My life as I know it

I usually turn off the TV after the 10:30 episode of the Wonder Years comes to an end but for some reason tonight I decided to watch the news. Big mistake. A teenage boy was shot four times in a parking lot where I grocery shop. The Cleveland news has an entirely different impact on me here than it did when I would watch it at home. I used to be able to brush things off thinking it doesn't effect me but now that I live here, it's not just another shooting to me. It's a reality of the new world I live in; one that I'm not quite comfortable with. This is "only" one of two shootings that I know of in Lakewood in the last few months. I hesitate to say only because two shootings is still two too many if you ask me. Of course it's a much smaller number than Cleveland shootings but that isn't really comforting to me. Pat assures me that both of the recent shootings were isolated incidents, domestic disputes or personal grudges. That doesn't really comfort...

For those of you from the very large population of people who hate cats, please don't bother reading any further. I've had about all of the negative feedback regarding the new addition to my family that I can stomach. When the day comes that I feel minorities and homosexuals are being treated equally, you better watch out because my next activism movement is going to be: All pets are created equal. You don't have to be a cat person to appreciate the important role they play in other people's lives. Before I get carried away ranting and raving about the negative attitudes in this society toward cats, let me focus on the real issue at hand. I for one, am a cat lover. I'm a firm believer that like dogs, cats too can provide companionship. Yes, each play a different role in our lives, but in my mind there is no hierarchy of pets. One of the things I missed most during my college days was my ability to be around my pets. Now that I'm living by myself in an apartment...

Let me start by saying, if you relied on the television show "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" to indicate whether or not our school systems are successfully teaching our youth, you might be misled into believing they are and that No Child Left Behind actually worked! I give them credit, these kids are smart! But I am a bit cynical when watching the show. First of all, I think they picked the most elite of all 5th graders known to man. They are all probably students from the gifted and talented programs who have tested out of grades 5-12. Most of them are probably receiving college credit already. I will admit, I may be a little bitter because these kids continue to outsmart me week after week. However, I believe knowledge is somewhat like a vacation day at work. You either use it or you lose it. There comes a time in your life when nothing, absolutely nothing requires you to know where the first Inca civilization was located or the name of the ship that brought the pilgri...

On my way to work this morning, the DJ's on Q104 (my new favorite radio station in my new home) were asking their Cleveland listeners to call in and tell them something they miss from their hometowns. I found the topic somewhat ironic as I am spending my first week in my new apartment in my new city. As listeners were explaining trivial things they miss such as candy and pizza, I started thinking about really important things that I miss about my previous home: 1. Roommates: I never thought I'd be saying this since I was so eager to get out there and be on my own but I really do miss having roommates. I've spent the past 24 years with roommates and I really took it for granted. I felt so much safer knowing someone else was in the house or apartment and it was nice to have someone to talk to. 2. Knowing my way around: It's hard for me to remember what it was like in Bowling Green before I knew my way around. It's been a period of adjustment for me lately in my new c...