Life Lesson I've Learned from Glee

Life is Too Short to Stress

We all know that familiar feeling of the week before finals. UGHHHHHHH. That's how I feel about it. In some ways, I act like Rachel Berry. I can't sing or dance, but I can worry about useless things. I, like Miss. Berry, am an over-thinker. Today's dilemma: Whether or not I should force myself to read for a class if I hate the assigned book. Now, I know what you're thinking: Get over it, it's part of college to hate the assigned books, just shutup and do it. But here's my defense: I really hate this book. So in order to put off reading the book, I called my mom to complain about how hard my life as a college student is.
"Mom, my life is so hard. I have so much homework," I said.
"Well, you're almost done," she said.
"No. You don't understand. I have so much work."
"Nat, I do understand. Everyone else has a lot of work, too. If you had that much work, you'd be doing it right now instead of calling me to complain about it."

Good point, mom.

That phone call put things into perspective for me. Instead of wasting time bitching about homework, I need to just shut up and do it. To avoid the stress of homework and finals, focus on something good.

Last week, my roommate got a kitten. Before I start my homework, I play with Lilly to relieve stress. I've also realized that everyone needs someone (for me, it's my mom) to have the balls to tell you to get over yourself. Thanks, mom.

Here's what Lilly looks like:

Life Lesson I've Learned from Glee

Sometimes the Old is Better Than the New


This coming Tuesday is the new episode of Glee! Finally. It's been a long couple weeks without one. But I've been easing my pain by watching the old episodes (life without Blaine is just dull), when I realized something: I was actually enjoying the old stuff. This got me thinking...

I always overlook my old stuff. Always. I overlook things that I've done or had for awhile because I get bored. But I know that sometimes, things that are old are better than the new. This leads me to my best friend Sam.

In two weeks I'm graduating college, and like most soon-to-be grads, I'm scared. I'm leaving all my friends behind and going back home. At first, I thought there is nothing for me at home anymore. Then I realized: Sam. She has been my best friend since 9th grade and has been there for me through everything. When she left UPG two years ago, I cried.
"You'll be fine," she said. "Trust me. You'll make new friends."
And I did. Sam is the kind of friend who is the voice of reason. When my boyfriend and I broke up and I didn't want to get out of bed, Sam was there.
"Just get it together. Don't worry about him," she said.

Sam will be there for me when I go back home. And although I've made new friends and had new experiences, I'm excited to go back to something that's old.

PA Budget Cuts: What Does This Mean for Us?

As we all (should) know by now, Republican Gov. Tom Corbett proposed budget cuts for PA universities beginning July 1. For college students across PA, this cut will be detrimental to our education. So what exactly does this potential cut mean for us? According to the Wall Street Journal.com, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704758904576188633406924322.html, this means that state funding for universities will be cut by 52%, which will result in higher tution, less open teaching positions in colleges, limited classes, and pay freezes.

I am one of thousands of Pitt students with a story.

 I, like many students at Pitt-Greensburg, am a first-generation college student from a hard working family. Both of my parents work full-time and have put me through college by doing so. As the first family member to be a graduate of college, I value education. I'll be going to Pitt next year for a teaching program so that I can (hopefully) teach in a Pittsburgh school within the next two years.

Yesterday I was standing outside my Literature class when two girls walked past me carrying books.
"I can't come back next year if tuition goes up," one said.
"Neither can I. I already have two jobs and I can't imagine getting a third," the other said.

Is education a privilege for only those that can afford it?

With a majority of Repulicans in the Senate, Corbett's cuts stand a good chance of succeeding.

As a part of Corbett's proposed plan, teachers across PA will be laid off, and those that aren't will be taking pay freezes. This makes me reconsider my career choice. Will I have to move out of PA and leave my friends and family behind because jobs, especially teaching positions, are few and far between?

The world is in a bad place right now. And I don't see it getting better anytime soon.

How does this relate to Glee? It doesn't.

Life Lesson I've Learned from Glee

Life is Funny. Don't Take it Too Seriously.

It took me a long time to be able to laugh at life. Let's be honest, 9 times out of 10, our day to day life is hilarious. And I'm not just talking about actual funny things, like having fun with friends and being drunk. But if you really look at the things that you once thought were serious, you'll probably laugh at them now. Here are my funny things that I realized this week:

-Professor Jakiela told us one time to pay attention to signs that are meant to be serious, but are actually really funny. Today, I saw a huge sign outside that said: "Don't Fall In." It was posted over a patch of wet grass from the recent storms, but it was hilarious. What a great sign to see first thing in the morning. Story of my life: "Don't Fall In."

-I came across an old picture of me in high school today (thank you, Facebook), and I cringed. Those awkward high school years are traumatic (for most of us) to think about. And this relates well to Glee. What seemed like a huge deal in high school, such as what color eyeshadow you had on, if your braces made you look ugly, etc. is funny to think about now. In fact, I can't believe I wasted so much time worried about stupid things. In order to pay tribute to those awful high school years, I found a website with pictures of the Glee actors from high school. It's comforting to know everyone is awkward sometime in their life. Here is a sample of what I found:

For the whole collection, click here:
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fomg.yahoo.com%2Fphotos%2Fglee-high-school-photo-flashback%2F4715%2F1&h=98e5aIWTYJCdIf1yILK84CW-EBw