imagine them to be. You accept yourself, and then everyone else. I'm preppy, a perfectionist, an overachiever, and eccentric - no one else is like me and that's fine. Actually it's superb because we need diversity (all forms of it) in our lives. I'm getting turnt up, and yelling (interally ... as always) turn down for what.
This past weekend was a wild mess of epic proportions. The phrase turn down for what is more than appropriate for these momentous instances of (wholesome) college debauchery. Last Thursday was my RHA's event "Sex in the Dark" which had a massive turn out like nobody's business - sex ed questions galore. Afterwards I hit downtown with my fraternity brother, Dom, and played some intense rounds of Halo: Reach with our other brothers Connor, Joe and Connor's Roommate Ryan. That internal switch of fun mode gets turned on (for once in a long ass while) and I'm like a completely different person. I'm me. I'm normal. I'm like everyone else. I hadn't had a good time like that in way too long. Afterwards it was back to campus where I headed on over to Denny's with my buddy Mac (the recurring major character in the life story this past weekend) and the stupid jokes, randomness and quirks were all over the place. Late night as usual and Friday came out of nowhere. I had my first session of my RA class (loves me some social justice) and moved on to physics, lunch with a friend, and then hanging out solo for a bit. I watched the pilot episode of the Crazy Ones with Robin Williams, Sarah Michelle-Gellar and James Wolk. So funny, cleverly written, and it just works without trying too hard. Friday night was karaoke over across campus in a residence hall. The dynamic duo of Mac and I made our way over to Jeanne Mance hall to sing our hearts out horribly. My official favorite first years, Connor and Ben, were running the show and seeing them in their own element brought a smile to my face (I'm like old and feel moved too easily nowadays). We belted out "Fergalicious" and "a Thousand Miles" most notably - let's just say singing is not our forte. The ridiculousness continued as the four of us, and buddy, Dylan, walked to Domino's for late-night sustenance. The hilarity was endless, and we drove back to campus to just hang out, watch vines, and crack jokes. Super chill night and it was literally the best thing ever. 3am bed time and Saturday was upon us. I spent my morning cooking lemon-pepper chicken wings for the "Noche De Cultura" Alianza Latina event and getting my life together in general. The time came and I got dressed up for the event which was awesome. I had such a genuinely good time with my RHA people and Mac made a guest appearance. Food, performances, activism, and dancing to top it all off. Now that was a sight to see. My old roommate, Patrick chilled with us and the core group of Sam, Mac, Brendan, and our of our RHA reps, Natalia decided to keep the night going. Random driving playing oldies and singing at the top of our lungs, a pit stop at Dunkin' Donuts and getting to the after-party unbearably early. We were overdressed and uninhibited in the best ways possible. After some stargazing and story trading, we called it a night at 3:30am. The late nights just keep coming. Sunday was my homework day until I had meetings from 5:30pm onwards. I shot the premiere episode of my pop culture TV show, "Dirty Pop" which went really well (I wholeheartedly appreciate all the time I get to spend with my cast/crew mates). On to TV station meeting and my fraternity's (Phi Mu Delta) chapter meeting. I plead the fifth on that one. Mac came over to do his laundry in my residence hall and we hit up our physics homework, much to our failed attempts and perpetual confusion. Trading personal experiences and witty banter until 2 am. All led up to Monday where the week kicked off with meetings, office hours, some campus drama, ordering food, and a grocery/craft shopping trip. I made it to class, and there was even more Mac who stopped by for dinner (I'm claiming god-father + groomsmen status now). Last minute homework efforts and blogging (that awkward moment about when you blog about blogging) finished off my night #turndownforwhat.
The 20s are all about doing what you do. People's opinions of your life are irrelevant. No one has the right to place judgment on who you are and what you do. Check yourself before you wreck yourself. Get your life together and calm it all down. Your life nothing but your own. Live it the way you want to, but be prepared for everything that comes with that - both good or bad. We're all out here like turn down for what.
My blog post question for the day is ... what's the weirdest thing you've done on a weekend in college? The list is endless for me, but this weekend of randomness is definitely up there when it comes to being completely random.
