Why Term Limits are Actually Unconstitutional

In spite of many conservative and libertarian politicians promising the implementation of term limits for members of the House and Senate, this implementation is actually unconstitutional. If you're now wondering how much hope you have of this changing, it's pretty slim, but is possible, I suppose.

You see, in Article II, Section II of the Constitution it states:

"The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.

No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen."

And Article II, Section III of the Constitiution states:

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.

Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every second Year; and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during the Recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next Meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such Vacancies.

No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.
The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.

Nowhere does the language of this centuries-old document denote limits on the number of times a person can be elected to the same office. But why is this a problem? In 1969, the Supreme Court of the United States (which will be referred to as SCOTUS) decided Powell v. McCormack. This case involve a man by the name of Adam Clayton Powell, a Representative from Harlem, New York, who, after failing to respond to civil matters against him, was held in criminal contempt. He was re-elected, but the House of Representatives voted to exclude him from taking his position as a Representative. Is it constitutional for the House to exclude someone if they meet the age, citizenship, and residence requirements that are laid out by the Consitution? 

In a sweeping 7 to 1 decision by the Warren Court, the answer was a resounding no. Chief Justice Earl Warren, in his majority opinion, stated that "As Madison pointed out at the Convention, this principle is undermined as much by limiting whom the people can select as by limiting the franchise itself." Thus, the Court set precedent that Congress could not add further requirements to prevent a duly elected officer from being seated. 

Then in another case in 1995, the Court ruled on U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton. In November of 1992, Alabama adopted Amendment 73 to their constitution which instated term limits and also rendered Representatives who had served for three or more terms, ineligible to run again, and Senators who had served two or more terms, ineligible for re-election. But are the states allowed to add qualifications to those already outlined in the US Constitution?

In a close 5 to 4 decision, the Rehnquist Court ruled that the states could not add such qualifications. The majority opinion, written by Justice John Paul Stevens, insisted that these qualifications often have the intent of "creating additional qualifications indirectly" and would likely result in handicapping certain classes. He also pointed out that "...allowing individual States to craft their own congressional qualifications would erode the structure designed by the Framers to form a 'more perfect Union.'" Thus, term limits are unconstitutional. 

Constitutional term limits would require the SCOTUS to take another case related to the matter and then rule that it is constitutional. This is extremely unlikely to happen because the Court rarely overturns precedent. While it has been know to happen (i.e. The famous Brown v. Board of Education (1954)), it does not happen with great frequency. This is primarily to keep the law stable and predictable so that other judges in lower courts are able to rule on cases in concordance with the Constitution. 

Alternatively, Congress could choose to propose and ratify an amendement to the Constitution. This, however, is a nearly insurmountable task. First, someone must propose the amendment. Mere days ago Senator Ted Cruze proposed an amendment that looks very much like the one added to Alabama's constitution in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton (1995). So we have the proposal. Then, the House AND Senate must approve the proposal by a two-thirds majority in each. Let's say, for posterity's sake, that a bunch of people who probably don't want to be subject to limits on their power do, in fact, pass the amendment. It's not over yet. Three-fourths of state legislatures must ratify the amendment. That's 38 of the 50 states. This is the method by which all 27 of our Constitution's current amendments have been added. 

To the same effect, two-thirds of the state legislatures could call for a Constitutional Convention at which the amendment is proposed. The proposal is then distributed to the states for ratification and three-fourths of the states must approve the amendment. While this is a viable option, it has never before been used to create a constitutional amendment.

So, why do politicians continue to make these promises of term limits that they likely cannot keep? I suspect, and this is entirely my own conjecture, that if politicians at least "try" to make this policy come to fruition and they are stopped by the Constitution, then it isn't their fault, at least they tried, and you will still vote for them for doing so. Besides, how many people know that term limits have already been deemed unconstitutional? I didn't. If a politician says they'll make it happen, we have every reason to believe them unless we are aware of the fact that the SCOTUS has already ruled on the issue and deemed it impossible under the current circumstances. 

Until I discovered this interesting tidbit, I myself was a proponent for term limits (imagine my shock at reading they're unconstitutional). There is so little that we know about the law and its effects on government. It may be beneficial for every American to take a course in Constitutional Law if only to learn about the court cases that have had a major impact on the way our government is allowed to function, and especially how those permissions relate to our election of political candidates who make promises they know very well they can't keep. This would be a useful addition to any voter's arsenal of information. Understanding how the government works is vitally important to our election of competent, efficient, and effective government officials since, at the end of the day, they are speaking and acting on our behalf. While I do hate to burst anyone's bubble, as an aspiring student of the law, I feel it is more important to educate than placate. 

If you're interested in this topic or simply must see for yourself that what I'm saying is true, I recommend Oyez.com for searching cases. You can read a brief summary of the case, listen to the oral arguments, and read the entire case which is linked right there on the page. You can find information on the Constitution and how to amend it on LexisNexis.com or just read it in its entirety, which is never a bad idea (I'm a huge fan). The internet is full of false information, so beware and tread carefully. 

Thanks for reading!

Onward and Upward

I know I haven't posted in ages, but that's because between how boring my life feels to me and how busy I tend to be, I wasn't so sure what to post. However, my life got infinitely more interesting in the last couple of weeks, and I have come into quite a bit of free time - at least for the time being. In the past two weeks, I got engaged and was hired to finish the year out as a Resident Advisor.

Prior to these huge, life-changing decisions, I was just a college Senior trying to finish up my undergraduate degree and apply to Law School. I was working as an Office Assistant (OA) in one of the residence halls on my campus and I'd been dating my now-fiancé for five years. My life pretty much consisted of sitting at the Front Desk until I annoyed my friends, going to class (on occasion), and eating food with my friends.

My room is situated across the hall from  my younger sister, who is two years younger than me. We're best friends and we do pretty much everything together. I can always count on her to keep me company while eating a meal, spot me a twenty, or give me honest advice. She's the Elsa to my Anna and we like it that way. However, as I prepare to move across campus to mold and shape the future of this university, I find that leaving my sister is the hardest part. Of course leaving the OA staff and the community that became my family is difficult too; actually leaving this place might be harder than leaving home to come here in the first place.

