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(10/19/12 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Let’s talk about apathy on this campus and in our generation. Or, if you don’t care enough to talk, listen to what I have to say. One of the signatures of youth culture is a sort of uncaring brushing-off of life itself. After all, the cool kids don’t care about anything. They live by their own rules.But I want all of us to examine that. When did caring about something become souncool?Why are people who question things and people with passions looked upon with scorn by so many? I understand live and let live. None of us want someone else’s interests to infringe on how we feel we deserve to live our lives. But why are the pursuits of others so threatening to us? Take the kid who asks questions in class. In larger lectures, students sit in silence. Every once in a while, some brave soul tentatively raises his or her hand and asks what’s usually a legitimate question, one that many of us were also thinking. Yet, if you look around the room while this lone soldier does battle with academia, you’ll see exasperated and angry facial expressions. People snicker and make comments to their neighbors, usually along the lines of “really?” or “ugh.” Or, take protesters. I’ve walked by multiple protests on campus and heard other passersby make observations like, “Why do they even care?” or “Nothing will change” or “It’s not that big of a deal.” Popular sentiment seems to be that protesters, whether they’re against Wall Street or abortion, should just go away. Students associated with these groups and students asking questions and people who express their passions are looked upon with disdain by their peers because they don’t conform to social and cultural norms. Their passion means they’re not the cool kids.The norm now, things about which it’s okay to care, are steeped in traditional world views and clichéd youth culture, and I wonder why our generation still hasn’t moved beyond them.Look at all of the people who wouldn’t ever attend a protest but scoff at all those on campus who don’t party. Party culture, at least at IU, is the accepted norm, and those who don’t subscribe to it are suspected of being off in some way. They care too much about things other than partying.And it goes both ways. Often those at IU who don’t frequent parties have the same attitudes: those who party often are inferior in some way, and they care too much about partying. Why do we care so violently about what other people care about?Perhaps because many would be happy with a campus that conforms to their personal norms.This is why people seem so apathetic. This is why we hate people who care. It’s because they push us. They force us to step outside of our small, controlled worlds for just a second, and to examine things from another perspective. It’s hard and scary, and hardly anyone likes to do it. But it’s necessary. Once you leave college, it gets increasingly hard to confine the world to the comfortable microcosm that you’ve created for yourself. It’s important to take these steps now and ease your transition into reality. That’s one of the biggest benefits of college: it provides a fairly safe environment in which your world can be completely turned upside down.I want all of you to stop being so damn apathetic. Or at least to stop putting down people trying to expand their horizons. There’s nothing wrong with a little caring about something, whatever it may be. Frankly, you can’t get far in life without it. — kelfritz@indiana.edu
(10/17/12 9:29pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On first listen of “Halcyon,” it seems like Ellie Goulding has been listening to a lot of Florence and the Machine lately.It makes sense. Like Florence Welch, Goulding is a British powerhouse with a uniquely powerful belt. If you liked Welch’s “Ceremonials,” you’re going to like “Halcyon.”Standout tracks are marked by sweeping orchestral arrangements and complemented by the use of Goulding’s manipulated voice itself as an instrument. Her upper register is bright and clear and it’s used in a way you don’t hear often in modern pop. “Anything Could Happen” and “Only You” are catchy anthems making great use of this technique. Avoid “I Know You Care” and “Joy,” which sound like Adele rejects. Goulding sounds best on more layered songs, like “Atlantis” and “Figure 8.” As an extra treat, her cover of Active Child’s excellent “Hanging On” is actually quite good. Her voice is perfectly suited to the eerie runs of the original. And before anyone else calls it: The bonus track, “I Need Your Love,” produced by Calvin Harris of “We Found Love” fame, is gonna get big. By Kelly Fritz
(10/15/12 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I don’t write about national politics very often.As important as they are, I prefer to constrain my writing to things about which I feel I can fully explain. I’m not sure if anyone completely knows everything about American politics. Trying to keep up with all of it is rewarding but also nearly impossible. That’s why hearing Bill Clinton’s speech Friday was so refreshing. I’ve never seen a president in the flesh before, so I went to Indianapolis in the morning to see him speak in the gym of my former high school. In person, as I’m assuming is true of most former presidents, he has an enormous amount of what can only described as “swag.”As he entered the room to enormous applause, he tried to keep the spotlight on Senate candidate Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-2nd District, and gubernatorial candidate John Gregg, the men he was to promote. While they spoke, he simply stood at the back of the stage, hands folded, with an amused, open-mouthed grin. But even as he said nothing, it was hard to stop watching him, and his speech proved why.He was compelling because he respected the people he was speaking to. Clinton promoted President Barack Obama’s run at a second term, but his larger focus was surprisingly local, with jokes about Hoosier landmarks and political figures. He cared enough to learn about the people he was