Final exam

My goal in life is, I'll admit, a very new one as far as lifetime goals are concerned. I want to be a professional writer; I just feel that it's what I was meant to be. However, I don't want to write for anyone else about things I do not care about. I suppose I could if I had to in order to make a living, but what kind of life would that be? I want to write my own books, plays, short stories, poetry and anything else that I'm suddenly inspired to write and whenever the mood strikes me. I want to be that weird person who carries my own tape player and recorder around to document ideas that come into my head. I figure it's much more practical than pen and paper; I can't be expected to write as fast as I think.

The study of English is slowly improving the writer that I am and smoothing out the finer details of my grammar and technique. I suppose a downside to being an English major lies in the assumptions made by others. Nowadays, my friends all see me as the go-to person for paper grading, writing assistance, MLA & APA format, etc. The older we get the more papers I read. My friends' nagging is actually good for me because I force myself to memorize this information so that I can help others and inevitably myself.

Being an English major has also begun to force me out of my major problem in life; procrastination. I am a terrible procrastinator and it is the worst when I have papers to write. Procrastination is the main reason why I have none of my ideas typed up. It is pretty sad to be a writer without a drive. I sit and read in between my breaks whatever Agatha Christie novel I have and just think about how amazing she was. Agatha Christie wrote 80 detective novels alone along with her romances and plays. When I read one of her books I am just awed by the amount of time and effort that must have gone into each of her works and just think 'this is what I want. I want to be this.' I feel like I'm slowly reaching that stage in my life. Now, when I get ideas at school, I sit down and pull out my notebook (usually the one that doubles as my English notebook) and write out my stories or ideas. I still don't own a tape player and recorder, but I'm getting there.

I find that my study of English is a lot like my study of Latin: I am annoyed a lot easier now. When I hear people mispronouncing Latin words I can just feel this urge to grit my teeth. The same can pretty much be said about terrible grammar, spelling, and misplaced punctuation. I am also aggravated by the improper use of the word "there/their/they're". I really do not understand what the confusion is but I digress. I know that my reading and writing interests have the potential to take me very far in my chosen field, but I know that most of it is up to me.

Many years ago, I wrote two lines to a poem. Those two lines would remain two lines for several years. I remember the night I was inspired to finish that poem: I was in a car waiting for my mother when I suddenly remembered those two lines and then proceeded to finish the entirety of the poem while I sat there. It took me roughly ten minutes to finish it, another five or so for my mother to return, and then another hour before I returned home to get it onto paper. The feeling I had when I looked at my finished work was one of pride and fulfillment. I want to be able to feel that for the rest of my life.

Larry David episode

I didn't see the episode as a mockery of religion at all. I think it just exposed the fanaticism and commercialism of our society in regards to our beliefs. Many people take things too seriously in life and don't take the time to laugh at themselves or listen to the opinions of others. Larry David just seems to be very good at pointing those kind of things out. I remember the one other episode I saw. I believe his mother died, and he realized that whenever he told people that he tended to get away with things. So he eventually started abusing that excuse. I personally found the episode very funny and insightful. I looked at it from the perspective of how common that behavior is; preying on the sympathy of others and allowing people to abuse a situation. As a society, in certain situations we allow ourselves to excuse others for their own wrongdoings. That episode was just a way of forcing the audience to take an introspective look at itself. The religion episode used parody to make a point that I think many people have contemplated but don't discuss in public out of fear: our beliefs are kind of silly.

All religions and beliefs look foolish in one way or another. All-powerful beings that turn into animals to have affairs with innocent girls? Superpowers such as turning water into wine or feeding a thousand people on one loaf of bread? Or even believing that Santa Claus knows every minute of our lives. Who comes up with this stuff? Isn't it logical to think that some things just sound weird when you actually think of them LOGICALLY? I suppose then that that's the point of faith: to believe in the ridiculous. We should all try to remind ourselves to stop taking everything so seriously all of the time. If someone tells you they do not believe in the same things you do or think your beliefs are weird then that should be acceptable. You shouldn't feel obligated to defend yourself or convert the other person "over to your side." This is not a competition. There is no almighty scoreboard tallying off your number of conversions, and if there is who cares? Life is way to short and fast to worry about what other people think of your beliefs. We would laugh a lot more if we took the time to see things from another perspective.