I've been doing a lot of #adulting in the past few weeks and it is so much harder than we like to pretend it is. It's a lot of making hard decisions where both results would probably be good, but one is what you should do and the other is what you want to do. Sometimes they're the same thing, but a lot of times they aren't. Deep down, I wanted to stay right where I am. It's safe: I already have friends there, my co-workers are amazing, my sister lives here, my classes are close by, and I was President of the hall's governing body. But it would have been reckless to ignore the financial gains and the opportunity for new experiences to slip by me, especially since I'm planning a wedding for this summer and they are not cheap.

Either way, this blog is about to get popping as I try to navigate being a graduating senior, an RA, applying to law school, and planning a wedding!

So stay tuned!!

Before the Pen in my Erin Condren

Back in August, I bit the bullet and splurged on an Erin Condren Life Planner, thus a love affair was born. Since then, I have fallen full throttle into the black hole that is planner decorating. BUT, I value efficiency above most other things and tend to only use "decorations" that fill some purpose. With that being said, let's get started!

My monthly spread is a little bit messy. I've been trying some new things and in April, my planner will get a complete overhaul since I bought a new monthly kit, so stay tuned for that! I buy all of my stickers on Etsy since they're cute and there's a huge variety. The shops featured in this post include:

 Packaged to Plan monthly kit by CraftedbyCorley

Itty Bitty Kawaii Celebrate the Day and itty Bitty Kawaii Happy Mail by SweetKawaiiDesigns

The Functional College kit and Telephone Icons by RAKPaperStickers

Hydrate Side Bar by Libbieandco 

TV Show Reminders by ThisVeryCraftyMama

Every week in my planner starts out looking like this before I add in classes, homework, club meetings, and other happenings to the week. I have my "Resolutions" up in the top left-hand corner:

Migraine Diary

LSAT Prep

Eat Healthy

Keep Room Clean

Budget

Keep Kosher

My goal is to do each of these things every day of the week. So far, I'm doing pretty well at the healthy and Kosher ones, since they go hand-in-hand a little bit. I'm definitely failing at the rest. I take my LSATs in June and I've studied maybe 4 times (I'm never getting in!). But every week they stare at me from the pages of my planner and I feel a little bit more motivated. 

My side bar is my goals and to dos for the week and I've split up To Do, To Call, and To Email into their own little sections. The Packaged to Plan kit comes with this nifty little daily checklist that I use to remind myself that my sister and I have to move our car. (We're manipulating the parking situation at our school so that we don't have to pay $750 for the same parking that costs commuters $300, but it means we have to move our van, Bertha, twice a day.) Finally, my hydrate sticker is at the bottom. I have chronic migraines and I never drink enough water, so I bought a tracking water bottle to pair with my sticker, in hopes of it helping; so far, so good. 

This week is Spring Break, so I don't have much of anything going on until later in the week. The Packaged to Plan kit comes with cute boxes, flags, and a few icons that match the week's spread. I always use half boxes for things that take around 2-3 hours and full boxes for 3-6 hours. The little postage stamp looking squares I use to keep track of my work shifts. I LOVE to do lists, so naturally I have a ton of checklist flags, though I hardly ever use them in my current system (again, stay tuned for April!) Pretty much my whole week is just catching up on things and getting the ball rolling for Maximus in Minimus, so checklists were perfect for this week! 

As of now, here's the final product! Things will get added to the lists as I think of them, and who knows? Maybe something interesting will pop up!

How do you guys like to plan?

Make the day great!

Rachel

Back with a Vengeance

Before now, this blog was just an outlet for me to experiment with writing in a public forum. I honestly thought (or hoped) that followers would come overnight and motivate me to keep writing. Boy, was I wrong! After studying motivation in college (I'm a psychology major), I have learned all of the ways I have to motivate myself to post, then the followers will come. So, I have redesigned the blog, designed a logo, created social media pages, and started calendars, to do lists, and a notebook dedicated solely to my blog.

The redesign focuses on the title: Maximus in Minimus, which means "greatness in small things" in Latin. I took three semesters of Latin and absolutely fell in love with it! This phrase has become my motto in the past year or so because I struggle with mental illness that makes me feel small, but I remember that good things come in small packages and it helps me cope. The design focuses on a muted, peaceful color palette and a pretty, quirky feel. I aim to make this blog me on "paper," so bear with me as I make strides to figure out exactly what my M.O. is (there's that Latin again!)

My college roommate and sister (yes, my actual, by-blood, share-the-same-parents sister), Mara, wanted to start a blog too (check it out at http://blamelessbeauty.blogspot.com/) and we are holding each other accountable for posting and boosting each others' moral when the going gets rough.

I'm hoping to dedicate the time and effort that this endeavor deserves and post some great, helpful content for my followers! Please take a moment to answer the survey question in the bar on the right, I want to make sure I devote the time to the things my viewers want to see! If there's something you don't see that you'd like to hear about, post it in the comments section and I'll see what I can do!


Greatness is yet to come!

Rachel

Erin Condren Planner Review: Unboxing

So, I finally bit the bullet and decided that I could (and should!) splurge a little on an Erin Condren Life Planner. If you're a planner nut like me, you've probably heard of these babies since they are the creme de la creme of planners. The planner I had purchased in May wasn't working out and I needed a new one, so I shelled out the $55 (or $66.96 with the expedited shipping) for the Life Planner. I actually purchased this in August before school started, but I wanted to talk not only about my first impressions but my impressing after about a month of use. Buckle your seatbelts and prepare for awesome!

How gorgeous is this box?!

First off, this box is gorgeous! That's all.

Tissue paper makes everything feel magical!

Look at all the goodies!

When you open the beautiful box, there is a beautiful layer of tissue paper. The box and tissue paper make the product feel really luxurious and expensive (which it is for a poor college girl like me).








