New website!

Attention:

To all of you who do actually view this blog, I am moving it to another website! Hooray!

Here is my new website: laurenjcross.weebly.com

I am able to be more personal and actually use my name now so I hope you all enjoy.

Blogger, it's been fun.

Excitement (Kind of)

Hello there, my avid readers.

I apologize for the delay in posts and also for my hibernation, but my focus has been directed to another form of writing, and it's outside the typical English papers, essay questions, and intensive research. Shocker – right?

Anyway, I might have an idea for a book. Yes, you read the sentence correctly. A book. Book. Book. Book. I'm having trouble processing this myself, but it came to me out of nowhere so I felt compelled to inform you of my games of hide-and-seek.

Until next time,
Lauren.

Spring, We Are Waiting

Spring, where are you? You came for a little visit, propped your feet up on our coffee table, and we even played a few board games to make you feel at home.

And then you left.

When you left, bitter Winter saw some free space and invited himself into our home. Now, he’s raiding our refrigerator and even had the nerve to steal from our cookie jar. How could he do something as soulless as steal sweet, crumbly cookies from a home other than his? I blame this on you, Spring.

I do not care if you are shy or hesitant because, frankly, even a little bit of Spring is better than an ounce of Winter. Come on in, bring your friend Sunshine, and have a party. We will even supply the food and condiments.

10 Reminders for Incoming College Freshmen

As the school year draws to a close, I have a couple reminders for those graduating high school this year and transitioning into the world of universities and campus life.

Reminder #1:

The friends you have now may not be your friends four months from now. Trust me – you’ll keep in touch throughout the course of the summer and maybe throughout the first couple weeks of classes. After that, you all find new groups to join and those friends from high school soon fade. You will have the select few who you manage to keep in touch with, but you can probably count those people on one hand. Just remember: This should not seem upsetting. It might seem sad at first, but it is part of the process. When you leave your hometown, some other pieces from your high school life get left behind as well.

Reminder #2:

Prices of textbooks are ridiculous. Out of everything you spend money on in college – dorm room necessities, makeup, folders, and pens – the prices of textbooks might make your head explode. With that said, look for your textbooks online. Amazon has textbooks for close to half the prices of textbooks sold throughout universities and Chegg.com is also well known for its cheap prices. Keep your eyes open for money savers in the textbook department and stock up on cheap school supplies. Don’t rely on your laptop for your notes and lectures. Power can fade and some professors do not allow laptops in their classrooms so always keep a notepad and pen at hand.

Reminder #3:

You pay for every hour you spend in class. In high school, it did not seem as though it was a big deal if you missed class or slept through your alarm; however, you pay thousands of dollars per semester to attend classes. Is it worth getting an extra hour of sleep if you basically lose $100 by skipping that 9 a.m. history class? Probably not.

Reminder #4:

FILL OUT THOSE SCHOLARSHIPS. I know the due dates for scholarships keep getting closer so fill out every application you can. Even if you do not know if you are eligible for the scholarship – fill it out. You never know. If nobody else applies for it, then you may receive the money.

Reminder #5:

Relationships are not the most important aspects of your lives. If you are reading this and you are still in a relationship with someone who you dated in high school, then I applaud you. Only the strong survive and, trust me, many of us are weak.

Reminder #6:

When you begin packing for college, keep in mind the location of your university. Is it thirty minutes from your hometown? If so, then don’t pack every piece of clothing you have. Pack the essentials for the current season. You typically move in around the middle of August so light layers and summer clothing are your necessities at the moment.

Reminder #7:

What should you wear to class? COMFORTABLE CLOTHING. When you wake up for your morning classes after a night full of studying (A.K.A. a night filled with your roommates and Netflix), you do not want to get glammed-up. You learn to buy versatile articles of clothing and jewelry. In high school, it took me about an hour to get ready and eat breakfast before school. Now? I wake up with fifteen minutes to spare before I have to leave for class. Easy hairstyles and quick outfits become your specialties in the wardrobe department.

