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Oh Allergy….!

We are almost, there! Semester is about to finish, and in eight days a new season will start. I have been waiting for this for three months now. Not the end of the semester, but the end of this fall season and cold weather!

Every Fall I have to deal with a seasonal sickness, called allergy! This semester what I went through was different, hard, and very tough. To be honest I think I can call it “invisible sickness”. Every year during fall season/ semester my mode changes and sometimes I am not even “me”. This year I became sick as well, inside and out, symptoms were more and stronger, and therefore it affected me in a more serious way.

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My body, my story

The questions of “am I a body?” or “do I have a body?” are issues that I have often wondered about. Initially, I was almost certain that the body I have is only temporary and does not define who I am on a deeper level. I didn’t choose it and I can try to manipulate it as much as I want to, but I am still limited by the color of my skin, the length of my bones, the color of my eyes, and even the build of my muscles (or lack thereof). Continue reading →

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Is Becky Jackson a victim of bad writing?

I used to be a Glee fan in high school, though not to the same extent as most Glee fans were or are. I can’t even remember what the first two seasons were about, except that I cringed much less frequently than I do at the show now. My memories are very hazy, but when I think of Becky Jackson, the cheerleader with Down’s Syndrome, I remember liking her character. I remember thinking she was funny, intelligent, but a little bit neglected by the writers. The Becky I see in episodes now is such a drastic change from the character I remember. I try to pretend that it’s because Becky gained some confidence in her few years in high school and that’s why she’s so self-assured, but something about her character now really rubs me the wrong way.

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The internet allows for instant communication with people from all over the world. We can email, blog, instant message, “poke” on Facebook, Skype call — and, potentially, all without ever seeing the body behind the text or voice. The pessimist might assert that these communications are superficial, detached, and “not real”; we are ignoring “real” people in favor of glowing screens and lines of text.

Yet this point of view invalidates the incredible, long-lasting, very real relationships that people such as myself develop over the internet. There is the chance that we may never see in person, or even in photographs, the people we interact with this way. However, with things like Skype Video and Face Chat and “selfies,” it is easier than ever to match a face to the text. And anyway, even if I’m not talking with a person face to face, they are no less a person and our conversations are no less valid.

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image by hugtherobots on tumblr

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Beautiful to Nothing

I have terrible eyesight. From the time I turned about 8 years old until I was about 12 years old I wore glasses. I started wearing contacts at 12. I hated my glasses and didn’t want anybody to know that I wore them especially when it came to taking pictures. My sister was getting married the year I turned 12 and of course she wanted me to be a part of her bridal party and of course that meant plenty of pictures. Somehow I was able to convince my parents and my doctor to let me start wearing contacts. Since then I have become much more comfortable with the fact that I am a person with corrective lenses. However, the each year my eyes continue to get worse and that is beginning to freak me out.

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“Let me guess, you have a headache again?”

(This post contains mentions of over the counter and prescription drug use)

I mentioned in an earlier post that I get headaches, this is a bit of an understatement. I have been officially diagnosed with Migraine. However, I have a hard time calling my smaller episodes migraines, because to me a migraine is being totally incapacitated, unable to move, balance or lift your head with your sinuses closed off and your eyes unwilling to focus. There also may or may not be puke. My headaches are still pretty bad, but I can still talk and walk and drive to school. I can’t make them go away. They’re at least 12 hours long reguardless, but if you have something in front of your face that says it’s going to stop your pain, you’re going to try it anyway, especially, when you have a paper to write. Despite this I can usually keep a straight face throughout the day.

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Peace?

(Possible trigger warning for rape subject/sexual assault)

peace corps1  Food-PSA-Archive

Over the past few years I’ve been toying with the idea of joining the Peace Corps.  So far I’ve received mixed reviews on whether or not it’s the right thing to do.  Some say it’s a government funded semester abroad-a vacation for privileged white kids to fulfill whatever fascination or desire they have to dig wells and live in poverty for 27 months. Continue reading →

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The suffering body

My first year of college I joined the women’s rugby team. I got many comments,especially from my family members, asking me why I would do something like that to my body. Rugby is a tough sport, the only protective gear you’re allowed to use is a mouth guard. It leaves you in pain, covered in cuts and bruises for a week or more after every game. So i’m not surprised when people look at me like I’m crazy after I tell them I play. I don’t play because I like pain or because I have a death wish. I play simply because I enjoy it. Although the aftermath inevitably leaves me sprawled out in bed covered in ice bags, the feeling I get when I’m on the field is worth it. 

I believe the same goes for situations where people go through painful body modification rituals, drink alcohol, or do any other thing that they know hurts their body. They like the way it makes them feel, they enjoy it.

So should we feel bad for doing the things we like doing even though it hurts us?