When you fold back the tissue paper, there's a pile of free goodies! These goodies include a coupon for $10 off your next purchase, a postcard, a sticker, and really cute gift tags! (I lay all these out in the next picture, so keep scrolling!)

Goodies!

The top left corner of my box was really sticky after I pulled the shipping label off, so I put the purple postcard up there. I use the box to store things I want to put in my scrapbooks. (I couldn't throw away such a pretty box!)

There it is! The Holy Grail!

Finally, under a layer of big ol' bubble wrap, there's the planner (I might've cried a little).

Size comparison to my 2014 MacBook Air

Size comparison to my hand (which is tiny).

For posterity's sake, here are two pictures of size comparison. I thought it would be big and bulky to hold/carry around, but it isn't really. I actually really (REALLY) love the way it feels in my hand.


FINALLY we're getting to the good stuff! The actual planner!

Strong, but bendy cover. (This is the cleanest my desk will ever look.)

Let's talk about construction. This planner has an incredibly durable cover. It's made of a thick laminate plastic and is removable! (I just bought two more covers!) The planner is hand coiled with a thick, aluminum, one-inch coil. I believe it can withstand 110 pounds of pressure. There's a sheet of really lovely printed vellum (the see-through overlay stuff on wedding invitations) covering the first page of the planner. It's another one of those things that gives it that luxurious feel. The pages are printed on good quality paper (I have yet to have a pen bleed through). The print quality is excellent (and I'm an ex-printer's daughter). The colors never feel thin and nothing looks fuzzy, even the teeny tiny print and embellishments on days with holidays.

Month view

The month view is nice and big with plenty of room to write stuff. I was really concerned the tiny boxes for the 23rd, 24th, 30th, and 31st would be really cramped, especially because the 23rd and 24th are part of Welcome Weekend and I had TONS of things going on. I had to write a little bit smaller than usual, but everything fit. I don't use the Goals section a ton yet, but I'll do another post on how I set up my planner. There are also a couple of pages in the front that you can use for goal planning, etc. (More on those in December when I set them up!)

Vertical Week View

The week view is gorgeous and incredibly spacious! There's plenty of room for me to write in my entire crazy schedule and my homework (and not have a panic attack over how cramped it looks)! There's also a little Thankful Thought box in the top left corner that I think is really cute. I also use stickers for some of my planning to make certain things pop. The actual planner comes with three sheets of stickers in the back: one is pre-printed with events like birthdays, appointments, game days, etc and one is blank for you to fill in your own things. I LOVE these stickers as they fit perfectly in the boxes and are repositionable! The planner also comes with a double-sided "Keep it Together" folder with a perpetual calendar for birthdays/anniversaries, important contacts and passwords and a clear, zip-lock, plastic pouch in the back.

All in all, I highly recommend this planner. If you're willing to spend a little dough, this planner is a GEM! It has everything I need and more. I like looking at it and that makes me want to write in it. The design is aesthetically pleasing while still maintaining the level of functionality necessary for a busy person. There are a zillion ways to customize them and use them for your plannering. You can find blog posts and YouTube videos all over the Internet. I myself will be posting about how I organize mine pretty soon so keep a look out!

As always, thanks for reading!

Rachel

Internet Iceberg

Sorry I've been MIA, blogosphere! The boyfriend has been having a ridiculous amount of trouble getting Internet set up at his (brand) new apartment, which is where I spend the vast majority of my free time (watching him play video games). Allow me to explain and go on a mini rant about the wonders of Capitalism.

When we (I mean he, but we're practically one person) first started the process we thought it was going to be easy. We call AT&T and they come and install the U-verse and BAM Internet. Unfortunately, there was much more hidden below the surface and getting Internet became more like the sinking of the Titanic.

First, we had to reschedule the initial installation appointment due to the fact that we didn't know what the new apartment number was yet. Okay, so we called and rescheduled for after the 4th of July Weekend. They no-showed. I was at the apartment hanging out so I would be there during the install. Boyfriend was so nervous about it that he skipped a two-hour class to be there, but no one came. We called and they said the appointment had gotten cancelled due to a "facility error." Meanwhile, people are moving into the apartments around us and getting their Internet installed.

This exact thing happened two more times. At this point, we're ready to go somewhere else. We started looking at a local company that charges half for the same amount of high-speed Internet, and were thrilled! After talking to the landlady, however, we discovered (and here's where Capitalism comes in) that we had no choice but to use AT&T. Apparently, the complex made a deal with AT&T and allowed them to be the only people to wire the place, effectively taking away our rights as consumers. It'd be fine if they included it in the rent, but they don't. We have to go separately and call AT&T and work everything out with them. (This is why Communism sucks guys. Being told what to buy SUCKS.)

Finally the landlady's office gave us a more local AT&T representative we could call. At first, he was unhelpful. Then he finally offered a discount for all of the trouble and somehow pushed the right button to get the Internet installed (it came a couple days ago and I could've kissed those technicians). So now we have Internet! However, the promised discount was not added to Boyfriend's account AND they charged a $100 installation fee that he said would be waved.

I guess it's back to the drawing board with AT&T. Have you ever been told what to buy?

As always, thanks for reading!

Aperture and Shutter Speed and Flashes, Oh My!

Last fall, I tried to take this great Intro to Digital Photography class because

a) I LOVE photography and

b) It filled my Art General Education requirement.

Well the equipment for such a class is not cheap and I had no way to afford any of it (hello, poor college student!) so I dropped the class and prayed I could find a way to get the equipment. My prayers were answered when I received the opportunity to submit a proposal for a $2,000 grant to do a Creative Arts project and present it at an Expo next Spring. For my project I'm going to take the class this fall and apply my skills to put together a presentation for the Expo.

I got my shiny new Canon Rebel T5i with and 18-55mm IS STM kit lens and a 55-250mm IS STM lens just in time for my little sister's graduation this weekend! Of course I had to go out and play with it before then and haven't put it down since I got the battery charged. The 55-250mm lens is my favorite of the two but I took some sweet shots with it as you can see here.