speaking to and to give a talk that was actually tailored to Indiana. I’m admittedly liberal, but that doesn’t mean I readily identify with or support every Democratic candidate. My editorial job here at the Indiana Daily Student has made me very aware of why I believe what I believe. If anything, I appreciate opposing views more than those similar to my own because I’m able to see beyond blind faith and instead appreciate the diversity of viewpoints that makes our country great.Clinton spoke to that side of me. His speech wasn’t blindly partisan, raining criticism on Republicans while holding Democrats on a holy pedestal. Both parties are culprits of this. Treating people as if they can’t handle the truth or the agency to make their own decisions gives them too little credit. The American people aren’t dumb. We don’t need politicians from both parties to continue spoon feeding us their agendas under the guise of the greater good. Clinton gave us real meat in his speech, not the aforementioned drivel. He critiqued his own party, the opposing party and the government itself at both state and national levels. Instead of pretending he had all of the answers, his speech asked even more questions, things that are important for us to think about as we vote: What are our true priorities? Can partisan leadership ever make real progress? Most importantly, are we keeping our leaders accountable? Because we need to. Clinton outlined views that were sometimes liberal but more often progressive. That’s what I can sympathize with. More than anything, our country needs progress. American politicians and pundits from both sides have mired themselves in a bog of petty issues that obscure the things American citizens truly care about, and we need to fight our way out.After all, what does it say about us when an impeached president makes more sense than most of the people running our nation?— kelfritz@indiana.edu
(10/15/12 12:21am)
Babies aren't us.
(10/10/12 9:08pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This is what R&B should sound like. On “Kaleidoscope Dream,” R&B/funk newcomer Miguel picks up where Prince left off in the early 1990s, and does what many of us wish Prince were doing today.His voice is different than anyone else’s in the R&B scene right now, with both a smooth, full falsetto and a powerful full-voiced belt.It’s refreshing to hear this in a world of thin-voiced Chris Browns and Trey Songzes. Often with nothing but echoing guitar, bass, 808, synths and voice, the songs come together just so, with no one element overshadowing the other. “Dream” recycles a few tracks from Miguel’s “Art Dealer Chic” mixtapes, but with changes that earn another listen. The standouts of the album are his simplest tracks. The bassline on the title track slithers into your brain, and the tight harmonies on “The Thrill” are actually thrilling. Though the Alicia Keys-assisted “Where’s the Fun in Forever” is a close runner-up, the best song is “Candles in the Sun.”Different from the mixtape versions, it has become a slow-burner, simple and ambitious. “Heroes often get shot,” he sings in a heartbreaking tone.Miguel’s debut is promising, grade-A R&B.By Kelly Fritz
(10/05/12 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I used to be in a sorority.I’m not anymore. And I’m incredibly happy. One year ago, I was living in a house on campus, and I decided to quit.That I was ever in a house at all is surprising to many people I know. I wasn’t your typical sorority girl, but I had a good run. I joined a house freshman year and continued as a member through the first semester of my junior year. Then, I hit a roadblock. Sororities, for those who haven’t already deduced this, are very expensive. I’m very poor. By last year, I was running out of money and facing the fact that I simply could not afford to live in the house anymore. When I had to take out a private loan just to pay my house bills so the national organization would stop sending collection agencies after me, I knew it was time to leave. The one time I needed sisterhood, understanding and the support girls preached about at recruitment, it really wasn’t there. Frankly, when I became too poor to be in the house, the national organization made it clear they were more than happy to see me go. These organizations are run like businesses, you see, and I wasn’t a paying customer. When I joined a house, it was because I believed everything girls said at recruitment. I thought the most important thing really was sisterhood and that all the girls in my pledge class would truly become my best friends. In the end, none of that happened. I left after four semesters without having really gained anything. I made one or two good friends and a few pleasant acquaintances, and I lost about $15,000 in the process. Now, I hardly ever talk to those people.Maybe it’s because I spent so much time in the greek system that I can truly appreciate life outside of it. I can understand both lifestyles and both perspectives now, and I can say without hesitation that I am many times happier as a GDI.I live my life by my own rules. I don’t have to worry about constantly shifting, arbitrary social tiers or doing things I don’t want to do or don’t believe in for the good of the sorority. I no longer worry about the daily dramas of living in a house with about 100 girls. I have my own room in a house that I chose with roommates I chose. And I’m doing all of this for about half the cost of living in the sorority.Sure, I don’t have anyone setting up my social life anymore, but now, by my senior year, I don’t really need that. I don’t need paired parties and mandatory house events. I’m in a happy relationship, and I have great friends that I made on my own. I’m defining my own life. Some people love their sororities and will vehemently disagree with everything I’m saying. They all have valid points, because it’s different for every person in every sorority.It wasn’t for me.And, a year later, I’m so glad I wasn’t too afraid to just quit. — kelfritz@indiana.edu
(10/04/12 2:41am)
Heart + brain 4eva
(10/02/12 2:52am)
Racism or expression?
