Frustration.

Last night was an all-around fantastic night--I kicked it off by going to a concert performance of The Marriage of Figaro, which I had never seen/heard. A friend of mine was the conductor and he (as well as the cast and orchestra) did an amazing job. I then went to a friend's birthday party, which was also very fun.

At one point though, a few of us got into a debate about pornography and prostitution, and I got very frustrated. I still am when I think about it now. I seemed to be the only one who thought either of those professions was demeaning and/or abusive--at one point I was asked if I had ever enjoyed sex (which of course has nothing to do with anything). I was pretty heartbroken, I'm not going to lie. I hate how I can't seem articulate my feelings and my knowledge. I know there are women who do not go into these professions willingly. I know there is sex trafficking in the United States, as well as many many other countries around the world. I know girls are sold into prostitution as young as 3 in some parts of the world. People have seen it, lived it, they can attest to it. And it hurts me to think that some people believe all women have and make a choice when this happens to them.

And that's not to say it's like that for all women who are prostitutes or in porn. Not at all. I'm sure some of them do it because they believe it is the best way for them. But then again, what does that say about our society that they feel this is going to be the best way for them to spend their lives? There are so many variables in every life that could lead to prostitution or porn. Abuse, neglect, an unloving environment, daily insults about one's lack of self-worth.

I am lucky enough to not have to live through that nightmare, and every single person at that party last night is just as lucky. At least the ones engaged in the discussion. It really pains me to think that people make blanket assumptions about choice, especially today.

I have a friend who worked at an organization two summers ago that helped get girls out of prostitution, fought against sex traffickers. It really disturbed her to do it, but she did it because she knew she had to do what she could to help these girls. I saw her face when she was talking about it, and I dare anyone to say all women have a choice in the matter after watching her.

That last post was NOT MINE. Plus, donate to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure!

Hi everyone. Sorry for my prolonged absence. I had lost interest in my blog for quite some time. Months, I believe. But no longer!

First of all, I want to say that last post was not me. It was my mother who accidentally put it on my blog and not the one for the music boosters. I apologize for that.

Here is what is happening with me, in case you are out of the loop. I am going to grad school in less than a week, starting on Tuesday, for library science at Simmons in Boston. I'm actually really excited; I'll be concentrating on Youth Services, which is pretty much perfect for me. I just need to get some scholarship money and then I'll be all set. *fingers crossed*

I have also recently decided and registered for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure walk, which is kind of a big deal. I have agreed to raise a minimum of $2,300 by the time of the walk, which is in mid-July. It's going to be challenging; not only do I have a large sum to meet, but the walk itself is 60 miles over three days. Please donate generously to the cause. Apparently I can't post the link here because blogger is stupid, so go to www.the3day.org and search for my name, that will take you to my page. I'll also try to get the widget posted on here somehow. I'm so bad with website things. But all donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law, and the net proceeds of the event will be invested in community-based breast health programs and breast cancer research (the research funded focuses on decreasing breast cancer incidence and mortality in the next decade).

If you would like to dedicate your donation to someone in your life who has been affected by the disease, you are more than welcome to add that name when you donate online. That's also the fastest and easiest way to donate.

Anyway. Part of the REASON I have stopped blogging was that my computer died. Again. Yes, one last time, because I decided it was not worth fixing. Nope. I finally got a replacement about 2 weeks ago, and what a replacement it is. A nice new 13" MacBook Pro, ready to help me get my master's degree. It's super exciting, I'm not gonna lie, and I got this super cool decal for the back, which is a picture of Snow White holding the apple on the back. She's wearing a kerchief around her face, bandit style, and the title is Snow White's Revenge. Everyone at the Apple Store thought it was wicked awesome. And that's because it IS.

So that's it for right now. I am sorry to have disappeared, but now I'm hoping things will be more regular. I tweet, but a tweet can only tell you so much. I have to figure out how to add that widget though. And my Susan G. Komen widget. (Please donate!)

UNO Chicago Grill: Only Way to Raise Dough!

The Burlington High School Music Boosters Association will be hosting a Dine Out event on Friday, January 22, 2010, at UNO Chicago Grill located in the Burlington Mall. Good on dine in and take out orders, Uno’s will donate 20% of all receipts (excluding tax and tip) to the Music Boosters during the all-day, all-night fundraiser.

The Uno Dine Out event coincides with the Music Boosters’ Youth Movie Night, an evening of fun for children ages 5-13 at Burlington High School where the youngsters can spend the evening with friends and watch the Disney-Pixar film “UP” on the big screen. Parents can drop their children off at Burlington High School under complete student and adult chaperone supervision at 6:00 pm and head to the mall for dinner at UNO’s and shopping, or pick up your order and take it home to your sanctuary of silence! (Pick-up time from BHS is at 9:00 pm.)