My dad was teasing me asking if I was shooting in Auto. My boyfriend, Garrett's mom is also an avid photographer and had advised me to shoot primarily in aperture priority, so that's what I've been using. But all last week I watched camera videos on YouTube and have been playing with shutter speed like a 5-year-old (and I take the thing everywhere - my parents laugh at me).

(There's a bunny in this picture, I promise.)

I've been really excited to learn how to take awesome pictures and I feel like a total professional with my (pretend) fancy equipment. Sorry in advanced if you guys get a ton of photography postings (I'm totally geeking out!!!!) I'm really excited to share my journey with you all and (hopefully!) share some really great photos!

What kind of camera do you have? What kinds of pictures do you like to take?

As always thanks for reading!
Rachel

Rolling with the Tides

This book is quite unlike anything I've ever read before (if I had to compare, it most closely resembled the Mortal Instruments Series). A lot of books, particularly paranormal ones, tell the reader everything up front and use the paranormal aspect to guide the plot and create the climax. Spring Tide uses the plot to build up to the paranormal aspect. I enjoyed not knowing what was going on the whole time. It helps the reader understand what Kris is going through and connect with her.

That being said, I liked the characters and thought the character development was great, especially with Jericho (yum, yum!). While I agree with fellow reviewers that the writing style is a little jumpy in switching from POV to POV, I sense that it's that way for a reason, particularly so the reader is thinking constantly about what could possibly be happening. I don't think this book was intended to be a fluffy read that you could just sort of mindlessly sift through, but a mysterious thinker of a novel.

Despite the need-your-noggin aspect (I started and finished in the same day and wasn't reading all day or up ungodly late [oh, and I read it twice in two days]), it was one of the smoothest and quickest reads I've had in a while (I read a LOT so I'm not just blowing smoke here). While the beginning was a little difficult (mostly because I was saying "what in the world is this about?!), I was still intrigued, especially when Jericho arrived on the scene. I loved reading about the surfing as that's something I'm not exposed to in the Midwest, but I am having difficulty understanding it's relevance to the plot - I have theories and expect we may learn more in the next book (which I am anxiously awaiting).

I can understand my fellow reviewers frustration with confusion. I feel that a lot of this is a result of the sheer amount of information packed in the 300-or-so pages. And connecting the dots in my head resulted in tangles and snags. But sometimes you've just gotta roll with the tides (excuse my pun).

This book will not be everybody's cup of tea, but I highly recommend giving it a try, keeping in mind that it isn't a passive read.

Fifty Shades of WHAT?! *blush*

I was in high school during the first hype up of Fifty Shades of Grey upon it's print release. It debuted as an "erotic Twilight fan fiction." People seem to either love it or hate it. Olympic athletes and people around the globe are saying the content is horrible and un-Christian. When the movie released, I decided it was time to stop listening to everyone else's opinion and come up with my own.

I consider myself to be a morally upright young woman and was embarrassed by the novel's content during it's first go-around in 2011. Now that I'm in college, I am surrounded by this generation's sexual culture. I've seen enough posters advertising "sex fiestas" and enough lectures on the biology and psychology of sex to make me pretty hardy against the topic. I would like to say that I am not going to assess this book purely by literary, content, or plot value, but a combination. I'm going to do my best to be fair. Now, I know very, very little about BDSM except that a lot of people have a lot of problems with it. I will NOT be talking about the morals and ethics of BDSM. Needless to say, I expected a lot worse than what I got.

There ARE spoilers in this review!!!

Literary:
This novel is fluff reading. This is not a bad thing! I happen to love fluff. It's a nice break from the textbook, nonfiction, and more literary novels (ie. Austen, Bronte, Tolstoy, etc.) It's not meant to be literary. Fluff books are books that are "easy on the eyes;" they read quickly and for fun.

Even if you didn't know going in that this is Twilight fan fiction, if you've read it you'll be able to figure it out. Twilight was used a an example of poor writing quality at a creative writing seminar a friend of mine went to a few years ago. Yes, the writing is not the product of an English major from Harvard, but the story is cute if you can tolerate the unreal amount of sex. That being said, the novel was basically Twilight on pumped with loads and loads of testosterone (basically add unholy amounts of coitus).

Characters:
I liked the characters. Christian Grey was well developed, if copiously idealized. A review I read on Amazon by "meymoon" correctly identified the outlandishness of Grey being "a billionaire (not a millionaire but a billionaire) who speaks fluent French, is basically a concert level pianist, is a fully trained pilot, is athletic, drop dead gorgeous, tall, built perfectly with an enormous penis, and the best lover on the planet. In addition, he's not only self made but is using his money to combat world hunger. Oh yeah, and all of this at the ripe old age of 26!" But that's what books are for! Books aren't written to be realistic and some of literature's most beloved books are fantasy: Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Eragon, The Chronicles of Narnia, etc. Just because it's set in a realistic world doesn't mean it had to be completely devoid of fantastical elements.

Anastasia Steele was far less irritating than Isabella Swan and she was kind of a heroine in her own way. BDSM, according to Fifty Shades is kinky sex plus punishment. It's very clear in his contracts that he expects his submissives to be, well...submissive. The punishments were really the most disgusting part of the novel; canes, whips, belts, you name it. At one point, Christian hit Ana with a belt. Ana leaves him and when convinces her he's changed, she finds that the canes and belts are gone. She also unearths Christians sketchy past and helps him through the pain that he's been holding onto.

Content:
I would just like to underscore the fact that this novel is not promoting anything non-consensual or the punishment aspect of BDSM. Christian Grey had contracts and discussions with Ana about said contracts for most of the first book. The book also points out that these contracts would not stand up in a court of law if Ana was hurt and reported him. Hard limits and soft limits were discussed. Also, Ana rejected the punishing aspects of Christian Grey's...lifestyle. I'll be honest some of the sex is still really kinky and really really weird, but who are we to judge what people do consensually in their own quarters? Not to mention have you READ Cosmopolitan magazine? This book is not the first suggestion towards kinky sex in popular culture. Consent and safety are really big themes in this book though, to be fair.