(09/28/12 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Math and I have a tumultuous relationship.Like most people, when I understand how to solve a problem, math can be satisfying. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen to me much.With math, most of the time I feel like I’m muddling about in the dark, making what I consider educated guesses, at best, and hoping for partial credit for effort. I agree that math is important. I can attest to the fact that I do and will use it in everyday life.What’s problematic is the math that I’m learning now as a senior who’s put off her math requirement until she was forced to take a course. It isn’t useful, practical math. It’s abstract math, relating to concepts I don’t think I’ll ever study. I doubt I’ll ever decide to calculate how long a river is based on the speed of the current and the time it took a canoeist to go from one end to the other. That’s what Google Maps is for.In all seriousness, though, I have a problem with IU’s math requirements for those not pursuing careers in mathematically related fields. I think taking a math course or two during our time here at IU is important, but the selection of courses I can choose from to fulfill my requirement disappoints me. Where’s the course on how taxes, loans and financial systems generally work? What about economics for beginners? Or a course related to basic computer science and programming? All these are concepts that we liberal arts students are expected to be comfortable with as we face increased pressure to compensate, since our majors aren’t “technical” enough. I know these courses exist, but why are they confined to their respective degree programs rather than made available as courses for math credit? I would never go out of my way to take one of these classes. They’re outside my degree requirements and my schedule is packed enough as it is. Yet if topics like these could be adapted for math credit in lieu of the normal M118 and its counterparts, I’d jump at the prospect. As someone studying writing and journalism, having a more informed understanding of economics and finance would be incredibly useful, much more so than some of the strange, abstract polynomials I was simplifying and using to calculate the area of a circle on Wednesday evening. I'd more than welcome arguments about why I will use the things I'm learning frequently once I — fingers crossed — pass this course.But, as I’ve unofficially gleaned from my fellow liberal arts students and writers, it seems we’re all a little frustrated with how impractical some of the things we’re learning seem to be.Offering a wider variety of math options to fulfill the math requirement at IU could create well-informed, well-rounded students who leave feeling at least a little familiar with some of the tricky mathematical concepts life throws at us. Perhaps IU is afraid that if more creative or practical math credit options were offered outside the basic 100-level math courses, no one would sign up for them. What a tragedy that would be. — kelfritz@indiana.edu
(09/26/12 9:46pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” this album is not. Anyone who expected a repeat performance of Kanye West’s magnum opus might be disappointed by his label’s “Cruel Summer.”This album is a compilation of artists on West’s G.O.O.D. Music, a fact many seem to have forgotten when they lament its dissimilarity from “Fantasy.”Because this isn’t “Fantasy Pt. 2” doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s just different.“Cruel Summer” is actually pretty genius when viewed as a collection of singles rather than a cohesive album. With the exception of a few duds, each track confidently stands out on its own. The uniting force behind “Cruel Summer” isn’t the cohesiveness of the songs or even the rappers’ flows, which often aren’t remarkable. Rather, it’s the quality of the production.G.O.O.D. Music took a chance on relatively new Scottish producer Hudson Mohawke, who gives “Cruel Summer” a far more interesting sound than most radio hip-hop right now. Getting Mohawke was, in typical West style, a way of proving he is one step ahead of the game. Particularly outstanding is “To The World.” It features a soaring hook by R. Kelly that will stay in your head for days.“The One” probably sounds the most like it belongs on “Fantasy” with its sincere, earnest beat ironically paired with West’s signature braggadocio.“Bliss” is the least Top-40 ready, but it is certainly the most daring song on the compilation. The track’s divisive song is true to HudMo’s production style.West himself takes up the producer role on a few tracks, the most notable of which is the vaguely threatening “The Morning.”With its sinister samples, rumbling bass and undeniable swag, it will probably make you want to either beat someone up or cruise around slowly in your car, looking threateningly at anyone who stares too long. The Hit-Boy-produced “Clique” is definitely the most obvious standout of the album with its epic opera chorus and supremely danceable groove.Jay-Z makes a solid appearance and makes everyone else sound pretty stupid in comparison, although you might laugh out loud when you catch West rhyming during the song about his girl being a “superstar all from a home movie.” Classy, Ye.Although “Cruel Summer” has a few duds — avoid clunkers like the Kid Cudi solo track “Creepers” — and the rapping is inconsistent, it’s definitely worth a download. The next time you pregame, just start the album from the beginning and let it play through. By the end, I promise you, everyone will be much more hyper than they were before. By Kelly Fritz