Reminder #8:

GET INVOLVED! I cannot stress this enough. I made the mistake of only taking an average number of hours of classes this semester so between this factor and my almost non-existent list of extra-curriculars, I find a lot of down time with friends during my study breaks. Time with friends is good so do not get me wrong, but you need to get involved. At the beginning of the year, I was involved in a few clubs and, because of my involvement, I realized I wanted to change my major.

Reminder #9:

Speaking of time with friends, SPEND TIME WITH FRIENDS. Trust me. Your friends on campus become your family and it is nearly impossible to spend every waking moment studying for your classes. Most of you will probably start out with a lot of required core classes so between your sleep deprivation and your hatred for your classes, you will need time with friends. Take breaks, go get dinner, go to movies.

Reminder #10:
Have fun. In the long run, will you fondly reminisce on your nights spent in the top floor of the library? Eh, probably not. You will remember the times you had with friends and the memories you made with them. In a short amount of time, you meet people who become closer to you than most people you grew up knowing. These people will see you on your days when you feel as though you may break down, and they will see you after you kill your biggest exam of the year. Either way, they will always be there for you. Some of them may even be lifelong friends.

Wise Words

Stephen King once said, "If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all else: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware, no shortcut" (2000, p.145).

I take away two tasks from this quote – read more and write more. You cannot expect to become a better writer without learning from the greats themselves.

–––

King, S. 2000. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. New York: Scribner.

Maybe

Regardless of the situation, I believe each person we date brings a lesson into our lives. Maybe that’s the trick though; we believe what we wish to believe. If someone cheats on us, maybe we suggest it taught us how to be strong. If a relationship simply does not work out, maybe we suggest is taught us to look out for something better.

But what if we keep making excuses for ourselves in order to find the “right” person? Maybe the problems aren’t within our past relationships, but within our own selves. Before hastiness erupts, ponder this: What if relationships do not work out because we already have preconceived ideas of what our relationships should look like? We already know what the person should look like, how the person dresses, which kind of music he or she likes, and we already know where our first date should take place. Are you ready for the plot twist? What if we already have these images imprinted into our minds because we have already experienced these relationships?

In reality, there is one relationship with which we remain curious. “What could have been?” Aside from petty high school he-said-she-said wordplay, maybe there was someone in high school, college, or even in the old coffee shop on your way to work who struck your interest, but whom you did not pursue. Or perhaps there was someone – now, hidden under the rug of forgotten memories – many years ago.

Winter Storms are for the Elite

(FYI: I wrote this earlier in the month so that is why the date is different. Enjoy.)

January 5, 2014

One thing about the midwest is certain: Snow storms never fail to shut down streets, businesses, grocery stores, and yes, you guessed it – classes. Good ol' Ball State is closed tomorrow, and what am I doing?

I'm checking in with my favorite upper east siders, of course.

Once classes start, I plan to dominate every assignment and exam that comes my way, but I think I'll let my brain waste away for one more day.

After all, what is college without a few lousy decisions – right?

New and Improved Lauren

(FYI: I wrote this over my winter break so that's why the date is different. Enjoy.)

January 3, 2014

As the holiday break draws to a close and cabin fever gets the best of us while we're away from our universities, here is a recap of why my first semester in college was a Shakespeare-worthy tragedy and why my next semester must be lively enough for even the pages of this blog:

1. I witnessed more drama on Netflix than I did in human form.
2. Social media occupied my life while homework took the backseat.
3. The only shot I had at romance was blown away by my not-so-spiritual mindset and beliefs.
4. The highlights of my weekends consisted of going back to my hometown to work at a movie theater.

If that recap of my first semester in college doesn't make you cry as hard as you do when you see commercials with neglected puppies, then you either misread my recap or you endured the same semester. Now, I can assure you one thing: Lauren is back at Ball State and the only crying she plans on doing is when she's laughing with her Brayton biddies.