While the plot is cheesy and far-fetched at times, it's a fun read with a pretty twisty plot. There are helicopter crashes, car chases, crazy exes, and break-ins. Yeah the plot is crazy and just about every bad thing that could possibly happen did, BUT it was a fun, light, amusing read. Even if you read it just to laugh at all of the content ripped out of Twilight (and oh, is it ample), that's fair. It blurs lines on what's realistic and what's moral, but if you can stomach it, the ending is pretty cute.

All in all, I give it 3 out of five stars. It wasn't great and it wasn't terrible. I expected far worse in the creepy department and while the writing itself is pretty sub-par, it's what I expected. The content is not for everyone. It pushes moral boundaries, and as a young lady with religious values I can't say I condone that on a personal level. But again, this is not for me to judge. I enjoyed the books. I took a particular interest in Christian's psychological background. I may even attempt an analysis on him if y'all are interested. Let me know in the comments section.

I hope I was fair and balanced. Any suggestions on books to review would be greatly appreciated in the comments section!

As always, thanks for reading and God bless!

Rachel

COMING SOON!!

Hello, world! I'm back. College is giving me a beating, but my friends discovered my blog and are dying for me to bring it back, so here I am. I'm giving the blog some new content as per suggestion of my dear, lovely friends so here's an update on what you can look forward to!

First, I'm going to start a new series of reviews of books and some movie adaptations of books. I am an avid reader and so are my friends and after reading the ever-controversial Fifty Shades of Grey, my friend H, is dying for me to write about it (and a whole list of others!)  Look out, though, there will be SPOILERS!!

Second, I want to attempt blending this with my first blog, Inspirspectives and post awesome tidly-bits of inspiration - great stories and personal anecdotes about faith, friendship, and awesomeness in humanity in general. Be on the lookout for great quotes and Bible verses too!

Thirdly, (I know, I know so much stuff) I want to start doing advice posts (probably lots of planner-related stuff) and anything readers ask for. If I was any good at studying I would share tips, but since I'm not too great at it I will try to give links and stuff to other blogs with great tips and make commentary when possible.

And last, but not least, general craziness from my life.

What are some things you want to hear about? Post 'em in the comments section and I'll do my best to get a post out!

Clear as Crystal

Hello Blogians!

As you know, I transferred to The Ohio State University this fall and I'm just now starting to get adjusted to the craziness of a big university. But...there are many more interesting things to blog about now, so I hope to be posting more frequently!

When I was at Urbana trying to decide if I was going to go back after I deferred or go somewhere else, someone helped me decide. I won't say who for confidentiality purposes, but he told me straight what I should do. I told him I wanted to be a lawyer and go to Yale or Harvard and he told me I needed to go to Ohio State. At the time I agreed with him, but I didn't know why.

I've been here at the greatest university in Ohio for a month now and I finally understand what he meant.

At Urbana I had a full tuition scholarship, a job in the President's office, top grades in my classes, and I wasn't even breaking a sweat. In the last few weeks I've been turned down for a job, rejected for Mock Trial, gotten a C on a quiz, I have no scholarships, and I'm working harder than I'm used to. These losses have made me realize just what it's going to take to get into Yale or Harvard and be competitive there. The pond is much bigger here and there are so many people with great qualities. Just being charming isn't going to be enough anymore, I have to have the whole package.

I'm thoroughly convinced that I do have the whole package, but I am not used to having to show all my cards at once. I think this is what my mentor meant when he said I had to go. It's no secret that opportunities here are ample, but I have to compete with a lot more people to get them.

I'm challenged here, and I don't just mean my classes, but my life too. And I've never been more grateful to be somewhere. Not one day passes that I walk to class without thinking about how lucky I am to be here. This university has a million things to offer and all I have to do is go out and look. Not to mention it's beautiful here. The feeling makes me determined to make the most of it. Now that I'm here, my mentor's message is clear as crystal.

God Bless,
Rachel

Post-Fourth Rush

My mom always says that after the Fourth of July, time seems to rush towards the end of summer and school starts in a flash. I think this is true mostly because there is simply so much to do before school starts that we procrastinate until the last half. We forget that on the Fourth we still have nearly two months before the end of summer. As a college student, I've put off way too many pre-school preparations. There's just so much to do!

My favorite part of the approach of the school-year is buying school supplies. I just love fresh notebooks and pens. I've actually been spreading some of my purchases throughout the summer because I decided to really invest in some larger purchases this year. For instance in May I purchased a Franklin Covey planner and on the Fourth I bought my first MacBook Air. I decided that I really wanted to start fresh since I'm starting at a new school and be the Rachel I am in my head.

This year actually makes school supplies shopping difficult because the Staples that we always used to go to a few towns over is gone now. I thought about getting my school supplies online, but it just isn't right. Plus, it would be really difficult for me to match colors without being able to see them in person. And I could go to Walmart, but they just don't have the same selection.

I color-code each of my classes with a binder, notebook,  and pen in the same color. The pen is mostly used for keeping track of the class and it's assignments in my planner. I like to reuse supplies when I can, but every year it's inevitable that I have to get some new stuff like notebooks, pens, highlighters, and white-out tape.

 I really like the Staples-brand notebooks because the covers are plastic which helps protect my notes and is super durable when they're tossed around in my backpack. I also really like the Staples-brand white-out tape. It works really well and it's super easy to use. I prefer to write in pen so it's great to fix mistakes in my planner or my notes. I'm using two different kinds of binders, which kind of drives me crazy because they don't match, but sometimes it's not worth spending money to get new ones. My favorite of the two are Avery binders. They're rubberized on the edges so they don't get frayed and their really durable plastic. Add their re-usable tab dividers and it's the perfect pair!

How do you guys get ready for the beginning of the school year?

Have a super day!

New Look Scholarship

Hello blogoshere!