(09/21/12 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>My grandmother died early last week. My father’s mother, just a few months ago, was walking around her house, chatting with me. It’s hard for me to comprehend what my parents and my aunts and uncles now tell me: that she was weak and very sickly, and that her dementia was making her act out viciously at times. She, as they call it, “presented” well. I’ve been lucky enough to know both sets of my grandparents, although all were quite old when I was born.As I aged and began to realize how precious my relationship with them was, I’ve had to watch them become weaker or die, made all the more painful by their collective slip into the abyss of dementia. Dementia is a nasty thing. It is, for older people, degenerative, meaning that the changes it causes in the brain cannot be stopped or turned back. It eats away at memories, at independence and, most frighteningly, at self-control. From what I’ve seen, it can manifest itself in different ways, from simple forgetfulness to grief to extreme anger and violent urges. My sole surviving grandmother, my mother’s mother, is in the dementia unit of her assisted living facility, which we chose after an extensive search. Good dementia units are surprisingly hard to find. She’s had a mixed experience there. While some staff members are wonderful, things have also been stolen from her. She’s often disturbed by residents of the unit yelling obscenities and acting like children because of their dementia, residents who are often ignored by the staff. With my remaining grandmother, we were lucky — her dementia has made her sweet and very sad at times, not spiteful. We were not so lucky with my father’s mother. In the last few months of her life, in addition to being forgetful, she also became angrier and far more irritable, putting a strain on her relationship with her family members. It’s hard to tell how much of this was Grandma herself and how much was her disease. As I said, she presented well. Even in the end, as we moved her out of her house and into a nursing home, she was close to talking a doctor into not placing her in dementia care, although she’d been repeatedly diagnosed with it. Her husband, my father’s father, described the dementia unit at their center as a “Motel 6,” with terrible accommodations and terrible care. His apartment in the same facility, on the other hand, is beautiful with a wonderful staff.Why is it that dementia care is continually pushed aside as if we are ashamed of it? Is it because dementia is hard to predict and hard to control, even with medication? Is it because it’s often frightening to be around people who seem crazy? I know this: We need to get our act together. We cannot let parents and grandparents rot alone in cramped dementia units. We must remember they are still people who have paid their dues in life and deserve nothing but respect and dignity in their final days. Take it from someone who knows intimately: We cannot ignore dementia. If not only for our grandparents, let’s set a higher standard for research and care for our parents and, eventually, for ourselves. — kelfritz@indiana.edu
(09/21/12 2:59am)
The Bachelor: Jesus Edition
(09/07/12 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There are many, many problems with both the Republican and Democratic national conventions, most of which have already been lambasted on these pages. There are many problems with politics in America in general. We’ve lost faith in our politicians, regardless of party or message. So caught up in petty partisan battles, we feel as though they can accomplish nothing.Many of my peers have expressed that they’ve stopped following or caring about politics for this very reason. And we can’t blame them. Moderation and compromise are out the window. American politics have become about extremes — who can say the most extreme thing or who can pander to the highest number of groups. And yet, as I watched the Democratic National Convention coverage Tuesday evening, I saw a glimmer of hope. Not in any of the politicians, but in Michelle Obama. She is undoubtedly a great speaker. The word “dazzling” has been thrown around not a few times when describing her performance. However, what dazzles me about Michelle is deeper than the fact that she’s an excellent orator. Michelle was the realest person at the DNC. She didn’t spend her time complaining about what the other party had done to ruin her life or twisting facts to