There's this idea in college that the only way to have fun is to get drunk off your ass, sleep around, and smoke anything and everything. While there's nothing particularly wrong with those things (do you - they may or may not be illegal and truly problematic) they're not for everyone. If you don't do those things it leaves little to do and few people to hang out with. Peer pressure is a real thing, and while people may say that they don't care that you don't live the same lifestyle but you can always tell really they're judging you, don't understand you, or actually have a problem with it. You choose for yourself - that's it. The coolest people you find, at least in my personal experience, are the ones who accept you for who you are. It's what we all strive to do, but putting it into practice is way harder than just liking the idea. When you accept someone for who they are you take them at face value, you minimize your assumptions about them, and seek to understand who they are. This school year I've come to really value my interactions with people who perpetuate those ideals and to also work to do so myself. People are just people. People are whoever they are. People are who they choose to be. My standards and expectations for other people have been curtailed, checked, and downgraded. It's not that I'm letting just anyone into my life, my social circle, and overall near "me" (whoever that may be) but rather that I'm giving people the opportunity to impress me, to show me who they are, and to leave it at that. No more trying to fit people into a box or looking for more or less duplicates of myself or my best friends. People are fine just the way they are. They don't need to be fixed, altered, improved (this is not Home Improvement or the Home Depot #wreckingball) and somehow we just all fit together. I've let myself just be and to let my opinions of people's actions and words speak for themselves. People are not what we imagine them to be. You accept yourself, and then everyone else. I'm preppy, a perfectionist, an overachiever, and eccentric - no one else is like me and that's fine. Actually it's superb because we need diversity (all forms of it) in our lives. I'm getting turnt up, and yelling (interally ... as always) turn down for what.
This past weekend was a wild mess of epic proportions. The phrase turn down for what is more than appropriate for these momentous instances of (wholesome) college debauchery. Last Thursday was my RHA's event "Sex in the Dark" which had a massive turn out like nobody's business - sex ed questions galore. Afterwards I hit downtown with my fraternity brother, Dom, and played some intense rounds of Halo: Reach with our other brothers Connor, Joe and Connor's Roommate Ryan. That internal switch of fun mode gets turned on (for once in a long ass while) and I'm like a completely different person. I'm me. I'm normal. I'm like everyone else. I hadn't had a good time like that in way too long. Afterwards it was back to campus where I headed on over to Denny's with my buddy Mac (the recurring major character in the life story this past weekend) and the stupid jokes, randomness and quirks were all over the place. Late night as usual and Friday came out of nowhere. I had my first session of my RA class (loves me some social justice) and moved on to physics, lunch with a friend, and then hanging out solo for a bit. I watched the pilot episode of the Crazy Ones with Robin Williams, Sarah Michelle-Gellar and James Wolk. So funny, cleverly written, and it just works without trying too hard. Friday night was karaoke over across campus in a residence hall. The dynamic duo of Mac and I made our way over to Jeanne Mance hall to sing our hearts out horribly. My official favorite first years, Connor and Ben, were running the show and seeing them in their own element brought a smile to my face (I'm like old and feel moved too easily nowadays). We belted out "Fergalicious" and "a Thousand Miles" most notably - let's just say singing is not our forte. The ridiculousness continued as the four of us, and buddy, Dylan, walked to Domino's for late-night sustenance. The hilarity was endless, and we drove back to campus to just hang out, watch vines, and crack jokes. Super chill night and it was literally the best thing ever. 3am bed time and Saturday was upon us. I spent my morning cooking lemon-pepper chicken wings for the "Noche De Cultura" Alianza Latina event and getting my life together in general. The time came and I got dressed up for the event which was awesome. I had such a genuinely good time with my RHA people and Mac made a guest appearance. Food, performances, activism, and dancing to top it all off. Now that was a sight to see. My old roommate, Patrick chilled with us and the core group of Sam, Mac, Brendan, and our of our RHA reps, Natalia decided to keep the night going. Random driving playing oldies and singing at the top of our lungs, a pit stop at Dunkin' Donuts and getting to the after-party unbearably early. We were overdressed and uninhibited in the best ways possible. After some stargazing and story trading, we called it a night at 3:30am. The late nights just keep coming. Sunday was my homework day until I had meetings from 5:30pm onwards. I shot the premiere episode of my pop culture TV show, "Dirty Pop" which went really well (I wholeheartedly appreciate all the time I get to spend with my cast/crew mates). On to TV station meeting and my fraternity's (Phi Mu Delta) chapter meeting. I plead the fifth on that one. Mac came over to do his laundry in my residence hall and we hit up our physics homework, much to our failed attempts and perpetual confusion. Trading personal experiences and witty banter until 2 am. All led up to Monday where the week kicked off with meetings, office hours, some campus drama, ordering food, and a grocery/craft shopping trip. I made it to class, and there was even more Mac who stopped by for dinner (I'm claiming god-father + groomsmen status now). Last minute homework efforts and blogging (that awkward moment about when you blog about blogging) finished off my night #turndownforwhat.
The 20s are all about doing what you do. People's opinions of your life are irrelevant. No one has the right to place judgment on who you are and what you do. Check yourself before you wreck yourself. Get your life together and calm it all down. Your life nothing but your own. Live it the way you want to, but be prepared for everything that comes with that - both good or bad. We're all out here like turn down for what.
My blog post question for the day is ... what's the weirdest thing you've done on a weekend in college? The list is endless for me, but this weekend of randomness is definitely up there when it comes to being completely random.
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