So in my preparations to go back to college, I've been working on scholarships. One in particular asked me to write a blog "expressing my opinion of the societal impact of laser tattoo removal." So here it is:

In today's society, tattoos are becoming a more prominent way of expressing our individuality. In some industries, it is even acceptable to have tattoos. However, I think I speak for the majority when I say that we all remember our moms telling us how unflattering those tattoos will look when our skin starts to wrinkle or how if the tattoo doesn't come out like we expected, it's there for life. Laser tattoo removal is greatly changing how society views these potential road blocks by providing a way to efficiently remove tattoos while staying within a reasonable budget. 

Formerly, tattoos were somewhat tabooed in society, especially for business professionals. Tattoos used to be associated to guys in gangs and dangerous criminals. Over the years society has evolved to allow tattoos more freely. This has reduced much of the stigma related to tattoos and many more people are willing to express their individuality through tattoos. I firmly believe that this evolution has has stemmed from the development of tattoo removal technologies, particularly laser removal technology. This technology actually allows the heat and sound waves produced by the laser to shatter the tattoo ink which helps reduce damage to the skin.

Fun Fact: Did you know LASER is an acronym for
Light
Amplification
Stimulated
Emission
Radiation??

To sum up, the technological advances in tattoo removal have opened the minds of society and allowed individuals to express themselves by means of tattoos. These changes will continue advancing as technology continues to grow and develop, providing society with the ability to remove tattoos as needed. As these changes occur, less and less stigma will be associated with tattoos and more people who want them feel like they can get them without being judged, making our society a more expressive place.

All of these great facts came from New Look Laser Tattoo Removal. For more information check out them out at www.NewLookHouston.com or check out their Tattoo Removal Guide!

Thanks for reading guys!!

Finding a Place

Hello readers (if you're out there)!

I have been painstakingly waiting to share some rather exciting news with you all: I have been accepted as a transfer student to The Ohio State University! This is quite a drastic change from what I'm used to. To illustrate my point, Urbana University, my former institution, had approximately 1,200 students while OSU (Go Bucks!) has approximately 55,000. Yep, that's a lot of people. So naturally while I was on campus this past Monday for Transfer Orientation (my third college orientation), I spent a lot of time learning about my options and beginning to find a place at my new home away from home.

Of course, having a decided major has been extremely helpful in finding a place for myself in the academic world. I'm a Psychology major with an intention of going to law school. However, I did get to spend some time with other psych people such as myself. One of the girls I was talking to said her dad told her to major in something she could make money in and minor in something you love. Wise words I suppose, but as I was talking with her I realized that psychology is my one academic love. I can rant on and on about how sleep patterns can affect a persons behavior and productivity or how cool neurotransmitters or conditional learning are, I've done experiments on my younger sister with operant conditioning, and I fully intend to conduct an undergraduate research project. And THEN, as I talked with her more I realized that I WAS doing what she was doing after all. Law is my "major" and psychology is my "minor." Psychology is my passion but law is my money-maker. Not to say I don't love law because I do. Especially anything to do with the Constitution. I also love the idea of being a lawyer. And, admittedly, I like to argue. I would probably rock a debate team.

My problem, I suppose, lies in the numerous activities available to me on campus. Over 1,000 student organizations to be a part of and I'm totally ready to load my plate with all of the goodies like it was my favorite Chinese buffet. However, I know if I do that I will be completely overloaded, especially since Garrett is going to college in the same area. Debate team, mock trial, student government, the student newspaper, religious clubs, book clubs, service clubs, psychology clubs, and Quidditch all sound like fun options, but how do I choose. I suppose I'll find out!

Anyway, Ohio State is so big, I guess my anxiety lets me think I couldn't possibly find my niche, but I think that's why I will be able to find (what my sister calls) my nerd posse. There will be such a diverse group of people that there is no doubt I will find some people who don't mind all of my big words or my quoting Shakespeare at 9 in the morning. Maybe even a couple people who will quote Shakespeare right back!

Back to the Blogosphere!

Alert! I'm returning to the blogosphere!

After nearly three months of no posts, I am back! I have decided in the past couple weeks to become very serious about blog writing. I got a new planner and while searching Pinterest for ideas on how to set it up I was inspired by other bloggers to plan posts and write down ideas as they come to me. So here I am!

I realize that being "too busy" is just an excuse. I find time for everything else, why can't I find some time to write. Though online school does eat up a billion hours. Suggestion: do not take a full course load of online classes. Three maximum is probably a safe number. Also, if you don't like busy work or feel uncomfortable just reading the text, I recommend finding the time to just take traditional classes. It's easier to understand that you're not getting a concept during a lecture. Despite my diligence in getting work done on time and to the best of my ability, I still received my lowest GPA ever. My 4.0 at Urbana saved it a little and pulled it up to a 3.6, but it's still discouraging when trying to get the grades to attend an Ivy League Law School.

Anyway, I digress. So, this weekend Garrett graduates from high school. We're excited to be going to school in the same city and being able to enjoy the college experience together. Even more than celebrating his being done with high school (which we are cheering enthusiastically about), we are celebrating a beginning. We'll be moving forward together since we're both changing directions, (he's starting Graphic Design classes in September and I am restarting my college experience at The Ohio State University). I'm so proud of him (also insanely jealous because he's going to graduate college before me - not including graduate school).

Speaking of graduations, did you know it's extremely difficult to find gifts for male graduates? Yeah. Especially handmade ones. Garrett asked for things to decorate his room, so you'd think drawings right? Well despite my craftiness, I'm not that great at drawing. My sister got all of the talent. I'm great at scrapbooking and making artsy shadow boxes and handmade cards (Garrett was extremely impressed that I can make my own envelopes). I don't want to post what I am making him since I'm fairly sure Garrett reads this...but I will post pictures after Graduation is over. It's not the greatest, I am a little low on funds since I splurged a little bit on a Franklin Covey planner and recently had to pay my housing deposit for OSU, which isn't cheap. (Not to mention I bought him VIP concert tickets for his birthday so he already got splurged on this year!)

I know that like two people read my blog, but if you happened across this post a topic you'd like me to write about in the comments section!

Thanks, everybody!! Have a super day!

