English & Writing & Grammar, Oh My!

  Every morning when I wake up, I look at my roommate and say, "Today is The Day!" This has somewhat become a joke as I say it literally every single day. At some point in the day we see each other and almost exclusively say, "Today was not The Day." I'm not sure if I started this to intentionally become a joke or as a vie for optimism; regardless, it has become a staple in our apartment. But today I asked myself if it ever really is going to be The Day, and I'm not sure where I find myself with that. Today most certainly was not The Day. On so many different levels, things went absolutely wrong. I truly did wake up this morning with every bit of confidence that it really was going to be today, but I suppose you can't plan for those things. To be entirely frank, I don't actually know how today could have gone any worse. I'm unbelievably drained and I still have so much to get done. I know everyone feels that way, but it isn't always easy to r...

 In high school, I had an art teacher that often said something that always stuck with me: "Life sucks and then you die." This often reminded me of the sentiment that the only certain things in life are death and taxes. Every time I get a paycheck, I look at the amount removed by taxes and automatically get sad. I think about how much we pay in taxes and how much of that is wasted on things that the government doesn't even tell us about. Another thing I think about are the necessities that we all pay for that taxes could be going towards, and I don't mean food and water. Obviously, I think that food insecurity is a tragically common issue, but that is not the discussion that I will focus on today. The issue that I would like to focus on is tampons. In many states, tampons and other feminine hygiene products that are undeniably necessary are taxed. Firstly, these products are extremely overpriced for something so crucial. Secondly, do you know what product isn't ta...

DISCLAIMER: This most definitely makes approximately zero (0) sense, so I suggest turning back if that is unsatisfactory to you. People often discuss the possibility that we're living in a simulation or the matrix or what have you. I think that to an extent we all deny that, but you can never be entirely certain. To that part of you, I direct this thought: what if we are all living in a giant snow globe? I know this sounds foolish, and to be entirely honest it absolutely is. Logistically, it is entirely nonsensical. But wouldn't you rather believe that it's the truth? Just to keep a sparkle of magic alive? The alternative is to believe that we are on a giant rock hurtling through space, which you must admit isn't exactly thrilling. In the end, does it really matter what our reality is? A simulation, a sitcom, a snow globe, a rock, a movie- what does that change? Does it change how we choose to live? Does it change our possibilities? If you knew that you were living in a...

 This semester, I am taking a course in American Sign Language. I've wanted to learn ASL for years but never had the opportunity before now. Taking this class, I have generated several opinions that I will now share. 1. The amount of facial expressions required in ASL is utterly impressive. I can't lie, I'm extremely timid with my expressions as I'm in an online class with about fifteen people that I've never met signing for the first time in our lives. However, it truly is astounding the difference that facial expressions make. Like the intonation of someone's voice, they can indicate a question, emotion, sarcasm, etc. Watching experienced people sign is mesmerizing, and I think that someone that signs well will always impress me. 2. Learning to sign is criminally underrated. ASL is a language, so of course it takes some practice to learn. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't be learning it. In the U.S., approximately 600,000 people are deaf and only abo...

As it stood, it was not only a house but an heirloom in the making, a crest  . It was not a house of excess or extravagance, but it was perfect for the two that would call it home. Their journey was just beginning, the one that generations would come to know as their history, their roots.  In 1955, the house was completed: the bright red roof, the exposed concrete between bricks, the lamp that would one day flicker as a beacon for bedtime  .  The knotty pine left its farm-side view for that of four walls; it snaked its way through the living room, down the hall, under the bed, in the closet,   and anywhere else the eye might dare to search for it.     The structure itself seemed to become the tree that warped around it. The house became its new roots and, as this tree's gr...

Mary East swore to forever remain single after the man that she loved was ripped away from her. She sought comfort from another young girl that had also sworn off men, and they found that comfort in each other. The two connected on a deep level, and they decided to live out the rest of their lives together; they knew it would be impossible as they were both young women, so they decided to change that. After flipping a coin, it was decided that 16-year-old Mary would begin a new life as James How. She dressed and lived as James, and the couple generated an honest living. The pair never let people into their house, “they never kept either maid or boy, but Mary East, the late James How, always used to draw beer, serve, fetch in and carry out pots always herself, so peculiar were they in each particular.” This was difficult, but it allowed them to live the way that they truly wanted. Unfortunately, James was later extorted by a woman named Mrs. B. This woman had known James when he still p...

 Aphra Behn's The Fair Jilt details young, beautiful Miranda's exploits as she ruins people around her to fit her fancy. At the beginning of the work, Miranda is portrayed as a frivolous girl with simply far too many options to settle down. Cupid supposedly curses her to fall in love with someone she simply cannot have as a punishment. However, this "punishment" barely phases her. She puts in some work and is still kindly denied, so she ruins Henrick's life. He remains composed and does not even attempt to rectify is wrongful imprisonment. When Van Brune is put to death because of her, he is apologetic for failing his assassination rather than devastated that he was about to die. No matter what Miranda did, Prince Tarquin stayed at her side. Miranda was constantly in the wrong, and no one ever seemed to hold it against her. Was she entirely wrong, though? Truthfully, she did not force anyone's fate except for the friar. Was she a ruthless gold digger or a fem...