Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Keeping It Casual

There are many things that influence and shape our every day lives. It could be talking to friends, watching your favorite TV show, or even something your professor lectured on in class. Many of the social media sites do more than just update you on what your friend is up to that day. It also is a method to provoking thought.

Today I was scrolling through my twitter feed waiting on the bus to arrive when I came across a tweet that kind of took me back. Now, before I go on, you have to know a few things about me first. I am one of those people who follow those stupid/funny twitter accounts. You know the ones, that have no original tweets but their context normally includes things like 'Reasons why I am Single', etc. I find my twitter feed to be mostly a form of entertainment more than a social media platform. With all of that being said, I do follow accounts such as TSM and College Town Life. 

One of the more recent accounts I decided to follow is one called "College Confessions". The premise of this account is basically an anonymous confession hub of college students from across the entire country. I found some of these confessions to be humorous and down right appalling, so for entertainment purposes I decided to follow them.

Everything was fine and funny until I ran across a tweet today that said "The best night of my freshman year was when I snorted a line of cocaine off of a girls ass - University of Wisconsin". I have heard some pretty crude things in my day but for whatever reason this one jumped out at me. I thought to myself, that is really sad if that was honestly the 'highlight' if your freshman year. Doing drugs and using a woman's body as a dehumanized sexual object.

Now this post isn't to talk about the drug part of it, which yes I do have a problem with recreational drug usage. It's dangerous and yadda, yadda, yadda, but we have all heard that preached to us many times before. What really made enough of an impact on me to write this post is the emphasis of this girls body. The phrase said 'a girls ass'. No description of who this young woman was, nothing about her intelligence (granted yes this was a tweet and you only have 140 characters) but I think you all are getting at my point.

It really made me realize how sexual our culture has become in this day and age. The fact that at least 30% of the entire internet is used for porn almost speaks for itself. As a sorority woman I like to take pride in my organization and think that we are a group of high class women who hold ourselves to a higher standard, but to be honest, when girls come back every night 'bragging' about the guy they hooked up with it is really hard for me to stand by that.

The fact that the media portrays college in general as this place where it is okay to have sex with multiple people doesn't sit well with me. Sure, as an incoming freshman that seemed great! So many people willing to hook up with you, that just sounds like a confidence booster waiting to happen. That is, until it actually does.

Now I'm not going to sit on my high horse and pretend like I am 'holier than thou'. I've had my fair share of hookups, maybe one or two guys I can't fully remember their names, and I definitely haven't been in a committed relationship every single time I have been with a guy. But I can say these things and talk about this, because I don't want to be that person anymore.

The media brainwashes us into thinking that is alright. That 'everyone is doing it' so it makes it ok. In fact, they make it seem fun! How great does it sound to have sex with someone without the emotion that a relationship brings! Right? Wrong. So wrong.

Now I'm not trying to make anyone feel badly about themselves. If you think that is fun and good and you can have sex with a stranger and tell me straight to my face that it doesn't affect your emotions in a negative way whatsoever, then good for you. You have mastered college and the art of the casual hook up. But I believe that for many of us, that is not the case.

Young women go into the realm of college thinking that if they hook-up with this random person then they will be happy, because that is what every college person does. When in fact, not every college person does do that. It is a false idea that has been pushed into our brains by the media. Everyone thinks that it is cool and normal to have tons of sex all of the time, but really it's not.

Not to get all biblical on you, but the troubles and tribulations throughout college has really allowed me to realize that, as the bible says, sex is only meant to be between one man and one woman. It's purpose is procreation. If we are using it for other reasons, such as pleasure, it is just messing with our minds. Because having sex with someone tells our subconscious that yes - I would like to make babies with this person. You may laugh at that statement, and I have to admit I chuckled a little, but it's true! That's why the saying 'sex bonds people' is a real thing! Your brain is saying that you want that person to be a parent of your future child, therefore you start to think of that person in a different way. You start getting attached. That is why sex cannot be a 'casual' thing. In the end someone always ends up getting hurt.

So please, do yourself a favor and wait until he 'puts a ring on it' or at least makes some kind of commitment. Girls, guys think that they can get away with this casual sex thing because we let them! If we buckle down and get them to realize that they can't get their way until they commit to you, I guarantee there would be a whole lot less assholes in the universe and a bunch more 'good guys'. So if not for you, do it for the betterment of the other sex. Because ladies, if we're being completely honest here, they tend to think with their penises - let their brains get a little action once in a while.

Until next time,

Casey Rose

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Embrace and Engage

We're back in the saddle again. School is back in session. While my Christmas break seemed like it lasted a total of 2 days, it was a very relaxing time away.

The first days of school are always my favorite. You are normally the most organized and you get to learn from each of your different professors what exactly to expect for the semester to come.

This morning I had a class called History of the Modern Middle East. From the title it sounds like a very random and weird class, however I thoroughly enjoyed the first day and am looking forward to the semester to come.