Common Sense about Common Core

Today, I would like to share some common sense about Common Core. Below, copy and pasted from corestandards.org, is the Mission Statement of Common Core:

"The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy."

Okay, soak that in for just a second. You're probably asking, "Well, what's wrong with that?" I'll tell
you.

http://www.ijreview.com/2014/02/114854-heart-wrenching-viral-photo-of-frustrated-little-girl-shows-what-common-core-does-to-children/

This picture has bee circulating on Facebook recently and if you haven't read the story behind it, I encourage you to follow the above link and read about why Common Core has this little girl so upset. There are also a plethora of news stories, blog posts, and others talking about woes created by the Common Core System. If you're looking for the story of someone personally touched by Common Core, please follow the above link because that isn't what my post is about.

Yes, both of my younger sisters as well as my boyfriend and his three younger siblings have been personally affected by Common Core Standards. I am among the last of the untouched. And while I have seen my second grade sister's standardized homework and heard my junior sister and senior boyfriend complain about pretests and post-tests and standardized exams, I have remained unscathed by the system. But as a college student and someone who has seen a little bit of the real world, I have plenty to say about it.

So, let's back up for one second. I have dealt my fair share of standards from OATs, OGTs, ACTs and
a whole lineup of state teaching standards. They are a pain. A pain for me, a pain for teachers, and a pain for colleges to decipher varying state standards. I am an intelligent person, so this is not coming from someone who doesn't test well and feels played by the system or someone whose genius doesn't lie in traditional meanings of the word, but someone who scored a 30 on the ACT and received above average scores on all of my standardized tests. Despite all of that, I believe that standardization stifles intelligence. Some of the greatest minds to ever walk the planet never finished school. Great, out-of-the-box ideas come from deviant thought processes that are stifled by comparing everyone to each other and bringing them down to the same thought level. It's wrong to force students to think inside a box.

Common Core also fails to prepare anyone for the real world. In real life there are no "ten sticks" to help us with our math and thinking like a robot is not what the real world needs. The world needs fresh, new ideas and people who think differently than anyone else to solve problems and help the world grow. As a college student, what would really help kids prepare is great teachers being allowed to just teach. Teach them good writing and communication skills, how to take notes, how to handle college loans. Teach them good professional skills and about the Constitution and how our government works. Teach them how to read a syllabus and hold them accountable for their homework and other responsibilities. Don't teach them how to think the exact same way as that other kid trying to get into Yale. Who does that help? No one.

If you need any more persuasion against Common Core, check out these videos. The first is a student from Tennessee and the second is a mother from Arkansas. 

I could say more, but I don't think I need to. These videos and the story above are more than enough. If you graduated from the Class of 2013, feel fortunate to be untouched by Common Core, but we need to protect our siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews, and all of the kids that will be working with or for us in the years to come. We have to fight Common Core. All of us Americans. Together. United we stand. Only we can make our politicians, who answer to us, repeal Common Core. Remember that without us, the politicians are powerless because we legitimize their power. Let's take the power back and fight Common Core!

Super Bowl Bust

Well, as many of you know, yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday. For football fans across the nation, this is the holiest day on the calendar. Parties stocked with soda, pizza, wings, salsa, and other foodstuffs strategically places around the TV so no one misses the action, not just of the game, but of the famous Super Bowl commercials as well. If you went to the bathroom and missed the Doritos Time Machine commercial, well, sorry about your luck.

Though my mom loves football and my boyfriend is an ex football player, I hate the sport. I think it's needlessly dangerous with more and more NFL players and former players coming out with reports of brain damage from concussions. I also find it impossible to understand the game. Garrett, my boyfriend, teases that I need Dr. Sheldon Cooper, main character of the hit TV show The Big Bang Theory, to explain the game to me. In my own defense, before he quit football this past year, I understood all of the downs and many of the flags and calls. I know what a two-point conversion is - sort of - and I certainly know touchdowns are worth 7 points. Much of my previous knowledge of the sport has been lost due to the fact that I no longer need to have interest in it since Garrett no longer plays. That being said, I have only been watching the Super Bowl since 2011 because the guy I was "dating" at the time is a huge fan of the Packers. So I watched. And when Garrett and I started dating later that year and watched our first Super Bowl together, we made it a tradition. So now, I am a religious watcher of the Super Bowl - possibly against my better judgment.

My family had our first "Super Bowl party" yesterday. Party used loosely as it was me, my mom, my two sisters, Garrett (whose practically family he's at my house so much), and my sister's friend, Mitchell. We did have food like it was a party though. Ha! My littlest sister made Broncos decorations and told everyone at least twice, "We're rooting for the Broncos because Peyton Manning is in the NFL and played for the Colts. He's....defense.....and a quarterback." Well....she almost got it right. We did root for the Broncos because we like Peyton Manning.

Now, I can stand watching football when the game is good, which is why I agree to watch the Super Bowl. You expect the game to be great when the best offense plays the best defense, but no. This was probably the worst game I have ever seen and my high school's team was 0 and 10 my freshman year. From the first snap, everyone knew the Broncos were going down.

At least the commercials were good, though I will say that I was disturbed by the Go Daddy commercial at the end of the Super Bowl. Just as I was about to cry from the adorable, heart melting Budweiser commercial with the puppy, I see half-naked, bulky, unattractive man. Eww. But many of the commercials had us all snorting with laughter, one of the best being that glorious Doritos Time Machine commercial. The Turbo Tax commercial was also a hilariously genius stroke of marketing brilliance. We also enjoyed the Pistachios commercials, particularly the second one, the McDonalds commercial, and the pre-game Super Bowl commercial. Great commercials this year. Much better than last year. I would also like to give an honorable mention to the Coke commercial. Beautiful show of what America is about with America the Beautiful in different languages. I loved it.

Finally, I would like to say Bruno Mars rocks. He was fantastic. The show, the camera angles, the tribute to the troops, AND he played my jam, Runaway Baby! Fantastic halftime show after years of what I think were disappointments.

