Child-Like Vision

Despite me being tired, I babysat last night. I  struggled to interact with the three cute little kids, but I just wasn't feeling it. So, I proceeded to sit down in the most comfortable chair with a foot massager underneath to take a break. Bored as ever, a thought popped into my head about sociology. With observation always available to stimulate ones mind from boredom, I guess I had something to do while I lazily lounged.

They built a house out of squishy chairs, blankets, instruments, and pillows. Then, of course, it was time to paint their new house with the imaginary, blue paint held in the tambourine. They giggled and I smiled, fondly remembering how things just came to life when I was young with stories and adventures behind anything and everything. Suddenly, I began to see the house. At the same time I realized how much my child-like vision had diminished. I felt old as weird as that sounds. 

It's important to keep that fire alive within you. We, as a society, need to hold onto those unadulterated perspectives as long as possible.

Dallas Yellow Cab Co. ranks at number 85 at the Dallas 100 Awards, an annual event that identifies and honors the 100 fastest-growing privately held companies in the Dallas Area. In fact, SMU created it! I'm there every year honoring my dad's hard work, but when I heard about Yellow Cab being characterized as one of the 100 "unsung heros of our economy", I was dumbfounded.  

 

Generally, yes they're great, especially for college students when they are parked outside of the frat houses. However, three instances might prove otherwise. 

         Firstly, me and my girlfriends all hopped into the cab to take us downtown for a night of fun. We give him the address that we looked up on my friends phone to ensure he new the new exact location. We end up 15 minutes away, somewhere random because he typed it in all wrong. When we realized we might be heading the wrong way we restated the address for confirmation to which he replied, "No speak good English" meaning he barely spoke English. How did someone get hired to be a taxi driver when they couldn't speak English?! We ended up having to pay the full amount unable to negotiate and wanted to get outa there! As with each of my examples, Yellow Cab was ridiculous and not indicative of a good business at all.

         Furthermore, my friend from high school had a more traumatic and serious experience with the company. When she arrived at the party alone, the driver locked the door and proceeded to pull down his pants and lean over to her. Maybe he got the wrong vibe from her bubbly, flirtatious personality, but her that quickly transformed into terror. She screamed and he finally unlocked the door for him to speed off and her to cry to all of us in the house. 

         And finally, my Yellow Cab experience went bad from the second I asked him where he was from, 45 minutes away and alone I might add. He told me repeatedly to shut up and that I wasn't allowed to talk or he would call the cops. I had drank a bit so just wanted to not say anything and be on our way. Forty-five minutes is a long time so scared. There are more bizarre details that I could go into but I think you get how crazy he was. I got the license plate number and his name then paid him not wanting any more trouble. I left in tears.

 

The next day called and called, transferred and transferred, ridiculed by each member of their staff for having an issue. I didn't find the actual "head guy" until a week had past in my persistent efforts to be heard and possibly get him fired. He only put me down, questioning my honesty, and said he couldn't do anything if I didn't get the cab number?! 

 

The business sucks, don't drive in their cabs alone ladies. Any similar complaints? 

 

I am really starting to get pissed about SMU parking. Shuttles never has an open parking spot except for the constantly unoccupied handicapped parking spots which take up about half of them all. I even found them making two more happy, useful spots into lonely, empty ones the other day! Then there's the faculty member ones that constitute almost all of the other half! 

After annoyingly having to walk from the farrrrr moody garage back to my dorm missing half my class, I asked the RA what the deal is with parking. He explained that they don't want us freshman having a car at SMU followed by vague details backing the stance. Do they not expect us to bring our pretty new cars to college our first year? At SMU I have to emphasize. We pay so much money and agreeably gain so much but this should be changed- more parking spots for Shuttles, no broken elevators (which has happened multiple times) after having to drive to the very top of moody garage, and no ticket after ticket for parking.  I have a million $25 fines for parking in one of the many unoccupied parking spots just for a class time period. Don't they get enough money from our tuition to not have dozens of ticket-givers circle parking areas every couple of minutes?!

The sole purpose of this blog is not to vent but reveal its absurdity and to possibly bring about some change. I'm not sure how to do this other than to tell others who may be similarly frustrated. 

What's Your Type?

I was scoping the web for something interesting to write about when I came across “What’s Your Type?” on Oprah’s website. I set aside my intended goal for the blog and indulged in a little quiz. Sure, I’d want to find out what type I am, whatever ‘type’ means, and plus it would be a fun homework break.

 As I was answering questions about what I would do in each situation, a thought came into my head: Do I really know who I am? I would usually confidently say ‘yes of course’ and dismiss the subject. Always acting so sure of myself especially in high school, I never really thought about how lost I am. But, thinking back of all the horoscopes, questionnaires, and personality tests I have done in a time of boredom proves otherwise. I don’t know who I am or what I want in actuality. Maybe what I want isn’t the best for me or I am not fulfilling my potential.

 All of these unattractive, annoying feelings permeated through whatever pores were not occupied into my brain for serious contemplation. College and the ‘American dream’ in general sets standards so high for what you could accomplish if you just tried hard enough.                                 

 Assuming many other proud college students could feel the same way, I found it to be an interesting yet vulnerable inquiry. We know generally what we want… success, family, friends, wealth, happiness, and a great job; but the problem lies in the confusion of how to get there or if we are doing all we can to get it in these pertinent years of learning.

 

I’ve lowered myself to have an Oprah questionnaire tell me what I am today, a little incite for the craziness of the day.

I'm the EXPLORER!!! I guess that's cool

Although, I do know that taking time to oneself to reflect, plan, and relax allows room for contemplating these issues and gaining a sense of direction.

 

What’s Your Type???

http://www.oprah.com/index