Nostalgia de la boue, I'm told
Jenna Edwards
Issue date: 5/6/09 Section: Opinion
I'm not really the nostalgic type. I mean, I'm all for sitting around with friends and discussing fun times, but that's about it.
I've never really been Samford's biggest fan. Not that I feel any real antipathy for it. I'm just afflicted by "rampant apathy," to borrow a line from Douglas Adams.
But there are some things I'll miss about my time at Samford. The lemon poppy seed muffins come to mind most readily.
I've also had some pretty phenomenal professors, each great for their own reasons. My first class at Samford was a French course, and that professor set a pretty good standard for the rest of my Samford experience. She's still one of my favorite professors, for her passion for what she does and her general commentary.
I'm going to miss being in a place where I can take religion for granted, in a way. Not that everyone at Samford is religious nor are we always models in piety, but we get the opportunity to assume that people have or can at least put up with our religious convictions.
Mind you, this atmosphere has jaded me in some ways and certainly added to my well-established cynicism. Who hasn't been subject to the uncomfortable, occasional proselytizing? But I can be thankful for that fact that faith is acceptable and encouraged here.
But that's really enough about Samford. I mean, it's not like my experiences really mean that much to you. You'll make your own decisions about it. You'll agree or you'll disagree. And either way, I won't much care.
So, let's talk about some ridiculous things and maybe a few great things that I've been thinking about lately.
Maybe we'll start out with my favorite news story of the year, even if it happened months ago.
In February someone hacked into a traffic sign in Lubbock, Texas and changed the message to read, "OMG THE BRITISH R COMING." Seriously. Phenomenal. Imagine all the things that could be put on a hijacked traffic sign and they wrote that the British are coming. They may be my heroes.
Next on the list, how annoying are the opinion writers for the New York Times? I love reading them, but how about finding something new to say rather than being so pretentious all the time? Sorry Gail Collins, only Kurt Vonnegut can get away with that, and I only give him grace because he went through some crazy stuff in World War II.
Also, I spent a week not knowing anything about the world, because the only thing the news was willing to cover was that the Obamas got a flippin' dog. Oh, and they should be ashamed because they didn't get it from a shelter. Ridiculous.
But that's the end, so here are my final words:
Find a sense of history (through family, country, whatever). Eat good food. Believe in something bigger than yourself. And endure with a fight.
So, I guess what I'm saying is live like you're a Jew. We really could learn a few things from them.
Jenna Edwards is a senior international relations and French double major from Fort Worth, Texas. She can be reached at jmedward@samford.edu.
I've never really been Samford's biggest fan. Not that I feel any real antipathy for it. I'm just afflicted by "rampant apathy," to borrow a line from Douglas Adams.
But there are some things I'll miss about my time at Samford. The lemon poppy seed muffins come to mind most readily.
I've also had some pretty phenomenal professors, each great for their own reasons. My first class at Samford was a French course, and that professor set a pretty good standard for the rest of my Samford experience. She's still one of my favorite professors, for her passion for what she does and her general commentary.
I'm going to miss being in a place where I can take religion for granted, in a way. Not that everyone at Samford is religious nor are we always models in piety, but we get the opportunity to assume that people have or can at least put up with our religious convictions.
Mind you, this atmosphere has jaded me in some ways and certainly added to my well-established cynicism. Who hasn't been subject to the uncomfortable, occasional proselytizing? But I can be thankful for that fact that faith is acceptable and encouraged here.
But that's really enough about Samford. I mean, it's not like my experiences really mean that much to you. You'll make your own decisions about it. You'll agree or you'll disagree. And either way, I won't much care.
So, let's talk about some ridiculous things and maybe a few great things that I've been thinking about lately.
Maybe we'll start out with my favorite news story of the year, even if it happened months ago.
In February someone hacked into a traffic sign in Lubbock, Texas and changed the message to read, "OMG THE BRITISH R COMING." Seriously. Phenomenal. Imagine all the things that could be put on a hijacked traffic sign and they wrote that the British are coming. They may be my heroes.
Next on the list, how annoying are the opinion writers for the New York Times? I love reading them, but how about finding something new to say rather than being so pretentious all the time? Sorry Gail Collins, only Kurt Vonnegut can get away with that, and I only give him grace because he went through some crazy stuff in World War II.
Also, I spent a week not knowing anything about the world, because the only thing the news was willing to cover was that the Obamas got a flippin' dog. Oh, and they should be ashamed because they didn't get it from a shelter. Ridiculous.
But that's the end, so here are my final words:
Find a sense of history (through family, country, whatever). Eat good food. Believe in something bigger than yourself. And endure with a fight.
So, I guess what I'm saying is live like you're a Jew. We really could learn a few things from them.
Jenna Edwards is a senior international relations and French double major from Fort Worth, Texas. She can be reached at jmedward@samford.edu.
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