make her respective candidate seem like God incarnate, both popular strategies at either convention. Instead, she was real. She told stories from a personal standpoint and let us know why we fell in love with Barack Obama in the first place. When she described a man who gave up high-paying jobs to help those in need, even when trying to pay off gargantuan student loans, and when she described a man who thinks of the welfare of his daughters above all else and wants to create a better life for his and everyone’s children, she described why the American people wanted Barack four years ago and why they should still want him. She described a good man with a good heart, a characteristic we sometimes forget is important in a political leader. In her speech, Michelle voiced what most of us, regardless of party, really want: to create a better world both for ourselves and for our children, both present and future.It’s such an obvious, universal, bipartisan goal, but it’s one that often gets lost among smaller and sillier debates. If anything, these past four years have shown how terrible these silly debates are for our country.More politicians need to think like Michelle Obama. If we truly want positive change, we must move beyond the things that divide us and instead move forward with the things that unite us, the things we all want. If our next president, whoever he might be, can’t stomach that mentality, there’s always Michelle. Having a mom for president isn’t such a bad idea. — kelfritz@indiana.edu
(08/22/12 11:12pm)
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(08/17/12 12:06am)
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(08/15/12 11:58pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This campaign would never win in my heart. Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis’ new film, “The Campaign,” is full of tired gags.I was excited for this film, as most of us were. Galifianakis and Ferrell are two of the funniest men in Hollywood; this movie had the potential to be comedy gold. However, both men slap new accents on old characters and think a slight drawl might disguise the fact that we’ve seen this before. Galifianakis is a slightly less awkward version of his character from “The Hangover.” Ferrell is Ron Burgundy as a southern politician. Those two characters aren’t bad, yet their interaction feels stilted and forced. The dialogue isn’t performed with the same absurdist zing Ferrell and Galifianakis usually employ with gusto. The comedy in the film relies on plot points and visual cues rather than the funny men themselves.At times, “The Campaign” seems to strive toward satire. Quite frankly, some parts were truly unfunny, awkward and scripted. With less “Campaign” managing and more freedom for the candidates, the movie could have been better.I suppose when expectations are this high, mediocrity doesn’t quite cut it. If only the same principle applied to our real politicians. By Kelly Fritz
(08/15/12 10:24pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indianapolis City Council, I applaud you.On Monday, the council approved a proposal to give health care to domestic partners of city employees.Although Indy’s behind other conservative cities like Louisville, Ky., and Cleveland in providing these benefits, and Republican Mayor Greg Ballard has said he’s “wavering right now” about whether he’ll approve the proposal, it’s still an exciting prospect.As a lifelong Indiana resident, I have admittedly mixed feelings about my state, especially when it comes to its treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender residents.One evening this summer when I was doing promotional work at a bar, I was chatting with a group of men about what my job as a Bacardi girl entails.“Could a man ever do this job?” one asked me. I told him we only really hire women.“But a man could go to the gay bars,” he said, laughing with his friend. “All you gotta do in the gay bars is offer the gays blowjobs. Then they’ll do anything for you. Even though I’m ugly they’d still pay attention to me if I offered them blow jobs.”All the men laughingly agreed. I walked away, disgusted.Sadly, this isn’t the only time I’ve heard such blatantly ignorant and homophobic sentiment used so casually.My day job at a local bike shop was about a block away from a Chick-fil-A restaurant. I almost got into an argument with a customer when she, somehow thinking I was a kindred spirit, confided in me that she thought that the “gays were bringing down America” and marriage should be “biblical.” The line of cars in the Chick-fil-A driveway was blocking traffic in the street.Customers came in all day talking about how much they supported the organization and how much they believed in a “traditional” definition of marriage.Ballard himself said he thinks approving benefits for domestic partners will be a “disincentive” for traditional marriage.Yet, even though Indiana residents seem to be incredibly wary of what they evidently think is a big gay healthcare threat to marriage, they seem to forget Cummins and Eli