I hope you all had your own fun Super Bowl parties with good food that would put all of your New Years Resolutions to shame. I hope spending time with your friends and families made up for the terrible game. I hope you laughed until you cried until you laughed at some of those commercials. And I dearly hope you didn't go to the bathroom during the Doritos Time Machine commercial.

Thanks for reading! Happy Monday!

Food Service Blues

Remember how in my introduction I said I was raising money for Ohio State? Well, I finally found a job! I work at a local fast food joint in the next town over. I started Monday and I work every week day during the lunch rush. Despite what you might have deduced from the title, I love my job: it's consistent, fast-paced, challenging, and the team is great. So what exactly do I mean about "food service blues?"

Before I began my job in fast food, I was merely a consumer. Do I eat fast food often? Not really, I prefer home-cooked options. I'm not really into preservatives, genetically modified, or prepackaged foods. However, I have often complained about the type of service I have received, minutely messed up orders, or little irritations. More frequently, I have heard lots of other people complain, particularly about the franchise at which I now work.

On my first day, I made the mistake of thinking it was going to be easy. But I mean, come on, how hard can serving fast food really be? The truth is, the back of a fast food restaurant is a crazy place. There is so much going on that you never really thought about. There are people cooking the food, bagging it for the window, taking care of the guests inside, people cutting vegetables or doing dishes. There are people cleaning, putting sandwiches together, and the people ringing up drive-thru orders and taking money. Sometimes there's a whole other person making drinks.

My particular position is in the second of two windows taking the drive-thru orders. I am also responsible for making drinks for the drive-thru and keeping my area clean. (The whole restaurant is kept extremely clean!) I will be completely candid and say that it is an overwhelming job at times. I'm really grateful for my fellow crew members because they are really helpful. Everybody has each others' back. I think the hardest part is catching everything people say. Some people talk extremely fast and sometimes you simply can't hear them over rumbling engines, radios, noise from the kitchen, or the occasional static. I understand the irritation of being asked to repeat your order, but I promise we do it only to make sure you get everything you wanted the way you want it in the quickest time possible. Our guests are the most important thing to us and we do everything in our power to have great customer service.

I love my job. Not only because I feel challenged and like I can always improve, but because I feel enlightened to the skill it takes to serve fast food. I used to dread the idea of working in fast food because I thought it was a skill-less job and that people that work there are incompetent. I realize now how horribly wrong I've been and I would like to apologize to every fast food worker for stereotyping them. Thank you for serving me regardless of snarky comments, irritation, judgement, and impatience.

And to anyone who might be reading this, thank you. Thanks for taking this post into consideration, and for reading my blog. You rock!

Catching ZZZ

I live in the Midwest, Ohio to be exact, so my little hometown was greatly affected by what my mom calls "The Big Freeze" that swept the nation earlier this week. My younger sisters' school cancelled Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and delayed on Thursday, so when they had to go back to school yesterday at normal time, they were exhausted. They didn't do much or stay up terribly late while they were off school, so what was the big deal?

I took a Biopsychology class last semester and learned quite a bit about sleep. My professor explained in a lecture that teenagers have quite different sleep patterns than adults do. And adult sleep patterns don't kick in until about mid to late twenties. You see, in adults, the sleep hormone, melatonin, is released when the sky gets dark and feel sleepy a few hours later. For example, if the sky gets dark at 7PM, an adult will likely go to sleep around 9 or 10PM.

Teenagers, on the other hand, don't release melatonin until 9 or 10PM, sometimes later. As a result, they don't go to sleep until the wee hours of the morning. so, adults, when you make a comment about teenagers staying up too late, remember that it's actually part of their biology. Why? That I don't know.

Because of all of this, wouldn't it be wise to start school later? Adequate sleep could sky-rocket teenagers' performance in school and athletics. The big question from people I've talked to about this idea? "When will we have sports practices and games?" Well, prepare yourself for this drastic suggestion....., what if we shortened the school day? Woah, did she just say that?! Yes, I did.  Kids do not need 7 hours of school every day. Actually, I believe it's been suggested that they only need about five. So, if the school day starts at 10AM instead of 8, and school is shortened to five hours instead of seven, school would end at the same time it does now, leaving plenty of time for sports and activities.

A probable solution, now to get the adults on board!

A Little Introduction

Hello, anybody who happens to find and read this! I'm Rachel and I am a 19-year-old college student. I'll start by saying that I have blogged before. My first blog was the result of a Senior writing project and was called Inspirspectives. I quit writing on it because I started running out of things I wanted to talk about as a result of the limiting nature of the theme of the blog. Since I started college, I don't watch the news or have the time to compose the not-so-inspiring-stories into ones that are.

Anyway, I started out at Urbana University this past fall. I'll be honest, it wasn't my favorite place after I started. Drama spread quicker than in high school and I didn't feel challenged in the way I had expected college to feel challenging. I had plans to transfer next fall. Well, an old golf injury started acting up again and I went to see a specialist, only to find out that I needed surgery on it. Thinking that I would be in occupational therapy for a couple of months, I withdrew from Urbana and signed up for online classes at a nearby community college for the spring semester. I am now taking classes that will transfer to Ohio State next fall.

I am a psychology major. I prefer neuropsychology, but I find the whole field fascinating. Despite that, I am pursuing a career as an attorney. I hope to attend Yale or Duke and specialize in Constitutional Law as well as some other branch of law. I may minor in Latin or Marketing.

Also, I read a lot. I'm sure posts will come up raving about some book I've been reading. I love books. John Green is my favorite author and some of my favorite books include, The Fault in Our Stars, The Catcher in the Rye, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Happiness Project, and Pride and Prejudice. I am currently reading I Capture the Castle which was a Christmas gift from my boyfriend's mother. That's another thing I'll probably post about, my boyfriend, Garrett. Also, I am currently living with my parents while I raise money for OSU, so there may be posts about them as well. Finally, my New Year's Resolution is to be less anxious. I was diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder last year and I'm working towards being less influenced by that so I can be happier.

Well, that's all I've got for now! Thanks for stopping by!