To participate in the BHS Music Boosters Association Uno’s Dine Out event, you must present the UNO’s coupon designed specifically for the January 22 event. Coupons for the UNO Chicago Grill Dine Out event and registration forms for the Youth Movie Night can be obtained by contacting the Music Boosters organization at bhsmusicboostersassn@gmail.com or the music office at 781-860-1860. They have also been sent to every elementary and middle school home and will be available at the check-in desk during Youth Movie Night.

Another actual conversation.

Zav: Never sing an Italian song while you're shaving. I told you it was too soon for me to shave, Mom.
Mom: Well did I hold a gun to your head?!
Zav: A metaphorical gun. A gun of pressure.

I'm slighly horrified by this

Salt n' Peppa and Ice T are described as "vintage" in the BSG book I'm reading right now. Do I feel old. When the character said "vintage hip-hop" I didn't really know what she meant since I can't think of what vintage hip-hop would be. And then: Wow.

Rethinking digital education party times.

So earlier this month I blogged about Cushing Academy getting rid of their books and redesigning their library. I still am against getting rid of all the books in a school library (that is dumb). BUT that does not mean that I am against using digital readers instead of textbooks.

My mom sent me this article about how other schools are using digital media as learning tools, replacing textbooks with Kindles and iPod Touches. I think that is a BRILLIANT idea. I hate textbooks, unless they are English textbooks (as those are never out of date, like say history or science textbooks--I mean, O. Henry's short stories and T.S. Eliot's poetry ain't a-changing like these times). I would MUCH rather have gotten issued a Kindle in college and used that instead of getting stupid textbooks that I never ever used (*COUGHCOUGHSCIENCECOUGH*). I could still be using a Kindle and get books that way, and lots of classics are free on there, I hear. Or are like a dollar.

Though if laptops and stuff are used instead, then there are still the problems of limitless distractions and whatnot. But those of us who've been in college classes recently have dealt with that anyway (I am guilty of reading emails and reading things that have nothing to do with class while in class).

Though if you think about it, textbooks do give you the opportunity to write all over the place (and possibly doodle). I doubt it would work quite so well on a digital reader.

The end is at hand.

No, I'm not talking about 2012 or Armageddon. Though for someone like me, what happened at Cushing Academy is close.

The private school in Ashburnham, MA has decided that the future is completely and utterly digital, with no room whatsoever for books. Literally. They've recently gotten rid of their 20,000+ collection of books, to make way for what they believe is the future.

I'm sorry, but don't you think that's a little extreme?

David Abel, the Boston Globe journalist who wrote the article, says that Cushing is replacing the traditional library with a $500,000 "learning center" where students will be inundated with digital technology, like the $42,000 they'll be spending on flat-screen TVs that will show Internet data, $20,000 on little study spaces where students can use their laptops, and $10,000 on digital readers (think Amazon's Kindle). Oh, and did I forget to mention the $50,000 coffee center, complete with a $12,000 espresso machine, that will be replacing the reference desk?

So okay. I get it. The future is now, blah blah blah. But really. I hope this does not become a trend because people start to think books are "out of date" or whatever. I don't know how many of you have tried to read books on a computer screen before, but you can only stare at backlit text on a white background for so long before you feel your eyes and your brain start to fry. After all, books on e-readers aren't free (ka-ching!), and not all of them are available. What about rarer texts? Books that aren't available on Kindle or whatever Sony e-reader they're getting? Students will have to use e-books via computer, and that bites.

Plus, I'm sure one or two of those digital readers will have an "accident" with the absolutely-necessary lattes the reference desk-cum-coffee shop will be dispensing. In a room full of electronics. At a high school. SMART.

I don't see why the school couldn't have built on their library's digital resources while still keeping the books around. They claimed they didn't have room for them (in the library). So they gave them all away. It's not like they made money off of getting rid of the books; they already had that money, probably from the ridiculous tuition they charge the families of their students. So what was the point? They really didn't want to think of some way to compromise? That's just sad.

Abel also makes another good point: How many teens do you know who have spent any period of time online without checking their e-mail, IMing, or at least wasting time on some other site? I don't know about you, but that seems pretty much impossible. If they're going to be spending hours reading books via the Internet, they're going to be talking to their buddies and reading FML.com or surfing Facebook. End of story.

Perhaps most disturbing to me is that the students didn't seem to care at all. I know that when I was in high school, I took out books all the time. I love to browse the stacks in libraries and bookstores, and I feel really sorry for any future generations (or my own) who won't have that chance. By taking away books you're denying a great resource to any kid who wants to use it--after all, not every student hates to read.

If this turns into some sort of trend, I'm not sure where it will lead us. Yeah, digital media is the future and all that, but books have been around since the 1400s. The printed word has been around for thousands of years. With the development of digital media, what will happen to it? What will happen when literature can be wiped out of a personal library with the click of a mouse?