Lilly, two of Indiana’s largest and most noteworthy employers, already offer health benefits for domestic partners. Lilly itself has expressed its support for the measure.If this passes, it’s a small step, but still an important one.Keep in mind that Indiana state law already prohibits civil unions and gay marriage. The Indiana General Assembly will take it a step further in 2013, voting on whether or not to put this prohibition in the Indiana State Constitution.I’m not gay, but I can only imagine how hard it is to be homosexual in Indiana.In a state that seems to want to drive out all people who aren’t heterosexual, even this tiny bit of respect is a step in the right direction.Indiana may never be a mecca of tolerance for the gay community, but maybe if measures like this continue to be taken, it can one day become a less unpleasant place for them to be.—kelfritz@indiana.edu
(08/15/12 10:20pm)
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(05/17/12 12:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Last time I checked, summer was supposed to be a time for relaxation.Even working adults enjoy lazy sunsets on the patio or Sunday afternoons in a hammock; after all, summer in Indiana is only made all the more valuable by how iffy the weather is for our other three seasons.And yet, this summer, I can’t seem to relax.Sure, I’m working 40-ish hours a week at a low-paying job in an attempt not to mire myself in yet more student loans. Yet last summer, even while spending 8 hours or more per day on my feet at the same job, I could still relax.I could go home and sit on a couch and read a book that wasn’t required for class, or, on the rare day off, sit in my kitchen and take an hour to finish my coffee. It wasn’t an amazing summer, but it helped me regain a little bit of the sanity and sense of routine I lose every semester.Already, this summer is a different story.Maybe it’s the fact that I lived in a sublet last semester with three graduating seniors. They’re all moving on to real jobs and grad school. They have plans — set plans that will get them somewhere. They had practical majors with jobs built in, and, a little late, I realized I don’t.I suppose you could say I’m going through a bit of a crisis.I can’t relax because there’s a feeling of career-motivated dread that refuses to leave me. It’s worry that broils in the pit of my stomach, always just below the surface. It’s uncertainty stress.Last summer, I figured I had another two years to figure out where I was going and what I was doing. A year later, I’m no better than where I began.I’m an English major. I might have a fancy professional writing concentration and a nice journalism certificate from the Ernie Pyle School, but I’m an English major nonetheless. Needless to say, I’m not being recruited by investment banks or scientific research firms, and I don’t have any cushy corporate offers coming my way anytime soon. Frankly, three years into college, I have no idea what I’m going to do. I chose my course of study, so I guess I should have thought a little harder about what that meant.This summer, as my peers all toil away at unpaid internships, I’m working because I need the money. Paying for school myself has limited some of the risks I can take, like spending the summer working for free. As they make contacts that will get them stellar recommendations and possible job offers, I’m selling bikes to small children.Every time I head to work, that thought won’t leave my mind. Even as I write this, that half-sick feeling of being behind is spreading through my body, tensing my muscles and sending my mind racing.So, what am I going to do about it?I have no idea.I like to think English majors are prepared for a variety of different career paths. After all, good writers are valuable almost everywhere. Contrary to what many columnists have said about our generation, I think creative reasoning and critical thinking are indeed valuable skills to have in our information age, and god knows my quasi-liberal arts education has developed them.I suppose you could say I’m flying by the seat of my pants.Nonetheless, in the midst of my sobering realizations about the practicality of my major (three years too far in to change anything now), my panic is tempered by a glimmer of confidence. Coming from the generation whose parents told us we could do whatever we want, I think my unshakeable toddler confidence that I can be a princess or a zebra or a garbage man if I really want to is rearing its head. I’m not really sure which of those I want to be right now, if any, but my toddler self is telling me it’s somehow going to work out.I’m guessing my sense of panic right now will last all the way through my senior year, until I finally (hopefully) get a job somewhere.So, at this point, I don’t think I’ll have much mental relaxation this summer.But maybe that’s good. A little stress always spurs me to work even harder, and, given my choice of major and the state of the job market for recent grads, maybe a little worry isn’t such a bad thing.— kelfritz@indiana.edu