One of the things we went over in class today really struck a chord with me. Prior to really getting into the subject material my professor lectured on why it is important for us to study history. There were many reasons as to why he said it was important but the thing that stuck with me is,

"We study history because if we do not know where we were we do not know where we are going"

He used the example of what if one day you were to wake up and not remember anything about your life. Your mind was completely blank. This gives you the opportunity to do whatever you wanted with your life! You could go back to school and become a surgeon, business man, historian, anything your heart desired! He also pointed out the fact that studies show most people who do lose their memory do not have this 'gung-ho' attitude about the life ahead of them. Most of them end up crawling in a fetal position, scared of the world around them.

 We need our history to determine who we are as a person. Our lessons and experience shape us into who we are. We are constantly changing and always learning about ourselves and the world around us. To be scared of change is to be afraid of life. It is inevitable and the only thing it will do is better you as a person.

Change may be a scary thing because we are comfortable being the person that we currently are, however you have to believe that there is an even better person waiting to come out of you. You just have to embrace the change that will come and face it head on. I believe the people that do this appear to be the most successful in life. They are the people in this world that are the best role models, the people we should model our lives after.

If I we could all be like that I'm sure that the world would be a much more peaceful place.

(just a little something I needed...)

Until next time,

Casey Rose

Thursday, January 2, 2014

In with the New

Every new year people all across the world vow to themselves that they are going to be different. They make a pact with themselves to stay true to different things that could lead them to be a better person in the coming year. This is called a Resolution.

Resolution (noun): a resolving to do something, a course of action determined or decided upon

Everyone makes them but not everyone keeps them. We think that 'a new year means a new me', well not necessarily. We have to as humans work to be the people that we so desperately want to be. Nothing comes easy, everything takes a little work.

That is why this year I am determined to keep my resolutions. 2013 has proven to be a growing year. There were many ups and a whole lot of downs. Many of which will leave a lasting impression on my heart. But as a wise pin once said...


So here goes nothing...my 2014 resolutions.

To workout more. I want to love cardio and get a sweet ass
Drink more water
Stop being so judgmental
Be happy for others successes
Say yes to things
Be on time
Get on a normal sleep schedule (its 2 am btw...my night has just begun) *Failed
Don't be so afraid of the new
Get the grades you're capable of
Read more and turn off Netflix (with 90210 playing in the background...)
Stop procrastinating
Look presentable for class
Spend more time with loved ones
Give time to those who love you
No regrets
Do something outside of your comfort zone
Be the person you'd want to meet
Stop repeating mistakes
Give more compliments
Make someone else happy
Put down your phone
Give yourself to someone who wants all of you, everyday, because you are perfect being you.

So that does it, my 2014 resolutions. Think I can do it? I'm not sure either. But i'm sure as hell going to try. The first step is realizing what you want to change, the second is acting on it.

So here is to a kick-ass 2014. It's sure to be a great one.

Until next time,

Casey Rose

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

New Year, New Me

Happy New Year Everyone!

Let me tell you how excited I am for this year. 2013 had many ups and many downs. I am so pumped to start fresh this year and see what 2014 has in store for me.

With a new year comes new years resolutions. Like pretty much everyone else on the planet there is one resolution on my list that I would really like to stick with this year - working out. I don't believe that I am by any means 'fat' but I certainly am not the healthiest person on the planet. The other day I was on Pinterest getting inspiration for my newest resolution and I came across a picture with the caption using this term - "skinny fat". I loved this term because you can go through life thinking you are thin, and you may be according to society but you might be 'fat' in the way of not eating right or exercising the way that a "healthy skinny" person would be. I want to be healthy. I want to tone up and slim down. And to be brutally honest, I really just want a better butt.

So for this Wish-List Wednesday I thought it would be appropriate to share with you some of my 'wants' as far as workout gear is concerned. Let's start from the feet up, shall we?


Nike has always had some of the cutest sneakers. There was a time that I swear Pinterest was going to explode from the amount of 'Tiffany Blue' nike's that kept being pinned. But hey, it's a great tactic. Cute shoes? You're more likely to wear them, aka work out more. Genius.

These are the Nike Free TR Fit 3 in Raspberry, these can be found at Nordstrom's for $100


Next we have these beautiful spanex-capris from Nike. I always just wear Norts when I work out, but since it is a little colder I would like to get some longer pants in case I wanted to run outside. Plus, the material hugs every part of your legs. Motivation #betterbutt2014

These are the Nike Legend 2.0 Capris and can be found at Nordstrom's for $60


Lastly we have this little invention. I've wanted one of these ever since I tried running while trying to find a good place to put my phone. I like to listen to music when I work out and holding it in your hand isn't very comfortable and I'm too tall to just stick them into the waistband of my shorts. This is crucial, however I haven't found one yet that is designed for the iPhone 5s so my search is still on,

This is the Incase Sports Armband Deluxe and can be found at Apple for $44.95

So tell me, is there any workout apparel that I may have missed that you find to be 'crucial'?

Until next time,

Casey Rose